Tuesday 26 February 2013

Homeless US man who returned diamond engagement ring rewarded



A homeless US man will soon have well over $150,000 (£98,000) after he returned an engagement ring to a woman who accidentally dropped it in his cup earlier this month.

A homeless US man will soon have well over $150,000 (£98,000) after he returned an engagement ring to a woman who accidentally dropped it in his cup earlier this month.
Sarah Darling's engagement ring was found by Billy Ray Harris (right)
Sarah Darling's fiancé set up a website seeking donations for Billy Ray Harris, who frequently panhandles on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. By Tuesday morning, more than 6,000 people had donated more than $148,000 to the fund.
"I think in our world we often jump to like the worst conclusion, and it just makes you realise that there are good people out there," Ms Darling said.
Mr Harris discovered the ring about an hour after Darling dumped spare change from her coin purse into his cup. She had taken off her ring earlier that day and put it with the coins.
"The ring was so big that I knew if it was real, it was expensive," Mr Harris told KCTV.
Ms Darling was upset when she realised the next day what she had done. She went back to Mr Harris, squatted beside him and told him that she might have given him something valuable.
"'Was it a ring?'" he recalled asking her. "And she says, 'Yeah.' And I said 'Well, I have it.' "
Ms Darling gave Mr Harris all the cash she had in her wallet at the time.
"It seemed like a miracle," Ms Darling said. "I thought for sure there was no way I would get it back."
In explaining why he did not keep the ring, Mr Harris said he had a religious upbringing.
"My grandfather was a reverend," Mr Harris said. "He raised me from the time I was six months old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character."

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Britain's worst driver fails record 107 test attempts


Britain's worst driver has failed a record 107 attempts at the car theory test and is still yet to pass.

Britain's worst driver fails record 107 test attempts
The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions
The hapless unnamed 28-year old, from London, has so far spent £3,317 trying to pass the theory test, at a cost of £31 each.
The test includes a 57-minute multiple choice exam which 43 out of 50 questions must be answered correctly and a hazard perception test which requires a pass mark of 44 out of 75. Motorists must pass both parts before they can sit their practical test.
A 40-year old determined candidate logged a record number of practical driving tests - passing on his 37th attempt. The unnamed man from the area of Stoke on Trent forked out at least £2,294 trying to pass, which could have bought him a reasonable second hand car.
The practical test costs £62 for a test on a weekday or £75 for a test on an evening, weekend or bank holiday.
The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions and know the Highway Code.
An AA Driving School spokesperson said: "This is clearly an unusually high number of test attempts, but it is important to remember that everyone learns at their own pace.
"Their determination to pass highlights how important learning to drive is to most people.
"It is a milestone that many people aspire to achieving because of the freedom and independence it brings."

Sunday 17 February 2013

Drunk man 'tried to have sex with an ambulance'



A 25-year-old drunken man tried to have sex with an ambulance, a court heard.

Drunk man 'tried to have sex with an ambulance'
Callum Ward was seen 'simulating a sex act' on the bonnet of the ambulance
Callum Ward, 25, was seen "pressing" himself against the emergency vehicle before "simulating a sex act" on the bonnet.
Official police logs show an officer who saw him stated: "It looks as though he is attempting to make love to the front of the ambulance".
Ward was drunk and had taken cannabis and amphetamine and was "in relatively high spirits" before the incident in November in Barnstaple, Devon.
He was first spotted setting fire to a packet of peanuts inside a phone box before mounting the ambulance, Barnstaple Magistrates Court was told.
He was found guilty of being drunk and disorderly and in possession of Class B drugs.
He was sentenced to a community order with a supervision requirement for six months and ordered to pay £60.
Ward, of Barnstaple, told the court: "I did start using drugs and drinking. I have seen the error of my ways with that."
In 2007, Robert Stewart, of Ayr, Scotland, was placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.

Giant rabbit scares burglar out of family home



A petrified burglar fled a family home in the middle of the night - after coming face-to-face with their giant pet rabbit.

A petrified burglar fled a family home in the middle of the night - after coming face to face with their giant pet rabbit.
Toby the rabbit 
Kimberley May, her fiance Martin, and their three-year-old daughter Olivia were all sound asleep when the thief broke into their house.
But as the raider rifled through cupboards the noise woke up Toby the family's British Giant bunny in his kitchen cage.
The 4.5kg, two-feet long pet began stomping so loudly on the floor that the intruder was caught on the hop and left.
Kimberley said: "We went to bed on Wednesday at about 10pm. In the early hours of the morning Toby our rabbit did five loud thumps.
"I sort of half woke up then realised he'd stopped and went back to sleep.
"When I went downstairs every single cupboard and drawer were open, there were bits out everywhere, then we started noticing things were missing and we phoned the police."
Kimberley, a nurse, is convinced that two year-old Toby's thumping scared the thief off from their house in Plymouth, Devon.
She found a hoard of items left piled up on the sofa which she thinks the burglar was preparing to take but left behind.
She added: "Because of Christmas and my birthday just gone, I had loads of gift sets and perfumes that they'd laid out across the sofa.
"We think that when the rabbit thumped it scared the burglar off and they left all the stuff they were going to take.
"He's like a little dog, if you whistle him he comes.
"The rabbit was just traumatised in his cage, shaking. He's usually really friendly but he tried to go for the policeman."
The crook still managed to get away with other valuables including a treasured First World War medal that belonged to Kimberley's great-grandad.
Kimberley added: "They managed to take a laptop, an iPad and my handbag with my purse and everything in, but the worse thing was my great granddad's medal.
"My gran actually died in 2007, she lived in a council house all her life, hardly had any possessions That was the one thing important thing she had.
"They also took a box which had all our wedding invitations and favours in it, as well as paperwork which I was due to give to the church and reception venue."
Detective Constable Nick Bloom said: "We believe the family was burgled between 10.30pm on Wednesday February 6 and 7am on Thursday February 7.
"The police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward."
Toby still has some way to go before he is fully grown - British Giant rabbits can reach up to 5.9 kg.
Owner Kimberley, 30, said monster bunny Toby was so big he lives in a cage built for a Labrador.
Kimberley and online salesman partner Martin, 33, got their prized pet from an animal adoption centre who took him in an unwanted pet.
She said: "He's playful, really friendly, and he doesn't mind my three-year-old crawling all over him. He's like a small dog really.
"He has the run of the house and at night he goes in a dog's crate. It's a Labrador-sized cage.
"When he thumps on the floor its incredibly loud - you can hear it echoing around the house."
On the night of the burglary Toby stomped his five-inch long feet so loudly on the plastic floor of his crate that he managed to wake Kimberley up.
She said: "The rabbit had obviously seen the burglar when he went into the kitchen.
"I heard him thump five times on the bottom of his cage and I woke up, sat up, then turned over and went back to sleep.
"As I've done that the bed springs have made a loud creaking sound, so the guy has probably heard movement and made a run for it."
Although the thief managed to take some valuables Kimberley fears the break-in could have been even worse had it not been for Toby.
She added: "If he hadn't been scared off he could have come upstairs looking for things. My daughter was asleep up there - it could have been really dangerous.
"Toby has done the job of a guard dog. We're so proud of him we've rewarded him with a new tunnel to play with.
"It's a cat's tunnel obviously because he needs a big one."

Monday 11 February 2013

Richard Clayderman serenades Galapagos tortoises with Chariots of Fire rendition



A pair of Galapagos tortoises at London Zoo were serenaded with a rendition of Chariots of Fire by pianist Richard Clayderman today, in a bid to get the slow-moving reptiles in a mood to mate.


The music – from the French musician's latest album Romantique – appeared lost on the slow-moving giants who didn't appear particularly impressed.
Clayderman played his hit Ballade pour Adeline and a rousing rendition of Chariots of Fire – however neither hit did anything to lift their spirits.
They only seemed to perk up when zookeepers brought them some carrots.
Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world and can live for over 150 years. But the gentle animals have struggled to fend off predators and are now under threat.
Clayderman said that his golden retriever loved to lie by the piano when he was playing, "so maybe it's good for the animals to listen to music."
Maybe. But it's possible tortoises just don't appreciate what Clayderman has described as his "New Romantic" style.
Clayderman himself seemed a bit bemused by his record company's launch stunt.
"After playing all around the world – I used to do concerts in Asia, in South America, in Europe – it's funny to be here, in this very nice zoo," he said.