Letwin ‘sidelined’ in Tory reshuffle
David Cameron has quietly side-lined Oliver Letwin by asking William Hague to
help to construct the next Conservative election manifesto (Francis Elliott
writes).
The reports of six separate policy commissions set up by Mr Cameron are to be
published over the coming months with scores of occasionally conflicting
recommendations. Senior party members close to Mr Cameron had become
concerned that Mr Letwin is insufficiently political to manage what could be
a fraught process.
A Conservative spokesman said that Mr Letwin would continue as chairman of the
policy review and that Mr Hague’s new role was to formulate the Tories’
position on current legislation.
Lib Dem shake-up
The Liberal Democrats’ leader Sir Menzies Campbell has brought back Lembit
Öpik as business spokesman in a front bench reshuffle (Sam Coates writes).
Their president Simon Hughes moves from justice to become Commons party
leader.
Doherty jail threat
The singer Pete Doherty, who appeared before West London magistrates on drugs
offences yesterday, was told he will go to prison if he fails to take up a
place on a detox programme at a clinic in Harrogate before he goes back for
sentencing on August 7.
Girls hit by lightning
Two teenage girls were taken to hospital after being struck by a bolt of
lightning in Suffolk that “blew apart” their shoes. The girls, aged 13 and
15, suffered serious burns in the incident at Ipswich High School.
Captain Sean Dolan
A photograph accompanying yesterday’s report on Captain Sean Dolan of the 1st
Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, who was killed in
Afghanistan at the weekend, in fact showed Sergeant Dave Wilkinson, of 19
Regiment Royal Artillery, who was also killed in Afghanistan in a separate
incident. Captain Dolan is pictured above. We apologise for the error.
Nursing volunteers die in Africa crash
Three British nurses who gave up a week’s holiday to work as volunteers for a
children’s charity in Mozambique were killed in a road accident in South
Africa. Helen Golder, 33, and Liz Wilson, 31, died at the scene after the
minibus in which they were travelling was involved in a head-on collision.
Susan Andrews, 32, was flown to hospital in Johannesburg where she died
yesterday.
The three women were on a day trip to Kruger National Park having completed
their volunteering stint at the Maputo Heart Institute.
Dementia care lags
Too little is being done to deal with the growing problem of dementia care, a
report from the National Audit Office says. Britain is slow to diagnose
cases and lags behind other European countries in providing care, even
though there are 560,000 sufferers in England alone.
McCann interview
Gerry McCann, the father of Madeleine, who disappeared in Praia da Luz shortly
before her fourth birthday, will give an interview to Kirsty Wark about the
role of the media in the search for his daughter at the Edinburgh
International Television Festival next month.
Officer stabbed
A community support officer was stabbed while driving a marked van near
Victoria Station in London. The officer, 39, was taken to hospital and later
discharged after being attacked by a man who approached the van in traffic.
A man in his thirties was later arrested.
Fire station blaze
A fire station that was not fitted with a fire alarm was destroyed in a blaze
caused by an electrical fault, an official investigation concluded. Arundel
Fire Station in West Sussex was destroyed last October. There was no smoke
alarm as fire stations are not required by law to fit them.
Strike averted by rail talks
A planned 24-hour rail strike has been suspended. Members of the RMT union in
Scotland and Cumbria had been due to walk out on Friday but peace talks
averted the action.
Convenience of the talking toilet
A computerised “talking toilet” that tells users when to flush is to be
launched in Britain. The Clean Seat Matic, which will sell for £600, is
aimed at shops, restaurants and public buildings.
Coroner turns down inquests
No inquests will be held into the deaths of 21 patients of Howard Martin, 72,
a GP cleared of murder. Andrew Tweddle, the Durham Coroner, said there was
no reason to hold them.
Babysitter ‘brutally murdered baby girl’
A baby girl died at the hands of her babysitter, suffering head injuries
consistent with being swung around by her legs and thrown repeatedly against
a wall, a court was told.
Lynn Jeffrey, 37, of Nelson, Lancashire, is accused of killing 11-month-old
Courtney Ann Shales last August in a “brutal, callous and inexplicable
murder”, a jury at Preston Crown Court was told. Hours earlier, Ms Jeffrey
had been asked by Courtney’s mother, Samantha Shales, 26, to babysit the
child. Ms Jeffrey, who said that the baby had fallen off the bed and down
the stairs, denies murder. The trial continues.
Cadbury admissions
Cadbury has admitted further breaches of food safety and hygiene laws over the
sale of chocolate contaminated with salmonella. The pleas were made at
Herefordshire Magistrates’ Court and relate to conditions at Cadbury’s
Marlbrook factory. Last year the company withdrew a million chocolate bars
from shops. Sentencing will take place on July 13, when Cadbury faces
unlimited fines.
Drug rival shooting
A row between drug dealers led to a teenager being shot, a court heard. It is
alleged that Nathan Williams, 17, was shot after setting up in competition
with Courtney Hunt in the Meadows area of Nottingham last year. Mr Hunt, 21,
of Eugene Gardens, the Meadows, denies murder at Nottingham Crown Court. He
also denies possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The trial
continues.
Tavern stabbing
A man and a teenager have appeared in court charged with stabbing to death a
father of two as he celebrated the new year with friends. Karl Eastwood, 20,
of no fixed address, and a 17-year-old male, who cannot be named, are
accused of murdering Paul Kelly, 32, outside the Longacre Tavern in Bath.
Despite many witnesses, police faced a wall of silence. The pair were
remanded in custody.
Police cleared
Two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who had a
gun-shaped cigarette lighter will not face disciplinary action. Derek
Bennett, 29, a father of four, was shot in July 2001 by police in Brixton,
South London, who thought he had a silver handgun. The Independent Police
Complaints Commission said that there was no evidence of misconduct. An
inquest found that his killing was lawful.
Count found dead
The German aristocrat Count Gottfried von Bismarck, 44, has been found dead at
the same Chelsea flat from which a man plunged to his death almost a year
ago. Count von Bismarck was a well-known figure who faced controversy last
year after Anthony Casey, 38, fell from the terrace of his home after a “gay
orgy”. An inquest into the count’s death is expected to be arranged shortly.
Dear Editor,
I was absolutely horrified by your article, Babysitter ‘brutally murdered baby girl’, published on July 4, 2007 and would like to pass on my deepest condolences to Courtney Anne Schales’ family.
The person whose actions are responsible for this innocent child’s death is a disgrace and should not be called a babysitter. I feel it is of paramount importance to thoroughly check anyone who is left in charge of looking after a child. Always ask for two forms of photo identification and speak with previous employers, teachers, or someone in a position to offer a sound reference.
More importantly, as a founder of an online portal for nannies, babysitters and parents, I urge all parents to use a Criminal Record Bureau checked nanny or babysitter to ensure a safer and more trustworthy environment for your child.
Vanessa Cook, founder of findababysitter.com,, London, UK