January 2005 in Britain and Ireland

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January 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

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Other events in January 2005
World - Sci-Tech - Sports
Britain and Ireland - Canada - Hong Kong and Macao - India - Malaysia and Singapore - US
Monthly events, 2005

[edit] Deaths in January

Other recent deaths

[edit] Holidays

20 January–24 January: Eid ul-Adha
25 January: Burns Night

[edit] Sports events

[edit] Cricket

South Africa v. England Test Series
5th Test: 21–25 January

[edit] Football

FA Cup – 3rd Round, 7–9 January – 4th Round 29–30 January

[edit] Related pages

2005 in the UK
2005 in Ireland

[edit] Events in Britain and Ireland

This page deals with current events in Great Britain and Ireland, of interest to and/or involving the British or the Irish.

[edit] 29 January 2005

[edit] 28 January 2005

  • Gordon Park is convicted of murdering his wife, Carol, in the Lady in the Lake case after a ten week long trial, and is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he serve 15 years. Park, now 61, was convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death with an ice axe in July 1976 and dumped her body in Coniston Water where it was discovered by divers in 1997. Park was arrested in 1997 but the trial collapsed for lack of evidence. He was rearrested in 2004 following new forensic and geological evidence -- some of the rocks used to weigh down the body were of a rare type, found on Park's property. The conviction was something of a surprise as much of the evidence against Park was circumstantial. Park maintains his innocence, and is supported by his family and friends. Park is appealing against his conviction. See the freegordon website for full details including transcripts from the trial in 2004/5.(BBC)

[edit] 26 January 2005

  • British Home Secretary Charles Clarke announces that he will be seeking new powers to combat terrorism. These will include powers to impose house arrest on terrorism suspects regardless of nationality, replacing a policy of jailing foreigners without trial that had been thrown out by judges. (Reuters)
  • Four Britons returned to the UK after being detained at Guantanamo Bay for up to three years are released without charge. (The Scotsman)

[edit] 24 January 2005

[edit] 23 January 2005

[edit] 22 January 2005

[edit] 21 January 2005

[edit] 20 January 2005

[edit] 18 January 2005

  • Gibraltar: Commodore Allan Adair RN has been appointed new Commander of British Forces following the shock death of his predecessor David White in circumstances that are still under investigation. It is suggested that White committed suicide in his pool after being requested to return to the UK to answer child pornography allegations. (Gibraltar Chronicle)

[edit] 17 January 2005

[edit] 15 January 2005

[edit] 14 January 2005

[edit] 13 January 2005

[edit] 12 January 2005

[edit] 11 January 2005

  • Another fierce storm system strikes the northern British Isles:
    • In Derry, the driver of an articulated lorry is killed when his vehicle is blown off the Foyle bridge. 3,000 customers across Northern Ireland have lost their electricity supply. (BBC)
    • Gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) are predicted for Tuesday night in Northern Ireland, Western Scotland, and North-West England. By Tuesday afternoon there are 4 flood warnings and 40 flood watches in England and Wales, 12 flood warnings and 18 flood watches in Scotland. (BBC)
    • Train services between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog are suspended until further notice because of flood damage -- the line had only recently reopened after expenditure of £3 million following flood damage last year. (Arriva Trains Wales)

[edit] 8 January 2005

  • Jerry Springer - The Opera controversy:
    • The BBC broadcasts Jerry Springer - The Opera despite receiving at least 45,000 complaints. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson states: "There is nothing in this which I believe to be blasphemous." (BBC)
    • Senior BBC executives receive abusive phone calls after a web site reveals their private telephone numbers. The web site has now been shut down and police are investigating the calls. (Reuters)
  • After a night of stormy weather, tens of thousands of homes across Ireland are left without power. A ferry has run aground on Scotland's coast, with passengers remaining on board rather than evacuating in stormy weather. Extensive flooding has occurred in Carlisle as well as other locations in Britain and many homes are without power. (RTÉ) (BBC)

[edit] 7 January 2005

  • The BBC receives over 30,000 complaints and its offices are picketed by religious groups protesting tomorrow night's planned transmission of Jerry Springer - The Opera. Some claim the opera is blasphemous and obscene, containing 3,168 "F-words" and 297 "C-words". Others argue that this is a misleading total since it counts a swear word sung by multiple members of the cast in unison as multiple instances of that word. One group threatens to bring a private prosecution for blasphemy against the BBC if the transmission goes ahead, under laws last used in the 1970s. (Mail & Guardian, SA)
  • Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Hugh Orde publicly accuses the Provisional IRA of what has now been assessed as a £26.5 million robbery of the Northern Bank in Belfast before Christmas. Northern Bank announces that it is to recall and reissue all its banknotes in different colours and designs in response to the robbery, making most of the money taken "waste paper". (BBC)(RTÉ)
  • Three ex-Aer Lingus managers have declared their ambition to set up a rival domestic, European and transatlantic low-cost airline. The trio recently quit the Irish state airline over the Irish Government's unclear privatisation plans, and inaction over the airline's future. (RTÉ)
  • Jack Straw now says that 49 Britons are confirmed dead in the Asian tsunami, and that the total number of British deaths may reach 440. (BBC)

[edit] 6 January 2005

[edit] 5 January 2005

[edit] 4 January 2005

[edit] 3 January 2005

  • Asian tsunami:
    • Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says that the British death toll is "highly likely" to reach 199. Forty Britons are confirmed dead; another 159 are missing and feared killed. (BBC)
    • Christopher Pierson pleads guilty to sending hoax emails to relatives of those missing, claiming that they are confirmed dead. He is remanded in custody until January 24. (BBC)

[edit] 2 January 2005

  • A hoaxer has emailed friends and relatives of those missing in the Asian tsunami to say that they are confirmed dead. (BBC).
  • Operation Garron, the British military aid effort for victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake is launched. (BBC)
  • Rail fare increases take effect from today. Average fares have increased by about 4%, advance fares between 2% and 7.2%. (BBC)
  • Police investigating the murder of Amy Williams have been given more time to question the man arrested yesterday. (BBC)

[edit] 1 January 2005

  • UK charities have now collected over £60m for the victims of the Asian tsunami. Thirty-five Britons are now confirmed to be amongst those who died, although authorities have said that the total death toll may never be known. (BBC)
  • New Year's celebrations all over the UK fall silent for two minutes as a mark of respect for those who died in the tsunami. (BBC)
  • Papers released under the Thirty Year Rule show that the Labour government of 1974 was against the introduction of identity cards. (BBC)
  • The Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations come into force. They radically alter the balance of presumption over access to government information.
  • A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of pregnant teenager Amy Williams in Telford. (BBC)
  • New Chip and PIN legislation comes into effect today. It makes retailers liable for fraudulent transactions if they have failed to sign up to the scheme. (BBC)

[edit] British and Irish events by month

(For earlier events in Britain and Ireland, see November 2004 and preceding months)