Bowman told social services she would not leave Joshua alone with Davenport

A man has been convicted of causing the death of his partner’s two-year-old son at their Cheshire home.

Joshua Jones was found dead at the home of Wayne Davenport, 26, and partner Nichola Bowman in Tilbury Place, Runcorn, in November 2007.

The jury at Chester Crown Court was told the toddler suffered a bang to the head and died from brain swelling after weeks of abuse.

Bowman, 24, was found guilty of allowing her child to be harmed.

Joshua had been left in the care of Davenport, who had a history of drug abuse and violence, while Bowman went to the pub with friends.

Joshua was allowed to die at the hands of somebody he feared, somebody who had hurt him before, while his mum took no action to protect him Det Insp Helen Spooner Cheshire Police

Jurors heard Joshua was frightened of Davenport and did not like being in the same room as him.

The prosecution said Davenport had “lost his patience” and killed the two-year-old after subjecting him to weeks of physical abuse.

On the night that Joshua died, Davenport called an ambulance, saying he was limp and lifeless. He was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived.

Black eyes

Post-mortem tests found Joshua had suffered bruises to his thighs, knees and arm. He had scratches to his ankle, three marks on his back, and had suffered a broken arm and two rib fractures.

The toddler also had bite marks on his arm, which matched Davenport’s teeth.

Weeks before he died, Joshua’s biological father, Jason Jones, had seen his son with two black eyes.

Joshua was in hospital for six days while the authorities investigated the injury, but John Deane, Joshua’s grandfather, said he had caused the fracture to Joshua’s arm by lifting him by the wrists. Medical experts disputed the claim.

He will live on in my heart and will never be forgotten Jason Jones Joshua’s father

Bowman told social services she would not leave Joshua alone with Davenport but days later left him to babysit and the fatal attack took place.

Det Insp Helen Spooner, of Cheshire Police, said: “This was a difficult and extremely harrowing investigation.

“The death of any child is distressing, but in this case Joshua was allowed to die at the hands of somebody he feared, somebody who had hurt him before, while his mum took no action to protect him.

“The catalogue of injuries inflicted on the toddler reduced members of the court to tears when recounted by medical experts, yet his mum turned a blind eye as her son suffered at the hands of a violent man.”

‘Irreplaceable’

Mr Jones said Joshua was a “beautiful” child.

“I loved him so much, he was my pride and joy. When we were together we were so happy,” he said.

“Our relationship was rock solid, nothing would break that.

“But now he is gone, I feel lost. I’ve lost not just my little boy, but my best friend.

“He is irreplaceable in my heart and he will live on in my heart and will never be forgotten. I miss him more everyday.”

Davenport was remanded in custody and Bowman was given conditional bail. Both are due to be sentenced at a later date.

It is not clear what has caused the new disruption.

Large parts of West Africa are struggling to get back online following damage to an undersea cable.

The fault has caused severe problems in Benin, Togo, Niger and Nigeria.

The blackout is thought to have been caused by damage to the SAT-3 cable which runs from Portugal and Spain to South Africa, via West Africa.

Around 70% of Nigeria’s bandwidth was cut, causing severe problems for its banking sector, government and mobile phone networks.

“SAT-3 is currently the only fibre optic cable serving West Africa,” explained Ladi Okuneye, chief marketing officer of Suburban Telecoms, which provides the majority of Nigeria’s bandwidth.

“So all West African countries have to use it.”

Companies were being forced to use alternatives - such as using satellite links - to maintain connections to the rest of the world, he said.

Telkom South Africa, one of the shareholders of SAT-3, has not said what caused the problems but said it was aware of “a cable fault on the Benin branch that is being investigated”.

The 15,000km (9,300mile) SAT-3 cable lands in eight West African countries as it winds its way between Europe and South Africa.

“The rest of the system is unaffected by this fault,” a Telkom South Africa representative said.

Nigeria has been badly hit because around 70% of its bandwidth is routed through neighbouring Benin.

The network, run by Suburban Telecom, was set up to bypass Nigeria’s principal telecoms operator Nitel which runs the SAT-3 branch cable which lands in Nigeria.

The SAT-3 consortium is in the process of sending a ship from Cape Town in South Africa to the area to investigate the fault.

Mr Okuneye said that by the time the relevant paperwork was done, it was likely to be “two weeks” before the ship arrived off the coast.

Meanwhile, Benin has been able to reroute its net traffic through neighbouring countries to get back online.

Mr Okuneye said his company was hoping to do the same but said the process would be slower because its bandwidth requirements were so much larger than those of the small republic.

Togo and Niger, which are not part of the SAT-3 consortium, remain offline.

Multiple Olympic champion Michael Phelps bounced back on Wednesday to set a world record in the 200 meters butterfly after suffering his first defeat in international competition in four years a day earlier at the world swimming championships in Rome.

Phelps competes during the men’s 200m butterfly final in Rome.

Phelps touched the wall at one minute 51.51 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of his closest competitor. He bested his previous world record, set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, of one minute 52.03 seconds.

The win comes after Paul Biedermann convincingly beat Phelps in the 200 meters freestyle final on Tuesday. The great swimsuit debate.

Phelps, who has won 14 Olympic gold medals in his glittering career, last failed to get gold when he was edged out by fellow-American Ian Crocker in the 100 meters butterfly at the worlds in Montreal.

Phelps had not been beaten in the 200 meters freestyle since the Athens Olympics in 2004 — but German Biedermann produced an astonishing swim to triumph by a body length and also set a new world record of one minute 42.00 seconds.

Biedermann has now claimed two gold medals and consigned two previously untouchable world records to history at the Foro Italico. On Sunday, he brought down Ian Thorpe’s iconic 400 meters freestyle mark before following it up on Tuesday.

On the women’s side, Federica Pellegrini set her third mark of the championships with a new world record in the 200 meters freestyle final of one minute 52.98 seconds — besting the previous record that she set at the event on Tuesday.

Other marks tumbled as Cameron Van Der Burgh topped his world record in the men’s 50 meters breaststroke final on Wednesday — besting a record that he set on Tuesday. China’s Zhang Lin also set a world record in the men’s 800 meter freestyle, beating the previous world record set in 2005 by about six seconds.

Biedermann has clearly benefited from wearing the Arena X-Glide swimsuit while Phelps has remained in his Speedo LZR, a suit that was revolutionary last year but has now been overtaken by the all-polyurethane suits.

In fact, the only other Speedo-wearing world champion this week has been British woman Gemma Spofforth in the 100 meters backstroke.

With world records tumbling in nearly every event, FINA, world swimming’s governing body, are supporting a return to the textile suits, although that decision may by delayed until April or May next year.

Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, has recommended the swimmer does not compete internationally until the issue is fully resolved and Phelps himself told reporters: “I look forward to racing Biedermann next summer — It will be fun when swimming gets back to swimming.”

However, Phelps added: “I have not been beaten by the swimsuit but by a great athlete — but a solution needs to be found to the issue of swimsuits as this is not swimming any more.”

Seven times world champion Michael Schumacher will make a dramatic return to Formula One as a replacement for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

Michael Schumacher will make a dramatic return to Formula One as a replacement for Felipe Massa.

The 40-year-old German, who retired from the sport in 2006, won five of his seven titles while competing for Ferrari, and has retained his links with the Italian manufacturer as a team advisor.

Schumacher told CNN: “The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive. I wish him all the best again.

“I met Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo from Ferrari on Wednesday afternoon and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take Felipe’s place.

“Though it is true that my Formula One chapter has closed, it is also true that for loyalty reasons to the team I cannot ignore their current unfortunate situation. As the competitor I am I also very much look forward to facing this challenge.”

Schumacher’s spokesperson Sabine Kehm confirmed to CNN: “He is coming back pending medical exams and will be in the Ferrrari cockpit for the next race in Valencia on August 23 if those tests go well.”

Ferrari later confirmed Schumacher’s return in a statement: “Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa’s car for as long as the Brazilian driver is not able to race.

“Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific program of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship starting with the European Grand Prix.”

Rumors began to surface about Schumacher’s likely return on Tuesday, with Kehm telling CNN at the time: “There is no offer from Ferrari, but if they decided they need him, Michael would certainly weigh his options.”

Meanwhile, Massa has been moved out of intensive care at the AEK military hospital in Budapest, with his personal doctor convinced he will race again.

Massa’s rapid improvement since undergoing surgery on Saturday to repair a fractured skull following his crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, has prompted doctors to move the Brazilian to his own private room.

It means Massa is now off the critical list, although the 28-year-old will continue to be closely monitored by medical staff. Initial fears that the Brazilian may never drive again, due to concerns surrounding the sight in his left eye, also appear to have eased.

Ferrari spokesman Luca Colajanni told Press Association Sport: “The most important situation is that Felipe is out of intensive care and now in his own private room.

“He is speaking more or less normally and he has managed his first few steps so, from a clinical point of view, everything is going in the right direction.

“There are no issues for the time being, and although we are still cautious, he is getting better and better. The situation is improving all the time.

“There was some suggestion he would leave the hospital soon but he will remain in Budapest for as long as is necessary.”

Meanwhile, Massa’s own doctor, Dino Altmann, has told Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that he believes the Brazilian’s Formula One career is far from over.

Altmann said: “I have no doubt Felipe will race again. I’m sure of that. The situation is still delicate but I believe his life is not in danger anymore. From the beginning I felt the trauma wasn’t as extended as it was believed but the improvements he has made have gone beyond our wildest expectations.”

Altmann also believes fears surrounding Massa’s left eye, seemingly damaged after he was struck on the helmet by a suspension spring that had worked free from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car, have eased.

“Stimulated by the physiotherapist, he showed he knows left from right and has full awareness of distance and depth,” added Altmann. “His eye has been opened, with care because it is still swollen, and he has said he can see. His vision has not weakened.

“He also gave appropriate answers in three languages: Portuguese, Italian, and English. That means the brain’s cognitive area is fine.”

Ferrari team principal Domenicali told reporters that he has been amazed by the rate of recovery, prompting him to return to Italy.

“It’s a fantastic improvement. Only days after the crash he’s made encouraging progress,” remarked Domenicali. “He recognised me, I greeted him and I brought him all the team’s and the fans’ warmth and support. He replied to me in Italian, after he had spoken to his family in Portuguese. He told me he can’t remember anything that had happened: that’s a good thing.

“The data is encouraging but in these situations it’s better to be prudent and take one step at a time. We want him to recover as soon as possible.”

Domenicali has confirmed there are no issues surrounding Massa’s return, with the seat being kept warm until he is fit again, although refused to comment on reports linking former world champion Michael Schumacher with a temporary return.

“I confirmed to him we are looking forward to his return soon, that the car is his, and that as soon as he’s ready he’ll be back with us once again,” added Domenicali.

McGrillen was a member of Motherwell’s cup-winning squad in 1991

Former Motherwell footballer Paul McGrillen has been found dead in his home, it has emerged.

Police confirmed the body of the 37-year-old was discovered at his home in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on Wednesday night.

A spokesman said there did not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

The striker was a member of the Motherwell squad that won the Scottish Cup in 1991, although he did not play in the final.

McGrillen is the fourth member of the Motherwell squad of that era to have died.

Winger Davie Cooper died at the age of 39 in 1995 after suffering a brain haemorrhage while filming a children’s coaching show for TV.

There would appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a full report will be sent to the procurator fiscal Strathclyde Police spokesman

Former team mate Phil O’Donnell died after collapsing during a match against Dundee United in 2007 at the age of 35.

And last year 39-year-old former Motherwell midfielder Jamie Dolan died of a heart attack while out jogging.

The player is survived by his wife Michelle and two children under the age of 10, a son and a daughter.

Neighbours in Hamilton spoke of their shock at the news.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: “They are a lovely family. It’s just so unfortunate.

“They are a close family and very pleasant neighbours. It’s very sad.”

McGrillen made nearly 100 appearances for Motherwell and scored 13 goals.

Friendly match

A statement on the club website said: “Motherwell Football Club are deeply saddened to learn of the death of former striker Paul McGrillen.

“McGrillen came through the ranks at Fir Park and emerged in the famous 1991 Scottish Cup winning squad.

“Paul, nicknamed Mowgli by his team mates, was also an active member in the former players club and played in many charity games and events including Dougie Arnott’s testimonial and Phil O’Donnell’s tribute match.

“Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this sad time.”

McGrillen also had spells with Falkirk, Airdrie, East Fife, Stirling Albion, Partick Thistle, Clydebank, Stenhousemuir and Stranraer.

He was most recently a striker for junior club Bathgate Thistle, and played for them against Motherwell in a friendly match last week.

BBC football pundit Craig Paterson, who played for Motherwell when McGrillen was starting out with the team in the early 90s, said it was terrible that four players from his era had now died.

I saw him growing from being a raw young kid into a first team player and a good one at that Craig Paterson BBC football pundit

Paterson said: “That’s four former team mates of mine who are gone, all from the same period of time and the same club. It’s devastating news.

“The only time you ever see your old team mates from those days is at funerals. It just seems to have been one tragedy after another.

“My thoughts go out to their families.”

Paterson paid tribute to McGrillen’s determination and likeable character.

He said: “I remember him coming to the club as a young lad full of zest and enthusiasm.

“He worked hard and went on and forged a decent career.

“I saw him growing from being a raw young kid into a first team player and a good one at that. He just wanted to score goals.

“He was a lovely lad, good fun and he always had a smile on his face.”

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: “There would appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a full report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.”

Heart surgery can be extremely complicated

Outcomes for adult cardiac patients in the UK have improved significantly since publication of information on death rates, research suggests.

The study also found more elderly and high-risk patients were now being treated, despite fears surgeons would not want to take them on.

It is based on analysis of more than 400,000 operations by the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Experts said all surgical specialties should now publish data on death rates.

DEATH RATES Coronary artery bypass surgery alone: 2001: 2.3% 2008: 1.5% All coronary artery bypass surgery: 2001: 2.6% 2008: 1.7% Heart valve surgery alone: 2001: 5.2% 2008: 3.5% Combined valve and coronary artery bypass surgery: 2001: 8.3% 2008: 6.1%

It had been feared that publication of death rates, which began in 2001, would make surgeons more defensive about their work, and reluctant to take on higher-risk patients who may damage their statistics.

However, the latest analysis suggests that the availability of reliable data on risk has emboldened surgeons to take on more complicated cases.

It suggests that more people who would have been considered too sick to undergo an operation just five years ago are now routinely treated and doing well.

For instance, one in five coronary artery bypass patients are now over 75, and the average age of aortic valve replacement patients has increased from 61 in 1994 to 68 in 2008.

Between 2001 and 2008 there was a 50% increase in the proportion of coronary surgery patients who had diabetes, and the proportion who had high blood pressure increased from less than 60% to nearly 75%.

However, overall operation mortality rates are continuing to fall.

Big progress has been made in coronary artery surgery, with the overall death rate falling by 21%, and the death rate for people under the age of 70 undergoing planned surgery now less than 1%.

The data also shows that surgeons are having to open up patients for a second time less frequently due to complications such as internal bleeding and infections.

And operations associated with elderly patients, such as aortic value replacement, are becoming more common, suggesting people with heart disease are living longer.

Women worse off

However, the data also shows that survival rates remain significantly worse for women than men, with the gap between the sexes failing to close.

It is now planned to publish more extensive data covering other aspects of patient care.

We are now taking on older, sicker, higher-risk patients, and these patients, rather than doing worse because of their risk, are actually doing better than they did before Mr Graham Venn Cardiothoracic surgeon

Mr Graham Venn, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, said surgeons had initially been suspicious about how adverse data would be handled.

But he said: “Pleasingly, the trusts and the regulatory bodies have handled this very responsibly.

“When adverse trends have been identified they have usually been found to be due to system or resource issues and it has been possible to reverse these and reverse the adverse trends before they become a problem.”

Mr Venn said the data had also helped him pin down and explain risk to individual patients, and his team to improve planning of surgery to ensure best quality care from first to last.

“It is tightening the quality of the whole system. Everybody on the team is involved, all pulling in the same way.

“We are now taking on older, sicker, higher-risk patients, and these patients, rather than doing worse because of their risk, are actually doing better than they did before. Results continue to improve year on year.”

Raising standards

Researcher Mr Ben Bridgewater, a consultant cardiac surgeon at University Hospital of South Manchester, said: “One of the benefits we are now seeing from public reporting of outcomes is not just about bringing poor performers ‘into the pack’ but improving the performance of the pack as a whole.

“The very act of auditing services brings about improvements as centres learn from one another.”

Mr John Black, president of the Royal College of Surgeons said: “This new report proves that open reporting works if well funded and led by the clinicians.

“All branches of surgery are following the trail on reporting outcomes that cardiac surgeons have blazed and this should spur those efforts on.

“All of medicine should take note of the findings that full audit has not resulted in risk-averse behaviour.”

Professor Roger Boyle, the Department of Health’s national director for heart disease and stroke, welcomed the findings of the study.

He said: “This report provides invaluable information not just in terms of the numbers of people who have benefited but also tells us about improvements in the effectiveness of treatment, patient safety and patient experience.

“I am particularly pleased that the evidence shows we are treating more people successfully in older age.”

The young, pregnant and those exposed to the virus have top priority

About half the US population should be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus with pregnant women and health workers the top priority, US officials have said.

A US government advisory committee said health officials should prepare to vaccinate 160 million people.

The vaccination campaign, which will involve two doses of vaccine per person, is due to begin in mid-October.

In the event that not enough vaccine is available, a tighter group of high-risk patients will receive it.

This group also includes people who care for babies, health workers and children between the age of six months and four years.

‘Natural immunity’

“The main message is that it’s half the population. And it’s the younger half of the population, as well as health care workers,” said Kathy Neuzil, of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices.

Young adults aged 19 to 24, and adults - not old people - who have high-risk medical conditions are among a wider group of those to get priority for vaccinations.

Health workers say that old people seem to have higher levels of natural immunity to the virus.

The BBC’s Daniel Sandford, in Washington, says swine flu cases are actually decreasing across the US, having peaked 10 weeks ago.

But, our correspondent adds, scientists expect that cases will pick up again during the colder autumn months.

A recent study carried out by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, published on Wednesday, suggests that pregnant women are far more likely to need hospital treatment after contracting H1N1.

They are four times more likely to be hospitalised from swine flu than the general public and can risk complications without speedy anti-viral treatment, the study warned.

Japan’s factory output is being led by increased exports

Japan’s factory output rose for the fourth straight month in June, up 2.4% from May, as the manufacturing sector continued to recover.

For the April to June period, output rose 8.3% compared with January to March, which was the biggest quarter-on-quarter rise since 1953.

However, factory output last quarter was still substantially lower than the same time a year earlier.

And separate figures showed consumer spending was down again last month.

Retail sales were 3% lower in June than a year earlier, the 10th monthly fall in a row, as consumers continued to cut spending because of job market fears.

Analysts said the two sets of official figures showed that Japan’s slow recovery from recession was being led by exports, but that domestic consumption remained weak.

The Japanese central bank said early this month that the country’s economic conditions had “stopped worsening”, but downgraded its economic forecast for the current financial year.

The Bank of Japan now expects the economy to shrink 3.4% in the 12 months to 31 March 2010, a deeper contraction than its previous forecast of -3.1%.

Shell’s fall in profits has been seen industry wide

Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil have both reported a big fall in quarterly profits, due to the sharp decline in oil prices since mid-2008.

April-to-June profits at Anglo-Dutch group Shell slumped 70% from a year earlier to $2.3bn (£1.4bn).

Exxon’s profits for the same period declined 66% to $3.95bn.

Global crude prices hit a record $147 a barrel last year, before falling back as the world recession took hold. US light crude is currently about $64.

Shell’s sales for the quarter totalled $63.9bn, down 51% on a year earlier, while Exxon’s declined 46% to $74.5bn.

Cost cutting

Looking ahead, Shell’s chief executive Peter Voser said global demand for oil remained “weak”.

“Shell is adapting to this new situation, and we must do more. We are sharpening our focus on delivery and affordability,” he said.

Conditions are likely to remain challenging for some time, and we are not banking on a quick recovery Sheff chief executive Peter Voser

The company said it would continue to cut costs after achieving savings of $700m in the first half of 2009. It said it had now trimmed 20% of senior management positions.

Despite the fall in profits, Shell said it would be maintaining its dividend to $0.42 per share, an increase of 5% from a year ago.

Oil analyst Nick McGregor of Redmayne Bentley, told the BBC that the only disappointment from Shell’s results was the fact its crude production was down 6% from a year earlier.

“Production figures are closely watched, and I think this fall was down to external factors, such as Shell’s Nigerian output being cut [due to the attacks on oil facilities in the country],” he said.

“It simply means Shell hasn’t been able to pump as much oil as it would like, which contrasts with BP’s figures earlier in the week, as BP’s production was up.”

‘No quick recovery’

Exxon said its quarterly crude production was down 3% from a year earlier, and that weak oil demand remained.

“Global economic conditions continue to impact the energy industry both in the volatility of commodity prices and reduced demand for products,” said Exxon chairman and chief executive Rex Tillerson.

World oil prices fell back from record highs last summer as the global economic bubble burst, and the recession took hold, sparked by the crisis in the credit markets.

Crude prices fell as low as $30 a barrel at the start of the year, but have since recovered to around the $63 level.

Shell’s profits are reported under the current cost of supply basis. Excluding one-off items, including reduced staff healthcare costs in the US, its latest quarterly profits totalled $3.2bn, ahead of market expectations.

“Conditions are likely to remain challenging for some time, and we are not banking on a quick recovery,” added Mr Voser.

Shell and Exxon’s results come two days after fellow oil giant BP also reported a big fall in profits.

Jackson was about to start a residency at London’s O2 Arena

The release of Michael Jackson’s autopsy results have been delayed until next week, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office has said.

The results were due to be revealed this week, amid speculation about the possible role prescription drugs played in the singer’s death.

County coroner assistant chief Ed Winter did not discuss the reasons for the delay.

Jackson died at his rented home in Los Angeles on 25 June, aged 50.

Manslaughter investigation

Following the singer’s death, coroner spokesman Craig Harvey said preliminary results showed there was no indication of any external trauma or foul play, but said the cause of death had been deferred.

He confirmed Jackson had been taking some prescription medication, but did not give any further details.

Reports suggest the investigation around the star’s death is focusing on his use of powerful painkilling drugs.

On Tuesday, police searched the Las Vegas home and offices of Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, as part of a manslaughter investigation into the singer’s death.

Dr Murray’s lawyer said officials, who were looking for Jackson’s medical records, seized mobile phones and a computer hard drive.