BRAVERY AWARD FOR MODEST ANNICK
A Wigan youngster has scooped a prestigious national award which acknowledges her bravery in dealing with blindness.
Annick Morris, from Standish attended the "Child of Achievement Awards" at the Hilton Hotel in central London after impressing organisers with her determination to overcome obstacles presented by her disability.
The awards are aimed at recognising the efforts of young people under the age of 16 who make special efforts to overcome personal disability or illness while also managing to help others.
Fourteen year-old Annick, who has been blind since birth, attends Deanery High School where she tackles schoolwork with the help of a braille computer. Her commitment and determination has meant she has easily been integrated into a mainstream school. She has been nominated for the award by her teachers who have been impressed by her hard work.
Annick said, "My parents thought that my social life might suffer if I went to a blind school out of the area, so they decided to send me to the Deanery and I'm glad that they did.
"It was a little bit tricky at first, but I've been here for three years now and I've got used to finding my way around. My friends are a big help.
"My own opinion is that there are probably other children who might deserve an award more than me, but I'm pleased about it anyway."
Annick's hobbies include amateur radio and she is currently preparing to take the Radio Amateur's Examination. She has also passed morse exams and is in constant touch with an elderley man from Staffordshire who she is helping to learn morse. Also attending the ceremony were celebrities including Falklands war hero Simon Weston, Gaby Roslin and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy MP.
FAMILY FURY AS ACCUSED IS CLEARED
There wre angry scenes in court last week when a Wigan man accused of murder was cleared.
Relatives and friends of stabbing victim Francis Gallear
(pictured with son Jacob and girlfriend Deborah) stormed out of the public gallery and there were shouts and screams aimed at the defendant Paul Murphy as he stood in the dock.
A Manchester Crown Court jury had taken nearly eight hours to find
22 year-old Mr Murphy not guilty of murdering Mr Gallear during a brawl at a Wigan diner. He was also cleared of wounding two other people in the same incident at the Last Supper club on Rodney Street last March.
During the trial the Crown alleged
the stabbings were triggered off by a feud between rival groups which had led to previous violence.
Prosecuting Mr Alan Conrad QC said ill feeling had developed between Mr Murphy and his friends and Mr Gallear and his friends. In one incident
Mr Murphy's brother ended up with a broken jaw. Mr Conrad alleged Mr Murphy then started carrying a knife and on the night of the killing there was a confrontation inside the club which suddenly exploded into violence.
Two people, James Cummings
and his sister, Claire were injured and 26 year-old Mr Gallear was stabbed.
Mr Murphy ran from the club and later went on the run before he was arrested by police two months later at a caravan site in North Wales.
Mr Murphy of Severn Drive, Norley Hall
claimed he was fighting for his life when he was attacked by a mob in the club.
He denied being armed with a knife but said he picked up an object from the floor and lashed out to 'defend himself' during the mayhem. He said, "I don't know if
I stabbed Francis Gallear. There's a possibility I did, but if I did it was not deliberate."
INQUEST FAILS TO CLEAR UP MYSTERY OF MAN IN CANAL
A Wigan man who went missing after being dropped off at a pub by his son was found drowned in the canal.
An inquest at Wigan heard how Ronald Green aged 66, of Sinclair Place, Worsley Mesnes, was discovered in the Leeds-Liverpool canal near the JJB stadium in July last year by a passer-by.
He had been missing for a number of days during which time his family contacted police who then made an appeal through the local media.
The day before Mr Green's body was discovered, a member of the public helped Mr Green to his feet after finding him struggling on the banks of the canal. The man was walking by when he heard a voice saying "Help me". The pair parted company shortly afterwards when Mr Green refused offers of further help.
The following day, a half empty spirit bottle was found in the area where Mr Green was found. Mr Green suffered from Parkinson's disease for much of his life and was unsteady on his feet, rarely walking any great distances.
Before his death, the ex-miner, who had suffered from depression for a number of years, had resumed contact with his ex-wife and the pair had discussed the possibility of getting back together.
Mr Green's son Dennis said, "He was a real comedian, everybody who knew him loved him. He had suffered with depression, but he had not expressed any intention to do himself any harm. When he went missing we presumed he had gone to stay with friends as he often did."
Recording an open verdict, coroner Simon Nelson said, "It was a sad end to the life of a well-liked gentleman."
QUESTION MARK HANGS OVER POPULAR CLUB
A question mark today hangs over the future of a popular Wigan club.
Owners of the Gidlow Social club, Western Castle Ltd, have confirmed they have formally applied to Wigan Metro to flatten the premises and replace them with shop units.
Managing director of Chorley based Western Castle, Robert Wardman, was today unavailable for comment.
But the manager of the club, who did not want to be named, said, "I didn't know about the planning application but I do know that the owners have put it up for sale."
Beech Hill councillor Andy Collins has already asked for full details of the scheme but is reserving judgement on it for the time being. He said, "It is sad that one of only two of the leisure venues for the estate could apparently be facing closure and there may now be issues regarding the shop units which could replace it."
It is known that Gidlow Social club, at the top of Gidlow Lane, has been struggling to attract new members and combat the general change in drinking habits that has seen many of Wigan's former Labour clubs close or change hands.
When it first re-opened after the failure of Beech Hill Labour club, it's successful cabaret evenings drew good crowds. But lately they have increasingly struggled to maintain support.
Wigan Metro's planning department said the scheme will be considered later this spring.
"PERVERT SHOULD BE BEHIND BARS!"
The father of one of a serial flasher's child victims has told of his fury that the pervert had not been jailed.
Pizza delivery man Christopher Murphy appeared before Wigan magistrates last week, pleading guilty to three counts
of inciting girls under 14 to perform acts of gross indecency.
On different occasions he had enticed children aged nine, 10 and 13 into his flat, asking them to run errands on the promise of take-away food. But he would then expose himself and asked them to perform lewd acts- which
they refused to do.
Murphy was given two year's probation, ordered to pay £85 in costs and put on the Sex Offender's Register for five years.
The 42 year-old, who lived until recently in Ormskirk Road, Newtown, has been told to reside at a Manchester hostel for six months or
until the probation service says otherwise.
He will also undergo some form of therapy or counselling.
But he is still free to come back to Wigan during the daytime and the families of his victims fear that he could strike again.
A Worsley Hall father, whose nine year-old
daughter was one of Murphy's victims said, "He was luring little girls into his flat with promises of takeaway food and then performing disgusting acts in front of them. My daughter, who is now 11, is frightened to go out of the house because of what happened to her.
"It is not
like this was a one-off. This guy pleaded guilty to three of these revolting acts and he went to some trouble to get his victims where he wanted them. It wasn't a single spontaneous urge, this was a series of premeditated acts which makes things even more serious. Murphy should be
behind bars because of what he did. We have got jails full of fare dodgers and lads who have nicked a bit of lead off roofs and yet a pervert like this is allowed to walk free. There is nothing to stop him coming back here and doing it all over again to someone else's kids- he could
just move to another part of Wigan in the end and start all over again. It's sickening that he was treated so leniently."
Jim Haydock, clerk to the justices at Wigan Magistrate's Court said, "I can understand the father's sentiments in this case, but I would like to try and explain
the reasons why such a sentence was passed.
"The defendant had no previous convictions, the indecent assaults were at the lower end of the scale and the sentence imposes a number of restrictions. This includes the requirement for him to stay at a hostel in Manchester and for him
to be placed on the Sex Offender's Register for five years so the police know where he is living."
Mr Haydock added that the treatment Murphy would receive would include bringing him to understand how his victims felt and the consequences of his actions.
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