Wednesday 16 July 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.

‘She lied about her age. I’m very, very
mad’

The whereabouts of the former US Marine and a 12-year-old
British girl who ran away together after they met on the internet,
is still unknown although they are believed to have parted
company.

Toby Studabaker’s family said last night that he had left
Shevaun Pennington, from Wigan, and contacted the FBI.

The couple flew to Paris together on Saturday and Manchester
police admitted that it had been “frustrating” playing “catch-up”
with the pair after confusion with French police.

Studabaker claims that he believed that the girl he was going to
meet was 19-years of age.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 16 July page 1

Asylum service branded a shambles

A new report has slammed the home office organisation
responsible for dispersing asylum seekers around the country.

The independent review found the National Asylum Support Service
(NASS) to be a shambles, and unable to get on top of the job.

It went on to highlight poor management at all levels of the
organisation with confused procedures and business practices.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 16 July page 2

Internet runaway runs rings around four police
forces

Detectives in Manchester, Paris, Dublin and Detroit were
embroiled in confusion last night when all four forces claimed that
runaway couple Toby Studabaker and Shevauan Pennington were not in
their jurisdiction.

French police disputed Manchester police’s claim that the couple
had taken a flight to Paris on Saturday evening and were now in the
city. The French force stated that an “S.Pennington” had taken a
flight to Liverpool barely an hour after the couple’s alleged Paris
flight would have landed, but Manchester police said they did not
believe this was Shevaun.

The search spread to Ireland due to Studabaker’s relatives
saying that he planned to visit the country. Studabaker’s family
also claimed that he had now contacted the FBI in Detroit.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 16 July page 5

Princess’ fund ‘can give way £10m’

Franklin Mint, the Diana memorabilia producer, gave her memorial
fund the chance to continue to provide £10 million already
outlined as for charity.

The US company, which is suing the fund for malicious
prosecution over its previous failed attempt to stop Franklin Mint
producing souvenirs featuring Diana’s image, promised to safeguard
the cash for good causes.

The fund was forced to cut £10 million of promised payments
to charities when the legal action was launched.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 16 July page 6

A playground for paedophiles

Two years ago, Fiona and Peter Moran, from Edinburgh, discovered
that their 10-year-old daughter Nicole was being groomed by a
paedophile posing as a child in an internet chatroom

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 16 July page 19

Legal redefinition announced

The home secretary is due to announce a new legal definition of
a charity today requiring charities to work for the “public
benefit” in 12 sectors.

The changes will allow human rights organisations, such as
Amnesty International, and amateur sports clubs to gain charitable
status for the first time.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 16 July page 6

NHS Performance ratings

Among mental health trusts 14 got three stars, compared to four
last year, 43 got two stars, 28 one star and three no stars.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 16 July page 10

Guardian Society

A leap of faith

Some are classed as gangs, others as peer groups. But whatever
the name, something has to be done about youths involved in street
crime and violence.

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 2

Government snaps up Peabody boss

The head of the Peabody Trust, a leading housing association, is
leaving to head up the implementation of the government’s
communities plan.

From November, Richard McCarthy, who is also chairperson of the
National Housing Federation (NHF), will be director general of the
plan, which was announced by the government in February.

Measures within the plan include the building of 200,000 homes
in four areas in the southeast.

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 4

Charities to spurn calls to ‘move on’

The government’s calls for the voluntary sector to drop their
campaign for charities to be exempt from VAT has provoked angry
reactions from charity leaders.

John Healy, economic secretary to the Treasury, has said that
the sector should end their calls and move on as irrecoverable VAT
will not be removed.

However, Nick Kavanagh, chairperson of the Charities Tax Reform
Group (CTRG) and finance director of Save the Children, said the
amount of money that the sector was deprived of due to the tax was
too large to ignore.

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 4

Play for keeps

Sarah Middleton-Lee on the community that has transformed a
hangout for drug dealers into a haven for children and parents

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 5

Home alone

Contrary to popular belief, elderly Asian people can no longer
rely on their relatives for care

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 10

Make some noise

Profile Simon Topman, whistle manufacturer hoping to revive
pride in Aston

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 11

The right track

Alison Benjamin on how not-for-profit companies are helping
hard-up councils to improve and extend services

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 12

Power trip

After leading the way at the audit commission, Andrew Webster
has returned to running social services

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 13

Aim high

David Walker looks at the lessons public services can learn from
the ministry of defence, one of our biggest producers and consumers
of management skills

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page 14

Taste of experience

Life skills on menu for young adults with learning
disabilities

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page
119

World power

Can people with mental health problems take the sting out of
stigma by reclaiming pejoratives?

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 16 July page
120

Scottish newspapers
Home teaching plan ‘putting children at risk’
Ministers have been accused of putting children at risk of
abuse and poor teaching by scaling down home visits for those
children not enrolled for school.

The Scottish executive has caved into pressure from the vocal
lobby group of parents who teach their children at home, according
to the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.

Revised guidelines issued yesterday suggest dropping a number of
controls for children outside the education service.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 16 July page 2

Inspectors visit detention centre
The quality of educational provision at an asylum detention centre
in Scotland was being investigated by three inspectors
yesterday.

The inspectors from the education inspectorate were assessing
the facilities provided at Dungavel centre and reporting on
process.

The centre, in Lanarkshire, has been the centre of controversy,
particularly after a family of asylum seekers have been held there
for nearly a year.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 16 July page 4

Retired teacher, 83, jailed for abusing young
boys
A former teacher became the oldest inmate in the Scottish prison
system yesterday at 83, after he was jailed for two years for
sexually abusing young boys in his care at a List D school in
Stirlingshire.

Charles McKenna became the third former member of staff from St
Ninian’s school to be jailed following their conviction on a
series of sexual and physical abuse charges.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 16 July page 6

Cannabis campaign highlights MS victim’s
plight
A protest by cannabis campaigners is to be staged at
Westminster today to highlight the plight of multiple sclerosis
sufferer Biz Ivol, who used cannabis to ease her pain.

Last month, Ivol from South Ronaldsay went on trial facing
charges of cultivating, supplying and possessing cannabis. The case
was dropped because of her deteriorating medical condition.

She subsequently attempted suicide following the case, but has
since been released from hospital.

The Legalise Cannabis Alliance said today’s protest is to
ask why Ivol was prosecuted, and why people who use cannabis for
medical reasons are taken to court.

Source:-The Scotsman  Wednesday 16 July page 8

Study finds 40 per cent of Scots back legalisation of
cannabis
Almost 40 per cent of Scots currently support the
legalisation of cannabis, according to new research published
yesterday.

More people than ever believe the laws regarding the drug must
be changed, but a report from the Economic and Social Research
Council revealed there are still limits to what is acceptable in
the area of drug-taking.

Attitudes towards heroin and ecstasy in Britain as a whole
remained negative with nine in 10 believing both drugs should
remain illegal.

Source:- The Herald  Wednesday 16 July

Welsh newspapers

Modern healthcare system in the pipeline

New ways of delivering health and social care in south Wales are
under discussion by Gwent Healthcare Trust and the area’s
five local health boards.

The findings of the recent Wanless report on health and social
care in Wales will be fed into the discussions, and there is
expected to be greater emphasis on preventing hospital admissions
and a wider role for primary care.

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 15 July page 6

Assembly’s £500,000 to boost healthy
living

The Welsh assembly has announced £500,000 in grants to
boost healthy eating and physical activity.

The Food and Fitness Grant Scheme gives community and voluntary
groups up to £75,000 over the next two-and-a-half years to
promote lifestyle projects for children, and both young and older
people.

Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 16 July page 2