02/07/2014 BBC Points West

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me and on

Welcome to BBC Points West with Sabet Choudhury and Alex Lovell.

Tortured by her adoptive mother ` the Gloucestershire woman who fears

her abuser will try to make contact after being released from prison.

It is like she is back again, the authorities are not listening.

An inquest hears how the death of this 21`year`old

The centre of a technology revolution ` why the West is

And the little man gone too long ` after a 30 year absence,

Bristol`born Morph returns to our screens.

A woman from Gloucestershire says she'll do

all she can to stop the woman who abused her for nearly 20 years from

Victoria Spry was mentally and physically tortured

by her adoptive mother, Eunice Spry, from when she was just a baby.

But now Spry is due to be released from prison.

And Victoria has started a petition to stop her from being

You may find this report is distressing.

At home with her beloved dogs, and after a childhood filled with

terror and torture Victoria Spry is at last at peace.

It's now seven years since the woman Victoria still calls

mum was sent to prison for what a judge called the worst case of child

Eunice Spry was a foster mother, to the outside world a pillar

of the community, but behind closed doors she spent nearly

20 years mentally and physically torturing the children in her care.

Routinely starving them, beating them, making them drink

bleach then eat their own vomit and forcing sticks down their throats.

I would be crying and gagging and she would say that it was all mind

over matter, I had a weak mind. I was five or six years old. You would

scream in so much pain. I would scream, not because I was being

scream because I was in pain. And scream because I was in pain. And

she would put a stick down our throats. I was in pain but I just

gave up. There was no fight left. I had to get my teeth sorted because I

life for myself and I want it to carry on. I cannot see her again.

She messed my head, I would `` it would mess with my head. I am not

frightened of her physically, but it would disturb me.

So what support is there for Victoria?

We asked for a statement from the authority, but they would not give

Joining me now is Rhiannon Evans from the charity Victim Support.

She has gone through a terrible experience that nobody should have

to to go through. Child abuse is terrible and any type of family

abuse is so complicated and she has been very brave to speak about it.

She had got to the point where she felt that she needed to say

something. But for her to be in this situation is terrible.

Is there anything to help victims of such abuse when the people, out of

prison? Are there as those? `` are there restrictions?

That is something for the Prison Service to say. Certainly, they have

to look at the victim's needs and take into consideration their

wishes, but they have two balance that with the needs of the offender.

There will be looking at safety and ensuring that the victim is safe.

But whether Victoria would feel safe living that she has had to rebuild

her whole life after this experience. She may feel very

differently. Regarding Victoria, what kind of

setback can she face in an event like this?

I think that all victims continuously experience life events

that come up that set them back. This is one of those. Anniversaries

of events, birthdays, Mother's Day, lots of events like that will create

a setback when people think about the past or what happened or relayed

the experience. That is a really horrible thing to have to go

through. I would just make sure that...

We must leave it there, we are running out of time.

The family of a 92`year`old woman who died in hospital say that she

would have survived if she had not been misdiagnosed. Marjorie was

believed to have had a hip fracture `` a stroke, but in fact she had

fractured her spine. Following a successful hip operation

in Cheltenham, Marjorie Whitney was sent to the Dilke Hospital near to

where she lived to recuperate. Whilst on the ward, she fell twice

in the space of two hours, the But, unknown to staff,

she'd also fractured her spine. She was transferred to A at the

Gloucestershire Royal, where her Her family told today that

the doctor's diagnosis turned out to They assumed because of her age and

her confusion from the infection and the fact that she did not have her

teeth in, so she could not talk very clearly. And she was very death. All

of the assumptions were that she had had a

At an inquest into her death the coroner said

the misdiagnosis led to a missed opportunity to treat her condition.

She developed pneumonia and died, having not recovered from the fall.

Marjorie's daughter believes her mother would still be alive today if

She had been moved around and every time she wasn't comfortable they

would move her. If her neck had been secured, I think that she would have

Maureen and Colin told me they've always had

excellent service from the NHS, but this time feel let down.

They're now taking legal advice and hope that changes are made

We are hoping that lessons can be learnt and is in the future it won't

be an assumption that a patient admitted this way has suffered a

stroke. The tests that were not undertaken should `` could be taken

routinely. The two trusts issued statements

today offering their condolences to her family. They said that the

lessons would be shared with the staff involved in her care in the

Department and in the wider organisation. They said that they

would invite the family to meet them to discuss any other concerns.

Now we have some cool technology for you.

We often hear about futuristic hi tech wizardry

coming out of West Country firms here on Points West, because there's

They are producing some fantastic gadgets and apps. Our correspondence

is at a technology party tonight. They never stop selling things,

these people. They design and create new technology here and it is in

Brunel's old engine shed. It is all digital now, microelectronics. We

have had this area of the world confirmed as the greatest

concentration of the tech businesses outside of London within Europe.

There are six new businesses moving to Bristol. Why? I have been to some

of them to find out. You know in a roller`coaster where

it is all too easy. Oh, that is unreal. OK, I am sitting

in a room in London, why am I gripping the edge of the Chad?

They call it the innovation lab and I am trying out the newest virtual

reality gear. It feels real. But unlike the real thing, I can just do

this. That is much better. Regular bottle of rum, regular

bottle of cola. If I hold this here, you can hear the music.

They are not making games here, they are finding ways of using technology

to sell products. I can change the music by doing

this. If your can of cola did this, you

might think again about a different brand. Now they are coming to

Bristol. I have spent 13 months trying to

recruit people in London and it has been really difficult. People in

Bristol wants permanent jobs and the skills are fantastic and quality of

people is great. It is hungry work, all this

technology. When they want their lunch, it is another app.

The app is the most popular way for people to order a takeaway online,

we think it is a good experience. Allowing a new office in business

allows us to tap into the skills that the area has.

They call this technology city, the biggest concentration of tech firms

by far. But according to today's report, Bristol is a near second.

And that matters to the companies. For these companies to be close

together is very important. Think about how new businesses emerge, it

is due to the close interaction of businesses and people. They need to

be in the city to do that. That is why places like Bristol are more and

more attractive for the firms who work in these industries.

People like just eats and global... And this is the man paid to persuade

the technology firms to move to the west. It is a gold rush for him

right now. The UK as a destination for global

entrepreneurs, it is one of the most popular places in the world. It has

London, but also amazing cities like Bristol. We are definitely targeting

5000 6000 in the near future. I know that this is a computer, I am

not going to fly over this castle! O.

You do feel stupid when you watch that back, but it was very scary.

How many businesses are there in this area? There is a map on the

Internet. Each of these blue balloons represents another

business. When you come into the middle of restore, there are 138, 73

there. More of these companies, in the words of the campaign, are going

west and getting some. That is great. We are halfway

through the week and we are glad that you can join us.

How much do you like gardening? Get to the garden shed, Bristol City

council would like you to help them out with their lawn mowing.

An inquest has been told the death of a 21`year`old from

Kalisha Gordon died in hospital while on a working

Doctors didn't manage to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy,

which happens when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb.

It was meant to be the start of a new adventure.

Kalisha Gordon had been working in Ayia Napa for just six weeks.

A 21`year`old girl, loved by her family.

She was a very bright and bubbly young girl and very intelligence.

She was very academic, very good at school. She was not perfect, we

sometimes argued, but that is what Father and daughter do.

While Kalisha was in Cyprus, she found out she was pregnant.

Just over a week later, she ended up in hospital, suffering from stomach

She was being violently sick and even fainted,

but despite all this and two ultrasound scans, her ectopic

Instead, doctors at the hospital in Cyprus treated her with painkillers

Hours later, she was found unconscious and later died.

Kalisha's family say today's narrative verdict will help them

continue with their fight for justice.

Every penny that we have had has been for flights, hotels, car

rental. We have had lawyers working on this case for six years. It is

ongoing. All of our money is going into paying for the expenses, going

back to Cyprus just to find out how our daughter died. It is going

against all basic human rights. Our message to them is that we will

From here, they'll take that fight to

Six years on and they're still learning more

A Bristol mother captured on CCTV paying in large amounts of cash

into a bank has told a court that she denies any knowledge

of the smuggling of millions of pounds of drugs into the city.

The prosecution claim she's part of an international crime gang

Our home affairs correspondent is following the trial.

Jessica Dawson cried in the witness box as she repeatedly denied being

part of the organised crime gang behind the drug smuggling.

Jessica Dawson denied having any knowledge of any business

in Jamaica, any airline, freight agent or warehouses near Heathrow.

She also strongly denied ever lying to companies house or HM Customs.

She did admit being the managing director of a company

set up by crime boss Orville Salmon, which she said had never traded.

The 32`year`old had a five year relationship with Salmon,

who the jury has been told has pleaded guilty to drug smuggling.

But when they had a baby, the relationship deteriorated.

She told the court "I was devastated."

Jessica Dawson from Westbury`on`Trym told the court:

If I had known what he was doing, I would have confronted him.

Earlier, Radcliffe Miller who, together with his wife

and fellow defendant Beverley, ran the Coach House pub alleged by

the prosecution to be at the centre of the gang?s activities, had

He also denied that a trip he made with Salmon to

To laughter in court, he said it was for leisure and girls.

Prosecuting, Stephen Mooney commented:

I think you are lying through your teeth.

Orville Salmon has also pleaded guilty to possession

In all, six defendants deny various drug offences including smuggling

As councils are being forced to tighten their belts,

for the first time one local authority says it will have to find

volunteers to help look after its parks and green spaces.

Bristol City Council says it needs to reduce the parks budget by 20%,

so will need help with grass`cutting, litter`picking

and other maintenance work on the city's 5,500 acres of green space.

So, once you have finished your own garden, how about giving these guys

a hand? In Bristol, they are hoping to use volunteers to tackle parks,

and cemeteries as the council cuts its budget.

Would you have time to mow the lawn here? No, not with the children.

No, the council says that it will still look after the green spaces,

but it cannot afford to do as much as it has in the past.

To mow this grass, that is two football pitches.

John already runs a group of volunteers that this park,

we will get that soon. Stop battling your way through it.

the same, but with a modern twist. public

brought to life here in Bristol out of terracotta modelling clay.

After almost two decades off our screens, the little man is back.

You may well remember Morph as the man modelled by modelling clay. 37

years old but timeless. Now his creators are breathing new life into

him. Morph is back, why have you brought

him back? Mostly because we love him. I just

like the character very much. I like to have him on screen. And also

because it is possible to do something quickly.

Despite his sabbatical, he is never far from Peter's thoughts, and ever

present feature in the sketchbook that he takes everywhere. And in the

Morph's memory room at the Ottoman Studios, the original scales. He's

still ways the same amount. Although much about the original

character remains, modern technology means that first a rudimentary

character is made and then he is morphed to fit the shots.

Posing him and giving him some presence. Every way that you move

the body tells the audience some thing. In this post, he is standing

quite proud with his hands on his hips. We take one picture, called a

frame, then we move him, take another frame and so on. It is a

terribly laborious process, but the end result is really worthwhile, we

think. This is very clever, it is called a

replacement cycle. This is Morph's partner in crime and he is going

through the various positions that he would do if he was running. The

animators take each one out and shoot it and then loop around and

around the four, turning him into the running man.

He may be getting a bit long in his gnomic fisted teeth, but this is a

thoroughly modern Morph. Part of the production has been paid for by

crowd funding, where thousands of people pay a small amount of cash.

And the programme is destined not for TV but for YouTube.

Does it not make you smile as soon as you see him?

I had forgotten that his friends was called Chas. He has a great smile.

And I love the way that he was weighed on the scales, time has not

affected him. Rather like you?

Yes, or stop frame animation like you. It was filmed in a studio at

first. Enough of that history lesson. So

far as the weather is concerned, dry weather will continue on as we head

into tomorrow. The key difference is more clout for

those of you further north. Especially around the coastal

districts. A dry and a warm day, high`pressure dominating the pattern

for a while longer. There is a change from the north`west from

tomorrow. That will bring in more cloud, a more meaningful development

behind my shoulder and out of vision at the moment is something that will

be on Friday, dominating the weather pattern until Saturday with the

threat of rain. For the best of this evening, there is high cloud which

has been blocking some of the clear sunshine, but a warm evening. This

evening, two things giving a pincer movement. There is the cloud moving

in from the west, and low cloud from the south`west. Some of that will be

blocked, but some will come through the Bristol Channel. There will be

some coming into the coastal areas. Temperatures at ten to 13 Celsius.

Tomorrow, as a broad rule, the further south east you how `` are,

the more sunshine you will have. In other areas there will be more

cloud. By the end of the day, just a hint of rain and drizzle in the West

of Gloucestershire or Somerset. At a dry picture, whatever you are

seeing. The pollen count will be high, the temperatures around 23

Celsius will be typical and will generally increase as you go into

the sunny spots. Places like Salisbury and Sherborne could be up

to 24 degrees. Those will change on Friday, it is uncertain. Rain will

arrive and will be with us on Saturday for the morning before

leaving. More details tomorrow. I was trying to look up whether

Morph was filmed here. I am sure that someone will tell us. That is

it from us for now, we will be back for the Ten O'Clock News. We will

find out about Morph. Goodbye.