Evening Chronicle

Rammed

This is the devastating scene after ram-raiders targeted a petrol station in the early hours of this morning. Thieves used a black BMW to plough into the Tesco Express petrol station and store in Longbenton at around 4.30am.

Poison Nurse Killed Himself

A shamed nurse who poisoned his former flatmates with bleach used his medical knowledge to kill himself the day before he was due to be sentenced. Andrew Percy had been warned he was facing jail after pleading guilty to two charges of administering a poison or noxious substance with intent to injure or aggrieve.

Yes to Metro Station Rebuild

Multi-million-pound plans to transform a busy Metro station into a state-of-the-art leisure complex have been given the green light. City councillors unanimously voted to approve a revised pounds 18m scheme to rebuild the Haymarket station in Newcastle at a committee meeting yesterday.

Ram-Raid Damages

Ram-raiders smashed into a petrol pump as they targeted a service station in the early hours of this morning. Thieves used a black BMW to smash into the Tesco Express store on Benton Road, Longbenton, Newcastle, at around 4.30am.

Arrests After Attack

Police have arrested a man in his 20s and a youth following an attack on a 17-year-old youth in a town centre. Officers were called to Front Street in Chester-le-Street near to the Gravity nightclub at around 1.30am yesterday and found the victim bleeding heavily from a neck wound.

Worker Hits Out On Compensation

A Nissan worker has hit out at his "paltry" compensation after winning pounds 60,000 for an accident at work. Terence Doyle, of Oakfield Road, Gateshead, received the sum in an out-of-court settlement after suing the firm.

Teen Tragedy

The family of a teenager killed when she tried to cross a busy motorway yesterday still do not know she is dead. The 19-year-old from Washington was hit by a car on the A1M near Birtley at around 5am as she tried to cross the southbound carriageway.

Summertime, and the Living Is ... Wet

Freak weather brought chaos to commuters as downpours and storms battered the region. Floods disrupted the Metro yesterday, with some services suspended. Trains were halted for 30 minutes from 10am because of water on the track, with stations at Tyne Dock, Chichester, South Shields and Bede all affected.

Boy's Fire Terror

An eight-year-old boy escaped serious injury yesterday when lighting struck his family home. Dylan Steadman was in bed when the lightning bolt hit and blew a hole in the roof yesterday. Fire crews, called to the house in Priestley Court, Biddick Hall, South Shields, found the roof alight.

Drug-Using Pcs Are Jailed for Corruption

Two drug-taking police officers have been jailed in disgrace for letting dealers they befriended stay free. Experienced beat bobby Raymond Ranson is beginning four years behind bars after becoming "seduced" by the underworld of Ecstasy, cocaine and steroid abuse.

Pete Wins

Flyer Delays to Continue

Travellers have been warned there will be no end to airport delays in the immediate future. It came as the Association of Chief Police Officers said every police force in the UK had sent, or was sending, officers to London to help with the inquiry into the alleged transatlantic airline terror plot.

Mum Tells of Fall Ordeal

A mother who fell 100ft to the ground when the inflatable Dreamspace was swept into the sky has spoken for the first time about her ordeal. Gemma Nadolski, 23, says she can't remember anything of what happened.

Star for Court

Troubled pop star Pete Doherty was appearing in court today facing seven charges of possessing drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis. The singer, who was born in Hexham and has a long history of drug addiction, was appearing before Thames Magistrates' Court in London.

George Praised

Boy George has "responded extremely well" to his week sweeping the streets of New York as a punishment for wasting police time, his manager said today. The camp 1980s singer, real name George O'Dowd, lost his temper when he was mobbed by media on the first day of his community service, imposed after police found cocaine at his flat and charged him with reporting a false incident, and had to be taken back to the sanitation department depot to work behind the safety of a wire fence.

Aids Anger

South Africa came under withering attacks at the closing of the week-long global Aids conference yesterday. Some of the world's leading Aids experts accused its government of ignoring the epidemic and promoting lunatic prevention methods.

Poisoner Took His Life As He Faced Jail Sentence

A nurse who poisoned his flatmates used his medical know-how to kill himself just hours before he was due to face jail. Andrew Percy was expecting to be locked up after admitting putting bleach in the milk belonging to his two flatmates.

Go-Ahead for Student Flats

A student flats complex next to a railway line in Newcastle was given the go-ahead, despite noise warnings. City council environmental protection officers advised that the scheme, at Pandon Bank, near Manors station, should be turned down because of potential noise from the East Coast Mainline.

Car Overturns

A teenage car passenger was taken to hospital after a crash on a slip-road of the A1 in the early hours of today. Five people were in a Renault Clio which crashed in to a lamppost at Stannington, near Morpeth, shortly after 1am. The car was travelling on the new slip road under the northbound A1 when it failed to negotiate a bend, hit the lamppost and rolled over.

Pupils Win Award

Students from two North East schools were given a taste of what it's like to be an entrepreneur when they took part in a scheme to develop their own business in five days. Students from St Benet Biscop and Bedlington High Schools, in Northumberland, were invited to take part in The Hatchery Project, held at the Northumberland Enterprise Centre in Ashington.