The News Matrix: Saturday 11 April 2015

Met Police ignored Hatton Garden alarm

Police were told an alarm had gone off at the scene of the Hatton Garden safety deposit raid four days before the burglary was discovered, it has emerged. A security firm phoned the Metropolitan Police after midnight on Good Friday but the call was graded so “no police response was deemed to be required”.

Former V&A director dies in road accident

Britain’s art and design worlds were in shock yesterday after the death of the “visionary” former director at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Moira Gemmill, was killed in an accident as she cycled to work. Ms Gemmill, 55, had recently been appointed as director of capital programmes at the Royal Collection Trust, entrusted with running the renovations at Windsor Castle.

Woman accused of faking 10 marriages

A New York woman was accused yesterday of faking marriages with 10 men as part of an immigration scam. Liana Barrientos pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false marriage applications in the Bronx. She refused to comment. Prosecutors claimed the fake grooms were natives of Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan, Mali, the Czech Republic and Bangladesh.

Robber who boasted on Facebook is jailed

A robber who boasted about plans for an armed robbery on Facebook was jailed for four years. Andrew Hennells posted a comment on the social networking site reading “Doing. Tesco. Over” on 13 February. 15 minutes later, Norfolk police were alerted to a man demanding cash at a branch in King’s Lynn. The judge in Norwich said he posed a “high risk of serious harm to the public”.

Venice swoops down on pesky pigeons

Venice is cracking down on a troublesome population: seagulls. The birds have been swooping on unsuspecting tourists and causing an unsightly mess on some of the city’s landmarks. Now, authorities have said that they will introduce a raft of measures to keep the birds at bay. Some have even suggested the city brings in falcons to scare the seagulls away.

Murderer, 13, jailed for at least 11 years

A mother wept in court at the Old Bailey as one of the youngest ever children to plead guilty to murder was locked up for a minimum of 11 years. The 13-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to stabbing 53-year-old Christopher Barry twice in the chest during a scuffle outside Mr Barry’s home in Edmonton, north London, on 14 December last year.

Pakistan votes not to join Saudi coalition

Pakistan’s parliament voted yesterday not to join the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, dashing Riyadh’s hopes for support outside the region in its fight to halt Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia had asked fellow Sunni-majority Pakistan to provide ships, aircraft and troops to stem the influence of Iran in what appears to be a proxy war between the Gulf’s two dominant powers.

Race route welcomes women for first time

The Oxford and Cambridge’s men’s and women’s Boat Races are to be treated equally for the first time in history. The men’s 4.2-mile course along the Thames is well known, but the women’s race has traditionally been a much shorter course of 2,000 metres, and held in Henley. But now the teams will row on the same course on the same day, and with equal television coverage.

21 bodies found after migrant boat sinks

Forty Haitian migrants were feared dead after a ship bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands capsized in the Caribbean off Haiti’s north coast early on Thursday, the US Coast Guard said yesterday. At least 21 dead bodies have been recovered, according to the Haitian government. A US Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew joined the search on Friday morning.

Dying war veteran hit by visa delays

A decorated war veteran Anthony Eldridge, aged 92, who is dying of cancer, believes he will miss the chance to say goodbye to his grandson Brandon Currie, who lives in Norway, because of delays in his visa application. The delay is due to the French firm Teleperformance, a company appointed by the Home Office last year to process travel visas.

Killer drug dealer sentenced to life

A Jamaican drug dealer who evaded deportation from the UK before murdering a woman in a hammer and knife attack could spend the rest of his life in jail. Lloyd Byfield, 48, had a relationship with Leighann Duffy, 26. He broke into her flat in east London in September. After pleading guilty at the Old Bailey, he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 26-and-a-half years.

Air traffic controllers plan more strikes

Air-traffic controllers are planning seven more days of strikes if an agreement cannot be reached with the government in the dispute over the raising of their retirement age. Negotiations resume on Monday, but travellers face chaos if the strikes start up again on Thursday, which could see flight delays and cancellations for British travellers attempting to fly through Europe’s busiest airspace.

Bullock stalker to stand trial in LA

A man clutching a love letter when arrested in Sandra Bullock’s home as the actress cowered in a closet and called police is to stand trial on stalking and weapons charges. Joshua James Corbett stalked the Oscar-winning actress, broke into her home and had an arsenal of illegal assault weapons, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry A Bork ruled. “I’m in my closet. I have a safe door,” Bullock told police.

Stallone rises to the baking challenge

Sylvester Stallone has a new slice of the action – in a TV ad for Warburtons. The Hollywood star, 68, drives a truck in the ad for the Bolton bakery. In boxing movie Rocky, he gets up at dawn to race up museum steps to get in shape for a big match. In TV ad The Deliverers, he gets up to work – taking fresh loaves around the country.

Kardashians given ancestral plot

An Armenian company has given a plot of land to members of the celebrity Kardashian family, who are visiting the country their ancestors came from. Khloe Kardashian yesterday posted on Facebook a photo of a certificate granting her, sister Kim and their families a plot of land outside the capital Yerevan.

Titanic deckchair valued at £80,000

A rare deckchair recovered from the Titanic is expected to sell for up to £80,000 at auction next weekend. The Nantucket wooden chair was found on the surface of the Atlantic by the crew of the Mackay-Bennett, who were sent to recover victims’ bodies.