Mexico arrests senior Zetas crime boss

 

Mexico's armed forces arrested a high-level Zetas drug cartel boss who was in charge of operations in three states along the US border and was a right-hand man of the cartel chief. The military said the arrest of the suspect, whom it did not identify, was made in Saltillo, Coahuila state, as gang members unleashed a hail of gunfire in an apparent failed attempt to cover his escape. The suspect "is considered the operational chief for the criminal operations of the Zetas criminal group in Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It said he was also a top lieutenant of cartel chief Heriberto Lazcano, in which case the arrest would be one of the largest blows ever dealt to the organization. The arrest followed running street battles involving troops, police and gang members in which a taxi driver was killed and eight other people were wounded, including three police, the Coahuila state prosecutor's office said. Authorities said the suspect would be presented to the media on Thursday. The arrest came the day after the United States accused Iranian operatives of having tried to contact a Mexican drug cartel as part of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Officials did not specify which of Mexico's powerful cartels was allegedly approached, but US media reported that it was the Zetas, a notorious drug cartel made up of former Mexican special forces. The Zetas have been accused of a string of killings, kidnappings and macabre displays of brutality that have made them one of the most feared gangs in Mexico's spiraling drug violence. Set up in the 1990s by ex-elite soldiers turned hired killers, the Zetas are fighting their former allies the Gulf cartel and others. More than 45,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexico launched a massive military operation against the cartels in 2006 involving some 50,000 troops. Earlier on Wednesday, the navy said it had found the body of a man it described as the "chief financial operator of the Gulf Cartel" in Reynosa, Tamaulipas state, without saying who was behind the killing. Last week Mexican troops detained 32 alleged Zetas members, including 18 municipal police officers, in the eastern state of Veracruz. The sting came after the bodies of 35 people, most with criminal records, were dumped on a road in Veracruz city in broad daylight. The killings were claimed by a shadowy new vigilante group calling itself the "Zetas Killers."

Thousands of children' sexually exploited by gangs

 

Thousands of children in England are being horrifically abused by gangs, the deputy children's commissioner has said, as she launches an inquiry. Current estimates say up to 10,000 children could be affected by the sexual abuse, but it is feared the true figure could be much higher. Sue Berelowitz said: "Right now thousands of children are being horrifically abused by gangs." She is mounting a two-year inquiry into the scale and scope of the problem. The exploitation involves children as young as 11 being targeted by groups of men or gangs. They are given gifts and attention, then sold or passed on to others once they are trapped. The issue reaches across all races and classes, said Ms Berelowitz.

London Gang Sweep Leads To 13 Arrests

 

Dawn raids by the Metropolitan Police have led to the arrest of 13 gang members in north London on Thursday morning. The raids involves some 200 police officers under Operation Connect - a dedicated unit set up to crack down on violence by street gangs. The officers from Haringey borough, Met specialist units and Safer Transport teams, joined the Operation Connect team for the operation. Territorial Support Group officers forced entry to 17 addresses in two coordinated waves during early morning. All the individuals targeted during the operation were sent warning letters earlier this week offering them the chance to get help to divert from the gang lifestyle - or face tough enforcement consequences. The arrests were of 12 male and one female suspected gang members, ranging in age from 17 to 26. They were arrested for offences ranging from armed robbery, assault, affray, possession with intent to supply and violent disorder to non-residential burglary. They are currently being interviewed at a number of London police stations. Four of the 13 arrests related to offences committed in Tottenham in the recent London disorder.

IT was a former Icelandic beauty queen who scooped the $A2.1 million reward for tipping off the FBI to the whereabouts of feared Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, it has been revealed.

In this courtroom sketch, James "Whitey" Bulger stands during his initial appearance in a federal courtroom in Boston in June. Source:AP

Bulger, who is charged with 19 murders in the 1970s and '80s in Boston, was arrested in June in Santa Monica, California, where he had been living under an assumed name with long-term girlfriend Catherine Greig.

The FBI has steadfastly refused to disclose the identity of the tipster, again declining to comment to AFP, but the Boston Globe says it was Anna Bjornsdottir, a 57-year-old graphic designer and yoga instructor.

Bjornsdottir, who was crowned Miss Iceland in 1974 and starred in that year's Miss Universe competition, tipped off police after recognising Bulger, 81, on the television news, reports said.

She is said to have befriended Greig, 60, in Santa Monica after the two women took a shared interest in a local stray cat.

The Boston Globe reported that Bjornsdottir, star of B-movies More American Graffiti and The Sword and the Sorcerer, moved to the LA area in the late 1970s with her first husband, rock star Jakob Magnusson.

Bulger, an Irish-American whose life inspired a gritty Hollywood movie, pleaded not guilty to the string of murder charges at a court appearance in July.

Police found some $A823,000 in cash and a "fairly big arsenal" of weapons in Bulger's modest apartment after his arrest, law enforcement sources said.

Greig, who is accused of helping to shield Bulger during his time on the run, was indicted by a federal grand jury and faces up to five years in prison and a $US250,000 fine if convicted.

Bulger was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed, the 2006 crime film directed by Martin Scorsese and also starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

Bulger and Greig had lived for years under the pseudonyms Charles and Carol Gasko.

In addition to accusations that Bulger murdered mob rivals, potential witnesses and others who threatened him, prosecutors accuse him of a crime spree spanning into the 1990s that included extortion, money laundering and, at one point, running guns to Northern Ireland's IRA militants.

51-year-old man, who police believe to be a high-ranking member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang, was questioned

 

Firearms, drugs, cash and fireworks have been seized during a raid on the Sydney home of a bikie member, police say. Officers from the NSW Gangs Squad allegedly found three rifles, a shotgun, fireworks, more than $17,000 in cash and a variety of drugs and drug paraphernalia when the they raided the Mt Druitt house in Sydney's west on Monday. A 51-year-old man, who police believe to be a high-ranking member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang, was questioned on Tuesday night.

triple kidnapping and murder case involving the Pittsfield chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club

file photoDavid Chalue, left, Adam Hall, center, and Caius Veiovis, right. The three were arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of three men in a case against a Hell's Angels member. Hall and Veiovis denied the charges Tuesday in Berkshire Superior Court 

 Two of the three men indicted last week in a triple kidnapping and murder case involving the Pittsfield chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club entered innocent pleas at their arraignments Tuesday in Berkshire Superior Court.

Adam Lee Hall, 34, of Peru, andCaius Veiovis, 31, of Pittsfield, each denied all charges at separate arraignments.

Hall, Veiovis and a third man, former Springfield resident David Chalue, 44, of North Adams, were indicted by a Berkshire grand juryon three counts each of murder and kidnapping, and four counts of intimidating a witness.

The three are charged with kidnapping and then killing three Pittsfield men, David Glasser, 44, Edward Frampton, 58, and Robert Chadwell, 47. The three were last seen Aug. 28 at the Pittsfield apartment where Glasser and Frampton lived.

Police allege that Hall, considered a sergeant at arms with the local Hells Angels branch, plotted to kill Glasser to prevent him from testifying against him in another case. Police said they believe Frampton and Chadwell were killed because they were present when Glasser was taken. 

This panel of undated photos released Sept. 6, 2011 by the Berkshire District Attorney's Office shows Robert Chadwell, left, Edward Frampton, center, and David Glasser. The men were found buried on private property in Becket on Sept. 10. (AP Photo/Berkshire District Attorney's Office)

A fourth man, David Casey, 62, of Canaan, N.Y., was charged with three counts of being an accessory to murder, accessory to kidnapping, and accessory to intimidating a witness. Each of those charges are considered after the fact. Prosecutors allege that Casey used construction equipment to help bury the three bodies in Becket.

 

At Tuesday’s arraignment, Judge John Agnosti ordered each to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without the right to bail. They are each due back in court for pre-trial hearings on March 28. 

Chalue and Casey are expected to be in court for arraignments later this week. 

Iranians allegedly plotting the terrorist attack tried to hire the notorious Zeta’s drug cartel to carry it out.

 

 The suspects offered $1.5 million and “multi-ton” quantities of opium as payment. This case illustrates that we live in a world where borders and boundaries are increasingly irrelevant. According to the criminal complaint the Iranian suspect wanted to hire the Zetas because the cartel had access to military grade weaponry including explosives.  "I think the Zetas have the reputation of being the most ferocious and violent drug cartel in Mexico and so this Iranian agent may have thought the Zetas will do anything, that they’re cold blooded killers, and they’re capable of pulling something like this off." said Howard Campbell, author of the "Drug War Zone. The Zetas are behind some of the most brutal and brazen killings in Mexico including grenade attacks in public places, a casino fire in Monterrey that killed dozens of people and the murder of a U.S. federal agent working in San Luis Potosi. His partner was wounded. The suspect named in the criminal complaint traveled to Mexico on several occasions to work out the details of the terrorist attack.  A source says one meeting happened in Reynosa on the Texas border. In the end, he was not dealing with the violent Zetas but a drug trafficker who is paid informant for the US government.

Los Zetas is depleted, after the capture of four of its top leaders and the dismantling of about 40 cells in that organization in the state of Veracruz

 Los Zetas is depleted, after the capture of four of its top leaders and the dismantling of about 40 cells in that organization in the state of Veracruz in less than four months, officials in this port said. 

It is said most of the Zetas are hiding and are not operating, so there is clearly a drop in kidnappings, "levantones" and derecho de pizo or cuota charges in Veracruz and Boca del Rio, mainly. 

Military sources also believed that Los Zetas do not have enough people so their operations and finances are being depleted. 

But officials warn a reinforcement of assassins may come from Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca. 

The dismantling of various cells of the criminal group, it was mainly due to the arrest of leaders and local police commanders who assure safety  to the Zetas. 

Sense August the Navy has arrested at least 30 members of various local corporations. 

In July, seven police officers were arrested Tuxpan by the Navy, and presumed to be involved in the death of a sailor. Among them was a second in command. 

A month later in Veracruz, the arrest of Francisco Bautista Carballo, "The Shark" and two of his accomplices, weakened the actions carried out by Los Zetas in the port and Boca del Rio in kidnapping and collecting derecho de pizo or cuotas. 

Another cell was dismantled on August 14, when the Navy arrested five members of the cartel involved in the death of four sailors in retaliation for the Navy operating in the state. 

In September, six Intermunicipal police officers from Veracruz-Boca del Rio were arrested for carrying out murders and kidnappings for Los Zetas. 

In addition, 74 members of this criminal group were also arrested, among them Karim Muñoz Castillo, the plaza boss from Tuxpan. 

At the end of the month Angel Manuel Mora, "Commander Devil," was arrested after a clash in Las Brisas, in the port of Veracruz. 

Mora served as an alleged chief hitmen in the urban area of ​​Veracruz-Boca del Rio, as well as the alleged person in charge to assure the safety of that criminal group in Ciudad Mendoza, Veracruz route. 

On Thursday, the Navy arrested 12 alleged members of the criminal organization Los Zetas, including the alleged new leader in Veracruz. 

In recent days, federal forces have killed seven suspected members of Los Zetas who have attacked military convoys. 

In the port of Veracruz, the patrols of the Army, Navy and state police are frequent. 

But the "hawks", are also in the look out. 

Iranian-American used-car salesman who believed he was hiring assassins from a Mexican drug cartel for $1.5 million.

 

The United States on Tuesday accused Iranian officials of plotting to murder Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States in a bizarre scheme involving an Iranian-American used-car salesman who believed he was hiring assassins from a Mexican drug cartel for $1.5 million. The alleged plot also included plans to pay the cartel, Los Zetas, to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Saudi and Israeli Embassies in Argentina, according to a law enforcement official. The plotters also discussed a side deal between the Quds Force, part of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Los Zetas to funnel tons of opium from the Middle East to Mexico, the official said. * The plot evidently was discovered at a very early stage. One wonders: How? Through intercepts of phone conversations or emails? Eric Holder, widely believed to be a dead man walking in Washington as a result of Fast and Furious, was front and center at today’s news conference. Holder was a prominent critic of essentially everything the Bush administration did to discover and combat terrorist plots. It would be interesting to know whether the intelligence triumph that Holder celebrated today was yet another example of the wisdom of the Bush administration policies that Obama, Holder and their ilk endlessly demagogued before they found it expedient to adopt them. * One remembers liberal assurances, when a Republican administration was trying to keep us safe from terrorist attacks, that diverse anti-American groups could never cooperate. Democrats went so far as to claim that Shia and Sunni Muslims–who in fact work together in furtherance of terrorist plots all the time, as, to take just one example, when Iran supports Hamas–could never cooperate against America or our allies. Today, assuming the Obama administration is being truthful, we have the spectacle of Iran’s mullahcracy paying a Mexican drug cartel to carry out terrorist attacks. Do radical Muslims really care about technicalities like drug dealing when it comes time to advance their interests? Of course not! On the contrary, this plot represented an alliance of the world’s two major proponents of beheading. * Assuming that the administration’s account is correct, Iran had little doubt that a Mexican drug cartel would be able to get men and weapons across the border to carry out a terrorist attack in Washington. Presumably they were right. One wonders what it will take to get liberals to take border security seriously. If the Mexicans had blown up a D.C. restaurant and killed 100 Americans along with the Saudi ambassador, would liberals finally have started paying attention to the border? I doubt it. * One little detail has gotten lost in most reporting: The alleged plot also included plans to pay the cartel, Los Zetas, to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Saudi and Israeli Embassies in Argentina, according to a law enforcement official.

To the School Community: Due to the great insecurity we are living, and since authorities are not giving teachers, parents, students and the community in general the sufficient security

• 

Parents and teachers hang up a banner on the gates of a school in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexico on Monday. The banner reads in Spanish "To the School Community: Due to the great insecurity we are living, and since authorities are not giving teachers, parents, students and the community in general the sufficient security, we have decided to continue the work stoppage until security conditions are more favorable."

Bernandino Hernandez/AP

Mexican kidnapping gang's leader arrested

 

The suspected leader of the Los Gitanos kidnapping gang, which operates across Mexico and abducted a number of businessmen, has been arrested, Nuevo Leon state officials said Tuesday. "Aaron Bosquez Montes, alias 'El Chico,' 28, was the leader of the Los Gitanos kidnapping gang and demanded ransoms that ranged from 20 million pesos ($1.5 million) to $4 million," Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said. Bosquez Montes was arrested on Oct. 3 at the Mexico City international airport, Medina said. Twelve of the 15 members of the criminal organization, which had been collecting ransom payments for three years, have now been arrested, the governor said during an appearance at the Nuevo Leon State Investigations Agency, or AEI, headquarters. The gang staged at least nine kidnappings in Nuevo Leon, which is located in northern Mexico, reaping more than 52 million pesos (nearly $3.9 million) in ransom payments. Los Gitanos would conduct a "prior study of its victims" before kidnapping them, targeting "middle and upper class" businessmen and professionals, the governor said. The blow against the gang should "help us continue building confidence" among citizens, Medina said. Photographs of Bosquez Montes traveling overseas and recorded telephone conversations were released by officials. Authorities are asking victims of Los Gitanos to contact them and report the crimes. Kidnapping has become a widespread problem in Mexico in recent years, with gangs of different levels of sophistication targeting victims from various strata of society. In October 2010, Congress approved a bill that stiffens the penalties for kidnappers from 25 to 45 years behind bars when the victims are mutilated or if the criminals are retired or active-duty police officers, and from 40 to 70 years in prison if the victims are killed.

FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

 

High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata. A further "relief hearing" will now determine the impact of the ruling, which could de-rail the case altogether. It is the latest in a line of setbacks for the regulator, which has been investigating regulatory breaches at Keydata and millions of pounds of missing retail funds for two years. Keydata invested in "life settlement funds", which buy and sell US life insurance and generate high returns. In June 2009 the FSA applied for Keydata's closure "to protect investors", saying it was concerned about "potentially missing assets". The business was fast-tracked into administration and referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It emerged that £103m of life insurance policies managed by a Luxembourg business, SLS Capital, and sold to Keydata investors as low-risk bonds might have been "misappropriated".

US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

 

US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Clinton hails break-up of 'plot' Middle East rivalries play out in US The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions. "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," the alert said. It urged Americans residing and travelling abroad to review the information available when making travel plans. Iran has dismissed the allegations as false and baseless. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?” Hillary Clinton US secretary of state 'Well-grounded suspicions' Mrs Clinton praised those involved in the operation to uncover the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended," she said at a news conference. "This case will, I think, reinforce the well-grounded suspicions of many countries about what they're up to." Mrs Clinton said the suspected plotters had been trying to involve hired killers from Mexican drug cartels. "The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" she said. US Attorney General Eric Holder said Iran's involvement in the plot was "a flagrant violation of US and international law". Continue reading the main story Analysis Mohammad Manzarpour BBC Persian There is a long history of animosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia which stretches back to before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Religiously, the Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Shia clerics of Iran reject each other's interpretation of Islam. Geopolitically, the two are staunch rivals, engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle for greater regional influence. They have also been engaged in proxy wars for decades, taking different sides in the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. But it is the Saudis' military intervention in Bahrain which may have prompted the alleged plot. It was little criticised in the West but was seen in Iran as a blatant assault on the Shia majority in Bahrain. In a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office said: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking... We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions." US officials have said military action was not being considered. The US Treasury Department placed five Iranians, including the two men charged, under sanctions on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the plot. The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The other three were described as high-ranking members of the Quds force. Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said. A lawyer for Mr Arbabsiar said he would plead not guilty when he was officially indicted. 'Shocking' Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran. US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member. Manssor Arbabsiar appeared at a court in New York City on Tuesday Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil. Justice department officials said the initial envisaged target was the Saudi embassy. But in conversations secretly recorded for the US authorities, Mr Arbabsiar also allegedly considered having the ambassador killed at a purported favourite restaurant, despite the possibility of mass casualties. The plot would have been carried out with explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger. Mr Holder said Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, wired $100,000 to a US bank account for the informant as a downpayment. Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The choice of ambassadorial target is a direct expression of the acerbic tensions in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, and Iran” Kim Ghattas BBC News, Washington Alleged plot reflects Middle East rivalries Unnamed US officials also told journalists that the Israeli embassy in Washington was also to have been attacked. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a "propaganda campaign" by the US government against Tehran. The allegations were "a comedy show fabricated by America", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars. Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail. He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.

US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

 

The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after the United States accused Iran of backing a plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.   Murder Plot Iranians charged over assassination plot / Reuters American authorities uncover plot to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington, assassinate Saudi ambassador Full story "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.   The alert expires January 11, 2012, it said.

Roman Abramovich is a "gangster", court told

 

Boris Berezovsky said Mr Abramovich was part of “black ops” by the Russian security service designed to force him to give up his business interests in the country. Mr Berezovsky, the so-called “godfather” of the Russian oligarchs, says he met Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, at the Kremlin “eye to eye” and was told to give up his control of a television station that had criticised the president over his handling of the sinking of the nuclear submarine the Kursk. When he refused, he was threatened with arrest and policemen in balaclavas, dubbed “maski” stormed the TV station ORT to remove documents. Mr Berezovsky says he fled the country and Mr Abramovich, his former protegee took advantage of the situation to pressure him into selling both ORT and the oil conglomerate Sibneft they had created together. Mr Abramovich is then said to have sold his minority stake in the aluminium giant Rusal, massively devaluing Mr Berezovsky’s stake.

Michael Jackson's heartbroken daughter lashed out at Dr Conrad Murray for failing to save her father's life, jurors heard today as they again saw a photo of the pop stars dead body.

The King of Pop's three children 'cried and cried and cried' after being told their father was dead.

His daughter, Paris, now 13, told Murray, her father's personal doctor: 'I will wake up in the morning and I won't be able to see my daddy.'

On Tuesday a court in Los Angeles heard recordings of Conrad Murray saying Michael Jackson's children sobbed when they learned their father died and saw a photo of the singer's dead body

According to the 58-year-old cardiologist, she said: 'Dr Murray, you said you save a lot of patients. You know, you save people with heart attacks, and you couldn't save my dad.'

Paris's anguish was revealed in an interview Murray gave to detectives two days after Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.

The court saw a photograph of the painfully thin star taken before an autopsy was carried out on his body the day after his death. It was the second time the jury has seen a photo of the dead star after a picture was displayed on the opening day of the trial.

 Jackson's mother, Katherine, who flew back to Los Angeles from the weekend tribute to her son in Wales, left the courtroom before the disturbing image was shown on a screen.

Dr Christopher Rogers, Los Angeles Deputy Medical Examiner, said the 5 ft 9 ins tall singer was comparatively fit when he died.

Enlarge  

A coroner's photo of Jackson's naked body, with his genitals blacked out, was shown to jurors as they heard he was relatively fit for his age, but had many puncture wounds on his arms and legs from injections

'He was healthier than the average person of his age,' said Dr Rogers, who added there was no sign of any fat or cholesterol on the walls of Jackson's heart.

He ruled the cause of death was homicide as a result of acute Propofol intoxication, the court heard.

Dr Rogers dismissed Murray's claims that the singer took a deadly dose of Propofol himself while the doctor left his bedside for two minutes to go to the toilet. 

He suggested it was too short a time for Jackson to be able to self-administer the drug and for it take sufficient effect to stop his breathing.

He said Murray had no equipment to help deliver the correct amount of Propofol to help Jackson sleep.

Enlarge  

A close up of Jackson's wrist shows his date of death, which was actually June 25, 2009 but mis-labelled as August, and Coroner Case Number 2009-04415

'It would be easy for the doctor to estimate wrongly and give too much Propofol,' he added.

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, is not expected to testify at the trial at Los Angeles Superior Court, but the recording means jurors at least got to hear his side of the story.

Before Rogers the last 45 minutes of the two-hour tape was played in the hushed courtroom on Tuesday.

Murray told police Jackson's children 'really were weeping, really weeping' when they were told that doctors at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles had been unable to revive their 50-year-old father.

'I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr Conrad,' he said.

Sicily's tiny anti-Mafia TV channel

 

Sicilian TV station that campaigns against the Mafia, Telejato, is among hundreds of channels threatened with closure due to a change in the law. Partinico is a pretty nondescript little town - a handful of baroque churches, a couple of elegant palazzos and a lot of ugly concrete in between. If it were not for the fact that it is in the so-called "Mafia Bermuda Triangle", perhaps nobody outside the province of Palermo would have heard of it. As it is, like Corleone, it is a name that prompts Italians to raise an eyebrow and suck in their breath when you tell them you are planning to visit. Discreet entrance My point of departure is San Giuseppe Jato, another former Mafia stronghold. Continue reading the main story From Our Own Correspondent Broadcast on Saturdays at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4 and weekdays on BBC World Service Listen to the BBC Radio 4 version Download the podcast Listen to the BBC World Service version Explore the archive Having just visited a vineyard on land confiscated from an infamous jailed boss, I decide to try my luck with the only direct bus of the day to Partinico. I do what the traffic warden advises and wave it down in the middle of the road, just in front of the toy shop. After a picturesque journey through the Jato Valley, I alight an hour later at my destination, a town where the mountains rise up above the church steeples and illegal attic extensions. I find the block of flats which is home to Telejato without too much difficulty. It is on a quiet side street away from the bustle of the main road. The building number seems right but there is no sign or any directions to the TV station inside. I conclude that the best way to find Pino Maniaci is to follow my nose. As I climb the staircase, the smell of cigarette smoke gets stronger. I follow the aroma up to the second floor, through an unlocked door and into the newsroom. Pino Maniaci's daughter Letizia is the station's main reporter It is 13:20 and they go live at 14:00. Pino, his daughter and a couple of volunteer journalists are putting together the bulletin. When I come in, he turns towards me, cigarette between his lips. After the briefest of greetings he says, "We're on air soon so sit down and don't break my balls." His daughter looks up and grins. "Don't worry, that's how he talks to everyone," she says. Indeed Pino Maniaci, when not inhaling smoke, is invariably exhaling expletives. Unable to sit still and not wishing to be a ball-breaker, I nose around the small converted apartment. You can tell by the pictures, tributes and cuttings on the walls, just how proud Pino is of Telejato. Courage He has turned a tiny local TV station into one of Sicily's most powerful anti-Mafia voices. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote With his Groucho Marx-style moustache and Chico Marx-style accent, he boasts that even the Mafia watch Telejato” He says nearly all the locals watch it. In the heart of Cosa Nostra territory, he was the first journalist to dare to give the full names of arrested mafiosi. Before him, nobody published more than initials for fear of reprisals. Pino, his family and a small team of volunteers put together a daily news show, which is dominated by Mafia and corruption stories. "We're always first on the scene," he tells me. "Even international channels like CNN call and ask to use our footage." The station works closely with the various police forces, including the Catturandi di Palermo - a special squad that hunts mafiosi in hiding. "Wherever we show up, they're there. Wherever they show up, we're there." Pino's childlike bravado conceals his genuine courage. With his Groucho Marx-style moustache and Chico Marx-style accent, he boasts that even the Mafia watch Telejato. "We were the only ones to interview the brother of Bernardo Provenzano, one of the biggest Mafia bosses," he tells me. With a gleeful twinkle, Pino continues, "We even discovered that Provenzano himself had an aerial specially positioned to pick up our signal. If you listen to the police wire taps, you can hear our signature tune!" Murder attempt Telejato has a motto: "They consider themselves men of honour. For us, dishonouring them is a question of honour." Pino uses derision as both weapon and shield, but he admits he is scared, especially for his family. "I smoke three packets a day and always joke that it's just as well the biggest room in our tiny station is the bathroom!" Living under police escort, he has suffered countless attacks - slashed tyres, severed brake cables, burnt-out cars, windscreens shattered by gunshots. "They even tried to bump me off!" he chuckles, describing a failed attempt to strangle him, which left him with four fractured ribs, a broken leg, a black eye and several broken teeth. At 17:00, it is time for me to head for the station to catch a train up to Palermo. Pino refuses to let me go without showing me some true Sicilian hospitality. Police escort in tow, we go to a nearby coffee bar. Everyone, including the officers, gets an espresso and Pino insists I taste a cannolo, the island's famous ricotta-filled pastry. "I have to keep Telejato going," says Pino between mouthfuls, "so that one day Sicily will be more famous for these than for the Mafia."

Alleged hit-run death case on hold until next year

 

trial over an alleged hit-and-run death of a man in the rural area of Darwin has been put off until March next year. Hells Angels member Nicholas Frank "Shonky" Cassidy has been charged with causing the death of Levi Griffiths, whose body was found on the side of the Stuart Highway at Coolalinga last month. It is alleged he was hit by a utility and that his body was moved. Darwin Magistrates Court heard today that more than 100 witnesses will be called in the case. The court was told that all of the prosecution's forensic evidence has not been handed in yet. Cassidy's bail was continued.

OUTLAW bikies are believed to have put a $500,000 price on the heads of gang members who allegedly shot the son of a former Finks member.

Former Finks Bikie gang member Mark Sandery outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

South Australian police are aware of the offer, which leaves them in no doubt club members want to handle reprisals for the shooting of the 11-year-old without their intervention.

Mark Sandery's son was shot twice in the leg after armed intruders forced their way into a Semaphore house on Friday night. Police have received no co-operation from witnesses.

A source told Melbourne's Herald Sun: "The Finks are offering $500,000 to bring this bloke into any clubhouse in Australia. Every crook in Australia knows about it."

The Advertiser understands the Women's and Children's Hospital, where the boy is recovering, remains on high security alert, with some staff said to be terrified there could be further outbreaks of violence.

tattoo-faced sex offender living in Springfield, Missouri may win the prize for scariest mugshot ever with this menacing photo.

What a difference a few years make.

A tattoo-faced sex offender living in Springfield, Missouri may win the prize for scariest mugshot ever with this menacing photo.

Michael Campbell, 36, has been in and out of jail since the mid-nineties but as his 2008 mugshot shows, he still has found time to get his entire face etched in ink - including a pentagram emblazoned on the centre of his forehead.

Before and after: Convicted Missouri sex offender Michael Campbell's booking photos in 2003 and 2008 show two very different looking men

The before photo was snapped following an arrest in 2003 for theft in Jefferson County, Colorado and shows Campbell sporting three facial tattoos, including Pit bull dog in the centre of his neck.

Five years later, following a second arrest in Jefferson County, he appears as a completely different looking man - with a mosaic of demonic markings on his face. 

 

 

 

A pentagram etched on his forehead, and the markings of a skeleton on his nose are frightening additions, along with the surprisingly whimsical addition of a polka dot bow tie tattooed in the centre of his neck.

Campbell, a Colorado native, has been in and out of jail for over a decade. In 1995, at age 20, he was convicted for the attempted sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. 

Most recently he was arrested for going within 500ft of a playground or public pool. Campbell was booked on Sunday and later released.

According to the Missouri sex offender registry, Campbell also has tattoos on his back, left and right arms, chest and abdomen.

But he is not alone in the competition of scariest mugshots.

Caius Veiovis, 31, has undergone extensive implants to create horns on his head and had the number of the devil - 666 - tattooed on his forehead.

Veiovis' terrifying mugshot was released last month when he was arrested as part of a gang who are said to have kidnapped and murdered three Hells Angels. The horn-headed Satan-worshipper is said to have drank the blood of one of his victims.

And in June, the mugshot of 26-year-old Randon Reid, arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, showed a man with manic eyes and a scary gurning smile taken into custody after shots were fired at a grounded plane parked at Deer Valley Airport.