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Tory MP Rob Roberts slapped on wrist after behaviour probe
A Tory MP accused of multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards parliamentary staff has been “strongly rebuked” by the party – but will face no further action. Rob Roberts, who represents Delyn in North Wales, sent WhatsApp messages to a 21-year-old intern asking her for “no strings” fun. In one exchange, when she said tried to fend off the advances by saying she was having a “really, really bad mental health day”, he replied: “I was just thinking about fun times, maybe if you thought of them too it might help you.” In another, he suggested she visit him in London to “fool around”. His conduct – which also included repeatedly asking a male aide out – was called “unacceptable” following a Conservative Party probe and he was ordered to undergo “safeguarding training”. But the female intern at the centre of the scandal said the 41-year-old had “gotten away” with his actions.
Union leader: Schools must be able to exclude violent pupils
Schools must be able to exclude pupils who have attacked teachers or sexually abused pupils, the leader of the UK's largest teaching union has said. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the sanction must be available – but she said excluded pupils should be “reintegrated into mainstream education as soon as possible”. It came after thousands of testimonials have been made by students documenting sexual harassment and assault in schools and colleges. In a speech to the NEU's annual conference, Dr Bousted said: “I have read the testimonies. They are heart-breaking and shaming.
Teenage boy denies planning neo-Nazi terror attack
A teenage boy has denied planning a neo-Nazi terror attack involving the use of 3D-printed guns. The 17year-old is accused of purchasing material to manufacture the firearms and drawing up plans for a storage bunker. He has also been charged with disseminating terrorist publications through a channel on the encrypted Telegram app, and four counts of collecting information useful to a terrorist. The boy appeared at London’s Old Bailey on Friday via video-link from Feltham Young Offenders Institution. He pleaded not guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism between October and December last year, by drawing up plans for a storage bunker, gathering information on 3D printed firearms and transferring money for material to manufacture them. He also pleaded not guilty to four counts of collecting information that would be useful to a terrorist, including firearm designs, weapons and military training manuals.
Major restoration work completed on Ribblehead Viaduct
When Yorkshire’s stunning Ribblehead Viaduct was built in the 1870s so many workers lost their lives through accidents, fighting and a smallpox outbreak that the Midland Railway company paid to extend the local graveyard. A restoration of the sweeping Grade II* listed bridge completed this week. Scaffolding has now come down following the major £2.1 million, six-month upgrade to the 24-arch, 104 ft tall structure. And railways bosses say the work – the first in almost 30 years – has succeeded in securing its future as both a historical landmark and a vital railway link across the Yorkshire Dales. Among the painstaking operations carried out were re-pointing hundreds of eroded mortar joints and replacing broken stones. Detailed laser and drone surveys were taken to offer the first ever detailed record of the viaduct’s condition so it can be closely monitored down the coming decades.