Monday 28 February 2005

By Maria Ahmed, Simeon Brody, Amy Taylor and Derren
Hayes

Ministers launch inequality review

A review to investigate “persistent discrimination and
inequality in society” will be chaired by Trevor Phillips and
will report to the prime minister by summer 2006.

Source:- Financial Times Saturday February 26 2005 page
4

In 2005 is there still such a thing as care in the
community?

John Barrett, a mentally-ill man, pleaded guilty to stabbing to
death former banker Dennis Finnegan, 50, in a random attack in
Richmond Park last September.

In the 11 years between the death of Jonathan Zito and Finnegan up
to 40 people a year have been killed by people with mental health
problems.

Source:- The Independent Saturday February 26 2005 page
1

“Heartbroken” couple jailed for son’s
death set to appeal

Just three weeks after Ian and Angela Gay were convicted of the
manslaughter through salt poisoning of three-year-old Christopher
Blewitt, doubts are being raised about the reliabilities of the
convictions.

Questions are being raised as to why the prosecution went ahead
after two expert witnesses could not agree on the basic question of
the level of salt in the body.

Source:- The Independent Saturday February 26 2005 page
16

Asbo bars woman from suicide sites

A 23-year-old woman has been barred by an anti-social behaviour
order from rivers, multi-storey car parks, train tracks and bridges
after police complained about repeated attempts to take her own
life.

Source:- The Independent Saturday February 26 2005 page
18

Radical Christians to target abortion clinics

A militant evangelical Christian group plans to target pregnant
women and medical staff at abortion clinics.

Stephen Green, head of Christian Voice which came to notoriety with
its campaign against Jerry Springer – The Opera, said
abortion centres should be shut down.

Source:- The Times Saturday February 26 2005 page 1

Teenager wrote rap lyric after he shot man in the
head

A teenage gunman who celebrated shooting and crippling a father of
three by writing a rap lyric was jailed for 25 years.

David Gaynor, then 19, was summoned by a street gang to punish
Douglas Mullands who had dared to stand up to them.

Source:- The Times Saturday February 26 2005 page 9

Minimum wage to top £5 an hour

The minimum wage will go up from £4.85 to £5.05 and then
rise to £5.35 a year later, according to figures
“provisionally” accepted by the government.

Source:- The Times Saturday February 26 2005 page 18

Salt-overdose boy failed by police and hospital staff

The police, a hospital and child protection services yesterday
admitted that they failed a nine-year-old boy who was killed by his
mother with a salt overdose.

Havering Area Child Protection Committee said it had made a serious
mistake by not completing an assessment of the boy. His mother was
jailed for five years after being found guilty of
manslaughter.

Source:- The Times Saturday February 26 2005 page 27

Victim sues council for replacing a happy childhood with
years of anguish

Sherena Mason, a black woman who says her life fell apart after she
was removed from her white foster family is suing Hackney Council
in east London for more than £300,000 for its neglect of its
duty to care for her.

Source:- The Mail on Sunday Sunday February 27 2005 pages
20-21

Asylum group loses lottery funds in fake ID probe

The Charity Commission is investigating allegations against the
head of the Detainee Support & Help Unit, a London-based
charity for selling fake passports. Comfort Afolabi, the
charity’s head, denied the allegations.

Source:- The Sunday Times Sunday February 27 2005 page
3

Huge rise in maternity costs attacked by businesses

Tony Blair will announce today that millions of parents with
school-age children could soon have the same right to part-time
work as families with infants. The “right to request”
would also be extended to 1.8 million women who look after sick or
disabled relatives.

Source:- The Times Monday 28 February 2005 page 1

Safe havens sought for child runaways

Children who run away from home are being forced into crime, drugs
and prostitution, according to research to be published this week.
The Children’s Society’s report says that many runaways
– some aged under 10 – simply “disappear off the
radar” of social services and other bodies.

Source:- The Guardian Monday 28 February 2005 page 8

Reid orders review of Mental Health Bill after knife
attack

John Reid, the health secretary, has ordered a review of proposed
changes to the law covering mental patients after the case of John
Barrett, the paranoid schizophrenic who released himself from care
and stabbed a banker to death in a London park. Changes to the
draft Mental Health Bill could be introduced to give doctors
greater powers to detain patients such as Barrett who volunteer for
treatment for mental illness and then discharge themselves. Reid
told BBC1’s The Politics Show that he wanted an independent
inquiry to look at the “national implications” of the
killing.

Source:- The Independent Monday 28 February 2005 page
2

Amnesty calls for UK drive to defeat domestic
violence

A report by Amnesty International and the Women’s
Commission reveals that women suffering from domestic violence,
forced marriages, rape, honour crimes and human trafficking cannot
always be provided with a safe refuge despite their often desperate
situations.

Source:- The Independent Monday 28 February 2005 page
15

Public sector pay for women “a problem”

Baroness Prosser, head of the Women and Work Commission, has
complained about the underpayment of women in the public
sector.

Source:- Financial Times Monday February 28 2005 page
2

Charity faces “fake passport” inquiries

Allegations that the head of a charity that helps asylum seekers
assisted an undercover reporter to obtain a false passport are
being examined by the Charity Commission and the Big Lottery
Fund.

The Fund said it had frozen its grant to the south London-based
Detainee Support and Help Unit pending inquiries.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday February 28 2005 page
7

Cannabis wrecks children’s minds

Soaring cannabis use among young teenagers could be cause long-term
mental health problems, experts have warned.

Research shows that those who smoke the drug regularly at 15 are
4.5 times more likely to suffer serious mental health problems by
their mid-20s.

Source:- Daily Mail Monday February 28 2005 page 6

Children of only three to be given drug lessons

Children as young as three are to be given drug education lessons
at Heathbrook Primary School in Lambeth.

The borough says the school is working within government guidelines
which encourage health education policies.

Source:- Daily Mail Monday February 28 2005 page 33

Scottish newspapers

Councils yet to issue ASBO to under-16 in ‘neds crackdown’

The Scottish executive has admitted that no councils have issued
anti-social behaviour orders to children aged under-16 who take
part in youth crime. Councils were given the power to hand out
Asbos to children committing nuisance crimes four months ago but
councils are failing to use them.

Source:- Scotland on Sunday Sunday 28 February

Refugee training scheme turns out workers for skilled
jobs

Workers from Somalia, Ukraine, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have
completed one of Scotland’s first vocational projects for
refugees. The jobs training scheme in Glasgow is designed to help
people fleeing religious or political persecution learn skills to
work in the city. The city council’s training division assesses the
refugees, many of whom are skilled workers in their own countries,
and gives them the necessary skills to meet British professional
standards.

Source:- The Herald Monday 28 February

Alcohol abuse puts 1,100 young drinkers in hospital

More than 1,100 young people under the legal drinking age were
admitted to hospital last year with a drink–related
condition. The Herald reports that the figures reveal, for the
first time, the number of under-18s across Scotland whose drinking
is so serious they have been admitted to hospital after attending
accident and emergency departments. However, medical professionals
warned this was just the tip of the iceberg, as there is no
national system which records the number of drunken young people
arriving in casualty rooms.

Source:- The Herald Monday 28 February

Welsh newspapers

Girl’s death a ‘protest’ overdose

A girl died after taking an overdose because of her mother’s
drinking, an inquest heard.

Hannah Parkin, 13, became upset after her mother was hungover the
afternoon after a night out.

Her mother Claire Crookdale has a history of drink problems.

Source:- Western Mail Saturday 26 February

Teacher admits porn charges

A teacher has pleaded guilty to 16 offences of possessing child
porn and three of making indecent images.

David Gwyn Edwards’ pleas were accepted. He had been charged
with a further 20 offences of possessing indecent photographs of
children and attempting to possess them but these will now not be
proceeded with.

Source:- Western Mail Saturday 26 February

PM backs head’s comments on problem pupils

The prime minister has given his support to a Welsh head
teacher’s comments that teachers’ authority is being
eroded by parents who side with their misbehaved children.

The prime minister said parents should support teachers who keep
their children in line. Headteacher Chris Howard welcomed the prime
ministers’ statement.

Source:- Western Mail Saturday 26 February

‘High’ school report

Only one out of Wales’ 22 Local Education Authorities are in
favour of random drug stop checks on pupils, a Wales on Sunday
survey has found.

Newport Council was the only LEA to support such checks.

Source:- Wales on Sunday Sunday 27 February

Charity gran’s airport arrest

A grandma has been questioned by police in connection with
allegedly missing funds from a charity to help sick babies which
she set up.

Angela Whitehead, from Llanon, near Aberystworth, was arrested
after flying back into Britain last week. She set up The Little
Sunbeams appeal in 2003 after her daughter gave birth prematurely
in 2003. The police are still looking for her partner Craig
Morris.

Source:- Wales on Sunday Sunday 27 February

Wales ‘may lose billions in aid’

Deprived parts of Wales could lose out on billions of pounds of EU
objective one funding, Plaid Cymru has warned.

Figures released earlier this year show that West Wales and the
Valleys have less than 75 per cent of the average EU income per
head during 2000 to 2002 and therefore should qualify for the
highest level of European aid for a second time.

But Plaid Cymru are concerned that the government won’t push
the EU to decide on whether Wales should get the money before new
figures come out in December and as a result the country could miss
out on billions of pounds.

Source:- Wales on Sunday Sunday 27 February