In Today's Papers

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