Tuesday 15 April 2003

By Amy Taylor, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Record recruits to asylum judiciary
Hundreds of new judges are being recruited to deal with
the increase in the number of asylum claims under the biggest
recruitment exercise in the history of judicial appointments
Over 100 extra adjudicators have been appointed by the Lord
Chancellor over the past 12 months. Sixteen appointments a month
are now being completed.
The legal aid bill for asylum cases is now £170 million,
almost three times the £60 million of two years ago.
Source:- The Times Tuesday April 15 page 10
British couple choose to die with Swiss euthanasia
charity
A British couple with terminal illnesses travelled to Switzerland
to receive help to commit suicide.
Robert Stokes and his wife, Jennifer, who are both believed to have
motor neurone disease, enlisted the help of Dignitas, a euthanasia
organisation based in Zurich, and died within minutes of each
other.
The couple left their sheltered accommodation in Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire, two weeks ago.
Source:- The Times Tuesday April 15 page 11
Scottish newspapers
Sir Iain claims support for ‘racialism’
Leading businessman and landowner, Sir Iain Noble, who caused an
outcry by calling for the preservation of Scotland’s genetic
purity by barring immigrants, said yesterday he had received
support from around the world for his comments.
Sir Iain told a conference in Edinburgh he did not want to see
black people “setting up ghettos” in Scotland.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 15 April page 8
Councils accused of adding to homeless
problem
Certain councils are up to three times more likely than the average
to start eviction proceedings against their tenants, research has
found.
Housing charity Shelter and the Legal Services Agency in Glasgow
have revealed in a study that some local authorities may be a major
cause of homelessness.
Research based on eviction actions in sheriff courts shows huge
variations in the way councils deal with rent arrears and tenancy
problems.
Since the beginning of April, councils have had a legal duty to
publish a homelessness strategy for their respective areas.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 15 April page 8
Welsh newspapers
Family told to leave hostel
A homeless South African family have been asked to leave
their accommodation by a south Wales council because they do not
qualify for help.
Laura Broadrick arrived in the UK on 31 March with her two children
aged 16 and 21. She has a British passport as both her parents were
born in Wales, but has lived all her life in South Africa.
Torfaen council first placed the family in a homeless hostel, but
now they have been told to leave, as they do not qualify either for
benefits or housing.
The family left South Africa because of fears about the escalating
crime problem.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 14 April page 8
Welsh mum of truant son jailed
A mother yesterday became the first parent in Wales to be jailed
after failing to send her child to school.
The woman who cannot be named for legal reasons was given a 28-day
sentence after magistrates in Llanelli heard that her 14-year-old
son had not attended any lessons for 12 weeks.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 15 April page 1
Girl, 14, ‘copies friend’s
suicide’
A teenage girl has been found hanged four weeks after her best
friend killed herself in an identical tragedy.
Jade Hughes was discovered hanged near a railway footbridge – her
friend Kirsty Botto, aged 13, was found dead in her bedroom on 17
March. The two girls lived close to one another in Swansea, and
police are investigating the possibility of a suicide pact.
The double tragedy may be linked to the death of another teenager
last year. Schoolboy Ross Hooper, died after being attacked and
robbed in the city and police believe that Kirsty may have killed
herself because she had not been able to come to terms with his
death.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 15 April page 1