03/03/2014 BBC Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West, with Sabet Choudhury and Alex Lovell Our

main story tonight: The bomb detector being developed abroad

We uncover the link to the bogus device which led to a Somerset

businessman in jail for fraud. And, we confront the Romanian scientist

involved in its development. He remains convinced that it works,

that the device works, that the British court of law was entirely

wrong. And, we discover that the original

fake device is still in use around the world.

Also: The tears and heartbreak, as the flood waters recede.

We go back to one of Somerset's worst affected villages.

The MoD plans to house over 4,0 0 military personnel in Wiltshire We

get reaction from the locals. And, celebrating the Bristol super

slider Jenny Jones. We're on the open`top bus tour for the Winter

Olympian. Good evening.

This is Jim McCormick, a businessman who developed a bogus bomb detector

in Somerset. Following a trial at the Old Bailey, he was jailed for

ten years for fraud. Now, a BBC investigation's revealed that

equipment used to make that device has been shipped from Crewkerne to

Romania, to help them develop a new detector over there. We've also

discovered that the original detector is still in use, in Iraq,

in Mexico, Kenya, Lebanon and Egypt. Our Somerset correspondent Clinton

Rogers, who was the first broadcast journalist to confront McCormick

back in 2009, has been to Romania, and has this exclusive report.

For years ago, Jim McCormick try to convince the world his magic bomb

detectors could work. Iraq spent $85 million on them. But they were

useless. Guilty, the British businessman who

made ?50 million selling fake bomb detectors.

In May last year, McCormick appeared at the Old Bailey, accused of fraud.

He was jailed for ten years. You might have thought that would be the

end of it. His device would be finished. But we have discovered

that, in Romania, a new device has been patented, a device that looks

suspiciously McCormick's. The company behind it claims to have

received a grant of three quarters of a million euros from the EU to

research bomb`detecting equipment. So, we travelled to Romania in an

attempt to speak to the company But, when we called at their offices

in Bucharest, we were told the company president was not in. Back

in the UK, I am on the way to Crewkerne to see a man who knows

more than most about McCormack's so`called bomb detectors. He helped

to make it. The managing director of the company had no reason to suspect

he was doing anything wrong. The company gets orders to make

components are different industries. McCormack was another

customer. We had produced 6500 sets of these parts, then the police came

along and started their investigation into what looked like

possible fraudulent activity. We didn't make any more after that

Then, while later, we were asked by the customer to ship it to Romania.

This is a copy of the customs invoice, sent to us by the company,

to Romania. That is the contact name. Name and phone number. What

happened? You sent this to Romania. The company arranged for a transport

company to pick them up. Everything, everything they needed? Yes. So we

travelled to Romania in an attempt to speak to this man at the

headquarters of the telecom company, a company that specialises

in security and telecoms and has the Romanian government as a customer.

He did not return our phone calls. When we tried to see him in person,

we were told he wasn't in all stop then, his security ordered us to

turn off the camera and leave. We did get better luck at this

Institute of atomic physics on the outskirts of Bucharest where we

wanted to talk to the scientist who we knew had been involved in the

research of the new device. Can I just ask you very quickly, let me

ask you, the new device, why do you think it is any better? Because I am

an expert in this field and I know what I am talking about! Then he

ended the interview and insisted we joined him for a coffee at this cafe

next to the Institute. He wanted to explain his science, he said. He

said he had worked for the company for two and a half years, they were

paying him 900 euros a month. That was quite a bizarre conversation.

June which he elaborated at considerable length about his

scientific theories when it comes to the ADE`651 and this new device

which he admits he has been involved in the development of, and

personally tested. He remains convinced it works, the ADE`651

works, that the British court of law was entirely wrong. It was revealed

last week a company in my constituency has been selling bomb

detectors that do not work. David Hay is a West Country MP, one of the

first politicians to lobby the government about McCormack's

detectors in 2010. When we told him about the new development in

Romania, he said he was appalled, he would bring it to the attention of

the House of Commons again. I find it astonishing. It is something the

UK government needs to take a strong line on. We can't control what

happens in Romania, but, through the EU, we can at least make a noise

about it, and make sure that the Romanian authorities are aware of

what is going on. The BBC has learned the original bogus devices

are still in use at checkpoints around the world, including Iraq.

Mexico, Lebanon and Egypt. Now, a new incarnation may be heading for

the market, developed by a company that claims to have received

European Union money. McCormack may be in prison, but the legacy of his

invention lives on. You can see the whole of that

investigation at 7.30pm, here on BBC One, as part of Inside Out West

There has been another twist in this case. The case of Shrien Dewani has

lost a legal battle to block his legal extraditions to South Africa.

The High Court in London told him he has just 28 days to return to the

country to face trial. But he can apply to the human court `` the cute

Court of human rights which could delay his case for another year

The inquest into the death of a three`year`old from Somerset has

heard how his nurse tried, time and time again, to get him a follow`up

appointment. Samuel Starr, who was born with a complex heart condition,

died in September 2012. His parents claim delays caused by a new

computer system meant he hadn't had a cardiac check`up for more than 20

months. A massive clean up's under way in

the village of Moorland in Somerset, now that flood water there's

receding. Residents have described it as a "bomb site", but at least

they can get back into homes they had to abandon three weeks ago.

Scott Ellis joined one couple, on an emotional return home.

As the water leaves, residents return. Phil and Lana Smithen

haven't been back since the flooding began three weeks ago. This is a

brand`new kitchen we are looking at. It's been their home for 40 years. A

place where the grandchildren come to play. We will sort it.

There is debris and devastation wherever you look in Moorland. A

smell of fuel lingers in the air. The flooring has all come up.

Karen Gibbs built this home 16 years ago. The damage is repairable. But

being a family flooded out takes its toll. I cannot go through this all

again. All my children. It has been so stressful. Seeing our home

wrecked it is a nightmare. This week, Somerset delivers a

20`year action plan to Westminster. It's the county's wish list for

dealing with floods. One of the more expensive items is a tidal barrier

near Bridgwater. There are calls for tree planting in the catchment area

near Yeovil and Taunton helping water to run down into the soil And

a levy or tax in the catchment area which would pay for water management

in areas like Moorland. Some residents want to take legal action

against the authorities. They are convinced more could have been done.

The scale of this flooding has definitely been exacerbated by the

Environment Agency and their complete lack of action. Tempers are

still frayed in Moorland. And will remain so for some time. Few will be

back before Christmas, some may even have to have their homes demolished.

Parliament has been told that this winter's floods in Somerset

shouldn't have come as a surprise. The House of Commons was debating a

report brought out last year by a committee of MPs. They had warned

about the danger of flooding as a result of spending restrictions

Today, there were repeated calls for funding for things like dredging.

We have got to have the money we need. What I don't understand, we

are the six largest economy in the world, yet we are unable to raise

money to defend our own people from the most basic problem that man has

faced, certainly in my constituency, since prehistoric

times, which is water. MPs were told that Treasury spending

rules meant farm land lost out to urban areas. The government stressed

that millions of pounds was now being made available to help with

the aftermath. You're watching Points West, with

Sabet Choudhury and Alex Lovell And we've plenty more to share with you

tonight, including: The latest from Bristol's City Hall where Jenny

Jones is being honoured for her bronze medal from Sochi.

A public meeting's about to get under way at Ludgershall in

Wiltshire, to discuss plans by the MoD to house over 4,000 extra

service personnel and their families in the Salisbury Plain area. It s

all part of plans to move troops out of Germany, and consolidate key

bases in the UK. Our reporter Ali Vowles is at the Wellington Academy,

near the garrison town of Tidworth, and joins us now.

We are waiting for people to turn up, this is the only public

consultation where people can come to. Let me give you an idea of the

numbers by these extra personnel will go. In Lark Hill, there will be

over 2000 extra personnel. In Tidworth and Perham Down, 1200.

About 1000 in total will move to Bulford and Uphaven. The personnel

will have family, so we are looking at 8000 extra people moving into the

area. What do local people think about this? If there are going to be

that many people, there will need to be more things for families to do. A

lot more shops, which we are very short of at the moment. More

families in the area will be good for civilians that myself. It is a

good move. More houses, shops, schools, things were children. Many

more things for teenagers. Will you really listen to what

people have to say? Absolutely, we are working with the military to

make sure we can do what ever people want. How can you afford this, will

the Army chip anything in? The Secretary of State announced in

March last year that there will be money for infrastructure. Are you

confident you can deliver what is needed when so many are coming? Yes,

we have a strong team working on it continually. We will keep talking to

local people all the way through the five`year programme. We just need

those local people to turn up. The police watchdog says it's

investigating contact between Gloucestershire Police and Hollie

Gazzard before her death. The 20`year`old hairdresser died after

she was stabbed inside the salon in Gloucester, where she worked. The

IPCC says it'll look at intelligence available to the force. A

22`year`old man, who was charged with the murder, remains in custody.

A busy commuter route between Bristol and Bath will be closed for

at least six months, following a landslip a few weeks ago. Large

cracks appeared on the A431 at Kelston, following a period of heavy

rain. Experts using radar and drilling rigs have found the ground

has slipped by as much as seven metres below the road surface.

It's been a day of celebration for Jenny Jones, the Bristol snowboarder

who won bronze in the Winter Olympics at Sochi. This afternoon,

she's been on a open`top bus tour from South Gloucestershire into

Bristol, ahead of a civic reception which has just finished at the City

Hall. Ali Durden is there now. As you can see, Jenny Jones is still

here with friends and family. Another action packed day for her,

full of congratulations and well wishes. The Open Bath tour has been

here for an hour and a half, she arrived to a big crowd, everybody

eager to get a photograph of her with that bronze medal. Then, they

whisked her in here for a civic reception, she got to meet

dignitaries, and the opportunity to be presented with a commemorative

plate. I will be talking to Jenny Jones in a moment.

A hometown hero, in Downend where Jenny Jones grew up, they came out

to cheer her on her way. On the route, they lined the streets

finding any vantage point they could. It has been lovely, so many

folks have come out, smiling faces, congratulations. So lovely. A little

girl on her trampoline jumping up and down behind the fence, waving.

That was lovely. A month ago, barely anybody knew who Jenny Jones was all

much about her sport. Today, everyone wanted a glimpse of her. It

is brilliant. I thought we would come along and give the children a

chance to cheer her on. Inspirational to see someone local

when something in the Winter Olympics. Her performance on the

Sochi slopes turned her into a household name overnight, winning

our first ever medal on snow. Today, she went back to visit local

schools. Some pupils were lucky to get a word with her as well. Hello!

At her old primary school, they were excited to see her, as she popped in

to answer questions. Her success has made a big impact, and she might

just have inspired a new generation. Hip, hip, hurray. Here she is. I

think you quite enjoyed that song today. It was so sweet, they

rehearsed the whole song at Hambrook Primary school. It has been a

whirlwind day, have you enjoyed it? Definitely, to see people on the

streets waving and cheering. So lovely. The Open bus tour, that was

quite a challenge to get to everybody. I thought if they had

made the effort to come out, I should try to see as many people as

I could, so I had to wave from one side of the bus, and go to another.

Despite the rain today, it stayed sunny. The sun was actually is

shining, I was very grateful for that. My friends and family on the

bus were pleased. Will you get a chance to rest? I think I will be

all right for the rest of the week. I am looking forward to having a

holiday. Maybe go surfing, get in the sunshine. And sleep! Yes,

definitely. Soon, I'll be getting back on my snowboard so I need to be

fit and ready for that. Show us the medal and tell us what you are going

to do with it? It has a lovely wooden box I will keep it in.

Congratulations from all of us, well done. Enjoy the rest of the

celebrations tonight. The party has almost finished but it may go on for

a bit longer behind the scenes. A huge medal. Her hat is a trademark

now. On a sporting theme, a reminder for

football fans, Late Kick Off returns tonight at 23:20, on BBC One.

It's one of the west's most popular tourists destinations by day, but

very little is known about what goes on after dark at Bristol Zoo. But

now, that's about to change, after cameras were set up, to find out

more about animals' sleep patterns. Laura Jones reports.

Lions by night. During daylight hours, the animals here are very

used to being watched and photographed. But, by night, not so

much. Until now, that is. Researchers wanted to find out what

they got up to after dark. Animal sleep is under research, we know

very little about it. We don't know much about human sleep really, but

animal sleep even less so. There are big gaps in our understanding of

human sleep. Scientists are trying to plug those gaps by looking at the

evolutionary history of sleep. By looking at animals around today and

seeing how they sleep, how long why it is. Watching the animals was a

conjugated operation, with 32 cameras, 20 motion sensors and six

kilometres of cable, to film 50 hours of footage. The seals'

behaviour was particularly interesting. Everyone had expected

them to be fast asleep by mid`evening. In fact, they were

still up and about into the early hours of the morning. There is a lot

of jostling and fighting to see who will be boss. Normally, we would

expect when it got dark, that would stop, they would sleep. However we

found actually it did carry on very late in the night until they settled

down. The programme, Animals Through The Night, Sleepover At The Zoo

will be on BBC Four at 9pm tonight. What do Spiderman, and the Muppets

all have in common? They are probably quite sore today. Some of

the 15,000 people who ran 13 miles through the streets of Bath

yesterday. If you took part, maybe you will spot yourself now. I did

run six miles on Wednesday morning and it went quite badly so I am

assuming 30 miles today will be a piece of cake! `` 13.

It is amazing, I admire all of the runners. They are incredible.

It is all for a good cause. We like to put on a smile.

It is nice to watch it. So good.

The first eight miles were OK. After that, everything hurt.

That is it! I'm not sure if I should feel better or worse than I ought

to, I am just glad I finished it. A huge well done to everyone who

took part. The weather wasn't that great for

those runners. But today's sunshine did really make it feel as if spring

has finally sprung! And take a look at these lambs being cared for at

the Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet. They were born there

after their mothers were rescued from flooded land in Muchelney.

Time now for the weather. It was lovely on Saturday.

Day by day, we will see some improvement in those flood hit

areas. As we see less of those extremes in the weather. We had

another noticeably high tide this morning. Thank you for this picture

in the Cumberland basin. Tomorrow will bring a day of probably little

in the way of rain, broadly speaking, it will be dry and a

fairly bright day. Talking of the wet stuff, it is worth looking back

at the statistics for February. Midsummer Norton leading the way,

contrast that here which didn't even get half. A more common theme across

many of these areas has been record`breaking amount of rainfall

through the winter. This evening, we will lose the last of the showers, a

largely dry Nate `` night. Tomorrow, very little in the way of showers.

Through the course of this evening, the showers are readily fading away,

the skies are largely clearing. This week feature is running in from the

West which will thicken the cloud, one or two showers into the second

part of the night and by daybreak tomorrow. Broadly speaking, dry and

clear, but it will be cold, down to one Celsius. Some frost around and

patches of fog. In the rush hour, there shouldn't be any trouble. A

decent start to the day and so it will continue, sunshine and cloud

with a moderate breeze. One or two showers dotted around in the

afternoon. It will head into a cold night on Tuesday towards Wednesday

morning. Tomorrow, 10 Celsius quite widely, pleasant. Looking beyond

that into the outlook, it will be a chilly night through to Wednesday

morning. There should be some mornings at the fog, widespread

frost. The legacy will be a pleasant day on Wednesday. An unsettled look

on Thursday and Friday. More cloud around. Feeling fairly mild by that

stage. Don't forget that investigation on

Romania in half an hour. That's all for now. Join us again during the

Ten O'Clock News. Goodbye.