Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame United at their best against Marlow (Contributed)

    LEAGUE GAME – Saturday, March 8 – Thame United 2, Marlow United 0 – Match report:
    Thame United comfortably defeated Marlow United on Saturday. The visitors, who are second in the league, had only been beaten three times this season so a Thame win seemed unlikely. Perhaps encouraged by their mid week cup win, Thame delivered one of their best performances this season and as a result moved up to 7th league place.

    First team goalkeeper Paul Searl injured a finger during the mid week game and so reserve team keeper Mike Higgs took his place and had an excellent game. Searl, who was on the bench, came on half way through the second half, and played well as a striker.

    The opening exchanges were fairly even, but then the visitors had their best spell of the game and created some good chances. Higgs however made some good saves and, after about half an hour, the home side started to gain the upper hand. Thame were playing with a strong wind behind them, which in the 32nd minute denied them a goal. Luke Ricketts played a good ball to Nathan Jack on the left and Jack intelligently lobbed the advancing keeper from about 30 yards. On a still day the ball would have ended up in the net, but the wind took it and it came down to hit the top of the crossbar. The teams went in for half time with the game goalless.

    Thame came out fired up for the second half and immediately mounted a series of attacks. Their first goal came 5 minutes after the restart when, following some good work, Ben Connelly found Matt Leach on the right. Leach hit a low cross across the goalmouth, which Ricketts knocked in, off the goalkeeper, from close range. Thame continued the pressure and the half was 25 minutes old before the visitors forced a save from Higgs. The home team were now in control and the visiting keeper was kept busy. Thame?s second goal came with 5 minutes to play. Following two blocked shots on he left, the ball was played to Connelly, in space, at the edge of the box. He hit a superb well-placed shot, which sailed into the top right corner. A few minutes later Thame had an opportunity to make it three when Chris Watkins beat his man and made a run on the left before delivering a good cross to Jack, but his header was high.

    Thame, who were still attacking when the final whistle blew, played with an understanding rarely seen this season and with so many good performances that it was impossible to award the Man of the Match to one person.

    Thame United: Michael Higgs. Thompson, Watkins, Graves, Hocking, Cowan, Connelly (Mountford), Rhodes, Leach (Searl), Jack, Ricketts.

    Thame do not have a game next Saturday. Their next fixture as away to Henley Town on the evening of 18th March.

  • Living the good life despite Climate Change

    EVERYONE is welcome to come and hear Colin White from the Chilterns Conservation Board speak about what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint.
    Hosted by Chinnor and Thame Friends of the Earth, this meeting will be held at Chinnor Village Centre on Thursday, March 20, from 7.30 to 10pm.

    The talk will be followed by refreshments. Entrance is free.

  • Social Policy Volunteer wanted – (Advertisement)

    EVERY day, ordinary people come to Citizens Advice for help with their problems. We provide information, advice and support that helps them understand their options and find solutions. Their stories provide a valuable insight into some of the real issues faced by the public in Britain today. Citizens Advice collects statistical information from clients and uses it to campaign for change. Thame & District CAB is looking for someone to help us with this work.

    Recent campaigns have included:
    ? Using clients? complaints about unscrupulous bailiffs to force the government to introduce plans for bailiff regulation;
    ? Highlighting the need for financial help with school uniform costs and for uniform policies to be more affordable for families on low incomes;
    ? Putting pressure on electricity suppliers because low income households are being charged more for using pre-paid meters.
    ?
    If you would like to campaign on real local and national issues, then contact Tom Fox on 01844 217186. You will join a group of over 30 volunteers who are helping individuals and entire communities. You can work from home or you can come to the bureau in the centre of Thame. We will train you and provide all the day to day support that you need to make a difference.

  • Quiz Raises Funds For New Thame Charity

    FRIENDS of Thame and District Citizens Advice Bureau, which is a newly registered charity (No 1117782), held a St Patricks Day Quiz at Lord Williams Lower School which raised a fantastic

  • Life for ‘callous’ murder of elderly lady

    A cleaner, who murdered her 95 year-old employer, and then embroiled her own son, his girlfriend and another aqaintance in covering up her crime and disposing of the the body, has been given a Life sentence.
    At Oxford Crown Court today (7/3), Jolanta Kalinowska, aged 41, of Cavendish Avenue, Ealing, was found guilty of murdering Thea Zaudy on Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the victim’s home in Notting Hill Gate, London.

    The 95-year-old?s burned body was found in a field near Thame on Friday, July 13.

    Kalinowska was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 20 years tariff. Her son, Adrian Lis, aged 23, also from Cavendish Avenue, Ealing, was found guilty of assisting an offender in the commission of murder and sentenced to four years imprisonment. It was he who is alleged to have dragged the suitcase with Mrs Zaudy’s body in it, to a compost heap in a field and set fire to it.

    Co-defendants, Monika Sienkiewicz, aged 18, and Lucasz Gajda, 25, both from the Ealing area, were found not guilty of assisting an offender in the commission of murder.

    In passing sentence, Judge Hall spoke of “overwhelming evidence” that Kalinowsica had murdered “a defenceless, elderly, frail lady who was otherwise very much ‘on the ball.’ You then went out and spent all her money on a shopping spree. Thereafter, you have been devious and manipulative in getting other people to help you. You made the arrangements for the parcelling up of Mrs Zaudy’s dead body in a suitcase, for taking it on the ‘underground’, putting it in a car and having it driven to Oxfordshire and there, setting it alight.
    “It was obvious to me that during your evidence, you have been unwilling to accept the horror of what you did.”

    To Adrian Lis, Judge Hall said: “What a terrible thing for a son to hear his mother sentenced to life for Murder! There is no doubt that she was the driving force behind this terrible catalogue of events. You helped as can be seen on the CCTV images, which showed you dragging the suitcase – an image those of us who saw it will never forget.
    “You are no angel and I am not sure how much of a devil you are.”

    Maureen Daniels, a close friend of Mrs Zaudy, has released the following statement:

    ?Thea Zaudy fled Nazi persecution and arrived in 1939 from Germany and settled in London. She married and after the war they started a family business, which she continued to run after her husband?s death in 1965.
    ?When she gave up the shop, she maintained her independence by working in a London department store for another 13 years until she retired at the age of 74.
    ?After her retirement she continued to enjoy walking and travelling. She played bridge regularly up to the time of her death. Although many of her friends were housebound, she was in constant contact with them and is sorely missed by everyone. She was a proud, kind person, who did not want to be a burden to her friends or anyone else.
    ?Justice has been done for such a callous crime, perhaps motivated by greed. It is of little comfort to those who knew, respected and loved Thea, but it is justice.?

    Neighbour, Tim Jones, said: “I knew Thea Zaudy for 20 years. She faced the challenges of old-age with dignity and courage but was frail. This frailty was taken advantage of to deceive Thea Zaudy and lead to her murder and the macabra deceptions that followed. There is now an empty chair at our residents’ and Bridge meetings.”

    The judge, Julian Hall, praised the police investigation and the way the technical and other evidence was presented.

    Acting Detective Supt Rob Mason, who led the investigation for Thames Valley Police, said: ?This was a horrific murder of a 95-year-old lady, who had survived considerable adversity in her life only taken by to have it taken by those she trusted.
    ?It was a complex and painstaking investigation that has been traumatic for all concerned, an investigation that involved extensive mobile phone work and the viewing of hundreds of hours of CCTV. Using this footage, as well as phone and travel records and the usage of Mrs Zaudy?s debit card, we were able to track the defendants through the underground system and then to the site in Milton Common where they attempted to dispose of Mrs Zaudy?s body.
    ?The forensic work undertaken by scenes of crime officers and forensic scientists was very difficult in the circumstances, but they were able to provide evidence that was ultimately central to the prosecution.
    ?The investigation moved at considerable speed. The enquiry progressed from the initial discovery of a badly burnt body to the arrest of the offenders within five days. We are very grateful for the assistance of the media with initial appeals, which helped us identify Mrs Zaudy.?

  • Distraction burglary warning – Thame

    THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police; There have been two incidents, possible distraction burglaries in Thame. Both incidents occurred Wednesday 5th March, between 11:45am & 11:55am.
    The first incident was in Cotmore Close, where the offender entered the property whilst the aggrieved was in the garden and stole a purse. He is described as a White male, aged approx. 40 years and of large build.

    The second incident was in Cotmore Gardens, where two suspect white males were seen in the back garden of the property looking around. When approached by the aggrieved, they said they were from CID, but offered no identification. The two males were described as being in their 40’s, one stocky build, the other of medium build, both had an accent.

    Please be extra vigilant and keep an eye out for any elderly or vulnerable neighbours. If you see any suspicious people in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 527 of 05/03/08.

  • A real page-turner!

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council?s libraries and schools will be hosting a series of events to encourage reading on World Book Day on Thursday, March 6.
    Across the county, children in primary schools and libraries will take part in a ?Reading Wave? at 11.30am, when everyone will sit down and read or listen to a favourite book.
    Activities will range from fancy dress at schools based on favourite book characters to book fairs and library events.

    World Book Day will launch the 2008 Year of Reading in Oxfordshire, with events continuing throughout the year on the theme of encouraging reading.

    National Year of Reading

    World Book Day will be followed by a series of events throughout the year, including the Oxfordshire Literary Festival in March, events in rural children?s centres over Easter, and the final of the Kids? Lit Quiz, hosted by Keith Mitchell, leader of the county council.

    Councillor Jim Couchman, Cabinet Member for social and community services said: ?Reading brings so much enjoyment to so many people, from young children to adults.

    ?In Oxfordshire we have many famous authors living here, excellent libraries and a fine literary tradition.
    ?I will be taking a few moments on World Book Day to talk to my colleagues about their favourite books, and look forward to future events which will take place as part of Year of Reading.?

  • Jury out on ‘suitcase’ murder verdicts

    THE jury is still out this evening in the case of Jolanta Kalinowsica and her three associates, at the end of a two and a half-week long trial in connection with the murder and attempted destruction of her alleged victim’s body.
    During his two-hour summing up of the case, judge Julian Hall recalled what has been called, ‘a tangled web’ of evidence on which the jury must decide whether M/s Kalinowsica is guilty of the murder of her employer, 94 year-old Thea Zaudy, and whether Kalinowsica’s son, Adrian Lis, his girl friend, Monilca Sienkiewizs, and Lukasz Gajda assisted her in covering up her crime.
    The jury began their deliberations around 11.45pm today, (06/03). They will resume tomorrow when the court will reconvene at 10am.

  • Thame Council turns down second library design

    THAME Town Council’s Planning committee has rejected a revised design for a new library to be built on the site of the Pied Pedaller toy shop in North Street.
    Councillors thought that Oxfordshire County Council had gone some way to addressing the town council’s objections, but, in the words of Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, still felt the design ‘horrendous’, including too much glass in the frontage and that it was out of keeping with the street scene.
    Cllr Champken-Woods accused the applicant of trying to fool the committee by submitting a pen and ink drawing, which he said, made it look as though the design had been softened.
    “We want a library, not a greenhouse!” he said.

  • Tribute to Thame biker killed on his way to work

    THE family and friends of Mick Inceman, who was killed last Tuesday while riding his motorcycle to work, have issued the following tribute:
    “Mick was tragically killed in a road traffic accident last Tuesday, while riding his motorbike to work.
    “Mick and his fianc