A man has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm after a ‘one punch’ attack in Luton left a victim fighting for his life.
Vincent Cameron, 38, from Chapel Street, Luton was charged yesterday in relation to the assault of a man in Chapel Street at around 9.30pm on Saturday, November 12.
The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
A letter in this week’s Luton News/Dunstable Gazette from Sanjay Bagga condemned the name of a wrestling contest taking place at the High Town Club in Luton on November 18.
We are happy to point out that the author of the letter has no connection to Sanjay Bagga of LDN Wrestling.
The War and Peace Pro Life Wrestling takes place tomorrow at the club on Oxen Road.
A Bedfordshire coach company is looking for imaginative young students to design them a company Christmas card.
Marshalls Coaches LLP, Leighton Buzzard, is running a competition, challenging pupils aged between five and 13 to come up with a festive coach-themed design.
The lucky winner will receive a £50 Smyths Toys voucher, while the company will offer the winner’s school free transport to and from a destination of their choice.
Dean Marshall, partner at Marshalls Coaches, said: “We’re a well established company and we thought it would be a fun way to give back to the community.
“The winning pupil’s school will receive free hire of a coach with a driver for the day. It’s up to school where they go and who they take - it just needs to be within a 50 mile radius of their grounds.”
Send entries to: Dean Marshall, Marshalls Coaches, Unit 4, Firbank way, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4YP.
The closing date is Friday, December 9.
Hundreds of students from the University of Bedfordshire gathered to celebrate the end of years of hard work and study at their graduation ceremonies on Wednesday.
Students from the University’s Business School, and the faculties of Creative Arts, Technologies & Science and Education & Sport, gathered in St Mary’s Church to collect their awards in front of proud family and friends.
Among those collecting awards was Bedfordshire graduate Gavin O’Brien, who was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts for his outstanding services to media.
The 30-year-old Lutonian graduated from the University with a degree in Media Production & Business Administration in 2007. Gavin, along with fellow graduate and childhood friend Alex Lawrence went on to set up media production business Clearhead at the Hat Factory in Luton, which has the likes of Cadbury, the BBC, Sky and Coca Cola on its books.
Gavin told the graduates: “If you believe in what you do, and are passionate and work hard at it, the world is your oyster. And don’t forget Luton – it’s an important part of all of us.”
The University’s Vice Chancellor Bill Rammell told the graduates: “Think about the journey you have been on and resolve, here, today, never to stop learning. Never lose that curiosity, resilience and persistence that enabled you to achieve your degrees.
“I urge you to go out into the world as ambassadors for the value of learning, of looking critically at the world and leaving it better than you found it.”
The NSPCC has welcomed the news that the Appeal Court rejected a bid from a Luton mother and daughter to have their baby neglect convicton overturned.
Angela and Jessica Price were jailed last year for the death of Jessica’s seven month old son Imran.
The Luton court heard the couple, of Morris Close, had wilfully neglected the baby, who lost 17% of his body weight in just nine days. They were sentenced to a total of 16 years.
An NSPCC spokesman said: ”This was a tragic case where a young baby was needlessly robbed of his life. Neglect is the most common form of abuse in the UK and can wreak havoc on a child’s brain development, emotional well-being, ability to form relationships, and mental health.
“The levels of neglect displayed in this case simply do not belong to the 21st century.
“The NSPCC works to address child neglect and helps those who require support. Our free helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and share their concerns about a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can contact the helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0808 800 5000, by texting 88858 or visiting www.nspcc.org.uk.”
A “serial stalker” jailed last year for preying upon ex-EastEnders’ actress Brooke Kinsella is in prison again after carrying out a sex act on a train between St Albans and Luton.
Paul Mason, 42, appeared at Luton Magistrates Court last Friday where he was found guilty after trial of outraging public decency.
The court heard that on January 14, a young woman was travelling on the St Pancras train to Bedford when Mason boarded the carriage at St Albans.
Prosecutor Joan Gandolfi said: “She described the carriage as having empty seats around but the suspect continued walking through and sat down in the two seats in the opposite side of the aisle.”
There, the woman said Mason began pleasuring himself.
Mrs Gandolfi added: “He then dropped the side of his coat and had a leering smile. His reaction was that he looked as if he wanted to be caught and seemed quite proud of himself.”
The woman warned other passengers and got off the train at Luton Parkway. Mason was later arrested on April 10 at Luton station for possession of cannabis where the arresting officer recognised Mason’s description from the previous complaint. The woman later identified Mason from a police lineup.
Following trial, he was found guilty by magistrates.
The court also heard that Mason had harassed Bedford Cllr Louise Jackson after a chance meeting at London St Pancras Station earlier in the year.
Cllr Jackson had taken pity on him after hearing of his homeless situation and gave him her business card, but soon found herself bombarded with “sinister” love letters.
From August 4 to 17, Mason sent letters from prison to Cllr Jackson at both her home address and Bedford Council offices, calling her “darling” and sending magazine cutouts of dresses he wanted her to wear.
Mason was sentenced to six weeks for indecency on a train. He was sentenced to an additional 10 weeks for harrassing Cllr Jackson, along with a two-year restraining order and £100 compensation. He also faced prosecution costs of £300 and victim surcharge of £115
UK bargain hunters have been warned that many of the Black Friday deals on offer may not be all they seem.
Consumer watchdog Which? found that 49 per cent of the deals in 2015 were not at their cheapest on Black Friday.
As few as eight per cent of the special offers were deals made especially for the day itself. However, more than 10 per cent of had been cheaper at some point in the three months leading up till Black Friday.
And as many as four in 10 dropped in price following the ‘big day’.
Which? tracked a total of 178 deals on on 20 popular types of tech gadgets and home appliances from AO, Amazon, Argos, Currys and John Lewis over a five-month period around Black Friday, and found that only 90 were at their cheapest on the day.
Alex Neill, managing director of Which?, said: “That doesn’t mean there aren’t good deals to be had. Just that we have to be canny.
“So make sure you know what it is you want, check current prices, get yourself signed up to retailers’ online sites to beat the rush on the high street, and if you’re not convinced you’re getting a good deal then wait for the post-Christmas sales.”
The watchdog also offered the following advice
Sign up for retailers’ newsletters, ‘like’ their Facebook pages and register for Twitter alerts, as they’ll be keen to publicise their best deals.
Research products online. We’ve got lab test results for thousands of products on our website, so find out which products are best for you and your budget.
Visit price checker websites and make a note of how much your desired items currently cost. Check whether retailers will let you buy online and pick up later so you can miss the crowds.
A former city trader has been hit with a £2m-plus confiscation order for concealing assets during his bankruptcy.
Tahseen Goni, 41, from Luton, has been ordered to pay a confiscation order of £2,084,897.37 and prosecution costs of £118,352.36, following a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on 28 July 2016.
Goni was convicted of concealing property from the Official Receiver in August 2015, following an initial investigation by the Insolvency Service and a full criminal investigation and Prosecution by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The Investigation found:
In October 2008 Goni, a previously successful ‘spread betting’ trader, incurred substantial losses and was left with a debit balance of £238,021.30 on his personal account with a company providing financial spread betting, Contracts for Difference (CFDs), stockbroking and foreign exchange services.
The company obtained judgment in default against Goni and threatened to petition for his bankruptcy. Goni then began to put in place arrangements to enable him to continue to trade in the lead up to and following his impending bankruptcy. This involved him making use of both trading accounts and bank accounts in the name of a family member.
The investigation found Goni had sufficient assets to pay off his creditors during the period of his bankruptcy. Despite his duty to declare them to his trustee in bankruptcy, he concealed them. He was prosecuted and on being convicted, sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. At the subsequent confiscation hearing the court ordered that the benefit from his concealment of £2,084,897.37 should be confiscated of which £537,057.03 was to be paid to his creditors. A further £118,352.36 was ordered to be paid to cover prosecution costs.
Deputy Chief Investigating Officer Ian West from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills said: “This is a substantial penalty and bankrupts should be in no doubt, that if they conceal assets from their trustee in bankruptcy that the Insolvency Service and the department for Business, will take firm action to have them prosecuted, their benefit confiscated and their creditor(s) recompensed.”
A Luton woman has been ordered to pay £210 after pleading guilty to illegal use of a disabled parking permit or ‘blue badge ’ that had been issued to her deceased mother.
The permit should have been returned to Central Bedfordshire Council, following the death of her mother, who lived in Dunstable. Instead, officers from Central Bedfordshire Council visited the home of the defendant – Eileen Kirby of Ashton Road, Luton – after a tip off from Luton Council colleagues.
When interviewed under caution, the woman confirmed the vehicle was hers and that the blue badge permit had been issued to her mother.
The defendant also admitted to using the blue badge parking permit outside her house.
The Council’s Executive Member for Corporate Resources, Cllr Richard Wenham, said: “Blue badges are issued to people in our communities that need them most; who have serious mobility problems and disabilities.
“They allow people who need extra help to park closer to their home or destination and must only be used by another person if the badge holder is present or is being dropped off or collected.
“Apart from being selfish and inconsiderate, the wrongful use of a blue badge is a criminal offence that can result in a large fine and a criminal prosecution.”
The defendant pleaded guilty at Luton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 15 November and was fined £80, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and also ordered to pay a contribution towards the Council’s costs of £100 – a total liability to the court of £210.
The Council will be directing further effort to clamp down on this type of offence in the future. If you suspect someone of illegally using a blue badge, report it the Council by calling 0300 300 8035 or emailing car.badges@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
A Luton teenager will donate the hair she’s had trimmed but never cut to The Little Princess Trust.
Ashcroft High pupil Kay-Lee Hurrell, 13, is also raising money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance in memory of her relative Casey Flissikowski, 18, who died in a car accident with two friends last December.
Kay-Lee’s mum Naomi said: “They stayed with her and did all they could to attempt to save her life.”
Kay-Lee, of the St Anne’s area, said: “I’m feeling nervous and scared but want to do something to support my family.”
The big chop will take place at Dolls & Dudes in Stopsley on Saturday (November 26).
Casey’s family are organising a memorial ball for their daughter at Leaside Hotel on December 10.
They described her as “a beautiful, hard-working girl who will be forever missed.”
The teenager was killed alongside friends Stephen Evans, 20, and Rebecca Nabarro, 23 in a head-on crash near Toddington.
> www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Naomi-Hurrell2
A home made flail with vicious spikes was among more than 2,000 items handed to Beds police in a recent knife amnesty.
The month long ‘bin the blade’ campaign not only saw Bedfordshire residents dispose of a 2,000 knives – but other chilling items too.
Officers recovered an assortment of guns and a home-made flail with vicious spikes when they emptied the steel bins placed outside of Bedfordshire Police stations to support a national campaign called Operation Sceptre.
Now the various items have been taken away to be destroyed, ensuring they will never fall into the hands of criminals and helping to make the streets a safer place.
The bins were just part of the Operation Sceptre, which also saw police liaising with schools and young people to highlight the consequences of knife crime.
Operation Sceptre lead, Sgt Ben Dimmock said: “Our message to those carrying knives is bin the blade before it’s too late. We will come down hard on those responsible for knife crime and they will face serious punishment. They are putting lives at risk – including their own.”
Bedfordshire Police are continuing the fight against weapons with the newly launched #Guns Off Our Streets campaign which urges people to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with any information that could help police.
Luton octogenarian June King has been volunteering for Samaritans for 31 years.
She vividly recalls the Luton branch opening 50 years ago because she was then married to the deputy mayor, Bert King, who officiated.
She says: “It was in a church hall in Alma Street and we were taken into a little room which had only a chair and a table, no other furniture.
“The first call came through and then we had a small glass of sherry. It was very low key.”
June has been one of the charity’s most loyal volunteers, although she’s quick to point out that several others have served longer.
And she claims the need for the service is just as great today as it was when she started.
“The only thing that’s changed is the technology,” she says. “There are lots more ways people can get in touch – by email, texts, calling in.
“But probably the biggest innovation was the introduction of the single national telephone number. This meant there was always someone at the end of the line – when we just had the local number, it was often engaged.”
She says then, as now, they were always in need of more help and support.
“The whole office is run by volunteers,” she explains. “The admin, training, everything. And in addition they do their commitment of one duty a week. It’s a very good organisation. We support callers, as well as each other.”
> If you’d like to be involved, write to Samaritans at 33 Cardiff Road, Luton LU1 1PP or email recruitmentsamaritans@gmail.com
Four men who pretended to be police officers as they conned over £100,000 out of elderly and vulnerable victims in a nationwide fraud have been sentenced to a total of 15 years at Leeds Crown Court.
The men sentenced on Friday were all from London, although the 60 offences were reported across 13 different areas of England including Bedfordshire.
Malik Amer, 24 of Monthorpe Road (three years, seven months), Shah Ahmed, 22, of Toynbee Street (four years, seven months), Rahim Ali, 22, of Vernon Road (three years, six months) and Ruhel Miah, 19, of Chilton Street (four years, 11 months) admitted conspiracy to commit fraud.
The sentences followed a 15-month investigation by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit.
A further man from London admitted one offence of fraud and will be sentenced at a later date.
The investigation started after a number of fraud cases involving people pretending to be police officers were reported to police in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The group involved would phone unsuspecting victims with the caller pretending to be a police officer claiming to be investigating fraudulent transactions or activities within the victim’s bank account. The bogus police officer would then try and convince his victim that he needed their money to be able to investigate the fraud.
From this point the victim was informed that they needed to go to the bank and withdraw a large amount of money (usually between £5,000 and £20,000). The bogus officer would then send someone around who would also pretend to be a police officer or someone working for the police to the victim’s house to collect the money.
An alternative method the group used to collect their ill-gotten gains was to get the victim to directly transfer the cash (again somewhere between £5,000 to £20,000) to another ‘safe’ bank account.
As officers began to investigate the cases it was quickly established that the offenders were committing similar offences across the country. Many of the recorded crimes did not succeed - but they still managed to con ten victims out of a total of £118,000. The largest single amount defrauded was £37,000.
Speaking after the men were sentenced, Detective Constable John Davies, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said:
“These four individuals are callous - they preyed upon often vulnerable and / or elderly people and in many cases tricked them out of their life savings.
“To compound their behaviour they pretended to be police officers - the very people in society who look to protect people from such wrong doing.
“We know, having spoken to the victims and their families that the experience was a terrible ordeal for them and many are still to fully recover from the trauma. Thankfully many of their attempted scams failed and people saw through their mask of respectability.
“This criminality spread far and wide across England - the group did not respect local borders but their activities have caught up with them and I am pleased the judge has recognised the seriousness of their offending by handing down the sentences he has. They now have time inside to consider the consequences of their actions.”
Morrisons has announced that from Monday, supermarket customers will pay below £1-a-litre for petrol for the first time in six months.
The Bradford-based supermarket is reducing the price of unleaded to a maximum of 109.9 pence at its 333 forecourts from this morning.
Then from tomorrow, customers who shop in Morrisons supermarkets and spend £50, will be entitled to fill up for 99.9p, a further cut of 10p-a-litre.
Morrisons said it is making the cuts to help motorists with the cost of getting around during the pre-Christmas shopping spree.
Roger Fogg, services director at Morrisons, said: “With Christmas around the corner, our customers tell us they very much welcome our help in reducing the cost of their fuel. That’s why we are turning the clock back to the start of this year when petrol prices were typically below £1-a-litre.”
Average petrol and diesel prices have hovered above the £1.10 mark since June this year, according to petrolprices.com. The current average for unleaded is listed as just above £1.15-a-litre.
The supermarket is also cutting the price of diesel. Drivers of diesel cars, who buy their groceries in Morrisons, will also receive 10p-a-litre cuts taking prices to just above the £1-a-litre mark.
Morrisons says the offer will run from November 21 to December 3. Customers who spend £50 or more in participating stores will receive a voucher that will allow them to pay the lower price.
All of the big four supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons - have been cutting prices in a bid to better compete with German discounters Aldi and Lidl, which have eroded their market share.
More than 100 kind-hearted readers have sent a steady stream of gaily wrapped shoeboxes, filled with carefully chosen gifts, to be distributed among needy children in the Third World.
The Herald&Post is proud to be a drop-off point for Operation Christmas Child, an annual campaign run by the
charity Samaritans Purse.
Last week our growing stash was collected by volunteers who took them to the warehouse where yet more volunteers are hard at work getting them packed and ready for the next stage of their journey.
Spokesman Alan Goodman said: “So far we’ve received 3,659 and have processed most of them.
“We’ll be working next week to meet the deadline for delivery.”
Editor Lynn Hughes said: “A big thank you to our generous readers who will bring such unexpected joy to children who have often never received a present in their short young lives.”
> More info at www.samaritans-purse.org.uk
Are you a night owl? Would you like to do something useful with your time in the midnight hours?
Then Samaritans would like to hear from you.
A spokeswoman said: “We’re always looking for volunteers but we’re particularly keen to recruit night owls who are able to offer callers their time and support during week day nights.
“If you’d like to make a difference and can do a four hour shift twice a month, please get in touch.”
Samaritans opened their first Luton office in 1966 in two rented rooms in Alma street and many of their calls came from public phone boxes as not all homes had phones in those days.
They were and still are on hand 24/7, offering a non-judgemental listening service. They are also available for face-to-face appopintments at their Cardiff Road office but it’s advisable to phone first.
> If you’d like to find out more about their training programme, email recruitmentsamaritans@googlemail.com, phone 03705 627282 or 01582 720666 or call at 33 Cardiff Road LU1 1PP.
Flamboyant entertainment PR Diane Hinds is on a mission – to empower aspiring, small or self-published writers.
She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster where she teaches on their Campaigning and Persuasive Skills module.
She’ll give you comprehensive information on research, target audiences and creating a key message.
The mother-of-two – a Cherie Blair Foundation for Women mentor – has worked with Aretha Franklin, opera singer Lesley Garrett, Whitney Houston, The Four Tops, Jack Jones and many others.
She will be at Luton Central Library at 4pm on Monday, December 4.
> For more information contact Diane on 020 7748 3003 or email info@TheEntertainmentBureau.co.uk
A new partnership has been formed to tackle homelessness.
Signposts Luton and Luton Community Housing will co-ordinate their services to maximise their help in providing accommodation for homeless people and those in insecure or poor quality housing.
Signposts CEO Kevin Porter said: “Numbers are increasing on a daily basis and the financial resources to meet these challenges are reducing annually. It has become essential to look at new and innovative ways to meet this demand.”
LCH CEO Lynda Rees added: “There is huge pressure on the local housing market where overcrowding and poor quality accommodation is common, yet at the same time private rents have risen. We’re looking to strengthen our organisations so we can help more people than ever before.”
Drivers who kill have been sentenced to an average of just four years in prison with dozens escaping jail altogether, an investigation has revealed.
Not a single person has been handed the maximum 14-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving since Parliament lengthened the sentence from 10 years in 2004.
Figures show that between 2006 and 2015, 111 people convicted of causing death by dangerous driving walked free from court. Seventy-nine were given suspended sentences, with 14 given community service, 10 people dealt with through a fine and two given a conditional discharge.
Three got an absolute discharge and three others were dealt with by other means.
The average sentence given in that time to those who were jailed is four years and one month.
Many other motorists who kill on the roads are prosecuted under the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving which bereaved families view as an insult.
Today, this newspaper launches our Drive For Justice campaign to call for changes in the law to make sentencing fit the crime for those who kill or seriously injure people on our roads.
Around five people are killed on the roads each day and families who lose a loved one in such a sudden and violent way describe their loss as feeling “like they have been murdered.”
However, the vast majority feel they do not get justice from the legal system in the UK.
The Drive For Justice campaign aims to give these families a voice and we are lobbying the Government to re-work guidelines so judges can use the powers that exist as well as tackling loopholes and imposing tougher sentences for the worst offenders.
You can sign our Change.org petition here and share it using #DriveForJusticeCampaign
What we are lobbying for?
Drive For Justice is seeking to give families affected by the anguish of road deaths as a result of reckless and criminal driving a voice to bring about change and better justice.
Our campaign aims to:
* Call on the Government to re-work sentencing guidelines and give judges specialist training so they can use the full powers that are available to them when deciding sentences for offenders
* To have tougher sentences for the worst offenders
* Have all culpable deaths treated as manslaughter
* See more driving bans and longer driving bans handed out to those who kill or seriously injure on the roads or risk injury and death
* Close the loopholes that exist such as with hit and runs where failure to stop carries a maximum of six months in prison while drink driving penalties are tougher meaning those who have been drink driving can get a lesser sentence if they flee the scene
* Look at the charges of Dangerous Driving and Careless Driving. Bereaved families feel “careless” undermines the severity of the offence when someone is killed or seriously injured by illegal and risky behaviour.
A twinkle-toed 11-year-old has pirouetted her way to an International Dancing Teachers’ Association freestyle finalist medal.
And Ruby Williams from Cockernhoe couldn’t be more thrilled. She said: “I worked really hard but I never expected to make it to the final three. I couldn’t believe how many times I was called back and I was really astonished to get that far.”
Her teacher Karen Byrne of The Dance Studio is equally delighted.
She said: “Dancers who make it to that all-important final have to do a 20 second solo in front of the entire Winter Gardens in Blackpool – a daunting task. But Ruby never flinched. Her eyes were on the prize and she danced her solo step perfect.
“The support, cheers and tears from her family, friends and team mates reverberated around the ballroom. It’s a memory I will always cherish.
“She’s one of the most ambitious and hardworking dancers I’ve ever taught. Her dedication paid off and she thoroughly deserved it.”