The family of a Hagley man who broke his back have raised £3,200 as a thank you for the care he received at the famous Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Composer Andrew Downes is wheelchair bound after breaking his back when his hip gave way because of arthritis of the spine, which he has had since he was 12. His music-loving family embarked on an ambitious fundraising project in 2020 to host a year of musical concerts in celebration of Andrew’s 70th birthday to raise funds for Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research (SMSR). Andrew received care and support at the hospital’s National Spinal Injuries Unit in 2010.
The thieving Forest Bank prison officers unable to resist temptation in jail
Paul Albertsen, 42, and Paul Hewitt, 41, were both sentenced to 15 months in jail
Updated
Paul Albertsen and Paul Hewitt (Image: GMP)
Two prison officers who stole thousands of pounds worth of electronics from Forest Bank jail and sold them on have been jailed.
Paul Albertsen, 42, and Paul Hewitt, 41, both took items from the Salford prison, before selling them on via Ebay or at CeX stores.
Items such as DVDs and games consoles would be taken into the prison as part of a workshop for inmates, who would repackage the products.
SHAME: Paul Hewitt, left, and Paul Albertson CORRUPT prison officers pocketed almost £168,000 between them after stealing thousands of DVDs, games consoles and electrical goods due to be sorted by inmates at Forest Bank jail. At Manchester Crown Court Paul Hewitt, from Radcliffe, and his colleague Paul Albertson, from The Wirral, were each given 15-month prison sentences for what Judge Anthony Cross QC described as “a gross breach of trust”. The court heard how company, LTV had a contract with the prison for inmates to repackage and return items from retailers to their suppliers. But when bags of products were delivered to the prison for sorting there was no record of their contents, giving several corrupt officers the opportunity to help themselves to items before they were sent to the prison workshops.
SHAME: Paul Hewitt, left, and Paul Albertson CORRUPT prison officers pocketed almost £168,000 between them after stealing thousands of DVDs, games consoles and electrical goods due to be sorted by inmates at Forest Bank jail. At Manchester Crown Court Paul Hewitt, from Radcliffe, and his colleague Paul Albertson, from The Wirral, were each given 15-month prison sentences for what Judge Anthony Cross QC described as “a gross breach of trust”. The court heard how company, LTV had a contract with the prison for inmates to repackage and return items from retailers to their suppliers. But when bags of products were delivered to the prison for sorting there was no record of their contents, giving several corrupt officers the opportunity to help themselves to items before they were sent to the prison workshops.