The Gazette 1973

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY SCHEME The results of the first three years operations of the professional liability scheme managed by Underwriting Agencies Ltd. are now to hand.

£17,235 for unexpired risks making a total of £51,705 in all or at a ratio of claims to premiums of 71 per cent. Gross premiums for the years 1970 (part), 1971 and 1972 were £140,569. Fifty-three claims were received of which nineteen resulted in a nil liability, six cost £1,425 and twenty-eight outstanding claims are esti- mated at £77,395. Anticipated results are a reserve of £17,235 for unexpired risks making a total of £96,055 possible liability being a ratio of 68 per cent of claims to premiums

For the year 1972 439 policies were issued gross premiums being £72,423.00. Eleven claims were notified of which ten are outstanding and a reserve of £34,470 has been retained to meet these claims. The anticipated results of the year's working indicates a sum of £34,470 for payments and outstanding claims and a reserve of

UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH

Fifteen fellowships for the Study and Dissemination of International Law are being offered by UNITAR. Most of the fellowships are confined to government officials. All candidates must be law graduates in the 24 to 40 age group. Non civil servants are required to attend courses in International Law in The Hague under study scheme (maximum number five) for eleven weeks from 10 July to 22 September 1973 or Study Scheme D (maximum number six) for seven weeks from 10 July to 22 August 1973.

All candidates must have experience in the field of International Law, and, if accepted, all travelling and accommodation expenses will be paid. Tuition will be in English and French. Application forms may be obtained from the Depart- ment of Foreign Affairs, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, as Irish candidates are ultimately nominated by the Minister. The completed application forms should reach the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin, at latest by 23 March 1973. spent 27 years in prison but his condition had never been diagnosed before. The Court should make an order ensuring that he received the treatment he needed. Wearing a dark-brown suede safari-type jacket, with a neatly-clipped moustache, Weston showed no emotion as the Judge returned him to prison. It was in prison that he obtained a Doctor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and other qualifi- cations. He has had visits from Government experts about his work with under-water pollution. A paradox The Judge told him : "Your life has been a paradox. You are a man of quite exceptional talents with scien- tific qualifications of the highest order, and some of your inventions have been of great value to society. "The odd feature is that your qualifications and con- structive work has been done within the setting of the prison system. Out of prison, you must recognise, you are a thoroughly unscrupulous fraud." The Judge said he was satisfied Weston was suffering from hypomania but not with the prospects of successful treatment and the probability of continuing to offend. The sentence had to be in line with the gravity of the charges "to protect the innocent from frauds like you." He ordered that a transcript of the case be sent to the Home Secretary so that Mr. Garr could consider whether Weston should be transferred to hospital for treatment. Mr. Edwards said afterwards that the question of an appeal against the sentence was under consideration. —The Daily Telegraph (17 February 1973) 76

INVENTOR WHO LED DOUBLE LIFE GAOLED A man described as a brilliant inventor who hacj led a double life as a highlv-respected scientist and an incor- rigible confidence trickster was back in jail last night. Alfred Weston, 55, creator of the original design for the Black Box flight recorder, was sentenced to four years at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to six charges of fraud.

Two psychiatrists said Weston, who has spent 27£ years of the past 29 years in jail, was suffering from chronic hypomania—over-activity of the brain. They recommended hospital treatment. But Judge Robin David declared that the public must be protected and he could not "gamble" on treatment which might not remove the criminal element from Weston had defrauded Abbots Well Motor Inn, Waverton, near Chester, of £1,025 by entertaining a bank manager and associates. On five other charges of obtaining hotel accommo- dation and a taxi ride by false pretences he was sen- tenced to one year's imprisonment on each to run concurrently. Within two weeks of release from prison last year had had run up hotel bills in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Poole, Dorset, on a "flight of fantasy". He "conned" Mr. Scott Carpenter, former American astronaut, into travelling to London to discuss a £1 million deal to raise a ship from the sea-bed off Dorset. The trip cost Mr. Carpenter £1,400 for a conference to discuss the project but he did not press charges. Mr. Gareth Edwards, defending, said Weston had Weston's make-up. Hotel bills unpaid