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Asian Voice - Saturday 28th January 2012
In brief
Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com
Leicester Voice
Leicestershire sees significant drop in crime rate
By Meera Majithia
Four people found guilty of human trafficking Four people have been convicted for their involvement in a human trafficking case with a Romanian national.
Georgina Toma
Georghe Avram (24), Georgiana Toma (31), Kirit Rabheru (59) and Claudia Ghenciu (33) were convicted after a 14 day trial at Leicester Crown Court. The defendants were charged after an investigation by Leicestershire Constabulary’s serious crime team with support from colleagues from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). The victim in this case is a Romanian national who was brought to the UK under the pretence that she was going to work in a restaurant but when she arrived in the country she was made to have sex with up to 15 men a night.
George Avram
Claudia Ghenciu
Avram pleaded guilty to controlling a prostitute for gain and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and Toma pleaded guilty to controlling a prostitute for gain. Rabheru and Ghenciu were both found guilty of controlling a prostitute for gain. Ghenciu was sentenced to 12 months in prison and the remaining three defendants are due to be sentenced at a later date. Detective Constable Stu Palmer from the city serious crime team investigated the case, he said: “This was a complex and lengthy investigation which has today resulted in four people being convicted for their part in the crime.
Kirit Rabheru
“The victim has been extremely brave throughout the proceedings and is slowly recovering from her ordeal at the hands of the defendants. “She was brought to the UK under false pretences and was shown photographs of her young daughter who was in Romania and told that her child would be harmed if she didn’t comply with their instructions. Rabheru also forced the victim to have sex with him as a way of paying her rent. “All the defendants played a part in what she was subjected to and I hope the verdicts help her move on with her life and put the events of the last 14 months behind her.”
Call for green volunteers Volunteers are being sought to lead groups exploring Leicester's parks, nature reserves and green spaces. A number of projects are due to take place and the council is looking for people to help with a number of different activities, ranging from bulb planting, litter picking, maintaining trees and vegetation, and helping to clean out local ponds and streams. Helpers will also be able to train to become Green Hat volunteers, who lead other volunteers in regular clean-up and planting days. Leicester already has a wellestablish network of thriving 'friends of parks' groups, made up of community volunteers who care enough about local parks to get involved in the management and development process, including regular volunteer
activities, helping with on-site events, and supporting bids for money for further development. Leicester City Council senior park officer, Vicky Hudson, said: "All our parks and green spaces belong to the people who live and work in the city, which is why we're so keen to welcome volunteers and to get them involved with our parks. "There are major heritage renovations going on at Spinney Hill Park, and Knighton Park has recently become home to a brand new outdoor gym. Neither of these projects would have been successful in gaining funding without the local communities' direct involvement and support." January events include planting in Evington Park on Wednesdays, conservation work at Aylestone
Meadows, pruning and mulching work at Evington Community Orchard, and litter picks at Evington's Sparrow Park and Sturdee Road Recreation Ground. There will also be the chance to help with coppicing and cutting work at Watermead Country Park. Leicester assistant city mayor responsible for heritage and leisure, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, added: "Volunteers play a vital role in ensuring parks and green spaces are kept looking their best, and these volunteering opportunities are a great way for people to get involved in their communities." To register for a list of each month's volunteering events and training details, visit: www.leicester.gov.uk/parks and choose information on Park Force Volunteers.
2,000-year-old treasure returns to the city A magnificent Roman helmet which lay buried in a Leicestershire field for 2000 years, then underwent nine years of restoration at the British Museum, is finally coming home for permanent display. The Hallaton Helmet will be publicly displayed for the first time on Saturday 28th January at Harborough Museum, Market Harborough. It will be reunited with other finds from the Hallaton Treasure which were found alongside it when a native British Iron Age shrine was excavated by the Hallaton Fieldwork Group and University of Leicester Archaeological Services between 2001 and 2004. The event will be attended by the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, David Parsons, and Cabinet Member for Adults and
Communities, David Sprason. The new displays will be unveiled at 10.30am by Mrs Jackie Dickinson, Chairman of Leicestershire County Council. Roman soldiers from the Ermine Street Guard, including cavalrymen on horses, will be in Church Square between 11am and 3pm to help celebrate in true Roman style. The helmet made international news on 10th January when it was unveiled to the media at the British Museum in London. An incredible conservation and restoration programme was undertaken by their conservators Marilyn Hockey, Fleur Shearman and Duygu Çamurcuoglu following Leicestershire County Council’s successful bid for Heritage Lottery Funding to undertake this mammoth task. The project was likened to a 3D jigsaw puzzle made
complex by deterioration of the helmet during 2000 years in the soil. The mystery of how silver-gilt covered Hallaton helmet ended up in the possession of the local native British population in the years surrounding the Roman conquest of Britain which began in AD 43 has intrigued experts. David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, said: "I urge everyone to go and see this wonderful piece of Leicestershire’s past. It really is a fantastic object which has changed how we view the Roman conquest of Britain. To have an artefact of international importance on our doorstep, displayed in a free, community museum is something of which we can be really proud."
Crime in Leicestershire is reported to have reduced by 11.2% compared with the national figure of 4%, according to the latest figures published in the ‘Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to September 2011’. The figures, which compare the crime rate for the 12-month period from September 2010 to September 2011 showed there were 8,559 fewer crimes reported. Recorded violence against the person offences fell by 4.7% nationally, however Leicester saw this figure reduce significantly with 13.6%. Recorded burglaries fell by 1.9% nationally, but in Leicester this figure amounted to 16.2%. Meanwhile recorded vehicle crime fell by 11.5% nationally, yet once again Leicester saw a higher reduction figure of 15.4%. Chief Constable Simon Cole of Leicestershire Police said: “Whilst it is pleasing to achieve reductions in crime across the board, ourselves and partners can’t become complacent. We will continue working in the coming days, weeks and months to protect our communities from the harm caused by crime and anti-social behaviour. “The support and cooperation of the public are very important factors in the work we do. I would encourage people living and working in the in the communities we serve to share any concerns they have about their local area.” British Crime Survey (BCS*) interviews showed that 63 per cent of people agreed that the Leicestershire force deals with local concerns; 60 percent agreed police and local councils are dealing with local issues. Both results were the highest in the East Midlands. The city performed very well compared with other forces in its most similar group (MSG).The other seven forces in its MSG include Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
Search for overseas player continues
Former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf is no longer in the running to join Leicestershire County Cricket Club this season. Yousuf, 37 who represented Warwickshire last year, and last played for his country in November 2010, would have been Leicestershire’s overseas player in the LV= County Championship. However, the parties were unable to reach an agreement, and so Leicestershire’s search for an overseas batsman continues. Chief executive Mike Siddall said: "We have been in talks for several weeks but unfortunately a problem arose this week which, between us, we could not solve. We are disappointed and are now looking at other options." The Friends Life t20 champions have already secured Abdul Razzaq’s return for their defence.
Celebrating National Libraries Day
It is often said that the best things in life are free and to celebrate National Libraries Day on Saturday, February 4th Leicestershire County Council’s libraries will be holding a special free day. On the day, hiring DVDs, CDs or talking books will all be free. There will also be an amnesty on overdue library items so they can be returned without the need to pay any charges. There will be no charges for extra sessions on library computers and users will be able to get up to six computer printouts free of charge. These will join the usual free services such as joining the library, using your library to find information, borrowing books and downloading eBooks. Some libraries will also be holding special events to celebrate the day. These include a talk at Oadby Library on Plague, Pestilence and Prostitution - a lighthearted history of nursery rhymes with Lettys Parkyn from 11.00am - 12.00 noon, for which booking is essential. Also, there will be the final session of serialised readings from a popular children’s book as part of the Children’s Readathon at Hinckley Library from 3 -3.30pm. David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, said: “Whether or not you are a regular user of Leicestershire’s libraries, celebrating National Libraries Day with a free day is an excellent opportunity to go along to your local library and take advantage of the excellent services which are on offer.” For more information about National Libraries Day visit: www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk