Archive

The sentencing of three brothers and a teenager over a 2011 attack on a taxi driver in Oxford has been put back to March 3 at Oxford Crown Court. Surfraz Nawaz, 32, Karvan Nawaz, 28, Arfaan Nawaz, 25, and Amayad Bokhari, 18, pleaded guilty to two

Two men have been arrested after burglars were seen jumping out of a garden following an attempted break-in in Adderbury. The incident happened in Oxford Road on Wednesday at about 8pm. The suspects, aged 26 and 27, who are both from Birmingham

Weekend rail passengers will not have their journeys disrupted by repair work following a landslip last Friday. The landslip occurred between Banbury and Leamington Spa and affected journeys last week but a spokeswoman for Chiltern Railways said

A RESTAURANT in Abingdon is facing a fine of up to £30,000 for employing illegal workers following a Home Office operation. Officers visited Parasol in Market Place at around 12.15pm yesterday and carried out checks to find out if the employees

IT’S one of England’s finest tourist attractions. But few people are aware of the role Blenheim Palace in Woodstock played in wartime. Matt Oliver went along to its new exhibition A Great Estate at War: Land, Sea and Air to find out more  

OXFORD United were denied a precious away victory as they conceded an equaliser in stoppage time at Morecambe. Robbie Threlfall turned in a 91st-minute corner from close range to earn a share of the points. It was heartbreak for United, who

A SUPPORT centre for children who care for disabled parents has been saved from closure. Didcot’s South and Vale Carers Centre (SVCC) has been rescued by Witney carer support charity, Guideposts Trust. The centre, which has supported unpaid

A GROUP of Benson women are taking part in a vintage pin-up calendar to raise money for the Royal British Legion. After a request on Facebook for models, 26 women were picked from more than 165 applicants by photographer Nikki Prince. RAF Benson

THEY say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But at a half-term pony camp held at Huntersfield Equestrian Centre in Little Coxwell, it was Diamond the pony’s “swishy tail” that turned the head of Charlotte Leung, seven, from Abingdon. The Manor

ALEXANDER Choi, five, joined other children at the Museum of Oxford this week to turn shoeboxes into narrow boats. The workshops, “Inspired By Oxford Canal”, were about life on the waterways in Oxfordshire and were organised by Summertown-based

IT may have been a rainy half-term week, but Millets Farm Centre at Frilford came up with a fun indoor activity to keep the family entertained. Children had the chance to get creative and decorate their very own wooden bird box, ready to take home

Oxford United Dance Off – not only did Alfie Potter score a great goal here but he scores a 10 for the best dance move. All Newport can pull off here is a mere ‘wave your hands in the air’ move, Alfie on the other hand wins with his flamenco inspired

TO a child, a few scraps of string and a cardboard box can become anything in the universe. For young Toby Mahan, it became an impressive medieval castle, complete with drawbridge. Toby and his mother made the creation at The Mix, a community

FOLLOWING the success of the GB Winter Olympic team in Sochi, children in Wallingford were inspired by the GB skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold in an arts and crafts session. The youngsters – including St John’s School pupil Meera Clark and

KIDS had a roaring good time at Oxfordshire Museum this half-term, making clay animals such as a lion’s head inspired by Roman artefacts. Children took part in singing, drawing, dressing up and sculpture sessions as part of the holiday activities

A CADET from Grove has been named as a regional finalist in this year’s CVQO Duke of Westminster Award. Siobhan Mundy, 18, is one of 24 youngsters to be shortlisted and could win a three-week educational expedition to South Africa. She said

Good afternoon and welcome to the Lancashire coast, where Oxford United are at Morecambe. The glorious away run finally came to an end at Newport County on Tuesday night, but Mickey Lewis' men will be attempting to begin a brand new sequence this

HE’S hoping to jet off to Tokyo for a three-week long scouting adventure. But to pay for the trip 13-year-old Oliver Matthews, from Charlbury, has been organising a number of fundraising events. The teenager is one of 36 youngsters from across

THIRTY-TWO years ago today Nicky Hill died, at just seven years old. Today, by coincidence, is also a day to raise global awareness of the disease that killed him - encephalitis. Encephalitis is a disease that leads to swelling of the brain

A NEW set of contestants are dusting off their dancing shoes and digging out their sequined frocks with the launch of Strictly Oxford 2014 today. The 16 will be partnered with Headington’s semi-professional dancers from Step By Step Dance School

AFTER a lifetime of running around Oxford, one Royal Mail employee is set to take on the Reading Half Marathon for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Asghar Ali from Cowley runs 70 to 90 miles every week at the Horspath Road athletics ground and is

NAVIGATING travel timetables can often be tricky even for those with 20/20 vision. But new technology introduced by Oxford Bus Company will convert that information into spoken messages to be read out on its website. The upgraded oxfordbus.co.uk

SIX professionals put their day jobs on hold for a week to try their hand at being blacksmiths. They signed up to a five-day blacksmithing course where they learnt to make tools, forge, weld and even get artistic. Simon Turk, who runs a forest

David Hunt has added incentive to get a good result for Oxford United today after enduring a horror show on his last visit to Morecambe. The full back was part of a Crawley Town side who were on the receiving end of a 6-0 drubbing at the Globe

AN INCIDENT involving a dead badger led to a lorry driver dying in hospital and one of Oxfordshire’s main roads grinding to a halt yesterday. Drivers were delayed for up to an hour as three of the four lanes of the A34 were closed for nine hours

A lack of defensive depth provides Mickey Lewis’ main headache ahead of Oxford United’s visit to Morecambe. On top of injuries to Michael Raynes and Jake Wright, the U’s are also without Tom Newey, who is beginning a two-game suspension. David

ABINGDON Vale youngsters enjoyed another record-breaking time with four gold medals in the second round of the Oxfordshire & North Bucks Championship, held at Aquavale, Aylesbury. In the distance and girls’ relay events, Vale scooped four golds

An Oxford Crown Court jury retired to consider its verdict yesterday in the case of a clubber accused of raping a man with learning difficulties at Oxford railway station. Daniel Allen, of Fleetham Gardens, Reading, denies two counts of rape and

A MAN has avoided jail for removing wheel nuts from his ex-partner’s car which a judge said could have had “horrific consequences”. Helen Belcher felt the wheel was loose as she reversed from a space on Wednesday and found nuts missing from a wheel

A NUMBER of people have said they also saw a fireball falling from the sky in Oxfordshire. The Oxford Mail reported on Thursday that Alexandre Legis, 41, spotted the object descending over Deddington Hill. He initially said he saw it last Friday

RUNNING the country was put on hold yesterday as David Cameron urged Oxfordshire to support the Oxford Mail’s OX5 Run. The five-mile run in the grounds of Blenheim Palace is the Oxford Children Hospital’s biggest annual fundraising event. At

Police officers were called to St John Street in central Oxford yesterday morning after reports of a suspicious package. Thames Valley Police officers were called to Oxford University’s Rewley House at around 7.40am and the road was cordoned off

The DISTRICT councillor for Ducklington Steve Hayward has resigned, officials say. He has been criticised for claiming he could still represent the area on West Oxfordshire District Council, despite living in Thailand since June last year. Mr Hayward

THEY’VE become close friends because of the treatment they’ve had to go through. And yesterday, a visit by the Prime Minister was a welcome distraction for cancer patients Zac Durkin and Finlay White. David Cameron greeted the youngsters and in

9:54am Here's our second song of the week from Huck & The Xander Band from our Local Bands MP3 Showcase, supported by Oxford O2 Academy. There's dozens more to listen to at oxfordmail.co.uk/music If you're a

CITY of Oxford girls dominated the pool in the second phase of the Oxfordshire and North Bucks County Championships, held at Aquavale, Aylesbury. City went away with 11 of 16 potential gold medals in the 400m individual medley and 400m freestyle

MATT Prosser, a strategic director of South Oxfordshire District Council, is to leave the area to become the new chief executive of two councils in Dorset.

The county’s hospital authority missed a key A&E waiting time last week, figures released yesterday show. Some 85.4 per cent of people who attended were admitted, transferred or discharged, against a target of at least 95 per cent. This

A detainee who has admitted starting a fire at Campsfield House immigration centre in Kidlington will be sentenced in April. Farid Pardiaz, 24, appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday accused of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered

TWO Oxfordshire novelists have been shortlisted for a Romantic Novel of the Year award. Friends Liz Harris from Watlington and Carol McGrath from Launton have both been shortlisted in the Historical Romantic Novel category and will find out if

Bampton saloon car racer Alex Dew has his sights firmly set on this year’s BMW Compact Cup Championship. The 28-year-old finished third in last year’s championship and is determined to go two places better. Dew begins testing at the start of

Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts beat Wootton & Boars Hill by 51 runs in the opening game of the Oxfordshire Indoor Competition at St Gregory the Great School, Oxford. Bilal Ali (52no) and Garry Adams (50) scored at a cracking pace to

Oxford City Stars must win at Slough Jets tomorrow night (7.30) if they are to progress from Group 2 of the South Division 2 Cup. Defeat at home to Bristol Pitbulls last weekend leaves Oxford second in the table. And only victory in their final

A 37-year-old Oxford man has appeared in court accused of drug dealing. Khlaid Miah is accused of having diamorphine and cocaine in his possession with intent to supply on February 20. Miah, of Henry Road, Oxford, did not enter a plea and was

Ian Barnes completed his return to the sport by finishing third in class at the Wyedean Forest Rally. Driving the Bicester Major Motorsport’s historic MK1 Escort, Swindon-based Barnes began tentatively in his first rally for six months. But

Chipping Norton’s Sean Walkinshaw can’t wait for the start of the Euro Formula Open’s 2014 Winter Series after a successful testing session. The 20-year-old Campos Racing driver declared himself very happy with the performance of his Dallara F312

Ashton Club marched on at the the top of Division 1 of the Gentworks Oxford & District League by coming from behind to win 2-1 at home to New Club. David White (+40) took the opener for New Club with a 200-162 success over Pete Fenn (+60).

Frankie Merola and Adam Brown reeled off half-century breaks in Littlemore RBL C’s 6-0 home whitewash of Thame A in the top flight of the Gentworks Oxford & District League. Merola made a 58 break in his 2-0 win over Warren Eels, while Adam

Banbury maintained their 100 per cent record in Division 1 of the Banbury Indoor League with a 31-run win over Sandford St Martin. Si Hussain (28no) and Ed Smith (27no) laid the foundation for Banbury’s 112-3, which included 33 extras. Sandford

Berinsfield ABC’s Jordan Blake and Michael McDonagh battled their way to victory at Ledbury ABC’s show. Blake overcame a height disadvantage to gain a unanimous points verdict over Heart of Devon’s Lee Sage. The Berinsfield fighter kept pushing

AN 18th century silver cup originally owned by an Oxfordshire artist could be sold for up to £20,000 at auction in America. The 274-year-old cup, pictured, belonged to Oldfield Bowles, who once owned North Aston village near Bicester. It became

A YOUTH project is working to steer Barton girls away from sexual exploitation following the Oxford grooming gang convictions last year. The 10-week course, from youth project Thrive Barton, aims to give six teenage girls more confidence and increase

A 50-year-old admitted stealing three DVDs worth £56 from Asda in Wheatley, Oxford. Colin Forbes, of Lower Radley, Radley admitted stealing property belonging to the store on December 28. District judge Tim Pattinson was told Forbes was seen

A 27-year-old Banbury man has been fined £300 after being found with a “substantial amount” of cocaine and cannabis. Ray Rigby, of Bretch Hill, was caught with the drugs in April last year and he pleaded guilty to possessing Class A and B drugs

A Witney teenager who went missing on Thursday night has been found. Thames Valley Police confirmed that the youth, who has not been identified, had been found safe yesterday morning. Residents of Madley Park estate reported seeing a police

Devon Drum opened his account on the Flat for Banbury trainer Paul Webber with victory at Lingfield yesterday. Sent off an 11-4 chance, the six-year-old stayed on powerfully for apprentice jockey Willy Twiston-Davies to beat Mister Carrot by a

Forum D missed the chance to put pressure on Division 2 leaders Vikings B in the Oxford & District League. They triumphed in just one of their three matches this week, drawing the other two, and are a point off the summit having played a game

A man armed with a knife attempted to rob the Post Office in Headington, Oxford, yesterday lunchtime. The man entered the premises and demanded money but staff did not hand any over and he left. Police were then called to the Post Office on

THE boss of Oxford City FC has dismissed claims his new university in the United States could be confused with Oxford University. American businessman Thomas Guerriero, pictured, who is a major stakeholder in the club, has said he wants to establish

A high-profile Oxford United fan club has shut after being told it would not be able to continue fundraising on club grounds. The 12th Man group, which has been running for four years and has raised almost £60,000 for transfers, had permission

The sad demise of Oxford United Football Club’s most high-profile fan club has been confirmed. The 12th Man group began its fundraising work to help the club finance new signings and pay wages four years ago when the team was still playing non-league

An impressive weight of 73.8.0 made up of small carp gave Mark Shepherd victory in the Littlemore AS Classic Flooring Shield at Panshill Wood, while others all around struggled for bites. Shepherd drew the fancied peg nine and alternated between

FLOOD defence options for Abingdon need to be thoroughly investigated according to the town’s MP. At a special meeting yesterday Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, told council leaders it was essential schemes to protect Oxford

A TEENAGER said she “blacked out” before driving through a wooden fence and crashing into a conservatory at an elderly couple’s home, a court heard. Banbury Magistrates’ Court was told that Cheryl Stokes, 19, then reversed out of the garden and

THE young rapper behind a tribute video to Connor Tremble has said he and his friends have found comfort in music – as a second man appeared in court in relation to the killing. Teenager Marley Ward performed a freestyle rap earlier this week outside

OXFORD’s new Asian-style fast food restaurant Itsu has applied for a change of use after a council warning. The £1m Cornmarket Street store, which opened at the former site of The Works bookshop last September, classed itself as a retail unit rather

THEY’RE normally heard chanting Ging Gang Goolie while toasting marshmallows around a camp fire. But all this week Oxfordshire’s Scouts and Guides have been performing a few more up-to-date hits in a series of shows for this year’s Gang Show. Oxfordshire

A LORRY driver who drove his 7.5-tonne vehicle over a bridge with a 3-tonne limit has been fined £500, the county council has said. Graham Martin Hoiser was spotted by a county council bridge technician crossing Shabbington East Bridge, near Thame,

IT was all smiles as an Oxford primary school was told it was one of the best in the country at turning itself around. St Nicholas’ Primary School in Raymund Road, Old Marston, has been named as one of the top 100 schools in the country for improvement

OXFORD Brookes students are on track as they prepare to race at Britain’s most famous racetrack this summer. More than 100 engineering students are taking part in the motorsport competition called Formula Student run by the Institution of Mechanical

REGULAR drop-in sessions for former soldiers who need welfare support will be launched at Banbury Town Hall, in Bridge Street, on Friday, February 28. The first will take place alongside a job fair but in future the sessions will be held on the

London Welsh have appointed Darren Crompton as the club's scrum coach. Capped once by England in 2007, Crompton enjoyed a successful careers with Bath, Richmond, Cardiff Blues and Bristol, and developed a reputation as a formidable scrummager.