Cyclist Tweet Is My Biggest Regret - Driver

By Rachel Younger, East of England Correspondent

A driver who tweeted about knocking a cyclist off his bike has said sending the message is the "biggest regret" of her life.

Emma Way, who was convicted of failing to stop after a crash and failing to report an accident but cleared of driving without due care and attention, clipped cyclist Toby Hockley on a country road in Norfolk last May.

She was fined £337 and given seven penalty points on her licence when she appeared at Norfolk Magistrates' Court.

The case came to the public's attention when the 22-year-old posted a tweet which read: "Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier. I have right of way. He doesn't even pay road tax!"

She ended her message with the hashtag #bloodycyclists.

Way, who has since left Twitter, sent this message hours after the crash

Mr Hockley told the court he was riding with a friend through Rockland All Saints, near Thetford, and had slowed down to about 18mph for a bend when a car came around the the corner "on my side of the road".

He said he ended up in a hedge, bruised, scratched and stung by nettles, after the car's wing mirror clipped his right arm.

He told the court there had been "quite a loud crunch" but admitted he had not come off his bike.

Jason Sexton, who was riding with Mr Hockley, told the court he had been riding just in front of his friend and had shouted to warn him about the approaching car before pulling into a lay-by.

He told the court he had also shouted at the driver, adding that his friend had been "as far across (on the road) as he could be to avoid traffic".

The crash happened in the village of Rockland All Saints, Norfolk

Way, a former trainee accountant from Watton, Norfolk, admitted her wing mirror had clipped Mr Hockley's bike with a "donk" but claimed he had been on the wrong side of the road, leaving her with nowhere to go.

She said she felt the collision had been his fault, telling the court: "I saw he had slightly wobbled. I hadn't hurt him. He was fine. I just carried on."

Asked whether she had thought any damage or injury had been caused, she replied: "No. I would definitely have stopped."

Way, who lost her job over the tweet, said she had been annoyed by the cyclist and sent the message on the "spur of the moment".

Asked by the defence to rate the stupidity of the post on a scale of one to 10, she replied: "I'd score it at 11."

"It was ridiculous and stupid and I apologise to all cyclists," she added. "It is the biggest regret of my life so far."

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Police 'Routinely Massaging Crime Figures'

Police officers are failing to record rapes and child sex abuse offences in an attempt to improve performance figures, MPs have been told.

Officers use techniques such as "cuffing", "nodding", "skewing" and "stitching" to make figures look better, the House of Commons Public Administration Committee has heard.

One serving officer told MPs rapes and child sex abuse offences were being recorded as "crime-related incidents" or "no crimes".

He said he estimated rapes and serious sexual offences were being under-recorded by around 25% because of the manipulation of figures.

Metropolitan Police constable James Patrick - who is currently awaiting disciplinary proceedings - said he became concerned after joining the force in 2009 and finding robberies being logged as "theft snatch" in order to get them "off the books".

He said: "The extent of this in the borough I was initially in was large. They were showing in some reports... a 400% increase in street robberies. If you looked at the same reports a couple of days later, robberies would be static, but theft snatch would have increased by a large amount."

The committee chairman, Bernard Jenkin said he was "shocked that apparently such manipulation of police statistics could possibly happen on such a wide scale and become so institutionally prevalent".

Bernard Jenkin said massaging figures was 'institutionally prevalent'

Former West Midlands chief inspector Dr Rodger Patrick - no relation to the constable - drew the committee's attention to a number of practices he said were commonly employed to improve crime statistics.

The first was "cuffing" crimes to make sure they did not appear in figures. To do this police officers would describe multiple incidents as a single crime, record thefts as lost property or simply decide they did not believe complainants.

Another technique was "nodding", where an offender might admit a number of offences in return for inducements such as being charged for less serious offences which would result in a reduced sentence. Dr Patrick said: "Sometimes inducements in the form or sex, alcohol or access to meals are offered."

He described "skewing" as where forces put resources into those areas measured by performance indicators. He gave the example that to reduce burglary, forces might put resources into burglaries at the "cost of investigating something like rape or child protection".

Another practice was "stitching" where suspects were offered cautions when there was not enough evidence to convict them of a crime or recording that an informal warning had been dealt out without the offender ever having been informed of it.

Mr Jenkin said: "This is a really savage thing to say, that we can't trust the leadership of our constabularies to measure their own performance. This is what we pay our Chief Constables to do."

The Metropolitan Police said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to ensuring crimes are accurately recorded and has put in place robust processes to ensure crimes are neither over- nor under-recorded."

Kent Police Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley insisted that, despite a damning report into the way his force recorded crime statistics, mis-recorded offences were often "honest mistakes".

Earlier this year a watchdog warned that Kent Police were more interested in chasing targets than helping victims after it found one in 10 crimes were under-recorded.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) concluded that an institutional bias existed in the force towards chasing numerical targets for solving crime and that led to some officers focusing on categories of crime.

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Paris Shootings: Police 'Have Gunman's DNA'

French police have said they have the DNA of a gunman suspected of carrying out shootings at two media organisations and a bank.

A massive manhunt is under way in Paris, a day after the shooter critically wounded a photographer at the offices of major daily newspaper Liberation.

Sky's Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet, in Paris, said: "We're still not entirely sure how they (police) managed to get the DNA. 

"We think that it may be because he touched an object inside the car where he took that hostage to drive from the outskirts, the town of Puteaux, into the centre of Paris, the Champs-Elysees where he then melted into the crowd and the metro system."

A CCTV image of the gun-wielding intruder at BFMTV

After fleeing the newspaper's offices in the east of Paris, the gunman is believed to have crossed over to the western edge of the city, where he fired several shots outside the main office of the Societe Generale bank. No one was hurt.

He then reportedly hijacked a car driven by a priest and forced him to drop him off close to the Champs-Elysees in the centre of the city.

Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that the suspected shooter was arrested in the seventh arrondissement of the city, but prosecutors on the case swiftly denied this.

The photographer, who was arriving for his first day of freelance work at the newspaper, suffered wounds to his chest and stomach in the shooting on Monday.

Police also believe the gunman was behind an incident on Friday in which staff members at news television station BFMTV were threatened by a gun-wielding intruder.

Paris is on high alert after the shootings

In that incident, the gunman emptied several cartridges on the floor, while warning a senior editor: "Next time, I will not miss you."

Investigators have so far been unable to identify the gunman - described as white and aged between 35 and 45 - and branded as a "real danger" by Interior Minister Manuel Valls.

Investigators have issued a new photograph of the suspect taken by a CCTV on Monday in Paris' central Concorde Metro station, near the Champs-Elysees.

Liberation executive Nicolas Demorand said the photographer was "still critical", although he was "in a slightly better state".

The newspaper devoted four pages to the unprecedented attack and an employee described the moment the gunman walked in.

"The guy pulled out a gun from his bag and fired twice at the first person he saw," the staff member said.

"It lasted no more than 10 seconds, and anyone of us could have been hit. The shooter said nothing and left immediately."

France's President Francois Hollande warned that the gunman "could still kill tomorrow or at any time".

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Monty Python's Circus Set To Fly Again

Comedy veterans Monty Python are set to reunite for their first major project in 30 years.

Surviving members of the team at the Spamalot opening in New York in 2005

Surviving members John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin are expected to announce their plans at a news conference in London on Thursday.

The announcement follows months of secret talks about getting back together, according to reports.

A spokesman for the Pythons would not reveal whether the group planned to perform live, in a TV special or in a film.

But Terry Jones appears to have let the cat out of the bag by revealing what it is the Pythons are going to do.

"We're getting together and putting on a show - it's real," Jones told the BBC.

(L-R) Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and John Cleese

"I'm quite excited about it. I hope it makes us a lot of money. I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!"

Idle added to the rumours on Monday when he tweeted: "Only three days to go till the Python press conference.

"Make sure Python fans are alerted to the big forthcoming news event."

His Tuesday tweet added: "Python meeting this morning. Can't wait. Press Conference Thursday will apparently be live on Sky News.  I'll get you the online URL."

Monty Python's Flying Circus was made for TV between 1969 and 1974, and the team's work famously includes the Dead Parrot and the Ministry of Silly Walks sketches.

The Pythons went on to make films including Monty Python And The Holy Grail and Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Filming Life of Brian

Their final film, Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life, released in 1983, was the last time the six Pythons worked together on a full-time project.

Graham Chapman died of cancer in 1989.

Since the Pythons split, each member of the group has gone on to achieve huge success in his own right.

John Cleese co-wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures - the latter two also starred fellow Python Michael Palin - and he has appeared in two James Bond and two Harry Potter films.

Most recently, he has been on what he calls his Alimony Tour, a one-man show which he says he had to do to pay for his divorce from American therapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger for which he had to pay a divorce settlement of £12m.

World Of Whickers

Michael Palin also had starring roles in a number of films, as well as carving out a different career on TV as a well-respected and entertaining traveller and explorer.

Terry Jones' career - like his fellow Pythons - has been diverse. He co-wrote Ripping Yarns with Palin before moving on to working with musicians and writing books and presenting TV documentaries on medieval and ancient history. He has also collaborated with Terry Gilliam, the only non-British Python.

Gilliam was the animator behind the Python comedy sketches. Since going solo, Gilliam has directed several films including Time Bandits, Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

At the Hollywood Bowl, California, 1982

Eric Idle has written books and songs and West End shows. His current success is the music and lyrics for the musical Monty Python's Spamalot, based on the Holy Grail film.

The Python team were earlier this year ordered to pay around £250,000 extra in royalties to film producer Mark Forstater over his contribution to Spamalot.

Forstater was the original producer of the Holy Grail film, a musical that has grossed well over £100m.

He had said in court that he was the "seventh" Python - a statement described as "laughable" by the comedy team.

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Jilted New Zealand Woman Runs Over Boyfriend

A 44-year-old woman in New Zealand has been sectioned after allegedly trying to run over a boyfriend who had jilted her.

The incident happened in the Hamilton Waikato area of North Island, the area where the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit were filmed.

A 15-year-old boy heard the couple arguing outside a shop. He said he heard the victim telling the woman he was going to leave her and "then she ran him over".

"The first time we thought it was just an accident, but then the second time we knew it wasn't," Kanj Patel was quoted as saying on Liveleak.com.

"I was shocked and I was shaking, but I had to do something to help him.

"He was swearing a bit, but we took him a cushion and another person got him a towel for his head and we tried to keep him comfortable."

Witnesses said the 44-year-old woman then drove her car over a bank and into the Waikato River.

A boy who was swimming in the river with his younger brother heard the car revving before it went over the bank.

"It didn't look like she was trying to stop," he said.

The woman freed herself from the car as it was sinking.

Waikato police were soon on the scene and the woman was brought ashore, with the assistance of a passing kayaker.

The man is in hospital recovering from his injuries.

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Iranian Embassy Blasts Kill 23 In Beirut

Two explosions at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut have killed 23 people and injured 146, Lebanon's health minister has said.

Ali Hassan Khalil said the number of victims, which include the embassy's cultural attache, was not final and could rise further.

Lebanese officials say security footage showed a suicide bomber and car bomb were behind the blasts in the neighbourhood of Janah, in the south of the Lebanese capital.

The area is a stronghold of the militant Hizbollah group, which is a main ally of President Bashar al Assad in neighbouring Syria's civil war. It is unclear if the blasts are related to that conflict.

State television in Syria said: "The Syrian government firmly condemns the terrorist attack carried out near the Iranian embassy in Beirut."

The front of the embassy was badly damaged in the blast

Iran accused Israel of being responsible for the attacks.

The bombings were "an inhuman crime and spiteful act done by Zionists and their mercenaries," ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in remarks reported by the official IRNA news agency.

Al Qaeda-linked group the Abdullah Azzam Brigades has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The neighbourhood has been hit by several blasts in recent months that have killed and wounded scores.

Shi'ite Iran has been bankrolling Mr Assad's fight against the mainly Sunni rebels and has given military support.

Southern Beirut is known as a Hizbollah stronghold and has been hit by at least three other explosions this year.

Those attacks were blamed on groups linked to the rebels, believed to be in retaliation for its involvement in Syria's civil war.

Hizbollah fighters have been supporting Mr Assad's forces in several strategic battles across Syria, a move that has also increased sectarian tension in the two countries.

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Syria: Ex-German Footballer Killed In Air Raid

A former Germany youth international who quit football to become a Jihadist has been killed in Syria.

Burak Karan played alongside stars like Sami Khedira and Kevin-Prince Boateng for two of Germany's youth sides.

According to his brother Mustafa, he died on October 11 when the Syrian air force dropped a bomb on a village near the Turkish border.

An image of Karan clutching a Kalashnikov assault rifle has appeared in tributes to him on social networking sites.

Mustapha told the German newspaper Das Bild that his brother, who was 26, "didn't want to fight".

Image of Burak taken from YouTube video

When civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, he said he began to raise funds to buy medical supplies for victims of the fighting.

"But when some of the supplies didn't turn up he decided to leave with his wife and two sons and organise distribution himself near the Turkish border."

Karan made five appearances for the German under-16 team and played twice for the under-17s.

Mustafa said: "Burak said money and career were not important things to him.

"Instead he searched the internet constantly for videos of war zones. He was desperate, full of compassion for the victims."

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Stafford: Cover-Up Hospitals Face Penalties

Stafford Hospital: The Victims

Updated: 1:45pm UK, Tuesday 19 November 2013

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

The families of three patients that died at Stafford Hospital have spoken of the neglect and failings there.

It was March 2010 when 61-year-old Alan Nash walked into Stafford Hospital for a routine colonoscopy.

Inquiries were already underway into a scandal, which suggested that between 2005 and 2008 up to 1,200 patients may have died needlessly.

As a result the Nash family believed the standards of care would be high. But Mr Nash's bowel was perforated and he died the same day.

His daughter Marie Hillman said: "We felt that all eyes would be on Stafford Hospital so there would not be any mistakes. Obviously it is one of the biggest regrets I have that we talked him into going."

His wife Jenny Nash: "I don't exactly know where the room is where they do the colonoscopy. But I was just sitting in the waiting room and it is not a big area anyway.

"I did hear. It was just like somebody had been punched in the stomach where you get that gasp, if you like and it was quite loud. I think that is when they actually perforated it."

Ms Hillman said: "He had gone into hospital for a routine diagnosis. It was just like a nightmare. A nurse said to me, you will probably find that this happened at home. This happened before he came in.

"And I thought there is no way. Dad walked into the hospital, there is no way this happened at home."

The family thought that they were trying to blame Mr Nash and "pass the buck".

His wife said: "I wasn't with him at the time, I was outside. I didn't know he was going to die."

Ms Hillman maintains that there has been no apology at all.

She said: "We would like more answers. We would like reassurance that steps have been put in place that would prevent this from happening to somebody else. But we haven't had that as of today."

In the case, the hospital did not accept that it had breached its duty of care.

Doreen Duff had already suffered a stroke before she moved to Stafford and came under the care of the local hospital.

She developed asthma and other complications and used the Accident and Emergency on a number of occasions before she was admitted. Doreen was 64 when she died in 2008.

Her husband James Duff said: "The A&E department was just chaotic. You couldn't get a doctor. If you did see one they would go off once they had seen you and they wouldn't come back until they had time again. Short staffed, rude, very, very dirty.

"At one time she was discharged from A&E and was back in A&E within an hour. She suffered more strokes and was eventually paralysed from the neck down and couldn't speak.

"When Doreen went in she was quite a bubbly person and had quite a good quality of life. She had lost the use of her left side but she had still got all the right side and she was as bright as a button.

"When she came out she was paralysed from the neck down, couldn't speak and everything had just gone. That was just because of the care she received in Stafford Hospital, a lack of care. Not giving her medication, not given the proper fluids and left in a bed that is wet, in your own faeces.

"After what we have all been through, the relatives of these, the care still isn't as it should be. They are still getting complaints coming through."

Deb Hazeldine suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder because of her 67-year-old mother Ellen's death from the hospital superbug C-difficile at Stafford Hospital.

"I will never get over it," said Ms Hazeldine who admits that she still struggles to cope more than six years after her loss.

She said: "My mum was diagnosed with bone cancer in March of 2006. She had some aggressive chemotherapy and unfortunately she suffered a fall at home.

"She didn't sustain any injuries at that point and she was taken into Mid-Staffs where she was told she would need physio and rehabilitation just to get her back on her feet."

Her mother was put onto an open ward despite a family request for her to have a side room or an isolation wing.

"She very quickly contracted C-diff and MRSA. She died from C-diff. She was sitting in a bed in a ward and I was sitting opposite her. We were chatting and faeces fell and covered half of the floor. Obviously it was at visiting time and other people were looking across. My mum just started to quietly cry.

"She was mortified that she was in this state. I looked for a nurse and pressed the buzzer and after about five minutes nobody came.

"I got down on my hands and knees and I started to clean it. I couldn't let my mum sit there like that. 

"When she died we had a call from the undertakers that stated that mum had so many hospital infections that the hospital said she had to be buried in a sealed body bag because she would contaminate the ground she went into.

"Even now we are hearing of complaints that there is lack of support on the wards, these families are still raising the same concerns as I was raising six years ago, of having to go in and support their loved ones.

"I don't understand that six years on, I really don't understand that."

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New Gibraltar Row: Ambassador Summoned

The Foreign Office has summoned the Spanish Ambassador amid a standoff over a ship that entered Gibraltar waters.

The Spanish survey ship has been in Gibraltar Territorial Waters for more than 18 hours and repeatedly refused direct orders from a British Royal Navy patrol boat  to leave. 

As a result, the Foreign Office has summoned Spanish Ambassador Federico Trillo to try and resolve the situation.

A Royal Navy Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) had previously pulled alongside the ship to try and prevent it lowering equipment into the sea. 

More follows...

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Flowers Quit Council Over 'Adult' Content

The scandal-hit former boss of the Co-op bank previously quit as a councillor over "inappropriate" content found on his computer.

Reverend Paul Flowers is alleged to have used cocaine and ketamine - a horse tranquilliser used as a party drug.

Sky News has learned that he resigned as a Bradford councillor in 2011 after "inappropriate but not illegal adult content" was found on a council computer he had handed in for service.

More follows...

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