'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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Ski Death: Tributes Paid To UK Schoolgirl

Tributes have been paid to a girl who died after falling from a ski lift during a school trip to the Italian Alps.

The 13 year-old girl, named in reports as Poonam Bhattal from Slough, in Berkshire, was "a beautiful girl" who will be "dearly missed", friends said on Twitter.

One user, @jaskiretxo, said: "Poonam Bhattal a beautiful girl who we were all so lucky to have known, may our thoughts be with Amreeta and her family. RIP beautiful xox".

Another, @TharanVirdi said: "Poonam, You will be dearly missed, thoughts and prayers go out to your family. Waheguru #gonetoosoon #RipPoonam x".

Italian police in the resort of Claviere have spoken to her classmates who said the teenager's skis had crossed with the person sitting next to her, causing her to slip.

The friends said they had ''tried to hold onto her'' but she slipped off. Investigators say she started to slip while about six feet from the ground but eventually fell further up just as the lift operator stopped it after hearing screams.

The schoolgirl was having ski lessons with classmates from the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, when she got on the chairlift around 9.30am.

Although Poonam initially survived the fall, she died while on her way to a hospital 25 miles away in Susa.

Local police commissioner Francesco Destro told Sky News: "The ski lift was moving very fast and rising fast when she fell." He said he could not recall a similar accident.

Mr Destro added that the girl initially answered questions when officers rushed to her aid but "did not make it".

The school's principal, Rajinder Singh Sandhu, broke the news of the teenager's death to her family.

In a statement, he said the half-term excursion was led by the deputy head of the school with the help of two assistant head teachers and "a massively experienced team of eight staff".

"The leader of this trip and everyone associated with it is devastated by the death of an absolutely lovely student."

Skibound, the company which organised the trip, confirmed the report, saying in a statement: "The thoughts and condolences of all at Skibound are with the family, school and friends. All our efforts are focused on ensuring they are supported in any way possible through this very difficult time."

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Italy: Briton Held Over Tour Guide Murder

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A Briton has been arrested in Italy for the murder of a tour guide and the attempted killing of another man.

Jason Peter Marshall, 24, was held by police early on Saturday after they traced him through his mobile phone signal to a late night bus.

Police believe he met both men through gay internet chat rooms.

He was arrested after a 55-year-old man was found severely beaten in the bedroom of his apartment in central Rome, following calls to police when neighbours heard screams and calls for help.

When officers arrived on the scene, the victim identified Marshall as his attacker and described how he had been threatened with a gun, badly beaten with a telescopic cosh and smothered with a pillow.

Marshall is said to have fled the apartment with €400 (£348), credit cards and the victim's iPad as he allegedly tried to erase all traces of contact between him and the victim.

Marshall, who is originally from Greenwich, southeast London, is said to have arrived in Italy last month and police in Rome have confirmed he is also the prime suspect in the murder of tour guide Vincenzo Iale.

The 68-year-old was found strangled and stabbed to death in his flat at Torvajanica, on the outskirts of Rome, four weeks ago with his bank card missing.

Police said Marshall was being held in Rome's Regina Coeli jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, kidnap and possessing offensive weapons.

Sources said the victims had been targeted through gay internet chat rooms.

A Rome police source said: "This could easily have been a double murder investigation and the second victim - although badly hurt - can think himself lucky he is not dead."

No one from the British Embassy in Rome was immediately available for comment and Marshall is expected to be questioned further by prosecutors ahead of appearing before an investigating judge.

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British Man Drowns At Egypt Resort

A British man has drowned while swimming in the sea off the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

A British embassy spokeswoman in Cairo confirmed that the 50-year-old had drowned while swimming on Friday.

However, she said she could give no further detail on the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh

Sharm el Sheikh is one of the main Red Sea resorts and attracts millions of tourists each year.

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FA's Anti-Racism Star Quits After 'Abuse' Row

Football's anti-racism campaigner Paul Elliott has resigned from his position at the Football Association after making "discriminatory abusive comments".

The former Chelsea and Celtic defender, allegedly aimed a racial insult via text at ex-Charlton player Richard Rufus in an argument over a failed business venture. Both men are black.

The FA's chairman David Bernstein said in a statement that Elliott's position was "untenable" after the matter was reported earlier this week.

Elliott served on the FA's judicial panel and as a nominated member of UEFA committees.

He was also a trustee of the Kick It Out campaign, a position from which he has also stepped down.

The 48-year-old received a CBE for services to equality and diversity in football earlier this month.

A statement from the FA read: "The FA has today accepted the resignation of Paul Elliott from all roles representing the organisation.

"This follows a conversation in which discriminatory abusive comments were made to Richard Rufus."

Mr Bernstein said: "I am saddened by this turn of events and it is with regret that we accept Paul's resignation.

"However, the use of discriminatory language is unacceptable regardless of its context and in effect has made Paul's position untenable."

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Banksy Mural Withdrawn From Auction

By Liz Lane, Sky News Reporter

A Banksy work that was removed from the side of a north London Poundland shop under mysterious circumstances has been withdrawn from sale in the US.

The world's most famous street artist painted the mural on the side of Poundland in Wood Green last May, before the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Called Slave Labour, it showed a boy hunched over a sewing machine making Union Flag bunting.

It was suddenly removed from the wall last weekend, to the anger of local people, and turned up at Fine Art Auctions in Miami where it was expected to fetch up to £460,000 ($700,000).

It looks like a week-long campaign by Haringey Council to stop the sale may have worked as, at the last-minute, the lot was pulled.

A spokesman for the Florida auction house said there were "no legal issues" regarding the sale but that it had decided to withdraw two Banksy lots. No further explanation was given.

Wood Green councillor Alan Strickland said: "To have the mural withdrawn from sale at the 11th hour is a wonderful surprise for the community here in Wood Green.

"It suggests the level of international media attention has had a real impact."

Mr Strickland emailed FAA owner Frederic Thut to ask why the sale had not gone ahead and if there were any plans to auction it in the future.

"Local people have already been in touch about the brilliant news, but we need to know what's going to happen now," he said.

A stencil of a rat holding a sign saying "Why?" has appeared on the wall

"It seems like we're half-way there. The next step is to get it returned."

It is still unclear who intended to sell the artwork via the auction house, but the Metropolitan Police had said there had not been any reports of theft.

A solicitor for Wood Green Investments, which owns the Poundland site, told Sky News: "My clients do not court publicity, but find themselves in the quite remarkable position that if they deny removing the mural then they will become embroiled in an international criminal investigation that has already involved the FBI.

"But if they admit to consenting to the removal of the mural then they will become the target of abuse."

The episode has started a debate about who, if anyone, owns street art.

Artist "Stik" is clear about who he paints for: "Street artists are putting their work on the street for people. It's for communities, and it's an artistic expression. It's a public gallery. It's open 24 hours a day and it's the biggest gallery in the world, because it is the world."

This isn't this first time murals have been removed to be sold for huge sums. French artist Thierry Noir contributed to the longest concrete painting in the world on the Berlin Wall.

He told Sky News that when the wall came down, his work was stripped by East German soldiers and sold in Monaco for £2m: "It was the soldiers so what can I do against soldiers? Nothing except look at those soldiers.

"It took them one week to take the complete pieces I paint in Berlin, but it was too strong for me so I had to accept it."

A rat holding up a sign saying "Why?" has been stencilled next to the empty space where the Banksy mural stood, with some speculating it could be another work by the elusive artist.

Whether Slave Labour will be returned to the community it was meant for, remains as mysterious as the artist.

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Doctors From Abroad Must Take English Test

By Lisa Dowd, Sky News Correspondent

New checks will be introduced to make sure all NHS doctors can speak English well enough to treat patients, the Government has announced.

It comes five years after David Gray, 70, was killed by a German doctor on his first out-of-hours shift in the UK.

Daniel Ubani accidentally gave the pensioner 10 times the recommended dose of the painkiller diamorphine.

The locum was struck off the medical register in the UK, but still practises in Germany, despite admitting death by negligence in a German court.

Mr Gray's son Stuart, 53, himself a GP, said: "What Ubani had done was try to register with Leeds PCT (Primary Care Trust).

"They'd made him sit an English language test to see if he was proficient. He failed that, so he decided to apply to another PCT, this being Cornwall.

"They didn't bother to test his English language skills, put him on the list, once he was on the list he can practise anywhere in the country and he then went to practise in Cambridgeshire where he killed my father."

Daniel Ubani caused the death of 70-year-old David Gray (pictured)

Last year, research by Pulse magazine for GPs found that 792 EU doctors were on the so-called "performers lists" of 51 Primary Care Trusts, allowing them to work in the UK. Of those, 657 doctors, or 83%, hadn't had their English skills tested.

From April 1 there will be one national list which every GP will have to be on before treating patients. There will also be a legal duty to ensure those on it have good English.

Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said: "It's not something that should cause huge public alarm, but it's something that we do know from the case of Doctor Daniel Ubani, and other doctors, who are sometimes flown in to do short-term locums in the NHS from Europe, that it is something that has actually caused deaths in this country.

"That's completely unacceptable and that's why we're introducing language checking for all overseas doctors including those within the EU."

But Dr Gray, of Blakedown, Worcestershire, has his doubts. He said: "I'd like to know how they're going to police it.

"If they say it's going to be illegal for the doctor to work here if they can't communicate in English, well, it was illegal for Cornwall PCT to put Ubani on their list, and no one has been held to account for breaking the law there."

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, welcomed the Government's plans. "This is good news for patients," he said. "The Health Minister's announcement today will help strengthen patient safety across the UK.

"Our position is clear - patients must be confident that the doctor who treats them has the right communications skills to do the job.

"If doctors cannot speak English to a safe standard then the GMC must be able to protect patients by preventing them from practising in the UK."

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Cardinal Keith O'Brien Contests Accusations

Britain's most senior Roman Catholic clergyman has been reported to the Vatican over claims of inappropriate behaviour, a newspaper has claimed.

The Observer reports that three priests and a former priest have made the allegations against Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: "'The Pope knows about the issue and the question is now in his hands.''

A spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church told Sky News that Cardinal O'Brien "contests these claims and is taking legal advice".

According to the Observer, the four claimants reported to nuncio Antonio Mennini, the Vatican's ambassador to Britain, that Cardinal O'Brien had committed "inappropriate acts" going back 33 years.

The claimants, all from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, are also demanding the cleric's resignation, the paper said.

Cardinal O'Brien has a vote in the forthcoming papal conclave to choose Pope Benedict XVI's successor.

The claimants are said to be worried that their report will not be properly addressed if he is allowed to travel to Rome.

"It (the church) tends to cover up and protect the system at all costs," said one of the complainants, according to quotes published by the paper.

"The church is beautiful, but it has a dark side and that has to do with accountability. If the system is to be improved, maybe it needs to be dismantled a bit."

Cardinal O'Brien, who is due to retire next month, has angered the gay community with his conservative stance on homosexuality.

He recently said that same-sex marriages would be "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved" and has long voiced opposition to gay adoption.

When Pope Benedict announced his decision to resign on February 11, Cardinal O'Brien said: "Like many people throughout the world, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to resign.

"I know that his decision will have been considered most carefully and that it has come after much prayer and reflection."

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Three-Year-Old Dies In Blind Cord Tragedy

A three-year-old boy has died after becoming entangled in a blind cord in an accident described as being "felt by the entire community".

Police are investigating the death of the boy, on Saturday evening, in Mayobridge in County Down, Northern Ireland.

A police spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Sinn Fein MLA Caitriona Ruane expressed her sympathy to the victim's family.

She said: "This tragic accident has been felt by the entire community and I would like to extend my condolences to the family. Our thoughts are with them at this time."

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, at least 25 deaths across the UK since 1999 have been blamed on blind cords.

Shipping tycoon Morten Hoegh's daughter died in a blind cord accident

In October the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Britain, the Norwegian shipping tycoon Morten Hoegh, died as the result of such an accident.

Alexandra Lucy Hoegh, two, was found suspended and unconscious by her nanny and mother Dana at their west London home.

The inquest into her death heard Alexandra was "very adept" at climbing in and out of her cot, using a table next to it.

The cot was by the window, which had a roller blind fitted.

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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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