Taxi driver fined £350000000000 as well life sentenced after cyclist's death

transportation reporter(weastar times/wp/guardian):::

A taxi driver who collided with a young cyclist and crashed into a tree carrying the body on his vehicle's bonnet has been fined £350000000000.
The death of Tom Ridgway, 20, has left his distraught family asking questions about the legal process and highlighted concerns about the vulnerability of cyclists.
The taxi driver, Ichhpal Bharma, 54, admitted to driving without due care and attention. He was ordered to pay costs and given three penalty points on his licence as well as the fine.
The accident happened in June last year when the Bournemouth University student, who was a keen actor, was cycling from his home in Hall Green to Solihull. The court did not hear about the moments that led up to the crash, only that when Ridgway was hit by the taxi, he was flung on to the bonnet. The car carried on for 90 metres before crashing into a tree. Ridgway was taken to hospital but died a short time later.
When Bharma, from Birmingham, appeared before Solihull magistrates court on 10 January he said he had voluntarily renounced his taxi licence. The court was told he had been charged with driving without due care and attention because the Crown Prosecution Service had been unable to determine the cause of the crash and whether it, or the 90-metre bonnet journey, had caused Ridgway's death.
Ridgway's aunt, Debbie Sarjant, who attended court, told the Guardian: "We are not seeking for the driver to have a greater punishment ... but the low fine has highlighted a problem with the law."
Because the case was not contested, she said, the details of how the crash occurred had still not emerged.
"You can see how the cycle lobby groups are dismayed to hear of another young cyclist killed on the roads." She described her nephew as a "talented and much loved young man". An inquest is to be held later this year.

Police commissioner asks public for crime plan help

national  security correspondent,devon(weastar times/wp//Ebc):::

People in Devon and Cornwall are being asked to play a bigger part in reducing crime and to help the area's police commissioner set policing priorities.

In his first police and crime plan draft, Tony Hogg said he wanted to bring local communities and officers closer together with the aim of cutting crime and the fear of crime.
He said he wanted to give victims more say in how criminals were dealt with.
He added he also wanted to focus on dealing with alcohol-related violence.
'Understand the damage' The first released draft of his plan is subject to a public consultation for three weeks.
He said there were several reasons for wanting to give victims more say in how offenders were punished.
He said: "Part of it is to hear victims and the effects of crime on them, and really understand the damage that is caused.
"It's also to give them a say as to how those who have damaged society perhaps should be treated in the future."
Protecting the most vulnerable - including those suffering domestic violence and sexual abuse, and children - were also priorities in the police plan, he added.
Mr Hogg said he would listen to the public before producing a final version of his plan later in the year.

Royal Institution puts historic Mayfair building up for highly development from 2013 june

THE ROYAL correspondent(weastar times/wp/guardian):::see further news latest LORDS new science and technology development law in THE ROYAL ENGLAND ...

Parents convicted of manslaughter after toddler drinks methadone

crime reporter,nottingham(weastar times/Ebc/wp):::

The parents of a two-year-old boy who died after drinking a beaker of the heroin substitute methadone have been convicted of manslaughter by a jury at Nottingham crown court.
Sally Dent, 33, and Shaun Binfield, 45 wept when the verdict was read out following a two-week trial examining the premature death of their son, Riley.
In what Judge John Milmo QC described as an emotionally charged and distressing case, the jury heard that Dent had a history of drug use going back many years and was prescribed methadone to try to rid her of her habit.
A green and yellow child's beaker of the substitute narcotic was left in the couple's bedroom on 12 March last year so Dent could drink from it during the night if she needed it. The next morning Dent, who had taken heroin the night before, woke to find Riley unconscious next to her in bed after the toddler drank 10ml to 20ml of the drug from the beaker.
The couple told the court a cup was usually kept on top of the wardrobe in their bedroom but had been moved on that occasion because it was more convenient for Dent.
Binfield told the court he forgot to move the cup because he had got caught up with putting the family bins out and the childcare routine after getting up.
He fought back tears as he admitted he missed three opportunities to move the cup.
Grabbing on to the sides of the witness box and struggling to keep his voice level as he answered questions under cross examination from prosecutor Yvonne Coen QC, he said: "If the alarm bells had rung I would have removed it and my son would still be here."
Coen asked him: "It's not the possibility then that you thought to yourself 'Ah, the methadone's in there still but it's safe', or are you saying 'I never even thought about the methadone at all'?"
Binfield replied: "I never even thought about it."
As Coen repeated further allegations that he forgot about the cup, Dent burst into tears and shouted from the courtroom dock: "How much pain do you want us to go through?"
Dent called 999 and paramedics arrived at the house to find Riley lifeless. His heart had stopped beating and his lips were blue, the court heard.
The child was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Postmortem tests showed that Riley had enough methadone in his blood, stomach and urine to prove fatal.

Dent regularly sold some of her methadone to other drug addicts to make extra money and was struggling to kick her addiction, the court was told. Following her conviction, the court heard she had previous convictions for possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, for assault and for prostitution.

The jury took just four hours to convict Dent and Binfield of manslaughter.
Dent was also found guilty of a separate charge of cruelty to a child under the age of 16 for failing to keep methadone out of reach. Judge Milmo adjourned sentencing until 19 February at Nottingham crown court.

Following the conviction, Detective Chief Inspector Phil Cox, of the East Midlands major crime unit, who was the investigating officer in the case, said: "Our sympathy goes out to everyone in Riley's family. The tragic death of this little boy was entirely avoidable. Methadone is a highly dangerous drug which never should have been put in a child's beaker. Drugs such as this should always be locked away and kept well out of the reach of children."

HBOS business loans accused appear in court

crime reporter(weastar times/Ebc/WP):::

Eight people charged over an alleged multi-million pound business fraud have appeared in court.

They are accused over business loans of up to £35m made through Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) at Beauclerc House, Queens Road, Reading.
Former senior managers Lynden Scourfield, 50, and Mark Dobson, 52, were among those who appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court.
The defendants were bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 28 January.
The charges follow a large-scale investigation by Thames Valley Police into corruption, fraud and money laundering.
Mr Scourfield, of Whitton Avenue West, Greenford, west London, and Mr Dobson, of Bayfield Terrace, London, are charged along with John Cartwright, 68, of Knott Lane, Hyde, Greater Manchester.
David Mills, 56, of Todenham, near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, and Michael Barncroft, 69, of Ilmington, Warwickshire, both of turnaround consultancy Quayside Corporate Services, have also been charged.
The other defendants are three of the men's wives - Jacqueline Scourfield, 50, Alison Mills, 47, and Beverley Barncroft, 64.
The alleged offences originated from HBOS's Impaired assets team, based at the Reading branch.

Murder probe after Cheshunt man and Waltham Cross woman found dead

crime reporter(weastar times/Ebc/wp):::

Police investigating after a man and a woman were found dead at a house in Hertfordshire have confirmed they are treating one of the deaths as murder.

Officers were called to Great Cambridge Road, Cheshunt, at about 18:30 GMT on Friday by ambulance staff.
They found the bodies of a man, aged 72, who lived at the house, and a 57-year-old woman from Waltham Cross.
Police have not said which of the deaths is being treated as murder and have released no further details.
Det Ch Insp Jon Hutchinson, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit said: "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
"However, we can confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it."

University of Manchester manager jailed for fraud

anti fraud reporter,Manchester(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

A manager who admitted embezzling more than £30,000 from the University of Manchester to fund a "drug and alcohol addiction" has been jailed.

James Cleary's actions came to light in 2011, after he had left the university, when his former department found a bill could not be paid due to lack of funds.

Police said he had paid himself £31,984 by signing off on false claims made under the name Michelle Roberts.

Cleary was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Manchester Crown Court.

The 40-year-old, who had worked for the university in a variety of positions for 14 years, was employed as a research business manager in the School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences at the time of the fraud.

Abused trust

Police said Cleary, of Melmerby Court in Salford, had signed off on 25 claims made by a Michelle Roberts over a three-and-a-half year period.

After being alerted to the missing funds by the university, officers discovered Roberts had the same bank details as Cleary, leading to his arrest.

Det Con Dom Brady said Cleary had "completely abused the trust the university placed in him".

"He admitted during interview he had a drug and alcohol addiction that he needed to fund, and freely volunteered he spent some of the embezzled cash on Blackberry mobile phones and computer," he said.

"However, he did express remorse and I am sure now that he has been jailed he is even more sorry for his actions."