Friday 23 July 2004

Carr’s mother jailed for intimidation

Maxine Carr’s mother has been sentenced to six months in
jailed for six months for intimidating her neighbour who was a
witness in the Soham murder trial.

Shirely Capp, 61, of Grimsby Lincolnshire, was found guilty of
threatening Marion Westerman last month.

Source:- The Independent, Friday, 23 July, page 24

Vodafone bars mobile users from child
porn

Vodafone blocked its UK mobile phone users’ access to illegal
child porn websites yesterday.

The action is one of the first attempts by a mobile phone operator
to block such access. The company plans to roll out the block
across its networks around the world.

Source:- The Financial Times, Friday, 23 July, page
3

Health quangos face cull in push to free £500m for
front line

The government has announced that bodies including the Health
Development Agency and the Mental Health Act Commission are being
abolished or absorbed into other quangos in a cost cutting
exercise.

John Reid, the health secretary, confirmed plans to half the number
of health arms-length bodies. The Department of Health aims to save
£500m from the operation of its quangos to spend on front line
services.

Source:- The Financial Times, Friday, 23 July, page
4

Bogus colleges behind migrant scam
revealed

Over 400 colleges in London are operating as front organisations
and allowing migrants to escape immigration controls.

The Home Office released the figures as they announced measures to
close a legal loop hole that allows visitors to come to Britain and
then stay on as students in colleges providing courses beneath
degree standard.

Source:- The Times, Friday, 23 July, page 2

Imams face English entrance test

New Home Office regulations will force Muslim imams and other
ministers of religion to show a basic command of the English
language if they wish to work here.

Within two years of entry they will have to reach a higher standard
as competent English writers or speakers in an attempt to stop
radical teachings, according to restrictions which will come into
force by the end of the month.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, July 23, page 2

Terminally ill ‘must be allowed to die at home’

Carers should have paid leave to tend to terminally ill people,
reveals the Commons health select committee.

It also revealed most terminally ill people were denied their wish
to die at home due to patchy assistance.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, July 23,  page 11

Airline refuses to fly deaf youths

Around 23 deaf teenagers from Mary Hare Grammar school for the Deaf
in Newbury, Berkshire who were flying to Canary Islands to
celebrate the end of their A levels were asked to leave their
aeroplane at the last minute because they did not have an adult
with them.

Parents said the Iberia airline was told the group would be flying
unaccompanied.

Source:- The Guardian, July 23, page 8

The clean-up begins as squatters leave widow’s
home at last

A widow got her home back yesterday as squatters, preventing her
selling her home to pay for nursing home fees, left
yesterday.

Iola McQueen and her boyfriend Chris Davies left the home in Bath
leaving debris in every room.

Source:- The Daily Mail, July 23, page 43

Scottish newspapers

‘Supersparse’ regions need millions more,
say councils

Two local councils are demanding extra funding after an independent
report said they were spending millions more on vital services than
they received in government grants because of the remote areas they
covered.

Highland Council said it spends £12.3 million a year extra
while Argyle and Bute spends £2.8 million more than government
grants.

Both councils believe the Scottish executive should take account of
the “supersparsity” when determining their annual
spending settlements.

Highland Council also claims education and social work cost an
additional £10.7 million to deliver in super-sparse areas and
can only be delivered at the expense of other services.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 23 July

Solitary infringed our human rights claim
prisoners

Three prisoners, who claimed they were “disgusted” by
the conditions they had to endure in months in solitary
confinement, are sung for £21,000.

Andrew Somerville, Ricardo Blanco, who are both serving life
sentences for murder, and Sammy “the Bear” Ralston, an
armed robber, allege their treatment by the Scottish Prison Service
infringed their human rights.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 22 July

Edinburgh housing charities in merger
move

Two of Edinburgh’s largest housing associations are set to
merge in a bid to improve services for tenants.

Under the plans to merge Dunedin Housing Association and Canmore
Housing Association, a specialist support division will be
established to help homeless people move from hostels to mainstream
housing.

New services will be created to provide better services for older
and vulnerable tenants.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 22 July

Booze ban and curfew imposed on sex offender

A sex attacker, who preyed on a teenager while she walked her dog,
has been ordered to stop drinking alcohol and stay at home at
night.

Kevin Cook had faced a charge of attempting to rape the 17-year-old
former care assistant, but because of mental health problems, he
could not face trial in the usual way.

Judge Roger Craik used his powers to make a “guardianship
order” and the chief social worker of Scottish Borders
Council is now responsible for keeping an eye on Cook for three
years.

The judge also imposed extra conditions including a curfew between
10pm and 7am and an instruction to abstain from alcohol.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 22 July

Anger as Quarrier’s inquiry refused

Victims of paedophiles who preyed on them for years have slammed a
decision by the Scottish executive not to hold a public inquiry
into child abuse at Quarrier’s.

Ministers have refused the call claiming that an inquiry might
damage the public’s confidence in the child care system and
be perceived as an admission that there are still issues to be
resolved.

Abuse victims condemned the excuses as crass, insensitive and a
failure to address the trauma they have endured.

Nicola Sturgeon, SNP justice spokesperson called for at least a
Social Work Services Inspectorate investigation along the lines of
the report into the Borders case involving Miss X last year.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 23 July

Detainees taken to Dungavel after riot

Around 30 asylum seekers have been sent to a Scottish detention
centre following riots at a similar complex near London earlier
this week.

The male detainees arrived at Dungavel in Lanarkshire earlier this
week from Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow.

Rosie Kane, Scottish Socialist MSP, said the move would place the
facilities at Dungacel under greater pressure.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 23 July

Wristband scheme to keep watch over
children

Wristbands are to be handed out at a seaside resort to help prevent
children going missing.

Lothian Borders Police and local businesses have worked together to
introduce the plan at Portobello in Edinburgh.

The wristbands include a space for the child’s name and
number and mounted police will patrol the promenade
regularly.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 23 July

Welsh newspapers

Travellers ‘must have rights’

A group of gipsies say their children cannot get access to a
doctor or a place in a school because Newport council will not rent
them a piece of land which they can use as a permanent home. The
gipsy’s claim that they are being harassed and being moved
from place to place and that their children are suffering.

Source South Wales Argus Thursday 22 July page 9

Valleys village named as ‘sick’ capital of
England and Wales

A welsh village has been officially named as the sickest
in England and Wales.

More than two in every five people living in Croeserw, near Maesteg
in south Wales have a long- term illness according to new data from
the 2001 Census.

Source Western Mail Friday 23 July page 1

Police chief hits at lax parents

Lax parenting has resulted in a generation of young people
who shirk their responsibilities.

The Chief Constable of Gwent police, Mike Tonge says that many
children are not disciplined and grow up abusing society and
attitudes to parenting should be re-evaluated.

Source Western Mail Friday 23 July page 1