POLICE have increased plain clothes patrols after an 11-year-old girl was twice approached by a stranger on her way to school last week.

Officers took up positions near Beddington Park yesterday (Monday) as part of their efforts to find the middle-aged man, who approached the Year 7 pupil on September 24 and 25 near the London Road entrance to the park, while on her way to school.

Sutton Police say have taken the unusual step of revealing their early morning covert operations to reassure parents about "the proactive steps being taken by police to protect children".

Sgt Gavin Weldon said: "The Safer Parks Teams are well placed to do this kind of work. We know the local parks extremely well along with the roads and short cuts around them. We also have the flexibility to swop between uniform and plain clothes at short notice and to change our shifts. 

"Although there were no sightings of the suspect whilst we were in the area, further uniformed and plain clothes operations are planned."

The suspect is described as black, aged late 40s, about 5ft 7in tall and of slim build. He had a stubbly, dark Afro Caribbean hair and a distinctive protruding bottom lip. He was wearing a baseball cap, dark jeans and hooded jacket.

Anyone with information should contact Sutton Police station on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

PLANS to rename Norwood Junction station 'South Norwood' have provoked quite a reaction on social media, since the story was first reported by the Advertiser last week.

Paul Scott, Labour councillor for Woodside, wants the name changed because there is nowhere on train maps bearing the area's full name

But local history enthusiast John Hickman and several residents have hit out at the council suggestion, saying the name is absolutely fine as it is.

So, do you think Norwood should stay up the junction, or is a name change in order?

Please vote in our poll below. We'll reveal the result tomorrow.

A TEENAGER has been jailed for the manslaughter of a BRIT School pupil.

Benjamin Hayes, 18, was jailed for four and a half years at The Old Bailey on Monday, after being convicted of killing 17-year-old George Verrier.

Mr Verrier, an apprentice electrician, died after being struck by a single punch from Hayes following a heated argument in Southborough Street, Bromley, on September 1 last year.

The court heard that Hayes and George, who knew each other through playing football, both attended a 16th birthday party at a house in Blenheim Road, Bromley.

After the party had finished at about 12.30am, there were a series of disturbances and Mr Verrier was said by witnesses to be acting as a peacemaker, telling everybody to "Chill, leave it" and "Calm down".

The court was told that Hayes was "pumped up" and wanted to fight another man, but he instead he punched Mr Verrier in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.

Although he was temporarily knocked unconscious, he managed to get up and walk to a friend's house where he stayed the night.

But the following morning, his friend found the teenage victim unconscious in bed. He was rushed to hospital but died later that day.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as severe bleeding and pressure to the brain, caused by a fracture to the skull.

Hayes, of Constable Mews, Bromley was initially arrested on September 1 but later arrested and charged with murder.

He was said to be of previously good character and described in court as a "talented" student.

Speaking after sentencing on Monday, Detective Chief Inspector Diane Tudway, from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Benjamin Hayes punched George Verrier in an unprovoked assault. Tragically, George was trying to calm him down from his wound up state and he lashed out.

"While he never intended such grave consequences, he is clearly responsible for George's death and cutting short a young man's life. "George's death is a stark reminder that it can take only one punch to kill a person and devastate many lives."

A 14-YEAR-OLD from Croydon arrested on suspicion of raping a 19-year-old woman at Reading Festival has been re-bailed.

The alleged victim reported she had been raped in a caravan in the traders' area of the festival on August 21.

It is understood she had earlier met a man and a boy in one of the campsites.

A 14-year-old boy and a 31-year-old man were arrested and questioned in custody before being released on bail.

They returned to a Thames Valley police station on Monday (October 6) and were subsequently re-bailed until November 14.

A SENIOR Croydon politician who earns a six-figure salary from two jobs has called for all Tube drivers to be consigned to the scrapheap.

Steve O' Connell, a Tory councillor and GLA member for Croydon and Sutton, has repeated a previous call where he suggests driverless trains are introduced on the London Underground - a measure he claims would help drive down fares and save £141m a year.

In a letter to the Advertiser, Mr O' Connell said his idea is "common sense" and should happen sooner rather than later.

He wrote: "Driverless Tube trains may not be introduced for at least another 14 years according to an internal TfL document circulated around London's transport bosses.

"Londoners are already safely and happily riding on driverless trains on the DLR. If they're good enough for Paris, Copenhagen, Vancouver, Barcelona and Sao Paulo, there is no reason why they can't be expanded in the capital.

"Accelerating driverless trains on the Underground would cut the huge £141m annual tube driver wage bill. Ultimately, this would help bring down fares for Londoners and pay for vital progress like the 24-hour tube and flexible ticketing for part-time and shift workers.

"I've been advocating this common sense measure since 2010. We need to get on with it, not wait until 2028."

JULIAN Speroni says the first goal was key against Hull City on Saturday and that he didn't really have much to do until the hosts opened the scoring. Palace failed to perform to the same level previously against Everton and Leicester City, coming away from the KC Stadium with a 2-0 defeat. "The manager was pleased with the attitude but it was one of those games where we had some chances then they scored," Speroni told the Advertiser. "That first goal was key and then we were chasing the game. To concede a second goal, it was game over. "Before the first goal I hardly touched the ball. It was frustrating for me as a goalkeeper. "I thought we played well and under control, it was just the first goal which changed everything. We had to then go forward more and take some risks and in the end we paid for it. "Yannick Bolasie had a very good shot which the goalkeeper made a good save from but nothing went for us in the end."

ADRIAN Mariappa insists everyone needs to remember how well Crystal Palace have been playing recently and not get to down on the back of Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Hull City. The defender came on for the injured Scott Dann after 12 minutes at the KC Stadium and says the players will work on improving themselves in the international break. "Things just didn't go our way, it happens," Mariappa told the Advertiser. "We had a lot of decisions which went against us and we're disappointed to lose the game. "It's hard to put a finger on what went wrong, we'll look back at the video and see where we can improve and what went wrong. "We'll look to rectify it but everyone needs to remember the lads have done terrifically in the last few games - and our wingers have been ripping full-backs apart. "In the second half we just didn't quite click this time. "Some lads will now be going away on international duty and some will still be back here. It's a chance for a rest and break mentally maybe. "We'll just gather our thoughts and work on stuff for the next game."

OASIS Academy Coulsdon is appealing some of its GCSE results after receiving among the lowest overall scores in Croydon.

The school, in Homefield Road, had yet to reveal its benchmark figures, prompting concern among parents looking to make an informed choice of school preferences ahead of the deadline at the end of the month.

Oasis Community Learning told the Advertiser this week that 46 per cent of pupils left the school with at least five A* to C grades including English and maths, the government's main performance measure.

That is 15 per cent lower than in 2013 and the academy's lowest result since 2011. The Department for Education's (DfE) minimum requirement is 40 per cent.

A spokeswoman said the figure could change "significantly" pending a successful appeal of its English results, which saw 65 per cent achieve A* to C grades.

Barring a dramatic reversal, the school will be the fifth sponsored academy in Croydon to see results fall in 2014.

Last week the Advertiser reported results for the borough as a whole may have fallen for the first time in 11 years, from 64.4 per cent of pupils achieving at least five 'good' GCSEs in 2013 to 62 per cent this summer.

That conclusion is based on "unvalidated" data, with a number of schools, including Oasis Academy Coulsdon, questioning individual results.

The Harris Federation's academies in Crystal Palace and South Norwood both saw results fall, as did Quest Academy, in Selsdon, and Addington High, which was converted into an academy to improve standards but achieved a benchmark score of 37 per cent, the lowest in the borough.

While other types of schools - such as local authority-led Edenham High and voluntary aided St Mary's Catholic High - also posted worse results, it is the first time so many academies have failed to improve since the - at the time controversial - conversions in 2008.

Oasis Community Learning took over Coulsdon High in September 2008 and has gradually improved the school's results. Even if the school's appeal is unsuccessful, this year's score is still five per cent higher than it ever achieved as a local authority school.

A spokeswoman said: "Since opening in 2008, attainment levels at Oasis Academy Coulsdon have improved significantly and, in 2011, the academy received a 'good' judgement from Ofsted.

"All indications are that results will continue to improve and, as a result, local residents' confidence in the academy is returning."

She said the school would provide parents with the full GCSE results as soon as information is available.

Exam boards had warned this year's results could be "volatile" due to changes to the exam system designed to discourage schools from entering pupils early or on multiple occasions.

THE new Labour council has refused to publicly commit to investing a promised £33 million into the revamp of Fairfield Halls.

But the party's culture spokesman claimed the half-century old venue will get the refurbishment its management and board say it needs.

The assurance from Councillor Timothy Godfrey, the cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, made at Monday night's council meeting, failed to convince opposition Conservative members a that the full £33 million pledged by their previous administration would be spent.

Councillor Lynne Hale, the shadow cabinet member for culture, wanted a firm commitment from Cllr Godfrey that money would be available for a new roll on-roll off lift, allowing bands and artists to easily get huge amounts of equipment on to the stage.

She also wanted an equal commitment that the council would pay for the replacement of the halls' electrical and mechanical systems which, she said, were coming to the end of their natural life.

Cllr Hale said: "Without the roll on-roll off lift Fairfield won't be able to attract the shows it needs to be commercially viable."

Cllr Godfrey said there was a large capital programme involved with Fairfield and it was part of the overall vision for creating a cultural quarter in the town.

He said: "We do need to go back to basic principle of who drives the refurbishment.

"It will be what the Fairfield board and management need as opposed to what we think they need.

"If a roll on-roll off lift is what the management wants that is what we will do."

After the meeting, new opposition leader Councillor Tim Pollard said he remained unhappy that Cllr Godfrey would not openly commit to spending the £33 million pledged by his party when it was in power.

He said the figure was not plucked out of thin air, rather it was the total the board and management had agreed with the council was needed to bring about full modernisation.

SIR Ian McKellen visited Woodcote High School this morning as part of charity Stonewall's anti-homophobic bullying campaign. 

The Lord of the Rings and X-Men actor told 600 students that "coming out of the cupboard" was the best thing to happen to both his professional and personal life. 

He talked the audience through his experience of coming out to family, friends and the media, and his subsequent involvement with the founding of Stonewall, an LGBT rights charity behind the prominent 'Some people are gay - get over it!' campaign. 

Sir Ian's talk charted the successes of the charity, from the repealing of Section 28 to the Gay Marriage Bill. 

He said, unlike the prejudices he faced, there has never been a better time to be accepted as a gay or lesbian person, and that they should accept differences with interest rather than hostility. 

The venerable actor, 75, then hosted a lively question and answer session with sixth form students, which took in the issue of gay rights in Russia and why no current professional footballers in the UK have come out. 

Woodcote High is a Stonewall 'school champion' and has pledged to help challenge and eliminate homophobic and transgender bullying in the classroom. 

Kellie Rutledge, the school's head of personal and social education, said: "We have been working with Stonewall over the past couple of years on tackling homophobic language and behaviour, delivering assemblies and becoming Stonewall Champions.

"The visit was arranged to reignite the campaign. An inspirational talk from Sir Ian left the students mesmerised and gave food for thought on how we as a school can move forward and become ambassadors for young gay and lesbian students of the future."

FROM driving a van in Croydon and performing in pubs with his brother to moving into the X Factor contestant's house, the Advertiser caught up with Ben Haenow to hear about his "whirl wind" X Factor success.

Ben, who is one of three singers chosen by Simon Cowell to go through to the live shows, was in the garden of the X Factor house when we called.

"It's all been a whirlwind but it's been brilliant," he said. "It's a massive house. There's a shed by the swimming pool as big as my block of flats."

The 29-year-old from Shirley is sharing a room with fellow contestants Jake Quickenden, Andrea Faustini and Paul Akister after moving into the house last week.

And he is even sharing a bunk-bed with Jake: "I'm six foot four and almost 30 in a bunk bed! But they've put me on the bottom bunk so they have taken my age into account," he said.

"It's like a cross between being in prison and being in Glee. It's such an experience to be here with people sharing the same dream and ambition, everyone is singing all the time.

"Everyone is getting on, almost too well. But everyone's aware it's a competition and you can't discount anyone yet."

Ben was chosen by Cowell to join Jay James and Fleur East in the Overs group after impressing the judge at his home in LA with his rendition of A Little Help From My Friends.

"To get the yes I almost took Simon off his chair and into his swimming pool," Ben said. "I'm over the moon, you never think you'll get this far. To get to the judges houses that's the pinnacle, and there's so much talent in my group."

Cowell has previously suggested Ben, currently fourth favourite with the bookies to win the show, is "one to watch" in the contest, and Ben has already had the opportunity to take advantage of the music mogul's wisdom.

"I'm over the moon to have Simon," Ben said. "He's the main guy and he's come back this year. To get the main man and be able to go to him for advice and sit down and talk to him, it's the dream.

"He's very laid back and approachable. He said "just come to me if you need anything" and we've chatted a couple of times.

"I'm still star struck when I talk to him but it gets easier to open up to him."

And Ben has proven a hit with viewers as well as the judges. Before starting X Factor he had 23 Twitter followers; now he has 18,500.

He has had support from as far as America and Brazil, and of course his home town Croydon.

Ben said: "The support has been unbelievable. It's unreal they have seen you on TV and feel compelled to write something about you.

"Croydon have been with me all the way. When someone local does something like this the support from Croydon is unreal and it's nice to get that support from your home town."

But no one compares to Ben's biggest fan, his mum, who has supported his singing since he was a child.

Ben has sung in bands since he was 15, busking and going to jam nights in Croydon. In 2006 he became front man for rock and roll band the Lost Audio which he was in with his brother, Alex.

Ben entered the X Factor after Alex developed a condition that affected his hearing and the band had to stop gigging.

"My mum's an emotional wreck, but in a good way," he said. "And my brother too, they're just so over the moon and happy.

"My mum has been telling everyone. She works in Sainsbury's on customer services and people will come and ask her where the baked beans are and as they walk away she'll say "did you know my son's on X Factor!"."

And Ben is hoping all his new fans will be voting for him during the live show on Saturday, at 7.30pm on ITV 1.

"The nerves have gone away for the moment and I'm excited - I just want to get the one out of the way," Ben said.

"It's been an out of body experience, from doing gigs around the South East and now to be noticed for performing two or three songs. To have that overnight success has been crazy." 

IN HIS latest column, ALEX WHITE argues the case for Dougie Freedman to return to Selhurst Park...

THE Championship managerial merry-go-round appears to be in full swing, with Watford having appointed their fourth manager in six weeks and Russell Slade being appointed at Cardiff.

Therefore, it was no real surprise to anyone to see one of our former managers, Dougie Freedman, last week get shown the exit door by Bolton. With talk of Neil Warnock's backroom staff chopping and changing, could Dougie make a surprise comeback and would Palace fans welcome back the Scotsman?

Given his leadership aspirations and in part his ego I don't think Dougie would have too much interest in the role, but I would like to see if fans can forgive and forget following the controversial move to Bolton - after all he saved us three times. It might be good for someone like Dougie to go back to the drawing board and learn under Neil, much like Roy Keane and his role at Aston Villa with Paul Lambert.

Warnock has already added two people to his backroom staff to fill the void left by Tony Pulis and his team. He has reintroduced Ronnie Jepson to the club, having been part of Warnock's staff in his previous stint and followed him to QPR and Leeds respectively. Warnock has also brought in one of his favoured assistants, Kevin Blackwell, to replace Gerry Francis and overlook the team from the stand on a matchday.

I am pleased that Warnock has been given the opportunity and freedom to bring in his own staff but I also fear that the setup has taken a backward step. Of course I'm not at the club day to day and don't see the running but from the outside the staff employed all seem to lack the pedigree that perhaps Tony Pulis, David Kemp and Gerry Francis held. The guys that have been brought in seem to lack the top-level experience and knowhow and I believe that this could hinder us.

The experience of Team Pulis really prevailed and kept the camp mentally strong when times were tough. I'm not saying Freedman is the answer by any stretch of the imagination, controversially I would just like to see him back at the club one day as I believe he has unfinished business.

I think the answer has to be a coach with Premier League pedigree. It seems strange to point out a negative so early on into a reign and especially after a great start, but I think that a cutting edge and Premier League experience could prove pivotal come the end of the season. 

THE town's autism 'champion' wants to hear your views about services in Croydon.

Andrew Rendle hopes the survey will help him set up a forum to explore the challenges, and potential solutions, facing those coping with the disorder.

Cllr Rendle, who was elected in Ashburton ward at May's local elections, has direct experience of caring for a child on the autistic spectrum.

His son Luca, 4, attended the child development unit at Winterbourne Nursery and Infant School, in Thornton Heath, before moving to New Addington's Castle Hill Primary School in September.

Luca's younger brother Mika, 3, is on the waiting list to be diagnosed and Mr Rendle suspects he too is on the spectrum.

"I wanted the autism champion role as soon as I knew it existed," Cllr Rendle told the Advertiser.

"In politics there are areas people particularly gravitate toward and often that is because of personal experience.

"I know what a lot of people are going through with younger children but I want to find out a lot more about the challenges adults face."

Cllr Rendle has spoken to council officers, health officials, charities and other services providers, and now wants to expand his research to parents and carers.

"I really want to hear from people who live with autism day in, day out," he said.

"I want them to tell me what they think are the good points and the bad points. I want to know what the gaps are in services in Croydon.

"It will help me to decide which way we go with the autism forum. From there it's about how I can push autism policy in Croydon.

"At the moment it's a big fact-finding mission and I'm saying to everyone in Croydon: Please get in touch with me." 

Cllr Rendle can be contacted via email - andrew.rendle@croydon.gov.uk - or in writing at Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon, CR9 1ET. 

QUEST Academy's head boy met Prime Minister David Cameron while on work experience at Number 10.

Azhar Chaudry, 17, emailed Mr Cameron's team last December to ask about the possibility of a week-long placement.

The student, who is a Conservative Party activist, said: "I didn't really expect a response and, after six months of waiting, I'd given up hope.

"But then I received a request to send in my CV and three weeks later, confirmation that my wish had been granted!

"It was followed quickly by a letter from MI5 telling me I wasn't to tell anybody apart from my parents and my principal."

Azhar spent the week of his summer holiday with Downing Street's communications unit, which is responsible for handling Mr Cameron's correspondence.

He was involved in directing messages to the correct departments and had firsthand experience of the Prime Minister's social media team.

On the fourth day of his placement Azhar bumped into the man himself.

"I was coming back from the canteen and I saw David Cameron, who was just returning from a phone call with Barack Obama about the crisis in Iraq," he explained.

"He saw me, stopped, and asked who I was, what I was doing and where I was from.

"We walked together on his way to a press conference and, before he went in, I asked if I could take a photo and he obliged."

Azhar, who hopes to have a career in politics, added: "On my last day the head of the communications unit told me how lucky I had been. Only one other guy had been on work experience, and he was there because his mum knew Samantha Cameron.

"I feel lucky but, at the same time, the experience has reassured me that if you work hard and give things a go, then it's possible to achieve your ambitions."

Azhar was one of the guest speakers at Gavin Barwell's campaign launch at Fairfield Halls last month. 

THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating an incident in which a crane on a Croydon housing development snapped.

A crane on the unfinished tower block formerly known as the IYLO building broke during stormy weather on January 25.

It was thought it may have been hit by lightning but it is understood investigators have determined it was blown over by the wind.

A HSE official called the Advertiser this week to ask whether we had a weather forecast for the day in question.

She had called the Met Office but was told it was only able to tell her what the weather actually was, not what it was predicted to be.

The HSE press office refused to comment on the investigation when contacted by the Advertiser.

Fifteen fire engines and a police helicopter were sent to the site, though no one was hurt in the incident.

Construction work on the tower, which is on a roundabout on the corner of Wellesely Road and St James' Road, began in 2007 but has been beset with delays. At one time the half-finished structure was covered in graffiti and dubbed Croydon's most notorious eyesore.

Work on the development, now called Island, resumed last year and is due to finish in 2015. 

A BID to put the brakes on Westfield/Hammerson's proposed £1billion redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre will be dismissed, a High Court judge indicated at the end of a two-day judicial review.

The Hon. Mr Justice Collins had listened to the case of Equiom, acting on behalf of the Whitgift Trust - which owns around 50 per cent of the leasehold of the shopping centre - at the High Court yesterday and today (Wednesday).

Although Mr Justice Collins said his judgment would not be ready in writing until the end of the month, he wanted to make it clear at an early stage that he would "probably" dismiss it so all parties had time to plan their next steps.
The trust, essentially the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (Anglo Irish Bank), had argued a report by Deloitte on behalf of the Croydon Partnership into the viability of the scheme had been withheld from them, thereby prejudicing the planning process.
Deloitte's report was compiled before last November's strategic planning committee gave the plans the green light, and stated the affordable housing aspect of the scheme was not presently viable.
Representing the trust, Russell Harris QC argued the report was a "material consideration" the elected members of the committee should have seen before making their decision.
The council, however, believed the document to be confidential for commercial reasons.
While Mr Harris presented several different arguments throughout the course of the hearing, Mr Justice Collins indicated it was only the failure to disclose the Deloitte report on which he had to make a decision.

Croydon Council's cabinet member for homes and regeneration, Councillor Alison Butler, said: "We are very pleased that the judge has today indicated he will dismiss this claim.

"We have always been very clear about the importance of this development in Croydon's regeneration ambitions.

"We continue to focus on the next stage of CPO process."