Sandra Vikolas's Open Salon Blog

Religious studies teacher Madeleine Martin jailed

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:11:19 -0500

A religious studies teacher was jailed for 32 months today for having sex with a teenage pupil she seduced on Facebook.

Madeleine Martin, 39, who has two teenage daughters, lured the 15-year-old boy into a sexual relationship through a fake account on the social networking site.

She showered the boy, a pupil at the school in Greater Manchester where she taught, with gifts including a mobile phone.

The pair’s eight-day affair in February included sex in a car park and was sealed by tattoos, which Martin paid for.

Banks win legal battle on overdraft charges

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:11:03 -0500

Millions of customers hoping for refunds on overdraft charges were left disappointed today after Britain's high street banks won a landmark case.

The Supreme Court upheld the banks' argument that assessing the "unfairness" of overdraft charges is beyond the scope of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the consumer watchdog, which has been trying to use its powers to force banks to lower the penalties and repay the charges to customers.

About one million people have already filed legal claims for refunds. Those cases may now be dismissed.

The OFT confirmed that it cannot take an appeal to Europe, but Ed Crosse, a litigation partner in Osborne Clarke, the law firm, said: "As the Supreme Court's decision records, it remains an option for the OFT to assess the fairness of the charges according to other criteria."