Mother of fatal crash girl dies

29 April 2011 Last updated at 11:54 The collision closed the road between Gilwern and Brynmawr The mother of a six-year-old girl killed in a road crash on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road in south Wales has now also died.

Stephanie Curtis, 35, from Blaenau Gwent, was driving a blue Peugeot which was in collision with a silver Mercedes on Thursday.

Ffion Elizabeth Merrifield died after the crash while her mother died later in hospital.

Two women in the Mercedes both suffered minor injuries.

The crash happened on the eastbound carriageway between Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent and Gilwern, Monmouthshire at about 1100 BST.

Ms Curtis died of her injuries at the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff.

The mother and daughter were from the Nantyglo area of Blaenau Gwent.

All involved in the crash were initially taken to Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny.

Gwent Police said the Mercedes was being driven by a 69-year-old from Gilwern. Both she and her passenger are still in hospital.

The A465 was closed in both directions between Gilwern and Conoco roundabout at Brynmawr while emergency services were in attendance.

Gwent Police is investigating the collision and anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to contact the force's collision investigation unit on 01633 642404 or by dialling 101.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Mother not guilty of fire murders

22 February 2011 Last updated at 12:20 GMT Ms Adams denied starting the fire A woman has been found not guilty of murdering two of her children in a fire at her Derbyshire house.

Fiona Adams escaped with her baby son Kiernan but her daughter Niamh, five, and son Cayden, two, died in the blaze at Edale Way, in Buxton, last April.

The 24-year-old denied the charges and was found not guilty at Nottingham Crown Court.

She was also found not guilty of grievous bodily harm and arson with intent.

The prosecution claimed Ms Adams started the blaze deliberately to create a "drama" to get attention from her partner James Maynard, 28, who had cheated on her in the past.

Laundry basket

She jumped from a bedroom window on to a trampoline while holding her baby son.

Her other two children were found dead near the window ledge of the bedroom window.

The prosecution claimed she started the fire in a laundry basket and called a burns expert who stated injuries to her hands supported this.

But the defence said an eyewitness saw flames coming from the window from which she jumped and suggested this could have been how she burnt her hands.

Ms Adams told the court she heard the smoke alarm going off as she got ready for bed.

"I went straight out of my bedroom... It was just like an orange glow coming from downstairs," she said.

She told the jury she took Niamh and Cayden, who shared a bedroom, into her room because their windows were locked.

"I remember being stood at the window and then I opened the window.

"I just remember the smoke getting worse and worse. As the smoke got worse, the less I could see.

"They [Niamh and Cayden] were stood with me. When I turned back around, they weren't there any more."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Mother in care baby legal battle

11 February 2011 Last updated at 07:24 GMT A mother from Greater Manchester who claims her baby daughter was wrongly taken into care has taken her case to the European Courts.

The 23-year-old, from Oldham, has a two-year-old daughter who was taken into care when she was six months old because of "potential risk of harm".

Oldham Social Services believed her mother was unable to look after her.

The European Court for Human Rights is now trying to find out if the authority was right to take the child.

The mother, who would not be named, was brought up in care and was still under the supervision of Oldham Social Services when she had her baby at the age of 20 in November 2008.

Visits stopped

She said: "I feel I was capable of looking after my daughter with help and support but that was nowhere to be seen.

"If I'd been provided with help and support I wouldn't be in this position."

After her daughter was taken into care, the woman said she was allowed to see her three times a week, but that her visits were stopped in March 2010.

She said she thought her daughter may have been adopted.

"They said my daughter was at potential risk of harm and neglect in the future, which is a crystal ball projection," she said.

"Losing her was the worst possible thing that I could go through. I'd given birth to my child and that child is my blood and she then gets taken into care and I've got no jurisdiction over my own child."

'Best possible support'

The woman said that her own mother had been in care and that she wanted to "break the cycle".

"I don't want to be stood in court in 20 years time fighting for my grandchildren," she said.

Oldham Council refused to comment specifically on the case as it is the subject of an ongoing legal process.

A spokesman said: "Oldham Council takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and welfare of children and young people extremely seriously and is committed to providing the best possible support to all people who it has a legal responsibility to care for.

"Our children's services are rated 'excellent' by Ofsted and our adult social services are ranked as 'performing well'."

Police investigating the disappearance of a man from Greater Manchester try to identify a body found in the River Irwell.

White CloudMax: 10°CMin: 6°CWind: SSW 6mph

What did Obama say to those people who don't like him?

Your computer could be used in cyber attack if unprotected

China's wealthy flock to the snow covered slopes

Why Indians have high hopes at the Grammy music awards

News and media are ripe for the social revolution, says Facebook CTO Bret Taylor

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.