A Wigan man has been jailed for 12 years over his grooming of two teenage girls.

Paul Alex Francis Wallace of Appleby Bridge was found guilty of grooming, making indecent photographs of a child and sexual activity with a child at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday (March 1^st).

He was also convicted of possessing an indecent image of a child, as well as attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Officers with Lancashire Constabulary launched an investigation into Wallace’s contact with underage girls over the internet in August 2011 and examined a number of his electronic items.

Information recovered from the devices indicated he had maintained regular contact with a young girl from Bedford and exchanges messages of a sexual nature.

Officers from Bedfordshire Police arrested Wallace on April 5^th 2012 and examined more of his possessions.

Further evidence was uncovered, including a number of indecent images and messages relating to a separate victim. Officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Sexual Crime Unit further arrested him in August 2012.

The investigation found that he had initiated contact with the 15-year-old victim when she was 13 years old, chatting with her over the internet and via text messaging.

Wallace and his victim met on several occasions and he first had sex with her on an airbed in the back of his van. On a separate occasion, he collected her in his Aston Martin and transported her to a flat in Wigan.

He told the young girl he had a lot of money and took “numerous” videos of his sexual contact with her.

Detective Constable Ceri Martin of the Sexual Crime Unit claimed Wallace hid his penchant for teenage girls under a “veneer of respectability”.

“He is a predatory paedophile who displayed classic grooming behaviour, scouring the internet and befriending young girls. He offered a listening ear and made them feel special, so much so that they began consensual relationships with him,” she said.

“He manipulated them simply for his own sexual gratification and has now been jailed for his appalling offences.”

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Undercover policing in the UK requires a “root and branch” overhaul, MPs have warned today (March 1^st).

The Home Affairs Committee has called for a fundamental review of the regulations governing operations by undercover police in its interim report on the matter.

According to the document, an “unsatisfactory degree of ambiguity” currently surrounds the legal framework administrating such programmes and fails to provide sufficient protection to individuals affected during the course of investigations.

Committee chair Keith Vaz MP claimed the group was unhappy with current legislation on undercover police operations.

“The impact of the conduct of undercover officers on the women with whom they had relationships has been devastating, and it represents a wholly improper degree of intrusion by the state into the lives of individuals,” he said.

Mr Vaz went on to brand the practice of undercover officers using the identities of dead infants as cover stories as “ghoulish and disrespectful”.

“We heard of one case where a bereaved family might have come face-to-face with a woman who believed that their dead child was her former partner,” he added.

The Committee went on to criticise Operation Herne, which has been investigating the administration of these operations, noting that despite accruing more than £1 million in costs, no arrests have yet been made.

In 2011, a number of allegations on the conduct of undercover police officers came to light, with several standing accused of engaging in long-term relationships with members of the groups they had infiltrated.

During the course of one investigation, an officer reportedly fathered a child before disappearing.

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Manchester City player Courtney Meppen-Walter faces 16 months in jail after he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court for causing two deaths by careless driving.

The 18-year-old was travelling at nearly twice the speed limit when his Mercedes hit a Nissan Micra, killing brother and sister Kulwant Singh and Ravel Kaur.

Ms Kaur’s two teenage sons were also injured in the crash, which took place just after 10pm on September 1^st 2012.

Meppen-Walter, of Blackley, Manchester, admitted the offence and was also banned from driving for three years.

Witnesses claimed that shortly before the crash, they saw the Mercedes and a VW Golf engaged in what appeared to be a race along a nearby dual carriageway.

“The driver has taken away my loving husband and father to my two children. Our life has been destroyed,” said Kushwant Kaur, widow of the driver.

“I am pleased that justice has been done and I hope that this will teach him so no family has to go through what myself and my family have been through this past few months.”

Meppen-Walter was previously given six penalty points and a £75 fine after he was caught speeding in March 2012.

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Nick Clegg has admitted recent claims regarding sexually inappropriate behaviour contributed to the resignation of former Liberal Democrat chief executive Lord Rennard.

During his weekly phone-in show on LBC Radio this morning (February 27^th), the deputy prime minister was quizzed over the issue by Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman.

She asked him to clarify the reasons behind the peer’s resignation, noting that he had appeared to accept the fact that claims over his behaviour had influenced the decision to step down.

“He left on health grounds but of course the issues of his inappropriate behaviour were in the background of course they were,” Clegg said.

Earlier in the show, the Liberal Democrat leader conceded that the women behind the allegations had been let down by the party, which had made some “very serious mistakes”.

“I so much believe that it is crucial that you treat people with respect and dignity in everything you do – and that is what I expect of people in the organisation I lead,” he said “That, clearly, did not happen here, to put it mildly.”

Clegg claimed that he had only been made aware of specific allegations last week, when they were broadcast in a Channel 4 documentary.

However, he did note that the issue had been raised “in general terms” by Sandra Gidley, former Lib Dem MP for Romsey, in 2007.

The recent Channel 4 documentary brought several allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour by Lord Rennard to light, however the peer continues to deny the claims.

“In 27 years of working for the Liberal Democrats he received no complaint or allegation about his behaviour,” said a statement issued on his behalf.

Video and image used courtesy of LBC.

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Police in Sheffield are appealing for information  after the charred body of an abused dog was found by members of the public.

South Yorkshire Police have issued a plea for witnesses to come forward in regard to the torture and killing of a Staffordshire bull terrier, whose body was found on a near Manor Laith Road.

The light-coloured dog is thought to have been attacked between Monday February 18^th and Sunday February 24^th on a path in the area.

It is believed to have been severely beaten, before being tied to a tree and set on fire. Police have claimed the animal “suffered terribly” before it died.

“Police would like to speak to anyone that may have seen this dog in the area at this time, or who may have lost a dog that fits this description,” said a spokesperson for the force.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 488. Alternatively, witnesses can make contact anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Image used courtesy of Beverly & Pack on Flickr.

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Two officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have been injured in a hit and run attack.

At around 10.50pm yesterday (February 24^th), a red Hyundai was pulled over on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey for speeding. When two policemen approached the vehicle, it reversed – hitting the two PCs and driving away.

One of the officers radioed for help and paramedics attended the scene, along with further patrols. Two men were later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

“One of the officers suffered a fractured wrist and the other a fractured skull. Both men are in hospital receiving treatment and their families are with them. Our thoughts are with both the officers and their families as they recover from their injuries,” said GMP Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan.

“Sadly, what this incident painfully highlights is the dangers officers face every day when protecting the public. What should have been a routine vehicle stop resulted in two officers being deliberately driven at and suffering serious injuries.”

Both officers were taken to hospital, where one was treated for a fractured wrist, which will require surgery. The second officer suffered a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain – although he remains in a stable condition and the injury is not thought to be life-threatening.

Police are appealing for anyone with information relevant to the incident and members of the public can get in touch on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

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Greater Manchester Police have launched a hunt for a man who sexually assaulted a woman at Bolton Market.

An image of a suspect officers wish to speak to has been released in connection with the attack, which took place at around 3pm on Saturday January 19^th.

The 48-year-old victim was in the fish market with her teenage daughter when the incident took place.

She was approached by the offender, who then lifted up her coat and sexually assaulted her. The woman’s daughter challenged the attacker, who then apologised and walked off.

The victim witnessed the same man carry out a similar attack in the market a couple of weeks later.

Detective Constable Dave Fox of Bolton CID said: “This was a brazen attack on a mother enjoying a shopping trip with her daughter. What is doubly disturbing is that this man appears to have carried out a similar attack a couple of weeks later.”

The suspect is described as white, about five foot four inches tall with a medium or stocky build. He is thought to be between 30 and 40 years old with short blonde or light brown hair.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the attacks and anyone with information should get in touch with Bolton CID on 0161 856 5757 or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

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Birds Eye has announced a recall of three of its beef ready meals after DNA testing revealed the presence of horsemeat in one of its products.

In an announcement today (February 22^nd), the company revealed that a chili con carne product produced by Frigilunch NV and sold in Belgium was found to have contained two per cent horse DNA and would be immediately withdrawn.

As a precaution, it said it would be recalling all beef products from the same supplier in the UK and Ireland, which include its Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese (340g), Shepherd’s Pie (400g) and Beef Lasagne (400g).

“The withdrawn products will not be replaced on supermarket shelves until we have finished our investigations and have complete confidence in this supplier,” said Birds Eye.

However, the company reassured customers that the vast majority of its beef products had emerged clean from DNA testing.

“The quality of our food is of the utmost importance to us. We know that our consumers rely on us to be certain that they are eating only what is labelled on the packaging and that they can always rely on us to act responsibly,” it added.

Birds Eye went on to note that it had introduced an ongoing DNA testing programme, in addition to enhancing its normal quality assurance processes.

The discovery marks the latest development in the horsemeat scandal, which has already seen UK food retailers Findus, Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Iceland uncover traces of horsemeat contamination in their beef products.

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Evidence from the BBC’s inquiry into Newsnight’s decision to drop its investigation into Jimmy Savile is set to be published online today (February 22^nd).

Thousands of pages of transcripts from the review are to be made available on the web and will include interviews with BBC journalists and bosses, in addition to a host of emails and texts.

The review was implemented by the corporation last year and set out to find whether management failings prompted the decision to call off the six-week investigation into claims of paedophilia against Savile in December 2011.

A separate Newsnight investigation set up last summer led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse. A decision to broadcast the programme without consulting the Conservative peer led to further criticism of the BBC and the resignation of director-general George Entwistle.

Last year’s Pollard Review branded the decisions made by the BBC as “seriously flawed” although it rejected claims that the Savile investigation had been cancelled in order to protect planned tribute shows for the DJ.

The report’s findings led to a raft of staff changes at the corporation and BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten pledged that evidence would be published, subject to legal redactions.

Despite not finding evidence of a cover-up at the corporation, the report slammed BBC bosses – claiming leadership had been in “short supply” during the crisis.

“Newsnight’s abortive Jimmy Savile inquiry of 2011 started a chain of events that was to prove disastrous for the BBC. It led to one of the worst management crises in the BBC’s history and contributed to further chaos that led to the resignation of the director general a few weeks later over the McAlpine affair,” said the document.

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Police constables from Barnet borough have saved a woman from drowning after her car was driven into a freezing lake.

The incident took place near Totteridge Lane at just after 8am this morning (February 21^st) and police were alerted by a member of the public who saw the unconscious driver’s vehicle enter the lake.

Officers arrived on the scene as the car began to sink and two male PCs entered the water, smashed one of the car’s windows and retrieved the woman from the submerged vehicle.

Barnet Borough Commander Adrian Usher commended the constables involved, paying tribute to their “speed and courage”.

“In the bitterly cold conditions we have today, there is little doubt that a sustained period in the water would have posed a serious threat to the woman’s life,” he said.

The driver was treated by the London Ambulance Service at the scene, who attempted to warm her up in an effort to prevent hypothermia setting in.

She was then taken to a hospital in north London for treatment and her condition is confirmed to be non-life-threatening.

The Metropolitan Police have stated they are continuing their enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

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