MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Penguin News Update.

Headlines:
Saluting the heroes of 1982; Chief Justice rejects jailed nurse's appeal; Seismic 3D data ready this month; Councillors in Washington; Patrolling Sigma aground.

Saluting the heroes of 1982.

Hundreds of people congregated at the 1982 Liberation Monument on Ross Road to witness the annual Liberation Day parade. Marching detachments from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Falkland Islands Defence Force were on parade and the Falklands' many community groups were represented. Photo: His Excellency the Governor, Mr Howard Pearce, and Commander of British Forces, Air Commodore Richard Lacey salute during the Last Post. Full coverage on centre pages.

Chief Justice rejects jailed nurse's appeal.

A NURSE who was jailed in April for stealing a class A drug from the hospital has had an appeal against her sentence refused by the Chief Justice. Denise Schophaus received a number of thirty-six week sentences after she pleaded guilty to eight offences relating to the theft of drugs and forgery of a drugs register. In a judgement released yesterday afternoon, Chief Justice James Wood "confirmed" the sentences imposed upon Ms Schophaus by the Senior Magistrate, Mr Nick Sanders, in April. The defendant was convicted on four counts of theft of drugs from the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where she was employed (three counts related to the theft of pethidine, a Class A drug, and one of paracetamol), and four counts of making a false instrument. The Senior Magistrate imposed no penalty for the theft of paracetamol. Justice Woods says the Senior Magistrate was correct to sentence Ms Schophaus to seven concurrent 36-week sentences because, "...whilst the offences arose on a variety of dates within a period of five months, they are in my mind representative of a single course of events occasioned in a broadly similar manner...in similar circumstances." When challenged with the offences, the defendant denied them. It was only on the first day of her trial that she changed her plea to one of guilty on each count. Justice Woods says, "Whilst this late change undoubtedly had the merit of avoiding the necessity for witnesses to give oral evidence, little credit is to be given to the defendant for her late change of plea. "Due to her denial that the signatures in the register were hers, it had been necessary for the Crown to obtain expert evidence as to handwriting and had secured the services of an expert witness. Similarly, other witnesses had the prospect of giving oral evidence up until what was virtually the last moment. "The sentencer reduced the sentence of imprisonment he imposed by approximately one-sixth for this reason. This is, in my view, as great, or greater, a reduction as the defendant had any right to expect, and I will not disturb it." The Chief Justice says the most serious element of the case, was that the offences were committed by a member of the medical staff given access to dangerous drugs by reason of the position of responsibility held by her. He says, "The thefts occurred in breach of the trust vested in her. The capacity to commit these offences arose entirely by virtue of that position of responsibility, and could not otherwise have taken place." In the appeal, Ms Schophaus' legal representatives submitted that the value (that is the financial cost to the medical authorities) of the drug was small and this factor should weigh in favour of the defendant. Justice Woods says, "I do not agree. The system of controls imposed by the medical authorities to secure the safe-keeping and proper use of this drug is not to secure its financial value. "It is to secure the proper use of a dangerous substance and to prevent its misuse by any person." Before reiterating his refusal of Ms Schophaus' appeal, Chief Justice Woods comments on her lack of "regret" at her offences. He writes, "In my view the defendant has shown little if any remorse, and her regret seems to me to relate more to her apprehension, conviction and sentence. "Indeed, the defendant took every opportunity to deny responsibility (including the innocent involvement of a colleague) until the very last moment. "This is not indicative of remorse."

Seismic 3D data ready this month.

SEISMIC data collected in the Falklands is undergoing a fast track processing route and should be ready for interpretation at the end of the month. Penguin News yesterday contacted Dr Colin Phipps, Chairman of Desire Petroleum plc, to ask if he could confirm rumours that oil giant Shell had shown interest in returning to the Falklands to carry out exploratory drilling. Dr Phipps said he could say nothing about, "...who might or might not be coming in. This is something that would have to be put out to the Stock Exchange." However he said all the 3D seismic data recently collected in the Falklands has been loaded for "fast track" processing, "...and it all should be ready for interpretation at the end of this month or the beginning of next month. He said the data will take approximately six weeks to interpret, "...then we'll know what our principle objectives are and we will be able to sit down and hopefully organise a deal for exploratory drilling in tranches C and D."

Councillors in Washington.

TWO Falklands councillors have been the guests of the US State Department. Councillors Mike Summers and Roger Edwards spent a day at the US State Department, a visit coordinated by the British Embassy in Washington DC. The pair met with Mr Leonard Kusnitz, Deputy Director of Brazilian and South Cone Affairs. In New York they lobbied representatives from a number of nations and had dinner with the representatives from the Missions of Uruguay and Chile. They will address the United Nations Decolonisation Committee today.

Patrolling Sigma aground.

FISHERY patrol vessel, Sigma, ran aground at South Georgia earlier this month, a Fisheries Department spokesperson has confirmed. Marine Officer Jon Clarke said that due to what is believed to have been a fault with the variable pitch propeller, Sigma "just touched" the beach at King Edward Point on June 9. The vessel was able to come off the beach again under its own effort. Penguin News has so far been unable to contact the vessel's owners to discover if Sigma sustained any damage during the incident.