Armed Robber Pinned Down During Raid Dies

An armed man has died after being restrained by customers during an attempted robbery at a bookmakers, police said.

The man, in his 50s, was believed to be wearing a gas mask and holding a gun when he entered a Ladbrokes branch on Crownhill Road in Plymouth shortly before 7pm.

Customers managed to disarm him and held him on the floor while others raised the alarm, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Police arrested the man, who was already unconscious, but he was declared dead shortly afterwards.

"It quickly became clear the man was unresponsive and an ambulance was immediately requested by police who carried out CPR until they arrived," a police spokesman said.

"A few minutes later three paramedics arrived at the scene and continued to carry out further CPR. Around 20 minutes later the man was declared dead at the scene by the paramedics."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been informed of death.

Chief Inspector Ian Drummond-Smith said: "This is a very serious incident. We cannot speculate on what has actually taken place here today.

"A full investigation has now begun and while the IPCC carry out their investigation it is not appropriate to comment further."

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Plastic Surgeons Flying In From Abroad 'Pose Risk'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Doctors have warned of the dangers of 'seagull surgeons' who fly into Britain on daytrips to carry out operations, often without insurance.

Sky News has seen details of patients who have suffered complications from botched cosmetic surgery carried out at British clinics. But they have been unable to trace the surgeons abroad and have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said patients need better protection - and called on the government to get tough.

Kelly Dean went for a lunchtime liposuction with what she thought was an experienced surgeon in a reputable clinic.

But the £4,000 laser procedure was botched, burning tissue inside her legs and leaving her with lumps on her thighs.

She told Sky News: "I just remember the pain, and thinking: 'Oh my God, what have I done?'"

"I kept telling him: 'I'm in pain, you're hurting me'. And I was crying, really crying."

A solicitor tried to track the surgeon down in Italy, without success, and the clinic which had hired out the room denied any responsibility.

"You think you are in safe hands," she said.

"To them it is just money, you are just a number. They don't care about it.

"As soon as they take your money, that's it, bye-bye."

Leeds-based surgeon Muhammad Riaz has had to treat complications in several patients after their original surgeon had returned abroad.

He said all surgeons should be responsible for their patients' after-care.

"That's the time the patient suffers," he warned.

"If they don't get into the same hospital and are not able to see the same surgeon, the NHS ends up picking up the pieces and dealing with those problems."

Rajiv Grover, presidet of BAAPS, which is the professional body for cosmetic surgeons, said the government must regulate the "fly-in, fly-out" surgeons and insist they have proper indemnity insurance.

"They may be working here for a short time and perhaps it's not cost effective for them to do so," he said.

"But for the protection of the patient it is imperative they have insurance of a level that allows them to work here and explicitly states they can work in the United Kingdom."

The Department of Health spokesperson said: "The NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh is currently carrying out a review into regulation of cosmetic surgery.

"The review will be published in March. Its recommendations will be evidence-based, with the safety of the patient at the forefront."

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Elsa Salama: Plea For Abducted Girl's Return

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

The mother of a little girl who was snatched by Egyptian relatives while on a family holiday has pleaded for her to be returned.

Naomi Button, 39, has not seen her daughter Elsa Salama since she was abducted in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh on December 27, 2011 while visiting relatives.

Elsa's father, Egyptian-born Tamer Salama, 35, is in prison in England for refusing to comply with court orders to return Elsa to her mother.

Standing in her daughter's bedroom in Leeds, which has been kept just as she left it, Ms Button said she finds it difficult to cope.

Elsa was abducted in December 2011

"The worst times are when I wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes I wonder if that's because she's woken up and she's crying for me," she said.

Elsa will be six on February 2 and her mother has set up a Facebook page hoping that making a public appeal will finally bring her daughter home.

"I don't know what she's been told, I don't know if she thinks I didn't want her and I just left her in Egypt and that's mortifying to me," she said.

Salama was jailed in January 2012, having said Elsa was with his mother, but refusing to say where she was being held.

Ms Button is making a public appeal for the return of her daughter

Sentencing him, the judge Mr Justice Mitchell said: "It is unspeakably harmful to the emotional welfare of your daughter.

"It shows me that you are a man with a hard heart, determined only to get your own way."

Last week Salama was jailed for a further 12 months for his continuing failure to comply with court orders to return his daughter to her mother.

The couple met in Sharm el Sheikh in 2005 and were married in Egypt the following year, before moving to Leeds in 2007.

They separated in 2009 but agreed that Elsa should continue to see her family in Egypt.

Elsa's father is in jail for refusing to say where she is being held

Ms Button has a custody order in Egypt and the support of the Child Abduction Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Her lawyer, Kate Bannerjee, who heads the children's department at Jones Myers and is a panel member of the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit, warns that parental child abduction is on the increase.

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Child Abduction Section is receiving an average of four calls per day," she said.

"Understanding of parental child abduction is alarmingly low and cases can take years to resolve."

Ms Button has kept a pile of unopened Christmas presents in her daughter's room.

"I know that she wants to be back home with Mummy," she told us.

"My mission in life is to find my daughter and, no matter how long that takes, to be here for her.

"I want her to come back and see how her life was, so I do everything I can to find her but also to maintain the life she had, and that's what I get up for every day."

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Nick Clegg Suggests Coalition Cut Too Deeply

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has appeared to admit that the coalition cut spending too deeply when it took power.

Speaking ahead of the release of figures that are expected to show a fresh contraction in the UK economy, he said ministers had "comforted" themselves at the time that the reduction was in line with plans drawn up by the previous Chancellor, Labour's Alistair Darling.

In an interview with The House magazine, he said: "If I'm going to be sort of self-critical, there was this reduction in capital spending when we came into the Coalition Government.

"I think we comforted ourselves at the time that it was actually no more than what Alistair Darling spelt out anyway, so in a sense everybody was predicting a significant drop off in capital investment.

"But I think we've all realised that you actually need, in order to foster a recovery, to try and mobilise as much public and private capital into infrastructure as possible."

Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King has predicted a weaker quarter

Rachel Reeves, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: "This is the first admission that this Government has made serious mistakes on the economy."

Some experts believe gross domestic product (GDP) - released later today - will have fallen by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2012.

If the economy then contracts in the current quarter the nation would be officially back in recession.

Hopes of a rebound are fading after a snow-hit start to 2013, which some estimate cost Britain more than £500m-a-day in lost output.

A fourth-quarter downturn would be a sharp reversal of the 0.9% recovery seen in the third quarter, when output was fuelled by one-off factors such as the Olympics and as the economy clawed back activity lost during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee holiday.

Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King has already warned that the quarter would be "considerably weaker", while the IMF believes the UK contracted by 0.2% overall in 2012.

It also expects expansion of just 1% during this year.

Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) represent the initial estimate of GDP and are subject to revision over subsequent months.

But the run of gloomy economic indicators increases the threat to the UK's prized AAA rating, with all three major ratings agencies placing the country on negative outlook.

Construction has so far been the only bright spot, according to recent industry surveys, with activity surging to a 15-month high in December.

But it accounts for only 10% of the economy and the far bigger services sector has not fared so well.

The first official estimate of fourth-quarter GDP will not include overall household consumer spending figures, which will be taken into account in the second estimate.

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Cost Of Raising A Child Soars To £222,000

The cost of raising a child from birth until their 21st birthday has rocketed to £222,000, according to a study.

The overall figure is more than £4,000 up on last year and £82,000 more than a decade ago - an increase of 58%.

The most expensive areas to raise children over the past decade remain London (£239,123), the South East (£237,233) and the East of England (£233,363).

Families in the South West have seen the biggest hike in costs, now paying £10,077 more per child than they were 10 years ago.

Education and childcare remain the biggest costs, with 76% of parents forced to make cutbacks to meet the financial demands of raising their offspring, the survey for insurer LV= found.

The cost of education, including uniforms, after-school clubs and university costs has rocketed from £32,593 to £72,832 per child in the last decade - a 124% rise. This does not include private school fees.

Childcare costs alone have risen by 61% from £9,613 in 2003 to £6,738.

From birth to the ages of 21, parents spend an average of £19,270 on food and £16,195 on holidays per child.

Of the 2,013 mums and dads that took part in the poll, some reported feeling under pressure to keep up with the latest technological advances, even for children as young as three years old.

More than a quarter of parents (27%) had bought their child an electronic gadget in the last 12 months, with 16% buying a laptop or tablet computer.

On average, they revealed they spent around £302 on gadgets for their children.

The survey found costs have risen in all areas of expenditure apart from clothing, which has seen a 5% drop since 2003.

LV= spokesman Mark Jones said: "The cost of raising a child continues to soar and is now at a 10-year high. Everyone wants the best for their children but the rising cost of living is pushing parents' finances to the limit.

"There seems to be no sign of this trend reversing. If the costs associated with bringing up children continue to rise at the same pace, parents could face a bill of over £350,000 in 10 years' time."

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Hazard Ballboy Kick: Chelsea Star Apologises

Chelsea star Eden Hazard will not face criminal charges for kicking a ballboy during his side's Capital One Cup semi-final against Swansea last night.

South Wales Police said they have spoken to 17-year-old Charlie Morgan - who did not suffer any injuries - and his father, and no complaint has been made.

The youth was kicked by the Belgian player after refusing to give him back the ball.

Hazard was sent off and Chelsea lost 2-0 on aggregate, sending Swansea through to the cup final against Bradford at Wembley.

"South Wales Police can confirm that the Swansea City ball boy has been interviewed in the presence of his father and no complaint has been made," a police spokesman said. "The ball boy did not sustain any injuries."

The boy lay on the ground grimacing after being kicked

Hazard later insisted he had kicked the ball - not the ballboy.

He told Chelsea TV: "The boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball and I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise.

"The ball boy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologised and the boy apologised as well, and it is over. Sorry."

Next month's Capital One Cup final will be Swansea's first major final in their 100-year history but the achievement was overshadowed by Hazard's kick.

With just over 10 minutes remaining and Chelsea needing to score twice to take the tie to extra-time, he lost patience when Charlie refused to hand over the ball after it had gone out of play for a goal-kick.

Hazard's team-mates reacted angrily to the sending off

The teenager fell to the ground as Hazard attempted to get the ball from him - and the Blues forward then tried to kick it from under him but instead he appeared to make contact with the youngster.

Several Chelsea players went to tend to Charlie, who was left holding his ribs, before referee Chris Foy produced a red card.

Before the game, he tweeted: "The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting."

After the game Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said that Hazard and the ball boy had exchanged apologies in the dressing room after the match.

"They apologised to each other," he said. "They both talked. The boy knows he was wasting time. Hazard was frustrated and trying to get the ball back.

The boy later received an apology from Hazard

"We can not change the situation. We are disappointed because we lost a player. The best thing for us is to move forward."

A Swansea spokesman confirmed no action would be taken, and that Chelsea had invited Charlie, who has been a ball boy at the Liberty Stadium for six years, into their dressing room.

He said: "The ball boy has been into the Chelsea dressing room after the game and shaken hands with Eden Hazard. The likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard were exemplary in their behaviour in welcoming him into the dressing room.

"Chelsea asked if he could come in and our kit lady took him in and they shook hands, he is fine.

"As far as we are concerned the matter is closed. He has been a ball boy here for six years with no incidents here at the stadium."

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said he expected Hazard would regret the incident when he views it on television.

"I saw it from a very big distance from the bench," he said. "I've since seen it after the game. Hazard is a great player. When he sees the images I think he will regret it."

But he added: "I can understand all the frustrations when you are behind."

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Rape Charge For BBC Presenter Stuart Hall

BBC presenter Stuart Hall has been charged with further sexual offences - including an alleged rape.

The 83-year-old veteran broadcaster was arrested on Tuesday after attending a Cheshire police station.

The Radio 5 Live football presenter was charged with 14 offences of sexual assault involving ten girls aged between nine and 16 between 1967 and 1986.

He is also accused of raping a 22-year-old woman in 1976.

In December, Hall was charged with three counts of indecent assault against young girls in the 1970s and 80s. He denied these three charges at a court hearing earlier this month.

Following the latest charges he was bailed to appear before magistrates in Preston on February 7.

Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, has worked for more than a half century in British broadcasting and was awarded an OBE in this year's New Years Honours.

He presented the It's A Knockout show in the 1970s.

The BBC has previously said he would not be working at the corporation while he is facing allegations.

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Weather: Boy, 15, Plunges Through Frozen Pool

The fire brigade has warned people to stay off frozen ponds and lakes after a boy plunged through ice in the Midlands.

Emergency services were called to Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield where a boy, believed to be aged 15, had apparently tried to walk on the frozen surface of a large pool of water.

After falling through the ice he managed to escape the icy water and reach an island about 30 metres from the shore, but was suffering from the cold.

Fire crews from Sutton Coldfield, Erdington and Perry Barr were sent to the park, along with the police and ambulance service.

They were able to rescue the boy using an inflatable raft, and he was taken to hospital.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "This incident is a very timely reminder about the need for us all to stay safe and sensible in these very cold weather conditions.

"As sturdy as it might look, there is no way of knowing the thickness of ice on pools, lakes and other waterways.

"Please stay off it, and make sure that any children you know are aware of the dangers.

"People who put themselves at risk by venturing on to ice also endanger the lives of anyone who might have to rescue them.

"We're also urging dog owners to keep them on leads, so that they and their pets don't get into difficulties."

Snow has continued to fall over parts of south Wales and South West England overnight, but the end of the cold snap is in sight.

Weather will get milder at the weekend, however melting snow coupled with rainfall could lead to flooding.

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Ecstasy: Two Deaths Linked To Tainted Pills

Two people have died in two days and several others are in hospital after possibly taking contaminated ecstasy tablets.

Greater Manchester Police said it is investigating whether a batch of the illegal drugs circulating in the area could have led to the deaths of the two "apparently fit young men".

Gareth Ashton, 28, died at Wigan Infirmary on Monday, police have confirmed.

A 19-year-old died at Oldham Hospital on Sunday.

Both were admitted to hospital after complaining of feeling unwell and suffered the same symptoms.

Toxicology tests are due to take place to establish their cause of death.

Police have also been made aware of a number of other people who have been admitted to hospital suffering similar symptoms in the last few days.

The contaminated drugs are believed to be heart shaped and coloured purple, green, yellow and blue.

Detective Chief Inspector Howard Millington from Wigan CID said: "We are very concerned at how these deaths of two apparently fit young men have occurred.

"It is believed several other people have been admitted to hospital suffering from similar symptoms.

"It is possible that they are linked and this is something we are exploring as part of the investigation.

"Our main concern is that there may be a contaminated quantity of illegal drugs and if this goes unchecked it could result in further deaths."

Anyone with information can phone police on 0161 856 7149 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Defence Cuts: 5,000 Soldiers Set To Be Axed

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Around 5,000 soldiers will be made redundant in the latest round of job cuts, the Government will announce today.

The Army will bear the heaviest burden in this third tranche of redundancies, the Navy and RAF having already completed most of their necessary cuts.

Sky News understands that soldiers fitting the redundancy criteria will be informed by their superiors later this morning.

Anyone currently serving in Afghanistan is likely to be exempt from this round of job cuts, so too are soldiers preparing to deploy within the next six months and anyone recovering from a recent operational tour of duty.

No-one will actually be made redundant immediately and today's announcement marks the start of the process for the latest round of cuts. Final decisions will be made by June.

In the last round of cuts, 72% of redundancies ended up being voluntary. Military leaders and politicians are hoping for a similar outcome this time round.

Anyone accepted for voluntary redundancy will be expected to work a six-month notice period and those selected for compulsory redundancy will have a full year to find alternative employment before leaving the service.

They will be given resettlement support.

Around 9,000 British personnel are deployed to Afghanistan

By the end of the process the Army will have shrunk to 80,000 soldiers, a reduction of around 20,000, mostly through a redundancy process but also achieved through slower recruitment.

A fourth round of cuts is expected but has not been confirmed. It is likely this would happen at around the same time next year.

The job losses are part of a strategic review driven by budget cuts which aims produce a new look military by 2020.

The biggest commitment by some way is in Afghanistan - 9,000 personnel are deployed in the country - but the withdrawal process is due to start this year and by the end of 2014 most soldiers will have returned home.

Final numbers haven not been announced.

In October last year the Defence Secretary announced plans to rename the Territorial Army the 'Reservists' and double its members to 30,000.

There is also a hope that some of those leaving the military because of the redundancy scheme might sign up to the TA so their experience is not lost.

By the end of the redundancy process the number of serving personnel in all three services will be reduced to 150,000 from 180,000.

It will result in the smallest army since the 18th century and plenty of concerns over effectiveness.

It is not just serving military personnel taking the hit - the Ministry of Defence is in the process of cutting around 25% of its staff. The aim is to save £3.8m a year and to make the department less top-heavy with management.

The UK still faces real or potential threats around the globe, demonstrated in the past few weeks by the hostage situation in Algeria and conflict in Mali.

Some, particularly retired service chiefs, question the UK's ability to face these threats with a reduced military and gaps in the equipment locker.

The Government will again need to convince detractors, home and abroad, that the UK military can still earn international respect despite its reduced size.

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Prince Charles In British Industry Warning

Prince Charles is to warn that Britain is in danger of losing its reputation as the "standard bearer of quality manufacturing and engineering" if more young people are not attracted into the industries.

The Prince of Wales will deliver his speech during a visit to the Jaguar Land Rover production plant at Halewood on Merseyside.

He will say: "As a country, we are rightly proud of our industrial heritage, but we should also celebrate our continued success as the standard bearer of quality manufacturing and engineering throughout the world.

"From car production to quality shoe-making, from precision engineering to traditional craft skills, Britain is truly a global leader."

But he will stress that this reputation is at stake if the country does not attract more young people into manufacturing and engineering in the future.

The Prince is carrying out a series of visits over two days to champion the 'Best of British' engineering and manufacturing in the UK.

He will also launch Industrial Cadets, a national initiative backed by the Department for Communities and Local Government to encourage young people to join manufacturing industries.

The idea stemmed from discussions between the Prince and Tata Steel in 2010 and is being run by the education charity EDT.

Industrial Cadets aims to raise aspirations for students aged 12 to 14 by building awareness of manufacturing industry in their local area.

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Snow And Ice Cause Travel Delays Across UK

UK Weather: Morning Update

Updated: 7:26am UK, Monday 21 January 2013

By Isobel Lang, Sky News forecaster

The Met Office have issued an amber warning which means be prepared for disruption due to heavy snow across northeast England and eastern Scotland.

Around 10cm, 4 inches, of snow is expected widely, but around 15 to 20cm, 8 inches, is likely over higher ground especially the Pennines, Cheviots and Grampians.

North Sea coastal areas may be more sleety but inland it will be snow that falls.

Strong winds will also blow the snow around bringing blizzard conditions over the mountains.

Disruption to travel with road closures is likely as well as to power supplies.

The snow will continue through today and tonight although is likely to ease a little across northeast England later.

Western Scotland, Northern Ireland and northwest England will also see some snow, eastern parts of Northern Ireland may see around 10cm of snow, 4 inches.

It should turn drier and clearer tonight with frost returning.

Across southern Ireland, Wales and central and southern England today will start largely dry with the risk of ice on untreated roads and pavements across southern parts.

Some rain, sleet or snow is expected to spread across southern most counties of Ireland and England today perhaps bringing a centimetre or two of snow across far southeast of England later.

Heavy wintry showers, along with gusty winds, will follow tonight and into rush hour tomorrow bringing the potential for some heavy snow across southwest England and south Wales.

Tomorrow expect snow across southwest Britain and northeast Britain with drier weather in between.

Ireland will see some snow too especially around Dublin.

Wednesday to Friday looks drier but still cold with patchy fog and ice.

Temperatures should lift this weekend but with the initial threat of snow before rain spreads in. Expect a slow thaw.

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Murder Probe After Body Of Boy, 2, Discovered

Police have begun a murder investigation following the death of a two-year-old boy.

Officers were called to a home in Modbury, Devon, on Saturday morning after the little boy's body was discovered by a member of the public.

Police confirmed they have arrested a woman and she is being questioned by officers on suspicion of murder.

As well as carrying out door-to-door enquiries, police have also begun initial forensic work - although it is believed a post-mortem examination has yet to be carried out.

That process is expected to be carried out in the coming days by a Home Office pathologist or specialist paediatric pathologist.

In the meantime, detectives are continuing to piece together information and urged members of the public able to assist with their enquiries to get in touch.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said on Saturday: "At around 8.20am today, following a report to police, officers attended an address in Champernowne, Modbury, where they found the body of a two-year-old boy.

"A 40-year-old local woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody at Charles Cross police station, Plymouth."

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Scotland Avalanche: Prayers For Four Victims

Prayers will be said today for four people who died in an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands.

The Rev Moira Herkes, who will lead a private service at St Munda's Church in Glencoe, said it was "the worst accident to happen here for many years" and that the victims would not be forgotten.

The climbers were among a party of six on Bidean Nam Bian, a mountain near Glencoe.

It is believed they were descending from a peak on the south side of the valley when the snow-covered slope they were crossing broke away, engulfing five of them and sending them hundreds of feet down the mountain.

Bidean Nam Bian is a mountain with a height in excess of 3,000ft

Emergency services were alerted to the accident at about 2pm yesterday and a major search operation involving two mountain rescue teams and police dogs was launched.

The four people - two men and two women - were found dead beneath the snow.

One male climber, who stayed with the teams to help with the search, is safe and well while a woman is in a serious condition in Belford hospital in Fort William.

John Grieve, leader of Glencoe mountain rescue team, which co-ordinated the search, said the alarm was initially raised by two climbers - who were not part of the group of six - when they discovered one of the casualties lying in the snow.

But, soon after, police were contacted by the male survivor from the climbing party, who told them more people were missing.

Mr Grieve, who is in Spain and was not part of the search, said: "The first call to police was from two other people who had been on the mountain, they found someone lying next to where they were climbing.

The avalanche occurred on a slope in Glencoe

"So, the assumption was that it was just one casualty, but it became clear that there were others missing when they heard from the man who is safe."

He said the dead climbers were located using a technique called "probing", where a metal stick is pushed into the snow.

"I'm not sure how deeply buried they were, but using that technique would suggest it was more than a metre," Mr Grieve said.

All of the missing climbers, who are yet to be named, were located within four hours of the alarm being raised.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This is an appalling tragedy and our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been lost.

"To lose four people from a party of six is truly devastating."

Bidean Nam Bian is a Munro - a mountain with a height in excess of 3,000ft - with a number of different climbs.

Anyone who is concerned about relatives climbing in the area are advised to contact Northern Constabulary's control room on 01463 715555.

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