Also making the front page were the New Year’s Honours, including a soldier from Colchester, Dean Jackson-Smith receiving the Meritorious Service Medal. His proud mum, Sharon, said: “We are delighted with how well he’s done, I’d recommend the Army to any young lad who is unsure of their future.”
On a lighter note, the final front page story concerns Clacton Casanova Luke Worley who hoped to find true love on a new Channel 4 dating show. Called The Language of Love, the show follows a group of British and Spanish singletons who must overcome the language barrier in order to find love. The 29-year-old said: “The show was an unbelievable experience and it will be absolutely hilarious to anyone watching.”
![Gazette: January 6: The Leather Bottle, in Shrub End, lost its licence after drugs were sold to undercover police officers. A report sent to the council claimed the pub was “arguably the heart of a large-scale cocaine supply business”. Officers had also spoken to a witness who claimed to have seen people with guns tucked into the waistbands of their trousers. Haven Road, in the Hythe once again flooded as a result of high spring tides. Wivenhoe councillor, Shaun Boughton, a member of Hythe Taskforce, which looks to tackle the issue, says he is “frustrated” at the situation occurring again and again. He said: “ feel sorry for the pedestrians who have to walk through it.” The trial began of three people accused of murdering mum-of-three Michelle Cooper in Jaywick last year. She was killed when she intervened following an assault on her nephew. Wayne Cleaver, prosecuting, said: “She was literally beaten and kicked to death by a group of drunken louts.” The trial is expected to last six weeks.]( "Gazette: January 6: The Leather Bottle, in Shrub End, lost its licence after drugs were sold to undercover police officers. A report sent to the council claimed the pub was “arguably the heart of a large-scale cocaine supply business”. Officers had also spoken to a witness who claimed to have seen people with guns tucked into the waistbands of their trousers. Haven Road, in the Hythe once again flooded as a result of high spring tides. Wivenhoe councillor, Shaun Boughton, a member of Hythe Taskforce, which looks to tackle the issue, says he is “frustrated” at the situation occurring again and again. He said: “ feel sorry for the pedestrians who have to walk through it.” The trial began of three people accused of murdering mum-of-three Michelle Cooper in Jaywick last year. She was killed when she intervened following an assault on her nephew. Wayne Cleaver, prosecuting, said: “She was literally beaten and kicked to death by a group of drunken louts.” The trial is expected to last six weeks.")
January 6: The Leather Bottle, in Shrub End, lost its licence after drugs were sold to undercover police officers. A report sent to the council claimed the pub was “arguably the heart of a large-scale cocaine supply business”. Officers had also spoken to a witness who claimed to have seen people with guns tucked into the waistbands of their trousers. Haven Road, in the Hythe once again flooded as a result of high spring tides. Wivenhoe councillor, Shaun Boughton, a member of Hythe Taskforce, which looks to tackle the issue, says he is “frustrated” at the situation occurring again and again. He said: “ feel sorry for the pedestrians who have to walk through it.” The trial began of three people accused of murdering mum-of-three Michelle Cooper in Jaywick last year. She was killed when she intervened following an assault on her nephew. Wayne Cleaver, prosecuting, said: “She was literally beaten and kicked to death by a group of drunken louts.” The trial is expected to last six weeks.
![Gazette: January 10: Three separate plans were submitted covering Priory Walk, Long Wyre Street and Queen Street, in Colchester’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ causing campaigners to accuse developers of submitting them by stealth because they were not combined into a single plan. Robert Mercer, of Colchester Civic Society, said: “What is deeply upsetting is the total failure to present an overall schematic of the development as a whole.” Anger at Downing Street lockdown parties continued to hit the headlines. Following an apology from the Prime Minister, Colchester MP Will Quince said he did not receive the leaked email invitation and was not aware of any plans for a gathering. Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin also stressed “I was not invited to any Downing Street event with booze during lockdown.” Finally, TikTok bosses reinstated Harrison Boyd’s account documenting his fight with cancer, which the Gazette reported on a few days earlier, saying the deletion was made in error. A spokeswoman for TikTok apologised for censoring the material.]( "Gazette: January 10: Three separate plans were submitted covering Priory Walk, Long Wyre Street and Queen Street, in Colchester’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ causing campaigners to accuse developers of submitting them by stealth because they were not combined into a single plan. Robert Mercer, of Colchester Civic Society, said: “What is deeply upsetting is the total failure to present an overall schematic of the development as a whole.” Anger at Downing Street lockdown parties continued to hit the headlines. Following an apology from the Prime Minister, Colchester MP Will Quince said he did not receive the leaked email invitation and was not aware of any plans for a gathering. Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin also stressed “I was not invited to any Downing Street event with booze during lockdown.” Finally, TikTok bosses reinstated Harrison Boyd’s account documenting his fight with cancer, which the Gazette reported on a few days earlier, saying the deletion was made in error. A spokeswoman for TikTok apologised for censoring the material.")
January 10: Three separate plans were submitted covering Priory Walk, Long Wyre Street and Queen Street, in Colchester’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ causing campaigners to accuse developers of submitting them by stealth because they were not combined into a single plan. Robert Mercer, of Colchester Civic Society, said: “What is deeply upsetting is the total failure to present an overall schematic of the development as a whole.” Anger at Downing Street lockdown parties continued to hit the headlines. Following an apology from the Prime Minister, Colchester MP Will Quince said he did not receive the leaked email invitation and was not aware of any plans for a gathering. Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin also stressed “I was not invited to any Downing Street event with booze during lockdown.” Finally, TikTok bosses reinstated Harrison Boyd’s account documenting his fight with cancer, which the Gazette reported on a few days earlier, saying the deletion was made in error. A spokeswoman for TikTok apologised for censoring the material.
![Gazette: January 13: Tom Saunders, of Bounstead Road, Colchester admitted killing three men, two of whom were his nephews, at an address in Colchester. The 34-year-old suffers with paranoid schizophrenia and had remained in custody at a high security hospital since the 2019 killings. A University of Essex graduate landed a role on the hit TV show, The Apprentice. Brittany Carter, 25, completed her BA Hotel Management at the Edge Hotel School at Wivenhoe Park. She currently lives in Bristol and is a front of house manager in a hotel. Brittany said: “The experience I gained at the Edge Hotel School has given me the skills to get on to The Apprentice.” Clacton mum Tanya Boyd claimed TikTok was suppressing videos posted by her son which documented his battle with cancer. Harrison Boyd, 13, died last year following an eight-month fight which saw him endure a number of treatments and chemotherapy sessions. Prior to his death, Tanya said TikTok deleted his account - which had thousands of followers - due to the content he was posting.]( "Gazette: January 13: Tom Saunders, of Bounstead Road, Colchester admitted killing three men, two of whom were his nephews, at an address in Colchester. The 34-year-old suffers with paranoid schizophrenia and had remained in custody at a high security hospital since the 2019 killings. A University of Essex graduate landed a role on the hit TV show, The Apprentice. Brittany Carter, 25, completed her BA Hotel Management at the Edge Hotel School at Wivenhoe Park. She currently lives in Bristol and is a front of house manager in a hotel. Brittany said: “The experience I gained at the Edge Hotel School has given me the skills to get on to The Apprentice.” Clacton mum Tanya Boyd claimed TikTok was suppressing videos posted by her son which documented his battle with cancer. Harrison Boyd, 13, died last year following an eight-month fight which saw him endure a number of treatments and chemotherapy sessions. Prior to his death, Tanya said TikTok deleted his account - which had thousands of followers - due to the content he was posting.")
January 13: Tom Saunders, of Bounstead Road, Colchester admitted killing three men, two of whom were his nephews, at an address in Colchester. The 34-year-old suffers with paranoid schizophrenia and had remained in custody at a high security hospital since the 2019 killings. A University of Essex graduate landed a role on the hit TV show, The Apprentice. Brittany Carter, 25, completed her BA Hotel Management at the Edge Hotel School at Wivenhoe Park. She currently lives in Bristol and is a front of house manager in a hotel. Brittany said: “The experience I gained at the Edge Hotel School has given me the skills to get on to The Apprentice.” Clacton mum Tanya Boyd claimed TikTok was suppressing videos posted by her son which documented his battle with cancer. Harrison Boyd, 13, died last year following an eight-month fight which saw him endure a number of treatments and chemotherapy sessions. Prior to his death, Tanya said TikTok deleted his account - which had thousands of followers - due to the content he was posting.
![Gazette: January 14: Six youngsters were arrested following a £10,000 criminal damage spree in the Greenstead area. Some were also arrested for racially-aggravated offences. Colchester councillor Tim Young, who represents the Greenstead ward, praised the police for cracking down on anti-social behaviour in the area. A new national TV ad campaign, set to air in March aims to challenge Essex stereotypes, including those popularised in the TV series TOWIE, in order to attract more people to visit the county. Backlash continued over lockdown parties at No 10, with the harrowing story of Mark Alefounder, from Colchester, who was unable to visit his dying dad because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “Boris Johnson’s pitiful apology broke me – crying at work is not something I expected.” At the time of his father’s death he and his family could only speak to his father by “shouting through a closed window” due to the Tier 3 restrictions in place.]( "Gazette: January 14: Six youngsters were arrested following a £10,000 criminal damage spree in the Greenstead area. Some were also arrested for racially-aggravated offences. Colchester councillor Tim Young, who represents the Greenstead ward, praised the police for cracking down on anti-social behaviour in the area. A new national TV ad campaign, set to air in March aims to challenge Essex stereotypes, including those popularised in the TV series TOWIE, in order to attract more people to visit the county. Backlash continued over lockdown parties at No 10, with the harrowing story of Mark Alefounder, from Colchester, who was unable to visit his dying dad because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “Boris Johnson’s pitiful apology broke me – crying at work is not something I expected.” At the time of his father’s death he and his family could only speak to his father by “shouting through a closed window” due to the Tier 3 restrictions in place.")
January 14: Six youngsters were arrested following a £10,000 criminal damage spree in the Greenstead area. Some were also arrested for racially-aggravated offences. Colchester councillor Tim Young, who represents the Greenstead ward, praised the police for cracking down on anti-social behaviour in the area. A new national TV ad campaign, set to air in March aims to challenge Essex stereotypes, including those popularised in the TV series TOWIE, in order to attract more people to visit the county. Backlash continued over lockdown parties at No 10, with the harrowing story of Mark Alefounder, from Colchester, who was unable to visit his dying dad because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “Boris Johnson’s pitiful apology broke me – crying at work is not something I expected.” At the time of his father’s death he and his family could only speak to his father by “shouting through a closed window” due to the Tier 3 restrictions in place.
![Gazette: January 20: Calls were made for a ‘proper’ bus station in the town. The current station, which opened nearly ten years ago at a cost of £2million, has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Colchester Council leader Paul Dundas. A dream came true for seven-year-old Samuel Bethell, from Feering, when he got to see police dogs being trained. Dog Section Sgt Paul Screech said: “I think the highlight of the visit for Samuel was getting to meet and walk trainee police dogs Aldo and Dakota.” Army heroes who helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan are among the soldiers awarded the Operational Service Medal Afghanistan. Finally, mum of a Colchester student said she “does not want to die not knowing what happened” to her missing son. Luke Durbin has not been seen since disappearing nearly 16 years ago. Mother-of-two Nicki Durbin said: “I am 100 per cent convinced someone knows what happened to Luke.”]( "Gazette: January 20: Calls were made for a ‘proper’ bus station in the town. The current station, which opened nearly ten years ago at a cost of £2million, has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Colchester Council leader Paul Dundas. A dream came true for seven-year-old Samuel Bethell, from Feering, when he got to see police dogs being trained. Dog Section Sgt Paul Screech said: “I think the highlight of the visit for Samuel was getting to meet and walk trainee police dogs Aldo and Dakota.” Army heroes who helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan are among the soldiers awarded the Operational Service Medal Afghanistan. Finally, mum of a Colchester student said she “does not want to die not knowing what happened” to her missing son. Luke Durbin has not been seen since disappearing nearly 16 years ago. Mother-of-two Nicki Durbin said: “I am 100 per cent convinced someone knows what happened to Luke.”")
January 20: Calls were made for a ‘proper’ bus station in the town. The current station, which opened nearly ten years ago at a cost of £2million, has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Colchester Council leader Paul Dundas. A dream came true for seven-year-old Samuel Bethell, from Feering, when he got to see police dogs being trained. Dog Section Sgt Paul Screech said: “I think the highlight of the visit for Samuel was getting to meet and walk trainee police dogs Aldo and Dakota.” Army heroes who helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan are among the soldiers awarded the Operational Service Medal Afghanistan. Finally, mum of a Colchester student said she “does not want to die not knowing what happened” to her missing son. Luke Durbin has not been seen since disappearing nearly 16 years ago. Mother-of-two Nicki Durbin said: “I am 100 per cent convinced someone knows what happened to Luke.”
![Gazette: January 24: A new housing estate will be built on the historic former Paxmans site off Port Lane in the Hythe. Paxman Diesels, which closed last year, will make way for 130 new homes, according to the proposals by owners MAN Energy Solutions. Fisherman Charlie Hillaby, 31, the founder of Fishing For Henry, will host several events at Lifted Lakes, in Great Oakley, to help children with illnesses and disabilities. He launched the initiative following the death of his godson, Henry. The 19-month-old baby had been diagnosed with rare leukaemia of the blood and died after complications resulting from the severe chemotherapy he endured. A boy suffered a suspected broken leg following a collision with a car in the High Street, Wivenhoe, prompting renewed calls for extra safety measures. Wivenhoe and Essex county councillor Mark Cory said: “I am hoping I can put pressure on Essex County Council to put in proper speed reduction techniques.”]( "Gazette: January 24: A new housing estate will be built on the historic former Paxmans site off Port Lane in the Hythe. Paxman Diesels, which closed last year, will make way for 130 new homes, according to the proposals by owners MAN Energy Solutions. Fisherman Charlie Hillaby, 31, the founder of Fishing For Henry, will host several events at Lifted Lakes, in Great Oakley, to help children with illnesses and disabilities. He launched the initiative following the death of his godson, Henry. The 19-month-old baby had been diagnosed with rare leukaemia of the blood and died after complications resulting from the severe chemotherapy he endured. A boy suffered a suspected broken leg following a collision with a car in the High Street, Wivenhoe, prompting renewed calls for extra safety measures. Wivenhoe and Essex county councillor Mark Cory said: “I am hoping I can put pressure on Essex County Council to put in proper speed reduction techniques.”")
January 24: A new housing estate will be built on the historic former Paxmans site off Port Lane in the Hythe. Paxman Diesels, which closed last year, will make way for 130 new homes, according to the proposals by owners MAN Energy Solutions. Fisherman Charlie Hillaby, 31, the founder of Fishing For Henry, will host several events at Lifted Lakes, in Great Oakley, to help children with illnesses and disabilities. He launched the initiative following the death of his godson, Henry. The 19-month-old baby had been diagnosed with rare leukaemia of the blood and died after complications resulting from the severe chemotherapy he endured. A boy suffered a suspected broken leg following a collision with a car in the High Street, Wivenhoe, prompting renewed calls for extra safety measures. Wivenhoe and Essex county councillor Mark Cory said: “I am hoping I can put pressure on Essex County Council to put in proper speed reduction techniques.”
![Gazette: January 28: A TAXI driver who was beaten and “left for dead” at the side of the road after a violent robbery told a court his children didn’t even recognise him when he returned home from hospital. Father-of-three Nurul Islam, 40, was left with life-threatening injuries after his customer, 19-year-old Jack Powell, launched a drink-fuelled attack. Mr Islam endured a month long hospital stay as a result of his life-threatening injuries. Powell, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich, admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to four years and two months behind bars. A superfan set the Guinness World Record for the most Harry Potter characters guessed from their quotations. Eli Chmelik, 11, from Manningtree, got 19 correct answers within one minute. The Colchester Royal Grammar School student said he has read the books “dozens of times each” and he “instantly loved the entire series”.]( "Gazette: January 28: A TAXI driver who was beaten and “left for dead” at the side of the road after a violent robbery told a court his children didn’t even recognise him when he returned home from hospital. Father-of-three Nurul Islam, 40, was left with life-threatening injuries after his customer, 19-year-old Jack Powell, launched a drink-fuelled attack. Mr Islam endured a month long hospital stay as a result of his life-threatening injuries. Powell, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich, admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to four years and two months behind bars. A superfan set the Guinness World Record for the most Harry Potter characters guessed from their quotations. Eli Chmelik, 11, from Manningtree, got 19 correct answers within one minute. The Colchester Royal Grammar School student said he has read the books “dozens of times each” and he “instantly loved the entire series”.")
January 28: A TAXI driver who was beaten and “left for dead” at the side of the road after a violent robbery told a court his children didn’t even recognise him when he returned home from hospital. Father-of-three Nurul Islam, 40, was left with life-threatening injuries after his customer, 19-year-old Jack Powell, launched a drink-fuelled attack. Mr Islam endured a month long hospital stay as a result of his life-threatening injuries. Powell, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich, admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to four years and two months behind bars. A superfan set the Guinness World Record for the most Harry Potter characters guessed from their quotations. Eli Chmelik, 11, from Manningtree, got 19 correct answers within one minute. The Colchester Royal Grammar School student said he has read the books “dozens of times each” and he “instantly loved the entire series”.
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