A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman in an alleyway behind a Braintree pub earlier this year.
The incident that took place at around 1.55am on Saturday July 12 behind the Lounge Pub.
The man has been bailed until April 4 2015 pending further enquiries.
A man has been taken to hospital after a serious incident on the M11 northbound carriageway at Junction 7 for Harlow.
Police were called to the scene shortly after 6.10pm where the man was found in the carriageway with serious head injuries.
The M11 has been closed northbound between junctions 6 and 7 while investigations are carried out, it is expected to re-open at 1.30 am.
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes as delays are likely.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Essex Police on 101.
HEYBRIDGE Swifts secured their first home win of the season as they held on to beat Cray Wanderers 2-1 at Scraley Road.
Reece Morgan scored the opener and Neil Richmond bagged his ninth goal of the season in the frist half.
But Adrian Stone pulled one back for the visitors in the second half, but Swifts held on to pick up all three points and move to 15th in the Ryman One North.
Morgan powered home the opening goal from a Lopes cross on ten minutes and then Richmond doubled the lead on 29 minutes with a shot from 16 yards before Cray added some second half pressure.
A Stone header on 55 minutes narrowed the arrears in the second half.
Heybridge should have killed the game off on 66 minutes when Richmond intercepted a short pass back but missed the target by inches.
Cray came within a whisker of an equaliser in the 90th minute when Stone met a cross, side-stepped defender Stephen Good before blazing over from close range.
A TEENAGER was forced to undergo ear surgery at Broomfield Hospital after a piercing left it severely infected.
Bianca Hart, 18, is still having nightmares about the "horrendous pain" she suffered after a cartilage piercing became so infected surgeons had to remove parts of the outer ear, leaving permanent scars.
The student, who began her undergraduate course at the University of Nottingham just last week, is now keen to warn others to be aware of the risks.
"I just don't want anyone else to have to go through it. It was the most horrendous week I have ever been through in my life," said Bianca.
The Chelmsford teenager visited a South Essex studio on Friday, August 29, with a friend for a £10 cartilage piercing on her right ear.
But she claims at no point was she talked through the risks, asked to sign a consent form or shown that the needle to be used was fresh from the packet.
"Then three or four days later my ear started going purple, but because I had never experienced a piercing before I thought it was just what happened, and didn't think too much about it," added the psychology and criminology student.
"But it continued and I was up during the night crying because I was in so much pain, and there was pus coming out of it."
Such was the pain that Bianca visited a GP surgery where she was prescribed antibiotics and told to clean the wound with TCP, an antiseptic.
But when she returned to the studio a few days later, she was advised she simply needed a longer bar "to let it breathe" or the problem may become worse, and to hold off cleaning for a couple of days.
Having followed this advice, on Friday, September 12, the pain only became worse, and the infection led to severe vomiting. Her mum, Bridget, rushed her to the accident and emergency department at Broomfield Hospital.
Bianca was placed on intravenous antibiotics, and finally taken to theatre for a 45-minute operation to remove the "disintegrated cartilage".
A week later she was finally released from hospital where she had to head straight to freshers' week in Nottingham, complete with a large bandage round her head, and more antibiotics that have stopped her having alcohol.
She added: "I had so many things planned for the last three weeks before university.
"I wasn't able to see friends and family because some couldn't get to the hospital before I left, and mum was really upset as she'd wanted to enjoy that time, and instead she just watched me in pain.
"I had been so careful about the piercing, and when I spoke to the microbiologist and asked did they know what had been the cause, I was told it had been whatever went in, so it was either the needle or the bar."
The Chronicle has chosen not to identify the studio, but when contacted staff were adamant they always required signed consent forms, used sterilised, sealed needles for each new piercing, and had never had a complaint about their practice before.
IT TAKES a special kind of person to wake up at 3.30am, leave a warm bed and travel miles in the wind, snow and rain to hunt for a person who may never be found.
But that's what the team at Essex Search and Rescue do week in, week out, all over the county, and further afield, for no pay whatsoever.
These highly trained volunteers, who rely solely on the generosity of the public and local businesses to keep carrying out their vital role, are keen to remind people it could be them who needs their help next.
"The message we want to send out is that everyone knows someone that may go missing. This could be for any reason, whether it's that they are old with dementia or they could be mentally ill with nowhere to turn and at that moment they can call us," said Chairman of Essex Search and Rescue Stephen Nicholas.
"I remember a particular search in Ingatestone where we managed to locate a missing lady. One of the family members approached us to thank us for the time we had spent looking for her.
"To see the relief on their faces, with tears in their eyes, it was a great feeling."
The team go through a rigorous training scheme before they can join. Their training includes first aid, navigation techniques, and radio operation, and they continue to train two days every month, updating a log book, which keeps track of their skills.
With call-outs which could come from Harwich to Harlow and from Saffron Walden to Southend, the team must cover a vast area.
And if covering the whole of Essex wasn't enough, the team also assist colleagues in neighbouring counties when they need extra help.
Chairman Stephen, who retired from a role in IT almost three years ago, chose to get involved after reading a leaflet about the number of searches that Essex Police conduct for missing persons.
He told the Chronicle: "If someone is despondent or has dementia then it can be scary to hear that they have gone missing.
"We are a very small charity, we don't have the media departments and PR that other companies have so we do most of that ourselves. We are entirely self-funded so that part of the job can be hard work."
Following his retirement, the Wickham Bishops resident wanted to spend a little bit more time in the outdoors and felt the charity was a great opportunity to become involved in volunteering.
He added: "I spent my whole working life behind a desk so I wanted to do something completely different, I was interested in volunteering and this sounded perfect."
The organisation was set up in 2002 to mirror other branches in Suffolk, and works closely with Essex Police, even operating out of a specially adapted vehicle stationed at the police depot in Boreham.
Their new £9,500 van was recently funded by Bradwell power station owners Magnox, working in partnership with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Chartered surveyor Matt Cloke, 42, is a veteran of over 400 call-outs, and has been involved with the organisation for eight years.
He said: "Our main role is to assist Essex Police in searching for high-risk people.
"But whoever needs to be found, we can help, regardless of their background
"After a brief discussion, when we arrive at a certain area we will establish a search plan and then conduct a physical search.
"It is a lot of commitment but if you wanted to give something back and make a difference then this would be great for you."
The Essex Search and Rescue team are always looking to recruit new volunteers and would gratefully accept any donations.
For more details log on to essexsearchandrescue.org.uk
AN AMBULANCE call handler, whose over-the-phone advice helped a couple resuscitate their newborn baby, has won a national award.
Jenny Coventry, who has worked at the control room next to Broomfield Hospital for ten years, was named the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch 'Dispatcher of the Year' after she took a call about a woman giving birth at the side of a road.
Jenny, of Lammas Drive, Braintree, said: "It was a breech birth and I had to talk the father through doing backrubs and mouth-to-nose breathing for the baby, as she wasn't breathing when she was born.
"Those kinds of calls are less frequent, where people need to be talked through something like a birth, but we have various sets of information and in those situations that helps – because you already know what you are going to tell them."
As previously reported in the Chronicle, the call she was nominated for was back in March when she guided Rayleigh resident Dan Shead through the traumatic experience when his wife, Karen, went into labour with their girl Isla Alice in their car as they raced to Southend Hospital.
And unlike on many occasions, she was able to find out what happened to Isla Alice, who was born a month premature weighing just 3lb 9oz.
"When I found out the baby had survived, it was amazing," she said. "We don't often hear the outcome of the calls, and it was so nice to meet the family, they were lovely."
The 36-year-old said the award took particular note of compliance to protocol – meaning that call handlers pass on exact information to callers, ensuring the right message is passed on.
Gary Morgan, head of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), said: "It was great to see Jenny receiving the award and being recognised for her excellent work.
"She thoroughly deserves it, and with five of our staff from across the region making the final stage, this reflects the great work carried out across our control rooms."
Despite Jenny's recent awards success, she said she wasn't always confident that she would be successful in her role.
"I applied for the job but I didn't know if I would be any good at it," she said. "Luckily, since I started working there I have loved it.
"My parents are really proud of me for getting the award, and so are my colleagues, but I wish I could give the award to everyone on the team, as they all deserve it. But of course the best prize was hearing the news that the little girl had survived."
AN AMBULANCE call handler, whose over-the-phone advice helped a couple resuscitate their newborn baby, has won a national award.
Jenny Coventry, who has worked at the control room next to Broomfield Hospital for ten years, was named the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch 'Dispatcher of the Year' after she took a call about a woman giving birth at the side of a road.
Jenny, of Lammas Drive, Braintree, said: "It was a breech birth and I had to talk the father through doing backrubs and mouth-to-nose breathing for the baby, as she wasn't breathing when she was born.
"Those kinds of calls are less frequent, where people need to be talked through something like a birth, but we have various sets of information and in those situations that helps – because you already know what you are going to tell them."
As previously reported in the Chronicle, the call she was nominated for was back in March when she guided Rayleigh resident Dan Shead through the traumatic experience when his wife, Karen, went into labour with their girl Isla Alice in their car as they raced to Southend Hospital.
And unlike on many occasions, she was able to find out what happened to Isla Alice, who was born a month premature weighing just 3lb 9oz.
"When I found out the baby had survived, it was amazing," she said. "We don't often hear the outcome of the calls, and it was so nice to meet the family, they were lovely."
The 36-year-old said the award took particular note of compliance to protocol – meaning that call handlers pass on exact information to callers, ensuring the right message is passed on.
Gary Morgan, head of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), said: "It was great to see Jenny receiving the award and being recognised for her excellent work.
"She thoroughly deserves it, and with five of our staff from across the region making the final stage, this reflects the great work carried out across our control rooms."
Despite Jenny's recent awards success, she said she wasn't always confident that she would be successful in her role.
"I applied for the job but I didn't know if I would be any good at it," she said. "Luckily, since I started working there I have loved it.
"My parents are really proud of me for getting the award, and so are my colleagues, but I wish I could give the award to everyone on the team, as they all deserve it. But of course the best prize was hearing the news that the little girl had survived."
TEENAGERS from Chelmsford City Football Club's U15s have moved one step closer to funding a dream overseas tour following generous support from an Indian restaurant.
The trip, probably to the Netherlands, would be a major learning experience for the side and will include playing a local tournament and possibly a major stadium tour.
Earlier this month £100 was added to the kitty after parents of the boys in the CCFC Academy dined at Indian Night, in London Road, Chelmsford.
Each month mums and dads will eat out en masse at a restaurant within the city in the hope of attracting a donation from restaurant owners towards the character-building football trip.
Azad Ali, from Indian Night, is the owner of the first restaurant to step-up in support of the children.
On September 13, around two-dozen parents tucked into Indian Night's award-winning cuisine before receiving the heart-warming donation from Mr Ali.
Andy Titley, a team manager at City's Academy, described the evening at Indian Night as "perfect". He added: "Myself, Damien (CCFC Academy Manager), the parents and all the boys wish to say a massive thank you to Ali and the team for their generous donation to kick-start our fund raising for the end-of-season tour.
"The hospitality shown was superb and to get a donation at the end of it was fantastic."
The £100 gift will go towards the £3,500 it will cost to send the 19 U15 squad members abroad.
"The reason behind the trip is to give the boys a memorable end to what we hope to be a successful season, I remember going on a tour when younger and having the time of my life.
"It's looking like costing around £3,500 to fund the trip, so we have a lot of work to do but with the support of local businesses like Indian Night and the community as a whole through our future events we can get there."
Wayne Rooney will not be lining up against his former club as he prepares to sit down three league games as a result of the red card he picked up in the clash with West Ham United.
Paddy McNair will keep his spot in defence, as Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling are also out.
For Everton, Steven Pienaar could be in contention, but Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy are doubts.
Manchester United vs Everton is live on BT Sport 1 from 11am. Kick off at 12pm
Two men have been arrested in connection with an incident on the northbound carriageway on the M11 at junction 7.
Police were called shortly after 6.10pm yesterday (October 4) with reports that a man was found in the carriageway with serious head injuries. This was at the approach of the exit slip road to junction 7 for Harlow.
He has been taken to hospital for treatment where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
The M11 was closed northbound between junctions 6 and 7 while investigations were carried out. The road reopened shortly before 12.30am.
A 50-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, both from Lithuania, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and taken into custody. They are currently being questioned by detectives.
A 19-year-old man from Chelmsford has been charged with the murder of a man found fatally stabbed in Brentwood last weekend.
Sales representative Wilson Carlos Lourenco will appear at Basildon Magistrates' Court tomorrow (October 6), along with Bernard Ampaw, 18, of Wombridge Road in Telford, Shropshire.
Francis Ntena Nsiangangu, 31, was found collapsed in Tower Hill last Saturday (September 27). Three people have now been charged with his murder.
Police are searching for a man who they believe attempted rape to a woman in Harlow last Sunday.
The incident happened at around 6am on September 28 when a man who said he was homeless and from Romania, followed a 65-year-old woman from Harlow in Southern Way, where it is suspected that he pushed her into bushes and attacked her.
Police members of the public are asked to have a good look at the efit image to see if they recognise the suspect.
The man is described as white, aged in his mid-20s, 5ft 4-5ins tall, of small to medium build, with short dark hair and was wearing a blue checked shirt and light trousers.
Police are also continuing to look for a man the woman spoke to before she was attacked and it is believed that a grey or silver Ford vehicle also drove past when the incident occurred.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at the West Sexual Offences Investigation Team on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police are searching for thieves who stole over £2000 worth of jewellery from a Colchester home last week.
The burglars smashed their way into the property on Gavin Way taking the jewellery which included a gold Concorde watch and a gold ring as well as Gucci and Mulberry bags, between 2.30am on Friday September 26 and 6pm on Friday October 3.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dc Emma Lewis-Kennedy at Colchester CID on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
A swan brought traffic to a standstill at Springfield Road in Chelmsford this morning after refusing to move from the centre of the road.
The white bird was spotted by Sarah Roberts, who tweeted: " random swan in the road, refusing to move."
Essex Police and the RSCPA were called and the bird was eventually removed from the road, with onlookers saying it remained there for around one hour.
It is believed it was taken to Hylands Park.
It is not uncommon for swans to land busy roads according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who state: "It is thought that thermals and wind turbulence over roads may knock the swans off balance and bring them down onto road surfaces.
"They need a long run before taking flight, and may be unable to take off if there is insufficient space."
A bike worth nearly £1,000 has been stolen from a home in Chelmsford.
Thieves broke into a property on Lime Walk taking a Cooper Zandervoor 2014 Hybrid bicycle between 10.30pm on Friday October 3 and 7am on October 4.
The bicycle is gun metal with orange labels on the edge of its tyres.
Police are looking for witnesses or anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area around that time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Pc Dan Smith at Chelmsford Police Station on 101.
A PENSIONER with leukaemia has been forced to spend almost £1,000 a week on care for her husband after he was turned down by seven state-funded care homes in the county.
Barbara Harvey, 74, was left with no choice but to put her husband Derek, 77, in a home after his Alzheimer's left her unable to care for him at the family house they have lived in for more than 47 years.
The couple will have been married for 57 years this week. But grandmother-of-five Mrs Harvey, who has been spending her savings on her husband's care, is running out of money to pay for fees at the privately-run Manor Lodge in Chelmsford, and is desperately searching for a local authority-funded care home to take him.
"I have no idea what to do," Mrs Harvey said. "I have phoned the council but they haven't got back to me, my son has been calling all the care homes in Chelmsford. I've come to the end of my tether.
"Manor Lodge is wonderful and the staff are fantastic, but I just can't afford to keep him in there. I am spending all my savings, and I have other bills to pay too."
Seven care homes in the county have visited Manor Lodge to assess Mr Harvey but refused to take him – despite him being eligible for state-funded care.
"They don't give reasons, they just turn him down," Mrs Harvey said. "But it has been suggested that he is too lively, and needs a lockup in case he wanders off. But these are supposed to be homes for people with Alzheimer's and dementia, so surely they are locked in at night anyway?"
Mr Harvey is one of around 1,304 people in Chelmsford and 20,000 people in Essex who suffer from dementia, according to recent statistics from the Alzheimer's Society. The latter figure is expected to rise to 35,000 by 2025.
But Mrs Harvey has been told that all of the local authority-funded care homes in Chelmsford are full – posing questions about the level of care provided for dementia sufferers in the area.
"Derek had Alzheimer's for 18 months, and then things took a turn for the worse," Mrs Harvey explained.
"He tried to go into town in his pyjamas and had to be brought back by a friend of my son, who saw him at the bus stop. Then a few days later he became violent towards me and I had to call the police; that is when I had to get help and put him in a home."
Despite having battled leukaemia for a number of years, Mrs Harvey initially attempted to care for her husband at home.
But after he deteriorated, Mrs Harvey contacted the Amethyst Day Hospital, which helped to find his current place.
Although she struggles to walk, and requires bi-weekly blood transfusions for her leukaemia, Mrs Harvey still visits her husband regularly, and said: "He still recognises me, he asks where I have been every time I go in.
"He is very happy there, but we need more care homes in Chelmsford. There must be so many other people like me who are in the same position as I am."
LIVES could be put at risk if a proposed development of 67 homes goes ahead, say residents living nearby.
Linden Homes, along with six charities, has submitted a planning application to build the new homes off London Road, Maldon.
The site is situated behind Leech Memorial Garden, which was left to the town in the wills of two sisters, Edna and Joan Leech, who died in a plane crash in 1974.
Rosalind Oakley, 57, of Bower Gardens, who lives just yards from the proposed site, said: "Essex County Council (the highways authority) is trying to ride roughshod over the concerns of the residents by indicating that this site is acceptable for development – when it's not.
"It beggars belief when the roads are dangerous. Will they wait until someone is killed or seriously injured?
"In the winter the roads are not gritted here so it can lead to some very dangerous situations."
Mrs Oakley, who represents the Leech Garden, Beacon Hill, Maldon Hall Farm and Cemetery Group, has launched a campaign against the development.
"This is about standing up for the area you live in and proving we will not be bullied by anyone," she said.
In particular, she is concerned at the extra traffic in close proximity to St Francis Primary School and All Saints Primary School.
But residents are also uniting in opposition as they fear it will destroy the peace and quiet of the gardens nearby and impact the view of the location.
"It's inappropriate for a place which has so much natural beauty," said Mrs Oakley.
"I've seen a copy of the will which says the land should be left to the people of Maldon – we want to try to safeguard this land."
Mrs Oakley's concerns were echoed by another resident who did not want to be named.
He said: "The congestion in term times is unbelievable and the winter can be horrid.
"It's a well-known trouble spot and anyone from the area will tell you the same thing."
He applauded Maldon Town Council's objection to the application. In its submissions to Maldon District Council, it said the increased traffic flow would "be detriment to highway safety".
It also cited the proximity of the schools and the "detrimental impact on a peaceful neighbouring green area of town in an unnecessary area of development".
Maldon District Council could rule on the development later this month.
