A Corby baby died after a series of five fatal failures that amounted to neglect, a coroner ruled yesterday (Wednesday, April 3).

Jorgie Stanton-Watts, who was aged just 23 months, died on Skylark Ward at Kettering General Hospital in October 2016 after a series of failures that means basic medical care was not administered correctly.

The ruling - which is an unusually rare finding for an inquest to make - was delivered yesterday after three days of complicated and distressing medical evidence during which two experts agreed that key mistakes had contributed to Jorgie’s death.

During the inquest, medical and nursing staff took to the stand and admitted again and again errors that had been made were ‘unacceptable’.

Delivering his verdict, Coroner Philip Barrow said: “The hospital have openly accepted that there were various failings. In my judgement it’s clear at least some of those contributed to the death of Jorgie.”

FAILING ONE: A decision by consultant paediatrician Dr Rao on October 2 to stop a hydrocortisone drip that was helping Jorgie fight infection. This should have been continued for four to five days. Two medical experts agreed this contributed to her death.

FAILING TWO: A failure to notice Jorgie’s negative fluid balance. Jorgie had more fluid going out than she was taking in. Nappies weren’t weighed ‘in a timely fashion’ and the fluid balance discrepancy was ‘not effectively actioned’. Medical expert Dr Stanhope said that if the fluid balance had been effectively treated, Jorgie would not have died.

FAILING THREE: Blood tests were not carried out. A blood test ordered on the morning of October 5, the day of Jorgie’s collapse, wasn’t done until 6pm and by the time the results were back ‘it was too late to do anything about it’.

FAILING FOUR: Advice was not sought from specialists at Leicester Royal Infirmary until it was too late. Jorgie was a ‘high risk patient in a high risk situation’. LRI knew her and shared her care. It was known she had a central line infection and that she was a child that could deteriorate very quickly. Medical staff accepted that now, advice would be sought from a tertiary centre ‘much earlier’.

FAILING FIVE: An inability to escalate Jorgie’s Pews (Paediatric Early Warning System) Score. When Jorgie was found to have a high Pews score, her care should have been escalated and observations done more frequently. These weren’t carried out.

Mr Barlow recorded a cause of death of multi-organ failure caused by hyponatremic dehydration and sepsis. He said that the three contributory factors were bronchiolitis obliterans, adrenal insufficiency and hypopituitarism. He added: “I’ve been asked to consider the question of neglect.

“It’s nothing to do with negligence. It means there was a gross failure to provide basic medical attention for someone in a dependant position who clearly needed it.

“I do accept that all these facts are made out.”

He said that medical attention in terms of observations and blood tests was not carried out, adding that he accepted that the failures that the witnesses had admitted to amounted to a ‘gross failure.’

“I do find that neglect was made out,” he said. “Jorgie died of the effects of dehydration and sepsis to which neglect contributed.

The corner said that an official Prevention of Future Deaths Report was not triggered, partly because he had been impressed by the evidence of the new Divisional Head of Nursing for paediatrics and neonates Simon Hardcastle who had told the court of the many ways in which changes had been implemented on Skylark ward since Jorgie’s death.

Speaking earlier in the day, Mr Hardcastle said that he had been appointed to produce a report into Jorgie’s death after the police investigation had concluded in 2017.

He said: “We ensure we provide regular training on the Pews system for medical and nursing staff.

“We’ve implemented a Pews audit which is carried out every month at least. We take 20 charts and look through them and any errors are fed back to individual staff or to staff in general if needed.

“We are introducing a new fluid balance chart. We’ve worked with nurses to develop that. It’s something they’re already using on a trial basis.

“We’ve just reviewed guidelines on whether children admitted should be weighed and that’s going through a three month trial at the moment.

“The way we run ward rounds has changed.

“Each child has a nurse looking after them and those nurses are involved in the ward rounds. They can raise concerns and they’re getting involved in that discussion.”

Mr Hardcastle added that more emphasis was placed on safe staffing with all ward managers involved in a daily safety meeting to address staffing levels. Several nurse associate posts had been implemented and a new ward structure freed up matrons and ward sisters to ‘get to grips with running the ward’.

He added: “I think the learning that has taken place (after Jorgie’s death) has really helped with the changes that have been implemented.

“I think it’s been taken very seriously and there’s that wanting to ensure it doesn’t happen again to anyone other child. I am assured of it, and I see it happening.”

Also giving evidence yesterday morning was Paediatric and Neonatal Matron Donna Mason. Although Ms Mason had not treated Jorgie on her admission in October 2016, she said that she had met the family on previous occasions.

She was asked about the five hour delay in weighing Jorgie’s nappies, which meant that a fatal fluid imbalance was missed. She said: “I don’t think a five-hour delay was acceptable.

She admitted that nurses had not repeated hourly observations after Jorgie’s Pews score was raised to nine, and that an s-bar chart wasn’t completed.

Ms Mason also said that medicines may not always be given at the exact time they were due, with an hour window either side being ‘acceptable.’

Solicitor for the Stanton-Watts family Oliver Williams said that this led to inaccurate record keeping.

Ms Mason said that the practise of writing observations on a piece of scrap paper then transferring them to the patient’s chart afterwards - as had happened in Jorgie’s case - was ‘unacceptable’. “You should take the chart with you to the bedside,” she said.

After Jorgie’s collapse on the evening of October 5 she was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but by then there was no effective treatment they could give to save her life.

She died in her dad’s arms on October 8.

After yesterday’s verdict, Kettering General Hospital’s Director of Nursing and Quality, Leanne Hackshall, said: “Following today’s conclusion by the coroner we would like to extend our sincere apologies to Jorgie’s family for the points in time when we could have done more to support her.

“Jorgie was a regular inpatient at Kettering General Hospital and our paediatric team supported her needs on many occasions working closely with specialists from Leicester Royal Infirmary.

“The events leading up to her death have been subject to extremely detailed reviews in order to identify what more the Trust could have done to support her treatment.

“Those reviews found there were aspects of her care and monitoring that could have been better and we fully accept that.

“As a result we have carried out significant extra training and reflection with our team to address all the issues raised and improve our processes for the close monitoring of children with complex conditions.

“We would like to emphasise that the Trust has worked very hard to learn all of the lessons that can be learned from Jorgie’s tragic death. We would also like, once again, to offer our sincere condolences to her family.”

READ MORE: “We watched her failing. Nobody listened.”

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/corby-family-seeking-answers-at-baby-daughter-s-inquest-1-8873260

READ MORE: Jorgie’s inquest day two: Medicine mistake ‘didn’t give Jorgie a chance’

The following people have been sentenced at magistrates courts in the county:

Christopher Stephen Fleet

Hereford Close, Desborough. Age: 55

On 27/01/2019 drove a black Reanult Clio in Sycamore Drive, Desborough, after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in your breath, namely 80mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, exceeded the prescribed limit.

Plea: Guilty. To carry out unpaid work for 80 hours, to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85, banned from driving for three years.

William Joseph Long

Spring Gardens, Rothwell. Age: 33

On 25/07/2018 in Kettering assaulted PC Stanley in the execution of his duty; with intent to cause a male harassment, alarm or distress, used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour, thereby causing that person or another harassment, alarm or distress.

Plea: Guilty. To participate in a Thinking Skills programme for 19 days, to pay compensation of £200, surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85.

Daniel Boylan

Fitzwilliams Street, Rushden. Age: 26

On 29/05/2018 in Northamptonshire assaulted a male by beating him.

Plea: Guilty. Defendant to be place under a curfew for eight weeks with electronic monitoring, to remain at home adddress daily from 7pm until 7am, to pay compensation of £100, surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £200.

Barry David Toghill

Ashurst Crescent, Corby. Age: 33

On 04/07/2018 at Kettering General Hospital failed to provide a specimen of blood for a test in the course of an investigation into whether you had committed an offence when suspected of having driven a vehicle.

Verdict: Guilty. To carry out unpaid work for 100 hour, to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £1,200, banned from driving for 36 months.

Kian Kent

Murdoch Close, Corby. Age: 18

On 03/02/2019 assaulted a male at Curry’s, Phoenix Park Way, Corby; had with you, without good reason or lawful authority, in a public place an article which had a blade or was sharply pointed, namely a household kitchen knife; on 19/02/2019 failed without reasonable cause to surrender to custody at Northampton Magistrates’ Court, having been released on bail.

Plea: Guilty.

To participate in Thinking Skills Programme for 19 days, to pay compensation of £50, surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85, order made to deprive the defendant of his kitchen knife.

Gary John Furzer

c/o High Street Place, Wellingborough. Age: 45

On 22/06/2018 stole assorted items, to the value of £53.25, from Tesco, Wellingborough.

Plea: Guilty. Discharged conditionally for 12 months, to pay compensation of £53.25, surcharge to fund victim services of £20, costs of £200.

Katie Mary Ann Nolan

No fixed address. Age: 32

On 21/02/2019 stole an unknown value of items, from B&M, Kettering; on 21/02/2019 stole an unknown value of items from the Co-Op, Kettering.

Plea: Guilty.

To have treatment for drug dependency as a non-resident for six months, to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85.

Callum Atkins

Monson Way, Oundle Age: 22

On 08/09/2018 drove a motor vehicle in Wadenhoe Road, Aldwincle, after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in your blood, namely 130mlg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, exceeded the prescribed limit.

Plea: Guilty. Fined £400, surcharge to fund victim services of £40, costs of £85, banned from driving for 40 months.

Justin Nicholas Haines

Gisburne Road, Wellingborough. Age: 32

On 9/02/2019 in Wellingborough, had in your possession a small amount of cannabis; without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, had with you in a public place, namely Church Street, Wellingborough, an offensive weapon, namely a knuckle duster; in Northampton, without lawful excuse, damaged cell 25 at the Criminal Justice Centre, intending to destroy or damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be destroyed or damaged.

Plea: Guilty. To carry out unpaid work for 150 hours, pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85, compensation of £200, cannabis and knuckle duster to be forfeited and destroyed.

David Lloyd Chapman

Oval Road Rushden. Age: 37

On 23/09/2018 stole a pan set, to the value of £30, from Asda, Rushden; on 29/08/2018 stole a saucepan set, to the value of £65, from Asda, Rushden; on 02/07/2018 stole a George chaise sofa and foot stool, to the value of £279, from Asda, Rushden; on 30/07/2018 stole a Tefal five-piece pan set, to the value of £60, from Asda, Rushden; on 03/08/2018 stole a Scoville pan set, to the value of £65, from Asda, Rushden; on 04/08/2018 stole a Scoville pan set, to the value of £65, from Asda, Rushden.

Plea: Guilty. To have treatment for drug dependency as a non-resident for six months, to pay compensation of £564.

Sebastian Kuligowski

Lindsay Street, Kettering. Age: 39

On 08/02/2019 had with you, without good reason or lawful authority, in a public place, namely Eskdaill Place, Kettering, an article which had a blade or was sharply pointed, namely a folding lock knife.

Plea: Guilty. To carry out unpaid work for 150 hours, to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85, costs of £85, lock knife to be forfeited and destroyed.

The 2nd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment are in north Africa not on special, covert or full-blown military operations but on exercise alongside Egypt's 112 Infantry Brigade.

The 'Poachers' are taking part in the month-long assignment - called Ahmose 1 - which involves more than 150 British military personnel.

The exercise is taking place south-west of Alexandria and is putting soldiers through their paces in a variety of scenarios including urban operations, close quarter battle and live firing.

In pictures: Royal Anglian Regiment take part in desert training exercise alongside Egyptian troops

Northamptonshire Privates Jack Barrett and Harry Dennis are in the Egyptian desert with their regiment.

"We have been going through urban operations showing how we would fight through a town, buildings and rooms, and showing them different drills," explained 21-year-old Private Barrett, who hails from Duston and now lives in Pitsford.

"Harry and I didn’t know each other before but we clicked when he first arrived."

"Being from Northamptonshire, it was something to talk about," said Private Dennis, who grew up in Brixworth.

"He knew a few people who I knew."

The Northamptonshire privates were back home last Christmas, but as the Poachers are usually based in Dhekelia in Cyprus they have spent months at a time away from their friends and families.

"I miss the little things that Cyprus doesn’t have," said Private Dennis, 19.

"Obviously I miss my family and my friends but also the pubs and - it sounds silly - but things like the currency and even English roads.

"When I next get home I’ll have a Chinese and go to the pub."

The exercise will culminate in a company live fire attack, involving over 100 infantry soldiers supported by mortars, machine guns and snipers.

As a sharpshooter, Private Barrett has been training with his opposite numbers in the Egyptian Army, as has Private Dennis, who is a rifleman.

Once the exercise is over, the troops will get some R&R time during which they'll visit the Pyramids and some of the historic battlefields won by the British Army in years gone.

The broaching of the subject of history provided an opportunity to ask how the Armed Forces have changed over time.

"What people think the Army is is very different," said Private Barrett.

"There have been news articles about how it works and what goes on but it’s much more accepting than people think.

"It’s not just violence and screaming.

"The Army is working hard to be inclusive. Females are allowed to join the infantry and there’s an LGBT rep in each battalion.

"There’s also a battalion champion who we can all go to with various issues.”

The battalion has been in Cyprus since August 2017 and will return to Cottesmore in August 2019.

Marvin Sordell says he has ‘no idea’ what his future holds and is yet to make any plans for beyond the end of his current loan spell with the Cobblers.

Sordell joined Northampton on loan from League One outfit Burton Albion as a last-minute signing in the January transfer window, putting pen to paper just moments before the 11pm deadline.

The 28-year-old moved to Burton from Coventry in January 2017 and has only one year left on his contract at the Pirelli Stadium, leaving him potentially looking elsewhere in the summer.

Asked if his loan could become permanent at the PTS, Sordell said: “You can build a career anywhere but I have no idea what will happen. I don’t know what’s happening at the moment.

“Things change every day in football. Managers change all the time, players change all the time and even owners change quite often these days so I have no idea.

“Football always tends to hit me by surprise so I don’t like to plan too far ahead anymore.”

In the meantime, Sordell will be hoping to help the Cobblers finish as high as possible in League Two this season and whilst the play-offs look an almost impossible task, he says they won’t give up.

“If it’s mathematically possible, that’s all we can try and do,” he added. “If we need to win six games, we’ll try to win six games, like any other team in the league.

“We want to reach the play-offs if it’s possible but we just want to win as many of our remaining games as we can. We’ve got a full week of training ahead and we just need to work hard, stay fit and keep improving.”

Reflecting on Saturday’s loss to Port Vale, Sordell played down the notion that complacency had a role in Town’s undoing after they went a goal and a man up.

“I don’t think it was complacency,” he continued. “Sometimes it’s difficult to play against 10 men because you have more time and more space on the ball but no game of football is ever won at 1-0 after 15 or 20 minutes.

“There was a lot of football to be played and we didn’t do what we needed to in order to see the game out.

“They had a couple of chances but I don’t think, as a team, we created enough opportunities to be able to say that we absolutely outright dominated the game, especially against 10 men. We need to do better.”

Northants captain Alex Wakely is targeting promotion from Specsavers County Championship Division Two this season.

As in 2018, Northants’ opening fixture is an early test of their promotion credentials as they again play Middlesex.

The two teams will square up at the County Ground in a game that begins on Friday morning (start time 11am).

And Wakely feels his squad is good enough to compete this week and beyond.

“I stand here before a ball is bowled and say ‘we should be getting promoted’,” said Wakely.

“We want to be competitive and with the side we have there’s no reason we can’t do that.

“Our bowling attack has been excellent for a number of years now. I’m not worried about that.

"It’s about the batsmen stepping up. We want players to be scoring a thousand runs in a season.

"It does look like it’s harder and harder these days but we need at least someone to get there.”

It’s a potentially pivotal season for division two counties.

Three sides will earn promotion this year with only one relegated from division one, leading to an expanded 10-team top-tier from 2020.

Reaching division one will therefore be significantly more difficult in subsequent seasons and the danger of being marooned in the lower division lingers for some clubs.

“My target is definitely to be promoted,” said Wakely.

“I know it’s going to be hard with some big teams that everyone expects are going to fill the promotion slots but there’s no reason why we can’t turn up and beat those sides.”

Northants also hoped to mount a promotion challenge last season, only for a disastrous campaign to see them finish ninth with their lowest points total in a division two campaign.

The winter has involved a sharper focus on fitness levels and players being taken out of their comfort zones.

There are some new faces for 2019, too, with the Zimbabwean fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani already with the squad, West Indies captain Jason Holder arriving for the first five weeks of the season before South African batsman Temba Bavuma joins for the middle part of the summer.

“Last year was the most disappointing year since I’ve been involved with the club,” said Wakely. “Everything that could have gone wrong did.

"We didn’t manage to win any of the key moments in games. There are always two or three pivotal moments that decide matches - you learn how to win them.

“We got very lazy last year, very stale. The culture became easy and people weren’t challenged.

"We’ve learned from that and we’re never going to let that happen again.”

Paul Hill is revelling in the run of starts he has been given at Saints in recent times.

The 24-year-old has become a fixture at tighthead, earning 12 appearances in the first 15 since returning from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for 10 weeks at the start of the season.

Hill had only made eight, six and five starts respectively during his previous three seasons in the black, green and gold.

But there has been plenty of faith put in him this time round - and he is happy to have the chance to consistently impress.

"I'm just glad to be back playing," said Hill, who signed a new Saints contract in February.

"I missed the first 10 weeks of the season because of injury and it was a case of fighting to get my shirt.

"Now I'm back in the team and I'm pretty happy.

"I was fighting for a shirt and a contract.

"Nothing is a given, I've got to front up every single weekend and earn it.

"I'm enjoying that challenge at the moment."

On life under the stewardship of boss Chris Boyd, who arrived at Saints last summer, Hill said: "It's definitely a turn for the better.

"The general feel around the club is very positive.

"We've got a great set of boys and the direction we're going in is positive.

"The club is very well run at the moment and I'm really happy with how it's going."

A plethora of young players have been afforded opportunities this season.

And Hill added: "We've got lads like Hutch (Rory Hutchinson), Furbs (George Furbank), Grays (James Grayson) and Moony (Alex Moon), who have been in exceptional form this year and it's really good to see.

"It's good to know that talent is rewarded so regardless of age or reputation you're going to get a good shot.

"It's massively positive and competition benefits everyone.

"If you're always fighting for the shirt, it's going to benefit you and the team."

Saints now turn their attentions to a huge final five games in the Gallagher Premiership, starting with a Franklin's Gardens clash with Gloucester on Sunday afternoon.

"These next five games are effectively knock-out games for us - we can't afford to lose any of them," Hill said.

"We need to be on the ball every single week.

"A lot of people compare us to Gloucester in the style of rugby we're trying to play.

"They've got some big threats in their team with their back three and their pack.

"We've identified their strengths and it's about managing their strong back three players and their back rowers carrying.

"Then it's about finding holes in their defence when we can attack."

Saints, who lost 61-38 in the Challenge Cup quarter-final at Clermont Auvergne last Sunday, are eight points behind fourth-placed Harlequins and nine adrift of third-placed Gloucester.

And Hill said: "Quins are a few points above us but everyone's chasing for that fourth position and everyone's in contention.

"You can't afford to slip off in the final few games.

"Every single game is knock-out rugby now."

Northants have certainly managed to raise some eyebrows with their signings ahead of the new season.

Jason Holder, Temba Bavuma and Faheem Ashraf are all set to strut their stuff in Northampton at various stages of the year.

And Zimbabwe bowler Blessing Muzarabani has arrived on a three-year Kolpak deal.

Here, head coach David Ripley gives us the lowdown on his new recruits...

JASON HOLDER (signed for first two County Championship Division Two games and opening six Royal London One-Day Cup matches)

He's a genuine all-round cricketer who bats, bowls and fields at slip in red-ball cricket.

He's an all-rounder in white-ball cricket with the ability to hit the ball a good distance as well.

In terms of cricket skills, he's got all that covered and he has this reputation as a very good leader.

To get in the West Indies side is no easy task and he's universally respected.

He isn't leading our side but you can never have too many of those kind of guys in the dressing room.

He has all bases covered and although we haven't got him here for long, we've got him for two Championship matches and six 50-over games so it's a good start to our season.

TEMBA BAVUMA (signed for eight County Championship matches between May 14 and 17 July 17)

We had a bit of a strategy to prioritise white-ball cricket as we went into the winter and this guy is very good value for money.

He really wants an opportunity to play county cricket and we feel we need someone who will be a gutsy, dig-in cricketer who can build partnerships with players around him. Maybe that's the kind of player we haven't had enough in our side.

It's something he's still doing in Test match cricket and hopefully he can come over and do it for us, to help us secure more batting points and give targets for our bowlers to bowl at.

Once we got one or two things going we had a little bit of budget to look into something for the Championship and we felt he would be a really good acquisition.

It's been good to see him still playing some important innings for South Africa.

FAHEEM ASHRAF (signed for the entire Vitality Blast T20 campaign)

I caught a bit of him playing in Pakistan's Test match series and ODI series and I got a very strong recommendation from someone I know who is involved in the Pakistan Super League.

He's got good white-ball skills and Micky Arthur, the coach, has reinforced what good white-ball skills he has and we do need to add a little bit of white-ball ability.

In our T20 campaign last year we were a little bit short with the ball on occasions and Faheem is a guy who has got good white-ball skills and is playing internationally.

We feel having him around the group is going to be great for us.

He can come in and whack it out of the park and he's often used by Pakistan to hit some boundaries.

He looks a good fit for us and he's available for the whole competition.

It is important that we could start our 14 T20 games with the same team and finish with the same team. We'd need quite a bit of luck for that but it is possible with the guys we've signed.

BLESSING MUZARABANI (signed on a three-year Kolpak contract)

He's still a young fella and I wouldn't expect him to play all the cricket as a young guy developing his physical strength.

We're going to pace him and use him how we feel we can get the best out of him.

He's been here in the winter and he has impressed, bowling well in the indoor school, and we're looking forward to seeing him transfer that into the season.

He's made an encouraging start.

THE OTHERS

Ben Curran obviously played some cricket for us last year.

We did also have Ben Cotton, who had a contract that was linked to some fitness targets, but unfortunately he hasn't managed to reach those targets.

Ben won't be with us in the short term, which is unfortunate because he was adding some depth to our bowling and is a skilful cricketer.

But we made a commitment as a group that we were going to improve our fitness and work harder in certain areas, and unfortunately for Ben, he hasn't managed to reap the rewards of his hard work.

It's an unfortunate one.

A serious accident between a car and a lorry has closed an A-road in South Northants.

Emergency services were called at 4.36am this morning to the A508 because of the accident at the Old Stratford roundabout at the A5.

The A508 is closed in both directions from Yardley Gobion to the Old Stratford roundabout.

There are also delays on the A5 as a result of the road closure.

A trial is underway over the alleged mistreatment of children at a Northampton household.

The father in the case is accused of regularly beating the children, stopping them from using the toilet and not feeding them properly.

The worst of the allegations surround keeping one of the boys locked and naked in a filthy, dark bedroom with no furniture or a lightbulb.

When police arrived at the house, they found the walls of this bedroom covered in excrement, with a lock and an exterior alarm on the door.

But at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (April 4), the father in the case took the stand to try to explain the events that led up to what the police saw in his household that night.

He told the jury the child at the centre of the case had had severe behaviour problems his whole life, including running away and stealing 'anything he could get his hands on'.

But from an early age, the boy had a severe problem with soiling himself, the court heard - and would hide his faeces in his room.

The father said: "Me and my wife would find it stuffed in his mattress, under his bed, behind the radiator. He soiled himself. He even 'played' with it.

"If you ever asked why he did any of these things, like running away or playing with his faeces, he would say 'because I wanted to'.

"It went on like this for years. To be honest with you, we couldn't take it anymore."

The father said his behaviour led to them putting an alarm on the boy's door to monitor his movements in the house.

The father told the jury they tried to involve mental health teams 'from the start' - but they were rejected as they ruled the problem was not a psychological one.

He added other services 'did not do enough' to help them over the years.

Then - weeks before the police visited - he told the jury he came upstairs and noticed 'a funny smell' from the boy's room, after reportedly 'not really going into' it for a week or more.

He told the jury: "I opened the door. I was horrified. I had never seen anything like it."

He claimed this was when he found the boy had covered the walls and floors with excrement - leaving it in the state the police found it in.

The father told the jury: "I only thought, 'how could this have gone unnoticed?'

"I dragged all the furniture out to the kerb for the binmen to take."

The father's barrister, Mr Andrew Fitch-Holland asked: "And did you clean the room?"

"No," said the father. "To be honest, I didn't know how to deal with it. We didn't have the money to buy new furniture. So we closed ourselves off from that room.

"I just buried my head in the sand.

"I regret not cleaning it to this day."

They reportedly started giving the boy blow-up beds after this.

Social services also noted there were no toys and scant furniture in any of the children's rooms - but saw a spare room had a bunk bed with many toys piled in there.

"I was decorating," said the father.

"My house is like Toys 'R' Us. There are so many toys there."

He denied, in turn, all the allegations against him - including beating the children, not feeding them, not letting them use the bathroom, making them hit each other, making the children watch horror films, wearing Halloween costumes to scare them, making them do physical exercise as punishment, or smacking a child during nappy changes.

He said: "I would never hit my children. That's sick.

"I treated all my kids the same."

The jury also watched as the man broke down in tears when Mr Fitch-Holland had him look at pictures of the children taken in the two years leading up to when social services took them away.

The police visited the house when one of the children told a member of staff at school that 'my brother is treated badly at home'.

The trial continues.

Police seized drugs after carrying out patrols in Kettering’s town centre.

Officers were in town on the evening of Saturday (March 30) as part of an operation to disrupt those involved in the supply of drugs.

The operation involved a number of officers from the Kettering Response, Pro-Active and Neighbourhood policing teams with assistance from a specialist drugs search dog.

During the high-visibility patrols visits to licensed premises, a quantity of drugs was recovered.

Officers also carried out nine stop and searches, which resulted in a 34-year-old man from Kettering being issued with a police warning for the possession of cannabis.

Inspector Vitty Andreoli-Tear said: “By increasing our visibility and carrying out proactive visits to licensed premises in Kettering town centre, we are making it harder for those involved in the supply of drugs in the town.

“We will continue to work in partnership with the night time economy to provide a safe environment for visitors of all ages to enjoy.”

Officers also seized a Fun:Bikes MXR50 electric mini kids dirt bike after two 18-year-old men from Kettering were stopped riding the machine on the pavement in Ebenezer Place.

The rider was reported for riding the bike without a licence and for no insurance.

Cookies & Cream in The Drapery closed last year and has remained empty ever since, but a planning application has been submitted that would see either a deli-style sandwich shop or a small restaurant move in.

A document written by Resolution Planning on behalf of the landlord says: "Subject to planning approval, the intended occupier would have flexibility to operate one of many alternative and attractive business operations.

"This could be a small independent restaurant, or a modest deli style café serving hot and cold sandwiches and salads.

"There could be a shop floor fridge where customers can select from a wide range of pre-prepared salads and sandwiches.

"There would be an indoor seating area where customers are able to enjoy their food on site with views looking out into the conservation area of All Saints Church."

Planning papers also reveal that Cookies & Cream had become concerned in March 2018 about a "poor trading experience" and began to explore having the lease reassigned.

Estate agent Chown Commercial says that, during the six months it marketed the property, they had a single offer. Terms were agreed with a shop business for rent of £22,000 per year (£3,000 less than the dessert parlour was paying), with five months rent-free, but the deal was shelved when Cookies & Cream went into administration.

David Trubshaw, a planning officer at Northampton Borough Council, says his only objection is that the plans show the addition of an extra door, which he says would unbalance the facade of the building from an aesthetic point of view.

A decision to approve or refuse will be taken by councillors of the planning committee in the coming weeks.

Cobblers have announced they will be off to Spain for a pre-season training camp in July.

The Town squad will spend a week at the Pinatar complex from Sunday, July 7, until Saturday, July 13, with at least one game scheduled to take place towards the end of the week. More details will be confirmed in due course.

The Pinatar complex offers first class facilities and hosted Newcastle United for mid-season training camps in both February and March when they played fixtures against CSKA Moscow and Antwerp.

The training base is accessible from both Murcia and Alacante airports and the Sixfields Travel Club are looking in to the possibility of running a trip for supporters who wish to follow the team during the week.

“This will be an important week for us,” said manager Keith Curle.

“We will have a huge amount of work to get through in pre-season and this time away will give us a chance to spend the week together, often with multiple training sessions per day to get a lot of that work done.

“The facilities there are fantastic, they are often used by Premier League sides and international squads and this will help us enormously with our preparation for the new season.

“We are looking to play at least one fixture when we are away, against another club who are at the complex towards the end of the week.

“The players will be working very, very hard during this week, they will be very focused and it will give us an excellent platform for our vital pre-season work.”

This means that Sally Hodges, who took up post in February, will be paid £258,000 as an annual salary, which is £63,457 more per year than the council’s chief executive Theresa Grant.

It is also considerably more than the two commissioners Brian Roberts and Tony McArdle, who were sent in to oversee the council by central government in May after the Conservative run authority was heavily criticised by an inspector.

The post is temporary and for 2019.

Northampton councillor Julie Davenport is critical of the amount the council pays in big salaries to officers at a time when the authority is making cuts to budgets.

She said: “I don’t think anybody is worth that salary. If people want to earn that sort of money they should work for a profit-making corporation, not in public service.”

Sally Hodges has been director of children’s services at councils in Solihull and Staffordshire and has worked for Ofsted as a safeguarding adviser. Her department has a number of issues including underpayments to early years providers and trying to recruit permanent social workers.

When she joined the authority she said: “The needs of children are paramount and at the centre of my focus and I’ll be working hard to improve the service and make sure children and young people in Northamptonshire are safe and well looked after.

“Although Northamptonshire has been subject to critical inspections, there is a real spirit of change and everyone is very committed to the task so I am confident that the necessary improvements can be made.”

After a damning Ofsted inspection in October – before Sally Hodges took up her post – the department is also being overseen by children’s commissioner Malcolm Newsam who has sent a report to government about his findings in Northamptonshire. This has not as yet been made public.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “Sally is one of the UK’s leading children’s services professionals and has a wealth of experience, including extensive work with Ofsted and councils across the UK.

“Sally has represented authorities and agencies on a number of national bodies and has managed many different services for children including fostering, adoption, youth offending, child protection, residential care and has a salary to reflect this.

“Employed on a year-long contract, Sally is responsible for a workforce of over 1,200 and oversees projects which are crucial to keeping the county’s most vulnerable children safe, including leading the Children’s Improvement Plan and working directly with the government appointed Children’s Commissioner.

“A detailed market assessment was carried out to ensure the salary is aligned to market rates for experienced children’s services professionals.”

*Please note annual salary was reported as 286,000 in an earlier version but this did nor take into account 25 days holiday.

Northamptonshire's police force is set to swell by 100 extra officers as part of a major council tax-funded recruitment drive.

More than 200 new policemen and women will be hired over the next two years, taking the constabulary's staffing levels to more than 1,300 for the first time since 2010.

The rise in staff comes with a pledge that every home affected by burglary will now receive a visit from a police officer.

Taking into account those who retire or leave each year, there will be nearly 100 more police officers on the streets of Northamptonshire in two years’ time.

The recruitment drive will be funded in part through the council tax precept increase of £24 a year for a band D household that was levied this year.

Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “This is a significant moment for Northamptonshire Police and this leap forward could not have been achieved without the increase in the council tax precept.

"I am grateful to local people for their support but I am not happy that Government funding has not kept pace with the growth in demand in this county.

“I believe we need a fairer funding settlement nationally and I will continue to press for a funding

formula that treats Forces fairly.”

This increase has given the Force a total budget in 2019/20 of almost £130 million, which is £11million more than last year and the largest budget the force has had for more than 20 years.

Mr Mold has asked for £3 million to be set aside and invested to improve policing in ways that people said were important to them – neighbourhood policing; rural crime; burglary; anti-social behaviour and low-level drug dealing.

The commissioner is today pledging that everyone whose home is burgled will be visited by police, which he believes will improve the service that people receive and support the investigation of crime.

The extra resources are intended to enable the Chief Constable Nick Adderley to strengthen neighbourhood policing, to engage with local communities better and to make the force more visible.

Chief constable Adderley said: "I am putting officers back into your communities to regain that trust, commitment and confidence in who we are and what we do. The ambitious recruitment campaign will see more officers on the streets of Northamptonshire than for many years and will allow community relationships to flourish as well as help prevent issues before they happen."

PCSO and police staff numbers have also been protected.

The plans announced by Stephen Mold and Chief Constable Adderley today are part of a wider vision for the future of Northamptonshire Police.

The commissioner believes the investigation of crime will be strengthened by the recruitment of experienced investigators back into the force - who would then mentor new and less experienced officers.

Jill Harris and John Bright, residents of Far Cotton, set-up a litter picking group last year in June called 'Far Cotton Litter Pickers', which has since attracted 127 members.

The main aim of the group is to reduce the amount of litter and fly-tipping in their community by working with Northampton Borough Council's contractor, Veolia, and their Neighbourhood Warden.

Regular litter picks take place every third weekend in the month and the group is also doing their best to educate and provide information to residents about when to put rubbish and recycling out, how to dispose of large items such as furniture or white goods and how to report fly-tipping to the council.

John Bright said: "We hope these aims will create a greener, cleaner and safer community and a place we can all be proud of.

"By organising litter picks it brings the community together, not only does it have an environmental benefit but also a social benefit as people get to know other residents in the community who they wouldn’t normally meet."

On Saturday (March 23) their two-hour efforts paid off and the group saw their largest turnout of 18 residents who litter picked the streets, resulting in 20 full sacks of rubbish.

Some of the nine roads, which have been cleared are Delapre Crescent Road, Euston Road, Haines Road and Towcester Road.

The next litter pick is taking place on Saturday, April 20, starting at 2pm, and those wanting to help are asked to meeti at the Golden Horse pub on the corner of Southampton Road and Haines Road.

A man died after a five-vehicle pile-up on the A14 at Burton Latimer last night (Wednesday).

Emergency services were called to the westbound carriageway between Junction 11 and Junction 10 just after 7pm after the crash, which involved a lorry.

A police spokesman today (Thursday) confirmed one of the motorists, a man, suffered serious injuries and died.

The spokesman said: “Anyone that witnessed the collision or has any information is requested to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.”

Northampton Town were the highest spenders on agents’ fees in League Two over the past year.

The Cobblers paid £92,125, a rise from £82,845 12 months ago, between February 1, 2018, and the end of the transfer window in January, according to figures released by the FA this week.

Milton Keynes Dons are second in the table after spending £80,236 while fellow promotion contenders Mansfield Town (£77,932) spent the third most.

Struggling Macclesfield Town, promoted from the National League last season, forked out the least (£1,000), just behind third-placed Bury (£6,075).

A total of £940,555 was spent by the 24 League Two clubs during the past year, a slight drop on the previous year (£958,969).

An updated Local Plan for Northampton setting out how the town will grow over the next decade will go out to consultation for the public, after being approved by the borough council’s cabinet.

Part 2 of the Local Plan will determine how Northampton grows and develops up until 2029. It includes a focus on the regeneration of Northampton town centre and making policy provisions for Greyfriars, Castle Station, Four Waterside, St Peter’s Way, Ransome Road and the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus.

It also contains a supportive policy for hotel growth in the town centre and Enterprise Zone, and outlines how many new homes need to be built up until 2029.

As well as identifying where new development will go, the Local Plan Part 2 would also set out policies to protect open space, green infrastructure, heritage and environmental assets.

Part 2 of the Local Plan would replace the remaining saved policies from the Northampton Local Plan (1997), and consider whether some of the policies of the Central Area Action Plan need to be updated.

It will also complement the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (WNJS) Local Plan (Part 1) which was adopted in 2014, which also sets out its vision up until 2029.

An officer report to cabinet members states: “Sufficient capacity has been identified to meet the WNJCS requirement for the provision of 18,870 dwellings in Northampton from 2011 to 2029.

“However, it should be noted that the housing trajectory set out in the Local Plan is different from the proposed housing delivery trajectory set out in the WNJCS. The delivery rates envisaged in the Core Strategy for Northampton in this period are very high – for example 1,544 dwellings in 2018/19 and 1,278 dwellings in 2022/23.

"In practice, housing completion rates in Northampton have been slower than the rates set out in the Core Strategy and are predicted to continue in the same way for the first few years of the plan period.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Brian Markham, speaking at the cabinet meeting last night (April 3) said: “The one comment I have that does concern me is that it’s forecasting the housing numbers, and if you read the report it refers to the Joint Core Strategy housing numbers and the existing Local Plan housing numbers. And we have failed to deliver those houses over that time.”

But deputy cabinet member for planning Councillor James Hill said: “Ultimately we are somewhat at the mercy of developers, and we can only try and encourage them, and that’s what this document is trying to do.”

Head of planning Peter Baguley added: “We do have discussions with developers about why they can’t deliver certain things, and sometimes it’s simply out of our control.”

Now that the draft submission has been approved by cabinet, it will go out for a six week consultation for members of the public, likely to start on May 1 and close on June 14.

The driver of a BMW who stopped in a live lane of the M1 to let a boy have a wee has been identified by Northamptonshire Police.

Readers were aghast on Monday when dashcam footage was published showing the car parked in lane 1 of the southbound M1, near junction 16, as vehicles shot past the boy - who was on the carriageway without an adult - at 50mph.

Thanks to the video being uploaded to a police website, officers now have the details of the owner of the car and said today (Thursday) they intend to pursue the matter.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: "We have looked at the dashcam footage and, as a result, a notice of intended prosecution for the alleged offence of stopping or remaining at rest on a carriageway of the motorway has been sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle."

Police are not intending to pursue any charge relating to placing the boy in danger, as things stand.

Meanwhile, the motorist who supplied the dashcam footage - who was himself placed in danger by also having to stop - has said the BMW driver's reaction to being remonstrated with left a lot to be desired.

He said: "I had been flashing my lights at him to get him to move and when I got level with him I gave him a stern look to say the least.

"He basically gave me the two-fingered salute. I was absolutely outraged. He'd nearly got us all killed and he was acting like I was the one in the wrong."

If convicted of an offence, the BMW driver's licence can be endorsed with points and they could also be fined by the court.

Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy says he has accepted an offer to buy the struggling League Two club just 48 hours before they play the Cobblers at Meadow Lane.

The Magpies have endured a troubled campaign on and off the pitch and currently sit 23rd in League Two, above only rock-bottom Macclesfield Town and behind Yeovil Town on goal difference with six games to go.

With Northampton due in town for a massive game on Saturday, there also remains significant off-field concerns at Notts County with the club due in court next Wednesday after being issued a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs.

Hardy’s interior design company Paragon Interiors went into administration in February but he has insisted their financial problems would not affect the club.

Speaking to the club website on Thursday, he revealed a takeover is close. “I am pleased to confirm I have accepted an offer to purchase Notts County Football Club from a very credible party, who is now undertaking due diligence,” he said.

“I am delighted that we are now at an advanced stage with people who I am confident have Notts County’s best interests at heart.

“They must be given the time and privacy to carry out their checks properly but, as soon as I can reveal more, I will provide a further update.”

Recent reports have suggested Notts County’s players and staff might not be paid this month but Hardy, who bought the club in January 2017, played down those concerns in his statement on the club website.

He added: “The money for April’s wages has already been transferred to the bank for payment.

“As for the debt owed to HMRC, I am expecting this to be paid in full by early May with the approval of the High Court next Wednesday. I hope these updates will be reassuring to everyone connected with the club.”