It was told that Raoul Moat was sat hiding in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment whilst he could hear her discussing with her new boyfriend just how little she thought of Moat. In a mad rage Raoul revealed himself from his hiding place and shot both Samantha and her boyfriend, Chris Brown, 29. It is thought that Moat shot Chris Brown first (who actually worked as a karate instructor) and killed him and then changed is ammunition before shooting his girlfriend. In an attempt to harm her and leave a scar, but not kill her. Samantha Stobbart is now in a serious condition in hospital.

As the murderer fled the scene of the crime, two phone calls were made. He dialed his friend, Anthony Wright, explaining to him what he had done and explaining the lack of ammo (and how he only had two shots left,) and then called 999 claiming that he was now on his way to kill a police officer. It was then revealed that minutes after the call PC. David Rathbond was shot twice –once being in his face- as part of an unprovoked attack.

Anthony Wright then told the police about the information he had, knowing that Moat had little ammunition. Anthony said he was scared for his friend as he believed he will face a shooting showdown with the police, knowing that he will die because he has no ammunition. This however is questionable. Has Raoul really run out of ammunition? Was this his real intention?

With three people shot and Raoul in hiding, Yvette Forman, a previous girlfriend of his, decided to tip off the police about where he could possibly be hiding. The waitress suggested searching in the woods close by Rothbury (where she was living) explaining that when they were together they spent many memories there together. The police, desperately trying to find the killer, took Yvette’s advice upon themselves and checked the area. Of course Moat had already moved on, but a letter from Moat was found addressed to Samantha explaining why he went ahead with the attack.

The 49 page letter founded in a secluded area near Rothbury was examined by the police over the weekend (3rd and 4th July). From this letter various vital pieces of information became clear to the police. The letter mentioned that his main target for attack was the police and that he would not have attacked Sam’s boyfriend if he knew his true occupation. The letter also detailed how he made Karl Ness drive him to the shootings. The letter also contained a list of people he felt had done wrong by him, he added that he feels as though some of them people deserve to be shot also. In the letter he admitted that he was a ‘murderer and a maniac’ and that he would keep on killing the police until he was dead.

Recent bids by the police and the family of those effected to try and capture the murderer include a reward of £10,000 for anyone who knows any information, a plea from Samantha’s father who quoted: “Raoul, son, please this has to stop. We don’t want anyone else hurt, nee more son.” Samantha’s sister has also publically spoken saying that: “He’s a coward and he hasn’t got the bottle to shoot himself. He’d wants a standoff with the police, so they’ll either have to shoot him in the knees or kill him. He wants to be known as a guy who went to prison because he shot a load of coppers or who died trying.”

This particular story has caused a massive debate within society. I suppose the question everyone is asking is: When will he be caught? With maximum efforts by the police and little progress so far, you have to ask yourself… will he ever be caught?

One of the carriages was left ‘precariously balanced’ after the accident and passengers reported seeing ‘balls of flame’ inside the carriage, 60 people were rescued by emergency services, with reports of no serious injuries. Later the ambulance service confirmed that eight people were taken to three different hospitals, where it’s thought none of their injuries were life threatening.

Currently Network Rail engineers are at the site to secure the train, British Transport Police (BTP) believes at this stage there is nothing to suggest any criminality and they said “There are a few big boulders lying about on the railway line. Early indications are it’s probably been a landslide but investigations are under way. There are a number of officers on scene from British Transport Police and Strathclyde Police.”

According to BTP the leading car of the two-car train had derailed and caught fire, and was hanging over the A85 road.

A passenger on the train, Paul Gibson said, “It felt like it was a few minutes or so, but it must have been only about 20 seconds. Bags and shelves seemed to sort of start flying across the carriage. And then all of a sudden, on either side of us, on the outside, big balls of flame managed to come across us.”

Local Derek Bird who worked as a taxi driver started his killing spree yesterday morning, the worst seen in Britain since Dunblane in 1996, firstly shooting dead his twin brother, a fellow taxi driver and a solicitor before heading out in his car armed with a rifle and a pistol. He then went on to kill another 10 people and injured 25 others within a 20 mile drive by pointing his high powered rifle out of his car a Citroen Picasso and taking pot shots at passersby. Mr Bird then apparently crashed his car in the surrounding countryside where he walked off to nearby woodland and killed himself.

Currently it is not known exactly why Bird went on his killing spree one of the lines of investigation is that there had recently been friction between some of the taxi drivers about touting for business instead of going to the taxi rank and waiting until they got to the front of the queue. Its believed Bird was having financial difficulties and was angry about the touting by other drivers in the town, he had previously mentioned only a couple of days ago his frustration at the problem.

Those killed have been named locally as:

David Bird, Derek’s twin brother.
Darren Newcastle, a fellow taxi driver who was in his 30’s and is believed to be on of the drivers Bird accused of touting for business.
Kevin Commons, local 60 year old solicitor who was married.
Susan Hughes, a local 57 year old mother of two grown up children.
Kenneth Fishburn, a 70 year old retired security worker.
James and Jennifer Jackson, local couple form a nearby small hamlet, with two children.
Garry Purdham, was a local farmer’s son and a keen rugby player, he was 31 and had two young children.
Michael Pike, a local 64 year old man, who was shot whilst cycling.
Jane Robinson, a local pensioner who lived with her sister both of whom were unmarried.
There were also two other victims, one thought to be a resident of the hamlet of Carleton and another who was a resident of the Egremont area.

Last night the Queen and the Prime Minister David Cameron expressed their heartfelt sympathy to those grieving.

Mr Worth estimated he had dated nearly 200 women, 119 of them while he was using the service which was over a few years and had slept with at least 55 of them, however the lothario does not see any problem with that and is planning on signing up with another dating agency.

Speaking about been off the website Clive said; “I am gutted about being kicked out. I’ve done nothing wrong. The agency said they had received complaints because women were travelling to meet me and wanted commitment, but I didn’t. But it’s just that I haven’t met the right woman yet.”

On the case of meeting someone and falling in love Mr Owen said; “Mick Jagger’s got nothing on me. I did fall in love with one of my dates – a lovely lady. I went to her home and she had two cats which she allowed in to her bed too. She said: “Love me, love my cats”. So I said sorry, I can’t sleep with cats and the relationship finished. I was heartbroken for a while. I had another close call with a policewoman but while she was staying with me I had over 10 calls from other women and she sussed me out. In the end we didn’t get on because I need my space.”

For those who have been stranded in Spain for nearly a week now this will be a welcome relief, especially travelling back in the 5* luxury of the Celebrity Eclipse cruise liner which can carry 2,850 passengers. The President and Chief Executive of Celebrity Cruises Dan Hanrahan, contacted tour operators Thomas Cook, TUI and Co-Op Travel Group to look at bringing back their stranded customers.

He said. “They responded favourably to our idea of bringing these passengers back and they knew where their guests were in Spain and they could give us a manifest of people. It seemed a better idea than having a two-day party and it’s all worked out and we’re happy to help.”

The Eclipse is due to arrive in Bilbao in the early hours of Thursday 22nd and pick up the stranded holiday makers before returning to Southampton.

Picture courtesy of eastleighbusman

He is understood to owe online betting firm Spreadex £35,000 in unpaid bets as well as an outstanding tax bill purported to be around £800,000. The footballer – who is not contesting the claim – is said to have descended into a spiral of addiction to betting, particularly on football games. Recently, he was forced to sell his £1.7 million home in Lytham St Anne’s for an undisclosed sum to help pay off his colossal debts.

The dangers of online gambling are often overstated in the froth of media hype that still surrounds online businesses of any kind (see also: Facebook murders and so on). It is true that the free bets that many operators offer can lure people into gambling who might not necessarily have gambled otherwise, but no more so than the many commercial blandishments that daily descend on unwary punters.

The online gaming industry has tried to keep a very clean house after initial scares about gambling addictions. Big companies such as 888.com, who run the internet’s largest online poker site amongst many others, provide links to advice for anyone who feels that they might be developing an addiction, as well as being signatories to accreditation schemes like ecogra.

Nonetheless, the sad tale of Colin Hendry’s dramatic fall should serve as a warning to all that even with a small fortune to play with, excessive habits can lead to ruination. Coming as it does on the heels of his wife’s tragically early death caused by a botched plastic surgery operation we’re sure that Hendry must be a very low place right now and we can only hope that he shows the same tenacity now in his life that he was famed for on the football pitch.

Picture of Colin Hendry courtesy of iain.smart

Superdry specialises in street-style clothing and is aimed at 18-23 year olds and was started by Julian Dunkerton, who started out in the fashion business with a market stall in Cheltenham, the brands Supergroup parent company said today its offer of shares to institutional shareholders had been “heavily oversubscribed”. Considering other companies attempts to float show the strength and determination of the brand and also the fact that Supergroup has no debt which looks better for investors.

The Supergroup float will value the business at £395m and raise £125m, of which more than £100m will go to the group’s owners. Only £15m will be used to fund expansion, with 20 new outlets, including a flagship London store, planned. The company which employs 1,000 staff they opened 17 new stores last year, taking its total to 40 and also has 54 concessions in House of Fraser, where it is one of the department store group’s fastest-selling labels. The popularity is down to the diversity in designer menswear and women swear as well as being favoured by celebrities such as David Beckham and the actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Despite their winnings, they claimed benefits worth over £20,000 over the next two years until they were unmasked by Walsall Council and investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mr. Nayan Patel, prosecuting, said:

“Mrs Bannister confirmed that she had won £52,540 but only had a quarter share of it. She stated that the money was spent on her wedding, a car, breast implants and treats for their children. However, she provided no documentary evidence to support the expenditure.”

Mr Bannister – who had a string of prior convictions for benefit fraud – trousered over 12 grand while his wife pocketed a further 8 thousand pounds. He was sentenced to 12 weeks prison while his wife was sentenced to 80 hours unpaid work and subject to a prison sentence that was suspended for 18 months. When they were arrested, the couple were alleged to have been living “hand to mouth” – having blown the cash on the fripperies described above.

This case is likely to reignite discussion of the ‘undeserving poor’ in the pages of the tabloid press. The most famous example was that of Iorworth Hoare – the convicted rapist who won £7 million pounds on the National Lottery in 2004, but since the easing of restrictions on prize money have been eased over recent years, the jackpots offered by companies for such things as online bingo has skyrocketed – leading to claims that such jackpots encourage indolence amongst the poor.

The suggestion is couched in many of the assumptions that are made about “the poor” by tabloid editors and anyone with a pulpit, but there is little actual evidence that there is a link between poverty and gambling except for the obvious one that too much gambling can lead to poverty, rather than the other way round. Whatever the background, there is little doubt that the Bannisters blew a gift-wrapped chance to better their lives, and instead saw their windfall as a chance to screw over the system and indulge a few short-lived fancies.

Perhaps a spell in jail will give the couple a chance to reflect on the poverty of their aspirations and encourage them to take their lives in a more positive direction.

Mr Teare’s efforts are commendable – letters are now going out to all parents of secondary school children, warning them of the dangers of mephedrone and its prolific availability. However, you do have to wonder if the problem of legal drug use will ever be remedied simply by banning every new product that comes to the shelves. The fact is, that as soon as one substance is prohibited, another crops up in its place. It’s an un-winnable race, as
Home Affairs Minister, Adrian Earnshaw, also points out.

Legal highs are available in high street shops, often known as “headshops”, and on hundreds of online stores. There are so many brands and names that they are very difficult to keep up with. Whoever’s manufacturing them ensures that they are ahead of the legal game, finding new chemicals and changing old ones to replace any that become controlled. They have the same selling restrictions as alcohol – they won’t be sold to anyone under the age of 18, but of course these things always get into the wrong hands somehow. So is prohibition the answer?

Head Shops also sell other items that have a multi tude of purposes such  as herb grinders, rolling papers & scales

We know that prohibition doesn’t work for alcohol and cannabis. During the 20s in the USA, underground bars made fortunes and people with alcohol problems had to hide their addictions for fear of prosecution. The same thing happens with cannabis in the UK. The black market makes millions and those who develop problems – psychological or physical – are reluctant to seek help. Banning legal highs doesn’t come with quite the same issues – rather than continuing sales of out-lawed substances under the counter, new products are concocted in their place, so at least buyers are not contributing to criminal rings. However,  we can see from experience that the intake of drugs does not fall if people are told not to do it.

It seems that Mr Teare is very genuine in his concern for the welfare of young people on the Isle of Man. Having seen the disturbing condition of youths in their hospital after taking mephedrone, he is making it his mission to educate parents and children about the dangers they may face. Informing is a good approach – everyone needs to be told the facts, but blanket bans should not be used. If someone has the facts, they should then be able to make their own choice. It is simply not possible to safeguard every human being from accidents and bad decisions. Sadly, there will always be casualties in every walk of life. The best we can do is be open and prepare people to make better choices.

Legal highs seem to be here to stay – they keep churning them out and the government is powerless to keep up with new inventions. So perhaps we need to develop something into the National Curriculum to teach our children and make them more aware? The world for children growing up in 21st century is vastly different from what we knew as kids. It’s faster, fuller and more and more geared towards the hedonistic. Let’s give the new generations a better start and provide the facts as well as allowing them responsibility of their own decisions

The attack happened after him threw out customer Paul Whibley, 24, who had pulled a knife on another customer during a row. A few minutes later Whibley returned to the Britannia Inn with the knife and stabbed Snaz Martin in the stomach. Snaz said of the attack “I just got between them and kicked him out of the pub. I told him I wasn’t going to have knives in my pub and to just get out. It was around closing time and so I then started to lock up. He just came at me so I pushed him back out the pub and followed him out. He hit me and although I didn’t feel anything at first I then noticed the blood pumping out. The next thing was the ambulance came and I was on my way to hospital.”

Thug Whibley, from nearby Snodland pleading guilty to wounding with intent at Canterbury Crown Court and was given a four year prison term last week, he was branded a “dangerous offender” and “significant threat” to the public by police. Detective Constable Sean Wareham, who led the investigation, said: “Whibley showed a clear intent on causing an injury by carrying a knife. We are pleased the judge has recognised that Whibley is a dangerous offender and poses a significant risk to the public.”

Picture courtes of sultmhoor

The East End born designer and son of a cabbie started out as a tailors apprentice on Savile Row where there were some high profile clients including the Prince of Wales, he enrolled at Central St Martins School of Art and Design. Alexander McQueen became know on the fashion scene thanks to his outlandish designs and the shock factor seen at many of his shows, he hit mainstream when he was chosen to succeed John Galliano at Givenchy in 1996.

The four-time winner of the British designer of the year award as well as the international designer of the year was due to show case his new collection at the upcoming Paris Fashion Week.
Picture courtesy of Szilveszter Farkas

In a statement Holiday Inn spokeswoman Jane Bednall said “The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed,” the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it.

Apparently the bed-warmer is equipped with a thermometer to make sure the beds required temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) is reached, sleep-expert Chris Idzikowski who is director of the Edinburgh Sleep Center stated the idea could help people sleep and said “There’s plenty of scientific evidence to show that sleep starts at the beginning of the night when body temperature starts to drop,” he said. “A warm bed — approximately 20 to 24 Celsius — is a good way to start this process whereas a cold bed would inhibit sleep.”

The bed warming service will be offered at two of the chain’s London hotels and one in the city of Manchester, in response to Britain’s recent cold weather.

Picture courtesy of jm3

Doctors anaesthetised the man’s penis so firefighters could use a four-and-a-half-inch industrial metal grinder to cut the pipe. After which the penis was left bruised and swollen, but otherwise unharmed.

The man who was thought to be about 40 presented himself at the hospital’s Accident & Emergency department on Tuesday morning. He was said to be ‘quite concerned and anxious’ but he did not give an explanation as to how the pipe got stuck around his penis.
A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue said: “It was a very delicate operation that required a very steady hand and the crew was worried about things getting too hot during the cutting. It’s certainly an unusual call-out, and I’m sure the man won’t be getting into that situation again.”

Picture courtesy of Photocapy

It’s extremely important to take extra care when driving in snowy and icy conditions by taking the following steps:

Taking it Slow – Heavy snow and ice will severely increase braking distances and your ability to stop on a hill. In order to remain in control you should keep in a low gear and give yourself a lot more time to stop, by slowing the car down gradually. If you begin to skid don’t keep your foot on the break, release it and reapply whilst steering into the skid to try and correct the way you’re going.

Run down through the gears to slow rather relying so much on your breaks.

Pulling Away – can be difficult, if you’re on a hill or it has snowed around your car overnight. Pulling away is a major cause of car accidents and can cause serious personal injuries. When pulling away use second gear instead of first. If you are stuck, try reversing up/rolling back and then pulling away. Keep a shovel in your boot in case you need to dig yourself out to get traction.

Going around corners can be non-existent in snowy and icy conditions. When travelling too fast your car is likely to slide sideways without any control which could easily result in a dangerous accident. It’s important to slow right down for corners whilst remaining well focused removing the need for sudden braking which usually makes skids worse.

Be aware of other vehicles, as you can’t expect that everyone is going to be as cautious as you are. The opposite is far more likely. Be aware that other vehicles may not be able to stop. It’s also important to be aware of pedestrians as it becomes much easier to run someone over in these bad weather conditions.

Most importantly – remain vigilant by turning of your stereo and giving the road your full concentration, preventing the need for no win no fee personal injury claims or worst case – a fatal accident.

The owner of 888, Pacific Poker has said it plans to pay Daub, Winks current owners a base price of £11 million, plus a sum based on earnings in the year to March 2011, with the total capped at £59.7 million.

Both companies have favoured well in the current climate with both making profits, in August, 888 reported pre-tax profits of 14.9 million US dollars (£9.3 million) in the six months to June 30, compared with 26.3 million dollars (£16.4 million) in the same period last year. Also Wink which was only launched in 2008 has generated revenues of £15 million and pre-tax profits of £1.3 million in the 11 months to November 30 this year.

Wink bingo is one of the most popular online bingo sites and their networks which include Wink Bingo, Posh Bingo and Bingo Fabulous, had over 60,000 active players in October this year making them very desirable.

Gigi Levy, Chief executive said the acquisition would help 888 expand its online bingo footprint “in the lucrative UK market”. The firm have said “completion of the deal was dependent on certain factors, including obtaining the required consents.” However Wink bingo’s site currently run through 888’s Dragonfish bingo platform, making transition for the Wink bingo networks to join up with the 888ladies Bingo easy

Picture courtesy of Pocheco