Archive
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Tools stolen from Steventon allotments
A strimmer and tools worth more than £2,500 were stolen from allotments in Hanney Road, Steventon. They were taken at about 7pm on Tuesday, December 7, and two men were seen leaving the scene in a green Jeep. Chainsaws were also stolen
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UK braced for more snow
Another Arctic blast will bring more snow and bitterly cold temperatures to the UK this week, forecasters have warned. With many areas only just getting over the snowstorms earlier this month, another band of snow is set to sweep down across
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'Give up your dog or home', tenant is told
A COUNCIL tenant could be left living on the streets because he refuses to give up his pet dog. When Anthony Cotter’s last dog Scrappy died in 2008, he got permission from Oxford City Council to have a dog from Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, provided
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Children’s Christmas thoughts go ondisplay at town hall
SCHOOLCHILDREN are sharing their messages of hope for the world by writing them on Christmas decorations hanging in Oxford Town Hall. Pupils from two city primary schools – St Ebbe’s, in Whitehouse Road, and West Oxford, in Ferry Hinksey Road – made
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Our free film festival gets under way
FILM-loving over-60s will today enjoy the first offering in a three day feel-good film festival, thanks to the Oxford Mail. The Merry Christmas Matinees kick off at the Phoenix Cinema in Walton Street, Oxford, at 11am today with The Apartment, the romantic
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MURDER UPDATE: Victims' names
THE woman killed in an axe attack at her home in Banbury is believed to be 43-year-old Sally Cox, a source connected to the family has said. Her son Martin Faulkner, who was in his early 20s, was named by the source as being the man killed
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Police warning over break-ins
CHRISTMAS shoppers, day-trippers and commuters are being urged not to leave valuables in their cars following a spate of break-ins, which police believe are being carried out by the same group of thieves. Thieves have smashed their way into
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Mother and son 'hacked to death'
A mother and son were hacked to death in their Banbury home by a man neighbours said was wielding an axe. The woman's teenage daughter was badly hurt in the attack and her 13-year-old sister "severely traumatised", police said.
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 5.4 BMW 5336 Electrocomponents 264.8 Nationwide Accident Repair 96 Oxford Biomedica 6.75 Oxford Catalysts 59.75 Oxford Instruments 676 Reed Elsevier 521.25 RM 157.5 RPS Group 232.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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THOMPSON MURDER: Police delight - and warning to other killers
DETECTIVES delighted at solving the 15-year murder case of Vikki Thompson today warned other killers they will hunt them down too. Mark Weston, 35, was jailed for life today after a jury at Reading Crown Court found him guilty of killing Mrs
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THOMPSON MURDER: Vikki's family's relief
FINALLY, today, Vikki Thompson's family heard the word they have waited 15 years for: Guilty. Mark Weston, 35, was today convicted of killing Mrs Thompson in Ascott-under-Wychwood in 1995. It has been a long and painful 15 years for
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THOMPSON MURDER: Weston gets 13 years minimum
VIKKI THOMPSON killer Mark Weston has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 13 years. Mr Justice Bean has just sentenced Weston following today's verdict by the jury at Reading Crown Court that the no 35-year-old murdered Mrs Thompson
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Pubs: We serve drinks, not drunks
DRUNKEN revellers will be turned away from pubs and bars this festive season in an attempt to cut crime, violence and antisocial behaviour. Bar staff at 25 nightspots will wear badges to warn drunks they will not be served in the run-up to Christmas.
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Work starts to build eco-friendly house
A VISION of the future of Bicester’s proposed eco-town is taking shape in the centre of the town. Work has begun on the construction of a environmentally-friendly show house, which will demonstrate the technology to be used in the 5,000-home development
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MURDER UPDATE: Axe believed to be used
THE woman and man found dead at a house in Banbury are believed to have suffered axe wounds. The victims were found in a house in Mold Crescent, Banbury, early this morning. A 43-year-old man was arrested at his home in Swindon later
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Scales of Justice
OXFORD Stephen Cooney, 41, of Iffley Road, East Oxford, admitted shoplifting joints of meat valued at £77.11 from Marks & Spencer in Oxford on November 3; going equipped for theft in Oxford on November 4 and shoplifting shoes valued at £45 from
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Free session - Gala bingo
If you are not currently a gala member, bring your Oxford mail loyalty card along and enjoy a FREE session of Bingo If you are an existing member, introduce a new member and receive a FREE session of bingo, for yourself and your friend when you show
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THOMPSON MURDER: Weston guilty
MARK WESTON has been found guilty today of murdering Vikki Thompson in west Oxfordshire in 1995. Weston, 35, had been acquitted 14 years ago of killing Mrs Thompson in Ascott-under-Wychwood but was re-arrested last year after discovery of blood
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Man found guilty of Vikki Thompson murder
The first person to face a murder retrial following the discovery of new forensic evidence has been convicted. Mark Weston, 35, was originally cleared of battering mother-of-two Vikki Thompson near her home in Ascott-under-Wychwood, in 1995
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MURDER UPDATE: Man arrested
A 43-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested following the double murder in Banbury today. Police said the man had been arrested in Swindon within the past 90 minutes. A spokesman said: "He is now in police custody and will be interviewed by
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Blood donors urged to boost supplies
OXFORDSHIRE blood donors are being called on to boost blood banks this Christmas as the rest of country battles snow and ice. The NHS needs 7,000 voluntary donations of blood daily to supply hospitals across the country, with hundreds needed in Oxfordshire
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Former bomber is a model winner
A SECOND World War RAF bomber veteran was “humbled” to have his three foot-long model of the Red Baron’s triplane chosen for a new museum display. Don Briggs, 86, built a scale model of the First World War German air ace’s Fokker aircraft, and the piece
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Schools held a play time with a difference
THERE was no lack of enthusiasm when pupils at Barton Junior School at Headington, Oxford, put on their Nativity play. As picture 1 shows, there was not a spare seat as children packed the school hall to watch the cast on stage in December
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Darts team won the league
THESE pub regulars had good reason to be cheerful. They were the darts team at the White Lion at Steeple Aston in the mid-1970s and they had just won the Cherwell Valley Darts League. We know all but two of the players. Can anyone supply the missing
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Mums made sure girls looked smart
THE keep-fit girls from St Christopher‘s Guild owed much to their mothers for their smart turnout. With wartime rationing still dominating people’s lives, there was no chance of buying uniforms. Former member Barbara Manger tells me: “Since this was
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Campaigner calls for more NHS improvements
COMMUNITY hospital buildings across the county are struggling to cope with the demands of the modern day NHS, according to a leading health campaigner. Figures for 2009-2010 supplied by the Department of Health show that 17 per cent of the NHS estate
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Caroline's play proved a hit
SCHOOLS across the county are staging Nativity plays and other festive productions this Christmas, to the delight of parents, as they have done for many years. This picture was taken at Donnington Middle School in Oxford in 1976. With two weeks to go
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FOOTBALL: Hat-trick hero Horswell shines
Letcombe 4 (Horswell 7, 37, 49, Brind 63) Malmesbury Vics 2 (Wilkins 40, 85) PETE Horswell’s hat-trick helped Letcombe avenge their recent defeat by Malmesbury in Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 West. Horswell
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FOOTBALL: Claydon brace in vain for Wantage
Poole Tn 3 (Miller 15, Shelton 20, Smith 70) Wantage Tn 2 (Claydon 13, 39) Richie Claydon’s brace failed to save Wantage Town from slipping to defeat in the FA Carlsberg Vase third round at Poole Town. Claydon latched on to Graham Edney’s pass
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Monday, December 13: Catch this meat thief
THE latest rogue in the Oxford Mail’s Christmas Badvent Calendar has been helping himself to meat without paying for it. Officers want a word with this man in connection with shoplifting incidents at the Co-op store in Kennington Road, Kennington, on
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 5.4 BMW 5292 Electrocomponents 265.4 Nationwide Accident Repair 97 Oxford Biomedica 7 Oxford Catalysts 59.25 Oxford Instruments 665.5 Reed Elsevier 521 RM 157.5 RPS Group 230.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Police launch double murder probe
Police are investigating a suspected double murder in Banbury. Officers were called to Mold Crescent at around 6.45am where they found the bodies of a woman in her forties and a man in his twenties. Det Ch Insp Pete Vigurs, from the
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FOOTBALL: Thame share the spoils in happy homecoming
Thame Utd 2 (Ricketts 32, Cowan 48) Bracknell Tn 2 (Swabey 28, 41) THAME United had to settle for a draw as they returned to play in the town for the first time in more than five years – but just being back on home soil was a victory in itself.
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FOOTBALL: Games off
Didcot Town’s Zamaretto Southern League Premier Division trip to Hednesford on Saturday was postponed because of a frozen pitch. And the Division 1 South & West derby between North Leigh and Abingdon United failed a midday inspection.
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Protesters invade Conservative Club
STUDENTS invaded Oxford Central Conservative Club on Saturday in a protest at the rise in tuition fees. The Joint Protest Group, made up of about 60 students and sixth-formers, began the demonstration in Cornmarket outside Vodafone, which they accused
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County’s history budget to be slashed
FEARS have been voiced over plans to cut the county’s budget for history and heritage services by 45 per cent. Historians claim people will find it more difficult to dig into their past when the Oxfordshire Studies Centre and the Oxfordshire Records
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City fights back against night blight litter
NEW powers have been drawn up to cut down on litter caused by late night leafleting on Oxford streets. Street cleaners are spending so much time peeling discarded flyers off the pavement that it has forced the Oxford City Council to take
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COMMENT: Should the police pick on children?
YOU really have to question the police’s sense of proportion when a 12-year-old boy is taken out of class and quizzed about his campaign to save a youth club. The rising tide of anger and protest against public sector cuts is placing a huge
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FOOTBALL: Stanbridge blow mars Banbury joy
Banbury Utd 2 (Martin 29, Maddox 78) Chesham Utd 1 (Wales 5) Banbury United came from behind to complete the double over their Buckinghamshire opponents on Saturday to climb into the top half of the Zamaretto Southern League Premier Division table
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FOOTBALL: Battling City give leaders big fright
Oxford City 1 (Steele 44) Truro City 1 (Martin pen 45+1) Oxford City moved out of the Zamaretto Southern League Premier Division relegation zone for the first time this season after holding leaders Truro City at Court Place
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RACING: Rupert eases Webber's worries
Time For Rupert eased Banbury trainer Paul Webber’s nerves with a silky smooth success at Cheltenham on Saturday. The Mollington handler had expressed his fears about seeing his stable star put his unbeaten record on the line before the DRS
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Police quiz boy over protest
A 12-year-old trying to save his youth club was taken out of class to be quizzed by police over plans to protest outside Prime Minister David Cameron’s Witney office. Nicky Wishart, who attends Bartholomew School, in Eynsham, set up a group on the
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EMA cuts will cause great hardship
We are writing to express our concern at the Department for Education’s decision to stop paying Education Maintenance Allowances in July 2011 to 16- to 18-year-olds, including those who will be half way through their course and those whose household income
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Cornered royalty
It must have been very frightening for Charles and Camilla to find themselves targeted by a large and hostile group. I expect they felt very scared and victimised. A bit like all those foxes then that they themselves have so gleefully joined in terrifying
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Lucky in Oxford
How fortunate you are in Oxfordshire. I grew up in Headington and cycled to school in Cowley. I moved away from Oxford aged 18 but my love of the bike continued into adult life. This week I returned to my home city by train. At Manchester Piccadilly station
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I’m Internet free and oh so happy
There’s a shop in Summertown, and in its windows is a display of small, handwritten advertisements, promoting everything from Spanish lessons to second-hand guitars and cute-as-pie puppies. Now I don’t need any of the above, but I was intrigued by its
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Get off the fence
I see Councillor Goddard (ViewPoints December 8) is opposing the county council’s proposals to cease funding 20 libraries where an alternative is within easy reach of public transport. I hope he realises these proposals are part of a much larger package
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Cuts just cultural vandalism
Oxfordshire County Council’s Tory administration has dealt Blackbird Leys, together with many other communities in the county, a double blow. Oxfordshire’s youth service is being cut to the bone. We fear that the new service envisaged will not meet
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‘Live now, pay fees later’ is no bargain
Shame on Messrs Cable and Clegg for colluding in the dismantling of the higher education system in this country. There used to be a social group known as the ‘lower middle class’ – hard-working, thrifty and aspirational people who valued education and
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United’s Boxing Day clash is all ticket
Oxford United’s npower League Two clash at Stevenage on Boxing Day has been made all-ticket for away fans. The U’s have been allocated 1,392 tickets for the South Stand behind the goal. Tickets go on sale to season ticket holders this morning. They
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M40 shunts delay traffic
Two separate accidents within 100 metres of each other caused tailbacks on the M40 northbound this morning. They within minutes of each other at 6.50am between junction six for Lewknor and junction seven at Thame. The first collision involved a black
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Green Fair draws a crowd
HUNDREDS of Christmas shoppers descended on Oxford Town Hall on Saturday to celebrate the city’s 30th annual Green Fair. More than 100 environmental and ethical stalls were enjoyed by shoppers at the event organised by the Oxford Green Party
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Hundreds of Santas take to city streets
IT’S not the usual way Father Christmas gets around! But yesterday more than 1,000 Santas ran through Oxford city centre for charity. Early morning shoppers were greeted with a sea of red and white sprinting through the streets.
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COMMENT: Congratulations are due
Well done to everyone who braved the chilly winter morning yesterday to take part in the city’s Santa Fun Run. It made for quite an impressive sight as one thousand santa suit-clad runners pounded the streets. And we hope the event gave
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ATHLETICS: Dean's silver joy
Oxfordshire athlete Hatti Dean produced a superb performance to lead Great Britain to team silver in the European Cross Country Championships yesterday. The former Radley runner finished in seventh place in the senior women’s race, in Albu-feira, Portugal
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A MIRACLE: Tube coach crash survivor says he's lucky to be alive
A COACH passenger who was on an Oxford Tube double-decker bus which overturned on an M40 slip road has told of his “miracle” escape. Seventeen people were treated at hospital after the coach travelling from London crashed into a barrier on
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Shooting stars light up winter sky
A glorious display of shooting stars is set to light up the winter sky on Monday and Tuesday as Earth encounters the Geminid meteors. In clear, dark conditions up to two meteors per minute may be visible, although some will be faint. The brightest
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Young politicians get tips from PM
BUDDING politicians from West Oxfordshire secondary schools received some top tips from the Prime Minister. Witney MP David Cameron met the pupils and answered questions as part of a Politics in Action event organised by West Oxfordshire District Council
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Traders join forces to entice shoppers
TRADERS fighting to survive in Oxford’s most cosmopolitan road have banded together to open late in the run-up to Christmas. Members of the Plain Traders’ Association are opening late until 8pm on Thursdays in a bid to entice shoppers to cross
