Think-tank warned

The Smith Institute, a think-tank with close ties to Gordon Brown, has branded as “naive” a report by the charity regulator that found that it had compromised its independence by being too close to Labour. The Charity Commission said the institute carried out work that was “not always as sufficiently balanced and neutral as required under charity law”. It ordered the body to review its procedures and report back within a year.

Bomb hoaxer jailed

Nicholas Roddis, 23, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was jailed for five years for leaving a hoax bomb on a bus while wearing a false beard. Leeds Crown Court was told that the bus and about 100 houses near Herringthorpe were evacuated. An army bomb disposal team blew up the device. Police found bombmaking materials at Roddis’s home.

Stolen cash traced using ‘coded’ water

A man who recruited children to carry out robberies has been convicted with the help of “invisible water” (Adam Fresco and David Brown write).

Ali Lwanga, 21, used a branch of McDonald’s to hire the children, who raided security vans in North and East London. He was caught after police traced the stolen cash, which had been covered in SmartWater, a liquid with an identifying “barcode”.

At Wood Green Crown Court yesterday Lwanga was convicted of conspiracy to rob and concealing stolen property. Four teenagers have pleaded guilty to conspiracy. All will be sentenced later. Detective Constable Laurie Bays told the court: “Lwanga recruited youths to actually carry out the robberies to minimise the risk to himself,” he said. “They were all still wearing their school uniform under their hoodies when they carried out the raids.”

Welsh minister quits after smoking in pub

The Welsh Assembly’s Heritage Minister and former Health Spokesman resigned last night over an incident when he walked into a pub with a lit cigar (Kevin Dowling writes).

Rhodri Glyn Thomas handed in his resignation to Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister, saying that a growing reputation for gaffes had made his position “no longer sustainable”.

Mr Thomas, a Plaid Cymru AM, wandered up to the bar in Cardiff on Wednesday night, apparently forgetting that he was breaking the no-smoking law. The Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM was responsible for policy on culture, sport and the Welsh language in the one-year-old Assembly coalition between his party and Labour.

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