Category: More News

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a series of burglaries in Thame and Chinnor.

Between 8.30am and 2.30pm on Thursday (12/9), four houses were broken into in the Chinnor and Thame areas which are believed to be linked.

Windows and glass patio doors were smashed or forced open at homes in Crowell Road, Church Road and Lower Icknield Way in Chinnor and Beech Road in Thame. Jewellery and a laptop were stolen.

The offenders have been described as two white men in their twenties, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins tall and both of stocky build. They were both wearing dark coloured tops and bottoms and baseball caps.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Richard Whitcombe, based at Abingdon police station, said: “I am appealing for anyone who may have witnessed these incidents or noticed anything suspicious in the area on Thursday to get in touch.

“All four burglaries took place in daylight hours and we are investigating these as linked. These are distressing incidents for the victims and I urge anyone with CCTV or dash-cam footage to review it.

“If you have any information you can contact us using our online form or by calling the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 43190282166. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Officers will be in the area conducting reassurance patrols and are happy to speak with you about any concerns that you have. For tips on how to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of burglary, you can read our online Home Security Guide.”

WHAT? TO be held at Thame Town Hall, on Friday October 4, 2019, between 1pm and 4pm, the Functional Fitness MOT is a programme developed by the partnership between the Glasgow Caledonian University, the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Later Life Training.

A Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Fitness Instructor or Postural Stability Instructor will take the participants through seven tests that will give them an indication of their exercise performance. Each test comes with a set of ‘normal values’ for people of different ages (From 60yrs to 90yrs) and this will give participants an idea of whether they are doing well compared to their peers, or whether they could benefit from being more active.

How and When? – Participants are recommended to book an appointment – they can just turn up but may risk being turned away. Appointments can be made from September 23, 2019, with Karen Copping on: 07842 684760. There will be a list available of local activity opportunities the participants may like to join in with, and some online websites that will give them some more information.

Advice on hand

Also on hand will be representatives from the following organisations to give information and advice, mainly on physical activity opportunities available in the Thame area; AGE UK Oxford including the Community Information Network and Generation Games and Thame Leisure Centre including GO ACTIVE.

A Thame man, Safeen Karimi, 27, is among four defendants who have denied murdering a 22-year-old man who, a court has heard, was run over by a car and stabbed repeatedly in “retribution” after an earlier fight.

Safeen Karimi, is accused of the murder along with Michael Yemane, 20, and Welid Solomon, 25, from Oxford, and Sasan Khalid, 19, of no fixed address.

The victim was Luciano Dos Santos Almeida, from Southampton. He was attacked in Oxford on February 27, 2019, and died at the John Radcliffe Hospital on March 6.

Read the full report from the BBC New website here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/17887150.murder-trial-luciano-dos-santos-almeida-continues/

SUPPORTERS of the People’s Vote Campaign in Thame have said that they have some serious, unanswered questions for their MP, John Howell.

“Crashing out of the EU without a deal will cause serious damage to investment in local export industry such as the Cowley BMW plant and put medical supplies at risk,” claims Open Britain Thame. The group, which campaigns for a ‘People’s vote’, further states the following:

“In a recent blog, John Howell has asserted that there is nothing unusual about the Prime Minister proroguing Parliament, yet we now know, through documents forced to be published in a court case, that Mr Johnson was plotting to prorogue Parliament at the same time as he allowed his cabinet colleagues to publicly dismiss any suggestion that there were plans to do so.

“In replies to constituents’ concerns over crashing out of the EU without a deal, John Howell has said that Mr Johnson had personally assured him that he did not want a no deal exit from the EU, and discussed progress that had already been made in getting a deal with the EU27. The same day that John Howell was making these reassuring statements, we had the President of the EU Council of Ministers stating categorically that there had been no new proposal from the UK on the Irish Backstop or any other aspect of Brexit.”

Roy Motteram, a spokesperson for Open Britain Thame, said: “We know from the leaked Operation Yellowhammer report that the impact on the UK as a whole of crashing out of the EU without a deal will be significant. We know from the recent whistleblower that the supply of vital medicines will be at risk. We can imply from Jacob Rees-Mogg’s attempt to discredit the whistleblower that the government want us to ignore this concern. We know that Mr Johnson is happy to use his colleagues to mislead the public.

“We know that Mr Johnson’s comments about how well the negotiations are going are incompatible with what the President of the Council of Ministers has said. We know that one of these two people has history when it comes to telling lies.

“We know that John Howell has publicly stated that he does not want to see a No Deal Brexit.

“Given all of this; given the undoubted damage that crashing out of the EU without a deal will cause to local industry such as the BMW plant and all of the small local firms that supply it; given the damage that it will cause to our local NHS, what we want to know from John Howell, is Why?

“Why, when given the opportunity to block a No Deal Brexit once and for all, did you choose to walk into the lobby with Mr Johnson and Mr Rees-Mogg? Not once, not twice, but three times.

“We will be holding our usual stall outside of Thame Town Hall on Saturday, between 2pm and 4pm – perhaps John could come down and explain his actions.”

ED. John Howell MP was unavailable for comment but you can read his latest blog post on the subject of prorogation HERE

NB The difference between a recess and proroguing Parliament is stark:
*MPs decide whether to have a recess and for how long
*During a recess, Select Committees continue to do their work of holding government to account
*When Parliament is prorogued, it is the PM’s choice, all Parliamentary work ceases, and Ministers take on new powers

SOURCE: Press release

THE residents and Friends of Meadowcroft Care Home, Thame,  gathered outside in the care home’s garden on Thursday (30/08), to celebrate no less than five awards in the annual St Johns Trust in Bloom competition, Meadowcroft being one of several care homes run by the Trust.

Proud residents, nursing and care staff, friends and some visiting family members enjoyed a celebratory glass of sangria in the sunshine.

The five awards were:

Winner – Best Grounds and Garden
Winner – Best Rear Garden
Winner – Best Special Theme- gardeners’ choice

Runner Up – Best Activity in the Garden
Runner Up – Best Vegetable Patch, tub planter – which includes a magnificent pumpkin, tomatoes and runner beans!

The Rotary Club of Thame were thanked especially for helping plant some of the flower beds, and the residents, who get involved in planting, dead-heading and watering the gardens.

The outside space is very important to many of the residents. Mrs Elizabeth Rowell said that coming out into the garden to feel the sunshine and fresh air, was her favourite place to be. She particularly enjoys filling the bird bath with water and making sure the birds have seed to eat.

FOLLOWING the Prime Minister’s announcement to suspend parliament, a group of councillors from South Oxfordshire District Council, all of them from either the Green Party or the Liberal Democrats, have sent an open letter to MP John Howell.

The letter reads:

“Dear Mr Howell,

“This week, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that he will be suspending Parliament. The motive for this seems obvious; to run down the clock and make a No Deal Brexit inevitable. The length of the prorogation supports this.

“We understand that you didn’t back Boris Johnson as leader and that you, like many of your constituents voted to remain in the 2016 referendum.
We also understand that you do not support severing all ties with our closest neighbours. This is clear from you having supported Remain, voted for Theresa May’s deal in parliament on each occasion it was brought to the House of Commons and voted against No Deal in March.

“A No Deal Brexit would be incredibly damaging for businesses across the country. There are many businesses in your constituency that are part of Europe-wide supply chains.

“There is also a huge amount of uncertainty and a sense of “limbo” for the thousands of EU citizens living and working in this constituency.
Time is now running out and we are asking you to join with other Oxfordshire MPs like Ed Vaizey, Anneliese Dodds and Layla Moran in opposing a No Deal Brexit and doing whatever it takes to stop it from happening.”

The councillors who have signed the letter are;
Councillor Pieter-Paul Barker (Liberal Democrats) – Thame
Councillor Robin Bennett (Green)
Councillor Sam Casey-Rerhaye (Green)
Councillor Peter Dragonetti (Green)
Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor Sarah Gray (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor Kate Gregory (Liberal Democrats) – Thame
Councillor Victoria Haval (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor Alexandrine Kantor (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor George Levy (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor Andrea Powell (Green)
Councillor Leigh Rawlings (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor Jo Robb (Green)
Councillor Sue Roberts (Green)
Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson (Liberal Democrats)
Councillor David Turner (Liberal Democrats)