A plumber from Castletown has been put on probation after being caught with heroin at his home.

Robert Joe Kneale, of Shore Road, pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug and was also ordered to pay £125.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on June 10 at 8.35pm, a search warrant was executed at Kneale’s home address.

When they entered the premises 26-year-old Kneale was there with two women. He admitted that he had drugs telling police that he had some ‘gear’ in the house and saying ‘There’s about six grams of heroin, it’s just mine, the girls have got nothing to do with it.’

When the heroin was tested it was said to weigh 11 grams and have a street value of £1,100.

At police headquarters Kneale reiterated his confession saying that the heroin was his and was for his own personal use.

He said that he had bought the drugs for £450 and it had originally been a larger quantity but he had smoked some of it.

The court was told that Kneale smoked the drug regularly and had been working as a plumber for Haven Homes.

He had since lost his job but said that he used to purchase the drug using his wages.

The court heard that there was a difference of opinion between the prosecution and defence as to the value of the heroin but Mr Swain said that this would not affect sentencing as that is based on the weight of the drug.

Defending Kneale in court his advocate Paul Rodgers said: ‘He bought the heroin for £450. Purchasing a wholesale amount was cheaper.

‘He has held down employment for many years and maintained a heroin addiction, funding it from his lawfully obtained wages. He worked as a plumber and used his wages for drugs. But now he is working with probation and the Drug and Alcohol Team. He is attempting to rid himself of the habit and doing his best.’

Mr Rodgers handed letters from referees in on behalf of his client, as well as one from Kneale himself.

The advocate went on to say that his client’s last conviction was in 2012 so he had kept out of trouble for four years.

A probation report recommended that a probation order would be the most appropriate sentence.

Chair of the magistrates Ken Faragher said while passing sentence: ‘We have noted the letters you have provided to the court and these have probably impacted on our decision. We will not go into the details of the letters in open court. We will go with the recommendation of the probation report.

‘We trust you won’t be back here again and wish you well.’

As he left the courtroom Kneale responded, saying: ‘Believe me I won’t be. I won’t let you down.’

An order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and the £125 costs will be paid at a rate of £10 per week.

A small number of householders who have still not returned their census forms are now facing prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

Census night was on April 24 with a deadline of May 6 for the completion and submission of forms.

Since then officers been calling at properties and sending reminder letters.

Completion of a census form is a legal requirement and failure to comply can result in a fine of up to £1,000 upon summary conviction.

A spokesperson for the Census Office said: ‘Householders who have still not returned their census form now have one last chance to do so. If they still have their online code they can complete the form themselves by visiting www.gov.im/census, or they can call 685700 and the Census Office will take their return over the phone.’

A number of householders may not have recorded children on the census form. This is based school figures.

Anyone who did not include children on their form should ring 685700.

A documentary with strong Manx links will receive its world premiere this month in Washington DC.

‘The University’ focuses on the rise and impact of exponential technologies – examples of which include network sensors, artificial intelligence, robotics, synthetic biology and 3D printing – after the founding of Singularity University in Silicon Valley in 2009.

It will screen at the Washington West Film Festival on October 21.

The film is directed by Matt Rutherford, whose grandfather lives in Ramsey, and two of its executive producers are Manx – Mike Halsall, an alumnus of Singularity University, and Chris Stott, chairman of Manx satellite company ManSat. A third executive producer, award-winning filmmaker Michael Potter, previously debuted his documentary, Orphans of Apollo, in the Isle of Man at the Manx Museum.

The University features Stephen Hawking, Shimon Peres, Buzz Aldrin, Sir Ken Robinson, Sir Marin Rees, Peter Diamandis, and Ray Kurzweil and others.

Chris said: ‘With great thanks to the Isle of Man Film Festival, Manx audiences received two private screenings of The University in September, which were crucial for feedback as the film went through the final editing process. It was fitting that Manx audiences saw the film in its raw cut first.’

The public have been invited to comment on draft regulations governing seismic surveys carried out in Manx waters.

Seismic surveys use soundwaves to explore the geology of the sea bed.

They gather information about the composition of the sea bed for such projects as oil and gas exploration, wind farms and tidal turbines.

However, seismic waves can impact on whales, dolphins, porpoises and other protected sea life and can disturb herring.

The island’s Marine Infrastructure Management Act 2016 sets out the process by which permission is granted for large marine infrastructure projects.

The Act allows the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture to regulate seismic surveys.

In a consultation launched today, DEFA proposes that developers wishing to conduct surveys apply two months in advance and assess the potential impact on protected and commercially important species.

The DEFA would be able to set legally binding conditions when issuing consents, working with developers to plan effective surveys whilst minimising the impact on the environment and other marine users.

Dr Fiona Gell, senior biodiversity officer: marine for the DEFA, said: ‘This would enable us to protect vulnerable species at important times.

‘For example, developers would be made aware of the herring spawning and aggregation period from September to November, particularly for works taking place in the east of Manx waters. ‘Other conditions could include a requirement to have a marine mammal observer on board a survey vessel so that work does not start in an area where such mammals are present.

‘Our intention is not to impede economically important development but to ensure that we work with developers to ensure environmentally and commercially important species are not adversely affected.’

The consultation can be viewed at www.gov.im/consultations Responses should be sent to:

fisheries@gov.im

The Manx Music Festival’s 2017 syllabus is available now.

The festival, also known as the Guild, is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2017, when it will run from April 21 to 29 at the Villa Marina in Douglas and other venues.

Secretary of the festival, Dr Jacqueline Yates, said: ‘The syllabus is widely anticipated by the local music and drama communities and this year it is free of charge.

‘We hope this will encourage even more people to think about entering and enjoying everything the Guild has to offer, accepting the challenge to choose and work on their music, drama or dance over the next few months.’

Every year there are changes to the Guild. The executive, music and drama committees listen to audiences and competitors alike to ensure the right balance.

Dr Yates said: ‘There really is something for everyone. Classes range from traditional folk song and opera through to pop songs and battle of the rock bands, as well as contemporary dance, ballet and choral singing. We also have classic Shakespearean acting alongside poetry and public speaking, plus brass bands and a wide variety of instrumental classes.

‘There are no age limits either. The Guild has competitors as young as six every year and has also enjoyed competitors aged 100! The atmosphere is wonderful - sometimes tense, often exciting - and our professional experienced adjudicators who travel to the Isle of Man each year marvel at the wealth of talent we have here.’

This year the Guild received a legacy from the late Mildred Holgate, a staunch supporter of the festival, and in accordance with her wishes the 2017 children’s solo classes are to be taken from the Manx National Songbook.

The classes will be a showcase of Manx national song as the Guild celebrates its unique history and place in Manx culture, and the winners will sing for the Sheffield Plate on finals night.

The event is sponsored by building company Dandara.

Its managing director, Seamus Nugent, said: ‘We are all looking forward to the 2017 Guild, and with the release of the syllabus the excitement is really building towards the 125th anniversary celebrations.’

The Youth Arts Centre will be hosting an indoor car boot sale on Wednesday, October 26, from 10am to 4pm.

Admission is free. Pitches are available for £10 each selling everything from children’s clothes, cakes, toys, CDs books and more.

All proceeds are for the Youth Arts Charity, which helps youngsters in the performing arts.

For more information, contact Beth on 348790.

View artefacts dating from more than 1,000 years ago at a new exhibition about the Viking way of life.

‘Valhalla: Life and Death in Britain’ will show that Vikings were not only invaders and warriors but also explorers, traders and craftsmen.

Viking Valhalla was a hall in Asgard where the god Odin welcomed warriors after they were slain in battle.

Artefacts on show will include everyday items such as pins, beads, buckles and knives as well as arrowheads, lamps, cups and even ice skates.

Visitors will also be able to come face-to-face with a person from Viking Age York, one of the human skeletons excavated from Coppergate in the heart of the city.

In addition, there will be a hands-on children’s area which will include a Viking encampment, games and dressing up.

The touring exhibition, created by the Jorvik Group, will open on Saturday (October 22) with a special Viking Day at the House of Manannan.

The Vikings of Mann re-enactment group will be on hand to show and explain aspects of Viking Age life.

Admission to the exhibition and Viking Day is free of charge and visitors of all ages are welcome.

Admission charges apply for the House of Manannan galleries.

In addition, Valhalla themed workshops will take place during October half term hosted by Manx National Heritage and Artreach studios.

Tickets for the two-hour art workshop cost £12.50 and spaces can be booked at the House of Manannan by calling 648090.

The workshops are suitable for children aged from six to 16 years old.

To find out more about the exhibition and workshops go to www.manxnationalheritage.co.im

Travelling out of Heysham by road is to get easier soon.

Steam Packet passengers will find a new route with the imminent completion of the new ‘Bay Gateway’ fast link between Heysham Port and the M6 motorway.

Coming from Heysham, traffic will continue to use the fast single carriageway, opened in 1994.

The new three-mile section begins at the A589, where the roundabout has been replaced by traffic-signals.

The new two-lane road passes over the main line railway to a roundabout with short connection to the A6. The dual carriageway continues eastwards under the A6 to another roundabout, which marks the start of the remodelled M6 junction 34, including a new bridge over the River Lune.

Opened over 50 years ago, the M6 Lancaster by-pass was one of the earliest motorways, with relatively short slip roads, which had become inadequate for today’s traffic flows.

The presence of the River Lune is a constraint, but the civil engineers have designed a layout with longer slip roads, which will be easier to use.

Freight and passenger vehicles should benefit from shorter distances and reduced journey times. A further advantage should be fewer traffic jams.

Island based TravelWatch believes that motorists would soon adapt to using the new fast link, and trusts that the plan will assist those without an updated GPS system.

The watchdog asked the following questions:

Will the new link to the M6 encourage a growth in ferry traffic, and also a switch from Liverpool?

Does the Government’s recent survey on the future of the ferry service require updating, as it failed to mention the benefits of the new Heysham link road or the ‘eviction’ from Liverpool Pier Head?

Castletown resident Jonathan Rea will have to wait a little longer to get his hands on a second successive World Superbike crown.

A third and a second place at this weekend’s round in Jerez in Spain wasn’t enough to mathematically clinch the 29-year-old the title.

Heading to the championship’s final stop in Qatar at the end of the month, Rea holds a 48-point lead with only 50 points left to play for.

The Ulsterman’s latest results and those of main title rival and team-mate Tom Sykes, who grabbed a third and a second over the weekend, were enough to seal Kawasaki the series’ constructors’ silverware.

Rea said on Sunday: ‘I am satisfied with the championship gap. We can go to Qatar in a relaxed mood and look to pick up the target there.

‘To date we have had nine race wins and done a very good job. I struggled with traction front and rear today and Jerez is a low-grip track. As soon as the grip went off I was starting to struggle a lot.’

New Port St Mary-based club T.E.A. Multisports recently held a four-week introduction to open water swimming course at Mooragh Lake in Ramsey.

The course was designed to help new or novice triathletes prepare for the Granite Mann triathlon which was held recently in the Cringle plantation.

Head coach Jill Bunyan, who also runs pool sessions at Western Swimming Pool for SwimTech, commented: ‘The participants all got very enthusiastically involved and we had a lot of fun teaching open water swimming techniques as well as transition skills for triathlon. We even held our own mini-triathlon.’

The more experienced club members from T.E.A. Multisports got involved with the coaching and others helped with safety and first aid. The club are also very grateful to Steve Watt from Manx Paddlesports who provided safety cover on the lake.

A total of £200 was raised by the course which was donated to the Children’s Centre and will go towards supporting its charitable projects, one of which is Adventure Therapy (MOBEX).

This offers an alternative education programme that uses creative outdoor activities to support young people who are struggling with some aspects of mainstream education or with their home life.

Learning a skill like abseiling or kayaking often involves overcoming an element of fear.

This gives the young person a real sense of achievement and can often help young people turn a corner as they think ‘if I can do that, what else can I achieve?’

Pool sessions continue over the winter, and further open water sessions will be held next season.

For more information contact Jill through the SwimTech website which can be found at www.swimtech-iom.co.uk

Daniel McCanney finished sixth overall at the International Six-Day Enduro in Spain last week.

The Manx ace, riding for Husqvarna, ended the opening day of competition in Navarra fifth in class, improving to fourth on day two and then third on day three, the wettest day of the event.

Continuing to ride well on days four and five, Danny was placed fifth going into the final day motocross races and, in placing a strong second to former GP motocross racer Jonathan Barragan, he secured fourth in the Enduro 3 class and sixth overall.

Younger brother Jamie was also in action at the prestigious event in Spain on a Yamaha WR450F machine competing in the Enduro 2 class. Jamie was Yamaha’s top performer as he claimed third place in his class and eighth overall.

As a result of the McCanneys’ performances, they helped Great Britain clinch second place in the team event behind the USA.

More in this week’s Manx Independent.

Renowed inventor Dr John C Taylor has suffered a broken arm in an aeroplane crash.

The experienced pilot, who is the founder of engineering company Strix, had been travelling from Ronaldsway to Fairoaks airport near Cobham in Surrey when he had to make an emergency landing in a field.

A spokesman for Dr Taylor said: ‘Shortly before landing, a loud noise was heard and it was necessary to make an emergency landing in a field close to Fairoaks airport.

‘The cause of the accident is unknown and will be examined by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.’

The 79-year-old suffered a broken arm in the incident and is still being treated at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.

His co-pilot escaped with a ‘minor abrasion’.

Dr Taylor’s spokesman said: ‘Dr Taylor would like to thank the South East Coast Ambulance Service, Surrey Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue for their support and assistance.’

The island inventor, who lives in Santon, studied at King William’s College and graduated from the University of Cambridge before joining an engineering company in Derbyshire.

He is most famous for the thermostat control for the cordless kettle. More than two billion of his kettle thermostats have been produced.

In 2011 he was appointed an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to business and horology.

A Tynwald committee should be set up to report on the running of the 2016 General Election and to make recommendations for future elections to the House of Keys.

That’s the call from David Cretney MLC, who will ask for a committee of five members to be set up to ‘consider and report on all aspects of the organisation and operation of last month’s election and to make recommendations for future practice at the Tynwald sitting today (Tuesday).

Proposals he would like the committee to consider include introducing the option of online voting.

Mr Cretney told the Examiner: ‘I moved a similar resolution two elections ago to review and update election procedures which led to a number of improvements in the time of year, hours of voting and absent voting amongst others.

‘I believe this is timely because of the various issues raised and also to continue the updating.’

In the constituency of Ayre and Michael, it was later discovered that some 206 votes failed to be counted after one of the unsuccessful candidates, Louise Whitelegg, asked returning officer Simon Cain to double check the figures.

The missing votes did not affect the overall election result.

Acting Attorney General John Quinn carried out an inquiry and concluded that Mr Cain acted unlawfully when he opened the sealed ballot papers to investigate the discrepancy.

But he said the returning officer would not be prosecuted for his actions.

Meanwhile, in Garff, there was drama when it was discovered that two ballot boxes, apparently unopened, were spotted after the preliminary election result had been reached.

The count at the Laxey Working Men’s Institute was overseen by Winston Taylor, who confirmed a number of the ballot papers had been overlooked in the initial count but fortunately were spotted and accounted for before the final result was announced that evening.

Mr Cretney said that in addition to these two issues, he had also been contacted about lost manifestos and low turnout in some areas.

He added: ‘I am aware an officer group will be examining matters but issues here should be considered by elected members in the interests of transparency and democracy.’

The committee would invite people to make both written and oral submissions.

‘Returning officers and others can let the committee have their views,’ Mr Cretney said.

‘Matters such as an option of online voting and that people opt out because of the requirement to be available for jury should be further considered.’

An emergency road closure was put in place in Onchan earlier today (Tuesday) following what police describe as a serious road traffic accident.

The incident took place shortly before 10am towards the bottom end of Royal Avenue.

Royal Avenue was closed from its junction with Albert Drive and Central Drive down to the entrance with Port Jack Glen.

It reopened at around 1.45pm.

Plans to move the loading bay in Port Erin created problems with traders which were raised last week.

However after a meeting yesterday (Monday) between the Co-op and regeneration representatives, the store agreed to the position of the new bay.

The bay is moving to Church Road opposite Iceland as part of the regeneration scheme.

This means large traders such as the Manx Co-operative will have to cross the road and go the width and length of the block of shops with deliveries to reach the store.

Port Erin Traders raised the problem last week and emailed asking traders and interested parties for ‘constructive solutions’.

The local authority discussed the email and Phil Crellin said; it’s incumbent on everybody to find an alternative.’

He suggested a loading bay be created in the road by the Station pub, which is to be pedestrianised.

However the store accepted the current planned location.

There are hopes work on the village’s regeneration scheme – which centres on the railway station – will begin next month.

The final draft of a contract to run the TT is still a work in progress but it is expected to be finalised soon.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly said he didn’t want to be any more specific than that at this stage.

The contract, with promotions company Vision Nine, was to have seen them take over the promotion side of the TT and Classic TT from next year but this has now been delayed until at least 2018 once all contractual details have been finalised.

An announcement was originally made in March by the Department of Economic Development that it was to enter a 10-year deal with Vision Nine, promoters of the Boardmasters’ surf and music festival in Cornwall.

Vision Nine, which already lists the TT in the ‘Events we produce’ section on its website, and illustrates it with a photograph of a road bike, hopes to increase visitor numbers to between 76,500 and 125,000 during the course of the next 10 years. The company hopes to get as many as 85,000 for the TT alone and aims to make the event more family friendly with a range of extra attractions that appeal not just to fans of the bike racing. ACU Events will continue to run the actual races.

Betting giant William Hill and the owners of Isle of Man based PokerStars have scrapped plans to merge, it emerged today.

Amaya, operator of the PokerStars website, and William Hill, one of the best known British gambling brands, said earlier this month that they were in talks about a merger.

Reuters reported today that the Canadian company said it had decided it could best deliver shareholder value by remaining an independent company, while William Hill said it had decided to walk away after canvassing its biggest investors.

William Hill investor Parvus Asset Management, came out against the Amaya deal last week. And the former chief executive of William Hill, Ralph Topping had urged the company to call off merger talks.

The link-up was reported tobe worth around £4.5 billion.

Amaya acquired Isle of Man based PokerStars, a leading name in the island’s thriving eGaming industry, in 2014.

More than 300 people work for the company in the island.

A Peel protest group have won their battle to save the gateway and arch at St Peter’s Church in the town’s Market Place.

£1.16m regeneration work started in Peel in March but the replacement of a wall at St Peter’s Church with white steps sparked outrage among residents.

Two protests were held in the Market Place with Peel commissioner Hazel Hannan describing the work as ‘vandalism’ and a ‘disgrace’.

Mrs Hannan expressed further concerns over plans to fill in the gateway into the church with the sandstone from the demolished wall.

There were also plans to remove the metal arch above the gateway.

But a statement from the organising committee of the Peel Market Place demonstration, released by Mrs Hannan and Peel resident Steven Moore, said: ‘Following the demonstration there have been discussions with the island’s regeneration project manager Steven Stanley and Peel Town Commissioners who have agreed to retain the gateway and provide gates in a similar style to the last recorded gates to the churchyard.

‘There is also to be a meeting for anyone interested in protecting the built environment within the conservation area in Peel and developing skills to comment on developments/planning applications either in the conservation area or in Peel generally.’

The meeting will be held on October 25 at the Centenary Centre in Atholl Street, starting at 7.30pm, with Minister for Policy and Reform Chris Thomas speaking along with planning officers. The subject is ‘Peel’s Future in Planning’ and there will be a presentation on the Strategic Plan, which is what the next Peel Area Development Plan will be based on.

Asked if the retention of the arch and gateway was a victory for people power Mrs Hannan said: ‘I think it is. It’s just a shame we didn’t do it a year ago and save the wall too.

‘We can’t understand putting the white steps in. We know the road will be different colours too but it’s just spending money for the sake of it when it could have been better spent elsewhere in Peel.’

Mr Stanley said: ‘The opportunity to explore the possibility of retaining the existing gateway has been taken and we are working to find accurate records of the former gates which have at some point been removed with a view to replicating and reinstating these as part of the project.’

A wooden delivery box has been stolen from the doorstep of a property in Douglas.

The Isle of Man Creameries and Noa Bakehouse box was taken from an address in Cronk-y-Berry, Douglas between the hours of 10.30pm on Friday, October 14 and 7.30am on Saturday, October 15.

The box is similar to the one in the photograph.

If you have any information contact PC Hills from the Central Neighbourhood Policing Team on 631212 or alternatively anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Free TV licences for the over-75s are being reinstated with immediate effect, following a Tynwald vote today.

New Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan announced that details of a rebate scheme will be brought to Tynwald in November.

Anyone over the age of 75 who has paid £145.50 for a licence since September 1 will be refunded.

The court heard that similar funding arrangements for the Isle of Man to those in the UK should be in place for 2020 - but interim arrangements were still subject to negotiation.

There has been outcry at the move to scrap free TV licences for the over-75 from September 1, a measure that was approved as part of this year’s Manx budget.

Veterans groups pointed out it was unfair that Manx pensions had to pay while in the UK, the Westminster government has agreed to part fund the licence until the BBC covers the full cost from 2020.

Douglas North David Ashford had tabled a motion calling for the free licences to be reintroduced and for the Manx government to place pressure on the BBC to agree to the same funding arrangements as those in place in the UK.

Mr Ashford said the measure had caused ‘great harm for little gain’: ‘We should be speaking as a matter of urgency with the BBC.’

His call was seconded by Rob Callister (Onchan) who said this had been one of the biggest topics on the doorstep during the election campaign. He said he had met two constituents aged over 93 who had both asked the same question - ‘why now, why at their age?’

Moving his amendment, Mr Cannan said it was unfortunate that free TV licences could not be reintroduced on a like-for-like basis as the UK legislation had been repealed at the request of the last Manx administration.

Instead there would be a rebate scheme. The cost, of around £700,000 a year, would be covered by savings in jobseekers’ allowance payment due to lower than expected unemployment.

Criticising the way the free licences had been scrapped, Mr Cannan said: ‘The manner in which this change was conducted was unacceptable.’

Juan Turner MLC said he felt we were going ‘cap in hand’ to the BBC. ‘They’ve got the cake and eaten it because we are still paying the bill. We should not be asking the BBC to agree, we should be telling them.’

Treasury member Bill Henderson MLC said there was dialogue going on behind the scenes with the BBC.

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said: ‘The Isle of Man and the UK will come together in 2020 - that’s already been agreed.’

Tynwald unanimously approved the motion as amended.