News in brief: Lithuanian gun-runner jailed, Fish stocks accord

Mother saw daughter crushed by lorry
A mother watched in horror as her 18-month-old daughter was crushedby a lorry as her pushchair rolled into a road.
Noor Ghulam died from multiple injuries at the scene of theaccident in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester.
The child’s mother, Shamila Tabbsam, told an inquest inStockport that she briefly let go of the pushchair to get hold ofher four-year-old son, who had run away from her.
The hearing was told she would have had no idea that that sectionof pavement sloped slightly towards the road.
Mrs Tabbsam, who lives in Ashton, said: “While I was tryingto hold my son, I saw the truck coming, and the pushchair wentunder the wheels.”
Paul Gibson, the lorry driver, said he watched the boy running onthe pavement because he feared that he might dart into the road.The front of the vehicle had passed Mrs Tabbsam when the pushchairrolled under it.
Joanne Kearsley, the coroner, recorded a verdict of accidentaldeath. She said: “I’m satisfied it was a tragic, tragicaccident.”
Third arrest in Jersey abuse inquiry
A man has been arrested in connection with allegations of sexualabuse at the Haut de la Garenne former children’s home onJersey.
The 45-year-old was detained in England over offences alleged tohave taken place in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the third man to bearrested as part of a continuing inquiry into abuse on the island.
A Jersey Police spokeswoman said: “The arrest of the man, 45,who is Jersey-born, took place in the UK yesterday. The man wasbrought back to Jersey last night and is now in custody at policeheadquarters.” Detectives have said that tests had proved“beyond doubt” that the remains of more than one childhave been found at Haut de la Garenne.
Gordon Claude Wateridge, 76, originally from Croydon, South London,is charged with three offences of indecent assault on girls under16 between 1969 and 1979. Claude Donnelly, 68, of St Brelade, ischarged with raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl onJersey between 1971 and 1974. Neither man has entered a plea.
Lithuanian jailed for gun running
A Lithuanian gun runner who helped to make an Eastern Europeanpistol one of the the commonest weapons in Britain has been jailedfor six years and eight months.
Mindaugus Balezentis, 29, of Ilford, East London, admittedsupplying Baikal pistols for £2,500 each, Snaresbrook CrownCourt was told. Graham Brown, for the prosecution, said: “Itis a weapon . . . used extensively in serious crime.”Balezentis will be deported after prison.
Accord to protect fish stocks hailed
International agreement on creating a series of marine naturereserves to protect fish stocks was hailed by conservationists as astep in the right direction (Lewis Smith writes).
Details of how the locations should be selected and monitored werebeing decided, but the principle was agreed. The decision wasregarded by conservationists as one of the highlights of the UnitedNations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference inGermany. In other areas, however, there were concerns that the 191countries represented were doing too little to protect wildlife.One of the biggest concerns was the difficulty in persuadingEuropean and other developed nations to keep the CBD properlyfinanced.
Early releases from jail exceed forecast
The number of criminals freed from prison early under acontroversial scheme has already reached 26,347 in its first tenmonths, against an official estimate of 25,500 in a year,government figures showed yesterday.
The scheme to release prisoners up to 18 days early is intended tomake more room in overcrowded jails. The Conservatives said thatthe figure exposed the Government's incompetence. Nick Herbert, theShadow Justice Secretary, said: “Thousands of violentprisoners have been released into local communities before they'veeven served half their sentence.” Offenders released underthe plan committed 492 new crimes.
UK-born imams to teach about Islam
British-born imams will be drafted into state schools to teachchildren about Islam under government plans for tackling religiousextremism to be announced next week (Joanna Sugden writes).
The move is part of the Government’s Prevent strategy, whichaims to weed out extremism before it takes root. Ed Balls, theSchools Secretary, said that a minority of children could be atrisk from extremists.
In an article for The Times Educational Supplement he said thatextremists played on fears, ignorance and prejudice,“Education can be a powerful weapon against this,” hesaid.
Andrew Copson, director of education at the British HumanistAssociation, said children should learn about religion butcriticised the Government’s policy as divisive because itplanned to use publicly funded clerics.
Prison privileges ‘to stop Huntley suicide’
Ian Huntley, the convicted murderer of the schoolgirls Holly Wellsand Jessica Chapman, is being given a string of special privilegesto keep him from attempting suicide, it was reported last night(Kevin Dowling writes).
A “protocol for the management of Ian Huntley”instructs prison officers to address him by his first name or as MrHuntley and to “engage purposefully” with him and“offer him the required support”. He has a plasma TV,CD player and computer games in his cell and is allowed to wear hisown clothes.
Huntley, who has attempted to kill himself with antidepressantsthree times, is also allowed contact with other vetted prisoners atFrankland Prison in County Durham.
Henley Tory chosen
An Oxfordshire councillor has been selected by the Tories to fightthe Henley by-election, when Boris Johnson resigns as an MP toconcentrate on his new job as Mayor of London. John Howell, aformer partner in the City accountants Ernst & Young, waschosen from a shortlist of three by Henley ConservativeAssociation.
Father is jailed
A man has been jailed for five years for killing his three-week-oldson by shaking him and banging his head on a hard surface during“a sudden loss of temper”. Kitt Wilson, 25, a kitchenporter, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Trent Wilson atWinchester Crown Court this month.
Stab death arrests
Police have arrested five people in connection with the death ofPatrick Mellard, 33, who died in hospital on Wednesday after beingstabbed during an altercation in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. Threemen were arrested on suspicion of murder and two women on suspicionof assisting an offender.
Skye mountain death
A man has died after falling 80ft in a climbing accident. The man,who has not been named, was with a companion in the Whispering Wallof the Cuillins mountains on the Isle of Skye. His companion raisedthe alarm at about 12.30pm yesterday. A coastguard helicopter wassent but the man was found dead.
George Cross for sale
A George Cross awarded to a carpenter for saving two people in aburning house in London in the Second World War may fetch£30,000 at auction in Sherborne, Dorset. Richard Bromell, ofCharterhouse auctioneers, said: “They are the holy grail.Only 106 were issued between 1940 and 1947.”
Dead boy 'drank methadone'
A two-year-old boy from Nantymoel, South Wales, died in hospitalafter allegedly swallowing heroin substitute. Neighbours said thatDylan Hughes had mistaken methadone for fruit juice. Police areinvestigating.
Operations cancelled
Last-minute cancellations of operations have increased in the pastyear, figures from the Department of Health show. In the threemonths to the end of March there were 16,800 cancellations on theday of the operation, compared with 14,600 in the same period lastyear. The department gave no explanation for the increasedcancellations.
School rape inquiry
Detectives are investigating allegations that a 15-year-old girlwas raped at a school, police confirmed yesterday. Officers saidthat two boys, aged 14 and 15, had been arrested and bailed pendingfurther investigation into incidents alleged to have taken place ata school in Birmingham between January and April.
Burglars stab homeowner
A man was stabbed several times when he confronted two burglars whodemanded money, police said. The victim, 47, suffered leg and backwounds after the men broke into his house in Colchester, Essex, at11pm on Tuesday. Police said the men, in their late teens or earlytwenties, may have entered the wrong house. They fled empty-handed.
'Soft' A-level alert
Schools should steer bright pupils away from “soft” Alevels to avoid damaging their chances of getting into topuniversities, a report by the National Council for EducationalExcellence suggests. The report, to be presented to the Governmentthis summer, is also likely to call for advertising to attractpoorer pupils to older universities.
Terror pamphlet charge denied
A man has denied publishing a pamphlet encouraging terrorism. AmjadMahmood, 29, pleaded not guilty to two charges at Manchester CrownCourt. His wife, Shella Roma, 27, made no plea. Mr Mahmood's trialstarts in August.
Stilt chicks hatch
A family of black-winged stilt chicks have hatched successfully forthe first time in Britain for more than 20 years, the RSPB said. Apair of the birds set up home near Marbury Country Park in Cheshirea month ago. Richard Bashford, the RSPB Aren't Birds Brilliantproject manager, said: “It has been a nerve-racking fewdays.”
Fighting knife crime
Classrooms could become venues for mediation between rival gangmembers and mobile metal-
detecting arches would be placed randomly at school entrances underinitiatives being explored by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.Ray Lewis, the Deputy Mayor for Young People, told The Times thathe had already held talks with gang leaders.
GMB shuns pay offer
Members of the GMB have rejected a three-year pay offer, settingthemselves on a collision course with the Government and causingfresh problems for the Prime Minister. The union, which represents25,000 NHS staff in England and Wales, said its members votedagainst the deal by more than 96 per cent.
Crash victims named
The two crew members killed in an Army helicopter crash in theSouth West of England were named by the Ministry of Defence asLieutenant Mark Reynolds, Army Air Corps, and Warrant Officer Class2 Vince Hussell, of 2 (Training) Regiment Army Air Corps.Investigators are examining reports that the aircraft hit powerlines.
Commuters can park and read
A scheme is to begin in Norwich aimed at encouraging thousands ofpeople who use the park-and-ride system to become book-lovers. Allseven buses on the route are to be fitted out as mobile libraries,each with several dozen books.
Germans ruin holiday
A man took a tour operator to court because he was not warned thathis Greek hotel in Kos catered mainly for Germans. A judge at StokeCounty Court said Thomson’s brochure did not make it clearthat the activities and entertainment were all in German andawarded David Barnish, of Stoke, £750 damages.