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	<title>Deadline News &#187; UK &amp; World</title>
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		<title>Former Baywatch star Donna D&#8217;Errico is trying to solve the mystery of a missing Scots man</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/09/17/former-baywatch-star-donna-derrico-is-trying-to-solve-the-mystery-of-a-missing-scots-man/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/09/17/former-baywatch-star-donna-derrico-is-trying-to-solve-the-mystery-of-a-missing-scots-man/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:14:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=55448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A FORMER Baywatch actress is on the way to solve the mystery of a Scots man who disappeared while hunting for Noah’s Ark. Donna D’Errico, also a former Playboy star, is filming a new documentary at suspected Ark location Mount Ararat  in Turkey where Stornoway man Donald Mackenzie went missing in 2010. The 44-year-old, who [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A FORMER Baywatch actress is on the way to solve the mystery of a Scots man who disappeared while hunting for Noah’s Ark.</p>
<p>Donna D’Errico, also a former Playboy star, is filming a new documentary at suspected Ark location Mount Ararat  in Turkey where Stornoway man Donald Mackenzie went missing in 2010.</p>
<p>The 44-year-old, who played Donna Marcoin in the hit lifeguard show, is keen to shed light on what happened to Donald, 47, when he explored the mountain two years ago.</p>
<div id="attachment_55449" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 448px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Donna_DErrico_and_Jeremy_Jackson.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-55449" title="Donna_D'Errico_and_Jeremy_Jackson" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Donna_DErrico_and_Jeremy_Jackson.jpg" alt="" width="438" height="292" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Donna D&#39;Errico with former Baywatch star Jeremy Jackson</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Donna also plans to travel to Lewis in the Western Isles to meet Mr Mackenzie’s family.</p>
<p>She said: “I interviewed several people on-camera over there who knew Donald or saw him before he disappeared, including some who I believe may know what happened to him.</p>
<p>“No official investigation or search was ever really conducted after he disappeared nearly two years ago.</p>
<p>“As soon as I left one of the people who I had interviewed and questioned about Donald’s disappearance pointed out that if it had been an accident that befell Donald his gear would have been found.”</p>
<p>Mr Mackenzie had been searching for Noah’s Ark for six years when he then left for Mt Ararat – he was reported missing on 14 October 2010 by a friend.</p>
<p>Derick Mackenzie, Donald’s brother, said that he had been in contact with Miss D’Errico about the documentary and she seemed “genuine”.</p>
<p>He said: “I have had contact from Donna – she said a few emotive things about Donald.</p>
<p>“I did not know she had gone to Ararat to look for him but I’m very glad she went.</p>
<p>“The more people who are trying to find out what happened to Donald the better.</p>
<p>“I don’t believe he is alive but at the same time you have to keep an open mind. I look forward to meeting Donna – she seemed genuine.”</p>
<p>The American model and actress first became interested in the chase for the ruins of Noah’s Ark after studying the Holy Bible’s Book of Genesis.</p>
<p>She failed a climbing attempt of the mountain last month but is scheduled to return this weekend.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Explosion injures two people at rapist&#8217;s former home</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/explosion-injures-two-people-at-former-rapists-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/explosion-injures-two-people-at-former-rapists-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:38:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Local News]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54983</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A HOMELESS hostel where an explosion last night injured two people was once home to convicted rapist and murderer Kevin Rooney. A resident of the property in Edinburgh, named locally as Robert Cowan, 39, managed to escape the blazing building but is in hospital with serious burns to his arms and face. Another resident, a [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A HOMELESS hostel where an explosion last night injured two people was once home to convicted rapist and murderer Kevin Rooney.</p>
<p>A resident of the property in Edinburgh, named locally as Robert Cowan, 39, managed to escape the blazing building but is in hospital with serious burns to his arms and face.</p>
<p>Another resident, a man aged 60, had to be rescued from the converted bungalow in the city&#8217;s Longstone Road late on Wednesday night.</p>
<div id="attachment_55004" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Explosion1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-55004" title="The emergency services were called to an address in Longstone Road after an explosion happened there last night" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Explosion1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The blast from the explosion left glass scattered across the road</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Furious neighbours said vile murderer Rooney, who killed 74-year-old Rosina Sutherland around 100 metres away from the house, used to stay there.</p>
<p>It is understood former prisoners are among the people living at the address and, following the explosion, locals have had enough and want it shut down.</p>
<p>Wednesday night&#8217;s blast was so severe it blew out the windows, scattering glass across the road, demolishing an internal wall and setting fire to curtains and furniture.</p>
<p>Charred bedding, a chest of drawers and a television could be seen dumped outside the property this morning.</p>
<p>Police said they were not treating the blast as suspicious.</p>
<p>But one resident, who did not wish to be named, said: &#8220;We&#8217;ve been petitioning for ages to stop prisoners staying here.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the third year it&#8217;s been going on.</p>
<p>&#8220;That man who killed Rosina Sutherland stayed here.</p>
<p>&#8220;We sent a letter to Kenny McAskill in the past and the reply we got back from him basically said &#8216;Well, these people have to live somewhere&#8217;.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s ridiculous, we want our quiet neighbourhood back &#8211; not people blowing it up.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another resident, Sarah Lawrie, said: &#8220;I&#8217;d fully support anything to get these guys out.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s disgusting what that Rooney character did to that poor woman.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are we helping folk like that?&#8221;</p>
<p>Thomas Murphy, a neighbour of Rosina&#8217;s in Longstone Park, said: &#8220;The council or whoever&#8217;s in charge needs to change the rules.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why help these folk who just cause mayhem?</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve obviously got problems &#8211; just get them out.</p>
<p>&#8220;My heart goes out to Rosina&#8217;s family.&#8221;</p>
<p>Rooney was jailed for a minimum of 21 years after a trial in June this year.</p>
<p>After raping the grandmother-of-five he beat her on the head and body and compressed her throat.</p>
<p>The 26-year-old was on bail at the time of the attack and was a convicted sex offender.</p>
<p>The explosion in the property is understood to have been caused by a portable gas cooker.</p>
<p>Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: &#8220;Robert has only been in the house a week. He is very quiet and comes and goes quite a lot.</p>
<p>&#8220;Last night I think someone was using a wee gas cooker and the next thing you know it blows up.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was a partition wall in the living room and it got flattened as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then the furniture and the curtains caught fire.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think Robert got badly burned on his arms and his face but I he&#8217;s in hospital now so hopefully he&#8217;s on the mend.&#8221;</p>
<p>A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said the incident was not being treated as suspicious.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;Police were called to Longstone Road around 8pm this evening following an explosion within a property there.</p>
<p>&#8220;The 39-year-old occupant has been taken to hospital with serious burn injuries, however his condition is not thought to be life threatening.</p>
<p>&#8220;No one else was injured, and no other properties were affected by the explosion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Police and the fire service are currently in attendance at the scene, and enquiries are underway in order to establish the full circumstances of the incident.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Naked Munro baggers post pics from the peaks</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/naked-munro-baggers-post-pics-from-the-peaks/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/naked-munro-baggers-post-pics-from-the-peaks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:16:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54961</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[WE&#8217;VE had the naked rambler, naked squaddies&#8230;and now naked Munro baggers. Intrepid mountain climbers are being invited by a website to send in pictures of themselves baring all on Scotland&#8217;s highest peaks. The site &#8211; nakedmunrobagging.com &#8211; cheekily boasts: &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be huge.&#8221; &#160; &#160; A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 3000ft and [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>WE&#8217;VE had the naked rambler, naked squaddies&#8230;and now naked Munro baggers.</p>
<p>Intrepid mountain climbers are being invited by a website to send in pictures of themselves baring all on Scotland&#8217;s highest peaks.</p>
<p>The site &#8211; nakedmunrobagging.com &#8211; cheekily boasts: &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be huge.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_55007" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro4.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-55007" title="nakedmunro" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro4.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="271" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Apart from posing naked, these Munro baggers hill walk and hike up the peaks</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 3000ft and Munro baggers try to scale all 283 of them.</p>
<p>But the website wants climbers to bring a bit of their own natural beauty to Scotland&#8217;s most lofty peaks.</p>
<p>The site states: &#8220;In fact, sometimes we&#8217;re so overwhelmed by this stunning display of mother nature&#8217;s best efforts that we just want to take all our clothes off and shout &#8220;Wahay!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And so we bring you The Naked Munro Bagger. This site is not about porn (so keep them cleanish!), and its not about naturism.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about hill walking and hiking, and baring your bits for a laugh.&#8221;</p>
<p>They add: &#8220;Whether you&#8217;ve got your kit off in the Cuillins or your bits out on a Ben, we want to know.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your own Paps of Jura or Ben More in the buff, send them in and we&#8217;ll stick them up.</p>
<p>&#8220;Special recognition will be given to fearless flashing, inventive situations and reckless disregard for weather conditions.</p>
<p>&#8220;We accept no responsibility for run ins with the law or frostbite on your fundament.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro11.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55008" title="nakedmunro1" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro11.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="290" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>One picture shows four men and two women from Leeds University Rowing Club in the nude on Ben Nevis, the UK&#8217;s highest peak at 4409ft.</p>
<p>A man called Matthew posted a picture of himself facing the camera on the 3,235ft Beinn Alligin north of Loch Torridon in the Highlands, explaining it was his first Munro.</p>
<p>The site covered his modesty with a picture of former US president George W Bush.</p>
<p>A man called Steve posted two pictures of himself and a pal on 3,507ft Meall Corranaich, and 3,678ft Carn nan Gabhar, both in Perthshire, hailing the countryside in the buff.</p>
<p>Another shows a man running towards a cairn in the 3038ft Beinn Nairan in the Arrochar Alps, Argyll.</p>
<div id="attachment_55009" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro31.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-55009" title="SONY DSC" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nakedmunro31.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="501" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The walkers climb peaks as high as 4,409 ft</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>No one yet appears to have bared their inaccessible pinnacle on the Inaccessible Pinnacle, the sheer tower of rock in the Cuillins on Skye, which is the only Munro to require rock climbing.</p>
<p>A Northern Constabulary spokesman said police were not aware of the site, but said &#8220;if we received a complaint we would investigate&#8221;.</p>
<p>Tory MSP Liz Smith completed her final Munro in July this year after ascending Siloch on Loch Maree.</p>
<p>Labour MP Chris Smith is the only MP to have completed all the munros.</p>
<p>There is no suggestion either politician disrobed at any stage.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Scottish police chief faces scrutiny of conduct</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/scottish-police-chief-faces-scrutiny-of-conduct/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/30/scottish-police-chief-faces-scrutiny-of-conduct/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:07:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A SCOTTISH police chief faces renewed scrutiny after a councillor said he had &#8220;deep reservations&#8221; about the management of Tayside Police. Justine Curran, the chief constable of the force, was recently hit by anonymous accusations about her conduct from a group calling itself the &#8220;loyal staff of Tayside Police&#8221;. She was backed by a meeting [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A SCOTTISH police chief faces renewed scrutiny after a councillor said he had &#8220;deep reservations&#8221; about the management of Tayside Police.</p>
<p>Justine Curran, the chief constable of the force, was recently hit by anonymous accusations about her conduct from a group calling itself the &#8220;loyal staff of Tayside Police&#8221;.</p>
<p>She was backed by a meeting of the Tayside Police Joint Board, who said this week there was &#8220;no case to answer&#8221;.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_55011" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/tayside-police-logo2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-55011" title="tayside-police-logo" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/tayside-police-logo2.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="217" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The police chief has full backing from the police board</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But Angus councillor Bill Bowles said he had received similar anonymous complaints from officers and had &#8220;deep reservations&#8221; over the running of the force.</p>
<p>Despite police board convener Councillor Jimmy Black said the chief constable had the board&#8217;s full backing, Cllr Bowles said the controversy was far from over.</p>
<p>Cllr Bowles said: &#8220;I think that Jimmy Black is a little bit presumptuous with his statement that the Tayside Police Joint Board back the chief constable 100% and that there was a unanimous vote of confidence in her.</p>
<p>&#8220;I, for one, have deep reservations regarding the management of Tayside Police.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have received a number of correspondences from serving officers of Tayside Police expressing a number of complaints and issues.&#8221;</p>
<p>He continued: &#8220;I have forwarded these letters and emails to the convener of the Tayside Joint Police Board for his inquiry.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately these letters and emails are and remain anonymous.</p>
<p>&#8220;At Monday&#8217;s meeting it was deemed by some parties that as the allegations against Ms Curran were anonymous, they carried little or no weight, especially when leaked to the press.&#8221;</p>
<p>The councillor said he defended the rights of whistleblowers within the police.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;While I agree that going to press with an anonymous complaint is not the way to get action, I have real sympathy with serving officers and staff wishing to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions in career prospects.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cllr Bowles called for those who made the allegations anonymously to come forward so a proper inquiry could be carried out.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;I will keep their details strictly confidential and will endeavour top ensure that a full, honest and transparent investigation is carried out.&#8221;</p>
<p>The police board convener said he saw no reason for an investigation after Monday&#8217;s meeting.</p>
<p>Responding to cllr Bowles&#8217; comments, he said: &#8220;Firstly there was no vote and Councillor Bowles did not oppose the course of action which we followed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Secondly I would support Councillor Bowles in his call to anyone with anything to tell us to come forward, to give their names and provide a proper statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thirdly, I stand by my statement that I have absolute confidence in the chief constable and I have to say that these allegations are becoming tiresome.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think it would be better for everyone if she were just allowed to get on with her job.&#8221;</p>
<p>Chief Constable Curran, 45, is the only woman in the running to lead the single Scottish police force next year.</p>
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		<title>Police officers called to mass brawl in Dalkeith</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/29/police-officers-called-to-mass-brawl-in-dalkeith/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/29/police-officers-called-to-mass-brawl-in-dalkeith/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:02:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54899</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A MASS brawl at a miners&#8217; club resulted in every single on-duty police officer from two Scottish counties racing to the scene. Police chiefs called in officers from all 14 police stations in East and Midlothian after a battle erupted involving up to 60 drinkers. The disturbance at Dalkeith Miners&#8217; Welfare Social Club in Midlothian [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A MASS brawl at a miners&#8217; club resulted in every single on-duty police officer from two Scottish counties racing to the scene.</p>
<p>Police chiefs called in officers from all 14 police stations in East and Midlothian after a battle erupted involving up to 60 drinkers.</p>
<p>The disturbance at Dalkeith Miners&#8217; Welfare Social Club in Midlothian even resulted in an armed response vehicle being called out, according to the secretary of the club.</p>
<div id="attachment_54913" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SCT_DALKEITH_MINERS_DN01.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-54913" title="Dalkeith Miners Welfare Club, Woodburn" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SCT_DALKEITH_MINERS_DN01-300x150.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="150" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Police have reported 42 incidents at the Woodburn Road Premises this year</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Police have refused to reveal how many officers were called in to regain control, but it is understood several dozen were involved.</p>
<p>The incident, which happened earlier this month, was revealed at a meeting of Midlothian Licensing Board.</p>
<p>Police produced a list of 42 incidents over the past year at the club&#8217;s premises in Woodburn Road, which hosts regular cage fighting contests.</p>
<p>The police report said of the mass brawl: &#8220;A police patrol observed several small skirmishes, which deteriorated into a large-scale disturbance involving between 50 and 60 persons.</p>
<p>&#8220;The officers had to request assistance, and every officer in East and Midlothian had to attend to gain control of the situation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Four arrests were made, however, there could have been significantly more arrested.</p>
<p>&#8220;An officer was injured as a result of the disturbance.&#8221;</p>
<p>Police noted over-consumption of alcohol, overcrowding, ineffectual staff and premises outwith the control of the manager as issues raised by the incident.</p>
<p>As a result of the &#8220;divisional assistance shout&#8221;, officers were called in from police stations as far away as Dunbar, 25 miles, and North Berwick, 22 miles.</p>
<p>It is not yet clear whether East Lothian and Midlothian were left without police cover during the incident or whether officers had to be drafted in from Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders to cover.</p>
<p>Club officials immediately agreed to a 14-point action plan, including improvements in door stewarding, the signing-in policy and the monitoring of patrons.</p>
<p>But it emerged at the licensing meeting that three days after the battle, police carrying out a routine check of the club found no signing-in books at the club entry and over-consumption of alcohol in a list of 13 issues.</p>
<p>Councillor Joe Wallace was furious at the club.</p>
<p>He told the meeting: &#8220;I find it incredible that&#8230;members of the [club's] committee agree to push through proposals to stop this kind of thing and, then, just three days later, this happens.</p>
<p>&#8220;The over-consumption of alcohol seems to come through in this report time and time again.&#8221;</p>
<p>Councillor Wallace called for an immediate review hearing to consider the future of the club&#8217;s licence.</p>
<p>But club secretary George Munro said: &#8220;This incident has been blown out of all proportion. I believe even the firearms squad was called out that night and there was no reason for doing that.</p>
<p>&#8220;Somebody cut their hand in the club and he was treated there by our trained first-aiders. But he refused an ambulance, refused a taxi and exited the club.</p>
<p>&#8220;He refused to leave the area and, because it was nearly closing time, a lot of people were coming out and I think the man&#8217;s friends became involved.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course we have a duty of care, but we are only covered by insurance inside the club.</p>
<p>&#8220;If somebody wants to call the police for something that happens outside the club, we cannot stop that.&#8221;</p>
<p>He added: &#8220;Forty-two incidents in a year sounds a lot, but you have to remember that we have between 500-600 people in the club every week, so that&#8217;s about 30,000 in a year.</p>
<p>&#8220;The vast majority of the incidents did not raise licensing issues or warrant further action.</p>
<p>Police called for a review of the club&#8217;s licence in August last year after noting 29 incidents.</p>
<p>But Councillor Adam Montgomery (Lab) defended the club at the time, saying the report gave the impression that the Dalkeith club was &#8220;in the middle of Tripoli&#8221;.</p>
<p>A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: &#8220;This was a proportionate response that made best use of the resources available at the time.</p>
<p>&#8220;At any stage in an incident resources will be diverted if priority calls are received, and there were sufficient resources on duty elsewhere in the division to deal with any other incidents that occurred.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Workers at Sportscotland are failing to reach minimum exercise targets</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/23/workers-at-sportscotland-are-failing-to-reach-minimum-exercise-targets/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/23/workers-at-sportscotland-are-failing-to-reach-minimum-exercise-targets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:45:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[obesity in scotland]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54747</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ALMOST two thirds of staff at the government body responsible for promoting sport in Scotland do not meet their own targets for exercise. Workers at Sportscotland appear to be a bunch of couch potatoes with 60% admitting they fail to reach the minimum exercise target of 30 minutes five times a week. And over 12% [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>ALMOST two thirds of staff at the government body responsible for promoting sport in Scotland do not meet their own targets for exercise.</p>
<p>Workers at Sportscotland appear to be a bunch of couch potatoes with 60% admitting they fail to reach the minimum exercise target of 30 minutes five times a week.</p>
<p>And over 12% of staff at the £50m-a-year quango own up to barely or never exercising at all.</p>
<div id="attachment_54748" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/obese.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-54748" title="obese" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/obese.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="521" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Part of Sportscotland&#39;s role is to tackle the growing obesity problem in Scotland</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Workers have told bosses at Sportscotland they would do more physical exercise &#8211; if extra showers were installed in offices.</p>
<p>The body has been condemned over the deskbound lifestyles of most of its staff and been told workers must practise what they preach to other Scots.</p>
<p>Sportscotland, which has its headquarters in Glasgow, boasts on its Twitter account that it provides “expertise to help Scotland to be a world-class sporting country”.</p>
<p>On its website, it declares: “Ultimately, we see a Scotland where sport is a way of life.”</p>
<p>But asked under freedom of information laws to reveal details about the commitment to exercise of its own 152-strong workforce, a different picture emerges.</p>
<p>Sportscotland revealed that staff had recently received a questionnaire which asked: “Adults should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least five days a week.  How often do you achieve this?”</p>
<p>Despite the nature of their work, just 41.6% of staff claimed to meet or exceed that target.</p>
<p>One in eight admitted they did barely any exercise. Those who exercised less than once a month made up 5.4% while 6.7% said they exercised more than once a month but less than once  a week.</p>
<p>Remaining workers claimed they managed to exercise between once and four times a week, still short of the minimum target.</p>
<p>Sportscotland staff were also asked what would make them more physically active.</p>
<p>Just over 55% said shower and changing facilities would encourage to come out from behind their desks.</p>
<p>Almost 32% said they might break a sweat if they were given incentives for using bicycles.</p>
<p>Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said the sporting body needed to up its game in order to be taken seriously as a voice for healthy living.</p>
<p>He said: “A bit like Alex Salmond, who thinks patting himself on the back constitutes physical exercise, it seems that Sportscotland staff equally think talking about it does too.</p>
<p>“While exhorting others to achieve their 30 minutes a day exercise target some two thirds of staff in this government sponsored organisation does not bother to practise what they preach.</p>
<p>“If Sport Scotland means to be taken as seriously and frankly as Scotland’s obesity crisis demands, it really needs to set a leading example to others of what is possible not make tired excuses for under performance.”</p>
<p>Eben Wilson of campaign group TaxpayerScotland said the findings of the survey show that the aims of the sporting body are “mixed and muddled”.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;Does this not tell us something about these quangos? Are they really able to change our behaviour using taxpayers&#8217; money when they can&#8217;t change the behaviour of their own staff?</p>
<p>&#8220;Their objectives are mixed and muddled. It sounds as if their objectives have just been plucked out the air in a rather arbitrary fashion.</p>
<p>&#8220;They just keep expanding and finding more to do for themselves.</p>
<p>&#8220;Very often it&#8217;s a case of the middle classes shouting at the poorer classes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sportscotland just proselytises. But it doesn&#8217;t practice what it preaches.&#8221;</p>
<p>Between 1995 and 2010 the proportion of Scottish adults aged 16-64 who were overweight or obese (a BMI of 25 or more) increased from 52.4% to 63.3%.</p>
<p>Sportscotland, which distributes Scottish Government and lottery cash, recently came under fire for alleged lack of transparency over its awards.</p>
<p>Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone complained at the time: &#8220;There is no transparency in the way that public money is being allocated by Sportscotland and with the Commonwealth Games just two years away, this is the last chance to get it right.&#8221;</p>
<p>A Sportscotland spokesman  defended the organisation by pointing out that their figure for minimum exercise is almost 3% better than the general population.</p>
<p>He said: “Sportscotland staff are leading a more active lifestyle than the people of Scotland overall. 41.6 per cent of staff meet the recommended physical activity levels, compared to a national average of 39 per cent.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Scottish schoolchildren have been playing &#8220;chicken&#8221; with fishermen&#8217;s boats</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/23/scottish-schoolchildren-have-been-playing-chicken-with-fishermans-boats/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/23/scottish-schoolchildren-have-been-playing-chicken-with-fishermans-boats/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:11:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[north berwick harbour]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[RECKLESS Scots schoolchildren have shocked fishermen by playing “chicken” with their boats. The youngsters leap off the harbour wall at North Berwick, East Lothian, into the path of fishing vessels. Officials fear it is only a matter of time before a teenager is killed as a result of the craze. &#160; Children have already had [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>RECKLESS Scots schoolchildren have shocked fishermen by playing “chicken” with their boats.</p>
<p>The youngsters leap off the harbour wall at North Berwick, East Lothian, into the path of fishing vessels.</p>
<p>Officials fear it is only a matter of time before a teenager is killed as a result of the craze.</p>
<div id="attachment_52261" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/SCT_Eyemouth_DN01.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-52261" title="Deadline News/Eyemouth" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/SCT_Eyemouth_DN01.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="228" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Officials have warned of the dangers when jumping into the harbour</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Children have already had to be rescued by a lifeboat crew after they were swept out to sea after jumping from the harbour  walls.</p>
<p>Jackie Tagg, a member of the North Berwick Harbour Trust Association, said she had witnessed firsthand cases of young people leaping into the path of boats at the last minute.</p>
<p>She said two children only avoided being run over by a boat when shocked onlookers shouted a warning to the skipper.</p>
<p>Larger boats, she added, have particular difficulty swerving out of the way if a child jumps in front of them.</p>
<p>“It is an accident waiting to happen,” she said.</p>
<p>“We don’t want to be killjoys but we have big concerns about safety.”</p>
<p>Jackie said the groups of up to 20 children were involved in the leaping from the harbour, egging each other on to do stunts including somersaults, back flips and even jumping from the railing to make the leap even higher.</p>
<p>As well as being hit by boats, Jackie said the youngsters faced other dangers.</p>
<p>She said: “They could be swept into the old pier where there are metal steps and sharp concrete. If they run and jump, and lose their footing, they could go</p>
<p>head first into rocks if it is not deep enough.”</p>
<p>She added: “People just see the fun and parents often encourage it, and take photos. But there are risks and it is an inconvenience to operators.”</p>
<p>Ross Harbison, the harbour master, is working with police to highlight the dangers in local schools and youngsters.</p>
<p>In June, further down the coast at Eyemouth, two girls were swept out to sea from the harbour wall after apparently playing chicken with waves.</p>
<p>One of the girls is still recovering in hospital.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Edinburgh is getting ready to celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson Day</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/edinburgh-is-getting-ready-to-celebrate-robert-louis-stevenson-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/edinburgh-is-getting-ready-to-celebrate-robert-louis-stevenson-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:05:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54662</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[EDINBURGH will celebrate an annual Robert Louis Stevenson Day to pay tribute to his literary masterpieces. Organisers hope the accolade to the Treasure Island author will match the popularity of Dublin&#8217;s Bloomsday tribute to James Joyce. The City of Literature Trust will designate November 13, the writer&#8217;s birthday, as Robert Louis Stevenson day. &#160; The [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>EDINBURGH will celebrate an annual Robert Louis Stevenson Day to pay tribute to his literary masterpieces.</p>
<p>Organisers hope the accolade to the Treasure Island author will match the popularity of Dublin&#8217;s Bloomsday tribute to James Joyce.</p>
<p>The City of Literature Trust will designate November 13, the writer&#8217;s birthday, as Robert Louis Stevenson day.</p>
<div id="attachment_54663" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/robertlouisstevenson.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-54663" title="robertlouisstevenson" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/robertlouisstevenson.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="809" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Theatre performances of Stevenson&#39;s work will be part of the celebrations</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The inaugural event will be held on November 17 as it is the closest Saturday, when many fans will have time to take part.</p>
<p>Events to celebrate his work will include a continuous public reading of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.</p>
<p>There will also be a flashmob, high-profile speakers and the chalking of quotations from his words on pavements.</p>
<p>Richard Lewis, the city council&#8217;s culture leader, said: &#8220;Robert Louis Stevenson is one of Edinburgh&#8217;s most treasured sons and the creation of RLS Day would be a fitting tribute to his life , work and legacy.</p>
<p>&#8220;We assisted with a number of special events held across the city last November, all of which generated significant interest, so clearly the public shares our enthusiasm.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, we already pay tribute to him year round with the city&#8217;s fascination Stevenson archive on display in the writer&#8217;s museum.&#8221;</p>
<p>The plan comes after a one-off event last year and Rebus author Ian Rankin proposing it should be held every year.</p>
<p>The day will also bring theatre performances of Stevenson&#8217;s work in the city centre.</p>
<p>Rankin also suggested projecting quotation&#8217;s from Stevenson&#8217;s work onto public buildings at night as well as tours of the city.</p>
<p>Professor Linda Dryden, director of the Centre for Literature and Writing at the city&#8217;s Napier University, said: &#8220;A perennially popular author and an international brand, there are scholars around the world who study his works but Stevenson himself has never really been celebrated in any significant way as the son of Edinburgh.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to bring together people who are interested in Stevenson and we anticipate there will be international interest.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Trust has already been awarded £33,000 in funding and Edinburgh council is expected to confirm the proposal today (tue).</p>
<p>It is hoped the day will bring tourists to the city.</p>
<p>Dublin&#8217;s annual Bloomsday, named after the protagonist Leopold Bloom in Joyce&#8217;s Ulysses, has also spread around the world.</p>
<p>First introduced in the 1950s, it is also marked in the United States and Italy, where it was partially written.</p>
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		<title>Anger over foreign prisoners in Scottish jails</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/over-9m-is-being-spent-on-a-translation-service-for-foreign-criminals/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/over-9m-is-being-spent-on-a-translation-service-for-foreign-criminals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:36:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54650</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[FOREIGN criminals are getting a telephone translation service in prison to make sure they do not miss out on their rights. Around 280 foreigners are locked up in Scottish prisons at an annual cost to taxpayers of more than £9m. Now the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is making translators available by phone at a cost [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>FOREIGN criminals are getting a telephone translation service in prison to make sure they do not miss out on their rights.</p>
<p>Around 280 foreigners are locked up in Scottish prisons at an annual cost to taxpayers of more than £9m.</p>
<p>Now the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is making translators available by phone at a cost that could reach £300,000-a-year.</p>
<div id="attachment_54660" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Puzzled-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-54660" title="Puzzled 2" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Puzzled-2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="435" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Prison translators can charge up to £175 per hour for their services</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The SPS says the system is essential to make sure new inmates from abroad are aware of their rights when they start jail terms.</p>
<p>But critics of the translation service said it was yet another example of criminals getting five star service while their victims suffer.</p>
<p>Foreigners currently serving life terms in Scottish jails include Polish male prostitute Pawel Rodak,, who murdered a university lecturer in Edinburgh in March last year, stabbing him 114 times and then tried to cover his tracks by attempting to cause an explosion.</p>
<p>And Lithuanian Aleksandras Skirda was found guilty for his part in the torture, murder and mutilation of 35-year-old Jolanta Bledaite in Arbroath in 2008, known as the ‘head on the beach’ killing.</p>
<p>Tender documents from the SPS show they are now seeking the “provision of telephone translation services for all 14 SPS establishments throughout Scotland”.</p>
<p>The costs of the contract have not revealed but translators can charge up to £175 an hour.</p>
<p>The SPS says around 10 foreign prisoners begin the induction process, which can lasts several hours or longer, every week. Even if the average was three hours, that could give an annual cost in excess of £273,000.</p>
<p>Robert Oxley, Campaign Manager of Taxpayers Alliance, said: “There will always be a cost of dealing with foreign criminals in our justice system but they must be kept under control.</p>
<p>“Prisoners requiring interpretation cost taxpayers twice, both through the impact of their crimes and from the bill for providing translation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ultimately the onus should be on prisoners who can’t speak the language to learn so they can get on while behind bars and after.”</p>
<p>Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, an organisation dedicated to helping those affected by crime, said: “At a time when the tax payer is being constantly reminded how tough things are financially, it is incredible that new ways to spend money on offenders and services aimed at making their lives just that little bit easier, are constantly being discovered.</p>
<p>“Services to victims are extremely poor, and a tiny portion of the budgets that our justice systems manage go towards those services.</p>
<p>“We would suggest if there is spare cash available, the public would rather see it spent on attempts made to enable long neglected victims to rehabilitate.</p>
<p>“We look forward to the day where the needs of victims are given the same consideration as is given to those who commit crime.”</p>
<p>Scottish Conservative Chief Whip John Lamont MSP said: “In the current economic climate it is important that public bodies spend their budgets in the best way possible as we cannot afford to waste taxpayers’ money.</p>
<p>“Many people will find it hard to understand why the SPS have chosen to spend so much on this translation service, especially if it will end up hardly being used.”</p>
<p>The SPS has declined to put forward its own estimate for the new telephone translation service.</p>
<p>But it admits it paid translators in “numerous” languages £153,675 for services over the past three years.</p>
<p>Some of the money, according to the SPS, was spent on dinner menus in foreign languages.</p>
<p>Legislation relating to prisoners, who each cost more than £32,000 annually to keep locked up, has also been translated.</p>
<p>Translators were also sent into prisons to help inmates with the induction process.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the SPS defended the spending.</p>
<p>He said: “SPS expenditure in this area is expected to be low but that is part of the tender process.</p>
<p>“Currently there are around 280 foreign prisoners. Of course many of these prisoners will speak English as a first language.</p>
<p>“This will enable SPS staff to communicate effectively with prisoners whose first language is not English.</p>
<p>“The immediate induction process is only a few hours to assess the individual and prepare him or her for the regime of prison.</p>
<p>“Depending on sentence length it can be a number of weeks stretching into months.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>A senior nurse has been accused of abusing a dementia patient</title>
		<link>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/a-senior-nurse-has-been-accused-of-abusing-a-90-year-old-patient/</link>
		<comments>http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/21/a-senior-nurse-has-been-accused-of-abusing-a-90-year-old-patient/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:23:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Court & Crime]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=54645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A DEMENTIA patient in her nineties was grabbed by the neck and force-fed by staff at a scandal-hit nursing home, a hearing was told. Mary Reid Easton faces 22 charges of misconduct relating to her time as deputy manager of Hilton Gardens, Larkhall, North Lanarkshire. The senior nurse is accused of stopping the dementia patient [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A DEMENTIA patient in her nineties was grabbed by the neck and force-fed by staff at a scandal-hit nursing home, a hearing was told.</p>
<p>Mary Reid Easton faces 22 charges of misconduct relating to her time as deputy manager of Hilton Gardens, Larkhall, North Lanarkshire.</p>
<p>The senior nurse is accused of stopping the dementia patient going to the toilet, using &#8220;excessive force&#8221; to put the woman in a chair and then forcing food into her mouth with a spoon.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_54652" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 402px"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nurse.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-54652" title="nurse" src="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nurse.jpg" alt="" width="392" height="261" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Staff at the home have been found sleeping during night shifts instead of caring for vulnerable patients </p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>She denies three charges relating to the alleged attack on &#8220;Patient N&#8221; in January 2010.</p>
<p>Ms Easton, who was appearing before a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in Edinburgh, is alleged to have &#8220;Grabbed her by the scruff of her neck,&#8221; &#8220;Pushed her back to her chair&#8221; and &#8220;Forced a spoonful of food into Patient N&#8217;s mouth&#8221;.</p>
<p>The 48-year-old from Larkhall denies a further 16 charges of failing to update care plans of 13 residents.</p>
<p>She admits three charges of updating residents&#8217; care plans while she was on holiday or on days off.</p>
<p>Hilton Gardens, which charges residents £29,000-a-year, has been at the centre of several scandals.</p>
<p>Last month Stephen Murray, a care worker at the home, was jailed for seven years for raping a 65-year-old dementia patient and sexually abusing two other patients.</p>
<p>Dianne Lynn Connolly, a nurse at the home, told Monday&#8217;s hearing the incident with the dementia patient happened as residents were in the dining area.</p>
<p>She said: &#8220;Whilst having dinner Patient N got up to go to the bathroom.</p>
<p>&#8220;At that point Mary Easton grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. She pushed her back into her chair.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ms Connolly said she saw another member of staff &#8220;lifting a spoonful of food and forcing it into [Patient N's] mouth&#8221;.</p>
<p>She continued: &#8220;Patient N had a habit of going to the toilet frequently throughout the day.</p>
<p>&#8220;The home does not allow any level of force and therefore I considered [Mary Easton's] actions to be abuse.&#8221;</p>
<p>The incident was said to have happened on the care home&#8217;s specialist dementia ward.</p>
<p>Ms Connolly said the patient, who was in her nineties, &#8220;looked distressed&#8221; and at one point &#8220;thought she was going to fall&#8221;.</p>
<p>Asked why she did not report the incident immediately, she explained: &#8220;Mary Easton is a very manipulative person, she always turned things around and took over.&#8221;</p>
<p>Solicitor Lesley Johnston, representing Ms Easton, made an unsuccessful bid to drop the charges relating to Patient N, saying the NMC had not provided an exact date for the incident.</p>
<p>She said: &#8220;In my submission Miss Connolly&#8217;s evidence is extremely vague. She couldn&#8217;t recall who might have witnessed the incident. She did not take any immediate action.&#8221;</p>
<p>The hearing, chaired by Sue Whittaker, continues.</p>
<p>The 62-bed home has been the subject of critical reports from inspectors.</p>
<p>In March 2011, four members of staff, one nurse and three care assistants, were sacked pending an investigation into patient abuse.</p>
<p>It was alleged that members of staff physically assaulted residents, forced them to take cold showers and eat food from bins.</p>
<p>In March this year, two staff were sacked and two more resigned voluntarily after managers found them sleeping during a nightshift.</p>
<p>A concerned relative said after the incident: &#8220;The management heard four staff were sleeping during the night.</p>
<p>&#8220;One night bosses came into the care home unannounced and caught four of them sleeping on the job.&#8221;</p>
<p>Care home watchdogs have said the home has improved since new managers took over last year.</p>
<p>The home&#8217;s latest inspection report by the Care Inspectorate added:<br />
&#8220;The management team were aware that there was still a lot of work to be done especially to consolidate the work that had already taken place.</p>
<p>&#8220;This included maintenance of personal care plans and other documentation maintained by the service.&#8221;</p>
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