Category: Thame news

COUPLES from the Thame area could soon be ‘tying the knot’ at their local town hall, if town councillors have their way.

Thame Town Council intends to pay up to

A court heard today how a waiter with a history of mental illness, took a cheese knife from a cutlery store, walked down two floors at The Oxfordshire Golf Club, repeatedly stabbed another man with it and then used it to saw off the victims head.

Jonathan Limani, 33, a Serbian by birth, changed his plea at was to be the beginning of his trial today, for the killing of the club’s restaurant manager, Christopher Varian, aged 32, who was raised in Chinnor, near Thame.

Witnesses described how they mistook Limani’s movements for an attempt at resuscitating his victim, when they found him covered in blood, with the body, amongst rubbish bins in the service yard at the rear of the building.

At Oxford Crown Court, Limani pleaded guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility, and in a rare ‘hybrid’ sentence, was given Life imprisonment for a minimum of 19 years and ordered under Section 45A of the Mental Health Act to be contained at Broadmoor Hospital without limit of time, to continue treatment for Paranoid Schizophrenia.

Two forensic psychiatrists gave evidence that they believed Limani probably has an underlying psychopathic personality disorder, meaning that he would be able to be manipulative and deceitful and hide any recurring symptoms of paranoia once treated.

In sentencing, Judge Anthony King therefore concluded: “It is likely that you (Jonathan Limani) will be a danger to the public for the rest of your natural life.

“What you did was violent and brutal in the extreme. In some sort of delusional state, you selected the cheese knife, went down two flights of stairs, way-layed him (Chris Varian) in the smoking area and used savage and extreme force in order to complete the offence of severing his head from his body.”

Chris Varian’s family had issued several Victim statements from which their profound shock, incomprehension and pain were obvious. His sister, Katerina described how the whole family had been left with “such a macabre image that won’t go away.”

She and her brother Roger spoke of the Varians’ strong family ties and love for their brother, and how the family had been scarred by an event that had rocked their lives just as he was getting into his stride in his career.

After hearing of the added trauma the family had had to endure because of the repeated adjournments and delays since the killing on August 21, 2010, Judge King concluded: “My heart goes out to the family for the extreme length of time it has taken to resolve these matters.”

Det Ch Insp Steve Tolmie, Senior Investigating Officer, said: ?Thames Valley Police has a duty to thoroughly investigate all incidents of this nature and present the facts together with the Crown Prosecution Service to a court.

?Every murder is by its very nature traumatic and very emotional for the family and friends involved but this particular case is horrific due to the level of injuries inflicted.

?This may be the end of the judicial chapter but as far as the family are concerned, their pain and loss will always remain. My thoughts continue to be with them at this very difficult time.?

PHOTO: Jonathan Warg Limani

BISCUIT, the Towersey cat that went missing 10 days ago, has been found safe and well. A message from his owners:

CAT FOUND!

I am delighted to report that, after an absence of 10 days, Biscuit returned home yesterday evening (15th). He is thin and hungry but otherwise OK.

We are very grateful to all who looked for him and those people who opened up sheds, garages, stables etc. where he may have been.

Rosemary and Barry Maudsley
Chinnor Road, Towersey

A Thame man, accused of murdering two women and attempting to murder a third, refused to confirm his name or to enter a plea when the charges were put to him at Oxford Crown Court this morning.

ENSAR Gol, aged 21, from Ireton Court, Thame, is accused of the murders of 28 year-old Michala Gol (his wife, Julie Sahin, aged 50 (his Mother-In-Law, both from Ireton Court, Thame, and the attempted murder of Casey Allen Wilson.

The court therefore entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ on Gol’s behalf and he was remanded in custody until the trial, set for April 18, 2012.

THE town council wants to know what young people think is good, bad and ugly about the town.

As part of the The Neighbourhood Plan that is currently being developed. Thame Town Counncil is setting up a short workshop for residents between the age of 20-35, to have an opportunity to input into what is good, what is bad and what is ugly about the Town.

The council says: “We are looking for a group of about 10 to 15 people to take part in the workshop, which will be about considering future growth of the town.

“We would really value your opinions and input, and it?s a really good opportunity to have a say.”

The workshop is planned for Wednesday, March 28, at 7pm, for about an hour. If you, or anyone you know, are interested please send an email to: oss@thametowncouncil.gov.uk for further details.

HIS NAME IS BISCUIT AND HE WAS LAST SEEN AT HOME AT MIDDAY ON MONDAY 5TH MARCH. HE CAN EASILY BE RECOGNISED BY HIS SHORT TAIL. HE IS A NEUTERED MALE, 12/13 YEARS OLD WHO DOES NOT NORMALLY STAY OUT AT NIGHT.

WOULD YOU PLEASE CHECK SHEDS, GARAGES, STABLES, VEHICLES ETC. IN CASE HE HAS BEEN SHUT IN, AND ASK ANYONE WHO MAY NOT HAVE SEEN THIS NOTICE TO DO THE SAME.

WE ARE VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM AND WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR ANY INFORMATION WHICH COULD HELP US FIND HIM.

PLEASE RING ROSEMARY OR BARRY MAUDSLEY ON 01844 216475 OR 07521 428927. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

TOWERSEY MORRIS raised the spirits and the funds of the Cancer & Haematology Unit at Stoke Mandeville hospital recently, in what was the culmination of a ‘Day of Dance.’

The Squire of Towersey Morris, Andy Hardy, told ThameNews all about their amazing day.

“One Saturday last September, Towersey Morris held a sponsored Day of Dance. We danced at Market Square, Aylesbury and Wendover, and outside Wycombe Wanderers FC before their home match against Brentford.

Over twenty different Cotswold Morris dances were performed during the day, with each dancer being sponsored so much per dance.

We raised

FORMER Town Councillor, Peter Cockayne, sadly died this week, after fighting cancer. Peter died peacefully at home in Holliers Close, Thame, on Thursday morning (March 8), aged 67. He leaves a widow, Val, and two children, Phil and Sophie.

Peter represented the Lib Dems as a town councillor between 1999 and 2007, and was also an original member of CMAG, the Cattle Market Action Group. He never missed an opportunity to raise the subject of causes close to his heart, particularly in his view, that the Cattlemarket, if it became available, should be developed for the good of the community. His doggedness to get his point across at council meetings was frequently the cause of some irritation to fellow councillors! He also represented the town council on the Steering Group of the 21st Century Thame Partnership for several years.

One of Peter’s greatest areas of interest was in road safety and particularly cycling. He was very involved in TWAC, the Thame Walking and Cycling group that produced cycle paths, new crossings and refuge islands throughout the town as part of the Better Ways to School project.

He tried and failed to persuade the town council to take part in a Pilot scheme to make the centre of Thame a 20mph zone. Peter was also very ‘hands on’ during the planning and negotiations for the development of the old Risborough to Thame railway line, into the Phoenix Trail and often turned up to help on regular litter-picking days along the trail.

Peter was for several years, a Security Officer at Waddesdon Manor.

The following tribute is reproduced from Thame Town Council’s website:

Peter spent his early years in Chigwell, Essex before moving eventually to Thame with Val and their young family in 1977 via Leytonstone and Northampton. Whilst he started his working life in hotel and catering management in London, most of his career was spent in sales management with the Electricity Board and until retirement, with British Gas.

From his early days in the town, Peter threw himself into life in Thame, initially stage- managing and acting with Thame Players, even including pantomime!
But his main passion was local politics. For many years, he was the main inspirer, organiser, motivator, etc. of the local Liberal Democrat party, selflessly giving his time, and use of his home, to the cause. He served Thame Town Council for eight years as a Town Councillor.

When the opportunity arose for some ?blue sky thinking? about the use of the cattle market, Peter was one of the first to be involved with the Cattle Market Action Group (CMAG). He was passionate that this last large space in the centre of the town be developed for the use of the community. Initially, until the North Street site became available, he had the vision of a new library being a central part of the cattle market development. Peter continued with CMAG until quite recently, also as a volunteer at Thame Museum and as a steward at Waddesdon Manor. A keen cyclist, he would often invite friends to share his ancient tandem. As a Sustrans supporter, he helped to get the Phoenix Trail established from its inception.

Peter served the town and community faithfully and will be greatly missed by his many friends and co-workers.

Peter’s funeral is to be held at St Mary?s Church on Monday 19th March at 2.30 p.m.

THAMES Water is one of seven companies in south and east England to announce today (March 13 the need to impose a hose pipe ban on its customers from next month.

The ban, and other restrictions on water use are necessary to combat the effects of an increasingly severe drought after two abnormally dry winters in a row.

Britain’s biggest water supplier said its Temporary Use Ban (TUB), or ‘hosepipe ban,’ will come into effect from April 5, before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, and will apply to all of its 8.8m water customers across London and the Thames Valley.

Today’s decision comes after one of the driest two-year periods in southern and eastern England since records began. Since March 2010 the region has had 35cm less rain than normal.

Click http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs.xsl/15441.htm for more information from Thames Water.