A FATHER has issued an appeal for people to help find the hit-and-run driver who left his 14-year-old daughter badly injured.

Initially, Stephen Temperton accused the police of not doing enough to find the driver of the car who failed to stop after he hit Shannon in Wirksworth on September 3.

She was left with a sore neck and suffered difficulty walking. She needed hospital treatment and has not been able to go back to school because she is in too much pain.

Mr Temperton, said he had been forced to contact police almost a week after the hit-and-run to find out how their investigation was going because no-one had been in touch with him.

After he contacted the Derby Telegraph, we spoke to the police who confirmed an officer would visit the family to keep them appraised of the situation.

This happened yesterday evening and Mr Temperton said he is now delighted with the reassurance he has been given about the investigation.

He said: "I was pleased to see the officer call round. His response was fantastic and I was left with the feeling that things will now happen.

"He is going to check CCTV footage and let me know any progress that is made by the end of the week.

"My biggest worry was that valuable time was being lost in tracking down the culprit because people forget what they have seen.

"I went to the Derby Telegraph so that I could make sure we didn't lose any potential witnesses and I am pleased I did it."

Shannon, who is a keen footballer, was struck while she was crossing Derby Road between 9.30pm and 9.35pm.

Mr Temperton said: "Shannon was late home, so we rang her and found out what had happened.

"An ambulance took her to the Royal Derby Hospital. All Shannon remembers is that the car had a very loud exhaust.

Witnesses or anyone with information should call Derbyshire police on 101

A WITNESS has told a jury that a skateboarder who died after being kicked in the neck had "wound up" his attacker.

Donovan Preedie was giving evidence yesterday at the trial of Thomas Cullen, who denies murdering Ashley Finlay outside The Old Bell Hotel in Sadler Gate, Derby.

Mr Preedie, who was DJ-ing at the pub on the night of the incident, April 9, said he witnessed the lead-up to the attack and then Cullen kick Mr Finlay in the head.

He said: "He (Mr Finlay) was giving it the 'come-on'. He was having a go at Tom, for some reason."

Mr Preedie said Mr Finlay, 24, had been "very angry" and was swearing at Cullen inside the pub, before deliberately knocking an almost full pint out of his hand.

"My guess is he (Mr Finlay) was trying to wind him up," said Mr Preedie.

He agreed with Cullen's lawyer that Mr Finlay had been "intent on goading or causing the defendant to engage in a fight".

He said Cullen, 29, had been "calm" and looked confused as to why Mr Finlay was having a go at him.

But when Mr Finlay had hit out at Cullen's pint, the defendant's expression had changed as if it had started to get more serious for him, said Mr Preedie.

Graham Huston, for Cullen, asked if Mr Finlay "landed any blows on the defendant's face".

Mr Preedie replied "not that I know of", but said it was possible he had.

The court heard that Mr Finlay had then been escorted out of the pub by landlord, Paul Keanan.

Mr Preedie said Cullen's anger had then "started to come out" and he had been questioning what had happened to him.

He said he then heard the window smash and saw Mr Finlay shouting towards Cullen through the hole.

Mr Huston asked Mr Preedie whether it was his impression that Finlay was still intent on having a fight with Cullen, when he was stood outside the window.

Mr Preedie replied: "Yes."

Mr Preedie said he went outside and saw Mr Keanan grab Mr Finlay and push him against the wall.

He said: "Mr Finlay was struggling at first, then he just stopped and seemed to be listening to the owner."

He added Mr Keanan was saying to Mr Finlay something like: "What are you doing? Go home."

Mr Preedie said Cullen, of Taylor Street, Derby, had then come out of the pub and he had stood in front of him, trying "to make him not go in the direction of Mr Finlay".

But, he said, Cullen had continued and then kicked Mr Finlay in the head.

When asked about the type of kick Cullen delivered, Mr Preedie said it had been "forceful" but not "as much as he could have put in it".

The DJ said after the kick he went over to Cullen and asked him what he thought he was doing and Cullen had gestured to his wet clothes and said: "I don't know why this has happened."

Prosecutor Stephen Lowne asked the witness if Cullen still appeared angry.

"Yes, but it appeared more at himself," replied Mr Preedie.

On Monday the jury was told that skateboarder Mr Finlay died from a bleed into the brain, which was caused by an impact to his upper neck that produced "a significant twisting motion".

Mr Finlay's girlfriend, Mairin Byrne, had gone over to her boyfriend and held his head in her arms, the jury was told. Mr Finlay, of Ingle Close, Spondon, died shortly afterwards.

The trial continues.

A TEACHER at a city school has been sacked for grabbing a pupil who threw a milkshake over him.

After being soaked by the drink, and suffering a torrent of abuse from the 16-year-old boy, Robert Cox held the teenager's arms and pinned him to his chair.

Mr Cox said he feared the boy was about to throw the chair at him. After he let the teenager go, the pupil did pick up a chair and threw it, although not at Mr Cox.

After the episode at Bemrose School was captured on CCTV, governors sacked Mr Cox, even though no complaint was made by the boy or his parents.

The 59-year-old, who said he had now been left "unemployable" and has twice attempted suicide, said he feared youngsters' behaviour was getting "out of control".

Married Mr Cox's 13-year teaching career has been ended by the episode.

He said: "It has had a huge impact on me. I can't get another job now and our financial situation is dire, to say the least."

Governors ruled that he had used excessive force and had escalated rather than calmed the situation.

Mr Cox said it sent out a worrying message to teachers and pupils and launched a scathing attack on the management of the school in Uttoxeter New Road. He said: "In all other public buildings you see posters saying abusive language and behaviour will not be tolerated. That is not the case at Bemrose. Instead, if you act within the school guidelines to protect yourself, to protect other students and to prevent an escalation of the situation, you are penalised.

He added, during a tribunal hearing into his dismissal yesterday: "Senior management at Bemrose don't support staff in general at all.

"Just before this incident, a meeting to discuss pupil behaviour and workload was called by the unions and we didn't get past the topic of pupil behaviour because it is considered by the staff to be so bad."

Mr Cox said the pupil involved in abusing him was excluded for four days.

He said: "I worry for my colleagues still there because the message this sends out is that if pupils threaten their teacher, the teacher is likely to be dismissed."

The tribunal heard Mr Cox's sacking was in response to the way he acted in the incident on March 4 last year.

It was following a commotion in the school canteen when some boys were "acting up" in front of another teacher. Mr Cox told one of them, a year 11 pupil, to sit down, at which point the teenager launched into a tirade of verbal abuse and then threw his banana milkshake over him.

Mr Cox, who said he had never witnessed such an outburst before, held the boy by the arms and sat him in the seat. He did that repeatedly every time the boy stood up because he said he feared the teenager was about to grab a chair and throw it at fellow pupils or a teacher if he did not restrain him.

When the school canteen emptied, the teenager did pick up a chair and threw it at an empty table.

Mr Cox, from Woodville, was suspended and, following a disciplinary hearing, was sacked after the panel concluded his actions had been inappropriate.

They did not believe the boy was about to throw a chair, having watched CCTV footage, and thought Mr Cox's actions and words escalated, rather than calmed, the situation.

Mr Cox said: "The grainy CCTV footage from 50ft away did not show what I could see, I could see the look in the boy's face and I thought he was going to grab a chair."

Another member of staff who came to the canteen during the incident said Mr Cox was "fuming".

Representing the school's governing body, at the tribunal, Kathryn Duff said Mr Cox had "manhandled" the boy and that the reason the teenager had thrown the chair was because he was "frustrated" with the way Mr Cox had treated him.

The tribunal judge, who said he had sympathy with Mr Cox's situation, is due to deliver his decision in writing in about two weeks.

Jo Ward, head teacher at Bemrose School, rejected Mr Cox's allegations about poor pupil behaviour and a lack of involvement from senior managers.

She said: "The senior staff are very experienced and get involved with the children and we have got a very secure understanding of the school.

"I would point you to the increase in our examination results. Children don't perform like that if they are misbehaving – they can't."

She said a system was also in place to support staff who may be having problems in a classroom.

ARSONISTS are believed to have started a fire at a Kirk Hallam pub in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters alerted the police after being called out to The Nottingham Castle, in Kenilworth Drive, at 2am.

They found a blaze in the roof of an outbuilding at the back of the premises.

No-one was hurt.

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident is being treated as suspicious.

It is the second time the outbuilding has been hit by a fire in recent months. The previous blaze happened on June 30 and was also thought to have been started deliberately.

Retailer Thorntons said it was "heartened" by recent trading today after its Best of British range gave a boost to its turnaround plans.

The group's note of optimism came despite a sharp fall in underlying full-year profits to just £850,000, as it counted the cost of weak Christmas trading and some of the most challenging conditions in its history.

However, shops sales in the final quarter of the year to June 30 returned to growth on a same-store basis and the group's second half performance was also its best in three years.

Its drive to reduce its reliance on the peak seasons of Christmas and Easter has seen more limited edition chocolate ranges, such as this summer's Union Jack flag and a London bus, as well as a greater focus on customer standards.

Thorntons closed 36 stores in the period as part of its drive to exit under-performing high street locations and focus on a core estate of 180 to 200 sites.

A MAN was cut free from his car and taken to hospital following a two-car collision in the city centre.

Police officers said he was "conscious and breathing" after the incident, at the junction of Curzon Street and Mercian Way.

His vehicle, a red Ford Focus Estate, was involved in the incident with a black Citroen C3. Police could not confirm whether or not the woman driving the Citroen was injured.

Police closed the Normanton-bound stretch of Mercian Way for more than an hour, while traffic was diverted through Curzon Street.

Passer-by Gary Small, who is a city driving instructor, said: "The firefighters were working frantically to cut the roof off. It looked serious. I thought it was a fatality."

Another witness was Cara Rieger, 25, of Derby, who added: "The roof was already off by the time I got there and they were trying to get the driver out."

Witnesses to the incident at 11.10am yesterday should call police on 101.

THE family of a teenager who died of an undiagnosed heart defect are holding a screening day today.

Landau Forte pupil Reece Jeffrey, 15, died while playing football in March, making him one of the 12 young people in the UK who die of an undiagnosed heart condition each week.

 
The event is taking place at Track Baker, at Pride Park, Derby, until 5pm. The day is fully booked.

MOTORISTS using the roundabout at junction 25 of the M1 near Long Eaton are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys due to one set of traffic signals at the roundabout being out of order.

As a result of an incident during the very early hours of Tuesday morning at the roundabout, traffic signals, cabling and the control box were damaged.  Traffic continuing along the M1 is not affected

The Highways Agency and its contractor, A-one+, are working hard to repair the damage caused by the incident. Subject to the availability of a new control box, the repairs are expected to be completed by Wednesday 19 September.

Mark Clough, Highways Agency Manager said: "Motorists using the roundabout at junction 25 of the M1 should leave extra time for their journey as the roads at that location could be busy, particularly during peak times.

"We will use temporary traffic signals on some approaches to the roundabout while the repairs are being completed.

"Care should be taken by drivers whilst the temporary signals are in-place, as the layout and operation will be slightly different to what they might be used to.

"Safety is our top priority so we will continue to monitor the site closely until the necessary repairs have been completed."

JAMIE Ward is hoping to help plot the downfall of former team-mate Jason Shackell on the defender's return to Pride Park Stadium this weekend.

Shackell is set to line up for Burnley against former club Derby County tomorrow.

The central defender was sold to the Clarets for £1.1m in July after one season with the Rams.

And Ward, who scored twice for Nigel Clough's men in Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over Charlton Athletic, wants to make sure it is not a happy return for his ex-colleague.

"Obviously, we'll have a plan for the game and, hopefully, we can stick to that and give Shackell a bad day," said the Northern Ireland international.

"It's always the same when you go back to an old club – you never want to lose – but, hopefully, I can do my bit to make that happen.

"Good luck to him at Burnley, though. The gaffer thought the money for Shacks would allow him to strengthen in other areas, so there are no hard feelings about him going."

Derby are unbeaten at home in the Championship so far, with two wins and a draw.

"The aim is to make this place a fortress and make it hard for other teams to come here," said Ward.

"We need the fans to get behind us like they have done – and keep on doing that, regardless.

"When they get behind us, it really does helps us."

The Rams have scored 15 goals in four outings at Pride Park this season, while conceding 10.

They had to withstand a late rally from Charlton in midweek, having appeared to be cruising at 3-0 up.

"We didn't make it easy for ourselves towards the end," Ward conceded.

"A wonder strike got them back in the game and we didn't recover from that for a while.

"But we weathered the storm and got the win.

"It was a bit tense towards the end but that's football for you. We would have been devastated if we hadn't won the game.

"At the end of the day, though, all that matters is the three points – it doesn't matter what the score is.

"It would be nice to get Frankie (Fielding) a clean sheet but, most importantly, we want three points and so do the fans, regardless of the performance and how it comes about."

In the 86th minute of the Charlton game, the home fans paid tribute to Rams fan Douglas Else – the "badge man" who died last week aged 86 – with a minute's applause.

"We heard the applause for him near the end and it was nice to send him off with a victory," said Ward.

"Hopefully, he will be remembered for a long time."

TOP rock act Iron Maiden has promised a "spectacular" show when the group headlines next year's Download Festival at Donington Park.

The extra early announcement by the event's organisers is expected to spark a rush for tickets when they go on sale next Friday.

Lead singer Bruce Dickinson said it was "brilliant" and "fantastic" to be returning to Donington 25 years after the band first appeared there and played to a still unbeaten record crowd of 107,000.

Since then, they have played the venue three other times – in 1992 when it was still the Monsters of Rock Festival and in 2003 and 2007 at the Download Festival.

Bruce said: "Coming back to Donington is fantastic – it's the only place to be.

"We have been in the USA with our Maiden England Tour and will be bringing that to Donington.

"But it will be bigger and badder than the show some audiences have been seeing there. It was inspired by our 1988 appearance and so the timing couldn't be better.

"We will have the space to really develop the show and include loads of favourites, including our mascot Eddie."

Bruce was unable to confirm whether, as a qualified commercial pilot, he would be flying the group into East Midlands Airport for the festival. He said: "I haven't given it much thought but you never know, I might just do that."

Festival organisers hinted that they had already signed a big band during this year's festival in June.

Bruce said: "We have known for some time that we would be doing Download next year and it's been really difficult to keep it a secret.

"We've had many great times at Donington and there is always a wonderful mix of bands and a really wild crowd, who love their metal, all of which makes for a memorable show and fantastic party atmosphere."

Iron Maiden will headline on Saturday, June 15, the second day of the three-day festival. A second headlining act is expected to be announced today.

Andy Copping, vice-president of promotions at Live Nation, said: "I am delighted to see the return of Iron Maiden to Download.

"The band is, without doubt, one of the biggest in the world and their live shows are legendary.

"I caught them in Los Angeles and the audience reaction to the stunning stage production and incredible set list was just phenomenal to witness.

"After watching rare performances of songs like Afraid To Shoot Strangers, The Prisoner and Seventh Son, alongside classics like The Number Of The Beast, Aces High, The Trooper and Fear of the Dark, I can't wait to see this show again at Download 2013".

PRIMARY schools in the city are celebrating after the number "causing concern" because of their low test results fell by 70%.

Two years ago, 26 city schools were below the national average in the combined English and maths statutory assessment tests, commonly known as SATs, for 11-year-olds but this has now been reduced to eight.

The progress made by city primaries was further emphasised yesterday by the publication of this year's national SATs data.

This showed that 75% of 11-year-olds across the city achieved the expected level four in English and maths combined – up from 69% last year – but still below the national average of 79%.

Martin Rawson, city council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We are delighted to see that Derby's SATs results have improved.

"We have worked with schools, parents and governing bodies to improve the outcomes for our children and we will continue to strive to help our children reach their full potential."

The city has moved up the SATS league tables, from 138th to 131st out of the 150 local authorities in the country. It is one of 27 local authorities that have seen a 6% improvement in SATs results since 2011.

Schools are labelled a "cause for concern" after their SATs results fall below the Government's floor target, which is currently 60% of pupils achieving level four.

Council officials say the improvements are "encouraging" and show that the city's schools are "moving in the right direction".

They say closer working between the authority and schools causing concern, more mentoring and more partnering between schools, underpinned by the council's Derby Winners strategy, have helped.

Schools making improvements include: Springfield Primary in Spondon; Ashgate Primary, Derby; Cavendish Close Junior, Chaddesden; St John Fisher Catholic Primary, Alvaston and St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Derby.

At Springfield Primary School in 2009, 44% of 11-year-olds achieved level four in English and maths but this year that has almost doubled to 87%.

Head Dave Blackwell said the SATS results were part of an "outstanding" year across all age ranges in the school.

He said: "We have intervened where pupils have needed additional help, we have challenged our more able pupils and we have had support from parents and the city council. As there have been improvements lower down the school as well, we are confident these will feed through and ensure that our results remain high moving forward."

Derby has been repeatedly criticised by the Government for several years for its low performing primary schools.

As a result, the Derby Winners strategy was developed designed to help schools work out the level of help needed to boost performance.

Results at Cavendish Close Junior School have improved from 54% to 76% in the past 12 months and head teacher Cleo Cunningham said: "We are confident that the gains we have made are sustainable.

"We targeted gaps in pupils' learning and also made good use of the pupil premium money we get according to the number of free school meals children we have.

"We used it to recruit two consultants to help raise results in maths. Additionally, we have run booster classes, split some middle ability boys and girls into gender groups and ensured staff had professional development."

Dave Wilkinson, branch secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said: "We have always taken the view that higher than average levels of poverty, pupils moving from school to school and pupils who need to learn to speak English are responsible for Derby's lower than average results, rather than any failings on the part of schools or teachers.

"Teachers have worked extremely hard with pupils to push them up to higher levels of attainment."

FROM the big screen at the city's Assembly Rooms to nine huge screens and litres of paint at the Cathedral Green, there was plenty to see as Derby's Festé got off to a colourful start.

The sixth annual arts festival runs until tomorrow and hundreds of people visited the city centre last night to enjoy the event's opening acts.

It included the premiere of the Derby Soap Opera – a mass participation project involving thousands of city people and culminating in a 40-minute film – and the festival's headline act, the spectacular French shadow theatre troupe Luc Amoros.

The action kicked off in the Assembly Rooms' Great Hall, where the auditorium was packed for the screening of the Derby Soap Opera.

The film, called Rosas II: The Attic, began its journey in February with the help of international artist and director of photography Marinella Senatore. It has been a community-based project, involving more than 15,000 local people, who jointly developed a plot and script for the film.

And the audience had its first shock before the film had even started with the news Miss Senatore was in Berlin rather than Derby, after breaking her leg.

But among those who did watch was Ockbrook School pupil Elizabeth Jones, 16, of Eastcote Avenue, Bramcote, who was a pianist in the film. She said: "It was an amazing experience to be part of, particularly because I felt so inspired by the likes of Marinella.

"I did see myself in the film and I really enjoyed the finished product. Getting involved was sprung on me after a talent scout visited our school but it has been a great opportunity."

Also watching was Laura Gee, 13, of Carlisle Avenue, Littleover, who played the character of the granddaughter in the film. She said: "It was such an overwhelming experience and an amazing thing to be part of. I never expected the film to turn out how it did but I feel very fortunate to be part of it."

And her mother, Dawn, 47, said: "I think it was a great film and Laura has been very lucky to be part of such an experience she can cherish."

All eyes then turned to the Cathedral Green for Luc Amoros, one of the world's greatest exponents of the ancient art of projected images and silhouettes.

The show comprises nine performers, who are silhouetted against a huge illuminated backdrop, who move, dance and paint to music. Hundreds of litres of paint are splashed around during the show, creating a striking piece of artwork.

Francoise Kennard, 41, of North Parade, Derby, who was accompanied by husband Mike, 41, and daughters Annabel, 10, and Estelle, seven, said: "We love Derby Festé and its one event we make sure we never miss.

"It's a real family thing and always happens at a nice time of the year, so that's why we wanted to come to see the show."

Rachel Basile, 28, of Derby Road, Duffield, who went with a group of friends, said: "We wanted to see what they would put on, because events like this show the cultural side of Derby."

And Jenn Brown, 29, of Whitaker Road, Derby, who went with friends Dave Ball, 29, and Helen Charlesworth, 32, of Highfields Park Drive, said: "Coming to events like this is important because, if we don't, we'll lose them and then complain when we don't have them."

A MUSIC venue promoter and owner of a number of venues in Derby has offered to buy back the iconic Dunlop Bridge from its owner Chris Evans.

Micky Sheehan tweeted the Radio 2 DJ offering to buy the bridge off him for £3,000.

Micky, of Michael Sheehan Promotions, said: "I absolutely love Chris and I have been a massive fan of his for years.

"After hearing about him buying the bridge, I felt that it would be a real shame to see it leave the area.

"I have offered to give him the money which would cover the cost of what he bought the bridge for and then he could maybe give the rest to a Derby charity."

Micky said that both he and Evans would jointly own the bridge.

He said: "If I had known about the bridge going up for sale then I would have been alongside Chris trying to out bid him.

"But this is the next best thing to try to keep it here which, I know Chris, all credit to him, is keen to do."

Evans purchased the bridge for just £437 at an auction at the Goodwood Revival on Saturday, September 15.

Following his winning bid, Evans joked that he had bought the more than 70 metres of panelling that adorned the bridge by "accident".

The One Show presenter, and car fanatic, was at the auction to look at other items on sale.

He said: "I ended up bidding for it because I thought it can't not go anywhere. I couldn't believe Donington were selling it."

The £1,624 raised from the sale of the memorabilia was given to the Hope Against Cancer charity, an organisation supported by the venue's late owner, Tom Wheatcroft.

Yesterday Dunlop pledged to match the money raised.

A YOUNG mother has helped four couples to become pregnant after she donated eggs following her own struggle to conceive.

Katie Hart knew the difficulty that other couples were going through after a number of complications left her fearing she would be unable to conceive.

So, to help her and her partner, Brett, fund IVF treatment, Katie donated her eggs.

The 24-year-old, from Ockbrook, said: "I had my first child when I was 16 but I met Brett when I was 19 and we decided to try for another child.

"We were trying to conceive naturally but I had an ectopic pregnancy in my right fallopian tube and had to have that tube removed.

"That was in the April and then, in the September, I had another ectopic pregnancy in the left tube.

"They tried to cure this one with radiotherapy to shrink the pregnancy so I would not lose that tube as well."

Katie and Brett turned to IVF treatment at CARE in Nottingham to help give them their longed-for baby.

But the potential £20,000 cost was so high that it would have financially crippled the couple.

Katie, of Yewtree Avenue, said: "My auntie originally told me about the egg donation. She said that if I donated then that would pay for the majority of the IVF treatment.

"So far, I have managed to help three couples have children and another woman is pregnant at the moment.

"It is great to know that I can help people who were in the same situation as I was.

"I wouldn't mind if, in the future, someone knocks on my door and they are the child that my egg helped create. It would be great to see them."

And, while she was helping others conceive, Katie finally managed to have a baby all of her own through IVF.

Katie, Brett and seven-year-old Edward celebrated the birth of Tyler nine months ago.

Katie said: "We were so happy when we found out but we were also really worried, as well, as we found out that Brett was a carrier for the cystic fibrosis gene.

"We had nine months of worry because we had no way of knowing if the baby was going to be born with a life-limiting condition."

And it is due to this experience that Katie is backing CARE's brand new clinical trial that screens couple's undertaking IVF treatment free-of-charge for chromosomal abnormalities.

CARE has co-pioneered this type of egg and embryo screening, which checks the fertilised eggs for conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

Wanda Georgiades, fromCARE Fertility, said: "All of our egg donors are an amazing group of women who quite literally change the lives of strangers.

"Thanks to their dedication, we have no waiting lists for donor eggs at CARE.

"Katie, in particular, has been incredibly successful and her commitment to donation is exceptional."