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‘Progress’ in A380 engine probe

Qantas Airways 380 passenger plane flight QF32 is sprayed by rescue services after making an emergency landing at Changi airport in Singapore November 4, 2010The cause of the engine failure that led to the emergency landing is not yet known

Rolls-Royce shares have continued to fall, dropping 1.4% by mid-morning, as investors worry about the impact of engine problems on the Airbus A380.

Its shares have now fallen about 10% since one of its engines broke apart on a Qantas flight last Thursday.

On Monday, Qantas said it had found “slight anomalies” on three A380 engines and was keeping its fleet of six A380s grounded for further checks.

Tests have uncovered oil leaks in the engines of three of its grounded A380s.

ROLLS-ROYCE GROUP Last Updated at 08 Nov 2010, 07:57 ET Rolls-Royce Group one month chartprice change %585.00 p–

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All of Qantas’s six A380 planes have Rolls-Royce engines.

The concern is that the engine failure was a sign of one or more major problems, which could hit Rolls-Royce’s reputation and future sales.

Rolls-Royce, which is working with Qantas on the investigation, has seen its market value fall more than £1.5bn since the incident.

However, after falling by as much as 3.4% in early trading on Monday, Rolls’ shares clawed back some losses after it announced a £350m services contract from EgyptAir.

The Airbus A380 superjumbo uses one of two engines.

The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine has been installed in more than half of the A380s currently in service.

The remainder use an engine manufactured by General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. Their engines have not been implicated in this recent safety scare.

The two businesses are committed to engines for a further 197 planes on order.

If it turns out that the Rolls-Royce engine is not fit for purpose and the engine is withdrawn, Rolls would have to offer a refund for the engines sold to its Airbus A380 customers.

What is more, Rolls Royce would lose the income that would come from servicing these engines – typically over 40 years – which makes up a big chunk of the engine-makers’ revenue.

Shares in both Rolls-Royce and EADS, the aerospace giant that owns Airbus, have been falling following last week’s emergency landing by the Qantas A380.

On Monday, EADS shares were down 0.5%.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Officer branded dead girl ‘scum’

Pc Julie Neve (left) and Sgt Lynne McKevittPc Julie Neve (left) and Sgt Lynne McKevitt face disciplinary action, police say
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Two police officers are facing disciplinary action over their conduct after a Newcastle teenager was killed by a speeding patrol car.

Hayley Adamson, 16, died after being hit by the car driven by Pc John Dougal in May 2008. He was later jailed.

Minutes after the fatal crash a dog handler sent to the scene was overheard referring to Hayley as a “scumbag”.

Northumbria Police said she and another officer, who behaved inappropriately during Dougal’s trial, faced action.

The Northumbria force expressed “shock and horror” at the behaviour of the officers and said an apology had been made to the teenager’s family.

Dougal was driving his patrol car at more than 90mph when Hayley was struck in Denton Road, Scotswood, on 19 May 2008.

At his subsequent trial it emerged he was following at night what he wrongly thought was a stolen car at 94mph in a 30mph zone without flashing lights or sirens.

He was convicted of causing the death of the teenager by dangerous driving and jailed for three years.

Pc John DougalPc John Dougal accelerated to 94mph without his blue lights

Northumbria Police has now told the BBC’s Inside Out that two other officers face being disciplined after their conduct was investigated.

Dog handler Pc Julie Neve was heard referring to Hayley as a “Scotchy Scumbag” after her death – a reference to the area of Scotswood close to Hayley’s home.

The second officer faces action after behaving inappropriately during Dougal’s trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

The teenager’s family complained that Sgt Lynne McKevitt repeatedly tutted in court whenever Hayley’s name was mentioned.

Supt Jo Farrell said: “On a personal and professional level I am shocked and horrified that somebody would respond in that way.

“An internal discipline investigation was carried out and Hayley’s family were consulted throughout that investigation.

“Disciplinary action is going to be taken against the officers concerned.”

See more on Inside Out on BBC 1 at 1930 GMT on Monday.

Hayley Adamson

Supt Jo Farrell expressed horror at a reference to dead 16-year-old Hayley Adamson as a “scumbag” by a uniformed officer

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Stamps could face record 5p rise

Royal Mail worker unloading bags of post at a sorting office in BristolRoyal Mail said it needed to make more money to fund its £2bn modernisation programme
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Royal Mail has been given the green light to raise the cost of a first-class stamp by 5p to 46p next April.

This would be the largest increase since first-class postage began in 1968.

A second class stamp could rise by 4p, taking it to 36p, under final proposals from regulator Postcomm.

Royal Mail will decide next month whether to implement a rise of that magnitude. It currently loses 6.4p for each stamped letter it delivers.

There have been larger percentage increases, notably in the high inflation 1970s, but a 5p rise on a standard first-class stamp would be unprecedented in cash terms.

The changes are part of proposals outlined by Postcomm.

If Royal Mail chooses to increase all the charges up to the maximum allowed, it could mean an additional £380m a year to the operator, which is facing falling profits.

Other proposals also allow Royal Mail to increase the price it charges big business customers such as banks and big energy companies for delivering letters.

The mail operator could also be able to charge competitors up to 15% more.

Rivals such as UK Mail collect and sort letters themselves, but have to pay Royal Mail to deliver over what is known as “the final mile” – up to people’s letterboxes.

Royal Mail says current rules have meant it loses 2.5p on each item delivered in this way.

“[Postcomm] regrets that the company is unable to [complete its modernisation] without making further demands on its customers”

Nigel Stapleton Chair, Postcomm

The plans also include the relaxation of some regulations to help Royal Mail compete more effectively with its private sector rivals.

Postcomm said the changes would help Royal Mail fund its modernisation programme and help safeguard the one-price-goes-anywhere universal service in the UK.

Royal Mail welcomed the announcement.

“With mail volumes falling rapidly… it’s essential the current regulatory constraints on Royal Mail are eased to allow it to compete fairly in the bulk business mail, and packet and parcel markets, where competition is extremely robust and growing,” said chief executive Moya Greene.

Earlier this month, Royal Mail said its half-year profits had fallen by more than two-thirds and its core letters delivery business had returned to making a loss.

The mail operator, which is set to be sold off by the government, has long argued for lighter regulation as competitors have won more of the profitable bulk mail market.

But industry insiders believe its problems have more to do with a failure to modernise quickly enough.

Postcomm chair Nigel Stapleton said he welcomed the Royal Mail’s pledge to improve efficiency as quickly as possible.

But he said he “regrets that the company is unable to do so without making further demands on its customers”.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Haiti’s cholera toll reaches 544

Women walk through the rain on the grounds of an abandoned hospital where they had been evacuated to due to Hurricane Tomas 5 November, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, HaitiHurricane Tomas worsened conditions for Haiti’s earthquake survivors
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A doctor in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, says she has seen cases of suspected cholera, sparking fears that the epidemic has spread to the city.

Dr Kara Gibson of the American charity Samaritan’s Purse told the BBC that some people in the city’s biggest slum have symptoms of the disease.

The country’s health ministry says 501 have died from the disease so far.

But health workers say the figure could be higher as many areas have been cut off by flooding after Hurricane Tomas.

More than 7,000 people have been infected across the country, according to the ministry.

Haitian officials have not confirmed the presence of cholera in the city, but there has been concern that the disease is spreading.

The BBC’s Laura Trevelyan says diarrhoea is common in the country, because so many live in cramped and unhygienic conditions, often without toilets.

CholeraIntestinal infection caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or foodSource of contamination usually faeces of infected peopleCauses diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration; can kill quicklyEasily treated with antibioticsBBC Health: Cholera Cholera ‘difficult to predict’

But some patients in the slum of Cite Soleil, in Port-au-Prince, have a more severe form of watery diarrhoea – which Dr Gibson says appears to be cholera.

She says there are concerns that the disease will now spread even faster, despite humanitarian efforts to stem it.

“Now that it is in Cite Soleil, you can expect to see it just explode,” Dr Gibson told the BBC.

“The hospital in that areas is already at capacity. It is maxed out in a manner of a day and there is just no other site,” she says.

Local authorities and relief agencies have been attempting to get clean drinking water to those areas worse affected by Hurricane Tomas, which caused flooding and left eight people dead.

There was flooding in Leogane, Les Cayes, Jacmel and Gonaives, while many mountain towns have been cut off by flooded roads and landslides.

Although the hurricane passed without destroying the tented camps in and around the capital – which house about 1.3 million survivors of January’s earthquake – there were fears over the increased risk of cholera.

Cholera is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.

It causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration, but can kill quickly. It is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.

On Friday, Haiti’s government and the United Nations appealed to donors for nearly $19m (£11.7m) to cover urgent humanitarian needs.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Nokia reabsorbs Symbian software

Nokia C7 smartphoneNokia recently launched a raft of new phones based on the Symbian system
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Nokia has taken back control of the Symbian operating system, 18 months after it set up a non-profit foundation to oversee its development.

Nokia will control the future direction of the the world’s most popular smartphone software from April 2011.

Analysts said the move was inevitable as firms abandoned Symbian for rival software such as Google’s Android.

The Symbian Foundation – a consortium of firms that oversees the software – will become a licensing body.

“There has since been a seismic change in the mobile market but also more generally in the economy, which has led to a change in focus for some of our funding board members,” said Tim Holbrow, executive director of the Symbian Foundation.

“The result of this is that the current governance structure for the Symbian platform – the foundation – is no longer appropriate.”

He said that as of April 2011 it was “unlikely” that the foundation would need “any employees”.

The decision comes less than two years after Nokia paid 264m euros (£227m) to buy out the other shareholders in Symbian.

The Finnish phone giant then teamed up with others, such as AT&T, LG, Motorola, NTT Docomo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone to set up the Symbian Foundation.

The organisation was set the task of “open-sourcing” the code underlying the software.

Earlier this year, that was completed meaning that any organisation or individual could use and modify the platform’s underlying source code “for any purpose”.

During that time the phone market significantly changed.

Figures from research firm Canalys show that in the third quarter of this year the smart phone market grew by 95% over the same quarter a year.

However, Symbian’s portion of that market has consistently shrunk.

“With the benefit of hindsight, it looks like the decision to go with the open source approach was the wrong one,” Ben Woods of analysts CCS Insight told BBC News.

“The delays caused by the open source approach has undoubtedly led to Nokia losing its competitive edge.”

Recently, the Symbian foundation lost its executive director and firms such as Samsung and Sony Ericsson withdrew their support for the software.

“The question is, is it too late to have a meaningful impact on the future direction of the operating system,” said Mr Woods.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

MPs concerned about Woolas ruling

Phil WoolasMr Woolas narrowly won his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat in the general election
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MPs have expressed concerns about a court decision to ban former minister Phil Woolas from politics, saying it raises “massive constitutional issues”.

The ex-Labour MP is making a second bid for a judicial review of the verdict, which stripped him of his seat over his conduct in the election campaign.

But Tory MP Edward Leigh said it was for “people to evict MPs not judges”.

And Labour’s David Winnick said it could lead to any defeated candidate challenging election results.

Although the High Court rejected an initial request by Mr Woolas for a judicial review of the election court’s ruling, he is seeking a renewed ruling – which is expected to be the subject of an oral hearing.

Mr Woolas was barred from standing for elected office for three years after a specially convened election court ruled he was guilty of breaching the Representation of the People Act 1983 for making false statements during the 2010 election.

The court heard that Mr Woolas stirred up racial tensions during a fiercely-fought campaign which saw him retain his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat by 103 votes – beating Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins.

“People will be terrified of attacking their opponents”

Edward Leigh Tory MP

Commons Speaker John Bercow said MPs would not be able to debate the case until legal proceedings have finished.

But, in a point of order in Parliament, Mr Leigh said a debate was urgently needed on the “enormous” implications of the verdict.

“This is first time in 99 years that an MP has been evicted,” he told MPs. “It is for people to evict MPs not the judges.

“What worries me about this is that, if this is allowed to stand, it will be virtually impossible for there to be really robust debate during elections.

“People will be terrified of attacking their opponents.”

Labour MP David Winnick echoed these concerns, saying he was worried about a precedent being set for decisions to be “taken out of the hands of the electorate”.

“In future circumstances can a position arise where an unsuccessful candidate will use any means to say, in effect, what happened during the election was unfair and take the issue to the judges accordingly?,” he said.

Mr Bercow told MPs that the court had ruled the election result “void” and found Mr Woolas “personally guilty” of an “illegal practice” during the campaign.

He noted that Mr Woolas had renewed his application for a judicial review and this hearing would be “expedited” as the judge wanted constituents to “know who is their MP as soon as possible”.

“I attach a premium to a speedy resolution to these matters in the interests of Parliament, the interests of Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency electorate and in the interests of the country,” he said.

This effectively means a by-election will be delayed to avoid the possibility that, if Mr Woolas won his appeal, it could result in the embarrassing situation of the constituency having two MPs.

For the Lib Dems, Alistair Carmichael asked the Speaker for assurances that the constituency’s voters would “not be denied indefinitely, by untested legal proceedings, the representation to which they are entitled”.

Mr Woolas will have to fund any further appeals himself, after he was suspended by the Labour Party following Friday’s judgement.

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman has suggested he does not have a future in the party, saying “it is not part of Labour’s politics for somebody to be telling lies to get themselves elected”.

But former Labour Party general secretary Peter Watt said Mr Woolas had been treated “disgracefully”.

“In the last few days we have seen a complete lack of humanity in our approach to Phil Woolas,” Mr Watt – who resigned in 2007 over a political donations row – wrote in his blog.

“Phil may not have been everyone’s cup of tea politically,” he added.

“He was definitely found guilty of breaching electoral law by telling untruths about one of his opponents. But does that overwrite his history and contribution to the party of so many years?”

The case against Mr Woolas – who served as immigration minister for nearly two years after becoming an MP in 1997 – was brought under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act.

This makes it an offence to publish “any false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct” to prevent them being elected – unless they believed it was true and had “reasonable grounds” to do so.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

At least 19 dead in Assam attack

Indian Border Security Force soldiers in AssamAssam has been a hotbed of militancy for the security forces for many years
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At least 13 people have been killed in attacks by separatist rebels on markets and a bus in India’s north-eastern state of Assam.

Police told the BBC that a group of heavily armed guerrillas waylaid the bus and opened fire indiscriminately.

Eight people died on the spot, scores of others were injured.

In another attack on a market in Assam’s Dhekiajhuli region, guerrillas killed five people – four male shopkeepers and a woman.

Police say these attacks – and another on a non-Bodo village in Baksa district – were carried out by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

They say that one villager was reported killed while two others were injured.

The NDFB has been fighting for an independent Bodo homeland which they want carved out of Assam.

Its chairman Ranjan Daimary was arrested in Bangladesh this year and handed over to stand trial in Assam, where he now faces charges of masterminding serial bomb explosions in October 2008, in which 87 people were killed.

But Mr Daimary’s military wing chief B Sanjiabath is still active with nearly 100 guerrillas.

Analysts say this hardline faction of the NDFB is trying to derail the peace process that Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi wants to initiate with full support of the central government.

The Indian government has appointed an interlocutor – former intelligence bureau chief PC Haldar – to talk to the rebel groups in Assam.

The moderate faction of the NDFB is now in a ceasefire with the Indian security forces and wants to proceed with a peace process which the hard-liners want to derail, analysts say.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Israel plans 1,300 settler homes

Har Homa, 8 NovemberThe start of construction in Har Homa in the late 1990s caused a major conflict with the US

Israel has revealed plans to build nearly 1,300 housing units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem.

Building settlements is illegal under international law and recent efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled over the issue.

The announcement comes as Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is on an official visit to the US.

Palestinian officials have reportedly described the move as an Israeli attempt to sabotage the talks.

“We thought that Netanyahu was going to the United States to stop settlement activity and restart negotiations, but it is clear to us that he is determined to destroy the talks,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

The Interior Ministry said that final approval had been given for almost 1,000 new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa, near the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, and about 300 in an area called Ramot.

A ministry spokeswoman told the BBC that the plans were being published to invite public comment and that actual construction was likely to be years away.

East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied Palestinian territory by the international community, but Israel says it is part of its territory.

Israel has been urged by many foreign governments, including the United States, to resume a partial building freeze in settlements on the occupied West Bank and to maintain an unofficial status quo in East Jerusalem, in order to help faltering peace talks with the Palestinians.

The news that more than 1,000 new homes have been approved in East Jerusalem could cast a shadow over a visit to the US by Mr Netanyahu, says the BBC’s Wyre Davis in Jerusalem.

Israel angered the US administration earlier this year when a similar announcement was made during a trip to Jerusalem by US Vice-President Joe Biden.

Mr Biden and other US officials are holding meetings this week with the Israeli leader about ways to resume the peace talks – and peace campaigners say the latest announcement from the Israeli government is deliberately provocative, our correspondent says.

The Palestinians have refused to go back to the negotiations – which resumed in Washington in September after a break of almost 20 months – without a stop to building Jewish settlements on the territory they want as their future state.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, settling close to 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Two minutes of silence for sale

The Royal British Legion is releasing a single entitled 2 Minute Silence featuring celebrities who have donated their time to the Legion. Musicians Thom Yorke and Mark Ronson are among those who took part in the video which is totally silent. Oliver Druttman explains why they decided to do it.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Paramilitaries linked to suicides

Michael Robinson Michael Robinson took his own life six weeks ago

There have been calls for loyalist paramilitaries to end beatings and threats against young people in the Shankill area of Belfast.

A local pastor said the attacks are creating fear, leading some young people to take their own lives.

Six weeks ago 18-year-old Michael Robinson took his own life. Friends said the threats from paramilitaries became too much.

They say he got involved with the wrong crowd and owed money to loyalists.

Michael’s brother also died through suicide four years ago in similar circumstances.

Pastor Jack McKee, from the New Life City Church, said it is time for the paramilitaries to stop their actions.

“If whatever group was involved, or whatever the reason is, if people could draw back then that would lessen the number of lives that are being taken.

“My appeal to anyone who is dealing drugs or putting pressure on anyone is to back off.”

It is an experience that rings true to 16-year-old Corey Hunter. When he got into trouble paramilitaries threatened him and he thought about suicide.

“I was meant to get beat by them and I thought about it.

“You would do something wrong and then they would let you off and if you did it again they would hit you and if you did it again they would put a threat on you.

“My uncle told me they were going to beat me and other people told me they were going to shoot me. I was scared I would never walk again.”

Other teenagers attending a youth club on the Shankill said the fear makes growing up in the area much harder.

“Your childhood is supposed to be the best period of your life and that’s what you always hear from adults and you’re supposed to be able to have a laugh with your mates and be a bit boisterous.

“I don’t think anyone should be getting threatened by paramilitaries about getting their knees blown off anything like that is too far and would drive you to having suicidal thoughts.

Pastor Jack McKee doesn’t point the finger at any one group, but he wants to see an end to the grip loyalists have held on this community for generations.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Pupils face new progress measures

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Three new measures of pupils’ progress are to be introduced to hold head teachers and ministers to account.

New “readiness to progress” assessments will be introduced at ages five and 11 to ensure children have the required skills to move on to the next stage of schooling.

And a new “basics measure” is to be introduced for pupils at age 16.

Parents will also be given more details about schools, their teachers and the pupils attending them.

This will include general details of teachers’ qualifications and pay, the number of pupils on free school meals and with special educational needs, the amount spent per pupil, and how many achieve the new measures.

An outline of these steps has been set out in the new business plan just published by the Department for Education.

All government departments have published their plans.

Consultation has already begun on the new “readiness to progress” measures, with the results due to be published in April 2011.

It is not yet clear whether the assessments will be carried out by teachers or through formal tests.

The new assessment for five-year-olds is expected to be based on the Early Years Foundation Stage profile, which has been much criticised as requiring too much formal learning too soon.

It is currently being reviewed by Children’s Minister Sarah Teather.

The assessment for 11-year-olds will be designed to ensure they have the basic command of the “three Rs” they need to be able to progress to secondary school, a department spokesman said.

Children already take national curriculum tests, known commonly as Sats, at age 11.

It comes after Education Secretary Michael Gove announced last week an official review of these tests at the end of primary school, known as Key Stage 2.

About a quarter of primary schools in England boycotted the tests last year, saying they objected to the way the results were used in league tables, and led schools to “teach to the test” too much.

Mr Gove said: “We must continue to allow parents to know how their local primary schools are performing.

“Raising standards and narrowing gaps are the central goals of the government’s education policy.

“It is not our intention that the accountability system should be punitive or unfair to schools working in difficult circumstances but it must be able to identify and tackle cases of sustained underperformance.”

The business plan also pledges to give parents more information on schools generally to aid the school choice process.

It says: “We plan to develop tools to enable parents to make more effective use of data, for example in choosing a school for their child.

“Making more data available in an open and accessible format will enable the market to develop new products that will help the public to hold both their local services and the department to account.”

Information will be given on the qualifications teachers hold, what they earn, how many are full or part-time and on teacher absence in each school.

Sensitive information on teacher pay and qualification is likely to be set out in a range of bands rather than be pinpointed to individual teachers.

And more details will be given on the characteristics of pupils, such as free school meal entitlement (a measure of poverty), special educational needs and pupil age.

There will also be information on how many pupils in each school qualify for the pupil premium. This is a new way of channelling extra money to schools with children from poorer backgrounds.

But there are still few details of how much this will be in the next few years or where it will come from.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Labour leader Ed Miliband a father again

Labour leader Ed Miliband’s partner Justine has given birth to their second child, a son.

The boy, weighing 8lbs 3oz, was born at University College Hospital in London, and both mother and baby are said to be doing well

The parent were said to be “overjoyed… and can’t wait to introduce the new arrival to his big brother Daniel”.

Mr Miliband will take two weeks’ paternity leave.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Administration for builders Rok

Rok builder at workRok specialises in maintenance and employs more than 2,000 people across the country
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Rok, the Exeter-based building services company, has said it is to place itself into administration.

In August, the company – which employs more than 2,000 trades people – reported a £3.8m loss for the first half of the year.

Just one week before the results, the group said it had uncovered “serious failings” in financial and operational controls.

Rok works for councils, schools, housing associations and businesses.

It is among the leading providers of building services to affordable housing and insurance customers.

In a statement, the company said: “The board of Rok plc announces that it has resolved to put the company into administration and to make an application to the Financial Services Authority to suspend the listing and trading of the company’s ordinary shares.”

The announcement comes just 10 weeks after social housing firm Connaught entered administration – leading to some 1,400 redundancies.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Roma worker in £2.9m scam jailed

Lavinia OlmazuLavinia Olmazu admitted a fraud charge in July

A woman who helped more than 170 Romanians illegally claim £2.9m in benefits has been jailed for two years and three months.

Lavinia Olmazu, 31, a campaigner for the rights of Romany Gypsies, helped mastermind the scam involving 172 members of the Romanian community.

Olmazu, of north-east London, gained access to them through her work with Haringey and Waltham Forest councils.

She had admitted a fraud charge at Southwark Crown Court in July.

As well as working as an outreach worker with the councils, the university graduate was involved with the Big Issue.

She set up companies with her boyfriend to help facilitate the frauds they carried out as part of a gang.

Sentencing her, Judge Deborah Taylor told Olmazu her role in the fraud was “made easier” by her involvement with the local authorities and charities which granted her access to people within the Roma community.

“You have now lost your reputation by involving yourself in this fraud”

Judge Deborah Taylor

She added: “You identified individuals who wished to be involved in this scheme and in doing so, abused your position with a number of charities.

“You were a previously well-respected woman working in human rights. You have now lost your reputation by involving yourself in this fraud.”

Immigrants from Romania are not entitled to a National Insurance number, and therefore a number of benefits, unless they can prove to the authorities they have been employed.

The court heard Olmazu and her partner would offer false documents to the migrants purporting to be from their employers, and also provided them with fake references.

As well as providing fake documents, they filed false claims for child tax credits, working tax credits and child benefit.

Olmazu, who has an 11-year-old son, admitted one count of conspiracy to supply articles for use in fraud between November 2007 and August 2009.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.