September 2008 Archives

A doctor at Queen Charlotte's Hospital is to become the Queen's gynaecologist.

Alan Farthing, who is also the former fiance of murdered BBC Television presenter Jill Dando, was officially appointed to the position this week.

The prestigious post is likely to see him deliver the next generation of royal children, including any babies born to princes William and Harry.

The new Shepherd's Bush overground station has been unveiled.

It is the first in a string of new transport hubs to open prior to the new Westfield shopping centre.

As well as shaving minutes of commuters' journeys, the station will take shoppers directly to the £1.6 billion shopping mall, due to open on October 30.

Fire ripped through a first floor flat in Acton in the early hours of Sunday moning.

Crews from Ealing and Acton spent four hours tackling the blaze in Berkeley House, Mansell Road.

A teenager who helped a man bleeding from a life-threatening knife wound was praised at a police commendation ceremony.

Despite having no first aid experience, Kerry Flynn, who was 16 at the time, held a scarf to the gushing neck wound of Vanildo Fernandez after he was attacked on a bus.

Hundreds of protesters blanketed Shepherd's Bush Green on Saturday in a bid to save the popular music and comedy venue Ginglik.

They flocked in support of the venue located in the converted Edwardian public toilet at the Green, which is being closed down by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

The council intends to fill it with concrete because it does not want taxpayers to foot the bill for repairs worth £300,000.

Policeswooped on a crack house in Shepherd's Bush and arrested 13 people for a range of crimes.

The property in Aldine Court was raided early in the morning and subsequently boarded up following a three month closure order by the West London Magistrates' Court.

It led to the arrest of 13 people for Grievous Bodily Harm, possession of Class A drugs and fraud.

A MAN from Shepherd's Bush has been sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of 22-year-old Pawel Gabrowski.
Lucasz Staskel stabbed his friend more than 30 times after a drink and drug-fuelled squabble on December 21, 2006, at the Richmond Way Squat they shared.
The pair were both from Poland and had come to London independently to work in the building trade.
Both were drinking and smoking cannabis together in their room when a fight broke out between them.
After the violent frenzy, Staskel, 25, dragged Gabrowski downstairs before changing his clothes and leaving the house to spend the night with his friend Kamil Paluch.
He admitted to Paluch what had happened and the pair returned to the address the next day and realised that Pawel was dead.
Staskel then handed himself in at Hammersmith Police Station.
At Central Crown Court on Monday (Dec 15), Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Sarwar, said: "The attack left Mr Grabowski with in excess of 30 knife wounds in a sustained attack of extreme violence that is incomprehensible when considering the motive was a minor squabble."
Staskel must serve a minimum term of 11 years having previously pleaded guilty.
Paluch, 22, also of Richmond Way, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for perverting the course of justice.
The judge ruled he assisted Staskel after the attack and misled police as to the events and circumstances.
DCI Sarwar, added: "ÔWhilst our thoughts are with the victim's family there can be no sentence to reflect their grief and life long anguish. It is hoped that the sentences handed down today are a stark warning to those who are prepared to pick up a knife. The consequences of the use of weapons will have a significant negative impact on your family and will not be tolerated by our communities."

The opening of Shepherd's Bush Overground station has been given the green light and is scheduled to arrive without delays by the end of the month.

The station doors will open just weeks before the launch of the second biggest shopping mall in Britain, the new Westfield London centre. The station will help with the additional 70,000 commuters that the mall is expected to generate every week.

Our Lady of Fatima, Commonwealth Avenue, Shepherds Bush W127QR www.ourladyoffatima.biz

Shepherds Bush - UCKG Help Centre, Shepherds Bush Community Hall, W12 8AP www.uckg.org

Tell us about your unsung heroes working at the National Health Service and they could attend a top award ceremony in London this year.