Murder Arrest After Man Stabbed 102 Times

Police investigating the murder of a "very vulnerable" man who was stabbed 102 times have made an arrest.

James Attfield, 33, died in a park in Colchester, Essex, in what has been described as a "senseless and frenzied" attack.

The victim, known as Jim to his family, had 102 separate wounds on his arms, hands, back, neck and head, police revealed.

Mr Attfield, from East Bay, Colchester, was treated at the scene by paramedics in Castle Park on Saturday morning but died from his injuries.

He was a father-of-five, who had not been in contact with his children since he was severely hurt when he was struck by a car four years ago.

His mother, Julie Finch, described her son as a "bit of a loner" who was "in the process of rebuilding his life" when he died.

At a press conference, she said he suffered a severe brain injury in the road traffic accident.

"The effects of which left him with a weakness to the left side of his body which in turn affected his balance.

Mr Attfield on CCTV in a pub in the hours before his death

"His speech was also slightly affected and he suffered short term memory loss and these things obviously made him very vulnerable.

"Jim was very aware of his disabilities and avoided crowded places and situations where he could get injured again."

She added: "Jim was well liked and polite - everyone always had a good word to say about him.

"This to me seems a senseless and frenzied attack on a gentle, vulnerable young man."

CCTV capturing Mr Attfield's last known movements was released by detectives on Monday appealing to the public for help in finding out who attacked him and why.

It shows Mr Attfield at the River Lodge pub in Middleborough, Colchester. He left the pub at 10.09pm, leaving behind most of his drink, which his family says was unusual for him.

Police said they do not know where he went between leaving the pub and being found injured in Castle Park at 5.45am on Saturday.

Officers say a 38-year-old man from Colchester is being held in connection with the death of Mr Attfield.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Werrett urged members of the public to contact police if they have any information about Mr Attfield's wherabouts or "anything they may have seen or heard in the Castle Park area" early on Saturday morning.

"This is very much a fast moving and on-going investigation which really needs information from the public."

More follows...

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Six Possible Answers To Missing Plane Mystery

The mystery of what made flight MH370 crash thousands of miles off route in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean has filled news websites and TV bulletins for the past three weeks.

But despite the huge interest and speculation, are we any nearer to finding out what happened to the doomed Boeing 777 now than when it vanished from radar on March 8?

What we do know is both the plane's transponder and Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), an in-flight digital system that helps track planes after they have gone out of radar coverage, were disabled or stopped working less than an hour into the flight.

The Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people then flew west for at least five hours before crashing somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Six theories remain for why the plane disappeared - cabin depressurisation, toxic fumes, fire, a hijacking, a pilot murder-suicide or simultaneous failures.

The homes of the two pilots have been searched by police

A panel of experts - including pilots, airline bosses, manufacturers and regulators - met in central London on Tuesday and tried to throw light on the mystery.

The event, organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), came up with this analysis:

1. The aircraft depressurised, but continued to fly

This would explain the initial change in altitude and heading, as well as subsequent lack of communication, but not why the ACARS and transponder were turned off.

The transponder can be turned off from the cockpit and is done routinely when an aircraft lands.

Turning off the ACARS is more complicated, though, and would need someone with systems knowledge going into the aircraft's avionics bay - but this should have been prevented if security was adequate.

If the plane was depressurised, it would continue to fly automatically until the fuel ran out.

The effect on passengers would vary depending on the altitude. If the aircraft was above 35,000ft, it would take about one minute before everyone was incapacitated.

Oxygen masks should have descended automatically which would work for around 15 minutes.

The flight crew could have lasted longer using their oxygen masks, depending on whether they used pure oxygen or an oxygen mix.

SUMMARY: Possible.

The transcript reveals the last words of one of the pilots to ATC

2. The aircraft was overcome by toxic fumes

The pilots should have been able to send out a distress call and, again, it does not explain why the ACARS and transponder were turned off.

SUMMARY: Unlikely.

3. There was an onboard fire which damaged the communications systems

This would explain the lack of communication, but it is unlikely the aircraft would have then continued to fly as long as it did if the fire continued to burn.

The aircraft's communication systems could have also been disabled by power failure or sabotage.

Birdstrike is possible, but is unlikely to have caused such damage.

SUMMARY: Unlikely.

A pinger locator is being carried to the search area by ADV Ocean Shield

4. The aircraft was hijacked

The aircraft was not flown to another destination, nor was it used as a weapon for a suicide terrorist attack.

If it was an individual hijacker, then no one person or motive has been established and, if it was a group, no organisation has claimed responsibility.

SUMMARY: Possible.

5. The aircraft was deliberately diverted by the pilot/co-pilot

No reason for this has been identified. If it was a suicide attempt then why did the aircraft continue to fly for so long?

Another question is why there were no mobile phone calls or texts from passengers or cabin crew, given the in-flight entertainment (IFE) map would have shown the aircraft going off course.

One explanation is the IFE system was turned off.

The second is most passengers were asleep or did not realise anything was wrong until it was too late to do anything. If they tried to phone later, the aircraft would have been in a remote area over the ocean where there was no signal.

The third is passengers and cabin crew may have been incapacitated in some way, such as by hypoxia due to cabin depressurisation.

SUMMARY: Possible.

Despite a massive air and sea search, no debris from the jet has been found

6. Simultaneous failures

One technical expert pointed out that for every plausible scenario, there is at least one contradictory statement.

"If it was hypoxia, then who turned the aircraft?" he asked.

"If it was a fire, then how did it continue flying? If it was the flight crew, then why did the cabin crew not intervene?"

He suggested that, perhaps, more than one scenario occurred simultaneously - such as a wiring fire and depressurisation.

OVERALL SUMMARY: Until more evidence is found, nothing can be proved.

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Air Pollution: 10 Things You Need To Know

By Martin Jefferies, Sky News Online

People with lung and heart problems have been warned to avoid strenuous activity as air quality falls to its lowest possible level across parts of the country. We look at what is behind the increase in air pollution and ask just how serious the problem is.

:: What is causing air quality to drop?

The poor air quality levels sweeping across much of England and Wales are caused by a combination of dust blown in from the Sahara desert and harmful emissions from both the UK and Europe.

Light winds have allowed this cocktail of natural and man-made pollutants to linger in the skies above the country.

:: What is in the air?

As well as dust and sand particles from the Sahara desert, traffic pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter - combined with the ozone created when sunlight reacts with NO2 and VOCs - cause air quality to worsen.

Although these pollutants can cause air pollution close to where they are emitted, they can also travel long distances, with emissions from mainland Europe adding to the current problems in southeast England.

The dust falls to the ground when it rains, leaving a fine residue on car windscreens and other outdoor surfaces. 

Vehicles and industry are the biggest contributors to air pollution

:: What are the health implications?

Air pollution can cause runny eyes and noses, as well as coughs and sore throats, but the effects can be more serious among the very young, the elderly and those with existing lung or heart problems.

Dr Keith Prowse, former chairman of the British Lung Foundation and an honorary medical adviser, told Sky News: "People with asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) should make sure they have their reliever inhalers with them, and those who use preventer inhalers may have been told to double their dose.

"The best advice is not to go out when pollution levels are high and not to take part in strenuous exercise."

Face masks are a common sight in many parts of the world

:: Will people need to start wearing face masks?

Worsening air pollution in places like China has made face masks a must-have accessory for many people.

However, Dr Carol Cooper, a London GP, said: "A good piece of advice is not to bother. They're not generally very effective and wearing one can actually make breathing more difficult.

"Wearing a face mask in somewhere like southeast Asia is more of a cultural thing than a medical one."

Dust from thousands of miles away in Africa is adding to the problems

:: How does sand from the Sahara end up in the UK?

"There are currently strong dust storms across the Sahara and because the winds in the upper atmosphere are blowing in a southerly direction, this is sending the dust and sand particles over western Europe and into the atmosphere over England and Wales," Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said.

"The reason we've seen the orange deposits is because of recent rainfall. Any rain clears the dust from the upper atmosphere, bringing it down to lower levels, and as the water evaporates it leaves behind the orange dust.

Airports are not expecting the Saharan dust to cause significant problems

:: Is the dust likely to cause any disruption to flights?

Many air passengers will remember the chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud generated by the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull in 2010.

Flights were grounded across the UK and Europe amid fears dust could cause engine damage.

However, a spokesman for Nats, the British air traffic control service, said it was "not aware" of any likely disruption to flights, while a British Airways official added: "We are not expecting our customers to be affected in any way."

London and the South East are among the areas worst affected

:: How is air pollution measured?

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) measures air quality on a scale of one to 10, with each number given a different colour to visualise the extent of pollution on a map of the country.

London and the South East, including East Anglia, Essex and Kent, are currently coloured purple, indicating "very high" levels of air pollution, whereas the North, Scotland and Northern Ireland appear green, suggesting levels are much lower.

Beijing, in China, has battled with smog for many years

:: How does air pollution in London compare to other countries?

London appears way down a World Health Organisation (WHO) list of the most-polluted cities in the world, with similar pollution levels to other major cities such as Budapest and Dusseldorf.

The capital is around 13 times less polluted than the city with the worst air quality - Ahwan in southwestern Iran - and has air seven times cleaner than that of Delhi, although it lags behind places such as Munich, Tokyo and Canberra.

Pollution is measured by the average number of tiny particles in the air per cubic metre.

Smog descends on Christmas shoppers in London's Regent Street in 1962

:: Has air quality not been improving in the UK?

There has been a marked improvement in urban air quality over the last two decades.

In 1993, air pollution was at moderate or higher levels for roughly one day in every six. Using the same methodology, that figure is now around one in every 36.

There has been a huge drop in the amount of carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide in the air, but although pollution at the roadside has shown signs of long-term improvement, it has remained relatively stable since 1998.

In February, the European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK over claims it is years late reaching agreed EU standards.

Smog hangs over many of central London's most famous landmarks

It says levels of toxic gas nitrogen dioxide remain "excessive" and are contributing to respiratory problems and premature deaths.

:: How long is this latest bout of air pollution like to last?

Air quality is expected to return to higher levels by the weekend, helped by outbreaks of rain in the West that will effectively wash away dust and other contaminants from the atmosphere.

However, Ghaffar said: "Rain is only a brief relief from the dust in the atmosphere. A change in wind direction is needed to stop the flow of particles blowing through and from Thursday, that is what we can expect."

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Malaysia Plane Probe Focuses On Crew And Pilots

Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

Updated: 12:36pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been released.

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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E-Cigarettes Face Wales Enclosed Spaces Ban

Wales could become the first part of the UK to ban smoking e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces such as bars and restaurants.

Welsh Health Minister Professor Mark Drakeford said officials were considering the move amid concerns that widespread use of the products could make smoking conventional cigarettes seem normal again.

He told Sky News: "Our concerns are that because they mimic the use of conventional cigarettes, they lead to renormalisation.

"We've spent 30 years in this country persuading people to give up smoking.

"Five thousand people died in Wales last year from smoking. We don't want to see that happen.

"We're concerned that they may be a gateway product, that young people in particular end up with real cigarettes having started on e-cigarettes and we're concerned as well about blurring the boundary between the ban on conventional cigarettes in enclosed public spaces and allowing e-cigarettes to be used there."

In January, the coalition announced a ban on under-18s buying e-cigarettes as part of a plan to reduce teenage smoking.

The products - enjoying a boom in sales - provide a hit of nicotine and some fear they reinforce the behaviour of smoking, making it harder to give up in the long term.

But manufacturers argue that e-cigarettes are helping many addicts to beat their smoking habit.

Charles Hamshaw-Thomas, legal director of e-cigarette maker E-Lites, told Boulton & Co: "We think we should be working together here and actually normalising non-smoking. E-cigarettes can do that.

"The data we're seeing shows there's around 1.3 million e-cigarette users across the UK and those people are finding these products incredibly helpful in helping them transition away from using tobacco."

Deborah Arnott from health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said: "The concern that electronic cigarettes may be a gateway into smoking is understandable.

"However, this is not borne out by the evidence so far from England, where our research shows that their use is almost without exception only amongst current and ex-smokers.

"There is growing evidence that they are effective in helping smokers quit and this is to be welcomed.

"We're pleased that the Welsh government is consulting on whether to ban their use in enclosed public places as it is important to take account of the evidence before going ahead."

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Clegg v Farage: PM Will Not Be Watching

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

EU foreign policy on Ukraine and Syria - an Vladimir Putin are likely to dominate when Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage clash tonight in their second televised debate.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said he is expecting Mr Clegg to "have a go" at him about the Russian president after blows traded earlier this week.

Mr Farage picked out the Russian president when asked who he most admired in an interview for GQ by the former Labour spin-doctor Alastair Campbell.

"As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin," he said.

"The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically."

Mr Clegg hit back describing the comment as "utterly grotesque". He said Mr Putin had been the "chief sponsor and protector of one of the most brutal dictators on the face of the planet, President Assad".

But the Prime Minister will not even be watching the proceedings and, according to his official spokesman, will "catch the highlights as part of the news bulletins tonight."

He said: "The Deputy Prime Minister wanted to debate the approach to the EU with Mr Farage. He is perfectly entitled to.

Polls suggested Mr Farage won the pair's first debate

"The Prime Minister has set out his approach very clearly and he is interested in making the case for his own approach to the EU."

A UKIP source said it seemed the Lib Dems wanted to focus Wednesday's debate on the issue.

"We are ready for a row about foreign policy," he said. "We think most people agree with Nigel on this one. Clegg, Hague, Miliband, Cameron have been behaving like a bunch of sanctimonious students."

A Lib Dem poster takes a swipe at the absence of Labour and the Tories

Mr Farage is likely to argue that the British public are fed up of being dragged into conflicts with no pressing national interest. He has accused UK leaders of "destabilising" countries such as Ukraine and Syria.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are keen to focus on the fact that the Conservative and Labour leaders have chosen not to take part in the debate.

The party has released a poster overnight that describes Mr Clegg as the only leader "standing up for British jobs" - and slams Ed Miliband and David Cameron as "missing in action".

Although the immediate polls following last week's debate suggested Mr Farage had won overall, both leaders saw a boost.

The Lib Dems want to use the debates to help them win pro-European votes off both the Conservatives and Labour.

A senior Lib Dem source said: "Although we are low in the polls, being able to move one or 2% of people might make a big difference to this. It is exposure and it is an important debate."

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Yashika Bageerathi 'To Be Deported Tonight'

Mauritian student Yashika Bageerathi is being driven to Heathrow and will be deported tonight, her school has told Sky News.

The 19-year-old's headteacher Lynne Dawes has said her pupil - whose removal from Britain has sparked a national debate - is due to be deported at 9pm.

A spokesman for Ms Bageerathi's school, Oasis Academy Hadley, in Enfield, north London said she was "very distressed and worried".

She is being taken from Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire to Heathrow, where she is expected to be put on an Air Mauritius flight at 9pm.

The school spokesman said: "She is on her way in the van but I really hope we can keep her here.

"We're encouraging everyone to tweet Air Mauritius and to phone them to stop this."

Ms Bageerathi received a last-minute reprieve from deportation last month after British Airways refused to fly her home.

The campaign to keep her in the UK has drawn more than 175,000 signatures to an e-petition in support of the promising maths student who is due to sit A-level exams. 

Campaigners are angry that the 19-year-old is being separated from her mother, who is facing deportation at a later date.

Both their asylum cases - claiming they are fleeing a violent relative - have failed.

James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, told MPs he would intervene only in "exceptional" cases - and this one did not fall into that category.

He told MPs that her case had been through the proper legal process and resulted in a Home Office decision that she does not need protection from violence or persecution.

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Smog Shrouds Cities As Desert Sand Blasts UK

Air quality is expected to plummet to its lowest possible level in parts of the UK today, as the country continues to feel the effects of desert sandstorms.

The elderly, people with lung problems and adults with heart conditions have been told to avoid strenuous physical activity, as plumes of dust blown in from the Sahara and deposited by rain send air pollution soaring.

London and the South East, including parts of East Anglia, Kent and Essex, are expected to be worst hit.

However, high pollution levels are expected to spread across much of England and Wales during the course of the day.

The bright red colour shows the dust heading towards the UK

A spokesman for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the effects will be felt anywhere south of a line stretching from Merseyside to The Wash.

It will be the second day in a row the country has been hit by heightened smog levels.

On Tuesday, Defra recorded "high" to "very high" air pollution levels across East Anglia, parts of southeast England and around the Humber.

The agency spokesman told Sky News: "The high level of air pollution this week is due to a combination of local emissions, light winds, pollution from the continent and dust blown over from the Sahara."

Speckles of 'Sahara dust' on a car windscreen in London

Many in the country have woken up over the last few days to see a thin level of red sand coating cars and streets.

However, unlike the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud of 2010, which caused airports across Europe to shut down amid fears dust could cause engine damage, air traffic controllers said they were "not aware" of any likely disruption to flights.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: "A large amount of sand and dust was swept up by storm winds in the desert, around 2,000 miles away in northwest Africa.

"The airborne particles were blown north to the UK, where they combined with our warm air and were deposited during showers."

Forecaster Paul Hutcheon added: "We usually see this happen several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly winds to bring that dust here.

"More dust rain is possible during showers expected later this week."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution is the world's most serious environmental health risk.

It found pollution, ranging from cooking fires to car fumes, was linked to seven million deaths in 2012 - roughly one in eight.

Rising smog levels are linked to dust blown from the Sahara

The biggest pollution-related killers were heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer, the WHO said.

England is not the only place to be hit by increased smog levels recently.

Last month, Paris imposed a day-long driving ban after pollution particles in the air exceeded safe levels for five straight days.

Air quality is expected to return to higher levels by the weekend.

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Max Clifford: Talent Singer Gives Evidence

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A talent show winner has told a court that publicist Max Clifford was not in Spain when it is alleged he met a teenage girl who claimed he indecently assaulted her.

Tom Waite, a singer who won the TV talent show New Faces in 1973, said that Clifford carried out PR for him and arranged for him to visit a Spanish holiday resort.

Waite said he arrived at the complex in June 1977 and left two weeks later and the PR guru was there at the same time.

The dates are significant, as one of his alleged victims has told a court she met Clifford in Spain during a family holiday at Pontinental in Torremolinos in late August.

She claimed that on her return to Britain she saw the publicist several times and he went on to indecently assault her in his car.

Mr Waite told Southwark Crown Court he remembered visiting the Spanish resort, arriving on June 24, on an Airtours flight from Gatwick and leaving two weeks later.

He said: "Max was there with his family" but he couldn't remember if the publicist arrived before or after him.

Mr Waite said he did not meet the alleged victim or her family, but he remembered Clifford being "hailed a hero" for rescuing a drowning child.

Clifford's barrister Richard Horwell QC, asked Mr Waite about his client and he said: "I've got no problems with Max's integrity or anything else. I just know him as a very nice guy."

When asked by Mr Horwell if he had ever seen Clifford do anything inappropriate with women Mr Waite said: "No.

"Max accompanied me to a couple of shows at the Lakeside Country Club. He had a young lady with him, a stunning young lady.

"I've never seen him put a hand on her back or give her a peck on the cheek."

Under cross-examination Mr Waite confirmed that he'd had a "general discussion" with Clifford after the publicist was arrested in December 2012.

But he reacted angrily when the prosecution suggested he had altered his version of events to protect Clifford.

Under cross-examination from Tom Little it emerged Mr Waite had initially told police in January last year when they came to question him, he had gone to Spain solely with Clifford during June-July 1977.

But he later recalled Clifford had been with his wife and daughter as well.

Mr Waite, 64, said:"Look, Max was a nice guy. I don't owe him anything. I have a daughter, there is no way I'd lie for someone."

Mr Waite again confirmed he had called Clifford to speak with him after the allegations emerged, but simply to say he was "shocked and devastated" by what he had heard.

Mr Waite said he visited Torremolinos again between August 12,1977, and August 21-22, leaving briefly to spend a few days at another resort.

He remembered it was the time that Elvis Presley died (August 16, 1977) and he had called Clifford in London to find out if it was true.

Mr Waite told the court: "He was in his office and answered."

He said he had also called Clifford on August 26, 1977, to find out his work commitments and the publicist had picked up.

Clifford, 70, from Hersham, Surrey, denies eleven counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1984 on seven girls and women.

The trial continues.

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Gibraltar: Spain Envoy Summoned Over 'Incursion'

Britain has summoned the Spanish ambassador after Spain sent a ship into Gibraltar's waters in a move that has reignited tensions over the territory.

In what is being seen as a clearly inflammatory move Spain sent a state research vessel accompanied by a police boat to the waters off the British territory on Tuesday.

Europe Minister David Lidington said the activities of the vessels were both "unlawful" and some of the manoeuvres made by the Guardia Civil boat were dangerous.

He vowed to take "whatever action necessary" to safeguard the interests of Gibraltar.

A Spanish ship refused to leave Gibraltar's waters in November

The Spanish Ambassador Federico Trillo was summoned to the Foreign Office on Wednesday to explain the "serious incursion".

It is the fourth time he has been publicly summoned by Britain over Gibraltar since December 2011, when the current Spanish Government took office.

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said the move by the Spanish suggested they had "fully intended to provoke the British."

He added: "This is not to say who is right and who is wrong in law. The British are extraordinarily confident that in law these are British territorial waters and the Spanish have got no rights there in that they are supported by most of the European Union."

Mr Lidington said: "Not only were the actions of the survey vessel unlawful, but it was accompanied by a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel whose dangerous manoeuvring presented a significant safety concern on the waters.

Travellers faced lengthy queues at the Gibraltar border in the summer

"I strongly condemn this provocative incursion and urge the Spanish government to ensure that it is not repeated. Her Majesty's Government will continue to take whatever action we consider necessary to uphold British sovereignty and the interests of Gibraltar, its people, its security and economy."

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "(We) raise very clearly our concerns with the Spanish government. We will continue to do that if we need to. We would strongly urge the Spanish authorities to desist."

It is the latest incident in a long-running row between Spain and the British territory.

In November Mr Trillo was summoned after a Spanish ship refused to leave Gibraltar's waters for 20 hours.

In the summer Spain tightened up its checks on travellers crossing the border to Gibraltar leading to delays of several hours following a diplomatic row over an artificial reef built by Gibraltar provoking anger from Spanish fisherman.

David Cameron asked the European Commission to investigate claiming the checks were "politically motivated" and potentially in breach of EU law on free movement of people.

However, the commission said the checks were not unlawful and ordered the UK and Spain to work together.

In August Spanish mayor Francisco Perez Trigueros provoked anger in Gibraltar after posting a mock-up picture of Spain invading The Rock on Facebook.

Spain lays claim to Gibraltar, which has a population of just 30,000 and was ceded to Britain 300 years ago.

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