Earliest star blast helps astronomers peer back to dawn of time
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:17 AM on 29th October 2009
Astronomers have seen the furthest back in time ever, measuring light from a star that exploded 13 billion years ago, just after the dawn of the universe.
They traced a gamma-ray burst from a massive star that died just 630 million years after the Big Bang brought the Universe into being - when it was just five per cent of its present age.
To give some perspective, the light left these galaxies 8billion years before our own Sun and Earth had even formed.
Enlarge
Blast from the past: This image shows the afterglow of GRB 090423 (red source in the centre) and was created from images taken in the z, Y and J filters at Gemini-South observatory in Chile and the VLT in Germany
Dubbed GRB 090423, the record-breaker is an example of the brightest and most violent explosions known to exist.
The explosion is thought to accompany the catastrophic death of a very massive star as it ended its life, and is triggered by the centre of the star collapsing to form a black hole.
Star searchers from the UK and Italy announced their record-breaking finding in the journal Nature yesterday.
The two teams both measured the redshift of the object at about 8.2. The redshift is the distortion of light as it travels across space and time and is often likened to the sound of a train rising and falling as it approaches and passes the listener. This extreme redshift was the highest ever recorded.
Team leader, Professor Nial Tanvir from Leicseter University said: 'This observation allows us to begin exploring the last blank space on our map of the Universe.'
'It is tremendously exciting to be looking back in time to an era when the first stars were just switching on', added team member Dr Andrew Levan.
Much of this light was in the form of very high energy gamma-ray radiation, which triggered the detectors on a NASA satellite called Swift.
Following up on the announcement from Swift several of the world's largest telescopes turned to the region of the sky within the next minutes and hours and located the faint, fading afterglow of the GRB.
Detailed analysis revealed that the afterglow was seen only in infrared light and not in the normal optical. This was the clue that the burst came from very great distance.
The star's death long ago was bright enough to outshine even galaxies and will help scientists understand what happened in the early days of the universe.
The cosmic 'Dark Ages' are thought to have ended about 800-900 million years after the Big Bang, when light from stars and galaxies re-ionized the previously neutral gas pervading the Universe.
As more gamma-ray bursts are detected from these early times, it should be possible to trace the progress of this re-ionization, leading to the intergalactic medium we see today
Corpse left on police roof for two years
From correspondents in New Dehli, India
Agence France-Presse
October 28, 2009 08:56pm
The corpse of a man has been found on the roof of a police station in northern India where it was placed over two years ago during an inquiry, a report said today.
The body of Chukkan Nishad, a 22-year-old who went missing in July 2007, was meant to be sent for DNA testing but was instead put in a body bag and placed on the roof, the Mail Today newspaper said.
The newspaper, citing Nishad's father and local officials, said the family kept requesting the body at the police station but were repeatedly told there was an investigation underway.
"I admit it is a horrible case, possibly the first of its kind,'' said Ram Sabad Ram, the new station master in Azamgarh in northern Uttar Pradesh state.
"I joined here only recently and didn't know that the corpse was kept on the roof.''
The Mail said the body was placed there after local authorities refused to release the funds for the DNA test on Nishad, whose death remains a mystery.
Mr Ram said police were now completing the formalities to return Mishad's remains - no more than bones after two years exposed to the elements - to his family.
Nishad's father was led to the rooftop three days ago by a "sympathetic constable'', the paper said.
Teenage musician dies after being mauled by coyotes as she hiked alone in Canadian park
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:53 AM on 29th October 2009
A teenage folk singer has died after being mauled by two coyotes as she hiked alone in a national park in eastern Canada.
Taylor Mitchell, 19, a singer-songwriter from Toronto, was on a popular trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday when the attack occurred.
She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in a critical condition but died on Wednesday morning.
Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft said coyote attacks are extremely rare because the animals are usually shy.
Tragic: Talented musician Taylor Mitchell, 19, was killed by two coyotes in a Canadian national park
Bancroft, a retired biologist with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, said it's possible the coyotes thought Mitchell was a deer or other prey.
'It's very unusual and is not likely to be repeated,' Bancroft said. 'We shouldn't assume that coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf.'
Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers heard Mitchell's screams for help and called emergency police dispatchers.
Officers who were in the area reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it.
But the wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away.
Normally shy: The coyotes may have mistaken the singer for a deer
Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said Mitchell was in critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and had multiple bite wounds over her entire body.
'She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds,' he said.
An official with Parks Canada said they blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual attack.
'There's been some reports of aggressive animals, so it's not unknown,' said Helene Robichaud, the park's superintendent. 'But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic.'
Scene of the attack: Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia
Mitchell was an up-and-coming folk and country musician who was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category.
'Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman,' Lisa Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail.
'She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future.'
Miss Mitchell was midway though a concert tour and had taken a break to go hiking, Ms Weitz added.
'She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity,' she wrote.
The manager told reporters that after speaking to the singer’s mother late on Tuesday night: 'we thought she was stable, but she had lost too much blood.'
Woman 'confessed' to cutting baby in half
By Margo Zlotkowski of the Cairns Post
News Limited newspapers
October 29, 2009 03:00pm
THE woman accused of murdering a newborn baby confessed to giving birth and cutting the boy's body in half, a Cairns court has heard.
Violet Flora Evans, 53, is accused of the murder of the infant, whose severed upper body was found in the driveway of a Mooroobool home in 1996, the Cairns Post reports.
This morning, the lead investigator in the case told Cairns Magistrates’ Court that Ms Evans had made the confession after eight hours of questioning last year.
Det Sen-Sgt Jason Chetham said Ms Evans was asked during the interview: “What can you see when you close your eyes?”
“I can see him on the grass,” she allegedly responded.
Det Sen-Sgt Chetham said when asked what else she could see, Ms Evans had replied: “He’s not breathing.”
Det Sen-Sgt Chetham conceded that some of his questioning during the interview, 12 years after the alleged murder, had been inappropriate.
The committal hearing continues.
Somali man, 112, marries 17-year-old girl
A Somalian man who claims to be 112 years old has married for the sixth time, to a 17-year-old girl.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 8:28AM GMT 29 Oct 2009
A crowd of hundreds attended the wedding between Ahmed Muhamed Dore and Safia Abdulleh in Guriceel, in the Galguduud region of Somalia. Mr Dore said: "Today God helped me realise my dream."
Mr Dore and his teenage bride are from the same village, and he said that he had waited for her to grow up before proposing.
He said: "I didn't force her, but used my experience to convince her of my love, and then we agreed to marry."
The bride’s family said she was "happy with her new husband".
At 95 years older than her – if his claimed age is accurate – he is old enough to be her great-great-great-grandfather.
He already has 18 children by his other five wives.
According to Somali historians, the wedding is the first of its kind in Somalia for over a century.
Mark of stupidity: Burglary suspects drew masks and beards on their faces using permanent marker pen
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 11:54 AM on 29th October 2009
There was no disguising what these two characters had been up to moments before police pulled them over in America.
Would-be burglars Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller's masterplan contained one tiny flaw - their 'disguises' comprised of masks drawn on their faces using pemanent marker pen.
The pair had been reported after a witness spotted two men 'with painted faces' trying to break into a flat in Carroll, Iowa.
Marked men: Matthew McNelly, 23, and Joey Miller, 20, were arrested after trying to break into an apartment in Carroll, Iowa. Police found they had drawn masks and beards on their faces in permanent marker pen
The caller added that the pair were wearing dark, hooded tops and had driven off in a big white car.
Police soon spotted a 1994 Buick Roadmaster matching the description and stopped it at gunpoint.
Inside they found the two men, both of whom had what appeared to be masks, beards or moustaches scrawled on to their faces.
McNelly, 23, and Miller, 20, were both charged with attempted second-degree burglary and released on bail.
McNelly was also charged with drunk driving.
The pair are due in court next month. Hopefully the disguises will have washed off by then.
Florida Teen Allegedly Kills Younger Brother Over Loud Music
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
CORAL SPRINGS, Florida — Two teenage brothers were home alone in their suburban neighborhood when an argument over loud music spiraled out of control, police said, leaving one brother dead from a knife to the chest and the other accused of killing him.
William Gorzynski, 15, was being held in juvenile custody on suspicion of second-degree murder in the Monday afternoon death of 14-year-old Matthew Gorzynski.
According to police in Coral Springs, about 45 miles north of Miami, Matthew was playing music on a home computer. William was watching television nearby and complained the volume was too loud. He told him to turn it down. Matthew refused. The two yelled at each other, then fought.
Then William went to the kitchen, grabbed a 7-inch knife and stabbed his brother in the upper left chest, Sgt. Joe McHugh said.
William called 911 soon after and told the dispatcher he had just stabbed his brother.
"It's actually a confession on tape," McHugh said. "He's actually describing what occurred. This was definitely not accidental."
McHugh said the tape won't be released publicly because it's considered evidence.
Gorzynski's attorney, Glenn Roderman, said William is in disbelief.
"I don't think he even believes it happened," Roderman told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Roderman did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
"It's something he can't even fathom," Roderman told the newspaper. "This is a very beautiful and wonderful family. They can't even believe it happened."
He said they "fought like every other brothers do, but they don't fight in an unusual way."
The Florida Department of Children and Families has had "prior involvement" with the family and was reviewing its investigation, but would not comment further, said spokeswoman Elisa Cramer.
According to the police report, officers responded and smelled an "overwhelming odor of marijuana" inside the home. The report said the younger boy was "lying on the floor of the bedroom near a stain of blood that soaked into the carpet."
The older brother "spontaneously uttered, 'It was an accident, is he going to be OK?"'
The boy told police "he accidentally stabbed Matthew and later placed the knife back into the knife block."
The 14-year-old died about an hour later at a nearby hospital.
Prosecutors said no decision has been made on whether the teen will be charged as a juvenile or adult, and no formal charges have been filed yet.
No one answered the door at the family's single-story home in a tidy, neatly groomed neighborhood on Wednesday. The boys lived there with their other brother, Timothy, 19, and their single father, Thomas.
"Don't come up on my property," a teenager yelled from the home's front yard.
Outside the home, a makeshift memorial formed of stuffed animals, candles and balloons left by neighbors and friends. William and Matthew were typical brothers, they said. They skateboarded together, rode bikes, played in the neighborhood and attended the same nearby high school.
A.J. Wood, 16, left his skateboard deck at the memorial. He wrote on the board: "Ride the sky, Matt. RIP."
"But it doesn't mean rest in peace," he said, crying, tears streaming down his face. "It means ride in peace, because you know, you never rest when you skate."
A.J.'s younger brother, 12-year-old Ken, stood by his side, sobbing.
"We skateboarded together, just hung out, had a good time," Ken Wood said, wiping tears from his cheeks. "I don't understand."
Neighbor Ann Dauria, 50, said the boys were just like any other teenage brothers and never caused any problems. Their father is an engineer raising his kids on his own, she said.
"It's like a father has lost two sons now," Dauria said, her voice cracking. "I fought with my brother, too. But years ago, we fought with our hands. Times have sure changed since I was growing up."
No men OR women needed: Scientists create sperm and eggs from stem cells
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 11:49 AM on 29th October 2009
Human eggs and sperm have been grown in the laboratory in research which could change the face of parenthood.
It paves the way for a cure for infertility and could help those left sterile by cancer treatment to have children who are biologically their own.
But it raises a number of moral and ethical concerns. These include the possibility of children being born through entirely artificial means, and men and women being sidelined from the process of making babies. 
Forever fertile? Infertile men and women could have their own biological children using the breakthrough sperm and eggs
Opponents argue that it is wrong to meddle with the building blocks of life and warn that the advances taking place to tackle infertility risk distorting and damaging relations between family members.
The U.S. government-funded research also offers the prospect of a 'miracle pill' which staves off the menopause, allowing women to wait longer to have a child.
It centres on stem cells, widely seen as a repair kit for the body.
Scientists at Stanford University in California found the right cocktail of chemicals and vitamins to coax the cells into becoming eggs and sperm.
Controversial: Britain's oldest mother Elizabeth Adeney, 67, who went abroad for IVF, is pictured here with her newborn son in June this year
The sperm had heads and short tails and are thought to have been mature enough to fertilise an egg.
The eggs were at a much earlier stage but were still much more developed than any created so far by other scientists.
The double success, published in the journal Nature, raises the prospect of men and women one day 'growing' their own sperm and eggs for use in IVF treatments.
The American team used stem cells taken from embryos in the first days of life but
hope to repeat the process with slivers of skin.
The skin cells would first be exposed to a mixture which wound back their biological clocks to embryonic stem cell state, before being transformed into sperm or eggs.
Starting with a person's own skin would also mean the lab-grown sperm or eggs would not be rejected by the body.
The science also raises the possibility of 'male eggs' made from men's skin and 'female sperm' from women's skin.
This would allow gay couples to have children genetically their own, although many scientists are sceptical about whether it is possible to create sperm from female cells, which lack the male Y chromosome.
The U.S. breakthrough could unlock many of the secrets of egg and sperm production, leading to new drug treatments for infertility.
Defects in sperm and egg development are the biggest cause of infertility but, because many of the key stages occur in the womb, scientists have struggled to study the process in detail.
Researcher Rita Reijo Pera, of Stanford's Centre for Human Embryonic Stem Cell
Research, believes new fertility drugs are just five years away.
However, safety and ethical concerns mean that artificial sperm and eggs are much further away from use.
Dr Reijo Pera said any future use of artificial eggs and sperm would have to be subject to guidelines.
'Whether one builds the boundaries on religion or just on an internal sense or of right and wrong, these are important. In this field, it is not "anything goes".'
Scientists at Newcastle University claimed to have made sperm from embryonic stem cells earlier this year but the research paper has been retracted.
Dr Allan Pacey, a Sheffield University expert in male fertility said: 'Ultimately this may help us find a cure for male infertility. Not necessarily by making sperm in the laboratory, I personally think that is unlikely, but by identifying new targets for drugs or genes that may stimulate sperm production to occur naturally.
'This is a long way off, but it is a laudable dream.'
Dr Peter Saunders, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said that IVF should be the preserve of married couples.
'The question is, why are we creating artificial gametes (eggs and sperm) and aborting 200,000 babies a year when there are many, many couples willing to adopt?'
Anthony Ozimic, of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: 'The use of artificial gametes in reproduction would distort and damage relations between family members.
'There are no instances of any major medical advance achieved by abandoning basic ethical principles such as safeguarding the right to life.'
Spanish woman thanks 'guardian angel' who diagnosed rare disease on bus
A Spanish woman has thanked a stranger who saved her life after approaching her on a bus to tell her she was suffering from a rare disease.
By Ben Leach
Published: 9:00AM GMT 29 Oct 2009
Montse Ventura, 55, said a woman who sat opposite her on Barcelona's number 64 bus nine months ago urged her to have tests for acromegaly, a disorder resulting from an excess of growth hormone due to a pituitary gland tumour.
She said she had never heard of the disorder but the woman handed her a piece of paper where she had written down the names of two clinical tests, the Guardian newspaper reported.
"She wrote something down and said 'Have the analysis done as soon as possible because if you wait until you feel the need to consult your doctor, you may already be in a very bad state,'" Ventura said.
"A month later I went to my gynaecologist for my annual check-up. I handed over the piece of paper and asked for those tests to be added to the standard ones."
She said that to her doctor's surprise, the test results rang alarm bells. "Some hormonal measures were totally abnormal," she said. "I had more tests done and they ended up operating on a tumour." The operation to remove the tiny tumour from the pea-sized pituitary gland at the base of her brain was successful.
After the story was reported in newspapers across Spain a 60-year-old endocrinologist rang La Vanguardia newspaper on Tuesday to say she had been the "guardian angel".
She told the newspaper she had made the diagnosis after seeing Ventura's unusually shaped hands. "The hands gave me a lot of clues but I wasn't sure whether to say anything but I am a very spontaneous person," she explained.
"I'd rather put my foot in it than keep the worry to myself."
Ventura said that she and her guardian angel had now spoken by phone and the two will meet when the media fuss in Spain dies down.
Buyer finally found for 'exceptional fisherman's cottage in nature reserve'... next to two nuclear power stations
By Nick Mcdermott
Last updated at 8:47 AM on 29th October 2009
It is certainly a property that makes heads turn - generally in the direction of the towering nuclear power stations just yards from the front door.
But the 'exceptional detached fisherman's cottage', which hit the headlines last month after estate agents failed to mention in their sales pitch the sprawling site next door, has finally found a buyer.
Far from being put off by the prospect of living in the shadow of one of Europe's largest nuclear power stations, an unnamed local has stumped up almost the complete asking price of £247,000 and plans to move in with his family.
Sold: The estate agents' advert (above) for the fisherman's cottage showed an idyllic setting. In fact, the property was yards from a power station (below)
The cottage on the Dungeness National Nature Reserve comes complete with period features, double glazing and gas-fired central heating, and boasts half an acre of land.
Described by estate agents as a 'property not to be missed', they rather absent-mindedly omitted to inform prospective buyers the three-bedroom home was a stone's throw from the looming presence of the Dungeness A and B power plants.
Despite their close proximity, they even managed to leave the concrete and steel eyesores out of the lovely panoramic shots of the area surrounding the cottage. 
Hidden secret: Estate agents advertising the £247,000 cottage set in half an acre of land in the Dungeness National Nature Reserve omitted to mention its location next to a nuclear power plant
Unsurprisingly, many prospective buyers were shocked to arrive at the headland in Kent and see that the home is just 100 yards from the perimeter fence.
Alex Robertson, 32, was horrified he turned up to view the cottage.
He said: 'It was unbelievable. The photos make out it is an isolated cottage with nothing surrounding it at all, but that could not be further from the truth.
'These power stations are literally at your front door. There is no escaping them, they are gargantuan.' 
Despite the recent property downturn, an unnamed local buyer has stumped up almost the complete asking price of £247,000 and plans to move in with his family
But it seems that one prospective buyer has not been deterred.
After the advertisement was removed from its website, a spokeswoman for Geering & Colyer estate agents, of New Romney, said that the cottage had been snapped up.
He added: 'It is under offer. It is close to the asking price. It is a local buyer who plans to live in the property with their family.'
Dungeness A power station was decommissioned in 2006 and is to be turned into an intermediate waste store in 2014. Dungeness B, an advanced cooled reactor, still operates and there are plans to build a third plant, Dungeness C, nearby.
House on the hill: The cottage looks like it is situated alone in an unspoilt part of the nature reserve
Suspect in Killing of Missouri Child Reportedly Is Teen Girl
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The young suspect in the killing of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten of Missouri reportedly is a teenage girl, who has yet to be named publicly.
The 15-year-old suspect, who several media outlets say is a girl, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Elizabeth, who vanished after leaving a friend's house last week and was found dead days later.
The suspect is being held as a juvenile until the judge decides next month whether the case in St. Martins, Mo., should be tried in adult court.
Funeral services for Elizabeth were held Wednesday. She was found dead Friday in a wooded area near her home in central Missouri.
An attorney for the suspect waived a scheduled detention hearing Wednesday that was to be closed to the public.
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem did open the courtroom for arguments on whether people should be allowed to observe a Nov. 18 hearing to determine whether the teen should be tried as an adult. Beetem said he would announce his decision in writing.
Kurt Valentine, the teen's lawyer, said Elizabeth's death has put Jefferson City in "turmoil" and that opening the hearing could hamper the chances for a fair trial.
"There's been a lot of speculation, but now we will have in giant headlines my client's name," Valentine said. "There is no way in the world that could possibly be in the best interest of this particular juvenile."
Samantha Green, the attorney for the juvenile office, argued that the state Supreme Court has ruled that hearings can be open for juveniles accused of crimes that would be the most serious felonies if committed by an adult. She said court records and the exhibits to be presented could be closed or sealed to protect the suspect's privacy.
The 15-year-old was arrested Friday after leading authorities to Elizabeth's body just west of Jefferson City. Hundreds of people had searched the area last week after she disappeared.
The Cole County Sheriff's Department has said Elizabeth was well concealed, but have not said how she was believed to have encountered the teenager or where she was thought to have been killed. Sheriff Greg White said previously that the two lived in the same area and were acquainted but not related.
Valentine said the community needed time to absorb what happened. "In the local high school, friends of both sides have been getting into arguments and had fights over this case," Valentine said.
David Luther, a spokesman for Jefferson City Public Schools, said the district has no information or disciplinary reports about fights, but that officials would not know about every argument.
Sneeze left me crippled for two years: Mother's agony ends with pioneering spinal surgery
By Andy Dolan
Last updated at 9:44 AM on 29th October 2009
Victoria Kenny has now returned to work
When Victoria Kenny sat down in front of the television, the only drama she was expecting was courtesy of EastEnders.
But then she sneezed - and gave herself an injury that left her virtually bedridden for most of the next two years.
Mrs Kenny, a solicitor and mother of three, told yesterday how the sneeze caused a ruptured disc in her spine, which resulted in her sciatic nerve being trapped between two vertebrae.
She was forced to quit work at the legal firm she had established 25 years earlier because of the constant pain and was left so depressed she contemplated suicide.
The 53-year-old's misery only came to an end earlier this year when she underwent pioneering back surgery to fit a lightweight plastic 'cage' to the affected section of her spine.
Mrs Kenny said she had been watching EastEnders with husband Alan, 52, a surveyor, in April 2007 when she felt a tingle in her nose.
She said: 'When I sneezed I felt a searing pain down my spine. I didn't understand what was happening.
'I couldn't stand or move my limbs. It was terrifying. My first fear was that I was paralysed.'
Her husband Alan, 52, a surveyor, called a doctor who referred Mrs Kenny to St Richard's Hospital in her home town of Chichester, West Sussex.
But despite three operations on her spine, doctors were unable to resolve the problem.
She said: 'Being in that kind of pain day after day, I eventually got to the point where I just didn't want to live. The pain completely took over every part of my life.
'I remember watching a car come towards me on a road, and just thinking, if it hit me, it would solve all my problems.
'It's a terrible way to think, but the pain was just too much to bear, I couldn't live like that.
'The morphine that I was on was making me hallucinate, and working became impossible. I saw people literally melting in front of me, and had terrible visions.
'It was hideous, I started thinking that I'd let my husband down, even though he was incredibly supportive.
'I lost a massive amount of weight, I was in an awful state, and I sunk into a terrible depression.'
Newly-wed Victoria Kenny was left unable to walk or even sit down after a powerful sneeze caused a disc in her spine to rupture
Mrs Kenny's pain was caused by the rupture of the spinal disc - a soft cushion that sits between each vertebrae of the spine.
The disc is soft and elastic in the young, but like many other structures in the body it gradually loses its elasticity and is more vulnerable to injury.
An X-ray shows where the disc at the bottom of the spine has ruptured
After the third operation, a friend suggested she contact spinal orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Quaile, who had worked wonders on her husband.
Mr Quaile runs a private clinic called Spineworks which specialises in back injuries and carried out the £10,000 operation at the private BMI hospital in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
All of Mrs Kenny's treatment was covered by her private health insurance. But the procedure carried out by Mr Quaile is available on the Health Service.
During the four-hour operation, he fused the vertebrae either side of the ruptured disc together using a hollow plastic cage containing bone graft to aid the fusing process and a supportive spring to bolster the disc.
This procedure stopped the disc from collapsing again and prevented the vertebrae rubbing together.
The structure was supported from behind the spine by four titanium rods and two bolts.
The cage will stay in place permanently. Mrs Kenny said the procedure, carried out in April 2009, and subsequent physiotherapy have given her back her life.
The only time the cage or its titanium supporting rods become uncomfortable is if she lies on a hard surface.
She was walking within a week of the operation and has now returned to work - starting up a new conveyancing firm with her daughter Louise, 24.
'The relief was immediate after the operation and I was discharged from hospital the next day,' she said.
'But I'm still terrified of sneezing - I sit down and pinch my nose every time I feel one coming on.'
Victoria, pictured here with her husband Alan, was forced to give up work at her solicitors firm
Mr Quaile said: 'Coughing or sneezing can rupture discs because they are designed like car tyres. If you drive lots of miles you get tears and the outer walls become weaker. Coughing or sneezing can be enough to blow a weakened disc.
'This kind of surgery is only used in the most extreme cases - when a ruptured disc becomes completely debilitating for the sufferer.
'The operation was a success, and the cage immediately relieved the awful pressure on the nerve roots in the spine.'
