Category: news

A ruthless conman who tricked women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed for six years and 10 months.

The conman used internet dating agencies and chance meetings to meet his victims

David Checkley, 52, of Fernside Avenue in Mill Hill, north London, pleaded guilty to 13 charges of fraud at an earlier hearing at Bristol Crown Court.

The father of four targeted a string of lonely divorced women, the court heard.

One woman from Bath met Checkley through a dating agency and lost her business, the hearing was told.

The court heard Checkley was previously jailed for five years for false imprisonment and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm for his part in the killing of Channel 4’s Big Breakfast presenter Mark Levy in 2000.

He was acquitted of Mr Levy’s murder.

David Checkley targeted a string of lonely divorced women

In the latest case, Checkley was arrested after a victim complained to Avon and Somerset police.

Other victims were then found in Bath, London, south-east England, the Midlands and the US.

Checkley admitted fraud totalling £163,191.21.

But a police spokesman said it was believed he had tricked more than 30 women out of at least £500,000.

Many of his victims have been too frightened or embarrassed to come forward.

The court heard he spent the money on suspect business deals, sports cars and designer watches.

He had been targeting women for more than 20 years, the court was told.

Between 2003 and his arrest in November last year, he used dating agencies and chance meetings to target women.

Checkley, who came to Britain from Granada at the age of 11, had claimed to be a US fighter pilot who had served in Vietnam, a successful businessman, and an architect.

He also said he needed money for an operation to cure his Parkinson’s disease, and that he had met actor and “fellow sufferer” Michael J Fox.

He claimed to be friends with US president Barack Obama and golfer Tiger Woods’ father.

He made some women re-mortgage their homes and hand over money for his “business dealings”.

On one occasion, a victim got an email claiming Checkley had been arrested in Russia and she needed to send £5,200 to secure his release.

Donald Tait, prosecuting, said: “A check of his passport reveals that apart from the odd trip back to Grenada he was always in the UK.”

The court heard when the women tried to get their money back, Checkley would sometimes become hostile and threatening.

The hearing was told Checkley also had convictions for blackmail, deception and forgery.

Ten of his victims were at the court to see him prosecuted.

Rosemary Burns, defending, told the court that Checkley was sorry for what he had done.

One of Checkley’s victims, who asked not be named, said: “When he was arrested I didn’t want him put in prison.

“I didn’t know how big the picture was, I didn’t know about all the other women.

“I thought we had a future together. I was in love with him.”

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Billy Wright had been openly threatening Northern Ireland’s peace process

The murder of loyalist leader Billy Wright was the result of serious failings by the prison service, not state collusion, an inquiry has found.

Wright, the head of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), was shot dead inside the Maze prison by republican prisoners in December 1997.

His family believe he was a victim of collusion between prison authorities, the security services and police.

But the report said his murder happened because of negligence, not intention.

PDF download The Billy Wright Inquiry – full report[5 Mb]

Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson told Westminster on Tuesday that there was no collusion.

He said the report made this “clear and unequivocal”.

He said the report also said there was evidence of negligence on the part of the NI Prison Service.

“I am sincerely sorry that failings in the system facilitated his murder,” Mr Paterson said.

The investigation cost almost £30m and took five years to complete.

NI Secretary Owen Paterson announced the report’s findings in Parliament

Billy Wright was one of the most notorious loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.

The man nicknamed ‘King Rat’ – a term coined by journalists on the Sunday World newspaper – waged a bloody and bigoted campaign against the Catholic population in the Portadown and Lurgan area between the mid 1980s and his death in 1997.

He was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was arrested on several occasions but never charged. Eventually he became the UVF’s “Mid-Ulster commander” and is thought to have ordered or participated in around 20 killings, most of which were blatantly sectarian.

The IRA and the INLA tried to kill Wright at least five times but he survived and built his reputation among Portadown loyalists.

He was jailed in 1997 for threatening to kill a woman. He was initially sent to Maghaberry prison but later transferred to the Maze where he was shot dead on 27 December 1997 as he was let out to a van for a visit with his girlfriend.

The £30m inquiry was prompted by the findings of retired Canadian judge Peter Cory in 2004. It was established in May 2007 under the chairmanship of Lord Ranald MacLean.

The inquiry, which lasted almost five years, heard that there was intelligence information indicating the INLA planned to kill Wright if he was transferred from Maghaberry prison to the Maze.

Nevertheless he was moved in April 1997 and eight months later, he was shot dead by INLA men, Christopher McWilliams, John Kennaway and another man.

Flaws in how the Maze prison was run led to the murder, the inquiry said

The gunmen got through a hole cut in a fence, ran across the roof of the block and shot Wright as he sat in a van which was due to take him to a visiting area.

In the years following Wright’s murder, his father David has campaigned for an investigation into allegations that the state was involved.

The inquiry heard evidence that there was intelligence information indicating Wright was under threat from the INLA.

In April 1997, an MI5 agent inside the INLA told his handler what he knew about a potential attack on Wright.

That information was shared with RUC Special Branch, though they seem not to have shared it with other parts of the police.

Sir John Wheeler was adamant at the inquiry that he was not shown this piece of intelligence.

There is also some doubt about whether the RUC passed on the intelligence to the prison service.

Timeline

Counsel for the Wright family was adamant they did not.

The inquiry had heard evidence outlining flaws in the way the Maze prison was being run at the time.

Prisoners had more freedom than would have been expected in a high security prison, with searches infrequent to non-existent.

Security cameras were not working and the guards in observation towers were frequently stood down.

At the time of Wright’s murder, INLA and LVF prisoners were housed in the same block of the prison despite being bitter enemies.

The inquiry also heard that outside observers including the Red Cross and the Official Prison Visitor advised of the dangers of co-locating the LVF and INLA.

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The Peruvian President, Alan Garcia, has named Jose Chang as his new prime minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Chang has served as the education minister and is a long-term aide to Mr Garcia.

He will replace Javier Velasquez, who is stepping down to run for president next April.

Mr Garcia is barred under the constitution from running for a second consecutive term as president.

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Stephen Brennan admitted staging the incident

A physiotherapist has been struck off for his role in the rugby union “Bloodgate” affair.

Stephen Brennan staged Tom Williams’ blood injury during Harlequins’ Heineken Cup match against Leinster in April 2009.

During a two-day hearing he also admitted using fake blood capsules a further four times in three years.

At the Health Professions Council (HPC) hearing he denied his misconduct had impaired his fitness to practise.

The former Harlequins physiotherapist is serving a two-year suspension from rugby and has been working in private practice for the last year.

During the hearing before the HPC’s conduct and competence committee he told of his regret at being involved in the case.

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The BBC sees a letter seemingly sent by Mozambique’s authorities ordering mobile phone companies to block text messages during recent riots.

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EU Commissioner Reding said her patience was wearing thin

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has urged the European Commission to take legal action against France over its deportations of Roma (Gypsies).

Ms Reding called French actions a “disgrace”. She deplored the fact that a leaked official memo contradicted assurances given to her by France.

France voiced “astonishment” in response to her statement on Tuesday.

France’s deportations of more than 1,000 Roma, to Bulgaria and Romania, have been widely condemned.

The deportations began in early August, after French President Nicolas Sarkozy linked illegal Roma camps with crimes such as prostitution and child exploitation.

The BBC’s Oana Lungescu in Brussels says Ms Reding’s rebuke amounted to incredibly strong language from a European commissioner about a big member state.

EU disciplinary action against France could lead to substantial fines.

France denies that the expulsions target an ethnic group, saying they are done on a case-by-case basis.

Last week Euro MPs accused the Commission of failing to protect the Roma deported from France.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Ms Reding said she would propose legal proceedings by the Commission over France’s treatment of the Roma and that a Commission decision would be taken within two weeks.

France has dismantled many illegal Roma camps in recent weeks

The case would then go before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, she said.

France is accused of violating EU law, which bans discrimination against any ethnic group or nationality.

“I am personally convinced that the Commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement proceedings against France,” Ms Reding said.

“The role of the Commission as guardian of the treaties is made extremely difficult if we can no longer have confidence in the assurances given by two ministers in a formal meeting,” she said.

“This is not a minor offence in a situation of this importance. After 11 years of experience in the Commission, I even go further: this is a disgrace,” she said.

Recently French Immigration Minister Eric Besson and Minister for Europe Pierre Lellouche briefed Ms Reding on France’s handling of the Roma issue.

On Monday the French press published a leaked French official memo suggesting the Roma had been specifically targeted by the authorities.

The memo contradicted assurances to EU officials from Mr Besson and Mr Lellouche that immigrants were being treated on a case-by-case basis.

The order, dated 5 August, was sent from the interior ministry to regional police chiefs.

A leaked circular called for 300 camps or illegal settlements to be cleared within three months

“Three hundred camps or illegal settlements must be cleared within three months, Roma camps are a priority,” it said.

Mr Besson told France 2 television on Monday that he was “not aware of this circular”.

Last week the European Parliament urged the French government to halt the deportations – a call rejected by Paris.

On Monday Mr Lellouche told the BBC he was “sick and tired” of the criticism directed at France over the Roma.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero called Ms Reding’s statement unhelpful on Tuesday.

“We don’t think that with this type of statement, that we can improve the situation of the Roma, who are at the heart of our concerns and our action,” he said.

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The Commons committee on standards and privileges is to inquire into whether the hacking of MPs’ phones amounts to contempt of Parliament.

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Iran has released an American woman held for more than a year on suspicion of spying, reports from Iran say.

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Councils have been unable to cap class sizes at a reduced level

Plans to bring in a legal limit of 25 pupils in primary one are expected to be announced later by the Scottish government.

The proposed cap is some way short of an SNP manifesto promise, which pledged classes in the first three years of primary would be capped at 18 pupils.

The proposed new limit would have clout as it would be set in law.

Previous plans to reduce class sizes have failed because schools could not legally say classes were full.

Families refused a place were often successful when they went to court to appeal against decision not to allow their child to attend on the basis of class sizes.

Under current rules each teacher can have up to 30 pupils in their class.

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The head of Guinea’s election commission dies, amid speculation that Sunday’s presidential run-off could be postponed.

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The former Manchester United and England footballer Nobby Stiles is to sell the medal he received when England won the World Cup Final in 1966.

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At least seven militants died when missiles fired by a suspected US drone aircraft hit a house in north-western Pakistan, security officials said.

The missiles struck a militant hideout in Shawal district in the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border.

The area, a stronghold of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, has been repeatedly hit by similar attacks.

The attacks have killed more than 700 people since January 2009 and fuelled anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.

Pakistan publicly objects to the strikes but analysts believe they have the private backing of officials.

The American military does not routinely confirm drone operations, but analysts say the US is the only force capable of deploying such aircraft in the region.

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The yen hits a 15-year high against the dollar as Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan wins a leadership contest.

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People in the Heads of the Valleys area have not had enough information on the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, says a Conservative AM.

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Ichiro Ozawa (L) and Naoto Kan (R) disagree on how to manage the economy

Japan’s ruling party is due to vote in a leadership election that could give the country its third prime minister in a year.

Veteran power-broker Ichiro Ozawa has challenged Prime Minister Naoto Kan for the top job in the wake of poor results in July’s upper house elections.

Reports from Japan suggest that the race is too close to call.

Mr Kan is more popular with the public than his rival, but Mr Ozawa commands support from a large party faction.

The Democratic Party of Japan’s (DPJ) 411 members of parliament, local DPJ lawmakers and party members will choose between the two men on Tuesday afternoon.

Reports suggest MPs – whose votes carry much more weight – are evenly split between the two men, while Mr Kan has more support from local lawmakers and party members.

Whoever becomes party leader will become the prime minister, because the DPJ has a majority in the lower house of parliament.

On Monday, both men visited undecided lawmakers and party groups in a last-minute bid to secure support.

Naoto Kan has only been in power for three months.

He was elected after Yukio Hatoyama stepped down over failing to follow through on a promise to move an unpopular US military base from the island of Okinawa.

Weeks after Mr Kan took power, the DPJ lost seats in upper house elections – a result blamed in part on his stance on raising consumption tax.

Mr Kan has said he believes the tax should be raised and spending curbed in a bid to reduce Japan’s massive public debt.

Mr Ozawa, who announced his leadership challenge in August, is widely seen as the architect of the DPJ’s election victory in August 2009.

He stepped down as deputy party leader in May 2009 amid a funding scandal and has since become embroiled in a second one relating to a land deal.

But he had remained a major DPJ power behind the scenes.

He has promised to follow through on DPJ spending pledges and says he would consider more borrowing.

Mr Ozawa has also suggested that the controversial deal to relocate the unpopular Futenma US military base from central to northern Okinawa could be reviewed.

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