Killer pleads guilty to Kirkwall bedsit murder - full story

Senior officials from the European Commission and the Scottish Executive said on Thursday that were impressed by the range of projects in Orkney built with the help of European structural funds.

Members of the monitoring committee for the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme met in Orkney on Thursday and discussed a number of issues - including the need to improve telecommunications links throughout the area.

The people of Orkney are continuing their fundraising efforts to help in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

The Mayfield Singers, under director Neil Price, are giving a concert in St Magnus Cathedral on Sunday, at 8pm, to raise money to support education programmes for the children of rescue workers killed trying to help those caught up in the disaster.

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St Magnus Cathedral

Police were appealing for information this week after a break-in at St Magnus Cathedral and the removal of a quantity of money.

The theft took place sometime on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with entry to the 864-year-old cathedral gained through a window broken by vandals last week.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kirkwall police on 872241.

Which? names The Creel as a Hotel of the Year

Local hotel and restaurant The Creel, in St Margaret's Hope, has been named as one of only five hotels in Scotland to be named a Hotel of the Year in the latest edition of The Which? Hotel Guide. There are only 40 named in the whole of Britain.

Two other Orkney hotels, the Foveran Hotel and Restaurant in St Ola and the Merkister Hotel in Harray, also appear in the guide as recommendations.

Hydro-Electric Toab line upgrade under way

Upgrade work on the electricity line from Kirkwall to Toab is now under way, with Scottish Hydro-Electric’s ‘live line’ team at work on the live overhead lines.

Work on the lines from Trades Park to Kirkwall Airport has already begun - the first stage of a project costing £120,000.

European funding committee meet in Kirkwall

The group which recommends Highlands and Islands projects for European funding is met in Orkney for the first time yesterday.

Members of the Special Transitional Programme Monitoring Committee will meet in the Council Chamber to discuss the latest round of applications for European assistance.

On Wednesday, the delegates toured a number of Orkney projects which have previously received European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) assistance, including the Orkney College; the Pickaquoy Centre and Orkney Auction Mart.

Free nursing care for Orkney's old folk

Orkney’s elderly look set to benefit from free personal and nursing care from next April following the Scottish Executive's announcement that they will meet the recommendations of the Care Development Group.

Orkney MSP, Mr Jim Wallace immediately welcomed the news, which he said moved beyond recommendations made by the Royal Commission.

Mr Wallace said: “I know that in Orkney, where there is a strong community tradition, this news will be particularly welcome. The support for those living at home will allow elderly Orcadians to live at home in their own communities for as long as possible while, if they have to move to a home, they do not now have to worry about meeting the cost of their personal care."

Licensing Board to reconvene to discuss fate of Pomona Restaurant

A special meeting of the Orkney Licensing Board will be held on November 9 after the proprietor of Finstown's Pomona Restaurant failed to turn up for a hearing on Wednesday.

The board had called the meeting to allow Mrs Wilma Hutchison to explain why the premises have not been open for business this summer.

The board had issued a warning earlier this year that Mrs Wilma Hutchison risked losing the licence unless she opened the restaurant by June 1, 2001.

No jail for £7,000 benefit fraudster

Raymond Ward (52), Queen Sonja Kloss, Kirkwall, previously admitted fraudulently obtaining housing and council tax benefit of some £6,758 between April, 1993 and November, 2000.

The court heard that Ward receives three different types of benefit - incapacity, industrial injury and mobility allowance - but did not disclose this fact to the relevant authorities.

Ward was sentenced to 18 months probation.

Hoy Trust win court battle to evict tenants

The Hoy Trust won a court battle on Tuesday to have a Hoy couple evicted from a trust-owned property on the island.

Sheriff Colin Scott Mackenzie agreed at Kirkwall Sheriff Court to grant a warrant to eject Terence and Jean Thomson from Bu Farm, after they fell into rent arrears of more than £3,000.

Agent for the Hoy Trust, Miss Georgette Herd, said that this had been an ongoing dispute for many years and the matter for the court was the fact the Trust were entitled to ask for a warrant for ejection.

However, Mr Graham Sutherland, representing Mr and Mrs Thomson, argued that they were in the final stages of negotiating a new lease and asked for a four-week continuation.

The Scottish Executive announced on Tuesday afternoon that the chairman of the new NHS Orkney Board will be Mrs Jenny Dewar from Stromness.

Mrs Dewar has been chief officer of the Orkney Local Health Council for the last six years. Her new post attracts a salary of £24,000 a year, more than three times the remuneration for the former chairman of the Orkney Health Board.

Commenting on her appointment, Mrs Dewar commented: “I am a member of the community, not a health professional. I want the Board to be approachable, visible and open. I want us to get out into the community and put across what the Board is doing whilst listening to what the public wants.”

Bank of England director impressed with ‘go-ahead’ local economy

An executive director of the Bank of England has told a gathering of local business community representatives that he is impressed by the determination to thrive shown by many Orkney businesses, despite transport and other economic difficulties.

Speaking on Monday afternoon, Mr Ian Plenderleith, who is also a member of the Monetary Policy Committee which decides on UK interest rates, said: “I certainly got the impression of a very active, pretty well diversified and go-ahead local economy, with lots of small businesses in different areas very much trying to do the things they’re best at. People associate the name ‘Orkney’ with good quality and that it is a great strength which I hope they will continue to capitalise on.”

Westray hosts Initiative at the Edge conference

Initiative at the Edge was launched in 1998 to encourage greater co-operation between public bodies, local authorities and the government to pool resources in assisting Scotland's most fragile and remote areas.

Among those attending the event on Tuesday and Wednesday is Deputy minister for enterprise and lifelong learning Alasdair Morrison and Rhona Brankin, deputy minister for rural development.

The mobile phone saga in the North Isles is continuing this week, with customers with BT Cellnet and Vodafone mobile phones once again affected by a lack of service.

Councillor Stephen Hagan, said that he had raised the concerns about mobile phone coverage in the North Isles in casual conversations, but that the situation had now become "quite serious" and something had to be done about it.

A spokesman for BT Cellnet said: “Unfortunately we are still experiencing an ongoing fault at the shared site in Sanday. This is due to a major cable fault that the transmission provider is experiencing. This will require 100 metres of cable being replaced and they are hoping to start replacing it this week.”

Man admits weekend assault

An Orkney man has admitted assaulting a woman by holding her face in a basin of water.

Christopher Hurst (30), Royal Oak Road, Kirkwall appeared from custody on Monday at Kirkwall Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting Stephanie Seatter, grabbing her, pushing her and forcibly holding her head under water on Sunday.

Sheriff Colin Scott Mackenzie said he would defer sentence on first-offender Hurst for three months for him to be of good behaviour.

Guilty plea in Kirkwall murder case

Bullen, who was described in court as a prisoner of Inverness prison, pleaded guilty to an amended indictment that on May 29, 2001, at Flat 6, 22 Bignold Park Road, Kirkwall, he did assault Thomas Grant Miller, Flat 4, 22 Bignold Park Road, Kirkwall, and did repeatedly punch and kick him on the head and body, strike him on the head with his knee, knock him down, pick him up, throw him to the floor, repeatedly jump on him, and did murder him.

A plea of not guilty to a further indictment of assault on Hugh Robertson Sinclair, Glaitness Park, Kirkwall, at Flat 6, 22 Bignold Park Road, Kirkwall, was accepted by the Crown.

No evidence was led today when Bullen appeared briefly before Lord Abernethy, who, after formally accepting Bullen's pleas, continued the case for social reports and sentencing until October 15, 2001.

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Local cells pass muster

Legalised police cells in Kirkwall are in good order, bright and well maintained, according to the Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland following a recent visit.

But the police building remains ''somewhat cramped, labyrinthine and inaccessible''. The report states: ''The cells provide a generally safe and decent environment for short stay prisoners. The exercise yard is of adequate size and sufficiently secure for supervised exercise.''

So far this year 30 prisoners have been held in the three legalised cells locally. The cells are used to hold prisoners awaiting trial, or following conviction, pending transfer to a main prison.

Winners of Orkney food 'Oscars' announced

The Orkney Food Festival drew to a close on Saturday night with the announcement of the winners of this year's Taste of Orkney Awards at a Gala Dinner in Kirkwall Town Hall.

Five winners were chosen from a shortlist of 12, with The Foveran Hotel, St Ola, taking Best Orkney Dinner, The Mustard Seed, Victoria Street, Kirkwall lifting Best Light Lunch/Snack and Louise Budge of Stonequoy in Hoy scooping Best Orkney Breakfast.

Nelson's Market Gardens, Evie won Best Orkney Suppliers, while for the second year in a row, Dounby Stores picked up the Best Orkney Retailer award.

Sporting heroes sought for annual awards

Orkney Sports Development Group are looking for nominations for their second annual Orkney Sporting Awards.

Following the success of last year's event, the OSDG are looking for people who have excelled in their sport in the past year.

The categories this year are: Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year; Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year; Coach of the Year; Team of the Year; Services to Sport Award and Sports Photograph of the Year.

Nomination forms are available from the Pickaquoy Centre and nominations close on Friday, October 26. The winner of each category will be chosen by a special panel at an awards ceremony dinner in November.