Even Al Qaeda Tried To Free Alan Henning

A filmmaker, who was involved in the early negotiations to free Alan Henning, has told Sky News how even al Qaeda thought holding him hostage was "not a good idea".

The terrorist group sent a member to bargain with the Islamic State fighters holding him but failed to secure his release.

The al Qaeda member, who was sent to bargain with the Manchester taxi driver's captors, said the jihadists were "difficult" and "tough".

Delivering aid to the suffering in Syria. Pic: Cage

Bilal Abdul Kareem told how Mr Henning, who was helping to make an aid delivery in Syria, was captured just an hour after arriving in al-Dana, around 30 minutes from the Turkish border, on Boxing Day.

He said Islamic State fighters had arrived in the town and detained all of those in the convoy but quickly released the Muslim members, holding only Mr Henning.

Video: Cameron Condemns Henning Murder

Mr Kareem said when Mr Henning was first taken he was set to be released later that day or even the next but when that did not happen people started to worry.

Then the jihadists claimed the 47-year-old, father-of-two as their prisoner and said they were planning to exchange him for people in British custody.

Mr Kareem said: "They had a course of action that they were going to take and nobody was going to be able to talk them out of it.

Video: PM Pledges 'All Assets' Against IS

"Even al Qaeda affiliates al Nusra went there to talk to them because nobody outside of ISIS thought this was a good idea, nobody thought that it was OK to do this, none of the other groups were doing that, nobody thought it was a good idea.

"When the al Qaeda representative went to go down and try to talk to them he returned, his face was different, he said something to the effect these guys are really being difficult, really being tough but they did say that they were going to release him.

"Everybody was anticipating that but that never happened."

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

On Friday the terrorists posted a video of Mr Henning's killing. In it he is pictured kneeling in front of a masked man, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings.

The man makes a direct appeal to David Cameron saying: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament."

Muslim leaders have condemned the beheading on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, which represents a day of mercy, and said they want to see justice done.

Video: Eccles Pastor: 'It's Gut-wrenching'

As the community of Eccles mourned, Mr Cameron said Britain would use all of its assets to destroy Islamic State.

:: Full coverage now on Sky News – watch Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

Video: Shock At Murder Of Alan Henning

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

Video: Latest Analysis: Sky's Joey Jones

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Beheading Devastates Aid Worker's Home Town

By Nick Martin, North of England Correspondent, in Eccles 

News of the murder of Alan Henning has shocked those who live in his home town of Eccles in Greater Manchester.

The 47-year-old worked as a taxi driver here before deciding to join an aid convoy to Syria last Christmas.

Vigils had been held for Mr Henning in churches, mosques and community centres over the past two weeks.

The Rt Rev David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, said the "brutality" of the Islamic State would unite the community.

Alan Henning worked as a tax driver before joining an aid convoy to Syria

"In his life Alan Henning united people across the boundaries of nationality and faith.

"He did so both through his humanitarian actions and by the love that drove him on.

Video: Shock At Murder Of Alan Henning

"That his tragic death continues to unite people across Britain and beyond is demonstrated today by the range of people and organisations paying him tribute.

"To ISIS we say 'You no longer have the power to shock us, now you just sicken us.

"Your brutality, against any who don't share your narrow, perverted world view, doesn't undermine our determination, it stiffens our resolve.

Video: PM Pledges 'All Assets' Against IS

"Your destiny is not to be a force in human history, merely one of its sad footnotes'."

Orlando Napolitano, 68, who runs a cafe in Salford, where Mr Henning was a regular has spoken of his shock at his friend's murder.

"He was just a nice guy. I will never forget him," he told Sky News.

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

Local Pastor Bill Green, from the Gateway Community Church, had led some of the vigils.

He told Sky News: "Eccles is waking up to horrific news. People will be devastated. It's a close-knit community especially where Alan and his family live and I'd like to send my sympathies to Barbara and family at this time.

"The people of this town never lost hope we always thought there was a chance that he might come back and we came together and prayed that would happen. It hasn't happened."

Video: Al Qaeda Could Not Free Henning

Yellow ribbons adorned lamposts and railings across the town in a symbol of hope for Mr Henning.

Just days ago his wife Barbara made an emotional plea to the Islamic State for her husband's safe return.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

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Muslims Say Beheadings Are An Insult To Islam

Muslims have condemned the murder of aid worker Alan Henning, branding it a "cowardly and criminal act".

In a strongly worded statement, the Muslims of the North Of England said Mr Henning had been a "local and national hero" and called for justice to be carried out on his killers.

Muslim leaders said the beheading of Mr Henning had been carried out on the eve of the "great day of mercy" (Eid Al-Adha) in the Islamic calendar, which set the terrorists apart from ordinary Muslims.

Alan Henning's widow, Barbara

And they condemned the way in which the jihadists had toyed with the family's emotions.

"The killing of Alan Henning was a cowardly and criminal act of appalling brutality by a group who do not represent Islam at all and in fact are an insult to the Islamic faith," they said in a statement.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

"The killing of Alan Henning marks the beginning of the end of this group. We now call for justice to be carried out on the killers of Alan Henning."

Speaking to Sky News, Naved Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Britain, said there were "very clear distinctions" between the jihadists and ordinary Muslims.

He said that what had sickened people most was the "way in which they were toying with the family. Giving them a glimmer of hope".

Video: Latest Analysis: Sky's Joey Jones

Mr Siddiqi said Muslim leaders were still trying to understand why young Muslims were travelling out to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State fighters.

He said he thought a great number were expecting to find "some sort of utopia" and only by questioning them on their return could the Muslim community understand why those born and brought up in Britain were seeking to join the terrorists.

Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This reported murder is a despicable and offensive act, coming as it does on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha.

Video: Eccles Pastor: 'It's Gut-wrenching'

"It is quite clear that the murderers of Alan Henning have no regard for Islam, or for the Muslims around the world who pleaded for his life.

"Alan was a friend of Muslims, and he will be mourned by Muslims.

"In this period of Hajj and this festival of Eid, Muslims remember the mercy of God and the emphasis God places on human life.

Video: Alan Henning Beheaded In IS Video

"Alan Henning's murderers have clearly gone against that spirit of Islam. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Sara Khan of Inspire, an anti-extremist campaign group of British Muslim women, said: "The only thing that the killing of Alan has achieved is greater revulsion for ISIS and the fact that more people from across our world, within our communities, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are united in their stance against their barbarity and inhumanity."

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PM Vows Justice For Alan Henning's Killers

David Cameron has vowed to do "everything we can" to "hunt down" Alan Henning's killers and bring them to justice.

Mr Cameron, who arrived back in the UK on Friday night after visiting troops in Iraq, has been meeting with officials from the Foreign Office, intelligence agencies and the military at Chequers, his official country residence.

He said: "We must do everything we can to hunt down and find the people who are responsible for this."

And he added: "We will use all the assets we have as we have been up to now to try and find these hostages, to try and help these hostages, to help their families and do everything we can to defeat this organisation which is utterly ruthless, senseless and barbaric in the way it treats people."

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Mr Henning, the second Briton to be beheaded by the terrorists, for his "kindness, peacefulness and gentleness".

Video: Al Qaeda Could Not Free Henning

Mr Henning's brother-in-law Colin Livesey said he did not think the Government had done enough to secure his release and branded the killers "scum".

"They could have done more when they knew about it months and months ago.

"Just the same with David Haines, as well - I don't think they did enough for him either ...  I just don't think they did enough in my eyes," he told the BBC.

Video: Latest Analysis: Sky's Joey Jones

A video lasting one minute and 11 seconds and titled Another Message To America And Its Allies, was posted on YouTube on Friday evening.

It shows Mr Henning, a taxi-driver who was captured on an aid mission in Syria on Boxing Day, kneeling in front of a knife-wielding militant in a desert setting before being beheaded in front of the camera.

Mr Henning, who is dressed in red, says: "I am Alan Henning. Because of our Parliament's decision to attack the Islamic State, I, as a member of the British public, will now pay the price for that decision."

Video: Eccles Pastor: 'It's Gut-wrenching'

The masked killer, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings, makes a direct statement to Mr Cameron: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament."

Last week MPs voted by a majority of 481 to join the US-led coalition and take part in airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq.

At the end of the video another hostage, a former US soldier turned charity worker believed to be Peter Edward Kassig, is paraded in front of the cameras. The militant in the video says Mr Kassig will be the next victim.

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "We will do everything we can to support the efforts of the Government to bring those guilty of this terrible act to justice."

French president Francois Hollande spoke of his "outrage" at the killing, US president Barack Obama condemned the "brutal murder", and the United Nations Security Council described it as "heinous and cowardly".

The UK Muslim community condemned Mr Henning's murder, which came on the eve of the Islamic festival Eid Al-Adha - the "great day of mercy".

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

Leaders said it was a "cowardly and criminal act" and called for action to be taken to bring the terrorists to justice. They say they are struggling to understand why disaffected young people born and brought up in Britain are travelling to Syria to join Islamic State fighters.

There are fears the beheadings could lead to a backlash against the Muslim community.

Mr Henning's wife Barbara had made a number of emotional appeals to her husband's captors urging them to release him - most recently after they issued footage of him begging for his life.

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

In her appeal, Mrs Henning said: "Some say wrong time, wrong place. Alan was volunteering with his Muslim friends to help the people of Syria. He was in the right place doing the right thing."

Bill Green, a pastor in Mr Henning's home town of Eccles, said the news had been "gut-wrenching" for the close-knit community. 

Kasim Jameel, from Bolton, who was with Mr Henning on the convoys, said: "Everyone that knew him from the convoys just can't stop crying, grown men with beards. We keep expecting him to come round the corner, and say, 'I was only joking'."

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

It comes as Bilal Abdul Kareem, who played part in the initial negotiations for Mr Henning's release when the father-of-two was first captured during an aid delivery in Syria, told Sky News even al Qaeda had tried to convince Islamic State fighters to release him.

He said the terrorist group had tried to negotiate with the jihadists and added that even they had thought taking British aid workers hostages was "not a good idea".

:: Full coverage now on Sky News – watch Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

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Hong Kong: Clashes Between Rival Groups

Hundreds of supporters of Chinese rule in Hong Kong have clashed with democracy protesters in one of the city's busiest shopping districts.

Counter-protesters stormed the city, angry at the pro-democracy campaign, which has blocked parts of the city.

Police were called to calm tensions between the two groups after reports that banners were ripped up, tents destroyed, water bottles were thrown and some people spat at others in Mong Kok.

Officers formed a human chain to keep the two groups apart.

Some pro-democracy supporters held umbrellas for police - umbrellas having become a symbol of the protests - while Beijing supporters shouted at officers, demanding the protesters be removed.

The pro-China protesters were said to be visibly older than pro-democracy group and yelled, shoved and tried to drag the younger protesters away. Many shouted their anger that the protesters were preventing them from going to work and earning a living.

"Give us Mong Kok back, we Hong Kongers need to eat!" one man shouted as he attempted to remove the barricades. 

Video: Clashes Erupt At Hong Kong Protests

The students linked arms to stand their ground.

The scuffles were the most chaotic since police used tear gas and pepper spray last weekend to try to disperse protesters pushing for greater electoral reforms for the territory.

In Causeway Bay, another area under student occupation, groups of young men in face masks were forced away from the protesters by police.

Police spokesman Steve Hui appealed to the members of the public to "observe the laws of Hong Kong when they are expressing their views."

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1. Gallery: Hong Kong Clashes As Sit-In Drags On

   Pro-democracy protesters gather outside the government offices in Hong Kong

2. The umbrella has become a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement

3. An anti-protester shouts at pro-democracy demonstrators in an occupied area of Hong Kong

4. Pro-democracy campaigners, mainly students, stand firm

5. Many of the anti-protesters are angry they have not been able to go to work during the protests

6. Police officers try to get a man to let go of a fence guarded by pro-democracy demonstrators

7. The protests are about to enter their second week

Protesters, who are mostly students, said that if authorities did not act to protect peaceful demonstrators, they would go back on an agreement to hold talks with the city government as proposed by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hong Kong a week ago to demand democracy in the former British colony, the main issue being a free voting system to choose their new leader in 2017.

Numbers have recently dwindled, however, as people returned to work following a two-day holiday.

Leung Chun-ying agreed to open talks with pro-democracy protesters on Thursday but has refused the give in to their demands that he resign.

Video: How Protesters Use Social Media

Police had warned protesters of serious consequences if they try to block off government buildings and were pictured unloading of what appeared to be tear gas canisters and rubber bullets on Thursday.

After the clashes on Friday, the protesters said they would not meet Mr Leung unless the "organised attacks" on their sit-in are stopped.

The protests are the biggest challenge to China's authority since Britain handed control of Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997.

While Leung may have made a concession in offering talks with the students, he gave no timeframe for when these might take place.

Video: Hong Kong Leader Offers Talks

Meanwhile, Beijing has signalled its opposition to the protests with a front-page commentary in the country's official People's Daily.

"For a few consecutive days, some people have been making trouble in Hong Kong, stirring up illegal assemblies in the name of seeking 'real universal suffrage'."

"Such acts have outrightly violated the Basic Law, Hong Kong's law, as well as the principle of the rule of law, and they are doomed to fail."

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Hunger Games Stunt Double Dies In Parkour Fall

A stunt double who has worked on films such as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has died after attempting a parkour jump at a hostel in Lisbon.

Carlos Lopez IV is reported to have been trying to jump from his fourth floor window to a balcony at the Goodnight Hostel in the Portuguese capital.

The martial arts expert, from North Carolina in the US, died from injuries sustained after falling to the ground.

He is thought to have been staying at the hostel with his girlfriend.

A neighbour told Portuguese local media she had "never seen so much blood".

Jennifer Lawrence stars in the Hunger Games films

"I woke up with the noise, went to the window and saw the young man lying on the ground, on an interior patio we share with the hostel where it happened," said 77-year-old Natercia Gama.

Lopez, 25, has worked on a number of Hollywood films including this summer's blockbusters Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and 22 Jump Street.

Tributes have been paid to the stunt performer on Facebook.

His friend Gabe Hansen wrote: "Three months ago I met a kid in Jersey City, he took me in, gave me a place to stay, he became my training partner, my teammate, my roommate, my little brother, he was selfless, humble to a fault, his heart was pure gold.

"Thank you Carlos for sharing the love with me. It's still hard to believe you would leave, but it was your time, it's not the end...See you soon brother."

Tony Vo wrote: "I still can't believe this ... I won't ever forget the times we trained together, you will always be here with us Carlos."

According to his IMDB page, Lopez was working on a new film called The Nest which stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and is due for release next year.

Parkour is a popular urban sport which involves trying to get from place to place by any means possible, including jumping, swinging and climbing over buildings.

The Goodnight Hostel has not responded to a request for a comment.

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Thai Murders: Suspects Stage Reconstruction

Two Burmese workers who have confessed to the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have been taken to the scene of the crime.

Mr Miller, 24, from Jersey, died from drowning and a blow to the head, while Miss Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds on Sairee beach last month.

Their semi-naked bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao, near where they were staying, in the early hours of September 15.

A blood-stained garden hoe, which is thought to be the murder weapon, was discovered nearby.

David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were killed last month

Footage shows the handcuffed suspects, wearing motorcycle helmets and police vests, on the island's Sairee beach, surrounded by police as a reconstruction of the attacks is staged, watched on my hundreds of locals and tourists.

One suspect can be seen walking from the sea to the sandy beach, and wielding a large handled tool to apparently replicate a garden hoe while talking to officers.

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1. Gallery: Thai Murders Accused At Crime Scene

   Two workers from Burma (wearing helmets and handcuffs), suspected of killing two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao last month, stand near Thai police officers where the bodies of the tourists were found

2. The pair have admitted to killing David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the island in southern Thailand

3. Actors were used in the staging of the reconstruction

4. One of the suspects wields a mock weapon

5. The case has threatened to further damage the country's already bruised tourism sector

6. The victims' bodies were discovered on a beach on the island of Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, on 15 September, close to where they were staying. Continue through for more pictures

The reconstruction also saw a man and woman, depicting the victims, walking along the beach, their arms around each other.

Thai police announced the pair - named as Win, 21, and Saw, 23, from Rakhine state in Myanmar - had been charged after admitting killing the British tourists during questioning.

Thai National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said: "The suspects saw them kissing and were aroused, so they attacked and got rid of the man and proceeded to rape the female victim.

"There was clear evidence: forensic evidence, (testimony from) witnesses and other evidence, as well as closed-circuit television footage."

Video: David Miller Seen On CCTV

He went on: "Looking at the DNA results, we have tested that the DNA of these two match the DNA found in the deceased.

"There was also a mobile, a guitar and a motorcycle used to do the crime.

"The mobile phone was the mobile of the victim which the suspects took it to destroy.

"Police were able to confiscate these."

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1. Gallery: Thailand Beach Murders

   The family of Hannah Witheridge in Thailand. Miss Witheridge was killed alongside David Miller on a beach on Koh Tao

2. Police outside the Ware family home on Jersey. Christopher and James Ware, who were childhood friends of Mr Miller, have been questioned in Thailand as part of the investigation

3. The pair suffered "gruesome" injuries, according to police

4. The victims were staying in this hotel

5. Thai police at the scene of the beach attack

Provincial police chief Kiattipong Khaosamang said the two men had also admitted raping Miss Witheridge. 

Thai police have collected DNA samples from more than 100 men on the island.

Police had originally said they believed three men were involved in the attack - two who raped and killed Miss Witheridge, while a third man watched.

A third Burmese man remains in detention and is being questioned on suspicion of involvement.

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Bogus Bomb Detector Scam Pair Sentenced

A husband has been jailed and his wife given a suspended prison sentence for creating and selling bogus bomb detectors by making "fantastical" claims about what the gadgets could locate.

Sam Tree was jailed for three-and-a-half years, while his wife Joan, 62, was handed a two-year prison sentence and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community for her role in the scam which earned them about £2m.

An example of the fake bomb detectors which were sold by Sam and Joan Tree

The 68-year-old claimed the dud devices - of which he made some 1,500 in his garden shed in Dunstable, Bedfordshire - could track down explosives, drugs and people - including missing Madeleine McCann.

Detectives heralded the sentencing as the "concluding act in a highly complex, extensive and significant investigation".

The pair were associated with three other British con artists convicted of making fake detectors.

It is believed the criminals made around £80m from the scam.

Gary Bolton, of Chatham, Kent, was jailed last August for seven years, James McCormick, of Langport, Somerset, for 10 years last May and Anthony Williamson, of Gosport, Hampshire, was also convicted last May.

They were sold around the world including in Iraq, Lebanon and Mexico

Detective Constable Joanne Law, of City of London Police, described the device - known as the Alpha 6 -  as an empty hand-held, plastic, rectangular unit with a free-swinging aerial on the front which had a card inside marked with the explosive, substance or person it was designed to locate.

She told Sky News: "We received information some years ago that these hand-held devices were being sold internationally, predominantly in Iraq.

"We were able to secure one of the devices and test it. We quickly realised that these devices were not capable of finding explosives.

"We found a handle which had a picture of Madeleine McCann inside of it, and they claimed they used that to try and locate Madeleine.

Gary Bolton (Top) and James McCormick were convicted of the scam last year

"They said the picture was enough to excite neutrons and ions within the device to make the antenna work. They also claimed static electricity generated by your body when you walk was enough to power the device. There are no batteries in it - no electrical equipment at all."

The officer said the detectors and the so-called science behind them were examined by experts who concluded "it's absolute rubbish, none of it is true".

She added: "They decided people's lives were not worth considering, above their own greed."

The Trees were found guilty at the Old Bailey in August of making an article for use in a fraud between January 2007 and July 2012.

Passing sentence at London's Kingston Crown Court on Friday, Judge Richard Marks QC told the couple: "The aerial would point to the vicinity or direction of the objects or person being looked at.

"One only has to look at the facts to see this as a bizarre and fantastic proposition as to be almost akin to something out of Alice in Wonderland."

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White Women Sue Over Black Sperm Donor Error

By Sky News US Team

Two women have sued a sperm bank after one of them became pregnant with sperm donated by a black man instead of the white donor they had chosen.

Jennifer Cramblett was five months pregnant with donor sperm in 2012 when she and her partner learned that the Midwest Sperm Bank near Chicago had selected the wrong donor.

It came down to a clerical error: Donor No 330, a black donor, was mixed up with No 380, a white donor.

The mistake happened because the sperm bank keeps handwritten records instead of electronic ones, according to the lawsuit.

The sperm bank apologised in a letter

"They took a personal choice, a personal decision and took it on themselves to make that choice for us out of pure negligence," Ms Cramblett told the AP news agency.

Ms Cramblett said she decided to sue to prevent the sperm bank from making the same mistake again.

She is seeking a minimum of $50,000 (£30,000) in damages.

The mistake was discovered when Ms Cramblett, 36, and partner Amanda Zinkon, 29, asked the sperm bank to reserve sperm from the same donor in the hope that Ms Zinkon would someday also have a child.

The couple said they love their two-year-old mixed race daughter, Payton, very much and would not change anything about her.

But they are concerned about raising her in the predominantly white community where they live.

Therapists have recommended that the family move to a more a racially diverse community with good schools, the lawsuit said.

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McCanns Targeted By 'Venomous' Internet Trolls

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

The Metropolitan Police is investigating a catalogue of vile internet abuse targeting the family of Madeleine McCann including death threats, Sky News can reveal.

Officers are in talks with the Crown Prosecution Service after being handed a dossier of more than 80 pages of Tweets, Facebook posts and messages on online forums aimed at Kate and Gerry McCann.

Over the past few years hundreds of shocking messages have been posted by 'trolls' who believe - despite no evidence - that the McCanns had some involvement in the disappearance of their daughter in Portugal in 2007.

These include suggestions that the McCanns should be tortured and killed and calls for them to "burn in hell".

Some messages are even directed at Madeleine's younger siblings, now aged nine.

Manipulated images involving the McCanns - many of them graphic - are also in wide circulation online.

Video: Some Material 'Really Disturbing'

One troll - who uses the Twitter identity "Sweepyface" and has posted dozens of anti-McCann messages using the #mccann hashtag - was confronted by Sky News.

When asked about her use of social media to attack the couple, she replied: "I'm entitled to."

The dossier - compiled by members of the public alarmed at the online treatment of the McCanns and shown to Sky News - calls on police and MPs to act to crack down on such abuse.

Video: McCanns Abused On Social Media

The Met wrote to the campaigners: "In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and the McCann family the material will now be assessed and decisions made as to what further action if any should be undertaken."

Among the messages identified in the dossier is an exchange on a message board which reads: "These 2 should burn in hell"; "I will supply the petrol"; "I'll supply the lighter - happily".

Other posts include: "We need some numbers for some assassins on taps", "I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery" and "I want to see them smashed up the back of a bus or trampled by horses".

Video: Sky News Confronts McCann 'Troll'

In one of her tweets "Sweepyface" called for the McCanns to suffer "for the rest of their miserable lives".

In addition to threats and abuse, several trolls have claimed to live nearby to the McCanns in Leicestershire and reported on their movements.

The campaigner spearheading the appeal - who has asked to remain anonymous - told Sky News: "We're very worried that it's only going to take somebody to act out of some of these discussions, some of the threats that have been made, and we couldn't live with ourselves if that happened and we had done nothing."

Video: Sky's Martin Brunt On McCann Abuse

Author Anthony Summers, whose book Looking for Madeleine was published last month, said: "There is a campaign of hatred against the parents.

"It is venomous and vitriolic, most of it done by cowards. We are taken aback by the extent of the sheer evil behind it all."

Sara Payne has become a campaigner for parents' right to a controlled access to the Sex Offenders Register since her daughter, Sarah, was murdered in 2000.

Video: Sept 7: 'Charity Worker' A Suspect?

Responding to the story of the abuse against the McCanns on Twitter, she wrote: "About time, they are certainly not the only victims but they are the most abused.

"I hope this means this kind of disgusting abuse will finally be stopped."

:: At 2pm we will be hosting a Twitter Q&A with crime correspondent Martin Brunt on our exclusive story about the abuse Madeleine McCann's parents have suffered online. Tweet your questions using the hashtag #AskBrunt".

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