milne media

DOCTORS WARN CANCER EPIDEMIC IS ON THE HORIZON

HeadLine: DOCTORS WARN CANCER EPIDEMIC IS ON THE HORIZON

Daily Record, 05/01/2000, p16
by SHAUN MILNE

RESEARCHERS have warned cancer will affect more Scots than ever before
in the next few years.
Predictions suggest as many as four people in 10 across the UK will
suffer some form of the disease, despite advances in medical research.
But the number of people actually surviving is predicted to rise too,
with one leading charity suggesting the disease will be beaten.
Director general of the Cancer Research Campaign, Professor Gordon
McVie, said cancer could soon be as controllable as diabetes thanks to
new drugs.
He said: "We are on the eve of a genetic revolution and although it may
not be cured by 2050 it will be as readily controlled as diabetes
today.
"In 50 years' time the survival rate should have increased from the 40
per cent which it is now to 90 per cent."
There are 150,000 people with cancer in Scotland which sees 35,000 new
cases registered every year.
Scots currently have a 25 per cent higher chance of suffering cancer of
some sort than their English counterparts.
Lung cancer remains the biggest killer of both men and women in
Scotland.
It caused 27,476 deaths in Scottish men and 14,738 in women over the
decade up to 1996, according to latest figures.
But statistics released yesterday by the charity show a decrease
UK-wide of men suffering lung cancer in the last 10 years. That has
been attributed to more and more people giving up or not starting
smoking.
Breast cancer accounted for the deaths of 12,741 Scottish women over a
10-year period, with one in 10 expected to develop the disease.
Professor McVie said: "A key reason for the breast cancer increase is
the breast screening programme which means more cases are being
detected."
The most recent figures available show that in 1996 around 41 per cent
of men would develop cancer compared with a figure of 32 per cent back
in 1981.
That was mirrored in figures for women with a rise from 31 per cent in
1981 to 38 per cent in 1996.
Cancer accounted for the deaths of 76,214 men and 72,956 women in
Scotland - about a quarter of all deaths - between 1986 and 1995.
But male survival rates have risen from just 19 per cent between 1971
and 1975 to around 36 per cent in the period 1991 to 1995.
At the same time, women's chances of survival increased from 32 per
cent to 47 per cent.

**

DODGY DEALS,DEATH ..AND DIVAS

HeadLine: DODGY DEALS,DEATH ..AND DIVAS

Daily Record, 06/01/2000, p33
by SHAUN MILNE

FOR more than three decades, the notorious Kray twins have been the
stuff of legend.
Gangsters in London's East End still recall the bloody episodes of
their violent, murderous past.
Yet, confidential medical reports released by the Public Records Office
have revealed Ronnie and Reggie Kray were sensitive men who appreciated
artistic pursuits and the finer things in life.
The sword-wielding psychos portrayed in the film The Krays - for which
the identical brothers were paid £255,000 - in fact had strong leanings
towards classical literature and music.
But the two had severe anxiety complexes which could only be controlled
by a constant supply of prescribed drugs.
They had always presented themselves to doctors as cultured,
intelligent men.
The Krays were sent down for a minimum of 30 years at the Old Bailey in
1969.
It was Dr Denis Leigh who judged them fit for trial.
In a five-hour interview with the two, he said Ronnie, who died in 1995
at a top security hospital, told him he had been a "very, very bad
scholar".
Dr Leigh said in his notes Ronnie "liked classical music and singers
such as Callas and Gigli".
He said: "He is fond of reading biographies and quoted those of Gordon
of Khartoum, Genghis Khan and Lawrence of Arabia.
"He says he is a friendly man, not bad tempered normally, a believer in
God but not a churchgoer."
Of Reggie, who is still in Waylands Prison in Norfolk, he said:
"Mentally he was alert, friendly, pleasant, and indeed, charming."
Ronnie was 34 when he met Dr Leigh in 1968. He was quoted in the report
as saying: "There is nothing wrong with me, I just have to take my
medicine, that's all."
He was treated with 25mg of Stemetil three times a day.
Ronnie had been receiving psychiatric treatment and taking
tranquillisers since 1957.
Diagnosed as schizophrenic at 22, he suffered a metal breakdown and was
twice admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Dr Leigh called his brother
Reggie a "nervous" boy who took Valium for "pressure on the forehead".
His wife, Frances, had committed suicide a year before the interviews.
She was 23.
While neither one of the brothers ever spoke to the doctor about their
crimes, they were sentimental in their talk about family and friends.
Reggie showed Dr Leigh a photograph of his wife and a poem he had
written in her memory.
He described himself as a friendly, sociable type who was fond of the
outdoor life, horses and gardening, and reading romantic verse.
While Ronnie pored over photographs of his male boxing friends, his
country house and a pet donkey the family had kept called Figaro.

**

POLAR COUPLE PUT THE BUBBLY ON ICE

HeadLine: POLAR COUPLE PUT THE BUBBLY ON ICE

Daily Record, 06/01/2000, p33
by SHAUN MILNE

A BRITISH couple have renewed their wedding vows at the South Pole
after a record-breaking trek.
Fiona and Mike Thorne made history with the special ceremony just hours
after completing the gruelling 730-mile hike.
The Nottingham pair are the first married couple to make it to either
pole.
And Fiona became one of the first two British women to reach the South
Pole on foot.
The incredible effort was marked by the ceremony in the snow at the US
base.
Policeman Mike wore his uniform flown out specially for the occasion.
But the team of nine had eaten the wedding cake during their 61-day
adventure.
Fiona, 33, a recruitment consultant, and Mike, who turned 37 during the
trip, braved temperatures as low as minus 48C to walk for up to 14
hours a day.
Speaking by satellite phone, Fiona said: "I cannot believe it is over.
I am totally exhausted and totally elated.
"All day I have been able to ignore the pain from my bleeding feet and
the infected sores on my legs, knowing that it would soon be over."
Mike, who struggled to keep up at times after injuring his knee, added:
"It's just amazing to be here. I am very sorry I cannot say any more at
the moment because my mouth and hands have started to freeze."
After thawing out over a hot meal, cooked by staff at the US base
there, they gathered back on the ice to renew their vows.
Fellow traveller Graham Murphy, an Australian, performed the service in
front of the other six members of the expedition. Among them was
Catherine Hartley, a 34-year-old TV stage manager from south London who
had shrugged off a severe case of frostbite and a near-fatal fall down
a crevasse during the trip.
Catherine, the only member of the party with no hiking experience, was
on the verge of being airlifted out with frostbitten fingers but
bravely carried on.
Her battle against the elements allowed her to share the record with
Fiona as the only British women to have made it to the South Pole on
foot.
During the trek, each member of the team pulled a sledge weighing
150lbs and used skis with special skins allowing them to grip ice and
snow.
The route took the party to heights of more than 9000ft, across
formidable glaciers, ice caps and mountain passes.
Last night Fiona's mum, Mary Alton, was delighted by news of the
ceremony.
Mary, 61, said: "For the last few days, all she has been talking about
is when she can become a girl again and warm herself under the
hairdryer.
"I knew Fiona would follow Mike to the end of the world, which she now
has."

**

Holiday Scot died as friends partied

HeadLine: Holiday Scot died as friends partied

Daily Record, 07/01/2000, p35
by SHAUN MILNE

A SCOTS holidaymaker killed himself while his closest friends were
partying in the room next door.
Gary McLaren, 32, from Armadale, West Lothian, was found hanged by a
pair of shoelaces at a holiday resort in Las Americas, Tenerife.
Just hours earlier Gary, who was unemployed and lived on his own, had
been out with his friends in bars around town.
They told relatives that they thought he had simply gone to bed.
It was only when they walked into his room in the early hours of
Wednesday that they made the grim discovery.
Last night the group were still attempting to get home having been
flown as far as Barcelona only to be stranded having missed their
connecting flight.
Craig Anderson, 25, was supposed to be flying out to join the group on
Wednesday after missing the original flight when he lost his passport.
Craig said: "None of us can take it in, we just can't understand why he
did it. There was no reason for it.
The group booked with holiday company First Choice through
Glasgow-based firm Bearsden Travel.
Relatives said they paid Air 2000 - operated by First Choice - to fly
them to Barcelona after the death so they could catch an EasyJet flight
back to Britain.
But their plane was delayed causing them to miss their flight and stay
overnight in Barcelona.
Carrie Ann's dad Stanley Machnick said: "They've just been dumped there.
"It looks like First Choice were just glad to get rid of them from the
resort and now they're stranded."
Last night a First Choice spokeswoman said they would have arranged
flights for the group if they had been able to contact them before they
booked the EasyJet flights.

**

Castaway cow and chickens stay put on farm

HeadLine: Castaway cow and chickens stay put on farm

Daily Record, 12/01/2000, p3
by SHAUN MILNE

THE BBC's Castaway 2000 project is stumbling from bad to worse.
First, storms battered their remote location on Taransay, destroying
valuable equipment.
Then some of the volunteer inhabitants and crew were struck down by flu
and many fled to the shelter of a B&B on nearby Harris, while one
family of four simply quit.
Now even a cow with no name is turning its back on Auntie's £2.4million
ratings gamble.
The cow and 12 chickens were bought by the Beeb earlier this month for
the 36 volunteers taking part in Castaway.
But like most of the humans in the show, they have still to reach the
island.
Instead of braving hurricane-force storms and staying in a hastily
built shed, they remain safely tucked up in farm steadings.
The BBC struck a deal with two farmers on Skye for the cow and chickens
earlier this month.
They sent a team of researchers to ensure they had found the right kind
of chickens and cow to spend TV licence fee money on.
One Skye islander said: "They don't give the cow a name because at some
point they will have to kill it.
"If you give an animal a name, it develops a personality, it becomes
familiar."
Good news for the castaways, if not the cow and chickens, is that the
livestock should reach Taransay at the end of the month.
The series, which begins on BBC 1 on January 18, aims to show how 36
people from different backgrounds can set up a community and survive
with basic food and other essentials for a year on the uninhabited
island.

**

AN OCEAN OF TEARS

HeadLine: AN OCEAN OF TEARS

Daily Record, 13/01/2000, p1
by VIVIENNE AITKEN, SHAUN MILNE & STEVE SMITH

THREE tiny fishing villages were linked by a seven-mile road of tears
yesterday - a mile for every man lost on the Solway Harvester.
As the wreck of the scallop trawler was located on the seabed off the
Isle of Man last night, the families of her crew saw their last hopes
vanish.
Among the dead, all from the Whithorn area of Dumfries and Galloway,
are three men from the same family - including two brothers - and three
teenagers.
The tragedy has also devastated a young wife, widowed while pregnant
with her second child.
And two regular crewmen, who missed the doomed trip because of flu, are
mourning their lost friends.
The Kirkcudbright-based dredger sank as it battled through ferocious
storms 11 miles east of the Isle of Man on Tuesday night.
Rescuers believe the 70ft vessel may have toppled over after being
swamped by a massive wave as it struggled home to Scotland after
fishing for scallops in the Irish Sea.
Among those lost in the tragedy were skipper Craig Mills, 29, of
Tonderghie Road, Isle of Whithorn; his brother Robin, 33, of
Castlehill, Whithorn, and his cousin David, 18, also of Tonderghie
Road.
Also dead are auxilliary coastguard David Lyons, 17, of Glasserton
Street, Wesley Jolly, 17, of George Street, and John Murphy, 22, of
Isle Street, all Whithorn, and Martin Milligan, 26, of Forteviot
Gardens, Garlieston.
Robin Mills and David Mills had only joined the trip at the last minute
as replacements for the two crewmen who had flu.
Last night, coastguards scaled down their air and sea search as all
hopes of finding any survivors disappeared.
But talks are already under way about raising the boat.
On every corner around the dead men's villages, people huddled in
stunned silence yesterday. They tried to speak of the loss but their
grief was too great.
Fisherman Paul Turner, who worked on the boat until a year ago, choked
back tears as he said: "Craig's my best friend and Robin and the others
are good mates. I just can't talk about it just now."
Newton Stewart police sergeant Mike Kneeshaw said: "This is a
tight-knit community and they are devastated. There will be very few
families not affected by this."
Local minister Alexander Currie broke down in tears as he told of how
he faced heartbreaking visits to the families of all the victims.
He buried his face in his hands and had to be helped away by police.
Local councillor Alistair Geddes said: "The community is numb with
shock and grief."
He paid tribute to Craig Mills as "a superb skipper" and said the boat
was comparatively modern.
He added: "These men were the lifeblood and future of the community."
Jim Judge, head of Douglas Ewart High School, which all seven victims
had attended, said: "Four of the young men only recently left this
school. They were lively and fun and all four were enthusiastic about
their chosen career in fishing and looking forward to life.
"The school is proud to have known and cared for them."
Pupils at the school were being offered counselling from support staff
and Dumfries and Galloway Council said social workers were on standby
to help the communities through the tragedy.
Senior officials were due to go to the villages today to see what help
the council could offer.
In the Commons yesterday, Tony Blair led the nation's thoughts for the
families of the dead men. He said: "Our profound sympathy is with them
all."
Shadow Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead said: "This is the news we
all dread as fishermen head out to sea to make their living."This
tragedy brings home to us all the ultimate price our fishing
communities can pay to put fish on our tables.
"All fishing communities live in the shadow of potential tragedy but
that does not make things easier for the families who face losing their
loved ones."
Scottish Fisheries Minister John Home Robertson also expressed his
sympathy.
He said: "My thoughts are with the families of the crewmen at what is a
very distressing time.

**

Fate kept two pals ashore... and saved their lives

HeadLine: Fate kept two pals ashore... and saved their lives

Daily Record, 13/01/2000, p5
by SHAUN MILNE

TWO regular crewmen should have been on board but stayed at home.
Charlie Boyce and James Gorman were last night struggling to understand
why they were alive and their friends were dead.
Friends said Charlie was tortured by guilt because he wasn't with his
colleagues.
James, who lived in the same street as crewmate Martin Milligan, was
forced to pull out of the voyage because of illness.
A neighbour said: "He has been in hospital, he was so bad. God knows
how he must feel now."
James spent a tearful Tuesday night at Kirkcudbright harbour with
fellow fishermen, praying for good news. He returned at home last night
but could only say:
"I'm devastated."
Charlie, 26, lived yards away from Robin Mills in Whithorn. He had just
returned from holiday in America, and jetlag and a touch of the flu
kept him ashore - his friend Robin stepped in at the last minute.
He had been due to rejoin the crew in Kirkcudbright today. His rented
home was empty last night.
A close friend said: "Charlie thinks that if he had gone out on the
boat, maybe his friends may not have died. It's really cutting him up.
"He was sitting watching the news on TV last night when he heard about
it. God knows what was going through his mind - these boys are all like
his family.
"They are as close as you can get. They spend so much time together at
sea and at home, so you can imagine what this is doing to him.
Charlie's sister Melanie, then 16, was killed in a car crash a few
years ago.
The friend said: "I don't think his mother could have taken it if
Charlie had been on that boat. But it's another tragedy for him to cope
with."
The Solway Harvester was owned by local firm Jack Robinson Trawlers.
Managing Director Richard Gidney was told at 6pm that the ship was in
trouble.
A company statement said: "He immediately tried the vessel's mobile
phone, but there was no reply."

**

BRING HOME OUR SEVEN LOST BOYS

HeadLine: BRING HOME OUR SEVEN LOST BOYS

Daily Record, 14/01/2000, p4&5
by SHAUN MILNE & VIVIENNE AITKEN

THE grief-stricken families of those lost on the Solway Harvester can
now only pray that their bodies are recovered - so they can be brought
home and properly laid to rest.
No one knows yet if any, or all, of the seven victims are still on the
boat which is lying in 130ft of water at the bottom of the Irish Sea.
But Lettie Harkness, a relative of one of the dead men, said: "If the
bodies are there on the boat there is a hope of recovery. It is very
important that they are brought back to their families.
"The Government have plenty of money to do so - I only hope they have
the compassion in their hearts to finance it."
As she spoke, a specially-made candle with the number seven etched in
the centre was lit and prayers were said in the small Catholic church
of St Martin and St Ninian in Whithorn.
The church was opened to all denominations allow the community's
outpouring of grief to take on a spiritual dimension.
Alongside the grief was a desire to have the bodies brought home so the
people of Whithorn, Isle of Whithorn and Garlieston can say their final
farewells.
Miss Harkness, whose pregnant niece Karen Mills lost her husband Robin,
said: "I think it would help her to get him home."
She recalled that when the Sapphire went down, the Government refused
to pay for the boat to be brought up from the sea-bed and the victims'
families had to raise the money themselves. She said: "I hope the same
doesn't happen this time."
Newsagent Mike Vickers, who owns a shop in the centre of Whithorn,
said: "Everybody here knows someone who has been affected.
"There is a sense that we need to get the boys home. If it's not
possible, if they are not on the wreck then fine, you cannot magic them
out of fresh air.
"But the feeling coming across from my customers - people who have
known these boys all their lives - is that if it is technically
possible then it should be done."
A deep depression hung over Whithorn yesterday. Sobs could be heard
from outside the homes of the bereaved as relatives tried to comfort
each other.
The Rev Alex Currie, Church of Scotland minister for Whithorn and Isle
of Whithorn, spent Wednesday night comforting those who had lost loved
ones.
He said: "We are still stunned by the news. This is a tight-knit
community and the tragedy has left few in the area untouched."
Mr Currie said the reaction of the bereaved had been: "These things
happen elsewhere - they don't happen here."
He added: "We're talking about a community of teenage men, we are
talking about men with families, we're talking about men with their
lives ahead of them and these jobs were part and parcel of this
community's economy.
"This vessel was a large boat. These were men who knew the waters
around here and there are a number of questions that need to be
answered."
Asked to sum up the community's feelings in the aftermath of the
tragedy, he said: "How would you feel when you have lost sons, fathers,
cousins, partners, when a community such as ours has lost seven of its
young men?
"All of these boys were looking forward to significant events in their
lives and their families have been left to pick up the pieces."
At the scene of the tragedy, 11 miles off the Isle of Man, accident
investigators have already started their work.
They hope underwater cameras will reveal whether the bodies are still
on board - and perhaps give them a clue as to what went wrong.
But fishermen and marine experts remain baffled by the loss of the
21-metre scallop boat which was built in 1992, was well equipped, under
the command of an experienced skipper and capable of coping with the
worst weather in the Irish Sea.
Captain John Niblock, of Isle of Whithorn, who spent almost 40 years at
sea, said: "I can't understand what went wrong. The Solway Harvester is
a large well-found boat that could basically go anywhere in just about
any type of weather. Boats like that are built for the sort of weather
you get in the Irish Sea."
John King, of West Coast Sea Products in Kirkcudbright, who process the
local boats' catches, said: "Something must have happened very
suddenly. I don't think it could have been the weather. The vessel was
well equipped and able to withstand anything."
As the inquiry got under way, investigators interviewed the crew of the
Solway Harvester's sister ship, the Tobrach-N, which was one of the
first vessels on the scene after the alarm was raised and which berthed
in Kirkcudbright early yesterday.
The Isle of Man police are now in charge of what happens to the wreck,
having been ordered to investigate by the Manx Coroner of Inquiry
because the wreck is in waters which come under the island's
jurisdiction.
They will send two officials to Scotland to liaise with Dumfries and
Galloway Police and then visit each one of the seven grieving families.
One police source said "It won't be pleasant but they need to find out
the needs of the families if the bodies are found and weigh that up
against the practicalities."
It could be weeks before the underwater examination is carried out -
much will depend on the state of the sea.
A spokesman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said: "While
it is our intention to do this as soon as possible, the weather at this
time of the year can make such tasks difficult and it may be days or
even weeks before such an operation can be successfully achieved."
But he added: "The search for answers will be exhaustive because the
families and those in the wider fishing community deserve nothing
less."
He said the main aim of the survey would be to conduct a thorough
inspection of the wreck and to establish whether there was any visible
evidence to indicate why she sank.
Secondary aims would include examining the state of equipment on board,
including lifesaving apparatus, to see whether there was anything which
might have had a bearing on what happened.
The MAIB said they would also try to determine the sea and weather
conditions at the time of the accident, the reasons why the liferafts
did not inflate, and conduct a close examination of the design,
structure and operation of the vessel.
The deep feeling of loss yesterday brought back memories of the sinking
of the scallop-dredger Mhairi-L 15 years ago.
Five men died when it sank off the coast of the Isle of Man and John
King said: "Kirkcudbright has been through it before with the other
trawler. We had never expected another one.
"People cannot believe it has happened again."
Margaret McCormick, the sister of one of the victims of the Mhairi-L
disaster last night urged rescuers to do everything in their power to
recover the Solway Harvester's crew.
She said: "I hope and pray they find the bodies of the crew, because it
is awful if you never get them back. We never got my brother's body
back, and because of that, my mother died a broken-hearted woman. She
was never able to bury her son."

**

Babies hope for cancer victims

HeadLine: Babies hope for cancer victims

Daily Record, 26/01/2000, p2
by SHAUN MILNE

SCOTS women made infertile by cancer treatment are being given fresh
hope that they may be able to have children.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority lifted a ban on using
frozen eggs to conceive babies.
It granted the first UK licence for the treatment to the Assisted
Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre.
The London clinic is private but officials say cancer sufferers will
treated for free.
The normal cost is £1500, plus £250 for every year the eggs are stored,
up to the legal time limit of a decade.
A clinic spokeswoman said: "Because we are the only licensed clinic in
the UK, we will not turn anyone away.
"If a woman is referred to us by her oncologist from Scotland, it'll
make no difference. We will treat them ... if we are able to help
them."
The storing of frozen eggs is mainly intended for cancer patients
rendered infertile by radiotherapy, in the hope of having children in
the future.
Until now, medics could freeze and store human eggs but not use them
because there were concerns babies may suffer genetic damage.
The clinic's director, Moh-amed Taranissi, and cancer survivor Carolyn
Neill, 34, from Belfast, had been preparing to take the HFEA to court
to get the ban lifted.
HFEA chairwoman Ruth Deech welcomed the new medical evidence that made
it possible to lift the ban.
But she warned: "Women should be fully informed that this is a new
technique with a low success rate."

**

Dairies giants facing probe

HeadLine: Dairies giants facing probe

Daily Record, 29/01/2000, p15
by SHAUN MILNE

DAIRY kings Robert Wiseman face a probe in an increasingly bitter milk
war.
The firm look set to be investigated by the Competition Commission over
claims they have been using their dominant Scottish position - where
they supply 85 per cent of the milk market - to squeeze out rivals.
Central to the inquiry will be the East Kilbride-based company's large
uptake of supermarket business from the likes of Tesco which has
effectively seen off competition.
But the main reason for the probe appears to have been provoked by
fears from English rivals over Wiseman's continued expansion down
south.
The firm opened a plant in Manchester six years ago.
But in the next few months, they plan to open a new £30million
high-tech plant at Droitwich, near Birmingham, employing 300 to push
into the Midlands and Wales.
And they have made no secret over London being the next target of
expansion.

**

TV vet in real-life practice with new co-star

HeadLine: TV vet in real-life practice with new co-star

Daily Record, 29/01/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

TELEVISION vet Trude Mostue is to set up her own real-life practice
with co-star Maria Lowe.
Stunning Trude, 31, will set up the business - called Viking Vets -
with fellow Norwegian vet Maria in the summer.
Trude shot to fame three years ago when BBC documentary Vets School
featured her struggle to qualify as a vet.
She won the nation's heart and now stars in spin-offs, Vets in the Wild
and Vets to the Rescue.
The fully-fledged professional used to divide her time between filming,
a safari park and a practice in Warminster, Wiltshire.
But now she wants to run her own show in Bristol with best friend Maria.
And, announcing her love for hunky Danish model Brian Poulsen after a
string of failed romances, Trude's turbulent life seems complete.
Maria, 34, met Trude at Bristol University's vet school.
But she missed an early shot at fame by qualifying two years before the
BBC began their Vets School series.
Now supermum Maria, who is expecting a second child with farm manager
husband Andrew, is juggling filming, working, childcare and hunting for
new premises.
Yesterday, she said: "I really think this is a terrific opportunity -
maybe I need a brain scan or something."
Viewers of Vet's In Practice - voted the UK's most popular documentary
at the 1999 TV Awards - will share in Trude and Maria's search for
premises.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "This series shows Trude and Maria tackle some
of the most challenging operations of their lives."
The new series starts on February 2.

**

Cardinal slammed as girl, 12, has a baby

HeadLine: Cardinal slammed as girl, 12, has a baby

Daily Record, 31/01/2000, p11
by SHAUN MILNE

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl paid by the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland not to
have an abortion has had her baby.
And last night a pro-choice group slammed Cardinal Thomas Winning after
a spokesman admitted the Church was "delighted" by the birth.
A Church spokesman said last night: "We're delighted the child has been
born and we're very happy that both mother and child are well.
"The people in charge of the Pro-Life initiative will be in touch with
them and if they need any help we will try to give it in any way we
can."
No detail of the birth was released by social workers in Devon where
the girl lives.
The local authority took out a High Court injunction last year banning
reporting of details which could lead to her identification.
The secrecy is meant to protect the young mother who has a mental age
of six.
The case caused controversy when it first emerged the Catholic Church's
Pro-Life Initiative was offering her family financial help.
In less than three years since the initiative was launched, more than
180 babies have been born.
Roseann Reddy, co-ordinator of the initiative, said: "None of the women
who have chosen to have their children have regretted the decision."
But Sarah Colborne, chair of the National Abortion Campaign, attacked
the Church's scheme.
She said: "We feel it was damaging to the young woman that she had been
dragged through the media.
"She was used as a tool to get publicity for Cardinal Winning's scheme
rather than looking at what she needed herself."

**

£1m NURSERY NEXT DOOR

Daily Record, 31/01/2000, p16&17
by SHAUN MILNE

PREGNANT Catherine Zeta Jones and fiance Michael Douglas have moved
into a hotel while his bachelor pad is turned into a nursery.
The super-rich movie star has bought the apartment next door to his
current Los Angeles flat for £1million and plans to knock the two into
one giant home.
While the renovation work is being carried out, Catherine and Michael
have moved in to a £2000-a-night bungalow at a luxury hotel.
And having a team of hotel staff on hand while she learns to cope with
pregnancy is allowing her to contemplate another major conversion.
She is considering converting to Judaism before the wedding and has
already talked to a rabbi about making the switch, according to
friends.
The Welsh actress is said to be absolutely fascinated by the faith
practised by Michael and his father, Hollywood veteran Kirk.
Kirk, 83, recently invited Catherine, 30, to attend his second
barmitzvah, the traditional Jewish coming of age ceremony, as guest of
honour with Michael, 55.
He opted for a second ceremony after surviving a helicopter crash in
1991 in which two people died, reinforcing his then diluted faith.
One friend said: "Catherine is serious about converting to the Jewish
faith because she knows how much it would mean to Michael if she did."
Other high-profile converts to Judaism include actress Elizabeth
Taylor, actor Sammy Davis Jnr and Marilyn Monroe.
Actress Kate Capshaw converted so she could marry Hollywood film
producer Steven Spielberg in 1991.
Catherine and Michael have already agreed in principle to raise their
child in the Jewish faith.
As a mother she would play a pivotal role under Jewish traditions of
raising her child to honour the faith deeply.
Her parents are expected to move to Los Angeles to help her through the
latter stages of pregnancy regardless of what she decides.
The wedding is not expected to take place until after the summer birth,
allowing them time to make preparations for the baby's arrival. The LA
home in Pacific Palisades which Catherine bought for pounds 1million
only last year was not "suitable" for Michael, a friend said.
His agent Alan Burry confirmed the couple are extending Michael's old
home in the exclusive Century City complex.
He said: "His original apartment was a small pied-a-terre for when he
was in LA which was not very often."
Michael also has homes in Santa Barbara, Chile, Majorca, Aspen and a
penthouse apartment overlooking New York's Central Park.
His Los Angeles pad, was by contrast, small and simple and he used it
only during filming and business meetings when needed.
Many other celebrities keep homes in the Century City complex for the
privacy and security.
Michael Jackson kept a home there for seven years and referred to it as
his "hideaway".
Armed guards patrol the grounds and guard the gates 24 hours a day.
One former resident said: "If you are scared of stalkers or want
privacy, then this is the place. You never even see your neighbours."
The glitzy couple announced they were expecting a baby on Friday,
having become engaged on New Year's Eve, with plans to marry later this
year.
Those plans could be put on ice as converting to Judaism involves a
lengthy process before being accepted into the faith.
Catherine would have to study under a rabbi to gain knowledge of the
religion's history and practices.
As well as adopting a Jewish lifestyle, she would have to write five
essays and appear at a rabbinical court to be tested.

**

RICH AND POOR GAP IS WIDE AS EVER

HeadLine: RICH AND POOR GAP IS WIDE AS EVER

Daily Record, 05/02/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

THE GAP between rich and poor in Scotland remains as wide as ever, an
official report revealed yesterday.
If you are wealthy, you can enjoy the prospect of a good education,
transport and health, while the rest are left to struggle on.
Those are the conclusions drawn from Scotland's biggest ever survey of
households carried out for the Scottish Executive.
The Scottish Household Survey Bulletin shows over a third of Scots have
no access to a car, with 73 per cent of that figure coming from poorer
council-home areas.
By contrast, only one in 10 from high-income areas ever need to rely on
public transport.
The results from more than 6500 people also show health, education and
the use of technology are all affected in the same way.
Those who earn more are in better heath, more likely to have a degree
and access to the Internet, compared to poorer people.
Last night Scottish Socialist Party MSP Tommy Sheridan called on the
Government to tackle the problem at grass roots level.
He said: "It's the same old story, the haves are getting more and the
have-nots are getting less. Without fundamental re-distribution of
wealth, we will never improve the quality and standard of life of the
ordinary worker."
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown last year promised they would do their
utmost to ensure families had access to computers.
But the survey showed families in poorer areas, where people earn less
than pounds 10,000 a year, are very unlikely to be part of the
cyber-age. A massive 82 per cent of homes in this bracket said they had
no access to a computer at home and just four per cent said they were
able to use the Internet.
Wendy Alexander, the Communities Minister who unveiled the survey,
said: "These figures make it clear there is a digital divide to fight.
Increasingly what we earn will be based on what we learn. We need to
make sure that those opportunities are open to all."
The survey also showed 28 per cent of council house residents said they
suffered from bad health compared to just nine per cent when looking at
those in more affluent areas.
Council house tenants are also four times more likely to suffer from
money worries than their counterparts. Only six per cent of high
earnings admit to problems.

**

PLUCKED TO SAFETY

HeadLine: PLUCKED TO SAFETY

Daily Record, 07/02/2000, p9
by SHAUN MILNE

A SCOTS fisherman was just 10 minutes from death after his trawler sank
in the North Sea, plunging him and four crew mates into the icy depths.
Mike Simpson spent 20 minutes battling freezing temperatures in a force
five storm when the Peterhead-registered trawler Angela foundered.
He was rescued just in time by the crew of a nearby oil platform
support vessel which raced across four-and-a- half-miles of sea to
reach him.
Rescuers said he was "extremely lucky" to be found in time as most
people will only survive for 30 minutes in such conditions.
Skipper Mark Addison and the other three crew managed to get to a
lifeboat in time. All five were then airlifted ashore by a Sea King
helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth.
Still wearing the survival suit which prolonged his ability to stay
conscious, Mike was able to walk into hospital where he was treated for
hypothermia and shock.
Last night the Angela's co-owner Peter Strachan said there was great
relief that the men had survived the sinking of the 19-year-old boat.
He said: "It's a real shock, we just don't know what happened. But the
main thing is that the crew is safe and Mike appears to be OK. Boats
can be replaced but people can't."
The five fishermen were rescued after the 17-metre steel-hulled vessel
went down after taking on water in the wheelhouse 72 miles north-east
of Aberdeen.
Despite being desperate to get off the sinking vessel, one heroic
crewman stayed on aboard to transmit their position to Coastguards.
A spokeswoman said: "The boat was sinking around him but we managed to
get him to stay long enough to send their location.
"That's how we managed to get someone there so quickly, it was vital
information."
Mike was eventually plucked from the sea by a fast rescue craft from
stand-by vessel Scott Guardian from the nearby Scott platform.
* The bodies of the seven Solway Harvester victims will be flown home
from the Isle of Man today for burial.
Skipper Andrew Craig Mills, 29, his brother Robin, 33, their cousin
David, 17, Martin Milligan, 26, John Murphy, 22, David Lyons, 18, and
Wesley Jolly, 17, all died when the boat sank off the island last
month.

**

William in row with Charles over 18th birthday

HeadLine: William in row with Charles over 18th birthday

Daily Record, 07/02/2000, p22
by SHAUN MILNE

PRINCE WILLIAM is locked in a bitter row with his father over his 18th
birthday party.
The youngster wants to take over a London night-club for a huge bash
with his favourite society pals, away from officialdom.
Prince Charles has demanded his eldest son fall into line with his
wishes for a more conventional event.
But it resulted in a stand-up row between the two royals in front of
shocked aides.
It is understood Charles told the unhappy teenager to use the recently
refurbished Orchard Room in their Gloucestershire home.
And he made it clear to William that he needs to ensure older members
of the royal household are included.
The move is also seen as a ploy by Charles to vet his son's circle of
friends.
It's believed Charles and other members of the family fear William
could be exposed to a lifestyle of recreational drugs.
Several of his close friends, mostly a few years older than the young
prince, have already admitted to abusing illegal substances, including
heroin and cannabis.
Charles will not tolerate the prospect of William, who is second in
line to the throne, becoming embroiled in a drugs scandal.
A source said: "Wills is at a very vulnerable age and, naturally,
Charles doesn't want him spending too much of his time in places where
drugs may be available.
"In this case, he thinks it would be more fitting to have the party in
the countryside where elder members of the family will also feel
welcome.
"It is causing some deal of friction because both think they are in the
right.
"William is very independent and in control of his own social diary,
which can cause a number of problems."
Only last May, Camilla Parker Bowles' son, Tom, admitted taking cocaine.
He is one of William's most trusted friends and Charles' godson.
Another of his godsons, Lord Frederick Windsor, was seen taking cocaine
at a party last September.
William's birthday is on June 21 and he views it as the point when he
will start taking charge of his life.

**

BRECHIN JUST GOT EVEN MORE BORING

HeadLine: BRECHIN JUST GOT EVEN MORE BORING

Daily Record, 08/02/2000, p17
by SHAUN MILNE

THE town dubbed the most boring in Britain by an Internet tour guide
has become an even bigger yawn.
Brechin's social heart, Flicks Nightclub, has been banned from playing
music after watchdogs found it had been operating illegally for a year.
Phonograph Performance Ltd discovered nightclub bosses had failed to
pay for their music licence and won an order to stop the venue playing
records.
Phonograph, which casts a watchful eye over the UK on behalf of artists
and recording companies to ensure they are paid royalties, was granted
an order at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday.
The court also ordered Flicks to pay £1975, which represents the bulk
of the licence for a year.
The ruling means that unless the club's management make the outstanding
payments, weekend revellers will be left kicking their heels.
The court was told Flicks had paid part of the licence fee but had been
playing records two nights a week since last March without a licence.
Suzanne Bye, licensing manager for Phonograph, said: "We could refuse
them a licence in future."
Flicks became a disco phenomenon in the 1980s as a pioneering venue on
the east coast which attracted clubbers from Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Aberdeen.
Last week The Knowhere Guide to Britain website branded the town
"boring".
The website, from London-based media company State 51, said: "The
majority of people in Brechin have no social life at all.
"They go out in their own wee groups divided into the stuck-up snob
bitches too cool to speak to anyone else and thick college dropouts who
fight because that is all their pea-brains are capable of."
Ironically one of the few places praised was Flicks.
Last night, Marc Sivewright, of Flicks, blamed the legal action against
the club on a bank error.
He claimed the problem was in the process of being "sorted out" and
said it should be business as usual this weekend.

**

Honest men get dressing down

HeadLine: Honest men get dressing down

Daily Record, 10/02/2000, p30
by SHAUN MILNE

TWO of the Honest Men of Scottish football face legal action after
failing to return fancy dress costumes they hired at Christmas.
Ayr United captain Dave Rogers and goalkeeper Jens Martin Knudsen have
been warned a civil action will be taken out against them unless they
hand back the 70s outfits.
Joy Blane, who runs the Fun and Disguises shop in Crown Street, Ayr,
said she was sick of trying to get them back.
Now her solicitor has written to the players via Ayr United, whose
nickname is the Honest Men, demanding action or compensation of £300.
The costumes from the 1970s were used at the town's Gaiety theatre when
Joy's family ran the wardrobe department.
Joy said: "There's no way that the stock can be properly replaced.
Seventies parties are very popular, so these flares, checked suits and
leopard skin shirts are ideal."
She added that other players at the First Division club had also hired
outfits for a trip to Edinburgh by the team but they had all be
returned.
Rogers said: "We put them in black bin liners and some of the YTS guys
must have thought they were rubbish.
"If Mrs Blane sends me a bill, we will pay."
Her solicitor, Forbes Watson, said: "I should stress this case does not
involve nor does it reflect in any way on Ayr United Football Club who
have been extremely helpful and co-operative."

**

Forgery doc's research ban

HeadLine: Forgery doc's research ban

Daily Record, 11/02/2000, p10
by SHAUN MILNE

A DOCTOR was yesterday banned from carrying out research after he was
caught forging letters to land a lucrative drugs trial contract.
Henry Elliott admitted tampering with letters to give the impression he
had been given approval from West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS
Trusts for the trials to start.
The profession's ruling body, the General Medical Council, banned
Elliott from carrying out any unsupervised research for a year.
The trust had already imposed a 12-month ban on him doing any research
after his deception was uncovered by staff two years ago.
Dr Elliott, known internationally for his work, submitted two forged
letters to drugs company Sanofi Winthrop on October 9, 1997, and
January 8, 1998.
The firm had wanted him to carry out trials for heart disease drugs
with tests on volunteers. But first, he had to get approval from
management.
In correspondence that consisted of the top half of one letter and the
bottom half of another, Elliott, of Devonshire Terrace, Kelvinside,
said permission had been given.
The following year, he sent a further letter supposedly signed by the
secretary of the trust's ethics committee.
Elliott's barrister, John Grace QC, admitted his client was guilty of
serious misconduct.

**

THE BOY THEY LEFT TO DIE

HeadLine: THE BOY THEY LEFT TO DIE

Daily Record, 19/02/2000, p4&5
by SHAUN MILNE

IN SIX short, tragic years, little Derek Stanton suffered more than any
child should ever have to suffer.
At nursery, he told his teacher he saw his father hit his alcoholic mum
with a hoover.
By the time he was school age, Derek had witnessed his dad, Derek
Stanton snr, beat and sexually abuse his mother.
His older step-brother, Ross, was also battered by Stanton who flew
into violent rages.
There were even hints that the boys may have been sexually abused. But
still their case was not high enough up the social work scale of
priorities as an emergency case.
When the family's social worker left the department, the case was put
on a list for a replacement worker.
It was only when suicidal mum Campbell was released from Gartnavel
psychiatric hospital after three weeks there last September, that the
social work department finally decided to appoint a worker to her case.
But because of staff shortages, there was no one available.
Four weeks after Campbell was released from Gartnavel, she threw her
son from the balcony of their 14th-floor flat.
Yesterday, as Campbell was sent to Carstairs, it emerged that her son's
case seemed to disappear after the social worker dealing with the
family left the department.
Documents obtained by the Record give a disturbing insight into how it
was handled.
One social work insider, appalled at the tragedy, said: "This case was
allocated to a social worker who subsequently left.
"When the initial referral was taken, it was highlighted as a high
priority because of the risk of long term damage or problems.
"If that was the case, why was the family not re-allocated immediately
when their own social worker left.
"Alarm bells should have been ringing."
The insider added: "We've been worried about the short staffing
situation for more than three years. There's no preventative work
getting done. We're two people down at the moment, even when we're up
to strength we are overstretched."
Documents reveal that the social work department had been involved with
the family on a voluntary basis for more than a year.
Campbell was referred by a health visitor after her older son Ross had
been exhibiting sexually active behaviour.
Social workers discovered that Derek had witnessed his mother being
beaten by his father, and that Ross was also being beaten.
Margaret Brown was allocated the case on October 1998, and in the weeks
that followed the family seemed to progress.
But Campbell's behaviour changed from one week to another, and that
December she was taken into Woodilee Hospital after threatening and
attempting suicide. She was released after three days.
The social worker was aware Campbell had a drink problem and a less
serious drugs problem. But with help, she went to Alcoholics Anonymous
and even went to college to pursue a fitness instructor course.
Her parents often looked after the children. Although Campbell's mother
also had a drink problem, it was considered they could "adequately care
for the boys."
When Margaret Brown left in August 1999, she recommended the support
for the family should continue.
But the family's case was not considered an urgent priority for
allocation by the social work management.
Yet the same month, Campbell contacted a drug centre and admitted a
major problem with amphetamines.
She was immediately admitted to Gartnavel where she stayed for three
weeks.
The drugs centre backed her when she visited the social work department
on her release.
This was when the system broke down dramatically.
Just released from hospital, Campbell was looking for help with a new
house.
The report into her case states: "Other areas were highlighted where
she would benefit from support from a social worker and a meeting was
arranged.
"It was agreed a social worker would be allocated to the case as soon
as possible."
But later the report says that no social worker was given the case.
It states: "Unfortunately no social worker was allocated to the case.
"Currently our children and families team have two social worker
vacancies and only the highest priority cases are allocated."
A social work insider told the Record: "The referral from the health
visitor that led to social work involvement gave very specific concerns
regarding this family.
"Why was a referral not made at that point to the reporter to the
children's hearing? There was a suggestion of sexual abuse, so why was
it not prioritised much higher than it was?
"Even the way this whole thing has been handled since that wee boy died
has been extremely sloppy.
"The district manager didn't even come down to the area team until the
end of the week. We had been sitting waiting on something like this
happening."
Campbell already had Ross when she met and married Derek Stanton.
But it was an explosive relationship with brawls fuelled by drink. He
beat her constantly after the birth of little Derek.
From when he was a toddler, Derek witnessed ugly scenes in the house as
his father flew into drunken rages and his mother developed a drink
problem.
When the couple finally separated, Campbell went with her health
visitor for help from the social work department.
Torn between the two parents, little Derek still saw his father, but
his older step-brother Ross hated Stanton and complained that his
step-father often beat him and shouted at him.
The suspicions of sexual abuse arose after Ross displayed
sexually-provocative behaviour towards a young cousin.
Both Derek and Ross underwent therapy sessions with social workers
where they spoke of violent experiences with their father.

**

TAM THE HATCHET MAN

HeadLine: TAM THE HATCHET MAN

Daily Record, 22/02/2000, p23
by SHAUN MILNE

SCOTS actor Iain McColl chased a sheriff's officer with an axe when he
tried to serve a warrant on him.
McColl - who played gormless Big Tam in the hit BBC sitcom City Lights
- attacked legal official Paul Miller at his home in Glasgow's trendy
West End.
Mr Miller had gone to the 46-year-old's flat in Hyndland Street to
serve a court warrant, allowing him to poind goods for sale to settle
an outstanding debt.
The warrant was issued in April 1998 at a small claims court to recover
pounds 173 he owed to driving instructor John McCluskey for a two- week
learner course.
McColl, who spent a night in the cells after being arrested for the
hatchet incident, appeared on indictment at Glasgow Sheriff Court last
Friday.
He pleaded guilty to threatening Mr Miller with the weapon last March
and preventing him from enforcing the court warrant.
But Sheriff Pamela Bowman deferred sentence on McColl for six months
ordering him to be of good behaviour after hearing he was under strain
at the time.
However it is not the first time that McColl, who also starred in Rab C
Nesbitt as the dour rogue Dodie, has fallen foul of the law in real
life.
Two years ago he was convicted for drink-driving when he was stopped by
police following a cat fight between his wife Nora and a female friend.
The troubled actor drove a car following the row while over the limit,
resulting in a year's driving ban and a £150 fine imposed at Glasgow
Sheriff Court.
He failed a breath test after police spotted him drive past a 'No
Entry' sign.
He was also fined £275 and banned from driving for six months in 1995
for driving while disqualified and without insurance. He was further
fined £50 for possessing cannabis.
McColl ended up in the dock again for smashing a neighbour's window
resulting in a warrant for his arrest when he failed to show in court
in May 1997.
He had thrown a bottle through the window of disabled neighbour James
Hanlon and challenged the 70-year-old to fight him.
The Record revealed how prison chiefs put him on 24-hour suicide watch
at Barlinnie Jail because he was so agitated in custody.
But part time Justice of the Peace James Cannell later sparked fury
when he cleared the court of Press and public to spare McColl's
blushes.
McColl also had to pay more than pounds 1200 for dole fraud in 1992 and
was evicted from a flat owing almost £2000 in rent.
And in 1985 he was jailed for 30 days for drink driving.

**

Attack on bank machine charges backed

HeadLine: Attack on bank machine charges backed

Daily Record, 24/02/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

CONSUMER watchdogs have backed a report condemning banks who charge
customers for using cash machines.
A report prepared for the Treasury by Don Cruikshank, chairman of the
Banking Review Team, is highly critical of the controversial charges.
He condemns them for allowing an "extremely high" mark-up in the cost
of automated transactions.
In a BBC Watchdog programme to be shown tonight, the leaked report
claims there is "an overwhelming" case for change.
The Scottish Consumers' Council last night urged those banks imposing
charges to scrap them immediately. And they praised Scots banks for not
imposing them.
A spokeswoman said: "So far, the Scottish banks have not gone down this
road and that has to be applauded.
"But many of the banks that do charge have customers in Scotland and it
is just not on that they are paying these charges.
"If Scottish banks decided to follow suit, then we would expect the
Scottish Parliament to take the issue up as it goes against every
social inclusion policy.
"In particular, these charges hit low-income groups."
The cost to a bank for each "hole in the wall" withdrawal is just 29p.
But Barclays have proposed that non-customers pay a pounds 1 surcharge
for using the bank's machines.
And some institutions impose a penalty charge of pounds 1.50 on their
customers using other banks' machines.
That means if non-Barclays customers use one of their machines, they
could pay pounds 2.50 for the privilege.
Eddy Weatherill, chief executive of the Independent Banking Advisory
Service, said: "This report highlights the appalling scale of the
mark-up. It is scandalous."

**

JO WINS RIGHT FOR BOYS TO WEAR SKIRTS INTO SCHOOL

HeadLine: JO WINS RIGHT FOR BOYS TO WEAR SKIRTS INTO SCHOOL

Daily Record, 24/02/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

A SCOTS mother has won the right for her daughter to wear trousers to
school.
And the outcome of the legal battle means schoolboys there can now wear
skirts - if they want to.
University professor Claire Hale took daughter Jo's school - Whickham
comprehensive in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear - to court after staff banned
her from wearing trousers in class.
Yesterday, she won an out of court settlement in a landmark case backed
by the Equal Opportunities Commission - who said they would help anyone
tacklesimilar dress issues in future.
Last night, Professor Hale, originally from Irvine, Ayrshire, said:
"We're delighted.
"It means that on any day a child can decide what they want to wear to
school without discrimination.
"We don't know what the future holds, who knows if a boy will want to
wear skirts - and why not?
"You have David Beckham wearing a sarong and all those posh boarding
schools in Scotland where they wear kilts."
Thrilled Jo, 14, added: "I am delighted. Now I will be glad to put this
behind me.
"After all, if you're in class and doing your work then what does it
matter if you're wearing trousers?"
Last night, the school insisted that they only backed down over costs.
Peter Maughan, chairman of the school governors, said: "We were
prepared to foot a bill of between £1000 and £3000 if we lost.
"But the EOC decided to hire the most expensive lawyers in the land and
forced the costs up.
"If we had lost we were looking at a bill of up to pounds 50,000. We
have 1700 children to educate and we couldn't take that risk. We have
been forced into this by chequebook litigation."
An EOC spokeswoman said: "We are really pleased by the result and would
be happy to assist any other parties to negotiate uniform dress codes."
Under the Sex Discrimination Act different dress codes for males and
females are allowed - but it is illegal if the dress code of one sex
disadvantages the other.
Ann Hill, of the Scottish School Boards Association, said: "If boys
wanted to wear skirts at school they would just look stupid. You have
to get a balance between what is practical and what is common sense."

**

SCOTS WORKERS' STRESS EPIDEMIC

HeadLine: SCOTS WORKERS' STRESS EPIDEMIC

Daily Record, 24/02/2000, p29
by SHAUN MILNE

BOSSES in Scotland are Britain's biggest bullies, according to new
research.
Workplace stress is at epidemic levels north of the border, with 54 per
cent of all Scots surveyed saying they suffer from it.
That compares to 37 per cent in the UK as a whole.
Managers who make their staff's lives miserable complain that they are
stressed out in turn by their own demanding superiors.
Experts blame long hours, job cuts and new technology for the rise of
bullying and stress. Psychologist David Lewis said: "Many organisations
have a long-hours culture, with less job security and more overload.
"This comes from increasing business demands coupled with fewer staff,
and also from technological overloads like e-mail and mobile phones."
Sixty-four per cent of Scots said overwork was the main cause of their
stress.
A third said they were stressed out by their colleagues' behaviour, and
28 per cent blamed problems with those working under them.
The survey also revealed 30 per cent of Scots live in fear of
redundancy. That's four per cent higher than the UK average.
Thirty-two per cent of workers here said they would like stress
counselling.
But the favourite ways of coping were drinking after work, shopping,
exercise and talking to family and friends.
Three-quarters of managers surveyed said stress affected their
performance, health and home lives. They blamed strict deadlines,
constant interruptions, lack of support, incompetent superiors and poor
internal communication.
Fifty-five per cent said their sex drive had suffered. But in today's
macho culture, few admitted they could not cope with the same stress
they inflict on staff.
Bosses' body the CBI estimates stress cost Britain pounds 12billion
last year.
One Glasgow business leader claimed stress figures here are only higher
because Scots are quicker to complain.
Douglas Millar, deputy chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce,
said: "The difference may be due to the fact that Scots are more ready
to express their feelings.
"It is easy for workers to blame their bosses. But on occasions, stress
is self-inflicted by employees trying to cram too much into their
already-busy lives."
He added: "I don't think stress is a bigger problem in Scotland than
the rest of the UK. But it is a problem, and one which employers must
tackle."
The Scots figures come from a Quality at Work survey for catering and
business support company Sodexho. Bosses across the UK were surveyed by
the Institute of Management.

**

ARMY PATHFINDERS GET IT FERRY WRONG

HeadLine: ARMY PATHFINDERS GET IT FERRY WRONG

Daily Record, 26/02/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

A GROUP of highly-trained troops were geared up to teach Army cadets
pathfinding - but got lost on the way.
While the cadets waited in Benbecula in the Western Isles, the experts
- recruitment motto, Be The Best - landed on the wrong island.
And now they face a torrent of mickey- taking from their mates.
Last night, an Army insider said: "They were supposed to be teaching
the cadets how to orienteer, yet they couldn't even make it there using
public transport."
The four-man squad from 21 Cadet Training Team made it from their
central Scotland base to Ullapool. But then the full-time soldiers
boarded a ferry to Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, instead of the boat for
neighbouring Uist and the cadets.
It meant they were left stranded in Stornoway for the night.
The insider added: "They were there to adjudicate an orienteering
competition and offer advice to the youngsters, instead they had the
mickey ripped out of them.
"They've been trying to keep it under wraps but they've had it now."
An Army spokeswoman confirmed the group had boarded the wrong ferry but
added: "They made it in time and it did not spoil anything for the
cadets. It happens to the best of us."

**

UP OUT OF THE ASHES

HeadLine: UP OUT OF THE ASHES

Daily Record, 26/02/2000, p30
by SHAUN MILNE

HIS stomach churning, a young soldier picks up a severed hand - a
grisly clue to a mystery that happened before he was born.
The crumbling hand is among dozens of mummified body parts unearthed in
the icy slopes of a volcano in Argentina.
It may be the stuff of horror movies, but the real hope is that this
Andes expedition will solve one of the world's longest-running aviation
mysteries.
On August 2, 1947, a converted World War II bomber run by British South
American Airways disappeared on its way to Santiago, Chile.
Three Britons were among the six passengers and five crew on board.
Their last recorded message has puzzled aviation investigators for
years.
Radio operators in Chile received a Morse code signal reading "Stendec"
- an acronym experts say has no meaning.
Air and ski search teams from England, Chile and Argentina found
nothing in the months after the crash and theories have abounded ever
since.
Some said it had been sabotaged to kill a British diplomatic messenger
reportedly on board.
But severe weather is more widely believed to have been the cause. The
crash site, 16,500ft up the volcano, was discovered in January by two
climbers.
A 17-strong military team have collected human torsos, bones, clothing
and other remains, including those of a woman, and stored them in
fridges.
Last night Colonel Hamon Massey, the defence attache at the British
Embassy in Buenos Aires, said: "It's a thankless task in severe
conditions."
Yesterday, the remains were transported by army ambulance to a morgue
in the western city of Mendoza for DNA analysis.
Experts hope to identify the victims in their desperate search for
answers.
Shredded wings and fuselage, frayed cables, pieces of the plane's
Rolls-Royce engine, and even part of a seat with a parachute attached
have been found.

**

History of horrors - America's catalogue of gun slaughter at

HeadLine: History of horrors - America's catalogue of gun slaughter at
school

Daily Record, 01/03/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

IN 1979, Brenda Spencer, 16, became infamous when she gunned down 11
people, killing two. She told police, "I don't like Mondays" -
inspiring the Boomtown Rats song.
Since then, there have been countless shootings, including:

DECEMBER 6, 1999 - A 13-year-old fired at least 15 rounds at Fort
Gibson Middle School in Oklahoma, wounding four classmates. Asked why
he did it, he said "I don't know."

NOVEMBER 19, 1999 - A 13-year-old girl was shot in the head in a school
at Deming, New Mexico. A 12-year-old boy is set for trial in May.

MAY 20, 1999 - A 15-year-old boy opened fire at Heritage High School in
Conyers, Georgia, with a .357-caliber handgun and a rifle, wounding
six. He was charged with aggravated assault and other felonies.

APRIL 20, 1999 - Two students at Columbine High School in Littleton,
Colorado, killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.

MAY 21, 1998 -Two teenagers were killed and more than 20 people hurt
when a boy opened fire at a high school in Springfield, Oregon, after
killing his parents. Kip Kinkel, 17, was sentenced to nearly 112
years.

MAY 19, 1998 - Three days before his graduation, an 18-year-old student
opened fire at a school in Fayetteville, Tennessee, killing a classmate
who was dating his ex-girlfriend. Jacob Davis was sentenced to life in
prison.

MARCH 24, 1998 - Four girls and a teacher were killed and 10 people
wounded at a middle school in Jones-boro, Arkansas, when two boys, 11
and 13, fired from nearby woods. Both were convicted of murder.

DECEMBER 1, 1997 - Three students were killed at Heath High School in
West Paducah, Kentucky. A 14-year-old student pleaded guilty to murder
and is serving life in prison.

OCTOBER 1, 1997 - A 16-year-old boy in Pearl, Mississippi, was given
life for killing his mother and shooting nine students, two fatally.

FEBRUARY 19, 1997 - A 16-year-old boy took a shotgun and a bag of
shells to school in Bethel, Alaska, and killed the principal and a
student. Evan Ramsey is serving 210 years.

**

Mental patient stalks Paula

HeadLine: Mental patient stalks Paula

Daily Record, 02/03/2000, p7
by SHAUN MILNE

FORMER Big Breakfast presenter Paula Yates had to fight off a stalker
who broke into her home early yesterday.
The man, on the run from a mental ward, threatened to tie-up terrified
Paula who found him in the kitchen of her home in Notting Hill, London.
She managed to push the intruder outside, but he kept banging on the
door and shouting, scaring her four children who witnessed the drama.
The 28-year-old man, who absconded from a psychiatric unit in Bath,
Somerset, was later arrested by police across the road from her house.
A police spokesman said: "He was found outside the premises and
arrested to prevent a breach of the peace."
Police were called to the house at around 1.20pm and discovered the man
had been reported missing earlier that day from the Bath area of
Somerset.
Checks were carried out on his background and he was eventually
released, but only after agreeing to be bound by an agreement to be of
good behaviour.
It is understood the man is obsessed with the presenter and told police
he was on a "mission" to find her.
Last night, a friend of the shaken star, who took an overdose last
year, said: "Paula was terrified.
"The man just walked in the back door of her house and started shouting
and threatening her. He said he was going to tie her up and do all
sorts of things to her.
"This is just the last thing she needs."
Paula, suffered a break-down following the death of her rock star lover
Michael Hutchence in 1997. She was previously married to Live Aid
organiser Sir Bob Geldof.

**

CARNAGE: RUSSIANS SLAUGHTER BABY SEALS IN THE SNOW

HeadLine: CARNAGE: RUSSIANS SLAUGHTER BABY SEALS IN THE SNOW

Daily Record, 10/03/2000, p34
by STEVE MARTIN & SHAUN MILNE

TURNING the white landscape crimson red, a river of blood runs across
the frozen snow of the Arctic.
Beaten to death in the most brutal manner possible, hundreds of seal
cubs lie dead on the ground.
The slaughter fuels the fur trade in Russia and the Far East - still
booming despite the revulsion of the rest of the world.
It is a picture seen every year in the annual week-long seal cull near
the Russian city of Archangel.
And while the image might be familiar, its gruesome detail retains a
numbing ability to shock.
Amid the devastation, locals wander relaxed as though on a stroll in
the sun.
Skinned while lying on the ice, the seal bodies are loaded into
helicopters to be taken for meat processing.
Villagers in Nizhnaya Zolatitsa, 100 miles from Archangel, make $100
each from the annual cull. It is one of their few sources of income for
the year.
But for the fur traders who make millions from their tainted goods, the
money is a drop in the ocean.
Nick Jenkins, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said:
"Tragically, we see these pictures every year.
"These are young seals just a few weeks old which are clubbed to death
in the most horrifying way possible. It is barbaric and has no place in
a modern, civilised world.
"The people doing the culling make little money out of it, which makes
it all the more senseless."
During the 1980s, world opinion turned against seal hunting.
But campaigners now fear the battle is being lost because of demand for
fur in Russia and the Far East.
Jenkins added: "The grim reality is that in some parts of the world,
the fur trade is booming. If there was no demand, then there would be
no seal culling."
Campaigners have also held talks with the villagers about alternative
ways of making a living.
Jenkins said: "The possibilities from these methods of making a living
may well prove much more profitable than the seal cull."

**

Fury over hospital trade in human glands

HeadLine: Fury over hospital trade in human glands

Daily Record, 13/03/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

HEALTH minister Susan Deacon faces demands for an inquiry into claims
the NHS scavenged glands from dead patients in return for supplies of
drugs.
Giant US drugs company Pharmacia & Upjohn have admitted at least 250
British hospitals took part in the macabre harvest from corpses.
Ministers were last night unable to say if Scottish hospitals had been
involved, and if so, for how long.
A spokesman for Susan Deacon said: "This process ended in 1985. It was
not an exclusively Scottish issue. We see no reason for an inquiry."
Pharmacia & Upjohn were given batches of pituitary glands from the
bodies of patients across the UK in return for giving stocks of drugs
to the Department of Health.
The drugs firm, then known as Kabi-Vitrum, used the brain tissue from
the mid-1970s to develop genetically modified products.
They stopped the practice in 1985, after a synthetic alternative was
produced amid fears children treated with tissue-based hormones were
developing CJD.
P&U spokesman Roy Sutherwood said: "There was no money exchanged for
pituitary glands. However, we did exchange quantities of drugs for the
tissue."
"The Department of Health was in control of the whole operation."
The SNP's Kay Ullrich, shadow Scottish health minister, said: "If this
happened without consent, then it is totally unacceptable."
"This is a question of ethics. Susan Deacon must order an immediate
inquiry."
The chair of the Scottish Association of Health Councils, Pat Dawson,
said: "It must be incomprehensible to the public to hear of the way in
which human tissue has apparently been traded to external agencies."
Current legislation outlaws the trade in human tissues but so far the
health minister is refusing to hold an inquiry into whether this rule
was breached.

**

Death blaze landlord is summoned to court inquiry

HeadLine: Death blaze landlord is summoned to court inquiry

Daily Record, 14/03/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

THE owner of a flat where two students died trapped in a blaze will be
ordered to appear in court.
Harry Singh is being told to attend a fatal accident inquiry.
James Fraser and Daniel Heron, both 20, died in the fire a year ago in
St George's Cross, in Glasgow's west end.
A route of escape was blocked by iron bars on the windows. Their friend
Christopher Lewis, also 20, survived by managing to escape through the
front door of the flat.
Singh came in for particular scrutiny when it emerged he had evaded
council building regulations and had been investigated for fraud in the
past. Last night, the Crown Office confirmed a fatal accident inquiry
will be held in May.
A source said: "No one is making any accusations of guilt or otherwise
but Mr Singh's input is expected to be central to this inquiry.
"There are a great many questions the investigating parties want an
answer to. This was a tragedy which need not have happened and, for the
sake of all the families involved, needs to be properly explained."
James' parents Lucy and Sandy said the inquiry would be traumatic.
But Lucy, 39, said: "At least now the facts can all be heard and we'll
finally find out what the hell happened. There are so many bits of the
jigsaw puzzle which are missing and we want to know how the tragedy
could possibly have been prevented."
The couple, who run a restaurant in Balmaha, on Loch Lomondside, also
said they wanted to be able to explain to their seven remaining
children what happened.

**

LETHAL WEAPONS

HeadLine: LETHAL WEAPONS

Daily Record, 14/03/2000, p11
by SHAUN MILNE

SCOTS TV presenter Sheena McDonald has accused police officers of
driving "lethal weapon" cars and operating in a "culture of speed".
Sheena, who was knocked down and almost killed by a police van, also
demanded an urgent inquiry into officers' road skills.
Her call came as the funeral of a police crash victim, grandmother
Helen Barbour, was held yesterday.
Broadcaster Sheena, 46, was mowed down in London last year by a police
van driving on the wrong side of the road.
She spent 72 hours in a coma, suffered brain damage and spent two
months in hospital. The driver, PC Glen Whiteley, was later cleared of
blame by a court.
Sheena warned many others would be seriously injured or killed unless
an urgent, independent review was carried out.
She said: "I certainly think driving fast is part of the police culture.
"Speed apparently matters to them very much, and having the licence to
drive over the speed limit and on the wrong side of the road."
"These are young boys driving what are in effect lethal weapons - two
tonnes of steel at speed.
"I think the way the police drive in general has to be revised."
In her first TV interview since the accident - for the BBC's Frontline
Scotland tonight - Sheena claims the current police focus is far more
on speed than public safety.
Last year in Scotland, there were more than 110 accidents involving
police cars. A total of 65 members of the public were injured and three
people died.
Few officers are convicted of driving offences.
In 1998, retired couple Sydney and Christine Carey were killed in
Aberdeen when speeding policeman Andrew Baynes lost control of his car.
He appeared in court charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
But Baynes was only found guilty of the lesser charge of careless
driving and fined £750.
Tonight's programme will reveal the Association of Chief Police
Officers in Scotland, ACPOS, are carrying out a review.
They are expected to examine in detail the advanced driving course for
officers.
Not every police officer behind the wheel has undergone this course.
But ACPOS maintain officers are well prepared.
Assistant Chief Constable Martin Papworth said: "We advocate that we
provide officers with the skills to drive in any environment safely.
"We require them to assess the situation through which they are driving
and to respond according to that situation."
However, expert Dr Gordon Sharp said the approach was naive. The author
of Human Aspects Of Police Driving maintained there was a danger of
"red mist" affecting officers' judgment in emergency situations.
He said: "Even the most dedicated professional police driver has a
tendency, if he allows himself, to develop negative attitudes of
impatience and intolerance."What this does is to seriously interfere
with his ability to carry out the driving task in a safe way.
"When he gets into a red-mist situation, what is happening is that
negative attitudes or powerful emotions are beginning to contract the
awareness.
"So he's focusing on just the one thing - whether it's the villain he's
chasing or a speeding motorist."
Kevin Delaney, of the RAC, is a former head of the Metropolitan
Police's traffic department. He said: "There's a belief among the
public that the police, behind the wheel of a car at least, are a law
unto themselves.
"The simple fact is that the courts are extremely reluctant to convict
them of motoring offences.
"If they are involved in a collision then they don't necessarily go
asking for special treatment but they may receive it."
However, Assistant Chief Constable Papworth maintained his officers did
not see themselves as being above the law.
He added: "Where they exceed speed limits, they're doing that because
the law permits them to in certain circumstances."
Meanwhile, as the debate raged, a grieving community gathered for the
funeral of police car-crash victim Helen Barbour.
Hundreds of mourners attended St Leonard's Catholic Church in East
Kilbride.
Doctors' receptionist Helen, 55, died last Saturday after a police car
crashed into the Fiat Punto driven by her husband Alexander.
The couple were returning home from a night out at a Glasgow theatre
when the accident happened in the city's east end.
The police car was chasing a suspected drunk driver.
Alexander, 61, who was injured in the crash, comforted the couple's
grown-up children, Alison and Ross, at the service.
It concluded at Linn Crematorium in Glasgow.
The two police officers in the patrol car, a 40-year-old driver and his
colleague, 29, were uninjured.
Strathclyde Police, who are preparing a report for the fiscal, said the
pair were now on sick leave.

**

TOT RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER TAKING ECSTASY

HeadLine: TOT RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER TAKING ECSTASY

Daily Record, 17/03/2000, p15
by SHAUN MILNE & STEVE MARTIN

A BABY boy was moments from death after putting an Ecstasy tablet in
his mouth.
Philip Brown, 20 months, found the pill at home and sucked on it as his
mother Kelly, 18, made breakfast.
Medics say it would have killed him if he had swallowed it. He is
thought to be the youngest Scots child ever involved in such an
incident.
And last night, campaigners called for a new law to punish people who
leave drugs in children's reach.
After Philip got the pill, Kelly grabbed it from his mouth and ran
crying to a neighbour in Hamilton and told her: "It's Ecstasy - he's
taken an ecky."
Lesley French, who called 999, said: "Kelly banged at my door screaming
for help.
"She told me Philip had taken a sweetie. I didn't know what she was on
about until she said, 'It's ecky'.
"I asked her, 'What are you playing at having that in the house with a
baby?'
"She didn't answer. I think she was in shock."
Lesley added: "Kelly got most of the pill out of Philip's mouth and
gave it to the ambulancemen.
"They told me he had powder from the pill in his saliva and he'd have
died if he'd swallowed it all."
Substance abuse expert Dr Martin Plant said: "Had the child swallowed a
tablet, the consequences clearly could have been fatal."
Lesley went with Kelly to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride. She
said: "Philip was on drips and a heart monitor and was crying a lot
because he was scared."
Philip was transferred to Yorkhill hospital in Glasgow and kept in
overnight before being allowed home.
Kelly told her family that Philip had swallowed an indigestion pill.
But her father, Angus, said his jobless, single-mum daughter was
running with a bad crowd.
He said: "We've tried to talk to her but she doesn't want to listen."
Kelly has a boyfriend, known as Titch. The baby's father, also Philip,
is not thought to help with his care.
Police questioned Kelly yesterday and substances were taken from her
flat.
Jan Betts, mother of Ecstasy victim Leah, said: "We need a law to
punish people who leave drugs where kids can get them. Children need
protection."

**

Rail strikes loom as drivers fall out with union over pay

HeadLine: Rail strikes loom as drivers fall out with union over pay
offer

Daily Record, 18/03/2000, p7
by SHAUN MILNE

SCOTLAND'S rail network is set to be hit by a series of one-day
stoppages by train drivers.
The 700 members of drivers' union ASLEF are expected to vote for strike
action within two weeks in a dispute over pay.
ScotRail initially offered an 8.3 per cent deal spread over two years,
which would take salaries up to £23,000. That may well have been
accepted.
But it was never put to ASLEF members because it included a pounds 1000
cash sweetener which may not have counted towards drivers' pensions.
The union's executive rejected it and ScotRail came back with a
straightforward offer of 3.3 per cent over the next 12 months.
That was put to the membership, who rejected it yesterday by 577 votes
to 35.
Now some ASLEF members are blaming their executive for landing them
with a threatened series of strikes.
One said: "The union's behaviour has been absolutely disgraceful."
Union spokesman Pat O'Connor admitted: "Most drivers wanted the two
offers to be put on the referendum paper with a third option for
rejection. They weren't given that opportunity."
ScotRail boss Alastair McPherson said they were "surprised and
disappointed" by ASLEF's decision but hoped to resolve the dispute
through further talks.
He added that some services in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and
Inverclyde had already been hit by unofficial strike action and
"unprecedented" levels of sickness.

**

I'LL NEVER LET PHILIP COME TO HARM AGAIN

HeadLine: I'LL NEVER LET PHILIP COME TO HARM AGAIN

Daily Record, 18/03/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

A FATHER whose baby son almost died after sucking an Ecstasy pill
yesterday slated the boy's mother who was looking after him at the
time.
And Philip Black cuddled 20-month-old Philip Jnr as he vowed to protect
him.
The toddler mistook the pill for a sweet at the home of his mother,
Kelly Brown.
Philip Snr, 18, who has split from Brown, also 18, said: "I saw Kelly
and went mad. I asked what the hell she was playing at.
"I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to leave that stuff
lying around where a child could get it.
"I'd never let anything happen to him, I'll make sure he is safe. I
normally get him for weekends but if he is under any kind of risk, I
will go for full-time custody."
Brown, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, grabbed the Class A drug off Philip
Jnr and called for help. She was in hiding last night, having left
Philip with his father.
She had told paramedics the pill was Ecstasy but later claimed it was
an indigestion pill. Philip Snr added: "I was just going to work when
my aunt came and told me Philip was in hospital.
"The nurses told me he had been discharged and when I asked one of the
hospital staff if it had been Ecstasy, she said 'Aye'.
"I am worried about the kind of people Kelly has got going around to
her flat. Until she stops certain folk going in, I don't want Philip
staying there."
Police are still carrying out tests on the tablet and Philip added: "To
be honest, I think she's had a big enough fright.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet because we're all still keyed up.
"But I'll sit down and speak to her and make sure we get a few things
straight."
Philip Jnr's grandmother, Rosanna Black, said: "She's actually very
good with Philip. But I can't help worrying about some of the people
she's got involved with."
A police spokesman last night said a woman had been charged in
connection with Thursday's incident. He said a report would be sent to
the procurator fiscal.

**

CULT SUICIDE PACT OR MASS MURDER?

HeadLine: CULT SUICIDE PACT OR MASS MURDER?

Daily Record, 20/03/2000, p11
by Shaun Milne

THE ritual suicide of 600 followers of a doomsday cult in Africa may
have been mass murder.
Police investigating the deaths in Kanunga, Uganda, said there was now
strong evidence to suggest foul play.
It has emerged that cult leader Joseph Kibweteere could still be alive
and in hiding.
He told disciples of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten
Commandments of God to sell their possessions weeks before they
perished.
It's not known what happened to him or the money. One local police
source said: "Reports indicate that the leader of this sect lured the
people into a building and set it on fire."
The horror is the worst related to a religious cult since the death of
913 members of the People's Temple Commune in 1978, in Jonestown,
Guyana. The victims queued up for cyanide drinks or were shot.
The Kanunga blaze raged through a school used by the cult as a church,
destroying the main dining area where the majority of the victims had
gathered.
Police said they had received several reports from locals in the small
town - 217 miles south west of Ugandan capital Kampala - that there was
a smell of petrol before the fire started followed by explosions.
Experts said identifying the bodies at the scene was impossible and the
number of dead could be much more than the 235 initially feared.
Police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi said: "The scene is horror. It is only
two or three bodies which you can say are men or women. The rest of the
bodies are beyond human shape."
Doctors began autopsies last night and forensic experts were expected
to arrive from Kampala today. The cult members apparently partied on
Wednesday downing 70 crates of soft drinks and roasting three bulls.
They gathered personal belongings including clothing, money and
suitcases and set them on fire. Locals said some cult members went
around nearby villages bidding farewell to neighbours the next day.
One, Anastasia Komuhanti, said: "The Virgin Mary had promised to appear
at the camp during the morning hours to carry them to heaven."
Cult leader Kibweteere predicted the end of the world would come on
December 31, 1999, but extended it by a year when nothing happened.
Last year, police evicted about 1000 members of a similar sect from a
camp north- west of Kampala.
In 1993, the FBI stormed the compound of the Branch Davidian cult in
Waco, Texas, after a 51-day siege - and 86 members died in gun battles
and a fire.
In October 1994, 48 charred corpses belonging to the Solar Temple cult
were found in two Swiss villages .
And a mansion in California in 1997 saw 39 members of the computer cult
Heaven's Gate poison themselves.

**

REGGIE'S TASTE OF FREEDOM

HeadLine: REGGIE'S TASTE OF FREEDOM
Daily Record 20/03/200

by SHAUN MILNE

THE hair is white and a crooked smile barely hides the rows of
yellowing teeth.
However, there is still a hint of the old swagger.
Dripping in gold and wearing a casually unbuttoned shirt, Reggie Kray
retains an air of cocky rebellion.
Gone are the looks of the pained old man at his twin Ronnie's funeral
five years ago. Reggie strode across the concourse of St Mary's
Hospital on the Isle of Wight yesterday at a pace and purpose more
fitting for a man half his age.
Trim, lean and still strong, the 66-year-old showed he has yet to be
beaten by the system. Yet as he drank in the fresh air while chained to
a prison officer, his first trip out of prison in five years was tinged
with sadness.
He was on a pilgrimage to see his only remaining brother Charlie, 73,
who is ill in hospital.
Sitting beside his dying brother talking about the old days, the former
king of London's underworld knew it could be for the last time.
Charlie is serving a 12-year sentence at Parkhurst Prison on the island
for his part in a £39million cocaine smuggling plot. But he has
suffered a series of heart attacks and it's unlikely he will leave jail
alive.
Three prison officers accompanied Reggie inside the modern hospital,
with members of the public going in and out at the same time as Kray.
He was brought over to the island on Saturday from Wayland Prison in
Norfolk, 240 miles away. It's believed to be the first time he has been
out from behind bars since Ronnie's funeral.
Staff and other visitors seemed bemused by the appearance of one of
Britain's most notorious criminals.
One visitor said: "You don't expect to see a Kray twin when you are
hospital visiting on a Sunday."

**

TOYBOY LOVER CUTS WIFE'S THROAT

HeadLine: TOYBOY LOVER CUTS WIFE'S THROAT

Daily Record, 24/03/2000, p1
by SHAUN MILNE

THE glamorous Scots wife of a German millionaire doctor has been
butchered by her jealous toy-boy lover after she ended their affair.
Helen Spowart-Koch, 51, bled to death after her throat was slashed when
she dumped her African-born boyfriend.
Helen, the wife of leading eye surgeon Professor Hans Reinhard Koch,
was found slumped by her E-class Mercedes close to her £1.2million home
in the rich spa town of Bad Godesberg, near Bonn.
She had been stabbed and her throat was sliced open after telling her
lover it was over.
Shocked police investigating the killing described the murder scene as
a "lake of blood".
Helen ran a successful high society picture agency and her body was
found by a passer-by who spotted her car lights still blazing late at
night in the supermarket car park where she had met her boyfriend.
Police were last night at the hospital bedside of the African they
suspect carried out the brutal slaying.
The 35-year-old Dutch man, originally of Togo, West Africa, was found
unconscious at the wheel of a battered Toyota two miles from the death
scene.
His clothing was covered in blood and had swallowed poison after
murdering Helen. He has been charged with murder.
Professor Koch, 58, is a wealthy and respected surgeon. He runs the
exclusive Dardenne Clinic in Bad Godesberg which boasts a list of VIP
patients.
The devastated professor was not at home or work yesterday.
Dr Raimund Remmel, his partner in the eye practice, said Prof Koch was
"devastated" at the loss of his wife and was being comforted by his
family.
Prof Koch is on first name terms with former German chancellor Helmut
Kohl, and a friend of Dr Reiner Koerfer, the most eminent heart surgeon
in Europe, and had acquaintances in the worlds of media, TV and the
arts.
He had been married twice before but was enchanted by the glamorous
Scot and her infectious sense of humour when they met several years
ago.
She was struck by his intellect and charm and soon they began to enjoy
a high society lifestyle together.
They lived with the professor's two teenage daughters from his first
marriage.
The couple were familiar figures on the diplomatic cocktail circuit and
at VIP receptions attended by Germany's leading political figures.
One of Helen's friends said: "She was a lively and very attractive
person who made heads turn whenever she entered the room.
"She was the life and soul of any party."
Helen lived a lavish lifestyle and, according to friends, always booked
herself into a spa hotel at Baden-Baden once a year for a full beauty
treatment and always dressed in the best of designer clothes.
Her photography agency Spica's pictures appeared in glossy magazines in
Europe and America, including Time and Maxim. Grieving colleagues of at
Spica were inconsolable last night.
One said: "We all feel as if we are dead inside. It is so horrible what
has happened, it is like something from a bad movie."
Little is known about Helen's lover. One friend said: "None of us knew
how she came to meet this young African but she had so many friends
from all walks of life and was interested in foreign cultures."
Weeks before she died, the couple had relocated to the magnificent £1.2
million villa and were in the process of putting the finishing touches
to the dream home.
Inside they collected many rare artworks, mostly from early 20th
century German masters such as Otto Dix.
Last weekend, they couple threw a lavish housewarming party at their
new home, entertaining guests with a band and a spectacular fireworks
display.
It was from here that Helen set off in her silver Mercedes sporting the
personalised number plate bearing her Scottish initials - HS 559 - to
the fatal rendezvous.
Police suspect that after she pulled into the supermarket car park
sometime after 11pm on Tuesday, she told her lover it was over then
tried to leave - but never made it.
The man who found her body said last night: "I called a doctor but
there was nothing he could do to save her. She was already dead."
Police spokesman Gerd Brendel said: "We believe she drove to the car
park to tell him the affair was over, causing a heated row.
"This was probably the motive. We don't know when the affair began. But
we understand her husband knew nothing about it.
"It is possible she had tried to escape her killer by reaching her car
and opening the door but failed."
The evidence of the bloody killing had been cleared away yesterday.
Instead, a fishmonger traded from the exact same spot.
The African - who has not been named - is jobless and holds a Dutch
passport.
He is in a serious condition in hospital and police have been unable to
question him in detail.
Police were yesterday speaking with family members, including the two
teenage daughters, to piece together the last day of Helen's life.
Helen was adopted when she was 10-years-old by Lewis Spowart and his
wife Jean, of Bo'ness, West Lothian.
Lewis worked as an engineer at a now defunct fertiliser processing
factory in Bo'ness.
Family friend David Young said last night: "They moved away from the
area to Grangemouth and we all lost touch.
"They are both dead now and I believe that Lewis's second wife who he
adopted Helen with has also passed on."

**

Champagne life was too much for golden boy Frank

HeadLine: Champagne life was too much for golden boy Frank

Daily Record, 25/03/2000, p5
by SHAUN MILNE

HE started off as a road digger, scaled the dizzy heights of top-class
football and came tumbling to earth thanks to his wild party lifestyle.
His good looks, cheeky grin and chirpy patter have always ensured the
public maintained a soft spot for Frank McAvennie.
But the latest calamity may break his bond with the punters.
In recent years, McAvennie has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to the
comic portrayal of his antics by Only An Excuse? star Jonathan Watson.
McAvennie complained that the characterisation and "werza burds?"
catchphrase turned him into a laughing stock.
But outside of his court appearances, it is the one thing that has
prevented McAvennie descending into obscurity.
At one time, it was his soccer skills that brought McAvennie to public
attention.
Born in Glasgow on November 22, 1959, he began his football career in
his teens as a striker with Johnstone Borough, escaping his dead-end
council job.
He landed trials with Partick Thistle and five caps for the Scotland
Under-21s before he was snapped up by St Mirren.
He first signed for the Buddies in season 1981-82 and went on to score
50 goals in 135 appearances before being lured to the bright lights of
London.
Macca - then aged 25 - signed for West Ham in 1985, making 85
appearances for the club and rewarding them with 35 goals during his
first stint.
He willingly embraced the champagne lifestyle, mixing freely with pop
stars, TV celebrities and models.
The golden-boy striker dated a string of women before going steady with
Page Three model Jenny Blyth.
One of the highlights of his career came in 1986 when Macca played for
Scotland at the World Cup in Mexico.
In 1987, he got his dream move back home to Glasgow when he signed for
Celtic on a reputed wage of £5000 a week - but Jenny refused to go with
him.
He was an instant hit with the adoring fans, bagging 15 goals for the
club including two in the dying minutes of the Scottish Cup final in
1988 which delivered Celtic the double in their centenary year.
Macca found the net a further dozen times in the following season.
He spent thousands on flights to London trying to maintain a
long-distance relationship with Jenny, and his love for her eventually
pulled him back south.
He returned to his old stamping ground at West Ham in 1988 and bought a
pounds 450,000 house in Essex - but the move changed him forever.
Macca admits that was when his life took a turn for the worse as he was
drawn deeper than he had ever been before into a lifestyle of booze,
women and drugs.
He got engaged to Jenny and as devotees of the club scene they were
often spotted out drinking champagne and jetting off on expensive
holidays.
But they had a series of well-publicised rows and eventually their love
foundered.
Macca moved to Aston Villa in 1992, making just three appearances
before returning to Celtic. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances over
two seasons, but the former Scotland star's magic was gone.
He was freed by Celtic in the summer of 1994 and had a month at Falkirk
before returning to St Mirren under Jimmy Bone to bring the curtain
down on his career.
He married Laura McArthur in May 1995 and tried to get his life in
order with failed plans for a bar and restaurant.
The highlight of his life, he said, was the birth of his son Jake in
January 1996.
But he was unable to give up the party lifestyle and was a regular at
clubs like Stringfellows in London. Money troubles followed and his
marriage foundered.
Macca moved in with nightclub singer Nicole Turoff, 29, but it didn't
last.
In January 1998 McAvennie denied reports in Fitba' fanzine that he said
he was glad Jock Stein had died.
Four months later he was mugged at knifepoint leaving a nightclub in
the West Indies. He told the Record: "I had my flip-flops on so I
couldn't even run for it."
Despite the fame his Only An Excuse? caricature brought him, McAvennie
failed to see the funny side and staged a one-man protest at the Kings
Theatre in Glasgow in September last year.
He even tried to get an interdict banning the BBC from broadcasting a
spin-off show called I, Macca.
Since then, Macca has brought out an autobiography, Mac the Knife, and
has been working as a soccer pundit for television stations Channel 5
and Sky TV.
He lives in Newcastle with his latest flame, car sales worker Karen
Lamberti.

**

DRUG STORES BLOW

HeadLine: DRUG STORES BLOW

Sunday Mail, 09/04/2000, p35
by SHAUN MILNE

HIGH Street shopping chain Woolworth's claim plans to create hundreds
of jobs in Scotland are under threat from Government red tape.
The chain wants to open 30 US-style drug stores in a major expansion.
But they say they can't get pharmacy licences to open late-night
Superdrug counters within the shops.
Woolworth's claim it is putting the whole general stores project at
risk.
The shops would open until 10pm every day, selling Woolies' traditional
range of products, as well as food and drink.
But under current rules health boards won't issue a pharmacy licence
unless there is a real need for a chemist in the area.
Now parent firm Kingfisher is urging the Scottish Parliament to change
the regulations and make applications easier. And hundreds of jobs are
the carrot.
But if Woolies' move fails, the only way round the problem is to buy
existing licences from their rivals - and that could cost pounds
250,000 each.
Project director Steven Round said they didn't face this obstacle in
England and Wales."If you want to transfer a licence there you only
have to show it is going to be in the same neighbourhood.
"But in Scotland, you have to do that and also show you won't hurt the
other pharmacists.
"All that is happening is our plans for expansion and job creation are
being delayed by these outdated rules.
"We hope MSPs will see sense in making this change for the better."
Kingfisher have opened two Woolworth's General Stores in London. A
spokesman said many of their products would be cheaper than corner
shops, but not supermarkets. The stores would be sited in areas poorly
served by shopping facilities.
Ian Mullen, a pharmaceutical expert, said a licence application could
be refused if another pharmacy in the area objected.
But health boards didn't consider the matter of convenience to the
public. "That's why these rules should be changed," he said.
The Government have argued that the existing laws protect the public.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said: "All NHS legislation is
kept under review but there are no plans at present to change the
system."

**

MOBILES SCAM 2 SACKED

HeadLine: MOBILES SCAM 2 SACKED

Sunday Mail, 16/04/2000, p31
by SHAUN MILNE

A SCOTS call-centre has sacked two workers for hacking into a client's
computer files to top- up cash credits on their own mobile phones.
The shamed pair were immediately dismissed by Telecom Service Centres
when a routine check uncovered the scam.
The men, who both worked at the firm's customer support centre in
Dunoon, Argyll, accessed files operated on behalf of phone firm
One2One.
They transferred "credits" to their pay-as-you-talk phones so they
could make calls without having to pay.
A routine audit by other TSC staff discovered what was going on.
One2One were kept fully briefed about the incident and assured clients
that no security had been compromised.
It is thought several other blue chip clients of TSC - including
Vodafone, Standard Life and the Royal Bank of Scotland - were also
informed.
TSC said they were unable to confirm which client had been affected
because of customer confidentiality. But one source said: "Everyone
knows it was One2One because that's the phones these guys used.
"People are angry because it makes others look bad in an area where
there are not many jobs as it is.
"No one feels sorry for them, they knew the risks they were taking and
were caught out."
TSC employs around 1000 staff at six locations in Rothesay, Dunoon,
Greenock, Livingston, Glasgow and London.
Lennie Moffat, managing director of TSC, and fellow investors launched
the firm in 1994 at its Rothesay HQ.
Now, it deals with clients using e-commerce, web enabled call-centres
and offers customer service support.
A spokesman for TSC confirmed that it had taken disciplinary action.
He said: "We are proud of the quality, dedication and honesty of our
workforce.
"We will not let this event affect the good name of our people and the
faith our clients have in TSC.
"We immediately informed our client and action was taken without delay."
Police have not been involved in the matter.

**

LUSTAWAYS!

HeadLine: LUSTAWAYS!

The People, 23/04/2000, p11
by SHAUN MILNE & ADAM MOSS

TWO of telly's Castaways have fallen madly in love on their remote
Scottish island.
They were even caught sharing a passionate cuddle in bed.
Trapeze artist Philiy Page's steamy frolic with Irish charmer Padraig
Nallen is the first sign of romance flourishing in the fly-on-the-wall
series.
Love blossomed although SHE is a strict vegetarian and HE is a
committed meat muncher.
Now besotted Padraig has even sent home pictures of his new love to his
mum.
The couple's secret affair was exposed when fellow Castaway Ray Bower
walked in on them.
Builder Ray - who has quit the pounds 2.4 million show amid rows -
said: "I found them in bed wrapped in each other's arms in the middle
of the day.
"We'd noticed something was going on when we were all living in an old
schoolhouse. Their two single beds were getting closer together.
"Now they are pretty blatant about it and go about holding hands. They
seem made for each other."
Padraig, 28, wooed Philiy, 25 - his first girlfriend for ages - as they
braved the harsh conditions on Taransay in the Hebrides. Viewers will
tonight see how they and their 34 fellow volunteers are coping in the
latest episode of the BBC's Castaway 2000.
Philiy, who has dreadlocks and a pierced belly button, nursed Padraig
when he broke an ankle.
He was fascinated by the petite hippy who took trapeze training at a
circus school while studying for an arts and science degree in
Manchester.
She fell under Padraig's spell as he sang her Irish folk songs and
played haunting tunes on his penny whistle.
Philiy even forgave him for being a self-confessed "ravenous carnivore."
Padraig, a graduate in English and German, joined the year-long TV
experiment after tiring of city life.
A former college pal in Dublin said: "He is a genuine guy and
surprisingly he hasn't had a serious girlfriend for a long time. This
is his first real love.
"He is an adventurous person but also quite shy and sensitive. All his
friends are chuffed for him and look forward to meeting his girl."
Computer salesman Padraig is so smitten by his new-age girlfriend he's
sent photos of her to mum Maura in Ireland.
Mrs Nallen said: "I'm delighted he has found love. He's very
independent and clever but that's not to say he's cold. Philiy she will
be welcome here."
Mrs Nallen will be watching the show tonight in the hope of learning
more about Philiy.
She said: "We don't know much more than anyone else but if Padraig is
happy we're happy too."
Friends of Philiy told how she travelled regularly from her student
flat in Manchester for trapeze classes in nearby Rochdale.
One former flatmate said: "She was so into the trapeze that it was to
the exclusion of everything else, including men. She never had a
regular boyfriend as far as I'm aware."
Justine Marsh, spokeswoman at the Skylight Circus Arts group where
Philiy had lessons, said: "She was hard-working and getting quite good.
She came for a few months before leaving to do the TV programme. She
was a really nice girl and we hope she comes for more lessons after
getting off the island."
Philiy, who also studied photography, has travelled extensively in
Europe and is used to "roughing it."
Locals who visited Taransay from Tarbert on the mainland said they have
noticed that Padraig and Philiy "look very comfortable together".
But the BBC refused to say if viewers will see any sign of the romance
tonight. A spokesman said: "There may well be a love interest, but
people will just have to keep tuning in to find out.
"They were making friends and doing things all along. It is good TV."
A doctor, physiotherapist and former solicitor are among those
"marooned" on the isle.
Ray Bower called the experiment a shambles and fled home to Manchester
amid claims of boozing and tantrums.

**

IT'S EYE WAY ROBBERY

HeadLine: IT'S EYE WAY ROBBERY

The People, 23/04/2000, p18&19
by SHAUN MILNE

GREEDY ticket touts are ripping off tourists on Britain's most popular
ride, the London Eye, the Sunday People can reveal.
And today we are proud to name and shame the money-grabbing rats
conning ordinary decent people.
We can even disclose they're spreading their vile racket as far as
America.
Foul-mouthed touts Gary Richards and George Williams are coining up to
£5,000 A DAY from families desperate for a 30-minute spin on the giant
Millennium wheel.
Richards and Williams, 50, and their three cronies demand DOUBLE the
face value of £7.45 tickets.
Visitors snap them up because they can jump queues lasting up to five
hours to get on the British Airways-sponsored Eye, which has been an
astounding success since it opened two months ago.
But security guards at the 450ft-high wheel on the south bank of the
Thames opposite Parliament can detect tickets bought from touts - and
are under orders to turn buyers away.
One bitter Scottish tourist who was conned by the touts said: "I'd like
to chuck them off the top of the Wheel."
Richards and Williams muscled in when they saw the popularity of the
Eye, which has already attracted more than one million people including
stars like Sigourney Weaver, Denise van Outen and Joanna Lumley.
Sunday People investigators discovered the gang have...

THREATENED staff at the Eye with violence.

FLOWN to America to get advance orders from gullible Yanks.

USED teenage "spotters" to target potential customers and watch out
for police.

BOASTED they are making nearly pounds 1,000 a day each without
declaring it to the Inland Revenue.

The scam works like this - Richards and Williams, from South London,
have bought in advance huge chunks of tickets for the busiest times,
including this Easter weekend.
They pay £6.70 a ticket for the block bookings, which are perfectly
legal. Each ticket has the date and time of ride. The gang then targets
queues of frustrated tourists with the promise of an instant ride but
at a massively-inflated price - £15 each or £25 a pair.
One of the five-strong gang told our investigator: "Queue in the office
behind me if you want mate, but you won't get on the Eye today if you
do, I guarantee it. This is the best way to do it, honestly."
Asked why he was charging more than double the price he said: "It's to
covers my expenses, innit.
"I've got to get the tickets upfront so people like you won't have to
queue, it's a service I'm doing.
"The people in the uniforms don't like us doing it because they know
how much money can be made. On a good day I can make up to £800 or
£1,000."
He had a steady stream of foreign tourists but the main business was
done by his ringleaders.
The head of the gang is George Williams, a big balding man who sells
directly in front of the ride.
The imposing figure sounds like an East End barrow-boy with his cry of
"Tickets, get your tickets here, beat the queues."
He targets elderly visitors and families keen to avoid a long wait,
especially on a cold or wet day.
Williams, 50, told our man: "Yeah, these will get you right on but
you'd better be quick, it goes any minute. If you miss it it's not my
fault, you won't get a refund. But if you queue you won't get a ticket
today."
Williams's mate Gary Richards - dubbed Phil Mitchell by Eye staff
because he resembles the dodgy EastEnders character - keeps in touch
with Williams by mobile phone from his favoured pitch right outside the
ticket office. Unlike his companions, he isn't nearly as charming,
telling our investigator: "You ask too many questions, do you want the
bloody tickets or not?"
One Eye security man told us: "They are nasty pieces of work. I asked
one of them politely to move away. He spat on me. Another time he
shoved this big wad of money under my face and said, 'How much do you
get, £4 an hour? Look what I've made here in half a day, you loser'."
Another security man said: "I told tourists they shouldn't buy his
tickets so he said he'd break my arm if I tried it again.
"When I didn't react he said there would be a team waiting for me at
the end of my shift and told me, 'They'll give you the biggest kicking
of your life'."
Security chiefs have already clamped down on one scam - buying used
tickets from tourists and reselling them. And they are rejecting
individual tickets which were originally sold as part of a block
booking.
But the security firm who police the Eye - Professional Security
Solutions - are hampered because amazingly the rip-off is not illegal.
Operations boss John Bell politely asked Williams to move.
But the burly South Londoner snarled: "Why don't you lot just f**k off
and leave us alone."
Mr Bell told us: "What they are doing is a rip-off but all we can do is
warn the public. I'm told that one of the gang is in the States now
selling tickets and taking orders."
A British Airways spokesman said: "People are not guaranteed to get on
the Eye with a ticket bought from a tout."
* ON a clear day trippers on the London Eye can see 25 miles all round.
The first Ferris wheel was built in the US in 1888 by W.G.W. Ferris.

**

..AND NOW THERE'S THE SMILE EYE CLUB

HeadLine: ..AND NOW THERE'S THE SMILE EYE CLUB

The People, 30/04/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

SPY cameras are being fitted to the London Eye to stop amorous couples
trying to join the "Eye Mile High Club".
Thrill-seekers have been booking entire pods at £275 a time for
the half-hour long ride on the Millennium Wheel.
Now CCTV cameras are being fitted to all 32 pods in a bid to deter the
couples.
The move comes after staff spotted one randy pair in a clinch in one of
the glass capsules hundreds of feet up on the south bank of the Thames.
A worker at the British Airways sponsored attraction said: "This guy
was trying to get the woman's blouse off.
"But one of our workers spotted them from another car.
"He told them over the intercom in no uncertain terms to cut it out or
he would have to report them to police. But they didn't seem to be
bothered. They just smiled and went away laughing and giggling when
they got off."
Most of the customers have children with them for a day out.
The worker added: "It might seem quite funny but the last thing we want
is a load of kids to get an eyeful of something like that.
"Those pods that haven't got any cameras fitted yet are going round
with a worker in them to make sure no-one gets up to any naughties."
It is hoped the new security system will also help stop another craze -
stink bombs being let off by schoolkids.

**

GRAN LARCENY

HeadLine: GRAN LARCENY

The People, 30/04/2000, p33
by SHAUN MILNE

HARD-NOSED Customs officers thought they'd seen every wrinkle in the
bootlegging book...
But they were astounded when they swooped on a booze-and-baccy
smuggling queen and discovered she was the ultimate wrinkle - a
78-year-old GRANNY.
Grey-haired Doris Aris appeared to be the respected chairwoman of her
local residents' association who handed out advice at a council-run
community centre.
But Doris's main advice to her pensioner pals was: Buy your cut-price
booze and fags off me.
Now the bespectacled widow who raked in thousands of pounds a month
could be heading for a spell in one of Her Majesty's "community
centres" for her part in £113,000 tax evasion.
And Chancellor Gordon Brown, who warned only weeks ago in his Budget
that the net on smugglers is to be tightened, will be surprised to
learn it includes a hairnet.
One of the undercover Customs team who swooped on Doris's office at the
community centre in Sneinton, Nottingham, after a tip-off told the
Sunday People: "We've done some strange busts in our time but we didn't
expect anything like this.
"There was this doddery old woman amid boxes and boxes of stuff,
flogging it to all her old cronies like it was home baking."
The officers seized dozens of boxes of rolling baccy and cigarettes and
a meticulous record Doris kept of profits going back two years.
They also found a list of underworld contacts who supplied her.
The officer added: "She must have made a packet. It was run like a
professional business but was completely illegal.
"I don't think she would have been worrying about how much she was
getting from her pension every week."
The city's assistant housing director Tyrone Brown, who regularly met
Doris, said: "I'm stunned. She was a typical nice old lady. We had no
inkling this was going on."
Doris pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to evading £28,000 duty.
Her main supplier, Malcolm Howarth, admitted evading £85,000. The
charges normally carry a jail term and the judge, who will sentence the
pair in two weeks, warned them: "You are in an extremely serious
position."
Customs officer David Faulkner, who was closely involved in the case,
told the Sunday People: "Maybe old folk thought they were getting a
bargain by buying cheap cigarettes from Doris Aris.
"But some of her friends could be disadvantaged by her actions.
"The duty she evaded could have been better used for social services
like health care and education.
"If another 78-year-old woman at the centre is moaning because she
can't get a hip replacement, then it puts a different slant on what
greedy Doris was doing."

**

BECKS RAP FOR NOT TOEING THE LINE

HeadLine: BECKS RAP FOR NOT TOEING THE LINE

The People, 14/05/2000, p9
by SHAUN MILNE

DAVID Beckham has infuriated his £1 million-a-year boot sponsors Adidas
by wearing their arch rival's trainers.
And, even worse, photographs of him in the trendy blue Nike shoes, were
published worldwide.
The Manchester United ace put his foot in it while kicking a toy
football about in California with baby son Brooklyn.
For he is currently starring in a major TV commercial campaign for
Adidas in the run-up to the Euro 2000 soccer championship this summer.
The German sportswear giant refused to comment yesterday.
But an insider said: "They are livid that Beckham was playing football
in a public place wearing a pair of Nike sports shoes. He is paid
around £1 million a year to wear Adidas Predator football boots on the
pitch. And it is part of his contract not to wear sportswear of any of
their major competitors.
"There will be some stern words with Beckham's people to stop this
happening again."
A Nike spokesman said last night: "We are delighted that David Beckham
chooses to wear Nike products in his own time.
"The trainers David was pictured wearing are a £35 pair of Nike Air
Sock Mock soccer sandals."
And determined to put Adidas booses' noses out of joint, he added: "If
David wants to wear a pair of our Total 90 football boots at Euro 2000
we will gladly supply him with a pair."
One-year-old Brooklyn was also wearing a pair of Nike shoes during the
holiday in America. But he doesn't have a contract with the sports firm
- yet!

**

WE'RE BACK ON THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY

HeadLine: WE'RE BACK ON THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY

Daily Record, 15/05/2000, p7
by SHAUN MILNE

SCOTLAND and England will soon be facing each other regularly on the
football field.
Football chiefs are drawing up plans to bring back the Battle of
Britain for good and the fixture could make a return as early as 2002.
Officials from both the SFA and FA are to meet soon to thrash out the
fine details - but both are agreed in principle that the fixture should
be restored.
It follows the massive interest generated during the Euro qualifier
double header last year.
Despite fears of violent clashes among rival sets of fans, both games
in London and Glasgow passed off without any real trouble despite
massive crowds.
And it led to calls from fans, politicians and footballers from both
sides of the border to see the game brought back.
Yesterday, Scots-born Adam Crozier, chief executive of the English FA
confirmed the fixture could make a dramatic comeback.
He said: "I know there are a lot of people who are very keen to see it
brought back both here and at the SFA.
"It is a real possibility and something we are due to discuss at our
next joint meeting later this year."
The money-spinning match would spark a bidding frenzy among satellite
and terrestrial TV firms for screening rights.
And it would cause another ticket scramble which last time saw special
hotlines crash within seconds because of the demand for tickets.
The traditional games were abandoned in 1989 after shameful scenes.
In 1976, Scots fans made off with the Wembley goal posts and turf after
Scotland's 2-1 win.
Later games saw English and Scots fans riot in Glasgow and London.
But the carnival atmosphere in Trafalgar Square during the Euro
play-offs in November thrust a return of the match to the top of the
football agenda.
An SFA spokesman said: "In principle we are definitely in favour of the
game returning."

**

IT'S CUFF JUSTICE!

HeadLine: IT'S CUFF JUSTICE!

The People, 21/05/2000, p17
by SHAUN MILNE

DOZY medics saved a convict suffering a heart attack - but electrocuted
a prison officer chained to him.
The hospital staff who used a defibrillator to shock the prisoner's
heart back to life forgot he was handcuffed to the warder.
The electrical charge was transmitted through the metal cuffs into the
officer's body.
Both men had to be rushed to hospital after the blunder at Garth Prison
in Lancaster.
The warden was found to have an irregular heartbeat and had to take
time off. He is now planning to take nearby Chorley District Hospital
to court.
Staff from the hospital arrived at the jail's medical centre after the
inmate complained of chest pains.
The high-security prisoner was "double cuffed" - one pair shackling his
hands and the other secured to his escort. But he collapsed in the
prison grounds before he could be taken to hospital.
Medics asked for his handcuffs to be opened and surged power into his
chest without realising the guard was still attached.
The charge was so strong it raced through the cuffs and into the
officer's own heart.
He was off work for three weeks and after returning had to go off sick
again. He is now back at his regular post.
The Prison Service said the hospital is carrying out an inquiry.
Jail sources say the officer is planning to sue for damages on the
grounds of negligence.
He claims the medical staff involved did not shout a warning before
using the defibrillator.
If they had, he told friends, he would have told them not to proceed
until he had uncuffed himself.

**

RED-LIGHT REV: WE'VE ALL BEEN WITH HYMN

HeadLine: RED-LIGHT REV: WE'VE ALL BEEN WITH HYMN

The People: 11/06/2000, p23,
by SHAUN MILNE

THE vicar nicked for kerb-crawling is a regular sinner with hookers,
the Sunday People can reveal.
Married Rev Timothy London, 45, was fined last week after being caught
with 31-year-old Michelle Mahoney.
But yesterday another hooker Joanne McDougall told how London
frequently fell by the wayside and often visited his parish's red-light
district. Joanne, 28, said: "The first time I saw him definitely wasn't
his first time. He knew what he was doing.
"But he was very wary to start with - he'd been ripped off by another
lass."
Joanne said London would discuss religion during their trysts.
"I sussed out for myself that he was a vicar just by the way he was
going on," she said.
"He was talking about religion and coming out with all these phrases.
"I told him that I was a Catholic and he said what I was doing was
against my religion.
"Then I thought for a minute and said 'Flippin' hell, you're a vicar -
this is against yours.' It's pretty unusual for a punter to be a vicar.
I asked how he could believe in it all."He said you just had to have
faith."
Joanne said she provided the bearded vicar with various services.
By day, London, who has a son, was a trusted pillar of his community in
Middlesbrough. He worked for his church mission tackling law, crime and
environmental problems.
But at night he ditched his dog collar to stray.
Retribution came as police were watching when he picked up vice girl
Michelle in the family car.
Teesside magistrates heard: "He said he told the girl he required
kissing, cuddling and a sexual act. They agreed a price of pounds 30."
The shamed cleric, minister of Linthorpe Road United Reform Church for
seven years and also in charge of the East Cleveland diocese, admitted
soliciting offences and was fined £200.
In a letter to the court he said: "I behaved foolishly and
thoughtlessly."
He could now lose his church home and job.
But his boss Rev Peter Poulter, moderator of the church's Northern
Synod, said London's wife Carol is standing by him.
Joanne wishes him well, too. She said: "I feel sorry for him. He was a
nice fella."

**

SCOTS DRUG GANGS CASH IN ON WILLS

HeadLine: SCOTS DRUG GANGS CASH IN ON WILLS

The People, 11/06/2000, p33
by SHAUN MILNE

EVIL drug dealers plan to flood the clubs and bars of Edinburgh with a
new batch of Ecstasy pills called Prince William.
They aim to cash in with potentially lethal £15-a-time tablets -
embossed with a royal crown - if the heir to the throne comes to study
at the city's university.
An underworld source said: "It's basically the same stuff going around
now - only they will cost a few pounds more.
"There is a packet to be made here. It's the same old trick they do
every year - it's just re-branding.
"Only this time the Prince would be a perfect advertisement."
He added: "Those behind it have had time to plan ahead and reckon this
idea will appeal to his fellow students.
"It's also a bit of a two-fingers up at the Establishment."
The unscrupulous drug gangs head a long list of royal rip-off merchants
who are all set to swing into action if the Prince arrives in September
to study art history as expected.
Others plan to cash in by selling anything from cocktails named after
him to T-shirts with his picture.
The underworld source said: "You name it - it won't be hard to shift.
"They are hoping his arrival with cause a bit of stir among his
university pals and provide them with easy pickings.
"But it's the Ecstasy that will make the big bucks. Nothing has been
done yet, but it's all in place.
"As soon as he confirms he's coming, production will kick in. It won't
take them long, trust me."
Every year thousands of students head for the pubs and late-night clubs
of the Grassmarket and Rose Street after collecting their loans and
grant cheques.
They can drink to 5am in some nightspots - and it is here that the
dealers plan to make a killing.
Some places in Edinburgh - once dubbed the heroin captial of Europe -
were going to use the Prince's photograph to advertise their clubs.
But they decided against it for fear of attracting too much police
attention.
Police said of the rip-off pills: "It's not something we have come
across yet, although we have heard the rumours.
"It sounds like a sick gimmick - like the tablets named after Leah
Betts that came out when she died after taking Ecstasy a few years ago.
"Hopefully it's something we can nip in the bud."

**

HONEYMOON IN JAIL FOR BRIDE 'N BOOM

HeadLine: HONEYMOON IN JAIL FOR BRIDE 'N BOOM

The People, 18/06/2000, p18
by SHAUN MILNE

A BRIDE and groom spent their wedding night in separate jail cells
after fighting at their own reception.
Cops were called to a pub to separate them after they started a
slanging match in front of their stunned guests.
Groom Tim Firwin, 25, suffered cuts to his arm after gashing himself on
glass from windows broken during their first married tiff.
Police found them in the toilet still arguing.
Tim's 34-year-old bride Donna's off-white dress was stained crimson by
her husband's blood.
Police finally arrested them after they kept going hammer and tongs in
hospital at Salisbury, Wilts, where Tim's wounds were stitched.
They were released the next day without charge.
Landscape gardener Tim sheepishly said: "We'd both had our share to
drink, but our marriage is not on the rocks. We are in love."

**

Wills' Bootiful Pal

HeadLine: Wills' Bootiful Pal

The People, 09/07/2000, p3
by SHAUN MILNE

WHEN your exams are over, you're entitled to take a back seat and relax
with a boot-iful girl.
Prince William and his blonde pal chatted and giggled together at a
polo match as they took time out in the boot of a Volkswagen Golf.
An onlooker said: "They were having a great time and lots of fun. They
were laughing and giggling together like friends do. I've never seen a
member of the Royal Family looking so relaxed."
Dressed in a casual navy coloured shirt, denim jeans and his trademark
baseball cap, William looked like any other 18-year-old.
He dangled his feet out of the car along with his friend who was
wearing a trendy red Tommy Hilfiger fleece and tight black trousers.
William, who has just finished his A-levels at Eton, joined friends and
brother Harry at Beaufort Polo Club in Gloustershire where Prince
Charles was playing a match. William and his pal went to sit in the
boot of the car for a chat after he spotted her in the crowd.
The onlooker added: "Harry looked like he was missing out and tried to
join in but he soon got bored and left them to chat about polo and
horses."
Photographer Dave Marsden said: "They were together for about an hour.
"Wills kept getting up and swinging a polo mallet which seemed to have
her in fits of laughter.
"She obviously looked very well-heeled, a typical girl from that shire
set who go to watch polo.
"She looked quite fashionable in a Tommy Hilfiger red fleece and trendy
Chelsea boots.
"Wills looked the height of fashion too as he always does.
"There were hundreds of people there, and they were just a few feet
away, but it didn't seem to bother Wills at all. Harry kept coming over
and sharing a joke with Wills and the girl and they seemed to be
getting along fine. Then Harry would go off and leave Wills and his pal
chatting away.
"The girl was still with the princes when I left and they seemed to be
having a great time."
But while William sat in the car, Charles had a much more tyring time -
leading his team to a 2-1 victory.

**

KRAY HEALTH ALERT AS HIS LIVER FADES

HeadLine: KRAY HEALTH ALERT AS HIS LIVER FADES

The People, 09/07/2000, p18
by SHAUN MILNE

GANGLAND killer Reggie Kray has been rushed to hospital for emergency
treatment after suffering severe liver problems.
Kray's deteriorating health is being blamed on years of bingeing on
strong bootleg booze in jail.
The 66-year-old hardman was whisked to hospital after doubling up in
agony at Wayland prison in Norfolk.
Doctors found complications with his liver after carrying out a number
of painful tests.
They performed a tricky invasive procedure using a fibre tube to
inspect his insides.
Kray's liver was severely inflamed and he was immediately given
antibiotics to stave off infection.
A prison source said: "There's no doubt about it, he's caused some
serious damage with his drinking."
Last night Kray - currently fighting for parole after 32 years behind
bars - was back in Wayland. Further tests are expected to be carried
out on him within the next few weeks. He has also been put on a strict
diet.
Reggie's brothers, notorious twin Ronnie and eldest sibling Charlie,
both died in jail.

**

WE GOTCHA!

HeadLine: WE GOTCHA!

The People, 16/07/2000, p18&19
by SHAUN MILNE in Montpellier, France

A SAVAGE killer on the run from prison for 17 years has been tracked to
a secret Mediterranean hideaway by the Sunday People.
Violent Robert Hamilton, 47, is living in paradise on the French
Riviera when he should be locked up for murdering a stranger in cold
blood.
The one-eyed thug escaped from a British prison while serving life for
battering his helpless victim to death with a wood stool.
For 17 years the authorities have not had a clue where the hate-filled
psychopath has been hiding - but today the Sunday People can point the
finger.
Hamilton is swanning around the sun-kissed bars of Montpellier in
southern France - and has no remorse about his evil crime.
He boasted: "As far as I'm concerned the bloke got what was coming."
But the cocky hardman may soon be getting what is coming to HIM -
extradition and a prison cell - after a three-month painstaking Sunday
People investigation tracked him down.
We have discovered how Hamilton...

ESCAPED from jail only with the help of outsiders who he still
refuses to name.

FLED to Dublin, Amsterdam and the South American Amazon before
winding up in France.

ENJOYED drug and sex-crazed orgies with Brazil beauties.

RAN a bar just yards from a French Foreign Legion base - another
haven for criminals.

WOOED a string of impressionable young women across Europe and
fathered a little girl.

The sun-tanned killer told us: "Montpellier is a beautiful place to
live. No-one will tell the police I'm here and if they do I'll find
them and do them in. There's no way I'm going back to jail."
But he's in for a shock - as a result of our probe, British police have
requested a warrant for his extradition.
After a tip-off that Hamilton was in Montpellier, we spent months
gently luring him into the open.
Extremely paranoid, he would only talk to us by telephone, refusing to
give us his number or an address. He aborted several meetings at the
last minute, but we finally came face-to-face with the fugitive after
playing on his vanity by claiming we could help publish a book he has
written about his vile crime.
The murder that Hamilton committed as a 19-year-old was horrific even
by his own violent standards. He left school at 15 with no
qualifications other than bullying and quickly developed a reputation
as a thug in the pubs of his home-city Sheffield.
One night in 1972 a homosexual tried to pick him up. Instead of
rejecting the advances, twisted Hamilton went back to the older man's
flat "for a drink".
Hamilton, eldest son of a Second World War Polish refugee, bragged to
our investigators: "I just turned on him and beat him senseless.
"I reckoned he was getting what he deserved. It wasn't because he was
gay, I was just mental and enjoyed doing it.
"When he was down I picked up a stool and hit him over the head with
it. Then I drank the whisky he had just poured me.
"He didn't move but he wasn't dead at that point. I took his wallet and
tied him up with phone cable so he couldn't raise the alarm."
The man died of the savage attack and Hamilton was convicted at Leeds
Crown Court of murder and robbery.
He was banged up in some of Britain's hardest jails, including
Wakefield where he was stabbed and half-blinded by another con.
Then he was switched to Sudbury open prison in Derbyshire 11 years
after sentence.
Contrary to popular opinion, Sudbury is NOT a place where lifers can
just walk out.
But Hamilton decided to escape after friends arranged to be nearby in a
car one night in April 1983. He told us: "I made a run for it at
midnight. I burst down this long corridor towards the exit but the
screws raised the alarm. I just kept running and running as fast as I
could. I remember my heart was racing.
"I could hear them all behind me shouting, switching on the perimeter
lights and I could hear their dogs, huge alsatians, barking and I could
imagine them salivating with big teeth wanting to bite me.
"I had to hide for 10 minutes but then my guys turned up and off we
went like a bat out of hell."
Hamilton was smuggled on to a ferry and arrived in Dublin where his
criminal contacts gave him false papers and a new identity.
But he had to flee that drug and gun-ridden city after refusing to
deliver "illegal packages".
He sailed to Amsterdam and met a French girl called Leila who gave
birth to his daughter Tara and now lives in northern France.
Hamilton told us: "Leila was beautiful and we stayed with each other
for about a year but she dumped me and broke my heart.
"She had my little girl Tara who I see whenever I can but because of my
circumstances it's not easy."
Hamilton drifted on to Marseilles where he says got involved in a
stolen car racket.
But he had to flee THAT city after other gangs muscled in.
He decided to head for the easy-going life of the Amazon jungle.
Hamilton says: "There were so many beautiful women there that I spent
most of my time in bed with them and having weird smokes.
"It was a fabulous time but after a couple of months I wanted to get
back to France."
Hamilton headed for Montpellier where he and a "business partner"
opened an Irish bar called Kennedy's near the town's French Foreign
Legion barracks.
Trade boomed until the regiment was sent to Bosnia and Hamilton had a
row with his partner.
Hamilton, wearing designer sunglasses as he spoke to us in
Montpellier's St Charles Brasserie, is cagey about where all the money
has come from for his escapades.
He claims he now has French documents and gets French dole.
But he is clearly familiar with the local drug scene - and most of his
hideaways in the last 17 years have been drug havens.
When we asked about his long-lost family, the cynical lifer had no
regrets.
He has had no contact with dad Tony, Sheffield-born mum Jean - who wept
at his trial - brother David, 46, Martin, 42 and sister Helen, 41, for
17 years.
Hamilton, now calling himself Joe Kennedy, said: "I expect my dad is
dead now. Perhaps my mum's dead too. I don't know."
Last night a spokesman for Derbyshire police, who are liaising with
Scotland Yard's Extradition Squad and Interpol, said: "We want to thank
the Sunday People for the professional way they went about finding
Hamilton.
"We are taking every step to arrest him as soon as possible."

**

BARMY ARMY

HeadLine: BARMY ARMY

The People, 30/07/2000, p17
by SHAUN MILNE

SOFTIES joining the Army won't face barbed wire any more - in case they
tear their nice new uniform.
Instead of fearsome assault courses, recruits will gambol on
playground-style climbing frames.
And swinging like Tarzan over streams no longer makes a splash because
the nasty dirty water has been drained away.
It's all part of a crazy health and safety drive to make sure that MoD
chiefs don't get sued by squaddies injured in training.
But Britain's furious professional soldiers say it makes them a
laughing stock.
One squaddie told the Sunday People: "Our guys have been trained the
same way for years which is why they are the best in the world.
"If you don't train in battle conditions then how the hell are we
supposed to perform when there's a real war?"
He added: "I only hope they've had a word with the blighters we're
supposed to fight.
"The next thing we know they'll give us all broom handles for rifles
and tell us to shout bang."
Gulf War hero Andy McNab scoffed last night: "This seems more like a
kiddies playground at McDonald's than an assault course for fighting
men.
"Training must be as realistic as possible. Soldiers do get wet, they
do get muddy and they do get cut by wire. Training must be almost as
rigid as it would be on the battlefield."
The ex-SAS man, captured by the Iraqis on his Bravo Two Zero desert
patrol, added: "Recruits have got to be prepared for the job, to be
able to stand the pace.
"This bizarre policy has gone too far. We need some common sense and
for someone to get a grip."
Soldiering with full petal jacket includes:

-RAZOR wire to squirm under being raised over 2ft and made smooth -
with comfy rubber matting underneath.

-SOFT playground bark to land on under rope swings.

-SHEER 15ft walls which needed teamwork to get over reduced to a mere
8ft, and

-STEEP scrambling nets reduced to a gentle slope and lowered.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed: "Like any other employer we
have to observe the workplace regulations.
"We are constrained, I'm afraid, by the Health and Safety legislation
in this country and we have reviewed all our procedures and
operations."
But Tory defence spokesman Iain Duncan Smith fumed: "This is bonkers.
The armies our boys may be fighting in the future will not be trained
under Health and Safety guidelines."

**

Britney snubs her secret British family living in a council

HeadLine: Britney snubs her secret British family living in a council
house

The People, 06/08/2000, p12&13
by SHAUN MILNE, AMANDA PERTHEN & ALUN PALMER

POP queen Britney Spears has snubbed her forgotten army of British
relatives, the Sunday People can reveal today.
But last night the proud family who put the Brit into America's Britney
pleaded: "Please come and meet us, we're your biggest fans."
Britney, 19, whose grandma came from London, has virtually ignored her
English kid cousins since hitting the big-time last year with Baby One
More Time.

THEY live in a cramped council house in London and scrimp and save to
buy her CDs.

SHE has amassed a fortune with a string of hits and is building a
mock-English Tudor mansion in Kentwood, Louisiana.

THEY have tried to get in touch with her and are desperate for a
personal letter and tapes of her songs.

SHE has sent only signed promotion posters to the six cousins - four
girls and two boys - through a relative.

THEY longed to meet her when she flew to Britain for a Top Of The
Pops appearance.

SHE was too busy to fit a brief meeting into her hectic schedule.

THEY get taunted in the playground because schoolmates think they are
lying when they say who their famous relative is.

SHE gets adoration from millions of fans around the world.

Last night the children's dad Darrell Woolmore - Britney's great-cousin
- said: "We've written to Britney asking if she could spare just a few
minutes of her time but she never writes back.
"The kids simply cannot understand why their own flesh and blood has
not even bothered to pick up the phone and say Hello.
"My girls simply love her and spend all day playing her records and
begging to meet her when she comes over.
"But there is nothing I can do. It upsets me because we are a family,
yet she still refuses to meet my kids who adore her."
Darrell's youngest girl Ashleigh, five, who has an astonishing
resemblance to her famous cousin, said: "It would be the best thing
ever if I could meet her because I'd really like her to be my friend."
Britney - a devout church-goer who has always emphasised her belief in
family values - can trace her Brit roots back to the Second World War.
Her maternal grandmother was Lillian Portelli of North London who
became a G.I. bride.
Lillian married US serviceman Barney Bridges on March 16, 1945 after
meeting him in a London dancehall.
She emigrated to her husband's family dairy farm near New Orleans.
They had three children including daughter Lynne, who went on to marry
Jamie Spears and give birth to Britney.
Meanwhile the British branch of the family was expanding, too.
Lillian's sister Joan, 73, married and had three sons including
Darrell, who lives in Greenford, north-west London.
His four daughters Ashleigh, Kiera eight, Stacey, 14, and 17-year-old
Donna hero-worship Britney. All day long they listen to her records and
rush to the family's small colour TV whenever she comes on - even if
her appearance lasts for only a brief second.
Hard-working Darrell, 35, who fits ceilings in office blocks, said: "My
mum Joan told me all about Britney and how well she was doing a few
years ago.
"She was appearing on the Disney show on TV when Mum phoned to say,
'That girl on the telly is your cousin'.
"I thought it was great because my kids were all big fans of Britney
already, even before we had any idea she was related to us, so they
were really excited.
"She was so far away at the time that we didn't actually realise how
famous she already was, so we tried to get in touch with her.
"But we've heard nothing back, not even a phone-call. I'm not bothered
on a personal level, but it upsets me because of the kids.
"How can you explain to them that their cousin doesn't want to meet
them, when all they do is talk about her? All get from the kids is,
'When can we meet Britney?'. It's heart-breaking for them.
"They have all told their friends at school that they are related to
her but no-one believes them.
"Kiera does a great impression of Britney and knows all her dance moves
and tries telling kids at school about the connection.
"But she was left crying the other day when they called her a liar.
They think that just because we live in England and aren't called
Spears we couldn't possibly have anything to do with Britney."
Eldest daughter Donna said: "Dad has tried to contact Britney through
other members of the family but it looks like she just doesn't want to
know.
"Maybe the fame has gone to her head or something. We don't want to
cash in on her fame or anything, we just want to meet her."
Darrell's frustration is echoed by his brother Dale, 48, of Northolt,
West London, whose sons Jake, nine, and Luke, seven, are also cousins
of Britney.
Their mum Sheena, 36, a pounds 63-a-week dinner lady, said: "We've got
a very different lifestyle to Britney's.
"My husband drives a black cab for a living, we live in a pounds 26,000
ex-council flat and struggle to make ends meet.
"The boys are big fans, Jake especially, and both would jump at the
chance to meet her.
"I can't even afford her records and videos because there are more
important things to spend money on."
The boys begged their grand- mother Joan - who has visited Britney in
the States - to arrange a meeting.
Sheena said: "She came back with the answer that Britney couldn't make
it.
"I guess she's too busy to make time for us but it is such a shame
because I know the kids would love it.
"And it might stop their schoolfriends laughing and teasing them."
Britney, whose new single Lucky is set to storm the charts, will tour
Britain later this year and is considering buying a luxury home over
here.
Great-uncle Darrell said: "It would be wonderful to meet her but I'm
not hopeful. We're her flesh-and-blood but we seem worlds apart."

**

KRAY ON HIS DEATHBED

HeadLine: KRAY ON HIS DEATHBED

The People, 13/08/2000, p4&5
by IAN EDMONDSON & SHAUN MILNE

THESE are the first shocking pictures of notorious gangster Reggie Kray
on his death bed. The villain who cast a shadow of fear with his twin
Ronnie is now a frail old man riddled with cancer.
The icy stare that once chilled a large swathe of London has been
replaced by the sunken eyes of a man who knows he is dying.
The muscular boxer's physique that was brutally employed to run a
gangland empire has been reduced to a skinny chest gasping for air from
an oxygen mask as he fights a massive new cancer.
It MUST raise the question: Why, after 33 years of imprisonment, is
this sick old man still in jail? What threat can this 67-year-old grey
ghost, almost the longest- serving inmate in Britain's prisons,
possibly pose to society?
His devoted wife Roberta begged last night: "LOOK at these pictures!
Look at the state of this man."What harm can he do society any more?
His struggle now is simply to stay alive. It's inhuman that as he lies
in that bed his only prospects are death or more years behind bars.
"I'm so pleased the Sunday People is publishing these important
pictures. Hopefully they will make the world reralise just how ill
Reggie is and that he no longer poses a threat."
The Sunday People today throws its weight behind the growing campaign
to free Reggie and let him die at home in his wife's arms.
Home Secretary Jack Straw has the power to release him on compassionate
grounds. Mr Straw has recently freed a stream of IRA and Loyalist
terrorists whose hands are drenched in blood. He has given the go-ahead
for the release of Harry Roberts who killed three policeman 34 years
ago. So why not show mercy to Reggie Kray too, Mr Straw?
The Sunday People publishes these pictures in a bid to stop him
suffering the same fate as his twin Ronnie and elder brother Charlie -
death in prison.
We KNOW Reggie is a killer - convicted with Ronnie in 1969 of murdering
small-time crook Jack "The Hat" McVitie.
We KNOW he was more than a run-of-the mill mobster - he and his twin's
sinister influence seeped through the law, showbusiness and politics in
the 1960s. But the world - and Reggie - have changed utterly in the
last 35 years.
We believe there is no useful purpose left in keeping this pathetic
figure locked up. Roberta, 41, who married him in jail three years ago
and was last night at his bedside in a Norwich hospital with two prison
guards, said: "It makes me really angry. Reggie has lost his entire
family. He's seen both his brothers die in custody. "And there is no
greater punishment this Government can inflict upon him now other than
denying him his last, small taste of freedom.
"I don't think Jack Straw is prepared to take that responsibility.
"Reggie is no threat to anybody in any way at all. He's been in jail
almost as long as the Moors Murderers - and probably twice what the
monster who murdered Sarah Payne will get. "But for some reason they
want him to die in jail. They want to prolong it so he dies and takes
the problem away from them. "This is what we are going to fight against
tooth and nail because this is unbearable watching him lie in hospital
knowing all he has got to look forward to is a return to prison and
death.
"We've written to Jack Straw on numerous occasions but never once had a
reply from him, not directly. "I'd just like to ask him how it feels to
send a man to his death."
Reggie is to have a scan on Tuesday to discover the full extent of his
cancer. He was taken from Wayland prison, Norfolk, to hospital for an
operation on his intestines after suffering years of stomach pain.
Surgeons removed a tumour from his small intestine in a four-hour
operation nine days ago. But we can reveal that afterwards they broke
the bad news to him - the growth was a secondary tumour and the main
cancer is still there.
The new tumour they found is the size of an apple. Reggie already has a
nine-inch scar from the first op - now doctors are desperately trying
to build his strength for even bigger surgery. Roberta held her
husband's hands as a consultant dressed in a sober dark suit revealed
the devastating news. Their grip grew tighter.
Reggie was due to be considered for parole this Friday. But because it
is now a race against time before he dies, his solicitor Trevor Linn
has applied directly to the Home Secretary for a compassionate release.
Roberta, who has been allowed to stay in the hospital round the clock,
said: "What is the purpose of keeping him in prison any longer? I feel
he has suffered enough."He is not a danger to the public and will not
reoffend. "I don't want to see him spend his last painful days alone.
The only thing Reg can look forward to at the moment is a return to
prison life and the loneliness it brings."
Reggie was last seen in public in April at his 73-year-old brother
Charlie's funeral at Chingford Mount Cemetery in East London where all
the Krays are buried.
Charlie had been taken from Parkhurst prison on the Isle of Wight to a
nearby hospital to die. Reggie's twin Ronnie died of a heart attack in
Broadmoor top-security hospital in 1995 aged 62. Roberta added: "We
knew cancer was possible but you always have hope that things will turn
out differently, don't you? "I'm virtually living at the hospital and
stay in a room overnight. It's been hellish but the one good thing is
we've been able to spend time together since he's been here.
"It's been really good just being able to hold his hand. It's an awful
irony that the first time we get to spend any quality time together is
a really terrible time in other ways."
A hospital spokesman said: "Mr Kray will be with us for the immediate
future." A spokesman for the Prison Service said: "Under Section 36 of
the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the release of prisoners on
compassionate grounds is allowed in exceptional circumstances.
"It is very rare to release them under this section and it will only
happen when it will not put the safety of the public at risk."
The Sunday People is prepared to guarantee the release of this dying
man will NOT put the public at risk. Reggie Kray has paid his debt to
society and should be allowed to spend his last days in freedom.

**

CRACKING UP

HeadLine: CRACKING UP

The People, 13/08/2000, p11
by SHAUN MILNE & IAN EDMONDSON

THE fiance of former EastEnder Danniella Westbrook has dumped her and
checked into the Priory clinic.
Desperate Kevin Jenkins sought help after telling pals he was going
crazy trying to get the star to kick her cocaine habit.
Millionaire security boss Kevin is being treated for stress and alcohol
abuse at the £4,000-a-week hospital.
The Priory, in Roehampton, Surrey, is the clinic where he spent £30,000
trying in vain to get Daniella off her habit.
Gangster turned businessman Dave Courtney, who was to be 32-year-old
Kevin's best man, said: "He's had a complete breakdown, it all got on
top of him.
"He tried everything to get her off the stuff and they even went on a
Caribbean holiday to help her get better.
"But it was clear nothing had changed and she didn't even try to hide
the fact. Kevin couldn't think of anything else he could do. He's
shattered."
Kevin and Daniella, 26 - who played Sam Butcher in EastEnders - planned
to fly 60 showbiz stars and other pals to Barbados for an open- air
wedding this month.
But Daniella has moved out of the couple's home to stay with a friend.
Dave said: "Kevin told her he'd had enough and needed to get his life
back.
But he is heartbroken. "He really loved her and is devastated that it
hasn't worked out. Kevin thought he could help Danniella.
"He tried so hard and I think he feels embarrassed about how it has all
ended. But he came round to the fact that she is never going to change
and called it a day."
Dave added: "It's no secret that they had a stormy relationship with
lots of rows. But that's not the way it ended. "They've been very adult
about it. There are no grudges. He just needs time to get himself back
on track.
"He has been in the Priory for just over a week. He feels good enough
to come out but they've told him he needs to stay in for 28 days
minimum."
Danniella and Kevin first met when she hired him as a bodyguard after
she split from second husband Ben Morgan.
The actress later described him as her "rock". Kevin, whose security
firm has a £7 million annual turnover, tried everything to help the
star conquer her £100,000-a- year addiction.
He moved her into his £300,000 villa at Brighton Marina and footed the
bill for her three-year-old son Kai's nursery fees. Kevin even bought
her a silver Porsche as an engagement gift.
The couple were delighted when they found Danniella was expecting
Kevin's child. But she lost the baby and plunged into depression and a
new round of drug abuse.
Her nose was so badly damaged by snorting cocaine that police now use
photos of Danniella's face to warn children of the perils of drugs.
Kevin tried again to save her but finally realised it was taking a
massive toll on him. Danniella was 16 when she shot to soap fame
straight from theatre school.
She first quit EastEnders in 1993. She rejoined the show but was told
to go by bosses tired of her constant lateness.
Dave Courtney added: "After all the problems with Danniella, Kevin just
needs time and space now."

**

The Black Widow: I SURVIVED BLACK WIDOW

HeadLine: The Black Widow: I SURVIVED BLACK WIDOW

The People, 20/08/2000, p6&7
by SHAUN MILNE

THE husband who miraculously survived a savage attack by sex-crazed
"Black Widow" Dena Thompson today reveals the full horror of what he
went through.
Richard Thompson, speaking exclusively to the Sunday People, told how
wicked Dena...

LURED him into a kinky bondage session with the promise of
mind-blowing sex.

BOUND, gagged and blindfolded her trusting hubby.

SMASHED a baseball bat down on his head.

RAMMED a knife blade into his shoulder as his blood streamed on to
the floor.

SNEERED that he would never dare go to the police because of the
shame.

Richard, 42, who has agreed to speak to the Sunday People about his
ordeal to warn any future potential victims of the calculating Black
Widow, said: "I thought I was a dead man.
"I have no doubt she wanted to finish me off. It's only sheer luck that
she didn't.
"I have no doubt she is capable of killing someone. She is pure evil.
"Even now I am afraid. I can't go into a shower because the water in my
eyes reminds me of all the blood running down my face."
To the astonishment of Richard and a team of 15 detectives who spent
six months trying to bring Dena, 40, to justice, she was cleared at
Lewes Crown Court last week of attempted murder.
Last night she was starting a jail sentence of three years and nine
months for ripping off the life-savings of Richard and two previous
gullible boyfriends.
And there is no doubt in Richard's mind that his bride of nine months
launched the brutal attack last January because he was about to
discover she had cleaned out his bank account.
The former BT engineer was wary at first when Dena suggested the
bondage session at their cottage in Rustington, West Sussex.
But he went along with it because - like the Black Widow's previous
husbands and boyfriends - he was mesmerised by her bubbly personality
and huge sexual appetite.
Richard says: "I woke up about 8am and she said she wanted us to have a
bath together.
"We sat in the tub, fondling each other, washing each other, when she
got up and went to the bedroom.
"She came back with a big pile of towels and laid them on the floor
tiles and said, 'I've got a surprise for you'. If only I knew how big a
surprise. She got me to lie down on my back and she performed a sex act
on me. It was great.
"Then she said she wanted to tie my hands behind my back. I wasn't very
keen but I agreed.
"She used a belt to bind my wrists but I'd secretly flexed my muscles
so when I relaxed the belt was still loose.
"Then she cut some packing tape and used it to bind my ankles and knees
together.
"She asked what I could do to protect myself the way I was and I said
all I could do was kick up at 45 degrees. I used to do martial arts so
showed her what I'd do.
"Never at any point did I think I was in any danger - she was my wife
whom I loved and trusted, we had just performed intimate acts, I was
totally relaxed in her presence."
Then came Richard's moment of hell.
He says: "She put a towel on my face and asked if I could see anything
and I said 'No' and she performed a sex act again.
"Then she lifted off the towel and placed tape over my mouth. I thought
it was strange, I'd never done this before but it was exciting and I
trusted her, even when she put the towel back so I couldn't see again.
"All of a sudden it went silent and I wondered what was going on, what
she planned next.
"Then Pow! I felt the most excruciating pain of my life on my forehead
and was dazed.
"I was still trying to work out what had happened when I was hit for
the second time.
"I could hear a ringing sound of metal and figured it was our metal
baseball bat. I thought, I'm really in trouble here. I was so scared.
"All the while I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on,
why this was happening to me.
"I couldn't see a thing, blood was pouring out my head and into my
eyes, my head was buzzing.
"All the time I was trying not to pass out. I was still bound but tried
to sit up. Because the belt was loose I pulled my hand free and wiped
my eyes and saw Dena standing at the door with the bat.
"I was screaming at her, 'What are you doing?' and the floor was
getting wetter with my blood, it was pooling.
"She had a knife and stabbed me in the shoulder but I somehow pushed
her back. I was fighting for my life.
"I tried to struggle up and she slipped on the floor, either because
she slipped on the blood or because I caught her with my feet, I'm not
sure.
"I saw the glint of steel in her left hand and thought if she gets up
before I can get to the knife then I'm dead.
"I knew I couldn't reach it so I lunged at her instead, I put my right
thumb in her left eye and pressed hard.
"I shouted 'Drop the knife!' and kept pressing until she gave up. Then
I put my weight on her until I knew I had control of her.
"I freed myself and we got up - me making sure the bat and the knife
were well out of her reach first.
"I couldn't think straight, I couldn't understand what had just
happened here, I just screamed at her, 'What the hell are you doing?'.
"She said, 'I just wanted to make it more thrilling, darling' and I
shouted, 'What!'
"Her eyes were wide open, crazed. She just gave me this cold, icy stare
but said little. We were covered in my blood. It was like something
from the film Carrie when she gets covered with a bucket of blood at
the end.
"I was just pacing about, watching her, trying to decide what to do.
"There was blood everywhere. I shouted at her to clean it up and I put
a cold compress on my head to stop the bleeding. I was shaking like a
leaf.
"Her eyes were still wide open, wild eyes, and she wasn't saying
anything.
"She just sat wearing her panties, and covered in my blood.
"Eventually I told her to get her parents over to take me to hospital.
"I wasn't thinking straight, I just knew I couldn't tell people about
the bondage. She said, 'You know you will never be able to tell anyone
about this. You'll be too ashamed'. And for the next couple of days she
was right.
"I was in shock, but how could I tell my friends what we had been doing?
"She said, 'Don't report it, I don't want to go to Holloway jail'. Of
course what I didn't know was she'd been there before.
"I didn't know I'd married a convicted fraudster.
"Eventually I confided in one really good friend who told another and
they said, 'You have to go to the police.
"After a lot of soul-searching that's what I did.
"When the detective sergeant heard what I had to say he looked me in
the eye and said, 'I believe everything you've just told me'.
"That's when I started to find out about the other men she had ripped
off."
Sussex police have now re-opened the investigation into the mysterious
death of Dena's second husband Julian Webb, 31, who died from a
painkiller overdose six years ago at their home.
The coroner recorded an open verdict after saying he did not believe
Julian had committed suicide.
Detective Constable Sean McDonald, one of 15 officers who spent six
months tracing other fraud victims of the Black Widow both here and in
the US, told the Sunday People: "Dena Thompson is one of the most
dangerous women I have met in 15 years of police work."
But for Richard, that knowledge has come too late.
He says: "She has ruined my life. I felt suicidal with the shame of
what happened and I have had to have counselling.
"My life was so low. I'd lost my job, my wife, my dreams.
"And now I'm scared that when she gets out she will come looking for me
for revenge.
"I've got to try and get on with my life now but I can't do it here in
Britain if I'm constantly looking over my shoulder.
"I don't want her to find me. I've no option but to go abroad.
"It's not just for me. I've met another woman and she's been fantastic
- I would never have made it through this nightmare without her
support. But I can't put her safety at risk.
"As far as I'm concerned Dena is a threat and always will be unless she
gets help."
Richard added: "I have no doubt in my mind she would have killed me
that day if she could.
"I am embarrassed about the circumstances, about how it happened, I
feel a complete fool.
"But I have to warn other men about her. She is evil and by speaking
out I hope people realise that.
"I just wish to God that I'd never met the Black Widow."

**

THANK YOU SUNDAY PEOPLE FOR MY FREEDOM - REGGIE KRAY

HeadLine: THANK YOU SUNDAY PEOPLE FOR MY FREEDOM - REGGIE KRAY

The People, 27/08/2000, p4&5
by RACHAEL BLETCHLY & SHAUN MILNE

DYING gangster Reggie Kray sent a message of thanks to Sunday People
readers last night after our powerful campaign to free him finally
succeeded.
Home Secretary Jack Straw took the sensational decision to release him
after doctors confirmed that Reggie, 67, who has spent nearly 33 years
in jail, has just days to live.
Prison guards were immediately withdrawn from the notorious mobster's
hospital bedside where he lies with terminal bladder and bowel cancer.
The mercy move follows overwhelming public response to our campaign to
let Reg die with dignity.
The frail former crime boss, who hopes to go to a secret address with
wife Roberta, 41, tomorrow or Tuesday, thanked Sunday People readers
for helping him win his freedom.
His solicitor, Trevor Linn, said: "Reggie wants me to thank everyone
who phoned or wrote in to back the Sunday People campaign.
"He is extremely grateful for all the support he has received and
believes it has made a huge difference.
"He is in very good spirits and has been cracking jokes. This news has
given him an incredible lift, although he is aware that his days are
numbered.
"Reg knows he is dying and is bearing up very well. Now all he wants is
to spend his final days surrounded by his friends and family as a free
man.
"The tragedy is that he should have been released in 1998 when he met
all the criteria for parole.
"He has been robbed of two years of freedom with Roberta."
Pale Roberta trembled with emotion after she and Reggie heard the news.
She said: "There are mixed emotions today for me and Reggie. Yes, he
has his freedom, but he is still in a hospital bed.
"I am pleased that he has got his freedom which is something he has
been waiting so long for. But he is seriously ill. It is a difficult
time."
Outrage at Reg's plight erupted after the Sunday People published
shocking photographs of him in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
A massive 93 per cent of 10,000 callers to our special People's Court
hotline backed his release.
Reg was transferred to the hospital from Wayland prison in Norfolk
where he was serving a life sentence for the gangland murder of Jack
"The Hat" McVitie.
Surgery revealed his cancer had spread and could not be removed or
treated with chemotherapy.
Roberta, who married Reg in jail three years ago, held his hand
yesterday when he heard the news he has waited more than three decades
for.
Moments before the official announcement was made, a prison governor
visited Reg and told him: "You are going to be released."
A family friend told the Sunday People: "It was a highly emotional
moment. Roberta was in tears, but Reggie was very dignified and took
the news calmly.
"His first reaction was to thank everyone who had supported him and
pass on his gratitude to the doctors and nurses.
"Everyone has been very considerate over the past weeks.
"There must be all sorts of emotions running through Reg. His twin,
Ronnie, died in prison and so did his brother Charlie. He must have
thought the same fate awaited him."
Solicitor Mr Linn said Reggie hopes to leave hospital within days.
Mr Linn said: "The plan is for him to go to a secret address where he
can spend the time he has with his close family and friends.
"This news has given him real determination to enjoy his time and he
seems to be rallying a little.
"I am obviously delighted for Reggie and his family. But it is a public
scandal that it has taken his terminal illness to release him."
Steve Wraith, 28, described by Reggie as his surrogate son after
striking up a friendship by writing to the Krays when he was a
schoolboy, said: "I am happy he has been released and we all hope he
can spend his last few days, or weeks, with Roberta at their home.
"It looks like he may only have days left but he is a fighter."
Reg has been out of jail only three times in the last 32 years - for
the funerals of his mum Violet and brothers.
A Home Office spokesman said "We are satisfied that there is no risk of
Reginald Kray committing further offences."
A hospital spokeswoman said: "His condition does not allow him to leave
at present but he is no longer in custody."

**

LAP DANCERS EYE UP KELLY

HeadLine: LAP DANCERS EYE UP KELLY

The People, 17/09/2000, p26
by SHAUN MILNE

FORMER Big Breakfast beauty Kelly Brook hopes she won't be torn off a
strip when she makes her theatre debut as a lap dancer.
Because real life podium girls are queuing for tickets - to see how she
shapes up in the show called Eye Contact.
Many of the lap dancers Kelly and cast members met in London's Soho
while researching their roles have asked for freebie tickets.A source
said: "Kelly and some of the girls went to a couple of clubs in the
past six months just to see what it was like.
"They wanted to make sure their performances were as life-like as
possible and spent some time talking to lap dancers.
"We've had quite a few back in touch asking if they can come along to
see if we have taken their advice.
Former bra ad model Kelly is currently abroad filming, having landed
roles in the forthcoming movies Sorted and Mojo.
In the the show, which opens in London in November, Kelly plays a lap
dancer who reveals her inner fantasies with other characters on stage.
A show insider said "I think it's safe to say the audience might be
just as interesting as the play on some nights!"

**

PRINCE IS A LOVE RAT

HeadLine: PRINCE IS A LOVE RAT

The People, 01/10/2000, p6&7
by SHAUN MILNE

SPURNED millionaire Michael Edwards-Hammond revealed last night how
Prince Andrew stole his stunning girlfriend after flirting with her
right under his nose.
Michael told how randy Andy fell for stunning Caroline Stanbury when
she went to a posh dinner party wearing a tight mini-dress and no
undies.
The smitten prince spent all evening ogling her slinky figure and
insisted on taking her dancing at a top London club.
Andrew, 40, later sneaked Caroline, 25, into his Buckingham Palace
apartment for secret dates.
And when news of their affair leaked out, he coolly phoned Michael and
joked: "I seem to be your love rival, old boy."
Last night shattered Michael, 32, revealed for the first time how he
lost his "gorgeous, fantastic, sexy lover" to the romeo royal.
He told the Sunday People: "I was devastated when I found out they had
been carrying on behind my back.
"Caroline was going off to his place all the time and I didn't have a
clue.
"A friend of hers finally broke the news that they they were seeing
each other.
"But when rumours started becoming public Prince Andrew tried to play
it down and even offered to get his press office to sort it out.
"I feel really stupid for not seeing this coming as I actually
introduced them.
"But I can't really blame Andrew for falling for Caroline. She is
absolutely gorgeous and a fantastic lover.
"I just didn't stand a chance against a prince. But I want to warn him:
Caroline can be a bit of a handful. She is more trouble than Fergie
ever was."
Polo-playing Michael first met Andrew at a charity match earlier this
year.
The businessman helped organise the Warwickshire Cup on July 2 to raise
money for one of the prince's favourite charities the NSPCC.
Andrew couldn't go but later invited Michael to dinner at trendy
Italian restaurant Como Lario in London's Pimlico as a thank-you.
Michael, who had been dating public relations girl Caroline since July
1999, took her along because she wanted to meet the prince.
He said: "She wasn't actually invited but she made it clear she wanted
to come and was really excited at meeting Andrew.
"Caroline was wearing a stunning clingy mini-dress in pink silk which
really showed off her figure.
"She had tried it on in front of me before we left home and I told her
I could see her panty line.
"She just took off her undies and went out with none on."
At the restaurant Michael was surprised at how informal and unstuffy
Andrew was.
The millionaire business consultant said: "He shook my hand and said,
`Hi, I'm Andy'."
Michael watched Caroline inch her way towards the prince during the
dinner - and it was obvious that Andrew found her attractive.
He said: "She is a great-looking girl. He was with a gorgeous model at
the time, but I could see Caroline had caught his eye.
"They started flirting right in front of me but I laughed it off.
"He was captivated by her and who could blame him? She looked stunning."
At Andrew's insistence the group moved on to trendy night-spots The
Rock and Tramp.
But Michael had to leave early because he had a business meeting in the
morning.
He said: "Caroline told me she would stay with Andrew to make sure he
was OK. I should have known better, I suppose."
But Michael was worried when stories appeared in the press a few days
later about Andrew leaving The Rock with a "mystery blonde".
He said: "I rang Caroline and jokingly remarked, `You've ditched me for
Prince Andrew have you?' and she laughed nervously."
More stories followed, revealing the prince and Caroline were in St
Tropez together on holiday.
Michael said: "It was crazy really. I kept asking myself, `Is my girl
really cheating on me with Prince Andrew?'."
Two weeks after the first meal, Andrew again asked if Michael would
join him for dinner - but this time invited Caroline too.
Again they went to Como Lario, then on to the China White night-club
which is owned by a friend of Michael's.
The tycoon said: "During the evening Andrew was being very flirtatious
with a couple of other girls. He had his arms round then and was
stroking their thighs.
"By the end of the night he was standing on a table, his shirt opened
down the front, waving his arms above him.
"It was brilliant, so funny. There were all these people around just
watching open-mouthed.
"His bodyguard whispered to me, `I'm getting too old for this, he
should be too'."
A few days later Caroline, who drives a £30,000 Mercedes SLK sports
car, was invited to Prince Andrew's private apartment to help him
conduct interviews for a new personal assistant.
But Michael was told he was not invited.
He said: "It was then I had the first real inkling that something
wasn't quite right - but I never expected this.
"I suppose I should have done. Andrew is in his forties now, what else
is he going to do if he meets a beautiful girl?
"Of course he is going to lap up her attention and so will she, she
thrives on it.
"Tell me what man wouldn't fancy her. She is fantastic in bed and I
know Andrew is a bit of a womaniser.
"Maybe he is trying to recapture something, and she is extremely
beautiful."
Soon after the press speculation began, Andrew had the nerve to phone
Michael to discuss it.
Michael said: "Andrew told me, `I hear you're my love rival old boy'
and I laughed it off at the time.
"But I told him I felt things were getting out of hand and deep down I
knew what Caroline was really up to.
"Andrew sounded relaxed, saying his Press team could deal with it if I
wanted."
Despite being director of a company with a £4million turnover and
having homes in London and Kent, Michael found it wasn't enough to beat
the Royal charm.
Caroline dropped him last month when it emerged he had spent eight
months in custody for stealing cars when he was a teenager.
But Michael said: "That was just an excuse. I think Andrew finally told
her that I had to go before they could be seen to be with each other."
Michael knows that Andrew may be having a wonderful time in bed with
the athletic beauty.
He said: "Sex with Caroline was sensational. It's no wonder Andrew fell
for her."
Michael spent four hours making love to the stunning blonde at a luxury
country hotel on the night before Andrew's charity polo match.
He said: "Caroline simply has an insatiable appetite for sex.
"We didn't get to bed until well after 2am and I was tired but I
couldn't resist her. Her legs and breasts are the most perfect I've
ever seen.
"Her skin is so soft and smooth and she is just irresistible. She was
very demanding, very athletic. We made love until almost 6am.
"Andrew's eight years older than me and he will have to be very fit to
keep Caroline happy."
Michael is sure he will meet the prince again in the next few months
because of their charity connections.
He said: "I'll still shake his hand if I see him but I'd warn him to be
careful with Caroline.
"I don't doubt she has designs on becoming a princess - after all it's
every girl's childhood dream."

**

CILLA'S PILGRIMAGE

HeadLine: CILLA'S PILGRIMAGE

The People, 01/10/2000, p13
by SHAUN MILNE

GRIEVING Cilla Black has made a poignant pilgrimage round the world to
scatter the ashes of her husband at all three of their homes.
The broken-hearted TV star wants to feel her beloved Bobby is close
wherever she is staying.
A close friend revealed: "I think it's something Cilla promised she
would do. Bobby was always her guardian angel and this is a way of
making sure that will never change.
"It means that not even death could extinguish their love."
Blind Date host Cilla, 57, first scattered some of Bobby's ashes at
their pounds 1.5 million mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Clutching the urn containing the remains, she then flew off with her
three sons to repeat the ritual at the couple's homes in Spain and
Barbados.
Cilla was distraught when Bobby, 57 - the husband and manager who was
her rock for more than 30 years - lost his battle against cancer nearly
a year ago.
Still reeling from the shock of his death, Cilla was simply going to
scatter Bobby's ashes at their home in Bucks. But then she remembered
how much he had loved their other homes and how happy he had been
there.
Still she was unsure what to do - so she decided to talk it over with
her sons Robert, 29, Ben, 25, and Jack, 17.
Amid all the tears and the memories they decided - as a family - to
undertake the emotional pilgrimage to Bobby's favourite spots.
The friend said: "They remembered just how much he adored those places,
how much fun they had together as the kids were growing up.
"I think it was good for them to talk about Bobby. It helped get some
of the emotion out that they had bottled up."
At their house in Bucks, Cilla and her sons spent a long time
reflecting on the best place to scatter Bobby's ashes. Together they
decided upon a spot he used to love sitting by, near the trees.
The family held each other close and said a prayer.
The tears rolled down Cilla's cheeks as she tried to be brave - while
her boys hugged her.
Then they slowly opened the urn and scattered a portion of its
cherished contents, watching the dust skip in the wind.
The friend said: "It was so hard for them to do. But in a strange kind
of way I think it will be comforting, knowing that at least a part of
him will always be there."
Cilla and her sons then went to the two other homes to repeat the
ritual - agonising each time about the most appropriate spot to scatter
Bobby's remains.
The friend added: "It was very emotional to hear what they had done. It
just goes to show how much they loved Bobby.
"They will never get over his death. But at least this gives them
somewhere they can go to think about all the good times they had and
the places they loved together."
Ex-baker Bobby became Scouser Cilla's manager in 1967, steering her
career from pop singer to TV superstar. They married in 1969.
Son Robert is now helping manage his mother's work.
The friend said: "He's doing well handling what is probably the hardest
job in showbiz, trying to emulate his dad.
"Cilla is learning to cope with things like Bobby not being at the side
of the stage as he always was.
"She is also driving herself to do her best with work. I think she'd
feel she was letting Bobby down otherwise - and she'd never do that."

**

Evil child porn ring smashed

HeadLine: Evil child porn ring smashed

The People, 08/10/2000, p35
by SHAUN MILNE

CUSTOMS officers who seized sick "snuff" videos have helped smash an
international paedophile ring.
The horrifying films - which show children being abused and murdered -
were traced to Moscow and led to the arrest of perverted Dmitri
Kuznetsov.
He is accused of producing the videos - using young homeless boys he
found on the streets. The films were then sent around the world to
paedophiles who paid up to £100 a time for them.
Around a dozen British men have been arrested in connection with the
tapes - and police in Italy and Germany have also launched
investigations. A UK customs official said: "We are determined to stamp
out this vile trade by co-operating with our colleagues throughout
Europe. "Sadly we have seen some very, very nasty stuff involving the
sadistic abuse - and even the murder - of very young children. "The
people who are involved in this are depraved beyond belief."

**

OUR MAN MURPHY RULES THE WAVES!

HeadLine: OUR MAN MURPHY RULES THE WAVES!

The People, 22/10/2000, p33
by SHAUN MILNE

HUMAN battleship Kevin Murphy has blasted a 16-year-old record - after
swimming the English Channel THIRTY-TWO times.
Former Sunday People journalist Kevin, 51, captured the King Of The
Channel crown after a gruelling journey from Dover to Cap Griz Nez.
He torpedoed the previous record of 31 crossings set by Mike Read, of
Ipswich, in 1984- but only after calling on super-human strength to
battle appalling weather.
Kevin said: "I'm delighted. I've been after this title for three
decades.
But I'm not finished yet!"
Kevin was passed a note when he arrived back on British shores.
It was from Mike Read - and it simply said: "Congratulations. I knew
you would do it."
So did we all.

**

Thugs target Greco in pub assault plot

HeadLine: Thugs target Greco in pub assault plot

Sunday Mirror, 29/10/2000, p5
by SHAUN MILNE

EASTENDERS heart-throb Michael Greco has been quizzed by police after
claims that three men were overheard plotting to harm him.
It is alleged the villains went looking for Michael - who plays Beppe
Di Marco - at the Directors pub, Boreham Wood Herts, where the soap's
Christmas special was filmed last week.
After driving ot the pub in a dark-coloured Mercedes, they showed
pictures of Michael, 30, to drinkers and asked them where he was.
They were then overhead by one regular threatening to harm the actor.
A 23-year-old man, who asked not to be named, told the Sunday Mirror:
"They said that they would break his legs."
A Hertfordshire police spokesman said: "We have been made aware of
allegations surrounding a well-known actor and have made investigations
including speaking to him."
The star was beaten up in the street by a gang on thugs on Christmas
Day last year.

**

HARTLEPOOL'S BEATEN MAN U AND ARSENAL (but only in the

HeadLine: HARTLEPOOL'S BEATEN MAN U AND ARSENAL (but only in the
friendliest stadium league)

Sunday Mirror, 29/10/2000, p28
by SHAUN MILNE

PREMIERSHIP big guns Man Utd and Arsenal have been booted into touch by
lowly Hartlepool...in the battle of the grounds.
The Division Three upstarts were runners-up - behind Sunderland - in
this season's list of Britain's top 20 most welcoming football
stadiums.
They finished 13 places ahead of Manchester United and three above
Arsenal.
The latest edition of Guide To Football Grounds puts cash-strapped
Rochdale and Crewe third and fourth.
The judges voted Sunderland tops, saying: "This Stadium of Light
eclipses all. For facilities, passion and atmosphere it is difficult to
beat."
The grounds were judged on how easy they are to reach, disabled
facilities, quality of food, the welcome given to away fans, and match
programmes.
Sunderland came in for particular praise for taking the trouble to
cater for away fans as well as the home support, and the fact that
their ground is easy to reach from town.
They were also complimented on providing commentary for the blind, with
the only real criticism being the stadium's lack of parking.
Hartlepool's Victoria Park ground - average attendance just 2,773 - is
dwarfed next to the likes of Old Trafford's 67,000 crowds. But its
general facilities, and the fact that fans can still stand on the
terraces there, make it far more welcoming, according to the guide.
And the half-time pies at the ground came in for special praise. Guide
author Jon Ladd said: "Words cannot begin to describe this culinary
masterpiece. Make sure you've got room for at least one of these on a
visit.""
Last night Hartlepool spokesman Paul Mullen said the club were
delighted. "It's our best league placing of all time - we'll settle for
that," he added.
Man Utd were heavily criticised for their "chaotic" parking
arrangements, plus the increase in ticket prices on last season and the
difficulty in getting them.
Judges said: "A trip to Old Trafford will probably bring out a number
of emotions in you - awe at the sheer scale of the place, jealousy,
and, perhaps, sadness or anger in that you can't ever kid yourself that
as a fan - home or away - you will ever mean anything to the club. It
is probably best to accept it for what it is - a big corporation
earning money."
Guide author Jon Ladd said: "Too often supporters are viewed as nothing
more than open wallets."

**

BATTERING OF BRITAIN

HeadLine: BATTERING OF BRITAIN

The Mirror, 30/10/2000, p1
by SHAUN MILNE

BRITAIN was last night in the grip of raging 90mph gales that could
cause more damage than the 1987 hurricane.
Flood alerts were issued with least two inches of rain predicted.
Emergency services were on standby. At sea, gales of up to Force 11
were forecast.
The Met Office warned: "It's time to batten down the hatches. We've got
a lot of very strong winds on the way."
Two people died yesterday in the worst storms of the year. A woman
climber fell to her death in Wales and a man died after falling
overboard from a ferry in the Irish Sea.
Six crew were airlifted from a transport ship floundering in 40ft waves
off the Hebrides. Trains hit trees in Worcestershire and Surrey.
Earlier Bognor, Sussex, was struck by a tornado.

HeadLine: FORCE OF '87 IS BACK

The Mirror, 30/10/2000, p4&5
by SHAUN MILNE

GALES brought fresh devastation to Britain yesterday amid grim warnings
that there was worse to come.
Winds gusted up to 90mph bringing flash floods in their wake. Two
people died. Rail and ferry services were cancelled or delayed.
Once again, the south took the brunt of the battering. The chaos
followed a tornado on Saturday which is believed to have caused
millions of pounds damage.
Last night low-lying areas flooded two weeks ago were bracing
themselves for fresh torment.
By the time the 36-hour storm ends it is feared it will have caused
more havoc than the 110mph hurricane in 1987 which cost £ 1billion and
toppled 19million trees.
The Met Office said: "We've got another significant spell of bad
weather coming with a lot of very strong winds forecast. We're looking
at gusts of up to 90mph."
Among yesterday's victims was Michael Davies, 35, of Cardiff, who died
after falling overboard from a ferry in the Irish Sea when he was
caught by a freak gust of wind.
Michael was in the water for several hours as rescuers struggled
through ferocious weather conditions.
He was finally plucked by a helicopter from Irish Rescue Services. But
he died in hospital in Wexford.
A woman died and her husband was in hospital with serious injuries
yesterday after falling down the highest waterfall in Wales.
Both slipped on wet rocks in heavy rain at the top of the 240ft tall
waterfall, Pistyll ym Rhaeadr, Powys.
The 58-year-old woman, from Grantham, Lincs, died immediately when she
plunged more than 40ft onto a rocky shelf. Her husband, 59, fell 30ft
and suffered chest injuries.
One hundred passengers were lucky to escape unhurt after a tree smashed
down on Thames Trains 16.29 Great Malvern-Paddington Sprinter.
The accident came as the four- carriage train was travelling at 60mph
after leaving Evesham station, Worcs.
One passenger, David Melling, 38, of Eastbourne, East Sussex, said:
"There was a loud bang, followed by severe juddering and all the lights
went out.
"The guard told us not to smoke as the crash had damaged the fuel tanks
and there was a fire risk."
A second passenger train smashed into a tree brought down on the track
at East Shalford, Surrey.
Twenty fire-fighters battled to lift the tree off the rails as
passengers were led to safety. Other stayed in their carriages until
another train could get to the site.
Six men were winched to safety after their crippled transport ship, the
1,600-tonne Elektron, was hit by 40ft waves off Barra, in the Hebrides.
The vessel was already under tow after running aground. As it was
battered by the gigantic seas its cargo of trucks and other heavy
equipment broke free and careered round the deck. One truck
somersaulted over the side.
A coastguard helicopter took more than two hours to reach the scene.
The men were plucked to safety from the bucking deck by brave winchman
Chris Murray, who received whiplash injuries in the rescue.
Salvage master Wytse Huismans said later: "I don't know how those guys
did it. They are angels."
Flood warnings were issued in Hampshire, Sussex and parts of Kent with
at least two inches of rain predicted. In Scotland, 20 homes in
Larbert, near Stirling, were evacuated after being swamped by floods.
Two 14-year-old boy scouts were winched to safety by helicopter after
becoming stuck in a bog while hiking in the New Forest, Hants.
Two inexperienced hillwalkers were found by search teams yesterday
morning after spending the night in the Cairngorms in north east
Scotland.
Later, both men were brought off the mountain. One was able to walk off
while the other was airlifted.
Two boys aged eight and 12, were taken to hospital after being rescued
by lifeboat from a sandbank at Millom, Cumbria where they were cut off
by high tide. The pair, who were not named, were later released. They
were not seriously injured.
In Bognor, West Sussex, residents mounted a huge clear-up operation
after a 40ft tornado travelling at 75mph cut a mile-and-a-half swathe
of destruction through the resort.
Cars were overturned, roof lifted buildings wrecked and at least six
people injured. Two women were hurt when their caravans were blown onto
each other. One had to be cut free. Kathleen Wright, 60, said: "I heard
a loud bang. Then bricks from our neighbour's house were catapulted at
our home.
"I saw a fence fly past the kitchen window. Then as suddenly as it
started, it was over." We hugged each and said thank God nobody from
our street was hurt. We have never suffered anything like this."
Paul Taber, 33,added: "I've never seen anything like it. The whole town
went pitch black and you could hear this awful whistling sound as the
tornado ripped through us.
"A tree in my neighbour's garden had come crashing through our fence
and there is a car on its roof in our street."
Emergency services had only just finished cleaning up from the flooding
two weeks ago. But fire and police services again spent the night
securing dangerous buildings and making sure people were safe.
Seventy people spent the night in emergency accommodation after the
SeaCat ferry service was cancelled between Troon and Belfast.
At Edinburgh Airport, 70mph gusts toppled a Cessna 172 onto its nose.
No-one was aboard.

STORM OF THE CENTURY: NO-GO ON ALL ROUTES

HeadLine: STORM OF THE CENTURY: NO-GO ON ALL ROUTES

The Mirror, 31/10/2000, p5
by Jane Kerr, Paul Byrne, Bill Daniels, Jeremy Armstrong, Geoff
Lakeman, Alex Williams, Aidan McGurran,
Lucy Rock, Shaun Milne, Alistair Clay and Suzy Jagger

THE storms brought transport chaos as travellers by rail, road, sea and
air faced huge disruption.
More than half the train network was badly affected. Railtrack said it
was worse than the 1987 hurricane, where the South bore the brunt.
Fallen trees, flooding and toppled power lines combined to cause havoc.
About 1,000 trees were cleared from Southern Region lines.
Engineers in the West Midlands fought to clear routes, the Heathrow
Express from Paddington was halted and overground Tube lines hit.
Obstacles blown on to tracks included a warehouse roof, a Portakabin
and a garden shed.
Large areas of London's M25 were shut, long delays came on parts of the
M1 and 10 major routes were closed in Yorkshire and the North East.
Six thousand people on six ferries from Calais were stranded off Kent
as Dover port shut down. About 1,700 spent almost 20 hours on one
vessel.
A third of BA's short-haul trips from Heathrow and Gatwick were off.
* THE storms and torrential rain made this the wettest October since
1987, forecasters said yesterday.
More than 50mm (1.97ins) of rain fell in some parts of the South this
week, increasing the total across England and Wales this month to 147mm
(5.8ins).
Highest wind speed yesterday was the 98mph recorded in the Mumbles,
South Wales.
* THE London Eye was closed yesterday after the storm smashed glass in
six of its 32 capsules.
The damaged cars were at the top of the 450ft wheel at the time of the
most severe winds yesterday morning.
Trips were suspended and the structure "locked off" .
Last night a spokes-man said: "We hope to re-open tomorrow. We have a
policy that if winds go over 20mph we don't open."

**

Star Tiger all set to tame city

HeadLine: Star Tiger all set to tame city

The Mirror, 02/11/2000, p8
by SHAUN MILNE

THOUSANDS of golf fans will have a chance to get to grips with world No
1 Tiger Woods when he pounces on London later this month.
The big-hitting American is teeing-up a showcase one-off golf clinic in
Hyde Park on November 13 - his first golfing trip to the capital.
The 24-year-old superstar will put his reputation on the line by
attempting to drive home an audacious hole- in-one during his visit.
The event is already a 4,000 sell-out after fans jammed hotlines to get
hold of free tickets.
Last night Woods said: "I've played in most major cities, but never in
London.
"American Express offered me the chance to play on a new green, an
offer I couldn't refuse."

**

THE BAD NEWS.. RETURN OF THE FLOODS

HeadLine: THE BAD NEWS.. RETURN OF THE FLOODS

The Mirror, 02/11/2000, p8
by SHAUN MILNE & HARRY ARNOLD

BRITAIN was braced for more floods today as experts said some areas
would get another inch of rain in just 24 hours.
The Environment Agency said damage across the country was the worst
since the great floods of 1947.
Chairman Sir John Harman warned: "The misery is set to continue."
Weatherman Graeme Kelly said up to an inch of rain was likely to fall
last night in the already waterlogged south east, with Wales and
Yorkshire next to be hit as the front moves north.
Last night more than 20,000 residents in Folkestone, Kent, were asked
to conserve water after gales and heavy rain cut off electricity to
several key pumping stations.
In York 100 people were evacuated and more than 150 businesses
disrupted as the city was hit by its worst floods in 100 years. The
Ouse is 15ft above its normal level and the Army was called in to help
council staff distribute sandbags.
The basement of the Archbishop of York's residence, Bishopthorpe
Palace, was flooded. The Rev Rob Marshall said: "The building is almost
completely surrounded. There is a lot of history - robes, papers and
artefacts - in there."
The Severn was still rising at Shrewsbury, Wilts, where the town centre
was almost inaccessible, causing 200 people to be evacuated.
Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, Upton on Severn and Worcester were also hit.
Travellers face another day of road and rail chaos with many services
delayed or cancelled. Two lines were shut due to floods in the North
East.
Four nuns and a group of birdwatchers, including six children, spent
their 13th day on remote Bardsey Island, North Wales. Seas are too
stormy for a boat to dock. An airlift was called off.

**

SNATCH BABY'S MUM TO SUE POLICE 11YEARS ON

HeadLine: SNATCH BABY'S MUM TO SUE POLICE 11YEARS ON

The Mirror, 03/11/2000, p27
by SHAUN MILNE

THE mother of a boy, missing since he was snatched from a car nearly 11
years ago is planning to sue police.
Shanika Edwards, 33, claims detectives were negligent in handling the
kidnap.
Her son Ames Glover was just five-and-a-half months when he disappeared
on February 5, 1990.
He vanished just two minutes after her ex-husband Paul left his blue
Ford Sierra to use a cash machine in Southall, West London.
A helicopter search of the area and a nationwide hunt for Ames made
front page news in The Mirror, but no trace was found of the baby.
Now Mrs Edwards is seeking damages and hopes to employ the same legal
team which has been representing the family of murdered black teenager
Stephen Lawrence.
She said: "Every day I wake wondering what happened to my little boy,
where he is and what he is doing.
"I don't think the police did their job properly. They spent too much
time interviewing the wrong people.
"They should have been out there looking for my son, instead of asking
us questions.
"I have been through 11 years of anguish. Now I need answers." Mrs
Edwards, who now lives in Bedfordshire and has two sons aged six and
seven by her second marriage, has been warned that her plans to sue
police may be time-barred.
Such actions must usually begin within six years, but she is committed
to carrying on.
She said: "I won't let it stop me. I want an inquiry at least.
"I want to know what happened to my boy. It would mean so much if I
could just see what he is like. Hopefully it will prompt someone
somewhere to start asking questions."
Ames, who was removed from a social services "at risk" register just 10
hours before he went missing, had previously vanished in mysterious
circumstances. That time he was found with relatives. The BBC is
considering filming a documentary of the case.
A Met Police spokesman said: "Southall CID exhausted inquiries into the
Glover case.
"It is no longer being actively investigated but the file is not closed.
"It is reviewed yearly and any new evidence will be investigated."

**

You are dancing on the graves of 5,000 heroes

HeadLine: You are dancing on the graves of 5,000 heroes

The Mirror, 04/11/2000, p21
by SHAUN MILNE

AN OLD soldier who cleared the bodies of fallen comrades from D-Day
beaches yesterday led protests against the Frenchman who plunders war
graves.
Gerald Davitt said Jacques Lemonchois was "dancing on the souls" of
5,000 British and Allied troops who lie buried off the French coast.
Lemonchois, 46, has spent the past 30 years raiding ships sunk in the
Normandy landings for relics to sell.
Mr Davitt, 74, of Birmingham, who served in the 48th Grave
Concentration Unit, said: "I don't know how he can live with himself.
"He is dancing on the graves and souls of brave men who lost their
lives trying to set France free from the Nazis."
Mr Davitt and his unit buried comrades killed at the landing sites of
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
Mr Davitt said: "They would have on rings, gold chains and other things
but we would never dream of taking them."
Lemonchois bought a licence from the French government in 1970 giving
him permission to remove wartime material from the battlegrounds. He
sells items to collectors, puts some pieces in a museum he runs and
sells other relics for scrap.
Alan Martin, 63, of Hucclecote, Glos, said his father, Jack, and uncle
Vic Shellard both took part in the landings.
"My uncle is still alive and he is upset. This man is disturbing places
of rest." Stan Wilkinson, 77, from Manchester, survived when HMS Capel
sank, losing half her 130 crew. He said: "This man is raiding their
graves."
Eric Falconer, 75, of Macclesfield, was an able seaman who survived the
landings. He said: "We had nets under the ship to stop bodies floating
out to sea so we could give them a grave. Now he is stamping all over
them. What kind of man can make his living doing that?"
Medic Richard Smith from Nottingham died on hospital ship SS Amsterdam.
Daughter Kathleen Key, 74, was distraught someone could be swimming
around his grave. She said: "It's heartbreaking."
Alfred Langley, from Essex, was also aboard the Amsterdam when she went
down. His son, also Alfred Langley, 75, said: "This man is exploiting
people's graves."
Wendy Wall, 58, of Middlesbrough, still has the Normandy medal awarded
to her uncle John Dee, 18, after he died serving with the Scottish
Borderers.
She said: "This man should leave them alone, they have made a big
enough sacrifice without lining his pockets."
Elsie Handley, 86, from Southport, Lancashire, was livid to learn about
Lemonchois. She said: "I lost my dear, lovely brother Bob in the war,
and I would hate to think of him being disturbed."
Kenneth Hoggett, 78, of Doncaster, was on a landing craft for the
assault and saw many friends perish.
He said of the scavenging Frenchman: "I hope he finds a mine and is
blown to hell."
But Mavis Marriott, from Peterborough, who lost her brother Arthur
Papworth in the landings, appealed to readers not to tar all the French
with the same brush.
"They are not all like him, Lots of French people treat us like royalty
because they are so grateful. They named a school after my brother in a
village called Vaudry in honour of men who died helping them. They
wanted to remember them for what they gave for us.
"We all should."

**

THE QM II

HeadLine: THE QM II

The Mirror, 07/11/2000, p21
by SHAUN MILNE

CUNARD'S £538million Queen Mary II liner was unveiled as the new
monarch of the seas yesterday.
The majestic 150,000-tonne cruise vessel will be the longest, tallest
and widest passenger ship ever built.
But though she will operate from Southampton and proudly fly the
British flag, she will be built in France.
The QM II follows in the wake of her gracious predecessors the Queen
Mary, Queen Elizabeth and QE2.
With her grand staircases, promenades and imposing public rooms she is
a deliberate attempt to reflect the golden pre-war age of cruise
liners.
Shipbuilding chief Patrick Boissier pledged yesterday: "She will be a
piece of history and a work of art."
Cunard president Larry Pimentel said: "She will carry the grace and
elegance of a bygone era into the future."
The QM II is due to enter service in 2003 carrying some 2,800
passengers and 1,300 crew.
She will be 1,131ft long - about the length of 35 double-decker buses -
and 236ft high.
Her 140,000-horsepower engines, powerful enough to light Southampton,
will enable the giant vessel to travel at nearly 35mph.
There will be nine different classes of cabin ranging from duplex
apartments and penthouse suites - both with butler service - to the
biggest standard cabins on the British market. Other features include:

A MAIN dining room seating 1,310 passengers. It will span the full
width of the ship and be nearly three decks in height;

A 1,100-seat main lounge for Broadway-style productions.

A BALLROOM, nightclub, planetarium, lecture theatre, casino, computer
centre, cinema, five swimming pools and even a pub brewery.

French constructors Chantiers de l'Atlantique will build the QM II at
St Nazaire after Belfast-based Harland and Wolff lost the contract
battle.
The decision cast a shadow over Harland's 1,800 workers.
But yesterday Mr Pimentel said the only reason they were not chosen was
because Harland would have had to join with another firm to build part
of the vessel.
He told a London conference: "We went to the yard that could produce a
vessel on time to the specifications put forward."
The QM II is twice the size of Cunard's 70,327-tonne QE2. The original
81,000-tonne Queen Mary was built at Clydebank and was launched in
1934.
At present, the world's biggest liners are the Finnish-built Explorer
of the Seas and her "sister", the Voyager of the Seas.
Owned by Miami-based Royal Caribbean, each of the 14-deck floating
cities weighs 142,000 tonnes and can carry more than 3,000 passengers.

**

LAUGH OF THE RAT: Battered and bloody Dome raider cracks

HeadLine: LAUGH OF THE RAT: Battered and bloody Dome raider cracks
jokes after his arrest

The Mirror, 08/11/2000, p4&5
by LUCY TURNER, JEFF EDWARDS, LUCY ROCK & SHAUN MILNE

POLICE marksmen kept their weapons trained on the captured raiders as
they stood manacled in a line, a Dome worker revealed last night.
One of the gang, hurt when the JCB smashed into the Dome, joked with
officers despite his injuries.
The employee, who asked not to be identified, said: "Four of the
suspects were lined up along the wall and were guarded by armed police,
who had their guns pointing at them. All the men arrested were dressed
in white forensic smocks and jeans.
"At one point their handcuffs were taken off, so the police could put
clear plastic gloves on them.
"One of the gang, who was standing apart from the other three, was
laughing and joking with the detectives, even though his face was
covered in bruises. He was a real mess. The lower part of his face was
purple and bloody.
"I was told he got battered when his face hit the steering wheel of the
JCB as he went forward. He looked a right state but was still smiling.
"Police were filming everything and some detectives, disguised as hosts
and cleaners, had their pictures taken with the suspects."
Despite the success of the police operation, there was concern last
night about whether Dome visitors - which included school children -
and staff were put at risk.
The worker added: "A lot of the staff at the Dome are cross because we
felt the public were put in danger. You don't expect to go to work and
find out an armed robbery is in progress.
"They said no shots were fired, but my colleague was convinced he heard
shots.
"He said either the windscreen or the side window looked like it had
been shot out."
And head teacher Elizabeth Lutzeier was angered that 29 of her pupils
from All Hallows in Farnham, Surrey, were allowed into the Dome as
armed police lay in wait.
Mrs Lutzeier, 48, said: "It was obviously a very serious matter and I'm
concerned that if the police knew about it why did they let children
near?
"If they told me about it beforehand and even assured me the children
would have been safe it's not a risk I'd have taken.
"Police have said the public were not in danger but I am certainly
going to be asking questions."
But Detective Superintendent John Shatford said: "By going into the
vault they imprisoned themselves, which is why we let them go in
instead of moving earlier.
"It was better than risking them escaping and running into members of
the public while they had a gun, it kept the risk to a minimum."
The gang, dubbed the River Rats, would have struck three weeks ago, but
their getaway boat would not start. Police who shadowed them for months
watched as the men frantically tried to get the outboard engine going
and move the inflatable from a mooring in East London to a pier at the
Dome.
After half an hour tinkering with the fuel and tugging the starting
cord, they gave up and went home.
A Scotland Yard source said: "Everything was ready to go. They had a
getaway van in position and we could tell by the activity this was the
day they were going to go for it. But the boat engine wouldn't fire, so
they were knackered.
"The surveillance team could see them muttering and cursing under their
breath."
Police decided not to move in then fearing there might not be enough
evidence.
Last night the men were also being questioned about two bungled
attempted robberies that would have netted almost pounds 20million. In
both cases the criminals fled empty-handed in inflatable boats.
As the men were being quizzed, witnesses told how they saw the raid
unfold - and the police swing into action to spring their trap.
A smattering of early visitors was outnumbered by scores of workers
repairing the zones, cleaners putting litter into black sacks and
performers donning costumes when the gang struck.
One worker, who was outside McDonald's where schoolchildren were having
breakfast, told how the digger came smashing into the Dome 20 yards
away.
The 28-year-old man, who did not want to be named, said: "There was an
enormous crashing noise. At first I thought something had fallen on top
of the Dome it was that loud. Then I saw a JCB moving across towards
the Money Zone.
"There were two men on it, one driving and the other clinging to the
side.
"They were dressed like builders. The non-driver had _ a large shoulder
bag. They tried to ram it through the doors of the jewellery vault.
"I started to walk towards them but one of our cleaners, who I now
realise was an undercover policeman, told me to stop.
Three minutes later the men jumped from the JCB and disappeared inside
the vault. The worker added: "I heard very clearly men shouting, 'Stop,
armed police'.
Teacher Andrew Worth, from Colfox Primary School in Dorset, who was
with pupils in McDonald's, said: "We heard what sounded like gunfire.
The children are OK."
Another member of staff, a man aged 33, said: "It was very frightening
for everyone.
"I know people are saying it is like a James Bond film and it may sound
exciting now, but the reality is someone could have been killed and
that's a sobering thought."

**

DIY test for heart attack at chemist

HeadLine: DIY test for heart attack at chemist

Daily Record, 15/11/2000, p9
by SHAUN MILNE

A SIMPLE test which warns of an impending heart attack could soon be
bought over the counter at the local pharmacy.
Researchers in the United States and Canada say people worried about
heart trouble can check before visiting a doctor - similar to the way
diabetics check blood sugar levels.
Backers expect 100million kits to be sold every year when it becomes
available.
The new tests work by dropping special fluid on to the skin and
checking the levels of cholesterol against a colour chart.
Trials showed that patients with the most skin cholesterol also had
more diseased arteries.
Dr Brent Norton, president of makers International Medical Innovations
said: "Our test may help identify people at risk for heart disease who
need invasive tests such as angiograms.
"It's an approach that's better for everyone - patients, doctors and
the healthcare system."
More than 1.2million people in Britain suffer from heart disease,
costing the NHS £1.4billion to treat.
Doctors currently take blood from a patient and send it off to a lab,
waiting days or even weeks for results.
Dr Brent added: "Testing cholesterol on the skin saves the patient the
discomfort of a blood test and fasting.
"It may also save the healthcare system money because we'll be able to
target expensive tests at people who really need them."
But last night the British Heart Foundation said they did not endorse
the idea of home-testing kits.
A spokesman said: "A doctor should be the first port of call for anyone
who is worried about cholesterol."

**

Chaos 2: Gridlock on Xmas roads

HeadLine: Chaos 2: Gridlock on Xmas roads

The Mirror, 23/11/2000, p2
by SHAUN MILNE

BRITAIN'S roads face gridlock in the run-up to Christmas because of
chaos on the railways, the AA warned yesterday.
More commuters are using their cars because they can't guarantee
reaching their destination on time by train.
The M25 had a 25 per cent rise in traffic in the wake of the Hatfield
rail crash in October. Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow have also had
more congestion.
AA Roadwatch said: "It's a nation-wide problem and every major city in
Britain is overloaded with traffic. Getting into central London in
particular has become a nightmare."
Railtrack's new chief executive Steven Marshall said: "We certainly
hope it will not be chaos by Christmas but there will be a lot of work
over the Christmas period which will take us into January."

**

Cherie Blaaarrrgh!

HeadLine: Cherie Blaaarrrgh!

The Mirror, 23/11/2000, p3
by SHAUN MILNE

WITH a right hook any grown-up boxer would envy, a little lad lands a
fistful of play dough smack on Cherie Blair's nose.
She tried to bob and weave but impish Stephen Morrison's aim was just
too accurate.
The Prime Minister's wife might have considered it the height of
ingratitude. After all, she'd spent some time helping Stephen, three,
mould his flour and clay mixture into the shape of a snail as she sat
with a bunch of under-fours on a visit to a community project.
But the mum of four sportingly laughed it off and calmly set about
remaking Stephen's work of art.
With baby Leo in mind she said afterwards: "Nothing about meeting small
children surprises me. And as I have a few more years of modelling clay
in front of me, I suppose I'd better get used to it."
Jan Casson, manager of the Surestart project on the Broomgrove estate
in Hastings, East Sussex, said: "She was wonderful and took it all in
great spirit."
Stephen, who bears a certain resemblance to Tory leader William Hague,
was pleased with himself, too. "I was giving her the play dough and
then I stuck it in her nose," he chortled.
Embarrassed dad Jackie, 38, who had a ringside view, said loyally: "He
can be a bit of a tearaway but usually he is an angel."

**

30,000 BRITS IN DESERT BOMBS TERROR

HeadLine: 30,000 BRITS IN DESERT BOMBS TERROR

The Mirror, 24/11/2000, p9
by MARK DOWDNEY & SHAUN MILNE

THE 30,000 Britons living in Saudi Arabia were put on high alert
yesterday after a second bomb attack.
Two British men and a woman were injured when their car was blown up in
Riyadh, capital of the desert kingdom.
The blast came less than a week after British engineer Christopher
Rodway, 47, was killed.
Experts warned that Britons in Saudi could now be equally at risk as
Americans from attacks by Islamic militants.
The most likely suspects are followers of Osama bin Laden, the renegade
Saudi millionaire.
America has put a £3.5million price on his head following a series of
raids against US targets.
British Embassy staff urged Britons and their families to keep a low
profile and be especially vigilant.
Terrorism expert Professor Paul Wilkinson called for urgent extra
security.
He said: "There is increasing evidence of the need to improve security
for expatriates in Saudi and elsewhere in the Middle East.
"British security measures must be based on the assumption that British
targets are also at risk."
Two men who work for the Al-Salam Aircraft Company were injured in the
latest bombing as they drove along King Abdul Aziz street in the centre
of the capital at 1am. One was taken to hospital with leg wounds. The
other man and the woman were treated for minor injuries.
Their car was badly damaged.
Mr Rodway, from Gloucestershire, died in last Friday's attack after an
explosion ripped through his four-wheel-drive vehicle.
His wife Jane, 50, suffered minor injuries. The couple had been in the
region for eight years.
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia attracts thousands of Westerners lured by high
tax-free salaries. Most jobs are in key industries such as
construction, engineering, defence, oil and gas.
But there are opportunities for British nurses, doctors, teachers and
beauty therapists.
David Creffield, publisher of the Overseas Job Express, said: "More
than 3,000 Brits go to Saudi every year.
"The Saudis tend to keep the Government and civil service jobs for
themselves.
"Britons and the Americans will do specialised work and even some less
skilled jobs."

**

BIG MESSAGE

HeadLine: BIG MESSAGE

The Mirror, 24/11/2000, p17
by SHAUN MILNE

BIG Brother victor Craig Phillips launched the Christmas campaign
against drink-driving yesterday by telling how his father was killed by
a drunk at the wheel.
He said: "I'm backing the campaign as I know from bitter experience how
drink-driving can wreck lives.
"I was 13 when my dad was knocked down and killed. It shattered our
family. The memory of his loss is hardest to bear at Christmas.
"My message is simple - don't drink and drive this Christmas. Don't
take the chance of destroying a life and a family."
Craig - who revealed his family tragedy in The Mirror two months ago -
spoke out as the Government unveiled a series of TV adverts featuring
real life road accidents in the annual blitz on drink-drivers.
Among the graphic images are ambulance crews trying to resuscitate a
crash victim, wrecked cars and the harrowing effect on rescuers. Cliff
Richard's Mistletoe And Wine, Roy Wood's I Wish It Could Be Christmas
Every Day and the haunting carol Silent Night play in the background.
The commercials will be shown from November 27 to December 31
accompanied by postcards in pubs and adverts in men's toilets.
None of the victims' families has been approached for permission to use
the scenes. But no one featured can be identified.
Transport minister Lord Whitty said at the London launch of the pounds
1.9million Think! campaign: "We believe these commercials will hammer
home the message that drinking and driving can wreck lives."
Echoing the campaign slogan, the minister added: "Drinking and driving
is one Christmas tradition we can do without."
Lancashire Chief Constable Pauline Clare, of the Association of Chief
Police Officers, said: "Society must reject drink-driving.
"Refuse to be a passenger if you know the driver has been drinking.
Show your disapproval by reporting offenders to the police."
Last year, 420 people were killed and 2,430 seriously injured in
drink-drive accidents. The death toll was down from 460 in 1998.
A total of 120,300 people were breathalysed last December, with 8,900
testing positive. The number of positive tests per year has dropped
from 20 per cent in 1989 to 12 per cent last year.
In his Mirror interview Scouser Craig told how his father Leslie, 49,
was killed yards from his home as he walked the family dog.
Craig said: "I experienced a mixture of all sorts of feelings. But
mainly it was devastating grief."

**

CADET RACISM PROBE

HeadLine: CADET RACISM PROBE

The Mirror, 24/11/2000, p27
by SHAUN MILNE

A GRAMMAR school is investigating claims student cadets were subjected
to bullying and racial abuse during a camping trip.
Up to 14 younger boys were forced to view pornography, dance
suggestively and commit inappropriate acts, it is claimed. At least one
was allegedly beaten.
A 17-year-old boy serving as an NCO has been expelled.
The claims came to light after staff at Maidstone Grammar School in
Kent saw bruising on a pupil.
The boy admitted he had been bullied after his parents were called in.
The school has since suspended all activities involving the combined
cadet force.
A source said: "No-one is quite sure about all the details, but it's
alleged that some of the children were abused, both racially and
physically."
Teachers, MoD officials and the Cadet Force are investigating.
The exercise at Shornecliffe Garrison was the first time new cadets,
aged 14 to 17, had gone on a weekend trip with the combined force.
The 54 pupils were accompanied by four teachers.
A spokesman for Kent County Council said: "The school is taking these
allegations very seriously."
Maidstone Grammar was named the top school in its area in the
Government league tables. Former pupils include Red Arrows leader
Anthony Whiteman while "Lord of the Flies" author William Golding was
once on the staff.
A source close to head Neil Turrell said: "I know the headteacher is
deeply shocked and concerned.
"It's a very good school, he doesn't allow threatening behaviour at the
school in any shape or form."
A spokesman for the Combined Cadet Force confirmed it was aware of the
allegations.
He said: "We would fully support the actions of the headmaster.
"We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour."

**

Where is the band today? IT WAS 33 YEARS AGO TODAY, SGT

HeadLine: Where is the band today? IT WAS 33 YEARS AGO TODAY, SGT
PEPPER TAUGHT THE BAND TO PLAY..

The Mirror, 27/11/2000, p8&9
by LORRAINE FISHER & SHAUN MILNE

IT'S a timeless classic that regularly tops the list of all-time best
albums.
Released in 1967, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is generally
regarded as the best album The Beatles ever made.
Today a compilation album of the Fab Four's greatest hits is at No 1 -
just as Sgt Pepper was 33 years ago.
The cover, by artist Peter Blake, is as famous and talked about as most
of the tracks inside. A wild array of the people who influenced The
Beatles in the Sixties, it reflects the unconventional, avant-garde
sub-culture John, Paul, George and Ringo were into at the time.
But just who ARE all the faces in Blake's inspired work of art?
Here The Mirror gives a complete guide to the most famous record cover
ever:

1 SRI YUKTESWAR GIRI

A disciple of Lahiri (No 49), who died in 1936. Son of a wealthy
businessman, he wrote The Holy Science which underlines the unity
between Christian and Hindu scriptures.

2 ALEISTER CROWLEY

Debauched drug-taking occultist. Vilified for his hedonistic
lifestyle, before dying in 1947.

3 MAE WEST

Voluptuous movie sex bomb more famous for her ripe one-liners such as
'Come up and see me some time' than for her films which included I'm No
Angel and Klondike Annie. Died 1980.

4 LENNY BRUCE

Satirical comedian whose over-stepping of boundaries resulted in his
imprisonment for obscenity in 1961. Drugs led to his death five years
later.

5 KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN

Avant-garde composer. Plans for a concert with the Beatles never came
to fruition. Still alive.

6 W C FIELDS

Actor deemed one of America's greatest comedians, particularly noted
for his performance of Mr Micawber in David Copperfield. Died 1946.

7 CARL JUNG

Swedish psychiatrist who coined the term 'complex' to define how
memories or emotions can lead to neurosis. Died in 1961.

8 EDGAR ALLEN POE

American poet and short story writer famed for his horror works which
included Murders In The Rue Morgue. Rumoured to be a drug addict and
alcoholic. Died in 1849.

9 FRED ASTAIRE

US dancer and star of countless musicals such as Top Hat and Swing
Time with Ginger Rogers. Died 1987.

10 RICHARD M MERKIN

US artist whose loud and bold paintings first came to the fore in the
Sixties. Now dead.

11BINNIE BARNES

Glamorous British actress who played wise cracking sidekicks in films
like The Private Life Of Don Juan. Died 1998.

12 HUNTZ HALL

Actor in the films Dead End Kids and Bowery Boys in the Thirties and
Forties. Died in 1999.

13 SIMON RODIA

Italian anarchist and artist who took 30 years to build the
100ft-high Watts Tower in LA out of bits of wire and glass. Died in
1965.

14 BOB DYLAN

Now 59, the reclusive but legendary singer of Like A Rolling Stone
and Blowin' In The Wind toured Britain last month.

15 AUBREY BEARDSLEY

An artist in black and white, he produced set designs for Oscar
Wilde's Salome and The Rape Of The Lock. Died in 1898.

16 SIR ROBERT PEEL

Former Prime Minister and Home Secretary who established the
Conservative Party and the first British police force. Died in 1850.

17 ALDOUS HUXLEY

Author of Brave New World. Interested in hypnosis and psychedelic
drugs. Died 1963.

18 DYLAN THOMAS

Welsh poet who wrote Under Milk Wood, a "play for voices". Died in
1953 of alcohol poisoning.

19 TERRY SOUTHERN

Hip writer who produced the screenplay for the Easy Rider, Barbarella
and Dr Strangelove. Died 1995.

20 DION

Sixties pop star and headliner of Dion and the Belmonts whose hits
included Runaround Sue. Still alive.

21 TONY CURTIS

Actor as well known for his much younger wife and plastic surgery
than his role in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot. Still alive.

22 WALLACE BERMAN

Beat artist and motorbike fan based in Los Angeles. Set up trendy
magazine Semina. Died 1976.

23 TOMMY HANDLEY

RADIO comedian who broadcast a weekly dose of the absurdities of
daily life in ITMA (It's That Man Again). Died 1949.

24 MARILYN MONROE

The 20th Century's greatest sex icon and star of a string of hit
films including The Seven Year Itch. Committed suicide in 1962.

25 WILLIAM BURROUGHS

Unconventional author whose novels include Naked Lunch. His own
heroin addiction inspired his 1953 book, Junkie. Died 1997

26 SRI MAHAVATARA BABAJI

Late Indian guru who claimed to be a saint sent down to serve
mankind. Had three basic principles: Truth, Simplicity and Love.

27 STAN LAUREL

The thin half of the "best double act of its time". The Lancashire
born comedian hit the big time after pairing up with Oliver Hardy. Died
in 1967.

28 RICHARD LINDNER

German born artist who fled the Nazis in 1933. Specialised in pop art
and abstract expressionism. Died in 1978.

29 OLIVER HARDY

The fat half of the pair. Born in America, he led a troupe of
minstrels before meeting Laurel. Died 1957.

30 KARL MARX

German political philosopher and father of Communism. Penned the
phrase "Workers of the World Unite". Died in 1883.

31 H G WELLS

Author who pioneered science fiction.Works included The Time Machine
and War Of The Worlds. Died in 1946.

32 SRI PARAMHANSA YOGANDANDA

Disciple of Mahavata Babaji who went to US to teach his religion in
the Twenties. Autobiography Of A Yogi, published in 1946, was in best
seller lists as recently as 1997.

33 STUART SUTCLIFFE

An original Beatle who was dropped from the band before they hit the
big time. Died tragically young of a brain haemorrhage in 1962.

34 JULIE ADAMS

Heroine of the 1954 cult classic 3D flick The Creature From The Blue
Lagoon. Still alive.

35 MAX MILLER

British comedian and music hall star who topped the bill at the
London Palladium - famed for his risque jokes. Died in 1963.

36 Drawing of a girl.

37 MARLON BRANDO

One of America's greatest actors starring in films such as On The
Waterfront, and Last Tango In Paris. Still alive.

38 TOM MIX

First and greatest silent Hollywood cowboy star. Died in a car
accident in 1940.

39 OSCAR WILDE

One of Ireland's most famous authors and wits. Best known for his
play The Importance Of Being Ernest. Jailed in 1895 when he failed to
disprove claims of his homosexuality. Died in 1890.

40 TYRONE POWER

Swashbuckling Hollywood heartthrob who starred in films such as the
Mark Of Zorro, Rawhide and Witness For The Prosecution. Died in 1958.

41 LARRY BELL

Born in Chicago, Bell became a full-time artist in 1965 after working
as a trucker and picture framer. Used minimalist and technical
techniques which were variations on a single idea. Now dead.

42 DR DAVID LIVINGSTONE

Scots-born explorer discovered much of Africa including the Victoria
Falls. Thought lost on one trip until found by Stanley who greeted him
by saying: "Dr Livingstone, I presume". Died 1873.

43 JOHNNY WEISSMULLER

First man to swim 100 metres in under a minute and won five swimming
gold medals. Went on to play Tarzan on screen. He died of drink
problems in 1984, aged 79.

44 STEPHEN CRANE

Writer who died in 1900 aged 29. Left no diaries and memoirs, and no
letters. His most famous work was The Red Badge Of Courage about the
American Civil War.

45 ISSY BONN

The late 17-stone British comedian and radio performer. Radio
announcer during the Second World War.

46 GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

Playwright, music critic and political activist, Shaw was awarded the
Nobel prize for over 50 plays including , the basis of the musical My
Fair Lady. Died in 1950.

47 H C WESTERMANN

Quirky sculptor from Chicago who died in 1981. A former travelling
acrobat he used mirrors, doors and drawers in his unusual work.

48 ALBERT STUBBINS

The late Newcastle striker who was the war-time top scorer.

A hero on Tyneside and Merseyside when his pounds 13,000 transfer to
Liverpool set a British record.

49 SRI LAHIRI MAHASAYA

Indian guru who died in 1895. His teachings included the saying:
"Always remember that you belong to no one and no one belongs to you".

50 LEWIS CARROLL

Became a favourite author to generations of children with his Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland published in 1865 and Through The Looking
Glass in 1871. Lived until he was 66.

51 SONNY LISTON

Feared American world heavyweight champion. Former strikebreaker and
convict, he lost his title to the then unfancied Cassius Clay -
Muhammad Ali in February 1964. Died in 1970.

52 GEORGE HARRISON

The man who bought Indian mysticism to the Beatles, Harrison was in
the news just a week ago, telling how a crazed fan stabbed him in his
own home. Played guitar with the Fab Four until they split in 1970, but
enjoyed limited solo success with the single, My Sweet Lord.

53 JOHN LENNON

Regarded as the main driving force behind the Beatles he was awarded
the MBE in 1965 with the others. Married artist Yoko Ono in 1969 and
celebrated his biggest solo success a year later with the song Imagine.
Shot and killed by a crazed fan outside his New York home in 1980.

54 RINGO STARR

Described as the luckiest drummer in the world, he was asked to join
the Beatles as a replacement for Pete Best just as they found fame. Now
aged 60, he has provided the voice for Thomas The Tank Engine series.

55 PAUL McCARTNEY

Now Sir Paul, he was joint singer/ songwriter with John Lennon for
the Beatles before they split. Enjoyed further success with his band
Wings and as a solo artist. Now a high profile campaigner on green
issues following the death of his wife Linda.

56 ALBERT EINSTEIN

Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, the physicist, whose General and
Special Theories of Relativity described gravity as the warping of
space and time, changed physics. His work also led to the development
of the atom bomb. He died in 1955.

57 MARLENE DIETRICH

The famous German was 90 when she died in Berlin in 1992. The
outrageous actress - said to be bisexual - made a number of classic
films including Blue Angel and Destry Rides Again. Her striking looks
made her a pin up of generations.

58 DIANA DORS

The British Marilyn Monroe, the Swindon born actress found fame in
films such as Yield To The Night she married three times, sold her
story to a newspaper and was declared bankrupt. Died in 1984.

59 SHIRLEY TEMPLE

Starred in over 40 films, most made in the Thirties before she was
12. She left Hollywood at 21 and never made another movie. Her hits
included Bright Eyes and Poor Little Rich Girl. Still alive.

60 BOBBY BREEN

Child actor who starred in the film Rainbow On The River written in
1936 and had a minor hit record with a single of the same name as the
movie. Born in 1927, he still owns and operates Bobby Breen Enterprises
- a talent agency in Florida.

61 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

T E Lawrence won literary acclaim for his book The Seven Pillars of
Wisdom, which tells the story of his life in Arabia where he served in
the First World War against Germany's Turkish allies. Suffered a
motorcycle accident in May 1935. Died six days later.

62 A Legionnaire.

**

FREED MAN IS KILLER'

HeadLine: 'FREED MAN IS KILLER'

The Mirror, 30/11/2000, p17
by SHAUN MILNE

A TEENAGER cleared by a jury of a Christmas Day murder was branded
"guilty" by a judge yesterday.
Akhtar Hussain, 19, walked free from his trial earlier this month
having denied stabbing student Pervinder Ryatt.
But Judge Michael Coombe said in court that he believed Mr Hussain,
from Walthamstow, East London, should have been found guilty.
Jailing the other gang members the judge said: "It's fair to assume the
jury got it wrong."
He said: "Mitigation speeches by barristers for the five other accused
all pointed the finger of guilt at Akhtar Hussain."
The court heard that Pervinder Ryatt, 19, was hunted down in London's
West End on Christmas Day and stabbed in the back by Akhtar Hussain.
His cousin Safdar Hussain, 21, admitted murder, brothers Feroz, 18, and
Shahbaz Khan, 20, pleaded guilty to affray and Tariq Bokhari, 22, and
Surfaz Ghaffar, 20, admitted violent disorder.

**

GUY'S WEDDING TRIBUTE TO WAR HERO GRANDAD

HeadLine: GUY'S WEDDING TRIBUTE TO WAR HERO GRANDAD

The Mirror, 11/12/2000, p7
by SHAUN MILNE & HARRY ARNOLD

GUY Ritchie chose Scotland as the venue for his wedding to Madonna to
honour his war hero grandad.
Major Stewart "Jack" Ritchie won the Military Cross for bravery during
World War One. Tragically, he was killed near Dunkirk in World War Two.
Guy, 32, was determined to pay tribute to his grandfather, who served
with the Seaforth Highlanders regiment.
He and Madonna, 42, will marry in the Highlands at Dornoch Cathedral on
December 22. The reception is expected to be at Skibo Castle.
The director of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels will wear his
family's Hunting Macintosh tartan kilt with his grandfather's
regimental sporran.
Guy's father John, 71, who also served with the same regiment, said
last night: "The sporran is a bit moth-eaten but Guy is very proud of
what his grandfather did.
"When Guy was eight and his sister, Tabatha, 10, I took them to to see
the war graves.
"Their grandfather never had a grave but they were able to see where he
died and ask what happened. Guy is also aware I was in the army for
eight years, serving in Malaya during the troubles.
"My Great Uncle Sir Archibald Ritchie was a general in World War One
and a Seaforth Highlander as well.
"Guy knows I had a kilt and wore it during my army days.
His decision to get married in Scotland, and in a kilt, is a tribute to
his grandfather and, hopefully, me as well.
"It also shows a close affection for the regiment."
John says of his daughter-in-law to-be: "I've met Madonna quite often.
She is a delightful and talented person and quite homely."
Guy, who has a baby son, Rocco, with Madonna, attended the Remembrance
Day service at the Cenotaph this year to pay his respects to the war
dead.
His grandfather led a successful attack on the Hindenburg Line in 1918
and was injured in the fearsome battle.
Afterwards, he was given the Military Cross - the third highest award
for bravery in action.
Major Ritchie left the army soon after but was recalled when World War
Two broke out.
The Seaforth Highlanders, as part of the 51st Highland Division, were
ordered by Winston Churchill to dig in at St Valery-en Caux in Normandy
to help the retreat at Dunkirk.
Outnumbered and outgunned by six German Panzer divisions, the
Highlanders fought bravely on.
More than 1,000 soldiers died. Major Ritchie fell in a hail of bullets
on June 12, 1940, trying to set up a defensive position to fight a
desperate last stand.
The next day, his commanding officer surrendered.
Major Ritchie and his fallen comrades were buried in a mass grave by
the Germans. Their bodies were moved to a British Army unmarked grave
in 1945.
His name is carved on to the official Dunkirk memorial.

**

REVENGE OF MARIO

HeadLine: REVENGE OF MARIO

Daily Record, 12/12/2000, p6
by SHAUN MILNE

A SCHOOLGIRL has been scarred for life after her computer joystick left
a hole in her hand.
The nine-year-old spent so long playing Mario Party on her Nintendo 64
that her flesh was rubbed away.
Medics say the Australian incident is just the latest case of so-called
Nintendonitis - a repetitive strain injury first diagnosed by Aberdeen
doctors last month.
Experts now warn kids must take a break from playing to avoid long-term
damage - including bladder and bowel incontinence, epilepsy or RSI.
They say the problems should be highlighted by games firms.
London researcher Jane Greening, from University College, yesterday
warned: "Kids using computer games, particularly Nintendos, are a bad
thing.
"They are more at risk, but if anyone makes repetitive movements for
hours all sorts of things can happen."
Doctors at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital were baffled when an
11-year-old was admitted in November with chronic arm pain - until he
admitted playing his Nintendo non-stop.
Dr Diana Macgregor said: "We're warning children to have fun but to use
games wisely. Parents must be made aware of the long term effects."
She suggests children do forearm and hand stretches during computer use
- a technique adopted in America were strain problems are epidemic.
Nintendos do carry warnings of epilepsy, RSI and motion sickness.
However, Australian doctor Guan Koh warned yesterday the parents of the
little girl with the damaged hand hadn't bothered to read them.

**

SAUDI BOMB SCOT LOSES SIGHT IN TERROR BLAST

HeadLine: SAUDI BOMB SCOT LOSES SIGHT IN TERROR BLAST

The Mirror, 18/12/2000, p13
by SHAUN MILNE

THE SCOTS businessman injured by a bomb attack in Saudi Arabia has been
blinded by the explosion.
British Embassy officials in the Middle East city last night confirmed
that David Brown, 41, from Edinburgh, had lost sight in his right eye.
He also suffered burns to his neck, chest and hand after a parcel bomb
placed on his car windscreen blew up as he tried to remove it.
The married dad-of-one is being treated for his injuries at the
Al-Khober hospital but was expected to be transferred to a specialist
clinic.
His wife Jo said David, a customer services manager for Coca-Cola
International, had noticed a juice carton on the windscreen after
dropping off a friend and it exploded when he picked it up.
She said that earlier, a man wearing traditional Saudi dress had
followed them while another had "given them suspicious looks" at a busy
market.
No group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
It is believed that the attack was connected to two previous incidents,
and that Mr Brown was targetted because of who he worked for.
Last night, British Embassy official Cecille El Beleidi confirmed Mr
Brown, who has a baby daughter called Lucy, had been blinded.
She said: "Everything is being done to make him comfortable."
Coca-Cola, who said they were "shocked" by the attack, were last night
understood to be flying members of the Brown family to Saudi.
The Browns married in Bahrain last year and he has worked in the
country for three years.
The bombing was the third attack on the British community in less than
a month.
Christopher Rodway, from Gloustershire, was killed when his car
exploded in Riyadh on November 17.
Three Britons and an Irish woman were then injured when an explosion
ripped through a car.

**

MADDY WANTED HUBBY

HeadLine: MADDY WANTED HUBBY

The Mirror, 18/12/2000, p8
by SHAUN MILNE

MADONNA at first wanted the husband of the minister who will marry her
to Guy Ritchie to carry out the ceremony .
Her decision to snub chaplain Rev. Derek Brown in favour of his wife
Susan, minister at Dornoch Cathedral, Sutherland, has been a secret
family joke for weeks.
Last night, a close family friend told the Scottish Mirror: "The whole
family is closely involved but are keeping quiet.
"They don't really mind who conducts the marriage. They're just excited
to be involved in something as huge as this."
While Susan, 41, has been busy advising Madonna and Guy on the wording
of their wedding vows, Derek can expect to receive a consolation prize.
He is expected to join his wife at the couple's lavish wedding
reception at Skibo Castle.
And Derek, the Church of Scotland chaplain to Inverness hospitals, is
under strict orders from children Simon, 13, and Hannah, nine, to get
as many showbiz autographs as possible.
A host of stars including actor Brad Pitt, Vinnie Jones and Gwyneth
Paltrow are all expected to attend.
But down-to-earth Susan says she will be treating the showbiz wedding
of the year as a part of her everyday duties. She joked: "I am a little
naive. I didn't realise things would be this big."
The happy couple are due to fly into Inverness today with baby son
Rocco - who Susan will also baptise - and Madonna's daughter Lourdes.

A SONG FOR GUY

HeadLine: A SONG FOR GUY

The Mirror, 19/12/2000, p1
by SHAUN MILNE

LOVESTRUCK Madonna will perform a new ballad she has written about Guy
Ritchie at their fairytale Scots wedding.
Close friends revealed she has spent weeks perfecting the romantic
lyrics and brought her trusty guitar with her when she and Guy landed
at Inverness Airport yesterday.
A pal said: "How much more romantic can you get than writing a song
about someone?"

**

Queen of style gets tartan-ed up for her Highland wedding

HeadLine: Queen of style gets tartan-ed up for her Highland wedding

The Mirror, 19/12/2000, p4&5
by SHAUN MILNE

POP superstar Madonna and fiance Guy Ritchie swept into Scotland on a
private jet yesterday to prepare for the showbiz wedding of the year.
She was immediately dubbed 'Mac-Donna' after stepping onto the tarmac
at Inverness Airport wearing a distinctive heather-coloured tartan
coat.
And the Mirror can reveal that Madonna will perform a song she has
written especially about Guy immediately after the ceremony.
The queen of pop, flanked by security guards and her husband-to-be,
walked briskly to a fleet of waiting cars before making the journey to
Skibo Castle.
But even she couldn't resist cracking a smile when she heard piper
Calum Fraser give a blast of her early hit Like A Virgin on his chanter
before she left.
Fraser, from Granton on Spey, greeted her in full Highland Dress and
had learned the tune specially for the visit.
But not everything in the slick operation was quite as welcoming as a
nearby farmer polluted the cold air with the vile stench of slurry he
was spreading on a field.
There was even some suggestion he may have been some kind of bitter
Britney Spears fan as he only started the job 15 minutes before the
couple arrived.
They had been granted special dispensation to leave from an RAF
airfield in England normally reserved for military or Royal flights at
11am, after a 25-minute delay caused by air traffic control problems.
The couple's silky white 36-seater Falcon 2000 aircraft bearing
distinctive red and grey stripes touched down on the stroke of 1.27pm
in an area reserved for VIPs.
The single door of the jet dropped to reveal the short steps down to
the tarmac. The jet black pounds 50,000 Range Rovers stood just yards
away.
A fleet of vehicles, including two British Airways trucks and the three
Range Rovers from Skibo Castle, with blacked out windows, had been
waiting to collect them.
Two bodyguards and two nannies appeared first and spoke to the drivers
before Guy Ritchie appeared, wearing a black polo neck jumper and grey
slacks.
Still chewing food from the plane, he got into the back seat followed
by Madonna, her trademark blonde hair whipping about her face in the
Highland breeze.
A carrycot containing baby Rocco followed, then a strapping bodyguard
carried daughter Lourdes, four, shielding her from the waiting press.
The luggage was next with case after case being loaded into the convoy.
But several items were obviously too important to be carried by anyone
other than Madonna and her fiance.
First a suit carrier, obviously carrying the Hunting MacIntosh kilt
which Ritchie will wear for the wedding.
Then there was a white box which was thought to have been the pounds
30,000 designer christening gown for baby Rocco.
Baby Rocco is to be christened in Dornoch Cathedral on Thursday at
6.30pm, the day before the wedding in nearby luxury retreat Skibo
Castle at 6pm.
A guitar case was carried onto the Range Rover provoking excited talk
of a solo Madonna performance at her own wedding, perhaps with showbiz
friend Sting.
But the Mirror has learned that she has actually composed a song to be
sung for Guy at the ceremony itself.
One close source revealed: "As far as I know it's her own way of
showing how much she loves him.
"How much more romantic can you get than writing a song about someone.
Not much.
"She's not letting on about the words, but I know she's run it past two
close music friends."
Within 10 minutes of landing, the party was being driven away on the
45-mile journey to Skibo in Sutherland, which plays host to the
wedding.
The couple's aides were expected to collect the wedding certificate
from the Dornoch registrars and Madonna will remain at the Skibo
Estate.
She will be guarded by a trained army of security guards and minders
until she travels to Dornoch Cathedral, where minister the Rev. Susan
Brown will christen Rocco.
Sting, at whose party Madonna and Ritchie met, is expected to sing at
the christening as well as the wedding.
Streets in Dornoch will be closed off to allow Madonna and child a
quick getaway to the privacy of Skibo.
Christenings are public events in Scotland and some of the public must
be allowed in to witness the baptism.
However, to prevent press infiltrating the ceremony, Madonna has
complied with Scots law by inviting a dozen church elders and a few of
the parishioners into the 400-seater Cathedral to join the 40 guests
before the doors are shut behind her.
She is not really expected to be seen until December 23, the day after
the wedding, when she has made provisional arrangements to leave.
However there have been a few hints that she may try her hand at clay
pigeon shooting on the estate, after getting lessons with Guy in
England.
Reporters, photographers, and camera crews remained under the watchful
eye of police as they waited for their glimpse of the stars, which
eventually came half an hour later than scheduled.
They managed to snatch a few pictures during the brief transfer from
plane to cars.
Madonna had been expected to walk a few yards to the waiting fleet but
her security men advised against it and her entourage was only in view
for a few seconds.
But four fans who had turned up to see her got a closer view of the
action than they expected.
Airport security and police allowed them to join the media mass for a
grandstand look.
Among them was Weeheong Barras, a 27-year-old optician from Inverness,
who was surprised more people had not turned up.
She said: "I don't understand why there were not more people down here.
"I lived in London before and I never saw anyone, so it is ironic to be
in Inverness and see a celebrity."
Anne Cowley, 51, from Culloden, near Inverness, added: "Life goes on as
normal no matter what has happened.
"This is why she has chosen here I think, because she knew this would
happen.
"They don't get awe inspired with it all, it is just 'let people get on
with their lives'.
"The venue she has chosen couldn't be better. It is such a romantic
setting."

**

THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE HIGHLANDS

HeadLine: THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE HIGHLANDS

The Mirror, 19/12/2000, p21
by SHAUN MILNE

IT WAS the biggest event in the history of Inverness - and the world's
media was there to see it.
No, not Madonna's arrival for her showbiz wedding of the year to Guy
Ritchie but yesterday's announcement that Inverness was crowned
Scotland's millennium city by Her Majesty the Queen.
It sparked celebrations in the town hall, made the Christmas lights
appear to glow just that little bit brighter, and the local football
team Caley Thistle seem like world-beaters.
But, for some crazy reason, most of the assembled ruddy-cheeked hacks
and hackettes were chasing the Queen of Pop.
All of that was simply a minor distraction for the 70,000 residents of
Inverness - winner of the Britain in Bloom (best large town) Award
1996.
It joins Brighton & Hove and Wolverhampton as a millennium city -
beating off stiff competition from 36 rival applications.
The status offers no extra royal or Government privileges, though the
kudos of becoming a city is generally expected to bring economic
benefits.
In fact only 14 towns were upgraded in the 20th century, most recently
Armagh and St David's in 1994 and Sunderland in 1992.
Some politicians tried to turn the event into a political mudfight
saying the towns chosen were all in Labour marginal seats.
But Home Office ministers pointed out that unsuccessful bids would have
a second chance for the title in the 2002 Queen's Jubilee.
And those who lost out were swift to offer their congratulations to the
winners.
Edinburgh - 160 miles south - may be the nation's capital but, for
years, Inverness has been deemed the Highland capital, the epicentre of
life in the region.
As Scotland's fifth city - behind Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and
Aberdeen - it could receive a major economic boost.
Scottish Secretary John Reid was on hand to help with the party
celebrations while keeping a consolation word or two for those who
missed out this time.
He said: "When I visited Inverness 18 months ago there was a real buzz
about the millennium city competition and I am pleased that the efforts
of all those involved have paid off.
"Inverness has long been known as the Highland capital, and I hope that
its new status as a city will provide a welcome boost to the economy,
identity and confidence of Scotland's newest city both in Scotland and
abroad.
"While today is undoubtedly Inverness' day, I want to pay tribute to
the other Scottish towns who entered the competition.
"I know from my visits to Paisley, Stirling and Ayr that the standard
of their bids was high, and this is testimony to the effort and
commitment put in by everyone who supported their nominations."
David Stewart, Labour MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said
he was "overjoyed" Inverness had succeeded in its bid.
He said: "The Inverness bid was first class.
"A huge amount of work went into preparing our bid and I want to thank
everyone who played a part.
"This is truly a historic day for Inverness, a once in a lifetime
event, and a great way to mark the new millennium.
"This decision is an enormous vote of confidence in Inverness and a
mark of the tremendous progress we have made as a town in recent
years."
He even suggested that the newly-appointed city should launch a major
festival to celebrate the occasion.
Fergus Ewing, the Scottish National Party's MSP for Inverness East,
Nairn and Lochaber, also praised the news.
He said: "The benefits are intangible and will help promote Inverness
as a commercial centre as well as an international tourist attraction."
Indeed, he could very well be right.
Rumour has it that Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a
host of other stars are heading for the airport later this week.

**

TWO DAYS TO GO: The Maddy crowd

HeadLine: TWO DAYS TO GO: The Maddy crowd

The Mirror, 20/12/2000, p12&13.
by RUKI SAYID, POLLY GRAHAM & SHAUN MILNE

THE first sprinkling of Hollywood royalty arrived in the Highlands
yesterday as the stars began gathering for Madonna's £1million wedding.
But the guest whose presence will mean most to the singer is a man who
has no superstar trappings at all.
Madonna has ended her long and bitter rift with Silvio "Tony" Ciccone,
the father she has always adored - and he will be the one who gently
but proudly guides her down the aisle on Friday.
Their public display of restored family love will be witnessed by a
glittering gathering of famous guests.
Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow was first to fly in from America. She
stepped off a private plane at Inverness airport yesterday with Chloe
designer Stella McCartney, who has created Madonna's £20,000 gown.
Gwyneth, 28, was dressed for the bracing Scottish weather in a black
coat, jeans, dark glasses and a grey woollen hat. She will be chief
bridesmaid when her close friend marries British film director Guy
Ritchie. But she was not giving away any secrets as she was whisked to
Skibo Castle in Sutherland in a black Range Rover.
Sting and his wife Trudie Styler - credited with introducing Madonna to
Guy - also arrived by private jet. They are expected to be named as
godparents when Guy and Madonna's son Rocco is christened at Dornoch
Cathedral tomorrow.
Actor Rupert Everett, Madonna's co-star in The Next Best Thing and
former footballer Vinnie Jones, who starred in Guy's first film, Lock
Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, are expected today. Friends star Jennifer
Aniston and husband Brad Pitt are also on the guest list.
Guy's father John, stepmother Shireen and stepbrother Oliver arrived on
a scheduled British Airways flight from Gatwick.
John, 71, could not hide his joy at being there for the fairy-tale
wedding. The retired advertising executive said he felt "very honoured"
to have Madonna as a prospective daughter-in-law and added: "I am
absolutely delighted to be here. We are very excited - it's going to be
great fun."
He said of Madonna: "I think she has a fantastic strength - I have
thought that for years. But she can be very down-to-earth and quiet.
She is also a very nice person. She has a fantastic personality and she
is very charming and very kind."
Madonna and Guy, 32, flew to Inverness on Monday with Rocco and
Madonna's daughter Lourdes, four, to begin preparations for the double
celebration.
As frantic preparations got under way and A-list guests began arriving,
there was an air of expectation around one VIP who is due today:
Madonna's father.
Ever since she was a little girl, all the pop rebel really yearned for
was her father's blessing. It has taken her 42 years to gain the one
thing her millions could never buy... and now that she has won her
father's approval, the Material Girl has finally come of age.
When proud Tony leads her down the aisle and into the arms of her
husband-to-be, it will be a very public act of reconciliation.
And to prove how much his presence at her wedding means, Madonna has
invited the stepmother she once loathed and accused of beating her
until her nose bled.
Just a few years ago, she would never have dreamt of standing in the
same room as Joan Gustafson - the woman who replaced her beloved mother
in Tony's life. But motherhood and a second marriage have mellowed
Madonna.
A middle child in a large Catholic clan of eight, she was just six when
her mother, also called Madonna, died of breast cancer, aged 36. Her
death had a profound affect on the young girl. For two years, she slept
in her father's bed, for fear he, too, would leave her.
When Tony married his long-term housekeeper, Madonna gained a
stepsister and stepbrother, but felt she had lost her father. And so
began a feud that was to last for 15 years.
"I hated my father for a long, long time," she revealed. "Like all
young girls, I was in love with my father. Then he was taken away from
me when he married my stepmother. It was then that I said: 'OK, I don't
need anybody. No one will break my heart again'."
But now the past is being buried - and Madonna is determined that this
romance will not follow the same disastrous route as her shortlived
marriage to Brat Pack actor Sean Penn.
"You don't make those kind of mistakes twice," she says.
Siblings Anthony, 44, Paula, 41, Christopher, 40, and Melanie, 38 will
be there to see her exchange her vows. But her alcoholic brother
Martin, 43, and stepbrother and stepsister Mario, 30, and Jennifer, 31,
haven't been asked.
For her dad, the VIPs and pop-star trappings will mean little. It will
just be a day of immense paternal joy.
As he prepared to fly in from Michigan, the reserved 68-year-old could
not hide his excitement. "I am hugely proud of her," he beamed.
"She is happier than ever and she is very much in love. Madonna is my
daughter. I would love her whatever happened. Things are better than
they have ever been."
Tony retired as a designer for car firm Chrysler and invested in the
Ciccone Vineyard and Winery six years ago. Though a staunch Catholic,
he is happy to forget his daughter's erotic stage act and soft-porn
book Sex.
He simply says: "There are certain things which need to remain private
within a family. My daughter knows how I felt." For her part, Madonna
has finally stopped rebelling.
She still feels the loss of her mother, but now that she is a mum
herself she understands why her father laid down strict rules for his
children, including a "chore chart" which each had to obey.
"You name it, I did it," she says. "Washing out the diaper pail.
Defrosting the freezer. Raking the leaves. Washing the dishes.
Babysitting. Laundry. Vacuuming. Everything."
But Madonna won't regret all that on Friday when she receives a
priceless wedding gift. Her father's blessing.

PAULA
MADONNA'S sister Paula, 41, flew into a jealous rage when the singer
married actor Sean Penn in 1985. One guest recalled her screaming:
"This should be my wedding day, not hers! This should be my career -
all this attention should have been mine." Friends say they have always
been at each other's throats. Maybe Paula will be less jealous now she
has established herself as a TV producer.

CHRIS
SHY Christopher, 40, forgave Madonna when she outed him in a gay
American magazine. But she admitted: "He's probably not very
comfortable with it."
An artist and interior designer, he is her tour manager.

TONY
AT 44, photographer Anthony is the eldest and realised that life would
be tough living in his famous sister's shadow. He studied drama, but
says: "People pretend they're interested in you, but they're not,
really."

MELANIE
MEL, 36, is married to recording artist Joe Henry and has a son Levon,
11. She was with Madonna when she gave birth to Lourdes.
Affectionately known as "Smells", she is regarded by the star as a role
model.

MARTIN
ALCOHOLIC Martin, 43, pleaded with his sister for a wedding invite -
but instead, he is back in a drying-out clinic.
Madonna is picking up the bill for his treatment at the Chabad
Rehabilitation Centre in Los Angeles.

JENNIFER
MADONNA'S half-sister Jennifer, 31, has not made it on to the
wedding-guest list, even though the star gets on with her.
The same can't be said of stepbrother Mario, who says: "I don't even
like her music."

MARIO
MARIO, 30, is a former cocaine addict and thug who has battered a
motorist and broken a police officer's nose.
Madonna saved him from a possible 10-year jail sentence for burglary
while on parole by hiring top lawyers.

**

Star chef is lured back for dinner

HeadLine: Star chef is lured back for dinner

The Mirror, 21/12/2000, p5
by SHAUN MILNE & GRAHAM TIBBETTS

MADONNA begged a top Scots chef to return to Skibo and cook her wedding
feast - after learning he had quit the castle only weeks before her big
day.
John Graham-McMahon, 30, resigned as head chef at the exclusive retreat
three weeks ago to join premier Edinburgh caterers LeBistro.
But Madge and Guy Ritchie told bosses at Skibo he had to come back - at
any cost.
John had cooked the couple romantic meals when they were at Skibo last
December - including the night Guy proposed.
Before he resigned, he sat down with them and prepared a lavish banquet
menu. They were wowed by his mouth-watering offering which, the Mirror
can reveal, has a definite Scottish twist.
Fresh Scottish salmon, bitesize haggis nibbles and medallions of
venison sauteed with black peppercorns served under a pineapple glaze
with a cranberry and armagnac sauce will be among the
carefully-selected options.
John even advised the pair on the best types of champagne, wine and
whisky to accompany the feast.
He made sure all the arrangements were in place before he left - but
Madonna and Guy are such big fans they decided no-one else could take
over.
John was approached with a lucrative deal for a one-off return and,
because he left Skibo on good terms and still has many friends there,
and he happily agreed. One source said: "John is totally flattered
about Madonna and Guy asking him but he would have done it anyway for
the friends he still has at Skibo."
He arrived at Skibo yesterday to prepare. The main courses won't be
delivered until Friday to make sure the feast is as fresh as possible.
Fish dishes will use stocks from rivers on the estate, while a team of
40 gardeners will harvest vegetables from the grounds.
John is no stranger to big-name celebrity fans - he cooked for the
likes of Robert De Niro and Paul Weller at Skibo and was the dinner
guest of showbiz darlings Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas.
John studied catering at the Paisley's Reid Kerr College and worked as
a chef at the town's former Excelsior Hotel.
His big chance came with a dream move to Skibo Castle and from there he
graduated to catering to the stars.
Madonna's big day will be something of a dry run for John's own big day
- he is due to get married in February.

**

DIE-HARD FANS' FINAL WHISTLE

HeadLine: DIE-HARD FANS' FINAL WHISTLE

The Mirror, 22/12/2000, p8
by SHAUN MILNE

THEY think it's all over - it is for football fans who can't cope with
big match pressure.
Many simply drop down dead when close games reach a climax.
Health warnings should be posted for crunch matches such as Old Firm
and Edinburgh derbies as fans risk having a heart attack watching them.
Supporters are being told they should swap a pre-match pint for an
aspirin to ensure that they're not carried off to the big early bath in
the sky.
Boffins in Utrecht, Holland, found that Dutch supporters fell down dead
when their national team was knocked out of the 1996 European
championship.
Fatal heart attacks and strokes soared by 50 per cent among men as
Holland lost in the nail-biting penalty shoot-out.
Professor Diederick Grobbee, of the University Medical Centre in
Utrecht, said stress was a major factor, along with the traditional
footballing fayre of booze and fatty food.
And Scots, fans with their passion for pre-match drink and cigarettes,
face a high risk.
Professor Grobbee, writing for the British Medical Journal, said he and
his team studied what happened among men in his country during the 1996
finals.
Holland reached the quarter finals against France, a game played in
England on June 22.
It was watched by 9.8million people in his homeland.
That counted for about 60 per cent of the 15.5million population.
He analysed mortality data from the Dutch central bureau for statistics.
The number of deaths on the day of the match was compared with the
average occurring over the preceding and following five days.
And it showed the number of men dying from heart attacks and strokes
rose significantly in that 24-hour period.
About 14 extra deaths occurred - a rise from an average 27.2 to 41 -
representing an increase of around 50 per cent.
But there was no corresponding difference in the figures for women, and
no similar figure was recorded in either 1995 or 1997 when no football
was being played.
The researchers said: "The difference between men and women requires
further investigation.
"Heavy alcohol use, overeating, and excessive smoking may also play a
part.
"But aspirin or beta-blockers may prevent acute cardiovascular events
being triggered."

**

I cried for my children as I waited for brain bug to kill me

HeadLine: I cried for my children as I waited for brain bug to kill me

The Mirror, 23/12/2000, p9
by SHAUN MILNE

BRAVE Celtic star Morten Wieghorst has admitted he thought he would die
after being struck down by a rare brain bug.
The plucky dad-of-two has been battling against Guillain Barre Syndrome
for four months.
But the thought of his wife Anna, 30, son Sebastian, two, and
13-month-old daughter Sofie drove him on.
He said: "I was scared at times and I was worried, but you keep telling
yourself you have to be strong.
"It hit me that something was terribly wrong and that's when it sunk
in, it can kill you.
"I was asking, am I going to get well enough to play with my children
again?
"I didn't want to cry - but I did. Now I just have to get back into the
way of things."
The Parkhead player was hit by the condition - which affects just one
in 100,000 people a year - in September.
The 30-year-old had been suffering from a slight cold and at first
thought he was coming down with flu.
But within days he couldn't walk, could barely lift his arms and was
fighting for every single breath.
The superfit footballer was rushed to hospital, where his health
deteriorated so rapidly he was unable to feed himself and lost three
stones in weight.
Medics eventually had to put him on a drip and then a ventilator as he
struggled to breathe on his own.
He said: "I was going off my head when Anna couldn't make out what I
was saying. I couldn't speak for 11 days.
"But she was amazing.
"I was lying there with tubes sticking out of me all over the place,
and even though I must have looked a real mess I didn't get the
impression that she though 'what's happened to him'.
"I relied on her hugely.
"Effectively I was paralysed. I could move my eyes and mouth, my arms a
little and I could point out simple sentences on a spelling board. That
was it. It was a nightmare."
As quickly as the disease had struck, it began to subside, leaving him
with a long slow battle to recovery.
He was released from hospital just last week, in time for Christmas.
He said: "I was desperate to get out in time. Normally we spend a day
with our Danish friends and a day with Scottish friends.
"This year it will just be the four of us - I'm not up to entertaining
at the moment."
The player has received sackloads of cards and letters from fans and
great support from his friends at the club.
But a card signed by all the players at Rangers holds a special place
in his heart.
Morten has a long, hard fight for fitness ahead but he is determined to
return to the Celtic line up.
But he admits that his brush with death means he will accept life
without football should it prove too great a challenge.
He said: "I love football but, when I was really ill - those 11 days in
intensive care - football didn't mean a thing.
"The only thing I thought about was getting my health back and being
able to be with my family again.
"You don't know what it's like not being able to turn in bed when you
want to. You don't know what it's like not to be able to eat your
dinner on your own or brush your teeth.
"Football has given me a beautiful house, a Mercedes, wonderful things.
I love my lifestyle but I have learned that material things are not the
be all and end all.
"If you don't have your health, everything else is second. You soon
find out that there is more to life than football."

**

Storm rescue miracle

HeadLine: Storm rescue miracle
The Mirror, 29/12/2000, p1
by SHAUN MILNE

A FISHERMAN told last night of his miraculous survival stranded at sea
overnight in white-out conditions.
John MacDonald was found by rescuers clutching desperately to the
upturned hull of his boat off the coast of Skye.
"I was clinging on for dear life," he said.
"Seeing the lifeboat was the happiest moment of my life."
John's pal Donald MacDonald also had a remarkable escape when he made
his way to shore and was later found freezing and dazed.
The whole country woke yesterday to heavy snow and Arctic temperatures.
But forecasters say there is better weather ahead.

HeadLine: FREEZING FISHERMEN FOUND ALIVE

The Mirror, 29/12/2000
by SHAUN MILNE

TWO fishermen missing overnight in arctic conditions were miraculously
found alive yesterday.
One was found clinging to the upturned hull of his boat in a blizzard
as temperatures plunged to -5C.
The other was discovered a few miles away wandering aimlessly in a
cold-induced daze after somehow managing to strike shore.
Both were last night recovering from their ordeals in hospital, where
they were being treated for shock, hypothermia and exposure.
Lifelong friends John MacDonald, 52, and Donald MacDonald, 46,
disappeared on Wednesday after being caught in white-out conditions
during separate fishing trips.
The men, both from the village Sleat, on Skye, sparked a full-scale
land and sea search after failing to return home.
A Coastguard spokesman described the conditions as 'atrocious' and said
it was a miracle they survived.
John relived his ordeal last night.
He said: "Donald and I left the shore together to fish different areas,
but stay within sight of each other.
"There was no problem and then the snow came in. It was a complete
white-out.
"I couldn't see anything. We couldn't get our bearings. We couldn't see
the shore.
"I lost track of Donald after a bit and with all the snow and damp, my
engine cut out. I couldn't get it started again, no matter how hard I
tried.
"I was drifting, helpless whichever way the current or the wind would
take me. Eventually I found myself about 12 miles off the shore.
"There was no use shouting. I knew no one would hear me.
"I just had to keep warm and keep my spirits up. Fortunately, I had my
oil-skins on and they kept me fairly warm and dry.
"If I had anything which absorbed water, I would have been done for.
"There were a few scary moments. It was pitch dark with driving snow
but occasionally I was hit with a big wave. But it's a miracle I
managed to survive the night. Then when daylight came, there was still
a swell and a big wave overturned me.
"I was in the water for about half an hour when I managed to scramble
on to the keel of the boat. I was clinging on for dear life. Then I saw
the lifeboat and a fishing boat.
"It was the happiest moment of my life. You can't explain how it feels
when you realise your life is going to be saved. I don't think I would
have lasted much longer.
"I was never so pleased to see some folk. Then I got a helicopter trip
to the hospital. But I never got a dram to celebrate, just a cup of
tea.
"It was brilliant though. But now I will look forward to a good stiff
dram to celebrate Hogmanay - a New Year I thought I would never see."
Coastguard teams, aided by RAF rescue helicopters, failed to find any
trace of them as wintry conditions worsened on Wednesday. The search
was called off overnight but resumed at first light yesterday. Rescuers
were eventually rewarded just before lunch-time.
Donald's boat was found moored on Rubha Charn Nan Cearc, a peninsula on
the Isle of Skye, shortly after noon.
His footsteps were seen in the snow and a search party using sniffer
dogs located him just over a mile away.
Donald, who was equipped with warm waterproof gear, managed to speak
briefly about his ordeal last night.
He said: "I went out to go winkling about lunch-time and the weather
was not too bad. But then the snow came in. It was terrible. I couldn't
see a thing.
"I was sailing blindly and I thought the most common sense thing to do
was to head for shore.
"I must have sailed too far south because, when I beached the boat, I
didn't recognise any landmarks at all. The snow was driving down and
visibility was very poor. I tried to head inland to find something I
recognised to give me my bearings.
"But I was still disorientated and didn't really know where I was
heading. I just thought I would keep going."
Meanwhile John, who lives just a few doors away from Donald, was
counting his own blessings.
He was found clinging desperately on to his dinghy in icy waters eight
miles out to sea from Tarskavaig Bay around 30 minutes after his friend
was discovered.
Sergeant Dennis Hindman, of the Northern Constabulary, described the
sea rescue as "totally unbelievable".
He said the fishermen had not been interviewed by police but had spoken
to the crew who brought them to safety.
Sgt Hindman described the sea as "very, very cold".
Referring to Donald, he said: "He is very well indeed and had the sense
to keep going all night and did not rest and go to sleep.
"It is perhaps advisable if you have small boats not to be going out at
this time of year because dangers are present, and the end results are
often very tragic."
Unknown to either of the men or their rescuers, the search teams were
dealing with two separate incidents.
Originally it was thought that both men had gone fishing together, but
in separate boats.
A Coastguard spokesman said: "The two incidents were not connected, and
considering the weather, it is a double Christmas miracle that they are
both alive.
"As time went on, hope was fading. But it is fantastic news both have
survived."
Inspector Sandy Gray of Portree police said he had never known a rescue
like it.
He said: "I am absolutely amazed and delighted that the two men have
been found safe and well.
"Both have shown the strength of human resilience and the will to live
and it is very heartening they survived.
"I have never known anything like it locally."
Duncan Mackay, watch manager at Stornoway Coastguard, said: "We made
every effort to locate these two men this morning and are delighted
with the result.
"Incredibly, it is pure coincidence these two friends went missing at
the same time and were found within half-an-hour of each other.
"They are extremely lucky to be alive. They should have a very good New
Year."
An RAF spokesman said: "They were obviously suffering from hypothermia
but they were conscious.
"They were fortunate to be alive."
Sister Chrisann O'Halloran, of Broadford Hospital, where the men are
being treated, said both wanted to say how much they owed to rescue
services.
She said: "They want to say a big thank you to everyone who took part
in the search.
"Without that effort, they may not be recovering in hospital today."

**

COMPENSATION STREET

HeadLine: COMPENSATION STREET

The Mirror, 30/12/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

BILLY Connolly was caught in the middle of an angry street brawl while
filming a new TV drama.
The funnyman was shooting the pounds 2million BBC film Gentleman's
Relish in an East London street when an angry local resident
approached.
He threatened to disrupt the filming of the Edwardian drama - in which
Connolly is rumoured to strip off - unless he was paid £ 1000. When
producers refused, the man started to make as much noise as he could
and only shut up when producers Sarah Boote and Martin Auty went to a
cash machine and gave him the cash.
Boote said: "This happens a lot when filming period pieces to film and
people who own the houses know the score.
"There is nothing to stop somebody walking into the close the road off.
They see you filming and think you have got lots of money.
"There is always someone who sees the opportunity.
"It is a real problem which the London Film Commission will have to
take on."
The cheeky romantic comedy, in which Connolly plays whacky Edwardian
artist and photographer Kingdom Swann, co-stars Sarah Lancashire and
Dougie Henshall.
The film will be screened tomorrow.

**