Monday 14 July 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Diana charity freezes £10m pay-out in crisis over US
lawsuit
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund has frozen all of its
grants to 120 charities because of the threat of legal action
against it in America.
The fund was forced to suspend the £10.3 million of pledged
money due to a £16 million lawsuit for “malicious prosecution”
brought by Franklin Mint, the US collectables company.
Franklin Mint took action after the fund lost a £4 million US
court case in 1998 to prevent the company from producing dolls,
plates and jewellery with the princess’ image on it.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 12 July page 1
Mother to challenge ventilator decision
A disabled 10-year-old girl’s mother has won the right to launch a
high court challenge against a hospital’s alleged ‘unlawful
refusal’ to resuscitate her daughter when she experienced breathing
difficulties.
The case could become a test case for the rights of disabled people
to have the right to the same treatment as the able-bodied.
The girl, who has epilepsy, asthma and development delay, is
alleged to have been refused resuscitation at the Royal London
hospital, Whitechapel.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 12 July page 10
Kill yourself or we’ll kill your mum and dad, threaten
bullies
A schoolboy has killed himself after being told by bullies: ‘Either
kill yourself or we’ll kill your mum and dad’.
Christopher O’Reilly was found hanged in his bedroom by his mother
Rhonda when she went to say goodnight.
Christopher, who attended Lawnswood school in Leeds, had been given
the option of moving schools when the bullying began but chose not
to.
Source:- Daily Mail Saturday 12 July page 29
Secret hi-tech dragnet traps paedophiles
Paedophiles who download pictures onto computer databases will soon
be able to be identified by police through the content of the
material.
They will be identified by the most powerful image recognition
computer programme in the world that is about to be launched by the
National Crime Squad.
The program, called ChildBase, will enable the police to link
individuals with the images they are downloading more quickly and
efficiently than ever before.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 13 July page 11
Head of crisis-hit Broadmoor to quit
The head of Broadmoor high security hospital, Britain’s most
well-known mental  institution is to stand down after almost
six-years.
Dr Julie Hollyman became the first female chief executive of West
London Mental Health Trust in 1998 – which includes responsibility
for Broadmoor.
Hollyman has announced that she will be standing down at the end of
this year. She said that she did not believe that it would be good
for the trust if she remained as chief executive until retirement
age.
Her decision comes three months after the hospital was at the
centre of allegations that female inmates had been sexually abused
at Braodmoor.
Source:- The Independent on Sunday 13 July page 4
Lottery may help Diana fund to pay charities
The Community Fund, a National Lottery distributor, said
that it may be able to fill the cash shortfall for organisations
affected by the freezing of grants by the Diana, Princess of Wales
Memorial Fund.
The fund suspended £10.3 million in grants to 120 good causes
due to legal battles with an American souvenir company.
Franklin Mint is suing the fund for £15 million for “malicious
prosecution” relating to unsuccessful legal action by the fund to
prevent the company from producing Diana memorabilia.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 14 July page 9
Census chief may call for new survey in 2006
A new population survey could be conducted in an attempt to make up
for the shortcomings of the 2001 census, and appease criticisms by
local authorities, the government’s statistics watchdog has
said.
Professor David Rhind, the new chairperson of the Statistics
Commission, said he was considering called for a “mini census” on
the population to meet the objections of local authorities which
have complained of massive undercounting in the results.
The authority’s grants are tied to population figures, meaning they
receive less funding if people are missed.
Source:- The Financial Times Monday 14 July page 1
Migrants ‘exploited’ by shady employers
A lack of adequate legal protection is causing migrant
workers to be exploited on a large scale by agencies and employers,
according to a Trades Union Congress report published today.
The report states how migrant workers are often paid less than the
minimum wage, while others are paid less than their UK
counterparts.
It discusses workers in a range of industries including private
care homes, meat processing and construction. 
Source:- The Financial Times Monday 14 July page 4
Government ‘must raise taxes or cut services’ to hit child
poverty targets
Labour will only be able to achieve its target of reducing
child poverty through a large increase in taxes or by reducing
spending on other services, experts on  public policy have
warned.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Institute for Public
Policy Research, two leading thinktanks, said the government would
need to cut its spending dramatically to reach its target.
In order to hit the 2004-05 target the government would need to
increase spending by £1 billion a year.
Ministers have recently announced that they are launching a review
into how to increase flagging progress on ending child
poverty.
Source:- The Financial Times Monday 14 July page 4
Scottish newspapers
Row erupts as ‘out of control’ youth
escapes
A row has broken out between police and social workers after a
teenager being escorted to a children’s panel hearing escaped
when officers were asked to leave the building.
The youngster was told at the hearing he would face three weeks in
a secure residential unit and fled the building via a fire escape.
The 15-year-old, who has escaped previously, made his bid for
freedom when social workers refused to allow police officers to
remain with him in the building.
Police say the incident could have been avoided if officers had
been allowed to stay with the boy, and now valuable police
resources are being used up by searching for the youngster, who has
been listed as missing.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 12 July
Mum fights to choose school for autistic son
A mother of an autistic boy has vowed to fight through the courts
for the right to send him to the school of her choice.
Veronica Rose, of Newhaven, is the latest in a line of parents to
fight Edinburgh council over the right to send their children to
the school of their choosing. The move follows their refusal to
give her son Felix a place at Donaldson’s College.
Rose believes Felix will not reach his full potential if he is sent
to Kaimes special school, which is the only place the school has
offered.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 12 July
Prostitute attacks soar after zones scrapped
There has been a 15 fold increase in attacks on prostitutes in
Edinburgh following the scrapping of prostitution ‘tolerance
zones’, according to researchers.
Edinburgh based group ScotPEP found prostitutes had been sexually
assaulted, raped and beaten in Leith since the tolerance policy was
eradicated. ScotPEP also described one incident as attempted murder
when a client tried to run a prostitute down in a car.
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald is pursuing a private bill in the
Scottish parliament which would create legal prostitute tolerance
zones. She believes this would reduce attacks on women, and make it
easier for police to monitor the sex trade.
Source:- The Scotsman on Sunday 13 July
Brain damage hits 21-year-old drinkers
Scots as young as 21 are being admitted to specialist nursing homes
with alcohol-induced brain damage – a condition which usually
affects long-term heavy drinkers in their 40s and 50s.
Scots in their 20s and 30s are being diagnosed with
Korsakoff’s Syndrome, a brain disorder affecting alcoholics
who are deficient in vitamin B1, because of the earlier age at
which young people are drinking combined with a poor diet.
Source:- Sunday Herald 13 July
Isolated disabled children face life of loneliness
Children with disabilities are still isolated and left out
despite the government injecting millions of pounds promoting
social inclusion, according to research.
The report from Capability Scotland says teenagers in particular
are forced to socialise with their parents because they do not have
the opportunities to mix with people their own age.
Source:- The Herald  Monday 14 July
Police encouraged by response to Jodi Jones
e-mail
Detectives investigating the murder of Jodi Jones said they have
received an encouraging response after setting up an email address
to gather information.
Lothian and Borders Police said seven messages have been sent to
the email address since it was activated over the weekend. A police
spokesperson added that they expect the number of messages to
increase over the next few days.
The 14-year-old’s body was found two weeks ago in
Midlothian.
Source:- The Scotsman Monday 14 July
Welsh newspapers
Stretched social services battle to survive
There are calls for closer links between health and social care in
Wales, following the publication of a new report by Derek
Wanless.
The report looks at both health and social care services in the
principality and warns that demand for services is placing huge
pressures on providers of services.
Hugh Gardner, vice-chairperson of the Association of Directors of
Social Services in Wales, said that good social care is fundamental
to an effective health service.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 14 July page 2
New disabled access rules to hit pubs and
shops
New rules on access for disabled people could open the floodgates
for legal action against pubs, cafes and shops.
Business leaders fear that lawyers working on a “no win, no
fee” basis will encourage disabled people to take legal
action when the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force next
year.
In Flintshire, five libraries may have to shut because of the new
rules but disability-rights campaigners fear that the legislation
could be used as an excuse to abandon buildings that owners no
longer want.
Source:- Western Mail 14 July page 7