Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England • 10

women-only carriages by Dick Murray crimination The spokesman added: would also be deeply concerned FRIDAY 24 AUGUST 1990 Why I back TRANSPORT Minister Roger Freeman gave his backing today for women-only carriages on London Underground "It is an idea worth looking at particularly if the carriage is next to the he said Jn his first in-depth interview Mr Freeman who succeeds Michael Portillo as Cecil second in command told the London Underground staff magazine Tubeline that if there was a demand women-only carriages should be tried out But Mr Free about having a carriage which in effect announced the location of unaccompanied Many women however refuse to use the Tube particularly late at night of choice I would not use the Tube at said a regular commuter today there is no choice most of the time In theory I like the idea but I would be worried about the nutter or groups of 18-year-olds deliberately looking for the man who commuted regularly between Notting Hill and Bank until four years ago warned: think we have to be very careful that women-only carriages attract perverts and those inclined to threatening An LU spokesman said there were about such carriages which would require a change in the legislation relating to sex dis Rape victim gives police a vital clue by John Stevens Poll tax must drop HARINGEY Council was today asked by the High Court to set a new community charge Environment Secretary Chris Patten w'on the latest round of his battle to force the Labour-controlled council to lower its poll tax The original figure was £57289 the highest in Britain It revised this to £53658 still more than the capped figure of £50834 The court ruled the £53658 charge was unlawful and asked the council to set a new charge The case hinged around use of a 10 per cent non-collection rate instead of the first estimate of five per cent noncollection The judges ruled the council could not use the higher rate Sabotage at pork pie firm A SABOTEUR hid rat poison in a batch of food at one of biggest pork pie manufacturers Police were called to Pork Farms (Northern Foods) Nottingham after a worker spotted the poison tablet in a tray of chilli con came just before it was packaged for distribution Production at the company which produces a whole range of foods immediately stopped and none of the batch went out POLICE hunting the M20 rapists were today given an important lead by the 31-year-old victim After specialist officers interviewed the woman in her hospital bed Detective Inspector John McCann said she now recalled seeing a van parked on the hard shoulder near the spot where the attack happened She said that when her silver Volkswagen Golf broke down she pulled up and saw a dark-coloured box van with a roller door 200 yards ahead It was parked when she arrived and police do not know how long it had been there or why the driver had stopped Mr McCann said: vehicle come into the inquiry yet and so we are very interested in tracing who owns it who was driving it at the time and why it was stopped on the They are still urgently trying to trace the light-coloured saloon with a black spoiler which they believe was used by the rapists at least two men Hundreds of people have already been in touch with the rape squad at Maidstone police station in an attempt to help identify the men involved An incident room manned by 30 officers is now in operation are hoping for early a senior officer said is a very busy stretch of road and many people reported seeing the car parked on the motorway hard The victim a business- woman had clambered up an embankment off the motorway at Aylesford Kent to call a woman friend from the local railway station But as she returned to her car two men knocked her to the ground and raped her at least twice hi undergrowth leaving her to be found bruised and battered by her friend Inspector Kevin Miller of Kent police said: was slumped on the embankment in a bad way and obviously very distressed about what had happened to Police stopped motorists around Station Road Aylesford early today to try to find anyone who might have been passing the area at the time of the attack early yesterday morning Ashford Tory MP Keith Speed today called for all motorways to be lit saying: there is a growing hazard for women and others driving late at Kent police advised women always to use emergency telephones on motorways rather than go in search of public call boxes Inspector Mervyn Williams said the phones were a mile apart so a motorist needing help could never be more than 800 yards away Marker posts every 100 yards pointed towards the closest phone He said women once they had made the call should go back to their cars and lock themselves in afoot Annabel? WORLD CITIES FORECASTS mnational tomorrow mm mm month at the Connaught Theatre in the murder-mystery musical Afoot which is testing her singing and dancing skills is very hectic but I am enjoying all the musical she said I have a dance background My first love was long before I ever became interested in tennis Picture: IAN TURNER ANNABEL Croft above is turning heads at Worthing as a 1930s song and dance girl Her TV career has gone from strength to strength since she quit tennis in 1988 and now Annabel is extending her stage career She starred in Dick Whittington in Crawley last Christinas and every minute of it" She begins a Sussex seaside run this STSftgam mw i 35B1 Projected weather forecast for next week Tea and sandwiches to solve £lm puzzle CANDENAYTA: Changeable with showers in southern Scandinavia Drier interludes in central and northern parts Temperatures in some southeast Scandinavian areas in the low 70s but reaching low to upper 60s elsewhere GERMANY AND LOW COUNTRIES: Mainly fine but hazy although possible weekend thundery showers Scone showers lasting into Monday Remaining humid with temperatures rimming to middle 80s FOlCAST Roadside: Medium Background: Medium Hiwtfw Isntfan ScnEc Service FKANCtyswilYJbJtlANiyAUg'iKlA: Warm and hazy with plenty of sunshine but some thunder in France Thunder moving down to Alps before clearing early next week Temperatures in middle 80s SPADVFORTUGAL: Plenty of sunshine throughout weekend with some thundery showers over the Pyrenees clearing early! Possible evening showers early next week Upper 70s tempera! tures in north but upper 80s or low 90s in central and southern areas South-east tonight: Mainly dry although there is still a risk of a thunderstorm in the early evening Low: 17C (63F) Tomorrow: Starting dry and sunny but showers will probably develop later and could possibly be thundery Light winds High: 27C (SlF) Information eupplied by the Mrt Office by Laurette Ziemer A BIZARRE tea party was being organised by today in a last attempt to unlock the secrets of millionairess Dorothea Allen who died in January without leaving a will The auctioneers were hoping tea cucumber sandwiches and a chat about old times will jog memory as to who should inherit her £1000000 fortune Against the elegant backdrop of Sutton Manor her 300-year-old Warwickshire home former employees of her Banbury corset factory will be expected to review the past in detail The 89-year-old died after systematically destroying all letters and personal documents She even mutilated her passport Her maiden name wras Far-quharson and she may have been there is no UK record of her birth Former employees say she often talked about romantic cruises on the Queen Mary and QE2 and claimed Errol Flynn and Clark Gable as close friends If no living relative is discovered her entire possessions will be auctioned on 4 September ITALYYUGOSLAVIA: Thundery showers over Italian Alps and mountains of northern Yugoslavia later in weekend and early next week then staying dry and mainly sunny Upper 80s temperatures GREECE: Mainly sunny weekend and into next week Temperatures in upper 80b to the low 90s with cooling sea breezes over the islands Noble Dec ton Weather Service LIGHTING-UP 805pm to 601am SUN sets 805pm rises 601am MOON rise 1048am set 855pm HIGH WATER: London Bridge 503am (72m) 512pm (71m) Dover 156am (64m) 213pm (66m).