Wednesday 16 March 2011

“Consistent with a deliberate attempt to kill” says expert at Webster trial


A reconstruction expert today said a fatal smash which claimed the life of a North-east nurse was “consistent with a deliberate attempt to kill”.

Stephen Jowitt, who works for the same firm that reconstructed the crash which killed Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, today appeared as an expert witness during the trial of murder-accused Malcolm Webster.

Mr Jowitt told jurors at the High Court in Glasgow he used witness statements to reconstruct the crash that killed Claire Morris, on the Auchenhuive to Tarves road in May 1994.

These included accounts by the police, eye-witnesses of the aftermath of the collision and a statement given by Webster.

Webster is on trial accused of drugging his first wife Claire, crashing their car on purpose and torching the vehicle with her inside.

Mr Jowitt, who is a trained engineer with experience of investigating fatal crashes involving fire, said he had visited the scene in September to reconstruct the crash.
He was asked by the Crown to determine whether the physical characteristics of the incident were consistent with the account given by Webster, that it was a normal accident, or whether it was a staged event.

Advocate depute Derek Ogg read from the conclusions of Mr Jowitt’s report: “It is highly likely that the vehicle was steered down the slope into the wooded area from a relatively low speed.

“Accordingly the physical evidence fits entirely with the contention that this was a staged event.
“It is wholly unlikely that the vehicle caught fire as a consequence of any impact damage generated in the incident.
“If this was an impact-related fire the initiation of combustion would have been evident to an outside observer immediately after the impact. Accordingly it is my opinion that the fire was deliberately set.

“The extent to which the vehicle burned is indicative of an enormous fuel load.

“The vehicle would not have burned to this extent simply as a result of fuel loss stemming from a simple low energy accident. There must have been some external accelerant involved to have caused the nature and extent of the fire shown.

“There was nothing to physically prevent Mrs Webster from being able to get out of the vehicle if she was capable of consciousness at the start of the incident. Thus, if the person deliberately starting the fire was aware that Mrs Webster was in the vehicle at the time, the event is consistent with a deliberate attempt to kill her whilst she was somehow incapacitated within the vehicle.”


Mr Jowitt emphasised to jurors the last thing he wanted was for them to go away from the court thinking they had heard what actually happened. He said: “What I can show you is a reconstruction of what may have happened.”

Police question man over Gallowgate stabbing


Police are questioning a man in connection with the stabbing of a pensioner in Aberdeen city centre.

This follows the multiple stabbing of a 79-year-old man near Gallowgate.

Ambulance crews were called to the Aberdeen sheltered housing complex and took the injured man to hospital, where he remains.

A team of Grampian Police officers were today carrying out inquiries at Loch Court, a sheltered housing complex near the city’s George Street.


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A spokesman said: “Officers were called to an assault at Loch Street, Aberdeen.

“An ambulance attended and took the 79-year-old male victim to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he remained today in the care of medical staff in a stable condition.

Neighbour Andrew Smith noticed a commotion across from his house.

He said: “Me and my girlfriend saw a couple of police vans outside Loch Court and wondered what it was about. I’ve always wondered why they’d put an old folks home near a college – weird.”

The alarm was raised at 6.50pm last night at the complex, at the back of Aberdeen College’s Gallowgate campus.

It was understood the pensioner, bleeding heavily, went to a neighbour’s flat with serious injuries and the neighbour called an ambulance.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman today said: “We took a 79-year-old man with multiple stab wounds to the abdomen to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He was conscious and breathing when the crews arrived.”

Staff at the complex were today unable to comment on the incident and referred calls to the city council.

No one from the local authority was available to comment.

The Police investigation continues.

Crane company ex-employee admits inexperience to inquiry


An employee did not have enough experience to oversee the safety procedures of a crane that was partially to blame for the death of a mother and her two children.

Brian Groves told a fatal accident inquiry at Stonehaven Sheriff Court into the death of Ann Copeland and her daughters Ciara and Niamh that he did not have “any previous experience” in the maintenance of the cranes.

Mrs Copeland lost control of her car on a bend on the A92 in Aberdeenshire and crashed into an oncoming Citroen Berlingo. The Scottish Environment Agency (SEPA) found that hydraulic fluid from a crane using the same road had “significantly reduced grip on the road”.

Owner of the company of the crane Lawrence White is due to appear at the inquiry tomorrow.

Green light for glow-in-the-dark Aberdeen Arena


Aberdeen Football Club has moved “a critical step forward” in their plans to build a new 21,000-seat arena.

The Scottish Government decided not to call in the planning application for the glow-in-the-dark stadium at Loirston Loch.

The new stadium will replace the century-old Pittodrie stadium if the Scottish Premier League club can raise funds and meet conditions set by the Aberdeen City Council.

The club’s Chief Executive Duncan Fraser said: “With the continuing support of our major shareholders and the bank we can now move
forward in the coming months to bring together a funding package.”

He added that the club will be working hard to finalise the complex legal agreements but he expects to have planning approval within the next couple of months. The club has been hoping for a new stadium for over a decade.

An earlier plan for a site near Kingswells received over 4,000 objections.
The new plans have also attracted objections.

There are concerns within the community about the impact the new site will have on roads and local wildlife habitats. Despite these concerns, ministers chose to support the plans.

A spokeswoman for the SNP administration at Holyrood confirmed: “Ministers have considered the application and concluded that there are no sufficient grounds to merit intervention.”

Councillors approved the development by 23 votes to 17. Nigg Community Council Chairman Alan Strachan raised his concerns about the decision.

He said: “Because of the tight vote at the council I would have thought it would be in the government’s interest to call it in.”

A 1,400-space car park is proposed as well as a 1,000-capacity supporter’s bar.

(Photo courtesy of RedWeb)

Policeman quits before internal investigation complete


A police officer has resigned before the conclusion of an internal investigation into his conduct at work.

George Hall, 49, from Cruden Bay was suspended from Grampian Police after he was accused of two separate charges of indecent assault on his beat in Ellon.

He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2003. He faced a further charge of engaging in sexual acts with a man incapable of consent between July 2007 and July 2008.

The Procurator Fiscal dropped the charges last May. Grampian Police then launched an internal investigation.

A spokeswoman for Grampian Police said: “George Hall is no longer employed with the force.”

Up until today’s resignation Mr Hall had consistently denied the allegations.

Residents rejoice at Traveller rejection


Residents were today delighted after plans for a permanent Travellers’ site were marked for rejection.

A report by Aberdeenshire Council officials said the site at Tillgreig near Udny could not be justified.

A report which urges councillors to reject the plan said there is no justification for the site to be used for Travellers.

Space for three caravans, a tarmac access and a patio area were put forward for the farmland, near Udny Station and Newmachar.

Today resident Fiona Milne, 43, who lives in a cottage opposite the site, said: “We welcomed the officers’ recommendation.

“It’s obviously good news – it would be out-of-keeping with the area, totally out of character.

“The cottages are traditional stone cottages. And the site was very near our home – right opposite our garden.”

Mrs Milne and husband Steve had objected, claiming the scheme would affect their privacy to the plan claiming they would lose privacy if the scheme went ahead.

The couple were also worried about noise pollution as caravans, cars and trucks moved on and off the site
accessing moving to and from the site.

Mrs Milne added: “It’s a single track road so with the extra vehicles, the road wouldn’t cope.

“It was also right in the middle of a Christmas tree plantation.”

Community councillor Brian McDougall, 62, of Pitmedden, was also pleased at the officials’ recommendation.

He said: “Lots of residents had big concerns about it – they thought it was in the wrong place. It would have been on a very narrow road, so it was not suitable for access. The site itself is also an old water board site, so it’s very damp and the water ends up in the Ythan Estuary. We were worried about that getting polluted.

“We’ve had many deserving people who want to build houses there getting turned down – so why should this be different?”

Architect and planning consultant Forbes Rowan Spence Marr, who represents the applicant, said he felt the reasons for refusal could not be justified.
He said: “Having just read through the paper, I did not accept as reasonable the reasons that have been offered to justify a refusal.

“I have made a request for an opportunity to make a presentation to the committee and I’m hoping I will be given the chance.”

Councillors are due to consider the plan at a meeting on Tuesday.

Work shy Scots abandon Jeremy Kyle for work

The number of unemployed people in Scotland has fallen since November according to recent official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said unemployment had dropped by 16,000.

Also, the number of adults out of work and claiming benefits in Scotland fell by 2,100 in February.

Secretary of state for Scotland, Michael Moore welcomed the figures but warned against complacency.

He added: “There are still too many Scots out of work and the government is determined to help.”

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Scottish government’s robust actions to support jobs, skills and training are delivering real results.”

One example of the government’s actions is the ‘Steps To Work’ awareness event held this afternoon at Woodside Community Centre in Aberdeen.

The event focused on helping those whose benefits have recently been cut and help them to understand their potential options.

One of the programmes aims is to help unemployed people gain confidence to enter into the workforce.

Alona Murray, Principal community learning worker said: “I think people can get depressed. It is a horrible situation to be in. You have got to be positive that you can get back into work.”

Police weed out drug dealers


A man was held in custody today after he admitted to being in possession of £4,000 of cannabis.

27-year-old Andrew Law of 16D Milbank Place admitted being involved in the supply of drugs between October 10th and November 8th 2009 at an address in Bucksburn.

The depute fiscal said that police had recovered £346 of the drug.

Law’s defence solicitor said that “he was a father of one who has never been in prison before.”

Sheriff McKernan said “This is the kind of activity which the court has frequently deplored.”

Law has been detained and remanded in custody until his trial date this month.

Earlier today another man, 29-year-old Silvano Volpi admitted growing the drug at his home in North Anderson Drive. His sentence was deferred till later this year.

Council plans to clamp six-figure profit from Aberdeenshire motorists


Aberdeenshire Council will hear a plan tomorrow to make a £200,000 profit by increasing parking charges.

Motorists would face up to a 50% increase in parking penalties if a report by the director of infrastructure services is approved.

It would mean three hours of parking would cost £5 in car parks across the North-East.

While some council members voiced negative opinions such as the deterring people from shopping in Aberdeen city, many believe that the increases are justified by encouraging the use of public transport such as park and ride.

Paula Gibson, a public consultation stakeholder, says that the increases will deprive local business and town centre of trade, and will have a major impact on employees within these businesses.

She believes that many traders are finding it hard enough in the current climate, and that these changes offer no assistance to them.

Mark Hagger of the Grampian Cycling Tourist Club backs the plan, believing the new resources will be applied to improving the cycling facilities in the area, which at the moment are below par.

Ron Clark seat up for election


A by-election is to be held on May 19th to fill a vacancy in Aberdeen City Council’s Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone ward.

The announcement was made by Returning Officer Valerie Watts after the death of Councillor Ron Clark last month.

The poll could have been held on the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary elections and the Alternative Vote referendum but that would mean voters would have to complete four different ballot papers.

The group also had to take into consideration the Gould Report which recommends that parliamentary and local government polls should not be held on the same day.

Mrs Watts said: “In addition, electoral legislation means that we cannot legally combine the polls on the same day and we would therefore have to set up separate polling stations in each of the polling places, each with separate staff. In at least two of our polling places in the ward, there is no room for this to be accommodated.”

Dyce Church Hall, Dyce Church Hall (Dr Cox Room), Beacon Community Centre, Newhills Primary, Bucksburn Primary, Stoneywood Primary and Danestone Primary will act as polling stations on the day.

Chalet blaze teen relives eight months of hell


A 19-year-old burns victim spoke about his agony as he prepares to undergo his sixteenth operation.

Kyle Stewart was the worst injured out of his four friends after a wooden chalet they were staying in caught alight last July.

The chalet at Beechtree Caravan Park in Keith burst into flames due to a faulty gas canister.

He spoke about his ordeal for the first time in eight months.

“I’m just in agony all the time, the pain is 24 hours. Everyone else says there is an improvement but I haven’t seen it.”

His mother, Tracey Stewart said: “He is really down all the time and is always upset and cries a lot. It breaks my heart every time I go in. I just want to cuddle him but I can’t. I don’t know what to do.”

Mr Stewart says he remembers nothing of the night of the incident.

The four other boys involved in the fire all suffered burns but left hospital after treatment.

Aberdeenshire couple Insches away from death

An Insch couple are recovering from burns after a gas explosion destroyed their company’s production facility.

Philip and Janet Watson have spoken for the first time after a gas explosion in their Wardhouse manufacturing shed left them in hospital.


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Philip said: “It was a huge explosion. I was sitting at my desk and the next thing I knew the whole place had exploded. The roof blew off and the building is just destroyed – there’s nothing left.”

Janet was setting up the burner for their Glen ‘O’ Deer food business when the blast happened.

She said: “I had run out of matches so I nipped inside the house and got a petrol lighter. It was only a matter of a minute or so. I then flicked the lighter and everything just went white – it was like looking down a white tunnel.”

The explosion threw Mrs Watson to the ground before the wooden building collapsed.

“The bang was so loud. I was so scared. It took me a few seconds to realise what had happened.”

There were two canisters in the shed and they feared there would be a second explosion.

The couple’s neighbour claimed his tractor jumped from the impact of the explosion.

Philip, who has been in business with his wife for 15 years, said: “I couldn’t believe what had happened. I have never been so close to death. We certainly won’t ever be using gas again.”

Grampian Fire and Rescue Station manager Bruce Milne is urging people with gas canisters near their homes to follow safety precautions.

Forres Father and son face child porn sentencing


A NORTH-EAST man and his son who downloaded more than 20,000 images of child porn between them are to be sentenced tomorrow.

John, 57, and Jamie Brown, 26, admitted possessing the images at their home after being caught by police in a UK-wide paedophile operation.

The pair pleaded guilty at Elgin Sheriff Court to having the pictures in their possession nearly three years ago.

The court heard that on June 18 2008 police found a computer used by both men which had “indecent” photos or computer generated pseudo-photos of children.

Depute fiscal Shona Duncan told the court that altogether John Brown was found with nearly 17,000 images on the laptop and other computer equipment.

His son was found to have over 3,500 pictures.

Officers were monitoring a website where members could discuss their sexual interest in children when they discovered a man from the North-east had accessed the site.

A laptop computer was seized from the living room, along with DVDs, CDs and floppy discs.

The accused’s wife told police she had never used the laptop and that
she and her daughters had separate computers which were password-protected. Both John and Jamie Brown used the same laptop, but had different usernames and passwords.

When interviewed at a police station, John Brown, whose address was given in court papers as 145 High Street, Forres, said he used the laptop and admitted having some images of children stored on discs.

The court was told his son admitted accessing and downloading video clips and images “that would be considered indecent”.

Ms Duncan said: “From the comments made it was clear there was some sexual gratification obtained from viewing the images.”

After questioning, both of the accused were allowed to leave pending further investigations.

The men pleaded guilty to the charges at the court appearance on February 17 and were released on bail.

Sheriff Noel McPartlin deferred sentence until tomorrow for background reports.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Community fears raised at public meeting


Communities should have more say in how their public services are run in the North East.

This was the opinion expressed at a public meeting held by the Christie Commission at Woodburn House in Aberdeen last night.

Charity worker Rhona Kemp said: “Councils and Police need to cut the apron strings and the purse strings. I ran a disability awareness programme in schools with the help of the police. The police had to stop helping because they were too busy doing budgets. We need to let the police do more.”

The Christie Commission has been set up by the Scottish government to hear ideas on how public services should be run.

The meeting was co hosted by Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council and focused mainly on the role of voluntary organisations and the public sector.

Westhill care worker Maureen Strachan said: “We need to adopt a wartime attitude and do more for ourselves.”

Ideas suggested included giving volunteer health organisations more say in how care is given, a removal of beaurocracy from the public sector and attempting to get more people engaged in local politics.

Despite the commission’s hope to hear opinions from the public, only 12 people were at the meeting. The majority of attendees were from the voluntary sector.

The meeting was chaired by former local NHS Director Dr Roger Gibbons who feels there were a lot of interesting points raised about how communities could be more involved in running local services.

“If they were more enabled they could use resources better.

“Our expectation is to make a road map to the future. It will be up to a new government to take them on board.”

(Photo courtesy of STV)

Jobseekers take first steps on to employment ladder


Aberdeen City Council is hosting a ‘Steps To Work’ awareness event this afternoon at Woodside community centre.

The council have partnered with the Job Centre and the community centre in an effort to catapult the people of Aberdeen back to work.

The event plans to bring together a variety of organisations willing to educate people on the options that are available. The options include childcare, work placements, education opportunities and financial help.

The day hopes to aid school leavers into an employment role.

Principal community learning worker Alona Murray and neighbourhood community planning officer Alan Mulvie will be at the event assessing the benefits to those who attend.

Unemployment in Aberdeen is significantly lower than anywhere else in Scotland. A government survey showed that Aberdeen’s unemployment rate was 2.2% in July 2010, making up only 8.4% of Scotland’s overall unemployment figure.

Aberdeen is in the top 3 cities in the UK for knowledge-based businesses with more than 400 internationally owned companies and 800 technology based businesses in Aberdeenshire. It is also often referred to as The Oil capital of Europe, which makes up a very large part of the North-East’s economy.

However, over 4000 people within the City of Aberdeen are still struggling to find work.

Employers and partner providers will also be there for the public to speak to and assess what opportunities are available to the individuals.

The event will take place between 1pm and 3pm today.

(Photo courtesy of The Telegraph)

Caley look to repeat Hoops Cup shock


Celtic travel to Inverness Caledonian Thistle for their re-arranged Scottish Cup Quarter final.

The winners will face a semi-final with either Aberdeen or St Mirren at Hampden Park.

This fixture was originally scheduled for last Sunday but had to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Due to the continuing bad weather in the north of Scotland Celtic will now fly to Inverness to avoid any problems on the road.

This fixture has happened three times before in the Scottish Cup. The most memorable being in February 2000 when Inverness stunned Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead leading to the sacking of then manager John Barnes and the famous newspaper headline “Super Caley go ballistic Celtic are atrocious”.

Inverness will be without Graeme Shinnie who was recently hospitalised with a stomach problem. David Proctor, Dani Sanchez and Kenny Gillet are also out but midfielders Johnny Hayes and Aaron Doran have been declared fit to play.

Celtic pair Mark Wilson and Scott Brown will miss the game due to their red cards in the previous round. Daniel Majstorovic will be out for two months after suffering a fractured toe.

University Challenge


The rivalry between the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University will be pushed to the limit once again in this year’s Granite City Challenge.

Sports teams from both universities will compete in a series of different events throughout today in various venues across the city.
However, some of the outdoor activities have fallen victim to the weather.

RGU will be looking to avenge last year’s narrow 15-14 defeat as well as the loss in the annual University Boat Race last week. The Vice President of Sports at the University of Aberdeen says he can “hardly wait” for the competition to begin.

Drew Leitch said: “The rivalry between Aberdeen and RGU is massive so all teams will be desperate to win. It will certainly be a superb day to be a spectator.

“Hopefully we will retain our hold on the trophy.”

Leitch’s counterpart at RGU insists there is a healthy respect between teams from the two universities but that will not stop there being a firm competitive edge.

Nicola Scott said: “Granite City Challenge is one of the biggest sporting events on the calendar for both RGU and Aberdeen University. The event is guaranteed to showcase great sporting talent.

“With both RGU and Aberdeen teams competing well throughout the year, I am interested and excited to see who comes out on top today.”

Rob Ritchie, a striker for the RGU boys team was more forthright on his expectations for the day.

He said: “There is absolutely nothing better than beating Aberdeen. It’s all about winning!”

Mountain biking, trampolining, indoor cricket and rock climbing are among the events that will take place across venues such as RGU: Sport, Pitfichie Forest and Aberdeen Sports Village.

Aberdeen College brings space back down to earth


‘Is that an alien?’ and other questions were answered in Britain’s most northerly Planetarium when it re-opened after a decade last night.

The 30 seat Aberdeen College planetarium heard Dr Marco Thiel’s advice on how to find and detect extra-terrestial life in a seminar Life on Other Planets?

Last night’s event opened a series of Cafe Cosmos nights which will see monthly guest speakers from Cambridge, The University of Glasgow and The University of Aberdeen during the spring.

Torcuil Torrance, the Aberdeen Astronomical Society president is “very excited about the new planetarium facility”.

He said: “Cafe Cosmos is a great way to introduce the people of Aberdeen to the planetarium and to expand their knowledge of the universe around us.”

Those with seats for the fully booked session had the chance to watch a star show from the planetarium’s dome ceiling followed by a presentation by Dr Thiel.

The guest lecturer, Dr Thiel from the Aberdeen University’s Department of Physics told the audience that the scientific community keeps finding more and more new planetary systems.

He said: “The odds for finding life outside the planet Earth are quite good, but it doesn’t look possible at all that they could come over here.”

Cafe Cosmos was part of the National Science and Engineering Week which hosts various science related events for all ages around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

AAS offers a free membership for everyone who participates in the Cafe Cosmos events during the spring.

Dons boss expects tight test from buddies


Aberdeen manager Craig Brown has warned fans they could be in for a “long night” as they try to secure a spot in the Scottish Cup semi-final this evening.

Extra time and penalties may be required as the Dons face St Mirren at Pittodrie just days after Rory McArdle’s goal salvaged a replay in the last few seconds of Saturday’s quarter-final in Paisley.

Brown said: “I have a very high regard for St Mirren and their management team. They will be well set up and well organised and as we are not scoring as many goals at the moment as we should be it could be a long night on a heavy pitch.”

The winners of tonight’s replay know they will face either Inverness Caley Thistle or favourites Celtic in the semis, but Brown has refused to even discuss the draw. However Dons striker Scott Vernon is desperate to get the chance to avenge January’s League Cup semi-final humbling by the Hoops.

He said: “The last time we went to Hampden we were poor, really poor. It was our own fault and we need to take responsibility. We definitely want to get back there and definitely put in a better performance than we did.

“We have a chance to do that by winning tonight.”

Aberdeen have an injury doubt over ex-Saint David McNamee but are hopeful Rob Milsom will recover from a thigh strain. Buddies manager Danny Lennon will be without David Barron and Garry Brady.

(Picture courtesy of Aberdeen FC)

Are you a geek? It's National Science week...woooo!


It is very hard to stop global warming or to have a chat with a deaf person. How do you listen to someone who can’t speak?

Today Professor Anne Glover and Dr Annalu Waller will speak about the role of science as a global and personal problem solver, in events coordinated by the National Science and Engineering Week.

The NSEW is the UK’s annual celebration of discovery and invention overseen by the British Science Association. In Aberdeen the festival is hosted by the BSA’s Aberdeen Branch and the University of Aberdeen.

BSA’s local chairman, Dr Ken Skeldon said: “We try to bring people of all ages and interests face to face with some of the science that’s happening in the area, some of it cutting edge.”

Professor Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor for Scotland, will discuss the value of science for Scotland and its role in addressing global problems this afternoon in the Macaulay Land Use Institute.

Dr Annalu Waller from the University of Dundee will discuss how barriers of communication, such as deafness, can be overcome. The event is tonight at Waterstones on Union Bridge.

Tom Horner, Regional Program’s assistant from the BSA office in London, told that last year the NSEW hosted around 4,000 events and reached about two million visitors.

He said: “The Big Bang Fair in London marked the start of the NSEW and our schedule tries to build things up during the week to create a bit of a buzz.”

The NSEW will end on March 21st.