Hunt on for missing 10-year-old
A major police search was on last night for a 10-year-old boy who went missing while walking home from his grandmother’s house.
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Matthew Hewitt went missing at 6.45pm after becoming separated from his older brother while walking from his grandmother’s home in Liversedge, near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
The older brother arrived home safely and the alarm was raised. A helicopter was leading the search, which involved teams of officers and dog handlers. Inspector Andrew Gallant said: “There is concern. He has not been missing before.”
Police talks with CPS to ban activist
Police are in talks with the Crown Prosecution Service to find out what action can be taken over an animal welfare activist, barred from entering the country, who is to address a conference in Britain by video link.
Jerry Vlasak, a surgeon in Los Angeles, is to broadcast to anti-vivisection groups meeting next month in Tonbridge, Kent.
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said that the campaigner’s presence in Britain was “not conducive to the public good”. A ban was also imposed on his wife, Pamelyn. Dr Vlasak said that he was “disappointed” to be banned.
In their sights
Scotland Yard marksmen patrolling Heathrow have been issued with £400 computerised military gunsights bought from America.The Eotech sights, which provide a holographic display on a small screen, will eventually be used by officers guarding Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and embassies.
Room with a view
A Second World War pillbox which stands on a slipway at Burgh Island in the South Hams, Devon, just below an art deco hotel that is cut off from the mainland at high tide, is for sale with a £70,000 guide price. Its one room, complete with machinegun slits in the 17in-thick walls, has been converted into a cosy retreat.
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Threat to fish
Amateur anglers in the US are threatening more saltwater fish species than commercial trawling, catching a quarter of the haul of over-fished populations, a study reported in Science has found. More than ten million Americans regularly fish for fun, using sonar devices, global positioning systems and far-ranging boats.
Dance deal
The original typed manuscripts of the novels of Anthony Powell, including A Dance to the Music of Time, are to go to the British Library in a £420,000 deal in lieu of death duties. But the author’s family said it was disappointed that the collection had not gone to their first choice, Eton College Library.
RAF recruitment
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The RAF is to hold a special recruiting drive with a float in a “gay pride” festival in Manchester this weekend. The ban on gays and lesbians serving in the Armed Forces was lifted in January 2000. However, this is the first time that one of the Forces has deliberately aimed at recruiting from among homosexuals.
Holiday death
A 13-year-old British boy on holiday in Minorca suffered a heart attack and died in the hotel room front of his family. He had spent the previous evening drinking beer and spirits at a beach party. The family, who have not been named, were staying at the three-star Victoria Playa hotel in Santo Tomas, south of Mahon.
Car ring broken
Police say they have smashed a car theft gang accused of stealing more than £600,000 of top-of-the-range models for sale abroad. Detectives who raided addresses in Essex and East London have arrested a 59-year-old man and seized 17 cars in containers ready for shipping. Most were prestige cars with low mileage.
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Gambler suicide
A gambler killed himself after losing £10,000 betting on horses in a single day, an inquest heard. John Bailey, 46, a builder, lost a total of £16,000 during Glorious Goodwood in the week leading up to his death on July 31. The father of two was found hanging in a shed at his parents’ home near Bournemouth, Dorset.
Bill star is fined
The actor Todd Carty, who plays PC Gabriel Kent in the ITV drama The Bill, has been fined £400 and given six points on his licence for speeding. He was caught travelling at more than 75mph in a 50mph zone on the M4. He said he was on his way to a charity function in Port Talbot, Glamorgan, at the time of the offence.
Maxwell paid up
A petition for bankruptcy against Kevin Maxwell, Britain’s most-indebted man, has been dismissed at Oxford County Court after it was told that his debt had been dealt with. After a hearing in June, Mr Maxwell was given 45 days to make a payment of £1 million to Global Investments Limited.
Hunter cleared
A hunter who shot a birdwatcher after mistaking his night-vision binoculars for a fox’s eyes was cleared at Aylesbury Crown Court of grievous bodily harm. Anthony Burns, 52, who shot Trevor Lawson, 37, in April last year, said that it had been a tragic accident. Mr Lawson lost a lung.
Kayak success
Fiona Whitehead, 34, has become the first person to kayak solo around the British Isles. She paddled into Gunwharf Quays Marina, at Portsmouth in Hampshire, to complete the 2,700-mile, five-month trip, during which she conquered some of the world’s strongest tides, in the Atlantic and the Irish Sea.
Do keep up
Ginger nuts are the best biscuits to dunk, according to Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine. The magazine calculated optimum dunking times for each variety, but The Times explained the science behind these results, from research at Bristol University, as long ago as 1998.
New exams head
The former Controller of BBC Scotland has been appointed chairman of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, it was announced. John McCormick, who will hold the post for four years, will succeed Sir John Ward on September 1 and will earn £12,645 per year for working four days a month at the public body.