A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
Jan Wilson, 19, and Jamie Kyne, 18, were the tragic victims of Brown’s malicious actions. The two were sleeping in flats in Buckrose Court, where there had been a party earlier on. It would appear that Brown started the fire as an act of revenge, being refused entry into the celebrations that evening.
Brown, 38, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday 10th December and was told he must serve at least seven and a half years before he can apply for parole. The Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said that he posed “significant” risks as a consequence of his “impulsive or vengeful behaviour”. Brown, who also lived in the Buckrose Court flats at the time of the incident as the caretaker, has continually denied any responsibility over starting the fire.
At about 2am on Saturday September 5, the sentenced is believed to have set alight the stairwell to the flats, which were the residents’ only means of escape. The passage itself was already full with combustible materials, such as furniture, that aided the quick spread of the blaze. The jury were informed that his actions had been to “scare, frighten or smoke out” those inside the building.
Indeed, those in the flats had great difficulties finding any escape and the judge said that for “those who managed to reach a place of safety was entirely due to their own efforts”. The mental impact has been severe for all those who experienced the events, with widespread therapy now in place. Brown further tried to prevent and stall those people who came to help the trapped residents.
Between being refused entry to the part and the start of the inferno, the jury heard that the accused had drunk various amounts of lager, whiskey and Guinness, as well as taking a line of cocaine.
Apart from denying the charges against him, Brown refused to give any evidence over the course of his trial and so this leaves a great deal of questions as to what drove him to act in such an irrational manner. Detective Inspector Smith said: “The family would love to have some explanation, some answers as to what exactly happened that night… Brown comes across as cold. It seems he lost all rationale and the consequences have been terrible.”
Brown was convicted with two charges of manslaughter by the jury.
This incident was indeed tragic, but it did not involve students and took place in Malton, not York. I don't recall it even being reported in The Yorker last year - why now?
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