Monday 26 July 2004

By Alex Dobson, Clare Jerrom and Shirley
Kumar

Fathers’ appeal

Father 4 Justice has held talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair.
They asked him how he would feel if his wife stopped him seeing his
four children.

Source:- The Times, July 24, page 4

Girl, 3, rescued from Bulgarian kidnappers

Mother, Gail Williams told of her horror as her three-year-old was
kidnapped during a family holiday in Bulgaria.
Local people rescued the child, Sian.

Source:- The Times, July 24, page 6

My life is over, says man accused of killing son

A father accused of slashing his son’s throat, broke down as
he gave evidence in Carlisle Crown Court.

Shahajan Kabir, an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh accepted
10-month-old Hassan Martin was dead but could not remember how or
whether he killed him.

Source:- The Times, July 24, page 7

Battle of the sexes moves on

The government is investing £3m in a Cambridge University
study to find out how unequal the lives of women and men are
today.

Jackie Scott, a fellow at Queen’s College, Cambridge said the
study will move away from women’s rights to focus on
men’s issues as well.

Source:- The Times, July 24, page 9

Princess Michael reignites racism debate

Princess Michael of Kent was accused of more racism after using the
phrase half castes and claimed credit for having once travelled on
an African bus.

The wife of the Queen’s first cousin is also defending
herself against a similar allegation made two months ago.

Source:- The Times, July 24, page 15

Neighbour stabbed to death over daughter’s loud
music

A single mother was fatally stabbed by her next-door neighbour when
the two women argued over her 15-year-old daughter’s loud
music.

The confrontation between the two women was the culmination of a
two-month dispute between the neighbouring families, Lewes Crown
Court heard.

Derekis, a mother of two, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of
diminished responsibility after stabbing Nicola Gatland.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, July 24, page 6

Asylum-seekers say officers left them to die in
blaze

Asylum seekers tell of their experiences of being left to die
during a blaze at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

Source:- The Independent, July 24, page 23

Seven years for car thief who turned into a
killer

A teenager who killed a holidaymaker after snatching a car was
given seven and a half years sentence.

David Taylor, 17, already had 20 previous convictions when he ran
over Michael Howard, a father of three, after stealing his car at
an airport terminal.

Source:- The Daily Mail, July 24, page 42

Children to get jabs against drug addiction

Ministers are considering a radical scheme to vaccinate children
against future drug addiction.

Pharmaceutical companies are currently developing immunisations
that would nullify the affects of cocaine and heroin

Source:- The Independent on Sunday, July 25, page 1

Patients are denied the last rites under data protection
laws

Thousands of terminally ill patients are denied access to spiritual
guidance from hospital chaplains because NHS trusts refuse to
disclose religious backgrounds of patients under the Data
Protection Act.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph, July 25, page 2

Parents arrested

A British couple has been arrested in Spain after allegedly
abandoning their seven-week-old son Hayden on a landing in the
apartment block where they live in Costa.

The baby, belonging to Nicholas Brown and Nicola Wren, has been
taken into care.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph, July 25, page 2

Teenagers in court over ‘scythe killing’

Sheffield magistrates has remanded a 15 year-old girl and two
youths aged 17-years after they were charged with the murder of
Terry Lee Hurst, aged 17.

Police believe he was hacked to death by a scythe near Bolsterstone
reservoir in Stocksbridge.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph, July 25, page 2

I’m not living a life of luxury, says Carr in attack on press
coverage

Maxine Carr, former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley has
hit back at reports she has been living a pampered lifestyle since
her release from prison in May.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph, July 25, page 4

State ‘will offer home loans for pensioners’

Pensioners who have paid off their mortgage will be allowed to
supplement their income by borrowing up to 40 per cent of the
property value in return for a weekly payment under new government
plans.

The plans will be managed by councils and housing
associations.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph, July 25, page 4

Ministers drop HIV test plan

Plans to introduce a compulsory HIV test for immigrants applying to
come to Britain has been dropped by ministers who fear it will lead
to more illegal immigration and drive the disease
underground.

Ministers also argued the move would be inherently racist as it
would mostly target Africans or countries with the highest rates of
the disease.

Source:- The Observer, July 25, page 4

Review warns of more wrongful cot death convictions

Around 24 parents may have been wrongly convicted of killing their
babies, revealed the Attorney General.

In almost one in eight cases checked by Lord Goldsmith, the
conviction has been judged potentially unsafe, including six women
in prison for infanticide and two locked up in psychiatric
hospitals.

Source:- The Observer, July 25, page 4

Parents to pick up child care bill

Free nursery places for under fives are under threat due to a
funding shortfall which has left many nurseries running at a
loss.

The National Daycare Nurseries Association said the government
grant paid to nurseries to offer the free places no longer covers
the real cost of providing them.

Source:- The Observer, July 25, page 7

Schools fail to hold back surge of sexual diseases

As the Chief Medical Officer sees a big jump in STDs, British
teenagers want more emphasis on emotions.
Sex health crisis: special report.

Source:- The Observer, July 25, page 11

Inside the asylum riot nightmare

Tension and paranoia at Harmondsworth detention centre erupted in
mass violence last week as false rumours spread that staff had
murdered a man of 31. Now detainees are telling of the months of
misery that drove them to rebel.

Source:- The Observer, July 25, page 12

All children go on ‘big brother’ computer

A national database containing confidential details about every
child (13.5m) in Britain under the age of 18 is to be set-up by the
government.

Parents will receive letters informing them of the plan which will
be added to the Children’s Bill in the autumn.

Source:- The Sunday Times, July 25, page 1

Trevor McDonald tells anti-British migrants to keep out

Sir Trevor McDonald told immigrants who don’t like British
values to keep out.

He said if they didn’t want to integrate then why bother
coming here? The remarks follow growing concern about a minority of
British Muslims who are shunning western values and turning to
extremist attitudes.

Source:- The Sunday Times, July 25, page 7

Paternity leave taken by only fifth of fathers

Around one-fifth of working fathers have taken up their right to
paid paternity leave.

The estimates by the Inland Revenue is a fraction of the
government’s initial forecast when in April 2003 new fathers
won the right to two-weeks paid leave.

Source:- The Financial Times, July 26, page 4

Prison workers win claim for equal pay

An employment tribunal has overturned 2,000 equal pay cases brought
by administrative and managerial prison workers.

The tribunal concluded the workers deserved the same pay as prison
officers and governors.

Source:- The Financial Times, July 26, page 4

90% of staff should choose age to retire

Nine out of 10 Britons believe older people should choose when they
retire, revealed ICM Research.

The poll commissioned by Age Concern was a response to the
CBI’s call for a long-term rise in the state pension to 70 by
2030.

Source:- The Financial Times, July 26, page 4

Extremist Muslim group calls off London rally

A Muslim group accused of spreading extremist views called off its
rally in London on Sunday amid fears of violence and threats of
prosecution from Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Source:- The Independent, July 26, page 7

Nurse poaching rules eased

Foundation hospitals in England are exempt from NHS rules banning
them from recruiting nurses and medical staff from developing
countries, reveals a confidential Department of Health
document.

The draft code of practice says foundation hospitals will be
treated like private hospitals and invited to adopt ethical
recruitment policies.

Source:- The Guardian, July 26, page 4

Parents spend £1.9bn on holiday activities

Parents will spend £1.9bn on keeping children entertained
during the summer holidays.

A poll of 1,662 adults found the cost of sporting activities, meals
and days out could cost more than £250 per family.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, July 26, page 5

Watchdog calls in charities to explain losses of
£800,000

The Charity Commission is investigating how several charities lost
£800,000 following the collapse of a series of fundraising
companies.

The commission intervened after the collapse of Fruitfall
Fundraising group.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, July 24, page 6

Check on carers

The Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme will operate in a
similar way to police checks on those wishing to work with children
to ensure vulnerable adults are protected from abuse.

Source:- The Times, July 26, page 4

Milly’s parents open up

The parents of Milly Dowler have revealed their worry of when their
other daughter goes out.

The father of the murdered school girl told how the work with the
Milly’s Fund has helped them cope with their grief.

Source:- The Times, July 26, page 8

Scottish newspapers

Syndrome to go on trial with woman accused of baby’s
murder

A woman has appeared in court charged with murdering a baby girl 22
years ago.

Jennifer Liehne is also accused of the unnecessary hospitalisation
of another child over a nine-year period by pretending that the
child was ill.

The case is likely to involve evidence about Munchausen’s
Syndrome By Proxy and whether it is a recognised medical
condition.

Source: The Scotsman, Saturday 24 July

Jodi’s boyfriend, now 16, can be named as
suspect

The boyfriend of murdered school-girl Jodi Jones had been
identified as the suspect accused of murdering her.

Luke Mitchell is due to stand trial next week and a preliminary
hearing has been arranged this week at the High Court in
Edinburgh.

The boy had been protected from being identified as he was classed
by the law as a child when he was arrested in April and appeared at
a private hearing in Edinburgh. However, now he has turned 16, the
media is no longer banned from publishing his identity.

Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 24 July

Fury grows after Dungavel suicide

An asylum seeker has committed suicide at Dungavel detention centre
in Lanarkshire.

The 23-year-old man was found in the former prison on Friday after
hanging himself and he later died.

The man is believed to be one of 30 asylum seekers sent to Dungavel
from Harmondsworth detention centre in London, which was forced to
close following riots last week.

His death has raised fears of further violence at this centre as
the violence at Harmondsworth followed the suspected suicide of
another asylum seeker.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 25 July

Firms ‘oblivious’ to fines risk

Three quarters of Scotland’s businesses are facing
five-figure fines when new disability legislation comes into force
later this year.

Despite having nine years to prepare for the introduction of the
revised Disability Discrimination Act, Scottish companies seem
oblivious to the new rules, according to a leading
consultancy.

Glasgow-based Capita Symonds said only a fraction of firms had done
any work to implement the new rules.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 25 July

Hotline ‘will not deliver instant
results’

The Scottish executive is set to launch an antisocial behaviour
hotline amid fears that the legislation is widely misunderstood by
the public.

The Antisocial Behaviour Bill is likely to receive royal assent
this week, but senior police officers have warned of the gulf
between public perceptions of the laws and what they will
deliver.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 26 July

Abuse allegation at care centre

A second care school for children is under investigation following
allegations of abuse by staff, according to police.

Officers at Strathclyde police are probing claims that pupils at
Kibble education and care centre at Paisley were physically
abused.

A similar investigation was lunched two months ago at Kerelaw
School in Ayrshire.

Source:- The Herald  Monday 26 July

Welsh newspapers

Sick village urged to lobby Rhodri

People living in the village dubbed as the sickest in England and
Wales have been urged to write to the Welsh assembly’s First
Minister, Rhodri Morgan in a bid to improve their health.

The plight of the community living in Croeserw in the south Wales
valleys is to be raised at the next meeting of the Neath Port
Talbot local health board.

Source Western Mail Monday 26 July page 1

Superbug killed 10 at Welsh hospital, says
MP

A Welsh hospital has been named as one of the worst in England
and Wales for MRSA superbug deaths.

Ten people died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in 2002 from the
antibiotic-resistant superbug and the death toll puts the north
Wales hospital sixth in the top ten superbug killer league.

Source Western Mail Monday 26 July page 2