Archive
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MOTORCYCLING: Bradley's on second row
Bradley Smith may be starting from the second row of the grid, but he is still confident of a good result at round seven of the 125cc world championship, the Alice Dutch TT in Assen today (Saturday). The Oxfordshire teenager had been consistently fast
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Woman arrested in drugs bust
A woman aged in her 50s was arrested and more than 200 cannabis plants seized following a raid on a home in Kidlington yesterday. Police were alerted to the cannabis factory by a fire crew called to Beagles Close after a neighbour reported
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'We'd longed to see Jackson perform'
MICHAEL Jackson fans in Oxfordshire were coming to terms today with his death — and the realisation they will never get to see him in concert. Thousands of fans have been left disappointed they will not see their idol at one of 50 comeback
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YOUTH CRICKET: Freeland girls celebrate
Freeland secured a thrilling victory over Oxford in the final of the Under 15 Lady Taverners Tournament, held at Great & Little Tew CC. The west Oxfordshire side restricted Oxford to 55-4 off their ten overs, despite Caitie Burton’s 25 not out. But
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YOUTH CRICKET: Mayho proves an all-round star
Charlbury’s Adam Mayho produced a fine all-round performance in his side’s win against Oxford Downs in the Oxfordshire Under 11 Club Championship. Mayho returned figures of 4-1 and then top-scoredwith an undefeated 25. in his side’s eight-wicket win.
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YOUTH CRICKET: Megson's haul in vain
Josh Megson took four wickets, but it was in a losing cause as Oxfordshire Under 14s suffered a five-wicket defeat against Gloucestershire in the ECB County Cup at Stonesfield. After losing the toss, Oxon were put into bat in good bowling conditons
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YOUTH CRICKET: Oxon Under 15s slump to another defeat
Oxfordshire Under 15s’ disappointing season continued as they crashed to defeat against Wiltshire in their latest ECB County Cup clash. It wasn’t all bad news, as Oxfordshire bowled and fielded with great discipline as they dismissed their hosts out
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YOUTH CRICKET: Sabin is Banbury star
Banbury's Lloyd Sabin hit 50 to steer his side to 160-1 against Oxford in the Oxfordshire Under 15 Club Championship. Jamie Coles (41no) and Josh Hill (38no) were also on form, before Oxford were bowled out for 122. Ducklington booked their place in
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YOUTH CRICKET: Tail-enders steal show
Tail-enders Angus Brown and Louis Pennington starred as Oxfordshire Under 12s edged to a thrilling one-wicket victory against Dorset at Milton Abbey School. Oxfordshire were still 40 runs from victory, before Brown and Pennington shared the biggest partnership
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YOUTH CRICKET: Classy Knowles hits half-century
Ben Knowles hit a half-century as Oxfordshire Under 13s beat the Isle of Wight by 218 runs at Radley College. Put in, Oxon established a good platform, thanks to a 69-run second-wicket stand between opener Markus Jeacock and Knowles, who top-scored with
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YOUTH CRICKET: County forced to settle for draw
Oxfordshire Under 11s were denied victory by a battling Berkshire, despite an excellent all-round performance at Combe. Batting first, Oxfordshire got off to a bad start, losing Aadam Samiulla in the first over for a duck. However, this brought under
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Oxfordshire housing market picks up
GROWING signs of green shoots in the Oxfordshire housing market have been backed up by the latest official Government figures. Statistics released by the Land Registry yesterday showed the average price of a property in the county was £212,872, down
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YOUTH CRICKET: Sacred Heart claim glory in final
Sacred Heart Primary School, Henley, won the Oxfordshire final of the Asda Girls Kwik Cricket tournament. Chasing a target of 230 against Ickford, Heart ended on 269 to win the title. In the semi-finals, Sacred Heart saw off Dr Radcliffe’s School by
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YOUTH CRICKET: Duo through despite tie
Icknield and Oxford tied their Oxfordshire Schools Under 14 League game – and both qualified for the play-offs. Oxford needed three runs to win from the last two overs with three wickets in hand, but Adam Muttitt took a stumping, catch plus a run out
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History can be horribly interesting
Terry Deary has been doing this for 16 years, so is understandably weary of talking about his hugely successful children’s book series. But with the Horrible Histories train gathering steam, he’s in it for the long run, like it or not.
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GREYHOUNDS: On-song Melody goes for glory
Trainer Richard Yeates will carry local hopes with Melodys Comet in the final of the £6,000 William Hill Cesarewitch final at Oxford Stadium on Tuesday. The black dog, who has just done enough to qualify in the heats, has yet to get a decent start over
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Market ban has toymaker baffled
A GRANDFATHER who makes toys out of recycled wood has been refused membership of a farmers’ market group — because his products are not deemed “local enough”. Don Young, 70, of Williamson Way, Rose Hill, Oxford, digs out unwanted tables, chairs
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Inspiration in a second-hand suit
INSPIRATION can spring from many unlikely sources. But few artists can claim to have found inspiration in a charity shop. Singer-songwriter Jon Allen can hardly have imagined that when he walked into his local secondhand clothes store his eye would be
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Year One
What do you call a comedy without a single laugh? The punchline is: Harold Ramis’s ramshackle road movie through the Paleolithic era headlined by Jack Black and Michael Cera, two of the most gifted comic actors of their generations. Black is an unstoppable
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Get your skates on!
Sunday evenings have never tended to be a night I particularly felt needed filling with a club night. The only ones that ever seem to be on offer are relaxed affairs, dreamy and expansive music accompanying the general malaise of a Sunday evening
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GREYHOUNDS: Peterson looking for fresh talent
Trainer Michael Peterson, on the look-out for some new talent, is hoping to buy a few new greyhounds at the Thurles sales in Ireland this week. One charge who needs replacing is the injury-stricken stayer Wilcos Mate, who has had to be retired and will
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Mixing with the wild men of jazz
WE’RE up too early,” croaks saxophonist Muggsy West. “It’s nearly noon, and we’ve still barely recovered from last night’s exploits. Note to self: do not mix your drinks.” So begins another day for Oxford’s Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band. “The band
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Nice decor, shame about the pizzas
Imagine if Homer Simpson took a slice of a large pepperoni feast pizza, spat it out and refused to eat it? I know, hard to picture. But that’s exactly what Mr Greedy did when I took my Pizza Hut doggy bag home – and he loves pizza. “
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Fantastic line-up for Children's Food Festival
This weekend will have families flocking to The Children’s Food Festival because not only is it being held in Oxfordshire, but it has a fantastic line-up of celebrity chefs to inspire our little ‘uns, and an even more impressive list of events. Your
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City gets cash to shift abandoned bikes
OXFORD City Council has been handed a cash pot to step up the clearance of abandoned bikes littering the city centre. The council was given £15,000 by transport chiefs at Oxfordshire County Council in April to double the number of annual city-wide
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Thame man goes missing from home
Police are appealing for help to trace a missing man from Thame. Philip Jones, 44, of Stuart Way, went missing from his home on Wednesday evening. He is described as white, of stocky build, 5ft 10in, with receding black hair.
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Osney rapist jailed for eight years
A 42-YEAR-OLD man was today jailed for eight years for raping a woman in Oxford 24 years ago. Nicholas Harding, who now lives in Preston, Lancs, was caught by Thames Valley Police's cold case review team in December after new forensic tests identified
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Hot shot spot for a weekend break
FOR POLO enthusiasts Cowdray Park needs no introduction, but for the rest of us, the estate has been one of the leading British venues for the sport for the best part of a century, and boasts a range of pitches to international standard.
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School axes six teaching assistants
HALF a dozen teaching assistants at a new Didcot primary school will be made redundant following a funding cut. Willowcroft Community School, which only opened two years ago, is to axe non front-line jobs in a bid to save money. Headteacher Jon Gray
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Headteacher to retire
BICESTER: A headteacher who has served her school for almost two decades is to retire in December. Cynthia Bartlett, above, joined Bicester Community College, Queens Avenue, as deputy headteacher in 1991 and was promoted to head in 1996. She plans to
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Pegasus paints its thanks for £7.4m donations
OXFORD’s Pegasus Theatre has said a colourful thank you to more than 400 donors who have helped raise £7.4m for its new theatre complex. Theatre stage designer Nomi Everall has painted an eye-catching seven foot high mural to acknowledge the contribution
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Summer cycling in Oxfordshire to get you fit
A SERIES of cycling events have been organised in west Oxfordshire, designed to get people fit for the summer. Campaign GO Cycling has been organised by Get Oxfordshire Active — a £1.4m project aiming to get over-16s across the county doing at least
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Headington to get £8m hi-tech health research centre
OXFORD is to become the home of a new £8m research centre to treat killer conditions such as cancer and diabetes. The University of Oxford’s research laboratory at the Old Road Campus in Headington has been chosen as one of four UK centres of excellence
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Hit the road on Sunday to the Oxford Mail Motor Show
CAR FANS will be heading to Cutteslowe Park in North Oxford on Sunday for the 17th annual Oxford Mail Motor Show. Up to 5,000 people are expected to enjoy the free show and family fun day. The latest cars from Audi, Mercedes, Ford, Volkswagen
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From May to September
As the old Kurt Weill song goes, it is indeed a long while from May to September. And while I'm enjoying Giles Foden's Turbulence at the moment, I am looking forward to a number of new publications coming out in the autumn. One novel I am desperate
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Three churches win extra funding
THREE Bicester churches have been given cash injections to help with the improvement programmes. St Edburg’s Church, right, was granted £30,000 towards a two-phase programme of improvements which will lead to better access and greater community usage
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BRITAIN'S NEXT TOP MODEL: Our Sophie in final four
THE rewards keep on coming for the Oxford teenager battling to be named Britain’s Next Top Model. Sophie Sumner, 19, from Kidlington, is down to the final four contestants on the popular Living TV series and was this week shown becoming the face of
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GYMNASTICS: Sisters crowned champions
Oxford sisters Dulcie and Honor Layton were crowned champions at the Southern Region out of age gymnastics competition at Milton Keynes. Dulcie, 11, took overall gold in the level 2 section with 46.95 points, while Honor, 9, triumphed in the level 4
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GYMNASTICS: Oxford star for Britain
Oxford School of Gymnastics are celebrating after five of their members starred for Great Britain in an international friendly clash in Bulgaria. Cath Aitchison, Rosie Green and Emily Allen took overall gold, individual balance gold and dynamic silver
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SCHOOLS' ATHLETICS: Anderson eyes gold
Oxfordshire javelin thrower Danielle Anderson, twice a silver medallist at the Aviva ESAA English Schools' Track & Field Championships, will bid to add gold to her collection at Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium on July 10 and 11. The 16-year-old from Matthew
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FOOTBALL: Open evening
OXFORD Football Partnership are holding an open evening for men and women players, aged 16-19, at Oxford City’s Court Place Farm ground this Monday (6.30-9.30pm). Those interested should contact the partnership, which involves Oxford &
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FENCING: Sylvia's medal hat-trick
Sylvia Brown, 73, won a gold, silver and bronze medal in the European Veterans Fencing Championships in Hungary. Brown, of Chinnor, was seeded third in the épée event and won her first direct elimination match 10-8, 8-3. She then brushed aside Christina
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BAR BILLIARDS: Nelson off to flier
The young guns from Nelson A started their Oxford Summer League campaign in brilliant fashion by beating Headington Con Club 6-0 at home in Group B. Ian Gordon had to fight for his two wins over Tim Jeffreys, 1,790-1,290 and 2,000-1,780, while Craig
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SWIMMING: High fives for Martin
Didcot Barramundi's Ricky Martin won the best boy prize at City of Oxford's level 3 open meet. The ten-year-old collected two gold and three bronze medals. Three Abingdon Vale girls – Emily Cackett, Nicola Curtis and Ella Kennedy – picked up a brace
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BOXING: Bradley lands top award
Bradley Townsend picked up the most promising boxer award at Oxford Boxing Academy’s end-of -season party. The 14-year-old flyweight was chosen by chief coach Faz Keyani in recognition of his increased tactical awareness and maturity over the past season
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Golfer plans 100 holes in a day to help Maggie's cancer centre
A GOLFER from Didcot is preparing for the mother of all rounds. On Tuesday, Jason Hadland, of Abbey Brook, will attempt to play 100 holes on the trot to raise £3,000 for Maggie’s Oxford, a cancer support centre planning to build a permanent home in the
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CHILDREN'S FOOD FESTIVAL: Kids urged to recycle
RECYCLING and composting experts hope to have a captive audience at the Children’s Food Festival in Oxfordshire this weekend. To mark National Recycle Week, Oxfordshire Waste Partnership – which represents the county’s six councils – is visiting
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Didcot primary opens new classrooms
THE sky is the limit at a Didcot primary school which has opened new classrooms, complete with a striking glass roof centrepiece. The £1m project at Stephen Freeman Community Primary School follows hot on the heels of the opening of the school’s children
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Armed Forces Day: Minister visits cadets in Carterton
ARMY cadets as young as 12 lined up next to Second World War veterans to welcome the Government minister responsible for South East England to Carterton. Jonathan Shaw visited the town yesterday as part of the run-up to Britain’s first Armed
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Sculptor to immortalise Crimean nurse
OXFORD sculptor Martin Jennings is celebrating after being commissioned to create a bronze statue of Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole. The sculpture of the nurse will be put opposite Big Ben in the grounds of St Thomas’s Hospital in central London by
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Conservatives would freeze council tax rise
THE Tories have promised to freeze council tax bills if David Cameron wins the General Election next year. Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell said the newly-elected administration at County Hall planned to prioritise three areas
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Abingdon schoolboy Oliver scales Kilimanjaro for brother's Down's charity
A TEENAGER who trekked to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro has raised more than £15,000 for charity. Oliver Constantine-Pana-gopoulos, 13, a pupil at Cothill House School, near Abingdon, decided to scale the 19,000ft peak in Africa in aid of Tom’s World
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Postman sheds pounds getting his garden shipshape
POSTMAN Gordon Davies is shedding the pounds for his rounds by getting his garden shipshape for this year’s Oxford in Bloom competition. Mr Davies, 53, of Prior’s Forge on the Templar Road estate, in North Oxford, has been winning prizes in
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Oxford city cycle muggers attack woman
A woman was hit over the head by two robbers on bikes who stole her handbag. She was attacked while walking along Alma Lane, in St Clement’s, Oxford, at 8.10pm last night. Both men — described by police as white and in their late teens
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College revamp hopes dashed
Plans for a £30m revamp of Abingdon and Witney College were dashed today after the Learning and Skills Council confirmed it was not one of the 13 projects shortlisted for money. The project to re-build its Witney campus was seen as a frontrunner.
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DORDOGNE: Pedals and Posh Nosh!
A 300-MILE bicycle ride in the searing summer heat of southern France, with only a bottle of Fanta and a banana for fuel, is few people’s idea of a civilised holiday. But when your boyfriend wistfully describes such an adventure over a bottle
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House prices continue to fall in Oxfordshire
House prices in Oxfordshire fell again last month, but there are growing signs of recovery in the market. The average price of a property in the county in May was £212,872 — down 0.7 per cent on April, according to latest figures released by the Land
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South Oxon binmen quit over dispute
Four workers from waste collection firm Verdant, the company responsible for the waste collection service in south Oxfordshire, have resigned in an employment dispute. The firm was picked by South Oxfordshire District Council to operate its
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Dogs sniff out £500k of drugs
Police sniffer dogs have recovered half a million pounds worth of drugs in the past year, it has been revealed. Between April 2008 and March 2009 Thames Valley’s specialist search dogs carried out 402 searches, including Oxfordshire. They recovered
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Oxford United retire No 12 shirt
OXFORD United are “retiring” the No 12 shirt for next season – because they want the fans to be their 12th man. It’s an initiative from supporters, who want to do their bit to help manager Chris Wilder and his team. It will still be possible for fans
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Uffington Show
This year’s Uffington White Horse Show takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (August 30-31). The show has been running for more than 30 years and has raised more than £250,000 for local good causes. It is organised entirely by volunteers
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Fairport’s Cropredy Convention
Apart from the eclectic line-up of bands on show, it is the friendly vibe that brings people back to the small north Oxfordshire village of Cropredy year-after-year. Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Convention (which this year takes place from August
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National Horse Trials at Highclere Castle
The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon will open the glorious parkland at Highclere Castle for the National Horse Trials over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Added to the PreNovice and Intermediate cross country courses, this year there will be a
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Where to find vintage fashion
One thing is certain — the Vintage Fashion and Textile Fairs held regularly in Stroud and Oxford will offer you something new each and every time you drop in. The world is taking note of these little fairs and they were recommended by, and featured
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Experience the sights — and sounds — of Mexico
Oxfordshire’s annual celebration of the arts, Art in Action , staged in the grounds of Waterperry House, opens on July 16. Held over four days, it is dedicated to fine art and master craftsmanship. Artists set up their studios in one of the many
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Michael Jackson dead: Reaction
The Rabbi who brought pop legend Michael Jackson to the Oxford Union in 2001 said today he was “stunned” by the King of Pop’s death aged 50. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, then an Oxford-based Rabbi, was a personal friend of the former Motown child
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Oxford's Arab muslims aim to rent old mosque for prayers
OXFORD’S Arab Muslims are trying to open a fourth mosque in the city. The city’s estimated 3,000 strong Arabic population can pray at the Cowley Road Community Centre. However, it has now become too small too hold the 500 Muslims who
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Carnegie medal awarded posthumously to author
OXFORD author Siobhan Dowd yesterday became the first person to posthumously win Britain’s most prestigious children’s book prize. Ms Dowd died of cancer two years ago and her Carnegie Medal win was last night hailed as a fitting tribute to the tragic
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SWINE FLU: Outbreak in city
STUDENTS in two houses have been quarantined and an Oxford college has been closed down after an outbreak of swine flu. All students at Oxford Media and Business School, in St Ebbe’s, were sent home on Wednesday after a 19-year-old girl was
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Jury considers football fraud verdict
A JURY is still considering its verdict in the case of an Abingdon man accused of fraud during the takeover of Derby County, after convicting two of his co-defendants. The jury at Northampton Crown Court has been told three men used a loan
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Entwhistle's musical legacy
Tomorrow marks the seventh anniversary of the death of John Entwistle, bass guitarist with the veteran British rock band The Who. He died after a night of typical rock star excess in Las Vegas, on the eve of a reunion tour of the USA. Entwistle’s skill
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Man accused of Oxford rapes
A 29-year-old man has been remanded in custody accused of raping two women and a girl in Oxford. Martin Dews, of Leeds, appeared at Banbury Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with the rape of a female under 16 years old, two rapes on women over 16
