Choirmaster jailed for sexually abusing three boys ‘could have been caughter earlier’

By Maria Ahmed and Mithran Samuel

Choirmaster jailed for sexually abusing three boys ‘could have been caughter earlier’

A former Church of England choirmaster, who has been jailed for 30 months for sexually abusing three boys between 1985 and 1990, could have been caught earlier had church authorities contacted the police.

Instead, Peter Halliday was asked to resign from St Peter’s Church, Farnborough, Hampshire, in 1990 when the allegations came to light.

Church authorities said the practice was in keeping with procedures at the time.

Source:- The Independent Friday 27 April 2007 page 12

‘Ban underage drinking at home’

Parents who give alcohol to under-15s, even with a meal at home, should face prosecution to combat under-age drinking, charity Alcohol Concern has said.

It is currently legal to give alcohol to children as young as five in the home.

Source:- The Independent Friday 27 April 2007 page 12

Clubbers are being warned to stop taking a new drug, marketed as a safe alternative to ecstasy, by specialists, who claim it can cause seizures.

Last month, regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency made the unlicensed sale of benzylpiperazine, or BZP, illegal, and an article in The Lancet warns against its use.

Source:- The Independent Friday 27 April 2007 page 18

PM’s verdict on legacy: New Labour has stood the test of time

Tony Blair has claimed that his 10 years in office have fundamentally changed the country, by showing that social justice and economic prosperity could be combined, in a letter to MPs before leaving office.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 27 April 2007 page 12

Funding stopped

The Home Office has stopped funding the National Black Police Association until the organisation accounts properly for how it spent £600,000 of government money.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 2
 
‘Unprecedented’ job cuts in NHS

The NHS suffered the biggest cut in its workforce last year since records began, figures show.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 25
 
Large classes

More than half a million primary school children aged 7 to 11, or one in four, are being taught in classes numbering more than 30.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 25
 
 
Disabled PC appeal

The Metropolitan Police is facing an appeal from a wheelchair-bound man who was rejected for a post as a fully operational officer.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 25
 
Viagra found in jail

Viagra, cocaine, heroin and cannabis have been found among contraband at Ford open jail.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 25
 
Woolf warning on justice funds

The former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, gave warning that the new ministry of justice could become a “backwater” if its budget were not ring-fenced.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 38
 
I’m sorry, says tearaway given ASBO at 10

A 10 year-old boy has become one the youngest people to receive an antisocial behaviour order.

Source:- The Times, Friday April 27 2007, page 29