Hacker Gary McKinnon Faces No Further Action

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon will face no further criminal action, the Director of Public Prosecutions has announced.

The decision follows a review of the case after the Government's decision to block his extradition to the US in October on health grounds.

Mr McKinnon, 46, from Wood Green, north London, would have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted in the US of alleged breaches of US military and Nasa networks.

Prosecutors had to decide whether Mr McKinnon should be tried in Britain over the allegations but said the appropriate place for trial would have been the US. That means no further charges will be levelled.

Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, was permitted to stay in the UK after medical reports showed he was very likely to try to kill himself if extradited.

Both Prime Minister David Cameron, who held talks on the case with US President Barack Obama, and his deputy, Nick Clegg, had condemned plans to send him to the US.

However, the decision not to extradite "disappointed" the US authorities.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, said: "Following discussions between the US Department of Justice, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in the autumn of 2002, a decision was taken that the appropriate place for Mr McKinnon to be tried was the United States."

As a result, the US sought Mr McKinnon's extradition for trial in the US.

The decision that any trial should be held in the US was affirmed in 2009 and subsequently challenged in the High Court, and that challenge failed, Mr Starmer said.

"So far as the evidence is concerned, the position in 2012 is the same as it was in 2002."

Mr McKinnon's lawyer Karen Todner said: "I have mixed feelings about this. I am pleased he is not going to be prosecuted because I wouldn't want to think he would ever spend any time in prison given his mental situation.

"But I am disappointed because the extradition warrant is still outstanding because he can't travel anywhere outside of the UK and will have this hanging over him until it's resolved.

"We have discussed approaching President Obama and asking for a pardon."

Mr McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, said the announcement was "just wonderful".

She added that a pardon from the US was possible because Mr Obama "seems like a good person and so does his wife".

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Eva Rausing Died Of Drugs Dependency

Multimillionairess Eva Rausing died as a result of dependent drug abuse, an inquest has ruled.

The 48-year-old's body lay undiscovered for two months before she was found at the £5m west London home she shared with her husband Hans, heir to the Tetra Pak fortune.

Eva Rausing as a teenager

She was found in a fly-filled room hidden under a pile of bedding with a foil pipe in her hand, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

Police found the mother-of-four's body in an advanced state of decomposition after they had arrested Hans Rausing on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on July 9.

He was given two suspended sentences in August after admitting preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife's body.

A post-mortem found his wife had died on May 7 and had drugs in her system. Toxicology reports showed cocaine, opiates and amphetamines in her blood.

She had been fitted with a pacemaker following heart surgery in August 2006, which revealed she had suffered a "non-survivable" heart rhythm on the morning of May 7.

Deputy coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said Mrs Rausing died as a result of cocaine intoxication contributed to by a heart condition - tricuspid valve disease.

Delivering her verdict, she said: "Mrs Rausing's death was as a result of the dependent abuse of drugs."

Hans and Eva Rausing on their wedding day

The inquest heard that her pacemaker recorded heartbeats up to 384 beats per minute on the calculated day of her death. The normal rate is 65.

Pathologists found no signs of violence on Mrs Rausing's body.

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Rausing said he had been left devastated by the death of his "beloved wife".

He explained how he discovered Mrs Rausing after hearing her slide off the bed while he was in the bathroom.

"She landed sideways and her head was resting on a pillow," Mr Rausing said. "I tried to pull her up. I shouted 'Eva, Eva, Eva'."

Mrs Rausing was caught with drugs at the US Embassy in London

Mr Rausing said he could see his wife's eyes dim before covering her lifeless body with duvets and bedding.

"I could not cope with her dying or confront the reality of her death," he added.

An investigating officer told the court how Hans Rausing lied to his housekeepers after his wife died, saying she was in the US.

The couple lived a reclusive life on the second floor of their home. Housemaids were not allowed into certain areas. The hearing was told that staff noticed Hans Rausing had stopped sleeping in his bedroom and had started eating downstairs.

The couple had fought a public battle against addiction to drugs.

In 2008 police launched an investigation after Mrs Rausing was caught with drugs as she tried to enter the US Embassy in London for a function.

Subsequent searches of her car and the couple's Georgian townhouse uncovered huge quantities of class A drugs.

They faced drug charges but were given conditional cautions instead, meaning the hearings did not go ahead.

Hans Rausing's parents and siblings said then they were supporting the pair as they fought to overcome drug addiction.

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Royal Hospital: Nurse 'Victim Of Cruel Hoax'

The nurse at the centre of a royal prank call was the "victim of a cruel hoax", a hospital has insisted.

King Edward VII Hospital stressed Jacintha Saldanha was not subject to any disciplinary procedure and that there had been no criticism of her.

In a statement released as the hospital held a memorial service for the nurse, who took her own life, it said it had offered her support in the aftermath of the hoax call.

The comments come after claims in The Guardian that Ms Saldanha left three notes, one of which criticised staff at the hospital.

The hospital said it could not comment on the contents of the notes found in Ms Saldhana's room in the nurses accommodation because it had not seen them.

The duchess was being treated for severe morning sickness

The statement said: "There have been reports today about the alleged contents of one of the notes found in Jacintha's room. No-one at the hospital has seen these notes, and so we cannot comment on the reports or their accuracy."

It added: "Following the hoax call, hospital management offered her their support and told her that they considered her the victim of a cruel hoax. They stood by her actions, and made it clear there was no criticism of her, and that there would be no disciplinary action of any kind."

The hospital held a memorial service to allow friends and colleagues to pay their respects, a week after Ms Saldanha's death.

Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of the hospital, which has a long history of treating members of the royal family, insisted the hospital had been in contact with the family since Ms Saldanha's death and staff were helping police to determine what had happened.

Labour MP Keith Vaz has been supporting the family of Jacintha Saldanha

Ms Saldhana killed herself just days after answering a prank telephone call from Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig to the hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

The DJs from the station 2DayFM pretended to be Prince Charles and the Queen and were asking for an update on her health. Ms Saldanha put them through to the ward where the duchess was being treated.

The inquest into the 46-year-old nurse's death opened on Thursday. It heard Ms Saldhana was found in her room in the nurses accommodation close to the hospital. She had hanged herself and there were also marks on her wrists.

The mother-of-two left three notes: two were found in her room and the other among her personal possessions.

The DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig have received death threats

As many as 12 staff from the radio station have been moved to safehouses after death threats to the radio hosts and 10 executives have been given bodyguards.

Australian police have launched an investigation into the threats and have seized a letter sent to Mr Christian warning him there were "bullets out there with your name on it".

Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of the radio station, said: "The safety of our employees is an absolute priority. We have sensible measures in place, as we always do, to ensure our people are safe."

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 08457 90 90 90 or email jo@samaritans.org

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Connors Family Found Guilty Of Forced Labour

Five members of the same traveller family who made their staff perform humiliating tasks have been found guilty of forced labour.

William Connors, 52, his wife Mary, 48, their sons John, 29, and James, 20, and their son-in-law Miles, 24, were all convicted of conspiracy to require a person to perform forced or compulsory labour between April 2010 and March 2011.

Bristol Crown Court heard how the Connors would pick up the men - many of whom were homeless or drug addicts - to work for them as labourers.

Jurors were told the victims lived in squalid caravans on traveller sites as they moved around the country working on the Connors' paving and patio businesses.

Prosecutors said the men were paid as little as £5 a day for their work, which included emptying the buckets used as toilets by their bosses, and were forced to scavenge from dustbins for food.

The inside of a caravan occupied by two people who worked for the Connors

Some workers were beaten with broom handles, belts, a rake and a shovel, and one had a hosepipe forced down his throat, it was claimed.

By contrast, the court heard, their employers lived in large, well-equipped caravans, enjoyed holidays in Dubai, Mexico and the Caribbean and drove luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes A-Class and a Mini convertible.

Prosecutor Christopher Quinlan QC said: "It was a clear and unequivocal demonstration of control and dominance of one set - the family - over another.

"If you compare and contrast the lifestyles of the workers and bosses it is like comparing a Maserati with a clapped-out Zephyr."

Police began investigating the Connors following the discovery of a worker's decomposed body in a garden shed close to one of the family's caravan sites.

A fellow worker contacted officers in 2009 to say he had been recruited by William and Mary while living on the streets of Cheltenham.

He told detectives he had his identity documents taken from him, was rarely paid, received little food and lived with other workers in the same situation.

When the Connors family was placed under covert surveillance the following year, police recorded evidence of the men being assaulted.

Caravan sites in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire were raided in March 2011 and 19 men were rescued.

The Connors said their workers were "free agents" who were able to come and go as they pleased.

William and Mary insisted they were "good Samaritans" who provided vulnerable people with food, work and accommodation.

All five defendants had faced a second charge of conspiracy to hold another person in servitude but the judge ordered the jury to find them not guilty of that offence.

They are due to be sentenced on Monday.

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Basketball Fans Shot On Philadelphia Train

CCTV footage has been released of two US basketball fans being shot after "a little bit of banter" with fellow train passengers following their team's victory.

The pair of Chicago Bulls supporters had been celebrating their team's 96-89 win over local side the Philadelphia 76ers when they got involved in a dispute with two youths thought to be in their late teens.

Police say one of the two victims tried to calm the situation but both teenagers can be seen leaving the train before one turned and shot into the carriage.

The bullet went through the stomach of one of the Bulls fans before hitting the other in the thigh, while the teenagers ran off.

West Philadelphia Police told the Chicago Tribune the shooting followed "a little bit of banter".

Lieutenant John Walker, from Philadelphia Police, told CBS Philly the two injured Bulls fans were aged 30 and 35.

"The 35-year-old says 'listen man, this train's filled with people, there's young kids, there's ladies in here, you need to watch your mouth young boy'," he said.

"Of course, that escalates it a little further and we have a 30-year-old male who's on the train, who's behind the 35-year-old who says 'listen it's not worth it, these young boys, just let's cool out'.

"You can have disagreements, but the answer isn't pulling out a gun and firing and trying to resolve it. It doesn't make you a bigger man, it doesn't make you a better person, it makes you an idiot."

Detectives say around 35 people were on the train and that no other injuries were reported. The victims were said to be in a stable condition.

Police have appealed for information about the two youths.

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Egyptian Sword Fight Injures Protesters

At least 19 people have reportedly been hurt in Egypt, after supporters of the country's draft constitution attacked protesters with swords.

The clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria come on the eve of a referendum on the charter, which opponents claim does not guarantee basic rights to Egyptians and places emphasis on Islam and Sharia law.

Witnesses said dozens of protesters fought with clubs and swords and threw stones at one another.

Cars were set alight and a large crowd of anti-Mursi protesters armed with knives surrounded a mosque in the city, trapping a preacher who had criticised those planning to oppose the constitution when voting begins on Saturday.

A hospital official told the AP news agency that 19 Egyptians were injured in the clashes.

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, where tanks and armed troops have been deployed, protests outside mosques were peaceful.

Demonstrators gathered outside the presidential palace but there were no reports of any violence.

At least eight people have died and hundreds have been injured in the three weeks since Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi assumed sweeping new powers - which have now been abolished - to push through the constitution.

The referendum, which will be held on two days, asks Egyptians to accept or reject a basic law that must be in place before national elections can be held early next year.

The government said Saturday would be made a holiday to enable people to vote.

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Witches Coven: Child Sex Abuse Pair Jailed

Two men have been jailed for a total of 32 years after sexually abusing several children as part of a witches' coven in Cornwall during the 1970s.

Peter Petrauske, 72, and Jack Kemp, 69, were said to have donned ceremonial robes and pagan paraphernalia before abusing young girls.

Police believe one of their victims may have been as young as three.

During the three-week trial at Truro Crown Court, sex abuse victims said they were given money and sweets to buy their silence.

Petrauske, who described himself as the high priest of a white witches' coven in St Ives, Cornwall, was convicted of one count of rape, one count of aiding and abetting an attempt to rape, and one count of indecent assault, all by unanimous verdict.

Kemp was unanimously found guilty of indecent assault and indecency with a child, as well as seven other sexual offences by a majority verdict.

Jailing Kemp for 14 years and Petrauske for 18, Judge Graham Cottle told them: "The offences range from the extremely serious to the truly horrifying.

"(The trial) has featured ritualistic, sickening abuse of young, young children.

"The scars left are so obvious that it would seem extremely unlikely that either of them have any real prospect of recovery."

The child abuse was only investigated further by police last year when Kemp was arrested in connection with another incident, causing rumours to spread around his home town of Falmouth and prompting the alleged victims of the historic offences to contact detectives.

Petrauske was backed up by female members of the coven who said that, while children were occasionally present, nudity never played a part in the ceremonies.

One female friend also described him as "a gentleman".

Kemp denied any involvement in paganism, saying it "wasn't his cup of tea", and said he was the victim of a bizarre conspiracy.

He said the girls were wrong to name him in the case.

Witnesses also named murdered pagan Peter Solheim and notorious Cornish paedophile Stan Pirie as among their abusers.

Solheim was a 56-year-old parish councillor whose body was found five miles off the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, by fishermen on June 18 2004. He had been drugged and mutilated with a machete or an axe.

Kemp was cleared of five charges, while Petrauske was also found not guilty of one count.

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Norovirus Cruise: Second Ship Is Hit By Bug

A second cruise ship has been struck by a winter vomiting bug after passengers of a luxury liner described their festive trip of a lifetime as "a living nightmare".

P&O has issued a statement saying there are 10 current cases of the highly-contagious norovirus on the Azura, which has been on an 11-night tour of Iberia.

More than 3,000 people are on board and the ship is due to dock at Southampton tomorrow.

It comes after around 300 passengers on the Oriana, dubbed the "plague ship", were laid low by the norovirus.

The Oriana docked in Southampton at the end of a 10-night cruise

Yet the company's owners, Carnival, insisted only six people were affected and that the cases were simply "an incidence of a mild gastrointestinal illness" among the 1,800 people on the Baltic cruise.

The Oriana docked in Southampton this morning, and as passengers disembarked they told Sky News' Tom Parmenter how many of those on the holiday suffered vomiting and diarrhoea.

Paul Gilman, who had booked on to the cruise, said: "It has been outrageous from start to finish.

"People were falling like flies, yet the crew were trying to insist everything was fine.

"Everyone is saying, 'this is a plague ship'. It's a living nightmare."

Carol Marlow, managing director of P&O Cruises, told Sky News the Oriana had undergone a "full sanitisation process" before it set sail from Southampton on December 4.

She said the first cases of norovirus, which has an incubation period of between one and two days, were reported to the ship's medical centre within a couple of hours of the vessel leaving port, indicating the virus was brought on board by one of the passengers.

Ms Marlow, who sent a letter of apology to all customers, said: "We don't want one person to be ill on any of our holidays, and we'll learn from this and try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

More than 750,000 people could be affected by the latest outbreak of norovirus in the UK, according to estimates by the Health Protection Agency.

Birmingham City Hospital has told visitors to stay away after it was forced to close three wards due to the infection.

In a statement, the hospital urged people not to go to accident and emergency departments if they have diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms, unless they need emergency medical treatment. Instead, they should telephone their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

Other hospitals have also taken to Twitter to caution visitors and potential patients.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust tweeted: "Please don't visit hospital until at least two days after last symptoms of #vomiting #diarrhoea #norovirus Stay home, rest & take fluids."

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School Shooting In Connecticut 'Kills 27'

A shooting at a US elementary school has reportedly killed at least 27 victims - including 14 children.

The death toll at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Connecticut was reported by CBS.

Meanwhile, local newspaper the Hartford Courant said sources had said that many of the shootings took place in a kindergarten classroom. The gunman has also reportedly been killed.

Staff at Danbury Hospital say they do not expect to receive more patients.

The school is in the south west of Connecticut

Local media initially reported there were two shooters, while police reportedly said a gunman was in the main office of the school and that a person in one room had "numerous gunshot wounds".

A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher was shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital.

But State Police are reportedly saying that the school is no longer an "active shooting scene".

Crying pupils were seen being escorted from the school, which has children aged between five and 10 years old.

More follows...

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Ex-Royal Butler: 'Max Clifford Sold Me Out'

By David Bowden, Sky News Senior Correspondent

Just days after being questioned by police in connection with alleged sex offences, which he says are completely untrue, Sky News has learned that Max Clifford is being sued by one of his former clients for alleged breach of confidentiality - accusations the publicist denies.

Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell claims he hired Mr Clifford in a bid to limit bad press coverage about him a decade ago, but now the former royal servant alleges that rather than stopping stories Mr Clifford passed them on to The News of the World.

His lawyer Mark Lewis says Paul Burrell claims that Mr Clifford asked him to write down personal details which he feared might be uncovered by the media so that he could deal with them if they appeared, but instead of keeping the details confidential it is alleged Mr Clifford faxed the handwritten documents to the News of the World.

He said: "The police say they raided the News of the World's offices and there is a fax header there showing that things were sent from Max Clifford Associates to the News of the World concerning Paul Burrell. Paul's own notes, Paul's own handwriting that he'd given to Max suddenly finds itself at the News of the World."

But Mr Clifford has issued a robust response.

"The claims made by Mr Burrell have no merit. His allegations are opportunistic and are denied," he said.

"It is an affront to common sense to suggest that Mr Burrell, who has sold stories to the newspapers, made countless appearances on TV and has even written a book about his dealings with the royal family, now feels able to claim that any information he provided was confidential.

"We will defend these claims in court and will be asking the judge at the earliest opportunity to strike out these claims as having no prospect of success and an abuse of process."

Mr Clifford has made a very successful, very lucrative and high profile career managing the publicity of some of the world's biggest stars and he has often spoken to the media on a range of PR issues.

If he was to have sold out one of his clients in the way Mr Burrell alleges then that lucrative career would be badly damaged.

Whatever the truth of these allegations, the coming together of the former butler to the one time most famous woman in the world and the publicist to the stars is bound to create a lot of interest.

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