Jimmy Tarbuck In Child Sex Abuse Arrest

Veteran comedian Jimmy Tarbuck has been arrested in connection with a historical child sex abuse allegation.

Tarbuck, 73, was questioned by North Yorkshire Police on April 26 in relation to an incident which allegedly occurred in the late 1970s in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, when the victim was a young boy.

The entertainer is understood to have been arrested at his home in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, and released on bail.

The arrest was made following information passed by Metropolitan Police officers working on Operation Yewtree to North Yorkshire Police.

A force spokesman said: "North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a 73-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a historic child sex abuse investigation in Harrogate.

"The man was arrested in Kingston upon Thames on Friday, 26 April 2013.

"Following questioning, he was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

"The complaint relates to an incident that occurred in the late 1970s when the victim was a young boy.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

Tarbuck has spent more than 50 years in television.

Born in 1940 in Liverpool, he was a schoolmate of John Lennon and his first television breakthrough came with It's Tarbuck 65! in 1964.

In 1994 he was awarded an OBE by the Queen for his services to showbusiness and charity.

Last November he performed in The Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

His daughter is the actress, television and radio presenter Liza Tarbuck.

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Cleveland: Women Missing For Decade Rescued

Three women who disappeared separately more than 10 years ago have been found alive in a house in Cleveland, Ohio - just a few miles from where they went missing.

Police said they thought Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight had been tied up in the property and had been there since they vanished.

They have been taken to a hospital for checks and were being reunited with relatives.

They have also been described as being in good health after being found in a residential area just south of the city.

A poster with images of Amanda Berry on

Three brothers were arrested. One of the men, a 52-year-old, lived at the home, and the others, ages 50 and 54, lived elsewhere.

Ms Berry disappeared aged 16 on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a lift home from her job at a Burger King.

Ms DeJesus went missing aged 14 on her way home from school about a year after Ms Berry.

The third woman, Ms Knight, had been missing since 2002 when she was believed to have been 20.

Cheering crowds gathered on the street near the home where the women were found.

Gina DeJesus went missing on her way home from school

The long nightmare for the trio ended when Ms Berry reached her arm through a crack in the front door and called for help.

Neighbour Charles Ramsay heard her screaming, tried to get her out through the door but could not pull it open.

So he kicked the bottom and she crawled through "carrying a little girl".

Ms Berry went into a nearby home and called police, begging them to come as soon as they could, "before he gets back".

In a recording of the 911 call, she told the dispatcher: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing for 10 years. I'm free. I'm here now."

Ms DeJesus' father wants a change in Amber Alert rules

She pleaded for officers to arrive at the home on Cleveland's west side before her alleged kidnapper returned. When police arrived, she said two other women were being held captive.

They were rescued and police said a six-year-old also was found in the home, but the child's identity or relationship to anyone in the home was not revealed.

Mr Ramsay told how he rescued Ms Berry. He said: "I hear this girl screaming and she's going nuts.

"So I come outside and I know there's nobody supposed to be screaming next door to my house because there's no girl that lives in that house.

"When I came to the front door and looked at her she said: 'My name is Amanda Berry - please get me out of this house'."

Age-progressed images of Gina DeJesus (L) and Amanda Berry

Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of Ms DeJesus told The Plain Dealer newspaper: "I've been praying, never forgot about her, ever.

"This is amazing. This is a celebration. I'm so happy. I just want to see her walk out of those doors so I can hug her."

Ms Berry's cousin Tasheena Mitchell told the newspaper: "I'm going to hold her, and I'm going to squeeze her and I probably won't let her go."

In January, a prison inmate was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after admitting he provided a false burial tip in the disappearance of Ms Berry.

Two men arrested for questioning in the disappearance of Ms DeJesus in 2004 were released from the city jail in 2006 after officers did not find her body during a search of the men's house.

No Amber Alert was issued the day Ms DeJesus failed to return home because no one witnessed her abduction.

That angered her father, Felix DeJesus, who said in 2006 he believed the public will listen even if the alerts become routine.

"The Amber Alert should work for any missing child," he said then.

"It doesn't have to be an abduction. Whether it's an abduction or a runaway, a child needs to be found. We need to change this law."

Cleveland police said then that the alerts must be reserved for cases in which danger is imminent and the public can be of help in locating the suspect and child.

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Girl, 12, Raped In Play Park Sex Attack

A 12-year-old girl has been dragged into a woodland area at a play park and raped, police have said.

Thames Valley Police said she had been on her own when a man pulled her to the woodland area, attacked her, and then fled.

The assault was reported to police on Saturday but the attack happened around March 23 at about 3pm at the end of the play area in Harrowden, Bradville, in Milton Keynes.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack to come forward and have issued descriptions of both the victim and her attacker.

The girl is described as white, around 5ft, of slim build, with long shoulder length mid-brown hair. She was wearing glasses.

Police said the offender is described as a white man, aged around 45 and a skinny build. He had very short grey/black hair.

The man spoke with a Scottish accent and was wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans and black Dr Martens boots.

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Justin Fletcher said: "We would urge anyone who saw the victim or a man answering this description in the area around that time to contact us as a matter of urgency.

"We take all allegations of a sexual nature very seriously and understand how difficult it can be for victims to come forward.

"While this was a very traumatic incident for the victim, it is also very rare.

"We would like to reassure the community that we are investigating the matter fully and patrols will be in the area to provide extra reassurance."

Police have appealed for any witnesses to the incident or anyone who has information as to the identity of the suspect to call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number 101 quoting URN 589 05/05/13.

:: Alternatively, anyone with any information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Speedboat Accident Kills Father And Daughter

A 51-year-old man and his eight-year-old daughter were killed and four other members of their family airlifted to hospital after a speedboat accident, police have confirmed.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the family from London was on holiday in Cornwall over the Bank Holiday weekend when the accident happened in the Camel Estuary near Padstow.

A 39-year-old woman, a four-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and 12 were airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where they are being treated for "a range of injuries, some of which are life changing", police said.

The boat was powered by a high speed petrol outboard engine

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said in a statement on Sunday: "Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted at 15.48 this afternoon reporting that six people had been thrown from a speedboat approximately half a mile off Padstow."

MCA spokeswoman Jo Rawlings told Sky News: "It is believed the boat was out of control."

South Western Ambulance Service earlier said it was thought the speedboat hit some kayakers near the popular holiday resort, however this was subsequently ruled out by the MCA.

The tragedy happened off Padstow in Cornwall

The MCA said: "We do not believe at this time any other vessels, kayaks or people were involved in this incident, other than those in the speedboat."

The man and girl were dead when the ambulance service arrived.

Ambulance service spokesman John Oliver said the injured suffered leg injuries of various degrees of severity.

RNLI lifeboats from both Padstow and nearby Rock were launched as part of the rescue operation, and search and rescue helicopters from two naval bases were also ordered to attend the scene.

Witnesses claimed heroic actions by passers-by prevented more lives being lost.

Police tape cordons off the boat for examination

Writing on Facebook, Maria Chase said: "We were down in Padstow today and saw the tragedy and saw a hero who saved more lives by jumping on to an out-of-control speedboat from another boat."

Charlotte Jacobs took to Twitter to write to the RNLI, saying: "We witnessed incredible bravery in Padstow today during the tragic accident that unfolded. The men involved deserve medals."

Celebrity chef Rick Stein, who has four restaurants in Padstow, tweeted: "Our thoughts are with injured and bereaved involved in the tragic accident in Padstow this afternoon."

Fellow chef Paul Ainsworth wrote on Twitter: "Very sad day in Padstow, our hearts go out to all family and friends involved. Life can be so cruel."

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'Israel Rocket Strike' On Syria Military Site

Israeli missiles have struck a military research centre near the capital Damascus, setting off explosions, Syrian state television has said.

The rockets were said to have struck a military research centre in Jamraya on the outskirts of the capital in the early hours of this morning.

The building was the target of an earlier Israeli strike in January.

Israel has declined to comment on the latest attack, but a Western intelligence source said "stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hizbollah" were the target of the strike.

Video footage uploaded online by activists claims to show a huge ball of fire rising into the night sky.

More of the unverified footage uploaded by activists

Meanwhile, hundreds of families are fleeing a Syrian coastal area where activists say government troops have massacred nearly 200, many of whom were women and children.

The opponents of Bashar al Assad's regime say that fighters loyal to the President carried out two massacres last night and on Thursday in a Sunni Muslim area driving by a policy of ethnic cleansing.

Activists posted a video online of the bodies of 10 people it said were killed in Ras al Nabaa, in the city of Banias, in an attack overnight.

Half of them were children.

Activists said that the number of dead could be as high as 60.

It comes just two days after pro-Assad militias are alleged to have killed as many as 100 Sunnis in the nearby village of Baida.

Protests in Banias at the beginning of the uprising in 2011

Amateur video showed a man and at least three children dead inside a room.

A baby had burned legs and a body stained with blood. Next to him was a young girl whose face had been deformed after apparently being hit with sharp metal.

Other footage from activists showed entire families killed in their beds, a dead mother cradling her child in her arms, two toddlers lying next to them.

The videos have not been independently verified.

Syria's crisis, that began in March 2011 with pro-democracy protests and later turned into a civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people, has largely broken along sectarian lines.

The Sunni majority forms the backbone of the rebellion, while Mr Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, anchors the regime's security services and the military's officer corps.

Syria's crisis has claimed the lives of an estimated 70,000 people

Other minorities, such as Christians, largely support Mr Assad or stand on the sidelines, worried that the regime's fall would bring about a more Islamist rule.

It has been estimated as many as 4,000 people are fleeing from the predominantly Sunni southern parts of the Mediterranean city of Banias amid fears of further large-scale killings.

The US has condemned the May 2 attack. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said: "We strongly condemn atrocities against the civilian population and reinforce our solidarity with the Syrian people."

Her statement added: "The United States is appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2 in gruesome attacks on the coastal town of Bayda, Syria.

"Regime and Shabiha forces reportedly destroyed the area with mortar fire then stormed the town and executed entire families, including women and children."

It came as Israeli officials confirmed the country's air force carried out a strike against Syria, saying it targeted a shipment of advanced missiles bound for the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah.

The violence in the coastal region shows the sectarian nature of the two-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and sent more than a million Syrians as refugees to neighbouring countries.

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Nigel Evans Arrested For Rape And Sex Assault

Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of the rape and sexual assault of two men.

The 55-year-old Conservative, a prominent gay rights campaigner, is expected to respond to the allegations later.

He was arrested on Saturday morning at his constituency home in the village of Pendleton, near Clitheroe, in Lancashire.

The politician was questioned by police over an allegation of raping one man and sexually assaulting another between July 2009 and March 2013.

After several hours in custody in Preston, Mr Evans was released on bail at 10.30pm and asked to return to the police station on June 19.

Nigel Evans became one of three deputy speakers in 2010

Prime Minister David Cameron and Speaker John Bercow were informed of the arrest of the popular MP.

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The allegations are one of rape against one man and sexual assault against another man. Both of those men are now in their early 20s."

He said: "The offences are said to have been committed at his home in the village of Pendleton near Clitheroe which is in his constituency of Ribble Valley."

Mr Evans, who comes from Swansea and whose parents ran a newsagents, has been MP for Ribble Valley since 1992.

Politicians and constituents said they were "shocked" by the allegations.

Michael Ranson, the chairman of the Ribble Valley Conservative Association, told Sky News: "He is a very popular MP and a very good constituency MP.

"He's given assistance to a lot of his constituents over many years. Everybody's completely shell-shocked."

Brian Binley, Tory MP for Northampton South and a friend of Mr Evans, said: "I was just deeply disturbed and shocked.

Mr Evans is a popular and sociable MP

"I've known him ever since I've been in Parliament and I came in in 2005. I consider him to be a very good friend.

"I know him to be caring, compassionate and in no way would he inflict himself violently on any other person."

Mr Evans has held a number of front bench posts for the Conservative Party and was a Parliamentary Private Secretary in John Major's government and his spokesman for Welsh Affairs.

In 2010 he became one of three deputy speakers, earning £102,000-a-year, including his MP's salary.

In December 2010 he came out as gay in an interview with the Mail On Sunday newspaper in which he said that he was "tired of living a lie".

Mr Evans, who was vice chairman of the Conservative Party from 1999 to 2001, said he had been threatened with exposure by political opponents.

Sky News Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said: "Since then he has become quite a prominent gay rights campaigner.

"He had held, for example, at least one function in the Speaker's apartments on gay rights.

He has been Ribble Valley MP since 1992

"John Bercow let him use the Speaker's apartment for a function and he has been prominent in that campaign.

"He is a very sociable MP. He is very well known."

A villager who lives opposite the MP and who did not want to give her name said: "I am shocked. I like him. He is a good MP and he has done a lot for the Ribble Valley.

"Obviously he is well known in the village and goes to the local pub a lot."

Another Pendleton resident, who also did not want to give his name, said: "It's unbelievable, I know him very well. He is an excellent person and I would stand by him 100%."

A Lancashire Police statement confirmed that a 55-year-old man from Pendleton had been been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault and that he was being interviewed by officers.

The statement said: "We take all allegations of a sexual nature extremely seriously and understand how difficult it can be for victims to have the confidence to come forward.

"As a constabulary, we are committed to investigating sexual offences sensitively but robustly recognising the impact that these types of crimes have on victims.

"We would encourage anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, or who has information about it, to have the confidence to report it to us knowing that we will take it seriously, deal with it sensitively and investigate it thoroughly."

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NHS 111: Patient Deaths Under Investigation

The deaths of three people are under investigation in connection with the NHS 111 non-emergency phone line, according to a report.

The general practitioners trade magazine Pulse reported that at least 22 possible "serious untoward incidents" (or SUIs) related to NHS 111 have been reported since the launch of the service.

Those incidents included three where a patient died, the magazine has claimed.

Two of the deaths occurred in the East Midlands, and one in the West Midlands.

The deaths reportedly include the case of a 47-year-old who died from a suspected overdose.

That death occurred after relatives contacted NHS 111 requesting mental health assistance, Pulse reported. 

A further 19 possible SUIs have been recorded by providers or commissioners, the magazine added.

Rolled out across most of the country last month, the NHS 111 service is for people urgently seeking medical help or advice but who are not in a life-threatening situation.

The service was introduced to replace NHS Direct in England and is meant to ease pressure on emergency 999 call centres.

NHS England said it could not verify the data reported in Pulse, however it issued a statement in response to the magazine's report.

"The safety of patients must be our paramount concern and NHS England will keep a careful eye on the situation to ensure NHS 111 provides not only a good service to the public, but one which is also safe," the statement read.

Earlier this week, NHS England announced a review of the 111 service.

A spokesman said: "The performance standards which have been introduced for NHS 111 represent a gold standard which the majority of NHS 111 services in England are now meeting, though in some areas performance is still unacceptable, especially at weekends.

"Some local providers of NHS 111 have not provided the prompt, reliable service the public need and want.

"NHS England's board is determined to ensure that the public have access to a gold standard NHS 111 service wherever they live in England."

But Clare Gerada, chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, raised concerns about the free-to-call advice line.

"It is extremely worrying that there is still so much uncertainty around the delivery and reliability of the advice provided by NHS 111 in some areas.

"We are also concerned that patients are losing confidence in the new service before it is even fully up and running.

"We call on NHS England to provide more reassurance about its effectiveness and ability to deliver the necessary standards of care for all patients using the service, right across England."

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