PC Gets £80,000 'Plebgate' Damages Payout

The police officer at the centre of the "Plebgate" row has agreed to an £80,000 damages payout, a High Court has heard.

The money has been accepted by PC Toby Rowland as settlement of his libel action against the former Government whip Andrew Mitchell.

The police officer launched the case after Mr Mitchell accused him of lying in his account of a row between the two of them at the gates of Downing Street in September 2012.

PC Rowland, a member of the Diplomatic Protection Group, said Mr Mitchell had referred to officers as "f****** plebs" but the Tory MP said the police officer was "not telling the truth".

Plebgate: a costly row between two men over riding a bike in Downing Street

However, a judge at the High Court in November found that in all probability the former chief whip had used the "politically toxic" phrase during the argument over whether Mr Mitchell should be allowed to ride his bike through the gates of Downing Street.

Mr Mitchell lost his libel claim against News Group Newspapers for a story about the incident in The Sun.

He was ordered to pay £300,000 in damages and it was estimated that fighting his case had cost him around £3m.

Speaking in the High Court today, PC Rowland's lawyer, Jeremy Clarke-Williams, said that since the judgment in November, Mr Mitchell "has abandoned the other defences he had raised to my client's claim and consequently terms of settlement have been agreed".

He added: "Pc Rowland never felt that the events in Downing Street were anything more than a minor incident.

"He was not responsible for the publicity which followed and would have much preferred that the whole matter had never entered the public domain.

"He now simply wishes to be left in peace to continue his police career."

Neither Mr Mitchell, who was forced to resign over the issue, nor PC Rowland was in court for the hearing.

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Man Admits 'Sickening' £5 Robbery Of Pensioner

A man has admitted a "callous and sickening" mugging in which he knocked down a 93-year-old pensioner for just £5.

Soloman Bygraves - described as "dangerous" by his defence solicitor - entered his guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court.

Stanley Evans' case made headlines after he was followed into a communal area of a block of flats in London's Soho and attacked.

He managed to struggle to his feet after five minutes on the floor and dialled 999. He suffered a shoulder injury but did not require hospital treatment.

Police released CCTV of the robbery after the attack on 31 January. 

Bygraves, 29 and of no fixed address, wore a grey tracksuit as he admitted the crime via videolink from Wandsworth Prison.

John Causer, defending, said he had a lengthy criminal record, including three convictions for robbery.

He added: "The court will wish to consider the issue of dangerousness. There is a background of mental health issues and drug issues."

Mr Evans insists he is "not afraid to go out", but says his injuries could have been a lot worse.

"I could have slipped and knocked my head, and for a person to attack an older person like me, it deserves prison because older people can't defend themselves and they know that and it's taking advantage of that."

"The worst part of it was the surprise," he said.

"But it hasn't affected me physically or psychologically, I'm not afraid to go out - I've been here for 50 years."

The judge remanded Soloman Bygraves in custody to be sentenced on 13 April.

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Oz Royal Phone Prank Station Broke The Law

The radio station that allowed two DJs to make a hoax call to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge for morning sickness broke the law, Australia's High Court has ruled.

Mel Greig and Michael Christian telephoned the King Edward VII hospital on Sydney's 2Day FM in 2012, posing as the Queen and Prince Charles and asked after the Duchess's health.

The woman who took the call, Jacintha Saldanha, believed the pair were who they said they were and transferred them to a nurse who gave details of Kate's condition.

The phone call was aired on the radio station and became a worldwide story. Mrs Saldanha was found dead days later.

The company could now face a heavy fine for breaking broadcasting rules

An inquest into the mother-of-two's death heard that she had blamed herself for putting the call through and the coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.

An initial investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority ruled that 2Day FM had breached its licence by not getting the consent of those involved before airing the call.

However, the radio station appealed that finding, arguing the media watchdog did not have the power to make that judgment and won its case when the Federal Court ruled in its favour.

Jacintha Saldanha killed herself after the hoax called was broadcast

But the latest judgment, at the High Court, quashes the appeal and upholds the media watchdog's right to decide whether a criminal offence has been committed.

It ruled there had been a breach of the Broadcasting Services Act and Southern Cross Austereo, the radio station's owners, could face a heavy fine.

Ms Greig, who left the company soon after the hoax, later tearfully apologised for her role in the prank.

DJ Mel Greig attended Ms Saldanha's inquest

She said she had spoken out before the call was aired, even suggesting it be edited beforehand to disguise the voices of the two nurses involved.

In an interview she said: "I don't ever want to listen to it [the recording of the prank call] again, because I'm ashamed of myself.

"I should have tried harder not to let that prank call air. It never should have aired."

:: 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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Farage: 'We Need Control Over Immigration'

Nigel Farage has said Britain needs to regain control of its borders with a "common sense" immigration policy which would see a five-year ban on unskilled workers.

The UKIP leader announced his party would promise an Australian-style points-based system to stop what he called a flood of unskilled immigrants putting pressure on schools, the health service and housing, and pushing down wages.

He said he wanted to control the "quantity and quality" of people coming to the UK.

In a speech to unveil the party's immigration policy in central London, Mr Farage claimed that one new home was built every seven minutes to cope with current rates of immigration.

He said that 77% of the public wanted Britain to take back control of her borders.

Video: Farage Sets Out Immigration Policy

And he said that it was impossible for the country to have a proper immigration policy while a member of the European Union.

In comments made ahead of the speech, Mr Farage ruled out imposing "arbitrary targets" for immigration despite an earlier pledge by the party that it would set an annual cap of 50,000.

However, Mr Farage told Sky News that if UKIP's plans for a points system were introduced then only between 20,000 and 50,000 people would come to the UK for work in a year.

The party's immigration spokesman, Steven Woolfe, said UKIP had abandoned the idea of a cap or target after net migration figures last week which showed David Cameron failed to hit his target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands by 200,000.

Video: Breakdown Of Immigration Figures

In the year to September the net migration figure stood at 298,000 - three times the number the Prime Minister had pledged.

Sky News Political Correspondent Jason Farrell said: "Nigel Farage is making political capital out of the Conservative failure on its promise to bring net migration down to the tens of thousands.

"He's calculated that he doesn't need to make the same promises as the Conservatives about numbers; far better to mock David Cameron for making the promise in the first place – and thus distance himself from what he calls 'the political classes'.

Under the UKIP plans, the points-based system will be complemented by a new quango - a Migration Control Commission - whose job will be to cut net migration to the UK. The UK border staff would also be increased by 2,500.

Video: 27/02/15 Farage On UKIP Appeal

In Australia, which caps immigrant numbers, potential migrants are required to answer a series of questions about their skills, for which they are awarded points.

Applicants need at least 60 points or their request for a visa is rejected.

Despite establishing a visa system based on this premise, Mr Farage said UKIP would ensure the right number of highly skilled workers from across the globe are able to enter the UK.

UKIP proposes an "ethical" visa system for work, and abolition of current rules discriminating EU citizens from non-EU citizens.

Video: How Immigrants Help The Economy

Under UKIP's policy, upon qualifying on the points-based system, highly skilled workers would be issued with a visa valid for up to five years.

For unskilled workers, there would be a moratorium for five years, while there would be no amnesty on illegal immigration.

A government annual review would monitor the policy.

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Teacher 'Planned Multiple Attacks' For IS

By Becky Johnson, North Of England Correspondent

A chemistry teacher from Manchester was "preparing himself to commit multiple acts of murder" fighting with Islamic State, a court has heard.

Jamshed Javeed was one of a group of young Muslim men from Manchester who became radicalised and determined to fight jihad in Syria.

At an earlier hearing he pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.

But he maintained that he was not an extremist and had never supported the aims of IS, instead intending to join rebels fighting the Assad regime.

The sentencing hearing at Woolwich Crown Court is expected to last two days.

The 30-year-old paid for flights for his brother Mohammad to travel to Syria with a friend to fight with IS.

Javeed, who was a teacher at Sharples School in Bolton, intended to join them, the court heard.

He bought clothing, equipment and flight tickets to travel to Turkey in November 2013. He was due to travel with friend Nur Hassan and, the night before, he gave him a computer hard drive onto which Hassan loaded violent extremist material.

Hassan was stopped at Manchester airport and police seized his phone, laptop and the hard drive. He missed his flight but travelled the next day.

Javeed, however, was unable to travel with him because his family, who were growing increasingly concerned about his radicalisation, had hidden his passport and bag.

Undeterred by the pleas of his family and pregnant wife, Javeed applied for a new passport, but was arrested before he was able to travel.

When police detained him in December 2013 they found extreme Islamist material on his mobile phones and computers.

Prosecutor Simon Dennison QC said it was clear the action Javeed intended to engage in "would have involved the use of firearms and/or explosives".

He said: "This case, of course, is not about who is right, and who is wrong, in the conflict in Syria - as if anyone could say.

"It is not about humanitarian aid. Nor is it about the religion of Islam.

"It is about the defendant assisting others in preparing, and preparing himself, to commit multiple acts of murder in guerrilla warfare to advance their religious or ideological cause."

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Student Injured In Chemistry Lab Explosion

A student at Liverpool University has been injured in a chemistry lab explosion which blew out seven windows.

The PhD student reportedly suffered injuries to his hands and face in the blast on the fourth floor of the University's science block.

The small explosion took place in the University chemistry block

A construction worker nearby who heard the explosion told the Liverpool Echo: "We just heard a loud bang then there was a shower of glass".

Merseyside Fire and Rescue service (MFR) and paramedics were called to the campus just before 9am and police closed several nearby roads.

MFR spokesman Nick Searle said: "Firefighters were called to the fourth floor of the building and a man at the scene was given First Aid by firefighters."

The University said in a statement it was investigating the cause of the blast and that students had been moved to another part of campus for safety.

The injured student has been taken to hospital.

:: Some buildings at the University of Manchester have been evacuated following concerns about an explosive chemical.

Emergency services were called to the Pariser Building this morning after concerns were raised about conditions under which acetone peroxide was being stored.

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Mother Guilty Of Killing Daughter Amid Affair

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Video: Lover's Threatening Phone Call

A mother and her lesbian lover have been found guilty of killing an eight-year-old girl during their affair.

Polly Chowdhury, 35, and Kiki Muddar, 43, were convicted at the Old Bailey on Wednesday of the manslaughter of Chowdhury's daughter Ayesha Ali.

Both women held their heads in their hands as the verdicts were read out.

The cause of the girl's death was recorded as a head injury, but Ayesha had suffered more than 50 injuries, including a bite mark on her shoulder and carpet burns. When paramedics found her she had been dead for some time.

Polly Chowdhury, left, was controlled by her lover Kiki Muddar

During proceedings, the court was told how the women's affair revolved around fictional Facebook characters that Muddar used to control Chowdhury.

The jury was also told how the little girl was terrorised at night by the women wearing nightmarish masks.

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1. Gallery: Ayesha Ali, 8, Killed After 'Campaign Of Abuse'

   Ayesha Ali, eight, died from a head injury on 29 August, 2013

The Old Bailey heard that Ayesha suffered a campaign of abuse at the hands of her mother and her lover

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The little girl wrote a "naughty list" in the months before she died

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Polly Chowdhury was controlled by Kiki Muddar

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Muddar was heard in a phone call to a friend threatening to kill the little girl

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Examples from 41,000 text messages between the pair were read out in court to show how Muddar would influence her lover by telling her that Ayesha was "evil".

The court heard that on 29 August, 2013, Muddar dialled 999 to report Chowdhury had tried to kill herself in the bath and that Ayesha was dead.

Chowdhury had left a series of notes, in which she appeared to admit the killing, saying: "I have taken my life and Ayesha's life."

Muddar had befriended Chowdhury when they lived next door to each other, and she used the Facebook alter egos to seduce her and turn her against her daughter, telling her "you have no right to ever love or like your evil daughter".

Both women had denied murder, manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child between 1 March and 29 August, 2013.

Muddar, who was diagnosed with a borderline narcissistic personality disorder, refused to give evidence but claimed she was at her parents' house on the night Ayesha died.

The Metropolitan Police said Muddar left the house in Chadwell Heath, East London, on 28 August and later returned having appeared to have bought a new shower hose. A statement from police said this implied the existing shower hose had been used to assault Ayesha.

Chowdhury told the court Muddar was giving her daughter a cold bath as punishment for wetting herself when she received her fatal injury.

She said she found Muddar with her foot on the girl's chest in the bathroom, but after pushing her off went back to looking for a job on her computer.

Video: 'They've Destroyed My Life'

The child's father, Afsar Ali, 35, attended the trial each day and has told how he will never forgive his ex-wife for falling under the spell of their next-door-neighbour.

"It's completely destroyed my life from now until I die," he said.

"She loved life and her family and all she wanted was to be part of a happy family. I was her superhero, her super daddy.

"The reason why I wanted to attend every day was I wanted to relive Ayesha's life, feel the pain. I don't think I can ever imagine what she had to go through."

Judge Christopher Moss QC remanded the women in custody. They will be sentenced on Friday.

Speaking outside court, Detective Sergeant Andy Nimmo said: "Ayesha Ali was an innocent and defenceless eight-year-old child caught up in a bizarre set of circumstances and manipulated by two adults who were intent on causing her harm.

"Through social media and text, Muddar created a sophisticated web of lies and deceit which took officers months to unpick. What unravelled was a picture of enormous hatred directed towards Ayesha by both Muddar and Chowdhury.

"Ayesha should have been able to turn to one person who she could trust - her mother - but Chowdhury had allowed herself to become influenced by Muddar and together they inflicted serious emotional and finally physical harm on Ayesha."

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We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Video: Lover's Threatening Phone Call

A mother and her lesbian lover have been found guilty of killing an eight-year-old girl during their affair.

Polly Chowdhury, 35, and Kiki Muddar, 43, were convicted at the Old Bailey on Wednesday of the manslaughter of Chowdhury's daughter Ayesha Ali.

Both women held their heads in their hands as the verdicts were read out.

The cause of the girl's death was recorded as a head injury, but Ayesha had suffered more than 50 injuries, including a bite mark on her shoulder and carpet burns. When paramedics found her she had been dead for some time.

Polly Chowdhury, left, was controlled by her lover Kiki Muddar

During proceedings, the court was told how the women's affair revolved around fictional Facebook characters that Muddar used to control Chowdhury.

The jury was also told how the little girl was terrorised at night by the women wearing nightmarish masks.

1/9

1. Gallery: Ayesha Ali, 8, Killed After 'Campaign Of Abuse'

   Ayesha Ali, eight, died from a head injury on 29 August, 2013

The Old Bailey heard that Ayesha suffered a campaign of abuse at the hands of her mother and her lover

]]>

The little girl wrote a "naughty list" in the months before she died

]]>

Polly Chowdhury was controlled by Kiki Muddar

]]>

Muddar was heard in a phone call to a friend threatening to kill the little girl

]]>

Examples from 41,000 text messages between the pair were read out in court to show how Muddar would influence her lover by telling her that Ayesha was "evil".

The court heard that on 29 August, 2013, Muddar dialled 999 to report Chowdhury had tried to kill herself in the bath and that Ayesha was dead.

Chowdhury had left a series of notes, in which she appeared to admit the killing, saying: "I have taken my life and Ayesha's life."

Muddar had befriended Chowdhury when they lived next door to each other, and she used the Facebook alter egos to seduce her and turn her against her daughter, telling her "you have no right to ever love or like your evil daughter".

Both women had denied murder, manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child between 1 March and 29 August, 2013.

Muddar, who was diagnosed with a borderline narcissistic personality disorder, refused to give evidence but claimed she was at her parents' house on the night Ayesha died.

The Metropolitan Police said Muddar left the house in Chadwell Heath, East London, on 28 August and later returned having appeared to have bought a new shower hose. A statement from police said this implied the existing shower hose had been used to assault Ayesha.

Chowdhury told the court Muddar was giving her daughter a cold bath as punishment for wetting herself when she received her fatal injury.

She said she found Muddar with her foot on the girl's chest in the bathroom, but after pushing her off went back to looking for a job on her computer.

Video: 'They've Destroyed My Life'

The child's father, Afsar Ali, 35, attended the trial each day and has told how he will never forgive his ex-wife for falling under the spell of their next-door-neighbour.

"It's completely destroyed my life from now until I die," he said.

"She loved life and her family and all she wanted was to be part of a happy family. I was her superhero, her super daddy.

"The reason why I wanted to attend every day was I wanted to relive Ayesha's life, feel the pain. I don't think I can ever imagine what she had to go through."

Judge Christopher Moss QC remanded the women in custody. They will be sentenced on Friday.

Speaking outside court, Detective Sergeant Andy Nimmo said: "Ayesha Ali was an innocent and defenceless eight-year-old child caught up in a bizarre set of circumstances and manipulated by two adults who were intent on causing her harm.

"Through social media and text, Muddar created a sophisticated web of lies and deceit which took officers months to unpick. What unravelled was a picture of enormous hatred directed towards Ayesha by both Muddar and Chowdhury.

"Ayesha should have been able to turn to one person who she could trust - her mother - but Chowdhury had allowed herself to become influenced by Muddar and together they inflicted serious emotional and finally physical harm on Ayesha."

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4. Teacher 'Planned Multiple Attacks' For IS
5. Embarrassment For Prince At Elephant Sanctuary

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IS Militants Linked To Cold-Calling Scam

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of money laundering by police investigating an alleged scam by extremists travelling to Syria.

Police said the fraud targeted "unsuspecting vulnerable and elderly victims" who were called at home by a person claiming to be a police officer.

The caller told them their bank account had been compromised and encouraged them to transfer money to an account under the control of the fraudsters. 

One elderly man lost approximately £150,000 as a result of the fraud.

The two men - aged 23 and 29 - were arrested during searches at addresses in west and east London earlier today.

They are being held at a police station in south London.

The scam was being used to fund extremists travelling to Syria (Pic: File)

Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) also executed search warrants at two addresses in north London, one in west London and one in south-east London.

Searches at all six addresses are ongoing, according to a statement released by the Met Police.

The statement added that people should be aware of cold-calling scams and never share their pin number over the phone.

"Members of the public are strongly advised, if you receive a call like this from someone claiming to be a police officer, (to) hang up the phone," it said.

"(Then) wait at least five minutes to make sure the phone line has cleared, or use another phone line, before ringing the phone number on your bank card."

Sky's Mark White said the arrests were made as a result of a "huge investigation" into "large-scale" fraud.

"It's part of a huge investigation into large-scale fraud that is being used to fund extremists travelling out to Syria to fight alongside the likes of Islamic State," he said.

"You would think that people probably wouldn't fall for this, and I'm sure that most people don't.

"But vulnerable, unsuspecting, elderly people sometimes do."

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