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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ex-BBC star is fined £600 for leaving scene of an accident after her Range Rover crashed into Mazda which ended up in a ditch
A former BBC star has been fined £600 - but will keep her driving licence - after leaving the scene of a car crash that left a driver injured in a ditch. Karen Patterson, 54, was one of the most famous faces in Northern Ireland having spent 20 years at the Beeb including a decade as a presenter on Good Morning Ulster. But she left the corporation five years ago to become a dairy farmer. On March 16 last year, the Range Rover being driven by the former journalist collided with a Mazda MX5 sports car on the Newtownards Road in Comber - a town on the northern edge of Strangford Lough. The Mazda driver told police that as he was overtaking Ms Patterson's 4x4, she moved across and hit him, sending him off the road. Her victim suffered an injured wrist and some hearing loss after developing tinnitus. Ms Patterson pleaded guilty to the offences of careless driving, failing to report and failing to remain at the scene of an accident. The 54-year-old was sentenced at Newtownards Magistrates Court yesterday and handed handed £600 of fines plus six penalty points on her driving licence. But she contested a charge of causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving - and the judge in the case sided with her. Representing the former broadcaster, her defence lawyer Conan Rea told the court that the Mazda driver's injuries to his wrist and hearing could not constitute grievous bodily injury. Mr Rea said his client had seen the Mazda 'travelling at some speed behind her' - but then lost sight of the sportscar. The cars bumped but she drove on, however, she claimed that she then went back and could not see the Mazda or any sign of the crash so went home - without calling the police. The barrister said the former BBC breakfast host now realised that she should have called the Police Service of Northern Ireland, even though she could not locate the Mazda. Mr Rees said that she had very quickly admitted the offences of leaving the scene of the accident and to careless driving. District Judge Mark Hamill found her not guilty causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving. Judge Hamill said that while the case could go to civil court, in his view the injuries suffered by the Mazda driver 'do not come near to GBI.' He also spared her a driving ban, by giving her six penalty points on her licence. She had three points already, meaning the punishment kept her below the 12 points needed for a ban from the roads. Her barrister had told the court that she has to drive between her home and the family farm to milk the cows each day, meaning a driving ban would have caused her 'considerable difficulties', according to the Belfast Newsletter newspaper. The judge imposed £600 of fines, a £15 offender levy and six penalty points. Karen joined the BBC in 2000 after working for the Bangor Spectator and Downtown-Cool FM, where she covered the 1998 Omagh bombing. She then went to BBC Newsline and then Good Morning Ulster but left in 2020 to returning to her first love, farming. She said at the time that dairy cows had been in her family's blood. She grew up on a dairy farm in County Down, which her father had farmed since 1947. 'I'm quite excited about it, I've been here for 20 years and it's been an amazing journey, but just to be able to pick projects and do things at a bit of a different pace', she said at the time.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Health minister to set out plan to tackle 'bullying' within Belfast Trust
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt is expected to set out his department's next steps in tackling behavioural and cultural issues within the Belfast Trust later on Thursday. Last week, a leaked review laid bare bullying allegations within the regional cardiac surgery unit, with reports of some surgeons throwing instruments at staff during procedures. It is understood the plans could see the unit placed on the highest level of the intervention framework - level five - commonly known as special measures. Health unions have since expressed concerns that the issues are not isolated to one unit within the trust. A hospital trust or facility is placed in special measures when it is rated as being "inadequate", when questions are raised over leadership or when it is unable to make sufficient improvements in a reasonable timeframe. Politicians, including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Diane Dodds, have been calling for this to happen, saying it followed a series of controversies within the trust. The chair of the Belfast Trust, Ciaran Mulgrew, has insisted that the organisation is working to resolve the issues. He met the health minister last Friday, with Nesbitt saying afterwards that his department was finalising a series of interventions to help "rebuild staff and public confidence". It is understood that Nesbitt also met health unions and stakeholders earlier this week to brief them on his upcoming plans. He is expected to publish the details in a written statement to the assembly on Thursday. Unison's Patricia McKeown said during her meeting with the health minister the union was very clear about the immediate issue of "poor culture and bad conduct that needs to be sorted out". She told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme that health service unions say the problems within cardiac units are not an "isolated incident". "[It] is symptomatic of a failure of leadership, failure of accountability and governance and co-operation right across our health service," she added. Ms McKeown said the health service cannot be run on whistleblowing. "Whistleblowing is something that happens when real management, real relationships have broken down and that's what needs to be put right," she said. "There's a systemic problem right across the entire health service, it's been going wrong for nearly 20 years bit by bit getting worse as time goes on and that's got to be fixed." She added that unions have models that would "start to put the culture right". "The workforce and unions must be at the table to come up with solutions for a problem that has festered for far too long." The report said an "apparent power battle" had been unfolding between some senior doctors in the cardiac surgical department of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Some 70 staff spoke anonymously and the report stated there were "clear tensions" between different groups of staff. The report also detailed the throwing of instruments during surgery as well as "verbal abuse". The report added that while there was one consultant "particularly prone" to throwing instruments in theatre, the behaviour was not unique and nursing staff were bearing the "brunt of the bullying". In a statement, the Department of Health said the health minister has made clear that the behaviours detailed in the report on the cardiac surgical unit at Belfast Trust are "appalling and he is holding the trust's senior management accountable for its response". "The minister has held detailed meetings with the trust chair and with health service trades unions and representative bodies. "He will inform the NI Assembly by way of a written ministerial statement about a planned series of departmental interventions. "These will include accountability measures as well as the provision of external support to help the trust rebuild staff and public confidence." Surgeons threw instruments and bullied nurses - report Cardiac surgical unit issues will not be ignored, says trust Behaviour of some heart surgeons 'appalling', says minister
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
NI leaders condemn sectarian attacks branded by housing association as ‘mass attempt at cleansing'
The First and deputy First Ministers have condemned sectarian attacks in a housing development, described by a Northern Ireland housing association as a "mass attempt at cleansing of an area". Masonry was thrown at properties in Annalee Street and Alloa Street in north Belfast last Wednesday and on Friday some residents said they planned to leave their homes. Northern Ireland's First and deputy First Ministers have jointly called for solidarity following the sectarian attacks in north Belfast. Meanwhile, Pol Callaghan, of Clanmil Housing Association, which operates the scheme, said the attacks are a "sectarian motivated hate crime" and that the victims "would be perceived of being from a Catholic nationalist background". "It would one thing if it was a single family being intimidated out but this is a mass attempt at cleansing of a group of people because of there community identity,' he told BBC Radio Ulster. A multi-agency meeting was held on Tuesday as efforts continue to ensure the safety of a number of families. Mr Callaghan told the Good Morning Ulster programme the attacks are 'reminiscent of what we had thought we had left behind" in NI. "We cannot accept that there's part of this city where anyone should not be able to live because of their perceived race, religion or anything else," he said. "Whatever happens in this one street, in Annalee Street, over the next few days and weeks, there are significant lessons that have to be learned, either in terms of the future of this street or elsewhere, because we can't afford to set a precedent here. "We have people who are sleeping in homes today who are literally in fear of their lives.' Mr Callaghan said that many of the victims are too scared to return to their homes. "We are going to have to reflect on how we are going to manage the scheme over the next while," he said. "We need to have a genuine inter-agency approach to dealing with this issue, because the situation as it currently stands cannot be allowed to stay." The PSNI has stepped up patrols in the area. Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have now voiced their condemnation following the intimidation of some families in the north Belfast neighbourhood. Ms O'Neill said, as political leaders, their duty is to 'call out sectarianism', 'say no to sectarianism' and 'say no to those people who are involved in intimidation'. 'Trying to run people out of their homes is intolerable, we say to all those involved, they must stop, and I say the full force of the law must be applied to those people involved in intimidating families,' she told reporters during a visit in Co Tyrone on Wednesday. Ms Little-Pengelly added: 'The vast vast majority of people right throughout Northern Ireland are not sectarian, they're not involved in sectarianism, they're not involved in threatening or intimidatory behaviour. 'We need to stand politically shoulder by shoulder to make clear that all intimidation, all threats of violence, all violence as a result of sectarianism, racism or whatever that may look like is absolutely wrong. 'That's a message that we've sent very strongly and united from the Executive from the outset and we'll continue to do so.' Chair of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, Hazel Bell OBE, said everyone has the fundamental right to feel safe in their home and local community. "These recent attacks on homes and the intimidation of residents are completely unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue, here or in any community across Northern Ireland,' she added. 'Housing Associations work hard to ensure that new developments integrate with the wider community, and we will continue to do so. 'When faced with these horrible acts, we must see a united and urgent response—across communities, political representatives and all agencies —to ensure these incidents are not repeated. We cannot allow such mindless violence and intimidation to continue to scar our communities.' Earlier this week, Stormont's justice minister described the "sickening attacks' as 'a reminder of a dark past and are carried out by those who wish to continue controlling the communities they purport to serve.' "It is unthinkable that young mothers are being forced to leave their homes, and I call on those responsible to desist now," Naomi Long added. North Belfast MP John Finucane warned there was a "sinister and organised element" to the attacks. 'This threat needs to be withdrawn immediately,' the Sinn Fein representative added. Independent councillor Paul McCusker described Tuesday's meeting as very difficult for residents including some who 'are not able to sleep [and] are not eating". 'It is having a massive negative impact on their lives," he added. Mr McCusker said residents felt there has been poor communication with police amid a feeling that the force has not been "supportive enough". PSNI Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan insisted officers are "focused on keeping the residents safe, and are providing enhanced patrols in the area as we work towards a resolution in conjunction with our community partners" as he welcomed the meeting as an "opportunity to listen to residents' legitimate concerns".
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
North Belfast sectarian attacks condemned as ‘mass attempt at cleansing' by housing association
An NI housing association has branded sectarian attacks in a mixed housing development in north Belfast as "a mass attempt at cleansing of an area'. Pol Callaghan, of Clanmil Housing Association, which operates the scheme, said the attacks are a "sectarian motivated hate crime" and that the victims "would be perceived of being from a Catholic nationalist background". "It would one thing if it was a single family being intimidated out but this is a mass attempt at cleansing of a group of people because of there community identity,' he told BBC Radio Ulster. Masonry was thrown at properties in Annalee Street and Alloa Street in north Belfast last Wednesday and on Friday some residents said they planned to leave their homes. A multi-agency meeting was held on Tuesday as efforts continue to ensure the safety of a number of families. Mr Callaghan told the Good Morning Ulster programme the attacks are 'reminiscent of what we had thought we had left behind" in NI. "We cannot accept that there's part of this city where anyone should not be able to live because of their perceived race, religion or anything else," he said. "Whatever happens in this one street, in Annalee Street, over the next few days and weeks, there are significant lessons that have to be learned, either in terms of the future of this street or elsewhere, because we can't afford to set a precedent here. "We have people who are sleeping in homes today who are literally in fear of their lives.' Mr Callaghan said that many of the victims are too scared to return to their homes. "We are going to have to reflect on how we are going to manage the scheme over the next while," he said. "We need to have a genuine inter-agency approach to dealing with this issue, because the situation as it currently stands cannot be allowed to stay." The PSNI has stepped up patrols in the area. Earlier this week, Stormont's justice minister described the "sickening attacks' as 'a reminder of a dark past and are carried out by those who wish to continue controlling the communities they purport to serve.' "It is unthinkable that young mothers are being forced to leave their homes, and I call on those responsible to desist now," Naomi Long added. North Belfast MP John Finucane warned there was a "sinister and organised element" to the attacks. 'This threat needs to be withdrawn immediately,' the Sinn Fein representative added. Meanwhile independent councillor Paul McCusker described Tuesday's meeting as very difficult for residents including some who 'are not able to sleep [and] are not eating". 'It is having a massive negative impact on their lives," he added. Mr McCusker said residents felt there has been poor communication with police amid a feeling that the force has not been "supportive enough". PSNI Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan insisted officers are "focused on keeping the residents safe, and are providing enhanced patrols in the area as we work towards a resolution in conjunction with our community partners" as he welcomed the meeting as an "opportunity to listen to residents' legitimate concerns".
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Attacks on homes 'mass attempt to cleanse area'
Sectarian attacks on homes in north Belfast are "a mass attempt at cleansing of an area", a housing association has said. Masonry was thrown at properties in Annalee Street and Alloa Street last Wednesday and on Friday some residents said they planned to leave their homes. A multi-agency meeting was held on Tuesday as efforts continue to ensure the safety of a number of families. Pol Callaghan, of Clanmil Housing Association, which operates the mixed housing scheme, said the attacks are a "sectarian motivated hate crime" and those who have been targeted "would be perceived of being from a Catholic nationalist background". Mr Callaghan said the attacks is "behaviour en masse which is reminiscent of what we had thought we had left behind". "We cannot accept that there's part of this city where anyone should not be able to live because of their perceived race, religion or anything else," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster. "Whatever happens in this one street, in Annalee Street, over the next few days and weeks, there are significant lessons that have to be learned, either in terms of the future of this street or elsewhere, because we can't afford to set a precedent here. "We have people who are sleeping in homes today who are literally in fear of their lives." Mr Callaghan said Clanmil want everyone allocated a house in the scheme to stay long-term, but understood that some people are very fearful and have said they don't want to return to their homes. "We are going to have to reflect on how we are going to manage the scheme over the next while," he said. "We need to have a genuine inter-agency approach to dealing with this issue, because the situation as it currently stands cannot be allowed to stay." On Tuesday, Justice Minister Naomi Long said the "sickening attacks are a reminder of a dark past and are carried out by those who wish to continue controlling the communities they purport to serve. "It is unthinkable that young mothers are being forced to leave their homes, and I call on those responsible to desist now." The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they have stepped up patrols in the area. Sinn Féin's North Belfast MP John Finucane said there was a "sinister and organised element" to the sectarian attacks on homes in the Annalee Street and Alloa Street areas. "This threat needs to be withdrawn immediately," Finucane said. Independent councillor Paul McCusker said Tuesday's meeting had been very difficult for residents. "The families who have been there since Wednesday are not able to sleep, are not eating, it is having a massive negative impact on their lives," he said. He said many residents felt "communication hasn't been great between police and residents" adding there was a feeling police had not been "supportive enough". Police said they are "focused on keeping the residents safe, and are providing enhanced patrols in the area as we work towards a resolution in conjunction with our community partners". Tuesday's meeting had given police "the opportunity to listen to residents' legitimate concerns," Ch Insp Patrick Mullan said. Residents 'shouldn't have to leave homes' after sectarian attacks Residents targeted in sectarian attack 'to leave' after further threats Sectarian attacks 'a reminder of a dark past', justice minister says
