Newtown Shooting: Young Survivor Recalls Horror

By Tom Parmenter and Brian Donathan, Sky News

An eight-year-old consoled his classmates as Adam Lanza went on his shooting rampage, reassuring them his policeman dad was on the way to save them.

Luke Santana, a third grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School, said he was ushered into an adjacent classroom by teachers as the gunman began his killing spree.

He told Sky News: "It was awkward because everyone was piling up on each other, and I was saying, 'Don't worry ... stop crying. My dad is a police officer, he's going to help'."

Luke said his father was physically sick after facing the traumatic task of dealing with the aftermath of the massacre of 20 children and six adults at the school.

Luke's mother Lisandra Santana said her husband heard the call go out on the radio and rushed to the scene both as a father and a first responder.

"He wasn't sure if his son was alive," she said.

The Santanas did not have to confront the nightmare that has been thrust upon the parents of 20 murdered children in Newtown, Connecticut.

"I was really happy to know that he was OK," said Mrs Santana as she stood next to her son near a makeshift memorial not far from the school. "I just ran in there and hugged him and started kissing him."

"I just pray for those who didn't make it," she added.

Luke's father, also named Luke, agreed to allow his son to speak to Sky News, but declined to comment himself.

With his mother looking on, the younger Luke expressed his condolences for the families who lost loved ones, including a classmate whose little sister was killed and his former first grade teacher Victoria Soto.

Ms Soto has been praised for saving students by hiding them in a closet before Lanza entered her classroom.

"She shielded her students," Luke said.

Mrs Santana acknowledged her son's bravery as well.

"He's gone through a lot, but I'm so proud of him," she said.

"I'm glad he was brave and that he was able to talk to his classmates and tell them everything was going to be OK."

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Amy Winehouse Inquest To Be Reheard

The inquest into the death of Amy Winehouse will be reheard after it emerged the original coroner was not eligible to deal with it.

Deputy Assistant Coroner Suzanne Greenaway recorded a verdict of misadventure after the Back To Black star was found dead at her north London home last year, aged 27.

It has now emerged that she was not qualified to oversee the inquest.

Winehouse had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and was found to have five times the drink-drive limit of alcohol in her blood when she died.

The singer was found dead at her north London home in January 2011

The original inquest into her death heard that she had died after going on a drinking binge following a long period of not drinking.

The St Pancras Coroner's Court heard that Winehouse turned to drink after kicking a drug habit in 2008. She had been taking drugs to stop her from drinking but refused therapy.

Dr Christina Romete told the inquest: "She was one of the most intelligent young women I've ever met. She was very determined to do everything her way, including her therapy. She had very strict views on that."

Ms Greenaway was appointed to the role in July 2009 by her husband, Andrew Reid, who was the coroner for Inner North London, after she had worked as a solicitor and barrister in Australia.

Amy Winehouse with her father Mitch

But she stepped down in November when it emerged she did not have the requisite five years' experience in the Law Society.

Dr Reid resigned from his position this month after investigators found he had not "thoroughly" checked his wife had the requisite qualifications for the position.

Under British law, Ms Greenaway would have needed either five years with the Law Society or five years of experience as a qualified medical practitioner.

She met neither set criteria.

A spokesman for the Winehouse family said: "The family were happy with the way the original inquest was conducted and did not request it to be reheard.

"This seems to be a matter of procedure and the verdict is not expected to change."

The new hearing will be at St Pancras Coroner's Court on Tuesday January 8.

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Bank Eyes Plastic Money To Replace Notes

The Bank of England has made contingency plans for a changeover to plastic bank notes, Sky News has confirmed.

Tender documents for a new contract to print money have included a clause allowing for the polymer-based currency.

A source has told Sky News the printing proviso is to "future proof" the bank's supply of money.

A number of countries already use plastic money, which can be more durable than traditional cotton-based paper notes.

A £5 note has a life expectancy of around six months

Australia, Romania, Vietnam, Mexico and Malaysia are among those to have introduced polymer money.

The Australian $5 note lasts an average of 40 months whereas an English £5 note is worn out after an estimated six months.

Between 2003 and 2011 the Bank of England received claims for bank notes destroyed through washing totalling £747,000, and £8.625m for fire or flood damage money.

It also received claims for £946,000 for notes that had been eaten or chewed.

Claims for notes deemed to be "contaminated" topped £232m in the period, with the total figure for all damaged or mutilated money reaching £263m.

In addition to greater durability the plastic money can incorporate holograms and other security devices to thwart counterfeiters.

"The Bank of England is not doing its job properly if it does not take account any new security measures it can utilise to protect the currency," the source said.

Malaysia is one country which decided to use plastic money

The new printing contract will run from 2015 to 2025 or 2028.

The bank plans for a consultation period of at least 12 months ahead of any changeover, as cash and vending machines need mechanisms recalibrated.

A Bank of England spokesperson told Sky News: "It's incumbent on the Bank, within our general research and development program to look at the pros and cons of various security features and substrates.

"No decision has been made as yet regarding printing on polymer."

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Ofcom Launches Probe Into I'm A Celebrity

I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! is being investigated after a contestant's young daughter was used in one of the show's trials.

Media watchdog Ofcom has launched a probe into the stunt involving the young daughter of EastEnders star Charlie Brooks.

The actress, who was later crowned queen of the jungle, was heartbroken when she realised she had missed out on seeing Kiki, seven.

During the trial, Brooks, who plays Janine in the BBC1 soap, and darts ace Eric Bristow had to choose from various doors with treats behind them.

Brooks, 31, did not know Kiki was behind one of the doors and missed out on a reunion after picking the wrong door.

She had not seen her daughter for 18 days and later attacked the stunt as "heartbreaking".

"I signed up for this show, but Kiki didn't. I didn't want her to be so upset. I had no idea this was happening. It was my lowest point," she said.

"My mum gave the green light for her to be there because it was an opportunity for Kiki to see me - and I think she thought she would."

Viewers also complained, while campaign group Parents Outloud said: "To involve a seven-year-old is sinking to the bottom."

But a spokesman for the show said at the time that a senior producer had seen Kiki afterwards and "she was fine".

"Kiki and her grandma come to the jungle every day with the other friends and family, so the experience wasn't as out of the ordinary as it might look," the spokesman said.

Ofcom received 66 complaints about the trial.

It will investigate whether ITV took due care to protect Kiki's welfare and whether the potential for offence caused by scenes of Brooks appearing distressed following the stunt were justified by the context.

Under the broadcasting code, due care must be taken over the physical and emotional welfare of under 18s irrespective of any consent given by a parent or guardian.

They must also not be caused unnecessary distress or anxiety from their involvement in programmes.

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EastEnders Actor Latham Weeps In Court

Former Shameless and EastEnders actor Jody Latham broke down in tears as he was spared a jail sentence for growing cannabis.

Latham, who recently dated the X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, began crying in the dock as a judge told him his "sophisticated" production of the drug could only warrant a prison term.

But the 29-year-old's tears of anguish turned to relief when he learned the 12-month sentence would be suspended for two years.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Burnley Crown Court to production of cannabis between March and May last year.

Police seized 24 plants behind the partitioned wall of a garage at former girlfriend Sarah Melia's home in Stacksteads, Lancashire.

Tests later showed 16 of the plants had matured and were capable of being sold for up to £9,000.

Habitual cannabis user Latham told the court he grew the plants because he was worried that buying from dealers would attract attention with his celebrity status.

Judge Beverley Lunt told him the simple solution was not to buy cannabis in the first place.

She warned him he would be brought before her if he committed another offence and would be jailed.

"I hope this will you deter you from offending and make you give up this drug," she said.

Latham, who found fame when he played Philip 'Lip' Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless and later as pimp Rob Grayson in the BBC1 soap EastEnders, has a number of previous convictions, including two cautions for offences involving cannabis.

Sarah Statham, prosecuting, described how police had found the small cannabis factory after being called to the address over an alleged assault.

Mother-of-three Melia, 31, of Bacup, admitted at an earlier hearing  to permitting the drug to be produced, and was given a 12-month community order and told to perform 40 hours of work.

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Shooting: Lanza's Mum 'Prepared For Worst'

The mother of the Connecticut gunman, who was the first of his 27 victims and was killed with a rifle she owned, was "prepared for the worst", according to people who knew her.

Adam Lanza's aunt said Nancy Lanza had a survivalist mentality and was worried about protecting her home if the US economy nosedived.

She is reported to have been stockpiling food in the large home she shared with her 20-year-old son in Newtown, Connecticut.

Nancy Lanza, 52, who friends said kept her private life private, owned and registered the two handguns and rifle her son used in Friday's shooting.

The weapons were among half a dozen firearms legally registered to her, authorities said.

The divorced mother-of-two was found dead in her pyjamas in bed after being shot four times in the head with the rifle.

After leaving the house, the gunman then went to Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown with the weapons he took from her.

He got inside by breaking a window and began blasting his way through the building and murdering 20 children, all aged six or seven, and six women. Adam Lanza later took his own life.

Nancy Lanza was the first victim before 26 others were shot

Investigators said Nancy Lanza had visited shooting ranges several times and that her son also went to a range.

Ginger Colburn, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said it was still not clear whether Nancy Lanza brought her son to the range or whether he ever fired a weapon there.

Adam Lanza's aunt Marsha Lanza told the Chicago Sun-Times that Nancy Lanza wanted guns for protection.

"She prepared for the worst," Marsha Lanza told the newspaper. "I didn't know that they (the guns) would be used on her."

She also told CBS: "Last time we visited with her in person, yeah, we talked about prepping and 'are you ready for what can happen down the line when the economy collapses?'

"I didn't actually see them (guns), we just talked. I knew she had three."

Lanza in his high school yearbook

Dan Holmes, who got to know Nancy Lanza while doing landscaping work for her, told The Washington Post: "Guns were her hobby. She told me she liked the single-mindedness of shooting."

Mr Holmes said Nancy Lanza never invited him in. She would pay him in the yard and the landscaper never saw Adam.

"I would ring the bell on the front door, and she would come out the side and meet me," he said. "It was a little weird. It's stranger now thinking back on what happened."

One law enforcement officer said Adam Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger's, a mild form of autism characterised by social awkwardness.

The gunman has been described as "socially awkward", "shy", "a nerd" and "super smart".

As a teenager he would scuttle from class to class, pressing himself against walls and clutching a black briefcase "like an eight-year-old with a teddy bear".

The car Lanza drove to school for his gun rampage is towed away

Marsha Lanza could not confirm reports that Adam Lanza had Asperger's or any other learning disability.

But she said his mother had disputes with the local school district and eventually ended up educating Adam Lanza at home.

"(Nancy) had issues with school ... She battled with the school district. I'm not 100 per cent certain if it was behaviour, learning disabilities, I really don't know. But he was very, very bright. He was smart."

Education officials said they had found no link between Nancy Lanza and Sandy Hook school, contrary to news reports that said she was a teacher there.

Investigators said they believe Adam Lanza attended the school many years ago, but they had no explanation for why he went there on Friday.

Neighbour Rhonda Cullens said she knew Nancy Lanza from get-togethers she hosted where they played Bunco, a dice game. She said her neighbour had enjoyed gardening.

"She was a very nice lady," Ms Cullens said. "She was just like all the rest of us in the neighbourhood, just a regular person."

Louise Tambascio, who became a shopping and dining companion of Nancy Lanza said: "Her family life was her family life when we were together. She kept it private. That was her own thing."

Marsha Lanza described Nancy Lanza as a good mother. "If he had needed consulting, she would have gotten it," she said. "Nancy wasn't one to deny reality."

But friends and neighbours said Nancy Lanza never spoke about the difficulties of raising her son.

Mostly she noted how clever he was and that she hoped, even with his problems, that he would find a way to succeed.

Court records show Nancy Lanza and her ex-husband, Peter Lanza, were divorced in 2009. He lives in Stamford and is a tax director at General Electric.

When the couple divorced, he left their spacious home to Nancy Lanza and told her she would never have to work another day in her life, said Marsha Lanza.

The split was not acrimonious and Adam Lanza spent time with both his mother and father, she said.

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US School Shooting 'Sparks Rise In Gun Sales'

Killer's Mum 'Prepared For Worst'

Updated: 4:12pm UK, Monday 17 December 2012

The mother of the Connecticut gunman, who was the first of his 27 victims and was killed with a rifle she owned, was "prepared for the worst", according to people who knew her.

Adam Lanza's aunt said Nancy Lanza had a survivalist mentality and was worried about protecting her home if the US economy nosedived.

She is reported to have been stockpiling food in the large home she shared with her 20-year-old son in Newtown, Connecticut.

Nancy Lanza, 52, who friends said kept her private life private, owned and registered the two handguns and rifle her son used in Friday's shooting.

The weapons were among half a dozen firearms legally registered to her, authorities said.

The divorced mother-of-two was found dead in her pyjamas in bed after being shot four times in the head with the rifle.

After leaving the house, the gunman then went to Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown with the weapons he took from her.

He got inside by breaking a window and began blasting his way through the building and murdering 20 children, all aged six or seven, and six women. Adam Lanza later took his own life.

Investigators said Nancy Lanza had visited shooting ranges several times and that her son also went to a range.

Ginger Colburn, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said it was still not clear whether Nancy Lanza brought her son to the range or whether he ever fired a weapon there.

Adam Lanza's aunt Marsha Lanza told the Chicago Sun-Times that Nancy Lanza wanted guns for protection.

"She prepared for the worst," Marsha Lanza told the newspaper. "I didn't know that they (the guns) would be used on her."

She also told CBS: "Last time we visited with her in person, yeah, we talked about prepping and 'are you ready for what can happen down the line when the economy collapses?'

"I didn't actually see them (guns), we just talked. I knew she had three."

Dan Holmes, who got to know Nancy Lanza while doing landscaping work for her, told The Washington Post: "Guns were her hobby. She told me she liked the single-mindedness of shooting."

Mr Holmes said Nancy Lanza never invited him in. She would pay him in the yard and the landscaper never saw Adam.

"I would ring the bell on the front door, and she would come out the side and meet me," he said. "It was a little weird. It's stranger now thinking back on what happened."

One law enforcement officer said Adam Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger's, a mild form of autism characterised by social awkwardness.

The gunman has been described as "socially awkward", "shy", "a nerd" and "super smart".

As a teenager he would scuttle from class to class, pressing himself against walls and clutching a black briefcase "like an eight-year-old with a teddy bear".

Marsha Lanza could not confirm reports that Adam Lanza had Asperger's or any other learning disability.

But she said his mother had disputes with the local school district and eventually ended up educating Adam Lanza at home.

"(Nancy) had issues with school ... She battled with the school district. I'm not 100 per cent certain if it was behaviour, learning disabilities, I really don't know. But he was very, very bright. He was smart."

Education officials said they had found no link between Nancy Lanza and Sandy Hook school, contrary to news reports that said she was a teacher there.

Investigators said they believe Adam Lanza attended the school many years ago, but they had no explanation for why he went there on Friday.

Neighbour Rhonda Cullens said she knew Nancy Lanza from get-togethers she hosted where they played Bunco, a dice game. She said her neighbour had enjoyed gardening.

"She was a very nice lady," Ms Cullens said. "She was just like all the rest of us in the neighbourhood, just a regular person."

Louise Tambascio, who became a shopping and dining companion of Nancy Lanza said: "Her family life was her family life when we were together. She kept it private. That was her own thing."

Marsha Lanza described Nancy Lanza as a good mother. "If he had needed consulting, she would have gotten it," she said. "Nancy wasn't one to deny reality."

But friends and neighbours said Nancy Lanza never spoke about the difficulties of raising her son.

Mostly she noted how clever he was and that she hoped, even with his problems, that he would find a way to succeed.

Court records show Nancy Lanza and her ex-husband, Peter Lanza, were divorced in 2009. He lives in Stamford and is a tax director at General Electric.

When the couple divorced, he left their spacious home to Nancy Lanza and told her she would never have to work another day in her life, said Marsha Lanza.

The split was not acrimonious and Adam Lanza spent time with both his mother and father, she said.

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Royal Hoax Nurse's Funeral Held In India

About 2,000 mourners in a small town in India have paid their respects to the nurse who was found dead after taking a royal hoax call.

The funeral for mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was held in the Catholic parish church Our Lady of Health in Shirva, near Mangalore.

"She was a respected member of the community here," said Sky's India Correspondent Alex Rossi, who was in Shirva.

"When you speak to people amongst those crowds, they will tell you that she was extremely well-liked."

Ms Saldanha was found hanged in her living quarters on December 7 at London's King Edward VII's Hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for pregnancy sickness.

Ms Saldanha with her husband Benedict

Three days earlier, Ms Saldanha had transferred a phone call from two Australian DJs, believing they were the Queen and Prince of Wales, to a nursing colleague who described in detail the condition of the Duchess.

Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza and their two teenage children Junal and Lisha arrived in India on Sunday with her body from the UK, where the family moved about 12 years ago.

Mr Barboza held a press conference just five minutes after he laid the body of his wife to rest in the cemetery behind the church.

He said it would take him a long time to grieve and he would stay in Shirva over Christmas with the rest of his family before returning home to the UK.

The funeral took place in Shirva, where Ms Saldanha's husband was born

Rossi said: "He looked absolutely exhausted throughout. He was tearful."

A family friend then read out a statement on behalf of Mr Barboza.

"The events of the last week have shattered our lives and we barely have any strength to grieve," the statement said.

"The incidents leading to this tragedy are being investigated by the London Metropolitan Police and they have assured us of a full and fair investigation."

Before arriving in India, the family attended a memorial mass in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday. They paid an emotional tribute to a "kind-hearted, generous and well-respected woman".

Mr Barboza said: "My wife, you were the light in my darkness, who always showed me the way forward.

"From the day we met, you always stood by me in times of hardship and happiness. I feel a part of me has been ripped out."

Ms Saldanha's family paid an emotional tribute to her in London

Ms Saldanha's 14-year-old daughter said: "We will miss your laughter, the loving memories and the good times we had together. The house is an empty dwelling without your presence.

"We are shattered and there's an unfillable void in our lives."

Her son, 16, said: "Our mother, kind hearted, generous and a well-respected woman in both of our lives. You were the core of the family who kept us together."

Memorial services were also held at the hospital where Ms Saldanha worked and in Bristol where her husband and children live.

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'Man With Rifle': Town's Schools In Lockdown

Police are investigating a report of a suspicious man who may be armed in Ridgefield, Connecticut, about 20 miles from the Newtown school massacre scene.

The man was reportedly seen with a rifle near an elementary school and train station in Ridgefield, and all schools in the town are in lockdown as a result.

Ridgefield Superintendent Deborah Low has released a statement saying: "Due to a report of a possibly suspicious person in the Branchville train station area, all schools have been put into lockdown.

"Branchville Elementary buses have been diverted to East Ridge Middle School and Branchville Elementary School students are in the auditorium."

A town official said a motorist travelling on Route 7 told police he saw a man with a rifle.

There is an increased police presence in the area.

And in Los Angeles police arrested a man on Sunday for allegedly posting Facebook threats against local elementary schools.

Officer Venus Hall said the unnamed man was arrested at his home, and that weapons were found there.

Details about the weapons have not been disclosed, and information about the man and the nature of the threats is being withheld.

In Newtown, Adam Lanza killed 27 people before turning the gun on himself

Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are currently out of school on winter break.

Police Commander Andrew Smith said police are taking the threats seriously.

Meanwhile, police are continuing to investigate Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults.

He also shot dead his mother earlier at the home they shared.

Police have revealed that two adults were injured and survived the school massacre.

Officers are working 24 hours a day on the case and are planning to interview "many witnesses".

Police have vowed to analyse all evidence, including every single round of ammunition.

They also warned that anyone giving authorities information that was intended to mislead investigators could be prosecuted.

Barack Obama told the families of the 26 people killed at Sandy Hook that mass shooting tragedies "must end".

Speaking at a vigil in memory of the victims, the US president told an emotional audience: "Newtown, you are not alone."

He struggled to maintain his composure - and there was audible sobbing throughout the packed hall - as he read the first names of each of the 20 children killed in America's worst school shooting.

Mr Obama's visit comes as the town braces itself for the first funerals for victims of Friday's shooting.

Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both six years old, will be buried today.

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Pub Landlord 'May Have Killed Himself'

A pub landlord who vanished after £30,000 disappeared from a Christmas thrift fund may have killed himself, police believe.

Malcolm Levesconte, 59, was last seen on December 9 at the Royal Oak pub in Shrewton, near Salisbury.

Later that evening, he boarded a ferry at Portsmouth to St Malo in France and police launched a missing persons inquiry.

It is understood that a suicide note has been found.

Detective Sergeant Mike Standing, from Wiltshire Police, said: "We continue to treat Malcolm Levesconte's disappearance as a missing person inquiry but at this stage we do have to accept there is a possibility that he did not make it to France and may have taken his own life by jumping into the sea from the ferry.

"I would like to appeal to anyone who has information to come and speak to us - his family are facing the terrible prospect that he may have committed suicide.

"It is therefore imperative that we hear from you if you have heard from Mr Levesconte."

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "(Police) thought initially that he had stolen the money and then vanished, perhaps to go to Europe to spend it, but it now appears that the money has already been used."

Officers are writing to 61 customers at the pub following the theft of the money, which was collected by Mr Levesconte.

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