28/07/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. The headlines. Guilty of murder. Two

men are convicted of killing honeymoon couple Benn and Catherine

Mullany in Antigua. There is no joy at the verdict, just relief that

after three years of waiting there is justice for our children.

The murder of this couple three years ago shocked this island. The

authorities here may call for the Also on the programme. Almost 2000

cows are intensively milked at this mega dairy in Carmarthenshire.

Opponents claim it was built illegally.

We are live for the last in our series on Wales'' national parks.

And he is dreaming of Paralympic glory. Nathan Stephens tells us why

he can't cut any corners of the year to go. This doesn't feel that

long away, just around the corner. You don't want to miss any sessions

at all. I have been in the gym Good evening. Three years ago Ben

and Catherine Mullany were murdered while on their honeymoon in Antigua.

Today, two men were convicted of killing them. The couple from

Contador had been married for two weeks when they were shot in their

hotel room. Officials on a Caribbean island say they may ask

for the death penalty. Let's head to Antigua and our reporter Roger

Penny is there. I think it was the longest day in

court I will ever experience. The jury came back at 11:20am local

time last night -- 11:20pm. They had been deliberating for more than

ten hours. Avie Howell and Kaniel Martin stood impassively. They did

not flinch as the guilty verdicts were read out. They were taken away,

escorted by ten police officers. I watched Ben Mullany's parents had

each other. And Catherine Mullany's parents, sighs of relief.

In court to hear the but verdicts, then and Catherine Mullany's

parents. They said coming to Antigua was hard for them, bearing

the loss of their children for three years so much harder. A

statement was read on their behalf. A we will never be able to

comprehend the censors nature of their deaths, the total disregard

shown for human life and that no remorse has ever been shown --

sensuous nature of their deaths. There is no joy at the verdict,

just a sense of relief that after three years of there -- of waiting

there is justice for our children and the hope that these two

individuals can never regain inflict the same anguish and

devastation to any other family as they have to hours. Ben and

Catherine will live in our hearts forever. They made our lives happy

beyond measure and enriched every day that they were with us. I had

hoped that this trial would have established the reasons why such

levels of violence were inflicted, however neither defendant has shown

any signs of remorse throughout the investigation. Or the trial, even

though the families of their victims have been present

throughout. Catherine, a young doctor, then, the trainee

physiotherapist. They had so much to offer and the future had much to

offer them. Avie Howell, that younger of the two defendants and

Kaniel Martin, Petrova -- trigger- happy robbers, out for easy because

-- pickings and prepared to take lives without thought. This is the

beach that Ben and Catherine would have known well. The hotel is at

one end. Kaniel Martin' phone records put him here at the time of

the shootings. He said he had come for a swim. The opening parade of

this year's Antigua carnival, the start of a week in which the whole

island lets its hair down. Ben and Catherine were shot at carnival

time in 2008. The Antiguan authorities turned to Scotland Yard

for help. They provided team of detectives and vital technical

back-up. Then the third shooting, local shopkeeper -- a local

shopkeeper killed with a single shot to the head. We felt it as

heavy as anyone. We are a very small island and we do prize our

trade an-hour tourism product and to have something of that

particular nature happen on your island certainly it was felt all

around the island. It is a small island and I guess folks felt

aggrieved. Many of Antigua hope this trial closes a chapter most on

the island want to get. Ben and Catherine's family of course will

not have that luxury. It has taken three years to bring

the killers of Ben and Catherine Mullany to justice. Their murders

sent shockwaves through this holiday island.

It was the best of times. Benn and Catherine Mullany on their wedding

day. The honeymoon in Antigua should have been the perfect start

to married life. On their last day they were shot, execution style,

with a single bullet each to the head. And the killers, Kaniel

Martin and David Howell, young men from the wrong side of the tracks,

robbery was the motive. Cash and a mobile phone. This is downtown St

John's, Antigua's capital. We're not far from the beaches but you do

get a sense of contrast. The affluence of the tourists alongside

the relative poverty of many local people. Then and Catherine Mullany

were staying in a cottage at the luxury has Cocos resort up on a

hill above one of Antigua's most beautiful beaches. Security was lax

and the number of guards had been cut. One admitted to appear on duty.

It is thought the killers got into a back entrance. Why they picked

the couple's Cottage, only they will know. Witnesses described

finding Catherine lying on the floor, bruises on her body

suggested she had tried to fight off her attackers. Ben was slumped

over the bed, their room had been ransacked. Beverley Stairs from

Teddington near London was staying in NAA by cottage. She heard a

commotion but did not discovered what had happened until later.

came out of our room and it was cordoned off. We said, what has

happened? They said, the people in number 15 had been shot. She had

died, that is when I realised it was Catherine and Ben. Immediately

after the shootings, Ben and Catherine Mullany's parents flee to

Antigua. Ben was brought home to Wales on a life-support machine. He

died a week later. What happened in July 2008 sent shockwaves around

the world. Hundreds attended a memorial service for Ben and

Catherine in Wales, including the Duchess of York. She had met the

parents on the flight home from Antigua and agreed to become a

patron of a fund set up in their name. It provides financial help to

students wanting to be doctors and physiotherapists. The couple's

professions. I thought that if we could provide a way of helping the

parents to be able to live on with their children. Avie Howell and

Kaniel Martin were arrested three weeks after the murders by then

Scotland Yard detectives were in directing the inquiry. In that time

between the killings and the arrests, three other people on

Antigua had been shot. A five victims be accorded to local police.

Purcell in Antigua's prison was bugged. The killers were recorded

talking about a gun. They are still to Tran -- stand trial for two of

the murders. But if the deaths of Beragh and Catherine Mullany were

personal tragedies for their families and all who knew them, on

Antigua it hit the economy which relies on almost -- which relies

almost totally on tourism. I felt it very strongly in terms of what

has happened. It is like if this was done to a family member.

Generally this is how people in Antigua and Barbuda Bude this and

that is why we speared -- and that is why we spared no effort in

trying to break the situation and get to the root of it. Three years

on the shine is beginning to return to Antigua's somewhat tarnished

reputation. These convictions will help. But in many people's mind,

the island will always be associated with what happened to

Ben and Catherine Mullany, when Paradise became a kind of health.

The MoD to, there is the possibility of the death penalty

for the two men? -- Roger. That is right. The death

penalty remains on the statute book here, although no one in Antigua

has been hanged for 30 years now. Sentencing of the killers will take

place in September at the next session of the island's assizes.

The DPP says he really -- reserves the right to call for the death

penalty, although I understand that because Avie Howell was 17 when the

offences were committed he can't be its -- excluded. That is not the

case for Kaniel Martin. If the death penalty is imposed, there

will be a string of appeals. That will end with the Privy Council

sitting in London. The recent history of the Caribbean has been

that those death penalties will be overturned. That is as far as we

know so far. The men are also being linked to two more murders on the

island? That is right, two more alleged victims of Avie Howell and

Kaniel Martin, also shot at around the same time as the couple. I

understand the authorities are keen for that trial to go ahead. I

understand the families of those alleged victims are also keen for

that trial to go ahead and today, detectives from Scotland Yard who

were here to investigate that case as well are meeting with the

authorities to decide their next step. Roger Pinney in Antigua,

thank you. A 23-year-old mother who stabbed

her baby girl to death days before her first birthday has been ordered

to be detained in hospital indefinitely. Harley Ruck died as a

result of multiple stab wounds last November in a good third -- in

Abergavenny. Jade Ruck pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the

grounds of diminished responsibility, which was accepted

at Swansea Crown Court. A Gwynedd county councillor has

resigned after admitting today that he stole more than �53,000 while

working as a sub-post master. Magistrates heard how Dewi Lewis,

who run the Post Office in Penrhyndeudraeth, transferred money

into his personal account to help his failing business. He will be

sentenced next month. The Welsh government has stepped in

to halt the granting of a licence for a controversial water cooling

system in a power plant currently under construction in Pembrokeshire.

The �1 billion gas-fired power station is due to open next year.

The government says it wants clarification on a number of

matters before a decision is taken on whether to grant the permit. The

cooling system has attracted opposition from environmental

groups. A we want the Welsh government to

call in this application and looking up from the beginning, to

make sure the power-station is adapted to use a cooling station

which will not have majorette first impact on the marine environment in

Pembrokeshire, one of the most important marine environments in

Europe. Opponents call it battery farming

for cows. An intensive method of milking, where cattle spend most of

their lives inside. But Wales' only mega dairy is under threat tonight.

There are calls for it to be shut down because it was built without

Home to 1800 cows. Cwrt Malle in Llangynog near Carmarthen is Wales'

biggest dairy farm.. The cows I used to living indoors, FED high-

energy processed food and producing milk on a massive scale. The farm

is milking 350 cows are now. A cow is never away from food, water, or

the ability to lie down for more than an hour at a time. Howell

Richards got the idea from the United States, where you can find

herds tens of thousands strong. But his sheds come up and running for

more than a year, were built without full planning permission,

upsetting some neighbours. How can people put up a building and then

say, I've built it now, what are you going to do about it? It is

wrong. When we were building these sheds we were not looking at the

risks from the planning side of things. We had lost so much stock

to TB, so the idea was to build the shed to house the cows, three had

and 65 days, to take the animals away from wildlife and if we could

stop the link between the animal and the badger then hopefully we

would be free of TB. If Howell Richards does not get retrospective

planning permission he could be forced did demolish these sheds.

But they could be other mega dairy is coming to Wales for stopping

Welshpool, Fraser Jones wants to increase his heard five fold to

come, to 1000. Those plans have There is more on mega dairies on a

special programme tonight. The data in this programme, David Davies is

really hurting. It few suffered as much for their

medal in Beijing. With a year to go with the -- to the London Olympics,

we catch up with a swimmer David Davies.

This week we have been making our way across Wales' three national

parks. We have already travelled to Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia, and

tonight we are focusing on the Brecon Beacons, established as a

national park in 1957. Iolo ap Dafydd joins us from the top of

South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan. We are on the peak of Pen y

Fan. It is a very popular place, one of the most important and

famous landmarks in Wales, popular even at this time of night. About

half an hour ago I could have shown you the valley behind me. The mist

came in. It is always difficult for national parks across Wales to

balance conservation and tourism, especially with so many people

coming to national parks. One idea is to try and encourage a more

sustainable form of tourism, they want to attract people to come here

and watch the skies at night. They think they can because there is

less glare here from streetlights. Most people visit the Brecon

Beacons to watch landscapes like these, but now there is a new

attraction. They hope that visitors will be attracted to watch the

stars away from streetlights. are lots of opportunities for

amateur astronomers, because they will carry -- travel anywhere for

nice guys. They will take advantage of it. A quite a contrast to a

History Festival last weekend. The far more people came up and had

probably been anticipated. A it is great that lot of people have

turned up, but we are having trouble with the numbers. It is

difficult to contain, because there is no dual-carriageway that we can

negotiate. It is a balancing act between access to the almost 5

million who come annually, and protecting the site. People want

more access to the site, but we have to be very careful that we do

not damage the area. Due to its remoteness, the Galloway Forest

Park in Scotland was awarded the dark sky status two years ago,

which means people come from far away to watch the stars. The people

in the Brecon Beacons now want the same status, which it hopes will

boost visitor numbers here. Joining the is a man from the

National Trust. Rob, there has to be an impact with everyone coming

up it? Indeed. If you go back 50 years you are looking at a much

bigger place. A lot of erosion has taken place. You have a national

monument here. The we have a Bronze Age burial trained there -- burial

chamber here. I have seen the work on the path here, how much d'you

do? Consistently, we need more people. John, what about this

balancing act? You want to have access for everybody, but of course

conservation is important as well. It is a balance. We want people to

enjoy our national park, but at the same time we need to protect it for

ourselves and future generations. One of the key -- KE things is

enjoying the part sustainably. We would like people to stay longer.

Is that why this dark sky status is being aimed for? Yes. Star-gazing

is always sold out at the visitors' centre. We would like to attain

that designation, it would bring a new audience to the national park

and maybe they will stay overnight as well and enjoyed the Park the

following day. Lot of work to do on that. How long do you think it will

be before we can announce that you have got this status? It will be a

while yet. We need to take it a step at a time. We are in the

feasibility stage at the moment, to decide whether to go to a full

application, so it will be months rather than weeks. Thank you very

much. Believe it or not, half an hour ago, we had wonderful views!

We will have more from the summit of Pen y Fan later in the programme.

Wrexham Football Club have cancelled two pre-season friendlies,

after players were not paid this month. Dean Saunders has confirmed

his players have not received their wages. The Dragons were due to play

Colwyn Bay this evening and Vauxhall Motors at the weekend.

Cricket, and Glamorgan are struggling in their match at

Swansea. Northamptonshire piled on This week we have been meeting five

Welsh athletes with dreams of meet -- making London 2012. Nathan

Stephens from Bridgend has overcome massive battles in his life, and it

is in the javelin at the Paralympics that he is dreaming of

gold. He is the best in the world that

what he does. Nathan Stephens is Paralympic world champion as

javelin. He is the one to beat next summer in London. Every time I

throw I am intending to win that gold medal, and every time in the

gym is getting me stronger. It feels round the corner, and so you

do not want to miss any sessions a tour. I have been in the Aegean it

yesterday and and in pain today! It does not matter if it does not go

too well now, as long as I get the timing right. You know if you miss

one session, your chances could be down the drain.

In my classification all athletes have to be sick -- seated to throw,

so we do not get the run up. We have got to sit down and fro and

use our trunks, a little bit of leg, and our arms as much as possible.

Nathan's life changed dramatically on his 9th birthday, he was playing

on a railway line, slipped and lost both his legs. He was left fighting

for his life. The pain I put my parents and brother through, I

cannot imagine what they put them through on that day. But I wants to

prove to them that all the help they gave me has all been worth it.

The they have always been behind me, when I used to play ice hockey at

midnight, and my dad would be up at 5am, he would not hesitate to take

me and bring me back. They want to be a part of my life as much as I

want them to be, as they want to push me as much as I can, which has

been fantastic. Nathan likes to cook. He has become the face of the

BT phone book, posted through homes throughout Wales. When we first

moved in that she came and introduced herself, and so I do not

know if she was happy there were three lads living next door! I said

I was a Paralympian, and she seemed excited, especially as I was on the

front of the phone book. My identity is boiled! Nathan his

death and the raising the profile of Paralympian athletes. Training

every day can be exhausting, but winning makes it all worthwhile.

This row won him gold at the World Championships in New Zealand

earlier this year, and he is hoping that his javelin will soar next

summer. This is the one that won the gold, it is a carbon fibre

javelin, a lot stiffer than most javelins, and this is a great one!

Serve at once that, we are in trouble! I am crying! -- if that

one snaps. David Davies' dream of winning a

third Olympic medal seemed to be in disarray after he pulled out of

this year's world championships suffering from chronic fatigue

syndrome. While his peers were in China at

the World Championships, David Davies spent yesterday doing

interviews at the new Olympic pool. It is not where he plans to be, but

nothing has gone to plan this year. David has spent the last six weeks

out of the poor on the orders of his coach in a last-ditch bid to

lift him out of the rut which threaten to end his dream of

competing in London. I just felt lethargic and burnt out. There was

no point carrying on, we had to fix the problem, and so I saw some

doctors and sports scientists, and we decided that the best thing to

do was to take a break. It meant I had to pull out of the world

championships, but it is all about next year, and hopefully I can be

on form. Davies is a distance swimmer, and

one of Wales' greatest modern-day Olympians. He won bronze in the

pool at the age of 19 in Athens, and then four years later won a

silver in the open-water 10 kilometre race. That event will

provide the greatest chance of success in London, but until last

week it looked like he would not qualify. Two British swimmers

looked like they would qualify, but then performing poorly in Shanghai

has left the door open. It was out of my hands, but it was not totally

done and dusted. I am using it as a motivational tool to try and get

back. The qualifiers are next May, and I know that now I could

possibly be in, which is all I have wanted to do. It David only started

swimming again last week, and he will build up slowly in order to

avoid a repeat of his problems. body feels fresh already, and

mentally as well. Ear-biting get back to that form, it has been a

gamble, but it may pay off. I have got a second chance, and they do

not come around very often in sport, so I will do my best to make the

most of it. Let us go back to the top of Pen y

Fan if. Derek, we can still see! is damp and foggy here this evening.

I have to tell you, I hitched a lift up on a buggy with the

lift up on a buggy with the National Trust. Hopefully will be

walking back this evening. When it is clear, you can see for miles

near. You can see right to the Bristol Channel and across to

Swansea. The higher you walk, the higher you climb, the caller,

wetter and windier it gets. Tamara's forecast is for plenty of

cloud, but mostly dry. Tonight, a lot of cloud across the country,

the odd spot of light rain and drizzle. There will be some coastal

mist. Temperatures will be mild. High pressure will be close to

Islands tomorrow, so a lot of cloud. During the afternoon, most of the

country will be tried except for the odd shower in the south. Top

temperatures will be around 21 Celsius, with a light wind. A lot

of cloud across the Brecon Beacons tomorrow, otherwise dry. Tomorrow

night, generally dry. Saturday will be the best day of the weekend,

some warm sunshine. Sunday may start to dry, but we could see a

little rain on Sunday morning into the afternoon. That is it for me.

We are on top of Pen y Fan, the highest point in southern Britain.