News in Brief

Rape priest jailed

A Hindu priest was given 12 years’ jail by Croydon Crown Court after being found guilty of twice raping a woman aged 29. Ramanathan Somanathan, 41, whose temple was in Croydon, received 9 years for the first rape and 12 years for the other, to run concurrently.

Killer sentenced

Stuart Martin, 42, a computer expert, was jailed for 7½ years by the High Court in London for the manslaughter of a colleague, Jonathan Dolton, 21, whose body has never been found. After the killing in 2002, Martin, of Milton Keynes, fled the country.

Gay rights case

Deutsche Bank will face accusations of discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in London in one of the first cases of its kind to come to court under 2003 legislation. A business manager, 36, alleges racial and sexual-orientation bias.

Lead linked to violent crime

Lead pollution is among the most significant triggers for violent crime among young people, according to the scientist who first identified its toxic effects on the brain.

High levels of lead in the environment can disrupt brain mechanisms that inhibit impulsive actions, making certain people more prone to antisocial behaviour, Herbert Needleman, Professor of Psychiatry and Paediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Even low levels can affect brain development in ways that have consequences for society.

Meat missing link

Switching to eating meat gave our ancestors a critical evolutionary advantage, a study at the University of Southern California has found. When ancient humans began to consume meat 2.5 million years ago, they gained access to a new source of protein that helped to produce larger brains, superior intelligence and the first stages of culture.

Spitting image

Saliva tests that can detect cancer, HIV and anthrax are within spitting distance, scientists at the conference said. Proteins in the mouth will be used to identify a variety of diseases, promising simple new methods of diagnosis to replace blood and urine tests. One saliva test can predict whether children will get cavities in their teeth.

Pharmacist faces hearing

The woman who provided the killer GP Harold Shipman with drugs used to murder his patients will face a disciplinary hearing, accused of failing in her duties as a pharmacist.

Ghislaine Brant, who managed the pharmacy close to Shipman’s practice in Hyde will face a two-day Royal Pharmaceutical Society statutory committee next week. It is alleged that Mrs Brant over-supplied Shipman with diamorphine.

Fresh plea over banker shooting

Police appealed for help in tracking a number of men spotted in a Highland town after a bank manager was shot on his doorstep. Alistair Wilson, 30, was shot at his home in Nairn last November. His killer remains at large.

Mrs Wilson said that the family home no longer had a doorbell because it would bring back the horror of the night her husband was killed. “The idea of the ringing sends shivers down me,” she said.

Motorway cyclist

A teenage cyclist was seen pedalling along the hard shoulder of one of Europe’s busiest stretches of motorway. The 15-year-old boy, from Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands, has been given a formal caution after being spotted cycling on the M6 near Spaghetti Junction, police said.

Girl, 5, saves baby

A five-year-old girl saved the life of her baby brother Joseph after a toothpaste tube cap got stuck in the boy’s throat.

His father, Daniel Thornton, 33, from Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, could not remove it and called 999.

But Sophie Thornton copied her father and her smaller hand dislodged the cap.

Man acquitted

One of five men accused of murdering two teenagers has been acquitted. A jury at Leicester Crown Court cleared Tafarwa Beckford, 22, of two murder charges and three counts of attempted murder. Charlene Ellis, 18, and Letisha Shakespeare, 17, were shot in Aston, Birmingham, early on January 2, 2003.

Jailed for arson

A woman who set fire to the bed where she discovered her former lover with a woman was jailed for five-and-a-half years by Leeds Crown Court. Sarah Metcalfe, 47, had admitted arson, being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. The victims, Katie Wrigglesworth and Emma Shakesheff, are still recovering.

Sewage pollution

Thames Water has been fined £50,000 after 8,000 fish were killed when raw sewage surged into a river because of a blockage. Staff allowed the effluent to flow unchecked for six hours, Swindon Crown Court was told. The fish, including 80 brown trout, died when the sewage ran into the River Ray at Swindon.

Viagra for strokes

Detroit: Researchers have begun studying Viagra as a possible treatment for strokes. The drug can improve memory and movement by helping damaged brains to develop new cells and blood vessels, animal tests have shown. Now the Henry Ford Hospital is to analyse its effects on stroke patients.

Snowdrop trade

Protected wild snowdrop bulbs are being illegally harvested and sold, wildlife organisations said as the first shoots appeared for spring. Police believe the bulbs are sold to gardening centres as part of a lucrative international trade. A van recently seized in Fife contained snowdrop bulbs worth an estimated £60,000.

Festive ballet

Scottish Ballet announced that Cinderella would be its festive production for this year. Long-standing sponsors Bank of Scotland have allocated more than £250,000 to the production, which will be choreographed by Ashley Page and held in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen in December and January.