Tuesday 25 January 2005

By Clare Jerrom

Pathologist at the Sally Clark trial ‘withheld
evidence’

The General Medical Council heard yesterday how the pathologist
who carried out the post-mortem on Sally Clark’s babies
withheld evidence that could have cleared the mother at her murder
trial.

Dr Alan Williams was accused yesterday of failing to disclose
evidence about Harry’s death and botching the post mortem
examinations of both Harry and his older brother Christopher.

Clark was jailed in 1999 for the murders of her sons but was
later cleared and freed in 2003.

Source:- The Times  Tuesday 25 January page 2

Tories vow to pull out of refugee
convention

Tory leader Michael Howard yesterday vowed to withdraw from the
1951 UN Convention on Refugees and prevent asylum seekers from
claiming refuge at Britain’s borders.

Source:- The Times  Tuesday 25 January page 4

ASBO pigs case dropped

A farmer who was issued with an antisocial behaviour order for
the behaviour of his pigs had the case against him dropped last
night.

Brian Hagan was punished last month for failing to control his
pigs.

Source:- The Times  Tuesday 25 January page 26

Inquest blames jail for overdose death

Styal prison in Cheshire was yesterday criticised at an inquest
when the coroner concluded that the prison’s ‘failure
of care’ contributed to 18-year-old Sarah Campbell’s
death.

The inquest found that there was a lack of suitable
accommodation for vulnerable prisoners, insufficient staffing
levels and a failure at all levels to understand self-harm
procedures.

Source:- The Guardian  Tuesday 25 January page 7

Cut in jail projections unveiled

The Home Office said yesterday that by 2009 the prison
population was likely to be 87,000 rather than the previously
estimated 109,000.

Ministers attributed the projected lower figures to efforts to
persuade the courts to use jail sentences more sparingly and the
introduction of tougher community penalties.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Tuesday 25 January page
12

Landlady cleared of killing her children in pub
fire

Landlady Kate Knight was yesterday cleared of killing her two
sons and a customer in an arson attack at the Prince of Wales pub
in Stoke Newington.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Tuesday 25 January page 5

80,000 homes to be built on old hospital
sites

John Prescott yesterday announced that the sites of 100
redundant NHS hospitals across England would be developed under a
series of schemes intended to extend home ownership to low income
families.

Source:- Daily Telegraph  Tuesday 25 January page 4

Scotland

Crawford: back success rather than
regeneration

Renewal projects in Clydebank, Inverclyde and Glasgow are
“distractions which use up vast resources with uncertain outcomes”,
according to the former head of Scottish Enterprise. Robert
Crawford said cities and areas of proven success should receive
government support and their hinterlands would benefit.

Source:- The Herald Tuesday 25 January

Sex health expert attacks Catholic church

The architect of Scotland’s controversial sexual health strategy
has accused the Catholic church of not treating other people’s
views with enough respect. Professor Phil Hanlon, a former adviser
to the Scottish executive, also accused politicians of worrying
“too much” about a repeat of the backlash which erupted over the
Section 28 debate surrounding classroom education on
homosexuality.

Source:- The Herald Tuesday 25 January

Tories may send immigrants to Scotland

The Conservative party is considering offering Scotland its own
immigration quota system, Tory leader Michael Howard said when
launching a crackdown on asylum and immigration yesterday. It would
be the first time the UK has had an official cap on the number of
people allowed into the country.

Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 25 January

Kennedy pledges cash for first time mums

First time working mothers would be paid at least £170 a
week for six months under plans put forward by Liberal Democrat
leader Charles Kennedy. Under the party’s Maternity Income
Guarantee, all working mothers would be paid at least £4420
for the 26 weeks of statutory maternity leave when starting a
family rather than the current 90 per cent of salary for six weeks
and £102 a week for another 20 weeks.

Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 25 January

Social worker tried to take knife into jail

A social worker was arrested after allegedly trying to take a
knife into a high-security prison. An X-ray security machine
revealed the three-inch lock knife in the social worker’s jacket
pocket, a prison source said. He was arrested at Saughton Prison in
Edinburgh.

Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 25 January

Ned is banned from his own flat

A teenager has been barred from his home under new laws to curb
anti-social behaviour. Scott Wallace, 18, held rowdy parties and
blasted out loud music round the clock, disturbing residents living
in the same block of flats.

Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 25 January

Wales

Patients ‘treated worse than
animals’

A senior nurse has sent an email to the new health minister
Brian Gibbons alleging that animals would be treated better than
patients currently at a hospital in Wales.

The emergency unit sister said that patients were being left in
corridors rather than being admitted to wards because of a shortage
of beds at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

She said she was still waiting for a reply a week after sending
the email. Mike German, the Liberal Democrat leader in the National
Assembly said that it was further evidence of the need for free
personal care in Wales which would ease pressure on beds.

Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 25 January

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