Pregnant woman dies breastfeeding

A pregnant mother suddenly died as she breastfed her baby. Her body was discovered by her teenage daughter.

Joanna O’Callaghan, 38, was found on the floor of the family home in Wiltshire by Libby, 13, as four-month-old Ruby lay crying. The mother-of-four was eight weeks pregnant. She was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

A post-mortem examination failed to establish the cause of death but her family believe that she was a victim of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Her son Kieran, 20, said that the loss had “ripped out the heart and soul of our family”.

He added: “She was not ill at all, not even a cold, and we cannot understand how she could just die.”

Joanna defied the odds in December when she gave birth to her fourth child after a troubled previous pregnancy resulted in her having a fallopian tube removed.

Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome — known as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome — affects the heart’s electrical activity, causing an abnormal heart rhythm which can result in sudden death.

Weller to rock Victoria’s quiet retreat

“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot,” wrote Queen Victoria of Osborne House, her Isle of Wight palace-by-the-sea, which is now to become the latest stately home to stage rock concerts.

In July, Paul Weller and Girls Aloud will perform at the residence bought by Victoria and Prince Albert in 1845 to secure “a place of one’s own — quiet and retired”. English Heritage is backing the gigs, intended to encourage wider public access and increase income for stately homes.

Fans will stroll the Italianate gardens and visit the Durbar Room, which celebrates Victoria’s role as Empress of India. The summer heritage gig calendar also includes Van Morrison at Audley End and Brian Wilson at Kenwood House.

Conservation experts have expressed concern. Ian Gibb, a conservation scientist, recently found that vibrations generated by loud music had damaged Hampton Court’s Tudor fabric. English Heritage said that it would protect properties and it not stage any events that could jeopardise historic buildings.

Clergyman barred after leaving wife

A Church of England clergyman has been suspended from taking services after leaving his wife of 46 years and setting up home with a church secretary.

The Rev Graham Firth, 69, has left his wife Janice, also 69, and is living with Christine Rawlings, 59. The father of four had been officiating at weddings, funerals and Sunday services, although he retired from his post as rector of Elston, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, four years ago. The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Right Rev George Cassidy, has begun an investigation and suspended him from carrying out church duties.

In a statement, the diocese said: “The bishop has withdrawn his permission to officiate from the Rev Graham Firth owing to certain allegations made against him, which are being investigated. The withdrawal of the permission means that Mr Firth is, at present, no longer allowed to conduct public services in the Church of England.”

Mr Firth moved out of the family home near Beckingham, Lincolnshire, last month and has moved to Norfolk.

Council tax bill ‘has soared by £4,000’

David Cameron launched the Conservatives’ local election campaign yesterday, claiming that families had been hit with a £4,000 “council tax bombshell” since Labour came to power (Francis Elliott writes).

The Tory leader travelled to Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, to begin the formal campaign.

The average cumulative change in council tax across England since 1997 amounted to £4,142 on a Band D home, Mr Cameron said in his launch speech, adding that on average Tory councils levied lower tax rates than their rivals.

When asked whether winning fewer than 100 seats would be a poor performance, Mr Cameron said: “I don’t make predictions.”

MP Dunwoody dies

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the longest-serving female member of Parliament, has died, aged 77. Labour now faces a by-election in Crewe and Nantwich, which Mrs Dunwoody held with a majority of 7,078. She was one of the most senior backbenchers in Parliament and chairwoman of the Transport Select Committee.

Museums in running for £100,000 prize

The most northerly museum in Britain has been shortlisted for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize, awarded to the best museum or gallery of 2008. The four shortlisted institutions include the Wellcome Collection in London, the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol, and the Lightbox gallery in Woking, Surrey. The fourth, the Shetland Museum and Archives based in a restored 19th-century dock in Lerwick, tells the story of the Shetland Islands from their geological beginnings to the present. The winner will be announced on May 22.

Airlines’ no to charity

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic plan to keep unclaimed compensation set aside for passengers who were overcharged because of price fixing. They have rejected a proposal from the British Disabled Flying Association and the Association of Air Ambulance Charities that such money should go to them.

Professionals can stay

The Government will not appeal against a High Court judgment which ruled that thousands of highly skilled migrants such as doctors and engineers, previously threatened with deportation, could stay in Britain. Ministers were considering an appeal after new rules were branded “an abuse of power”.

Nadhmi Auchi

We wish to make it clear that in our report “Obama bagman is sent to jail over $3.5m payment by British tycoon” (February 1) we did not intend to suggest that there was any connection between a $3.5 million loan by Mr Auchi to Mr Rezko and any approaches Mr Rezko may have made to Illinois state officials on behalf of Mr Auchi. We apologise to Mr Auchi for any misunderstanding.

Sex texts before crash

A lorry driver who was texting sexual messages to women just before he crashed into a tractor, killing its driver, was jailed for six years. Scott Baldwin, 42, had made a delivery for Tesco and was returning to his Exeter base. He told the city’s crown court that he had been daydreaming.

Daughter left to die

A mother who did not call an ambulance for her dying teenage daughter was convicted of manslaughter. Andrea Townsend, 46, of Pwll, South Wales, knew that Carly, 16, had taken heroin but left her to sleep it off. She died during the night, Swansea Crown Court was told.

Conman ‘selling the Ritz’ was given £1m

A property dealer was duped into paying a fraudster £1 million to buy the Ritz Hotel, a High Court judge said. Terry Collins, a company director from Fulham, West London, believed it was a downpayment to buy the property owned by the Barclay brothers. But he was the victim of a scam involving five months of negotiations, dreamt up by Tony Lee, an unemployed lorry driver from North Yorkshire. Justice Henderson disclosed the details as he ruled in a dispute between Mr Collins and Marcel Boekhoorn, a Dutch financier who had raised the £1 million.

No aliens out there

The chances of intelligent alien life existing on other planets is put at about 0.01 per cent. Research by Andrew Watson, of the University of East Anglia, on probabilities from the past four billion years has concluded in Astrobiology that there is probably nobody else out there.

£5,000 smoking fine

A pub landlord who built a helipad for his wealthy clientele has been fined £5,000 for allowing smoking. Gerry Stonhill walked out of Witney Magistrates’ Court in protest over the penalty for letting patrons light up at the Mason Arms, in South Leigh, Oxfordshire.

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