14/10/2016 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to the programme. Tonight's headlines:

Ched Evans says he's overwhelmingly relieved after being cleared of rape

but apologises wholeheartedly to all those affected by the case.

And a call for urgent action to protect Welsh children from air

Overwhelmed with relief - that's how former Wales

international footballer Ched Evans described his emotions on hearing

that he'd been found not guilty of raping a 19-year-old

It took the jury less than three hours to reach its verdict.

The striker had originally been found guilty of the offence in 2012,

before his conviction was quashed in April.

Some of the best years of his footballing life spent in jail.

Only now has he been found not guilty.

Thanks go to my friends and family, most notably my fiance, Natasha.

She chose, perhaps incredibly, to support me in my darkest hour.

Whilst my innocence has now been established, I wish to make it clear

that I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone who might have been

affected by the events of the night in question.

The second bank holiday Sunday of May 2011, a night out

A 19-year-old woman leaves a club for this takeaway.

Here she meets Clayton McDonald - a friend of Ched Evans.

The pair get a taxi back to this hotel.

After a text from his friend, Mr Evans diverts his own taxi back

He joins his friend and the woman in the room and also

has sex with her, later leaving by the fire exit.

The woman later told police she had no memory

"The next thing I remember is waking up in a hotel not dressed.

She claimed she was too drunk to consent to sex with both men.

Clayton McDonald was found not guilty at a trial in 2012.

He was not called as a witness in this retrial.

But the jury at Caernarfon Crown Court found Ched

A promising Wales international, a Sheffield United star striker,

After half of a five-year prison sentence was served,

clubs that considered signing him were subject to protest.

Then came a campaign to clear Ched Evans' name.

I made an incredibly foolish decision and failed those people

A website offered ?50,000 for information leading to his

The Court of Appeal overturned that previous conviction for rape.

A retrial ordered to consider that fresh evidence.

That fresh evidence came from two men, one who slept with the woman

two days before Ched Evans, one who slept with her

Both said she used certain phrases and took control

Mr Evans told police she used the same phrases and took control

in the same way when he and her met in that hotel.

One of the witnesses said the woman also didn't remember details

after a night out with him, despite not appearing that drunk.

He was asked by Mr Evans' defence QC...

Now 27 years old, Ched Evans returns to a football career

He plans to get married and have more children with his fiancee,

Natasha, who has been at his side throughout this entire process.

In the last hour, the Plaid Cymru AM Dafydd Elis-Thomas has

The Dwyfor Meirionydd AM told his local party this evening

that he will sit as an independent AM in the Assembly.

The former Presiding Officer had previously been disciplined by Plaid

leader Leanne Wood for criticising party policy.

Plaid Cymru say it will now select a new candidate for the seat

as constituents who were misled by the AM at the recent Assembly

election will expect a by-election at the earliest opportunity.

A coroner has criticised Swansea Council for missed

opportunities to make changes to a road where a police officer

Sergeant Louise Lucas was struck on the city's Kingsway

Acting senior coroner Colin Phillips recorded her death as being due

Urgent action is needed to protect Welsh children from potentially

That's according to the British Lung Foundation,

which says 40% of councils here aren't monitoring air

They're demanding the Welsh and UK governments act now.

Wales already has some of the highest rates

particularly in and around our cities.

The British Lung Foundation says exposing children to more polluted

But they say monitoring of pollution levels outside schools

41% of councils in Wales do not have monitoring of air pollution

outside schools at all, and the vast majority of those that

do are only monitoring outside one school.

But here in Torfaen, environemtnal health officers

have a number of different monitors at various locations,

like outside this primary school in Cwmbran.

We're very lucky in Torfaen in that we haven't had to declare

The air pollution is being measured as good and beneath

Pollution can adversely affect children with conditions

That is something the parents at Geraint Richards

He had an asthma attack two years ago which led to a cardiac arrest

They believe pollution could have been the trigger.

Asthmatics are so sensitive to environmental changes,

You have got high levels of traffic going in and out.

At the beginning of school and at the end of school,

large numbers of buses outside waiting, engines running.

The British Lung Foundation have now launched a petition to get more

stringent monitoring of air quality outside schools.

But the Welsh Local Government Association has defended councils.

They say all 22 authorities are members of the Wales Air Quality

Forum, which uses an intelligence led approach to monitoring air

A dementia champion from Denbighshire is working

with Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board to find innovative ways

of reducing anxiety for others with the condition.

Chris Roberts from Rhuddlan will road test ideas from small

businesses which use technology to help make hospital visits easier.

He was diagnosed with dementia in his early 50s.

People don't know that you need help because it is an invisible illness.

I thought, with technology these days, there has to be something out

there that can help and people don't know to develop it unless you ask.

Football, and Neil Warnock marked his first game

in charge of Cardiff City with a highly-charged derby

Peter Whittingham's first-half penalty put Cardiff

ahead after Craig Noone was tripped by Joe Bryan.

Debutant Sol Bamba doubled the Bluebirds' lead,

only for Bristol's Lee Tomlin's to make it 2-1 at full time.

Rugby, and three of the Welsh regions were in European

At the Liberty Stadium, the Ospreys ran in seven tries

The Blues secured a 33-20 win over Bristol in Ashton Gate.

And the Newport Gwent Dragons beat Brive 37-6 at Rodney Parade.

Time to look at the weekend weather now.

There is a change on the way for the weekend. It is going to turn milder

but with rain at times and some sunshine. If we take a look at the

map, overnight drive for a time but more persistent rain pushing in from

the south and west. The high pressure over Scandinavia allowed

this low to the south-west to move closer, bringing some rain, and

southerly winds introducing milder air. Tomorrow, some early rain

spreading northwards, clearing to leave some fine weather across the

UK. That continues to move north eastwards, bringing rain at times.

Pushing into the eastern side of Scotland. Dry in the South before

another friend starts to pushing from the south-west later in the

day. Feeling milder. Across Wales, the North hanging on to the sunshine

for longest as further rain, heavy at times, spreading from the south

later. Tomorrow night, rain moves north eastwards, clearing for a

time, but squally showers developing. The cloud holding up the

temperatures overnight. Sunday is looking breezy with a mix of

sunshine. Scattered showers and quite windy, especially along the

coast. But not as cold at 14-16dC. A mix of sunshine and showers over the

weekend. Some of the showers could be heavy with a risk of thunder.

More settled on Monday. We're back at 5:30pm

tomorrow evening. From all of us on the programme,

have a lovely weekend. Join me on the Red Button

immediately for a very special

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