Monday 4 October 2004

By Amy Taylor and Clare Jerrom

Choir chief ‘groomed young boys for sex’

A choir chief was jailed at Guilford crown Court for eight years
yesterday for a series of sex attacks on young boys.

Mark Peterson, who was employed at St Paul’s and Guilford
cathedral, groomed three boys aged 12-14 during private singing and
music lessons and on camping trips over a seven-year period.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 2 October page
14

Jail for traffickers who brought children into UK

Two people traffickers who pretended to be the parents of three
children in order to smuggle them to the UK were jailed for a total
of three years yesterday.

Johar Shah and Alia Kanwal, both from Pakistan, brought in a
12-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and seven to Heathrow
Airport.

When they got past immigration the youngest child was given to
relatives and the two others were handed over to unidentified
people waiting in the car part.

The operation was uncovered when the youngest girl was found
wandering around Heathrow.

Source:- The Guardian Saturday 2 October page 6

Well off will pay more for childcare

All day childcare will be means tested under a flagship Labour
policy announced by Tony Blair at the annual party conference last
week.

The scheme would provide “universal, high quality, flexible
and affordable childcare” for all children aged 3-14. The
care would be based around schools and available from
8am-6pm.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 3 October page
2

Diana Fund faces £15m US lawsuit

A company making royal memorabilia has won the right to sue the
Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund for almost £15
million.

Franklin Mint are suing the fund after its failed legal claim to
stop the mint producing Diana dolls.

The ruling has caused the freezing of all the charities assets for
more than a year.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 3 October page
5

Taxman in secret moves to replace ‘failing’
CSA

The Inland Revenue is set to take over from the poor performing
child support agency.

The agency fails to collect money in one in four cases. It is hoped
that fathers will find it more difficult to dodge the
revenue.

Source:- The Mail on Sunday Sunday 3 October page 13

Refuges needed to curb sex trafficking

More refuges are needed for women who are trafficked to the UK and
forced to work as prostitutes in order to tackle the problem,
campaigners have warned.

The Poppy Project in London, which looks after up to 25 former
prostitutes trafficked into the UK, warns that its accommodation is
full and that there needs to be a network of refuges across the UK
in order to stem the trade.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 3 October page 8

Trial to trigger new law on early babies

An ethical body made up of leading doctors and academics is to look
at whether technology should be used to prolong the lives of
desperately ill premature babies.

The Nuffield Council’s investigation comes after the parents
of a critically ill premature baby, Debbie and Darren Wyatt, raised
a number of concerns.

The couple are waiting for a High Court Ruling on whether doctors
will be allowed not to resuscitate their 11-moth old daughter
Charlotte if she stops breathing again.

Source:- The Sunday Times Sunday 3 October page 10

Blair demands deep cut in inspections

Inspections of schools, hospitals, local government,
police and other bodies could be reduced by up to 50 per vent as
part of an efficiency drive launched by Tony Blair.

The aim is part of the implementation of the Gershon review and
follows an explosion of inspection of public and private bodies
under Labour.

Source:- Financial Times  Monday 4 October page 4

Blunkett refugee plan misfires

A Home Office scheme to resettle some of Africa’s most
vulnerable refugees in Britain has not been successful as local
authorities have been reluctant to take them.

Just 69 out of an expected 500 people nominated by the UN have
arrived in the UK since the scheme was announced last year.

The only local authority involved is Sheffield Council which David
Blunkett, who announced the scheme, used to lead.

Source:- The Guardian  Monday 4 October page 6

Addicts’ plea as doctors face GMC

The General Medical Council is due to resume its hearing today into
charges of professional misconduct against doctors writing
prescriptions at a leading private drug clinic.

In the hearing, NHS officials and the Home Office will be against
the seven doctors from the Stapleford centre, including its founder
Colin Brewer.

The clinic in London cares for more than 200 addicts and if the
charges are proven, it is likely to close.

Source:- The Guardian  Monday 4 October page 10

Gaps in care cost £7bn, says charity

Britain is facing bills of more than £7 billion a year because
of a lack of joined up services in health and social care,
according to the social care charity Turning Point.

People with multiple needs including mental health problems,
substance misuse problems and learning difficulties can rarely get
help to tackle them in a concerted way and often they did not get
help until crisis point.

Failure to help people get their lives together has led to
increased homelessness unemployment and welfare payments for
incapacity benefits.

Source:- The Guardian  Monday 4 October page 10

Death toll among asylum seekers highlighted

At least 90 people have died attempting to reach the UK illegally
as stowaways in the past 15 years, according to a report.

The study published by the Institute for Race Relations said the 90
are among 180 asylum seekers and undocumented migrants known to
have died unnecessarily in the UK or trying to reach it.

Source:- The Guardian  Monday 4 October page 12

Warning on migrants ‘vindicated’

There will be an increase of six million people to the population
over the next three decades as a result of immigration, according
to new figures.

The estimate is made by Migrationwatch UK and based on forecasts
from the government.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Monday 4 October page 2

They call us daddy, say gays who adopted three

A gay couple are believed to be the first in Britain to have
adopted three youngsters at once.

The men, known just as Chris and Mark to protect the children, used
a legal loophole to adopt the three children who are from the same
family.

The Adoption Act 1976 prevents unmarried couples from adopting but
single people can adopt regardless of their sexuality. Mark went
through the process as a single man and Chris obtained a
‘permanent residence order’ meaning he can live in the
family home and have almost full parenting rights overt the
children.

Source:- Daily Mail  Monday 4 October page 23

Scottish newspapers

Clean needles for released addicts

A needle exchange scheme for addicts who are taken into custody has
been established by Grampian police force.

Drug users arrested at police stations across the north east will
be issued with clean injecting equipment when they are released in
a bid to prevent them sharing dirty needles.

Source:- The Scotsman  Saturday 2 October

Education chiefs unveil youngsters’ health plan

A three-year health strategy aimed at improving the health and
wellbeing of Edinburgh’s children and young people has been
unveiled by education chiefs.

The strategy, which is designed to help young people grow up in a
healthier school environment, was launched at Craigmount High
School yesterday.

Source:- Evening News  Saturday 2 October

Extra day centre facilities in store

Day centre places for people with learning difficulties in West
Lothian are to increase.

West Lothian Council’s health and care committee has agreed
to expand places to meet the expected needs of the community for
the next five to 10 years.

Source:- Evening News  Saturday 2 October

McConnell’s anti-bigotry lessons for
3-year-olds

Sectarian hatred in Scotland is to be tackled in schools and
nurseries as children as young as three will receive lessons on the
horror of religious intolerance.

Lessons where children will be told to respect the differences
between faiths will begin in five pilot areas next week.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 3 October

Reliance court short as half of jobs unfilled

Reliance security firm has just half the staff it needs to escort
Scotland’s prisoners safely, it has emerged.

UK managing director Tom Riall has admitted that despite the fact
the firm will shortly be in charge of 80 per cent of prisoner
escorts in Scotland, it is still 300 staff short.

The firm is expected to cover the whole of Scotland by
January.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 3 October

Conti attacks ‘raw sewage’ of ned crime

The “raw sewage of antisocial behaviour” has been
condemned by the leader of Scotland’s largest Catholic
community.

Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, said low level crime had a
“deadening grip” in Scottish towns and priests
regularly complain they cannot persuade parishioners to attend
events in the evenings as they are afraid to leave their
house.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday  Sunday 3 October

Conservatives: First Minister is stoking ‘race
hate’

The shadow secretary of state for Scotland Peter Duncan has branded
first minister Jack McConnell a “despicable” politician
guilty of stoking “racial hatred”.

The Conservative’s sole Scottish MP slammed the
executive’s plan to attract an extra 800 immigrants north of
the border every year and said a Tory government would scrap the
scheme in favour of UK-wide immigration limits.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 3 October

Expert: ‘drug addiction no worse than hunger
pangs’

Withdrawal from drug addiction is no worse than hunger pangs, a
leading British expert will tell a conference this week.

Psychologist Joseph Griffin believes he has developed a new way of
tackling addiction by changing the way addicts think.

He claimed that 90 per cent of discomfort is caused by our minds
and when that is dealt with, the feeling is no worse than a hunger
pang.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 3 October

Prisoners take legal action over segregation

A group of prisoners are aiming to sue the Scottish executive
claiming that being placed in segregation units has breached their
human rights.

Lawyers for the inmates claim the Scottish executive was fully
aware of problems in the units but have failed to act.

Clive Fairweather, the former chief inspector of prison, is among
the witnesses who will be called to give evidence against the
executive at the Court of Session this month.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 4 October

Welsh papers

Laura’s parents repeat concerns about bullying at
comprehensive

The parents of Laura Rhodes who killed herself after being bullied
at school have reiterated their concerns about the way she was
treated.

They spoke out again after pupils at Cefn Saeson comprehensive
School in Neath issued a statement saying that the image of the
school portrayed in the media since Laura had died was
“false”.

Source:- The Western Mail Saturday 2 October page 2

Ex-matron denies killing resident, 95

A former matron of a nursing home denied the manslaughter of a
95-year-od resident in court yesterday.

Avola Mair Humphreys, of Rhydymain, near Dolgellau, in Gwynedd,
also denied three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and
four of common assault. These claims involve two men and two
women.

She was remanded on conditional bail at Caernarfon Crown Court and
her trial is likely to be heard next February.

Source:- The Western Mail Saturday 2 October page 3

Disabled bank customers left out in the cold by council
ruling

A bank has been forced to serve disabled customers outside due to
being denied planning permission to erect a ramp.

The NatWest branch in Machynlleht, Mid Wales, has been told by the
council that it cannot put a ramp in to replace steps as it would
narrow the pavement causing problems for pedestrians.

From October 1 all businesses and public bodies are legally
required to be accessible to disabled people.

Source:- The Western Mail Saturday 2 October page 4

Man denies molesting girls

A 23-year-old man denied five charges of molesting a five-year-old
girl at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday.

The man, from Barry, is charged with two counts of indecent
assault, two counts of gross indecency and one of attempted rape.
All the charges involve the same girl.

The trial date was set for December.

Source:- IC Wales Saturday 2 October

Smack-happy couples prompt fresh calls for a ban from
NSPCC

Three out of four parents have smacked their children, according to
new research by YouGov.

The survey of more than 600 parents also found that married parents
are twice as likely as single parents to smack their
children.

The findings have led to renewed calls for smacking to be made
illegal form children groups including the NSPCC and
Barnardo’s.

Source:- The Western Mail Monday 4 October page 2