Seven Saved By 'Send For Help' Sand Message

Seven people stranded on a beach were rescued after a walker on a cliff top spotted their "send for help" message which they had written in the sand.

The group had travelled around Stepper Point in Cornwall to a beach at Butter Hole in a sailing dinghy and small rigid inflatable boat for a picnic.

Conditions were perfect until the tide started coming in and the waves increased to a two-metre swell, trapping the four adults and three children on the beach.

No-one in the party had a radio, or a mobile phone reception, so they resorted to writing a distress call in the sand.

It was luckily spotted by a walker on the cliff top who raised the alarm.

A crew of volunteers at Rock RNLI launched at 3.21pm yesterday, with the coastguard team from Padstow and the Padstow RNLI all-weather lifeboat later called to help.

Volunteer Neil Davis managed to get colleague Leon Burt onshore to help transfer one of the adults and all of the children to the lifeboat, before transferring them to a nearby tripping boat, the Ocean Voyager.

They then returned to rescue the three remaining adults, who were transferred to the Padstow RNLI all-weather lifeboat.

The group was then taken back to Padstow, while the Rock RNLI team recovered their Wayfarer dingy and small rigid inflatable boat.

Mike Hewitt, the RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at Rock, said: "This was a very difficult rescue carried out with great skill and bravery.

"There was the ever present threat of the lifeboat being swamped or capsized by the dumping seas, but using their RNLI training our crew worked together to recover all the people and then their boats.

"The group made a very sensible decision not to try launching their boats into the building seas but they were lucky that a passing walker noticed the message calling for help written in the sand and I would remind people that it's important to have a suitable means of contacting someone when going to sea.

"Don't assume you will have a mobile phone signal when you go to a beach by water so take a VHF radio.

"Be aware of local conditions too. The group left in near perfect conditions but big waves can suddenly develop around here when the tide starts to come in and this can catch you out," he added.

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Tug-Of-Love Mother 'Acted On Instinct'

A mother who acted on "maternal instinct" when she abducted four of her children has been cleared of breaching a court order to hand them back to her ex-husband.

Jennifer Jones, 46, faced contempt proceedings when she failed to send the children to Spain to live with their father, Spanish army officer Tomas Palacin Cambra.

But she argued her children's behaviour made it impossible to comply with the order and she did not do it "deliberately".

Lawyers had argued she should be penalised for failing to hand the children over in Cardiff in October, but Ms Jones resisted the contempt application at a hearing in London.

The judge was told that a Spanish court had ordered that following the break-up of her marriage the four children should stay with their father in Spain.

Tomas Palacin Cambra, 53, with the couple's children

He heard that they had been visiting their mother when she allegedly breached the order.

The case hit the headlines last October when Ms Jones and the four children - Jessica, now 15, Tomas, now 13, Eva, now 10, and David, now eight - disappeared.

They were all found safe and well within days after a public appeal for help.

Government legal advisers were asked to consider whether contempt proceedings should be brought against Ms Jones, who argued that two of her children were traumatised and had run to the local police station.

"Those children didn't want to go back," Ms Jones told the court. "All I knew was that my daughter and my son had run away and escaped. I was very concerned about my children.

"I was so frightened because I knew I was supposed to be in Cardiff. I was going through a lot of emotions. As a mother you go by your instincts".

The maximum penalty Ms Jones faced for being in contempt was two years' imprisonment.

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Brazil: Shark Attack Kills Teenage Tourist

An 18-year-old tourist has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming off a popular beach in Brazil.

Bruna Gobbi was around waist deep in the sea at Boa Viagem, Recife, when the animal bit into her left leg, according to local news website Correio.

Video filmed from the beach shows a splash of water before the area she was swimming in turns red.

Bruna Gobbi died after doctors amputated most of her left leg

The footage then shows her being brought ashore with serious injuries to the lower part of her left leg. Much of her skin is missing, although her foot is still attached.

Ms Gobbi was taken to a local hospital, but died after surgery to amputate her leg around 15cm above the knee.

The teenager, from Sao Paolo, was on a family holiday to Recife and was on the beach with her mum, grandfather and cousins - one of whom, Daniele, was in the sea when Ms Gobbi was attacked.

"The rescuers came in a matter of five minutes but to us it felt like five years," she told Globo TV.

Signs warning swimmers of previous shark attacks are displayed along the length of the beach and Ms Gobbi had been warned about the dangers of swimming in the sea, the TV station reported.

It said local authorities have asked the Brazilian government to ban swimming in areas prone to shark attacks.

According to the government agency Comite Estadual de Monitoramento de Incidentes com Tubaroes, there have been 21 shark attacks -10 of them fatal - in Boa Viagem since 1992.

Ms Gobbi is thought to be the first woman killed by a shark since the records began.

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River Wear: Girl Died Trying To Save Friend

One of the two teenage friends who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Wear was trying to save the other, police have said.

Tonibeth Purvis, 15, jumped into the water to save Chloe Fowler, 14, who had entered the river near Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear, to "keep cool" in the heat.

Tributes from friends at the scene

Superintendent Alan Veitch, of Northumbria Police, said: "Chloe went in first, Tonibeth and others went in to help her. Tonibeth got into difficulties and so have the others."

He said Chloe, from Shiney Row, near Sunderland, got into the river of her own free will.

A lot of children jumped in after "to effect a rescue", he said, adding that the survivors had been left traumatised by the tragedy and were receiving counselling.

He said the victims' families were also "completely distraught" and were being supported.

"This is an absolute tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with the families of the two girls," he added.

Chloe's family said in a statement: "Chloe was a beautiful, kind and caring girl and we as a family are devastated by what has happened.

"We would like to thank everyone involved in helping us look for the girls. We would ask that we are given some time and privacy to grieve."

An off-duty policeman and a member of the public also tried to save the girls after they were spotted in the water at around 3pm on Tuesday.

A boy who also tried to help was pulled to safety by the police officer, before around 100 emergency service personnel joined the search and rescue effort.

A family leaves a bunch of flowers by the river

Fire crews joined police specialists including a helicopter, as well as a coastguard team, in the search.

The girls' bodies were recovered by police dive teams last night and taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Paul Cronin, 63, who lives nearby, saw one of the men who had attempted a rescue.

He told Sky Tyne and Wear: "There's a fella, come running up the park in his boxer shorts, screaming, 'can you swim?'

"He dived in from the other side and tried to rescue her, got into difficulties himself. I ran down to the river to the point where he came out ... heard some screaming a little further down."

Tributes were also paid to the two teenagers by friends, with Tonibeth, from Barmston, Washington, being hailed a "hero" in one card left with flowers at the scene.

Joss Richards, 13, in the same school class as Tonibeth, said she was "absolutely lovely", while Aimee Bell, 13, described Chloe as a "fantastic girl".

Rescue teams searched for the girls into the evening

The headteachers of the schools the girls attended also paid tribute.

Oxclose Community Academy head Tony Cunningham, where Chloe was a pupil, said everyone at the school was "devastated".

He added: "Chloe was a popular pupil who had many friends in school. She was determined to succeed in everything she set her mind to and she will be sadly missed by staff and pupils alike."

Tonibeth had moved to Washington School this year, where headteacher John Hallworth said: "She had settled into school life here very well and had already made a good and close group of friends.

"Her teachers and pastoral staff speak of a quiet and caring young lady who had a most promising future and who was looking forward to achieving a broad suite of qualifications.

"Tonibeth was a lovely girl and a valued member of our school community. There is a very palpable sense of loss at school this morning."

On Twitter, friends expressed their shock at the death of the two teenagers.

One user, @shannon97xxxxxx wrote: "cant get over whats happened, rip toni beth and chloe fowlerx."

Another, @laurenlsmithx, said: "Rest in peace Toni-Beth Purvis and Chloe Fowler, rest in peace angels, you will both be such a big miss."

:: The body of man in his 20s was pulled from Thirlmere Reservoir in Keswick, Cumbria, on Wednesday afternoon after reports of two people in distress. A woman was rescued by emergency services.

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Royal Baby Arrives At Kate's Parents' House

Snappers Get Royal Baby Shot

Updated: 5:00pm UK, Wednesday 24 July 2013

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

For the past few weeks, photographers have been jealously guarding their spots in front of the Lindo Wing, waiting for the Duke and Duchess to leave with their baby in tow.

Sky's Jason Farrell spent a day with the assembled snappers as they prepared to get the crucial shot.

More than 100 stepladders crack, squeak and scrape as men with super-size cameras climb into place to get "the shot".

A woman tries to push in from the back between the metal stilts with her iPhone poised for an amateur snap.

"Woah! Madam, please, this is a press area," one snapper says. If one ladder were to go, they'd topple like dominoes.

A Royal press man says: "Five more minutes, maybe a bit longer."

"No problem," replies a snapper. "We've been here three weeks."

The ladders have been stacking up since July 1 as photographers negotiated their position. From the two-steps at the front to the 10-step-highs at the back they have created a theatre of ladders and lenses.

Their stage is the doorstep of the Lindo Wing at St Mary's hospital. The event - a new arrival to the portfolio of Royal celebrity.

Perched on top of one ladder is Getty Images Royal Photographer Chris Jackson.

"I'm up high because it's the best chance of getting the baby's face." He said: "With William he was all bundled up and no one got it."

Mr Jackson spots my copy of the Metro and points out the picture of Kate on the front page is one of his, but thoughts turn to the shot he's waiting to take.

"This is such a significant moment because on those steps, for the first time, we're going to see the next generation of the Royal Family and our future king."

Two places in front of him, under a cap, is veteran Royal photographer Arthur Edwards. He's been taking pictures of the Royals from the days when Prince Charles was still looking for a bride.

Back then it was well known that his job was to find out who Charles would marry. Indeed, when the Prince tied to knot with Diana he sent a telegram to Mr Edwards asking him if he was now redundant.

"I just want them to look my way and to get a picture of all three of them, especially the baby's face," he says.

"We want to know what he looks like. And I hope everyone shows respect and the pack doesn't start shouting. If they do, William will just leave."

He tells me that in his entire career he has never seen one story create the size of interest demonstrated by the 150-metre-long press pen holding media from across the globe.

"It's partly down to Kate. She's thrown herself into the job. Her wedding was seen by billions around the world. They're such a handsome couple."

He added: "Then we had the jubilee and the Olympics. People who maybe weren't decided about the Royals changed their mind when the Queen did what she did at the Olympic opening ceremony. You know, she played along with the joke."

Royal Photographer Mark Stuart says he's here for the occasion: "This isn't going to be a financially rewarding shot because there will be 100 photographers with the same picture.

"You might get £180 for a front page. But it is an historic moment and you have to be here."

When the couple finally step out, proud parents and child creeping into the light, crowds cheer and shutters burst into action like the flutter of a swarm of insects passing through the street.

The pictures reach the world almost instantly. There's no need to even download them onto a laptop these days; a 4G device on the side of the cameras can send the images automatically to a press desk and in less than a minute they can be digitally fired around the world.

Where will they end up? "On the front page of lots of magazines and newspapers hopefully," says Mr Jackson.

For Mr Edwards it's always the front page of The Sun: "I got a lovely one of the couple looking into each others eyes," he says.

The weeks of waiting has been rewarded with about a minute of Royal face time - and yes even the baby's face was visible, just.

Then it's back inside into a car seat and he's gone.

But his image is already being replicated millions of times around the world, and those stepladders and those fluttering insects will never be far away for the rest of his life.

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Jane Austen To Be On £10 Notes From 2017

The novelist Jane Austen will be the new face of £10 notes from 2017, the Bank of England has said as the design was revealed.

Campaigners hailed the move as "a brilliant day for women".

Austen, who wrote the aptly titled Persuasion, often poked gentle fun at the establishment in her books and highlighted the frustrations of women faced by barriers in society.

A 35,000-name petition had been presented to the Bank amid criticisms that, with Sir Winston Churchill likely to take the place of social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note as early as 2016, there would be no female figures on UK currency apart from the Queen.

Austen, who is also famous for penning the likes of Pride and Prejudice and Emma, was described last month as a "candidate" to replace Charles Darwin on the £10 note. At the time she was only referred to by the Bank as "waiting in the wings".

Following a campaign backed by dozens of MPs, the Bank has also announced that it is reviewing the way people are chosen to feature on banknotes given that its choices must "command respect and legitimacy".

The public is being invited to email suggestions of how it could improve the way it selects historical figures.

The current design for the Churchill £5 note, due to be introduced in 2016

Asked by Sky's Rhiannon Mills about the influence of the campaign on the decision, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said: "We listened to those concerns and I'll be candid, that affected the timing of the decision, but the substance of the decision? Absolutely not.

"Jane Austen is a great choice ... she's one of the greatest figures in English literature.

"The timing was affected because there was a misimpression of the possibility of there being no women on our banknotes.

"We understood those concerns and it was important to act on it."

Freelance journalist Caroline Criado-Perez, who set up the petition on campaign site Change.org, said: "Without this campaign, without the 35,000 people who signed our Change.org petition, the Bank of England would have unthinkingly airbrushed women out of history.

"To hear Jane Austen confirmed is fantastic, but to hear the process will be comprehensively reviewed is even better."

Current criteria used for selecting banknotes include looking at whether the person has made a lasting contribution which is universally recognised and making sure that the choice is not controversial.

The Governor takes the final decision on the advice of Bank officials, although members of the public have a say in the early stages of the process and are invited to submit suggestions.

The new Austen note design features the quote: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!" from snobbish Pride And Prejudice character Caroline Bingley.

The banknote also shows a portrait of the author which was adapted from a sketch drawn by her sister Cassandra, as well as an image of Godmersham Park, the home of Austen's brother which was said to have inspired much of her work.

Austen was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, but, despite her novels never going out of print, she achieved relatively little recognition during her lifetime.

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Nadine Dorries MP Repays £3,000 In Expenses

Nadine Dorries has repaid £3,000 in travel expenses, according to the Parliamentary watchdog.

The MP accepted her travel claims were "wrongfully made and should not have been allowed", said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa).

Ms Dorries told Ipsa that the claims for journeys between Westminster and her Mid Bedfordshire constituency were made for family reasons, meaning they were not allowed under the expenses scheme.

Other complaints about claims for utility bills were dismissed by Ipsa.

A spokesman for the watchdog said: "MPs have a responsibility to ensure that any expenses claims they make are for parliamentary purposes.

"As part of the regular review of all MPs' claims, Ipsa's internal assurance function found that Nadine Dorries MP's pattern of travel and accommodation claims were unusual, and were referred to the compliance officer for investigation.

He added: "The compliance officer has found that claims made by Ms Dorries were outside the scheme, and that these claims should be repaid. Ms Dorries has subsequently repaid these claims."

Last month, the MP said she was going to stop claiming expenses and instead fund her role through her salary.

It means Ms Dorries will give up the right to claim back the cost of council tax and utilities on running a second home in Westminster.

She also vowed to no longer recoup the cost of travelling between her constituency and London.

More follows...

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Fire Deaths: Man Guilty Of Killing Four Siblings

The family of four siblings killed in a house fire have welcomed the conviction of a man found guilty of starting a fire in a wardrobe.

Four-year-old twins Holly and Ella Smith and their two-year-old brother Jordan were asleep as the blaze took hold in Freckleton, Lancashire, while elder brother Reece, 19, was overcome by fumes as he went upstairs to try to rescue them.

All four died from the effects of smoke inhalation following the blaze on January 7 last year.

Dyson Allen, 19, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter by a jury at Preston Crown Court today. He was cleared of their murders.

Reece Smith, 19, twins Holly and Ella, four, and Jordan, two

The conviction was welcomed by mother Michelle Smith, Reece's father Martin Goulding and the rest of the family,

A statement read outside court by DC Ian McVittie said: "We are pleased that Dyson Allen has been convicted of the manslaughter of our beautiful children Reece, Holly, Ella and Jordan.

"We'll never know the reason why our children were taken from us but even knowing the answer won't bring them back.

"He had the chance to explain his actions to the police and the court but he lied from the very beginning."

They thanked the emergency services and police adding: "Finally though, we would like to pay tribute to Reece who paid the ultimate price for trying to rescue his brother and sisters and for that we will be eternally grateful and proud."

In court members of the victims' family shouted "yes" in tears as the jury foreman returned each guilty verdict on the manslaughter counts.

The aftermath of the house fire that left four siblings dead

The defendant held his hands over his eyes in shock and then wept as he leaned  forward.

Mr Justice Males told the court: "There must be no doubt that it is inevitable there will be a substantial prison sentence."

Allen was the only other person who was upstairs at the dormer bungalow when the fire broke out, said the Crown.

A birthday party was being held for the children's mother, Michelle Smith, at the address on the night of the fire.

The fatal fire began inside a wardrobe in the bedroom shared by the three young children and their mother.

Allen was a regular visitor  to the house and spent most of the night of January 7 in the second upstairs bedroom, according to those who were in the house, said prosecutor Neil Flewitt QC.

Ms Smith, 37, said she said remembered the lights going off and then the defendant jumped down the stairs and shouted "Fire" before he ran through the kitchen and out of the back door.

An expert concluded the fire started in hanging clothes

Ms Smith told police that smoke alarms had been had taken down by Reece in the days before the fire because one or both of them kept making beeping noises.

The court heard the recollection of most of the witnesses who attended the party was "affected to some extent by drink and in some cases by drugs in the form of cannabis".

It could be established though that the first 999 call to report a fire was made at 11.20pm by a neighbour.

And that some time after 10.45pm one of the family friends, who was sober, went up to the bedroom where Allen was.

He said the defendant appeared "drunk and stoned" after Allen had earlier told him was going to make a mix for a cannabis "bong". When he returned downstairs there was a loud bang shortly after and all the lights in the house went off.

The ruins of the bedroom in which the siblings died

In a witness statement given to police in the early hours of January 8 Allen claimed had discovered the fire and raised the alarm but never admitted his involvement.

He said he told Reece there was a fire and to "get those kids out".

The court heard that Reece was heard kicking at the door to the children's bedroom as others escaped from the property.

Mr Flewitt told the jury that several "extremely detailed investigations" had taken place into the cause of the fire and the unanimous view of the experts was that it was started deliberately.

One expert concluded the fire started in the hanging clothes in the wardrobe,and the most likely source of ignition was a naked flame.

The upper floor of the dormer bungalow was badly damaged by the fire

The fire was detected because of an electrical fault that caused the house electrics to trip out, he continued.

The electrical fault occurred when the fire spread from the wardrobe to a lighting unit fitted to the ceiling of the room, the jury was told.

By that time the fire would have already reached its maximum, said Mr Flewitt.

Forensic evidence showed the three children in the bedroom were likely to have been "incapacitated very quickly" but that Ella and Jordan made attempts to escape.

Sentencing was adjourned until September 27 for the preparation of psychiatric reports.

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Edward Snowden 'Waiting To Leave Airport'

Edward Snowden has not yet received the document which is expected to allow him to leave a Moscow airport, according to his lawyer.

For now, he will remain in the transit zone where he has been holed up for the past month.

"As of today, this document has not yet been given (to him)," lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told Russian television after meeting with Snowden.

Mr Kucherena said the process was being drawn out as this was the "first such situation in Russia".

Despite the delay, it is expected that the former NSA contractor will eventually be given authorisation to get through passport control, Sky News' Moscow correspondent Katie Stallard said.

The whistleblower, who leaked details of US security agency programmes targeting online and phone communications, applied for temporary asylum in Russia last week.

It is thought that he wants to move to an address in Moscow city centre while his application is considered.

Mr Kucherena told the media that Snowden would be staying put for now

"What they were expecting [today] was to get some sort of temporary document that would say he was formally being considered for asylum, that he can cross the Russian border while that happens," said Sky News' Katie Stallard.

"For whatever reason - the lawyer is blaming bureaucracy - that hasn't happened today, so all he can tell him is he has to stay there.

"He says he hopes it will be resolved in the nearest future. But that is as specific as he can be."

Mr Snowden's lawyer said he gave him some jeans, T-shirts and a copy of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment during their meeting.

He also said that Snowden had no immediate plans to leave the country and "intends to stay in Russia [and] study Russian culture".

President Vladimir Putin, mindful of Russia's strained relations with the US, has stated that Snowden can only be granted asylum if he stops leaking secrets.

Snowden submitted a handwritten asylum request

The asylum decision could even be delayed until after he meets President Obama at a summit in Moscow in early September.

The 30-year-old had been considering going to South America but seemed to be trapped in the airport's transit area after the US revoked his passport.

Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua all said they would grant him political asylum but none is reachable by direct commercial flight from Moscow.

Snowden leaked details of top-secret US surveillance programmes - giving details of the monitoring of phone calls and internet data from companies such as Google and Facebook - to The Guardian and Washington Post.

He now faces espionage charges in America.

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Pair Guilty Of Triple House Fire Murder

Two men have been convicted of murdering a man and his two children in a fire at their home two years ago.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow found Scott Snowden and Robert Jennings guilty of the triple murder of 55-year-old Thomas Sharkey Snr, his son Thomas Jnr, 21, and eight year-old daughter Bridget.

Mr Sharkey's children died in the blaze at their home in Scott Court, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, on July 24, 2011, while he died of his injuries in hospital six days later.

Snowden, 38, and Jennings, 50, were also convicted of attempting to murder Mr Sharkey's wife, Angela, 48, who survived the fire.

The pair denied the charges during an 11-week trial.

More follows...

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