United Confirm David Moyes As New Manager

David Moyes will replace Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager of Manchester United, the club has confirmed.

The current Everton boss, who will take over on July 1 after signing a six-year contract at Old Trafford, described his appointment as a "great honour".

Paying tribute to his fellow Scotsman, he said: "I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done and for the football club.

"I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn't something that comes around very often and I'm really looking forward to taking up the post next season."

Sir Alex, who is stepping down after 26 years in charge, said the club had "unanimously agreed" upon Moyes.

He said: "David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I've admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here.

Sir Alex described Moyes' achievements at Everton as "magnificent"

"He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club."

The appointment of Moyes was confirmed in a statement on Manchester United's website.

However, the club inadvertently made the announcement on their Facebook page, starting a flurry of activity on Twitter and other social media.

Sky Sports commentator Ray Wilkins said he was "delighted" for David Moyes but added it would be important for the established United players to rally around their new manager.

He told Sky News: "I am sure they will give David the utmost respect when he walks through the door because of the job he's done in his managerial career up to now.

"The only difference David will find - and this is no disrespect to the Everton players - is that he now has to work with the higher echelons of footballers."

Sir Alex and Moyes have been rivals on the touchline

Earlier, Everton confirmed Moyes would be leaving at the end of the season.

In a statement, the club said he had been an "outstanding manager" who had made a "massive contribution" to the club.

Moyes, 50, has managed Everton for more than a decade, joining in 2002 after a spell in charge at Preston North End.

Despite having a comparatively meagre budget at Goodison Park, Moyes has kept the team in the Premier League's top eight since 2006.

Former Scottish international Lou Macari said his record at the club had been excellent and praised the players he had bought.

"He hasn't had much money and he has managed to get Everton in a reasonably good position every year," he said.

"Obviously he'll be given cash (at Manchester United) so he will build his own side and he'll have the ex-manager behind him, so I don't see any problems whatsoever."

Sir Alex is stepping down after 26 years as Manchester United's manager

Moyes' final two games as Everton manager will be against West Ham and Chelsea.

The club said it would start the search for a replacement manager "immediately", with Swansea's Michael Laudrup and Wigan's Roberto Martinez said to be front-runners for the job.

Sir Alex, 71, guided United to 13 Premier League titles and two European Champions League crowns during his time in charge.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time," he said.

"It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so."

Moyes' appointment as Sir Alex's successor ends speculation that Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho could be given the job.

The former Chelsea boss has also been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.

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Urgent Hunt For Toddler After Mum Found Dead

A desperate search is underway for an 18-month-old toddler whose mother was found dead along with two male friends on a farm in eastern Kansas.

Police identified the victims as 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey - who went missing last week with her daughter Lana - and her partner 30-year-old Andrew Stout and his friend 31-year-old Steven White.

They did not reveal how the three people died.

On the day she disappeared, the young mother had planned to drop her daughter off at the farm for the day so she could go to work.

The two men had not been seen since late April. They were reported to have been sharing the house with other men who were known to the authorities.

Kaylie Bailey pictured on her Facebook page

Investigators from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said they are questioning a man picked up in Emporia, a community about 50 miles southwest of the Ottawa home where the decomposing bodies were found.

He is described as a person of interest. No charges have been filed.

The young mother's car was also found in Emporia late on Tuesday, but police have not said whether the man they were questioning had been driving it.

Kaylie Bailey's family spoke at a news conference on Wednesday night.

"We were very hopeful that Kaylie would not be the female victim but of course we always knew that that was a strong possibility," said her sister Shawna Pettijohn.

Steven White was one of the two men found dead at the farm

"It's been very difficult for all the family," added Andy Pettijohn, as he appealed for help in finding his missing granddaughter.

"What we are hoping is he could not bring himself to kill this child, knowing that she cannot be a witness and she's not going to identify him or anything ... that he says I can't bring it in my heart to do this to a youngster like this, those baby blue eyes."

Police had been expected to announce an Amber Alert for the missing girl, amid strong local criticism that no such emergency appeal had been made.

But the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) ruled against the idea, saying it was too late in the day for such a move.  

"We just got off the phone with the KBI. We've been told that based on their criteria and the information that they have, they've denied the Amber Alert. They'll be doing a state wide media release," Sheriff Jeff Richards of Franklin County said.

Lana's father, Shawn Bailey, is currently serving a jail sentence in Missouri. 

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Ohio Kidnap: Rescue Recordings Released

Cleveland Police have released recordings of the moments after stunned officers arrived at a house where three women had been held captive for 10 years.

In the recordings one of the first medics arriving at the scene after Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped can be heard telling colleagues in a shaking voice: "This might be for real."

The exchanges over the emergency services radio system came after Amanda Berry escaped and called 911 while alleged captor Ariel Castro was out of the house on Monday. 

An operator is initially heard calmly relaying the details of Ms Berry's call to colleagues, telling them: "I have a call taken on the phone with a female that says her name is Amanda Berry and that she has been kidnapped 10 years ago.

"She's saying that the male is Ariel Castro, 52-year-old Hispanic male that lives at 2207 Seymour, and he's been holding her here for 10 years."

Soon after - with a panicked female voice, thought to be Amanda Berry, in the background - an officer says: "Adam 23, you got a box comin'? This might be for real."

As the distraught woman starts telling her story, the same officer says: "There might be others in the house ... Georgina DeJesus might be in this house also."

The next voice audible on the recording is from one of the first officers to arrive at Castro's house.

With the sound of a woman crying clearly audible over the police radio, the breathless medic tells dispatchers: "We found 'em ... we found 'em."

The next caller from inside the house says: "We got a female called Sabrina (sic), she's got a young child with her."

As the officers move through the house and discover the scale of the crime, they discover a second adult female and radio through to say: "Make it two."

A colleague adds: "We also have a Michelle Knight in the house ...  you wanna look that up in the system ... 32-years-old."

Ariel Castro has been charged with kidnap and rape in connection with the women's imprisonment.

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Ohio Kidnap: Accused Ariel Castro In Court

Ariel Castro has appeared in court in Cleveland charged with kidnapping and raping three women missing for a decade.

The former school bus driver wore blue overalls and stood with his head bowed as prosecutors outlined the charges against him. 

Castro buried his head in his shirt as a lawyer described the "horrifying ordeal" Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter endured during their captivity.

The unemployed 52-year-old did not enter a plea and briefly filled out some paperwork with his hands cuffed as the court set bail at $2m per case, effectively ensuring he will remain behind bars.

The scene in a packed Cleveland Municipal Court for the arraignment

His lawyer - a public defender - told the court that Castro is on unemployment benefit and "to the best of my knowledge" has no convictions for serious crimes.

Castro made a "premeditated, deliberate and depraved" decision to snatch three women from the street and two of the victims endured their "horrifying ordeal" for more than a decade, prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court.

He kidnapped the women "to be used in whatever self-serving, self-gratifying way he saw fit", the court heard.

Mr Murphy said: "While in captivity they withstood repeated beatings, they were bound, restrained, and they were sexually assaulted - basically never free to leave this residence."

Castro confers with his lawyer during the brief hearing

The prosecutor described Castro's home as "a prison" to the women and young girl, before adding: "Today the situation's turned your honour, Mr Castro stands before you a captive ... the women are free to resume their lives that were interrupted." 

Castro's brothers Pedro and Onil Castro are to be freed after they appeared at the same Cleveland Municipal Court hearing on misdemeanour charges.

Castro's lawyer Kathleen DeMetz said she expects her client to be placed on suicide watch and in a cell on his own when he returns to jail.

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Sir Alex Ferguson Retires As Man Utd Manager

Sir Alex Ferguson is retiring as manager of Manchester United, the club has confirmed.

The manager, who has been at the club for 26 years, said in a statement: "The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time.

"It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape, and I believe I have done so."

The Scotsman secured his 13th Premier League title with Manchester United two weeks ago and is the most successful manager in British football history.

The deal to appoint a successor has already been done and approved by the club's board, understands Sky News City Editor Mark Kleinman.

An announcement is expected within days, with Sky sources saying Everton boss David Moyes is in "pole position" to get the job.

Ferguson, 71, will stay at Manchester United as a director and an ambassador, but now has just two games left with the famous club.

His final game, away to West Brom on May 19, will be his 1,500th in charge.

"With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future," said Ferguson.

"I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential."

Sir Alex's first European Cup was the famous last gasp win in 1999

The success of the club would continue without him, said Ferguson, who had a stand at Old Trafford named in his honour in 2011.

"The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level ... the long-term future of the club remains a bright one," said Ferguson.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore told Sky News the Scot was a "constant professional" who was bowing out on a high.

"In some ways it's a shock, in some ways the timing couldn't be better," he said.

FA chairman David Bernstein hailed Sir Alex's tenure as "truly remarkable".

"He is genuinely one of the greatest managers of all time and certainly of the modern era. His contribution to English football has been outstanding in every regard," said Mr Bernstein.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, also joined in the tributes and tweeted: "Sir Alex Ferguson's achievement at #MUFC has been exceptional. Hopefully his retirement will make life a little easier for my team #AVFC".

Everton Boss David Moyes is in "pole position" to take over at Old Trafford

The "foundations of the Premiership have shaken this morning", said Sky News Sports Correspondent Paul Kelso.

"Fergie steps aside as the greatest figure in football management - there'll be a very long queue of managers seeking to replace him."

Old Trafford bosses may be wary of bringing in a "restless manager" like Jose Mourinho, said Kelso - despite his impressive track record.

A manager like David Moyes, who is seen to have "over-achieved" at Everton, is looking like the more likely choice.

"Crucially, if he (Moyes) has Sir Alex Ferguson's blessing, it will buy him time with the fans to prove he's a worthy successor," said Kelso.

Former and current players have also been praising Sir Alex's achievements and having their say on who should fill his boots.

"You have to be a certain manager to manage Manchester United," former United player Paul Ince told Sky News.

"It's very important the next man is the right man."

Michael Owen, who is himself retiring at the end of the season, tweeted: "What an act to follow. I guess only Mourinho would have the confidence to strut through the door. If it were me, I'd go for Moyes."

The share price is shown up until the day before Sir Alex's announcement

But former United keeper Peter Schmeichel said Sir Alex should have stayed on a bit longer.

"(I'm) shocked, disappointed and very sad," he told Sky News. "I was hoping it was a couple of years down the line."

The Danish player, who was with the club for most of the 90s, said Ferguson was an inspirational leader who always had time for him, and the best manager the game had ever seen.

Cristiano Ronaldo simply tweeted a picture of himself with the manager, along with the words: "Thanks for everything, Boss."

The announcement, which comes just a day after back page speculation, may be a cause of concern for some Manchester United investors. It means there will soon be a new chief executive and manager in place at Old Trafford.

When David Gill confirmed he would quit as CEO in June, it sparked a deterioration in share price.

Manchester United shares opened 4.74% down following news of Ferguson's departure, effectively wiping nearly £95m off the club's value.

Sir Alex, who was born in Glasgow and began his managerial career in 1974, enjoyed success with St Mirren and Aberdeen before moving to England.

He won 49 trophies during his career - his haul with Manchester United including five FA Cups, four league cups and two famous Champions League titles, in 1999 and 2008.

However, the manager's quest for a coveted third European title ended this season with a 3-2 aggregate loss to Real Madrid.

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Ohio Cops: Trio Held With Ropes And Chains

Three women abducted about a decade ago and held captive in a house were restrained with ropes and chains, a police chief has said.

The physical condition of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, rescued in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, was "very good considering the circumstances", Michael McGrath claimed.

He said: "We have confirmation they were bound and there were chains and ropes in the hall."

Mr McGrath also said they had been allowed out of the house "very rarely", adding: "They were released out in the backyard once in a while I believe."

Police have been searching the property and said no human remains have been found at the house. Officers had reportedly been looking for "possible aborted babies". 

(L-R) Brothers Ariel Castro, Onil Castro and Pedro Castro

Sources told WKYC that as many as five pregnancies occurred in the house. They were also told their captors would beat the pregnant girls and that the babies did not survive.

Ariel Castro, 52, who owned and lived at the property, and his two brothers Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, are now in custody after being arrested on suspicion of holding the women captive.

Gina DeJesus went missing in 2004

Police say they intend to charge the men and they could appear in court as early as today.

Mr McGrath says they "are talking" but he would not say if they have confessed.

He also told NBC he was "absolutely" sure police did everything they could to find the women over the years and he disputed claims by neighbours that officers had been called to the house before for suspicious circumstances.

It comes as Ariel Castro had apparently comforted the mother of Miss DeJesus at a candlelight vigil about a year ago.

Ariel Castro apparently comforted Gina DeJesus' mother at a vigil

He was believed to be friends with the girl's father and reportedly helped in the search for Miss DeJesus.

He handed out fliers after she vanished and performed music at a fundraiser held in her honour, it is claimed.

Pedro Castro said the search for Amanda Berry was a waste of money

Miss Knight, now 32, Miss Berry, 27, and Miss DeJesus, 23, were abducted separately in the Ohio city in 2002, 2003 and 2004 when they were 20, 16 and 14 respectively.

The three women were rescued after a frantic 911 call by Miss Berry, who escaped, led police to Castro's run-down property, where authorities say the trio had been held captive since their teens or early 20s.

Police are investigating the handling of the call, saying: "While the call-taker complied with policies and procedures which enabled a very fast response by police, we have noted some concerns which will be the focus of our review."

Officers said the concerns included "the call-taker's failure to remain on the line with Miss Berry until police arrived on scene", adding: "Please be assured that this matter will be investigated, and if necessary, appropriate corrective action taken."

It has also emerged that as police were digging for Miss Berry in an empty lot in the city in July 2012, Pedro, sitting on some steps, said: "That's a waste of money."

Amanda Berry's grandmother spoke to her on the telephone

Antony Quiros said he was at the vigil for Miss DeJesus about a year ago and saw Ariel Castro comforting her mother.

Ariel Castro was friends with the missing girl's father and helped search for her after she disappeared, said Khalid Samad, a friend of the family.

"When we went out to look for Gina, he helped pass out fliers," said Mr Samad, a community activist.

Meanwhile, Miss Berry has spoken to her family for the first time since she disappeared.

Amanda Berry, her sister, and a young girl, believed to be her daughter

Her grandmother, Fern Gentry, told her on the telephone: "I'm glad to have you back."

"I'm glad to be back," Miss Berry said.

Miss Gentry added: "I thought you were gone."

"Nope, I'm here", Miss Berry continued.

Miss Berry told her grandmother that the girl in a hospital photo was her six-year-old daughter. Police said they believe one of the suspects is the girl's father.

Miss Berry's father Johnny Berry said: "I didn't know what to say. Best thing that ever happened to me. Best feeling I've ever had."

Her cousin Crystal Milton said the news that she was alive was a real shock. "Just screaming and crying; just all kids of emotions at once," Miss Milton said.

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Tia Sharp: CCTV Taken Hours Before She Died

CCTV pictures which show Tia Sharp together with Stuart Hazell have been played to a jury at the Old Bailey.

Jurors were shown the clips of Hazell and Tia after they met at a train station on the afternoon of August 2.

They included footage of the pair walking along a platform after getting off a tram at Gravel Hill station, shopping in a branch of the Co-op supermarket and travelling on a T31 bus.

The pair were also pictured together on a T31 bus

Tia's mother Natalie Sharp looked on tearfully from the public gallery as the clips were shown.

Hazell, who is accused of the schoolgirl's murder, was the boyfriend of Christine Bicknell - Tia's grandmother - when the 12-year-old went missing.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were also read a statement by Ms Bicknell, in which she described how the schoolgirl "idolised" Hazell.

Tia loved Hazell "to pieces", the court heard

Hazell was also described as "no ogre", according to a statement from her grandmother read in court.

The statement said: "When Tia went missing it didn't cross my mind that she could be dead. I always thought she was coming home. It didn't cross my mind that he would hurt her. He loved Tia, she idolised him.

"I love Stuart with all my heart, he was my world, but my grandchildren always came first.

"Tia will ask Stuart if she can stay for the weekend before she asks me. The majority of the time he has her more than what I do. She is his cling-on."

Hazell, 37, of New Addington, south London, is charged with killing the girl between August 2 and 10 last year.

Her body was found in the loft of her grandmother's house a week after she went missing.

Ms Bicknell said all her grandchildren "loved him to pieces".

She said she had thought back over her relationship and had not noticed any particular changes, nor had any worries about Hazell being around Tia.

The hunt for Tia lasted more than a week

Her statement said Hazell was not somebody she "dragged in from the street", but had had a relationship with him for more than five years. 

"Tia was not the sort of girl you could groom," she said. "She was a mouthy 12-year-old - you couldn't force her to do anything. 

"She is a mini Natalie (Tia's mother), which is a mini-me."

She added: "I knew nothing about her death. If I knew, he could be dead - I would be inside because I would have killed him. I found out the same time as everybody else, that Friday. I didn't know anything."

Ms Bicknell said that Hazell would get "argumentative" after drinking vodka, but that she had told him not to consume it in the house. He would, however, drink lager and smoke two cannabis joints per day.

Hazell, who had previously dated Tia's mother, moved in with Ms Bicknell a week after their relationship started in 2007, the court heard.

 

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Ohio: Amanda Berry Home After Kidnap Ordeal

Amanda Berry, one of three women rescued from a house after being abducted about a decade ago, has returned to her sister's home.

TV aerial pictures of the back of the family property in Cleveland, Ohio, showed someone carrying a small child.

The youngster is thought to be the six-year-old daughter that Miss Berry bore during her time as a captive.

Amanda Berry (L), Gina DeJesus and the house where they were found

Her sister later came out of the house and read out a statement where she thanked the public and media for their support and also appealed for their privacy to be respected.

On Monday, Amanda Berry had raised the alarm by screaming for help and a neighbour managed to get her and her child out by kicking in a door.

Miss Berry then made a frantic call to the police and the other two women, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus, were later rescued.

Miss Knight, now 32, Miss Berry, 27, and Miss DeJesus, 23, were abducted separately in nearby areas of the Ohio city in 2002, 2003 and 2004 when they were 20, 16 and 14 respectively.

The owner of the home, 52-year-old former school bus driver Ariel Castro, has been detained, along with his brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50.

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Lottery Cheat Imran Pervais Escapes Jail Term

A shopkeeper who tried to con a lottery syndicate out of nearly £80,000 in winnings has been spared a jail sentence.

Imran Pervais, 26, was given a 12-month suspended sentence at Maidstone Crown court by Judge David Griffiths-Jones QC who described his offence as "opportunistic" and "mean-spirited".

He has also been ordered to do 200 hours of community work and adhere to a curfew for four months.

Pervais of Gravesend, Kent, was found guilty in March of misleading the victim, Callum Crosier, and his work syndicate into thinking they had won £10 when in fact they had scooped £79,887 after matching five balls and the bonus ball.

Mr Crosier was told by the shopkeeper that one of the 28 tickets he buys each week had won £10 - but he later realised the ticket had five matching numbers and should have won £1,000.

He went back to the shop, where Pervais told him he needed a couple of hours to search for the ticket.

Mr Crosier then double-checked the lottery results and noticed that as well as five numbers, he had matched the bonus ball and should have pocketed nearly £80,000.

The winning ticket was eventually found screwed up and hidden behind wooden plinths at the back of the shop counter.

"That the win was in excess of £50,000 would have been apparent to you as you processed the tickets, or at least that a substantial win would have been apparent to you, but you told Mr Crosier that he had won £10," Judge Griffiths-Jones said.

"No doubt planning to wait in the hope that he would be content and would accept this small sum, perhaps even be glad of it, so that when you could see that there would be no repercussions you would be able to claim the prize for yourself.

"The offence, whilst opportunistic, was, as it seems to me, especially mean-spirited.

"It was intended to deprive Mr Crosier and his syndicate of a substantial sum of money and in the process deprive them of the romantic joy which the win would have represented for them."

The judge said that the syndicate and lottery operator Camelot relied upon Pervais' "honesty and integrity" which he betrayed.

Camelot said in a statement following sentencing: "We expect each and every one of our retailers to act as an advocate for, and uphold the values of, the National Lottery.

"If a retailer falls short of what is expected of them and what they agree to as part of their signed, contractually-binding National Lottery Retailer Agreement, we have robust processes in place to deal with that.

"The success of the National Lottery is built on player trust, and today's sentence provides clear evidence that Camelot will not allow that trust to be undermined in any way."

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Woman Charged With Ditch Murders Of Three Men

A woman has been charged with the murders of three men whose bodies were found in ditches in Cambridgeshire.

Kevin Lee was discovered dead in a ditch in Newborough on March 30.

A post-mortem examination revealed the 48-year-old died from stab wounds to the chest.

Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, and John Chapman, 56, were found at Thorney Dyke on April 3. They too had been stabbed.

Joanna Dennehy, of Peterborough, who is in her early 30s, has been charged with all three murders, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Grace Ononiwu, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the East of England, said Dennehy would appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court at a later date.

Two other people have also been charged in the case.

Leslie Layton, 36, of Bifield, Orton Goldhay, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Robert Moore, 55, of Belvoir Way, Peterborough, has been charged with assisting an offender in connection with the case.

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April Jones Had 'Happy Face As She Got In Van'

April Jones had a "happy face" when she got into a vehicle shortly before her disappearance, a court has heard.

April's best friend, seen in pre-recorded video evidence, said the five-year-old went willingly and did not cry.

Mold Crown Court watched footage of the seven-year-old being interviewed by police the day after April went missing.

The girl said she saw April getting into a grey Land Rover and that she had seen it before.

On Friday, the court had seen CCTV footage showing Mark Bridger's Land Rover passing a garage in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on the day she went missing, with April allegedly in the back.

Mark Bridger, 47, denies abducting and murdering her. He also denies intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April's body.

Bridger says he killed April accidentally when he ran her over in the car.

He claims he then put her into the front of the vehicle and drove around the town looking for medical help. He says he cannot remember what he did with her body.

Speaking about the person in the vehicle, her friend said: "He got out of the van and was waiting outside the van for someone".

April got in through the "drivers way" and then sat in the back seat. "She wasn't crying, she was happy," the young witness said.

The vehicle then drove off, the court heard.

The accused, Mark Bridger, shook his head when the girl said the man with the Land Rover had green or blue eyes and brown hair, and was probably wearing a green jacket.

"It wasn't that dark and I could see he had brown hair because the headlights were on," she said.

The girl also described how April's brother later came looking for his sister to take her home and how the alarm was raised.

Her interview with police was played to the jury as the girl watched on a live video-link from Aberystwyth, sitting with a white teddy bear and a mug of juice.

April Jones disappeared while playing with her friend near their homes in Machynlleth, Powys on October 1 last year.

Mark Bridger, 47, denies the charges against him

In the afternoon session the girl was cross examined by defence barristers.

Before the questioning, the judge told her it was "very important" that she told the truth.

She was asked in detail about the evidence she had given, particularly about her memory of the Land Rover and the man she had seen.

She admitted that she had only seen "a little bit of a view of the Land Rover".

She said she knew April had been talking to the man as she could see their mouths moving and that April had got into the Land Rover willingly.

Brendan Kelly QC, representing Bridger, asked: "Did you see April on the ground?"

The young girl replied: "She was talking but she was standing up when she was talking to him."

Mr Kelly explained to her that he had to say she was wrong, and asked if she understood that.

He added: "You saw her being carried into the car by the man who put her in the front seat, didn't you?"

The girl said: "She was in the back seat, that's what I saw.

"She got into the front seat and climbed into the back seat but the man didn't carry her into the front seat."

The friend told the court she saw the Land Rover leave after April had got into the "van and they drove off to somewhere".

She confessed she could not really see the eyes of the man next to the Land Rover and had guessed when she said they were green or blue.

She was asked if she had guessed about anything else and she said "no".

After the girl finished her evidence, the girl's mother - who also cannot be named for legal reasons - took the stand.

She told the court she remembers her daughter running home saying "April's got into someone's van, April's been taken".

The last witness of the day was April's friend's brother, whose taped interview with police was also played to the court.

Her brother told police that when he went to find April, April's friend told him "she got in a car" and April knew who it was.

The trial continues.

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Ohio Women Found: Police Praise Amanda Berry

Three brothers have been arrested after three women who went missing separately about a decade ago in Cleveland, Ohio, were found alive in the same house.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight disappeared in nearby areas of the city between 2002 and 2004. Officers believe they were tied up during years of being held captive.

The three, who vanished in their teens or early 20s, were rescued after a neighbour heard Ms Berry's screaming and went to help.

"Due to Amanda's brave actions, these three women are alive today," Cleveland police chief Michael McGrath told reporters.

The suspects have been named as Ariel, Pedro and Onil Castro, who are aged 52, 54 and 50.

The property was just a few miles from where the women vanished.

A poster with images of Amanda Berry on

Police said they went to the home in 2004 for an unrelated investigation when school bus driver Ariel Castro had apparently left a child unattended on a bus, but no-one answered the door.

Officers also visited it in 2000 when Ariel Castro reported a fight in the street, but no arrests were made.

The women appeared to be in good health and have now been released from hospital after going there for checks and are back with their relatives.

Authorities said they had no intelligence the trio were in the house, and police believe a six-year-old girl also found at the property is Ms Berry's daughter.

Ariel Castro is one of three brothers arrested

FBI special agent Stephen Anthony said: "The nightmare is over. These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin."

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said there were still "several unanswered questions" about the case, and authorities stressed that as the investigation was on going, many facts could not be discussed.

Ms Berry, who was 16 at the time, disappeared on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a lift home from her job at a Burger King outlet.

Ms DeJesus went missing aged 14 on her way home from school about a year after Ms Berry's disappearance.

The third woman, Ms Knight, had been missing since 2002. She is believed to have been 20 at the time.

Gina DeJesus went missing on her way home from school

The long nightmare for the trio ended when Ms Berry reached through a crack in the front door and called for help.

Neighbour Charles Ramsey heard her screaming and tried to get her out through the door, but could not pull it open.

So he kicked the bottom open and she crawled through carrying a little girl.

Another neighbour Anna Tejeda said Ms Berry was nervous and crying, and dressed in pyjamas and old sandals.

Ms Tejeda said she gave her telephone to Ms Berry, who then called police.

In a recording of the 911 call, she told the emergency dispatcher: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing for 10 years. I'm free. I'm here now."

She said she had been taken by someone - and begged officers to arrive at the home on Cleveland's west side "before he gets back".

The three women disappeared in nearby areas of the city

When police arrived, they found the two other women who were allegedly being held captive. They were also rescued.

Mr Ramsey explained how he rescued Ms Berry, saying: "I hear this girl screaming and she's going nuts.

"So I come outside and I know there's nobody supposed to be screaming next door to my house because there's no girl that lives in that house.

"When I came to the front door and looked at her she said 'My name is Amanda Berry - please get me out of this house'.

"She told the police, 'I ain't just only one, there's some more girls up in that house. So they go on up there ... and when they came out it was just astonishing."

Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of Ms DeJesus, told The Plain Dealer newspaper: "I've been praying, never forgot about her, ever.

"This is amazing. This is a celebration. I'm so happy. I just want to see her walk out of those doors so I can hug her."

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Speedboat: Pair Died In 'Favourite Place'

The brother of a 51-year-old man who was killed along with his daughter in a speedboat accident near Padstow has paid tribute to him.

Nick Milligan and his daughter died after they and four other members of their family were thrown from their boat into the Camel Estuary.

Speaking at a news conference in Bodmin, Max Milligan said: "Nick, or Nico as he was known to us, was an extremely loving father and husband, son and brother who doted on his family.

"As children and teenagers we spent many summers and New Year's Eves at New Polzeath here in Cornwall and a few years ago he built his dream home above Daymer Bay.

Nick Milligan, 51, was killed alongside his eight-year-old daughter

"That he and my delightful niece died in their favourite place at the end of a gloriously sunny Bank Holiday weekend provides us with a tiny glimmer of light.

"I'd like to thank the Devon and Cornwall Police and all the staff at Derriford Hospital who have been incredible over the last few days."

Mr Milligan was a senior executive at BSkyB. He was managing director of Sky Media.

His 39-year-old wife and four-year-old son were airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth with "potentially life changing injuries". His two other daughters, aged 10 and 12, suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Two men came to the family's rescue and managed to stop the speedboat

Video has emerged of the speedboat, which was a rigid inflatable owned by the family, circling out of control in the water.

Waterskiing instructor Charlie Toogood has been hailed a hero after he jumped on to the speedboat from another vessel to switch off the engine.

A second man, Will Jones, was also named as someone who came to their rescue.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the family, from London, was on holiday in Cornwall over the Bank Holiday weekend when the accident happened.

Detective Superintendent Jim Colwell said whether the kill cord on the boat operated correctly would form part of the investigation into the accident.

The accident took place in the Camel Estuary near Padstow

He said police had 25 staff working on the investigation and called for witnesses to come forward.

And he paid tribute to local people who went to the family's aid and holidaymakers who gave up their boats to help the rescue.

He said: "Without the brave and heroic efforts of local people and holidaymakers in the minutes immediately after this incident in assisting the family whilst they were in the water, if people hadn't come to their assistance in the manner they did I'm confident this incident would have been far worse in terms of the death toll."

Matt Pavitt, of the North Cornwall Coastguard, added: "Without the intervention of the one person who did manage to get on board the vessel, we could have been dealing with a far more serious situation."

A joint investigation has been launched by police and coastguard. Inquests will take place in due course.

South Western Ambulance Service earlier said it was thought the speedboat hit some kayakers near the popular holiday resort, however this was subsequently ruled out by the MCA.

Ambulance service spokesman John Oliver said the injured suffered leg injuries of various degrees of severity.

RNLI lifeboats from both Padstow and nearby Rock were launched as part of the rescue operation, and search and rescue helicopters from two naval bases were also ordered to attend the scene.

A BSkyB spokesperson said: "Everyone at Sky is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic accident involving the Milligan family.

"Nick has been a great friend and colleague for many years and his loss will be felt across our company and the industry.

"Our very deepest sympathies are with his family at this time."

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Neo-Nazi Gang Member On Trial Over Murders

The surviving member of a neo-Nazi cell blamed for a series of racist murders in Germany has gone on trial.

Thirty-eight-year-old Beate Zschaepe appeared in court in Munich charged with complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007.

Scuffles took place outside the court between police and protesters angry over the length of time it took for the neo-Nazi cell to be uncovered by police.

Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings in immigrant areas of Cologne and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt.

Uwe Mundlos (L) and Uwe Boenhardt

Both men died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011.

She faces life imprisonment if she is convicted.

Four other men are also on trial, accused of assisting her National Socialist Underground (NSU) group, which had gone undetected for more than a decade.

Zschaepe handed herself in to police in November 2011

The chance discovery of the gang has forced Germany to acknowledge it has a more militant and dangerous neo-Nazi fringe than previously thought - and it also exposed serious intelligence failings.

The existence of the gang only came to light with the deaths of Mundlos and Boenhardt following a botched bank robbery.

In their charred caravan in Eisenach, police found the gun that was used to murder all 10 victims.

Officers also found a DVD presenting the NSU and claiming responsibility for the killings.

In it, the bodies of the murder victims are pictured while a cartoon Pink Panther tots up the number of dead.

Beate Zschaepe in court

After her companions' deaths, Zschaepe is believed to have set fire to a flat she shared with them in Zwickau and gone on the run. She handed herself in to the police four days later.

Prosecutors say the gang chose people running small businesses or shops as easy targets in an attempt to terrify migrants and hound them out of Germany.

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Controversial 3D-Printed Gun Fires Test Shots

The world's first 3D-printed handgun has been successfully fired in Texas, according to its creator Defense Distributed.

All 16 parts of the controversial gun, called the Liberator, are made from a tough, heat-resistant plastic used in products such as musical instruments, kitchen appliances and vehicle bumper bars.

Fifteen of those are made with a 3D printer while one is a non-functional metal part which can be picked up by metal detectors, making it legal under US law.

The weapon is designed to fire standard handgun rounds and even features an interchangeable barrel so that it can handle different calibre rounds.

The blueprint files are expected to be available online today for download.

Defense Distributed, a not-for-profit group based in Texas, was founded by 25-year-old University of Texas law study Cody Wilson, who took eight months to create the gun.

Mr Wilson, who test fired the gun himself, said the goal with the Liberator is to highlight how technology can render laws and governments all but irrelevant.

He told Forbes: "I recognise that this tool might be used to harm people. That's what it is - it's a gun.

"But I don't think that's a reason to not put it out there. I think that liberty in the end is a better interest."

His efforts to publish the printable blueprints online have sparked outrage in the US.

A Forbes article said: "Once the file is online, anyone will be able to download and print the gun in the privacy of their garage, legally or not, with no serial number, background check, or other regulatory hurdles."

New York congressman Steve Israel has already called for national legislation to ban 3D-printed guns.

In a statement last week he said: "Security checkpoints, background checks, and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser.

"When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction.

"Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now to extend the ban on plastic firearms."

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Stuart Hall: BBC Launches Separate Inquiry

The BBC has announced a freestanding inquiry into the conduct of disgraced former presenter Stuart Hall on its premises.

The corporation said in a statement: "In light of a potential conflict of interest with Dame Janet Smith there will be a freestanding investigation covering Stuart Hall's conduct at the BBC which will feed into her review.

"This work will be led by a different individual appointed by the BBC."

Hall is facing jail after pleading guilty last month to a string of offences against girls aged as young as nine.

The 83-year-old, who was a regular football match summariser on Radio 5 Live but has now been dropped by the BBC, was described as an "opportunistic predator" by prosecutors.

Hall admitted touching and kissing 13 young victims during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Many were daughters of friends.

The former It's A Knockout Presenter had previously denied any wrongdoing, telling reporters the claims against him were "cruel".

But last month he entered guilty pleas at Preston Crown Court, details of which only emerged last week when reporting restrictions were lifted.

He was told he must sign the sex offenders' register and was granted bail on condition that he lives at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and has no unsupervised contact with children.

Hall will be sentenced on June 17.

On Sunday, BBC trust chairman Lord Patten had said there would not be a separate inquiry into how the disgraced star was able to abuse his victims at the corporation.

He told the Andrew Marr Show that Dame Janet Smith's review into Jimmy Savile's conduct would also look at how Hall had the opportunity to abuse victims.

Lord Patten said: "I think to set up a new inquiry, when there is already one which is extremely well-resourced operating, would probably delay arriving at the truth."

But now the corporation has said there will be a freestanding probe into Hall's conduct.

Lord Patten also confirmed on Sunday the BBC was likely to face compensation claims from Hall's victims.

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Football Referee Dies After Punch From Player

A referee who was left in a coma after being punched by a teenage player during a game a week ago has died.

Ricardo Portillo, 46, of Salt Lake City, died in the hospital where he was being treated following the assault on Saturday night.

Police have accused a 17-year-old player of punching Mr Portillo after he gave him a yellow card for a foul.

Spokesman Justin Hoyal said: "The suspect was close to Portillo and punched him once in the face as a result of the call."

The teenager has been booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of aggravated assault. Mr Hoyal said authorities will consider additional charges following the referee's death.

The cause of death has not been given. An autopsy is to be carried out later.

Mr Portillo suffered swelling in his brain and had been listed as being in a critical condition at the Intermountain Medical Centre in Murray, Salt Lake City, where he was treated.

Johana Portillo, 26, said last week she had been told by witnesses that the player hit her father in the side of the head.

She said: "When he was writing down his notes, he just came out of nowhere and punched him."

The teenager was playing in goal during a junior high school match when he was cautioned for pushing an opposition player.

He began arguing with Mr Portillo before punching him in the face.

Mr Portillo asked to be held up because he felt dizzy, but then sat down and began vomiting blood.

By the time an ambulance arrived he had fallen into a coma.

His family said he had been attacked before while refereeing games. Johana said they had begged him to stop because of the risk from angry players.

She said: "It was his passion. We could not tell him no."

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'Israel Rocket Strike' On Syria Military Site

Syria says Israeli air strikes against three targets near Damascus "open the door to all possibilities".

Information Minister Omran Zoabi spoke after an emergency cabinet meeting organised to respond to the attack, believed to have targeted missiles bound for Hezbollah.

The rockets hit a military research centre in Jamraya on the outskirts of the capital in the early hours of this morning.

The building was the target of an earlier Israeli strike in January and Israeli radio has reported the latest attack has been confirmed by a senior security official.

A Western intelligence source said "stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah" were the target.

Video footage uploaded online by activists shows a huge ball of fire rising into the night sky.

More of the unverified footage uploaded by activists

Mr Zoabi accused Israel of working with "terrorist groups" and although he did not hint at a concrete course of action, he said it was Damascus's duty to protect the state from any "domestic or foreign attack through all available means".

Sunday's attack is the third Israeli assault this year on Syrian soil. Previous strikes on Syria by Israel have not elicited a military response from Syria or its allies Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad told CNN the strike was "a declaration of war" by Israel and represented an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel.

Iran has condemned the Israeli attack and urged countries in the region to stand against the action, the Fars news agency reported.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the strikes at a news conference, but spoke pointedly about his commitment to keeping Israel secure.

Protests in Banias at the beginning of the uprising in 2011

Meanwhile, hundreds of families are fleeing a Syrian coastal area where activists say government troops have massacred nearly 200, many of them women and children.

Opponents of Bashar al Assad's regime say that fighters loyal to the President carried out two massacres on Saturday night and on Thursday in a Sunni Muslim area driven by a policy of ethnic cleansing.

Activists posted a video online of the bodies of 10 people it said were killed in Ras al Nabaa in the city of Banias, in an overnight attack.

The activists said half of the victims were children and that the number of deaths could be as high as 60.

It comes just two days after pro-Assad militias are alleged to have killed as many as 100 Sunnis in the nearby village of Baida.

Amateur video showed a man and at least three children dead inside a room.

Syria's crisis has claimed the lives of an estimated 70,000 people

A baby had burned legs and its body was covered in blood. Next to him was a young girl whose face had been deformed after apparently being hit with sharp metal.

Other footage from activists showed entire families killed in their beds. A dead woman is seen cradling a child in her arms and two toddlers lying next to them.

The videos have not been independently verified.

The crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011 with pro-democracy protests and later turned into a civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people, has largely evolved along sectarian lines.

The Sunni majority forms the backbone of the rebellion, while Mr Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, anchors the regime's security services and the military's officer corps.

Other minorities, such as Christians, largely support Mr Assad or are standing on the sidelines, fearing the regime's collapse would bring about a more Islamist rule.

It has been estimated as many as 4,000 people are fleeing from the predominantly Sunni southern parts of the Mediterranean city of Banias amid fears of further large-scale killings.

The US has condemned the attack on Thursday. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said: "We strongly condemn atrocities against the civilian population and reinforce our solidarity with the Syrian people."

She added: "The United States is appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2 in gruesome attacks on the coastal town of Bayda, Syria.

"Regime and Shabiha forces reportedly destroyed the area with mortar fire then stormed the town and executed entire families, including women and children."

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Boston Bombing: Georgia Denies Terror Training

Georgia's president has denied suggestions that one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was given extremist training in his country.

Reports in Russia this week had claimed that 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev attended a seminar in Georgia where students were allegedly encouraged to commit terrorist acts.

Russian newspaper Izvestia said it had seen a report which allegedly revealed the Tsnarnaev attended events in the summer of 2012, organised by Georgian and US companies.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev (L) is alleged to have had extremist training in Georgia

Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia, told Sky News: "They (the Tsarnaev brothers) have never been to Georgia, although Russia is our neighbour and obviously Chechnya is a neighbouring region and people move back and forth.

Robel Phillipos has been charged with lying to investigators

"Russia has been saying this all the way through and the reason they have been saying that is that every time they want to justify their interference in our internal politics ... the simplest thing that came to their minds is that 'oh by the way they are training terrorists it's a common problem'."

Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili had earlier accused previous governments of colluding with alleged terrorists from the North Caucasus.

It comes after lawyers for a teenager charged with lying to investigations after the Boston bombing claimed he was not a flight risk and should be released from jail.

Robel Phillipos, 19, faces a detention hearing on Monday in US District Court.

He was charged last week with lying to investigators about visiting bomb suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev's college dorm room on April 18 - three days after the bombings.

Three people were killed in two explosions at the end of the marathon

Two other friends were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by taking a backpack with fireworks and a laptop from Tsarnaev's room.

The April 15 bombing, which used pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings and metal shards, killed three people and injured more than 260 others near the marathon finishing line.

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Nigel Evans Denies Rape And Sex Assault Claims

Conservative MP Nigel Evans has said allegations that he raped a man and sexually assaulted another are "completely false".

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons strongly denied the claims and said he had no idea why they had been made by two people he "regarded as friends".

In a short statement outside his constituency home in the village of Pendleton, near Clitheroe, in Lancashire, Mr Evans said: "Yesterday I was interviewed by the police concerning two complaints - one of which dates back four years, made by two people who are well-known to each other, and who until yesterday I regarded as friends.

"The complaints are completely false and I cannot understand why they have been made, especially as I have continued to socialise with one as recently as last week.

Nigel Evans reads from a prepared written statement outside his home

"I appreciate the way the police have handled this in such a sensitive manner."

Later he broke from what he described as his "Sunday lunchtime pint" at his local pub to thank people for their messages of support.

He said: "This has been, notwithstanding, the loss of my mother and my brother, very recently my brother, the worst 24 hours of my life."

He added that the one thing that had kept him going was the support of villagers and of those who had left messages on Facebook.

Mr Evans' office also released a statement saying that he had asked to be excused from chairing the debate on the Queen's Speech next week and this had been accepted. However, he will be returning to Westminster this week as planned.

The 55-year-old was arrested by police at his home on Saturday morning on suspicion of raping one man and sexually assaulting another between July 2009 and March 2013. Both alleged victims are in their 20s.

A policeman searches the MP's car on Saturday

After being questioned for several hours he was released on bail at around 10.30pm until June 19.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Speaker John Bercow were informed of Mr Evans' arrest.

The popular MP is not intending to stand down, either as a deputy speaker or as a Member of Parliament.

Mr Evans, who has represented Ribble Valley since 1992, has also posted a message on Facebook thanking members of the public for their support.

He wrote: "thanks for the amazing and overwhelming support at this difficult time ..."

Politicians and constituents have said they are "shocked" by the claims

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan programme, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Of course we are all very limited about what we can all say about this, it's subject to legal proceedings.

"It's right to point out, and for me as a long-standing friend of his, to point out that he is a very popular and well-respected Member of Parliament and deputy speaker - I think that is true across the House of Commons actually for MPs of all parties, so we will all be very sorry to see this situation.

"It's not possible for us to comment in more detail on something subject to legal proceedings."

A statement on the Ribble Valley Conservatives Association website said they expected Mr Evans to continue with his duties in the constituency as normal.

It said: "In our democracy everyone accused is innocent until proven guilty and therefore unless Nigel chooses himself to cease to be our MP or the electorate vote him out or justice system intervenes, we expect him to continue as normal to fulfil his duties in representing the people of the Ribble Valley."

A prominent gay rights campaigner, Mr Evans became one of three deputy speakers in 2010, earning £102,000-a-year, including his MP's salary.

In December of the same year, he came out as gay in an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper in which he said that he was "tired of living a lie".

Mr Evans, who was vice chairman of the Conservative Party from 1999 to 2001, said he had been threatened with exposure by political opponents.

Brian Binley, Tory MP for Northampton South and a friend of Mr Evans, said: "I was just deeply disturbed and shocked.

"I've known him ever since I've been in Parliament and I came in in 2005. I consider him to be a very good friend. I know him to be caring, compassionate and in no way would he inflict himself violently on any other person."

Constituents in Pendleton said they were also stunned by the arrest.

One villager, who did not want to be named, said: "I am shocked. I like him. He is a good MP and he has done a lot for the Ribble Valley. Obviously he is well known in the village and goes to the local pub a lot."

Another resident, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: "It's unbelievable, I know him very well. He is an excellent person and I would stand by him 100%."

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