UK: man jailed after stealing and other news

Britain battered by wind and rain
High winds and heavy rain have battered England and Wales, while parts of Scotland could face blizzard conditions later as the unsettled weather continues. One man had a miraculous escape when a tree smashed into his bedroom while he was asleep in Winchester, Hampshire. Former ambassador Richard Wilkinson, 65, suffered only an ear injury despite the beech tree crushing his bedroom. Luckily his wife Angela, 52, was away as the tree crashed on to her side of the bed. Speaking outside his badly damaged home after returning from hospital for treatment to a cut ear, Mr Wilkinson described events. "I was between sleeping and awake, listening to the storm outside when there was an enormous crash like the Eiffel Tower falling into the Crystal Palace. "I felt a blow to the side of my head, there was blood in my ear and I knew what had happened.(press association)

Man jailed after stealing more than 700 rare birds eggs
A man has been sentenced to six months in jail after being caught in possession of more than 700 rare birds’ eggs- stealing them from nests across the UK. Matthew Gonshaw, 49, pleaded guilty to 10 offences that included the theft and possession of rare birds’ eggs – including 12 precious golden eagle eggs. Gonshaw has previously been jailed three times for similar offences and was found to have a quantity of specialist equipment at his home – such as climbing equipment, camouflaged clothing and maps that contained the nesting spots of birds. Met Police officers found the equipment with the 714 birds’ eggs during a search at Gonshaw’s home in Bow, East London.(yahoo! news)

Police must act on corruption - report
British police must take urgent action to address the issue of corruption although the problem is not endemic, a report commissioned following the News Corp phone-hacking scandal said on Tuesday. The review, ordered after both Britain's most senior policeman and the top anti-terrorism officer quit amid criticism of their roles in the hacking saga, found more than a third of the public believed corruption was a problem. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which carried out the review, said guidelines and governance over police relationships with the media, hospitality, gifts and outside business interests were generally weak and widely inconsistent. Roger Baker, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said it was an urgent wake-up call. "The service needs to get a grip on these issues," he told reporters.(reuters)

'Eagerness of Rooney blackmailer'
Coleen Rooney's alleged blackmailer waited "in anticipation" as £5,000 was counted out in a hotel bar - seconds before being arrested in a police sting, a court has heard. Steven Malcolm, 42, was eager to get his hands on the money, it was alleged, after handing over a black folder and camera memory card to an undercover police officer, Manchester Crown Court heard. The items contained more than 400 personal photos of Mrs Rooney, her husband Wayne, son Kai and wider family. The wife of the Manchester United and England striker had her Samsung digital camera stolen while watching a show in a VIP box at the MEN arena on May 24 last year. Malcolm and Jennifer Green, 25, are on trial accused of blackmail and handling stolen goods after photos from the camera memory card were touted for cash to newspapers and magazines. The defendants, along with Green's partner Lee Platt, are also accused of being in on the plot after Manchester United were called and £5,000 demanded for return of the photos.(perss association)

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