Tuesday 8 June 2004

By Clare Jerrom, Lauren Revans and Alex Dobson

Doctor accused father of killing sons

A leading paediatrician claimed last night that he filed a report
to the police accusing Sally Clark’s husband of killing their
two sons after watching a television programme about the
couple.

Professor David Southall made the accusations without seeing
medical reports or post mortem reports on Clark’s two baby
sons, a hearing was told.

At the time, Sally was serving a double life sentence for murdering
her two sons Christopher and Harry. She was freed on appeal last
year.

The professional conduct committee of the General Medical Council
in Manchester was told yesterday how Southall had told police that
Clark’s husband Stephen should be investigated for murder and
their third child removed from his care.

Source: The Times, Tuesday 8 June page 1

Time limit for asylum appeals rejected

Plans to introduce a time limit for asylum seekers to appeal to the
High Court have been defeated in the House of Lords.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers last night rejected the
plan by 143 votes to 94 claiming it would not provide lawyers with
sufficient time to prepare a legal case.

Under the proposals, asylum seekers would have had just five days
to appeal to the High Court against tribunals’ decisions to
refuse them the right to remain in the country.

Source: The Times, Tuesday 8 June page 2

Jobcentre strikes

Thousands of benefit office and Jobcentre workers are set to strike
in a row over pay.

Delegates at a national conference of the Public and Commercial
Services Union yesterday backed two days of walkouts which are
expected to be held at the end of the month.

Source: The Times, Tuesday 8 June, page 9

Green light for overhaul of prostitution laws

Men who pay prostitutes for sex could face tough prison sentences
under the biggest overhaul of prostitution laws for 50 years.

Ministers are looking to create an escape route for women out of
prostitution by creating tolerance zones where prostitutes can be
offered financial advice and careers counselling.

One of the proposals is to follow the lead of Sweden where men can
be imprisoned for up to six months if they are caught paying for
sex. Currently it is not illegal.

Source: Independent, Tuesday 8 June page 1

Brown to axe 80,000 public sector jobs

More than 80,000 public sector jobs are likely to be axed by
chancellor Gordon Brown when he unveils his review of public
spending this summer.

At the same time, a number of organisations aimed at helping
central and local government merge support functions such as
billing and paying services will be established. Procurement will
also be bought together across the wider public sector in health,
education local government and the police.

Source: Financial Times, Tuesday 8 June page 3

State school ‘must do better’ for Muslims

Institutional racism is preventing local authorities from approving
more Muslim state schools despite an obvious need, according to a
policy document compiled by Muslim academics and educationalists to
be launched tomorrow.

The study claims the British state education system is failing to
meet the needs of Muslim pupils and their parents, and calls for
non-Muslim schools to better adapt to their communities’
needs.

Source: The Guardian Thursday 8 June, page 4

Family seeks stiffer sentence

The mother and family of a child swung by the leg have launched a
campaign to increase the sentence of Jamie Thompson, who was last
month given a rehabilitation order for child cruelty.

Source: The Guardian, Thursday 8 June, page 8

Jail for theft of Carr papers

A drug user who broke into the car of a civil servant and stole
secret papers about the release of Maxine Carr, the former partner
of the Soham murdered Ian Huntley, was jailed for 16 weeks
yesterday and given an anti-social behaviour order banning him
indefinitely from the Hampstead area in north London.

The court heard that Darren Jacobs had “an excessive
interesting motor vehicles” and 26 previous convictions
dating back to 1987.

Source: The Guardian, Thursday 8 June, page 8

Scottish newspapers

Executive still in chaos over slopping out

Ministers have yet to secure a court hearing for their appeal
against a ruling that forcing prisoners to “slop out”
is breaching their human rights, it emerged last night.

The Scottish executive had said its lawyers were due to appear at
the Court of Session in Edinburgh today after they missed the
deadline to appeal against the court ruling. But an executive
spokesperson confirmed yesterday that the hearing would not take
place until later this week. Appeal papers should have been lodged
within 21 days of the original decision.

Lord Bonomy last month awarded Robert Napier £2,450 in
compensation after he ruled that his human rights were breached
when he was forced to slop out during his sentence at Barlinnie
prison.

Source: The Scotsman, Tuesday 8 June

College for deaf set to go west in three
years

Donaldson’s college for deaf children could be transferred to
a new building in Linlithgow within three years, it emerged
yesterday.

Planning application for a site in the West Lothian town is likely
to be submitted to the local authority within the next
fortnight.

The school trustees have been searching for a new site for the
institute after agreeing to sell its current home to developers in
a £15 million deal last year.

Source: Evening News, Monday 7 June

Welsh papers

Family ‘had to move to save daughter’

A family from Aberystwyth claim they have had to move to England
because their daughter required treatment for anorexia.

Kirsty Thomas had to move from her hometown when she was just
12-years old in order to receive life-saving treatment at a
specialist clinic in London.

Commenting on the case, Welsh assembly health minister, Jane Hutt
said that it was unfortunate that families could not get local care
but that work was going on with health Commission Wales to improve
the situation.

Source: Western Mail, Tuesday 8 July, page 7