The two student journalists who exposed insecurities in the
University computer network are facing a police investigation
into their activities in obtaining the story.
Proctors of the University have told the Deputy Editor and
Sports Editor of The Oxford Student, Patrick Foster and Roger
Waite, that a police investigation has been initiated at their
request, although the journalists have yet to be contacted
themselves by Thames Valley Police. In the article, published on
Thursday 27 May, Foster and Waite (the named authors of the
piece) admit that the methods used to highlight the lack of
security “fall foul of both the law and OUCS
guidelines”.
The Computer Misuse Act 1990, which prevents the use of
computers to access personal information such as passwords, and
private conversations, carries a custodial sentence of up to six
months.
Senior sources at The OxStu have informed Cherwell that the
Proctors became aware of the article even before it went to
press. “A lot of college IT officers were contacted,”
they said, “and one of those must have passed on the details
of the article. Once the Proctors had contacted us, we passed
full details of the article to them straight away.” Within a
matter of hours of receiving this information Foster had his
Webmail account withdrawn and it is believed the contents are
being investigated. Waite’s was removed on Tuesday.
This is a matter of some concern for the students, who both
have exams at the end of term. Foster has also been denied
Ethernet connection to his room at Keble College.
The University and their respective colleges are yet to take
any action beyond this, although Foster, already on full academic
probation, has expressed public fear that he may face a
“three-term rustication”.
It is unclear how much detail OUSU, the publishers of The
OxStu, knew of the matter before they went to press. But our
source was adamant that “other than the journalists
concerned, neither OUSU, its employees or Editor Mary Morgan knew
anything about it until the day of publication.”
Waite and Foster, in a statement issued to Cherwell, stood
“100 per cent” behind the story. “We are both
aware that we consciously breached the law, University statutes
and college regulations through our actions. However we feel we
were justified in doing so to bring to the attention of the
University and its students the very real dangers posed by
network insecurities.
“We are co-operating fully with the inquiries of the
Proctors and our respective colleges. We have nothing to hide,
and are both looking forward to meeting the Senior Proctor to
make our respective cases.”
ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

An Oxford doctor used hospital equipment to enhance his love
life, the General Medical Council heard this week. Jane Sullivan, representing the GMC, told the professional
conduct committee hearing that Euan Laird began an affair with a
woman, who was only identified as Mrs N, in 1991. The couple had
sex on a number of occasions at hospital premises. The hearing
was informed that Laird used the ultrasound scanning machine at
the Horton Hospital in Banbury for his own “sexual
gratification”. Laird, who was senior house officer in obstetrics and
gynaecology at the John Radcliffe Hospital when the relationship
began, is accused of “abusing” his professional
position, unnecessarily performing smear tests and other intimate
examinations on the patient. The relationship continued for a number of years before Mrs N
“began to find the nature of his desire invasive and for
that and other reasons stopped seeing him in 1997.” Laird was not present or represented at the hearing but is
aware that it is taking place. Sullivan said that Laird, who
became a consultant during the affair, denied the allegations:
“Not only did he say he had had no dealings with her at the
time, he denies, and continues to deny emotional or sexual
relationship with her, saying that their relationship was a
strictly professional doctor-patient relationship”. The
hearing continues. Two weeks ago, Cherwell reported that a Queen’s College
lecturer, Doctor Henk Giele, had allegedly been conducting a
sexual affair with one of his patients at the JR hospital. His
case has been adjourned until December. The GMC are unable to comment on either case since both are
ongoing.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

Security staff at Debenhams on George Street were threatened
with a syringe after confronting an alleged shoplifter last
Tuesday afternoon. The man threatened to stab the staff with the
hypodermic needle before taking flight. Debenhams security staff briefly gave chase before the police
were called in. A 32-yearold man has since been arrested on
suspicion of theft and possession of an offensive weapon. A
spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said that the police could
not reveal whether they were treating the incident as an HIV
threat because the investigation is currently still ongoing. Debenhams’ spokeswoman Helen Frame said, “There was
an incident in the store on Tuesday afternoon. All our staff are
fine and we are fully co-operating with the police
investigation.” This is the latest in a series of incidents in Oxford where
syringes, possibly filled with HIV infected blood, have been used
as a threat. A robber was recently jailed for three years after threatening
a shop worker with a syringe in a Sainsbury’s store in
Littlemore, Oxford, last year. He claimed to be HIV positive. Earlier this January, another man had tried to rob a newsagent
in Witney by threatening them with a syringe which he claimed was
filled with HIV infected blood.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

Oxford’s Salsa Society has fought allegations of
dissatisfaction with its President, while a hacker highjacked the
society’s mailing list with members receiving a torrent of
abusive emails. OUSS Committee members have rallied behind their President.
Eva- Maria Dimitriadis said that accusations made by Suraya Jina,
who recently resigned as Treasurer, that President Mark Vincon
had ruined the Society by running it as a dictatorship were
entirely false. Dimitritriadis in fact claimed that Jina had lost
power after the committee was re-organised to make it more
democratic. She said Vincon was popular within the society and
had been an “excellent and extremely accommodating”
President. But, in the fallout to the allegations, a hacker broke into
the society’s mailing list and sent members a series of
foul-mouthed messages under the President’s name warning
them not to read the article in The OxStu in which the
accusations were made. Responses to this resulted in members receiving almost 200
emails. After the society’s unsuccessful attempts to shut
down the list, Oxford’s Computing Services had to withdraw
it and are currently attempting to trace the computer from which
the hacker operated. A new mailing list is being set-up and
members have been sent a profuse apology.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

One in five burglaries in Oxford occur as a result of owners
leaving their doors and windows open, according to newly-released
figures. Thames Valley Police are urging all local residents to avoid
making themselves prey to burglars by locking up. According to a
police spokesperson, “Over the summer months even more of us
are tempted to leave windows open all day when we are out.” This term alone, thefts have been reported at Merton, New,
Brasenose and Jesus colleges. The robbers have mainly targeted
laptops. University College is so concerned at the threat posed
by intruders that it now offers free alarms for all women living
in a ground floor room. One victim of crime, second year historian Sanam Mirza, warned
other students to buy a tether to secure their laptop. “Back
up all your bloody work,” she added.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

A former Oxford student has written in The Telegraph about his
return to Oxford to “put the fizz back into finals”.
Despite the new code of conduct, Freddie Sayers decided to spray
his friend, who had just finished finals, with champagne. The
police released him when they realised that he wasn’t a
member of the University. The Proctors’ Office have since written to The Telegraph
defending the University’s current policy. Several students
have been fined up to £70 this year.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

An Oxford backpacker is fighting for her life in hospital
after plunging 65 feet in the Australian rainforest. Queensland
Police are investigating the accident. Lucy Keen, 24, was visiting Cape Tribulation in Queensland
when she fell from a viewing platform. She had been about to
embark on the Flying Fox ride when the accident happened. The
ride involves people being attached to a harness and then gliding
across a rope connected between two points in the forest,
enabling people to ‘jungle surf ’. Queensland police
said that Keen’s condition was “very serious.”
“If she does survive,” said Dt Sgt Trevor Perham,
“we don’t know what lasting injuries she will
incur.” The Flying Fox ride, which was launched last August, had a
100% safety record until the accident on Saturday. Keith Chegwin
and his television crew are among the many British tourists who
have taken advantage of the opportunity to see the rainforest at
such close quarters. The Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours is run by a
group of biological scientists who use the ride to look at the
flora and fauna of the forest. They charge £27 an hour for the
experience, promising tourists they can “feel like Tarzan or
Jane.” Keen has broken her pelvis and all her ribs in the fall and
remains unconscious in hospital. Her parents have flown from
their home in Oxfordshire to Australia to be at their
daughter’s bedside. Keen was brought up in Oxford and
studied at universities in Leicester and Cardiff.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

The Prime Minister of Turkey delivered a speech at St
John’s College on ‘Why the European Union Needs
Turkey’, last Friday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been premier since March 2003,
arrived twenty minutes late after being held up in traffic. His
speech, which was delivered in Turkish, attracted the attention
of the international and national media. European leaders will
have to decide in December whether Turkey can begin negotiating
for entry into the EU. Erdogan, who seemed eager to present himself as a modern
European leader, stressed that Turkey “will try to make
‘European values’ Ankara’s values.” The PM
acknowledged that Turkey still had pressing economic and human
rights issues to confront. The problems surrounding the Kurdish
minority and the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus also remain
unaddressed despite EU instructions to resolve them. Erdogan’s speech was organised by the South East European
Studies Centre based at St Anthony’s College, and was
preceded by a conference on “The Continued Rapprochement
Between Greece and Turkey: Still Genuine?”ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

Police are appealing for information about an Oxford student
who was mugged at knifepoint on Friday 26 March. The attack took place after the student had spent a night out
in the city. She was sitting with a friend on a wall in St Giles
when the incident occurred. The hooded male crouched down in
front of her and demanded, “give me your bag and what you
have if you don’t want to get hurt.” He then grabbed
hold of the student’s handbag before running down Woodstock
Road. Chasing the offender, the student shouted that she had been
robbed to members of the public. A man in his fifties with short
curly grey hair joined the chase, and continued to pursue the
mugger after the robbed student had fallen. He finally returned
to the student having been threatened with the knife. The police have decided not to reveal the identity of the
student. They wish to hear from the four members of the public
that the student passed while chasing the mugger. They are also
particularly eager to contact the good samaritan, or anyone who
may know the identity of this man. It is believed that his
evidence could be vital in bringing the offender to justice. Anyone with information should contact the police on 0845 8
505 505.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004