Members of a traveller family have been convicted of running a modern slavery ring which kept one of its captives in 'truly shocking' conditions for decades.

Vulnerable people were forced to work for the Rooney clan for little or no wages, while their pay-masters lived a life of lavish luxury.

The 11 gang-members, convicted of fraud and slavery charges, enjoyed holidays to Barbados and cosmetic surgery and even shelled out on a Manchester United soccer school, earned off the backs of their workers.

Operating from sites in Lincolnshire, they targeted victims who were homeless, had learning disabilities or complex drug and alcohol issues.

The men, aged 18 to 63, were freed after raids by Lincolnshire Police and the National Crime Agency, carried out in 2014. Some of the gang also targeted four elderly home-owners, getting them to sign over properties into their names and selling three on for profit - one for £250,000.

One the householders ended up dying without his family knowing. It was only when contacted police they discovered they had missed his funeral.

After four trials resulting in convictions, the full scale of the offending can now finally be revealed following a ruling at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

Judge Timothy Spencer QC said: 'After careful consideration, I'm quite satisfied the public interest lies in these matters being reported.'

Members of the family would go looking for victims on the streets, hostels and shelters, offering work for food and accommodation.

But at sites in Drinsey Nook and Washingborough, the offers of fair work for fair pay were exposed as lies.

However, it was through false promises, drugs, alcohol and violence, family members made sure they kept their victims 'financially-trapped' and under total control. Labourers were forced to live in shabby run-down caravans, or in stables next to kennels, with little or no access to basics such as heating, water and toilets.

Some were forced to squat in woods behind their living areas, while electricity was 'dangerously' tapped from a nearby pylon.

In all, 18 men were forced to work at the sites or for the Rooneys' businesses, repairing properties and tarmacking drives.

Most told how they were never given safety equipment or the right clothing.

A mother-of-two who downed morphine before veering onto the wrong side of the road and crashing into another driver has been jailed for 28 months.

Sylvia Brown caused life-changing brain injuries to 23-year-old Amy Lawrence when she crashed into her in Cranbrook, Kent after smoking cannabis and taking prescription drugs.

Despite slurring her speech and falling asleep as she spoke to police and paramedics in the aftermath of the crash on November 2, 2015, Brown initially claimed she had taken nothing stronger than cough syrup on the morning of the accident.

Blood tests later revealed the cocktail of drugs she had taken including prescription oramorph and codeine. 

The 53-year-old lied to police telling them the traces of cannabis came from passive smoking at a party the week before the horror smash.

During her trial Brown admitted she had 'made a mistake in panic' and that she was in fact a regular user of cannabis, smoking a joint each night before going to bed.

She maintained however that she had not consumed the drug on the morning of the accident, or taken her prescription morphine or any codeine. 

But today Brown's trial took a dramatic turn when she changed her plea and admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Brown, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said the only medicine she had taken the day of the crash was Benylin cough syrup.  

She was driving her Honda Civic when she ploughed into Miss Lawrence's Mini Cooper convertible at about 5pm.

The Honda, said to be travelling at 40mph, struck the side of Miss Lawrence's car, forcing it onto the pavement and a grass verge.

It left the keen equestrian with a brain injury which causes her both short and long-term memory loss, mood swings and constant headaches. 

The court heard she also sustained a hairline fracture to her breastbone, a sprained coccyx, an ear injury which has caused permanent tinnitus, and fractures to her left hand that required three operations but resulted in nerve damage and loss of grip.

She can no longer ride or drive, and has been unable to return to her job as an accounts administrator.

The court heard Brown was prescribed the morphine-based painkiller two months before the crash.

She said she usually took a dose every two to three days. She had also recently moved house and told her GP in October that she was anxious and under 'great physical stress'. 

But her doctor warned her of the implications of oramorph on her driving ability, the court was told. 

The force of the smash on the A229 Hartley Road between Cranbrook and Hawkhurst flipped Brown's car onto its roof. It then skidded along the road before striking a Ford Mondeo, driven by a work colleague of Miss Lawrence's. 

Brown made no attempt to slow down or swerve as she veered across the chevrons separating the lanes of the straight and wide road and into Miss Lawrence's path. 

As well as struggling to talk and stay awake, she was agitated and argumentative with police, avoided eye contact and had 'pin-point and fixed' pupils. 

An accountant who stole £350,000 from her employers walked free after a judge said she would not fit in in prison.  

Natalie Saul, 37, from Wandsworth, south London raided technology firm Idio's accounts to feed her gambling addiction and blew more than £250,000 playing online poker.

The mother-of-one submitted more than 400 fake invoices to get the cash from the software company between March 2015 and December 2016.

But Saul was given a two-year suspended sentence and 250 hours unpaid work by Judge Catherine Newman, who admitted her sentence was 'wholly exceptional' and fell outside sentencing guidelines. 

She told Southwark Crown Court Saul was 'not the general stuff of which the prison population is made'.

The judge added: 'I'm taking a considerable risk that the Crown will think it lenient and appeal, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.'

Lucie Daniels, defending Saul, had argued her client was 'shaken' by the loss of her grandmother in 2013 and was a committed charity worker.

'This offending is so out of character, she has worked hard and paid her taxes and been a responsible citizen,' said Ms Daniels. Yet her charitable efforts could not mitigate the loss to Idio, who hemorrhaged a total of £348,439 to her gambling addiction.

Saul's deception relied on her privileged role as office manager for the firm. She created fake invoices to the company which she sent to herself.

She then altered the details to her own bank account, paid herself the cash, and switched the bank details back to avoid detection.

Finally she marked the invoices as paid, using her knowledge of the company auditing system to escape attention.

The fraudster was caught when she went on maternity leave in December 2016 and a new CFO took over and spotted hundreds of fake invoices.

It was only after she was challenged by the company that she confessed her crimes, and admitted one count of fraud at Westminster Magistrates Court on July 13.

Judge Newman said she was on the brink of giving her a sentence of three years and four months, before being persuaded she was unfit for prison. 'You abused your position of control over your employers bank account,' said the judge.

'You devised and created over 400 accounts for stealing money by a fraud using a sophisticated method which involved some planning.

'Each account required six steps. First you raised fake invoices to the company account system.

'Secondly you used knowledge of auditing to reduce risk of detection. You amended the bank details of the recipient to your own bank account.

'You paid the invoices to yourself. Then you changed the bank details back to the original supplier.

'Finally you marked the invoices as paid. You did this for over a year. It has caused considerable harm to your employer which could ill afford to lose such a substantial sum, but thankfully survived.

'Your grandmother's death rocked the stability of your hitherto good citizenship. You had a steady partner who had no idea of your gambling addiction and stands by you.

'I'm prepared to take the wholly exceptional course of reducing your sentence and suspend it.'

Saul burst into tears as Judge Newman told her the sentence was suspended.

Saul was given a two-year suspended sentence and 250 hours community order for one count of fraud by abuse of position.

A man who was arrested over an alleged assault after a woman was pushed into the path of an oncoming bus has denied any involvement in the incident.

Millionaire American investment banker Eric Bellquist, 41, was held yesterday in relation to the incident in which the woman was pushed on Putney Bridge. 

But his lawyers say he has irrefutable proof that he was in the United States at the time of the incident 

The bus managed to swerve at the last minute, narrowly avoiding running over the 33-year-old woman's head. It read: 'Our client has been wrongly implicated in this matter; he categorically denies being the individual concerned and has irrefutable proof that he was in the United States at the time of the incident.

'Consequently we expect a swift resolution to this wholly untrue allegation.’

Mr Bellquist, who lives in Chelsea, west London, joined Hutton Collins in 2002. 

Over the course of various transactions he has represented Hutton Collins in the leisure, media/telecom and manufacturing sectors.

He currently represents Hutton Collins on the boards of Byron Hamburgers and was responsible for the firm's investment in Caffè Nero. Prior to Hutton Collins, Mr Bellquist worked in the European Leveraged Finance and Sponsor Coverage group at Lehman Brothers. He is a graduate from the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

Meanwhile, the driver of the London bus who swerved to avoid the woman who was pushed over has insisted he was 'just doing his job'.

Footage of the incident was released by Scotland Yard earlier this week, showing a man running over Putney Bridge and apparently knocking a woman into the path of an oncoming double-decker. 

Bus operators Go Ahead London told 5 News: 'The driver commented that he is pleased to have been a hero, he was just doing his job. 'He is pleased to have been able to react the way he did and that there was no serious injury to the lady.'

Police said a 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm at an address in the Chelsea area of London yesterday morning following a public appeal.

He was taken to a south London police station and was released pending further enquiries, Metropolitan Police said.

Yesterday the Metropolitan Police said that officers had received a 'good response' after calling for information on the incident.

The bus stopped after the fall and passengers tended to the woman - who received minor injuries - following the incident during rush hour, at around 7.40am on May 5.

On October 12, a 10-30 meter (32-98 foot) asteroid is set to make a 'close' flyby of Earth. 

The asteroid, named 2012 TC4, will pass just 4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers) from Earth for the first time since it went out of range in 2012.  

Although NASA researchers are certain that it will not come any closer than this, if the asteroid did hit Earth, it could lead to a much more devastating level of impact than the 18-meter asteroid that hit the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013.

That particular blast injured about 1,500 people, and damaged over 7,000 buildings, and experts now say 2012 TC4 is 'something to keep an eye on. According to NASA's jet Propulsion Laboratory, the asteroid's next 'close-approach' to Earth will take place on December 29, 2019 - although at a much further distance of more than 21 million miles (34 million kilometers). 

If it were to make impact with Earth's atmosphere, scientists predict the space rock would burn up before hitting the surface. But, this could still cause damage and injuries at the ground level. 

'It is something to keep an eye on,' Dr Judit Györgyey-Ries, an astronomer at the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory, told Astrowatch. NASA hopes to use its international network of observatories to recover, track and characterize asteroid 2012 TC4. 

As it starts to approach Earth in the coming months, large telescopes will be used to detect it and establish the asteroid's precise trajectory.

The new observations are expected to help refine knowledge about its orbit, narrowing the uncertainty about how far it will be from Earth at its closest approach in October. A meteor that blazed across southern Urals in February 2013 was the largest recorded meteor strike in more than a century.

More than 1,500 people were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs, as it landed near the city of Chelyabinsk. 

Thousands of North Korea's top military officers have marched through Pyongyang in a show of support for their dictator Kim Jong-un as the country issued yet more threats against the 'reckless and hysteric' US.

Pictures show organised lines of men from the country's armed forces cheering and raising their fists during the parade, in front of the capital's Fatherland Liberation War Victory monument.

It comes days after tens of thousands of placard-waving civilians staged a similar rally in the city.

This morning, Pyongyang's KCNA agency warned America that it is a 'tragedy that the reckless and hysteric behaviours may reduce the U.S. mainland to ashes any moment.'

The ranting statement said that it was the country's 'steadfast will...to put an end to the hostile moves of the U.S. which has imposed misfortunes and sufferings upon the Korean people for over half a century and win the final victory in the stand-off with imperialism and the U.S.'

It added: 'The U.S. and its vassal forces will dearly pay for the harshest sanctions and pressure and reckless military provocations against the DPRK.'

The latest show of defiance comes after Washington warned North Korea this week it faced 'fire and fury like the world has never seen' if it continued to threaten the US with its missile and nuclear programmes. Amid heightened tensions this morning, a Chinese state-run newspaper called on Beijing on Friday to 'stay neutral' if North Korea strikes first in a conflict with the United States, despite a mutual defence pact between the Asian allies. 

The nationalistic Global Times tabloid said in an editorial that Washington and Pyongyang were playing a 'reckless game' that could lead to 'miscalculations and a strategic 'war''.

'Beijing is not able to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down at this time,' the Global Times said.

'It needs to make clear its stance to all sides and make them understand that when their actions jeopardize China's interests, China will respond with a firm hand. The commentary came after Washington warned North Korea this week it faced 'fire and fury like the world has never seen' if it continued to threaten the US with its missile and nuclear programmes.

That prompted a defiant Pyongyang to threaten a missile attack on Guam, a tiny US territory in the Pacific that is home to major US air and naval facilities.

China - which has been accused by the US of not doing enough to rein in its longtime ally - has maintained that political dialogue is the only solution.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the name for a range of similar conditions, including Asperger syndrome, that affect a person's social interaction, communication, interests and behaviour.

In children with ASD, the symptoms are present before three years of age, although a diagnosis can sometimes be made after the age of three.

It's estimated that about 1 in every 100 people in the UK has ASD. More boys are diagnosed with the condition than girls.

There's no "cure" for ASD, but speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, educational support, plus a number of other interventions are available to help children and parents.  People with ASD tend to have problems with social interaction and communication.

In early infancy, some children with ASD don’t babble or use other vocal sounds. Older children have problems using non-verbal behaviours to interact with others – for example, they have difficulty with eye contact, facial expressions, body language and gestures. They may give no or brief eye contact and ignore familiar or unfamiliar people.

Children with ASD may also lack awareness of and interest in other children. They’ll often either gravitate to older or younger children, rather than interacting with children of the same age. They tend to play alone.

They can find it hard to understand other people's emotions and feelings, and have difficulty starting conversations or taking part in them properly. Language development may be delayed, and a child with ASD won’t compensate their lack of language or delayed language skills by using gestures (body language) or facial expressions.

Children with ASD will tend to repeat words or phrases spoken by others (either immediately or later) without formulating their own language, or in parallel to developing their language skills. Some children don’t demonstrate imaginative or pretend play, while others will continually repeat the same pretend play.

Some children with ASD like to stick to the same routine and little changes may trigger tantrums. Some children may flap their hand or twist or flick their fingers when they’re excited or upset. Others may engage in repetitive activity, such as turning light switches on and off, opening and closing doors, or lining things up.

Children and young people with ASD frequently experience a range of cognitive (thinking), learning, emotional and behavioural problems. For example, they may also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, or depression.

Dawn raids took place on 10 addresses this morning as police attempt to catch a murderer who escaped from prison six months ago.

Shaun Walmsley, 28, has been on the run since two men armed with a knife and a gun confronted prison guards outside Aintree University Hospital during a visit from HMP Walton on February 21.

Today a 26-year-old man wanted on warrant was arrested and an 18-year-old man was held on suspicion of money laundering following the recovery of a large quantity of cash from a property in Kirkdale.

The early-morning operation was undertaken in a bid to hit individuals suspected of gun, drugs and a host of other offences linked to the his underworld network.

Searches of properties in the Kensington, Toxteth, Everton, Anfield, Fazakerley, Bootle and Vauxhall areas of the city are continuing.

A number of raids have also taken place in cells at Walton jail as part of the same operation. He escaped from custody on February 21 during the scheduled hospital appointment and used a gold-coloured Volvo as a getaway vehicle. The car was later found abandoned in Fazakerley.

Superintendent Natalie Perischine, of Merseyside Police, said: 'We are still working to establish Walmsley's whereabouts and will not stop until we have found him. 'In the meantime, we will continue to disrupt those who we believe are linked to Walmsley and who are also believed to be involved in serious organised crime on Merseyside.

'We know that some members of the criminal fraternity on Merseyside will know where Walmsley is and I would urge them to think long and hard about what they know and to come forward.

'He is a violent individual and we are determined to put him back behind bars and we will leave no stone unturned in the coming months. As police raided addresses in search of Walmsley officers some 30 miles away were hunting 'dangerous' arsonist Anthony Curry who escaped from prison yesterday. 

Curry, who was jailed in 2013 for manslaughter, burglary and arson, escaped from HMP Kirkham between midday and 2pm yesterday, according to police.

The 43-year-old was sentenced to 12 years after admitting the manslaughter of retired lecturer Christopher Proctor, 88, and burning his house down to destroy any evidence.

During sentencing the judge said it was 'difficult to imagine a more serious case of manslaughter'. 

He was found and arrested on Thursday afternoon. 

Japan has wheeled missile defence systems into the heart of Tokyo after North Korea threatened to send a volley of rockets over the country towards Guam.

Pictures show how a PAC-3 Patriot missile unit has been moved in to a compound at the Defence Ministry in the capital after officials said they could shoot down North Korean rockets if they pass overhead. 

Sales of bomb shelters in Japan are said to have increased as tensions continue to rise in the region while officials in Seoul have vowed to bolster their defences. But South Korean citizens - long accustomed to its neighbour's fearsome rhetoric - are staying remarkably calm as the crisis unfolds, it has been reported.

Officials in Hawaii, meanwhile, say they are working on how to warn its 1.4million residents in the event of an attack. 

It comes after North Korea warned it will complete a plan to unleash an 'enveloping fire' around Guam by mid-August. This will involved firing four Hwasong-12 missiles over Japan and into waters near the tiny US island, officials claimed. Tokyo, which has in the past warned it would shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten its territory, responded that it could 'never tolerate' provocations from the reclusive state. In April it emerged that sales of nuclear shelters and radiation-blocking air purifiers have surged in Japan  as North Korea pressed ahead with missile tests in defiance of U.N. sanctions.

A small company that specializes in building nuclear shelters, generally under people's houses, said it had received eight orders in April alone compared with six orders during a typical year.

The company, Oribe Seiki Seisakusho, based in Kobe, western Japan, also has sold out of 50 Swiss-made air purifiers, which are said to keep out radiation and poisonous gas, and is trying to get more, said Nobuko Oribe, the company's director.

Meanwhile, officials in Hawaii have revealed how they plan to respond in the event of a North Korean attack,CNN reports. 

Lt. Col. Charles Anthony, director of public affairs for the state's Department of Defense, said: 'If North Korea uses an intercontinental ballistic missile, from launch to impact (in Hawaii) is approximately 20 minutes;

Vern Miyagi, administrator for Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, added: 'Pacific Command would take about fives minutes to characterize a launch, where the missile is going, which means the population would have about 15 minutes to take shelter.

Hate crime reports jumped sharply as Britain was hit by a spate of terrorist attacks earlier this year, new figures show.

Police registered increases in the incidents in the days immediately after the atrocities at Westminster Manchester and London Bridge.

Alleged race or faith hate offences accounted for the vast majority of rises, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). Figures compiled from forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland showed the daily totals were well above typical levels two days after the Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge attacks, with 234, 273 and 319 hate crime incidents respectively.

The NPCC said this pattern was not seen after the Finsbury Park attack in June, with 223 incidents.

Figures for the weeks including the attacks show hate crime was up compared to the previous year for all but Finsbury Park.

The sharpest increase was observed around the Manchester bombing, when the weekly tally was 50% higher than the same period in 2016.

NPCC lead for Hate Crime Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: 'We know that terrorist attacks and other national and global events have the potential to trigger short-term spikes in hate crime and so we have been carefully monitoring community tensions following recent horrific events. 'Reporting from police forces show that levels of hate crime peaked in the wake of the attacks but quickly subsided within a few days. 'This is in line with trends we have seen before, though obviously still a real concern for the police service and wider society.

'As terrorists seek to divide us, it is more important than ever that we continue to stand united in the face of hostility and hatred.'