How charity was 'duped' into a £100k contract for second-hand printers A charity claims it was duped into signing a £100,000 contract for two printers, worth just £13,000. Missing Kind, which runs the KindaKafe on Castle Meadow, Norwich, warned it would have "severe consequences" on its work. At least one other charity has also been affected and both charities claim their signatures were forged on key documents. Missing Kind was approached in August by a company called Plan Corporate Service

A council is investigating claims that a parish councillor failed to declare an interest in a planning application which was approved by one of his wife's colleagues. King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council approved an application in September last year to build two new homes on land at Bustards' Lane in Walpole St Peter. However, they did not know at the time that council planning officer, Kate Lawty and husband David Lawty, a Walpole parish councillor, had an interest in the land which the hous

'No one has been targeted as much': How latest cuts are hurting disabled people Hundreds of the most vulnerable people in Norfolk have been hit by a big rise in disabled care charges. Tom Bristow speaks to those who fear it will mean they lose their home and future. It has been years since Sharon* bought her children presents. At birthdays and Christmases her grandchildren make do with second hand gifts she finds on eBay. But the 64-year old fears even that may have to stop after being hit w

It is a year since inspectors slammed the region's mental health service for making patients wait too long for help. This week they are back. Has anything changed? The 17-year old has been trying to get mental health support since her ex-boyfriend died in a car crash in 2017. Miss Saunders, from Easton, waited 18 months to get a referral from her GP to the youth service of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT). The beauty therapy student had her first appointment with the NSFT in Ma

Teenage trader lost £500,000 as he led luxury lifestyle with supercars A teenager who drove luxury cars while claiming to be a millionaire trader lost £500,000 of investors' cash and has been reported to authorities. Morgan Reeve, from Hunstanton, set up Morgan FX Limited in July last year and bragged on Instagram about how his business, trading foreign currencies, was funding a luxury lifestyle. Foreign exchange traders, known as Forex, bet on movements in the value of a currency and it can

Revealed: What our NHS chiefs say behind closed doors Confidential documents reveal health chiefs' fears over money, while reform plans are being held up by lack of cash and huge staff shortages. Tom Bristow reports. Three years ago NHS bosses promised to transform Norfolk and Waveney's health and care services. Hundreds of meetings, billions of pounds and dozens of reports later the same problems of not enough staff and cash to cope with the rising demand remain, according to minutes of priv

'I was raped but they told me to keep quiet' - ex-pupil of horror school speaks out Lisa* was 13 when she was sent to an abusive residential school and alleges she was told to keep quiet about being raped. Police have now re-opened their investigation into the Small School at Red House near Buxton after several ex-pupils told this newspaper of abuse allegations. Today, now aged 36, she describes her horrific years at the school until it was closed in 1998. "I arrived at The Red House in 1996

Detectives opened an investigation today into allegations of abuse at a north Norfolk school after fresh evidence was uncovered by this newspaper. Eleven former pupils of the Small School at Red House near Buxton have come forward alleging physical abuse in the 1980s and '90s. Some have also alleged sexual abuse by older pupils. We passed our information to police last week who confirmed on Wednesday that had led to the fresh probe. Norfolk police previously investigated abuse allegations at

Allegations of sexual abuse at a children's home were covered up according to a former pupil and staff member. The latest revelations about the Small School at Red House come after this newspaper published claims last week of physical and sexual abuse from ex-pupils in the 1980s and '90s. Councils sent their most difficult children to the residential school near Buxton for an "alternative education" with outdoor activities and trips abroad. But our investigation found they ignored warnings ab

Beaten and abused but 'no justice' for alleged victims of horror school Ex-pupils have made fresh allegations about abuse at a north Norfolk school for problem children. Today they tell Tom Bristow about attacks by staff and their quest for justice They are now calling for a fresh police probe into the Small School at Red House after earlier investigations ended with no further action. After leaving Red House, Michael Rose's path followed that of many of the other boys who had been at the Bux

Revealed: Fresh abuse allegations at children's 'home of horrors' with links to 'cult-like' group Former pupils at a Norfolk school have today called for a fresh police investigation into allegations of horrific physical abuse. Warnings about the Small School at Red House in Buxton were ignored by councils in the 1980s and 90s as they sent children there, some of whom claim they suffered severe abuse, an investigation by this newspaper has found. Red House, which opened in 1984 and shut in 19

A self-styled lord who splashed out on luxury cars after ripping off students is beginning a four-year prison sentence today. Scammer Scott Wolfe, 38, and partner Katie Hope, 34, set up fake online nutrition courses which duped around 900 people across the world into handing over a total of £225,000 for qualifications which never existed. The victims, from countries including Canada, South Africa, Singapore and New Zealand, lost around £200 each. Around £120,000 was passed into Wolfe and Hope

A puppy farmer, who was spared jail because of her children, boasted about her freedom on Facebook hours after narrowly avoiding prison. Zoe Rushmer, 26, used her children to convince animal lovers that the sick and dying dogs she was selling them for hundreds of pounds were from a loving home, Norwich Crown Court heard. In reality they were kept in "disgusting" conditions at White Horse Farm in Thurlton, riddled with fleas and worms and many of them had to be put down. Before the court heari

Families living in 'last resort' B&Bs in record numbers as homelessness rises Families are living in emergency B&Bs, sometimes for months on end, as councils struggle to deal with a record number of homeless people. Local authorities are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a year placing hundreds of families in cheap hotels in Norfolk and Waveney, as more people turn to them for help. The surge in homeless applications means, the councils say, they have little choice but to place people

'Supreme breach of trust': Top solicitor took £2m from clients and charities A senior solicitor has admitted taking £1.5m from his clients and £350,000 from two charities in what one victim described as a "supreme breach of trust". Hugh Lansdell, who was a senior partner at Norfolk law firm Hansells, admitted five allegations at a hearing of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal on Wednesday. Lansdell, from Gresham, was struck off as a solicitor and will have to pay £27,388 to cover the costs

'Who says crime doesn't pay?' The boastful Facebook photo of scammer's wife The wife of a multi-million-pound fraudster poses in her latest holiday snap which gloats "who says crime doesn't pay". While her husband's victims were counting their losses from a £3m investment scam, Lynne Graver was jetting off to Alicante. On a terrace in the sunshine a friend snapped a smiling, bronzed Ms Graver and posted the photo on Facebook. "Who says crime doesn't pay... #lifeisgreat", the friend wrote abo

A football coach who was in a fatal car crash the day his trial for historic sex crimes began was accused of carrying out abuse during his time at Norwich City, we can reveal today. Michael ‘Kit’ Carson also got access to youth football teams abroad, despite being barred by the Football Association (FA), an investigation has found. The FA revoked the licence of Carson in 2009 when a safeguarding complaint was made about him while coaching at Histon FC in Cambridgeshire.

The parents of Michelle Bettles today reveal their dismay with the police investigation into the unsolved murder of their daughter. Speaking on the 17th anniversary of her death, mum Denise and dad John hit out at what they view as gaps in the operation at the time and called for the cases of three prostitutes killed in Norwich, including their daughter, to be re-examined. A dog walker found the 22-year-old’s body on Sunday, March 31 2002 near Scarning off the A47. She had been strangled to de

‘We always have hope’ - parents of murdered mum Michelle Bettles reveal new clue Murdered mum Michelle Bettles should be celebrating her 40th birthday this year. On the anniversary of her death her parents speak of their never-ending quest for justice - and reveal how the discovery of a notebook has given them fresh hope. On April 1 2002, John Bettles was digging a pond when two police officers approached. “I’ve got some friends who are quite clever at doing pranks and straight away I thought

Customers slam ‘blasé and arrogant’ builder John Miller who took thousands of pounds off them The many ways John Miller let down his customers were as diverse as the jobs he claimed he could do. But his methods each time were blunt - and devastating for those who trusted him. The builder, from Three Mile Lane, Costessey, would under quote for a project and begin work quickly. All would go well at the start and customers paid him promptly. But then the workmen would stop turning up and the p