24/02/2012 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today, with Dominic Heale, and me, Anne Davies.

Our top story tonight: Jail for a conman who swindled his

victims out of more than �1 million. Malcolm Green offered financial

advice, then cheated people out of their life savings. He stole from

old-age pensioners and took from children. Can't get much lower than

that. Also tonight - sunk. The men who

hid cocaine among tropical fish. will be getting a demonstration in

exactly how the drug smugglers managed to do it and we will be

looking at other unusual ways dealers have managed to hide drugs

to get them into the country. Plus, mind the doors. Prince

Charles takes charge of a Tube train in Derby.

And they've never been seen before. We'll be showing you pictures of

the young Queen stored in a box for Good evening and welcome to

Friday's programme. First tonight, the conman who stole thousands of

pounds from the widow of a man killed in a terrorist attack. In

total, Malcolm Green swindled more than �1 million from dozens of

people who trusted him with their life savings. Among them was one of

his friends, the wife of a man killed in the 7/7 London bombings.

Today, Green was jailed for five and-a-half years. From Derby, Simon

Hare reports. Is there anything you want to say

to those who have lost money? so, so sorry. Seriously... Malcolm

Green arrives at Derby Crown Court to learn his fate. He had admitted

defrauding some of his clients out of more than �1.1 million. I hope

the judge gives him what he deserves. On behalf of my family

and the other victims. He had run his independent financial advice

service from this shop in Derbyshire. Much of the money he

had been given to invest was cash that people had inherited. Among

his victims, the widow of a stand Brewster from Derbyshire. He was

killed in the 7/7 bombings or stop Sandra, seen here at the unveiling

of a memorial to her husband, lost �30,000 to Green. She was trying to

rebuild her life with the money left to her. He deceived her trust.

She was a family friend and he took her money. I really do feel for her.

Sentencing Green to 5 and a half years, the Recorder told him, these

people trusted you and you blatantly deceived them into

thinking they were saving for their future. In fact, you were stealing

their money. He stole from old age pensioners and took money from

children's funds. Can't get much lower than that. If he spent the

money on propping up his business, as well as holidays, drinking and

gambling. He had this deluded belief he would win the lottery and

pay people back. They are now waiting to see if they will receive

any money as compensation from the financial authorities. The court

heard that Green doesn't have any assets and he was ordered to pay a

total of �1 towards the �1.1 million he stole.

Still to come on the programme, Gurkhas on guard. A Derby security

firm takes on 70 ex-soldiers from Two Polish men have been each been

jailed for 11 years for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the UK from

Columbia hidden among tropical fish. The drugs were followed from

Heathrow to Nottingham. The 17 kilos had a street value of �4.5

million but more than 16,000 fish died in the operation, as Sarah

Teale reports. These are some of the few fish

which survived the drug smuggling operation. 16,500 did not. The

trouble fish were brought into the UK from Colombia along with 17

kilos of cocaine. -- tropical fish. They came into Heathrow and were

driven up to Nottingham. The drugs were stored with the fish in

plastic bags. They had a street value of �4.4 million. Customs

officials were watching this house in Nottingham, where the drugs

ended up. They raided it last summer and arrested the two Polish

men. Off today at Nottingham Crown Court, the men were sentenced for

conspiracy to import cocaine. The case is highly unusual but Dr

Gareth Cave, from Nottingham Trent University, demonstrated how the

process of disguising drugs in water is fairly simple. Beware of

purifying it, add some water and then we just need to add some heed

to get it to dissolve. As you can see, after a few minutes, it is

dissolved. There is very little difference from what water looks

like in the first place. So the new pop that it into this and the

process reverses. Their new filter it and you can see the drug

molecule at the top and the water at the bottom. Customs officials

say the most common ways of drugs being smuggled into the country are

by hiding them in luggage or using human drug meals. But they say

criminals are having to come up with increasingly inventive ways of

hiding the drugs. Heroin was found inside these wooden pallets.

Customs officers X-rayed the his golf clubs and found �2 million

worth of cocaine inside. Drugs were considered -- found inside these

rolls of ribbon and even inside yams. The men were sentenced to 11

years each in prison for their part in the multi-million-pound drug

smuggling operation. Our chief news reporter, Quentin

Rayner, was in court today. Thousands of fish died as a result

of this smuggling operation. Was it because of the cocaine? No. The

fish were not swimming in water full of cocaine. What happened is

that the cocaine was in separate pouches stitched to the bags

containing the fish. What killed the fish was the fact that they

were picked up so late from Heathrow and they died from a lack

of oxygen. So the fish and cocaine were in separate carriages. The

majority died in a dummy run in April. 16,000 died where no drugs

were involved. They were abandoned in a lock-up in North London. A

further 500 died when the actual operation came into effect in July.

26 survived and are at London Zoo. Thank you.

A coroner has said that a series of complications combined to cause the

death of a Derby woman following a gastric band operation. Claire

White lost her life after a procedure at the Royal Derby

Hospital in 2010. Today the coroner said a rare but recognised

complication began a fatal chain of events, as James Roberson reports.

Claire White, a 37-year-old mother of three, wanted a gastric and

operation to help her Louis weight and counter her diabetes. She was

considered a suitable candidate. But the operation in October 2010

lead, some days later, to severe infection. Today, in a narrative

verdict, the coroner said her condition was made worse by the

fact she had diabetes, which had caused heart disease and a large

clot on her lung. He has severe infection is most likely to be due

to the rare but recognised complication of gastric and erosion,

where there is weakening of the adjacent cells, thus allowing

movement of the bacteria from the stomach. In this situation, the

gastric and irritates the outside of the stomach, opening up

microscopic poles, which then allow dangerous bacteria to escape into

the chest cavity. The gastric band was removed and the doctors managed

to creep feed complication but the coroner said the complications

together set in motion an inevitable chain of life-

threatening illness which even further surgery and time in

intensive care could not stop. In the past, Claire White's husband

and children expressed shock at her death but today, her husband said

he had no a further comment. An inquest has heard how an 84-

year-old woman from Lincolnshire died after spending the night in

the grounds of her care home in sub-zero temperatures. Dorothy

Spicer, who was from Market Deeping, was found in the grounds of

Whitefriars residential care home in Stamford in November 2009. It's

understood Mrs Spicer, who suffered from Alzheimer's, had been there

eight hours. The Prison Officers' Association

says it's furious that no action is to be taken against a prisoner

who's alleged to have attacked staff at Nottingham Jail. The

incident at the start of January is said to have involved an inmate

serving an indeterminate sentence. Nottinghamshire Police say an

initial decision not to bring charges is now being reviewed.

The Derby train-maker Bombardier says it has been given a big morale

boost from a visit today by Prince Charles. Last year, the company

announced 1,400 job losses after losing out on the �1.4 billion

Thameslink contract. But it's already won another smaller order,

and there are hopes of more to come. Today the Prince toured the site

and even had a go at driving a Tube train, as Mike O'Sullivan reports.

The Prince on the production line. Bombardier in Derby. Carriages for

the Underground. And meeting those who make it happen. A father and

son, the third and 4th generation of their family to work here.

lost a contract last year so obviously we were down but now we

are positive and the short-term future looks good, and hopefully,

get a few more contracts and go on a bit longer. Obviously, my son has

just started life here. We have a future that is looking quite

positive at the moment. Hopefully he can work here as long as I have

if he decides to. The Prince was given a chance to drive one of the

trains. This, part of their London Underground contract that runs

until 2014. With the Thameslink contract going to Germany, this was

the only one left for Bombardier. It had been feared the plant could

close but a lifeline came over Christmas and New Year. Another

order worth �180 million from Southern Rail. The staff who turned

out to see Prince Charles today have been told their stability is

secured for three ideas. After Bombardier's recent troubles, how

secure is the long-term future beyond the three years they have

been talking about? Three years does not mean this site went be

here in three years. On the contrary, everybody is used to the

fact that sometimes a new order comes in and sometimes they fade

out. But it is vital that new orders come through. They need to

keep skilled and trained workers in these jobs. They were delighted to

see Prince Charles today generating support for the UK's Last train

maker. Staying with trains and the railway,

there's renewed optimism tonight among campaigners pushing for the

electrification of the Midland Main Line. It follows comments by the

Railways Minister. Theresa Villiers said the scheme had been

prioritised and will be considered for funding in July. So could this

long-running campaign to speed up journey times to London finally get

the go-ahead? Let's find out more from our political editor, John

Hess, who's near Nottingham station. Good evening. Nottingham Railway

Station is about to undergo a multi-million pound revamp. But

don't expect any quick improvements in journey times. For passengers

heading to St Pancras, it'll still take up to two hours. And here's

why. The Midland Main Line links the East Midlands with London and

Eurostar. But the line is only electrified as far as Bedford and

that's for the Thameslink service. Electrifying all 170 miles of the

line, say campaigners, would slice up to half an hour off the time

from Nottingham and Derby to London. From Leicester, it'll be less than

an hour. But isn't the Government priority

to build HS2, the new high-speed railway? How realistic is

electrification of the Midland Main Line? Two reasons. The case itself

is said to be very robust and persuasive. Secondly, the

Government is looking around to fund infrastructure projects that

might kick-start economic revival. The go-ahead for the A453 springs

to mind. And here's another clue. A question put in Parliament by

Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth to the Railways Minister. There are

widespread concerns that because of HS2 and other pressures,

electrification will not go ahead for quite some time. Elettra

vocation of the men lack -- Midland Main Line has been prioritised in

our industry plan. -- electrification. In this way, we

will look at what will be funded in the next period and we will give

further details on that statement in July.

The Railways Minister was wearing a sling after breaking a collar bone

in a cycling accident. Expect an early invitation for the minister

to let the train take the strain and try the Midland Main line for

herself. I am sure we wish her a speedy recovery! Thank you.

A Derby-based security firm is hiring Gurkhas who've left the

British Army. Around 70 former soldiers from Nepal are being used

to guard buildings and construction sites across the country, as our

social affairs correspondent, Jeremy Ball, reports.

They have come from a remote mountain kingdom in the Himalayas,

but now these two are guarding one of Nottingham's most iconic

landmarks. It means security here at Wootton Hall is in experienced

hands, because the soldiers have a fearsome reputation. They served in

the Falklands for the British Army. They are very polite and they are

not afraid of her thing. We can put them on a contract -- construction

site to deter a cable theft. People will think twice if they see

Gurkhas there. People have asked us if we have any we can offer. It is

all the result of this - a high- profile battle by Joanna Lumley

whose campaign gave Gurkhas the right to campaign -- to settle here

if they had been in the army. future is very good here in England.

I have bought my whole family in England. There is a lot of

corruption in Nepal. England is very quiet. It is a good, nice

place. A good life here. Former soldiers from Nepal are becoming a

familiar sight on patrol. With more cuts in the pipeline, this company

will be looking for more Gurkha recruits.

Coming up later, some blue-sky thinking, from Anna.

But time now for the sport. Over to Colin.

On the way, Forest and Notts. But before we get to them, last night's

action, because here should be plenty of smiling faces in

Leicestershire and a few despondent ones over the border in Derby.

That's because it was the Foxes who came out on top in the big East

Midlands clash at Pride Park, and Angela was there, too.

Come on, Leicester! Come on, Derby! It should be a good game because

there is such rivalry. Beating Derby is the ultimate goal of the

season! We need to win today. If we don't, I don't think the play-offs

will be hours. The opening at Pride Park of a game about so much more

than rivalry. Derby are in dire need of a goal and a change in

fortunes. The first half was all about Leicester. Tremendous

pressure on the Derby goal finally paid dividends. It could have been

three or four. The second half, though, was a different story.

Derby did their best to stop Leicester's domination. But a goal

proved a bit elusive. It was down to the Frank Fielding to keep

things going. It is all we asked the players, to do everything they

did it the second half. Lots of endeavour. For the foxes, a double

over their East Midlands rivals. Eight points off the play-offs,

this was Leicester's night. Although we made it a bit difficult

for ourselves at times, we still showed a resilience and a mental

strength that I am very pleased So, with those two sides meeting

last night, that just leaves us with Nottingham Forest playing in

the Championship tomorrow. They've got a tough game away at Birmingham.

But things suddenly look much more positive for the Reds, as Kirsty

Edwards reports. There's been plenty of doom and

gloom at Nottingham Forest lately. But now, just lately, maybe that is

starting to lift. It has been pretty amazing for this lot. Last

week, six points from safety. This week, three points above the

relegation zone. Yes, the Reds have been helped by a bit of luck. The

10-point deduction from Portsmouth. But also a bit of magic. That win

against Coventry. A long time coming -- coming, we know that. But

huge pressure on our lads last week. I thought at half-time we made the

changes and settle them down a bit. I thought in the second half we

were by far the better team. flag! It is 2-0! It is very big

psychologically to go into the bottom three. We are looking to

build on the performance we had on Saturday. Tomorrow, the Reds face

Birmingham. This time they are facing a team at the other end of

the table. They are doing really well in the Cup so we know it will

be a tough game. We will go there and tried to get something from the

game because we have everything to do for every game. We know we have

lots of games to go with plenty of twists and turns. We have trained

just as hard this week as every other week and we just have to make

sure we stay focused and be determined. It has been such a

relief for everybody involved with Nottingham Forest to get out of the

bottom three. How they would love to stay there.

Amid all the change at turmoil at Notts County, easy to overlook that

tomorrow's game is actually with near-neighbours Chesterfield. The

Spirits have struggled, while Notts are still realistic play-off

contenders. And new manager Keith Curle has been hugely impressed

with his players. Fair play to them. Good application,

but desire, but willingness. And under very difficult circumstances.

It has been a very emotional time. I am aware of that and am very

respectful of it. But at the end of the day, they use football to

express themselves. BBC Radio Nottingham is the place

to be for full coverage of both Forest and Notts County tomorrow.

Your first chance to see the goals is, of course, right here on BBC

One. Other sport, and Leicester Tigers'

pursuit of a top-two Premiership spot continues tomorrow afternoon

at Welford Road. Newcastle are the visitors. Captain Geordan Murphy

plays his 300th game for the Tigers. Also tomorrow, Nottingham have

their final game before the play- offs away at Bedford Blues.

Nottingham Panthers are home to Cardiff tomorrow night and away in

Fife on Sunday. Derbyshire's Superbike star Leon Haslam will

find out in just a few hours if he can compete in Sunday's season

opening race in Australia. Haslam broke his leg in a crash on Monday.

Astonishingly, he thinks surgery yesterday may mean he can be on the

grid. And wishing all the best to the

Derby Trailblazers basketball team. They're in the EBL Trophy Final

against Bristol on Sunday. If you fancy going, it's in Leicester at

the Braunstone Leisure Centre. Now, we're going to see millions of

pictures of the Queen this year, what with the Jubilee. But the ones

we're about to show, you've probably never seen before. It's

because they've been stored away in a box for decades. They were taken

by Brian Mitchell, who worked at Heathrow Airport some 60 years ago.

They ended up in Long Eaton and Kylie Pentelow's been to see them.

It was a farewell to... It was also, as events turned out, goodbye.

last time Princess Elizabeth would see her father King George VI alive.

He waved her off to Kenya. And standing watching this momentous

occasion, Brian Mitchell, who worked in the Met Office just next

to the airstrip. These are the pictures he took. Not professional.

Just snapped he and his family would be proud of for the rest of

his life and beyond. I think they are incredible. He wasn't a

photographer or anything. These were amateur shots that he had

developed and he has captured quite a significant point in this

country's history. Amazingly, Brian was also there with his camera when

Elizabeth returned from Kenya. Her father had died. She was now Queen.

Acceding to her father's throne immediately. There is no a break in

the continuity of the British monarchy. Until now, these pictures

have been hidden away. In the album in a box. We have occasionally got

them out and looked at them but probably only a couple of times in

the last few years. They were just many of the boxes we packed up

after we lost bro. I was unsure what they were. Years ago, I saw

them. I am glad they have properly serviced and people can take an

interest in them. In the album, Brian has written captions beneath

the pictures. The last reeds, and what of the future? Could he

imagine that with a click of the few -- the shutter, he captured the

I love that footage. Such elegant dresses. What you mean "to those

We have had a lovely end to Friday, with the sunshine coming out just

before it got dark, and we will continue to have plenty of sunshine

over the weekend. Tonight, dry with clear skies. And this picture shows

them at their best. Thank you for that. If you have any weather

pictures, do send them in to this address. Today, we reached a high

of 15 degrees Celsius in these middens. A couple of degrees cooler

than yesterday but still great temperatures of this time of year.

We have kept hold of the milder air coming in from the North. But as

that sinks south through the night, we have much cooler a behind it and

we will return to what is normal for this time of year over the

weekend. -- cooler at Ayr. We have had the skies clearing and that has

allowed for the early sunshine this afternoon and then we have clear

skies overnight. A bit of cloud filtering in overnight. A low of

two degrees, which is more likely over the Derbyshire Peak District.

If you live in a rural spot, you could get a bit of frost. But for

most, we wake up tomorrow morning with a glorious start and looking

like a pleasant day. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of

nine degrees, maybe 10. Cooler than what we have been used to but

fairing quite nicely for February. The good news is, we are in for

another nice day on Sunday. A high of nine to 10 degrees. We get a bit

cooler over the weekend but as we go into Monday and Tuesday, but