Category: news

A man has been found guilty of murdering a six-week-old baby girl in Aberdeen.

Mark Simpson, 29, denied murdering his then-girlfriend’s daughter Alexis Matheson by assaulting her in 2007.

The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on their second day of deliberations at the High Court in Aberdeen following a six-week trial.

Lord Uist jailed Simpson for life, for a minimum of 20 years, and also called for a fatal accident inquiry.

The case had begun on 12 October.

The Crown had urged the jury of six men and eight women to convict Simpson for his “wicked recklessness”

But the defence argued there was no sufficient corroborating evidence to say Simpson – who turns 30 on Sunday – even assaulted the baby.

Simpson denied murdering Alexis by assaulting her between 8 November and 9 December 2007.

The charge stated he seized hold of her, shook her and compressed her chest, leaving her so severely injured that she died.

Simpson has claimed during the trial the baby’s mother Ilona Sheach played a game called “fishy” where she lay on the floor and held Alexis above her.

He said Ms Sheach regularly shook the baby without supporting her head.

However, Ms Sheach said she would not have done anything to harm her child.

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More than 50 schools in the north east of Scotland have been closed after heavy overnight snow with the area’s roads affected by drifts and black ice.

A further 30 schools have also had to cancel transport services but remain open to pupils who can get there safely.

Roads in Aberdeen were affected by ice frozen on top of existing snow.

Grampian Police said this was making driving conditions extremely difficult on untreated surfaces.

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Drivers are being urged to take care on the roads as weather forecasters predict widespread icy roads in many parts of Wales.

The Met Office is warning the UK faces a 10-day cold snap, with the earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years.

A number of councils across Wales have begun precautionary road gritting and most say their salt barns are full.

Severe ice warnings have been issued for Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Anglesey, and Pembrokeshire.

Councils in Wales insist that they are better placed than last year to respond to a return to wintry conditions.

Last winter it snowed every month from December through to March and some councils struggled to keep the roads clear as their rock salt supplies ran low.

In addition to what each council has, the Welsh Assembly Government has said there are 130,000 tonnes of rock salt stored for road gritting, with a further 38,000 ordered and due to be delivered shortly.

Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones said: “This will be stored in barns across the country.

“A different approach to how salt is used will also mean that it is utilised more effectively and will last longer.”

An icy mountain road has been closed all night after an accident involving two vehicles on Thursday evening.

Blaenllechau Road in Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf, known locally as the Llanwonno mountain road, which links Ferndale and Llanwonno, was due to remain closed until 1000 GMT on Friday.

Meanwhile Welsh Water is advising householders to avoid frost damaged pipes as the winter weather strikes by checking that all pipe work, cisterns and tanks in unheated areas are well insulated.

The Met Office’s ice warning carries through to 1100 GMT but BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway said Friday’s frosts and icy roads could be accompanied by 2cm-5cm of snow especially in the north and west.

He said: “Parts of the east and the south east may get away with next to nothing but it will stay very cold over the weekend.

“Next week will be very cold. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there’s a 30-40% chance of a blizzard, which would cause major disruption.

“This is only a possibility at this stage but it is worth keeping an eye on weather reports.”

BBC Wales has the latest online travel news and weather updates.

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Five former Labour cabinet ministers have pledged their opposition to changing the system for electing MPs.

Margaret Beckett, David Blunkett, Lord Falconer, Lord Reid and Lord Prescott all said they would campaign against replacing first-past-the-post with the alternative vote (AV) system.

Both sides are mobilising support ahead of a referendum planned for 5 May 2011.

While the Conservatives largely oppose change and the Lib Dems support it, Labour appears divided over the issue.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has suggested he will campaign for a switch to AV but is opposed to holding the referendum on the Westminster voting system on 5 May, the same day as devolved elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Conservatives and Lib Dems agreed to hold a referendum as part of their coalition deal but Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg are on different sides of the argument over the need for change.

The No to AV campaign said a clutch of senior Labour and Conservative figures had agreed to act as “patrons” in its cross-party fight to retain the existing system, providing advice and acting as spokespeople.

Mrs Beckett, a former foreign secretary, is to become president of the campaign, while former Labour MP Joan Ryan will become its deputy director.

Mrs Beckett said AV had not proved successful when it had been introduced in other countries.

“This is so important it has to rise above party politics,” she said. “AV does not help democracy. It stands in its way.”

Pledging their support, former home secretary David Blunkett said the AV system was “unwanted, unfair and complicated” while Lord Reid said it would be a “backward step” for democracy.

“There is no credible intellectual or political case that can be made for AV,” he said.

Among senior Conservative politicians to say they will become patrons of the campaign are Foreign Secretary William Hague, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke and party chair Baroness Warsi.

“Ditching our current voting system in favour of the alternative vote would not be a sensible move,” Mr Clarke said, arguing it could produce “unexpected and disproportional results”.

The Yes to AV campaign launched its programme in September, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg saying the current system was “not fit for purpose” and “a relic that deserves to be consigned to the past”.

He insisted “fair votes” campaigners – many of whom want a proportional system but are backing AV as a “first step” towards further reform – could win a referendum.

Among Labour politicians thought to favour a switch to AV include shadow chancellor Alan Johnson and former foreign secretary David Miliband.

It is not clear what role the party leaders will play in the referendum campaign, with suggestions that the two camps want non-political figures to take the lead in trying to engage the public over the issue.

MPs have approved plans for the referendum date despite concerns that combining it with devolved elections will detract from these polls and potentially confuse voters.

Peers are currently debating the bill paving the way for the referendum.

Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected. If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices allocated to those remaining. This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes cast.

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The Black Eyed Peas are to perform during the interval at the Super Bowl next year, organisers have announced.

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