Charles Walford's blog

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Lifer turns down chance of parole after 63 years in prison

A 79-year-old who has been in prison since the age of 15  has turned down the chance of parole as a matter of principle.

Joseph Ligon says that he should be released outright without being subject to further supervision.

Ligon is serving a life sentence for his role in two murders 1953. He maintains his innocence.

He has spent 63 years behind bars in Philadelphia, making him what is thought to be the longest-serving juvenile lifer in the world.

His case has been brought to light by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ligon has the chance to be released after a ruling in January by the US Supreme Court that gave  juveniles sentenced to life should have the possibility of parole.

Ligon believes he should be freed for good

However, Ligon believes he should be released from prison for good, the Inquirer reports.

“His view is: he’s been in long enough,” Bradley Bridge, of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, told a court. “He doesn’t want to be on probation or parole. He just wants to be released.”

In June, Marsha Levick, co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, told AP that she feels that the time has come to free Ligon.

“They want him to go before a parole board. I mean, seriously?” she said. “It's pointless to keep him in prison.”

Pictures from Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

[charleswalford]

Meet the woman who is paid to dine out ... and it’s all for your benefit

We generally don't recommend mixing work and pleasure.

But this is one job we might be happy to make an exception for: Sophy Hardy gets paid to eat at fancy restaurants

The 25-year-old has been hired by Weight Watchers – from more than 500 candidates – as an "official eating officer". Her main duty is to travel the UK, dining at the nation's favourite restaurants.

She has been tasked with showing how a weight management doesn't have to mean cutting back on one's social life. Her appointment follows a recent Weight Watchers report that showed 71 per cent of Brits feel that fad dieting makes socialising difficult,

It also found that people aged between 25 and 34 particularly struggle to socialise and eat healthily.

Miss Hardy, from Durham, will dine out twice a week to test restaurant menus for healthy and tasty options. Those that meet the criteria will receive the Weight Watchers seal of approval.

Miss Hardy herself has a history of weight battles: when she was 16 years old, she was a size 26, but has since lost five stone and she hoped to lose two more.

"Being chosen to eat out twice week in restaurants across the UK is an absolute dream job so I am delighted to be appointed as the first ever Official Eating Officer," Hardy said in a statement to Mashable.

"I am excited to show the UK that life doesn’t have to stop while leading a healthier lifestyle."

Picture Mikael Buck/Weight Watchers

[charleswalford]

Schoolchildren forced to abandon bus in France as police hunt for illegal immigrants

Schoolchildren were forced to abandon belongings after their coach was searched for illegal immigrants on their way home from France.

Police swooped on the bus near Calais after a tip off from drivers about potential stowaways in their luggage compartment.

Students and staff had to abandon the bus and their belongings as officers swooped,

The party from Highfields School, in Matlock, Derbyshire, had been on their way home from a trip to Paris. One parent, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is concerning that no-one knew they were there and that our young people had to abandon some of their belongings while all of this was going on.

“Maybe schools need to think twice about going through Calais with youngsters, while the current problems associated with the camp there is sorted out.”

Police carry out checks at Calais

Another parent, who also preferred not to be named, added: “I am pleased that our children behaved well during this event, but feel it should not have happened in the first place.”

A replacement coach was sent to pick up the pupils and teachers. Co-head teacher Peter Cole said: “As part of the investigation by the French authorities, the coach the party was travelling on was taken for examination. Some students had left belongings on the coach, which have now been returned.

“A substitute coach was provided, ensuring that there was no disruption to the itinerary and the party arrived home safely on Tuesday night as planned.'

Mr Cole insisted that the children and staff were not in any danger at any point.

He added: “We remain committed to providing students with the excellent opportunities that foreign trips provide and will take into account all relevant factors in future planning.”

[charleswalford]

Thief stole from juror’s handbag – while sitting in courtroom

A WOMAN stole cash and and iPhone from a prospective juror – while sitting in a courtroom.

Elizabeth McLeod was behind the woman on the public benches when she grabbed reached into her handbag.

As well as the phone and the money she also took bank cards before quickly leaving the courtroom at Greenock Sheriff Court, near Glasgow.

McLeod was caught before she was able to leave main building on February 18, a court heard. She had some of missing property on her, and the iPhone was found hidden in a toilet.

Fiscal depute Pamela Brady said: “The complainer became aware that a number of items had been taken from her bag.

The court police officer sought assistance from colleagues and Elizabeth McLeod was immediately suspected because she had been seen sitting near to the complainer.

“She was searched and a quantity of cash, £30, was within her clothing. Her jacket was searched and a plastic wallet containing a driving licence, bank cards and a Tesco Clubcard were recovered.

“Within a nearby toilet an iPhone had been hidden behind a sanitary bin.

“When interviewed by police, the accused admitted that she had hidden the phone in the toilet.

“She had initially rejected a charge that she had stolen from the bag.”

Defending, Aidan Gallagher, said McLeod was “under the influence” at the time of the offence.

McLeod, of Greenock, was sentenced to 300 days in prison, which was reduced to 256 due to her guilty plea and time spent on remand.

[charleswalford]

Giving something back: How Britain is the most generous country in Europe

Britain is the most generous country in Europe, research has found.

Overall, the UK was found to be the eighth most-generous country in the world. Though that is a fall of two places on last year.

Ireland was one place behind the UK, according to the annual Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index, the the Netherlands the third most-generous European country.

It found one in three people in Britain had volunteered in the past month, up from 26 per cent in 2015.

However, the number donating to a good cause dropped from 75 per cent to 69 per cent.

The numbers of people worldwide giving money was slightly up. And it was found there was little disrecpancy between men and women when it comes to donating.

Myanmar was found to be the most generous country on Earth for the third year running. The United States was second – the most generous nation in the western world, followed by Australia.

For the first time since the index began, more than half of people in 140 countries said they helped a stranger, and record numbers volunteered their time.

Britons are happy to give time and money for charity

Just five of the G20 of the world's richest countries appear in the top 20 of the index, while Africa is the continent which has seen the biggest increase in generosity in the past year.

Iraq and Libya also recorded high levels of helping a stranger despite ongoing armed conflicts, as did Nepal even as it recovered from the devastating earthquakes of 2015. In fact Iraq ranked highest for helping a stranger for the second year running.

John Low, CAF chief executive, said: “The generosity of people, even in countries suffering from disaster and turmoil, is truly humbling. It’s amazing that more than half the people in the world said they helped a stranger.

“In every country, people have this inbuilt desire to give and help others. Governments should encourage that spirit of generosity and create the environment in which a strong civil society can flourish allowing people to reach out to those less fortunate than themselves.”

The index is based upon data from Gallup’s World View World Poll, a survey of around 140,000 people worldwide.

The world's ten most generous countries:

Myanmar

USA

Australia

New Zealand

Sri Lanka

Canada

Indonesia

UK

Ireland

UAE.

Pictures from Rex Features

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How London is the capital of England’s flytipping epidemic

Fridges, washing machines... and animal carcasses. These are all among the items illegally dumped in London in a year.

The capital accounted for a staggering 40 per cent of England's fly-tipping problem in 2014/15.

In the 12-month period to March 2015 there were 16 dumping incidents recorded per 1,000 population in England, the Guardian reports.

Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland between them accounted for a further 12 per cent of these.

It cost the ten cities more than £32million in clean-up and enforcement costs, with £25million of that spent in the capital alone

Across London, the figures included more than 100,000 dumped black bags, almost 10,000 fridges, washing machines and other white goods, and 1,600 animal carcasses.

The east London borough of Newham had the highest rate of fly-tipping per head of population.

Dumping in Lambeth, London

A council spokesman said the increase was partly due to an increased interest and investment in tackle the issue.The number of dumping incidents recorded across England fell to a low of 711,000 between over 12 months to April 2013. But it has risen since. In 2014/15 there were almost 900,000 fly-tipping incidents, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed.

Defra said some of the increase may be down to improvements in recording instances, but said the figures only include dumping on council-owned land.

Richard McIlwain, of Keep Britain Tidy, said local authorities are ebing forced by budget constraints to charge users for recycling facilities.

He said: “Local Authorities are not the bad guys here – they are facing really tough choices.”

But McIlwain also called for stricter enforcement and higher penalties for fly-tippers.

“The maximum penalty that magistrates are allowed to impose is £50,000 and/or a 12-month custodial sentence, yet over 60% of fines are less than £200 and 95% of the fines issued are less than £1,000. Magistrates need to impose stricter penalties to create a real deterrent.”

Prosecutions resulted in fines of less than £600,000 last year.

Pictures from Rex Features

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Air pollution ‘as bad for you as being overweight’

City pollution can be as bad for you as being overweight, research suggests.

Living in the most polluted parts of an urban area has a similar effect on your blood pressure as putting on weight.

The findings are part of the largest-ever study of the effects of fossil fuel emissions.

Previous research has found air pollution causes lung cancer, contributes to respiratory disease including worsening of asthma, and increases the risk of heart disease; now it has been linked to high blood pressure.

According to official figures, an estimated 40,000 people a year die prematurely in the UK because of the air they breathe, the Independent reports.

Researchers, whose work was published in the European Heart Journal, warned that their findings showed current EU limits on air pollution, which are regularly breached, are not low enough.

The study look ar the effects of air pollution and traffic noise on 41,000 people in Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

When the research began, none of the participants had high blood pressure, but over the nine-year period of study more than 6,200 developed the disease or started taking drugs to lower their blood pressure.

And those living in the most polluted parts of a city had a higher chance of developing the condition than those in less polluted areas. They said the risk was similar to someone with a normal BMI becoming overweight.

Speed limits to improve air quality have been introduced in Belgium

Professor Barbara Hoffmann, of Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf, who led the study, said: “One very important aspect is that these associations can be seen in people living well below current European air pollution standards.

“This means the current legislation does not protect the European population adequately from adverse effects of air pollution.”

The researchers said traffic noise and air pollution were both independently linked to high blood pressure.

They said air pollution may cause inflammation in blood vessels. Meanwhile they warned that traffic noise adversely affects the nervous and hormonal systems.

Jenny Bates, of Friends of the Earth, told the Independent: “Crucially, this study shows that there are health risks, even when levels of fine particles of air pollution are below EU legal limits – and in fact the World Health Organisation say there is no known safe limit for this pollution.

“Urgent action is needed to get dirty diesel vehicles off our roads, and to reduce road traffic.”

Greenpeace senior campaigner Areeba Hamid said: “Three of the five countries where this study was undertaken are already seeing cities moving to cleaner technologies and transport systems. It is time for the UK to decide if it wants to join that shift, or continue spending billions on NHS resources to treat conditions linked to air pollution.”

However Professor Francesco Cappuccio, vice-president of the British & Irish Hypertension Society, said there should be a “big note of caution” about the research.

“The present aggregate analysis suggests that whilst measures of air pollution across different European countries are associated with a greater risk of ‘self-reported’ hypertension, there is no evidence of such an association with the incidence of ‘measured’ hypertension," he said.

Pictures from Rex

[charleswalford]

Missing cutlery, ‘weird smells’ and a MOUSE: Most bizarre reasons for flight delays revealed

Snakes on a plane may make for a film idea; insects or a mouse on the plane, however, simply makes for irate passengers and a string of compensation claims.

They are among the bizarre reasons that flights have been delayed or cancelled as revealed by compensation firm EUclaim.

Ryanair flight FR3475 from Malta to Eindhoven was delayed for 24 hours due to “insects on the plane” in July.

In August 2015 a ‘weird smell’ on easyJet flight U28652 caused delays for passengers travelling from Ibiza to Gatwick. But, perhaps the strangest excuse from the budget airline came in June, when passengers travelling from Belfast to Amsterdam were delayed because of a ‘missing crew member’. History does not recount whether the crew member was ever found.

Adeline Noorderhaven, UK Manager of EUclaim said: “While some of the reasons for delayed flights are undeniably comical, we know it can be hard to see the funny side if it’s your flight that’s delayed. Waiting over three hours because there’s a mouse loose on the plane can be unnerving as well as frustrating!”

In 2011, flight SK945 from Stockholm to Chicago was delayed by Scandinavian Airlines after crew spotted a mouse in the cabin.

One flight was delayed by a mouse

Ms Noorderhaven added: “These types of incidents should not be happening and it’s the airlines’ job to make sure unwanted animals and smells don’t get on board in the first place. Whatever the reason for the delay may be, all passengers are entitled to compensation – should they be forced to wait three hours or more”.

A more common reason for delays is smoking in the toilet. In June a Jet2 flight from Glasgow to Ibiza suffered massive delays when a passenger was caught lighting up in the loo.

Missing cutlery – as an excuse – however, is a little more ‘unique’ said Ms Noorderhaven. “I had to re-read the claim form to make sure I was reading right, but our client was spot-on! In August a Thomas Cook flight from Cancun to Stanstead was delayed because of “missing cutlery”.

Ms Noorderhaven said: “Airlines responsible for these let downs are unlikely to offer up information about claiming for compensation as they don’t want to lose out. But we urge all passengers affected to get in touch with EUclaim and get the compensation you rightfully deserve.”

The bizarre excuses for delays and cancellations:

Insects in the plane:  Ryanair

Mouse in cabin: Scandinavian Airlines: 

Drunk passenger: easyJet

Missing cutlery: Thomas Cook

Smoking in toilet: Jet2

Missing crew member: easyJet

Baggage vehicle collision: Ryanair

Weird smell: easyJet

Picture from Rex

[charleswalford]

One third of teachers quit the classroom within five years

Almost one in three state-school teachers who began work in 2010 left the profession within five years, official figures show.

After just one year, one in eight had quit the classroom.

The Government claimed retention rates have been 'broadly stable' for 20 years, but the figures show that around 7,200 of the 24,100 newly qualified teachers who joined schools in November 2010 had left the profession by 2015.

Furthermore,  after just one year only 87 per cent were still in the classroom, while this figure dropped to 82 per cent after two years.

As further attrition took place, this fell to 77 per cent the following year, 73 per cent after four years and just 70 per cent after five.

The figures were published by schools minister Nick Gibb in response to a written ministerial question submitted by Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland.

Schools minister Nick Gibb

The LibDems said ministers must address the reasons that teachers feel 'demoralised and under-valued'.

The party's education spokesman John Pugh said: 'This is a damming record for Michael Gove's time as education secretary.

'It is bad enough that dedicated teachers are being driven away from the profession they love, but this is also laying the foundations for a disastrous teaching shortage in years to come if we cannot train new teachers fast enough to replace the ones which leave.

'The Government must urgently work with the teaching community to address the many factors which are making teachers feel demoralised and under-valued, as well as reversing their devastating cuts to school budgets which are putting increasing pressure on teachers and schools.'

A Department for Education spokesman said: 'We recognise teachers' concerns and are continuing to work with the sector to find constructive solutions to this issue.'

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: 'It is deeply regrettable that so many people have chosen to leave teaching, when we need new teachers more than ever.

'Ministers need to ask themselves why this is happening, and to take immediate action.

'They need to face the fact that schools have become more difficult and less rewarding places in which to work.'

Pictures from Rex Features

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Pack of crisps? That’ll be £45 please! Beer firm launches world’s priciest potato chips

For some of us a packet of Scampi Fries is the ideal pub accompaniment to a nice pint; others prefer a simple Walkers Ready Salted.

But one brewery has decided that such snacks are not worthy of being drunk with its beer – and come up with its own.

However, they won't so much fill a hole, as burn one in your pocket – each box contains just five crisps, and at £45.68 per box that works out at £9.14 a crisp.

The world' most expensive crisp has been made by Swedish beer company St Erik's, which uses five specific ingredients – Matsutake mushrooms from northern Swedish forests, truffle seaweed from the Faroe Islands, Crown Dill from the Bjäre Peninsula, Leksand onion and India Pale Ale Wort.

The £10 crisp

And that is enough to tempt some, with the first batch of 100 boxes being snapped up instantly, Mail Online reports.

Brand manager Marcus Friari said: “We’re passionate about the craftsmanship that goes into our beer. At the same time, we felt that we were missing a snack of the same status to serve with it.

“A first-class beer deserves a first-class snack, and this is why we made a major effort to produce the world’s most exclusive potato chips.”

Chef Pi Le said: “All of the ingredients are of a stature that not many will have tried before.

“These chips are an excellent accompaniment to craft beer, or simply enjoyed on their own.”

Pictures from St Erik’s

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Free (food) parking! Restaurant customer who left car overnight rewarded for not drink-driving

Coming back to the car to find a note stuck to the windscreen leaves most of us with a sinking feeling.

And this person having left their car parked overnight outside a restaurant would well have expected a parking ticket or an angry missive from the owners.

And it was indeed a letter from the restaurant, but far from expressing outrage at the car being left overnight, the letter was in fact an offer of free food.

The restaurant, even though they did not know whether the person had been a customer, had been so impressed that they had left the car rather than drive home after a drink that they rewarded them with some chicken - at least a voucher to purchase some chicken wings in the establishment.

“Please accept this as a thank you for being responsible,” it read

The lucky recipient shared his good luck on Reddit. Maybe he'll share his chicken too.

Picture from Reddit

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Woman ‘stabbed partner with steak knife after drunken row then left him to die'

A woman stabbed her boyfriend in the heart with a steak knife and left him for 45 minutes before calling an ambulance, a court heard.

Emma-Jayne Magson, 23, is accused of murdering 26-year-old James Knight outside her home following a drunken row.

After stabbing him she pretended he had been in a fight and even stopped a Good Samaritan from turning him over because it would have revealed his wound, the court was told.

She then went inside to change her clothes and waited 45 minutes before dialling 999, but when she was told an ambulance would be delayed, she told the operator: "That's fine, don't worry about it," a jury heard.

She blamed his injuries on an altercation with bouncers, a jury heard.

Hours before, the couple had gone on a night out in Leicester city centre, before getting a taxi to Magson's home at about 12.30am on March 27.

In the cab, the pair started arguing, and were ordered to get out by the driver after Magson started kicking Mr Knight.

Leicester Crown Court heard the couple continued arguing outside Magson's home where she plunged a 11.5cm (4.5ins) steak knife into his chest.

Mr Knight collapsed, before taking off his T-shirt and telling her: "My heart is bleeding", the jury was told.

Magson at court today

Mr Knight's dying last breaths could be heard on a "chilling" 999 call Magson made 45 minutes later, in which she claims he had "collapsed" after a night out.

Magson, of Leicester, denies murder, claiming she acted in self-defence. Prosecutor Michael Evans QC told the jury of six men and six women Magson plunged the knife into Mr Knight's heart in "anger", and not to protect herself.

He told the jury Magson took Mr Knight's blood-soaked T-shirt indoors and went back outside to downplay the seriousness of his injury by lying to neighbours, including the victim's brother, Kevin, who lived nearby.

She told them he was drunk and had been fighting with bouncers.

Mr Evans said Mr Knight and Magson had been in a relationship for some time, and it was "volatile on both sides".

Mr Evans said: "As soon as they got into the cab they began arguing."

He said the taxi driver asked them to leave, "when James Knight was sitting on one side of the seat and the defendant was lying down on the other side, kicking him".

They got out in the Pool Road area, where CCTV cameras captured Mr Knight pushing Magson "aggressively" to the floor.

Magson got up and they continued walking to her house on Sylvan Street, Newfoundpool, Leicester, at one point holding hands.

A neighbour later heard banging on Magson's door, with Mr Knight asking her to let him in and her responding: "I'm not letting you in after last time."

The scene of Mr Knight’s stabbing

Mr Knight then phoned a friend saying Magson was "kicking off". Mr Evans said: "Those were the last words anyone, other than the defendant, heard him say before he was stabbed."

After being stabbed, Mr Knight quickly became unconscious and two locals and his brother rushed to his aid. Mr Evans said Magson "deceived them into believing he wasn't seriously injured, saying 'he's on coke, he's on drugs, he doesn't need help'.”

He added: "Her calmness caused even his own brother to be deceived that he didn't need help."

Mr Knight's brother helped carry him into Magson's home. 

Mr Evans said: "What his brother, Kevin, didn't realise was that whilst carrying him, he was dying. The brother was ushered out and she shut the door, leaving just him and her alone." 

He said that "for many minutes, nothing happened - Magson went upstairs to change, leaving him where he had been left by his brother." 

The fatal attack took place on the night the clocks went forward an hour. Mr Evans said: "Eventually after 3am she called for an ambulance."

Minutes later, Mr Knight was dead. Mr Evans added: "It was only then she moves into the street screaming 'He's dead'.

"It's only then his brother, nearby, realises how serious it is.”

Magson told police at the scene they had not been out together, and that Mr Knight had turned up at her house alone and collapsed outside her home, where she had found him.

Mr Evans said: "It was only when she realised she had no option that she admits she stabbed him.”

The trial continues.

Pictures from SWNS

[charleswalford]

Stephen Lawrence murder suspect among ten ‘most wanted’ British criminals hiding in Spain

A suspect in the murder of Stephen Lawrence is one of the ten 'most wanted' British criminals thought to be hiding in Spain.

Jamie Acourt, 40, from south-east London, was allegedly part of a cannabis-dealing gang between January 2014 and February 2016.

He was named as one of the suspects over the racist murder of 18-year-old Stephen, who was killed in 1993 in southeast London. Two of the accused, David Norris and Gary Dobson, have been convicted of the killing and are serving life sentences.

The list was unveiled by British and Spanish authorities at a joint press conference in Malaga on Thursday.

Steve Reynolds, Head of International Operations for the National Crime Agency, said: "The fugitives we are hunting are wanted for serious crimes and must be returned to the UK to face justice."

Chairman of Crimestoppers Lord Ashcroft said: "These people have managed to evade arrest and avoid justice. We know that with the help of Spanish authorities, along with the public in Spain and the UK, we can find these people."

Here is a list of the 10 most wanted British fugitives thought to be hiding in Spain:

Jamie Acourt, 40, from south east London, (pictured top left) was allegedly part of a cannabis-dealing gang between January 2014 and February 2016. He is 5ft 8in and athletic, with a pale complexion, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and sometimes wears glasses.

Matthew Sammon, 45, from Croydon, south London, (pictured top right) is wanted on suspicion of making and possessing indecent photographs of children. He was arrested and questioned in April 2014, but went on the run when he was released on bail and has not been seen since.

Shane O'Brien, 28, is accused of murdering 21-year-old Josh Hanson in an unprovoked knife attack in a bar in Hillingdon, west London in October 2015. Police believe he has "strong links" to Spain. Another line of investigation is that he may be in Dubai. A £20,000 reward is on offer for information leading to his arrest and prosecution.

Suspected fraudster Mark Acklom, 43, from London, allegedly posed as a Swiss banker and an MI6 agent as he fleeced a woman, whom he said he would marry, out of £850,000.

Shane O’Brien, left, and Mark Acklom

Violent offender Jonathan Kelly, 36, from Glasgow, paralysed one victim in a machete attack. He has convictions for a string of violent crimes including assaults causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement, robbery, and having a sharply pointed weapon in prison. He was also subject to a sexual offences prevention order.

Suspected paedophile Steven Carruthers, 43, from Bury, Greater Manchester, is wanted by Cumbria Police after officers found more than 5,000 obscene images of children, including some being sexually abused, on his computer.

Jonathon Kelly, left, and Steven Carruthers

Sarah Panitzke, 42, from Fulford, North Yorkshire, laundered £1billion as part of a massive tax fraud. She went on the run in May 2013 before the end of her trial for conspiracy to acquire criminal property, and in her absence was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Dominic McInally, 25, from Liverpool is allegedly the boss of a cocaine-dealing gang that pulled in £1.2million per month. 

Sarah Panitzke and Dominic McInally

Mark Quinn, 52, from Liverpool, is wanted by Police Scotland for allegedly being involved in a drug dealing gang that made, smuggled and sold amphetamine with a street value of more than £11million between August 2013 and April 2014. He is 5ft 9in and has short, brown hair.

Suspected drug dealer Simon McGuffie, 41, from Liverpool is accused of being part of a Merseyside gang that sold cocaine, heroin and cannabis across the North West.

Mark Quinn and Simon McGuffie

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The ‘diet cutlery’ that makes your food taste sweeter

Fancy a diet, but have too much of a sweet tooth to go on one?

Now you can have your carob cake and actually want to eat it thanks to a gadget that makes low-sugar food taste sweeter.

The Taste Buddy, as it is called, uses an electrical current to stimulate taste buds so the mouth perceives sweet or salty flavours, even when they are not there.

It is being developed at the University of London, by a team led by Prof Adrian Cheok, who unveiled the device at the The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair.

His team are developing a prototype spoon but say it is hoped the device could be fitted to cutlery, cups and cans, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Prof Cheok said it could let people to taste something they enjoy while being healthy, such as making tofu taste like steak or vegetables like chocolate.

“What started out as a fun engineering experiment has now led to something much more exciting with the potential to have a positive social impact,” said Dr Cheok, professor of pervasive computing.

The device is tested at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair.

“The Taste Buddy could eventually help save lives, by allowing people to switch to healthier food choices.” 

The invention exploits the chemical reactions happening in the mouth when we eat. The team has tested the ideal frequency that artificially stimulates the reaction.

For sweet tastes there is a channel called TRPM5 which is temperature sensitive, so people taste more sweetness when the food is hot. So to mimic sweeter tastes the device changes the temperature of the tongue rapidly from 77F (25C) to 104F (40C.)

Kasun Thejitha Karunanayaka who has been working alongside Prof Cheok at the University of London said: “We’re actually trying out a spoon interface to eat desserts at the moment.

“We’re going to do a study next year into the eating behaviours of people too, to help create a cutlery set.”

He added: “We also want to take into consideration just how different everyone’s sense of taste is.

“For instance, we know that people who eat lots of spicy food, or people who smoke, have less sensitive taste, and therefore need a higher thermal and electrical current to create the taste. To make it robust enough and available to absolutely everyone, we need to do more work.”

Pictures from Rex

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Patients ‘twice as likely to die on operating table if surgeon is about to go on holiday’

Patients going under the knife have double the chance of dying if their surgeon is about to take a holiday, a leading doctor has claimed.

Heart specialist Samer Nashef says that those operated on the day before the surgeon was due to go away had a mortality rate that was just over twice that of those operated on after the holiday.

He said: ‘We looked into [mortality rates and surgeons’ holidays] out of interest because we didn’t really know.

‘What we found is that the patients operated on the day just before we went on holiday had a mortality rate that was a little bit more than double the ones operated on when we came back.

He added: ‘That was a bit of a surprise, I wasn’t expecting the getting back to be that safe and there are possibly psychological reasons.'

Mr Nashef – who has written a book called The Naked Surgeon  – was speaking at the Cheltenham Literary Festival.

He also contradicted NHS warnings that eating butter, salt and crisps can increase the risk of heart disease, suggesting that there are other factors that have a bigger influence.

He said: ‘There are some things that will definitely help. The first thing and most important is don’t smoke because that is absolutely a guarantee.

‘Being obese is bad, if you have high blood pressure it must be controlled because that is a problem as well and diabetes should be controlled. The things that don’t matter; butter, salt, crisps. These things are not problems.’ Previous research found that patients who have routine operations on a Friday are 24 per cent more likely to die than if they had undergone the procedure earlier in the week..

Worryingly, the figure is for common procedures such as hip replacements, rather than for potentially more difficult emergency cases.

It is thought this is because there are fewer senior staff on duty to aid them should something go wrong as they recover.

Picture from Rex

[charleswalford]

Boy, 9, saves mum life after dialling 999 as she overdosed on heroin

A nine-year-old boy is being hailed a hero after saving his mum and her boyfriend's life when they overdosed on heroin.

The youngster called an ambulance when his 30-year-old mum and her partner went into cardiac arrest at their home on  Jersey, a court has heard.

Magistrates were told that the boy's actions "saved their lives".

The court heard that the mother had taken supply of the drugs on a Sunday afternoon last August. She and her partner then took them, sending them both into a cardiac arrest.

Seeing their state the boy called, the emergency services. Paramedics arrived and revived the couple.

The mother was hauled before Jersey magistrates

But the incident led to the mother – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – being taken to court, where she pleaded guilty to a charge of exposing her son to "risk of harm".

She was sentenced to 120 hours of community service, the Mirror reports.

Assistant magistrate Peter Harris said that there was "no telling the extent" of the emotional damage done to the child.

Alexander English, for the mother, said she felt "genuine remorse" for her actions, adding that: "No one loves the boy more than her."

He added: "Any community service order would potentially be a barrier to her caring for the child for the child on a full-time basis."

Mr Harris said that it was "a very serious case" with a maximum sentence of ten years - but he spared the mother jail as he believed it would have a negative impact on the child's well being.

Picture from Rex Features

[charleswalford]

Tough call! How women prefer their smartphone to their partner

If it feels like your are being replaced as the object of your girlfriend's affections, then there's good news and bad news.

She may well have a new infatuation – but it is not another man, simply her smartphone.

Women spend more time checking emails, sending texts and using social media than they do enjoying the company of their partners, research has found.

On average they spend 12 hours more a week on their phones than with a loved one, according to a survey.

Astonishingly, one in five of those surveyed said they would find it harder to be without a phone for a week than their partner.

And the time spent away from their mobile is not necessarily quality time as being parted from the device can cause stress, anger and panic, researchers say.

Even on honeymoon, 50 per cent said they would spend time on social media, while more than a quarter of adults check their personal emails. One in ten said they would check their work emails, though that might reflect more on their boss than their relationship with their phone.

The study was carried out by Bausch + Lomb Ultra contact lenses.

Psychologist Chireal Shallow told The Sun: "All of this interaction and addiction with our digital devices creates problems for our eyes. More than half say their eyes feel tired at the end of the day."

Pictures from Rex Features