A MAN pleaded to be sent to jail at Croydon Magistrates' Court today - but launched into a tirade of expletives when the judge said his crime wasn't serious enough.

Toby Sawyer, 42, pleaded guilty to threatening to smash a window at his sister's house in Wallington last October, but asked district judge Richard Inyundo to send him to jail because his benefits had been cut.

When judge Inyundo gave Sawyer a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 costs, Sawyer, of Larkspur Close, Wallington shouted "I will not pay it" to the court.

He shouted: "I don't give a flying f*** about all your orders, why won't you just send me to jail? You think I'm paying f****** anything you jokers?"

He was allowed to leave the court, but continued to shout expletives as he left, saying he wouldn't pay the fines so he would be sent to prison.

The Advertiser spoke to Tottenham fan and sports journalist Glenn Garrett ahead of Saturday's game. It's fair to say he's rather critical of his own side and believes the Eagles could get something at White Hart Lane...

It has been a mixed start for Spurs. What's happened?

Spurs have completely lost their way in the past couple of seasons, with a lack of direction from above. Too much chopping and changing at managerial level has cost us dearly, while the Gareth Bale money was spent on, quite frankly, sub-standard players. I still look back to the time we had Modric, Bale, Van Der Vaart, Parker, Sandro, Lennon… compare that to what we've got now and that shows why we are in decline. Etienne Capoue? No thanks.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man in the long term?

I'll be honest, I didn't want him in the first place. He did an OK job at Southampton, but what else is there on his CV? I hope he proves me wrong. Picking Younes Kaboul as skipper was a bad start, though. But, in my opinion, there are bigger issues at Spurs than Poch. We might get a new stadium by 2150 for starters! While I'm not a 'Levy-out' man – look where we were before him – he needs to set a course and stick with it. We used to scour Europe for top young talent. Now we sign rubbish like Fazio.

Christian Eriksen is in form. Who else is looking good for Spurs?

Eriksen is doing OK, but can do better. Harry Kane has obviously been the shining light and Ryan Mason has done well. But let's be honest, are they top four players, which is where we aspire to be? No. Hugo Lloris is our one truly top class player. He won't be at White Hart Lane next season.

Palace put up a fight at White Hart Lane in January. What are you expecting this time?

It'll be a strange game. Spurs haven't played at home at 3pm on a Saturday yet! Palace are a team of battlers and will make it tough for Spurs. If we get an early goal we'll go on to win by two or three. The longer it stays 0-0, the more I can see Palace nicking it.

Which Palace players have impressed you?

I don't get the love for Mile Jedinak. He can't pass a football. Yannick Bolasie is the type of player Spurs need. Fast, direct and with a trick or two.

And finally, a score prediction for Saturday?

On paper is should be 3 or 4-0 to Spurs. But this is Spurs. I'll go at late Kane equaliser, 1-1. 

A MAN remembered as "everyone's second son" is believed to be the first black person to donate organs in Croydon for six years after his death.

James Robotham, a logistics coordinator who lived in Cobden Road, South Norwood, with his mother and sister, died aged 40 after suffering a suspected seizure caused by alcohol withdrawal.

Speaking after the inquest into his death held last week, his sister Fiona Robotham, 36, said: "When we spoke to the organ donation nurse he told us we were the only black family to decide to donate in six years."

Mr Robotham's family now want to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation from black and minority ethnic communities (BME).

There are currently (as of December 1) 99 Croydon residents waiting for organ transplants, 37 of whom are black.

But there is a shortage of donors - nationally, only 36 per cent of families of eligible black donors consented to organ donation, compared to 63 per cent of white families.

Melanie Roberts, organ donation specialist nurse at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said individuals from BME communities are "more likely to suffer from conditions where organ donation is needed as part of treatment".

Guidance from NHS Blood and Transplant states organ matching is likely to be closer when donor and recipient are of the same ethnicity.

Paulette Robotham, Mr Robotham's mother, 66, said she and her daughter agreed to donate James's organs because he was a "giver".

"He would have given his last penny to anyone," she said.

Ms Robotham said his organs went to people needing transplants, apart from his liver, which went to research.

She said: "It's something we think he would have wanted to do. He liked to help people so we hope he would have been happy we gave his organs."

On December 27, Mr Robotham's birthday, his friends are holding a football match at Club Langley, Beckenham, to raise money for Donor Family Network, chosen by Mr Robotham's family.

"By supporting this charity we would like to bring awareness to ethnic minority organ donation," said Ms Robotham.

"We were happy with how James was treated in relation to his organs by the transplant team," she added.

Ms Roberts said: "Signing up to the organ donation register, and letting your family know that you have done so, means that you can help someone live on after your death. This is particularly important for the BME community."

The football match is being organised by Mr Robotham's childhood friend, Chris Shannon and his wife Sarah.

Mr Shannon, 38, from Beckenham, met Mr Robotham at St Joseph's College, in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, when they were nine and 11-years-old.

The friends also worked together for a direct mail company on Purley Way for 13 years.

At 6ft 3in tall, Mr Robotham's friends nicknamed him the "gentle giant", because he was "soft as anything", said Mr Shannon.

"It has been like losing a brother," said Mr Shannon. "Everyone loved him. Everyone had him as their second son."

"He was a really kind, giving person. He was always there for you no matter what you needed, you could just give him a call and he would be there in a flash. He'd do anything for anyone."

The friends, who went to their first pub together, were Liverpool fans but still went to Crystal Palace games.

Mr Shannon said they played football as children and adults so Mr Robotham's friends decided to hold a match to remember him.

Mr Robotham was also a talented athlete with Blackheath Harriers, while Mr Shannon also remembers his love of garage and dance music - shown by his habit of carrying a bag of records around with him.

"He wouldn't know where he was going to play them but he would carry them around with him," Mr Shannon said.

Mr Robotham's friends have already raised more than £1,000 for Donor Family Network.

The football match will kick-off at 12.30pm on December 27 at Club Langley, BR3 3SR. There will be food, a raffle, darts and more. To donate visit: www.justgiving.com/jamesrobotham

THE head teacher of one of Croydon's top independent schools has questioned Labour's plans to remove business rates relief from private schools which do not do enough to help those in the state sector.

Trinity School headmaster Mark Bishop said the policy could be seen as "patronising" and would unfairly penalise smaller schools which lack the resources to do outreach work.

He was responding to plans announced by shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt, who said many private schools were not earning the "subsidy".

Sarah Jones, the party's prospective Parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, backed the idea this week and said a review was needed to determine whether the borough's 23 independent schools could be doing more.

The Whitgift Foundation, which runs three independent schools in Croydon, said it provides in excess of £5 million a year in bursaries and scholarships, with around 1,300 pupils receiving financial assistance toward their fees.

Mr Bishop said Trinity School, part of the foundation, offers extensive support to state schools, which have access to facilities such as its swimming pool and theatre, as well as tuition and activities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. In January the school will invite students at Quest Academy, in Selsdon, to join its Combined Cadet Force.

He told the Advertiser: "Should there be strong partnerships between independent and state schools? Absolutely yes, though there's a lot more to it than simply a private school becoming an academy sponsor.

"At a local level I think there is a lot of work between the sectors, which can only be a good thing.

"But, I hate the impression that the only partnership is an independent school helping a state school. That seems rather patronising.

"Often we in the independent sector have a huge amount to learn from schools in the state system."

It is estimated that around £147 million a year across more than 1,250 schools could be under threat from Mr Hunt's policy.

Mr Bishop agrees it would hurt smaller private schools which don't have the Whitgift Foundation's resources.

"There is a world of difference between a school like Trinity, which has a large number of staff and available facilities it's able to lend out, compared with a smaller prep school ," he explained.

"That was my concern with the announcement. It seems one-size-fits-all and I don't think it's a helpful way to move forward.

"I fear it could be a tick-box exercise which won't do what we really want, which is to encourage more partnerships."

Ms Jones, who attended former Old Palace of John Whitgift, another of the foundation's schools, said assessing whether independent schools offered value for money was one way of raising standards.

Asked if she thought private schools should lose business rates relief if found to doing too little, she said: "Obviously I agree with our policy, completely.

"I suspect there will be different stories with each school in Croydon. Some will be doing a lot, others will be doing less and should be doing more.

"Some with quite big subsidies on their fees, but there might be more they could do in terms of making their facilities available and their teachers helping out at other schools. There's more that could be done, I'm sure of it."

A COUPLE described as the 'world's most powerful' have married after their own Gavin and Stacey-style romance.

Lisa Dennis, from Addiscombe, and her partner Chris Pitman both hold world records for smashing roof tiles.

The couple married in a ceremony at Bromley Court Hotel on Saturday, surprising hundreds of their family and friends from Virtue Taekwondo school, which Lisa set up in 1999.

Lisa, 40, described the couple's romance as "real-life Gavin and Stacey".

"We met during a weekend at Butlins in Bognor Regis. He was with his mates from Barry Island in Wales and I was there with mine," she said.

"It was love at first sight really. There were a lot of long drives down the M4 to see each other in the early days."

Chris, 44, who was introduced to taekwondo by Lisa, set the world best for a man smashing roof tiles in 2013, when he obliterated 1,000 tiles in just 51 seconds on Blue Peter, and followed it with a surprise proposal.

Lisa said: "He proposed after his own record attempt but I jokingly said he couldn't marry me until I break my Guinness World Record, it was really out of jest."

But the wedding did wait and Lisa broke the record on Italian TV show Lo Show Dei, smashing an incredible 923 roof tiles in a minute back in August, beating her own earlier record and paving the way for their wedding.

Now, they have their sights set on a new achievement - the world record for a married couple smashing roof tiles.

"Britain's Got Talent have even been in touch, which is quite exciting," added Lisa, who won the European Taekwondo championships seven times before becoming world champion in 2011.

She has now retired.

BEN Haenow has made it to the X Factor semi-finals – but his family still haven't adjusted to his new found fame.

"He is still just Ben," said mum Rosanna Ward, who went to the Hunger Games film premiere with him two weeks ago.

"I went on the red carpet with him and people are screaming for him, it's unbelievable. You just think gosh, it's Ben," she said.

And Ben's so popular the family even have to queue to say goodbye backstage after the X Factor shows.

Rosanna said: "When we want to go home sometimes I queue up just so I can say goodbye!"

Big brother Alex added: "It's supposed to be a bit of time where you can chill with your family and sign a few autographs but when Ben comes out he's surrounded.

"If you don't [queue] you don't get to see him it's as simple as that. So we have to queue up to chat to him!

"It doesn't get old or boring, it's still amusing to see people queuing up to have a photo with my brother.

And Alex said their father, Mick, even overheard a little boy asking for a 'Ben Haenow haircut' in the hairdressers.

"I just think, Ben, my stinky little brother?" said Alex.

Ben has visited Croydon almost every week since moving into the X Factor house.

"It's been manic," said Alex. "When he comes back it's just for a couple of hours, we've not had a day to chill out and relax and catch up."

Rosanna said: "We miss that, spending time with him. We're looking forward to Christmas, unless he loses and then they can keep him!"

When the Advertiser visited Ben's family at 'Nonna' Rita's Shirley home she was preparing Ben's favourite lasagne and chocolate pudding to surprise him at the X Factor house that night – despite warnings from show bosses that Ben needs to start watching his weight.

"He won't be starting a diet tonight!" said Rosanna.

Ben and Alex used to swim and go to the gym together, but Alex said despite growing up in Holmesdale Road, Selhurst, and the best efforts of their grandfather and Crystal Palace fan Tony, they were never good footballers.

"Our grandad was a football fanatic and we had Palace strips as kids," he said.

Rosanna added: "He [Tony] was desperate for the boys to want to play football. He used to take them over the woods but they'd run off and play hide and seek after five minutes of kicking the ball."

Alex said: "We were horrific, we were useless."

Mum Rita added that her Ben has always been someone who looks out for others.

"Ben is kind, very kind," she said. "If somebody hurt himself he used to look after him. We used to call him 'gentle Ben'."

And Rita always knew Ben had the X Factor and told him to go see Simon Cowell years ago.

"He used to watch Oliver Twist and a couple of days after say you think I could do that? And I said of course!" she said.

The family have had so much support locally that Alex has to leave an extra 20 minutes to get his morning coffee.

"Everyone wants to talk to you about it," he said "It's really nice to have so much support from everyone behind him backing the local lad.

"I don't think we'll ever get used to that side of it."

Alex said the family believe Ben can make it through this weekend.

"I always said he'll make it to the final," said Alex. "But as much as you know in the back of your mind he'll get through, on that Sunday night when the lights are on and you see the fear in his eyes you can feel your heart in your chest.

"We're just so proud of how well he's doing. We want to thank everyone who is voting and all the local people who have got behind him. We're just overwhelmed."

DAMES in big skirts and wigs, handsome princes, wicked stepmothers, stepsisters, witches and queens, fairy godmothers, lamps and dwarves – oh yes it is – panto time.

And there is such a choice in and around our area that there is sure to be a tale to suit all - and a star for everyone. Here is your 2014 panto guide...

The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill

What: Beauty and the Beast

Starring: Best known for her role as Heather Trott in EastEnders, Cheryl Fergison brings a diva style performance to the role of bumbling, absent-minded Witch Guillotine. She headlines a cast featuring Redhill panto favourites – Neil Wheatley as village funny-man Hugo Le Gaff, Simon Bashford as Madame Cherie Trifle and Abigail Welford as leading lady Belle. Graeme Kinniburgh makes his Redhill debut as the Prince and Beast.

When: December 12 – January 4

Tickets: 01737 276500, www.harlequintheatre.co.uk

Dorking Halls

What: Jack and the Beanstalk

Starring: Dorking Halls has secured three names from TV for its tale of the boy who sold the family cow for a handful of magic beans. Lisa Gormley, who plays Bianca Scott in Home and Away is damsel Jill, Rikki Chamberlain, Samson from CITV's Captain Mack, is Simple Simon and Maurice Thorogood, known for playing Adrian Chiltern in ITV's Heartbeat, plays the menacing Fleshcreep. Taking the lead role of our hero Jack is actor Will Pearce known for his role as Ritchie Valens in The Buddy Holly Story and back by popular demand is Chris Casserly as Dame Trott.

When: December 20 – 28

Tickets: 01306 881717 www.dorkinghalls.co.uk

The Leatherhead Theatre

What: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Starring: Impressionist, comedian and ITV`s Britain's Got Talent finalist Drew Cameron is Muddles in this tale of the princess who eats the poisoned apple. Joining Drew on stage will be Katherine Mansi as the Wicked Queen, Joseph Gale as the Handsome Prince and Mollie Tucker as Snow White.

When: December 24 – January 3

Tickets: 01372 365141, www.theleatherheadtheatre.org

Epsom Playhouse

What: The Wizard of Oz

Starring: Children's entertainer Dave Benson Phillips, who brought his own show to the theatre a few years ago, plays Dorothy's travelling companion, the Scarecrow. Dorothy will be played by Samantha Giffard, The Tin Man by Phil Amato, The Lion by Jamie Bannerman, Good Witch by Hannah Woolley, Bad Witch by Emily Barnett-Salter and The Wizard by Iain Wotherspoon.

When: December 13 – January 4

Tickets: 01372 742555/742227, www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk

The Hawth, Crawley

What: Sleeping Beauty

Starring: TV presenter Stephen Mulhern starred in Cinderella at The Hawth last year – now he is back again, this year as Jangles in Sleeping Beauty. Best known for Britain's Got More Talent, Catchphrase and regular appearances on Good Morning Britain, Stephen is appearing alongside CBeebies favourite Cat Sandion, impressionist Hilary O'Neil and 2010 Eurovision entrant Josh James. Watch out for the fire-breathing dragon.

When: December 12 – January 4

Tickets: 01293 553636, www.hawth.co.uk

Chequer Mead, East Grinstead

What: Aladdin

Starring: The stars of East Grinstead amateur group Company of Friends are back at Chequer Mead again this Christmas. Playing the Dame is Kevin Gauntlett, who is known among Company of Friends audiences for his slapstick chef role in Old Time Music Hall, while in a more serious capacity he is the group's chairman. Taking the title role is Abbie Lomax, who audiences might recognise as having previously played Aladdin's love interest Yasmin and taking the lead role of Cinderella.

When: December 20 – 30

Tickets: 01342 302000, www.chequermead.org.uk

Fairfield Halls, Croydon

What: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Starring: Pop Idol finalist and West End star Gareth Gates leads a cast as Prince Charming. Popular dame Quinn Patrick returns for the fourth year running and is joined by Witney White playing the title role of Snow White, Siani Owen as the wicked Queen Morgiana, and award-winning entertainer Jack Glanville as Muddles.

When: December 5 – January 4

Tickets: 020 8688 9291, www.fairfield.co.uk

New Wimbledon Theatre

What: Cinderella

Starring: New Wimbledon Theatre always lands itself some good names for its panto and with several gracing its bill this year it's worth a trip out. This year Dallas star Linda Gray makes her panto debut when she plays the role of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Linda will be joined by king of one-liners and puns Tim Vine, Matthew Kelly and his son Matthew Rixon as the two Ugly Sisters and Wayne Sleep as Dandini.

When: December 5 – January 11

Tickets: 0844 871 7646 www.atgtickets.com

Churchill Theatre Bromley

What: Sleeping Beauty

Starring: Coronation Street's Marc Baylis aka killer Rob Donavan goes from soap murderer to Prince when he plays the leading man in Sleeping Beauty. Joining Marc as the Good Fairy is 80's pop icon Sonia, legend of radio, screen and stage Bobby Crush as Nurse Nelly, Pop Idol contestant, West End actress and Big Brother housemate Zoe Birkett as Bad Fairy Carabosse and CiTV and Nickelodeon star Jamie Rickers who is playing Silly Billy. Musical theatre star Sophia Thierens is Sleeping Beauty.

When: Now until January 4

Tickets: 0844 871 7620, www.atgtickets.com/bromley

CRYSTAL Palace produced a fine display at White Hart Lane to come away with a point this afternoon, but it should have been three.

Neil Warnock's side were fantastic in north London, with Yannick Bolasie in particular in sublime form in the first half.

Palace really should have won it in reality, frustrating Spurs time and time again on their own patch.

Chrstian Eriksen hit the side-netting after seven minutes after beating Martin Kelly on the left, before James McArthur sliced a volley wide of the target following a Palace corner.

Mile Jedinak had a great chance to open the scoring with a free-kick on the edge of box, and after his first effort was blocked by the Spurs wall, he had another go but it was easy for Hugo Lloris to save.

Palace were on top at this point and forced a number of corners in quick succession, with Scott Dann going extremely close, only to see the ball come off Tottenham's Ryan Mason and inches past the far post.

Yannick Bolasie, who has been in fantastic form recently, was again the main source of creativity, and approaching the midway point of the first half, the winger produced a ridiculous piece of skill to beat two markers down by the corner.

And then he found an unmarked Joe Ledley inside the box, who shot first time inches over the crossbar.

Palace's pressure continued and they went close again, this time Dann heading towards the bottom corner only to see Lloris pull off a remarkable save.

Spurs fired a warning sign when Eriksen curled a free-kick over the Eagles wall but Julian Speroni got across well to palm away. And then Roberto Soldado headed over from a left-wing cross.

The hosts crept back into the contest with several minutes to go until the half-time break, but it was Neil Warnock's side who were close to getting on the scoresheet again when Zaha beat two Spurs players superbly before curling just wide of the far post.

Into the second half and as you'd expect from the home side, they came out the brighter.

But Palace remained resolute with a view to their first half performance. Zaha saw a cross beaten away by Lloris following a corner, and Bolasie continued to look a threat on the break.

The natives were getting restless towards the hour-mark, and they brought Brazilian midfielder Paulinho on, while Palace replaced Zaha with Jason Puncheon.

The winger nearly put his side ahead when Chamakh played the ball back to him, before cutting it back on to his left foot and saw a shot deflect just over.

With 11 minutes remaining, Palace were desperately unlucky not to open the scoring when Puncheon rattled the underside of the bar from close range.

Spurs initially cleared but the ball was played back into their box for Puncheon, who buried his shot into the bottom corner only to see the assistant referee's flag go up.

The visitors' pressure didn't stop there, however, as Bolasie forced a good save from Lloris with a first-time shot in the box, before Ledley blasted narrowly over moments later.

Palace continued to look good on the counter, but just couldn't find a way past the Spurs goalkeeper.

Two minutes were added on, and any late Spurs goal would have been undeserved. Thankfully there wasn't and Palace came away with a well-deserved point.

However, it really should have been three. An excellent performance.

Palace: Speroni, Kelly, Dann, Hangeland, Ward, Bolasie, Jedinak, Ledley, McArthur, Zaha (Puncheon 65), Chamakh.

Subs Not Used: Hennessey, Delaney, Bannan, Thomas, Gayle, Campbell.

Referee: Lee Mason

By Mark Ritson at White Hart Lane

Croydon's Ben Haenow gives Advertiser readers an exclusive sneak peak behind the doors of the X Factor house as he gets ready for the semi-final this weekend...

I can't believe I'm still here. It's been manic this week, I'm currently getting my nails done and they're trying to get me in the studio.

It's been go, go, go all week. We haven't had much time to sit and think which I think is quite a good thing.

I had a nice family meal on Wednesday. My family surprised me at the X Factor house and I got to have one of my nan's lasagnes and watch some of the shows back with my mum so that was wicked.

I had an OK magazine shoot with my girlfriend, Jess. I was really nice to have her involved and she absolutely loved it. It's crazy I never, ever thought we'd do that. She's great, she's a lovely looking girl so she's going to look brilliant in that magazine.

We filmed Alan Carr Chatty Man earlier in the week too and that was a really surreal moment. It's one of those programmes you watch so to be there on it was unreal.

I'm really looking forward to tonight and I'm really happy with my songs, Please Come Home For Christmas by The Eagles and Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.

It's a bit of Christmas fun this weekend so it's not quite so intense. But then you still have it looming that this is it, if you get through this you get to the final and you're at Wembley.

It's all coming to a head. Today we've been doing everything to get ready for tonight and it's really getting my nerves up.

To go back to Wembley in the final would make my life. To have that opportunity would be amazing, I can't explain how much it means to me.

Having tried to make a career in music for a long, long time this has validated everything I've done before and makes me feel confident about my singing.

My mum has sacrificed so much in her life so to be able to give something back to her and make my family proud would mean the world to me.

I want to thank everybody so much for their support, particularly back home in Croydon where the it has been overwhelming.

People keep sending me pictures of posters everywhere and I feel really proud to have that community backing me.

I really appreciate everything people have done to support me and I hope I'm doing everyone in Croydon proud.

A FATHER of seven died after his car, being towed by an AA van, steered slightly off the road, hit a tree and skidded on its side into an oncoming vehicle, an inquest heard.

Abdulla Bakar, 48, of St James's Road, East Croydon, was behind the wheel of his black Vauxhall Zafira being towed from New Addington towards Croydon along Coombe Road on October 1, 2013 after his clutch had failed.

The inquest into his death, at Croydon Coroner's Court yesterday, heard it was "not possible" to determine why he steered his car slightly off the road and into a tree.

A witness described seeing his car "in mid-air" after it hit the tree before skidding along the opposite side of the road on its side, colliding with an oncoming Volkswagen Golf.

Selena Lynch, South London coroner, said Mr Bakar, originally from Mogadishu, Somalia, was "extremely unlucky" that his car had clipped a tree to the left of the carriageway as he was being towed.

If the car had steered off the road slightly earlier or later, it was more than likely it would have simply corrected back from the sloped verge, she said.

There was "no suggestion" the breakdown vehicle had been speeding or did anything to cause Mr Bakar's car to leave the road, she added.

The driver of the Volkswagen Golf, Shahendra Rajasekeran, described realising there was nothing she could do as Mr Bakar's car skidded on its side towards her.

"I remember everything going quiet as if it was all slow motion," he said. "I knew the car was going to hit me, it was so quick that I couldn't avoid it. I closed my eyes and felt the bang.

"My first thought was to get out of the car because I thought it might explode or something.

"My leg and chest hurt a bit but I felt okay. I heard someone say there was someone trapped in the other car."

Emergency service crews worked to free Mr Bakar and he was rushed to St George's hospital, though he died from his head injuries less than two hours after the crash, shortly before 11am.

Peter Joyce, the AA patrolman who attended to Mr Bakar, said there had been "no indication" anything was wrong before the incident.

"I heard a plastic crunch [the Vauxhall hitting the tree], I looked in my mirror and almost instantly there was a bang and I slammed the brakes on.

"Then I heard a jolt at the back of my van, which I presume was the tow bar coming off. I stopped almost instantly."

Mr Joyce added there was no indication Mr Bakar had been struggling to control his car.

"Everything was normal prior to the accident."

Mr Joyce said he had walked Mr Bakar through a step-by-step briefing, with an AA guideline sheet, on how to drive while being towed. Mr Bakar, who worked as a minicab driver, also signed a form saying he had received and understood the briefing, and told Mr Joyce he had been towed before.

Police collision experts confirmed the tow bar did not break until Mr Bakar's Zafira hit the Golf.

Collision investigator PC James McCormack said he had ruled out virtually every option for the cause of the car leaving the road other than Mr Bakar steering himself.

Asked by the coroner whether people were permitted to remain in their vehicles while being towed, PC McCormack said "you have to" with a rigid tow bar.

"The driver stays in the vehicle and is told to follow or steer in the direction of the AA van in front.

"They normally look to have the engine running, because that helps with the servo assisted brakes and power steering.

"The key in Mr Baker's car was found snapped off but in the on position. It's highly likely the engine was running while he was being towed.

There was no sign of any defects in the car before the collision, other than the clutch problem the car was being towed for, he said.

Ms Lynch ruled the cause of Mr Bakar's death as a road traffic collision.

"For reasons that are not possible to determine he turned his steering wheel slightly to the left, causing his car to hit a tree and turn on its side into an oncoming vehicle.

"In my estimation this came about either because of a momentary lapse of concentration on Mr Bakar's part or some other event, even just a bout of sneezing can cause us to lose control for a short period when driving.

"He was extremely unlucky to have lost an element of control so close to the tree."

CROYDON University Hospital has recruited 38 nurses from Italy as it looks to address ongoing staff shortages.

Eighteen of the Italian nurses began work this month and a further 20 will start in January.

The London Road hospital has among the highest nurse vacancy rates in London, with around 230 unfilled posts, from junior healthcare assistants to senior ward sisters and matrons.

Hundreds of positions have gone unfilled despite a recruitment drive funded by Croydon Health Services, the trust which runs the hospital, posting a £6.8 million deficit budget last year.

That allowed the trust to create the equivalent of 149 extra full-time staff in the last two years but it has struggled to fill the positions.  

Like a number of hospitals in London, Croydon sought to address its staff shortage by looking overseas, recruiting nurses from the Republic of Ireland, Spain and, most recently Italy.

It interviewed more than 100 midwives over the summer, with 19 new members of staff having joined the trust and a further five currently going through clearance and quality checks.

The NHS has set a target of 90 per cent of nursing posts filled.

As of October Croydon University Hospital's vacancy rate was 17.3 per cent, though it employs around 120 more nurses than it did in 2012.

Michael Fanning, who joined the trust as interim director of nursing last week, said recruitment efforts would continue.

"We have more than 1,000 nurses working across Croydon - and in the past two years we have created 100 new nursing positions to help us offer the best care we can but, like many parts of the NHS we have struggled to fill all of these.

"We currently have around 230 nursing vacancies and are stepping up our search for new recruits."

Mr Fanning added: "Like other trusts, we have gone out to EU countries to find nurses with the skills, experience and attitude to complement our existing staff."

He said the trust was working with nearby universities to attract new graduates and were trying to encourage nurses who had left the profession to come back.

The nurses shortage has created intense competition but Mr Fanning believes Croydon had attract top candidates, despite its relatively poor reputation.

"We want people with a passion to care and a real determination to do their very best for people in the borough," he said.

"If you want to be supported to deliver the highest standards of care, then come to Croydon and we will help you progress through your nursing career.

"I am very happy to speak with any nurse who is considering an investment in their career in Croydon."

Research by the Royal College of Nursing shows that London's staff shortage is increasing, with more than 8,000 nursing posts unfilled. 

A report, published this week, showed 14 per cent of posts in the capital are vacant, up from 11 per cent in 2013. 

All but four trusts have vacancy rates in double figures, well over the national average of seven per cent.

Bernell Bussue, regional director for London at the Royal College of Nursing, there was an "inescapable link" between "staffing levels, skill mix and patient safety". 

CROYDON'S Ben Haenow will sing Demons by Imagine Dragons, Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson and Something I Need by One Republic in the X Factor final this weekend.

The 29-year-old van-driver from Shirley will release Something I Need as a single if he beats fellow finalists Fleur East and Andrea Faustini to win the competition's prize of a £1 million record contract.

Man in the Mirror is Ben's 'song of the series', which he originally performed in week five of the show.

It has also been announced that Take That will sing Rule The World and Meghan Trainor will sing All About That Bass on the show.

The X Factor is on ITV tomorrow at 8.30pm.

CHERYL Fernandez-Versini, George Michael and Graham Norton will all be sitting down to Christmas dinner this year in festive homes decorated by a South Croydon couple.

Eve Da Silva and Peter Sweeney have been making the homes of the rich and famous festive for the last past 20 years.

The married couple have opened a pop-up shop in the Whitgift Centre for December and January, where they are selling their high-end yuletide products.

Landscape gardeners for the rest of the year, they spend December and January providing Christmas trees and elaborate decorations for showbiz stars and other affluent types such as lawyers and bankers.

Eve, who used to be a speech and language therapist, said: "We were landscaping gardens for a few wealthy people and they would ask us if we could get them big trees at Christmas.

"They would then ask me if I could make them some decorations. I didn't really have any experience of it at the time but I've got better over the years and we have acquired some really nice clients."

Other celebrities that have used the service include Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox and Brideshead Revisited actor Anthony Andrews.

Although Christmas is their business, Eve said the couple have stopped buying trees and plan to go on holiday this year.

She said: ""You do get a bit sick of it by the end of the month. But Christmas is important to people and it is big business because people can make it what they want and have a really special celebration."

The shop is stocked full of glittery, upmarket products and Eve said there had been steady trade since it opened.

"We could have gone up to Kensington or somewhere but we have a lot of work down in this area and we didn't want to spread ourselves too thinly," she added.

"I think there is a lot of demand for this around here.

"My friend said why didn't we pick Bromley, but you've got to think, why did Westfield pick Croydon?

"They've got a lot of people studying this and they must think there is the spend here."

CHANGES to stamp duty on houses could make Croydon one of the best areas to buy in London, according to estate agents.

Chancellor George Osborne announced an overhaul of stamp duty into a tiered system that is likely to benefit those who want to buy and sell lower-value properties.

Previously, buyers paid one per cent of the entire property worth between £125,000 and £250,000, while anyone buying properties between £250,001 and £500,000 paid three per cent stamp duty on the entire property's value.

Under the new system, there will be no stamp duty on properties up to £125,000, and two per cent on the proportion of any property costing more than that between £125,001 and £250,000.

And for any property above £250,000 and below £925,000, buyers will only pay five per cent on that part of the property.

Mike Ricketts is regional sales manager for Spicer Haart Land and New Homes, which runs the marketing of the Island development in West Croydon, as well as developments across the capital.

He said: "I think Croydon will do very well out of this. An overhaul has been long overdue. The idea that you have this arbitrary figure which everyone pays up to this is outdated.

"The idea of tiering it is sensible; it kind of fits in with income tax.

"There are some parts of London you could argue it wouldn't work very well. The properties that will save the most are around the £250,000 mark, but Croydon is one of the few places in London that is blessed with those sort of properties."

Ayyaz Choudry, director of James Chiltern Estate Agents, in London Road, added: "We have found it extremely positive. It's a quiet time of year but we have already sold eight houses this month.

"Croydon is a place where a lot of houses do sell in between that £250,000 to £300,000 bracket, so it works out very positively."

SAVINGS of £33 million, the loss of 100 jobs but a commitment to protecting frontline services are the key elements of Labour's first budget proposals unveiled this week.

Over the next three years, savings will have to rise to £100 million with 500 jobs being on the line.

And there were warnings from the council's chief executive, Nathan Elvery, that keeping essential services intact will become much harder in three years' time if the Government's attitudes towards cutting public sector spending are not changed.

Council leader Tony Newman said local government was suffering pressures on its finances more than any other public service.

In Croydon's case, government funding for 2015/16 financial year has been cut by £19.6 million compared with this year.

Further grant reductions of £16.8 million and £14.6 million will follow in the next two years, adding to spending pressures.

Cllr Newman said: "We have set out to protect frontline services and keep council tax at an affordable level."

He said this, combined with making Croydon cleaner and safer, were the priorities demanded by people on the doorsteps in the run-up to May's elections.

Cllr Newman said that while tough decisions were having to be taken, there was still room to help meet those priorities.

An extra £4 million is being invested in the Don't Mess with Croydon campaign next year.

A total of £124 million will go into school expansions.

On jobs, Cllr Newman said the budget proposals going before the scrutiny and overview committee on Wednesday had identified 40 direct losses.

This is expected to rise to 100 by the time the budget is finalised.

Cllr Newman said job reductions were likely to be largely among middle management.

He said: "We will seeking to protect frontline workers, so we will not be losing people like social workers and street cleaners."

He is hopeful the majority of staff reductions will come from a cutback on the use of agency staff and voluntary redundancies, rather than compulsory losses.

So far, £14 million of savings have been found through what the council calls the Croydon Challenge which is examining how the council provides services and ensuring the most efficient outcomes on their delivery.

Nearly £3 million of this total is coming from a much greater use of online facilities, streamlining the way the council delivers services to customers and moving away where possible from expensive face-to-face meetings.

That saving will be repeated in the next two financial years.

The remaining savings will be met through reductions in departmental finances with the finance department taking the biggest hit with £12.5 million cuts and £4 million each coming from people and communities and children, families and learning.

Cllr Newman said: "I think people will have a choice at the election between a party which values local government and local services or quite clearly a Conservative party that no longer appears to believe in local government."

BEN Haenow has just overtaken Fleur East as the bookies favourite to win the X Factor final.

The 29-year-old from Shirley is 4/7, with Fleur at 7/4 and Andrea Faustini at the bottom at 14/1 (oddschecker).

Ben, a former van-driver, had previously been bookmakers favourite to win the competition until Fleur's performance of Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk saw her take the lead last week.

But Ben is back on top and will sing Demons my Imagine Dragons and his 'song of the series' Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson in his bid to win the £1 million record deal up for grabs.

He will also perform Something I Need by One Republic, his first single if he wins the competition.

It's not just the bookies backing Ben. Crystal Palace Football Club a YouTube video of support from winger Yannick Bolasie on Thursday, and Ben has also received support from One Direction, Ella Henderson, former X Factor boyband Union J and Ben's fellow semi-finalist Lauren Platt who was booted off the show last week.

Croydon's politicians have also got behind their man with Tory MP Gavin Barwell, Labour MP Steve Reed, Labour candidate Sarah Jones and council leader Tony Newman all putting their Croydon Advertiser Vote for Ben posters in their windows.

Ben tweeted this morning saying he is "nervous" and "excited" about tonight's show, which will feature footage of his Croydon homecoming gigs at the Swan pub and outside the Whitgift shopping centre on North End on Tuesday.

The X Factor is on ITV tonight at 8.30pm.

This is it!! It's final day!! Nervous, excited and ready to go!! Can't wait to see you all pic.twitter.com/Ui5nYBMI4q

— Ben Haenow (@Bhaenow) December 13, 2014

THERE are fears rich and poor are being separated into opposing blocks of flats in Croydon town centre.

At a meeting of the planning committee last Thursday (December 4) Councillor Sean Fitzsimons, Labour ward member for Addiscombe branded plans to move all affordable housing from the Galaxy House development on Cherry Orchard Road into neighbouring Quest House develop ment as "skilfully segregated".

He said the plans for sites next to East Croydon railway station would make way for "additional homes for the Galaxy market that Croydon residents can't afford", and accused the development of having its "back to Addiscombe looking towards London".

He said: "This is social segregation, we shouldn't build schemes just for the rich."

Galaxy House and Quest House are separate schemes for new blocks of flats on sites next to each other.

The application from Galaxy House developer Menta Redrow Ltd to move the affordable housing would mean three more affordable flats than originally planned could be built two years ahead of schedule.

It would also free up space in Galaxy House for seven more one bedroom flats. These flats would replace a lift core, meaning block A of the development would look better from the railway station.

Mr Ruffles, of Family Mosaics who own Quest House, said he believes the changes will provide more affordable housing to be "better, cheaper, and sooner rather than later".

James Look of Menta Redrow said the changes will "optimise more housing" with 119 affordable rooms instead of 81, and that the company has a "long term commitment" to Croydon.

But Cllr Fitzsimons said this was insignificant compared to the life span of the buildings, and that Croydon was "only really getting three extra units".

He said the changes would not satisfy the London Plan, which states a development should have "mixed and balanced communities" with affordable housing provided on-site.

Councillors gave the plans unanimous approval, but expressed concerns over the possibility of social segregation and asked if shared communal facilities could combat this.

Chairman Cllr Paul Scott said: "Shared use of playground facilities would be a great way to join those two communities."

But planning officers said separate plots of land owned by separate people would usually be fenced off, and it would be unreasonable to ask Galaxy House and Quest House not to secure their properties.

CRYSTAL Palace gained a point at home this afternoon as they were held by Stoke City in a less than entertaining affair.

The Eagles took the lead through James McArthur's header before Peter Crouch levelled immediately for the visitors at the Holmesdale end early on.

But after 90 seconds of fun for both sets of supporters, they had to endure a laboured performance from both sides. It certainly won't be one of the first game to watch on Match of the Day tonight, that's for sure.

In a cagey opening ten minutes, both sides looked to get going into some sort of rhythm without creating any real chances.

But then in the space of 90 seconds, the game had witnessed two goals. Palace opened the scoring when Yannick Bolasie got down the left and delivered for James McArthur to score his first for the club with a looping header over Asmir Begovic.

Moments later and the home fans' celebrations were cut short as Peter Crouch levelled.

Bojan Krkic squared to Jonathan Walters from the right, the attacking midfielder's goal-bound shot was deflected and Crouch was unmarked at the back post to sweep home.

Just shy of the hour-mark and McArthur nearly found himself on the scoresheet again.

Bolasie ran at the Stoke defence and beat a couple of players before sliding in the Scotsman, who turned sharply and saw an effort saved by Begovic.

It was hardly a classic in south London, with very few chances at either end afterwards going into the break.

Into the second period and Palace had a chance to restore their lead with a free-kick out on the left.

After a clever routine by McArthur and Bolasie, the ball was struck towards goal by Jedinak but deflected up and over for a corner.

McArthur, on the lookout for his second Palace goal, nearly got it when he curled towards the bottom corner from the edge of the box but Begovic got down superbly to claw away.

Warnock decided to make a change on the hour, with Jason Puncheon coming on for Zaha. And as much as the Eagles looked good going forward, it was actually trying to find someone to put it in the back of the net which was proving to be difficult.

It seemed a matter of time before a potential change, with Dwight Gayle and Fraizer Campbell on the substitutes' bench ready and waiting.

Indeed, the former came on for the Moroccan, who limped off and back towards the changing rooms.

With the clock ticking down, Barry Bannan also came on for the hard-working McArthur before Stoke nearly won the contest through Crouch, but Speroni leapt to his left to save.

Three minutes were added on by referee Kevin Friend but the best thing he could have done was to put the fans out of their misery.

And with no further chances to report on, he just that. Palace move up on to 15 points, one point outside the drop zone.

Next is a trip to Manchester City.

Palace: Speroni, Kelly, Ward, Hangeland, Dann, Jedinak ©, Ledley, McArthur (Bannan 85), Zaha (Puncheon 61), Bolasie, Chamakh (Gayle 77).

Subs Not Used: Hennessey, Delaney, Thomas, Campbell.

Attendance: 23,038.

Referee: Kevin Friend

By Mark Ritson at Selhurst Park

CROYDON'S Ben Haenow is through to the second night of the X Factor final.

The 29-year-old from Shirley will go up against Fleur East tomorrow night to win a £1 million record deal. Italian Andrea Faustini was knocked out of the competition tonight.

On making it through Ben said: "Thank you so much everybody I can't believe it." He later Tweeted: #speechless You have made my dreams come true!!" alongside a photo of himself taken at the Wembley Arena, where the finalists performed in front of a packed crowd.

Ben quite literally smashed his rendition of Demons by Imagine Dragons breaking out of a clear perspex box to positive comments from all four judges, with mentor Simon Cowell saying Ben "deserved to be in the final".

Cowell said: "You're a down to earth, normal guy, a family guy and you're not going to forget your roots."

Ben then performed a duet of Thinking Out Loud with Ed Sheeran, with Ed saying: "I came back to say thank you because he made me number one again last week."

Ben is bookies favourite to win the competition at 8/15 with Fleur at 11/8.

He will sing in part two of the X Factor final tomorrow on ITV at 8pm.

TO VOTE FOR BEN TO WIN X FACTOR,CALL 09020 50 51 01 FROM A LANDLINE, OR DIAL 6 50 51 01 FROM A MOBILE.