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[JohnCenaFan28]

A policeman denied killing a schoolgirl who died when she was hit by his patrol car.

Pc John James Dougal pleaded not guilty to causing the death of 16-year-old Hayley Adamson by dangerous driving on May 19.

The officer spoke only to confirm his name and enter the not guilty plea during the brief hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.

Dougal was released on unconditional bail and told to return to court on March 30 for his trial, which is expected to last five days.

Hayley was crossing a road in Newcastle's West End on the eve of her GCSE English exam when the marked Northumbria Police car collided with her.

Dougal, who was at the wheel, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving following an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A second officer in another patrol car will not face prosecution.

Hayley, a pupil of Sacred Heart High School who lived with her mother Yvonne in Cedar Road, Fenham, was out with a group of friends in the Scotswood area of the city when she was fatally injured in Denton Road.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Tributes have been paid to a Royal Marine "with the heart of a lion" who was killed in Afghanistan while trying to help fellow soldiers in the wake of an explosion.

Corporal Robert Christopher Deering, 33, from Solihull, West Midlands, died instantly in a blast in Helmand Province on Sunday.

An armoured personnel carrier was damaged by an explosion which injured three people, and as Cpl Deering went to try to repair the vehicle there was a second blast which killed him instantly.

The Royal Marine specialised as a mechanic and spent most of his career at the Commando Logistic Regiment in north Devon, although his home was in Sheldon, Birmingham. His family said in a statement: "We are missing Rob deeply."

Colonel Andy Maynard, Cpl Deering's commanding officer, said: "Cpl Rob Deering had the heart of a lion and the courage to match. Having served on operations with the Royal Marines around the globe in Kosovo, Iraq and once before in Afghanistan, he was no stranger to risk - but faced up to it, displaying the finest qualities of the Commando Spirit: courage, determination, unselfishness and cheerfulness.

"The latter in particular was a trait that he is remembered for as a larger-than-life and popular man, who loved eating and drinking in good company. The mountain of Christmas parcels he received is testament to his popularity."

Cpl Deering loved fast cars, fitness and being with his fiancee, Gemma, whom he had recently moved in with, his colleagues said.

His Squadron Commander, Major Thornton Daryl Hirst, said: "A proud Royal Marine, impressive commander and exceptionally fit man, Cpl Deering will leave a void in many lives that will be impossible to fill.

"Cruelly and tragically taken from us, he will be missed greatly by all who had the privilege to know him."

Defence Secretary John Hutton said: "The death of Cpl Deering hits particularly hard at a time when we're all thinking more of family and loved ones."

-Nova

[Demonoid]

R.i.p.

[Demonoid]

Thats terrible.

[OMEN]

Sir Richard said the NHS could learn from the airline industry
Sir Richard Branson has accused politicians of "tinkering" with infection control in hospitals.

The recently appointed vice-president of the Patients Association wants all hospital staff to be screened for MRSA, and treated immediately if infected.

He says any disruption caused would be better than the pain, misery and deaths caused by avoidable infections.

Professor Mark Enright, an MRSA expert, said the policy could make sense, but would be expensive to implement.

Sir Richard has also called for managers who fail to enforce patient safety standards to be sacked.
Across the UK MRSA rates are falling, but Sir Richard wants to see a much tougher line.

He said: "There have been some improvements, but the facts speak for themselves - and the facts are still horrific.

"It feels like they have tinkered with the problem rather than really got to the heart of the problem. The hospitals are there to cure people. They are not there to kill people."

In the UK, as in other developed countries, it is estimated that one in 10 patients admitted to hospitals will suffer harm as a result of something going wrong.

Learning from industry

Sir Richard says the health service could learn a lot from the airline and rail industries on how to avoid mistakes.

"In the airline industry if we had that kind of track record we would have been grounded years ago," he said.
"In the airline industry if there is an adverse event that information is sent out to every airline in the world.

"And every airline makes absolutely certain that that adverse event doesn't happen twice."

Working with the Patients' Association, Sir Richard is organising an international conference in the new year to examine what works best in infection control and patient safety. He will make recommendations to the government.

But he is already convinced that all hospital staff, including surgeons, nurses and cleaners, should be screened and treated if they are found to be carrying MRSA.
He said: "You don't necessarily have to ask them to leave the hospital while they are being treated.

"They can just not have any contact with patients for those two weeks while their treatment is taking place, and then they can come back and have contact with patients.

"That is far better than having people dying from unnecessary diseases, and all the misery and pain that that causes, and the cost to the NHS which is enormous."

Mixed response

Professor Enright, from London's Imperial College, said the policy would prove to be expensive.
He said: "It could be successful, but it would be very costly because you would have to employ extra staff.

"There is no slack in the NHS to do this. If you did a cost-benefit analysis there are possibly better ways of spending the money."

A spokesman for The British Medical Association warned that running an airline was not the same as running a health service
He said: "This proposal will cost a great deal of money and risk further reductions in the number of health professionals available to treat patients at a time when we are critically short of staff and beds."

Derek Butler, chairman of the campaign group MRSA Action UK, agreed that a tougher line was needed.

He also called for restrictions on the number of people visiting patients in hospital.

"Fighting health care infections has to be an all or nothing affair. There can be no halfway house."

A spokesman for the Department of Health in England said: "The government is taking tough actions in the fight against infections.

"These include stringent hand-washing across the NHS, doubling the number of matrons and giving them greater powers to enforce cleanliness standards, and screening admitted patients for MRSA.

"These are clearly making an impact as we have halved MRSA infections since 2003/04 and C. difficile infections are down 35% on the same quarter last year."

Sir Richard also called for more information for patients on infection rates, and a tougher policy on managers at failing trusts.

He said: "The patient should have the right to know the track record not only of the hospitals, but the rate on wards, on departments, on surgeons, on clinicians.

"That shouldn't be something which is hidden.

"And I also think if managers of hospitals are not obeying the rules that have been set by the NHS, those managers should be replaced."


BBC

[OMEN]

Mr Brancato says he was a bystander in the murder.
Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato has been cleared of second degree murder over the shooting of an off-duty police officer in 2005.

The 32-year-old former star of the hit US TV series was convicted of attempted burglary by a jury in New York. He faces a minimum of three years in jail.

Brancato and an accomplice were accused of breaking into an apartment in the city to steal prescription drugs.

Officer Daniel Enchautegui, who lived next door, was shot in the incident.

Correspondents say Brancato - who played Matt Bevilaqua in the drama's second series - may be released early because of time already served. He is due to be sentenced next month.

When giving evidence at the murder trial Brancato said he did not know his accomplice, Steven Armento - his ex-girlfriend's father - was armed when they went looking for drugs.

He added that he was suffering heroin withdrawal at the time. "I was dope sick. Mentally, I was a mess. I needed something," he told the jury.

Armento was convicted of first-degree murder in October and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

BBC

[OMEN]

Minister for Children Barry Andrews has defended his handling of a report that criticised how complaints of child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne were dealt with.

The minister received the report earlier this year, but passed it on to the Health Service Executive without reading it.

Minister Andrews has said the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, must reflect on the findings of the report.
On RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Andrews said he had dealt with the report in the manner set out by guidelines.

He said he believed he had done the right thing in passing the report straight to the HSE when he received it last year, and he would do the same with any other report.

Yesterday, Mr Andrews said the report on the handling by the Cloyne diocese of abuse allegations was very worrying, and he said he did have concern that the Bishop of Cloyne was patron of all national schools in the diocese which covers 46 parishes in Co Cork.

However, Dr Magee rejected calls to step down.

Also speaking yesterday, the father of an alleged victim of clerical child sexual abuse called for the Church to 'kick out' Dr Magee. He said the bishop should account for himself before being fired.

It follows a report by the National Safeguarding Board for Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC), published last week, which found the Catholic Church had not responded properly to abuse allegations.

A NBSCCC review of child abuse inquiries in the Diocese of Cloyne found that Church authorities broke their own rules on reporting allegations.

A schoolgirl's allegation, as well as four similar allegations, was not reported by the diocese to the gardaí.

RTE

[OMEN]

A British man convicted of having sex on a Dubai beach has been re-arrested as he prepared to board a flight back to the UK, according to his lawyer.

Vince Acors: Third attempt to return to the UK thwarted
Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, was due to arrive at Heathrow following his deportation from the Gulf state.

But he was detained at Dubai Airport and returned to jail as his flight confirmation was allegedly "not in order".

Acors and Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, were initially given three-month jail terms for unmarried sex and public indecency, but these were suspended on appeal.
He had been due to return last Friday, but a hold up in the deportation process meant he was unable to board a Heathrow-bound plane and spent the weekend in jail.

His lawyer Andrew Crossley said: "The return of Vince Acors has been delayed yet again...the situation is close to becoming farcical and Vince is severely disappointed.

"After having booked and confirmed his return flight on three separate occasions, through the course of the day Vince was re-arrested at Dubai Airport, as his flight confirmation was allegedly not in order.

"He has been returned to jail, his precise return is now unknown."

Acors and Palmer were seen having sex on Jumeirah Beach in the early hours of July 5 after meeting at a champagne brunch in a five-star hotel.

They had denied having unmarried sex and public indecency but admitted being drunk.

Palmer, who was working in Dubai as a publishing executive, was sacked after the allegations emerged.

Acors had been visiting the country at the time.


SKY

[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for posting.