A new technique for preventing the spread of variant CJD through contaminated surgical instruments was introduced yesterday (Nigel Hawkes writes). The product, an enzyme, was invented by scientists at the Health Protection Agency. Prionzyme, its trade name, can degrade the prions and can readily be used in hospital sterile service departments as part of a “pre-soak” procedure.
Death charges
Craig Pearce, 21, and Hayley Kenney, 22, are believed to be the first people to be charged with the new offence of familial homicide. They appeared at Luton Crown Court after Ms Kenney’s son Keiron, 2, died from severe internal injuries. Neither entered a plea and the hearing was adjourned until May 4.
UK tune in shops
A recording of the UK Theme, the Radio 4 early-morning tune axed by the BBC, has been released. Fifteen thousand CD singles, recorded by the Royal Ballet Symphonia, have been sent out to shops, wrapped with a photograph of a young girl from Nantwich dressed as Britannia at the VJ-Day celebrations.
Doctor accused
A doctor seduced a Brighton patient, then prescribed drugs for her which he took, the General Medical Council’s fitness to practise council was told. Mardan Mahmod, of Croydon, a married man, also allegedly borrowed £8,000 from Mrs A. He denies serious professional misconduct. The hearing continues.
Mayor's promise
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, has promised to do all he can to get American embassy staff to pay the congestion charge. Of late, accredited officials have refused to pay the £8-a-day fee. Mr Livingstone said: “We will find a way of getting them into court, either here or in America.”
Wembley setback
A water pump failure at Baker Street caused disruption on the Tube Metropolitan Line and a delay in the opening of the new-look Wembley Park station. When guests arrived, the £53 million upgraded station was opened by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and David Seaman, an ex-England goalkeeper.
Beckett centenary
Samuel Beckett’s unpublished notebooks, containing drafts of his groundbreaking works, have gone on display at the Museum of Reading as part of the celebrations for the writer’s centenary. The celebrated Beckett interpreter Billie Whitelaw is among those to star in a gala evening at the Town Hall on Sunday.
Animal rights 'petrol bomb'
Animal rights extremists may be behind a petrol bomb left near the home of a woman linked to the animal testing firm Huntingdon Life Sciences. Police believe the attacker dumped the bomb near the home in Reading of Caroline Brooks, a director of a courier firm used by HLS, after being disturbed. Mrs Brooks was the victim of a previous attack in which acid was poured over two cars. She was told: “Unless you pull out of HLS, we will be back and next time we’ ll blow them up.”
A 39-year-old man was arrested yesterday.
Teacher targeted
A head teacher has spoken of how she was targeted in a campaign by anti-abortionists after her Roman Catholic school taught pupils about contraception. Diana Vernon, of Woldingham School, Surrey, said that she had contacted police after receiving hostile e-mails and letters attacking her decision.
What a beauty!
In the annual index compiled by City & Guilds, beauticians have replaced hairdressers as the happiest workers in Britain. Clergy stay in second place, while florists have shot up from 17th place last year to third. Hairdressers came fourth, one place ahead of chartered engineers.
Police off beat
More than 300 police officers have been suspended on full pay during disciplinary or criminal investigations. Official figures show that 266 officers were suspended on January 1 last year. On the same date this year, 323 were suspended, an increase of 21 per cent. Scotland Yard had the largest number, with 42.
Trophy outcry
The tennis star Björn Borg has withdrawn his Wimbledon trophies from auction after a public outcry. The Swedish player had planned to sell the five trophies that he won consecutively from 1976-80, saying that he needed the money. They were expected to have fetched up to £300,000.
Cancer trials
Large doses of vitamin C directly into the veins may prolong the lives of cancer patients, according to a team from the US National Institutes of Health. Three trials documented in the Canadian Medical Association Journal report success, but the authors emphasise that this does not give definitive proof.
Hyams stolen antiques found
Antiques believed to have been stolen from Ramsbury Manor in Wiltshire, the home of Harry Hyams, the reclusive property tycoon, have been found. Thieves grabbed £30 million of museum-grade art and valuables in an overnight raid in February. Warwickshire Police said yesterday that part of the haul had been found in a culvert on waste ground at Black Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon, on Saturday.
Barrister bombed
A man thought to be an Animal Liberation Front member was arrested after an attack on a leading barrister’s home. An unexploded petrol bomb is believed to have been found at Peter Nightingale’s home in Caversham, Berkshire. Mr Nightingale said that he had no links to animal testing laboratories.
Baby miscarrieage
A pregnant woman had a miscarriage after a mugger knocked her over. Belinda Wadge, 32, of Saltash, Cornwall, who was eight weeks’ pregnant, was attacked in Plymouth. She lost the child a week later. She said: “When I think this man may have cost me my baby, it makes me angry and upset.”
City evacuation
A city centre was evacuated after a large explosion tore through an underground electricity station. Emergency services were called to Truro, Cornwall, after shoppers reported hearing a “deafening bang” under a main road. Police cordoned off four main shopping streets as officials investigated the noise.
Beer '10p more'
The price of a pint of beer has risen by up to 10p in the past year although Gordon Brown may impose rises of only 1p in his Budgets, the Campaign for Real Ale says. Its annual survey found the average price of real ale went up from £2.15 to £2.24, but in the North it increased from £1.96 to £2.06 over the past year.
Blind 'at risk'
The lives of blind and partially sighted people are at risk because councils are not providing basic safety equipment, a report by the Royal National Institute for the Blind suggests. The Local Government Association said that there was no statutory framework for the supply of such equipment.
Liszt premiere
A set of unpublished choral pieces by Franz Liszt will receive its world premiere in London tomorrow. Cinq Choeurs is a group of five unaccompanied choruses written in 1846 for a competition. The premiere will be given by the BBC Singers at St Giles Church, Cripplegate, in the Barbican.
Cartoon protest: man given bail
A man charged with soliciting murder, in connection with London protests over a cartoon showing the Prophet Muhammad, was granted bail by Bow Street magistrates yesterday. Mizanur Rahman, 23, a web-designer, was charged with soliciting or encouraging others to “murder citizens of Denmark, Spain or France”, and with “using threatening, insulting, abusive words or behaviour to stir up racial hatred”.
Child rape review
A paedophile who could be freed after serving six years for raping a baby is to have his sentence reviewed by the Lord Chief Justice after an outcry over its leniency. Alan Webster, 40, was jailed for life in January, but a minimum term of six years was set. His girlfriend, Tanya French, 19, was jailed for five years.
Call for butt bins
The Marine Conservation Society says in a report that smokers leave so many cigarette ends at the seaside that butt bins should be provided. Discarded butts contributed to record levels of litter on the United Kingdom’s coastal resorts in 2005. Indoor smoking bans are likely to make the situation worse.
Police name man
Leicestershire police have named Sukhjivan Singh Rai, aged in his 30s, as the man they want to speak to in connection with the murder of Mohan Singh Biring, 59, the British businessman who was beaten to death in Phagawara, India, in August. Mr Rai is believed to have connections in the Midlands.
Ecstasy arrests
Two girls, aged 13 and 14, were arrested, then released on police bail, after they appeared to be high on Ecstasy. They broke down in tears and became distressed at morning assembly at All Saints Roman Catholic School, York. Police found five tablets — believed to be Ecstasy — in a locker used by one of the girls. Terminal to close
The oldest terminal at Heathrow in West London will close in March 2008. Terminal 2, which caters for European short-haul passengers, will shut when the new Terminal 5 opens. BAA said that the reallocation of airlines after the opening made the operation of Terminal 2 unsustainable.
First-class postie
Helen MacKenzie, 53, who found Stephen MacKay staggering across the road, covered in blood, after he severed his arm in a factory machine on the Isle of Lewis in October, has been named “Postie of the Year”. Mrs MacKenzie used towels to make a tourniquet until medical help arrived.
