A 17-year-old male youth has been sentenced to three-and-a-half year Public Protection Order after admitting an assault which left its victim in a coma for seven weeks.

Jaime Lee Biddle, who was 16 at the time of the attack, had earlier pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced last Friday at Worcester Crown Court. He had also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of common assault. The sentence means that Biddle, of Kilvert Road, Hereford, will serve his full period in custody and only be released when a parole board is satisfied he no longer poses a danger to the public.

The court heard how Biddle attacked 17-year-old Elliot Hems-Mann in the Hunderton area of Hereford on 11th April, punching him to the floor and then inflicting serious head and brain injuries by repeatedly kicking and stamping his head and face. The attack ended when nearby residents intervened and shouted at the youth to stop and paramedics were called.

Judge Andrew Geddes described the attack as an act of 'incredible cowardice' and said that Biddle had inflicted an 'incalculable level of suffering' on his victim. The offender had evaded arrest for two weeks despite

extensive searches, but was eventually arrested in Bromyard and was charged with the wounding offence.

Elliot Hems-Mann is still recovering from the serious head injuries and remains in hospital. Although he has made good progress in the past three months, it is not known what the full extent of Elliot’s recovery will ultimately be.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Richard Rees from Hereford CID praised Elliot’s family for their resilience in dealing with the aftermath of the assault and also thanked the local community in Hunderton for their support during the investigation. He said: 'Elliot Hems-Mann and his family have shown great courage and determination in dealing with the horrific injuries that resulted from this attack. I hope the conclusion of the court proceedings will provide them with further encouragement for the weeks and months ahead and aid Elliot’s recovery further.

This was a savage and entirely unprovoked assault, marked out by the extreme level of viciousness shown by the offender. Such incidents are extremely rare in Herefordshire and the local community in Hunderton must be praised for their willingness to assist with the investigation. They too must have been appalled by the level of violence shown that night and will be reassured to hear of the sentence today.

Today’s hearing should also send a clear message that police will simply not tolerate this type of behaviour on the streets of Herefordshire.

A Pool Interview with the parents of Elliot Hems-Mann

Before the night of April 11, 2007, Elliot Hems-Mann was an ordinary Herefordshire lad - apprenticed to a local refrigeration firm and enjoying the extra freedom his small motor bike afforded him. On that night, aged 17 and just six months into his apprenticeship, Elliot was at the receiving end of a brutal and senseless beating in Hereford's Hunderton estate which left him in a coma for seven weeks. He had been in Hereford with friends on that fateful night when, as he returned to a friend's house to collect his motor cycle, he was approached by Jamie Lee Biddle. Biddle launched a completely unprovoked attack which was to leave Elliot brain damaged, possibly for life.

The first Jo Pritchard knew of her elder son's injuries was the urgent knocking in the dead of night on her front door at her country home in the Golden Valley.
"The mother of one of Elliot's friends was standing there and told me that Elliot had been taken to hospital. It was about 3am and I just couldn't take it in. I obviously rang through to the hospital straight away and spoke to the A and E unit who transferred me to intensive care. I was sort of robotic, writing everything down carefully as the person on the other end told me that Elliot was there. Nothing sank in then. With younger children at home, I had to make the drive to the hospital by myself, since my husband had to stay with the younger ones," she explained.

This smiling and confident woman, a mother of three, did not know what to expect and says she really formed no preconceptions until she got to the ICU. "It was after I got to the waiting room where a member of the hospital staff asked me to wait while she went to find someone more senior to speak to me and I read the notices about donor cards and donating organs. Quite suddenly it hit me and I realized how serious the situation might be," she explained.

This serene and lovely woman, with a ready smile and a calm and gentle aura, now began to realize her son may be in a serious condition. Well used to caring for the disabled, as a PA to a disabled person and also caring for a disabled foster child in her home, it now seems ironic that Jo was about to deal with the challenge of a lifetime. The doctor arrived and led her through to the treatment room where her son was lying. Her description of what she saw is graphic.

"I thought it was a dummy, someone being used for practice. There were tubes and equipment fixed up on various parts of the 'dummy' and a huge neck collar. I realized quite slowly that this was my son. Then I saw his injured head. At least 10 kicks had landed on Elliot's cranium, he had been viciously stamped on and he had suffered serious brain damage. Nothing had prepared me for that sight and I became robotic once again, thinking of the other children and Brian, who was getting them to school and cooking breakfast. That, I suppose, is how I dealt with it.'

The next few days were literally a time of life or death, when Jo and Brian shared the round-the-clock bedside vigils and waited for their heavily sedated son to stop throwing himself around, since the type of brain trauma he had suffered was making him extremely agitated. The doctors treating Elliot said he should gradually come off the sedation so they could do assessments and form some opinion on the extent of the damage.

"They were fantastic, everyone at the hospital including the nursing staff and doctors, did so much to help us and keep us informed of what was happening to Elliot as he came off the sedation and day by day we waited for him to come round," added Brian.

The Pritchards say that the support they had from the West Mercia Police was also far above the call of duty. They cannot praise the police enough for finding the person who dealt the savage blows and bringing him to justice. But far and above the formal procedures, the officers dealing with the case gave invaluable support to the Pritchard family.

"We needed - and got - our own form of life support, from the police officers dealing with the case. They simply couldn't believe how senseless the attack had been and what a nice lad Elliot really was. It was a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Brian.

Both he and Jo had to put a complete stop on their own lives, giving up the day jobs simply to keep up the work at the hospital. Doctors advised that regular visiting and the younger siblings going in would help Elliot, his younger brother, stepbrother and sister all taking a part in trying to get Elliot to wake up. A bigger room was prepared, the floor covered in mattresses so that Elliot could not hurt himself as he came off sedation. It was a gruelling time and Jo, Brian and the younger children had to watch as Elliot continued to throw himself around in his agitation as his swelled brain began to recover.

"He was covered in bumps and sores where he had thrown himself about but it was important to let his brain and body recover, and the mattresses worked well at this time," recalled Jo.

One wonderful afternoon, seven weeks on from the night of the assault, Jo blew her son a kiss and she thought he responded. "I was told it may not really be that he had responded, the nursing staff didn't want me to be disappointed, but the next day I gave him a soft toy and asked him to pass it across to Brian which he did. It was the turning point and I knew then that he was coming back to us and I can tell you the relief was tangible," Jo said.

From then on, from early June until now, the Pritchard family has not stopped their endless and totally caring rota system to be with Elliott for most of his waking hours. Last weekend he went home for one night and it was a great success. Jo and Brian have transformed their sitting room into a day and night room for Elliot, so that he can properly be cared for at home.

"He sat with his two brothers watching a film. He fell asleep and the younger two were cuddled up to him on the sofa. I felt that we were getting there. He had come home at last," said Jo. She and Brian know full well their son's brief visit home was only the first step on a very long road to recovery. They are aware, and prepared for, their son's future months in rehab. But if anyone can climb the mountain and get well again, it is this gentle and caring lad. The visitor's book by his bed is full of 'get well' wishes from members of his family including younger siblings, his mates and friends from school and work, from his teachers and bosses at work. Elliot's caring nature and genial disposition have been rewarded with an amazing amount of support, and according to his family, it has played a huge part in his recovery.

So what does the future hold? Currently very close to the top of the waiting list to get a place at Moseley Hall, a rehab centre in Birmingham for brain damaged people, Elliot will spend up to three months in this unit as his condition is assessed and suitable treatment dispensed. He is receiving daily physio treatment at Hereford and his damaged left arm is getting better having responded to Botox injections. He is learning to walk and talk again. His job remains open at Artic Circle on the Rotherwas Estate in Hereford and his loving caring family continue to look after Elliot and hasten his recovery. As one mate wrote in his visitor's book ' "You are my brother from another mother!" That sums Elliot Hems-Mann up very nicely.

Herefordshire Council has unveiled details of arrangements to allow more people to view the recently unearthed Rotherwas Ribbon. The Ribbon is a Bronze Age surface of cracked stones discovered as a result of the archaeological investigations carried out prior to the construction of the Rotherwas access road, located just south of Hereford city.

The council ran a session on Saturday, 7th July, during which 200 people were bussed to the site. A further 200 were expected to visit the site during the afternoon of Tuesday, 10th July.

Due to popular demand, similar escorted visits have now been arranged to run between 1pm and 4.30pm from Monday, 16th July and Saturday, 21st July. Anybody wishing to book a place should contact Herefordshire Council's switchboard on 01432 260000 between 11am and 5pm.

Visitors will be taken to the site from Unit Three on the Rotherwas Industrial Estate for escorted visits, before being transported back to their cars. Only those who have booked will be allowed to visit the site, with a maximum of 25 persons per half-hour visit.

Visitors should arrive at least ten minutes prior to their selected time as they will need to complete a form setting out health and safety requirements. They should also wear stout shoes, and if the weather is wet, they should consider bringing Wellingtons.

Directions to assembly location are: From A49 - take the Holme Lacy Road. Continue along this under the railway bridge. Turn left just after the railway bridge into Thorn Business Park (the road that has raised barriers close to the entrance). Carry on to the end and turn right. This leads to an area for car parking and directions will be given to the allocated spaces.

From Holme Lacy - turn right just before the railway bridge into Thorn Business Park (the road that has raised barriers close to the entrance). Carry on to the end and turn right. This leads to an area for car parking and directions will be given to the allocated spaces.

Hereford's St Thomas Cantilupe School will be the latest school in the county to have a 20 mph zone. Pupils from the primary school have produced designs which will be incorporated into the new 20 mph Zone signs. The youngsters who created the four winning designs were presented with goodie bags and framed copies of their design, provided by Herefordshire Council and Owen Williams.

Works to provide a school 20 mph zone on Coningsby Street and part of Widemarsh Street (in the vicinity of St Thomas Cantilupe C.E. Primary School) start on Monday, 23rd July.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: 'Making it more enjoyable for children to walk to school and improving road safety are among our top priorities and this scheme will make a big difference for children at St Thomas Cantilupe School. I hope many more of the pupils will now choose to walk to school as this will help to reduce congestion on our roads - especially during the busy school-run periods. I would also like to thank the pupils for coming up with the designs for the signs as this exercise has also made them more aware of the importance of road safety.'

The scheme has been designed by Owen Williams on behalf of Herefordshire Council. It aims to reduce vehicles speeds and increase safety for all road users especially children and encourage more pupils to walk and cycle to school. Works include the provision of speed cushions, a road hump, improvements to footways and a raised zebra crossing and new road surfacing. The work, being carried out by the council's term contractor Herefordshire Jarvis Services, is expected to be complete by mid September. Every effort will be made to minimize disruption to road users.

More than 1,000 children from across the county will be competing for nine sports trophies at Herefordshire's 2007 Youth Games on Friday 13th July at Hereford Leisure Centre.

The annual games began seven years ago and since then have grown from strength to strength. This year the number of participants has doubled and as a result, some teams have had to be placed on a waiting list. The council's sports development team are busy scheduling matches, liaising with the 38 schools entering the Games and organizing a huge aerobic warm-up to start the day's events with an energy boost.

Sports events include girls' football, quick cricket, rounders, hockey, orienteering, tennis, athletics (courtesy of UK Athletics), tag rugby and, for the first time, tri-golf.

Tri-golf is a mini version of golf designed specifically for young children at primary schools. No golf course is needed as the games consist of a number of skills stations which can be set up anywhere. In addition secondary pupils with special educational needs will be competing for trophies in boccia, floor lacrosse and kurling.

The event will take place at the Hereford Leisure Centre from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, cabinet member for economic development and community services, said: 'The council's sports development team have been working hard to raise the profile of traditional sports, and introduce some new ones too. Herefordshire is developing a good reputation for getting its children active. It's refreshing to see some more unusual sports on the list this year such as tri-golf and orienteering. Hopefully they will encourage lots of newcomers to competitive sport.

Herefordshire Youth Games Timetable of Events Friday 13th July 2007

9.00 - 9.30am School teams arrive and register.
9.30am Welcome and opening of the Games by Sarah Waldron (4th ranked Great Britain athlete for 5000m)
9.45am Mass warm-up with a guest instructor.
10.00am Games begin Lunch will take place at an appropriate time within each individual sport's tournament.
2.30pm Games finish and awards are presented (Times are flexible according to each individual sport's timetable)

The events that will take place between 10am and 2.30pm are girls' football, kwick cricket (as well as the ECB 'Cricket Factory'), rounders, tag rugby, orienteering, hockey, tri-golf (these will all take place outside).

Tennis, athletics, boccia, kurling and floor lacrosse will take place inside the leisure centre.

Aylestone and Queen Elizabeth High Schools have been given specialist status by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, bringing Herefordshire into the top twenty nation-wide authorities able to boast 100% specialism.

All English schools are being encouraged to apply for specialist status in one of ten curricular specialisms in order to promote distinctiveness. Specialist schools have a focus on their chosen subject area but must meet National Curriculum requirements and deliver a broad and balanced education to all pupils.

To achieve specialist status, schools have to draw up a school and community plan which illustrates how good practice, expertise and resources will be shared with other schools and groups. In addition, they have to gain investment from private sector sponsorship to the tune of £50,000 per school.

Aylestone High School in Hereford will become the county's only high school to be awarded specialist status as a Business and Enterprise College. The school's bid had to illustrate good and improving examination performance and the ability to meet very demanding targets in business studies, mathematics and ICT. Aylestone's 2005 and 2006 results were the best the school has ever had and this was an important factor in their bid to become a specialist school.

In addition to developing business and enterprise skills for school children, the school intends to work with local businesses, parents and primary schools and has submitted plans to build a new Enterprise Centre which will be used to provide a wide range of training for the local community.

'We have an enviable reputation for our existing links as we already work very closely with the Education Business Partnership and other key organizations,' said Stephen Byatt, head teacher at Aylestone High School. 'The award of specialist status will give us the resources to take this to the next level and have a major impact on Hereford's future,' he continued. 'To qualify for the extra resources, we have had to show that we can meet some ambitious targets which cover our school performance and planned work with our primary schools, parents, businesses and other high schools. We have shown the government what we have achieved in the last three years and they were convinced by our plans for the future.'

Queen Elizabeth High School in Bromyard has been awarded specialist status in Humanities (lead subjects are religious education, geography and drama), with a focus on what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century. The school believes that its combination of curriculum areas and emphasis upon citizenship and international links is a nationally unique specialism. Students will be encouraged to develop critical thinking and learn to understand issues and events while playing an active part in offering solutions. By working with real issues students will be equipped to connect with the wider community and the world of work.

The high school has the full support of all six of its local feeder primary schools, local businesses and community organizations. Head teacher Adrian Long described Queen Elizabeth High School as beginning a new era in education. He said: 'Our school is making outstanding progress across the board and the award of specialist status registers just how far we have come in the last two years.' All credit to our students, parents, staff and governors for their passionate commitment and enthusiasm for raising standards and achieving excellence. As a specialist college we will be able to further develop teaching and learning and work even more closely with the wider community. The award puts QE firmly on the map as a school that can offer every student an education that is second to none.'

Both schools will benefit from significant capital investment, plus additional annual funds to help the school implement their specialist school development plans.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: 'This is excellent news - many congratulations to both Aylestone and Queen Elizabeth High Schools. It demonstrates the commitment to distinctiveness and improvement in the schools and will support the sustained development of high quality education in the schools and in the county as a whole. With this success, all of Herefordshire's high schools have now been granted specialist status, putting us in the top twenty local authorities to achieve this. It reflects the hard work and forward thinking of the head teachers, staff and governors in the education community'

Both schools will begin operating as specialist schools from September 2007.

The Big Lottery Fund has awarded Herefordshire over £300,000 for children's play, thanks to a bid put together by Herefordshire Council. The council took the lead on the development of a play partnership and funding bid last year as part of a nation-wide drive to improve play facilities.

Working in partnership with representatives from the voluntary and public sectors, children and their communities were consulted and more than 700 surveys were completed by school children countywide. The results showed that children wanted more time playing outdoors in the natural environment having adventures and better facilities for older children, particularly 11-16 year olds.

The Play Partnership identified projects which were then put forward in a strategy and submitted to the Big Lottery Fund earlier this year. The Big Lottery Fund has announced that four projects have been approved for funding, including a cash grant for the Hereford City skate park project. The other three projects will run for three years. They include a community play ranger project to be run by the Herefordshire Nature Trust,t providing free play sessions for 3-16 year olds based on nature and adventure across the county.

For the older children, a part-time youth worker will be appointed to co-ordinate a range of activities for 11-16 year olds in the evenings and during school holidays working from the council's youth service minibus, taking activities out to young people.

Kids First, experts in play for children and young people with disabilities, will be running special play sessions for children with severe disabilities and their siblings in the school holidays.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: 'This funding provides a major boost to the county's play portfolio. We are extremely grateful to the people on the play partnership who have spent so much time identifying what needs our children have and exploring new ideas to help meet those needs. The county's children have told us that they want to enjoy the outdoor environment more. They want to be able to have adventures and take risks, yet feel they can play and socialize safely too. This funding will allow the development of four exciting new projects which will help children of all ages and abilities enjoy doing what they like best - playing and socializing with their friends.'

Herefordshire, along with the rest of England, went smoke free on Sunday, 1st July and Herefordshire Council can report receiving very few queries about the new law, and very few reports of non-compliance. In fact reports that have been received are all very positive, with people seemingly accepting that smoking is only allowed outside enclosed public places or in private homes.

When questioned, several bar staff have been enthusiastic about the law and the fact that they no longer have to work in places filled with second hand smoke, which is what this law is really all about. It is not about penalizing smokers or forcing them to quit.

Signs have appeared in premises across the county reminding everybody that it is illegal to smoke on the premises, and the Smoke Free Herefordshire Partnership has been providing 'personal ashtrays' free of charge to smokers, so that the cigarette butt litter does not increase. These are available in Info Centres in the market towns and Hereford City.

Questions have been asked about shopping arcades, which in general will be smoke free as they are enclosed, and bus shelters, most of which again will be smoke free if they are more than 50 per cent enclosed.

Questions have also been asked about 'policing' the new law, and Paul Nicholas, Herefordshire Council's environmental health manager who is responsible for the enforcement of this piece of legislation, said: 'We will continue, business as usual, making our regular calls on businesses and where naturally we will be looking to ensure this law as well as all the others we enforce is being followed correctly. We will also react to any information given to us about people openly flouting the law. 'We will react with a degree of proportionality, attempting to persuade rather than prosecute. In situations where the duty holder (owner/proprietor) is clearly in a position to stop persons smoking and they are not doing so, we will react appropriately, dealing with the duty holder. In other situations such as bus shelters, we will tailor our approach accordingly because we will be dealing principally with the smoker.'

A campaign running since January has highlighted the changes in the law and provided promotional materials and advice to businesses and the public through the Council's website, business events and road shows. People have been encouraged to be 'onside' or at least prepared. Latest national research has shown that 95 per cent of people are aware of the new law and that 78 per cent (including 53 per cent of smokers) believe going smoke free will have a positive effect on health.

Staunton on Wye Primary School has been heralded as outstanding by Ofsted for the work it has done to incorporate green issues into the school's curriculum.

Staunton on Wye Primary is one of only twelve schools across the country to be involved in a three year government survey which aims to explore whether learning and understanding of environmental issues in schools changes behaviours. The idea is to see to see what impact teaching education for sustainable development (ESD) has on children's learning and behaviour.

Currently in the second year of the scheme, the school has brought in a whole range of measures to make sure that education in relation to climate control and environmental protection is embedded in teaching and not treated a something separate. To assess the impact of this work, participating schools are visited on an annual basis by Ofsted to assess the progress the school is making. Staunton on Wye Primary School was visited by Ofsted inspector, Leszek Iwaskow, in June.

The inspector interviewed staff, pupils, school ambassadors, parents and a governor, scrutinized documentation, observed lessons and visited a number of classrooms. His concluding judgement was that the overall effectiveness of promoting ESD throughout the school was outstanding. The inspector's report praised the school for its strong focus on outdoor learning, commenting that pupils are developing excellent life skills, learning about the local environment, how to live in it and respect it. He also commented about the children's enthusiasm and understanding of the need to lead healthy lives.

Many children have been taking an active part in the school's regular fortnightly walk, more are cycling to school and learning about eating healthily by cooking the produce grown and harvested from their own school garden.

Pippa Lloyd, head teacher, said: 'We are delighted that Ofsted has recognized our commitment to environmental education. As a school we have been developing this area for several years, with very positive results. It is wonderful to see the efforts of the staff and children recognized.'

Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: 'The Ofsted inspector noted clear evidence of positive behaviour change in relation to environmental issues, at school and home. Parents told the inspector about how their children encourage them to cycle or walk rather than use the car, recycle, compost waste and switch off lights and electrical equipment. The whole school has embraced this agenda and as a result, sustainability has become central to the ethos of the whole school. It's fantastic to see the efforts of staff, children and parents recognized.' and to learn that our children are influencing the way we look after our planet.'

Hereford's Victoria Bridge refurbishment scheme has now been shortlisted for two national awards. This follows the scheme's success at the annual Institution of Civil Engineers (West Midlands) project awards ceremony in May, 2007, when it won the Heritage award and was overall project winner in the annual Institution of Civil Engineers (West Midlands) project awards ceremony.

The project team also won an award for the best exhibition and presentation at the ceremony. Now the Victoria Bridge refurbishment scheme is on the shortlist for two national awards. One is in the small civil engineering category of the British Construction Industry awards. Having been shortlisted in this category, the scheme then became eligible for consideration as a winner of the Prime Minister's 'Better Public Building Award'.

Now in its seventh year, this award recognizes projects which have been carried out using public money. For the British Construction Industry awards, thirty UK and six international projects made the short list out of more than 180 entries and 18 entries, including the Victoria Bridge scheme, are in line for The Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award. Winners of both of the awards will be announced in October.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: 'The Victoria Bridge scheme has already won two prestigious accolades and I am delighted it is now in line for two further awards. The scheme was carried out to the highest civil engineering standards and it is fitting for it to receive national recognition.'

Herefordshire Council is inviting the public to attend an exhibition to look at plans for possible speed reduction measures on the C1125 next to the new primary school site at Sutton St Nicholas. It is intended that these measures to improve road safety will coincide with the opening of the new school.

Anyone interested in examining the proposals is invited to attend a public exhibition at Sutton Primary School, Sutton St Nicholas, on Monday, 16th July between 3.30pm and 8pm.

The exhibition will ask for the views of the local residents before Herefordshire Council considers putting forward any firm proposals.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: 'As part of our continuing efforts to improve road safety, we are looking at carrying out speed reduction measures on the C1125. Obviously the building of the new school presents us with an opportunity to carry out these works and improve safety for the children who attend it but we first need to get the views of the public on what speed reduction proposals they would prefer to be done,' he added.

People who cannot attend can also have their say on the council's website at www.herefordshire.co.uk or should contact Mairead Lane on 01432 260944.

DO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR WYENOT NEWS?

If you have a local news item or story you can submit it here
or call Alan or Tina on 01989 763217

There is no charge for publishing either news items or What's On Events
This is a Free Service for the local community!

Wyenot News, 1, Hillview Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7EY

If you would like to order prints from Wyenot News photographs, please click here.

Prints are only available for photographs taken by Wyenot News (Not of those which have been sent in by readers).

Prints of 'people' photographs are only available to those directly involved in the news event covered. i.e. I do not sell prints of people to the general public.