The Journal

Police to Increase Pressure

AROUND 400 police officers from the North-East are planning to raise the pressure on the Government over their bitter pay protest. The off-duty policemen from Northumbria will join a demo in London on January 23 after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith rejected a backdated 2.5% rise in favour of a deal starting this month.

Car-Jacker Killed in Plunge

A MAN died when a taxi he had stolen at knifepoint plunged over a cliff and crashed on to a Tyneside beach. He was killed when the Nissan Primera crashed through a barrier and over cliffs near Whitburn. He was last night named as Stephen Heslop, 22, from South Shields.

Friends Pay Tribute to Suicide Car-Jacker ; Beauty Spot Claims Another Victim of Despair

A MAN who died after stealing a taxi and driving it off a cliff was identified last night. Stephen Heslop, 22, forced taxi driver Brian Tate out of his car in the Marsden Grotto car park in South Shields at knifepoint, before driving through the safety barrier and off the cliff, plunging more than 120ft onto rocks.

Woman, 19, Raped Near Busy Road

POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a teenager was dragged from a busy road into a back lane and raped. The 19-year-old woman was walking along Durham Road towards Cambourne Grove in Gateshead at 11pm on Christmas Eve when she was approached by a young man.

Pensioner Shocked by Intruder

A WOMAN of 92 was taken to hospital badly shaken after discovering an intruder in her home. She was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital for a check-up after a man entered her house in Wood Terrace, Jarrow, at about 9.40pm on Boxing Day.

North Today: Police Warn Over Bikes

MINI-MOTO bikes bought as Christmas presents could be crushed unless they are ridden in a safe and legal place. Northumbria Police are warning people the miniature motorbikes can be seized and destroyed if they are driven on public land.

North Today: Care Review

North Today: Say for Tenants

North Today: Bungalow Plan

North Today: Green Ideas

North Today: Council 'Better'

Sales Fever Hits the North-East's Stores ; Boom Time for Shops As Thousands Turn Out

SHOPPERS turned out in their thousands across the region yesterday as sales fever continued unabated. Trade showed no signs of slumping as retailers reported booming business with particularly strong sales in clothing and household goods.

Millions of People Spend Pounds 84m Online in Christmas Day Spree

ONLINE spending on Christmas Day soared to pounds 84m, new figures last night showed. Some 4.4 million shoppers hit the internet and splashed out 269% more than on December 25 last year. They were attracted by online sales launched on December 25 by a raft of retailers including Marks and Spencer, Comet and PC World.

Hit-and-Run Driver Leaves Victim with Serious Injuries

A YOUNG woman is recovering in hospital after a hit-and-run driver left her with serious injuries. Police yesterday issued an appeal for witnesses to the incident which happened on the A1052 road in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, last Friday. The 23-year-old from Woodstone Village had been dropped off by a taxi opposite the Floaters Mill pub in Burnmoor, at around 6.30pm when she was struck by a vehicle which was thought to have been driven out of the slip road, breaking her pelvis and bot...

Team Works to Help Women Beat Boys' Club at Work

INSPIRATIONAL role models are being used to encourage women in the North to join male-dominated professions. Academics at Newcastle University have found women are still hugely under-represented in many traditional occupations, particularly science, technology and innovation. Now the university has launched a project to tackle the problem, with its business school starting a role model initiative.

You Can Keep Your Daughter, Mum Told ; Council Relents After Pregnant Woman Flees

A WOMAN who fled the country to avoid her newborn child being taken into care has been told she is safe to be a parent after all. Fran Lyon flew to Continental Europe last month to escape a Northumberland County Council social services ruling that her child would be taken from her 10 minutes after birth.

North Today: More Car Parks Open

North Today: Three Injured

THE occupants of a car had a narrow escape after it overturned and burst into flames in County Durham. Three people suffered minor injuries and crawled free after a the car mounted a grass verge, hit a lamppost and flipped over.

North Today: New Advisers

TWO North-East learners have been chosen as Government further education advisers. The National Learner Panel was set up in 2006 to give people a say in the development of further education and anyone still studying is eligible to act as an independent volunteer.

North Today: False Alarm