Major investment for a new multimillion-pound car showroom in the Isle of Man will come from private money, the people behind the major project have told iomtoday.

Jacksons chief executive officer Paul Collier said it was ‘purely coincidental’ that news of the Cooil Road venture was released days after Tynwald backed a £50m Enterprise Development Scheme.

The company, which is Channel Islands-based, is eager to scotch speculation on social media about the source of funding for the project, which was first unveiled on iomtoday last week.

‘Most importantly we would like to stress this venture is 100 per cent private,’ said Mr Collier.

Planners have been sent details from Eden Park Developments to develop a 10-acre site on Cooil Road.

If the planning application is successful Jacksons plans to bring both its luxury division and also the value retail dealership, known as Motor Mall, to the island.

Mr Collier is also keen to stress that more than 60 jobs new jobs will be created with the prospect of this possibly rising to 100.

Mr Collier, who has links with the island, has even given a breakdown of where he sees the first jobs being allocated.

The development company say the ‘landmark’ development is ready for immediate use if planning permission is granted.

Jacksons have vowed to sell brands of cars that currently casnnot be bought here new including Volvo and Audi.

Read the full story in this week’s Isle of Man Examiner Business News pages.

A trawler master has appeared in court charged with fishing for king scallops in a closed area.

The crew of DEFA’s fisheries protection vessel Barrule detained the Irish-registered Golden Fleece off the north west coast of the Isle of Man on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Ryan John Newell, of County Down, appeared before magistrates and admitted fishing in a closed area.

He was fined £5,000 with £125 costs and ordered to forfeit his catch of 33 bags of scallops, worth £2,163.

Isle of Man Newspapers was the only news provider in court and the full story will appear in the Manx Independent tomorrow.

In a press release sent to the media after the case, the Minister for the Environment, Food and Agriculture, Richard Ronan said that protecting local fish stocks is a priority of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture

‘The king scallop fishing season started on Sunday,’ he said.

‘Regulations govern where vessels can fish and parts of the Island’s territorial seas are closed to allow stocks to recover. This vessel was caught fishing within a closed area.

‘The crew of the Barrule enforces fisheries regulations and has the right to board and detain any vessel it finds breaching them.

‘The sea fishing industry is worth £13 million to the Island’s economy and it is carefully managed to ensure it isn’t overfished, with the resulting damaging effect on future catches.

‘I hope this latest prosecution sends out the message that we will continue to take a robust approach to anyone breaching regulations.’

Michael MHK Alfred Cannan has urged the government not to spend taxpayers’ money on a new geological survey of Kirk Michael.

He remarked that rather than spend ‘thousands of pounds looking for rock under Kirk Michael’ government would do as well to commission ‘a gold digger and shovel’ to go on top of Snaefell as there was ‘more chance of finding gold’.

He made the comment as Tynwald debated his call for Treasury to make provision for coastal protection works along the Michael coastline.

A 900-metre stretch of the coast between Glen Wyllin and Balleira is being lost to the elements at an average rate of a metre year – although during major storms as much as seven metres can be reclaimed by the sea, the Michael MHK told the court.

Mr Cannan said the threat to residences in the village was increasing year on year. Tynwald, he said, should ‘accept we have a national responsibility to the residents to give them the security and peace of mind they are seeking.’ He said rock armour ‘works and works well’ – as evidenced where it had been used at Glen Wyllin.

But Environment Minister Richard Ronan said that while he recognised the ‘legitimate concerns’ of the people of Kirk Michael, this had to be part of a national strategy on coastal erosion.

Mr Ronan said it would be 60-80 years until homes on the Broogh Wyllin estate were at risk and there were other locations around the island also at risk. He said it would be inappropriate to commit to spend upwards of £10m without being clear exactly how far back the natural erosion will travel. Work was ongoing in Michael with a geological survey, ‘never done before’, to ‘make clear if there is rock behind,’ he said.

This prompted the ‘looking for rock under Kirk Michael’ rebuke from Mr Cannan who said a survey had been carried out in the 1890s.

He insisted that he didn’t want to ‘over-commit members’.

But Peter Karran (Lib Van, Onchan) said it would be an open-ended financial commitment. He tabled an amendment removing the reference to coastal erosion at Kirk Michael, supporting the idea of a national coastline policy and calling for DEFA to report back with proposals in July.

Tynwald voted to support Mr Karran’s amendment and the motion as amended was carried unanimously.

The minimum wage is set to rise.

The Department of Economic Development is seeking Tynwald approval for what it describes as ‘significant increases’

If approved, the hourly rate for employees aged 21 and over would increase by 35p from £6.65 to £7, a rise of 5.3 per cent.

Those aged between 18 and 20 and trainees over the age of 18 would see their hourly rate increased to £6.65.

Employees aged 16 and 17 would see their hourly rate increase to £5.40.

For the 16-year-old age band this represents an increase of 73p, over 15 per cent.

Minister for Economic Development Laurence Skelly MHK said: ‘The minimum wage is an important incentive to encourage people into work and represents part of Government’s aim to protect the vulnerable and make work pay. I believe that the minimum wage committee has successfully balanced the interests of employees and employers.

‘I am pleased that the committee has proposed a significant increase in the rate for trainees over 18. This rate has not increased since 2007 and will hopefully encourage those 18 or over to consider, or remain, in training.

‘If thecommittee’s recommendations are approved by Tynwald then, given the current rate of inflation, this will mean that those workers currently on Minimum Wage rates should feel better off in real terms.’

The increases have been recommended by the independent minimum wage committee to the Department of Economic Development and the Treasury.

The committee – which includes representatives from both employers and unions – were unanimous in their recommendations. Both Departments support the rises and are seeking the necessary approval by Tynwald later this month. If approved, the rates will take effect from January 1.

The proposed increases are above inflation and so represent a significant increase in real terms earnings for those affected.

The annual rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for September 2015 remains at -0.8 per cent

The main minimum wage rate also rose above inflation last year when it increased by 3.9 per cent.

For details of the House of Keys minimum wage debate see Thursday’s Manx Independent.

There are no plans ‘to sell off chunks of the golf course’, according to Port St Mary commissioners’ clerk Alastair Hamliton.

Rumours about the sale have been circulating in the village for weeks, and new commissioner Ian Skelly raised it as a concern in his manifesto in the recent by-election.

Mr Hamilton confirmed: ‘We are in negotiations to renew the lease.

‘We are not selling off chunks of the golf course.’

Police are hunting a man who raided a Douglas shop armed with a firework.

It happened at about 10.05pm on Tuesday night at Newby’s Newsagents, Glen Falcon Road, Douglas.

The offender struck just after closing time as the lone woman employee was preparing to shut up the shop for the night and just after she turned the lights off.

He entered the store, barging past the woman taking the cash ‘drop’ box from behind the counter.

He threatened her and ordered her to hand over the cash box keys.

Despite further threats to harm her while lighting a firecracker (a small banger firework) right in front of her, the woman continued to refuse to co-operate.

The offender then lit and threw the firecracker in her direction. He then left the store, crossing the road in the general direction of Victoria Road, Douglas.

The cash box contained about £1,000.

He is described as about 5ft 8ins tall, slim build, darkly dressed with his face concealed and hood up.

Detective Sergeant Brian Shimmin said: ‘This is a very alarming method of offending, but thankfully there were no serious physical injuries to the lady. I do not dismiss the fact that such crimes can have a detrimental physiological impact on victims and of course I am mindful to ongoing public concerns.

‘We are also keen to speak to the driver of a white or light coloured Ford Transit van which passed the shop as the offender exited. The van drove towards the junction of Broadway opposite the bottom of Victoria Road.

‘It is likely that the offender would have taken the cash box away to force it open later, to recover the cash. Tools may have been required to do this so I would I ask the public to consider this with regards to people’s behaviour after the robbery.

‘At this time, it is too early to positively link the {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/knifeman-flees-after-woman-shopkeeper-refuses-to-hand-over-cash-1-7550991|attempted robbery at the Strang Stores} committed on Monday, November 2, to this robbery. We do of course remains open minded in that regard.

‘Arrests have been made in relation to the crimes under investigation, but this is by no means conclusive and I again appeal to the public for any information which may assist the investigation.

‘I expect anyone who knows the offender, whether they be a friend or family member to be forthcoming with information. If anyone knowingly harbours or assists such an offender or offenders as I include the attempted robbery at Strang Stores, they will be strongly considered to face the consequences, perhaps by means of a criminal charge.

‘Hi-visibility mobile and foot patrols are being formulated island wide, this also includes plain non uniformed patrols.

‘There has been a high level of community spirited responses to police in respect to the Strang Store attempted robbery and we are managing resources as best as we can. Please be patient with us if we are not immediately in contact.’

Personal data is now a tradeable commodity on the sinister ‘Dark Web’ used by criminals, Mark Brown, executive director, cyber security and resilience at Ernst Young has told Business News.

He said:‘ Cyber crime is the most organised criminality globally today. It is worth billions.’

Asked who the people doing this are he said: ‘They are true organised criminals.

‘You have the organised crime syndicates, you have nation state sponsors, there are ideological activists and then you have the insider.’

Expert Mr Brown who is London based, speaking to Business News during the inaugural island tech summit sponsored by Wi-Manx, gave some chilling information.

He said: ‘In terms of organised criminality you can, if you know where you’re looking, go on to the internet and simply find people for hire. Defrauded credit cards, anything like that. You can subscribe to a service offering which will take a company down, guaranteed. They [the criminals] will offer a money back guarantee on some of this stuff now, they are that confident about it.

‘Personal data is a tradeable commodity.’

Mr Brown was one of a number of speakers who addressed an audience of more than 250 business people from the Isle of Man at the Villa Marina last week.

Wi-Manx sponsored the inaugural tech summit with the emphasis on cyber crime and sharing knowledge with businesses.

The event came just days after the highly publicised TalkTalk cyber attack.

And the Financial Times last week revealed that personal details of more than 600,000 customers were stolen from companies in the UK in 2014, laying bare the extent of digital weaknesses in British business in the run up to the TalkTalk cyber attack.

The FT said senior UK government officials had said ‘tens of thousands’ of Britons’ identities were currently for sale on the ‘dark web’.

Mr Brown of EY told Business News the cyber criminals can strike anywhere including the Isle of Man.

‘They don’t care where they get the information from. It can be the biggest multinational corporation in the world through to a local corner shop in the island.’

Hesaid the corner shop could be a target because it processes credit card and debit card payments and if there were weaknesses in the system personal details could be stolen.

‘This shows the spectrum of risk that exists,’ he warned.

Talking about the ‘dark web’ used by criminals Mr Brown added: ‘Round about 70 to 80 per cent of the internet is not google searchable.

‘The concept of the dark web is you need to know exactly where you are going.

‘That’s where the underground fraternity sits.

‘They are very transient.

‘The absence of international jurisdiction is key here. This is the loophole they exploit.

‘It’s very difficult in the interconnected world we live in today to pin down jurisdictional liability.

Mr Brown who has had ‘years in the trenches’ working in business is part of a big team from EY - Ernst Young management consultants.

‘We are there to be a trusted adviser to organisations who need help.’

He said the cost to the UK annually around 2011-2012 was in the regionof £27 billion. The cost globally in a report last year put global cost of cyber crime in the region of £400 billion a year.

He sent this message to businesses of all shapes and sizes in the island: ‘This is a topic you simply have to be aware of.’

Dietrich Benjes, of Varonis, a company involved in protecting sensitive information from insider threats, told Business News 85 per cent of all data breaches are internal and it was vital companies wise up on knowing who has vital information within their organisation.

‘There is a cost involved but organisations are trying to protect their assets. Would you bank with an organisation who could not ensure that only you and your partner had access to your accounts?

Would you bank with an organisation who weren’t able to detect whether your card was being used in Morocco, Mumbai or Manchester at the same time? I know I wouldn’t.’

Asked if businesses in the Isle of Man would be wrong to think they cannot be touched by the criminals he replied: ‘Utterly.

‘I suppose if they don’t use information technology, and have typewriters and filing cabinets then they probbaly don’t have to worry.

‘But as for organisations who have email, who have the web, who create files and information it’sa different matter.

‘Do they value their data? It’s the personal information in organisations.’

American Mr Benjes said ‘without a doubt’ there will be more examples of companies being cyber attacked as in the TalkTalk case.

‘I’d bet the farm on it - that’s an American expression. These things happen every day, a multitude of times every day.’

Tony Rowan, chief technologist with a company called Exclusive Networks debated whether a mobilised workforce was more at risk from hacking, attacks and cyber crime.

For example, he said on average an organisation will lose around five per cent of its laptops a year through theft or loss.

Mr Rowan said in his opinion passwords should become a thing of the past.

‘We should be using better systems using multi-factor authentication, using your iris, your fingerprint for example. If we could get ridof passwords it would be one of the best things we could do.’

He said theoretically typing in a password should be a secret but people could be watching over your shoulder, ‘shoulder surfing as we call it’

‘And many people seem to make the same mistake, they tend to use the same password for lots of things.

‘So if they [criminals] find your passport for something innocuous, maybe your Facebook account then they will be able to, likely as not, be able to log in to one of your bank accounts or other accounts that you are using. And passports do tend to be very weak.’

Asked what the best password should include he said: ‘Mixed upper and lower case, mixed characters.

‘The pound sign is a good one to include if the system will let you. United States hackers, for example, don’t have a pound on their keyboard. So it’s difficult for them to type that.’

A free workshop: ‘How to be Happy . . . no matter what!’ will be held on Saturday (November 7) from 2pm to 5pm.

The workshop, which is run by the charity Brahma Kumaris, is led by life coach Sarah Truman, who is based in Swansea.

She said: ‘We often tie our happiness to achieving specific goals or to people in our life behaving in particular ways and then we get disappointed. But life doesn’t always go according to plan and learning to be resilient is the key. So the good news is, you don’t have to wait for all your problems to be resolved, you can be happy right now!’

The event will be held in The Hub, Thie Rosien community centre, Port Erin.

Sarah will also be joining an afternoon of meditation in a celebration of Diwali from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday (November 8).

Directions to the venue will be sent out by email a few days before the event.

To register and for more details call 626940.

Events are free but donations are welcome.

A Christmas fair and market will be held at Laxey Pavilion on Saturday, November 28, and Sunday, November 29, from 10am until 4pm.

The event, in aid of the Children’s Centre, is being held by the Laxey Pavilion in conjunction with Laxey Working Men’s Institute and tables are available for stall holders on either or both of those days.

To book a table or for further information email lisamotley@thechildrenscentre.org.im or call 676076.

Leading American geneticist-microbiologist Professor James Shapiro visited Port Erin last week to discuss resident Don Williamson’s theory of evolution through hybridisation.

Retired marine biologist Don, 93, stumbled on his controversial theory of evolution – in which he postulates that evolution also occurs through hybridisation – in 1983 while lecturing at the Port Erin Marine Laboratory.

However, he has battled ever since to gain acceptance of his theory from within the scientific community.

The struggle was made greater after he had a major stroke in 1990 that left him partially paralysed, and, for a time, unable to speak, read and write.

A great proponent of his theory was Lynn Margulis, professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lynn talked about Don’s work with Professor Shapiro, from the University of Chicago. And this, according to Jim, inspired him to come to the island to ‘learn more about Don’s thinking’.

He added: ‘Don knows about animals in nature and the wild. Validation of his ideas will come from molecular studies.’

Don said: ‘Jim and I approach evolution from different angles: he studies bacteria while I study animals. But we agree that evolution is much more complex than Darwin envisaged.’

This is one of the points Jim made in his book ‘Evolution: A View from the 21st Century’, published in 2011.

Don said his theory has advanced as a result of their encounter. He said: ‘I claim that animals with larvae are descended from hybrids. Jim will try to get more geneticists to look into my theory and find any animals with larvae where there is sufficient information on their DNA and that of other animals which, I say, are related to their larvae.

‘My only regret is that biology, and particularly molecular biology, has come on leaps and bounds, and I, as a 93-year-old, cannot keep up with it.

‘I’m quite proud of my conclusions but I kíck myself for being so slow.’

Four members from three different generations of the same family will feature strongly in two days of off-road motorcycling nostalgia at Knock Froy this weekend.

When Hughie Kelly lined up on an Ariel Red Hunter for the 1933 International Six Days Trial in Wales with three fellow members of the Peveril Motor Cycle and Light Car Club he could barely have dreamed what an amazing association the Isle of Man in general and his family in particular would have with the event over the following 82 years.

It was a somewhat inauspicious debut for Hughie in the ISDT, and his return - 29 years later in Germany - would prove no more joyous.

But his son, Roger, would win a gold and three bronze medals in his five appearances between 1960 and 1971, including the first of three editions to be hosted by the Isle of Man.

This year, Hughie’s great grandson, Jamie McCanney, won his class at the modern-day version of the event (International Six Days Enduro) in Slovakia. He and his brother Daniel are both regular members of the Great Britain national team.

It is anticipated that they and many more of the 40 Manxmen and Isle of Man residents to have competed in the Olympics of Motorcycling over the past nine decades will be in attendance at Knock Froy on Saturday for an evening of photographs, archive film and memories (7.30 for 8pm start).

There will be a special Remembrance Day green lane ride on Sunday, starting 10am (also from Knock Froy), over parts of the routes used for the 1965, 1971 and 1975 ISDTs in the island. The clubhouse will be open for those taking part in the anniversary ride (50 years since the first IoM event and 40 years since the last) to view the images and items of memorabilia on display.

The emphasis is on nostalgia, so enduro bikes of a classic nature would be preferred - either to ride or for static display.

A public meeting about controversial proposed flood defence on Brewery beach (known popularly as Gansey beach) will take place at 7pm on Thursday, November 12, in Ballafesson Hall.
Scores of objections were posted on Port St Mary Commissioners’ website in response to an artist’s impression of flood defence measures as proposed by environmental company JBA consultant.

The main concern was rock armour on the beach, which would making it inaccessible for walkers and those using the sea for activities such as kayaking and surfing.

Two thirds of the beach lies in Rushen Parish (RP), and the local authority has organised the meeting because ‘everyone should have the opportunity to listen and to freely give their views,’ said commissioners’ clerk Gill Kelly.

The public is being listened to said the DoI. The department and JBA have conducted two rounds of community meetings around the island and held discussions with a number of local authorities.

Infrastructure minister Phil Gawne said: ‘Local communities are being invited to play a leading role in the decision-making process. Our current thinking is to improve the protection of vulnerable locations and try to reduce the economic and social impact of flooding, but first we want to hear the views of people living in those areas.’

Teachers worried about the effects of legal highs in an island school have contacted Isle of Man Newspapers.

We looked into their fears and have talked to the chief constable about the issue for this week’s Manx Independent.

The report is on page one of this week’s paper.

The paper includes more from the courts, reports from this week’s House of Keys sitting, your letters, our Island Life features section, the Isle of Man’s What’s On guide, a look forward to sport over the weekend, Bernard Moffatt’s column about nuclear power and our new community news section.

It’s in the shops now.

Last week, Draughtfinder’s Trevor Clark explained why it’s so important to ensure buildings are airtight – for comfort, energy saving and environmental reasons. This week, he looks at how to find those leaks, so they can be dealt with

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Air is invisible, but you can ‘feel’ air movement if there is a temperature difference.

This temperature differential also helps us to ‘see’ where any air paths are cooling or heating the structure at the point where the air enters the building, using an infrared thermal camera.

By combining a thermal camera with a ‘blower door’, we make one very powerful tool that enables us to create draughts and then find them.

But first we must create the right conditions to perform the air tightness test, which can be repeated at any time in the future.

This ensures that the test is valid, and allows testing at any time of year. We don’t need to wait for the weather to produce the right stormy conditions!

Once we accept that uncontrolled air entering our buildings will seriously affect our building’s energy demand, it’s easy to understand the need to prevent as much air from entering or leaving the building as is possible.

This can result in permanent energy – and therefore cost – savings, as well as reduced maintenance costs in repairing damage to buildings from internal structure rot. Thus the comfort conditions within the property also improve, and the thermostat can be turned down, further reducing your energy bills.

The air tightness test involves the use of a large fan (blower door) installed in a temporary frame in one of the building’s doorways.

All all other external windows and doors are closed. Any ‘intentional’ ventilation openings are closed or temporarily sealed during the test – this means things like the chimney, boiler flue, window vents, cooker hood and ventilation systems, etc. All internal doors are kept open while the test is run.

The blower door fan is turned on and the pressure inside the building is reduced.

A number of readings are taken over a series of different pressures and these are processed through a computer software programme to crunch the numbers and produce the test result.

While the blower door fan is running, air from outside will enter the building through the uncontrolled holes, gaps and fissures in the building structure. The test result can provide a figure for the equivalent hole size that all these holes, gaps and fissures amount to.

If you were seated in your lounge with a hole the size of a football in your wall, surely you would fill and seal that hole. Well, an average external door frame would probably have a hole the size of a tennis ball, if you were to bring all its little gaps and holes into one place. Add to this the other windows and there we have the football.

Yet, because we cannot easily see these holes, gaps or fissures, we forget they are there. Realising that this uncontrolled flow of air into and out of the building is increasing the cost of our heating bills should encourage everyone to do something about it!

Next week we’ll look more closely at some of the calculations we do when undertaking air tightness tests.

In the meantime if you’re keen to investigate ways of improving your home or business’s air-tightness further, see www.draught-finder.co.uk/

IT will have escaped few people’s attention that ‘Spectre’ is on at the Palace Cinema and well worth seeing by all accounts.

I wonder if anyone in my worldwide readership has his or her own favourite Bondism. You know, his cleverest clever remark. There are dozens of them listed film by film on Google but my favourite is not among them.

In ‘Goldfinger’ Connery Bond is driving through the Alps on the trail of Goldfinger and finds himself being followed by a pretty girl in a fast car. She is Tilly Masterson, also after Goldfinger and intent upon having her revenge for his killing of her sister Jill, played by Shirley Eaton, by encasing her naked body in gold leaf.

When he pulls up in front of her she also pulls up and her front bumper touches Bond’s back bumper. He gets out and tells her: ‘If you touch me there once more you’ll have to marry me.’

Meanwhile I can report that some years ago, as Daniel Craig was entering into Bondage, my son Nick and I were dining at J Sheekey in the West End and Mr Craig pouted in with friends and sat down at a table next to us.

My son noted that he was no taller and commanding than I was. He said: ‘Even you could take him, dad.’

You should see me in my speedos.

THIS sign is to be seen at the roadside on the Caribbean island of Anguilla and the photograph has come in from friends of mine who live there, Marnie and Stuart. Now there’s a neat throwaway line.

SARA Goodwins and Richard Hetherington have sent in this week’s crossword clue from the Daily Telegraph as follows: ‘Constant as Douglas’ cats (7).’

THE Harbour Lights Cafe and Restaurant in Ramsey regularly sends out little email messages to customers, starting ‘Dear...’ But customers in receipt of one lot found themselves addressed as ‘Dead...’ This has been reported by Mary Brownsdon of Ramsey who was addressed as ‘Dead Mary.’ Harbour Lights has apologised. Restaurants just shouldn’t ever try to kill off their customers.

MANX Radio news reported that an attempt on a new world record for the number of people riding on a rollercoaster naked at Southend in Essex had been called off. The previous record was 102 nude people. A charity spokesman said: ‘They’ve just fallen short.’

They shouldn’t have tried to get on the thing in the first place.

DAVE on the checkout at Winerite found a story in the Manx Independent saying that planning permission had been granted for building a first floor balcony on to the front of the Shore Hotel at Carrick Bay. It said: ‘The balcony will have doorway access.’

Well, yes.

CROSSWORD: Endless.

JOHN Garfield has been on about a news item saying that Douglas police had reported the removal of items from ‘an insecure house’ on Bray Hill. He says: ‘The poor dear probably needed a cuddle.’ He adds, grumpily: ‘Where did the word burglarised come from? What’s wrong with burgled?’

Nothing, as long as it’s not me John.

THE Funnies File reveals that some years ago the UK national newspapers were flown to the Isle of Man every morning from Liverpool and Manx Radio programme presenters would announce to listeners: ‘The paper plane has just landed.’

Now that’s a pretty long throw.

MATRIMONY: ‘Man inserted an advertisement in the classifieds saying: “Wife wanted.” The next day he got a hundreds letters all saying; “You can have mine.”’ Anonymous.

Saleem Anantapur Sheikh and Sarah Sheereen Ismail, of Flat 40, Mwyllin Doo Aah, Noble’s Hospital, Strang, Union Mills, bought 34 Harcroft Avenue, Douglas, for £345,000.

It was bought from Peter Geoffrey Barradell and Christine Jane Barradell.

Other recent transactions lodged at the General Registry in Douglas are as follows:

Jean-Marc Rae, of Glasgow, sold 58 Claughbane Drive, Ramsey, for £320,000, to Peter Andrew O’Donnell and Karen O’Donnell.

David George Edward Babb and Verity Louise Christory Babb, of Balleigh, West Jurby Road, Ramsey, sold Palm Springs, Hillberry Road, Onchan, for £312,000, to Mark Jonathan Lacey and Stacey Marie Lacey, both of 78 Birch Hill Crescent, Birch Hill, Onchan.

Gareth James Kinrade and Paula Kinrade sold 14 Ballalough, Andreas, for £295,000, to Kevin Mark Shimell and Emily Mary Tyler, both of Ballaveg, Main Road, Ballaugh.

Clarice Woodcock sold 4 Cooil Breryk, Ramsey, for £267,000, to Martin Peter Smith and Pamela Elizabeth Dorothy Hamer, both of 4 Croit ny Kenzie, Andreas.

Ida Dorothy Caley, of 23 Springfield Court, Onchan, sold 33 Third Avenue, Onchan, for £156,000 to Victoria Ball, of 16 Beech Avenue, Birch Hill, Onchan.

Merion Kim Moughtin, of Lilac Cottage, Smeale Road, Andreas, and Mark Moughtin, of Sylvan Hills, Claughbane Road, Ramsey, sold 4 Bourne Place, Ramsey, for £155,000, to Heather Price, Rachel Elizabeth Price, and Timothy John Price, of Hillside, Hibernia Road, Hibernia, Maughold.

Patricia Nicholson, of Garey Glas, Main Road, Greeba, sold land adjacent to the Highlander, Main Road, Greeba, for £8,000, to Colin John Sheard, of the Highlander, Main Road, Greeba.

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We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation services.

The funeral service for Gary Boal, chairman and founder of Boal & Co, will take place at 12.30pm tomorrow (Friday) at St George’s Church in Upper Church Street, Douglas.

All are welcome to attend.

To read our report following Mr Boal’s death {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/shock-at-the-sudden-death-of-gary-boal-52-1-7539533|Click here}

The phased transfer of waste disposal charges on to ratepayers is under review, the House of Keys has been told.

Member for Infrastructure Chris Thomas said that some ‘significant announcements’ would be made shortly about how the ‘costs will be allocated between users, taxpayers and potentially ratepayers’.

It was announced in 2012 by the then Infrastructure Minister David Cretney that government would phase out its £5.7 million annual waste disposal subsidy to local authorities and private businesses over the next six years.
This was to save the taxpayer £1m each year between 2013 and 2018 by which time the full cost of the disposal of domestic waste would fall on ratepayers.
Gate fees rose from £35 per tonne for domestic waste and £106 per tonne for commercial waste and currently stand at £79.50 per tonne and £162.50 per tonne respectively.
This year charges were frozen for 12 months to offset the costs of local authorities taking over more services from central government.
In the Keys, Douglas West MHK Mr Thomas said a Local Authority Transition Working Group had been set up and had now met three times. The group had been given confidential information about the costs of the contract with SITA, which operates the Energy from Waste plant.
Mr Thomas told MHKs: ‘All I can say at this stage is that, currently, the escalator fee announced several years ago is under review that the basis on which local authorities and commercial waste providers are charged is under review, as announced when that escalator fee was introduced.
‘It is excellent that this policy is being developed in this open way and the department has been pleased to share on a private and confidential basis, detailed information with this working group. As far as I am concerned, the results are excellent and we should be able to make some significant announcements shortly.’
In a written answer, Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said the costs of running the Energy from Waste Plant could not be released as they were commercially confidential.
But he revealed SITA was paid fees totally £8,683,429 in 2013-14 and received income of £3,344,946 from gate fees and £936,658 from electricity sales.
Mr Gawne told the Manx Independent: ‘We are working with local authorities in confidence to try to build trust on both sides so that we can deliver better services for the Manx people.
‘We are still working on these ideas so we don’t have details to announce. I have regularly updated the media on progress of the meetings we’ve been having, but haven’t yet been in a position to announce the detail.’

A fisherman convicted of raping a child was sentenced to 11 years in jail today.

Michael James Moore, from Queen’s Pier Road, Ramsey, was also listed for an indefinite period on the Sex Offenders Register by Deemster Montgomery following his conviction four counts of rape and two indecent assaults on a child which occurred in the early 1990s.

Detective Constable Emily Perkins from the Public Protection Unit commended the victim for coming forward to the police and remaining strong through the court proceedings.

She said: ‘I hope that this final process will be some form of closure for the victim and that they will now be able to move on with their life.’

She added: ‘Every level of sexual abuse, particularly against children, is unacceptable. It is extremely difficult for victims to deal with abuse and sometimes the realisation of being abused doesn’t occur until later in life and can manifest itself in many forms.

‘Regardless of when in life a person has been abused, there is still a chance that the police and other agencies can help, and in some cases bring justice for the victim and families.’

She added that in the last few months alone there had been the successful conviction of two other sex offenders, one in September 2015, who was convicted of eight offences which took place between 1979 and 2014, the other in August 2015, who was convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a child which occurred in the early 1990s.

‘Detectives in the Public Protection Unit are dedicated to sensitively investigating historic cases, as we do current cases,’ Det Con Perkins said. ‘We will look into any report of historic abuse and we will do everything we can to investigate such cases fully.

‘If anyone out there is suffering in silence or has considered whether or not to report abuse, please do not hesitate to contact an officer in the Public Protection Unit at police headquarters on 631499 who in the first instance will listen to you and provide advice about the police process and other support that is available.’

Emergency services dealt with two accidents earlier today.

A car spun out of control at about 12.10pm and hit gorse bushes on Johnny Watterson’s Lane near Cronk-y-Berry in Douglas.

The driver sustained injuries to her neck and shoulders.

She was helped out of the vehicle and taken to Noble’s Hospital to get her condition fully assessed. It is not thought she had received any serious injuries.

In an earlier accident an elderly woman crashed her car into a wall outside the railway museum on Station Road, Port Erin.

Emergency services were called at 10.15am.

The car had mounted the pavement and jammed itself between a parked car and the boundary wall of the museum.

Once the parked car was removed, and access to the damaged vehicle was gained, the driver of the vehicle was easily removed to a waiting ambulance for paramedics to fully assess any injuries.

Although the driver was shaken, it is not thought that she received any serious injuries.