Michael Le Vell 'Raped Girl As She Held Teddy'

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell raped a six-year-old girl while she was holding her teddy bear, a court has heard.

The star, who plays car mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap, placed a second teddy bear over his victim's mouth as he sexually assaulted her, prosecutors claimed in their opening statement.

The victim said that during the first alleged rape, Le Vell told the girl he was "getting rid of the evil inside" of her.

Prosecutors told the jury at Manchester Crown Court, where Le Vell is being tried for 12 child sex offences, he then kissed her on the cheek and left.

The victim said she was so upset she tried to console herself by talking to her teddy bears, telling them what had happened.

She told the court that after being abused she would cuddle her teddies and tell them "it doesn't feel right but it must be".

Le Vell outside the court

The youngster was too scared to tell anyone else, because Le Vell allegedly said to her: "No-one needs to know, otherwise you'll be taken, you'll die and evil will come over you."

When he was finally confronted by the victim's mother, the jury heard that Le Vell became very angry, grabbed the woman and pinned her against a wall.

The 48-year-old actor, who is on trial under his real name of Michael Turner, denies five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

The alleged offences relate to one complainant and are said to have taken place between 2001 and September 2010. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged between six and 14.

Eleanor Laws QC, prosecuting, began the opening address by telling the jury Le Vell was a "heavy drinker".

Ms Laws said the abuse began when Le Vell slipped his hand under the girl's clothing.

The victim, who on Monday afternoon gave her account of what happened, was in tears as she recounted what happened.

In between sobs, from behind a curtain, the victim said Le Vell told her the alleged abuse was "our little secret".

As a result, she didn't tell anyone at the time, she said.

She said the abuse "didn't feel right, it felt disgusting, it hurt, it was very very scary."

The youngster said the abuse stopped for a short time before restarting when she was eight. At the time, "everyone noticed I was a different child", she said.

Le Vell shook his head repeatedly as the girl, in between breaking down in tears, said the alleged abuse made her feel "dirty".

Later she described how she felt as she tried to pluck up courage to tell her mother. The girl said she felt like she'd "done something wrong". 

"I didn't understand why he'd done it to me", she said.

Father-of-two Le Vell, originally from Manchester, is one of TV's most famous faces after playing the soap's garage owner for the past 30 years.

ITV has said he will not be appearing in any further episodes of the soap pending the outcome of legal proceedings.

Le Vell's trial continues and is scheduled to last around two weeks.

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Lancashire School Blaze: Five Boys Arrested

Police have arrested five boys aged between 11 and 15 on suspicion of arson following a school fire in Lancashire.

Credit: David Pearson

The blaze broke out on Sunday afternoon at Leyland St Mary's High School on Royal Avenue.

At one point, 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were tackling the fire.

Credit: Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

The school, which was built in 1957, had no sprinklers.

Lancashire Police announced on Twitter: "Five boys in total, aged between 11 and 15, have now been arrested on suspicion of arson following the fire at Leyland St Mary's High School."

Credit: Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

They were later released on police bail until September 30.

It is understood that CCTV footage from the school's cameras shows a group of youths at the rear of the school on Sunday afternoon at around the time the fire started.

Credit: Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

Parents have been told there are plans for some pupils to return to school next Monday.

A statement from the school read: "Whilst the fire has caused significant damage we are determined to get the school and lessons up and running as soon as possible.

This aerial photograph shows the aftermath of the fire

"Please can parents make arrangement to keep all pupils at home for the remainder of week as we have been advised that the school will not be accessible.

"Staff, pupils, parents and friends of the school are welcome to join us for Mass at St Mary's Church at 8am on Tuesday September 3. God Bless."

Lancashire County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson said on Twitter: "As a former pupil of Leyland St Mary's, I'm so sorry to hear of devastating fire. I hope to be a part of the LCC team who rebuilds it."

There are plans for pupils to return to school next Monday

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Baby In Stroller Shot Dead On Brooklyn Street

A one-year-old boy has died after being shot in the head on a Brooklyn street.

Antiq Hennis was being pushed in a stroller by his mother and father while crossing a street in the Brownsville section of the New York City borough on Sunday evening when shots were fired.

The boy was struck on the left side of his face. He was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital but was pronounced dead there.

Police are investigating reports that the intended target of the gunshots was the boy's father. No arrests have been made.

The area around the site of the shooting was cordoned off

A witness, Gina Gamboa, told the New York Post: "I heard three to four shots.

"I saw a man with a stroller screaming, 'My baby got shot! My baby got shot'.

"He was going crazy."

The streets around the site of the shooting were cordoned off, and residents returning to the block were initially not allowed to enter their homes.

Bishop Willie Billops of the Church of Faith, Hope and Charity, who knows the boy's father, said: "I'm outraged at the murder of a one-year-old baby.

"I grew up in this neighbourhood and I've seen a lot, but this is the worst."

Reports say the bullets may have been aimed at the boy's father

It is the second shooting of a toddler in eight days in Brooklyn.

Three-year-old Tharell Edward was shot in the head and wounded on August 24 as he slept in his family's apartment where an acquaintance was watching him.

Akeem Bernard, a friend of the baby sitter, has been charged in the shooting.

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Gary Tweddle: Body Could Be Missing Briton

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A body has reportedly been sighted in a rural area of Australia, six weeks after British man Gary Tweddle went missing.

Police were alerted by the crew of an air ambulance which was on a training exercise in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney.

Blue Mountains police inspector Mick Bostock told the Sydney Morning Herald that police rescue officers would not be able to retrieve the body until dawn on Tuesday.

''It's too dangerous, they are going to have to wait to retrieve the body tomorrow,'' Inspector Bostock said.

''It's very likely it is Gary but we will have to wait and see,'' he said.

''The area can only be reached by abseiling down the rock face," The body appeared to be clothed, he added.

Computer salesman Mr Tweddle went missing from a work conference in the town of Leura in mid-July.

Mr Tweddle, who was born in the UK but had moved to Sydney, had called colleagues at about midnight to tell them he was lost in bushland but could see a light up a hill.

Ten days after the 23-year-old disappeared, the search for him was scaled back to a recovery operation.

"Over the past ten days more than 1,000 people have searched, co-ordinated and supported the efforts to locate and return Gary safely," Mr Tweddle's father David said in his Facebook post on July 25.

Gary Tweddle has not been since mid-July

"Most of these people are volunteers with lives and jobs, yet they did ten days on the bounce.

"A massive thank you to them, their families and their employers. What can I say? Amazing," he wrote.

Just last week Mr Tweddle's partner Anika Haigh said that a report had been filed to the coroner in which investigators listed his disappearance as an accidental death.

"The disappearance of the most beautiful, loving, kind and caring man has left me, family, friends, colleagues and the community utterly devastated," she wrote on the Facebook page titled, 'Have you seen Gary Tweddle?'.

"Our hearts ache for the partner, son, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle, friend and colleague that we no longer have in our everyday lives."

Mr Tweddle's mother Carol Streatfield, who also lives in Australia, had gone to the Blue Mountains to join the search.

In a statement issued last month by the Foreign Office she said: "On the mountain my days were filled with sirens, noise, searching, tireless walking and door knocking. I repeatedly followed the track I believed he had taken in the hopes of finding a clue.

"Every pole and tree were covered with his beautiful face, however, it was on a piece of A4 paper with a 'missing' heading.

The Blue Mountains cover a vast area of south east Australia

"At one point I was so exhausted I found a bench to sit on in the middle of a bush track... I sat down and there to left of me was Gary's photo.

"It was a small comfort as I stroked his face, kissed him and told him how much I loved him and that I will never give up trying to find him, ever."

Ms Streatfield married her partner Clive earlier this month in what she described as an "intimate celebration of our family unity".

She said: "Gary was to give me away that morning and this decision was difficult to come to, however made easy by the fact that Gary was adamant that after 15 years we tie the knot.

"Gary was the most positive person I know, today he would say to me, 'Just get on with it, mother', and so I will."

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Gareth Bale Presented To Real Madrid Fans

Gareth Bale has been presented to thousands of Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu stadium following his record £85m transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.

The 24-year-old posed next to the club's president Florentino Perez with his new white number 11 shirt while around 20,000 fans in the stadium cheered, clapped and took photos.

The Wales international successfully passed his medical on Monday morning before signing a six-year contract with the Spanish giants, where he will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo, who in 2009 became the most expensive player in the world when Real signed him from Manchester United for £80m.

Bale gave a thumbs up as he had his medical

Wearing a sharp black suit, white shirt and black tie, Bale listened to a translation as Perez introduced him and described him as an "exceptional footballer".

He was joined by his girlfriend Emma Rhys Jones and their young daughter Alba Violet.

"Bale's determination made it possible for him to be here today," Perez said, his speech regularly interrupted by cheers.

Bale with his girlfriend Emma Rhys Jones and daughter Alba Violet

"The moment he dreamed of as a child has arrived. This is your stadium, this is your shield and these are your fans. This is your home."

Bale spoke to his new supporters, including a message in Spanish where he said: "Hello, it's a dream for me to play for Real Madrid. Thank you for the great welcome. Go Madrid!"

Shortly after Bale changed into his strip and took to the pitch to do keepy-uppies and kick footballs into the excited crowd.

He then made his way to the centre circle where he applauded the supporters and kissed the Madrid badge on his shirt.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti can deploy his new player in a formidable attacking trio with Portugal forward Ronaldo and France striker Karim Benzema as Real attempt to wrest the Spanish title back from arch rivals Barcelona.

Bale could make his debut in Real's La Liga match at Villarreal on Saturday, September 14.

Dozens of photographers were there to see Bale in his new kit

Real will also hope the acquisition of Bale will help them achieve their ambition of winning a record 10th European Cup title this season, something that has become an obsession for the club in recent years.

Despite huge outlays on 'galacticos' such as Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and David Beckham, the last time the club conquered Europe was back in 2002.

Bale is keen to help them end that wait, saying: "It's great to be here and I hope I can help the team win the 10th European Cup."

Sky Sports has full coverage of the day's transfer developments.

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Crocodile Traps Man On Australia Island

A crocodile has trapped a man on an island in a remote part of Australia for two weeks as he feared he would be eaten if he tried to escape.

The tourist, named only as a New Zealander called Ryan, had been taken to Governor Island by boat and had been intending to kayak the 4km (2.5 miles) back to the mainland.

But he told his rescuers that every time he tried to paddle away from the island, off Western Australia, the giant reptile - said to be about  6m (20ft) long - stalked him and looked as if it was likely to attack.

So he stayed on dry land where he thought he was safer, despite diminishing food and water supplies.

Two weeks later, Ryan was finally rescued by Don Macleod, who went to the island after he spotted a light and feared it may be someone who needed help. 

When he arrived on Saturday, Mr Macleod came across Ryan, who was very distressed.

Mr Macleod said: "He said he was there for a fortnight and he came to the conclusion very quickly that he couldn't get off there without attracting this crocodile that lives in that area and probably was watching him all the time.

"So he was reduced then to trying to conserve his water and signal (for help)," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

"I went across and Ryan came out looking a bit distraught. He came down the beach, he had no hat on and no shirt on.

The tourist was trapped on Governor Island off Kalumburu

"He was relieved and shocked, and thankful someone had come along because he was running out of options pretty quickly. He is a very, very lucky man."

"He was desperate for water when I trotted up.

"We gave him a cold beer, which was probably the wrong thing, and then he went to sleep about three-quarters of the way home."

Ryan is reportedly recovering on the mainland.

Mr Macleod said he was familiar with the crocodile which roams the island, which has no freshwater source.

He said the reptile in question is around 6m long and has had several run-ins with people using the waters nearby.

"That crocodile, I've seen him several times actually going by quite fast," Mr Macleod said.

"One day he just happened to surface alongside me as I was going past and my boat's 20ft long so he was well up towards the 20ft mark."

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north.

Last month a man was snatched by a large crocodile in front of horrified onlookers as he swam in a river in the Northern Territory.

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Syria: Russia Warns US Against Military Strike

Russia has warned that a peace conference to end the conflict in Syria could be put off "forever" if the US goes ahead with military action against the regime.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the planned discussions in Geneva would be disrupted by a US strike.

"If the action announced by the US President - to the great regret of all of us - does in fact take place ... it will put off the chances of (holding) this conference for a long time, if not forever."

As tension mounts between Moscow and Washington over the situation, Russia has sent a spy ship to the eastern Mediterranean.

According to Russian news agency Interfax, the ship left a naval base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol late on Sunday on a mission "to gather current information in the area of the escalating conflict".

Russia's parliament has also said it will seek to speak to the US Congress to ask for a "balanced" response to the Syria issue.

President Obama is asking Congress to back military action

Any military action hinges on whether President Bashar al Assad's regime was responsible for a chemical weapons attack in Syria last month in which 1,429 people - including at least 426 children - died.

France says it has new evidence that the Government was responsible, and will hand it over to lawmakers later.

Washington has already announced that hair and blood samples prove the regime has used sarin gas to attack civilians.

Secretary of State John Kerry has used interviews with several US news channels to suggest the case for military strikes is growing, adding that he is confident Congress will back military action when it is put to a vote next week.

The nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is moving westward toward the Red Sea, although it has not yet received orders to support a potential strike.

In Britain there have been calls for David Cameron to consider a second parliamentary vote on military action in Syria.

The Arab League has called for "deterrent action"

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has become the latest senior politician to suggest a new bid for parliamentary support could be made.

Mr Johnson said the use of chemical weapons for mass murder in Syria could not go unpunished.

"If there is new and better evidence that inculpates Assad, I see no reason why the Government should not lay a new motion before Parliament, inviting British participation - and then it is Ed Miliband, not David Cameron, who will face embarrassment," Mr Johnson wrote in The Telegraph.

Mr Cameron ruled out the use of British force in Syria following a defeat in the Commons.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has also said he could not foresee any circumstances in which the Government would return to Parliament on the same issue.

The alleged gas attack took place in Damascus

"We're not going to keep asking the same question of Parliament again and again. We live in a democracy, the executive cannot act in a way which clearly is not welcome to Parliament or the British people, so we're not proposing to do so."

Arab League ministers have urged the United Nations and the international community to take "deterrent" action, while blaming the regime for the alleged chemical weapons assault.

However a defiant Mr Assad told state TV his country is capable of confronting any attack.

"The American threats of launching an attack against Syria will not discourage Syria away from its principles ... or its fight against terrorism supported by some regional and Western countries, first and foremost the United States of America," he said.

As the diplomatic wrangling continues, British MPs have called for answers from the Government over a chemicals trade deal with Syria signed months after the bloodshed started.

The Department for Business issued licences for the export of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride to the war-torn country in January last year before revoking them several months later.

The chemicals are capable of being used to make nerve gas such as sarin as well as having a variety of industrial uses.

The Government said no chemicals were exported before the licence was revoked in June 2012 following EU sanctions but MPs said they intend to raise the issue at Westminster.

The UN has announced that seven million people have been displaced by the ongoing civil war.

Fears in Israel that the fallout from any attack on Syria could spill across their northern border and drag the Jewish state into the conflict, Israelis last week rushed to replace their old gas masks.

Queues were reportedly backed up at post offices on Monday as civilians attempted to collect their masks.

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Poet Heaney's Last Words Revealed At Funeral

Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney's last words to his wife were "don't be afraid", one of his son's has revealed at his funeral.

Family and friends of the world renowed writer joined hundreds of mourners at a church in south Dublin to pay last respects to one of Ireland's literary greats.

The internationally acclaimed 74-year-old writer died unexpectedly in hospital on Friday after a short illness.

Mourners at his funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Donnybrook - near where the Northern Ireland-born poet made his home - were led by his widow Marie and children Michael, Christopher and Catherine Ann.

Michael spoke briefly at the end of the service to thank those who cared for his father and those who have offered support and praise since his death.

Former US president Bill Clinton paid tribute to Heaney

"His last few words in a text message he wrote to my mother minutes before he passed away were in his beloved Latin and they read - 'nolle timere' ['don't be afraid']," he said.

Irish president Michael Higgins, himself a published poet, attended along with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin.

Heaney's body will travel the 125 miles north to be buried this evening in his native Bellaghy in Co Derry - a village that inspired so much of his work.

Paul Muldoon, a teacher, poet and friend of Heaney, gave the eulogy following the service.

"We remember the beauty of Seamus Heaney as a bard and today in particular in his being," he said.

Heaney is widely regarded as a literary great

His lifelong friend and poetry contemporary Michael Longley were among the mourners, along with musician Paul Brady and U2 stars Bono - with his wife Ali Hewson - Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton.

Heaney has been hailed as the greatest poet Ireland produced since William Butler Yeats.

Former US president Bill Clinton paid tribute to Heaney, describing him as "our finest poet of the rhythms of ordinary lives" and a "powerful voice for peace".

Mr Kenny has said it would take Heaney himself to describe the depth of loss Ireland felt over his death.

Related story:

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'Big Cat' Hunted In Co Down After Sheep Savaged

A "big cat" could be behind the deaths of a number of sheep that are being investigated by police in Northern Ireland, officers said.

The animals were mauled in the Hillsborough and Dromara areas of Co Down.

Officers said the sheep appeared to have been victims of "violent animal attacks" while other livestock have been found bloodied and injured, with further animals having been reported missing.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokeswoman said residents claimed to have seen a big cat in the same area.

"These issues have now been brought to police attention and local officers are making inquiries," she added.

"While we would stress that there has been no confirmation of the presence of any 'big cat' in the area, we would ask that anyone who has lost sheep or other livestock in similar fashion recently or anyone who sees an animal which they believe to be dangerous, get in contact police.

"Under no circumstances should any wild or undomesticated animal be approached."

It is understood the dead animals were found at farms in the Hill Road, Ballynahinch Road and Mullaghdrin Road areas over recent weeks.

Big cat sightings are regularly reported across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the so-called Beast of Bodmin Moor being among the most famous.

However, such sighting are rarely confirmed to be big cats prowling the countryside.

Last year, Essex Police launched a full-scale hunt for a lion following claims from residents and holidaymakers that a big cat had been seen in a field. It was quickly decided, though, that the animal was probably just a large domestic cat or a dog.

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Vodafone's $130bn Windfall After Verizon Deal

Vodafone has said it is selling its stake in the biggest US mobile phone company - the third largest corporate deal in history.

Verizon Communications has agreed to buy the British firm's 45% stake in Verizon Wireless for $130bn (£84bn), in a deal which could boost the UK economy.

Verizon Wireless was the FTSE 100 film's joint US venture with Verizon Communications, which is most profitable mobile service provider in the US.

And the new agreement is the culmination of Verizon's decade-long attempt to win full control of it.

Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone would get $58.9bn in cash, $60.2bn in Verizon stock, and an additional $11bn from smaller transactions that would take the total deal value to $130bn, Verizon said.

The deal marks the British telecom giant's exit from the large but mature US mobile market.

More follows...

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