Latest news with #Taunton
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
No jail time for Taunton man, 39, who killed motorcyclist
A man has been handed a 14-week suspended sentence after a motorcyclist died in a collision with his Chapman, 39, of Taunton, Somerset, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving after turning around in a layby and pulling out in front of Destiney Rauh, Rauh was pronounced dead at the scene in West Lyng, Somerset, in February 2024, Taunton Crown Court family said her death had left "a big hole" in their lives. The court heard Chapman was heading back towards his home in Taunton when he turned around on the A361. He pulled out directly in front of Ms Rauh who, despite swerving to avoid his van, collided with it before hitting the Chapman was sentenced, a victim personal statement from Ms Rauh's grandmother was read out in court."Destiney was such a big part of our lives, as she came to live with us at six weeks old," the statement said. "Her bedroom is still the same as she left it on that Sunday morning. Her clothes are still in the wardrobe and her work shoes are still at the bottom of the stairs where she left them." 'Very, very precious' Addressing Chapman, she added in the statement: "The last thing she saw on this earth was your white van. I will never forgive you, but one day I will be with her and I will be happy again."I know you didn't go out to kill her, but you did and nothing in this world will change that. You took something very, very precious from us."Sentencing, Judge Richard Shepherd said: "What made this careless was your inadequate checks for a motorcycle that caused the death. "The aggregating factor is that the victim was a vulnerable road user."Chapman was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
‘Thanks to two years on the NHS waiting list, I'm now an inch shorter'
In March 2022, Jason Foster tripped over his dog, fell down the stairs, and broke his back. The pain was harrowing. Even worse, he says, it was matched by the agony he faced during his 20-month wait for surgery on his T12 wedge fracture, owing to the inefficiency of the NHS. 'For almost two years, I survived on stoicism and morphine,' says Foster. Following the accident, which occurred while he was renovating his late mother's house near Taunton, copy-editor Foster, 55, was referred back to a hospital in south London, near his Surrey home. 'I had an X-ray, and was told I'd need to have an operation,' he says. 'They then sent me on my way with pain relief, a walking stick, and a spinal brace to stop me going 'full Jenga'. No-one told me how long I would have to wait.' Over the next few months, the hospital made three appointments for him, which it then cancelled before the allotted times. 'I turned up on another morning, and it was the doctor's day off,' says Foster. 'When I asked one receptionist some hard questions, she called her senior colleague who said I had 'hurt her feelings'.' In August 2022, to his great relief, Foster was finally called in for surgery, but the consultant on the rota that day didn't agree that an operation was the best course of action, so Foster was sent home again. 'Meanwhile, I had a hole in my back and was getting shorter by the day, because my vertebrae were crushing into one another,' he says. The question of 'urgency' Cancelled appointments, lost paperwork, a black hole of communication – anyone who uses the NHS will be used to this catalogue of failures. Perhaps the most concerning thing is that these delays don't just affect routine appointments, but those also deemed ' urgent '. According to a King's Fund report released in May last year, the NHS declares that 92 per cent of people waiting for elective (non-urgent) treatment, such as cataract surgery or a knee replacement, should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to their first treatment. 'This standard was last met in September 2015,' the King's Fund said at the time. 'Since then, performance has declined steadily, until the Covid-19 pandemic, when it deteriorated rapidly.'
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hawks dealt defeat on road to T20 table-topping Somerset
LEWIS Gregory clubbed a brutal half century as Somerset defeated Hampshire Hawks by 17 runs at the Cooper Associates Ground to return to winning ways and move clear of Surrey at the top of the T20 Blast South Group table. Will Smeed smashed 68 from 37 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes and dominated stands of 59 and 46 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Abell for the second and third wickets respectively after Somerset had been put in beneath the Taunton floodlights. Advertisement But the home side lost their way during the middle overs and were indebted to skipper Gregory, who clubbed a much-needed 55 from 27 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes and staged a record-breaking seventh-wicket partnership of 82 with Lewis Goldsworthy to propel the cider county to 209-6. Veteran all-rounder Benny Howell claimed 2-12 and Liam Dawson 1-29 as the Hawks struggled to contain the South Group leaders. James Vince raised a 30-ball 54 and South African hired hand Dewald Brevis crashed 36 from 16 deliveries, but Ben Green took 3-40 as Somerset took wickets at key moments to restrict Hawks to 192-7 and secure a sixth victory in seven outings in the short format this season. After the match, Hawks coach Adi Birrell said: "It's a disappointing outcome and I don't think we executed our skills very well. To allow Somerset to score 68 in the powerplay was too many. We followed with 57 when we batted, which was a big difference. "Somerset then scored 67 in the last five overs, which helped get them over 200. That's a big total on any ground. We bowled really well in the middle overs and took some wickets, but then allowed Lewis Gregory to score too many. Advertisement "He played well and we didn't bowl to our potential at the death. Somerset had a couple of big overs, with a 20 and a 25, whereas we had only one big over of 19. That keeps happening to us and it's something we're talking about. "James Vince was awesome, but he went and we got a bit behind. Riley Meredith took a wicket and conceded just three runs in a brilliant over and that won them the game. We always had a chance while Dewald Brevis was there, but his dismissal spelled the end."
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Somerset move top of South Group with victory against Hampshire
Somerset bounced back from defeat by Kent to see off Hampshire and move top of the South Group in the men's Vitality Blast. Will Smeed's 68 and 55 from captain Lewis Gregory helped the home side reach 209 for seven at Taunton, and that proved enough for a 17-run victory. Advertisement Captain James Vince cracked 54 from 30 balls as Hampshire made a good start to their chase but wickets fell regularly and they could only register 192 for seven. It was Somerset's sixth win from seven matches to put them ahead of Surrey, while Leicestershire continued their strong form in the North Group with a comfortable four-wicket victory against neighbours Nottinghamshire. Rehan Ahmed was the star of the show, taking two wickets as Notts were bowled out for 156 and then hitting 52 from 37 balls to help Leicestershire to 160 for six with 14 balls remaining. Essex remain winless after an agonising one-run defeat against fellow strugglers Middlesex at Lord's. Advertisement Kane Williamson was the standout with the bat for Middlesex with 53 as they were bowled out for 161 but Essex could not quite overhaul them, finishing on 160 for six. In the women's competition, The Blaze defeated Lancashire by five wickets for their fifth win from seven games. Ailsa Lister dominated Lancashire's innings with 79 from just 38 balls in a total of 150 for nine but that was overhauled by The Blaze with nearly two overs to spare. England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hit 31 while Georgia Elwiss was unbeaten on 43 as the hosts reached 153 for five. Somerset remain winless at the bottom of the table after losing by five runs to Hampshire. Maia Bouchier, Charli Knott and Freya Kemp's 65 not out carried Hampshire to 169 for six, and Somerset could only reach 164 for six despite 60 from Niamh Holland.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Somerset move top of South Group with victory against Hampshire
Somerset bounced back from defeat by Kent to see off Hampshire and move top of the South Group in the men's Vitality Blast. Will Smeed's 68 and 55 from captain Lewis Gregory helped the home side reach 209 for seven at Taunton, and that proved enough for a 17-run victory. Captain James Vince cracked 54 from 30 balls as Hampshire made a good start to their chase but wickets fell regularly and they could only register 192 for seven. It was Somerset's sixth win from seven matches to put them ahead of Surrey, while Leicestershire continued their strong form in the North Group with a comfortable four-wicket victory against neighbours Nottinghamshire. Rehan Ahmed was the star of the show, taking two wickets as Notts were bowled out for 156 and then hitting 52 from 37 balls to help Leicestershire to 160 for six with 14 balls remaining. Essex remain winless after an agonising one-run defeat against fellow strugglers Middlesex at Lord's. Kane Williamson was the standout with the bat for Middlesex with 53 as they were bowled out for 161 but Essex could not quite overhaul them, finishing on 160 for six. In the women's competition, The Blaze defeated Lancashire by five wickets for their fifth win from seven games. Ailsa Lister dominated Lancashire's innings with 79 from just 38 balls in a total of 150 for nine but that was overhauled by The Blaze with nearly two overs to spare. England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hit 31 while Georgia Elwiss was unbeaten on 43 as the hosts reached 153 for five. Somerset remain winless at the bottom of the table after losing by five runs to Hampshire. Maia Bouchier, Charli Knott and Freya Kemp's 65 not out carried Hampshire to 169 for six, and Somerset could only reach 164 for six despite 60 from Niamh Holland.
