04/07/2014 BBC Oxford News

Good evening. Now on BBC One, it's time

A secondary school teacher from Swindon who used Facebook to

incite children to engage in sexual activity has been sentenced to

The court said Alexander Thomas had abused his position of trust

and attempted to groom sixth form pupils who he befriended online.

30`year`old Alexander Thomas arrived at court having been

At his trial, the jury had heard how he had targeted the girls,

the messages quickly became sexually explicit.

One girl was persuaded by the PE and Business Studies teacher to send

him photographs of herself posing in her underwear.

A second teenager sent him a topless image.

With two of his victims sitting only yards away in the public gallery,

the court listened as personal statements were read out.

One girl now looked back on her time in the sixth form as one of disgust.

Another one said she suffered from panic attacks and deprdssion.

Today, one teaching union said it has strict guidelines for the use

We advise extreme caution in using Facebook or any social medi`.

We suggest that our members do not friend any pupils or ex`pupils

The jury had found Thomas guilty of five counts of inciting

a child to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust.

And he admitted a charge of possessing

I would like to personally thank all of the

victims, who have shown courage by coming to court to give evidence.

This case highlights Wiltshire Police's dedication of

working with our partner agencies to safeguard children in our county.

The sentence handed down today by the judge reflects the sdrious

nature of these crimes and the impact it's had on the victims.

Jailing Thomas for two`and`a`half years, the judge told him this was

"You were motivated by your desire for sexual gratification.

"All these girls have been left affected in some way."

Police are investigating an attempted murder in Oxford.

A man in his 70s was found with stab wounds at a property in Littlemore

He's currently being treated in hospital, where he's said to be

Police have arrested a 56`year`old man.

A woman who claims she brought her three children here from America

to escape an abusive husband nearly 20 years ago has been extradited

Eileen Clark started a new life in Oxford back in the 1990s, btt her

former husband continued to pursue the case through the US courts.

She'll now face trial accusdd of "international parental kidnapping".

Legal campaign group Libertx called her forced return a "perfect example

The Prime Minister has joined the debate about whether frde bus

travel to an Oxfordshire school should be scrapped.

Parents contacted David Cameron after Oxfordshire County Cotncil

decided it would be safe for pupils in Cassington to walk to school

Children from Cassington are used to getting

the bus to Bartholomew School in Eynsham, but from September,

some may have to walk the two`mile journey alongside the busy A40.

The route was classified as unsafe by the county council

for years, but it's been reviewed and reassessed as safe.

That means, for many, the rhght to free travel will now be taken away.

I don't think it's a safe place for pupils to be allowed to walk

We're very much in the hands of the council, who are led slightly

by budgetary concerns and they have financial pressures.

But we have the safety of our children to consider as well and

But the council's told parents the route is safe for children to

walk and the accident rate for pedestrians is very low.

The campaign by the Cassington families has now gone all

One of the parents wrote to his local MP, who also happdns to be

In turn, David Cameron wrotd to Ian Hudspeth, the leader of Oxfordshire

County Council, and the Prime Minister asked that the pardnts

concerned about safety on this road are taken into consideration

The appeal will be heard later this month.

There will still be a bus service available next term,

but unless the appeal succedds, most parents will need to pay

It's all change at the top `t Oxford United.

In his place comes former Portsmouth coach Michael Appleton.

The business will also be restructured, with a new johnt owner

coming in alongside businessman Ian Lenagan, and a new chief exdcutive.

This from our sports editor, Jerome Sale.

They breezed in like a whirlwind, heralding a new era at

A new joint owner, a new chief executive

For sports reporters, enough to fill days of back page headlines.

This is the new main man, Darryl Eales, who worked in high fhnance

and Formula One and now for him the high octane world of football.

I've been 30 years in the business community

But football has been a massive part of my life and it's just an

All agree that owning a ground either here at the

Kassam Stadium or perhaps at Water Eaton is a priority.

We've now got Oxford United going in exactly the right directhon,

but with the opportunities that are coming for the stadium environment

and Oxford getting its own stadium, whether the Kassam through

acquisition or whether a new stadium,

The decision to sack Gary W`ddock after just three months in charge

was not one Lenagan wanted, but now he's only the joint owner.

The former Portsmouth and Blackpool boss Michael Appleton comes in.

He'll start work as manager on Monday, teaming up with the new CEO.

Michael Appleton is someone I've worked with in the past

and someone whose career I've tracked very closely.

And he fits that model and he understands that moddl.

He was educated in that model by West Bromwich Albion.

There are five weeks until the new season starts.

Supporters, for whom the main priority is seeing their te`m win,

will be hoping a new chairman, chief executive and manager will

also be followed by new plaxers and new success on the pitch.

It's the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend and

could be heavier bursts in the morning and it will stay very mild.

Loads of 15 to 16 Celsius so quite humid night to come. Heavy rain in

the early hours, but gradually we see drier periods as well. Rain

first thing, staying with us through the morning, but through thd

the morning, but through the afternoon we'll see an improving

picture. Cloudy in the first part of the afternoon, but then sunny spells

and maybe the odd scattered showers.