1. 4 Wednesday, October 28, 2015 RGG-E02-S2
Portuguese community.
The team play in Division One of the Mid Sussex
Football League and at the weekend they were
playing Mile Oak FC Reserves in the Mid Sussex
Senior Charity Cup.
The match was abandoned at half-time and will be
re-arranged.
Detective Sergeant Karrie Bohanna appealed for
any witnesses to the stabbing or burglary to call
Sussex Police on 101.
She said: “This was a shocking but isolated
incident and we are keen to speak with anyone who
may have seen something suspicious in the area.”
Charged
I A 17-year-old boy from Crawley was arrested in
connection with the incident and subsequently
charged with wounding with intent.
He appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on
Monday and has been remanded in custody to next
appear at Worthing Youth Court tomorrow
(Thursday).
Another 17-year-old boy from Crawley was
arrested by police on suspicion of burglary before
being released on bail until December 8.
An 18-year-old man from Crawley was arrested on
suspicion of burglary, possession of cannabis, theft
and conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm
(GBH). He has also been released on bail until
December 8.
Arrests made after
footballer stabbed
in neck at half-time
I From page 1
News
In brief
Where to hand
in charity gifts
TOWN CENTRE: Workspace
provider Regus will provide a
drop-off point in Crawley from
November 2 to 18 for this year’s
Operation Christmas Child
appeal.
Crawley residents are
encouraged to fill shoe boxes
with toys, stationery, small items
of clothing and toiletries, which
will be sent to children living in
refugee camps, orphanages and
impoverished neighbourhoods.
Boxes can then be dropped
off at the Regus base, in Station
Way, on weekdays between
8.30am and 6pm.
Shed break-ins
FURNACE GREEN: Two bikes
were stolen from a shed when it
was broken into last week.
Between 9.30pm last Thursday
and 8am on Friday the shed at a
property in Newmarket Road
was burgled.
One was a blue and white
Revel mountain bike. Police have
not released a description of the
second bike.
On the same night a
garage in Savernake Walk,
which joins onto Newmarket
Road, was broken into but
nothing was taken.
Four bikes gone
FURNACE GREEN: Four bikes
were stolen from two separate
garages in the same street on the
same night.
Overnight last Thursday an
adult bike and a child’s bike
were taken from a garage in
Cranborne Walk while two
other bikes were stolen from
a neighbouring garage.
No descriptions have been
released of the bikes taken from
one of the garages but the other
two were an orange Apollo bike
and a Muddy Fox mountain bike.
Exclusive by Dave Comeau
dave.comeau@crawleynews.co.uk
A WOMAN with mental health problems
who walked onto railway tracks in a cry for
help will be sentenced for trespassing.
Charlotte Findley had been discharged
from Langley Green Hospital just hours
before she decided to walk onto the tracks
near the Horsham Road level crossing,
Southgate, on July 9.
The 24-year-old was arrested under the
Mental Health Act after a train stopped to
avoid hitting her. British Transport Police
(BTP) later charged her with trespassing
on the railway and obstructing a train.
Miss Findley, who lives in Pearson Road,
Pound Hill, said: “Part of me did want to do
something stupid but another part of me
just wanted to get help. I was discharged
from the hospital because I kept staying
out. I wasn’t happy just stuck in my room
on my own and, because I hadn’t been
sectioned, they said I could leave.”
Downward spiral
Miss Findley admitted herself into hos-
pital because her dog died, which sent her
into a downward spiral of depression.
A BTP spokesman declined to comment
on Miss Findley’s case because she will not
be sentenced until November 13. However,
he did add: “We make a full assessment of
all circumstances surrounding an incident
and those involved. Each case is unique
and has to be dealt with on that basis and
the decision on how best to proceed is never
taken lightly.”
Andy Bell works for the Centre for Men-
tal Health, a charity that encourages a
better understanding of mental health
among police forces. He said: “We know
officers are put in very difficult situations
where they have to reach a decision on how
they deal with a person with mental health
problems, particularly when they have
committed an offence. We are making some
great progress but more work needs to be
done to make sure people get the support
they need, rather than going down the
criminal justice route.”
Sussex Police are among forces taking
part in a scheme which allows mental
health nurses to join officers on the beat.
The idea is to stop someone at risk of
ending their life or harming themselves
from ending up in a cell. It also helps
officers develop a better understanding of
how to deal with people who do commit
crimes in a distressed state. Mr Bell said
his charity has had some “very positive
discussions” with BTP about introducing a
similar approach.
Miss Findley is actually facing a jail
term because she will be sentenced for a
number of offences, all linked to her mental
state following the death of her dog.
She assaulted a member of staff at
Langley Green Hospital on June 28 while
she was a patient after becoming distressed
and threatening to harm herself. She then
damaged chairs at the hospital on July 8 in
what she says was a bid to force the police
to arrest her so she could leave her hospital
room. The next day, when doctors decided
she was well enough to be discharged, she
walked onto the railway tracks.
All offences were committed within the
period of a suspended sentence imposed
last August for GBH after biting someone.
A judge at Lewes Crown Court on Novem-
ber 13 could decide to activate that sus-
pended sentence.
Miss Findley said of the two charges
brought by the BTP: “I do understand; it
was a lot of trouble I caused by delaying
trains. The driver was really nice but at the
time I didn’t think about what I had done.
After that I thought it would have been
really horrible for him [if she had been hit
by the train].”
Miss Findley is receiving help from pro-
bation officers and homeless hostel Craw-
ley Open House ahead of her sentencing.
She also has a new dog, which is helping
her cope with the loss of her previous pet.
SCHOOLCHILDREN
have made a range of
harvest festival and
Hallowe’en pieces of
art for an autumnal
exhibition in Tilgate
Park’s Walled
Garden Café.
Pupils from
Our Lady Queen
of Heaven Catholic
Primary have carved
ghoulish-looking pumpkins, made model
sunflowers, and created an eye-catching
scarecrow (pictured). The work is being
displayed outside throughout half term.
Groundwork South, which took over
the running of the café from Crawley
Borough Council in 2014, wanted to put
on a public display illustrating how
talented the town’s children are.
Kay Kaufmann, from the charity,
said: “It is wonderful to see what can be
created from natural resources, recycled
material and with very little budget.
“It is a testament to the determination,
creativity and imagination of the pupils
that we have such a beautiful and
interesting display to share. We would
love to make this a regular event.”
Children dress
up café ready
for Hallowe’en
Prosecuted over cry
for help on railway
Mental health patient charged with trespassing
CRY FOR HELP: But Charlotte Findley was prosecuted for trespassing Photo by Kevin Shaw
Firms chosen
to run mental
health services
A GROUP of teens has helped choose who
will provide mental health services for
young people throughout West Sussex.
The Free Your Mind group was part
of the interview panel to find the best
organisations to deliver counselling and
advice services to young people.
YMCA Downslink will provide face-to-
face counselling, Xenzone will give online
counselling, and Brighton and Hove
MIND will also help young people from
the age of 11 across the county.
The youngsters worked with West Sussex
County Council’s emotional wellbeing and
mental health commissioning team.
Becca Randell, commissioning
manager, said: “It’s essential that young
people are involved in commissioning
local services. We are delighted that they
have agreed to be involved in the
monitoring of the delivery of both
counselling and advocacy services.”
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