Friday 20 September 2002

By Clare Jerrom, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Third of web paedophiles are ‘active child
abusers’

More than a third of men arrested for downloading paedophile
pornography from the internet are active child abusers, American
research has found.

Figures compiled by a leading agency in investigating child
pornography websites, US Postal Inspection Service, provides hard
evidence that internet paedophilia is not a victimless crime.

The agency has arrested 1,300 men for child pornography offences
since 1997, and found that 475 of those detained were abusing
children.

A list of 7,272 subscribers to a network of child pornography
websites operating from Fort Worth, Texas, were given to British
police a year ago.

Due to a lack of resources in Britain, only 50 people on the
list were arrested, including two officers on the Soham murder
case.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Friday 20 September page 6

Prisoners work in M&S store

Prisoners are being employed by Marks and Spencer to carry
customers’ shopping to cars, stack shelves and work in the
stock room.

Following the success of an experiment in Norwich, the scheme
may now be extended.

Six inmates have been getting out of the city’s jail daily
and earning up to £700 a month on the scheme at the minimum
wage of £4.20 an hour. The prisoners taking part in the scheme
are all nearing the end of their sentence.

They have been convicted of a variety of offences including
violence. But sex offenders are banned from taking part.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Friday 20 September page 6

Patients put off other vaccines by MMR fear

MMR vaccinations fell well below the ideal last year, according
to the latest figures for immunisation rates for babies in
England.

Only 84 per cent of children received the triple vaccine for
measles, mumps and rubella by their second birthday.

For complete protection, the Word Health Organisation recommends
95 per cent.

The rate fell by three per cent from the previous year
2000-2001.

Source:- The Times Friday 20 September page 8

Mary Bell seeks life anonymity

Child killer Mary Bell, and her 18-year-old daughter began an
attempt to secure a lifelong order to protect their anonymity at
the high court yesterday.

Bell, aged 45, killed two boys in 1968, and is seeking the same
injunction granted to Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss adjourned the hearing to a date yet
to be fixed. She said that temporary injunctions would stay in
place pending the resolution.

Butler-Sloss said she hoped that all but the most “sensitive
areas” would be heard in open court.

Source:- The Times Friday 20 September page 9

Blair takes on unions by planning new role for the
private sector

The private sector is to be given a greater role in running
public services by Tony Blair despite calls from trade unions
yesterday for a halt to the private finance initiative.

Downing Street and cabinet ministers are drawing up plans that
could eventually allow hospitals and schools to become “public
interest companies” enjoying much greater freedom from Whitehall
control.

The move will infuriate unions, which are threatening to inflict
a defeat on Blair at the Labour Party conference later this month
by calling for a block on the public-private partnerships.

The prime minister would ignore such a vote, and has urged his
ministers to come up with fresh ideas to “redefine the barriers”
between the state and private sectors.

Source:- The
Independent Friday 20 September
page 2

Scottish newspapers

Baby was victim of ‘fatal child
abuse’

A baby was the victim of ‘fatal child abuse’, a
doctor told a murder trial yesterday.

Thirteen-month-old Carla-Nicole Bone had extensive bruising and
renal haemorrhaging when she was admitted to hospital on 13
May.

Dr Elizabeth Myrescough was giving evidence at the trial of
Alexander McClure and Andrea Bone, the child’s mother, who
are accused of her murder. Both deny the charges.

The trial is expected to continue on Monday.

Source:- The Herald September 20 page 4

Carry on working till you’re 70

A pensions body is calling for the state retirement age to be
raised to 70 to combat the looming pensions crisis.

Source:- The Herald September 20 page 4

Stock transfer will not meet deadline, says leaked
report

The Scottish executive’s flagship policy on housing stock
transfer was in disarray last night after the leak of a
confidential report saying the linchpin Glasgow transfer cannot be
delivered on time.

An independent assessment commissioned by the Glasgow Housing
Association (GHA) says the £4 billion scheme – the
UK’s largest – is now so far behind schedule that the
28 November target is “unachievable”.

Source:- The Herald September 20 page 1

Mum ready to defy pain and fear to raise
funds

‘Save Our Kids campaign’

Lesley Rodgers cares so much about Scottish kids that
she’s pledged to walk on hot coals for them.

She is confident the event will raise thousands of pounds
towards building crisis centres across the country for teenagers
who need help.

Source:- The Daily Record September 20 page 8, 9, 10
and 11

Welsh newspapers

Hunger strike inmate appeals to cellmates

A prisoner on hunger strike is appealing for witnesses to come
forward to help clear his name after a riot at Cardiff prison.

Idris Ali has been refusing all meals at Whitemoor prison,
Cambridgeshire, for more than two weeks because he says that prison
authorities are discriminating against him and claims that he will
starve himself to death unless something is done.

Ali is calling upon ex-inmates and prison staff, from Cardiff to
come forward with new information about the riot that took place
there in 1996, where two prison officers were seriously hurt.

Ali who was an inmate at the time was said to have bullied
another inmate into attacking the prison officers.

Source:- South Wales Echo Thursday 19 September page
19

Rise of crack cocaine set to fuel new crime
wave

More crime linked to drug addiction is expected in communities
across Wales.

An increase in the availability of crack cocaine, coupled with
plummeting prices for the drug, has sparked fears of more addicts
committing crimes to fuel their habit.

Drug education experts say that if the trend continues, the
effects could be far worse than with heroin – as
cocaine-based drugs can make users extremely violent.

Detective inspector Stuart Anderson, head of south Wales police
drugs prevention unit, said that his force area had seen a huge
increase in crack cocaine over the past 18 months along with a
sharp rise in heroin use.

Roger Duncan, director of Swansea Drugs project, said that there
was more evidence than ever before of crack and cocaine use among
the project’s clients. He added that people who are addicted
to crack or cocaine could not afford to wait for treatment as they
become psychotic and paranoid very quickly.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 20 September page 7

Judge sums up in abuse trial

A jury will retire today to consider their verdict in the case
of a former foster carer who is alleged to have sexually abused
boys in his care.

Ronald Laurence Jones, now 67, of Chirk in north Wales is
accused of a series of offences against four boys.

Judge Merfyn Jones completed his summing up yesterday at Mold
crown court following Jones’s denial of a total of 16
charges. Four former foster children made allegations that Jones
had abused them.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 20 September page 11