Coming home through Wyndham Park one Friday afternoon recently, we were saddened to see pupils from the Priory Ruskin Academy on their way home, walking straight across the flower beds neatly planted out with pansies for the winter.

Have they no respect for the hard work and cost involved for the displays in the park?

Name and address supplied

A gym instructor who carried out a terrifying sex attack on a 20-year-old woman as she walked home late at night was today (Friday) jailed for eight years at Lincoln Crown Court.

Judge Michael Heath ordered that James Taylor should remain on parole licence for an extra four years on top of his jail sentence which will mean that if released early he will continue to be at risk of being returned to prison until December 2025.

The Judge told him “This was a terrifying incident. The impact on the victim’s life of what you did to her is clear and lasting.

“I consider you to be dangerous. You pose a very high risk of causing physical, emotional and psychological harm to members of the public and in particular to women.”

Taylor, 26, of Kenilworth Road, Grantham, denied attempted rape on May 4 but was found guilty by the jury. He had previously admitted robbery.

He told the jury he targeted the woman for cash and said he did not intend to carry out a rape.

The jury took less than 50 minutes to return a guilty verdict against him following a trial last month.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, told the jury that the woman was talking to her boyfriend on her mobile phone as she walked along Lincoln Road, Holdingham, on the outskirts of Sleaford.

The jury was told that Taylor spotted her and lay in wait before he pounced. He put his hand over her mouth and grabbed the phone before dragging her into an alleyway where he tried to rape her. During the attack he warned he had a knife and threatened to kill her if she continued to scream

Afterwards he discarded her mobile and her purse nearby before fleeing.

The woman’s boyfriend raised the alarm ringing 999 after hearing her being attacked while they were talking.

The victim made her way to a nearby house where she received help from the occupants until police arrived at the scene.

Taylor was arrested seven weeks later after tests revealed the presence of his DNA on the woman’s clothing.

Miss Bradley said Taylor answered “no comment” to a string of questions and refused to even explain why he was in Sleaford.

The court heard that Taylor had previously served a six year jail sentence imposed in 2006 for robbery.

Mark Watson, in mitigation, said Taylor acted out of character and has since shown some remorse.

“He has a long history of offending but there is no evidence of any sexualised behaviour within that history.”

He said that after coming out of prison Taylor made efforts to start a new life and had appeared to have turned the corner until her carried out the offence.

Under-16

Peterborough Lions 12

Kesteven 53

Kesteven travelled to Peterborough on a fabulous day to play rugby in perfect conditions.

The first try by Tom Miles was set up through excellent handling in the back line which found the winger brushing past defenders to touch down. This was to set out the formula for the rest of the first half.

Lions played very good rugby at the breakdown and were constantly a thorn in the Ks side with a large pack and very slippery scrum half who, at times, made excellent yardage, only for Ks to steal the ball and set up further tries for Miles.

Time and again the forwards tackled, counter-rucked and stole ball brilliantly from a good mobile Lions pack, who never seemed to give in. Further tries were scored by Rob Wyatt (2) and Tom Mawer.

Ed Hands scored a fantastic solo try, after retrieving a kick at full back he then proceeded to weave, sidestep and jink his way on an 80-metre run to score.Mawer kicked three conversions in the first half which ended with Ks 41-0 up.

Lions came out in the second half like a wounded animal and played some excellent rugby. They caught Ks napping five metres out and, with very quick thinking, scored a well deserved try.

Ks were then to have their mental strength tested as the Lions were now buoyed by their score, but the visitors’ forwards stuck to the task in hand and played some awesome counter-attacking rugby to again provide the backs with ball in hand. And they did not disappoint with Dan Ashmore going over the line after some fine handling and ball taken at speed.

Pressure from Lions eventually paid off with a well worked try and conversion.

But Kesteven had the final say. They won the ball from a scrum 10 metres out, picked up by number eight Charlie Stewart. He who drove through two tackles only to be denied inches from the line. But with brilliant support play, Cameron Knott picked the ball up and touched down to seal a mighty victory.

The Christmas story was seen from a new perspective in the show at Barrowby Primary School.

Gabriel’s Big Break was a version of events told by the Archangel Gabriel and featured 68 youngsters from Years One and Two. Earlier in the show, more than 30 reception class children sang for the audience.

Head Len Batey said the children were thrilled that Mayor of Grantham Councillor Frank Turner was in the audience for the afternoon performance, which he described as “fantastic.”

Older children performed a Christmas concert in the local church.

Every pupil in the school took part in two plays performed for parents and friends at Great Ponton Primary School.

Younger children performed the traditional Nativity story, while the older ones in Key Stage Two presented a play with songs called Home For Christmas, which had a homelessness theme.

Two combined shows were were performed, in the afternoon and evening, for a total of 180 people and a collection raised £140.

The money was later presented o Grantham Passage, a charity which feeds homesss people.

Head Jon Clack said: “The Key Stage Two show had a different sort of message and worked wonders. It was very well received.”

Thanks to the staff and families of Chestnut Street School, Ruskington and the staff and customers of Sainsbury’s Grantham, for their help and donations to support Grantham Disabled Children’s Society over the weekend of November 29 to December 1.

Over the two events we raised an amazing sum of £309.88. This money will go towards giving disabled children and their families a dinner with Santa at the Angel and Royal Hotel with something special for all the children.

Also congratulations to ticket number 326 (J. Joyner) who won our giant snowman teddy and who kindly donated a further £10 when collecting her prize, most unexpected and much appreciated.

The trustees of Grantham Disabled Children’s Society would like to thank everyone who bought teddies, raffle tickets and donated money to give our families a fantastic Christmas.

The Trustees

GDCS

If you were to have a very ill parent hospitalised with a low immune system and a severe infection, would you feel at all comfortable knowing that those who are treating and looking after them were too unwell to be at work, yet felt they had no other choice but to be at work? No. You wouldn’t.

My mother is a regular ‘guest’ at Grantham Hospital, where she can always expect fantastic care from professional, warm and empathic staff.

Regardless of their position or status the staff there work to support and care for their patients and so it astounds me to see staff who are full of cold and far too ill to be working on the wards.

When I challenged why they were working when they should be at home being looked after, rather than looking after others in a hospital, one said to me, “I’ve had my three days this year. Any more and I’m up against the Trust. I’m not allowed to be ill any more.” At this point it’s important to note that this statement wasn’t made with any resentment but instead, a real disappointment and sadness that they felt that they had no other option but to be at work as they were too scared to do otherwise.

Yes, I understand that there must be HR policies to ensure staff sickness is kept to a minimum but when someone is genuinely ill, should they not be allowed to be at home, given time to recover and then asked to return? I for one certainly don’t expect someone who is coughing and sneezing all over the place looking after my poorly Mum!

Wake up United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and realise that your people are your strength and so should be looked after properly. It’s time to review your HR policies in relation to sickness to protect the patients and to support your staff.

Drew Walsh

Hickling, nr Melton Mowbray

Northern Premier League

Premier Division

Grantham Town 0

Nantwich Town 5

Grantham Town suffered their heaviest defeat of the season at The Meres today (Saturday).

Christmas came early for Nantwich who went in front after eight minutes when Grantham keeper Dan Haystead gifted Steve Foster a shot.

The visitors doubled their lead on 24 minutes. Anton Foster’s poor pass back to Haystead was picked up by Ben Deegan who nutmegged the Gingerbreads keeper.

Steve Foster bagged his second with five minutes of the half remaining, after another defensive lapse, and two minutes later it was 4-0 when Osebi Adadaki fired in after Grantham’s Deon Meikle let him in.

Any shape that Grantham had shown in the first half dissolved completely after the break, though they conceded only once more.

In the 70th minute, Anton Foster brought last man Harry Clayton down in the box and was shown a red card. Clayton got up and slotted the spot kick past Haystead.

Grantham’s best chance of scoring during the whole match came six minutes from the final whistle, but Nantwich keeper Jack Cudworth caught Deon Meikle’s on-target effort.

Grantham Town: Haystead, Ridley, Andrews (Lewis, 65), Meikle, Graham, Foster, Dixon, Towey (McGhee, 45), Lavell-Moore, Jackson (G. Smith, 45), Burbeary. Subs not used: Nwadike, Sucharewycz. Att: 179

Last week I had my bike stolen from outside our house. We reported this to the police doubting it would be returned. However, the next day we received a phone call to say my bike had been found.

An officer delivered my bike to our house which was very much appreciated.

The police had even put a light on the bike and pumped up the tyres!

We would like to say a very big thank you to Lincolnshire Police.

Jack Roberts

Address supplied

If you are planning to travel by train between Christmas and the New Year, bear in mind that no trains will run on the East Coast main line on Friday, December 27, while workmen carry out upgrading work at Peterborough train station.

Network Rail has taken the decision to close the line and put on replacement coaches between Grantham, Peterborough and Huntingdon, including for all onward train services to and from the north and London King’s Cross. It said it is putting on additional staff and that passengers will be able to wait for their bus in a heated temporary structure adjacent to Grantham’s station.

Possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply was denied by a defendant at Grantham Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Scott Fendley, 41, pleaded not guilty to possessing with intent to sell 5.13g of crack cocaine and 5.63g of heroin at his home in Beck Gardens on June 12, and to possessing with intent to sell 1.28g of heroin and 0.37g of crack cocaine in Welland Court, Grantham, on March 15.

Magistrates decided the case was too serious to be dealt with by them and sent it to Lincoln Crown Court for trial.

Fendley was released on unconditional bail.

A jogger was nipped on the ankle by a jack russell dog whose owner went on to be arrested.

Stuart Gray, 55, appeared before magistrates in Grantham on Monday charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury.

The court heard how the female victim was running down Main Road in Long Bennington on September 8 when the dog came towards her and bit her ankle. Its teeth went through an ankle support she was wearing and drew blood, forcing her to get a tetanus shot from her GP the following day.

Gray, a market trader, apologised to the victim immediately after the incident. He also explained that the dog had been playing with his grandchildren and said it must have got out of the yard through a fence.

During police interview, Gray told officers that the dog was not aggresive and that if the jogger had not startled it, it would have left her alone.

Prosecutor Shelley Wilson said: “The victim said she was concerned a child could’ve been attacked by the dog and that, clearly, things could’ve been more serious.

“Turning back to police evidence, they have indicated that there have been previous reports to them. They say that between January 30, 2011, and this incident on September 8, there have been at least eight separate reports to the police concerning this dog biting people.”

However, Rob Arthur, defending, told magistrates that the dog had not been identified as having attacked anyone, adding: “I don’t think we should be just jumping to conclusions that it’s the dog belonging to Mr Gray because Mr Gray has never been prosecuted for any offence involving the dog.”

Magistrates ordered Gray, of Main Road, Long Bennington, to pay a £160 fine, £50 in compensation to the victim, £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

As magistrates issued a control order forcing the dog to be muzzled when in a public place, Gray said: “I’ve had him 10 years and never had a problem with him.”

Relief was audible when prisoner Adam Kecka heard his three-month jail sentence was to be suspended.

Kecka, a Polish national with no fixed address in the UK, was arrested on Sunday as he flew into East Midlands Airport from Poland.

There was a warrant out for his arrest after he left the country last year while a court case involving domestic violence was ongoing.

Magistrates heard how Kecka, 41, first appeared in the court on May 9 last year, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on his wife.

Magistrates had adjourned the hearing while a probation report was carried out.

It was again adjourned on June 15 as the report was not complete, and on the next hearing date Kecka failed to show up and the warrant was issued.

The court heard on Monday how Kecka left his wife of 18 years and three children in Grantham to move to Worksop last year.

Then on November 12 he showed up at their home unexpectedly while drunk and demanded the keys to his wife’s car.

She refused and so he hit her with the back of his hand across the face and pulled her hair towards the ground.

Shelley Wilson, prosecuting, said: “There was a scuffle during which she tried to fight him off and in doing so scratched the top of his head.

“This caused him to stop long enough to grab her mobile phone and contact her son.

“He arrived to try and assist his mother and at that point, in front of the son, the defendant assaulted his wife again, grabbing her left wrist and twisting it hard to cause pain, and again struck her in the face.

“The son tried to pull him away but he said ‘look at my face, I will do the same to you’, at which point he lashed out and scratched his wife in the face.”

Kecka then left the house only to return with a bottle of vodka, which his wife and son tried to hide from him.

Kecka hit his wife again, this time across the chin.

It was not until a further assault at a later date that the wife called police.

Officers saw a large black bruise under her right eye and two scratches to her right cheek.

During police interview, Kecka told officers that his wife tried to attack him but he admitted three assaults later in court.

Kecka, who has a previous conviction in the UK for failing to provide a specimen for analysis and assaulting a police officer, has been seven months sober following an alcohol problem, said defence solicitor Rory Macmillan.

He added: “This was the root of his unacceptable behaviour and led to the assaults on his wife.”

He went on to say: “He sees what he has lost in terms of a family life and wants to put it right.”

Mr Macmillan told the court that Kecka, his wife and children holidayed together in Poland this summer at the request of his wife and that she regularly calls him and wishes to retract her complaint of last year.

Magistrates told Kecka he had shown a “complete disregard for the rule of law” and sentenced him to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of a man who failed to turn up at Grantham Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Nicholas Ridding, 32, is accused of stealing fuel worth £20.48 from the Jet fillind station in Manthorpe Road, Grantham, on September 12.

Magistrates issued a warrant not backed for bail for the arrest of Ridding, of King Street in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

Two friends accused of being drunk and disorderly in a public place have pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Pijus Bentasius, 21, and Tomas Tumonis, 22, both of Welwyn Close in Grantham, deny being drunk and disorderly in London Road, Grantham, on August 18.

The will stand trial on February 26 at Grantham Magistrates’ Court. Both men were released on unconditional bail.

After knocking out a man with a punch to the face, Luke Davison landed several punches and kicks to the unconscious man’s body and spat on him.

This attack has landed him in prison over Christmas and as an officer arrived to place handcuffs on his wrists, Davison’s friends watched from the back of the courtroom in shock.

Magistrates heard how the attack happened in Watergate, Grantham, in the early hours of November 24, and was seen by CCTV operators.

They watched as Davison, 19, approached a young couple crossing the road.

The male victim was seen to kick out at Davison following a verbal exchange to “fend him off”, said Shelley Wilson, prosecuting.

Davison then punched him once in the face and then punched, kicked and spat on him as he lay slumped on the ground.

A call from the CCTV centre saw police arrive on the scene within 30 seconds and the defendant was arrested.

The court heard how the victim was the boyfriend of Davison’s ex-partner.

Ms Wilson said: “This is, effectively, the new boy friend he has assaulted.”

However, Davison told police officers this had nothing to do with the incident and that the victim had spat at him earlier on in the night.

He also said he had drunk five or six glasses of vodka and three of four Jägerbombs prior to the attack.

Magistrates heard how the victim refused to make a complaint to police.

Had he done so, the charge facing Davison would have been at least actual bodily harm rather than the charge of using threatening behaviour.

Davison “bitterly regrets his actions”, said defence solicitor Rob Arthur.

However, he added that the attack came after the victim aimed a kick at Davison’s testicles.

Ms Wilson went on to tell the court that a trial in November found Davison guilty of common assault on his ex-partner, for which he received a community sentence and a restraining order was put in place to protect the female.

Ms Wilson referred to Davison’s “pattern of domestic violence” but Mr Arthur challenged this and said the victim had made no complaint and so “there were no complainants in this case”.

Therefore, there was no breach of any restraining order.

After short deliberation, magistrates sentenced Davison to eight weeks in prison.

Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Club (Grantham branch):

Forest are at home to Leeds United on Sunday, kick-off 3pm, and away to Reading on Wednesday, January 1, kick-off 3pm.

Bookings are being taken for away games at Bolton Wanderers on January 11, kick-off 3pm, and Huddersfield Town on January 25, kick-off 3pm.

Tickets now on sale for new year party at Railway Club on Wednesday, January 8, 8pm.

For details contact Bob Taylor on 01476 550242.

A mother-of-two falsely claimed more than £3,100 in benefits as a carer for a disabled child, Grantham magistrates heard.

Carla Day, of Wakefield Close, pleaded guilty to failing to notify authorities of a change in her circumstances which would have affected her entitlement to Carers Allowance.

The court heard how Day’s claim was legitimate at first but that she should have informed the Department for Work and Pensions when she began working.

Over a 12-month period, she falsely claimed £3,162.55.

Christopher Pye-Smith, defending, told magistrates that the error was an “oversight” and not a deliberate ploy to wrongly claim benefits.

He added that Day, 42, is a person of good character who has stopped claiming the disability living allowance benefit she is entitled to because she and her husband are working and can afford to do without.

At the time of claiming Carers Allowance, Day was suffering from stress and depression and would not open the mail or answer the door.

Mr Pye-Smith told magistrates that she had already repaid £1,000 voluntarily.

Magistrates granted 12-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £85 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Any players interested in trialling for Lincolnshire County Pool teams for next year, or attending the annual meeting and Lincs Singles Competitions, should the note following dates and times.

Sunday, December 29 – Lincolnshire County Pool AGM, followed by Lincs Men’s Singles Comp (open to any player that holds a Lincs EPA card 2013). Entry for singles taken 11.15am to 11.45am. AGM starts 12 noon, doors open 10am.

Sunday, January 5 – Lincs Ladies’, Seniors’ and Juniors’ Singles Comp (open to any player that holds a Lincs EPA card 2013). Entry for singles taken 11am to 11.30am, doors open 10.45am.

Sunday, January 12 – Lincs Men’s County first trials. Entry taken 11am to 11.30am, doors open 10am.

Sunday, January 19 – Lincs Ladies’, Seniors’ and Juniors’ County trials. Entry 11am to 11.30am, doors open 10.45am.

Sunday, January 26 – Lincs Men’s County second trials (for qualifiers from first trials). Entry taken 11am to 11.30am, doors open 10.45am.

All to be held at Sportsman Pool Hall, Boston.

For more details, contact John Lord on 07730 569974

A number of trains to and from King’s Cross on the East Coast main line have been cancelled this evening due to bad weather and many others are experiencing long delays.

Strong winds and heavy rain have affected numerous services on the line including services in and out of Grantham.

Services to London cancelled tonight are the 17:54 Newark to London Kings Cross, 18:01 York to London Kings Cross and 19:15 Leeds to London Kings Cross. Services from London cancelled tonight are the 18:19 London Kings Cross to Newcastle and the 19:03 London Kings Cross to Leeds. Trains are also being delayed because of the weather and further alterations are possible.

Anybody travelling by train is asked to check for cancellations and amendments before travelling. To check East Coast times go to the website at www.nationalrail.co.uk

East Coast have lifted ticket restrictions today and tomorrow. East Coast customers can travel on any service on Monday or Tuesday December 23 or 24. Seat reservations will apply for services which depart at the scheduled time. East Coast is strongly urging customers to travel as soon as possible as severe weather conditions are likely to worsen this afternoon, while trains are expected to be considerably busier.

As a result of the forecast high winds and heavy rainfall, the following amendments are currently ongoing:

Trains between London Kings Cross and Peterborough may be delayed by up to 30 minutes because of speed restrictions

A tree on the overhead wires at at Knebworth is causing delays of up to 60 minutes between London Kings Cross and Stevenage

Trains between Peterborough and Grantham may be delayed by up to 60 minutes because of overhead wire problems