| Your Letters |
This swindler deserves jail
Sir, — I am writing on behalf of a group of concerned individuals from many parts of the world in response to Grant Price’s letter defending Kevin Slattery (Standard, February 12).
Like Mr Price, we felt Mr Slattery was a loyal friend, a devoted family man and a Christian, which was how he was able to pull off one of Hong Kong’s more sensational scams, a textbook example of a Ponzi scheme, according to the Security and Futures Commission.
Mr Slattery was a popular man who abused the trust of family, friends and clients.
He stole from two men for whom he was best man, from the family of his godson and from a teacher who was a single mother to two children, one of whom had epilepsy, after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and her father and brother had died. He also stole from rugby and dragon boat team-mates as well as business acquaintances.
For many, it was not the lost money per se that caused so much suffering but the destruction of their lives.
The teacher was left penniless and one of his friends was nearly prosecuted for tax evasion because Mr Slattery pocketed money and did not pay taxes on the friend’s behalf as instructed as his financial adviser. Victims have had to postpone retirement and are unable to purchase their own homes.
Doctors stated that Slattery’s father-in-law, who lost his life savings, died early of cancer and in intense mental distress as he had been cheated by his own family and was leaving his wife without means. She has had to go back to work in her late sixties.
Then there is Mr Slattery’s own immediate family. He abandoned his wife and four-year-old son to face the police, debt collectors and public humiliation all on their own.
Before doing so, he stole the medical insurance claimed by his wife due to a serious back injury that made it impossible for her to work. She was therefore left unable to support herself and her child.
This was after insisting his wife underwent IVF treatment a few weeks before.
He used his family’s joint account to transfer stolen funds and had his wife unknowingly sign cheques to pay domestic bills, which he used for his scams, thereby placing her at risk of prosecution and potentially leaving his son without either parent.
Mr Slattery’s crimes do not stop at theft and fraud. His personal assistant told police she was unable to testify as Slattery had threatened to harm her parents if she did so.
He also used an unsavoury method of blackmail to prevent husbands from telling their wives, and therefore police, that they had given him money.
Mr Slattery has never made any attempt to redress his actions. He fled from Hong Kong to London in 2005, where he established himself in the financial industry, lived comfortably and started again.
He did the same when he originally moved to Hong Kong in 1995, leaving victims in his wake in the UK.
Neither he nor his family has made any effort to contact or assist his wife and son. This is a man who deserves every day of his eight years in prison and more.
His sentence serves not only to punish him but to protect more people from his unconscionable behaviour, which he is obviously unable to change. — Yours faithfully,
The victims of Kevin Slattery (Name and address supplied)
Bus service is excellent
Sir, — Your readers in Peppard and Sonning Common will have been surprised to see that the bus service to Reading has changed number from 137 to Vitality 2 (Standard, March 5).
Since the change occurred in April last year, we have become well accustomed to the new route designation.
Indeed, in September, it was necessary to introduce Vitality 2a to alternate with Vitality 2.
Although it seems a strange name for a bus route, the service provided by Reading Buses is excellent. — Yours faithfully,
K B Atkinson, Red House Drive, Sonning Common
More sacks on the way
Sir, — Following the letters expressing confusion about South Oxfordshire District Council’s provision of waste sacks, I’d like to clarify the situation.
When the service was launched in June, we provided households unable to accommodate wheeled bins with a year’s supply of sacks.
This was enough for up to four green recycling and three pink rubbish sacks every fortnight (a capacity which matches the wheeled bins) and we included an information leaflet to explain this.
The next delivery of sacks, which will be a six-month supply, is due next month, with the one after that in October.
If residents using sacks have extra recycling (or have run out of sacks) they can put it out in clear or opaque bags. However, because we don’t collect extra side rubbish, we will only take up to three rubbish sacks per collection day.
We are also happy to provide wheeled bins to any householders currently using sacks, who now feel they are able to use wheeled bins.
On the subject of council car parks (Standard, March 5), the council does not make any money from them.
We set fees and charges so the cost of running the car parks falls on the user rather than the council taxpayer.
Every year, we review the cost of running our car parks and set fees to bring in enough money to meet these costs.
In comparison to neighbouring towns, we offer very good value for money.
A few years ago, we introduced two hours of free parking in Wallingford to encourage people to park in an under-used car park.
Henley car parks are often full during the day.
However, in the mornings there are usually spaces so we do not start charging until 10am rather than 9am as in our other car parks.
We consider ourselves to be in the best position to run car parks as we can get economies of scale by agreeing contracts for things such as stocks of tickets or cash collection across the district (or even two districts ow that we are sharing services with Vale of White Horse council).
This is something we know Henley Town Council cannot do since it has asked us to collect the cash for its car parks as we can negotiate a cheaper deal.— Yours faithfully,
Councillor David Dodds, Cabinet member, South Oxfordshire District Council
What a waste of our money
Sir, — The poll on your website this week asked if all parking in Henley should be controlled by the town council. I do not know about that, but it certainly should be controlled by just one authority with one group of staff.
Currently the main car parks, the metered road parking and the restricted zones are monitored by three different groups and occasionally it is possible to see all three in action within yards of each other but each restricted to dealing with their own bit.
What a waste of resources and public money. — Yours faithfully,
Robert Warner, Aston
Not suitable for housing
Sir, — I write regarding the proposed development of affordable housing in Kidmore End.
The village is not a suitable site for low-income families. There is no employment, no local shop and no pavements suitable for walking with children safely and there is a minimal bus service.
Any family moving into these proposed properties would probably be travelling into Reading and back every day to work Let us also remember that there is no mains drainage in Kidmore End.
Furthermore, development of this site would result in the closure of the market garden that has been operating on this site for more than 50 years and would put Robert Hansen and his family out of business.
I am sure there are more suitable sites for this sort of development in an area with local facilities, transport and employment. — Yours faithfully,
Angela Ambrose, Halls Road, Reading
No demand for homes
Sir, — I’d like to express my disapproval at the plans to build affordable housing on part of the glebe land at Cold Norton Corner in Wood Lane, Kidmore End.
Not only does the village not have adequate infrastructure for more housing but, sadly, no account has been taken of Mr Hansen whose family has been operating a small market garden business on the land for more than 50 years.
Many local families shop with him for eggs, vegetables, plants and even Christmas trees while he supports his two young daughters single-handedly from this business.
In a village that has no shop or post office, it is a vital resource.
Kidmore End has low-cost housing in the vicinity that the council, in its infinite wisdom, sold off several years ago, indicating a lack of demand in this area. — Yours faithfully,
Gemma Malaperiman, Chalkhouse Green Road, Kidmore End
Knock down regatta HQ
Sir, — I have gauged that there is a groundswell of public opinion in Henley that the eyesore that is the royal regatta headquarters by the bridge should be replaced by the previous incumbent, the Carpenters Arms. Most people have yet to fathom out what actually goes on in this building for most of the year as it seems to be largely quiet, with the lights on but nobody home.
Can this “monstrous carbuncle” — to use Prince Charles’ language — be replaced once and for all with a revised Carpenters Arms?
Many people wish the pub was still there because when the sun dips over The Angel, it’s the only place to go for a pint in the sun.
I’m sure that if a poll was taken in Henley, an overwhelming majority would agree. — Yours faithfully,
James Lambert, Friday Street, Henley
I care for all living beings
Sir, — What right does Mark Watt presume to hold in order to judge my compassion for humans and non-humans that inhabit this planet? (Standard, March 5).
If he finds extending a helping hand, let alone sympathy and understanding, to any living creature other than humans beyond his comprehension, then that is his prerogrative but, fortunately, most of us can do both.
The exploitation of wild animals for sport is uncivilised, ungodly and an affront to our nation.
Those who presume themselves to be good Christians are clearly unmoved — shame on them. — Yours faitfhully,
Bea Bradley, Cuxham Road, Watlington
Dizaei made me feel safe
Sir, — In the late Eighties, I ran a taxi business in Henley and remember Inspector Ali Dizaei as a rather helpful man.
On a number of occasions, I witnessed him helping young revellers who had been drinking in local nightclubs.
He would help them to catch a taxi and was more concerned with getting them home safely than arresting them.
I didn’t know him personally and only came across him due to my work.
He gave me all the usual hassle that taxi drivers get about parking and speeding but I believed he was a good and fair, old-fashioned type of police officer.
I believe that Insp Dizaei, despite having so much bad press, was a good police officer and I felt safe in my bed. — Yours faithfully,
Lewis S Robinson, Crisp Road, Henley
Can’t afford more tokens
Sir, — In reply to Keith Wilson’s letter on travel tokens and council tax (Standard, March 5), South Oxfordshire District Council is responsible for the issuing of the tokens.
Our share of the council tax has only gone up by an average of 1.3 per cent over the past five years and in three of these years we have not increased it all.
The majority of council tax goes to Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police.
Since April 2006, we have provided a bus pass service to more than 19,000 eligible residents at a cost of about £860,000 per year. The passes can be used throughout the country on local bus services any number of times.
While we appreciate £20 for tokens might not seem a great deal, more than 3,000 residents benefit from this scheme at a cost of more than £82,000 a year.
It is a discretionary service we choose to offer when many other districts do not.
Given the current financial pressures on all our services, we have to prioritise our spending and so, unfortunately, it is not feasible at this time to increase the number of tokens we provide.
Councillor Rodney Mann, Cabinet member for finance, South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet
Fete needs volunteers
Sir, — As we all enjoy the first green shoots of spring, may I urge readers to think ahead to summer and, more specifically, the fete to be held by the League of Friends of the Royal Berkshire Hospital on June 5.
Bookings have already begun for the event, which will take place at the Victoria Recreation Ground in Tilehurst.
Last year, more than 3,500 visitors helped us to raise more than £3,000, all of it for the benefit of patients and staff at the hospital.
The success of last year’s fete exceeded all our expectations, particularly as we hadn’t held one for the last five years and we’re hoping for even bigger and better things this time.
Several local business, charities and craftsmen have already booked their stalls and full details of the event can be found on our website, www.lof-royalberks.org.uk
If anyone is interested in taking a stall, perhaps they would care to call me direct at the League of Friends on (0118) 322 8592. — Yours faithfully
Martin Butler, Development manager, League of Friends of the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
Cruelty at the races
Sir, — From 1999 to 2009, 30 horses were killed at the Cheltenham Festival.
There are several reasons for this high mortality rate, including the course’s notorious downhill fences and hurdles.
No matter how harmless a bet may seem, the reality is that the course pushes horses beyond their limits. Please don’t back the cruelty this year. — Yours faithfully,
Fiona Pereira, Animal Aid, Bradford Street, Tonbridge
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Debate is hotter than strippers
Sir, — Thanks to the publicity kindly afforded to us by the Standard, I’m pleased to report that we have collected more than 400 thermal images of buildings in Henley, mainly the homes of those who invited us via our website, www.henley-in-transition.org.uk
We thought readers might be interested to compare thermal images taken on the same evening of the town hall, when a council meeting was in session, and the nearby Diamonds and Pearls club with who knows what in session!
As cynics might expect, the town hall exuded more heat than the nearby nightclub, although it was early in the evening (magenta and blue are cool, green, red and yellow are getting hotter and hotter).
If any other Henley residents would like us to take a thermal image of their home, please register online, or write to us at the address below.
Finally, can I also say thanks to South Oxfordshire District Council for having lent us the camera. — Yours faithfully,
Dick Fletcher, Henley in Transition, c/o Dragon Court, Station Road, Henley
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