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BETWEEN October and December the city was shocked by four stabbings, several cases of spiking via needle, and severe postal delays.
OCTOBER:
Bus crashes into home
VIDEO footage revealed a bus rolling down a hill and crashing into a Headington home.
The Oxford City Bus Company vehicle rolled down Morrell Avenue before colliding with the council-owned home.
No one was injured in the incident; however, the video went viral overnight.
Robert Dyer, 55, was home alone when the bus crashed into his home – he said it ‘sounded like a bomb’.
The family was evacuated from their home and placed in temporary accommodation.
After nearly three weeks the bus was eventually removed by Oxford Direct Services.
Bus crashes into home on Morrell Avenue.
Four stabbings
THERE were four stabbings across the county in Oxford – two of which were fatal.
Lee Butler, 39, was stabbed to death in Bayswater Road, Barton, on October 8. Lewis Brown, 20, has been charged with his murder.
Leonid Laboshin was killed in Pinnocks Way, Botley, on October 17 – Eugen Coman, 33 has been accused of the murder and will remain in custody until his trial date on April 4.
Four teenagers were also arrested after a man in his 20s was stabbed in the back and the chest at the Abingdon fair on October 4.
Later that month, a 19-year-old man was knifed in the back and the chest in the early hours of October 10 in Bicester town centre.
Belgian Princess studies in city
PRINCESS Elisabeth of Belgium started studying at the University of Oxford.
The Princess will be studying a three-year course in History and Politics at Lincoln College.
To celebrate her arrival, the Belgian Royal Palace shared on Instagram several photos of the future Queen’s first visit in the city.
3,000 homes to be built on greenbelt
3,000 new homes on what was previously greenbelt land.
The site, dubbed ‘South Oxfordshire Science Village’, would see new homes, new schools, a new park and ride as well as an extension to Oxford Science Park built off Grenoble Road.
The land is owned by Oxford City Council, Thames Water, and Magdalen College, but is on land under the administration of South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC).
In October, Cabinet Members of the city council have formally given the green light for officers to start drawing up plans for the site.
NOVEMBER
Spiking reports increase in city
CONCERNS were raised after several incidences of spiking were reported across the city.
Early in the year, women across Oxford boycotted nights out in protest of clubs and bars doing more to stop people being spiked.
Concerns were also raised about people being spiked via a needle.
One woman was left ‘scared’ after being spiked with a needle while on a bar crawl in Abingdon.
Another woman said she was spiked with a needle while at the Bridge nightclub in Oxford City Centre.
Postal delays across city
PEOPLE were left waiting weeks for their post due to Royal Mail Delays.
Some residents in parts of East Oxford and Blackbird Leys waited over three weeks to receive deliveries.
The delays left many people angry, as people had not received letters about hospital appointments, new bank cards as well as sympathy cards.
The hold-up sparked an intervention from East Oxford MP, Anneliese Dodds, who told Royal Mail it needed to ‘get a grip’ on the situation.
Snow day
CHRISTMAS came early for many in November, as people woke up to a dusting of snow across much of the county.
Despite the pretty pictures of the city and countryside covered white snow, the weather caused a number of disruptions.
Emergency services responded to a number of calls about fallen trees that were causing roads to be blocked.
DECEMBER
Russel Brand buys Oxfordshire pub
Teetotal comedian Russell Brand has reportedly bought a pub in Pishill.
The comic lives in nearby Henley-on-Thames with his wife Laura Gallacher, TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher’s younger sister.
They have bought the Grade II-listed The Crown Inn, a 16th-century coaching inn that was on the market in April with starting offers of £850,000.
One Oxfordshire couple were planning to get married at the pub, however, after it was sold their big day was cancelled.
The couple were ‘shocked’ when they found it out Russell Brand has allegedly bought the pub.
Missing man’s body found
A BODY found near an Oxford primary school was confirmed to be missing Kidlington man, Derek Brant.
The 63-year-old, who works at St Anne’s College, was reported missing July.
Thames Valley Police said the man’s body was found in a stream near St Mary and St John School, on Meadow Lane, on the afternoon of November 30.
DNA confirmed this month that the man was Mr Brand.
His death is being treated as unexplained – but not suspicious.
Derek in his St Anne’s College uniform Picture: family handout
Covid hotspot
OXFORD University became a hotspot for the new Covid-19 variant, dubbed ‘Omicron’.
There were over 170 active cases of Covid at the university during the first week in December, most confirmed to be the Omicron variant.
The news came after West Oxfordshire was confirmed to be one of the first places that Omicron variant was detected.
By the second week of December, South Oxfordshire had the third-highest Covid rates in the country.
