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.
