Revenge Porn Offenders To Face Prison

By Harriet Hadfield, Sky News Reporter

Publishing sexually explicit pictures of former partners is to be made a criminal offence - and could carry up to a two-year prison sentence.

It is known as revenge porn and involves uploading private images with the intention of embarrassing or shaming an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.

The issue was brought into sharp focus after celebrities including pop stars Rihanna and Tulisa Contostavlos fell victim to the cruel craze.

In the last two and a half years 149 cases of revenge pornography were reported to eight police forces in England and Wales and figures reveal the victims include children as young as 11.

An anonymous victim of revenge porn told Sky News: "I felt humiliated, I was shocked that someone had stooped to that level to try and humiliate me because I didn't think that I had disrespected someone enough for them to do something like that to me.

Video: Revenge Porn Victim Tells Her Story

"It makes you feel dirty, it makes you feel unconfident and if something can be done about it, I think it should be."

There is currently no law in the UK that deals directly with the issue but proposed changes to legislation would apply to online and offline images and those convicted could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the distribution of such images was "almost beyond belief".

"We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice," he said.

Video: Revenge Porn Police Stats

"That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison."

The change in the law would be made via an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

Adam Pemberton, assistant chief executive for the charity Victim Support, said: "This type of behaviour can be extremely distressing for its victims causing them significant psychological harm.

"We are pleased that people who commit these gross violations of privacy will now face prosecution and victims of revenge porn know they have the full backing of the law."

Video: Revenge Porn Victims As Young As 11

But some experts are questioning whether a specific revenge porn offence will work.

Lawyer Myles Jackman told Sky News: "It is very difficult as there are a number of different scenarios in which revenge porn might be created and not all of them will fit this one scenario.

"Creating an offence that catches all is almost impossible."

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British Troops Back In Iraq To Help Beat IS

The Ministry of Defence has said a "small specialist team" of UK soldiers are in Iraq and working near the front line of the fight between the Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish fighters.

Based near the Kurdish capital of Irbil in the north, they are training peshmerga forces in the use of heavy machine guns the UK supplied to them in September.

The Sunday Times reported that the soldiers were from the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, which is based in Cyprus.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "The Government has previously made clear its intention to provide training to the peshmerga as part of the continued effort to assist in the fight against Isil (IS).

UK troops are training Kurdish peshmerga forces in the use of UK arms

"The Defence Secretary has approved the deployment of a small specialist team of non-combat Army trainers which is now in the Irbil area providing instruction on operating, employing and maintaining the heavy machine guns that were gifted by the UK last month."

British troops invaded Iraq in March 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

The last British combat troops from the war left in April 2009, with a small number staying on to train Iraqi forces until 2011.

RAF Tornado fighter jets have been involved in US-led bombing raids on IS fighters for the past two weeks.

But there is strong resistance among British politicians to any ground troop involvement in fighting against the Islamist group, which controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria.

Video: RAF Jets Attack Targets In Iraq

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Ex-Army Major Stripped Of Military Cross

A senior Army officer has become the first soldier to be stripped of his Military Cross, after it was revealed he had exaggerated his heroism.

Major Robert Michael Armstrong was given the prestigious medal in March 2009 for his leadership under fire in Afghanistan.

He was praised for saving the lives of his injured comrades while dodging bullets and inspiring Afghan troops to fire rockets at the enemy.

But he was detained later that year as part of a probe into allegations of false battle write ups and now the London Gazette has announced the medal will be "cancelled and annulled".

In 2008, Armstrong, 41, was a Royal Artillery officer attached to the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment battle group in Helmand when a British and Afghan convoy came under Taliban attack.

Armstrong's citation praised his "swift, instinctive actions, personal courage and disregard for his own life", adding: "As a result of his calm leadership under fire losses were prevented and the lives of those injured were saved."

Armstrong, dismissed from the Army two years ago, arriving at court martial

He was awarded the Military Cross the following year "for his consistent bravery and inspirational leadership".

But fellow soldiers disputed the claims, with two corporals claiming there was no hostile fire by the Taliban when a vehicle in the convoy was blown up and the Sunday Telegraph reported one officer was aggrieved that actions attributed to Armstrong were actually those performed by other officers.

The commander of Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade, Brigadier Giles Hill, was ordered to carry out a review into the citation.

It is understood that he found significant disparities between what Armstrong claimed happened and what actually occurred and that the citation contained a number of falsehoods.

When a soldier performs an act on operations worthy of a medal, the highest-ranked officer present will normally write a citation, speaking to those present and even speak to the subject without letting them know the reason for the conversation.

The now disgraced soldier had been awarded the Military Cross for bravery

Armstrong's lawyers said he had had "no role in corroborating events referred to in the citation" and said there were "shortcomings and irregularities" in the process used by senior officers.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The MoD can confirm that an investigation has concluded into the circumstances surrounding the award of a gallantry medal relating to an incident in Afghanistan."

Armstrong was dismissed from the Army two years ago after hundreds of rounds of ammunition and secret documents were found in his home.

A judge at Colchester military court had said Armstrong had demonstrated a "cavalier attitude" to handling the ammunition and that the documents could have resulted in loss of life if they had been published.

Armstrong was sentenced to 12 months in prison for those offences but this was suspended for two years.

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Police Foil Bid To Steal Eric Morecambe Statue

A man has been arrested after police foiled an attempt to steal a statue of comedian Eric Morecambe.

Officers were called to Marine Road Central in Morecambe at around midday following reports the effigy had been damaged.

Lancashire Constabulary say they believe someone attempted to cut through one of the statue's legs.

Eric Morecambe (right) and Ernie Wise

The monument has now been removed by the council and the area has been fenced off.

Sgt John Bond said: "We are in the early stages of our investigation and I would urge anyone who may have seen what happened or has any information to get in touch with police."

A 32-year-old man from Morecambe has been arrested on suspicion of attempted theft and remains in custody.

The bronze figure was unveiled on the promenade by the Queen in July 1999 and was joined by Morecambe's widow, Joan, and his children, Gary, Gail and Steven.

It took sculptor Graham Ibbeson six years to complete and featured some of the comedian's famous sayings.

Born John Eric Bartholomew, he was born in Morecambe in 1926 and used his home town for his stage surname.

He died on 28 May, 1984 after collapsing on stage with a heart attack.

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Sex Pic Scandal Tory MP To Quit Parliament

A Conservative MP who stepped down as a minister over an internet sex scandal is to leave Parliament at the next election.

Brooks Newmark, who served as minister for civil society and founded the Women2Win campaign group, claimed the media spotlight had become "intolerable".

The Braintree MP exchanged suggestive pictures over the internet with a reporter posing as a young Tory PR woman.

In an article for the Mail on Sunday, American-born Mr Newmark wrote: "In response to what seems to be a new text-and-tell story I am standing down as an MP at the next election.

"I was the man who had everything. Now my political career is in ruins.

"I have traumatised my family and let down my constituents and my colleagues. Many will regard me as a failure and it is true: behind the outward facade of success and achievement, I have been battling demons - and losing to them.

"I craved adrenaline and risk. Stress at work drove me to increasingly erratic behaviour. My friends warned me that I was cracking up. I ignored them.

"Late at night, I began a series of flirtations in response to approaches from women on social media. Deep inside, I knew I was playing with fire. Now it has consumed me and my family.

"I want to concentrate on slaying those demons - making me, I hope, a better husband and father, and giving me a chance to contribute in some way to the country in future."

In a letter to the Prime Minister, he wrote: "The continued media intrusion into past episodes in my personal life is placing an intolerable burden on my family.

"I have therefore decided to stand down at the General Election. I will continue to serve my constituents to the best of my abilities until that time.

"I again appeal to the media to respect my family's privacy and to give me a chance to try to heal the hurt I have caused them. I have no one to blame but myself and take full responsibility for my own actions.

"I will remain a loyal supporter of the Government and would like to thank the many friends and colleagues for the support and sympathy they have shown me and my family."

Mr Newmark was caught in a Sunday Mirror "honey trap" that used a fictitious party activist called Sophie Wittam to flirt with MPs via social media.

The 56-year-old, who is married and has five children, resigned as a minister after learning the newspaper was about to publish details of their exchanges.

The methods used in the investigation have since been criticised.

Former judge Sir Alan Moses, the chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), said the matter was of "urgent public concern".

A new story alleging Mr Newmark sent naked images of himself to a second woman appears on the front of Sunday's Sun on Sunday.

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Google Bombarded With Requests To Delete Info

Google says it has received 18,304 requests from Britons asking it to remove information about their past under the EU's 'right to be forgotten' legislation.

The submissions came from more than 6,000 people who asked the search engine to erase links to more than 60,000 websites.

Altogether just over 145,000 requests have been made to Google by people across Europe wanting to improve their reputations.

That is an average of 1,000 a day since last May when the process began.

The controversial 'right to be forgotten' law covers the 28 countries in the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Video: Assange: Google Is Like The NSA

According to Google, the highest number of requests have come from France (29,010), followed by Germany (25,078) and then Britain.

Altogether the submissions covered more than 497,000 web links, of which 42% - more than 200,000 - have been jettisoned.

Among all websites, Facebook's social network has had the most links erased so far - 3,332 - while Google's own YouTube video site has had nearly 2,400 removed.

Video: Google Desert Street View Launched

Even when blocked from Google's search results in Europe, however, content can still appear in listings posted in other parts of the world, including the US.

Under the new law EU citizens can request that links to "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant" information be removed from Google search results.

In short, Google must remove articles if the impact on the individual's privacy is greater than the public's right to find it, the European Union Court of Justice found.

Video: Google Launches Delivery Drone

The legislation has been widely criticised for allowing murderers, rapists and paedophiles to bury information about their past and for undermining freedom of speech.

It followed a landmark case brought by a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed home on Google's search results infringed his privacy.

Google has given examples of links which have been deleted including one to old article about the murder of a woman's husband in Italy. This was removed because the story mentioned the wife.

Video: Jimmy Wales: 'Don't Use Google'

The company says it has turned down requests from financial professionals seeking to remove links to material describing arrests or convictions for past misconduct.

It also rejected a demand from a "media professional" in the UK to erase four links to embarrassing content.

There are fears the whitewashing of search results could extend beyond the EU after a Japanese judge ruled Google should remove information that suggested a man once had ties to a criminal organisation.

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UKIP Could Win Over 100 Seats, Say Experts

Support for UKIP has surged to 25% in the polls and the party could win a remarkable 128 MPs in a general election, experts have claimed.

A Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday found a repeat of the Clacton by-election result next May would see the Conservatives lose 100 seats and Ed Miliband at No 10.

Labour and the Tories are both on 31% while the Liberal Democrats are on 8%, according to the research for the newspaper.

Experts suggest that the ratings would give Labour 253 MPs, Conservatives 187, UKIP 128, Lib Dems 11, and other parties, such as the SNP, 71.

The Survation poll is exteremely bad news for David Cameron

However, private polling analysis seen by The Sunday Times puts UKIP on course to win a maximum of 25 MPs, which is still far higher than earlier predictions.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, told the Mail on Sunday: "The 25% level represents a 22-point increase on the 3% the party won in 2010.

Video: Farage: 'I Don't Trust Cameron'

"If that increase were to occur evenly in every constituency, they could still fail to pick up a single seat.

"But today's poll suggests UKIP's support has increased much more in the south of England outside London than it has elsewhere in the UK - by a staggering 34 points.

"If that level was recorded throughout the South, UKIP could win as many as 128 seats, with no less than 102 of them coming from the Conservatives, whose vote in the region is down 14 points."

Video: 'We're After You': UKIP Claims

Meanwhile, an Opinium poll for The Observer has Labour on 35%, seven points ahead of the Conservatives on 28%, UKIP on 17% and the Liberal Democrats up two on 9%.

The Tories and Labour were left reeling after UKIP dealt both sides major blows in the two by-elections on Thursday.

Tory defector Douglas Carswell became the first elected MP for the eurosceptics after taking Clacton with a majority of 12,404, and the party was just 617 votes shy of victory in Heywood and Middleton.

Video: What Does UKIP's Win Mean For 2015?

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has ruled out any form of election pact with the Conservatives despite fresh calls among Tory backbenchers for a deal to be struck.

He said he was "targeting everybody" in the forthcoming by-election in Rochester and Strood, sparked by sitting Tory MP Mark Reckless also defecting to his party.

Mr Farage told Sky News: "If I was to call a silence and ask our activists whether they wanted a pre-election pact with the Conservatives I think I would need to be bundled into that room for my own safety."

Video: 'UKIP Vote Risks Labour Government'

He added: "I don't trust David Cameron. I don't believe a word (he) says and for that reason it would be fruitless to even enter into any negotiation."

:: There'll be more on the rise of UKIP and Ed Miliband's leadership when Dermot Murnaghan talks to former prime minister Gordon Brown from 10am on Sky News.

Video: No Complacency From Labour

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Road Hauliers In Christmas Deliveries Warning

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Hauliers are warning that a national shortage of lorry drivers could hit deliveries to shops and stores in the run-up to Christmas.

They say the cost of obtaining a licence and strict EU rules are putting off many would-be drivers.

"What we're concerned about is that as things start to ramp up around Christmas... there just simply won't be enough drivers available to make all the deliveries that are needed," said Natalie Chapman of the Freight Transport Association.

According to the organisation, 40% of lorry drivers are 50 or over, while just 1% are under the age of 25.

Chris Stevenson, 24, from Bloxwich, told Sky News he is desperate to become a lorry driver.

Chris Stevenson has spent a small fortune trying to get an HGV licence

"It's the freedom of the job really. Seeing a bit of the country, maybe seeing a bit if the world, doing continental driving, you can get around a bit - (it) beats being stuck in one place all the while."

However, three unsuccessful attempts to get his HGV licence have cost him £2,500 so far.

John Heighway, transport manager at Devaneys Haulage, says such costs and the image of the profession have resulted in too few young people wanting to join it.

"It's quite desperate really. We could have enough work for an extra 10 vehicles.

Hauliers fear the shops might not be so full this Christmas

"But we just don't have the drivers to cover it, so we just have to turn work down which is something we don't like doing."

That is great news for agency staff like Martins Svarcs from Latvia, who is working for the West Bromwich-based company.

"I'm working every day, five days a week, nine hours driving a day, so I'm happy."

But even temporary workers cannot fill all the vacant posts.

Martins Svarcs from Latvia has all the work he can handle

Hauliers say the problem is being made worse by EU rules which require experienced drivers to undertake further costly training - or face a large fine.

Roy Reynolds, 68, from Wolverhampton had been driving for 41 years and like many others decided to quit.

"Now regulations are coming in where you've got to go back to the classroom.

"I don't feel that I need to do that with the experience that I've gained over a number of years. It just seems pointless, so I decided to retire."

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Suspected Thief Dies In Harbour Plunge

A suspected bicycle thief has died after leaping into Sutton Harbour in Plymouth while apparently running from police.

The man was being chased by officers called to reports of a theft in the area, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

He became trapped between a disused fishing boat and the harbour wall after diving into the water.

"The man was seen by members of the public to enter the water close to The China House pub around 6.30am," a police spokesman said.

"Two lifeboats and the fire service water rescue team were deployed but were unable to reach the man due to his location."

A Royal Navy dive team recovered the body from the water.

Police said they were now working to establish the man's identity.

The death has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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Brown Hits Out At Cameron Over Scotland Powers

Gordon Brown has told David Cameron his promise of more powers for Scotland "is not radical enough", as he warned the Prime Minister not to "play fast and loose on the constitution" in the wake of the referendum result.

The former Prime Minister is this week set to reveal more details of his plan for further powers for Scotland after the "No" campaign's triumph last month.

Speaking on Sky's Murnaghan programme, Mr Brown said the Conservatives were making a "mistake" by not going further in their offer, which should include issues like transport and the environment.

He said: "If we did that, I think we could get an agreement on very extensive powers, a powerhouse parliament, and I think we could move forward pretty quickly, accepting that we want to stay part of the United Kingdom."

However, plans to devolve 100% of control over income tax to Scotland don't "make sense", according to Mr Brown.

Video: Scotland Commitments To Be Honoured

He wants the Scottish Parliament to be responsible for raising 54% of its own revenue, quadrupling the figure from the £4bn it currently raises to £18bn in 2016.

Mr Brown also warned that Mr Cameron's pledge of "English votes for English laws" made after the "No" vote would also be a mistake.

While Mr Brown insisted he supports the devolution of power to English regions and cities, he cautioned against restricting the rights of Scottish MPs to vote on certain issues.

He said: "So we want to see more decentralisation, more powers to the Welsh assembly and we want to see devolution, if you like, all round the United Kingdom. But what does English votes for English laws mean in practice?

"It means simply this: restricting the rights of Scottish Members of Parliament to be first class citizens at Westminster.

Video: Salmond: Scot Voters Were 'Tricked'

"If the Conservatives pursue that then it's very difficult to see how you can have one United Kingdom and two classes of representation."

The interview came as William Hague, the Cabinet minister who is leading cross-party talks on the issue, told the Sunday Telegraph that Labour leader Ed Miliband should agree soon to only English MPs voting on English issues or vote against the plans. 

Mr Brown said the PM's remarks after the referendum were "unstatesman-like" and he should "regret what he did".

"You cannot promise Scotland something on a Tuesday then change the offer the day after the referendum on the Friday and I think the Conservatives have got to think again about playing fast and loose with the constitution," Mr Brown said.

Conservative MP John Redwood told Sky News he was "disappointed" Mr Brown had made "such a wayward and unfounded attack" on the PM.

Video: Brown: 'Time For Scotland To Unite'

"The Prime Minister will honour every pledge he made to Scotland and he will be right to do so," he said.

"He will collaborate with Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders who also made solemn promises to Scotland.

"None of us want to stand in the way of more devolution to Scotland, we keep our word. The Prime Minister also rightly said that England now needs justice."

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