17/11/2011 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Thursday's Reporting Scotland. Tonight on your national

news: Strathclyde Fire and Rescue under

the spotlight again. The first minister orders another inquiry

into their failure to rescue Alison Hume from an Ayrshire mineshaft.

Her family welcome the move. It is not going to bring Alison back, but

at the same time, but we will feel as if we do our best for her.

And late this evening the service apologised to the family for the

outcome of that rescue effort. Also tonight - guilty of attempting

to murder one of Scotland most senior legal officials. But police

still don't know who paid Robert Graham to kill Lesley Cumming six

years ago. And 50 years after they went up

they are about to come down. We are live in Motherwell - the latest

town to see the demolition of those dream homes in the sky.

Good evening. Tonight, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue have apologised to

the family of Alison Hume. She died after fire crews left her in a

disused mineshaft for more than six hours. Yesterday, a sheriff

criticised senior fire officers for refusing to allow a rescue attempt.

They decided that safety rules stopped them using their own

equipment. At Holyrood today the First Minister ordered a new

inquiry into the botched operation. Our reporter Steven Godden is

outside the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue headquarters now.

It has been a difficult 24 hours for the senior officers in the

building behind me. Yesterday, they were heavily criticised after the

inquiry into Alison Hume's death. There will be a fresh inquiry into

the circumstances of what happened. Tonight, or we have had a fair

response from them. It is a short statement from the chief officer.

He says the report is 890 page document and it will take time to

respond. It does contain something that was missing yesterday - and

apology. At the top of a disused mineshaft, anxious firefighters can

only watch and wait, prevented by senior officers from rescuing

Alison Hume. She was lying 50 ft below, but could have survived if

it were not for a delay of six hours to bring her to the surface.

Following a fatal accident investigation, the the sheriff

condemned the operation. This afternoon Alison's family welcomed

the First Minister's demand for another inquiry. It will not bring

her back, but we will feel as if we have done the best for Alison and

for her daughters and the rest of the family. 18 firefighters were

trained to use rescue equipment at the scene, but two senior

commanders decided help and surf -- decided health and safety

regulations had to be at hear it too. We selected will weep for was

the best option at the time. -- had to be stuck to. We give away

sheriffs in Scotland substantial powers in a fatal accident

inquiries. That is the right thing to do. The Institution of sheriffs

is well respected and recognised. The determination is that they make

have to be accepted by all parties. I don't think they should be

second-guessed. I think what people will be looking for is an

indication of the action that now must follow. This new inquiry will

begin almost immediately, but will take a number of months. For

Alison's family all that matters is that lessons are learned.

What more had Alison's family been saying?

They have not received the apology from Strathclyde Fire and rescue in

person or on the phone, but in general terms they are upbeat and

are pleased to be part of the process. They do it received the

phone call for -- they did receive a phone call from the minister

responsible for kick-starting the inquiry this afternoon.

A senior judge says the need for more than one source of evidence,

known as corroboration, in Scottish criminal cases is medieval and

should be abolished. Lord Carloway wants a complete overhaul of

criminal procedure to help ensure it complies with human rights law.

Our Political Correspondent Glenn Campbell has the details.

There are a lot of reasons why police officers tend to patrol in

pairs. One advantage is they can back up one another's evidence in

court. Without corroboration, you cannot secured a criminal

conviction in Scotland. It has been a cornerstone of our system for

centuries. But today a High Court judge said it was a medieval

concept that Moscow. It is an archaic raw based upon medieval

thinking and should have no place in a modern legal system. This

recommendation draws on research by prosecutors. The review considered

almost 500 criminal cases that did not make it to the court because

there wasn't enough evidence. But prosecutors said that almost 80 %

of those cases could have gone to court if they have not been a

requirement for corroboration. Without it, campaigners say more

rapists will face justice. We hope this recommendation, if implemented,

will mean that women will have their day in court and get justice.

Some lawyers feel abolishing corroboration could cause more

injustices. The queues could be sent to prison with less evidence.

Lord Carloway wants the government to make 76 changes to criminal

procedure, including bringing suspects to court within 36 hours

of arrest. These are changes that we do not wish to bring in, but the

decision of the Supreme Court in London means we have to. But I

welcome Lord Carloway's recommendations and we will

continue to work with him in order to take them forward. The UK

Supreme Court said suspects must not be questioned by police without

access to a lawyer. This led to emergency legislation to end the

practice and Lord Carloway believes his reforms will guard Scottish

justice against fresh challenges under human rights law in the

future. You're watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come before seven:

Airline bosses want taxes on airline passengers reduced,

claiming it would help tourism take off in Scotland.

And the search for new multi- billion pound oil markets across

the globe. In sport - Neil Lennon's message to

Celtic, accused of singing offensive songs during matches. And

the man in temporary charge of Hibs tells us why he wants the job on a

A hired hitman has been found guilty of trying to murder one of

the country's top law officials in Edinburgh. 46-year-old Robert

Graham attacked Leslie Cumming, who was the deputy chief of the Law

Society of Scotland in January 2006. But who paid him? It is still a

mystery. He was slashed in the face and the

body. A vicious attack that left Leslie Cumming with permanent scars.

Today, this man was convicted of his attempted murder. Robert Graham

boasted he was given �10,000 to do in the Law Society accountant.

Leslie Cumming went to park his car behind his home. During the trial

he described a figure coming out of the darkness. It did not make sense.

There was no attempt to rob him. It was a silent and professional

assault. To date, he spoke of his relief at the verdict. Now that the

trial is complete and the result is known, I hope that this nightmare

has ended for us. Leslie Cumming was the number two at the loss

Society of Scotland. He order to be books of solicitors. There were

times when he uncovered unscrupulous practice. It emerged

during the trial that Robert Graham was living in the UK under a false

passport. He said that his real name was Paul Francis Michie and he

was born in Ireland. Today the Solicitor General said there was an

outstanding warrant for his arrest under that name in New Zealand. And

police say that may lead to further inquiries. He mentioned in court

that his family didn't even know his true identity. There is a

possibility that this will lead to further investigations and it will

primarily be around the possibility of someone paying him to carry out

the attack. Robert Graham was arrested for drink-driving and

caught because thos DNA samples. However he was brought back to base

prosecution. He says he was paid to carry out the attack, but what

remains a mystery is by whom. He will be sentenced next month.

A trial of a woman accused of murdering her toddler son has heard

claims that she used his clothes and toys to buy heroin. 40-year-old

Greig Irving told the trial of Kimberley Hainey at the High Court

in Glasgow that the accused, from Paisley, took the action while her

son Declan was allegedly lying dead in his cot. Miss Hainey denies

murdering her son, concealing his body and pretending he was alive to

avoid a police investigation. Scottish airports and passengers

have joined the most powerful executives in the British airline

industry to try to put the brakes on air passenger duty. They want

the Chancellor not to put up the tax, saying it will damage the

industry and tourism. Cleared for take-off - the most

unlikely alliance in. There could be a lot of jobs lost as a result

of an increase in air passenger duty. In first class the tax is up

to �170. The tax was introduced to cut back on the growth of aviation,

but it is having a harmful effect in Scotland, hitting the number of

people flight out and the number of people visiting Scotland. If you

fly on British Airways from Aberdeen to Heathrow and

transferred to somewhere in Europe, then you only paid one lot of air

passenger duty. But if you have to change planes at Stansted of

Heathrow, you will have to pay twice. Airport operators say it is

making life harder. Airport bosses, travel agents and the Scottish

government won the power over air passenger duty to be passed to

Holyrood. When these decisions are devolved, they will see the sense

of this and they will scrap it. campaign steps up a head of the --

ahead of the Chancellor's statement at the end of the month.

Some of the other stories across Scotland this Thursday:

The proposed merger between Abertay and neighbouring Dundee University

is off. The Scottish Government asked the institutions to consider

joining together for both educational and financial reasons.

But both universities and the Scottish Funding Council say

they've agreed to work more closely together, but remain as independent

A 16 month-old boy who was killed in a car crash near Aberdeen

yesterday has been made -- named by police as Kahlon broods. -- Calum

Bruce. He was killed in a two car collision and his mother this still

critically ill in hospital. A second child has been admitted to

the Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow with suspected botulism. The

suspected core -- source of the infection is still a jar of Loyd

Grossman korma sauce. Think of the oil industry in

Aberdeen and you are likely to think of the North Sea. But one of

the fastest growing sectors is export of skills and equipment to a

growing number of countries. The market is valued at �6 billion. The

latest country to be targeted is Iraq.

A lasting image of an industry being destroyed by war. Times have

changed since then. Iraq has spent millions on reconstruction and

Scottish firms are starting to benefit from the work.

It requires a massive, massive capital investment. They have hit

every target they have set themselves up to date so the

opportunity for these companies is difficult to estimate but it is

significant. Much of the infrastructure and

skills come from overseas. In 18 months, while production from Iraq

has doubled to 2 billion barrels per day as a result. This firm in

dice began quality and quantity testing in the country in 2008.

We encountered a lot of problems in terms would have -- in terms of how

to communicate with people based in Iraq. They rather than -- other

uncertainties that we had in terms of security and how we would be

paid. The export market is growing and more countries are being

targeted. This firm moved into Iraq less than a year ago and now has

five drilling rigs with training facilities identical to this.

We have been working in Brazil, Nigeria, Iraq, and used beat -- you

meet Scottish company is in all of these countries frequently. These

markets can be difficult and unpredictable but activity in the

North Sea is declining and they are seen as increasingly vital to

Aberdeen's goal future. Once they were cities in this guide

but this weekend another large tower block is being raised to the

ground. Glencairn Tower in Motherwell is the latest building

from the 60s to be demolished. Why have so many of them failed to

stand the test of time? It is a very windy evening here

then Motherwell and tower blocks were designed to withstand the wind

and sway a little on the evenings like this. A lot of be people who

used to live over there will remember evenings like this all too

well. You will see the image is being projected on to the building

and that is a tribute to the role this building has paid -- has

played. Yet again we have a building that was once seen as

ground-breaking being demolished far sooner than its designers would

have ever I imagined. The symbol of a brave new world.

Motherwell's town centre was changed forever in the 60s - or at

least it seemed that way at the time.

I was at number 60 about in the middle of the building there.

Glencairn Tower offered a good home for hundreds of people including

this man and his family. Getting a house in Glencairn Tower

was a real prize because it was a world away from anything we had

been brought up in. When we walked into the tower, it was brand new.

Fresh paint, new bathrooms, kitchens, and under floor kept --

underfloor heating. There is no question it is a big

improvement... At first, Scotland's higher rises

were good places to live. But they were really the promised Utopia.

They were seen as an expedient way of housing a lot majority of people.

At first, they were wonderful but over time, technical problems with

some and social problems with others have changed the landscape.

There is nothing inherent in -- nothing inherently wrong with high-

rise dwellings. Many have been modernised but

demolitions have become a regular event. Some other big buildings

from that era have not stood the test of time either. This one in

Aberdeen is now facing demolition. And the unloved St James Centre in

Edinburgh could be brought down as well. Soon Glencairn Tower in

Motherwell will be just a memory. The latest in a long line of once

futuristic visions which now have no future.

It is hard to make generalisations about just wide buildings of all

sorts from the 50s, 60s and 70s have not lasted. In some cases it

is fair to say the buildings will always unpopular. Another case is,

there was asbestos in the building which makes refurbishment costs

very high. In other cases, the buildings have simply out let their

purpose. There is a bit of that in this building, there housing needs

have changed a lot in the area. Time for the sport.

Neil Lennon says Celtic fans who sang the offence of songs need to

stop tarnishing the reputation of the club. There are investigations

over allegations of illicit chanting during Celtic's matters.

Sanctions could be on the way so the manager is saying, enough is

enough. The void between the fan base and a

manager at a club has rarely been stronger. But now, the manager is

pleading with those who sing his name to stop damaging the

These individuals claim to love Neil Lennon and I believe they do.

They might not listen to me or the Celtic board but the hope is that

by Neil Lennon repeating the message he made last time, they

will listen to him well this time. It is a statement welcomed by

police who are trying to engage in discussions with supporters' groups.

They also released a statement At the club's training ground, the

media were told that players would not answer questions on the manner

-- on the matter. Now it is over to the fans.

Hibernian have drawn up a short list for the job of team manager.

Their caretaker boss Billy Brown is on it and has had an interview for

the post. Other candidates have yet to be given their chance to shine.

The heads players getting on with life at Easter Road without Colin

Calderwood. This man was his assistant. Now he says he wants the

manager pop -- manager's job. have waited long and hard to be in

the frame for a big job. I never wanted to take a job less than the

one I had but this is bigger than the ones I have had and that is why

I want it. Who are the contenders for the job?

Brown will be in charge for Saturday's home match against

Kilmarnock so why good result might be good for him. Michael O'Neill is

the current boss of Shamrock Rovers and a former player at Easter Road.

Or will there be a surprise candidate? Whoever that may be,

they will need the full backing of the players.

There had been certain players that let us down, but I would like to

play our games differently and I am sure we all would. The players do

not think it was our fault. The board says that significant

progress has been made in the search for a new manager but they

are sitting one from the bottom of the table so whoever gets the job

will need to do the hard work. The Hearts boss has been suspended

after being sent to the stand for this outburst. He has the right of

appeal. We have all had days like that.

Thank you very much. Time for the We did see a bit of a change in the

weather during this afternoon. Cloud building from the South West

with this band of rain pushing him. Tonight will be largely wet and

also quite windy. We saw the wind picking up through this afternoon

and touching gale force in the West. That will continue this evening but

eventually dying down. There will be heavy bursts especially around

Argyll. A mild night ahead with temperatures dipping down to 89

degrees. The reason for the rain is this area of low pressure. That

France will linger for the next couple of days so tomorrow will see

a more cloudy picture with outbreaks of rain in the West.

Drier and brighter in parts of the East. Looking at the details, it is

actually going to be a mild day, above-average for this time of year.

Eyes reaching 13 or 14 Celcius across the board. The best

brightness will be in the far north-east around Caithness and

Sutherland, and the muddy for -- Moray coast. Around Ed Miliband the

eastern borders, we could also see some sunshine and temperatures

reaching up to 15 Celsius. Tomorrow evening and overnight, we keep the

cloud and rain. It could turn a little chilli overnight. On

Saturday, cloudy with outbreaks of rain. Trial and and brighter

towards the East. Staying mild with highs up to do that -- 13 degrees.

Sunday will be the better day, largely dry with some good sunny

spells especially towards the North Tonight's top stories: northern

Rock, the collapsed bank that was nationalised by the government

nearly four years ago, has been sold to Richard Branson's Virgin

Money. The taxpayer could lose �400 million on the deal but to shut --

George Osborne says it was the best one available.

Strathclyde Fire Service have apologised after they were men died

when she was left in a mineshaft for six hours. Safety rules stopped

them from using their own equipment. A senior judge says the need for

more than one source of evidence, known as corroboration in Scottish

criminal cases, is medieval and should be abolished. Lord