Two out of three ain’t bad: The Courier speaks to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg News, page 9
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Issue 1211 Tuesday 4 May 2010 www.thecourieronline.co.uk
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Biomedical professor confesses to child porn offences
PM: poor students will get our help Simon Murphy News Editor
Second paedophilia case rocks University Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer Newcastle University professor Michael Kehoe pleaded guilty to child pornography charges at Crown Court last week, becoming the second University professor to admit to similar allegations this academic year. Kehoe admitted to four counts of making indecent images of children at the hearing on April 27. Two further charges, one of possession of indecent images of children and one Michael Kehoe, professor in microbiology, will return to Crown Court in June for sentencing
of possession of extreme pornography, described in court as an “explicit, realistic� image of intercourse with a live animal, were denied and dropped. This follows the sentencing of former biomedical lecturer Trevor Jackson for child sex offences and possession of child pornography in February. Both were suspended by the University following the allegations, but their embarrassing abuse of trust has drawn negative attention to the faculty in stark contrast to the
usual positive press it receives for outstanding research. The counts against Kehoe which were dropped were suggested to be unlawful by the defence, Toby Hedworth QC, on the grounds that the images had been deleted. The prosecution, Jayne Hastings, agreed to this on the ground that WKHUH ZRXOG EH ´VXIĂ€ FLHQW SXQLVK ment without the need to pursue FRXQWV Ă€ YH DQG VL[Âľ DQG +LV +RQ RXU -XGJH )DXONV FRQĂ€ UPHG WKDW “not guilty was acceptable and “the counts didn’t really add anythingâ€?. The four counts pleaded guilty to were specimen counts relating to the four levels of image found. No further details were revealed, other than that all counts relate to the period of time between February 2008 and April 2009. The case is now adjourned until WKH Ă€ UVW ZHHN RI -XQH ZKHQ D SV\ chiatrists report will have been prepared and given to the probation service for these recommendations to be considered before preparing their pre-sentence report. Judge Faulks told Kehoe that: “All options are open, I am not giving you any promises in adjourning for sentencing.â€? Kehoe was also made to sign the sex offenders register before leaving the court, and the prosecution will submit proposals for a sex offender’s prevention order. Continued on page 5
Labour land: Brown was greeted by cheering crowds at Newcastle Central Station
In an exclusive interview with The Courier, the Prime Minister highlighted the future of higher education as one of his key priorities. Gordon Brown visited the city this ZHHNHQG DV SDUW RI KLV Ă€ QDO FDP paign push before the general election on Thursday. He urged Newcastle’s students not to let the Conservatives “wreckâ€? their future by enforcing devastating public sector cuts. Brown was keen to stress that helping underprivileged young people in Britain get a top university education was one of his central concerns. “You know, that’s what makes me work hard every day,â€? he said. “I want everybody who has got the potential to make the most of the opportunities that are available, so there are more grants this year than at anytime in university education. “Of course the balance is between the government’s grants, parental contributions and the tuition fees. “Graduates, on average, earn twice as much as people who are not graduates, and so as we expand university education, it has been right to say that we’ve got to get the balance right between what you pay after you graduate and what we can contribute to your education.â€? Brown refused to pre-empt the ongoing higher education funding review but said he hoped that it would be equitable. He added: “We want more people from all backgrounds to get the chance to go to university.â€? Brown warned against the dangers of a Tory government, indicating that they would slash the public services budget in the North East. “We are saying to the young people that we will not leave you in the same position as the Conservatives did in the 1980s,â€? he said. “Don’t allow the Conservatives in now to wreck the economy because we have gone a long way from savLQJ WKLV FRXQWU\ IURP D JOREDO Ă€ QDQ cial recession. “Jobs has been the key issue for this region for many, many years and we are the party that is built around providing job opportunities.â€?