By Clare Jerrom, Reg McKay and Alex Dobson.
New Bakewell murder inquiry
The police are to launch a new investigation into the killing of Wendy Sewell.
Stephen Downing, who spent 27 years in prison for the murder, said he was "absolutely delighted".
Downing was acquitted last January of murdering the typist in a cemetery in Bakewell, Derbyshire in 1973.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 8
Nursing home rapist free
A man who spent 18 months in prison for raping a terminally ill woman, will be released today after an attempt to increase his sentence was rejected yesterday by the court of appeal.
John Archibald attacked his victim, who suffers from the fatal degenerative brain illness Huntington’s disease, in February 2000, while he was visiting the nursing home where she lives.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 8
Shopkeepers protest as ‘Terror Triplets’ go free
Shopkeepers were angry yesterday after triplets who flouted anti social behaviour orders walked free from the courts yesterday.
The "Terror Triplets" Shane, Natalie and Sarah Morris were given two-year supervision orders. These were criticised by victims of their behaviour as neither a deterrent or punishing.
One shop owner said: "The only message that this sends out is that even if kids like this get caught terrorising shopkeepers, they will get away with it because the courts won’t lock them up."
But magistrates said the law prevented them from imposing detention orders on the triplets, who have just turned 13, as they had not been convicted on three separate occasions.
The triplets were among eight children banned from town centre shops in Gillingham, Kent, a year ago following vandalism, shoplifting and abusing staff and shoppers.
But magistrates in Chatham heard how they continued to go into stores.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 13
Elderly ‘banged up’ in homes, says Milburn
Health secretary Alan Milburn told the House of Commons older people are being "banged up" in care homes.
Milburn said: "We need to focus not just on providing more residential and nursing home places, but we also need to respect what most elderly people, people with a mental health problem, want which is not to be banged up in a care home but to be cared for in their own homes."
Tory health spokesperson Liam Fox challenged Milburn to withdraw his remarks, saying the phrase ‘banged up’ could cause offence to the many dedicated staff who look after patients.
The row erupted following two questions on delayed discharge by Tory MPs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) and Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove).
Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 12
Two bailed in child porn case
Ian Margretts from Oxfordshire and Michael Hartney, from Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, were bailed yesterday charged with making and distributing lewd pictures of children at Bicester magistrates court.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 27 March page 7
Morris gets tough on violent parents
Parents who attack teachers should face automatic prosecution, according to the education secretary.
Head teachers and local education authorities should adopt a zero tolerance policy towards offenders, Estelle Morris will tell a conference of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in Cardiff today.
Her call follows a decision by the ATL yesterday that LEAs should pursue private prosecution, where criminal action has been unsuccessful, against parents and pupils responsible for attacks.
Source:- The Times Wednesday 27 March page 6
Guardian Society
Health check
NHS Alliance warns of ‘change fatigue’
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4
Helping to heal
Race riot hotspots get cash injection
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4
Star of the small screen
Clare in the Community may become television sitcom
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4
Personal touch
For deafblind children an ‘intervenor’ can make a big difference to the quality of their life
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 96-95
Facts and figures
New social care inspectorate to tackle thorny issues of fees
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 95
For want of guidance
Local authorities unfair to self-funding care home residents
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 95
Scottish newspapers
Housing stock transfer for Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway council is to be the next Scottish local authority to ballot tenants on the transfer of its housing stock to an independent housing agency.
Tenants will vote in June on whether or not they want to transfer management of their homes to the Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 27 March page 8
Welsh newspapers
Take Him Away
The mother of an 11-year-old Cardiff boy who has been causing a mini crime wave has appealed for him to be taken away.
The boy who appears almost every working day before youths courts in Cardiff after stealing cars and joyriding has committed hundreds of offences over the last two years.
He was finally bailed into local authority care this week after admitting a string of offences, but there was no bed available and he was sent home. His mother says that he has now gone missing, and that something should have been done earlier to curb his behaviour.
Source:- Welsh Mirror Wednesday 27 March page 15
Strike: Union action threatens council chaos
Council services will be paralysed in Cardiff today, as thousands of Unison members strike in support of sacked social worker, Charles Faber.
The action is likely to disrupt housing, planning and council tax collection services, and to shut down leisure centres and libraries.
The strike follows an escalation in tension between Unison and Cardiff council. The union has accused the council of making Faber a scapegoat after he highlighted his concerns over children's services in Cardiff during a TV documentary last year. He was suspended just hours after the programme went out and eventually sacked.
The council denies claims that Faber, who headed the emergency services team in the city, had been sacked over whistleblowing. Deputy mayor Chris Bettinson says that Faber's dismissal resulted from the management practices he adopted, and which were identified as part of a financial audit.
Source:- South Wales Echo Tuesday 26 March page 1 and 4
