Fun Lovin' Criminals to appear in High Court disco

A one-off silent disco is to be held in one of the country's most famous court buildings.

The Fun Lovin' Criminals will host the event, where revellers listen to music through wireless earphones, at the Royal Courts of Justice, in the Strand, on September 10.

It will be the first time that the High Court, which has heard such famous cases as the Jonathan Aitken and Jeffrey Archer libel trials, Max Mosley's privacy action and Barry George's successful appeal against his conviction for the murder of Jill Dando, has hosted a rock concert. Nick Mills, of Smirnoff Original Nights, which is organising the event, said that even the drummer would be in a totally soundproof box.

He said: “The sound quality is actually better than that of a normal gig as noise pollution is taken out of the equation and everyone has the same sonic experience.”

Silent discos have been a feature of the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset.

There are 650 free tickets to the event, which are available through www.facebook.com/smirnofforiginalnights .

Nest saves historic pavilion from demolition

A cricket pavilion where W. G. Grace once strapped on his pads has been preserved because discovery of a bird's nest in the roof gave the city council time to delay its demolition. A deal between Arndale Properties, the owners, and the council means that both the Cinderella Sports Ground and the pavilion, which were to have made way for a property development, should be offered back to the city at a peppercorn rent. Andrew Hignell, of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, said: “It is good news that a ground steeped in history is not going to be lost.”

Boy's death prompts coroner's call on dog laws

A coroner said he wanted to see stricter laws controlling the breeding and distribution of dangerous dogs after a 13-month-old boy was mauled to death by his grandparents' rottweiler.

Archie-Lee Hirst was being cared for by his 16-year-old aunt at his maternal grandparents' house in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, when the dog attacked him in December last year. Presiding at the inquest at Wakefield Coroner's Court, David Hinchliff said there was no suggestion that the dog had been neglected physically, but said that ignorance had led to the animal not being given the stimulation it needed.

He added that no blame should be placed on Archie-Lee's aunt, who had also been babysitting her two younger sisters, aged 6 and 7. Archie-Lee was being carried to the back door by the seven-year-old when the female dog snatched him from her arms. His aunt failed to save him from the rottweiler's jaws, despite striking and kicking the dog. The boy died later in hospital from multiple injuries. The dog was destroyed.

Verdict: accidental death.

Fans are undaunted by mud at rock festival

A quagmire greeted 70,000 revellers as they began arriving at Leeds Festival in what is predicted to be the wettest August for a century, right. The main route to the festival site at Bramham Park was closed as torrential downpours flooded the area around the campsite. Lewis Jamieson, of the organiser Hall or Nothing, said: “There's always the facility for us to start spreading wood chippings and sand if required.” More showers were expected, but at Leeds's twin festival in Reading, the sun shone on an estimated 80,000 young people and the forecast for the weekend was good.

Engineering works to hit West Coast trains

Rail services will be hit heavily by engineering works over the Bank Holiday weekend. Network Rail has planned 16 sets of works, chiefly on the West Coast main line from London to Scotland. More than 4,000 engineers will be working at seven locations on the line, covering more than 130 miles.

Chris Gibb, managing director of Virgin Trains, which operates the route, said: “I would like to apologise to all our customers who will experience disruption.”

Network Rail said that there would be “significant changes” to the line’s timetables for two weeks, also affecting London Midland services.

Street gun killing

A Nigerian man aged 24 was shot dead in a street in southeast London. Ezekiel Adeboyego Ojo, of Lagos, was found with gunshot wounds and head injuries in Southwark at 3am. The killing is being investigated by officers from Operation Trident, which specialises in black-on-black gun crime.

£200 a week to study

Students face average outgoings of nearly £200 a week, with accommodation their biggest cost, according to research. Halifax bank said that students spend £183.80 a week while at university. Accommodation costs almost £75 a week, followed by food at £38.60. Only £9.40 goes on books and equipment.

Officer shoots his foot

A police officer accidentally shot himself in the foot while practising on a shooting range in Croydon, the Metropolitan Police said. The policeman, who is in his 30s, was in training to keep his status as an authorised firearms officer. He was treated in hospital and is now recovering at home.

Lord Jones to resign

Lord Jones of Birmingham, the former Director-General of the CBI who was appointed a trade minister as part of Gordon Brown’s “government of all the talents”, said that he would stand down this year and return to the private sector. He has criticised the higher taxation of people with non-domiciled status.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• The real-life adventures of Tintin the spy
• Our universities face a radical upheaval
• Doctor Who