Stories for 18 December 2007

The Northern Echo News

Man in hospital after mystery incident

A MAN lying in a hospital bed is at the centre of a mystery.   more...

Woman who smuggled drugs into prison jailed herself

A WOMAN who tried to smuggle heroin substitute pills into prison for her brother was herself behind bars last night.   more...

Fatal smash brings chaos to A1

ONE man was killed in a series of accidents which brought chaos to two of North Yorkshire's busiest roads early this morning.   more...

Police raids are "knock out blow" to criminals

FOURTEEN suspects have so far been arrested by police in raids today.   more...

A job to do

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Depots blockaded

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Clegg wins Lib leadership race

Nick Clegg is the Liberal Democrat's new leader.   more...

New footbridge will improve access to riverbanks

A NEW footbridge which will improve access to a quiet corner of a North-East city's riverbanks was officially opened today.   more...

Millions of UK driver records lost in US

A FRESH data blunder engulfed the Government last night, with the loss of more than three million learner driver records.Names, addresses and phone numbers - but not bank or credit card details - were stored on a computer hard drive that went missing in the US in May.In a statement to MPs, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly was forced to apologise for the "concern" caused to the learner drivers and to set up a telephone advice line.The embarrassment follows the loss of the bank details of 25 million people receiving child benefit from the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) base in Washington, Wearside.Separately, Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday published an interim review of that fiasco, which said it was still not possible to identify who was to blame.Meanwhile, Ms Kelly announced that the hard drive, which went missing in Iowa in May, belonged to a contractor to the Driving Standards Agency.The details - on driving theory test candidates - were not sent in the post, but went missing from a "security facility", she said. Ms Kelly said the data had been formatted specifically for the contractor, Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd, and was not "readily accessible or usable by third parties".As a result, the loss did "not appear to present a substantial risk to individuals" and there were no plans to notify the three million people individually.Neverthless, the opposition parties leapt on the latest bungle as further evidence that the Government could not be trusted with people's data.Ms Kelly had been expected to give more details about the loss, revealed last week, of 7,000 motorists' details by the Northern Ireland Driver and Vehicle Agency - until the more serious breach emerged.Theresa Villiers, the Conservative transport spokeswoman, said: "Labour is failing in its duty to obey its own laws on data protection and failing in its primary and fundamental duty to protect the interests of the people it was elected to serve."The Tories called on the Government to publish a list of all overseas processing centres used and a description of the measures taken to keep data secure.Ms Kelly told MPs that Pearson had acted to prevent a repeat of the blunder by using electronic transfer, rather than sending out data on hard disk drives.Some MPs questioned why the latest embarrassment was only revealed yesterday, when the Transport Secretary was told of it on November 28.The three million learner drivers took the theory test between September 2004 and last April.Pearson, which is based in Iowa, won the contract to process the test results under competitive tendering four years ago, the Department for Transport said.Meanwhile, in his interim report on the data loss from HMRC, in Washington, Kieran Poynter, the chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, boosted Mr Darling by saying there was, as yet, no proof that senior managers took the decision not to strip out bank details and addresses, in order to save money.The Chancellor's insistence that a junior official was to blame had appeared to be undermined by e-mails showing senior civil servants were informed.In his statement, the Chancellor stressed there was no evidence that the missing discs were in criminal hands and no evidence of fraud taking place.  more...

'Staff cannot be forced to co-operate with inquiry'

WITNESSES with information about an asbestos scandal at a North-East council cannot be forced to help the inquiry team with their investigations, panel members were told.The committee set up to find out why bosses at Wear Valley District Council failed to warn staff about the asbestos at a sports centre in Bishop Auckland met for the first time last night, but the council's legal officer said the inquiry's powers are limited.Anna Barker, the council's assistant director of legal services, said that it would be "unfair and unreasonable" to insist that witnesses testify before the panel.The district council was fined £18,000 by Government health inspectors for failing to deal with toxic asbestos at Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre.Staff were not told about the danger until last year - even though the council had been warned five years earlier.When the case went to court in August, magistrates were told that the executives in charge at Wear Valley at the time of the incident had since left the council.It is not known how many workers could have been affected, but inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have described the potential risk to their health as "significant".On the first day of the inquiry at Crook Civic Centre, last night, Ms Barker said present and former members of staff could refuse to be interviewed and stop statements given to the HSE inspector from being released.She said: "Whether the witnesses still work for us or not, if they choose not to come, there is nothing that can be done about that. It would be unfair and unreasonable to insist that they come before the panel."Their non-attendance won't prejudice them in regard to the inquiry and would also not affect their standing at work."If they choose not to release their statements, no inference should be read into that." The inquiry's independent chairman, Peter Kemp, a retired council chief executive from Northumberland, said the investigation may not reach its conclusions until next year."We have a time-scale to finish by the end of January, but I would be doubtful we could finalise the inquiry before then," he said."We need to know how this asbestos report was dealt with, where it went to, what action was taken and who was responsible."We need to do a full and proper job, but it is essential that we don't drag our heels, so we must finish the task within a reasonable time-scale."The next meeting of the inquiry is to be held on January 15, at the civic centre.  more...

Youth scared girl by claiming he had a gun

A TEENAGE girl feared she was going to be shot by a youth who claimed he was carrying a rifle during a late night confrontation.   more...

Clubs hit hard by smoking ban

THE region's pubs and clubs are suffering under the smoking ban, research reveals.Sales have slumped by more than seven per cent since the law was changed in July.Traditional workingmen's clubs and pubs, which rely on drink sales instead of food, have fared the worst.Stephen Smith, steward at Newton Aycliffe Workingmen's Club, said: "It's hitting the industry hard.""There are usually more standing outside than there are inside. And if they're outside smoking, they're not going to be drinking."Carmel Gaffney, of Bishop Auckland Social Club, said: "I think sales have dropped, but not as much as people thought they might."She said that the recent freezing weather was having an impact, with smokers staying at home in the warm, rather that going out for a drink and having to smoke outside.More than half of the 2,700 licensees questioned in the national survey said smokers were making fewer visits to their pubs.Nearly 73 per cent said customers who smoked were spending less time inside the pubs, according to the poll for the BII (formerly British Institute of Innkeeping) and the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations (FLVA).However, a quarter of respondents said more non-smokers were visiting their pubs.The BII said many food-orientated pubs had prospered following the smoking ban.Richard Slade, BII North-East chairman, said businesses that had got themselves ready for the ban should not have seen any drop in turnover.But the success stories have been outweighed by pubs which relied on drink sales.FLVA chief executive Tony Payne said 89 per cent of survey respondents wanted rate relief for licensees who had lost business as a result of the smoking ban."Traditional workingmen's pubs have been hit hard, especially those with no room to accommodate smokers outside," he said."We accept the ban as a public health measure, but it has come at a heavy cost for our pubs and the Government should recognise this and compensate us."Seven in ten pubs now have covered outdoor facilities where customers can smoke, the survey found.  more...

Grieving mother's tribute to daughter

THE mother of a teenage girl who died in a car accident paid tribute to her "beautiful, caring, fun-loving girl" last night.Katherine Lesley Dunning, 14, recently received an award for her work with disabled children and looking after her younger sister.She died after the accident involving a Renault Clio on Sunday night.Last night, her mother, Maureen, speaking from her home in Portland Avenue, in Seaham, County Durham, said: "Katherine was a beautiful, caring, fun-loving girl who loved life and was a pleasure to know."Our family are devastated at the loss of a popular, wonderful young lady."Last month, Katherine was given a Barnardo's award for young carers for her work with disabled children.She helped to look after her younger sister, Rachel, who is physically and mentally disabled, and attends a school to help with learning difficulties.Katherine's award was presented to her at an awards ceremony last month at Seaham Technical School, where she went to school. Classmates and teachers were devastated at the news of the accident.Headteacher Dave Shield said: "Katherine was a quiet young lady who was extremely pleasant and helpful."She was popular and always worked hard without any fuss."Katherine was a young carer and spent much time looking after her younger sister."In school, she was kind to everybody and always went out of her way to help others."It was only last month that she received the carer's award at the schools awards evening."She will be a great loss. Our thoughts go out to her family and friends at this tragic time."Katherine also leaves another sister, Rebecca, and a brother, Stephen.Police are investigating the accident, and an inquest will be carried out.The accident happened shortly before 7.30pm on Sunday on the B1287 The Graham Way, in Seaham.The car involved was travelling north as Katherine crossed from the east to the west side of the road.She was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, where she was confirmed dead.The driver of the Renault, a local man, was uninjured.Witnesses to the accident have been asked to call police on 0191-375-2159.  more...

Government group accused of bullying

A GOVERNMENT department was accused of bullying and blackmail yesterday as officials arrived to seize 150 fish from an angling club hatchery as part of a disease check.Tanfield Angling Club, between Bedale and Ripon, intends to take legal advice following the visit by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), part of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).Cefas, which enforces fish health regulations, has inspectors visiting fish farms all over the country to look for signs of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS), which can have a devastating effect on stocks.Tanfield is in the catchment areas of the rivers Ouse and Nidd, where Defra placed strict controls on live fish movements following the discovery of the water-borne disease on a large fish farm in Nidderdale last year. But Tanfield Angling Club has protested at the number of fish being taken for testing by Cefas, even though it will be compensated for all those that test negative. Inspectors will return in the spring to take another 150 for tests.The club, founded in 1892 and one of the oldest in the North, argues that it is not running a fish farm as defined by legislation being enforced by Cefas, but a private hatchery raising brown trout for anglers on the nearby River Ure.Club secretary John Whitfield, a solicitor, said: "They want to take away potentially about a quarter of the stock that our members would catch. We have offered them a few fish for testing purposes, but the number they want to take is totally over the top."We want to see this disease eradicated as much as anyone and we do not want to belittle the cause for concern, but we are not a big fish farm intensively breeding fish for distribution to other areas or from one site to another."Today we have to submit to this arrogance on behalf of a Government department, but we have got time to analyse our legal position between now and next spring, when they are due to return."Cefas inspector Stephen Maidment was told by angling club committee member David Lightowler: "It is bullying and blackmail, an example of an inflexible EU where commonsense does not come into it."Mr Maidment, who said access had previously been denied, said: "This fish farm is the only site which has denied us samples, and its recent stance is likely to have a negative impact on many others which have co-operated with us."He said 150 was the internationally agreed number considered necessary to detect the presence of the disease. He said that although VHS mainly affected rainbow trout, brown trout were also carriers and susceptible to it.  more...

'Midwife' father ensures baby Warren's safe arrival

QUICK-thinking Simon Telford had to deliver his baby when his partner went into labour.Mr Telford, 29, had just finished his nightshift early on Sunday when fiancee Georgina Gibson, 33, started to get pains.He rang for an ambulance and the midwife began to give instructions - but he had to put the phone down and get on with the job because the baby was about to be born.Mr Telford and Ms Gibson, of Wheatley Hill, near Peterlee, County Durham, are now the proud parents of a healthy boy, who weighed 7lb 9oz and will be called Warren. Mr Telford, who works at the TRW electric component plant in Peterlee, said: "It was 3.30am and I had just finished work."Georgina was 12 days overdue and was going to be induced. I went to bed for an hour or so and then she started to get really bad labour pains. "When I phoned for the ambulance, the midwife came on the line - but the baby's head was coming out and it was too late."I had to put the phone down and go and help because the baby was half way out and his head was stuck. I had to grab him."He came out so far and couldn't get one shoulder out. He had his umbilical cord round his neck, so I had to untangle that."I dealt with the afterbirth and I cleaned him up."It was all done before the ambulance came and the crew couldn't believe it. They were joking that if I wanted a new job. . . ." Mr Telford said he had been at the birth of his other offspring - the couple have five other children, aged two to 15 - but this was a new experience.He added: "Georgina did absolutely brilliantly, as she had no pain relief whatsoever."  more...

Stabbed to death over her new love

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death after she told him she was starting a relationship with somebody she had met on the internet was last night starting a sentence of at least 14 years.Part-time window cleaner George Osbourne, who claimed he was provoked and admitted manslaughter, was found guilty of murder after a jury deliberated for little more than an hour.The 39-year-old was told by trial judge, Mr Justice Henriques, that the story he concocted to try to avoid a murder conviction was "ridiculous" and "pure fabrication".Petty criminal Osbourne claimed he snapped when his wife, Jillian Froom, 35, told him their relationship was over and that her new man was lovely and knew how to treat her.He said he lost control after Mrs Froom showed him a text message on her mobile phone, which read "Morning gorgeous" and told him: "That's the kind of attention I get - I get it every morning."Osbourne knifed mother-of-three Mrs Froom, who had recently undergone surgery for cancer, eight times at their matrimonial home in Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough, on March 9.He fled from the house and was found later underneath a railway station platform, where he had drunk a bottle of vodka and swallowed a number of paracetamol tablets.Mrs Froom's body was found in the living room of their home, in Burnsall Road, by her son James, 16, who also discovered the bloodstained kitchen knife on a radiator.Weeks before the killing, Mrs Froom had thrown Osbourne out of their home, and met a machine operator from Newcastle, called David Forster, on an internet chat room.Osbourne was said to have visited their home a number of times after being kicked out and, on March 9, he shared a cup of coffee with his estranged wife and had a cigarette.But the jury of eight women and four men at Teesside Crown Court was told during a week-long trial that something made Osbourne lose his temper and he repeatedly knifed Mrs Froom.Mr Justice Henriques rejected Osbourne's account that he had been provoked when Mrs Froom told him: "You're out of my life now... and he's in it."The judge told the killer: "I don't accept that any of the words you attributed to Jillian were spoken by her at all, as was put to you under cross-examination."You sat in custody, awaiting this trial, working out, or having worked out by a fellow inmate, a version of facts - the pure purpose of which was to dupe this jury."The brevity of the time required to reach their verdict indicates what a ridiculous defence you sought to run."  more...

Footballer's mother is jailed for drugs offences

THE mother of a young Middlesbrough footballer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.Academy player Lewis Walker was accused of possession with intent to supply Class C drugs after a police raid uncovered £25,000-worth of cannabis in his bedroom cupboard.A jury at Teesside Crown Court last month found the 17-year-old not guilty following a four-day trial.But his mother, Tracy Walker, who admitted looking after the cannabis on behalf of someone else, was yesterday jailed for possessing the cannabis with intent to supply and a charge of possessing cocaine with intent to supply.The 37-year-old had denied the cocaine charge, but was found guilty by a jury.The charges arose after a police raid at the family home in Kirkstone Road, Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough.During the trial, Walker's team-mate, Jonathan Woodgate, gave evidence on his behalf.At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, mother-of-four Walker wept as she was told her conduct had jeopardised her son's promising career as a professional footballer.Mr Recorder Kelbrick told her: "You callously allowed those drugs to be stored in the bedroom of your son without warning him they were there."The judge said he accepted that Tracy Walker, who wiped away tears throughout the short hearing, was a "lower level" dealer in cocaine and that she was only storing the cannabis on behalf of someone else.The court heard that Tracy Walker, who had no previous convictions, became involved in the drug scene when she dabbled with cocaine.During the raid at their home on October 15, last year, officers found the 25 nine-ounce bars of cannabis in a Netto carrier bag in the teenager's wardrobe.Also uncovered in the raid was the cocaine, three lumps of cannabis in a whisky bottle in the kitchen and electronic scales containing traces of drugs.A purse containing £151 was also recovered from Tracy Walker's bedroom.Detective Constable Jim Devine said the quantity of cocaine recovered was in line with what police would expect a street-level dealer to carry.Det Con Devine said a number of phones were recovered. A text message on one read: "It's Sophie. Can I have a 40 please. Text my phone."The officer said he believed that it referred to a cocaine deal.Tracy Walker said the message was from her friend who had lent her £40 and wanted it back.She also said the cannabis was in her house because two men, who she declined to name, made her look after it overnight in return for £100.  more...

Darwin sons not treated as suspects, police say

THE two sons of back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin are still being treated as witnesses in the investigation, police said last night.Detectives interviewed Anthony and Mark Darwin about their father's disappearance off the coast of Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, five years ago, and his reappearance in London this month.The brothers attended a police station in the area at the weekend for an arranged meeting with officers.Mark, 32, and Anthony, 29, maintain they were unaware their father was alive until two weeks ago.A police spokeswoman said: "Both sons of John and Anne Darwin... were interviewed on Saturday as witnesses to the inquiry."There is nothing to suggest that they are anything but witnesses and victims in this case."There are currently no plans to interview them further."Last week, The Northern Echo revealed how the pair had withdrawn their co-operation with police and instructed a lawyer.The sons disowned their parents and said they wanted nothing further to do with their mother and father.Mr Darwin disappeared from his home in March 2002 and was presumed drowned after his wrecked canoe was found.The following year, a coroner officially declared him dead.Mrs Darwin initially said she was in total shock that her husband was still alive.But it later emerged he was not dead and had been living next to the family home, in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, for much of the time he was missing.On Friday, Mr Darwin and his wife, Anne, made their second appearance at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court.Mr Darwin, 57, is charged with dishonestly obtaining £25,000 and making an untrue statement to procure a passport.Mrs Darwin, 55, is accused of dishonestly obtaining a £25,000 life assurance payment and a policy worth £137,000, which settled her mortgage in the event of her husband's deathThey appeared separately and were both remanded in custody until January 11, to appear before the court again.  more...

Plan to carve up Rock considered by Government

A PLAN to divide up beleaguered North-East bank Northern Rock among high street rivals is being considered by the Government, it was reported today.   more...

Mike is crowned world champion parmo chef

CHEF Mike Featherstone proved he had the recipe for success when his creation was named world's greatest parmo.The owner of Mike's Return takeaway, in Victoria Road, Middlesbrough, cooked up a storm at Stockton Borough Council's World Parmo Championships.He beat fellow chefs from Mohujos, in Billingham, and Borges, in Stockton, to be crowned parmo king at the event, in Stockton High Street.The championship was organised by the council to put the Teesside dish on the world map, and to find out whose variation came out top.People were asked to vote for their favourite parmo, leading to 900 votes from across the globe for a total of 106 establishments, including one on the Isle of Skye, in the Hebrides.However, it was the three finalists who received the most votes, and, after cooking their versions of the parmo -chicken or pork escalope dipped in breadcrumbs and served with bechamel sauce and parmesan cheese -the panel of three judges opted for Mr Featherstone's.He said: "I think the secret is in the sauce. The sauce cannot be rushed. I go through 30 to 40 gallons of sauce every week and I make it morning, noon and night."I do all the parmos at our restaurant, and they are very, very popular."We have people coming from Whitby for them."Judge Charlie Constantine, owner of the Buck Inn pub, in Great Ayton, and inventor of the parmo, said all three parmos were good, but Mr Featherstone's had the edge.Stockton council's town centre manager, Sue Burgess, said she hoped to make the competition an annual event.She said: "I cannot believe how well it has gone. The people of Teesside are so proud of their parmo. We tongue-in-cheek called it a World Parmo Championship, but we have had votes from people all over the world, voting for establishments far and wide. We even had 12 votes for a restaurant in the Isle of Skye."  more...

Ben dies proud of father-son lifespan record

RETIRED quarryman Ben Payne, who was proud to have set a British record with his father - as their lives spanned 157 years - has died at the age of 100.William Payne, a reservoir worker, was born in 1850 and was 57 when Ben came into the world at their home in Middleton-in-Teesdale, near Barnard Castle. Other members of the family made extensive inquiries, but could find no trace of any other parent and child in the UK whose lives covered such a lengthy period.When Mr Payne celebrated his 100th birthday at Middleton, in April, he said he had made checks some years earlier and found that the previous record was held by a father and daughter whose ages added up to 152 years.He said at the time: "It is nice to know that my dad and I have set up a new record, which may never be beaten. I was one of nine children. A few of them were born after me, but all the other eight passed away before me."His nephew, Bill Payne, a retired teacher and local historian, who also lives in the village, said yesterday: "Ben was proud of the fact that he and his father set up such an unusual record. It is remarkable to think that their two lives stretched back to 1850, when the world was such a different place and long before the invention of so many of the things that are commonplace today."Ben Payne put his long life down to the fact that he always did heavy manual work in the open air and stopped smoking cigarettes when he was 30.Giving them up was nothing to do with staying healthy but because the price went up to a shilling for a packet of 20. He said: "At that price (now equal to 5p), they were too dear for me, and I felt I could make better use of the money."Mr Payne, whose wife, Lilian, died four years ago, lived in the village all his life. Even when he was 100, he did The Northern Echo crossword every day, as well as one in another paper. He threw a party for friends in a local hall on his 100th birthday and asked for money instead of presents - giving it all to the village surgery.He died on Sunday in Richardson Hospital, Barnard Castle. He leaves a daughter, Catherine, who lives in Australia, and a son, Morton, whose home is in Northumberland. His funeral will be held at Middleton Methodist Church, on Saturday, at 1pm. Donations in lieu of flowers will be shared between the Friends of the Hospital and the district nurses.  more...

Disability group leader tells scooter users to slow down

ELECTRIC wheelchair and   more...

Pensioner paid for sex with child prostitute

A MAN of 83 paid for sex with a child prostitute and took indecent photographs of her, a court was told.   more...

Police seek to recover drug dealers' cash

DETECTIVES aim to recover assets totalling more than £100,000 following the jailing of two cocaine dealers.   more...

Clegg named leader of Lib Dems

NICK Clegg was today elected the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.   more...

Record breaker dies

THE oldest man in the world with Down's syndrome has died aged 68.   more...

New schools in region to get wind turbines

SOLAR panels and wind turbines   more...

Footballers bring joy to children’s wards

PLAYERS from Darlington   more...

Caught the teaching bug – but no sick days taken

A TEACHER who has never had a day   more...

Town's water supply declared safe

DRINKING water has been declared safe more than a week after a contagious parasite, which can cause diarrhoea and stomach cramps, was found in a town's supply.   more...

Woman driver had jumper over her head

A WOMAN motorist pulls her jumper over her head as drives down a street at around 30mph.   more...

New train service gets underway

THE FIRST train on the new Grand Central rail link to London left the North-East a minute late today - thanks to the media.   more...

Abnormal load warning

MOTORISTS are being warned of two abnormal loads travelling across Teesside.   more...

Arsonist who wanted to die jailed

A WOMAN was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday for setting fire to her home in a bid to kill herself.   more...

Pair get early Christmas presents they didn't want

TWO brothers received Christmas presents they had not asked for after being given anti-social behaviour injunctions in the run-up to the holidays.   more...

Mum pays tribute to tragic daughter

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New train service launched

THE first train on the new Grand Central rail link to London left the North-East a minute late today.   more...

US viewers are treated to landmark leap

MILLIONS of television viewers   more...

Villagers call for vote on treaty

RESIDENTS of a North Yorkshire   more...