Walthamstow Rape: Police Hunt Three Men

Police are looking for three men after a 12-year-old girl was "brutally" raped in London.

The girl was lured to a garage area in Walthamstow, east London, where she was pinned down and raped by two of the men, who are thought to be aged between 17 and 19.

The suspects left the area after the girl managed to call a friend who came to the scene and took her away.

Scotland Yard said the girl met the three men between 12.15am and 12.30am on Saturday, July 27.

Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was a very nasty attack on a vulnerable girl just 12 years old by a group of older males who engaged her in conversation before leading her to a secluded area.

"She was pinned down and two of the males then brutally raped her."

The first of the three men was described as dark-skinned and of mixed race, with a diamond stud in his left ear and a London accent. He told the girl his name was Mo and that he was 17.

He had large brown eyes, short hair, was very skinny and wore a black puffa-style jacket with a hood, black chinos, black trainers and a grey/black T-shirt.

The second was described as black and very tall with big lips. His hair was partly shaven and he wore black trousers with a red and blue shirt.

The third, who did not rape the girl, was black and had a moustache. He wore a blue hooded top and a red and blue cap, and told her his name was Miles.

The attack happened in an area at the end of Hibbert Road, near Theydon Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 217 7408 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Fracking Arrests: Protesters Take On Cuadrilla

By Siobhan Robbins, in Balcombe, West Sussex

The boss of energy company Cuadrilla has told Sky News the company plans to start drilling in West Sussex within the next day or so, as protesters vow to fight on to stop the site from opening.

The drill site in Balcombe has been the scene of anti-fracking protests for the past week, with demonstrators facing off against Cuadrilla over the controversial hydraulic fracturing technique.

Protester Natalie Hynde, the daughter of the Kinks' Ray Davies and the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, today superglued her hands to a fellow demonstrator in an attempt to stop a gate at the site being opened.

Police later unstuck the pair and both protesters were arrested.

Protesters at the scene of the protest in West Sussex

So far the latest protests have been peaceful following a number of arrests earlier in the week.

Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan told Sky News the company has "no intention of ruining the countryside" and insisted there were only plans for exploratory drilling for oil, not for fracking.

"We would expect to start drilling within the next day or so. It is an oil exploration well - we're not actually going to fracture the well. We've been very clear about that," Mr Egan said.

"If we wanted to do that in the future we'd come back and go through a separate environmental impact assessment and planning application process, which is typically a nine to 12 month process.

Police and protesters gather at the site in Balcombe

"So there will be no fracturing at the site as part of the current operation."

Many of the demonstrators at the site live outside the area and have created a makeshift camp at the side of the road.

Protest spokeswoman Katy Dunne told Sky News: "We will stay here until we win this war and anywhere the unconventional gas and oil industry goes will face this resistance because there is no social licence for destroying people's health.

"Ninety per cent of Balcombe say they do not want this industry here."

Banners and signs have been put up by the side of the road

Fracking involves high pressure liquid being pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release gas supplies.

Mr Egan said the majority of people in the UK were "open-minded" about the importance of sourcing oil and gas resources for the future.

He said: "I'm not naive enough to think everybody who's camped outside is going to change their opinion overnight. But I do believe that the majority of people in the UK are open-minded about this.

"They do realise that we are in need of oil and gas, and that's nothing against renewables, but we will need oil and gas for decades to come.

"And it's a big question of do we carry on importing it at great cost, or develop our own resources at great benefit?"

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Right-To-Die Campaigners Lose Court Appeal

Road accident victim Paul Lamb and the family of the late locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson have lost a right-to-die challenge at the Court of Appeal.

Judges rejected their appeal against the long-established legal position that voluntary euthanasia is murder.

Former builder and father-of-two Mr Lamb, 57, from Leeds, who wants a doctor to help him die in a dignified way, had won the right to join the litigation to continue the battle started by Mr Nicklinson.

Mr Nicklinson, 58, died at home in Melksham, Wiltshire, in August 2012, a week after he lost a High Court bid to end his life with a doctor's help.

The father-of-two, who was paralysed by a stroke while on a business trip to Athens in 2005, had refused food and contracted pneumonia after he was "devastated" by the decision.

During the appeal hearing the judges heard argument that people who are too sick or disabled to end their "unbearable" lives without help are currently being condemned to "suffer in silence or make desperate attempts to kill themselves".

The ruling was given by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson and Lord Justice Elias.

Mr Lamb said he was "absolutely gutted" by the decision.

He added: "I was hoping for a humane and dignified end. This judgment does not give me that.

Paul Lamb said he was "absolutely gutted" by the judgment

"I will carry on the legal fight - this is not just about me but about many, many other people who are being denied the right to die a humane and dignified death just because the law is too scared to grapple with these issues."

Via Twitter, the Nicklinson family said: "We are sorry to say that we have lost our Court of Appeal challenge."

They said they "will continue the legal campaign and appeal again".

The Court of Appeal granted the family permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court.

Lawyers for a third man welcomed a ruling in his case asking for clearer guidance from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for carers or health professionals assisting those wishing to end their own lives.

Martin, 48, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, needs the assistance of a doctor, nurse or carer to help him die because his wife does not want to be actively involved in bringing about his death.

His lawyers say that current DPP guidance makes clear that friends or family members are unlikely to be prosecuted, but does not cover health professionals.

Speaking by means of special computer software, Martin said in response to the judgment: "I am delighted by the judgment today. It takes me one step closer to being able to decide how and when I end my life.

"I am only unable to take my own life because of my physical disabilities. Almost every aspect of my daily life is outside of my control.

"I want, at least, to be able to control my death and this judgment goes some way to allow me to do this."

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it has made an application to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court over the issue.

DPP Keir Starmer said: "While I respect the carefully considered judgment of the Court of Appeal, I think it would be sensible for the CPS, if possible, to have the benefit of the views of the Supreme Court before any amendments are made to the DPP's guidelines in this important and sensitive area of the law."

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Stephen Lawrence's Mother Given Lords Seat

The mother of Stephen Lawrence, who has campaigned for justice since his murder in 1993, is being given a seat in the House of Lords.

Doreen Lawrence, 60, is being made a baroness and will sit on Labour's benches in the Upper House as a working peer.

Party leader Ed Miliband signed off the proposal and it was put forward to Downing Street as part of Labour's recommendations.

A new peerages list is expected to be released on Thursday, confirming the appointment.

Stephen's murder in 1993 and its handling by police became notorious

Mrs Lawrence led the campaign to expose the failings of the police investigation into her teenage son's murder.

This led to the groundbreaking MacPherson Report which warned of "institutional racism" at Scotland Yard.

A special needs teacher and divorcee, she also founded a charity in her son's name to promote a positive community legacy.

Last year, she was picked to take part in the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics and held the Olympic flag.

She was awarded an OBE for services to community relations in 2003 and is also on the board of human rights group Liberty.

Stephen, 18, was killed by a gang of white youths at a bus stop in Eltham in April 1993.

The case and its handling by police became notorious and forced a reassessment of how police investigated racially motivated crimes.

Two of the original murder suspects, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were convicted of the murder in January last year.

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Twitter: Police Investigate MP Rape Threats

Detectives are investigating a string of sexually explicit and violent tweets sent to an MP as TV classics expert Mary Beard outed an internet troll on Twitter.

Stella Creasy faced a vicious online attack after she spoke out in support of feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, who received threats to rape and kill her on Twitter following her successful campaign to put Jane Austen's picture on the new £10 note.

The Walthamstow MP retweeted some of the sinister messages to her 30,000 followers as she warned the "morons" behind the abuse would face justice.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Officers in Waltham Forest received an allegation of malicious communications from an MP. The allegation relates to comments made on Twitter and is currently under consideration."

Ms Creasy has called for Twitter to take faster and stronger action against online thugs, and criticised the microblogging site's security policies.

She told Sky News: "This is illegal activity. It would be illegal if someone said this to you in the street, it would be a form of harassment, and it's legal online.

"And what we're looking for is companies like Twitter not simply to ask people to report stuff so they can think about it, but to actually work with the police so they can identify the individuals committing this crime."

She added: "It's not the technology that makes them idiots, it's because they are idiots. And actually Twitter has a role to play in helping us end the violence against women that this represents."

Tory MP Claire Perry, who has been advising David Cameron on measures to tackle the spread of extreme pornography and child abuse on the internet, has also received a torrent of abuse from Twitter users.

Ms Perez described how the online abuse had left her feeling "under siege"

The Devizes MP tweeted: "I am tempted to shut down my Twitter account given the trolling going on incl. to me - but that would be giving in."

Meanwhile, Ms Beard silenced an internet troll after naming and shaming him on Twitter.

The professor of classics at the University of Cambridge retweeted the "highly offensive" post from Oliver Rawlings, who has 243 followers on the social networking site.

In his tweet, Mr Rawlings called Ms Beard a "filthy old slut" and made a sexual comment.

Fellow users responded by condemning Mr Rawlings and within minutes he responded: "I sincerely apologise for my trolling. I was wrong and very rude. Hope this can be forgotten and forgiven."

Ms Beard said exposing trolls was the best tactic.

Talking to a fellow user about her decision to highlight the abuse, she tweeted: "It is a tough call. I have increasingly opted for name and shame. It has to be outed. And maybe his friends can say 'stop'."

Ms Perez described how the online abuse had left her feeling "under siege" and terrified in her own home.

She criticised the response from Twitter and claimed to have been blocked by Mark Luckie, one of its senior managers, after he was made aware of her ordeal.

Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in Manchester in connection with the abuse.

Twitter said it plans to include a button for reporting abuse within every tweet, which is already available on its iPhone app.

John Whittingdale, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has told Sky News Twitter bosses may be called as witnesses in an inquiry to be held in the autumn on "harmful content on the internet".

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Hospital Family Test: More Than 30 Wards Fail

Patients in 36 hospital wards across England would not recommend them to their family or friends, according to the results of a new test.

The first results of a survey designed to expose poor patient care revealed the large majority were happy with their treatment.

But some 36 of 4,500 wards were given an overall negative figure in June. This was down from 66 in April.

Despite months of criticism, only one A&E department - Chase Farm Hospital in north London - was given a negative score.

And even then, 295 of 516 patients asked about the hospital said they were "extremely likely" to recommend it and another 167 said they were "likely" to do so.

Overall, A&E services scored between 100 to minus 13 and scores for inpatients ranked from 100 to 43.

But there will be disappointment at the response rate, which was just 13.1% across England.

The so-called Friends and Family Test was announced in January and first introduced in April.

Patients are asked one simple question - whether they are likely to recommend the ward or A&E department they were treated in to friends and family.

They chose from six responses ranging from extremely likely to extremely unlikely and were asked to give reasons for their decision.

A score was created for each hospital by subtracting the number of negative responses from the number of positive ones.

More than 400,000 people completed the survey and results relate to around 4,500 NHS wards and 144 A&E services.

NHS England's national director for patients and information Tim Kelsey said the initiative was a "major step forward".

"Direct patient and citizen feedback is vital to improving the services the NHS provides. Trusts can concentrate their focus on improvement with this information," he said.

"From this first publication, we can see a significant and real variation in the quality of customer service across the NHS.

"There are home truths here and everyone will expect those Trusts who have large numbers of their patients choosing not to recommend their services to respond as quickly as possible."

David Cameron, who is on holiday in Portugal, said: "I want the NHS to put patient satisfaction at the heart of what they do and expect action to be taken at hospitals where patients and staff say standards are not good enough."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called it a "historic moment".

"By making these ratings public, we're giving patients the power to choose the best place for their care - and driving other hospitals to raise their game," he said.

However, critics claimed the data had little meaning because it is not specific enough and is not an accurate way to measure hospital performance.

The new patient charity Point of Care Foundation noted that it is currently impossible to tell whether someone's negative response was due to poor care or an issue such as car parking.

Director Jocelyn Cornwell said: "Some hospitals were using much better methods of collecting feedback but they have had to abandon what they were doing and replace it with this rather blunt instrument which is not good for patients, or for developing useful information to improve health services.

"We would ask the Government to think again about how more useful information on patient care could be collected and used to improve services."

NHS England is to publish monthly updates on patient feedback.

By the end of next year, it hopes to roll the test out to include GP practices, community services and mental health services. All other services will be included by April 2015.

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Todmorden: Major Clean-Up After Flash Flood

A major clean-up is under way after a flash flood burst through homes and swept away roads in a Pennines village.

Walsden, near Todmorden, in West Yorkshire, was hit by up to 18in (46cm) of water last night after a cloudburst and torrential rain.

Residents said the flood caused "sheer devastation" as it poured from a culvert, ripping out huge chunks of tarmac, and destroying roads.

Water is still pouring down a side street and through at least one house.

Around 20 homes have been flooded, and more heavy rain is on the way, bringing the risk of more flooding.

Police warn waves from cars will damage homes. Pic: Twitter/@jams1999

Roger Stansfield, who was cleaning up his property this morning, said: "It started raining really heavily and within 15 minutes this road was completely flooded to the depth of my wellington boots.

"There's nothing you can do."

Flood warden Keith Crabtree said an "unprecedented" amount of rain caused "sheer devastation" in the village.

"Every road in and out of Todmorden was flooded. There's still a lot of water coming off the hillside," he said.

A man walks through floodwaters. Pic: Twitter/@jams1999

"It happened so quickly. The floods 12 months ago took three days to build up.

"This one, we just got three quarters of an hour of cloudburst and there's just nothing you can do about that."

Water floods the tracks but does not stop services. Pic: Twitter/@jams1999

West Yorkshire Police have asked people to avoid travelling through the area, saying waves from driving through water could damage houses.

Railway lines are submerged and Walsden station is closed as maintenance crews repair the tracks.

People in the region are still struggling to recover from last year's severe flooding, which caused more than £3m of damage.

Prime Minister David Cameron went to Yorkshire in June 2012 to visit flood victims and warned he would "robustly" negotiate with insurance companies to make sure they paid out.

Parked cars in the floodwaters. Pic: TWITTER @jams1999

The Environment Agency currently has three flood alerts in place - two in the Midlands and one in the South East.

Joanna Robinson, Sky News weather producer, said: "There'll be further heavy, possibly thundery, showers around this afternoon.

"Torrential downpours will bring the risk of local flooding, especially across North East England, including West Yorkshire.

"The showers will ease and fade going into the evening, but more general rain will move in from the South West tonight.

"Wednesday will bring yet more rain, locally torrential, to much of England, Wales and Ireland.

"By Thursday, the South East will turn briefly hot and humid, with temperatures up to 31C."

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London Stabbings: Murder Probe As Man Held

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed and two others suffered serious stab wounds.

The 40-year-old was detained overnight after officers were alerted to attacks at two separate addresses in south London on Monday evening.

A woman aged 28 and a 17-year-old girl were found with knife wounds at 7.10pm at an address in Tilson Gardens, Brixton.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the teenager was taken to a south London hospital and is in a serious but stable condition, Scotland Yard said.

The suspect was arrested in Leigham Court Road, Streatham

Half an hour earlier, another woman, aged 46, was found at a property in Redlands Way with a number of injuries, including stab wounds. Her condition is described as critical.

The two properties are less than a mile apart.

Police said all three victims were known to the man being held in custody at a south London police station.

He was arrested on a bus in Leigham Court Road, Streatham, south London, shortly before 1am.

Detective Inspector Will Reynolds said there was no suggestion it was a random attack and officers are not looking for anyone else.

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Manchester Stabbing: Girl Fights For Life

A 13-year-old-girl is fighting for her life after a stabbing attack in which her father died.

The man who is understood to have launched the knife attack in Moston, northeast Manchester, died of knife wounds a short time later after driving a car into the side of a nearby pub.

Police found the seriously injured girl after 10pm on Sunday at a house where the body of her 41-year-old father, who had been stabbed, was also discovered.

He has been named locally as Robert Jackson, while his daughter, Aisha, is also thought to have suffered knife wounds.

Neighbours in Moston heaped praise on Robert Jackson and his daughter

Neighbours said Mr Jackson was separated from Aisha's mother and that the teenager was visiting him when the attack happened.

Less than three hours later, officers were called to Watfield Walk in Harpurhey, a two-mile drive away, after reports that a man had threatened a car owner with a knife before stealing the vehicle.

The car was then seen by police near Rochdale Road and the 34-year-old driver drove it into the side of the Alliance Inn pub as officers approached.

Wall damage to the Alliance Inn, which the suspected knifeman crashed into

He was taken to hospital suffering from a stab wound and injuries from the crash but died a short time later.

Mr Jackson's neighbour Clare Calvert told Sky News: "He was the nicest bloke you'd ever meet ... He'd bend over backwards to help anybody - (he) wouldn't hurt a fly."

She described Aisha as "lovely".

Flowers are left at the house in Moston

Forensics officers are at the scene of the attack, where an area around the house in Delta Walk has been sealed off. Flowers have been left at the scene.

Sky's Nick Martin, who is in Moston, said the two men were known to each other:

He said: "The priority now will be to ensure that the girl pulls through - she will have critical information about the events that played out here."

The attack happened a two-mile drive from where the stolen car was crashed

Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We are in the very early stages of our inquiries and are piecing together the circumstances that led to two men losing their lives and a 13-year-old girl fighting for her life in hospital.

"Obviously the community will be shocked as to what has happened but we can say we do not believe anyone else was involved and are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Double Yellow Parking Ban Set To Be Lifted

Drivers will be able to park on double yellow lines for 15 minutes under proposals to boost trade in high street shops.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles wants to introduce a "grace period" that would allow motorists to pop into local shops without being hit by hefty penalties, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The plans have been proposed by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles

Higher fines could be introduced outside London for motorists who park dangerously in order to secure support for the move.

A source close to Mr Pickles told The Daily Telegraph: "The high street is in danger of shrinking or dying off, and over-aggressive parking enforcement is part of the reason why.

"If people are worried about paying a fortune in parking fines, it will make them more likely to do their shop online or go to out of town shopping centres.

"For too long parking has been a revenue raiser. It's time to end that.

"There is room for a deal (with the Liberal Democrats). Dangerous parking is a menace to people, whereas if you're in the parking bay or just on the side of the road you're not presenting any risk."

Higher fines could be introduced for dangerous parking

It is understood the Lib Dems believe the Tory Cabinet minister's plans could prove "unworkable" and are keen to raise the current £70 cap on fines for all illegal parking outside London, according to the newspaper.

Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker told the newspaper: "We are keen to ensure that the high street works for businesses by stopping people parking illegally for hours on end.

"I have been in discussions with other colleagues from government about how we can best take decisions on this forward.

"This is about tackling motorists who are parking illegally, not about raising charges for those who park legally."

But AA president Edmund King said: "Rather than just allow drivers to park on double yellow lines, a thorough review of the lines would be more effective.

"Many double lines are there for historical reasons and could be lifted. There is plenty of opportunity to ease back on the signs and lines in many places, giving drivers short-term waiting bays instead, so they can stop briefly to buy a paper or loaf of bread."

He added: "Local authorities should be encouraged to do what the Government does with regulations - 'one in one out' - so that yellow lines do not run out of control.

"Lifting restrictions on yellow lines should not be an excuse for hiking parking penalties outside London."

The Government has previously issued guidance to councils encouraging them to attract shoppers by setting competitive parking charges and urging them to improve the quality of parking in town centres.

Tory local government minister Brandon Lewis said: "This Government has scrapped Whitehall rules that previously told councils to hike up parking charges, adopt draconian enforcement and impose arbitrary limits on off-street parking spaces.

"Councils now need to play their part in reining back in the overzealous culture of municipal parking enforcement".

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