Rhiannon Broadbent’s Weblog

A man found guilty of possession of Heroin was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court today.

Evidence found Mr Connell possessed fourteen packages containing 60 percent Heroine, text messages and an airline ticket to Amsterdam incriminating him of regular drug usage for himself and his girlfriend.

He will serve one hundred and twenty hours of community service in Hampshire.

Blue is back! And is the new black in the fashion world. This is true because my Smarties tub of ice-cream says so! The sweet made a comeback February of this year after a bombardment of Facebook fans persuaded Nestle to find an alternative colouring that’s now made out of seaweed.

The sweetie blues have travelled on to new highs from a wintry bluster and sprung into springs new seasons colour in the fashion world. I received an email from Topshop today telling me that blue was popular this season, and it only occurred to me when I was tucking into my ice-cream- Blue really is back! 

After some research I found that some six months ago Mr. Christopher Kane paraded his denim delights and bright-idea blues down his Spring/summer catwalk, did he start this trend of flavourful treats or was it just a coincidence? So if your in style, don’t be blue, just wear it!

The Newseum…..http://www.newseum.org/…says it all in the name

Today I found the BBC editors Blog pages, where the most recent blog ( titled Fair Trial) which raises issues concerning the contempt of court act and reporting on it when the case is active uses the topical case of Karen Mathews, Ceri Thomas (editor of the Today Programme) has been researching into this area of the law and found two strong trends that have emerged concerning the Jury’s previous knowledge of a high profile case and a fair trial. These factors are said to be the ‘Fade factor’ and the accessibility of the Internet, Thomas suggests a new law to be considered for the future. Use the link below to find out more….

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/

hi, I’m back from holiday today, got a great tan in teneriffe shame about the four hour delay into the country, and the seven hour delay last night/this morning…. not feeling great but is a shock to see snow when i was sunbathing on a beach all yesterday morning.

American sensation, Thomas Beatie, is due to give birth to a baby girl on July 5th.  Claiming to be five months pregnant, and legally a man, he has female reproductive organs from birth. Living in Bend, Oregon, many believe this is a hoax, but Mr Beatie claims he artificially inseminated himself at home as his wife cannot conceive. He wrote, “Our situation sparks legal, political and social unknowns” in the American publication The Advocate magazine. Doctors say it is possible although nothing like this has ever happened before.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=546072&in_page_id=1811&ct=5

Max Clifford wants the PCC to become proactive on privacy laws to protect the ‘ordinary people’, arguing tougher rules for the press.

He used the example of the McCann’s recent case, winning libel damages worth £550,000 from Express papers that wrote numerous stories implying they murdered their daughter Maddie; however the family had financial backing.

He argues a need for funding, as there is no legal aid for defamation laws where you can only make a complaint, and any legal action would be funded by the newspaper itself.

Clifford appeared on the Daily Politics show this morning, proposing the need for a privacy law to be enforced; or the PCC becoming similar to the organisation Watchdog to protect the public.

Press intrusion for the ordinary people is becoming more sensational says Sir Menzies Campbell, due to a shrinking readership in the tabloid press and a higher competition in this particular market.

If Campbell is right, will Tabliod newspapers dissappear from the shelves and merge into the weekly gossip magazines?

Brown is bringing in a law to improve the feeling of British-ness by using the Union Jack. You could fly flags from buildings all year round instead of only eighteen days a year and the occasional public holiday or The Queen’s birthday, and many will be flown from schools, hospitals and some council houses.

As a mediocre public gesture, the government want to demonstrate union as a nation, similar to the Australians but not the Americans. This is all due to a poly-ethnic society and the men in power want to bring the British community together.

Originally designed in 1606 as a Royal banner, the British people have never been given the flag, and have only assumed it over the years. So could this act of patriotism work to bring us closer together?

Celebrities in the news at court: the McCartney divorce details recently became public as Heather Mills evidence was described as “inconsistent and inaccurate” claiming he had repeatedly attacked her.

In a statement issued by his lawyers, McCartney said: “Since the breakdown of his marriage Sir Paul McCartney has maintained his silence in not commenting on the media stories believing that it was best for all concerned, particularly his children, for there to be some dignity in what is a private matter.”

As an ex-Beatles pop star and well-known celebrity the media have some rights over the privacy related laws in the UK; the lawyers view on privacy on this case is the argument of children and dignity.

“Our client would very much like to respond in public and in detail to the allegations made recently against him by his wife and published in the press but he recognises, on advice that the only correct forum for his response to the allegations made against him is in the current divorce proceedings.” He recognises that he is a public figure and the serious allegations should be explained to the public after the proceedings to enforce fair justice.

“Our client will be defending these allegations vigorously and appropriately. Our client is saddened by the breakdown of his marriage and requests that his family is allowed to conduct their personal affairs out of the media spotlight for the sake of everybody involved.” This is a way to ask the media to cooperate during the proceedings in court, and the relevant information will be given in the appropriate time to the public.

Today it was reported that Mr Justice Bennett said 40-year-old Miss Mill’s evidence was “not just inconsistent and inaccurate but also less than candid”, saying she “indulged in make-believe”. His extraordinary 58-page judgment was revealed yesterday after Miss Mills failed to prevent it being made public.

The Court of Appeal judged that it was in the public interest to end media speculation about the divorce settlement, in which Miss Mills was awarded less than one fifth of the £125million she had wanted.

  (Quotes from The Daily Mail, 19th March 200

Polish woman in raged stab-attack

A Polish woman convicted of murder was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court this week.

Stabbing her partner in a caravan park where they lived Ewa Katarzna Palkowska was found guilty with manslaughter.

Partner Darius Swilder, died from nine stab wounds, one a serious 5 inches deep. Moving to the UK March 2003, Palkowska has a strong history of violent and drunken attacks towards her partner, Darius showed a devoted and blinded trust in her although her behaviour was deadly and terrifying.

Ten months before the murder, December 2005 she stabbed Darius in the knee with a kitchen knife however there were no proceedings against her as he believed she needed treatment for her alcoholism. They promised the doctors and police they would find help.

After this event and no treatment for her alcohol abuse problem she used a rolling pin and beat him, he went to hospital bleeding severely suffering from a head injury.

There was clear evidence that the main quarrel and reason for her stab-attack was over money, as they were having financial problems, Darius had come back on the Friday evening with a cheque from the Inland Revenue; but it was less then she thought it would be.

In the morning she wanted him to cash the cheque but he helped someone else instead and forgot, so she became increasingly argumentative and drunk as the evening went on.

October 21^st Darius was dead, by the next day she was remanded in custody. She told the police some unknown men broke into the caravan they were living in and stabbed Darius, she did not fool anyone. Judge Boney took the view that she is a risk to the public, so he considered imprisonment for life in the interest of public safety.

Due to her extreme violence and being incapable to control her anger and abuse of alcohol she has been convicted. The judge said her “fragile mental health has deteriorated” in custody in conjunction of having no social or family contacts in England and not being able to speak English he assumed she would suffer in prison.

Judge Boney QC said he believes she “shows regret and grief” during the prolonged trial period it took for the case to be concluded. Palkowska will serve 6 and a half years imprisonment, with a deducted sentence of 496 days from when she was in custody.

Finally brought to justice since a year ago, Palkowska will serve her sentence in jail, and then will never return to Britain due to immigration regulations. As she is likely to offend again, and poses a series and genuine threat to the community she can not stay in England.

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