Australian Chef Kills And Cooks Girlfriend

An Australian chef has killed his girlfriend, dismembered her and boiled parts of her body before taking his own life, police say.

Marcus Volke, 28, was fleeing officers who had come to his Brisbane apartment after reports of a foul smell when he slashed his own throat in a bin.

Officers discovered body parts of Volke's girlfriend in a pot on the stove, while other parts of the Indonesian woman's mutilated body were found in garbage bins outside the apartment, according to local media.

The woman has been named locally as Mayang Prasetyo.

The couple had moved into the recently opened apartment complex in the wealthy riverside suburb Teneriffe just weeks ago, according to reports.

Mayang Prasetyo was Indonesian. Pic: Facebook

Volke had met his girlfriend while they were both working on international cruise ships. He had recently returned to Australia, his mother said.

"He was happy and he was coming home for Christmas, everything was normal," Dorothy Volke told the Courier-Mail from her home in Victoria.

Police said they were trying to establish the exact time of death.

They arrived at the apartment on Saturday night when other residents in the complex said a "rotting meat" smell had pervaded the area.

Volke then fled through a glass door and leapt over a balcony and hid in an alleyway where he killed himself.

Resident Courtney Reichart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that she first noticed the smell on Wednesday and it got worse each day.

Police were called to the area after reports of foul odour. Pic: ABC News

"On Saturday when I came out for a walk, it made your eyes water, it made you want to be sick," she said.

"The smell it was like as if somebody had put out some dog food or red meat and left it out for a few days.

"It makes you feel sick that that poor girl sat there for however many days and we've been walking past, living our lives and thinking 'hmmm what's that smell', but you don't put two and two together.

"You don't think that a bad smell equals a murder."

Ms Reichart had met the couple a number of times, telling the ABC that they were a "normal couple" and the girlfriend was "gorgeous".

Volke was originally from the Victorian city of Ballarat, where his funeral will be held.

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McCann Abuser Found Dead In Hotel Room

A woman who abused the parents of Madeleine McCann on social media has been found dead in a Leicestershire hotel.

Brenda Leyland was featured in a Sky News report on internet abuse earlier this week.

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: "Police were called at 1.42pm on Saturday 4 October to a report of a body of a woman in a hotel room in Smith Way, Grove Park, Leicester.

"Officers attended the scene, and a file is being prepared for the coroner."

The body has now been formally identified as Ms Leyland.

Police said her death is not being treated as suspicious.

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Ebola Deaths Hidden As Fear Grips Liberia

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, Monrovia

Liberia's few ebola treatment centres are overwhelmed with the sick and dying - with patients sharing beds and the dead laying near the desperately ill.

The country has accounted for more than half of the world's deaths from the latest ebola outbreak in West Africa and despite assurances from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that it is under control, evidence on the ground seen by Sky News appears to suggest otherwise.

Whole communities are gripped with fear about the virus - and terrified citizens prefer to die alone, unaided because of the stigma attached to admitting to the disease.

Dozens of ebola victims are dying in their homes in Monrovia, increasing the chances of the virus spreading.

And official numbers of victims are almost certainly unrepresentative of the real death count because of the lack of co-ordination and nationwide spread of the disease.

Video: Ebola Outbreak: On The Front Line

Small teams of about half a dozen workers set out daily to retrieve the ebola dead - most of whom have died after suffering in secret.

Their relatives are reluctant to admit ebola has caused the death, as this invariably invites ostracism from their communities and targets them as potential virus carriers.

The body recovery squads - still called "burial teams" despite government orders that all ebola victims be cremated - are doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

They take extreme precautions, wearing multiple protective clothing layers along with goggles, boots, gloves and head coverings to try to stay safe.

Video: Music Protects Against Ebola

Head of Team Three, Mark Korvoyan, told Sky News: "There's no day comes that people don't die in their house. Every day, every blessing day."

There's simply too much work for the recovery teams to do, not enough hours in the day for them to track down the dead.

Even as they were picking up the latest corpses from the Elwa Treatment Centre, a young man was sobbing outside.

He cried: "Oh my God, I was just bringing a phone for my sister. Now they say she's died. What am I going to do? She has children..."

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1. Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

   A man rests outside the clinic.

2. A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

3. Officials try to prevent themselves from spreading the disease.

4. A local who has just brought his brother to the centre. He had to rely on plastic bags tied around his hands to try to protect himself.

5. A man thought to be infected with ebola waits for treatment.

6. Patients wait to be seen by medical staff.

7. Workers try to decontaminate themselves.

8. A worker with a child who may have caught ebola.

9. A make-shift hand-washing station in Monrovia.

10. Decontaminated boots of medical staff.

11. The basic conditions make containing the disease very difficult.

George Nyumah, like so many of Liberia's citizens, is frantically worried about catching the virus.

So the five children his sister cares for are left alone to fend for themselves in their one-room, corrugated iron shack home.

The eldest is 16, the youngest just two and they all sleep on the dirty mattress which their sick mother lay on in the days before she was taken into the ebola centre.

Their chances of catching or carrying the virus must be very high.

Video: Ebola: A Global Threat

For that reason, their uncle George - and the rest of the extended family - will keep well away for 21 days, just to see if they develop signs of the killer disease.

Even if they survive the virus, they'll have to fight poverty and the community's suspicions in the weeks and months ahead.

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Shrien Dewani Tells Court He Is Bisexual

A British millionaire accused of murdering his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa has told a judge he is bisexual.

Shrien Dewani, 34, denies orchestrating his wife's death by hiring three men to kill the 28-year-old as they drove through Cape Town's Gugulethu Township on 13 November, 2010.

Appearing at Western Cape High Court in Cape Town, the care home owner denied charges of murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.

He told judge Jeanette Traverso: "I plead not guilty to all five counts, my lady."

Through a witness statement read to the court by his solicitor Francois van Zyl, he also told the court he was bisexual.

Video: Anni Dewani's Family Want Justice

In it, he said: "My sexual interactions with males were mostly physical experiences or email chats with people I met online or in clubs, including prostitutes."

Footage of the crime scene, including Anni's body inside the taxi, were also shown to the court.

The court heard Dewani had abnormally low levels of hormones and that he and his wife were unlikely to have children. He said he had discussed this with Anni, whom he began dating in summer 2009.

Their relationship broke down, but they got back together in March 2010 and married later that year in Mumbai.

Dewani said the carjacking in Cape Town was a "traumatic experience which resulted in the loss of my wife".

He added he has suffered "flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety attacks" since, which has affected his ability to remember clearly.

Mr van Zyl said his client remembered banging noises coming from the front of the car during the carjacking.

Dewani added: "The next thing I recall is somebody next to me, who told me to lie down. The person had a gun in his hand. He was waving the gun in the air."

Anni Dewani's family, including her father Vinod Hindocha and mother Nilam, were among those in a packed courtroom on Monday.

Prosecutors claim Dewani conspired with Zola Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni to kill his wife. All three are already serving jail terms in connection with Anni's murder.

He claims he and his wife were kidnapped at gunpoint as they drove through the township.

The court heard Anni Dewani was screaming inside the taxi and he was ordered to keep her quiet as they were driven by another driver. Dewani said he was ordered to get out of the car with a gun to his head and he had to climb out of a window because the door would not open.

He added: "The last thing I had said to Anni was to be quiet and not to say anything."

Dewani was released unharmed, but his wife's body was found in the abandoned taxi the following day with gunshot wounds to the hand and neck.

Before the trial, he was detained in a hospital in Britain with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and has spent the last three years fighting extradition to South Africa.

It is unclear if Dewani will give evidence in his defence. The case is due to run until December.

The trial continues.

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IS Raises Flag In Town Near Turkey Border

Islamic State militants have apparently captured part of a town close to the Syrian border with Turkey after days of fierce fighting.

The extremist group raised its black flag on a building on the eastern side of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters have been involved in clashes after a nearly three-week siege of the town, according to Reuters.

A second flag has also been reportedly raised on a hillside overlooking the town.

Idris Nahsen, a Kobani official, had said the militants were less than a mile from the town, which was hit by rockets and mortars during fighting over the weekend.

The US also carried out three airstrikes targeting IS positions near the town in Syria on Sunday.

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1. Gallery: IS Attacks Town Near Turkish Border

   Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province

2. Kurdish fighters vowed not to abandon their increasingly desperate efforts to defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State militants pressing in from three sides and pounding them with heavy artillery

3. Despite the heavy fighting, which has seen mortars rain down on residential areas in Kobani and stray fire hit Turkish territory, a Reuters reporter saw around 30 people cross over from Turkey, apparently to help with defence of the town

4. An IS fighter walks near a black flag belonging to the Islamic State near Kobani

14. Kurdish refugees from Kobani sit in front of their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

15. Islamic State is trying to seize Kobani, which is predominantly Kurdish, and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US-led coalition airstrikes aimed at halting its progress

16. Turkish Kurds look at Kobani as they stand on top of a house near Mursitpinar border crossing. Continue through for more pictures

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed at least 33 IS militants and 23 Kurdish defenders were killed during the fighting.

One shell was fired from inside Syria and hit a house in the Turkish village of Buyuk Kendirci, injuring four people.

IS began its advance on Kobani on 16 September, forcing around 186,000 people to flee across the border into Turkey.

It has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq - including a long stretch of the Syria-Turkey border - after declaring an Islamic caliphate in June.

Video: Militants Besiege Border Town

The Turkish parliament authorised involvement in the campaign against IS last week, but no military operations have been announced.

It comes after a masked IS militant was filmed murdering British aid worker Alan Henning and threatening US hostage Peter Kassig in a video released on Friday.

Mr Henning, a 47-year-old former taxi driver from Eccles in Greater Manchester, was captured as he drove an ambulance full of aid supplies into Syria on 27 December last year.

The Ministry of Defence said two Tornado fighters had dropped Paveway bombs on IS targets near Ramadi, in Iraq, on Sunday night.

Video: Why Is Turkey Joining The IS Fight?

The RAF jets, based in Akrotiri, Cyprus, attacked IS forces who were shooting at Iraqi troops from a building near the city.

A leader from the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban ally that has been based in Pakistan's tribal belt since 2001, has declared its support for IS.

IMU was set up in the 1990s and is listed as a terrorist group by the US.

On Saturday, the Pakistani Taliban vowed to send fighters to help IS in Iraq and Syria and said it would set aside its differences with extremist groups in the region.

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Rhino Horns Stolen From Pistorius' Uncle

Thieves have broken into a safe and stolen rhino horns at a company owned by Oscar Pistorius' uncle.

Arnold Pistorius is founder of the Twin City development firm that runs resorts, operates game breeding projects and develops shopping centres.

The businessman was a regular sight at his nephew's trial and acted as a spokesman for the family.

The horns were stolen two weeks ago from a "walk-in safe" and came from the company's own animals.

Rhino horn can sell for around £40,000 per kilo on the black market

"They were dehorned as a pre-emptive measure to save them from being targeted by poachers," said Twin City's managing director, Johan Visagie.

Mr Visagie said his company had all the necessary permits and added there were "certain leads as to who might be responsible".

The exact number stolen has not been disclosed.

One rhino horn can sell for around £45,000, making them more expensive by weight than drugs such as cocaine.

Some 787 of the animals have been killed for their horns in South Africa since the start of the year, according to Save The Rhino.

A decade ago just 10 were killed.

Much of the killing is down to demand in China and Vietnam, where the horn is believed to have special medicinal properties.

Oscar Pistorius is due to be sentenced on 13 October after being found guilty of the culpable homicide - but not the murder - of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

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F1 Driver Jules Bianchi 'Critical But Stable'

Formula One driver Jules Bianchi remains in hospital in a "critical but stable" condition, according to the sport's governing body.

A spokesman for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) issued the update on the driver's condition from the Mie General Hospital near Suzuka.

"It should be understood that it is very, very serious," spokesman Matteo Bonciani added.

The statement came as the 25-year-old racer's parents arrived at his bedside.

Philippe and Christine Bianchi entered the hospital - located around 10 miles from the Suzuka circuit - without speaking to journalists gathered outside.

Video: F1's Sutil: Rain Got More And More

They are expected to meet with Bianchi's medical team on Tuesday morning.

Bianchi lost control of his Marussia and travelled across the run-off area during Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, which was disrupted by wet weather.

His car hit the back of a tractor that was removing Adrian Sutil's Sauber, which had crashed at the same corner a lap earlier.

A statement from the Marussia F1 team thanked fans for the "huge outpouring of support and affection for Jules and the team".

They said any further information about the driver's condition will only be released with the blessing of Bianchi's family.

"Together with Jules' care, they will remain our highest priority," the statement said.

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1. Gallery: F1 Driver Badly Hurt In Japan Crash

   Formula One's Jules Bianchi is treated by emergency services after crashing during the Japanese Grand Prix

2. The 25-year-old Marussia driver suffered a severe head injury after he came off the circuit during wet conditions in Suzuka

3. The Frenchman pictured before the race. He is seen as an up-and-coming talent in F1 after scoring Marussia's first ever points when he finished ninth at this year's Monaco GP

4. In Japan, Bianchi crashed at the same turn where Adrian Sutil (pictured touching his head) came off a lap earlier

5. Bianchi lost control of his car, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of a tractor that was removing Sutil's Sauber

6. The race began behind a Safety Car amid wet conditions due to rain from Typhoon Phanfone

7. Bianchi's Marussia during the race

8. Sutil was uninjured in his crash on lap 42

9. Bianchi came off the track a lap later

10. He was taken to hospital by road in an ambulance because the medical helicopter could not fly due to heavy rain

11. Bianchi was due to be moved to intensive care after surgery

"Therefore, we would ask for patience and understanding with regard to further medical updates, which will be communicated in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, where Jules is being treated, when they feel it is appropriate.

"Representatives of the Marussia F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari will remain at the hospital to support Jules and the Bianchi family."

Bianchi was taken to hospital in an ambulance, rather than the medical helicopter, which was unable to fly due to poor weather caused by Typhoon Phanfone.

The race began behind a safety car with drivers complaining over team radios they were unable to see through the spray. They were called back to the pits minutes later.

Following Sutil's crash on lap 42, yellow flags were waved before the corner to warn drivers of the accident.

The safety car was sent out after Bianchi's crash a lap later and the race was brought to an early end within minutes, with the rain getting heavier and the light rapidly deteriorating.

Video: F1 Driver In Hospital After Crash

Williams driver Felipe Massa, who suffered life-threatening head injuries in Hungary in 2009, said of the Japanese circuit: "It was not driveable at the beginning and they finished the race too late."

Sutil, who was not hurt in his accident, told Sky Sports F1: "The yellow flags were out after I aquaplaned at the corner as the rain got more and more.

"And one lap later with waved yellow flags Jules came around and had the same spin there. It was more or less the same crash, but just the outcome was a bit different."

The race was won by Britain's Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, with German team-mate Nico Rosberg second.

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Mass Killer Harry Street Detained Indefinitely

A mass killer who shot dead five people in 1978 has been detained indefinitely after admitting to making an improvised explosive device following his release from prison.

The former Broadmoor patient, who was released from indefinite detention in the 1990s, was caught with the home-made bomb last year.

More than 50 home-made bullets, two pistols and a revolver were also found at the 70-year-old's home in Birmingham.

The arsenal was amassed during a six-year campaign of harassment against his neighbours.

In sentencing Street, Mr Justice Blair told the pensioner he would be detained in a maximum security hospital and may never be released.

Street, originally called Barry Williams, was detained under mental health laws in 1979 for the manslaughter of three of his neighbours in West Bromwich and a couple who ran a petrol station in Warwickshire.

He had been due to stand trial at Birmingham Crown Court accused of making the explosive and possessing three firearms with intent to endanger life.

But he changed his plea over possessing the home-made device. He had already pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three charges of possessing a prohibited firearm and one count of putting a neighbour in fear of violence.

Prosecutor Michael Duck QC said the Crown accepted Street's not guilty plea to four other charges.

No further action will be taken on those charges after consultation with witnesses.

Mr Duck told the court: "It is quite apparent and would have been the Crown's case, that this man commits offences of the utmost seriousness when he is mentally unwell.

"The overwhelming balance of medical opinion is that this is a significant problem that will take a very significant time to resolve, if it ever does."

Detective Chief Superintendent Kenny Bell from West Midlands police said the sentence handed to Street followed tenacious police work.

"There was no trace of Harry Street on any police systems; but it is thanks to the tenacity of a local police officer who, when the harassment escalated, made extensive checks which led her to Street's GP and his true identity," he said.

"Immediate steps have already been taken to ensure that all relevant information is shared and is accessible.

"A MAPPA Serious Case Review has been commissioned and I am determined that lessons will be learned."

Street is being treated at the high-security Ashworth Hospital on Merseyside. He earlier admitted throwing items at a neighbour's roof, banging and drilling walls late at night and making threats to a neighbour.

On 26 October 1978 he killed George Burkitt, his wife Iris and their son Philip at their home on West Bromwich's Bustleholme Mill estate.

The husband and wife were both shot in the head and their son was shot through the heart.

He then drove to Stockingford, near Nuneaton, where he killed Michel and Lisa Di Maria by firing shots through an office window.

He was caught following a high-speed car chase across the Peak District in Derbyshire and officers found more than 900 bullets and a 0.22-calibre pistol inside his car.

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Lib Dems 'Should Not Overlook Young People'

By Charlene Osuagwu

The Liberal Democrats' party conference is the last of the three party conferences, and while often perceived as being relatively minor when compared to that of Labour and the Conservatives, it is the conference I am expecting the most from.

Having been instrumental in forming the coalition Government, the 2010 General Election was an apt reminder that the political scope in Britain is open to being determined by more than two political parties. 

Given the considerable role that the Liberal Democrats have played in affecting policy whilst a part of the coalition (albeit to the frustration of the Conservative Party), it will be interesting to see the party affirm its position on key policy areas and reassert its identity.

Stand Up Be Counted contributor Charlene Osuagwu

Considering the Labour and Conservative Party conferences respectively, the Liberal Democrats' focus in Glasgow will understandably be driven by the NHS and Britain's economy.

However, more than any other party, I would hope the Liberal Democrats give equal measure to outlining their plans for supporting and stimulating opportunity for youth in the UK.

Video: PM Rules Out Voting Age Change

Following the tuition fee debacle and the particular sense of mistrust young people have of the party, Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems should not overlook and undervalue the importance of young people when attempting to appease the party faithful and newspaper columnists.

:: Stand Up Be Counted, a place where 16 to 25-year-olds can speak out and debate the issues that matter.

Video: Danny Alexander says Lib Dems prioritise education

Video: Referendum Showed 'Active Politics'

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Man Dies After Being Hit By Falling Masonry

A 61-year-old man has died after he was hit by falling masonry during stormy conditions, police have said.

Bricks fell from a building in Cliff Street, in the seaside town of Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and struck the victim and a parked vehicle.

Humberside Police were called to the scene at 1pm, but the man died from his injuries.

"A cordon is expected to remain in place overnight, whilst further safety checks are undertaken and to ensure the public are kept safe," it said.

The force added it was too early to say whether the stormy weather caused the bricks to collapse.

Sky News Weather Producer Rebecca Yussuf said rain in the area has been accompanied by strong, severe gale force winds.

She said: "The strongest winds recorded at Bridlington today were at 1pm. Mean wind speeds reached 34mph, with gusts of 48mph.

"The heavy rain and strong winds will move northwards tonight, stalling across northern and eastern Scotland tomorrow. It will be very wet and windy there, with gusts perhaps reaching 70mph in the most exposed spots."

The first storm of the autumn swept across the country on Monday.

Gale force winds reached 84mph  overnight on South Uist in the Western Isles, damaging power lines.

Northern Ireland Electricity said around 6,000 customers lost power overnight.

More follows...

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