CASES heard recently by Oxford magistrates: Jason Barclay, 26, of Garth Road, Didcot, convicted of driving while unfit because of drugs in Oxfordshire on February 19. Fined £200 and told to pay victims’ surcharge of £15 and £350 costs. Given
A DRUGS dealer whose girlfriend hid his stash in her private parts has been jailed for 32 months. Cameron Sephton, of Woodstock Road, Oxford, previously admitted two counts of possessing Class A drugs, heroin and crack cocaine, with intent to supply
PLANS have been launched for a new ‘outdoor gym’ for Oxford residents. A similar facility already exists in Marston at the OXSRAD site, but equipment may be put in place at Sunnymead Park in Cutteslowe. The idea came about after a survey by
A POTENTIAL buyer for Oxford Stadium has been found, according to Oxford East MP Andrew Smith. Mr Smith said a consortium of people may come together to put in a bid for the facility, which closed in December. Galliard Homes wants to build
THE boss of a Witney firm believes his business has quickly benefited from adopting a policy to recruit only 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training. James Woollard has taken on four so-called NEETs in the past year
SCIENTISTS from the University of Oxford have been granted £1.4m to develop a new generation of blood cancer drugs. Charity Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research is handing over the money to the team which developed new technology to interfere with malfunctioning
There is no doubting the huge amount of time and energy put into the creating the new body that from next week will be commissioning healthcare on our behalf. And the huge amount of energy put into opposing what has been billed as the biggest local
Non-academic staff attending meetings at Oxford Brookes University heard about another major reorganisation — one that will lead many to be anxious about their jobs. Brookes finds itself having to undertake this major exercise just as it awaits the
A 38-YEAR-OLD man suspected of sexually exploiting young girls has said accusations against him are a "conspiracy" by a group of friends. Father-of-four Mohammed Karrar, 38, is charged with drugging and arranging for girls as young as 11 to be
A FUND encouraging elderly people to stay fit has pledged to double all donations towards a path through Eynsham and Farmoor – for the next week only. Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter and Get Batty campaigns were set up to help
GREEN county councillor Chip Sherwood has defected to the Tories ahead of next month's elections. The 38-year-old, who has represented the city’s Isis division for eight years, will contest St Clement’s and Cowley Marsh for the Conservatives after
Sir – Your correspondent, William Stebbings, of Cheltenham, (Letters, March 14) has got his facts muddled regarding the Oxford-Bicester line. He claims that residents in Wolvercote have no grounds to object to a 150 per cent increase in line speeds
Sir – Nothing was hidden from councillors when we decided last year to approve new student flats in Roger Dudman Way, next to the railway and overlooking Port Meadow (Report, March 21). The report on balance supported the University accommodation
Sir – I am a little dismayed at the proposed development overlooking Port Meadow. There seems to be faults on both sides over this matter. Firstly, the council, with seemingly a lack of communication between the officers and the committee, I find is
Sir – In your excellent leader, (Varied views, March 21), you informed us that Nick Worlledge’s report on the Port Meadow development was not seen by the councillors. Why does this not surprise me? In the early 1990s, I was one of the directors of
Sir – Re: Fringe planting Port Meadow. A solution might be to paint the houses pale blue and white to match the sky. This effect has been used on a large building outside Milton Keynes and is effective. Linda O’Dell, Steeple Claydon
Workers at Oxfordshire’s two HMV stores were breathing a sigh of relief today after the outlets were bought by restructuring firm Hilco. A total of 37 jobs have been saved — 29 in Oxford and eight in Banbury — after they were part of a package
Sir – Following on from Toby Porter’s letter about the lack of public trust in the Oxford planning process (in relation to the Roger Dudman Way development), I want to point out that the same sentiment is also being felt in other parts of the city.
Sir – We should not be surprised by the actions of the city’s senior planning officers (Report, March 21). In 2011, in order to prevent the Westgate Compulsory Purchase Order from expiring, these officers served a Notice to Treat on me which prevented
Sir – You have followed my drive for a Bomber Command medal for many years since I started in 2005. I congratulate retired Cdr Grenfell RN and his seamen on their award of the Arctic Star full campaign medal, which was rightly celebrated in 10
Sir – Your item on the county council’s decisions over road schemes for Witney (Report, March 21) did not mention that the proposed Downs Road roundabout on the A40 is intended to be built ‘at grade’ — ie not under or over the A40, with slip roads,
Sir – I am a member of Cherwell School, and City of Oxford Swimming Club. I am writing to raise awareness of the appalling state that Temple Cowley Pool is in. There are plans for a new leisure centre in Blackbird Leys, but due to the many complaints
Sir – RV Morris is not up-to-date (Letters, March 21): New Scientist of September 5, 2012, discusses Daryl Bem’s startling research on precognition, and quotes a meta-analysis of attempts to replicate his results. This concluded that the results
Sir – Surely parents have the right to be as informed as possible about the governors’ reasons for actively seeking to discard the long-established and much-loved Hertford Street site of SS Mary and John School? Yet no answers to the important
Sir – I would like to suggest that your newspaper starts an opinion column on cycling, as it has done with train commuting. Cyclists in Oxford get a raw deal and a bad reputation on top of it. Only yesterday I heard a guide on the Broad telling his
Sir – It is sincerely hoped that closing down and demolishing Didcot power station does not turn out to be another Dr Beeching railway closure fiasco, and what a fiasco that turned out to be, resulting in pressure on road traffic saturation levels,
Sir – The fashion to ridicule matters of faith can be counted on to try to belittle Christianity’s most solemn — and glorious — festival, Easter. Although the name has carried over from a pre-Christian spring festival, there is nothing pagan about
Sir – I thought we were a nation of animal lovers, but alas not the person who ran over my cat at the junction of Woodstock Road/Jubilee Way, Witney, on Tuesday, March 19, and left her in the road, she had a bright pink collar which said she was chipped
Sir – At a time when the NHS is under intense scrutiny I wanted to write with words of praise for local staff at a time of personal sadness for me, having recently lost my mother. I want to thank the staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital who have
Sir – Re Under Milk Wood, Oxford Playhouse: surely the point of going to a play is to listen to the words. This play had not ‘poetic diction’ and was no ‘feast for the ear’. On Friday night we couldn’t hear what anyone was saying (we were in the
Sir – Fewer than half of the letter headings on your main letters page indicate clearly what the letter is about and who might be interested in it. ‘RAF base’, ‘Save our village’, ‘concert costs’, ‘road news’ and perhaps ‘Hunt helps children’ catch
Transport ministers appear like buses. You wait ages for one to show up and then . . . First to make an appearance in Oxfordshire was transport minister Steve Hammond who came to look at the A34 last week. Then, 24 hours later, Transport Secretary
A BICESTER church that was built by its parishioners has celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Church of the Immaculate Conception, in The Causeway, officially opened on March 23, 1963. To celebrate the milestone, the Archbishop of Birmingham
IT IS one of the Ashmolean Museum’s most precious – and most peculiar – recent bequests. The Wellby Collection, which consists of 500 gold and silver antiques worth millions of pounds, is already on show at the Beaumont Street museum – albeit only
OXFORDSHIRE artists and craftspeople will open their studios to the public next month for the county’s celebrated Artweeks. More than 1,000 will showcase their work at nearly 500 venues during the event, which was established in 1981. Artweeks
VULNERABLE young people are skipping school too often, sparking concerns about their wellbeing. Figures reveal that 30 of the 400 children under the care of the county council were persistently absent between April 2011 and March 2012. The
IF you have no idea what a trapezoidal shape is, you might as well stop reading now, as the chances are you will not be the least bit interested in the new SEAT Leon. The third generation of the five-door, five-seater hatchback is the most stylish
Workers at Oxfordshire’s two HMV stores were breathing a sigh of relief today after the outlets were bought by restructuring firm Hilco. A total of 37 jobs have been saved — 29 in Oxford and eight in Banbury — after they were part of a package
THIS machine, which can produce lightning, will be on display at an Oxford University museum’s exhibition about the weather. The high voltage electrostatic generator was invented by James Wimshurst in 1878, the culmination of years of engineering
THE new road scheme in Bicester to cut traffic jams has recevied a cautious welcome. The scheme, around St John’s Street, North Street, and Field Street, came into affect on Sunday and involves new roundabouts, crossings and routes. It is part
Bicester Millennium Club are giving people the chance to take part in time trials at Weston on the Green Airfield. Interested people should turn up by 6.45pm on a Wednesday and ask for Chris Wayman.
A SECONDARY school geography teacher has revealed how he is helping to turn around a failing primary. St Nicholas C of E school in East Challow was put under special measures a year ago due to a range of concerns from Government inspectors Ofsted
A SUSPECTED child rapist has told the Old Bailey a "terrified" girl who testified against him did so via video link because she was a liar. Mohammed Karrar, 38, is accused of grooming and drugging girls before arranging them to be raped for money
THE body of a suicidal recluse was discovered by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) after they noticed the tax disc on his van had expired, an inquest heard. The PCSOs had been on patrol when they spotted that the car tax on John Bunting
A £2.7m refurbishment of an Oxford University college will feature a striking glass extension. Construction company Stepnell, which has an office in Wantage, is working on the major revamp at Grade II* listed Mansfield College in Mansfield Road
BE it wild dogs of Bosnia or snow storms in Montenegrin mountains, Rob Martineau guarantees his sleeping bag will hold out. The Oxford lawyer has embarked on a gruelling 1,039-mile run from Odessa, Ukraine, to Dubrovnik in Croatia. He is part
EXPLAINING evolution in 60 seconds would be a difficult task for anyone. But biology student Sally Le Page managed to do just that, winning her a short film competition and a prize of £9,000 – enough to fund almost all of her three-year education
Here are the candidates standing in the Oxfordshire County Council elections, plus districts and parish as applicable. Polling day is Thursday, May 2. Cherwell: Oxford: South Oxfordshire: Vale of White Horse: West Oxfordshire
AS WE arrived in the car park of The Old Swan at Minster Lovell it was blowing a gale and freezing sleet was lashing down onto snow-covered ground. I could not find the umbrella and my other half was grumpy, having battled his way back from London
Banbury's John Spratt won two titles at the LTA Grade 4 Veterans Tournament. Held at the Oxfordshire Health & Racquet Club, the event featured the highest-ranked players in the country. Spratt, won the over 65 men’s singles event and also
Henley Hawks have a tough run-in, but a simple equation as they chase the National 2 South title. Second-placed Hawks host fourth-placed Redruth tomorrow, followed by clashes with Hartpury College (third), Dings Crusaders (ninth), Shelford (fifth
Jimmy Deabill, Aaron Posey and Kevin Pike return for Kidlington at home to Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division strugglers Shrivenham tomorrow. Headington Amateurs have Benji Cuff back from a ban for the visit of AFC Hinksey in Division 1
ANIMAL lovers are being urged to think before getting a dog after the number of animals given to a rehoming centre doubled. Pets handed in to the Blue Cross centres in Burford and Lewknor rose from 23 in 2011 to 48 in 2012. And the reason owners
FINALLY the sun is shining and thoughts are turning towards your summer holiday. And you'll want to be in shape for it, won't you? Well the Witney Gazette has a fantastic competition in its edition on Wednesday, April 10, for two readers to win
YOU deserve a pampering and the Oxford Mail and Lush have teamed up to offer a skincare pamper pack for five lucky readers. Pick up the Oxford Mail on Monday, April 15 for your chance to enter this great competition.
Abingdon United manager Richie Bourne says he has no intention of leaving the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West strugglers. On Monday, Abingdon slumped to their sixth loss in a row with a 1-0 derby loss to ten-man Didcot, but
Former world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon dropped into the Fighting Fit Gym in Banbury. Witherspoon, who held the WBA and WBC versions of the title in the 1980s, was in the town to meet his agent Kevin Baker to discuss a forthcoming book
FOR our latest film festival, the Oxford Mail and the Pheoenix Picturehouse have joined forces to bring you the Best of Bonds. Over the course of six nights we will have what we reckon is the best 007 film from each of the actors who have
AN 11-year-old girl was hit in the chest by a man who was stroking her dog in Banbury. The girl and a nine-year-old boy were outside Bradley Arcade in Bretch Hill when a man got out of a black car and started touching the children’s pet. The
YOUNG photographer Harper Moore carefully lined up her camera for the perfect shot in her favourite playground. The four-year-old snapper was taking pictures for the Friends of Florence Park photographic competition. Harper said: “My favourite
OXFORDSHIRE’S local authorities should work together more to help tackle the city’s unique air pollution problems, it has been claimed. It has emerged that Oxford has consistently failed to meet its target for reducing nitrogen dioxide, which is
SATURDAY FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Oxford Utd v Wycombe Wanderers. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Gainsborough Trinity v Oxford City. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Chesham Utd. Div 1 South & West: Bridgwater
A 32-YEAR-old man from Abingdon who had a history of mental illness died of a drug overdose, an inquest heard. Haydon Evett was living at The Knowl care home, where he was found dead on Sunday, November 11, last year. The inquest in Oxford
A MAN has been cleared of an alleged attack with a pool cue at Riley’s snooker club in Oxford. Joshua Merritt, of Bullrush Road, Blackbird Leys, walked free after a jury found him not guilty during a two-day trial at Oxford Crown Court. He
A SOLDIER wounded in the same attack in Afghanistan that killed his friend has described him a “top lad” with a big personality. Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, of the 1st Battalion, the Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), was injured in an insurgent attack
WEATHER experts are hoping this year will not be as rainy as last year, when Oxford experienced the wettest nine months on record. The first three months of rainfall this year have all been above average but not as extreme as last year, according
HANS Hammerschmidt – or HH as Michael Everett might call him – ends his letter (ViewPoints, March 29): “Our health service in Oxfordshire is absolutely splendid – never mind Staffordshire.” With regret, I must say to my dear friend that I am bitterly
THE closure of Templar Cowley Pools will lead to competive fixtures crammed into one – Blackbird Leys new pool taking the place of three pools once in the area: Peers School, Temple Cowley and the present Blackbird Leys Pool, clean, warm and refurbished
I WAS pleased to read Sue Sherwood’s letter (ViewPoints, Wednesday, April 3). I’m so glad that her father, Albert Retter, was in the photograph I sent in of my late father, Bill Beaumont, with his workmates at the Pressed Steel, taken in the early
I AM not surprised at the criticisms levelled at councillors and the city planning officers with reference to the latest debacle – the Port Meadow/Castle Mill student blocks. The way things are done now – under the guise of efficiency – is to keep
Oxford face a real test of their qualities when they travel north on Sunday to face Halifax in the third round of the Challenge Cup. Tony Benson’s side got their Kingstone Press Championship One campaign off to a winning start with a 40-30 victory
A superb hat-trick by Conor McDonagh gave North Leigh a high-scoring 4-2 win in their Evo-Stik Southern League derby clash last night. The Millers, who had lost their two previous Divison 1 South & West games, took the lead after eight minutes
Oxfordshire rider Bradley Smith expressed himself pleased with his 11th place in first offiicial praactice for Sunday’s Qatar Moto GP race. Smith (pictured), making his MotoGP debut for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, recorded a best lap time of
A MARRIED dad-of-four has told the Old Bailey he only met a girl twice before she accused him of grooming, drugging, and violently sexually abusing her. Mohammed Karrar said he was “outraged” at the allegations and said they were a “product of
FORGIVE the pun but the new welfare benefit called Universal Credit does not add up. It is incredibly complicated to add all of the claimant’s benefits together and make it as one payment once a month. I cannot see how it will work at all and
WHAT a great experience I had, seeing the Queen visiting Oxford on Thursday, March 28. I expect local councillors were happy too, knowing that thousands of people witnessed her red Bentley going through the bus gate in High Street, adding money
I AGREE strongly with R James (ViewPoint, April 4): if you don’t have a car, you have to live with your medium-sized, unwanted electrical items all around you. When I needed to get rid of a vacuum cleaner, I had to cycle with it from Headington
I WOULD like to thank everyone who came along to the centenary cavalcade and display last Friday in Broad Street. If you came along, you will have seen that we had a wide range of Cowley-built vehicles across the ages and from a basic Mini, to
Oxford City boss Mike Ford says the midweek goalscoring exploits of Felipe Barcelos, Mark Bell and Nick Stanley could prompt him to stick with them when they travel to Gainsborough Trinity in Blue Square Bet North tomorrow. Barcelos and Bell helped
THE court case against a Swindon man accused of defacing Oxford United’s pitch has been dropped. Liam Jones, of Webbs Wood, Peatmoor, denied causing £2,608 of criminal damage at the Kassam Stadium in August 2011. The Crown Prosecution Service
Oxford Mail crime reporter Ben Wilkinson is at the Old Bailey It's day 41 in the #Oxford #exploitation trial. Mohammed Karrar, accused of child rape and prostitution, is due to continue his evidence. — @Ben_Wilkinson_ 05 April 2013
A JEWELLER'S shop in Oxford’s Covered Market has reopened following a botched robbery in which one man died. John Gowing Jewellers was raided and its window smashed by two men on Saturday. Suspected robber Clint Townsend, 33, stopped breathing
Alfie Potter does not expect his future at Oxford United to be resolved until after the end of the season. The winger is enjoying the most productive season in front of goal in his career, with a superb finish in the 1-1 draw with Morecambe on
CHRIS Wilder is hoping a hands-off approach has allowed his Oxford United players to iron out any issues which arose from the defeat at Aldershot on Easter Monday. The U’s need to show a response at home to Wycombe Wanderers in the wake of a disappointing
AGATHA Christie was the greatest of all mystery writers. That is virtually indisputable. We wonder, though, if the grand old lady would have a wry smile of amusement that some of her personal “mysteries” – or private everyday life in another
AS ONE of the bestselling authors of all time, Agatha Christie was not known for getting writer’s block. But detective work by Wallingford residents has revealed the world famous crime writer sometimes suffered from constipation and bought laxatives
AFTER being unable to celebrate opening his Oxford United goalscoring account on Monday, Scott Davies is hoping to be able to enjoy taking on another former employer tomorrow. The midfielder struck his first U’s goal with a free-kick at Aldershot
DEAN Morgan is determined to shake off a hamstring strain so he can line up against Oxford United tomorrow. The 29-year-old played ten games on loan at United, scoring once, at the end of last season. He was released by Chesterfield last summer
A FRAUDSTER who dishonestly claimed almost £41,000 was told he had damaged public faith in the benefits system. Richard Allen, of Burchester Avenue, Barton, Oxford, admitted three charges of benefit fraud and was jailed for six months yesterday
SEAN Rigg was on crutches yesterday after damaging ankle ligaments in Monday’s defeat at Aldershot Town. The winger was forced off inside the opening ten minutes following a tackle. It will rule out Rigg, who has missed just one game all season
MAX Crocombe says playing for New Zealand Under 20s has made him a better player. The 19-year-old kept clean sheets in both his appearances as the Junior All Whites won all four games at the Under 20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Fiji.
A £300,000 lump sum is set to improve cycle lanes in Abingdon. Funding for the Wootton Road scheme was announced by the Department for Transport yesterday, with work set to be completed in the next year. The project is part of a £40m cash injection
Oxford MCCU’s Freddie Coleman has been given the all-clear to face his county side, Warwickshire, in the opening first-class game of the season in The Parks today (11am). The 21-year-old batsman, who recently signed a professional contract with
OXFORD United are preparing to release their season ticket prices for the 2013/14 campaign. Tomorrow’s Oxford Mail will carry details of the price structure, which was formed following a supporter survey. More than 1,500 fans filled in a survey
TRADERS say Oxford’s Covered Market is facing the most critical battle in its 200-year history as it fights for survival. Talks with Oxford City Council aimed at finding a compromise on rent rises have collapsed. The issue will now be dealt
THE arguments over rent increases at Oxford’s Covered Market play out to a familiar pattern every time a review looms. And the reality is that we can’t see it ever really being any different while the city council remains the landlord. There
CIAN McCormack will be presented with the Kevin Durham Memorial Cup at tomorrow’s game. The centre back is in Oxford United’s academy and plays for the under 15s. His displays this season have earned him the award, which is given to United’
A PRE-SCHOOL closed by Ofsted after a committee member was charged with child sex offences has been given the go-ahead to reopen. Dunmore Pre-school in Abingdon was shut on Wednesday, March 27, over safeguarding concerns. Last month Paul Townsend
The recession is to blame for the loss of many things and only a few would include the touring film programme among the more significant casualties. Yet if cinema audiences outside London are left to subsist on a diet of mainstream escapism, leavened
A father-of-two was discovered dead at his family home by his wife, an inquest heard this week. Maureen Risbridger last saw her husband Ronald, 65, on the morning of December 12, last year, when he told her that he intended to go out to post some
KEEP reading and stay out of jail. That’s the message from American author and animator Mo Willems, who has backed the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign. Mr Willems, 45, whose most well-known tale Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! was conceived
STAFF at a charity in Marston that helps disabled people have hit out at thieves who stole benches from their grounds. The £460 picnic benches – installed last summer – were taken from outside Oxsrad, Marsh Lane on Easter Sunday or the next day.
