Slough

A teenager has been sentenced for his part in the robbery of a man in Slough last year.

Waqar Ali Khan, aged 18, of Court Farm Close, Slough, was found guilty of robbery on 30 June after a trial at Reading Crown Court. He was sentenced on 20 August to two years in a young offenders institution.

At about 9pm on Monday 12 October 2009, a 28-year-old man was cycling to a friend’s house in Baylis, Slough. He had ridden through Salt Hill Park and, as he entered an underpass leading to Woodland Avenue, he noticed a man standing in the middle of the tunnel with outstretched hands. The tunnel was dark and the cyclist slowed down to avoid the man, who was standing in his way.

When he was about five metres away from the man, the Slough cyclist was punched twice in the face by an unseen attacker and fell off his bike. While on the ground, he was punched and kicked by several people. He managed to get up, but one of the robbers threatened him with a handgun and demanded that he hand over his mobile phone. The attackers also stole the man’s rucksack and bicycle.

The cyclist, who sustained a broken nose, grazes and bruising, escaped from the Slough robbers and police were called.

While officers were searching the scene of the Slough robbery, they found a mobile phone that was ringing. They answered it and spoke to Waqar Khan, who said that he had lost his phone. Police made arrangements to meet him and he was arrested on 13 October on suspicion of robbery.

Following further investigations, Khan was charged on 17 December with robbery and possession of a firearm. He was found not guilty of the firearms offence.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team is warning Slough residents to be on the look out for rogue traders targeting the elderly and disabled.

Trading standards has received reports of people posing as social care professionals using hard-sell tactics to pressurise vulnerable Slough people into parting with life saving to buy over-priced home equipment such as mobility scooters, stair lifts and walk-in baths.

Incidents have been reported across the country with examples in Hampshire, Leicestershire and just up the road in Bracknell Forest.

Keith Eaglestone, head of Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team, said: “We have examples where older and disabled people are being deliberately targeted by cold callers, normally on the phone, who are pushing them into spending lots of money on mobility aids that they might not even need.

“We can help people who are put in a difficult position like this, give advice, intervene and help residents save their money.

“I would urge anyone who may have fallen victim to this hard sell tactic or feels they are currently being targeted to contact us straight away so we can help.”

He added: “There is no shame at having ended up buying something from these rogue traders. They are very convincing and persuasive.

“But bullying people into buying goods they don’t want is against the law and we want to put a stop to it.”

People can contact trading standards on 01753 875255, e-mailing tradingstandards@slough.gov.uk or see the trading standards pages.

Slough Borough Council

Alfons Syziu, a 22-year-old man from Vermont Road in Slough, has been charged with attempt theft at Sainsbury’s in Lake End Road, Taplow, following his arrest on 25 August.

He will appear at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on 9 September.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

A landlord of a Slough house in multiple occupation (HMO) who was prosecuted for not having a licence had his appeal against the conviction dismissed.

Nasir Mehmood was convicted of failing to have a licence and supplying false information to the Slough council back in June after the property he was a landlord of was found to have at least six people living there, no fire doors and an extra kitchen squashed in under the stairs.

One of his Slough tenants, Mohammed Akhter, was also convicted of providing false information after he claimed he and his family were the only tenants of the property.

The appeal by both men was heard at Reading Crown Court on Friday 20 August. The appeal was dismissed when they failed to appear in court.

Full costs of £1,946 were awarded to the council.

Keith Ford, Slough Borough Council’s housing standards manager, said: “We are determined to improve houses in multiple occupation in Slough and are willing to prosecute landlords who flout the law and put their tenants at risk.

“As this appeal shows, we are also willing to follow cases right through to the end so tenants in Slough can know they are staying in well managed properties which do not put them in danger.”

Councillor James Swindlehurst, commissioner for neighbourhoods, said: “The work the council is doing to inspect HMOs and enforce breaches of the rules is an important step towards improving the quality of housing in Slough.

“We are determined to tackle the minority of landlords who flout the rules, not only endangering tenants but causing a nuisance to other residents.

“Despite a cut in government funding for this vital work in Slough, the council remains committed to inspecting and enforcing HMOs and Slough sheds to improve the housing stock, while rooting out landlords who do not play by the rules.”

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an unexplained death in Slough on 28/8.

Officers were called at 5.30pm by the ambulance service, who reported a man had been found unconscious at a bus stop on Oatlands Drive, Slough. He was taken to Wexham Park Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man has been formally identified as Sukhvir Singh, aged 47, from Slough.

Det Con Will Tippetts said: “We are not currently treating this death as suspicious, however we are keen to speak to anyone who may have information which could help us piece together what happened before Mr Singh sadly passed away. This was a busy Saturday afternoon in Slough so I believe there will be people who witnessed something and I would urge them to contact police.”

Anyone with any information should contact Det Con Tippetts via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Two young Slough people from Britwell have been celebrating after becoming Cycle-Wise Mechanics Assistants, thanks to a project by Slough Borough Council, the Britwell Youth and Community project and Cycle-Wise Thames Valley.

The Slough project provides a structured programme of bicycle maintenance and repair by nationally accredited trainers and technicians for youngsters in Britwell.

The Britwell Bike Club was started by Slough Borough Council, in response to a successful funding bid to the Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth capital fund to provide a cycle storage container.

Alexander Jones and Henry Gibbs are the first young people from the project to gain their level 1 award and received their certificates from Steve Roberts and Simon Hughes of Cycle-wise Thames Valley.

British Cycling and Bikeability also came along to give advice and watch the Slough ceremony and the young people working.

Vinay Vyas, Slough Borough Council’s community safety project officer, said: “This project is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Britwell to learn new skills while working on their bikes or their friends bikes.

“It is great two young people have already reached level 1 and I hope more will be following in their footsteps soon.”

Steve Roberts, from Cycle-Wise Thames Valley, said: “Young people, when they get to Mechanic Assistant level 5, will have the skills to maintain and repair their bikes and salvage bikes for others too.

“This gives them something worthwhile to do with their spare time and works towards earning them parts and vouchers so they can improve their bikes”.

“It also fosters a sense of pride in their work and a greater understanding of being safe on the roads.”

The Bike Club has also accumulated a range of salvaged bikes, for the young people to repair and make road-worthy. Potentially these bikes can be used as pool bikes to help children in a local school do Bike-ability road safety training.

Currently the Slough Bike Club is open every Thursday between 1800hrs and 2030hrs at the Britwell Youth and Community Project premises. For more information, please call 01753 526802.

Slough Borough Council

Slough Police are appealing for the public’s help in tracing a woman who has gone missing from Slough.

Baljinder Kaur, aged 40, of Carlton Road, Slough was reported missing on 20 August 2010.

Inquiries suggest that Mrs Kaur may have visited a local Gurdwara in Slough sometime between 20 and 22 August. However, the exact time and date has yet to be established.

Mrs Kaur is Indian, 5ft 2ins, with black shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She has an ‘S’ shaped mark on her right cheek and speaks Punjabi. When last seen by her family, she was wearing a long yellow coloured kameez (top) and yellow salwar (trousers).

Slough Police are keen to know that Mrs Kaur is safe and well and urge her to make contact as soon as possible via the 24-hour police enquiry centre on 0845 8 505 505 quoting URN 481 of 20/8. Alternatively, she may wish to contact her local Gurdwara and request that they contact the police on her behalf.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

A benefit claimant from Slough is being forced to pay back thousands of pounds he claimed illegally or face jail again.

Mr Dennis Kelly, 52, of Belmont Road, Slough had been claiming housing benefit as a council tenant since April 1997 as well as incapacity benefit.

He claimed he did not have any savings despite having more than £59,000 squirreled away in three Nationwide Building Society accounts.

The savings were discovered following an investigation by Slough Borough Council’s benefits team.

In October 2009, Mr Kelly pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud and was sentenced to four months in prison.

After Mr Kelly was convicted, the Slough council applied for confiscation proceedings – a system where enforcement agencies, like the council, who bring prosecutions can give a convicted person a bill based on how much money they have made from their crime. This is done under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 or the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The confiscation hearing was held at Reading Crown Court on 6 August 2010 and Mr Kelly was ordered to pay £93,593.18.

More than £15,626 of that will come direct to the council as compensation.

Mr Kelly was given six months to pay or face a 22 month prison sentence.

Charlie McKenna, head of benefits at Slough Borough Council, said: “Mr Kelly received a large amount of money from the council and was not entitled to have it.

“We are pleased to get this money returned to us so we can use it to help those who genuinely need it.”

Councillor Fiza Matloob, commissioner for Slough economy and skills, said: “Prosecutions like this send a clear message to fraudsters that they will be caught, and the penalties are high.

“It pains me to see people abusing a system which is supposed to be there to help those in real need.

“Every fraud prosecution helps the council target support to those who really need it, and away from criminals whose only aim is to take from the system.”

Slough Borough Council

Residents of the Colnbrook and Poyle area in Slough will have the opportunity to speak to members of their local neighbourhood policing team at a ‘Have Your Say’ meeting this week.

The Slough meeting will take place near to ‘Nisa store’ in Colnbrook High Street, on Friday 27 August from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

Police Community Support Officer (PCSOs) Pietro Mingolla will be available to talk to members of the public.

Slough PCSO Mingolla said: “This is a chance for residents to raise any concerns they may have about crime and anti-social behaviour in their local area, or just to drop by for a chat. Everyone is welcome to attend the Have Your Say sessions and there’s no need to make an appointment.

The Colnbrook neighbourhood policing team can be contacted on 0845 8 505 505.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Dean Cayley of Long Furlong Drive, Slough has been found guilty of fly-tipping following a prosecution by Slough Borough Council.

He was convicted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by Bracknell Magistrates on 11 August.

It was thanks to a vigilant local Slough resident that Mr Cayley was caught dumping rubbish in a garage area of Pemberton Road in December 2008.

The resident not only reported the waste to the Slough council but also took down the number plate of the vehicle and a description of Mr Cayley meaning the council could track him down and prosecute him.

Slough Borough Council environmental health officer, Natalie Worley, said: “This case shows how important the vigilance of local residents is in our battle against fly-tippers.

“Fly-tipping in garage areas is common and often the council, and therefore taxpayers, end up paying the costs of clearing it up and getting rid of it.

“Local residents can make the difference between these people getting away with it or not and we hope more residents will be encouraged to report fly-tippers.”

Fly-tipping in Slough costs the council more than £200,000 a year and ranges from a single black bag to thousands of tonnes of waste.

Councillor Satpal Parmar, Slough commissioner for environment and open spaces, said: “Dumped rubbish makes areas appear run down, attracts rats and can be hazardous.

“We want to put a stop to illegal dumping, whether it is just a small amount or tonnes of rubbish.

“Clearing up fly-tipping costs the council hundreds of thousands of pounds that could better be spent elsewhere and I hope this result serves as a deterrent to others who might be thinking fly-tipping is a good way of avoiding waste charges.”

He added: “The vigilance of local residents is vital and I would encourage any local resident who sees fly-tipping taking place to do as the resident in this case did, and write down the number plate of the vehicle and report it to us.”

Sentencing of Mr Cayley will take place in September.

Slough Borough Council