27/03/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story:

Jail for the student who posted racially offensive remarks after

the collapse of the footballer Fabrice Muamba.

Tonight a salutary reminder for everyone who uses social media

websites - your words are there for Our other headlines tonight:

This forest fire is one of 200 since Sunday. The fire service says

it's putting the service under pressure.

They administer the law in England and Wales - but do we need our own

separate legal system? Failing to fill the gaps - the

government is accused of falling short on NHS dentists.

And I'm on Barry Island. It is a gorgeous evening here. Lots of

people here enjoying the late evening sunshine - but how long

Good evening. A Swansea University student has

been jailed for posting racially offensive comments on the Twitter

website after the collapse of the Bolton Wanderers footballer,

Fabrice Muamba. Liam Stacey from Pontypridd admitted posting the

comments hours after the player collapsed on the pitch. The chief

prosecutor for Wales says it's a warning to anyone making comments

A 21-year-old biology student, now behind bars for comments that

caused outrage. Liam Stacey's solicitor says he's deeply ashamed

of what happened. He'd foolishly lost his temper and his head when

he posted the remarks on Twitter ten days ago. At first, he made a

remark mocking Fabrice Muamba after he collapsed during an FA Cup tie

and was left fighting for his life. When he was taken to task for his

views, he responded with a string of racially offensive comments

aimed at other Twitter users. Police were inundated with

complaints and Stacey was arrested. On the day it happened, March 17th,

like many Welsh fans, Stacey had been watching Wales' grand slam

victory. The court was told he was drunk when he made the remarks. But

the judge said despite taking that into account, he must face the

consequences of his "vile and abhorrent" comments. In sentencing

Liam Stacey to 56 days in prison, the judge told him his comments

came at a time when not only Fabrice Muamba's family were

concerned about his well-being but the world at large was concerned

about him and everyone was praying for this man's life. His comments

aggravated the situation and he has done untold harm to his teacher. --

his future. There has been a reaction on Twitter to Stacey's

sentence with Lord Alan Sugar sentence with Lord Alan Sugar

sentence with Lord Alan Sugar saying "Be warned idiots!" Gary

Lineker posted "Let it be a warning Lineker posted "Let it be a warning

Lineker posted "Let it be a warning to all you immature souls." It also

sparked fury on BBC Five Live phone in. Bolton team mates have been

visiting Muamba today in hospital where he remains in a serious but

stable condition. Liam Stacey, who cried during the sentencing, has

also been suspended from his biology course at Swansea

University. The Crown Prosecution Service says it hopes it will deter

others. The growth of social media sites

like Twitter and Facebook has been phenomenal. Embraced by celebrities,

some stars have millions of people, called followers, who read their

tweets. The law has struggled to keep up with technology, but in

recent months there have been prosecutions for using social media

to abuse others. Caroline Evans reports

An investigation is underway after an explosion at Port Talbot

steelworks. It's just six years old but according to Twitter, 114

million people are signed up. Between them, they send 330 -- 314

million tweeds a day. It's little wonder the law has struggled to

keep up. It's a powerful communication tool, embraced by

celebrities as a way of speaking to fans but it can bite back. John

Hartson has announced he left Twitter, sickened by the hate

messages he received after he was This man is a character created to

sell a product that the man who plays him says he is also targeted

on almost eight daily basis by people who post offensive remarks.

Part of me thinks, that is par for the course. There is a fine line

between freedom of speech and somebody harassing you. I am in two

minds about it, if I'm honest. In one of the first cases of its

kind to reach court in Britain, Caerphilly councillor Colin Elms

Prix commented that a fellow councillor has been removed by

police from a polling station. It was totally untrue and it cost him

thousands of pounds in compensation. Law experts say the problem is that

people simply don't realise the consequence of saying whatever they

choose. People are familiar with offences

like robbery, rape or murder. They know the consequences. I wonder how

many people know the potential consequences of sometimes

instantaneously reaching for their computer Orok hand-held device to

put information into the public domain.

Last summer, the riots highlighted the impact social media was having

on our society. It was organised via mobile phones. Here in Wales, a

25-year-old man from Cardiff was sentenced to four years in prison.

At today's case in Swansea, the judge said the comments were vile

and operant and there was no alternative to an immediate --

abhorrent. There was no alternative but an immediate prison sentence.

Firefighters have been tackling more grass fires across Wales -

including one that's spread into forestry in the Rhondda. Five

hectares of grass are alight at Llanwonno near Ynysybwl - and have

been burning for five hours. Our reporter Sian Lloyd is there for us

this evening. When I arrived at 4pm, this area

was alight and the fire was in danger of creeping towards the road.

The firefighters were able to bring it under control but it has been a

battle that has been faced by firefighters up and down the

country since Sunday because since then, South Wales Fire and rescue

have been called out 800 and -- 102 times in North Wales. Fire officers

say it's putting their resources under pressure.

High on the hillside above Pontypridd, the fire spread. It

began early this afternoon and soon more than 30 Hector's were alike.

This is Forestry Commission land, many of the spruce trees were

planted more than five years ago. Within moments of catching fire,

they were reduced to cinders. The fire burns into the dense

undergrowth and it gets harder to deal with. They are deployed and

have moved the appliance into the area. They are using the water

hoses. This is to protect the road way so that there is no smoke

drifting over the carriageways and also to give us the advantage of

having put water on it so it doesn't burn back.

There has been a spate of incidents across the country. Today,

firefighters in North Wales were called to a large fire near

Llangollen. Near Bangor, 1,000 square metres of course was well

alight. It took almost five hours for the forest fire near Pontypridd

to be contained. We have three crews working in this

area. They are extremely difficult conditions underfoot because

although the grass is dry, it is quite boggy and hazardous underfoot.

We need to exercise extreme caution. The attention of the fire service

now turns to finding out the cause of the blaze but already tonight,

it's believed to have been started deliberately. The message from the

fire officers here who still are at the scene around and about this

forestry area this evening is for people to think about the

consequences, not only on their resources but also on the

environment. An investigation is under way at

Port Talbot steelworks. People in the area reported hearing a massive

bang at around 1:00am this morning. Tata Steel has confirmed an

incident took place, but says it was nothing major. One person was

taken to hospital with superficial burns. Councillors elected at this

May's elections will hold their seats for a five, rather than four

year term. Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant has

announced he's to move the local elections set for just over a

months time to the following year. The shadow Welsh Secretary Peter

Hain is facing legal action after he criticised a judge in his

memoirs. The Attorney General for Northern Ireland has been granted

leave to prosecute Mr Hain and his publisher for contempt of court.

The Neath MP says he's astonished by developments. Our parliamentary

correspondent, David Cornock is in Westminster, David what is this

about? The victims commissioner was an important job as far as the

peace process was concerned but Peter Hain's choice of appointment

was challenged in court and ruled by a judge that he had made it for

improper political purposes. Fast forward five years and Peter Hain

gets his revenge in his memoirs when he goes on the attack against

the judge. He attacks him of -- he accuses him of being idiosyncratic

and high-handed. It hasn't gone down well with the judiciary in

Belfast and the Attorney-General has now got need to prosecute Peter

Hain for contempt of court, which is a very serious offence.

What happens next? It will go before a Divisional

Court in Belfast next month, it depends then how much further it

goes along the legal process but contempt of court carries a maximum

sentence of two years. Peter Hain says he is astonished and he did

everything he could when he was Northern Ireland Secretary to

protect the independence of the judiciary and his publisher ara --

is also being sued. They say they will defend this vigorously because

it is about freedom of speech and it should not be against the law to

criticise a judge. Should cases which relate to laws

passed in Wales be heard in Welsh courts? That's a question being

asked by the Welsh Government. Today it launched a 12 week public

consultation into whether we should have a separate legal jurisdiction.

But Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan has poured scorn on the idea,

saying that the current system had served Wales well for centuries.

Here's our political correspondent Aled ap Dafydd. For two centuries,

laws have been made to uphold the law of England and Wales. Since

devolution, an increasing number of Lords are made in Wales. The Welsh

government is now asking if this new arrangement needs to be

reflected in our legal system. We now have a situation where the

increased powers of the Assembly in Wales to pass legislation in

devolved areas means it's inevitable that the doors in Wales

will be increasingly different from those in England.

When the Assembly passes an act, it becomes part of the body of law and

England and Wales, even though it only has a practical effect in

Wales. It is recognised by courts in Wales and England. If Wales was

to have its own legal jurisdiction, cases of laws passed by the

Assembly could only be heard by courts here in Wales and they could

even sit with the Welsh judiciary. A rather special manuscript.

Prior to 1282, Wales had its own legal system. They can be seen at

the National Library to this day. Some wouldn't see the light of day

today as one stated that a woman could only be beaten by her husband

for three things, giving away something she was not entitled to

give away, being found with another man or for wishing a blemish on her

husband's beard. The move towards the jurisdiction was created by

Henry VIII in the 16th century but some argue that model is outdated.

As more laws get made in Cardiff and importantly, as more laws get

made in London which are English only law. Look at the NHS reforms

in England, for instance. What you are getting is a divergence between

the law in Wales and the law in England.

Scotland and Northern Ireland already have separate juries ditch

its -- jurisdiction. Some say there is a case to preserve the Forrestal

-- the historical link between the English and Welsh systems.

Practitioners know the areas where the law of Wales will differ to

that apply in in the part of jurisdiction in England. That is a

matter for training but I don't think it necessitates a complete

split between the judiciary. Any move towards a separate

jurisdiction would be a matter for the UK Parliament. The Secretary of

State for Wales says she is surprised a consultation on the

matter is a priority for the Welsh government. Cheryl Gillan says she

is not convinced there is a problem to be addressed. The Welsh

government has no firm view but hoped to form an opinion in time to

submit evidence to the Silk Commission, which is looking at

further devolution. Much more to come before 7:00pm:

The boxer from Merthyr who missed the birth of his child to pursue

his sporting dream. And in search of the gospel truth -

is this really Britain's smallest Too many patients are still being

left without an NHS dentist - that's according to the Welsh

Liberal Democrats. They say the findings of a survey show only 37%

of dentists are accepting new adult NHS patients. In one practice it's

claimed the wait for an appointment was six years. Here's our Health

Correspondent, Hywel Griffith. This was once the reality facing

thousands of Welsh patients if they wanted an NHS dentist. Since then,

the queues have dried up, but according to the Lib Dems, there

are still visible signs of decay... Survey results from just under half

of Welsh dentists suggest only 37% were accepting new adult NHS

patients - a further 20% accepted children. Of those taking new NHS

patients, two thirds operated a waiting list - in one, extreme case

- the wait for a first appointment was six years.

So many practices simply are not taking on new NHS patients. For

those who are, they are limiting the care decrees. -- categories.

David Davies has spent the last 12 months looking for a dentist - he's

having root canal work done at this special unit in the Cynon Valley

which uses students to treat dentist-less patients.

It was impossible, in my local area. We are now in the practice now

because there wasn't provision there. NO-SPACE is it all in the

Cynon Valley. But for those who can't find help,

the problems grow. If they are untreated, things get

worse. Things that could be sold with a filling a few years ago

developed into more serious problems.

The frustration for many dentists is the current contract limits the

money they get each year so once the practice is full, and if they

seek they may not want to take on new patients for fear of doing more

work. The Welsh Government say they recognise access to NHS dentistry

remains difficult in some areas - but they are tackling localised

problems.. That includes testing new ways of funding that don't

depend on the contract - but it seems bridging all the gaps across

The funeral of Mervyn Davies has been held today. There will be a

memorial ceremony at eight later date. The chairman of Neath rugby

club says the debt will be paid in full. The club faces being wound-up.

He said the situation was being resolved and he was confident the

DEC would be clear that in the next fortnight. -- the debt would be

cleared. The line-up has been announced for

a concert in Cardiff, during the Olympic Torch Relay. It's taking

place at Coopers Field on the 25th May. The Welsh band Kids in Glass

Houses will perform alongside Emeli Sande, and the band You, Me At Six.

The event is free but tickets need to be reserved online in advance.

It was the end of a school torch relay it for students in

Carmarthenshire today. 19 schools in the area have taken part.

The schools have embraced it. The colleges have embraced it and make

it a success. We have just facilitated it and work with them.

All the schools have put 110% in two receiving the torch. It is

spreading the values of the Olympics and putting everyone's

effort into it and it makes a big difference.

Would you miss the birth of your child to pursue your sporting

dream? That was the dilemma facing Merthyr middleweight Kerry Hope. He

was offered the chance to fight for the European title, which meant

missing the birth of his daughter. Here's our sports reporter Ashleigh

Crowter. This little baby doesn't know what

the fuss is about. When she made her entrance into the world, her

dad was preparing for a boxing match which would change his life

and that of his family. He was given the chance to fight for the

European title at five weeks' notice and he took it with both

hands. No one had given him a hope against one of the best

middleweights in the world but the man from Merthyr pulled off a

massive shock. I felt like breaking down and

crying but after all the setbacks I've had in my career, it has been

the highlight. It means even more. Two years ago, he was considering

giving up the sport. Everything seemed to be going wrong. He lost

three fights and had others, including one in New York,

cancelled at short notice. I was going to go back to work and

forget about boxing totally. It would have broken my heart in the

long term, after giving it for 17 years. Somebody then picked me up

and said they would make me into a champion. I thought, why not? Let's

give it a try. Here I am today, European champion.

For the five weeks before the fight, he put everything into training. It

presented him with an awful dilemma. His partner was heavily pregnant

with the BBQ while he was away. I said, look, I think the world of

you and I really want to be there but I want to do this just to set

up a future for the family. I've done that.

I was a little bit upset but it has paid off in the end. It means the

world and he saw her the next day so I did my bit of hard work and he

did his hard work in the ring. The hands that one in the title are

now holding his baby daughter. He's enjoying spending time at home

before training starts again next month with the world title bout his

next goal. Unlocking the secrets of King Henry

the Eighth's warship, the Mary Rose in tomorrow's programme. She sank

in 1545 with the loss of nearly four hundred lives. The wreck was

eventually salvaged in the nineteen eighties, and now scientists at

Swansea University are analysing the bones recovered from the ship.

They're hoping to learn more about life in Tudor times - and find out

if these remains belong to Welsh archers who may have been on board

A tiny chapel in Conwy thought to be the UK's smallest church could

be about to lose its title. St Trillo's Chapel, in Rhos on Sea,

which still holds weekly services, has long considered itself the

smallest until a Church in Wiltshire questioned its

Visitors flock to St Trillo's Chapel in Rhos on Sea but usually

no more than two at a time because even when it's empty, there is not

much room to manoeuvre. Built on the original six century chapel

site, there are few churches this small and even fewer that hold

regular services. Nine people come here every week to worship.

It has a homely feeling about it. Time stands still when you go in

there. It's part of history, isn't it?

It's nice because there are so many things that are left to rot and go

but this has been taken care of. This church in Wiltshire is listed

in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest but at 12 ft square,

it may be a bit larger than St Trillo's Chapel in Rhos on Sea.

It is fairly small but personally, I'm not very concerned whether we

are the smallest or not but it's one of those things that is a

talking point and as long as the chapels are used, but the important

thing. The debate has been stirred up in

national newspapers this week with supporters of both churches

claiming victory. It's encouraging to see a chapel

which is almost always packed to capacity but the congregation don't

come here because it is the smallest church in the UK, they

will continue to come even if it turns out not to be.

Derek's by the seaside for tonight's forecast.

Welcome to Barry. A clear, blue sky. I used to build sandcastles on that

And it's same across the rest of Wales as well. Over the next few

days, there's plenty more fine weather and sunshine to come but by

the weekend it will turn cooler and cloudier. Now if you're suffering

from itchy eyes and the sniffles at the moment, it may be hay-fever.

The pollen count is high and trees are to blame. The sea temperature

is only nine Celsius. A big range - - Now today we've seen a big range

in temperature again. Tirabad in Powys started at -1 with a frost

but temperatures shot-up in the sunshine. The warmest place today.

Tonight dry with a clear sky. The odd mist or fog patch forming. It

will turn chilly again. Temperatures in mid Wales and the

border falling close to freezing with ground frost. Milder in the

towns and cities and coast. Tomorrow's chart shows high

pressure firmly in charge of our weather. But it will move over the

next few days allowing cooler air to arrive. Tomorrow it's a familiar

story. The sky clear again with the whole of Wales from Prestatyn to

Porthcawl enjoying 12 hours of sunshine. The whole country

enjoying sunshine tomorrow. And after a chilly start it will turn

out pleasantly warm. Top temperatures 17 to 21 Celsius with

light winds. Cooler on the north and west coast with a breeze off

the Irish Sea. In the Vale of Glamorgan tomorrow, another super

spring day. Temperatures in Barry rising to 19 Celsius with a light

breeze. Thursday dry and sunny. And it will turn out warm again.

However, the north and west coast will be cooler with an onshore

breeze. Friday dry and less warm with some patchy cloud and sunshine.

The weekend cooler and cloudier. Temperatures back to normal. The

odd spot of rain or drizzle on Saturday otherwise dry.

Temperatures back to normal for the end of March. So more sunshine and

beach weather to come over the next few days but cooler and cloudier by

the weekend. Enjoy the sunshine A student has been jailed for

posting racially offensive comments on the Twitter website after the

collapse of the Bolton Wanderers footballer, Fabrice Muamba. Liam

Stacey admitted posting the Commons hours after the player collapsed on