Incorporating juice magazine Guardian/ NUS Student Newspaper of the Year Thugs sent round to threaten tenants LANDLORD DRAFTS IN HEAVBy GARETH EVANS Y MOB THREE finalists fled their house days before their exams, claiming a gang threatened them with violence if they refused to pay outstanding rent. Merewyn Fenton, Chris Greenfield and Scott Dinnis left EXCLUSIVE! their house within a day of the alleged threats and stayed at home. First British They claim they were threatened by a gang of men who barged into their house review of and warned they could expect violence if they did not pay up. It is the latest chapter in a year of conflict with their estate agents, which looks set to end up in court. Demands The agencx sent letters demanding more thai) two thousand pounds which also co\ered repair \\ork. The students took legal ad\ ice. convinced thcx \\ ere not liable tor these expenses and claim the agents reacted b\ sending oxer the thugs. "Scott and 1 xxerc out so Chris xxas alone in the house." said Merexxxn. "these txxo blokes came around asking lo look round the house, \\heii he opened the door thex pushed him inside and told him it xxc didn't pax up. thex xxould come back and beat us all up. Chris is usuallx an casx -going bloke, but he xxas really shaken up." The trouble began xxhen one housemate left in September lor a xxork placement leax ing the remaining BRAVE BATTLER: LMU graduate Vicki Hunter is suing three to find another person to till their house Birmingham Health Authority for damages, claiming a A I'orlugiicsc waiter moxed in but left txxo months misdiagnosis resulted in the loss of her leg which was later \\ithout pax ing an\ deposit, rent or hills. amputated last September TURN TO PAGE 2: COLUMN 5 Full story: page 3 Pic: Sean de Wet Steyn INSIDE: News 1-11, Comment 6-9, Features 12-15, Outlook 17-19, Sport 25-28. Plus 28-page jufce magazine LEEDS STUDENT Friday June 13, 1997 WHEN a series of Dallas lost twin brother. Instead it people had forgotten to bring training spike - presumably on came to an end there would was the very usual fare of their trusty abacus ("What the grounds it could produce LEEDS Ml always be some giant oil scam dreary debates over Bruce is trying to say is..."). our next Olympic champion. costing millions and a constitutions, irritable True to form, Jacinta But then something TUDENT shocking final gunshot which exchanges between colleagues HACK Costello (Women's) picked wonderful happened. Exec had S left you wondering who pulled and fresh new initiatives to holes and pulled faces, Andrea dark plans for this newspaper A weekly sketch of student politics the trigger. This year at LUU save money on the coffee that Drummond (Entertainments) too, but in the greatest display This week in Britain's will forever be scarred by a comes in small jars. wasn't rejecting principle struggled to sit still and look of debating power and award-winning student giant toilet roll scam costing a Like the wise men and you'll understand, just interested while Gary Bouch intellectual flair the old union quarter of a million, while the women we hear about modernising, and 12 months (Communications) delivered has even seen, the Leeds newspaper of the year question "Who shot Bruce directing government fiscal later the benefits are r: pearls ofdaz/.ling oration that Student Editor, David Smith, Hartley?" would have just too policy, the gang of nine were phrases Iik,' ;mg" suggest a great career lies defied incredible odds and many possible answers to setting about next year's union anil "prioritising expenditure" ahead as chief football won a historic victory. NEWS contemplate. budget. Indeed Chancellor arc common parlance, while commentator for Channel 5. Curiously, Smith has been But enough of such Bruce Hartley. Finance & all members of union staff now Meanwhile dear Sarah Reck lurking somewhere at every Chestnut Avenue: tempting yet fatuous Administration officer, is quite have a customer-friendly (Welfare) l<x>ked as earnest yet meeting chronicled in this metaphors. For Ux> long this at home under Blairism: forget bright shiny badge they can bemused as ever, finally column in the past few years. The road to hell or column has sweated over the great tradition of lefty \\carastheysmile. resorting to throwing cherries What a futile existence, elaborate allegories in the hope students tcx> stoned to notice Hartley, clutching across the room at Mat Ray, silently watching every talking a media-hyped of persuading someone that the thousands being spent on calculator-, gleefully presented the equally angelic and equally shop from beginning to end. cnmezone: student politics has a faint toilet rolls, this is a pragmaiist bar charts and guided us bored Societies officer who But this week, with two hours still appears slightly unsure gone and more to go, he pages 4-5 connection with the real world. who offers a carefully costed through his modest proposals Not any more: you can only package and won't promise with the measured intensity of whether being on Exec was realised he had better things to live a lie for so long. what he can't find in the small a mathematician on Open really such a good idea. do, and walked out. And so COMMENT Take this week's meeting print of the union constitution. [.'nivcr.fity. As always, Then there was Lesley with one bound he was free. of Exec. No one got shot, no Hartley's vision for New however, there were crucial Jones, who in the grand This Smith guy's Time to Dave goodbye: one got abducted by aliens, no Union was to transform a interjections from Liane tradition of Sports officers was obviously got more one woke from a dream to find social club into a business, Langdon ((Education) by way forced to passionately defend sense than! have. end of an era with the they were Gary Bouch's long students into consumers. He of translation, just in case the expense of every last last Adam column of all time page 6 NEIGHBOUR THREATENS RESIDENTS WITH POLE THUGS FEATURE Chris Leadbeater's SCARE official guide to CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE summer-what to do, Psycho' attacks The estate agents sent the where to go and why finalists a letter demanding the outstanding money from them, pages 12-13 but the students refused to pay. The house was also in a bad Outlook state. Merewyn complained: "There was mould growing on the living room walls and ceiling Funny Izzness: Eddie plaster was collapsing." Even after Izzard tells us why frisbee players Welfare Services at LUU wrote several letters of complaint to the Europe is far from a SCARED tenants have told of their agents, several of the repairs were joke for the Brits terrifying experiences with a 'mad' MEDICAL MISSION not completed. neighbour who attacked them with a metal Andrea Kerslake from Welfare pages 18-19 Services said: "We feel that pole - for playing frisbee in the street. unnecessary pressure is being put SPORT The per' )d of fear | By RICHARD AUTY ~] on the students - this is no way to began for .he second playing frisbee. deal with a dispute. If any other Mission Umpossible: Travers said: "I bent students find themselves in a years vvhen the man down to pick up the situation where a landlord sends Bird man Dickie talks n shouting at frisbee and heard him someone round, they should come cricket - exclusively tliL m for playing shout 'You fucking in and see us or go to the police - it football near their bastards!' The next thing is a criminal offence." pages 25-28 I knew he smacked me house on Hessle across the back with a Burgled Walk. metal pole." The estate agents sent them a Maths student Blake added: "I took a new tenant. He too disappeared James Pownall few steps towards him and wrecked the flat during a claimed: He came out and he began to swing the party, leaving Merewyn, Scott and shouting that the stick at my face." Chris to foot the bill. To make woman from 32 Hessle matters worse their house was Terrace had sent us to Injury burgled and the agency demanded annoy him. We thought Travers called the they pay for the damages. he was mad and just police and found that the A month before their finals the ignored him." man could not be arrested students received a letter from The students say the as he had not inflicted a solicitors acting for the agents that man went back into his serious enough injury. demanded nearly £2,500, to be TWO medical students are paying tor their own flights paid within a week. They have house and came out The students are bound for Africa to help in an and will take much needed wielding a wooden pole. enraged, calling the man refused to pay this and are set to understaffed hospitals fight refrigeration units and face the estate agents in court. Pownall's housemate 'a menace." Travers against the AIDS virus, writes hypodermic needles with Andy Blake, a Geneticist, fumed: "His list of The manager of the estate Dem Cheetluim. them. agents denied the claim that they also witnessed the event. excuses that he told the Second year students The Bansang hospital Blake claims: "He told police include us have been demanding money with Jonathan Myers and Tammy where they will be working menaces: "We certainly sent them us to go away, and when allegedly attacking his Pegg plan to spent three has a catchment .