Le Vell Stripped Of Celebrity Status In Court

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

Who is Michael Turner? For the jury it's a question that has dominated all others in his sex abuse trial where he has now been found not guilty.

The prosecution urged jurors to forget the soap star who goes by the stage name Le Vell.

The judge said they should discount the familiar face known to millions of Coronation Street followers.

It sounded straight forward but psychologist Cary Cooper said that in general we believe, initially at least, an actor's on-screen persona.

"I think when we meet celebrities we are first I think influenced by our kind of stereotype of them, by the role that they're playing, by the image they project, by the image the media project of them," he said.

"But ultimately when we actually meet them we are computing in our brain different bits of information that may disconfirm our stereotypes, our positive or even negative feelings about them.

"So, as human beings we're taking this information in. We won't be influenced by a stereotype."

The camera flashes and media scrum that accompanied the actor each day of his trial seemed to belong more to the world of Michael Le Vell.

But once inside Manchester Crown Court he was stripped of his celebrity status and stood in the dock as plain Michael Turner.

Le Vell pictured outside court

Except he was not so plain. Even by his own admission the defendant struggled with a serious drink problem twice attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

His own barrister Alisdair Williamson QC accepted that his client was "a weak and stupid man".

The jury were told that Le Vell had cheated on his wife with a series of one-night stands and even had an affair as she was going through chemotherapy - but never a child abuser, the lawyer argued.

After being confronted by the alleged victim's mother in 2011, Michael Le Vell texted a message saying:  "Make sure she knows the magnitude of her lies. This is like a life-changing thing. It could cost me my job. It's not just a schoolyard story."

The chilling allegations were outlined in detail as the girl gave evidence in the witness box.

She said: "He put one of my favourite teddies over my mouth so that I could still breathe but couldn't say anything. He said he was getting rid of all the evil and bad inside me."

The court heard that she came forward after attending a seminar by life coach Ali Campbell on how to move forward in life and shed past "baggage".

By this time the girl was a teenager but she said that the actor had been abusing her since she was six years old.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided in 2011 not to proceed with the case but changed its mind just over a year later after a review.

In the intervening period a national debate promoted by the Jimmy Savile case, which was entirely unconnected to Michael Le Vell's proceedings, led to fundamental changes in the way prosecuting authorities dealt with alleged victims of child abuse.

Criminologist and child abuse expert Mark Williams-Thomas said: "Police have had a big involvement (in the general change of procedure) looking back at some of the past cases, reconsidering whether or not they took the right evidence in the first place.

"We have seen a complete shift in the approach to victims as well - giving victims more power."

After the CPS decision not to go ahead with Michael Le Vell's case his alleged victim came forward with more evidence.

It might have been enough for the CPS to overturn its original ruling but it was not enough to convince the jury.

Michael Le Vell is now free - and wants to return to the role for which he is best known - the flawed, the imperfect but ultimately innocent Kevin Webster.

Not so far removed it seems from Michael Turner - the man who plays the part.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murderers 'Strangled' Killer In Prison Cell

Two convicted murderers tied up and strangled a killer with a pair of tracksuit bottoms in his jail cell and then made a cup of hot chocolate, a court has heard.

Inmates Gary Smith and Lee Newell throttled fellow prisoner Subhan Anwar at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire on February 14 this year, it was claimed.

At their trial, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said Anwar's body was found after Newell told a prison officer: "He's gone, he's with Allah."

One of the defendants is also alleged to have informed prison security staff that Anwar, whose ankles were bound with tape, had been taken hostage because he was bored.

Claiming CCTV and DNA evidence proved both defendants were involved in the killing on Delta Wing, the prosecutor alleged they followed Anwar into his cell shortly before 6pm.

The door of the cell was then closed, Mr Grieves-Smith said, and remained shut until prison officers gained access and found Anwar's body at about 8.20pm.

At about 6.40pm, jurors were told, a call was made from an intercom in the cell to the prison's security department.

Mr Grieves-Smith said: "The caller did not identify themself but what he did say was that they had taken a hostage.

"He said words to the effect that he was bored and it was something to do. He then said 'I'm not joking, I think he is dead'."

Prison staff did not initially know whether the caller was joking, the court heard, and did not seek to force entry to Anwar's cell, instead talking through the door to those inside.

At 7.40pm, the jury heard, a warder looked through an eye-hole in the cell door and saw Anwar, who was motionless, lying face down on his bed.

Both men, who were found in possession of property belonging to Anwar, were subsequently interviewed by police under caution and chose to make no comment.

Addressing the possible motives for the killing, Mr Grieves-Smith told the jury: "There is no eyewitness who can describe what happened in that cell.

"The case against the defendants depends upon drawing together various strands of evidence but the prosecution suggest you will be sure that both are guilty of murder."

Jurors were told the defendants were likely to "point the finger" at each other, and that Newell, 44, will claim Smith, 48, was solely responsible for killing Anwar.

The pair deny murdering Anwar. Newell also denies stealing a watch, prayer beads and a metal earring belonging to Anwar. Smith has admitted a charge of theft.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ex-BBC Presenter Souter A 'Deviant Sex Abuser'

A former BBC radio presenter had a "deviant sexual obsession" with young boys, a court has heard.

Prosecutors say Michael Souter, who worked for BBC Norfolk for more than 10 years, used his celebrity to abuse society's most vulnerable.

The 60-year-old, of Loddon, Norfolk, denies 19 sex offences, including indecent assault, indecency with a child and serious sexual offences, against seven boys aged between 11 and 16. The allegations date to between 1979 and 1999.

Opening the case at Norwich Crown Court, prosecutor Andrew Shaw said Souter had also been involved in the scout movement and volunteered as youth mentor for the county's social services department.

"He worked in radio and television and was something of a local celebrity," he added.

"The significance of his work and his involvement with the scouts and social services, is that these three roles brought Mr Souter into regular contact with pliable young boys and very often pliable young boys who were among society's most vulnerable.

"We say Mr Souter is a deviant sexual abuser of young boys, particularly boys in uniform and those wearing shorts."

Souter presented a number of shows for BBC Radio Norfolk from its launch in 1980 until the 1990s. Originally from Scotland, he worked as a producer and presenter in both commercial and BBC radio since the mid-1970s.

Since 1989 he has worked as a freelance broadcaster and had run a media relations consultancy.

Mr Shaw said Souter had been spoken to by police in 1990 when another boy went to police accusing him of abuse.

One of the alleged victims in this case told that inquiry that he had not been abused and it was not until 2011 that he felt able to tell officers what had happened, the court heard.

Mr Shaw said mistakes may have been made by the authorities in the past, but added: "As we have seen in recent high profile cases, victims often only tell what has happened to them when they are ready to."

The court heard that on one occasion Souter had plied an alleged victim, who had a casual job at BBC Norfolk, with alcohol. The boy passed out and woke to find his trousers pulled down and Souter, who had not been drinking, molesting him, jurors were told.

He took boys on trips to burger restaurants and theme parks and used his links with Norwich City Football Club to invite them to watch matches at Carrow Road, the court heard.

Mr Shaw said: "As an indication of how he used his position, on one trip to Carrow Road the defendant was able to introduce one of his victims to Noel Edmonds."

After one of these matches it is alleged Souter invited one of the boys for a drive in his camper van before asking him to "tickle" him.

"This was a case of gently introducing a very young child to sexual activity - he was grooming him, preparing him for what was to come," the prosecutor said.

He is alleged to have abused this boy over the course of five years.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Newlywed Accused Of Pushing Husband Off Cliff

A woman in Montana has been accused of killing her husband of eight days by pushing him off a cliff at Glacier National Park after an argument.

Jordan Graham, 22, was charged with second-degree murder in a court in Missoula for the death of her husband Cody Johnson, 25.

Mr Johnson was reported missing on July 8, a day after he is believed to have died.

According to court documents, Graham told officers her husband had texted her the evening of July 7 to say he was going for a drive with friends.

She said he left in a dark car and never returned.

Days later, she told emergency dispatchers at Glacier National Park that she had found her husband's body below a hiking trail on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.

However, Graham later told authorities she had lied about Mr Johnson's death and that she had shoved him off a cliff during an argument while hiking, according to a court affidavit.

Graham said Mr Johnson had grabbed her arm during the dispute.

A view of Jackson Glacier in Montana from the Going-to-the-Sun Road

"Graham stated she could have just walked away, but due to anger, she pushed Johnson with both hands in the back and as a result, he fell face first off the cliff," according to a sworn statement by FBI Special Agent Steven Liss, who took her confession.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Mr Johnson's injuries were consistent with a fall from a cliff.

The two were married on June 29. Soon after the wedding, the woman told a friend that she was having second thoughts about marrying him, according to Special Agent Liss.

The evening of July 7, she texted the friend: "Oh well, I'm about to talk to him."

In a subsequent text message she said: "But dead serious if u don't hear from me at all again tonight, something happened."

Family friend Tracey Maness told Western Montana newspaper Missoulian: "She'd been telling people she knew she never wanted to be married, she just wanted to have a wedding, and that's apparently what they were arguing about."

Graham made an appearance in court on Monday and is being detained, news reports say.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turkey: Mother Dead After British Family Shot

A gunman reportedly shot a British woman dead and injured her son and mother during a family holiday in Turkey.

The woman killed was named locally as Catherine Anne Bury, aged 56, from Swainby, North Yorkshire.

Also shot and now recovering in hospital were her son Alex, who is in his early 20s and who lived with her, and her mother Celia Bury, in her 80s from Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

A police officer at the family's holiday home

Vanessa Altin, a journalist in Turkey, said the family were shot while celebrating a birthday party at the villa in the small fishing village Dalyan, on Turkey's south coast.

The gardener is thought to have argued with the family, who reported him to Turkish police.

He was detained, but headed back to the villa on his release and opened fire with a pump-action shotgun.

Alex was reportedly shot in the leg, while his grandmother Celia was shot in the back. His mother is said to have been shot four times after attempting to hide from the gunman and died at the scene.

The family had reportedly been celebrating a birthday at the property

He is thought to have given himself up after the shooting and is due in court.

Stephen Garbutt, 72, who lives in the adjoining bungalow to the dead woman in Swainby, said: "I never ever heard a bad word, or a cross word or anything like that from any of them.

"How on earth they got into this situation I cannot imagine. I have never known Anne, for want of a better word, in trouble."

The Foreign Office confirmed in a statement: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Turkey on September 9.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

The statement added: "We can confirm the hospitalisation of two British nationals in Turkey on September 9."

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rapper Murder: Man Guilty Of Twister Stabbing

A teenager has been found guilty of stabbing to death an aspiring young rapper as three young children hid in the next room.

Thomas Brittain, a hip hop producer known as Twister, was found dead at his friend's house in Colchester in March.

The 26-year-old was attacked after two men broke into the property armed with a knife and a fake handgun, hoping to find drugs or cash.

Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court found 18-year-old Jack Hummerstone, of no fixed address, guilty of murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

Andre Vella, 19, from Kirby Cross, was cleared on both counts, although he was found guilty of aggravated burglary, a charge Hummerstone admitted.

Both men pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit a criminal offence.

Detective Inspector Anne Cameron, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Tom was a well-respected musician who spent his last few months in fear of Hummerstone, resulting in him losing his flat, his possessions and ultimately his life.

"Hummerstone and Vella forced their way into a flat containing a young family, carrying a gun and a knife.

"They had no consideration of the impact their actions would have on such young children.

"The flat owner was ... stabbed on the hand and hit with the imitation gun. Tom was then repeatedly stabbed whilst he fought for his life. One of those wounds was fatal.

"This was a planned, callous, violent attack on a defenceless family and particularly Tom. His family have lost a much-loved brother and son, for which no justice will bring him back.

"My condolences go to the family and Tom's friends and I hope they are now able to grieve in peace."

Hummerstone and Vella will be sentenced later this month.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple Expected To Launch New iPhones At Event

Apple Launch Could Open New Market

Updated: 3:41pm UK, Tuesday 10 September 2013

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Beijing

In China, Apple has two problems: price and reach.

Let's take 'reach' first. In China there are three mobile phone networks: China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom Corporation.

To date, Apple has only managed to establish a deal with two of them: China Unicom and China Telecom Corporation.

Given that the other carrier, China Mobile, is the world's largest network with an estimated 745 million subscribers, Apple is missing out on a huge chunk of the Chinese consumer base.

To put it simply, 745 million people are, at the moment, unable to buy an iPhone because it's not available on their network.

There have been plenty of rumours about a deal finally being signed between Apple and China Mobile. It hasn't happened yet.

The second problem for Apple in China is price. The iPhone is significantly more expensive than every other smartphone available on the Chinese market and there are many to choose from, Samsung being the biggest. 

Sales of Android phones are far outstripping the sale of Apple's iPhone, making up about 90% of the Chinese market.

This is partly down to the fact that most Android phones are available on all three of the Chinese networks but it's also because they are cheaper.

Apple's share price has fallen from $700 (£446) a year ago to about $500 (£319). The problems in China are thought to be largely to blame.

A deal with China Mobile will help considerably. But a cheaper handset seems vital too.

That's where the conveniently named iPhone 5C comes in. It's not clear if the 'C' stands for 'China' (or perhaps 'cheap') but there's no doubt that it's aimed at the Chinese market.

Rumours suggest it will be plastic and available in multiple colours. That will certainly appeal to the young and upwardly mobile Chinese consumer who seems to buy increasingly gaudy phone covers.

The balance for Apple is tricky though. It likes to be seen as a premium brand - a cut above the rest perhaps.

Introducing a cheaper phone may well diminish that brand but to crack the Chinese market properly, that might be a price worth paying.

There is a strange irony here though. iPhones may be proudly "Designed in California" but they are "Made in China" to keep costs down.

Now the company finds itself having to produce a cut-price model to win over the very people who make the phones.

The Chinese, after all, seem to be the key to its future.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bank Consults On Scrapping Paper Money

The Bank of England has launched a consultation about replacing Britain's paper banknotes with new polymer varieties.

It would be the first time in the 300-year history of official UK banknotes that they would be made of a material other than paper.

The bank also intends to make the new banknotes around 15% smaller than the current versions.

The polymer £5 note would be smaller than the current one

"Polymer banknotes are cleaner, more secure and durable than paper notes," the bank's deputy governor Charlie Bean said.

"They are also cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

"However the Bank of England would print notes on polymer only if we were persuaded that the public would continue to have confidence in, and be comfortable with, our notes."

Mark Carney oversaw the introduction of polymer notes in his native Canada

The consultation itself will last until November and the decision on whether to introduce them will be made in December.

Polymer notes have been in use in Australia for 25 years, and were recently been introduced in Canada, under the governorship of Mark Carney.

The Bank of England said it had been researching polymer banknotes for three years, but the final decision to launch the consultation was made by Mr Carney, who is now Bank of England Governor.

Polymer notes would potentially be introduced for the new £5 note, which will feature Winston Churchill, and the new £10, which will feature Jane Austen, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Although the polymer notes cost around 50% more to produce than existing paper notes ("a few pence each" according to chief cashier Chris Salmon) they also last longer - between two-and-a-half and six times.

Current £5 notes have a life of around two years.

The bank said it hoped the new notes, which are harder to counterfeit, would reduce banknote forgery in the UK, which is at higher levels than many other countries.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Britain And US Table UN Resolution

Weapons Handover 'Is Unrealistic'

Updated: 1:31pm UK, Tuesday 10 September 2013

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The Russian proposal for Syria to voluntarily give up its chemical weapons is logistically unrealistic but diplomatically clever.

US Secretary of State John Kerry either blundered into a Russian trap, or disguised an offer as an off-the-cuff remark when he suggested Syria could avoid air strikes by handing over its chemical weapons within a week. Most analysts believe it to be the latter.

Either way, it took about an hour for his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to seize the moment and make his proposal.

A giant smokescreen quickly enveloped the international stage, but behind it you could hear a large ladder being dragged on to give everyone an opportunity to climb down from their current positions, especially Barack Obama.

The UN quickly embraced the proposal, the British and French gave it a cautious welcome, the Americans said they would look at it, the Syrians did what they will continue to do - they prevaricated.

Everyone spoke with a straight face. They either don't know the complexities behind the reality of the Russian idea, or they felt it better to ignore them until the smoke clears and the route down the ladder becomes apparent.

Who would actually go to Syria and secure the weapons under the auspices of the UN is unclear. It would take hundreds of scientists and others, and it could take months.

Syria is thought to have 1,000 tons of chemical weapons spread across dozens of sites.

In the event of full co-operation by the government, which has yet to even admit it has such weapons, the UN would have to beg, borrow and steal the experts from a variety of countries prepared to put their top scientists at risk.

It would also have to assemble a support team.

In the meantime Syria would have to sign and ratify the Convention on Chemical Weapons.

When the UN teams arrived they could venture to some of the relatively safe areas under government control, but getting to sites in contested areas would be problematic.

To put that into English, the UN inspectors would risk being shelled by the Syrian army as it attacked other targets, shot at by rebels for being part of the process which stopped US air strikes, blown up by roadside bombs, and kidnapped by whichever local gang wanted to get themselves into trouble.

This is not the type of job the world's top chemical weapons scientists are best suited for even with a UN security force alongside them.

In a controlled environment the Russian proposal can work. Syria is not a controlled environment.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Le Vell Rape Trial: Corrie Star Not Guilty

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has said he is "delighted" after being found not guilty of child sex abuse charges, including rape.

Mr Le Vell, 48, who was on trial under his real name Michael Turner, breathed out and said "thank you" as the jury's verdict was announced.

He had maintained his innocence throughout and was cleared of 12 child sex offences.

The actor held his head up as the male foreman began giving the verdicts to a hushed and packed courtroom after around five hours of deliberations.

His brother and sisters, who sat in the public gallery, were in tears as the verdicts were delivered. One man shouted "get in" when the last verdict was read out.

Surrounded by supporters outside court, Mr Le Vell said the verdict was a "big weight off everyone's shoulders".

He added: "I might go and have a drink now."

Asked when he would return to Coronation Street, Mr Le Vell replied: "I don't know, I might have a holiday first. I'll have to go and have a chat with my boss."

Mr Le Vell said the trial had been a 'traumatic time'

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "We are looking forward to meeting with Michael to discuss his return to the programme."

His accuser, who cannot be named, was not in court for the verdicts but she had earlier sobbed as she claimed Mr Le Vell - known to millions as the ITV show's Kevin Webster - raped her as she clutched a teddy bear.

The charges included five of rape.

The eight female and four male jurors were told they must decide if the alleged victim was telling the truth or set out to "quite literally destroy the life" of the accused.

During the eight day trial the "demons" in Mr Le Vell's private life were laid bare - his alcoholism and womanising while his wife battled breast cancer.

The court heard of his "dark secret" that he had enjoyed a string of one-night stands behind the back of his wife of 25 years, Janette Beverley.

And he had abandoned the family home to get drunk in the pub each night.

But while Le Vell might be described as a "weak, stupid and drunk man" and a "bad husband", he was not a child rapist, the jury was told.

It was a "strange case of child rape" without any DNA evidence or injuries to the alleged victim, who claimed she had been raped and abused while a young girl, his legal team said.

One of his supporters and close friend Nigel Pivaro, who played Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street, said: "He has suffered two years of hell and probably more also due to his high profile far more than most.

"It has been a long journey for him.

"Now the jury has spoken, he can pick up his career and his life."

Le Vell was initially arrested on September 30, 2011, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the case.

After a review of the evidence following fresh allegations by the girl, Le Vell was re-arrested and charged in February 2013.

He first joined Coronation Street in 1983 and quickly endeared himself to fans, who have followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin, from his days as Brian Tilsley's apprentice mechanic through to his stormy marriage to Sally, played by Sally Dynevor.

He did not appear in any episodes of the soap during the legal proceedings.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More