Friday 5 March 2004

By Natasha Salari, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson

Police investigating Huntley ‘should have acted
earlier’

Murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman might still be
alive today if Humberside police had dealt properly with their
murderer, Ian Huntley, when it emerged that he could be a potential
sex offender, government inspectors have said.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary noted that if the
police had acted “appropriately” when they first came
into contact with Huntley in 1995 he would not have been able to
get a job at the Soham school in Cambridgeshire where the girls
were pupils.

The inspectors were alarmed that he did not receive a caution in
August 1995 when both he and a 15-year-old girl admitted having
sex.

Source:- The Independent Friday 5 March page 2

Mystery of girls’ suicide

Two teenage girls who jumped to their deaths from a block of flats
had a history of self-harm and had been having psychiatric care for
a year, an inquest has heard.

Lisa Utton of Rochford, Essex, and Danielle Waddington of Southend,
fell from the 11th floor of a tower block in Southend last
November.

The girls, who were only slightly over the legal alcohol limit for
driving, took their lives after a night out with friends.

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide in both cases.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 5 March page 6

Children’s services shake-up biggest in 30
years

A bill to introduce the biggest reform of children’s services
for 30 years was published yesterday, although the government was
unable to say whether enough money would be available to make the
changes work.

Children’s minister Margaret Hodge launched the Children Bill
at a conference of the charity 4Children, which called for
£3.5 billion in extra public spending on childcare and family
support.

But the only new money announced yesterday was £20 million for
2004 to 2005 to prepare the professions for changes in working
practice.

A £200 million lottery fund for young people was promised in a
green paper last year and repeated yesterday.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 5 March page 9

Liverpool seeks first legal red light zone

Liverpool has become the first city in the UK to seek an official
managed zone for working prostitutes.

The zone would provide a health clinic and would be managed and
policed by trained workers. Under the scheme, pimping would be
banned in the area monitored by closed circuit television, and sex
workers would have to be registered.

The plans will come into effect as soon as the Home Office gives
Liverpool Council the go-ahead.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 5 March page 10

Ministers ‘will listen’ to Woolf’s
criticisms

Ministers are preparing a campaign to reassure Labour backbench MPs
over asylum reform after an attack from the lord chief justice in
which he said the plans “fundamentally conflict with the rule
of law”.

Lord Woolf is expected to get widespread backing from peers from
all parties when the controversial asylum legislation reaches the
House of Lords a week on Monday.

Downing Street said ministers would listen to Lord Woolf’s
criticisms of the proposal to remove the right for asylum seekers
to take their case to the high court but insisted the two-tier
appeal system was too complex and meant cases could be drawn out
for a year or longer.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 5 March page 12

Rapist given seven life terms to be questioned on
Milly

A dangerous serial sex attacker was given seven life sentences
yesterday for a year-long campaign of rape.

A jury was unanimous in finding Antoni Imiela guilty of raping four
women and three girls, aged between 10 to 52. He was also given
sentences totalling 29 years for abducting, sexually assaulting and
attempting to rape another girl of 10 in a five-hour ordeal.

After the verdicts Surrey police said they would be questioning
Imiela over the murder of Amanda Dowler, who was abducted in
Walton-on-Thames in March 2002.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 5 March page 1

Government millions fail to halt the rise in teenage
pregnancies

Teenage pregnancies in England have risen by more than 800 in 12
months despite the millions of pounds spent by the government on
strategies to reduce them.

Latest figures from the Teenage Pregnancy Unit show pregnancies
among under-18s rose from 38,439 in 2001 to 39,286 in 2002.

Teenage birth rates in Britain remain the highest in western
Europe.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph  Friday 5 March page 8

Courts are given the power to identify young
tearaways

Courts have been given the power to publicise the names of
teenagers who make neighbours’ lives a misery.

New rules lifting anonymity from some juveniles will apply to
teenagers served with anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) after
being convicted of criminal offences by magistrates’
courts.

Newspapers are banned from naming offenders under-18 and the
restriction will remain in place for teenagers charged with
criminal offences unless they are also given an Asbo.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 5 March page 9

Mother fails in care appeal bid

A mother whose child was taken into care after medical experts gave
evidence that her daughter had been the victim of attempted
smothering failed in her appeal yesterday.

The same judges reserved judgement on a second case where a mother
was challenging the diagnosis of Munchausen’s Syndrome By
Proxy.

Both cases in the civil division of the Court of Appeal in London
were introduced in the wake of Angela Cannings’ appeal last
December when she was cleared of murdering her two children.

Source:- Independent  Friday 5 March page 4

Scottish newspapers

Bone expert who misled child abuse cases is struck off

An expert who misled two child abuse cases to promote his own
medical theory on bone disease was struck off by the General
Medical Council yesterday.

Dr Colin Paterson from Longforgan near Dundee failed in his duties
as an expert witness while acting on behalf of two sets of parents
accused of harming their children.

The doctor diagnosed two children with temporary brittle bone
disease despite medical evidence which did not support his
findings.

The chairperson of the GMC’s professional conduct committee
said his actions posed an unacceptable risk to the safety of
children.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 5 March

Ninth council settles with nursery nurses

Clackmannanshire Council yesterday became the ninth Scottish local
authority to settle a local agreement with nursery nurses over pay
and working conditions.

Jack McConnell was urged during question time to “come off
the fence” and state where he stood regarding the pay
settlement.
Scottish Socialist leader Tommy Sheridan said McConnell should
offer nursery nurses “an offer they deserve” in the
form of a national pay agreement.

The first minister said it was the responsibility of local
authorities and the trade unions to settle the dispute.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 5 March

McConnell in move to cut drug crime

An urgent overhaul of the nation’s rehabilitation services is
the key to getting addicts off drugs and freeing society of crimes
associated with drug misuse, Jack McConnell will say today.

In a keynote speech to Scotland’s most senior police officers
the first minister will stress the need to tackle the
“menace” of drugs in both urban and rural areas. He
will also claim crime problems associated with narcotics could be
solved by a strategy taking “action on the demand (for drugs)
as well as the supply”.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 5 March

Kurds in hunger protest said to be close to death

Three Kurdish asylum seekers who sewed up their mouths in protest
at the government’s decision to deport them back to Iran are
believed to be close to death.

Fariborz Gravindi and Mokhtar Haydary were taken to hospital
yesterday after they lost consciousness, but they later discharged
themselves after refusing treatment.

Faroq Haidari remained at their home in Langside, Glasgow, where he
was continuing the hunger strike which is now in its 16th
day.

A neighbour and supporter of the asylum seekers, Simon Assaf, said
the emaciated men were close to death.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 5 March

Autism victims to get capital support centre

The NHS Lothian has been given £750,000 to set up a facility
to support care for adults with autism or Asperger’s
syndrome.

The centre will include a variety of health, social work and
self-help services to improve care for people with autism
throughout the Lothians and help their families.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 4 March

£900,000 to tackle drink problems in the
Lothians

Almost £900,000 has been awarded to alcohol projects in the
Lothians to tackle drink problems and improve treatment for
alcoholics.

Lothian’s Alcohol Action Team was given £896,000 to
boost alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services in the
area.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 4 March

Info pack on shake-up for social work

An information pack detailing the proposed restructuring at
Edinburgh Council’s social work department was published by
council chiefs today.

The pack has been produced to inform councillors and staff of the
planned shake-up which followed a damning report into the handling
of the Caleb Ness case.

A full report on the way forward for the social work department
will be submitted to the council within weeks.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 4 March

Bill to help vulnerable witnesses

MSPs today began last minute changes to legislation that aims to
support children and other vulnerable witnesses giving evidence in
court cases.

The Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Bill will entitle witnesses to
some special measures in court.

MSPs yesterday backed an executive amendment to extend special
measures for witnesses aged under-16 and also allowed adults to be
deemed vulnerable witnesses.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 4 March

Welsh newspapers

High cost of ‘free breakfast’

Providing free breakfasts for every primary school pupil in Wales
will cost around £400,000 every day, it has been
claimed.

The Welsh assembly pledged to provide free breakfasts, but Plaid
Cymru shadow education minister Janet Ryder said the cost to the
taxpayer will be almost £2 million per week.

An assembly spokesperson said £1.5 million had been set aside
for the pilot year from 2004 to 2005, and after that future costs
would be evaluated.

Source:- South Wales Echo Thursday 4 March page 6

Tape boy is back

A boy with special needs who had his mouth taped over in class
has returned to school.

Ben Deacy, a pupil at Llanrumney High School in Cardiff, was
removed from school last month following an incident when a teacher
allegedly put tape over his mouth to keep him quiet.

Cardiff Council is still investigating the incident, but decided
not to suspend the teacher after it was decided that she did not
pose a risk to pupils.

Source:- South Wales Echo Thursday 4 March page 6

Children Bill gives cause for concern

The new Children Bill has been described as confusing and
retrograde because it may undermine the work of the Welsh
children’s commissioner.

The bill appears to give a new children’s commissioner for
England powers over areas that are not devolved to Wales and where
the Welsh commissioner, Peter Clarke, is unable to act for young
people.

Clarke described the proposals as “deeply
worrying”.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 5 March page 7