Guests at eG8 digital forum including chiefs of Facebook, Google and eBay are told that ‘total global revolution’ achieved by net must not replace traditional democracy Nicolas Sarkozy opened what he described as a historic conference on the internet and the future of the “digital ecosystem” in Paris on Tuesday on the eve of the G8 summit. The French president said it was a unique chance for the main players in the development of information and communication technologies to come together with leaders of state and hoped it could become an annual event. “In this way we can know what you are doing … and you can know what we think,” Sarkozy told the eG8 forum . “We need to talk to you. We need to understand your expertise, your hopes … and you have to know our limits and our red lines.” Around 1,500 guests have been invited to the forum. Among the VIPs were Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, John Donahoe, president of eBay, and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. The theme of the two-day forum is The Internet: Accelerating Growth. Sarkozy said its conclusions would be communicated to heads of state at the G8 economic forum taking place in Deauville, France on Thursday and Friday. “Yesterday’s dreams have become realities, and the universe of possibilities grows broader around us every day,” he said. “Democracy and human rights have been reinforced, states have been incited to greater transparency and, in some countries, oppressed peoples have been empowered to make their voices heard and to act collectively in the name of freedom.” He said the internet had been a revolution that had changed people’s perception of time, of the world and history. “You have changed the world … it has been a total global revolution. What has been unique in this revolution is that it belongs to nobody; it has no flag, no slogan, it is a common good. “What is also unique about this revolution is that it was done without violence. It was not fought on battlefields but on university campuses.” However, Sarkozy warned the internet could not be allowed to become a “parallel universe” or a replacement for traditional democracy. “You have given every individual the chance to be heard everywhere by anyone. People have never had this chance before in history, but that right cannot be held by destroying the rights of others. “Total transparency has to be balanced by individual liberty. Do not forget that every anonymous internet user comes from a society and has a life.” He added: “Governments are the legitimate guardians of our societies and do not forget this.” He said leaders of state had to learn how the internet could be used “to reinforce democracy, social dialogue and solidarity” and to create a “more efficient state”. However, he said, “we have to make sure that the universe that you are responsible for is not a parallel universe outside laws and morals”. Among the issues to be addressed, he said, were privacy, the protection of children from the “turpitude of certain adults”, copyright and intellectual property rights. Internet Digital media G8 Nicolas Sarkozy France Europe Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
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Wealthy British man claims sister-in-law is linked to foreign internet postings that reveal he obtained injunction against her A wealthy British financier is seeking to have his sister-in-law secretly jailed in a libel case, in the latest escalation of the controversy over superinjunctions and the internet, the Guardian can disclose. The financier, who can be known only as “the Hon Mr Zam”, claims his sister-in-law is linked to foreign internet postings that reveal that he obtained an injunction against her in the high court. This latest move, orchestrated by the solicitors Farrer & Co, raises the bizarre legal possibilities of a woman who cannot be named being jailed at the request of her equally anonymous brother-in-law, and of the entire trial for alleged contempt of court taking place in secret. The launch of these contempt proceedings is part of the recent flood of superinjunctions and anonymised injunctions, which British judges are approving in efforts to clamp down on gossip, libel and even blackmail on the internet. The novel moves by Zam follow a separate attempt by a an allegedly philandering footballer to take legal action against the US-based Twitter website to force it to identify tweeters who have defied a superinjunction. On Monday, the footballer Ryan Giggs, who is alleged to have had an affair with the Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas, was named in parliament by the Liberal Democrat MP John Hemmings in the culmination of a “Twitter-storm” that largely nullified the superinjunction he had obtained. Last week’s Neuberger report on superinjunctions stressed that litigants should only be awarded anonymity only if it was “strictly necessary”. Mr Justice Tugendhat granted anonymity in March to both Zam and the sister-in-law he is trying to silence after his lawyers claimed it would be unfair for him and his family to suffer speculation about the circumstances that had led them to go to the high court. Due to the judge’s order, which also suppressed publication of details of the alleged libels, it is difficult to report the full background of what appears to be a venomous family dispute revolving around shares in a £100m, inherited offshore trust fund. Zam claims he is being blackmailed, with false allegations being made to his work colleagues, and worldwide online vilification being threatened. The case highlights problems associated with the global nature of the internet, and the near impossiblity of British court orders to silence blogs and tweets originating overseas. Zam’s sister-in-law lives in England, but her husband and some of his business associates are based in Rome, out of the UK’s jurisidiction. They are alleged to be behind internet postings purporting to come from Niger, in Africa, which is even further beyond the reach of the British courts. The postings reveal the entire text of the supposedly secret Tugendhat order. They identify the people involved, and publish the allegations, which Zam says are completely false. Normally, in a libel case, the complainer wants to have their reputation publicly vindicated by a courtroom statement that the allegations are false, and an injunction preventing anyone else from repeating them. But Julian Pike, the £450-an-hour partner at Farrer & Co who is handling the case, has instead gone down a novel anonymity route. This prevents any investigation of the true background of those who his client claims are international blackmailers. Superinjunctions Internet David Leigh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Double Standard: CBS’s Schieffer Pushes Gingrich Around on Infidelity and His Big Jewelry Bill
May 24, 2011 No CommentA week after trashing the Paul Ryan plan as “right-wing social engineering” on Meet the Press, Newt Gingrich appeared on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, where host Bob Schieffer began
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Thousands without power in Scotland as gusts over 100mph uproot trees and cause widespread transport disruption At least 25,000 properties in Scotland are without power after a vicious and unexpected battering from gales which saw two people in the UK killed by falling trees amid widespread transport disruption. An unusually strong pattern of low pressure moved in from the Atlantic and hooked up across Northern Ireland and northern England into Scotland, catching trees in new leaf at their most vulnerable. Northumbria police said an 18-year-old woman was killed when her Renault Clio was crushed by a falling tree at Corbridge. Local people described the strength of gusts, which reached 114mph across the border in Scotland, as fiercer than they had ever seen. The other victim was a 36-year-old man driving in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, whose car was crushed under a falling tree. Firefighters tried but failed to free him from the wreckage before he died. Trees also stopped train services on the West Coast main line between England and Scotland near Gretna Green, and on the edge of Belfast. Ferry services were cancelled between Northern Ireland and Stranraer and Cairnryan in Scotland and there were delays on the M62, M6 and M66 in the Pennines. Earlier blustery weather saw three children taken to hospital after an inflatable slide toppled over at a garden show in Kent and coastguards rescued crew on board three yachts racing between Whitby and Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Scotland’s transport minister, Keith Brown, said the country had been battered by weather which was very unusual for May. He said: “It’s exceptional and that’s created problems on the roads and the rail network, and for the ferries as well. “What’s made this worse is the very high wind speed and real problems with trees which are fully leaved and so more likely to be uprooted. It’s particularly hard for the railways as their staff have inspect the lines before allowing travel, making sure there’s no debris on the track, and that’s been difficult. “One way they normally do that is by helicopter, which, in itself, has presented some problems, but a lot of work has gone on and most of the lines have now reopened.” A spokesman for Scottish Hydro Electric said around 20,000 customers in Scotland were without power after engineers worked overnight to reconnect another 10,000. Scottish Power said: “Just under 5,000 customers are off supply today [Tuesday], which is down from a peak of 20,000 yesterday [Monday]. The worst-affected area is Fife, followed by the central belt and Stirlingshire.” Strong winds are continuing in Scotland and much of northern England but are expected to ease off. Forecaster Victoria Kettley of MeteoGroup said: “Winds will pick up for a while, with gusts across Scotland of up to 60mph which won’t help efforts to clear trees. It was really bad yesterday [Monday] but that depression has cleared north. Winds will still be brisk though and northern England can expect some will see some strong gusts of up to 50mph, before things ease in the afternoon.” Michael Dukes of MeteoGroup said: “The high winds that have been battering Scotland, Ireland and the north of England are about as strong as you ever get in late May. They would be noteworthy in midwinter, but for them to occur in late spring is really most unusual. With trees in full leaf, winds of this strength can cause a lot of problems as the trees can be more readily toppled.” Water companies are meanwhile considering higher summer tariffs as much of southern England remains without rainfall and reservoir and groundwater stocks continue to fall. The water regulator Ofwat said that Veolia Water Central, which serves parts of southern England, and South East Water were trialling the system, aimed at discouraging excessive watering of gardens or topping-up of swimming and paddling pools. Weather Transport Scotland Northern Ireland Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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• Pressure on George Osborne as borrowing hits £7.7bn • Jump in figure despite £3.5bn boost from bank bonus tax • Rightwingers seek tougher action over cuts Government borrowing last month hit the highest figure ever recorded for the month of April, news which is likely to intensify the pressure on George Osborne from the right of the Conservative party to step up public spending cuts. A fall in tax receipts got the new fiscal year off to a disappointing start with public sector net borrowing hitting £7.7bn compared to £5.3bn in April last year. Excluding support for banks and other “financial interventions”, public sector net borrowing was £10bn, £2.7bn higher than in April 2010, when net borrowing was £7.3bn. The overall figure for UK debt reached £910bn, or 60.1% of GDP, up from £765.5bn, which was equal to 53% of GDP at the end of April 2010. The Office for National Statistics said the one-off bank payroll tax boosted accrued tax receipts by £3.5bn in April 2010, sparking concern among analysts that an already poor set of figures was flattered by the tax on City bonuses. Hetal Mehta, economic analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets, said: “The public finances have got off to a pretty bad start this year, with borrowing higher than a year ago even though ‘special factors’ added £3.5bn to tax receipts this year.
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• Nato launches its fiercest attack yet on Gaddafi’s forces • Apache helicopters to be used to break Libya deadlock • Syrian opposition battles rising frustration and divisions • Netanyahu remains defiant on pre-1967 borders 11.27am: There are reports of renewed fighting in the Yemeni capital Sana’a, according to Reuters. “Gunmen and soldiers spread out everywhere and the sound of gunfire can be heard from time to time,” one witness told Reuters. Fighting in the same area on Monday killed seven people including a civilian bystander. The clashes, in the sandbagged streets surrounding a fortified mansion belonging to the wealthy and politically powerful al-Ahmar clan, pitted loyalist forces against guards of Sadiq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashed tribal federation. The government accused Ahmar’s men of igniting the clashes on Monday by firing on a school and the headquarters of state news agency Saba. Ahmar’s office said government forces opened fire when his guards prevented them from entering a school where Ahmar said Saleh loyalists were stockpiling weapons. Early on Tuesday, tribal mediators were holding talks in the Ahmar house to try to bring an end to the clashes, a source in Sadeq al-Ahmar’s office said. Saleh is also from the Hashed federation. Tom Finn, the Guardian’s stringer in Sana’a, tweets : I can’t tell which is louder, the mortar fire in Sana’a right now or the media’s beating of the civil war drum #yemen 11.08am: Britain’s shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy is to ask an urgent question about Libya in the Commons at 12.30pm, according to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. 10.59am: The Guardian’s data team has updated our interactive of Nato’s campaign against Libya to include last night’s heavy bombardment of Tripoli . Some 20 explosions were heard overnight in the city, but the target was just one compound. Here’s what Nato said about the raid : Very early this morning a regime vehicle storage facility adjacent to the Bab Al Aziziyah complex in Tripoli was struck by NATO aircraft using a number of precision guided weapons. This facility is known to have been active during the initial regime suppression of the population in February 2011 and has remained so ever since; resupplying the regime forces that have been conducting attacks against innocent civilians. “Gaddafi’s forces still represent a threat to civilians and we will continue to strike targets that carry out this violence,” said the Commander of Operation Unified Protector, Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard. 10.44am: The US appears to be edging closer to formerly recognising the government of the Libyan rebels, according to this update from AP> President Barack Obama has invited the Libyan rebels’ National Transitional Council to open an office in Washington, but he stopped short of formal recognition. Jeffrey Feltman, the top US diplomat on the Middle East, totold reporters in the eastern city of Benghazi that he expects Congress to vote soon to let frozen regime assets in the US be used for purely humanitarian aid in Libya. He says the Americans aren’t negotiating with Gaddafi and the opposition council is considered the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. But he did not offer it formal recognition, as other countries have done. 10.26am: The US is considering sanctions against Yemen’s president Saleh as patience with their old ally runs out. The Washington Post reports : In a conversation Sunday just before Saleh refused a third successive peace deal negotiated by Persian Gulf states, White House counterterrorism chief John O. Brennan told the Yemeni president “that if he doesn’t sign, we’re going to have to consider possible other steps,” a senior administration official said. One option, US and Arab officials said, would be to bring Yemen before the UN Security Council for unspecified sanctions. On Monday, the European Union called on Saleh to “transfer power now” and warned that member states “will review their policies toward Yemen.” The blog Armies of Liberation has a thorough account of yesterday’s clashes as Saleh warned of civil war. This YouTube video shows fierce clashes in the capital Sana’a. _ 10.17am: The US now estimates that almost 1,000 people have been killed in the crackdown in Syria, but still the Obama administration is willing to give President Assad time to reform. Here’s what secretary of state Hillary Clinton told a news conference last night: In Syria, the Assad government continues to respond to peaceful protests with brutal violence. By our best estimate, nearly 1,000 people have now been killed. And that is against the backdrop of President Assad talking about reform while his security forces fire bullets into crowds of marchers and mourners at funerals. This cruelty must end, and the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people must be honored. The US the EU, and others have already imposed sanctions against senior Syrian officials, including new measures announced today targeting President Asad. Foreign Secretary Hague and I are both absolutely consistent with our message to the Assad government: Stop the killings, the beatings, the arrests; release all political prisoners and detainees; begin to respond to the demands that are upon you for a process of credible and inclusive democratic change. President Assad faces a choice: He can lead the transition to democracy that the Syrian people have demanded; or he can, as President Obama said on Thursday, get out of the way. But there is no doubt that if he does not begin to lead that process, his regime will face continuing and increasing pressure and isolation. 10.06am: Camille Otrakji is a rarity – a dissident Syrian blogger who broadly backs the regime. In a provocative appearance on Bloggingheads TV he claims that only 1% of the Syrian population have actively taken part in the protests and around 70% Syrians would support President Assad’s regime if it adopted reform. He also claims the protest movement risks plunging Syria into a civil war. _ 8.54am: Welcome to Middle East Live. To coincide with his visit to the UK Barack Obama has written a joint article with David Cameron vowing not to abandon Arab protesters fighting for democracy . Writing in the Times they say: We will not stand by as their aspirations get crushed in a hail of bombs, bullets and mortar fire. We are reluctant to use force, but when our interests and values come together, we know we have a responsibility to act … We will stand with those who want to bring light into dark, support those who seek freedom in place of repression, aid those laying the building blocks of democracy. As if to underline the point Nato launched a hail of bombs against Libya over night in what is thought to be the fiercest attack yet against Gaddafi’s regime. More than 20 air strikes in less than half an hour set off thunderous booms that rattled windows around the city . My colleague Simon Jeffery is live blogging Obama’s visit . We are going to be focusing on news from, and about, the Middle East. Here’s a run down of the latest developments: • Britain and France are to deploy attack helicopters against Libya in an attempt to break the military stalemate . The decision to deploy Apache helicopters is a clear recognition that high-level bombing from 15,000 feet cannot protect civilians who continue to be attacked by rocket and mortar shells. • Binyamin Netanyahu has repeated his assertion that there can be no return to Israel’s “indefensible” 1967 borders . Speaking to the Jewish lobby in Washington he said: “This conflict has raged for 100 years because the Palestinians refuse to end it. They refuse to accept a Jewish state.” • Gun battles erupted across the capital of Yemen yesterday as security forces clashed with fighters from the country’s most powerful tribe amid rising fears that a breakdown in political negotiations aimed at easing President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power could lead to civil war. The fighting was the fiercest yet between the pro- and anti-Saleh camps and came a day after Saleh backed away from a promise to sign an Arab-brokered deal that would end his 33 years in power. • Syria’s anti-government protesters are battling against internal divisions and growing frustration. There is disagreement about whether or not to negotiate with the government, what tactics to adopt for the street protests, and even whether the demonstrations began too soon. • The Guardian profiles five key figures in the Syrian opposition who are emerging as possible leaders of the Syrian rebellion : Suhair Atassi; Burhan Ghalioun; Radwan Ziadeh; Adnan Mohamed and Michael Kilo. Middle East Libya Muammar Gaddafi Syria Bashar Al-Assad Yemen Israel Matthew Weaver guardian.co.uk
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IPCC finds Leicestershire police failed to help woman who killed herself and disabled daughter after years of abuse by youths Four police officers will face misconduct proceedings over their force’s failure to properly help the family of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter in 2007 after years of torment by youths, the police watchdog said. An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into Leicestershire police’s dealings with Pilkington concluded that the force’s main failure was in not identifying the family as vulnerable, which meant police did not provide a structured, cohesive response to the antisocial behaviour they endured. The IPCC said that as a result of its investigation an inspector, a sergeant and two constables would face a misconduct meeting. Another constable is receiving “management action from the force for unsatisfactory performance”. The watchdog said it had made a series of recommendations to Leicestershire police connected to information sharing and the handling of vulnerable people, which the force has accepted. The IPCC commissioner, Amerdeep Somal, said he was alarmed to discover that Pilkington and her family had contacted police more than 30 times during the 10-year ordeal. “Fiona, her mother, her neighbours and MP had all contacted the police to inform them that she had repeated and justifiable concerns about her family’s predicament,” he said. “Yet, no one person gripped these reports and took charge to strategically manage and oversee what should have been a targeted police response. “There was nothing in place to ensure the Pilkington family were considered by police as vulnerable or repeat victims, contrary to the force’s own strategy. Systems were in place for officers to have linked the catalogue of incidents but these were not well utilised. Police missed several opportunities to take robust action, inadequately investigated criminal allegations on some occasions and failed to record information on their own intelligence system.” In October 2007, Pilkington, then 38, drove herself and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca Hardwick, to a layby near her home in Barwell, near Hinckley. She also took the family’s pet rabbit to soothe Hardwick, who had severe learning disabilities and a mental age of about four. She then set the Austin Maestro on fire, killing them both. An inquest two years later heard how the family had been kept virtual prisoners in their home by youths who threw stones, flour and other objects, and kept up a relentless stream of abuse. The jury ruled that failings by police contributed to the deaths, as did the failure of Leicestershire county council and Hinckley and Bosworth borough council to share information. Simon Cole, the chief constable of Leicestershire police, said the force “offer our unreserved apologies for whatever extent the force’s actions contributed to Fiona’s mindset at the time that she and Francecca died”. “We acknowledge, as we did following the inquest in 2009, that our actions failed to meet the family’s needs and in retrospect we would have done things differently.” The case prompted wider concern that many police forces were failing to properly identify hate crimes motivated by disability and thus treating them as low-priority antisocial behaviour, something disability campaigners say too often remains the case. This was particularly glaring with the Pilkingtons, where the bulk of the abuse was targeted at the disabilities of Hardwick and her younger brother, Anthony Pilkington, who has milder learning difficulties. The IPCC concluded that one of Leicestershire police’s main failings was in not identifying the abuse as hate crime. The report found that the force had systems in place which should have recognised the scale of cumulative harassment faced by the family, but that these were not used properly. Officers failed to take note of Pilkington’s repeated assertions that her family was being specifically targeted for ongoing abuse. The watchdog cited several incidents to which the police should have responded more robustly, including one in July 2004 when Anthony, then 13, was threatened with a knife by youths and locked in a shed. Police did not visit the family until four days later. The inquest heard at times harrowing detail about how gangs of local teenagers and children, some as young as 10, had the family “under siege”. Pilkington’s 1930s semidetached house, where she had lived for 15 years, was pelted with stones, while youths smashed bottles outside and jumped into the front hedge. On some weekend nights young people hung outside the house for hours on end, shouting taunts and insults. In a harassment diary briefly kept by Pilkington in the year of her death, she recounted shouts outside her living room window from 11.30pm until the early hours. The entry ends: “Sat in the dark until 2.30am, stressed out.” Apart from contacting police – she did so 13 times in the year of her death – Pilkington discussed matters with two antisocial behaviour officers from her borough council, dealt with a series of social workers and even wrote to her MP. No one was convicted of a crime, or even arrested before her death, although the identities of the main culprits were known to police and council officials. Police Disability Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
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George Davis, whose case led to Ashes Test being abandoned, wins appeals after decades of denying involvement in robbery A man who has spent decades denying his involvement in an armed robbery has won his appeal against conviction. George Davis was jailed over a raid in April 1974 at the now defunct London Electricity Board (LEB) in Ilford, Essex. On Tuesday three judges at the court of appeal quashed his conviction. Davis, now 69, who lives in London, was present in the packed courtroom for the announcement, made by Lord Justice Hughes. At a hearing earlier this year, Davis’s barrister argued that his Old Bailey convictions for robbery and wounding with intent to resist arrest should be overturned. It was submitted that evidence to show the convictions were unsafe “has been in the hands of the authorities since at least 1977″”. The convictions were referred to the court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), an independent body which investigates possible miscarriages of justice. Davis was originally sentenced in March 1975 to 20 years. The same year the court of appeal rejected a conviction challenge bid, but reduced his sentence to 17 years. His case attracted widespread attention in the 1970s, with the punk band Sham 69 writing a song about him, The Who singer Roger Daltrey wearing a T-shirt proclaiming Davis’s innocence and his name being daubed across railway and road bridges. Campaigners calling for his release also vandalised the pitch at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds in 1975, causing a Test match between England and Australia to be abandoned. Davis’s sentence was remitted by royal prerogative and he was released from prison in 1976. He was arrested again in September 1977 and later pleaded guilty to his involvement in an armed robbery at the Bank of Cyprus in London. He was sentenced to 15 years, reduced to 11 years on appeal. Lord Justice Hughes, sitting with Mr Justice Henriques and Mrs Justice Macur, said when quashing his conviction: “There can of course be no question of retrial at this remove of time.” Court of appeal London guardian.co.uk
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PC Simon Harwood will face criminal proceedings for striking newspaper vendor with a baton during G20 protests in 2009 A police officer will face trial for manslaughter over the death of newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests. PC Simon Harwood, 43, a Metropolitan police officer, has been told he is to face criminal proceedings for striking Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground in April 2009. Tomlinson, 47, had been trying to make his way home from work through demonstrations near the Bank of England when he was pushed from behind. He collapsed and died three minutes later. The decision to prosecute Harwood was announced at the office of the Crown Prosecution Service, shortly after Tomlinson’s family were personally informed. More details soon … Ian Tomlinson Police G20 Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …IPCC finds Leicestershire police failed to help woman who killed herself and disabled daughter after years of abuse by youths Four police officers will face misconduct charges over their force’s failure to properly help the family of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter in 2007 after years of torment by youths, the police watchdog said. An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into Leicestershire police’s dealings with Pilkington concluded that the force’s main failure was in not identifying the family as vulnerable, which meant police did not provide a structured, cohesive response to the antisocial behaviour they endured. The IPCC commissioner, Amerdeep Somal, said he was alarmed to discover that Pilkington and her family had contacted police more than 30 times during the 10-year ordeal. “Fiona, her mother, her neighbours and MP had all contacted the police to inform them that she had repeated and justifiable concerns about her family’s predicament,” he said. “Yet, no one person gripped these reports and took charge to strategically manage and oversee what should have been a targeted police response. “There was nothing in place to ensure the Pilkington family were considered by police as vulnerable or repeat victims, contrary to the force’s own strategy. Systems were in place for officers to have linked the catalogue of incidents but these were not well utilised. Police missed several opportunities to take robust action, inadequately investigated criminal allegations on some occasions and failed to record information on their own intelligence system.” In October 2007, Pilkington, then 38, drove herself and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca Hardwick, to a layby near her home in Barwell, near Hinckley. She also took the family’s pet rabbit to soothe Hardwick, who had severe learning disabilities and a mental age of about four. She then set the Austin Maestro on fire, killing them both. An inquest two years later heard how the family had been kept virtual prisoners in their home by youths who threw stones, flour and other objects, and kept up a relentless stream of abuse. The jury ruled that failings by police contributed to the deaths, as did the failure of Leicestershire county council and Hinckley and Bosworth borough council to share information. The IPCC said that as a result of its investigation an inspector, a sergeant and two constables would face a misconduct meeting. Another constable is receiving “management action from the force for unsatisfactory performance”. The watchdog said it had made a series of recommendations to Leicestershire police connected to information sharing and the handling of vulnerable people, which the force has accepted. Police Disability Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
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