My blog will be updated daily, so make sure you come back! If you would like to add or reply to a comment on one of the articles below just send me your comment and, if it's reasonably decent and not libellous or anything like that, I'll add it to the article (don't forget to include the date and title of the article).
31.10.12
Siobhan Finneran: I was maid to play TV baddie
DOWNTON Abbey star Siobhan Finneran says she gets a kick out of playing the most hated character in the ITV1 period drama. The actress stars as bitter spinster Sarah O’Brien, Lady Grantham’s scheming maid. She told the Radio Times: “I actually have great fun being sniffy to everyone!
“I love O’Brien the most when she’s spiteful and has a brilliant put-down. She’s a clever lady and a bad enemy to make.
“Some people think she was just born bad, but I believe that at some point she has had some damage done to her.
“I have invented a back story for her, although whether that matches what (creator) Julian Fellowes had in mind, I’m not sure. The fact she had a nephew and family came as a surprise.” The Benidorm actress said she would like to see her alter-ego find romance.
Siobhan said: “O’Brien with a boyfriend would be stupendous! Who would be brave enough to take her on a date?
“Kevin Doyle, who plays Joseph Molesley, and I are always speculating what our characters would be like on a date – it would be hilarious.”
vicious.sid: Wow, Siobhan! You don't half scrub up well with your hair down and a bit of slap! I now feel a bit sorry for post-Edwardian blokes.
31.10.12
Chantelle Houghton rages at 'sick' ex Alex Reid
CHANTELLE Houghton has hit out at former fiancé Alex Reid calling him "sick". The blonde, who has a four-month-old daughter, Dolly, with the cagefighter, revealed relations with her ex have actually got worse over the past few days.
Last week Chantelle, 29, said things had got a lot better between her and Alex — but it seems that didn't last for long.
She writes in her new! magazine column this week; "Alex and I have taken a massive step backwards after we began to get on better last week.
"When he was being reasonable, I – like a fool – thought, 'Oh God, maybe he does actually give a s***'.
"But I now feel like he’s manipulating the situation to make it look as though he’s making a real effort."
Chantelle, who split from Alex early last month, also hit out at rumours the 37-year-old has been messaging girls on Twitter asking for sex.
She raged: "Meanwhile, a girl messaged me on Twitter to say Alex had asked her for sex. "She’s not the first – he’s been asking girls to send him pictures and various other things I can’t say in my column!
"Alex is single now and can do what he likes but I think his timing is a bit sick really.
"At 3am, when I’m feeding Dolly, it’s really not the sort of thing I want to be reading."
Chantelle dumped Alex just two days after he was arrested at the home they used to share in Brentwood, Essex.
vicious.sid: That's what you get for hooking up with a plank, I'm afraid. Can you imagine how that poor child is going to feel when she's old enough to read all about her dopy father. Very sad.
31.10.12
Lad claims police trying to hack iPhone locked it for 42 years
A RUGBY player nicked for filming police on a break claims they tried to hack his phone so many times they locked it for 42 YEARS. Jake Coplestone, 20, used the smartphone to record five officers outside a coffee shop.
Two of them approached him and accused him of being drunk and disorderly before clapping him in handcuffs.
He was released without his phone the next day and when it was returned to him five days later, Jake said it had a screen message stating: “iPhone is disabled, try again in 22,461,058 minutes.”
He believes the handset was tampered with to crack the password, leaving it to be “locked” for more than four decades.
Management trainee Jake, from Marlborough, Wilts, said: “The only logical explanation for my phone being disabled for 42 years is that someone had been trying to access my files to delete the video footage.
“I was not drunk and disorderly and I believe the only reason for my arrest was my taking footage of the officers standing at the bar.
“I’m discussing what to do, including court action and a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, with my solicitor.”
Police referred the incident to the professional standards department but say the officers involved deny Jake’s claims.
vicious.sid: Do you remember the days when The Thin Blue Line were the most respected force in the world and every other force wanted to model themselves on the good old dependable British bobby? My, how times change!
31.10.12
Dancers foot huge bill to get car cover
NURSES get the cheapest car insurance deals while lapdancers pay over FOUR TIMES as much, research reveals. Motor-racing drivers get stung the most with their average annual premium costing £1,591.
Professional footballers come next at £1,554, but funfair workers aren’t far behind at £1,326. Scrap dealers stump up £1,198, with exotic dancers paying £80 less.
Students and apprentices get hit for £1,059.
But State Enrolled Nurses pay only £225, with guest house proprietors stumping up £264 and reflexologists £273.
MoneySupermarket.com worked out the average price of all types of policies. Its car insurance expert Pete Harrison said: “Your profession could speak volumes about your risk as a driver.
“Our research shows the racier your job, the more expensive your premium will be.”
vicious.sid: I can understand why. One of my daughter's friends is a lapdancer and she crashed her top-of-the-range convertible Mercedes through a hedge and a fence into a field because she fell asleep at the wheel on her way home! The mad hours and the drink and drugs that surround the trade make it quite risky for driving.
Princess Tor: That was very stupid of her!
31.10.12
Tony Blair declares EU needs an elected president
THE EU needs an elected president, Tony Blair declared yesterday — in another thinly-veiled application for the job. The ex-Labour PM also gave a “stark warning” that the Union could break up if proposals for a separate budget for eurozone members creates a two-track Europe.
Mr Blair told a debate on the EU’s future that leaders faced a choice between “power or irrelevance”.
He said in Berlin: “If eurozone structures end up with a Europe that is fundamentally divided politically as well as economically, the EU as we know it will be on a path to break-up.”
Mr Blair said that giving all 500million EU citizens a vote to elect a president would stop people feeling “alienated” over who rules them from Brussels.
He added: “An election for a big post held by one person — this people can understand.”
He has made little secret in the past of his desire for the job. The EU currently has an unelected Commission boss and Council chief.
Mr Blair attacked David Cameron and Ed Miliband’s tough stand on the new EU budget negotiations as damaging “short-term politics”.
vicious.sid: What's in it for you then B-liar? There is nobody in the whole world who could trust a single thing that comes out of that lying mouth!!! Except his mates who have got their snouts in the same trough.
31.10.12
Crims could have cars seized for legal aid bills
CONVICTED criminals could have cars seized and assets frozen to settle their legal aid bills. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said “innocent taxpayers” were having to pick up the tab for lags who try to dodge paying up.
They are thought to cost the public purse millions of pounds every year.
All defendants are granted legal aid to pay for their defence in Crown Court cases. If they are convicted, those who are able to are expected to pay some or all of it back.
But less than 20 per cent of the money that should be repaid is collected by the Ministry of Justice. Some criminals refuse to co-operate with the authorities, while others hide their assets or earnings.
Mr Grayling said the Government would now get tough on those trying to con the system.
He said: “Convicted criminals have cheated innocent taxpayers for too long.”
A consultation period will run from today until December 11.
vicious.sid: What do you mean 'could happen'? Huh? Why the hell is this not happening already? I don't believe it! What's going on?
31.10.12
Detective is JAILED for bungling 13 rape investigations allowing alleged attackers to go back on the streets
A former Scotland Yard detective has been jailed for sabotaging 13 sex crime investigations and allowing alleged rapists to escape prosecution.
DC Ryan Coleman-Farrow, 30, lied to alleged victims, claiming their cases had been dropped, and then forged police files to cover up his negligence.
His defence lawyer claimed his offending was not the result of corruption or laziness - but the effects of ill health.
But Coleman-Farrow was jailed for 16 months today after the judge ruled his 'deliberate' and 'calculated' actions made the prosecution of alleged sex attackers impossible.
Judge Alistair McCreath said: 'In all 13 cases you failed to take steps that were appropriate and necessary for a full and proper investigation in each case.
'This was deliberate and calculated on your part and had the effect of not only delaying investigations but in reality made prosecution in respect of them impossible'.
The policeman, who worked in Scotland Yard’s specialist Sapphire sex crimes unit, failed to get CCTV of alleged attacks, did not submit evidence for forensic testing, and falsified paperwork to hide his incompetence.
He even fabricated interviews with suspects and key witnesses.
Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said: 'This case is not simply one of gross failure to carry out the duty of the office of Constable.
'But is rather that in each of the cases identified, having failed first properly to investigate those allegations of serious sexual assaults, the defendant went on to then create false or misleading records.'
After his lies unravelled police tried to reopen some of the cases, but many of the victims were too upset to go through their ordeals again.
Only one of his bungled cases has been able to be fully investigated to the point of trial.
His actions meant victims, suspects, families, witnesses and his colleagues were misled and in some cases 'the victim was kept waiting for many months without any results while being fed false information,' Mr Heywood said.
He told Southwark Crown Court: 'In total 32 cases required to be reopened and reanalysed and in some cases reinvestigated.
'This included revisiting victims and witnesses which no doubt involved considerable distress not only to those individuals but to the teams responsible for doing that. A review of working practices resulted.'
The documents he faked 'related not only to his own conduct but also the conduct or statements of others whether they are complainants, suspects witnesses, or by implication fellow investigators, scientists, or on occasion reviewing lawyers from the CPS to whom it was said the case was referred', the court heard.
vicious.sid: 32 weeks jail for someone who has destroyed so many lives? Absolutely disgusting and another nail in the coffin for British justice (if you can find any room for the nail!!!). I find it very hard to believe that he did what he did for reasons of 'bad health' - I hope they looked into whether he did it for money, but I won't hold out much hope. The first thing I think of is "Closing Ranks for a Copper". For someone to go to so much trouble to disrupt the investigations of such despicable and disgusting crimes on people he was supposed to be protecting there must be a much stronger reason than ill health. Very, very dodgy.
31.10.12
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Learner driver who pretended he had passed his test killed best friend in car crash and then told victim's parents he was still ALIVE
A learner driver left his friend dying at the scene of an accident he caused before fleeing the scene and callously telling the teenager’s parents that their son was safe.
Uninsured Jay Gilbert, who was 17 at the time, fled after ploughing his Suzuki Swift into a van as he pulled out of a junction, leaving witnesses to call an ambulance for his seriously injured friend.
Joshua Reed, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later, but his family didn’t find out for two hours because of Gilbert’s lies.
Jay Gilbert, now 18, left, admitted killing his friend Joshua Reed, right, 18, in the crash last October. The pair had been friends for around a year but Gilbert left Mr Reed in the passenger seat to die at the scene
As Mr Reed lay dying, Gilbert had taken a lift to his friend’s home where he tried to cover up what he had done by telling Joshua's worried parents their son was alive and talking to firefighters.
His relieved dad Michael Reed rushed to the scene of the crash with Gilbert, who told him he believed Joshua's teenage girlfriend had died.
Mr Reed learned the truth from a police officer two hours later as he waited behind cordon near the Tally Ho pub, on the A15 near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, on October 6 last year.
Gilbert admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to 27 months in a young offenders institute and banned from driving for three months at Lincoln Crown Court last Friday.
The court heard how Gilbert had bragged to friends that he had passed his test – but in fact was still a learner who was only allowed to drive with adult supervision at the time of the crash in October last year.
Mr Reed, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, yesterday recalled the moment Gilbert tried to cover up the truth about Joshua's death by saying it was his girlfriend who had been the victim.
The 38-year-old said: ‘(Gilbert and his friend) told me they felt sorry for her family, so I assumed she was dead and I was standing there thinking how I was going to console Josh.
'They said Josh was fine, was walking around and talking to the firemen.
'When we arrived at the crash scene they said they thought Josh's girlfriend was lying in the middle of the road and we shouldn't hold out too much hope.
'Everything fell into place when a police officer told me Josh was dead and Jay had been arrested nearby.
vicious.sid: What the . . ? 54 weeks locked up with a 12 week driving ban? Have I read that correctly? I've seen some idiotic sentencing in the last few years, but this tops everything. A crime as serious as this, is that supposed to be a deterrent to a thicko like him? He looks just like a backward scumbag that used to bother my daughter who was a career criminal and just got away with it over and over again - the only reason he was finally arrested was to protect him from me! They just let him off with a slap on the wrist, as usual. I just don't believe it! He'll never change, he'll be laughing his head off at every decent person around him and he'll never change all the time he gets away with it - I've seen it happen. How nice would it be if his family moved in next door to the judge? How much more can the decent person take?
31.10.12
Reading 5 Arsenal 7
IN years to come this may well be remembered as the greatest game in the history of this much-maligned competition. For Arsenal fans, it may also be the game that proved to be the turning point.
Not just because they can now go on to win this competition and end what will be an eight-year drought come the final on February 24.
But because boss Arsene Wenger MUST now break the bank to keep superstar Theo Walcott at Arsenal.
At ALL cost.
One of the most humiliating nights in Wenger’s 16-year reign turned into one of the greatest — thanks to Walcott’s hat-trick.
Those who were here will be able to tell their grandkids about the night Arsenal came back from the dead on a Tuesday at Reading.
Amazingly, drawing level from 4-0 down. Astonishingly, going 5-4 up. Unbelievably, 7-5 winners. Even Marouane Chamakh became a hero as he put Arsenal in front in extra-time and hit their seventh.
But that was after the Gunners managed one of the great escapes.
vicious.sid: Well that's one team that needs a kick up the Arsenal. Well done, but it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the 'Fergie' time at the end. Count yourselves very, very lucky.
Lefty: And Bradford in the next round, at least we had a bit of luck for a change.innit.