Murderer left child with body
A man who left a toddler alone in a flat with the body of the boy’s father, whom he had just murdered, was jailed for life yesterday. Abraham Marshall, who was aged 3, spent three days with the body before he was found. At Bristol Crown Court, James Long, 28, a labourer, from Clifton, Bristol, admitted murdering Scott Marshall, 45, in Kingswood. Passing sentence, Judge Tom Crowther told Marshall that he would spend a minimum of 17 years in prison.
Stabbing sentence
A man who killed his former partner by stabbing her 40 times and cutting her throat hours after being judged safe by mental health workers has been sentenced to be detained in a secure hospital. Craig Sexton, 32, of South Tyneside, was sentenced by Newcastle Crown Court after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Lynda Lovatt on the ground of diminished responsibility.
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RAF flight scare
An RAF early-warning Awacs aircraft on its way to provide anti-terrorist airborne surveillance over the Winter Olympics in Turin, northern Italy, was forced to turn back in an emergency after 35 minutes in the air after the crew smelt burning. A second RAF Awacs was over Turin in time for the opening ceremony of the Games.
Paisley MP quits
Paul Berry said that he was leaving Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party after allegations over his meeting with a male masseur in a Belfast hotel. Mr Berry, who said he had a sports massage, had sued the party to stop disciplinary action. He told Northern Ireland High Court he was halting the action, paying £3,000 costs.
Toy horse death
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A 14-month-old girl was found dead in her room under her rocking horse. Kelsey Hale, of Norton Canes, Staffordshire, was thought to have been playing when the toy, which had been stored on a wardrobe, fell on top of her. She was pronounced dead at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield. There were no suspicious circumstances.
Case against Barrymore fails
An attempt by the family of Stuart Lubbock, 31, of Harlow, Essex, who was found dead in Michael Barrymore’s pool, to launch a private prosecution against the entertainer for drug offences and assault, has been blocked at Southend Magistrates’ Court.
The decision, on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence, was announced after a private hearing. Terry Lubbock, the dead man’s father, said: “I’m disappointed but we will carry on.” A police spokeswoman said: “The case remains open. If we receive any new information or evidence, we would pursue that.”
Sleep assault
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A man who admitted molesting a woman after a party at a friend’s house was found not guilty at Burnley Crown Court because he had been sleepwalking at the time. Christopher Davies, 26, of Blackburn, Lancashire, at first denied sexual assault, then accepted that it must have happened.
Medical watchdog
NHS hospitals and trusts will be able to discipline rogue researchers from April through a medical research watchdog. The move comes after fraud scandals such as a fabricated mouth cancer study in The Lancet and the cloning “breakthroughs” of the South Korean Woo Suk Hwang.
Couple reunited
A couple were reunited after being separated for the first time in 65 years of marriage by social services, who placed Richard Driscoll, of Cheltenham, in a care home but refused to pay for his wife, Beryll, to join him. Two of their six children had fought for seven months for their parents, both 89, to be together
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Dentist jailed for false claims
A dentist was jailed for 18 months by Southwark Crown Court in London after funding a life of luxury with £200,000 of imaginary treatment. Shabbir Merchant, 40, from Stanmore, North London, who bought himself a Ferrari and several properties, pretended to perform expensive procedures on patients, giving them no more than an occasional filling. He then billed the NHS for high-value cosmetic work. Passing sentence, Judge Neil Stewart noted that Merchant was guilty of systematic dishonesty that targeted “limited public funds”. He said: “I have no alternative but to impose an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”
Rail chief on trial
After a pre-trial hearing, Michael Mitchell, 57, the director-general of railways at the Department for Transport since last February, has been told that he must stand trial in July accused of assaulting Peter Etherington, a steward, on a train near Peterborough last June.
Husband charged
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Stephen Hunt, 45, of Winnersh in Berkshire, has appeared before magistrates in Slough charged with the murder of Donna Hunt, 41, his wife, whose body was found in the grounds of a school in Winnersh on Monday. He was remanded in custody to appear before Reading Crown Court on February 20.
Playground attack
A boy, 11, has been arrested for a suspected racially aggravated assault in a playground in Irlam, near Manchester. It is thought that another 11-year-old boy, who suffered a bruised leg after being thrown to the ground, had been on the receiving end of racist remarks for six months.
Romantic spark
Nicholas Sparks is only the fifth man in 46 years to be shortlisted for the FosterGrant Reading Glasses Romantic Novel of the Year Award, made in April. Also nominated are Ashleigh Bingham, Kate Kerrigan, Veronica Henry, Erica James, Audrey Howard and Jojo Moyes.
Janice Turner