Monday 24 March 2003

By Amy Taylor, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Privileges of asylum ‘great myth’

A high court judge criticised the media yesterday for fuelling
public hostility against asylum seekers.

Speaking in a case involving a claim for damages from a Turkish
Kurd asylum seeker who suffered racist abuse and threats, Mr
Justice Moses said views that asylum seekers were moving into areas
in large numbers and gaining privileges were “complete
rubbish”.

Mehmet Gezer is suing the National Asylum Support Service for
failing to protect him and his family from abuse from residents on
the Toryglen estate in Glasgow.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 22 March page
18

Government promises to name racist
employers

A new government report includes new measures to name racist
employers as part of a strategy to end discrimination in the
workplace by 2013.

The report also says schools should be made to publish and
respond to differences in exam results between white and black
pupils.

Source:- The Independent Saturday 22 March page 14

Geordie deaf signs saved

A £25,000 lottery grant has been given to a society for the
deaf to help to record and preserve the Geordie accent in sign
language.

The money comes after fears that the distinctive differences
between the signs used by deaf people up and down the county could
be lost due to the closure of many schools for the deaf.

Source:- The Times Saturday 22 March page 23

Ethnic minority groups’ job prospects
diverge

A Cabinet Office strategy unit study published yesterday shows
that differences in job prospects among ethnic minorities in
England are now almost as great as the differences between them and
the white community.

The think tank’s research found that people from Indian, Chinese
and black African backgrounds are doing significantly better in the
job market than those with black Caribbean, Bangladeshi or
Pakistani backgrounds.

Source:- The Guardian Saturday 22 March page 15

Police pass file on Cardinal’s handling of abuse priest
to CPS

The final decision over whether to bring any criminal
prosecution against the head of the Roman Catholic Church in
England and Wales for covering up claims of child abuse now lies
with the Crown Prosecution Service after the police passed their
file over to the body.

The allegations against Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor relate
to his admission that he did not report allegations of child abuse
against Father Michael Hill, a priest in his charge. They date from
1985 when he was bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

The CPS has not yet studied the documents.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph 23 March page 21

Job vetting agency finds 400 innocents
‘guilty’

The Criminal Records Bureau wrongly branded 400 people,
including teachers, carers and volunteers criminals last month,
after it ‘mistakenly matched’ them with convictions.

Cases include a supply teacher, who was wrongly described by the
CRB as a burglar with convictions for grievous bodily harm.

The mistake was uncovered by Andrew Turner, Conservative MP, who
requested the new figures from the home office.

Concerns have been raised that the same mistake could have been
made the other way around, with the convictions of ex-offenders
being missed.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 23 March page 23

New leader, new extremists, new struggles

Jackie Ashley meets Trevor Philips, chairperson of the
commission for racial equality.

Source:- The Guardian Monday 24 March page 16

Scottish newspapers

Mother kept the remains of
three babies in bin bags

A young mother, originally accused of murdering three of her
babies at birth, kept their remains in bin bags in her rented flat,
the high court in Glasgow heard yesterday.

Susan MacLeod told police that she gave birth to her babies
alone in her bedsit then wrapped them in the bags.

MacLeod, of the Isle of Lewis, was originally charged with
murdering all three babies over a four-year period by suffocating
them at birth. But she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of
culpable homicide by failing to obtain ante-natal care and failing
to care for them at birth.

Source:- The Herald Saturday 22 March page 14

Begbie and co blamed for “AIDS capital”
reputation

The ‘Trainspotting phenomenon’ has been blamed for
Edinburgh hanging on to its image as the AIDS capital of
Europe.

The city is in fact fifth in Europe in terms of the proportion
of people infected with HIV, well behind the leader Barcelona. A
study by Scottish doctors checked the prevalence of HIV in eight
European cities then asked students questions about the
locations.

A third of the students said the film Trainspotting had coloured
their view of Edinburgh as the AIDS capital.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday 23 March page 10

New Kirk court opens with paedophile case

A paedophile minister will be the first to stand trial at a new
court set up by the Church of Scotland.

The Rev Ian Andrew, who has already been convicted by a criminal
court of attempting to fondle a 14-year-old boy, now faces losing
his job and his home.

The new court replaces a system where ministers accused of
wrongdoing were confronted in private by a panel of ministers from
their own presbytery.

Source:- The Sunday Herald 23 March page 14

Welsh newspapers

Council in dilemma needs partner

A council faced with a dilemma over the future of homes for
older people is to be asked this week to give the go-ahead for a
search for an outside partner.

But if no-one comes forward to negotiate a deal, Denbighshire
council must try to find the £1m-plus investment needed to
clear up a backlog of routine maintenance itself.

The council has rejected suggestions that it should get rid of
its homes, and one option being considered is a three-way
partnership between the authority, the NHS and an external
body.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 24 March page 11