A MAN accused of snatching a six-year-old from the bath and raping her could not explain his whereabouts when a friend would not back up his alibi, a court heard today. When officers went to Peter Voisey's home in Blyth, Northumberland, a fortnight after
MIRANDA Priestley is the reigning queen of fashion whose word is law. As editor of the magazine Runway, she can make or break a designer - and all those forced to work under her. She's a dominating figure whose behaviour makes Cruella DeVille look
HOLLYWOOD has a thing for taking successful foreign films and remaking them with an American slant. Martin Scorsese isn't a director you imagine wanting to do that sort of thing - and indeed he's at pains to point out that The Departed is not a remake
A selection of music from the film about the fashion industry could only really start with Madonna's Vogue, which still sounds as good as ever, but after that the choice of songs seems a little random. There are some good tracks, including City of
In this rather sickly love song which sounds like something Westlife would come up with, the much-hyped Morrison begs a girl to make things 'better' by writing a 'letter'. He's the poor man's James Blunt and not even on the same planet as another
Frontman Preston sings about the downside of fame in this rant against anonymous neighbours and wannabe celebrities. Perhaps he shouldn't have gone on Celebrity Big Brother, married a fellow contestant and sold the pictures to OK! Magazine. Nonetheless
The CD cover promises great things, as the six girls who make up this raunchy American girl group pose in hotpants, skimpy tops and not a lot else. Alas, the song is rather like their outfits - there is not a lot to it. Even more disappointingly for
THE mastermind of one of the region's largest drugs organisations was this afternoon jailed for 14 years. Habib Khan, 27, was the head of an £8m heroin supply network which stretched from North Yorkshire to Northumberland. A jury took just two hours
POLICE have begun extradition proceedings to bring a teenager from the Irish Republic to the North East in connection with the rape of a group of girls. Three girls, believed to be from Darlington, were allegedly raped at the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria
HARTLEPOOL United manager Danny Wilson has won the League Two manager of the month award for September. Pools put a sticky opening to the season behind them in September, notching up five wins from seven league games. They started with a win over Boston
A JURY has cleared a man of raping a teenager in her friend's flat. Henry Thompson, 20, of Falmer Road, Darlington, was today found not guilty of the alleged December 6 attack at the end of a three day trial at Teesside Crown Court. The jury of seven
Kieron Dyer has admitted that his recurring hamstring problems have left him "emotionally and physically drained". The injury-plagued Newcastle midfielder has played just 11 games in the last 12 months and has spent almost half-a-year battling the hamstring
THERE will be direct flights to Palma, Faro, Alicante and Malaga from Durham Tees Valley Airport from next Spring, it was announced this morning. The news that low-cost airline flyglobespan was operate from the airport came as a big relief, following
A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl seriously injured in the Dreamspace artwork disaster has made a fairytale recovery. Dressed as a princess, Rosie Wright beamed for the cameras at the pre-show Disney on Ice Princess Classics VIP party, at the Metro Radio
A CONTEMPORARY art gallery has opened in Helmsley. Saltbox Gallery and Workshop is housed in a traditional 17th Century long house in Castlegate. It features handcrafted ceramics, iron work, jewellery, sculpture, paintings and textiles from across Britain
FOUR 16-year-olds have enlisted in the Army at Catterick Garrison as the service announced a rise in recruits. They will begin training at Harrogate or Bassingbourn, in Hertfordshire. James Cumiskey, from Darlington, joins the Army Air Corps, John Fenwick
FOUR leaders of the reorganised NHS in the county will be asked how they plan to save £80m. A meeting of the county council's health scrutiny committee will be held next week in one of the most deeply rural communities in the region, at Muker, in Upper
AN optician's assistant will travel to Ethiopia to take part in her seventh developing world project for a charity. Michele de Vaal, from West Witton, who works for Cowen and Morgan's opticians, in Ripon, will help dispense spectacles to people who desperately
A VILLAGE pub and restaurant fears it could lose business if plans for a neighbouring green waste shredding and composting site are approved. County councillors will be urged next week to reject the plans, less than 50 metres from the outdoor eating and
A PHOTOGRAPHY festival is being held at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, on Saturday, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Events include workshops covering simple point and shoot techniques and how to make a pinhole camera. Those without a camera can try the day-long
A CURFEW banning young people from a Chester-le-Street estate late at night has brought significant improvements to the area, police have claimed. The six-month dispersal order was imposed on March 1 this year following complaints from residents and shopkeepers
WELL-READ pupils are eagerly stamping the passport on their literary travels. The reading passport has been introduced at Durham School to encourage youngsters to read more widely. A potential reading list of 250 titles suitable for young teenagers has
GRESHAM HOUSING: OUTSIDERS could be forgiven for thinking the best thing for hundreds of terraced homes in Middlesbrough's Gresham ward is to bulldoze them and replace them with some 21st Century apartment blocks for the upwardly mobile. That, I believe
A book honouring the part played by soldiers from three Durham villages in the First World War has been published. The book, The Employees and Residents of Thornley, Ludworth and Wheatley Hill - Their Contribution in The Great War 1914-1918, is the result
DURHAM community groups can find out about Big Lottery funding at a session being held tomorrow. The city's MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods, is holding the event at Brandon Community Hall - also known as the Welfare Hall - from 2pm to 4pm. Mrs Blackman-Woods
DURHAM Police Authority is looking for independent members to serve for up to four years. The authority, which sets the police budget and the overall direction of the force, needs to recruit five new members to serve from April. The authority also has
PENSIONERS across east Cleveland are celebrating an extra £250,000 in benefits following the launch of a council service. The cash boost has helped 194 pensioners who were surveyed by Redcar and Cleveland Council's welfare rights unit. The unit organised
A TEENAGER from north Durham has passed his naval training within the Warfare Training Group. Able Seaman in Mine Warfare Paul Loughran, 17, graduated at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire. Originally from Lanchester, where his mother Christine still
GREAT-grandmother Muriel Wilson is a firm believer in laughter being the best form of medicine - and a key to a long life. Mrs Wilson is celebrating her 100th birthday on Monday. The Hartlepool-born widow, who was married to husband, John, for 61 years
YOUNGSTERS are being invited to bring a bear to a picnic to promote reading. National Bookstart Day on Friday will see toddlers under five enjoying books and other activities in Hartlepool, such as face painting and teddy crafts. The dates and times of
ARTWORK flew off the shelves when a care home launched an exhibition to celebrate the life and work of a local artist. The opening event at the Teesside Cheshire Home, in Marske, east Cleveland, proved such a success that more paintings had to be supplied
LIFEGUARDS patrolling the east Cleveland coast have been praised for their efforts over the summer months. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's beach lifeguard service, based at Redcar and Saltburn, dealt with more than 80 incidents - the majority during
A WOMAN was rescued by the fire service as her husband fought through smoke to save the family's dogs. Stephanie Johnson, 20, was woken by a smoke alarm at the ground floor flat she shares with husband Ray Stairmond, 41, in Roseberry Road, Redcar, east
BRITAIN'S pig industry is heading for another bumper year on the export market. Last year, about 77,000 breeding pigs - worth £9.3m - were exported and the British Pig Executive (BPEX) expects this year's exports to go through the £10m barrier. One
Harvest Festival: Saint Andrew's Dorsent Street Methodist/UR Church celebrate harvest festival on Sunday with a service at 10am with Dorothy Emerson. At 6pm there is Harvest Praise. On Monday, at 7pm in the hall there will be the sale of produce and
FORMER Sunderland Football Club chairman Sir Tom Cowie is maintaining his sporting links by supporting fitness activities at a Bishop Auckland School. Sir Tom, 84, unveiled a plaque in Bishop Barrington School's sports hall yesterday, where a dance and
WEAR Valley District Council is improving its performance in some areas of weakness, but not in enough of them and not quickly enough, according to a report. Of 19 areas of business in which the council wants to improve its performance, progress has been
DURHAM Police Authority is looking for independent members to serve for up to four years. The authority, which sets the police budget and the overall direction of the force, needs to recruit five members to serve from April. It particularly wants to
RESIDENTS are being urged to use a council's waste service in the run-up to bonfire night. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is carrying out almost 300 bulky waste collections a week - and hopes people will use the service to reduce the risk of unintended
THE funeral of a well-known Dales farmer, who died in his fields, has taken place. John Sunter, 84, of Simonstone, near Hawes, suffered a heart attack on September 22 while returning home after cutting thistles. Mr Sunter was born in Simonstone and lived
A SERVICE aimed at reversing the rise in domestic abuse in south Durham will launch later this year. Victims of violence in the home in Wear Valley and Teesdale are to be offered round-the-clock support as part of the crisis intervention service. The
UP to £400 is expected to have been raised for the Children's Society following a fundraising event in Trimdon. The sponsored knit was held at Tremeduna Grange sheltered accommodation on Tuesday, and organisers hope it will bring in between £350 and
DOZENS of teenage boxing hopefuls will square up in the boxing ring next week in the hope of winning a place in national finals. More than 70 young fighters from clubs across the North-East will take part in an annual tournament at Spennymoor Leisure
PEOPLE are being invited to help plant a woodland at Aykley Heads in Durham on Sunday. The Woodland Trust, Durham County Council's Countryside Rangers and the Mineral Valleys Project are holding the event from 11am to 2.30pm at the Rivergreen Centre,
Barnard Castle Farmers' Market on Saturday will be apple-themed to celebrate English apple season. Items on sale in the Market Place, from 10am to 3pm, include chutneys, bath products and sweets made from apples. There will also be a competition for children
A SCHOOL that has seen a link between improving exam results and pupils' healthier lifestyles has been awarded National Healthy Schools status. Wolsingham School and Community College had the most improved GCSE results in County Durham in August with
Polam Hall School, in Darlington, will open to prospective pupils and parents on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Activities on offer include a French cafe, workshops and presentations Headteacher Marie Green and staff and pupils, will be on hand to show visitors
A free training course covering all the work involved in broadcasting is being set up for people who hope to take part when a community radio station goes on air next year. The aim is to build up a team of enthusiasts to tackle a number of tasks when
TODDLERS and staff celebrated in style yesterday as their nursery reached its second birthday. There was a cake and balloons as 90 children, aged up to five, gathered at Little Ladybirds, in Stockton. Manager Joanne Banner said: "It is two years since
A PICTORIAL account of family histories will go on display in an east Durham school today. The My Family My History exhibition, part of the Telling Images: Stories of a Community programme will open at Seaview Primary School, in Seaham. The exhibition
Anne Hathaway is the first to admit she knows little and cares even less about fashion trends but jumped at the chance to star alongside her acting idol Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. She talks to Steve Pratt. HALFWAY through the interview Anne
ITV1's first X Factor winner Steve Brookstein tells Viv Hardwick about his new tour and album and why he got married in a kilt. SINGER songwriter Steve Brookstein seemed to be more X than Factor when he parted company with high profile starmaker Simon
The next in the long line of all-action Robin Hoods on television is 25-year-old Jonas Armstrong, who almost turned down one of the UK's favourite characters because he was filming in India. Even the theft of the master tapes of BBC1's new drama series
RIGHT said Fred, let's get wed. I said, let's get wed. And so the church bells ring out for Fred Elliott, the master butcher - and they don't come much butcher than Fred. He's a man who believes what he says is so important that he says it twice. I
Jim Davidson returns this week from Dubai, where he's rebuilding his life after bankruptcy by the tax office, to tour dates at Newcaste City Hall, Sunderland's Empire and Middlesbrough Town Hall. He talks to Viv Hardwick about his financial crisis and
TO slightly misquote Mrs Johnstone, "I love the bones of this musical" but new orchestration, a set minus the famous back wall emblazoned with Everton FC graffiti (that must have hurt producer Bill Kenwright) and a beefed up finale certainly tested out
MICHAEL Hunter has claimed he will be fighting for the "whole of Hartlepool" when he lays his world title ambitions on the line next month. Hunter, who is currently a European, British and Commonwealth champion, will fight Canadian Steve Molitor for the
IT'S definitely a girl thing, but romance is back in town, thanks to the latest Disney ice skating extravaganza. With well-loved princesses in glitzy dresses to die for and the handsomest of princes emerging from the strangest of places, the Princess
REDCAR'S Mike Dunn has missed out on a place in the final stages of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix despite winning his final qualifying match at Prestatyn. Dunn cruised to a 3-0 win over Paul Wykes yesterday, but a previous record of just one victory
ROY Keane will not stand in Rory Delap's way if Stoke City step up their pursuit of the Sunderland utility player. Potters boss Tony Pulis is expected to offer Delap a loan move to the Britannia Stadium later this week as he looks to lift his struggling
A POLICE operation in which detectives predicted where crimes would take place has been so successful in the North-East it could soon be extended to the rest of the country. Cleveland Police said it had been overwhelmed by the reduction in burglaries
DAVID Cameron stole more of Labour's clothes yesterday when he insisted the Tories were now the party determined to be "tough on the causes of crime". The Tory leader closed his party's conference by signalling a remarkable political battle ahead in which
PERHAPS the party conference season should be cancelled, because this year we have learned nothing new from it. The Liberal Democrats are lumbered with a leader who's too old and too wooden - as we knew before - but there's nothing they can do now. Labour
ONE of the best-loved railway engines in literary history is returning to the region. Thomas the Tank Engine will be steaming along, with passengers onboard, between Bedale, Leeming Bar and Morton-on-Swale, on the 22-mile Wensleydale line, in North Yorkshire
PARENTS who continually fail to ensure their children go to school risk court action, a senior education figure warned last night. The warning followed Durham County Council's successful prosecution of a single mother, whose children repeatedly missed
MAYORS and leaders joined forces yesterday as their case for the creation of a Tees Valley city region was sent to the Government. The 100-page document describes how the move would bring investment to the five councils covered by the proposed city region
A SCHOOL that recorded some of the worst GCSE results in the country this summer, has been given the go-ahead to transform into an academy. The news marks the start a new era for Darlington's Eastbourne School, which has been in and out of special measures
THOUSANDS of pounds "disappeared" from a social club's accounts in the two years after a couple took over stewardship of the premises a court was told yesterday. An accountant became increasingly concerned over the disparity in figures between till takings
TRIBUTES poured in from around the world yesterday to Frederick Leishman, a larger-than-life soldier, sportsman, diplomat and adventurer who made many friends everywhere he travelled. A large number of messages were delivered to his wife, Frances, after
A MOTHER yesterday described the chilling moment when she realised her six-year-old daughter had been kidnapped as she played in the bath. The youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was snatched from her home and taken on a 20-minute drive,
COUNTY PLANNING: ON February 9, 2005, several local authority leaders signed a letter to HAS stating that the North East Regional Assembly's Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) - a planning blueprint - was not beneficial to County Durham's economic prosperity
A proud procession of 200 men joined the Jarrow March - 70 years ago today - in a heartfelt campaign to bring jobs to their community. Gavin Engelbrecht speak to the last survivor. WITH the mouth organ and kettle drum band keeping their spirits up, the
Family Brat Camp (C4); Lead Balloon (BBC4): One home movie clip in Family Brat Camp showed the daughter of the house being restrained by her grandmother as she kicked, screamed and swore. Her parents, reminded of the possessed child in The Exorcist,
FLEET-FOOTED Queensgate (1.50) could take some catching in the five-furlong opener at Lingfield this afternoon. Trainer Michael Blanshard's flying filly was only caught in the dying strides of a similar-standard Folkestone contest last time out, a race
NEWCASTLE Falcons will be aiming to land a knockout blow in tomorrow night's EDF Energy Cup tie at home to Llanelli Scarlets after training under the supervision of two Cuban Olympic boxing coaches. Fitness and conditioning coach Steve Black took the
A nearly-new sale of toys, maternity clothes, children's wear and nursery equipment in aid of the National Childbirth Trust in Darlington, will be held in St Cuthbert's Church, Market Place, on Saturday, from 10.30am to noon. Admission is 50p.
A DARLINGTON teenager has enlisted in the Army. James Cumiskey, 16, will join the Army Air Corps after enlisting at Catterick Garrison. Three other 16-year-olds also decided to join up. They are John Fenwick, from Colburn, enlisted in the Royal Logistics
THERE were leeks galore on show at Cockerton Working Men's Club. The 59th Darlington Inter-Club Champion of Champion Leek Show took place recently, with East End Working Men's Club winning the overall prize. The club saw off competition from Harrowgate
AS David Hodgson's Darlington tenure drew to an acrimonious conclusion last night, the sacked manager slammed what he sees as a lack of professionalism demonstrated by the club's board. Hodgson is unhappy with the public manner in which Quakers chiefs
With David Hodgson's third spell as Darlington manager coming to an end last night, Deputy Sports Editor Adam Murray looks back on the love affair the former boss enjoyed with Quakers . THE chance of a follow-up to David Hodgson's book, Three Times
The Hurworth Wine Tasters, who meet at the Grange Community Centre, are organising a wine-tasting trip to Alsace, north-east France, in May next year. The luxury coach tour will cross the North Sea from Hull to Zeebrugge. The trip costs £439, which
DURHAM Police Authority is looking for independent members to serve for up to four years. The authority, which sets the police budget and the overall direction of the force, needs to recruit five members to serve from April. It particularly wants to
A MAN accused of raping a teenager at her friend's home has told a jury that the allegation has ruined his life. Henry Thompson said he was such an attraction to women that he would not need to force himself onto someone for sex. Struggling to contain
HUNDREDS of homeowners are being asked for their views on residents' parking schemes in Darlington, as part of a council review. Five schemes already operate in the town, with residents paying annual charges for their passes. However, the council is carrying
PENSIONERS whose flats could be demolished are resigned to the council's plans being approved, according to one councillor. Councillor Martin Swainston held a ward surgery with the residents of Linden Court, in Hurworth, on Tuesday. He insists residents
A SCHOOL'S annual open morning will have a French flavour when it takes place this weekend. Polam Hall, in Darlington, will open on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Activities on offer include a French cafe, workshops and presentations. Prospective pupils
A SERIES of talks and visits have been organised to celebrate Local History Month and Archives Awareness Month at Darlington's libraries. The first will see Andrew Everitt, the author of Sir Vincent Raven, the North-Eastern Railway Locomotive Engineer
BUSINESSES or organisations that have done the most to help disabled people in Darlington can be nominated for an award. On November 23, Darlington Association on Disability (Dad), in partnership with the borough council, is holding the Darlington Access
THE main talking point from the Tory Party conference has been about self-confessed buffoon Boris Johnson talking about the benefits of mothers shoving pies through school railings in defiance of Jamie Oliver. And that underlines just how empty the conference
LEAFLET distribution company Amaro has been bought out of administration by larger rival Mediaforce, it emerged last night. The £125m-turnover Mediaforce Group, run by multi-millionaire entrepreneur Malcolm Denmark, had been locked in talks with the
IT'S never easy buying presents for mums. They're so unpredictable, so fussy, so hard to please. But some dads just ask for trouble. There's one I work with who's never been allowed to forget the time he bought his wife a new ironing board for Christmas
SKINCARE specialist Dermasalve Sciences has signed a deal to manufacture and distribute its hand gel, which kills the bird flu virus, in the Far East and South-East Asia. The plc's subsidiary, Dermasalve Limited, yesterday said it had formed an agreement
ONE of the region's oldest hotels has been shut by administrators with the loss of 25 jobs. The 16th Century George Hotel in Piercebridge, near Darlington, County Durham, was closed by administrators acting for Swallow Hotels on Monday morning. The landlord
BRITAIN'S pig industry is heading for another bumper year on the export market. Last year, about 77,000 breeding pigs - worth £9.3m - were exported and the British Pig Executive (BPEX) expects this year's exports to go through the £10m barrier. One
SANDERSONS estate agency has bought back an office in North Yorkshire that branched out from the company 12 years ago. Sandersons has acquired Sanderson Taylor, of Stokesley, North Yorkshire, for an undisclosed sum, taking the number of offices it has
LISTENING to Lord Stevens deliver his interim report on football's bung culture on Monday, it was tempting to assume that financial irregularities have become so rife that it will be impossible to eradicate them from the game.Tempting, but wrong. While
A JUROR agreed with pensioner Audrey Humble, who yesterday argued that driving the wrong way down a motorway and causing a head-on crash did not amount to dangerous driving.However, the other 11 jurors didn't, and the 80-year-old - described as being
Anew pub is blending in with a new development which is something of a theme park.DARLINGTON has a new pub, some might say another new pub. In an age of improbable imagery, a tale still hangs from The White Heifer That Travelled - and, as usual, we have
DARLINGTON FC last night sacked manager David Hodgson amid claims he had breached Football Association rules.The Quakers terminated Hodgson's contract four days into a two-week suspension that focused on alleged contact between the manager and AFC Bournemouth
ASHES cricket hero Gary Pratt has swapped spikes for studs by signing for a non-league football team just over a year after he helped England's cricketers to glory.The substitute fielder, who famously ran out Australian captain Ricky Ponting in last year's
A MAN accused of being the kingpin of one of the region's biggest drug operations has an intelligence level that puts him in the bottom one per cent of people in the country, a court has heard.The jury in the trail of Habib Khan was told yesterday that
A SCULPTURE is to be erected outside a Darlington school in memory of a former chairman of governors who died on New Year's Day.The £10,000 sculpture, which depicts 20 flying geese, will be installed in front of the £35m Education Village in memory of
