A man attacked his pregnant wife after drinking in pubs and clubs in Grantham.

Michael Anthony Vanderson, 22, of Lambeth Walk, Stamford, admitted assault by beating on November 2 and was given a 24-month community order after magistrates read probation reports.

Prosecuting, Daniel Pietryka told the court that the victim was 25 weeks pregnant when the assault happened at their address in Bridge End Road, Grantham. Vanderson had gone out drinking after they argued and came back to the house at 4.15am banging on the window.

His wife was in bed and he pressed down on her throat with his forearm. Then he punched on the mouth and both legs before throwing a single bed towards her. She phoned the police and he snatched the phone off her. In the bedroom Vanderson slapped the lightbulb and cut himself and he flicked blood all over her.

Defending, Rory Macmillan said the couple had got married on October 12 and had been due to move to a new apartment when the incident happened. Vanderson had seen his GP about his drinking and anger management. He believed his drink might have been spiked when he had gone out that night.

Mr Macmillan added: “Mr Vanderson is somebody who realises that his behaviour was completely unacceptable and wants to make things right again with his wife if he is allowed to do so.”

The community order includes supervision by the probation service, taking part in a Building Better Relationships programme and 10 days of specific activities to look at training and employment opportunities.

Representatives of Grantham Town Supporters’ Club were presented with a financial donation from landlord Bob Taylor at his Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir public house, ‘The Dirty Duck’, last Sunday.

Supporters helped to steward the pub’s successful annual bonfire night celebrations and were grateful for Bob’s donation towards club funds.

Bob was presented with a framed certificate of appreciation and a Grantham Town scarf for the many years he has sponsored the supporters’ club.

Others to benefit from the bonfire bash were Belvoir Cricket Club, Grantham Hospice and the football club from Bob’s other pub, the Springfield Arms, in Grantham.

Bob (left) is pictured with Grantham Town Supporters’ Club chairman Tony Charles.

Grantham Running Club members took part in the Nene Valley 10 on Sunday.

Despite the slippery underfoot conditions caused by overnight leaf fall, the town athletes recorded some great times on this classic 10-mile course around Peterborough.

In the form of his life, first home was GRC new boy Matthew Kingston-Lee who recorded 57min 20sec to set his second personal best in as many weeks.

Ultra-runner Paul Rushworth was the next GRC runner, setting a personal best of 65.19. There were also PBs for Andrew Pask and Scott Jones, while Andrew MacAllister and Wendy Tremain made their debuts at the distance.

Other times: Andrew Pask 1.07.44, Scott Jones 1.10.13, Abigail Schofield 1.13.36, Catherine Payne 1.13.36, Robert McArdle 1.13.56, Andrew MacAllister 1.29.35, Wendy Tremain 1.31.48, Yvonne Taylor 1.47.43.

l The Grace’s Gallop 10km race took place at Great Ponton in memory of popular runner and coach Grace Plant who passed away in the autumn.

Despite being organised at short notice, the race attracted just under 200 entries and brought Ian Fisher, Jan Anderson and Dave Madge out of retirement.

Many of Grace’s close friends finished at the sharp end of the field, with Vicki Greenhall finishing as first lady and Sarah Walker first female veteran. Emma Johnston and Penny Hodges finished second and third respectively.

Promising junior Jake Richardson took the outright win in the men’s race with Matthew Kingston-Lee taking the runners-up spot and first senior home. Evergreen Arthur Short came in third as first veteran.

Now representing Wigan Phoenix, Steve Gould was first MV50 just a few places in front of Grace’s brother Dave Philp who runs for East Cornwall Harriers.

In 13th place overall and first MV60 was Steve ‘Bunny’ Bunn (Harborough AC). Also running were 1980s marathon star Phil Hall, Grace’s training partner Caryn Garner and Marathon de Sable finisher Adam Foyster.

Race director Gordon Geach said he was “astounded” by the quality of the field and thanked all those who took part.

l Matthew Kingston-Lee equalled his course personal best of 18.16 to cross the finish line first and 18 seconds clear in the latest Newark Parkrun.

GRC’s Lucy Roberts (26.19) finished as second lady in her Parkrun debut at Sconce and Devon Park.

Clubmate Kevin Baker came in sixth in 21.54 and Robert McArdle (22.59) was 10th. Fifth GRC runner to finish was Jane Mihill who was 15th lady in a Parkrun debut time of 31.03.

The appointment of Neil Rhodes as chief constable of Lincolnshire Police has been ratified this afternoon (Monday).

The Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel agreed with the recommendation put forward by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick for Mr Rhodes to be awarded the promotion after taking on the role previously as temporary chief constable.

This news follows a shaky 10 months for the two men. In February, Mr Hardwick suspended Mr Rhodes after allegations were made of “potential conduct matters”. The allegation was later withdrawn, but not before a judicial review and lengthy investigation by Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, had taken place.

Mr Rhodes agreed that 2013 had been a very difficult year. He said: “But that’s very much behind me now and when I picked up the reins of the chief’s job again back in April I was determined to build a strong and productive working relationship with the commissioner and his staff.

“I think we’ve achieved that and the force goes from strength to strength now. The officers and staff are really delivering for us with continuing reductions in crime - whilst other areas of the country struggle; and there is an improving picture in terms of detecting and resolving crime.

“I take my hat off to everyone when you consider all this is being done with 10 per cent fewer officers than we had two years ago.”

Mr Rhodes joined Lincolnshire Police as a constable in 1986 and left in 2001 on promotion to Humberside before moving to Cumbria as assistant chief constable and returned to the force in 2008 as deputy chief constable.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have been appointed as chief,” he said. “After five years away in Humberside and Cumbria, being appointed deputy chief constable here in Lincolnshire in 2008 was like coming home for me.

“The chief’s job really is the icing on the cake and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my career making Lincolnshire Police and the service we deliver the very best I possibly can.”

Looking towards the challenges ahead, Mr Rhodes said the force needs to punch its weight in terms of contribution to national policing issues and tackle “ugly extremism” brought about by an influx of migrant workers to the south of the county.

On financial issues he said that the force had balanced its books for the next two years. “I’m confident that we can sustain 1,100 officers and 149 PCSOs – and we’ve done that in probably the toughest circumstances in the country,” he said. “Working closely with the commissioner we now need to make sure we get a fair deal for Lincolnshire from the Government in the years ahead. When you compare us to almost all other forces we beat them hands down in terms of quality of service delivered at very low cost. We want to share those lessons and ensure we retain a sensible level of funding that means we can sustain and improve policing here.”

If you were out and about in the Grantham area on Sunday night, or happened to glance out of your window, chances are you witnessed this stunning sunset.

We received several photos, and decided to use this one, sent in by David Feld.

Have you taken any photographs recently that you are really proud of? Well, don’t keep them to yourself - share them with us and Journal readers in print and online!

E-mail: comment@granthamjournal.co.uk

Keen walker David Feld enjoyed a guided walk around Belton House so much that he decided to share his experience with Journal readers.

He wrote: “The rain had just stopped when a group of about 20 people gathered at Belton House on a Sunday afternoon for a guided walk of the house grounds.

“The group was met by Rachel Hall, an archaeologist with the National Trust (which acquired the house in 1984), and who is responsible for overseeing the archaeology for the whole region. She first gave an introduction to the Belton area as a whole, including its ancient and medieval history; its boundaries and the acquisition of the land and building of the house by the Brownlow family in the late 17th century.

“Rachel then led the group on a circular tour of the grounds, explaining the layout of the park, its various avenues and the planting of the trees. She mentioned that the finding of prehistoric worked flints show that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years. Such artefacts turn up occasionally in molehills! However, Roman substantial remains have not been found – except, perhaps for a few mosaic tiles.

“Towards the southwest of the grounds, Rachel pointed out the remains of the medieval ridge-and-furrow system, at a place where it is thought that the deserted medieval village of Towthorpe is thought to have stood – on the banks of River Witham. It was probably not a plague village, so no-one is sure why it became deserted – except that it may have been at a time when the economy changed from arable to mixed farming. There is certainly very little sign of it now; however, its name is preserved in that of the nearby ponds.

“A gentle stroll back towards the house completed the guided tour. All in all, it was an hour-and-a-half well spent.”

Grantham Town Supporters’ Club lotto (sponsored by Galaxy Fish Bar), winners of December 7 draw:

£200 – 363 D. Howitt; £10 – 237 B. Williamson; £5 – 360 P. Teare, 218 Mrs Parker, 765 J. Barnes, 6 Mrs Hranyczka, 486 Mrs A. Willows, 63 O. McGrane.

A man who carried out a fire bomb attack on the constituency office of Grantham MP Nick Boles has been jailed for 15 months at Lincoln Crown Court.

Paul Leverseidge manufactured the explosive by strapping 1p and 2p coins to fireworks before throwing the home-made device at the Bourne headquarters of Mr Boles, a planning minister. The force of the explosion shook nearby properties and hurled the coins up to 100 feet away. Damage to the building in North Street was limited to a smashed window and scorch marks on the pavement outside.

Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said that Leverseidge, who lived in a flat opposite, had earlier set off a powerful firework which caused as loud bang likened by one nearby resident to the sound of gun shot. Soon afterwards he lit the fire bomb causing a second, louder explosion which was followed by the sound of breaking glass.

Residents went out to see what had happened and spotted Leverseidge nearby running around in an “excitable state”.

Police were alerted and after the area was sealed off bomb squad officers were called to the scene to carry out checks.

CCTV footage identified the fire bomber as having come from the flats where Leverseidge lived and as a result his home was searched.

Officers found a large number of fireworks inside the property. Leverseidge claimed he had seen somebody on the roof of the Conservative building and went out and set off a firework to scare them.

Leverseidge, 24, of Marquess Court, Bourne, admitted a charge of having an explosive substance on June 10 in breach of the 1883 Explosive Substances Act. He was jailed for 15 months.

Chris Milligan, defending, said Leverseidge’s life fell apart following the death of his father and he turned to drugs.

He added: “He did not have counselling or therapy. He did not come to terms with the loss.”

Mr Milligan said that Leverseidge developed mental health problems and on the night was suffering from a lack of sleep as well as the effects of taking drugs. He said Leverseidge set off the device “to see what would happen”.

Judge Sean Morris said it was clear that Leverseidge was unwell at the time and is unlikely to come back before the courts again.

But he told him: “I cannot do anything other than pass a custodial sentence.”

Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Club (Grantham branch):

Forest are at home to Ipswich Town on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.

Bookings are being taken for away games at Birmingham City on Saturday, December 21, kick-off 3pm, Reading on January 1, kick-off 3pm, and Bolton Wanderers on January 11, kick-off 3pm.

For details contact Bob Taylor on 01476 550242.

United Counties League

Division One

Harrowby United 0

St Neots Town Saints 0

Harrowby United fought out a goalless draw with their immediate rivals St Neots in a third versus fourth clash at the Environcom Stadium.

The Arrows had the better of the first half exchanges and after only eight minutes Martin Wormall produced some good hold-up play, allowing right back and man of the match John Currall to get forward and fire off a shot which went over the cross bar.

On the quarter hour mark, Lee Shaw closed down Saints keeper Dan Swan, charging down his clearance but watching as the ball cannoned away to safety, just wide of the goal.

As half time approached, a good move from the home side saw Simon Bolland play the ball out wide to Scott Webb who turned the ball inside to Wormall. Wormall’s shot went narrowly wide. And right on half time, Luke Peberdy had a shot which went just wide of the St Neots post with Swan beaten.

A big improvement from the visitors in the second half saw them control the game for long periods, with the Arrows looking to counter attack. On one such counter around the hour mark, Shaw played Wormall in but his shot was deflected behind. From the resulting corner, the ball fell for Sam Hill whose flicked header was comfortably saved by Swan.

Harrowby defended, well and restricted Saints to long-range efforts and hopeful balls into the penalty area. Home keeper Jack Drury was called into action after 73 minutes when a short corner resulted in a shot through a crowd of players to which he had to dive and save low to his right.

After keeping Saints at bay for most of the half, United had two good chances inside the final five minutes to pinch all three points. The first was when Wormall played a fine ball out wide to substitute Liam Harper. His cross was met by Bolland only five yards out but the Harrowby skipper failed to get any purchase on his header.

And then another good move ended with a cross into the area by Webb which found Wormall. The Harrowby striker controlled and shot only for his goalbound effort to be blocked by a defender’s outstretched leg.

Harrowby United: Drury, Currall, Preston, Hill, Whyley, Peberdy (Harper, 64), Kirton, Bolland (c), Webb, Wormall, Shaw. Subs not used: Lee, Weatherstone, Jaques, Vorley.

Grantham Tennis Club veteran men’s second string remained undefeated in the league after a home draw against Sleaford at the weekend.

Captained by Mike Roys, the pairings were Nigel Birch and John Legard, and Paul Kennedy and David Todd. Both pairings won and lost one match apiece and so the the game ended level at 4-4. The team will be hoping to carry on their unbeaten run when they face a strong Louth side this weekend.

Skippered by Janet Ibberson, the ladies veteran seconds played away at Washingborough this weekend. The team, consisting of Janet Ibberson, Sue Rowland, Sue Cox and Jo Jones, played some great tennis and proved too strong for the opposition, taking a 6-2 victory.

The ladies’ second team, captained by Elaine Maplethorpe, triumphed away at Caunton. The team comprised Jackie Thomson, Rachel Pulfree, Elaine Pulfree, Lorraine Walton and Angela Anderson, and enjoyed some very close matches, which was not reflected in the score as they won by 75 games to 53. They will be hoping to carry on this winning streak in the new year.

Grantham’s mixed first team faced a very strong East Bridgford side. Knowing they would be up against tough opposition, they too fielded an extremely strong team. Captained by Lianne Tapson, the team of Paul White, Melanie Bloodworth, Simon Cormor, Sophie Fletcher, Andrew Isaac and Megan Jones put in a great effort. With a good display of tennis from both sides, the Grantham side managed to edge victory 55 games to 53 in a very close game.

Colston Bassett Dairy has continued its 100th anniversary celebrations, winning both a Gold and Supergold award at the 2013 World Cheese Awards.

The dairy’s Stilton was one of just 58 cheeses that won the Supergold award, out of 2,500 entries from all over the world. Their Shropshire Blue also won a Gold award.

The competition took place at the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It was judged by more than 200 experts from the industry.

Billy Kevan, Dairy Manager at Colston Bassett Dairy, said: “It is excellent to be recognised in the top bracket of international cheeses - especially in our centenary year. The World Cheese Awards are a prestigious event and we are delighted that Colston Bassett Stilton has been awarded a Supergold.

“We hope that our traditional cheesemaking methods and using milk from our farmer members ensures that we are producing the highest quality cheese”.

Colston Bassett Dairy originally opened in 1913 to help struggling farmers.

Grantham Post Office is closed this afternoon as counter staff go on strike.

Staff are striking over pay, proposed job cuts and post office closures.

A spokesman for the communications union CWU said more strikes were planned for Friday afternnon, all day Saturday and next Wednesday afternoon. She said counter staff, unlike other Crown Post Office workers, had not had a pay rise in two years.

Central Midlands League

South

Barrowby FC 3

South Normanton Athletic 0

Barrowby faced the ominous task of facing one of the league favourites on Saturday but were confident of continuing their impressive home form.

The home side started the game like they were challenging for the title when after only five minutes they nearly took the lead. A quality delivery from a free kick found Warner who guided his header towards goal, but was denied by a great one-handed save low to the keeper’s right.

The Swans did not have to wait long to get their just reward when a minute later they broke the deadlock. McDonald received the ball in space and swung a dangerous ball into the heart of the South Normanton box where, in desperation to clear, it was headed into his own goal by the despairing centre half.

The new look Barrowby defence was superbly marshalled by Warner who, with Walmsley, Gibson and Loveridge, gave the visitors little change. On a rare foray into the Barrowby area, South Normanton forced a great reaction save from Flavell that saw the half time whistle blow with the Swans maintaining their one goal advantage.

The first half display seem to give the Swans greater confidence after the break and again they started well. The lead was increased on 56 minutes when a Watson corner was again turned into his own net by a South Normanton defender.

Making his first start of the season, Craig Wilson started to combine with effect with Callum Tyndall and a third goal seemed inevitable.

On 67 minutes, the win was sealed with possibly the move of the match. Great chasing down by Tyndall saw the ball break to Wilson in the centre of the park. With a great turn of pace, he drove at the South Normanton defence before slipping an inch-perfect pass into the run of Clarke. With consummate ease, Clarke took a touch in his stride and finished coolly to the keeper’s right to send the Swans into delirium.

Barrowby’s man of the match was Liam Warner and match sponsor was Grantham Honda.

Club friendly

Grantham 151

Rutland Tourists 72

J Asher, C Parkin, M Goodchild, T Asher won 18-13; M Barrett, R Barrett, B Goodchild, C Goodley won 22-12; J Woods, A Woodward, R Baxter, D Woods won 27-9; S Richards, D Rainsford, H Whatley, N Smith won 39-9; J Tinkley, R Sumner, T Sumner, J Lewis won 27-12; B Patten, S Payling, W Stevenson, L Payling won 18-17.

Jack High Competition

Arnoldfield 61 Bingham A 51, Grantham 63 Bingham B 40.

Grantham singer Chantelle Cattermole has released a Christmas single to raise money for a charity which provides respite breaks for disadvantaged children.

Proceeds from sales of a cover version of the iconic festive Pogues and Kirsty MacColl tune, ‘Fairytale of New York’, will be donated to CHICKS, which helps youngsters suffering from the consequences of poverty, neglect and physical or mental abuse.

Chantelle (30) has teamed up with her partner, Shane, and other local musicians to produce the record, which is available as a CD for a minimum £1 donation.

Shane produced, mixed and mastered the song in his own recording studio, as well as providing lead guitar and vocal harmony support.

He said: “Shops are selling out so we’ve had to produce some more CDs. People really seem to like it. Some have said it’s just as good as the original.”

Grantham businesses Simmonds Music, Pressgang, Chameleon Bar and Steak House, East Midlands Sound and Lighting, the Guildhall Arts Centre, The White Lion and the Chequers are all selling copies of the single. The tune has had airplay on two radio stations and will be on sale throughout December.

Shane, a former pupil at Earl of Dysart Primary and St Hugh’s Schools in Grantham, said: “It popped into my head at the beginning of November that we should do a charity Christmas single.

“We chose this one because it is the only Christmas song I like. It’s got part of the original track in it but with more of a modern sound to it.”

The song can also be bought online as a download at Chantelle’s charity web page www.justgiving.com/Chantelle-Cattermole although there is limited availability of it in CD format. By texting NYPD 66 and (amount pledged) to 70070, donations can also be made to the charity without buying the song.

Police are appealing for information after repeated arson attacks at a building site at Long Bennington.

Police were called at around 6pm yesterday after a report that window frames had been set on fire at a building plot off Lilley Street, Long Bennington.

This is the sixth time the site has been targeted and officers are appealing for anyone with any information, or anyone who has seen any suspicious activity in the area, to get in touch with them as soon as possible.

Call 101 with information, quoting incident number 361 of December 10.

Two people had to be rescued when a camper van and a light goods vehicle were involved in a collision near Bingham this afternoon.

A man was released from one vehicle before fire crews arrived on the scene just before 3.30pm. Firefighters released a woman and both she and the man were taken to hospital.

The accident happened on the A46 northbound at Saxondale. Crews had to deal with a fuel leak and made the scene safe.

One of the biggest comedians of the ’90s, Sean Hughes, will be bringing his Penguin Tour to the Grantham Guildhall on January 24.

The Irish stand-up comedian will take the audience on a journey through his incredibly awkward teenage years, from his family life and his school days to his friendships.

What does this have to do with penguins? Buy a ticket and find out.

Sean was a regular on Nevermind the Buzzcocks through the ’90s and even invited the public into his own house in Sean’s Show. He is a man of many talents, having also written two books and appeared in several TV shows.

His recent show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was well received, with critics praising his more mature comedy. His warm, philosophical brand of humour is guaranteed to make audiences leave feeling better about themselves. Despite a long career, he is definitely not past his best.

Tickets are £15 and are available from the Guildhall Box Office on 01476 406158 or go to www.guildhallartscentre.com

A Grantham fire crew were called out in the early hours of the morning only to find a faulty carbon monoxide alarm.

The alarm was sounding at Gorse Road, Grantham, and the crew attended at 2.30am. The crew used a gas monitor and found no gas.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “The alarm was caused by a defective carbon monoxide alarm. Please make sure you test your smoke and gas alarms regularly.”