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'Canary girls' tree tribute in Hereford
Updates on Friday 3 February 2017
A homeless man beat a woman so badly the bones of her face became detached from her skull and she was left lying in a pool of her own blood, external.
The trust running hospitals in Worcestershire has started to take steps to improve its performance by appointing permanent managers, the MP for Worcester says.
A health watchdog has given the trust a deadline of the 10 March to make significant improvements or face sanctions.
Image source, GoogleA new chief executive won't be in place until after the 10 March deadline, but the MP for Worcester, Robin Walker, says improvements should be expected before then.
Quote MessageWe do need to see rapid progress - the pressure is on the trust to do this, but I think one of the answers to this is something they are doing, which is to make permanent appointments - we do need to have management in place."
Robin Walker, MP for Worcester
Mark Frost, who has admitted 45 sex offences against children carried out his abuse across the world as he fled justice, the Old Bailey has heard.
Former teacher Frost, 70, was convicted of two child sex offences in Worcestershire in the 1990s before travelling to Europe and the Far East.
The court heard that he as the focus of a complex international investigation involving the National Crime Agency (NCA) and authorities in Canada, Thailand, the Netherlands and Spain.
The NCA has appealed for any more victims to come forward who may have gone to schools in east London, Worcestershire and Hertfordshire where Frost taught.
The organisation also believes he could have come into contact with victims during his more than 20 years with the Scouts.
The NSPCC says Mark Frost, a paedophile who has admitted 45 sex offences against children in Britain and abroad, has "a long and vile history of sexually abusing children".
The 70-year-old retired teacher has two previous convictions for child sex offences committed in Worcestershire.
In addition, two former pupils in Worcestershire have come forward claiming they too were sexually assaulted in the 1990s.
The Old Bailey heard Frost had sex with one of the boys in a school store room and during playtime breaks.
Quote MessageMark Frost is a very dangerous paedophile with a long and vile history of sexually abusing children in Thailand and distributing images of child abuse. Frost worked as a teacher in the UK until 1996 and today’s guilty plea may encourage further victims to speak out."
John Cameron, Head of NSPCC helplines
Retired English teacher Mark Frost, 70, has two previous convictions for child sex offences in Worcestershire:
- In 1992, he admitted possessing indecent photographs of a child and was fined £200 by Evesham magistrates
- The following year, he was jailed for a year at Worcester Crown Court for allowing his premises to be used for drugs and sex with an under-age girl
It was not until three years later that Frost was banned from teaching by the Department for Education.
A 70-year-old paedophile, who was convicted of sex offences in Worcestershire in the 1990s, has admitted 45 sex crimes against children in Britain and abroad.
Mark Frost, who also used the name Andrew Tracey, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to a catalogue of abuse against nine children in Thailand between 2009 and 2012.
Since the allegations emerged in Asia, two former pupils of a school in Worcestershire have come forward claiming they too were sexually assaulted in the 1990s.
Image source, National Crime AgencyThe new cloth cover for the altar at Hereford Cathedral features one of Herefordshire's most important products - the apple.
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Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter
It will become drier and brighter by the afternoon, with sunny spells and the odd shower. Highs of 11C (52F).
Weather for the West Midlands.
It may be damp and drizzly outside but the BBC's army of Weather Watchers have been out taking some great photos.
These photos come from Terry Gorsley, J at Severn Stoke, Mags and John qa.
Weather pictures on a wet Wednesday
Here are some of the stories we are looking at this afternoon:
- Inquest hears evidence about the death of a Worcester student in a terrorist attack in Tunisia
- Hospital trust given March deadline to make "significant improvements"
- Two-year-old boy faces "a long road" after losing an eye to a rare cancer
Protesters made their voices heard, external when they shared concerns about the first Defence and Security Expo being held in Hereford.
A two-year-old boy has "a long road to go" after losing one of his eyes to a rare from of cancer.
Ethan Turner, from Bromsgrove, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in September and has now been fitted with a prosthetic eye.
His mother, Michelle, says it's been a traumatic few months for her family.
Boy loses his eye to a rare form of cancer
The trust running hospitals in Worcestershire has been given a March deadline by a health watchdog to make significant improvements in its performance.
The trust has been in special measures since 2015 and has apologised for "any failings in the past".
Here's what you have been saying about the deadline:
Image source, GoogleQuote MessageWe'll now see vast amounts of money spent on a review of services carried out by expensive consultancy firms that will report that the closure of other hospitals and services are the cause of the over use and under-resourced services. That money could have been put into the services and not into the pockets of the management of these companies."
Kevin Pugh
Quote MessageWorcester's hospital was wonderful when my husband was very ill and I have no complaints only grateful thanks for his care at all times. Doctors and nurses at Worcester are excellent."
Hazel Rogers
Quote MessageWho needs reports? It's doctors and nurses needed."
Susan Weaver
Paralympic heroine Claire Cashmore MBE officially opened a new Kidderminster youth hub, external at an event celebrating the diverse communities in the district.
A two-year-old boy from Bromsgrove has lost one of his eyes to a rare form of cancer.
Ethan Turner was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in September, a condition which affects only 40 to 50 people in the UK every year.
Image source, Turner familyNine days after being diagnosed his eye was removed, he was fitted with a prosthetic eye and had to undergo chemotherapy
Quote MessageIt will mean a lifetime of having new prosthetics made to fit properly, and hopefully the movement will be better as the fit gets better. he will have to learn to take it out and clean it, so we've got a long road to go."
Michelle Turner, Mother
Worcester's busy Carrington Bridge is expected to be dualled by 2021, external – with a timescale for the exciting £70m revamp revealed for the first time.
The trust running hospitals in Worcestershire has been issued with a warning notice telling it to make significant improvements by the health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The trust runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre and Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.
Here are some of the stories we are looking at this morning:
- MP says hospital trust needs permanent managers if it is to improve its performance
- Inquest hears about the death of a Worcester student in a terror attack
- Two-year-old boy loses his eye to a rare form of cancer
A health watchdog has given the trust running hospitals in Worcestershire less than six weeks to make significant improvements in its performance.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the Care Quality Commission (CQC) expected improvement by 10 March.
Among possible options open to the CQC is to recommend appointing a trust special administrator to take over running the trust's three hospitals.
The trust, which has been in special measures since 2015, said it apologised for "any failings in the past".
The trust runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre and Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.
BBC Midlands Today
The events leading up to the deaths of Adrian Evans and his father Patrick, as well as his nephew Joel Richards are due to be examined.
The three were killed when gunman Seifeddine Rezgui killed 38 tourists at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel in Sousse, Tunisia, on 26 June 2015.
Adrian Evans was from Tipton whilst Patrick and Joel were from Wednesbury. Joel was also a student at the University of Worcester.
Image source, BBC/Family picture
