Tuesday 6 January 2004

By Natasha Salari, Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.

Priest abused 18 boys
A Roman Catholic priest admitted 15 indecent assaults against boys
and asked for 16 to be taken into consideration, at Teesside
magistrates’ court yesterday.
Noel Barrett, now retired, abused boys aged between nine and 13
while he was working in churches in Middlesbrough, Hull and
Ireland.
He has been bailed for pre-sentence reports.
Source:- The Times Tuesday 6 January page 4
Jail watchdog to examine custody deaths
The investigation of deaths in custody are being given more
independence by being moved from the Prison Service to the Prisons
and Probation Ombudsman, ministers will announce today.
The plans come as new figures from the Howard League for Penal
Reform show that 14 women committed suicide in prison in 2003, the
highest ever in a single year.
The figures also show that overall 94 prisoners killed themselves
last year, one less than in 2002. Thirty one of these were aged 25
and under.
Source:- The Times Tuesday 6 January page 4
An investigation into the charity that campaigned to free Tony
Martin, the farmer jailed for shooting a teenage burglar, has been
launched by the watchdog the Charity Commission.
The POW Trust, a charity set up to tackle social exclusion and work
with ex-offenders, backed Martin’s legal campaign against his
murder conviction, which was reduced to manslaughter on
appeal.
The commission said it had opened an inquiry into the charity in
November 2002 after receiving a complaint which involved
allegations against the chief executive, Peter Sainsbury. They were
also concerned that the charity had failed to submit up-to-date
accounts.
A spokesperson for the commission added that the commission had
received fresh complaints in the past few weeks.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 6 January
Teacher jailed for abusing two boys
A secondary school teacher who sent two schoolboys up to 1,500 lewd
text messages before indecently assaulting them, was jailed for
four years yesterday.
The sentencing judge said that Wasim Majid, had used his position
to groom the 15-year-old boys in a calculated campaign.
Majid, a history teacher from Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, was
convicted of two charges of indecency with a child and two counts
of indecent assault, at Northampton crown court last month.
He was suspended from his job at a Northamptonshire school after
the boys complained to police and the headteacher in December
2002.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 6 January page 7
Scottish newspapers
Cop fax scandal
Graphic details of domestic assaults have been faxed by the police
to pawn shops in a massive blunder. The names and addresses of
vulnerable women were part of the information sent in error by
officers.
Police probing robberies had been sending lists of missing items to
pawnbrokers. But reports of incidents of domestic violence got sent
to the same fax machines in stores across Glasgow. Strathclyde
police launched an inquiry into the incident last night.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 6 January
Camera cops to copy kids jotters
Police are studying school pupils’ notepads in a bid to track down
graffiti vandals. Scribbles and doodles on school books are being
analysed by officers on Tayside who compare them to “tags” – a
signature left on spray painted walls by vandals.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 6 January
Drug tsar job battle
Scotland’s top police chiefs will battle it out to become the
country’s new drugs tsar. The head of the Scottish Drug Enforcement
Agency will be appointed this month.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 6 January
Attack every eight minutes
A woman suffered a physical or verbal attack every eight minutes in
Scotland last month, according to Scottish executive statistics.
Over three days in December, 558 women said they were abused and a
total of 401 children witnessed or heard the attacks take
place.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 6 January
Welsh newspapers
Opposition to hostel plans
Local residents are fighting plans for a new hostel for homeless
people in Chepstow.
Newport Housing Association and Charter Housing want to convert a
former bed and breakfast guesthouse to provide temporary
accommodation for homeless people, but the plans have met with
opposition from local residents.
One objection cited by opponents to the scheme is that the room
sizes in the proposed hostel do not conform to minimum standards
set by the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 5 January page 8
The Cocaine Generation
A three-page report looking at the growing problem of drug
use among young people in south Wales, and what is being done to
tackle the issue.
The Cardiff-based charity, Inroads, works with people trying to
overcome their drug addiction and worker Steve Lions said that
there has been a steady increase in drug use across the region with
many people using drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.
Source:- South Wales Echo Monday 5 January pages 1, 4 and 5
Father chains himself to council offices in housing
protest
An angry father chained himself to railings outside the
headquarters of Flintshire Council in a protest over the condition
of his council house.
Paul Stanley said he is prepared to repeat the action until the
damp conditions at his home in Buckley have been put right.
Stanley who lives there with his family, which includes three
children under five, has already won compensation from the council
because of problems with the house, but is angry that promised work
on the house has still not been carried out.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 6 January page 3