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Singer was passenger in car

George Michael 'fine' after car crash Credit: Max Nash/PA Archive/Press Association Images

Singer George Michael has received minor injuries in a car crash, his publicist said today.

The 49-year-old star is "fine" after a car he was a passenger in crashed on the M1 yesterday evening, Connie Filippello said in a statement.

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) said a man in his 40s was flown to a specialist unit in London with head injuries after the crash at junction 6a in Hertfordshire where the motorway meets the M25.

"George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening, no third party was involved," Ms Filippello said.

"He is being treated for superficial cuts and bruises but is fine. We have no further comment at this time."

EEAST said the crash occurred on the northbound carriageway at 5.47pm yesterday and was attended by three ambulances and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance.

A spokesman said: "The man who we believe to be in his 40s sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilisation and immobilisation by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care."

Victim's mother says she will never forgive the killers of her 'shy and timid' son

The scene of the attack in Dollis Hill in May last year.

Judge Rebecca Poulet lifted an anonymity order on the 17-year-olds saying: "It is difficult to think of a more grave case."

Mr Fitzpatrick's mother Constance said in a statement she did not know why the group were allowed to terrorise the neighbourhood for so long.

She said she would never be able to forgive the killers of her "shy and timid" loving son.

Mrs Fitzpatrick said the group of youths were always hanging around a corner shop. She added:

"I feel angry they have been unchecked to roam the streets. They have been a violent and constant intimidating presence in this community."

The father and son had been watching Chelsea win the Champions League final in their local pub, the Ox and Gate, in May last year.

Later, the pub was "stormed" by at least 15 masked and hooded youths armed with sticks and knives, said prosecutor Brian Altman QC.

The attackers were looking for a man who had already left the pub in Dollis Hill, north London, to avenge Christopher Walters' loss of face during an earlier incident.

Regulars at the pub chased the group out but as they reached Alder Grove, they turned and attacked Luke Fitzpatrick who was nearest to them. Mr Altman added:

"His father Bernard was stabbed several times as he was aiding his dying son where he had fallen."

"This mindless violence led to a terrible and tragic outcome. An innocent young man lost his life and his father had to witness it."

Mr Fitzpatrick had been stabbed in the abdomen and legs but had not died.

Mr Altman said Walters was responsible for organising the disorder and had led the group into the pub, uttering threats and brandishing a knife.

Earlier in the day, Walters had been involved in a row with the other man in the street.

It spread to a corner shop where staff ejected the second man and pulled the shutters down to shelter Walters.

Mr Altman told the trial: "Walters did not let matters rest there. He set about exacting his revenge by calling to arms his friends and associates. They stormed the pub. These were acts of cowardice, mob-handed and tooled up, to avenge Walters' perceived loss of face."

Rafael Dejesus, 25, was found guilty of assisting an offender, and Ali Abdullah, 20, Mustafa Bereima, 20, Hamad Abdullah, 26 were found guilty of violent disorder. They will be sentenced with the others.

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25 year old stabbed by mob

Luke Fitzpatrick

Three men have been found guilty of killing an Arsenal supporter who had been having a drink with his father while they watched a football match in a pub.

Roofer Luke Fitzpatrick, 25, died after he was chased by a mob and stabbed in the chest.His father Bernie, 56, was then stabbed several times as he tried to help his dying son. He was taken to hospital and recovered.

23 year old Christopher Walters from Neasden, and 17 year old Loen Burton from Mill Hill were found guilty of murder and wounding.

Abdi Hassan, 17, of Warren Road, Cricklewood, was found guilty of manslaughter and wounding.

They were remanded in custody for sentencing on June 7 at the Old Bailey.

Anne Boleyn and the Tower of London

Anne became the first Queen to be publicly executed Credit: Tony Harris/PA Archive/Press Association Images

Anne was born between 1501 and 1507, daughter of courtier and diplomat Sir Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth - daughter ofthe Duke of Norfolk.

In 1522 Anne became lady in waiting to Henry VIII's wife Catherine of Aragon. Henry was tired of his wife - she hadn't produced a male heir - and he showered Anne's family with gifts and titles and asked the Pope to annul his marriage but the Pope refused.

Henry's hand was forced when Anne becamepregnant in 1533. Henry turned his back on the Catholic church, passed the Actof Supremacy and declared himself head of the English Church and the pair weremarried in a secret ceremony. Anne gave birth to Elizabeth - the future Queen.

Queen Elizabeth I (1533 -1603), daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Credit: PA

Anne had two subsequent miscarriages - one aboy - and Henry, desperate for a male heir decided their marriage was cursedand moved on to Anne's lady in waiting, Jane Seymour.

Three years after their marriage, Anne wasaccused of witchcraft and arrested on adultery charges with 5 men - one her ownbrother, Lord George Rochford - and sent to the Tower of London.

Just weeks later, on 19th May, Anne wasbeheaded by a French swordsman, having been spared the axe. She became the firstQueen to be publicly executed.

Her final words, rather than deny her guilt,were in praise of King Henry VIII, stating that, "a more merciful princewas there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord."

Play tells story of Anne Boleyn's 'incestuous' relationship with brother

Suffolk theatre company Red Rose Chain bring Fallen in Love; the story of Anne Boleyn's apparently incestuous relationship with her brother to the site of Anne's trial, execution and final resting place: the Tower of London.

Emma Connell plays Anne Boleyn

The unique theatrical event runs from today to June 16 and will be performed in the Banqueting Suite of the New Armouries.

Jim Malarkey, Head of Visitor and Commercial Services at the Tower of London says:

"Historic Royal Palaces are pleased to welcome Red Rose Chain Theatre Company to the Tower of London for their acclaimed production of Fallen in Love.

The Tower is, of course, the place where Anne Boleyn spent her final days and her bones still rest at the Tower, buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula.

Her love life was in part her downfall, presenting Henry VIII with a convenient and almost certainly contrived reason to persecute his Queen. Could there be a more appropriate setting for this wonderful play?"

Grandmother given suspended sentence for killing ex-partner

The Old Bailey heard that Joyce Evans cared for Colin Ballinger, after he turned up on her doorstep and said he had chosen to die there. Credit: Sean Dempsey/PA Wire/Press Association Images

A grandmother has been given a suspended sentence for killing her terminally ill former partner.

Joyce Evans, 69, was found guilty of the manslaughter of former soldier Colin Ballinger, 66, who was suffocated with a Tottenham Hotspur plastic bag and strangled.

Old Bailey Judge Gerald Gordon said Evans, who suffers from depression and arthritis, should not have been left to provide the "arduous care" which the dying man needed.

Mr Ballinger, who had a liver condition after years of heavy drinking, had turned up on her doorstep and said he had chosen to die there.

Judge Gordon gave Evans, who had served the equivalent of 19 months awaiting trial, a 12-month sentence suspended for two years coupled with three years' supervision.

Judge Gordon told her: "You had to provide constant and arduous care in increasingly difficult circumstances.

"With the enormous benefit of hindsight and knowledge, far more active intervention was necessary to get you out of the situation you were in.

"But it has to be said that the main reason that did not happen was that you never really revealed the scale of the problem to others."

The court heard that Evans had considered killing herself before suffocating Mr Ballinger at her flat in Upper Holloway, north London.

She had been reluctantly caring for him for six months before his death last year.

Psychiatrist Dr Piyal Sen, told the court: "She felt trapped with no way out."

Evans strangled Mr Ballinger and put the Spurs bag and a Hamleys bag over his head, before telling a neighbour: "I think I've killed Colin. He was getting on my nerves."

Richard Carey-Hughes QC, for Evans, said: "She was probably the last person in the world to become his carer."

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Drug dealers think again, say police

"Drug dealing will not be tolerated", say police Credit: Katie Collins/PA Archive/Press Association Images

Officers arrested 23 suspected drug dealers and three people on suspicion of breaching anti-social behaviour orders in the first stages of the operation.

More arrests are expected in the coming days.

Commander Alison Newcomb from Westminster borough said:

"Drug dealing on the streets of the West End or in any part of London can not and will not be tolerated. Put quite simply, if you are coming to the West End to buy or sell drugs, you need to think again."

"Chaotic" open drugs market

Officers in Soho made a series of arrests last night before raiding dealers' home addresses in dawn swoops this morning.

It is the second operation of its kind aimed at cleaning up the lively area of the West End, which is popular with tourists and partygoers.

Officers have worked for several months to prepare for the crackdown, identifying individual drug dealers.

"My cause celebre is tackling this open drug dealing in the area because it's very closely connected to other serious acquisitives (for example, robbery and theft from the person) and violent street crime. It's a menace to the public in the area."

– Detective Superintendent Kevin Southworth

Mr Southworth said the scene is "quite chaotic", being run as an open market rather than controlled by one gang.Around 80 to 100 officers were taking part in the operation.

It follows a previous operation in which 30 drug criminals were arrested and convicted.

Men forced way into Hampstead store at closing time

Police have released CCTV of the robbery suspects

Detectives are appealing for information after releasing a CCTV image of a knife point robbery at a Carphone Warehouse store.

Police were called at just after 6pm on Wednesday to reports of a robbery at the Carphone Warehouse in Hampstead High Street. Three black men dressed in orange boiler suits threatened a staff member with a knife and forced their way into the store as it was closing.

They then stole thousands of pounds worth of stock and left the store in a dark green Ford Transit van. No one was injured during the armed robbery.

DC Johnny Baker who leads the investigation said:

"I would appeal to anyone who was in the area and saw this incident to contact officers. I am particularly interested to speak to anyone who saw the dark green Ford Transit van making off from the scene."

Anyone with information should call 020 8358 1752 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Average rent in London now £1,110

The cost of renting in the capital has gone up by 7.6%

Rents have increased in every area of the UK for the first time in 18 months and London saw the biggest annual increase.

The cost of renting in the capital has gone up 7.6% - meaning the average rent is now £1,110 a month.

Wales recorded the second highest spike; 5% rise taking rents to around £566.

Rents started edging back up again in March, after a period of falls caused by the seasonal winter slowdown. The further push up in April means average rents have returned to levels not seen since November last year and they are 3.9% higher typically than a year ago.

Rents have soared because of strong demand as would-be buyers have struggled to meet mortgage lenders' requirements and get onto the property ladder.

There have been some signs of the situation easing following Government schemes to help home buyers, which are filtering through to help people with smaller deposits. Lenders have reported seeing increased numbers of first-time buyers taking out loans amid better access to mortgages.

However, David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services who carried out the study, said that a lack of potential homes to choose from generally is helping to maintain the upward pressure on rents.

He said: "Landlords across the UK have increased the stock of rental properties by around 10% since 2008 - but the more fundamental squeeze is still coming from a lack of new building."

Mr Newnes said the rent increases will be particularly "keenly felt" in areas with a tough jobs market, as wage growth remains sluggish.

Mr Newnes said: "Landlords are lending a hand, and will need to keep taking up slack until the economy is on a more solid footing and improvements filter through to everyday wage levels."

The study is based on rents achieved on around 18,000 properties across the country.

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