26/01/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story.

The Lynette White murder inquiry sparked a police corruption trial.

Now missing documents which led to the collapse of the case have been

Tonight's other headlines. The head of Wales' leading race

relations organisation under fire over allegations of financial

corruption and nepotism. The Welsh Government pulls the plug on its

funding. The Dyfed Powys Police helicopter

wins a two year reprieve despite plans for resources to be shared.

Luke Rowe is training hard to be part of the Olympic road race team,

aiming to deliver Gold for Team GB. From Steven Spielberg's latest

blockbuster, the four legged movie stars with a taste for Hollywood.

saw myself quite a few times. Good evening. Breaking news tonight,

documents that were thought to be shredded and led to the collapse of

a multimillion-pound police corruption trial have been found,

according to police watchdog The Independent Police Complaints

Commission. In December last year, eight former officers who had been

accused of perverting the course of justice in the Lynette White murder

trail walked free from court after the judge said they couldn't get a

fair trial. Sian Lloyd can bring us the latest. Sian what's happened.

The trial of eight former police officers on charges of perverting

the course of justice in the Lynette White murder trial was the

biggest case of its kind in British legal history and it collapsed in

spectacular fashion last month. Today the Director of Public

Prosecutions, Kier Starmer, ordered a review of prosecutions management

of the case. The documents found would have been evidence. It was

not known at the time what had happened to this evidence and the

judge said they would not get a fair trial.

December last year and eight former detectives walk free after a judge

ruled they couldn't get a fair trial. Bringing the case against

them on allegations of perverting the course of justice had cost some

�30 million. The officers had worked on the original

investigation into the murder of Lynette White, who's body was found

in the flat where she worked as a prostitute 20 years ago. Five

innocent men stood trial for her murder. Three were jailed before

being cleared on appeal. The detectives were accused of

mismanaging that investigation. But during their trial it emerged files

had been destroyed, leaving the prosecution to decide to offer no

evidence. The Director of Public Prosecution announced today that

the independent body Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service

Inspectorate will carry out this review. It will centre on how the

prosecution team carried out disclosure. Particularly whether it

was managed effectively and whether they followed relevant guidance and

policy. Disclosure is any information that undermines the

prosecution case or assist the defendant in his opera case. This

was a very serious case. A grotesque murder. Without all the

information being disclosed, there was every chance these defendants

would not get a fair trial. review will consider whether the

existing legal guidance is appropriate for such complex cases

and if appropriate make recommendations. One of the men who

went on trial for the murder was John Actee. He was found not guilty.

It is good news for the public, it will restore confidence. This has

been going on for 23 years. This is just a token to the public to show

we are trying to make it right. But they will never make it right.

was an interview carried out before we had the startling news from the

IPCC about the documents which have now turned up. The significance of

that will be digested tonight. Wales' leading race relations

organisation has had its funding suspended by the Welsh Government

because of accusations of financial corruption. An investigation by BBC

Wales' Dragon's Eye programme also raises questions about how much the

Government knew about alleged wrongdoings at the All Wales Ethnic

Minority Association. It is put to help the skills and abilities of

the diverse populations of the country. But there has been little

harmony at All Wales Ethnic Minority Association. It has a

budget of almost �18.5 million of public money. Following several

complaints about the chief executive, it has decided to

investigate some financial irregularities. The reporters

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

reached several critical The report recommended that both

should be suspended immediately pending a disciplinary inquiry and

Turin. For the people running the organisation, they have not

adequately follow-through on recommendations. They have taken

certain measures are but as I understand it, what they do would

not be deemed by many to be credible. Further investigations

will take place. More than �3 million is being held back by the

Welsh Government. We tried to interview the chief executive but

he refused. He said it would not be appropriate to comment while the

investigation was on going. You can see more on this story in

Dragon's Eye tonight at 7pm on BBC Administrators trying to sell the

collapsed retail chain Peacocks say they've had huge interest and are

now hopeful of finding a buyer for all of the business. Cardiff-based

Peacocks went into administration last week putting ten thousand jobs

at risk. Our business correspondent Nick Servini is in the newsroom.

The critical point about this business is whether it can be sold

off as a going concern or whether it will be broken up. There is a

strong indication from the administrators that it can be sold

as a going concern. This say about 50 companies have expressed an

interest in buying the company in its entirety of the substantial

part of it. That is good news for those in the headquarters and the

distribution centres in South Wales. The geographical spread of the

stores on the brand is attractive to investors. I am very positive we

would get a bidder for the business as a whole. Whether that hole is

wall of the 611 stores, we have to be open to that. An encouraging

sign for staff. It is the biggest business in Wales to have collapsed

in recent years. A number of reasons have been cited for the

failure. But the main ones are to do with the debts that were

incurred by a management buyout several years ago. The Whitaker

closer look to the deal which brought the company down. In the

years leading up to 2006, the company was undergoing big

expansion. It was a plc, listed on the stock market. It had bought the

Yorkshire fashion chain. But the growth was not enough for the

former chief executive. He felt the business was not being taken

seriously enough. He wanted to expand quicker. In 2006, he led a

management buyout in order to do that he had to borrow �460 million.

The last official company accounts we have date from 2010. By then,

the overall debt had risen to �586 million. The administrators now say

the overall debt stands at seven �50 million. That is about the same

as the overall sales of the company. It means every pound they take is

ultimately owed to somebody else. The reason the debts have graced so

much is because part of its borrowings called payment in kind

and notes. They have a very high interest rates. Interest payments

are deferred and rolled up for payment later on. They allow

companies to expand quickly by putting off repayment. But

eventually, those debts have to be faced. At the time of the

management buyout, the company owed �150 million. That debt had raised

to �300 million. The company then went into administration. It all

became too much for the company which went into administration

after talks collapsed on the repayment of part of the debt.

Andrew Williams is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

He is the chair of the Financial Directors Forum in South Wales. I

went through the company accounts with him. His conclusion is that

the borrowing made the company an accident waiting to happen. It is

about only -- it is a bit like only paying the minimum balance on --

minimum interest on your balance. What has happened is that the debt

is getting bigger and bigger. sad financial reality is that the

recent success of the company was reliant on a mountain of ever

increasing debt. How long before we can expect a deal to be completed?

We were given an indication today from the administrators that it is

likely to take a few weeks before a final buyer is singled out and

found. In the meantime, the stores are all open. Anyone who has been

to a store which a live about the heavy discounting that is going on.

Senior management are still in place for the time being. News we

had today was that the chief executive has resigned. He was the

man who masterminded the transformation of the company from

a traditional retailer into a fashion brand and he announced his

Nominations for the leader of Plaid Cymru close tonight. Four

candidates are in the running to succeed Ieuan Wyn Jones. Whoever

wins faces several challenges after disappointing results at last

year's Assembly election. Here's Mark Hannaby.

Who will succeed Ieuan Wyn Jones as leader of Plaid Cymru? Former rural

affairs minister Elin Jones learning to make cheese at a shock.

She has placed a Welsh independence at the centre of her leadership bid.

I want to see us break out of our comfort zones, and talk to people

of Wales about how their lives can be improved by greater decisions

taken about the future of Wales taken in Wales, ultimately leading

to us being a successful independent country. Lord Dafydd

Elis-Thomas was the presiding officer from the beginning of the

Assembly to last year. He says he is a pragmatist would be ready for

any opportunity to join Labour in coalition before the next Assembly

election. For Plaid Cymru to be able to express that democratic

will on behalf of the people of Wales, we would expect to be

affected, and that requires not talking about scenarios in 10 or 15

years' time but what we are going to do to create sustainable jobs

and an effective form of government and public services we can live

with and protect. Leanne Wood, a non-Welsh speaker from the ballet

school is learning the language, believes she has the potential to

extend the party's appeal beyond its traditional heartlands. I think

it is essential that we break through in the industrial

heartlands in order to become the biggest party in the Assembly. I

think I am able to speak to people in order to do that. So Simon

Thomas previously served as an MP for Ceredigion. He believes that to

win wider support for independence, they must first meet concerns about

the environment, jobs and the economy. A move to independence

need to be about more rich -- be more self-reliant and moving

forward as a nation. We have got to talk about the things people want

to hear this talk about rather than things that obsess the party

sometimes. Only one we have an opportunity to put his vision into

practice. The next leader will be announced on March 15th.

Still to come in the programme: Olympic hopeful Luke Rowe on the

tough competition for a place in the Olympic Road Race team. It is

not so many months until the names get selected so there are a lot of

us pushing for a place. And the stars from a Welsh stable

in Steven Spielburg's Oscar Today, the UK Government outlined

plans for a National Police Air Service, forcing forces to share

helicopters. Wales would be served by bases in Rhuddlan in

Denbighshire and St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. It had seemed as

if Dyfed-Powys Police's helicopter would be scrapped, but it's now won

a reprieve for two years. Jenny Rees is at its base in Pembrey

tonight. April 2011, and a car plunged into

a reservoir near Llanidloes, killing four members of the same

family. It's times like this when the police helicopter is scrambled

as emergency services struggle to reach a remote part of mid Wales.

The concern is that the helicopter based in Pembrey will be scrapped

after 2014 as a national police air service for England and Wales is

formed, Leaving Wales with two helicopters - one in the north, one

in the south - and a potential fixed-wing plane based in

Haverfordwest. Today, the Police Minister in Westminster said he

would order forces to work together. I think it is important that we now

have the opportunity and the police authority has an opportunity to

argue the case and to prove how essential this service is in Dyfed-

Powys. I don't think a plane would be able to carry out that kind of

work. A plane cannot land anywhere so this service has the opportunity

to argue the case and to prove its worth. Dyfed-Powys Police say that

today's announcement by the minister was unexpected and they'll

be seeking reassurances from the Government that the national scheme

won't reduce services to the area. In an age where we have to look at

saving every penny in every pound, we have got to make some tough

choices. The proposal does mean extra resources could be freed up

to save police officers' jobs. For me, that is a real priority and I

am pleased we can do that in a way that does not sacrifice the a

support service. At a time when budgets are under increasing

pressure, experts say we should expect more shake-ups in the future.

For now, the service for Mid and West Wales remains. In the meantime,

a fixed-wing service will be trialled somewhere in the South

Wales area as a potential alternative in the future.

This is all part of a wider attempt to save �15 million, with police

helicopters and bases being cut by a third around the UK. Those

expensive flights would only be made if they were necessary.

Wales' new football manager Chris Coleman has confirmed that former

team-mate Kit Simons will be joining his backroom staff. Symons

played with Coleman for Wales and Fulham, where he's currently a

youth team coach. Coleman also confirmed he plans to hold talks

with Raymond Verheijen, who was assistant to the previous manager

Gary Speed, next week. He could still be retained alongside Symons.

The players will respect him and like him. He brings different

qualities. For me, as the manager, I need somebody that I know and I

have known him a long time. I have got tremendous trust in him. I will

be looking to bring him in in some capacity. But that does not mean we

are going to lose any body. Winning more and qualifying for

tournaments - some of the main aims of a football strategy for Wales

announced today. The Football Association of Wales has been

outlining what it wants to see happen in the game over the next

four years. It also wants to see women's and junior football develop.

This is about all aspects of football, football throughout the

country. Getting more volunteers involved, getting more referees

involved, getting more coaches out there. We have been successful in

many areas and we want to continue to be successful. A strategic plan,

a vision, is an integral part of making sure that is a reality.

Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers says he'll sign a new

contract with the club in the next few days. Rodgers says he's agreed

the terms of the deal with chairman Huw Jenkins, which will keep him at

the Liberty Stadium until the summer of 2015. He's currently

employed on a rolling one-year contract.

He could have a key role in delivering Team GB's first gold

medal at the Olympic Games. Cyclist Luke Rowe from Cardiff is in

contention to be picked for the Road Race, over 150 miles, and help

deliver success just hours after the opening ceremony. Tomos Dafydd

caught up with him. On the streets where he started as

a toddler on a tandem, Luke Rowe's focus is now on reaching the

Olympic Games. We have had some tough camps in my yorker, getting

hard yards in, and it is not so many months away so there are a lot

of us pushing for a place. Of out of 15 contenders, only five will be

paid to represent Great Britain in the road race over more than 150

miles. If selected, Luke Rowe will not be pursuing individual glory

but working in a team focused on giving the strongest rider the best

chance of winning. We already know that Mark Cavendish will be the

main man in the road race. Every other rider that gets a place in

the squad will be looking after him and trying to get him to the finish

line. It is a lot about aerodynamics so if I can shelter

him from the wind and keeping hydrated and fuelled up throughout

the race, it is going to help. having been a part of the Olympic

development programme, he now trains with the British Cycling's

elite at team sky, and his success, he says, is down to good genes.

has been in the generations for many years. Both my parents cycled,

both sets of my grandparents are cycled. At the age of eight I got

into it but I got to Ian to go on my own so my dad bought two tandems.

I went on one with my dad and my brother went on with my mum. We

went around the lanes of South Wales. From then I just got hooked

and it has gone from strength to strength. Rest days at home are

rare. His family are happy to have him back before he returns to

training in Portugal in a few days. There was a huge gap because he

lived away from home. But it is back to normal now. A fall at linen

basket most days. By what macro admits he has got a huge challenge

if he is going to compete at the Games but if he is picked he could

ensure a vital part that the first medal at the Games will be awarded

to Great Britain. And we'll be out on the lake at

Team GB's rowing headquarters tomorrow, assessing Welsh athletes'

chances of making it to the Games. It's the number one film at the box

office with six Oscar nominations, but most of its stars prefer a

muddy field to a red carpet. War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg,

tells the story of a horse during the First World War. The cast was

boosted by animal actors from Llanberis in Gwynedd.

If any of these faces look familiar, then it's because they're movie

stars. And Diablo is riding high after performing in the blockbuster

War Horse, being ridden by his Dylan's spent the last 15 years

hiring out equine actors to film- makers and teaching his charges all

kinds of impressive tricks which he learned as part of this stunt show.

He provided 15 horses for Steven Spielberg's epic movie and, though

filming was completed 18 months ago, he's only just had a glimpse of his

handy-work. He was on set all day and every day and he was a

wonderful guy to work with. He knew exactly what he needed. I went to

watch it last week and I saw myself quite a few times. I was a British

cavalry man and then I saw myself as a German soldier quite a few

times I. It was quite funny because a couple of my staff were going,

there is you. Dylan's father started working on films in the

'70s and now Dylan offers specially trained horses which can cope with

battle recreations or even fire. As well as the new series of the BBC

Wales drama Merlin, he's also worked on the sequel to Clash of

the Titans and a version of Snow White for major Hollywood studios,

and both are due to be released this year. His four-legged film

stars have had a busy couple of years on the big and small screen

and new editions are rising all the time, being trained, and will

eventually see more staff from this stable.

Time for the weather forecast, and some areas hit by snow this evening,

It has turned colder. Some sunshine but also some heavy downpours. Hail,

thunder, sleet and snow, especially in the south. Ian James sent this

picture, stuck in traffic. Don't go near Dowlais top A465. Snow causing

big delays. Rachel Mathias sent this picture of hail covering her

car in Hakin. Now, there's more showers to come tonight. Some heavy

with hail. Snow in places but mainly on the Cambrian mountains.

After midnight, more of the country will become dry. The sky clearing

and it will be cold. Temperatures falling close to freezing with a

ground frost in places sheltered from the breeze. Tomorrow's chart

shows low pressure over Britain and that means unstable air and more

showers. So, tomorrow morning, a cold start. A slight frost in

places inland. Most of the country will start dry, but there will be a

few showers around. Windy on the north and west coast. Now, I can

promise a little sunshine tomorrow but, like today, the air will be

unstable with showers. Most of the showers in the north and west. Snow

mainly on high ground above 300 metres or 1,000 feet. Top

temperatures around 6 or 7 degrees Celsius with a chilly breeze. The

wind brisk and gusty on the north and west coast. Tomorrow night, it

will become dry. Clear skies and cold. Temperatures falling close to

freezing or below with a widespread frost. As for the weekend, some

uncertainty. It now looks as if Saturday will be the best day. Dry

with sunshine and light winds. On Sunday, though, there is a risk of

rain. This may turn to snow on high ground. Beyond that, knowing what

is going to happen next week is giving forecasters a headache.

Britain will be in a battleground between cold air to the east and

mild air to the west. It's hard to say which one will win. Our final

picture tonight is from Iona Rees. A dusting of snow on Bwlch y Groes

near Dinas Mawddwy. Thanks, Iona. There are more showers to come

It is coming up to 7pm, the main headlines from the BBC. It's a

school in north Somerset has been accused of failing to protect its

pupils from a sexually abusive teacher. He was jailed last year

after admitting 36 offences. An inquiry found senior staff did not

act on repeated warnings from a fellow teachers.

Documents from the original Lynett White murder inquiry that were

thought to be shredded leading to the collapse of a multi-million-

pound police corruption trial have been found still in South Wales

Police's possession. Eight former officers who worked on the case

walked free from court last year after the judge said they could not