First Gay Weddings: PM Hails 'Equal Marriage'

Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the first gay weddings in England and Wales as sending a "powerful message" about equality in the UK.

The law changed at midnight, with a number of gay couples vying to claim the title of being among the first to be married as ceremonies took place across the country.

Despite facing opposition from some in the Conservative Party about his backing for the change, Mr Cameron said the reform was necessary because "when people's love is divided by law, it is that law that needs to change".

Writing in Pink News he said "this weekend is an important moment for our country" because "we will at last have equal marriage in our country".

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed in July

He said: "The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are.

"It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality.

"It clearly says 'you are equal' whether straight or gay. That is so important in trying to create an environment where people are no longer bullied because of their sexuality - and where they can realise their potential, whether as a great mathematician like Alan Turing, a star of stage and screen like Sir Ian McKellen or a wonderful journalist and presenter like Clare Balding."

Among the first couples set to take advantage of the legalisation were actor Andrew Wale, 49, and guesthouse owner Neil Allard, 48, who wed at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton just after midnight.

Andrew Wale (L) and Neil Allard said their vows in Brighton

Following the ceremony in which the couple wore matching suits, Mr Allard said they felt "privileged" and "humbled".

Mr Wale added: "It's kind of extraordinary. We did not really expect it to happen so suddenly, so soon.

"We were waiting and nothing seemed to be happening so we were considering a civil partnership, which is not true equality. So we are very happy this day has come finally."

Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been together for 17 years, tied the knot at Islington Town Hall, north London, just moments after midnight struck.

Ahead of their ceremony, Mr McGraith said: "We are thrilled to be getting married. It is a mark of significant social progress in the UK that the legal distinction between gay and straight relationships has been removed.

Mr McGraith (L) and Mr Cabreza were wed just moments after midnight

"Very few countries afford their gay and lesbian citizens equal marriage rights and we believe that this change in law will bring hope and strength to gay men and lesbians in Nigeria, Uganda, Russia, India and elsewhere, who lack basic equality and are being criminalised for their sexual orientation."

Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and her civil partner Debbie Toksvig will renew their vows at a public event at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank in London later this morning.

Same-sex couples wishing to marry had initially thought they would have to wait until the summer after the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed last July.

However, they were allowed to register their intention to marry from March 13 - with March 29 the first day they could get hitched.

Unlike civil partnerships, same-sex marriages will give the same legal recognition as marriage across a range of areas including pensions, inheritance, child maintenance and immigration rights.

While the change will not be enforced upon religious organisations, they will be able to opt in.

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Stepping Hill Nurse Charged With Three Murders

A nurse has been charged with the murder of three patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in 2011.

Victorino Chua was re-arrested in connection with the deaths of Tracey Arden, 44, Alfred Derek Weaver, 83, and Arnold Lancaster, 71.

They and 18 others were poisoned with deliberately contaminated products at the hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Chua has since been charged with three counts of murder, as well as 31 further offences against 25 other patients at the hospital.

The additional charges include 22 of attempted grievous bodily harm and seven of attempted poisoning.

A police investigation into the deaths at Stepping Hill was launched after staff noticed "unexplained" low blood sugar levels in patients.

Officers later found a number of saline drips had been tampered with.

Chua, 48, of Heaton Norris, Stockport, will appear at Manchester City Magistrates Court later today.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Our thoughts continue to be with those people who were deliberately poisoned and their families.

"From day one we made a commitment to those people, as well as the wider community, to thoroughly and robustly investigate what occurred.

"In close to three years we have conducted many painstaking enquiries and engaged with numerous medical experts."

He added: "It is absolutely vital he is afforded the right to have a fair trial as outlined in Article 6 of the Human Rights Act."

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Missing Teen Nida Naseer: Police Find Body

Police investigating the disappearance of teenager Nida Naseer have found a body, three months after she went missing from outside her home.

Gwent Police confirmed they received reports of a body being found in Newport Wetlands Nature Reserve on Thursday.

A spokeswoman said: "Nida's family has been informed that a body has been discovered and we continue to give them support.

"The death is being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem examination is due to take place."

Miss Naseer, 19, disappeared after going to put the bins out at her home in Linton Street, Pill, Newport, at 8pm on December 28.

The teenager was not wearing shoes when she walked outside. She also did not have her phone, money or coat. 

Police say her phone has not been used since then.

Nida's family, who are originally from Pakistan, have made repeated pleas for her to come home. 

They previously said her disappearance is "totally out of character," particularly since she needs medication which stops her becoming anaemic.

Nisa was 'upset and angry' on the night of her disappearance

Her older sister, Shamyla, 23, has said she believes Nida's disappearance is connected to her studies.

On the night she disappeared Nida had been angry and upset that, despite having good marks at school, she could not receive any funding to go to university as her family are asylum seekers.

Shamyla said she was "shouting and crying".

The Naseer family sought asylum after coming to Britain five years ago, but the application was turned down last year. They are appealing against the decision

Police called off ground searches for the teenager earlier this month.

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Brit Found Dead Near Burning Boat In Caribbean

By Richard Williams, Sky News Online

A British man has been found dead near a burning boat in the Caribbean, prompting a police hunt for his Norwegian girlfriend.

Police in St Vincent told Sky News that 53-year-old John Edward Garner was discovered with head injuries just off the coast of the island after reports a yacht was on fire.

He was travelling with a Norwegian woman, Heidi Hukkelaas, who is believed to have been his girlfriend and who police are desperate to trace.

St Vincent police commissioner Michael Charles told Sky News: "We do believe that there has been foul play and we are very much concerned to trace Ms Hukkelaas' whereabouts.

"We don't know whether she has also been a victim. From our inquiries so far, there does not appear to be any evidence that she has left the island through any airport or sea port.

"At this stage we are certainly looking at all lines of inquiry."

Mr Garner had permission to say in St Vincent until April 19

Diver Kay Wilson was one of the first to arrive at the burning yacht.

She told Sky News the flames had "completely engulfed the vessel" by the time she arrived.

"I was out with a group of divers," she said. "We'd gone out to do a dive trip and one of my crew members saw the smoke on the horizon.

"We made our way over there ... When we reached about a quarter of a mile off we saw a flashing light, which we would normally associate with a life jacket.

"We approached cautiously and we found somebody in the water, with the life jacket around their neck, approximately 150 to 200 feet away from the yacht at the time."

Mr Garner's body was found around 15 nautical miles west of Buccament, in the southwest of the island, on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Charles said the Briton, who lived in Norway, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, in Kingstown.

He said Mr Garner and Ms Hukkelaas had arrived on the island on January 19 and had secured permission to remain there until April 19.

The Foreign Office told Sky News they were aware of the death of a British national in St Vincent and were providing consular assistance to the family.

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Big Six Could Be Broken Up By Watchdog

The big six power companies face being broken up by the competition watchdog, as the energy regulator is expected to refer them for a full-scale review.

When Ofgem publishes its "state of the market" report today, it is likely to announce plans to call in the new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for a two-year investigation into the sector.

It would be the first full-scale competition inquiry into the energy market - and would put the UK's biggest suppliers, the big six, under unprecedented scrutiny.

The CMA, which takes over from the Competition Commission next month, could force a major shake-up of the industry, potentially forcing the big six to separate their power-generation and retail businesses.

In an apparent attempt to forestall the probe's findings, SSE has already announced it would legally separate its wholesale arm - which includes energy production and storage - from its retail division, which sells energy to homes and businesses.

Ofgem is likely to hold off from immediately referring them to the CMA, instead suggesting a one-month consultation on the move.

The big six - British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE - have faced sustained criticism over rising bills and soaring profits at a time when household wages are being squeezed.

The firms deny profiteering, saying they have had to increase bills due to rises in wholesale energy prices and green taxes.

Consumer group Which? and the Federation of Small Business were among the latest to push for a CMA inquiry.

They wrote a joint letter earlier this week to the Office of Fair Trading, Ofgem and the CMA saying competition needed to be increased.

On Wednesday, SSE also pledged to freeze household gas and electricity prices until January 2016.

The move, hailed by Prime Minister David Cameron as "hugely welcome", immediately put rivals under pressure to do the same.

"It is our policy that bills should be cut and bills are being cut under this Government," Mr Cameron said.

Six months ago, Labour pledged to force suppliers to freeze prices.

But the policy was dismissed at the time by Mr Cameron as unworkable and "Marxist", while SSE said it would lead to "unsustainable loss-making retail businesses".

Labour leader Ed Miliband on Wednesday told the House of Commons SSE's apparent U-turn "totally demolished" the Prime Minister's arguments on prices.

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Domestic Abuse Victims Being Failed By Police

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

Police forces in England and Wales have been told their response to domestic violence is not good enough, and that substantial and urgent reforms are needed.

A review ordered by Home Secretary Theresa May found many victims of violence felt they were not believed, that some officers were unsympathetic or had a poor attitude, and the other crimes were treated as a higher priority. 

In a review of 600 cases, the report found that in half of incidents where the victim had received visible injuries, the police had failed to take photographs as evidence. 

The findings prompted one charity to call for a public inquiry into how the state deals with victims.

Mrs May called the report "disturbing" and has promised to chair regular meetings to ensure the recommendations are implemented.

The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary found that in a 12-month period there were more than one million calls to the police for help in dealing with a domestic abuse incident, that six women were murdered every month by their partners or ex-partners, and that domestic violence made up 8% of all crimes committed. 

A third of victims say they felt no safer or less safe after calling police

But despite those shocking figures, the issue is not treated as a high enough priority by force commanders, or individual officers.

The report concluded that while senior officers will talk about it being a high priority, that view does not translate into action on the ground.

Zoe Billingham, the Inspector of Constabulary who wrote the report, said: "Police leaders told us that talking domestic abuse is important, but in the majority of forces it is a priority on paper only and not in practise. 

"It is deeply disappointing that the stated intent is not translating into an operational reality. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for assistance relating to domestic abuse.

"We believe that the findings of this report should be a wake-up call for the police service; domestic abuse must no longer be the poor relation to other policing activity."

HMIC monitored police officers at work and spoke to victims. 

One woman told them: "Last year one officer came out and his radio was going and I heard him say, 'It's a DV (domestic violence), we'll be a few minutes and we'll go to the next job.' And I thought - thanks a lot, that's my life."  

Police responses to abuse are a 'lottery'

Another said: "They didn't take it seriously until something happened in public. That's what happened to me - me and my kids living in fear, being locked in rooms and stuff - police not taking it seriously until he hit me in a club in the middle of everybody. Then they were there like that and arrested him like that. It was no different to what we experienced behind closed doors."

Another contributor to the report told Sky News of her experience when she called to report that an ex-boyfriend had broken into her apartment and assaulted her. 

"The response I had from them, from their first officer onwards, was appalling. The officer had seen the perpetrator before me, and he gave them a false version of events, and by the time they came to see me they weren't interested in what I had to say. He showed total disinterest. They are supposed to be impartial, unbiased and he almost had it in for me.

"I said to him, I don't know why you're treating me like this. You haven't taken a statement from me. You haven't looked around. I had marks on my arm where I had been assaulted. And he walked out of my flat and slammed my door shut. That is how insensitive his approach was."

Another victim articulated her perception that the police were more likely to listen to a man, even if he is accused of being violent.

"Across all my experiences with the police, both positive and negative, one connecting factor is they listen to the man," she said. "Even when he is the perpetrator. They always listen to the man."

Although 79% of 500 victims who responded to an online survey said they were satisfied with the initial police response, 14% said officers were unhelpful, and a third said they felt no safer or less safe despite contacting the police.

Victims described a lack of empathy from those sent to investigate, and HMIC concluded that it was a "lottery" whether they got an officer who was properly trained to deal with the complaint.

Theresa May called the report 'disturbing'

Mrs May said the report was disturbing and demanded a response. 

She told Sky News: "It shows significant failings of visible police leadership. It shows a lack of the right attitude to victims and it also shows sadly police even failing to gather evidence of the crimes that were being committed. 

"So we need to see a change of police culture and that has to start from the top. It must be top-down throughout policing. What this report shows is that this is about the culture and attitude of the police. It is not good enough. 

"This is about people's lives. Too many women lose their lives as a result of domestic violence. The police attitude needs to change."

Men are victims of domestic violence as well as women, but 96% of cases deemed "high-risk" are women. 

HMIC say they found no evidence that female officers were better at dealing with the issue than their male counterparts. 

While Lancashire Constabulary was praised for its approach, four other forces were criticised and re-inspections ordered - Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire and Greater Manchester.

While most forces have a specialist domestic violence department, Bedfordshire Police employed just one individual with that specific responsibility. 

Sandra Horley, the chief executive of Refuge, said: "It is a national disgrace that decades after Refuge opened the world's first safe house for victims of domestic violence, the police are still not responding appropriately to women and children's cries for help."

Refuge says the wider investigation into how the police, local authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service deal with the subject should take the form of a public inquiry.

The HMIC report details 11 recommendations including a national oversight team to meet and report on progress every three months and for every force to publish an action plan on improving its approach.

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Teachers' Strike Disrupts 10,000 Schools

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

Thousands of state schools will be closed or partially closed today by a one-day strike involving members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

More than 10,000 schools are being disrupted across England and Wales as the NUT launches its first national strike in almost three years.

The walkout is the latest in a series of strikes in an ongoing row over pensions, performance-related pay and workloads.

Last year the NUT staged stoppages with the NASUWT union, which is not taking part in the latest action. The NASUWT has been encouraged by the promise of talks over the disputed issues.

Coventry physics teacher and NUT official Chris Denson said: "Since this Government has come to power we have seen a continual deterioration of teachers' working conditions.

"You see the Department For Education's own survey shows that working time has gone up massively in secondary and primary schools.

Marching teachers in Brighton in October

"But also since this Government has come to power a teacher's take-home pay has come down by 17%. Our pensions, we have to pay more to get less at the end and have to work until 69. So there are a huge number of issues."

A Department for Education statement said: "Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is pressing ahead with strikes over the Government's measures to let heads pay good teachers more.

"They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and talks have been taking place weekly.

"Despite this constructive engagement with their concerns, the NUT is taking action that will disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession."

The Government maintains less than a quarter of teachers voted for strike action. But NUT officials say the Government's own figures back up their argument.

A recent survey suggested primary school teachers work nearly 60 hours a week, with secondary school teachers chalking up 56 hours.

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Student's Family Lose Deportation Battle

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

A mother who has campaigned to stop the removal of her 19-year-old daughter from the country has been told she too has to leave Britain.

Student Yashika Bageerathi was due to be flown back to Maritius on Tuesday afternoon without her mother, sister and brother.

She was given a last-minute reprieve after a high-profile campaign from London school friends and teachers which apparently led British Airways to not accept her on a flight from Gatwick Airport.

However, celebrations were cancelled on Tuesday night as Yashika's mother's solicitors received a letter from the Home Office stating that her application for asylum had also been rejected and she would have to leave the country with her two other children.

Yashika's school principal, Lynne Dawes, has been a figurehead in the campaign since her pupil was taken into an immigration detention centre. She was with Mrs Bageerathi when she received the letter.

Yashika's mother has told she must leave the UK

"I thought she was going to faint," she said. "We've been confused about why they made a U-turn on their decision to remove Yashika and now this. We will be appealing."

Yashika came to the UK from Mauritius in 2011 on a tourist visa to escape domestic violence.

Since applying for asylum, her application has been treated separately from her mother, brother and sister as she is considered an adult.

On Sunday, a protest march to the Home Office was staged by dozens of school friends, teachers and neighbours.

An online petition by the students calling on Immigration Minister James Brokenshire and Home Secretary Theresa May to stop the deportation and allow the student to complete her A-levels collected nearly 23,000 signatures.

Yashika came to the UK in 2011

Model Cara Delevingne also made a plea on Twitter for Mrs May not to send the aspiring maths teacher back.

On Monday, barristers took an injunction to the High Court asking for her to be allowed to at least finish her A-Levels and be with her family, but the case was rejected.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need it and we consider every application on its individual merits.

"We do not routinely comment on individual cases."

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Bond Girl 'Kicked Max Clifford Between Legs'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A woman who appeared in the James Bond film Octopussy has told a court how she kicked Max Clifford ''really hard between the legs'' after he lunged at her and tried to kiss her.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described how she fought Clifford off after he had taken pictures of her posing in stockings and suspenders.

Publicist Clifford had told the woman he needed the pictures to send to actor Charles Bronson so he could secure her a part in his next film, but he then tried to grab her and pushed her onto a sofa in his office.

She told the jury at Southwark Crown Court: ''He lunged towards me and tried to kiss me. He was on top of me, his hands were all over the place. He was trying to kiss me.

''Then I got very frightened and I kicked him between the legs really hard.''

When asked by prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC if Clifford had said anything, she replied: ''I just remember his smelly breath.''

Earlier the woman told the court how she had secured a part in the 1983 film Octopussy and had gone to see Clifford in his central London office where he wanted to talk about representing her.

She said he told her he could get her a part in a Bronson film but he would have to take pictures of her in her underwear to send him as ''photographic evidence''.

The publicist denies all the charges against him

The woman said Clifford gave her money to buy lingerie and she bought a ''peach coloured bra, knickers, suspender belt and stockings,'' adding they were ''pretty but not too skimpy.''

She then explained how Clifford asked her to ''do the James Bond pose'' with her fingers in the shape of a gun and he took several pictures of her sat down and standing up.

The woman said: ''I had my legs apart but my hands were covering my private parts. He asked me to take my hands away...I felt things weren't quite right at all.''

She then added how she realised Clifford was not using a professional camera but an "instamatic one you wind forward.

"I think he didn't have a film in the camera and he was pretending to take photographs of me."

She said she confronted him, got dressed and left the room.

Minutes later Clifford lunged at her after telling her he had spoken with Bronson on the telephone telling the late actor she was "fantastic".

The woman said she told a number of people what happened, including a photographer friend, other cast members from the Bond film, the film's producer and gymnast Susanne Dando.

Jurors were also told of a contract she had signed with the producers which originally had Clifford's name on it as her agent, but was then crossed out.

During her evidence, Clifford, dressed in a white open-neck shirt and dark suit, passed several notes to his defence team.

The jury was reduced to 11 after a woman revealed she knew one of the witnesses, Bond casting producer Deborah McWilliams.

She told the court she contacted Clifford with a view to hiring extras for Octopussy and in particular how they used him to negotiate for Olympic gymnast Susanne Dando.

Barbara Broccoli, daughter of legendary Bond producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, also testified, describing how her father had been involved in making the 007 films since 1962 when Dr No was released.

She told the court she did not know Clifford, and her role in 1982 in Octopussy had been as an executive assistant to recruit ''incidental and background parts'' for the film.

Clifford, 70, from Hersham, Surrey, denies 11 counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1984 on seven girls and women.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.

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Supermarket And Restaurant Bills Set To Soar

By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Grocery and restaurant bills are set to rise as food inflation hits 3.8% before the end of the year, according to new research.

That figure, from food service specialist Prestige Purchasing, means food costs are rising faster than other prices.

Consumer price inflation is currently 1.9%, below the Bank of England's 2% target.

Raw materials are traded openly on global markets and commodity prices often fluctuate, sometimes quite wildly.

But right now a specific combination of bad weather, political conflict and increased consumption is pushing up the price of everything from orange juice to cocoa and pork.

Commodity experts say competition for our favourite foods is also an issue.

Brian Smith, a raw materials expert at Mintec, said: "The Russians and the Chinese are putting heavy demand into dairy products and milk products.

The crisis in Ukraine is having an effect on wheat prices

"The likelihood of them dropping in price is slim because of that demand."

Wheat prices are vulnerable to the current political uncertainties stemming from the crisis in Ukraine, a key grain producer.

Mr Smith added: "If sanctions stop the Russians from exporting wheat and grains, or if the Russians choose to stop exporting, then wheat prices will inevitably go up."

The cost of fruit has risen more than any other category of food, according to Prestige research.

The price of chocolate has increased by 1%

It is up more than 10%, followed by the price of vegetables and meat, which have risen more than 5% per category.

Even the cost of sugar, jam, chocolate and confectionery is up 1%.

Wine prices have increased by 16% year-on-year.

The average cost of eating out is expected to continue to rise as restaurants pass on the cost of rising food prices to customers.

While more than £19bn will be added to the UK's annual grocery bill by 2018, the equivalent of an additional £850 per family per year, according to figures from retail consultancy Conlumino.

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NHS Staff Who Refuse Flu Jab 'Irresponsible'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Patients are being put at risk because so many doctors and nurses refuse to have the flu vaccine, Sky News has been told.

The Department of Health says hospitals should vaccinate 75% of staff to protect patients.

But just 40 of more than 150 hospitals across England met the target, according to official figures.

And at King's College Hospital in London just 30% came forward for the vaccine.

Dr Ben Marshall, consultant chest physician at Southampton General Hospital, said staff who refuse the vaccine are "irresponsible".

"The impact of us being off sick with influenza during a particularly busy time of year, namely winter, is having a huge impact on safe patient care," he said.

The Government has set a 75% target for hospitals to vaccinate staff

"We also need to protect our patients because we may unwittingly carry active influenza at a low grade level and pass on the infection to patients."

Even staff treating highly vulnerable patients refused to have the vaccine in extraordinary numbers.

At Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital vaccination rates were only 40% and at the Royal Marsden cancer hospital - where patients have severely impaired immune systems - they reached just 49%.

The national average was 54%.

Once the virus is on the wards it can spread quickly.

Just last month at the Leicester Royal Infirmary six children in the high dependency unit developed swine flu. Three had to be isolated.

The source could have been a visitor, but the figures reveal just half the staff have been vaccinated.

Birmingham Children's Hospital used boxer Holyfield in its campaign

Failure to hit the 75% government target could prove costly to hospitals.

The Department of Health told Sky News that only in "exceptional circumstances" would they be considered for a share of a £250m windfall to help with A&E pressure next winter.

It added: "Uptake is currently at its highest level ever. However, it is clear there is more to do."

Some hospitals have managed to engage staff.

Birmingham Children's Hospital convinced 86% of staff to have the jab in a campaign that was fronted by boxer Evander Holyfield.

Nurse Ruth Wall, who leads the hospital's flu fighting team, took to the wards to vaccinate staff while they worked.

She said: "We are all here to look after the children. None of us want them to have the flu."

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Shereka Marsh: Teen Charged With Murder

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder over the shooting of teenager Shereka Marsh at a party in east London.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Shereka died at a house in Eastway in Hackney on Saturday afternoon after being shot once in the neck.

Shereka (third right) at her school in east London. Pic: Hackney Gazette

Detectives found a gun inside the house.

Two 16-years-olds who had been arrested in connection to the shooting have been released without charge, police said.

Mourners - including members of Shereka's family - visited the scene throughout Sunday to lay flowers and tributes have also been posted on social media.

Chinelle Jennings, 15, a friend and schoolmate of Shereka, visited the scene of the shooting on Sunday, saying: "She was a nice, bubbly girl and she loved to party, loved shopping.

"She was just like the kind of girl that you would have to fall in love with."

Friends and locals left flowers at the scene of the shooting

"She liked PE. Her favourite subject was history. She was good at sports. She wanted to study business."

The teenager added: "She lived with her mum, her dad was in Jamaica. They just had each other, just them two and they lived together. She cherished her mum.

"Her mum was very protective."

Chinelle Jennings said Shereka was "a nice, bubbly girl"

Another of Shereka's friends, Drew Percival, said: "She had a good mindset, she was very funny. She was more of the business type. She liked her clothes, it was all designer. She was very sociable, a lot of friends.

"She was good at sports. She was always that person who was making everyone laugh."

Shereka had last week been pictured in the local press for helping to host the Jamaican High Commissioner when she visited The Urswick School.

Shereka was one of four pupils at the school who led the visitors on a tour, the Hackney Gazette said.

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'Desperate Plight' Of Girls Involved In Gangs

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs And Education Editor

Thousands of girls are being subjected to sexual exploitation, weapons and drug running at the hands of male-run gangs, a new report warns.

A brutal gang culture is increasingly seeing girls and young women passed around different male gang members for sex, with rape used as a weapon in conflicts between rival gangs, and initiation ceremonies in which both girls and boys suffer sexual abuse, the report adds.

Edward Boyd, deputy policy director of the Centre for Social Justice, which co-wrote the report together with the charity XLP, said: "We are often unsighted about the desperate plight of girls embroiled in gangs.

"They live in a parallel world where rape is used as a weapon and carrying drugs and guns is seen as normal."

The report's authors say that despite previous reports on the vulnerability of girls in gangs, the Government lacks a coherent, long-term vision for dealing with the issue.

The report cites estimates that 12,500 girls and young women could be involved in gangs, but says too little is known about how gang life affects girls' education, families, friends and communities and their own offending.

Former gang members speak to Sky News about their experiences

One 16-year-old gang member, who is being helped to rebuild her life, told Sky News she was let down by adults when she first became involved in gang activity.

"At that time I had no mother, no one to depend on. At that time my mother was a drug addict, I was on my own," said Charlene (not her real name).

"The people that came into my life, they would come into my life and just leave again.

"The main reason I wanted to associate with people around me was that I wanted to be protected. But I was wrong. To this day I'm having trouble with police because of it."

"With the school that I was in, they didn't really help," Charlene added.

"If I went to school and something was bothering me, they didn't even help me with that.

"They would be quick to move me out of the school because of the reputation of the school, they didn't want to ruin it. So they wouldn't help, they would just send you to an alternative school."

The report also claims headteachers have turned a blind eye to gang activity to protect their school's reputation.

But one former gang member said problems in the home and widespread family breakdown was a root cause of the problem.

An estimated 12,500 girls and young women could be involved in gangs

Mona, who now works with charity St Giles Trust to help gang members change their lives, said her own experience of involvement and sexual exploitation in a gang as a teenager was also linked to problems in her home life.

"I had two different types of initiation (into the gang)," said Mona.

"There's one where I had to fight the girls that were gang members, to prove my worth to them. And then there was being passed around by the boys, and that happened to me.

"I wanted to be accepted, and they fed on that acceptance. I had issues at home with my schooling, with my behaviour, I'd run away from home, I was out by myself, hooking up with a load of older people, and they abused me."

Today's report comes after several previous attempts to reveal the extent of girls' involvement in gangs since the issue first came to prominence a decade ago.

But some warn that social pressure and the increasing sexualisation of young women has changed the nature and severity of the problem.

The sexualisation of women adds to the problem, according to Isha Nembhard

"When I was in school we was more boisterous. It was a girl gang. There was no boys in our gang," said Isha Nembhard, 25, a former gang member who now works with Foundation 4 Life which helps girls currently involved in gangs.

"We had male affiliation, but they was in their own group. What we went out and done, it was for ourselves ... Girl rap was more tomboyish. Nowadays girl rap is more sexualised. People like Nicki Minaj and Rihanna sexualise themselves a lot more.

"That makes a girl in a gang weak because they look at these girls only as a sex object."

Former gang members describe exposure to sex on social media, the desire for material wealth, and the lack of parental or community support as a counter-influence as key factors in driving young girls into relationships with male gang members.

The report's authors said that without more research into the extent of the problem, girls would continue to suffer from abuse and lasting damage to their futures.

"The biggest issue with girls in gangs is that we simply don't know the full extent of the problem," said Patrick Regan, chief executive officer of XLP.

"The data we have is merely the tip of the iceberg and at XLP there is no doubt that we see increasing numbers of girls dragged into this appalling world of exploitation, criminality and hopelessness."

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Hackney Shooting: Three Held After Girl Killed

Three teenage boys have been arrested after a girl, believed to be around 15, was shot dead in east London.

Scotland Yard murder detectives are investigating after the victim was shot inside a building on Eastway, near the Olympic Park in Hackney.

Police were called shortly before 4pm and attended the scene with London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene near Victoria Park, which would have been packed with families at the time of the shooting. 

The shooting happened on the outskirts of London's Olympic Park

Officers believe they know the identity of the victim and are informing family while they await formal identification.

A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

Three males, all aged under 18, were arrested near the scene.

They were taken to an east London police station, where they remain in custody.

Detectives from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command are investigating.

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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