A female deputy head of a special school had sex with one of her pupils four times in the toilets of the British Library, a court heard today.

Blue comic Roy "Chubby" Brown hit a 21-year-old woman in the face during a foul-mouthed dispute in a supermarket car park, a court heard today.

The father of a five-year-old British boy held captive in Pakistan has returned to the UK, sources said today.

The Prime Minister insisted again today that all urgent operational requests for equipment for troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq had been met.

A bout of election fever at Westminster today, after confirmation that the Budget will be on March 24, making May 6 even more of a certainty as the general election date.

Police were digging up a patio in the garden of a cancer sufferer today after receiving information that a body could be buried beneath.

A 6 May general election is "practically inevitable" and a "no-brainer", political commentators said today as Gordon Brown confirmed 24 March as Budget day.

London's reputation as the divorce payout capital of the world was reinforced by the Supreme Court today.

The Prime Minister today announced a pay freeze for thousands of senior civil servants, NHS managers, judiciary and military top brass under moves aimed at saving ВЈ3 billion over the next three years.

Two British plane spotters were back home today after avoiding a 10-year sentence in an Indian jail on spying charges.

Details of a possible multibillion-pound high-speed rail line, featuring 250mph trains, will be announced tomorrow by the Government.

The driving test should include compulsory questions about level crossings, a rail chief said today.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said today he is considering legal action over a key funding ruling that threatens to derail Underground improvement plans.

A legal firm that had campaigned alongside the actress Joanna Lumley has been dragged into an investigation into charges levied on Gurkha veterans seeking to settle in Britain.

The threat of a national rail strike at Easter came closer yesterday as Network Rail revealed it had drawn up contingency plans to deal with a walk-out by thousands of workers.

A peace deal between Royal Mail and postal workers ending the industrial strife that has dogged the service in recent months could lead to households being deluged with junk mail, it emerged yesterday.

For years, Conservative Party officials argued that any controversy surrounding Lord Ashcroft was worth it because his operation in marginal seats would deliver the party its first election victory for 18 years.

The mismanagement of short-term prisoners is costing Britain up to ВЈ10bn a year, the public expenses watchdog warns today.

One of the country's former top policemen is to head a team of investigators who will travel to Iraq to interview witnesses of the alleged murder and torture of civilians by the British Army.

The last piece of devolution to Northern Ireland was slotted into place in Belfast yesterday in a move hailed by Gordon Brown as,"the final end to decades of strife".

Demands for a public inquiry into the deaths of three failed asylum-seekers who leapt from a high-rise tower block in Glasgow grew yesterday as charities called for urgent changes to the Government's immigration policy.

The greatest number of gallantry awards in recent times is expected to be announced next week in recognition of last summer's brutal fighting in Afghanistan.

A Christian registrar who lost her job after she refused to carry out civil partnership ceremonies has been refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Government employees who continued working during Monday's national strike claim they were told to pretend to be answering machines to cope with an overload of calls from the public.

A jealous lover flew 4,000 miles to murder his former girlfriend after seeing a photograph of her on Facebook with another man.

Senior police officers last night accused Facebook of having inadequte child protection safeguards following the rape and murder of teenager who met her killer on the networking site.

The Northern Ireland Assembly voted in favour of the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster today, despite opposition from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

Snatch Land Rovers have been associated with the deaths of dozens of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Training of troops involved in an operation which led to the death of the first female British soldier in Afghanistan was inadequate, a coroner said today.

An off-duty police chief inspector whose car struck a university student on a dual carriageway failed to stop and claimed he thought he had hit a post, despite having the victim's blood and skin on his shattered windscreen, a court heard today.

Five men linked to a UK terror plot which would cause "mass casualties" were arrested days before they planned to strike, a court heard today.

A gang of smash-and-grab robbers raided a landmark branch of the Queen's silversmith today.

The police force monitoring serial sex attacker Peter Chapman before he fled to kidnap, rape and murder Ashleigh Hall has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, it said today.

A former police officer told an employment tribunal today she had been the victim of a "witch hunt" to dismiss her from her force after she was diagnosed with an incurable voice condition.

Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar was today banned from driving for 12 months after pleading guilty to drink-driving, a court official confirmed today.

A pensioner woke his neighbour up in the middle of the night to confess to killing his girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard today.

Defence officials will be forced to disclose documents and provide witnesses if they do not co-operate with a new public inquiry into Iraqi abuse claims, a retired senior judge said today.

A pioneering police unit aimed at taking the most dangerous dogs off the streets has seized more than 1,000 animals in its first year.

Protesters called today for changes in immigration policy after the apparent suicide of three asylum-seekers.

A pharmaceuticals company launched an investigation today after a woman was refused the contraceptive pill because it was against the pharmacist's religion to give it to her.

An alcohol ban on buses in England was among Government proposals unveiled today to improve services throughout the country.

Network Rail has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the threat of a strike by thousands of workers which could hit Easter travel plans, it was revealed today.

The House of Lords' new sleaze watchdog is to be paid ВЈ90,000 a year pro-rata, it was revealed today.

A school dinner lady was murdered by her husband in a faked burglary to gain a ВЈ375,000 life insurance payout, a court heard today.

The Foreign Office has asked the Treasury for an "urgent" cash injection to help fill a nearly ВЈ135 million budget shortfall as the value of the pound slumps, it was revealed today.

Labour donor Lord Paul indicated today that he is prepared to give up his controversial non-dom status and pay full tax in the UK.

A prisoner detained under mental health laws for slitting the throat of a butcher was being hunted by police today after escaping from hospital.

A jealous lover was jailed for life today and ordered to serve at least 22 years for killing his girlfriend after seeing her on Facebook with another man.

The husband of a pregnant woman was remanded in custody today charged with attempting to murder her and her eight-year-old son after a car blast in a village.

A man's conviction for murder almost 35 years ago could be overturned after it was referred to the Court of Appeal.

Concerns have been raised about possible sex scandals if women are allowed to serve on British military submarines, it was reported today.

A prisoner detained under mental health laws for slitting the throat of a butcher was being hunted by police today after escaping from hospital.

A police car ended up in a canal after its driver lost control while responding to a call out.

The husband of a pregnant woman is due in court today charged with her attempted murder and that of her eight-year-old son after a car blast in a village.

Crucial talks aimed at averting strikes by British Airways cabin crew are set to end today with time running out on reaching a deal before industrial action is called.

Dog owners could be required to insure themselves against the risk of their pet attacking someone, it was announced today.

Questions were last night raised about the monitoring of the online activity of sex offenders after it emerged that a convicted rapist was able to use the social networking site Facebook to befriend a vulnerable teenager he then raped and murdered.

The Conservative Party came under new pressure over Lord Ashcroft yesterday as MPs demanded the details of the secret deal under which he managed to avoid tax on his foreign income.

Jon Venables could be murdered by vengeful vigilantes if his new identity is revealed, the judge who granted his anonymity warned last night.

Ashleigh Hall was a typical messy teenager, interested in boys, the internet and mobile phones. And like so many others her age she was highly impressionable, with little experience of the opposite sex.

Victims of torture seeking sanctuary in Britain are being denied vital healthcare in detention centres and the community, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found.

A spending squeeze imposed on the military by Gordon Brown forced ministers to impose cuts on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) while troops were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the department's top official has said.

A trade union claimed 200,000 civil servants caused widespread disruption to public services yesterday as they began a two-day strike – but the notion was rejected by the Government last night. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said court sittings were cancelled, Jobcentres could offer only limited services, border controls at ports and airports were disrupted and passport appointments were delayed.

A man has been charged with the attempted murder of his pregnant wife after a car blast in a Kent village.

A deal aimed at ending the long-running postal workers dispute has been agreed , including a 6.9 per cent pay rise over three years. The working week will be cut and postal workers will have greater job security, while agreeing to deliver a "transformation" of the business.

The Ulster Unionist Party will reject the recent deal brokered to stabilise Northern Ireland's power-sharing government in today's crunch Assembly vote, it confirmed last night.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is being investigated over claims he caused a three-car crash after falling asleep at the wheel. The explorer allegedly nodded off and his Jaguar veered into an oncoming car, whose driver broke his leg.

By any measure, the Red Road estate in north Glasgow is a grim place to die. Dilapidated doorways and rust-stained windows dominate the eight high-rise blocks, which tower over the city. To locals, they are known as a home for the unwanted and those whose futures lie in the hands of Home Office officials.

State-owned banks were accused yesterday of ripping off borrowers by charging over the odds on mortgages. Analysts said the majority of lenders rescued by the Government in the banking bailout charged more than average for home loans. Only Royal Bank of Scotland bucked the trend.

Q: Why can't the public be told the whole story about Jon Venables?

A:He has been accused of a serious offence and like any other suspect has the right to a fair trial. The high-profile history surrounding his original crime, the murder of James Bulger, means that there is already a strong risk of prejudice in his proceedings.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw refused to reveal further details of Jon Venables' recall to prison as he updated MPs on the case.

When the row over Lord Ashcroft and his non-dom tax status was raging last week, I wondered whether Denis MacShane, one of the Labour MPs leading the outrage, would quit his role on the editorial board of the political mag, Total Politics.

Convicted sex offender Peter Chapman was jailed for life today after admitting the kidnap, rape and murder of a teenager he ensnared on a social networking site.

The row over Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft's tax status exposed David Cameron's "fundamental weakness" and his inability to change the Tory Party, senior Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson claimed today.

DNA matches from the national database help solve as few as one crime in every 1,300, it was claimed today.

A white supremacist today admitted producing deadly ricin while preparing for acts of terrorism.

DNA matches from the national database help solve as few as one crime in every 1,300, it was claimed today.

The deaths of British troops travelling in lightly-armoured Snatch Land Rovers are "ghastly", the Ministry of Defence's top civil servant said today.

Tram services are to be extended across Greater Manchester with ВЈ120 million of taxpayers' cash funding two new extensions to the Metrolink system, it was announced today.

Cohabiting parents have received support in a poll commissioned to coincide with a debate on the family, it was revealed today.

A man was remanded in custody today charged with murdering his wife after an alleged attack.

A heroin addict who stabbed a "defenceless" student to death in a bungled burglary was today jailed for a minimum of 26 years.

Around 200 mourners gathered today for the funeral of a five-year-old girl who died after becoming trapped in a car which plunged into an icy cold river.

Two men who celebrated raping a 13-year-old girl by giving each other a high-five were starting sentences today.

Britain must not turn its back on the world as a result of the controversy over the Iraq war, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said today.

Union leaders clashed with the Government tonight over the effect of a strike by civil servants.

A gang of travellers thought to have been responsible for nearly half the country's caravan thefts over a three-year period were jailed today.

A rare internally flawless blue diamond is expected to fetch up to ВЈ3.8 million when it is sold at auction next month.

A Cold War nuclear bunker has been sold on eBay for more than ВЈ20,000, it emerged today.

Ashleigh Hall was a "typical teenager" who dropped her clothes on her bedroom floor and spent hours chatting to friends online, her mother said.

James Bulger's mother said today that she was "all over the place" after her son's killer was recalled to prison.

A lift company today admitted breaching health and safety laws after a young banker was crushed to death.

An inquiry into the case of a teenage cancer victim who received an accidental overdose of radiation was scrapped today after medical experts agreed there was no link between the mistake and her death.

A man who stabbed to death his ex-partner's mother then left a chilling message in blood before killing himself was named by sources today.

The average cost of a home in the most expensive street in England and Wales has soared by ВЈ300,000 during the past year, research showed today.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is today giving evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War in what is expected to be its last public hearing before the general election.

The row over Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft's tax status exposed David Cameron's "fundamental weakness" and his inability to change the Tory Party, senior Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson claimed today.

A man has died after apparently being stabbed, police said today.

In the winter darkness a chill wind is blowing over Hastings Pier. Wild waves, like shape-shifting monsters of the deep, lash at its iron struts. Not far away, in the warmth of Hastings Town Hall, the politicians are bickering over the future of this local icon of the great seaside era.