Claudia: Mystery Man Wanted Over Disappearance

By Gerard Tubb, North Of England Correspondent

A mystery man whose DNA was found in a car belonging to missing York cook Claudia Lawrence is being sought five years after her disappearance.

The possible clue is one of several potential new leads thrown up by a police review of the murder investigation.

Unknown DNA was found on a cigarette butt in Claudia's car

The 35-year-old should have walked to the University of York to start her shift at 6am on the morning of Thursday, March 18, 2009, but never arrived and was reported missing the following day by her father Peter, 70.

A lengthy police investigation drew a blank and a cold case review was launched in October, which has involved forensically re-examining her home in the Heworth area of York and re-interviewing her family and friends.

Fingerprints have also been found on items in Claudia's house

Detectives from North Yorkshire Police have now revealed:

:: A DNA profile of an unidentified male has been found on an Embassy Regal cigarette butt in her car.

:: Fingerprints of unidentified people have been found in Claudia's house.

:: Phone records show she spent time in the Acomb area of the city which has not been accounted for.

:: Her hair straighteners were missing from her home.

:: Her mobile phone was probably deliberately turned off at lunchtime on March 18.

:: Police are concentrating on a "number of individuals" but there are no official suspects.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn told a news conference that although the last known sighting of Claudia was on Wednesday afternoon, the evidence suggests she went missing the following day.

Police also want to identify this man

He said: "Claudia's bed was made and it appears that she had eaten breakfast and brushed her teeth, it is our belief that she had left for work on the morning of Thursday, 19 March, 2009."

Detectives have also released photographs of Claudia's car and the missing hair straighteners and CCTV pictures of a man they want to identify who told staff in a York Co-op store in April 2009 that he knew Claudia.

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Death Of Child On Bathroom Floor Examined

By Gerard Tubb, North Of England Correspondent

The death of a seven-year-old girl left on the bathroom floor of her Doncaster home by a paramedic instead of being rushed to hospital is to be examined by a coroner.

When Izabelle Easen suffered an asthma attack in 2008, James McKenna declared her dead at the scene, ignoring rules stating he should continue resuscitation and get her to hospital for treatment that might have saved her life.

The inquest, at Doncaster Coroner's Court, is being held only after a Sky News investigation identified Izabelle from redacted minutes of McKenna's disciplinary hearing.

McKenna was struck off over his behaviour.

But Yorkshire Ambulance Service did not tell Izabelle's mother anything was wrong, nor was she informed a hearing was being held about her daughter's death.

McKenna was found to have mistreated other patients including a retired South Yorkshire teacher who was dying of cancer, with a hospital nurse telling the hearing the man suffered as a result.

The man's widow, who has asked not to be identified, was not told about the negligence but has not pushed for an inquest to protect his elderly mother from hearing the distressing details.

Sky's investigation uncovered a culture of secrecy in the NHS, with the regulator of paramedics, the Health Professions Council (HPC), and a number of ambulance services keeping details of paramedic misconduct from the families of dead patients.

In another case, Marion Giles was paid an out of court settlement by North East Ambulance Service after Sky News informed her that paramedic Brian Jewers was struck off over her husband's treatment.

A coroner subsequently ruled there had been a failure of care after Jewers refused to give Grahame Giles, 61, a vital injection following a heart attack in 2008.

Mr Giles' widow Marion Giles accused the NHS of criminal behaviour, while Izabelle's mother Lorna Easen said it was "morally wrong" she had not been told about what had happened.

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Unemployment Drops By 63,000 In Last Quarter

The unemployment figure for the three months to January has dropped by 63,000 to 2.33 million.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) added that the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance last month fell by 34,600 to 1.17 million.

Meanwhile, the ONS said average earnings increased by 1.4% in the year to January, up 0.2% on the previous month.

The latest official data gives the Government a Budget boost, with a record number of people in work.

More than 459,000 are employed compared to a year ago, taking the total to just over 30 million in jobs.

It is the highest figure since records were started in 1971.

The ONS said the jobless rate dropped to 7.2%, with most of the fall being from men.

It added that there was a fall in the number of part-time workers, because they were unable to find full-time jobs.

It said the part-time total was down 32,000 to 1.4 million.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell by 34,600

Although a reduction was reported, the total is still 41,000 than at the same time in 2013.

Both long-term unemployed and jobless youth figures were down.

The ONS said long-term jobless was down by 38,000 to 828,000, while 912,000 aged 16 to 24 were without work.

The youth figure was down by 29,000.

It said Britons classed as economically inactive fell by 19,000 to 8.9 million.

That figure includes those who have given up looking for work and carers.

The latest data also shows public sector employment on the decline, with a drop of 159,000 to 5.5 million - recorded as the lowest level since 1999.

The big drop was said to include the large numbers of Royal Mail workers now classed as being in the private sector, after the company's flotation last autumn.

Meanwhile, the civil service reduced numbers by 6,000 to 441,000 and local government fell by 25,000 to 2.3 million.

Private sector employment is now 662,000 more than at the same time last year.

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New £1 Coin Is 'Most Secure In The World'

The Chancellor has used his Budget to introduce a major change for the nation's pockets - a new pound coin to be introduced in 2017.

The high-tech coin will have the same shape as the 12-sided threepenny bit and will be the hardest in the world for criminals to copy, the Government said.

"After 30 years loyal service, the time is right to retire the current £1 coin, and replace it with the most secure coin in the world," a Treasury spokesman said.

"With advances in technology making high value coins like the £1 ever more vulnerable to counterfeiters, it's vital that we keep several paces ahead of the criminals to maintain the integrity of our currency.

"We are particularly pleased that the coin will take a giant leap into the future, using cutting-edge British technology, while at the same time paying a fitting tribute to past in the 12-sided design of the iconic threepenny bit."

The threepenny bit went out of service in 1971

Currently, 3% of the current pound coins are fake, meaning a total of more than £45m in circulation are forgeries, according to the Treasury.

Several features of the new £1 coin should make it harder to fake, including its shape and its construction from two differently-coloured metals.

It will be similarly coloured to the gold and silver euro and the £2 coin.

The historic three pence piece, fondly known as the threepenny bit, was in circulation from 1937 until decimalisation in 1971 and was in the first group of coins to feature a portrait of Queen Elizabeth. 

The new coin is similar to the £2 coin in colour

As with all coins now, the Queen's face will be on the heads side of the new coin, but there is to be a public competition to decide the design for the tails side.

The design, which will be roughly the same size of the existing £1 coin, means vending machines and parking meters will have to be overhauled.

But it already has the backing of the Automatic Vending Association, which said the cost for adapting existing machines would be "minimal".

Kelvin Reynolds, of the British Parking Association, added: "Parking operators have long expressed concerns about a rise in counterfeit £1 coins and the inconvenience this causes to motorists when coins are rejected by parking payment machines and the losses incurred as a result."

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Madeleine Police Appeal Over Abuse Suspect

Police searching for Madeleine McCann have launched a search for a man who abused children in holiday homes in Portugal.

Officers from Operation Grange have identified a series of 12 crimes between 2004 and 2010 where a male intruder entered villas occupied by UK families on holiday in the Western Algarve.

In four of these incidents - between 2004 and 2006 - the man sexually assaulted five white girls, aged between seven and 10, while in their beds.

Madeleine disappeared in 2007

The cases are not identical but there are enough similarities for police to believe finding this suspect could be key.

In most cases it was low season, there were no signs of forced entry, nothing was taken and the intruder appeared between 2am and 5am.

A three-year-old Madeleine vanished in May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends

Of the 12 offences at the centre of the new lead, four were in Carvoeiro, six in the Vale da Parra and two in Praia da Luz.

On one occasion, the man assaulted two girls in the same villa.

A distinctive burgundy long-sleeve top worn by the suspect

DCI Andy Redwood, the senior investigating officer, said the suspect had an "unhealthy interest in young white female children".

"We need to establish the identity of this man," he added.

"These offences are very serious and no one has been charged in connection with them. We also need to eliminate this man from our enquiries and ascertain whether these offences are linked to Madeleine's disappearance.

"If you have been a victim of a similar crime please come forward, even if you reported the incident to police in Portugal, or anywhere else. Please do not assume we have been made aware of it.

"While some of these offences have been in the public domain before, following our appeal in October three more were reported to us as a direct result of that appeal. One of those reports we believe is the first in the potential series."

Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire

Police believe the suspect may have been in the villas for some time before being disturbed by parents or a child waking up - and he remained calm even when interrupted.

The noise of a bin collection lorry was heard nearby on two occasions.

The suspect is described as having tanned skin with short, dark, unkempt hair.

Witnesses say he spoke English with a foreign accent and his voice has been described as slow, or possibly slurred.

On two occasions, in Vale de Parra and Praia da Gale, he was wearing a distinctive burgundy long-sleeve top with a white circle on the back.

Sometimes he was bare chested, displaying what several witnesses describe as a pot belly.

Three victims talked of a noticeable odour.

Portuguese police closed their inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance in 2008 but Scotland Yard opened a new review of the evidence in 2011.

Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was taken

Police are still hunting a man seen carrying a girl fitting Madeleine's description on the night of her disappearance.

DCI Redwood added: "Our appeal last year was very successful and we had over 5,000 calls which generated new information for us and which we continue to investigate.

"We still need to establish the identity of a man seen by three witnesses, carrying a child fitting Madeleine's description towards the beach or town areas at about 10pm on the night Madeleine disappeared.

"The witnesses have described the man in the e-fits as being white, aged in his 30s, with short brown hair, of medium build, medium height and clean shaven.

"The Metropolitan Police Service continues to offer a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person(s) responsible for the abduction of Madeleine McCann from Praia da Luz, Portugal on 3 May 2007."

Anyone with information should call 0800 0961011 - or +44 207 1580 126 for non-UK residents.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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The Budget: Wakefield Hopes For Jobs Boost

The district of Wakefield in West Yorkshire is one of the key marginal seats which could decide the next General Election.

Students and businesses are hoping George Osborne's pledge to create jobs through the economic measures unveiled in his latest budget will pay real dividends for them.

Sky News went to the key marginal to speak to people as Mr Osborne delivered his statement in the House of Commons and they identified employment as a key concern. 

Ian Wainwright: 'I'd like to see more investment in skills and training'

The employment rate in Wakefield is 69% which is close to the national average, but the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance increased 11% last year.

Wakefield College is the largest in the district and has provided education and training in Wakefield and surrounding area since 1868.

Assistant principal Ian Wainwright, 38, is hoping for better investment in young adults and for the businesses that most need them.

Frankie: 'Students need more financial help from the government'

"I'd like to see further investment in skills and training and support for young people while they're studying," he said.

"I'd also like to see further support for employers taking those young people on, particularly if they're small to medium size enterprises who often struggle to find the resources to fund those posts."

Frankie, 20, is taking an animal studies course at the college. She said students need more financial help from the government.

Gym owner Ian Gibson: 'I was sceptical but it's generally positive'

She said: "I don't think the government is doing enough. I don't get any money from the government, I get it from college. Because I'm 20 years old I have to pay for my prescriptions and my dentists stuff.

"I'm not getting any help. I've got loads of qualifications and I just want to get a job."

The number of active businesses in Wakefield peaked at 8,900 in 2009 but fell 2% between 2009 and 2010 which is close to the national trend and before the recession, business growth in Wakefield had been strong with significant increases to 2007.

Harvey: 'Prices need to come down and wages need to go up'

In his speech the Chancellor said the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast 1.5 million more jobs over the next five years and for earnings to grow faster than inflation.

Graham Thompson set up Xamax Clothing in his garage with his wife in 1986. The company has grown since then and they moved to bigger premises last year.

Mr Thompson said the growth of the firm was being hampered by high business rates and a lack of affordable finance.

Evie Sharp, Xamax employee: 'I want what my Mum and Dad have now'

"We need more access to finance," he said. "With more money we'd be able to drive the business forward better," he said.

"We also need a reduction in business rates which is almost like a tax before we've earned any money.

"Taxation allowances on research and development are going up; that's got to be a good thing because we're quite an innovative company.

"Extending the apprenticeship scheme is something we've been looking at, it's something we need to be getting on with.

"Business rates discounted for three years won't affect us but it's got to be good for other businesses because there are a lot of businesses struggling."

Ian Gibson who owns a gym above Wakefield's Trinity Walk shopping centre said: "It's generally positive. I was deeply sceptical about this budget, I thought it was going to be the usual spin, but I've taken a lot of positives out of it already.

"One of the things that made me happy was the raising of the capital allowance; they've said this will take three million people out of what I would call the tax-poverty bracket.

"It allows people to spend more in my business and it's nice to be see people with a smile on their face; it's good to see some positivity."

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Clifford 'Told Victim No One Will Believe You'

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent, Southwark Crown Court

Publicist Max Clifford warned a teenage girl "no one is going to believe you" after allegedly sexually abusing her in a nightclub toilet, a court has heard.

The woman, who cannot be named, told his trial she had been a dancer in the mid 1980s when she went for an audition at a London nightclub.

She explained it took place in the club's basement during the day while the club was closed.

After the dancing audition, she said Clifford approached her in the club and asked if she wanted to get into acting - she was around 18 years old.

She said Clifford told her: "I am looking for girls for a Bond film ... you'd be great."

The film was Octopussy, she told Southwark Crown Court.

She alleged Clifford then took a call from a "pay phone" on the wall in the club and passed the handset to her telling her it was Bond producer Cubby Broccoli.

The woman said the person on the phone told her she needed to tell him if Clifford was circumcised or not.

She described how she was then led to the toilets by Clifford who simply smiled at her and was "so calm".

The woman accused Clifford of then exposing himself to her and ordering her to perform a sex act on him.

She said Clifford then pulled down her leotard top and started grabbing at her breasts, which she said was "unpleasant".

As she left the toilet, she said Clifford made a "cocky" comment to her, saying: "No one is going to believe you."

The woman said she believed it had happened in 1984 but defending Clifford, Richard Horwell QC, said the film Octopussy actually came out a year earlier in 1983.

Mr Horwell said to her: "I suggest it simply didn't happen."

"I wish I could say that was true," she replied.

The woman added: "I chose not to remember all the details ... I have tried to get on with my life."

Clifford denies the allegation and all 11 charges of indecent assault that he faces. The trial continues.

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Budget 2014: 'For Makers, Doers And Savers'

Budget 2014: Key Points At A Glance

Updated: 2:27pm UK, Wednesday 19 March 2014

The Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his fifth budget. Here are the key points.

Savings

:: Tax-free ISAs to be boosted to £15,000 per year from July. Junior ISAs up to £4,000 a year.

:: Stocks and shares ISAs can be tranferred to new single ISA scheme.

:: Premium Bonds cap lifted from £30,000 to £40,000 in June, and to £50,000 next year.

:: 10p rate of tax for savers to be abolished.

:: Zero tax band to cover £5,000 of savings.

Reliefs

:: Alcohol escalator to be scrapped for all alcohol duties, instead a rise with inflation.

:: Scottish whisky duty to be frozen as it is "a huge British success story".

:: Cut of 1p in duty per pint of beer.

:: Export finance lending interest rate to be cut by a third and lending doubled to £3bn.

:: From 2015, all long haul air passenger flights carry same, lower, band B tax rate.

:: Right to Build scheme for builders of their own homes including £150m of finance to support it.

:: New £200m fund for councils "to bid for" to fix potholes across Britain.

:: Additional £140m help for flood damage.

:: September's fuel duty rise will not be brought in.

Taxes

:: Duty on fixed-odds betting terminals to rise to 25%.

:: Horse race betting levy to be extended to bookmakers based offshore.

:: Bingo duty will be halved to 10% "to protect jobs and protect communities".

:: Tobacco duty to remain at 2% above inflation and escalator will not be stopped.

:: Increased disclosed tax avoidance schemes scrutiny for the wealthy.

:: City fines over Libor rate-rigging to continue going to military charities and emergency service charities.

:: From midnight anyone buying home over £500,000 through corporate entity to pay 15% stamp duty to "avoid abuse".

:: "We will expand the tax on residential properties worth over £2m to those worth more than £500,000."

:: Private jets, previously not taxed, will see tax levied on flights.

Income Tax

:: Personal tax allowance rises to £10,500 next year, giving average saving of £800.

:: 40p tax rate threshold to rise from £41,450 to £41,865 from next month and then up by further 1% to £42,285 next year.

:: Transferable tax allowance for married couples rising to £1,050.

Pensions

:: All retirees on defined contribution pensions to be offered free, impartial, face-to-face advice.

:: No need for pensioners to buy annuities if they do not wish to.

:: Removal of all remaining tax restrictions on how pensioners have access to their pension pots.

:: Income requirement for flexible draw-down from £20,000 to £12,000, raised cap draw-down limit from 120% to 150%.

:: Lump sum small pot level lifted five-fold to £10,000.

:: Almost doubling total pension savings as a lump sum to £30,000.

:: £20m  to be spent in next two years working with consumer groups over pension advice.

:: New Pensioner Bond paying market leading rates, issued by National Savings and Investments, open to everyone aged 65 or over. Available from January next year.

 

Spending and Welfare

:: Foreign aid to be 0.7% of national income.

:: Public sector spending reduction to reach £1bn by 2015-16.

:: A permanent cap on welfare, excluding state pension, set at £119bn in 2015-16, rising in line with forecast inflation to £127bn in 2018-19.

Growth

:: Independent OBR growth forecast revised upwards to 2.7%, up from 2.4% in Autumn Statement.

:: Growth next year is also revised up to 2.3%, then 2.6% in 2016 and 2017, with growth expected to return to long-term trend of 2.5% in 2018.

:: 1.5 million new jobs forecast in next five years.

Borrowing

:: Deficit this year of 6.6% reduced to 5.5%  next year, then expected to be 4.2%, 2.4% and finally 0.8% in 2017-18. Following year forecast surplus of 0.2%.

:: Expect to borrow £108bn this year, £12bn less than forecast last year. No borrowing from 2018-19.

:: OBR forecasts public debt to be 74.5% of GDP this year; 77.3% next year; peaking at 78.7% in 2015-16 - lower than the 80% previously forecast - before falling to 78.3% in 2016-17, then falling to 76.5% and then 74.2% in 2018-19.

:: The new £1 coin to thwart forgery and "In honour of our Queen".

Jobs

:: Support for more than 100,000 new apprenticeships.

:: New Alan Turing Institute for computing "big data" to boost Britain's IT prowess.

Business

:: New allowance for ultra high pressure, high temperature oil field for North Sea oil and gas.

:: Tax relief of up to 25% for touring theatrical productions.

:: VAT relief on fuel for air ambulances and inshore rescue boat services across Britain, and a new air ambulance for London.

:: Accept recommendation to move collection of Class 2 NICs into self-assessment, abolishing for 5 million people "this wholly unnecessary bureaucracy".

:: Corporation tax - high street stores will get £1,000 off their rates, and businesses the £2,000 Employment Allowance.

:: From next year, corporation tax to drop from 21% to 20% and under-21s taken out of the jobs tax.

:: Business rates discounts and enhanced capital allowances will be extended for another three years.

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New £1 Coin Will Give Forgers A Headache

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

The Royal Mint calls its new £1 coin a "pioneering" design and says that it will be much harder to counterfeit. So how is the coin more secure?

The two-metal design, similar to the £2 coin, and the 12-edged shape are basic measures intended to drive up the cost of producing a counterfeit.

The real innovation is the Integrated Secure Identification System, known as ISIS. This applies "banknote-level security" to coins and is the result of a £2m research and development project from the Royal Mint.

The 1.5 billion pound coins currently in circulation - about 3% of which are counterfeit - use an electromagnetic signature as proof of their authenticity.

When a coin passes through an electromagnetic field, it gives off a distinct pattern of "ripples" - and this pattern is its signature. The problem is, this signature can fluctuate over time, and it is relatively easy for forgers to approximate.

The ISIS system, though, uses an additive substance embedded in the coin when it is minted.

A similar system is already used in the fuel and perfume industries, but this is the first time the technology has been applied to coinage.

The Royal Mint will not say how much the new coin's introduction will cost

The Royal Mint has also created new hand-held and desktop detection machines, as well as a low-cost system which can be retrofitted to existing vending machines.

This means coins can be authenticated at any point in the cash cycle, rather than being hauled back to banks for analysis.

The Royal Mint's description of the technologies, given at various industry conferences, has "not been too concrete", according to Ursula Kampann, the publisher of CoinsWeekly.

Nor has the company disclosed how much the ISIS system will cost to implement.

The Automatic Vending Association has estimated it could cost as much as £400m, but the Mint has said only that it will be "significantly" more than the £2m development cost.

ISIS is also only one of many competing anti-forgery technologies being developed by mints around the world.

According to Mrs Kampann, the most interesting question is which one of these systems being developed in different countries will gain broad acceptance?

Mints are hoping to offset their research costs by striking coins for other nations.

The Royal Mint currently produces coins for 60 other countries and Wednesday's high-profile Budget Day announcement is an attempt to get a head start with the next generation of coinage.

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Youth Held As Woman And Teenagers Stabbed

A 17-year-old youth has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after three members of his family suffered serious stab wounds.

The "isolated, self-contained and tragic" incident happened at an end-of-terrace house in Small Heath, Birmingham.

The victims, a woman aged in her 40s and two sisters aged 16 and 13, are all believed to have suffered " significant" multiple knife injuries, West Midlands Police said.

Police were called to the property when a resident reported hearing screams.

"Officers arrived at the scene within a matter of minutes and arrested a man in the street and recovered a knife nearby," a spokesman said.

"He has been taken to hospital having suffered a minor cut to his hand."

Police described the incident as an "isolated tragic case"

A baby was found unharmed inside the address and is being cared for by family members.

Chief Inspector Dean Hatton said the youth being held was believed to be the brother of two of the victims.

"We don't believe there are any issues for the wider community," CI Hatton said.

"We believe this is an isolated tragic incident involving one family."

Neighbours said the family who lived at the address had moved to Britain from the Middle East but were originally from Pakistan.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: "They are a very good family and what has happened is terrible.

"They are a very loving family, I saw them shopping together and it's impossible to imagine why this has happened."

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