A Judge today agreed that the trial of a man accused of threatening to blow up a St Helens laboratory should be delayed until January.
Jean Claude Rubagire appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Monday, October 12) where he was due to stand trial over a security alert at Alfred H Knight on Prescot Road on March 5 this year.
The trial, which had been listed to begin today and expected to last more than two weeks, was dramatically adjourned until January next year pending a psychiatric report requested by the prosecution.
Witnesses had been braced to give evidence this week, but face a further delay of several months.
Dressed in prison regulation blue shirt and grey sweater, Rubagire, who is from Africa and is currently in Walton Prison, clutched a stack of papers as he listened intently to the proceedings.
The 35-year-old, who has been in custody since March, is charged with threatening to kill by detonating a bomb. He also denies a further charge of causing a bomb hoax.
Judge Bryn Holloway extended his custody time, which had due to expire tomorrow this month until February 1.
For the full background to the story updated live on the day these events unfolded see our post here
Jean Claude Rubagire is set to face court after denying a series of charges in connection with a major security alert at Alfred H Knight on Prescot Road on March 5 this year.
The high-profile incident saw a tense six hour stand off, involving armed police, the bomb squad and more than ten fire engines.
It is alleged Rubagire walked into the factory equipped with a utility belt made to look like an explosive device.
The 35-year-old, who has been in custody since he was arrested in March, has denied the accusations levelled against him.
At an earlier hearing, the accused, who is from Africa, entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of threatening to kill by detonating a bomb that would cause carnage and risk the lives of two men and a woman at the firm’s metal sampling laboratories in Grange Park.
He also denies a further charge of causing a bomb hoax.
A two-week trial is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Lab Bomb Plot Trial Postponed until New Year
Hero who Gob Smacked Yob Tracked Down to St Helens
A Dad seen flattening a yob in a clip sweeping the internet was yesterday unmasked as an ex-soldier - with TWO black belts.
The Sun newspaper tracked down Gulf War veteran Jason Smith, 35, who said: "He deserved it."
Burly Jason - a 15st master in karate and jiu-jitsu - was filmed felling the foul-mouthed idiot outside his home as a crowd gathered.
The clip has been viewed 200,000 times on The Sun's website.
Jason, who has been a bodyguard to stars, had no idea why local "hard nut" Les Andrews stood on his step ranting and raving in St Helens, Merseyside.
He decked him with a single blow.
Wife Rebecca, 23, who had cowered with 22-month daughter Boudiccia, said: "I was proud."
Andrews, 23, was arrested and hit with a curfew for yobbery.
Jason said of becoming a web sensation: "People sick of yob culture enjoy seeing someone turn the tables."
Read more:
Vicious Assault Outside St Helens Bar Leaves Man Fighting for Life
A vicious assault outside the popular Sophie's Bar on Duke St St Helens in the early hours of Saturday morning 10th October has left a man in hospital fighting for his life with serious head injuries.
Cordoned-Off Queueing Proposal for St Helens Bars
A senior councillor is urging licensing chiefs to consider imposing Post Office-style queuing systems in town centres bars.
The proposal – already being trialled in Oldham – is part of a series of measures aimed at reducing binge drinking.
Revellers at town centre bars with drinks promotions would be made to queue at the bar at cordoned barriers.
A series of other measures including banning individual punters from buying more than two drinks per visit to the bar and forcing bars to employ extra door staff could also be introduced.
Councillor Carole Kavanagh, St Helens Council's executive member for environmental protection, was told about the scheme by her counterpart at the Lancashire town's council, Coun Mark Alcock.
All 22 town centre bars in Oldham have been told they must abide by strict new measures including paying for two additional police officers to patrol nearby. Bars who refused to comply have been told they will have their licence reviewed.
Coun Kavanagh said: "I think anything that works, anything that would try to curb drinks promotions would be a good thing.
"It will be interesting to see how it plays out. The licensing officers and the chair of licensing are aware of it but because it is such a new thing no one is sure whether is could face a legal challenge.
"It's not my place as a member of licensing to consider it, it would be the lead officer. I can only see if we are looking at it.
"I would certainly look to see how they (Oldham Council) get on with it. I would hope they look at it and see if it is working.
"Binge drinking is a problem and the drink promotions play a part in that problem, but I think the biggest problem is the cheap alcohol on sale in supermarkets, and that is something only the government can tackle, not the council."
She has passed details of the Oldham model to Coun Nancy Ashcroft, chair of the council's licensing committee, as well as licensing officials.
A council spokeswoman said: "The Licensing Authority may only include conditions on an individual premises licence following the making of relevant representations by a responsible authority such as the police or by an interested party.
"It cannot impose blanket conditions. Any conditions imposed must be necessary and proportionate for promoting the four statutory licensing objectives.
"At the present time, no responsible authority has requested that this condition be considered in any application.
"Consequently, it is not currently under consideration."
Website Names and Shames Eight St Helens Food Businesses for Scoring Zero Stars
This post is based on an article in The St Helens Star from 18/09/10. All information provided was correct at the time. Since then many businesses have been re-assessed, especially those that scored poorly on the last round of visits.
A reader has pointed out that the Tai Shan buffet has now been rated as 2 Stars and this is listed on the Scores on the Doors website, along with what each of the ratings constitute
* * * * * (5 star) Excellent
* * * * (4 star) Very good
* * * (3 star) Good
* * (2 star) Fair
* (1 star) Poor
(0 stars) Major improvement needed
Tai Shan is now rated as FAIR as opposed to MAJOR IMPROVEMENT NEEDED.
Approx 650 busineeses in The Metropolitan Borough of St Helens are listed under this scheme. Currently (August 2010) 9 are rated as zero stars and 41 have gained one star. So that means that the management systems, staff training and general cleanliness levels in businesses rated as 2 star are better than those 50 who gained zero or one star.
Here is the article "lifted" from The St Helens Star
Eight businesses have been named and shamed on a website listing council environmental health ratings for takeaways, kitchens and restaurants that serve food to the St Helens public.
The Scores on the Doors website reveals that watchdogs from St Helens Council, checking hygiene standards, gave zero stars to eight out of 642 businesses following inspections.
Those named on www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk
With the worst ratings are Café Carlos and Speedy Gonzales on Westfield Street, Continental Pizza and Crumpets, both on Market Street in Newton-le-Willows.
Also given zero marks are La Vita on George Street, St Helens, Saffron on Tamworth Street, Tai Shan Buffet (please see additional information above) and a business on Church Street that is disputing whether it served food at the time of the inspection.
Inspectors criticised those with no stars for their poor hygiene and stated that they had no confidence in the management to implement a satisfactory food safety system.
All food premises across the town are assessed to see if they are operating within the law and are given a score, which determines the next date of inspection. These vary between six months and up to three years.
Scores given are listed on the website and include public organisations with kitchens such as schools and hospitals. Rankings range from zero to five stars and there are many St Helens businesses and organisations that have achieved top notch marks.
Although there is no legal requirement to publish the scores, councils across the country participating in the scheme believe that there is strong public demand for this information to be made available.
A statement issued by St Helens Council said: “No stars determine that major improvements are needed and no certificates will be awarded.
“The business will be fully supported and guided by the environmental health officers in order to improve their standards.”
Multi-Millionaire Sean Woodward St Helens MP Blasts Expenses System
Multi-millionaire St Helens MP and Tory turncoat Shaun Woodward has launched a scathing attack on MPs' expenses system, though he is in the fortunate position of being a man of independent means, or rather, he married an heiress!
The Labour MP, whose own expenses were published by the Daily Telegraph, branded the system 'rotten' and an 'unmitigated disaster'.
Mr Woodward's comments are some of the damning from a senior politician since the fuore errupted last week.
He said: "I think the public look at us right now and think we've all got our noses in the trough. Our profession looks shameful - it's embarrassing - and right now if I try and make almost any defence of our collective position or my position it looks terrible.
"We have to look at how taxpayers money is spent generally, so that means I think you should have the right to look at every single one of my receipts. I just want to say I'm sorry, because I think our profession is not made up of crooks, I think it is people who genuinely want to make life better for people."
The MP for St Helens South claimed £98,079 between January 2004 and June 2008 to help pay the mortgage interest on a London flat he stays in when Parliament is sitting and £3,814 towards his council tax. There is no suggestion of any Mr Woodward's claims broke Parliamentary rules.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, one of Mr Woodward's assistants claimed 38p for a Muller Crunch Corner yoghurt and £1.06 for a pizza from Asda in St Helens in November 2004.
Receipts from an office supplier also reportedly revealed that Mr Woodward has regular orders for Family Circle biscuits, Gold Blend coffee, Tetley tea bags and Diet Coke.
However, although Mr Woodward, 50, whose wife Camilla is a member of the Sainsbury's grocery family, is entitled to a ministerial salary of £141,866, he only draws his MP's salary of £63,291.
He added: "We have an expenses system which is an unmitigated disaster. It has allowed people to do things which, when you hold back and look at it, look terrible. I don't think these people are crooks, I don't think they're bad people, these are good people trying by and large to do a good job, but the system we've got is rotten and has got to go."
An external review into the expenses system is due to be conducted before MPs' expense claims from 2008-2009 are made public this summer
Original Article Courtesy St Helens Reporter
"Urban Legend" Purple Aki Jailed Again
Here is the latest chapter in the Purple Aki story as reported by the BBC.
To find out what all the fuss is about read the Wikipedia article.
For recent newspaper report see our other posts here
A man has been jailed for 18 months for breaking a ban on approaching young men and touching their muscles.
Akinwale Arobieke, 47, formerly of Toxteth, Liverpool, and known as "Purple Aki", was given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order last year.
But two months later he approached a 17-year-old boy and tried to touch his biceps, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
The order was imposed on Arobieke after he was jailed for six years in 2003 for 16 counts of harassment.
His reputation has spread across north-west England where he is known by the nickname "Purple Aki" and is considered by many to be an urban myth, the jury was told.
His latest victim, now aged 18, said he was left feeling "frightened and sick" after Arobieke followed him in Birkenhead in June last year.
He asked the boy how many bench presses he could do.
The boy told the court: "He pointed to my arms and asked if he could see.
"He then lifted his hand towards my biceps and I realised who it was. I backed away and told him I had to go.
"I felt sick and walked away as fast as I could. I went to a friend's house and looked back but he had gone."
Bodybuilder Arobieke had pleaded not guilty.
It was his second breach of the order and his 72nd offence since 1980, the judge was told.
