Good evening, here are the headlines from the Liverpool ECHO on Wednesday (March 30).
Vet sexually assaulted python owner during visit to see her pets
A veterinary nurse drunkenly groped a woman’s breasts after being invited to her house to look at a collection of exotic pets.
Shannon Tuddenham bonded with her victim over their interest in rare animals but when she was invited to come round to look at some she sexually assaulted her. The pregnant 26 year old was spared jail today but has lost her job as a result of her grim assault.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court said the incident, which took place on June 15 last year, was “nasty” and resulted in long lasting effects on the victim. The pair had communicated over Facebook about exotic animals and the victim and her boyfriend organised for Tuddenham, of Garston, to visit their home in another part of Merseyside to see a number of their pets, including a python.
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Boy, 12, returns home 'covered in blood' after grim school attack
A distraught mother said her 12-year-old son returned home from school 'covered in blood' after a shocking classroom attack that was caught on camera.
The 'disturbing' incident occurred in February during a Year 7 lesson at The Academy of St Nicholas school in Garston, but the videos have only recently emerged on social media. The shocking clip shows a male pupil standing over the desk of another male pupil, before launching into a violent attack and throwing numerous punches at his head and body.
The video appears to show two adult staff members standing and sitting close to the incident as it takes place, with neither intervening during the part of the attack that was caught on camera. The school's headteacher said the 'upsetting' incident' was 'immediately and appropriately dealt with' resulting in the suspension of a student. The school said this was followed by an appropriate reintegration plan and internal investigation.
The ECHO has spoken to the mother of the victim of the attack. We have chosen not to identify the boy or his mother. She said her son has been the victim of bullying and attacks from other pupils at The Academy of St Nicholas since he started there last year.
The tearful mother said she has now taken her son out of school following the February incident. She believes she has not had satisfactory responses to the many concerns and complaints she has raised with the school.
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Pub landlords unite to help out Ukrainian refugees
A retired pub landlord and charity fundraiser was "over the moon" when a fellow licensee donated the proceeds of a regular charity quiz to his Children of War fund for Ukraine.
Tony Berry aims to raise £4,000 to cover van hire, diesel, and ferry tickets to transport donations of essentials like toiletries, baby milk, and non-perishable food stuffs to a refugee camp on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Landlord of the Lion Tavern on Moorfields, Dave Hardman, contacted Tony through a mutual friend after reading about his project on the ECHO website.
He said: "We host a charity quiz four time a year, with the proceeds going to Maggie’s Place on the Wirral. This time, as a one off, we thought they should go towards setting Tony on his way. We raised just over £500 this time, which he is very welcome to."
The Lion Tavern’s donation takes Tony’s total to just under £2,500, more than halfway to his target. He decided to revise his original target of £7,000 after realizing how immediately these essentials are needed.
He will be making the 7-day round-trip with his son Sean, along with family friend and retired police officer Dave Hughes, within the next two weeks. Tony said: "Dave is very much on my level. What he has done shows exactly what Liverpudlians do in a situation like this. People like him are the heart and soul of what’s going on here."
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