Watkins bandmates unaware of abuse

THE ex-bandmates of paedophile rocker Ian Watkins insist they did not know about the abuse.

The Lostprophets frontman has admitted a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Speaking for the first time since Watkins' last-minute change of plea on Tuesday ahead of what would have been his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, his former bandmates revealed on Saturday night that they were "heartbroken, angry and disgusted".

They said in a statement to their fans: "Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not.

"We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge.

"But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted."

Watkins pleaded guilty to sexually touching a one-year-old and encouraging a groupie to abuse her own child during a webcam chat.

The 36-year-old, from Pontypridd, south Wales, also admitted possessing and making child porn as well as launching the plot to rape a baby.

The remaining band members announced in October that they had split up.

Their statement went on: "We are heartbroken, angry and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

"Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them.

"It's still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way."

They added: "Our hearts go out to Ian's family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them.

"We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he's done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities."

The message was signed by lead guitarist Lee Gaze, rhythm guitarist Mike Lewis, bass player Stuart Richardson, keyboard player Jamie Oliver and drummer Luke Johnson.

Watkins will be sentenced on December 18.

Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has announced that it is investigating how South Yorkshire Police handled allegations against Watkins made last year.

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Second body removed from UK pub

THE body of a second victim has been removed from the Glasgow hotel which collapsed when a police helicopter crashed through its roof.

At least eight people were killed when the helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults pub in Scotland's largest city on Friday night, including the civilian pilot and two police officers.

Work to remove the chopper from the site is under way.

Police Scotland said on Sunday it would be a "painstaking process" expected to take some time, stressing the need to ensure the safety of the operation and emergency workers.

The body was removed from the crash scene at the same time as a service to remember the victims was being held in the city.

Hundreds of people were at Glasgow Cathedral, where prayers were said and candles lit.

Police Scotland have so far named only one of the victims as Gary Arthur, 48, from the Paisley area.

His daughter, Celtic and Scottish women's footballer Chloe Arthur, 18, wrote on Twitter: "RIP dad. you'll always mean the world to me, I promise to do you proud, I love you with all my heart.

"'Thanks to everyone who has tweeted me, text me etc, means so much, I have the most amazing friends ever."

John McGarrigle, 38, said an eyewitness told him his father, also John McGarrigle, 59, had also been killed.

Reports have also named helicopter pilot David Traill and police officer Kirsty Nelis as among the dead.

A post on the Facebook page of Mr Traill's cousin Heather Lawson read: "RIP David Traill my lovely big cousin away far to soon xxx"

Many of Mrs Nelis' friends on the social networking site changed their profile pictures to a black square cut across by a thin blue line in remembrance.

Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said on Sunday: "We hope to make further formal identifications as the operation continues today.

"Our casualty bureau has already handled more than 600 calls and we are working hard to piece together information that will allow us to progress that.

"Clearly the processes involved take time."

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Salvos snapshot shines light on homeless

THEY'VE been reaching out to the homeless for 130 years, but for the first time the Salvation Army is releasing data on the people they help.

The Salvation Army on Monday released its first National Homeless Report, revealing how many people are accessing its help and their circumstances.

The largest provider of homeless services in Australia, the Salvos provide around 25 per cent of the support available for people living on the streets.

Dr Bruce Redman says it's hoped the data can reveal the extent of the homeless crisis in Australia and help plan a response.

"It's important to pinpoint the determining factors behind homelessness," he told AAP.

"From that we can then tailor our response in collaboration with the governments."

Dr Redman, who has been working with homeless people for more than 35 years, says the face of homelessness is changing.

While many Australians still figure the typical homeless person is an elderly man, perhaps with mental health or alcohol issues, the Salvos are actually seeing many types of people.

Dr Redman is particularly concerned about the number of young children arriving at Salvos centres with their mothers.

"They aren't able to settle into school or get any sort of stability in their lives and that's a real concern," he said.

The homeless reports will be released annually.

The inaugural report shows the Salvos helped 22,594 people in the six months from July 1 2012 to December 31 2012.

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Three Qld men in court for bashing murder

THREE young men will appear in a Sunshine Coast court on Monday charged with murder after allegedly killing a man in an early morning bashing.

The 45-year-old victim sustained head injuries when he was attacked outside the Factory nightclub in Maroochydore just after 3am (AEST) on Saturday, police say.

He was rushed to Nambour Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 25-year-old North Arm man, a 27-year-old Coolum man and another 27-year-old man from Buderim will face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday.

The men reportedly attacked the victim following an argument.

He was knocked to the ground, then kicked and punched in an attack that lasted less than 20 seconds and was captured on CCTV cameras.

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Government data found on old memory sticks

USED memory sticks being sold on the internet have been found to contain sensitive Australian government data, according to a new study.

The research paper, to be presented at a cyber security conference in Perth, reveals how researchers discovered the government information amongst a "treasure trove" of confidential material on the discarded memory sticks.

And the results have prompted authors Patryk Szewczyk and Krishnun Sansurooah, of the Security Research Institute at Perth's Edith Cowan University, to urge sellers to beware they are not handing over their secrets by taking money for old memory sticks.

"The results show that sellers are sending memory cards with no evidence of erasure, poor attempts to erase data - or simply asking the buyer to erase the data prior to use," the study concluded.

"The data recovered is not only of a personal nature, but also appears to originate from Australian government departments and business."

A total of 140 second-hand memory cards were purchased during the year, with each having its data recovered and subsequently analysed - with some sellers not even bothering to delete their old data themselves.

Previous similar studies by the same authors have also revealed government data on memory sticks sold, with authors concerned sellers were not learning the lessons of increasingly common cases of identity theft.

Last year's analysis of dozens of cards purchased online also revealed nearly 20 per cent of all the memory devices contained suggestive or sexualised images.

And the authors are now suggesting sellers such as eBay need to issue warnings when data storage devices are being offered online.

"It is evident that actions must be taken by second hand auction sites, and the media to raise awareness and educate end-users on how to dispose of data in an appropriate manner," the study says.

The Security Research Institute conference, to be held over three days, will discuss all aspects of cyber security, and expert concerns about it.

These include an investigation into the possibility of hacking into the controls of a remote control aerial drone, with the results finding devices are open to attack, which means they could be controlled by a third party.

The influence and potential deception on Twitter - through fake tweets and automated 'netbots' - and how it affected the 2013 federal election was also studied.

An analysis of the open source Twitter activity for the two major party leaders was examined, with the results showing fake online personas and fake bots deploying automated Twitter dissemination.

The authors concluded the existence of a tolerance of new media "slacktivism", where Twitter users mistake auto-narrative for genuine political sentiment.

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