2 out of 4 missing Kalyan youths have not taken up arms in the Islamic State: NIA sources

By A.Mirsab,TwoCircles.net,

Mumbai: National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources have told Times of India (http://ift.tt/1pBsM7R) that the agency have confirmed that two out of four missing youths from Kalyan who were earlier suspected of joining Islamic State, an armed Islamic group in Iraq, have actually not taken up arms with Islamic State but are working there in Oil refinery and hospital.

Central Agency has verified information that Fahad Shaikh is working in an oil refinery and Saheem Tanki in a hospital in the Syrian city of Rakka but intelligence could not gather information about Arif Majeed and Aman Tandel so far.

Missing Kalyan Youths reportedly in Iraq

Ever since the news of 4 Kalyan youths missing in Iraq gone viral, media and security agencies in the country are doing nonstop rounds about these youths and suspecting them to have taken up arms with Islamic State, a strong armed Islamic militia fighting in Iraq and Syria that has declared caliphate and called for allegiance from Muslims around the world. Most renowned scholars have, however, denounced them and criticized their actions as against declaration of the Caliphate.

As per the media reports these four Kalyan youths flew to Baghdad on May 23 as part of a group of 22 pilgrims intending to visit religious shrines in Iraq. Arif called his family from Baghdad on May 24, apologizing for having left without telling them. He claimed he had travelled in the hope of finding a job there. Then, he phoned again on May 25, this time to reassure his family he was well.

Although parents of all these youths have reportedly filed missing report in Thane police station regarding their sons but they are also helping investigation agencies by providing them every required information related with their children.

According to central security sources Fahad Shaikh, 24, a mechanical engineer, called his residence 15 days ago and told his mother that he was working in an oil refinery in Rakka whereas Saheem Tanki, 25, an HSC dropout, is working as a medical assistant at a Rakka hospital and helps in the treatment of those injured in conflict.

With this disclaimer it has been confirmed that two amongst these four youths are not actually fighting but doubt looms large on the remaining two about whom the intelligence agencies of India have not yet got breakthrough in locating them in Iraq or Syria.

According to the Indian Express (http://ift.tt/1yMdgqp) Dr. Ejaz Majeed, father of Arif Majeed has handed over handwritten letter left by Arif as a message for the family to the investigation agency. The translation of his letter reads:

“I cried when I saw you all sinning, smoking cigarettes, taking interest, watching TV, illegal sexual intercourse, living luxurious lives, intermingling of sexes, not praying, not growing beards. These things will lead to you burning in the hell-fire” .

Regarding TV he wrote “a professional way to ensure nudity, lewdness, obscenity and disbelief prevail. It is a major sin. In it is music, which is an instrument of Satan.”

Calling on to his mother he purportedly wrote, “O’ Mother, the sun is setting in the backyard of our house, behind the mountain and I have told my friend that we will meet there for our greatest journey. It is a blessed journey for me because I don’t want to live in this sinful country. At the time of my death, the angel of death will ask me why I did not make hijra (migrate) to Allah’s land, which is spacious.”

Even though NIA absolved two out of four Kalyan youths from the allegation of really fighting alongside fighters of IS such writing of Arif Majeed has raised eyebrows of agencies in India and are inspecting people who were in touch with Arif and likeminded people in the society.

This is the reason that Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Maharashtra which is probing missing of four Kalyan youths detained two youths from the same locality on Wednesday. These two youths were detained for questioning on the ground that they too wanted to go to Iraq along with missing four youths but they postponed their plans.

Reportedly, ATS detained these youths even though NIA have already questioned and released them probably to pose them their set of questions or to gather information about more such youths who share similar ideology.

With the NIA’s latest claim, all speculations of media regarding Indian youths joining fighting in Iraq have to be set aside till the contrary claim in future and must accept the fact that two youths are in reality serving there simply meaning they are in the land of conflict for job or earning more money

Ron Paul: Governments deceive people over Ebola

Former US congressman Ron Paul says governments deceive people over the threat of the Ebola virus, although it is a very, very serious illness.

“I do know that governments deceive us and sometimes they hide things. I don’t think we are going to see in the next year a horrendous breakout of Ebola in this country,” Paul said on Thursday.

“That would be my suspicion. But in the same sense, we should not ignore the fact that it is a very deadly disease.”

The physician offered the chemical DDT as a “viable alternative for treatment,” Voices of Liberty reported

Some experts, however, say DDT is a controversial insecticide that may cause serious health effects.

“The absolute proof of the danger of DDT was never — as far as I’m concerned — proven,” Paul said.

“Instead, what we use is very expensive organic phosphates, which do kill people.”

“They are very dangerous to the human being. But I think if we try to put this in a better perspective, if DDT isn’t quite as dangerous as they said, and you could save a million people a year from getting this illness, maybe we should think about it.”

AGB/AGB

Back in Iraq: We only want to save you

Welcome back to Iraq—complete with our ever-present WMD’s — Weapons of Mass Deception.

Suddenly, the country we never wanted to have to think about again is back in the news and on our military agenda. So, after a few denials that troops would not, never, and no way be sent, sure’nuff, U.S, boots are back on the ground, but to play a very different “mission.”

Of course, it’s not combat, assures Secretary of Defense Hagel who was wearing his tennis clothes when he met with GIs. That is, no doubt, why we are pounding that country with bombs again.

To signal that we are not back in the days of the war for Iraqi Freedom, the Pentagon announced its latest humanitarian effort with a tweet, that, in the media world we are now part of, may be the equivalent of a whimper, not a neocon bark.

Once again, we are the good guys charging in to protect and defend, save and rescue. You saw the alarmist stories.

This report was on RTE in Ireland: “Islamic State militants have killed hundreds of Iraq’s minority Yazidis.
They buried some alive and took women as slaves, as US warplanes again bombed the insurgents.

Human rights minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani accused the Sunni Muslim insurgents of celebrating what he called a “a vicious atrocity.”

But, then, predictably, there was this coda that put the story in question: “No independent confirmation was available of an event that could increase pressure on Western powers to do more to help.”

It sounded like the story a few weeks back that had ISIS vowing to impose female genital mutilation on every woman they met. Happily, it was later repudiated.

This is not to say that ISIS is not brutal says Edmund Ghareeb of the Center for Global Peace at American University.

For More:

http://ift.tt/1mW9cOV

IPS officer accused in Sohrabuddin encounter case reinstated

The Gujarat government has reinstated an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who is an accused in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and given him a plum posting as Superintendent, DGP Vigilance Squad, according to a Gujarat state home department notification issued yesterday midnight.

Abhay Chudasama who spent four years in prison, is the first Sohrabuddin Sheikh case accused IPS official to be reinstated by the Gujarat state government. Earlier, the Gujarat state government had reinstated IPS officer G L Singhal who is an accused in Ishrat Jahan encounter case.

As per a notification issued by the state home department yesterday midnight, Chudasama, who was granted bail on April 28, 2014, has been reinstated as Superintendent of Police (SP) of Vigilance Squad in the DGP’s office, Gandhinagar.

Presently called the State Monitoring Cell, the squad works directly under the Gujarat state Director General of Police (DGP). However, popularly, the cell is still referred to as “DG Vigilance Squad”.

The post of a Superintendent of Police in the Monitoring Cell is considered as a powerful position, since the cell has powers to conduct raids anywhere in Gujarat state to curb crimes.

Chudasama, who is a 1999 batch officer, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April 2010 for his alleged involvement in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Allegedly, Sheikh and his wife Kausarbi were abducted and killed in 2005, near Gandhinagar in a fake encounter.

After spending four years in jail, Chudasama was granted bail on April 28 by the Bombay High Court. The case related to the fake encounter of Sheikh and the murder of his wife Kausar Bi was transferred to Mumbai by the Supreme Court. Other IPS officers accused in the case include D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian, who are both from the Gujarat cadre and Dinesh M N of the Rajasthan cadre, the Gujarat state home department notification said.

Earlier, on May 28, the Gujarat state government had reinstated Singhal, who is one of the accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.

Besides Chudasama, the Home Department transferredseven other senior IPS officers in the Gujarat state, including Vadodara Commissioner of Police (CP) Satish Sharma, who is now posted as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Security with the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL).

Sharma has been replaced by E Radhakrishnan, who was currently posted as the IGP of the Junagadh Range, the notification said. Brajesh Kumar Jha, serving as the Deputy IG of Procurement and Modernization (P&M) at Gandhinagar, has now been shifted as the DIG of Junagadh Range, in place of Radhakrishnan, the notification said.

Jha has been replaced by Pravin Sinha, who is currently serving as the IGP of the Rajkot Range. Vadodara’s Additional CP (Traffic and Crime) of D R Patel has been transferred as the IG of Rajkot Range.

Patel has been replaced by D J Patel, who is now serving as the Executive Director of Vigilance with the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) in Ahmedabad.

R J Savani, who is currently the DIG of Security with GUVNL, has been posted as the Additional CP (Administration) with the Ahmedabad city police, the notification said.

Apart from these senior IPS officers, the Gujarat government has transferred five probationary IPS officers of 2011 and 2012 batches as well as 14 Deputy SP (DySP) officers in the state, the Gujarat state home department notification said.

Despite devastation, Gaza school year to begin in September

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education has begun planning for the the upcoming school year in the Gaza Strip as normalcy slowly returns to the besieged coastal enclave devastated by five weeks of Israeli bombardment.

Even with 277 schools damaged in the assault — including a large number which took direct hits — Minister Khawla al-Shakhshir said on Friday that the ministry is hoping to begin classes within three weeks.

She said that the ministry is also focused on improving psychological services for students and families in the wake of the assault, which left nearly 2,000 dead, more than 10,000 injured, and 100,000 homeless.

The ministry’s plans include individual and group activities focusing on psychological counseling and awareness with specific attention paid toward the mental well-being of children.

Al-Shakhshir also said that she had met with the director of education at the UN’s Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, Caroline Pontefract, to discuss a common plan for starting the new school year in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Shakhshir said that the plan aims to enhance cooperation with UNRWA through a joint committee to prepare for the upcoming school year and help repair physical damage to educational infrastructure.

Of the 277 schools damaged by Israeli bombardment, 141 were government schools and 136 were UNRWA schools, according to the PLO

Boko Haram abducts dozens of boys in Nigeria

MAIDUGURI: Suspected Boko Haram fighters have abducted dozens of boys and men in a raid on a remote village in northeast Nigeria, loading them onto trucks and driving them off, witnesses who fled the violence said on Friday. The kidnappings come four months after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok. They are still missing.

Several witnesses who fled after Sunday’s raid on Doron Baga, a sandy fishing village near the shores of Lake Chad, said militants clothed in military and police uniforms had burned several houses and that 97 people were unaccounted for.

“They left no men or boys in the place; only young children, girls and women,” said Halima Adamu, sobbing softly and looking exhausted after a 180 km road trip on the back of a truck to Maiduguri, capital of the northeastern state of Borno.

“They were shooting sporadically. There was confusion everywhere. They started parking our men and boys into their vehicles, threatening to shoot whoever disobey them. Everybody was scared.”

They said six older men were also killed in Sunday’s raid, while another five people were wounded. Boko Haram, seen as the number one security threat to Africa’s top economy and oil producer, has dramatically increased attacks on civilians in the past year, and the once-grassroots movement has rapidly lost popular support as it gets more bloodthirsty.

FAO: Damage to Gaza agriculture will have long-lasting effects

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Food and Agriculture Organization on Thursday warned that the Israeli assault on Gaza had caused extensive damage to the coastal enclave’s agricultural sector and would have long-term consequences.

The FAO said in a statement that the five-week assault had “forced farmers and herders to abandon their lands and has paralyzed fishing activities, bringing local food production to a halt and severely affecting livelihoods.”

“The recent fighting has resulted in substantial direct damage to Gaza’s 17,000 hectares of croplands as well as much of its agricultural infrastructure, including greenhouses, irrigation systems, animal farms, fodder stocks and fishing boats,” the statement continued.

The report added that Gaza had lost half of its poultry in the attack, “either due to direct hits on their shelters or lack of water, feed or care resulting from access restrictions.”

Losses among Gaza’s crucial fishing sector, meanwhile, were estimated at 234.6 tons, or about 9.3 percent of the yearly catch.

According to the organization, although Gaza imports most of its food needs, around 28,600 people in Gaza rely on farming (19,000 people), livestock raising (6,000) and fishing (3,600) for their livelihoods.

“Under the most recent ceasefire many farmers and herders are now able to access their lands, however resumption of food production faces serious obstacles given the damages sustained and shortages of water, electricity, inputs and financial resources, as well as ongoing uncertainty regarding the possible resumption of military activities”, said Ciro Fiorillo, head of the FAO office in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The organization also said that food prices had been extremely volatile over the last five weeks, with upward spikes in the price of eggs estimated 40 percent, potatoes at 42 percent, and tomatoes at 179 percent.

“With local food production halted and food imports curtailed, virtually the entire population of Gaza (about 1.8 million people) is currently reliant on food aid. WFP, together with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) regularly assists about 1.1 million people,” the report continued, noting that another 700,000 people were relying on emergency food distribution by the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs, UNRWA, and WFP.

Gaza’s dependency on foreign aid is a direct result of the eight-year Israeli siege on the tiny coastal territory, which has had its imports, exports, and movements of people extensively restricted since 2006.

The lifting of the siege is a key Palestinian demand in ongoing negotiations for the end of hostilities

Doctors tackle damaged minds in post-war Gaza

GAZA: In a ward at Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, child therapist Rabeea Hamouda is trying to elicit a response from two small brothers, Omar and Mohammed, aged three and 18 months, hoping for some words or perhaps a smile.

For seven straight minutes the children, peppered with burns and shrapnel wounds sustained in Israeli shelling that hit their home in north Gaza, stare at him blankly, emotionless. Eventually, as Hamouda gently teases them, pretending to mix up their names and holding out a present while another counsellor sings quietly, a smile creeps across Mohammed’s face and the older one, Omar, cries out his name.

“At the beginning, Omar was not responding to us at all, he was not even willing to say his name,” explains Hamouda, who heads a team of 150 psychotherapists working for the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution in Gaza.

“Big progress has been made with these children,” he says with a sense of relief and quiet accomplishment. “At the beginning they did not talk, they refused to communicate. But now, with the sixth session, we are witnessing good progress.”

Omar and Mohammed are just two of the 400,000 Gazan children the United Nations estimates are in need of psychological care as a result of not just the latest war in the territory but the three previous conflicts fought with Israel since 2006. The most recent conflagration has been the deadliest, with 1,945 Palestinians killed, many of them civilians and including an estimated 457 children. On the other side of the border, some 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.

Whether the result of Israeli airstrikes, having parents or relatives killed before their eyes, hearing militants firing rockets from their own towns or themselves being wounded, the psychological trauma for Gaza’s young is profound. The symptoms range from nightmares, bed-wetting and behavioral regression to more debilitating mental anxiety, including an inability to process or verbalize experiences.

There is also deep trauma on the other side of the border, with tens of thousands of Israeli children mentally disturbed by the regular rocket fire from militants during the month-long war and over the seven years since Hamas seized control of Gaza. While the conflict’s destruction of buildings and livelihoods is clear to see and documented daily in television footage, the damage to minds is mostly invisible, yet can have far more damaging and longer-lasting consequences.

“The first time a child goes through a traumatic event like a war it’s just deeply terrifying,” said Chris Gunness, the spokesman of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which has 200 psychotherapists working in up to 90 clinics in Gaza

EU clears way to arm Iraqi Kurds

BRUSSELS: The European Union has given a green light to individual EU governments to supply arms and ammunition to Iraqi Kurds battling Islamic State insurgents, provided they had the consent of authorities in Baghdad.

EU foreign ministers holding an emergency meeting in Brussels on the Iraq and Ukraine crises welcomed the decision by several EU governments to send weapons in response to an appeal by Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani.

France and the Czech Republic have said they will send weapons to the Kurds. Britain and the Netherlands have said they would consider doing so. Some EU members such as Sweden and Austria said they would not supply weapons, but the EU avoided a repetition of the dispute that split the 28-nation bloc last year over whether to arm Syrian opposition

Israeli forces arrest AP photographer in Hebron

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday afternoon arrested Associated Press photographer Iyad Hamad during clashes in Hebron.

Hamad was beaten, cuffed and led to an unknown destination, locals said.

Clashes had started in Hebron after a march in protest of the Israeli assault on Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate criticized the arrest and accused the Israeli army of targeting journalists on duty, especially photographers.

An army spokeswoman said Hamad was released shortly after being detained.

She said a group of journalists was standing between Israeli forces who were responding to Palestinians hurling stones. She said that when they refused to move, forces arrested Hamad.

The rest of the journalists moved after he was detained so no other arrests were made, she added

View: Pictures from the 1980s and 1990s at De Brus School in Skelton

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Gallery: school pictures

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It started life with some controversy after wranglings over the land and the site but De Brus School in Skelton eventually opened its doors on December 10, 1979.

Were you a pupil there? The subject of a secondary school for Skelton, east Cleveland had long been the subject of a debate - plans were eventually passed to build a brand new school on Marske Lane in 1976. 290 pupils made the first intake as the building was constructed, with the seniors following the first to third years shortly after.

Here’s a few short facts - De Brus’s first headmistress was Marian Carter and the school made the computer age in 1980 when it won a £2,000 machine in a competition.

All children were to be timetabled to have a go on it - and the aim was ‘to make pupils aware of what a computer is and its potential use in society.’

As east Clevelanders will know, De Brus closed its doors at the turn of the century when it amalgamated with schools in Loftus and Brotton to become what is now Freebrough Academy.

School days are the happiest of your life - or so the saying goes. But whether you loved your time in the classroom or hated it, one thing is for certain. Everyone has memories from the time when their days were governed by the sound of the school bell - have a look through our gallery and let us know if you spot yourself!

Heroin dealer Christina Jones moved two men into her home for her own protection

A drug addict who moved two men into her home for protection was jailed for four years for supplying heroin.

Christina Jones was spending £600 a week on her own heroin habit when police raided the trio’s terraced house in Stockton on February 10.

The drugs den was littered with wraps of the Class A drug and a collection of mobile phones bearing text messages from customers asking “Chrissie” for deals.

Prosecutor David Brooke told Teesside Crown Court that Jones sold heroin in £20 and £10 wraps, going out onto the streets to hand them over.

When the police burst into her house in Camden Street, near to Yarm Road, Stockton, at 1.30pm with a search warrant they found Jones in the living room with her hands down the front of her trousers stuffing drugs inside.

There were eight foil wraps of heroin on the floor near the 34-year-old, more than £1,000 in cash, and also two Kinder eggs with wraps inside, a grinder, scales and a dealer’s debt list of names who owed hundreds of pounds.

The two men were arrested in the same raid, Ben Shepherd, 26, and Liam Bryan, 22. Shepherd was searched and found with quantities of cash, some of it hidden in his trainers.

Bryan was in an upstairs bedroom with a knife in the waistband of his trousers.

All three pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply.

Mr Brooke said that Jones and Shepherd had previous convictions for drugs, and Jones had numerous convictions for shoplifting to feed her addiction, the latest was in January this year.

Zoe Passfield, defending, said that Jones asked the two men to move in with her for protection because she had been receiving threats from an ex-partner.

She said that Jones’s heroin addiction had been costing £80 a day, and the money she got from selling drugs went to feed her habit.

Her involvement was to go out to meet buyers, carry out the deal, and the money went on her own addiction.

While remanded to Low Newton Prison she had engaged with drug workers and she was determined to continue with treatment when she was released.

Miss Passfield, also defending Bryan, said that he was not a drug user and he became involved in dealing drugs to raise £1,000 he needed for a training course to win a job on the North Sea rigs.

Christopher Baker, defending Shepherd, said that he had also been dealing drugs to feed his own addiction.

But he had insight into the effects of drugs on the community, and he had shown remorse and determination to quit.

The judge told Jones and Shepherd that he hoped they would use their time in prison to free themselves of their drug habits.

Judge Peter Bowers said: “This raid produced quite clear evidence that what was being run here was a a drug-dealing enterprise that you Jones and Shepherd used to feed your own habits.

“For you Bryan it was a much more mercenary motive, you wanted to make money.”

Jones and Shepherd were both jailed for four years. Bryan was jailed for three years.

Dutch man returns award over Israel killing of Gazans

A Dutch man, who had been awarded one of Israel’s highest medals, has returned the title in protest against Tel Aviv’s brutal killing of Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a letter to Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, 91-year-old Henk Zanoli wrote that after the death of four generations of his family by Nazi Germany, now his family is facing similar murders in Gaza.

Zanoli is related to the Palestinians through one of his nieces who married a Palestinian man. He has said that at least six distant relatives, including a grandmother and a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Zanoli, who helped save a Jewish child from deportation to concentration camps, said holding on to the medal would be an “insult to the family.”

This comes as more than 1,962 Palestinians, including 470 children, have so far been killed and over 10,100 others injured in the Israeli military aggression against Gaza, which began on July 8.

International bodies and human rights groups say civilians account for the majority of the victims of the ongoing Israeli war. Women and children make the bulk of the civilian casualties there.

The UN Human Rights Council has recently passed a resolution, calling for an independent probe into Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

Human rights groups say Israel and its backers must be brought to justice for war crimes in the recent Gaza war. They argue that Israel should not be allowed to carry out its crimes with impunity.

Rights campaigners say Palestinians are held captive by Israel in an “open prison” across the besieged Palestinian coastal enclave. The region has been under Israel’s blockade since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standards of living and poverty.

JR/AB/SS

Iraqi Sunnis open to backing new PM, provided govt. stop indiscriminate bombing

Tribal leaders and clerics from Iraq’s Sunni heartland who staged a revolt against outgoing prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shia-led government would be willing to join the new administration if certain conditions are met, a spokesman for the group has said.

The spokesman, Taha Mohammed Al-Hamdoon, said on Friday Sunni representatives in Anbar and other provinces had drawn up a list of demands to be delivered to Haider al-Abadi, the moderate incoming prime minister.

He called for government and Shia militia forces to suspend hostilities to allow space for talks.

“It is not possible for any negotiations to be held under barrel bombs and indiscriminate bombing,” said Hamdoon in a telephone interview with the Reuters news agency.

“Let the bombing stop and withdraw and curtail the [Shia] militias until there is a solution for the wise men in these areas.”

Abadi faces the daunting task of pacifying Anbar province, where Sunni frustrations with Maliki’s sectarian policies have pushed some to join an insurgency led by Islamic State fighters.

Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf, reporting from the Kurdish city of Erbil, said the Sunnis have been demanding a “whole range of things”.

She said the demands include releasing Sunnis from prisons where they have been held, many of them without charge.

The Sunnis also want jobs created in their areas – “basically making them feel as if they are part of the country again”, said our correspondent.

“But importantly, there has been a message of support from Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the chief religious Shia cleric, saying that this could be the opportunity for essentially a new page,” she added.

Underscoring the urgency of containing a sectarian conflict fuelled by fighters from the Islamic State group, Sistani, who delivered his message in a weekly sermon through a spokesman, urged the military to hoist only Iraq’s flag to avoid factionalism.

Meanwhile, Abadi on Friday urged his countrymen to unite in the face of dangerous challenges and cautioned that the road ahead would be tough.

On his Facebook page, Abadi said he would not make unrealistic promises but he encouraged Iraqis to work together to strengthen the country, which is being wracked by sectarian violence.

Bowing to pressure

Maliki on Thursday stepped down as the country’s prime minister, bowing to huge domestic and international pressure. He voiced support for Abadi, a fellow member of the Shia Dawa party.

After a US occupation lasting nearly a decade, which ended in 2011 with a price tag of more than $2 trillion, Iraq is nowhere near the stability promised when Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

Maliki was widely resented as a divisive and authoritarian figure who drew comparisons with the former Iraqi leader.

Winning over Sunnis, who dominated under Saddam and were sidelined by Maliki, will be vital to any efforts to contain a sectarian civil war marked by almost daily kidnappings, execution-style killings and bombings.

Source: Al Jazeera

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New nationwide voice of football John Murray steps out from behind the microphone

Hh started life on a farm in the rural North . . . but now he’s the nationwide voice of football.

John Murray is the face behind the voice that is broadcast into the homes millions across the country this season.

The broadcaster, originally from a farming family in Northumberland, has begun his new role as the BBC’s Chief Football Correspondent.

John, who worked for Middlesbrough TFM and BBC Tees in the 1990s, took over the job from Mike Ingham after this year’s World Cup and he can’t wait to be the voice of future England games.

John will be following in the footsteps of commentators Brian Moore, Bryon Butler and Mike Ingham.

“Mike did the job for 20 years,” said John. “And before him there was only Brian Moore and Bryon Butler.

“So, since this role was created in the 1960s, I’m only the fourth person to do it and that’s what carries the most weight.

“The other three people that have done the job, in terms of radio broadcasting, were three of the biggest names that have worked in football broadcasting. So, it feels like quite a big deal to try and follow them.”

John, who lives in North Yorkshire but grew up near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, added: “I was really chuffed to get the job and I’ve been very much looking forward to the start of the season.

“It’s a strange one taking on this job because it’s a new title but it’s really just a slight step-up in terms of a job.

“It’s pretty much the same sort of thing as what I’ve been doing at the BBC, so the start of the season won’t be dramatically different.

“The big difference this season will be doing all the England games. It will probably only be then when I really notice the difference.

“Right now, it’s still about getting your head around all the new players and that sort of thing.

“These days, there’s so many foreign players and some many new players that, for the first month, you’re pretty much getting used to who is who and what each player is capable of.”

John has commentated on numerous football matches in the past, including around 30 England games.

But one match that sticks out in his mind recently was Bolton versus Birmingham.

John said: “You just never know what’s going to happen with my job you never know what’s around the corner.

“For example, last season, I was doing the Bolton v Birmingham match, which was a relegation battle for Birmingham.

“I didn’t expect much and I thought they would get relegated.

“But, it was an absolutely thrilling game, one of the most exciting finishes I have seen. I thought to myself, I’m going to commentate at the World Cup in Brazil later this year, and it’s probable I won’t see an ending as exciting as that.

“That’s what happens in football. You can have a big game, which turns out to be quite dull, and a smaller one, which is really exciting.”

John was out in Brazil for this year’s World Cup, commentating, among others, on some of the Brazil games.

“I did the Brazil versus Chile game, which went to penalties. That was extremely pressurised with so much riding on the one kick of the ball.”

When asked about his predictions for the North’s three big football teams this season, John was reasonably optomistic.

He said: “I think Middlesbrough have a real chance of finishing in the top six. They have some really promising finds in players and a relatively new manager.

“Sunderland I think will finish below Newcastle but I expect they will both finish somewhere between 8th and 13th. I don’t think there will be any scares for either this season.”

Teesside special needs support group is hoping for the help of your Wish Sport tokens

A support group for young people with additional needs is hoping to continue helping families with the aid of this year’s Wish Sport campaign.

Formed in 1999, SNAPS,is a parent led group otherwise known as Special Needs Activities with Parents Support.

The group, which is run by volunteers, provides activities for all the family where there is a child or young person with a disability or a special or complex need.

With the help of SNAPS, more than 300 families are able to spend invaluable quality time together and enjoy the activities provided at various venues in the Tees Valley.

Having entered The Gazette’s Wish Sport campaign last year and using that money to help continue the regular sporting activities, the group has entered again to help them continue with their work.

Ruth Benson, who runs the group, said: “Our much used equipment needs replacing. Any money we receive from this year’s Wish Sport campaign will be used to continue to provide various sports for our families who can share quality time together swimming, ice skating, bowling and learning football skills.

“The money would also be used to buy new footballs for the different age groups as well as a variety of beach balls for swimming activities.”

The Gazette has teamed up with Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, which is providing £30,000 to share between groups across Teesside.

Tokens are being printed in The Gazette every day for groups to collect. The more collected, the greater the share of the prize pot.

This year the tokens collected will be worth a share of £25,000, with the remaining £5,000 up for grabs during two online bonus days.

All groups will be in with a chance during the bonus days to win a share of the additional money pot – the four that receive the most votes on http://ift.tt/1md60Qe will get the cash.

Steve Gibson, whose Teesside-based firm Bulkhaul is a patron of the Philanthropic Foundation along with Middlesbrough FC, said: “Middlesbrough FC exists not simply for what can be achieved on the pitch on a Saturday afternoon but to make Teesside a better place to live.

“We are a force for good in the local community. Both the football club and Bulkhaul are proud to be working with so many like-minded business and individuals in supporting the Philanthropic Foundation’s outstanding work.

“Wish Sport is another excellent example of it, helping grassroots sport thrive.”

To help SNAPS, send your tokens to: 16 Hillside Road, Norton, Stockton on Tees, TS20 1JG.

Redcar Pensioners Association celebrates its silver anniversary with a party

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Redcar pensioners' group celebrates its silver anniversary

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Sprightly pensioners celebrated their group’s 25th anniversary in typically lively fashion.

The Redcar Pensioners Association marked its silver jubilee with a buffet, bingo and fun quiz at its regular venue, the Starting Gate pub.

As usual, the accent was on enjoyment, laughter and companionship for those attending, who ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s.

And the group looks well set to continue for another 25 years - at least - because numbers attending meetings are steadily growing.

Association secretary and treasurer, Mary Hartshorn, explained: “For a time, our membership numbers didn’t seem to be going anywhere but recently, as word has got around about us, they’ve really started going up.

“A lot of people, especially those living on their own, are looking for companionship and a social life and that’s something we offer - just the chance for a laugh, a natter and a nice get-together.”

The vibrant group meets on the second Tuesday of the month from noon. Meetings usually start with lunch, followed by a business meeting, a guest speaker and bingo. Meals out and trips away are also organised.

And Mary, who last year received a Redcar and Cleveland Mayor’s Community Award for her sterling work, said new people are always welcome to come along.

She added: “We used to meet in the Larskwood Centre but after that was closed because of the cuts, we came to the Starting Gate and are very happy here.

“We’re a very lively group and have a lot of fun.”

Call 01642 756964 for more information.

Whitby to Redcar charity walk funds near £50,000 after four successful walks

A group of friends set off on a sponsored walk from Whitby to Redcar on Saturday to raise funds for a number of charities

The organiser of an epic Whitby to Redcar walk has thanked those who took part as funds raised over four walks nears £50,000.

The 23-mile walk from the Whalebone at Whitby to a finishing line at Redcar’s Stray Cafe runs every two years and is organised by steelworker Neil Wheatley.

Neil, 47, said: “I organise the walk every couple of years. It started off just as a bit of a challenge but it’s snowballed from there. We had 105 people taking part this year.

“It went very well, it was a nice day but we had quite a hot sun in our face for most of the walk. Nevertheless, everybody managed it.”

This year, the majority of the money raised will go towards the South Cleveland Heart Fund, Mind, the MS Society and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Having organised four walks so far, the total amount of money raised is nearing £50,000.

Neil said: “We’re hoping to have raised £15,000. If we manage that we will have raised a grand total of £50,000 over the last four walks.

“We’ve previously done £13,000 so I think it will be a close one.”

Setting off at 8am from the Whalebone in Whitby, the coastal trek takes participants about eight hours to complete with most crossing the finishing line at about 4pm.

Neil said: “I would like to thank everybody especially George Watson Coaches and Coatham Coaches who help with transport every year and also Amy Oxley who was a brilliant help organising the finishing line.”

Amy, head of James Cook University Hospital’s cardiology ward, has taken part in the charity walk previously.

This year she met walkers at the finishing line.

“It’s always a good fundraiser,” she said. “Patients and visitors to the ward have been very generous and donated £240 so far.

“We are hoping to raise over £1,000 for the South Cleveland Heart Fund.”

Coulby Newham man charged with attempted murder is in psychiatric unit

A man accused of attempted murder at a house in Middlesbrough is being detained in a psychiatric unit.

Psychiatrists are preparing reports on James Raymond Baxter, 24, from Coulby Newham, who is being held at Roseberry Park Hospital.

Baxter, who is technically in custody, is charged with the attempted murder of Albert Maughan, 62, at his home in Weastell Street, Linthorpe, on May 16.

Mr Maughan was found with serious head and jaw injuries and he was taken to James Cook University Hospital where 14 staples were inserted into his head and neck.

Baxter is also charged with burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and possession of a Class B drug.

He remained at the Middlesbrough hospital yesterday when the case was given a progress report at Teesside Crown Court before the Recorder of Middlesbrough Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC.

Prosecutor Adrian Dent said that it was meant to be a plea and case management hearing but that psychiatric reports had been delayed because of problems. He said that the Crown’s psychiatrist had just delivered his report.

Caroline Goodwin, defending, said that the defence’s psychiatric report should be ready within 14 days.

Miss Goodwin said that she had met Baxter but he was being interviewed under medication.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough adjourned the case until September 17 when the plea and case management hearing will be held.

Teesside family mourns tenth anniversary of tragic boy's reservoir death

A Stockton couple have issued a warning of the dangers of swimming in rivers and reservoirs on the tenth anniversary of their son’s tragic death.

Sports-mad Darren Dey drowned in Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, when he got into trouble on the Sunday afternoon of August 22, 2004.

Police divers recovered the body of the 17-year-old keen swimmer five hours later.

His parents, Chris and Amanda Foster, were on holiday in Cyprus with Darren’s two younger sisters, Kimberly and Chrissy Louise, when they were given the heartbreaking news.

Darren was out with friends and his brother John for the day when he decided to go for a swim in the reservoir.

His parents have never blamed anyone for their son’s death. But as the Yarm family prepare to mark the sombre anniversary they have spoken out to warn others to stay away from swimming in inland waters, especially with the August Bank Holiday coming up.

Darren Dey

Amanda told the Gazette: “Over the last ten years there’s been quite a few people drowned and my heart goes out to the families.

“It just brings it all back, even when I see it on a TV show, and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

“I know I wasn’t there but I can imagine what it was like.

“When we were told on holiday I was going mad in the hotel - I just wanted to come home.”

Her son had finished his first year of college where he was studying plumbing and the hard-working teenager also had two jobs at a call centre and pizza shop in Yarm.

“Darren would have been 28 this year and he had everything to live for,” said his mum, an admin worker at Yarm Primary School.

“I can’t believe its been ten years. I lost my mum in August as well four years ago, there’s a lot going on this month for us.

“But because its been ten years since we lost Darren it is going to be harder than normal. I wish I could just cancel August out.”

Australia arrests seven anti-Israeli protesters

Australian police in the port city of Melbourne have arrested at least seven anti-Israeli protesters.

The arrests were made on Friday after a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the entry to the site of Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturing company.

The protesters climbed up the roof of the company and unrolled Palestinian flags and a banner that read, “Elbit drones kill kids in Gaza #BDS.”

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign is part of international efforts to pressure Tel Aviv to stop illegal constructions in the occupied Palestinian territory. Over half a million Israelis live in more than 120 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.

The protesters also chanted slogans against Israel and said the Australian government is complicit in the killing of Gazan children by allowing Elbit Systems to work in Melbourne.

Elbit Systems makes a variety of aerospace, land and naval systems, especially unmanned aircraft. Israel’s Ministry of Military Affairs has confirmed that it used Elbit drones in its offensive against the Gaza Strip, describing them as “real assets”.

This comes as some 1,980 Palestinians, including 470 children, have so far been killed and over 10,100 others injured in the Israeli aggression against the blockaded coastal sliver, which began on July 8.

International bodies and human rights groups say civilians account for the majority of the victims of the Israeli war. Women and children make the bulk of the civilian casualties.

The UN Human Rights Council has recently passed a resolution, calling for an independent probe into Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

Human rights groups say Israel and its backers must be brought to justice for war crimes in the recent Gaza war. They argue that Israel should not be allowed to carry out its crimes with impunity.

Rights campaigners say Palestinians are held captive by Israel in an “open prison” across the besieged Palestinian coastal enclave. The region has been under Israel’s blockade since 2007, a situation that has caused poverty and a decline in the standards of living.

MSM/MHB/MAM

Recap: Leeds United v Boro from Elland Road

Boro are looking to continue their impressive start to the new season with the much-awaited trip to Elland Road.

Aitor Karanka's side will go top for a few hours at least should they avoid defeat against Leeds United.

The Championship clash gets underway at 12.15pm.

Boro will be hopeful of building on their promising start to the campaign while Leeds are still looking to get off the mark following a 2-0 defeat at Millwall on the opening day.

US Orwellian bluff to protect Israel: Analyst

The US military strikes against the Takfiri ISIL militants in Iraq is an Orwellian bluff designed by Washington to divert attention away from the fatal Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, says an analyst.


“This whole thing could also be an Orwellian bluff designed to deflect attention from Israel’s biennial ritual slaughter in Gaza,” Brandon Martinez wrote in a column for the Press TV website.

On August 7, US President Barack Obama authorized aerial attacks against ISIL targets in Iraq.

A day later, US warplanes and drones bombed terrorist convoys advancing toward the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil.

Martinez said the US government makes policies to speed up the realization of the Zionist regime’s Middle East objectives, “which constitute a Machiavellian grand plan of divide and rule.”

“The bellicose, racist regime in Tel Aviv is bent not only on the conquest of the Middle East but the whole world,” he wrote.

The analyst wrote that the main intention of the ISIL is to “incite sectarian divide in Israel’s neighboring states.”

The political commentator said the United States “has been acting as Israel’s New World Order strong-arm against all who dare to resist the Zionists’ diabolical globalist scheme.”

Israeli warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip since July 8.

More than 1,960 Palestinians, including a large number of women and children, have so far lost their lives and at least 10,100 have been injured in the Israeli aggression.

KA/HSN

Man dies after 31 adults and children found inside shipping container at Tilbury Docks

A man has died and other people have been taken to local hospitals with "significant health problems" after 31 adults and children were found inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks in Essex.

Basildon Hospital said on its Twitter feed that it is "responding to a major incident", adding: "A&E is open, but please be aware that waiting times may be extended."

A spokeswoman for the hospital said they are providing treatment for 19 people including seven children. She added: "They are all currently being assessed."

Essex Police were called after the people were found on the container, which arrived on a ship from Zeebrugge in Belgium and was being unloaded at 7.35am by Port of Tilbury authorities.

A police spokesman said: "Thirty one people, including adults and children of both genders, were found inside. One man has sadly died and the others have significant health problems. They are being treated by ambulance crews and are being taken to local hospitals."

Police are dealing with the incident alongside staff from Port of Tilbury, UK Border Force and the East of England Ambulance Service, the spokesman said, while a casualty bureau is being set up.

Middlesbrough charity boss appeals for help to fight effects of cash for clothes craze

A Middlesbrough criminal turned charity boss is asking for help after beginning to feel the effects of newer charitable ways.

Rod Jones has run Convoy Aid Romania on Portrack Industrial Estate for 23 years.

Having first established the non-profit charity following the tragic loss of his son, Rod is now struggling to keep up his charitable giving which he believes is due to the rise in the cash for clothes craze.

Rod, who sends consignments of donated goods out to north east Romania for those in need between four and five times a year, usually has 28 full containers waiting to go each time.

The latest shipment should have gone last week but only half of the containers have been filled.

Rod is now having to wait until they are all full before everything can be sent.

Rod, 67 said: “I’ve heard that the volume of clothes now going to landfill sites is more than ever before. I think this is because more and more people are now going to cash for clothes organisations.

“All of the things I would usually get are now going in the bin.”

The charity is run by Rod and his wife, Gabriela with the help of a group of volunteers known as ‘Godparents.’ Each godparent sponsors a child for one pound a week. This small amount ensures that those less fortunate in Romania are guaranteed help with clothes, food, toys, household goods, school materials, furniture and medicines.

Rod said: “We first began to feel the effects a couple of years ago but the past couple of months have been the worst.

“Every morning I am coming into the warehouse and wondering why the containers aren’t full.”

Once the aid arrives in Romania, a team of around 12 volunteers distribute the items out to those who need them.

Rod said: “If we didn’t take shoes and clothes to the children in Romania, they wouldn’t go to school.”

With fears that charity donations are being wasted, with only the best picks being put to use, Rod wants people to know that he is a real charity who carries out real recycling.

He said: “Most of the time, donations are sorted out and only a few bits are picked out while the rest goes in to the bin.

“Unlike with us, the clothes often aren’t going on people’s backs and even if they are, this might be at a price.”

Despite health problems including diabetes and angina, Rod is determined to keep helping those in need until his very last breath and hopes to keep receiving the help he needs to do this.

Rod added: “I would like people to know that we are still here and we are still desperate.

“Nothing we collect goes up for sale. We do real recycling and put the clothes on people’s backs. I believe we are a real charity worth helping.”

Great gran Mabel, 90, is still volunteering at James Cook University Hospital

Caring volunteer Mabel McGurk has no plans to take it easy now she has reached her 90th birthday.

Mabel has volunteered at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital since the Macmillan cancer support and information centre opened its doors in 2006.

The great-grandmother spends one day a week supporting cancer patients as they undergo treatment at the hospital.

And Mabel’s kindness and compassion has not gone unnoticed.

To mark her 90th birthday, patients from the chemotherapy unit surprised her with a huge pile of gifts and cards, while fellow volunteers arranged a special celebration event.

“I don’t feel 90, I’m sure my birth certificate must be wrong!” joked Mabel. “Some people might want to take it easy but not me! I play table tennis twice a week and bowls twice a week as well as volunteering and I’m also on the committee for Christian Aid.

“I very much enjoy volunteering. I enjoy seeing the patients and talking to them all.”

The retired secretary has always been involved with charity work, but signed up to become a Macmillan volunteer because her husband had received cancer treatment at James Cook.

“I wanted to give something back,” she said. “It’s very rewarding work and it makes me realise how fortunate I am to have my health and to be able to do what I do.

“I will keep volunteering for as long as I am able to and as long as they will have me.”

Cancer lead nurse Nicky Hand said the trust is indebted to Mabel. She added: “Mabel has energy, empathy and resilience that gives cancer patients and their families the confidence they are being supported and cared for.”

Macmillan cancer information manager Julie Taylor said: “Mabel gets lots of wonderful feedback from patients.”

Macmillan development manager Stephen Guy presented Mabel with flowers, a cake, a 90th birthday badge and a special certificate to mark the occasion.

Anyone interested in becoming a Macmillan volunteer can contact the Macmillan cancer support and information centre on 01642 835674.

Stockton three-strike burglar locked up for con on elderly man with dementia

A three-strike burglar who conned an elderly dementia suffer out of hundreds of pounds has been locked up for four years.

Lee Anthony Dunn manipulated the 79-year-old pensioner - conning him out of money by fraudulently posing as a window cleaner as well as burgling his Stockton home and taking his bank card before going on to take £580 out of the man’s account.

“It is the most wicked exploitation of an elderly person,” said the Judge, Recorder Christopher Knox.

“You took advantage of him because you probably thought he wouldn’t notice or be able to give a coherent account of what had gone on.”

Dunn, 29, of Durham Road, Stockton, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to burglary, fraud and theft.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters told the court it was the victim’s carer who had become suspicious of Dunn - having seen him in the pensioners home on several occasions and taking £3 payments for window cleaning that he had never done.

She later discovered that the victim’s bank card was missing before on April 21, he was questioned about it by the victim.

Miss Masters said: “He said ‘what is he going on about? He keeps asking about his bank card and money going missing. I wouldn’t do such a thing’.

“The defendant then went to the kitchen and appeared to retrieve the bank card from the shelf but the carer was aware the card had not been there so she challenged the defendant about it.”

The matter was then reported and Dunn admitted taking £580 from the account and said he was a heroin addict.

In a victim impact statement read out to court, the victim said: “I trusted Lee and he seemed alright. But he took advantage of me - walking around my house and stealing from me.”

The court also heard Dunn had previously been found guilty of two other burglaries - one in 2009 and one in 2011.

The latter offence involved Dunn again tricking a 75-year-old Stockton woman by pretending to be from a housing group and claiming he had come to check her boiler. He then went on to steal her purse.

Gary Wood, defending, said Dunn “insisted he did not set out to do this” and has remorse.

“You have done this before - trying to prey on the elderly,” said Recorder Knox.

This is serious, nasty offending.”

Dunn, nodded his head when sentenced, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

Fresh clashes in Egypt leave seven people killed and several others injured

Seven people have been killed in fresh clashes between police and supporters of ousted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, in the capital Cairo and the city of Giza.

A source from the pro-Morsi National Alliance for the Defence of Legitimacy said five protesters were shot dead by security forces in Giza on Friday.

Two young men were also killed by live fire in Cairo, the source added.

Five people, including a police officer, were reportedly wounded during the clashes in the capital.

More than a dozen demonstrators were killed on Thursday and Friday across Egypt.

Over 190 people were arrested during the protests, security officials told Egypt’s MENA news agency.

It has been reported that the Egyptian police have used excessive force to suppress the nationwide demonstrations. Eyewitnesses say the police have been using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.

The killings occurred following the Friday prayers during demonstrations held in different cities to mark the first anniversary of a bloody crackdown on a protest in the capital.

On August 14, 2013, after then army chief and now president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, declared that Morsi was no longer in office, the security forces launched a brutal crackdown on thousands of the Morsi supporters at protest camps in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, leaving hundreds of people dead.

Egypt has been the scene of anti-government protests with continuous clashes between security forces and supporters of Mohamed Morsi since his ouster in July last year.

SSM/HSN/HRB

Damia Abella finally completes his Boro move

Spanish full-back Damia Abella has finally completed his move to Boro.

The 32-year-old goes straight into Boro's squad for today's clash with Leeds United after he was finally granted clearance to complete his switch from Osasuna.

The right-back was earmarked by Aitor Karanka early in the summer as the Boro boss looked to fill the gaping vacancy in that position.

Abella brings experience from his time at Barcelona, when he won a La Liga champions medal, and has played more than 120 games in the Spanish top flight.

The Boro boss knows him well and believes his physical, imposing style of play will allow him to slot straight into the Championship.

Karanka has been chasing a new right-back all summer.

Seb Hines played there for Boro's season opener against Birmingham and against Oldham Athletic.

Stockton burglar locked up for con on elderly man with dementia

A three-strike burglar who conned an elderly dementia suffer out of hundreds of pounds has been locked up for four years.

Lee Anthony Dunn manipulated the 79-year-old pensioner - conning him out of money by fraudulently posing as a window cleaner as well as burgling his Stockton home and taking his bank card before going on to take £580 out of the man’s account.

“It is the most wicked exploitation of an elderly person,” said the Judge, Recorder Christopher Knox.

“You took advantage of him because you probably thought he wouldn’t notice or be able to give a coherent account of what had gone on.”

Dunn, 29, of Durham Road, Stockton, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to burglary, fraud and theft.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters told the court it was the victim’s carer who had become suspicious of Dunn - having seen him in the pensioners home on several occasions and taking £3 payments for window cleaning that he had never done.

She later discovered that the victim’s bank card was missing before on April 21, he was questioned about it by the victim.

Miss Masters said: “He said ‘what is he going on about? He keeps asking about his bank card and money going missing. I wouldn’t do such a thing’.

“The defendant then went to the kitchen and appeared to retrieve the bank card from the shelf but the carer was aware the card had not been there so she challenged the defendant about it.”

The matter was then reported and Dunn admitted taking £580 from the account and said he was a heroin addict.

In a victim impact statement read out to court, the victim said: “I trusted Lee and he seemed alright. But he took advantage of me - walking around my house and stealing from me.”

The court also heard Dunn had previously been found guilty of two other burglaries - one in 2009 and one in 2011.

The latter offence involved Dunn again tricking a 75-year-old Stockton woman by pretending to be from a housing group and claiming he had come to check her boiler. He then went on to steal her purse.

Gary Wood, defending, said Dunn “insisted he did not set out to do this” and has remorse.

“You have done this before - trying to prey on the elderly,” said Recorder Knox.

This is serious, nasty offending.”

Dunn, nodded his head when sentenced, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

Live: Leeds United v Boro from Elland Road

Boro are looking to continue their impressive start to the new season with the much-awaited trip to Elland Road.

Aitor Karanka's side will go top for a few hours at least should they avoid defeat against Leeds United.

The Championship clash gets underway at 12.15pm.

Boro will be hopeful of building on their promising start to the campaign while Leeds are still looking to get off the mark following a 2-0 defeat at Millwall on the opening day.