Tuesday 23 November 2004

By Amy Taylor, Shirley Kumar, and Maria
Ahmed

Salt poisoning trial delayed

A judge has ordered a new jury in the trial of foster parents
accused of killing a three-year-old boy.

Ian Gray, 37, and his wife, Angela, 38, of Halesowen , West
Midlands, deny murdering Christian Blewitt, a toddler who was in
their care for a trial period.

The child was admitted to hospital with salt poisoning and brain
injuries.

The judge at Worcester Crown Court made the order after one
juror said that he used to play football with a policeman involved
in the case.

Source:-The Times, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page 4

Government ignored jail warnings, hears racist murder
inquiry

The Home Office ignored serious concerns about a jail where
Asian teenager Zahid Mubarek was killed by Robert Stewart, his
racist cellmate, a public inquiry heard yesterday.

Mubarek, 19, was murdered in Feltham Young Offender’s
Institution in March, 2000.

Source:-The Times, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
25

Cannabis possession increases by third in
London

The number of people caught with cannabis in London has risen by
a third since the government relaxed the possession law, the
Metropolitan Police authority said yesterday.

Source:-The Telegraph, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
9

Care of three boys costs council £500,000 a
year
 
Three teenage tearaways cared for in secure accommodation cost
council taxpayers more than £500,000 a year, Cambridgeshire
county council said yesterday.

The boys, one aged 16 and two aged 13 years, have severe
behavioural problems and need round-the-clock supervision, said the
council’s social services department.

Source:-The Telegraph, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
1

Lawyers alarmed at police powers to be unveiled in
Queen’s speech

Sweeping new powers to allow police to take DNA samples and
fingerprints from minor offenders arrested on the street have been
criticised by lawyers who call the measures “utterly
unacceptable.”

Source:-The Guardian, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
3

Shunned hospitals ‘may go bust’ as patients
get choice

National Health Service hospitals and private sector providers
could go bust if they fail to attract patients when they are given
the right to choose hospitals for routine operations, Professor of
health economics at York University Alan Maynard said.

The warning came as the Department of Health told a healthcare
conference that “hospitals which market themselves well and
have good services will have patients coming through the doors in
floods.”

Source:-The Financial Times, Tuesday November 23, page
4

Tories aim at asylum-seekers in alternative Queen’s
speech

The Conservatives are expected to announce proposals for a
renewed crackdown on asylum-seekers in the Queen’s Speech
today.

Conservative leader Michael Howard will propose a points system
to “ensure priority is given to people who want to come to
Britain to work hard and make a positive contribution to the
country.”

Source:-The Independent, Tuesday November 23, page
5

Scottish newspapers

SNP makes plea to reviewers of NHS in
Scotland

The Scottish National Party have called on the body carrying out
a major review of the NHS in Scotland to keep open as many local
maternity services and emergency units.

Health spokeswoman Shona Robison said: “Patients expect their
local hospital to provide access to 24-hour emergency services
should they become ill or have an accident. It is also unacceptable
to expect women to travel long distances to have their babies.”

Source:-The Daily Record, Tuesday 23 November 2004

Distillers to add warning labels to whisky
bottles

The Scotch whisky industry has launched a campaign to promote
responsible drinking following the example of the beer
industry.

The Scotch Whisky Association said it would promote health
warnings on bottles, esponsibility messages in adverts, and school
programmes.

Source:-The Scotsman, Tuesday 23 November 2004

Boyfriend was two timing Jodi, court told

A teenager accused of killing 14-year-old Jodi Jones two-timed
her with an almost identical girl, a court has heard.

Luke Mitchell, Jodi’s boyfriend, was said to be going out with
both girls in the months before Jodi’s death.

The trial also heard the accused was warned against carrying a
lock-knife after he was caught with it while on an army cadet
parade the previous summer.

Mitchell has denied killing Jodi.

Source:-The Herald, Tuesday 23 November 2004

Welsh newspapers

Mother charged with attempted murder of her children
held in custody

A Welsh mum charged with the attempted murder of her three
children by trying to crash her car at a beauty spot has been
remanded in custody, police said yesterday.

The prosecution alleges that in May this year she tried to crash
her car  in a suicide attempt at the Horseshoe Pass near the Brenig
Reservoir with her children onboard.

The woman is due back in court in January.

Source:-Western Mail, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
3

Police hunt missing traveller and son

Gwent police have said they are looking for a traveller who has
gone missing with his son.

Simon Oliver Doherty took two-year-old Simon Patrick Doherty on
November 1.

A court order has been made for the boy to be returned to the
custody of his mother.

Source:-Western Mail, Tuesday 23 November 2004, page
3                             

Jailed care home worker appeals

A care home worker who was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for
abusing three teenage boys has launched an appeal.

Anthony Burke, 63, was found guilty in December 2001 at Cardiff
Crown Court.

He was said to have carried out the abuse in the 1970s when he
was working at a children’s remand home in Cardiff.

Source:- Western Mail, Tuesday 23 November 2004