Researchers found 98% of Down’s syndrome cases could be detected by A new non-invasive blood test

A new non-invasive blood test which can reliably detect whether or not an unborn baby has Down’s syndrome during the first trimester of pregnancy is to go on trial at two hospitals next month.

The test, which analyses a baby’s DNA present in its mother’s blood, could be an improvement on current screening methods, according to researchers.
Down’s syndrome, and other chromosomal disorders characterised by an additional chromosome, is currently tested for between the 11th and 13th weeks of a pregnancy, using an ultrasound screen and a hormonal analysis of the pregnant woman’s blood.
Those deemed at high risk of carrying a baby with such a disorder are then given a definitive test involving chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.
But this is invasive and carries a risk of miscarriage.
A study carried out at the Harris Birthright Centre at King’s College London is the first to look at the feasibility of screening for the chromosomal disorders – known as trisomies – using foetal cell free DNA (cfDNA) from a pregnant woman’s blood.
The tests, carried out at the 10-week stage on 1,005 pregnancies, were found to be more sensitive at detecting Down’s syndrome and returned fewer ‘false positive’ results than the initial combined tests usually carried out between the 11th and 13th weeks.
Researchers found that up to 98 per cent of cases of Down’s syndrome could be detected.
Invasive testing was then needed for confirmation in less than 0.5 per cent of cases.
The test costs £400 so will not be offered across the NHS at this stage, but it will initially be offered free of charge on a trial basis at two hospitals – Kings College Hospital in London and Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent.
The authors of the study, published in the Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, said: ‘This study has shown that the main advantage of cfDNA testing, compared with the combined test, is the substantial reduction in false positive rate.
‘Another major advantage of cfDNA testing is the reporting of results as very high or very low risk, which makes it easier for parents to decide in favour of or against invasive testing.’
The authors added: ‘Screening by cfDNA testing contingent on the results of an expanded combined test would retain the advantages of the current method of screening, but with a simultaneous major increase in detection rate and decrease in the rate of invasive testing.’

Oba, seven others remanded in prison

An Oba of Egbin in Ikorodu, Oba Adeoriyomi Obateru, 48 and seven others were yesterday arrainged before a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ikeja, over an alleged murder of one inspector Ikpi Ikipi. The presiding Magistrate, Demi-Ajayi, ordered that the defendants be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum prisons.
The others suspects are Oderinde Olawole 51, Saliu Bilinu 43, Hassan Otija 25, Yaya Olaiya 26, Kamolu Odunbanjo 30, Yusuf Sulaimon Alabi (alias Suddan) 33 and Adesina Ojo 32.
The defendants who were docked before Chief Magistrate O.A Demi-Ajayi, are facing eleven-count charge of conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, robbery, terrorism and unlawful confraternity,   preferred against them by the police.
The defendants and others at large, were said to have committed the alleged crime between 21 and 22 of May 2013, at Imowonla Village in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty to the eleven count charge preferred against them by the police but their plea was not taken.
The prosecutor, Acting Superintendent of Police  Chukwu Agwu, told the court that  Oba Obateru alongside  others committed the alleged crime on May 22, 2013, at about 2.25am at Imowonla Villiage in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
He said that the Oba unlawfully killed one Inspector Ikpi Ikpi, aged 45,who was attached to Mopol 22 Police Squadron in Ikeja, by shooting him with a gun.
Agwu, said that Obateru and the other defendants, attempted to murder one Corporal Iwaloye Olasunbo, with number F/NO 595875 and Corporal Daniel Amodu with NO 44541 attached to Mopol 22 Police Squardron Ikeja by inflicting cuts on their heads and all over their body with matchets, which caused them grievious harm.
Counsel to the Oba and second and third defendants, O. Fabunmi,told the court that the name of the first defendant is different from what is on the charge sheet, giving the supposedly right name as Akeem Adeoriyomi Oyebo, the Obateru of Egbin in Ikorodu via Ijede.
He said that it is the wrong person that has been brought to court, adding that the charge preferred against the first defendant is a wrong charge because of the name.
Fabunmi, urged the court to grant the first defendant bail in a very liberal term but the Magistrate refused his bail application on the grounds that the case before her is unlawful killings and as such she won’t grant him bail.
However Magistrate Demi-Ajayi, ordered that the defendants be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum prisons pending the DPP’s advice and adjourned to July, 29, 2013.

‘Our lives no longer the same after Dana crash’

The once busy Popoola street, Iju- Ishaga in Agege local government area of Lagos State now looks like a ghost town with passersby consciously avoiding a look at the Dana crash site for fear of having flashbacks. Some who buried their emotions came to have a look at the cenotaph unveiled on Monday.
Walking into the street, you wouldn’t need a soothsayer to tell you something terrible happened there.

The gory story of Sunday 3rd June, 2012 which many Nigerians termed , “Black Sunday” resurfaced on Monday when the state, led by the governor, marked a year’s remembrance of the tragedy with a cenotaph unveiled by Governor Babatunde Fashola.
As if on cue, residents of the area decried the  exodus of their neighbors since the disaster, describing the place as a ghost town that is not conducive for living. While some have left, others are still busy with their normal daily activities, trying to make ends meet.
For Abiola Garuba, songs of praise can never cease as she escaped death by a whisker.
The young girl said that since the crash, the government and management of Dana have been making promises to them and none had been fulfilled. Abiola, who should be in her mid-20s, has this to say: “ The government is not doing anything to ensure that they fulfill their promises of compensating the victims who were affected. They have forgotten that it is not only people who are on air that were affected, there are also ground victims.
Part of our house was affected. My grandmother’s new shop which was located beside the crash site was destroyed and the government seems to be doing nothing about that. They have not even compensated the landlord on whose house the plane crashed. They should come and do something. As you can see, we are tired of speaking to journalists all the time with the government making little or no effort to help us,” she said.
According to Abiola, the road construction that seems to be going on in the area was as a result of the cenotaph unveiled by the state government on Monday marking the one year anniversary of the crash. “The government is just busy repairing the roads with the hope that dignitaries like the president would come. They are grading the roads and constructing gutters so that people who would come for the unveiling of the cenotaph don’t find it difficult going back. This is not how the road was when the incident happened.
In fact, they have destroyed most shops on this street just because they want to construct gutters. My grandmother’s new shop that is about a month old has been destroyed. The road that they claim they are constructing didn’t get to the extreme. They just constructed the places people can easily see and praise them.
We are begging the government to do something,” she quipped, adding that she is so grateful to God for sparing the life of her grandmother whose one-year transition they would have been marking if not that she left to get something from the market five minutes before the incident happened last year.
The old woman, who should be in her mid 70s according to Abiola, fainted when she heard of the crash that happened almost where she left some five minutes before, and she spent over 2 weeks in the hospital before recovering.
When the aged woman was contacted for her reaction, she said in Yoruba language that she had no strength to say anything.
If John Dapo had any premonition that people who swooped on his partly affected apartment that fateful day had plans to loot some valuables like TV sets, CDs, Home theater, among others,  he surely wouldn’t have allowed them. But on that day, he gave them the freedom to help.  John has been living from hand to mouth since June 3rd 2012 when he lost some parts of his apartment and properties to the crash.
Not only that, he now struggles to put food on the table with his menial vulcanizing job. “Maybe you journalists would help us tell the government to come to our rescue. It seems they have abandoned the ground victims. Things are no longer the same since the incident.
Our affected house was taken care of by the tenants with the help of the landlord. We cannot sleep outside so we have to source for asbestos to roof the house for us to sleep,” John decried.
According to him, many people have moved out of the area which they describe as a ghost town with more than 100 people buried in the same place at the same time.
“ This place is abnormally very quiet unlike before. If you had come to this place before the crash, you would enjoy staying here. It bubbled very much. The affected house was one of the most beautiful houses in this area and now, the concerned do not want to compensate the landlord. It is so bad,” he lamented.

Van Vicker, BBA star Confidence Haugen turn radio presenters

Van Vicker

One of Ghollywood’s most popular actors, Van Vicker, has now taken up a new job as On Air Personality (OAP) at an Accra radio station.

According to reports, the play boy  actor who started out as an OAP many years ago, before venturing into acting, now hosts his own programme ‘Live From The Capital’ on the newly launched Live 91.9 FM, Accra.
It was gathered that the station is adopting a unique style of having well known celebrities as presenters  and quite a number of Ghanaian celebs are being recruited.
Also engaged by the radio station is former Ghanaian representative to the BBA Stargame and night club owner, Confidence Haugen.

Security expert urges JTF to focus on hunt for weapons of mass destruction

Renown security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu has advised Nigerian military authorities to focus on search for weapons of mass destruction in order to cripple the capability of terrorists to carry out spectacular attacks in the country.
Aggressive searches and seizures of weapon would greatly limit the ability of terrorists to carry out bombings, shootings, killings and maiming.
Reacting to the seizure this week of a large cache of arms on Gaya Street, Bompai Kano, Ekhomu said that Nigeria was under grave threat from weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). He said that it was unfortunate that foreigners were always implicated in plans to undermine Nigerian security.  Adding that it was totally unacceptable for a foreigner to sell dangerous weapons in Nigeria including surface to air missiles that could constitute grave threat to Nigerian civil aviation.
Ekhomu, who is also Chairman of the School of Management and Security in Lagos commended the Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) on the large arms haul and urged security agents to expand the search for weapons throughout the country.  He said that the JTF team that made the arms seizure should be rewarded to motivate other service personnel to exhibit greater alertness in the search for weapons of mass destruction.
Ekhomu decried the extremely porous nature of Nigeria’s land, air and sea borders which make it possible for dangerous weapons to be smuggled into the country. He urged border security agents to exhibit more dedication, professionalism and patriotism in their work in order to interdict dangerous weapons.
Dr. Ekhomu who is the first chartered security professional in West Africa, advised Federal government to provide reward monies for information about arms caches to informants.  “Such reward money will ensure a constant flow of tips on arms caches”, he added.
According to the security expert a threat matrix is made up of intention, motivation and capability.  The capability is the most important as it involves weapons.  “If the weapon is taken away, then the terrorist would be toothless bulldog,” he added.

FG approves N750bn for recapitalisation of Bank of Industry

Lagos – The Federal Government has given approval for the recapitalisation of the Bank of Industry (BOI) to the tune of N750 billion.

Mr Joseph Babatunde, the General Manager of the bank, made the disclosure on Friday in Lagos during a training programme for business editors and correspondents.

Babatunde said that he was optimistic that the re-capitalisation would go a long way in turning  around the fortunes of the bank.

Babatunde, however, said that time frame had not been scheduled for release of funds.

He said that the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria were working on the modalities for its release.

Babatunde said the challenges militating against the effective performance of the bank included under-capitalisation.

“This hindered the bank developmental impact and attraction of needed long term funds from international and multilateral agencies.

“Government, in the last couple of years, has been very proactive in the area of addressing the dearth of long term investable funds required by the manufacturing sector,” Babatunde said.

He said that there were several sector specific intervention funds and schemes in Nigeria today more than ever before in the history of the nation.

Babatunde said the release of the fund would help to enhance the capacity of the bank to provide finance for businesses in Nigeria, particularly the small scale enterprises.

The Managing Director of the bank, Ms Evelyn Oputu, said that the bank had disbursed N238 billion to the operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

Oputu said that the bank had developed a model that allowed state governments to also contribute to the intervention fund for small and medium scale entrepreneurs.

She said that 20 states had bought into the programme.

The managing director said that the bank had recorded great success in bringing down its bad debt from 70 per cent to 15 per cent.

In a speech at the occasion, Dr Patrick Kormawa, the country representative of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, said that Nigeria had been involved in bad businesses over the years.

He said that the exportation of crude oil and various unprocessed products abroad would not be in the interest of Nigeria.

According to him, the much touted economic growth has  not reflected in the lives of average Nigerians.

The bank, with a mixed ownership structure, is having N250 billion share capital.

The ownership structure is divided as follows; the Ministry of Finance 59.54 per cent, Central Bank of Nigeria 40 per cent, while private shareholders hold the balance of 0.1 per cent. (NAN)

Man kills girlfriend for her life insurance of policy and a half share of the £137,000 two-bedroom house

These are the last pictures of unsuspecting 23-year-old Catherine Wells-Burr with her treacherous boyfriend Rafal Nowak, caught on CCTV walking hand in hand through a supermarket hours before he murdered her.

It was released today after a jury today found Nowak, 31, guilty of smothering the young graduate to death at the home they shared in a plot hatched with his secret lover.
After the killing, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, joined her devoted uncle, Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, in dumping Miss Wells-Burr’s body in her car at a nearby roadside and setting fire to it.
At Bristol Crown Court today, Nowak, Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn were convicted of the 23-year-old business analyst’s murder in September 2012. They will be sentenced on Monday.
The Bath Spa University graduate died as a result of a plot driven by revenge, jealousy and greed.
With her death the three defendants would secure a £123,000 life insurance payout and a half share of the £137,000 two-bedroom home Nowak lived in with his girlfriend.
The murder was the result of months of secret meetings and phone calls between Nowak and Lagwinowicz, with Miss Wells-Burr oblivious to her part in the so-called love triangle.

Murder victim: Catherine Wells-Burr who was murdered by her cheating Polish boyfriend as she slept in their newly-bought home they shared

Burly Nowak smothered a sleeping Miss Wells-Burr with a pillow, before Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn removed her body from the house and drove it in her red Ford Focus to a countryside beauty spot at Ashill.
They placed the university graduate in the driver’s seat and set fire to the car at 6am – 20 minutes after Nowak had clocked in at work – providing him with what he thought was the perfect alibi.
The defendants had spent months leaving a false trail for detectives, creating fake profiles for Miss Wells-Burr on adult websites and sending texts to her phone from a supposed mystery lover.
Nowak, of Chard, Lagwinowicz, of Taunton, and Dmytryszyn, of Taunton, denied having any part in the death during their trial.
But the jury, who sat through seven weeks of harrowing evidence, found the twisted trio guilty of murder after seeing through their web of lies.
During the trial, a heavily-tattooed Nowak wept in the witness box as he insisted he played no part in the death of his ‘true love’.
But the cheating factory worker – who continued to have sex with Lagwinowicz while dating Miss Wells-Burr – failed to provide the court with any other explanation for how his girlfriend could have died.
The father-of-one, who has a wife and teenage son in his native Poland, told the jury: ‘Everyone blames me for something that I never done.’
The court heard how callous Nowak showed no emotion at all when police discovered Miss Wells-Burr’s body in her burnt out car on the morning of September 12.
Her mother, Jayne Wells-Burr, told the jury that he ‘didn’t mention Catherine at all’ – instead asking for a steak dinner after his initial release from police custody.
Lagwinowicz, who frequently shook her head and laughed in the dock when Nowak suggested she had been responsible for the killing, refused to take to the witness stand.
Dmytryszyn also did not give evidence in his defence during the trial.
Speaking after the verdicts, Miss Wells-Burr’s parents called for tougher immigration controls.
Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr, who are no longer together, said Nowak – who has a conviction for assaulting his wife in Poland – would not have been allowed into the UK had this country’s immigration rules been as strict as the those in the US.
They blamed the European Union and said the UK needed to ‘wake up a bit’ and toughen up.
Mrs Wells-Burr, 46, said: ‘There is no screening of people coming into this country. We didn’t know that Rafal had had an assault charge on him while back in Poland.
‘I kind of think this Government needs to wake up a bit.’


Mr Wells-Burr, 48, said: ‘That is what we need in this country now.’
Mrs Wells-Burr said that Nowak was reluctant to commit to a family holiday in Florida.
‘He said he couldn’t raise the money to go, but it’s because he has a criminal record that we didn’t know about, because you can’t go into that country, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, but because we are part of the EU it’s ok,’ she said.
Ms Wells-Burr’s family wept, gasped and loudly exclaimed ‘yes’ as the guilty verdicts were returned.
The defendants remained emotionless and stared straight ahead as they were convicted.
Nowak was convicted by a unanimous jury, while Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn were found guilty by majority verdicts.
The jury spent 12 hours and 31 minutes debating the case, following seven weeks of harrowing evidence.
Mrs Justice Sharp told the jury: ‘In view of the lateness of the hour the defendants may sit, I shall not proceed to sentence today.
‘Members of the jury, let me thank you for your service in this case.
‘You have been attentive, punctual and fulfilled your important public duty in serving as the jury in this distressing case. We are grateful to you.’
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Simon Crisp, from Avon and Somerset police, who led the investigation said: ‘This was a wicked crime committed against a bright and innocent young woman who had her whole life ahead of her.
‘Nowak, Lagwinowocz and Dmytryszyn took both Catherine’s and her family’s future away from them on the night they carried out this calculated killing. They then tried to cover their tracks and mislead us in a bid to get away with what they had done.
‘Murder is a terrible crime but what makes this worse is the intricate planning that took place while Nowak pretended to care about Catherine – playing the doting boyfriend while plotting to take her life for a few thousand pounds.
Their plan unravelled despite their best attempts to mislead us and today they have been found guilty of Catherine’s murder.
‘I would like to pay tribute to Catherine’s family who have remained strong and dignified throughout. Their support to the investigate team has been invaluable.
‘While the verdict and sentence will never bring Catherine back I hope it goes some way in providing some closure knowing that justice has been done.
‘Finally I’d like to thank our first rate prosecution team led by the CPS here in Bristol who co-ordinated a complicated and challenging case through to today’s final conclusion.’
Senior Crown prosecutor Melanie Ringland added: ‘In the days following the murder the police asked for the assistance and guidance of the Crown Prosecution Service. That assistance came from the Southwest Complex Casework Unit based in Bristol.
‘We have worked closely with Avon and Somerset Police throughout this extremely complex investigation. This investigation was meticulous.
‘By piecing together numerous pieces of evidence the prosecution team were able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Nowak, Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn were guilty of this ruthless murder motivated by greed.’
Speaking outside court, Miss Wells-Burr’s mother Jayne said: ‘Leanne, Phil and I are here today because of the cruel, callous, wicked, evil and sickening act of murder against our beautiful Catherine.
‘Catherine was an inspirational, amazing, caring, kind, intelligent young woman, who had her whole life ahead of her with so much potential after gaining her First Class Bachelor of Honours Degree in Business Management at Bath Spa University. We were all very proud of her and the person she had become.
‘The hatred shown to her has truly shocked us, especially the hatred shown by Rafal Nowak, a man who was meant to have loved her.
‘His betrayal to our family has devastated us. We treated him like a son and family member.
‘Anna Lagwinowicz has been devious, manipulative and calculating, her actions to create such sickening false profiles of Catherine demonstrate this and as a result these evil people have made us question our judge of character and trust in people – we trust no-one.
‘Our world as we knew it has fallen apart. Our lives used to be fun, full of laughter and love. We can see no future without our beautiful Catherine. We are heartbroken. No prison sentence will ever be enough. In this country life is not life and we feel it should be.
‘We are the ones facing the life sentence without her.’

Killer is ‘evil’ say graduate’s parents who let Pole stay with them after the murder

Killer Rafal Nowak has been branded ‘evil’ by the parents of the girlfriend he brutally murdered.
Jayne and Phil Wells-Burr said they had treated him like a son and welcomed him into their family.
But he betrayed them in the cruellest way imaginable when he murdered their eldest child Catherine.
Nowak had hatched a plan with his ex-lover Anna Lagwinowicz and her uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn to murder Miss Wells-Burr and dispose of her body.
The twisted trio then tried to shift the blame onto a mystery man whom Miss Wells-Burr was supposedly having an affair with.
But the jury saw through their tissue of lies and convicted Nowak, Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn of the Bath Spa University graduate’s murder.
Mrs Wells-Burr said: ‘We treated Rafal like a son, he was a family member.
‘He’s scum – he’s betrayed us so badly.
‘I think Anna and Rafal were both devious, callous, sickening people, they should never be allowed out into society again, they can never be corrected inside prison, they are just too evil.’

Victim: Bath Spa University graduate Catherine Wells-Burr who had just bought a house with her factory worker boyfriend

On the day Miss Wells-Burr died, her mother knew something terrible had happened when she failed to arrive at work as normal.
‘When we got to where Catherine lived, I just knew something was desperately wrong and just rang the police straight away,’ Mrs Wells-Burr said.
‘I just had that feeling – a mother’s instinct in your stomach, that something was very, very wrong.’
Mrs Wells-Burr said that as soon as Nowak was arrested she knew he had murdered her daughter – and she told the police that.
‘It was just something that Rafal said, a couple of things outside, he said to me that he begged her not to go, which I thought was a strange thing,’ she said.
‘He said that he had lost his world, that he had lost his future, and I thought, well she’s just missing, why would you say that?
‘So it didn’t make sense, I thought, it’s not right.
‘My thoughts were that he had done it, and I told the police that.’
Police released Nowak and, despite her reservations, Mrs Wells-Burr let him stay with her family.
‘He never spoke about Catherine at all. No tears, nothing,’ she said.
The following morning Nowak never mentioned his girlfriend at all – he just spoke of eating a steak dinner.
Mr Wells-Burr added: ‘We took him in like a son and he betrayed us all.
‘He was there when we went out for the weekend, for Sunday lunch, all of us together, out to the beach, knowing in the back of his mind knowing what he planned to do.
‘He knew that Catherine was well loved and liked by many people and he did that.’
Nowak married in Poland in 2000 and had a son, now a teenager.
While in Poland he had a serious car accident after drink driving and had to pay about £6,500 because the insurance would not cover the damage.
In 2007 Nowak moved to Ireland to work in a bakery because he was struggling to get a job in Poland and his marriage was failing.
Before leaving, he was convicted of assaulting his wife.
In May 2008 he moved to London and then in September to Somerset, where he moved in with Lagwinowicz, her boyfriend and Dmytryszyn.
Nowak and Lagwinowicz were living together in Taunton when he met Miss Wells-Burr.
He continued to share with his ex-lover until April 2011 when they moved into separate flats.
Nowak lived with Miss Wells-Burr from the autumn of 2011 and in the spring of the following year they bought the house in Willow Way. Six months later she was dead.

TIMELINE: HOW POLISH FATHER MURDERED HIS BRITISH GIRLFRIEND

This is a timeline of the death of business graduate Catherine Wells-Burr and the conviction for murder of Rafal Nowak, his jealous ex-lover Anna Lagwinowicz and her doting uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn.
2006 - Lagwinowicz arrives in the UK.
2008 - Nowak arrives in the UK.
Summer 2010 - Nowak and Miss Wells-Burr meet at the Numatics factory in Chard, Somerset, and start a relationship.
July 22, 2011 - Miss Wells-Burr and her family drive to Lagwinowicz’s house and find Nowak in her bed. Nowak assaults Lagwinowicz.
February 2012 - Nowak and Miss Wells-Burr move into a house in Willow Way, Chard.
September 6 - Lagwinowicz and Nowak drive to Lyme Regis in Dorset and have sex in her car.
September 8 - Lagwinowicz uses Google Translate to write messages in English to send from the ‘mystery lover’ of Miss Wells-Burr.
September 9 - Nowak and Miss Wells-Burr have Sunday lunch with her family. Miss Wells-Burr seems upset with Nowak. Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn visit Morrisons in Taunton. Dmytryszyn is seen filling a can with five litres of petrol, which is paid for by Lagwinowicz.
September 10
1.30am - Automatic number plate recognition records show Dmytryszyn driving to Lagwinowicz’s house.
1.33am - A woman from Northern Ireland accidentally calls Miss Wells-Burr’s second mobile, which she used as an alarm clock. Nowak answers the phone.
3.03am - Lagwinowicz uses a sim card which was supposed to be that of the “mystery lover” to call Nowak.
September 11
4.16pm - Nowak checks into work at Numatic.
5.15pm - Nowak and Miss Wells-Burr go shopping at Tesco and buy orange juice, lettuce and burger buns for an evening meal.
8.00pm - Miss Wells-Burr’s phone receives a text from the “mystery lover”.
9.45pm - Miss Wells-Burr texts her father Philip “love you lots xxx”.
10pm - Nowak calls the woman from Northern Ireland who accidentally rang Miss Wells-Burr on September 10.
September 12
2am to 3am - Nowak is believed to have set his phone alarm on vibrate so he can wake and smother Miss Wells-Burr in bed.
4.50am - Miss Wells-Burr’s body is removed from the property by Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn.
5.10am - Nowak leaves for work, waving goodbye to his Slovakian neighbours who notice that Miss Wells-Burr’s car is not in the drive.
5.17am - A text message is sent from Miss Wells-Burr’s phone to the “mystery lover” SIM card.
5.39am - Nowak clocks into work.
6.22am - Motorists report to police that a car is burning at the roadside at Ashill, a few miles from Chard.
7.40am - Lagwinowicz visits a recycling area in Bridgwater.
8.20am - Lagwinowicz has her car cleaned.
9am - Nowak calls Miss Wells-Burr’s sister Leanne and asks if she can check if his girlfriend is at home as he is concerned that she has not turned up at work.
10.30am - Nowak and Miss Wells-Burr’s parents, Philip and Jayne, drive to Willow Way to look for her.
12pm - Detectives arrive at the address and break news to Mr and Mrs Wells-Burr of the discovery of the burning car.
2pm - Nowak is arrested on suspicion of murder.
September 13 - Lagwinowicz is arrested. Nowak is released without charge and stays the night at a hotel.
September 14 - Nowak goes to stay with the Wells-Burr family.
September 15 - Nowak is re-arrested by detectives and Dmytryszyn is also held. Nowak and Lagwinowicz are placed together in a police car. They are recorded telling each other “I love you”.
September 18 - Lagwinowicz is charged with murder and Dmytryszyn is released on bail.
September 19 - Nowak is charged with murder.
November 26 - Dmytryszyn re-arrested on suspicion of murder
November 27 - Dmytryszyn is charged with murder.
April 16, 2013 - Nowak, Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn go on trial at Bristol Crown Court.
June 7 - Nowak, Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn convicted of murder.

Keshi releases 23-man list for Confederations Cup

All eight participating nations have now confirmed their squad lists for the FIFA Confederations Cup holding in Brazil this month.
Nigeria is not left out. After  much anticipation and excitement, Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has unveiled his 23-man squad. They are:
Goalkeeper: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Nigeria’s squad lines up before the Africa Cup of Nations Nigeria vs Burkina Faso group C football match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on January 21, 2013. AFP PHOTO

Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Efe Ambrose (Celtic Glasgow), Elderson Uwa Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe, Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC)
Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio), John Ogu (Academica de Coimbra), Sunday Mba, Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers), Babatunde Michael (Kryvbas), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga)
Forwards: Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow).
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B- A- R- B- A- R- I- C: Boy, 25, kills mother, two siblings in Sokoto

VICTIMS: Mother and daughters and Kawal, the suspect

Residents of Gusau metropolis in Zamfara State were shocked recently after the swollen corpse of one of their neighbours and two of her daughters were found dumped inside a nearby dam in the area.  More shocking was the suspicion that mother and daughters were killed by their on blood, 25-year-old Kamal Yusuf Aliyu. The suspect who is presently in police net has reportedly given reasons why he killed his mother and younger sisters.
Narrating the circumstances that led to the ugly incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara State, DSP Lawal Abdullahi said that the command started  by investigating a case of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide initially reported by a good Samaritan as a case of sudden and unnatural death (SUD).
According to him, “The good Samaritan, on May 29, 2013 had reported to the Police that a female corpse was sighted floating in the water Board Dam in Gusau metropolis, Zamfara State. When the corpse was removed to Federal Medical Center, Gusau for postmortem examination, deep cuts and injuries were discovered all over the body of the corpse. A case of Culpable Homicide was being established.

In the afternoon of May 30 2013, relations of the deceased came to Gusau Central Police Station and reported a case of missing person. Their relation, Hajiya Hafsat, was not seen for the past 48 hours, and that her mobile phone was not going through. They were taken to the Public Mortuary where they identified the said corpse as their missing sister.
A Police team led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) went to the house of the deceased but met it under lock and key.   It was forced open and on entry, blood stains were seen all over the room. Her clothes, money and valuables were ransacked by the perpetrators.
The deceased’s car was not seen in the house, but her son’s car was seen inside the compound with blood stains. The car booth was searched and pillow cases, bed sheets soaked with blood were recovered. The discovery reaffirmed Police’s suspicion on a case of culpable homicide coupled with the testimony of the deceased relations that her son who is now the prime suspect has been threatening to kill her if she fails to give him money.
The relations also reported to the Police that, two of the deceased little daughters aged between 11 and 9 years, living together in the same house, were equally not seen. The Police now suspected that the assailants may have killed the two girls and dumped their bodies in the water where the mother’s body was recovered.    The Police then went to the river side where the first corpse was recovered.  Fortunately, the two corpses were recovered, one with cuts all over her body while the other was slaughtered,”
Police also informed Crime Guard that the prime suspect, Kamal Yusuf Aliyu (25), who is the deceased biological son, has been out of school because of his bad habit and following Police investigation, the prime suspect was arrested in Kaduna with his mother’s (deceased) car.
Some valuables and cash belonging to the deceased were also recovered.   It was learnt that Kamal has  confessed to the Police and has mentioned the names of his accomplices as Armaya’u Yusuf, 24, and Caleb Humphrey, 25. Both are in police custody.
The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Akilu Usman Gwary has assured members of the public that no stone would be left unturned to fish out the remaining culprits that were at large soonest. “The suspect’s action is unfortunate and highly barbaric and definitely they will face the full wrath of the law,” the CP said.

A 29 yr-old woman that sells her babies in Lagos

The suspects in court

…girls sold for N130,000, boys   N160,000
What would make a woman get pregnant, go through the nine months pregnancy period, endure the discomforts and pain, only to deliver and sell off her babies?  This question was on the lips of  all seated during the arraignment of  a 29 -year -old woman identified as Ijeoma Okafor, and her alleged accomplices, a couple identified as Prudent Nkechi Eke and Uche Benjamin Nmeribole at the Magistrate’s Court Yaba,  recently.
The trio and others believed to be at large were  apprehended as they tried to sell off Ijeoma’s four days old baby boy at  the mammy market, Navy Town-Ojo, on April 17, 2012.
Crime Guard gathered that around May 2011, Ijeoma who owns a mini salon around Navy Town-Ojo, got pregnant and traveled out of Lagos when she was due for delivery. Her action was not suspected by her friends and neighbours who thought she had traveled home to put to bed, and also receive better post-natal care from her mother and would return to her base in Lagos.
Ijeoma reportedly returned back to Lagos, but not with her baby. Apprehension was raised when shortly after her return, she allegedly repainted and re-stocked her salon and was not acting as a woman who had just put to bed. She also  told two different versions of stories to those who asked about the welfare of the baby she traveled home to deliver.
A version has it that she left the “few days” old baby in the care of her mother in the village; while the other version was that the baby had died shortly after birth due to complications. The neighbours decided to put the matter to rest, since there was no prove to buttress any suspicion.   Information made available to Crime Guard revealed that Ijeoma took in again in 2011 and disappeared around April 2012 when she was about to deliver. She reportedly put to bed on the 15th of April,  and returned without any child.

Luck, however,  ran against her when her atrocities were exposed following a misunderstanding that aroused  as a result of the amount she was payed by her accomplices who besieged her residence.  The argument attracted her neighbours, who had mounted a surveillance on her following the circumstances that surrounded the previous birth.
The NAPTIP arm of the Ojo Navy was invited to effect their arrest, from whence  they were handed over to the Child development Act, under the Lagos State Government  for further prosecution, since as civilians, they can not be tried under the Naval law.
On their arrest, Ijeoma confessed that she had given birth in 2011 to a baby girl, whom she sold off to a couple in Aba for N130,000, out of which she got N30,000, while the rest of the syndicate shared the sum of N100,000. She had planned to sell  the four-day old for N160,000 to another client  who had been organized by 37 year-old Nkechi and her alleged husband Uche, who introduced her into the business.
She stated that she had told her baby buyers that she would sell the baby for same amount (N130,000), since the scan she did showed it was a baby girl. But increased her price to N160,000 when she was delivered of a baby boy instead.
When Crime Guard paid a visit to Ojo mammy market, one of Ijeoma’s neighbours who pleaded anonymity confirmed the incident.  She further said that the syndicate have been in this business for some years now. “Our interest was aroused when Ijeoma traveled during her first pregnancy, we believed she had gone to put to bed in her parent’s house since she is still single, although she has one boyfriend  we know, but she returned without any baby, and the story she told those of us that asked about the baby’s welfare was questionable.
“Also, she was not acting as a woman who just lost her child as she made some people believe, instead she went on a spending spree, re-stocking her salon. This was when we started suspecting her. Even the other suspects,  Uche is a business man who owns a business enterprise here in Ojo, he was married for years without any issues, leading to the annulment of that marriage. Consequently, he got married to Nkechi.
“The couple had been together for some years now without issues as well. Why will they get themselves involved in such an act? Or are they making the lady put to bed while they arrange buyers who buy these babies on their behalf maybe because they wouldn’t want the children traced back to them in the future?

N300m ‘ll cover cost of completing ongoing projects – Catholic cleric

Enugu—The Catholic Diocese of Nsukka in Enugu State has explained that its budget of N300 million for the installation of a new bishop includes the cost of completing some ongoing capital projects.
The Director of Social Communications in the diocese, Rev. Fr. Chuma Nnamene, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday that the projects included the St. Theresa Cathedral, Nsukka, where the ceremony would take place.
Father Nnamene said: “We are also reconstructing two residences for our Emeritus Bishop Francis Okobo and the new one to be installed, Monsignor Godfrey Onah”.
He said the buildings needed to be refurbished because they were currently not in good shape.
The director of social communication explained that the church was by no means ostentatious in its way of doing things, adding that the new bishop was so modest that he would not allow a lavish ceremony on his behalf.
Nnamene said the church was aware of the level of poverty in the diocese and the country at large and could not spend such an amount just on the installation.—NAN.

Jide Kosoko’s Daughter, Bidemi Disgraced In Ibadan

Nollywood actor, Prince Jide Kosoko’s daughter, Bidemi Kosoko is presently a youth corp member at Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.
However, many of her fellow corp members are currently complaining about her snobbish attitude and what some of them have termed as arrogance.
According to impeccable sources, whenever some of the other corp members who have seen her movies approach her just to say ‘Hi’, Bidemi has a way of looking down on them.
Recently, according to an eyewitness, a female Batch A corp member said to her, “sister, please it’s like I have seen your face before”, but to the lady’s disappointment, Bidemi just looked at the woman from head to toe and walked away,” the source said.
It was also gathered that because of her celebrity status, Bidemi also expects to get preferential treatments at her Community Development Service(CDS). According to what another source said, Bidemi, who was posted to Ibadan North Local Government recently came late for her clearance but was trying to jump the queue, but not giving a dime about her status or her father’s, her Local Government Inspector(LGI) Mrs. Ologundudu, a no-nonsense woman told her point blank to go and join the queue.
Apparently, this action allegedly embarrassed her.