The Chronicle

More wintry weather set for the region

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THINK you’ve seen the last of the snow and ice?

Think again – because it will make an appearance again before the end of the year.

The Met Office has updated its forecast and it’s not good news.

Here in the North we’re going to get more wintry conditions.

Sorry, but it’s going to last well into January as well – that’s providing you believe the longrange prediction.

The Met Office’s new forecast for Sunday to December 26 says the period will start with frost on Sunday, followed by some strengthen­ing winds.

The forecast from December 27 until January 10 does not offer much welcome news either.

The prediction says: “Showers are likely to turn wintry at times, particular­ly in the north. It will often be windy with temperatur­es varying around normal. As we head into the start of January there is large uncertaint­y. Snow is likely at times, especially in northern and central parts of the UK, as well as an increased likelihood of overnight frosts.”

The only bright spot is the next few days, which will be relatively mild before giving way to another blast of bad weather. Temperatur­es will be on the slide again later in the month, but a colder flow is likely to cover the UK from December 25, forecaster­s predict.

The Met Office forecast snow next week on higher ground, with snow showers mixed in with milder conditions over Christmas and then a New Year chill with snow in the Midlands and North. Reporter A JEALOUS ex-boyfriend has been jailed after he threw corrosive drain unblocker over his unsuspecti­ng former partner while she was working in a Newcastle gym.

Bitter Peter Furness had already sneaked into the woman’s house in the weeks prior to the horrific attack and put chilli in her mascara and hair removal cream in her shampoo.

But the 46-year-old’s twisted harassment campaign took a more sinister turn when he attended the victim’s work place at the Studio West gym, in West Denton, armed with a bottle of caustic soda, or “drain unblocker”, a court heard.

To the shock of the woman and members of the public inside, Furness then doused his ex-partner over the face and head with the corrosive liquid before punching and kicking her as she screamed and shouted in shock.

Quick-thinking gym staff managed to immediatel­y wash the alkali chemical off the horrified woman and she was put in the shower in a desperate attempt to clean it away.

She was taken to hospital where it was found she was suffering from burned hair and reddening to her face, eyes and neck, a court was told.

Furness left the scene and, later the same evening, wrote a chilling message of Facebook, which said: “It’s all [the woman’s] fault but she won’t be laughing now, as, hopefully, I have disfigured her”.

Now, Furness, of Haydon Close, Gosforth, has now been locked up for four and a half years after he pleaded guilty to one count each of carrying a corrosive fluid with intent, possessing an offensive weapon, harassment and common assault.

Emma Dowling, prosecutin­g, said Furness and his partner had been in a relationsh­ip for more than 13 years when they broke up in July this year.

He left the family home but kept a key and began to secretly let himself inside.

Ms Dowling said: “The defendant tampered with her cosmetic products, putting chilli in her mascara and Immac hair remover in her conditione­r bottle.

“The complainan­t says she used her mascara and describes having to wash her eyes afterwards to stop the burning.”

Over the next few days, Furness also ripped a shirt on the victim’s washing line, took keys out of her electric meter, put superglue in her door locks and sent her abusive messages.

However, on the afternoon of September 7, Furness decided to attend his former partner’s workplace armed with the drain unblocker and wearing a pair of gloves.

Ms Dowling added: “[The victim] was on the treadmill and he sprayed her in the face. She fell off the treadmill and the defendant continued to spray her on the back of the head and in her hair.

“He then punched her to the face and kicked her in the back. She hid her eyes throughout as she was concerned about the fluid getting in her eyes.”

Horrified staff members rushed to the woman’s aid as they believed the liquid was acid and immediatel­y washed her face and eyes before putting her in the shower and taking her to hospital.

Furness left the scene but was later arrested.

The court was told some of the chemical splashed on to a man on the next treadmill, which is where the common assault charge arose from.

In a statement, the victim said: “As a result of this assault, I sustained injuries. The hair to the back of my head was burned off and I have had to have it cut right back to allow it to grow in again.

“This caused me to be really selfconsci­ous and I feel people are looking at me all the time.”

Despite the horrific attack, the victim said Furness, who has 15 past conviction­s for 24 offences, was a “good father” and that she didn’t want to see him go to prison for “more than necessary”.

Geoff Knowles, mitigating, said the victim had previously been unfaithful to Furness, which had caused his mental health to deteriorat­e.

“The ending of the relationsh­ip because of a new relationsh­ip after 13 and a half years exacerbate­d his depression,” Mr Knowles added. “The catalyst appears to be that an indication had been given that the couple’s children were going to meet her new partner. That particular­ly upset him,”

The court heard Furness was now extremely remorseful and appalled at himself but that he had initially attended the gym with the drain cleaner only with the intention of pouring it over the victim’s car.

DC Rob Smoult, from Northumbri­a’s Safeguardi­ng Department, said: “This was an extremely serious malicious attack which was intended to cause great harm. In this case, the quick-thinking response of people in the gym considerab­ly reduced the overall harm, and had they not taken the actions they did, the victims would have had more serious injuries.

“I hope the victims in this case will now feel that justice has been done. This attack should also serve as a warning to others who may consider carrying out attacks with a noxious substance that the courts take such offences seriously, jailing those responsibl­e.”

 ??  ?? West Denton leisure centre where an alleged chemical/acid attack took place.
West Denton leisure centre where an alleged chemical/acid attack took place.
 ??  ?? Peter Furness
Peter Furness

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