27/01/2012 BBC Points West

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

On the attack. An 88-year-old man takes on two bank robbers with his

walking stick. I suppose he could have had a knife or a gun but

instinctively I just dived in. I did what I should do.

A family claim medical mistakes in Cyprus could have cost their

pregnant daughter her life. The Asperger's student who's

studying for a degree. He tells MPs what can be achieved with a bit of

help. And lights, action and a medal for

the wildlife cameraman whose images Good evening. A pensioner from Bath

who tried to beat a pair of bank robbers with his walking stick has

been praised for his bravery. 88- year-old Gordon King stepped in

when he saw the men attacking a security van driver outside the

bank. The former sergeant major said he didn't think twice about

trying to stop them. Moorland Road in the Oldfield Park

area of Bath. On Wednesday morning 88-year-old Gordon King was on his

way to the shops. But as he passed his local bank, he realised

something was very wrong. I saw the van draw are. I turned around and I

had an instinct, I do not know why, and I saw a chap with a balaclava.

Straight away I knew what was happening so I went in with the

stick and I gave him a belt but it did not do any good but he ran away

and I started hitting him over the head with the stick three or four

times. During the struggle Mr King was

punched to the ground and suffered a cut to the back of his head. He

also hurt his shoulder and his hearing has been affected since the

fall. Despite all this though he says he's glad he did what he did

and would do it again in an instant. The police say they're very

grateful for his help. Clearly Mr King's actions are to be commended

and his family and the citizens of Bath will be grateful for his

actions. He had no thought for his own safety and could see a crime in

action and he instinctively went to assist the guard. He should be very

much commended for his actions to date.

Despite Mr King's efforts, the thieves did get away with what

police describe as a significant amount of money. They're now

conducting house to house enquiries and are appealing for anyone with

any information to contact them. Mr King, who had himself worked as

a police officer for 29 years, says he's dealt with far worse than this

in the past and is slightly uncomfortable about being called a

local hero. I am not a hero. I have done worse thing for a night in my

life. I have had more... I have been injured more times than that.

Mr King's old aluminium walking stick was broken in two during the

scuffle, but he's been promised a new one by Avon and Somerset police.

All he really wants though, is for the police to catch the thieves and

retrieve the stolen money. We salute you, Mr King!

A man has been charged with armed robbery and a firearm offence after

a raid at a Wiltshire newsagents. Two men threatened a female member

of staff and stole cigarettes and money from Chaplins newsagents, in

Chiseldon, last week. Another man is being questioned in Swindon.

The MP for Weston-super-Mare says he'll raise the issue of abuse at a

primary school in the town with the government to try to ensure it

doesn't happen again. Parents, schools and child protection

experts are still discussing yesterday's damning report into the

offences carried out by teacher Nigel Leat. Tonight the consensus

is the safeguards are there but people must be prepared to act on

them. The fall out from yesterday's

report into Nigel Leat's abuse of young children at his school has

dominated this online forum. With its founder Dr Rebecca Condron we

watch some of the experts giving their assessment on Points West of

what, if anything, can be done to prevent this happening again.

will always get failings in any system but from what I can see and

what I have heard a what I have learned, being a governor in the

school, these procedures are there and we have to make sure that we

follow them. And that's the crux of the issue,

safeguards are there, but are only effective if people use them.

I plan to do is take this up with Michael Gove, the Secretary of

State to education, to ask him about the frameworks and how we can

be sure that we can reassure parents that it is genuinely happy

on the ground. The North Somerset Safeguarding

Children Board gave its assessment of what went wrong. The school's

Headteacher has since been sacked, the warning signs were there but

just not heeded. Nobody really challenged it in the way it had to

be challenged. No one confronted it. No one believed how serious this

was. That is a lesson for us all. If we start having concerns, make

Nigel Leat may well spend the rest of his life in prison. He's

described as a determined sex offender, a determination that saw

him slip through a net that will now be tightened once again.

The family of a Gloucestershire woman, who died in Cyprus after

complications with her pregnancy say they're relieved they've

finally got some answers. Kalisha Gordon was on a working holiday

when she became ill in 2008. Now a coroner has ruled that the actions

of a doctor may have caused her death. This book is what people

rutin on the day of the funeral and after...

It's taken Jayne and Lloyd Gordon three years to find out why their

daughter died. Kalisha was preparing to fly back to tell them

she was pregnant when she became ill. She was taken to a private

clinic on Aiya Nappa. And died hours later. We talked to the

police and to her friends and we realised that something was wrong.

It did not add up. When we got to the hospital where they transferred

her, nobody wanted to talk to us. Since then the family have faced

three years of campaigning and fundraising to pay for their legal

battle, and for their regular flights between their home in

Gloucester and Cyprus. They've just returned from the inquest into her

death. And say it criticised communication between the medical

staff who treated her. And found a misdiagnosis may have caused her

death. The doctor involved though is adamant he did nothing wrong.

The ultrasound and pictures were taken. They did not reveal the

pregnancy. I did other examinations. There was no internal bleeding.

That is 100%. Even her blood pressure and pulse were normal. Her

tummy was very soft which would not be the case in an ectopic pregnancy.

But Kalisha did have an ectopic pregnancy, which means the baby is

implanted outside the uterus. They occur in around one in 80

pregnancies. And in this country lead to the deaths of around five

women a year. Doctors here agree it can be a difficult condition to

diagnose. Looking for an ectopic pregnancy is likened to looking for

a black cat in the dark. It can be extremely difficult. They mimic the

symptoms of normal pregnancy and when the pregnancy first start you

do not have any symptoms different from anybody else.

But Kalisha Gordon's family still believe their young daughter could

have been saved. Every symptom she had her lead to an alert of anybody

who is qualified in gynaecology to know that it was not right.

Collapsing, fainting, feeling sick, all of these things relate to the

pain and everything. Now with the support of their local

MP, the Gordons are planning to return to Cyprus. They say they'll

keep fighting until someone's held accountable for their daughter's

death. It's David and Imogen with

tonight's Points West. A little later we'll have all the weekend

sport including the build up to Swindon's FA Cup tie.

And it's getting colder - could there be snow on the way?

certainly has potential to get interesting by the end of the

weekend in terms of the threat of snow developing as race front comes

in from the West. Prior to then it will turn Chile over the weekend

but a good deal of it will be tried. We will unravel the details for you

later on. First though, more than 300

soldiers have returned to Gloucester after a year long tour

of Afghanistan. Seen here preparing for their deployment, the men from

the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, have spent the last 12 months

helping to run NATO's headquarters in Kabul. Their families welcomed

them back in Innsworth early this morning. Crews flying helicopters

at the naval air station at Yeovilton say they're being put in

danger by people shining laser pens at them. Three helicopters have

been targeted in recent months as they practiced night manoeuvres

used in Afghanistan. Pilots say the lights can dazzle them and obstruct

their vision. The penalty for using unauthorised lasers can be up to

five years in prison. Bristol's Twinning Association is

demanding the city council reinstates funding for the post of

twinning co-ordinator. Ceremonies like this one have been taking

place between Bristol and its twin cities since just after the second

world war. The city council currently pays for a coordinator to

oversee projects. And the Twinning Association claims without that

Bristol will lose important business contacts around the world.

But the council says it would forge links by different means.

Teenagers at some schools in the West are being shown a hard-hitting

film to teach them about sexual assault. Officers from Avon and

Somerset police are going into secondary schools to offer advice

and teach young people about the warning signs. Chris James' report

contains one victim's account of what happened to her.

He leaned me up against a disused factory door and was kissing me.

His hands were everywhere. It is a powerful message to youngsters

because it is a true story. This woman was sexually assaulted by her

friend. She has no idea -- she had no idea it was going to happen.

first sexual experience and it was not meant to be like that...

ordeal is being paid out two teenagers. The idea of somebody

actually saying what happened to them in Bristol, these children can

relate to because it is not something fictitious, it is

actually an event. The DVD is just a small part of the session.

Teenagers are also given information about how to avoid

becoming a victim and had to recognise the signs.

In 2011 there were 351 reported incidents of rape or sexual assault

in this area. The victims were aged between 14 and 20 years of age. The

figure has risen in the last few years and police believe the rise

is because people are more confident to come forward. As young

people get older they mature and they form relationships. They have

contact with alcohol and they socialise. It is important that

they understand what rapiers, so they can protect themselves, both

from becoming victims and also from becoming perpetrators, even

unwittingly. Latest figures show 93% of victims know their attacker.

That fact shocked pupils that were listening. I thought it was

interesting and it makes you more aware of the fact. I have learnt a

lot more about how to stay safe and what to do if you were a victim.

Now I know how exactly I can do things to prepare myself. Police

say going into schools like this and explaining the stark reality of

sexual assault is unique. It is hoped that this hard-hitting

programme could be rolled out to other schools across the country

later this year. A student from Weston-super-Mare is

calling for more to be done to help people diagnosed with autism.

Steven Philp who has Asperger's has been to London to address a

parliamentary committee on the subject. Doctors said they may be

able to soon identify the condition in children as young a six months

old. Whether it be a thing or an

instrument or even a band... Steven Philp has faced many challenges,

spending much of his life in special schools. He came to Weston

College without any qualifications but now with the help of specialist

daft he is working towards a degree. What it has given me is that there

is a lot of hope and support that I can have, as long as I have it in

front of May, and that is where I think that students like myself

should all follow. Some of the staff here have been trained to

help with autistic students. The college offers a specialist degree

that enables them to understand and support people's with various

learning difficulties. A number of years ago we recognised that we did

not have staff who were really able to deal with the range of learning

difficulties and difficulties that we had come into the college. We

felt that if we were to work with people with learning difficulties

and autism then we needed to understand that and we needed to be

trained. Stephen now wants to help others who are autistic and he is

going to London to address MPs about the barriers he has faced

during his life, all made worse due to the lack of understanding about

his condition. My speed was amazing to do. It was quite an honour to do

so again at the Houses of Parliament. I think I have helped

achieve a destination and, or an inspiration rather, for the

campaign about autism. Stephen says his aim is to get a degree and to

start work, an ambition which he believes needs to be available to

Now sport. This should bring back a few memories, Swindon Town playing.

It certainly will. You have a good memory as well. Snow's Swindon Town

fan is ever going to forget the play-off final in 19 and three

between these two clubs. Swindon won an absolute classic at Wembley

Stadium, four goals to three to clinch a place in the Premier

League. Glenn Hoddle leading his side victory. Both these clubs have

fallen on harder times since and there are currently two divisions

between them, but Swindon caused the shock of the last round when

they beat Premier League Wigan. Geoff Twentyman has been to meet

one of their star performers, Matt Ritchie, whose confident of

creating more headlines. The gaffer said about playing on

the right, I have been enjoying it, cutting inside and hitting shots

off. The lads have been getting on my back, saying I should too much

but if you don't shoot, you don't score. I keep doing what I am doing

and hopefully they keep going in the back of the net but I will keep

doing what I'm doing and hopefully score more goals. The gaffer, what

is he like behind closed doors? We see a flamboyant man on the

touchline. What is he like in the dressing room? He is brilliant. I

can't speak highly enough of him and I speak for all the lads in

that respect. He is quite fiery and changing room but I think he has

calmed down quite a lot compared to the start, his knowledge and

coaching is first class, I think. All the lads respect him and liked

the way he is doing things. Last week, you missed a penalty. He gave

you a kick up the backside on the way off. What is that -- what is

that about? He gives me stickle the time in training, I am read -- I am

rubbish at penalties. I missed one but everyone misses them at some

point. It is a bit disappointing but I will do better next time,

hopefully it'll stop Leicester away, you can be there? We have beaten

Colchester, Huddersfield, and the teams above us, we are going into

it confident. They are a good team and they have picked up lately but

we will give them a good game, I am sure. Tomorrow was a tough game but

I think Matt Ritchie and Co will be in Sunday's draw for the 5th round.

Cue more excitement. BBC will show up's coverage starts

at midday tomorrow, live from Leicester's King Power Stadium --

Nicky Maynard will be in the Bristol City squad to face Reading.

He was given permission to speak to Wigan earlier this week. It was

about a potential move. He has remained at Ashton Gate. Mark

McGhee takes charge of his first home game at Bristol Rovers. They

play Bradford City. He got off to a winning start last weekend away at

Cheltenham. In rugby, Bath can go a long way towards clinching a semi-

final spot in the LV Cup. Captain Stuart Hooper returns for the home

game against Northampton. Both sides are top of their respective

pools. Gloucester play Cardiff and have made 12 changes from last

weekend's Heineken Cup match. For the third year in a row the Bristol

Flyers basketball team will compete in the final of the National Cup.

Two years ago they picked up the trophy for the first time when they

beat Manchester Magic in the dramatic overtime period. This year

they play the London Leopards and they are in the running to win the

league again and their continued success has had a knock-on effect

in terms of the popularity of the sport in the city.

Post-pub, good, high, low, open up, good job. This is Filton College's

under 14 sec, the Flyers of the future. There is coaching available

for over 200 boys, some as young as seven. Since the Flyers formed in

2004 they have seen their numbers grow tenfold. The number one

priority is increasing the people who are interested in the sport and

also with the success, it could be in the Olympics, I think their

participation in Bristol but the whole country is increasing and

that is great to see. Basketball's profile is still light years away

from its status in America, where players earn millions of dollars

and play in front of major TV audiences. The Flyers do have two

full-time professionals imported from the state. It is almost like

football for the English, every kid grows up and wants to be in the NBA,

whether it is a valid dream or not. It is a bit different over here,

isn't it? There isn't a lot of media coverage. It is picking up a

bit now the Olympics are coming and hopefully we can build on that for

the future. Most of the players and Bristol are students all have jobs,

Mike Chris Bourne, who works at Southmead Hospital. It can be

difficult, obviously. We trained Kai Ide LAP -- quite late, so we

have late nights and get up early for work and it takes up time at

weekends but it is trying to find a way to strike a balance. If you

ever get injured you worried the right place? That is it, I know a

lot of good physiotherapist so it does help in that respect.

Flyers hope to start up to the great British League one day but

that would mean all the squad going full-time and a massive financial

investment. Bristol is one of the power houses when it comes to

British basketball and we are slowly but surely getting the

recognition and respect from the rest of the teams that we deserve,

so we are getting there but it starts from things like this

weekend really. A win in the Cup final on Sunday would certainly

strengthen their reputation. Tip-off is 3:30pm on Sunday

afternoon in Sheffield. We will let you know how they get on.

They are celebrated sporting achievement in Wells tonight. The

former long jumper, Mary Rand, says it is fantastic that she has been

awarded the Freedom of the City. Mary became the first British woman

to win an Olympic track and field medal when she brought home gold in

1964. A campaign to give her the honour has been gathering momentum

in recent weeks and last night the decision was made to grant the

honour. On the BBC's Inside Out this programme on Monday night and

you can see her reaction as the news was broken to her at her home

in California. Now to a man who is used to working

in the most extreme conditions and we are not talking about David.

Doug Allan is a wildlife cameraman and he has filled everything from

polar bears in the North Pole, to killer whales in Antarctica. He has

been honoured at Buckingham Palace this week for a second time. He is

here now. Congratulations. It is nice to have the royal recognition,

not once, but twice. These are my two medals. I was awarded the first

one in 1983 and the day before yesterday, or was it yesterday, I

have lost track of time, I got a bar, which means I can put one on

top of the other and I have been awarded two medals. Prince Charles

gave you the award. I think we can see pictures of you. You had a long

chat, didn't you? We did have a long chat. I remembered that

Charles, when he was serving as a naval officer, he had done a dive

under the Arctic ice so we had a fair old chat about that, comparing

how cold it was. Tell us about your career and what you have been

filming. I filled for flows -- Frozen Planet and human planet and

I have been busy since I first went to the polls in 1976. I have had

plenty of times with polar bears and penguins and I ended up staying

warm while others chill-out. It is an extraordinary job. How do you

feel when you're about to set off on an expedition? It is always very

exciting because with these big series you get the chance to go for

something which no one has tried before so there is always that big

buzz of anticipation. But at the same time you realise that you are

going after something new, like these killer whales, for example.

When they make that wave, as they will in a minute, to push the sea

off the ice, this behaviour has never been filled properly before

and this is me controlling a special camera. There goes the

animal. The chances to film that are awesome. I still don't know how

you did that, how you got to be in the right place at the right time?

There is an element of luck. We were fortunate to find probably the

one port of killer whales and the whole world that actually does that

behaviour but on the other hand we went down with a skipper who really

was willing to take his little boat and batted around in amongst the

ice and we had two cameramen covering it. When I knew of next?

have done a book next, so I am around for a while doing PR for

that but the next shoot could be... Were a glad you like the cold

Doug Allan would probably say it is topical compared to the experiences

he has had. We deal with the threat of snow. For the most part the

weekend is going to be dry, crisp, there will be some frost, fog,

potentially some icy stretches on roads tonight. High pressure is

dominating the pattern into tomorrow. A pretty benign affair.

As we get to the end of the weekend, all eyes on this warm front which

is coming in, trying to do battle with cold are rare. There is the

recipe to start to turn some rain to snow. A lot of uncertainty on

the position of this warm front, a lot of uncertainty on the timing of

it. Probably snow will be light but we have to keep an eye on a

forecast. This evening, further showers, must like last night. Some

have had a wintery mix. We are watching this Arcos showers moving

across the area, may be giving us no threat across high ground. Once

they are out of the way this evening the skies will be clearing

across western districts and out towards the east there will be a

tendency to find more cloud. Generally light winds, a fair

recipe for Richard Knight. Tonbridge is easy -- easily getting

down to freeze and. -- freezing. The threat is icy stretches on

roads, do take it easy on the untreated services. Tomorrow

morning, we start on a crisp note, some frost and fog. All of us

brighten up. The best of the clear skies are West. A decent day for

all of us. Temperatures will have been chilly, around four to six

Celsius. No real wind chill. Another cold, frosty, for United to

Sunday and on Sunday a good deal of the date is going to be dry. The

cloud increasing as we get through later into the morning and into the

afternoon heralding the arrival of the warm front. The position is

very critical to this. It could be 100 miles further this way, or that

way. The threat of some snow by the end of Sunday it into Monday starts

to increase. Temperatures will be cold on Sunday, around three or

four Celsius. As we head into next week it remains pretty chilly. The

long-range forecasts look interested in to February, we could

get significantly colder but that It is looking cold. I am back with