22/01/2014 BBC Points West

Sunday. Make the most of Saturday because Sunday looks pretty

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and David Garmston.

Our main story tonight: the former police worker who turned into a

drugs smuggler. Andrea Waldeck is spared the death sentence but gets

14 years inside a prison in Indonesia.

The other stories making the news tonight: emergency plans are drawn

up for Somerset as more rain threatens even more flooding.

And how the Army is hoping to beat a world record for eating egg

soldiers. Good evening. A former Police

Community Support Officer has been sentenced to fourteen years in

prison, for smuggling drugs into Indonesia. Andrea Waldeck ` who

worked in Cheltenham ` was also handed a ?100,000 fine. She claimed

she was forced into carrying the drugs after she was caught in a

police sting with 1.5 kilos of crystal meth hidden in her

underwear. It had been feared she might receive the death penalty

Andrew Plant is in Cheltenham for us tonight. What more can you tell us?

Rewind the clock two years and their woman was working here. She was a

police committee support officers here and was very well known and

liked. She even helped to raise the cash to get this centre open to help

young people. That ordered two years and she has fallen from grace. From

an upstanding citizen to a smuggler convicted of carrying class a drugs.

Andrea Waldeck appeared pale and weary as she walked to her trial. In

a country with some of the toughest anti`drug laws in the world. Today

she shook hands with her three judges on a case that's captured the

attention of the world's cameras. Her lawyer, Roberto Kaligis, told

the BBC He was disappointed with the sentence and had hoped his client

would get just ten years behind bars. Today was the final chapter in

a very long story. Andrea Waldeck was arrested in April last year in

the Indonesian City of Surabaya carrying 1.4 kilograms of the class

A drug crystal meth. Into a country that has a crowded death row made up

of those convicted of similar crimes. Andrea Waldeck's former

career is now a lifetime away but just two years ago she was a Police

Community Support Officer, pictured here proudly in uniform, her former

beat ` the streets of Cheltenham's Up Hatherley Area.

All I knew is that she was going backpacking.

She left her job to travel the world. When her arrest was

announced, her friends couldn't believe whose face was making the

headlines. It was almost disbelief, really I

wondered if they had the right person. Thinking about her previous

role, and her knowledge of law and order, that is what made At some

point on that trip Andrea Waldeck went from good cop to bad.

It so difficult to understand. In court she claimed she'd mixed with

drug dealers in China and been forced to carry crystal rocks

through customs. In the ten months she has spent in

custody, she has faced the constant prospect of the death penalty. In

front of her mum and her brother Mark, who'd travelled to the island

from the UK, prosecutors asked judges for a 16 year sentence. Today

in court judges said her cooperation and guilty plea meant they gave her

just 14. Andrea was surprised that this

sentence because last week and Indonesian national connected to the

case was sentenced for ten years. She was hoping for something

similar. On a Facebook post updated after her

arrest Andrea Waldeck posted a message to friends: "Your support

means the world to me. I'm so very sorry I've disappointed you all "

Today is likely to be Andrea Waldeck's final court hearing. In

each one, she's held closely onto her bible, often seen reading

passages through her long and humid appearances here. It's not yet clear

where she will serve her sentence or how she will pay the fine.

The 43`year`old will be almost sixty by the time she's released. After 14

years in prisons notorious for their hardship and difficult conditions.

If she cannot pay that fine, she could face extra time on that

sentence. There are surprising similarities between this case and

that of Lindsay Thunderbird. She was a grandmother also from the

Cheltenham area and exactly one year ago today she was given a death

sentence in Indonesia for smuggling cocaine. Tonight, there is at least

some comfort for her family. Although she has been given 14

years, she has not been given that ultimate sentence. Her legal team

now have exactly one week to decide whether to launch an appeal. A

Wiltshire detective has been found guilty of gross misconduct. The

detective did not read the suspect his rights and as a result, Howley

well was not charged with murder because police rules were broken. He

has not finished but we understand that he has been owned guilty of two

counts of misconduct. The detective who solve the crime,

but his actions as to how he interviewed her killer, look the

guidelines. He confided that there was another body, but instead of

taking Howley well back to the police station to read him his

rights, they drove to the spot were this woman's body was later

discovered. He was warned by colleagues that he was breaking

police and criminal evidence guidelines. But he kept up with his

interviews. He says it was to maintain a bond with Howley well.

This mistake led to Howley well not been committed the second murder.

Today, we understand that he has been found guilty of two charges of

gross misconduct. Wiltshire Police refused to comment tonight. They

will only speak once a decision has been reached on a third charge. Ian

will be here shortly with more weather news. Also still to come:

the Army practising with our soldiers, but will the crack record?

Emergency plans are being drawn up in Somerset amid fears that heavy

rain may make things even worse The fire brigade is playing an important

role in the preparations and there are even rumours that the Army may

have to be called in. Our Someset Correspondent Clinton

Rogers has the latest. Not an emergency ` more information

gathering. The Fire Service will spend the next two days creating a

flood map of the whole area, establishing how deep are the

waters, what roads are impassable and how many more are under threat.

The BBC understands the information they gather could be used by the

military in the days to come. We need to have these plans in place

to enable a response. The County Council is in talks with

the Army and they may well be called in to help if the situation here

worsens. Here we are again, mopping up after

the latest deluge and listening to the same lame excuses.

Today the anger of flooded communities reached Parliament as

one Somerset MP demanded the Government help now.

It is not fair on people that in the 21st century in the UK we cannot

find some money to dredge a couple of rivers to keep people safe.

The marooned village of Muchelney as you've never seen it before. These

new aerial pictures were taken today ` exactly three weeks since this

community became isolated from the mainland. Their only way in and out

is by what's called the humanitarian support boat ` provided by the

County Council. We're incredibly grateful for everything everybody

has done, but we need a road. The whole of the village is beginning to

suffer. Today support for that mental well

being came in the shape of the local vicar visiting her flock the only

way she could. They are getting tired. It is hard

for those who have to travel, it makes the day longer. And you can't

even go straight across where you want to when you get off the island

because some of the other roads are blocked.

They're pumping water off the levels and moors as fast as they can ` yet

in some areas the water is still rising. The hamlet of Oathe, 29

properties, the latest to become cut off. Late this afternoon, it was

announced in Parliament that this has been declared a major incident.

And then, civic leaders said that the minister was wrong and that was

not the case. Such confusion can only fuel the anger here.

More people are finding work in the west as the economy improves.

Figures out this morning showed that unemployment has fallen by three per

cent across the Points West region. Our business correspondent Dave

Harvey has crunching the numbers, to find out what they mean to us.

Let's start with the big total ` the number of people out of work in the

West and signing on for benefits: a little over 36,000 people. Is that a

lot? Well it's fewer than the previous month ` down by 3%.

In fact, this is what happened to unemployment throughout last year

across the West Country. A sharp rise at first and then a steady

sustained decline. Queues at the West's job centres are getting

shorter. But beneath that graph of good news, there's another stubborn

number: people out of work for more than a year. We learned today there

are 9,215 people facing long term unemployment ` that's a quarter of

the total. I've been out to see what can be done for them.

This computer is not ideal to sell on its own, straight out of the box.

Simon loves taking the backs off computers and ripping them apart.

This one is broken. Its owner took it to be recycled, but for Simon it

is the raw material of a new business. BIn its present state

this computer would probably be worth about 40 or ?50. But if I

strip it down and sell the parts, I could probably sell it all together

for about ?150. I thought you'd be best suited to

this room. What do you think? That would be great, yeah.

Simon is building a workshop for his 'baby business' here in a brand`new

centre for start`up companies with a difference.

This is the beginning of a brand`new adventure. This is going to be an

incubator unit for those who are currently unemployed, who need a

job, and maybe will set their own job up. That is our hope.

The builders are nearly done. Soon, the new entrepreneurs will move in.

Working for themselves may well be their only option. There are more

jobs available now, yes. But long`term unemployed people often

find themselves at the back of the queue.

They are finding that jobs still are not paying enough for them, it is

hard for them to give up the benefits to take up a lower paid

job. Or they simply do not have transport to get to the positions.

And there are a lot of people still applying for the same roles, so they

are one of many. It's got to be good news that we are

seeing some signs of recovery at long last. But for those who have

been out of work for a long time, it is still pretty desperate and it is

a long`term legacy that we have to pay unless we have projects like

this to help people get back into work.

My real desire is that over the next... I don't know how many years,

new businesses will be started here. That will create more jobs,

particularly for those who I think deserve a chance.

More jobs then, yes. But with unemployment still twice what it was

before the recession, plenty of work still to do.

Bristol City Football Club hope to start work on redeveloping their

Ashton Gate home in May, drawing a line through plans to build a brand

new stadium nearby. The scheme would see two sides of the ground

completely rebuilt and capacity increased to 27,000. The club are

now waiting to see if any application is made for a judicial

review into the council's decision to approve the plans.

The wait is finally over for the West's Winter Olympic hopefuls as

Team GB have officially announced who's going to Sochi next month And

to talk us through who's made the squad, Ali's here. I am certainly

excited. It is the largest team since the late 1980s and with a West

Country influence. We have athletes involved in several events and with

good chances of medals. Today they will receive the news of their

inclusion. This is picturesque Winterberg in

Germany ` where Pewsey's Shelley Rudman and partner Kristan Bromley

are getting ready for the final World Cup event of the season later

this week. And today, confirmation Shelley will compete in a third

olympics. I am really excited. This is what

everybody looks up to. When you finally get there and you represent

your country and you are wearing that it at the opening ceremony it

is so magical. You feel so unbelievably proud.

Practice in Germany too for Lizzy Yarnold who's hoping to be crowned

World Cup champion on Friday. She's heading to the first Olympics as the

woman to beat. It has been something I have been waiting to save for such

a long time, but I am going to the Winter Olympics. I started as an

athlete at the age of about 13, training several times a week.

The Bobsleigh athletes have been recieving their kit for Sochi this

week. Thermals, gloves, boots. It's a process Trowbridge's John Jackson

thought he might not make. He's spent six months recovering from an

operation on his ruptured achilles which threatened to end his career.

Nobody said that winning a medal is meant to be easy. With my injury, if

we are going to win a medal it will be the hardest way possible to do it

but it will make a good comeback story!

John's partner Paul Walker has also made it to Sochi, he'll be competing

in the two`man team. Craig Pickering will join an elite

group of athletes to have competed in a Summer and Winter Olympics He

was in the relay team in Beijing, but then suffered with back

problems. 18 months ago he took up bobsleigh.

It has been a real shock. I had no idea about Bobsleigh, and now I am

more of an expert. It gets better the more that you do it.

Snowboarder Jenny Jones from Bristol is a former Games Champion. Her

event, the snowboard slopestyle is making its Olympic debut. For every

athlete there is a whole army of support. This is a fitness coach

working with the Bobsleigh team Thank you for coming in. You must be

excited. Tell us about the work that you have been doing.

I have been working for two years with Paula. I have been working on

her strength and conditioning. It is a massive part of Bobsleigh to be

strong and fast. You were involved in the Winter

Olympics four years ago in Vancouver. There was a pretty

spectacular crash. He has done really well. He has done

fantastic. Just to get back from the injury and make the Winter Olympics

as well is awesome. Clearly speed is very important for

you. Click Pickering has taken the same path as you from Summer

Olympics to Winter Olympics. Is that an easy transition? Bit is a normal

transition. He has made the transition really well it was the

film about the Jamaican Bobsleigh team that made me make the

transition! It adds a nice story to the games.

Are the Bobsleigh? I think so. We have seen a couple of

good results and perhaps we might see a gold.

The Winter Olympics begins on February seventh, with full coverage

here on the BBC. And, we are actually very excited! We wish them

all well. The Army has been trying to break a

world record today ` and as you would expect from the Army, it's a

regimented affair. Jules Hyam went along to Imjin Barracks in

Gloucestershire to observe the record attempt which involved two

very different types of soldiers. They counted them all in, then they

sat them all down. These guys have been challenged to eat breakfast.

Soldiers dunking soldiers into eggs. All at the same time, to break a

world record for charity. How do you go about limbering up and

getting ready? It has taken weeks of mental

preparation to do this. Weeks of preparation for the

soldiers, but the eggs only need a few minutes. That is the first batch

of 250 eggs for this vital world`record attempt. Many more eggs

there, and then also, there are 500 soldiers here because every soldier

gets two soldiers. And they are even cut to look like little soldiers,

the kind of precision you would expect when there are rules to

follow and a procedure to adhere to. That is why you need training,

because it is quite complicated Up, dip, bite, dip, bite, stop. This

private has been practising that. How confident are you?

I'm quite confident. I've got loads of practice in, making my own at

home. Love it! You can't beat that kind of

home`made training, can you? The soldiers are ready and rehearsing,

but where are the eggs? That's a nifty little gadget! Hang on, there

is a problem now. The soldiers. It turns out that one of the soldiers

is gluten intolerant and can't eat the toast. So, one man down, but

there are still 179 soldiers here. Plenty enough to take the record,

which currently stands at 100. So why are there so many nervous, even

worried looks on the faces of the charity organisers?

Things are getting a little bit tense. There are still 20 eggs to be

done. But the ones that have come out are starting to get a little

hard`boiled. That could make dunking a little difficult. But these

soldiers are helping a national children's charity and it's time to

set a record. Dip!

Eat! Remember, they all need to eat at

the same time. Well done!

Quite a surreal morning. So how do the organisers feel?

Relieved! Really relieved! But really happy, it all went really

well. Hopefully we will be record breakers. Back to the office to pool

all of our evidence together. Fingers crossed!

They will find out if they have an official record sometime early next

week. That really made me smile Fabulous. Now the weather.

For tomorrow, it is a fairly straightforward story. Some rain

first thing in the morning. It could be quite heavy but after that a dry

and bright day. A Met Office warning for Friday and Sunday. For Friday,

areas from South Gloucestershire. On Sunday it will affect all of our

districts. The Sunday development could be heavier. Those of

particular concern. Either way, this will be most unwelcome news. As far

as tonight is concerned, some mist and fog around. Tomorrow, that line

of showery rain is clearly its way eastwards. By Thursday, you will

notice further rain moving in from the west. It will certainly be

turning wet. One or two showers still left around at the moment but

a dry night ahead. Tomorrow, a band of showery rain and perhaps some

hail and lightning. Fairly promptly tomorrow, that area of rain will

clear away towards the east. It should be a dry day tomorrow. It

will feel chillier. Temperatures will reflect that. A lot of rain as

we head into the weekend. We will keep you up`to`date on Twitter with

details. Either way, have until tonight to

clear your lottery wind. Goodbye.