The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 7

HOME NEWS I 7 The Guardian Tuesday August 25 1998 News in brief Laura-Michelle Kelly, 17, star of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at London's Dominion Theatre, making up Elolse Mayllng, 10, from Maidenhead, during the first open day held by a West End show PHOTOGRAPH: MARTIN GODWIN Scorpion stings girl passenger AN INQUIRY has been launched after a teenage girl was stung by a scorpion on board a Britannia Airways flight waiting to take off from Birmingham International to Ibiza. The girl, who has not been named, was treated by a nurse at the airport who removed the sting. She apparently suffered no ill effects and was allowed to continue on her journey. A Britannia spokeswoman said it was believed the scorpion had got into the cabin in hand luggage when the plane left from the Greek island of Kos on its way to Birmingham. "The scorpion is now in a laboratory undergoing tests," she said.

VJlsBBffi'jlBBnBPM "JhsmL flfpiflrL tuBHBBBsBBHBBBHBBBBBBHBBBflBBkg Crash helicopter's problem THE PILOT of a helicopter which crashed killing a nine-year-old boy radioed to a colleague to say he could not see out of the windscreen which was prone to mist up in wet and humid weather, a fatal accident inquiry at Forfar sheriffs court heard yesterday. Garry Malley was killed during a charity flight on the Bell Jet Ranger at Glamis Castle, Angus, in July last year, organised by Airborne, the TV star Noel Edmonds's charity for children with special needs. Paul Smith, 45, from Avoch, Ross-shire, who also flew a helicopter at the event, said the pilot of the aircraft that crashed, Robert Hobson, told him on the radio he was having difficulties. When Mr Smith tried to contact him again, he could not get through to his radio, he said. Both Mr Smith and another pilot, Frank Noakes, 41, from Coupar, Fife, said they had experienced "serious" difficulties flying Bell Jet Rangers in the past.

"I have flown all different types and all seem to have a very inadequate de-mister," said Mr Smith. The inquiry continues. Ferry stranded in port A CAR ferry with 1,300 passengers was stranded at Harwich, Essex, for more than 13 hours when a technical problem prevented vehicles leaving until yesterday morning. The HSS Stena Discovery was delayed at Harwich at 7pm on Sunday when a ramp was unable to connect the vessel to the quayside. Police were called on to the ferry during the night when tempers became frayed, but there were no arrests.

At lam yesterday, after six hours in port, passengers were given the option of going ashore when a gangway was installed. They were asked to hand over their car keys so vehicles could be taken ashore by Stena staff. Most decided to wait on board with their vehicles until the repairs were completed shortly before 8am. "It was appalling, we were treated like cattle," said Philip Morris, from Nottingham. A spokeswoman for Stena Line said: "The problem was a linkspan, which is a different ramp mechanism to normal ferries, as it is built into the harbour wall." Helen Carter mo EXCLUSIVE John Lennon jL-ftfri Crime rate higher for expelled pupils long lost sister surfaces to end Beatles mystery John Carvel Education Editor Kenyans cleared of killing TWO KENYANS were yesterday cleared of killing a British tourist, Roy Chivers, 50, of Orpington, Kent, when a magistrate said he could not convict them because there was only circumstantial evidence linking them to the killing.

"In this case, it stands that the circumstantial evidence is not sufficient to convict the accused persons. There is no direct evidence," he said. "I therefore acquit them." Both defendants, Peter Hiuhu Gachau and Simon Njoroge Wairimu, had signed confessions admitting the stabbing in Feb-. ruary of Roy Chivers during a robbery at the Aberdare Country Club in central Kenya but later retracted the confessions, claiming police had tortured them into admitting guilt. Last month, the same magistrate, Julius Mushelle, convicted the two men for the robbery and murder of a Kenyan farmer.

JBi HIGH proportion of flrVA pupils expelled trom AM school had a convic David Ward wBttion before the age of 23 and nearly a third had been to prison, the first inves would have the worst crime records. "The encouraging finding is that they had only half the crime rate of the rest of the sample. That may be because they are entitled under the Children Act to supervision and support when they leave the exclusion unit, whereas the other children get nothing." If all children leaving exclusion units got proper support, there could be big savings for the taxpayer through reductions in the costs of court appearances, custody and property damage. "Social exclusion is just too expensive and our Figures do not include the pain and hurt of the victims of crime." tigation into the criminal careers of expelled children "Exclusion units do a reasonably good job of holding these youngsters until they are 16. But when they leave nothing is done for them.

They become delinquents hanging out with other delinquents, with a bad reputation and little chance of getting a job," Professor Pritchard said. A report by the Government's social exclusion unit warned this year that young people brought up in children's homes were more likely to be excluded from school and leave with no qualifications. Prof Pritchard said he expected the 10 per cent of his sample from children's homes reported yesterday. Researchers from South ampton university analysed the police records of 227 young adults after they left a Dorset exclusion unit which Driver banned for 1 mph ride A PENSIONER lost his licence yesterday for driving too slowly on a busy A road. Police saw Douglas Illingworth, aged 83, travelling at 1 mph with a long trail of traffic behind him on the A61 between Barnsley and Sheffield.

Barnsley magistrates barred him from driving for a year, gave him a conditional discharge and ordered him to take an eye test. Martin Wainwright they attended after being per manently excluded from school. 'I'm Lennon's lost sister' How the Sun broke the news He hired private detectives to search the records for a non-existent Victoria Pedersen. Lennon had made no progress by the time he was shot dead in New York in 1980. Two years ago, Ms Pedersen, a medical filing clerk, found her adoption papers in a battered tin box at her mother's home.

"There it was in black and white," she told the Sun. "There was my name and birthdate Lillian Ingrid Maria Pedersen, born June 19, 1945. And above that were the three words I had been searching for Victoria Elizabeth Lennon. "The tears just flowed. At They found that 63 per cent of the sample aged 16-23 had a John and Ms Pedersen share the same mother but were not brought up together.

John was born in 1940, three years before his parents Julia and Alf split up. Julia later had a six-month fling with an army officer who is believed to be the father of Ms Pedersen, born in a Salvation Army hostel in Liverpool in 1945. Margaret Pedersen, Julia's friend, and her Danish seaman husband, Peder, adopted Victoria and renamed her Ingrid Pedersen. Mrs Pedersen told her daughter about her origins only when she was preparing to marry. "I've got to tell you you are adopted.

You are a half-sister to John Lennon." Lennon himself, brought up from the age of Five by his Aunt Mimi, had found out about his unknown relation from another aunt in 1964. He acquired Ms Pedersen's birth certificate but was not allowed to see her adoption papers and so failed to discover both her First name and surname had changed. ONE of the last great Beatles mysteries was solved yesterday when the half-sister John Lennon searched for but never found surfaced in Chandler's Ford, in Eastleigh, Hampshire. Ingrid Pedersen, born Victoria Lennon, was told of her relationship to the rock superstar when she was 21 in 1966, the year the Beatles gave up touring and prepared for the release of the Sergeant Pepper album. But, fearful of causing distress to her adoptive mother, Ms Pedersen kept silent until talking to the Sun yesterday.

Following the death of her mother Five weeks ago, Ms Pedersen has chosen to break her silence. "Now at last I can admit who I am the little sis John loved but could never find," she told the Sun. "I kept all this secret for the sake of my mum. But now she's dead, I want to find my real family." criminal record. The 143 offenders shared 1,062 convictions and their crimes had cost more than 4 million.

"Clearly the exclusion units are not integrating these youngsters into society and these results appear to guarantee a life of crime," said Colin Pritchard of the university's school of medicine, who co-wrote the report. The researchers calculated that nearly half would re-commit serious crimes within two years. last I knew it was true I was the sister of the world's most famous rock star. Little old me a bloody hospital clerk. It was like Finding buried treasure." pi I CL 0 2 SZ ro 5 1 s.

tJ TO 3 1 a a. a. 13 35 3 -9 to 2 -s II 5 4i at 5 I 1 a s. O) St to TJ at ft takes at least 450 milligrams of alcohol or 30 units to send a person of average build into a coma And another three to nine units to tip you into the hereafter. That's 17 or so pints of beer, or a similar number of small glasses of wine or shots of spirits to you and me.

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