IN an age of civil partnerships, equal marriage rights and liberal attitudes, the idea that gay people might suffer workplace abuse seems rather old-fashioned.

But a study by University of Hull academic Anna Einarsdóttir suggests prejudice still lurks behind many office doors.

Her research into six public and private sector organisations has revealed many homosexual people still have a difficult time at work.

Although open name-calling is largely a thing of the past, she says an unpleasant undercurrent remains.

"The major finding was lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are more likely to be exposed to bullying and discrimination in the workplace," she said.

"People weren't necessarily exposed to directly homophobic remarks.

"A lot were very scared homophobic comments were being made behind their backs, or they overheard conversations about others."

Dr Einarsdóttir, who works at Hull University Business School, examined attitudes at a prison, financier, international retailer, charity and NHS trust.

All were willing to be involved on condition of anonymity and she also looked at the Royal Navy, which was happy to be named.

The academic found no substantial difference between public and private sector groups, although the charity was significantly better than either.

It was often hard to tell if there was any real malice behind co-workers' comments, she said.

Many simply did not realise they were being inappropriate.

"It's very subtle and we picked that up in focus groups with heterosexual colleagues," she said.

"We could really tell people understood certain comments were not appropriate, but the boundaries weren't so clear when it came to jokes.

"To draw a comparison with racism, people were very clear that racist jokes weren't appropriate, but homophobic jokes were a bit more unclear."

Dr Einarsdóttir's study also shone a light on the difference in attitudes towards lesbians and gay men.

"If someone fitted the stereotype of a gay man, they were more likely to be bullied in the workplace," she said.

"But for lesbians it was the other way round. Lesbians who didn't look like stereotypical lesbians were more likely to be exposed to sexualised behaviour."

The academic pointed to the experiences of a bisexual woman at the NHS trust as one of the worst examples of discrimination.

She was called names, harassed on Facebook and had allegations about inappropriately touching a colleague made against her.

Although the woman complained, managers told her it was a "personal issue" and refused to get involved.

Overall, Dr Einarsdóttir believes things are much better for gay and bisexual people than they once were, but said changes still need to be made.

"I think still the message needs to be sent from management that banter needs to be challenged," she said.

"It's also really important we have open lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in top positions.

"Management needs to take an active role in making sure this is on people's agenda."

PART of the challenge gay people face at work comes from a reluctance to acknowledge stereotypes exist, Anna Einarsdóttir said.

The University of Hull academic believes many people are unwilling to discuss the issue because it makes them uncomfortable.

The answer, in her view, is to be more open.

She said: "People make assumptions about sexuality all the time.

"Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals have a very clear idea of how others should look and behave.

"Trying to engage heterosexuals in that conversation was like pulling teeth – you could tell they knew about the stereotypes, but getting them to admit it was difficult.

"Until we can have a meaningful discussion about stereotyping, it will be difficult to move forward. People don't want to engage with and challenge stereotypes."

RESIDENTS say they are living in fear following a high number of burglaries on a west Hull estate.

People believe the use of alcohol and drugs is behind the rise in burglaries on the Great Thornton Street estate.

The Holy Apostles Church and vicarage in Adelaide Street were targeted over the weekend.

Church facilities manager Sarah Glenton had her home burgled while she was asleep last Thursday.

"It was about 5am when I heard something downstairs," she said.

"I sent my husband to have a look and he couldn't see anything, but when I went down an hour later, I noticed things had been stolen.

"We believe the burglar must have been hidden behind the door when my husband went down."

Mrs Glenton claims people living in the area are now too afraid to leave their homes.

She said: "I have a three-year-old daughter and she has been having nightmares ever since.

"It breaks my heart.

"I've also been talking to people living in the area and they say they don't feel safe at all.

"There are a lot of people doing drugs and drinking and people are scared that they are going to be targeted next.

"I am too afraid to go outside the house sometimes, especially at teatime."

Thieves stole electrical equipment from the Holy Apostles Church when it was broken into over the weekend.

Mrs Glenton said: "Another woman recently had her flat burgled and actually confronted the burglar.

"People have also been having washing stolen from their lines.

"Things are happening all over the estate.

"The police have been fantastic and kept us up to date, but we are living in fear."

Humberside police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove said police have made one arrest in relation to the burglaries and officers are currently tracing another suspect.

Mr Grove visited residents living on Adelaide Street yesterday, in a bid to reassure them everything possible is being done to make them feel safe.

"The community is fighting back," Mr Grove said.

"It's not just about the police targeting the very small number of offenders who are preying on the vulnerable victims.

"It is about pulling the community together.

"I met people who were in tears about what is happening and we have got to do more to fight back.

"We will turn the tables on the offenders and will not allow these mindless thugs to bully the community."

A MAJOR expansion is taking place at one of Hull's leading oil and gas companies.

CDS Energy Services is building a new 10,000sq ft state-of-the-art fabrication facility at the company's site in Burma Drive, east Hull.

Construction work has already begun on the new site, which will see CDS's operational space increase by 30 per cent.

The news of the company's growth plans comes only four years after CDS opened its's original factory in Marfleet.

CDS has been in business since the mid-1990s.

The latest expansion is made possible as the firm continues to secure new contracts and develop partnerships.

Danny Laybourne, commercial director at CDS, says the company's rapid growth is fuelled by an increasing work load that has led to its existing workshop running at near capacity.

"We have reached a stage now where we have to be forward thinking with how we work because of the amount of orders that are coming in," he said.

"This expansion is vital in ensuring we can maintain our future workload and continue to deliver the high level of service we currently do to our customers.

"To be in a position to expand so dramatically just four years after we opened our original factory is fantastic.

"It shows the work we are doing here is valued by existing and new clients and the extra operational space will allow us to continue to grow."

The company's existing facilities of four fabrication workshops, five overhead cranes, a cut shed, hydro test shed, stores, 6,000sq ft of office space, mess facilities and two acres of hard standing will be expanded to cope with increased demand.

The new building will feature two 10-tonne overhead cranes, office space, toilets, a canteen and a new security office giving its 24-hour security team the facilities it requires.

The management team are working closely with the company's sub-contractors and construction is set to be completed by the end of September this year.

CDS are long established providers of specialist project management, design, fabrication, installation and decommissioning services to a clients in the oil and gas industries.

However, the company is increasingly working with clients in the renewables sector as it expands its offshore wind farm services.

News of this latest expansion comes just three months after CDS announced the creation of 130 new jobs at their Hull site.

In April, the company secured a major deal to replace two flare stacks and a bridge on the Tyra East and Tyra West platforms in the Danish sector of the North Sea.

CDS beat off stiff competition from rivals across Europe to secure the lucrative contract.

Mr Laybourne said the deal was great news for the labour market in Hull.

"Creating local jobs for young people looking to take their first steps into the industry is something we are very conscious of, he said," he said.

"We are using local labour to build the new facility and we will be creating further new jobs for people across the Humber region when it becomes operational."

SPEAKING at the announcement of the company's new contract in the Danish sector of the North Sea in April, CDS managing director Howard Laybourne said it was a sign that Hull is ready to take a leading role in the energy sector.

Mr Laybourne pointed to the recent announcement of Siemens' £160m investment in Green Port Hull as a sign that local companies can be competitive in the world energy sector.

CDS believe its vast experience in fossil fuel energy make it a good candidate to development partnerships in the offshore wind industry and the company intends to invest more resources into renewable energy in the next few years.

FORMER Mayor of Beverley Margaret Pinder is to stand against Graham Stuart in next year's general election.

She has been chosen by the Labour Party as its parliamentary candidate for the Beverley and Holderness constituency.

A member of Beverley Town Council, she became the first woman to serve as the Mayor of Beverley in 2012-13.

She said: "I believe I can win Beverley and Holderness for Labour.

"The electorate is tired of this coalition and the damage it is doing to the country.

"Local people are worried about the NHS, bad choices being made about local development both in Beverley and across East Yorkshire, and environmental issues such as flood defences and local energy.

"The Conservatives want to think this is a safe seat. I'm putting them on notice – it's not safe anymore."

Mrs Pinder will have to beat sitting Conservative MP Mr Stuart to realise her dream.

He was first elected in the 2005 general election with a relatively narrow 2,580 majority over Labour opponent George McManus.

Many observers felt that was Labour's best recent chance to win the constituency following the departure of previous Conservative MP Jim Cran, who was dubbed "The Invisible Cran" thanks to his low profile.

Mr Stuart faced Ian Saunders in 2010 and increased his majority to 12,987 votes.

As well as her town council role, Mrs Pinder stood for election to East Riding Council three years ago in St Mary's ward in Beverley.

In a hard-fought campaign, she more than doubled the Labour vote, driving it up from fourth to second place.

She said: "The East Riding is a unique and special place.

"I have travelled and lived all over the world, but this has always been home to me.

"Now I'm proud to think I have this opportunity to serve the area and the people here."

A former Wolfreton School pupil, she studied English and modern languages at Cambridge University before embarking on a career in marine, construction and procurement law.

She has worked both in the UK and abroad as a solicitor and university lecturer.

On paper at least, the Beverley and Holderness parliamentary seat shouldn't be regarded as a key marginal, says Angus Young.

Conservative Graham Stuart's thumping 12,987 majority at the last general election suggests newly selected Labour candidate Margaret Pinder might face something of an uphill task.

However, today's political climate is very different to 2010. Back then, national support for Labour was on the slide.

Since then, the performance of the coalition Government has divided opinion, while the continued rise of UKIP has confounded the pundits while throwing the traditional three-party political system into unpredictable turmoil.

HDM Sport on Facebook Hull City's first venture into Europe has been hindered by their lack of 'home-grown' players and manager Steve Bruce will have some tough decisions to make if they beat AS Trencin at the KC tonight. Due to UEFA rules, City's 25-man squad had to include eight players that have trained in England for three years or more and half of those (four) must be club trained for three consecutive years when aged between 15 and 21. Unfortunately, the Tigers don't comply with that because of the lack of stars who have come through the ranks in recent years so Bruce is restricted to a 21-man squad in Europe this season. Whilst changes are permitted to Bruce's squad if they advance tonight and eventually reach the group stage, he will still be restricted to select from just 21 players. So far, that means Maynor Figueroa has been left out as he has been granted extra time off following his World Cup duties for Honduras. But with Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire now on board, Bruce may have to leave them out if City do advance.Assombalonga commands big bucks Peterborough striker Britt Assombalonga had been linked with a move to the Tigers back in April, but he has now flown the nest for a whopping fee which could rise to £8m. And he has headed to Nottingham Forest for an initial fee of £5m which could rise depending on numerous clauses. Forest fans will surely hope the signing can end the turmoil between boss Stuart Pearce and owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi after their recent war of words regarding transfers.City's new kit gets some tailoring Hull City's new kit may only have gone on sale yesterday, but some fans have already been having some 'tailoring' done to it. With some fans opposed to the club's new logo, one has taken it upon himself to alter the new kit and add the previous one. Whether you're in favour of the new badge or not, you'd have to say Trev Holmes has done a pretty good job.

Allam can try to take Hull City from the shirt but he will never take it from the fans, #hcafcpic.twitter.com/y6akvNEJQ1

— Trev Holmes (@TrevHCAFC) August 6, 2014

A HULL dog rescue centre is urging people to choose rescue dogs as pets as it struggles to rehome unwanted animals.

Oakwood Dog Rescue, in Sutton Fields Industrial Estate, has 75 dogs on the waiting list but only ten kennels.

Founder and trustee Gill Williams is concerned about the situation and believes there are just too many dogs.

She said: "It is difficult to say why there is such a long waiting list, but every centre in the region is in the same position.

"We opened in 2009 and rehomed 35 dogs, last year that rose to 175.

"There are too many dogs in the UK with too many people breeding them and they are even being imported.

"About 230 dogs are being but down a day across the country and yet people are still breeding them."

Ms Williams believes rescue dogs have a bad reputation which puts off prospective owners.

She is urging people to visit rescue centres when buying a dog.

She said: "The common theme is that people just don't want rescue dogs and they don't realise we also have puppies.

"People assume the rescue dogs have issues and behavioural problems.

"For want of a better word, people think they are getting a dodgy dog.

"But dogs arrive here for a number of reasons.

"Sometimes people just can't afford to keep them anymore or they have to move house where dogs aren't allowed.

"Some have behavioural problems but many are superb dogs."

Ms Williams believes buying a rescue dog is a better option than going to a private seller.

She said: "It is better to get a dog from a rescue centre.

"We carry out a full behaviour assessment on all the dogs that come in.

"We also give them a full home profile so we can decide what would be suitable, whether the dog is good with children or other pets or whether it prefers an urban or rural environment.

"It takes three to four weeks for a dog to be adopted.

"We also offer lifetime support and will take the dog back if needed.

"You won't get this from a private seller."

A CHARITY that provides a voice for people with mental health issues is facing closure because of a lack of funding.

The Mental Health Action Group, which has existed for almost 30 years, will close this month unless funding can be found.

The charity in Caroline Street, city centre, provides an advocacy service to help people express their views, speak out and defend their rights.

For the past five years, the charity has been funded by Comic Relief – a major national charity that raises money and provides grants to other charities.

The charity secured a £150,000 grant in 2009 and was expecting the final £10,000 to be paid this month, but its chairman David Ekert said he has now been told the payment will not be made.

Mr Ekert said the mix-up with Comic Relief could cost the charity its existence.

He said: "We knew the project was coming to an end, but the final instalment would have given us breathing space until October. We are already applying for other funding.

"Comic Relief told us we have had an underspend and so the figures don't tally, but we've been through it with a fine-tooth comb.

"It's simply not true there has been an underspend. It's turned into a bit of a saga.

"We've been in touch with them but now they are refusing to communicate with us."

The organisation was established in 1985 and became a charity ten years later.

It now has one paid member of staff and several trustees and also relies on volunteers.

The peer advocates have all experienced using mental health or similar services.

They provide help to sufferers in situations such as doctors visits and court appearances.

The advocates work with the charity users independently and also help people make complaints about mental health, community care or other services.

Mr Ekert said the charity is one of a kind and will be missed if it has to close.

He said: "There are other mental health charities, but the reason people come to us is because we are not a faceless organisation.

"With us you have continuity, it will be the same advocate throughout, which is important to people because people open up once they know us.

"It will be tragic if we close, we are their voice.

"We would like to hear from anyone who can help us, this is the last chance saloon."

A spokesman for Comic Relief said Mental Health Action Group needs to provide further documentation before any more funds will be sent.

He said: "Comic Relief is committed to ensuring the money we give as grants is spent as agreed – that's why we make phased payments and grantees have to show us how they spent the previous money before receiving the next instalment.

"In the case of the Mental Health Action Group, Comic Relief is still awaiting fulfillment of the conditions to make the final payment, which includes them submitting a final accounting report."

If you can help the charity, call Mr Ekert on 01482 320525.

MENTAL Health Action Group offers a peer advocacy service, which seeks to help people with mental health and diversity issues express their views, speak out and defend their rights.

It aims to ensure all needs and wants are listened to, taken seriously and met.

The peer advocates have all experienced having or using mental health or similar services.

The charity is user-led and user-run and is completely independent from NHS and statutory services.

A POLICEMAN in Hull was pushed to the ground by a drunk man.

A 27-year-old man has been charged with assaulting a police officer after the attack in Bricknell ward, which left the officer with bruising to the right side of his body and face.

He also suffered a cut to the head and a bruised ribcage.

The man pushed the officer over as he ran after another man, who was wanted for a separate offence.

THE first thing you notice reading the 35-page One North report published this week is how few mentions there are for this particular corner of the North.

The £15bn, 15-year vision for improved transport links across the North of England has been developed by an alliance of five cities – Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

More precisely, it has been drawn up by five city-regions, an emerging network of large city councils teaming up with neighbouring smaller councils to form more powerful lobbying bodies.

The Hull and Humber city-region was officially given the green light last December when cities minister Greg Clark approved the region's City Deal.

But you wouldn't know it from a browse through the One North report.

For a start, it's signed by the four council leaders from Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield as well as Liverpool's directly-elected mayor Joe Anderson.

It also heavily focuses on transport issues surrounding those five cities.

True, there is the odd reference to the Humber ports.

There is also a fascinating comparison between the 69-minute train journey passengers currently enjoy on the 95-mile route between London and Chippenham and the one hour 53 minute endurance test train passengers experience when travelling the same distance between Hull and Manchester.

However, for the most part Hull and the Humber are largely absent.

City council leader Steve Brady was present at Tuesday's launch of the report in Manchester and attempted to shift the focus back to this end of the M62.

He said: "To ensure that Hull and the Humber are properly connected into the national transport network – for passengers and freight – it is essential that Hull and the Humber's transport bottlenecks and failings are addressed.

"This is why I welcome the One North campaign, as it is imperative that our potential to contribute to the economic growth of the North is recognised and, indeed, utilised.

"We need to make the most of the relatively uncongested Humber Estuary, which is Europe's fourth largest ports complex and offers important advantages to the UK as a whole in relieving the congested South East and the North in particular, providing a direct trading route to Northern Europe.

"With the development of a substantial offshore wind turbine manufacturing and maintenance operation out of Hull, as well as the Humber ports' connections to Northern European and the Baltic States, I have offered colleagues in One North the opportunity to hold a future meeting of the group here in Hull.

"This would provide an excellent opportunity to highlight Hull's integral role in the development of the northern economies."

While championing greater connectivity between his city and Manchester, Liverpool mayor Mr Johnson also spoke about the need to be able to efficiently shift freight being landed on Merseyside.

"We want the capacity and ability to ship that freight further north, east and across to Hull and the Humber," he said.

So why no sight of a signature from Cllr Brady on the report?

The answer, perhaps, lies in the uncertain early days of the Hull and Humber city-region.

Last December it was hailed as "a huge breakthrough" by the cities minister.

In David Cameron's recent cabinet reshuffle, Mr Clark was given extra duties as minister for science and universities.

Widely admired by local councillors from across the political divide, he is likely to have less time on his hands to monitor the progress of the Hull and Humber city-region.

That could be bad news for those hoping for the area to start punching its weight with the big boys of the North.

So far, the early optimism behind the City Deal has faded, with a distinct lack of action on the ground.

Currently, politicians in Hull and the East Riding appear more preoccupied with the boundary line between the two authorities than bigger regional issues.

That point was not lost on former city council leader Colin Inglis in a posting on the Mail's website.

He, of course, is leading on the city council's case for a review of the structure of local government across East Yorkshire, including that possible redrawing of the boundaries.

He said: "Newcastle has been very busy trying to push us out of it, on the grounds that we are not big enough to count. It's the same old argument – Hull is only 250,000 people, when we all know Greater Hull is 500,000 or more."

THE North-South divide is not just restricted to transport, according to a new study published today.

Research by the IPPR North think-tank confirms London receives more public spend- ing per head on infrastructure than any other English region.

The analysis shows:

£5,426 per head is spent in London compared with just £581 per head in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The gap is even wider in the North East, where just £223 per head is spent.

The report says the regional imbalances in infrastructure spending are the result of London having big, high- value projects, such as Crossrail, Thameslink.

The average value of a project in London is more than £1.2bn.

Set that against the £160m allocated for improvement work on Castle Street in Hull.

The think-tank is currently running a competition to find new projects that address existing and future infrastructure needs of the North of England. The Great North Plan competition is looking for ideas to rival major infrastructure schemes that currently exist in London and the South East.

The competition will be open to people aged 25 or under and there will be a £1,000 prize for the winning entry.

IPPR North director Ed Cox said: "Effective infrastructure is the bedrock of an effective and efficient economy. "Transport connections, flood defences and high-speed broadband networks all allow people and goods to move quickly from place to place and for business to flourish.

"It is widely recognised that the North of England loses out as government spending on infrastructure is continuously skewed towards London.

"This is why we have launched the Great North Plan competition, through which we hope to identify a small number of large-scale infrastructure projects that could have a transformative effect on the northern, and national, economy."

TWO councillors have been excluded from East Riding Council's ruling Conservative group in a row over their subscriptions.

Both Ros Jump and Mike Whitehead have refused to pay the £250 fee in protest over what they claim are undemocratic internal party rule changes.

As a result, officials have informed them they are no longer part of the group.

The row comes just weeks after three other Conservative councillors quit the group.

Cllr Jump, who represents Cottingham North, said she had refused to pay the subscription on principle.

She said: "At the recent group annual meeting, we were told all of the association chairs had agreed that all councillors should pay a new £250 subscription into a central pot, with the money being used for election material designed and printed by the group.

"My point is that the group is not an accountable body and when the election is actually called, it will not legally exist.

"None of the association chairs have the right to agree this because they should refer these sort of decisions to their executive committees for membership approval.

"In my case, my association chairman has bypassed his own executive and his membership.

"The party's associations are the correct bodies to run election campaigns, not the political group."

The Conservative associations mirror parliamentary boundaries, with four covering the East Riding.

Cllr Jump, who is a former cabinet portfolio holder, said she had subsequently discovered that the Brigg and Goole association had agreed to allow its two councillors to each pay just £35.

"In my view there is a two-tier system going on here," she said.

"When I challenged that with the group secretary, she refused, point blank, to answer me.

"I feel very sad by what has happened because all I wanted to do was get on with fighting the election.

"This is an unnecessary and unwarranted distraction, but I felt I had to make a stand because the Conservative group on the East Riding is being run along similar lines to North Korea at the moment.

"Very few people are prepared to put their head above the parapet to speak out about it because they are frightened to do so.

"There is a lot of bullying going on. The party has to do something otherwise it is going to lose of lot of members.

"I believe in doing things by the book. If that doesn't happen, anarchy is going to break out."

Cllr Whitehead, who represents Willerby and Kirk Ella, said: "I do not wish to make any public comment on the matter."

Both will continue as councillors, sitting on the opposition benches at County Hall.

Conservative group secretary Councillor Felicity Temple also declined to comment.

ROS Jump and Mike Whitehead are the latest Conservative councillors on East Riding Council to find themselves out of favour with their own group.

In January, Councillor Nick Evans resigned from the ruling Tory group at County Hall citing "bullying and intimidation" by some of his party colleagues.

Cllr Evans, who represents Howdenshire, plans to step down from frontline politics completely at next year's council elections.

He hit the headlines last year after writing an open letter accusing fellow Tories of being "sycophantic sheep".

In April, Lena Slater and Geraldine Mathi- eson, who represent neighbouring wards in Cottingham, left the group after being dese- lected as a candidates for next year's election.

They subsequently won their appeals against deselection but remain outside of the Tory group.

A JUDGE refused to sentence a man for domestic violence because there were "so many things wrong" with the case he did not want to be associated with it.

Glyn Harrison, 40, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was due to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court yesterday.

But Judge Graham Robinson halted proceedings after identifying several problems and said Harrison would be sentenced by a different judge later this month.

The court heard the victim's witness statement about the attack was so different to the basis of plea – the version on which Harrison admitted guilt, which had been accepted by the Crown – that they would lead to "significantly" different sentences.

Phillip Evans, prosecuting, said the basis of plea had been accepted by the complainant and he was happy for Judge Robinson to sentence according to that.

But the judge said: "There is no common factual basis between the basis of plea and the witness statement.

"This man is a serial abuser of women. This offence was committed one month and one day after his last conviction for beating this woman."

The judge asked to see colour photographs of her injuries, which included a missing tooth, but was told only black and white versions were available, despite Mr Evans asking for them three weeks ago.

Judge Robinson said: "No sufficient time to get colour photographs to the judge – how pathetic is that?

"This looks like a pretty serious injury."

He asked Mr Evans: "Does the prosecution invite me to sentence on the basis of the material before me today?"

"Yes," said Mr Evans.

"Very well, I will do so," said the judge.

Mr Evans said Harrison and the woman had been in a relationship for about a year and she had called police on a "number of occasions" to report violence.

"How many (times)?" asked the judge.

Mr Evans said the woman did not say in her witness statement.

"Well, the police must have that information, but you don't," Judge Robinson said.

Mr Evans said it was fair to point out the complainant had herself been the subject of court proceedings, but the judge said he did not have her record before him.

This was for possession of a bladed article, which she got to arm herself after being attacked, and for which she was sentenced to unpaid work.

Opening the case, Mr Evans said on the day of the assault, June 28, the couple had been drinking in Hull city centre for five hours, returning to her home after 7.15pm.

After Mr Evans gave more details, Fiona Tannock, defending, said the judge could only sentence Harrison on the basis of plea, and not the case as outlined by Mr Evans.

Mr Evans then suggested the judge could hold another hearing to establish the facts, at which point Judge Robinson put his head in his hands.

He asked the prosecutor if he had read the pre-sentence report, which Mr Evans had not.

The judge said it contained details of an overheard conversation in prison in which Harrison had asked for the victim to be contacted to drop the charges against him.

The judge said: "There are so many things wrong with these proceedings that I'm not prepared to have my name linked to them. I'm going to adjourn this case. I want a very full statement taken from the victim in which she makes it plain which part of her case she stands by and which she abandons."

Harrison, of Coltman Street, west Hull, is now due to be sentenced on August 22.

This year is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet for rockers Felony.

Having built on the success of the release of two singles, the time has come to unleash their debut album Come Home Soon.

Marc Ainley, guitarist and vocalist in the band, said: "The band have been on it since last year and we had a really interesting last few months of last year where we seemed to get a good bit of recognition for our efforts.

"I think that spurred us into going for something big, like an album, even though that meant we had to go quiet for a bit, go under the radar.

"We honestly can't wait. There was a period a few months ago when we had a few doubts about the direction we were going in.

"Naturally, we always want to evolve and get better, but at one point we became concerned we were moving too far away from what made us Felony.

"We took a step back and really focused on where we wanted to go, and after that it seemed to slot into place quite easily."

The album is officially released on Monday, August 18, however anyone attending their launch party at The Polar Bear on Friday, August 15, will be able to snap up an early copy.

Marc, who is joined in the band by drummer Daniel Griffin and bassist and backing vocalist Sam Howell, said: "We spent a fantastic nine days in June recording it at Fruit Trade Music.

"It's really heavy. I was really pleased with our last EP at the time, but looking back, it was soft.

"On the album, there are seven hairy songs before there's any sign of a breather, and I like that.

"The title of the album comes from when I moved up to Newcastle last year, and we made the decision to carry on with the band.

"Once I'd moved, I realised what a fantastic city Hull is and how much I missed it.

"For the album artwork we went with a war plane pin-up girl, and Come Home Soon seemed to fit with the image really nicely.

"In hindsight, the title's pretty spooky because I'm moving back to Hull now – coming home."

Following the Hull gig, the band will continue gigging, with dates in London, Manchester and Sunderland.

"Every time we go to a new city, people always have something good to say," said Marc. "We want to perform to as many people in as many places as possible."

Support at thelaunch is from Dead Hormones.FelonyWhen: Friday, August 15Where: Polar Bear, Spring Bank, HullTickets: FreeVisit: www.wearefelony.co.uk