UK Base Jumper Killed In Oz 'A Beautiful Soul'

Tributes have been paid to a British base jumper who was killed after falling off a cliff in Australia.

Gareth Jones, 25, plunged 90 metres (300 feet) on to a rock platform in Manly, Sydney, during an outing with friends, police say.

Mr Jones, who is thought to be from Brighton, reportedly climbed a fence at the Fairfax Walk lookout at North Head at about 6.45am on Sunday.

The Foreign Office said it was ready to support his family.

An FCO spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Manly, New South Wales on December 7. We are in touch with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance to the family."

Mr Jones made his name as a daredevil who leapt from landmarks including the Kuala Lumpur Tower, but his death appears to be a tragic accident.

The tragedy happened at the Fairfax Walk lookout

Nine News reported that two of Mr Jones' friends rushed down to the base using ladders used by fishermen but they discovered he was unresponsive.

His body was later retrieved by a police helicopter.

A fellow extreme sports fanatic, who said he filmed Mr Jones when he base jumped from the Eiger in the Swiss Alps, paid tribute on his Facebook page.

"Sad to announce that Gareth, who featured in my first Base video, passed away yesterday," Bouken Boy Media wrote.

"A sport like that draws vibrant personalities, and he was an immensely fun and cheerful dude."

Other friends paid tribute on the social media site and spoke of his adventurous spirit.

Bella Smart said: "Gareth Jones. G Jones. Mate. Never will I find a man that I hate to love and love to hate so much all at the same time. So proud of the man you were becoming and the beautiful soul you let us see. You will be forever missed but never forgotten. Fly free x."

Daniel Campbell, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, said: "You took me over the edge. A proper mate and you'll be missed like crazy. R.I.P buddy."

Another tribute from Echo Giesel Widmer said Mr Jones was a "wild child" who was "never boring" and "always challenged the norm".

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Why Has The Dewani Case Collapsed?

By Nick Ludlam, Africa News Editor, in Cape Town

It took the South African authorities four years to put Shrien Dewani on trial, only for a judge to throw the case out after two months.

Mr Dewani, who has been ruled not guilty by the Cape Town court, has always denied any involvement in the murder of his wife Anni in 2010.

Judge Jeanette Traverso said in her ruling on Monday that there was no reasonable evidence to bring a conviction.

Here are some of the contributing factors behind her decision.

The credibility of Zola Tongo's and other witnesses' evidence:

Zola Tongo's evidence was not deemed reliable

Zola Tongo was the state's star witness and agreed to testify against Mr Dewani as part of a plea bargain.

The taxi driver was jailed for 18 years in 2010 for his part in the murder of Ms Dewani and claimed he was paid just over £1,000 to arrange the murder.

CCTV revealed in court showed Mr Dewani and Tongo locked in conversation at the hotel a few days before the murder.

Tongo claims Mr Dewani asked him if he knew anyone that could "have a client of his taken off the scene".

However, Judge Traverso said Tongo's evidence was "riddled with contradictions".

She said he had changed his version of events frequently when under cross-examination.

He admitted he made mistakes in relaying to police how the new bride was murdered.

Judge Traverso said his "evidence was of such a poor quality, one does not know when the lies end and when the truth begins".

She also said it soon emerged under cross-examination that witness Mziwamadoda Qwabe, who has also pleaded guilty to the murder, was a self-confessed liar.

The evidence of Monde Mblolombo, a hotel worker granted immunity from prosecution, was also discredited.

Evidence about Shrien Dewani's private life ruled inadmissible:

Evidence from Mr Dewani's private life could not be used

In a sensational admission at the beginning of the trial, Mr Dewani admitted having physical relationships with male prostitutes.

He also admitted surfing gay dating websites the day after his bride's body was found.

Veteran South African lawyer, Mannie Witz, who followed the trial, said: "The defence seized on that immediately and said 'you can't attack his character and his sexuality'. And the judge said 'I think the defence are right, I don't want to hear anything more'."

The prosecution had been relying very heavily on this evidence and it was a big blow to them when the judge told them this type of 'character evidence' was inadmissible.

In court the care home owner from Bristol claimed he was in love with the 28-year-old - despite being bisexual.

But in an interview before the trial, Ms Dewani's sister Ami Denborg said the relationship was up and down.

CCTV recorded on the night she was killed does seem to show a young couple in love.

Their picture is taken by hotel staff and later they sit with their arms draped around each other.

Shrien Dewani's side of the story:

Anish Hindocha gave a news conference last week

Mr Dewani, 34, maintained his innocence throughout the case and said he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since the murder.

The South African authorities spent a lot of time and money arranging his extradition ahead of the trial.

Ms Dewani's family claimed Mr Dewani had insisted throughout the case that he would clear his name and that his legal team had promised the court dozens of times he would give his own version of events.

The family have waited years for answers, but Mr Dewani has never been cross-examined.

Last week Ms Dewani's brother, Anish Hindocha, called a news conference on behalf of his family and begged Mr Dewani to "tell the world what happened the night she died".

Mr Hindocha said: "My message is simple: Don't let Shrien Dewani walk away without giving us, South Africa and people all over the world the full story."

Now that the case has collapsed they may never know the full facts.

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Tory Peer Says 'Poor Don't Know How To Cook'

A Conservative peer has said she chose the wrong words after suggesting hunger in Britain is caused by poor people being unable to cook.

Baroness Jenkin was speaking at the House of Commons launch of the Feeding Britain report which calls for action from the Government, supermarkets and utility companies to stop increasing number of people using food banks.

Lady Jenkin, who served on the inquiry team that produced the document, said hunger stemmed in part from the disappearance of the knowledge needed to create cheap and nourishing meals.

"We have lost our cooking skills," said the peer, the wife of Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin.

"Poor people don't know how to cook.

"I had a large bowl of porridge today, which cost 4p. A large bowl of sugary cereals will cost you 25p."

Thousands of people turn to food banks for their meals

She later acknowledged that her words had been badly chosen and said she was trying to get across the message that home-cooked meals are often cheaper and more nutritious than packaged food.

She told BBC Radio 4: "What I meant was as a society we have lost our ability to cook. That seems no longer to be handed down in the way that it was by previous generations.

"I am well aware that I made a mistake in saying it and apologise to anybody who's been offended by it.

"The point is valid. If people today had the cooking skills that previous generations had, none of us would be eating so much pre-prepared food."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who will be president of the new Feeding Britain group, said it was "shocking" to see thousands of people in a wealthy country reduced to seeking food handouts, and told the launch meeting that its proposals to end hunger were "eminently practical and not unreasonably expensive".

Prime Minister David Cameron said there were "elements" of the report that the Government would "want to take forward", but there was no immediate response to a plea from the Archbishop for £100,000 in state money to kick-start a new organisation designed to eliminate hunger in the UK by 2020.

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Shrien Dewani Walks Free As Trial Is Thrown Out

There have been angry scenes outside court after a judge threw out the case against Shrien Dewani, who was accused of plotting to murder his wife Anni on their honeymoon.

Judge Jeanette Traverso said prosecution arguments had "fallen far below" the level needed to secure a conviction, paving the way for the British businessman's acquittal.

Mr Dewani, of Westbury-on-Trym near Bristol, denied arranging the murder, and said his 28-year-old bride, whose maiden name was Hindocha, was killed during a botched carjacking in Cape Town in November 2010.

Anni's sister, Ami Denborg, told Sky's Alex Crawford: "The justice system has failed us."

In a statement outside court, the Hindocha family said: "The knowledge of not knowing is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives."

Video: Judge Dismisses Dewani Charge

They later added that Anni would not have married  Mr Dewani "if she had known about his secret sex life".

Mr Dewani, who is now free to return to the UK, breathed a large sigh of relief as the judge cleared him.

Members of the 34-year-old's family wept and embraced as he quickly left the dock.

Anni's family bowed their heads as shouting was heard from the public gallery.

Video: Dewani Extradition Defended

The family say they will review the case with their lawyers to see if they can file a lawsuit against Mr Dewani in the UK.

Sky News understands Mr Dewani will return to the UK on Tuesday.

The state's key witness, cab driver Zola Tongo, said Mr Dewani paid him to hire two men to carry out the murder.

The prosecution claimed Mr Dewani, who is bisexual, wanted to get out of the relationship and the men carried out the killing for 15,000 rand (£830).

Video: Anger Outside Court After Verdict

Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and gunman Xolile Mngeni were convicted for their part in Anni's death.

Qwabe is currently serving a 25-year sentence.

Mngeni was serving life for firing the shot that killed Mrs Dewani, but died from a brain tumour in October.

Giving her ruling on the application to dismiss the case, Judge Traverso said the evidence from the men was "so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins".

Video: Hiring A Hitman In South Africa

She added that the only reason not to grant the application would be in the hope that Mr Dewani would implicate himself during his testimony.

However, to do so would be a "manifest misdirection", Judge Traverso said.

South African National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Ncude denied the case had collapsed because of "shoddy" police work.

He said: "The judgment centres around evidence that was given by three people. Nothing has been said about the police, nothing was said about how the prosecution could have done better.

Video: Zola Tongo's Lawyer Speaks Out

"The fact of the matter is that we were relying on people who were themselves involved and implicated in the case."

The ruling ends a four-year wait for Mr Dewani and his family to clear his name, which has included spells in mental health units, allegations about his private life and an extradition battle.

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Sexual Abuse A 'National Health Epidemic'

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

There could be more than 11 million survivors of sexual abuse in the UK, a Government adviser has told Sky News.

Experts say they are now dealing with a "national health epidemic", while there has been a huge surge in people looking for support since the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Some are related to recent high-profile cases, but sexual abusers are more likely to be people who are already known to the victim.

Founder of the Lantern Project on Merseyside, Graham Wilmer, told Sky News: "There are potentially about 11.7 million victims out there at the moment who have not disclosed, and many of those people will start to come forward in very significant numbers."

Mr Wilmer, who was recently appointed to the Government's Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, explained that the figures are based on accepted statistics that suggest one in six boys under the age of 16 have been sexually abused - for girls the figure is one in four.

Video: Breaking Down the Pieces Of Abuse

He said the country was facing "a massive, massive problem".

"From what we have seen, if you don't provide the right level of support and intervention to support people when they come forward you see very significant health problems, mental health and physical health, which have a direct cost to us as a society," Mr Wilmer said.

"We look upon child abuse and its impact now as a national health epidemic."

There are around 130 similar groups offering support around the country that sit under the umbrella organisation The Survivors Trust, but access to services is still patchy in some parts of the UK.

Psychotherapist Brian Mynott, a survivor himself, runs the Real Dawn group in West Yorkshire and says there is a desperate need for more people to be properly trained to offer professional help.

He told Sky News: "It is a million miles from being enough.

"There is only one of me when there should be about a dozen of me in the Wakefield area alone, and that is not me validating myself - that is what is missing.

Video: New Hope For Child Abuse Probe

"I have absolutely no shame in recording to anybody that I have been a victim, but to get to that point is a journey that cannot be covered by volunteers alone."

He added: "It is very sad that when people phone me up I can't refer them on somewhere and it is very sad when people can't get my services because I am booked up. These are people that need help now."

Mr Mynott is now also working with Leeds Trinity University to ensure students are aware of the growing demand for his services.

The Home Office, the Department of Health and the NHS have all committed to continue improving services for abuse survivors.

Mr Wilmer said investing in the support system is more important than the precise number of victims.

"All of the forces of law, and the forces of support work that are available are all gearing towards saying this number is a big number, whether it is 11.5 million or 11.1 actually isn't really relevant," he said.

"The fact is that it is a massive number and because it is a massive problem we are now focusing on it and we are going to do something about it."

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PlayStation Network Hacked 'By Lizard Squad'

Sony's PlayStation online store appears to have been hacked - with a group calling itself Lizard Squad claiming responsibility.

The company, whose film arm has just been hit by cyberattack, said the problem had lasted only two hours and there was no sign of any data theft.

Gamers trying to access the PlayStation store at around 2am on Monday were met with the message: "Page Not Found! It's not you. It's the internet's fault."

Lizard Squad tweeted: "PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad" and posted a link to a YouTube video mentioning the incident.

By mid-morning PlayStation indicated the problems had been fixed, tweeting: "If you had difficulties signing into PlayStation Network, give it a try now."

A Twitter account called Lizard Squad appeared to claim responsibility

Lizard Squad, which gives its location as Finland, also appeared to take responsibility for downtime on the Xbox Live network last week, tweeting "Xbox Live #offline".

It also forced an American Airlines to divert earlier this year when it warned explosives might be on a flight that included a Sony executive among its passengers.

Hackers calling themselves Guardian of the Peace crippled computer systems at Sony Pictures last week, leaking films on the internet and disclosing information for thousands of employees.

There had been speculation the hack was engineered by North Korea over a Sony movie mocking the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un.

The country has denied responsibility for that attack, which is being investigated by the FBI.

However, an official statement by North Korea's National Defence Commission hailed it as a "righteous deed".

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Enormous Fire Breaks Out In Downtown LA

Hundreds of firefighters are battling a massive fire that has lit up the skies of downtown Los Angeles.

The LA Times says a tall residential building with commercial space on the bottom floors is at the centre of the blaze.

Around 250 firefighters are thought to be on the scene.

TV pictures showed the devastating effect of the fire

The fire, which started around 1am, has shut parts of major freeways in the city.

Pictures and video on social media showed views of the fire taken from several miles away on the Hollywood Hills.

Video: LA Fire Video Shows Emergency Crews

There are no reports of any injuries.

LA Fire Department tweeted the location as 909 W Temple Street and said the building was still under construction.

Shards of glass are falling from the burning structure, and the public and the media have been warned to stay well away.

Freeway 101 is closed in both directions, according to California Highway Patrol, which said traffic was being diverted at Alvarado Street and Union Avenue.

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Investigation Over Candy Crush MP Photo

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

House of Commons bosses will investigate a whistleblower who filmed an MP playing Candy Crush on his iPad during a key meeting about pensions – but not the MP himself.

Nigel Mills was secretly filmed playing the addictive puzzle game during a Work and Pensions Committee session.

He has tweeted to apologise for his behaviour.

"I guarantee it will not happen again. It is a fantastic privilege to represent Amber Valley, and I hope constituents will continue to support my campaigns such as lower taxes for hard-working people," he wrote.

The House of Commons authorities have launched an investigation into how the footage was obtained.

Mr Mills uses his iPad during the meeting

A spokesman told Sky News: "This was a breach of the filming rules for House of Commons Committee Rooms, and will be investigated by the Serjeant at Arms."

The decision to investigate the witness who made the film rather than the MP sparked some criticism on social media.

Former Conservative MP Louise Mensch tweeted "that's bad" while Labour's John Prescott said Mr Mills' actions were "unacceptable".

The Sun quoted a source at the meeting who claimed Nigel Mills played the game for around two-and-a-half hours on an iPad allegedly funded by the taxpayer.

Mr Mills said he had a "game or two"

Mr Mills told The Sun: "It was a long meeting on pension reforms, which is an important issue that I take very seriously.

"There was a bit of the meeting that I wasn't focusing on and I probably had a game or two.

"I shouldn't do it but if you check the meeting I would say I was fully engaged in asking questions that I thought were particularly important in how we get the pensions issue right. I shall try not to do it in the future."

Prime Minister David Cameron said Mr Mills would be "embarrassed" by what had happened.

Speaking on a visit to Harris City Academy in Crystal Palace, south London, Mr Cameron said: "I haven't spoken to Nigel about it. I know he is a very hard-working MP, I know him well, he fights very hard in his constituency for people in Derbyshire, he works very hard in Parliament.

"I'm sure he will be embarrassed by what he saw in the papers today and he will work even harder in the future."

The committee met last Monday and was discussing pensions and the insurance industry ahead of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement announcement.

Candy Crush Saga is a free to download mobile game where users pay extra for more moves to improve their score.

It started on Facebook and moved on to mobile devices in 2012. Developer King.com says it is now played more than a billion times a day.

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Anni's Family: 'Justice System Failed Us'

Moments after Shrien Dewani was ruled not guilty of murder, his wife Anni's family told Sky News: "The justice system has failed us."

Ms Dewani's sister Ami Denborg was in tears as she spoke to Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford outside the court in Cape Town.

Asked if the South African authorities had let his family down, her heartbroken father Vinod Hindocha shouted: "Yes, yes, yes."

Ms Denborg had struggled to contain her emotions as she read a family statement outside the courtroom.

Shrien Dewani appeared to breathe a sigh of relief after the verdict

She said: "We came here looking for the truth and all we got was more questions. We waited patiently for four years to hear what really happened to our dearest little sister.

"All we wanted to hear was the events ... and that has kept us as a family going. This right has been taken away from us.

Video: Shrien Dewani's Family 'Very Happy'

"We feel really, really sad because we never heard the full story from Shrien. We heard he led a double life and Anni knew nothing about it."

Her brother Anish collapsed in tears as she said: "The knowledge of not knowing is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives.

"We had four years of sleepless nights and we will we ever be able to sleep."

Anni's uncle Ashok Hindocha also released a statement, saying: "We do not feel we have been presented with the whole story and the decision to end the trial without the defendant offering a defence means we, and the good people of South Africa, the UK and various parts of the world who have followed the case, will always live without ever knowing the complete events that led up to Anni's death.

Video: Anger Outside Court After Verdict

"We would have preferred that Shrien Dewani went into the witness box and told in his words what happened after he was accused of her murder.

"We know now that he was having gay sex with male prostitutes and declared himself bisexual on the first day of his trial."

He said Ms Dewani would never have agreed to the marriage if she had known about her husband's "secret sex life" and confirmed the family would speak to lawyers about bringing a civil case against Mr Dewani in the UK.

Mr Hindocha added: "As far as Anni's grief-stricken parents are concerned, they would not wish the torture they have endured onto any other mother of father.

Video: Dewani Extradition Defended

"They will live forever with the warm and magical memories of Anni, but these memories will always be tinged with the pain of the fact that closure has not been afforded them."

Mr Dewani's family hugged and cried tears of joy after the verdict was announced.

A relative who spoke through the intercom at the family's home in Bristol told Sky News: "We are very happy."

Nathi Mncube, a spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said he believed the authorities were right to pursue the case, despite anger at the amount of taxpayers' money spent to bring Mr Dewani before the court.

Video: Judge Dismisses Dewani Charge

He said: "Obviously, we are very disappointed with the outcome today. When we started with the trial this is not what we set out to achieve.

"We believed there was evidence, otherwise we would not have taken the case to court."

Emotions were also running high on the steps of the courthouse, where a lobby group chanted: "Justice for Anni."

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Body In River Is Briton Missing From Stag Do

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

The family of a British builder missing after a stag weekend in Prague have confirmed his body has been found in the city's Vltava River.

A body was discovered beneath a city centre bridge on Sunday afternoon, three weeks after Karl Law, from Fareham in Hampshire, vanished.

Czech police were due to carry out an autopsy on Monday, but his family have already been informed the body belongs to Mr Law.

The 35-year-old's mother Sue, brother Craig and other family and friends remain in Prague at the rented apartment where they have been running an appeal campaign since he disappeared.

Mr Law was last seen near Maxim's Bar in the city

Friends have been leaving messages of condolence on a Facebook page set up to help the search.

Scott Oakley said: "So sad to hear this. My thoughts are with his family. You've gone through more things in the space of a few weeks than most people go through in a lifetime."

Kerry Snuggs added: "So sad to see this, my prayers are with all of you at this awful sad time.

"There's no such thing as closure in a time of sorrow like this as you will never forget, but I hope in time that your pain will ease and you will find some comfort in knowing Karl was clearly loved by so many people."

Mr Law became separated from his brother and friends on a pub crawl to celebrate a friend's forthcoming wedding.

The last person to see Mr Law was his cousin Steve Stock, wandering near Maxim's Bar close to the centre of Prague's lively old town.

By the time it was found his body was too decomposed to be readily identified.

It is believed the body had only underpants and there was no sign of the clothes Mr Law had been wearing when he vanished.

The absence of clothes might suggest Mr Law was the victim of a crime.

A small group of searchers, led by Mr Law's brother Craig, had put up thousands of posters and appealed for help all over the city.

A British embassy spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national, who was reported missing in Prague, and are in touch with the local authorities.

"We are in close contact with the family and are providing consular assistance at this difficult time."

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