Friday 7 November 2003

By Natasha Salari, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.

Huntley’s hair found on Soham girls’
clothes, trial told

Police searching for missing schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica
Chapman found their blackened clothing hidden in the grounds of the
school where Ian Huntley worked as a caretaker, a jury at the Old
Bailey heard yesterday.
Strands of hair from Huntley were found amongst the girls’
clothing, and an attempt had been made to burn the items.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 November page 1
Queen’s speech to pave way for ID
cards

The government has agreed to table a draft bill on identity cards
in the Queen’s speech and allow the Home Office to start
technical preparations for a compulsory national scheme.
But in three to five years time the cabinet will probably look
again into whether to go ahead with the compulsory scheme. Civil
liberty groups have described the delay as a humiliation for the
home secretary, David Blunkett.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 November page 6
Feel-good factor in treating MS with
cannabis

Treating multiple sclerosis with cannabis could benefit patients
despite the largest trial of such medicines failing to find
objective evidence of improvement, researchers have said.
A three-year study of more than 600 patients found no reduction in
muscle stiffness, but most of those treated felt that cannabis had
improved some of their symptoms.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 November page 8
Rich patients get better NHS care
Poorer people get less benefit from the NHS than the middle
classes, according to a report from senior government
advisers.
They found that “affluent achievers” from the
professional classes were 40 per cent more likely to get a heart
bypass than those from lower socio-economic groups. Poorer people
were also 20 per cent less likely to get a hip replacement even
though they were 30 per cent more likely to need one.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 November page 10
Youth on Luke murder remand
A 15-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of
Luke Walmsley, who was stabbed at a school in Lincolnshire.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded
in custody after a brief hearing at a specially convened youth
court in Skegness.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 7 November page 6
Lawyer ‘part of migrant work scam’.
A leading immigration lawyer was involved in a
multi-million pound racket to bring in illegal immigrants to fill
poorly paid jobs with firms supplying high street stores, a court
heard yesterday.
Tim Cary, who is also one of the government’s immigration
appeals adjudicators, is alleged to have exploited his position to
place the immigrants as pickers and packers with fruit and
vegetable suppliers.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 7 November page 15
Police attacked by mob
Six police officers were attacked by more than 50 youths after
telling them that they could not hold an unofficial fireworks
party.
The policemen were kicked and punched to the ground at the site
near Queen’s Park in Crewe, Cheshire. The police used CS
spray to try and break up the crowd.
Source:- The Times Friday 7 November page 4
Father in crane protest is grounded
A father who spent six days up a crane dressed as Spider-Man was
released on bail yesterday on the condition that he stayed away
from “tall structures”.
David Chick, from Burgess Hill in West Susses, climbed the crane
near Tower Bridge in London in protest against the courts for
refusing to enforce an order giving him the right see his
child.
Source:- The Times Friday 7 November page 5
Muslim asylum seekers ‘convert to Christianity to
stay in the UK’

Asylum seekers may be seeking a back-door into Britain by
converting to Christianity once they arrive, a high court judge has
warned.
The judge made the comments following the case of an Iranian Muslim
who failed to gain asylum, but was then baptised into the Church of
England. Farshid Shirazi has now won his case to have his asylum
case reconsidered because he could face execution in his home
country for abandoning the Islamic faith.
Allowing Shirazi’s appeal, Lord Justice Sedley warned that
the case would create a “back door to asylum”.
Source:- The Daily Mail Friday 7 November page 45
Bill for benefit errors put at £8m
A quarter of a million people appeal against decisions on their
social security benefits every year and 40 per cent are successful,
the National Audit Office (NAO) said yesterday.
About £8 million a year could be saved and claimants could be
spared stress if the Department for Work and Pensions made fewer
wrong decisions or put them right without the need for appeals, the
NAO claimed.
Source:- The Financial Times Friday 7 November page 4
Scottish newspapers
ID card defeat for PM
Plans for compulsory ID cards were put on hold yesterday following
a battle over the issue in the cabinet. Prime minister Tony Blair
and home secretary David Blunkett want to introduce the cards as a
way to crackdown on terrorism and illegal immigration. But
Chancellor Gordon Brown, foreign secretary Jack Straw and trade
secretary Patricia Hewitt object because of the cost and civil
liberties implications. Ministers have agreed that no decision
would be taken until “towards the end of the decade”.
Source:- Daily Record  Friday 7 November
Welsh newspapers
Learning centres set for Valleys

Four new learning centres are planned for Blaenau Gwent, providing
education and skills for adults. The new centres will be part of
the Learning Network, a scheme that involves all five local
authorities in Gwent and will cost around £4 million.
They will provide a range of opportunities for adults with few
qualifications or for those who want to further their education,
and they are expected to open in autumn next year.
Source:- South Wales Argus Thursday 6 November page 4
Officials strongly criticised over child abuse
inquiries
Senior education officials have been accused of a
“lamentable performance” in their handling of a child
abuse investigation.
The Clywch inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse at a school in
south Wales by drama teacher John Owen was told that former
director of education at Mid Glamorgan, Eddie Roberts and district
education officer, David Matthews, had both failed to discharge
their duty.
The children’s commissioner for Wales Peter Clarke has
chaired the inquiry.
Source:- Western Mail Friday 7 November page 5

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