TWO men have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the central bank following a number of thefts of mail in the Woking, Weybridge and East Surrey areas.

Victor Odesola, 37, and OlukayodeAkinleye, 34, both of Bradbourne Road, Grays, Essex, are due to appear at South East Surrey Magistrates Court, Reigate, today (Saturday, 2 February).

They were charged yesterday (Friday, 1 February) with conspiracy to defraud the central bank.

A member of the public reported seeing mail being stolen in the Weybridge area on Thursday (31 January). 

Surrey Police officers, having been made aware of a vehicle suspected of being involved in the offence, quickly located and stopped a car. 

Recently stolen mail was found in the car and the two men were arrested.

A 25-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for three years after being found guilty of three burglaries in Surrey.
Daniel Harris of no fixed address appeared at Guildford Crown Court yesterday (February 1) where he was jailed for the offences -  committed in March last year (2012).
He firstly burgled a home in Guildford on March 21 - stealing digital cameras, a laptop and jewellery.
He then burgled two homes in Ripley between 27 and 27 March - stealing a large LCD television, a woman's purse, an iPad, two laptops, an iPhone and a blackberry.

A SCHOOLGIRL who has led a fundraising campaign for terminally ill children has been given a prestigious award.

Fifteen-year-old Madeline Castrey, who attends Dunottar School for Girls in Reigate, is a recipient of the Diana Award – set up in 1999 by the Government to remember the Princess of Wales' belief in the power of young people to change the world.

And it was a bout of sickness which triggered Madeline's remarkable charity drive.

The youngster, who lives in Chaldon, formed a youth singing group called Charisma 14 months ago. Since then she has staged a series of musical concerts across Surrey.

To date it has raised about £8,400 for the Shooting Star CHASE children's hospice near Guildford.

Industrious Madeline also produced a Christmas single called Shooting Star which the five-piece group sang on.

It has received almost 3,000 YouTube hits so far.

Madeline told the Mirror: "I'm absolutely thrilled to win this award.

"I came out of my chemistry GCSE mock exam when my mother told me the news.

"I was totally amazed."

Her mother Jacqueline spoke of how Madeline was feeling ill with a viral infection in 2011.

She reminded her daughter that other children were in a far worse state, such as those in hospices – and that triggered Madeline's fundraising quest.

Mrs Castrey said: "Madeline teaches other pupils music theory in her spare time to help pay for the cost of booking halls for the concerts.

"All the money raised goes to Shooting Stars.

"She has kept exceeding the target she has set.

"Now her quest is to raise £10,000."

The multi-talented youngster got a A* grade in her music GCSE at the tender age of 10.

She also plays the violin, the clarinet and the piano – and has appeared in the West End production of The Lion King.

East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah said: "Congratulations to Madeline on being honoured with this well deserved award.

"Her tireless and creative fundraising efforts have resulted in an impressive contribution to the Shooting Star CHASE hospice.

"The Diana Award is a wonderful way of celebrating the immense contribution that some young people make to their local communities."

The other members of Charisma are Madeline's sister Matilda, 13, plus 15-year-old Emily Burrill and Jodee Hodge-Bright and Flynn Marks, both 13.

ASHCOMBE Dorking stepped up their performance level this weekend with a tough but very competitive loss at home against Swiss Cottage, earning them a crucial league point.

Despite missing key players Lucy Boulton and Alex Standifird, the Dorking team were able to apply pressure to the visitors taking the first set to eighteen points.

A difficult second set was to prove costly and it wasn't until the fourth that Ashcombe regained the momentum to force the game into a fifth set and also guarantee each team a point on the league table.

Michelle Conway returned to action after a month off due to injury.

Despite only managing two training sessions prior to the match, the time off seemed not to affect Conway's performance as the highest point scorer for Ashcombe, totting up 13 points and picking up the MVP award.

The tightly-contested fifth set looked to be going steadily Ashcombe's way after Carol Fogarty's service run brought the team one point ahead 9-8 in the shorter tie-break set to only 15 points.

A fantastic block by Olivia Obaseki was followed up immediately by the referee ordering a replay, to the bewilderment of the spectators and home team.

It was an unfortunate point which Ashcombe were not able to recover from, losing the final set 15-11.

Although not the win that the team so desperately needed, the point does give them a small boost.

The improved performance and morale will prove even more valuable as the team take on league strugglers Portsmouth on Saturday, February 9, at 1pm at The Ashcombe School.

Entry is free and spectators are welcome.

Meanwhile, Ashcombe Volleyball's U18 team failed to defend their National Championship title as they crashed out of the cup just before the last eights stage.

With many of last year's winning team now too old to compete, it was down to a young crop of players to defend the title.

Kristen Erickson and Alex Standifird brought their Super 8 experience to the court but in what was probably the toughest pool, Ashcombe narrowly missed out on qualification, finishing third. behind the Boswells Blaze and Szysko's Polonia.

Brief court time was given to rising stars Lydia Goodwin and Rachel Higgins, both students at The Ashcombe School who have been invited to attend England trials in two weeks time.

Much of this young team will be in action again next week as the teams contest the U16 National Championships in another bid to reach the last eight stage.

COMMUTERS now have to fork out almost £1,000 a year to park at Oxted Station after a 4.1% price hike.

Southern Rail has increased parking charges at train stations across the Tandridge district.

Daily commuters, who have already suffered an average 4 per cent increase in annual rail fares this month, have branded the price hikes "disgraceful" and despair that they are "stuck in a catch-22".

Samantha Engrish, 52, of Bluehouse Lane, commutes from Oxted to London Bridge every day for her job in publishing.

She said: "Us commuters are being hit hard in our pockets. We are told to help reduce our carbon footprint, yet companies are making it increasingly difficult to do this.

"We work hard to keep our jobs, and with the economy the way it is that is no mean feat. We just want to get to work to earn a living to support our families. We do not want to have to cut down on groceries just for the 'privilege' of going to work."

An annual parking ticket for Oxted Station now costs a whopping £919 – up from £882 last year. The daily rate has gone up to £5.50, from £5.30 last year.

Anabelle Matthews, 28, of Wheeler Avenue, said: "Money is tight no matter where you have to travel to by train. The train fares have gone up and now they want us to fork out more to park – it is disgraceful."

Others have admitted they could be forced to park on residential roads instead – which could create problems for the station's neighbours.

Adam Tillings, 49, of Church Lane, said: "More people will park in side-streets or at different stations.

"I park here because it is my closest station, but I would be tempted to drive further afield and walk to the station, or park at a different and cheaper station.

"It is a catch-22 because train companies know that it will take us triple the amount of time to drive into London than it would to jump on a train. Increasing parking fares does nothing to encourage people to use public transport."

A Southern Rail spokesman said parking charges had risen by an average 4.2 per cent.

Chris Hudson told the Mirror: "Revenue received from car parking goes towards improving our car parks where we invest in better lighting, better security fencing and CCTV, resurfacing and re-lining, and the addition of spaces where possible."

This includes an extra 88 spaces which are being created at Upper Warlingham Station by the summer.

He added: "Our car park charging strategy takes into account charges levied by local authorities, and private car park companies at car parks near our stations. We have to ensure that we do not undercut these car parks as non-rail users would soon fill up our car parks if we do, leaving our regular customers with nowhere to park."

Those parking at Woldingham Station will also see annual parking charges increase, from £706.60 to £776.60.

THE son of a former motorcycle racer will compete in a national biking contest in honour of his late father.

Kevin Miller, of Orestan Lane, Effingham, has reached the finals of Built In Britain after completing a classic motorcycle restoration project that his father, Mick, started three years ago.

Following his father's death in a road accident, the 40-year-old decided to finish the restoration of his father's 1962 AJS 7R.

Mr Miller said: "Dad won a silver replica in the Manx Grand Prix in 1962 racing a 7R and he had always wanted to build another one.

"I guess it just took quite a long time for him to get the funds and the bits and pieces.

"When he died it was an absolute must for all the family that the bike be finished."

Mr Miller completed the restoration project last year, and took the motorbike over to the Isle of Man to put it through its paces, an experience he said he found "incredibly emotional".

He said: "I don't know that there are words to describe it.

"It was a massive honour. Sitting on the starting line the emotions were everything from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low."

Having rebuilt the machine, Mr Miller decided to enter it in Built In Britain, a national competition which recognises restored and refurbished classic motorcycles.

The AJS has been voted through to the finals of the competition, where it will be up against hundreds of other motorcycles during an event in London from February 15 to 17.

Mr Miller said: "It's been brilliant so far; the whole thing has just been like a fairytale.

"It would mean everything to win, just to see dad's name out there."

If the bike is chosen as the winner, Mr Miller said he would donate half of the £1,000 cash prize to the Surrey Air Ambulance, which airlifted his father to Kings College Hospital after his crash.

The winner of Built In Britain is decided by a public vote. To vote for Mr Miller's AJS 7R, go to www.mcnbuiltinbritain.co.uk

CUTTING the speed limit in Reigate town centre could be the key to improving the environment – that is the suggestion of one resident, who says traffic hurtling through the High Street puts safety at risk, and makes it a no-go zone for cyclists.

Surrey County Council has agreed to revisit the notion of a pedestrianised High Street, but many are sceptical that project will ever work.

Instead, keen cyclist David Brown, of Warren Road, believes slashing the speed limit to 20mph could be a compromise solution.

He said: "At times the traffic speed through the town is excessive. At certain times of the day it is a race track."

Despite three sets of traffic lights, he says vehicles regularly break the speed limit, cutting just seconds off their journey.

He added: "The speed in the early evenings is horrendous – well over 50mph in some cases. The delay on most of the pedestrian crossings is too long and people dart across because they don't want to wait."

He estimated that a driver travelling from Morrisons' Bell Street entrance towards Dorking would get to West Street just 10 seconds quicker at 30mph than at 20.

The pedestrianisation suggestion came after Surrey County Council asked members of Reigate Business Guild for ideas as to how to spend £150,000 over the next three years to encourage sustainable transport.

Guild members have often raised concerns about the speed of traffic through town.

Reigate Central borough councillor Christopher Whinney said: "Residents in West Street are very concerned at the speed of traffic. It is dangerous to pedestrians and to vehicles trying to turn. My concern in High Street is when traffic accelerates away after being stopped at a traffic light.

"I know some people think pedestrianisation is a nice idea, But it is not just about what is nice for pedestrians, it is an essential issue for traders too, because if it stops people from coming into the town, the point of it is reduced."

Reigate mum-of-two Sarah Hamilton, 33, said pedestrianisation would be "wonderful".

She said: "There is always traffic passing through because it is such an important road.

"You do occasionally see people coming through too fast, so reducing the speed could be a compromise."

A MOTHER has paid loving tribute to her young daughter who died suddenly in Oxted.

Kate-Lynne Mitchell's family say the gap she has left in their lives "will never be filled".

The 12-year-old had scoliosis and epilepsy and was suffering with a chest infection when she had two seizures and stopped breathing on January 4.

Paramedics spent 90 minutes trying to revive her but she did not recover.

Her mother, Paula, said the family – father Glen, and brothers Ashton, 6, Jamie, 4, and Ramsay, 1 – have been devastated by the loss, but enjoyed every minute they spent with Kate-Lynne.

"We have had the most incredible 12 years with her, and the void left in our lives is immeasurable," said Paula.

"Everything we have done in the last 12 years has been with our precious daughter in mind, from houses, cars, holidays, schools, jobs – everything. Our family is devastated by our loss."

Kate-Lynne went on many family holidays, including trips to see camels in Dubai and lion cubs in South Africa, and going swimming in Majorca and Portugal.

She was born with dislocated knees and hips and a cleft palate, and later developed scoliosis and epilepsy.

"She was our angel," said Paula. "Although she could not speak, the way she reacted to things, by smiling and things, would always tell you how she was feeling."

The family moved from Scotland to Neb Lane, Oxted, in August last year.

Paula told the Mirror: "Over the last few years the pain from her scoliosis was slowly getting more noticeable, so we can only take comfort in the fact that in heaven all her pain has been taken away and she is running, dancing and playing and talking with her fellow angels.

"Our hearts will never be filled and we will miss her everyday.

"She had the most beautiful smile and was loved by everyone who met her."

Balloons and lanterns were released into the sky by about 150 of her family and friends in Ballater, Scotland on January 19.

"We wanted to try and close the gap between us by sending up these lanterns and she absolutely loved balloons too," added Paula.

Kate-Lynne's cremation was held at Surrey and Sussex Crematorium in Crawley on Monday last week.

THE head of Audley Primary School has told of her disappointment at the school's Ofsted report – just weeks after its top-rated exam results were announced.

The school in Whyteleafe Road, Caterham, has been issued with a "requires improvement" notice following its latest inspection.

Among their conclusions, the Ofsted inspectors said the quality of teaching at Audley was not yet consistently good so that pupils, particularly the more able, do not achieve well over time.

Pupils' progress in writing and mathematics was judged to be uneven across year groups.

But earlier this month Audley was top of the table in Tandridge district's SATs tests results.

The statistics showed it was the only school in Tandridge to achieve 100 per cent for the level 4 target at mathematics, and its 97 per cent success rate in English at level 4 left it sharing the top spot with St Francis Primary School which is based right next door.

Audley head Daphne Shields told the Mirror: "We were surprised and disappointed at Ofsted's grading, especially after our SATs results were the highest in the history of the school. But we are not moaning and groaning about it.

"We are getting on with it and giving extra support to more able children in maths, have put more staff training in and have bought 'challenge' booklets to stretch more able pupils."

Mrs Shields said she was pleased with many of Ofsted's findings. These included that pupils are well-behaved and feel safe, that parents felt positive about the school, and that marking consistently provides pupils with comments on how to improve.

She added: "We are confident it will be a short time before we are able to achieve a 'good' rating."

THE newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey has halted the controversial sale of Leatherhead Police Station.

Kevin Hurley, who came to power in November, made the decision as part of a review of the policy of disposing of 12 stations across the county, which began in 2010.

Mr Hurley said the process had been halted to ensure the property sales earned the highest amount possible.

He said: "I want to be absolutely certain that we are getting the maximum possible value for the public from these assets. Pausing these sales gives us the opportunity to assure ourselves that we are not missing any opportunities to do better."

The Surrey Police Authority instructed property consultants Bruton Knowles to put the Kingston Road station on the market in August last year, after the force decided smaller stations were under-used and too expensive to maintain.

As a result, officers and staff covering Leatherhead, Ashtead, Bookham and Fetcham have operated from an office shared with Leatherhead Food Research in Randalls Way since November 2011.

Other sites given a stay of execution by Mr Hurley include Esher, Haslemere, Epsom, Old Woking, Banstead, Camberley, Horley, Sunbury and Chertsey, although there is no plan to reopen any of the properties as police stations.

The disposal of stations at Egham and East Molesey is near completion so both will continue.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Harris, who led the station review on behalf of the PCC, said: "I have looked in detail at the estates disposal policy initiated in 2010.

"The basic logic of the policy remains sound – co-locating police teams with councils has helped improve services to the public.

"Closing ageing and barely-used stations has reduced our maintenance costs.

"However, I think the time is right to look at the disposals currently underway and assess whether we can take a more commercially-minded approach to maximise their value."

Former Dorking police inspector Mike Ledwidge said: "It's all very well them slowing the process down but if they do not keep big town centre stations open, none of the problems are going to be prevented.

"These big police stations will never be replaced. The relationship between the police and the public has been badly affected."

SELFISH parking outside a school is putting children's lives at risk, according to concerned parents.

Linkfield Lane in Redhill is often gridlocked outside St Joseph's Catholic Primary School during school drop-off and pick-up times, and parents have called on the school, council and police to do more to discourage people from double-parking outside.

They say if the problem is not sorted soon, it is only a matter of time before a child is injured. Some have already reported seeing near misses.

Parent Neil Sealy said: "Only last week I saw a child slip on the ice and fall on his knees in the coach bay, between cars. All it would take is a cyclist to pass the parked coach on the left, not expecting the coach to be dropping off children on the main road, to knock someone over."

Other parents said there was no excuse for parking outside the school as parents have rights to park in Donyngs Leisure Centre car park, which is just a few hundred yards away.

Mother Laura Blackburn, 36, said: "I always park in Donyngs. It's just easier and we're quite lucky to be able to park in that car park."

Sue Butcher, 46, a housewife from Redhill, said: "It's because people are too lazy to walk to Donyngs. There's plenty of parking there.

"We're lucky to have it but some people do park selfishly. They should set a good example. Most people are really good and there's a good community round here but there's always one or two people."

But some argued that it is not always possible to park in Donyngs.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "There should be more space around here to park. I have asthma so I can't always walk from the leisure centre."

The Mirror spoke to St Joseph's head teacher Elizabeth Walsh, who said the school did everything it could to discourage parents from double parking.

David Thorp, who lives in a cottage in Linkfield Lane, criticised parents who park in the road and said he was "astonished" that no accidents had happened.

He added: "I've been living here for 30 years and the area has just been spoilt by the total careless parking of these mothers. We never see parking wardens and the council said Linkfield Lane wouldn't be up for review for parking restrictions for 11 years."

A NORTHERN Irish business is offering a replacement for a defibrillator stolen from Bookham High Street. .

Thieves stole the newly installed Public Access Defibrillator (Pad) from a cabinet outside Rawlings and Kensett Butchers on January 6, prompting local businesses to launch a fundraising drive to replace it.

However, Belfast-based company Heartsine has now offered to provide a replacement free of charge, meaning there can now be defibrillators at either end of the High Street.

Mole Valley district councillor Paul Newman, owner of Ken Davey Butchers, said: "It is absolutely fantastic news.

"It just goes to show that even though we have suffered at the hands of mindless individuals there are still some good people out there.

"I spoke to one of the sales managers in Northern Ireland and he does not even live in the village but has still gone above and beyond in helping us.

"Having these two machines placed strategically at either end of the village will potentially save lives.

"It is a massive deal and we are all very happy."

Mr Newman and several other shopkeepers have organised a raffle to fund their own replacement Pad, with the draw due to be made on Saturday.

The stolen device, which can deliver a shock to restart a heart in cardiac arrest, was funded by the Rotary Club of Bookham and Horsley using a legacy left by Horsley pharmacist Bob King.

It was installed last year on the spot of an earlier unsuccessful resuscitation attempt.

Heartsine European sales manager John McMurtry said: "The device which we are donating is the top of the range, the very best model that we offer, at around £1,600.

"We are the only UK manufacturer of these Pads and every now and then I come across a community which, through no fault of its own, has been taken for granted.

"It's not anyone who comes to us with a sob story who gets one but, when a community has made the effort to help their own and some scumbags come along and ruin it, we are happy to help out.

"Villages cannot afford to spend that sort of money and have it wasted. What these criminals have done is as bad as mugging an elderly person at Christmas. It just is not on."