Appeal for UK Savile cop to come forward

A FORMER UK police officer who anonymously told journalists that he caught Jimmy Savile trying to seduce an underage girl in 1965 has been urged to come forward and speak to investigators.

The ex-Leeds Pc spoke to the Daily Mirror and the BBC under the pseudonym Paul Leonard, claiming that Savile was found parked in a lay-by with a young girl in his Rolls Royce.

He told the newspaper that the disgraced DJ said he was waiting for midnight when the girl turned 16, and threatened: "If you want to keep your job I suggest you get on your bike and f-off."

Today West Yorkshire Police appealed for the man to speak to them about the incident.

The force released a statement that said: "West Yorkshire Police are appealing for a man who spoke to the media yesterday in relation to the Jimmy Savile case to get in touch.

Previous appeals have been made for witnesses with information about Savile to come forward, but the force said they do not believe that he has made contact before.

The statement went on: "To our knowledge, Mr Leonard was not one of those who made contact. Given that Paul Leonard used a pseudonym, a false name, in his media interviews his identity or the content of what he says is very difficult to verify.

"We are however keen to speak to 'Mr Leonard' in order that this can be investigated thoroughly."

The former officer told the Daily Mirror that he had been warned off pursuing the incident by a more senior officer.

He claimed that a sergeant had said: "Shut up, son, he's got friends in high places. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave it there."

The officer told the newspaper: "There wasn't a copper in Leeds who didn't know Savile was a pervert. But he was so well-connected. He was like a superstar."

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Drug offers hope for pancreas cancer

A BREAST cancer drug can double two-year survival rates of patients with pancreatic cancer, trial results have shown.

Nab-paclitaxel, marketed as Abraxane, also increased the proportion of patients still alive after one year by 59 per cent.

It is already approved for women with spreading breast cancer who have run out of other options.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, killing 80 per cent of patients within a year.

The disease claimed the life of Hollywood star Patrick Swayze.

Data from the MPACT (Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial) study showed significant improvements when patients were treated with Abraxane in combination with standard chemotherapy.

Average survival increased from 6.7 months to 8.5 months. One year survival rates rose from 22 per cent to 35 per cent and at two years they doubled from 4 per cent to 9 per cent.

The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Today's news represents a major step-forward in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer," said consultant oncologist Dr Harpreet Wasan, from Hammersmith Hospital in London, who runs a pancreatic cancer research program.

"The prognosis for these patients is exceptionally poor and, unlike many other cancers, current treatment options are limited. Based on this data, nab-paclitaxel offers patients a major new advance."

Ali Stunt, founder and chief executive of the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action, said: "Pancreatic cancer is lagging behind other cancers in terms of treatments that extend survival, but nab-paclitaxel has the potential to offer hope to patients with this deadly disease."

Abraxane's manufacturer Celgene has applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for a licence to use the drug to treat advanced pancreatic cancer.

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Conditions easing for NSW firefighters

LARGE fires continue to burn across NSW, but Friday should bring a welcome change of conditions for firefighters and residents in fire zones.

While the extent of the devastation was unclear on Thursday night, one of the worst-hit areas was Springwood, in the Blue Mountains, where up to 30 homes were known to be lost.

But authorities expect the number of destroyed or damaged properties across the state will be much worse and fear lives may be lost.

Elsewhere, thousands of firefighters are struggling against about 100 blazes across the state - on the Central Coast and further north, the Southern Highlands and the south coast.

Temperatures in the low to mid 30s, with a maximum of 37 recorded near Newcastle, combined with strong winds gusting up to 102 km/h provided terrible conditions for firefighters on Thursday.

Thousand of hectares were burnt, mainly around the state's Central Coast, and authorities expect hundreds of homes to be lost.

But the weather should ease on Friday, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.

Temperatures should drop by about 10 degrees, with the mercury expected to hit 20-25 degrees in most parts of the state.

During the night, winds will decrease and will be negligible for most of NSW on Friday, blowing below 15km/h.

The strongest breeze is predicted to swirl at 30km/h.

"We are not expecting winds to be of any significance because of a high pressure region," the BOM spokesman said.

"Apart from humidity, all the other factors will play in the favour of the firefighters."

No serious rain is expected but showers may come for the coastal parts of the state between Monday and Wednesday.

While firefighters will be flat-out, some students will be able to take the day off, with numerous schools closed on Friday.

Winmalee Primary School, Winmalee High School, Ellison Primary School and Zig Zag Primary School in the Blue Mountains and Yanderra Primary School in the Southern Highlands weren't damaged, but fires are dangerously close to the schools, a Department of Education spokesman told AAP.

St Columba's High School and St Thomas Aquinas Primary at Springwood, Bunya Child Care Centre and Rainbow Preschool at Winmalee are also closed.

Students from Winmalee High School and St Columba's can attend other schools to sit their HSC exams, or if they can't make it safely to an alternative location they can make an application to ensure they aren't adversely affected.

Parents and students are advised by the department to contact their schools on Friday morning for further updates.

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