A prominent dissident republican facing trial over charges of encouraging terrorism has had his bail conditions changed so he can go on holiday.

Damien 'Dee' Fennell made an application to Belfast Crown Court to amend his conditions so he could go to Co Donegal for a week.
The 34-year-old faces three charges for a speech he gave during an Easter Rising commemoration event last year.
Mr Fennell has denied the charges. He is due to go on trial later this year.
He was charged with encouraging acts of terrorism, inviting support for the IRA and addressing a meeting to encourage support for the IRA after speaking at the event in Lurgan, County Armagh.
His lawyer pointed out that Mr Fennell had been on bail "for a significant period without breaching his conditions" and that his client would adhere to any requirements, such as reporting to the GardaÃ (Irish police).
"He is not going to abscond," said a defence lawyer.
The judge granted the bail variation if a cash surety of Â£2,000 was lodged.
He also ordered Mr Fennell, of Torrens Avenue, Belfast, to report to GardaÃ in Donegal twice a week and said both the house number and phone number of his accommodation should be provided to police.


BBC News presenter Huw Edwards is to call for more to be done to "champion" Welsh chapels and their contribution to cultural and historical life.

In a lecture at Swansea University, he said the buildings must be better protected by public bodies behind "some of the worst cultural damage".
He accused cultural and heritage chiefs of being "castle, cathedral and country house obsessives".
The Welsh government said chapels were a vital part of Wales' history.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) has put together a register of more than 6,600 19th and 20th Century chapels.
More than half have shut with the others closing at the rate of one a week.
Mr Edwards is already leading a campaign to save Jewin Presbyterian Church, the oldest Welsh chapel in London, where he is a worshipper.
Mr Edwards's lecture called for the role of chapels in Welsh culture, history, and society to be recognised and rehabilitated.
He said: "Chapels can be championed in several meaningful ways.
"Their story can be retold and presented to a new audience, their place in the education curriculum must be revised, and the fabric of chapel buildings must be protected in a much more rigorous way."
He said the Welsh government, its heritage arm Cadw, and local conservation bodies and local authorities "who have often sanctioned some of the worst cultural damage" each had roles to play.
"It is already too late for some of our best chapel buildings," Mr Edwards said.
"Future generations will wonder what on earth we were doing. But it is still possible to save some for the benefit of their local communities."
A spokesperson for the Welsh government said: "Churches and chapels are a vital part of the country's history and culture and central to helping our understanding of the past.
"This year, grants of up to Â£375,000 in total have been awarded by Cadw to 13 projects to repair and restore historic places of worship across Wales.
"Cadw is also developing new guidance to support the care, conservation and sensitive development of places of worship.
"Cadw recognises that repair and restoration costs of chapels can sometimes be costly but a high standard of work is an investment which helps to safeguard the historic character of chapels for the future."
Mr Edwards is a trustee of the Welsh Religious Buildings Trust, a committee member of Capel - the chapels heritage society - and author of The Chapels of Wales.
The event was organised by the Learned Society of Wales.


Dean Harrison clinched his maiden Southern 100 Solo Championship crown by taking victory in Thursday's thrilling nine-lap race on the Billown circuit.

Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider Harrison edged out runner-up, Manxman Dan Kneen, by 0.131 seconds, with Michael Dunlop third on his Suzuki.
Dunlop set a new absolute lap record with an average speed of 115.707mph.
Harrison took a hat-trick of wins over the course of the meeting, with Dunlop also securing a treble of victories.
Harrison, Dunlop and BMW pilot Kneen each enjoyed spells at the front as they traded positions regularly throughout the feature event.
"I've been trying to win that race for five years and I'm over the moon," said Bradford man Harrison after his 'big race' success.
"Everyone is pushing really hard so it's a hard race to win. The lead swapped and changed a few times but I just kept braking as late as I could and kept the head down.
"I had some bad luck issues with the bike over the last few days and missed two races but this makes it all worthwhile," added the Yorkshire rider.
Earlier in the day, Dunlop, 28, surpassed the previous best lap benchmark with a speed of 115.267 in winning a keenly fought Senior race.
The Ballymoney man enjoyed an advantage of less than a second over Kneen at the chequered flag, with Jamie Coward completing the podium, some 25 seconds behind Dunlop.
Dunlop also narrowly saw off Kneen in Tuesday's opening 1000cc race and continued his fine form by winning Wednesday's seven-lap Senior race.
Harrison won the 600cc opener on Wednesday and then got the better of runner-up Dunlop and third-place finisher Cowton in the second event for that class on Thursday, Dunlop having the consolation of a new lap record at 111.335.
Ivan Lintin took a slender triumph over Cowton in Thursday's Supertwins outing to complete a double in that class, Rob Hodson occupying the final rostrum position.
Ballymoney's Darryl Tweed made it two wins from two by ending 5.6 seconds in front of Seamus Elliott in the 400cc/125cc, with Paul Gartland third.
In the Sidecar Championship race, John Holden and Lee Cain were declared the winners over Wayne Lockey and Mark Sayers, after brothers Ben and Tom Birchall and Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes crashed at Cross Four Ways while battling for the lead.
The Birchalls set a new lap record for the class at 101.545mph.


The word judo means 'gentle way' in Japanese and, although it appears to be anything but gentle, the aggression of the players is very much controlled.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Nicola Fairbrother, BBC Sport
"Judo is a mix of skill, strategy and strength. Technique can and does often overcome power, meaning the sport is exciting and unpredictable. The moment to look out for is the ippon throw, which often comes from nowhere. Euan Burton is Team GB's top seeded competitor at -81Kg and is a former European and world championship bronze medallist. Karina Bryant in the +78kg is Great Britain's most consistent heavyweight of all time. She has won six world championship medals, but has never won an Olympic medal. Watch out for Frenchman Teddy Riner in the +100kg. He is one of the best heavyweights of all time and is winning everything at the moment."
Skill, technique and timing, rather than brute strength, are the essential ingredients for success in judo.
Let's not kid ourselves too much though, judo is only the 'gentle way' to an extent. A look at the official list of 66 throwing and 29 grappling techniques reveals that 'shime-waza' or 'strangulation' is an option.
Judo made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games and Japan is the dominant force, winning three times as many gold medals as any other nation. Great Britain, by contrast, has won just one Olympic judo medal since 1992 (Kate Howey's silver in 2000) and has never won a gold.
More than 180 nations are members of the International Judo Federation. In Beijing, Mongolia celebrated its first ever Olympic gold medal when Tuvshinbayar Naidan won the men's -100kg event.
Judo burns approximately 340 calories per session and helps improve fitness levels, balance, coordination and flexibility.
For those not wanting to take part in combat, the moves involved in the sport can still be done as conditioning and strength-building exercises.
The throws and holds involved in judo provide an effective form of self-defence training. It also lowers peoples risk of sustaining serious injury in other sports as judo teaches people how to fall in a safe manner.
Although it is an individual sport, judo is an excellent way to develop communication skills and learn to work effectively with other people as you train in groups.
Clubs also offer a variety of social events beyond simply playing the sport.
Judo is good for the mind as well as the body. Specific rules ensure you will build self-confidence, self-discipline and respect for yourself and others, with many of the moves involving a great deal of mutual trust.
Judo is a fun and challenging activity, suitable for peoples of all ages and abilities. All clubs that are registered with the British Judo Association offer free starter sessions, and have 'judo gi' (uniforms) that you can borrow while you take part.
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Every new skill and technique you learn contributes to your grading. As you progress, you will be given a new coloured belt to denote the standard you have reached.
Judo clubs provide the perfect base for people to learn the various techniques involved in the sport in a safe and controlled environment. Clubs can be found in sports centres, gyms, schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK.
Use the British Judo Association's club finder to discover where your nearest club is located. A list of upcoming competitions and judo training events for coaches and athletes can also be found on the Association's website.
As judo is a tough combat sport, a licence that provides insurance is required to take part in competitions and advanced training sessions. Information about where you can obtain the licence and its cost can be found on the British Judo Association,NI Judo,Judo Scotland and Welsh Judo websites.
It is vital that judo sessions are overseen by a qualified trainer. The British Judo Association's ClubMark scheme accredits club that are committed to providing a safe and effective environment to learn the sport.
More on the British Judo Association website
'Join In Local Sport' aims to get as many people as possible to turn up and take part in activities at their local sports facilities on 18/19 August, 2012 - the first weekend between the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The aim of the initiative is for every sports club and community group in the UK to put on a special event in a bid to encourage more people to get involved as members, supporters or volunteers.
More than 4,000 local sports clubs will be opening their doors to host events and show people just how they can get involved.
As well as tips on playing sport there will be information on coaching, supporting and how to help out.
Find an event near you.
More on the London 2012 website
There are 66 throwing techniques and 29 grappling techniques officially acknowledged in judo, which basically involves throwing opponents to the floor and holding them in submission.
Judo contests are fought on a mat ('tatami') which measures 14m x 14m, with a smaller contest area of 10m x 10m marked inside it.
At the start of each contest the athletes stand 4m apart until the referee shouts 'hajime' to begin the action.
As well as the referee, two line judges sit outside the contest area to help confirm any decisions.
Ulla Werbrouck's gold in the -78kg event at the 1996 Games came with just two seconds of the final remaining. Werbrouck had left the 1992 Olympics with a broken knee and her leg in plaster. Four years on she became the first Belgian woman to win gold at a summer Games.
Contests last up to five minutes, with scores awarded for different throws and holds. However, a contest ends immediately if a competitor is awarded the highly-prized 'ippon' - the maximum score.
An ippon can be scored by a clean, forceful throw; by holding the opponent mainly on his or her back for 30 seconds (under control); or by submission to a strangle, a choke or a lock applied against the elbow.
Ippon sometimes occurs just seconds into a match but a contest going the full distance lasts five minutes for men and four minutes for women. If the scores are tied, a sudden death 'golden score' period comes into play.
This system, designed to take the decision out of the referee's hands, first appeared at an Olympics in 2004. The first athlete ('judoka') to score any point is declared the winner, providing drama akin to a penalty shoot-out in football.
If the scores are tied after five minutes, the contest enters a golden-score period, when the first score of any sort wins.
In a sport which promotes politeness, courage, sincerity, self-control, honour, modesty, friendship and respect, penalties ('shido') are given to players who infringe the rules.
The first penalty only earns a warning, but the second and third result in points being awarded to the opponent, with the fourth equating to an ippon and therefore ends the contest.
A judoka can be disqualified ('hansukomake') for deliberately hurting their opponent.
More on the Team GB website
A terrible showing at last year's world championships led to GB's elite coaching staff being replaced. Now under the guidance of 1999 world champion Daniel Lascau, confidence has returned and Euan Burton has since won world and European medals at half-heavyweight (under 81kg).
Women's heavyweight Karina Bryant won world silver in 2009.
Teddy Riner of France is as strong a favourite as you will find in any sport. The 22-year-old 6ft 8in heavyweight has already won five world titles and enjoys superstar status in his home country.
Others to watch are South Korea's Wang Ki-Chun, who won lightweight silver in Beijing despite a fractured rib, and Kayla Harrison (women's half-heavyweight), who could win USA's first judo gold.
Judo is a traditional Japanese wrestling sport, and the word ju-do means "the way of suppleness".
Founded in 1882 by Dr Jigoro Kano, judo is a refinement of the ancient martial art of Jujitsu.
Men: -60kg, -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, -100kg, +100kg
Women: -48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, -78kg, +78kg
Dr Kano studied what he considered to be the best of Jujitsu's techniques and developed a sport which involves no kicking or punching, rather relying on fluid movements and throws to put an opponent on his or her back.
The sport first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo, was left out in 1968, but returned in 1972 and has remained ever since. Women's judo was added to the Games in 1992 in Barcelona.
Judo is now the most popular martial art in the world, with 13 million participants in 111 countries.
Since its Olympic debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games, Japan has won three times as many gold medals as any other nation.
More on the IOC website


Cristiano Ronaldo broke Sweden's resistance late in the game to give Portugal the advantage in their World Cup play-off tie in Lisbon.

The Real Madrid forward got the decisive goal when he stooped low to head in Miguel Veloso's superb cross.
Up until then they were frustrated by a disciplined Sweden side, who went close through Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom.
No player has scored more headed goals (four) than Ronaldo in European World Cup 2014 qualification
The second leg will take place at Solna's Friends Arena on Tuesday.
That promises to be another fascinating contest between two sides, with the impetus now on Sweden to attack, having set their stall out to defend for long periods during the first leg.
They did, however, create the better chances in the opening 45 minutes despite Portugal enjoying 67% of the possession.
With Paris St-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic given special attention by Portugal's defence, his attack-minded team-mates found themselves with more space than they should have been afforded.
Norwich's on-loan forward Elmander was first to cause nerves in the home support when he stretched to send Mikael Lustig's right-wing cross inches past the post.
Erik Hamren's men then created two great chances in the space of two minutes. Sunderland's Larsson surged forward from midfield to strike a low shot that Rui Patricio dived to his left to divert, before Kallstrom, winning his 107th cap, smashed an 18-yard free-kick that brushed Portugal's upright.
Ibrahimovic failed to register a single touch in the opposite box against Portugal
The home side's best chance of the half came in the first five minutes when Ronaldo and Raul Meireles combined before feeding Joao Moutinho, who drifted round keeper Andreas Isaksson before firing into the side-netting.
Portugal's frustrations continued after the break as Sweden sat deeper, while their coach Paulo Bento probably would have been left exasperated by some of the awful attempted deliveries into the area.
But with eight minutes left one cross led to something greater when Dynamo Kiev's Veloso's fantastic delivery found Ronaldo, who threw himself at the ball to give Portugal the lead.
Moments later, the Real Madrid marksman almost scored his 30th of the season, but saw his header bounce back off the crossbar.
Sweden offered little as an attacking threat after the break, with Ibrahimovic failing to trouble Patricio and his defence. The skipper will have to show the sort of form he has produced for Paris St-Germain this season on Tuesday if Sweden are to stand a chance of going to Brazil.
"We would have been very happy with a draw," Sweden coach Erik Hamren said.
"We played a good game defensively - the goal was unnecessary, we were careless with that cross."
Bento added: "We created a great early chance and Sweden hit back. But in the second half it was one way for us.
"It was an important step to reach the World Cup but not yet decisive."
Match ends, Portugal 1, Sweden 0.
Second Half ends, Portugal 1, Sweden 0.
Offside, Sweden. Sebastian Larsson tries a through ball, but Alexander Gerndt is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by João Moutinho.
Pepe (Portugal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden).
Substitution, Sweden. Alexander Gerndt replaces Johan Elmander.
Foul by Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
Pontus Wernbloom (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Portugal. Conceded by Martin Olsson.
Attempt missed. Josué (Portugal) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) hits the bar with a header from very close range. Assisted by Hugo Almeida with a cross.
Offside, Sweden. Pontus Wernbloom tries a through ball, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic is caught offside.
Goal!  Portugal 1, Sweden 0. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) header from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Miguel Veloso with a cross.
Corner,  Portugal. Conceded by Anders Svensson.
Attempt blocked. Nani (Portugal) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Sweden. Conceded by Nani.
Corner,  Sweden. Conceded by Miguel Veloso.
Substitution, Portugal. Josué replaces Raul Meireles.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Sweden. Anders Svensson replaces Kim Källström.
Johan Elmander (Sweden) is shown the yellow card.
Delay in match Andreas Isaksson (Sweden) because of an injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
Andreas Isaksson (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Portugal. Raul Meireles tries a through ball, but Cristiano Ronaldo is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Raul Meireles (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a set piece situation.
João Pereira (Portugal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Pontus Wernbloom (Sweden).
Attempt blocked. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is blocked. Assisted by João Moutinho.
Substitution, Sweden. Pontus Wernbloom replaces Rasmus Elm.
Sebastian Larsson (Sweden) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Sebastian Larsson (Sweden).
Attempt saved. Nani (Portugal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by João Pereira.
Foul by Bruno Alves (Portugal).
Rasmus Elm (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Portugal. Conceded by Per Nilsson.
Substitution, Portugal. Hugo Almeida replaces Helder Postiga.


In our series of letters from African journalists, broadcaster and media trainer Joseph Warungu reflects on the aftermath of Lupita Nyong'o's historic success at the Oscars.

Although the 2014 Academy Awards ceremony has come and gone, its after-effects are still being felt in Kenya.
The first wave of activity happened soon after Lupita Nyong'o was announced Oscar winner for best actress in a supporting role in 12 Years A Slave.
The media, especially on Twitter, went wild with jubilant Kenyans sending and sharing the news, joy and jokes.
One Kenyan created much laughter by asking: "Which is this Oscar guy that Lupita has won over?"
Yet others began to wonder whether it was now time to seriously analyse what the waters of Lake Victoria - on the shores of Kisumu in Western Kenya - actually contained.
That region of the country and its Luo community have made global history for a second time.
It was the home of both Barack Obama's father and Lupita Nyong'o's family. Indeed, her father, Anyang Nyong'o is the Senator for Kisumu county and some of Kenya's sharpest minds come from this region.
And thanks to her comments, we now have a blue Nairobi. The Kenyan capital has always been known as the green city in the sun, because of its parks and trees. Although with weather patterns running amok, it often feels like the great sun in the city.
But not any more. Thanks to Lupita's comment that the beautiful light blue dress she wore at the Oscars reminded her of Nairobi, we now have Nairobi blue.
Whether this is a new colour, city, dress or state of mind, I can't tell.
What I know for certain is that Lupita's "your dreams are valid" statement in her acceptance speech has become a catch-phrase and a rallying call for Kenyans, especially the youth, to dream big.
You'll now hear young artists and upcoming entrepreneurs saying that they will push themselves to rise to the highest ranks - because their dreams are valid.
Lupita's victory at the Oscars is a demonstration that the African craft of telling or portraying stories is at the highest global standard.
The fact that she won and faced the world without lightening her dark skin complexion, or extending her short African hair, makes another statement - that an authentic African identity does not have to be negotiable for Africa to be heard loud and clear across the planet.
Proudly African, Lupita even gave the Western world collective heart failure as they struggled to pronounce her second name correctly.
As an ever-optimistic believer that Africa will soon take over the world, I feel the time has come for the continent to dream mega and now use its own voice to narrate the African experience.
Hollywood is one of the biggest factories and exporters of Western culture and the American experience. And Africa is a big importer of the same.
But the boot is gradually shifting to the other foot with Africa already exporting its sporting talent, its innovations and some of its culture from sources such as the Nigerian Nollywood film industry.
Now we must export our thinking. When the world begins to think what we think and why we think it, our story will move from what author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes as the single story, to being understood in its truly complex weave of the African.
For this to happen we have to believe that our dreams are valid and that only we can validate those dreams.
It's also about believing in ourselves as Africans - that we can change the world, even if it's one colour at a time.
Lupita's Nairobi blue certainly seems to have the potential of becoming the new black on the global fashion scene.
If you would like to comment on Joseph Warungu's column, please do so below.


Dame Judi Dench is set to appear on BBC One's Countryfile.

The award-winning British actress will take part in a special Shakespeare episode, marking the 400th anniversary of the death of the playwright.
Alongside John Craven, Dame Judi filmed a report in which she followed in the footsteps of Shakespeare's touring players, The King's Men, who travelled the countryside performing his plays.
"I'm a huge fan of Countryfile. It was lovely to be part of it," she said.
"It was wonderful to learn that Shakespeare had toured with his company."
Dame Judi made her professional debut as Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
For the special programme, she and Craven embarked on a journey by foot and by boat to discover where Shakespeare may have performed, looking into documents from the time.
"In my long career few things have topped the experience of standing in a 16th century hall where Shakespeare's touring company once played and doing a bit of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet with Dame Judi Dench," Craven said.
"She was a delightful companion as we traced the Bard's journey by foot and boat through rural Kent and her lifelong passion for Shakespeare's work really shone through. She's great fun, too."
Countryfile's Shakespeare special airs on 24 April at 7pm on BBC One.


Two Northumbria Police officers have been hurt in a crash between two patrol cars on South Tyneside.

The collision, on New Road in Boldon, happened when both were responding to an incident.
Each vehicle had two officers inside and two people were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The other two officers were uninjured.
No one else was involved in the crash at 14:36 GMT.  The force has appealed for witnesses.


Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered has reported a 44% drop in half-year profits.

Pre-tax profits fell to $1.82bn (Â£1.17bn) in the first half of the year as "adverse loan impairment trends continued to impact performance".
Revenue for the first half of 2015 was $8.5bn, down 8% from the previous year.
The UK-listed bank halved its dividend to 14.4 cents per share, and did not rule out the possibility of raising more money from investors.
As well as declining revenue, higher charges for bad loans hit its profits, the bank said.
Hit by slowing growth in emerging markets, the bank hired former JP Morgan banker Bill Winters as  chief executive, replacing former chief Peter Sands in June.
Mr Winters used his first results presentation in charge to outline some of his plans for the bank. He said he would simplify Standard Chartered with a "new management team and simpler organisational structure".
The bank has already exited some businesses in Hong Kong, China and Korea, booking a gain of $219m dollars and improving its capital position.
The bank hired Mark Smith from Asia-focused rival HSBC to join as new chief risk officer.
The dividend cut will help the bank strengthen its capital base - a safety net protecting it from unexpected financial knocks.
The lender's core tier-1 measure of high-quality capital compared with assets rose to 11.5%, hitting its target six months early.
Even so, Mr Winters would not rule out raising more if needed.
"If we decide we need capital for the long-term benefit of the group, we will raise capital," he said.


The Accountant has entered the UK box office at number three, making it the highest new entry this week.

It took ??1.6m in its opening weekend, but could not topple Doctor Strange or Trolls from the first two spots.
The Marvel film starring Benedict Cumberbatch topped the chart for a second week, taking ??3.4m, while Trolls stayed at number two, with ??2m.
There was another new entry for A Street Cat Named Bob, based on the true story of a homeless man and his cat.
It entered the UK box office at number four taking ??990,000.
The Accountant sees Ben Affleck appear as Christian Wolff, who uses his accountancy office as a front for his work for criminal organisations.
The thriller, also starring Anna Kendrick, topped the US box office on its opening weekend there.
Nocturnal Animals, by fashion designer and director Tom Ford, was another new entry in the top five, taking ??760,000.
The film, starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, is the second from Ford, after A Single Man, which was released in 2009.
Elsewhere in the top 10, The Light Between Oceans - a period romance starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander - entered the chart at number six, taking ??730,000 on its opening weekend.
The Girl on the Train stayed in the top 10 for a fifth week, at number seven, followed by Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Storks and Bridget Jones's Baby, which is now in its eighth week.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


An unlucky racing pigeon twice attacked by hawks has been rescued at sea by a paddleboarder.

Tory Pigott was out with friends when she spotted the injured pigeon off Devon's south coast at Ladram Bay.
The hapless bird had originally set off from Dorset a month before, but was found injured in Plymouth and nursed back to health and released again.
Ms Pigott traced the pigeon's original owner in Hertfordshire, who has sent a courier to collect the bird.
She said: "We suddenly heard a flapping sound in the water and saw this pigeon desperately trying to crawl up the side of the rocks."
Ms Pigott jumped into the water to rescue the pigeon which was "completely sodden" and "distressed" with a cut to its neck.
She used the pigeon's identification number to trace the bird's owners, Ray Eccles and his son Brendan from Baldock, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire.
Brendan Eccles said the pigeon was released in a race from Blandford, Dorset, on 01 August and should have been home "in a few hours".
He said the four-month-old pigeon could have become disoriented and headed in the wrong direction.
The pigeon was thought to have been attacked by a hawk before being found injured in a garden in Plymouth.
Racing pigeon enthusiast Terry Luscombe, from Plymouth, looked after the bird for three weeks and "got him back to fitness" before releasing him on Monday to return to Hertfordshire.
Mr Luscombe said it appeared from the cut to the pigeon's neck he had been the victim of a second hawk attack that resulted in him landing in the water.


Rail freight company DB Schenker has announced plans to cut 234 jobs, mainly across the north of England.

The cuts are needed because of a fall in the amount of coal being transported on the rail network, the company said.
It is understood there are plans to close its depot in Worksop and merge depots in Gateshead and on Teesside.
Jobs are also expected to go at the firm's headquarters in Doncaster and at sites in Carlisle and Warrington, said BBC political reporter David Rhodes.
DB Schenker Rail UK said it would not confirm which roles and locations were affected until it had concluded consultations with staff and the RMT and Aslef trade unions.
An Aslef spokesman said redundancies among clerical and depot staff were nearly unavoidable.
However, the union added that sacking any of its 118 train drivers was not permissible as its members had a three-year no compulsory redundancy clause in their contracts.
DB Schenker Rail UK said in a statement: "The demand for coal is declining much faster than the industry and our customers could have reasonably predicted.
"Our customers in the energy sector remain hugely important to us and we are committed to continuing to compete in this volatile market and to maintain and increase our share where possible."
Chief executive Geoff Spencer added: "We must transform and reshape our organisation to ensure our long term success by evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing market.
"I know this is an unsettling time for colleagues who may be affected and we are committed to keeping them fully informed and supported throughout this process."
The company said it would try to protect jobs "wherever possible".
This would include not backfilling a number of existing vacancies and looking at the possibility of offering some staff relocation.


A man has been arrested following the attempted murder of two brothers in Edinburgh.

The 30-year-old is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.
Earlier this month, a 16-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
Peter Stewart, 43, and his brother James, 45, told police they had travelled from Aberdeen to buy a car and were subsequently stabbed in the Wardieburn area of the city on 8 April.


Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has topped the UK box office for the third consecutive week.

The film took £5.9m over the weekend - bringing its overall UK total to £52.1m.
On the last day of 2016, the movie overtook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to become the UK's highest grossing film of the calendar year.
Disney said the film took £50.7m up to and including 31 December, just enough to beat the Harry Potter spin-off.
Official UK box office figures for 2016, which will be released later this month, are expected to show Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts were the only two films to cross the £50m threshold in the course of the year.
Their success is particularly notable for the fact both films were released late in the year. Rogue One in particular achieved the feat in less than three weeks.
Over the New Year weekend, Rogue One took more than twice its closest competitor - the Bryan Cranston comedy Why Him?
The film, which also stars James Franco, entered the chart at number two after taking £2.2m on its first weekend of release.
Passengers, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, was the third most popular film, taking £1.9m.
Sci-fi film Monster Trucks debuted at number four with £1.7m, while the animated children's film Moana rounded off the top five, taking £1.6m.
The only other new entry in the top 10 was Collateral Beauty - which stars Will Smith, Keira Knightley and Dame Helen Mirren.
The film, which has received poor reviews from critics, took £1.2m to debut at number seven.
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A cocaine dealer who died during a police drugs raid at his Perth home weighed 33 stone, a court has heard.

An inquiry is being held into the death of Stuart Sandeman during the Struan Road raid in May 2011.
The "extremely fat" 37-year-old struggled with officers, who had to sit on his legs while arresting him.
Perth Sheriff Court earlier heard the convicted cocaine dealer had been seen putting a bag of white powder in his mouth and chewing it before he died.
The fatal accident inquiry also heard that traces of the Class A drug were found in Mr Sandeman's stomach.
Three known drug users were in the flat with Mr Sandeman at the time of the raid, one of whom was carrying £1,715 in cash.
Mr Sandeman attempted to stop officers from getting into his home, and struggled with them before falling to the floor.
One officer sat on his legs to stop him from kicking out, and officers had to link three pairs of handcuffs together because the 37-year-old could not get his arms close enough together behind his back.
Convicted drug user Roddy Moncrieffe told the inquiry that Mr Sandeman had "spewed" after being taken down to the floor of his living room, claiming the vomit had looked "meaty" - rather than the mix of plastic and powder officers had described to the court.
He said: "They were sticking their fingers in his mouth, he's going to resist.
"People were lying on his back and stomach. He was struggling because they pulled him."
Fellow drug user Mario Foy, 29, told the court he had been taking cocaine since he was 15, but insisted he had no idea Mr Sandeman was a dealer and denied bringing the £1,715 to his flat to buy drugs.
Officers previously told the inquiry that Mr Sandeman was seen putting a "fairly large" bag of white powder in his mouth and chewing on it as officers urged him "20 or 30 times" not to swallow it.
Mr Sandeman, who had been convicted of dealing cocaine at the T in the Park festival several years earlier, was pronounced dead within an hour of the raid on his home on 6 May, 2011.
The fatal accident inquiry, which is expected to last about two weeks, continues before Sheriff Fiona Tait.


A taxi driver has been charged under the road traffic act after a crash in which his three passengers were injured.

The crash happened in Edinburgh's Cowgate at about 21:30 on Saturday.
The passengers, all women, are receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries at the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary.
Police said a 64-year-old man has been charged under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act.
A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Anyone with information is asked to contact Edinburgh Road Policing Unit quoting incident number 4400 of April 29."


Saracens second row George Kruis will start for England against Argentina as coach Eddie Jones makes four changes for Saturday's match at Twickenham.

Kruis had ankle surgery less than a month ago but will replace the suspended Joe Launchbury in the third leg of England's autumn series.
Flanker Tom Wood, full-back Mike Brown and winger Jonny May all return after missing last week's win over Fiji.
May replaces Semesa Rokoduguni, man-of-the-match against Fiji.
Elliot Daly gets another start on the left wing, rather than his normal position of centre, while Teimana Harrison is named among the replacements in place of Nathan Hughes, who has a leg injury.
England have already beaten South Africa and Fiji in the autumn series, taking their record under Jones to 11 wins and no defeats.
"This game against Argentina is a big step up for us as they were probably the second best team in the Rugby Championship and played some exceptional rugby," Jones said.
"They are a quality team, have power in the forwards, speed and guile in the backs as well as great experience.
"We appreciate they have threats across the field and they have always been a physical, tough side. They still have their set-piece armoury in the scrum and line-outs so we're looking forward to a great game of rugby against them."
England team to face Argentina:
Brown; May, Joseph, Farrell, Daly; Ford, Youngs; Vunipola, Hartley (capt), Cole, Lawes, Kruis, Robshaw, Wood, Vunipola.
Replacements: George, Marler, Sinckler, Ewels, Harrison, Care, Te'o, Slade.


If you were out and about near Oxford Street earlier you may have come across an unusual sight - a raccoon apparently being walked in central London.

The raccoon was apparently also spotted taking The Tube on Saturday night.
In the picture captured near Oxford Street, the pet appears to be dressed in a jacket to protect it from the cold.
London is no stranger to curious animal sightings. A ferret was spotted being taken for a walk in Camden last year.
Hopping on the Central Line in June you may have seen what looked like a red-dyed pigeon contentedly snoozing on its owner's shoulder.
These sheep were spotted going for a stroll in Brockwell Park near Brixton this summer.
A receptionist contacted BBC News to say she saw the raccoon out with its owner on the Tube.
She said: "It was about five o'clock on Saturday night. I think I was on the Central Line. This raccoon was just sitting happily on her lap. She seemed to be very loving towards it and some people wanted to hold it, and she let them, but most people just left them to themselves."
Transport for London initially said taking racoons on the Tube was "probably not in our conditions of carriage", however, a spokesman later clarified there was no specific restriction as such.
"Inoffensive animals" that do not appear to present a danger to passengers may be transported on the Tube providing the owner keeps them on a lead and under control as Tube staff are not allowed to handle them.
The RSPCA warned raccoons do not make good pets and it is difficult for the charity to re-home them adequately.
A spokesman said: "We would strongly discourage anyone from buying or keeping them. Sadly, the needs of raccoons cannot adequately be met within typical household environments.
They need a great deal of space, can be carriers of diseases including rabies and if they escape or are released into the wild they are a high invasive non-native species risk to the UK."


A book published in Germany this week claims to reveal some of the astronomical sums being spent in world football.

The Football Leaks: The Dirty Business of Football discloses some eye-popping sums apparently involved in football's biggest transfers, from Manchester United's world-record signing of Paul Pogba to Ezequiel Lavezzi's lucrative move from Paris St-Germain to the Chinese Super League.
We have delved into the book and put together this quiz from its alleged sums, so get playing.


India's government has reportedly cleared lowering the age of consent for sex to 16 years.

This comes after increasing it to 18 in a tough anti-rape ordinance following the outrage after the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi last December.
Raising the age of consent to 18 has placed India among the more orthodox countries in a world where the norm and the global average is around 16 years.
Many believe that raising the age of consent is fraught with risks.
India is a divided and hierarchical society where relationships between men and women belonging to different castes, classes and religions can spark violence and feuds. Sex before marriage remains taboo.
Nevertheless, India's young are more sexually active than ever before. A 2007 study by the International Institute for Population Sciences and the Population Council found that more than 42% of men and 26% of women aged 15-24 in relationships had sex with their partner.
Many fear that a higher age of consent could lead to young men being packed off to reform homes on the basis of complaints by the irate parents of the young women.
Last year, a judge in Delhi expressed fears that such a move would "open the floodgates for the prosecution of boys for offences of rape on the basis of complaints by girls' parents  [even if] the girl was a consenting party".
Also, as leading women's right's lawyer Flavia Agnes points out, a third of rape cases in India are filed by parents against  boys with whom their daughters have eloped.
"All that raising the age of consent to 18 years will do is to give society greater control over the lives of young people and young boys in consensual relations with girls," says lawyer Vrinda Grover.
Raising the age of consent can have other unfortunate consequences.
Many young people rush into marriage quickly as it is widely considered to be sanction for having "legal" sex.
Many of these marriages fall apart quickly as their partners are mentally not prepared for it. A large number of girls aged 15-18 are also kidnapped for marriage.
Supporters of a higher age of consent for sex argue that those under 18 are not prepared to handle sexual relations.
They say a higher consent age also checks widespread child abuse, teenage pregnancies, human trafficking and rape.
Over a century the age of consent in India has been raised from 10 to 18 reacting mainly to concerns over child marriage, and much later over rape and teenage pregnancies.
Still, according to the National Population Policy, over 50% of girls marry below the age of 18. Conflating age of marriage for girls (18) with age of consent, says researcher Pallavi Gupta "negates any form of sexual freedom that young girls below that age group can exercise".
But clearly, India needs to do more to protect its girls and stop child marriages than raise the age of consent.


An Indian court has found an Uber taxi driver guilty of raping a female passenger last year in Delhi.

Shiv Kumar Yadav has also been convicted of criminal intimidation and kidnapping. He had pleaded not guilty.
A 26-year-old woman was taken to a secluded area and raped after booking a journey home with Uber in December.
Delhi later banned Uber and several other web-based taxi firms, accusing them of failing to carry out adequate driver checks.
The company apologised for the incident at the time and acknowledged that it "must do better".
The president of Uber India, Amit Jain, welcomed the verdict.
"Sexual assault is a terrible crime and we're pleased he has now been brought to justice.
"Safety is a priority for Uber and we've made many improvements - in terms of new technology, enhanced background checks and better 24/7 customer support - as a result of the lessons we learned from this awful case."
The woman had also filed a lawsuit against the service in a US court, which was later settled out of court.
The issue of sexual assault has been high on the agenda in India since a 23-year-old student was gang-raped and murdered on a bus in Delhi in December 2012.
The case prompted global outrage and a tightening of laws on sexual violence.
Correspondents say tougher laws have failed to bring down the number of rape cases and a series of high-profile crimes have taken place since then.
Last week there was outrage in the capital after two children were raped on the same day.
A week earlier, a child was raped and slashed with a sharp object, and found unconscious near a railway track.


Paulo Dybala scored a hat-trick as Serie A champions Juventus came from 2-0 down to beat Genoa.

The hosts were two up after seven minutes thanks to a Miralem Pjanic own goal and a Andrey Galabinov penalty.
But Dybala pulled one back from Pjanic's pass and then scored a penalty to level.
Juan Cuadrado put Juve ahead when he chested the down before cutting inside and curling home, and Dybala crashed home a fourth in injury time.
Match ends, Genoa 2, Juventus 4.
Second Half ends, Genoa 2, Juventus 4.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gianluca Lapadula (Genoa).
Goal!  Genoa 2, Juventus 4. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Gonzalo Higuaín.
Attempt missed. Gianluca Lapadula (Genoa) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Raffaele Palladino with a cross.
Attempt saved. Raffaele Palladino (Genoa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Andrea Bertolacci.
Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andrea Bertolacci (Genoa).
Substitution, Juventus. Rodrigo Bentancur replaces Miralem Pjanic.
Substitution, Genoa. Gianluca Lapadula replaces Goran Pandev.
Diego Laxalt (Genoa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Diego Laxalt (Genoa).
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Goran Pandev (Genoa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Juventus. Conceded by Davide Biraschi.
Attempt blocked. Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Juventus. Andrea Barzagli replaces Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Substitution, Genoa. Ricardo Centurión replaces Andrej Galabinov.
Attempt missed. Miguel Veloso (Genoa) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Santiago Gentiletti (Genoa).
Foul by Mario Mandzukic (Juventus).
Goran Pandev (Genoa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Diego Laxalt (Genoa) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Miguel Veloso.
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Juan Cuadrado (Juventus).
Diego Laxalt (Genoa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Goal!  Genoa 2, Juventus 3. Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Mario Mandzukic.
Corner,  Juventus. Conceded by Davide Biraschi.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Stephan Lichtsteiner with a cross.
Substitution, Juventus. Blaise Matuidi replaces Sami Khedira.
Offside, Genoa. Goran Pandev tries a through ball, but Andrej Galabinov is caught offside.
Foul by Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus).
Andrej Galabinov (Genoa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Genoa. Raffaele Palladino replaces Adel Taarabt.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Goran Pandev (Genoa) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Paulo Dybala.


Larne teenager Danielle Hill became Ireland's fastest ever female swimmer as she broke Julie Douglas' 15-year-old national 50m freestyle record.

Hill, 17, cut 0.08 of a second off the 2002 mark set by Douglas as she clocked 25.94 seconds in Bangor.
Her Larne team-mate Conor Brines, 21 set his first Irish long course record in the 100m butterfly at the Swim Ulster Dave McCullough Memorial Gala.
Brines' time of 53.34 took 0.25 off Brendan Hyland's previous mark.
Curtis Coulter completed a 50m and 100m freestyle double with him comfortably holding off Loughborough's Sam Irvine (23.63) to win over the shorter distance in 23.29 seconds.
Mona McSharry completed a hall of five wins at the meeting as she triumphed in the 50m breaststroke (31.56).
The Sligo woman had earlier taken breaststroke gold over the 100m and 200m in addition to victories in the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley.
Stirling's swimmers Charlie Boldison and Kathleen Dawson both completed backstroke clean sweeps at the Bangor meeting as they won the 50m, 100m and 200m events.
Another visitor, Loughborough's Charlotte Atkinson ducked under 60 seconds in the 100m butterfly as she took victory in 59.09 ahead of Ards' Emma Reid (1:01.77).
The next major home meeting for Ireland's swimmers will be the Irish Open Championships in Dublin from 6-9 April.


Plans to create an onshore pipeline carrying up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been proposed by three of the UK's energy giants.

Scottish Power, National Grid and Shell UK want to use an existing natural gas line - running from Falkirk to Peterhead - for the project.
It is part of a carbon capture scheme to pump emissions from Longannet power station in Fife to the North Sea.
Residents living within 500m of the pipeline have been told of the plans.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process involving the capture of CO2 from power plants and other industrial sources for storage in sites such as depleted oil and gas fields.
Under the plans, 260km of pipe would carry the CO2 through six areas - Fife, Falkirk, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, Angus and Aberdeenshire, in the first project of its kind for the UK.
Longannet power station, the UK's second largest coal-fired power station and Europe's third largest, is among the biggest polluters in the country.
It produces energy for two million people and emits between seven million and eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
The energy firms said they could clean up the facility, increasing its life in the process, and cut carbon emissions by diverting up to two million tonnes of CO2 a year.
A spokesman for National Grid said: "We provide the expertise in the transportation of carbon dioxide gas through a combination of new and existing pipelines.
"The existing 280km pipeline will require a change of use from natural gas to transport carbon dioxide instead.
"Work will begin on the new pipeline in 2014, with the overall aim to deliver a full chain post-combustion CCS scheme in 2015."
The project is also in the running to benefit from a Â£1bn government subsidy. The money will help with the costs of the pipeline and its transition to permanent storage in the North Sea.
In a "proposal of application notice" sent to Falkirk Council, the companies said the CO2 would be collected from the flue at Longannet and transported in "gaseous phase" to a compressor facility at Blackhill, next to the St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire.
They intend to build a new pipeline between Longannet and Dunipace, near Falkirk, where it will connect with the current natural gas (methane) pipeline.
The companies said the existing pipeline was not thought "to require any re-routing or modifications to enable the transportation of CO2".
Once in Aberdeenshire, the CO2 will be compressed and pumped to the Goldeneye Platform in the North Sea, where it will be stored permanently.
The companies hope to have a demonstration system up and running by 2015.
The Health and Safety Executive is currently considering the risks of such a pipeline.
Trevor Sexty, a spokesman for the hazardous installations directorate of HSE said: "The HSE and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) have assessed early stage health, safety and environmental submissions prepared by the Scottish Power Consortium.
"The project is still in the design stage and HSE and Sepa will continue to monitor developments as they progress."
A series of public information days have been staged by National Grid to offer more information about the project, with the last event due to take place in Dunipace on 17 June.


A US judge has ordered actor and comedian Bill Cosby to stand trial on charges of sexual assault.

Mr Cosby, 78, is accused of drugging and molesting a former Temple University employee in his home near Philadelphia in 2004.
The case was reopened last year after more than 40 women came forward with similar accusations. No trial date has been set.
Mr Cosby has maintained that all of the encounters were consensual.
During the hearing, Mr Cosby's lawyer had a heated exchanged with the judge over police reading a statement from the accuser, Andrea Constand.
Brian McMonagle, one of Mr Cosby's lawyers, argued that Ms Constand, who lives in Toronto, should have testified in person and called her statement "hearsay".
"I told him, 'I can't talk, Mr Cosby'. I started to panic," Ms Constand said in the statement.
She described how Mr Cosby allegedly sexually violated her after giving her three blue pills. She said the pills made her dizzy and made her legs "like jelly".
Mr Cosby said in a statement read in court that she never told him to stop during the encounter.
More than 40 women have accused Mr Cosby of sexual assault, but in nearly all of the cases too much time has elapsed for charges to be pursued.
The Constand case is unusual in that it fell within the statute of limitations for charges.
He is facing civil lawsuits in other states over the other accusations. Mr Cosby is free on $1m bail.
Mr Cosby is best known for his role as the father in the television hit The Cosby Show which ran from 1984 to 1992 and was a huge hit in the US and around the globe.
It made the comedian one of America's most popular entertainers.
The comedian, once the highest paid US television star, could go to prison for 10 years if convicted.
Ms Constand has said that she came to think of Mr Cosby as a "mentor and a friend" before she said he made unwanted sexual advances.
She went to visit him at his home in 2004 where she said he drugged and sexually assaulted her.
A criminal complaint unsealed last year details the encounter.
Prosecutors allege that the victim protested when Mr Cosby offered her a glass of wine, saying she had not eaten that day.
He urged her to drink wine anyway, Ms Constand said in her testimony, so she drank a few sips along with the pills.
Within 30 minutes, she says she experienced blurred vision and had trouble speaking. Mr Cosby then told her to lie down on the couch and relax.
During that time she was lying on the couch, she says she was aware of Mr Cosby moving toward her, touching her breasts and genitals, and making her touch his genitals.
She says she did not consent to any of the acts, that she could not speak, and that she felt "frozen" and "paralysed".
Prosecutors re-opened her case last summer. She and Mr Cosby settled a lawsuit in 2006 and she was paid an undisclosed sum.


Metal detecting enthusiasts hunting buried treasure are to be encouraged to showcase their discoveries.

Enthusiasts in Wales will be encouraged to share their finds and stories with museums and local communities.
The five-year Saving Treasures, Telling Stories project is backed by Â£349,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Peter Wakelin, director of collections and research at National Museum Wales, said the aim was to save treasures and make them more accessible.
"Each year hundreds of objects of archaeological significance are found by metal detectorists in Wales and there are some 20-30 discoveries of treasure," said Mr Wakelin.
"This is a crucial resource for understanding the past."
The lottery funding will pay for:
Mark Lodwick, finds co-ordinator in Wales for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, added: "We'll celebrate all the good news of people's discoveries, working with communities and finders, and make sure every find is reported for the benefit of archaeologists."
Delwyn Samuel, from the Gwent Metal Detecting Club, said the scheme would enhance the "very good relationship" detectorists already had with the authorities.
He added: "I would love to see more young people involved - they're all sitting behind their screens but we need them on the ground."


A convicted child sex offender could be facing the rest of his life in jail after he was caught trying to pay US undercover officers for sex with a boy.

Paul Charles Wilkins, of Littleport in Cambridgeshire, travelled to California in January to "engage in illicit sexual conduct" with boys aged 10 and 12, US officials claim.
US Attorney Eileen M. Decker described the 70-year-old as a predator.
Wilkins was jailed in the UK in 2011 for child pornography offences.
He pleaded guilty to 16 charges and was jailed for 56 months at Cambridge Crown Court, the Crown Prosecution Service for East of England said.
In January, Wilkins arrived in the Coachella Valley in southern California with the intention of having sex with pre-teen boys, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
The Cambridgeshire man, who holds dual UK and US citizenship, was arrested on 11 February at a rented apartment in Palm Springs after allegedly paying an undercover Homelands Security Investigations (HSI) officer $250 (Â£170) to have sex with a nine-year-old boy.
He was charged with travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with boys and attempted sex trafficking.
Ms Decker, chief federal law enforcement officer in the Central District of California, said: "When this defendant's original plan was thwarted, he made other arrangements to sexually abuse a child.
"He must be held accountable for these crimes."
Wilkins has been detained in custody in the US since his arrest, but two further charges of transporting and possessing child pornography were added to the indictment on 17 June.
The images were found on a laptop computer and storage device seized when he was arrested in Palm Springs, an ICE official said.
Wilkins was detained as part of HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
He is expected to face trial in the US on 19 July.


A ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia has come into force in south-western Syria.

It was announced after Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time at G20 talks on Friday. The truce is also backed by Jordan.
It is in force along a line agreed by Syrian government forces and rebels.
About 300,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began with protests in 2011. Another 11 million have been forced from their homes.
Russia and the US have backed opposing sides, with Moscow supporting the Damascus government while Washington has called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russian forces and a US-led coalition have been carrying out air strikes in their respective campaigns.
The ceasefire, which Russia has said covers the regions of Deraa, Quneitra and Sweida, was reported to result from months of undisclosed talks between Russian and US officials.
Speaking after the meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump in the German city of Hamburg, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "This is our first indication of the US and Russia being able to work together in Syria."
Mr Tillerson said Friday's meeting also showed that the two countries eventual aims for Syria were "exactly the same" - but they differed on how they should be achieved.


League One side Rochdale have announced that five-year-old supporter Joshua McCormack has died after his battle with a brain tumour.

Joshua was named on Dale's bench for their EFL Trophy tie at Hartlepool in November and was also given an honorary player of the month award by the EFL.
After he was too ill to attend the game, players visited him in hospital to present his personalised shirt.
Rochdale have also retired the number 55 that they registered for Joshua.
"Staff at the club first met Joshua last year and he touched the hearts of everyone," said a club statement.
"Our thoughts are with his mum Nicola and his dad Kevin at this very difficult time. We send Nicola, Kevin and their family our sincerest condolences and love.
"We will continue to offer our support to the family at this time."
Rochdale boss Keith Hill said Joshua's story had "touched the hearts" of everyone after the team first met him in February.


Suspected Boko Haram militants have killed at least 45 people in a village in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, witnesses have said.

The gunmen who stormed Njaba targeted men and boys before setting the village on fire, survivors added.
The raid happened early on Tuesday but was not reported immediately because of the remoteness of the area.
Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in its drive to establish an Islamic state.
Many survivors of the attack on Njaba fled to the nearby town of Damboa.
A resident of the town told the BBC the dead had been left to decompose because the villagers feared returning to Njaba.
The total number of dead remains unclear, with some reports suggesting the figure may be as high as 100.
Information often travels slowly from regions where Boko Haram is active, partly because the militants have damaged communications infrastructure.
Njaba is about 100km (62 miles) south of the state capital, Maiduguri. There were no security forces in the village at the time of the attack.
Many villagers were attending morning prayers when the attack happened, a witness quoted by news website Sahara Reporters said.
Fatima Abaka said there was "pandemonium" when the shooting started.
"I ran into the bush. Since then I [have] never seen my husband and three children," she said. "[I] came back to our village in the afternoon, dead bodies were scattered everywhere."
Another witness, Aminatu Mommodu, said the bodies of victims, including many men with their throats slit, were in the mosque.
Other villagers caught by the gunmen outside the mosque had been shot, she said.
Ibrahim Wagu, a Maiduguri resident who comes from Njaba, told Reuters news agency that two of his relatives had been killed.
"My older brother and my sister's first son were killed," he said.
Boko Haram controls large areas of Borno state but in recent months has also carried out cross-border raids into Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
The three countries have joined Nigeria to form a military coalition, which has recaptured several towns and villages in recent weeks.
Chadian forces have recently helped the Nigerian army recapture several towns and villages from Boko Haram.


Welsh ministers could introduce Welsh laws on public sector strikes even if it means a Supreme Court fight with the UK government, the first minister says.

It the latest stage of a bitter row over UK ministers' Trade Union Bill.
Welsh ministers want some clauses removed - including a required 40% turnout of members to make a public sector strike ballot valid.
They say the reforms involve devolved services such as the NHS, although employment law is not devolved.
Carwyn Jones told AMs on Tuesday that the Welsh government could put that issue to the test in the courts.
"If it comes to the point where that bill is passed, and its provisions are applied to devolved public services, we will seek to introduce a bill in this chamber to overturn the sections of the bill that impact on devolved areas," he said.
"It's a matter for the UK government if they then want to go to the Supreme Court in order to frustrate the will of this democratically elected assembly."
UK ministers have said they want to ensure that essential services are not disrupted at short notice by strikes supported by a small proportion of union members.


League One side Southend United have re-signed Burnley defender Luke O'Neill on a one-month loan.

The 24-year-old had a previous loan spell at Roots Hall in January 2014 but only played once before it was curtailed by injury.
He joined the Clarets from Leicester in 2012 but has only made two first-team appearances, and has had loan spells at York, Scunthorpe and Leyton Orient.
He started on the bench in Saturday's League One match against Swindon.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


An "extraordinary" Oxford University student who stabbed her ex-boyfriend in the leg may avoid jail as it would affect her career prospects, a judge has said.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, attacked the man at Christ Church college, while she was under the influence of drink and drugs.
She admitted inflicting grievous body harm, the Oxford Mail reported.
At Oxford Crown Court, Judge Ian Pringle QC said he believed the attack was "a complete one-off".
More on this and other stories from across the South of England
"To prevent this extraordinary, able young lady from following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to, would be a sentence which would be too severe," he said.
"What you did will never, I know, leave you, but it was pretty awful, and normally it would attract a custodial sentence."
Medical student Woodward met the Cambridge University student on dating app Tinder, the court heard.
During the attack at the college, she thumped him, lunged at him with a bread knife, and stabbed him in the leg.
She also threw a laptop, glass, and jam jar at him before stabbing herself, the court heard.
Judge Pringle was told Woodward had become addicted to drugs and had previously been in an abusive relationship with a previous boyfriend.
He said he would take an "exceptional" course of action and defer sentencing until September.
Defence barrister James Sturman QC had argued it would be "almost impossible" for Woodward to become a surgeon once she had disclosed her conviction to employers.
The judge ordered Woodward to remain drug-free, and told her she would be sentenced on 25 September.
Francis FitzGibbon, the chair of the Criminal Bar Association, told the BBC's Today programme the case was "unusual".
"The judge must take into account determination or demonstration of steps to address addiction, so it sounds as though he's giving her a chance and I think the judge would do that for anyone wherever they came from in the right circumstances.
"I don't know if her future prospects are the critical factor in this.
"Maybe if she does really badly [on her drug rehabilitation] he'll think again."
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Mae dynes 27 oed o America a honnir o deithio miloedd o filltiroedd er mwyn cyflawni troseddau rhyw yn erbyn plentyn yn ardal Wrecsam wedi bod ger bron llys.

Fe ymddangosodd Christine Lacson Abad o Cary, Gogledd Carolina ger bron ynadon Sir y Fflint ddydd Llun.
Mae'n wynebu cyhuddiad o drefnu trosedd rhyw, un arall o geisio cymell plentyn pymtheg oed a dau gyhuddiad arall o gyffwrdd yn rhywiol.
Fe ddywedodd Kevin Challinor ar ran yr erlyniad fod Ms Abad wedi "teithio pellter sylweddol er mwyn cyflawni troseddau rhyw yn erbyn plentyn diniwed."
Mae Ms Abad wedi ei chadw yn y ddalfa ac mi fydd hi'n ymddangos o flaen Llys y Goron Yr Wyddgrug fis nesaf.
Ni wnaed cais am fechnïaeth.


Japanese authorities have raided the headquarters of Suzuki, as part of an ongoing probe into the carmaker's use of improper fuel economy tests.

Officials were looking for documents which would support the company's previous claims that it had not meant to deceive car buyers.
Last month Suzuki said it found "discrepancies" in its fuel emissions testing, but denied it was cheating.
Suzuki added the issue did not apply to products sold outside of Japan.
The company issued a statement earlier this week, and clarified that it failed to use testing methods that would comply with Japanese regulations due a lack of manpower, and also a failure on its part to invest in the necessary infrastructure.
Suzuki's shares were down by almost 1% on the Tokyo stock exchange on Friday.
Suzuki is the fourth-largest car company in Japan, after Toyota, Nissan and Honda.
Earlier this year, Japan's transport ministry raided the offices of Mitsubishi Motors, after the carmaker admitted to falsifying its fuel economy data.
The scandal led to the president stepping down, and rival Nissan Motor later stepped in to gain a controlling stake in the embattled company.
Last year Volkswagen admitted to cheating emissions tests in the US.
Authorities found the German carmaker was installing a cheating software in its diesel vehicles that could detect when the cars were being tested and would change emission levels accordingly to improve the results.


The UK has only just seen the launch of 4G (fourth generation) mobile communication technology, but academics at Surrey University are already looking at its successor.

They have received £35m from mobile operators, infrastructure providers and the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund to fund research into 5G.
The money would be used to create a 5G Innovation Centre, said the university.
Prof Rahim Tafozolli said work had already begun.
"The boundaries between mobile communication and the internet are blurring, so the fifth generation is internet on the move," he told the BBC.
Prof Tafozolli, professor of mobile wireless communications and the director of Surrey University's Centre for Communications Systems Research, said: "4G for us is old hat. We started working on 4G 10 years ago.
"Being a university we have to be one step ahead of industry."
Statistics showed mobile data traffic is soaring, he added.
"It looks like every year the traffic is doubling. Unfortunately capacity is not doubling every year. We need to come up with technology, within the limited radio spectrum that we have, to accommodate this huge surge."
5G would also need to be more economical than its predecessor, he said.
"The cost of electricity of running the networks is very high," Prof Tafozolli said.
"We are facing systems which are too expensive. We need something extremely energy efficient and cost efficient."
5G would be in place by the year 2020, he added.
"What we have is good for the next 10 years. We need to be progressive, we can't be complacent, the area is extremely dynamic."


A family from West Lothian is seeking compensation after their daughter was hurt at a play park.

Eight-year-old Lucy Jack, from Linlithgow, was seriously injured after falling on a grid which locals say had been installed upside down.
The park was outside her grandmother's house in Larbert, Falkirk.
Cala Homes said it handed over responsibility for the development in 2011. Factors Hacking and Paterson declined to comment.
Lucy was injured in April this year, on the first day of the Easter holidays, when she was playing outside her grandmother's house.
She told the BBC: "We decided to play football outside so my big brother kicked the ball out so I went to run and I slipped over on the grate so I just sliced my leg open.
"It felt really sore, I didn't want to see it... I just wish it had never happened in the first place."
Lucy fell on a metal grate designed to stop dogs going into the play park, seriously injuring her knee.
Her father Scott Jack said: "It was a very nasty cut - two cuts - and one of which we could see right down into the bone, so we quickly realised we had to get her to hospital."
Residents living around the park have claimed the metal grid and two others like it had originally been installed the wrong way round, with the metal ridges protruding up.
They also told the BBC they had previously spoken to the factor and the builders about the issue.
Lucy's grandmother, Christine Campbell, said: "I'm very angry actually, it's my granddaughter that's been hurt. I let her go out to play in park that I believed to be safe.
She added: "We also pay factoring charges for it so it's looked after, that's also to do with maintenance of the play park yet in five years no-one has picked up on the fact it's got dangerous gratings."
The play park at the Kinnaird Park development was installed for Cala in 2010 by a specialist contractor, according to the builder.
Since 2011, the park has been entirely owned by the home-buyers at Kinnaird Park, with a management services company responsible for maintaining the common areas, including the play park.
Lucy's father said she needed 10 stitches in her injury and has become wary since the accident.
The family is seeking compensation from the factor and builder on the grounds of negligence.
Mr Jack added: "I'm concerned my daughter's scarred for life but I'm also concerned about the safety of other children.
"I think the grates themselves have clearly been installed the wrong way round. It's not only dangerous but really negligent in my opinion."
After Lucy's accident, residents have turned the grates over themselves, with the protruding metal ridges now facing down.


Spain coach Vicente del Bosque plans to retire after next summer's Euro 2016 finals in France.

Former Real Madrid manager Del Bosque, 64, guided Spain to victory at both the 2010 World Cup and the Euro 2012 finals.
"My retirement is close. If everything goes according to plan it [Euro 2016] will be the end," he said.
"I am a man of the Federation and I have to speak to them before taking a final decision."
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Spain are two-time defending champions having also won Euro 2008 under the late Luis Aragones, Del Bosque's predecessor.
They could become the most successful side in European Championship history if they can win the title for a third consecutive time, and fourth overall, in France next year.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has said in the past he would like to replace Del Bosque as manager of the national team.


Aaron Ramsey and Jonny Williams have not been included in Wales' squad for the opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Moldova on 5 September.

Arsenal midfielder Ramsey is out with a hamstring problem while Williams of Crystal Palace has an ankle injury.
Cardiff midfielder Emyr Huws, Leicester forward Tom Lawrence and Newcastle defender Paul Dummett return after missing out on the Euro 2016 squad.
Wales host Moldova in Cardiff on 5 September.
Nottingham Forest's David Vaughan is not included after retiring from international football.
The 33-year-old, who was unused during Wales' Euro 2016 campaign, won 42 caps after making his Wales debut against the United States in 2003, scoring once.
Ramsey, 25, suffered a hamstring strain while playing for Arsenal against Liverpool on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Williams sustained an ankle injury in a pre-season game and has been ruled out for up to 10 weeks.
"When you've got a player as good as Aaron, take him out of any team and you are going to know about it," Wales manager Chris Coleman said.
"He is irreplaceable, he makes a huge impact for us. He is a great player and it's a shame he's not here. He's a loss to any team.
"Jonny has had a good impact on the team and brings something different. I saw that tackle on him, it was a coward's tackle from behind, and that was annoying."
Lawrence, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff City, returns to the squad after an ankle injury ruled him out of Euro 2016 contention.
Striker Hal Robson-Kanu, who scored twice for Wales at Euro 2016, is included despite still being without a club since leaving Championship Reading at the end of last season.
Coleman was also asked about Chesterfield striker Ched Evans, who has scored four goals for the League One side following his return to football.
Evans, 27, who won the last of his 13 caps against England in March 2011, faces a retrial over rape allegations in October,
"He's come back and scored a few goals for Chesterfield but he's going to have to do a bit more than that to get back into the fold," Coleman added.
"He's got some players that are in front of him who, in his absence, have not done so badly."
Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Ward (Liverpool - on loan at Huddersfield Town), Fon Williams (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Chester (Aston Villa) Collins (West Ham United), Gunter (Reading), Richards (Cardiff City), Taylor (Swansea City), Dummett (Newcastle United), A Williams (Everton), Allen (Stoke City), Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers), King (Leicester City), Ledley (Crystal Palace), Huws (Cardiff City), Lawrence (Leicester City) G Williams (Fulham - on loan at MK Dons), Bale (Real Madrid) Church (MK Dons), Cotterill (Birmingham City), Robson-Kanu (Unattached), Vokes (Burnley)


The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry panel has written to political party leaders urging a "speedy implementation" of its recommendations.

The inquiry studied allegations of abuse in 22 homes and other residential institutions between 1922 to 1995.
Its verdict recommended compensation, a memorial and a public apology to abuse survivors.
The panel was chaired by Sir Anthony Hart.
Sir Anthony said a tax-free payment should be made to all survivors, including in homes and institutions that were not covered by the inquiry.
He added  a number of people who had given evidence had since died and it was only "just and humane" that their spouses or children should receive a payment of 75% of the total lump sum.
The payments will range from Â£7,500 to Â£100,000.
Sir Anthony also recommended that a permanent memorial be established at Stormont and a commissioner for survivors of institutional abuse be appointed.
He has now said, that since talks at Stormont have reconvened, it is a "matter of urgency" that the inquiry's recommendations are implemented.
The panel investigated facilities which were run by the state, local authorities, the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the children's charity Barnardo's.
Sir Anthony Hart emphasised that if an executive is not formed, the parties should "publicly call upon the secretary of state" to take action.
"The implementation of our recommendations is urgent because so many of those who waited many years for their voices to be heard, and who anxiously await the implementation of our recommendations, are now advancing in years and, or in poor health, and for them the prospect of more delay adds to the burden so many have carried for so long," he added.
In April, a protest group said there had been "no progress" due to a failure to form a power-sharing executive.
Talks aimed at reaching an agreement were put on hold until after the snap general election on 8 June.
The deadline for parties to reach an agreement to be reached was extended to 29 June.


Police in Romania have detained three suspects linked to a major art heist, which took place at a Dutch art gallery last October, officials say.

"Three people have been arrested, but unfortunately we did not get the paintings back," a Dutch police spokeswoman confirmed.
Seven masterpieces by artists including Picasso and Monet were stolen from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam.
They had been shown as part of the gallery's 20th anniversary exhibition.
The missing works include Monet's Waterloo Bridge, Picasso's Tete d'Arlequin, Matisse's La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune and Freud's Woman with Eyes Closed.
It was the biggest art theft in the Netherlands since 20 works disappeared from Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum in 1991.
Three suspects have been detained at the request of prosecutors from the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the Romanian Mediafax news agency reports.
Rotterdam police spokeswoman Yvette van den Heerik confirmed the arrests, adding that the suspects' involvement in the heist was still being investigated,
The robbery took place before daybreak on 16 October last year.
Police were alerted during the night when the gallery's state-of-the-art alarm system went off but the thieves had already left the premises by the time officers arrived at the scene.
Experts estimate the items taken could be worth "hundreds of millions of euros" if sold legally at auction. But this is unlikely, seeing as the seven paintings have been registered internationally as stolen.


A prison officer has suffered a serious neck wound after she was attacked at a jail in County Antrim.

The woman was taken to hospital after the incident involving a male inmate at Maghaberry Prison, near Lisburn, on Monday.
Adrian Smith from the Prison Officers Association (POA) told BBC News NI the woman was one of the newer prison officers.
He said he believed she was attacked with a weapon "made from a razor".
"She has an approximately three inch deep cut below her left ear," he said.
"With the ever increasing budget cuts, I believe this will happen more often," he added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "The Prison Service utterly condemns this attack and has referred the incident to the PSNI".


UK retail sales posted their biggest quarterly fall in seven years in March, as the prices of everyday goods continued to climb.

By volume, sales in the first quarter of this year were down 1.4% on the preceding quarter, and down 1.8% compared with February 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics.
They fell across all types of shop except textiles, clothing and footwear.
But the total amount spent was still higher than a year ago.
Kate Davies, senior statistician at the ONS, said: "This is the first time we've seen a quarterly decline since 2013, and it seems to be a consequence of price increases across a whole range of sectors."
The ONS said average store prices had increased by 3.3% on the year, the highest growth since March 2012.
The largest contribution came from petrol stations, where prices were up by some 16.4% on the year.
Keith Richardson, managing director of retail at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said that after record growth in 2016, the retail sector was slowing down.
"These figures suggest that the clouds are now gathering over British consumers," he said.
"Rising food and petrol prices, together with slowing real wage rises, appear to be finally prompting shoppers to tighten their belts, while the value of the pound continues to put pressure on retailers' costs."
Analysis: Jonty Bloom, BBC Business correspondent
Since the credit crunch, the British consumer has been acting rather like some Impressionist artist starving in a Parisian garret - every time they do find some money they have spent it - not on food - but on the good things in life.
But retail sales fell sharply in the first three months of the year, that was the first quarterly decline since 2013. It was also the sharpest fall since 2010, when a temporary cut in VAT came to an end.
That contraction seems to have been caused by the recent increase in inflation, with prices now increasing at almost exactly the same rate as wage rises. Inflation is also expected to increase further in coming months as the fall in the value of the pound pushes up import prices.
That is worrying for the British economy as it has been the resilience of consumers that has been a principal factor in keeping economic growth going.
Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said the trend appeared to have continued into the second quarter.
"The latest IHS survey data showed the amount of cash that households had available to spend fell in April to the greatest extent for two and a half years," he added.
"Spending was supported by households eating further into their savings and taking on more debt [which] is clearly unsustainable in the long run".
There were some bright spots in the ONS figures, with the amount spent on textiles, clothing and footwear up by 2.5% from the preceding quarter.
Online sales also continued to rise, climbing 19.5% in the 12 months to March and up 0.5% compared with February 2017.


A small bomb has been found during an alert in west Belfast.

The alert began after a suspicious object was found in the Andersonstown Road area.
It was examined by Army bomb disposal experts who declared it  "a small viable explosive device". It has been removed  for further forensic examination.
Police have appealed for anyone with any information to contact them. All roads have now reopened.


Doctors have backed decriminalising abortion, as momentum gathers to overhaul the 1967 Abortion Act.

Currently women in England and Wales have to prove to a doctor that carrying on with the pregnancy is detrimental to health or wellbeing to get permission for a termination.
Without permission, abortion is a criminal offence.
But medics at the British Medical Association's annual conference voted to scrap that rule.
The organisation wants abortion to be treated like any other medical procedure and therefore to be regulated and subject to certain standards and will now look to lobby government to change the law.
Dr John Chisholm, who chairs the BMA medical ethics committee, said: "This is clearly a sensitive and complex issue, on which doctors voiced a broad range of views during an informed and considered debate.
"Abortion is currently a crime, with exceptions, throughout the UK.
"Following the debate, the majority of doctors were clear that abortion should be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one.
"What must be clear is that decriminalisation does not mean deregulation.
"The debate and the BMA's new policy only relate to whether abortion should or should not be a criminal offence - the policy does not address the broader issue of when and how abortion should be available."
The vote at the doctors' annual conference in Bournemouth does not change the BMA's policy on the 24-week limit for an abortion. The union still backs that.
Speaking after the debate, Dr Clare Gerada, former chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, who is also a trustee of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said: "Abortion is never an easy thing to do for any woman or for any man.
"But for abortion to be governed by criminal law rather than governed by healthcare regulation is nonsense.
"The BMA doesn't make law, but the BMA is a very powerful voice for doctors and it's a very powerful voice for people of this country."
But Dr Anthony McCarthy, of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the BMA the move would "trivialise" abortion.
"The BMA has betrayed all who take seriously healthcare for pregnant woman in favour of an extremist agenda in line with the abortion industry's laissez faire 'up to birth' attitude to ending the lives of unborn children," he said.
Meanwhile Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, commented: "This decision defies common sense and will dismay thousands of ordinary doctors and nurses with their unprecedented decision."
MPs debated the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2017.
Source: NHS choices


A former Lebanese information minister who had close ties to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been jailed for planning attacks.

Michel Samaha was convicted of smuggling explosives into the country and plotting assassinations with the help of Syrian security services.
His sentence amounts to about 10 years in jail under Lebanese law.
Syria's conflict has had a major impact on neighbouring Lebanon, with parties split on supporting Mr Assad.
Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees and has seen sporadic violence since the outbreak of the war.
Samaha was arrested in 2012 by a branch of the security forces known to be close to anti-Syrian factions. At the time his family said the detention was blatantly political.
He was initially sentenced to four-and-a-half years in 2015 but that conviction was quashed and a retrial ordered.
Samaha admitted transporting explosives during the trial but said he was the victim of entrapment, AFP news agency reported.


Nottinghamshire have signed India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara to provide short-term cover when James Pattinson joins up with Australia this month.

Pujara, who averages 51.32 in 48 Test matches, will join Notts in mid-May.
The 29-year-old will be available for four County Championship matches - two against Gloucestershire, as well as games against Glamorgan and Derbyshire.
Notts will be without Pattinson following the fast bowler's call-up for the ICC Champions Trophy in June.
Pattinson has taken 20 wickets in three four-day matches since joining, at an average of 11.15.
Director of cricket Mick Newell said Pattinson's replacement did not have to be a bowler, and that signing someone with the quality to make the team better was the most important factor in Notts' decision.
He added: "We have depth in our squad with regards bowling and - particularly as we'll be without Alex Hales during that period - we're more than happy to welcome a world-class batsman to the club."
Pujara's previous stints in red-ball cricket in England saw him amass 483 runs at an average of 54 for Derbyshire and Yorkshire.
"I love playing county cricket and Trent Bridge is a great venue. I'm really looking forward to my first experience there as a home player," Pujara added.
The Champions Trophy takes place between 1 and 18 June in England and Wales.


Farhad Moshiri's 49.9% investment in Everton has been formally approved by the Premier League.

The Iranian billionaire, 60, has been announced as the club's new major shareholder after selling his 15% share in Arsenal to Alisher Usmanov.
The deal, and its ratification, ends a decade-long search for investment by chairman Bill Kenwright.
Moshiri may attend his first game since the deal when Everton host Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.
Moshiri's approval was a formality given his association with Arsenal but the Premier League needed to conduct checks for the Owners' and Directors' Test before confirming the deal.
Moshiri bought the 23% holding of former Everton director Robert Earl while Kenwright and board member Jon Woods diluted their shares to make up the rest of Moshiri's purchase
Kenwright, who bought Everton from Peter Johnson for £20m in 1999 and indicated his willingness to sell as far back as November 2007, has described Moshiri as "the perfect partner to take the club forward".


The operator of Wales' largest opencast mine has submitted plans for a new site but a neighbouring firm said it would be forced to relocate.

Miller Argent said the surface coal mine in the Rhymney Valley would provide up to 239 full-time jobs.
If the scheme is backed the company said it would invest nearly Â£13m annually in the site.
But cosmetics firm Richards & Appleby said it would move its manufacturing department if the mine came into use.
It said it was concerned coal dust at the Nant Llesg site could contaminate production.
Around 1,000 people work in the coal industry in Wales, the majority in opencast mines like Ffos-y-Fran in Merthyr Tydfil.
Miller Argent already employs 200 staff at Ffos-y-Fran which is Wales' largest.
But there has been opposition to the proposals for Nant Llesg, with campaigners claiming the legacy of the opencast mine would last considerably longer than its planned 14-year life.
Mitchell Field, managing director of Rhymney cosmetics company Richards & Appleby which neighbours the planned mine in Rhymney, employs 140 people and supplies products to the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis and Selfridges, and exports to 60 countries.
He said if the opencast mine went ahead then the manufacturing part of his business, employing 90 staff, would have to relocate.
Mr Mitchell said the manufacture of a new cosmetics range from actress Joan Collins had already switched to Italy over fears coal dust could contaminate make-up and face cream production in the future.
"We've been aware of the plans for about 18 months but it's disappointing that the plans have now been submitted," added Mr Field, who said other businesses and residents in the area were opposed to the mine plans.
"New work on a Joan Collins product range has already gone to Italy and that would have created 70 jobs. The distribution will still be carried out here. We can bring the work back here at any time but at the moment we can't take the risk.
"It simply wouldn't be suitable to have dust polluting the products. Joan Collins is a major product for us and we can't afford recalls, it could wreck a brand.
"We came here originally because of the good air and water quality. It's madness to turn back the clock and return to mining in an area you have already regenerated."
The majority of the coal produced at Ffos-y-Fran and Nant Llesg would be used to power Tata Steel's plant in Port Talbot and RWE's Aberthaw Power Station in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Neil Brown, Miller Argent's managing director, said: "We are pleased to be able to announce that after an extensive period of investigations and consultation, we have now submitted our planning application for a new surface coal mine at Nant Llesg.
"Nant Llesg would provide further significant investment in the area, along with job creation and training opportunities, and we would look to work with local communities to ensure these are, as far as possible, filled by local people."
Mr Brown said the company had held "extensive discussions" with council officers, councillors, the local community and local businesses, and the feedback had resulted in significant changes to its proposals.
Plans for Nant Llesg, north of Fochriw and west of Rhymney, have been submitted to Caerphilly council. Subject to planning permission, work on the project could begin next year.
A public exhibition will be held later this autumn for people to examine the final plans.


Chris Fonseca is a dancer, a dance teacher, and a choreographer - and he's profoundly deaf.

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He's been featured in recent adverts for a well known drinks brand - and his inspiring and perhaps surprising story has gone viral.
Chris became deaf as a child after suffering from meningitis.  He is profoundly deaf in both ears and wears a cochlear implant.
He fell in love with dancing at a young age, and now runs workshops in South London teaching both deaf and hearing people to dance, focusing on lyrical hip hop.  He's also a freelance dancer, appearing in music videos, adverts and more.
He dances by feeling the beat through vibrations in the floor, and interprets and then incorporates the lyrics into his dance moves.
Want to get into dance, but not sure how to start? Check out Get Inspired's handy guide.
Now we'd like to hear from you! Join in and post your stories and videos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - what's your story?


Indian YouTuber Sumit Verma has been detained after posting a video in which he walked up to women in public places, kissed them and ran away.

Delhi police spokesman Deependra Pathak told the BBC Mr Verma was being questioned by the cyber police.
He said Mr Verma had claimed that the women in his video were actors.
Mr Verma apologised and deleted his "prank video" after a severe public backlash. A case was registered against him last week.
The video was posted at the same time as multiple reports of groping in the southern city of Bangalore on New Year's Eve were causing anger in India.
The YouTuber, who has more than 150,000 subscribers to his "Crazy Sumit" channel, said at the time that he had made the video "for entertainment and had no intention of hurting anybody".
Mr Varma has now told police that the women in the clip were paid actors, as he gave them a share of the money he made from posting the video to YouTube, Mr Pathak said.
"We will have to question the women in the video to see if what he is saying is true," he added.
No women have come forward to register a complaint against Mr Varma despite a police appeal. However police decided to register a case after watching the video.
News of Mr Varma's detention has caused some comment on Twitter, with many welcoming the news.
India has many popular YouTube channels and stars who make entertainment videos.
One such channel, TroubleSeekerTeam, severely criticised Mr Verma in a video, saying "harassing women or anybody can never be taken as entertainment".
"It's simply molestation," the channel said.


Fans of the ZX Spectrum's spongy keyboard are one step closer to typing on it again.

4 July 2015 Last updated at 00:09 BST
Steve Wilcox, who ran a crowd-funding campaign to recreate the rubbery keys, told the BBC his team had received what was likely to be the final product.
He said the project had been delayed after the team decided to support Android tablets as well as Apple's iOS devices.
The new keyboard can be connected to a tablet computer with Bluetooth and used to control retro gaming apps.
A majority of the computing is done by the tablet, not the keyboard.
Mr Wilcox said the company had the necessary licence to use the ZX Spectrum name and the software it was offering in the keyboard's companion app.
He said he hoped the finished keyboards would be delivered within six weeks and sent to those who had backed the project.
The initial production run of 5,000 units has already sold out.