Frank le Duc, Brighton and Hove News Journalist Profile

Articles

Car park revamp means bigger bays but fewer

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

A cramped car park is to be revamped with bigger bays but fewer of them, Brighton and Hove City Council said today (Wednesday 28 May). The switch to electric cars has meant that newer vehicles tend to be not only bigger but heavier so the reduction in the number of bays will also reduce the structural load. The car park is more than 50 years old and its brutalist architectural style matches that of the early 1970s Hove Town Hall building opposite.
Jury acquits police officers who tasered 93-year-old man

1 week ago | sussexonlinenews.co.uk | Frank le Duc

A jury has acquitted two police officers of assault after they used a taser and pepper spray on a 93-year-old disabled man in a wheelchair. They also used a baton and handcuffs on Donald Burgess who died three weeks later although their actions were not blamed for his death. Despite their acquittal, the pair now face gross misconduct proceedings, Sussex Police said.
Brighton and Hove to receive £3.6m to train home-grown builders and carers

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

The government has awarded Brighton and Hove City Council up to £3.6 million to train more home-grown builders, carers and engineers. The Department for Education (DfE) said that the funding meant that the area would “benefit from radical skills reforms to deliver economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity for young people”.
Landmark hotel on Brighton seafront put up for sale for £18.5m

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

The Queens Hotel, on Brighton seafront, has been put up for sale with an asking price of £18.5 million by its owner, the Lowy Group. The company has owned the hotel, which dates from the middle of the 19th century, for 20 years and has instructed Christie and Co and Savills to market the premises including the freehold.
Depot needs power supply boost before council buys more electric bin lorries

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

The council’s bin depot needs to upgrade its power supply before more electric vehicles can be charged on the site in Hollingdean. And the local electricity sub-station is also likely to need a capacity boost in case extra electric bin lorries risk knocking out the power supply not just at the depot but in the surrounding area too.
Judge jails drug dealer with 400 points on his driving licence

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

A drug dealer with more than 400 points on his driving licence has been jailed after being caught behind the wheel while banned – and with drugs worth £30,000 in his van. Bilal Abdullah, 27, of Regency Square, Brighton, was driving a Citroen Berlingo van at speeds of up to 100mph, heading north up the A23, on a Tuesday morning last November. William Saunders, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court that Abdullah was spotted by police and he spotted them.
Judge jails drug dealer with 400 points on his driving licence

1 week ago | sussexonlinenews.co.uk | Frank le Duc

A drug dealer with more than 400 points on his driving licence has been jailed after being caught behind the wheel while banned – and with drugs worth £30,000 in his van. Bilal Abdullah, 27, of Regency Square, Brighton, was driving a Citroen Berlingo van at speeds of up to 100mph, heading north up the A23, on a Tuesday morning last November. William Saunders, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court that Abdullah was spotted by police and he spotted them.
Judge jails drug dealer with 400 points on his licence

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

A drug dealer with more than 400 points on his driving licence has been jailed after being caught behind the wheel while banned – and with drugs worth £30,000 in his van. Bilal Abdullah, 27, of Regency Square, Brighton, was driving a Citroen Berlingo van at speeds of up to 100mph, heading north up the A23, on a Tuesday morning last November. William Saunders, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court that Abdullah was spotted by police and he spotted them.
Girl, 16, seriously injured in bus crash in Brighton

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

A 16-year-old girl has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after she was hit by a bus in Western Road, in Brighton, this afternoon (Monday 26 May). Police closed the eastern end of the road in both directions, including the Churchill Square bus stops, as they dealt with the aftermath of the accident, with buses diverted. The accident happened at about 3.40pm and paramedics initially treated the girl was at the scene.
The Girl Who Caught A Killer tells how she brought Russell Bishop to justice

1 week ago | brightonandhovenews.org | Frank le Duc

Evidence from a remarkable seven-year-old girl put double murderer Russell Bishop behind bars – and she tells her harrowing but incredible story in a documentary that started streaming today (Sunday 25 May). Rachael Watts was rollerskating outside her home in Whitehawk in February 1990 when Bishop snatched her and bundled her into the boot of his car.