Monday 13 September 2004

By Clare Jerrom, Lauren Revans and Shirley Kumar

Soham police chief takes retirement deal

Home secretary David Blunkett has agreed to reinstate Humberside
police chief David Westwood on the condition he retires next
March.

Blunkett won a High Court battle this summer to uphold the
suspension of Westwood whose force was criticised in the Bichard
Inquiry for failing to keep adequate records of Soham murderer Ian
Huntley.

In the light of renewed legal challenges, Blunkett ended the power
struggle that highlighting the extent to which politicians can
demand action against senior officers.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 11 September 2004
page 2

‘Perverted tennis club coach jailed for seducing
pupil of 15

Tennis coach Marc Lewis was jailed for four-and-a-half years at the
Old Bailey for seducing a 15-year-old girl and encouraging her to
have sex with two of his friends.

Lewis was also banned from working with children and will appear on
the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Police fear Lewis may have preyed on other girls he met on the
tennis circuit and urged other victims to come forward.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 11 September 2004
page 10

Boy run-over fleeing bullies

Sam Boldy, a 13-year-old boy from South Yorkshire, was killed
whilst fleeing a gang of older boys who were trying to steal his
bike, an inquest in Sheffield heard.

The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 11 September 2004
page 10

Now call centres decide if you see a GP

Call centre staff not trained in medical diagnosis are to use
questionnaires to determine whether symptoms are serious enough to
warrant a GP.

The move follows Primary Care Trusts taking responsibility for GP
cover at nights and weekends.

Critics say the scheme could put lives at risk.

Source:- The Daily Mail Saturday 11 September2004 page
1

Maxine jumps the queue to move into a council flat

Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley,
is to receive a council flat by Christmas.

Homeless people in the same area have to wait three years for a
similar council property.

Source:- The Daily Mail Saturday 11 September 2004 page
7

Child sex verdict overruled

US authorities have dismissed a child abuse case following a post
trial review.

The move has freed a 40-year-old man accused of flying to America
to have sex with a six-year-old girl.
John Brewer from Plymouth has returned to Britain.

Source:- The Guardian Saturday 11 September 2004 page
10

Ulster minorities get protection as attacks feared

Ethnic minorities in south Belfast are to receive police protection
following intelligence warnings that far right groups were planning
attacks on the third anniversary of September 11.

Northern Ireland, which is 99 per cent white, is already known as
the race-hate capital of Europe.

Source:- The Guardian Saturday 11 September 2004 page
12

Police examine troubled past of suicide pact girl

Rebecca Ling, the 14-year-old girl who survived a suicide pact with
a friend she met on the internet is to face a criminal inquiry into
her role into the girl’s death.

Laura Rhodes, aged 13, died from an overdose of prescription drugs
last weekend.

Source:- The Times Saturday 11 September 2004 page 5

Online casinos lure women into hidden addiction

Women and middle class teenagers are becoming addicted to gambling
thanks to a boom in internet casinos.

More than 64 per cent of online gamblers are women, according to a
study by internet tracking agency Nielson.

Gordon House, a charity for gambling addicts said 8 per cent of its
inquiries are from women.

Source:- The Times Saturday 11 September 2004 page
13

Anatomy of a murder: how a seven-year-old girl became
victim of a Jamaican drugs feud

Toni-Ann Byfield was shot dead at point-blank range by the
person who had just murdered her guardian. As many as 1,000 people
are expected to gather tomorrow outside the building in Harrow
Road, north-west London, where the pair died, to protest at the
number of people lost to gun crime.

Source:- Independent Saturday 11 September page 30

Jobless steered onto the sick list

Britain’s mounting incapacity benefit bill is being fuelled
by job centre staff who routinely encourage dole applicants to make
claims for sickness when they only have minor ailments.

An undercover investigation by the Sunday Times has found how easy
it is to claim incapacity benefits.

Reporters who posed as dole applicants were told they could be
eligible for sickness benefits by claiming they suffered mild
stress, had girlfriend problems or found it hard to get up in the
morning.

Incapacity benefits costs taxpayers £7 billion a year.

Source:- The Sunday Times  Sunday 12 September page
4

Prescott urges councils to find land for gypsies

Ministers are urging councils to earmark land for gypsies to buy so
they can establish permanent sites within local communities.

They are trying to end legal battles when gypsies establish illegal
camps without planning permission.

The proposal is likely to be part of a review on travellers’
sites by the office of deputy prime minister, John
Prescott’s.

Source:- The Sunday Times  Sunday 12 September page
7

Gangsta culture a deadly virus says top TV presenter

A well-known black TV sports presenter said yesterday that
‘gangsta’ street culture was a ‘deadly
virus’ that was destroying a generation of African-Caribbean
boys.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gareth Crooks said there was a
direct link between films and rap music glorifying violence and the
drift of black boys away from education and into crime and
violence.

Source:- The Observer  Sunday 12 September page 1

Protester closes London Eye

A fathers’ rights campaigner brought the London Eye to a
standstill by climbing to its top yesterday, dressed in a Spiderman
outfit.

David Chick was arrested after agreeing to come down. He staged a
six-day crane top vigil at Tower Bridge in London earlier this
year.

Source:- The Observer  Sunday 12 September page 4

Pregnant binge drinkers ‘risk harm to
foetus’

Campaigners are urging more draconian health warnings against
drinking during pregnancy.

Ross Cranston, chair of the all party parliamentary group on
alcohol misuse will host a meeting at the House of Commons this
week to highlight foetal alcohol syndrome where heavy drinking
during pregnancy can lead to serious development disorders in the
baby.

Source:- The Observer  Sunday 12 September page 6

Blair faces revolt over plans for £23 a week cut in
disability benefit

More than one million claimants are to lose benefits of £23.30
a week in a clampdown on benefit abuse by Tony Blair.

The prime minister’s advisers have drawn up plans to scrap
the disability premium paid to around 1.1 million people as part of
a strategy to save £2 billion in the welfare budget.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph  Sunday 12 September page
1

Leading Catholic school is focus of abuse inquiry

Allegations of child sex abuse by two monks at Ampleforth College
are being investigated by police, according to father Gabriel
Everitt, the headmaster of Britain’s leading Roman Catholic
boarding school.

Detectives have questioned the former prep and junior school pupils
about “traumatic and terrifying” abuse that they were
subjected to between the ages of six and 13.

The abuse is alleged to have happened in the late 1960s and
1970s.

Source:- Sunday Telegraph  Sunday 12 September page
4

School system ‘is failing black boys’

Ofsted has started to judge schools as failing because their
teachers are not promoting racial equality, Trevor Phillips claimed
yesterday.

The head of the Commission for Racial Equality told a London
conference that new anti-racist guidelines developed by the CRE and
Ofsted had exposed several schools which were not doing enough to
tackle inequality.

Source:- Independent on Sunday  Sunday 12 September page
4

Army of therapists’ to tackle huge rise in
child depression, self-harm and suicide

A series of measures designed to counter a growing crisis of
childhood depression, self-harm and teenage suicides are to be
unveiled by ministers.

Health secretary John Reid is expected to announce an increase in
the number of specialist clinics for teenagers and children and a
better regime of training for doctors.

The suicide rate is now three times higher than it was 20 years ago
among school children.

Source:- Independent on Sunday  Sunday 12 September page
8

Mental health tsar attacks draft Bill’s
‘hysterical’ critics

Critics of the government’s controversial mental health
reforms were labelled “hysterical and absurd” by mental
health tsar Professor Louis Appleby.

His attack follows the publication last week of a new version of
the draft mental health bill which now includes new safeguards to
prevent patients being unnecessarily detained against their
will.

The Mental Health Alliance said the new bill remains “unfit
for the 21st century” and could still deter thousands of
people from seeking the help they need.

Source:- Independent on Sunday  Sunday 12 September page
8

New report on tackling poverty

New plans to tackle poverty among particular social groups were due
to be outlined by the government’s Social Exclusion Unit at a
launch at Number 10 today.

Official are frustrated with the patchy progress in trying to
improve the lives of those in certain social groups including young
adults, older people, vulnerable adults with poor skills or health,
and people who move frequently, such as ex-prisoners and
gypsies.

Source:- Financial Times Monday 13 September page 4

Today’s youth: anxious, depressed, antisocial

Three-generation survey reveals sharp decline in teenage mental
health

Source:- The Guardian Monday 13 September, page 1

Teen troubles: questions still unanswered

Professionals divided over why Britain has problem with
adolescents

Source:- The Guardian Monday 13 September page 4

Up to 40 child-killing convictions in doubt

A review of almost 300 convictions of murder and manslaughter of
babies aged under two over the past 10 years has found that one in
seven were questionable.

The government review was prompted by the case of Angela Cannings,
who was cleared in the Court of Appeal in December 2003 of killing
her two sons because her conviction was founded on conflicting
expert medical evidence.

Source:- The Independent Monday 13 September page 4

Unions demand curb on ‘wild’ Milburn

Prime Minister Tony Blair will use his speech to the Trades Union
Congress in Brighton this week to dampen unions’ fears that
the appointment of Alan Milburn as the party’s policy supreme
will spell danger for deals struck before his appointment on
workers’ rights,
training, pensions, and procurement.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Monday 13 September page 1

Father Protest

Fathers 4 Justice campaigner David Chick has been charged with
causing a public nuisance after an 18-hour protest on the London
Eye.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Monday 13 September page 10

A lifesaver at the end of the line

Rock drummer Phil Selway tells why he is encouraging young people
to follow his lead and join the Samaritans

Source:- Daily Telegraph Monday 13 September page 16

Strike ballot over public service job cuts plan

The largest civil service strike for 11 years could hit a range of
public services including JobCentres and benefit agencies in
November after civil service union PCS announced plans to ballot
nearly 300,000 employees over plans for more than 100,000 job
cuts.

The cuts were announced by the Chancellor earlier in the
summer.

Source:- The Times Monday 13 September page 2

Dead at 13, England’s youngest heroin victim

Matthew Girvin, 13, died in hospital on Friday after slipping into
a coma caused by a suspected heroin overdose, making him
England’s youngest victim of the Class A drug.

Source:- Daily Mail Monday 13 September page 5

Scottish newspapers

Police get cash for new youth warning scheme

More than £90,000 of Scottish executive funding is to be
invested in Lothian and Borders Police over the next two years to
help officers deal more quickly with young offenders.

“Restorative” warnings will be used from this month to
ensure young people understand the impact of their crimes and make
amends for their actions.

The scheme is aimed at minor and first time offenders and will
require young people to attend their local police station with
their parents to discuss the impact of the offence on the victim,
community and family. They will also have to apologise to the
victim and offer to make some sort of reparation such as helping to
clean up graffiti.

Source:- The Scotsman  Saturday 11 September

Social workers lured Down Under

A recruitment drive by Australian officials to lure social work
staff to move Down Under is not concerning senior social work
officials in Glasgow.

Officials from Canberra are currently in the city as part of a
campaign to fill at least 30 posts in the Australian capital, which
is facing similar challenges as Scots local authorities to fill
social work posts in child protection and family support.

Councillor Eric Jackson, social work spokesperson for the
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said he
“wouldn’t be keen” if large numbers headed abroad
but insisted there was no sign that this was likely.

Source:- The Scotsman  Saturday 11 September

Fury over drinking packs for students

Alcohol campaign groups have slammed a decision by student leaders
to hand out welcome packs to Edinburgh University freshers which
encourage binge drinking.

Hundreds of first year students will be handed the packs which
contain flyers carrying cheap drink promotions and vials to drink
free alcohol from.

Campaign groups have slammed the move as “completely
irresponsible”.

Source:- Evening News  Saturday 11 September

Spy kids get call-up to catch rogue traders

A specially recruited squad of teenage undercover investigators is
being established to catch rogue traders who illegally sell age
restricted products to children in Scotland.

Up to 10 young people aged between 14 and 16 will be trained to
catch out retailers who sell fireworks, cigarettes and alcohol to
minors.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 12 September

Survivors move back to care home hit by blaze

The survivors of the fire at Rosepark care home which killed 14
older people have moved back to the home.

It is understood that many of the residents who survived the blaze
at the Lanarkshire hone in January returned to their rooms last
week.

An interim report on the tragedy is expected to be handed to the
Crown Office by the Hamilton procurator fiscal within four
weeks.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 12 September

5,000 petty criminals to dodge jail in new scheme

Plans by the Scottish executive to introduce suspended sentences
will mean that more than 5,000 petty criminals may escape
prison.

Ministers are considering introducing the “second
chance” scheme in a bid to reduce the number of minor
offenders going in and out of jail, causing the population to
escalate.

Under the plans, sheriffs could suspend short prison sentences for
up to a year during which the offender would have to meet strict
requirements including unpaid work, drug and alcohol treatment or
supervision.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 12 September

McConnell forced to drop ‘get tough’ crime
initiative

Jack McConnell has been forced to abandon one of the key planks of
his “get tough” criminal justice reforms.

The plan to create a single correctional agency, which would merge
the Scottish Prison Service with 1300 council social workers, has
been dropped by justice minister Cathy Jamieson after the proposal
met with near universal condemnation in a recent
consultation.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 12 September

Oxfam: press reports hostile to refugees

The head of Oxfam in Scotland has accused Scottish newspapers of
potentially creating an “aggressive, hostile and
prejudicial” attitude towards asylum seekers.

The comments came as the charity launched a campaign to discover
the effect that newspaper reporting has on public and political
opinion towards asylum seekers in Scotland.

The Asylum Positive Images Project will measure the current
situation by studying the language used in newspaper reports.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 12 September

Weekend jails set for trial

Plans for weekend prison could be piloted in Scotland next
year.

Under the scheme, inmates are allowed out of jail between Monday
and Friday to go to work and live with their families.

Supporters claim the scheme can reduce in better rates of
rehabilitation and less repeat offending because inmates can lead
stable lives.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 13 September

Smaller bottles to discourage binge drinking

“Supersize” bottles of cider are being scrapped by
Scottish Courage in a bid to promote responsible drinking.

The firm said plastic bottles of White Lightning, Symonds Original,
Strongbow and Woodpecker will be limited to two litres from
January.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 13 September

No 10 aims to slash incapacity benefit

Downing Street is planning to introduce a move which could cut
benefits payments to up to one million people, with Glaswegians set
to be among the hardest hit.

No 10 officials have hinted that Tony Blair wants to cut the
state’s incapacity benefit bill. The benefit is designed for
those who due to injury or illness are unable to work.

In Glasgow, 17 per cent of working age people are on IB, giving
Glasgow the fifth highest rate.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 13 September

Welsh newspapers

Fears over sex education

Young people are unaware of the risks associated with unsafe sex
because their sex education comes from their misinformed peers, a
charity has claimed.

Marriage and relationship support charity Marriage Care claims
children do not get proper relationship education at home or at
school because some adults feel ill-equipped to meet the challenges
of dealing with these subjects.

The charity wants to see children educated properly about
relationships and sex from an early age.

Source:- Western Mail  Monday 13 September page 2

 

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