Lover in shed guilty of cover-up

13 July 2011 Last updated at 14:33 GMT Rita Heyster was said in court to be "besotted" with Harry Jarvis A woman has been convicted of helping her lover hide his dead wife's body under the floorboards at a house in West Lothian.

Rita Heyster, 57, who lived in her lover's garden shed for weeks, had earlier been cleared of murdering Carol Jarvis in her Bathgate home in 2009.

The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found Heyster, originally from Peebles, guilty of helping Harry Jarvis with the cover-up after his wife's murder.

She will be sentenced later.

Harry Jarvis, 61, is serving a life sentence after being convicted earlier this year of murdering his wife.

A judge ordered him to serve at least 15 years before he can apply for parole.

At the time of the murder, it was common knowledge among neighbours in Bathgate that Ms Heyster was living in a shed in the Jarvis's garden.

Harry Jarvis was convicted of killing his wife Carol

Heyster, who had come from a wealthy background but had fallen on hard times, was said to be "besotted" with Jarvis and has continued to visit him in prison.

Prosecutors said her devotion went as far as helping Jarvis hide the body of his 47-year-old wife.

Heyster also pretended to be Jarvis's wife when police called looking for the missing woman.

As the four week trial reached its closing stages, advocate depute Gary Allan QC, prosecuting, described Jarvis as "a manipulative monster".

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Man guilty in 'hair in hand' case

29 June 2011 Last updated at 15:13 GMT Danilo Restivo had denied murdering Heather Barnett An Italian man has been found guilty of murdering a mother-of-two who was found with a clump of someone's hair in her hand at her Bournemouth home in 2002.

Danilo Restivo, 39, had denied killing Heather Barnett, 48, whose mutilated body was found by her children.

During the trial, Restivo was also linked to the murder of Elisa Claps, 16, who went missing in Italy in 1993.

Proceedings to extradite him to Italy are now expected to begin. Restivo will be sentenced on Thursday.

Comforted children Heather Barnett's body was found with a clump of someone else's hair in her hand

The court heard Restivo, of Chatsworth Road, Bournemouth, entered Ms Barnett's flat and bludgeoned her with a hammer before cutting her throat in November 2002.

He later comforted her children after they found the body of their mother.

Restivo had called at the flat a week before when he asked Ms Barnett to make some curtains for his now wife.

It has emerged that Ms Barnett raised concerns to her older sister about Restivo, who lived opposite her.

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Webster guilty of wife's murder

19 May 2011 Last updated at 15:47 GMT Killer husband Malcolm Webster pretended he had leukaemia A man has been found guilty of murdering his first wife in a car fire and attempting to kill his second in another crash to get life assurance.

Former nurse Malcolm Webster, 52, had denied murdering Claire Morris in an Aberdeenshire crash in 1994.

Webster, of Surrey, also denied attempting to kill Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

Scotland's longest-lasting single accused criminal trial had begun on 1 February at the High Court in Glasgow.

The brother of Claire Morris, Peter Morris, branded Webster a "monster".

Mr Morris said: "Hopefully now Claire can rest in peace. I feel that she hasn't been able to do that until now."

He described Webster as a "monster" and said: "If the police hadn't caught him the killing would have gone on."

The jury of nine women and six men took less than four hours to find Webster guilty of commiting all the charges as part of frauds to obtain hundreds of thousands of pounds in life assurance.

Sentencing was deferred until 5 July.

The fatal crash in 1994 was originally treated as an accident.

Webster claimed he had swerved to avoid a motorcyclist.

However, the crash was later reinvestigated after concerns were raised in the wake of the second crash on the other side of the world.

New tests showed Claire Morris had traces of drugs in her system.

His second wife also suspected that he had later been spiking her food in New Zealand.

Peter Morris, the brother of Claire Morris, has paid tribute to his sister

Their car crashed with Webster at the wheel, but she survived. She would discover he had cheated her of her life savings.

Her sister later told a police officer of her concerns in a chance meeting which proved to be pivotal in the case.

Webster, of Guildford, was also found guilty of intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

He pretended to have leukaemia, and during the deception he shaved his head and eyebrows.

She was warned about Webster's past as police closed in on him.

Advocate depute Derek Ogg QC had said in his closing speech Webster was "a most cruel, practised deceiver" who, if convicted, would become one of the most notorious murderers of modern times.

However, defence counsel Edgar Prais QC said that although Webster was a "liar", a "thief", a "philanderer" and a "rat bag", he was not a killer.

Claire Morris had been married for eight months when she died

Fifty days of prosecution evidence was followed by a short defence case, after which trial judge Lord Bannatyne told the jurors there was enough evidence in law for them to convict Webster.

Grampian Police Det Ch Insp Phil Chapman, the senior investigating officer, told BBC Scotland: "Malcolm's motivation was money and his insatiable appetite for wealth."

He said Webster was a "charming individual", but under the veneer there was a "chilling disposition".

Det Ch Insp Chapman said: "I would like to thank and pay tribute to the dignity and courage shown by Betty and Peter Morris (Claire's mother and brother) and her extended family during the course of our enquiry.

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He peddled his lies across different continents believing his chilling and callous crimes would go undetected”

End Quote Det Ch Insp Phil Chapman Grampian Police "In February 2008, I first met Claire's family and had to tell them that we believed Claire's death, 14 years earlier, was not a tragic accident, but a premeditated and planned murder, committed by her husband, the man to whom she had pledged her life.

"This was clearly a devastating revelation, which generated many questions and a range of traumatic emotions for them.

"I would also like to thank Felicity Drumm and her family, whose collective determination and resolve to bring Malcolm Webster to justice can only be commended.

"Indeed it was the family's pursuit of Malcolm Webster which led us to reconsider the circumstances surrounding Claire's death."

'Web of lies'

He added: "He peddled his lies across different continents believing his chilling and callous crimes would go undetected.

"But he severely underestimated the determination and will of the many people whom he had deceived.

"It was only after a painstaking investigation into Malcolm Webster's life, taking us literally to the other side of the world, and using truly innovative technology and investigative techniques, that the true magnitude of his crimes became clear."

Webster's first wife died when their car crashed and caught fire

Lindsey Miller, head of the serious and organised crime division (SOCD) at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: "This was a hugely complex case, involving hundreds of witnesses, productions, and financial documentary evidence stretching over a 14-year period.

"A vast amount of painstaking work went into this investigation and prosecution.

"Webster was a calculating criminal who wove a web of lies and deceit around people who entered his life in good faith.

"I would like to commend the persistence and tenacity of all those who worked tirelessly to bring Webster to justice for these appalling crimes."

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Guilty plea over student killing

3 June 2011 Last updated at 11:16 GMT Reamonn Gormley died after being stabbed in Blantyre A man has admitted killing 19-year-old student Reamonn Gormley but will face a murder trial after the Crown rejected his guilty plea to culpable homicide.

Daryn Maxwell, 22, admitted fatally stabbing the teenager in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, in February, during an attempted street robbery.

Co-accused Barry Smith, 19, pleaded not guilty to murdering the Glasgow University psychology student.

The trial is expected to start at the High Court in Glasgow later this year.

Mr Maxwell is charged with murdering Mr Gormley in Glasgow Road, Blantyre, on 1 February.

During an appearance at the High Court in Glasgow, Mr Maxwell pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of culpable homicide.

He admitted that, with his face partially masked, he presented a knife at Mr Gormley, demanded personal items, struggled with him and killed him by repeatedly striking him on the neck and body with a knife or similar instrument.

Plea rejected

His plea was rejected by the Crown and advocate depute Dorothy Bain QC, prosecuting, told the court: "This plea is not accepted."

Mr Maxwell was in the dock alongside co-accused Barry Smith, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Gormley.

Both men, who are in custody, deny a second charge of presenting a chisel at David McFall and robbing him of a wallet and its contents in Glasgow Road, Blantyre, on 1 February.

Judge Lord Matthews continued the case to a further preliminary hearing in August.

Mr Gormley was stabbed as he walked home from watching the Celtic v Aberdeen football match in a bar in his home town.

He died in Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, soon after the attack.

More than 1,000 people took part in a march through the streets of Blantyre in February in memory of Mr Gormley.

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Ahmad 'assault' police not guilty

3 June 2011 Last updated at 15:25 GMT Colin Reynolds, solicitor acting for officers: "They are looking forward to returning to work"

Four police officers accused of beating up a terror suspect have all been found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court.

A jury acquitted Pc Roderick James-Bowen, 40, Pc Mark Jones, 43, Pc Nigel Cowley, 34, and Det Con John Donohue, 37, of assaulting Babar Ahmad.

Mr Ahmad, 37, was arrested at his home in Tooting, south London, in December 2003 on suspicion of leading a group which supported al-Qaeda.

Mr Ahmad was never charged in relation to his arrest but is in custody.

He is awaiting extradition to the US for alleged terrorism offences.

Mr Ahmad said he feared he would die in the early morning Metropolitan Police raid.

But jurors rejected claims that the officers attacked him, taking less than an hour to reach their decision.

The BBC understands some members of the jury later asked to meet the officers to shake their hands, correspondent Ben Ando reported.

Secret recordings

Speaking after the verdicts, the officers' solicitor Colin Reynolds said secret recordings from a listening device planted in Mr Ahmad's home, which emerged in evidence, corroborated his clients' accounts.

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They are hoping that they will be able to put these unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations behind them”

End Quote Colin Reynolds Solicitor "It was only weeks before this trial commenced that the prosecution then disclosed that a listening device had been planted in the home address of Babar Ahmad some time before his arrest in December 2003," he said.

"Many hours were spent analysing what could be heard as a result of that probe before and during the trial and that evidence proved the account originally given by these officers was correct and specific details of the complaint made by Mr Ahmad were not present."

Asked why the Met paid out ?60,000 to Mr Ahmad in a civil case when the force admitted liability, he said: "That's a matter for the Commissioner and his lawyers."

Mr Reynolds also spoke of the men's relief at the verdicts and said they were "looking forward to getting on with their professional lives".

"The officers look forward to returning to work and... serving the public within the MPS and they are hoping that they will be able to put these unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations behind them now."

After the not guilty verdicts were returned, Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC said he hoped what he described as Mr Ahmad's "ordeal" would come to an end as quickly as possible, either by his extradition to the US or his release.

He said Mr Ahmad had been detained in the UK for a number of years and it was a matter of concern.

Mr Ahmad claims the officers, then all constables in the Met's Territorial Support Group (TSG), beat him repeatedly, swore at him, mocked his Islamic faith and humiliated him by touching his genitals in an assault that began at his house and continued in a police van and at a police station.

CCTV showed Babar Ahmad's arrest

He alleged that one officer grabbed his throat and cut off his breathing.

Mr Ahmad told the court: "He kept squeezing to the point where I thought, 'This guy is going to kill me. He wants to kill me. I am going to die in the back of this van'."

But the officers said his injuries were either self-inflicted or caused by a legal tackle that took him to the ground when he was first detained.

Pc James-Bowen told the court he had a "ferocious" struggle with martial arts expert Mr Ahmad in which he used "significant force", but rejected accusations that he and his colleagues beat him up.

Resistance feared

The four officers involved in the raid had been told by senior officers to arrest Mr Ahmad.

The four-week trial heard that the suspect's arrest came 11 months after DC Stephen Oake was murdered in Crumpsall, Manchester, by terror suspect Kamel Bourgass.

Police chiefs briefed the arresting officers that Mr Ahmad was to be considered as dangerous as Bourgass and said they feared he would resist, the jury heard.

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The issues that have arisen out of the arrest have now been ongoing for a long time”

End Quote Acting Commander Carl Bussey Metropolitan Police Pc Jones told the court he and the other officers in his unit were told by their sergeant before the operation that the suspect had been trained by al-Qaeda in armed and unarmed combat.

Mr Ahmad was believed to be the leader of an al-Qaeda-linked cell that acted as a conduit to terrorism overseas, providing recruits and logistical support.

In evidence during the trial, Mr Ahmad confirmed that he travelled to Bosnia three or four times to fight during the 1992/95 war, but insisted he was not an "al-Qaeda superman".

Misconduct review

The Metropolitan Police Authority is set to publish an investigation into the incident.

In a statement, the Met Police said the court had heard evidence that did not support Mr Ahmad's account of events following his arrest.

Acting Commander Carl Bussey, head of the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards, said: "The issues that have arisen out of the arrest have now been ongoing for a long time and undoubtedly this will have been a difficult seven years for all involved.

"Given the result I will now ensure a misconduct review is conducted immediately so that the officers can be given a decision as soon as possible and this matter finally brought to a conclusion."

The Metropolitan Police later said three of the officers would remain on restricted duties pending a decision on whether they should face a misconduct hearing.

The fourth officer, Pc Mark Jones, is currently suspended on an unrelated matter.

Mr Ahmad's lawyer, Fiona Murphy, said: "The criminal proceedings have taken their course and the jury has returned its verdict".

"We now call upon the IPCC to put its abject failures in relation to this case to one side and to give proper consideration to the misconduct aspects."

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Golfer guilty of tame fox attack

16 May 2011 Last updated at 16:08 GMT Donald Forbes was fined ?750 for the attack A man has been found guilty of hitting a tame fox - which later died - with a golf club as he played a round.

Donald Forbes denied causing unnecessary suffering by striking the fox with his driver at Peterculter Golf Club, Aberdeen, in September last year.

He went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996.

Forbes, 55, was found guilty, was fined ?750 and was ordered to forfeit the offending club.

Giving evidence, Forbes said he remembered the fox looking back at him in a "threatening way".

He told the court: "I heard that some members had been bitten by the same fox."

He said he felt threatened by the creature and then hit it with a "glancing blow".

He added: "My actions, I thought, were proportionate in relation to the threat it was being to me and my belongings.

"It was an instinctive swing - I happened to have the club in my hand at the time."

Witness Alan Austen said Forbes told him: "I think the guy behind me hit it with a chair."

Mr Austen said the accused later admitted taking a "small swing" at the creature.

The fox died after the incident at Peterculter Golf Club

He said Forbes claimed to have left the scene after striking it because he did not know what the fox was going to do.

Graeme Duthie, a golfing companion of Forbes, said he saw the accused running towards the fox with the club raised moments before it was injured.

He said: "The fox was biting Donald's bag. Donald ran towards the bag and shouted at it. He hit it with the club in his hand.

"I think he got a shock because it didn't run away after shouting so loudly at it."

Procurator fiscal Sandy Hutchison asked: "How hard would you describe the blow?"

'Pretty alert'

He replied: "I wouldn't have said it was very hard. It was the longest club in the bag. It was nothing like a proper golf shot."

Mr Hutchison asked: "Where did it hit the fox?"

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We are pleased the court has demonstrated that it will not tolerate such cruel behaviour”

End Quote Mike Flynn Scottish SPCA He replied: "I would have thought it was about the head."

Mr Hutchison asked whether the fox moved when he arrived at the scene.

He replied: "It was fairly still. There was a wee bit of movement. It didn't make a sound at all.

"We had a good look at it to see the condition it was in. Its eyes were wide open. It seemed pretty alert to me.

"I thought it was stunned and it would get up and walk away.

"There was no blood whatsoever."

He said the pair waited a couple of minutes before they carried on golfing.

Sheriff Annella Cowan said Forbes had got annoyed and hit the fox with the driver deliberately.

She said: "He used it as a weapon in my view."

Forbes refused to comment as he left court.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: "This was a brutal and sickening way to treat a wild animal.

"This fox would have suffered a great deal of pain before dying and we are pleased the court has demonstrated that it will not tolerate such cruel behaviour."

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Youths guilty of station killing

16 May 2011 Last updated at 12:32 GMT Sofyen was chased to the ticket hall where he was stabbed repeatedly Five teenagers have been convicted of killing a 15-year-old boy at Victoria station in central London.

Sofyen Belamouadden, from Acton, west London, was chased and stabbed in the ticket hall of the Tube station.

Two teenagers have been found guilty of his murder in March 2010. Three others have been convicted of manslaughter.

The trial at the Old Bailey heard the rush-hour attack was planned on Facebook, and followed tensions between pupils from two west London schools.

'Merciless' attack

The trial heard some of the pupils saw the station as "home territory".

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So brazen and confident were his killers that they openly carried the various weapons that they used with them as they ran towards him and together hunted him down”

End Quote Mark Heywood QC Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said the "merciless" knife attack on the schoolboy took place in front of hundreds of commuters.

One member of the gang, Samuel Roberts, told the court that he joined in the violence on 25 March - captured on CCTV - simply because "everyone else was doing it".

Obi Nwokeh, 18, of Bermondsey, south-east London, and a 17-year-old were convicted of murder by unanimous jury verdicts.

Roberts, of Camberwell, south-east London, Adonis Akra, of Stockwell, of south London, both 18, and another 17-year-old were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.

Enoch Amoah, 18, of Camberwell, was cleared of both charges but convicted of violent disorder. All six defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

Sofyen was confronted by a group with a sword at Victoria station before being chased into the Tube station where he was stabbed nine times, including to the lung and chest.

Mr Heywood said: "He was given no chance of life.

"So brazen and confident were his killers that they openly carried the various weapons that they used with them as they ran towards him and together hunted him down."

A number of other youths are due to face separate trials over the killing. All defendants will be sentenced following the conclusion of these cases.

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