Thursday 15 August 2002

    By Clare Jerrom, Reg McKay and Alex Dobson.

    Detective’s personal appeal to
    abductor

    The detective heading the search for Holly Wells and Jessica
    Chapman last night made an extraordinary personal plea to their
    abductor to call him and find “a way out”.

    In a 30-second appeal at 6pm, detective superintendent David
    Beck urged the kidnapper to call him on a number that has been
    written in a text message sent to Jessica’s mobile phone.

    Beck admitted that although there was no proof that the 10-year
    old children were alive or had been kidnapped, he said it had to be
    a strong line of inquiry.

    Beck added that he thought the answer to the girls’
    disappearance lay in their home town of Soham, in
    Cambridgeshire.

    Source:- The Guardian Thursday 15 August page 1

    Paralysed prisoner to sue over loss of
    dignity

    A paralysed prisoner is to sue the home secretary after he was
    forced to use his jail bed as a lavatory for a year.

    Roger Zoppola is serving an eight-year sentence for possession
    and supply of drugs. He is unable to move from the chest down and
    uses a wheelchair.

    He claims he spent one year in a prison cell in Pentoville
    prison, north London, without a disabled toilet, and claims he was
    unable to use the wing facilities unassisted.

    The inadequate disabled facilities at the prison also meant
    Zoppola was unable to work and earn money, use the library, attend
    church and exercise in the gym.

    Zoppola made several formal complaints about conditions in the
    prison, but his request to be moved to another jail with more
    suitable facilities was not met until last month, and only after
    lawyers threatened legal action.

    Chez Cotton of Hickman and Rose solicitors said she had seen
    Zoppola in his cell and witnessed the conditions. She is advising
    him about claims under the Disability Discrimination Act, and the
    Human Rights Act.

    The director general of the prison service Martin Narey said:
    “We refute many of the allegations made. The prison service has
    been working as fast as possible to expand and increase facilities
    for disabled prisoners in prison.”

    Source:- The Guardian Thursday 15 August page 9

    Migrant halts Chunnel trains

    Train services to and from France were halted yesterday after an
    illegal immigrant fled into the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone to try
    and avoid arrest.

    The man, who was believed to be in his mid-twenties and from
    eastern Europe, was around eight miles into the tunnel when he was
    caught.

    It is believed he had arrived in Britain after stowing away on a
    cross-Channel train.

    Closed-circuit television saw him running down the track and
    police boarded a slow-moving sweeper train that trawled the tunnel
    until he was found.

    Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 15 August page 14

    Scottish newspapers

    Violent crime up by 10% in three months

    Violent crime in Strathclyde, one of the biggest police forces
    in Europe, has soared by 10 per cent in only three months prompting
    senior officers to draw up an action plan to tackle the
    problem.

    The increase to 1,350 violent crimes occurred at a time when
    overall crime reduced. At the same time Strathclyde reported
    apprehending fewer drug dealers than the previous quarter.

    Source:- The Herald Thursday 15 August page 9

    Welsh newspapers

    ‘Woman screamed’ as carer cleaned her ears

    A woman with learning difficulties was held down and screamed in
    pain as wax was cleaned from her ears with a metal hairgrip, a jury
    at Cardiff crown court was told.

    The claim came from Catherine Banner a science graduate who was
    a support worker at the home, Uplands in Newbridge south Wales,
    where the incident was said to have taken place.

    The former manager of the home, Kay Piateck, denies six counts
    of assaulting resident Helen Davies.

    A second carer, auxiliary nurse Kaylene Eaves, said she
    witnessed Piateck clean Helen’s ears using “her very long
    fingernails”. She said that Helen would be screaming and trying to
    get away and added that she had been too fearful about her job to
    say anything because she was just a care worker.

    The case continues.

    Source:- South Wales Echo Wednesday August 14 page
    23

    Picnic invite to talk about centre

    Families with children who have a disability or special needs
    are being invited to a picnic in Newport in south Wales next
    month.

    The event is being hosted by the South Gwent Children’s Centre
    Action Group which wants to tell families about a proposed new
    centre to be built on land at High Cross near Newport.

    The new centre will cater for the needs of disabled children and
    those with special needs, and will house social services, health
    and education services under one roof so that children and their
    families can access help in one venue.

    Currently disabled children are forced to access services in a
    variety of locations across the region. The new centre will serve
    children from Newport, Torfaen and south Monmouthshire.

    Source:- South Wales Argus Wednesday 14 August page
    21

    Asylum seeker may be allowed to stay in
    Wales

    An asylum seeker imprisoned without warning and released hours
    before his deportation, may be allowed to stay in Wales.

    Milan Simic was arrested last month after making a routine visit
    to a Cardiff police station. He was later detained for eight days
    at a centre near Heathrow Airport, and was due to be sent back to
    his home country, Croatia, but the courts allowed a last-minute
    reprieve.

    The immigration service is now reconsidering his case, and a
    decision is expected early next month.

    Simic has a UK national insurance number, and has worked for
    some time as a bartender in Cardiff where he lives with his
    fiancée.

    Source:- Western Mail Thursday 15 August page 1 

    More from Community Care

    Comments are closed.