In Today's Papers

By Amy Taylor, Shirley Kumar, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson

Doctors irate over report on child’s death

MPs came under fire for failing to ask crucial questions about the death of an overweight three-year-old girl before they used her to illustrate the obesity crisis sweeping Britain.

Sheila McKenzie, a specialist in children’s breathing problems, had written to the committee more than a year earlier highlighting the number of children coming to her with sleep apnoea, a condition where the patient stops breathing because of pressure on the windpipe.

The girl’s condition was genetic.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 10 June page 5

Prostitutes to have exit strategy but not tolerance zone

Prostitutes are being offered drug and alcohol rehabilitation, housing, and basic skills training, while the men who pay for their services are heavily fined.

The Home Office has rejected plans to include tolerance or managed zones for sex workers in the biggest overhaul of the prostitution laws since the 1950s.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 10 June page 6

Immigration ‘six times’ more than official figure

Home Office officials have revealed that immigration could be running at six times higher than the official figures.

Robert Owen was giving evidence in the trial at Swansea Crown Court of three Chinese people accused of people trafficking on behalf of snakehead gangs.

Owen, who is seconded to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, also said there were no serious removal arrangements to send asylum seekers back to China.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 10 June page 1

New health target halves NHS waiting time

The government is planning to cut NHS waiting times to a total of four and a half months and cut emergency admissions to hospital, according to leaked Treasury papers.

A final Treasury draft shows eight target proposals from the Department of Health for the government’s comprehensive spending review due next month.

The document shows a move away from hospital-based targets to those in the community.

It calls for more effective care from GPs and community health staff for those suffering chronic illness.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 10 June  page 6

‘Witness told by Maxine’s mother: Watch your back’

Maxine Carr’s mother is alleged to have told a prosecution witness that she would be ‘dead’ if she gave evidence in court after finding out what was in her statement, Sheffield Crown Court heard yesterday.

Shirley Capp is alleged to have made the comments to her next door neighbour Marion Westerman. Capp said that there were things in the statement that mad her ‘feel very angry’.

Capp denies a charge of intimidating a witness.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 10 June page 17

Nanny Hodge targets soaps

Children’s minister Margaret Hodge wants a clamp down on the negative portrayal of young people in soap operas.

Hodge said that a children’s commissioner, due to be appointed next year, would have the power to investigate negative images.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 10 June  page 35

Police to patrol internet chatrooms

Police officers are set to patrol internet chatrooms as part of an international operation to identify paedophiles.

Officers from different countries are set to use a symbol to let users know that they are present.

The National Crime Squad also announced plans to work with credit card companies to crack down on pay-per-view services.

Source:- The Independent Thursday 10 June page 22

Scottish newspapers

Anger over pay issue in nurseries review

The nursery nurses’ dispute continued last night when employers welcomed a review on the issue, but said it must not concentrate on pay.

Councillor Ewan Aitken, education spokesperson of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, insisted the focus of the executive review should be on service delivery and not on pay and conditions.

However, Joe Di Paola of public sector union Unison, said the employers’ response was a disgraceful piece of spin.
Education minister Peter Peacock yesterday announced the one-year review of all sectors from private playgroups to state school nurseries.

Source:- The Herald  Thursday 10 June

Slop-out appeal allowed despite blunder

The Scottish executive was given more time to appeal against the slopping-out case after it missed the deadline to lodge its claim.

Lawyers representing the executive were forced to apologise to the Court of Session for failing to lodge the proper legal papers on time.

The executive had 21 days to challenge Lord Bonomy’s ruling that forcing prisoners to slop-out on Scotland’s jails was a breach of human rights.

Lord Cullen yesterday described the failure to meet the deadline as “most unfortunate” but accepted it was an administrative error and ruled that the court could use its discretion to allow the appeal to go-ahead.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 10 June

Wanted: the 5,000 criminals on the run

Twelve suspected murderers and five men believed to be rapists are among 5,000 people wanted by Strathclyde police.

Scottish executive statistics showed there were 5,327 warrants outstanding and whereas most were for minor offences, around 100 were for serious crimes.

An executive spokesperson stressed that the figures did not mean there were 12 suspected murderers in Glasgow as some may well have skipped the country.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 10 June

Chatroom pervert in sex attack on girl, 13

A sex offender molested a 13-year-old girl after grooming her on an internet chatroom.

Guy Evans picked up the teenager after arranging to meet her in Musselburgh before driving her to a lay-by on a busy road and abusing her.

When police tracked Evans down, they discovered he had a hoard of child pornography on his computer, including images of babies being abused.

Evans admitted using indecent practices and behaviour towards the girl in February last year when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Source:- Evening News  Wednesday 9 June

Police plea to shop the drug dealers

Police are recruiting thousands of residents to act as informants to track the activities of drug dealers in a new crime blitz.

Every home in East Lothian will be provided with a leaflet that will urge people to log suspicious names and addresses and record car registration numbers.

If the three-month campaign is successful, it could be rolled out to other areas of the region.

Source:- Evening News  Wednesday 9 June

Welsh newspapers

Outrage as ‘best’ warder loses sex bias case

A row has broken out after a prison officer had a sex discrimination claim dismissed, even though her managers had stopped her getting a promotion.

While accepting that Caroline Jones was not promoted at Parc Prison, Bridgend in spite of being the highest scoring candidate, an employment tribunal dismissed her case because she had not brought it within the three- month time frame.

Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan said that the case sent out a very confusing message.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 1

Hain fails to back Hutt on health

Welsh secretary Peter Hain failed to back Welsh assembly health and social services minister, Jane Hutt, when he was forced to defend Labour’s record on health against a Conservative attack.

The Tories used Welsh questions to criticise rising waiting lists in Wales, ahead of today’s European and local elections. During his replies Hain notably failed to answer whether or not he believed Hutt was doing a good job.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 5

Assembly praised for pioneering work in eye care

The Welsh assembly has been praised for pioneering work to give patients with eye conditions faster and better access to care.

First minister Rhodri Morgan and health minister, Jane Hutt, have been presented with the Award for the Advancement of Optometry by the Association of Optometrists.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 5