A VICAR who said reggae musician Maxi Priest was one of his former church helpers denied molesting a schoolboy in the early Seventies. Father Michael Wright, 69, was arrested last year after a 44-year-old man claimed he was molested by the priest when
The man who died after plummeting from the top of a church tower in Oxford city centre has been named as David Alan Brunton. Mr Brunton, who was 39 and lived at The Row, Hinton Waldrist, near Wantage, was pronounced dead by paramedics at noon on Tuesday
WINDOWS have been smashed and valuables stolen from 14 vehicles parked on the Ridgeway in rural Oxfordshire over the past few weeks. Police have increased their patrols after vehicles parked near the Ridgeway in Wantage, Ashbury and Ardington have been
A 40-year-old woman has denied stabbing her husband. Carol Davis pleaded not guilty at Oxford Crown Court to wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. Davis is charged with stabbing Stephen Davis at her former home in Marns Hey, Wantage, on January
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Saturday March 24 - a pivotal day in England's bid to qualify for the 2008 European Championships. Ok, I know it seems like England's qualifying campaign has only just started but a loss against Israel could be catastrophic. It may sound like an easy
Saturday March 24 - a pivotal day in England's bid to qualify for the 2008 European Championships. Ok, I know it seems like England's qualifying campaign has only just started but a loss against Israel could be catastrophic. It may sound like an easy
Saturday March 24 - a pivotal day in England's bid to qualify for the 2008 European Championships. Ok, I know it seems like England's qualifying campaign has only just started but a loss against Israel could be catastrophic. It may sound like an easy
Windows have been smashed and valuables stolen from 14 vehicles parked on the Ridgeway in rural Oxfordshire over the past few weeks. Police have increased their patrols after vehicles parked near the Ridgeway in Wantage, Ashbury and Ardington have been
In an excellent feature article in today's Oxford Mail, the Mail's football correspondent, Jon Murray, pays due tribute to the great work of Oxford United's new owner, Nick Merry, who took over exactly one year ago. He has, of course, had the support
A gang of distraction burglars have struck again - this time forcing their way into a 93-year-old man's home. Between 3pm and 5pm yesterday, three men rang the bell persistently at a property in Oxford Road, Littlemore. When the elderlyresident answered
A gang of distraction burglars have struck again - this time forcing their way into a 93-year-old man's home. Between 3pm and 5pm yesterday, three men rang the bell persistently at a property in Oxford Road, Littlemore. When the elderlyresident answered
OXFORD United's impressive new striker, Chris Zebroski, says he is determined to get match fit as quickly as possible so he can play his part in helping the team reach - and get through - the play-offs. The 20-year-old gave an excellent first performance
The calendar has rolled around again to March and the roar of the bikes can be heard again at Oxford Speedway. Aaron Lanney came in and saved the day last year, but by any standards it was a disappointing year on the track. There seems to be a lot more
The calendar has rolled around again to March and the roar of the bikes can be heard again at Oxford Speedway. Aaron Lanney came in and saved the day last year, but by any standards it was a disappointing year on the track. There seems to be a lot more
The calendar has rolled around again to March and the roar of the bikes can be heard again at Oxford Speedway. Aaron Lanney came in and saved the day last year, but by any standards it was a disappointing year on the track. There seems to be a lot more
Former Oxford United star Peter Rhoades-Brown manages an Oxford United Masters XI when they take on a Sport Italia Veterans' team at Abingdon Town on Sunday (2pm). The match is being supported by Fox FM and will raise money towards their 'Help an Oxfordshire
North Leigh's title hopes have suffered a setback after defender Jamie Jackson was ruled out with a fractured wrist. Jackson was injured during last week's 2-2 draw with Almondsbury and will be out for several weeks starting with tomorrow's trip to
TAPE recordings played to a jury in a murder trial showed police were told eight times a man had been killed - but the claims were treated as a hoax. Recordings of telephone calls between police and Edward Doyle giving names of people who he said murdered
Paramedics were called following a collision between two cars on the A417 between Wantage and East Challow last night shortly before 7pm. An ambulance crew treated the drivers for minor injuries but they did not need hospital treatment.
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Oxford United's impressive new striker, Chris Zebroski, says he is determined to get match fit as quickly as possible so he can play his part in helping the team reach - and get through - the play-offs. The 20-year-old gave an excellent first performance
Oxford Cheetahs face the acid test when they take on reigning champions Peterborough in their opening Sky Sports Elite League clash at Oxford Stadium tonight (7.30). Loyalties will be split for owner Colin Horton and general manager Trevor Swales,
Oxfordshire suffered their third 8-7 defeat of the season when they met newly-crowned champions Hertfordshire 2nd in Division 1C of the Inter-County Championships. Chris Raw and Chris Gibbins started with two men's singles wins, while Dave Soanes and
The wait was over for computer game fanatics who came out at midnight last night to be the first to get their hands on the new PlayStation 3. Both Toys R Us in Botley Road, Oxford, and HMV in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, were opened at midnight so people
Is sponsoring Formula 1 racing compatible with halting climate change? The question, asked by a German journalist at BMW's annual accounts press conference, produced the first genuine belly-laugh from group chairman Norbert Reithofer. "I don't think
Where do you go for lunch on Mother's Day when your husband has forgotten to book a table on one of the busiest eating out days of the year? "I thought we'd just wander about town and find somewhere," he said nonchalantly, the reality slowly dawning
Sitting on a sun-baked cliff in Majorca, most people's thoughts would not normally turn to the Cowley Road in Oxford. But the holiday sun had a strange effect on James Attlee. He said: "It was incredibly hot and no one wanted to do anything. I went off
Love and Louis XIV Antonia Fraser (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £25) This is a glorious book, worthy of the court of Versailles. Familiar enough with the 17th century, Fraser has turned her artistic pen towards the women who revolved around the Sun King.
Since leaving her lobbyist job at Oxfam to become a full-time children's writer, Julia Golding has won awards for her Companion Quartet and Cat Royal series. Her latest book, The Ship Between the Worlds (OUP, £5.99), is about a modern teenager swept up
The £40m Oxford Castle development has won its second top award in a week. Last week, staff at the complex off New Road celebrated after delegates at a property developers' summit in the French resort of Cannes voted for the site to top a poll of the
44 THINGS Kirsty Gunn (Atlantic Books, £15.99)Fragments of stories, poems, essays notes and thoughts about motherhood, families and friends make up the 326 pages of Kirsty Gunn's 44 Things. Each of the 44 things featured is Kirsty Gunn's response to
KNOTS & CROSSES: COLLECTOR'S EDITION Ian Rankin (Orion, £10.95)This collector's edition reproduces what was our first glimpse of the Scottish policeman with the puzzling name, written before Ian Rankin hit the bestseller lists. Published to celebrate
Saul David is a military historian at home in the Victorian era. It suits his style and temperament, revealed in a challenging appraisal of the series of wars at the heart of the British Empire. Where the Redcoat trod, he has sturdily followed. The Indian
It is accepted that since the terrible happenings of September 11, 2001, the New Yorker is a changed person; less bombastic, less arrogant - in short, less of a know-it-all. There are exceptions, of course, and I met a couple of them in Turl Street on
Jason Donovan is looking forward to starting Sunday's OX5 Run and said everyone taking part should be incredibly proud of themselves. The Aussie actor and singer has giving his support to the hundreds of runners who will be lining up for the five-mile
The experience of cyclist Oliver Adams will add weight to the arguments that cycle helmets should be made compulsory in Britain. He was struck by a car in Oxford and knocked across the road into the path of a car driven by neurologist Dr Sandeep Jayawant
It struck us when visiting our local recycling centre recently that the number of useful items that end up in landfill is staggering. On investigation, we discovered a website called FreeCycle, which is part of the Yahoo groups. It is organised locally
Can anyone tell me why, when you go to Cowley Police Station in Oxford to report a crime, you have to speak into a phone in front of a member of the public, giving out your personal details such as name, address, date of birth and phone number, even though
Mothers may lose a mobile breastfeeding clinic before the key is even in the ignition if managers fail to find somewhere in Oxford to keep the bus. Although the Barton Baby Cafe has won £55,000 to set up the wheeled service in an 18-seater midi coach
A planning inspector has ruled that the Church of England can build offices on allotments. Campaigners reacted with disappointment to the ruling, following a long campaign to try to save the site from development. Planning inspector David Rose said
A VICAR accused of molesting an 11-year-old helper admitted having a gay lover but branded the child abuse claims a 'figment' of the boy's imagination. Father Michael Wright, 69, repeatedly sexually assaulted the schoolboy more than 30 years ago, jurors
Paramedics were called following a collision between two cars on the A417 between Wantage and East Challow last night shortly before 7pm. An ambulance crew treated the drivers for minor injuries but they did not need hospital treatment.
Archaeologists have made a boozy discovery in Oxford's historic High Street. Experts carrying out preparatory work ahead of another set of major roadworks on the ancient road have discovered a stone drain that can be dated to the 18th century. The
Walkers and cyclists in Oxford have been left confused after workers painted bike signs on a pavement in Botley Road. Oxford city councillor Susanna Pressel had campaigned for more road markings to be painted on the road and cycle ways along the busy
Bicester is a step closer to securing a new community hospital after a change of heart by health bosses, according to campaigners. In a joint statement released this week, Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and Cherwell District Council announced they had
Giving headteachers the power to ban pupils from wearing Muslim veils or other religious dress could have dangerous consequences, according to the chairman of Oxford's only Islamic school. Hojjat Ramzy, chairman of the trustees at Iqra School, in Littlemore
About 100,000 people will enjoy a thrilling air show combining real life RAF planes and hi-tech films. The spectacular two-day airshow, the Spirit of Adventure, takes to the skies over Abingdon on May 26 and 27 and is billed as the world's most spectacular
Plans are being drawn up to build a new up-market Oxford shopping arcade opposite Carfax Tower. The multi-million-pound retail development would be created on a large site behind the city's main Post Office, which would be retained along with other
Rail commuters have welcomed moves by First Great Western to provide extra seats on rush-hour trains to London next week - but they say further improvements are still needed. Last December, FGW infuriated passengers by cutting the number of fast morning
Tape recordings played to a jury in a murder trial showed police were told eight times in one day that a man had been killed - but the claims were treated as a hoax. Recordings of telephone calls between police and Edward Doyle, giving names of people
Oxford stands a "strong" chance of being on the Government's shortlist for unitary councils when they are announced next week. It was originally anticipated eight unitary councils would be confirmed, but that may increase. And the Oxford Mail understands
A cyclist whose life was saved by his helmet when he crashed head first into a car wants them to be made compulsory. Oliver Adams, 33, was cycling towards the centre of Oxford, in Banbury Road, on March 15, when he and a car turning right into Belbroughton
CHINNOR will be without No 8 Johan De Bruin and wing Eric Brown when they host Canterbury in National 3 South tomorrow (3). The pair are on holiday in their native South Africa, so Ed Rixon and Jaike Carter come in. Gareth Duder replaces Ed Orchard
OWEN Gustafson is urging Oxford Harlequins to show their true talent when they face Witney in the Oxfordshire Cup final at Iffley Road tomorrow (3.30). The Quins' skipper knows they under-performed in last year's 19-12 victory over the same opponents
A vicar accused of molesting an 11-year-old church helper admitted having a gay lover but branded the child abuse claims a figment of the boy's imagination. Father Edward Michael Wright, 69, allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted the schoolboy more
Southfield golf course in Oxford has been earmarked by planners as a prime location for up to 1,300 new homes. The privately-owned East Oxford course has been identified as one of the most sustainable sites in the city and has excited house builders,
A patient room which could not fit a bed was just one of the glitches ironed out this week in time for the official opening of the new £42m Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre yesterday. Phase two of the five-year redevelopment of the complex, in Windmill Road
Bicester bid to become only the second team to defeat Wallingford this season whey they clash in the Oxfordshire Shield final at Iffley Road tomorrow (noon). BB&O Premier Division champions and Shield holders Wallingford have won every league game this
Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace has spoken of his delight after Andy Lyne joined them from British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West rivals Oxford City. Last year, Lyne was manager when City won the Spartan League before he quit earlier
Following the budget, according to the BBC, Gordon Brown is to invest an extra £17billion or so in public services, such as skoolz'n'ospitalz etc. Now this sort of blatant sophistry might be okay for the larcenous Scotsman, the great pillager from the
JEEP is expanding into new territory with the new Compass - a modern-styled compact Jeep that delivers a package of size, performance and fuel economy. The £17,990 Compass extends the Jeep brand to compete for the first time in the compact sport-utility
A SWAP Shop - where members of the public can offload unwanted items in exchange for goods they need - is being held tomorrow, at West Oxford Community Centre, in Botley Road, from 10am to noon.
At a gathering moments before the fires were lit in Broad Street for the Luminox art installation, Oxford artist Ted Dewan said we would be amazed by what was to unfold. He warned us to enjoy it. "They'll never let us do it again," he said. Just how
COMPETITION in the coupé segment has become even hotter thanks to the launch of the Audi A5 at the Geneva Motor Show. Combining the essential sharp styling and impressive driving experience of a coupe, the A5 will face its arch-rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz
THE new Peachcroft Christian Centre in Abingdon will open with two weekends of partying - and everyone is invited. The first celebrations start today and go through to Sunday, followed by another celebration on May 18-20. Work on the £600,000 project
IF AN Oxford drugs charity closes because of a lack of funding it would be a disaster, a police officer has warned. The Oxfordshire User Team - staffed by former addicts - helps recovering drug users back into work and helps them find treatment. But
Sir - Andrew Ffrench (Weekend, March 16) throws down a challenge when he writes that every Oxford reference in Blenheim Orchard is spot on. I noticed two errors. Farndon Road is said to divide Hayfield from Bainton Roads (page 30) and the Carlyles'
Sir - So it has happened at last. After months of inadequate, unreliable service, the No 7 bus Barton-Kidlington is to be cancelled. The reason given is the (presumably temporary) roadworks in the High Street and Green Road roundabout. While I am not
Sir - Barbara Gatehouse argues that Bridleway 75 through the BMW works should be closed because it is unsafe (Letters, February 23). This right of way must pre-exist the Cowley works, whose owners presumably had a responsibility to maintain its status
Sir - Your columnist Christopher Gray can't let go of Jean Fooks, can he? In his article last week (March 16) he (yet again) bemoans the fortnightly rubbish collection and tells us that Jean Fooks 'obstinately refuses to reinstate' weekly collections
Sir - Your coverage of Oxfordshire health issues is consistently excellent. In recent weeks, you have carried articles about elective stretch and patient choice. In early February, I received a letter from the grandly styled Elective Access Systems
Sir - Martin Thomas (Letters, March 9) argues that in response to the city reorganization pupils left city secondary schools to attend Matthew Arnold and Wheatley Park schools to the disadvantage of the former and advantage of the latter. The reality
Sir - I was distressed to read (Report, March 9) of the proposed business park to be built in the Pear Tree area and particularly by city council leader John Goddard's remark that the fields are "currently not doing much". What does a field have to
Sir - How ironic that just when a thousand years of Oxfordshire are being celebrated with lavish spectacles, the Central Library's Oxfordshire Studies section that does so much to promote the county's history is to be greatly reduced in size to make way
Sir - For three nights last week The Broad was illuminated only by fire. It was as if we had suddenly returned to the 17th century. No cars, no street lights, just thousands of happy people of all ages enjoying an astonishing spectacle, live contemporary
Sir - County councillor Don Seale (Letters, March 9) sees the future of the central library and its allied services through the smoke of his authority's battle to prevent Oxford city becoming a unitary authority. But what matters is his plan to reduce
ACTING as a guide to a group of over-sexed young Americans and some altogether more reserved Scandinavians had left Maureen Minton a little breathless. Not even the task of holding the attention of teenagers in love could daunt her enthusiasm for imparting
OXFORD City Council wants to build hundreds of new houses on the site of Southfield golf course. City planners have identified a number of sites in the city for around 3,000 new homes. The locations have been earmarked for development after 2016 as
A proposal to redevelop land behind Queen Street and St Aldate's has been around for many years. It has lived in the shadow of the Westgate redevelopment and has barely earned a mention in recent times. Now, however, we have the exciting prospect of
The controversy over housing in Oxford will not go away. If it is not Green Belt under threat, then it is green land within the city boundaries. The choices are not easy.
HAVING a car with a Skoda badge on the drive usually means the buyer is, if nothing else, a sensible sort. The Czech car maker has built a reputation among level-headed motorists for producing well-built, well-priced, practical vehicles. The addition
Banbury-based supercar manufacturer has set its sights on a new race track by venturing into the world of slot car racing. The launch of the Ascari A10 and KZ1R slot car from NINCO, manufacturers of a 1:32 slot racing system is on its way this year.
Saab has become the first car company in the UK to offer an alternative fuel engine choice in every single model in its line-up. Available in all three 9-3 bodystyles of Sport Saloon, SportWagon and Convertible, Saab's pioneering BioPower flex-fuel
Vauxhall has announced the arrival of a new Aussie musclecar - the VXR8 - and it is more powerful and exciting than even the legendary Monaro. The £34,995 saloon, based on Australia's Holden HSV Clubsport R8, goes on sale in July, powered by the same
VOLKSWAGEN'S new Golf Estate, combining sharp dynamics with space and versatility, has made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. With the largest loadspace of any Golf to date, the new estate extends the versatility of the Golf range. A new nose featuring
EUROPE continues to be the prime target for Far Eastern car marques, with their new-vehicle assault on the market here continuing unabated. Hyundai will soon be squaring up to the Ford Focus, with its small family hatchback, the i30, bringing the benefits
Sir - Chris Koenig writes (March 16), about plans for the New Bodleian Library. In each piece the library was 'opened in 1940'. Consistent, but wrong. It is not long since you were celebrating the 60th anniversary of the grand opening in 1946. On page
Sir - Your article Cold look at global warming (Weekend, March 16) contains the statement: 'Sea levels rise because as ice melts into water it warms and expands in volume'. This is nonsense. Ice and water at temperatures below 4C have a negative coefficient
Sir - My experience this week really leads me to wonder what image Royal Mail think they deserve from the public. In mid-week three important letters for me marked 'special delivery' were returned to the Witney sorting office because they required signatures
Sir - If the figures for new council tax bills given (Report, March 9) are correct, then the tax will have risen by 104.38 per cent since 1997. Over the same period my total energy bill has risen by 112.5 per cent. Sadly, the increase in my state
Sir - I have just received my council tax demand for the coming year, together with all those funny little leaflets from the various authorities I am paying for that tell me nothing, at length, complete with supporting statistics. I see that one of
Sir - Much of our food nowadays is packaged in cartons and they should be an important part of any recycling scheme. Unfortunately, the Oxford scheme doesn't appear to be much help, because it lists clearly among the items which cannot be recycled "food
Sir - Councillor Goddard proposes burying 45 acres of safeguarded pasture under buildings and asphalt. His claim that this green lung north of Wolvercote is "not doing much" is unsound. 1. Open land absorbs rainfall. These pastures then drain via a brook
NINE-year-old Luke Biggs is one of the first patients to use the Oxford Children's Hospital - and now his family is getting ready to raise money for the state-of-the-art building. Although he is still in hospital, suffering from complications following
HE WAS a real teenage tearaway: stealing and taking a knife to school until he was expelled. Yet for a 16-year-old it was only once he met one of his victims and apologised that he finally saw the damage he was causing. Even Jeremy Farris, who had his
VISITORS to the Northmoor Trust at the weekend will be able to see newborn lambs - and possibly see one being born. The trust's annual Lambing Weekend runs at Hill Farm, Little Wittenham, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
PLANS are being drawn up to build a major new upmarket shopping arcade opposite Carfax Tower. The multi-million-pound retail development would be created on a large site behind the city's main Post Office, which would be retained along with other buildings
JASON Donovan is looking forward to starting Sunday's OX5 Run and said everyone taking part should be incredibly proud of themselves. The Australian actor and singer has giving his support to the hundreds of runners who will be lining up on the start
THE former home of Herbert Henry Asquith - the Prime Minister who took Britain into the First World War - is up for sale in Sutton Courtenay. The Grade II listed property, called The Wharf, has seven bedrooms over three floors and is on the market for
