Thursday 10 June 2004

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

Doctors irate over report on child’s death

MPs came under fire for failing to ask crucial questions about the
death of an overweight three-year-old girl before they used her to
illustrate the obesity crisis sweeping Britain.

Sheila McKenzie, a specialist in children’s breathing
problems, had written to the committee more than a year earlier
highlighting the number of children coming to her with sleep
apnoea, a condition where the patient stops breathing because of
pressure on the windpipe.

The girl’s condition was genetic.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 10 June page 5

Prostitutes to have exit strategy but not tolerance
zone

Prostitutes are being offered drug and alcohol rehabilitation,
housing, and basic skills training, while the men who pay for their
services are heavily fined.

The Home Office has rejected plans to include tolerance or managed
zones for sex workers in the biggest overhaul of the prostitution
laws since the 1950s.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 10 June page 6

Immigration ‘six times’ more than official
figure

Home Office officials have revealed that immigration could be
running at six times higher than the official figures.

Robert Owen was giving evidence in the trial at Swansea Crown Court
of three Chinese people accused of people trafficking on behalf of
snakehead gangs.

Owen, who is seconded to the National Criminal Intelligence
Service, also said there were no serious removal arrangements to
send asylum seekers back to China.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 10 June page 1

New health target halves NHS waiting time

The government is planning to cut NHS waiting times to a total of
four and a half months and cut emergency admissions to hospital,
according to leaked Treasury papers.

A final Treasury draft shows eight target proposals from the
Department of Health for the government’s comprehensive
spending review due next month.

The document shows a move away from hospital-based targets to those
in the community.

It calls for more effective care from GPs and community health
staff for those suffering chronic illness.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 10 June  page
6

‘Witness told by Maxine’s mother: Watch your
back’

Maxine Carr’s mother is alleged to have told a prosecution
witness that she would be ‘dead’ if she gave evidence
in court after finding out what was in her statement, Sheffield
Crown Court heard yesterday.

Shirley Capp is alleged to have made the comments to her next door
neighbour Marion Westerman. Capp said that there were things in the
statement that mad her ‘feel very angry’.

Capp denies a charge of intimidating a witness.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 10 June page 17

Nanny Hodge targets soaps

Children’s minister Margaret Hodge wants a clamp down on the
negative portrayal of young people in soap operas.

Hodge said that a children’s commissioner, due to be
appointed next year, would have the power to investigate negative
images.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 10 June  page 35

Police to patrol internet chatrooms

Police officers are set to patrol internet chatrooms as part of an
international operation to identify paedophiles.

Officers from different countries are set to use a symbol to let
users know that they are present.

The National Crime Squad also announced plans to work with credit
card companies to crack down on pay-per-view services.

Source:- The Independent Thursday 10 June page 22

Scottish newspapers

Anger over pay issue in nurseries review

The nursery nurses’ dispute continued last night when
employers welcomed a review on the issue, but said it must not
concentrate on pay.

Councillor Ewan Aitken, education spokesperson of the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities, insisted the focus of the executive
review should be on service delivery and not on pay and
conditions.

However, Joe Di Paola of public sector union Unison, said the
employers’ response was a disgraceful piece of spin.
Education minister Peter Peacock yesterday announced the one-year
review of all sectors from private playgroups to state school
nurseries.

Source:- The Herald  Thursday 10 June

Slop-out appeal allowed despite blunder

The Scottish executive was given more time to appeal against the
slopping-out case after it missed the deadline to lodge its
claim.

Lawyers representing the executive were forced to apologise to the
Court of Session for failing to lodge the proper legal papers on
time.

The executive had 21 days to challenge Lord Bonomy’s ruling
that forcing prisoners to slop-out on Scotland’s jails was a
breach of human rights.

Lord Cullen yesterday described the failure to meet the deadline as
“most unfortunate” but accepted it was an
administrative error and ruled that the court could use its
discretion to allow the appeal to go-ahead.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 10 June

Wanted: the 5,000 criminals on the run

Twelve suspected murderers and five men believed to be rapists are
among 5,000 people wanted by Strathclyde police.

Scottish executive statistics showed there were 5,327 warrants
outstanding and whereas most were for minor offences, around 100
were for serious crimes.

An executive spokesperson stressed that the figures did not mean
there were 12 suspected murderers in Glasgow as some may well have
skipped the country.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 10 June

Chatroom pervert in sex attack on girl, 13

A sex offender molested a 13-year-old girl after grooming
her on an internet chatroom.

Guy Evans picked up the teenager after arranging to meet her in
Musselburgh before driving her to a lay-by on a busy road and
abusing her.

When police tracked Evans down, they discovered he had a hoard of
child pornography on his computer, including images of babies being
abused.

Evans admitted using indecent practices and behaviour towards the
girl in February last year when he appeared at the High Court in
Edinburgh.

Source:- Evening News  Wednesday 9 June

Police plea to shop the drug dealers

Police are recruiting thousands of residents to act as informants
to track the activities of drug dealers in a new crime blitz.

Every home in East Lothian will be provided with a leaflet that
will urge people to log suspicious names and addresses and record
car registration numbers.

If the three-month campaign is successful, it could be rolled out
to other areas of the region.

Source:- Evening News  Wednesday 9 June

Welsh newspapers

Outrage as ‘best’ warder loses sex bias case

A row has broken out after a prison officer had a sex
discrimination claim dismissed, even though her managers had
stopped her getting a promotion.

While accepting that Caroline Jones was not promoted at Parc
Prison, Bridgend in spite of being the highest scoring candidate,
an employment tribunal dismissed her case because she had not
brought it within the three- month time frame.

Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan said that the case sent out a very
confusing message.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 1

Hain fails to back Hutt on health

Welsh secretary Peter Hain failed to back Welsh assembly health and
social services minister, Jane Hutt, when he was forced to defend
Labour’s record on health against a Conservative
attack.

The Tories used Welsh questions to criticise rising waiting lists
in Wales, ahead of today’s European and local elections.
During his replies Hain notably failed to answer whether or not he
believed Hutt was doing a good job.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 5

Assembly praised for pioneering work in eye care

The Welsh assembly has been praised for pioneering work to give
patients with eye conditions faster and better access to
care.

First minister Rhodri Morgan and health minister, Jane Hutt, have
been presented with the Award for the Advancement of Optometry by
the Association of Optometrists.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 June page 5