Tuesday, May 02, 2006

CRIME-LOVING BRITAIN AGAIN

Not only soft on crime but tough on crime victims!

A grandmother spent a night in a police cell after a scuffle with a group of children in which she was threatened with a piece of wood. Brenda Robinson, 66, who does volunteer work at a church in Bournemouth, said that she was given only a glass of water by police before being interviewed the next morning. She was arrested for assault after challenging the youngsters, one of whom had kicked a football against a family car.

She said she had given the boy, 11, "a clip around the ear" after he called her a "f****** bitch". Mrs Robinson was then threatened in her garden by a teenage boy carrying a lump of wood, and two 13-year-old girls, one of whom starting pushing her. She said that she pulled one of the teenage girls by the hair and threw her out of the garden. Shortly afterwards the police arrived and arrested the grandmother for assault.

Mrs Robinson, who said her daughter-in-law's partner had been killed by a gang of youths five years ago, told The Times that "the dice were loaded against law-abiding people". She said: "I have never been in any trouble before so I was just horrified when the police came. I told the officers exactly what had happened and they arrested me. I was kept in a cell all night and was just given a glass of water. It was just awful, I couldn't believe what was happening to me. "I am glad I stood up to these youths and I stand by what I did. But this sends out the message that if you stand up for yourself in this country you are likely to spent the night in the cells."

Mrs Robinson said she had been trying to protect her daughter-in-law, Angie Laundon, who had been "hysterical" when she saw the youths kicking the football at her car.Clive Wilcox, Mrs Laundon's late partner, was attacked by youths outside a convenience store in Bournemouth five years ago. He was hit by a youth and fell to the ground, striking his head on the pavement. He died in hospital the following day. His killers have never been caught.

Mrs Laundon said that the incident on April 21 had brought those memories flooding back. "I remember it as if it was yesterday. I am trying hard to get on with my life but this has made me ill. I am off work with shingles and my doctor has said it is because of the stress," she said. Mrs Robinson, who will learn this week if charges will be pressed, criticised the police treatment of her. "They make all sorts of special arrangements for youths but no arrangements for older people," she said.

Source



BRITISH TOWN TO INDOCTRINATE FOUR-YEAR-OLDS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

Dudley education chiefs are planning anti-homophobic lessons for primary children as young as four amid fears of bullying in schools across the borough. The authority is concerned about the effects of all types of bullying in borough schools and is set to push through its anti-bullying policy this week. Cabinet member for lifelong learning Councillor David Vickers will make the final decision.

Dudley's Directorate of Children's Services plans to stamp out bullying with preventative measures including anti-homophobia training, anger management lessons and 'buddy' systems where pupils are befriended. A Dudley Council spokesman stressed that different age groups would be targeted with lessons aimed at their level of understanding. He said: "Many of the measures in the anti-bullying policy are already in place at borough schools but it is good practice to formalise these actions in council policy. "Pupils at both primary and secondary schools are taught equality and diversity, although curriculum activity is age relevant."

Under planned policy guidelines, schools will be required to monitor types and incidents of bullying by submitting annual summaries to education bosses. Councillor David Vickers said although bullying was no more prevalent in Dudley than in any other borough, the type of bullying needed to be questioned. He said anti-homophobic education came in various guises and lessons to teach children to respect others would be for all ages. He said: "It's something we are making sure we have covered. I do not believe we have a problem. We try and teach pupils the outcome of their actions in a softer way. In my day it was the cane."

Lifelong learning select committee chairman Councillor Susan Ridney said she had received some reports of homophobic name calling at Coseley's Christ Church Primary where she is a governor. She said: "You wonder if they actually know what they are saying. It's just a word they hear." She said she needed to reserve judgment on the policy until she knew the detailed content of the courses but welcomed the idea.

Source



BRITISH POLICE CANNOT TAKE THE BUS

Until the bus has been "assessed". Better for him to stay at home, apparently

A police officer was stopped from using a bus to travel to his village beat because of health and safety fears. The situation began in January, when Police Community Support Officer Ian Yeomans failed to attend a parish council meeting. It emerged that he did not have his own transport, but could not use the bus until a health and safety assessment was carried out. Gloucestershire police said the problem had now been resolved.

Inspector Steve Williams said: "There were two difficulties with using a bus - the amount of equipment our officers have to carry and communication. "We obviously have a duty of care and have to assess the health and safety aspects and logistics of the situation. "These assessments have now taken place and I'm quite happy to have staff use buses and we can put in place measures to overcome communication problems."

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British "Superwomen" find out what divorce feels like

High-flying career women are discovering a costly downside to their success - divorce settlements that force them to pay out huge sums to their less wealthy ex-husbands. Law firms are reporting an increasing number of cases in which men earn windfalls through divorce as women outperform their husbands in the workplace.

One London law firm, Mishcon de Reya - which handled the divorce of Diana, Princess of Wales - is currently dealing with 10 cases where the wife earns more than the husband. Sandra Davis, head of family law, said the wives were "serious players, businesswomen who are going to have to pay money to their spouses". Dawsons, another London law firm, is dealing with six divorces in which the woman is earning well into six figures. Suzanne Kingston, head of family law, said: "There's the possibility of a spousal maintenance order to the husband . . . most women don't imagine they would be liable for this, so it surprises them." The rate of change has been rapid. "Twenty years ago there were no reported cases of men obtaining money from their wives on divorce - now it is routine," said Simon Bruce, head of family law at Farrer & Co, the Queen's solicitors.

Among the high earners who have paid out to ex-husbands is Kate Winslet, the actress. A payment of about 500,000 pounds was agreed to finalise her divorce in 2001 from Jim Threapleton, her husband of three years.

For Susan Singleton, a mother of five from Pinner, Middlesex, her divorce three years ago meant handing over nearly 900,000 pounds to her ex-husband Martin after 20 years of marriage. As a lawyer, her earnings are over 200,000 pounds and dwarf those of her former husband, a teacher and organist. Singleton's divorce settlement forced her to remortgage the 1.9 million pound family home for 1.1 million, and she also pays school and university fees of 50,000 a year. "I'm in the same position as a lot of men who work very hard, earn a lot of money, and then the person they happen to have been married to gets a share of that, even though they haven't really built it up," she said. "Why should the spouse who earns less get a share of the higher-earning one's income?" Martin Singleton said: "I was urged to get more by my solicitor but settled for less so she didn't have to sell the family home. I wouldn't want to seem greedy, I only got what I was entitled to.

Financial experts predict that in coming decades more women will have to pay out former husbands, as greater numbers are promoted to top jobs. Last year the number of female millionaires in the 18-44 age bracket overtook the number of men - 47,355 compared with 37,935, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business research. Women will own 60% of the UK's personal wealth by 2025, up from 48% now, the researchers found.

In a divorce, women can also be required to hand over money inherited from their parents, as Barbara Dowell, a 48 year-old marketing executive from Rutland, discovered last year. Dowell, who has one child, said she inherited 500,000 in 2000, only to hand over about half of it to her husband on divorce, after 14 years together. To fund this the family home was sold for about 300,000, and she lives in a rented house and pays school fees for their son, whose residence is shared. Dowell said: "I am now funding him (the husband) through my inheritance. It makes me extremely angry." Her former husband was not available for comment.

Liz Haskell, 56, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, said she paid her ex-husband 50,000 last autumn after seven years of marriage ended. Haskell, who said she inherited her assets, said: "It was a slap in the face - I feel cheated by the system

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