Other News In Brief

Sean Mercer Mother In Court

The mother of Sean Mercer has admitted to lying to the police during the investigation into the murder of schoolboy Rhys Jones. Janette Mercer, 49, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Liverpool Crown Court. Her son, Sean Mercer, 18, was jailed for life in December for the 11-year-old's murder. Mrs Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, had previously denied lying about what happened to her son's mountain bike after Rhys was shot dead.

Man Charged Over Woman's Death

A man has been charged with murder after a 51-year-old woman was found dead in Portsmouth. Elizabeth Scouarnec, who was originally from Northern Ireland but lived in the city, was found at an address in Northern Parade, Hilsea, on Thursday. William Scouarnec, 31, of Fratton Road in Portsmouth, has been charged with murder and is due before Portsmouth Magistrates later. Police said they could not yet release details about how Ms Scouarnec died. A second man arrested over the death has been released without charge.

Pension Regulator Appointments

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell, today announced the reappointment of Alan Pickering and Chris Swinson as non-executive directors of the Pensions Regulator. Both Mr Pickering and Mr Swinson have already served four years as inaugural non-executive directors of the Pensions Regulator. Welcoming the reappointments the Pensions Regulator Chairman, David Norgrove, said: "I am delighted that Alan Pickering and Chris Swinson have been reappointed. They have both played a key role in overseeing the successful development of the Regulator. I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."

HMRC Casts Light On New Compliance Checks Regime

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has today launched a podcast on the new compliance checks regime, which comes into effect in April 2009. The eight-minute podcast features HMRC's Simon Norris discussing the new, streamlined regime, and what it will mean in practice for small businesses and tax advisers. It covers new record-keeping requirements, new time limits for tax assessments, and outlines the safeguards that will be in place. You can listen to the free podcast, or download it to your computer, by visiting the HMRC podcast pages at www.hmrc.gov.uk/podcasts.

(JM/KMcA)