Your guide for your
Weekly Out&About Put th
GROUP Didcot, Wallingford, Thame & Henley-on-Thames Thursday, February 1 - Wednesday, February 7, 2018
leisure guide for in and around Oxford
leisure time in & aroun
d Oxfordshire
e date in your diary...
Comedy marathon – 5 venues in 1 day and all for a good cause
Gary Ba rlow and Tim Fir Calenda th’s r Gi at the Ne rls w Theatre
Free
oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Kenya climb to raise £100,000 for farmers
Adult care hit as house to close
Career advice for aspiring scientists
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Couple held at gunpoint in attempted Bitcoin robbery By Owen Hughes A COUPLE living in a “normally quiet” south Oxfordshire village were held at gunpoint in what is believed to be Britain’s fi rst digital currency heist. Armed robbers broke into a house in affluent Moulsford, where episodes of TV crime drama Midsomer Murders have been fi lmed, and forced city trader Danny Aston, 30, to transfer Bitcoins electronically over to them. However, police have since confi rmed the fi nancial transaction was not completed. The four offenders broke into the property in Offlands Court, off Reading Road, at around 9.40am on Monday January 22, threatening two men and a woman inside the property at gunpoint. Mr Aston shouted for help before the thieves pulled him into the converted barn. The robbers attempted to force the couple to transfer across an unknown amount of the crypto-currency on a computer. During the attack, Mr Aston was struck on the head but not seriously injured. He attended John Radcliffe Hospital and was later discharged. Benson and Cholsey county councillor Mark Gray said: “This is absolutely the fi rst time I’ve seen
anything at all like this around here, normally it’s so quiet. “Obviously there is the odd break in locally, but I’ve never heard of anything like this before.” All of the offenders are men; three are black and one is white. They were all wearing tracksuits/sports clothing. Detective Inspector Ben Henley, of Force CID based at Abingdon police station, said: “If you saw anyone matching the descriptions of the offenders or any suspicious vehicles in the area please contact police. “We are particularly interested in speaking to anyone travelling through the village on the A329 Reading Road between 7.30am and 10.30am on Monday, January 22 who has any dashcam footage or anyone with mobile phone footage. “People in the local community may notice an increased presence of officers in the area while our enquiries and patrols are ongoing. “The investigation is in its early stages however initial enquiries suggest this may be a targeted incident. “No arrests have been made at this stage and anyone with any information relating to the incident is asked to call Thames Valley Police [on 101].” The heist comes as the virtual currency has soared in value to just under £8,000 for a single coin.
New chapters for libraries
From left, Barry O’Connor, trustee and secretary of Friends of Benson Library, Belinda Lodwick, sales consultant at CALA Homes and Anna Malkin, chair of Friends of Benson Library THESE joyful bookworms were all smiles after a welcome donation meant they can look forward to getting their noses into some new books. Friends of Benson Library received £1,000 from CALA Homes as part of the builder’s new bursary scheme.
The group, set up to save the library from closure in 2011, has more than 40 volunteers and raises ‘vital’ funds for the library. Anna Malkin, chair of Friends of Benson Library, said the donation would go a long way to diversify the range of books on offer. She added: “Donations like
this really can help our library continue to thrive and play an important role in the community.” Stuart Wallace, regional managing director for CALA, praised the group for its “invaluable” work for Benson and neighbouring villages.
The Oxfordshire Guardian has more printed copies than any other newspaper in the county
OpenWeek
5 - 9 February 9:30am-3:00pm
NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
Moulsford, Oxfordshire OX10 9HT www.cranfordhouse.net