Tuesday 13 May 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom, Lauren Revans and Alex
Dobson.
Daycare ‘just as good as being with mother’
Children looked after by childminders or in a nursery are
just as happy as those cared for at home by their mothers, new
research has found.
Researchers from Bristol University claim that by the age of three
children are just as content being cared for by either group.
The findings contradict previous studies which claim that children
whose mothers go out to work find school difficult.
Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 13 May page 8
Blunkett must free illegal immigrant he can’t
deport
A man who made up a ‘pack of lies’ in a failed attempt to gain
asylum is to be freed from prison because his own country has
refused to accept him on the grounds that he has no documentation
to prove who he is.
Indian-born Pramo Kumar has been rejected by his own country
because he ripped up his identity documents in an attempt to help
his asylum bid.
He had put in prison for 10 months to prevent him from
‘disappearing’ and living illegally in this country.
Home secretary David Blunkett agreed to release Kumar and give him
temporary leave to stay after his lawyers went to the high court
yesterday on the grounds that it was unfair to keep someone in
detention when there was no possibility of him being deported
‘within a reasonable time’.
Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 13 May page 16
Violence and fear as mob took over the asylum
flagship
A new detention centre in Bedfordshire was ruined by fires started
by disgruntled asylum seekers attempting to break free, Harrow
crown court heard yesterday.
A QC went on to describe how inmates smashed security cameras and
lights and stole keys from staff at Yarl’s Wood, who were forced to
take cover in an office.
Nine men appeared in connection with the incident which took place
in February of last year.
Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 13 May page 16
Appeal over murder of Billie-Jo
The case of Sion Jenkins, the man accused of murdering his teenage
foster daughter Billlie-Jo, was referred to the court of appeal
yesterday.
The deputy headteacher’s case was passed over on the grounds at the
original trial the jury was not allowed to hear evidence from
Jenkins’ daughters, Billie-Jo’s foster sisters, which Jenkins
claims will prove his innocence.
Billie-Jo was battered to death in 1997 with an 18-inch mental tent
spike while at her foster parents’ house in Hastings.
The case was brought to appeal in 1999, but that attempt
failed.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 13 May page 11
Thousands of brains were kept for research without the
consent of grieving relatives
An inquiry report into the case of a man with mental
health problems whose brain was kept for research after he
committed suicide, without his wife’s consent, has revealed that
tens of thousands of brains have been taken without the knowledge
of relatives since the 1960s.
Elaine Isaacs spoke of her three-year battle for the truth
yesterday as the government announced a new law to tighten control
over the taking of organs.
The Isaacs report was triggered when Mrs Isaacs by chance
discovered in April 2000, 13 years after her husband’s suicide,
that his brain had been kept by Manchester University.
His was one of many supplied under a system to provide brains from
mortuaries to a research programme being run at the
university.
The report also revealed brains had been kept without consent in
other areas.
Source:- The Independent Tuesday 13 May page 2
Scottish newspapers
Health chief admits kid porn charges
Health chief Tom Skinner has admitted a computer child
pornography offence.
The secretary of Borders Health Board pleaded guilty to being
involved in the making or taking of indecent photographs of
children.
Sheriff Warner reserved sentence for background reports at Selkirk
sheriff court.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 13 May
Poverty trap policies in danger of backfiring, researchers
say
Researchers at the Rosemount Lifelong Learning project and the
Scottish Poverty Information Unit have warned that anti-poverty
policies are in danger of leaving those trying to re-enter the
labour market worse off.
The three-year study of mothers in low income families trying to
move into training and employment highlighted a number of barriers
to finding suitable work, and called for changes including
integrated child care and lifelong learning provision.
The study’s publication coincided with government statistics
showing that the gap between the rich and the poor in Britain is at
its greatest for 13 years.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday May 13
Final deportation appeal will be made to
Blunkett
An 11th-hour judicial review application to stop the deportation of
an Algerian whose Scottish wife is pregnant, is to be lodged with
home secretary David Blunkett.
Ali Serir, who is being held at Greenock prison, is to be moved to
Heathrow on Friday for a flight to Algeria.
Serir’s lawyer also plans to lodge a fresh asylum application
by tomorrow, should the judicial review application fail. Serir
fears he will be killed on return to his homeland after state-run
newspapers named him as an Islamic terrorist.
MSPs protested outside Greenock prison yesterday, describing
Serir’s treatment as disgraceful.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 13 May
Welsh newspapers
Parents to face prison and fines
A two-page report on the increasing problem of children who play
truant from school.
The story examines the range of sanctions that can be imposed on
parents that include new on-the-spot fines, and up to three months
in prison for parents of children who are persistent truants.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 12 May page 14-15
Fostering Relationship
A feature looking at the experience of one foster carer in south
Wales in the run-up to Foster Care Fortnight.
Six years ago the woman began fostering and she and her husband
have since shared their home with seven foster children. She says
that many more people could offer homes to children who are
currently looked after by local authorities, and that there is
often misunderstanding about the role of foster carers.
Source:- South Wales Echo Monday 12 May page 9
GPs can’t meet 24-hour pledge
Doctor’s leaders said yesterday that Welsh assembly
health minister, Jane Hutt’s plans to ensure that no-one
waits more than 24 hours to see a GP were a difficult-to-achieve
sound bite.
Chairperson of the Welsh GP committee, Dr Andrew Dearden, hit out
at the plan and said that staffing and GP levels were not adequate
to achieve the aim.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 13 May page 1
Owen unsuitable teacher, child abuse inquiry hears
A union official told the Clywch child abuse inquiry
yesterday that he thought alleged paedophile John Owen was totally
unsuitable as a teacher.
Emyr Hywel formerly president of the Welsh teaching union Ucac, of
which former drama teacher Owen was a member, said that complaints
were made about Owen in 1990-1.
He told the inquiry of obscene material that Owen had used for
teaching purposes, and said that it was totally inappropriate. The
inquiry was set up in the wake of Owen’s suicide in 2001 when
he was awaiting trial accused of sexually abusing boys in his care,
and is led by children’s commissioner for Wales Peter
Clarke.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 13 May page 7