The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 2

HOME NEWS THE GUARDIAN Wednesday February .19 1988 Parents private prosecution makes history vicar Man killed friend Dean demands right to strike law by Labour Rent law hints worry Labour with injection or cancer that the electricians' union will By Patrick Wintour, Labour Correspondent Ms Brenda Dean, general secretary of Sogat '82, said yesterday that her union would be calling on the TUC to back a positive right to strike as a main plank of a future Labour government's employment legislation. She said her union's experi ence during the News International dispute showed that Britain needed employment laws through which workers on strike after a ballot could not be sacked without compensa tion or redundancy pay. Soeat's view is likelv to be influential at the TUC's consul tative conference on employment legislation set for March 19. The call already has the support of the General Municipal. Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union.

Ms Dean yesterday brought in an American labour lawyer to assert, that Mr Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News International, would not be able to get away with tactics he has employed in the Wapping dispute in his adopted country of America. Professor Steven Willborn from the University of Nebraska said that US striK- ers are protected from dismissal where they have held a ballot. However, he added that in America 80 oer cent of collec tive industrial agreements are legally miming wuu ai uiiuuuu clauses prohibiting strikes. Ms Dean will todav seek as surances from the TUC general secretary Mr worman wuiis A man anoeared in court: yesterday accused of killing a friend by injecting, him with a pain-killing drug after a private urosecution bv the Barents of bis alleged victim. The prosecution, subsequently taken over by the Crown, cost the parents of John Williams, aged 19, their savings of about E1B.0W.

The case against Gary Austin at St Albans Crown Court is the first private prosecution for manslaughter to be committed for trial at a Crown court this century. The only similar case fol lowed the strangling in 1950 of a librarian, Joan Woodhouse, but magistrates at Arundel in Sussex, decided there was insufficient evidence for committal. Austin, aged 24, a despatch rider of Stocwell, South London, pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter, of Mr Williams, a dairy worker, who lived with his parents at Luton, Bedfordshire. He also denied maliciously administering a noxious substance, the pain-killing drug Palflum, to Mr Williams so as to endanger his life. Mr Williams's parents, Ray aged 48, and his wife, Pauline, 42, sat in the court yesterday as Mj Alan Suckling QC, prosecutive, outlined the case.

Mr Suckling said Mr Williams died on September 2, 1982, after Mr Austin injected him with a fatal dose of Palfium, normally used as a painkiller for cancer patients. Mr Williams became very ill; Mr Suckling said, his lips turned blue and his face white. "Although he was in that condition no attempt was made to get medical help for some hours. One consideration, you may think, was to avoid a police investigation." jie said, finally. Mr Austin and an other man carried Mr Williams into the street.

Mr Austin called an ambulance, claiming that Mr "Williams was drunk, before going back to his fiat. Mr Williams died that night in hospital. Br Clarence Tan. the natho- logist who carried out a postmortem examination, told the jury at the time of the inquest lie could not directly link the death with an overdose of Pal fium because the drug level in the body was low. Since then, new information had come to his attention.

Carlisle to mouth to mouth resuscitation' BR sackings threat over Murdoch bid Gary Austin attempted "We now Snow that where have occurred due to intravenous Palfium abuse, the levels detected at post mortem can be very low." said Dr Tan. Mr Suckling: said that injecting the drug was normally done only in an emergency by a doctor. "When it is done by drug abusers all the safeguards have gone," he said. "It is a tablet that has been crushed and injected straight into the vein and not with a sterile needle, and all the dangers are present." A friend of Mr Williams, An thony Denton, told the jury that he lapsed into unconsciousness get 'minimal' guard from police at student meeting to save a soul A VICAR told a court: yesterday how he handed over thousands of pounds to an alleged coiuuan whose soul he hoped to save from the depths of hell. Derry Mainwaring knight, had convinced the Rev.

John Baker that he needed the. cash to settle deiits and break his links with a Satanic circle, Maidstone Crown Court heard. Knight allegedly spent the money on sex with schoolgirls aha a string of prostitutes, high living, and buying a succession of expensive cars, Including Rolls-Royces, Porsches and a lotus. He bought the 17,000 Lotus on the same day the vicar had obtained 25,000 for him, said ACr Michael Corkery QC, prosecuting. Mr Baker who was said to have obtained more than 200,000 for Knight from a number of wealthy committed Christians said he prayed when he first heard of Knight's cash problems.

I felt the Lord was asking me How much is the cost to redeem a man from the depths of Mr Baker said they first met in April 1983 when Knight moved to the village of Newtek, near Lewes in East Sussex. Knight attended Bible study and Mr Baker comforted his wife after a bad car crash. But the marriage was breaking up, and Mr Baker said Knight told him his paintingn and decorating business was In trouble. Knight had told lilm he also owed money to a bank manager, he said. After talking to the Bishop of Lewes, Mr Baker approached two people who provided 2,500.

Others added 1,500 to pay the debts. Later Knight told Iiim he owed 12,000 to "monev lenders and and unscrupulous debt-collecting agencies." The. vicar said Knight told him lie had been involved in satanism from an early age, and his maternal grandmother Ethel was "an ardent and avid satanist and a sorceress in satanism." 2 Knight, aged 46, of Mill Sane, Dormans Land. Surrey. denies charges involving ob- aimng ay deception ronf the vicar and 1 outer Christians like Viscount Hampden, the Earl of March and Mrs Susan Sainsbury, wife of millionaire Tory MP Mr Tim Sainsbury.

Mr Baker approached company director Mr Cordon Scutt, adviser to the charitable trust Trust Ltd, on behalf of Knight and Mr Scutt handed over a total of 41,000 Mr Ctfckftay'said. Knight also allegedly conned front Lord Hampden to buy a Rolls-Royce. "The rector said the defendant needed the Rolls-Royce to convince his satanist colleagues that be still had influence despite police activities," said Mr Corkery. Mrs Sainsbury paid a total of 79,895 to Knight via the vicar, and Mr Michael Warren, a farmer and committed Christian. handed over 58300, said Mr Corkery.

Mr Corkery detailed the sexual HaisoE3 Knight alleg edly embarked on, using cash sunnosedly intended for his crusade against satanism. They Included a prostitute wno picKea up young scnooi-girls for him. In 10 months she allegedly received about 4,000. The trial continues today. The Rev John Baker- handed over thousands believed to be still printing forged notes.

Chief Inspector Tony Banham, of Leicestershire Police, who headed the 70 officers who smashed the. ring, said There is no doubt this, was part of an extremely professional scheme which in 10 months passed 2 million in faked 50 notes. I am satisfied we have severely dented the operation but the problem still remains. At least one other person is at large with the plate or negative and going into printing works at weekends an unofficial overtime." The court heard the gang was planning to flood the country with a further 2 rail-lion in forged notes at Easter 1985 when police trapped, them. The notes, which were observe the TUC directives Issued a foraight ago.

She is particularly -anxious that the union informs its members at Wapping and Glas gow mat they nave taken work normauy carried out Dy members of other unions who have been sacked without compensation or notice. The NGA again said yester- oay mat it wouia not yet disclose the results of three ballots of about 100 members on whether it should reimpose blacking of the Times sunDle- ments. The delay has fuelled speculation that the 49 NGA members at Northampton Mercury which contract prints me supplements nave voted against the blacking. Some NGA members at Northampton Mercury depend on the Times contract for their jobs. Informal contacts were main tained yesterday between Times Newspapers management and the 12 Times journalists who have refused to work at Wapping.

The Times editor, Mr Charles Wilson, had set yesterday as a deadline for them to go to Waping, but it is mougnt mat dismissals are unlikely at a time when pending talks at Acas hold out the prospect of a negotiated settlement. 4J Mr Terry McCabe, the lorry driver who claimed he was heaten-up by other drivers at the Wapping plant after refus ing to cross picket lines, has been dismissed by his employers, TNT, who distribute the Murdoch newspapers. Sir Robert Reid warning to unions exactly the same as last summer when people refused to go to -work; sacked them" This was a reference to the short guards' dispute which ended embarrassingly for the unions when the signalmen voted narrowly against strike action, Sir i Robert made it clear that Bit was runnine the bust ness, mot the unions. It would be illegal for the unions to advise members to black the papers, he said. On the issue -whether BR would dismiss railway workers for not hand line al papers he replied: "We shall take the appropirate action to satisfy the requirements of our customer." safe despite says CAA Japan Air Lines which initiated the more rigorous structural investigations after the crash of a JAL 747 on a domestic flight last year with the loss of 520 lives, yesterday saia.

mat nve jumDos examined had suffered from between 73 to 88 cracks each, largely in me nose section. None of the cracks were large enough to cause ruptures and all the aircraft were back in service after repairs, said a JAL spokesman. The CAA was adamant that even quite severe cracking in the internal rib frames of 747s would not endanger the aircraft, although cracks in the outer skin could be more serious. But this statement, some observers pointed out, conflicted with tne previous FAA emergency airworthiness directive on 747 safety checks which read "These reports have indicated that current inspection intervals are inadequate to assume continued airworthiness. "The fracture of adjacent frames could lead to rapid decompression of the fuselage and the possible loss of the airplane." 40, of Bell Avenue, Romford, was acquitted on all charges.

Sgt. Henry told the jury I knew these men had a corrupt police officer at Romford who tried to check to registrat'in of the Mercedes car I using. "He had been making inquiries on their behalf to And out if I -was who I said I was. It could have ruined the whole operation but the car was in another name so luckily it did iit affect my cover." Tlie Romford officer had since resigned Sgt. Henry claimed his life wonud have been in danger if his identity had been discovered.

"I could easily have ben killed," he told the court. "It has happened to undercover men in the past." If Tfl Conservatives are concerned about mobility for jobs, reports Geoff Andrews THE conflicting speeches of Messrs Tebbit and Heseltine were making all the headlines at the Young Conservative conference at Blackpool 10 days ago, and Mr John Patton, the housing minister, gained little publicity when he talked about reforming the private rent system. Two days later at Prime Minister's question time a suggestion from Tory backbencher Mr Tony Marlow almost went the same way when he asked if it would not be a good idea to amend the housing bill, currently in committee, "to make new housing stock available to the general public Mrs Thatcher told him she recognised the importance of the subject "That is some thing to which we must give our attention, sue added. "Whether this comes within the long title of the housing bill is not for me to say." That has triggered opposition concern that there are plans afoot to lift controls on new lettings. Housing is being debated in the Commons today.

The idea is that by allowing rents to rise to an economic level through negotiation between landlord and tenant the amount of ac- commodation available for will increase substantially. Since the first world war, when 90 per cent of the population lived in privately rented accommodation, that proportion has been gradually slipping until todav it makes up barely 10 per cent. ana continues to decline at an alarming rate," according to the Duke of Edinburgh's housing inquiry last year. In that rump, mostly in the cities, a large proportion are houses in multiple occupation, where about 180.000 people live in conditions that are often squalid. Something like 80 per cent of the total is unsatisfactory through damp, fire risks, and general dilapidation according to the Institute of Environmental Health Officers.

More than a third of all private rented homes were declared unfit for habitation in a 1981 survey. The; Government's wish to give a boost to the private rented sector has much to do with concern to increase mobiQty of lobour. One of the main provisions of the current housing bill is to cut the time that anyone has to stay in a council home after buying it under the right to buy legislation, because many buyers were spending their redundance money on their homes ahd'-then not being able to wnen a jod turned up" elsewhere. Whether, the rent controls; are still really working is in; doubt anyway. According to-a survey by the Greater London Council last year less than a third of all London lettings since 1980 had Rent Act protection.

The rest were covered, by holiday let arrangements, company lets, and licences to circumvent the regulations. The Government would like to involve the financial institutions. To this end the "assured tenancy scheme" of the 1980 Housing Act could be given a better chance of succeeding with little trouble. That plan was supposed to involve building societies in providing housing within rent control in exchange for tax concessions, but the tax changes were cancelled almost immediately. Work by the Treasury and the Department of the Environment could lead to these tax incentives being reintroduced in the budget.

Things We Take For Granted 1 you are one oi me nmuua AND RHEUMATISM. Only In GO of us in our lifetime will escape one or other of the diseases? 200 different forma. Please help by donating to research aimed at ending this painful scourge. Send your contribution to: THE ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMAT1SMCOUNCILFOR RESEARCH ROOM 505,41 Eerie Street, London VTC1R4AR 1700 Arthritis Research Tmm But not I fimBrHain'smoBtwideenreadand i-AKIHRITIS David McKie Noises of and a ruckus up front HE has only been in the job for a month, but already Paul Channom is beginning to look like the most accident-prone Secretary of State for Trade and Industry since Leon Brittan. There were loud Labour demands in the.

Commons last night for Mr Channon to be summoned to the House after reports began to circulate that he had been spilling beans to the Lobby which had not yet been spilled before MPs. What they actually got, however, on a point of order, was as raucous an outburst from the Leader of House, John fciffen. as that scourge of raucous politics could muster. If the BL debate, with all it meant for the jobs of working people in the Midlands, was to be conducted in this way, by dressing up a bobby briefing as a statement of Govern ment policy, then people would know what to make of the motives of the Party opposite. What saved Kr Channon from having to appear (though the clamour may resume today) was that none of the Midlands Tory MPs, disturbed as they are by the Government's handling of the issue, weighed in behind Labour last night.

As for Mr Shore's information on what Mr Channon had been whispering into the The Day in Politics, page 7 Lobby's complaisant ears new contenders in the offing, a Monopolies Commission referral, a three week deadline, to the huge advantage of the GM Bien just waved them away. He could assure the House he insisted, that the Lobby knew nothing which they lutd not been told. Prime Minister's Question Time was dominated yesterday less by British Leyland than by. the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. This was a slice of luck for Mrs Thatcher, though it owed something, too, to The Speaker's selections among those who clamoured to catch his eye.

ever, nearly all the questions tabled for the Prime Minister wanted to know how engagements for the day, but for once, a specific question had crept in at No 3. Ron Brown (Lab. Leith), who if they ever set up a Parliamentary friends of Barbrak Kanmal will be elected to the chairmanship unopposed, wanted Mrs Thatcher to meet President to uisciiss the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Mrs Thatcher was disdainful. She had no wish to meet the head of a regime which depended on its survival on a mass of Soviet troops.

Those who were citizens of an occupied country had the right to fight for their future, she added. There were whoops of Tory delight as The Speaker now summoned up first James Lamoiid, that unflagging all-purpose defender of the Soviet Union and its works, and then Dave Nellist, who only that morning had declared on radio his matchless record of service as a reader of the Militant newspaper. Did Mrs Thatcher's support for such freedom fighting, Mr Lamond asked, extend to South Africa? "The two countries are totally dissimilar," she told him, to much Labour scorn. And Central America asked Mr Nellist. But he got no change either.

Earlier, the Labour Front Bench spokesman Bryan Gould who, like many present, had been watching Panorama, asked to hear more of her theory that outfits like Land-Hover had to choose between being British and being successful. Was it despair for the future of British industry that made her so keen to act as a broker for American interests And which other power, asked Tony Lloyd (Lab. Stretford) would sell off its last major car producer to foreign interests? 'Why was she acting as broker for the Americans When two Tory MPs produce an identical phrase, you suspect Central Office at work, where it's Walworth Road, it's probably only coincidence. THE CUABDIAH IN EVMrf Auitrli 29 sch Grew 150 it Belgium 50 fr HtlliiMI 9.30 Denmark 10 kr Italy 2,200 lire Fnncr 9.00 fr nam 200 Dts Germany 3.50 dm StrtUtrlmd Jfr She voiced sympathy with him over a nasty incident" in which he was knocked down and punched during a visit to Bradford University last Thursday. Mr Carlisle liad been due to speak in favour of sporting links with South Africa.

Tomorrow. Mr, Carlisle is due to speak to joint meeting of university and polytechnic students at Leeds Polytechnic. A Leeds police- spokesman said they would not be present at the meeting, which was a matter for the students' union. The Education Secretary said last night that it was up to vice-chancellors and principals to enforce a recently agreed code of conduct. Sir Keith said the Government deplored "this new rash of infringements of freedom of speech and the violence and and Mr Austin put him in a warm bath, gave him mouth-to mouth resuscitation and heart massage.

Several hours later, Mr Wil Hams began moaning. Mr Austin tried to give him Alka Seltzer or something like it. "Gary started doing something to his stomach and a pink foam started coming out of John's nose. Gary said I think ne's gomgv Mr Denton saw, Mr Williams was carried out of the flat to a car park. Gary ana myseit went down to a telephone box, and Gary rang an ambulance.

He said there appeared to be someone drunk," Mr-Denton added. disruption associated with it." Earlier, Mr Carlisle rejected a can from Mr uereic Labour MP for Leeds Central. for the meeting to be post poned until tne autumn. Mr Fatchett said: "If Mr Carlisle and his allies are concerned about the inner cities, the future of Leeds Polytechnic and the deeper issue of freedom of speech, I would advise them to divert their activities away from a violence-stimulating path." Mr Carlisle said such remarks could only inflame the situation and give some credence to those who believe people like myself should be silenced. "It is a sad day for the British Parliament when one MP tells another that his constituency is a no-go area for free speech." ciety.

But a contracting manufacturing sector, argued Mr Walker, would mean less opportunity for skilled people. Mr Walker painted a picture of workers who would turn abroad to where such skills were appreciated. "It would be the expanding manufacturing industries of Germany, Japan, North America and the Pacific basin that would be the recipients of the brain drain from Britain." It was important to ensure that competitors did not obtain a market dominance -and a technical lead that accelerated their progress and Britain's decline. Britain was almost alone in giving such low social esteem to the engineer, said Mr Walker. A developed economy required a host of manufactured goods from cars to furniture, and made them with updated machinery.

If we do not produce a substantial share of these items ourselves we have to import them," he said. of service economy risk By Keith Harper, Labour Editor Sir Robert Reid, British Rail's chairman yesterday threatened to dismiss staff who refused to handle Mr Rupert Murdoch's newspapers in the event of BR reaching a deal with News International on the distribution of its titles. Speaking in the middle of delicate negotiations between BR and News International, which has pulled out of a 9 million contract to send its papers by rail, Sir Robert said he felt sure railway staff would be happy to handle Mr Murdoch's newspapers. But he said he would have no hesita tion in taking, legal action against tne ran unions iney instructed their members to iNews international titles. BR has been trying to regain the contract with News International since Mr Murdoch's Wapping operation began more than three weeks ago.

Sir Robert said that its contract with the company represents one third of the 27 million annual contract to move national newspapers. BR's chairman said he would prefer matter to be resolved through negotiations rather thin the courts. Asked what BR would do if the contract was restored but the unions blacked the titles, Sir Robert said We shall do Jumbos are nose cracks; By David Simpson, Business Correspondent The Civil Aviation Authority moved yesterday to auell the growing alarm over the safety of Boeing 747 jumbo jets. It insisted that the aircraft have no structural defects and should not be grounded, despite the discovery of widespread cracking in their nose sections. The assurance by the UK's air reeulatory bodv came as the US Federal Aviation Authority imposed more stringent tests on 747s.

It said that their internal structures should be examined. CAA officials said that while severe cracking has dis covered within tne internal no structures of jumbos since the new investigations began, there was no danger to the aeroplanes. Indeed there was greater evidence that the 747s fail-safe provisions were effective, it said. Doubts remain over the 747s. The CAA said that 13 of the 19 jumbos examined internally had been found to have rib cracks.

All six British Airways 747s tested have suffered from cracking. produced by a new laser printing technique, were said to be excellent forgeries. William Potter, aged 43, of Drummond Road, Romford, and John Kenny, aged 39, of Avon Grove, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, were convicted of conspiring to supply forged notes. Both had denied the charge. Potter admitted possessing 1,713 forged notes with a face value of 85,000 that were found at his home.

He also admitted attempting to sell a further 5,287 forged notes to Sergeant Henry and was gaoled for seven years. Kenny was gaoled for five-and-a-half years. An accomplice, John Glasgow, of Walsh's Manor, Stantonbiiry, Milton Keynes, was jailed for 27 months. Alan Phifpot, aged By John Ezard audi Michael Parkin The Conservative MP Mr John Carlisle has been offered only a "minimal police pres-seace when he speaks at a student meeting in Leeds tomor row night. Tins was aesDite nis pro tests over being prevented from addressing student meetings at Bradford and Oxford in the past five days.

Mr Carlisle, MP for Luton North, was supported in the uommons vesteraay dv tne Prime Minister and later by the Education Secretary, Sir Keitn Joseph. Mrs TJiatcner said. upnow- ing freedom of speech in our institutions of higher education is vital. I hope the Committee of vice chancellors and principals will make strenuous efforts to see that right is upheld." Walker tells By Keith Harper, Labour Editor Britain must never be turned into a low-wage subcontracting and service economy the Energy Secretary Mr Peter Walker said last night, laying bare the rifts between ministers over the Government's industrial policy. Mr "Walker, beating a drum which delighted senior management at the Engineering Employers' Federation dinner in London, said there was no credible plan for service industries with nothing to service.

He stressed that the British economy did not have a future if a central role was denied to ila dynamic and innovative mannfachiring sector." His comments were welcomed by his audience which has become sceptical of the message of ministers like Lord Young, the Employment Secretary, and Mr Nigel Lawson, the Chancellor. They have been stressing the increasing benefits of an expanding ser Tamils free By Andrew Rawnsley Mrs Penelope Willis, the freelance journalist held by Tamil guerrillas in Sri Lanka for the past month, was released yesterday after two -weeks of secret negotiation between British diplomats and her captors. The guerrillas said they were releasing 84-year-old Mrs "Willis on humanitarian grounds, but still maintained that she was an MI5 spy working for the Sri Lankan government a charge Mrs Willis and the Foreign Office denied. "Members of one of the smaller guerrilla groups fighting for Tamil Independence, the Eelan Revolutionary Organisation of Students seized Mrs "Willis while she was travelling through a remote part vice sector to employment and the country's economic recovery. Mr Walker admitted there was a debate -whether Britain should concentrate on service industries or manufacturing.

"The only sane solution is that we must do well with both. There is no way that our service industries can export enough to allow us to satisfy our demand for manufactured goods from imports," he said. North Sea oil had provided a saving on the balance of payments but lower oil prices and eventually a decline In its supplies would almost certainly substantially lower its benefit. "If the British people wish to maintain a good standard of living in the future, it will only be by having in place modern and successful manufacturing industries," he said. Successful manufacture demanded a tyell-educated and sophisticated workforce able to earn high incomes for themselves and high returns for so journalist of the north-west of the country.

It was her third visit to Sri Lanka. She said she had gone there to work on an autobiography. A guerrilla group yesterday released Mrs Willis to a British diplomat and a Hed Cross official at a refugee camp near the northern town of Jaffna. From there she was flown south' to the capital, Colombo and is expected to be back in Britain by tomorrow. Her husband, Mr Harold Willis, said that he was delighted to hear she was free and apparently well and fit.

Speaking from the couple's Cornish home, he said She has the kind of tremendous morale that would see her through this sort of Undercover policeman trapped forgers By Paul Hoyland An undercover policeman infiltrated a gang of forgers who flooded the country with millions of pounds in fake 50 notes. Yesterday, three members of the ring were gaoled. -The regional crime squad detective, known only as Sgt. Henry to protect his Identity, posed as a crooked businessman plotting to cheat a Bel-, gian gold dealer, when he negotiated to buy 260,000 in forged notes for 30,000. The gang used a dishonest Soliceman to check on the usinessman's identity, but Sgt Henry managed to maintain his cover.

At the end of a two-week trial at Leciester crown court police said that at least one other member of the gang was.