Friday 14 May 2004

By Amy Taylor, Shirley Kumar, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson

Confidential sex advice service launched

The government is launching a nationwide campaign publicising a
confidential sex advice service aimed at children.

The campaign, involving mail shots to schools and advertisements in
teenage magazines as well as government funded websites, is
co-ordinated by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit part of the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES).

Its aim is to entice teenagers to seek advice without fear their
parents will find out.

Source:- Daily Mail Friday 14 May page 2

Carr wins protection order

Maxine Carr yesterday won a High Court injunction which bans
details of her life ever being revealed.

It also bans publication of any photographs, paintings or drawings,
of the former fiancée of Ian Huntley, who has been convicted
of the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.

Carr, expected to be released today, is the first person convicted
of a crime as an adult to gain the right to such protection.

Source:- Daily Mail Friday 14 May 2004 page 7

Barnardo’s staff to join trade union

Staff at children’s charity Barnardo’s are set to be
represented by a union.

Public sector union Unison will be representing the 6,000 staff at
the charity.

Source:- The Financial Times Friday 14 May page 5

Teacher had affair with pupil

A school teacher was jailed yesterday after previously
admitting five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a
14-year-old pupil.

Mike Harday was given a two-year extended sentence at Doncaster
Crown Court with 16 months to be served.

Source:- The Times Friday 14 May page 4

Scottish newspapers

Prison’s conditions slammed

Conditions at Peterhead prison, which were considered shocking a
year ago, have become the norm, according to a damning report by
Scotland’s prisons watchdog.

Chief inspector of prisons Dr Andrew McLellan accused the Scottish
Prison Service 12 months ago of continuing to run down Peterhead
jail as part of a policy that meant sex offenders were treated as
second class inmates. He added that he was shocked at the
“dreadful and unacceptable” conditions which the sex
offenders had to endure.

But in a follow up inspection report published yesterday, McLellan
highlighted the lack of progress made in ending a practice of using
“porta-potties” as the only means of sanitation in tiny
cells where two prisoners are locked up for 15 hours at a
time.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 14 May

Jail threat for unruly children extended

Unmarried fathers will be forced to take responsibility for unruly
children or face going to prison, MSPs agreed yesterday.

Under new measures in the Antisocial Behaviour Bill, parents will
be forced to take responsibility for their children, and if they
fail, they will face a jail sentence as the ultimate penalty.

The executive voiced concern that parenting orders only apply to
those with formal parental responsibilities and moved to extend the
measure to anyone who has control of the child. The move is
designed to reflect modern families.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 14 May

Strike vote over plan for social work split

Social workers are to vote on strike action over council plans to
restructure their service.

Workers will be balloted in the next two to three weeks over a
half-day walk out, according to union leaders.

The protest by public sector union Unison has been sparked by the
local authority’s announcement that the social work
department will be divided into two “super departments”
with one covering education and the other covering health.

Union leaders believe the move will damage the ability of childcare
social workers to do their job.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 13 May

City blazes trail with ‘yobs tsar’

Edinburgh is set to get Scotland’s first antisocial behaviour
tsar.

Donald Urquhart, a former police chief, will lead the
capital’s crackdown on under-age drinking, street
prostitution and antisocial neighbours.

The former superintendent with Lothian and Borders Police will head
a new council division charged with tackling long-running
antisocial behaviour problems.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 13 May

Small forms offered help on new law for disabled

Information on changes to the Disability Discrimination Act is to
be distributed to small businesses in Edinburgh.

The move is designed to help around 8,000 businesses in the capital
to prepare for the new legislation, which will mean all businesses
will have to make adjustments to make their services accessible to
disabled customers.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 13 May

Virtual polling booth to help disabled voters

A virtual polling station was launched this week in a bid to ensure
more disabled people can vote in the European elections.

Under the project, developed by Capability Scotland, disabled
people can access the programme online and are taken through a
voting process.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 13 May

Families in autism link claims fear legal
‘threat’

Scottish families claiming the controversial MMR vaccination has
caused their children to develop autism have accused the
pharmaceutical company behind the jab of trying to intimidate them
into dropping their compensation claims.

A letter sent to more than 500 families last month by Lovells, the
solicitors’ representing Merck, asked the families if they
wished to continue the action.

It warns that, after legal aid is withdrawn, they will be “at
risk of facing a liability for any further costs Merck continues to
incur in defending the claim” unless they agree not to take
out any further proceedings arising out of the vaccination in this
or any other jurisdiction.

The families believe the solicitors are trying to prevent a claim
being made in the future should any firm evidence emerge to support
the disputed link between MMR and autism.

Source:- The Herald  Friday 14 May

Welsh newspapers

The organisation planning to set up a drop-in abortion
clinic in Cardiff has defended the law that allowed a school to
help a 14-year-old girl have a termination.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said laws for
under-16s should stand despite the controversy surrounding the
abortion offered to schoolgirl, Michelle Smith.

A spokesperson for BPAS said patient confidentiality was important
for patients under-16 because there were sometimes reasons why they
did not wish their family to know about the procedure.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 14 May page 1

My dear daughter should not have died

A grieving father said his daughter would still be alive today, if
action had been taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), an
NHS Trust and local magistrates to deal with the man who had become
dangerously obsessed with her.

William Davies shot pub landlady Caroline Evans before turning the
gun on himself.

An inquest into her death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing
and her father David Evans said not enough was done to prevent the
tragedy given Davies’ mental state and previous threats to
his daughter.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 14 May pages 1 and 3