Amazon set to open second centre in county

GLOBAL retailer Amazon is believed to be opening a second North East logistics centre in County Durham, with the potential to create thousands of jobs.

Work is already under way to construct a massive fulfilment and distribution centre at Symmetry Park near Darlington for Amazon – a 1.5m sq ft logistics which is being funded by real estate investment group Tritax Big Box REIT to the tune of £120m. The London group is letting the enormous site on a 20-year lease, as one of a number of land deals it has carried out with the global giant.

Now the company has swooped for a second site just up the road at the Integra 61 site near Durham, forward-funding an even larger logistics facility in a £147.3m deal which is set to be the biggest of its kind outside the South East.

The centre has the potential to create even more than the 3,000 jobs thought to be coming to Symmetry Park, although investors behind the scheme say it will have “high levels of automation”.

Tritax says the site has been let to a “financially robust world leading retailer”, which is believed to be Amazon. The firm is poised to become the sole occupier of Integra 61, next to junction 61 on the A1(M), at Bowburn. DNA likely to be from three of the men accused of a shooting plot was found on items including bags of bullets and live ammunition, a court heard.

Prosecutors say six men conspired to open fire at a house in Brunswick while three of them are also accused of a similar attack in Benwell.

Jurors were told DNA swabs were taken from various items seized by police, including a loaded pump-action rifle and bags of cartridges found in an alleged safe house in Fenham, and an unfired round found at the scene of the second shooting.

DNA expert Sally Hill said the unfired bullet cartridge found at Oakfield Gardens had DNA on it and that it was a billion times more likely it came from Jamie Moran and two other individuals rather than three unknown individuals.

She also told Newcastle Crown Court a .22 cartridge found in a rifle at Wingrove Avenue, Fenham, was a billion times more likely to have DNA on it from Michael Conroy and one unknown person than two unknown people.

Mrs Hill was also asked about a knot from a plastic bag which contained 39 .22 cartridges. The knot was cut off and a low level mixed DNA profile was found, which Mrs Hill said she considered to originate from four individuals.

Darren Appleby and Jamie Moran were both represented such that they could both be potential contributors to the DNA detected, she told the court.

The scientist said it is 21 million times more likely the DNA was from Appleby and three other individuals than four unknown individuals.

And she said it is 32,000 times more likely it is Jamie Moran’s DNA with three unknown individuals rather than four unknown individuals. Another knot from a plastic bag which contained 10 .22 bullets, found within a zipsealed bag, was also tested, with the surface area and the inside of the knot being swabbed for DNA.

Mrs Hill said a low level mixed DNA profile was obtained which, in her opinion, can be considered to be from two individuals.

She said: “Michael Conroy’s profile is represented such that he could have contributed the majority of the DNA detected.”

Mrs Hill said it is a billion times more likely the DNA came from Conroy and an unknown individual rather than from two unknown individuals.

Under cross-examination by Rod Hunt, for Conroy, Mrs Hill agreed low level DNA can come from indirect transfer. She also confirmed the existence of the DNA profile on the first knot does not mean Appleby was the last person to touch it and she cannot rule out the possibility he handled it when the bag was empty or contained something innocent. Another forensic scientist told the court a mobile phone recovered from Wingrove Avenue on February 14 was swabbed for DNA around the ear piece and buttons. There was a DNA profile and it was a billion times more likely it came from Appleby than from an unknown person, she said.

The court heard a shotgun cartridge was found at the home of Conroy’s girlfriend on Kyloe Place, Newcastle, on January 10 last year. A low-level mixed DNA profile was obtained which had contributions from four individuals. The expert added that her opinion is the findings are in keeping with Conroy, among others, having had contact with the shotgun cartridge at some time. However she was unable to eliminate the possibility it was deposited as a result of indirect contact. The jury also heard evidence about fingerprints found at the alleged safe house at Wingrove Avenue.

Appleby’s fingerprints were found on a large mirror in the bedroom, a bedroom door handle, a TV screen in the living room, an “apparent bong”, a fridge freezer, a food bag with “£3,000” written on it, a food bag with “£2,027” written on it and a tenancy agreement for 12 Wingrove Avenue. Jamie Moran’s fingerprints were found on a bolt lock, a glass bottle in the kitchen sink, a Fairy Liquid bottle and an “apparent bong”. Michael Conroy, 36, of Heathfield Crescent, Cowgate, Newcastle, Darren Appleby, 23, of Deepdale Crescent, Cowgate, Jamie Moran, 28, of Whickham View, Newcastle, Kenneth Moran, Sally Hill

Conroy’s profile is represented such that he could have contributed the majority of the DNA detected