Appeal Over Teen 'Serious Sexual Assault'

Detectives investigating a serious sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl in the Harehills area of Leeds on Saturday 30 May are appealing for information to trace a number of men that may have been involved in the incident. Around 7pm the victim was known to be with a number of older men thought to be aged between 17 and 25 in the Chatsworth Close area of Harehills. At some point later in the evening she walked with the men from the Chatsworth Road area to Hovingham Park where a further serious sexual assault took place. The victim reported the incident after police spoke to her in the Harehills area around 5am on Sunday 31 May and detectives are keen to trace her movements overnight. The victim is currently being cared for at home by her family. Five men remain on police bail after being arrested in connection with the incident. See: Inquiry After 13-Year-Old Girl Raped

Pair In Court Over Body Found In Street

A man and woman have appeared in court in connection with the death of an insurance broker who was found dead in an Aberdeen street. The body of Alan Bennett, 56, from Cove, was discovered at about 4am on Saturday in Oldmill Road. Paul Balgowan, 23, from Aberdeen, was charged with murder and conspiracy to rob. Julie Carroll, 24, from Aberdeen, faced a charge of conspiracy to rob. Both made no plea at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and were remanded in custody. They are due to return to court next week.

Man Rescued After Being Stuck In Tar

A man in Greater Manchester has been rescued by firefighters after he became stuck in melted tar - caused by the hot weather. Crews pulled the man, who was stuck to mid-shin, out of the sticky tar bog after part of Angleside Avenue in Burnage melted on Tuesday night. He was not injured but was taken to hospital for precautionary checks. A fire spokeswoman: "Crews had to pull the tar to one side and manhandle him out of it. He was stuck there for 40 minutes and we used oxygen to keep him calm."

Cash Box Stolen In Robbery

A cash box has been stolen during an armed robbery at a petrol station in Cardiff, South Wales Police have confirmed. Two men, armed with a machete and a crowbar, stole the box from a security guard at the Texaco station on Station Road in Llandaff North. They escaped in a black car and abandoned it in a nearby lane off Hazelhurst Road before possibly making off in a different vehicle. Nobody was injured during the raid, which happened at 5.15pm. Police have appealed for witnesses who may have seen the suspects on Hazelhurst Road to contact them on 02920 527248 or 0800 555111.

£4.5m Aid To Boost Trade At Helmand Airfield

The Department for International Development today announced £4.5 million of aid to boost trade from Helmand's renovated airfield, which was officially opened today. USAID, who work with DFID in the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team, have turned a gravel airstrip into a tarmac runway capable of taking modern civil aircraft connecting Helmand with the rest of Afghanistan and opening up the province for trade. Bost Airfield is the only completely civilian airstrip in Southern Afghanistan and is the new gateway to Helmand province. DFID funding will build on USAID work, and will pay for access roads, security fencing and a new administration block for a business centre alongside the airfield.

Man Hurt In Police Car Crash

A man suffered serious head injuries when his motorcycle collided with an unmarked police car on Merseyside. The victim was on his Honda motorbike at 5.40pm on Tuesday when it collided with the back of the police car on the A570 Rainford Bypass in Rainford. The incident will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), said a spokesman for Merseyside Police. The victim is in a critical condition in hospital. The police spokesman added: "The driver of the police vehicle stopped at the scene and has been treated for shock."

(JM/BMcC)