PFA Boss Compares Evans Plight To Hillsborough

The head of the Professional Footballers' Association has been criticised for comparing convicted rapist Ched Evans' situation to the Hillsborough disaster.

The comments made by Gordon Taylor led to calls from Liverpool fans for the PFA chief executive to resign.

Mr Taylor was speaking in a radio interview after Oldham Athletic confirmed plans to sign Evans had collapsed.

"He (Evans) would not be the first person or persons to have been found guilty and maintained their innocence and then been proved right," Mr Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"If we are talking about things in football, we know what happened, what was alleged to have happened at Hillsborough.

Video: 'The Deal Could Not Go Ahead'

"And it's now unravelling and we are finding it was very different to how it was portrayed at the time - indeed by the police at the time.

"He's in a very difficult situation because he's been put through a wringer and the minute you show any sympathy for Ched everybody will say 'Well, what about the other parties concerned?'

"And that's why I'm making the point that nobody's forgetting them."

Social media users were quick to condemn the comments on Twitter.

Paul LFC Foreman posted: "Expect nothing more than a P45 for #GordonTaylor in the morn from @PFA absolutely disgusting comments not even comparable #JFT96."

Video: 4 Jan - What Do Fans Think?

Liverpool-based singer Pete Wylie said: "@PFA @LFC should withdraw the players from all activity-including playing-until Gordon Taylor apologises AND resigns+takes Evans too #JFT96."

Oldham Athletic's deal to sign Evans collapsed after staff, sponsors and fans suffered "vile" threats, the football club said.

The League One outfit had come under increasing pressure to turn its back on Evans with tens of thousands of people signing an online petition.

The club's main sponsor ZenOffice also threatened to pull out if they signed him.

After the deal fell apart, the former Wales international issued an apology "for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned".

Video: 21 Nov: U-Turn 'Right Decision'

However, he maintained he had consensual sex with the 19-year-old in a hotel room in 2011.

"Finally, it has been claimed that those using social media in an abusive and vindictive way towards this woman are supporters of mine," he added.

"I wish to make it clear that these people are not my supporters and I condemn their actions entirely and will continue to do so."

The victim has reportedly changed her identity and moved house a number of times after abuse on social media.

Evans has been unable to find a team since being released from prison in October having served half of a five-year sentence.

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Weather Warnings As Jet Stream Hits UK

ScotRail has suspended train services until further notice "for safety reasons" after hurricane-force winds brought gusts of up to 110mph.

The extreme weather is caused by an extra-powerful jet stream triggered by low temperatures in the US hitting warmer air.

Up to 75,000 properties in Scotland are without power.

The Forth Road Bridge was closed when a van was blown over - it has now been reopened.

Aberdeen Police said a number of trees had been blown down on Aberdeenshire and Moray roads.

Video: Sky News Weather Forecast

The winds arrived following Met Office amber warnings for northern and central Scotland, with flood warnings also in place for the region.

Schools in the Western Isles and Orkney have been closed as a precaution.

The strong winds blew over a lorry on the M6 in Cumbria, police reported.

Gusts of between 60mph and 70mph are expected in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Met Office has issued yellow "be prepared" warnings.

Video: Sub-Zero Temperatures Grip US

Schools have been shut and travel restrictions are in place.

Forecasters say conditions could rival the weather that battered parts of southern England at the end of 2013.

Dublin airport suspended arrivals and departures on Thursday night due to bad weather, with one flight being forced to abort its landing.

Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "We'd advise anyone planning to travel during the early part of the morning and into the early rush-hour to be prepared for some transport disruption and check traffic and travel conditions before heading out to ensure you can make your journey safely."

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1. Gallery: Large Parts Of US In Deep Freeze

   A frozen beach at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois

Commuters endure sub-zero temperatures in Chicago as a deep freeze sweeps across much of the nation

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Your First-Hand Experiences Of A&E Wards

Overwhelming patient demand has seen accident and emergency waiting times plunge to their worst levels in a decade and several hospitals implement major incident plans to cope.

Health professionals estimate nearly a third of people going to A&E are not emergency cases, while a lack of community healthcare has also been blamed for adding to the problem.

In response to the crisis, many viewers have contacted Sky News via email to relate their personal experiences of A&E.

Here are some of them:

:: Alan Pitts

Video: Why Are A&E Wards Struggling?

"My 92-old-mother spent just over 24 hours in the A&E department in December. They ran out of blankets pillows, chairs and beds.

"The hospital was like a third world country. The general manager of the hospital advised me that the hospital was operating in an unsafe condition."

:: Barry Fryer

"My 96-year-old mother recently had a bad fall and had to wait on a trolley in a corridor for three hours whilst the staff dealt with more serious patients.

"There was no room on the wards and there were 10 patients on trollies in the corridor. Some were bleeding from cuts and wounds.

"The more serious patients turned out to be aggressive drunks which ended up in security staff and the police being called.

"My mother was 'seen' within the four-hour period but that was only someone taking details of the problems. She was not treated or seen by a doctor for more than seven hours.

"Why should drunks take over A&E departments and why shouldn't they be made to pay for the costs of their self-inflicted problems clogging up A&E?"

:: Wendy McKenzie - her mother, who died last August, had been a patient at two hospitals

Video: A&E: Where Is Problem Most Acute?

"Both hospitals have large A&E departments and in all instances my mum was treated very well. Even if there was a wait someone kept checking on her.

"The last incident could have been very traumatic as she had taken a bad fall.

"The ambulance service were great, ensuring that mum suffered as little discomfort as possible and stayed with her until they could officially hand her over to the medics in A&E.

"The team there again were great.

"Yes, we had to wait even though this was late at night, but nurses continually checked on her and she was treated well.

"Sadly she did not survive, passing away two days later due to a massive haemorrhage. I cannot speak more highly of how she was treated."

:: Shona Wedderburn

"I was in A&E three weeks ago and I was seen within half-an-hour for an X-ray and I was taken into the nurse within an hour of that for my details tombs confirmed.

"I did have to wait nearly four hours to see the doctors but that was due to six ambulances coming in with emergencies, two of which were for resuscitation so to say that 92.6% is bad is wrong."

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1. Gallery: When Should You Go To A&E?

   Unresponsive - Loss of consciousness

Confusion - Acute confused state and fits that are not stopping

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A&E 'Crisis' Summit Demanded By Labour

An emergency summit is needed to find ways to ease the pressure on struggling A&E departments, Labour has said.

More than a dozen hospitals have declared "major incidents" as they struggle to cope with the rising number of admissions in accident and emergency departments.

Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge was the latest hospital to activate a major incident plan on Tuesday evening, warning patients they faced long waits due to "unprecedented levels for demand for our services". 

David Cameron has admitted the NHS is under pressure following the release of figures showing waiting times at A&E in England have hit their worst level in 10 years.

But he dismissed claims the service is on the brink of disaster.

Video: Why Are A&E Wards Struggling?

The Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has published a letter accusing his opposite number of failing to anticipate the current problems.

Reports of fire engines and police cars being increasingly used as ambulances raised "major patient and public safety concerns", Mr Burnham wrote.

"Patients are already being exposed to unacceptable levels of risk and the situation cannot be allowed to get any worse.

"Urgent action is needed to provide a coordinated response across Government from all public services."

Mr Burnham said the summit needed to include representatives from the police, fire and ambulance services as well as NHS professionals.

The latest figures on A&E waiting times showed just 92.6% of patients were treated within the four-hour time limit against a target of 95%.

Video: More People And Harder To Discharge

The British Medical Association said the records showed the "unprecedented levels of pressure" on the health service and the Royal College of Nursing said the system was in "crisis".

But Mr Cameron said there was a "short-term pressure issue which we need to meet with resources and management".

The hospitals that have declared major incidents are:

:: The Royal Bolton Hospital

:: Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge

:: Scarborough Hospital In Yorkshire 

Video: 'There Needs To Be Urgent Answers'

:: Royal Stoke University Hospital 

:: Peterborough City in Cambridgeshire

:: Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

:: Cheltenham General Hospitals

:: Walsall Manor in the West Midlands

:: Croydon Hospital in south London

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1. Gallery: When Should You Go To A&E?

   Unresponsive - Loss of consciousness

Confusion - Acute confused state and fits that are not stopping

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British Ebola Nurse 'Stabilised' In Hospital

British nurse Pauline Cafferkey, the first person to test positive for Ebola in the UK, remains in a critical condition but has "stabilised".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt gave the update as Save the Children said it was urgently reviewing its Ebola safety protocols.

Ms Cafferkey was diagnosed with the deadly virus when she returned to Britain after volunteering with the charity in Kerry Town, Sierra Leone.

She is in an isolation tent at the Royal Free Hospital, in North London, and is being treated with an experimental anti-viral drug.

Pauline Cafferkey was flown from Glasgow to London for treatment

Save the Children is trying to find out whether the 39-year-old contracted the virus while at the Ebola Treatment Centre or in the community, but said it "may never be possible to be 100% sure" how she was infected.

The charity said in a statement: "Save the Children has been conducting a review since Pauline Cafferkey was confirmed as Ebola positive.

Video: Commons Statement On Ebola Nurse

"The Serious Event Review (SER) is looking at how the patient might have contracted Ebola by reviewing training, safety protocols, how protective equipment is used, and working practices.

"The findings of the review will be considered by a panel including independent health experts, which will support Save the Children and make recommendations for any actions if necessary."

Ms Cafferkey was part of a 30-strong team of medical volunteers deployed to Sierra Leone by the UK Government in November and had been there for three weeks before returning home for a break.

In a statement to the Commons, Mr Hunt praised Ms Cafferkey and her colleagues for their "exceptional bravery and compassion they showed in joining the battle against Ebola".

He added: "The work done by Pauline and her colleagues is not just helping to save thousands of lives in Africa, it's protecting the UK from potentially disastrous consequences if the disease spreads beyond the countries where it has currently taken hold."

Video: Ebola: Busting The Myths

He said he had spoken to the doctor leading Ms Cafferkey's care at the Royal Free Hospital.

"As has been reported, Pauline's condition has deteriorated to a critical state although she stabilised yesterday and continues to receive the best possible care," he said.

Mr Hunt also said the UK has tightened steps for dealing with possible Ebola patients - and that the extra measures have been in place since 29 December.

"We have ... strengthened our guidance to ensure that anyone from a high-risk group who feels unwell will be reassessed, advice will be immediately sought from an infectious diseases specialist and the passenger will be referred for testing if appropriate," he told MPs.

"Even if someone isn't displaying symptoms but says they are feeling a bit under the weather, then we would isolate them if they are in the high-risk category."

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

Ms Cafferkey, who works at Blantyre Health Centre, in South Lanarkshire, first raised concerns about her condition when she returned to Heathrow Airport last Sunday.

Despite undergoing seven temperature checks she was given the all-clear to fly to Glasgow where she lives.

The following morning she was diagnosed with Ebola and placed in isolation at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow before being flown to London.

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Second Palace Denial Over Andrew Sex Claims

Buckingham Palace has issued a second denial over a woman's claims she was forced to have underage sex with the Duke of York.

It has branded the allegations "false and without any foundation".

The denial comes after two Sunday newspapers published details of interviews with the woman, who reportedly named Prince Andrew in US court documents.

The palace said on Friday that "any suggestion of impropriety with under-age minors" by him was "categorically untrue".

In the second statement, a spokesman said: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with (the woman).

"The allegations made are false and without any foundation."

The woman's claim is part of a lawsuit in connection with American billionaire and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - a former friend of the Duke.

Andrew was photographed with Epstein in New York two years after his release from prison in 2009, and has faced criticism over their friendship.

In an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the banker.

Epstein was jailed for 18 months in 2008

The woman claims that between 1999 and 2002 she "was forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.

She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage in US law.

The accusation is reportedly contained in a motion filed in a Florida court this week which is part of a lawsuit over how prosecutors handled Epstein's case.

The Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror have since published details of interviews given by the woman in recent years, in which she discusses three alleged encounters with the Duke.

According to the Sunday Express, Andrew was due to fly back to Britain later following a ski trip in Switzerland.

Epstein was convicted in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail after he admitted having sex with a 14-year-old.

He had been investigated for paying underage girls to have sex with him at his luxury Palm Beach home - and 40 women had come forward as victims.

However, he cut a deal with federal prosecutors and the charges were not progressed.

Two of his victims have now brought a case against the prosecutors, claiming their rights were violated because they were not consulted on the secret deal.

The woman, referred to as Jane Doe 3 in documents, has applied to the court to be included in the lawsuit.

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Man Stabbed To Death In Manchester

A murder investigation has been launched after a 19-year-old was stabbed to death in Manchester's city centre.

The man was found about 3.25am in Charles Street in the city centre and died later in hospital.

Detective Inspector Richard Ennis of Greater Manchester Police said: "A young man has sadly died and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his relatives and friends.

"I cannot begin to imagine what they are going through and specially-trained officers are offering them whatever support we can."

He appealed for any witnesses to come forward, adding: "We are in the very early stages of the investigation and we have a team of experienced detectives working to establish the circumstances leading up to his death."

The man has not yet been formally identified.

More follows...

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Arrests Over Deaths Linked To Bad Drugs Batch

Three men have been arrested by police investigating a series of suspected drugs-related deaths in Suffolk.

They were held after the recent deaths of two young men in Ipswich on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which are thought to be related to a "dangerous batch" of ecstasy tablets.

The death of a third man in Rendlesham is also under investigation, and it emerged on Friday that the death of a fourth man in Telford, Shropshire, was also being linked to the drugs.

The three arrested men - aged 19, 20 and 26 - are all from Ipswich and were detained on Friday on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.

The drugs linked to the deaths in Suffolk have been described as red and triangular with a Superman 'S' logo.

John Hocking, 20, was a labourer

Police in Shropshire said they were not officially linking the death of the 27-year-old man in Telford on New Year's Day with the fatalities in Suffolk, but admitted there "appear to be similarities".

One of the men thought to have died from taking an ecstasy pill linked to the "dangerous" Suffolk batch has been named as 20-year-old labourer John Hocking.

The girlfriend of another man, Lithuanian Gediminas Kulokas, has told how she fought to save his life after he stopped breathing on New Year's Day, his 24th birthday.

Natasha Mumby told how she had checked on him in their lounge during the night and found him "breathing in a funny way" at the flat they shared in Provan Court, Ipswich.

"I propped him up and went back to bed. I then came back in the lounge because he was not making the breathing noise any more. He was just sitting there not breathing."

Another man from the same address, also thought to be from Lithuania, was in hospital in a serious condition, but is said to be "improving".

Justas Ropas was found dead at a house in Ipswich on Christmas Eve

The death of the third man, Justas Ropas, in Ipswich on 24 December could also be linked to the drug, according to officers.

Mr Ropas was a 22-year-old machine operator.

Suffolk Police have drawn a link between these latest drugs and dangerous pills with a similar appearance found in the Netherlands last month.

The tablets in the Netherlands had a large concentration of PMMA, which acts more slowly than ecstasy's MDMA.

This means people take more pills because they think they are not working.

Following the three deaths in Suffolk, police appealed for people to hand the drugs in at a police station, A&E department or fire station.

Officers promised those surrendering the drugs would not face prosecution and that they simply wanted to remove them from circulation.

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Palace Denies Prince Andrew Sex Claims

Buckingham Palace has issued a strongly worded denial of allegations that Prince Andrew was involved in "impropriety with underage minors".

The statement was released after the Duke of York was named in a US lawsuit.

The woman who has made the allegations claims the disgraced US banker Jeffrey Epstein loaned her out to his friends, including Prince Andrew.

Papers filed by her lawyers say she was held as a "sex slave" by Epstein from 1999 through 2002 after he "became enamoured" with her.

In the motion filed in a court in Florida, she claims she was "forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island. She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage according to US law.

The document continues: "Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse."

Epstein spent 13 months in jail after admitting sex with a 14-year-old

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous and is referred to as Jane Doe 3 in documents, says Epstein, who has been jailed for having sex with a 14-year-old, forced her to have sexual encounters against her will between 1999 and 2002.

In the papers, she claims she was effectively recruited for Epstein's use by Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, when she was 15 years old.

And it is claimed in the court document that Ms Maxwell "was one of the main women whom Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities".

The document also claims Epstein's "purposes in 'lending' Jane Doe to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information".

Buckingham Palace said: "This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment in detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein is well-documented and in an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the multi-millionaire banker.

The Prince visited Epstein in New York in 2010 after he was released

Sky News Correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: "It's important to point out that we have in the past seen Prince Andrew criticised for spending time with Epstein, including in December 2010 after he was released from prison."

Epstein was jailed in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old.

He had been investigated for paying underage girls to have sex with him at his luxury Palm Beach home - and 40 women had come forward as victims.

However, he cut a deal with federal prosecutors and the charges were not progressed.

Two of his victims have now brought a case against the prosecutors claiming their rights were violated because they were not consulted on the secret deal.

Jane Doe 3 has applied to the court to be included in the lawsuit against the federal prosecutor and it is in the legal document to join the case that she makes the allegations against the Duke of York.

Sky News has attempted to reach Ms Maxwell for a response to the latest allegations.

When claims about the nature of her relationship with Epstein were reported in 2011, her lawyers issued a statement describing them as "entirely false".

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Hospital Calls To Police 'A Major Problem'

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

There are calls for drunks and others who commit offences on NHS premises to be dealt with more severely after a Sky News investigation found the police are being called about crimes every 10 minutes.

Figures show officers deal with more than 60,000 crimes in hospitals across the UK every year - and the number has risen in the last 12 months.

The number of offences is so high that several police forces, including Greater Manchester and Lancashire, have started basing liaison officers at some of the busier A&E departments.

Hospital staff deal with a drunken patient

The true scale of the problem is likely to be much higher as the figures only represent two-thirds of Britain's police forces and do not include the biggest, the Metropolitan Police.

A total of 30 forces responded to a Freedom of Information request from Sky News, which shows they attended 64,728 calls to hospitals and other NHS premises in 2013 - a rise of almost 1,700 on the previous year. 

Greater Manchester Police attended 12,726 incidents on NHS premises last year - an increase of 320 on the year before.

Officers in another of the UK's larger forces, West Midlands, attended 7,132 calls to hospitals and other health premises in 2013 - up 249 on the 2012 figure.

Police chiefs are warning that those who threaten or assault NHS staff will be dealt with robustly.

Dr Peter Carter: 'It's a major national probem'

Northampton Police Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national lead on alcohol harm reduction at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), told Sky News that many of the incidents are drink-related.

He said: "There was a time when NHS staff, through good motivations and a sense of vocation, didn't want to report crimes against people who were there to receive the service, but actually that's not appropriate because it gets the message across that you can go to a hospital and behave inappropriately - well you can't."

Latest Health Service figures in England also point to worsening safety for hospital staff.

NHS Protect say that in the period 2013-2014, 68,683 members of staff were assaulted, a rise of almost 5,500 on the previous 12 months.

Some forces are to trial 'drunk tanks' like this one in London

Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter has called for a tougher approach from both the police and hospital trusts towards offenders.

He said: "Against 68,000 reported assaults last year, there were just 1,600 prosecutions. That's lamentable. This is a major national problem and something needs to be done about it."

As well as stationing officers in A&E units, some forces are also beginning trials of special "drunk tanks" as a way of keeping potentially disruptive patients with more minor ailments out of emergency departments.

Chief Constable Lee, who is overseeing the pilot for ACPO, said: "These facilities don't just help reduce the demand on A&E departments at peak times, but can also have an impact on the atmosphere in emergency departments.

"A long wait in A&E because other people are more seriously injured is one thing, but a long wait surrounded by people who are behaving badly because they are drunk is a completely different experience."

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