Claudia Lawrence: Police search of gravel pits near missing chef's home over with 'nothing of obvious significance' found - Sky News

A two-week search in relation to the 2009 disappearance of Claudia Lawrence has ended with "nothing of obvious significance located", police have said.

Detectives from North Yorkshire Police had been searching the Sand Hutton Gravel Pits site - around eight miles from Ms Lawrence's home in York.

They began examining a wooded area on 24 August and later drained a lake in the hope of finding any evidence that would locate the body of the missing university chef.

But on Sunday, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, head of the force's investigation team, said that only a "small number of items were recovered".

They will be assessed for any forensic potential, but are not being linked to Ms Lawrence's disappearance, he said.

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Image: Police searched a wooded area at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits

Her family has been informed that the search has ended.

Det Supt Fox said that the force launched the search operation after receiving several separate strands of information "pointing to the area of Sand Hutton".

More on Claudia Lawrence

After consulting with experts from various fields, "we could not discount the possibility that Sand Hutton Gravel Pits could have a major relevance in explaining what happened to Claudia", he said.

The investigation lead said he was "duty bound to conduct searches of the area", adding that "not searching was not an option".

Image: Police also drained a lake at the site

He said that while nothing of "obvious" significance was found, public interest in the search has caused several people to come forward with information, which will be assessed in due course.

"As I hope the events of the last two weeks demonstrate, we are committed to establishing what happened to Claudia and bringing closure for her family," he concluded.

"You cannot fail to be moved by the ongoing suffering of a mother who does not know what has happened to her daughter.

"I again repeat the request to those who know what has happened to Claudia, to do the right thing, come forward and help end the torment of Claudia's family."

Image: Peter Lawrence died without knowing what happened to his daughter

Ms Lawrence, 35, was last seen on 18 March 2009 and, although police believe she was murdered, her body has never been found.

Nine people have been questioned during two investigations into her disappearance but no charges have been brought.

Ms Lawrence's father, Peter, died earlier this year without knowing what happened to his daughter.

He campaigned for years for answers and lobbied for the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill - also known as Claudia's Law - which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters.

Her mother said the recent search left her in "utter shock".

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2021-09-05 15:05:17Z
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Bournemouth Air Festival resumes after plane crashes into sea - BBC News

An eyewitness has told how a pilot avoided a "catastrophe" after a plane crashed into the sea injuring two people at Bournemouth Air Festival.

The crash, involving a wing-walker plane took place away from the display area off Bournemouth beach on Saturday.

Alan Badenhorst helped rescue the pair from Poole Harbour by pulling them on his boat. The crew suffered minor injuries, Dorset Police said.

He said the pilot seemed to display an "incredible feat of flying".

Mr Badenhorst had been in a dinghy with his partner and their three young children when he spotted the low-flying aircraft.

"The plane kept getting lower, and lower," he said. "And then suddenly the plane hit the water and flipped over."

The father-of one, from Wareham, Dorset, said his family then went to the Aerosuperbatics plane's aid, and dragged the pilot and a woman from the water into their dinghy. The plane sunk shortly after, he said.

"It was an incredible piece of flying to be able to land in the water between the rocks, our boats, the chain ferry - just amazing," he said.

He added that after the crash the pilot went under the water to help get his passenger out.

"Had he landed anywhere else it would have been catastrophic... who knows what travesty could have unfolded," Mr Badenhorst said.

"It was the most surreal experience really. It's a day the kids will never forget and I don't think I will either really."

Festival director Jon Weaver said the crew members were "both fine".

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent on Sunday, Mr Weaver said: "I have been in contact, but not directly. They have been discharged and they are out of hospital."

Flying resumed on Sunday at about 15:00 BST, with aerial displays including the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows.

@ACason00

Eyewitnesses described "terrifying" scenes on Saturday afternoon as the biplane hit the water and flipped.

Mark Ash, who saw what happened, said people had been worried the low-flying plane would crash on land.

He said: "It was coming straight towards us. We didn't quite know what to do, We wouldn't have got out the way in time.

"Luckily the pilot - [he was] amazing - managed to steer the plane away from the path and probably crashed 15ft into the water."

Owain Hughes

Reflecting on the crash, Mr Weaver said it was a reminder of the "huge amount of effort" put into air safety and "fortunately it wasn't a serious incident".

A crane arrived on Sunday to salvage the plane from the water .

Dorset Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have both confirmed they have launched investigations into the crash.

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2021-09-05 14:09:51Z
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Nadhim Zahawi: vaccine passports necessary to keep large venues in England open - Guardian News

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2021-09-05 13:15:32Z
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Claudia Lawrence: Police end Sand Hutton lake search - BBC News

PA Media

Nothing of significance has been found during the latest search for clues to the suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence, police have confirmed.

The 35-year-old chef has not been seen since she failed to turn up for work at the University of York in March 2009.

Police began a search of Sand Hutton gravel pits, about eight miles (13km) outside the city, on 24 August.

North Yorkshire Police said some items, with no obvious link to Ms Lawrence, were being assessed.

Leading the inquiry, Det Supt Wayne Fox said "nothing of obvious significance" was located during searches of part of the wooded area and in the smaller of the two lakes at the site.

He said separate strands of information had been received which led to the two-week search at Sand Hutton.

"When we assessed these separate and independently-sourced pieces of information against the wealth of information already generated during the last 12 years, we found they correlated with other information pointing to the area of Sand Hutton," he said.

Det Supt Fox added that officers had consulted with national experts and concluded they could not discount the "possibility that Sand Hutton gravel pits could have a major relevance in explaining what happened to Claudia".

He said the force had been duty bound to conduct thorough searches.

"Not searching was not an option - not for Claudia, not for her family and not for the wider public," he added.

The searches at Sand Hutton involved draining the smaller of the two lakes and combing through extensive woodland that surrounds both lakes.

Det Supt Fox said while a small number of items were recovered during the two-week search, which were being assessed for their forensic potential, any relevance to Ms Lawrence's disappearance had not currently been established.

PA Media

The disappearance of Ms Lawrence sparked one of the longest running and highest profile missing person cases in the UK.

• Claudia search prompts new leads
• Mum shocked by news of fresh searches
• What happened to Claudia?

She was last seen at 15:05 GMT on Wednesday 18 March 2009 as she walked towards her home on Heworth Road, York.

That evening she spoke to both of her parents in separate phone calls, but failed to arrive for her shift at Goodricke College the following day.

Her father, Peter Lawrence, reported her missing on 20 March. A friend of Ms Lawrence's had called him after she did not turn up at a local pub on the evening of 19 March.

A number of people have been questioned in connection with her disappearance, but no charges have ever been brought.

Det Supt Fox said the publicity surrounding the latest search had prompted members of the public to come forward with new information, which would be assessed and investigated.

He added North Yorkshire Police was not liaising with any other police force about the information received.

He said the force remained committed to establishing what had happened to Ms Lawrence.

"You cannot fail to be moved by the ongoing suffering of a mother who does not know what has happened to her daughter," he said.

"I again repeat the request to those who know what has happened to Claudia to do the right thing, come forward and help end the torment of Claudia's family."

Ms Lawrence's father died in February without ever finding out what had happened to his daughter.

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• What happened to Claudia- - BBC News

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2021-09-05 13:34:12Z
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Covid-19: Vaccine passports to start in England this month - BBC News

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Plans to introduce vaccines passports in nightclubs and other indoor venues in England will go ahead this month, the vaccines minister has confirmed.

Nadhim Zahawi said it was the right time to introduce the certificates, as all over-18s will have been offered two jabs by the end of September.

The scheme requiring people to show Covid vaccination proof has been criticised by venues and some MPs.

But Mr Zahawi said it would ensure the economy could remain open.

"The best way we can keep those industries open in my view, in our view, is to work with the industry," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

The vaccines minister said: "One thing that we have learnt is that in large gatherings of people, especially indoors, the virus tends to spike and spread."

Mr Zahawi also indicated the government's plans to offer a Covid booster jab to most vulnerable people - including all over-50s - could get the go-ahead this month.

And he said extending the vaccine rollout to all 12-15 year-olds would "absolutely" be the right thing to do if the UK's chief medical officers recommended it.

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Asked about vaccine passports, Mr Zahawi referred to Premier League football clubs asking some fans to show proof they have been jabbed, which allowed stadiums to reopen to capacity crowds last month.

However, only a small number of clubs have made Covid-19 checks a mandatory condition of entry.

He said: "When the evidence that you are presented is so clear cut and that we want to make sure the industry doesn't have to go through [an]open-shut, open-shut sort of strategy, then the right thing to do is to introduce that by the end of September when all over 18 year-olds have had their two jabs."

The Night Time Industries Association has said plans for vaccine passports could "cripple the industry" and see night clubs facing discrimination cases.

Opposition to the plans has also comes from Tory MPs on the Covid Recovery Group as well as the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Ed Davey, described them as "divisive, unworkable and expensive".

It comes after Scotland this week announced that vaccine passports will be required for entry to nightclubs and many large events in Scotland from later this month.

Wales says it has no plans to introduce Covid passports for venues, while ministers in Northern Ireland have not yet announced a position on a scheme.

Meanwhile, on the issue of offering Covid jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds, Mr Zahawi said he did not want to "pre-determine" the decision of the UK's chief medical officers but would accept their advice.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided not to recommend the rollout be extended, saying the benefits to younger children on health grounds alone were "marginal". They have now asked the chief medical officers to consider the wider implications - including transmission rates and disruption to schools.

Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the Nervtag group that advises the government on virus threats, said he was "a little surprised" at the JCVI's decision.

"We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that, if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune," he told BBC Breakfast.

Interim advice from the JCVI has also suggested giving a third dose of a Covid vaccine to more than 30 million people.

Mr Zahawi said: "It is very likely that we will begin boosting those groups as per the, I hope, interim advice becomes final advice by the end of this month."

On Saturday, 37,578 cases of coronavirus were reported in the UK and 120 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

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2021-09-05 12:24:07Z
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Prince Charles's aide steps down following claims he offered to help secure an honour for rich Saudi donor - Sky News

One of Prince Charles's closest aides has stepped down from his role following claims he offered to help secure an honour for a rich Saudi donor.

Michael Fawcett, a former assistant valet to the prince, has temporarily left his job as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation, the charity confirmed on Saturday.

The Sunday Times and Mail On Sunday both reported that Mr Fawcett had coordinated support for an honour to be given to businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.

Mr Mahfouz, 51, was given a CBE by Charles in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2016, The Sunday Times said, after paying "tens of thousands of pounds to fixers with links to the prince who had told him they could secure the honour".

The newspaper quoted leaked correspondence from William Bortrick, the owner of Burke's Peerage and one of Mr Mahfouz's advisers, telling colleagues in 2014 that once the Saudi had "Hon OBE... then more money will flow".

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The OBE, he said, was "promised" to Mr Mahfouz "to get the £1.5m he paid for Dumfries (House) and (The Castle of) Mey".

He added: "MF (Michael Fawcett) needs to keep to his side of the bargain and sort out the Hon OBE immediately - then assist with citizenship."

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The Sunday Times said Mr Fawcett later helped to "upgrade" the proposed honour from an OBE to a CBE.

Douglas Connell, chair of The Prince's Foundation, said: "Earlier today, Michael Fawcett offered to step down temporarily from active duties as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation while the trustees' investigation is ongoing.

"The Prince's Foundation has accepted this offer.

"Michael fully supports the ongoing investigation and has confirmed that he will assist the investigation in every way."

Image: Prince Charles is next in line to the throne

It is understood that Emily Cherrington, chief operating officer, will take over meanwhile, and that the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has been informed as The Prince's Foundation is registered in Scotland.

But some have called for more - among them, former Liberal democrats MP Normal Baker, who told Sky News he wants the Metropolitan Police to investigate allegations of cash for favours, including honours concerning Mr Fawcett.

Mr Baker wrote in the Mail: "It is the Prince of Wales, not Michael Fawcett, who has to answer questions now. His royal fingerprints are all over this.

"The monarchy has been seriously damaged by the dodgy activities of the boorish Prince Andrew and by the self- obsessed bleatings of Harry and Meghan.

"The Queen continues to command respect, but she will not go on for ever.

"This morning, many will be asking themselves how Prince Charles can square such behaviour with the momentous responsibilities he is due to inherit one day."

A spokeswoman for The Prince's Foundation said: "The Prince's Foundation takes very seriously the allegations that have recently been brought to its attention and the matter is currently under investigation.

"We are incredibly proud of The Prince's Foundation's charitable work and the positive impact it has on our beneficiaries throughout the UK and across the world."

Mr Fawcett was appointed footman to the queen in 1981 and rose through the ranks to become Charles's assistant valet.

In 2003 he was cleared of financial misconduct following claims he had been involved in selling royal gifts and pocketing some of the proceeds.

An inquiry into the claims was headed by Charles's then private secretary Sir Michael Peat, who said that Mr Fawcett did "infringe internal rules relating to gifts from suppliers" but the rules were not enforced and he made no secret of the gifts.

Mr Fawcett resigned following the report's publication, but kept the prince's patronage as a freelance fixer and party planner.

He was appointed chief executive of the Prince's Foundation in 2018.

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2021-09-05 01:22:24Z
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Two injured after plane crashes into sea near Bournemouth - BBC News

Alex Cason

Two people have been injured after a plane crashed into the water at the Bournemouth Air Festival.

It involved a small wing-walker aircraft and took place away from the main display area off Bournemouth beach.

Dorset Police said the pair had been rescued from Poole harbour at about 15:30 BST and were reported to have suffered only minor injuries.

Eyewitnesses described the biplane flipping as it hit the water.

Police said an investigation was under way.

'Pilot looked shocked'

Alex Cason, 30, told the BBC he was fishing when he saw the plane come down in front of him.

"Just above the rocks I see this plane very low and I just sort of stood there in shock really - it was descending," he said.

"I couldn't stop looking at the pilot's face - he looked in real shock... a few seconds later 10 metres in front of me the plane crashes.

"The plane's nose hit the water, it flipped over, and then the pilot and passenger were under water for 10 seconds and luckily there was a rib [boat] nearby and they came over.

"It was very terrifying to watch, the lady [passenger] was screaming... I didn't know what to do, I just stood there in shock."

Alex Cason

Owain Hughes, who was sailing in Poole Harbour at the time of the crash, captured the moment of impact on his phone.

"It was flying low for a while and then it landed before doing a front flip," he said.

"We were sailing into the harbour. I honestly thought it was going to crash into us."

The rescue team was soon on hand and involved two lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter, the RNLI said.

Owain Hughes

BBC Radio Solent's Ian Ramsdale, who was at the festival on Saturday, said spectators on the beach had been told a pilot had reported a fault and had flown off to try and rectify it.

"They just didn't return," he said.

Bournemouth Air Festival said the aircraft would be recovered in due course and thanked those who took part in the rescue.

It said: "It is a huge relief for all those involved in the Air Festival that the incident has resulted in the display crew being removed from the water safe and well."

It added it expected display flights to resume on Sunday.

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2021-09-04 18:57:35Z
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