Four charged over palace protest

Four people have been charged following a climate change protest outside Buckingham Palace that saw activists chain themselves to the gates.

A teacher and three unemployed people are accused of breaching Royal Parks regulations and the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.

Peter Coville, 45, from Riverside Court in Reading will appear in court next month alongside Fiona Brooke, 23, of Billingshurst Road in Horsham, Sussex, Cyril Zeldine, 33, of John Islip Street in Pimlico, south west London, and Philip Thornhill, 57, of Rockmount Road in Woolwich, south east London, the Metropolitan Police said.

The four were arrested after demonstrators who said they represented the Climate Siren group scaled the Palace gates and secured themselves to the railings.

They were bailed to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on July 10.

©Press Association 2012

Pc to face Tomlinson death charge

The trial of a police officer accused of killing newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests in central London is due to begin.

Pc Simon Harwood, 41, is set to appear at Southwark Crown Court accused of Mr Tomlinson's manslaughter during the demonstrations in April 2009.

The 47-year-old, who was homeless, collapsed and died near the Royal Exchange Buildings in the City of London after being hit with a police baton.

He was caught on CCTV and in film captured by police and members of the public falling to the ground and then staggering away.

Mr Tomlinson eventually collapsed and died minutes later.

Father-of-two Harwood, from Carshalton, Surrey, denies manslaughter.

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Boat Race swimmer slams elitism

The swimmer arrested after bringing the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race to a dramatic halt has defended his anti-elitist stance.

Trenton Oldfield said he had been privately-educated for four years but left and went to a state school because he "couldn't stand the elitism".

The annual contest on Saturday was dubbed "possibly the most dramatic Boat Race in history" after the wet suit-clad swimmer was spotted in the vessels' path and the competition had to be restarted almost half an hour later.

Oldfield, who lives in a run-down block of flats in Myrdle Street, east London, has been charged with a public order offence and released on bail.

The 35-year-old posted a series of messages on Twitter today, saying: "With the severe deficit in democracy new sites of protest unfortunately have had to be found" and "if its jail time, so be it".

He added: "Still waiting for someone to show me when elitism (seeing oneself above another) hasn't lead to oppression and tyranny?"

The drama of Saturday's race continued when the blade of an Oxford oar broke and the crew's bowman Alex Woods collapsed at the end and was taken to hospital. Crew member Roel Haen said Dr Woods had now been released from hospital.

He wrote on Twitter: "Our bow-man and hero Alex Woods was released from the hospital this morning and is doing well."

Oldfield, an Australian who studied contemporary urbanism at the London School of Economics and says he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, has a website called Elitism Leads to Tyranny. He replied to a barrage of messages from both supporters and detractors.

Oldfield will appear at Feltham Magistrates' Court on April 23 charged with a Section Five offence under the Public Order Act, said Scotland Yard.

©Press Association