Croydon 2008 year in review: August

8:10am Tuesday 30th December 2008

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Figures revealed Croydon cops were arresting half as many knife-wielding criminals as they were five years ago.

Of those arrested, 40 per cent were handed a caution, almost double the number of let-offs from 2003-04.

Croydon’s politicians described the figures as “concerning”.

Croydon was dubbed the title chavviest town in the UK by website chavtowns.co.uk The borough netted 22 per cent of an online vote with the Whitgift Centre highlighted for its chav clientele.

It beat nearest rivals Hull by more than 1,000 votes, but the result was not welcomed by council leader Mike Fisher and opposition leader Tony Newman.

• Review of the Year in full

No-go areas for dogs were being considered by the council to stop gangs using dangerous mutts as weapons.

The Dog Control Orders included dog exclusion zones to limit the number of dogs in an area.

The measures were devised as more gang members were using dogs to intimidate people as anti-knife crime measures meant carrying a blade was harder to get away with.

Alison Carroll from Shirley was named the new Lara Croft, following in the footsteps of Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie.

The high-kicking all-action 23-year-old said she loved Croydon and was delighted to get the part.

The grieving parents of murdered schoolboy Eugene Attram spoke of their loss as his killer was convicted of murder.

Ashley Rookwood, 18, from Tooting, stabbed 16-year-old Attram in the back, head and heart in a gangfight.

Schoolboy Nilanthan Murddi was stabbed to death after an alleged fight in Sumner Road, Croydon.

The 17-year-old from New Addington worked in his parents’ restaurant having dropped out of school.

He had recently turned his back on his friends who were in gangs.

Dozens of Croydon children were physically and sexually abused at a country care home, it was revealed.

The children were sent to Old Rectory School, Banham, Norfolk, from the borough over a 30-year period.

Children at the home were subjected to a catalogue of abuse by members of the staff which only ended in 2003 when the school was closed down.

The details emerged as a law firm launched a class action against the estate of the home’s former owners.

Giant superstore Tesco pulled its funding for the Purley Christmas lights.

Despite the Purley store having an annual turnover of over £50m, the retailer stopped its £3,500 contribution to the lights. The funding cut meant Purley Business Association, who pay for the lights, had a much smaller budget for this year’s display.

A survey by the council’s youth offending team revealed half the teenagers who responded felt pressured into carrying a knife for protection.

The survey of more than 1,500 schoolchildren also revealed 83 per cent felt there was a gang problem in Croydon.