It's a rare kiddo-free day. Obviously with such an opportunity, The Man and I can't help ourselves but choose to spend it romantically fighting through the Christmas crowds of Croydon!

That's right, holding hands and sharing some Christmas cheer is well and truly off the cards. Instead, I'm spending the day ignoring his disdain for other shoppers and pretty much anything Christmas-related.

Dodging other festive folk, I spot The Man's dream gift. A box of pants gently wrapped in scented tissue. Oh yeah. Glancing to the side, I see him eyeballing a pushchair that has just clipped his leg. It's now or never. Mission Purchase Pants must begin.

I wail I need to try something on. A foolproof decoy. The Man steers well clear of any changing room antics, generally due to the risk of being asked to comment on the size of my bottom. Dangerous territory for any man. This is his cue to go to do something blokey… like play with his phone in a corner.

I pick up a disgusting lycra-type dress, small enough to fit a hungry child. The Man has taken the bait and is engrossed in one of his apps. I snap up the pants, pausing momentarily to check the size and price.

We are good to go! I slide the gift to the sales assistant gesturing with weird hand movements in the direction of The Man. She gets the gist and offers me the card reader. Bingo. Bag in hand, mission almost complete. I glide up as slowly as I can, so as not to distract husband and hastily add my bag to the others.

The dress must have suited me as I look so pleased, he says. I shrug and say it's a bit too pricey and offer to buy him a snack as a distraction. All is well.

Once home I scuttle to the bedroom to hide my sneaky purchases. I am surprised to see one of my bags has already found its way under the bed. I'm sure no one else would think of such a top secret hiding spot?

Opening the bag, I get the shock of my life. There lies the lycra dress I had no chance of fitting into. Not only has The Man managed to gift me under my nose but he has claimed the best hiding place in the house.

Ultimate fail. Thank God for gift receipts.

A TEAM of Trinity School pupils have been busy showing off their entrepreneurial flair.

For the third year in a row, a team from the school in Shirley has been named November's regional winner in the IFS Student Investor Challenge.

This year's winning team, Stochastic, was made up of Year 13 students George Webb, Ejaaz Ahamadeen, Peter Chambers and Edward Tidball.

Against the backdrop of a poor economic climate, they turned their virtual £100,000 share portfolio into a £147,949 return, since the beginning of trading in November.

George said: "With markets particularly on edge at the moment, it has been very interesting to complete the challenge.

"It has definitely taught me about risk management and about the need to have confidence in the stocks you own".

Rod McKee, vice-principal of the IFS School of Finance, said: "This competition gives students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of making investment decisions, which will benefit them throughout their lives when making financial choices."

IT HAS certainly been a season to remember so far for Crystal Palace. And Advertiser Sport has been with them every step of the way up and down the country.

We have selected a number of photos to highlight the campaign so far, including Kagisho Dikgacoi's dramatic winner at Peterborough, Wilfried Zaha's stunning second goal at Wolves and Damien Delaney's first strike for the club against Millwall, to name a few.

After a poor start in August, the Eagles embarked on a 14-match unbeaten run, which was kick-started by a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on September 1.

Another win followed away at Charlton, while October presented one of the most testing times of the season when manager Dougie Freedman departed for Bolton Wanderers.

However, the club unveiled Ian Holloway as his replacement, with Croydon-born Keith Millen as his assistant.

The attacking trio of Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Glenn Murray may have taken most of the plaudits so far, but the whole team have been fantastic.

Signs of a feud emerged last Friday after the Advertiser revealed hospital chairman Michael Parker has resigned from his post after less than a year in the job, with another director following suit just days later.

Mr Parker will officially remain on the hospital's board until December 31, but an e-mail seen by the Advertiser, sent by Mr Parker to the rest of the hospital's board, reveals he was "asked" to resign and "advised" to leave immediately, taking holiday and lieu.

The e-mail history also shows NHS London originally planned to issue a press release putting Mr Parker's departure down to "personal reasons". But the story was then changed to "concerns" over governance.

It means the hospital will have had no chairman for three weeks by the time an interim chairman takes over on January 2.

The rift has been between Mr Parker and the current interim chief executive, John Goulston, who have made allegations against each other of "erratic behaviour" and "immoral financial and procedural" actions, the Advertiser understands.

Both men apparently deny any wrongdoing on their part.

Sources have said the rift deepened after Mr Parker made it clear he was against Mr Goulston – who took over as interim chief executive in May – getting the top job permanently.

Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell said: "This is the second time in a relatively short space of time that there has been a breakdown of relations between chief executive and the non-executives [chairman].

"It is really important for healthcare in Croydon that we get some suitable leadership at our local hospital that can help the quality of services and deliver foundation trust status.

"At the very least this is distracting the people who should be focused on improving care and that is why it needs to be quickly resolved."

Richard Ottaway, his Conservative counterpart in Croydon South, echoed these sentiments.

He said: "A lack of continuity at the top is clearly worrying.

"We need strong and steady leadership."

NHS London, the strategic health authority which appoints the chairman at Croydon Heath Services NHS Trust – the trust which runs Croydon University Hospital – this week said Mr Parker had been asked to leave because of "concerns" over the hospital's governance and performance.

However, one source close to the trust has told the Advertiser that Croydon's board of directors is "very angry" with NHS London while calling for current interim chief executive John Goulston to also be forced out.

Mr Parker and Mr Goulston were announced as chairman and interim chief executive respectively in March and have since presided over a number of concerns, which include:

A damning report by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), issuing two "major impact" warnings – the highest category and unprecedented in the hospital's history

Failing to hit a key emergency services target for the first time in several years after part-privatisation with Virgin Care

This year's financial forecast showing Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is set to make a loss or break even – which would be the first time a surplus has not been posted in six years

Concerns being raised that not posting a surplus of funds will lead to not achieving the "control total" target – an important target in achieving foundation status

"If Michael Parker has to go, then so does John Goulston. He has been acting chief executive while there's been poor performance," the source said.

Karen Jones, a non-executive for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, has also since resigned from her post.

An NHS London spokesman said: "There have been long-standing issues concerning governance at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.

"In addition, the trust's failure to appoint a substantive chief executive for the past ten months has had a knock-on effect on its finance and performance.

"That is why we have asked Mike Bell, currently vice chair at NHS London, to go in and commission a further independent investigation of the trust's governance arrangements."

Mr Bell will assume the role of interim chairman on January 2.

1. One of the most popular stories of the month was this one, about a new tram arriving from Germany under police escort. Desmond FitzGerald rushed out of his home on Franklin Way at about 9.20pm to take pictures. "With the police and the flashing lights it was quite dramatic," he told the Croydon Advertiser. "It's so iconic – it brings a whole new future to the service." Six months later, London Mayor Boris Johnson posed with a tram emblazoned 'Crystal Palace', but he was criticised in December after it emerged he'd failed to back the Tramlink extension despite it appearing in his manifesto.
2. Thousands of people read an emotional tribute to Purley chef Kevin Boyle, whose body was found in Coulsdon. Kevin, who was 26, had been reported missing in October, and his friends and family had been searching for him ever since. The talented chef was described by his sister Naomi as a kind, generous and thoughtful man, who cared deeply for those around him. Kevin's mother Patti has been campaigning with a group of mothers affected by suicide, and described depression as a 'cancer' of the mind, body and spirit.
3. A few days after the start of the New Year, it emerged Nestle was planning to leave the borough. Nestle, which was the town's biggest private employer, moved to Crawley and the Park Lane offices were bought by Legal & General, with 300 flats planned for the site. Bank of America Merrill Lynch announced it was closing in June, with the loss of 200 jobs, weeks after 150-year-old business Allders Allders went into administration. Concerns were raised over how the borough's economy would cope after losing major employers.
4. Dougie Freedman's column before Crystal Palace took on Cardiff in the Carling Cup semi-final. The Welsh side went through on penalties after an own goal from Anthony Gardner. Steve Parish later said referee Howard Webb's decision to send off skipper Paddy McCarthy had cost Crystal Palace a place in the final.
5. Also popular in January was a story about Croydon traveller Alexander Thompson, who wrote a book to 'end the big fat gypsy lies'. Mr Thompson, who had appeared in Channel 4 programme My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, said he wanted to challenge the stigma faced by members of his community.
6. At the end of the month, Croydon missed the worst of the snow which hit much of the UK, experiencing only a light dusting.
7. A man died after being hit by a train at Norbury station. The man was later named as 46-year-old Kamaljit Ryatt from Walthamstow. His death was not treated as suspicious. click here for details of how anyone in distress can contact the Samaritans.
8. January was also the month when Croydon Council gave permission for a 55-storey skyscraper, Britain's tallest residential building, to be built in the borough. Construction on One Lansdowne Road, a £350million development with a 217-bedroom hotel, 397 flats, 13 floors of office space and a health club, is to begin early in 2013.
9. The Croydon Advertiser also covered the story of Jenny Dampreh, who had to be taken to A&E after a routine bikini wax went horribly wrong. The 28-year-old mother of two said the experience had been more painful than childbirth.
10. Finally, pictures of a Carshalton school were also popular. The structure of Stanley Park High, on Damson Way, was conceived by head teacher David Taylor after trips to America and Denmark for inspiration.

TRAINER Ian "Jumbo" Johnson was involved in one of the most high-profile bouts of his career when he was the cut-man for Andrew Flintoff during the former England international cricketer's recent foray into the ring.

Johnson has known the McGuigans for years, helping their prospect Callum Frampton when he was on these shores, among other work with the Irish brothers.

On November 30, Flintoff jumped in the ring with fellow novice Richard Dawson, the whole thing chronicled in a TV series on Sky.

Based at Jumbo Boxing in Redhill, Johnson has been in the corner for a number of top professionals, but said working with Freddie was a real privilege.

"He's such a humble man," he said. "I don't think he will carry on boxing but I don't think he set out to. He got everything he wanted in one night - the crowd, the knock down, a black eye to show he's been in a fight.

"His boxing went out of the window a bit when he got tight, but for me it just showed how hard boxing is if you have never done it before. He had a lovely jab and used it very well, but he's not a natural fighter and had to work very, very hard for it. I was very impressed with his attitude."

While admitting his most high profile bout was when he cornered for Albert Sosnowski in a world title fight with Vitali Klitschko, Johnson added the atmosphere was electric and that the cricketer had done enough to deserve it.

He said: "The crowd of 5,000 was phenomenal. He [Flintoff] said there were times where if it wasn't for Barry and Shane pushing him he could easily have given up."

1. A tram came off the tracks at East Croydon station in mid-February. The incident happened at about 6.30am, and no one was hurt. Tramlink services were suspended and roads in the area were closed. The incident was believed to have been caused by a faulty set of points.
2. A Croydon pub was caught up in a racism row after publishing a picture of revellers apparently giving the Nazi salute on its Facebook page. The image from Lloyds No 1 Bar (The Milan Bar) was emblazoned with official Wetherspoon logos, and was uploaded two days before Holocaust Memorial Day. The freelance photographer who had taken the picture apologised, and said the fallout had been the worst moment of his life. He also wrote a letter of apology. The bar decided to stop using his services.
3. February was the month when House of Reeves arsonist Gordon Thompson admitted burning down the furniture store during the rioting the summer before. The 33-year-old initially denied the charges but changed his plea during the trial, admitting burglary and arson being reckless whether life was endangered. In April he was jailed for 11 and a half years
4. On February 13, Virgin Active in Croydon town centre was evacuated after a 'chemical incident'. It is understood the incident was triggered when a cleaner mixed some products together, which reacted to create a noxious gas. About 240 people had to leave the gym and Grant's shopping centre while emergency services in chemical suits checked the area, but no one was hurt.
5. A member of the English Defence League said in February he had delivered leaflets to more than 600 homes urging them to object to plans to build a mosque in Purley. Frank Day was living in New Addington, six miles from the site, but said he was concerned over traffic issues. The application for a mosque was rejected by Croydon Council in March. The group lodged an appeal in May, but this was turned down by the Planning Inspectorate in December.
6. Gary Hayward's mother Wendie spoke to the Croydon Advertiser to issue a desperate plea for help find those responsible for a savage attack on her son as he tried to protect his father. Gary, who is 29 and a father of three, sustained serious head injuries and still needs full-time care. No one has been charged in connection with the attack, which happened on Central Parade in New Addington on October 2 in 2011.
7. Kwesi Appiah moved from Margate to Crystal Palace in February. The 22-year-old signed for the Eagles on transfer deadline day, and said he was proud to follow in boyhood hero Ian Wright's footsteps. He made his first appearance in Crystal Palace's 1-1 draw with Coventry in early March, and returned to Selhurst Park in October after a spell on loan to Aldershot Town.
8. Is Croydon in Greater London or in Surrey? This is a question which continues to vex many. The answer, by the way, is Greater London - it ceased being part of Surrey in 1965. A Croydon Advertiser survey found more than six in ten people living in the south of the borough preferred to say they live in Surrey. This prompted a lengthy discussion online, with one commenter pointing out people could write 'Venus' on an address as postal regions are no longer used by Royal Mail. Labour Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone said he would look at holding a referendum if elected, while Conservative Boris Johnson said he would 'cross this bridge when he came to it', pointing out people in London have various advantages those living outside the capital don't have.
9. In early February, then Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks told the Croydon Advertiser that Croydoc directors who had allowed Dr Ravi Sondhi to run the out-of-hours service like his own bank account should never be allowed to hold NHS management positions again. Dr Sondhi withdrew more than £100,000 from Croydoc's accounts, as well as conning staff and patients at his own surgery out of £260,000. He failed to answer calls when on duty and ran the service from his home in Norfolk. Dr Sondi was suspended by the GMC, but will not face prosecution.
10. In February we also brought you the story of James Naylor, who set up Croydon Tours to prove there's more to our borough than rioting, crime and the Croydon facelift. Mr Naylor takes people on guided tours of Croydon, showing off views, landmarks, notable spots and even locations where Peep Show was filmed. He also runs ghost tours of the borough.

CRYSTAL PALACE'S hopes of securing one of the two automatic promotion spots took a major blow as they fell to defeat at league leaders Cardiff City on Boxing Day.

It all started superbly for the visitors, who took an early lead thanks to captain Mile Jedinak, but they were pegged back by Craig Noone's close-range shot before the break.

And in a poor second half for Ian Holloway's men, they conceded to Aron Gunnarsson's powerful header on 73 minutes to throw away at least a point.

With Damien Delaney suspended, Danny Gabbidon came in for his first Palace start against his former club, while Dean Moxey began at left-back and Jonathan Parr switched to right-back in place of the injured Joel Ward.

The Eagles got off to a fantastic start after just four minutes when Jedinak lost his marker in the box and fired home Owen Garvan's corner from 12 yards out after good work from Yannick Bolasie to win the set-piece initially.

Malky Mackay's side mustered their first chance of the match after 17 minutes when Noone fired wide from the edge of the box, but the visitors should have doubled their lead midway through the half on three separate occasions.

First, Glenn Murray found himself through on goal after Parr's clearance, but the striker's first touch let him down and allowed goalkeeper David Marshall to collect.

Then Wilfried Zaha cut in from the left, dinked past two defenders and curled an effort towards the top corner but struck the crossbar, while Garvan was denied by Marshall after curling a free-kick over the Cardiff wall.

Craig Bellamy was then denied an equaliser after finding himself through on goal but Peter Ramage got back to put the front man off for a corner.

Referee Gibbs seemed to frustrate both sides throughout the half with some strange decisions, with both Zaha and Bolasie receiving bookings, while Cardiff's next chance fell to Jordan Mutch from outside the box, but the midfielder shot woefully wide.

However, the hosts were back on level terms a minute before the break when Bellamy beat Parr down the left and cut the ball back for former Brighton & Hove Albion winger Noone to smash past Julian Speroni.

Murray blazed an effort over inside the box as the Eagles looked for an instant response, while the final action of the first period fell to Jedinak, who curled a free-kick over the wall but Marshall held well.

Bellamy should have put Cardiff in front just before the hour mark but he was foiled by Speroni from close range, while the Welshman went close soon after by hitting the post, only to be flagged offside.

Zaha thought he should have had a penalty minutes later after beating his marker, while Bolasie dragged a scissor kick wide from inside the box after getting ahead of Hudson.

Cardiff substitute Aron Gunnarsson sent a header wide from a Peter Whittingham free-kick midway through the second period, but the attacking midfielder made amends shortly after when he headed home from a corner to put Mackay's side in front.

Parr then went into the book for a late foul on Noone, while Andre Moritz entered the fray with 15 minutes to go for Bolasie, who was walking a tightrope from his earlier booking.

Whittingham nearly added a third after 78 minutes when he clipped the top of the crossbar direct from a free-kick, while Kagisho Dikgacoi went into the referee's notebook for dissent.

Palace battled for an equaliser but they had hardly deserved it after a poor second half showing, summed up by Gabbidon's wasteful shot over the bar from way outside the box with five minutes remaining.

Jermaine Easter came on for Parr in a bid to get something out of the game, but Cardiff were comfortable in the end and probably deserved to take all three points, but only just based on their second half performance.

A LANDMARK ruling over the use of bed and breakfasts as emergency accommodation may leave the council open to legal action by other homeless families, housing chief Dudley Mead has said.

Last week the Local Government Ombudsman ordered Croydon Council to pay £2,500 compensation to Shemiyah Andrews for placing the mother-of-three and her children in a B&B.

The report reiterated government guidelines which state that homeless families should not be placed in such accommodation for more than six weeks.

Mr Mead, cabinet member for housing, said the ruling set a "dangerous precedent" which has left the council vulnerable to similar complaints from dozens of the 543 families currently in emergency accommodation.

However, he confirmed the council will continue to use B&Bs due to the lack of available alternatives.

When asked about the ombudsman's report, published last Thursday, Cllr Mead replied: "I'm pretty angry about it, to put it mildly. We have a crisis going on and all the ombudsman can do is criticise.

"It could set all sorts of dangerous precedents. What I would say is that we will rigorously defend our actions in all these cases because I think we have been given an impossible situation.

"We have very little resources to deal with. What people don't consider is that we lost 60 houses during the riots. A lot of the stock we had has gone and hasn't been replaced. We are in the middle of a perfect storm."

The ombudsman ordered the council to apologise to Ms Andrews, 31, after ruling that housing officers had failed to take into account that the mother-of-three had declared herself homeless after fleeing her home in terror when threatened by intruders armed with hammers in April 2010.

The council offered her a place at Gilroy Court, in Thornton Heath, which the report deemed "unsuitable".

In total the council took 23 weeks to deal with Ms Andrews' homelessness application, failed to recognise her "desperate need" for accommodation, despite 37 phone calls, and also failed to consider anything but B&B accommodation, despite government guidelines.

As well as instructing the council to apologise and pay compensation, the ombudsman said frontline staff should be retrained in how to assess whether an applicant's particular circumstances warrant something other than B&B accommodation.

Cllr Mead said the council had considered appealing but decided it would not be a good use of public funds.

He said: "Of course we have apologised, but we feel the criticism is extremely harsh.

"I feel a great deal of sympathy for officers who are working under a lot of pressure only to have their slightest mistakes reported to the ombudsman .

"It would take enormous cost and resources to fight the ombudsman and I wasn't willing to do it."

Government guidance indicates that B&Bs are not appropriate for families but, as a last resort, should only be used for six weeks. Figures in October showed that of 254 families in Gilroy Court, 189 had been there longer than recommended.

A homeless family placed in a B&B in Wandsorth told the Advertiser this week that they intended to complain to the ombudsman.

A YOUNG woman has taken on the fight against homelessness after being thrown into the situation herself.

Jessica Chipperfield said she left her father's home in Addiscombe after his partner learned she was gay.

The 20-year-old has launched the Youth Homeless Campaign to help others in similar situations.

Jessica, who is sofa-surfing between friends, said: "I want to raise awareness of homelessness so people can understand the reasons for it – it is not the person's fault.

"Young people need to be given better advice and help in their way, rather than getting pushed and shoved about."

Jessica said she was also spurred into action after being disappointed with help she received from Croydon Council over her housing problems.

She said: "They gave me an information pack and told me I can get rent for £290 to £340. There is a lack of help and advice."

Jessica and co-founder Michael Castle, from New Addington, are now developing the campaign, talking to homeless people, gathering contacts and learning about the problem.

She said: "On Tuesday we started off at Queen's Gardens where they run the soup kitchen.

"We spoke to the homeless people and spoke to the volunteers. We went and searched for shelters and at car parks and other places.

"We spoke to one guy who was really friendly and said he had school and qualifications but was homeless due to his mum kicking him out.

"Another guy was sofa-surfing and his friends got fed up and so got me kicked out onto the street and beaten up.

"We spoke to as many people as we could; it is all about building it up now."

Luckily for her, she planned to go to her mother's in Mitcham for a few days over Christmas.

She said: "At the moment I have not got a job and people are saying to me because I am homeless I cannot get a job.

"I am taking each day as it comes and seeing what the next challenge is going to be. It is a struggle every day, not knowing where you will be sleeping."

A Croydon Council spokesman said it was sorry Jessica was disappointed with the service she received from the council but families with children had to come first.

He said: "Like many local authorities, the council currently has a shortage of temporary accommodation and has to prioritise families with children and those who are deemed vulnerable.

"We assisted Ms Chipperfield by offering guidance on finding her own private-rented accommodation and gave her an advice pack which included information on housing benefit, landlords, deposit schemes and hostels."

Visit the-yhc.blogspot.co.uk for more information

A BRAZEN thief stole a pensioner's wedding and eternity rings while she lay seriously ill in her hospital bed.

Bridget Coughlan, 70, had been given the diamond bands by her late husband.

But while she lay half-conscious at Croydon University Hospital someone forced them off the Kenley resident's arthritic fingers. Mrs Coughlan, a former Nestlé employee and charity worker, died never knowing her beloved rings had been taken.

Now Linda Davies, one of her closest friends, is appealing for help in her bid to reunite the rings with her family.

"Bridget absolutely loved those rings," said Ms Davies. "She would have been devastated to know they had been stolen.

"She used to say her wedding ring reflected her mood – if she was sparkling then it would sparkle. She would have felt as if she had lost a part of herself."

Mrs Coughlan was wearing the rings when she collapsed after suffering a fit at her home in Welcomes Road on November 30.

After being taken to Croydon University Hospital she had a second fit and was admitted to Heathfield 2 ward.

Ms Davies, 53, visited her twice a day. On the afternoon of November 7 or 8 she noticed her friend's wedding and eternity rings were missing. The thief ignored a third, plainer, ring on the same finger.

"Her hand was out from underneath the sheet and two of her rings were gone," she told the Advertiser.

"I could see there was an impression on her fingers where the rings had been. She suffered from arthritis so her fingers and joints were quite swollen. Whoever did this had to physically pull them – they wouldn't have slipped off.

"To do that to someone who is clearly in a weakened state is such a violation.

"She was very weak and couldn't drink without a straw. She was not unconscious but was very out of it. In terms of being absolutely vulnerable – she was.

"Whether it was a hospital worker of a visitor, I'm not sure. What I do know is that the only people who went to see her were with me or one of her brothers."

Ms Davies reported the theft to the hospital and the police but the rings have yet to be recovered.

They were given to Mrs Coughlan by her late husband and had deep sentimental value.

After he suffered brain damage following a road accident in the 1960s, Mrs Coughlan became her husband's carer, while raising their young son and working as a purchasing manager for Nestlé in Croydon.

In her spare time she was a keen golfer and became friends with Ms Davies after meeting at Purley Downs Golf Course.

Mrs Coughlan was also a popular socialite and, after her retirement, worked for a charity Grandparents Plus.

She never recovered from developing aspiration pneumonia after being admitted to hospital.

One of the rings is described as a platinum set single stone diamond ring, with three small diamonds on each shoulder.

The other ring is described as a white gold nine-stone diamond half-eternity ring.

Detective Constable Lucy Brookshaw, from Croydon CID, is investigating the theft.

"If the rings have been stolen as we suspect, then it is likely the thief will have tried to sell them on, so we are hoping somebody might have seen them," she said.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting DC Brookshaw's name.

A YOUNG mum stabbed to death in front of her six-year-old daughter has been named as Rebecca Sessacar.

Bulent Sessacar, the 25-year-old's husband, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder, was taken from the house on a stretcher and rushed to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Police were called to Duppas Court, a block of flats on Duppas Hill Terrace, at 3.20pm last Thursday after neighbours reported screaming and shouting coming from the couple's ground-floor home.

Officers knocked on their door but received no answer. They questioned Mrs Sessacar's neighbours before leaving.

Ten minutes later they returned with a battering ram and forced entry into the couple's flat.

Kurunanithy Mukunthan, 33, who lives in the same block, saw the couple's daughter leave the flat.

He told the Advertiser: "She came out a few moments after they had broken down the door. She had blood on her clothes and was holding a teddy bear. She was shaking and looked very frightened. Within a few seconds she had been taken away by one of the police officers."

Croydon Council has taken the girl into emergency foster care.

Mr Sessacar, 28, a personal trainer, was taken out of the flat on a stretcher about two hours later.

His wife was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was removed from the flat several hours later.

Police believe she was killed between 10am and 3pm. Her daughter, who goes to Parish Church CofE Nursery and Infants, in nearby Warrington Road, did not attend school on the day of the killing.

A post-mortem examination gave Mrs Sessacar's cause of death as multiple stab wounds.

She worked at Asda, Wallington, while training to be a teaching assistant at Aerodrome Primary School in Waddon.

Nick Harris, manager of the Asda store, in Marlow Way, said: "Our store is shocked and saddened by the news of Rebecca's death.

"She was a valued member of the team and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her family."

Mr Mukunthan described his neighbour as a "lovely, friendly person".

He added: "Whenever we saw her she would smile and say hello. She was really nice, very friendly.

"When my wife and I were looking for a school for our daughter, she brought us an application for Parish Church.

"A while ago Rebecca had a trampoline on the grass outside the flats. She dropped notes through all the doors saying that other children were welcome to use it.

"My wife saw her on Wednesday and said she was fine. They were talking and laughing together. Everything seemed OK."

The murder investigation is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Russell Taylor from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4868 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

THIS colourful quartet made quite a scene in Croydon town centre last Sunday.

The furry trio and their banger were raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, ahead of their forthcoming rally in aid of the charity.

Their 400-mile Two Tower Challenge from Crystal Palace to Blackpool must be completed in cars costing no more than £250, specially painted or decorated for the journey.

Rally organiser Simon Chapman said: "We had a great, if a little cold, day in Croydon.

"We collected a very healthy-sounding bucket and tin full of loose change, and even some paper money.

"We were blown away by how generous people were."

The rally will leave in January and currently involves some ten cars.

Mr Chapman added: "This is our chance to make a difference by supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust, which helps young people affected by the ravaging disease of cancer."

For more information, to see upcoming fundraisers, or to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/TwoTowerChallenge or www.facebook.com/groups/TwoTowerChallenge

A MAN has been charged with death by dangerous driving and grievous bodily harm after the death of a hotel receptionist who was hit by a car as she waited at a bus stop.

Nathan Davis, 27, of Normanton House, SW4, was arrested and charged last night (Thursday) after he attended a police station.

He is in custody and will appear at Camberwell Magistrates' Court today (Friday, December 28). 

Vanessa Chango-Alvarez was killed when an Audi A3 crashed into the bus stop she was waiting at in Streatham High Road at around 5.30am on Saturday.

The 31-year-old was staying with her mother in Streatham High Road and was on her way to work in central London.

A 51-year-old man who was also standing at the bus stop remains in a critical condition in hospital.

PALACE boss Ian Holloway felt his side deserved to add to their early lead at Cardiff City on Boxing Day, but was left to rue a number of missed chances as the Bluebirds stormed back to take all three points.

It was a disappointing second half for his side as they allowed Malky Mackay's men to run them ragged and it was the Eagles' inability to force a late equaliser that left Holloway frustrated.

"We started well and ended terribly, basically," he said.

"Wilfried Zaha hit the bar and Glenn Murray tripped over the ball when clean through, but I thought we stopped creating chances, and in these games you can't do that.

"You know Cardiff are going to come back at you with a crowd they have and I'm disappointed with the last 15 minutes because if any team looked like they were going to score another goal, it was Cardiff and not us.

"After they scored the second, I didn't think my team did what they needed to do. In fact, we got worse, not better."

And the manager hinted again that he will be looking to add some more firepower to support Glenn Murray in attack during the January transfer window, but with a few sloppy goals given away in recent games, he may even look at his defensive options as well.

"We are still playing well, but what we needed was the goal to go in with our play we already had," he said.

"Glenn Murray has got 20 goals and the rest of our team, I think Wilfried is next, has five.

"We need more goals in and around the place but unfortunately things have been going in at the other end and if you give someone a free header six yards out, they don't normally miss.

"I just didn't like the way we ended the game because you always should look like you know what you're doing, and we should have been probing them and they should have been hanging on, but they broke out and looked like they might get a third.

"That would have been the last thing I would have wanted so we've got to look at that part because that could be vital by the end of the season."

Meanwhile, with the transfer window fast approaching, Holloway was questioned about Wilfried Zaha, who went close with a thunderous shot against the crossbar and had an appeal for a penalty turned down in either half.

"I wasn't confident I was going to keep him on the pitch because he got booked," said the boss, who was frustrated with the referee's decisions going against his star winger.

"How dare he get fouled and tripped up so many times!

"Do I know if anyone is going to offer us anything for him? Do I know, based on his performance at Cardiff? Who knows?

"Unfortunately, he hit the bar with a brilliant bit of skill and it didn't go in. I wish it did. That would have been interesting, wouldn't it?

"I can't believe it [the penalty appeal] in the second half. I've looked at it, and if that isn't a penalty, then, you don't get that at Cardiff, not even a free-kick.

They go up the other end and get one. So, well done, good luck to them, maybe the colour red might make the difference – I doubt it because it's normally down to good players. "

One of those players came in the shape of Craig Bellamy, who picked up the man of the match award for a tireless display down the left, including the assist for Craig Noone's equaliser in the first period.

And Holloway was quick to praise the forward following the game.

"Players like him don't grow on trees," he said. "Players like him, as I said to my lads, they probably shouldn't be at this level but he's got a special affinity with Cardiff and he wanted to come and play here.

"He could probably retire but he wants to do something special for his hometown club, and he's quality.

"But I'm not saying my players aren't quality. Unfortunately, when we needed that bit of quality in the game, we didn't quite produce it even though we were on top."

With the games coming thick and fast, Palace travel to Nottingham Forest tomorrow looking to end the year on a high and go back to the automatic promotion places ahead of the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Day.

But Holloway insists there is still a long way to go and that nobody in the Championship has made a clear statement just yet.

"Nobody has done anything yet [in the league]," he said.

"I'll have a chance to think about Nottingham Forest, but then we've got Wolves. How good are these teams? Forest have got a big investor, someone who demands success.

"Wolves, their fans are baying for blood and they want success in a wonderful division.

"At the moment, Cardiff are doing better than everybody, but it was a lot closer between us in my opinion.

"If we had gone two-nil up, because we would have deserved to at that time of the game, what would it have been? Who knows."

"We'll lick our wounds and see what we can do against Forest, who aren't bad. But we aren't bad either."

ALDI has emerged as the third high street supermarket chain vying to open a store in the south of the borough.

The German budget supermarket group this week confirmed it wants to develop the car park on the former Red Lion pub site in Brighton Road.

The news comes after the Advertiser previously reported Sainsbury's aim to open a store at the existing Blockbuster Video site, in Purley High Street, and Waitrose's talks with Croydon Council to build a store in Lion Green Road, Coulsdon.

The Aldi proposal has already divided opinion between those who have raised fears it could have an impact on local traders and others who say it would boost the town's appeal.

Coulsdon West councillor Ian Parker said: "My main concern would be the impact on the local businesses, that it is in keeping with the rest of Coulsdon and how it ties in with the Masterplan and the Cane Hill development.

"Having supermarkets at both ends of the town is perhaps not such a bad thing but this goes beyond that, so we would have concerns about that and need to look at it.

"In its current state, the site is clearly not acceptable. We have had various complaints from people who park there and it doesn't look very attractive.

"Aldi owns it and have a right to say what they can develop there. My main concern is local shopkeepers with a Waitrose already close by."

An Aldi spokesman confirmed it is in "pre-application negotiations" with Croydon Council, with the supermarket chain expected to submit a planning application in the new year.

Charles King, chairman of East Coulsdon Residents' Association, said his group recently conducted a survey that found 55 per cent of people do not shop in Coulsdon and that a big-name store is needed to increase the town's appeal and give families more choice.

Mr King said: "It's not bad news. Coulsdon badly needs a larger supermarket. There's a huge leakage of retail out of Coulsdon.

"To bring the footfall in, you need a large supermarket. People are forced to travel out of Coulsdon to find somewhere that has the full range of goods for their family and this is a key spot in the town centre."

An Aldi spokesman said this week: "We are currently in pre-application negotiations with Croydon Council regarding the site of the former Red Lion Public House.

"We are looking to open a new store on this strategic site to offer brand-like quality at everyday low prices."

The Advertiser asked how big the store is likely to be and if any on-site parking would be created, but Aldi did not respond before we went to press.

Do you have a view on this story? E-mail newsdesk@croydonadvertiser.co.uk or join the debate at www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk

CHRISTMAS was cancelled for the family of missing schoolgirl Shelley Pratt with yesterday marking the seventh week since the teenager disappeared.

Lisa Pratt has not seen her daughter since she disappeared on November 8 after school.

CCTV images of the 14-year-old on the night of her disappearance have been circulated but there have still been no reported sightings.

Mrs Pratt said: "We aren't doing anything for Christmas, we won't be celebrating anything until Shelley comes home.

"It's been seven weeks and I don't know how to go on any more. It's getting harder and harder. We haven't seen or heard from her since then and that is just not our Shelley, she wouldn't do that."

The family of eight, Shelley being the youngest girl, will not turn on the many lights decorating their home in Crowther Road, South Norwood, as they feel they can't be festive without their child.

Mrs Pratt said: "Her dad just broke down the other day. He just sobbed for an hour and a half. It's just become too much for us. Shelley loves Christmas, she wouldn't want to miss it, I know someone's got her and won't let her go."

The Westwood College student was last seen on CCTV images in the early hours of November 9 with an unknown young man in Croydon High Street.

Approximately five minutes later, her Oyster card was used to board a route 60 bus towards Coulsdon. Since then there has been no sign of her.

Mrs Pratt said: "I pray we get her back before the new year."

Shelley was last seen wearing her school uniform trousers and a distinctive purple hooded jumper with the slogan "I love (heart symbol) London". The teenager is white, about 5ft 6ins to 7ins tall, with long brown hair.

Anyone with information about Shelley's whereabouts is urged to call the incident room on 020 8721 4906.