“The emperors were there in the imperial palace in Kyoto, powerless paupers, carrying out a few ceremonial duties,” said Ian Bottomley, the senior curator of oriental arms and armour at the Royal Armouries.What was extraordinary about Lord Tokugawa was that he did not simply consolidate his position in Japan. But four-fifths of the exhibits will come from Japan, including decorative and functional items illustrating his martial prowess and his interests in astronomy and the art.Yet when Lord Tokugawa was born in 1543, his domination could not have been predicted. He was the son of a minor territorial lord at a time when Japan had been riven with civil war for a couple of centuries. In the following decades, the feuding territorial lords were gradually overcome and united, under the warriors Oda Nobunaga and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who fought his first battle aged 16 and would fight his last more than half a century later, had a tough training under both men. Shogun armour sent by Lord Tokugawa for King James I and still in the Royal Armouries collection will be a highlight. The diary of the British captain, John Saris, who brought the gifts to the king, will be lent by the British Library.

But the real Shogun who inspired the bestseller and subsequent television drama was Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most outstanding figures in Japanese history and a lord still revered in his homeland 400 years after his death. He was called Lord Toranaga in James Clavell’s book for the sake of artistic licence; it permitted a love interest for which there was no documentary proof. The source of the unfounded rumour is a mystery.Newcastle Crown Court was told that Kearney repeatedly battered Mr Sewell’s head with hammers, used a bar to smash his kneecaps and shins and dropped 15kg breeze blocks on his head, in an attack that Judge David Hodson said was “as ferocious and as savage and as sustained an attack I think I have ever heard”. Judge Hodson said he was satisfied that the killer’s belief that his victim was a paedophile had “absolutely no substance whatsoever”.The court heard that, after the killing, Kearney tried to cover his tracks by contacting police and telling them: “You had better get down here, I’ve just found a body with its head stoved in.” When officers arrived at the barn, near the river Wear in Low Southwick, Sunderland, they found Mr Sewell’s body lying face-down with no trousers on.Kearney denied having anything to do with the death but the hooded top and tool-belt were found in his mother’s shed and he confessed.Kearney told officers he went home and changed after the killing but then decided to go back to the scene in the hope he could “get out of it”.. We hope employers try will get the message that they cannot stand by and allow bullying and harassment of gay workers; the trade unions will take action.”The tribunal will hold a further hearing to set the level of compensation.In another case brought under the legislation, a City banker is suing HSBC for up to £5m, claiming it sacked him because he is gay.

Peter Lewis, 43, a senior investment banker, launched the action against the bank after it fired him for “gross personal misconduct”. It is by far the biggest case of its kind to reach the courts.. A man who battered a widower to death in the mistaken belief that he was a paedophile has been jailed for life. The tribunal, in one of the first successful cases under regulations extending discrimination rights to gay workers, said Durham City Council’s failure to take steps against the manager “ought to cause them considerable shame”.

The council had failed in its duty to an employee who had been bullied and harassed, said the tribunal, which heard the case in Newcastle.The manager, Ed Tutty, 42, admitted referring to Mr Gismondi as “gay boy”, but claimed it was office banter and had not been intended in a homophobic way. He was disciplined after the council concluded the comment was “inappropriate” rather than homophobic. But yesterday both the council and Mr Tutty were found to have breached the sexual orientation regulations, which came into force at the end of 2003.Mr Gismondi said: “The tribunal’s decision is a huge relief No one should have to endure that sort of treatment at work The council failed to do anything to stop the harassment. I want to make all employers understand that it is against the law to turn a blind eye to this sort of discrimination.”His lawyer, Jo White of Thompsons, said: “This is an important decision because it highlights the responsibilities employers have under the sexual orientation regulations. Gay men and women have the same rights to be treated equally and with respect as anyone else at work.

There have been few successful cases under the regulations so far, because, as with all cases of discrimination, it is difficult to prove.”Andy Egan, the legal officer of the union Bectu, which backed Mr Gismondi’s case, said: “Every worker is entitled to go about their working lives without fear of discrimination or victimisation. The treatment meted out to our member was appalling, and we are glad to have been able to seek redress for him. He also said he had been blamed for poor ticket sales and ignored when he arrived at work every morning.An employment tribunal found yesterday that Mr Gismondi had been constructively dismissed from his job as well as discriminated against. A theatre worker repeatedly referred to as “gay boy” has won damages for discrimination in one of the first court rulings awarding compensation under new laws protecting homosexuals at work.
Fausto Gismondi, who worked in the box office at the Gala Theatre in Durham, said he had been the victim of harassment and bullying because of his sexual orientation. He said she was well known locally as an active community worker who had raised cash to buy shirts for a children’s soccer team.Superintendent Trevor Morris, Merthyr’s divisional commander, said: “The woman we have in custody is a well-known member of the local community who has carried out a lot of good work for many different causes,” he said.”At the moment she is helping us with our inquiries, and we are working hard to find the truth about what exactly has happened.”There are more than 20 officers on the case, and working with the community, who are having to come to terms with the shock of this incident.”Detective Superintendent Paul Kemp, the senior investigating officer in the case, appealed for calm. He said: “At this stage, we are not directly linking anyone else with the inquiry and we appeal for the local community to remain calm while the investigation continues.”The woman is in custody at Merthyr police station where she is being questioned in connection with all three discoveries, which as yet are unexplained.”The family who found the first baby, after tracing the source of a disgusting smell, are having to be counselled, social workers said.Their house, Ms Mahoney’s house and the house in Crab Apple Close remain sealed off while police continue their investigation..