Man Declared Dead Wakes Up In Body Bag

Workers at a US funeral home say they found a man alive and kicking when they opened a body bag.

Walter Williams, 78, had no pulse and was pronounced dead on Wednesday.

"I stood there and watched them put him in a body bag and zipped it up," Williams' nephew, Eddie Hester, told local station WAPT-TV.

As workers were preparing to embalm Mr Williams at the Porter and Sons Funeral Home in Lexington, Mississippi, he started kicking in the body bag, they said.

Coroner Dexter Howard said it was a "miracle".

He said he believed Mr Williams' pacemaker stopped working, then started again.

Family members were called and Mr Williams was taken to a hospital.

Mr Williams told his family he is happy to be alive, they said.

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Oscar Pistorius: Lawyers Prepare For Showdown

Two very different versions of what happened in the moments before Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp died have already been heard in court.

The athlete stands trial on Monday accused of her murder in a case that will make South African history as the first to be broadcast live for millions around the world to follow.

He denies the charge, claiming he mistook Ms Steenkamp for a burglar when he shot her in the early hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.

The prosecution says Pistorius, 26, fired his gun four times into the door of a bathroom, knowing his girlfriend was inside after an argument.

Reeva Steenkamp was 'unarmed and defenceless', according to the prosecution

It is alleged she locked herself in the room after fleeing down a seven-metre passage from the bedroom at the runner's luxury home in Pretoria.

According to details outlined at previous hearings, the prosecution argues Pistorius followed her with his 9mm pistol, first putting on his prosthetic legs.

It is claimed he shot his gun four times through the door, killing an "unarmed and defenceless" woman, before the door was broken open from the outside.

The prosecution has rejected claims of mistaken identity - that Pistorius believed the person inside the bathroom was a burglar.

The defence, meanwhile, has alleged the defendant had "no intention" of killing Ms Steenkamp and was bereft at her death.

According to this version of events, Pistorius heard a noise in the early hours and thought an intruder had come through a bathroom window and was hiding there.

Defence lawyers claim he felt vulnerable and shouted for the intruder to get out and for Ms Steenkamp to call police.

It was dark and Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was lying on her bed, not that she was in the bathroom, lawyers have argued.

Pistorius speaks with his lawyer Kenny Oldwage at an earlier hearing

They claim Pistorius hobbled to the bathroom on his stumps and fired his gun - a 9mm pistol he kept under his bed because he had received death threats.

After the shooting, they said, he returned to his bed and saw Ms Steenkamp was not there.

It is alleged he shouted for help, broke open a door with a cricket bat and found she was alive before carrying her downstairs.

Pistorius wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp, not kill her, his lawyers claim.

Pistorius said he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp, not kill her

The court battle will pit the wits of two of South Africa's leading lawyers and is expected to hear from 100 witnesses.

Pistorius has hired Kenny Oldwage, famous for helping acquit the man accused of killing Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter Zenani in a drink-driving car crash.

He has also hired Barry Roux, known in court for his scarlet ties.

The trial will be one of South Africa's biggest ever legal showdowns, with Pistorius' team going up against veteran prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Reeva Steenkamp's parents June and Barry. Pic: Channel 5

The judge will be Thokozile Matilda Masipa, a former crime reporter who became only the second black woman to be appointed to the high court in 1988.

The trial, which takes place in Pretoria, will have no jurors, since trial by jury was abolished in South Africa under apartheid in 1969.

Ms Steenkamp's mother, June, has indicated she will attend the trial.

However, her father, Barry, is expected to be at home, recovering from a near-fatal stroke, which his brother said happened while reading a newspaper report about the trial.

A layout of Pistorius' house in Pretoria, South Africa

Cameras will be able to "obtain a video and audio recording of the permitted portions" of the trial.

However, they will not be able to film the Olympic champion, defence witnesses or anyone else who objects to being on camera.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder in South Africa is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison.

:: Sky News will have live coverage of the trial from Monday, with a special highlights programme at 9.30pm.

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Hewitt 'Backed Age Of Consent As Low As 10'

Who Were Paedophile Group PIE?

Updated: 1:43pm UK, Tuesday 25 February 2014

A campaign group for lowering the age of consent, a networking group for paedophiles and the publisher of newsletters giving easy access to child porn.

The Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) started life in 1974 as a splinter group - or special interest group - of a Scottish gay rights movement.

It quickly moved to London because that was where the greatest interest in its activities lay and by 1975 had been accepted as an "affiliate" group by the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL).

Run by paedophiles who had "come out" and openly lobbied for child sex to be legalised, the group also provided a means for the like-minded to contact each other.

It also published regular newsletters - which became the now-defunct magazine Magpie, which published pictures of children, paedophilia "jokes", and also assisted paedophiles to obtain child pornography.

The group won support among left-wing groups largely by allying itself with the battle for gay rights and academia.

The freelance journalist Eileen Fairweather, who worked for the feminist magazine, Spare Rib, and who went on to expose abuse in Islington children's homes wrote recently for The Daily Telegraph: "PIE fooled so many on the Left, within academia and in social work, because they adroitly hijacked the language of liberation.

"Little was known then or discussed about the extent or horror of child abuse. PIE members also portrayed themselves as 'child lovers', benign uncle figures who offered tenderness, not rape.

"They claimed that paedophiles, like women, gay men and children, were 'oppressed by the patriarchy'. Therefore we should all make common cause. Spare Rib, to its credit, refused to fall for this self-serving guff. But nor did we condemn it."

In 1975, PIE submitted a 17-page document to the Home Office Criminal Law Revision Committee lobbying for no age of consent.

During this time PIE sent a leaflet to MPs which said: "Paedophiles are ordinary, decent, sensible human beings, no more sexually depraved than yourself, and with a capacity for loving and helping children which is at present being repressed."

In 1977 PIE chairman Tom O'Carroll was allowed to make a speech at the spring conference of the NCCL, giving the group further legitimacy.

In late 2013, the Home Office announced an inquiry into claims that PIE was being inadvertently financed by the Labour administration of the time through grants.

In 1980 O'Carroll published "Paedophilia: the radical case" which argued for "a climate in which children come to view all consensual sex, including consensual paedophilia, positively and without guilt may be necessary for the welfare of everyone".

O'Carroll moved that a relationship between adults and children could proceed on a basis of signals being interpreted saying " … the man might start by saying what pretty knickers the girl was wearing, and he would be far more likely to proceed to the next stage of negotiation if she seemed pleased by the remark".

By 1981 O'Carroll had been jailed for the contact advertisements in PIE publications offering to put people in touch with child pornography distributors.

In 1984 the group was disbanded and in the years that followed a number of its senior members were sentenced for paedophilia offences.

In 2006 the last of the leading PIE associates was jailed. David Joy was sentenced to 18 months after 1,129 of the worst level of child pornography images were found at his Leicestershire home. The images were of children aged between one and 13.

The judge warned him that he may never be eligible for parole because of his commitment to paedophilia.

He said: "It's clear that you hold firmly to a set of beliefs involving sexual activity with adults and children.

"Those beliefs are wholly in variance to the views held by most members of society, views that most of society would find abhorrent."

Many in 2014 find it hard to believe that such a group existed openly but as the Tory MP Nadine Dorries recently pointed out in a tweet: "In 70's following legalisation of homosexuality (rightly) and a decade of 'free love' organisations like PIE genuinely thought they were next."

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Branson's Virgin To Pilot New Cruises Venture

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Sir Richard Branson is drawing up plans for a secret assault on the international cruises sector which will involve raising hundreds of millions of pounds in funding from external investors.

Sky News can reveal that Virgin Group has appointed the US-based corporate advisory firm Allen & Co to oversee the development of a cruise operation that would eventually aim to compete with industry giants including Carnival Corporation.

Virgin has been working with Allen & Co on a range of potential opportunities across the wider leisure sector, including an investment in a four-star city centre concept called Virgin Hotels.

The development of Virgin Cruises, which is expected to be the name of the new venture, is at an early stage, people close to the project cautioned on Friday.

However, Virgin executives and their advisers have already held detailed talks with banks about raising an estimated $1bn (£598m) of debt to finance the acquisition of the company's first vessels.

They also want to raise in the region of $700m (£418m) of equity by selling stakes in Virgin Cruises to outside investors.

Sir Richard and Josh Bayliss, chief executive of Virgin Management, are understood to believe the global cruises sector possesses many of the same characteristics which have led Virgin to build a significant presence in sectors such as aviation, rail and mobile telecoms.

The cruise market is dominated by fewer than a handful of companies, such as the FTSE-100 group Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Between them, the three companies have a global market share of approximately 80%.

"Cruises is a classic Virgin market, dominated by two or three players and where the product needs to be refreshed," an insider said.

The industry is forecast by Cruise Market Watch, an industry research group, to grow from 21.5 million passengers this year to 22.2 million passengers carried worldwide in 2015.

Virgin Cruises is expected to be headquartered in the US, reflecting North America's status as the world's biggest cruise market, the source said.

Globally, the industry is likely to generate revenue of $37.1bn (£22.2bn) this year, a 2.3% increase on 2013.

The plans for the launch of Virgin Cruises emerge as Sir Richard targets a flotation of his domestic US airline, Virgin America.

The carrier, which recently undertook a debt restructuring covering roughly $300m (£179.8bn) of borrowing obligations, has hired investment banks to prepare the listing.

A successful flotation of Virgin America would echo the model used several times by Sir Richard to take some of his business ventures, such as Virgin Mobile, to the public markets.

He has also frequently sold stakes in his companies to outside investors, including the sale of shares in Virgin Money, his banking operation, to an entity in Abu Dhabi and Wilbur Ross, a prominent US investor.

Other plans involving Virgin companies this year include the opening of the first City Centre hotel in Chicago in the autumn, with other venues expected in US cities served by the group's airlines.

The plan to break into the cruises market comes weeks after the publication of a new biography of Sir Richard by the author Tom Bower.

Mr Bower claimed the company's maiden flight of its space tourism venture was facing further delays, while Virgin insists it is on track to take off this year.

A Virgin spokesman declined to comment.

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Ukraine's Ousted President Vows To Fight On

Kiev's New Govt: The Problems Ahead

Updated: 8:41pm UK, Thursday 27 February 2014

By Katie Stallard, in Kiev

Ukraine's new prime minister was given a round of applause in parliament on Thursday afternoon, but there the celebrations stopped.

The new cabinet went straight from the debating chamber into an emergency session to discuss the numerous urgent problems now facing the country.

Russia has ordered 150,000 troops onto combat alert and scrambled fighter jets to patrol the border, armed men are occupying the regional parliament in Crimea, and the economy is in dire straits.

Meanwhile ousted president Viktor Yanukovych has resurfaced in Moscow, insisting he is still the legitimate president of Ukraine and calling a news conference in the Southern Russian City of Rostov-on-Don on Friday.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the new Ukrainian prime minister, accused him of driving the country to the brink of collapse and said the "the state treasury has been robbed and is empty".

He claimed $70bn had disappeared from Ukraine's economy into offshore accounts over the last three years, and $37bn worth of credit advanced to the Yanukovych government had disappeared.

The new finance minister said Ukraine needed $35bn over the next two years to avoid bankruptcy.

IMF officials will arrive in the country this week to begin work on a potential aid package.

Around 60 armed men in combat fatigues stormed Crimea's parliament overnight into Thursday and raised the Russian flag over the regional government headquarters.

The parliament elected a new prime minister on Thursday who said they still considered Yanukovych to be the president and awaited his orders.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in the Crimean port of Sevastopol and the autonomous region has a majority Russian population.

Pro-Russian and Muslim Tatar protesters clashed in Simferopol this week over the future of the peninsula, gifted to Ukraine by soviet leader Khrushchev in 1954.

The region will hold a referendum for May 25 to decide whether to remain part of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk appealed to the country to "stay united for our children" - promising to protect the rights of all citizens, whether from east or west, Russian-speaking or Ukrainian.

Some Russian news outlets had claimed the new government would ban the Russian language.

Mr Yatsenyuk was given a standing ovation as he promised Ukraine would join the EU.

He added: "Together we will win."

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Pistorius At Gun Range: Exclusive Pictures

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Case Background

Updated: 12:49pm UK, Friday 28 February 2014

Two very different versions of what happened in the moments before Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp died have already been heard in court.

The athlete stands trial on Monday accused of her murder in a case that will make South African history as the first to be broadcast live for millions around the world to follow.

He denies the charge, claiming he mistook Ms Steenkamp for a burglar when he shot her in the early hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.

The prosecution says Pistorius, 26, fired his gun four times into the door of a bathroom, knowing his girlfriend was inside after an argument.

It is alleged she locked herself in the room after fleeing down a seven-metre passage from the bedroom at the runner's luxury home in Pretoria.

According to details outlined at previous hearings, the prosecution argues Pistorius followed her with his 9mm pistol, first putting on his prosthetic legs.

It is claimed he shot his gun four times through the door, killing an "unarmed and defenceless" woman, before the door was broken open from the outside.

The prosecution has rejected claims of mistaken identity - that Pistorius believed the person inside the bathroom was a burglar.

The defence, meanwhile, has alleged the defendant had "no intention" of killing Ms Steenkamp and was bereft at her death.

According to this version of events, Pistorius heard a noise in the early hours and thought an intruder had come through a bathroom window and was hiding there.

Defence lawyers claim he felt vulnerable and shouted for the intruder to get out and for Ms Steenkamp to call police.

It was dark and Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was lying on her bed, not that she was in the bathroom, lawyers have argued.

They claim Pistorius hobbled to the bathroom on his stumps and fired his gun - a 9mm pistol he kept under his bed because he had received death threats.

After the shooting, they said, he returned to his bed and saw Ms Steenkamp was not there.

It is alleged he shouted for help, broke open a door with a cricket bat and found she was alive before carrying her downstairs.

Pistorius wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp, not kill her, his lawyers claim.

The court battle will pit the wits of two of South Africa's leading lawyers and is expected to hear from 100 witnesses.

Pistorius has hired Kenny Oldwage, famous for helping acquit the man accused of killing Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter Zenani in a drink-driving car crash.

He has also hired Barry Roux, known in court for his scarlet ties.

The trial will be one of South Africa's biggest ever legal showdowns, with Pistorius' team going up against veteran prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

The judge will be Thokozile Matilda Masipa, a former crime reporter who became only the second black woman to be appointed to the high court in 1988.

The trial, which takes place in Pretoria, will have no jurors, since trial by jury was abolished in South Africa under apartheid in 1969.

Ms Steenkamp's mother, June, has indicated she will attend the trial.

However, her father, Barry, is expected to be at home, recovering from a near-fatal stroke, which his brother said happened while reading a newspaper report about the trial.

Cameras will be able to "obtain a video and audio recording of the permitted portions" of the trial.

However, they will not be able to film the Olympic champion, defence witnesses or anyone else who objects to being on camera.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder in South Africa is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison.

:: Sky News will have live coverage of the trial from Monday, with a special highlights programme at 9.30pm.

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Broadcaster Stuart Hall Denies 15 Rapes

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall has denied 15 counts of rape at Preston Crown Court.

Hall is alleged to have committed seven counts of rape and two indecent assaults against one girl between 1976 and 1978.

The girl was aged between 14 and 16 at the time of the alleged attacks, the court heard.

He is also accused of eight counts of rape and three indecent assaults against his second alleged victim, aged between 11 and 15 at the time.

The attacks took place between 1976 and 1981, the court heard.

The alleged offences took place at various locations in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

The 84-year-old appeared at the court for the preliminary hearing wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie.

He sat in the dock with his head bowed for much of the hearing, which lasted more than three hours.

The broadcaster presented the BBC show It's A Knockout. He was later known for his eccentric football commentary on BBC Radio Five Live.

A trial date of May 6 has been set for Preston Crown Court.

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Nigel Farage: UKIP Can Win European Elections

By Jason Farrell, in Torquay

Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, has launched an attack on those who claim he is running a party of "fruitcakes".

He told his members in Torquay they were a party to be reckoned with.

Mr Farage said that the recent floods and rising immigration had created the picture of a country that could not govern itself effectively.

The UKIP leader was speaking at the party's spring conference - ahead of European and local elections in May - at which he insisted "together we can get our country back".

He told delegates they could win the European elections and if that they successfully "jumped that hurdle" they could win seats in the next General Election.

UKIP supprters listen to Mr Farage's speech

Mr Farage claimed the party represented the biggest threat to the political establishment in modern times.

He said: "The opinion polls show 61% of UKIP voters vote for us because they believe in our policies - not just on the European question but on the broader range of domestic issues as well."

Mr Farage said immigration was "the number one issue in British politics".

Pressed on the issue by Sky News, he said: "Immigration is more important than economic recovery".

He also played down the fact that his new slogan "Love Britain, Vote UKIP" replicated an old BNP slogan.

"Its ours now and I'm going to use it every day in the run up to the European elections" he said.

The UKIP leader also mocked the idea his party was a "splinter group" of the Conservatives.

He told the conference: "The truth of it is the growth in support since 2010 has come from across the political spectrum.

"One fifth of our voters are people who would be described as non-voters, people who haven't voted for 20 years, in some cases people who have never voted in their lives and they are going out and voting UKIP.

"I think we should be very proud of the fact we are re-engaging people back in British democracy, I really do."

Support for UKIP has grown in the past few years

Mr Farage also defended his candidates and joked about the councillor who claimed gay marriage caused the flooding crisis.

He said he was proud to lead a party where people were not always politically correct.

"Any comment that is slightly eccentric made by any member of our volunteer party is very quickly turned into a national news scandal," he said.

"There was the issue of the councillor, from Oxfordshire. When he was a Conservative councillor and saying the same thing, it wasn't a news story. But he defects to UKIP and suddenly it is a major national scandal."

Outside the conference centre, Liberal Democrat Activists wore Nigel Farage face masks and handed out mock P45 leaflets warning Britain would lose jobs outside the EU.

When Mr Farage arrived at the conference he was offered a slice of fruitcake by a UKIP supporter from a tray with a sign on it saying: "The only fruitcake here is on this tray".

"'I've no objection to a bit of fruitcake," said Mr Farage as he ate a slice.

"I haven't got a problem them thinking I'm a fruitcake. They can abuse us as much as they like and the more they do, the more people vote for us."

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Triple Killer Joanne Dennehy In Jail For Life

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Psychopathic killer Joanne Dennehy laughed as she was taken away to serve life for the random killing of three men and the attempted murder of two others.

The mother-of-two was told by trial judge Mr Justice Spencer that she was a "cruel, calculating and manipulative serial killer" and will now die behind bars.

He said the slayings were carried out in "cold blood" and although she had pleaded guilty it was "clear you have no remorse for those murders".

After she was sentenced to a whole-life order, she could be heard laughing as she was taken down to the cells.

Dennehy, 31, is only the third woman to be given a whole-life tariff in England and Wales - after Rose West and Myra Hindley.

Dennehy is the third woman to get a whole-life tariff in England and Wales

Mr Justice Spencer said medical reports made it clear she was a sado-masochist who enjoyed sex with extreme violence.

Earlier this month, she admitted stabbing to death her victims in a 10-day killing frenzy before trying to murder two other men while on the run. 

Dressed in a pink athletics vest, with her hair tied back in a ponytail held in place with a purple scrunchie, Dennehy was handcuffed for the hearing, with another set of handcuffs linked to a female prison guard.

Her bare arms were marked with grim-looking scars and several tattoos in blue ink could clearly be seen.

Stretch was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years

During the sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey, she smiled, smirked and chatted with her guards, as well as co-accused Gary Stretch - and at one point she called out to her lawyer so she could write him a note.

Family members of the victims were in court and security was tight in the dock with nine guards, including two women, keeping watch over Dennehy and her three co-accused.

Earlier in the week the same court had been the scene of violent disturbances after Woolwich killers Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, brawled with guards in the dock.

Layton was found guilty of preventing the lawful burial of two victims

Mr Justice Spencer called Dennehy a "pathological liar" and at one point she swore at him as he made his sentencing remarks.

He said she had killed to "satisfy her sadistic lust for blood".

Dennehy, from Orton Goldhay, near Peterborough, slaughtered her victims, Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, Kevin Lee, 48, and John Chapman, 56, in and around Peterborough at random last March and April.

Cambridgeshire Police said the investigation was the biggest the force had been involved in since the Soham schoolgirl murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Her sentencing was delayed because of a Court of Appeal review earlier this month after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that whole-life terms breached human rights.

Dennehy killed to 'satisfy her sadistic lust for blood'

Dennehy also admitted the attempted murder of dog walkers, John Rogers and Robin Bereza, in Hereford while on the run from police as well as preventing the lawful and decent burial of her victims.

The Old Bailey hearing heard she had carried out the attempted killing of Mr Rogers because she wanted his dog.

Stretch, 47, also of Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, who stands at 7ft 3ins, was found guilty of the attempted murders of Mr Bereza and Mr Rogers and three counts of preventing the lawful burial of a body.

Lukasz Slaboszewski and Kevin Lee were murdered by Dennehy

He was given life with a minimum term of 19 years. He told the judge " thank you very much" as he was taken down to the cells.

Leslie Layton, 36, of Orton Goldhay, was found guilty of preventing the lawful burial of two murder victims and perverting the course of justice and jailed for 14 years, with a minimum of seven years.

Robert Moore, 55, of Peterborough, admitted assisting an offender and was given three years with a minimum of 18 months to be completed.

During the earlier trial, prosecutor Peter Wright QC, said Dennehy "cast a spell" over her accomplices and some of her victims as she killed "for fun".

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Parents Jailed Over Death Of Boy With Rickets

The parents of a boy with rickets who died after his care was neglected due to their religion have been jailed for manslaughter.

Nkosiyapha Kunene, 36, and his wife Virginia, 32, admitted the manslaughter of their son Ndingeko and were imprisoned at the Old Bailey for three years, and two years, three months' respectively.

Mr Justice Singh: 'The right to manifest religion is not absolute'

Delivering sentence at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Singh said: "The secular courts of this country apply the secular law of the land. They do so equally to all who come before them. The law respects the right of everyone to freedom of thought and belief.

"However the right to manifest one's religion is not absolute. It is limited in particular by the rights of others. The state has a particularly important duty to protect the right to life, especially when a young child is concerned."

Rickets is a disease that affects bone development in children. It causes the bones to become soft which can lead to deformities.

Ndingeko was born in January 2012 and was found to be suffering from rickets due to a sever deficiency of vitamin D.

It was emphasised on behalf of his parents that the vitamin D deficiency was not diagnosed at that stage and neither was Kunene given advice about taking supplements.

She did not attend a scheduled check-up on March 8 and Ndingeko was never seen by a health care professional but the couple had not refused all medical interventions at all times.

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Peter Robinson In Hyde Park Bomb Quit Threat

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson has threatened to quit if there is no review of the guarantee given to suspected Hyde Park bomber John Downey that he will not face prosecution.

Downey, 62, received a letter of assurance from the Northern Ireland Office which led to the collapse of a case against him this week.

Mr Robinson said he was "kept in the dark" by the British government about more than 180 letters of assurance given to Irish republican paramilitary suspects which led them to believe they would not be prosecuted.

Of the 187 letters, 38 have been sent since the coalition came to power in 2010, although the applications were received before then. The last was in December 2012.

"I have to say quite frankly that I am not prepared to be the First Minister of a government that is kept in the dark on matters that are relevant to what we are doing," he said.

"That is not acceptable to me. I want to have a full judicial inquiry into who knew what, when they knew it and exactly what they did know at the time.

The aftermath of the attack in July 1982

"I also want to ensure the letters that have been sent out are rescinded."

However, Defence Minister Anna Soubry, a former barrister, said there was no chance of a judicial review.

"You can't judicially review the decision," she said. "You can appeal it, the prosecution can appeal it. The Crown Prosecution Service has taken the view that these are not the right circumstances to appeal it.

"So, with great respect to Peter Robinson, who is quite right to be very angry, we are in a very, very unpleasant situation and, unfortunately, I cannot see any way back from where we are now."

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, David Cameron described the case as a "dreadful mistake".

The PM also called for a review into why the letter - which wrongly stated that Downey was not being sought by British police - was sent.

Convicted IRA member Mr Downey, of County Donegal, in fact had an outstanding warrant against him when he received the letter in 2007.

Mr Cameron told MPs: "We should be absolutely clear: the man should never have received the letter that he received.

"Of course, that is absolutely shocking.

Alleged bomber John Downey

"I completely understand the depth of anger and concern that people will feel right across this country about the appalling events that happened in 1982 and the fact the person responsible is now not going to be appropriately tried."

The IRA attack killed four members of the Household Cavalry and seven of their horses in July 1982.

The victims' families have said they feel "devastatingly let down" by this week's developments.

Mr Robinson will meet Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers to discuss the case.

Ms Villiers acknowledged in Parliament the "very serious implications" the case's collapse could have on stability in the country.

Nigel Dodds, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Westminster,  warned of "outrage" sweeping the UK.

"The words of devastation from the families of the soldiers concerned in the Hyde Park bombing are an indictment of what is going on," he said.

"There is outrage right across the country, not just in Northern Ireland, but right across the country about this. How an official's letter can trump due process of law in this country.

"This has very serious implications for devolution."

Meanwhile, DUP MP William McCrea has asked Attorney General Dominic Grieve to clarify who else has received letters of assurance.

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Cameron Criticised On Flood Defence Spending

The boss of the country's biggest insurance firm, Legal & General, has told Sky News he is concerned about a lack of spending on flood defences.

As the industry faces Government pressure to pay out quickly on the costs of the winter storms, Nigel Wilson also spoke out against policy on home building in flood-prone areas.

He said: "We've had a housing policy that has encouraged too much building in flood plains area. And we've been on and on about this.

"There's an issue in the UK. We're not building enough and where we're building them is in the wrong place.

"So we've got a multi-phased approach in actually increasing housing supply.

L&G is facing a multi-million pound flood bill

"The Government needs to focus much more attention on housing supply and where that supply is."

He was speaking hours after David Cameron's boast that flood defence spending will increase under his leadership was contradicted by the UK's statistics watchdog, which claimed the budget had actually been cut by £250m.

Sir Andrew Dilnot, head of the UK Statistics Authority, called on the Government to publish its real-term figures "in the public interest."

Mr Cameron claimed at Prime Minister's Questions that spending between 2011 and 2015 would be higher than in the previous four years under Labour.

The results of the wettest winter on Met Office records

But Labour leader Ed Miliband accused him of using "phoney figures".

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson went further, saying the Government is "providing more than any previous government in this spending review".

The discrepancy stems from the Government including money spent by private firms and other third parties in its figures.

Flood defence spending was £2.37bn between 2007 and 2011, according to House of Commons library figures.

The Army was called in to help tackle the rising waters

Between 2011 and 2015 it will be £2.34bn - a £247m cut in real terms.

Sir Andrew believes the House of Commons numbers are more credible than those being stated by Mr Cameron and his colleagues.

He said: "We agree with their finding that, as of January 2014, government funding for flood defences was expected to be lower in both nominal and real terms during the current spending period than during the last spending period.

"Our analysis also supports the conclusion that the statement 'over the current spending review period, more is being spent than ever before' is supported by the statistics if the comparison is made in nominal terms and includes external funding, but is not supported by the statistics if the comparison is made in real terms or if external funding is excluded."

Labour and Friends of the Earth say the cuts contributed to the damage endured across swathes of the country this winter - and the issue will be debated by MPs on Wednesday.

Mr Paterson has already apologised for "any offence" caused by his flood defence spending claims, but denied there had been any "manipulation of figures".

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Figures on flood defence spending are published. The Government is spending £2.4bn on flood management and protection from coastal erosion which is more than ever before.

"The Prime Minister also recently announced £130m extra for flood defence repairs following the extreme weather."

All this comes as the Institution of Civil Engineers called on Chancellor George Osborne to use next month's  Budget to return spending on flood risk management to pre-2010 levels.

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Brooks-Coulson Relations 'Strained' Over Beckham

Rebekah Brooks has told of how her relationship with ex-lover Andy Coulson became "complicated" as they each chased David Beckham stories for rival papers.

Brooks began editing The Sun in 2003 while co-defendant Coulson took over from her at the News Of The World, jurors at the hacking trial heard.

Giving evidence for a fourth day at the Old Bailey where she is standing trial for conspiring to hack phones, Brooks told how she had lunch with Victoria Beckham as the stories about her husband's alleged affair were afoot.

"The two papers were rivals and pretty strong rivals. I think Andy and I had been very good at keeping the Chinese Wall," she told the central London court.

Brooks told the trial she would occasionally meet Victoria Beckham

"It was a hostage to fortune discussing what we were working on. He was on the weekly, I was on the daily with more opportunity to publish.

"Beckham is a good example. So Andy would have known that I knew the Beckhams a little socially, we are not close friends but would see them occasionally for dinner. I was also trying to get Victoria or David to do things for the paper.

"He would know I had direct access to them so if he is working on a story and there is something afoot as the paper was working on the fact David Beckham was allegedly having an affair with a woman, to even mention that to me could be fatal to his paper.

"He would not know the day he mentioned it I had lunch with Victoria.

"So he may say on Thursday 'we will have the Beckham story this weekend' and I may respond 'sorry we are doing it tomorrow'. It was too complicated. Things were difficult, it was strained for a while."

The 45-year-old, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, denies conspiring to hack telephones, conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, and conspiring to cover up evidence to pervert the course of justice.

All seven defendants on trial deny the charges against them.

David Blunkett and Kimberly Quinn

The court also heard Brooks had a "strong professional relationship" in 2004 with then home secretary David Blunkett after the pair worked together on campaigns.

Asked if she knew whether his voicemails had been hacked that year, Brooks replied: "Absolutely not."

She told the court Coulson contacted her the night before the NotW published a story on Mr Blunkett's alleged affair with a woman.

Her team at The Sun went "full steam ahead with the full name" of the woman as Kimberly Quinn in an exclusive story the next day, the court heard.

The trial continues.

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Mid Staffs NHS Trust To Be Dissolved, Says Hunt

The NHS trust where hundreds of patients were found to have died needlessly will be dissolved, the Health Secretary has said.

Jeremy Hunt announced Stafford and Cannock Chase Hospitals would retain 90% of patient visits but they would now be operated by neighbouring NHS trusts.

In a partial victory for campaigners supporting Stafford Hospital, Mr Hunt suggested it could keep its consultant-led maternity service depending on an NHS England review.

It was initially recommended the maternity unit should close and then that it should be downgraded to a midwife-led unit.

Up to 1,200 people were found to have died unnecessarily at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2008 in one of the biggest NHS scandals.

An inquiry into the number of deaths at the hospital carried out by Robert Francis QC last year found there had been "appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people".

Frank Robinson's son John died after misdiagnosis at Stafford Hospital

Patients there were found to have been left in their own faeces, given the wrong medication and were so thirsty they drank water from flower vases.

The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has been in administration since April and administrators had recommended to Mr Hunt that it was neither clinically nor financially viable.

In his statement Mr Hunt said: "Local people suffered too much for too long under a system which ignored appalling failures of care in their local hospital.

"They now deserve to know that same system has learned the lessons and is guaranteeing high-quality, safe services for local people. The proposals I am accepting today will provide just this."

He added: "I want Stafford to be a proper district hospital that continues to meet the needs of patients nearby, including for emergency care and births."

Stafford Hospital will now be under the control of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Cannock will be run by the Royal Wolverhampton Trust.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

Sue Hawkins, of campaign group Support Stafford Hospital, said of the proposal to keep consultant-led maternity services: "Well, it's something - it's a start.

"What I would say is that you can apply equally the same argument of patient safety used to justify that re-think to paediatric care, so we would ask for the downgrade of paediatrics to be re-considered as well."

She said that because of the scrutiny in the wake of the scandal, Stafford Hospital had now become one of the safest and best in the country.

Heath union chiefs said it was vital neighbouring trusts were given the finances to deal with the new responsibilities to provide care at the hospitals.

Christina McAnea, head of health for Unison, said: "It is bitterly disappointing for the local community who have campaigned for local services and have rallied behind the hospital, as well as for staff who have worked hard to turn the trust around.

"The facts show that patient care has improved massively and the staff survey, released only yesterday, showed that 73% would now be happy with the standard of care at the hospital if a friend or relative needed treatment - higher than the 65% national average."

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Attorney General Looks Into Punch Jail Sentence

The Attorney General is considering referring to the Court of Appeal a jail sentence over a punch which left a man dead.

The four-and-a-half-year sentence, handed down to Lewis Gill, 20, from Bournemouth, may have been unduly lenient, Attorney General Dominic Grieve's office said, after receiving complaints.

Only one complaint is required to trigger the process.

Mr Grieve has until March 21 to decide whether or not to refer the case.

Lewis Gill, from Sutton, Surrey, pleaded guilty to manslaughter

Andrew Young, 40, died after falling to the ground when he was punched by Gill in November last year.

Gill was an acquaintance of the cyclist to whom Mr Young spoke about riding on the pavement.

CCTV cameras recorded the attack outside a Tesco Metro store, with the footage showing Mr Young talking to the cyclist and then being punched by Gill as the cyclist walked away.

Mr Young, who suffered from Asperger's syndrome, died the next day in hospital.

The victim's family have described the sentence as an "absolute joke".

Mr Young's mother, Pamela, told the Dorset Daily Echo that her son's illness affected his social skills.

"He was very precise and particular because of his Asperger's, and he wouldn't have liked seeing someone riding a bicycle on the pavement because it was dangerous," she said.

She wished the "awful man" had pleaded not guilty so he could have faced a longer sentence after a trial, she added.

Detective Inspector Marcus Hester, of Dorset Police Major Crime Team, said: "This was a violent attack on an innocent man which had a tragic outcome.

"This case shows that violence does not resolve anything and can have far-reaching consequences not imagined at the time.

"Criminal behaviour such as this will not be tolerated and we are committed to bringing offenders to justice." 

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Ousted Viktor Yanukovych 'Still In Ukraine'

Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych - who has been put on the international wanted list - remains in the country, according to the deputy general prosecutor.

Mykola Golomcha said: "We have information indicating Yanukovych is still in Ukraine."

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

He did not give further details of the whereabouts of the leader who has been missing since Friday when he fled Kiev. He is wanted by police in the country on charges of mass murder.

The revelation came as Pro-Russia separatists and supporters of Ukraine's new leaders came head to head outside Crimea's regional parliament before a key debate.

Around 2,000 people, many of them ethnic Tatars who are the indigenous group on the Black Sea peninsula, gathered outside the parliament building in Sevastopol in support of the 'Euro-Maidan' movement which ousted President Viktor Yanukovich.

Meanwhile, several hundred pro-Russia demonstrators chanted their loyalty to Moscow and denounced the "bandits" who had seized power in Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Isolated skirmishes could be seen among the crowds and there were reports of missiles being hurled, but police appeared to be holding the two sides apart as the emergency session took place inside the parliament to discuss the crisis.

Sky News' Alex Rossi, in Sevastopol, said: "A group of Russian supporters tried to storm the parliament, which is in session at the moment, but the police do seem to have things pretty much contained."

Members of Ukraine's Berkut riot police unit

Crimea was gifted to Ukraine in 1954 in the Soviet-era by then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. With a part of Russia's Black Sea fleet based in the port of Sevastopol, it remains the only region of Ukraine where ethnic Russians dominate in numbers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across western Russia.

"In accordance with an order from the president of the Russian Federation, forces of the Western Military District were put on alert at 1400 (10am UK time) today," Interfax quoted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying.

Russia's foreign minister said the "nationalist and neo-fascist" sentiment in western Ukraine must be "decisively condemned".

Sergei Lavrov's warning came as Ukraine's acting interior minister said he had disbanded the elite Berkut riot police that protesters blamed for scores of deaths in last week's clashes.

Those who died in the Kiev clashes are being mourned

Mr Lavrov made his call to democracy watchdog the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which he also said should condemn attempts by nationalists to ban the Russian language in Ukraine.

"Lavrov called on the OSCE to decisively condemn the rise of nationalist and neo-fascist sentiment in the west of the country, (to condemn) calls to ban the Russian language, to turn the Russian-speaking population into 'non-citizens' and to restrict freedom of expression," his ministry said in a statement.

References to fascism are evocative of the Cold War period, when authorities in the East routinely described the West as fascist.

It came as Ukraine's acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, announced the end of the riot police unit involved in violence that left almost 100 people dead last week.

"The Berkut is no more," he wrote on his Facebook account.

"I have signed Decree No 144, dated February 25, 2014 on the dissolution of the Berkut special police units of civil defence."

Britain and the US had earlier sought to ease tensions, saying Ukraine should not be a battleground between East and West.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, after talks with his American counterpart John Kerry, backed Ukraine's territorial integrity amid fears that the nation could be torn apart following the protests that ousted pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych.

"This is a country that needs financial assistance from many sources, including from Russia," Mr Hague said.              

"It's not about pulling them away from Russia. It's about enabling them to make their own choices."

Mr Kerry said: "This is not a zero-sum game, it is not a West versus East.

"This is about the people of Ukraine and Ukrainians making their choice about their future."

His comments echoed those previously made by Mr Lavrov, who had said: "We confirmed our principled position of non-intervention in Ukraine's internal affairs.

"We are interested in Ukraine being part of the European family, in all senses of the word. It is dangerous and counterproductive to force Ukraine into a choice."

Meanwhile in a statement, Nato said: "We deplore the tragic loss of life. We welcome the fact that violence has been stopped through negotiations that paved the way for a peaceful outcome. 

"NATO Allies will continue to support Ukrainian sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity, democratic development, and the principle of inviolability of frontiers, as key factors of stability and security in Central and Eastern Europe and on the continent as a whole."

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'Plebgate' Row Police Officers Sacked

Two police officers have been sacked over the Andrew Mitchell "Plebgate" row.

Keith Wallis and James Glanville were dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for gross misconduct, Scotland Yard said.

Andrew Mitchell, chief whip at the time, was involved in an argument with another police officer, Toby Rowland, after he was not allowed to cycle through the main gate of Downing Street in September 2012.

Mr Mitchell, who was accused of calling the officer a "****ing pleb", resigned over the row.

The Tory MP has always maintained he never used the word "pleb", but admits swearing during the altercation.

Earlier this month, Wallis was jailed for a year for misconduct in a public office after he admitted lying about witnessing the incident.

In an email to Conservative deputy chief whip John Randall, he claimed to be a constituent who was sightseeing near Downing Street when he saw Mr Mitchell swearing at police officers.

Mr Glanville was arrested in January 2013 on suspicion of the unauthorised disclosure of information to the media.

Although no criminal action was taken, the team tasked with investigating the disclosure of information to the press found evidence Mr Glanville gave details to The Sun.

Operation Alice established he provided the newspaper with a photo of PC Rowland's email about the incident that he sent to his supervisors.

He lied about his actions in statements given to detectives.

During the hearing, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne found the pair had breached standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, confidentiality, orders and instructions and discreditable conduct.

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Live Updates: Lee Rigby's Killers Sentenced

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5:20pm UK, Wednesday 26 February 2014

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Lee Rigby: Woolwich Killers Jailed For Life

One of the killers of Lee Rigby has been sentenced to die in prison and the other has been jailed for a minimum of 45 years.

There were dramatic scenes in court as the two murderers fought with guards in the dock as they awaited sentencing.

Michael Adebolajo shouted "Allahu- Akbar" at the judge, and he and co-killer Michael Adebowale were both restrained and pinned down by several guards at the Old Bailey.

The pair were taken back down to the cells and Adebolajo could be heard screaming from downstairs.

Adebolajo, 29, was sentenced to die behind bars after he was given a whole life term, and Adebowale, 22, was jailed for life with a minimum of 45 years.

They ran the soldier down before hacking him to death in Woolwich last year.

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Lee Rigby Murderers Fight With Guards In Court

The two men who murdered soldier Lee Rigby fought with guards in the dock ahead of their sentencing at the Old Bailey.

Michael Adebolajo shouted "Allahu- Akbar" at the judge, and Adebolajo and co-killer Michael Adebowale were both restrained and pinned down by several guards.

The pair were taken back down to the cells and Adebolajo could be heard screaming from downstairs.

Some members of Fusilier Rigby's family were shocked and crying at having to witness the violent outburst in the dock.

Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered last May

The judge then continued his sentencing in their absence and within minutes they had both been sentenced, with Adebowale given a minimum of 45 years and Adebolajo told he would serve a whole-life term.

The pair ran Fusilier Rigby down before hacking him to death in Woolwich last year.

In sentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney said the pair "butchered" Mr Rigby. He said Adebolajo concentrated on his neck, while Abdebowale concentrated on his torso.

He described the killing of Fusilier Rigby as a bloodbath and described how they wanted to become "martyrs" and gain a place in paradise.

The pair were convicted of the murder in December, but the judge delayed sentencing until after a key appeal court ruling last month that whole-life tariffs can be used by UK judges.

An EDL supporter stands next to a replica hangman's noose outside the court

Earlier, as the sentencing hearing began, Adebolajo refused to stand as his name was read out and Adebowale stood to confirm his name.

Victim impact statements were read out to the court, including one from Fusilier Rigby's widow, Rebecca Rigby.

"I was also suddenly living in the public gaze," she said.

"I couldn't go anywhere or do anything. I felt like I didn't want to go on. I saw people nudging and looking at me if i walked down the street.

"I know my son will grow up and see images of his dad that no son should have to endure and there's nothing I can do to change this."

Adebolajo's barrister, David Gottlieb, told the court: "However shocking and terrifying a crime, a whole-life term can never be justified when the full circumstances of the offence known at the time ... show that the offender is not so deprived of all human dignity that he has no possibility of atonement in the future."

He compared Adebolajo's extremist views to "alcoholism" or a severe "psychiatric" illness.

"Whatever his expressed views or wishes, he's not somebody who's incapable of change," he added.

Abbas Lakha, Adebowale's defence barrister, said his client's psychiatric condition should be taken into account in his sentencing.

He argued Adebowale played a "lesser role" in the killing and that he was a passenger in the car - which he said he did not know was going to be driven at Fusilier Rigby.

Heated protests took place outside the court, with one group heard chanting: "There's only one Lee Rigby."

Supporters of the British National Party and the English Defence League gathered around gallows that had been built nearby as many held placards which read: "Restore capital punishment".

Cheers were heard outside when the sentences were announced.

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