In Today's Papers

By Maria Ahmed, Simeon Brody, Clare Jerrom and Amy Taylor

Nurse jailed for raping patient

A nurse who was cleared by a hospital inquiry of indecently assaulting two patients but then went on to rape a third was jailed for 10 years yesterday.

Josiah Oladele obtained his job in a psychiatric ward of St Thomas’ Hospital, south London, despite having previous convictions for violence and dishonesty.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 11 March 2005 page 2

Elderly are being left to struggle with chip and pin, say charities

Credit card companies and banks are not doing enough vulnerable customers struggling with chip and pin, charities claim today.

Consumer groups and charities for older and disabled people say the numbers of people unable to cope with the new system may be much higher than first thought. New research published in the British Medical Journal has shown that even the mildest cognitive impairment can make it difficult to recall personal identity numbers.

Source: - The Daily Telegraph Friday 11 March 2005 page 7

Daughter wins right to sue over ‘sex abuse’

A young woman who says her father “ruined her life” by raping and sexually abusing her when she was a child has won the right to sue him for compensation.

The woman, in her 20’s and from Bristol, says her father regularly abused her father regularly abused her from the age of 11 and raped her when she was 15.

At the Court of Appeal in London, judges heard that the woman – referred to in court only as “B” - still lived in fear of harassment and meeting her father by chance.

Source: - The Daily Telegraph Friday 11 March 2005 page 7

Suicide rate is the lowest for 30 years

Suicide rates in Britain are at their lowest level for 30 years despite the soaring divorce rate, but a high proportion of them take place in seaside towns.

There were 5,755 adult suicides in Britain in 2003, said the Office for National Statistics – the lowest total since 1973.

Source: - The Daily Telegraph Friday 11 March 2005 page 9

Language study for all primary pupils planned

Every primary school pupil could have the chance to learn a foreign language at school as part of a £115 million government package to be unveiled today.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 11 March 2005 page 6

Line drawn at pencil cases

Pencil cases have been banned from St Anne’s primary school in Denton, Manchester, to stop pupils using them to smuggle in weapons.

The ruling follows an incident in which a nine-year-old boy was injured by a letter opener during “boisterous play” with another child.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 11 March 2005 page 8

Teenagers who killed friend with scythes get life

Three teenagers were jailed for life at Sheffield crown court yesterday, for butchering a friend with two large farming scythes after a quarrel on a camping trip.

The trio, including a girl aged 15 at the time, stole the murder weapons from a country churchyard.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 11 March 2005 page 13

Half of serious injury patients receive inappropriate care

Thousands of patients with head or spinal injuries are transferred out of specialist units too early or treated in the wrong type of hospital ward, the Department of Health admitted.

More than half the 7,000 people needing surgery for traumatic or serious injury in England each year receive inappropriate care, according to the NHS service framework for people with long-term health conditions.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 11 March 2005 page 13

Prison cells and care homes escape Scotland’s smoking ban

Psychiatric and care homes, oil rigs and prison cells will be exempt from Scotland’s proposed public smoking ban, ministers have revealed.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 11 March 2005 page 13

Terror suspect freed after three years

An Algerian national, held as a terror suspect without trial for three years under anti-terrorism laws was freed last night of strict bail conditions.


Another eight Muslim held in similar conditions are likely to be released today.

Source:- Financial Times Friday 11 March 2005 page 4

Travellers’ great eviction loophole

Travellers can defy attempts to evict them from illegal sites if they claim they are ill or their car or caravan has broken down.

The loopholes emerged in guidance for local authorities from the government.

Source:- Daily Mail Friday 11 March 2005 page 10

Under 18s face ban on buying knives

The age limit for buying knives and replica guns will be raised from 16 to 18 and habitual drunks will be banned from town centres, under new government plans.

Mandatory drug testing will also be introduced for everyone arrested in 100 high-crime areas.

Source:- Daily Mail Friday 11 March 2005 page 19

Scottish news

Prisoners to have choice of smoking in their cells

Prisoners will be given the choice as to whether they want to smoke in their cells, it emerged yesterday.

One of the areas not covered by the smoking ban - which is expected to be in place by next spring - is prisons and inmates will be able to choose if they want smoking or non-smoking rooms.

Older people and the terminally ill will also be able to smoke in their own rooms in residential homes and hospices.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 11 March

SNP proposes to bring down cost of nursery education

The SNP yesterday unveiled plans that parents would only have to pay for 30 per cent of pre-school childcare costs.

The party said it would give the money directly to nursery education providers to help them keep their charges down.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 11 March

Demo set for women’s jail

The Socialist Women’s Network is organising a demonstration outside Cornton Vale prison near Stirling this weekend to campaign against women with mental health problems and addictions being locked up.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 10 March

MSPs call for tougher laws on internet ‘grooming’ by paedophiles

Ministers were yesterday urged to tighten new legislation designed to curb internet paedophiles.

Holyrood’s Justice 2 committee endorsed the general principles in the protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill but said it did not go far enough.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 11 March

Family deportation on hold after schools organise petition

The deportation of an asylum seeking family was put on hold yesterday when pupils at a secondary school in Glasgow intervened.

Home Office officials took Sadush and Tade Murselaj and their three children from their home on Sunday after their asylum application was rejected.

Hundreds of children at Drumchapel High School signed a pledge to support the family and the Home Office agreed to review the case after the petition was passed to the department.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 11 March

Welsh newspapers

School bans mobile after bullying by text

A school in Wales has banned its pupils from taking mobile phones to school because of bullying by text messages.

Sue Gruffydd, assistant head-teacher at Duffryn High School in Newport, said that the text bullying was a big problem at the school because it was difficult to prove.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 11 March