This week 10, 20, 30 years ago
10 years ago
A former bit-part actress in EastEnders accused of battering an 86-year-old woman to death and stealing her jewellery has denied murder.
Karen Williamson, who has also been seen on The Bill, is charged with the murder of Jean Jobson in Downham.
The victim was found dead at her home in Oakridge Road on February 20.
Williamson, 45, of Rangefield Road, Downham, had worked as a gardener for Mrs Jobson and was a regular visitor.
She appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday and was remanded in custody.
Williamson pleaded guilty to a murder charge on the third day of her trial at the Old Bailey in June 2012 and was jailed for life.
An organiser of a popular kite festival was brought crashing down to earth after being “banned” from the skies by a council officer.
Kite enthusiast Roy Reed was left fuming after an encounter with two Lambeth council park rangers on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Reed organises the annual Streatham Common Kite Day which is supported by Labour-run Lambeth council.
Mr Reed told the South London Press he had been approached by one warden who politely asked him to stop flying his 5ft-long kite on Clapham Common.
According to Mr Reed, a second warden cited an archaic bylaw and stated the lightweight kite posed a risk to the public.
Mr Reed said: “It was crazy. “I went as far as possible into a far corner of the common and landed the kite any time people came past. I can do that easily and safely.
“He said he’s seen me flying dangerously and that I was banned from the common and all Lambeth parks and he’d enforce this if he ever saw me again.
“I was gobsmacked. It was not something you could do any damage with.
“It was a small kite. I don’t know what got up his nose.”
Southwark council has come up with a slick way to combat the nuisance of fighting dogs damaging park trees with their teeth.
The town hall is daubing trunks and branches with a bitter-tasting grease that stops the biting.
It is hoped the tactic will stop the tree maulings, which are becoming an increasing problem.
It comes as new enforcement powers are being looked at to stop owners encouraging their pets to attack trees
20 years ago
A £13million project to extend the Horniman Museum in London Road, Forest Hill, is being celebrated.
The new head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Liz Forgan, was scheduled to join schoolchildren for the unveiling of a plaque to mark the occasion.
The Lottery fund had donated £10million towards the work which was to eventually include new world culture and music collection galleries.
The extension’s structure was already in place, and work was taking place to prepare the spaces inside for the official opening in spring 2002.
A homeless family pitched their 10-month-old baby’s cot on the pavement outside a town hall office.
Hafiz Khan staged the protest with his baby daughter Marina outside Lambeth Housing Services’ headquarters in Brixton Hill.
Mr Khan claimed he and his family had been ordered out of their last flat by their landlord who said the flat was too small when the 26-year-old’s wife became pregnant again.
A spokeswoman said the council was taken aback by the family’s demonstration and would find them somewhere to live.
30 years ago
Headteachers in two Labour-run boroughs stepped into the political arena to battle against cuts they claimed were threatening kids’ education.
In Lewisham, the heads joined teachers for a one-day strike, while in Lambeth they were demanding Government intervention to avert a schools’ crisis.
The action was over a £4.8million budget cut in addition to £5.2million that had already been made earlier that year.
The heads were demanding the cash should not be cut and that the councils’ finances be externally audited to prove the money was available.
London’s top cop had called for more powers to ban racist marches that had the potential to cause long-term damage to social harmony.
Sir Peter Imbert’s call came as he revealed crime in the capital had reached record levels in the year before.
In the previous month, 10 people had been arrested as minor scuffles broke out as 1,500 anti-racists opposed a march of 150 right-wing supporters south-east London.
Sir Peter said the Government needed to balance the rights of far-right groups with community needs for stability.
Compiled by Lottie Kilraine – lottie@slpmedia.co.uk
Main Pic: A 13 million pound project to extend the Horniman Museum was being celebrated 20 years ago.
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