Duchess Of Cambridge In Children's Charity Boost

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

A children's hospice has seen a surge in its profile since the Duchess of Cambridge became its Royal patron a year ago.

The Treehouse in Ipswich is run by East Anglia's Children's Hospices, or EACH ... one of four charities chosen by Kate to receive special support.

According to chief executive Graham Butland, the impact has been huge.

"It's been tremendous, not only for EACH but also for palliative care nationally and internationally. Her support has brought a whole new perspective to what we do."

Kate's role has also helped the charity financially.

"It's difficult to know why people will give money," said Mr Butland. "All I can say is our fundraising has held up very well at a time when most charities are seeing a dip in their income."

The Duchess at Centrepoint, the homeless charity her husband is patron of

Nick Davis's 13-year-old son William loves his time at the Treehouse. He has a rare genetic condition and severe learning difficulties.

For his parents, the centre provides the chance for a much needed break.They had the opportunity to meet the Duchess during her visit last March.

"She was just such a lovely, genuine, down to earth person," said Nick.

"She came in and she got down with the kids and played with them and she spent far more time here than she was meant to.

"It gave the whole place a real lift and the whole town a real buzz."

Kate with children on the Expanding Horizons outdoor challenges scheme

The Duchess of Cambridge carefully chose which four charities she intended to support. She is also patron of Action on Addiction, another children's charity called The Art Room and the National Portrait Gallery.

Rob Cope - director of Remember a Charity, an organisation helping people leave money to a good cause in their will - believes the power of Royal backing should not be underestimated.

"Kate's got that credibility. She's very newsworthy, so people recognise her. They trust her. They like her.

"She's got that real warmth about her in the way that Diana had and she is also able to champion of some of those unpopular causes like we saw with Diana, putting things like Aids and landmines on the map."

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Belfast Police Injured In 'Sustained Attack'

Several officers have been injured in east Belfast after a crowd of up to 300 people hurled fireworks, bricks and petrol bombs during "a sustained attack", the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.

A PSNI spokesman said several arrests were made after the public disorder in the Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas overnight.

It comes after 10 police officers were injured on Thursday during a demonstration against the decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag is flown from City Hall.

Sky's Ireland Correspondent Vicki Hawthorne said: "The latest disorder has been relatively minor compared to other nights.

"There had been an earlier peaceful flag protest which initially dispersed without incident.

"People in the area have said the police have been too heavy handed in how they have dealt with protesters, and that, they say, has sparked trouble."

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson described the violence against the police as "a disgrace".

He said: "Those responsible are doing a grave disservice to the cause they claim to espouse and are playing into the hands of those dissident groups who would seek to exploit every opportunity to further their terror aims."

He added: "All right-thinking unionists will want to channel their energies into political activity and to support the cause of finding political solutions to the problems that we face.

"In Northern Ireland the ballot box has primacy and is the only vehicle for choosing the people's representatives."

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Rail Fares Must Not Be 'Ramped Up', MPs Warn

A rise in peak-time fares for rail passengers would just be a tax on commuters and should not be considered by the Government, a report by MPs has said.

Reducing the cost of the railways to taxpayers must not be achieved by "ramping up fares", the chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee Louise Ellman said.

Following Sir Roy McNulty's report into rail costs, the Government is looking at a variety of measures, including managing peak-time demand by increasing fares for those travelling at the height of rush-hour.

The committee's report said: "We recommend that the Government rule out forms of demand management which would lead to even higher fares for commuters on peak-time trains."

The MPs said many lower-paid workers had no choice but to travel at peak times.

The report went on: "Higher prices at peak times might make a difference to demand at the margin but would for the most part be a tax on commuters who have no effective choice over how or when they travel."

The report also recommended that the Government should set out long-term policy on annual season ticket fare increases.

Thousands in the South East pay more than £5,000 for annual season ticket

The committee's comments come two days after inflation-busting average rises of 4.2% for regulated fares, which include season tickets, took effect for passengers.

Thousands of passengers in the South East now pay more than £5,000 for an annual season ticket.

This year's regulated fare rise would have been even higher had the Government not pulled back from the original plan of a greater increase.

The committee also said it was "very concerned" about the safety implications of proposals to reduce staffing at stations and on trains.

Launching the report today, Mrs Ellman, a Labour MP, said: "The number of rail passengers has increased but train companies' unit costs have not come down."

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said: "While this report reinforces once again that our railways are nothing more than a multi-billion pound rip-off lining the pockets of a bunch of spivs and speculators, it ducks the real issue and that's the cast-iron case for public ownership."

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: "This is the clearest warning to ministers against going down the route of rationing rail travel by pricing passengers off trains through super peak-fare tickets."

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Hand Transplant Completed In UK For First Time

History Of Successful Transplants

Updated: 12:21am UK, Friday 04 January 2013

As a 51-year-old man becomes the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant, here is a look at how organ transplants have evolved.

The team at Leeds General Infirmary that performed the UK's first hand transplant worked closely with colleagues in Lyon, France, where hand transplants were pioneered in 1998. The first-ever recipient in France was New Zealander Clint Hallam, who later had his new hand removed.

Doctors in the United States, Austria and France have carried out a number of successful hand transplants, giving encouragement to other transplant operations of areas such as the face, abdominal wall or larynx.

The first major organ to be transplanted successfully was a cornea, by Eduard Zirm in Olmutz, Moravia (now the Czech Republic) in 1905. In 1918, blood transfusion became established, and the first successful kidney transplant was in 1954, by doctors in Boston.

The first successful heart transplant was by Dr Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1967, and the first heart then liver transplants in the UK took place the next year.

The kidney donor card was introduced in the UK in 1971. Ten years later, this changed to a multi-organ card including kidneys, corneas, heart, liver, and pancreas.

The first combined heart and lung transplant in the UK took place in 1983.

In 1994, the NHS Organ Donor Register was set up.

In 2005, the first partial face transplant was carried out, in Amiens, France. Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled by her dog, was given a new nose, chin and lips.

In 2010, the first full face transplant was carried out, in Barcelona, Spain, on a farmer known only as Oscar who had been injured in a shooting accident. He received the entire facial skin and muscles - including cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth - of a donor.

In March, 2012, US doctors carried out what is said to be the most extensive face transplant ever performed.

The operation at the University of Maryland gave Richard Norris a new face, including jaw, teeth and tongue.

The 37-year-old has lived as a recluse for 15 years after being severely injured in a gun accident.

In October 2006, surgeon Peter Butler at London's Royal Free Hospital was given permission by the NHS ethics board to carry out a face transplant. His team will select four adult patients for operations.

Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that in the financial year to March 31 2012, there was an 8% increase in the number of deceased donors, to 1,088, the largest number ever in the UK.

The number of donors after brain death increased by 2% to 652, while the number of donors after circulatory death increased by 17% to 436.

The number of living donors increased by 1% to 1,055; living donors account for half the total number of organ donors.

The number of patients whose lives were saved or improved by an organ transplant increased by 6% to 3,960.

Some 3,521 patients had their sight restored through a cornea transplant, representing a decrease of 1%.

The total number of patients registered for a transplant has fallen slightly, so that there were 7,636 patients waiting for a transplant at the end of March 2012, with a further 2,880 temporarily suspended from transplant lists.

Some 508 patients died while on the active waiting list for their transplant and a further 819 were removed from the transplant list.

The removals were mostly as a result of deteriorating health and ineligibility for transplant and many of these patients would have died shortly afterwards.

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Dawda Jallow CCTV: Boy Wanted Over Stabbing

Detectives have released a picture of a 15-year-old they want to question over the suspected murder of a teenager in a row over a mobile phone.

The CCTV image, filmed on a bus on Sunday just after 10.30pm, is believed to be the last sighting of Dawda Jallow from Peckham in South East London, who has been missing since the stabbing.

It shows him travelling on the number 35 bus between Camberwell Green and Newington Causeway.

"If anyone knows him, if anyone knows where he has been staying, if anyone has any ideas that they should put him up for the night, I would urge them not to and call us instead," said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Bonner, who is leading the investigation.

"He must be staying somewhere and so I am urging the community for their help in letting me know where that is."

The schoolboy is described as black, clean-shaven with cropped black hair, 5ft 5in tall and stocky for his age.

He has brown eyes and speaks with a London accent, although he is a Gambian national.

Dogan Ismail died of a single stab wound

Police made their fresh appeal as victim Dogan Ismail's family issued a statement about their loss.

"Our beloved son, friend, cousin, nephew and grandson has been cruelly taken away from us," they said.

"Words cannot describe how much we will miss him. We want justice for Dogan and his killer caught.

"Anyone with information, please tell the police."

The 17-year-old died from a single stab wound after a confrontation with four males on the Aylesbury estate in nearby Walworth.

He went there with his younger brother Orhan, 15, whose BlackBerry phone was stolen from him two days earlier.

It is believed they may have been lured there on the promise of getting it back.

A schoolfriend, who did not want to be identified, told Sky News a text message was sent inviting them to come and retrieve the phone.

Police earlier confirmed the pair went to Walworth to recover the stolen device.

DCI Bonner said: "It would appear that on the Sunday they went back onto the estate in an effort to recover that phone."

He added: "The line around him being lured there - I'm aware of that information, but it is not something that has been given to us directly, and we will pursue that with other lines of enquiry."

The incident happened just yards away from where 21-year-old Shaun Chambers, from Greenwich, was killed in a gangland attack on September 26.

Police said there was no link between the two deaths.

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Overweight People Could Face Benefit Cuts

Obese people could face cuts to their benefits if they do not attend exercise sessions, under new plans being outlined by a local council.

Westminster City council has published a report looking at how councils can link benefit payments to claimants' lifestyles.

It describes how some local authorities have begun allowing GPs to prescribe leisure activities like swimming and fitness classes.

It is hoped that by using technology such as smart cards, the use of leisure facilities can be monitored leading to housing and council benefit payouts being cut for those not attempting to lose weight.

The document, written with the think-tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), states: "Where an exercise package is prescribed to a resident, housing and council tax benefit payments could be varied to reward or incentivise residents."

Obesity costs the NHS £5.1bn a year and the number of Britons who are overweight is expected to increase by 10% over the next decade.

In recent years the responsibility for tackling public health has moved back to local government, despite many councils experiencing funding cuts.

Councillor Philippa Roe, Leader of Westminster City Council, said: "Councils have a great opportunity to improve lives by thinking how public health can be integrated into existing local services, this can lead to savings being shared across the entire public sector.

"This report contains exactly the sort of bright, forward-thinking and radical ideas that need to be looked at."

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Thailand Killing: Brit Shot Dancing On Beach

A British tourist has been shot dead while dancing on a beach in Thailand after being caught up in a fight between two local gangs.

Stephen Ashton, 22, was at a New Year's Eve party at a bar on the island of Koh Phangan when he was hit by a stray bullet.

"He was shot in the side while he was dancing on the beach," said policeman Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Noorod.

Mr Ashton was reportedly killed when a man opened fire at a bar on Haad Rin Beach in the early hours of the morning.

Friends have paid tribute to Mr Ashton (Photo: Facebook)

Confirming the identity of the victim, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Thailand on New Year's Eve.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family."

Mr Ashton was apparently with a group of friends and 300 other tourists at the 2013 countdown party at a pub and restaurant called the Zoom Bar when he was shot by a home-made gun shortly after 4am.

Reports suggest the suspected gunman has been arrested by police and is expected to appear in court on Wednesday after a police news conference.

The man has apparently denied being the killer, while admitting being involved in the fight.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Ashton on social networking sites as friends expressed their shock at his death.

Robbie-Cameron Gray wrote on Facebook: "Don't want to believe it. Still got photos of us on my (Facebook) wall from football and school. Will miss you mate."

Aaron Kelly wrote: "Horrible news. Be good up there mate."

Jaydon Gibbs said on Twitter: "My heart is with his family. The nicest guy RIP Stephen Ashton xx"

Koh Phangan is in the south of Thailand

Another Twitter user, Dean DeRosa, said: "Worst news for the start of 2013 ! R.I.P Stephen Ashton ! Was a good lad !!"

Sophie Harwin, a graphics editor from Surrey, spent New Year's Eve nearby but had left the area by the time the shooting occurred.

She said: "I just met someone who said loads of people were trying to save him. Very sad."

She added: "I didn't go near Zoom Bar. Not sure where it is on the beach. The place was packed."

Mr Ashton's mother, Diane, is flying back to the UK from a skiing trip following news of her son's death, neighbour Dawn Mason said.

The victim's family said they were too distraught to speak at their home in Purley, south London.

Ms Mason described Mr Ashton as a "very normal, likeable young man" and said his family were in "complete shock".

The tropical island of Koh Phangan, situated north of tourist haven Ko Samui, is a popular destination for backpackers and students on gap years.

One of the attractions of the island is its monthly full moon party at Haad Rin Beach.

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Rail Fares: Call For End To Price Increases

How Much Will Your Ticket Cost?

Updated: 2:14am UK, Wednesday 02 January 2013

This is a table of rail fare rises, comparing the price of a 12-month season ticket bought in December with one bought from January 2.

The table does not include the price paid if within-London travelcards are also purchased for Tube and bus journeys in the capital.

Where London is mentioned, this means travel to London terminal stations where travel is allowed by any route option shown by the National Rail Enquiry system, Journey Planner, where the journey can be made using only one ticket.

ROUTE                          DEC 2012  JAN 2013  % RISE

Leeds-Wakefield              £908      £964            6.16%

Bishop's Stortford-London  £3,560    £3,704     4.04%

Portsmouth Harbour-London  £4,480    £4,668  4.19%

Basingstoke-London         £3,800    £3,960       4.21%

Ramsgate-London            £4,640    £4,864     4.82%

Woking-London              £2,780    £2,896        4.17%

Folkestone-London          £4,612    £4,836      4.85%

Reading-London             £3,800    £3,960       4.21%

Sevenoaks-London           £2,980    £3,112    4.43%

Aylesbury-London           £3,520    £3,632      3.18%

Bedford-London             £4,004    £4,172      4.19%

Hastings-London            £4,400    £4,584     4.18%

Canterbury-London          £4,588    £4,812    4.80%

Deal-London                £4,640    £4,864    4.82%

Dover Priory-London        £4,640    £4,864    4.82%

Ludlow-Hereford            £1,892    £1,992    5.28%

Bangor-Llandudno           £1,084    £1,140    5.16%

Morpeth-Newcastle            £960    £1,008    5%

West Malling-London        £3,712    £3,876    4.42%

Guildford-London           £3,092    £3,224    4.27%

Bracknell-London           £3,800    £3,960    4.21%

Braintree-London           £3,960    £4,124    4.14%

Tunbridge Wells-London     £3,968    £4,132    4.13%

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Bulging Bill Of Britain's Obesity Epidemic

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Britain is in the grip of an obesity epidemic costing £5bn a year - and not enough is being done to tackle it, according to the Royal College of Physicians.

A report by the RCP says severely overweight patients are suffering from what it calls "patchy" NHS services and a lack of joined-up thinking from the Government.

Thirty-one-year-old Matthew Briggs, from Strensall, near York, says the NHS was of little help when he weighed more than 31 stone.

Now more than 17 stone lighter, and Slimming World's 2012 champion, he says he was offered slimming pills and a drastic diet.

"They gave me very limited options of what I could have," he said.

"You only see your GP for 15 or 20 minutes (and) you've got an entire week or month before you see them again."

He says he eventually relied on a combination of willpower and encouragement from other overweight people to help him slim down so much he is now training for the London Marathon.

The RCP report calls for teams of specialists to be set up around the country along with a national anti-obesity group similar to Action on Smoking and Health, which is credited with helping to reduce the number of people who smoke.

The authors also want to see an obesity champion in each NHS trust, better training for health care professionals, more research into obesity and help for overweight NHS staff.

With around a quarter of UK adults classed as obese, the report says too many doctors and nurses are seriously overweight and setting a bad example to the people they are trying to treat.

Professor John Wass, academic vice-president of the RCP, said: "Britain is getting bigger and whilst we try to prevent the increase in obesity, we must also prepare the NHS for the influx of patients presenting with severe complex obesity."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are committed to tackling obesity and are taking action to help people keep a healthy weight and prevent them needing hospital care for obesity-related conditions.

"The medical profession has a key role in providing advice and treatment to people who are overweight or obese, and the Royal College of Physicians can help its members do this."

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New Year Celebrations: UK Welcomes In 2013

Large crowds lined the banks of the River Thames in London and the streets of Edinburgh as the UK saw in the start of the New Year.

Along the Thames, up to 250,000 people were expected to watch a major fireworks display as the night sky was set to be illuminated with pyrotechnics to round-off a momentous year.

Revellers were able to watch clips from the 2012 Olympic Games during an 11-minute firework display set around the London Eye.

Millions more were expected to watch it all on television.

In Edinburgh, tens of thousands of people descended on the streets of Scotland's capital for the world-famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Around 75,000 partygoers counted down the last 10 seconds of 2012 before joining in a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne after the clock struck midnight.

Scottish rockers Simple Minds headlined the Hogmanay concert and street party.

Fireworks explode around the London Eye

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club were also due to play to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks were set off to mark the start of 2013.

Pete Irvine, artistic director of the Hogmanay celebrations, said: "I think it's going really well this year.

"It's really, really busy here tonight - probably busier than we've seen it in some time because the weather is so good.

"There's a moon in the sky, it's actually not cold and it's not raining.

"We've been very lucky with the weather and I think we are going to be very lucky with the crowd and all the performances tonight on many stages."

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' volunteered at the Thames event to help ensure it was a success.

They gave out maps, helped direct people to the viewing areas, and provided guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Kisses exchanged during Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London."

He added: "As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Early celebrations got under way in Edinburgh on Sunday night with a torchlight parade.

A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

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Foiled Car Bomb Attempt In Belfast Condemned

An apparent attempt to kill a policeman in Northern Ireland with a car bomb was an attack on the entire community, Stormont's Justice Minister has insisted.

Police have blamed dissident republicans for placing the booby trap device under the officer's car in east Belfast.

They said the unexploded viable bomb, which was discovered by the off duty policeman on Sunday afternoon, was clearly intended to kill.

His car was parked at his home on the Upper Newtownards Road - a busy route into the city centre.

The scene, which was sealed off until late on Sunday night amid an extensive security and forensic operation, is close to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) headquarters at Knock and the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

Army robot used to examine the device

Justice Minister David Ford condemned those responsible, saying: "This was an attack not only on a police officer and his family but on our whole community. The officer was serving the community - he was working for all of us."

People living in nearby homes were evacuated in the alert. A local church offered them shelter while army technical officers worked to make the scene safe.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said it was very fortunate no one was killed or injured.

"Initial investigations would indicate that this was a viable device placed below an officer's car some time in the last 48 hours," he said on Sunday night.

"It was clearly intended to kill the police officer. His family and neighbours in the vicinity were also put at risk of serious harm.

"Obviously there are people out there who are still intent on causing murder and mayhem."

Map showing the road where the bomb was placed

Dissidents have repeatedly targeted security force members in recent years.

In November, long-serving prison officer David Black, 52, was shot dead in a motorway ambush in Co Armagh as he drove to work.

A group styling itself the "new IRA" claimed responsibility for that attack. The faction was formed in the summer when a number of splinter groups joined forces.

In April 2011, newly-qualified police officer Ronan Kerr, 25, died when a dissident booby trap car bomb exploded under his vehicle at his home in Omagh.

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Revellers Get Ready For New Year Knees Up

Spectacular shows of fireworks and entertainment will take place across the globe as revellers welcome in the new year.

A dazzling display of pyrotechnics and lights is set to illuminate London's night sky to round-off a momentous year in the capital city.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London.

"As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Last year's London celebrations saw Big Ben lit up

Up to 250,000 people are expected to crowd on to the banks of the Thames to watch the display, with millions more seeing it on television.

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' will volunteer at the event to help ensure it is a success.

They will be giving out maps, helping direct people to the viewing areas, and providing guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Scots rockers Simple Minds will be headlining the Hogmanay concert and street party in Edinburgh.

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club will also be playing to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks will be set off to mark the new year.

Celebrations got under way in the city last night with a torchlight procession. A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

Sydney's fireworks are expected to be bigger than last year

The central Pacific Ocean island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and the eastern-most island in the island nation of Kiribati will be the first to usher in the new year at 1000 GMT.

Sydney will be the first major world city to see in the new year at 1300 GMT, with some 1.5 million people expected to attend the city's events.

As one of the largest new year events in the world, the traditional firework show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will display more than 100,000 firework patterns, costing 6.5m Australian dollars (£4.2m).

American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US in the southern Pacific Ocean, will be the last place on Earth to herald in the new year on Tuesday at 1100 GMT.

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Alan Greaves Murder: Two Arrests In Sheffield

Police have arrested two men over the murder of pensioner Alan Greaves, who was attacked as he walked to church in Sheffield on Christmas Eve.

The 68-year-old was found with head injuries on the pavement close to his home on Greengate Lane at around 11.15pm.

The suspects, both from Sheffield, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, South Yorkshire Police said. One is in his 20s and the other in his 40s.

Officers are searching properties in the High Green area and a police spokesman has said there is a "high-visibility police presence".

Mr Greaves, a retired social worker, had been an organist and lay preacher at St Saviour's Church in High Green for nine years.

He died on Thursday night surrounded by his family at the city's Northern General Hospital.

Police have called the attack "brutal" and are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick said it is likely a weapon was used but the motive for the attack is not known.

Friends and neighbours have described Mr Greaves as a good and kind man. His wife Maureen, a church community worker, is said to be devastated.

"He was a good man and this was an evil act," said Canon Simon Bessant, who worked closely with Mr Greaves and his wife.

"He was a gentle soul. He wasn't foolish - he would have handled the situation as best as anyone would but we don't know what he encountered."

Mr Bessant said Mr Greaves had been attacked 250 yards from the church and that his family had been at home.

"His wife wants justice but she doesn't want vengeance. She is not embittered but obviously she wants this person to be caught."

Mr Greaves had four adult children and had recently become a grandfather to twin boys adopted by his daughter in Mozambique.

He and his wife had recently set up a food bank and community project in the area where he was murdered.

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Cameron: Britain 'On Right Track' For 2013

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

David Cameron has used his New Year's message to declare that Britain is "heading in the right direction" on all the big issues and can look forward to 2013 with "realism and optimism".

In a video address, the Prime Minister acknowledged 2012 was "tough", with many families finding it difficult to make ends meet - and admitted he had "no quick fixes" to the UK's economic problems.

But he cited evidence of "real progress" on cutting the state deficit, reforming welfare and improving school standards, which he said was preparing Britain to succeed in the "global race" with emerging economic giants like China and India for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

Mr Cameron said that his administration was "a Government in a hurry" which would not give in to pressure to slow the pace of deficit reduction or rein in reforms to welfare and education.

"This is my message to the country at the start of 2013," said the Prime Minister. "We can look to the future with realism and optimism.

"Realism, because you can't cure problems that were decades in the making overnight. There are no quick fixes and I wouldn't claim otherwise.

"But we can be optimistic too because we are making tangible progress. We are doing what's right for our country and what's best for our children's future."

Insisting that "we are on the right track", Mr Cameron said: "On all the big issues that matter to Britain, we are heading in the right direction and I have the evidence to prove it."

The deficit is forecast to be a quarter smaller at the New Year than it was when the coalition Government came to office. There are almost half a million more people in work, and more than 1,000 new academy schools have opened, said Mr Cameron.

And he hailed moves to take millions of low-paid workers out of income tax, freeze council tax bills and deliver the largest-ever increase in the state pension.

"This is, quite simply, a Government in a hurry," said Mr Cameron. "And there's a reason for that.

"Britain is in a global race to succeed today. It is a race with countries like China, India and Indonesia; a race for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

"So, when people say we can slow down on cutting our debts, we are saying no. We can't win in this world with a great millstone of debt round our necks.

"When people say we've got to stop our welfare reforms because somehow it is cruel to expect people to work, we are saying no. Getting people into good jobs is absolutely vital, not just for them, but for all of us.

"And when there is a fight on our hands to change our schools, we are ready and willing to have it, because having a world-class education is the only way our children are going to get on in this world."

He added: "This is what this Government is about: making sure Britain succeeds in this global race and, above all, helping our people succeed - the people who work hard and aspire to a better life for their families."

The message steered clear of the debates over Britain's future in the European Union - due to feature in a long-awaited speech by the Prime Minister in the coming weeks - and gay marriage, which have driven divisions through the Conservative Party over the past year.

Instead Mr Cameron looked back on 2012 as "an extraordinary year for our country", characterised by the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the successful Olympics and Paralympics.

In response, Labour vice chair Michael Dugher said: "It's a case of more of the same from David Cameron.

"In his New Year message, Cameron talks of people who work hard in this country but he's the one hitting hard-working families on lower and middle incomes whilst cutting taxes for millionaires.

"David Cameron stands for the old divide and rule Tory approach of the past - he can't be the One Nation Prime Minister Britain needs.

"Cameron promised change but nothing is changing for the better. Britain's economy is failing under his policies over the last year, with nearly one million young people out of work.

"Prices are still going up faster than wages and borrowing is going up not down, over 7% higher this year than last year.

"This Prime Minister is out of touch, he stands up for the wrong people and he's failing to deliver for working people."

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