Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Four men from London who pretended to be police officers as they conned over £100,000 out of elderly and vulnerable victims in a nationwide fraud have been jailed.

The men operated in 13 different areas including Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, and the Thames Valley area.

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, which investigated, said the group would phone unsuspecting victims, convincing them they needed their money to investigate fraudulent transactions in their account.

Victims were then informed they needed to go to the bank and withdraw a large amount of money, usually between £5,000 and £20,000. The bogus officer would then send someone around, who would also pretend to be with the police, to collect the money. 

Image source, Bedfordshire Police

The four men, from London, all admitted conspiracy to commit fraud at Leeds Crown Court. 

Shah Ahmed, 22, of Toynbee Street, was jailed for four years, seven months; Rahim Ali, 22, of Vernon Road, was jailed for three years, six months; Malik Amer, 24, of Monthorpe Road, received a three years and seven months' sentence and Ruhel Miah, 19, of Chilton Street, was jailed for four years and 11 months.

A council claims it was forced to move tenants out of homeless accommodation after a property developer bought the flats and put charges up by thousands of pounds.

Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown has decided to put her teaching job on hold - after originally going back to work. 

The 31-year-old shocked pupils when she returned to her post at Ashlyns School in Berkhamsted, where she teaches PE and helps children with special needs.

But trying to juggle her old life and new opportunities over the past few weeks has proved too much, and as of today she's a free (raising) agent.

Image source, PA

"This has been such an agonising decision to make. At first, I kept telling the school I would stay until December, but they were so incredible and told me I had to grab everything whilst I could," she said.

Candice said her school suggested she left now rather than at the end of this year, and that doing so would inspire the school's pupils to follow their dreams. 

"My headteacher told me, 'If we can't encourage our staff to follow their dreams and inspire, then we are not doing our job properly. You are showing the kids that anything is possible'."

Candice is taking time to plan her future, but has signed up with a team of TV agents.

"It's been completely insane and the whole feeling is overwhelming," she said. "I was at The Cake and Bake Show in Manchester last weekend and it really was a 'stop and wow' moment.

"Every so often I get hit with this wave of overwhelming emotion and I get quite emotional when I think that this is really happening to me. 

"If it hadn't been for the school being so supportive at the beginning and letting me go and film Bake Off, I wouldn't be here now." 

Brown said children at her school were surprised to see her back after viewers saw her win the series in October - the last before the show moves to Channel 4 - because they thought she was now a millionaire.

"I explained to them that I hadn't won a million but, in fact, a cake stand," she said.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

National Grid has now restored supplies to the majority of Bedfordshire properties that lost their gas supply, after builders damaged a gas main last week.

The company is asking people in the remaining 100 or so properties where they haven't been able to turn the supply back on to try and be in this evening so engineers can reconnect them.

If they're going to be out they are asked to call 0845 835 1111 or visit the temporary incident room in Maulden Village Hall, to make arrangements to switch the supply back on.

The incident room will close this evening, but a Mobile Command Unit (MCU) will remain on site.

CCTV showed a figure in a hi-vis jacket entering the flats at Ivel Court in Letchworth just before 08:30 and leaving just before noon on the day of the alleged murder.

The prosecution's case is that person is Yvonne Caylor in disguise. 

John Price QC told the jury: "That individual went straight to first floor. The visible facial hair would suggest the person is a man. The person went directly to the flat and used the letterbox to knock at the door.

"It is somebody quite short of plump build. That person was wearing gloves. He had reddish hair, a similarly coloured goatee or Van Dyke beard and heavy framed spectacles.

"The hair and beard are fake. So too might be the spectacles.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

"Nicky tried to close the door but the intruder forced their way into the flat. It suggests she saw someone who had frightened her and wanted to keep her out of the flat... despite the disguise she had recognised the intruder."

Ms Caylor, of Grove Road, Hitchin, denies murdering her half-sister Nicky Collingbourne on 23 May.

The trial at Luton Crown Court is expected to last for two to three weeks.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

The jury at Luton Crown Court has been told Yvonne Caylor tried to make the alleged murder of her half-sister Nicky Collingbourne look like suicide.

Despite lying in a pool of blood with an obvious head wound, prosecutor John Price QC told the court Nicky Collingbourne's wrists bore deep incised wounds that he said were not self-inflicted.

"A bizarre feature was the fact in her right hand she was holding by the handle a small hand brush that comes with a dustpan and brush set. 

"That she was found holding the brush is that the scene had been staged in some way. Possibly to try and resemble a suicide. 

"If that was the case it was very incompetently done. The brush would have fallen from the hand before she hit the ground."

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Two pathologists examined her body and were unable to ascertain how she died.

"But she died a violent death and it was not at her own hands," the prosecutor added.

More follows...

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

A woman allegedly disguised herself with a goatee beard, wig, heavy framed glasses and a hi-vis jacket before killing her half-sister with a chicken-shaped ceramic pot, a court has heard.

Yvonne Caylor, 53, allegedly made herself look like a man before she walked to Nicky Collingbourne's flat and launched the attack in May, Luton Crown Court was told.

Ms Collingbourne, 26, was found dead in her underwear lying in a pool of blood at her flat in Ivel Court, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, by members of her family.

Ms Caylor, of Grove Road, Hitchin, denies murder.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Addressing the jury, prosecutor John Price QC, said: "There is no issue Nicky Collingbourne was unlawfully killed by someone. The issue you will have to decide is by whom?

"To use a slang phrase - this case is a 'whodunnit'."

More follows....

Newport boss Graham Westley believes his loan stars, Josh Sheehan and Rhys Healey, will stay at the club beyond January.

Live text and audio coverage of the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton is on pole position.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

A mother of a five-year-old boy with autism said he was left in tears after being told he was on Santa's naughty list at a Christmas lights switch-on.

Kaliegh Taylor took her son Dylan to the switch-on in High Wycombe town centre last Thursday.

Posting on Facebook, she said she was "absolutely heartbroken and disgusted", claiming that Santa told her son: "Dylan, I know you are a very naughty boy and I'm afraid you are on the naughty list."

Image source, Kaliegh Taylor

Speaking to BBC Three Counties, Ms Taylor said Dylan had previously been scared of Santa coming into his bedroom and hoped the meeting would be a big step towards preparing him for this Christmas. 

She said Dylan was excited and impatient in the queue, but wasn't being naughty, describing his behaviour as "quite good for him".

"I have had comments before. Someone said 'I think your child needs a smack' - you can't smack autism out of a child. My son isn't naughty, he's actually struggling inside," said Ms Taylor.  

The organisers of the Santa meet-and-greet, High Wycombe Bid Co, have been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the High Wycombe Lions Club, which was collecting money at the event, said its members did not hear what Santa allegedly said, but apologised for any distress caused.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Police in Hertfordshire have confirmed a body of a man has been recovered from a pond on Harpenden Common. 

Officers are now trying to identify him.

The body was sighted at about 10:00 and the area was cordoned off.

We'll bring you more when we can.

Police in Hertfordshire say they are investigating reports of a body sighted in a pond in Harpenden.

They've been at the scene, just off Southdown Road, since just after 10:00 this morning. 

A cordon is in place and the fire brigade has been called in to assist.

We'll bring you the latest as we get it.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Finn, the Hertfordshire police dog stabbed while chasing a suspected thief, has inspired a charity Christmas card drawn by a nine-year-old boy with cancer. 

The dog and his handler, PC Dave Wardell, were both injured in Stevenage last month. 

Image source, Dave Wardell/@ChairWarkPolFed

Image source, @ALEXS_JOURNEY

Alex Goodwin (pictured above), of Lutterworth, Leicestershire, was "devastated" when he read about the attack, so contacted Finn and PC Wardell via social media. 

Cards based on his drawing of Finn sold out within a day. Recently Alex got the chance to meet the recovering police pooch too.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Tributes have been pouring in to the loser of this week's Strictly dance-off. But I'm not saying who that was. Watch with caution if you don't want to know...

Pete Cooper
BBC Local Live

Congratulations have been pouring in for Charley Hull, who has won her first LPGA title. 

Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships, tweeted this late last night...

Amelia Lewis was one of many fellow player to congratulate Hull...

And she also had this emoji-filled tweet from former Westlife singer Brian McFadden...

BBC Sport

Burton Latimer's Charley Hull has won the CME Group Tour Championship by two shots to earn her first LPGA title.

The 20-year-old, who plays golf out of Woburn, finished on a tournament record 19 under par to beat South Korea's Ryu So-yeon.

Image source, Getty Images

Hull started the final round with a one-shot lead and shot six birdies in her bogey-free round, for a six-under-par 66 at the Florida course.

"It's wicked to do it at 20," she said. "It feels good to be joining the winners this year."

A police dog recovering after being stabbed in the line of duty has been showing off his obedience skills by doing the "mannequin challenge".

An East of England Ambulance Service paramedic from Southend tells the BBC he's been assaulted at work 50 times.

It follows the news that staff across the region were assaulted 232 times in 2015-16, compared to 195 the previous year.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Thousands of people who had their gas supply disrupted after contractors damaged the main in Ampthill should receive compensation automatically.

Anthony Quarrell of National Grid says the £30 per 24-hour period is set by the regulator and should be automatically credited to customers via their gas supplier.

Bloor Homes, whose builders caused the damaged at a housing estate under construction in Ampthill, has launched an investigation into how it happened.

Cambridge and Wycombe will take "appropriate action" against those involved in alleged racist abuse towards Adebayo Akinfenwa.