Category: Thame news

THE Police are appealing for witnesses after a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Thame on Sunday morning (16/11).

The girl was at a private party on Saturday at Thame Leisure Centre, when at around 1.30am, she was followed into the disabled toilet by a man and sexually assaulted.

The man is described as white, around 5ft 6ins and was wearing a white polo shirt or top and blue jeans, of medium build with short, mousey coloured hair.

Det Con Kim Dugmore investigating the incident said: ?I am keen to speak to anyone who was at the party who might have any information to help us with our investigation.
?The girl was talking to some people in the corridor before she was followed into the toilet and there were also people waiting outside who might have seen either of them leave afterwards. I urge anyone who might have seen the girl or man to contact me.?

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact Det Con Dugmore at Thame police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don?t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

THIS year’s Thame Festival and Carnival will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon in 1969, with the chosen theme, Space.
The date for this year’s carnival is Saturday, June 13th.
Plans are already underway by this year’s Festival Committee, Chaired by Bob Champion, assisted by a team of volunteers including members of Thame Lions and Thame Rotary.

A fire crew from Thame gave up their free time on Friday, and were rewarded handsomely by the businesses, shops and local people of the town.
Between them, the crew of seven raised over

NORWICH police officers are appealing for help from members of the public to trace a 52 year-old wanted man from Norwich.
Andrew Gallagher was last seen on the morning of Friday 14 November 2008 and is currently wanted on recall to prison. It is believed he could be in Norfolk or in the South Oxfordshire area.

Police are concerned for his welfare and would like to locate him at the earliest opportunity. Officers would urge him to make contact with them. We would advise members of the public not to approach him and to contact police immediately if he is sighted.

He is white, 5ft 7-8in and of muscular build. He has a white/blonde close cropped moustache with a long bushy goatee of the same colour and close cropped white/blonde hair with a bald patch.

He is believed to speak with a Bradford accent. He was last seen wearing a tight blue T-shirt, black shorts and was carrying a black day rucksack and a yellow holdall. He is known to wear shorts most of the time. He left on a dark blue Cannondale mountain bike.

Anyone with information relating to his whereabouts should contact the Norfolk Constabulary on 0845 456 4567 or Thame CID on 0845 8505 505.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

INTERNATIONAL chef, Raymond Blanc, whose restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, is at Milton Common, near Thame, is to turn on the town’s new Christmas lights.
This year’s Christmas Event will be on Friday, December 5, and is to be hosted by BBC Radio 2 radio host, Ken Bruce. The programme for the evening is as follows:

6.00pm Mayor?s Welcome – Cllr Don
Butler

6.05pm Children?s Choir from Junior
Schools accompanied by Thame
Concert Band

6.25pm Thame Players – Panto characters

6.30pm Four in a Bar ? Sax Quartet

7.00pm Raymond Blanc turns on the
Christmas Lights

7.10pm Surprise Visitor/Town Crier

7.15pm Community Singing with Thame
Concert Band

7.30 pm Christmas Blessing

Other attractions from 2pm:

Stalls, Farmers Market, French Stall, Hog Roast and Fair Rides

Event sponsored by Triumph Technologies Ltd, Waitrose, Box Technologies Ltd

CCTV cameras in Thame town centre have played a part in 47 incidents in the town, between July and September, says South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Safety Group.
According the figures, seven arrests were made in Thame, as a result of CCTV monitoring, including one recently where the operator heard on the police radio, reports of an assault by a person carrying a knife. The operator recognised the description of a person he had observed being refused entry to a public house. The operator reviewed the previous footage and gave a clear description. The man was later arrested as a result.

Searches made of footage from the cameras have also been used to produce a number of evidence packs for court proceedings.

A total of 340 incidents across the district have been supported by CCTV over the quarter.

SODC’s report says: ?These latest results for our towns are very good news. CCTV is a valuable tool in the fight against crime and antisocial behaviour, which is one of the council?s priorities. CCTV cameras contribute to deterring crime, reducing fear of crime and increasing crime detection. The presence of the cameras help residents feel safe and encourage more people to use the town centres.?

A WARNING about a postal scam that has been circulating via email around Thame recently, has been found to be out-of-date and no longer a threat.

The following copy is now quite obsolete, and should not be sent on to anyone:-

“The following has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:~
A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed

THE Police are appealing for information following a burglary at an industrial unit in Station Yard in Thame.

Burglars broke into the unit and stole and a large quantity of digital cameras sometime between 9.30pm on Friday (7/11) and 2.30am on Saturday (8/11).

Det Sgt Alan Clements, investigating the burglary, said: ?At this time of the night the yard would have been quiet so any unusual activity could be quite obvious. I appeal to anyone who might have seen anyone suspicious activity.

?I am also trying to trace the drivers of a large white, transit-type vehicle which was seen in the area and urge anyone with any information to get in touch.?

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact Det Sgt Clements at Thame police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don?t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

AN estimated crowd of 900 people of all ages turned out for this year’s Remembrance Sunday service in Thame.
Amongst the throng on this bright and breezy morning, the mood was sombre with representatives from all the main community groups in the town, from very young Brownies and Cubs, to our most elderly senior citizens proudly wearing their medals and insignia.

The service was led by the new Vicar of the Thame Group of churches, Rev Alan Garratt, with contributions from the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Don Butler and the Chair of Thame & District Royal British Legion, Robert Bartlett.

The wreaths laid by representatives of all the junior and senior services groups, the local Polish community, Lord Williams’s school, other community groups and the town council, included one by Jeannette Matelot Green, on behalf of the people of Montesson, Thame’s twin town in France. A similar wreath would have been laid in Montesson itself on behalf of the Thame and District Twinning Association.

Afterwards many people enjoyed a warm cup of tea or coffee and biscuits at Christchurch in the High Street.

THE case against a 55-year-old Towersey man, charged with sexual assault on a child aged under 13-years-old child, will be heard at Oxford Crown Court on December 18.
Nicholas Graves, from Manor Road in Towersey, appeared at Oxford Magistrates? Court, yesterday, November 6.