Officers investigating an alleged assault in Northampton would like to speak to three women who they believe may have witnessed the incident.

At some point between 10.15pm and 10.45pm on Tuesday, June 3, two assaults allegedly took place in Booth Rise close to the Lumbertubs pub.

During the incident, two men were allegedly beaten up by the members of a gang.

Two people have subsequently been arrested, but officers investigating the case are keen to speak to the three women who may have witnessed the incidents.

These witnesses, or anyone who has any information about this incident, can call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Two men have died following a road traffic collision on the A6003 in Corby this morning (Monday).

The collision took place between the Oakley Hay roundabout and the BP Fourways roundabout, when for reasons yet unknown, a red BMW and silver Vauxhall Corsa were in collision.

The 25-year-old man driving the BMW and the man driving the Corsa both died at the scene of the collision, which took place at about 12.30am.

A passenger in the Corsa has been taken University Hospital Coventry with a foot injury.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this collision or who may have any information regarding it.

Anyone with information or who witnessed this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174 615.

Jewellery and cash were stolen from the private quarters of a shop in Shelley Street, Northampton, on Friday.

A group of approximately six men entered the shop and while some members of the group distracted the shop worker, others went upstairs and entered the private property.

The group of men were aged between 25 and 40, all had dark coloured hair, some wore sunglasses and all spoke with foreign accents.

The incident took place between 3.20pm and 3.50pm.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

An elderly pensioner was targeted during a distraction theft which took place in Towcester on Saturday morning.

An 80-year-old man was using a cashpoint outside Barclays Bank, Watling Street, when a man who was stood directly behind him started to talk to him.

While this was taking place the offender took the victim’s card out of the machine and made-off with it when challenged.

The offender was an Asian man, aged 20 to 30, 5ft 2ins and was wearing smart clothing. He had black spikey hair.

The incident took place at around 11.20am and police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed it.

Officers are also reminding people to make sure they don’t engage with strangers while using a cash point and to ensure they keep their PIN number secret.

Anyone who sees anyone acting suspiciously near a cash point should call police.

Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident is Towcester is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A trader has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs after admitting selling cigarettes and tobacco at his shop that did not carry the correct safety warnings.

Hawar Ramo, of Baltika Supermarket in Kettering Road, Northampton, pleaded guilty before town magistrates this morning.

The charge, under Tobacco Products regulations and the Consumer Protection Act, related to 356 packs of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco that were seized on October 10, 2013.

On top of the fine Ramo was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,525.90 and a £120 victim surcharge. He also voluntarily surrendered all the tobacco seized from his premises.

Ramo had signed an undertaking not to supply or possess for supply such tobacco in December 2012.

Former work colleagues of Jamie McMahon have described him as a “happy, bubbly” person who could “look after himself” but never went looking for trouble.

Mark Lewis, aged 19, of Clickers Drive, Upton, Northampton, and Michael Francis, aged 33, of St James Road, Northampton, are both on trial charged with murdering the 26-year-old in St Giles Churchyard, St Giles Street, in the early hours of October 2 last year.

The first day of the trial heard evidence from Mr McMahon’s work colleagues at the Cooper’s Snooker Club in Overstone Road.

Giving evidence, Gary Knight, a friend and work colleague said Mr McMahon took part in a snooker match in the evening before his death and he seemed his normal “bubbly, bouncy” self.

Mr Knight said Mr McMahon left the snooker club when it closed shortly after midnight and they then parted when Mr McMahon walked towards the town centre.

Mr Knight said: “Jamie was one in a million and I feel lucky to have met him.

“He was the sort of guy that made everyone happy and he was great at one-liners. He was an awesome person to know.

“If there was any trouble he was the sort of person to try to calm things down. He never went looking for trouble.”

The court also heard evidence from Christopher Scrivener, another employee at Cooper’s Snooker Club, who said Mr McMahon told him he was going to Molly’s bar, now known as Bar So the night before he was killed.

The jury was also read a statement from the manager of The Bantam pub in Abington Square who said Mr McMahon left his establishment at about 1.45am.

Mr McMahon then went to the Flames kebab house in York Road and bought a donor meat with chips before walking to St Giles Churchyard to eat it.

A statement was read from Nigel Brown, a cyclist who found Mr McMahon’s body after he cycled through the churchyard at 7.30am.

Lewis and Francis both deny murder. Francis also denies a charge of robbery. The jury were told yesterday that Lewis has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and robbery.

The trial continues.

A former treasurer for a Northamptonshire community centre has been ordered to pay back less than 10 per cent of more £13,000 she stole after she wrote out dozens of cheques to herself.

Wendy Roberts, aged 54, of Cook’s Way, Long Buckby, appeared at Northampton Crown Court after she pleaded guilty to stealing a total of £13,753 by writing 25 cheques to herself over a two-year period.

Ben Gow, prosecuting, said, as treasurer of Long Buckby Community Centre, Roberts was one of the signatories for cheques and took advantage of her position to pay cheques, ranging in amounts from £375 to £850, into her own bank account during the period from December 2010 to December 2012.

The court heard that Roberts had used the money to pay off debts she owed but was “too embarrassed” to tell anyone about.

Mr Gow said her theft was uncovered after a new treasurer took over in August 2013 and had a look at the books.

His Honour Judge Timothy Smith sentenced Roberts to eight months in prison, suspended for a year. Roberts must also complete 200 hours unpaid work.

Judge Smith ordered that Roberts pay back £1,200 at a rate of £100, which he acknowledged was a “small dent” in what she owed the community centre.

Judge Smith said: “This order does not prevent the community centre from getting the full amount back from you.”

An 86-year old man has been airlifted to hospital after breaking his arm in a fall in Oundle.

He sustained the injury after tripping over a tree stump whilst out walking yesterday afternoon (Monday).

A crew from East Midlands Ambulance Service and East of England Ambulance Service were called out to the incident. On assessment, the patient was showing signs of circulatory problems following the fall and required rapid transfer to the nearest major trauma centre.

Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) was called out to the incident at approximately 12.26pm and landed at the scene nine minutes later. The patient was given advanced pain relief before being immobilised and airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for further treatment.

The crew landed at the hospital at around 1.34pm.

A new grants programme being launched by Northamptonshire County Council will see £200,000 be made available for innovative community projects.

The county council has developed the new fund to support initiatives which will improve health and wellbeing, will help people take charge of their lives and make a difference.

The new programme, which is called Seed Funding for Innovative Community Projects, will offer one-off, individual grants of £1,000 to £10,000 to support innovative and enterprising projects in which people and communities offer support to each other, particularly in the fields of public health or adult social care.

Successful applicants must have match funding of at least 20 per cent (which can include ‘in kind’ contributions) of the overall cost of the project and will be required to sign up to localgiving.com.

The new fund joins three other county council grants programmes that are already available:

* Youth small grants programme

The youth small grants programme offers individual grants of £2,500 to £10,000 that can be used to either develop ongoing project activity or start a new project for young people aged 10 to 19 years (or 10 to 25 years for those who have a disability.)

The priority for this grants programme is to fund activities that will help children and young people to achieve their best in education, to be ready for work and to have the necessary skills for life as well as to help them grow up healthy and have improved life chances.

Successful applicants must be able to provide funding for at least 25% of the overall cost of the project.

* Small grants programme

The small grants programme offers individual grants of £500 to £5,000 for activities that help the wellbeing of communities and must benefit the community at large, or a section of it.

The money can be used for one-off type costs and successful applicants must be able to provide funding for at least 25% of the overall cost of the project. In addition grant recipients will be required to sign up to localgiving.com

Applications are welcomed for projects that will encourage a greater number of people to feel that they belong to the county and their communities, that will involve more people within the community as active citizens and volunteers and that will give people the skills, training and education to be more employable.

* Arts grants programme

The arts grants programme aims to support a broad range of high quality arts activity across the county that will improve the wellbeing of the county.

Applicants may apply for grants between a minimum of £5,000 and maximum of £20,000 per year. Large scale projects can apply up to a maximum of £40,000 that can be spread over a two-year period.

Cabinet member for public health and wellbeing Councillor Robin Brown said: “We are very pleased to be able to launch this new fund and are looking forward to seeing applications from organisations with enterprising and innovative ideas. We’re investing an extra £200,000 to support projects which will see people and communities support each other, particularly with regard to public health or social care. We also want projects that will eventually become financially self-sufficient, so that they can continue when the initial investment has ended.”

Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Suresh Patel said: “Funding is available for schemes that support the council’s overall goals of improving the wellbeing of local communities and helping people to take charge of their lives. It’s a chance for local organisations and projects to apply for money that will make a real difference.”

Anyone interested in applying for a grant from any of these schemes should contact the Northamptonshire Community Foundation http://www.ncf.uk.com/

The Jamie McMahon murder trial has collapsed after one of the defendants parted company with his legal team.

Mark Lewis, aged 19, of Clickers Drive, Upton, Northampton, and Michael Francis, aged 33, of St James Road, Northampton, were both on trial charged with murdering the 26-year-old in St Giles Churchyard, St Giles Street, in the early hours of October 2 last year.

However, after the first day of evidence, John Lloyd-Jones, defending Lewis, announced that he had urgent discussions he needed to complete with his client.

Following a two-and-a-half hour delay, the jury was brought back into court and told the trial could not proceed any further. Mr Lloyd-Jones and his legal team were not in court this afternoon.

Judge Rupert Mayo discharged the jury shortly after 2pm after telling them he had made the decision the case could “not go any further”.

Judge Mayo said: “I discharge you from reaching a verdict in this case. As far as you are concerned, this case is now finished.”

Judge Mayo has listed the case for mention on June 20. He said he wanted to allow enough time for Lewis to appoint a new legal team.

Two men were approached by a gang in a Northamptonshire street who attacked one of them.

The robbery happened on Wednesday May 21 at about 10.45pm, when the victim, a 26-year-old man, and a friend were approached by three other men while walking along Rockingham Road, near Duke Street in Kettering.

After being threatened with a knife, the victim was punched in the face causing a broken cheekbone. The offenders demanded money and stole cash, jewellery and an iPhone, before driving off towards the town centre in a light grey/silver BMW 5 series.

The offenders are described as black, aged in their late 20s to early 30s, about 6ft 2in, with a slim. They were all wearing dark clothing.

Witnesses to the incident, or anyone with information, is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Improvement plans for a busy Northamptonshire road have been pulled forward following a successful bid for more funding.

A scheme to reduce heavy congestion on the A43 between Kettering and Northampton, which is used by 20,000 vehicles a day, is scheduled to start in spring next year.

But a £2.055m government grant will mean that improvements for the Round Spinney roundabout, which will cost a total of £3.425m can begin this financial year.

Northamptonshire cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, Michael Clarke, said: “A good link between Northampton and Kettering is absolutely essential for the county and a key priority for the county council.

“Anyone who has travelled on this route knows just how busy it can be and, not only is this inconvenient, it is also an impediment to further economic growth and associated benefits.

“I’m delighted that through innovative funding solutions we’re starting to make some headway with this project and I’m pleased that the first stage of works will be starting soon.”

The improvement scheme will be divided into phases, including: improvements to Round Spinney roundabout, dual carriageway linking Round Spinney and Moulton roundabouts (18.75m); a further 2.6km extension of the dual carriageway from the Moulton roundabout to the Holcot/Sywell roundabout (20m), as well as further extensions from the Holcot/Sywell roundabout to the A14 (£65m).

Funding sources still need to be identified for later phases.

An “evil rapist” who abducted a 10-year-old girl as she played outside her home then sexually assaulted her has failed to persuade top judges that he did not deserve a life sentence.

Jason Richard Watts, 33, snatched the little girl after offering her sweets last year.

He took her to his home in Northampton and kept her there for two hours, subjecting her to violence before raping her.

Watts, who blamed his behavior on a difficult upbringing and a head injury he suffered some time ago, was jailed for life at Northampton Crown Court in November last year, after pleading guilty to kidnapping and rape of a child under 13.

He was given a minimum term of seven years two months and also handed a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

On Tuesday Lord Justice Elias, Mr Justice Burnett and Judge Nicholas Cooke QC, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, quashed the SOPO, but refused to overturn his life sentence.

Lawyers for Watts told the court that he was “ashamed” of what he had done, and could only explain it by reference to a head injury he suffered in 1999, which had led to him suffering “personality change”.

The court also heard that Watts was brought up in care from a very young age and suffered a “very damaged childhood”.

However Lord Justice Elias refused to give him a definite release date, or to cut the minimum period he must serve before applying for parole.

Quoting the sentencing judge, he said that Watts had displayed “an inconceivable level of evil” by committing the offences, during which, as well as being raped, the victim was “punched in the face...threatened with strangulation and physically injured”.

“There is no doubt that the sentence is high, but the nature of the offences was particularly appalling.

“We consider a life sentence was one which was properly open to the Crown Court judge, and there can be no complaint about the minimum term,” Lord Justice Elias said.

However he overturned the SOPO, saying it was unnecessary, as it was coupled with the lifetime restrictions on an offender inherent in a term of life imprisonment.

A nationwide Think Digital campaign has been launched across Johnston Press titles to encourage small companies to bolster their businesses by advertising online.
The initiative aims to promote the power of digital to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who may have traditionally only advertised in print or who are baffled by the online opportunities available to them. 
A recent study by the Advertising Association, Advertising Pays 2, suggests that for every £1 spent on advertising, a SME’s turnover will grow by around eight times that of a larger company. And those who advertise online and engage in social media are far more likely to see an increase in customer loyalty.  

“Digital advertising and harnessing the power of social media to promote their business can, for many SMEs, feel daunting but it can be the perfect way to broaden their reach and give them the ability to really engage with their audience,” said Neil Jones, Johnston Press’ Chief Commercial Officer. 

“Johnston Press has almost 14 million monthly unique users across our online portfolio. We know digital and we understand what a powerful tool it can be. Our Think Digital initiative will encourage our customers to consider the many other opportunities available to them which can complement their print advertising spend in a really efficient and economical way.”

One of Johnston Press’ marketing platforms is Digital Kitbag, which can enhance a business’ online presence by providing a fully integrated digital marketing solution for local businesses keen to reach an online audience for the first time or ensure their business website is unique and has stand out.

“Small business owners really do need to start putting digital at the heart of their marketing plans and we’re perfectly placed to help them focus on what they need to, which is running their business, and let us take the headache and hassle out of digital marketing. We hear all the time that SMEs don’t think digital because they simply don’t understand it and as a result are really missing out on valuable potential customers.” added Neil. 

Think Digital runs throughout June. To find out how we can help your small business cALL 01604 467000 or email chron.advertising@northantsnews.co.uk.

Preparations for the 2014 Grand Prix at Silverstone are well underway and Northamptonshire Police is encouraging people to make sure they are well-prepared ahead of the event.

Traditionally a low-crime event, officers want visitors to the circuit and neighbouring campsites to do their bit in order for everyone to have an enjoyable time.

Superintendent Richard James is the event commander. He said: “The British Grand Prix is the country’s biggest supporting event in terms of the number of visitors and working with partners, we are committed to ensuring each and every visitor goes home having had an enjoyable, safe weekend.

“As such, I would urge everyone planning to visit the circuit to spend some time before their trip to think about what they plan to do to keep safe.

“During last year’s event 75 crimes were committed – of which 40 were thefts from tents, many of which took place overnight.

“We want people who will be camping during the weekend to think about security before they arrive. Is there any way you can secure your tent while you’re at the track – or while you’re asleep?

“Simple things like making sure you have a padlock that can secure the entrance to your tent can make a difference. Or attach bells to anything that could be stolen, so if your tent is broken into at night you will hear the offence taking place.

“Police officers will be routinely patrolling the camp sites and private security teams will also be on hand during the weekend but visitors must take responsibility for securing their property.

“We want everyone attending the Grand Prix to have an enjoyable time and that includes not becoming a victim of crime.”

Get up-to-date crime prevention advice throughout the race weekend by ‘liking’ Northamptonshire Police on Facebook or following @NorthantsPolice on Twitter.

Useful crime prevention tips include;

TENT SECURITY

Don’t leave your valuables in your tent when it is unattended.

Once you get to Silverstone one of the main things to keep safe and secure is your tent, especially if you’ve taken all your worldly belongings and they are all inside your tent.

Tents are, by their very nature, not secure. If you are spending a lot of time wandering around Silverstone then your tent will spend a lot of time alone.

Leave your tent untidy; don’t make it easy for a thief to grab a bag with everything in it.

There are ways to make your tent as secure as possible, especially at night when you return from the circuit.

When you’re in your tent secure the zip pulls together with a padlock, to stop anyone getting inside.

Remove your wallet or purse from any clothing and hide money close to you while you sleep. Consider investing in a money belt that you can wear while you sleep.

Consider purchasing some purse bells or purse alarms that activate when your purse is removed so you can hear it being stolen.

GADGETS

Leave your shiny smart phone at home and bring an old one with you instead.

If you can’t live without your smart phone, tablet or laptop make sure you protect it. Download an anti-theft app before you set off; most are free, quick to install and will give us the best chance of finding your phone and hopefully catching the person who took it. To find and install an app go to your app store and search ‘anti-theft’.

Before you leave, make sure someone back home has details of the make and model of your phone, its IMEI number and any password. Also note down the account username and password of your tracking app.

When you arrive at Silverstone please remember to be discreet with your phone, keep it out of sight.

Register your property phone, MP3 player, camera and other property on the Immobilise database. It takes only a few minutes and is free.

Use a UV pen to write your postcode and house number on your stuff – it’s invisible to the human eye but if your gadget comes into a police station we will check it with our lights and return it to you.

Finally, please remember that it is against the law to report a lost phone as stolen just so you can get a crime reference number and claim on your insurance to get a new phone. It’s not worth risking a criminal record yourself just to save yourself a few quid.

PERSONAL SAFETY

Be aware of your surroundings and who is around you when you whip out your wallet to pay for your pint. Don’t take more money than you need, there are cash points on site or you can pay for items on your card.

While walking around the Silverstone site and campsites try and stay with friends, especially at night – there really is safety in numbers.

Stick to walking in well lit areas where possible.

Be aware of your surroundings. We would advise against wandering around wearing headphones.

Don’t flash your cash about, or broadcast how great your fancy new iPad or mobile phone is.

By all means, please have a good time, but remember that drinking too much hampers your judgment – one drink too many can lead to many problems – not least forgetting where your tent is. You can also become prone to assault or robbery when drunk – so try not to have too much and keep aware of your surroundings.

Consider the need to carry around a personal attack alarm some are available with a torch.

Don’t challenge people looking through tents - report them to Silverstone campsite/circuit staff or the police

CAR CRIME PREVENTION ADVICE

Don’t leave any property on display. What is not valuable to you, may be valuable to someone else.

Think – Remove it, Lock it, Keep it.

Make sure you close your windows and lock your car, put your alarm on and use any visible security device, like a steering wheel lock.

Northamptonshire Police have named the three men who died in two separates crashes in Corby on Sunday and Monday.

Luke Brady, 23, of Corby, died early on Sunday morning after being found seriously injured in Studfall Avenue at 1am.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Two men also died during a road traffic collision on the A6003 early on Monday morning.

The crash took place between the Oakley Hay roundabout and the BP Fourways roundabout, when for reasons yet unknown, a red BMW and silver Vauxhall Corsa were in collision.

Oliver Geddes, 25, of Desborough, was driving the BMW and 23-year-old Grzegorz Tobola, of Corby, was driving the Corsa. Both men died at the scene.

Police would still like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed either of these collisions or who may have any information regarding them.

Anyone with information or who witnessed them is asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174 615.

A tractor driver has been arrested this afternoon (Wednesday) after being stopped driving slowly on the M1.

A concerned lorry driver called police at around 3.40pm after spotting the tractor driving southbound on the M1 between junction 16 for Daventry and junction 15a for Northampton.

The tractor was reported to be driving very slowly.

The driver of the tractor was pulled over and was arrested for driving without due care and attention.

Officers also seized the tractor which is currently at Mereway.

Owners of the Grosvenor Centre need to decide to commit to the town - or let someone else - now the Rushden Lakes development has been approved, Northampton’s council leader says.

Legal and General had promised a £250m expansion of the site back in 2012, but had delayed any major overhaul while the plan for a 31-acre shopping development in the east of the county was still being decided.

Today Rushden Lakes was given the go-ahead by the secretary of state for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles.

Leader of Northampton Borough Council, Councillor David Mackintosh (Con, Rectory Farm) is to meet with the Grosvenor Centre owners tomorrow in light of the announcement.

He said: “I need to make it very clear to Legal and General that now we have clarity over the Rushden Lakes development - there are no ifs or buts -the Grosvenor Centre expansion must happen.

“If they are not committed to making it happen, the borough council will find someone that does.”

The Rushden Lakes development will have a mixture of shops, leisure facilities, space for up to four waterfront restaurants, a hotel and creche, a boathouse/activity centre and a lakeside visitors’ centre.

Marks & Spencer has already signed up to be an anchor store if the complex just off the A45 near Rushden was approved.

The council leader said in order for Northampton to compete with that - an expansion into the former Greyfriars depot would be crucial.

“With the recent Northampton Alive projects, the one bit that is still missing - the big piece of the jigsaw - is the to improve the retail option in Northampton.

“In order to do that we need to redevelop Greyfriars.”

Currently a £3m interior renovation is underway at the Grosvenor Centre, which owners Legal and General say they are committed to completing.

Head of retail development, Simon Russian, said: “The Grosvenor Centre is the engine room of Northampton town centre and it is for this reason that we continue to focus our energies and investment on protecting its position.

“This includes progressing our multi-million pound refurbishment project, which offers a new look for the existing building and seeks to provide both an attractive tenant line up and a positive shopping experience.”

But MP for Northampton South Brian Binley has accused Legal and General for lacking ambition.

He said: “They are sitting financiers, not entrepreneurs.

“I wouldn’t trust them to start up a small business because they wouldn’t have the spirit, the courage, the endurance to see it through.

“They seem to be frightened by every little thing that comes along.

“So I say this to them - get on with the promises you have been making since 1999.”

A new appeal has been launched by Northamptonshire Police to identify a man whose body was discovered in Northampton almost 12 years ago.

On the morning of Sunday, September 29, 2002, the Wildlife Trust organised a litter pick of the wooded nature reserve at Lings Wood on the eastern side of Northampton.

During this, the body of a deceased male was found in a small den area underneath some rhododendron bushes. Police were notified and the body was eventually recovered, but to date this body has never been identified.

It is thought the body may have been in situ for up to 12 months and was badly decomposed. A subsequent post-mortem examination did not establish a cause of death.

The appeal, which includes a clay model reconstruction of the man’s head, was broadcast on the BBC1’s Crimewatch Roadshow programme, which is being broadcast from Northamptonshire today and tomorrow (Friday)

He was an adult male, aged between 25 and 50, and he was between 5ft 8in to 6ft, probably with dark hair.

Dental records suggest he would have been at least 30 years of age and isotopic bone examination suggests he lived a large part of his life in an area with prominent chalk/limestone geology.

Fingerprints were not discernable and further analysis is required in continued efforts to enhance his full DNA profile.

Items found with the body included a beige sleeping bag, a black Equinox fleece jacket, a blue Viale work wear top, a green and brown ‘Jet Flow’ Torille 40 Outbound rucksack, cigarette lighters, a purple comb and hairbrush, a spectacle case and lens cloth and a damaged black and white photograph.

He was wearing a pair of blue and grey ‘New Balance’ trainers, white socks, navy ‘Petroleum’ track-suit bottoms, a pair of boxer shorts, a long-sleeved Polo-style top and a short-sleeved Polo-style top.

A full investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Police in 2002 as led by the force Homicide and Major Crime Team.

Neil McMahon, from Northamptonshire Police’s Cold Case Review Team, said: “We’re very keen to try to identify this man and that’s our primary concern here. It has been more than 12 years since he died and we still don’t know who he is. We want to bring some closure to this case and we are taking this opportunity to try to reach as many people as possible here and around the world.”

The services of the National Missing Person Helpline (now called Missing People) and the Missing Person Bureau (now within the umbrella of the National Crime Agency) were utilised.

Anyone with any information which could help identify this man can call Missing People on 0500 700700.

An academy trust that sponsors three primary schools in Northampton has announced plans to create a new ‘all-through’ school on the site of a former Royal Mail sorting office in the town.

The EMLC Academy Trust, which is based in Olney and was set up in July 2012, would like to run a new school on the Barrack Road site, which has been bought by the Education Funding Agency.

Northamptonshire County Council has held a consultation on plans for a £20million project to convert the site into a secondary school, as well as a commuity space and possible commercial unit, and potential sponsors have been invited to submit bids to the Department for Education.

The EMLC Academy Trust would like to sponsor the new school and build on links with nearby Castle Academy school in St Georges Street, a school it took over in January this year.

EMLC will be launching their proposal for the Barrack Road school, to be called the Northampton International Academy, to councillors and the local community during a consultation at Castle Academy on Thursday.

A spokesperson has said the trust’s proposal can be summarised in three words: “Transforming Life Chances”.

EMLC plan to live up to these with a 10-point proposal, which will include focus on quality teaching staff, vocational and specialist subjects, language learning and strong partnerships with parents, local businesses and the community.

EMLC Academy Trust chief executive, Jan Marshall, said: “We have been working closely with Northamptonshire County Council and the Department for Education about this exciting proposal to combine Castle Academy with this new academy proposal, for the benefit of pupils from all ages to be educated on one site.

“The local authority has been aware for some time that there is a need for a new secondary school in the town and to offer new all-through provision, with a strong focus on academic subjects, is something we know parents will be very excited by.”

The new development on the Barrack Road site itself will see 1500 new secondary places opened for local pupils, with 420 primary places and 250 Post 16 places.

The Department for Education, who purchased the site, have invited sponsors to submit a Free School proposal before October and the new academy is scheduled to open in September 2016.

Parents who would like to register their interest and give their views on the proposl download a questionnaire from: www.emlcacademytrust.co.uk. Further parental consultation sessions are planned to take place at Castle Academy on 25 June and 17 July from 3.15pm. For more information, contact: rebecca.pinney@emlcacademytrust.co.uk.