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Saddam Hussain gave £840,000 to the family of the British engineer who was murdered with his wife in the Alps, it was claimed last night. The former Iraqi dictator is said to have deposited the sum in a Swiss bank account in the name of Saad Al-Hilli’s father. The claim, which apparently originated with German intelligence, adds a sensational twist to the baffling case. Mr. Al-Hilli’s father Kadhim was once close to Saddam’s Ba’ath Party, but fell foul of the tyrant in the Seventies, and fled Iraq for Britain. The scene of the September 5 massacre - an isolated lay-by near Lake Annecy in Eastern France - is only an hour’s drive from Geneva where the money was deposited. Swiss prosecutor Dario Zanni believes the family may have been returning from there when ambushed. It raises the possibility that Mr Al-Hill had managed to gain access to the account, which is thought to have remained in his father’s name, and that this was known to his killer. The story was reported in the respected French newspaper Le Monde. It said that a French police source had revealed that the money’s source had been discovered by German intelligence agency BND. The agency’s operatives routinely monitored the flow of cash to and from Baghdad as Germany did more business with the Saddam regime than any other country. An intelligence source in Munich said last night: “They know the money trail, and they know how to follow it. They have spent decades monitoring money transactions between the West and Iraq. The BND is the first port of call in such circumstances.” The BND said they had no comment on the report, saying: “We do not comment on operations.” http://www.lowryllp.com http://www.notaryengland.co.uk

A gang of teenagers kicked a 19-year-old to death after he joked that one of them looked like Justin Bieber. Rikki Todd died four days after the attak when he was punched, kicked and had his head stamped on outside the Halfway House pub in Camperdown, Northumberland on December 23 last year. 

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Rikki was beaten allegedly by Danny Scott and Jack Walton, both 18, after he had teased one of the boys from their group, ruffled his hair and said he looked like the Canadian teen popstar. Graham Reeds QC, prosecuting said: “CCTV footage shows Rikki repeatedly ruffling the hair of a youngster who was part of the defendants’ group. Rikki thought he had a passing resemblance to the Canadian singer Justin Bieber and, while drunk, thought it would be amusing to say so. His attempts at humour irritated the boy and angered those who were with him.” 

Scott and Walton, both of Seghill, Northumberland are on trial accused of murder. Both deny the charge. Mr Reeds told Newcastle Crown Court on Monday how witnesses saw on of the attackers, allegedly Scott, knock Rikki to the ground with a punch. 

Nice to see the people of Britain watching this event happen but do nothing about it.

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http://www.notaryengland.co.uk