Police Question UK 'Islamist Plot' Suspects

Counter-terror police have arrested four men in connection with an alleged Islamist terror plot following raids across west London and in the Thames Valley.

The arrests came ahead of this weekend's Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day events.

Earlier this month, senior police officers and MPs said there was likely to be a significant rise in the number of armed police at Sunday's commemorations in London due to increased fears of a terror attack.

A 27-year-old man was arrested at gunpoint in a car in the street in Southall, west London.

Two other suspects, aged 22 and 25, were detained at addresses in Hounslow and Uxbridge, also in the west of the capital.

Police vans and tape could be seen outside two High Wycombe addresses

The fourth man, 19, was detained at an address in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Armed police took part in the operations in Southall, Hounslow and High Wycombe but no shots were fired.

The arrests were made on Thursday evening and in the early hours of Friday.

Counter-terrorism officers were leading searches of various properties in Hounslow, High Wycombe, Uxbridge, Southall, Greenford and Hayes.

The properties include a terraced house on Desborough Avenue in High Wycombe, Sky's Tom Parmenter reported from the scene.

Parmenter said there was some concern in the community over the arrest of the man in the town and the alleged "disproportionate" use of force by anti-terror police.

Youth worker Saqib Deshmukh, who knows the suspect, told Sky News: "One of the concerns that we heard was that it was a disproportionate use of force and armed response. Did it necessitate that? Was there a need for that to happen?

"Was there an actual threat on the ground? And that's a concern - that the actual number of forces and the level of force used is disproportionate and it doesn't merit it based on the evidence."

Local shopkeeper Sutha Tangaraj works opposite the house and told Sky News he saw the armed police arrive.

"At about 7pm or 7:30pm at least half a dozen armed police surrounded the house, they knocked the door and no one answered.

"A lady in the house eventually opened the door and they went and have since been searching ever since."

He said police were at the same address six months ago.

It is understood the men were believed to be plotting an attack on UK soil

Mr Tangaraj said the man who lives at the property "is a regular customer and lives in the house with his family - his mother is very chatty".

The four men were all taken to police stations in central London. 

Scotland Yard said the arrests and subsequent searches were part of an "ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism".

Sky's home affairs editor Mark White said: "Scotland Yard are officially giving very little in the way of information on these arrests, but sources are suggesting it is linked to an alleged extremist plot against the UK."

The arrests came a few months after the national terror threat level in the UK was raised from substantial to severe, meaning a terrorist attack is "highly likely".

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Call For Probe Into 'Cannibal' Killer's Releas

The decision not to monitor a man who then murdered a woman in a reported act of cannibalism after he was released from prison must be investigated, a Welsh politician has said.

Cerys Marie Yemm, 22, died after an attack at a homeless hostel in the village of Argoed, South Wales.

Sources have said she was found with substantial facial injuries.

Police fired a 50,000-volt Taser at Matthew Williams to try to stop the attack in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The 34-year-old was arrested but later became "unresponsive" and died in custody

Matthew Willliams is understood to have served time for violent offences

It is believed Williams had recently been released from jail after serving time for violent behaviour.

Welsh Assembly member William Graham said it was vital to look into the terms of the killer's release.

"It is now clear that Mr Williams posed a risk to the public and I am extremely concerned that monitoring appears to have been deemed unnecessary," he told the BBC.

"If true, a wider inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his release is urgently required.

The attack happened at a homeless hotel in the village

"Questions must be answered by authorities and a full explanation provided on the decisions taken in this extremely tragic case."

Gwent Police have said they are not looking for any other suspects in the murder investigation.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also started its own probe into the suspect's death.

The post-mortem examination on Miss Yemm has started but Chief Inspector Paul Staniforth said it would "take some time".

He refused to be drawn on gruesome speculation over the attack, telling reporters it was "unhelpful and very upsetting for the family of the deceased".

It is believed Miss Yemm, who worked at Next, had met her attacker through mutual friends.

"I feel stunned, shocked and sick to my stomach," said a friend, who did not want to be named.

"It's horrific. She was a lovely person. She didn't deserve to die like that."

People in Argoed, 20 miles north of Cardiff, have told Sky News they are "sickened" by the apparent savagery of the attack.

The Sirhowy Arms Hotel - where Miss Yemm was discovered - is used by Caerphilly Council to house homeless people while they wait for permanent accommodation.

Local resident Susan Gibbs told Sky: "We have had a lot of problems up there. Every other week, well every other day sometimes, there are police up there."

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Fifty Years Of Drink-Drive Adverts Hit Home

Fifty years of drink-drive messages have dramatically changed the public's attitude, with nearly all drivers saying they would be ashamed to be caught over the limit, according to a survey.

But the Government's THINK! campaign found young people were seven times more likely to think it acceptable than 55 to 64-year-olds.

Seven percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said drink-driving was still okay, compared with just 1% of their elder peers.

Deaths from drink-driving have fallen dramatically since adverts began

Overall, the poll of 2,000 people found 91% agreed boozing and driving was socially unacceptable, while 92% said they would be ashamed to fail a breath test.

The first drink-drive campaign, in 1964, used the setting of an office Christmas party to warn people about getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1982

Half a century later a new campaign, contrasting the 1980 song Celebration with a dramatic crash scene and its aftermath, is hoping to remind people to never take the risk.

Drink-driving road deaths have fallen from 1,640 in 1967 to 230 in 2012.

But it took a while for it to become a social faux pas.

In 1979, more than half of male drivers admitted drinking and driving on a weekly basis, rising to two thirds for young male drivers.

More than 88% of people now say they would look down on someone who boozes and gets behind the wheel.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1978

Some 45% of people surveyed said they would rather tell their partner they watch pornography regularly than confess to being caught drink-driving.

However, the decline in women drink-driving appears to be slower than in male drivers, according to separate AA research.

It said the number of men failing a breathalyser after an accident had dropped by 17.6% between 2010 and 2013 (2,992 compared with 2,466).

For women the drop was only 5.9% (853 to 803).

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "The change in attitudes to drink-driving over the last 50 years is a huge success story.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1964

"It is hard to imagine now how shocking and ground-breaking the first drink-drive campaigns were when they launched. Clearly THINK! has had a significant impact.

"Most of us understand drink-driving wrecks lives, but there is further to go. In 2012, 230 people were killed in drink-driving accidents - 230 too many.

"This makes the THINK! campaign as relevant as ever."

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Village In Shock Over 'Cannibal' Death Claim

A woman murdered in a South Wales village was found with substantial facial injuries, sources have said, after unconfirmed reports described it as a cannibalistic attack.

The 22-year-old died from her injuries at a bed and breakfast in Argoed in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Police fired a 50,000 volt Taser at her attacker and 34-year-old man Matthew Williams was restrained and arrested.

He later died in custody.

Gwent Police said they were not looking for any other suspects in the murder investigation.

Matthew Williams was Tasered by police and later died

The victim has not yet been named and officers have refused to comment on her injuries or reports they were in a relationship.

The attack happened at around 1.30am at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel, used by Caerphilly Council to house homeless people while they wait for permanent accommodation.

"This has hit the community for six," said Leon Gardiner, deputy mayor of the village, 20 miles north of Cardiff.

He told Sky News: "This is the sort of thing you don't ever expect ... We've just got to live with it and hope that the hurt goes away - but it will take a long time."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has started its own probe into the suspect's death.

A Gwent Police statement confirmed "a Taser was discharged and a 34-year-old local man was arrested".

It added: "Whilst under arrest, the man became unresponsive. Officers and paramedics administered first aid but he was also pronounced dead at the scene."

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Police Claim To Have Foiled College Attack

Police in Newcastle believe they have foiled a plot "to cause serious harm" at a college in the city.

A statement from the Northumbria force said their investigation had prevented the attack from taking place.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life, and five counts of possessing an explosive substance, namely a pipe bomb, with intent to endanger life.

Liam Lyburd was arrested at an address in Hamilton Place, in the Arthurs Hill area of Newcastle on Monday, 3 November.

He is due to appear before North Tyneside Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Newcastle College Principal Carole Kitching said: "I would like to reassure staff, students and their families that their safety has been paramount to us and the college remains a safe place to study.

"Officers will be on patrol around the campus to offer reassurance and anyone who is concerned can speak to an officer or contact the college's welfare team.

"People should attend the College as usual. We have an extensive network of CCTV cameras monitoring key areas inside buildings and across the campus and our security staff are on duty 24 hours a day."

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Petrol Price Guarantees Demanded By Treasury

A failure by petrol firms and supermarkets to pass on the full benefit of falling oil prices to customers filling up at the pumps would be an "outrage", a Cabinet Minister will warn.

Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander is to demand guarantees from fuel companies and distributors that they are doing all they can to pass on the price cuts to hard-pressed motorists.

Danny Alexander is seeking assurances on petrol prices

Mr Alexander will use a speech in Aberdeen to say consumers feel petrol prices rise "like a rocket" when oil costs go up, but fall "like a feather" when they come down.

And people would "rightly be angry" if they felt prices were not coming down as much as they should.

Video: 'We Still Pay Too Much For Fuel'

Brent crude slumped as low as $82 (£51) a barrel earlier this week, its lowest level in just over four years due to concerns about over-supply.

The Liberal Democrat frontbencher will say: "Especially in the current economic circumstances people would rightly be angry if they feel that pump prices don't fall as much as they should on the back of falling oil prices.

"I believe it's called the rocket and feather effect.

"The public have a suspicion that when the price of oil rises, pump prices go up like a rocket.

"But when the price of oil falls, pump prices drift down like a feather.

"This has been investigated before and no conclusive evidence was found.

Video: Cuts: A Loss Leader Or Real Deal?

"But even if there were a suspicion it could be true this time it would be an outrage."

Mr Alexander promises to write to the industry's major players "seeking their assurance that they are doing all they can to pass on the benefit of falling oil prices as quickly as possible".

He will say: "When the price of oil falls, the public have a right to expect pump prices to fall like a stone, not a feather."

Pointing to the Treasury's fuel duty freeze, Mr Alexander will say: "I have made sure over the last four years that Government has helped with the cost of fuel.

"And when the oil price falls, industry must do all it can to help too."

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Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The beheading by Islamic State of British aid worker Alan Henning may have led to thousands of lives being saved because it has deterred young Muslims from joining the jihad, a member of the government's top anti-radicalisation programme has claimed.

So brutal and callous was the murder of the Salford taxi driver that it has "turned the tide" of British people looking to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, Sky News has been told.  

In an exclusive interview, Sulaimaan Samuel, who works as a National Safeguarding Mentor for Channel, a Home Office scheme to tackle people judged to be at risk of radicalisation, told Sky News that IS propaganda tactics had "backfired".

It is the first time anyone who works as part of the project has given a detailed insight into IS tactics and the threat the group poses online.

Mr Henning was murdered by IS in October

Mr Samuel said the "grotesque" beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in August and September led the Muslim community to start to seriously question IS.

British aid worker David Haines was also beheaded later that month. But it was the murder of Mr Henning in October that was the "turning point", Mr Samuel said.

Video: IS Propaganda 'Backfiring'

"I would personally say to Alan Henning's family: do not think his death has been some type of waste because it hasn't, because his death at the hands of IS is the very thing that has caused the Muslim community to realise that what IS stands for is wrong and can never be condoned.

"In Alan's death he has managed to save thousands of lives now and in the future of people who might potentially have been drawn into going out. He will be saving lives in the future.

"What IS has done has backfired."

Video: Terrorists Are Embracing The Web

Security Minister James Brokenshire said he believed the relative effectiveness of the terror group's own brutal propaganda machine had opened people's eyes to the true nature of IS.

He said: "I think some of the shocking videos that we have seen, of brutalising murder, has underlined simply what IS is about and why it has prompted British Muslims to go online, post their own videos to underline their absolute abhorrence to this appalling violence and brutality."              

A senior Government security source has also highlighted a "discernible change in attitude" from mainstream Muslim society.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

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Charles In Plea To Muslims Over Christians

Prince Charles has said Muslim leaders must warn their followers about the "indescribable tragedy" of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The heir to the throne has recorded a video message insisting that faith leaders do not remain "silent" over a lack of respect between traditions.

His comments accompany the publication of a new report which concludes that Christians are the "most persecuted religious minority" in the world.

The report, by a Roman Catholic charity, said Muslim countries dominate the list of places where religious freedom is under threat. 

It argues that extremism has contributed to a decline in religious freedom in the UK and singles out the corrosive influence of Islamic State (IS).

Video: Sept 15: Special Report UK Jihadis

IS fighters pushed Christians out of Mosul, in northern Iraq, in July - ending a presence that began in the early years of Christianity. Shia Muslims and religious minorities have also been targeted by the Sunni Islamist group.

The report by Aid To The Church In Need also highlights the kidnapping of 200 Christian schoolgirls by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

In his video message, Charles said: "It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East - an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years, and across which Islam spread in 700AD, with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries.

"It seems to me that our future as a free society - both here in Britain and throughout the world - depends on recognising the crucial role played by people of faith.

"And, of course, religious faith is all the more convincing to those outside the faith when it is expressed with humility and compassion, giving space to others, whatever their beliefs."

Outlining his own suggestions to improve the situation, he said: "First and foremost, rather than remaining silent, faith leaders have, it seems to me, a responsibility to ensure that people within their own tradition respect people from other faith traditions.

Video: Nov 1: Boko Haram 'Marry Off' Girls

"We have yet to see the full potential of faith communities working together."

The report concludes that Christians are suffering the most widespread persecution but also points out that Muslims are coming under "serious" threat.

Charles said he did not want to be seen as Defender of the Faith, the title held by each monarch since Henry VIII, but as Defender of Faith in general.

But he maintained that this conviction was rooted in his own Christian faith.

"My own Christian faith has enabled me to speak to, and to listen to, people from other traditions, including Islam," he said.

Sky's Ashish Joshi said: "The Prince of Wales is no stranger to controversy - this is a highly unusual intervention.

"To record this video for the Roman Catholic charity (...) that will obviously be received as highly controversial in some areas, in some quarters." 

The Prince's comments came amid news that a Christian couple had been beaten to death in Pakistan after being accused of desecrating the Koran.

The report, launched in the House of Lords, suggested that the last two years had seen a serious decline in religious freedom in many parts of the world.

As well as the persecution of Christians, it also focuses on the plight of Muslim minorities in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East as well as Asia.

In particular, it highlights the case of the Rohingya group in Burma, facing official restrictions on the number of children families are allowed.

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Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The beheading by Islamic State of British aid worker Alan Henning may have led to thousands of lives being saved because it has deterred young Muslims from joining the jihad, a member of the government's top anti-radicalisation programme has claimed.

So brutal and callous was the murder of the Salford taxi driver that it has "turned the tide" of British people looking to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, Sky News has been told.  

In an exclusive interview, Sulaimaan Samuel, who works as a National Safeguarding Mentor for Channel, a Home Office scheme to tackle people judged to be at risk of radicalisation, told Sky News that IS propaganda tactics had "backfired".

It is the first time anyone who works as part of the project has given a detailed insight into IS tactics and the threat the group poses online.

Mr Henning was murdered by IS in October

Mr Samuel said the "grotesque" beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in August and September led the Muslim community to start to seriously question IS.

British aid worker David Haines was also beheaded later that month. But it was the murder of Mr Henning in October that was the "turning point", Mr Samuel said.

Video: IS Propaganda 'Backfiring'

"I would personally say to Alan Henning's family: do not think his death has been some type of waste because it hasn't, because his death at the hands of IS is the very thing that has caused the Muslim community to realise that what IS stands for is wrong and can never be condoned.

"In Alan's death he has managed to save thousands of lives now and in the future of people who might potentially have been drawn into going out. He will be saving lives in the future.

"What IS has done has backfired."

Security Minister James Brokenshire said he believed the relative effectiveness of the terror group's own brutal propaganda machine had opened people's eyes to the true nature of IS.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

He said: "I think some of the shocking videos that we have seen, of brutalising murder, has underlined simply what IS is about and why it has prompted British Muslims to go online, post their own videos to underline their absolute abhorrence to this appalling violence and brutality."              

A senior Government security source has also highlighted a "discernible change in attitude" from mainstream Muslim society.

The source said: "What IS has done is demonstrate very clearly to everyone that this is no longer an unambiguous struggle to topple Assad, involving freedom fighters and people whose motive is simply to help Syrian people, and that terrorist groups have made the environment much more complicated and in turn have made it less clear cut for people as to whether they should travel or not."

Mr Samuel - who counsels those thought to be at risk of radicalisation - said the majority of his work is now dealing with young people being attracted to travelling to Syria and Iraq via the internet.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

He said: "The days where the baddie, the super villain was in a cave, in a dark lair somewhere sat in a corner, stroking a cat - those days are finished.

"With the advent of technology, the internet, people can promote any idea they have. You don't need to be Michael Moore or a Spike Lee to reach a wide audience.

"Initially it may be a curiosity to see something shocking, but very quickly you can find yourself with a string of related videos which might lead you down a path which half an hour ago wasn't your destination."

Since Channel was set up in 2006, concerns have been raised about a total of 3,934 people - including 1,450 children.

Video: Sept 15: Special Report UK Jihadis

Of these, 777 people have been formally assessed as being vulnerable to radicalisation and referred to the project for formal help.

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Muslims Push Back Against Extreme IS Brutality

The sophisticated way Islamic State has used social media strategies to promote its brutal campaign of terror has been seen as one of the defining hallmarks of the new threat facing the West.

Twitter, YouTube and a host of lesser known apps have been used to spread the group's propaganda - dominated by the ruthless beheadings of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.

Yet the group's mastery of modern technology as a means to communicate with potential followers is now threatening to undermine it.

Mr Henning was captured by IS in Syria

The first videos posted by the terror group earlier this year showed them as freedom fighters riding tanks and pick-up trucks through the desert.

But later posts depicted the group in a much darker light, murdering hundreds of locals in Syria and Iraq as fighters advanced through large tracts of land, taking over towns and villages, killing anyone who refused to convert to Islam, or who opposed their ideology.

Video: Henning Murder 'Backfired' On IS

As shocking as those events undoubtedly were, for many in the West the true horror of the terror group only hit home after it began beheading its Western hostages and posting those videos online.

Each death attracted global condemnation, but it was the plight of Salford taxi driver Alan Henning that captured most attention.

All sections of society, all colours, all religions united to appeal for Mr Henning's release.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

Nowhere were those voices louder, than in Britain's Muslim communities, an uncompromising assertion that Alan Henning was a force for good and that Islamic State should show him mercy.

Sulaimaan Samuel, a safeguarding mentor for the Government's anti-extremism programme, says Islamic State's decision to murder the charity worker was a turning point, a realisation that the this terror group had no redeeming qualities.

It will in turn he says, deter many young people, who may have considered heading off to Syria, to think twice - the taxi driver's death he says, may have saved thousands of lives.

Video: How Is Islamic State Funded?

No one doubts Islamic State's tech-savvy young jihadists and their new media expertise have helped attract hundreds to their cause.

But their eagerness to broadcast their extreme brutality has also had an unintended consequence for IS - triggering a significant push back from the wider Muslim community.

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Suitcase Murder: Briton Remanded In Custody

A British man charged with the murder of two women in Hong Kong has been remanded in custody.

Banker Rurik Jutting, 29, was arrested after the women's bodies were discovered at an apartment in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district.

During his appearance he wore black trousers and a black T-shirt. He was remanded in custody and will return to court on 10 November.

A policeman at the scene of the double murder in Hong Kong

Police placed him on a holding charge ahead of today's court appearance.

Officers arrived at the apartment early on Saturday after receiving a call from the suspect, who until recently worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Video: Victims' Friend Talks To Sky News

They discovered the body of a woman, aged between 25 and 30, lying naked in the living room with knife wounds to her neck and backside.

Police also found a small amount of cocaine in the flat.

Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung told reporters: "We believe the death was caused by a sharp object which cut the throat of the deceased.

"This led to copious bleeding. When the police found her, she was lying in the living room. The room was messy."

Eight hours later, at about noon on Saturday, police widened the forensic examination of the apartment and made the second discovery.

The body of the second woman, named in a court document as Sumarti Ningsih, was found wrapped in a blanket inside a brown suitcase on a balcony at the apartment.

She too had wounds to the neck. Police say the victim died on 27 October.

Police sources have told local media they believe the women worked in the sex industry.

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1. Gallery: Suitcase Murder: Briton Appears In Hong Kong Court

   Rurik Jutting recently left his banking job. Pic: Facebook

2. Police have been searching the flat where the women's bodies were found

3. One of the bodies was found hiden in a suitcase on the balcony

4. Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung said both victims had injuries to the neck

A police spokesman added: "From what we can see it was intentionally hidden because it was put in a travel suitcase."

Both of the women are believed to be from Indonesia. One has been named locally as 25-year-old Sumarti Ningsih.

Mr Jutting studied history and law at Cambridge University.

He had worked for Merrill Lynch from 2010 until only a couple of days ago, spending three years at their offices in London before moving to Hong Kong in July last year. Prior to that he worked at Barclays in London.

The neighbourhood of Wan Chai is effectively Hong Kong's red light district. A large number of women from southeast Asia spend time in the district's many bars and clubs.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a British national had been arrested in Hong Kong, although did not specify the nature of the crime.

"We are in touch with the local police and stand ready to provide consular assistance," she said.

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Paedophiles Grooming Women To Bear Children

By Hannah Tallett, Sky News Presenter

Paedophiles are grooming women to bear their children, giving them easy access to victims, according to a child abuse charity.

MOSAC - a charity which supports the non-abusing parents and carers of abused children - says a third of all calls to its helpline are from women who believe they have been groomed into conceiving a child.

Director Nigel Newton Sawyerr said: "Paedophiles who are very devious will go to any lengths to access children. Who's more vulnerable than their own children?"

Sky News spoke to "Susan", a mother-of-two who believes her youngest was bred for the purpose.

Her ex-partner was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for abuses against her eldest daughter, from a previous relationship.

The offences included nine counts of sexual assault.

Video: Oct 30: Exploitation A 'New Norm'

Since that abuse was disclosed, Susan's youngest daughter has admitted that she is also a victim of the same man, her own father.

"When my youngest daughter turned round and said to me that he had abused her from the moment she could remember ... when she was in nappies ... that's when I was convinced that he had had her to abuse her," Susan said.

Susan believes she was deliberately targeted.

"He was very persuasive about me coming off the pill. So, I was groomed in many ways I think to produce a child for him," she said.

Sixteen years and £30,000 later, Susan is preparing for yet another court battle to keep her former partner away from her children.

"It's shocking. I would never have believed in a million years how set in stone his rights are, despite the conviction."

In the majority of cases a family court judge will reject the requests of a parent to gain access to their child, where that parent has already been convicted of sexual offences against that child.

But campaigners say that does not stop a paedophile parent's right to make repeated requests for access - a heavy financial and emotional burden to bear for the victim and the non-abusive parent.

Barrister Sophia Cannon says the law under the Children's Act will always take into consideration the wellbeing of a child in each case.

But she adds that it is "skewed towards the idea that all mothers and fathers who want to be involved in a child's life, can be involved."

"What it doesn't look at are the parents to whom responsibility has certainly fallen short," she said.

MOSAC is now lobbying the Government for change and campaigners recently met Justice Minister Simon Hughes MP.

He is sympathetic to their cause, insisting the Government is committed to eradicating the "abhorrent crime" of child sexual exploitation.

"We are absolutely clear that no child should be put at risk of abuse and the courts will always make the wellbeing of children their key consideration in reaching decisions on contact with parents.

"Robust protective orders already exist to remove or restrict parental responsibility in order to protect children.

"But we continue to keep this issue under close scrutiny to see if further measures are needed."

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Call For More Parents To Adopt Siblings

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A shortage of people willing to adopt more than one child means some brothers and sisters are being split up.

Each year in the UK some 6,000 children need adopting and nearly half of them have siblings, according to research by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF).

But matching a pair or group of siblings to a new family is not always easy.

John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development for BAAF, told Sky News part of the reason could be that many prospective adopters get used to the idea of raising just one child.

"The expectation is: 'That's what I can manage, that's what I have in mind when I'm thinking about having children of my own'," he said.

Mr Simmonds says many parents are unwilling to take on siblings

He added that apart from cases where placing siblings together is not appropriate, keeping brothers and sisters with each other is important, particularly as many of the children will have had a difficult start to life.

"Someone doesn't want to add to the trauma of separating children from their birth parents to also separate siblings from each other."

Brothers and sisters are also among the children who wait longest to be matched with a family.

During next week's National Adoption Week the BAAF is hoping to encourage more people to consider adopting siblings.

Karen Goodman, a social worker with 30 years' experience in children's services, told Sky News there is a need for as many potential adopters as possible.

"Social workers and the adoption panels will always try to find prospective adopters who can take sibling groups, but it's a challenge and it's a tall order.

Siblings Frasier and Brandon say living alone would have been 'really hard'

"Also boys are harder to place than girls and the older the children are, the harder they are to place."

Civil partners Scott and Tristan Casson-Rennie adopted two young brothers, Frasier and Brandon, seven years ago.

Scott said: "When they came to live with us and we had some tricky times people would say, 'Well wouldn't it have been better if you just had one of them?'... No."

The boys - who have four siblings elsewhere - are now 15 and 16, and told Sky News they were lucky to have been able to stay with each other.

"I was on my own so I didn't have any other siblings around but when Brandon come along I felt happy again. I felt like I can move on with another person beside me."

Brandon said: "I think it would have been really, really hard to live by myself."

Despite some challenges, their parents hope others will consider the positives of adopting siblings.

Tristan said: "We have two amazing boys that have gone on to do some wonderful things in their teenage years and they will go on now to be amazing adults.

"I firmly believe that is a part of keeping them together, so that they can bounce off each other."

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Father-Of-Three Shot Dead Tackling Robbers

A father of three young children has been shot and killed as he tackled two robbers who attacked him as he closed up his shop for the night.

Pragaret Singh, 35, was hit in the chest and abdomen as he tried to grapple with one of the men outside his store in Openshaw, Greater Manchester.

The shopkeeper, from Swinton, was just leaving Manchester Food Traders off Wood Street when he encountered the pair and confronted them, detectives said.

Mr Singh, known to family and friends as Charlie, died later in hospital.

His brother Toggy told the Manchester Evening News he was a hard-working family man with a wife, Sukhwinder, and children aged two, five and seven.

He said: "He was robbed of his life. He was happy, jolly and full of life - he never said anything bad about anyone. He was the kind of person who'd go out of his way to help anyone in need."

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: "Although this investigation remains in its infancy, at this stage we believe Charlie's death was the result of simply trying to protect his business from armed robbers, during which he was shot at least twice."

It is thought that the robbers may have made off with a "large amount of money".

Police arrived at the scene at 6.20pm on Friday and found Mr Singh nearby.

Officers have launched a murder investigation into his death and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

One of the assailants was described as black, in his 20s or 30s, with spiky knotted hair, clean shaven, of a tall, slim build and wearing a jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

Police are also appealing to anyone with information about a small silver car, possibly a Vauxhall, which may have been used by the offenders and drove off towards Ashton Old Road after the shooting.

Det Supt Chadwick added: "At this stage of our inquiry we believe this is the tragic death of an innocent businessman and father-of-three who was simply trying to protect his livelihood from criminals.

"As a result, Charlie's entire family have suffered an unimaginable loss.

"Their lives have been shattered and specially-trained officers will be providing as much support as the family need over the coming days and weeks."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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