20/09/2012 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today with Sarah Teale and me, Dominic Heale.

Our top story tonight: A former asylum seeker is jailed for ten

years for the brutal rape of a He attacked the girl in an alleyway.

We speak to the passer-by who came to her aid. She was naked. I told

her to come off the road, gave her my jacket. She was clear even to me.

Also tonight: Travellers set up camp at a school, leaving the head

teacher facing a huge bill. This is public money part-time when cuts

are in place, and 83rd of a teacher I have to spend. Two people are

accused of manslaughter over this kebab shop explosion. And it's a

task as big as the Games - and with the firm delivering Olympic village

Good evening. Welcome to Thursday's programme. First tonight: A judge

has praised the actions of a teenage good Samaritan who came to

the aid of a rape victim who'd been forced into an alleyway and

attacked. The 17-year-old girl was raped by an asylum seeker after

she'd been on a night out in Nottingham City Centre. Her

attacker was today jailed for ten years and told he could be deported.

Here's our chief news reporter Quentin Rayner.

Mr corral is an illegal immigrant from Sudan seeking asylum who had

been granted leave to remain. In March this year he targeted a 17-

year-old girl who was very drunk and led hope -- led her to a

secluded area. CCTV footage clearly showed him pushing her along the

street. She was stumbling and he was holding her up. He pulled her

into this alleyway where he raped her. He then stole her phone. She

was stripped naked and unable to call for help. She staggered to

Lower Parliament Street where 18- year-old Elliot found her. She was

stood there, but naked, saying help me, help me. She said, help me go

home. I said come off the road. I gave her my jacket. She said help

me, don't let me go. I said to him, come over here. He walked off, I

followed him, and he tried to run off. Afterwards, he took her to a

nearby Salvation Army hostel to try to get help and spoke to the

receptionist via the intercom. said, she has just been raped. They

said, we can't help you. All we do is help males. What did you think?

I was shocked. Eliot himself is no stranger to violence. When he was

seven, it will be-year-old doused him in petrol and set him alight.

His �500 reward has set him back. didn't know I would get that. It's

fantastic. Yesterday when Koran -- current pleaded guilty,, he wept

and pleaded against deportation. The judge said, anyone with

anything about them would have wanted to help that girl, but you

brutally raped her and left her helpless.

On the response from the Salvation Army, we had a statement. A

Salvation Army spokesperson said "We are appalled at this horrific

"We are appalled at this horrific crime. We have no record of the

allegation made today in court but will be investigating this further.

We would never knowingly turn away a person in need and are concerned

Next tonight: Travellers have set up camp on a school field in

Nottinghamshire, causing disruption for hundreds of pupils. The

headteacher says he'll now have to find thousands of pounds from his

budget to get them evicted. Our social affairs correspondent Jeremy

Ball reports. The main entrance of Chilwell

School is a caravan site tonight. Nine trailers moved into a field

protected by wooden stakes. The headteacher asked them to leave,

but for now, they are going nowhere. Pupils were kept away from the main

entrance to prevent any friction. Now the school is getting legal

advice from counsel, but it will still have to find up to �10,000 to

clear the site, because Chilwell has foundation status and runs its

own budget. I was fuming. This is public money at a time when cuts

are in place, and that is a third of a teacher I have got to spend to

try to move people on, and I had no choice in this. They just put

themselves there. I have no objection to the travel lifestyle,

but I'm going to fight this, because I refused to take that

money out of my school budget. travellers say they don't want to

cause any trouble, and claim they are only here because they can't

get a permanent caravan site. is no way to go. But they find a

nice site for us, we will go there. All I want is a sight. I'm getting

too old for this now. I would love to settle down. The travellers say

they will stay here until they are served with a legal notice. They're

expecting to get moved on in a week or two, and they said that before

they leave, they will clear the site up.

If in other News tonight: Police have begun a murder investigation

after a man's body was found at a house in Rutland. Officers were

called to Gaol Street in Oakham just after 7.30 this morning. A

post mortem examination's due to be held to establish how the man died.

Four men have since been arrested. Police are appealing for witnesses

who may have seen something The former leader of Leicestershire

County Council is to be asked to pay back more money he claimed for

trips to Europe. David Parsons quit as Tory leader in July after he was

found to have breached the councillors' code of conduct over

his travel expenses. He's already apologised and repaid more than

�2,000. Now the council says he owes for a further 39 trips. Mr

Parsons says he never received the Still to come on the programme: Can

singing help people with dementia? At this class they're convinced

that music can improve life for Two men charged with manslaughter

have said they didn't think anyone would be killed as a result of a

plan to set fire to a Leicester kebab shop and claim on the

insurance. The building was totally destroyed when it blew up. A body

was then found in the remains. A forensic scientist giving evidence

to the trial said that gas could have caused the explosion. Simon

Ward reports. The shutters were blown 50 metres

by the explosion early on 29th August last year. 41-year-old Fayez

Ansari was found dead in the rubble. He was said to be part of a plan to

cause a fire and then a claim on the middle -- the insurance. In a

statement given to police, Chagas' Khan said he worked there but had

no financial interest in the business. He thought he would be a

lookout and carry bags Quah fire as Ansari court started what they

thought would be a small fire. But he heard a roar and there was fire

everywhere. He didn't think anybody would be killed. 25-year-old Shao

scene from Birmingham with the long dark hair has also been charged. In

a police statement, she said she had driven fermenter the kebab shop

and dropped them off. She also thought this planned to start a

small fire, but she told police that and she waited nearby, a man

she didn't know ran up and put a bag of clothes in her car. Forensic

scientist James Howarth gave expert evidence to say up to 17 litres of

petrol could have been used, and a lighter was found near the body.

While he said there was no evidence to show gas pipes had been tampered

with, gas was more likely to make the explosion happened. He

confirmed it clothes found in a car did have petrol on them. All the

charges are denied, and the trial continues.

Hundreds of fish have been killed by pollution caused by a massive

fire at a wood recycling centre. Oxygen levels in the Erewash Canal

dropped dramatically overnight, and workers are now trying to save the

The fire broke out on Saturday night at the plant at Stanton by

Dale in Derbyshire, and is still burning. Our reporter Simon Hare is

down by the canal now. Good evening, Simon. Hello there.

This is Sandiacre lock on the canal in Derbyshire at the centre of the

pollution aspect of his major ongoing incident. As you say, the

large fire actually began on Saturday night at the would

recycling plant at Stanton by Dale. There have been hopes that the fire

service could start to scale down its operations there later tonight,

but I am told just a short time ago that flames were seen again, and

the fire service has had to bring in another crew. Lots of work to be

done by the Environment Agency here. Mark, how bad has the pollution

been to the fish? It has been quite a big incident. There are a lot of

staff on the ground looking after this one. A lot of organic matter

from the fire-fighting water has got into the canal. It is

unavoidable. It is not toxic, but what it does is it reduces the

amount of oxygen in the canal, which means the fish can't breathe.

And hundreds have been killed? unfortunately. But we have been

oxygenating the water to get more oxygen in there to help the fish.

We think we have saved quite a few thousand. But you have another plan

as well? We do. Hopefully tomorrow we're going to mobilise a team of

people to move the fish, scooped them further up the canal and put

them in some fresh water so they can breed there. Mark Haslam from

the Environment Agency, thank you. We hope to have an update on the on

going rescue here in our late bulletin tonight.

Thanks, Simon. Next tonight: the research which could benefit women

going through fertility treatment. The Care Clinic in Nottingham is

investigating a new technique which could help patients get pregnant.

First, though, fertility doctors want to recruit 200 women to take

part in a clinical trial. Our health correspondent Rob Sissons

Louise Brown, the first baby from IVF, in vitro fertilisation. Thats

where the egg and sperm are mixed in a lab. The embryo is then

implanted into the woman. The latest research follows on from

another world first - the birth of baby Oliver, created at Care in

Nottingham. A woman had had 30 failed attempts at IVF. She was in

her Fortes. She underwent this test for the first time, of the first

embryo transfer that she had with this chromosome test produced baby

Oliver. You can't tell through a microscope whether the fertilised

embryo has abnormalities, but at Can a developed this test. We want

to find out whether the young woman who has to go through IVF for the

very first time, if she were to have this chromosome assessment

test on her embryos, eliminating those, probably up to 40% that have

a chromosomal of an anomaly, would we improve the chances of a healthy

life birth? The test involves taking a single cell from the

embryo. Human cells have 46 chromosomes, 23 inherited from each

parent. Before an egg is fertilised, it ejects half its chromosomes to

make way for the 23 coming from the Mail. These discarded chromosomes

are a mirror image of those remaining in the end, and it is

these that are tested. If the chromosome balance is wrong, the

end is discarded. It took three goes at IVF for baby

Tyler to arrive. His mum, 23, worry throughout the pregnancy, and is

backing the technique. I look at him in amazement every day. He

doesn't even look anything like me, I wonder if they put the right peg

back! Because he has ginger hair. But my partner has ginger hair as

well. 200 women aged under 35 are being recruited for the clinical

trial. The tyre firm Dunlop is to match

the amount of money raised from the sale of iconic racing items at

Donington Park. The Leicestershire site auctioned off several

landmarks last weekend, among them the famous bridge, which was bought

by Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans. Dunlop says it'll donate a further �1,500.

The money will go to a small Leicestershire and Rutland based

Good news. And now news of another milestone for one of the East

Midlands' most successful businesses. S&A Foods in Derby

started off with one woman cooking samosas in the family kitchen.

These days the company employs nearly 600 people and makes ready

meals for shops and supermarkets throughout Europe. Now a sculpture

has been unveiled to celebrate the firm's 25th anniversary. Jonathan

When this family moved to the UK in the Seventies, the country wasn't

exactly bursting with culinary choice. Indian food wasn't widely

available. I went into the business because I wasn't satisfied with the

quality of what were selling at that time, especially Indian food.

I knew I could do better. started making samosas in her

kitchen. The company's first big break was with that the supermarket

chain ASDA. We told them that we were still at home, we didn't have

a factory. They liked the openness. And they started to sell her dishes.

The ready meal market grew, and people started to notice her.

1994, Midlands businesswoman of the year,. The workforce is now over

600, and the Derby-based company has an annual turnover of more than

�75 million. This morning to mark their quarter-century in production,

a sculpture designed by local artist was unveiled outside the

factory. I'm very pleased it's finally over and unveiled, because

we have had to work in secrecy for the last nine weeks. As you can see

behind us, it is fantastic to see it out there, and that is great to

see people looking at it. Portland limestone hand is based on

the chef's own hand, holding items like cheese, cinnamon and onions,

just sum of the ingredients for her From community choirs to karaoke

bars, singing has always been known to lift people's spirits. But for

one group in Nottingham, it could also have physical benefits too. A

new singing class has been set up for people who suffer with dementia.

Organisers say music has been shown to improve memory, concentration

and general health. Tom Brown # Guide like to teach the World to

sing in perfect harmony... #. nice to be able to do this together.

It is the social aspect of the sessions that I enjoy, and they

think Carroll enjoys it as well. When the music is on, there is any

me corresponds, and when the Archers is on, you often get up and

start dancing to it, don't you? I do. They all have different

backgrounds, different forms of dementia and different musical

favourites, but today, everyone was here for the same reason. Sydney

has been proven to be good for us. It gives you an indoor fin boost.

It is good feel circulation. So even though you might have got to a

point where you perhaps don't remember how to speak or you don't

remember your name, or you don't communicate as you used to, you

still have that ability some were to still sing the song. The session

also gave the carers, often a partner or child, the chance to

meet people in similar situations. When you are looking after someone

24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they can't speak, it is quite a

lonely experience, you know. It is a lonely life. Just watching people

who have participated in the sessions, you can see people really

coming out of their shells. It has been brilliant to see that.

Alzheimer's Society one now take a series of taster sessions across

Still to come on the programme: Mementoes of the 2012 London Games.

And it's amazing what been snapped up -- - everything from coat-

hangers to this umpire's chair. New And when Carol once new balls,

that's what she gets. Colin, you were at the Olympic Games. Did you

take anything? I may have purloined a BBC umbrella which are thought

was surplus to requirements, but it turned out it wasn't! I had to send

it back. First tonight, the striker who

hasn't been able to score. Leicester's David Nugent is

celebrating today after his 100th goal in professional football. But

he's had to come through the worst spell of his career to get to the

He is one of the sharpest shooters. A man who has scored a goal every

Capped by England. But after his 99th goal of stable, the scoring

dried up for 11 games until last It feels great. I have tried to

keep quiet for the past couple of games. The gaffer mentioned it in

the team talk at the start, so there was a bit of pressure to get

the hundredth goal. He his 100 was far from his best, a bobble off the

shin. But it came at the right time. He set up the 2-1 win over Burnley.

The visitors had taken a tense minute lead last night. Vardy's

clean strike and the goal from Nugent made sure the 100 party

wasn't spoiled. A lot of pressure is off now. I just want to get

Leicester back up the table. 100 up, but his favourite was one

for Leicester. The one that sticks in my mind was Southampton away

last year. I wanted to just stick one in. That smile says it all

tonight! It does indeed! I will have a beaming smile on my face now.

He and happy man. In cricket, the domestic season may be over, but

the World Twenty20 is here. England are in Sri Lanka hoping to defend

their crown, starting tomorrow against Afghanistan. The team is

looking good, winning warm-up games against Australia and Pakistan. And

the East Midlands influence is huge. From Sri Lanka, Joe Wilson reports.

Sultry humid Colombo in September seems a fair distance away from

Nottingham, but the England team here, let's face it, was built in

Trent Bridge, whether it was Alex Hales who will start things off on

the bat or Graeme Swann to tie things down with the spin, and

Stuart Broad who has the responsibility of doing just about

it a thing. He will become the first England captain ever to lead

the team against Afghanistan, and it goes without saying he doesn't

want to be the first England captain to lose. We know they are

going to be a dangerous side. That is important we don't focus too

much on that, and we really look at ourselves and get our disciplines

right. We have got some really good players in our unit. This is the

biggest test of Stuart Broad's career. Being Twenty20 captain

means you really have no time to stop and think about your decisions,

and you have to bowl as well. But at least he will have the

familiarity of a number of his Notts team mates. Also preparing

for a big match are Rugby's Leicester Tigers.

They've made an excellent start to the season, but face reigning

Champions Harlequins at Welford Road on Saturday. Tigers may look

strong, but Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill insists that

Quins pose a massive challenge. They are yet again that pace-

setters, so we need to make sure that we get it right. We need to

try to put that right. But they are a good side, they are playing very

well and have started the season very well. A couple of other things

briefly. Nottingham Panthers say their match with Sheffield Steelers

this weekend is heading for a sell- out. It's the first encounter of

the season between the two old rivals. And we need to send good

luck wishes to cyclist Lucy Garner. Today she turned 18. Tomorrow she

defends her World Junior Road Race title in Holland. It's not her

ideal course, but hopes are still high. And today marks the

anniversary of the death of Brian Clough.

The Olympic Games have of course finished, but it seems people still

can't get enough of London 2012. So much so that momentoes from the

Athletes' Village and other venues are being bought by excited

souvenir-hunters. Now a Nottingham firm has the Olympic-size task of

delivering the goods to their buyers. We sent Carol Hinds to find

Welcome to a warehouse full of items from the Olympic Games. They

have been bought through an online sale by people wanting a memento of

London 2012. The task of sending the furniture, fittings and

equipment to their Byers has been won by Nottingham company.

Currently in the system there is just in excess of 7,000 orders, and

some of those are for single items, some for multiple items. It is a

bit like a giant jigsaw puzzle. You can't complete the jigsaw puzzle

until all the pieces are on the table for you. Where a customer

wants one item, that is easy. As soon as the item comes in, we can

dispatch it. But if that customer wants, for instance, a bean bag of

one of these chairs, we have to wait for the other piece of the

jigsaw to come together before we can dispatch both items. And it's

amazing what has been snapped up - everything from coat-hangers to

this umpire's chair. New balls, please! The Games are over, but

there are still plenty of action in the Olympic village. The apartments

that were used by the likes of Chris Hoy and Rebecca Adlington

will be rented, while everything else that made these flats an

athlete's home away from home is being sold off. Among the most

popular items are these green bean bags. I wonder if Mo Farah sat

here? This could be a share -- a chair that Usain Bolt satin,

Jessica Ennis, Tom Daley, we don't know. I am told that the sale is

still on, so you've got time to buy an item from the athletes village

It is worth a punt! There could be a gold medal stuffed down the back

of the sofa. It is unlikely, I would say.

Whether time now. Is the autumn We are keeping an eye on this,

because it is yacht not yet confirmed that we will be seeing

some wetter weather. We have seen some lovely clear skies over the

last few days, but it might seem like a distant memory at the moment.

Please keep your weather pictures coming in. As far as tonight is

concerned, we have a band of rain sitting to the north of the country.

It has been producing some showery bursts of rain throughout the day.

For the showers are starting to diminish, but we then see them

replaced by rain coming down from the north. A minimum temperature

tonight at 11 Celsius. Tomorrow morning, that front is slowly going

to work its way southwards. It is weakening as it comes up against

high pressure, probably producing the odd heavy burst. Coming in

behind it, a clearer skies. Daytime temperature tomorrow under a

westerly breeze probably around 14 Celsius, but cold temperatures

Friday-night into the early hours of Saturday, and that is due to the

high pressure. We could quite easily go down to about three

Celsius in rural areas. This also puts us in good stead for a nice

day on Saturday. It will feel a little fresh at times, and daytime

temperature of around 14 Celsius. But by the time we get to Sunday,