India: Briton Trampled To Death By Elephant

A British national has died after being trampled to death by an elephant in India.

The man, who has been named as Colin Manvell died at the Masinagudi National Park, in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Local police said Mr Manvell and two other men - a guide and an acquaintance - had entered an area of the forest that was out of bounds to tourists so they could take photos.

It was here the elephant attacked, the police said.

Mr Manvell was seriously injured and treated at the local Masinagudi hospital before being transferred to Gudalur Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The two men with him at the time of the attack have been taken into custody for questioning.

Local guides sought help from the nearby Sagadevan resort, where Mr Manvell was staying.

The Foreign Office confirmed the death, saying: "We are aware of the tragic death of a British national in southern India and we are providing consular assistance at this difficult time."

His family has been informed.

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Boy's Broom Attack On Teacher Caught On Video

Footage of a boy violently attacking a teacher at a South African high school has led to government calls for the youngster to be punished.

A video posted on YouTube shows the student kicking and hitting the male teacher with a broom in a classroom of the Glenvista school in Johannesburg.

Other pupils can be heard cheering, laughing and egging the boy on during the assault, which reportedly happened on Wednesday.

"Get him," one boy is heard saying.

The teacher is seen walking away from his attacker and leaving the building, but the pupil - still armed with the broom - follows him into the street.

The boy chases the teacher

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said she was "disturbed" by the attack.

She has called for the boy and those cheering him on to be punished.

"This incident must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and the relevant punishment must be met out," she said.

"The student responsible together with the other learners who were cheering him on should all be disciplined accordingly."

Mrs Motshekga has recommended that anyone who was there during the attack receive trauma counselling.

She said such violence would "not be tolerated" by either pupils or teachers in South African schools.

"Schools should remain a no-violence zone where educators and learners can feel safe and secure in order for teaching and learning to take place," she said.

Sky News has tried to contact Glenvista school about the assault.

The attack comes as South African police unveiled crime statistics which lobby groups say are the worst in a decade.

The figures showed increases in some of the crimes that most frighten and upset South Africans.

Murder and attempted murder rates were both up - albeit minimally (0.6% and 6.5%) despite a decline over the past nine years - and car-jacking is up alongside residential robberies (2% and 3.6% respectively).

The statistics prompted criticism from Gareth Newman at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), who said: "This shows that government's approach to crime is not working."

But the police took a different view, saying the statistics showed that police interventions were having the desired results, although there was still a long way to go to rid South Africa of crime.

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Barclays Cyber Raid: Arrests Over Stolen £1.3m

Eight men have been arrested after a gang stole more than £1m from a high street bank by taking control of one of its computer systems.

The money was stolen from a Barclays branch in Swiss Cottage, London, earlier this year, using a device known as a "keyboard, video and mouse" (KVM) switch.

The hardware, which can be purchased online for as little as £10 and is the size of a small laptop computer, allowed the gang to transmit the contents of the computer's desktop and take control of the machine remotely.

It is believed the device was installed by a man who pretended to be an IT engineer to gain access to the branch.

A KVM device similar to the one used to steal money from Barclays accounts

Some £1.3m was withdrawn from accounts, although much of the money has since been recovered.

The gang ran the operation from "control room" at an address in Marylebone, central London, police believe.

Officers believe one of the men who is being held is the "Mr Big" of UK cybercrime.

Detective Inspector Mark Raymond, of the Metropolitan Police's Central e-Crime Unit (PeCU), said: "Those responsible for this offence are significant players within a sophisticated and determined organised criminal network, which used considerable technical abilities and traditional criminal know-how to infiltrate and exploit secure banking systems."

The men, aged between 24 and 47, are in custody at various police stations in London, where they are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to defraud.

Thousands of credit cards and people's personal data were seized following searches of properties in Westminster, Newham, Camden, Brent and Essex, including one described by detectives as a control room for the Barclays theft.

The arrests come after four men appeared in court accused of a failed attempt to take control of computers at a Santander branch in southeast London, again using a KVM device.

Police said they foiled a "very significant and audacious cyber-enabled offence" that would have cost the bank millions of pounds.

The use of KVM devices to commit "low risk, high financial yield cyber-enabled crime" is on the rise, according to the Metropolitan Police.

A spokesman for the force said the latest arrests followed a "long-term, intelligence-led operation" involving PeCU and Barclays, whose security team detected the theft.

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Farage Predicts UKIP 'Earthquake' In EU Vote

Rising UKIP Still Faces Challenges

Updated: 2:36pm UK, Friday 20 September 2013

By Nicola Boden, Sky News Online

After an incredible year for the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage was welcomed like a hero at his party's conference.

The ovation and pats on the back as he walked into the hall were reminiscent of the chaotic scenes when Boris Johnson arrived at the Tory conference last year.

But rather than dwell on his party's local election triumph and transformation into a real force in British politics, Mr Farage made sure to look ahead.

Determined to build on its recent success, he sought to rally his troops for 2014 and the European and council elections on the horizon next spring.

Promising a UKIP "earthquake" and suggesting it could win the national vote in the European poll, he is certainly not short of confidence.

He also predicted his party could have more members than the Lib Dems within 18 months as its reach widens.

Recent polls appear to bear this out - a new YouGov poll puts UKIP support at 12% ahead of Nick Clegg's party on 10% showing its support has not been a flash in the pan.

UKIP, now in its 20th year, is therefore in an enviable position as it appears to have tapped into a mood of growing euroscepticism and general discontent in the UK.

But however good 2013 has been - and it really was good with the party taking almost a quarter of votes in the local elections - 2014 could be make-or-break.

At the European and council elections, the party has to convert its surge in support in order to keep driving towards 2015.

This would then provide a commanding platform for the General Election, where Mr Farage has vowed UKIP candidates will stand in "every single seat".

Tories sitting in key marginals will quake at the prospect - fearing a strong UKIP candidate could erode their support and cost them victory.

But Mr Farage believes this blanket approach will create the best chance of the party's next dream - having at least one MP in the Commons.

This truly would be a milestone.

However, despite signs pointing to potential glory, the party is definitely not without its challenges.

Firstly, there appear to be problems within its high command.

In recent weeks, the chief executive has quit after just eight months in the role amid suggestions the party is unmanageable.

And days ago, MEP Mike Natrass, the former deputy leader, resigned in protest - claiming that only "cronies" of Mr Farage were being picked to stand in 2014.

In a parting shot, he called the party "totalitarian" and Mr Farage an "excellent frontman" but a "very bad leader" who only liked yes men who agreed with him.

This strikes at the heart of one of the major issues for the party - the perception that there is little to it other than Mr Farage himself.

Next year's elections provide an opportunity to instil more order and generate a much-needed wider face, with some credible candidates.

Currently headlines are largely generated either by Mr Farage, or a UKIP member's controversial comments. Stand up Godfrey Bloom and Stuart Wheeler.

The leader brushed off these rows to delegates at conference as "occasional difficulties" but that is unlikely to wash with the wider public if they continue.

He needs to surround himself with some promising politicians people can really see representing them in Westminster.

This feeds into another issue - the requirement for the party to appear more grown-up.

Its leader insists this is already happening but spats about "Bongo Bongo Land" or women being unable to play chess are not exactly helpful.

A better party machine could iron out - or at least limit - members' forays into dangerous territory by instilling greater party discipline.

And it could also ensure candidates are comprehensively vetted in order to limit potential bombshells about their views down the line.

A third major issue is policy - UKIP has to show that it has a wider vision than simply to quit the EU and tackle immigration.

They may both be areas that resonate strongly with voters but more will be needed if it is to stand its ground in a full-on general election campaign.

Mr Farage insisted in his speech that UKIP is also in line with British attitudes on welfare and education and he touched on the NHS and Syria.

But, as he became increasingly hot under the collar, he reverted to a lengthy diatribe about Europe's influence and the risk of a Romanian crimewave.

He and the wider party need to develop more of a voice on other key issues - crucially the economy - in the months to come if it is to properly compete in 2015.

So yes, Mr Farage may have much to celebrate this weekend - and will no doubt indulge in a pint and a cigarette or two.

However, he also has much to chew on ahead of next year and beyond.

There is little time to kick back.

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Terror Arrests: Two More Held In Syria Probe

Two more people have been arrested as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism in Syria.

A 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested at a property in Essex on Wednesday on suspicion of "being involved in the commission, preparation and instigation" of terrorism.

Their arrests follow the detention of two men, aged 22 and 29, at the Port of Dover in Kent in the early hours of Monday in connection with the same inquiry.

Some ammunition was also seized.

Scotland Yard said searches are being carried out at properties in east London and Lancashire. Two vehicles had also been searched.

The British-Asian men who were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Monday had arrived at Dover from Calais.

The men, understood to be of Pakistani origin, are in custody at a London police station as inquiries by Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) continue.

The pair held yesterday have also been taken to a police station in the capital, and police are searching the Essex property.

No arrests have been made at the east London and Lancashire addresses which are being searched.

Scotland Yard said: "The searches are ongoing and we are unable to provide more details at this stage."

British citizens travelling abroad in connection with extremist activities has been a focus for the Security Service for some time, with Syria proving popular with would-be jihadists.

The former head of MI5 last year warned Britons are increasingly heading to the Middle East for terrorist training in preparation for attacks in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Jonathan Evans, director-general of the Security Service, warned in June that parts of the Arab world were becoming a more permissive environment for al Qaeda and Britons were travelling there to "seek training and opportunities for militant activity".

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Crocodiles Infest Floods In Acapulco, Mexico

Devastating storms have left 80 people dead across Mexico, with residents in Acapulco facing looters and crocodile-infested floodwaters.

Hundreds of thousands of residents in the port city have begun returning to their homes, with many forced to wade through waist-high water.

Pictures showed residents battling with a crocodile, which was spotted thrashing its tail in floodwater in the city centre.

An official from Mexico's transport authority said it would take until Friday to clear the two key roads that connect the city with Mexico City.

Tropical Storm Manuel has now strengthened into a hurricane. Picture: NHC

Footage also showed widespread looting in the city.

Roads and bridges were destroyed outside Acapulco after tropical storm Manuel hit the Pacific coast of Mexico over the weekend, while Hurricane Ingrid battered the Gulf coast on Monday.

Manuel strengthened to a hurricane on Thursday as it moved northwards along the coastline, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.

It warned heavy rain from the storm will trigger further flash-flooding and mudslides in the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit and southern Baja in California.

Mexico's federal Civil Protection Co-ordinator Luis Felipe Puente said 35,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed.

Officials said there were at least 58 people missing after a landslide in mountains north of Acapulco late on Wednesday night.

Some 5,300 people were flown out of Acapulco on 49 flights on Wednesday, but an estimated 55,000 tourists remain stranded.

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Assad To Destroy Chemical Weapons 'In A Year'

Syrian leader Bashar al Assad has said he is committed to destroying his stockpile of chemical arms - but warned it would take a year to do so.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Assad said he was committed to getting rid of the arsenal but conceded it would cost at least £600m ($1bn).

And he also challenged America to foot the bill.

"It needs a lot of money, it needs about one billion (US dollars)," he told the US crew at the presidential palace in Damascus.

"If the American administration is ready to pay those money, and to take responsibility of bringing toxic materials to the United States, why don't they do it?"

Mr Assad denied responsibility for the gas attack. Picture: Fox News

Mr Assad also insisted that his decision to destroy the weapons was not forced upon him by the threat of US strikes.

He said destroying the weapons was "a very complicated operation, technically".

"So it depends, you have to ask the experts what they mean by quickly. It has a certain schedule," he said.

"It needs a year, or maybe a little bit more."

Assad forces have been shelling in Idlib, activists say

Mr Assad also said a UN report that found "clear and convincing evidence" of a sarin nerve gas attack in Syria last month is "unrealistic", and denied responsibility for it.

He also used the one-hour interview to criticise the American stance in the Syrian crisis, saying that, unlike Russia, Washington had tried to get involved in Syria's leadership and governance.

And as diplomatic wrangling over Syria's chemical weapons continues, a roadside bomb in a central Syria has killed at least 14 members of President Assad's minority Alawite.

Rebels take cover in the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria

The blast targeted two buses near the Alawite village of Jabourin, north of Homs city, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Alawites are an offshoot sect of Shia Islam who mostly support Mr Assad and have been increasingly targeted by hardline fighters among the Sunni Muslim-dominated opposition.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war

And Turkey has closed one of its border gates to Syria following clashes near the town of Azaz, which is close to the Turkish frontier.

The fighting between the Western-backed Free Syrian Army fighters and an al Qaeda-affiliated rebel group appears to have ceased.

The clashes comes as US Senator John McCain penned an opinion piece for a Russian website in which he criticises Vladimir Putin's close ties with the Assad regime.

Mr McCain's column was in response to Mr Putin's piece in The New York Times last week which was highly critical of America's response to the Syrian crisis.

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JPMorgan Fined £570m Over London Whale Loss

Wall St bank JPMorgan Chase has been fined a total of £570m over the £3.7bn 'London Whale' trading losses.

The announcement was made by regulatory bodies in the UK and US, settling some of the bank's potential liabilities arising from the huge derivatives loss last year.

The penalties include £137.6m imposed by the UK's City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The balance will be paid to the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve and Securities and Exchange Commission.

The regulators' penalties focus on failures in risk management and financial reporting systems.

FCA: JPMorgan undermined trust and confidence in UK markets

JPMorgan was also cited for failing to tell its board of directors and regulators about deficiencies in its risk management systems that had been identified by management.

The "London Whale" involved a London-based trader, Bruno Iksil, who racked up billions of pounds of bets on derivatives products which turned sour, and which were then concealed from the bank's top management by several colleagues who have since been fired.

US prosecutors charged two men - Julien Grout and Javier Martin-Artajo - last month with conspiracy and fraud for allegedly covering up the trading losses.

On Monday, a grand jury indicted both men.

The settlement covers only civil liabilities in the case

Mr Iksil has been told he will not face charges.

Tracey McDermott, the FCA's director of enforcement and financial crime said: "Maintaining the integrity of markets is a key part of our wholesale conduct agenda.

"We consider JPMorgan's failings to be extremely serious such as to undermine the trust and confidence in UK financial markets.

"There were basic failings in the operation of fundamental controls over a high risk part of the business.

"Senior management failed to respond properly to warning signals that there were problems in the CIO (Chief Investment Office). 

As things began to go wrong, the firm didn't wake up quickly enough to the size and the scale of the problems.

What is worse, they compounded this by failing to be open and co-operative with us as their regulator," she said.

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's chairman and chief executive, apologised for having initially dismissed the affair as "a tempest in a teapot" and this week announced significant changes to the firm's compliance and risk management functions, including the hiring of thousands of additional employees.

The bank has also clawed back millions of dollars in bonuses from employees over the trading losses.

It is the latest in a series of regulatory blows to hit Mr Dimon, lauded as the most successful banker on Wall Street for having stewarded JPMorgan through the financial crisis.

More follows...

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Shots Fired Inside US Navy Base In Washington

A gunman has reportedly barricaded himself inside a room after shots were fired inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard.

According to the Washington Post a police officer was shot nearby.

The US Navy says there are reports of multiple fatalities and injuries in the attack, inside its Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters.

"There is one confirmed injury. Emergency personnel are on scene and a 'shelter in place' order has been issued for Navy Yard personnel," the navy said in a statement.

A photograph taken at the scene shows one man lying on the ground and being treated by members of the public.

Around 3,000 people work in the building. Those inside have been told to stay in place.

Police from multiple local and federal agencies along with SWAT crews are attending the emergency.

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy said: "It is frantic right now … people are running full steam … all over the place.

"I am looking at what appears to be an all-black armoured vehicle.

"(There are) sirens, ambulances, police cars. Men in full fatigues, with long guns, running down the street.

"Everybody you can think of is here."

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy's entire budget.

It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.

More follows...

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Syria: UN Probing 14 Alleged Gas Attacks

The head of a UN panel on war crimes in Syria has revealed it is investigating 14 suspected chemical attacks, as a report appeared to show "clear evidence" of their use.

UN Commission chairman Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said the Geneva-based probe had not yet determined the exact materials used but was awaiting evidence from a separate team of chemical weapons inspectors whose findings are expected to be made public later.

The announcement came as close examination of a photograph of that report being handed over to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appeared to show the first page which revealed "clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used".

Ban Ki-moon receiving the report from Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom

"The conclusion is that chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic ... against civilians including children on a relatively large scale," the inspectors said.

The inspection team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, was tasked with determining whether chemical weapons were used in an attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21, which the US says killed at least 1,400 people.

Their findings, they said, were derived from "the environmental, chemical and medical samples" they collected in the Ghouta area of Damascus.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "I assume that the UN report will go on talk about the type of weapon that was used.

"Other people will say, 'well only one side had the ability to do that draw a conclusion."

Their report will reveal which chemical agents were used, but will not make a judgement on who was responsible.

Details of the report in its entirety are due to be presented in New York by the Secretary-General.

(L-R) William Hague, Lauren Fabius and John Kerry in Paris

Mr Pinheiro stressed that the "vast majority" of casualties of the conflict had been killed by conventional weapons such as guns and mortars.

He added that the Commission believed that President Bashar al Assad's government had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, while rebel groups had perpetrated war crimes but not crimes against humanity because there was "not a clear chain of command".

The developments came as British Foreign Secretary William Hague met with his French counterpart Lauren Fabius and US Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris to discuss the Syrian weapons handover deal hammered out by the US and Russia.

Mr Kerry warned the allies would "not tolerate anything less than full compliance" with the agreement.

The framework is being put into a UN resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can authorise both the use of force and non-military action.

However, the Russian understanding of the deal appears to be at odds with the western allies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that a threatening UN resolution may "wreck peace talks" and that the agreement should only be framed under Chapter 7 in the event of Syria not complying with the deal.

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Paedophile Robert Hunter Jailed For Web Abuse

A paedophile who used the internet to blackmail young girls all over the world has been jailed for 12 years.

The "sadistic exploitation" conducted by Robert Hunter, from Middlesbrough, was so extensive that an international operation through Interpol was sparked.

Teesside Crown Court heard the 35-year-old had used sites such as Facebook, Skype and MSN to abuse girls as young as nine from across Europe, Asia, Canada and America.

He often posed as the singer Justin Bieber in an attempt to convince the girls to expose themselves and perform sex acts on webcam.

Hunter was arrested in December 2012 but continued to target children while on bail, which resulted in a girl from Tasmania contacting police who traced him to his home.

Some 800 pornographic videos and images were discovered on his computer.

Prosecutors said: "Over the course of 2010, 2011 and 2012, Hunter, using a number of online aliases, had pretended to a number of very young girls that he was a teenager.

"On each occasion he was able to disguise his true age and identity by the clever use of images of young boys or by pretending that his computer wasn't working properly.

"As a further demonstration of the naivete and innocence of his victims, he was also able to persuade some that he was the music artist Justin Bieber.

"He did this in order to dupe and encourage these young girls to strip on webcams and perform sex acts for him."

Hunter also blackmailed some of the victims into agreeing to his demands by threatening to make the videos he had already made of them public.

Defending Hunter, Tamara Pawson said he was remorseful for his actions and the distress he had caused.

Hunter pleaded guilty to 30 offences, which included 15 charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and 14 of making indecent photos of children.

Sergeant Paul Higgins, from Cleveland Police, said: "Robert Hunter was a calculating and malicious predator who set out to coerce and bully young girls into exposing themselves over the Internet.

"This investigation highlights the dangers that children face when conversing with people over the internet."

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Costa Concordia: Ship Heaved Off Rocky Seabed

By Tom Kington, in Giglio

Crews attempting to right the Costa Concordia have successfully detached the wrecked cruise liner from the rocks on which it was impaled.

The salvage operation got under way this morning, after a three-hour delay due to bad weather.

Engineer Sergio Girotto said the crippled vessel would not budge for some three hours after the operation began.

After 6,000 tons of pressure was applied, the vessel was pulled free from the rocks.

Mr Girotto said: "We saw the detachment." The officials are following the operation thanks to undersea cameras.

The rescue effort will see the giant ship gradually rotated and hauled 65 degrees back to upright position for eventual towing.

The operation just outside the small Italian island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast, is expected to last up to 12 hours, taking it into Monday evening.

Engineers say the lifting can continue after darkness falls.

So far, the ship has been raised three degrees, said Mr Girotto.

The Costa Concordia hit granite outcrops on the night of January 13, 2012

As it rose, an ever wider strip of rusted hull has emerged from the sea.

The cruise liner capsized in shallow water 20 months ago after smashing into rock, prompting the chaotic evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew, and causing the deaths of 32 people.

Two bodies are still missing, and officials said they saw no sign of them as the ship was detached from the rocks.

The first two hours were considered critical in the €600m (£503m) "parbuckling" operation.

"Images show the lifting is happening as planned," said Italian Civil Protection Agency chief Franco Gabrielli, who added that no pollutants had been seen escaping from the vessel as it rose.

"There is significant deformation of the side of the vessel, showing the parbuckling operation needed to happen as soon as possible," he said.

Parbuckling is a proven method to raise capsized vessels, notably used by the US military to right the USS Oklahoma in 1943 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

But the 114,000-ton Concordia has been described as the largest cruise ship ever to require the rotation, making this one most complex and costly maritime salvage operations ever attempted.

A storm hit Giglio on Sunday night, delaying the start of the operation

Engineers are using remote controls to guide a synchronised leverage system of pulleys, counterweights and huge chains looped under the Concordia's carcass to delicately lift the ship upright.

They started the operation by applying bursts of pressure on the pulleys, which are attached to the underwater platform and to towers on the landward side of the ship.

The ship will continue to be pulled upright by the pulleys, Mr Girotto said, "but we will get to a point when we need less pressure".

Soon, massive tanks attached to the exposed side of the ship will touch the water, providing buoyancy.

About 29,000 tons of water will pour out of the ship as it is pulled upright, and an even greater amount, 43,000 tons, will enter the ship.

What does come out will be polluted water that has swilled inside the ship for months in a mix of residual fuels, heavy metals and rotten food, including more than three tons of melon, 500 litres of olive oil, 14,000 packets of cigarettes, 18,000 bottles of wine, eight tons of beef and over 11 tons of fish.

But officials say the risk of an environmental damage is limited.

The Concordia's captain is on trial on the mainland for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship during the evacuation.

Francesco Schettino says the reef was not on the nautical charts for the liner's week-long Mediterranean cruise.

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Woman's Body Found In House: Man Charged

A 32-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman's body was found at a house in Walsall.

Bank employee Jasvir Ram Ginday, from Victory Lane, in the town, will appear at Walsall Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Nine other people - four men and five women - arrested at the house in Victory Lane have been released on police bail.

West Midlands Police said the body was found at the property at around 8pm on Friday following a missing persons inquiry.

The body has not yet been formally identified and further forensic tests are due to be carried out on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarbit Johal, leading the investigation, said: "We are undertaking numerous enquiries and are still really keen to speak to anyone who may have information that could help this investigation."

:: Anyone with information is urged to call 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Peru Drugs: Melissa Reid 'To Plead Guilty'

Peru Drugs Girl Plea

Updated: 2:15pm UK, Sunday 15 September 2013

The harsh reality for those caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru is that sooner or later the penny drops: plead guilty and get a reduced sentence or fight the case and risk decades behind bars - often up to 20 years.

It's a bit like that in many legal systems, including our own in Britain, where early guilty pleas are often rewarded with shorter sentences.

But in Peru, where they see a steady flow of young women from around the globe caught with cocaine at the airport, there is very little sympathy for the story of how they ended up there.

Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, and Melissa Reid, from Lenzie near Glasgow, who are both 20, are accused of trying to smuggle some 11kg (24lb) of cocaine out of the country.

They say they were forced to by a Columbian gang who threatened their families if they didn't go through with it, but the Peruvian legal system seems to show little interest.

There is no trial by jury in Peru, no witnesses will be sought other than the arresting officers and there's very little opportunity for the defence's case to be scrutinised.

"All the girls (caught smuggling drugs) have the same story," a senior prison official told me as we walked around the recreation area of Ancon 2, one of Peru's most notorious prisons last month.

"Many are naive to the system we have in this country. If you are caught with drugs then the system views it as a rather straightforward case.

"Why they did it, who made them do it, who threatened who - that's a wider issue. The fact remains, they still had drugs in their bag and they didn't tell anyone until they were caught by the drugs officers at the airport."

They talk tough in Peru.

According to the United Nations, Peru is now the number one producer of cocaine in the world.

A kilo of pure, refined cocaine is worth around $1,000 in Peru, by the time it reaches Europe that price has soared to around £80,000 while in Asia it can be worth $100,000 (£63,000) and in Australia that same $1,000 kilo bar is worth $120,000 (£69,900).

Mellissa Reid is now facing what the Peruvian system calls the 'six-and-eight'.

Six years and eight months for drug smuggling - a specific length because sentences under seven years entitle the prisoner to early release and transfer to their home nation.

The newspapers make it sound very simple today suggesting a release could happen as early as three years.

When I filmed inside Ancon 2 prison in the desert north of Lima last month, I spoke to the prison's only British prisoner.

Sarah, a mother-of-two from Croydon in south London, was caught trying to smuggle two kilos of cocaine stuffed in a guitar.

"When I was caught, I couldn't believe it," said the 23-year-old.

"I was told a lawyer was coming to see me - a nun - and that she would fight my case.

"When she visited me in the Dirango police station she said I needed to find $7,000 (£4,400) and she would secure my release.

"My family back home raised the money and paid it to the lawyer. The next day she brought me a blanket and a pillow. I never saw her again."

It's impossible to confirm this ever happened, but Sarah's story is repeated throughout Peru.

Sarah got six-and-eight - she's already served three and a half years.

"They say you could be released after three years. But they string you along. They say 'you'll be out in two weeks' and the two weeks pass and nothing happens. It's torture."

It's expected Michaella McCollum will follow Mellissa Reid in admitting everything for the shorter sentence. The penny's dropped. But talk of early release is dangerous and premature because in Peru nothing is certain and nothing is promised.

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Family Calls For Calm After Leicester Killing

The uncle of a man killed in Leicester has appealed for calm and unity following the killing last Thursday.

Antoin Akpom was found injured by police officers in Kent Street and later died.

Sky News understands that Leicestershire Police are investigating whether the killing is linked to a house fire several hours later that left four members of one family dead.

A flower tribute left at the scene for Mr Akpom

"Antoin was a loving and devoted father, a hard working young man recognised as a positive role model for all sections of the community," his uncle said at an emotional news conference.

"The memory of his infectious smile and kindness will remain with everyone that knew him.

An innocent life has been lost and the family calls for everyone to keep calm and united and to assist the police with their inquiry so that the people who did this will be brought to justice.

Four members of the Taufiq family died in the fire

"He was from a good family. His mother Cheryl is well known for her work in the community and promoting community cohesion, and more than ever we need cohesion in the community now."

Mr Akpom's uncle also expressed sympathy with relatives of the family who died in the fire.

"Our deepest condolences go to the Taufiq family from Wood Hill who have also tragically lost family members," he said.

Police are continuing to investigate the cause

Neurosurgeon Muhammad Taufiq al Sattar is mourning the death of his wife Shehnila Taufiq who perished in the fire at the couple's terraced home in Wood Hill, in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester, in the early hours of Friday.

Their children, 19-year-old daughter Zainab and sons Jamal, 17, and Bilal, 15, also died in their fire.

Police originally detained three women - aged 19, 20 and 27 - and two men aged 19 and 49 on Saturday in connection with the blaze, though two of the women have since been released without charge.

Muhammad Taufiq lost his wife and three children in the fire

Roger Bannister, Assistant Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, said: "While we are investigating links between the two crimes there is absolutely no evidence to suggest those who died in the fire, or indeed anyone else who lives in that property, was involved in the assault in Kent Street.

"Because of the close proximity - in terms of time and location - of the two incidents, it is right that we look at whether there are links between the two crimes.

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Syria: Chemical Weapons Deal 'A Victory'

The Syrian government has welcomed the international agreement struck on chemical weapons disarmament as "a victory" for Damascus.

"On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria," Syrian minister of state for national reconciliation Ali Haidar said in an interview with Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

"It's a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."

He gave Syria's first reaction to the newly-brokered US and Russian plan as warplanes and artillery bombarded rebel-held areas of Damascus.

Mr Haidar said the agreement would prepare the ground for peace talks between President Bashar al Assad's forces and the rebels.

But the rebels have called the international focus on poison gas a sideshow, and dismissed talk the plan might herald peace talks. They said Mr Assad had stepped up an offensive with ordinary weaponry now the threat of US air strikes had receded.

The deal was brokered by John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapons.

He spoke at a joint news conference in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Kerry said the focus must now be on ending the violence and the humanitarian crisis in Syria. He warned that the threat of US military strikes remained if Mr Assad reneges on his promises.

"Make no mistake, we have taken no options off the table," he said.

Syrian troops and rebels continue to clash on the streets of Damascus

US President Barack Obama also welcomed the nine-month disarmament plan, calling it an "important, concrete step", but warned that "if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act".

The US and Russia have given Syria seven days to submit a "comprehensive list" of its chemical weapons - otherwise, the US will seek a UN resolution that could still authorise strikes.

On their final day of talks in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that once the details had been handed over the Assad regime would have until November to allow UN inspectors access to the sites.

Destruction of the regime's chemical weapons must then be complete by mid-2014. Syria has previously said it would need a month to hand over initial details of its weapons stash.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry also told journalists their teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of President Bashar al Assad's existing stockpile.

The US has estimated that Syria possesses around 1,000 metric tonnes of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX.

The Russian estimates were initially much lower, according to US officials, but Mr Kerry said the two countries had reconciled their different assessments.

A US official told reporters that Washington believed there were 45 sites across Syria linked to the country's chemical weapons programme.

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