Sundon Park businesswoman Denise Kearney is absolutely determined to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in October – even though she’d had to postpone the charity challenge three times because of ongoing knee problems.

The senior marketing manager for Marriott Hotels said: “I had to have a double knee operation last year after climbing Mount Snowdon during a practice weekend in 2013.

“I’ve now been training for three summers and I’ve had copious amounts of physio and hydrotherapy as well as steroid and acid injections.”

She may need another operation when she gets back but Denise has her sights set on raising £20,000 – to be split between Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Both causes are extremely close to her heart.

“My father has had three heart bypasses and now has a pacemaker,” she explained. “We would have lost him years ago without the advances that have been made in heart surgery.

“My best friend, who’s just turned 40, has had cancer twice.”
Two of her uncles have also survived cancer diagnoses.

The 52-year-old has a novel approach to fundraising – she intends asking people to donate £10 to have their names (or that of a loved one) included on a big T shirt she’ll don when she reaches the summit of the of the African peak.

> Sponsor Denise go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CLIMB4LIFE

Wednesdays are open days at Luton Hoo Walled Garden. Visitors are welcomed with open arms and invited to inspect the renovation project being undertaken by a small army of loyal volunteers.

There are light lunches in the marquee and plants and produce for sale at the farm stall.

The unique five acre octagonal site was designed by Capability Brown in the late 1760s for Lord Bute and was considered second only to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

Several of the exotic plants he brought back from his travels are still grown in the Walled Garden which is slowly regaining its former glory after decades of neglect, with volunteers rightfully proud of their achievements.

It’s open every Wednesday from 11am to 3pm until September 30. Admission is £5 and for an additional £3, visitors can have a tour of the farmyard, which is popular with companies filming period dramas. Call 01582 721443.

An angelic four-year-old who’s had only two haircuts since he was born is donating his long golden locks to The Little Princess Trust.

Ethan Fox-Furnell of Stopsley will have his curls cut at Harpenden’s Alternative Barbering Company at the end of the month.

Proud mum Anneka Jeffs, 29, said: “It was my idea but once I sat Ethan down and explained to him that it would be used to make wigs for poorly children who’d lost their hair because of cancer treatment, he wanted to do it.

“He’s never liked having his hair cut and it really suits him long but that will change when he starts school.

“I didn’t want to waste his hair and read about The Little Princess Trust on Facebook. Jesse J donated hers to the charity.

“We’re also fundraising for Cancer Research UK in memory of various family members. I lost my dad eight years ago and my nan two years ago.”

Ethan’s dad – sound engineer Lee Fox-Furnell, 28, also lost his nan.

Anneka, a hypno birthing instructor, has already raised more than £400 at www.justgiving.com/Anneka-Joanne-Jeffs
Send text donations to 70070 code EGAH60.

A Luton bank customer manager has pledged to raise £7,000 for Girlguiding UK to provide local girls with an opportunity to travel overseas to India and the USA this summer.

Clare Wilmot of Lloyds Bank said: “I decided to make this pledge because Girlguiding UK is something I have been involved in for many years.

“It’s great to know that the money raised will make a positive change to enable girls to travel abroad to represent Girlguilding Anglia.”

Her charity cash will go to Stopsley South District, the Bedfordshire arm of the movement.

Clare has joined 6,000 colleagues across the bank who have vowed to support their own communities and to facilitate the bank’s commitment to make 2015 its biggest year ever.

Her fundraising activities include bag-packing at local supermarkets and organising a mega district sleepover for 100.

Lloyds director Graham Lindsay said: “It’s great to see Clare make this pledge to raise money and to help us deliver our biggest ever year of community support to mark the significant milestone of our 260th anniversary.”

> Support Clare at guides_5thstopsley@hotmail.com

A 22 year old Dunstable man has been convicted of inciting a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The jury at Luton crown court convicted him by a majority of 10 to 2.

They also convicted him of downloading indecent images of children by a majority of 11 to 1.

The man, who has not been named to protect the identity of his victims, was cleared of seven other charges relating to sexual activity with another underage girl and other charges of possessing images.

He will be sentenced by Judge Barbara Mensah on September 18.

The court heard that the defendant was arrested by police officers in September 2013 and denied getting the youngsters to touch him or behaving inappropriately in any way.

A trial date has been set for a terror suspect alleged to have been planning an attack on US military based in Suffolk.

Junead Ahmed Khan, 24, from Marlow Avenue, Luton, appeared at the Old Bailey this morning a month after being arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Khan is accused of planning to use a car and knife to kill US servicemen at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

He is also suspected of plotting to travel to Syria to join Islamic State with his uncle Shazib Ahmed Khan, also from Luton.

This morning Junead Ahmed Khan was told that he will stand trial in February.

Deborah Walsh from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Junead Khan and Shazib Khan with the intention of committing acts of terrorism.

“It is alleged that Junead Khan and Shazib Khan had been planning on travelling to Syria to join the proscribed organisation Islamic State in Levant (ISIL).”

Another Luton man, who was arrested in connnection with the Khans at his home in Vestry Close, was earlier released without charge.

A father from Luton who was found guilty of the manslaughter of his nine week old daughter is due to be sentenced today.

Adam Stokes had violently shaken his daughter Scarlett causing massive brain injuries to the infant.

Stokes, 33, was remanded in custody at Luton crown court after his conviction last month. He will be sentenced today by Mrs Justice McGowan at the Old Bailey.

It was in January 2013 when Scarlett collapsed at their eighth floor flat in Luton having suffered a cardiac arrest

Scarlett was rushed to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and transferred the same day to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

She never regained consciousness and died there 10 days later when the life support was withdrawn.

Throughout the trial the prosecution said the father was responsible for the appalling injuries she suffered by shaking her with “excessive force,” which caused her brain injuries.

Stokes, from Runfold, Luton pleaded not guilty to the child’s manslaughter.

The trial heard how an ambulance was called to the flat where she lived in with her father in Luton at around 8am on the morning of 14 January 2013.

The court has heard paramedics found her to be “pale, unresponsive, blue, floppy, warm to the touch and in cardiac arrest

Baby Scarlett was being fed by her father at the time she collapsed and a medical evidence was given to the court that a bleed to her brain that had caused her death had been caused by shaking.

The jury heard how, on the evening of Sunday 13 January 2013, Scarlett was rushed to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital after she appeared to stop breathing in the flat.

Stokes said he had been feeding the baby at the time when, after the third ounce, she had started struggling to breathe and had gone “rigid and floppy and her lips and nose had started turning blue.”

He said his daughter was winded and when she was violently sick, her colour returned and she started breathing again.

In the witness, box Stokes said that when his daughter had been born, she had undergone surgery immediately at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

After her discharge from hospital in late November 2012 he said she was brought home .

He told the court he fed the baby, changed and bathed her daily, describing it as “the everyday things you do for a baby.”

Stokes described his daughter as a “very, very quiet baby” who didn’t cry often and who sometimes had to be woken up for her feeds.

Following a visit to the GP on 3 January 2013 for her immunisations, he said she wasn’t herself and was very sleepy.

He said she also suffered what he described as “projectile vomiting,” as well as a cold.

On the the morning of Monday January 14 he said he got up around 6.45 to 7am and went into the kitchen and put the kettle on to make up a feed for his daughter.

Stokes said he got his daughter out of her “Moses Basket” and started feeding her as he sat on the corner of his bed.

He said he winded her after each ounce, telling the jury “She was fine with the first two ounces again, then it got to the third ounce.”

Once again he said she suddenly went rigid then floppy.

He told the court his daughter was like “A rag doll.”

Once more he said an ambulance was called and he was given assistance over the phone on how to administer CPR to his daughter.

The father said he checked to see if his daughter’s heart was beating and he told the jury it was, but he said he “couldn’t see her breathing.”

He said he went to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and later that day to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he learned doctors were treating Scarlett for “trauma.”

Miss Sonia Woodley QC, who defended Mr Stokes, asked him “It’s been suggested by the prosecution that you must have shaken Scarlett very vigorously to have caused the damage she sustained. Did you shake her?”

Mr Stokes replied “No, never ever.”

Asked how he felt when he was told Scarlett’s life support was to be removed on January 24, he replied “It was like my whole world had been ripped apart.”

The 47-year-old second wife of an ailing Luton grandfather, aged 73, may be deported by the Home Office back to Pakistan after she found English too difficult to learn.

Mr Mohammed Akram of Wigmore, Luton, who has five grand children from his first marriage, married Mrs Yasmeen Akram who came to the UK more than two years ago.

Birmingham Immigration and Asylum Tribunal where Mrs Akram appealed against a Home Office decision to deport her back home, was told how she had her stay in the UK extended.

But the Home Office said her stay was never on a permanent basis and that she always faced the prospect of being deported.

One reason was her failure to learn to speak English, said Mr Matthew Lister, representing the Home Office.

He said migrants to this country were now expected to learn to speak English.

Mrs Akram was accompanied by an interpreter at the hearing.

She said through her legal representative, that she had tried to learn to speak English but had found it too difficult.

The tribunal was told that Mr Akram was a British citizen who had resided in this country for 40 years and was well respected in the Luton community.

But he suffered from diabetes and heart trouble and his memory was deteriorating, it was said.

His family gave evidence on his behalf and warned he would face severe hardship if his wife was deported because she looked after him.

The tribunal was told that Mr Akram kept going on a “cocktail of treatments” and that he depended on his wife’s help.

Mr Lister suggested that Mr Akram could live in Pakistan with his wife if she was deported and that he could continue having medical treatment for his ailments in that country.

But this was rejected by the family who said Mr Akhram could not be expected to travel to Pakistan in view of his health.

Medical treatment was also considered to be more efficient in the UK, it was said.

The tribunal is to make a decision at a later date.

The family declined to comment after the hearing.

Staff at the Houghton Regis based Aldwyck Housing Group make a positive difference to the people and communities they serve.

That’s the findings from the group’s latest Investors in People (IIP) survey. Aldwyck retained its silver status in this year’s reassessment.

Fifty members of staff were interviewed and IIP identified a number of key strengths, including Aldwyck’s highly dedicated and professional workforce.

Evidence for IIP was taken from the review of business and training plans, HR, training and business policies, staff survey results, staff communication documents and evaluation documents.

Aldwyck were assessed by Lesley Ling who stated in her report that: “corporate and social responsibility is embedded at the heart of everything the business does.”

The staff celebrated with a photo shoot with a difference, which included several silver party cannons being fired into the air.

Harj Singh, Aldwyck Housing Group’s Chief Executive, said: “This result shows that our staff are committed to their work, and provides us with a strong best practice framework which will help us achieve our ambitious goals.”

Luton man Adam Stokes was sentenced today to seven years for the death of his nine-week-old daughter Scarlet.

Stokes, 33, was found guilty of manslaughter at Luton Crown Court last month following a three-week trial.

He was jailed for seven years at the Old Bailey today.

Experts concluded that Scarlet died from head injuries as a result of Stokes violently mishandling her.

On the morning of Monday 14 January 2013 Scarlet had become ill while being fed by her father. She was taken to hospital with a bleed on the brain but 10 days later her life support was withdrawn.

Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: “This is a tragic case in which the young life of a baby girl was taken when she should have had her full life ahead of her. This incomprehensible attack has left the family naturally devastated and although no sentence can undo this horrific loss we hope it can go some way in giving them closure.

“Adam was in a position of trust and should have protected his daughter. Violence against children will not be tolerated; we take any incident regarding the safety of a child very seriously and work hard to investigate any mistreatment to ensure culprits are brought to justice.”

Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “This was a terrible crime, which led to the untimely death of 9-week-old Scarlet Stokes-Craig at her home in Luton.

“On Monday, 14 January 2013, Scarlet’s mother called the emergency services at about 8.30am after Scarlet became unwell while being fed by her 33-year-old father, Adam Stokes. Scarlet was taken by ambulance to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and, after medical tests, was transferred by ambulance to Great Ormond Street Hospital where she died 10 days later when life support was withdrawn. The cause of death was a serious non-accidental head injury. The prosecution case was that the bleed on the brain was caused by the baby being shaken with excessive force by Stokes. Due to a birth defect Scarlet had spent a considerable amount of her short life in hospital. It is impossible to imagine a more vulnerable victim.

“Stokes denied causing the death of his defenceless daughter and offered no explanation for how she obtained her injuries, but was found guilty by a jury on 14 July after a three-week trial of her manslaughter, despite his denials.

“This was an extremely difficult and complex case to prosecute. Without any eye witnesses, we needed lengthy and highly technical evidence from top medical experts to help provide an explanation as to why this little girl died. This evidence enabled the prosecution to piece together what had happened and exclude any possible innocent explanation for her death.

“We have worked closely with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit since this investigation was launched and as a result of the hard work and diligence of the prosecution team, a just outcome has been achieved for baby Scarlet. I hope that the conviction and today’s sentence will in some way help her extended family come to terms with this tragic event. Our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”

Regiment Fitness is encouraging people to take on a 24 hour regiment fitness challenge and raise money for Dementia UK.

The organisation is teaming up with the charity to host Mission 24 at Inspire:Luton Sports Village on Saturday, September 19.

Participants can take on the challenge by themselves or as part of a team, they will be camping over night and will join in with regular fitness sessions activities and tabbing, a rapid march carrying a weight.

The organisers are advising those taking part to bring a change of clothes and to be prepared for all weather conditions.

Michael Cox, one of the organisers, said: “The idea of the challenge was to keep people involved with regiment fitness and enjoying the sessions and then we had the idea about joining up with a charity to help raise awareness and money.

“Dementia UK was an obvious choice because of the amount of support and help they provide for so many people, I watched some videos on it and I felt it was the right charity to support.”

Dementia UK aims to improve the quality of life for all people affected by dementia.

There are currently 50 people signed up for the challenge.

The entry cost is £24, for more information or to enter visit: www.regimentfitness.co.uk/mission24

A Luton car hire firm has less than two weeks to reclaim a £180,000 supercar or it will be sold by the police.

Officers in Cambridge pulled over a Lamborghini Huracan on Sunday after noticing that it was missing its front number plate.

On further inspection it was found that the vehicle was not insured to be used by the driver on that date.

Both the driver and the Luton car hire firm, which Cambs Police has not named, have been reported for summons over the incident.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman told the Luton News: “The car is seized and held for 14 days.

“In that time, if the driver/owner comes forward with the documents required then they can retrieve the car.

“If there is no response in this time or the correct documents are not produced, then the car is disposed of.

“For most cars of any value, they will be sold on (only vehicles of very low value will be scrapped).”

The spokesman added: “Where vehicles are worth more than £800 the proceeds of the sale come back to the police (under this figure and the storage company keeps it to cover costs).

“We keep those proceeds for a certain amount of time (believe this to be six months) and if the owner comes forward during this period they can claim the money.

“If they do not, then it is put back into policing.”

The two-seater Lamborghini Huracan has a top speed of 202mph and can go from 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds.

In an Autocar review the model is said to be “fast, loud, sharp, extroverted and about as impactful as it’s possible for anything on four wheels to be.”

Angry residents have slammed Luton Borough Council after a works scheme inadvertently gave travellers the chance to set up camp in a park.

Homeowners living close to the field off the Newbold Road/Quantock Rise roundabout in Bramingham say they repeatedly flagged concers over council plans to remove metal barriers in order to make way for a new cycle path.

Despite this LBC pressed ahead with the scheme and on Saturday night travellers broke through temporary mesh fencing which was placed around the park.

At the time of going to press several vehicles remain on the illegal encampment.

One resident, whose home looks out on to the field, told the Luton News that the measures the council had taken were ‘pathetic’.

She said: “At the time the barriers were removed the travellers were only a mile up the road, (LBC) were inviting them on by their actions.

“We called the police and I was told not to go out of my front door or into my garden, it is like being a prisoner in my own house.

“This is rather frightening and could easily of been avoided had they taken the concerns we raised more seriously.”

The homeowner added that she had called the police out after items were thrown at her home.

A LBC spokeswoman told the Luton News that the authority will bulk up the site’s security once travellers have been moved on.

She said: “We appreciate local residents’ concern.

“The legal process to evict the travellers is under way and we expect them to leave the site in the next few days.

“Temporary concrete barriers have been installed and additional bollards will be installed as soon as the travellers are evicted to close any gaps in the site fencing.”

She added: “These measures will remain in place until our contractors have finished the cycle track and can reinstate permanent fencing.”

Two Luton men have been charged after allegedly getting caught in a sting set up by a Dunstable couple.

Using a fake social media profile for a 12-year-old girl, Neil and Katie Ivall say they meet and ‘expose’ alleged paedophiles in public places.

Over the last month the couple have filmed encounters with six men who they allege contacted the fake 12-year-old and asked for a meeting.

Neil and Katie (pictured) have exclusively told the News that they decided to start the campaign after discovering that Katie’s daughter was being targeted on a social media website.

Neil said: “The whole thing started off in our house, my step-daughter was groomed over a period of a year and half by a total of up to four guys.

“While we were looking into that and what these guys were up to we came across others, we decided we could take a couple of these people out.

“It came to light that this is a big problem, after catching the first one there was another one.

“If we had the money and the resources we could do two or three a day, it is rife.”

After deciding to set up a fictional account for a 12-year-old girl the couple were inundated with messages, which continue to flood in now.

Katie responds to those who get in touch, many of whom later ask to meet the ‘young girl’.

The couple strongly deny any suggestion that they are entrapping the alleged paedophiles.

Katie said: “I don’t push the conversation in any way.

“When they do become sexual I’ll act really naive to the situation and I constantly remind them of how old the girl is.

“They start off with a nice normal conversation and then it slowly becomes rude.

“When they ask for pictures I say I’m not comfortable with that.

“There is no entrapment at all...it is purely them who choose to talk that way or ask to meet, it is their choice.”

The couple’s first meeting came with Peter McCallum, 33, from Coventry, who later handed himself in to police.

McCallum pleaded guilty to charges of communicating and attempting to meet two girls under the age of 16.

He will be sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on September 21.

Beds Police has arrested and charged two men in Luton who were handed to them by Neil and Katie.

Other ‘stings’ have taken place in Northampton and Nottingham.

Neil said: “To begin with we had a rough idea what we wanted to do, to ask them questions and see if they would talk about it.

“We get answers and I always put it to them ‘what will your wife say about this?’”

In a statement a Beds Police spokesperson said: “Our advice is to never take the law into your own hands.”

The force added that those not familiar with the legal system ”could put cases in jeopardy and run the risk of genuine offenders not being brought to justice”.

Despite the warning, Neil insists that he and Katie have had the support of officers who have responded to their 999 calls.

He said: “Every time we expose (alleged paedophiles) we go with the evidence we have got and we hand it over to the police that day.”

“The police have not got the time or resources to do what we do, they tell us that themselves.

“They have been very helpful and they support us all the way, they can’t do what we do although they would love to.

“We don’t want to leave it until it is too late, we want to stop it.”

Jealous Anthony Persaud bit his girlfriend twice and threw a bottle of his urine in her face.

Persaud, 45, was angry that Maxine Broom was not home when he returned from his job on the railway at 4.00 in the morning.

When Ms Broom returned home, he attacked her and called her a “slag” and a “slut.”

Prosecutor Maryam Syed told Luton crown court today/Tuesday that they had been in a relationship for 2 and a half years. She had been at a friend’s house on the night and was expecting a call from Persaud to tell her he was coming home.

The prosecutor went on: “He was drinking vodka and urinated into a bottle by the bed. When she came home he was swearing and there was a tussle. She was trying to eject him.

“He bit her on the top of her right arm, causing a very large bruise. He grabbed her tightly and called her a slut. He bit the top of her left ear.

“He told her: ‘If you act like a slag I will act like you are a slag.”

She said that in a gesture of ‘humiliation and control’, he took the bottle of urine and poured it on her face.

On the day of his trial, and before a jury had been sworn, Persaud of Leagrave Road, Luton, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm and assault by beating early on 27 December last year. He had 12 convictions for 24 previous offences. In 2001 he was jailed for 12 months for causing actual bodily harm to a former partner.

Pamela Brain, defending, said Persaud had been besotted with Ms Broom, who he felt was a soulmate.

“He now realises the relationship is well and truly over,” she said.

She said Persaud had been working in a good job as a supervisor on the railways before he was remanded in custody in February.

Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Michael Kay QC described the throwing of urine over the victim as “deeply unpleasant.”

He made a 5 year old Restraining Order banning him from contacting Ms Broom.

Tesco Extra are organising a family fun day on Friday, August 21, to help Tony Jules’ fundraising campaign.

Tony Jules, 63, of Sundon Park, has terminal prostate cancer but has decided to dedicate the remainder of his time to raise £40,000 to cover the cost of a Keech Hospice nurse for a year.

Staff at the Skimpot Road store read about Tony’s campaign and wanted to help.

Karen Linley, Tesco’s area community champion, said: “After reading the article we decided how nice it would be if Tesco Dunstable could get involved and hold a fundraising day to help raise funds and awareness to support Tony’s wish.

“We are organising a family fun day next week, we will have children’s activities, competitions, face painting and fundraising stalls.”

Luton Group 1 from the National Citizens Service is supporting the event, they will be collecting donations for Keech,

To support Tony’s campaign visit: www.justgiving.com/TonysAngel/

Newspaper publisher Johnston Press, which owns titles including this one, saw underlying pre-tax profits more than double in the first half of the year as it benefited from lower financing costs.

The group also saw strong growth in digital audiences for its titles, up by over 20 per cent to an average monthly figure of 19.9 million.

Digital revenues grew by 17.5 per cent to £16.5m with mobile revenues almost doubling in the period from January to June.

Total underlying revenues for the 26 weeks to 4 July fell by 4.6 per cent to £128.9m, although the drop was offset by cost savings of £7.6m.

Underlying profit before tax increased 114.3 per cent to £17.8m from £8.3m.

Net debt reduced to £183.3m from £194.2m at the end of last year. The company’s debt figure has fallen from about £300m at the start of 2014 due to a refinancing which also saw the interest rate paid fall from 11.7 per cent to 8.625 per cent.

Chief executive Ashley Highfield said trading conditions in the first half of 2015 had “undoubtedly been challenging”, with May and June being particularly difficult.

“However, we believe, local publishing, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) representing 80 per cent of our advertising revenue, is not as volatile as national publishing.”

Highfield said the company had seen some improvement in reducing the decline in advertising revenues in July compared to the same period last year.

“We will continue to drive for further improvement in revenues, albeit off a lower base, and will also continue to target further cost savings.”

Highfield said the company’s strategy was now showing “real traction” with digital now accounting for over 20 per cent of advertising revenues, up from 13 per cent two years ago.

Analysts at Numis, which has a “hold” rating on the shares, said the results were broadly as expected. “The group remains confident in its strategy and that transformation projects will position it well for the future,” the broker said.

A wife discovered a hidden laptop after police arrested her husband on suspicion of downloading child sex abuse images.

Officers raided Harvey Kirkland’s former address in Luton and seized three laptops and memory sticks.

A few days later, Kirkland’s wife found a laptop behind a cabinet when she was decorating. She handed it to the police, Luton crown court heard on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Hilary Neville said that 19,862 images were discovered. 3,330 at Category A, the most serious level. 2,743 were at Category B and 13,789 were at Category C. It included 614 videos at Category A.

Some of the images involved babies and very young children being abused.

53-year-old Kirkland was tracked down after officers monitored email accounts where child pornography and sexual fantasies about children were being discussed, said the prosecutor,

Kirkland, now of School Lane, Roxton, pleaded guilty to eight charges of possessing and downloading indecent images.

Tim Nutley, defending, said Kirkland’s wife had divorced him. He said he was no longer in contact with his extended family and had lost his job as a result of his arrest.

He said he was “very remorseful” and had been voluntarily attending sessions given by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity.

Judge Michael Kay QC jailed him for 16 months and said he must register as a sex offender for 10 years and abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

The judge told him: “The Category A images are of the most horrendous kind one can imagine. The physical and psychological damage caused to those children is difficult to imagine.

“Each person who accesses and downloads this material is contributing to the market. As there is a market, these evil people will continue to abuse children.”

Luton Borough Council’s youth service is delivering a ‘pop-up cafe’ programme which gives young people the opportunity to take part in different activities throughout the summer.

They are running activities for two hours per day covering a range of workshops on gang awareness, anti-bullying, antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol awareness, e-safety and appropriate awareness and multiculturalism.

They will also have the opportunity to play a variety of sports and activities including football, cricket, badminton and street art.

Councillor Mahmood Hussain said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people aged 8-18 years to take part in new and exciting activities that they may not normally do.

“The workshops are very informative and tackle those key issues currently affecting our young people in Luton.”

Pop-up cafes will be popping up throughout the town from 3pm till 5pm on the following dates;

Lewsey Farm, 17 and 24 August, from 1.30pm till 3.30pm.

Ashcroft Road Recreation Ground, 17 and 24 August.

Caul End Lane Open Space, 18 and 25 August.

Colwell Rise Open Space, 18 and 25 August.

Castle Croft Road Open Space, 19 and 26 August.

Freeman’s Green Open Space, 13, 20 and 27 August.

Parktown Community Centre, 13, 20 and 27 August.

Leagrave Park, 14, 21 and 28 August.

For more details call Gareth Williams, Targeted Youth Service, on 07740 457 985.

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) has today unveiled Robert Morton as its new chief executive.

Mr Morton, a paramedic and a community first responder, has worked in the ambulance service for nearly 25 years– predominantly with the National Ambulance Service in Ireland where he became chief executive for three years.

He then went on to be Chief Executive of the South Australian Ambulance Service.

Mr Morton fills the position vacated by former interim boss Anthony Marsh, who stood down on Monday.

The new chief executive said: “I am thrilled to be the new chief executive and very much look forward to working with my new EEAST colleagues.

“The service has been through some very difficult and challenging times over the last few years, but I am confident we can build on the good work that Anthony Marsh has put in place to further improve our services for patients and at the same time make this a even better place to work.”

He added: “Having worked in the ambulance service for many, many years I understand the challenges and issues and how we can resolve them together.

“Whilst it is not going to be easy, I know first-hand the commitment and dedication of those working in the ambulance service and that together we can make a real difference for patients.”

Trust chair Sarah Boulton said: “I am delighted Robert is going to lead our trust as we look to make further improvements to the service we give to patients.

“Robert is an experienced ambulance chief executive who will be able to connect immediately with frontline staff and volunteers thanks to his paramedic and volunteering background.”

She added: “I would like to pay special thanks to Anthony who has worked tirelessly to rebuild the service since last January.

“Thanks to this work, we are now in a position to take the next steps on our journey, building a better service for patients and staff.”

Mr Morton will take up the post on August 24.