March 2012 Archives

A fraudster who teamed up with his wife to steal more than £150,000 has been jailed for four and a half years.

Emmanuel and Behnaz Scotts, of Carlyle Way, Chelsea, spent the money on a penthouse in Chelsea Harbour, private schooling for their children, and gambling at high-end casinos before being caught by HMRC.

They bought goods from various Chanel boutiques in Chelsea and Mayfair, pretending to be wealthy foreign customers, before returning the items to another branch to get a refund.

Toddlers from a Ladbroke Grove nursery put on their walking shoes to help raise nearly £100 for Sport Relief.

On Friday March 23, the children from Kidsunlimited nursery took part in a charity toddle in Ladbroke Square Gardens, many of them running.

Beverley Smith, nursery manager, said: "It was a lovely sunny day and everybody who joined in enjoyed this special day.

The Breeze network of women only cycling is encouraging Kensington and Chelsea residents to get involved in its bike rides in the borough.

The next ride is on Sunday April 8, and starts at 10am at Kensington Palace, by the railings on the Studio Walk side.

Has your dog got the waggiest tail or the most appealing eyes?

If so, put your pooch on centre stage at the annual Parks Police dog show in Kensington Memorial Park on Sunday April 22.

Police have arrested 27 people in Kensington and Chelsea as part of an crackdown on wanted suspects and those who fail to appear in court.

The 48-hour operation, code named 'Big Wing,' began on Wednesday (21) with hundreds of officers across London visiting addresses connected to those who were wanted.

In Kensington and Chelsea, uniformed officers and detectives were joined by specialist search teams as they visited a number of homes, resulting in 27 arrests for offences including robbery, assault, burglary, fraud and theft.

A Kings Road building society officially reopened after a refurbishment this week, and celebrated with two £1,000 donations to charity.

The branch of Chelsea Building Society relaunched on Monday (26) ahead of two family open days this weekend, where there will be giveaways, goodie bags, face painting and tea and cakes.

Among the guests at the event were representatives from Chelsea-based charities the Royal Marsden and the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which will receive £1,000 each from the company.

Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation has opened a new office as part of its plans to become more accessible to residents.

Mayor of the borough, Councillor Julie Mills, officially opened the new Blantyre Road office on March 20 alongside residents, board members and other councillors.

Robert Black, chief executive of the TMO, said: "We are proud to have completed our first development project. This is a great investment in the community and we hope it will make a real difference to our customers' experience.

The controversial new Exhibition Road has won two awards in just a few weeks, despite being panned by residents and charities for the blind.

The kerb-free 'shared space' won the London Transport Award for 'excellence in walking and public realm' this week, seeing off competition from seven other shortlisted areas.

Earlier this month, the road scooped the Institute of Civil Engineers community award, which recognises projects that improve public space and enhance the living and working environment for the community.

A former councillor had more than 18,000 extreme pornographic images on his computer when police, tipped off after his wife's alleged discovery of a magazine, raided his home, a court heard.

Art gallery owner Andrew Lamont, 53, who continued serving as a councillor in Norland ward after the raid, claimed the images showing bestiality and underage girls, were planted by his ex during their bitter divorce.

Partially-sighted Lamont, of Swanscombe Road, Notting Hill, who resigned on the eve of his first court appearance, has denied possessing indecent photographs of a child and four counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Up to 250 visitors enjoyed the sunshine at a family open day in North Kensington on Saturday (24).

The Venture Centre in Wornington Road held the fun day to raise awareness of the projects and clubs it runs, as well as raising money for a group of youngsters who would not normally be able to go on school trips, to take part in an adventure holiday.

Children also had the chance to play in the popular adventure playground and on a bouncy castle, could have their faces painted, and join their families as they tucked into the barbecue.