A SELF-STYLED debt collector has been ordered to pay compensation to a mechanic who he clubbed with an iron bar when he refused to repay a £3,000 bill.

Former Royal Marine reservist Jonathan Gould pulled the 18-inch wrecking bar from his trousers and used it to hit victim Gary Clatworthy on the body and legs after pushing his way into his home. Gould, 45, admitted the attack after the prosecution dropped a more serious charge of aggravated burglary at his trial at Exeter Crown Court.

The court heard he went to Mr Clatworthy's home in Beacon Avenue, Exeter, armed with the bar after being asked to collect money outstanding on a credit agreement. The victim had bought an expensive set of tools but been unable to keep up the payments after losing his job.

Gould, of Marypole Walk, Exeter, was found not guilty of aggravated burglary but admitted causing actual bodily harm. He was jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £500 compensation and £5,000 costs.

POLICE have ended their 11-month investigation into whether salary fraud was committed by the former headteacher at the city's largest school who was on an inflated pay packet of £156,000 – £14,000 more than David Cameron.

Officers have been investigating since July whether any fraudulent activity took place at West Exe Technology College under the leadership of former executive head Steve Maddern and former chair of governors Paul Smith following the publication of a damming report which uncovered financial mismanagement of the school budget.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Councillors backed the scheme despite objections from some residents and town councillors.

Members voted in favour of the 60 bedroom Premier Inn to be built on the site of the Elizabeth Hall by 11 to one.READ THE FULL STORY HERE

A SEXUAL predator who groomed children online has been jailed.

Tony Bradbury was arrested after meeting an undercover police officer who contacted him on Facebook posing as a teenage schoolgirl.

Bradbury, a 41-year-old taxi driver from Whitchurch Avenue, Exeter, was sentenced to three years and 10 months for a string of sexual offences.

A CITY school has announced that it will be closing early for summer holidays due to problems with its water supply.

West Exe Technology College will be breaking up on Friday July 19, not Tuesday July 23 as intended.

Headteacher Vicki Carah said: "I am aware that this may cause some inconvenience and assure you that the decision has not been taken lightly.

"Following lengthy discussion with Devon County Council, we have agreed that ending the term early is the best course of action for the reasons outlined below.

"As you are aware, we have, for some months now, had issues with our water supply. While Carillion have worked hard to minimise these and Devon County Council have been happy that the school has been able to function safely throughout this time, the issues have not been resolved and the summer holiday offers an opportunity to carry out major works to rectify the problem fully.

"In order to maximise the time available to Carillion and to ensure we are able to return to a completely functional building on September 9 we have agreed to shorten the term for students by two days.

"We feel that closure at this time of year will be far less disruptive than a delay to opening for the new school year in September and I hope you will understand the need to do everything possible to assist Carillion in this."

Legionella bacteria was detected at West Exe Technology College earlier this year and a deep clean was carried out during the Easter holidays.

There have also been long-running issues affecting tap water at St Peter's, with bottled water being provided at times this year to staff and students at St James School, Isca College of Media Arts, St Luke's Science and Sports College and Wynstream Primary School.

All the schools were built or rebuilt by Carillion under a £79m private finance initiative (PFI) contract between 2004 and 2006. Carillion said it could not provide details about the work it will be carrying out at St James' School and could not comment on the move to close early although it welcomed the extra time the decision would afford it for the project.

A spokesman said: "We are continuing to work closely with Devon County Council and West Exe School in order to coordinate and undertake the work necessary to address the issue."

LUCKY-TO-BE-ALIVE Leo Fernando was being hailed a miracle baby after plunging 20 feet from a bedroom window on to concrete – and surviving.

RESERVATIONS have already been made for properties in Exeter's new luxury retirement village, Millbrook Village – with the first taking place within minutes of the doors opening, according to Exeter property agency Wilkinson Grant & Co.

About 200 people attended a busy three-day launch event from June 27-29, with a queue of cars waiting to enter the car park on the morning of the launch.

Twenty-two properties from phase one – a mixture of two and three-bedroom cottages and apartments – were available for reservation for the first time and with hundreds of enquiries having been received in the run-up to the launch, the sales suite was a constant hive of activity with buyers keen to visit the site and talk in detail about reserving their new homes.

Properties generating particularly strong interest included the development's three luxury 2,000 sq ft penthouses, one of which was available for reservation as part of phase one.

Roger Wilkinson of Wilkinson Grant & Co said: "We knew from the number of enquiries we'd been receiving that this launch event was going to be well attended, but I don't think even we anticipated quite such a busy few days.

"Millbrook Village offers a combination of extremely high-specification properties and a wealth of on-site facilities – the likes of which Exeter has not seen before.

"It looks like this unique proposition for the active over-55s has really captured the imagination of potential buyers, with reservations already having been made and firm interest expressed by many more buyers as a result of the launch.

"We're thrilled that the event has been such a big success."

Millbrook Village is located just off Topsham Road in the old St Loyes Foundation site in Exeter.

The properties are set within secure landscaped grounds and centred around a private clubhouse, Springbok Hall, featuring a restaurant, bar, pool, fitness and health suite, library, medical centre and more.

Phase one of Millbrook Village will be comprised of 15 cottages, 27 apartments, the club house and staff accommodation. The first residents are expected to move in during summer 2014 and properties are available to buy off-plan, with prices starting from £325,000.

PROPERTY businesses in the South West are responding to a resurgent housing market and are more positive about the growth of sector activity in the next three to six months.

Industry confidence is at its highest level since 2011, according to a new survey from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking.

The latest Property Matters report revealed that 43 per cent of small-to-medium-sized property businesses in the South West are confident the market is recovering and that they will see an uplift in activity.

This contrasts heavily with the flat market conditions reported by firms six months ago.

The report also reveals that with encouraging attitudes and confidence in the growth prospects of the sector, more than a third (37 per cent) of businesses in the region have increased their overall investment plans for the next three to six months.

Small or medium businesses in the South West predict their portfolio will exceed performance expectations, with more than half (55 per cent) expecting an improvement as economic conditions recover – a figure which has doubled in the last six months.

Firms are capitalising on this market growth, with the Property Matters report showing residential lettings remain the region's strongest performing sector.

Industry priorities are responding to growing consumer confidence, with nearly a quarter of local firms favouring housebuilding as the next best performing sector, overtaking out of town retail.

Colin Vallance, senior manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking in Devon & Cornwall, said: "Confidence in the property sector is growing and is at its highest levels since our inaugural Property Matters survey was conducted in 2011, with a resurgent housing market encouraging confidence throughout the South West.

"Small and medium businesses in the region that are looking to capitalise on this positive outlook and require financial support need a lender with extensive sector experience, and our team of dedicated relationship managers is able to offer guidance and funding support to firms operating in the residential and commercial property markets in the South West."

A WOMAN is fighting for her life after being hit by a car while helping an injured goose escape a busy road.

The 67-year-old from Crediton pulled over in her Citroen Xsara on the A377 near Crediton to help prevent the bird being further endangered.

But she was run over by a Ford Focus while doing so and was rushed to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital before being transferred to Derriford, Plymouth, to be treated for head injuries and multiple fractures.

Two ambulance crews were called to the scene near Spencecombe Farm, between Copplestone and Crediton, shortly before 11.30pm on Friday.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the 59-year-old female driver of the Ford Focus, from North Tawton, was not injured but was treated for shock following the incident.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision to call 101 quoting 1029 of July 5, 2013.

PEOPLE were stunned to see bright, flashing lights in the sky above Exeter.

Several residents reported seeing what appeared to be a meteor on Monday evening.

They described a "white ball" moving quickly above the city.

Trevor Sharp, from Exwick, said he saw the meteor just after dusk. He said: "We were putting our chickens away. It was low down near the horizon, pretty much east of Exwick, travelling south towards the north.

"It suddenly appeared a classic comet shape, a white ball with perhaps yellow eges and a bright white cone tail out the back. The person I was with saw it too. It was only there for a second. I never expected to see such a sight from my garden."

The object was spotted right across Devon.

Billy Dymond saw it from North Devon. He said: "We watched if for around three to four seconds, a large white ball turning green, not just going across but falling downwards towards earth at an incredible speed."

PLANS for a giant supermarket distribution centre on the outskirts of Exeter, which would have brought more than 400 jobs to the city, have been put on hold indefinitely.

Sainsbury's has revealed that its planned 500,000 sq ft depot near Exeter Airport is not needed in the near future.

The depot, due to be nearly 10 times the size of the company's Alphington supermarket, was to serve 35 stores in the South West, including Devon and Cornwall.

It was the first phase in the long-awaited Intermodal Freight Facility, known as Exeter Gateway, which forms part of the Exeter & East Devon Growth Point.

Around 450 jobs were expected to be created once the depot was fully up and running, the majority of whom would be recruited locally with full training provided.

Now Sainsbury's and East Devon District Council have announced a review of their plans.

Vince Prior, head of property investment for Sainsbury's, said: "Since receiving planning approval in September 2011 we have invested significant sums in preparatory works to deliver a fully serviced and remediated site.

"However, we are continually reviewing our logistics network to enable us to drive improved service to stores, support our business plans, increase efficiencies and deliver savings that will allow us to further invest in our customer offer.

"In light of this, we have concluded that there is no immediate requirement for a depot at this location at this time.

"Although this news is disappointing, our research shows that there could be future demand for a depot in this location.

"We are therefore currently working with East Devon District Council to review our options and can update the local community once the review is complete."

Derek Phillips, vice president of Exeter Chamber of Commerce, said: "We are disappointed that these promised jobs will not be coming as quickly as hoped for, but we still hope they will develop the site eventually and produce those jobs as they open more branches in the South West.

"We were surprised at the delay, bearing in mind the enormous amount of work that's already been done on the infrastructure, but that's presumably a sign of the national market.

"They have done their sums again and decided not to move forward at this particular time. It's going to be two or three years now at best before those jobs materialise.

"We understand that they are looking to develop part of the site and lease that space to a third party and we hope they will be successful in doing that so we do get some jobs."

In addition to the main site, Sainsbury's interest also includes seven acres of land to the rear of the site for the planned logistics centre.

"This land has always been surplus to our requirements in terms of developing the main centre and we intend to bring forward development on this rear portion of the site independently," said Mr Prior.

"We are also continuing to invest in the South West through our portfolio of approximately 80 stores, which employ more than 15,000 people, including our store at Ottery St Mary, and are always seeking new opportunities in the area."

East Devon District Council leader Councillor Paul Diviani said: "If businesses did not review their operations constantly they would inevitably stagnate, and while I am disappointed to hear of a delay in the site being progressed as originally envisaged, this reassessment is understandable.

"We have pointed out that Exeter is the fastest growing city in the country ahead of Manchester; coupled with all the activity in the Exeter and East Devon Growth Point, the dynamism of our joint developments will stimulate further retail activity and I expect renewed vigour in the sector in the future.

"We have agreed to work closely with Sainsbury's to achieve our common goals."

The site of the Exeter Gateway freight facility covers approximately 29 acres.

IF you're secretly yearning to give your home a charming new look, it's time to hark back to the past.

Remnants of vintage fabrics, old wallpapers, a little imagination and some basic craft skills are all that's needed to conjure the fashionable atmosphere of a bygone age, according to vintage expert Sarah Moore.

Her new book, Vintage Home, is packed with 50 handmade projects, from furniture to decorating, and all the essentials can be cheaply found in places like charity shops, car boot sales, flea markets, house clearances and reclamation yards.

"As you build your collection of thrifty and gorgeous vintage finds, you can customise them and decorate your entire home at a fraction of the cost of buying things new," she said.

"Slot a little bit of vintage into your home, or fill it with retro finds. You can get a huge amount of pleasure from finding just the right materials to add colour, character and individuality."

Here are Sarah's tips for vintage style, and a couple of her projects to try.

Material makeover

Recycle vintage fabrics and use them to make curtains, duvet and cushion covers, or for jazzy details like a new ironing board cover or towel-edging.

Choose strong materials and washing them in a colour-kind detergent, then iron before use.

"Mix and match old fabrics with new. Striped ticking, dyed linen and calico sit really well alongside old fabrics. Use them for linings, which will allow your vintage finds to go twice as far.

Paper it pretty

Rolls of old wallpaper can work wonders pasted onto the interiors of cupboards, or to decorate the risers of wooden stairs.

Sarah said: "I have a passion for old wallpapers, from the tiniest scraps which can be made into a patchwork for walls, to the Holy Grail of wallpaper finds – rolls and rolls of one pattern of genuine vintage paper."

Beanbag project

Simple beanbags offer a great way of using up smaller pieces of fabric. You could make parts of the cover out of simple patchwork panels, too. Make the bottom panel out of a hard-wearing fabric so it can withstand wear and tear.

Bedside tables

"Old apple crates lend themselves well to being transformed into perfect bedside tables," says Sarah. "Add paint and a little curtain, or go the whole hog, adding an interior shelf and casters."

THE first pictures of the farm on the outskirts of Exeter that a Hollywood couple may be moving into have been released.

Celebrity couple Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford are reported to have bought idyllic Whiddon Farm, in Ide, for a cool £2m.

Carey Mulligan has appeared in a string of Hollywood films including, most recently, The Great Gatsby. Marcus Mumford is lead singer of the chart topping Mumford and Sons.

Whiddon Farm was for generations farmed by the Bragg family before going up for sale.

The reports that Mumford, 24 and film star wife Mulligan, 26, who also starred in the Bafta-winning An Education, have galvanised Ide with regulars at both village pubs, The Poachers Arms and The Huntsman, keeping the rumour mill turning.

Staff at both pubs said they had heard the rumours.

One said: "At this stage it is just something everyone is talking about. How much truth is in it I don't know but it would certainly be a boost for the village."

Mr Mumford and his wife have been seen in the village's community shop and walking through the village. It is understood they envisage running the property as a farm and intend using local firms to carry out renovations.

Rose covered Whiddon Farmhouse is believed to have been built in the 16th century and is set in a very private grounds.

NEW to the market with Helmores of Crediton is East Hillerton House in Spreyton.

East Hillerton House is located in a lovely country setting about two miles east of the pretty Mid Devon village of Spreyton, well away from main roads and enjoying truly magnificent panoramic rural views of rolling farmland.

The town of Crediton is easily accessible, the city of Exeter is about 20 miles away and Dartmoor National Park is five miles away.

The property has about eight acres of land in all, which comprises of about half an acre of formal gardens surrounding the house, and paddocks to about 7.5 acres located directly across the quiet country lane.

There is a substantial range of stabling including a block of five looseboxes, a tack room, workshop/stores, three further timber stables and garaging. There is also a large concreted apron providing a copious amount of off-road parking for numerous vehicles, horseboxes and trailers.

The house itself offers sizeable five-bedroomed accommodation with four reception rooms and two en-suites, including a newly-constructed extension which provides additional living space and could be easily made into a self-contained annexe if desired.

Currently, the extension contains an additional reception room (which would make a lovely kitchen), bedroom with en-suite and balcony (enjoying the most stunning views) and a studio/occasional bedroom on the second floor with two Velux roof windows. The whole property benefits from oil central heating, and uPVC/timber-framed double glazing.

The asking price is £599,500 and full particulars can be obtained from Helmores in Crediton, by calling 01363 777999 or online at www.helmores.com

MANY people in Exeter may have seen a goldfish bowl – but on Saturday comes the chance to see one score a goal.

Span is the city's only goal-scoring goldfish and is making a rare public outing.Read the full story and watch a video by clicking here.

Here is our list of top fishy footballer names.

Bert Troutman

Cliff Bass-tin

Ashley Coley

Stan Coddimore

Joe Carp

John Scales

Lee Catterfish

Mark Fish

Frank Lamprey

Robin van Perchie

Sole Campbell

Craig Mackerel-Smith

Eel Hadji Diouf

Connor Salmon

Garry Monkfish

Paul Shoals

John O'Fin

Steve Flackfish

Stingray Parlour

Anchovy Shevchenko

Sushi Kagawa

Shark Ji Sung

Anders Shrimpar

Jaap Clam

Herring Berg

Sole-omon Kalou

Andrei Arsha-fin

Gary Bream

Julian Roach-im

A PETTY criminal who joined his flatmate's £1m plot to rob and murder soul singer Joss Stone has been jailed for 18 years.

Junior Bradshaw acted as a foot soldier and driver for Kevin Liverpool, who devised the plan to kidnap and kill the star at her isolated Devon home.

He was a psychiatric patient who stopped taking his medication after being released into the community and who fell under Liverpool's spell after moving into his flat in Manchester.

He drove much of the journey to Devon and was arrested alongside a chilling arsenal of weapons including a Samurai sword, two hammers, knives, balaclavas and a body bag. Liverpool developed a hatred of the singer because he believed she was a friend of the royal family, who he despised.

They picked her as the target because of her success and wealth and they believed she kept £1m at her home.

The two men came within seven miles of success but got lost as they searched for their house and were arrested in nearby Cullompton when a quick-thinking local police woman searched their car and found the murder kit.

The plot failed because of a bizarre series of bungles which saw them leave without enough money to buy petrol for the trip, crash their car as they fled a motorway filling station, and arouse suspicion by asking a postman how to find Joss Stone's home. If they had reached the converted farmhouse in a quiet hamlet in East Devon, they would have found her alone and unguarded with the door unlocked and only her pet Rottweiler for protection.

Bradshaw was jailed after a judge told him that despite having an IQ of just 65 he understood what Liverpool was planning and was willing to join him in the murder plot.

Bradshaw, 32, of St Stephen's Close, Manchester, denied conspiracy to murder and rob Joss Stone at her home in Ashill, near Hemyock, in June 2010.

Both he and 35-year-old Liverpool were found guilty at a trial at Exeter Crown Court in April at which Liverpool was jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.

Bradshaw's sentence was delayed for psychiatric reports, but he was sent to jail rather than a mental hospital because none of the doctors who examined him was willing to offer him a bed.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC jailed him for 18 years after ruling that he should not be classified as dangerous, although he said it was "a close run thing".

Mr Martin Meeke QC defending, said the reports confirmed that Bradshaw was vulnerable by virtue of his low intelligence which made him susceptible to being manipulated by Liverpool.

ROCKLANDS, a development of five townhouses in Exmouth's conservation area, has won the award for the best small housing development at the LABC's South West Building Excellence Awards.

The townhouses developed by Eagle One Homes were designed flexibly so that early purchasers could tailor their home to their specification.

Unusually this meant people could influence the layout of their homes deciding where bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens were located.

They could also choose the colour scheme throughout, design of tiling, the fixtures and fittings and the position of electrical points.

"We treat every customer as an individual," said Chris Fayers, Director of Eagle One Homes.

"Where people make an early commitment to buy, we can work with them to bespoke the property to their needs.

"It's all about creating added value and making each property something unique and beautiful. We are taking exactly the same approach with Spinnakers our new development of 14 high-quality apartments on Exmouth Quay."

The LABC were impressed with the approach of allowing buyers the choice of internal layouts.

The building was also designed to achieve a very high-energy efficiency rating by using its south-facing aspect to maximise natural heat.

Chris added: "We feel we have created townhouses of distinction which complement the architecture of the existing neighbouring properties.

It was a far-sighted decision by East Devon's planning committee to give approval and has delivered a fantastic building.

LABC chief executive Paul Everall said: "Our regional building excellence awards are an opportunity to celebrate good practice. All our winners have demonstrated how attention to detail and a positive working relationship with building control departments can achieve high quality and sustainable buildings that are fit for the future."

As a regional winner Eagle One's Rocklands will now be nominated for the LABC National Awards.

The winner of that prize is due to be announced later in the year.