Thursday 29 July 2004

By Alex Dobson, Shirley Kumar and Clare
Jerrom

Sex offenders register rises by 25 per cent

The number of registered sex offenders has risen 15 per cent in a
year, reveals Home Office data for England and Wales.

A total of 24,572 registered at the end of March this year,
compared with 21,413 in March 2003. West Yorkshire had the highest
count of registered sex offenders per capita.

Source:- The Independent, Thursday July 29, page 18

Illegal immigrant jailed for life for slitting son’s
throat

Illegal immigrant Shahajan Kabir was jailed for life yesterday for
murdering his 10-month-old son.

Kabir will serve a minimum of 13-years sentence for slitting the
baby’s throat in Greggs Bakery in Carlisle.

Source:- The Independent, Thursday July 29, page 21

Life for murder of Asian cellmate

Prisoner Peter McCann, 25-years, was jailed for life yesterday for
slitting the throat of his Asian cellmate because he spoke in
Urdu.

The case echoed the murder of Zahid Mubarek, an Asian teenager who
was put in a cell with a violent racist in Feltham young offenders
institute in 2000.

Source:- The Guardian, Thursday July 29, page 8

Parenting ‘has got worse since 70s’

Parenting skills have got worse since the 1970s as family life has
fragmented, warned the National Children’s Bureau.

All parents should have the chance to go to parenting classes not
just those in trouble, the charity told delegates at the
Professional Association of Teachers Conference in
Bournemouth.

Source:- The Guardian, Thursday July 29, page 8

Boy 10 gets behaviour order

Ruell White, a 10-year-old boy has been given a three-year
antisocial behaviour order at Bath magistrates after 32 incidents
in three months of threats to people.

Source:- The Guardian, Thursday July 29, page 10

Killing ‘incited by video game’

Parents of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah who was stabbed and beaten
with a hammer by another teenager blamed his murder on a video
game.

Warren Leblanc of Frith, Leicester, pleaded guilty to the murder
but Giselle Pakeerah said the murder mimicked the Manhunt video
game.

Source:- The Guardian, Thursday July 29, page 11

Boy hanged himself after row over mobile

A 12-year-old boy hung himself with his school tie after his
parents refused to buy him a mobile phone, an inquest heard.

John Broxham had argued with his parents before hanging himself
from his bunk bed. The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental
death.

Source:- The Times, Thursday July 29, page 5

Scottish newspapers

Emotional end for Airborne offenders’
project

The Airborne Initiative for young offenders officially closed
yesterday after the Scottish executive withdrew its funding earlier
this year.

Critics believe ministers were embarrassed by a fly-on-the-wall
documentary ‘Chancers’ of the “bootcamp”
which showed offenders absconding and taking drugs.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 29 July

CSA facing humans rights claim

The Child Support Agency is being taken to the European Court of
Human Rights by a father of two over claims that he pays more than
he should to support his daughter.

Mark Cook believes he is a victim of the agency’s transfer to
a new grading system which the CSA claims will make it more
efficient.

Cook contacted officials about his bill and was stunned to find he
paid almost £100 more per month than those within the new
system. He is now seeking a reimbursement for the amount he has
“over-paid”.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 29 July

Poor suffering

The poorest families in Scotland are struggling to feed their
children during the school holidays, according to a new
report.

Parents living on benefits suffer severe hardship during the
holiday period and have trouble providing nutritious meals, the
Barnardo’s report found.

Source:- The Scotsman  Thursday 29 July

Woman janitor’s equal pay win puts local
authorities on notice

Every local authority in Scotland will be forced to reconsider the
issue of equal pay after a female janitor won a ground breaking sex
discrimination battle.

Evelyn Imrie took legal action against Edinburgh Council after she
discovered she was being paid less than her male
counterparts.

The case was settled out of court after the council agreed to pay
Imrie £7,500 compensation and to give her the same terms and
conditions as her male counterparts.

Source:- The Scotsman   Wednesday 28 July

Campaign aims to keep disputes out of civil courts

A campaign to urge Scots to seek alternatives to court action to
resolve disputes was launched yesterday by the Scottish
executive.

Deputy justice minister Hugh Henry launched the 33-page guide which
aims to assist people who are in disagreement with neighbours,
relatives, organisations or companies.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 28 July

Scotland’s population timebomb

Scotland’s population will drop significantly over the next
40 years when one in six Scots will be over 75.

By 2042, the population north of the border will have fallen by
half a million while the population in England and Wales will have
risen by almost seven million, according to figures published by
the Office for National Statistics.

They highlight a demographic timebomb with fewer Scots working and
paying tax and more drawing pension and requiring healthcare.

Source:- The Herald  Thursday 29 July

Upsurge in new cases of HIV

New cases of HIV infection in Scotland have risen significantly to
the highest point since before the safe sex campaign during the
1980s.

The number of people diagnosed with the condition this year is on
track to exceed 300 for the second time ion history, according to a
report by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental
Health.

Source:- The Herald  Thursday 29 July

Race probe into BNP foster dad

A foster father could be banned form caring for children after
standing for a BNP council candidate.

Insiders at East Ayrshire fear Paul McKenzie will pass on the
party’s message of hate to vulnerable children in his care
and social workers are investigating his links to the extreme
right.

He denies being a racist and says he does not agree with all BNP
policies.

A council spokesperson said it was reassessing McKenzie’s
suitability as an approved carer and the matter would be considered
by the adoption and fostering panel.

Source:- Daily Record  Thursday 29 July page 7
 

Welsh newspapers

£2,000 bonus to be a social worker

A golden hello is being offered to all new social workers in
Blaenau Gwent in an effort to recruit and retain more staff.

The one-off payments will be made on condition that the recruits
including newly qualified social workers and returnees to the
profession stay with the council for a minimum of two years.

Source South Wales Argus Wednesday 28 July page 1

Patients shun Labour scheme

Hundreds of patients have shunned a flagship Labour policy designed
to reduce waiting lists because they are not prepared to travel to
an unfamiliar hospital for surgery.

In the three months since the Welsh assembly launched its second-
offer scheme to end the problem of patients waiting up to 18 months
for treatment, waiting lists have continued to rise. Health
minister, Jane Hutt said that some patients preferred to use local
hospitals rather than take advantage of the initiative.

Source Western Mail Thursday 29 July page 1

Government leaves Wales on the margins

The Westminster government has been heavily criticised by
members of the Welsh affairs committee, who say that the mindset
among UK ministers and civil servants is undermining devolution.
One area singled out for criticism is the way that
Children’s
minister, Margaret Hodge, handled the row over the way that the
powers of the Welsh children’s commissioner could be affected
by the appointment of an English counterpart.

Source Western Mail Thursday 29 July page 1