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This England

Loitering with intent

Neighbours of Allan Chappelow, the 86-year-old pensioner found dead in his ramshackle home in Hampstead, confronted two mysterious men loitering around the front garden, the Old Bailey heard this week.

Lady Listowel, the widow of the 5th Earl of Listowel and former Lords committee chairman William Hare, told the court that she had confronted two strangers snooping around. She said that one was wearing "scruffy" shoes and spoke with a South African accent [and one] "was wearing a camel-haired coat and had fake tan with spiky blond hair".

At first, she said, she thought they might be estate agents. "They seemed quite nervous of me and wanted to get away."

Camden New Journal (Ron Rubin)

Heavenly relief

Academics at The Oxford Centre for Science of the Mind gave electric shocks to 12 Catholics and 12 atheists as they studied a painting of the Virgin Mary.

The experiment, to see if religious faith can relieve pain, was conducted by a group of scientists, philosophers and theologians from the university.

Daily Telegraph (Brendan O'Byrne)

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