Tube Passengers Ignore Man Collapsed On Floor

Video footage shows a man who collapsed unconscious on the floor of a busy London tube train apparently being ignored for several minutes by fellow passengers.

A member of the public, who claimed he was unable to help, filmed the incident on his mobile phone and later uploaded the footage to YouTube.

In the video the man can be seen clutching onto a handrail before his legs suddenly give way and he collapses in a heap on the floor of the train.

He lies there for several minutes and is ignored by the other passengers, apart from one woman who appears to pull the train emergency alarm.

When the train stops at the station he is guarded by tube staff, but is not put in the recovery position.

The incident took place at approximately 12.40pm on Wednesday on a train travelling towards Great Portland Street.

Transport for London told Sky News that TfL staff had received basic medical training but the man was not put in the recovery position because they were requesting an ambulance.

Staff had "checked the customer was breathing", a spokeswoman added.

After a number of minutes the man was finally helped off the train

"It is distressing to see a passenger fall ill and in this case the member of staff responding needed to request more advanced medical support than the basic training that all our staff receive," she said.

"He immediately requested an ambulance then made an announcement to ask whether there was anyone with professional medical expertise and began to clear the train of passengers.

"Medically trained British Transport Police officers, who were brought to the Tube network earlier this year to improve our response to this sort of incident, arrived quickly to assist Tube staff who remained on the scene at all times."

But the video provoked an angry reaction from YouTube viewers and Twitter users.

One tweeted: "Passengers and train staff do nothing and step over him! Disgusting!" While another commented: "That makes me feel sick. Man collapses on Tube and people walk over him."

One poster on YouTube commented: "The London transport staff are shameful they have a duty of care for their customers . It's obvious that the whole organisation needs to look at their training."

The London Ambulance Service, who later gave medical assistance to the man, said he was diabetic and had passed out due to a lack of insulin.

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Young Most At Risk Of Death Behind The Wheel

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

Young people accounted for 25% of all car deaths and injuries in 2011, new figures reveal ahead of Road Safety Week.

More than 1,500 17 to 24-year-olds in the UK were killed or seriously injured while driving a car last year, according to the Department for Transport.

Kelly Phillips, 17, from Surrey, died in 2005 when the car she was a passenger in hit a tree at 80mph.

She had been sitting in a car listening to music with a 17-year-old boy who did not yet have his licence.

Kelly's sister, Abi (left), and mother, Della

The decision to go for a drive on the public road cost them both their lives.

Kelly's mother, Della Phillips, told Sky News: "I try to hide behind this facade of strength. But inside I'm crying all the time, I'm missing her all the time.

"It's like a craving, you're not seeing the memories you expected to see when you have a child."

Ms Phillips is now backing a free education campaign called Driver IQ - an online education programme that puts pre-drivers and novices through potentially hazardous road scenarios. 

The Driver IQ campaign

Some 350 schools and 30,000 young people already use the programme but it could be rolled out to thousands more.

She said: "When it comes to young people being safer in cars, lack of knowledge can kill. I know that only too well.

"We want every mum and dad out there to ensure their child and their child's school/college uses Drive IQ straightaway as it addresses attitude and behaviour.

"We have to tackle this issue right now." 

Road Safety Week runs from November 19 to November 25. For more information visit the website.

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Syria 'Terrorism Suspect' To Appear In Court

A 24-year-old man is to appear in court charged in connection with alleged terrorist activity in Syria, including the kidnapping of two journalists.

Jubayer Chowdhury will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court, police

He was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command at Heathrow Airport on Monday morning after arriving on a flight from Bahrain.

Chowdhury is the second man to be charged over the alleged abduction of British photographer John Cantlie and Dutch journalist Jeroen Oerlemans.

The police spokesman said: "Officers from Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command have tonight, 15 November, charged a second man in connection with an investigation into travel to Syria in support of alleged terrorist activity.

"Jubayer Chowdhury, 24, together with Shajul Islam and others, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, between 17 July 2012 and 26 July 2012, unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans against their will.

"Contrary to common law and Section 63B of the Terrorism Act 2000."

Mr Cantlie, who worked for various newspapers including the Sunday Times, and Mr Oerlemans were held captive for about a week after travelling to the country to report on the ongoing civil war.

Islam, a trainee NHS doctor, is accused of acting as a medic for the group which abducted them.

He was arrested at Heathrow Airport last month after arriving from Egypt.

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Antibiotics Resistance A Growing Health Threat

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The Chief Medical Officer has raised the prospect of a future without cures for common infections - unless antibiotics are used more responsibly.

In a stern warning to doctors and patients, Professor Dame Sally Davies said antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to modern health.

"Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness at a rate that is both alarming and irreversible," she said.

"Bacteria are adapting and finding ways to survive the effects of antibiotics, ultimately becoming resistant so they no longer work.

"The more you use an antibiotic, the more bacteria become resistant to it."

In 2000, 4% of serious bloodstream infections of E coli were resistant to the powerful antibiotic ciprofloxacin. That has now risen to 21%.

Penicillin is no longer effective against wound infections caused by the bug staphylococcus.

Professor Dame Sally Davies

And doctors are alarmed by the emergence of an untreatable form of the sexually-transmitted infection gonorrhoea.

Pharmaceutical companies are struggling to find new drugs.

Prof Davies said doctors should take care to prescribe antibiotics appropriately.

And she urged patients not to demand antibiotics for winter ailments.

She told Sky News: "When we get coughs, colds, and sore throats, mostly they are viruses. Antibiotics don't help.

"GPs should help decide when they are needed, prescribe the right drug, and right dose and we as patients need to take the whole course."

A campaign launched to mark European Antibiotic Awareness Day, which features a hedgehog, warns patients not to "get prickly" if doctors refuse to give them a prescription.

According to the Health Protection Agency, 6% of patients keep unused antibiotics to use in future.

But antibiotics should only be used when prescribed by a doctor and should never be shared with anyone else.

Anna Luhar, a London lawyer, developed a deadly form of tuberculosis (TB) that is highly resistant to antibiotics.

She was isolated in hospital for nearly five months while doctors used a cocktail of six drugs to control the infection. It took 18 months to finally eradicate the bug.

She told Sky News: "They really had to search high and low to find drugs that would work.

"Some had to be imported from Germany and the US. One of them - streptomycin - is usually not used.

"They were really at the last line of defence."

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Alcohol In Pregnancy 'Can Lower Child's IQ'

Women who drink even moderate amounts of alcohol while pregnant may risk harming their child's intelligence levels, according to a new study.

Advice to pregnant women about drinking is contradictory, with some guidelines recommending no alcohol at all and others suggesting the odd drink now and then is safe.

But researchers using genetic analysis of more than 4,000 mothers and children found that drinking between one and six units of alcohol a week during pregnancy can lead to lower Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores by the time a child is eight.

"Even at levels of alcohol consumption which are normally considered to be harmless, we can detect differences in childhood IQ which are dependent on the ability of the foetus to clear this alcohol," Sarah Lewis of Bristol University, who led the study, said.

"This is evidence that even at these moderate levels, alcohol is influencing foetal brain development."

Mother-of-one Toni Denholme, 26, from Newcastle, said doctors gave her mixed messages on drinking during pregnancy.

"The doctors kind of said it was OK to drinking in moderation, it wasn't as harmful as smoking or anything, but ideally not to, but there wasn't a 'don't, definitely don't drink'."

Gwen Jones, who is expecting her first child in April, said: "There's so much ambiguous advice out there what you can do what you can't do what you should and shouldn't do, so something that comes out medically and says 'definitely do not do it, it's going to harm your child', I think is brilliant."

The study used genetic data from women and children who were part of another study called the Children of the 90s study.

Since the individual genetic variations that people have in their DNA are not connected to lifestyle and social factors, this kind of study avoids potential complications.

"This is a complex study but the message is simple, even moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can have an effect on future child intelligence," said Ron Gray of Oxford University, who was part of Ms Lewis's team.

David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said: "Even though the IQ effects are small, if at all possible women should avoid ethanol in pregnancy as it's a known toxin."

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April Jones Search Expected To End In Weeks

The search for April Jones is understood to be approaching its final stages.

Officers are still searching areas around the town of Machynlleth, where the five-year-old went missing, but police say it is now expected to last weeks rather than months.

Community leaders are preparing to celebrate Christmas as normally as possible, despite the fact that April's body has still not been found.

But they accept that her disappearance has had a profound effect on life in the town.

Machynlleth became the focus of national media attention when April went missing six weeks ago.

Now it is trying to strike a balance between remembering the schoolgirl and moving on for the sake of hundreds of other children in the town.

Mayor Gareth Jones said it was important to make efforts to recapture the routine of normal life.

"I think by now people have a sense that they wish to try to move on as much as possible," he said.

"Obviously that doesn't mean that April and her family are any further away from our thoughts than they were at the very beginning.

"There's just a sense that people see that we owe it to our young people to try to get some semblance of normality back into the way we are living our lives."

Pink ribbons can be seen throughout Machynlleth

Pink ribbons still adorn the town as a mark of support for April Jones' family.

Hundreds are tied to fences, gateposts and door handles. Many people in the town still wear one every day.

Mr Jones said that the effect on the people of Machynlleth remains profound and will probably last a generation.

"People have become a little more wary of their children's whereabouts," he said.

"They are thinking twice about letting their children play outside. It will take a time for people to get back to the way it was."

The sentiment was echoed at Wheeler Fabrics in the centre of town, the store that supplied most of the pink ribbons.

Sam Wheeler said:  "The way that families treat their children, what they let them do and the freedom that they let them have.

"It's going to be talked about in more detail than it used to be, which is a shame because future generations of kids might lose out on the freedom that they had."

A pink candle has been lit at St. Peter's Church where five weeks ago hundreds of people gathered for a service in April's memory.

Vicar Kathleen Rogers say it will remain lit until April's body is found. 

Referring to the huge turnout of volunteers who helped with the search for April, she said: "At the beginning there was a lot of urgency.

"It was a hive of activity. Now there is a deep sense of sadness. People are preparing for Christmas and it will go ahead as it always does, but there will be a part of every [church] service that will be for April."

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Schizophrenia Report Blasts Patient Treatment

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Standards of care in some mental health units are so poor that they make patients worse, not better, a new report has warned.

An independent inquiry into schizophrenia describes the care given to some patients on secure wards as "shameful".

The Schizophrenia Commission found that staff in some units are burnt out and demoralised, and are shut away in offices doing paperwork rather than talking to patients.

The commission's report, An Abandoned Illness, says patients are given drug treatments and then left to watch television, when they should be receiving psychological help, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

On average a stay on an acute mental health unit costs more than £12,000.

Professor Robin Murray, who chaired the commission, said more money should instead be aimed at better - and cheaper - intervention in the early stages of illness, which can reduce the likelihood of patients deteriorating to the point that they need acute care.

"People are being badly let down by the system in every area of their lives," he said.

"People with psychosis need to be given the hope that it is perfectly possible to live a fulfilling life after diagnosis.

"We have no doubt that this is achievable."

Schizophrenia affects more than 220,000 people in England alone. One in six people will have symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations, at some stage of their lives.

The Commission calls for clearer warnings on the use of cannabis, to reduce the risk of schizophrenia. And it says psychiatrists should improve their prescribing to ensure patients are on effective treatment with the minimum of side effects.

Laura Sherlock used to be a professional trombone player and toured the world, despite suffering delusions and feeling suicidal. She was put on anti-psychotic treatment that left her unable to play music.

"I felt numb, deathly tired and barely able to move or think," she said.

"When I stopped taking my tablets I was given medication by injections - I had no say in my own treatment."

Paul Jenkins, of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: "It is a scandal that in 2012 people with schizophrenia are dying 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population and that only 7% are able to get a job.

"Too many people are falling through the gaps in the system and ending up in prison or homeless."

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Man Charged Over Al Hilli Bank Fraud

Police have charged a man with attempting to access the bank accounts of the family murdered in the French Alps in October.

Nigerian-born Abiodun David John, 33, was charged with fraud after allegedly trying to get into accounts in the name of members of Saad al Hilli's family after his death on September 5.

Surrey Police could not confirm whether the accounts belonged to Mr al Hilli himself and said the fraud charges were not linked to the ongoing investigation into the murder of the Iraqi-born engineer, his wife, mother-in-law and a French cyclist.

A spokeswoman said: "Abiodun David John was arrested at an address in Salford, Greater Manchester, in October.

"He returned on bail today where he was charged with eight counts of fraud by false representation which are alleged to have taken place between July and September this year."

Around 100 police officers in Britain and France are investigating the murders of Mr al Hilli, 50, his dentist wife Iqbal, 47, her elderly mother Suhaila al Allaf, 74, and passing cyclist Sylvain Mollier in a horrifying gun attack near Chevaline, Lake Annecy.

The couple's four-year-old daughter Zeena lay undiscovered under her mother's corpse for eight hours after the shooting, while her sister Zainab, seven, was found with serious injuries after being beaten and shot.

French investigators searched the al Hilli family home in Claygate, Surrey, in the wake of their deaths.

Later in September, Surrey Police asked Greater Manchester Police to arrest John on suspicion of fraud offences.

John, who has since moved to London, denies the charges.

He will appear at Guildford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

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UK Soldier Shot Dead While Playing Football

A British soldier who was killed by a rogue member of the Afghan army as he played in a football match on Remembrance Day has been hailed as a "great man" and an "amazing father" by his wife.

Captain Walter Barrie was playing in a match between British soldiers and members of the Afghan National Army (Ana) at his base when he was shot at close range in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province, the Ministry of Defence said.

Capt Barrie, from Glasgow, had been mentoring and advising a brigade of the Ana to take over security in an area of southern Afghanistan.

His wife Sonia said: "Captain Walter Barrie was great man, a doting and amazing father and a fantastic husband. He was much loved and will be missed by many.

"The family would ask that their privacy is respected during this very difficult time."

Capt Barrie, who leaves behind 15-year-old son Callum, had served for 25 years, which included tours of Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan in 2008.

The 41-year-old, who was deployed on August 31, was in the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

He was described by the MoD as an "approachable and compassionate officer" who "cared deeply for the wellbeing of those around him and had unparalleled rapport with all ranks".

Capt Barrie was killed in the Helmand Province

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Wrench said: "His role as an adviser to the Afghan army was one he trained for, looked forward to and performed superbly.

"His ability to build relationships and rapport has always made an impact on those who met him. This was down to his enthusiasm for life, for youth and humanity.

"As can be seen from the many tributes, he enriched the lives of everybody he came across. His winning personality and Glaswegian wit will be sorely missed, as will the banter we often had as a result of his fanatical support for Glasgow Rangers.

"It is almost impossible to express the sadness we, as a close battalion, are experiencing at this time."

The "green on blue" death brings the number of British servicemen killed by Afghan soldiers or police to 14 this year, compared to just one in 2011, three in 2010, and five in 2009.

Capt Barrie is the 438th UK service member to be killed in Afghanistan since October 2001.

News of the killing came after the Queen led the nation in honouring the fallen, as the country fell silent to remember its war dead.

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Workers To Be Able To Ask For Flexible Hours

By Gerard Tubb, Sky Correspondent

Every employee in the country is to be given the right to ask for flexible working hours as the Government tries to get more unemployed women into work.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, believes that enabling relatives and friends of working parents to alter their working patterns will boost the economy.

The Government estimates around a million women are effectively locked out of employment because of problems balancing work and childcare.

The plans to allow anyone to ask for flexible hours are an extension of the rights introduced in 2009 for parents of children aged 16 and under.

A study last year of eligible parents showed 28% of women and 17% of men had asked to change their work patterns in the previous two years, with 80 to 90% of requests accepted.

At Odyssey Systems on Teesside, a telecommunications company with 30 employees, management says it has helped parents to change working hours, but extending the scheme to everyone will be a burden.

Sales director Christine Gilbert said: "We're still here because we think about customers first.

"To say that everybody in the whole company has to have flexible working is just going to be a massive managerial nightmare."

Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce believes the new proposals could cause "unnecessary friction" in the workplace and " unrealistic expectations about the level of flexibility most businesses will be able to accommodate".

But the TUC welcomed the proposals, with General Secretary Brendan Barber describing them as common sense.

He said: "These reforms will make life easier for millions of working parents.

"Businesses will also benefit from a more engaged workforce and a larger pool of people to recruit from."

The entitlement to ask for flexible hours will be introduced in 2014 at the earliest and employers will have to provide good reason for refusing a request.

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BBC Tries To Restore Trust Amid Pay-Off Row

The acting director-general of the BBC will set out his plans today for restoring trust in the corporation in the wake of the botched Newsnight investigation into child abuse claims.

Tim Davie held his first meeting last night with the BBC Trust since being drafted in as a stand-in replacement for George Entwistle.

It came as a row erupted over the disclosure that Mr Entwistle - who served just 54 days in the post - was to receive a full year's salary of £450,000 in lieu of notice.

Mr Entwistle dramtically announced he was stepping down on Saturday after a Newsnight report wrongly implicated former Conservative Party treasurer Lord McAlpine in its investigation into child abuse allegations at the Bryn Estyn care home in North Wales.

Under the standard executive board contract, he would normally be entitled to just six months salary.

A BBC Trust spokesman said: "The BBC reached a consensual termination agreement with George Entwistle last night and agreed to pay him 12 months pay, in lieu of notice.

George Entwistle will walk away with £450,000 after 54 days in the job

"This reflects the fact that he will continue to help on BBC business, most specifically the two ongoing inquiries."

But the move has been greeted with anger and disbelief by some MPs.

The chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee John Whittingdale said he could not see any justification for such a large pay-off.

"A lot of people will be very surprised that somebody who was in the job for such a short period of time and then had to leave in these circumstances should be walking away with £450,000 of licence fee payers' money," he said.

"Certainly I would want to know from the Trust why they think that's appropriate.

"I want to hear an explanation but I have to say that I find it very difficult to see a justification for that amount of money to be paid to somebody who has had to resign in these circumstances.

"I wouldn't have thought that just because you have to help an inquiry into the Savile allegations you necessarily need to be paid a such a large amount of money."

Lord Patten told Sky News that he must restore confidence in the BBC

Harriet Harman MP, Labour's shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said: "It is not justifiable for the BBC to pay double the contractually required sum to the director general on his resignation. It looks like a reward for failure.

"George Entwistle should decline to accept any more than is required under his contract. This is not the way to restore public confidence in the BBC."

The chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, acknowledged that the corporation needed to "get a grip" and turn the situation around or his own position would be on the line.

He told Sky News that people will expect him to step down if he fails to restore the public's confidence in the corporation.

"If we don't restore the huge confidence and trust that people have in the BBC, then I'm sure people will tell me to take my cards and clear off," he said.

He also admitted that the future of Newsnight is being discussed.

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British Soldier Killed In 'Insider Attack'

A British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan in an apparent "insider attack" at his base, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The soldier, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed while in Patrol Base Shawqat, in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand said.

His next of kin has been informed.

Major Laurence Roche, the spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "I am very sorry to report the death of a soldier from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland who was shot by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform at his base in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province.

"This is incredibly sad news for the Battalion and everyone serving in Task Force Helmand.

"As we mark Remembrance this weekend, our thoughts now turn to the soldier's family and friends whose loss is so much greater than ours."

The insider attack takes to 438 the number of UK service members to have lost their lives in Afghanistan since operations started in October 2001.

The number of British servicemen killed by Afghan soldiers or police, which have become known as 'green on blue' attacks, is 12 this year, compared to just one in 2011, three in 2010, and five in 2009.

At least 54 international troops have died as a result of such attacks - where Afghans turn their weapons on their coalition colleagues.

Responsibility for security in Afghanistan is due to be handed over to local military from 2014.

News of the killing came last night after the Queen led the nation in honouring the fallen, as the country fell silent to remember its war dead.

In scenes replicated at memorials across the UK and Commonwealth nations, the monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph to commemorate members of the Armed Forces who died fighting in all conflicts since the First World War.

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Remembrance Sunday: Tribute To Helmand Soldier

By Lucy Cotter and Richard Suchet

For the families of those killed in war, Remembrance Sunday can be a day of profound grief.

While the nation - and the Commonwealth - expresses its gratitude to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the bereaved are reminded of their own suffering and loss.

Some 53 British servicemen and women have been killed in Afghanistan in the last 12 months and 437 have died there since operations began in 2001.

Margaret Evison's son Mark died in Helmand Province in 2009.

A lieutenant in the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, he was considered one of the finest officers of his generation.

Ms Evison's book describes the aftermath of her son's death

He died aged just 26 after being shot in the shoulder while leading a patrol in Helmand.

Margaret's book Death Of A Soldier describes the aftermath - from the time she was told her son had been injured, up until after his inquest.

It is an incredibly moving account which articulates the loss of a child, and is deeply thought provoking.

But it also asks important questions about the circumstances surrounding Mark's death, about the army and the war in Afghanistan.

Ms Evison said: "It's a journey through despair, but also a tale of surprises, sometimes magical ... to pay my respects to a young man who commanded such love and respect in his short life."

Mark Evison was one of the army's brightest stars

Mark was clearly a remarkable man, who achieved a great deal and inspired those who knew him.

Nicknamed 007, he was idolised by his men and was destined for a very bright future in the army he loved so much.

Brigadier Tim Radford, heading the 19th Brigade in Afghanistan at the time wrote: "He was charming, utterly focused, thoughtful and he left an indelible stamp.

"I know his soldiers adored him and he was held in such high esteem by them. Mark was described by his solders as having 'a face that was sculpted by angels'. In 25 years in the army I have never heard soldiers speak with such affection about one of their officers'."

The book brings Mark to life through his mother's words, but also uses his own.

He wrote a diary in Afghanistan until a few days before he died which is included, along with extracts from the many letters written to the family from people who knew Mark.

As well as being a very personal story about loss, the book illustrates the heroics of the people involved in trying to save Mark, but also questions whether his death could have been avoided.

Ms Evison battled with the Ministry of Defence and found evidence that there was a lack of resources, poor radio equipment, and a delay in the helicopter sent to rescue Mark which had an impact on his care.

She not only questions the army's deficiencies but the legitimacy of the campaign in Afghanistan.

However the book ends on a very positive note, describing The Mark Evison Foundation which was set up shortly after his death to inspire young people and help them develop their potential.

"We wanted the Foundation to reflect Mark's unusual capacity to be a life-enhancer," she wrote. "That became its strap line: 'Bring out the best in you'."

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Man Sought Over Murdered Teen In Stevenage

Police in Hertfordshire have appealed to the public to help trace a man wanted in connection with the disappearance of a 19-year-old who is believed to have been murdered.

Detectives want to question 22-year-old Jack Wall, of Hadrian's Walk, Stevenage.

He is thought to be blind in one eye and is described as having a distinctive squint.

The 19-year-old has been named as Amelia Arnold, from Stevenage, who was last seen on Wednesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Redfearn, from the joint Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire major crime unit, said: "We have reason to believe that the missing woman has been murdered and we'd urgently like to speak with Jack Wall in connection with the inquiry.

"It is likely he may be in the Stevenage area, but he could be further afield."

DCI Redfearn, who is leading the inquiry, added: "I would urge anyone who has information about his whereabouts to call police as a matter of urgency.

"I'd also like to appeal directly to Jack. If you are reading this, please go to Stevenage or your nearest police station to speak with officers."

Amelia Arnold was last seen on Wednesday

As part of the inquiry, detectives and scene-of-crime specialists are examining a property in Hadrian's Walk.

Witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity at the address between Wednesday and Friday are also being asked to come forward.

Mr Redfearn said: "We've been speaking with residents in Hadrian's Walk but I would like to hear from anyone who has been in the area between these times and believes they may have seen or heard any suspicious activity to make contact with police.

"We would also like to appeal to anyone who may have witnessed anyone acting suspiciously in a white Citroen Berlingo, registration R389 VDP, in the Stevenage area since Wednesday.

"Any information, however small could prove vital to our investigation."

Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man from the local area has been arrested in connection with the investigation and is in police custody.

Anyone with information which could assist the inquiry should contact police by calling the non-emergency number, 101. Alternatively, information can be passed on anonymously to the Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.

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