The spokesman said: “The horse box was parked at an angle where it was visible to people in the hospitality area. It was a mistake by the vet, who was unaware anyone could see him. It is not acceptable for any member of the public to have to witness such an incident.”The leg was taken off the horse as part of a study being carried out at Liverpool University into why racehorses suffer fatal accidents, the spokesman said.. A police corruption inquiry has cleared Ray Mallon, the officer who championed zero-tolerance policing, and more than 20 other detectives of criminal wrongdoing. A police corruption inquiry has cleared Ray Mallon, the officer who championed zero-tolerance policing, and more than 20 other detectives of criminal wrongdoing.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced yesterday that no criminal charges would be brought against Detective Superintendent Mallon after a three-and-a-half-year inquiry.The £2.6m investigation, examined allegations that members of Middlesbrough CID intimidated witnesses and used drugs to obtain information from informers.It led to accusations that his senior officers at Cleveland Police were embarked on a witch hunt against Det Supt Mallon, who has been suspended since December 1997.Det Supt Mallon, dubbed “Robocop” for his no-nonsense stance with criminals, shot to fame for his use of the controversial zero-tolerance policing approach in which no crime, however small, was ignored. His strong-arm tactics drew praise from political leaders and with it a national profile. Tony Blair chose to visit Det Supt Mallon for his final photo call on the eve of the 1997 general election.Det Supt Mallon had vowed to quit his job unless he reduced crime in Middlesbrough by 20 per cent in 18 months but managed to reach the target in half that time.But his career appeared to be in ruins after allegations were made during a trial that CID officers at Middlesbrough had supplied heroin to two prisoners in return for information.The CPS said yesterday that there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution against Det Supt Mallon or the other officers investigated, believed to number more than 20.Forty-six police officers were investigated for a variety of allegations involving corruption and malpractice.The CPS is to examine further files, but it is thought unlikely that any criminal charges will follow.

The Police Complaints Authority will now consider whether any disciplinary action should be brought against Det Supt Mallon and his fellow officers.The police investigation, called Operation Lancet, into alleged malpractice and corruption amongst Cleveland Police has come under criticism in recent months and yesterday’s announcement will fuel calls for a public inquiry into the inquiry.Middlesbrough MP Ashok Kumar – who has voiced concerns in the Commons about Lancet many times, said: “This is a complete vindication of the stance myself and others have taken in raising serious questions about the cost, length and direction of Operation Lancet.”Mr Kumar repeated his call for a public inquiry and for auditors to be brought in to assess the true cost, which he believes to be more than £5m.The Chief Constable of Cleveland, Barry Shaw, was under intense pressure last night to re-instate Det Supt Mallon to his post.Det Supt Mallon has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and his suspension has provoked outrage in Teesside, where his no-nonsense tactics won broad public support.Det Supt Mallon, 45, a superfit, non-smoking tea-totaller celebrated privately last night with his wife, Carole, 45, and daughters Victoria, 18, and Lois, 15.”I am naturally delighted that at last my name has been cleared, though I do not believe I should ever have been suspended in the first place,” he said. “I want to thank my family and the people of Teesside for their support over the past two-and-a-half years which has been of great help.”. “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” host Chris Tarrant was fuming today after an arson attack on his boat. “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” host Chris Tarrant was fuming today after an arson attack on his boat.
Firefighters were called to the star’s motor launch which was moored at East Molesey on the Thames near Hampton Court but the vessel was completely destroyed by the blaze.A statement issued on behalf the TV presenter read: “Chris Tarrant said he was outraged at the stupidity of the attack as this boat was regularly used not only by himself and friends but by their children who could easily have been on board.”Surrey Police said they were treating the fire as arson.They appealed for any witnesses to the incident to come forward..

People in the North-east are Britain’s most avid curtain-twitchers, but they are the worst neighbours because they are the least likely to lend their car or do the shopping for someone living nearby, according to research published today. People in the North-east are Britain’s most avid curtain-twitchers, but they are the worst neighbours because they are the least likely to lend their car or do the shopping for someone living nearby, according to research published today.
An independent study conducted for the BBC indicates that more than a third of people in the North-east are involved in Neighbourhood Watch schemes, but they are a fifth less likely to do a neighbour’s shopping than their counterparts in the West Midlands, and a third less likely to lend a neighbour their car when compared with people from Wales.The study shows that the friendliest place to live is Wales, where two-thirds said they would invite a neighbour to dinner and over half said they would house a neighbour for a week or lend them their car.The Scottish were the most likely to lend neighbours money, with nearly half saying they would be willing to do so, compared with only a third in the Midlands and South-west. Although East Anglians were revealed as aloof neighbours, they were the most likely to have the next-door neighbour’s mother-in-law to stay if there was not room, with a third saying they would be willing to do so.The overall findings of the study are that far from being a country of neighbours at war, a sense of community was returning to British society, with people showing far more willingness to help those living near them than had been expected.Half of those interviewed said they thought the millennium brought with it a revival of community spirit. A fifth of people said they had taken their civic duty more seriously since New Year’s Eve, and were keen to take a greater part in their community.Rony Farrow, 58, from Hartlepool, in the North-east, has joined her local Neighbourhood Watch scheme and the Residents’ Association because she was concerned that her area was becoming less neighbourly. Mrs Farrow has a strong sense of community and has always trusted her neighbours.”I’ve got my neighbour’s key, and she has mine It’s always been like that. But the area’s gone down a bit lately and that’s why, through my involvement in the scheme, I hope to keep this area a friendly and safe neighbourhood,” she said.Julian Farmer, a 29-year-old computer consultant, moved into a new four-bedroom house on the outskirts of Caerphilly, in South Wales, last month. He has been impressed by how friendly and welcoming his new neighbourhood has been.”The next-door neighbours introduced themselves early on and have offered to take me and my wife to the nearby pub, to meet the locals,” he said.The friendly welcome has made Mr Farmer far more willing to help out his new neighbours.

“I would put them up if they needed it for a couple of weeks and lend them money in an emergency,” he said. “Although if it was more than £100 I’d have to ask them what the money was going to be used for and when I’d be reimbursed.”Huw Marks, commissioning executive for BBC Education, which commissioned the research for TimeBank Day on 23 June, aimed at encouraging people to volunteer in their local communities, said: “Contrary to popular belief, the survey shows that a sense of being a good neighbour is thriving in communities all around Britain. It is good to know that community spirit is something that matters to a lot of people in the UK.”The regional variations show different levels of trust in various parts of the country, but overall the findings show that most people are more than willing to help out their neighbours.”. A police sergeant has been convicted of two rapes, an indecent assault and of burglary with intent to rape.

A police sergeant has been convicted of two rapes, an indecent assault and of burglary with intent to rape.
Paul Banfield, 33, of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, a custody sergeant at Cambridge’s main police station, was convicted on majority verdicts by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court today.He had already admitted three indecent assaults against two different women.The jury heard that Banfield raped a 45-year-old divorcee he met while on duty in Cambridge city centre after breaking into her house.He also raped a woman who was being held in cells at Parkside police station, indecently assaulted two other women being held in cells there and indecently assaulted a former girlfriend at her home.Banfield, who is due to be sentenced later, closed his eyes as the jury delivered its verdicts.He had denied the rapes, burglary with intent to rape and indecent assault.. The campaign to persuade more people to cycle regularly will receive a boost today when a 5,000-mile national cycle network is officially opened. The campaign to persuade more people to cycle regularly will receive a boost today when a 5,000-mile national cycle network is officially opened.
The network, which spans most of the United Kingdom, is being opened by Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in central Birmingham this morning.Mr Smith said the network would bring social, environmental and economic benefits. “It will help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and encourage people to get active, which will have long-term health benefits,” he said.Up to one million cyclists are expected to take part in 4,000 events this week to celebrate the network’s inauguration. Roughly £200m has gone into buying land and laying the tracks, one-third of which are car-free, including £43.5m from the Millennium Commission.John Grimshaw, the director of Sustrans, the organisation which has co-ordinated the project, said: “This is the beginning of a rediscovery of the bicycle as an efficient, sustainable and thoroughly modern form of transport.”However, ministers admitted last week that a target set in 1996 to double cycling levels by 2002 had been abandoned because of a steady decline in cycling, although an ambitious target to quadruple bike use by 2012 was still in place.Figures from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions show the number of cycled miles per year per person fell from 41 in 1990 to 38 in 1998.