Category: Thame news

THE Chinnor Cement Works chimney, which dominated the skyline of the village for many years, was today demolished to make way for a new development.
Watch the great chimney’s final seconds via this LINK TO YouTube

The cement works at Chinnor closed in 1999 and the site is currently owned by Taylor Woodrow. They submitted a plan to develop the site to South Oxfordshire District Council (which included provision for between 150 ? 190 new homes), but later withdrew the application.
A planning brief produced by the district council includes a proviso for any development to include recreation facilities and Conservation projects in the water-filled quarries.

Photo: Courtesy of www.28dayslater.co.uk

THE family of Craig Jarvis, who died after a collision on the A4012, Howland Road, Thame, eleven days ago (17/01), has issued the following tribute:
“Craig was born on January 01, 1981 in High Wycombe. He lived most of his life with his family in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, and trained as a motor technician. During his final period of employment he was at his happiest, working at a local, major motor franchise.

“In his earlier years Craig enjoyed playing ice hockey and trained in Tae-Kwondo. In his later years, he enjoyed playing the guitar, listening to rock bands and supporting Manchester United. Craig was a kind, caring and gentle man, who was devoted to his family and his girlfriend of nine years. He is fondly remembered by many neighbours and friends who are left with memories of this kind and gentle nature, and his eagerness to help wherever and whenever he was able.

“Craig leaves a family who are devastated by their loss and will be dearly missed for his funny and charming sense of humour.”

Craig’s funeral will be held on Friday, February 1.

A MAN accused of deliberately starting a fire that destroyed part of Lord Williams’s School in Thame, has been found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court this afternoon.
Craig Ford, aged 23, whose last known address was Seven Acres, Thame, held his head in his hands as the jury foreman announced the majority Guilty verdict by 10 votes to 2.
Ford, who denied starting the fire last June, blaming another man, will re-appear before the court on February 25, following pre-sentencing reports, to learn the duration of what will be a custodial sentence.

Photo: The remains of the drama studio at Lord Williams’s school, the day after the fire. The building was declared unsafe and had to be demolished.

THAME residents are reminded that they have only a few days left to tell South Oxfordshire District Council where they think new housing and other services should be provided in the district for the next few years.
Your respoonses will help plan for the 10,000 new houses, which the government, through the South East Plan, requires to be built in South Oxfordshire by 2026.
The council has identified a number of potential areas for new housing in around the towns of Didcot, Henley, Thame and Wallingford and has also identified thirteen larger and more sustainable villages, which could accommodate more housing. The district council would like to hear your views on which of these areas of land and which towns and villages are the most suitable.

Over the next 18 months, South Oxfordshire District Council will develop plans and polices for the future. The Core Strategy
will identify the important issues and areas for new development.
The closing date for comments is FEBRUARY 1, 2008.
Go to LINK
and follow the ?Your place, Your future? link, or email planning.policy@southoxon.gov.uk.

DESPITE over four hours of deliberation, the jury in the Thame arson case have today failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
The jury have been sent home and the case will resume on Monday morning.
Craig Michael Ford, from Seven Acres, Thame, is being tried at Oxford Crown Court for deliberately setting fire to the Drama studio at Lord Williams’s lower school on June 30 last year, 2007.

More information later…

THE jury in the trial of a Thame man, accused of starting the fire that caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a Thame school, was told today that it must decide whether the accused is telling the truth or not.
He, Craig Michael Ford, denies deliberately starting the fire and has accused a man with him on the night, Kieron Holliday, of causing it.
The Procecution say Ford started the fire to destroy DNA evidence from a cut finger sustained at the scene of the crime.
The Defence case, presented today, includes the contention that Kieron Holliday’s demeanour (“he was in turmoil when giving his evidence”) showed that he had not spoken the truth in court, and that the fact that Ford being “obviously not a sophisticated character” had admitted breaking into the school drama studio with intent to steal, deserved an acknowledgement that he was telling the jury the truth. Also, it was pointed out that Ford and his family decided to call the police.
Ford’s Barrister pointed out that on Craig’s custody record there was no evidence when he was examined of having any injuries.
He went on to say to the jury that like him, it might feel that something did not “smell right” about the case against Ford. He quoted Shakespeare, saying: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Before sending them out to consider their verdict at around 12.20pm today, the judge told the jury that they must decide whether or not there is “proof beyond reasonable doubt” that Craig Michael Ford started the fire.
“Unless you are convinced that the Prosecution has proved the case to the standard required, he is entitled to be acquited. You have to be certain that Craig Ford intended to destroy and damage propriety,” he told them.
The judge reminded the jury that the prosecution’s case is that Ford’s previous conviction for setting fire to a motorbike in Wales, showed that he had a tendancy to set fire to things. However, he warned, it did not necessarily mean that he must be guilty in this case.

They would need to consider, the judge added, the facts of Ford’s second interview 24 hours later, when he answered “No comment” to most of the questions, and why that might harm his defence.
He could have been ‘keeping his powder dry’until he knew what had happened to Kieron Holliday who was with him that night, he suggested.
Ford’s defence has been that he was tired, stressed and angry at the position he considered Kieron Holliday had put him in, and that he had already told the officer that arrested him after the fire everything he knew, and did not see why he needed to go through it all again.

The judge also told the jury that they had to keep in mind the evidence of the other witnesses, two of whom had said in their statements that Ford HAD said that he had started the fire, but when asked in court, said that they could not remember him saying it.
They also had to consider, he reminded them, that Kieron Holliday had said that he went into the drama studio when he saw smoke and noticed flames coming out of a cupboard and saw Ford there inside. Holliday said that Ford said: “I have set fire to the school,” and that he “must get out of Thame”.

About the other witnesses, all of whom were under 17 years-old, and particularly one who appeared to find the whole experience of being in court amusing, the judge pointed out to the jury that it should take into consideration these witnesses ages, nerves etc. This particular witness had said that he did not want to say who the two people he had seen in the drama studio were, because they were his friends, but he did say that it was NOT Kieron Holliday who said that he had started the fire, and he would not say which one had a cut finger. (Ford said it was Holliday, and Holliday said Ford told him he had cut his finger, but that he (Holliday) did not see it.)

Another witness said that she had asked Ford why he had done it, and that he replied: “Because I cut myself and the police are already after me.” Then she said, he told her he was going to France (where his grandparents live).
Other evidence in the case presented to the jury included some criticism by the Defence that the officer who first questioned Ford did not take his notes, made a couple of hours after the interview, to be verified by Ford which is normal police procedure.
PC Hounslow had told the court that Ford had denied starting the fire and mentioned that there was a rumour that he HAD started it, and inferred that Holliday bore a grudge against him.

All this, and other evidence, must be considered by the 12 members of the jury as they deliberate privately over the weekend before returning to the Crown Court in Oxford, on Monday to deliver their verdict.

The maximum sentence for this type of offence is 14 years imprisonment.

Photo: A crowd gathers to witness one of the most destructive fires Thame has ever seen, on June 30, 2007.

A THAME man accused of deliberately causing a fire that destroyed part of a Thame school, denied in court today that he was responsible.
Craig Michael Ford, 23, told Oxford Crown Court that it was his friend, Kieron Holliday that started the fire inside the Lord Williams’s school’s drama studio on the night of June 30, 2007.
Holliday was arrested and questioned shortly after the fire but later released without charge, and denied in court yesterday that he had started it.

Ford admitted that, after an evening of drinking with friends, he had broken into the drama studio that night with Holliday, with intent to steal but that he had tried to put out the fire which he alleged Holliday started in a cupboard.
The Prosecution repeatedly brought into question Ford’s more recent assertion that the officer who arrested him in the early hours of the morning after the fire, had failed to mention in his notes that Ford had told him it was Holliday who had started the fire, and the Prosecutor disputed Ford’s claim that he had failed to take the opportunity to make the same allegation when interviewed again later, because he was tired, stressed and angry at being asked to explain himself for a second time.

Witnesses had spoken of Ford boasting about starting the fire to get rid of DNA evidence (it was suggested that Ford had cut himself whilst trying to batter down a door to the office in the studio with a piano), and saying that he had to ‘get out of Thame’ and go abroad.
Ford explained this by saying that he was mimicking what Holliday had said to him whilst they were arguing.

The court heard that Ford had been found guilty previously of deliberately setting fire to a motor bike. The Prosecutor questioned whether it could be coincidental that in both that incident and in the case he was now answering, Ford had taken a fire extinguisher and tried to put the fires out.
“You start fires,” said the Prosecutor. You started this one to round off a night fun.”
Ford said that he “had no motivation whatsoever” for starting a fire.

Tomorrow the court will hear a statement from the Defence and the Jury is then expected to consider its verdict.

SEE full story from the Oxford Mail.
LINK

THE driver killed in collision on the Thame by-pass last Thursday evening (17/01), has been identified.
Craig Jarvis, 27, from Chinnor, died after his red Volkswagen Golf left the road and collided with fencing and a lamppost on the A4012 in Thame.
The police issued an appeal for information and witnesses following the incident.

LATEST figures show that crime has fallen by over 8% in South Oxfordshire over the past year.
Supt Andy Murray said: ?It is no coincidence that whilst crime overall is steadily falling, the detection rate continues to rise.
?We have seen a large reduction of 29% in the number of burglaries committed between 1 April 2007 and 31 December 2007, compared to the same period the year before. The roll out of neighbourhood policing across South Oxfordshire has helped reduce the levels of criminal damage in the area. There have been 140 less offences of criminal damage compared to last year which is a reduction nine per cent.
?At a local level the roll out of neighbourhood policing means there is an increased visibility of police and police community support officers and they are tackling the problems identified as being of most concern. The dedicated neighbourhood teams across South Oxfordshire are available to react and respond to the needs of the community and address local issues of concern such as criminal damage.?

There are also decreases in theft from a vehicle (10 %) and a 34 % reduction in vehicle interference.

Supt Murray continued: ?It?s also pleasing to note that burglary and car crime continues to fall but there is still a lot more we can do. Working in partnership with other agencies we will concentrate on those people who persistently cause the most problems. We will do all we can to divert them away from crime but if they will not take the hint then we will invite the courts to remove them from our community until they learn how to behave.?

Photo: Mounted police offices patrolling Thame recently.