Newton Stacey deaths: Dad 'killed children and himself'

Two children are thought to have been stabbed by their father before he took his own life, the BBC understands.

Police believe the man was Michael Pedersen, from Surrey, who was found in Newton Stacey, Hampshire, with his children Ben, seven, and Freya, six. The children had already been found dead before their mother reported them missing on Sunday evening, police said.

Mr Pedersen, 51, was an ex-serviceman who survived an IRA attack in London, a former colleague has told the BBC.
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The event brings motorcyclists from near and far together to attend a memorial service at the National Memorial Arboretum on the first Saturday in October, in order to remember those who can no longer ride by our side.
The date for this year is Saturday 1st of October 2011, there are now 100 days to go!
Since the first ride in 2008, through your support and generosity we have raised almost £100,000 for the NMA. The money you have so kindly donated goes towards the upkeep of the stunningly beautiful & peaceful arboretum, which is home to the largest memorial outside of the capital, the Armed Forces Memorial wall.

Ride to The Wall started with 1800 riders in 2008 and saw rider numbers exceed 4000 in 2010 which when added to the non motorcycling participants took total numbers to 15,000 for 2010. The growth and the ever increasing scale of the event and the complexities associated with organizing Ride To The Wall has forced us to undertake a total review of all aspects associated with the Ride To The wall. In order to comply with legislation we were forced to review our legal status and I am pleased to announce that our application for charitable status has been approved by the Charity Commissioner. The new structure will allow more effective operations and will enhance our fund raising ...

Prince William is to marry long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton next year, Clarence House has said. William, second in line to the throne, will marry in London next spring or summer and live in north Wales where he is serving with the RAF. The couple, who are both 28, became engaged in October during a private holiday in Kenya. They began dating eight years ago while studying at St Andrews University in Fife, where they shared a house. The royal engagement was announced in a brief statement released by Clarence House. It said: "The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton. ...

A retired Scottish judge has agreed to conduct an independent review into an RAF Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre. BBC Scotland has learned that Lord Philip is expected to lead the inquiry into the 1994 accident which killed all 29 people on board. The RAF found the two pilots guilty of gross negligence for flying too fast and too low in thick fog. The pilots' families have campaigned to have the ruling overturned. The Chinook Mark 2 helicopter crashed on 2 June 1994 en route from Northern Ireland to Inverness in the worst RAF helicopter accident in peacetime. ...

Terrorist jailed for soldier's murder.

Declan Duffy, 36, has been jailed for the murder of Sergeant Michael Newman in 1992 An Irish republican terrorist has been jailed for life after he admitted the murder of a British soldier outside an Army recruitment office 18 years ago. Sergeant Michael Newman, 34, was gunned down by the Irish National Liberation Army, an IRA splinter group, in Derby city centre on April 14, 1992. ...

Lance Corporal Matthew Wilson is learning to fly just a year after losing his leg in Afghanistan. The 24-year-old, who now lives in Much Birch, is almost fully on his feet after 12 months of rehabilitation. But his progress reached new heights this month when he was awarded a scholarship to fly a light aircraft. L/Cpl Wilson spotted the Flying Scholarship for the Disabled offer while recovering at Headley Court Hospital in Surrey. The scheme was run in conjunction with Help for Heroes and Bat...

A group of Muslim women have laid a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum in honour of those who died fighting for the UK in Afghanistan. L/Cpl Jabron Hashmi, 24, from Bordesley Green, Birmingham, was the first British Muslim soldier to die in a Taliban attack in Helmand in July 2006. On the anniversary weekend of his death four Muslim women paid their respects at the Staffordshire centre. The ceremony was organised by the Muslim Armed Forces Association. It said 500 Muslims were currently serving in the British armed forces. ...

A man appeared before magistrates on Wednesday charged with the murder of an Army sergeant 18 years ago, police said.

Sergeant Michael Newman, 34, was shot in the head as he walked from an Army careers office to his car in Derby in April 1992.
The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was believed to be responsible for the killing.

In 2004 Joseph Magee was jailed for 25 years after pleading guilty to Sgt Newman's murder on the ...

The Bloody Sunday killings were unjustified and unjustifiable, the Prime Minster has said. Thirteen marchers were shot dead on 30 January 1972 in Londonderry when British paratroopers opened fire on crowds at a civil rights demonstration. Fourteen others were wounded, one later died. The Saville Report is heavily critical of the Army and found that soldiers fired the first shot. Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "deeply sorry". He said that the findings of the Saville Report were "shocking". A huge cheer erupted in Guildhall Square in Derry as Mr Cameron delivered the findings which unequivocally blamed the Army for one of the most controversial days in Northern Ireland's history. ...

DAVID Cameron has ordered plans to be drawn up to ensure better care for ex-troops traumatised by war. A proposed service would track down veterans plagued by mental health issues. And a lifelong screening process would catch those with problems as they leave the Forces. The decision is a long-fought victory to get more help for troubled troops. Charities have warned of a ticking timebomb as tens of thousands of servicemen and women struggle with tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. ...

Alcohol misuse is a problem among UK troops who have been in Afghanistan and Iraq, but serious mental disorders are not as common as feared, a study says.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rates are low despite many deployments in foreign combat zones, a study in The Lancet based on 10,000 personnel found. They are significantly lower than those reported among US troops, it adds. The King's College research, funded by the MoD, said more emphasis should be placed on drinking problems than PTSD. ...

An injured British soldier who was invited to parade the Carling Cup at Wembley has been told it could cost him his £25,000 insurance payout.

Private Dave Tatlock who was told he would never walk again after being seriously hurt in Afghanistan bravely hobbled onto the pitch in February. The soldier, from 2 Para, was seen carrying the trophy in front of thousands of fans and TV viewers before the final between Manchester United and Aston Villa. The following day the insurance firm handling hi...

A memorial event is taking place in Aldershot to mark the 38th anniversary of the IRA bombing which killed seven people. Five women, a male gardener and an army priest were killed in the car bomb at the 16th Parachute Brigade HQ. The IRA said the Hampshire attack was in revenge for the events of Bloody Sunday when 13 civilians were shot dead by members of the Parachute Regiment. The bomb site will be open on Monday so that people can pay their respects. The massive car bomb exploded at lunchtime on 22 February 1972 in a car park outside the officers' mess killing five female kitchen staff, a gardener and Padre Gerry Weston. Nineteen others were injured. The force of the blast was felt a mile away in Aldershot town centre. ...

Members of the Mercian Regiment and their families are to be given free access to sport and leisure centres in a Derbyshire borough.

Amber Valley Borough Council is to grant the Freedom of the Borough to the regiment at a ceremony later.
The regiment will exercise its new rights by holding a march through Ripley on 15 March.
Councillors said they decided to add on the free use of council leisure centres to show the forces they are "valued".
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A soldier who has served in Iraq has been officially crowned Miss England after the original winner relinquished the title last year to clear her name. L/Cpl Katrina Hodge, 22, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was drafted in when Rachel Christie stepped down following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl. L/Cpl Hodge said she wants to use her title to promote the British Army and military charities. She was presented with her crown at the Manor House Hotel in Guildford, Surrey. ...