POLICE yesterday, Thursday 13/12, charged Mr Praminder Mankoo, aged 46, of Bicester Road, Oakley, Buckinghamshire with seven offences of sexual assault on five women over the age of 16.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 2005 and June 2007 at a private clinic in Thame.
He has been bailed to appear at Oxford City Magistrates? Court on 27 December.
Post Office. It has been announced that Haddenham Post Office will finally be re-opening at the Londis shop in Churchway on January 26.
Fri 14th Coffee Stop. Haddenham Age Concern?s Christmas Coffee Stop (10am-12noon) in the Mabel Parkinson Room is the last before the New Year and they will be serving mince pies along with the usual coffee and biscuits.
Fri 14th Carols. Churches Together in Haddenham will be holding its annual carol service for all villagers on Friday (6.45pm) in the Village Hall. It includes a visit by Haddenham Mummers and local school children will be taking part.
Fri 14th Mummers. Haddenham Mummers will be performing their traditional play at pubs and restaurants in the village next Friday but this Friday they will be at The Plough, Cadsden (8pm), The Bell, Princes Risborough (8.40pm), The Peking Rendezvous (9.40pm) and The Crown, Cuddington (10.20pm).
Sat 15th Police Surgery. Thames Valley Police, in conjunction with AVDC and BCC, will be holding a ?Have Your Say? session at Haddenham Library on Saturday (10.30am-12.30pm). PC Jim Mullan and PCSO Rachael Hubbard will be there to take your comments and answer your questions.
Sat 15th Concerts. Thame Concert Band?s Christmas Concert for all the family is at St Mary?s Church (7.30pm) and you can get tickets, including wine, soft drinks and mince pies, (
CHRISTMAS shoppers in Thame may catch a glimpse of Boris Johnson during the next few days, after he assured Business leaders that he would be supporting the town’s independent retailers this year by buying Christmas presents in the town.
A group of Businessmen and women from The Thame Business Club met Boris at Westminster on Monday, after a tour of the Houses of Parliament.
As well as local issues, the group exchanged views on a variety of topics with Boris, including the question of whether we shall still need so many new houses in the district, if house prices continue to drop, and Boris’s chances of becoming Mayor of London – 50-50 according to Boris himself.
On the environment, Boris was keen to expound his views on how the river Thames could be used to produce hydo-electric power for London.
Once again, Boris re-itterated that if he was elected as Mayor of London, there would have to be a by-election in his Henley constituency, which includes Thame.
Following a remark from Boris that he felt that there was no one in the 2012 Olympics organising team with financial expertise (it is, apparently about to ask the government for more money), he was asked why, in his opinion, business people were reluctant to go into politics.
Boris said that in his opinion one of the main reasons was because they feared Media intrusion into their lives.
Boris was then asked why there seemed to be an apparent loss of interest generally in politics to which he replied: “If we had fewer debates, less legislation and no more whipping, MPs would turn up for debates and get things off their chests. I’m sure this would restore people’s interest in politics.”
Finally Boris was invited by Thame Podiatrist, Jenney Klose, to visit her for a free foot treatment after he’d done his Christmas shopping in Thame, to which accountant, Simon Husband quiped: “Please don’t stop putting your foot in it Boris!”
Photo: Boris Johnson MP with Hilary Handley, from The Thame Business Club
THIS year’s Christmas production by key Stage one pupils at John Hampden Primary School, Thame, was a musical entitled ‘Elf School’, written by two of the teachers, Miss Hocking and Mrs Stanway-Williams.
But the real stars of the show were some terrifically talented children!
The young cast, who ranged between the agea of five to seven-years-old, thrilled their audiences over two nights with an amazing show of music, dancing and dialogue.
The play centres around two elves with unusually large ears, who are about to start at their local elf school. When they arrive they are greeted by their head teacher (Santa Claus) and face the wrath of some very mean elves. The teachers host a school dance in the hope that all of the elves will bond and get along.
When the new elves prove to be fantastic dancers, they receive a huge cheer and finally gain acceptance by their peers.
The story is a parody of a real school scenario and includes lessons on how to pack a sleigh and the true meaning of Christmas (the nativity story).
Quotes from children:
“It’s been really good and there are quite a lot of characters. I think there’s lots of acting and the songs are very funny, especially Santa Claus the Great” (Joe Harrington aged 7)
“It’s good, with lots of speaking and actions. It makes sense and I loved doing it.” (Lucy Nichols aged 7)
?I like the play a lot. I think the story is a good idea and my favourite bit has been learning all of the songs.” (Zak Saeed, aged 7)
Co-writer and teacher, Miss Hocking said: “The children were fantastic. It never ceases to amaze us how many words and directions they manage to learn in such a short space of time. We are all very proud of our Christmas stars!”
THE investigating police office in the Thame drowning case, currently the suject of a Jury Inquest, has today said that there is no suggestion whatsoever that bullying played any part in the death of 11 year-old Nathan Matthews.
Detective Sargeant Alan Clements, based at Thame police station, was questioned for the second time today about his investigation into the death of Nathan.
D S Clements told the Coroner that the case was “tragic but not suspicious.” He said that during his investigations, he found no suggestion of Nathan being bullied at school, adding that there had been a “large amount of mis-representation in the press” shortly after the incident, which had an effect on the staff and children, one of the girls in particular suffering from Post Traumatic Disorder.
He said: “I found it inconceivable that an eleven year-old could drown and I would like to have come up with an answer for the family but I am unable to do so.”
Following questioning by the Matthews family lawyer, DS Clements re-itterated that from his evidence gathered from other children in Nathan’s relay team and others, and their positioning at the time of the incident, he was sure that Nathan had been under the water for between 30-40 seconds.
Tomorrow the Coroner will give his summing up and the Jury will consider their verdict as to the time, the place and the circumstances of Nathan Matthews’s death.
Photo: Penny and Terry Matthews, Nathan’s parents.
Courtesy of the Daily Mail website (Copyright applies)
AN expert in drowning and resuscitation told the inquest into the drowning at Thame swimming pool in 2004, that the victim, Nathan Matthews, probably suffered a blackout under the water before drowning.
Dr Anthony Handley said that, although other reasons for Nathan becoming unconscious under the water could not be ruled out, he was of the opinion that two of the more likely causes, ie either a seizure or an attack of arrhythmia (too slow, too fast or irregular heart beat) were improbable. He was of the opinion that the most likely cause began with Nathan hyperventilating (over-breathing) after using up most of the oxygen in his lungs due to the amount of effort he was exerting during his swim.
Dr Handley went on to explain that at that point, Nathan would probably have then gone under the water, either voluntarily or not, with insufficient carbon-dioxide to trigger automatically the body’s urge to take a breath, and so, starved of oxygen, he passed out and at some point probably suffered a cardiac arrest.
After a short while of unconsciousness, explained Dr Hadley, the muscle spasm that automatically ‘kicks in’ when people go under water to close the airway to prevent water going in, would have relaxed and water would have entered Nathan’s lungs and drowning would have begun.
This so-called ‘Shallow Water Drowning’, as basically described above, is, said Dr Handley: “Considered to be a relatively common cause of death in water,” where typically the victim has not been seen to thrash about and struggling but just found quietly on the bottom.
Dr Handly confirmed yesterday’s evidence that from what he had heard and seen, Greg Boult and Rob McGill, the two lifeguards, correctly carried out CPR in an effort to save Nathan, until the ambulance arrived.
The inquest jury also heard evidence and discussion about whether Lifeguard, Rob McGill, had sufficient qualifications. Both Lifeguard trainer, James Wright, and Adrian Bidwell, Soll Leisure’s Group Head of Operations at the time of the incident, told the inquest that at that time, Part Two of the nationally recognised, Lifeguard qualification, for which there is no evidence that Rob McGill took, was not a requirement for practicing lifeguards.
Adrian Bidwell went on to explain that Soll Leisure ensured that all its lifeguards took their own ‘Induction course’ which was equivalent to Part Two of the Standard Royal Lifeguard qualification, and that, although the papers confirming Rob McGill’s passing of the induction course had been lost since, “We had satisfied outselves that he was competent.”
In response to a question about criticism aimed at Soll Leisure’s training methods for lifeguards, made during a risk assessment in November 2003, Mr Bidwell said that changes had been made and that the company had made “substantial improvements” since.
The inquest will resume tomorrow, when Detective Sgt Alan clements will give his evidence and the Coroner will begin to present his summing up to the jury.
It is expected that that jury will be asked to begin considering their verdict on Friday morning.
Photo: Drowning and resuscitation expert, Dr Anthony Handley
THE inqusest into the death of 11 year-old Nathan Matthews at Thame swimming pool almost three years-ago, continued today, when the jury heard evidence from two Pathologists.
Both Dr Stephen Gould, the Consultant Paediatric Pathologist who carried out a post mortem examination on Nathan’s body, and Dr Nathaniel Carey, a Consultant Forensic Pathologist, suggested that Nathan’s death was probably not a straight forward drowning.
Dr Carey is the eminent Home Office Pathologist who gave evidence at the enquiry into the death of Victoria Climbi
An evening of Christmas-themed choral music and traditional carols for all to sing, will be held on Saturday, December 8.
This is Thame Choral Society’s annual Christmas concert, and their last under the baton of David Hayes.
All will be welcomed to this friendly and festive event. The music will include the Magnificat by CPS Bach, the festive Karolju by Christopher Rouse and songs from The Bavarian Highlands by Elgar.
The concert will begin at 7.45pm. Tickets are
THE Inquest Jury looking into the facts that lead to the death of a young swimmer at Thame’s Jubilee Pool almost three years ago, saw video interviews with his classmates today.
Although the children’s accounts of what happened on that day, July 12, 2004, were inconsistant, and can only be legally considered as ‘heresay’ because they were taken between 2-4 weeks after the incident, several themes ran through their accounts.
Child A, who was to follow Nathan in the relay race after he had dropped a ‘sinker’, described how Nathan looked pale that morning, and that he did not seem to be concentrating but talking to someone, and had to be told when it was his turn to go.
He described the moment when he realised something was wrong and Nathan had gone under the water, apparently to drop a ‘sinker’.
“We waited for about half a minute, but when Nathan did not come back up, someone told one of the teachers,” he said.
Child B also remembered Nathan looking pale, and related how, after he did not re-appear from under the water, she bent her head into the water to look for him and saw him under the water “curled up and looking very small.”
She said that she told Child A to go and call a lifeguard.
She described Nathan as not being a very good swimmer and usually ‘a bit of a joker’ but that he was quiet on that day.
Later in the interview, Child B recollected how, back at school later that day, after she had heard that Nathan was being treated in hospital, she heard the news of his death on Fox FM.
Child C spoke about hearing an alarm going off in the pool area from where he was in the Leisure Centre’s Cafe area.
Child D described how she was swimming in the lane next to Nathan, in another team, from where she saw him go under the water and as she got closer, saw him “splayed out like a starfish,” about a foot from her leg.
“I thought he was going to grab my leg,” she said, “so I swam away.”
She described seeing a lifeguard as “just standing there.”
This particular child also described Nathan as “pale and quiet.”
Child E described Nathan as being happy on that day and cheering everyone on. “He went under,” she said, and we waited for a bit – we thought he had forgotten that he had the hoop (sinker).”
“(Child B)… then told us that someone was on the bottom. She alerted the lifeguard (swimming instructor) who then ran round.”
When questioned further about what she saw, this witness said: “It looked like he was going to get the hoop, rather than drop it.”
Child F, who was the first in Nathan’s team to go in the relay race, said that he thought Nathan did not realise that he had to drop the hoop (sinker.) He described how Nathan carried the sinker over his arm as he swam.
When asked about the positions of the adults at the pool side that morning, this witness said that he could remember one lifeguard sitting in the chair, and possibly another somewhere else. He recalled seeing swimming teacher, Mrs Allen standing by another group of children to his right (group 3 of 5 strung out along the side of the pool).
The final video interview showed Child G describing how she shouted, “What are you doing?” at Nathan.
“We thought he didn’t understand that he had to DROP the hoop,” she said. “He didn’t understand (before the race) what he had to do and I had to explain to him what to do,” she added.
This witness too, recalled one lifeguard sitting in the seat and another walking around.
Apparently, as well as the reliability of the Stokenchurch School children’s evidence being reduced because of the time lapse between the incident and their interviews, their accounts can only be considered as ‘heresay’ because of the considerable amount of discussion that went on among themselves and their community during the days between, and their ages (11 years).
One witness however, who is now 15 years-old, will be giving evidence in person on Monday afternoon, following a site visit by the Jury in the morning to Thame pool.
Photo: Thame Swimming pool (Library picture)
THE Jury Inquest into the death of Nathan Matthews, who was dragged apparently unconcious from Thame swimming pool, continued today with the jury hearing evidence from the two lifeguards and an ambulance crew member who were all involved in trying to save the boy.
After recalling how he helped perform CPR with his Duty Manager, Greg Boult, Rob McGill, of Mitchell Close, Thame, who was 17 years-old at the time of the incident was questioned about his Lifeguard qualifications by the Matthews family solicitor. Although admitting that he did have to re-take the section of his training that dealt with resuscitation, and that he did not know where the documentary evidence that he had passed the second stage of his lifeguard exams was, Rob McGill said: “As far as I am concerned, I passed it.”
He was also asked whether part of his duties was to be aware of early signs of dangerous situations developing, and whether, in his scanning of the pool, he remembered being aware of Nathan moving his head rapidly from side to side as he swam and causing splashing.
“No one particularly stood out for that reason,” replied Rob McGill.
“Did you think that anyone of them (the pupils taking part in the race) could have slipped under the water?” asked Mr Samuels.
“Everyone was diving or going under the water – I was continually looking at each one,” replied Rob McGill.
After continuing to quote training manuals and the operating procedures of Thame Pool, Mr Samuels was firmly told by the Coroner, Mr Nicholas Gardiner: “We are here to find out what happened, not what should have happened.”
Rob McGill also denied that his attention might have been focused on one particularly weak swimmer and the pupil who suffered from epilepsy.
There was some cross examining of both men over the availability and use of special rescue masks, designed to give a better seal around the mouth of a patient during CPR, as well as some hygience benefit.
Both Greg Boult and Rob McGill said that in the urgent situation they found themselves in, the use of the masks had not occurred to them.
Another point of discussion was the ratio of chest compressions to breaths into the patient during CPR – whether the accepted rate, at the time, for a child i.e. 5-1, or that for an adult, 15-2, was appropriate. (The two men had carried out two cycles of the child ratio, but had proceeded to that for an adult when it had become obvious to them that the smaller ratio was not having any effect).
Later, in his evidence, Ambulance Technician, Robert Gilley, said that nowadays, 15-2 is the accepted rate for a child or an adult, and that it would not have made any difference to Nathan at the time which ratio had been used.
Rob McGill described how on July 12, 2004, he had first become aware that there was a problem when he heard a whistle and saw Sara Allen, the swimming teacher, moving quickly around the edge of the pool. He said that he then ran back a couple of paces and pressed the alarm before running to where he could see someone was under the water.
Both Rob McGill and Greg Boult described how Nathan’s condition suddenly deteriorated and he stopped breathing and how he had began chest compressions while Greg did the mouth-to-mouth. The Jury then heard how an abulance crew arrived and attempted to re-start, what the Ambulance Technician described as Nathan’s fibrilating (fluttering but not pumping) heart, with a Defibrilator and intravenous drugs, but to no avail.
Mr and Mrs Mathews, Nathan’s parents, through their solicitor, expressed their thanks for all the ambulance crew had done to try and save their son.
Nathan was then taken to the John Radcliffe hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Tomorrow, Friday, the Jury will be shown the video statements of eight of Nathan’s class mates, taken after the incident and on Monday morning, will visit the Jubille pool, Thame, to see for themselves the scene of the tragedy.