Drunk Man Sneaked On Empty Birmingham Plane

A man who managed to get through layers of airport security before boarding an empty plane via a baggage carousel said he was too drunk to remember how he did it.

Lee Jezard pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court to evading security measures at Birmingham Airport and boarding a Lufthansa plane on July 17.

Jezard - who lost his job as a hotel manager when his employer learned about his antics - also admitted stealing £36.45 worth of foodstuffs from the airport's Caffe Nero.

Prosecutor David Devine said a study of all plane manifests revealed Jezard "was never booked onto any flight", despite reports he was at the airport after missing a flight to Ibiza.

He described the actions of Jezard, of  Redditch, Worcestershire, as a "drunken escapade".

In mitigation, solicitor Tariq Khan said his client "really had very little idea how he arrived at the airport" after going on a drinking binge with friends in Birmingham city centre.

It emerged in court that police had already spoken to a "wandering" and "clearly intoxicated" Jezard, after spotting him in other parts of the airport in the hours before the security breach.

It was the same police officer who later "frog-marched him off the aeroplane" after he was found on board.

In a further "bizarre" act, Mr Khan added, Jezard was seen on CCTV behind a coffee shop counter at the deserted airport "charging his mobile and checking it".

Jezard does not remember getting to Birmingham Airport

He was discovered on the plane by cleaning staff, who he told: "I'm the co-pilot".

"When they asked him for ID, he had none, and then told them 'I work for the Navy'," Mr Devine said.

"He then said: 'I'm breaking into places to see if people can catch me - I go to prisons and other places'."

He was later arrested and interviewed by airport police.

He told officers: "I was trying to show how easy it was to get on that plane - and I did it."

Jezard struggled to recall everything that had happened, telling police he "wanted a walk around and thought it would be a good idea".

Security cameras showed Jezard crawling through the opening of a baggage carousel, getting on to the airport's tarmac apron, and then getting aboard the plane.

Mr Khan said his client "really had very little idea how it was he arrived at the airport, but the guess is it was by train".

Jezard was fined £95 for each of the three offences, ordered to pay full compensation to the coffee shop, together with £185 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Following the hearing, an airport spokesperson said: "The safety and security of our passengers is our number one priority.

"The individual penetrated the terminal boundary and was subsequently arrested by the police. A full investigation has taken place."

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Iceland: Thousands Of Quakes Amid Volcano Fears

Thousands of earthquakes have been recorded in Iceland in recent days, amid concerns one of the country's volcanoes could erupt and cause travel chaos across Europe.

Some 3,000 small earthquakes have occurred since Saturday at the country's largest volcano system, Bardarbunga, which is located under Iceland's largest glacier, Vatnajokull.

Iceland's Meteorological Office said no earthquakes above magnitude three had been recorded in the last 24 hours, and seismologists have said that magma is moving horizontally, rather than vertically.

 Meteorologist Einar Einarsson said earthquakes were happening practically every minute.

"The fact that it is constant in motion and depth is probably good news," he said.

"It doesn't seem to vary a lot - it is concentrated in one area under the glacier."

The volcanic magma is moving horizontally, say scientists

The country's aviation alert level for the risk of a possible eruption is currently at orange, the second-most severe level.

The risk level was raised on Monday after magma movements were detected around six miles (10km) from the surface.

An area north of the volcano has been evacuated by Iceland's civil protection agency, which said it could not rule out an eruption.

All roads leading into the mostly uninhabited area were closed earlier this week.

Tourists and park rangers who live there during the summer are now being evacuated.

The agency said on its website: "This decision is a safety measure. It cannot be ruled out that the seismic activity in Bardarbunga could lead to a volcanic eruption."

An eruption could melt vast areas of ice and cause floods

According to the authorities, the area north of the glacier risks being hit by floods as an eruption would melt vast amounts of ice from the glacier, which is located in a national park.

The Vatnajokull National Park is more than 186 miles (300 km) from the capital, Reykjavik, and covers 14% of Iceland.

Airlines were warned about the increased seismic activity on Monday.

In 2010 an ash cloud caused by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano shut down much of Europe's airspace for six days.

More than 10 million people were affected.

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Mass Murderer Breivik's Dad Writes Book On Son

Anders Behring Breivik's father admits he feels some guilt over the actions of his son, who killed 77 people in Norway three years ago.

The revelation came in an excerpt from a book Jens Breivik has written about his son.

In My Fault? A Father's Story, which has been put together with the help of a ghost writer, Mr Breivik writes: "I feel some guilt and I feel some responsibility.

"What would have happened if I had been a better father? Would Anders have done what he did?"

Breivik is serving a 21-year prison sentence, which can be extended, for the killing of 77 people in Oslo and the island of Utoeya in 2011.

The book is a form of "self-trial" according to its editor, Arve Juritzen, who said Mr Breivik re-established contact with his son this year. 

"In fact he is pretty hard with himself," Mr Juritzen said.

Mr Breivik, a former diplomat who moved to France when he retired, has been described as an absent father.

He was separated from his son's mother shortly after he turned one and later lost a custody battle.

By the time Breivik was a teenager, his father had lost contact with him.

During the course of the investigation and trial it emerged social services had suspected Breivik was neglected as a child.

A book about Breivik's late mother, Wenche Behring Breivik, which she collaborated on at first but later rejected, portrayed Mr Breivik as a domestic tyrant.

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Jennifer Hudson's Brother 'Stabs Man In Face'

The half-brother of actress and American Idol star Jennifer Hudson has been arrested in Michigan on suspicion of stabbing a man repeatedly in the face.

The events leading to Steven Simpson's arrest are unclear but it is reported he could be charged with attempted murder and home invasion.

The victim is believed to have been in a relationship with his estranged wife.

Simpson is being held in custody in the village of Paw Paw, Van Buren County.

It is the latest tragedy for the Oscar-winning actress' family after her brother-in-law murdered three members of her family in 2008.

William Balfour, who was aged 27 at the time, was found guilty of shooting dead Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, her brother Jason Hudson, 29, and her seven-year-old nephew Julian King.

Ms Hudson with her mother Darnell, who was murdered in 2008

At the time of the triple murders, Balfour was estranged from Hudson's sister Julia.

Witnesses told the trial that Balfour acted out of an obsessive jealousy and had repeatedly threatened to kill Julia and her family after she refused to get back together with him.

He received three life sentences after being convicted of the killings.

Ms Hudson later told chat-show host Oprah Winfrey that she forgave Balfour, suggesting he was not entirely to blame as he had a troubled childhood.

"It's how he was brought up," she said. "We tried to offer love, but you were so far gone, that you couldn't even see that.

"Had you had the love my mother gave us, or the background that some have then you would've stood a chance."

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PM Holds Crisis Talks After Journalist Killed

David Cameron is meeting senior intelligence officials in Downing Street after cutting short his holiday following the beheading of a US journalist.

The Prime Minister's return follows the release footage appearing to show a masked man - speaking with a British accent - killing James Foley, who was seized by armed men in Syria in November 2012.

Mr Cameron, who had been on a family break in Cornwall, did not respond to questions from waiting journalists, heading instead straight into No 10 holding his official red box.

Earlier, he said: "If true, the murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved. I will today chair meetings on the situation in Iraq/Syria."

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the video appeared to be genuine and was "an appalling example of the brutality of this organisation".

Mr Hammond told Sky News: "This is an evil organisation with an evil ideology."

US journalist James Foley was killed by a man with a British accent

The PM will be briefed by senior intelligence officials and the Foreign Secretary as investigations are carried out following the release of the horrific video footage by Islamic State (IS) extremists.

Scotland Yard, which leads counter-terror policing in the UK, has confirmed it is investigating the video and reminded social media users that spreading extremist material is a crime.

Mr Cameron had only been in Cornwall for a day, where he was pictured with his wife Samantha sipping coffee at Surfside cafe on Polzeath beach in Wadebridge.

He insisted he remained in control while on holiday and was "always within a few feet of a BlackBerry".

Earlier this month, the PM had to cut short a holiday to Portugal to respond to the Iraq crisis, and said he would do the same again "instantly" if necessary.

Mr Cameron has said Britain should use all its assets, including its "military prowess", to help tackle the threat posed by Islamic State (IS) extremists in Iraq, but insisted the UK would not get drawn into another war.

Mr Cameron had said he was ready to return from his holiday if needed

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander MP said: "The horrific footage of the killing of James Foley has shocked and outraged the world.

"Suggestions that the attack may have been carried out by a UK national are particularly concerning and the Government must now work with international partners to establish the facts and uncover any possible information about the perpetrator."

Meanwhile, the French President Francois Hollande said the crisis in Iraq represented the "most serious" international situation since 2001.

Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage has called on the Government to stop Britons who have gone to fight for IS from returning.

He said: "It would be totally unforgivable and unacceptable for UK nationals who have made the decision to go and fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East to be permitted to return to the UK and quietly slide back into our communities to take advantage of all that modern Britain has to offer."

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Cliff Richard Pulls Out Of Portugal Ceremony

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent In Portugal

Sir Cliff Richard has pulled out of a ceremony where he was to be awarded the Keys of the City of Albufeira near his holiday home in Portugal.

The millionaire pop star, who is facing an historical sex assault allegation, was to receive the region's top civic honour on Wednesday.

A dozen others were given medals of merit during a day of celebrations to mark the granting of an ancient charter.

Sir Cliff told officials he would not be there and stayed in his villa in the hills above the Algarve resort where he has had a summer home for more than 50 years.

Mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa told Sky News: "Cliff was to receive the gold Key of the City because he is a distinguished member of Albufeira.

The claim relates to an event held by preacher Billy Graham in 1985

"He is not here today because it is his choice, but we have kept the invitation and hope to give him his award some time."

The city's full council voted in secret and unanimously to make the award two weeks ago.

The mayor said Sir Cliff had planned to attend the ceremony but sent a message recently to say he had to decline the invitation.

Mr Silva e Sousa added that he was aware of the police investigation into an allegation that Sir Cliff had sexually assaulted a young boy at an evangelical rally in Sheffield in 1985.

He said: "I don't know why he is not here. It doesn't change my opinion of him. We are very proud of him. He is a big man."

Police searched Sir Cliff's home in Berkshire last week

Officials said they had agreed with Sir Cliff's decision because his presence would have overshadowed the ceremony.

The medals of merit were awarded to three individuals - one posthumously - and nine organisations who were said to have promoted Albufeira around the world.

Sir Cliff bought his first villa here in 1961 in a resort that has become popular with British holidaymakers.

Twenty years ago he bought a bigger home and planted a vineyard on a plot near a bigger estate where he makes his own wine in partnership with a friend.

He spends several weeks at his Portugal home each summer, usually arriving after visiting the Wimbledon tennis championships and staying until September.

Sir Cliff performs at the O2 Arena in 2009

He has rarely been glimpsed on the 30-acre estate since police raided his UK home in Berkshire last week.

Sir Cliff has also pulled out of a performance at Canterbury Cathedral in September and apologised for the disappointment and inconvenience.

He has described the sex allegation as "completely false" and said he would co-operate with the police investigation.

Detectives said they want to speak to him and are expected to interview him in the next few weeks.

Sir Cliff's close friend Cilla Black said earlier this week she is "absolutely positive" the allegation is untrue.

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IS Beheads US Journalist James Foley In Video

Brits 'Not Taking Back Seat' For IS Militants

Updated: 3:30pm UK, Wednesday 20 August 2014

An expert in radicalisation has warned that Britons are at the forefront of the Islamic State conflict in Iraq and Syria and could be called upon to carry out attacks in the UK.

Shiraz Maher, a senior researcher at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, said there was evidence of British involvement in several attacks in Syria.

Some 400 Britons are thought to be involved in the Islamic State (IS) conflict. Others are thought to have come from the US, Australia and France among others.

Mr Maher told Sky News: "It's very clear that the Brits who have gone out there don't intend to take a back seat and they haven't done at any point.

"They are very much at the forefront of this conflict.

"Because of the dramatic, the appalling nature of what has taken place, it has publicised what some of the British fighters out there are doing to a much wider and broader audience."

Mr Maher said a British suicide bomber targeted Aleppo prison in Syria in 2013 and there were reports of British fighters executing prisoners of war in Syria in early 2014.

A Crawley father-of-three Abdul Waheed Majeed, 41, became the first Briton suspected of staging a suicide bomb attack when he attacked the jail in Aleppo in February.

In May, 18-year-old Abdullah Deghayes, from Brighton, was killed while fighting in Syria alongside his two brothers Jafar and Amer.

In June, Cardiff students Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan - both 20 - appeared alongside Abdul Raqib Amin, from Aberdeen, in an IS recruitment video urging Westerners to join the fighting.

Amin, 26, was reportedly killed in a gun battle near Ramadi in July.

Earlier this month, 25-year-old former Primark supervisor Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, from Portsmouth, was reportedly killed while fighting for IS in Syria.

Initially, many people went out to Syria and Iraq to help alleviate human suffering, but attitudes have hardened, Mr Maher said.

"Over time what you have seen is a hardening of attitudes, a desire not to go and help people but to build an Islamic state to engage in this millenarian project and that has motivated scores of people to go out there," Mr Maher said.

"They are seeing their friends doing it, so when they see a certain number of people doing it that in their minds makes what is quite a remarkable thing - to give up your life, to go out there and join these groups - it makes it real, tangible and feasible."

The beheading of US journalist James Foley is the first time IS has used a "directly confrontational approach" to the Western world, he said.

IS fighters could later be used to carry out attacks in their native countries if the group's aim of establishing and Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria is prevented.

Mr Maher added: "A lot of the militants who are out there fighting for IS traditionally and largely say they don't intend to return, they want to say out in Syria and Iraq, live out there lives there and ultimately die there.

"If that intensifies then of course its feasible that they may look to some of the British fighters in their ranks and try to look at sending some of them back to do attacks here."

Ajmal Masroor, an imam in north London, told Sky News a consistent approach towards Islam was needed to curb extremism.

Asked if he though IS fighters were terrorist, he said: "I think Muslims across the globe would say... 'not in our name'.

"These people have hjiacked and given a very bad name to Islam and destroyed the reputation of the Muslim community across the globe.

"What we have to do is not give these nutters, these terrorists, these extremists any [more] credence than then have already got."

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Who Is 'Briton' Who Beheaded James Foley?

Counter-terrorism police in the UK say they are investigating the British-accented Islamic State fighter who beheaded journalist James Foley.

In a video posted by the militant group to social media sites, the man speaks in English as he says US airstrikes are to blame for the killing of the 40-year-old American.

The killer, who is clad in black and covers his face during the video, appears to have a London accent, appears to be left-handed and is of average height.

The Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command said it was investigating the contents of the video.

James Foley was made to read out a statement before he was killed

It added: "We would like to remind the public that viewing, downloading or disseminating extremist material within the UK may constitute an offence under Terrorism legislation."

At least 400 people are known to have travelled from the UK to Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State (IS) - formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Concerns have been raised that radicalised young men from Western countries will return to their home nations and could be used to carry out attacks.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros said: "We know that around 400 British nationals have joined IS, probably more than that in the last few months as their recruitment has gone into overdrive.

Abdullah Deghayes was killed while fighting in Syria in May

"Now they are being used in these more serious videos to try to pressure foreign governments - and also people in these countries - to try to pressure their governments not to intervene."

Security agencies, including the FBI and MI5, will be tracking those who have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the militant organisation.

A Home Office spokesperson added: "The police and security services are actively working to detect and disrupt terrorist threats.

"People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity in Syria or Iraq should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security, including prosecuting those who break the law.

"We also have a wide range of powers at our disposal to disrupt travel and manage the risk posed by returnees."

Nasser Muthana, centre, has been disowned by his father

Radicalisation expert Shiraz Maher told Sky News that Britons were at the "forefront" of the IS conflict and were "not taking a back seat" in the violence.

Crawley father-of-three Abdul Waheed Majeed, 41, became the first Briton suspected of staging a suicide bomb attack when he attacked a jail in Aleppo in February.

In May, 18-year-old Abdullah Deghayes, from Brighton, was killed while fighting in Syria alongside his two brothers Jafar and Amer.

In June, Cardiff students Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan - both 20 - appeared alongside Abdul Raqib Amin, from Aberdeen, in an IS recruitment video urging Westerners to join the fighting.

Amin, 26, was reportedly killed in a gun battle near Ramadi in July, while Ahmed Muthana said he had disowned his two sons, Nasser and Aseel, when they joined IS.

And earlier this month, 25-year-old former Primark supervisor Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, from Portsmouth, was reportedly killed while fighting for IS in Syria.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said authorities were closely monitoring those attempting to join IS.

He said: "We have a substantial programme here in the UK which seeks to intercept people who are at risk of being attracted by extremist ideologies.

"We have powers to withdraw passports from people we believe are likely to go and join extremist organisations and commit violence abroad.

"And of course we have powers to arrest them and prosecute them on their return."

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British Toddler Dies After Falling Into Pool

A British toddler has drowned after he fell into a neighbour's swimming pool in Spain.

Two-year-old Theo Lamb was at an apartment next door to his family's property in Mijas Costa, on the Costa del Sol, when the accident occurred.

The boy's father reportedly discovered Theo in the swimming pool, and tried to revive him.

Emergency services were called to the property but the child died at the scene.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has confirmed the death.

"We are aware of the death of a British national on August 18 in Costa del Sol," a spokesman said.

"We stand ready to provide consular assistance to the family at this sad time."

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Bush Gets Soaked But Who Does He Nominate?

George W Bush has completed the ice bucket challenge after being drenched by his wife.

The former US president had been nominated by his daughter Jenna, who works for NBC.

He appears to decline at first, saying: "I do not think it's presidential for me to be splashed with ice water, so I'm simply going to write you a cheque."

But then the former First Lady empties the bucket of ice water over his head, saying she'll sign the check instead.

"I don't want to ruin my hairstyle," she quips.

Mr Bush then challenges his presidential predecessor, Bill Clinton.

"Yesterday was Bill's birthday, so my gift to Bill is a bucket of cold water," Mr Bush said.

Mr Clinton turned 68 on August 19.

The challenge, which has involved celebrities worldwide, is to raise awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gherig's disease, or motor neurone disease.

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg completed the challenge.

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