Jail for gang in luxury car thefts

Five members of a multimillion-pound “car-ringing” gang, who stole luxury cars after trawling expensive areas of London were sentenced yesterday (Adam Fresco writes). The gang obtained keys for the vehicles by showing sophisticated forgeries of ownership documents to showrooms abroad. Most of the cars ended up in the United Arab Emirates, although a few went to Singapore and South Africa. The 34 stolen vehicles included Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Range Rovers, Toyota Land Cruisers and an Aston Martin. Among the owners of the stolen cars were the socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, a Hollywood actor, a chart-topping singer and a member of a foreign royal family. Ms Palmer-Tomkinson’s BMW was just one of six recovered.

Southwark Crown Court was told that the thieves videoed themselves at the wheel of high-powered cars on their mobile phones. One clip showed 21-year-old Yusef Kaduji behind the wheel of a Mercedes McLaren worth £300,000.

Imran Ganchi, a father-of-two from Ilford, who masterminded the operation, was jailed for six years; Kaduji, from East London, got two years; Hameed Nawaz, 31, of Luton, received three years; and Shazad Hussain, 31, of Mosely, Birmingham, four years.Shakeel Shoukat, 21, also of Forest Gate, was given a 12-month sentence suspended for two years. They variously admitted conspiracies involving car thefts and money laundering between June 1 2003 and January 1 this year.

Scent of victory for libelled star

Nicole Kidman, the face of Chanel No 5, has won libel damages from The Daily Telegraph over its false claims that she had promoted a rival perfume (Lucy Bannerman writes).

The star, who has a multimillion-pound contract with Chanel, accepted a formal apology and “substantial” damages after the paper ran an article last month claiming that she had openly promoted a competitor’s product, Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint, during the London premiere of her latest film, The Golden Compass. Kidman intends to donate her damages to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Money pours in for Times charities

Times readers donated more than £100,000 in the first two weeks of this year’s charity appeal. This sum does not include gift aid of 28 per cent, which will raise thousands more for our three causes – TreeHouse, Help the Hospices and Riders for Health. Three fundraising partners – KPMG, the professional services firm, CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group, and the Pears Foundation – will match donations, bringing in another £150,000. Reports on the three charities can be found every day in the paper and are updated daily here.

NHS blindness drug

A drug to treat the leading cause of blindness in Britain will be available after the NHS drugs watchdog reversed a decision to limit its use. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said that patients with age-related macular degeneration should be entitled to injections of Lucentis, after it received 13,000 complaints.

Barry George denial

Barry George denied murdering the BBC television presenter Jill Dando, 37, at the Old Bailey. George, 47, of Fulham, West London, was remanded in custody and will face trial next June. Miss Dando was shot dead in Fulham in April 1999. Last month, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in 2001 for murder and ordered a retrial.

J.K. buyer revealed

J. K. Rowling’s unpublished manuscript The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which sold for £1.95 million at Sotherby’s, was bought by Amazon, the online retailer. Proceeds went to charity. A spokesman for Amazon said: “Rowling has done an enormous amount to encourage children to read. We wanted to say ‘thank you’.”

Anti-smoking pill ‘threat to health’

An anti-smoking pill should carry warnings about possible risks of depression and suicide, the European Medicines Agency said. Pfizer, makers of Champix, were told to submit changes on marketing information by next week after reports of side-effects and at least one death potentially linked to the medication.

Teenager killed man at bus stop

A teenager has been jailed for at least 14 years at Nottingham Crown Court for murder for stabbing a man who bumped into him as he cycled through a bus queue. Rickell Patterson was 16 when he killed Timothy Smith, 40.

Prince talks of perils of crown

The Prince of Wales has discussed the difficulties of wearing a crown with actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company, of which he is president. Geoffrey Streatfeild, 32, who plays the title role in Henry V, said: “He asked me whether my crown hurt – which it does.”

Counterfeiter made £14m

A counterfeiter who produced £14 million worth of fake pound coins at a workshop close to his home has been jailed for five years by Wood Green Crown Court. Marcus Glindon, 37, of Enfield, North London, admitted five counts relating to counterfeiting.

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