By Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Carr ‘played no part in kidnap and murder of girls’
Maxine Carr’s lawyer claims she played no part in kidnapping, killing or disposing of the bodies of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
Carr’s defence solicitor, Roy James, said she denied any involvement with the abduction or murder of the two 10-year-olds, and was not implicated in the disposal of evidence in the case.
The former teaching assistant at the girl’s school in Soham, Cambridgeshire, has been accused of perverting the court of justice. She has not yet entered a plea. She is accused of lying to police investigating the murders.
Carr’s boyfriend Ian Huntley is charged with murdering the girls and is being held at Rampton high security hospital where his mental health is being assessed.
Carr will appear before a judge via video link this morning in an effort to avoid the mob anger she encountered on her first court appearance.
Judge Nicholas Coleman granted her permission to hear and view today’s proceedings at Peterborough crown court from Holloway prison, north London.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 1
Prisoners damage 50 cells in protest at cramped conditions
Forty three prisoners were transferred from a Teeside jail following the latest disturbance in Britain’s overcrowded prisons.
Prisoners damaged almost 50 cells at Holme House jail when they protested against poor food and being confined to their cells for long hours.
Then yesterday trouble erupted at the Swaleside jail on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, when 10 prisoners refused to return to their cells and damaged part of a building. The disturbance at Swaleside ended after a few hours and the Prison Service moved the 11 inmates in protest to another jail.
Other disturbances have occurred at Pentoville prison in north London and Ashfield prison near Bristol, which is no longer accepting new inmates in a bid to avoid further problems.
A Prison Service spokesperson attributed the trouble to staff shortages exacerbated by officers taking holidays and overcrowding. This has resulted in prisoners being confined to their cells for much longer than usual.
The prison population is presently a record with more than 71,500.
Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 2
Vetting keeps pupils off school
A large secondary school has been forced to send its pupils home as a result of backlogs in police checks of new teachers.
More than 500 children who were due to begin the new term yesterday at ADT City Technology College in Wandsworth, south west London, will have their holiday extended until next week because of problems at the Criminal Records Bureau.
Staff at the bureau have been struggling to process more than 12,000 applications by the time most school’s re-open next week.
Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 2
Handicapped woman sues Blair’s office
The Labour party will today face claims that it has discriminated against a severely disabled woman by refusing her a job in Tony Blair’s campaign team shortly before the 1997 general election.
Helen Garrod claims her application to work for the Labour leader was turned down on the ground that his office "needs people who are fit", an employment tribunal in London will hear today.
Garrod uses an electric wheelchair and was born with a form of dystrophic dwarfism.
Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 10
Father accused
Vincent Jacob, of Higham Hill, east London, has been charged with murdering his five-week-old son Scott on New Year’s Day.
The boy’s mother, Tina Brown, has been charged with cruelty.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 2
Youth team proposes under-age drink clubs
Council run "safe havens" will allow children as young as 13 to drink alcohol if an idea by the town’s youth workers is approved.
Officials at Stockport council are suggesting that young people might consume "low levels" of alcohol in the "safe and supervised" environment of special youth centres.
They acknowledge that if the scheme was approved it would mean youth workers effectively turning a blind eye to the law. The town’s deputy director of education, Ed Blundell said: "We cannot have a police officer standing at the door. That would deter young people and undermine the exercise."
Local youth workers are increasingly concerned that under-age drinkers are putting themselves at risk from robbers and sex offenders by consuming alcohol in secluded areas.
Deputy leader of the council Brian Millard said: "We are looking at all options to protect the health and safety of young people."
Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 3
Tougher background checks urged for health support staff to prevent abuse
The government is being urged to tighten background checks on support workers in care homes and hospitals to protect patients from abuse.
A think tank with close links to Downing Street, The Institute for Public Policy Research, is concerned that about 300 categories of job are unregulated, including nursing auxiliaries and care assistants in state and private care homes.
In a report today, the institute contrasts the lack of controls with checks made before staff can work in schools, which have been tightened since the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
The institute says the government has shelved the issue of regulation, and does not know how many back up staff are employed even though they do increasingly important tasks.
It calls for a range of measures ranging from a "light touch" regime based on inspection or a "negative" register recording those known to have caused harm, to a full register of all health and social care workers with full data on qualifications and experience.
Source:- The Independent Thursday 29 August page 2
Welsh newspapers
What A Waste
A front-page picture story and nine additional pages devoted to the growing drug problem in south Wales.
The newspaper carries an interview with Sir Anthony Burden, the chief constable of south Wales police, who outlines a new initiative, Operation Tarian that is designed to combat the influx of Class A drugs into Welsh communities.
There are also profiles of addicts and their families, with details of the tragic effect that drug abuse has had on their lives.
The stories also feature statistics outlining the extent of the problem and details of the costs to society of the related crime committed by users of illegal drugs.
The articles are part of a new campaign called "Dump the Dealers", which the newspaper is running to highlight illegal drug use in south Wales.
Source:- South Wales Echo Wednesday 28 August page 1-10
Children’s charity highlights plight of the disabled
Children’s charity Barnardo’s Cymru is challenging the government to show how it intends to lift thousands of disabled children out of poverty.
A new report launched today highlights the difficulties faced by many disabled children and their families, and reveals how many of them are still missing out on the basic necessities to lead an ordinary life.
The report, 'Still Missing Out', calls on the government to set a minimum income standard to help families with disabled children meet the costs of caring for their children.
It says that if the government is to end child poverty within a generation, it needs to tackle the causes of poverty and social exclusion by providing suitable childcare for disabled children. It also reveals that many parents with disabled children are struggling to find the money to pay for special toys and equipment and transport costs.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 29 August page 7
12 arrested in crackdown on child porn
Police raided the homes of suspected internet paedophiles yesterday and carried away photographic equipment for analysis.
Some of the men arrested at 12 homes across north Wales have children of their own or have access to children and family protection officers have been drafted in.
The early morning raids followed investigations into credit cards used to access American websites carrying indecent pictures of children.
Bill Bereton, deputy chief constable of north Wales police, said a further 26 cases were being investigated and warned that further arrests would be made.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 29 August page 9
