By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson

Paedophile of 87 to have his identity kept secret

An 87-year-old, who has been banned from having any contact with children by a court, is to have his identity kept secret.

Police lawyers acting for the man, who received the ban after making indecent approaches to school girls, successfully argued that the media should be prevented from identifying him because "the public cannot be trusted" with the information.

The man was already on the sex offenders' register after sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl as she slept in a pushchair in 2000.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 27 September page 5

Seven held in UK after Germans break global child porn network

Seven people in Britain have been arrested after German police cracked one of the biggest ever global child pornography networks.

Under the German operation, which involved 1,500 police, 502 premises were raided, identifying 503 suspects, including teachers and police.

Source:- The Independent Saturday 27 September page 3

Census missed almost 200,000 people

National Statistics have admitted that the population figures published in the census a year ago were close to 200,000 people short and amended the figure yesterday.

The increase was mainly made up of young men living in London.

The figures are used by the government for determining the level of funding given to local authorities.

Source:- The Financial Times Saturday 27 September page 2

Ministers 'suppressed' damming race report

A member of the government's Mental Health Task Force has accused the government of attempting to suppress the findings of a damming report he wrote.

Professor Sashi Sashidha said the report, which labels mental health services institutionally racist, also had specific NHS targets for treating black and ethnic-minority patients removed under the instructions of ministers.

The senior psychiatrist described how in his view Inside Outside was not circulated widely and people only heard about it by word of mouth, even if they worked in mental health services.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday Sunday 28 September page 2

Alone in his corner

The sectioning of former boxing champion Frank Bruno drew widespread sympathy, not least from writers who have known him over the years, such as Jonathan Rendall. But behind the sad story of one famous man are the tales of thousands of unknown  black men and women - victims of fear and prejudice that keeps them from the mental health care they deserve.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday Sunday 28 September page 18

Blacks failed by our 'racist' system of care for mentally ill

Sufferers from ethnic minorities are more likely to be locked up than given proper treatment.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday Sunday 28 September page 19

Labour's £2bn new deal for cities 'is a flop'

A £2bn government scheme that aims to regenerate inner city areas has been labelled a failure.

Allegations of mismanagement, waste and nepotism have been thrown at the New Deal for Communities scheme set up four years ago.

It involved local boards throughout the country distributing money to 39 deprived inner-city areas over 10 years.

However, ministers have now been forced to intervene in five boards after arguments between members over how to spend the money.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 28 September page 14

Campaign to free father jailed for killing child molester

A British man has been jailed in a Danish court for murdering a paedophile who had molested his daughter.

Stephen Hoath was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Odense, Denmark, last week for shooting dead Villy Anderson, a convicted Danish child molester who abused his nine-year-old daughter.

Campaigners are now calling for his release.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 28 September page 4

Sex offenders slip the net

Thousands of paedophiles are just receiving a caution because police are unable to cope with the level of offenders being uncovered by investigations.

Although the men are placed on the sex offenders' register, no risk assessments are being carried out on them.

The Home Office is thought to be investigating the current system following pressure from children's campaigners for reforms to sentencing policy.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 28 September page 15

Blair under fire on care for the elderly

The royal commission on long-term care is due to put pressure on the government by repeating its call for the introduction of free personal care.

The government rejected the same recommendation when it was put to them by the commission four years ago, while the Scottish executive took up their call.

In England, only subsidised nursing care is available.

Source:- The Financial Times Monday 29 September page 3

Asylum centre is becoming ever more dangerous

Harmondsworth holding centre for asylum-seekers has been branded unsafe and unstable by a prison watchdog's report today.

Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons, said the centre, near Heathrow, had increasing levels of disorder, including arson attacks.

Source:- The Times Monday 29 September page 6

Yarl's Wood reopens before blaze inquiry

The government has reopened Yarl's Wood detention centre before an inquiry into a fire at the facility 19 months ago has been completed.

Emma Ginn, of the campaign to Stop Arbitrary Detentions at Yarl's Wood, condemned the decision and accused the government of "treating human life with disregard".

Source:- The Guardian Monday 29 September page 6

Scottish news

Number of Scots addicts seeking help soars

The number of people attending drug-help centres has risen by over 25 per cent in the last five years, according to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database.

Between March 2002 and March 2003, 11,472 people sought help at a range of community services for drug problems, compared with 9,128 between 1998 and 1999.

The figures also showed that the number of people seeking help who were injecting drugs rose from 39 per cent in 2002 to 42 per cent.

Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 27 September

Drug den needles shut park to visitors

Wildlife bosses have been forced to close a city centre nature reserve because of the health risks posed to the public from dozens of discarded needles left by drug users.

Addicts have used the Johnston Terrace garden nature reserve as a drug den and have left used needles and syringes lying around, according to the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Around 20 used needles and syringes have been found each month and the Trust is reluctant to allow the public into the gardens for fear visitors could stumble upon the needles.

Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 27 September

Dead baby’s mother refused freedom

A mother who failed to protect her daughter as her boyfriend killed the child remained in prison last night, after judges refused to let her stay with a friend pending an appeal.

A court heard that there were “substantial concerns” about Andrea Bone’s male pen-pal, who was offering her a temporary home.

Bone was jailed for three years last year after being found guilty of culpable homicide of her daughter, Carla-Nicole.

Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 27 September

Head puts block on Jodi boy

The boyfriend of murdered school girl Jodi Jones is being kept out of school by his head teacher, it emerged yesterday.

Luke Mitchell had tried to find a new school after he rowed with the head, Marion Docherty, over plans to isolate him from other pupils at St David’s High in Dalkeith.

But the 15-year-old agreed to return to St David’s after he experienced difficulties finding an alternative school place because of the combination of subjects he wanted to study.

However, while Midlothian education bosses are willing to accept him, Docherty is not. She claims Mitchell’s mother, Corinne, breached security by storming into her office without speaking to the school secretary beforehand.

Talks to break the deadlock will resume on Monday.

Source:- Daily Record Saturday 27 September

Gay kids’ fears

Less than one in 10 gays or lesbians “come out” before the age of 16 because they are scared of being bullied, a psychology conference in Edinburgh heard yesterday.

Source:- Daily Record Saturday 27 September

Executive threat over future of Chancers project

The future of a last-chance project for young offenders is being reviewed by the Scottish executive while its leaders have been asked to come up with an action plan to address the concerns of ministers.

The chairperson of the Airborne Initiative, based in Braidwood House in Lanarkshire, has rejected calls by the local MSP Karen Gillon for a suspension of the project and insisted the next course for persistent offenders would go-ahead in just over two weeks time.

The executive provides 80 per cent of the funding for the Airborne Initiative, featured in BBC’s Chancers documentary. However it has asked the charity to submit evidence to an investigation by the Social Work Services Inspectorate, while Hugh Henry, the deputy justice minister, has met with its chairperson and deputy chairperson.

Source:- Sunday Herald Sunday 28 September

Homelessness ‘worse than feared’

The official homelessness figures mask the true extent of the problem, according to a new report.

The study, to be published this week, shows that the numbers seeking help as homeless in Scotland’s largest city are nearly a quarter higher than estimated by the executive’s Homelessness Task Force.

Overall 12,000 applications for help from homeless people are made each year in Glasgow by 8,000 individuals, according to the report commissioned by the council to provide an overview of the city’s homelessness crisis.

Source:- Sunday Herald Sunday 28 September

Scots teenagers to be issued with ID cards

Every secondary school pupil in Scotland is to be issued with an ID card bearing his or her name, age and address under a controversial government scheme.

From March next year, the ‘entitlement cards’ will be issued to 400,000 12-18-year-olds and will be used for a range of services including school meals and leisure centres.

But the scheme, which has been piloted in Aberdeen, was condemned as a ploy to introduce national identity cards for adults by the back door.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday Sunday 28 September

Shops and banks warned to toe line on disability rules

Shops, banks and leisure outlets are being warned that they could be forced to pay thousands of pounds in compensation unless they make attempts to meet disability laws.

Disabled Scots are facing discrimination across the service sector despite legislation obliging businesses to cater for their needs, a survey has revealed.

A survey by Capability Scotland revealed that many outlets were potentially failing to meet their current legal obligations and have “a lot to do to met new obligations a year from now”.

Source:- The Herald Monday 29 September

Social problems face despairing fishing communities

Scotland’s fishing ports are facing an increase in drug abuse, crime and social exclusion, according to an independent report.

The study claims that the Buchan towns of Fraserburgh and Peterhead are likely to bear the brunt of the social consequences of the fishing industry crisis, as crewmen lose their jobs and overall earnings and employment continue to fall.

Source:- The Scotsman Monday 29 September

Sex advice on mobile phones for the young

Young people in Glasgow are to receive advice on sexual health issues via their mobile phones in a bid to tackle the city’s high teenage pregnancy rate.

From the end of October, teenagers will be able to text questions about sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and pregnancy and receive a written reply from a health adviser on their phone.

Source:- The Herald Monday 29 September

Welsh news

Kidnap fear teenager home safe

A teenager who went missing last week has returned home, safe and well.

Darren Freeman, who lives near Monmouth, vanished on Tuesday and there were concerns that his use of internet chatrooms was linked to his disappearance.

Details of the 15-year-old’s return will be given at a press conference today.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 29 September page 1

A warm welcome for youth council

The first youth council in Wales has been set up, with members aged between 14 and 17.

The new group has set up its own constitution and rules and nominated a chairperson and vice-chairperson. The group will have links with the town council and local community groups.

The youth council has been set up under the Health of Young People in Powys project in Wales’ smallest town, Llanwtryd Wells.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 29 September page 3