12/04/2012 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight: This man tells a court he

ate two Mill -- mobile phone SIM cards rather than hand into police

investigating the murder of Kevin Carroll.

Holidays at home and on their up. A staycations are boosting Scotland's

economy. We will assess the state of

Scotland's tourism industry. Later: This has been a long journey.

The unmarked grave of the man at the helm of the Titanic was

discovered in Aberdeen. And marching against leukaemia. Ian

Botham and Neil Lennon team up and send their best blessed -- wishes

to Stiliyan Petrov. It was great to see him so positive. He is in good

hands. A murder trial has heard how a key

witness ate two mobile phone SIM cards rather than hand them over to

the police. Frances Green was giving evidence in the Kevin Burch

-- Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll case in Glasgow. He told the jury he

arrived at the murder scene before the police, and removed the mobile

phone from Kevin Carroll's body. Frances Green who is also known as

Fraggle said he had been friends with Mr Carroll for 12 years. He

described the day that his friend was found dead. Mr Green said he

had been about to take a shower at a house he was doing up when he got

a phone call saying that kit and durable was dead. -- Gerbil was

dead. He drove to ASDA, and arrived before police. When he arrived here,

he found his friend dead. He said at this point the phone rang, and

he went into the dead man's pocket and answered it, in case it was his

sister Kelly. He said he kept hold of Kevin Carroll's phone but did

not tamper with the mobile phone SIM cards. He admitted that later

he had eaten two SIM cards from his own phone because they had Material

on them that he did not want the He was ordered to stay and the

scene,... Prosecuting advocate Did you ask why he was in the car

The trial continues. Tourism is on the up in Scotland,

according to two sets of figures out today. British holidaymakers,

the staycation, staying home for a break, is the main reason why. But

transport costs are having a more There is a new spring in the step

of Scotland's hospitality. One reason is an increase in day-trips.

I take the children up the hills and I take them up to Loch Lomond,

Hill claiming and things like that. It is very expensive. We get our

bags packed and picnics, and they enjoy it a lot more than going to

Spain. Between the cost of petrol and praises of everything else

going up it is very difficult. I think most people are cutting down

on holidays this year. He is talking about staycations. British

people taking holidays close to home. Official figures say that the

number of overnight stays are up 10%. The rise and the cost of

transport is not helping, according to their Chamber of Commerce.

Particularly in areas like Shepton. It is a simple problem, I wish it

was more difficult. It is the cost of getting here, and it is simple.

If we can cut the cost for people coming here, tourism would grow.

Fuel costs and transportation costs are very heavily having a negative

impact on their business. That is something that needs to be

addressed, and the recent chaos over fuel has not helped during the

Easter period. One leading Earline today threatened to cut back eight

of Scotland's links next winter in its battle with Edinburgh airport

over London fees. The airport does not recognise the environment it is

engaged in. It has promised more passenger numbers for lower costs,

-- We offered. But the report has insisted on increasing costs for

the future which puts us in a terrible position. The owners say

they have not given up on trying to charge Ryanair for air traffic

control costs. Household budgets are being

stretched, but many of us still feel the need to get away. Scotland

still looks a good value option. We heard about Ryanair and

Edinburgh airport, but other developments elsewhere could mean

good news for Glasgow. This has to do with British Airways absorbing

British Midland. Yes, it was recently taken over by British

Airways from left-hander, and today they are announcing 12 under jobs

to go from BMI. -- 1,200 jobs. There are two elements of this

which could be positive. Glasgow was one of them. British Airways

says it plans to put BMI's planes into Glasgow, where it has a heavy

maintenance operation, and there is the regional division of EMI. That

could be sold to investors and Aberdeen, where the division is

based. That division flies commuter aircraft between smaller cities,

and it could compete with British Airways on Scottish links with

London airports. The negotiations on that are continuing, and they

hope to get some conclusion this month. There are more than 300 jobs

in the balance on the division, most in Scotland.

Thank you. You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.

Still to come: The grave of the Titanic's helmsman is discovered in

Aberdeen, Robert Hitchens's -- Robert Hitchens resting-place was

revealed after a search by relatives.

The latest on Rangers. We will also get a flavour on the feelings of

funds about the real changes. And Aberdeen boss Craig Brown is

not superstitious, but... But what? Find out later.

A row has broken out over pensions for people such as teachers and NHS

workers who might have been expecting to retire and get their

full Occupational Pensions and then pick up their state pensions a few

years later. Under new rules they would have to reach the state trip

to diet -- retirement age before picking up their occupational

pension. The SNP government says it cuts across the ability to design a

solution for Scottish workers. Tim Reid joins us now. This is a

political row, but presumably public sector workers should be

concern. On the face of it this is a financial spat between the two

government's and those reaching the end of the careers. It has big

money implications. Last month in the Budget, there was indication

there would be a link between the age you get your full occupational

pension and retirement age. That means people working longer, and

the retirement age would rise over the next 30 years. John Swinney

says this has cut across his negotiations, and his reform to the

public sector pensions in Scotland, and he says there was a lack of

consultation on the issue. What does the UK government say to this?

It says it is surprised by his intervention. They say it was well

known the changes were coming down the track, and they were a

recommendation of the Patten report last March. They also say that they

have introduced what is at protection for workers in England,

for instance a teacher within 10 years of these rules would be

protected. Danny Alexander has said that John Swinney has to come up

with a plan whether he will match that protection or go even further.

That was a big money and put a sheet -- implication for the

government. Three teenagers have been jailed,

one for life, for the murder of a Greenock schoolboy who was due to

give evidence against one of them in a court case. Christopher Knox

was fatally stabbed through the heart and a school playground last

June. 17-year-old John Paul McCowan was given a life term for murder,

David Paton was convicted of culpable homicide.

The final resting place of the man who was at the helm of the Titanic

when it struck the iceberg has been discovered in Aberdeen. Robert

Hitchens survived the disaster which happened 100 years ago this

week. He died nearly 30 years later, and it had been thought he was

buried at sea. But remarkably his grave was found a few days ago.

This rare footage shows Robert Hitchens on the right in New York,

on the days after the Titanic sank. As helmsman, he was the man who

tried to steal the ill-fated ship around the iceberg. It has been a

long-term knee. It has been. It has taken a bit of finding, but you got

there. His great-granddaughter has been heavily her ancestor's

involvement, and arrived in Aberdeen to visit he shared grave.

The sailor died in 1940 on a merchant ship in the City, and was

presumed buried at sea. A few weeks ago it was delivered he --

discovered he was laid to rest here. I know he is here, and I grew to

love him so much, I never met him. It means everything.

Here he is in the film. In fact, his part in the tragedy has been

well documented, not least in this movie of the 1990s. Events led to a

broken man, and he did return to see, but life was difficult.

would have been seen as jinxed, other sailors would have known that

he was the man at the wheel of the luxury liner, and would not want to

sail with him any more. He died on board the ship, at 58 years.

Archives revealed his final resting place. I grave he say it -- years

with two other sailors. It was the need has placed a where he died,

but it was the responsibility for the shipping company because he

died on board the ship. This is why they bought the grave. It is a long

line of the grave of a pauper, but from a company. He played a key

role in the Titanic story, and his memory was never really lost. Now

his final resting place is no longer forgotten either.

A person has died in a microlight crash in Clackmannanshire. It came

down just after 2pm. It is not thought anyone else was on board

are injured in the accident. Let us take a look at what else has

been happening across the country. A team of experts has boarded the

abandoned Eldon platform in the North Sea as efforts continue to

stay in the leak. The plans are likely to involve plugging the lead

with a mud. The owner of the Scotsman newspaper

has axed the role of the editor in chief. John McClelland is on leave

while negotiating he is future. Fortes have been released of

dramatic moments yesterday when diskette -- Shetland coastguard

helicopter spotted a trawler blaze. The crew was airlifted to hospital

and released later. The vessels sunk.

Councillors are being asked to abolish Inverness's licensing

curfew which sees pubs close their doors to new customers at midnight.

It was introduced a decade ago to cut down on antisocial be needed.

We want to encourage tourists in the area. I do not think it is the

right message to send out that we have a curfew. It's sort of tells

people that it is not a safe city to being in the evening, and I

think that is not a good thing at all. Experts are gathering on Iona

this week to discuss the historical importance of the island and its

collection of medieval stones. Next year will mark the 1,400 and 50th

anniversary of St Columba's arrival on the island. It is important to

the community, who are working together to plan a series of events

starting on Pentecost Sunday which is the theoretical day that St

Columba arrived. Judges were visiting the Riverside

Museum in Glasgow today. It is one of three Scottish contenders on a

shortlist of 10 for the �100,000 Museum of the Year prize.

To have this wonderful new museum nominated and no on the shortlist

of 10 for the prize is a major triumph for Glasgow and the

Transport Museum and for Scotland. There are more stories from your

People are being asked to lookout for a wallaby after a pair of them

that made a bid for freedom near the boundary of Midlothian and the

Scottish Borders. Both escaped by swimming across a pond at a petting

zoo in West Linton yesterday. This one was recaptured. However, the

other is still on the loose. Marsupials can reach speeds of up

to 40 miles an hour. They to sport. One of Rangers' potential new

owners has told BBC Scotland his bid stands. That is despite

proposed changes to Scottish Premier League sanctions for

insolvent clubs. But the Singaporean Bill Ing is not

happy about shifting goalposts and he is not alone. SPL chairman and

taking shelter, perhaps from a stormer which is brewing over new

punishments for insolvent clubs. They will be back in hand and at

the end of the month to vote on the issue. A new survey has attracted

It seems the SPL are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one

hand the accused of being soft on the idea of a new core Rangers been

allowed straight back into the SPL, and on the other hand... The SPL

could be smarter with their proposals. The rethink this will

affect bidders? Et must do. -- it must do. How can we possibly deal

with anything unless a multi- millionaire comes in and buys the

club. One possible bidder is not put off. Bell Inc told BBC

Scotland... Bill Ng. When was the last time Craig Brown

led a team out in a cup final at Hampden? The answer is never. The

former Scotland boss is one game away from realising that ambition.

Brown says that would mean more to him than reaching the World Cup

finals for Scotland in 1998. The famously analytical Craig Brown it

- all about logic. There are no superstitions at all in football.

Hang on. They are bring in the Cup and I refuse to touch it, because I

think you are tempting fate. That is not a superstition. It is just a

feeling I have that you have no right to hold it unless you have

one ate. They did a tour with the World Cup and asked me to hold it

but I did not. Maybe I should be holding ate. Luck deserted the Dons

in the fat -- in the semi-final last year when they were thrashed

by Celtic. They get a second shot on Saturday, this time to reach the

final they have to beat heads. concern is I have had highs and

lows. A lot of these players have had as well. For me, there is a

great desire to see the players going to Hampden. That would give

me great pleasure, to allow the travelling support to come back

again. Let us hope Craig Brown can avoid contact with the trophy until

after the semi-final. That was a close one! Did he brushed against

it? That is tempting fate. European Cup semi-finalists

Edinburgh Rugby have signed two Wales internationals up for next

season from Cardiff Blues. They are 21 times capped prop forward John

Yapp and scrum half Phillip Rees who is seen as a ready-made

replacement for Scotland international Mike Blair who is

leaving in the summer. Mike is moving on. John and Richie our

international players so they will bring that. They come from a

different culture and background which mixes things up a little for

us which can be a good thing. We look forward to working with both.

Back to you, Jackie. The former England cricketer and

veteran fundraiser, Sir Ian Botham, strode out in Glasgow today on the

first leg of Beefy's Great British Walk to raise funds for leukaemia

and lymphoma research. As he arrived in Coatbridge he was joined

by members of the public and a few other well-known sportsmen for the

final few miles, many of whom had a very personal reasons for showing

their support. Waiting for Sir Ian - I'd year-old Rebecca contracted

leukaemia when she was a baby. The whole family turned out today. --

five-year-old. We were devastated when Rebecca was dead is --

diagnosed. She was only seven months old. Increasingly children

do survive the disease and that Spurs on Sir Ian to keep raising

the cash for research. We did the first ever walk in 1985 and

children had a 20 % chance of survival but now it is up to 93 %.

That is quite an achievement by the scientists but the need funding and

that is what we come out to do, to try and help the funding. He set

off from Glasgow centre to cope a bench. Neil Lennon was waiting for

him whose thoughts were with his former team-mate Stiliyan Petrov

who has just been diagnosed. He he is in great spirits. We saw him on

Monday night and he was in good spirits. He has been well briefed

on what lies ahead of him and he is ready for it. As the Great British

Walk got underway, or that the research lab in Glasgow, at the

work goes on. They specialise in Hodgkin's lymphoma here, the most

common cancer in teenagers. A one of the things we're actively

working on is what we call the host via his relationship. We know that

certain genetic factors are important in determining the risks

of the disease which has caused by the virus. We can start to protect

people who might be a risk. We can predict people who might respond to

different treatments. Sir Ian will be walking for the next 10 days,

raising funds which will go to lapse like this one as they keep

looking for that elusive virus which could concur forms of

leukaemia. -- different laboratories.

The out for the weather forecast. Good evening. We have seen plenty

of shares this week but heading Set to quieten down. Some fine

evening sunshine for many parts tonight. It will be predominantly

dry across the country. We were seen showers pulling in across

northern regions and into the north-east, turning to snow over

the hills. As far as temperatures go, widely falling took freezing.

Some icy patches on untreated patches are possible. It will feel

cold in the north. A fresh and strong northerly wind. Tomorrow's

stars of trying and chilly with some lovely sunshine. For nor the

Scotland, we will always see show was pulling in throughout the day.

It was the afternoon, plenty of dry and bright sunshine it for the

islands and for the south-west. We could see the odd shower in land.

Keeping the dry conditions for much of western Scotland, perhaps more

cloud. The further north you go, the lower the temperatures. A

biting northerly winds in the north. Shares in the north-east remain,

may well be wintry in nature. -- showers. More cloud for the rest of

eastern Scotland. As far as the rest of the day is concerned,

generally dry with its bright spells of sunshine. Overnight, it

will be dry and frost will return with a strong wind from the north.

For the weekend this pressure moves away allowing this high to build

which means a lot of dry weather for the weekend. It will feel cold.

Let us recap the main stories: A fragile ceasefire in Syria seems to

be holding more than 12 hours after it came into force. Reports suggest

a drop in violence. A murder trial has heard how a key

witness ingested mobile-phones SIM cards rather than hand them over to

police. Ross Monaghan denies all charges.