Friday 8 October 2004

By Clare Jerrom, Sally Gillen and Lauren Revans

Charlotte must be allowed to die

A High Court judge ruled last night that a desperately ill baby
should be left to die the next time she stops breathing.

Mr Justice Hedley said it was in Charlotte Wyatt’s best
interests not to be artificially resuscitated when her condition
next deteriorates.

The 11-month-old baby has chronic respiratory and kidney problems,
coupled with profound brain damage that has left her blind, deaf
and incapable of voluntary movement or response.

The baby’s parents Debbie and Darren Wyatt clung to each
other tearfully as they heard they had lost the fight to save their
daughter’s life.

Source:- The Times  Friday 8 October page 1

Judge seeks to curb ‘human rights’ appeals by
hooligans

A court of appeal judge expressed dismay yesterday at the
length of time it took to end a reign of terror by a gang of youths
on two council estates.

Following a five-week court hearing, there was a further three week
hearing when six members of Press Road Crew appealed against
antisocial behaviour orders. There were two further days of
argument in the Court of Appeal after three of the youths claimed
that naming and shaming them breached their human rights.

The legal bill will exceed £250,000 and Lord Justice Kennedy
called for strict time limits of asbo cases to prevent the legal
process being abused.

Source:- The Times  Friday 8 October page 6

Fathers want mothers at home

Most men embarking on fatherhood want their partners to stay at
home following the birth of their child, a survey has found.

The survey by Pregnancy and Birth magazine revealed that more than
half of new mothers return to work and a vast increase in
men’s involvement with their children has left them confused
about their role.

Source:- The Times  Friday 8 October page 12

Crying a factor in child abuse, say researchers

Almost six per cent of parents admit to shaking, smothering or
slapping a baby under six months old because of its crying,
according to a report published in ‘The Lancet’.

The authors called on doctors to be aware that “excessive
crying” was a risk factor for abuse.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Friday 8 October page 2

Asylum seekers targeted in TB screening crackdown

Asylum seekers, drug users and prisoners will be targeted under
measures to curb the rise of tuberculosis in England.

The action plan published by the Department of Health does not
introduce compulsory screening at airports, but will tighten
existing measures and introduce new ways of detecting people with
TB.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Friday 8 October page 14

Blair tries to prove he’s still in charge with
‘war on welfare’

Prime minister Tony Blair is launching a ‘war on
welfare’ in an attempt to fend off criticisms that his
political career is over.

Two Labour-supporting think-tanks – the Institute for Public
Policy Research and Demos – were asked to host an event on
Monday to rustle up an audience with just three days’
notice.

The centerpiece of the expected speech will be a four-year plan to
put strict time limits on the payment of incapacity benefit, which,
along with sickness benefit, costs the taxpayer £7.7 billion a
year.

Source:- Daily Mail Friday 8 October 2004 page 3

The four-year tearaway

A teenage tearaway was put up in a four-star hotel because there
was no space for him in a secure childen’s home.

The 15-year-old, who has a string of convictions for burglary and
violence, had been bailed into the care of Northumberland social
services. After failing to find a home for the boy, who had escaped
from care in the past, social workers decided on the hotel.
Northumberland county council said the hotel was the cheapest
available and stressed the boy was supervised.

Source:- Daily Mail  Friday 8 October page 13

Scottish newspapers

Priest ‘failed to see need to check abuse claims’

A lawyer recruited by Scotland’s Catholic Church to help
eradicate child abuse has quit her post after accusing senior
clergy of failing to understand the importance of investigating sex
allegations.

May Dunsmuir was appointed the Catholic Church’s first
national director of child protection in December, but resigned
four months later.

It has emerged that she left the role after producing a report that
claimed a number of Scots dioceses had no child protection
provisions and there were inconsistencies in how different bishops
responded to abuse allegations against priests.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 8 October

McConnell warns local authorities over raising taxes

First minister Jack McConnell has warned councils that they risked
being capped if they raised taxes too high.

MSPs were told that local authorities should not raise council tax
bills by more than 2.5 per cent a year for the next three years.
Councils had been given enough money to provide services without
raising bills, he added.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 8 October

Arrested immigrants go back to work

Fifty immigrants arrested as part of a crackdown against illegal
gang masters were yesterday back at work on farms across
Scotland.

As only four of the immigrants are from outside the EU, the rest of
the group have been released by Home Office officials pending
further questioning.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 8 October

Reliance gets go-ahead at city courts

Escort firm Reliance has been given the go-ahead to start work in
Edinburgh today despite fears about risks to the public’s
safety.

The private company has been cleared to begin work at Saughton
prison and courts across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Reliance has been blamed for releasing at least 18 offenders by
mistake across Scotland and the SNP has criticised the move
claiming the risk to public safety was too great to take.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 7 October

Sex industry streets ‘no-go for women’

One of the busiest parts of the capital has been transformed into a
“no-go area” for women by sex businesses, it was
claimed today.

Customers at strip clubs, saunas and sex shops have been harassing
and intimidating residents and female workers leaving many women
too scared to walk in the area, two city councillors representing
Tollcross and Lothian Road areas have claimed.

Labour politicians Chris Wigglesworth and Lorna Shiels have spoken
out as Edinburgh Council is set up discuss plans for the
capitals’ sixth licensed sex shop.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 7 October

Fears cash will lure staff from city

The care crisis in the capital could be exacerbated by social
workers being offered golden hello payments of £2,400 to work
elsewhere.

Midlothian Council is set to introduce the payments in a bid to
attract staff and beat a shortage of social workers.

However, union chefs raised fears that the golden hellos would
effectively mean Midlothian could poach staff from Edinburgh
Council whose social work department has been particularly hit by
staffing problems following the damning report into the death of
Caleb Ness.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 7 October

Capital idea for disabled youngsters

Issues affecting disabled children were discussed by
experts from across Europe in the capital today.

Around 500 professionals attended the European Academy of Childhood
Disability conference at Edinburgh University to look at how
professionals can offer disabled children the most effective
help.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 7 October

Welsh digest

Pupils tell how school bullies tormented suicide
teenager

A schoolboy was found hanged in his home just hours after he had
been bullied by a gang as he walked to school, an inquest heard
yesterday.

Jamie Sell, who committed suicide four days before his 18th
birthday, was found by his mother as she came home from work in
September last year.

A school friend told the inquest that Jamie had been confronted by
three bullies on his way to Cantonian High School earlier that
day.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 8 October page 13

Kids’ gyms to change fattitudes

Miniature gyms aimed at encouraging children to get fit with their
parents are opening in Wales in a bid to tackle obesity among
children.

Childhood obesity has almost doubled since the mid-1980s, and there
are calls for children’s gyms to be developed across the
nation.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 8 October, page 15

Youth scalded mother

A teenager who threw boiling water in his mother’s face after
she refused demands for money was sentenced to 16 months in a young
offender institution yesterday.

Wayne Madley, now 18, admitted causing actual bodily harm.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 8 October, page 17