These are the latest ECHO headlines this morning.
'Wonderful dad' found dead in pond after evening relaxing in garden
A "wonderful dad" remembered as a “true gentleman” drowned accidentally in a pond in his back garden, an inquest heard.
Colin Parr, 60, was found dead at home on Whickham Close in Upton Rocks, Widnes, by his wife Sharon on Saturday, January 29, as she returned home from a night staying at her daughter’s house. An inquest at Warrington Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard Colin was submerged in the pond with his foot tangled in a mesh web covering.
Scratch marks showed where he had struggled to pull himself out. The inquest heard he had been home alone and “pottering” about and relaxing in his garden the evening before, January 28.
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Heath Westerman, assistant coroner for Cheshire, read evidence from Dr Cheng Li, pathologist, who conducted a post-mortem examination with reference to toxicology test findings from Donna Cameron, toxicologist.
Dr Li found the primary cause of death to be drowning, with “excessive consumption of alcohol” and left ventricular hypertrophy - a type of heart problem - as contributing secondary factors.
A statement from Colin’s wife Sharon said Colin was an electrical engineer who usually worked away on an oil rig, working two weeks on and two weeks off. She said Colin had completed helicopter survival training as part of the role and underwent regular health checks. Read the full story here.
Headteacher asked more than 100 boys for naked pictures in sick Facebook chats
A headteacher messaged more than 100 boys on Facebook asking for naked pictures before claiming that his account had been hacked.
Nick Clayton, from Hoylake, held lewd chats with children aged as young as 10 while working as the principal of a British international school in Iraq. His campaign of grooming only ended when police swooped to arrest him at an airport.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, that the 38-year-old contacted the profiles of 131 boys - mostly based in South Asia - over a three-month period in 2017 in order to "solicit" indecent images of the youngsters. Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, described how the conversations also showed "evidence of travelling to meet children" - although Clayton was only charged in connection with attempts to groom four teens.
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These chats involved a 12-year-old boy from Cambodia, a 13-year-old in Indonesia, a child aged 14 from the Philippines and a 16-year-old in Sri Lanka. The paedophile "bribed them with gifts" before demanding sick photographs, telling one: "You have a camera on your phone, it's your turn now."
When the boy did not send him images, Clayton said: "I'm impatient now, you are just taking advantage. You need me, but you keep your body private."
Read the full story here.
Woman flies to Turkey after UK dentist quotes £19k for treatment
A woman has flown to Turkey to have an operation after she claimed she was unable to see a UK dentist unless she took out a second mortgage and paid £19,000.
Wirral has seen one of the biggest drops in the country in NHS dentists, losing 10% of its NHS dentists in the last five years. Only 12 areas have seen higher drops.
Sally Murphy, 58, from Wallasey in Wirral, said she was removed as an NHS patient from her old dentist during covid.
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After struggling to find another practice, Mrs Murphy looked into going private but found this would cost more than £19,000.
She decided to book an operation in Turkey with the operation, hotel in Antalya, and flights only costing her about £5,000, nearly a quarter of what she says she’d have to pay privately in the UK.
Despite going ahead, she said: “Do you know what? I still don’t feel confident. I am going today and I am actually terrified."
Read more here.
