Last semester, in our Law for Journalists module, we were asked to write an essay on the topic ‘Do celebrities have a right to privacy?’ We had discussed in depth whether people in the limelight actually deserved a moment of reality now and then, and to keep parts of their personal and family life separate from the public eye, or actually if the fact that they were famous meant that the right to privacy was forfieted.

Wanting to show an un-biased view when writing my essay, I went for the ‘Yes they do’ but  ‘No they don’t’ argument, which I realised really got me nowhere in figuring out my own personal opinions on the subject, so after seeing an article related to privacy, I decided to write about where I stand on the debate….

It was a story I read today about JK Rowling that got me thinking once again about celebs and the right to privacy. In 2004 she took a picture agency to court to ban the publication of a long-lens photograph taken of her son David, claiming that her family’s right to privacy had been infringed. Eventually, the  judge decided that no action would be taken and that the law did not provide celebrities with “a press-free zone for their children in respect of absolutely everything they choose to do”. This loss was a major blow for not only Rowling, but any other celebrity who aimed to take on the press in a bid for privacy.

However, after going to the court of appeal soon after the ruling, Rowling has now won her battle to ban further publication of the picture, and this is being hailed as a major development in British law. The court decided that children of famous parents should really have all the rights of a child that have an ‘ordinary’ parent. “If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent”

I agree with the court in this instance, or any other where it is a family member of the celebrity whose privacy has been breached, as they themselves are not famous and have not chosen to be in the public eye, therefore the right to complete privacy I think is fair. However, I think that the celebrities themselves don’t deserve the right to complete privacy in most areas of their life. This is because they have chosen to take on a profession that along with it brings fame, and it is unreasonable of them to expect privacy when there is so much public interest surrounding them and what they do. Gossip magazines thrive on this kind of thing, and if by printing stories about the life of a celebrity that is slightly scandalous, or prying into their private lives, the sales go through the roof, what is the harm if something is in the interest of the public?!!

Anyway, what would I do with my life if I couldn’t read Heat magazine?!! Like most people, I love any kind of gossip, a nose into people’s private lives, and what weird and whacky things those famous types are up to, and quite frankly most newspapers would have nothing interesting in them if such stories or photos could never be printed…

During the free visit, fire crews will check the safety of your home, give occupants useful fire prevention advice and will even check or fit smoke alarms where necessary.

Mayor of Winchester, Councillor Pines, who opened his doors to fire crews last week, highlighted the benefits of having your smoke alarm checked and urged residents to sign up to the scheme.

In a bid to protect homes, Hampshire Fire and Rescue hopes that by 2010, every household in the county will have a least one working smoke detector.

British Transport Police released a statement confirming a man’s body was discovered at a remote part of the station at around 10.00am, and although a formal identification has yet to be made, the statement verified that officers do believe the deceased is the 42 year old children’s TV presenter.

The circumstances surrounding the death have yet to be revealed by the police, however officers have said that it was not due to being hit by a train. A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “At this stage the death is being treated as unexplained.

Mr Speight, who disappeared last Monday, 6 days after an inquest into fiancé Natasha Collin’s death recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, has been said to have been in a very fragile state.

The popular presenter was reported missing after he failed to meet Natasha’s mother Carmen Collins for coffee in Covent Garden. He was last seen boarding a south-bound Bakerloo line train at around 2.45pm on Monday, sparking a nationwide police search into his disappearance.

His fiancé Collins was found dead on January 3 from boiling water burns and a drugs overdose in the bath of the couples shared home. The couple had spent the night ‘partying’ and had consumed a cocktail of cocaine, sleeping pills and wine.

Mr Speight was initially arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying Class A drugs, but it was later confirmed that he would not be facing any charges.

It has been confirmed that his Next of Kin have been informed by British Transport Police and CCTV footage from the station is currently in the process of being examined.

Neil Aspinall, manager of the Beatles Apple Corps music empire and dubbed by many as the ‘Fifth Beatle’, has died.

Aspinall, who was aged 66, died on Monday at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York after suffering from what is understood to have been lung cancer. 

A childhood friend of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Aspinall worked as the band’s first roadie before being given a management role at Apple records, the band’s own record label.  Aspinall eventually became the chief executive of Apple Corps Ltd, a position which he stepped down from last year.

In a statement released on behalf of surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of  George Harrison and John Lennon, Apple Corps said: “As a loyal friend, confidant and chief executive, Neil’s trusting stewardship and guidance has left a far-reaching legacy for generations to come”.

Helping make the group a moneymaking phenomenon decades after they split up, Neil Aspinall was also a fierce protector of the Beatles’ Apple empire. He instigated 3 lawsuits against Apple Computers on the grounds of infringement over the Apple name, leading to the payout of millions of pounds to Apple Corps.

The fond tag of ‘The Fifth Beatle’ has been said to have some meaning, as Aspinall can allegedly be heard singing backing vocals on various Beatles tracks, including Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour.

Apple Corps and the remaining Beatles members paid tribute to a close friend, saying:” All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man”.

Aspinall is survived by his wife Suzy and five children.

It has today been announced by a chief pathologist in Goa that Scarlett Keeling’s death was caused by her head being forcibly held underwater for up to ten minutes, not due to her having taken a cocktail of drugs and drowning.

The 15 year old from Devon whose body was found on a beach in Goa on 18^th February 2008 , is now believed to have been raped and her head held underwater for a prolonged period of time, with tests showing that the drugs had been added to her body after death, rather than her dying as a result of taking them.

Since she learned of her daughters death, Scarlett’s mother Fiona MacKeown  said that she firmly believed that her daughter had not drowned accidentally and that she had been murdered. Claiming there had been a cover up by police in Goa, Miss MacKeown  put the authorities under pressure to carry out a second post mortem after she saw her daughters body covered in over fifty cuts and bruises.  

Miss MacKeown said she was shocked at the news, but also relieved.”This is something I’ve been saying from the beginning,” she said. ”I’ve said there’s been a cover-up from the start. I haven’t been contacted by the police once. I want the police brought to justice.”

Three men have been arrested in connection with Scarlett’s murder.

MEMBERS of the public are being encouraged to make a stand against anti-social behaviour after new plans were revealed by Hampshire Police.

The plans to tackle anti-social incidents occurring in Winchester and surrounding towns have been outlined in an Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy published by Hampshire Constabulary’s Community Safety Department.

The strategy aims to combine effective local action in the form of public vigilance, with the ongoing work of the police and the Safer Streets Campaign to try and combat the rising rates of anti social behaviour in the area.

The plans outlined in the report, aim to use the ‘extended policing family’ within the community, which includes Police Community Support Officers, Accredited Community Support Officers and local neighbourhood wardens, who will undertake ‘High Visibility’ patrols in problem areas 3-4 times a week and frequently liaise with members of the local community. It is hoped that this will provide reassurance and encouragement to people who have previously felt too intimidated by those whose behaviour is anti-social to make a stand and report such incidents.

This report comes shortly after it was announced that the 101 non-emergency telephone service, which Hampshire residents can use to anonymously report anti-social behaviour, is now to be kept until at least 2009.

A spokesperson for the Community Safety department of Hampshire Constabulary said:” Dealing with anti-social behaviour is one of our long-term prioritys, and improvements must be constantly made in order to retain the confidence of the residents in Winchester. We hope that this new strategy will help to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour at its root”.

Hampshire police hope that the new plans, along with the continuation of the ‘101’ service, will urge the public to make a further stand against anti-social behaviour, and reduce the occurrence of such crime in and around Winchester.

By Lauren Prater

 My local MP is called Richard Benyon, and he is the Conservative MP for Newbury, Berkshire.

Benyon was voted to be the MP for Newbury on  5 May 2005 , with a majority of 3,460 votes. This is the first time that he has been MP in this constituency, as Liberal  Democrat candidate David Rendell held the position prior to Benyon since 1993.

Benyon has some very strong opinions on key issues that have been raised in parliament, including voting strongly against the introduction of ID cards and equal gay rights, and strongly for replacing Trident and launching an investigation into the Iraq war.

Some of his registered members interests include Remunerated Directorships, where he is Chairman of the Directors of Englefield Estate Trust Corporation Limited, and the trustee of various family trusts, and Land and Property, of which he is the owner of various landholdings in Hampshire,Berkshire, Inverness and London.

 Thats pretty much all the interesting information I could find on Richard Benyon….

 The lecture on People on Politics today was quite confusing, but I am hoping that as the module progresses, I will start to understand what on earth is going on! I never really found politics that interesting before, but always find it quite embarassing when someone clever starts chatting away about the governmenot and I have nothing at all to imput to the conversation..so I am hoping that this module will help me look less dumb ha. Presumably, politics and the government are subjects that all good journalists know all about, so I am looking forward to learning as much as I can about them.

 ok byeee x