Archive

  • Father's relief at dramatic acquittal

    AN INNOCENT father-of-three dramatically acquitted of the murder of Jeffrey Rostigina spoke of his relief when his name was cleared. Roofer Peter Crutcher exclusively revealed how he is battling to rebuild his shattered life after a feud with a neighbouring

  • Spy Another Day

    THE bookmakers may have stopped taking bets on the next James Bond, but 007 expert Dave Worrall is neither shaken nor stirred by the news. William Hill's were forced to close their book on Friday after a flurry of heavy wagers on Scottish Mission Impossible

  • Baby thought dead is born fighting fit

    A MUM who almost aborted her baby after being told by a hospital that it was dead is now caring for her two-week old daughter - and warning other pregnant women to be vigilant against similar mistakes. Had Rebecca Blachford, 26, gone along with the advice

  • Tooth's out but cost is a continuing pain

    AN ARMY wife who had to suffer months of pain because of the lack of an NHS dentist has finally had some of the treatment completed. But Kaylee Morris, whose husband is based at Bovington, will still have to go private for essential root canal work. The

  • Tooth's out but cost is a continuing pain

    AN ARMY wife who had to suffer months of pain because of the lack of an NHS dentist has finally had some of the treatment completed. But Kaylee Morris, whose husband is based at Bovington, will still have to go private for essential root canal work. The

  • Bus prices and theatre as the war raged on

    AN old copy of the Bournemouth Echo found among family papers prompted a writer to paint a picture of what life was like in wartime days when, despite the international conflict, local people still focused on problems such as bus price rises and fears

  • EAST DORSET PLANS (January 31)

    147 Lonnen Road, Colehill, Wimborne; 3/04/1838/FUL, two storey side extension; Mr & Mrs Way. 108 Ameysford Road, Ferndown; 3/05/0027/OUT, demolish existing buildings, erect bungalow (5 bedroomed) of 300 SQ Metres designed for severely handicapped

  • CATALOGUE OF ERRORS FOR INEPT DORCHESTER

    Southern Counties South DORCHESTER 6 TADLEY 8 OVER the seasons, Dorchester's supporters and coaching staff have had to endure the one match per season where, for no apparent reason, the side suffers a collective malaise when elementary mistakes proliferate

  • McAULEY MAKES ST MARY'S EXIT

    FORMER club captain Gary McAuley has left Bridport for fellow Screwfix Direct Premier Division side Barnstaple Town. The midfielder, who was in his second spell with the Bees, has been out of action for over two months with a badly bruised foot, and has

  • TRIBUTES TO JACKIE

    FORMER Dorchester and Scotland international striker Jackie Henderson has died following a short illness aged 73. The Glasgow-born Henderson - whose Football League career included spells with Portsmouth, Wolves, Arsenal and Fulham - joined the Magpies

  • CATLOGUE OF ERRORS BY INEPT DORCHESTER

    Southern Counties South DORCHESTER 6 TADLEY 8 OVER the seasons, Dorchester's supporters and coaching staff have had to endure the one match per season where, for no apparent reason, the side suffers a collective malaise when elementary mistakes proliferate

  • TRIBUTES TO EX-MAGPIE JACKIE

    FORMER Dorchester and Scotland international striker Jackie Henderson has died following a short illness aged 73. The Glasgow-born Henderson - whose Football League career included spells with Portsmouth, Wolves, Arsenal and Fulham - joined the Magpies

  • BEETLE JUICED

    VOLKSWAGEN has committed itself to building a second generation, retro influenced New Beetle - and it's going to look a lot like the Ragster Concept. Its makers claim that the soft-top Ragster study encapsulates a fresh design, sports car attitude and

  • WILDE TO SEE TOP SURGEON

    ADAM Wilde will undergo surgery in a desperate bid to correct his troublesome recurring groin injury. The Terras winger is to travel to London to consult with top sports surgeon Jerry Gilmore ahead of an operation next month. Boss Steve Johnson hopes

  • Law firm appoints partner

    LAW firm Ellis Jones has made company and commercial law expert Grant Esterhuizen a partner. It brings the number of partners at Ellis Jones to 10. Grant is a qualified UK solicitor and South African attorney who specialises in working with SMEs as well

  • First glimpse of £2.5m plan for town's centre

    THIS is the first glimpse of how Verwood's exciting new £2.5 million community centre will look. Two halls - one seating 300 people - a stage, meeting rooms and a media suite are included in the plans for the building at Bakers Farm. Space has also been

  • Guest Honor icing on a superb cake

    STING's done it, Kylie's done it. Everyone from Ralph Fiennes to Ewan McGregor has done it. The hottest gig in theatreland is unquestionably the coveted guest spot in the multi-award winning comedy The Play What I Wrote. Kept strictly under wraps until

  • Assault victim kept in hospital

    A 20-YEAR-OLD man was taken to hospital with serious head and face injuries after being attacked in Dorchester. Police say the victim was assaulted in a private car park opposite the town's Wimpey restaurant in South Walks. Inspector Les Fry, of Dorchester

  • One-way town all mapped out

    DETAILS have emerged of how a one-way system along Dorchester's High West Street could look. The proposal for the one-way street is just one of the options being considered by transport chiefs to improve traffic flows and the environment in the county

  • Provision of shelter is investigated by group

    ANY night shelter for rough sleepers in Weymouth would have to be a booze-free zone, campaigners have agreed. Members of the Rough Sleepers Action Group are looking to see if it is possible to set up a hostel to keep homeless people off the seafront.

  • Workshop visitors get taste of Chinese festival

    ORIENTAL creativity drew in the crowds for Weymouth and Portland's first Chinese workshop. Almost 300 people, aged between two and 90, signed up for a day of activities at Weymouth Pavilion to herald the start of the borough's Chinese Festival this week

  • Driver who killed teacher jailed for three years

    A FORMER pub manager who killed a special needs teacher after he lost control of his car during a high-speed race in Dorset has been jailed for three years. Andrew Crump, 23, was driving his Peugeot 306 along the A3030 in North Wootton, Dorset, when his

  • Rescue effort offers parents a ray of hope

    MORE than 300 parents of former Homefield pupils attended a meeting on Monday night to discuss a rescue package for the Christchurch school. Having met their bankers and former teaching staff earlier in the day, the board of the Bournemouth-based Park

  • Murder was savage end to a bitter feud

    A BITTER dispute between two families on a New Milton housing estate erupted into violence when a frenzied mob burst into granddad Jeffrey Rostigina's home and beat him to death. It was the savage climax to a long-standing feud between the Rostigina and

  • 'A WICKED CRIME'

    A BOURNEMOUTH man has began a life sentence for the brutal murder of South Korean student Jong-Ok Shin on Monday. It took a jury of eight men and four women, sitting at Winchester Crown Court, just under five hours to unanimously find Omar Benguit guilty

  • Taylor-made

    THE late Harry Taylor (he died in 1999, aged 88) was a well-known photographer for many years in Bournemouth, and his son Howard, who lives in Boscombe, has kindly loaned Snapshots these pictures taken at Portchester School, which he attended between

  • TESTING TIMES AHEAD

    THE arrival next month of the new "05" registration means that thousands of motorcycles first registered under the "02" plate will be coming up for their first MOT check. Frank Finch, motorcycle retailers director for the Retail Motor Industry Federation

  • Susie shines to take fourth

    THOUGH Louise Damen opted not to defend her title after running for England the previous week, Susie Hignett came close to continuing Bournemouth AC's sequence of medals in the South of England Cross-Country Championships, report Scott Neil and Nigel

  • WILDE CONSULTS TOP SURGEON

    ADAM Wilde will undergo surgery in a desperate bid to correct his troublesome recurring groin injury. The Terras winger is to travel to London to consult with top sports surgeon Jerry Gilmore ahead of an operation next month. Boss Steve Johnson hopes

  • McAULEY MAKES ST MARY'S EXIT

    FORMER club captain Gary McAuley has left Bridport for fellow Screwfix Direct Premier Division side Barnstaple Town. The midfielder, who was in his second spell with the Bees, has been out of action for over two months with a badly bruised foot, and has

  • They can expect a civil reception from us

    WHERE better than Dorset to relocate civil service jobs out of London? Twenty thousand government posts are to be moved and there are some prime sites in the county where they could go. The councils of Poole, Bournemouth, Purbeck and Weymouth & Portland

  • Arena on course for March start

    ARENA Business Centres' latest £5 million development at Poole is on schedule to open at the end of March. Construction of the Cabot Lane, Creekmoor centre began at the end of May 2004. It will deliver 74 fully serviced offices, studios and workshops.

  • EQUITY RELEASE 'MUST BE MADE MORE EASY'

    TENS of thousands of pensioners are expected to borrow against the value of their homes over the next three years to help make ends meet, a new report reveals on February 1. Around 100,000 pensioners released equity in their homes worth £3.96 billion

  • Farm crisis led to Ricky sport swap

    PIRATES new boy Ricky Ashworth has told how an outbreak of foot and mouth disease ended his promising grasstrack career and pointed him in the direction of becoming a speedway rider. The 22-year-old, who will line up for Poole RIAS this season in the

  • JOBLESS MAN DENIES BOOT HILL MURDER

    JOBLESS Stephen Raymond Metcalfe is said to have beaten a gay man to death before setting fire to his Weymouth flat, a jury heard. Metcalfe became angry when Dalton Graham Hussey made homosexual advances after inviting him back to his flat in Rodwell

  • Portland's first community officer on beat

    PORTLAND's first police community support worker has taken up her beat. From her base at Portland Police Office in Victoria Square PSCO Lynne Ward, previously the Littlemoor officer, will be dealing with anti-social behaviour and low-level crime. She

  • There's something in the air

    AIR quality improvements in Dorset are encouraging rare species of lichen and moss to grow. Details of the change emerged during a survey in the Gillingham area of North Dorset by the Three Rivers Partnership. Its work found a total of 108 lichen species

  • Policing changes 'will not affect grass roots'

    CHANGES in the structure of policing in the New Forest will not change the service at grass roots level. That is the assurance being given by the Forest's top officer, Superintendent Barry Talbot, as he prepares for his basic command unit (BCU) to become

  • OAP's fury at talk rejection

    A NORTH Dorset pensioner, who is fighting to have the council tax scrapped, is fuming after his request to address county councillors on the issue was refused. The rejection comes just a week after Brian Jaye and fellow members of the Is It Fair Campaign

  • Driver to pay for 'moment of madness'

    A FORMER assistant pub manager who killed a special needs teacher while racing at high speed on a north Dorset road has been jailed for three years. Andrew Crump, 23, was chasing a Jaguar XJR which had overtaken his Peugeot 306 turbo diesel, forcing him

  • New alcohol ban set for trouble spot

    PLANS to expand Christchurch town centre's alcohol ban to encompass an antisocial behaviour hot spot in the borough have moved a step closer. Residents in Purewell fear incidents of alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour in the Buttery Car Park and Memorial

  • Killer, 18, may face lengthy jail sentence

    TEENAGE killer was warned on Monday that he faces a considerable prison sentence after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Bournemouth man Darren Britton. Andrew Peter Hiscock, 18, of Amethyst Road, in Somerford, Christchurch, hit Mr Britton several

  • FEENEY: MOVE IMPROVED ME

    FORMER Cherries star Warren Feeney says he is "flattered" by speculation linking him with a move to League One table-toppers Luton Town. And despite leaving Dean Court in the summer to join relegation-haunted Stockport County, the Ulsterman firmly believes

  • My teen angst

    MY boss says I'm turning into a Grumpy Old Man - and I'm not going to argue. Yes, I've been known to bang on about speeding drivers, but as the (very effective) TV ad showing the little girl lying at the side of the road explains: "It's 30 for a reason