Friday 7 January 2005

By Clare Jerrom, Maria Ahmed, Amy Taylor and Derren
Hayes

Three charged with Damilola murder

Three teenagers have been charged with murdering Damilola Taylor
more than four years ago.

Hassan Jihad, 19, and his two brothers aged 16 and 17 were charged
last night with stabbing the 10-year-old to death on an estate in
Peckham south London.

The move follows new DNA techniques which have given detectives
fresh leads.

Source:- The Times  Friday 7 January page 2

Migrants’ jobs for ex-prisoners

Thousands of ex-offenders should be doing the low-skilled jobs that
are currently being carried out by economic migrants from Eastern
Europe, according to a parliamentary report.

The Home Affairs Select Committee thinks former prisoners could
work in horticultural, hotel and catering industries following
training in jails to reduce the UK’s reliance on migrant
workers.

Source:- The Times  Friday 7 January page 24

Grandparents access rights

Grandparents would have easier access to their children following a
family split under Conservative proposals.

A Tory government would introduce an automatic right for
grandparents to apply for contact with grandchildren through the
courts, shadow minister for the family Theresa May said.

Source:- The Times  Friday 7 January page 26

Reprieve for young yobs

Police powers to fine children as young as 10-years-old for
antisocial behaviour has been delayed by at least a month because
the Home Office has not issued the necessary documents.

Police minister Hazel Blears announced at Christmas that a year
long pilot would begin last week. But the majority of the seven
police forces involved told The Times yesterday they had not been
able to start issuing fines because they were waiting for the Home
Office to send through tickets that would be issued to
offenders.

Source:- The Times  Friday 7 January page 26

Kelly lectures parents in drive for discipline

Ruth Kelly used her first speech as education secretary to tell
parents to ensure their children behave in class.

Kelly said parents have responsibilities to ensure their children
understand that bad behaviour is ‘not an option’.

Source:- Daily Mail  Friday 7 January page 17

Adoption by Miliband ‘was not
fast-tracked’

An adoption application by David Miliband was not fast-tracked,
Ruth Kelly insisted last night.

Releasing the results of a government investigation, the new
education secretary said she was satisfied the former schools
minister had not received preferential treatment.

Source:- Daly Mail  Friday 7 January page 21

What Jackson did to me at Neverland, by cancer boy of
12

Details of the sex abuse allegations against Michael Jackson
emerged last night.

The information about the allegations against the pop singer were
revealed on The Smoking Gun, an internet site which specialises in
obtaining legal documents from court files and through
America’s Freedom of Information Act.

Source:- Daily Mail  Friday 7 January page 33

Drink-driver, 13, did 70mph in stolen car

A 13-year-old from Salford became one of the youngest drink-drivers
in the UK to be given a four-month custodial sentence yesterday
after driving a stolen car at 70mph without lights in a 30mph
residential areas.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 7 January 2005 page 10

Boy worried over GCSE exams is found hanged at home

A 15-year-old boy from Norfolk hanged himself at home less than a
week before returning to school. An inquest has been opened into
the death of Jason Harper in Norwich.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 7 January 2005 page
8

Scottish newspapers

Home Office rapped over plan to slash spending on asylum
seekers

The Home Office plans to cut spending on asylum seekers by
almost half to meet Whitehall efficiency targets.

The proposal to cut its £1 billion asylum spending by
£450 million next year is included in technical documents
submitted to the Treasury.

Source:- The Scotsman Friday 7 January

OAP hurt in care home accident

North Lanarkshire Council has launched an investigation into an
accident at Dunbeth Lodge care home in Coatbridge where an older
women was badly burnt.

A sink came away from a wall, pouring hot water over the unnamed
resident who had to be rushed to hospital.

Source:- The Daily Record Friday 7 January

Perv in porn storm freed

A man whose lawyer claimed last month that child pornography was
a victimless crime has avoided jail.

Richard Trehearn, who admitted storing 400 pictures of young
children on his computer, was given three years probation and 240
hours community service.

Source:- The Daily Record Friday 7 January

Welsh newspapers

Schools ‘in danger of damaging family
life’

The extra services provided by schools are contributing to some
parents abandoning their responsibility for their children, Geraint
Davies, secretary of NASUWT Cymru, said yesterday.

Davies said that too many parents felt that once their child went
through the school gates they were no longer their responsibility
and that services such as before and after school clubs were
fuelling this.

He was speaking in response to the first speech by the new
education secretary Ruth Kelly in which the minister called for
parents to take responsibility for their children’s behaviour
in schools.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 7 January page 16