Drunk man 'tried to have sex with an ambulance'

A 25-year-old drunken man tried to have sex with an ambulance, a court heard.

Callum Ward was seen 'simulating a sex act' on the bonnet of the ambulance

Callum Ward, 25, was seen "pressing" himself against the emergency vehicle before "simulating a sex act" on the bonnet.

Official police logs show an officer who saw him stated: "It looks as though he is attempting to make love to the front of the ambulance".

Ward was drunk and had taken cannabis and amphetamine and was "in relatively high spirits" before the incident in November in Barnstaple, Devon.

He was first spotted setting fire to a packet of peanuts inside a phone box before mounting the ambulance, Barnstaple Magistrates Court was told.

He was found guilty of being drunk and disorderly and in possession of Class B drugs.

He was sentenced to a community order with a supervision requirement for six months and ordered to pay £60.

Ward, of Barnstaple, told the court: "I did start using drugs and drinking. I have seen the error of my ways with that."

In 2007, Robert Stewart, of Ayr, Scotland, was placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.

Giant rabbit scares burglar out of family home

A petrified burglar fled a family home in the middle of the night - after coming face-to-face with their giant pet rabbit.

Toby the rabbit 

Kimberley May, her fiance Martin, and their three-year-old daughter Olivia were all sound asleep when the thief broke into their house.

But as the raider rifled through cupboards the noise woke up Toby the family's British Giant bunny in his kitchen cage.

The 4.5kg, two-feet long pet began stomping so loudly on the floor that the intruder was caught on the hop and left.

Kimberley said: "We went to bed on Wednesday at about 10pm. In the early hours of the morning Toby our rabbit did five loud thumps.

"I sort of half woke up then realised he'd stopped and went back to sleep.

"When I went downstairs every single cupboard and drawer were open, there were bits out everywhere, then we started noticing things were missing and we phoned the police."

Kimberley, a nurse, is convinced that two year-old Toby's thumping scared the thief off from their house in Plymouth, Devon.

She found a hoard of items left piled up on the sofa which she thinks the burglar was preparing to take but left behind.

She added: "Because of Christmas and my birthday just gone, I had loads of gift sets and perfumes that they'd laid out across the sofa.

"We think that when the rabbit thumped it scared the burglar off and they left all the stuff they were going to take.

"He's like a little dog, if you whistle him he comes.

"The rabbit was just traumatised in his cage, shaking. He's usually really friendly but he tried to go for the policeman."

The crook still managed to get away with other valuables including a treasured First World War medal that belonged to Kimberley's great-grandad.

Kimberley added: "They managed to take a laptop, an iPad and my handbag with my purse and everything in, but the worse thing was my great granddad's medal.

"My gran actually died in 2007, she lived in a council house all her life, hardly had any possessions That was the one thing important thing she had.

"They also took a box which had all our wedding invitations and favours in it, as well as paperwork which I was due to give to the church and reception venue."

Detective Constable Nick Bloom said: "We believe the family was burgled between 10.30pm on Wednesday February 6 and 7am on Thursday February 7.

"The police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward."

Toby still has some way to go before he is fully grown - British Giant rabbits can reach up to 5.9 kg.

Owner Kimberley, 30, said monster bunny Toby was so big he lives in a cage built for a Labrador.

Kimberley and online salesman partner Martin, 33, got their prized pet from an animal adoption centre who took him in an unwanted pet.

She said: "He's playful, really friendly, and he doesn't mind my three-year-old crawling all over him. He's like a small dog really.

"He has the run of the house and at night he goes in a dog's crate. It's a Labrador-sized cage.

"When he thumps on the floor its incredibly loud - you can hear it echoing around the house."

On the night of the burglary Toby stomped his five-inch long feet so loudly on the plastic floor of his crate that he managed to wake Kimberley up.

She said: "The rabbit had obviously seen the burglar when he went into the kitchen.

"I heard him thump five times on the bottom of his cage and I woke up, sat up, then turned over and went back to sleep.

"As I've done that the bed springs have made a loud creaking sound, so the guy has probably heard movement and made a run for it."

Although the thief managed to take some valuables Kimberley fears the break-in could have been even worse had it not been for Toby.

She added: "If he hadn't been scared off he could have come upstairs looking for things. My daughter was asleep up there - it could have been really dangerous.

"Toby has done the job of a guard dog. We're so proud of him we've rewarded him with a new tunnel to play with.

"It's a cat's tunnel obviously because he needs a big one."

Richard Clayderman serenades Galapagos tortoises with Chariots of Fire rendition

A pair of Galapagos tortoises at London Zoo were serenaded with a rendition of Chariots of Fire by pianist Richard Clayderman today, in a bid to get the slow-moving reptiles in a mood to mate.

The music – from the French musician's latest album Romantique – appeared lost on the slow-moving giants who didn't appear particularly impressed.

Clayderman played his hit Ballade pour Adeline and a rousing rendition of Chariots of Fire – however neither hit did anything to lift their spirits.

They only seemed to perk up when zookeepers brought them some carrots.

Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world and can live for over 150 years. But the gentle animals have struggled to fend off predators and are now under threat.

Clayderman said that his golden retriever loved to lie by the piano when he was playing, "so maybe it's good for the animals to listen to music."

Maybe. But it's possible tortoises just don't appreciate what Clayderman has described as his "New Romantic" style.

Clayderman himself seemed a bit bemused by his record company's launch stunt.

"After playing all around the world – I used to do concerts in Asia, in South America, in Europe – it's funny to be here, in this very nice zoo," he said.

Chinese millionaire street sweeper refuses to give up work

A Chinese millionaire has refused to give up her day job as a street sweeper for fear of losing her work ethic and worrying over her lazy children.

Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years 

After nearly four decades of hard labour as a farmer, cook, lorry driver and street sweeper, a sudden million pound windfall might tempt sweet thought of retirement.

But 53-year-old Yu Youzhen has a rather more unbending work ethic.

Five years ago, her family land in Donghu village, near the city of Wuhan, was bought by the government for a property development.

She used the compensation money to being building a property empire which now includes 17 apartments worth some 10 million yuan (£1 million), according to the Wuhan Evening News.

Nevertheless, six days a week Mrs Yu dons an orange coat and goes to work as a street sweeper, earning a monthly wage of £142.

"Work is not just about the salary, it makes one focused. Laziness gives rise to all sorts of bad habits," she said, to the Chinese newspaper.

The head of her cleaning team, Fu Guoju, noted that Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years in order to attend the funerals of her mother-in-law and father.

Mrs Yu's dogged attachment to her orange jacket appears to stem partly from habit and partly from a nagging worry over her feckless children.

Her 33-year-old son, Liang, has had a chequered career, working selling lottery tickets for a while and spending long spells at home, lounging on the sofa.

"I want to be a role model for my children," said Mrs Yu. "I do not want to sit around idly and eat up my fortune".

"My son once stayed at home for two months, and I kept scolding him during that time. Now he is doing pretty well. He said to me later I was right. I was worried he would hang out with bad people and ruin our family."

Her son is currently working as a driver in her home village for £120 a month while her daughter mans the kiosk at a cinema for £200 a month.

Since the Chinese newspapers revealed Mrs Yu's work ethic she has become a minor celebrity. The Communist party's propaganda machine has also been quick to pounce on her as an example of a model worker.

"Starting from loving labour and living a meaningful life to make her feel at ease, Yu Youzhen gives us a good starting point," said the state-run Beijing News in an editorial.

Boy burned as BlackBerry phone 'bursts into flames'

A schoolboy suffered serious burns after a BlackBerry smartphone appeared to burst into flames in the middle of the night and set fire to his bed.

 

Kian McCreath with his duvet that was set on fire by the exploding phone 

Kian McCreath, 11, fled from his bedroom screaming "my bed is on fire" after flames engulfed him while he slept last weekend.

His mother Sarah, 39, awoke to her son’s screams after the new BlackBerry device, bought as a gift for his brother, Mason, malfunctioned and spontaneously combusted.

The youngster was rushed to University Hospital Coventry with serious burns to his legs and feet after plastic stuck to his skin. He has been left permanently scarred.

The year 7 pupil said tonight: "It was really scary. I woke up with my legs in a fire at the bottom of my bed. I'm also having problems sleeping at night."

The family is now demanding the popular BlackBerry Curve 9320 mobile is recalled from shops in time for Christmas.

Tonight, local trading standards officials were investigating the incident, which occurred just after 2.30am last Sunday at the family’s home in Coventry, West Mids.

Research in Motion, the manufacturers behind BlackBerry, also confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched as “a priority”.

Kian’s father, Pete, a 39 year-old carpenter, bought the £13 a month mobile phone for his eldest son as a 13th birthday present, from a Vodafone shop in Birmingham.

No problems were reported for about a week. Mrs McCreath had placed the charging phone in the boy’s bedroom because it is used as an alarm just a few hours before it blew up.

She said that after going to sleep, she heard a loud “pop” sound, before he son started “screaming at the top of his voice, shouting ‘my bed's on fire’”.

They dashed into his room, to find the bottom of his duvet and mattress alight as Mrs McCreath frantically smothered the fire using a quilt.

Kian was immediately put in the bath to cool the burns before being rushed to hospital. Mrs McCreath, an administrative assistant, said her son has been left traumatised by the incident.

She said: “It was just horrific. He was in a lot of pain as his feet had pretty much been engulfed in flames.

"I ran into the room and started battering the flames with his brother's quilt to put them out.

"The bed was charred and the phone itself was just a blackened shell. It could have easily been much worse if he hadn't have woken up.”

She added: "If I had left the phone on the landing, the whole house could have gone up. You just don't expect this to happen with a mobile phone.

"You wouldn't think something so small could do so much damage – my son could quite easily have died. It sends a shudder down my spine to think what could have happened. “

"He hasn't been able to use his own mobile phone since and is having trouble sleeping. He is going to be scarred for life as well.”

She warned that thousands of children will be receiving the phones as Christmas gifts, so “parents need to be aware of the dangers before somebody dies”.

Mr McCreath added: "If Sarah hadn't acted so quickly that room could have gone up in flames within minutes.

"It was just lucky she got there so quickly. I'm shaking just talking about it.

"The phone... needs to be tested. A lot of kids are raving about that Blackberry phone right now. My main concern is for the safety of other kids.”

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council's trading standards office said: "We have received a complaint and we are going to investigate the matter."

The family have since contacted Trading Standards, who have urged them to keep the mobile as evidence, while McCreath has held a video conference with RIM officials over his concerns.

A spokesman from Research in Motion said: "We take claims of this nature very seriously and are investigating this matter as a priority." She declined to comment further.

Blackberry devices were the biggest selling smartphones in Britain last year.

Music graduate gets job as human scarecrow

A student who graduated university with a degree in music and English is putting his skills to good use in a Norfolk field, after being employed as a human scarecrow.

Jamie Fox will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges

Jamie Fox, 22, who recently graduated from Bangor University, will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges.

While his fellow students may be pulling pints, going travelling or desperately seeking their first professional role, Mr Fox will earn £250 a week patrolling the ten-acre field.

Wearing a bright orange coat, he will play the musical instruments in a bid to finally scare off the hardy birds, which were unperturbed by ordinary scarecrows.

His employer, a farmer from Aylsham, Norfolk, even warned him to “bring a deckchair and a good book” for his days in the oilseed rape field, where he will also practice his ukulele in the hopes of getting a full-time job in music.

Mr Fox, who says his friends are “slightly envious” of his role, is now saving to pay for a trip to New Zealand next year.

"I get to sit and read for a lot of the time but whenever I see the partridges, I have to get up and scare them off," he told the BBC.

“I ring a cowbell and I've even played the accordion, but the ukulele doesn't seem to have any effect on them.

"The farmer said to me, 'Bring a deckchair and a good book'. A couple of my friends in busier, more generously-paid jobs, are slightly envious.”

Farmer William Youngs said he resorted to his human scarecrow after partridges were not put off by more ordinary methods of frightening them away.

"The only way to get rid of them is to walk down the field and push them off," he said. "Jamie's doing a good job. You can really see the difference."

Has the Loch Ness monster finally been caught on camera?

A monster hunter who has spent 26 years searching for the Loch Ness Monster claims to have taken the "best picture ever" of the beast, after dedicating 60 hours a week to his quest.

Nessie hunter George Edwards waited 26 years for this moment - and he now believes he has the best picture ever taken of the Loch Ness monster.

He spends his life on the loch - around 60 hours a week - taking tourists out on his boat Nessie Hunter IV, and has led numerous Nessie hunts over the years.

But this image is the one that's convinced him that there really is a monster or monsters - out there. It shows a mysterious dark hump moving in the water towards Urquhart Castle.

"I was just about to return to Temple Pier (in Drumnadrochit) and I went to the back of the boat which was facing the pier and that's when I saw it," said 60-year-old Mr Edwards, a lifelong believer in the monster.

"It was slowly moving up the loch towards Urquhart Castle and it was a dark grey colour. It was quite a fair way from the boat, probably about half a mile away but it's difficult to tell in water."

After watching the object for five to ten minutes, Mr Edwards said it slowly sank below the surface and never resurfaced. "I'm convinced I was seeing Nessie as I believe in these creatures.

Far too many people have being seeing them for far too long," he said. "The first recorded sighting was in 565AD and there have been thousands of eye witness reports since then.

"All these people can't be telling lies. And the fact the reports stretch over so many years mean there can't just be one of them. I'm convinced there are several monsters."

Steve Feltham, who has dedicated the past 21 years to hunting for Nessie was unequivocval.

"It is the best photograph I think I have ever seen," he said.

From his base on Dores beach and has studied many Nessie sighting photographs.

"I think the images are fantastic - that's the animal I have been looking for all this time," he said yesterday.

"I would say it doesn't prove what Nessie is, but it does prove what Nessie isn't, a sturgeon which is a fish that has been put forward as one of the main explanations as to what Nessie could be but this hasn't got a serrated spine like the sturgeon.

Mr Edwards his vessel's sonar to make a contact but to no avail. "I hung around for a good half-an-hour and used the deep scanning sonar to try and pick it up, but I'm afraid I had no luck at all."

Mr Edwards took the photo at 9am on 2nd November last year on a compact Samsung digital camera that he always keeps on the boat.

Before releasing it publicly he sent it to the USA for analysis, though he can't reveal further details.

"I did not want to mention my sighting until I was sure that I had not photographed a log or something inanimate in the water in the water," he said.

"I have friends in the USA who have friends in the military.

"They had my photo analysed and they have no doubt that I photographed an animate object in the water. I was really excited as I am sure that some strange creatures are lurking in the depths of Loch Ness."