Dog Tortured And Burned To Death In Sheffield

Police are appealing for help from the public after a dog was tortured and killed in Sheffield.

The body of the badly beaten Staffordshire bull terrier was found on a path off Manor Laith Road in the Skye Edge area of the city.

Officers believe after being severely beaten, the light-coloured male dog was tied to a tree and set on fire sometime between February 18 and 24.  

Police said they believe the dog "suffered terribly" before it died.   

The body of the dog was found on a path off Manor Laith Road in Skye Edge

Now officers are trying to trace the dog's owners as well as the perpetrators.

"Police would like to speak to anyone that may have seen this dog in the area at this time, or who may have lost a dog that fits this description," a spokesman said.

:: Anyone with any information should contact South Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 488 of 24 February 2013. Alternatively, people can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.  

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Vet's Killer Jailed For At Least 37 Years

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

A man who murdered a vet in North Wales before cutting up and disposing of her body had a long-standing fantasy to imprison, rape and kill a woman, a court has heard.

Production manager Clive Sharp, 47, was jailed for a minimum of 37 years at Mold Crown Court after admitting murder.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Griffith Williams told Sharp: "This is a horrific, cold hearted murder, carried out to gratify your perverted sexual desires."

The court had been told that Sharp had bought a Halloween mask, bleach, a hacksaw, bin bags and heavy duty tape before going to the home of Catherine Gowing, 37, in Flintshire.

Emma Gowing talks to the media after sentencing

Sharp initially denied murdering Miss Gowing but his DNA was found on her mattress and parts of her body subsequently found in police searches.

The court heard that the evidence suggested that the victim had been tied up and raped before being murdered.

A length of fabric was found tied to the leg of her bed. It matched material found at the factory where Sharp worked.

Miss Gowing's sister Emma said outside court: "In life she measured herself against the following quote by Albert Pine - 'What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal'.

"She was a beautiful light, she shone very brightly, she enriched the lives of all she encountered, all God's creatures.

"Her light is gone from our mortal world. She now shines elsewhere."

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Pierce told reporters: "He (Sharp) now faces life imprisonment and I doubt a tear will be shed if he is never released from prison."

The judge Mr. Justice Griffith Williams described the crime as "carefully pre-meditated and planned."

He told Sharp: "You are in my view a very serious danger to women."

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Britain's Top Cardinal Keith O'Brien Resigns

The most senior priest in the Roman Catholic Church in Britain has resigned over allegations of inappropriate behaviour up to 30 years ago.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien's immediate resignation comes a day after claims by three priests and a former priest emerged in a newspaper.

The 74-year-old tendered his resignation as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in November to Pope Benedict XVI, but said in a statement today: "The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today."

"Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended."

The Cardinal should have been travelling to the Vatican this week to help choose the next Pope.

But he said he would not be joining the conclave, adding: "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me - but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor."

His absence from the conclave means Britain now has no-one able to vote in the forthcoming election of the next leader of the 1.2bn Roman Catholics worldwide.

The Cardinal missed the traditional Sunday Mass at his main Cathedral, St Mary's in Edinburgh, on Sunday after the Observer newspaper carried allegations relating to actions by him dating back to the 1980s.

It is understood that Cardinal O'Brien contests the claims.

In his resignation statement, Cardinal O'Brien said he had previously offered to step down but it has only been accepted now.

Cardinal O'Brien had been expected to resign on March 17 as it was the date of his 75th birthday. Cardinals older than 75 are not allowed to vote in the conclave.

The conclave is expected to take place in the next three weeks.

Cardinal O'Brien is no stranger to making the news with his views.

Last week, he called for the Catholic Church to end its celibacy rule for the priesthood.

He had told the BBC: "I realise that many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy as they lived out their priesthood, and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family of their own."

He has also been an outspoken opponent of plans to legalise same-sex marriage.

Last year his stance landed him the award, Bigot of the Year, from the gay rights group Stonewall.

In 2007 he caused controversy when speaking on the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act.

He said the termination rate north of the border was equivalent to "two Dunblane massacres a day".

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Dagenham Acid Attack: Two People Arrested

Police investigating an acid attack on a woman in east London have arrested two people on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Naomi Oni, 21, suffered injuries to much of her face when she was attacked in Lodge Avenue, Dagenham, at around 12.40am on December 30.

She was returning home from work at a shopping centre in Stratford and was on the phone to her boyfriend at the time.

"When I first saw my face, I was shocked," she told ITV's This Morning. "I was angry that someone had done that to me. I couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt me like that.

"I want them to realise the pain they've put me and my family through.

"They may have burned my face but they can't burn me as a person."

The attack happened in Lodge Avenue, Dagenham (Pic: Google Street View)

The Metropolitan Police said a 21-year-old woman, who is not Ms Oni, and a 28-year-old man were arrested on Friday and Sunday respectively. They have been bailed while investigations continue.

Officers now want to speak to a potential witness who got off the route 368 bus in Lodge Avenue around five minutes after the attack.

He is described as black, aged between 20 and 30-years-old, around 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build. He was wearing a black jacket, a black hooded top and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Barking and Dagenham CID on 020 3276 1058 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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'Gas Poison' Deaths: Caravan Park Trio Named

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The three people who died of suspected carbon monoxide in Cornwall have been named locally as John and Audrey Cook, and their daughter, Maureen.

Mr Cook, 90, his 86-year-old wife and their 46-year-old daughter were found dead along with a pet dog on Saturday in their static home near Camborne, Cornwall.

The alarm was raised when a neighbour tried to call in to help the elderly couple.

Devon and Cornwall Police are not treating the deaths as suspicious but it is thought a faulty appliance may be to blame.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that claims around 50 lives a year and leaves some 200 people seriously ill.

Neighbour Julie Taylor told Sky News how, within hours of hearing of the tragedy, she went out and bought two carbon monoxide alarms: "It's just absolutely devastating.

"Having seen it in the neighbourhood and myself living on my own I went out straight away and bought them.

Audrey and John Cook

"It is frightening, you can't hear it, you can't see it, you can't smell it - it is the silent killer."

The Cook family had lived on the peaceful Tremarle Home Park for many years and were well known to neighbours.

Neighbour Andrew Stevenson said he was "very, very shocked".

Mr Stevenson was himself a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning in the 1990s when his chimney became blocked.

He told Sky News it was only his parents' decision to open a window that saved his life.

"I got out and we worked out eventually what caused it.

"It felt like someone had given me a head cold and then I got up in the early hours of the morning and it felt like somebody had rugby tackled me but there was nobody there."

He added: "You need to have a carbon monoxide tester even if it is a basic one."

Emergency services were called to the caravan park where they were living at lunchtime on Saturday after the couple's helper was unable to reach them.

Firefighters broke into their home and found the bodies inside.

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Clegg Unaware Of Sex Claims, Lib Dems Insist

Nick Clegg was only recently made aware of the allegations of sexual harassment surrounding the party's former chief executive, the Liberal Democrats have insisted.

Aides said the Deputy Prime Minister only learned about the complaints being made against Lord Rennard following a Channel 4 News report earlier in the week.

Several women accused the peer of inappropriately touching and propositioning female party workers, which he strenuously denies.

The women claimed they reported Lord Rennard's behaviour to senior party officials at the time, but no further action was taken.

And the Mail On Sunday reported that one of the women who came forward to the Channel 4 programme had discussed the allegations with a friend on Facebook as long ago as January 2009.

"I just don't know how nick can know and not do anything.. :-( makes me very sad," she is said to have written.

Her friend apparently replied: "Unless women come forward and go through a formal process ... there isn't much Nick can do."

Lord Rennard is facing accusations of sexual harassment

A Lib Dem spokesman said he had no idea why the Facebook comment had been made, adding: "Nick Clegg only knew of these allegations when we were contacted by Channel 4 News."

Mr Clegg has been on holiday on Spain since the story broke, but is likely to be asked to respond in person as the party launches an investigation into the matter.

Lib Dem Jeremy Browne told Sky News' Murnaghan programme he had known Lord Rennard for 20 years but had not heard "gossip" or the specific allegations before - and said the same applied to Mr Clegg.

He said the party would look at bringing in independent figures to ensure the its investigations are open and transparent.

He said: "My understanding is that what we're doing initially is bringing on the people within the party's structures who have obvious expertise and a record of integrity within the party.

"But if we can introduce an independent element, people who are not Liberal Democrat members but could lend us their expertise in looking at how we can have the best procedures, then that may give people even more confidence."

Business Secretary Vince Cable was asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show whether he knew about the Lord Rennard allegations prior to the Channel 4 programme, and replied: "Absolutely not."

Equalities minister Jo Swinson - a former parliamentary aide to Mr Clegg - has said she "took action" after some women confided in her, but she has not been specific about what she did. She said she welcomed the review so that "lessons can be learned".

The development came as current Lib Dem chief executive Tim Gordon said it appeared the party "did not fully live up to our political ideals" in dealing with the complaints about Lord Rennard.

The peer was a key party strategist and adviser to a succession of Liberal Democrat leaders before standing down due to ill health in 2009.

He said he was "deeply shocked" by the allegations, which he "strongly disputes" and regards as a "total distortion" of his character.

The Lib Dems have launched an internal investigation into the specific allegations against him under the party's disciplinary procedures.

Party president Tim Farron is also conducting a review into the way the party deals with such allegations.

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Pistorius Brother To Stand Trial Over Death

The brother of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing charges over the death of a woman in a road crash in 2008.

Carl Pistorius, who was a constant presence in court over the past week to support his younger sibling Oscar, is charged with culpable homicide over the alleged accidental death of a female motorcyclist.

Lawyer Kenny Oldwage said in a statement from the family that "there is no doubt that Carl is innocent and the charge will be challenged in court."

"Blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol, confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with Carl's car," the statement said.

Carl Pistorius arrving at his uncle's house in Pretoria on Sunday

The family statement also said that the charges had at one stage been withdrawn but then reinstated.

Carl Pistorius was already in court last Thursday, as his brother Oscar was facing a bail hearing, and will appear again at the end of next month.

On Sunday morning, Carl Pistorius arrived at his uncle's house in an affluent suburb of the South African capital Pretoria. He declined to speak to the media outside the property.

Oscar Pistorius, 26, is staying at the luxury three-storey villa after a judge released him on bail on Friday.

Oscar Pistorius was released on Friday

He has been charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

But the athlete denies murder, saying he killed the 29-year-old model accidentally. He says he opened fire after mistaking Miss Steenkamp for an intruder in his home.

Both brothers are being represented by the same lawyer, Kenny Oldwage.

The Oscar Pistorius case took a dramatic turn last week when it was revealed the lead investigator, Hilton Botha, was facing charges of attempted murder himself.

Botha, who denies the charges, was questioned at the athlete's bail hearing, where he gave an often confused testimony.

But the day after he was questioned in court, a judge dropped him from the case because of the charges.

Prosecutors admitted that the timing of the attempted murder charges had been "totally weird".

Carl Pistorius and his sister Aimee have been in court to support Oscar

On Saturday, the Pistorius family distanced themselves from a tweet on Carl's account thanking people for the support offered to both families.

A spokeswoman for the family said the account had been hacked. They said Pistorius' siblings would cancel their social media accounts.

It came as Miss Steenkamp's father spoke about the case, saying Oscar Pistorius will "suffer" alone if he is lying about how his daughter died.

"It doesn't matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he will have to live with his conscience if he allows his legal team to tell lies on his behalf," Barry Steenkamp told Beeld, an Afrikaans newspaper.

Miss Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day

"But if he is telling the truth then maybe I can forgive him one day. If it didn't happen the way he said it did, he must suffer, and he will suffer... only he knows."

Her mother June said that the Pistorius family had sent a card and flowers offering condolences for the death of her daughter but she added it meant little because: "They are not to blame."

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Ten-Car Crash At Daytona Track Injures 29

At least 28 fans and one driver were injured after a 10-car crash at the Daytona Speedway when debris flew into the crowd.

On the last lap of the Nationwide Nascar race, competitor Regan Smith was turned sideways and took out several racers behind him, causing a pile-up.

Large chunks of driver Kyle Larson's car landed in the grandstands, and one of his tyres appeared to fly over the fence and into the stands. 

His car went airborne when it hit the pile-up and it was flung into the fence that separates the track from the seats. 

The car itself had its entire front end sheared off, with the burning engine wedged through a gaping hole in the fence.

Larson managed to climb out of the wreckage afterwards unscathed.

Race officials said 14 fans were taken to hospital, with another 14 being treated on the scene at the Florida track.

Driver Michael Annett, of the Richard Petty Motorsports team, was being treated in hospital for bruising on his chest, his team said.

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports national columnist, spoke to fans in the damaged grandstand.

Twenty-eight fans were injured by flying debris

He told Sky News: "They described it as like a war zone, you simply had nothing you could do.

"The car is moving at 200 miles per hour, so you can't really dodge anything. An entire wheel slammed into one person."

Driver Tony Stewart won the race, but skipped the traditional post-race victory celebration because of the dramatic turn of events.

The Nationwide race was a curtain-raiser for American stock car racing's biggest event, the Daytona 500, which is going ahead as planned.

Nascar president Mike Helton told cable TV network ESPN: "There was obviously some intrusion into the fence, and fortunately with the way the events are equipped, there was plenty of emergency workers ready to go. They all jumped on it pretty quickly.                

"We've always known since racing started this is a dangerous sport."

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'Bedroom Tax' To Hit Thousands Of Families

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

Thousands of families living in social housing are facing a cut in their benefits from April because they are seen to have too big a home.

The under-occupation penalty, dubbed "the bedroom tax", aims to encourage households to downsize if they have spare rooms, freeing up their properties for larger families.

But council house tenant Eddie Bird says the policy fails to take into consideration individual cases. His wife Shirley has terminal cancer, and weighing just five-and-a-half stone, needs her own room.

"Any form of movement on the bed and it affects my wife. She's in constant back pain," said Mr Bird. "There's no room for separate beds so I sleep in the box room."

They have been told they will lose nearly £14 a week in benefits.

"It's going to affect my wife's quality of life. We have a Motability car but if we can't afford to put petrol in it, we can't go on any day trips."

The Government hopes the policy will make better use of almost a million rooms that are not used and help reduce the £23bn housing benefit bill.

Eddie Bird says he will lose out despite his wife having terminal cancer

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "We've put a fairly sizeable sum aside to be able to ensure that those kind of cases can be paid for.

"But the general idea that there has to be a limit on the amount of benefit that people receive I think is a correct one.

"And these are exactly the same kind of rules that have existed in the last few years in private rented (accommodation), so we are applying to public housing.

"If it was good enough for private renting, it's got to be good enough for public housing."

But critics question how you can penalise tenants for not moving somewhere smaller when there simply are not enough suitable sized properties available.

It is something the Coast and Country Housing Association has seen in South Teesside. They have 10,000 properties but only two one-bedroom apartments available.

Chief executive Iain Sim said: "We had the pasty tax last year - this is the nasty tax. This is hitting people directly who through no fault of their own are under-occupying the property that they live in.

"The cut in their benefit will range from 14% for one room up to 25% for two rooms. That's a loss in income of between £10 and £22 a week. That's a lot of money to take from people with very limited incomes."

The change is expected to affect 660,000 claimants.

Some households will be exempt if, for example, a non-resident carer for a disabled person helps at the home overnight.

But as Eddie and Shirley Bird are married they will not be eligible for this exemption. Their only hope is that they will qualify for financial assistance from a fund called the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme, but it is not guaranteed.

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Food Bills May Rise Amid Growing Meat Tests

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Consumers are being warned that food bills may rise if high demand for meat testing continues.

Since the start of the horsemeat scandal, laboratories all over the UK have been inundated with requests to test different meat products.

At Worcestershire Scientific Services laboratory staff have been working early mornings, late nights and weekends to keep up with demand.

Even some of the equipment has been unable to keep up with almost continual testing.

Laboratory manager Paul Hancock told Sky News that funding is tight, explaining: "The FSA do support the laboratory to a degree but things are very very difficult.

"If the consumer wants quality food they have to be prepared to pay for a degree of policing that."

Checking a meat sample for DNA from other species takes three days and costs between £75 to £100 per sample.

The number of labs capable of carrying out proper testing though has fallen over recent years due to funding cuts. In April, Somerset County Council will close its lab.

Those that remain open operate as competitive businesses rather than sharing information, equipment and practices with each other.

Mr Hancock added: "Ten or 15 years ago the labs used to work closely together that relationship has broken down because of commercial activity and that makes life a whole lot more difficult as well."

Meanwhile, France's agriculture ministry has confirmed that horse carcasses from the UK containing the drug Phenylbutazone - known as bute - have probably ended up in the human food chain.

A spokesman for the French agriculture ministry said it was alerted by British authorities that six carcasses had been exported to France in January but that the meat had already been processed.

Some of the meat was recalled but the equivalent of three carcasses have "probably" been eaten, according to officials - although they insist the health risk is "minor".

Bute is an anti-inflammatory treatment for horses which is potentially harmful to humans and is banned from the food chain.

The latest Food Standards Agency results showed six positive results for horse DNA out of 1,133 tested beef products, but so far no UK sample has been found to contain bute.

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