AN ARMED "predator" donned a monster mask and cut his victim's face during a terrifying ordeal in his own home, a court heard. Father-of-two Richard Grimshaw left his victim in shock after the frightening crime, which came at the end of a series of horrific
THE identical twin of brave little Alfie Parsons will be among mourners at his funeral in Bournemouth today. Black has been banned and 100 helium balloons will be released into the summer air from the North Cemetery as Alfie's proud family and friends
THE family of a father brutally beaten in an unprovoked gang attack spent the day at his bedside yesterday hoping for his recovery. The man, 42, was punched to the ground and hit his head on the pavement as he walked home from a private barbecue party
DAY Five of IMAX Watch and still no response from the cinema's owners. We've been putting the same question to the bosses of Bournemouth's IMAX cinema everyday for nearly a week: Will it ever reopen? On June 21 we telephoned its owners the Sheridan Group
THE family of a father brutally beaten in an unprovoked gang attack spent the day at his bedside on Tuesday hoping for his recovery. The man, 42, was punched to the ground and hit his head on the pavement as he walked home from a private barbecue party
GET a boat, get afloat - that's the invitation from the south's largest free boating event, which takes place in Poole June 24-26. Poole Quarter Poole Afloat gathers together the region's marine and watersports professionals along with events, races,
BENEFITS mistakenly paid to families under a controversial new system should not be clawed back, a Whitehall watchdog suggests today. The flagship tax credits scheme has caused significant numbers considerable hardship and distress, according to a highly
PIRATES star Matej Ferjan could still face individual punishment after missing their Elite League clash at Eastbourne earlier this month. He could be in line for a suspension and/or a fine if a Speedway Control Bureau investigation finds him guilty of
A LIFETIME of achievement has seen one Wimborne actor appear alongside Sean Connery in a Bond movie and mingle with the likes of Bridget Bardot. Michael Medwin has starred in 76 British films and has been acting for more than 60 years. And his lifetime
A LASTING reminder of celebrations to mark the 700th anniversary of Dorchester becoming Dorset's county town is on the cards. Dorchester Town Council is lining up a major festival to celebrate this important landmark in the town's history. The celebrations
ORGANISERS considered cancelling a show with performers from Weymouth and Africa after the star guest was blocked from leaving his country. WOW Youth Musical Theatre chairman Janet Stockley breathed a sigh of relief today when she heard the King of Iteso
CHAMPAGNE corks will be popping in the Winterborne valley this week following the news that developers are not pursuing their controversial plan for wind turbines. Residents of Winterborne Zelston and Winterborne Kingston have had an unsettled two years
CHERRIES boss Sean O'Driscoll has cast his net far and wide in search of new recruits ahead of the coming season. O'Driscoll has invited trialists from Australia, America, Denmark, Scotland and Bath to try their luck with Cherries during pre-season. The
HERE'S what's happened when I was watching the final episode of Doctor Who on Saturday. (Incidentally, stay with me if you're not a fan. This is not a column about Doctor Who.) Anyway, I had been forced to watch the late-night repeat of the programme
A QUARTER of robbery reports made to police in Bournemouth are false, it has been revealed today. In a bid to crack down on the growing trend, detectives are warning people they will be prosecuted for wasting police time if they falsely report a robbery
FIVE out of six cars serviced in Bournemouth still had faults afterwards, a trading standards investigation has revealed. Out of 30 cars serviced in garages throughout the borough in a mystery shopper exercise, just five were dealt with correctly. A staggering
A PETITION signed by more than 1,000 people may not be enough to save a lollipop crossing patrol outside Swanage First School. Dorset County Council chiefs have to decide whether or not to ignore nationally-set criteria for vehicle numbers, speed and
HURN Bridge was a bowlers' paradise as Lynton Staniford and Stuart Hall rewrote the Bournemouth Evening Cricket League record books. The RIAS opening pair produced a devastating spell to dismiss Taylor Cup semi-final rivals BT CST for 11 all out - the
VOLUNTEERS are being sought to take part in a gruelling 31-mile walk along the coastal path between Weymouth and Swanage. Diana Newbury, co-ordinator of the Daily Echo-backed Jigsaw scanner appeal, said: "We are hoping people taking part will donate their
STUDENTS are petitioning against their school's decision to ban girls from wearing skirts in lessons. A new dress code is being brought in at Broadstone Middle School in Poole which will mean girls must only wear long trousers as from January. The Daily
DIAMOND couple Ron and Nan Hulbert gathered their loved ones around them to mark six decades of marriage. Three generations of their family enjoyed a meal at the Turks Head restaurant in Chickerell yesterday to celebrate the Weymouth couple's 60th anniversary
A BURGER vendor says he won't let 'hooligans' get the better of his business. Phil Edmonds has relaunched his mobile burger business after being the victim of crime three times in the last 12 months. Mr Edmonds, 56, of The Bindells, Chickerell, trades
HOSPITAL chiefs in Dorchester are hoping to build accommodation for their key workers. West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust is aiming to attract a partner to build the accommodation, which will be used by medical staff and nurses working at the flagship
CONCERT organiser Cliff Jenkinson says he is devastated after a jazz event starring some of the biggest names on the scene flopped, losing him £18,000. Mr Jenkinson remortgaged his house in Dorchester to stage the Walnut Pickers Prom near Puddletown,
GRIEVING grandmother Pat Blackburn has lost her bid to summon Prime Minister Tony Blair to court in a protest over the Iraq war. Her son-in-law Sgt Les Hehir died in an American helicopter crash in Kuwait near the Iraq border in March 2003 and Mrs Blackburn
AN INNOVATIVE music centre on the edge of the New Forest is embarking on a major redevelopment programme to triple its facilities and the number of people using it. The Coda Music Trust in Walkford is housed in a barn and stables in Chewton Farm Road,
A FEUD between rival Dorset funeral directors has culminated in one man being banned from using his own name when describing his business. The long-running dispute, which focuses on two Sixpenny Handley funeral directors, has resulted in £200,000 worth
AFC Bournemouth fanatics can banish the summertime blues by re-living last season's highlights on the club's entertaining end-of-season DVD. A must for all Cherries supporters, the action-packed review - which lasts almost two hours - will be available
"A PINT, that's nearly an armful!" goes the line immortalised by comedian Tony Hancock in his classic blood donor sketch. But for two Christchurch women who have been rolling up their sleeves for the National Blood Service for more than half a century
