Freed Abu Qatada 'Will Not Be Returning To UK'

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 10:35am UK, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Abu Qatada challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him for many years.

Here is a timeline of the legal battle.

1993: Abu Qatada claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.

1994: Allowed to stay in Britain.

1995: Issues a "fatwa" justifying the killing of converts from Islam, their wives and children in Algeria.

1998: Applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.

1999: April - Convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

October - Speaks in London advocating the killing of Jews and praising attacks on Americans.

2001: February - Arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him with £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked "For the mujahedin in Chechnya".

December - Becomes one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in west London.

2002: Arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.

2005: Freed on conditional bail and placed on a control order but arrested again in August under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.

2008: April: Court of Appeal rules deportation would breach his human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan might have been obtained through torture.

May - Granted bail by the immigration tribunal but told he must stay inside for 22 hours a day.

June - Released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire and moves into a four-bedroom house in west London.

November - He is rearrested after the Home Office tells an immigration hearing of fears he plans to abscond.

December - Qatada's bail is revoked by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) after hearing secret evidence that the risk of him absconding has increased.

2009: Five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments and it is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face a retrial on the terror charges.

He is awarded 2,800 euro (£2,500) compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after the judges rule that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.

2012: January - European judges rule he can be sent to Jordan with diplomatic assurances but not while "there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him".

February - He is released on strict bail conditions.

April - Rearrested as the Government prepares to deport him after Jordan gives assurances it will "bend over backwards" to ensure he receives a fair trial.

March - Qatada's legal team loses its bid to have the case heard by the Europe's human rights judges, clearing the way for deportation proceedings to continue.

May and August - Siac rejects Qatada's applications for bail.

October - Siac holds appeal hearing.

November - His appeal is granted and he is granted bail.

December - Qatada is moved to a larger residence in the greater London area.

2013: March 9 - It emerges Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He is ordered to stay in custody and sent to Belmarsh.

March 21 - Police reveal the cleric is being investigated over extremist material.

March 27 - Home Secretary Theresa May loses her appeal over Siac's decision to allow Qatada to stay in the UK. The Home Office vows to appeal.

April 17 - The Home Office formally announces that it is seeking leave from the Court of Appeal to take the case to the Supreme Court.

April 22 - The Court of Appeal refuses permission to go to the Supreme Court, forcing the Home Office to appeal directly to the highest court in the land.

April 23 - Theresa May tells MPs she has signed a new treaty with Jordan that should pave the way to deportation, but warns it might take "many months".

May 10 - Qatada's barrister says he will go back to Jordan voluntarily if the treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture, guaranteeing he will not be tortured, is ratified by the Jordanian parliament.

May 20 - Qatada is refused bail by the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission after "jihadist material" is found on a computer memory stick.

July 2 - The new treaty between Jordan and Britain is fully ratified, sparking claims Qatada could be on a plane within days.

July 3 - A Jordanian government official tells AFP the cleric is due back on Sunday.

July 7 - Flown from RAF Northolt to Jordan

December 10: Pleads not guilty to terrorism charges at a state security court in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

2014: June 26 - Acquitted of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism over 1998 bomb plots allegations.

September 24 - Acquitted over plot to target Western tourists over the New Year in Jordan in 2000.

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iPhone 6 Plus Reportedly Bends In Tight Pockets

Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus may bend substantially if put into a tight pocket for a prolonged period of time, some users claim.

A record 10-million units of it and the smaller iPhone 6 were sold within two days of the Friday launch, but some users have complained that their device is more fragile than they expected.

One user, Nelson Cardoz, posted a photograph of a misshapen phone on Twitter with the message: "The iPhone 6 could bend in your pocket! Haha, love you Apple."

He told Sky News that when he contacted Apple about the problem they offered to replace his device.

A YouTube channel called Unbox Therapy uploaded a video of a man using a tight grip to bend the phone out of shape.

The bend appears to occur just below the side-mounted volume buttons.

However, website Cult Of Mac said some users reported similar complaints about the iPhone 5s, as well as Sony, Samsung, BlackBerry and HTC smartphones.

On Monday Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch was its "best ever", and had "shattered" all previous sales records.

The iPhone 6 Plus is Apple's largest ever phone, and features a 5.5-inch screen. The increased size and reduced thickness may be responsible for the bending.

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Obama: We Must Dismantle 'Network Of Death'

US President Barack Obama has called on the world to join together to destroy the Islamic State terrorist group, which he branded a "network of death".

Addressing the United Nations, he vowed to keep up the pressure on the militants, arguing that they only understood the "language of force".

He spoke a day after the US and five Arab allies opened their military operation in Syria against Islamic State with more than 200 airstrikes on some two dozen targets.

The US President said IS must be 'degraded and destroyed'

Prime Minister David Cameron is preparing to recall Parliament on Friday to support UK airstrikes in Iraq.

Sky News understands that British military assets are being readied for attacks on IS.

President Obama said the US would never be at war with Islam.

"When it comes to America and Islam, there is no 'us' and 'them' - there is only 'us'," he said.

"We reject any suggestion of a clash of civilisations."

He challenged Muslims in the Middle East to reject the ideology that has allowed groups like the Islamic State to flourish.

"Ultimately, the task of rejecting sectarianism and extremism is a generational task," he said, "a task for the people of the Middle East themselves.

"No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds."

More airstrikes have been carried out against IS targets by the US

He said the group had gunned down innocent children and starved religious minorities to death.

"No god condones this terror," he said. "No grievance justifies these actions.

"There can be no negotiation with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force."

The US President said America had no plan to occupy foreign lands, but would instead support Iraqis and Syrians fighting the extremists.

Mr Obama said more than 40 nations had offered to join the US-led coalition as he invited the rest of the world to join in.

"Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can," he said.

The US military said on Wednesday it had launched five more airstrikes targeting IS: one in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, two west of Baghdad and two southeast of Irbil.

The first American raids on IS targets in Syria were launched on Tuesday, supported by Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the areas hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought British aid worker Alan Henning has been held hostage by the group.

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Video: Man Reveals Lottery Win To Ecstatic Sons

Cheque Him Out: $425m Jackpot Winner Hides Face

Updated: 9:35am UK, Wednesday 02 April 2014

The sole winner of a $425m (£255m) Powerball jackpot has come forward to claim his prize after more than a month - but still did not show his face.

B Raymond Buxton, from California, accepted his prize - one of the largest Powerball jackpots in history - at the California Lottery headquarters in Sacramento.

In a photo taken after he claimed the money, Mr Buxton covered his face with an oversize cheque.

His t-shirt featured a picture of Yoda, the Star Wars character, and read, "Luck of the Jedi I have".

Mr Buxton is hoping to remain out of the limelight and hired a publicist to avoid speaking directly to the media.

He also will not reveal his age, address or what he did for a living until his very recent retirement.

"He really wants to live a private life as best he can," said his publicist, Sam Singer.

"He was a solidly middle-class American, and today he is a solidly wealthy one."

In a statement, Mr Buxton said he was shocked after hearing about the February 19 drawing.

After the winning numbers were announced, he sat in front of his computer in disbelief. He checked and double-checked his ticket and did not tell anybody.

"Sitting on a ticket of this value was very scary," he said in the statement.

"Once the initial shock passed, I couldn't sleep for days."

Since winning, he has been working with a lawyer and financial adviser to establish new bank accounts, set up a charity and sort out tax issues.

Mr Buxton bought the ticket at the Dixon Landing Chevron station in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Milpitas, about 10 miles (17km) north of San Jose.

He had been having lunch at a Subway restaurant inside the station when he decided to buy another ticket because the jackpot was so large, lottery officials said.

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New Phil Spector Prison Mugshots Released

Two new photos of the former record producer and songwriter Phil Spector show the toll prison life has taken on him.

Spector is without his wigs these days

The most recent image, from October 2013, shows a bald, sombre-looking Spector staring straight into the camera.

The 73-year-old is serving 19 years to life after shooting the actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003.

An earlier photo of a smiling Spector is dated July 24, 2013.

Before his conviction, Spector was known for the array of wigs he would wear in public and during his two trials in 2007 and 2008.

California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the October photo was taken when Spector was moved to the prison system's huge California Heath Care Facility in Stockton.

The facility provides medical and mental health care to the state's sickest inmates, including those with chronic conditions.

Ms Thornton said she could not reveal details of Spector's health because of state medical privacy regulations.

Lana Clarkson and Spector during his 2009 trial

Spector always maintained his innocence and claimed Clarkson died from accidental suicide.

A 2013 HBO film called Phil Spector, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Al Pacino as Spector and Dame Helen Mirren as a defence lawyer, depicted a fictionalised account of the murder and trials.        

Spector in court in 2005

Spector became known for his Wall of Sound production method. He worked with a number of huge stars in the 1960s, co-writing the Righteous Brothers hit You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.

He produced The Beatles' album Let It Be in 1970.

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Alice: Not Enough Evidence For Arrest Warrant

There is not enough evidence to issue a European Arrest Warrant for Arnis Zalkalns, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Alice Gross, the Met Police has said.

If the Latvian has returned to his home country he would also be able to stay there as a free man, the force admitted.

A reconstruction of the last-known movements of the teenager will take place on Thursday - four weeks after the 14-year-old went missing.

Police divers found a knife in the River Brent

Detectives are hoping it could throw up vital clues from anyone who saw her walking alongside the Grand Union Canal in west London.

Convicted killer Zalkalns disappeared at the start of the month and UK police are in Latvia trying to track him down.

Searches have taken place in miles of canals

Police and divers are also continuing to search through the River Brent near Ealing Hospital after a knife - currently undergoing forensic testing - was found in the area earlier this week.

The search is the biggest since the 7/7 bombings in London, with 600 officers pursuing more than 700 lines of enquiry, and more than 1,000 people having been spoken to.

The whereabouts of Arnis Zalkalns are unknown

Thursday's reconstruction will see a police cadet walk the canal-side route that Alice took on August 28 in the hope witnesses could remember a small, but potentially important detail.

CCTV recorded the teenager as she made her way back to her home in the Hanwell area of west London, and also filmed Zalkalns cycling past the same spot 15 minutes later.

The labourer was seen on CCTV 15 minutes after Alice passed the same spot

Detectives believe he is likely to have seen Alice as they were both going north along the towpath.

The Latvian has not entered his homeland by plane but could have made his way there by road.

Zalkalns, who served seven years in prison for killing his wife and burying her in a forest after a dispute about her sexuality, has not been seen since September 3 and has not used his phone or bank account.

Alice was last seen on August 28

The labourer was also arrested on suspicion of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the UK in 2009, but no further action was taken.

Scotland Yard, meanwhile, has said it is reviewing the early stages of the investigation after coming under fire for being too slow to ask Latvian authorities for help.

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads detectives to find Alice.

Zalkalns is white, 5ft 10ins and stocky, with dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a ponytail.

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Stand Up Be Counted: Labour Plans Lack 'Depth'

When they arrived at the Labour Party conference earlier this week, Sky News' two Stand Up Be Counted contributors could surely not have imagined chasing after Ed Miliband or bumping into the shadow business secretary.

Yet for Charlene Osuagwu and Michael Adams, the opportunity to attend the annual event in Manchester - a trip organised in conjunction with Media Trust - has thrust them both into the centre of the political sphere.

Matters of interest to young people - not least votes for 16-year-olds - were always likely to be on the agenda, as Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats set out what they hope will be vote-winning plans ahead of the election next year.

But how did Mr Miliband perform on those youth issues? Here are Charlene's thoughts:

"After three days at the Labour Party conference, the first part of our conference experience has come to an end.

"Michael, my fellow Stand Up Be Counted contributor, and I came to Manchester intent on learning how Labour plans to empower young people and, more critically, engage young people in the political process.

Charlene says some young people believe Labour plans need more depth

"We leave with high expectations for our remaining two party conferences.

"Following the Scottish referendum, we expected the leaders to touch on lowering the voting age to 16 and youth involvement, if only briefly.

"However, in a passionate declaration, which saw Ed Miliband boldly assert the party's commitment to encouraging social mobility and political engagement among the youth, the defining role young people could plan ahead of next year's general election became increasingly apparent.

"Nevertheless, while proving to be a great positive for some of the young people present at conference, a recurring point of criticism among others was the lack of depth demonstrated when Labour sought to explain how they would affect such plans.

"Though Miliband had himself made reference to the increasing sense of distrust young voters have of Westminster, his campaign at conference, though commendable, may not have eased such thoughts entirely."

Stand Up Be Counted is an innovative new platform for young people to speak out on issues that matter most them.

Less than a month after its launch, the website is a stream of opinions on topics ranging from gender equality, political education and unemployment to the police, youth centres and immigration.

Anyone aged 16-25 can join the debate by signing up for the site and uploading a short video or blog post.

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Secret Camera Catches Carer Abusing Woman

The parents of a brain-damaged woman have spoken out after a nursing assistant was jailed for a series of sexual assaults on their daughter.

The family of Julie Henson only uncovered the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of Paul Bugarcic when they installed an inconspicuous video camera to monitor her progress at a care facility in Englewood, Denver.

They now want to raise awareness among all those with loved ones being looked after of the right to set up surveillance.

Bugarcic, 34, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a patient at the Cherry Hills Health Care Center and was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this month.

Ms Henson now needs constant care. Pic: Family handout via CBS

Julie Henson's family say if they had not had the camera, Bugarcic would have continued his abuse.

Her mother, Debbie, said: "I watched it and I went, 'No'."

"She couldn't even fight back, she couldn't say (anything)," Julie's father said.

He added: "If we didn't have that camera in there to catch it he would have kept on doing it."

Julie Henson's brain damage was diagnosed in 2011.

"Just a girl pulling her chair out from underneath her at work. She fell and hit her head," said Debbie Henson.

She said her daughter immediately complained about painful headaches.

Surgery followed and the problem was compounded with brain swelling, and the discovery of a cyst.

Julie Henson's parents installed the secret camera

Julie Henson now requires round-the-clock care, and cannot walk or speak.

"She's all in there. The poor thing is just trapped in her body," Debbie Henson said.

"This guy doing what he did to her took the progress she had and dropped it back about a year."

They continue to work to restore their daughter's health, which doctors say may be possible but warn of a long road ahead.

"We are just hoping one day she will come back around," her father said.

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MPs Sob At 'Keep Your Mitts Off My NHS' Speech

A 91-year-old Second World War veteran has upstaged Ed Miliband at the Labour Party conference with a passionate and tear-jerking speech on the health service.

Harry Smith moved audience members to tears as he made a passionate case for the NHS and warned David Cameron: "Keep your mitts off my NHS."

Mr Smith received a number of standing ovations as he detailed his life in a "barbarous, bleak and uncivilised" Barnsley slum where he listened to the screams of a woman dying of cancer because she could not afford the medicine to dull the pain.

Mr Miliband admits he forgot to mention the deficit

His eight-minute speech came after a poorly received 66-minute keynote by the Labour leader on Tuesday, which was roundly condemned after it emerged he forgot to mention the deficit.

Political pundits were hailing Mr Smith's speech as a lesson to Mr Miliband in delivery, saying he had managed to make a powerful case for the NHS in a way the leader had failed to.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham with Harry Smith

Steve Hawkes, deputy political editor, of the Sun, tweeted: "91 year-old Harry Smith shows Ed Miliband how to do it - rousing speech (from autocue) that gets delegates on their feet."

Another Twitter user, Robert Bennett, wrote: "Harry Smith 91 years didn't forget any of his speech."

Tears rolling down the cheek of one Labour delegate

While another, Mark Robinson, tweeted: "Such a contrast between Harry Smith's speech and Ed Miliband's."

Labour politicians, including the shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, wept openly as he described how his sister had to be buried in a paupers' pit after dying of tuberculosis at the age of 10.

He said the family watched as she faded away, unable to help because they "just didn't have the dosh to keep her comfortable".

Another conference member wipes her eyes

Mr Smith said that eventually she was sent to die in a workhouse infirmary because her mother could no longer care for her.

Mr Smith told the conference: "In my heart, I can still feel my mum and dad's desperation as they were trying to keep our family safe and healthy in the slum we called home.

"Common disease controlled our neighbourhood and snuffed out life like a cold breath on a warm candlelit flame."

He said he was born in 1923 to a life that was nothing like an episode of Downton Abbey, where hospitals and doctors were for the privileged few.

But he said while his heart was with the children of his generation who did not make it, it was also with the people of the present who were struggling because of welfare cuts and austerity measures.

He finished: "Today we must be vigilant. We must never ever let the NHS free from our grasp because if we do, your future will be my past.

"My life is your history and we should keep it that way.

"So say it loud and say in clear in this hall and across this country, Mr Cameron, keep your mitts off my NHS."

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IS Beheads French Hostage In Video - Reports

A video has been released that shows a French hostage being beheaded by a group linked to Islamic State, it is being reported.

Herve Gourdel, a 55-year-old hiker from the southern French city of Nice, was kidnapped on Sunday by Jund al Khilifa.

The group had given France a 24-hour deadline stop its airstrikes against IS in Iraq.

In the clip, issued by the Algerian militants, the tourist was seen kneeling with his arms bound behind his back, as four masked men read a message in Arabic which condemned France.

Mr Gourdel was then pushed on to his side and held down.

Shortly after the group - known as the Caliphate Soldiers in English - released the video, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius insisted the abduction would not deter his nation's participation in a US-led offensive against IS.

Intelligence sources believe there could be 10 Western hostages still being held by Islamic State.

One Briton, David Haines, as well as Americans James Foley and Steven Sotloff, have lost their lives at the hands of the group in recent weeks.

Islamic State has recently threatened to kill Alan Henning, a British aid convoy volunteer.

More follows...

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