January
- A mum-of two was killed by an ex-lover and her body dumped in the boot of a car in a row over child support. Janelle Duncan-Bailey, 25, went missing on January 2, her body was found by police three days later.Jerome McDonald was charged with manslaughter and received eight years in prison for killing the nurse.
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- Crystal Palace’s National Sports Centre lost its flagship event which had been attended by Olympians Usain Bolt and Mo Farah. The London Diamond League meeting will be held there for the final time in 2014 before moving to the Olympic Stadium. The announcement was seen as a blow to the local economy.
Usain Bolt competing at Crytral Palace NAtional Sports Centre
- Parents, teachers and children launched a fight to save school crossing patrols facing the axe. The council slashed funding by £60,000 on crossing patrols, cutting them where zebra crossings were in place. Nine of Croydon’s lollipop men and women were made redundant leaving parents fearing for the safety of their children.
February
- Football hooligans smashed up cars and damaged property outside Selhurst Park. Groups of Charlton FC supporters went on the rampage after their game with Crystal Palace. Flares were set off inside the grounds and toilets damaged. Ten men were arrested.
Fans lighting flares at Selhurst Park
- A teaching assistant conned colleagues out of £20,000 pretending she was fighting terminal brain cancer. Mum-of-four Ursula Rose duped staff at St Thomas Becket School in South Norwood into handing over large sums of money for treatment.Victims said Rose got what she deserved after she was jailed for 18 months.
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- A pair of heroic police officers rescued two men and a two-year-old boy trapped above a shop fire. The two police officers stumbled across the fire in South Norwood and broke through thick smoke to break down the door to the flat and rescue the three trapped.58 firefighters helped tackle the blaze.
Olivia Langley
- A three-year-old girl was killed after a gust of wind blew her pushchair into the path of a delivery van. Olivia Langley went into cardiac-arrest and died in St George’s Hospital. Her mum, a nursery nurse, attempted CPR. She had turned her back for a split second when the buggy blew into the road.
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- Britain’s Best Dad pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife following a row about Christmas presents. Keith Preddie, a Michael Jackson impersonator, threw a plastic step at Emma Preddie and then pinned her down on the sofa.The dad-of-four won GMTV’s best dad competition in 2010 and also appeared on Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me.
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- Dozens of daredevils abseiled down 12-storey Jury’s Inn for charity, including a team from the Croydon Guardian. About 100 people took part in Jump 2013 to raise money for charity Croydon Commitment. The borough’s 74-year-old deputy mayor took part in the stunt, achieving one of the fastest descents of the day.
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