The victim was on a night out in a limousine with friends in Brighton early on Sunday morning when she tried to get back into the vehicle at a pick-up point in King’s Road.

She mistakenly got into a different limousine. She was punched and set upon by seven women and one man, before being thrown out onto the kerb. She suffered cuts and bruises and a broken right wrist.

Witnesses are asked to call Sussex Police on quoting serial 1220 of November 1.

Source: The Argus

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The Mirror has reported that the player was at the centre of an extraordinary riddle last night amid claims he punched a VIP minibus in anger when the driver was late picking him up. The football star, who is serving a three-match ban for kicking out during an England game, insists nothing happened and the allegations are “malicious and untrue”.

The Manchester United striker, his wife and a group of their friends, had been out last Sunday night to watch singer Rihanna perform just 48 hours after his red card shame. When the party left the ­Manchester Evening News Arena, they expected to find a chauffeur-driven minibus waiting for them. However the driver was late ­picking them up to take them home and Rooney, according to a source, became agitated.

“Coleen was relaxed and quite smiley and friendly, but something had got to Wayne and he was ­angry.

“He punched the vehicle with his fist twice, damaging a headlight, the front grille and the bonnet,” said the source.

“Coleen seemed frustrated with him for getting angry at the end of a lovely evening out. She’s a lovely lass.”

The source added: “The driver’s very unhappy about this.”

But the claims were furiously denied last night – with Rooney’s management making efforts to ­investigate them and prove them false. His spokesman ­completely denied any incident had taken place – and insisted Rooney, despite having a reputation as a bruiser, would never behave in such a manner.

He said: “This story is ­malicious and untrue in every detail.

“There was no row and Wayne neither hit nor did any damage at all to the minibus.”

Rooney’s agent Paul ­Stretford made several telephone calls ­yesterday afternoon, ringing around trying to speak to people, including the managing ­director of the ­transport firm and the driver.
Last Sunday’s alleged incident came at the end of a difficult week for the player which saw his father and uncle arrested over a suspected betting scam.

Source: The Mirror
Source: The Argus

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Thomas Stocking made two false statements about his earnings, Worcester Crown Court was told.

His actions held up the bankruptcy proceedings and meant that the income was not available to his creditors, said Laura Hobson, prosecuting.
Stocking, aged 58, of Worcester Road, Ledbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury.

Jailing him for eight months, Judge John Cavell said: “This wasn’t naivety, it was simple dishonesty. It must be made clear that offences against public justice merit custody.”

Stocking was employed by Anglo American Services UK in London for 11 years, working on two-year renewable contracts. But in December 2009, he went into voluntary bankruptcy with debts of £107,000, said Miss Hobson.

Between that date and June the next year, he continued to be employed by the same firm, earning £58,561. Yet he told the Official Receiver he had no income and later admitted that he lied “in panic”.

Defending, Judith Kenney said he was a naive and uneducated man who was anxious to maintain his chauffeur contract. His debts included loans and money to pay for his wife’s fertility treatment. He was unable to work for some months after suffering a heart attack.

Miss Kenney said he mistakenly believed that he could not work as a bankrupt and that his debts “had been wiped clean”. He committed the offences due to a bad decision to make himself bankrupt, which he took without legal advice.
Source: The Argus

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Transport for London is urging the owners and operators of the estimated 150,000 vehicles affected by new emissions standards in January 2012 to take action now to avoid fines.

From 3 January 2012 vehicles that are already affected by the LEZ – HGVs, buses and coaches – will have to meet a Euro IV standard for particulate matter (PM) to drive within Greater London without paying a £200 daily charge.

Also from this date, larger vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles will have to meet LEZ standards for the first time. These vehicles will have to meet a Euro 3 emissions standard for particulate matter (PM) in order to drive within Greater London without paying a £100 daily charge.

Whilst most vehicles set to be affected by the scheme are already compliant, for the minority that are not, the Mayor Boris Johnson, recently announced he has secured significant discounts off a range of new vans and minibuses in an unprecedented package of financial deals. Eighty per cent of vehicles affected by the LEZ for the first time in 2012 are vans and offers from manufacturers in some cases amount to thousands of pounds off a new vehicle.

Larger vans and minibuses were originally due to be included in the LEZ from 4 October 2010, however, the Mayor took the decision, following public consultation, to defer the introduction in tough economic times to give the owners and operators of the estimated 70,000 non-compliant vehicles, many of which are smaller businesses and charities, more time to make the necessary changes.

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s environment director, said: “The Mayor is taking robust steps to deliver cleaner air and improve Londoners’ health. Changes to the Low Emission Zone in January are a key part of these plans.

“The vast majority of vehicles set to be affected by these new standards are already compliant. However, a small minority of drivers still need to take action to avoid fines. There is a range of options available to vehicle owners and as part of this, the Mayor has agreed deals with a number of vehicle manufacturers for discounts off new vehicles. However, some options to make vehicles compliant, such as fitting an approved filter, can take up to three months to complete, so I urge those who are affected to take action as soon as possible.”

The LEZ was introduced in 2008 and has been successful in delivering significant reductions in harmful vehicle emissions but the scheme now needs to go further to ensure London meets legally required air quality standards. Air pollution is a serious health issue in London contributing to an estimated 4,300 premature deaths in a year with many more people, especially children and the elderly, having their quality of life adversely impacted by it. London also has to meet European legal standards for air quality. TfL estimates that the changes to the LEZ will broadly double the impact of earlier phases in reducing harmful particulate matter pollution in the Capital.

There are a range of options available to vehicle operators to ensure their vehicles comply with the LEZ standards, including fitting an approved exhaust filter; purchasing a cleaner new or second hand vehicle; re-organising a fleet so that only vehicles which meet the required emissions standards drive within the LEZ; or leasing or renting a compliant vehicle.  Owners of vehicles that do not meet the emissions standards and have not paid a daily charge and drive within the LEZ risk a significant penalty charge.

The expansion includes an increase in size by more than 2500 square metres for the Assembly Hall, completing the final phase of development from original site plans for the production area. A new extension will also increase the Surface Finish Centre by more than 640 square metres. Total investment in the project will be about £10 million.

This development follows record sales in 2010 and growing demand across all markets, both at home and internationally. The company is also expanding its dealer network, with several new dealerships recently launched in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe and more are planned in the balance of the year.

The new space, and a number of additional infrastructure changes, will allow the company’s manufacturing and Bespoke operation to expand significantly. Bespoke allows Rolls-Royce customers the luxury to commission motor cars that suit their personal lifestyles and creative desires, transforming super-luxury cars into unique hand-crafted masterpieces which are as individual as their owner’s fingerprint. This year, Rolls-Royce has seen a significant increase in demand for personalised bespoke models, and the company recently announced a doubling in the number of Bespoke experts throughout the business.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “I am very pleased to announce our expansion plans. We continue to see increased demand from customers all over the world and the new facilities will allow us to increase the capacity for our hand-built, highly personalised motor cars. This investment demonstrates our confidence in this unique brand, our commitment to our Home at Goodwood – the only place in the world where Rolls-Royce motor cars are built – and signals the next phase in the development of our company.”

Mark Prisk, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, said, “It is good news to hear that Rolls-Royce has plans for expansion at the Goodwood site. It is a further endorsement of the strength of the automotive sector in the UK. Automotive is the UK’s number one manufactured export – in 2010 the UK auto sector exported over £27 billion-worth of vehicles and parts.”

Construction is planned to commence later this year and will be completed in late 2012.