24/04/2012 BBC Points West

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

The mysterious death of the man from GCHQ.

More details emerge today of how his body was found in a bag. Taking

it out on the animals - how the recession may account for an

increase in cruelty cases. Still parched - the experts say the

rain is just a drop in the ocean. All wildlife is dependent on water,

so if you do not get enough rain, you do not get plants and insect

levels suffer and so on. And flocking to the course - The

sheep helping to improve the skills of staff across the West.

Good evening. First - the inquest today into the bizarre death of a

man from GCHQ was found dead inside a locked bag. A detective told the

hearing that the DNA of another person was found on the padlock,

casting doubt on the theory that he may have locked himself in. Gareth

Williams was a young man bordering on genius, who worked in a top

secret role for GCHQ in Cheltenham. Will Glennon reports on the tragedy

that has rocked the shadowy world of secret intelligence. Few people

knew much at all about Gareth Williams. A fit young man, keen

cyclist, he was a gifted mathematician. As a young boy he

had been fast-tracked to University and on to a career working for the

government in the secret world of Cheltenham's GCHQ. Gareth Williams

had lived and worked in the town for 10 years. His private life was

just that - in all those years he had never given his landlady any

trouble. He was seconded to MI6 in London where in August 2010 he was

found in the strangest of circumstances. Missing for more

than a week, police entered his flat to find him dead, in a

padlocked bag in the bath. No signs of a break-in or of any struggle

whatsoever. Today, on the second day of the inquest into his death,

a senior detective said specks of DNA belonging to a mystery person

were found on the bag. Police believe a third person must have

been involved. It was also revealed that �20,000 worth of women's

designer clothes and shoes were found in the flat. So far the

inquest has raised more questions than answers. Why did it take so

long for the alarm to be raised? What did his MI6 colleagues really

know, and who does the mystery DNA belong to? The inquest continues.

Today the inquest in London were shown police footage and new

information about DNA found inside bathroom of Mr Williams flat. Our

reporter has been in court today and joins us now. There was a lot

of footage shown in court this morning. We saw the police video

which was a walk through the flat. It was filmed on the night Gareth

Williams's body was found. M Reed up the stairs, showing clothes in

the bedroom upstairs. -- it leads. It goes into the bathroom where the

big red holdall back was seen inside the Bath, the police knew by

then there was a body inside the back. That video was important but

also said never been was a reconstruction by a computer and 3D

imaging of a red back, showing what it would look like with a body

inside, curled up in a foetal position and also showing were the

keys would be. Two keys inside and the padlock outside. What about DNA

evidence found inside the flat? This DNA testing, the profiling

could be important. It shows that on the outside, on the fabric of

the bag, on the zip fastener where the padlock was, their work to

contributory DNA. That is how the police referred to it. -- there

where. The DNA was not related to Gareth Williams. There was another

sample of blood to again not relate it. That leads them to think that

there may have been someone else there at that time. What do you

know about his emotional state, was he happy in London or keen to come

back to Cheltenham? What has been very revealing in the last few days

is that Gareth Williams has spent most of his time working for GCHQ

in Cheltenham, then he was seconded to MI6 M London. He was on the

verge of returning to Cheltenham. He was unhappy in London and with

the working culture in Vauxhall where MI6 have their headquarters.

He was not happy with the attitude of some people, according to some

of the evidence we have heard. He wanted to go back to Cheltenham and

was about to do so, he had been feeling despondent but was now

feeling more upbeat and looking forward to leaving London and

returning to Cheltenham. Thank you very much.

The authorities in Wiltshire have been criticised for failing to

protect vulnerable children. Ofsted found intervention in cases to be

inadequate. Will share council which runs the service said it was

making improvements. -- will share council.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of cases of cruelty to

animals and the West. The RSPCA says convictions for neglect up by

62 per cent on last year. It partly blames economic recession for the

rise. Our reporter has been taking a closer look at the story and

joins us from Horseworld near Bristol, which cares for some of

the badly treated or unwanted animals. Yes, Horseworld is just

one of the places that helps the RSPCA with the animals it rescues.

Let me assure you this horse and Poppy who is eight hours old. She

was a rescue horse. We will find out more about her in just a moment.

It is not just horses but all kinds of animals. The rise in the neglect

of animals is just not acceptable say the RSPCA. It also puts the

charity under increasing pressure. This is Jack - a lively, energetic

four year-old collie with a bit of a mixture thrown in. Look carefully

and you'll see has only got three legs, not that you would know it!

He is one of the lucky ones, rescued from an abusive home. He

was thrown out with injuries so bad he had to have his leg amputated.

He was treated here at the RSPCA Animal Clinic in Bristol where all

cruelty and neglect cases are assessed. It has never been busier.

We seem to see a lot more animals whose owners are very often cannot

afford or do not want to be afford to look after them properly. There

is a lot of ignorance involved. People fail to get help for their

pets. We are in Bristol which is a large city and a lot of people are

living on the edge. In this current economic climate, if something goes

wrong with the animal, it is too expensive to go to the vet's.

Every year the charity prosecutes people for their cruelty. A couple

from Somerset were banned from keeping animals we eight years

after inspectors found they had been keeping 56 stocks, three cats

and 6 first in their small semi in Minehead. This man was jailed for

stabbing and slitting the throat of his partner's pep-talk - at the 10

charity said as one of the worst cases of its kind that it had ever

seen. All levels of abuse to dealt with. Prosecutions in the West are

up from 127 in 2010 to 204 in 2011. The RSPCA says the thousands of

calls it deals with are putting a real strain on its resources.

are trying to cope with many more complaints come the end, rising

costs, fuel rises, it is really expensive for us. They are the same

as everyone, tightening our belts but coping with an increase in need.

The charity says the last thing it wants to do is send people to

prison - or separate pets from the owners. But if the animals' welfare

cannot be guaranteed, there is little option. This is a lovely

picture but it covers a sorry tale because his horse was a rescue

horse. Horses like her come in, what can you do for them? Often

they are emaciated, Fenn and sec. They may have been involved in car

accidents. -- Fine and sick. Some of them have been hurt deliberately

and some people cannot afford to keep them. Most of them in the

latter I would say. Most people get in trouble and find they cannot

afford horses and also indifference to suffering. People are where they

are suffering but do nothing about it. This horse came in pregnant

which I suppose is a problem for you? We see a lot of over breeding.

People hoped to make money from horses by getting them pregnant.

The market has been awash with these animals. People do not want

to buy them but people continue to breed them, compounding the problem.

Thank you very much. She is a lovely horse. But it is a very

serious problem for these charities. This is your regional news

programme, Points West tonight. Stay with us as there is much more

to bring you - including... The man in charge of Cheltenham racecourse

for more than 30 years gives up the reins. And after a day of sunshine

and showers, EON will be here with the latest weather forecast.

And I will meet a sheep later on as well. What about that later. Back

to the weather first. We may have got soaked in the last few days but

we're still in a drought. Experts warned it could be months before

restrictions are lifted. Water, water everywhere at the

Cotswold Water Park but to the trained eye, there are signs that

the current drought conditions are affecting the 40 square mile area.

The Environment Agency and wildlife organisations actively monitoring

the impact of the dry spell on wildlife but what is becoming clear

to many is the physical changes to our truck -- to our landscape as

the drought bites. This ground is hard so any rain we get runs off.

We have been doing predator control for the water vole and would expect

that to give results where water voles would be seen to be spreading

in other stretches of the ever. But because the rivers are dry, the

water voles are not spreading as quickly as we would like.

Another victim - the river Kennet in Wiltshire. Normally the river

should be in full flow here. And in Swindon they are trying to repair

the damage caused by the recent dry spell. We put 60 tons of sand on

the pitch to fill in their cracks. But now after rain on and off for

the past week, is there any sign that the drought is coming to an

end? Water scientist Terry Marsh who works for the National

Environment Research Council based in Swindon says the rain may be

falling out but none of it is getting to where needs to be - deep

underground. There is a great deal which needs to be made up. Through

the summer have here, much of that rain will be lost through a

evaporation so where are looking to next autumn and winter to top up

groundwater stores. For the time being, there is no end in sight and

the drought restrictions will not be lifted.

There is controversy over how much power and what boundaries an

elected mayor for Bristol should have. The Prime Minister appealed

yesterday for a Yes vote in next week's referendum. But it is only

those living in the city council area who are involved. Today there

has been a call for that to be enlarged - provoking some anger.

Here is our political editor. When David Cameron made his appeal

to people of Bristol yesterday, he did not mean more than 100,000

residents who live in the suburbs. Because this is a city divided

along old local government lines which can appear pretty bizarre.

Look at the map and you can see the metropolis that is Bristol. But an

elected mayor would not take charge of all this. Put in the local

government boundaries, and you can see how large swathes are not run

by the city council. Big areas in the north and east are part of

South Gloucestershire, while other suburbs fall within North Somerset

and Bath and North East Somerset - all outside the domain of an

elected mayor. Today are reported by a respected think tank, the

Centre for Cities, said that should change. We have found from our work

with international cities, if you are thinking about supporting the

economy, and mayor who covers the real economies, businesses

recognise and people travel around when they're going to work or

leisure, that can have real benefits because she can make

decisions about transport, skills and planning over a wider area

which is where businesses tend to work.

But for many voters that sounds like a return to Avon. 40 years ago

they opened the headquarters of the newly created county. There was

never liked much, and was abolished in 1996. There is staunch

opposition to anything that might resemble it. As for voters, council

boundaries and mayoral powers remain a bit of an unknown. I live

in South Gloucestershire so I do not know if I get to vote for or

not. I am not against it, but I do not know what powers they will have.

I think that is ridiculous really. I think you should encompass a

greater area. I think there will be a power were there they cannot use.

The vote next week is to decide whether to have an elected mayor in

charge at the Council House. The Government say his or her empire

could be expanded, but it might take many years.

Edward Gillespie - the man who has managed Cheltenham racecourse for

the last 32 years is to stand down. He took over in 1980 in during his

time in charge has seen it become one of the most famous and best run

courses in the world. David Passmore is here, you have seen

Edward Gillespie in action for much of his time in charge. Yes, not

quite from the start but he has always been the most professional

and unflappable administrator. Horse racing has a reputation for

running like clockwork but Cheltenham led the way in

modernising the sport and improving facilities. I will always remember

him as a picture of calm at the height of the festival as 60,000

spectators packed the course, cheering the horses home.

A man who is always happiest letting the stars of the sport make

the headlines. But he's not afraid to take the lead when necessary -

here taking part in a flash mob dance during the Cheltenham

Festival for cancer research. was thrilling and lovely to see

people enjoying themselves in the sunshine.

They first raced at Prestbury Park in 1831 and in the 1930s it was

well established as the home of National Hunt Racing. Edward

Gillespie took charge in 1980 and has overseen investment worth �80m

making huge changes to the course which continues to show the way for

others in Britain and around the world.

The annual festival in March is the highlight of the National Hunt

season but there are a total of 8 meetings every year and the Centaur

centre is booked out for more than 100 functions a year. One of his

finest hours came when racing had to be called off for the day when

strong winds threatened the safety of the tented hospitality village

in 2008. From that decision at 9.00am the entire programme for the

final two days was rescheduled by midday and everything ran like

clockwork. On a lighter note he also led the

way in a promotional video for the course.

So after being in charge of so many changes over the years - he will

now stand down when a successor is in place and will help plan the

next phase of development at the course. Today was business as

normal as Edward Gillespie was involved in meetings in London and

he told me from our Westminster studio what he felt was unique

about Cheltenham racecourse. Him I do not know of any other sporting

location or place in the 21st century where you have that mix of

people enjoying top-level sport and the fact that the horses are

absolutely essential to it. It is the only venue I know where the

only vehicle allowed up the main drive our horse boxes. As soon as

you arrive, horses are everywhere. That mix of horses and people is

the essence of Cheltenham. Because it is so high profile, where you

worried when things went wrong, you had to be a spokesman for the

sport? Over the 32 years I have been in post, I have had many times

when something terrible has happened and often sadly, that

affects the horses. We have had some dark days and we all grieve as

much as people watching from afar. It takes a great deal to get over

that. I think it is important we put that in perspective. The sport

would not be what it is without that element of risk. How important

do you think Cheltenham racecourse is to the wall support? It is

extremely important. It is the key economic driver for the sport.

Locally, it is very important because the festival alone is

probably worth �50 million to the local economy. Yes, its position in

support in jump racing in Britain and Ireland is absolutely at the

pinnacle. We hope it will move further up and attract even more

horses, perhaps from France and elsewhere as it moves forward.

Thank you very much. Briefly in snooker - despite

suffering with a food-poisoning, Bristol's Judd Trump has the lead

in his first-round match at the World Championships. The 22 year-

old looked decidedly off-colour as Dominic Dale took the first frame.

But Trump, who made it to the final last year, started to find his form

and has a five frames to four lead going into tomorrow's second

session. This evening, Stephen Lee from Trowbridge will finish his

match against Andrew Higginson. That's starting at 7.00 o'clock and

you can watch the action on the red button.

Now - I've come outside to meet Dolly the Sheep. Dolly - believe it

or not is being used to help teach people how to be better managers.

Staff from Ikea are the latest to benefit. It's the brainchild of

this man - who is a shepherd from Devizes. In a moment I'll be

talking to him - but first Scott Ellis has been to see Dolly and her

friends in action. 10 sheep. One pen. And a flock of

Ikea staff from Bristol. How hard The sheep are making us look like

idiots. Getting those sheep in that pen is a tough task. Devizes

shepherd Chris Farnsworth realised they'd make the ideal corporate

training tool. A challenege for any work team. They have to have a

clear understanding of what the plan s, and they have to be very

committed to doing it. It is really interesting because there she will

read their energy and if there is a weak spot, they will run through it.

-- the sheep will read their energy. The city slickers haven't given up.

They want to win this town v country showdown. Hours of ideas -

a bit of brainstorming - even new herding techniques. Finally - the

perfect pincer movement. It was good fun, a bit tiring, finally we

got the sheep then, great fun. trying runs straight three you, you

have to stand your ground and be dominant. I learned a lot from it.

Persistence paid off. It is clear to see why we work in a shop and we

do not farm. Stand aside and serve customers. There's plenty of post

match analysis. When trainees discuss who's a leader. And who's a

follower. It's certainly a novel training idea. And it's a new

outlet for this self styled half shepherd half businessman from

Devizes. Chris Farnsworth is with me now.

Why do managers need to treat staff like sheep? The sheep have got a

lot to teach us for. She obviously like she a great deal! End work,

you can see how it you would do in exercise. You need management

techniques to be able to control a flock of sheep is what you're

saying? You do. You see the programme One man And his Dog and

you see how they work well together. It is about communication, the dog

listening to the shepherd. If I am a member of staff, I do not want to

be treated like a sheep! Is the idea catching on? You are a

businessman and a shepherd. Yes, people like Ikea are coming out and

doing is several times over with their core workers and they find it

gives them a bigger picture of a team together. Thank you very much.

You should have worn a sheepskin coat because it is cold. Let us

catch up with the weather. And available for work.

I am not on the roof actually. You are outdoors for a once. If you're

outside tomorrow, you will not be dry because a good deal of heavy

dry because a good deal of heavy rain will be about. It will be

destructive in the mornings. It will also be windy. The Met Office

has a yellow warning out for of tomorrow. A lot of heavy rain and

the risk of surface flooding. Peel and lining thrown in for good

measure as well. -- heel and lightning. This area of all

pressure is moving up from the South West. Overnight and in to

tomorrow, M brings heavy rain and heavy showers towards the afternoon.

-- it brings. The radar shows how the showers were gathering today,

mostly in the West and in parts of Somerset. Elsewhere, they are

fading away. This is the edge of the radar range. Through the rest

of today, we continue to see lightning around towards Bridgwater.

These other storms have decayed. Were we still have showers, they

will fade away. It'll be a quieter interlude for tonight. The rain

starts to pack Ken in the South West and the winds increase first

thing tomorrow. Temperatures will drop down to five Celsius. The

Russia tomorrow will be ghastly. Some nasty driving conditions. --

the rush hour work tomorrow. As the first band of rain clears, heavy

showers pack in behind. Some heavy gusts of wind. Funnel clouds as

well and some lightning and heal. If you're caught underneath those,

you will know all about it. Brighter spells in the afternoon.

Temperatures might reach 13 Celsius. Low-pressure dominies for Thursday

with a lot to showers still around, less on Friday. -- dominates. It