Archive

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Lighten up over pensioners

l Having read negative comments on your website about the pensioners who play ‘bus roulette’ (Oxford Mail, June 9) I feel a lot of your readers need to lighten up. Bus passes are available to anyone over 60. Surely pensioners are able to use them to

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College warden to head banking commission

SIR John Vickers, the Warden of All Souls College, has been named as the chairman of the Independent Commission on Banking. The commission will make recommendations to the Government on reforms to the banking system to try to prevent a repeat of the

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FA Cup medal makes almost £4,000 at auction

OXFORD: The FA Cup Final runner’s-up medal awarded to former Oxford United midfielder Les Taylor was sold yesterday for almost £4,000. The medal was awarded at the 1984 final, when Mr Taylor captained Watford at Wembley. It fetched £3,960 at auction

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Abingdon pupils enjoy mini-Olympics

PUPILS from primary schools in Abingdon took on a host of sporting events during a mini-Olympics contest. Abingdon School invited Carswell, Long Furlong, St Nicolas and St Edmund’s schools to use their facilities for the competition. Each school sent

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Golfers tee off to raise cash for Macmillan

GOLFERS are preparing for Oxfordshire’s first Longest Day Golf Tournament to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Teams of three or four golfers are being invited to take part in the challenge, playing 18 holes at four of the best golf courses in

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Teenager jailed for robbing stepfather

A TEENAGER who robbed his vulnerable and disabled stepfather has been jailed. Craig Mainland broke into 66-year-old Keith Webb’s house in Stowford Road, Barton, Oxford, “using a tree branch” before forcing him to the ground and taking £30 in cash from

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Trader still waiting for compensation after fish theft

A BUSINESSMAN owed more than £5,000 in compensation after thieves stole fish from his shop is still waiting for his money four months after thieves were ordered to pay it. Marine life worth £9,000, corals and equipment were stolen from Maidenhead Aquatics

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Rebekah proves to be a real home help

A STUDENT took a deep breath, smiled and jumped head first from 300ft to raise cash for her grandmother’s nursing home. Despite being scared of heights, Rebekah McGeough, 18, completed a bungee jump at Windsor Bray Lake and raised £1,100 to pay for

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Local shares (PM)

AEA Technology 19.4 BMW 3252 Electrocomponents 219.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.1 Oxford Catalysts 82.75 Oxford Instruments 288.75 Reed Elsevier 500.25 RM 172.5 RPS Group 193.7 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley

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"I begged Swindon to sell me to U's" says Beauchamp

“If you don’t want me, sell me to Oxford.” That was the message Joey Beauchamp gave to Swindon Town boss Steve McMahon after being told he was one of four players not in the plans of the new Robins manager ahead of the 1995-6 season. Having been at

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"I can't split Smith and Horton" says Joey

Joey Beauchamp says it is impossible for him to split Brian Horton and Denis Smith when asked who was the best manager he’d played under. “Oxford fans should look at what they did, with the resources they had,” he said. “To keep the team in and around

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AUNT SALLY: Masons veteran Cyril Naylor dies

Cyril Naylor, a long-standing player in the Oxford and District League, has died aged 74. Mr Naylor played for teams including Headington Cricket Club, Vikings Sports, Red Lion Garsington, Ampleforth Arms and finally the Masons Arms. His son, David,

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AUNT SALLY: Results round-up

GREENE KING OXFORD AND DISTRICT LEAGUE Section 1: George 1, Three Pigeons 2; Six Bells C 1, Garsington Spts A 2; New Club A 2, Rowing Machine 1; Cricketers B 2, Red Lion A 1; Chequers A 2, Gladiators A 1. Section 2: Woodman Inn 1, Six

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Race is on for Cowley Road Carnival costumes

organisers are hoping this year’s Cowley Road Carnival will be the best yet – despite schools having half the amount of time to prepare costumes because of a cash crisis. Last year schools had nine weeks to prepare costumes and props for the colourful

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Footy offers common ground for police and youngsters

POLICE swapped the beat for the football pitch with youngsters from Oxford for their second annual community match. Teenagers from Wood Farm, Barton and Risinghurst did battle at Oxford Brookes University on Sunday. The Wood Farm team emerged winners

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AUNT SALLY: Red Lion duo are roaring

Billy Trinder and Kevin Stuart both hit 14 dolls (5-5-4) in Red Lion Marston’s 3-0 home win over Yarnton British Legion in Greene King Oxford & District League Section 2, writes ANDY BEAL. They won the first two legs 25-21, 29-21 and then set 24 in the

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Get out and learn Greek in city's parks

IT’S not every day you get the chance to learn ancient Greek. Now Dr Lorna Robinson is giving people in Oxford the opportunity to pick up the secrets of the language in parks across East Oxford. For the next nine weeks, the director of the educational

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Trial date set for Godwin Lawson murder accused

Four men accused of stabbing a promising young footballer to death will not stand trial until January next year. Godwin Lawson, 17, was attacked along with two friends in Amhurst Park, Hackney, East London. The teenager, who attended the Oxford United

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Waiting for World Cup fever to strike

Perhaps because I am as much Scottish as English, I am finding it impossible to work up enthusiasm for, or even feign interest in, the activities of the national team in the World Cup. Perhaps if they start to win, I might take a different attitude

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Number of county jobless falls

The number of people signing on the dole in Oxfordshire has fallen to its lowest level for almost 18 months. Latest figures for May from the Office of National Statistics show 7,780 people in the county claiming unemployment benefit, a fall of 969 on

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Cuts spark U-turn on killer Witney junction

PLANNED improvements to Witney’s “most dangerous” junction could be scrapped, the Oxford Mail has learned. More than nine months ago, budget superstore Lidl opened next to McDonald’s in Ducklington Lane. As part of a planning agreement

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Faiths follow path of friendship

HUNDREDS of people marched through Oxford to celebrate the seventh interfaith friendship walk. Jews, Muslims, Hiindus Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs, as well as people from minority faith groups and those of no faith, walked together in solidarity on

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CRICKET: Hemming's in top 20

Andy Hemming’s fine 200 for Shipton-under-Wychwood propelled him into the npower Village Cup’s top 20. Hemming’s double ton led Shipton into Sunday’s county final against Cumnor. Ed Craig, deputy editor of organisers The Wisden Cricketer, said: “He’

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The Fishes, North Hinksey, Oxford

There’s no denying the enterprise and imagination of the Peach Pub Company. Not content with running a cool dozen of middle England’s best gastropubs — plus a lucky 13th, the James Figg in Thame, that styles itself more pubby than gastro — its

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Recipe for warm asparagus salad (serves four)

Now the really hot weather has arrived, asparagus is growing so rapidly there is plenty available to add to salads and any other savoury dishes you are cooking. Try asparagus as the main vegetable with roast lamb, or add it to a stir fry at the

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Jail for yob in pub fight

A THUG who sparked a pub brawl when he threw barstools and cut a man’s face with a breadknife has been jailed for two and a half years. Ervis Kola, 21, was with his girlfriend at the Jolly Postboys in Florence Park, Cowley, oxford, when he drunkenly

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Preview of Oxford concert by the St Giles Orchestra

Promotion from double bass player to conductor in one evening might sound like a Cinderella story, but that’s what happened to Geoff Bushell — and he’s been enthusiastically wielding the baton for St Giles Orchestra ever since. “The conductor hadn’t

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Pick your own for matchless flavour

What a wonderful time of the year this is. Juicy strawberries are ripening in the sun, farmers are harvesting the last of this year’s asparagus, new potatoes are being dug up and all the soft fruits are beginning to mature, so are the cherries. There

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A Victorian gentleman at his Oxford home

He would probably be surprised to read it, were he alive to do so, but the best known Mayor of Oxford ever to walk behind the mace was probably James Wyatt (1774-1853). He lived above his shop at 115 High Street from 1805 until his death, and his children

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Killers

Honesty is the cornerstone of any healthy and long-lasting relationship but perhaps it is sometimes wiser to keep a secret than to share it with a loved one. According to a survey of 3,000 women aged 18 to 65 conducted last year, they will typically share

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The Band of Horses: O2 Academy, Oxford

Success was a long time coming for North Carolina’s Band of Horses. Formed in 2004, it wasn’t until 2008’s Cease To Begin album that the band began to be noticed. It was the kind of record that got passed on, from friends to other friends, gradually making

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Mine the Mountain: Nicholas Hedges, The North Wall, Summertown, Oxford

Four years ago Oxford artist Nicholas Hedges walked out of Auschwitz concentration camp, having visited as a tourist. As he left, he realised that while he was free to walk away from this site of trauma, most of the prisoners incarcerated there during

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Preview of The Mermaid Princes: The Oxford Playhouse

The brilliant Italian theatre company Teatro Kismet return to the Playhouse next week with The Mermaid Princess, a new, English-speaking adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic The Little Mermaid. Four years ago they brought us another Andersen

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That'll Be the Day: The New Theatre, Oxford

Nostalgia was top of the menu at the New Theatre on Saturday night, with a wonderfully energetic show that recreated the very best of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A selection of chart-toppers from that golden era flowed seamlessly in a kind of glorified karaoke

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Preview of a charity performance of Verdi's Falstaff at Wotton House,

For anybody looking for a Glyndebourne-esque experience a little closer to home this summer, Diva Opera’s sparkling new production of Verdi’s Falstaff, in Capability Brown’s gloriously landscaped grounds at Wotton House, might just fit the bill. Based

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OUDS 125 Gala, The Oxford Playhouse

Oxford University Dramatic Society exam questions and answers 1. Was it worth celebrating this anniversary? Yes, many lucky people have benefited from performing or directing with OUDS and because Oxford is Oxford . . . 2. Was the show star-studded

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The History Boys reviewed: The Oxford Playhouse

Fully six years after Alan Bennett’s The History Boys opened to huge acclaim at the National Theatre, a professional production is at last being seen in Oxford, a city of central significance in the plot. The welcome revival, directed by Christopher Luscombe

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Armida: Garsington Opera, Garsington Manor

‘Write me something meaty and dramatic.” You can imagine soprano Isabella Colbran demanding it from her lover, and later husband, Rossini. The composer duly obliged with the title role in Armida. Armida is a sorceress, and plainly accustomed to getting

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Preview of Apples at the Burton Taylor studio theatre

Following its success with Oh! What a Lovely War, Northern Stage brings its special style to Apples, the first adaptation of Richard Milward’s cult novel of the same name, which visits the Burton Taylor Theatre from next Wednesday to Saturday. Set on

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Rider killed in A415 crash

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision on the A415 today. At about 9am, a black Toyota Yaris, a blue Jaguar and a motorcycle were involved in a collision on the Burycroft junction of the A415, towards Culham. The rider

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'Electricity board' conman foiled

BURGLARS tried to con an elderly woman by claiming to be from the electricity board. A man called at the 88-year-old’s house in Milton Road at about noon yesterday and said he was there to read the meter. Producing ID that the woman could not read,

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Rally planned against Government cuts

A PROTEST will be held in Cornmarket next week to demonstrate against the Government’s public spending cuts. The rally, at 5pm on Tuesday, coincides with Chancellor George Osborne’s emergency budget. It has been organised by the Right to Work campaign

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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: The New Theatre, Oxford

Craig Chalmers, who is close to signing off from a three-year stint in the loincloth and the other more substantial finery of Joseph, is delighting crowds at the New Theatre this week with his confident, charismatic portrait of the biblical hero.

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Simon Callow talks about his one-man show on Shakespeare coming next week to The Oxford Playhouse

‘Not only was he a master poet and a superb dramatist, but he managed to find a way of putting all human life on the stage. It’s quite uncanny how his observation seems to be as fresh as if he had written it two minutes ago, and that can only come from

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Preview of Tomahawk's production of Twelfth Night at Oxford Castle

‘Ahandbag?” Uttered with explosive incredulity down the decades, there can be few more momentous words in any play than those spoken by Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest when she learns that, as a baby, Jack Worthing was discovered

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Motorist killed in road collision

A motorcyclist has died following a collision near Abingdon this morning. At around 9am, a black Toyota Yaris, a blue Jaguar and a motorcycle were involved in a collision on the Burycroft junction of the A415, towards Culham. The rider of the motorbike

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CRICKET: Robbie outguns his mate Curtly

Combe's Robbie Nicholson used the inspiration of his schoolmate Curtly Slatter as he smashed two unbeaten centuries in a weekend in the OCA League. Nicholson, who celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday, scored 143 not out in Combe’s Division 3 victory

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 19.4 BMW 3255 Electrocomponents 221.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.1 Oxford Catalyst 82.75 Oxford Instruments 289.75 Reed Elsevier 500.75 RM 172.25 RPS Group 193.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,

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Jobless figure tumbles

The number of people signing on the dole in Oxfordshire has fallen to its lowest level for almost 18 months. Latest figures for May from the Office of National Statistics show 7,780 people in the county claiming unemployment benefit, a fall of 969 on

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Thieves steal crematorium's wrought iron gates

WROUGHT-IRON gates have been stolen from Oxford Crematorium. Thieves removed the gates by cutting the padlock and pulling them off their hinges at the crematorium in Bayswater Road, Barton, on Monday night last week. The gates, which have a scrap value

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New CCTV cameras prove their worth

CCTV has helped police arrest a man just days after cameras were installed in Carterton. A man was arrested at 9.30pm on Wednesday in Alvescot Road, on suspicion of causing public disorder. On Friday, June 4, four cameras were unveiled around Carterton

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Frustration over court sentence on thief

A TEENAGER who hurdled five fences as he chased a burglar out of his house has expressed his annoyance after the serial thief avoided jail. Seventeen-year-old Luke Franklin returned home from college one afternoon last month to find his mum confronting

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United draw Bristol Rovers in Carling Cup

Oxford United have been drawn at home to Bristol Rovers in the first round of the Carling Cup. Ties to be played week commencing August 9.

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Legion and public to pay respects

Members of the public and the Royal British Legion are again due to line Headley Way tomorrow to pay their respects as the bodies of Private Jonathon Monk, 25, of 2nd Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, and Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze, 31,

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Builders fume at home targets ‘mess’

DEVELOPERS hoping to build homes in Wallingford say they are unable to proceed until the Government outlines its new planning policy. One developer told the Oxford Mail the Government’s decision to axe housing targets had created “a real mess”. Yesterday

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New reservoir 'not needed' inquiry is told

THAMES Water has failed to justify plans for a reservoir in Oxforshire, campaigners said yesterday. On the opening day of the public inquiry into the firm’s plans, the Environment Agen-cy, Group Against Reservoir Development (Gard), and local

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Thames Water faces an almighty battle

A five-week inquiry has started into plans for a new reservoir between Abingdon and Wantage. Thames Water has tabled a scheme the size of Heathrow airport. The firm has said it would help with the increasing demands for water in the

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Robust response of the courts

I WRITE in response to the article (Oxford Mail, May 27), written by Dr Taj Hargey in The Issue column, regarding the War on Terror. It is difficult to disagree with the principal argument of Dr Hargey, where we live in a country of many freedoms and

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Flags puzzle

I LIVE near Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington. I can see the flagpole from my window. The Union flag is put up for The Queen’s birthday on April 21. On April 23 it is St George’s Day, England’s day. I have never seen the St George

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Sassy & Single: Close encounter with the long arm of the law

So I’m pretty sure I was the closest I’ve ever come to being arrested on Saturday. Well, except for that time when I was 13 and was caught shoplifting, but fortunately I only tried that once, mostly due to the shame of having to admit my ‘booty

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New artwork takes root at Pegasus Theatre

ARTWORK specially commissioned for the revamped Pegasus Theatre in East Oxford has been unveiled. Work has finished on the new £7.4m building and organisers are fitting the structures— some of which were designed and put together with local residents

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Salute to the Fallen

IT IS good to hear that David Cameron has recognised the dedication of the people of Wootton Bassett who unfailingly line the streets for the repatriation of our troops. However could I also mention the Royal British Legion of Marston and

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Three in court over death

Three men accused of stabbing to death Godwin Lawson, 17, who attended the Oxford United Football and Education Academy, in Hackney in March, appeared at the Old Bailey on Monday. Daniel Riley, 21, of Holloway, North London, Koffi Osimeh, 19, also of

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Right to make rich pay their fair share

I WRITE in response to Tim Siret (Make the Rich pay to slash the deficit, Oxford Mail ViewPoints, June 10). Two minds think alike. I go along with this gentlemen. I also think the rich should be made to help pay the country’s debt, especially those

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Road to madness on parking tickets

In Witney we used to have a single traffic warden. His name was Roger and everyone knew him. Roger operated in an efficient manner but also exercised common sense and reason. We are now blessed with several emotionless people in green uniforms

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City bus station is a sorry sight

LAST Wednesday I was visiting friends in Oxford, arriving by coach at Gloucester Green bus station at about 11.30am. I was appalled by the state of the public toilets at the bus station. The ladies was dark, dank, dirty and smelly. One

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Turn Wolvercote Viaduct site over to travellers

WOULD it not be a good idea that when the Wolvercote bridge engineers move from their caravan site between the A40 and the A34 viaduct, it could be used for travellers instead of them using lanes, lay-bys and anywhere else they set up camp. The site

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CRICKET: Brooks quickly making his mark

Jack Brooks says he is more than happy with his progress after becoming a mainstay of the Northants attack. The former Oxford and Tiddington paceman was named man-of-the-match after his 3-24 helped Northants defeat Yorkshire in Sunday’s Friends Provident

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Fearless gran goes swimming with sharks for hospice fundraiser

UP-for-a-challenge grand-mother Trish Wagstaff snorkelled with sharks to raise money for an Oxford hospice – after being told she was too old to go wing-walking! Mrs Wagstaff, from Appleton, took the plunge to raise more than £9,000 for Sobell House

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Man faces trial on kidnap and rape charges

A trial date has been set for a 24-year-old man accused of rape and kidnap in Oxford. Yasin Mohamed, of Aston Street, denies rape, kidnap, and robbery in connection with an attack on a 19-year-old foreign student who was walking along St Clement's

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Trial date set over rape and kidnap charges

A TRIAL date has been set for a 24-year-old East Oxford man accused of rape. Yasin Mohamed, of Aston Street, denies rape, kidnap, and robbery in connection with an attack on a 19-year-old foreign student who was walking along St Clement's Street, in

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FA Cup medal up for auction

AN FA Cup runners-up medal awarded to former Oxford United midfielder Les Taylor is being auctioned today. The medal, awarded to Mr Taylor during his time as Watford captain in 1984, is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000 at Bonhams in Chester

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Oxfordshire poltholes: Compensation claims treble

MOTORISTS whose cars were damaged by Ox-fordshire’s pothole-strewn roads face long delays to get compensation after a surge in claims. After this year’s harsh winter, the council has received 810 payout claims in the first five months of the

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Will roads be repaired by winter?

Potholes are back in the headlines. Compensation claims to Oxfordshire County Council for car repairs have more than trebled. It seems tough for victims of pothole-littered roads who have already paid out for repairs. They may not see

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Pothole compensation claims treble

Motorists whose cars were damaged by Oxfordshire’s pothole-strewn roads face long delays to get compensation after a surge in claims. After this year’s harsh winter, the council has received 810 payout claims in the first five months of the

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Woman injured in A420 smash

A 45-year-old woman has been injured this morning in an accident involving a number of vehicles on the A420 near Oxford. The accident, between the Cumnor turn and the Botley interchange, happened at about 7.50am and is thought to involve at least two

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I was sold to save United says Beauchamp

Joey Beauchamp’s move to West Ham saved Oxford United from going out of business in 1994 – the Oxford Mail can reveal. The former U’s winger, who yesterday revealed that he has spent 20 months battling drink and depression, never wanted to

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Boost for Broadway

DIDCOT’S Broadway was given a boost when a new Budgens supermarket opened its doors. A David Beckham lookalike presided over the relaunch of the new store in the former Dentons shop. The 2,700sq ft grocery store and off licence, which will open from

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Rugby star Andy Gomarsall helps patients get fit

AMPUTEES at an Oxford hospital are enjoying keeping ‘Wii Fit’ thanks to the generosity of World Cup rugby star Andy Gomarsall. Mr Gomarsall, originally from Bicester, is one of three people who have donated Wii Fit machines and flatscreen TVs to the

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Piece of musical history on market

FOREIGN buyers are queuing up to buy Shipton Manor, a stately home near Woodstock for about £5.5m. The home would offer every creature comfort for a large family. But the eventual buyer will also be getting his hands on a significant

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Morris men show off their pride and joy

OWNERS of vintage Morris cars from across the South East drove their historic vehicles to Long Hanborough for a display to celebrate 50 years of the Chilterns Morris Register car club. Owners drove from as far afield as Bournemouth in Morris vehicles

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Do you believe that public sector cuts threaten Oxford's economy?