The Northern Echo : News, Sport, Business, Leisure from the North East and North Yorkshire

Stories for 21 January 2008

The Northern Echo News

Man's ear almost severed in attack

A MAN had an ear almost bitten clean off in an unprovoked street attack.   more...

Student still in coma two months after fall

A STUDENT remains unconscious   more...

From a North-East shipyard to the glitz of Hollywood

A MAN who began life as an apprentice   more...

Man charged with murder

A 40-YEAR-old North-East man appeared before magistrates yesterday charged with murder.   more...

Kelly’s eye on talented Kate

A YOUNG North-East   more...

"Leeches joke" gynaecologist in medical hearing

AN alleged joke about putting leeches on a woman's genitals has landed a North Yorkshire gynaecologist in front of a medical watchdog hearing.   more...

Man charged with robbery after police operation

A MAN arrested in a pre-planned police operation last week appeared before magistrates yesterday.   more...

Ambitious town plan submitted

PLANS that could transform part of a North-East town have been submitted.   more...

Archbishop heads to Rome

THE region's highest-ranking clergyman is heading for Rome later this month.   more...

Rider's speed at fault in fatal crash

A FATAL accident involving a motorcyclist was caused mainly by the rider's speed, a coroner has ruled.   more...

Bloomin' great as florist scoops top award

TEESSIDE florist Diana Kaye has won the National Flower Shop of the Year Award.   more...

Health executive fined for speeding at 102mph

A PRIMARY care trust executive escaped a driving ban yesterday after being clocked at more than 100mph on a North Yorkshire motorway.   more...

Chancellor to set out Rock plans

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling will today set out plans to provide Government backing for a private sector buyout of the stricken North-East bank Northern Rock.   more...

Escaped murderer caught in Scotland

AN ESCAPED murderer who has been on the run for six days was arrested today.   more...

Ecstasy tablets worth £25,000 found at house

ECSTASY tablets with a street value of around £25,000 have been found at a house in the North-East.   more...

Police appeal for crash witnesses

A RENEWED police appeal was issued yesterday for witnesses to a road accident in which a car passenger suffered serious injuries.   more...

Jack Russell gets into a hole lot of trouble

A JACK Russell was last night recovering after surviving a 27-hour ordeal trapped inside a cave.Five-year-old Nell fell about 80ft after disappearing down a hole on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales on Thursday afternoon.Frantic owner Mark Fawcett, 29, dug into the hole, on the Gunnerside Estate land above Askrigg, but was unable to reach the dog.He called Swaledale Mountain Rescue team and they finally found her at the bottom of a previously unknown cave.Peter Roe, the team's underground expert, found the hole turned in to a drop of 18ft before levelling out and dropping a further 18ft to a ledge.Below the ledge, there was a further drop of 40ft to the bottom of the cave.Mr Roe, 50, said: "I clambered down using a metal and wire ladder and there were some little passages when I was on my hands and knees."It took about three hours and I could not see the dog anywhere, but I thought I was just going to look for a body."I got to the bottom and the dog came up and licked my leg and I couldn't believe it - she should have been dead."It was amazing, as you would have thought anything going down would have been smashed to pieces."I made a little harness and hung her on the rope and climbed back up with the dog hanging there."Mr Fawcett, a beat keeper for Gunnerside Estates, said: "We were out for a walk and she went into the hole and I presumed she was looking for a way out."I could hear her faintly and she's been down hundreds of holes, but when I knew she was stuck I didn't think I'd see her again."Nell went into the hole at about 1pm on Thursday and was rescued at 4pm on Friday.Mr Fawcett said: "I was a bit worried about them both, but I just had to wait and I was very relieved when he came back up with Nell."I was surprised she didn't have a few injuries after falling so far, but she was soon back to normal."  more...

Roots help 'Big lad from Tow Law' to become Huge

NORTHERN roots have taken "a big lad from Tow Law" to a successful career in music on and off the stage.US star Justin Timberlake enjoyed Ian Donaghy's music so much he joined him on stage to sing two James Brown numbers.Along with his band, the 37-year-old part-time teacher has performed for some of the biggest stars of film and television, including Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, Tim Rice and Bill Nighy, as well as the casts of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.Size definitely matters for the 6ft 3in giant, who now lives in York, who signs himself Big Ian and called his band Huge.Although he admits to once tipping the scales at 27 stone, he is reluctant to reveal his present weight, only saying it is "at the lower end of my range".The band has played in front of a 15,000 crowd at Headingley, a 10,000 crowd at BBC Music Live in York and he is presently organising the next show at York Opera House, where 14 previous appearances have all sold out.Mr Donaghy, whose parents Charlie and Alice live in Tow Law, County Durham, said his background had played a big part in his success.He said: "It has done me a lot of good being a big Northern lad from Tow Law. "The accent goes down well everywhere I go."We were at an event in the South of France where Justin Timberlake was a guest. He got up and sang two numbers with me, which was great."He said: "I've also played with Girls Aloud, Atomic Kitten, Alesha Dixon and even Rolf Harris."The father-of-two has a maths degree having left Wolsingham School, in County Durham, to study at St John's, York and Leeds Carnegie University.He continues to teach at two very different establishments, The Mount school for girls and a centre for excluded teenagers in York.He said: "I get a lot out of both my careers and I have a good life."It is a joke really. If somebody had told me that I could do this when I was back in Tow Law, I would have laughed."Huge are at the Grand Opera House, in York, on January 26 and February 2. Tickets cost £13 from 0870-606-3595 or www.hugepartyband. co.uk  more...

GCSE exam papers recalled in sex shock

THOUSANDS of GCSE examination papers are to be recalled after a North-East school raised concerns that teenagers were being asked to research a photograph depicting child abuse.Pat Armstrong, headteacher of Branksome School, in Darlington, contacted exam board AQA last week after children were asked to research photographs by controversial Australian artist Tracey Moffatt, including one called Heart Attack, which portrays a naked man reaching out for a child by a bed.The exam board is expected to write to schools around the country outlining plans to reissue the GCSE art and design paper.A number of complaints are believed to have surfaced following Ms Armstrong's initial complaint last Tuesday.On Monday, the controlled test paper was sent to Branksome for a 30-strong GCSE group of 15 and 16-year-olds. Art and design teacher Rachael Dickinson took it to the headteacher, who contacted AQA to express the school's concerns.Last night, Ms Armstrong told The Northern Echo: "Students can be exposed to these sort of images if they research it themselves, but we felt it inappropriate for us, as teachers, to be directing pupils towards that sort of thing."The test required students to research the artist's work which, said Ms Armstrong, featured several pieces that caused concern, including one the school felt depicted physical abuse of a child, as well as Heart Attack, part of the permanent collection at the Tate Modern.She was assured her pupils would not be at a disadvantage if they were not given that part of the paper. But now, after a number of complaints from across the country, the exam board has decided to withdraw the controversial section of the paper.The headteacher won backing from John Curry, chair of governors at the 680-pupil school.He said: "The photograph could be considered reasonable in different circumstances, but if a pupil has suffered abuse themselves then, in the middle of an examination, bad memories are going to be brought back and it is very unfair."Margaret Morrissey, of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said: "It is horrific, and I think it is completely unnecessary. We should not be trying to shock young people."But Tim Marlow, director of exhibitions at London's White Cube gallery, said: "I think Tracey Moffatt is a tough, uncompromising artist and I salute them for having her on there. Why are they back-tracking on it now? It seems to me gutless."Tracey Moffatt, whose works are displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Sydney, and the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, said the image did not represent paedophilia, but was based on a true story in which a man hit a child then died of a heart attack. She said: "It is a shocking and powerful image. I half understand why it is being withdrawn."A spokesman for AQA said that, while it was felt the image was still valid, it was being withdrawn because of the potential impact on students who had been victims of abuse.The spokesman added: "If you want to use contemporary artists you have to accept that some could be shocking, and we want to stimulate students and challenge them."  more...

Branson 'preparing improved Rock bid'

SIR Richard Branson's Virgin Group is reportedly planning a sweetened bid for Northern Rock as the Government prepares to outline financial support for a private sale.The Virgin-led consortium is understood to be working on an improved offer to gain the support of shareholders in the stricken bank, according to The Sunday Times.The report came ahead of today's Commons statement from Chancellor Alistair Darling, setting out plans to convert Northern Rock's emergency loans from the Bank of England into bonds and sell them to international investors.He is also expected to give Northern Rock suitors Virgin and Olivant two weeks to table plans for financing and management.But the plans drew accusations of nationalisation by the back door from Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable. He said: ''The private sector isn't taking any risks. It is the taxpayer that is taking all of the risks.''The Government's financing package, drawn up by investment bank Goldman Sachs, would provide a boost to Virgin and Olivant, which are said to have struggled to find finance amid the global crisis in credit markets.But Northern Rock's shareholder base still presents a significant hurdle to any private sector sale, with the approval of the bank's investors needed to secure a takeover.Olivant's plans are seen as the shareholder's favourite because it would not involve a takeover or break-up of Northern Rock, instead parachuting in a new management team in return for an equity stake. However, Virgin is thought to have indicated that it would take less equity in the troubled lender, cutting it from 54 to 45 per cent.Sir Richard, part of a business delegation accompanying Prime Minster Gordon Brown on his official visit to China and India, said he was in pole position.He also rejected any suggestion he had had secret talks with Mr Brown about Northern Rock, telling reporters: ''It will be the Treasury who will make the decision, alongside shareholders, alongside other people.''Meanwhile, Northern Rock's board is believed to be working on ''self-help'' plans that would see the bank scaled down, with funding raised through a rights issue from investors.Northern Rock turned to the Bank of England last autumn, after its funding lines all but dried up amid the credit crunch.It has borrowed an estimated £26bn in emergency funding so far, although it sold mortgages worth more than £2bn to US investment bank JP Morgan. Fight on terror - Page 8  more...

Parents' appeal after baby denied NHS aid

A COUPLE are launching an appeal to help their five-month-old son - because their postcode means they will receive no NHS help.Joe Pickstock was born with the abnormality plagiocephaly - or flat-head syndrome - which means his ears are not in line.Over the next three months, he will need to wear a special helmet 23 hours a day to correct the shape of his head as he grows.The helmet and the medical treatment Joe needs will cost £2,000.His parents, Sam and Dave, were told by the Leeds clinic, where Joe can be treated, that if they lived in Birmingham and not Billingham, near Stockton, everything would be paid for by the NHS. But because the centre does not receive referrals from Teesside, the couple are on their own.Mr Pickstock, a part-time plumber, said: "You do anything for your kids. We can sell the car and we have other things we can sell to make the money up. It's disgusting we can't get help. I think this could be because it is cosmetic.''Mrs Pickstock said: "It is very frustrating, but if we lived in Nottingham, Manchester, Bristol or Birmingham, it would be free, on the NHS."They don't get referrals from Teesside - though they used to get one about every week.''The couple who have two other children - seven-year-old Chloe and Kelsey, 11, travel to the Leeds clinic today to have Joe fitted for the £500 helmet. They need to raise the other £1,500 to pay for ongoing treatment, including scans.Friends are organising a sponsored walk, a shop is collecting money in a bucket for the family and district councillors Alex Cunningham and Mick Stoker have agreed to have custard pies thrown at them to raise more money. If anyone wants to send money to Mr and Mrs Pickstock they can call them on 07852-770797. North Tees Primary Care Trust could not be contacted last night for comment, but the view among some doctors and specialists is there is no clinical evidence indicating helmets are effective.  more...

'Observed vigilantly' yet second man dies

A DISTRAUGHT family is seeking answers after it emerged that a second patient had apparently taken his own life while under watch in a hospital's psychiatric block.Jason Walker, 34, from Yarm, Teesside, slashed his throat with a razor while under close supervision at the Stephenson Ward of the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, last May.Only eight months earlier, 25-year-old Jonathan Ferguson, from Stockton, hanged himself in the same block, after upending his bed and knotting sheets together to make a noose.Both men were supposed to be checked every ten minutes.David Body, a partner with law firm Irwin Mitchell, who is representing the Walker family, said: "In the spring of 2007, Jason was admitted to the Stephenson Ward after an unsuccessful attempt to take his own life."His family were extremely concerned about Jason's low mood on admission and were reassured that he had been placed on a ten-minute observation regime."Jason's family were told by hospital staff that he was being observed vigilantly."However, on May 17, 2007, he cut his own throat using a razor blade from a dismantled disposable razor without being detected by staff. He was discovered dead by staff some time later."The solicitor added: "The findings of the police investigation and the subsequent inquest will provide Mr Walker's family with much-needed answers regarding the circumstances surrounding Jason's untimely and tragic death."His family, including his mother, Janet McClusky, and his sister, Vanessa Walker, are keenly awaiting the outcome of the police inquiry so that the matter can then be investigated in the Coroner's Court."Mr Walker had suffered frommental illness for a number of years and attempted suicide by taking an overdose of paracetamol and prescription drugs on April 23, last year.He was admitted to the accident and emergency department of the University Hospital of North Tees.Mr Walker then agreed to be transferred to the Stephenson Ward for his own safety. Cleveland Police are investigating the incident.Teesside Coroner's Court was told last week that Jonathan Ferguson, 25, took his life on the same ward in September 2006, after being placed on a regime of ten-minute observations.Deputy Teesside Coroner Tony Eastwood adjourned the inquest after deciding it should be heard with a jury.Mr Body, who is also representing Mr Ferguson's family, said: "We are very concerned that two young men have died on the Stephenson Ward less than eight months apart, after being admitted for their own protection."A spokesman for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust said: "We understand how distressing this must be for the families and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time."We are carrying out our own reviews into these tragic deaths as part of our internal procedures, but it would be inappropriate for us to comment further before the inquests have taken place."A date has yet to be fixed for an inquest into Mr Walker's death.  more...

Rail fans to recreate Victorian steam loco

TRAIN enthusiasts are bidding to bring a Victorian steam locomotive, created in the North-East, back to life.The Class G5 Locomotive Company has been formed by a group of North-East men to build a full-size, working replica of a No1759 G5 Class 0-4-4T locomotive, built in Darlington between 1894 and 1901.The consortium will build the engine from scratch and hopes it will eventually run on restored Victorian railways in the region, including Weardale and Wensleydale.At the weekend, the first piece of metal was cut for the locomotive's boiler in workshops at Great Northern Steam, in Darlington.The boiler will be built using modern welding techniques to help ensure it has a long life and to meet modern testing standards, but the locomotive will be true to the original design as far as possible.The G5 Class was designed by Wilson Worsdell, chief mechanical engineer for the North Eastern Railway.All 110 G5 Class 0-4-4T locomotives were built in Darlington and were mostly used on Sunderland to Newcastle and South Shields trains, as well as on lines in the Wear and Tees valleys.The locomotives continued to work on branch lines for the London and North Eastern Railway after it was formed in 1923, and British Railways after 1948.After diesel traction came in during the Fifties, G5s were withdrawn from use, with the last locomotive of the class taken out of service in December 1958.Ironically, most of the locomotives met their end at a scrapyard in Darlington.Dr Mike Wood, chairman of the Class G5 Locomotive Company, said: "This is a momentous occasion - the construction of the first G5 to be built since 1901 is under way."As much of the locomotive as possible will be built in Darlington and the North-East, carrying on the proud traditions of the region which brought the practical steam locomotive to the world." The project begins as another group of enthusiasts, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, is close to finishing the first steam locomotive built in England since 1960. The Tornado, which last week underwent successful boiler tests, is being constructed in Darlington's Hopetown Lane works and will hopefully be working by September.  more...

Soldier based in region killed by bomb blast

A SOLDIER based in North Yorkshire was killed and five injured by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said today.   more...