In Today's Papers

By Amy Taylor, Maria Ahmed and Simeon Brody

Judges quash two “shaken baby” verdicts

Two people jailed in so-called “shaken baby” cases have been cleared by the Court of Appeal, while a third has had his murder conviction reduced to manslaughter.

The judges held that the presence of three features of “shaken baby syndrome” did not automatically lead to a conclusion of unlawful killing or injury.

Source:- The Independent, Friday 22 July 2005, page 10

Judges criticise caravan site ban

John Prescott was urged by the Court of Appeal to reconsider his refusal of planning permission for a traveller’s caravan park because of resident’s fear of crime. The case involved Woodside Caravan Park in Hatch, Bedfordshire.

Source:- The Independent, Friday 22 July 2005, page 12

BNP two deny stirring race hate
 
Leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, 45, pleaded not guilty to four race-hate charges alongside activist Mark Collett, 24, from Leeds who denies eight similar charges.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 23 

Street attack
 
A woman had her baby induced almost a month early after two hooded and masked youths punched her in the stomach in an attack near Forest Gate, London.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 23

Under-age drinking now a bigger risk than drugs
 
Drink-fuelled sex is posing a greater danger to children’s health than drugs, according to a report from Ofsted.

The report said that while pupils’ knowledge and understanding of drugs had improved most identified alcohol and tobacco as their greatest threat.

Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 28

A thousand London children are being sexually exploited
 
At least 1,000 children in London are being forced into prostitution or trapped in relationships with older men where they exchange sex for drugs or housing, a Barnardo’s report claims.

A failure by social workers to recognise when young men are being sexually exploited is partly to blame as is a mistaken belief by professionals that young people are taking part in prostitution voluntarily.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 28

“Children at risk” after Meadow judgement
 
The decision to strike off Sir Roy Meadow over evidence he gave at the Sally Clark trial was unjust and could put children at greater risk of abuse and murder, according to the Lancet.

The journal’s editor said that trainee paediatricians are now less likely to seek a career in child protection, while those already working may weaken their conclusions about alleged child abuse to avoid GMC intrusion.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 31

Mandatory life sentence review
 
An inquiry into the law on murder could close the loophole that allows some killers, such as men angry with unfaithful partners, to exploit defences such as provocation.

The Home Office/Law Commission review will take between 18 months and 2 years.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 32
 
Widow of 80 locked up in row with PC drummer
 
A widow aged 80 was locked in a police cell after complaining about the noise of drumming coming from a community centre.

The woman was arrested after snatching a stick from one of the samba drummer’s hands and allegedly hitting him with it when he ignored her pleas to keep the volume down.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 35

Girl, 12, guilty of drink-driving
 
Britain’s youngest drink driver was sent to a young offender institution. The girl, 12, took her father’s car last Christmas and was found to be almost twice the legal drink-drive limit. Since then she has appeared in court regularly and was detained for four months for causing alarm, harassment and distress.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 35

Sex attacker, 15
 
A 15-year-old with learning difficulties was jailed for five years at Teesside Crown Court for at least two years of sex attacks on two girls aged seven and eight.
 
Source:- The Times Friday 22 July 2005 page 35

Asylum centres plagued by racism and abuse, inquiry finds
 
A subculture of racism, casual violence and abuse existed at the government’s immigration detention centre at Oakington, an official inquiry confirmed.

A government watchdog also revealed that the policy of deporting asylum seekers with “manifestly unfounded claims” before they could appeal had led to the wrong decision being made in at least 147 cases.
 
Source:- The Guardian Friday 22 July 2005 page 9

Scottish newspapers

Razing flats 'bid to gentrify area'

HOUSING chiefs were accused yesterday of planning to wipe out a community in a £5 million scheme to demolish tower blocks and "gentrify" one of Glasgow's most deprived areas.

Residents claim they were not consulted over plans to raze 1,100 high-rise flats, which mainly house asylum seekers, in Sighthill.

The Scotsman, Friday 22 July 2005

Welsh newspapers

Jilted boyfriend stabbed former lover’s son

A jealous boyfriend was jailed for stabbing his former lover’s son in revenge at her splitting up with him yesterday.

Stephen Gibbs, 29, stabbed the 11-year-old five times with a kitchen knife. Cardiff Crown Court heard how he had tried to kill himself by jumping of a multi-storey car park.

Source:- Western Mail, Friday, 22 July

New scheme aids social careers

Swansea council has created a new apprenticeship scheme to get young people to start a career in social care.

The scheme is being run in partnership between the council’s services for older and disabled people and the Employment Training Centre.

Source:- Thisissouthwales, Friday, 22 July