Fifth man held over plot to kill Brown

A suspected plot to kill Gordon Brown that has led to the arrest of five people was at only an “aspirational” stage, counter-terrorist sources said yesterday (Michael Evans writes). The fifth suspect, a 29-year-old man, was detained by police yesterday.

Sources told The Times that the alleged plot was not being viewed as at the most serious end of potential terrorist activities. However, action was taken because of the content of the death threat that appeared on a known al-Qaeda website.

Suicides lead to call for websites control

The MP for Bridgend, where more than 20 young people have taken their own lives, has called for a mechanism to close down social networking sites to prevent images of the dead being made public.

Madeleine Moon told a symposium in Glasgow on suicide and suicidal behaviour that families had been upset when images of their loved ones that had been posted were published by the media. “Families were saying that photographs they had never seen before were suddenly on the front of a newspaper, causing them huge distress,” Mrs Moon said. In the past 20 months, 23 young people have taken their own lives in Bridgend.

Private detective work traps dealer

A housing association hired a private detective to gather evidence against a drug dealer after police said that they did not have sufficient resources to put Francis Nisbet, 32, under surveillance.

Knightstone Housing Association in Churchdown, Gloucester, hired the detective after complaints by tenants. His closed-circuit cameras provided footage that persuaded police to act. Nisbet, who was involved in up to 20 heroin deals a day, was jailed at Gloucester Crown Court for three years and seven months. Judge Mark Horton said: “This was not small-scale selling.”

Humble pie for Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay has been beaten by his protégé to the accolade of providing the best dining experience in London (Valerie Elliott writes).

Marcus Wareing, 38, from the Pétrus, in Knightsbridge, has beaten the celebrity chef’s venue in Chelsea to take the crown, according to Harden’s London Restaurants. It says: “For the first time this millennium, London has a clear new best restaurant at the top end of the market.” The chefs are said not to be on speaking terms. Next month Wareing opens his own restaurant, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.

Shots fired at police

Police who came under fire from a suspected Irish republican terrorist in Craigavon, Co Armagh, have been criticised for not shooting back. Ian Paisley Jr said there had been “excessive restraint”. Chief Superintendent Alan Todd called the attack “a deliberate attempt to murder one of my officers”, but said that the response was proportionate.

Baby’s body found

Police are appealing for a mother to come forward after the body of a newborn baby was found at a waste recycling centre in Peterborough yesterday morning. Detective Inspector Jim McCrorie said the centre takes waste from around the town and from throughout the Midlands. He added that the sex of the child was not yet known.

Soup drama in the air

A Ryanair flight had to land in Germany after a passenger suffered a freak allergic reaction when a jar of mushroom soup leaked from an overhead locker. The incident, on a flight from Budapest to Dublin, happened on the same day as another Ryanair jet made an emergency landing in France after a sudden loss of cabin pressure at 37,000ft.

Afghan spider invades Para’s home

A paratrooper’s family have fled their army home after a camel spider apparently hitched a ride back with him from Afghanistan in June. Lorraine Griffiths, 37, and her three children are living with her mother while she tries to catch the spider, which they believe bit their dog, causing it to die of shock. The camel spider is the size of a tea saucer and has red knees, but is not venomous.

£25,000 for Clarice Cliff tea party

More than 100 teacups by the renowned ceramics designer Clarice Cliff could fetch about £25,000 when they are put up for auction at Bonhams on September 23. It is thought to be the largest collection of Clarice Cliff teacups to go on sale and has taken the owner 50 years to build up. Each teacup is estimated to fetch between £100 and £600.

Boy on gun charge

A 13-year-old boy appeared at Inner London Crown Court accused of possessing a gun, silencers and live ammunition. The boy, from New Cross, southeast London, was remanded in secure accommodation until his next appearance, in October.

Bluetongue back

Rams imported from France on a farm near Lewes, East Sussex, and another farm near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, were found to have the bluetongue virus, in the first outbreak in Britain this summer. There is no threat to human health.

PC punched boy, 12

A policeman has been jailed for 12 weeks for punching a boy, 12, in the face. PC Daniel Gaffney, 30, who had worked for Greater Manchester Police for nearly seven years, hit the boy so hard that a custody sergeant feared that the child’s nose was broken.

Driving ban for actor

The actor and singer Darren Day was banned for 18 months and fined £700 after pleading guilty to drink-driving. Cardiff Magistrates’ Court was told that Day, 40, was at almost twice the legal drink-drive limit when he was stopped in the city in June.

Lottery results

Winning numbers in last night’s main lottery draw were: 8, 14, 33, 34, 35, 43; bonus 12. Thunderball: 10, 14, 16, 22, 31; Thunderball 7. Dream Number: 0, 6, 2, 8, 4, 1, 4.

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