Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, given suspended sentence for performing sex act in front of teenager An actor who appeared in the Harry Potter and Star Wars films has been given a suspended 20-week jail term for indecently exposing himself to a teenager on a train. Former pantomime star Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, was told by a judge that a suspended sentence would offer the best opportunity for rehabilitation. Read, of Cheadle, north Staffordshire, was convicted of indecent exposure last month after a 17-year-old girl told Leicester crown court how the actor performed a sex act under the cover of a juggler’s hat. Read was shown mercy by recorder Richard Bond despite having previous convictions for sexual offences, including an incident in which he climbed into the bed of a stage manager and his girlfriend. The 40-year-old’s previous convictions also included a series of “random” and explicit phone calls made to women from a hotel room as long ago as 1995. Passing sentence, Bond said: “A relatively short sentence of imprisonment will not help you, and it certainly will not protect the public from your fantasies. I have had to ask myself this question: is this a case where not just you, but more importantly, the public would benefit from you receiving a short custodial sentence? The answer to that is no.” The judge imposed two specific requirements on Read, which will require him to be supervised by the probation service and to undertake a community sex offender group work programme. Read, who must also pay £500 towards the cost of his prosecution, was arrested last October after “trapping” his victim in a window seat on a train travelling between London and Leicester. Bond described Read’s latest offence as chilling, telling him: “It was obvious that she was extremely scared by what you did to her. She was so scared that she couldn’t complain immediately for fear that you would touch her.” Offering mitigation, Read’s defence barrister, Nigel Hamilton, said his client had been involved with pantomimes since the age of 16, earning a weekly wage of up to £800. Hamilton told the court: “He will not be able to do that anymore – he has had cancellations left, right and centre.” Crime guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, given suspended sentence for performing sex act in front of teenager An actor who appeared in the Harry Potter and Star Wars films has been given a suspended 20-week jail term for indecently exposing himself to a teenager on a train. Former pantomime star Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, was told by a judge that a suspended sentence would offer the best opportunity for rehabilitation. Read, of Cheadle, north Staffordshire, was convicted of indecent exposure last month after a 17-year-old girl told Leicester crown court how the actor performed a sex act under the cover of a juggler’s hat. Read was shown mercy by recorder Richard Bond despite having previous convictions for sexual offences, including an incident in which he climbed into the bed of a stage manager and his girlfriend. The 40-year-old’s previous convictions also included a series of “random” and explicit phone calls made to women from a hotel room as long ago as 1995. Passing sentence, Bond said: “A relatively short sentence of imprisonment will not help you, and it certainly will not protect the public from your fantasies. I have had to ask myself this question: is this a case where not just you, but more importantly, the public would benefit from you receiving a short custodial sentence? The answer to that is no.” The judge imposed two specific requirements on Read, which will require him to be supervised by the probation service and to undertake a community sex offender group work programme. Read, who must also pay £500 towards the cost of his prosecution, was arrested last October after “trapping” his victim in a window seat on a train travelling between London and Leicester. Bond described Read’s latest offence as chilling, telling him: “It was obvious that she was extremely scared by what you did to her. She was so scared that she couldn’t complain immediately for fear that you would touch her.” Offering mitigation, Read’s defence barrister, Nigel Hamilton, said his client had been involved with pantomimes since the age of 16, earning a weekly wage of up to £800. Hamilton told the court: “He will not be able to do that anymore – he has had cancellations left, right and centre.” Crime guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Deep cuts to inner-city youth services are already causing gang to rise, while knife crime in London is up by almost 10% The UK’s cities should brace themselves for a summer of gang and knife violence as the impact of cuts to youth services takes hold, experts are warning. Youth violence is already increasing in London. Figures given to the Guardian reveal that serious youth violence increased by 4% year on year across the capital, with a 9.6% spike in knife crime. There are fears that deep cuts to youth services, particularly to programmes that divert inner-city youths away from gangs and knife crime, could have a devastating impact on crime levels. Professor John Pitts , who advises several London local authorities on gangs and violent crime, warned that inner cities were likely to experience increased crime as the holidays begin. “If you cut summer activities for young people as night follows day you will see an increase in crime,” he said. “My anxiety is that those gang members who were in school will now be on the streets. Coupled with cuts to the services they use and fewer youth workers who can mediate, those streets will be a lot more dangerous and I would expect the level of crime and violence to rise.” Gang violence, including peer violence against girls and young women, is increasing, he said. “It is getting worse, it is becoming more embedded and more serious – this is not the time to be pulling the plug.” Eight teenagers have died in London already this year, including Negus McLean , 15, who was chased by seven youths on bicycles before being stabbed. Earlier this month Yemurai Kanyangarara , 16, died after being stabbed in the neck – two 15-years-old youths and a 14-year-old boy have since been arrested. According to Scotland Yard the number of recorded knife-crime injuries in London went up from 941 to 1,070 in the three months between February and April this year compared with the previous three months; victims in the 13-24 aged group injured during knife crime increased by more than 30% between 2008-09 and 2010-11. Youth services, particularly those that prevent gang violence, have been savaged by local authorities because of government-imposed cuts. More than £100m was removed from local authority services for young people up to March this year, according to the Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services , which surveyed 41 of their members. Budget cuts imposed at the start of the financial year averaged 28%, but some local authorities were cutting 70%, 80% or even 100% of youth services, it said. And almost 3,000 full-time staff who work with youths have been lost. Universal services such as youth clubs have been hit hardest: 96% of the 41 heads of youth services who responded said club activities would be either reduced or stopped altogether by April next year. MPs on the education select committee warned parliament last month that “disproportionate budget reductions” could have “dramatic and long-lasting” consequences. Graham Stuart, the select committee’s chairman, told the Guardian the current situation was “damaging” and an increase in crime was “inevitable”. He said: “Tim Loughton [the children's minister] has said that cuts to children’s services are disproportionate and we agree.” Youth services have been cut in every area of the country. According to the union Unison , Norfolk, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Manchester part of a “growing number of local authorities planning to get rid of the youth service altogether”. Birmingham is likely to reduce youth services by 50% over the next three years; Haringey and Hull local authorities have cut 75% of its their youth services; Warwickshire is facing an 80% cut; the prime minister’s Witney constituency, in Oxfordshire, has closed 20 out of 27 youth centres – there is not a youth service in the country that remains untouched. At the same time London Councils – a lobbying organisation that promotes the interests of the 32 London boroughs, the City of London, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority – has warned about the consequences of slashing funding to youth-offending teams by as much as 30% in some boroughs. And the Youth Justice Board is to be scrapped, leading MPs to warn that the move could prove costly if crime rates rise. The government hopes the voluntary sector will play a bigger role in tackling the youth violence, announcing £18m of funding earlier this year to help charities tackle knife, gun and gang crime after Brooke Kinsella, the actress turned knife crime campaigner whose brother Ben was killed in 2008, released a report. Some charities argue this is not new money, and with 70% of voluntary organisation funding coming from already squeezed local authorities, according to the union Unison, some in the sector fear charities will be unable to provide a comprehensive system. Smaller charities, while doing positive work, can be uncoordinated and much effective inter-agency work will be lost, warned Mick Hurley, an adviser to Greater Manchester police on serious youth violence, who was awarded an OBE last year for services to young people. Knife crime Gangs Crime UK criminal justice Youth justice Young people Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Deep cuts to inner-city youth services are already causing gang to rise, while knife crime in London is up by almost 10% The UK’s cities should brace themselves for a summer of gang and knife violence as the impact of cuts to youth services takes hold, experts are warning. Youth violence is already increasing in London. Figures given to the Guardian reveal that serious youth violence increased by 4% year on year across the capital, with a 9.6% spike in knife crime. There are fears that deep cuts to youth services, particularly to programmes that divert inner-city youths away from gangs and knife crime, could have a devastating impact on crime levels. Professor John Pitts , who advises several London local authorities on gangs and violent crime, warned that inner cities were likely to experience increased crime as the holidays begin. “If you cut summer activities for young people as night follows day you will see an increase in crime,” he said. “My anxiety is that those gang members who were in school will now be on the streets. Coupled with cuts to the services they use and fewer youth workers who can mediate, those streets will be a lot more dangerous and I would expect the level of crime and violence to rise.” Gang violence, including peer violence against girls and young women, is increasing, he said. “It is getting worse, it is becoming more embedded and more serious – this is not the time to be pulling the plug.” Eight teenagers have died in London already this year, including Negus McLean , 15, who was chased by seven youths on bicycles before being stabbed. Earlier this month Yemurai Kanyangarara , 16, died after being stabbed in the neck – two 15-years-old youths and a 14-year-old boy have since been arrested. According to Scotland Yard the number of recorded knife-crime injuries in London went up from 941 to 1,070 in the three months between February and April this year compared with the previous three months; victims in the 13-24 aged group injured during knife crime increased by more than 30% between 2008-09 and 2010-11. Youth services, particularly those that prevent gang violence, have been savaged by local authorities because of government-imposed cuts. More than £100m was removed from local authority services for young people up to March this year, according to the Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services , which surveyed 41 of their members. Budget cuts imposed at the start of the financial year averaged 28%, but some local authorities were cutting 70%, 80% or even 100% of youth services, it said. And almost 3,000 full-time staff who work with youths have been lost. Universal services such as youth clubs have been hit hardest: 96% of the 41 heads of youth services who responded said club activities would be either reduced or stopped altogether by April next year. MPs on the education select committee warned parliament last month that “disproportionate budget reductions” could have “dramatic and long-lasting” consequences. Graham Stuart, the select committee’s chairman, told the Guardian the current situation was “damaging” and an increase in crime was “inevitable”. He said: “Tim Loughton [the children's minister] has said that cuts to children’s services are disproportionate and we agree.” Youth services have been cut in every area of the country. According to the union Unison , Norfolk, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Manchester part of a “growing number of local authorities planning to get rid of the youth service altogether”. Birmingham is likely to reduce youth services by 50% over the next three years; Haringey and Hull local authorities have cut 75% of its their youth services; Warwickshire is facing an 80% cut; the prime minister’s Witney constituency, in Oxfordshire, has closed 20 out of 27 youth centres – there is not a youth service in the country that remains untouched. At the same time London Councils – a lobbying organisation that promotes the interests of the 32 London boroughs, the City of London, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority – has warned about the consequences of slashing funding to youth-offending teams by as much as 30% in some boroughs. And the Youth Justice Board is to be scrapped, leading MPs to warn that the move could prove costly if crime rates rise. The government hopes the voluntary sector will play a bigger role in tackling the youth violence, announcing £18m of funding earlier this year to help charities tackle knife, gun and gang crime after Brooke Kinsella, the actress turned knife crime campaigner whose brother Ben was killed in 2008, released a report. Some charities argue this is not new money, and with 70% of voluntary organisation funding coming from already squeezed local authorities, according to the union Unison, some in the sector fear charities will be unable to provide a comprehensive system. Smaller charities, while doing positive work, can be uncoordinated and much effective inter-agency work will be lost, warned Mick Hurley, an adviser to Greater Manchester police on serious youth violence, who was awarded an OBE last year for services to young people. Knife crime Gangs Crime UK criminal justice Youth justice Young people Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
• First quarter economic growth revised down to 0.4% • Consumer spending grew 0.1% in second quarter • Shares fall sharply The US economy ground to a virtual halt in the first half of the year, with consumer spending at its weakest level in two years. The shock figures sent shares tumbling in London. The FTSE 100 index extended losses to fall 84 points to 5789, a decline of 1.4%. Wall Street futures indicate that the Dow Jones will fall 116 points at the open. The data comes at a time when the White House and Congress are locked in a battle over how to raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow more money . If they cannot agree, the government will soon run out of money, leaving it unable to pay its bills, such as social security payments, military pay and interest payments. The world’s largest economy grew at an annualised rate of 1.3% between April and June, the US Commerce Department said. Wall Street economists had expected 1.8%. Moreover, the first quarter growth rate was revised sharply lower to 0.4% from 1.9%, which means the economy barely grew over the first six months of the year. Growth in the fourth quarter of last year was also revised down, to 2.3% from 3.1%. Consumer spending grew by just 0.1% in the second quarter, the weakest since the recession ended two years ago. Car production was severely disrupted by the earthquake in Japan. Economists said the data could prompt the Federal Reserve to restart its quantitative easing (QE) programme to pump money into the economy. “While this is somewhat disappointing, the big surprise is in the revisions, which show growth being downgraded sharply in the first and fourth quarters,” said James Knightley, senior economist at ING. “Furthermore, the recession was deeper and started earlier than previously thought. his further reduces the prospect of any Fed policy tightening and offers some support to those arguing the case for QE3.” This means the US economy contracted by 0.3% in 2008, rather than posting zero growth, while in 2009 the economy shrank by 3.5% rather than 2.6%. The economy needs to grow by at least 2.5% to bring down the country’s 9.2% unemployment rate. US economy Economics United States Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• First quarter economic growth revised down to 0.4% • Consumer spending grew 0.1% in second quarter • Shares fall sharply The US economy ground to a virtual halt in the first half of the year, with consumer spending at its weakest level in two years. The shock figures sent shares tumbling in London. The FTSE 100 index extended losses to fall 84 points to 5789, a decline of 1.4%. Wall Street futures indicate that the Dow Jones will fall 116 points at the open. The data comes at a time when the White House and Congress are locked in a battle over how to raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow more money . If they cannot agree, the government will soon run out of money, leaving it unable to pay its bills, such as social security payments, military pay and interest payments. The world’s largest economy grew at an annualised rate of 1.3% between April and June, the US Commerce Department said. Wall Street economists had expected 1.8%. Moreover, the first quarter growth rate was revised sharply lower to 0.4% from 1.9%, which means the economy barely grew over the first six months of the year. Growth in the fourth quarter of last year was also revised down, to 2.3% from 3.1%. Consumer spending grew by just 0.1% in the second quarter, the weakest since the recession ended two years ago. Car production was severely disrupted by the earthquake in Japan. Economists said the data could prompt the Federal Reserve to restart its quantitative easing (QE) programme to pump money into the economy. “While this is somewhat disappointing, the big surprise is in the revisions, which show growth being downgraded sharply in the first and fourth quarters,” said James Knightley, senior economist at ING. “Furthermore, the recession was deeper and started earlier than previously thought. his further reduces the prospect of any Fed policy tightening and offers some support to those arguing the case for QE3.” This means the US economy contracted by 0.3% in 2008, rather than posting zero growth, while in 2009 the economy shrank by 3.5% rather than 2.6%. The economy needs to grow by at least 2.5% to bring down the country’s 9.2% unemployment rate. US economy Economics United States Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Click here to view this media [h/t Heather ] True. Earlier this week I had a little tussle with Pastor Rick Warren because he made a statement (later acknowledged to be mean-sounding) about how the 50% who paid no taxes were perfectly ok with having the 50% who did pay more. I jumped on his claim because it’s one Fox News likes to make all the time too, and it’s without justification. However, a new study does prove that less than 50% of taxpayers pay federal income tax, and shows why. I’ll bet the answer won’t surprise anyone here. Donald Marron: Low incomes (or, if you prefer, the standard deduction and personal exemptions) account for fully half of the people who pay no federal income tax. The second reason is that for many senior citizens, Social Security benefits are exempt from federal income taxes. That accounts for about 22% of the people who pay no federal income tax. Tax Policy Center (PDF): About 46 percent of American households will pay no federal individual income tax in 2011, roughly half of them because of structural features of the income tax that provide basic exemptions for subsistence level income and for dependents. The other half are nontaxable because tax expenditures— special provisions of the tax code that benefit selected taxpayers or activities—wipe out tax liabilities and, in the case of refundable credits, result in net payments from the government. Most important of those tax expenditures are provisions that benefit senior citizens and low-income working families with children. While those factors particularly affect lower-income households, different provisions eliminate taxes for other households. Itemized deductions and credits for children and education are more important for middle-income households, while the relatively few high-income nontaxable households benefit most from above-the-line and itemized deductions and reduced tax rates on capital gains and dividends. The next time you hear someone sneer about all the deadbeats in this country who don’t pay income taxes, you might want to suggest that if they earned more, they’d pay more. Oh, and with regard to Rick Warren….We’re going to be having a more extensive discussion about the whole thing in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
Continue reading …Emergency services at scene after light aircraft hits properties in Peel Green area A light aircraft has crashed into two properties in Salford, Greater Manchester. Police were called to Newlands Avenue in Peel Green, Salford, just after 12.20pm following reports that a plane had come down on to houses. No injuries could be confirmed at this stage, police said. A police spokesman said: “Officers attended and discovered a light aircraft had come down and collided with two properties. A cordon is in place and the other emergency services are also working at the scene.” A spokesman for Greater Manchester fire and rescue service said: “Just after 12.20pm we received reports of an incident involving a light aircraft. “Fire crews were mobilised to Newlands Avenue in the Peel Green area of Eccles, Salford, who on their arrival discovered that a light aircraft had crashed into a house. “At 1.20pm six fire engines were in attendance at the incident.” Plane crashes Manchester guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Exclusive : Party believes it can broaden support within armed services it feels the Tories have lost touch with over cuts Millions of armed forces veterans are to be targeted by a Labour recruitment drive that will see former soldiers, sailors and air staff being offered membership of the party for 1p. Labour believes that the Tories have lost touch with the military and wants to challenge the notion that members of the services are more likely to vote Conservative. It has also frustrated party chiefs that many traditional recruiting grounds – for the army in particular – are in poorer areas of the country, where Labour is strong. Yet this has not translated into broad support for the party within the services, or among veterans. The idea for 1p membership emerged during the review set up after last year’s election defeat. It is supposed to provide new ways of invigorating the party under the leadership of Ed Miliband. Called Refounding Labour, the consultation is being conducted by the former cabinet minister Peter Hain, who is understood to be strongly in favour of the veterans’ initiative. The Labour party’s standard membership rate is £41 a year or £3.42 a month; the reduced rate for the unwaged and pensioners is £20.50 or £1.71 a month. The veterans’ initiative will be among a number of recommendations to be put before this September’s party conference, when members will be urged to vote for a change to the existing membership rules. No other party has ever offered a concession to veterans, and if it goes ahead, Labour will begin an aggressive marketing campaign – with posters, email and mailshots. The potential political dividend is obvious: in 2007, it was estimated that there were 3.8 million armed forces veterans in the UK. Labour has chosen to use the Ministry of Defence’s own broad definition of veteran – anyone who has served in the armed forces at any time, irrespective of length of service, including reservists and those who went through national service. The 1p offer will last for a year, but those who sign up will probably have to pay the full annual rate in the second year. Labour officials argue that “changing our party rules … would signal how seriously we intend to be a party of the armed forces”. “We want all those with frontline experience to be involved in shaping our party’s culture, policy and campaigns,” said one. “Veterans’ unique experience and insight will bring wisdom and expertise to the Labour party. No other political party has a membership scheme which offers concessions for veterans so this move would set us apart from others.” Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, said: “Veterans have made our country safer and now I want to invite them to help make our party stronger. The Tories have totally lost touch with our armed forces because of their rushed defence cuts. “This would be an excellent and exciting move which would strengthen not just Labour’s defence policy but also Labour’s links with the whole defence community.” However, the Equality for Veterans Association, which campaigns for ex- armed forces personnel on issues such as pensions, took a dim view of the idea. “Personally, I wouldn’t pay 1p to join any political party,” said Sid West, the group’s deputy campaign manager. “I don’t think that offering a bribe to vote for a party is a good thing. Veterans have real hardships caused by things like the lack of parity for pensions. I wish the parties would concentrate on serious things like that.” The Royal British Legion declined to comment. Labour Military Conservatives Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance Public sector pensions Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Two services for those killed in Oslo and on Utøya island take place as Anders Behring Breivik faces more questioning Two memorial services for the victims of last week’s terror attacks in Norway are being held as the Norwegian man who confessed to the killings faces a second round of questioning by police. The Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, has urged his country to show unity at the services in the face of the attacks – a bombing in Oslo and a shooting rampage at a youth camp on Utøya island – in which 76 people died. Norway’s police chief of staff, Johan Fredriksen, said that all the dead had now been identified and that those who had been reported missing were accounted for. One of the memorial services is being hosted by Stolenberg’s governing Labour party, while the other is taking place at a mosque in Oslo. The first funerals are also being held. The Norwegian news agency NTB said suspect Anders Behring Breivik was transported to police headquarters in Oslo for a second session of questioning. Investigators believe the 32-year-old acted alone, after years of meticulous planning, and have not found anything to support his claims of being part of an anti-Muslim militant network plotting a series of attacks across Europe. Breivik was questioned for seven hours on Saturday, the day after the twin attacks, which targeted the government district of Oslo and a Labor party youth camp. He admitted carrying out the attacks but has pleaded not guilty to terror charges, saying he is in a “state of war”, according to his lawyer and police. Police have charged Breivik with terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison. However, it is possible the charge will change during the investigation to crimes against humanity, which carries a 30-year sentence, Norway’s leading prosecutor, Tor-Aksel Busch, told the Associated Press. “Such charges will be considered when the entire police investigation has been finalised,” he said. “It is an extensive investigation. We will charge Breivik for each individual killing.” A formal indictment is not expected until next year, he added. Norway Anders Behring Breivik Global terrorism The far right Europe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …