Daughter charged over garden bodies

1 November 2013 Last updated at 18:14 ET

The daughter and son-in-law of an elderly couple who disappeared in 1998 and were found buried in a back garden have been charged with their murders.

The remains thought to be of William and Patricia Wycherley were found at the Mansfield house on 9 October.

Tests showed they had been shot, Nottinghamshire Police said earlier.

Susan Patricia Edwards, 55, and Christopher John Edwards, 57, both of no fixed address, have each been charged with two counts of murder.

The pair are due to appear before magistrates on Saturday.

Formal identification has yet to be confirmed but detectives believe the remains are that of Mr and Mrs Wycherley who lived at the house in Blenheim Close, Forest Town, in the 1990s.

Police have said Mr and Mrs Wycherley "were known to be quite reclusive".

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Poverty 'linked to cancer deaths'

1 November 2013 Last updated at 22:03 ET

Hundreds of women from the poorest backgrounds in England are dying needlessly of breast cancer, according to researchers.

Data presented at the National Cancer Research Institute conference showed poverty was linked to 450 breast cancer deaths a year.

Catching the tumour late is thought to be a major explanation for the deaths.

The charity Cancer Research UK said women needed to go to their GP promptly.

There is a strong link between wealth and health. Cancer, heart attacks, stroke, lung disease and liver disease are all more likely in areas of social deprivation.

Stage of diagnosis

Scientists from Cambridge and Leicester universities looked at data from 20,000 patients who had breast cancer diagnosed between 2006 and 2010.

They looked at what stage of the cancer the tumours were being diagnosed. The later the diagnosis, the more advanced the tumour and the harder it is to treat.

Women from the most affluent areas were catching their tumours earlier.

The study showed that if women from more socially deprived backgrounds could match that level of diagnosis it would save 450 lives a year in England.

One of the researchers, Dr Gary Abel, of the University of Cambridge, said: "These avoidable deaths are not due to differences in the response to treatment, or the type of breast cancer.

'Greater reluctance'

"Rather these are deaths that might be avoided if cancer was caught as early in women from deprived backgrounds as those from more affluent backgrounds.

"The reason for this inequality may be a combination of these women being less aware of breast cancer symptoms and a greater reluctance to see their GP."

Dr Julie Sharp, of Cancer Research UK, said: "Other research shows that women from deprived backgrounds are more likely to feel embarrassed or worried about going to their GP, but it's important for women to take that step as going to the GP promptly could make all the difference.

"All women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel because we know that early diagnosis is one of the most important factors in whether breast cancer treatment is effective."

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Planned legal aid cuts criticised

2 November 2013 Last updated at 00:54 ET

Government plans to cut legal aid in criminal cases have been criticised by an elite group of barristers used by it to prosecute the most serious crimes.

Treasury Counsel, appointed by the attorney general, said the cuts - £220m from a yearly budget of £1bn for criminal cases - were unsustainable.

The Bar Council and the Law Society also criticised the plans.

But the Ministry of Justice said savings were needed to ensure the system could help those most in need.

A final consultation on proposed cuts to legal aid in criminal work in England and Wales closed on Saturday.

Legal aid costs taxpayers about £2bn every year, with criminal defence making up more than half of the expenditure.

'Cuts before justice'

Government proposals include cutting fees in complex, high cost cases by 30%, and in other crown court work by up to 18%.

Treasury Counsel said the "entirely obvious and predictable outcomes will be lost quality and reduced supply of criminal advocates".

Meanwhile, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, accused the government of putting "cuts before justice".

Handing in the Bar Council's response to the government, Maura McGowan QC, chairwoman of the Bar, said: "Over a period of several months, we have entered into conversations with government openly and honestly to try to find a resolution on legal aid which would protect the justice system.

"It is now clear that the government has never sought to match that intention.

"It is hard to avoid the conclusion that it has put cuts before justice.

"What we have seen instead is the denigration of thousands of members of the profession, who work hard in the public interest, whether in civil or criminal courts, and have had to endure deeper cuts than anywhere else in the public sector."

'Maintain quality'

The Law Society, which represents some 130,000 solicitors in England and Wales, said it had some concerns about proposals for flat fees in magistrates' courts and the crown court and a single national fixed fee for police station work.

Law Society President Nicholas Fluck said: "To maintain quality, it is vital that we have the most diverse range of solicitors possible in the system within the boundaries of long-term financial viability.

"The current proposals for a single national fixed fee for police station work will have a disproportionate effect on firms in high-cost areas where the cost of doing business is greater.

"It is unwise to risk tarnishing the respect in which our justice system both domestically and internationally is held by an apparent incentive to plead guilty, which could jeopardise the relationship of trust between clients and solicitors."

The MoJ said the cut in high cost cases was to ensure it would impact high earners and not junior barristers, and denied other cuts were unjust.

'Generous' system

An MoJ spokeswoman said: "We have tried to ensure our proposals have more impact on high earners - 70% of criminal barristers contracted to Very High Cost Cases receive fee incomes of over £100,000, which is why we targeted the largest fee reductions at this type of work.

"Nor do we accept our proposed rates for more routine work are unjust. The minimum a QC would be paid for such a case is £306 each day.

"At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world and even after our changes would still have one of the most generous.

"We agree legal aid is a vital part of our justice system and that's why we have to find efficiencies to ensure it remains sustainable and available to those most in need of a lawyer. We have engaged constructively and consistently with lawyers - including revising our proposals in response to their comments - and to allege we have not is re-writing history."

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Two charged with pizza driver murder

2 November 2013 Last updated at 02:06 ET

A man and a teenager have been charged with the murder of a pizza delivery driver in Sheffield.

Sri Lankan national Thavisha Lakindu Peiris, 25, was found stabbed in his car in Southey Crescent on Sunday.

He had been making his final delivery for Domino's Pizza before he was due to start a new job as an IT consultant.

Shamraze Khan, 25, of Southey Crescent, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are due before Sheffield magistrates later.

They were arrested on Thursday night by South Yorkshire Police.

Mr Peiris had set off at 21:50 GMT to make a delivery in Southey Crescent.

His colleagues found him dead in the driving seat of his Toyota Yaris in a parking bay near the delivery address. A post-mortem examination found he died from multiple stab wounds.

Mr Peiris had been working at the takeaway in Halifax Road after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 2011.

His parents, Sarath Mahinda Peiris and Sudarma Narangoda, said they had been left "heartbroken" by his death.

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Firefighters strike over pension row

2 November 2013 Last updated at 03:58 ET

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Some firefighters walked out amid a large blaze in Dagenham involving 1,500 tonnes of scrap metal, as Sian Lloyd reports.

Firefighters in England and Wales have staged a fresh strike in a row with the government over pension ages.

Ministers described the action by Fire Brigades Union members as completely unnecessary and damaging to the reputation of firefighters.

Friday's strike began at 18:30 GMT and ended at 23:00. A further strike is planned on Monday morning.

In London, contingency crews dealt with a large scrap yard fire which led to a voluntary recall of striking FBU staff.

'Breached' agreement

The cause of the blaze in Dagenham, which started around 15:20, is not yet known.

Twenty fire engines and 120 firefighters and officers were sent to the scene, which involved about 1,500 tonnes of scrap metal.

"The strike started at 6.30pm, and when the fire crews left we called in four contingency crews," a London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said.

"The strike ended at 11pm, and we have had six crews brought back to the scene. The fire is under control."

An agreement was in place for all striking staff who would normally be on duty to be recalled in the event of a major incident, but the FBU said the way the London Fire Brigade had enacted it had "breached" the agreement.

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson maintained the recall was valid and had been issued because of the size of the fire and the resources needed to deal with it.

"The FBU have told firefighters not to follow the recall notice. They claim the recall is not valid because there is no risk to life. There is no reference to risk of life in the agreed protocols to implement a major incident," he said.

London Fire Brigade said in a statement it received 124,999 calls during the strike period and 200 contingency crew staff attended 17 incidents in the capital.

"A recall notice was issued to crews due to the scale and seriousness of the Dagenham fire, which was ongoing as the strike started," it said.

"The FBU immediately advised firefighters that they did not agree that the protocol could be invoked and to ignore it."

'Way forward'

The latest action comes after a four-hour stoppage last month, followed by an abandoned strike when an agreement to the two-year dispute was anticipated.

The union wants assurances about terms of employment in view of government plans to raise the retirement age for firefighters from 55 to 60.

The FBU says it fears firefighters will be made redundant if they fail fitness tests and are unable to find other work in the fire service.

But the government says firefighters have been offered similar fitness principles to those the FBU accepted in Scotland and its proposals offer them one of the most generous pension schemes in the public sector.

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The BBC's Fiona Trott was in York and witnessed the start of the strike

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack told BBC Radio 5 Live's Stephan Nolan show: "[Going on strike] is not something any of us want to do.

"We have tried to avoid this dispute. We have tried to avoid strike action for three years. But what is the alternative if you have a government who won't listen or won't negotiate?"

He said plans to make firefighters work until the age of 60 were "unworkable" and any pension scheme should take that into account.

'Be sensible'

The FBU said it had timed the strike to avoid Bonfire Night and the Saturdays on either side.

Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: "[Firefighters] are courageous people, they deserve a good pension scheme. We believe we've put that in place. We think it is completely unnecessary for them to call a strike at this time.

"To the general public I would say there are good contingency plans in place right across the country and if they have an emergency call - a 999 call - they will get an emergency response."

Peter Dartford, the vice-president of the Chief Fire Officers Association, said individual authorities and fire and rescue authorities would have business continuity plans in place but services "will have to prioritise calls, and obviously those that involve a threat to life will be given the highest priority".

The government's chief fire and rescue adviser, Peter Holland, said "people shouldn't be alarmed" by the strike but urged them to "be sensible".

Industrial action has been avoided in Scotland through talks with the Scottish government, although there is no final agreement in place as yet.

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RBS traders suspended in forex probe

31 October 2013 Last updated at 19:02 ET

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has suspended two traders in connection to a growing investigation into the possible manipulation of foreign exchange rates.

The news follows reports that London-based executives at three other major banks have been placed on leave.

Regulators in the UK, US and Switzerland are looking into whether banks colluded to set exchange rates.

The global foreign exchange market is worth more than £3tn a day.

London is the most important centre for the market, accounting for about 40% of all foreign exchange trading.

The reports are that executives at Citigroup, JP Morgan and Standard Chartered have agreed to be placed on leave, but none has been accused of any wrongdoing.

They are Rohan Ramchandani of Citigroup, Matt Gardiner of Standard Chartered and Richard Usher at JP Morgan.

RBS declined to comment. It is among several banks believed to have been contacted by regulators in recent weeks about foreign exchange dealing. Others include Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Barclays.

'No surprise'

On Wednesday Barclays became the latest bank to confirm it had launched its own internal probe into its foreign exchange trading.

Regulators, including the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, are looking at allegations traders used instant messaging services to fix rates - similar to the Libor-fixing scandal which resulted in big fines for major banks in 2012.

Bankers were found to have colluded in fixing the Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) rate - an interest rate used by many banks, mortgage lenders, and others to set the price of borrowing on trillions of pounds of financial contracts.

Currently, foreign exchange prices are set at 16:00 in London each day during a one minute window. There are suspicions traders used this window to manipulate prices.

Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight programme, Kathleen Brooks, research director at Forex.com, said it was not a surprise that the foreign exchange market has come in for regulatory scrutiny, given its size.

She said the outcome of the investigations might affect London's standing as the centre of the forex market.

"[London] has a very good reputation, but continual regulatory probes are chipping away at that," she said.

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Two held over delivery man murder

31 October 2013 Last updated at 20:44 ET

A man and a teenager have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a pizza delivery driver in Sheffield.

Thavisha Lakindu Peiris, 25, was found dead by colleagues in his car in Southey Crescent, Sheffield, on Sunday. He had been stabbed in the chest.

He had been making his final delivery for Domino's Pizza before he was due to start a new job as an IT consultant.

South Yorkshire Police first arrested a boy, 17, on Thursday evening and a man, aged 25, later the same night.

Both are being held in custody for questioning.

Mr Peiris had been working at the takeaway in Halifax Road after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 2011.

He set off at 21:50 GMT to make a delivery in Southey Crescent but did not arrive.

His colleagues found him dead in the driving seat of his Toyota Yaris in a parking bay close to the delivery address.

A post-mortem examination found he had died from multiple stab wounds.

Mr Peiris's parents, Sarath Mahinda Peiris and Sudarma Narangoda, said they had been left "heartbroken" by his death.

Speaking from their family home in Sri Lanka, the couple said: "We sent our son to the UK to study so he can have a better life. Now we are left with only a broken heart."

South Yorkshire Police said it had more than 50 police officers working on the investigation and Mrs Peiris's family are understood to be making plans to travel to South Yorkshire.

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Baby P mother 'released from prison'

1 November 2013 Last updated at 01:27 ET

Baby Peter Connelly's mother, who was jailed over his death, has been freed from prison, it is understood.

Tracey Connelly was jailed for a minimum of five years in 2009 after admitting causing or allowing her son's death. She had also spent more than a year in custody on remand.

The Parole Board recently said it had recommended her release.

Peter died in August 2007 with more than 50 injuries, despite being on a social services "at-risk" register.

His death at home in Tottenham, north London, came a day after police told his mother she would not be prosecuted over abuse of the 17-month-old.

Social workers, health professionals and police officers had visited 60 times in eight months.

The Ministry of Justice refused to confirm whether Connelly had been released, saying it did not comment on individual cases.

Public protection

Connelly first became eligible for parole in August 2012.

The Parole Board did not recommend her release then, but a three-strong panel said she should be released following a second review.

She admitted causing or allowing Peter's death soon after being charged, and spent more than a year on remand before being sentenced in May 2009.

The sentence was "imprisonment for public protection", which carries a minimum term after which prisoners can be considered for release.

When deciding whether to release a prisoner, the Parole Board must consider the nature of their crime, their history, their progress in prison, any statements made on their behalf and reports from relevant professionals.

Connelly was jailed with her boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen, who were convicted at trial of the same offence she admitted.

Barker was given a 12-year sentence for his "major role" in Peter's death.

Owen was jailed indefinitely with a minimum three-year term, but later on appeal that was changed to a fixed six-year term. He was freed in August 2011 but has since been recalled to prison.

This week the BBC's Newsnight programme revealed Sharon Shoesmith, who was head of children's services at Haringey Council at the time of Peter's death, had agreed a "six-figure payout" for unfair dismissal after the case.

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RBS will not see 'bad bank' split

1 November 2013 Last updated at 04:30 ET

Royal Bank of Scotland has said it will not split itself into separate so-called good and bad banks.

RBS will create an internal "bad bank", ring-fencing £38bn of bad assets - such as loans it does not expect to have repaid.

The bank remains 81%-owned by the government following a massive bailout at the height of the financial crisis.

RBS also announced a pre-tax loss of £634m for the three months to 30 September.

In all, three separate topics relating to RBS were released on Friday: The company's own third quarter results report, a report into its small business lending practices by Sir Andrew Large, and the one commissioned by the government into whether or not to spilt the bank into two.

The main points include:

• No split into "good" or "bad" banks
• Fencing off £38bn of bad quality assets within the bank to be then sold off
• Poor performance in lending to small businesses
• Poor performance in serving individual customers - review launched
• Another £250m set aside for mis-selling payment protection insurance (PPI)
• Bottom-line loss of £634m for three months to end September
• No plans to reduce 81% government stake in business - yet

RBS said it would make a heavy loss this year partly because it plans to sell the assets - the bad loans - held by the internal bad bank.

This will lead to an accounting write-off of up to £4.5bn.

Including one-off items and the new PPI charge of £250m, RBS made a loss of £634m.

Scandals

The report released into small business lending said the bank was performing so badly on lending to small businesses it was not even meeting its own targets for the sector.

Continue reading the main story

The idea is that when [the toxic debt] is gone, RBS will feel liberated"

End Quote

RBS's review into how it serves its individual customers is scheduled to report its conclusions early next year.

Like its fellow banks, RBS has been caught up in the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) - cover customers either did not need or did not qualify to use - and other banking scandals.

In a separate development just ahead of the results, RBS suspended two traders in connection with an investigation into the possible manipulation of foreign exchange rates.

Earlier this year, RBS was fined hundreds of millions of pounds for its involvement in rigging Libor interest rates.

'More resilient'

The decision to keep the bad assets within the bank, but ring-fenced and managed separately, goes against the advice of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, which this summer suggested that toxic loans should be removed from RBS and kept in the public sector for the foreseeable future.

Toxic loans - or assets - include loans and mortgages that are not expected to be repaid, as well as more complex investments related to these bad loans.

The Bank of England said that it welcomed the plans for RBS's future structure, saying: "These actions should create a more resilient institution that is better able to support the real economy without any expectation of further government support."

RBS is still 81%-owned by the taxpayer, but unlike Lloyds, in which part of the taxpayer's stake was sold last month, there are no immediate plans to reduce that investment.

Earlier this year the bank's chairman, Sir Philip Hampton, said privatisation could begin as early as next year.

But the BBC's business editor says the first stages of privatisation are unlikely to take place until after the 2015 general election.

The government bought the shares at the height of the financial crisis at just over 500p a share.

They are currently well below that, at 367p.

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Tax powers promise from Cameron

1 November 2013 Last updated at 04:33 ET

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Mr Cameron said he and deputy PM Nick Clegg would be outlining major changes for funding in Wales

The Welsh government will get some control over income tax, subject to a referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron will say on Friday.

He and deputy PM Nick Clegg will announce new financial powers for the devolved administration.

They include control of the stamp duty paid by house buyers and powers to finance upgrades on the M4 motorway.

The Welsh government has accused the Westminster coalition of dragging its feet over further devolution.

It follows the publication of a report last year which said the Welsh government should have new tax powers.

At present Wales' devolved administration cannot vary taxes or borrow money, and gets its budget in a grant from the Treasury.

Last November the Silk Commission, set up by the Westminster coalition, said the Welsh government should be responsible for raising some of the money it spends.

It included a recommendation to devolve powers to vary a portion of income by 2020, following a referendum.

'Opportunity to decide'

Continue reading the main story

One of the best ways to raise living standards is to cut peoples' taxes"

End Quote David Cameron and Nick Clegg

First Minister Carwyn Jones has accused the UK government of delaying its response to the Silk report, which was initially expected in the spring.

Writing jointly in the Western Mail, the prime minister and his deputy say "Wales will have the opportunity to decide whether some of their income tax should be devolved".

"This is hugely important - one of the best ways to raise living standards is to cut peoples' taxes," they write.

They say the UK government will "provide for a referendum to take place so that people in Wales can decide whether some of their income tax should be devolved, in the same way as it is in Scotland".

The Silk Commission said a referendum should only happen with the agreement of both the Welsh and UK governments, a two-thirds majority in the Welsh assembly and the agreement of both Houses of Parliament.

'Get this project started'

Referring to the M4, the coalition leaders say Wales "must have the tools to invest in the transport infrastructure it needs".

The Welsh government has been calling for borrowing powers to pay for a £1bn upgrade to the M4, with the first minister saying it would be a "disaster" if the borrowing powers recommended by Silk were not devolved.

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With a consultation under way on building a new stretch of motorway around Newport, the PM and deputy PM say there will be the "devolution of some finance raising powers... to get this project started".

Devolution of stamp duty - another Silk recommendation - will "bring in money that can be spent on big Welsh priorities like much needed affordable homes", they say.

Speaking to BBC Wales on Thursday, Mr Cameron said he agreed with the principle that "you get better government if the government is responsible for some of the money that it spends". He denied delaying the process, adding: "It takes time to get these things right."

He also announced that the next summit of Nato leaders in autumn 2014 will be held at the Celtic Manor resort in Newport, saying it was an opportunity to showcase the modern, successful Wales.

Lord Bourne, a former leader of the Conservatives in the Welsh assembly, was a member of the Silk Commission.

He has welcomed the expected announcement by the coalition government.

He told BBC Wales: "It's certainly what I was expecting and hoping for.

"I think now is the time to say this is really brilliant news for Wales and brilliant news for the United Kingdom.

"It's obviously what we worked hard on as a commission. We had a unanimous report, believing this is what would help Wales with limited borrowing powers, limited taxation powers and that is exactly what the prime minister has endorsed in Wales and I think that's excellent news."

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said she was "pleased" with the expected announcement.

"For the very first time, the amount of money a Welsh government spends could be directly linked to success in promoting economic development," she said.

"That should sharpen minds in Cardiff Bay and would also bring the same level of accountability to Wales that exists in almost all national parliaments."

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