Running Story

A double killer has been shot dead by police after beheading his mother with machete and killing a Belgian resident with crossbow through the eye.

 The suspect, Pascal Tonk, age 21, decapitated his mother and his dog before pouring petrol over them and setting fire to the family home. Fire officers found Louise Tonk, also known as Lulu, aged 32, this morning after investigating the fire on St. Antonys Road.

 Mr. Tonk was also involved in another murder after the fire, where a crossbow through the eye, outside St. Augustins Church, killed Mels Rattue, 32, from Tilburg in the Netherlands.

 Mr Rattue was on a Bonsai tree convention when he was attacked by the bolt whilst getting off the bus. A friend of the victim, Dennis Landsbert, 52, also from Tilborg said, ‘It’s very sad, he had a wife and young children.’

 The crossbow may also be linked to an earlier incident that morning, as the Keiran Verden Archery Range, at Chapel Gate, was broken into by a JCB digger at 8am. A crossbow and bolts were stolen from the sports centre, which may be the weapons used at the murder of Mr Rattue and an incident in Horse Shoe Common where a dog was shot with a crossbow.  

 Police Chief constable, Barry Linden has said, ‘Mr Tonk was later shot dead by police, after he was found at Talbot Combined School, after threatening police with the crossbow’.  The day’s events have left two people and a dog dead. 

Court Report

 

A man was sentenced today after punching an innocent man in the face at a pub, resulting in GBH, Bournemouth Crown Court heard today.

 

The court was told Martin Muldoney, 51, was enjoying a quiet drink with his wife at the Harrier Pub, Hamble Lane on 29^th April 2008, when the attack occured.

 

Crown Prosecutor Stuart Ellacott claimed, Brett Griffith, 31, walked towards Mr Muldoney, and was said to be ‘all over the place’ resulting in accidently bumping into Mr Muldoney’s wife. His wife had recently undergone an operation on her hand and Mr Muldoney told Mr Griffith ‘to be careful, she’s just had an operation’.

 

Mr Ellacott went on to say that Mr Griffith then shouted abuse at Mr Muldoney while waving his arms around. Mr Muldoney then felt a massive blow to the face, heard a crack, and felt like his face caved in. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital, which said he had suffered from a displaced fracture of his left cheekbone and had to undergo surgery.

 

The attack is said, by Mr Ellacott, to have left a pain and numbness in Mr Maloney’s cheek that can take up to 18 months to heal or the effect could be permanent.

 

Yet, defence barrister Jonathan Simpson alleged the accidental and unintended encounter was provoked when Mr Muldoney told Mr Griffith ‘to go and get his dad,’ which is a sensitive subject to Mr Griffith as he replied ‘I don’t have a dad.’ The punch was then swung which Mr Griffith pleaded guilty to.

 

The encounter was said to be a huge regret to Mr Griffith and references, read by Mr Simpson, from his employers describe him to be gentle, considerate and a model employee.

 

Judge John Harrow ordered Mr Griffith to serve an immediate custodial sentence of 16 months imprisonment for GBH, in which he will be released on license once he has served half of his sentence. 

Vox Pop

Debbie Purdy, a multiple sclerosis sufferer, has lost the case to change the law on assisted suicide.

Her husband may still be prosecuted if he assists her to Switzerland to a euthanasia clinic. This could mean he could face up to 14 years in prison, if he accompanies her.

Buckinghamshire GP, Caron Grimes, 48, from Cherry Tree Road, said ‘I can understand her pain, but the court’s decision on not changing the law was right.’ 

Tobi Chatfield an 18-year-old studying Industrial Design, from Ripon Road, Winton, said ‘I feel the law should have been changed, you should be able to choose when you want to die.’

Pensioner Dorris Sumner, 74, from Drappers Way, Bermondsey, said ‘the poor woman should be allowed to make her own decisions and the law should respect that.’

46-year-old security guard Adrian Jones, living in Milton Road, Bournemouth thinks ‘Changing the law, would have opened up the floodgates to all sorts of monstrosities.’ 

Billy McCarthy, 21, a painter and decorator from Sundew Avenue, Shepherds Bush, said ‘If you are physically ill, you should be allowed to have help in ending your life.’  

Graham Sweetapple, 35, lives in Southwood Avenue in Poole. ‘I am pro euthanasia. The courts do not have the right to make someone’s choices.’

A 53-year-old secretary from Coates Hill Road, Bromley, Carolyn Martin said, ‘The law should not change, otherwise the boundary between murder and assisted suicide will become unclear. 

Librarian Matt Holland, 46, from Lornepark Road, Bournemouth said, ‘No the law shouldn’t be changed…assisted suicide is a crime.’ 

Medical student, Zara Kassam, 18, who lives in Alma Road, Bournemouth said: ‘I am against suicide, only God should have the right to take someone’s life.’  

Jamie Duncan, 24, living at Wimborne Road is a promoter and feels ‘It’s human nature, in the end people do what they want to.’ 

News Story

 

A mirror Signed by Hollywood legends is totally worthless, it has been claimed.

 

Bournemouth’s Little Down Theatre in Winton has a mirror signed by some of the world’s top actors. Amongst these include former James Bond Villain Charles Grey who played Ernst Stavros Blofeld in the classic Bond film, Diamonds are Forever (1971). . Hidden amongst large car garage GRS Garage Services, Bournemouth’s Little Theatre is easy to pass by and unrecognizable, placed on Jameson Road, in Winton. The interior is old fashioned and faded, with its paisley sofas and peeling wallpaper.

 

Yet hidden backstage, in the bar, is a large mirror, framed in gold, with gold signatures imprinted all over it. Many actors from around the world have signed the mirror in the 89 years the theatre has been running. Amongst these signatures, are actors Ray Rich, Robert Morley and Diane Hart. Bournemouth’s Little Theatre manager Don Gent, from Poole, said ‘ we’ve had the mirror valued, but it’s not worth anything.’

 

In 1998, the Little Theatre appeared as if it was going to be shut down as it was in debt of £4000. But thanks to a new marketing strategy of weekly newsletters, the theatre now regularly fills the 96 seats. Currently the theatre is preparing the production of  ‘Murderer’, a black comedy that shows on December 8^th. 

Ferry Crash

Two elderly ferry Passengers have died after jumping overboard into toxic waters when two ferries collided.

Coastguards say the couple appear to have died from the chemical Lindane poisoning. Torben Lee, 58, a pollution consultant has said ‘there was a spillage of a highly toxic chemical Lindane which came from the cargo ferry L Taurus.’ Lindane is a very poisonous substance and incredibly dangerous to humans. The two passengers in there eighties, whose identity is unknown, were aboard the Sandbanks ferry. A Danish Lifeboat crew found their bodies.

The collision left the cargo ferry with a huge hole in the side, in which a truck leaked out the chemical Lindane. Mr Lee has said ‘all sea life which came into contact with the chemical was killed.’ There is major concern for all passengers who jumped overboard as the chemical is highly poisonous, and all those rescued have been hosed down and taken to hospital. It is claimed that all other passengers only suffered from cuts and bruises and are in no serious condition.

Bridget Verdon, the owner of Torbay Seaways, said ‘it was the cargo ferries first day out, and we are very sad this has happened.’ The boat was heading for Cherbourg, France, when it crashed into the Sandbanks ferry. There were around 8 people aboard the ‘L Taurus’ ferry along with around 20 trucks. The trucks smashed into one another, due to the collision of the two ferries, which caused the Lindane to leak into the water.

A boon has been placed around the contaminated area to protect sea life and humans, and to stop the Lindane from spreading further. The coastguard said ‘the beaches will be closed off for 48 hours until the chemical has diluted.‘

What Makes a Good Reporter?

Journalist Shelagh Fogarty gets out of bed at 3.45 am to work for ‘the best broadcasting organisation on the planet’, it is claimed.

Shelagh Fogarty, who earns an impressive £150,000 a year, claims that being nosy and the ability to listen are the characteristics that make her a good reporter. ‘The ability to notice the things going on around you is important. That’s where you will find good stories’ said Shelagh.

Shelagh has been working as a journalist for 20 years, and declares the BBC to be ‘the best broadcasting organisation on the planet.’ She started on the BBC’s radio reporter trainee scheme which allowed her to train at five different radio stations before starting permanent work, to get her used to the industry.

The day in the life of Shelagh Fogarty, however, is not as glamorous as it appears. She is a dedicated reporter, with her alarm waking her up at 3.45am to be in the television centre for 4.30am. An hour and a half is spent reading through newspapers, preparing interviews and reading through her scripts, all for a three hour ‘on air’ slot from six am till nine am.

‘Motivation and dedication are also key characteristics of any aspiring journalist, as it is not a normal nine to five job…you’ll never know the hours you’ll get’ said Shelagh, ‘There’s no drinking in the week and I have to go to bed by 8 pm…sacrifices are a must’.

Shelagh says how she ‘loves to talk’, and therefore Radio Journalism was the ‘obvious choice.’ The job gives her ‘more responsibility for the stories and is generally more fun’. Shelagh Fogarty is one of the main broadcasters on the breakfast show and co-hosts every weekday morning alongside Nicky Campbell.

Sixty eight year old Mrs Josephine Pearson’s earliest memory was the first and the last time she ever saw her dad.

Mrs Pearson recalls her memory from 1942, when she went to see the Disney classic Bambi at three years old. Holding both her mum and dad's hands Mrs Pearson walked the cobbled streets of East London, wearing her new pleated skirt and beret, to the local movie theatre. ‘I remember the day so vividly’, exclaimed Mrs Pearson,’ I remember it because I hadn’t seen my father in three years, and after that day I didn’t see him again.’

Josephine’s dad was out fighting World War Two in Germany throughout Josephine’s childhood, and died when she was seven. Josephine explains ‘the memory is very special to me as it is the only one I have with my father’.

Josephine recalls entering the busy theatre, full of children waiting in anticipation for the latest Disney film and sat right at the front in between her mum and dad. The film Bambi is known for its poignant storyline and Mrs Pearson claimed how the death of Bambi’s mother was a forewarning sign about her father, as he was later shot whilst at war. ‘That point of the film made me very distressed as it made me become very anxious of losing my father’.

Mrs Pearson went on to become a housewife, having no children, and is now a widower living in West Moore’s.