Thursday 29 August 2002

By Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.

Carr ‘played no part in kidnap and murder of
girls’

Maxine Carr’s lawyer claims she played no part in
kidnapping, killing or disposing of the bodies of Holly Wells and
Jessica Chapman.

Carr’s defence solicitor, Roy James, said she denied any
involvement with the abduction or murder of the two 10-year-olds,
and was not implicated in the disposal of evidence in the case.

The former teaching assistant at the girl’s school in
Soham, Cambridgeshire, has been accused of perverting the court of
justice. She has not yet entered a plea. She is accused of lying to
police investigating the murders.

Carr’s boyfriend Ian Huntley is charged with murdering the
girls and is being held at Rampton high security hospital where his
mental health is being assessed.

Carr will appear before a judge via video link this morning in
an effort to avoid the mob anger she encountered on her first court
appearance.

Judge Nicholas Coleman granted her permission to hear and view
today’s proceedings at Peterborough crown court from Holloway
prison, north London.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 1

Prisoners damage 50 cells in protest at cramped
conditions

Forty three prisoners were transferred from a Teeside jail
following the latest disturbance in Britain’s overcrowded
prisons.

Prisoners damaged almost 50 cells at Holme House jail when they
protested against poor food and being confined to their cells for
long hours.

Then yesterday trouble erupted at the Swaleside jail on the Isle
of Sheppey in Kent, when 10 prisoners refused to return to their
cells and damaged part of a building. The disturbance at Swaleside
ended after a few hours and the Prison Service moved the 11 inmates
in protest to another jail.

Other disturbances have occurred at Pentoville prison in north
London and Ashfield prison near Bristol, which is no longer
accepting new inmates in a bid to avoid further problems.

A Prison Service spokesperson attributed the trouble to staff
shortages exacerbated by officers taking holidays and overcrowding.
This has resulted in prisoners being confined to their cells for
much longer than usual.

The prison population is presently a record with more than
71,500.

Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 2

Vetting keeps pupils off school

A large secondary school has been forced to send its pupils home
as a result of backlogs in police checks of new teachers.

More than 500 children who were due to begin the new term
yesterday at ADT City Technology College in Wandsworth, south west
London, will have their holiday extended until next week because of
problems at the Criminal Records Bureau.

Staff at the bureau have been struggling to process more than
12,000 applications by the time most school’s re-open next
week.

Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 2

Handicapped woman sues Blair’s office

The Labour party will today face claims that it has
discriminated against a severely disabled woman by refusing her a
job in Tony Blair’s campaign team shortly before the 1997
general election.

Helen Garrod claims her application to work for the Labour
leader was turned down on the ground that his office “needs people
who are fit”, an employment tribunal in London will hear today.

Garrod uses an electric wheelchair and was born with a form of
dystrophic dwarfism.

Source:- The Times Thursday 29 August page 10

Father accused

Vincent Jacob, of Higham Hill, east London, has been charged
with murdering his five-week-old son Scott on New Year’s
Day.

The boy’s mother, Tina Brown, has been charged with
cruelty.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 2

Youth team proposes under-age drink clubs

Council run “safe havens” will allow children as young as 13 to
drink alcohol if an idea by the town’s youth workers is
approved.

Officials at Stockport council are suggesting that young people
might consume “low levels” of alcohol in the “safe and supervised”
environment of special youth centres.

They acknowledge that if the scheme was approved it would mean
youth workers effectively turning a blind eye to the law. The
town’s deputy director of education, Ed Blundell said: “We
cannot have a police officer standing at the door. That would deter
young people and undermine the exercise.”

Local youth workers are increasingly concerned that under-age
drinkers are putting themselves at risk from robbers and sex
offenders by consuming alcohol in secluded areas.

Deputy leader of the council Brian Millard said: “We are looking
at all options to protect the health and safety of young
people.”

Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 29 August page 3

Tougher background checks urged for health support staff
to prevent abuse

The government is being urged to tighten background checks on
support workers in care homes and hospitals to protect patients
from abuse.

A think tank with close links to Downing Street, The Institute
for Public Policy Research, is concerned that about 300 categories
of job are unregulated, including nursing auxiliaries and care
assistants in state and private care homes.

In a report today, the institute contrasts the lack of controls
with checks made before staff can work in schools, which have been
tightened since the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The institute says the government has shelved the issue of
regulation, and does not know how many back up staff are employed
even though they do increasingly important tasks.

It calls for a range of measures ranging from a “light touch”
regime based on inspection or a “negative” register recording those
known to have caused harm, to a full register of all health and
social care workers with full data on qualifications and
experience.

Source:- The
Independent Thursday 29 August
page 2

Welsh newspapers

What A Waste

A front-page picture story and nine additional pages devoted to
the growing drug problem in south Wales.

The newspaper carries an interview with Sir Anthony Burden, the
chief constable of south Wales police, who outlines a new
initiative, Operation Tarian that is designed to combat the influx
of Class A drugs into Welsh communities.

There are also profiles of addicts and their families, with
details of the tragic effect that drug abuse has had on their
lives.

The stories also feature statistics outlining the extent of the
problem and details of the costs to society of the related crime
committed by users of illegal drugs.

The articles are part of a new campaign called “Dump the
Dealers”, which the newspaper is running to highlight illegal drug
use in south Wales.

Source:- South Wales Echo Wednesday 28 August page
1-10

Children’s charity highlights plight of the
disabled

Children’s charity Barnardo’s Cymru is challenging
the government to show how it intends to lift thousands of disabled
children out of poverty.

A new report launched today highlights the difficulties faced by
many disabled children and their families, and reveals how many of
them are still missing out on the basic necessities to lead an
ordinary life.

The report, ‘Still Missing Out’, calls on the government to set
a minimum income standard to help families with disabled children
meet the costs of caring for their children.

It says that if the government is to end child poverty within a
generation, it needs to tackle the causes of poverty and social
exclusion by providing suitable childcare for disabled children. It
also reveals that many parents with disabled children are
struggling to find the money to pay for special toys and equipment
and transport costs.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 29 August page 7

12 arrested in crackdown on child porn

Police raided the homes of suspected internet paedophiles
yesterday and carried away photographic equipment for analysis.

Some of the men arrested at 12 homes across north Wales have
children of their own or have access to children and family
protection officers have been drafted in.

The early morning raids followed investigations into credit
cards used to access American websites carrying indecent pictures
of children.

Bill Bereton, deputy chief constable of north Wales police, said
a further 26 cases were being investigated and warned that further
arrests would be made.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 29 August page 9