Tycoon's Fall On To Railings 'Not Suspicious'

A bankrupt property tycoon whose body was found impaled on railings did not die in suspicious circumstances, a coroner has said.

Scot Young was discovered in what was described as a "grisly" and "brutal" scene following his death in Marylebone, central London, on December 8.

The 52-year-old had been jailed during a  public divorce row over a multimillion-pound settlement because he would not reveal financial records.

After his fatal fall, friends of Mr Young came forward with concerns about a potential "ring of death" in his inner circle - saying four of his reported close friends had died in a similar way.

They pointed out Johnny Elichaoff, Boris Berezovsky, Robert Curtis and Paul Castle all appear to have killed themselves after suffering financial setbacks over the past four years.

But opening the inquest into Mr Young's death, Westminster assistant coroner Angela Hodes said there were no suspicious circumstances.

She said his body was identified by brother-in-law Guy van Ristell, with details supplied to the police by his daughter Sasha.

No members of Mr Young's family or friends were present at the hearing, which was adjourned until January 12.

Speaking after his death, his 30-year-old American model girlfriend, Noelle Reno one of the stars of the Ladies Of London reality TV show, said she was "distraught by the sudden loss of my best friend" and wanted to "grieve in peace".

Mr Young had been locked in a long-running legal battle with his ex-wife Michelle, 50, with whom he had two daughters.

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Northern Ireland Parties Hail Agreement

Northern Ireland's political parties have reached agreement on a range of issues that had threatened the devolved government's future.

The "Stormont House Agreement", which has been forged after weeks of talks, has resolved wrangles over the budget and welfare reforms and established new structures to deal with the legacy of unsolved killings during the Troubles.

An Independent Commission on Information Retrieval will help the bereaved and injured obtain information about events during the conflict.

The First and Deputy First Ministers will also bring forward proposals to deal with parades after the General Election, while a commission will be set up to address the issue of flags.

The agreement paves the way for corporation tax powers to be devolved to Belfast as well, after Chancellor George Osborne said he would do so, provided there was progress at the talks.

Prime Minister David Cameron has also agreed to lend the devolved government £2bn to address a shortfall, after Stormont agreed to cushion welfare reform from its own budget.

Mr Cameron said: "I am delighted that a workable agreement has been reached that can allow Northern Ireland to enjoy a brighter, more prosperous future, while at the same time finally being able to deal with its past.

"This historic agreement has been long in the making and I would also like to pay tribute to all those involved - the Northern Ireland parties, the UK and Irish governments and Senator Hart - for getting us to this position.

"We will now all work collaboratively to see this through. The people of Northern Ireland deserve nothing less."

First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson said the deal acknowledged that further work was needed.

"Of course every one of us would have liked to have had a more comprehensive and complete agreement but this is as much and more than we have ever been able to do on these issues in the past," he said.

"So it is a very significant agreement."

Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the "remarkable agreement" had the potential to give the Executive a "fresh start".

"And it is a fresh start we need to seize with both hands," he said, flanked by party leader Gerry Adams.

Irish foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan, who was involved in negotiations, said: "Today we are building on the hard-won peace on this island with a new agreement which aims to further reconciliation and foster economic growth."

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Glasgow Crash: Witnesses Tell Of Screams

Horrified witnesses have been telling of the moment a bin lorry careered along a Glasgow street, fatally crashing into pedestrians.

At least six people died in the tragedy in George Square in the centre of the city.

One woman, Melanie Greig, told Sky News of "the noise, the bangs and the screams".

She said the lorry "lost control" and was "knocking everyone like pinballs" as it travelled along the pavement.

Dozens of people have needed treatment

She said: "It continued knocking people down until it ended up in the building. Quite horrific. Very scary."

The vehicle stopped when it struck the Millennium Hotel after travelling on the pavement for what was thought to be about 300 metres.

Video: Witness: 'I Feel Lucky To Be Alive'

Ms Greig went on: "When something is coming up behind them like that, how can they run out of the way?"

She also said there was a baby in a buggy. "There were actually two little kids. It was just horrific."

David Lyon escaped being hit by seconds, saying he moved out of the way, trying to save his girlfriend.

"It makes you appreciate life," he said.

Video: 'Chaos And Shock' At Glasgow Crash

Mr Lyon said: "I quite literally moved out the way of a moving truck. I feel quite lucky to be alive.

"l moved out of the way as it was crashing into people. It's traumatic. It was quite chaotic. Everybody was in a panic. It was really disturbing."

And another man, who said the lorry was travelling at speed, said: "It was very traumatic for a lot of people."

Shopper Lauren Gilmore was nearby when the incident happened.

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1. Gallery: Pictures From The Crash Scene

   Emergency services at the scene of the crash

The rubbish lorry crashed through shoppers in Glasgow before hitting the Millennium Hotel in St George Square. Pic: Radio Clyde

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Police Investigate Deadly Bin Lorry Crash

Police in Glasgow are investigating why a bin lorry crashed into a crowd of Christmas shoppers in the city centre killing six people.

The truck mounted the pavement outside the Gallery of Modern Art - hitting a group of people waiting to cross the road - carrying on for another 300 metres until it crashed into the Millennium Hotel.

The driver, who was said to be lucid when the vehicle finally stopped, was taken to hospital after the tragedy and it is believed he may have fallen ill at the wheel.

"We heard from eyewitnesses saying he wasn't looking around as the lorry was going across the pavement. He appeared to be slumped over the wheel," Sky's Gerard Tubb, reporting from Glasgow, said.

Seven other people are also being treated for their injuries in three hospitals in Glasgow. 

Video: Aftermath Of The Crash

Chief Inspector Mark Sutherland from Police Scotland said on Monday night: "We are currently working with our other agencies to establish exactly what happened.

"It's important that we do a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances.

"It's important that we take all the necessary steps to do it as quickly as we can so that we get the answers for the families and get their loved ones back to them as quick as we can."

Video: Witness: Lorry Knocked People Down

Police Scotland has appealed to anyone who has photos or videos of the incident to send it to them at georgesquareincident@scotland.pnn.police.uk.

Roads around George Square, which was packed at the time of the accident, remain closed.

A large cordon remains in place and dozens of floral tributes have been placed at the scene.

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1. Gallery: Images From The Devastating Scene In Glasgow After Bin Lorry Crash

   The lorry crashed into the Millennium Hotel at the top of Queen Street in the city centre

One police officer said it first mounted the pavement 300 metres down the street

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Plan Could Double Ambulance Waiting Times

Some people who need an ambulance may soon have to wait longer for it to arrive even if they are classed as a serious case under new proposals.

In a letter seen by Sky News, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives suggests the target time to get to patients suffering a range of "serious but not the most life-threatening" problems, including strokes and seizures, could be increased to 19 minutes.

The current target for an emergency vehicle to reach people in life-threatening situations is eight minutes.

According to the memo, NHS England says there will be no changes to response times where patients have "immediately life threatening" conditions such as cardiac arrest, choking and major bleeding - known as Red 1 calls.

In these instances, a "fast response" car is often sent ahead of a fully-crewed ambulance to meet the time limit.

Video: A&E Waiting Times: The Figures

For serious cases like stroke and fits - Red 2 calls - there will be an extra three minutes added on to the response time.

But a proportion of Red 2s will have the eight-minute target scrapped in favour of a 19-minute one for a full ambulance crew to be sent on its own.

Andy Burnham, Labour's shadow health secretary, said: "This has all the hallmarks of a panic move and suggests Jeremy Hunt's only solution to the A&E crisis is to give up and move the goalposts.

"Rather than getting ambulance response times back up to established standards, it looks like he is running up the white flag. The situation in the NHS is now serious and Jeremy Hunt is failing to provide the leadership it desperately needs.

"While there may be a case for reviewing these rules, this is not the way to do it. It is nothing short of dangerous to make a snap decision at the start of the most difficult winter in the NHS for years.

"Hunt's decision risks leaving thousands of seriously ill people waiting longer for ambulances this winter. The Health Secretary needs to provide urgent reassurance that this change can be safely made and won't put lives at risks."

But a Department of Health spokesman insisted: "No decisions have been made, and the Secretary of State would only agree to proposed changes that improve response times for urgent cases."

He added: "We have given ambulances an extra £50m this winter to ensure the service remains sustainable and the Secretary of State agreed that NHS England should investigate a proposal from the ambulance services themselves to see whether the service they offer the public could be improved."

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Booze Bus Aims To Ease Pressure On A&E

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

A mobile treatment centre costing nearly half a million pounds has been opened to keep drunk people out of A&E.

During one of the busiest weekends of the year as many celebrate Christmas parties, Sky News was invited to see the facility in Bristol which has been paid for by pubs and clubs through the National Licensed Trade Association.

The Alcohol Recovery Centre comes in a 65-foot-long truck trailer and is equipped with several beds, a waiting area and showers.

By 11pm on Saturday night the centre had already welcomed its first visitors, all of different ages and from a variety of backgrounds.

We saw patients being assessed by a paramedic to make sure they didn't have any other symptoms or injuries that needed treatment, before being left to rest and sober up.

Chris Hewett from South Western Ambulance Service told Sky News: "We're trying to achieve two things.

"The first thing is take the pressure off our colleagues in the hospitals, and the other thing is to try and keep the 999 ambulances free to go out and answer life-threatening emergencies."

It's hoped the centre will reduce the number of visits to hospital A&E departments, giving paramedics a dedicated space to help people who may be vulnerable because they've drunk too much.

A trial of the scheme, which ran in Bristol during December 2013, was praised for saving hundreds of hospital hours.

There are plans to open more centres like it across the UK in the next 18 months.

Andy Bishop, from the NLTA, said: "I am delighted to be involved with this pioneering national scheme that will have a profound effect on the licensed trade and in turn reduce the pressure of anti-social drinking on the emergency services, maintain ongoing health education and fund increased community support.

"Although we look forward to seeing the success of the project across the UK, our aim is that, through education, there will be no need for such assistance in our society in the future."

Almost 10 million hospital admissions in England last year were related to alcohol, and the cost to the NHS was up to £1.3bn.

Alcohol Concern believes this will contribute to an NHS deficit of £30bn by 2020.

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