Stories for 8 January 2007

The Northern Echo News

"Maniac" driver jailed

A BANNED motorist with 13 previous convictions for driving while disqualified and four previous convictions for dangerous driving was today given an indefinite jail sentence for killing a school dinner lady in a hit-and-run.   more...

Grandfather killed in North Sea accident

A GRANDFATHER looking forward to his imminent retirement has been killed in an accident in the North Sea.Matthew Grey, a 59-year-old pipe-fitter from Darlington, suffered fatal injuries in what has been called "an appalling tragedy" while working in the cargo tanks of the support ship Bleo Holm, 72 miles north-east of Aberdeen.His colleague, Norman Jackson, 58, from North Shields, North Tyneside, a rigging foreman, was hurt in the accident. After receiving medical attention on the Bleo Holm, Mr Jackson was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, from where he was discharged after treatment for a minor arm injury.The vessel's operator, Talisman Energy (UK), confirmed an investigation was under way to find the cause of the accident, which happened at about 9.20pm on Saturday.Mr Grey, who was employed by Aker Kvaerner Offshore Partner Limited (AKOPL), was treated at the scene by the vessel's medic but died before he could be airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The full circumstances of the accident have not been revealed.A spokesman for his family said last night: "Matthew was a well-loved family man and a fantastic husband, dad and granddad."He touched the lives of everyone he met with his good humour and generous nature."He was a hard-working, dedicated and experienced employee."The family was looking forward to sharing his imminent retirement, and his premature death has left a huge void in the family."We are all devastated and will miss him dearly."The family made a request to be left alone to deal with their grief.Rod Buchan, managing director of AKOPL, also paid tribute last night to Mr Grey, who he described as "an experienced, committed and hard-working employee, who was liked and respected by all".Torleif Gram, executive vice-president for the company, said: "Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of those affected by this tragic incident."Nick Walker, Talisman Energy's UK vice-president, said: "On behalf of everyone at Talisman Energy, I would like to express our deepest sympathy to Matthew's family."Our thoughts and condolences are with them during what is clearly a very difficult time."Talisman is fully committed to investigating the reasons for this appalling tragedy."The Bleo Holm is a floating production and storage off-loading vessel that operates in several of the North Sea's oil fields.  more...

Worker, 59, dies after ladder fall

A MAN died in hospital last night after falling 15ft while carrying out work on an empty building.The man's wife was at his bedside in Darlington Memorial Hospital after he was taken there with severe injuries.Phillip Platt, a 59-year-old from Barnard Castle, County Durham, died at about 8pm.He suffered severe head injuries and was unconscious when he was found at the scene of the accident, in Darlington's Victoria Road.It is thought he had been carrying out work at the back of the former Recognition PR building when he slipped and fell.One theory is that he had balanced a ladder on top of scaffolding.This then slipped, knocking the scaffolding over and sending him plunging to the ground.Mr Platt would have been working about 15ft above the ground.The accident happened at about 10am on Saturday morning.He was found by Gaynor Bennett, of the Darlington Learning Centre, whose premises adjoin the building.She said: "We did not actually see anything, but we heard the noise."He was working upstairs, and when I came out, he was on the floor and he was obviously badly hurt."Acting Inspector Gavin Musgrave, of Darlington police, said: "This man was working alone. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and we are not appealing for any witnesses."It appears to be just a tragic accident. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been out to the scene."The accident comes a few days after the HSE issued a warning about scaffolding.The HSE brought about a successful prosecution just before Christmas when a company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 after scaffolding fell over in Bondgate, Darlington.  more...

Recorder may hold clues to six crash deaths

THE flight recorder from the helicopter that crashed, six people, has been located.The black box from the Morecambe Bay tragedy could give the families of the men, one of who is still missing but presumed dead, vital answers to the December 27 accident.Rig worker Alfred Neasham, from Coxhoe, pictured right, was killed along with colleague Leslie Ahmed, from South Shields.The body of contractor Keith Smith, from Stockton, has not been found as weather conditions continue to hamper the investigation.A spokesman for the Department of Transport said last night that boats with tracing equipment had located the data recorder, but due to the weather, it could not be removed from the sea immediately.Recovery of the recorder, together with any wreckage of the Eurocopter AS365N, will begin as soon as weather conditions allow.The 20-year-old helicopter pitched into the sea as it collected the workers from Centrica gas rigs off the Lancashire coast.Police and the helicopter's owner, Aberdeen-based CHC Helicopter Corporation, have declined to comment on speculation that mechanical failure was to blame.It is understood no Mayday call was received, and gas workers who witnessed the tragedy said the helicopter did not appear to clip a rig.The craft had been on a routine flight between rigs for gas firm Centrica when it crashed into the sea, 25 miles off the coast. The rig workers involved in the crash were named as Robert Warburton, from Heysham, John Shaw, from Kirkcaldy, as well as Mr Ahmed, Mr Smith and Mr Neasham. Pilots Stephen Potton, from Blackpool, and Simon Foddering, from Preston, also died.   more...

Storage company launches search for killer's brother

A NORTH-East storage company is carrying out its own detective work to track down the brother of a convicted killer.More than a decade ago, Vince Landa, the former boss of a one-armed bandit empire, left his household possessions in the safe-keeping of Ingram's, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham.His brother, Michael Luvaglio, was convicted of the 1967 gangland murder of Angus Sibbett while he was working for Mr Landa.Mr Luvaglio has always protested his innocence and last week offered a £20,000 reward for information that could lead to the quashing of his conviction.At the time of the murder, Mr Landa owned Social Club Services, which supplied one-armed bandits to clubs on Tyneside. In April 1997, Mr Landa arranged for Ingram's to collect some of his furniture from a house in Sunderland. Two, 250-cubic-foot containers holding Mr Landa's goods were taken to Ingram's storage depot, where they have remained ever since.Ingram's last received payment for the storage of the goods in December 1998 and have written off the £10,000 Mr Landa would owe in rental charges.They now want to track down Mr Landa to ask for his permission to sell the goods, which include dining tables and chairs.Malcolm Ingram, operations director of Ingram's, said: "When I saw the article about Mr Luvaglio putting up the reward in The Northern Echo, I thought there may be a possibility he keeps in touch with his brother and would be in a position to pass on our request for him to contact us, whereupon we can put an end to this saga. We want his permission to sell these things, but there may be personal effects in there that Mr Landa would want to keep, and we wouldn't want to get rid of those."Michael Luvaglio, who lives in London, said: "I haven't seen my brother since 1967 and I have had no contact with him. He didn't even bother about me when I was in prison, or my parents. In fact, I don't wish to contact him, so unfortunately I've got no idea where he is."I'm sorry that the company are holding these goods and if they've had them for ten years and if nobody seems to know his whereabouts, I think they are entitled to sell them."Mr Luvaglio, 69, was convicted of murder with Dennis Stafford, of Stanhope, County Durham, and was released from prison in 1979.  more...

Union will talk to staff about safety

UNION officials say they will be speaking to workers at a chemical plant about safety in the wake of a leak that left 37 people needing treatment.A major incident was declared when 4.5 tonnes of the chemical hexamethylenediamine, known as HMD, leaked and the workers were injured - two seriously - at the BASF plant on Teesside.The two men from the site, in Seal Sands Road, Billingham, remain in hospital. Tom Brennan, regional secretary of the GMB, told The Northern Echo that questions would be raised about workers' safety.Hospital officials said last night that the condition of two men being treated was improving. A spokeswoman for James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, said the worker admitted there, believed to be from Hartlepool, was comfortable.He is receiving treatment for what are believed to be serious facial burns, but is expected to be released early this week.Mr Brennan, representing a number of workers at BASF, said: "Obviously, when there is an accident of this nature, we always have questions about safety and why it happened."But we will be speaking to the workers we represent at the BASF plant and asking if they had any concerns prior to this major incident."I can assure you, there will be questions raised over safety procedures, equipment and machinery. There will be a complete review."What's most important in cases of this nature is that we don't have a repeat incident."A spokesman for BASF said an investigation was continuing with the Health and Safety Executive and the plant remained closed to allow investigators access to the site.Five fire appliances were called to the site at about 9.30am on Thursday. Firefighters set up a decontamination unit to treat victims before they were taken to hospitals across Teesside. Paramedics were called to the Nylon Intermediates chemical plant and a medic trained in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents co-ordinated the decontamination  more...

Thousands of ex-miners to be quizzed on knee injuries

THOUSANDS of former miners will be quizzed about serious knee injuries they may have suffered down the pits as part of a fight for compensation against the Government.The County Durham branch of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) intends to send questionnaires to 8,000 of its members asking about medical conditions that may qualify for damages.Mining unions say many former miners developed debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis in their knee joints as a result of prolon- ged kneeling and crouching in coal tunnels under- ground.But the Department of Trade and Industry, which has already paid out billions to men who suffered from lung disease and Vibration White Finger, said no evidence has been produced that proves it should accept liability.Last week, the leading judge in England and Wales, the Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips of Matravers, granted an order allowing several mining unions access to former British Coal records to build a case showing negligence that could end up in the High Court.David Guy, president of the Durham branch of the NUM, said: "There will be quite a lot of information on what the Coal Board were doing in relation to this and what they ought to have been doing."The question is, did they follow the advice they were given?"The employers had a duty of care to ensure that severe knee conditions did not develop, but there are lots of examples of miners carrying out duties where damage could have been prevented and, indeed, where production was put before the wellbeing of the individual."Mr Guy said the process of sifting through Coal Board records could take up to 12 months given the huge amount of material that will have to be examined.He also said that despite the union's planned survey of its members, only certain types of knee conditions could be attributed to the work miners were asked to do.Mr Guy further warned of what could be a long road ahead with no guarantee of success.He said: "With vibration white finger (VWF), we started in 1987, it got to court in 1993 and it was 1997 before the final judgement."Unfortunately, the Government has not learnt the lessons from the two previous cases VWF and lung disease that were successfully fought when we hoped they would be sitting down with us to negotiate some sort of compensation scheme."We think they will resist this case vigorously and they have got endless amounts of finance to fight it."  more...

Sex register expert awaits child porn sentence

A PROBATION Service expert who distributed internet child pornography while setting up a database of sex offenders will have to wait two more weeks to find out if he will be jailed.   more...

War hero John dies, aged 91

A WAR hero who was one of only two men to win the George Medal with bar and the George Cross in the Second World War has died, aged 91.John Bridge was one of the Royal Navy's most highly decorated officers and took part in some of the war's most important military operations.War veterans and Sunderland Mayor, Tom Foster, were among mourners at Mr Bridge's funeral, at St Andrew's Church, Sunderland.Bernie Thompson, commanding officer of the Royal Navy's Fleet Diving Squadron, took a leading role in the service and said: "A great deal has been written about John's wartime exploits and even summarised versions make jaw-dropping and humbling reading."He took part in some of the war's most important military operations and was one of the Royal Navy's most highly decorated officers."Mr Bridge was a pacifist when war broke out, but volunteered for the Royal Navy after realising his physics degree could help save lives.The bomb disposal expert escaped death at least nine times while defusing hundreds of mines, often working under enemy fire.Arthur Lockyear, co-ordinator of Sunderland's Remembrance Parade, said: "He was one of the great heroes of the Second World War."Born in Lancashire, he moved to Sunderland in 1963, where he lived in Fulwell and served as education director until retiring in 1976.He died on December 14, five months after the death of his wife, Jean. He is survived by their three daughters. His daughter, Jane, told the funeral: "Our father lived a rich, fulfilling and, at times, adventurous life, of which he could be proud."  more...

'Richer having known him'

THE family of a 14-year-old boy have spoken of his bravery as he battled a fatal brain tumour.Andrew Storey died at his home in Ramshaw, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, on December 11, ten months after being diagnosed with the tumour. The Teesdale School student stayed at home for much of his illness, spending only occasional nights at Newcastle General Hospital.Despite undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the teenager remained active until a few weeks before his death.Andrew went to school for two or three days a week and when he became too ill to go, kept in touch with his friends by text message.His parents, Julie and Mark Storey, said Andrew was caring and considerate, and would not ask for help, even when he was at his weakest."He was so brave and took everything in his stride. We would ask him if he was okay and he would always say 'yeah, I'm fine'," said Mrs Storey, an auxiliary nurse. "It would only be when I asked him again that he would say if there was something wrong."She said: "He wanted to be a plumber when he was older, because he was so good with his hands and he was always messing around with things."If anything was ever broken, he would say he could fix it, even if he knew he couldn't - he was always so willing to help." Andrew was a keen footballer and played for Barnard Castle youth teams from the age of nine. A Newcastle United season ticket holder, he received cards from Magpies legend Alan Shearer during his illness. After his death, the former England striker sent another card to his family.Mr Storey said: "He used to like motorsport too and me and him used to go to lots of the local circuits to see the races. "He had a little trials bike and was always riding that."Andrew's grandmother, Iris Hutchinson, said: "We had 14 happy years of him in our lives and our lives are richer for having known him. We're all going to miss him terribly, he was a lovely lad."More than 150 people attended Andrew's funeral in Darlington. His sister, Ashleigh, 16, wrote a poem for the funeral, and readings were given by friends and family. Mr Storey said: "He was a very popular, likeable lad, and that was shown in how many people came to the funeral and how many cards we received. Ashleigh said: "Andrew kept us entertained over the years with his outlook on life. Nothing was a problem for him. He was so laid-back."Mrs Storey said: "He had a smile, a very cheeky little smile, and that is how a lot of people will remember him, he was always smiling."  more...

Light at the end of the tunnel for Weardale Railway creditors

CREDITORS still out of pocket two years after a heritage railway ran out of money have given a cautious welcome to news they could be paid by the end of the month. The Weardale Railway closed in January 2005, only six months after opening, owing £900,000 to 104 creditors.Two years later, despite trains once again running on the line, the company's debts have still not been paid.However, Steve Raine, managing director of the Weardale Railway, which began passenger services on the line between Wolsingham and Stanhope in August last year, told The Northern Echo: "We are making progress and we hope to complete a deal which will allow creditors to be paid by the end of the month."Mr Raine's comments were given a cautious welcome by Frosterley engineer Jonathan Gardiner, who lost £6,000, when the railway collapsed.He said: "I've never heard anything from the railway yet, so we'll have to wait and see what happens, but it would be good news."Builder Richard Pinkney, who lost £212,000, said: "We'll have to wait and see. I want the railway to work because it's good for Weardale, which I'm passionate about. But no one's told me what's going to happen and that's very frustrating."The railway is run as a community interest company, meaning all assets and profits must be used for community benefit. It came out of administration in June last year, but remains in a company voluntary agreement.Once the agreement, which was brokered by PricewaterhouseCoopers, ends, creditors will be paid 25p in the £1.This cannot be done until the railway buys its track from Network Rail.However, Mr Raine said: "We now have a deal to buy the track. If no more obstacles are encountered this will happen before the end of the month."We appreciate the creditors' patience and the frustration that they have had to go through. "It's an extremely complicated situation, but we are hopeful it will be completed by the end of the month."Mr Gardiner, who still does work on the railway, said: "The money we would get is not a lot, but it's better than nothing."  more...

Inquiry launched as police vehicles collide on 999 call

TWO police vehicles crashed into each other while responding to a 999 call in a city centre.One officer was taken to hospital with minor injuries after the accident, which involved a surveillance van and a Ford Focus, in Newcastle at about 12.25pm on Friday.Paul Adams, 55, an electrician, of Fenham, Newcastle was in the area at the time.He said: "I did not see it happen, but I heard the sirens going and then a big bang. I came out of the shop I was in and saw the police van and the car come together. It looked like they had hit each other hard. There was soon other police around the place and they managed to move the vehicles to the side of the road."When that happened, there was a line of people just standing taking photos."Northumbria Police are investigating the cause of the accident.  more...

Football world in mourning after death of leading coach

THE region's football community is in mourning after the sudden death of a leading coach.Once named the best grassroots coach in the country, Alan Brown was only 46 when he died from a brain aneurysm on Boxing Day.Friends and family gathered at Teesside Crematorium on Friday to pay their respects to the father-of-three.In August 2005, the Stockton Town FC chairman and coach was awarded the Football Association's Learning Grassroots Coach of the Year.His partner, Jane Crossen, who lived with Mr Brown in Stockton, said: "He was talking to his mum and dad when he just basically collapsed. I am a nurse so I tried to resuscitate him, but to be honest I knew just by looking at him he had probably died instantly."A decision was taken the next day to switch off his ventilator. It is believed several of his organs have been donated.Miss Crossen said: "He was a fit man. He played football all his life. He woke up that morning feeling fine. The plan for Boxing Day was to go shopping in the sales."Close friend and fellow coach Martin Hillerby described him as "the best friend anyone could wish for".When Mr Brown was named the best local football coach in the country, he was modest about the award.He told The Northern Echo at the time: "I am honoured to receive an award, especially as it is for coaching, which is something I love doing. "There is no better feeling when your team goes out at the start of a game and puts into practice everything you have taught them."Mr Brown was invited by the FA as a guest of honour at the Community Shield match between Arsenal and Chelsea in 2005.He was presented with his award by then-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.He also met World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst and FA grassroots development chief Sir Trevor Brooking and was invited to present the medals to the winning team.Mr Brown started coaching ten years ago when he helped his son's football team.  more...

Region's shame as one of the dirty men of Europe

THE North-East's role as one of the dirty men of Europe has been highlighted in figures which show how much it is contributing to climate change.The region belches out more carbon dioxide (CO2) - a major greenhouse gas - per head of the population than any other part of the UK.According to a survey, the average person in the North-East will have produced as much CO2 in the first six days of this year than their counterparts in the world's poorest countries for the whole of 2007.Campaign group the World Development Movement (WDM) said 34 million tonnes of CO2 would be produced in the North-East this year. When taking into account the region's population of 2.5 million this equated to 13.1 tonnes for every person.This is as much CO2 as produced by the whole of Bangladesh, which has a population of 140 million.In Yorkshire, 57 million tonnes of CO2 will be emitted, 10.9 tonnes for each person in its five million population.Overall the UK produces 564 million tonnes of CO2 each year, 9.2 tonnes for each of its 58.7 million residents.Benedict Southworth, a director of WDM, which aims to highlight the inequalities involved when it comes to climate change, said: "The poorest countries in the world make effectively no contribution to climate change, but it is those same people that face the worst consequences from drought, floods, starvation and disease."Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have presented themselves as leaders of the fight against global poverty, but they are failing to tackle climate change, which is the single biggest threat to the world's poor."The truth is that UK CO2 emissions have risen under Labour by six per cent."Mike Childs, a North-East spokesman for Friends of the Earth, agreed that the region's relatively high concentration of industry was a factor in the survey figures.But he said much still had to be done, with radical steps needed to cut carbon emissions.He said: "People can do things on their own, such as not using the car as much or turning lights off."But the Government has a huge role to play in making industry cleaner and making sure that every electrical product bought is energy-efficient.  more...

The Lifeblood Appeal

AS part of The Northern Echo lifeblood campaign encouraging people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region:TODAY* Social Club, Dean Terrace, Main Road, Ryton, 2.30pm to 7pm.* Barracuda, Front Street, Chester-le-Street, 2.30pm to 7pm.*Ferryhill Leisure Centre, Lambton Road, Ferryhill, 2.45pm to 7pm.* Asda Stores (Bloodmobile), Marina Way, Hartlepool, 1pm to 3.40pm and 4.15pm to 6pm.TOMORROW* St Cuthbert's Church Centre, Market Place, Darlington, 2pm to 7pm.* Parish Hall, Front Street, Sedgefield, 3.30pm to 8pm.WEDNESDAY* Fulwell Methodist Church, Dovedale Road, Fulwell, Sunderland, 2pm to 7pm.* St Chad's Church Hall, Emerson Avenue, Middlesbrough, 3pm to 7pm.* Community Centre, Wingate, 2.45pm to 7pm.THURSDAY* Methodist Church Hall, Stamfordham Road, Newcastle, 2.15pm to 7pm.* Rugby Club, West Mills Playing Fields, Bridge Road, Bishop Auckland, 2.45pm to 7pm.* Community Centre, Low Grange Avenue, Billingham, 3pm to 7pm.FRIDAY* St Andrew's Church Hall, Whinbrooke Leam Lane, Gateshead, 2.30pm to 7pm.* Kader Community Centre, Trimdon Avenue, Middlesbrough, 2.30pm to 7pm.* Redcar URC Hall, Station Road, Redcar, 2.30pm to 7pm.  more...

Murder victim's son stole from pensioner

THE troubled son of a murder victim stole cash from a vulnerable pensioner as his mother's killer finally faced justice.   more...

Geldof backs Brown

  more...