Thursday 22 September 2005

By Maria Ahmed, Mithran Samuel, Sally Gillen and Amy
Taylor

Persistent truancy at 11-year high

Truancy levels hit an 11 year high yesterday prompting an urgent
raft of government measures to try to tackle the problem.

Around 55, 000 pupils truanted from school every day of the last
school year, around 4, 500 more than in 2003-04.

Source:- Financial Times Thursday September 22

Murdered by happy slap yobs

A boy of 16 was stabbed to death by hoodies as a crowd of yobs
filmed the attack on their mobiles.

Kashif Mahmood, who had started college this week, got into a fight
while he was out shopping for clothes in Ilford, Essex.

Source:- The Daily Mirror Thursday 22 September 2005 page
1

Six months for baby stab boy

A boy of 12 who stabbed a baby in the stomach because his crying
disturbed his Playstation game was yesterday detained for six
months.

The youngster, who cannot be named, was led away as his distraught
mum ran from the court.

His victim, his seven-month-old nephew, had life-threatening
injuries, but recovered from the attack at his home in Lincolnshire
in December last year.

Source:- The Daily Mirror Thursday 22 September 2005 page
9

Cockles jury at the bay of death

The jury in the Morecambe Bay manslaughter trial visited the sands
where 21 cockle pickers died.

Source:- The Daily Mirror Thursday 22 September 2005 page
33

Extra jail for rapist

A prison guard who raped inmates at a young
offenders’ institution had his sentence increased this week
after more victims came forward.

Neville Husband, 67, was jailed for eight years in 2003 for raping
youngsters between 1976 and 1985 at Medomsley Detention Centre, Co
Durham.

His sentence was increased by two years at Newcastle crown court
after admitting assaulting four more inmates.

Source:- The Daily Mirror Thursday 22 September 2005 page
35

Child porn arrest

A Europe-wide offensive on internet child pornography has resulted
in the arrest of a British man, police said.

The 44-year-old was detained in West Tytherley, Hampshire, as part
of Operation Icebreaker II.

Source:- The Times Thursday 22 September 2005 page
24

A vision for housing, a the grim reality

Bulldozers are ordered in to Europe’s biggest estate.

Council rules 2,700 homes to be pulled down at the Aylesbury estate
in Walworth, south London.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 22 September 2005 page
11

Plans to cut safety checks put children at risk, say
carers

Government moves to end compulsory checks on carers including
after-school clubs, play-schemes and crèches risk jeopardising
children’s safety, childcare workers fear.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 22 September 2005 page
15

Ethnic minority ‘ghettos’ to be
investigated

The government has ordered a year-long investigation into the
prejudice faced by young people from ethnic minorities and the lack
of social integration in Britain.

The Commission on Integration and Cohesion, which will be chaired
by a minister, will look at tackling the inequalities that promote
segregation between ethnic groups.

The news comes ahead of a speech by Commission for Racial Equality
chairman Trevor Phillips in which he will claim that Britain is
“sleepwalking” into US-style racial segregation.

Source:- The Independent Thursday 22 September page
9

Drugs industry ‘neglecting’ research on
side-effects

The government and the pharmaceutical industry are failing to
invest in research to determine how people’s genetic makeup
affects their reaction to various drugs.

A Royal Society report says more than 1,000 people died each year
from the side-effects of medical drugs.

Source:- The Independent Thursday 22 September page
18

Scottish news

Domestic abuse law review sought

MSPs have been urged to strengthen Scots family law to protect
children from abusive parents following separation.

Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) claims some sheriffs are failing to
consider links between domestic abuse against a parent and the
potential harm to a child when granting access to the other
parent.

SWA said courts approve contact orders in around 56% of cases where
domestic abuse is an issue.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 22 September 2005

Education boost for deprived pupils

Education minister Peter Peacock has said the Scottish executive
has not done enough to end the link between poverty and poor
performance at school.

Launching a scheme to tackle the problem, he admitted it could take
a generation or more to turn things around.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 22 September 2005

McConnell challenges the Home Office over asylum
children

Jack McConnell has launched an attack on the Home Office for its
dawn raids on asylum seeker children.

He told Whitehall ministers that the use of handcuffs and armour
was “insensitive” and “excessive”.

McConnell wants them to agree to restrictions on arrests where
schools or social services are involved with caring for the
children.

Source:- The Scottish Herald Thursday 22 September
2005

Welsh news

Saving boost for children in care

Local authorities will be encouraged to made donations in the Child
Trust Fund Savings accounts for looked-after children, Assembly
minister Jane Hutt, said yesterday.

Councils will be reimbursed for putting an annual £50 donation
into the account. However, the scheme will be voluntary due to the
Assembly not having the powers to make it statutory.

Source:- icWales Thursday 22 September