Stories for 4 September 2006

The Northern Echo News

Woman charged in road death case

A WOMAN driver has been charged in connection with a fatal road accident involving a horse and trap.   more...

Man jailed for child sex attacks

A MAN has been jailed indefinitely for sex attacks on children aged as young as six.   more...

Field Marshall's son criticises pardons

THE son of First World War commander Field Marshal Douglas Haig has attacked the Government's move to pardon more than 300 men who were executed for alleged cowardice during the conflict.   more...

Women's fundraising has a healthy result

A SPONSORED indoor cycle event at a health club will give a boost to a charity that helps children with cancer.Seventeen members of the Healthlands ladies-only gym, in Finchale Road, Framwellgate Moor, Durham, spent two hours pedalling to raise funds for Clic Sargeant.Healthlands manager Vicki Johnston said: "Being a ladies-only gym, we normally do things for charities like breast cancer, but we decided to do something different. One of the girls is a representative for Clic Sargeant."They normally do 45 minutes on the bikes, so this was a longer session for them and it is quite an achievement that they have managed it."We haven't got all the money in, but we are hoping to raise quite a lot - we hope to raise about £1,000.'  more...

'Mistake to pardon executed soldiers'

A psychiatrist has attacked the Government's decision to seek posthumous pardons for 305 soldiers shot for alleged cowardice during the First World War.Simon Wessely, professor of epidemiological and liaison psychiatry at London's King's College School of Medicine, said it was a mistake to rewrite history.MPs and peers will vote on whether to grant the pardons to Private Harry Farr, of West Yorkshire, and 304 other soldiers executed for cowardice and desertion. Several were from the North-East."Pte Farr had been sent to hospital (suffering from) shellshock on three different occasions before refusing to go to his front line on September 17, 1916. However, shellshock is not the same as post-traumatic stress disorder as we now understand it," Prof Wessely writes in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine."Was Farr a coward as they said at the time? We don't know and no longer have even to think about the distinctions between fear and cowardice."Cowardice is not mentioned in a single textbook of psychiatry, but in the First World War, doctors did not have that luxury, and had to make those judgements, no matter how difficult they were."Last month, the Ministry of Defence pledged to grant a full posthumous pardon to every serviceman executed for a battlefield offence.It came after The Northern Echo launched its Shot at Dawn campaign, to call for Prime Minister Tony Blair to clear their names.Veteran campaigner John Hipkin, who has led the Shot at Dawn campaign from his Newcastle home, said: "I don't see why the pardons cannot go ahead. It is the wish of the people."Mr Hipkin praised The Northern Echo for its help in the campaign.Mr Blair was presented with a petition from 1,537 readers calling for justice for the young servicemen, some of whom were only 16.  more...

Mum wins maintenance fight

A SINGLE mother who fought for child maintenance payments for more than ten years has been told she will receive money - but her children are now too old to qualify.Yvonne Bennett hit out at the Child Support Agency (CSA) for telling her she will receive £24.97 a week for her two youngest daughters - after they both turned 18.Last night, she told The Northern Echo of her daily battle to make ends meet while daughters Kayleigh, 20, and Charlotte, 18, were growing up. "I've struggled for years to bring my children up and was given nothing for a long time," she said. But now both my daughters are adults, I've been told by the CSA I will be given money. "To me, it really seems like an attempt on the agency's part to rub salt into extremely sore and gaping wounds. "I have contacted them numerous times over the years, and it would have been just a simple case of checking their records. Obviously they haven't done that."In this day and age, this should not be happening. But the saddest thing is that I'm not alone, these sorts of hurtful mistakes seem to happen all the time."Ms Bennett, 55, who has another daughter, Vicky, 36, estimates she is owed at least £1,000 in maintenance arrears, but says she will not pursue the money through the CSA, in which she has "no faith in at all". The Government recently announced the CSA will be scrapped because of its backlog of 300,000 cases, and debts of £3bn.It will be replaced by a smaller organisation. Ms Bennett, from Darlington, split up with her former partner in 1990, when Charlotte was two. Although she received maintenance payments for a short time, they stopped suddenly. Despite numerous requests to the CSA to pursue the payments, Ms Bennett said she received nothing and had to work as a pizza delivery driver and taxi driver to help support her family. Ms Bennett said: "Although £25 a week is not a massive amount, it can make a massive difference - the difference between day-to-day survival or not. "We should have had this for a long time, but have had to make do without. To say I am entitled to it now is just an insult."A spokesman for the CSA told The Northern Echo the agency could not comment on individual cases.  more...

Plan wipes Britain off the EU map

POLITICIANS have dismissed proposals that could see the North-East twinned with parts of Germany, Holland and Denmark.A team of cartographers is drawing up a version of the political map of Europe, taking advantage of a proposed Brussels directive.It is feared the directive, which is passing through the European Parliament, could allow a United States of Europe to be created, obliterating the British map.Under the plans, people living in much of the East of England, including the North-East and North Yorkshire, would find themselves inhabitants of a North Sea region.They would share a home with inhabitants of parts of Germany, the Low Countries and southern Scandinavia.The South-East would be neighbours with northern France while parts of Scotland would become the North Atlantic region with Iceland and northern Scandinavia.Ireland and western England would become a huge Atlantic zone with parts of France, Spain and Portugal. North-East MEP Stephen Hughes said: "I would not want anyone drawing up a new map of Europe. I would be the first to vote against any new map."The draft outlines have been condemned by the Conservatives as a tool to dismantle separate European nation states.Eric Pickles, the Shadow Minister for Local Government, said: "I fear that there is an agenda to undermine national identities and impose a United States of Europe by stealth."  more...

Swastika posted on MP's website

ONE of the region's MPs was left red-faced after his efforts to get the public discussing ideas online allowed a swastika to be posted on his site.David Miliband's idea was short-lived after his interactive blog site, using the latest Wiki editing technology, was hijacked by visitors.The Environment Secretary's website was taken down after only a few hours by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.Mr Miliband, MP for South Shields, South Tyneside, invited visitors to the site to add their comments, opinions and ideas.But the decision to withdraw the site was taken after more than 170 people made less than constructive comments and one posted the swastika symbol.In a list of things citizens should do, one visitor wrote: "Pay a higher proportion of their income to the Government, and see little tangible improvement in their standard of living."His question of "what tools can be used to deliver the environmental contract?" was met with answers: "Spade, organic yoghurt stirrer, old washing up liquid bottle, sticky back plastic." Mr Miliband's latest entry said: "Since writing this, I gather that we have demonstrated the extreme openness of the wiki by playing host to some practical jokes plus a swastika."Strange how some people get their kicks. "But the experiment will continue."  more...

Rain doesn't stop play at region's showgrounds

HEAVY rain on the opening day failed to dampen the spirits at the country's oldest agricultural show.The 227th annual Wolsingham Show, at Scotch Isle Park, Wolsingham, County Durham, attracted thousands of visitors at the weekend.Although the weather forced the cancellation of some events on Saturday, including the grand parade of prize winners, improved conditions yesterday meant a full programme.The show finishes today, with race day featuring sheepdog trials, greyhound and harness racing.Saturday's proceedings were dedicated to farming, with the best cattle, horses, sheep and goats on display.There were also a number of marquees, including rabbits and feathered classes, as well as horticultural, industrial, crafts and several organisations who had stalls.Yesterday was country fair day, and included show jumping, the dog agility competition and a sheep show.This year saw a number of changes at the showground, which is now owned by the show's organisers, the Wolsingham and Wear Valley Agricultural Society, with a field for parking and another for sheepdog trials.Trophies awarded included the long-established H Jewitt Challenge Trophy, named after Harry Jewitt, in the horse class.The respected farmer, who had served on the show committee and was an honourary life member, died in June. The main attraction in the ring on both days was stunt group, the Purple Helmets, from the Isle of Man, while there was music from the Bearpark and Esh Band.Police said there had been no reports of trouble at the show.Show secretary Gordon Dobson said: "After a slow start on Saturday because of the dreadful weather, Sunday was 200 per cent better. It was as good a day as we have had, making for a successful weekend."There were lots of good quality trade stands and exhibitors across all sections, with a lot of people turning out to support us."Elsewhere in the region, thousands of people flocked to Peterlee Show, at the Helford Road Sports Ground, in Peterlee, County Durham, which featured a wide range of events and attractions for all ages.There was the ever-popular funfair for the youngsters, an arts and crafts fair for the adults, displays by voluntary services and competitions in horticulture, cookery, handicrafts, junior art and cookery, and poetry, as well as arena and stage events.Easington Primary Care Trust's Get Active team organised a cycling event and promoted a sports equipment loan scheme and Easington District Council's arts development unit held craft workshops for youngsters, making dream catchers and kites.The council's recycling unit also tried to get people interested in sorting out their waste by running competitions and there were exhibitions by organisations including the police, fire brigade and East Durham Homes.Street wardens were also at the event, seeking people's views on the service they provide, and advice was available for people on incapacity benefits about returning to work.  more...

Fire family in caravans a year on after insurance wrangle

A FAMILY of five are being forced to sleep in two caravans after waiting a year for an insurance payout on their fire-wrecked home.Angela and John Walton and their three teenage sons cannot move back into their bungalow in Low Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, until the fire damage has been repaired.The family are still involved in a wrangle with insurer Barclays over the amount of the payout.Their house was severely damaged when a fire broke out in a bedroom on September 8, last year.The house was declared uninhabitable. Parts of the roof and the floor need to be replaced and new electrical wiring needs to be installed.Barclays put the family up in a series of hotels after the fire, then provided them with a temporary house, but for the past three months they have been living in two caravans in the garden of their bungalow.Mrs Walton said the family could not afford to pay for the repairs, which will cost tens of thousands of pounds, until they receive their insurance payout.She said her three sons, who are 14, 15 and 17, are starting to suffer because of their situation.She said: "One of my sons has just got his results for his AS-level exams. He did okay, but not as well as he expected. He was an A-star student. "This is down to the fact that he has had such a disruptive year. All he used to ask was 'where are we going to be living?'"My other son could not practice his drums for his GCSEs because we did not have his drum kit with us.""Now we are in the caravans, I still say the boys can have friends round, but it is not the same.""I have been told that even when I get the money and can start the repairs, it will be another six or eight months before it is finished and we can move in."A spokesman from Barclays said: "We are aware of the insurance claim and we are working closely with the Walton family to bring the matter to a swift conclusion."The insurance payout has been delayed because the Waltons and Barclays have yet to agree on the compensation.The Waltons said they are owed more money because most of the electrical items in the house need to be replaced because they cannot be considered safe after a fire.The family moved into the caravans after Barclays stopped paying for their temporary accommodation.  more...