12/12/2011 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:

The carer who couldn't cope - he pleads guilty to the manslaughter

of his wife after years of nursing her because of Alzheimer's.

Questions over the safety of a flu vaccine after a Somerset boy

developed a terrible sleeping disorder. It is heartbreaking to

see what has happened and to know that this is his life now. He copes

fantastically, but he should not have to.

Just a trophy - the most magnificent stag on Exmoor ends up

on a hotel wall. I am really sorry I did not do my homework but I did

make it to the south pole. We make -- we catch up with

Wiltshire's record-breaking schoolgirl. First tonight, an

elderly man from Somerset who had been caring for his sick wife for

over a decade has admitted her manslaughter. A court heard how

Malcolm Beardon from Wellington "lost it" with his 78-year-old wife,

Margaret, who had been suffering from dementia. This report from our

Somerset correspondent, Clinton Rogers. 79 years old and charged

with murder, but at Exeter Crown Court today Malcolm Beardon pleaded

guilty to manslaughter and that was accepted by the prosecution. The

court heard how for years he had cared for his wife, Margaret, who

had been suffering from dementia - then one day in July this year he

lost control and killed her at their home at Wellington in

Somerset. Police went to the house after receiving a call from another

member of the family. In court today the prosecution said they had

considered the case carefully and agreed manslaughter was the right

plea to accept. In arguing that the man should not be sent to prison,

the defence team said that his family remained entirely supportive

of him. They said that a suspended sentence would be the most

appropriate. But the judge said that it would be exceptional for

someone who had killed someone else not to go to prison. This was, he

said, an extremely difficult sentencing exercise. The judge was

today given a psychiatric report, supporting the idea of a suspended

sentence, but nonetheless he said he wanted more information and

asked for a pre-sentence probation report. Mr Beardon was released on

bail and he left the court supported by his son. The judge

made it clear he was considering all options and told Mr Beardon he

must not assume a suspended sentence would be the outcome.

Clinton Rogers, BBC Points West, Exeter.

Joining me in the studio is Sian Evans from the Alzheimer's Society.

What sort of pressure people under when they have a member of the

family with Alzheimer's or dementia? It can be emotionally and

physically demanding. It can be, for many people, at 24/7 job.

about when the carer is only a year or two younger than the person with

the condition? There are 600,000 people who are carers of people

with dementia. That can be husbands, wives, partners or children. Many

of those people are are all the people themselves and will find a

role particularly demanding. They are bound to need help, so

what support is there? There is support available, but not enough

to help people who are caring. we need much more support for people.

The Alzheimer's Society provides a range of support services tell

people. How difficult is it to get it and are some family -- some

families perhaps too proud to ask for help? I think it is about

taking the first step towards acknowledging that, with the best

will in the world, it can be very demanding caring for someone with

dementia, and to ask about health. Through the Alzheimer's Society,

you can be given information about a range of support and different

organisations that help people who are struggling to cope. Thank you

very much. An investigation by the BBC has discovered that the scene

of last month's fatal crash on the M5 was already known by the

authorities to be prone to fog. A report obtained by Inside Out West

reveals that only last year experts recommended upgrading fog warning

systems near the site, but no action was taken. Seven people died

in the crash and dozens more were injured. Alice Bouverie reports.

Five weeks on from the terrible events of the 4th November and the

investigation into why it happened continues. Afterwards, the police

were quick to talk about smoke from a near by fireworks display as a

possible cause. But some witnesses say what they drove into that night

wasn't smoke but fog. And the BBC's Inside Out West programme has

discovered a report which reveals the authorities knew fog was an

ongoing problem on the M5, and that the area north of junction 25 was

particularly dangerous. Commissioned by the Highways Agency

last year, the report recommended upgrading the existing fog warning

system, but nothing was done. There are signs there, but they can only

be activated by staff at the Highways Agency Control Centre. And

they rely on someone like the police phoning in to alert them

about the existence of fog. There were no such reports on the night

of the crash, so the signs were not on. But roadside fog sensors which

automatically trigger warning signs do exist elsewhere. The fog is so

unexpected that you cannot give this job to a human being, as far

as we think. A system like this is already in place on the M25, and

has recently been installed on motorways in the north-west as well.

But when the Highways Agency was asked whether there were any plans

to upgrade fog detection on the M5, they said no. They said they would

only look at safety improvements once the results of the police

investigation were known. I do not know about fog but it is certainly

pouring with rain outside and there are storms on their way. Hundreds

of families who lost their homes to the floods in Gloucester four years

ago can sleep easier in their beds tonight after a new flood relief

scheme opened up in the city. 350 homes around Longlevens were among

the worst hit back in 2007, but now a gigantic reservoir has been dug

to hold back the flood water. Our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve

Knibbs, has gone back to Longlevens, where many homes were flooded twice

in the same year. This area came to symbolise the

human tragedy of the floods back then. It was the worst of times.

When the Horsbere Brook Rockets banks in the summer of 2007, it

left hundreds of families homeless, many for the second time in a

matter of weeks. Out of that tragedy did come some good because

at the community became closer. A Flood committee was formed. Four

years on, that persistence has So today a new dawn - this massive

reservoir, capable of holding nearly 40 million gallons of water,

will instead fill with floodwater that once would have swept through

people's homes. There were some of those properties that had a 30%

annual probability of flooding. We have reduced that to less than 1%,

so it is a significant reduction. For those that were flooded it will

bring peace of mind, cheaper insurance and better house prices.

But it is also a sign of a community that stood up to be

counted. The local flood committee were unrelenting in their campaign

for better defences, sometimes in the face of adversity. We did make

son Mehmet -- some enemies in being high profile. I believe that there

had we not shouted loudly we would not be standing here today. So I am

really proud that we stuck it out, despite some people who did not

want us to speak. I hope that the proof is in the pudding and they

will know that they have homes that are better protected because we

have relentlessly kept on. And it was the work of the committee that

is now being seen as an example of how other similar campaigns can

work across the UK. The aspect of how the community have worked with

other agencies to make an entirely virtuous, co-ordinated approach to

achieve something which we see today, that is to everybody's

credit. We want to make sure that, across the country, people are

learning from experiences such as this. As 2007 showed, no one can

predict how Mother Nature will act, but there is hope in this area of

Gloucester at least that the anxiety that accompanied even the

briefest of showers has been taken away. It was weather like this back

in 2007. It causes anxiety for the residents you. Vicky is the chair

of the Flood committee. You were on tenterhooks normally when you saw

weather like this? Yes, very worried. I am a lot more at ease

today, still wet, but a lot more at ease. We can sleep easily at night

again. We have been eased a bet by the things that have been done. It

hit -- a bet. We had a lot of criticism because

we shouted but, at the end of the day, without it nothing would have

been done. Good to see you again. At as if to prove that the rain is

not enough, the irony is that Thames Water were driving this van

around today asking people to be careful with the amount of water

they were using because there has not been enough rain and they were

worried about a drought next year. Thanks, Steve. Well, pretty damp

there in Gloucester. Ian, how is it looking for the rest of the night,

and indeed the rest of the week? All of us will see a good deal of

rain through the course of this evening. The weather is becoming

unsettled. There will be strengthening winds through the

night, increasing rain. It will be showery tomorrow, some of them

wintry. There is a flood alert out over X Moore. There are concerns on

Thursday and Friday about this area of low pressure. We could get heavy

winds but, there is a lot of uncertainty. It will be a windy

week, all wet and with snow at times. -- a windy week, wet.

Overcrowding on local trains in and out of Bristol shouldn't be as bad

this Christmas. First Great Western says it is adding six extra

carriages to more than 20 services, providing an extra 800 seats.

Passengers heading to and from Yate, Weston-super-Mare, Severn Beach and

Weymouth should notice a difference. Next year another 48 carriages will

be added to trains across the network.

The parents of a six-year-old boy from Somerset say the swine flu

vaccine has caused their son to develop a rare but devastating

sleep disorder. A million children in this country have been given the

Pandemrix jab, which is no longer used. But, as our health

correspondent, Matthew Hill, reports, questions are now being

asked about whether the vaccine should have been withdrawn earlier.

Six-year-old Josh has a very rare condition that means he cannot

regulate his speech -- sleep patterns. His narcolepsy came on

just after he was vaccinated against swine flu in January 2010.

He has also been diagnosed with an associated condition which makes

his muscles collapse when he laughs. It is heartbreaking to see what has

happened and to know that this is his life now. He copes

fantastically, but he should not have to. From the start of the

pandemic, Pandemrix was offered to all under-fives and was eventually

given to almost one million children in the UK. There is

evidence from Finland that the vaccine may have something to do

with George's illness. Sleep experts started not seen cases of

narcolepsy -- noticing cases of narcolepsy here in the spring of

2010. This expert raised the alarm after he Allsop observed that the

symptoms were more severe. We have had one child less than nine years

of age diagnosed before 2010. By June I had five.

More cases of childhood narcolepsy then came to light. In 2010,

Fenland withdrew Pandemrix and informed the European regulator and

the British government. I think our responsibility was to come out with

these results come of whether or not you report the manufacturer

liked them. This woman from Liverpool was not

happy that she was not told about these concerns about the vaccine

before she allowed her son to be given Pandemrix earlier this year.

8-year-old Lucas developed the condition within eight weeks.

has left him with a disability for the rest of his live for us up the

vaccine's manufacturers do not think there is a link between

Pandemrix and narcolepsy. At the end of the day, patient

safety is of the utmost importance to us and we would never put out a

drug or leave it out there if we believed that it actually was a

risk. The Department of Health risk. The Department of Health

would not comment but the watchdog Caroline believes that many other

families could be suffering in ignorance and silence. And Matthew

joins us in the studio. Matthew, the advice during the swine flu

outbreak was very clear - that high risk groups should be vaccinated -

and all children under five were offered the jab.

And that was based on good evidence. There were signs from Australia

that this was a serious buyer is that could be fatal of caused

lifelong complications. What happens now for families to

have been affected? -- who have been affected?

Part of the problem is that there is research going on at all the

sleep centres, including the one at Bristol, and researchers are flat -

- getting in touch defined if they have cases of narcolepsy.

It is time for the normal flu jab. What is the advice there?

Absolutely it needs to be given to those people who are at risk.

Influenza is a serious illness and people can be hospitalised if they

are not treated. The NHS is giving out its annual

message not to clog up accident and emergency departments with minor

ailments during Christmas. Yes, that was the advice that is

being given today. From a GP perspective, our services

are available day and night. You can call NHS Direct or neuron

surgery. There are walk-in centres. There are lots of options for

people and the first choice is not the emergency department and really

a -- unless it really is an emergency.

You may remember the Emperor of Exmoor, a mighty nine-foot-tall

stag who was shot dead in October last year. His body was never found,

so his death became a bit of a mystery. But now the head of a stag

has been mounted on the wall of a hotel near Exmoor, and many locals

are convinced it's him. Here is Liz Beacon.

Renowned and respected for his antlers and his height, this

magnificent beast is captured in the wild. Quite a contrast to his

new home here, if indeed it is him. The story that it might be the

emperor has come from various shooting parties who have joked

about it and asked me if it was the Emperor. The Emperor boasted 14

points on his antlers, for that alone he'd always risk becoming a

trophy. But the hotel's owner claims he is still admired. We are

in the midst of hunting country here, and many of the hotels and

pubs in the locality have this kind of thing on the wall. For others,

seeing a stag like this is less impressive. Photographer Richard

Austin spent years tracking the Emperor and is 95% convinced this

is him. I grew to like him a lot. It was not just the antlers, it was

his body. He had all the things he needed to fight other stags. And

the way he strutted across the field as if he knew I was there, it

was like he was strutting for me and telling me to back off. I would

not have gone the way it -- anywhere near him, I can tell you!

As word spreads, Claire says she has had to deal with a number of

threatening phone calls. So today she made the decision to take the

stag down for a while, as the mystery of the Emperor's fate

continues to unravel. Liz Beacon, BBC Points West.

Judd Trump, the young snooker player from Bristol, is �100,000

richer today after the most important win of his career so far.

Remember him? We first filmed him when he was nine, but last night he

came of age as he beat Mark Allen in a thrilling final in the UK

Championships. David Passmore was there to watch the celebrations

commence. It was very much a family affair -

Mum, Dad, brother Jack and numerous friends, although at first they

barely got a look-in among the fans keen for a picture. They've always

known he could win a major title, now, at just 22, Judd Trump has

proved it. Here comes Judd Trump! seven-frame run with some

characteristic bold potting put him characteristic bold potting put him

in a commanding position. A strong fight back from Mark Allen gave the

family watching in the gallery some very nervous times. But then the

moment they had been waiting for. Judd Trump must be absolutely

delighted. I was really feeling it for him.

was all right until Mark Allen started to pull it back a bit. Then

we all began to feel it. We were glad he got over the line in the

end. It was agony. It was not nice. I just wanted to get over the line,

and it was tough. Well done. Yeah, it was nerve-racking. It was

probably the best snooker he has It is a remarkable achievement.

Snooker needs a new exciting figurehead as much as he wants

success. And it's hard to think that, with the backing of his team,

he won't go on to win many more titles. Some think it will be as

early as next April. But, for now, a chance to relax with his family,

continue tweeting, consider which car to buy next, and which presents

to buy from his �100,000 pay-day. What wonderfully tough choices!

16-year-old Amelia Templeman Adams has returned home. She spent three

weeks skiing across Antarctica. She's arrived on dried fruit that

she dragged along with her. We went to meet her.

Delighted but clearly exhausted, and nearly a return former record-

breaker. At 16, she is the youngest person ever to ski to the south

pole. We are all really tired and it just felt really amazing to

reach it. We're all really happy. She trained for the cold by

slipping in an industrial freezer, but an Tata cat threw up its on

surprises. We were really lucky with the weather and had blue skies

most days. At one point might we had a white-out, so we could not

see anything for most of the morning, but it cleared up in the

afternoon. We kept going at a slower pace. We wanted to keep our

mileage up to stay on track. Over 17 days she has pulled tents

and supplies to reach the polls, and all of that on no sleep.

worst things were my dad and the tent, snoring all around me. It is

sunshine all the time so it is really hard to slip its up she was

in a tent with five people and she was the youngest by nearly 30 years.

Unfortunately, all of us snore so there were one or two days where

she got up and the morning and it was a struggle to wake her up

because she had about one hour of slip a all night. As soon as I

stopped someone else would start. She found that difficult. Amelia

had written on line about missing her friends and stun brownies.

Congratulations, some stun brownies. It was the least we could do for

all of her efforts! 16-year-old son not meant to be

easy to wake up, especially after an hour of sleep!

I spent the weekend shopping with my daughter - equally hazardous, I

would say! There is no uncertainty over the

next 24 hours - a windy spell of weather and a wet one. Some of you

will start to see snow showers appearing. This Atlantic storm is

moving its way up to the north of the British Isles. It will be

pretty chilly tomorrow. Towards the tail-end of the week there is some

uncertain let -- uncertainty. We could have storm-force winds across

the southern part of England. A band of heavy rain is sweeping its

way eastwards as I speak. We will start to see a wintry element

tomorrow. Heavy rain concerns as for the moment. -- concerns us.

Through the rest of this evening, that band of rain continues into

Wiltshire and East Gloucestershire. By around midnight I think the

tail-end of it will just be clearing out of Wiltshiire. Behind

that some further heavy showers. It will be gusty with wind of perhaps

65 mph. It begins with strong wind tomorrow. We will start to see some

accumulations of snow at higher levels. It may reach lower levels

later. Things continue with the snow levels of between one