20/09/2013 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today with Quentin Rayner and me, Anne Davies.

Tonight, eight years for a paedophile who posed online as a

teenage boy. This is the moment he was confronted by paedophile

hunters. I found out she was 15, but I cannot remember if that was after

or before we consented to sex. Also, this simple device designed to

prevent mistakes. Why hospitals not using these? Plus, charged with the

murder of the family of four. An 18—year—old man appeared in court.

Leicestershire play their first YB40 final for 24 years.

Good evening. First tonight, a man confronted on camera in a sting by

amateur paedophile hunters has been jailed for eight years, for sexual

offences and grooming a teenager online. The group of parents from

Leicestershire, who call themselves Letzgo Hunting, had been approached

by the 15—year—old's mother, who asked them to investigate her

concerns. They've been criticised as being vigilantes who don't

understand the risks involved. This report from Marie Ashby.

Caught on camera. This is the moment 24—year—old James Stone was

confronted by paedophile hunters, Letzgo Hunting. We've got a copy of

all your conversations with us and copies of pictures you sent. Letzgo

Hunting had been approached by a mother worried her daughter was

being groomed. Without our involvement, he would never have

been arrested. Nottingham Crown Court was told

Stone had posed as a 16—year—old schoolboy in an online chat room.

What were contained in those pictures, because you said some were

dirty? Yes, there was one of my penis there. Have you still got

copies of these pictures? I believe so. Sorry, I don't want to see them.

I know you're looking for them. If I look at them, I am looking at

indecent images of children. All right, OK. He lured her back to his

flat, shut the door, bolted it, and that was it. She couldn't get out,

and she was there for hours, going through this hell she has been going

through. Stone worked at this pub at Lenton in Nottingham. Letzgo Hunting

set up online decoys. Thinking he was chatting to a 15—year—old, he

admitted he'd had sex with the girl in question. After a confrontation,

they told the mother to go to Nottinghamshire Police, who did

their own investigation and arrested Stone. We've just persisted to try

and get him behind bars for as long as possible, and it wouldn't have

happened without Letzgo Hunting. James Stone pleaded guilty to seven

charges, including grooming, sexual offences, and possession of extreme

pornography. In a statement, Nottinghamshire Police said Stone

not only preyed upon his young victim in the guise of a schoolboy,

he did it in the family home and during school time, under the noses

of the adults in her life, because James Stone was hiding in her mobile

phone. The national organisation which protects children online says

paedophile investigations should be left to the experts. Confronting

people is really bad practice. It risks loss of evidence, people

panicking, and possibly harming children as a result.

Nottinghamshire Police say Letzgo Hunting's involvement did not lead

to James Stone's conviction. The Crown Prosecution Service told us

that because Stone pleaded guilty, there was no trial, so no evidence

was tested in court. Inside Out's Marie Ashby is with us

now. You've been talking to Letzgo Hunting since May — who exactly are

these people? It is a group based in Leicestershire, and the people I

have met, there are three men, who have families and children of

varying ages. They say they are concerned patients, parents who want

to protect children from paedophiles, and fearful of their

safety because of what they do. How do they operate, and was this a

typical case? This was an unusual case, because a mother contacted

them, feeling her daughter was being groomed. This is not usually how the

work. They set up profiles using pictures of teenage girls as decoys,

and see who approaches them. The police have real concerns, don't

they? They do, and Leicestershire police have had the most dealing

with them, cause Letzgo Hunting of Beeston Leicestershire, but the deal

with them and have a relationship with them. The force will not

endorse them, because they both say that it would absolutely employ the

public to come forward to them if they have any suspicions of criminal

activity of any kind. —— implore the public.

And you can see a lot more of those interviews and the confrontation

with James Stone on Monday's Inside Out East Midlands. That's at 7:30pm

on BBC One. The mother of a teenager who died

because of a hospital blunder is frustrated technology to prevent a

repeat of the tragedy still hasn't been taken up across the whole NHS.

Wayne Jowett from Nottinghamshire died when a powerful cancer drug was

wrongly injected into his spine instead of a vein. Our health

correspondent Rob Sissons reports. In 2001, 18—year—old Wayne Jowett

was in remission from Kenya. Then, in an act described as gross

negligence, doctors wrongly put this into his spine instead of a fine. He

suffered and agonising death. He only had one more treatments, and he

would have out of the air, walking out of the hospital with his family.

It needs to be used everywhere, not just any few places. Wayne's mother

and grandmother cannot believe the devices designed to prevent Bess are

not being used by every hospital. I want to see it in every hospital

around the world. If it is going to be introduced, bring it in. Don't

hold back. Get it going. Only 55 Acute Hospital trusts are known to

have taken up the fail—safe devices. The man who led the enquiry says it

is vital the rest follow. There is a small chance that the events that

occurred to Wayne Jowett all may happen again, and I want to see all

trusts using these connectors as soon as possible, because that

reduces the risk of that event ever happening again. This is designed to

save lives. What you have here is the red one dessert —— designed for

the Spain, and the other for the vein. The connectors will not screw

onto the wrong one. Wemyss family spends years campaigning, and now

the Health Secretary is being lobbied, and they have a meeting

with the chairman of the health select committee to get more trusts

to use these devices. In a moment, the Labour leader talks

exclusively about one of politics' hottest topics. The weather is also

hotting up. Probably not hot enough for one of these, but certainly a

whole lot better than what we have seen of late.

Hundreds of people are gathered at a church in Leicester this evening for

a multi—faith vigil to remember the victims of a fatal fire a week ago.

A mother and her three teenage children died in the blaze in the

Wood hill area of the city. Today an 18—year—old man appeared in court

charged with murder in connection with the fire. Also at the vigil are

the family and friends of a 20—year—old football coach who was

killed a week ago in the city. Our reporter Eleanor Garnier can tell us

more. Coming together in shock, after the

loss of loved ones. People from across the community arrived at

Saint Peter's Church in Leicester for a prayer vigil for those who

died. Exactly one week ago, I e—mailed and her three teenage

children died in a house fire on Wood Hill in Leicester. Chennai

Latour freak, her 19—year—old daughter, Xena, at and Jamil, who

was 15, also perished. 18—year—old Kemo Porter appear today at

Leicester Magistrates' Court charged with their murder. In a brief

hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name, address, and that he

understood the charges. He was remanded into custody and will

appear via video link at Leicester Crown Court on Monday. Meanwhile, at

Leicester town Hall, the inquest into the four deaths was opened and

adjourned. The coroner heard that the four bodies had to be a gent is

—— identified by dental records. They had all died due to smoke

inhalation. The bodies will be buried in Ireland, where their

father works as a neurosurgeon. Until the bodies of a mother and her

three children are released, the funeral must wait.

A derelict rectory in Loughborough has become a target for drug use and

anti—social behaviour. The house on Steeple Row, which is close to a

school, has been empty for almost four years since it was sold to a

developer. Now, residents have handed a petition to the local

council, calling for it to be pulled down. Charnwood Borough Council says

it has investigated the site and has a demolition notice from the site

owner which should start in the next six weeks.

More staff are being taken on by East Midlands Ambulance Service in

Leicestershire and Rutland. A recruitment event is being held in

Narborough. At least 25 jobs are on offer, including qualified

paramedics and also emergency care assistants, who would receive

training for the job. Labour's conference is about to

start this weekend, and ahead of it, this evening Ed Miliband has

announced the party will scrap what it dubs the bedroom tax. The

Coalition, of course, refers to it as the spare room subsidy. The

Labour leader has been talking exclusively to the BBC English

regions. Earlier, I spoke to him in his Westminster office and I asked

him what impact scrapping it would have in the East Midlands.

It will help lots of families. Tens of thousands of families across the

East Midlands, and it will make a real difference to them. And how are

we going to do it? We're going to end the boardroom tax loopholes that

have been introduced by this Government, and use this money to

end the bedroom tax. I think that's the right thing to do, because we

have so many families who are struggling with the unfairness of

the bedroom tax, the hardship. There aren't other properties for them to

move to, and two thirds of the families are disabled, so it is the

right thing to do. A Labour government would end the bedroom

tax. According to your figures, it would affect 40,000 claimants in the

East Midlands. What do you say to people in arrears? Don't pay,

Labour's going to save you? What I say to the 40,000 families across

the East Midlands who've been hit by the bedroom tax is that we will end

the bedroom tax. We will do it by closing the boardroom loopholes. It

is the right thing to do. Obviously, people have to wait 18 months or so

for the election, and a Labour government being elected, and will

have to be dealing with their councils on the issues that they

face. We're going to get rid of it as soon as we can, and we are

serving notice that that is what a Labour government will do. It is the

right thing to do, because so many families, two thirds of whom are

disabled, are really been hit by the bedroom tax. And it's the wider

issue for our conference — how you tackle the cost of living crisis,

not just on the bedroom tax, but on every issue facing families in

Britain. One other thing I need to ask you about is High Speed two. It

will eventually connect with the East Midlands. KPMG, the

accountants, say it will bring upwards of £2 billion a year to

boost Nottingham and Derby's economies. You think that is

plausible? Well, I'm a supporter of High Speed two, but we've got to

make sure it's value for money. As we've said, there can be no blank

cheque for any project, particularly at this difficult economic time, but

the reason I'm a supporter of High Speed two is precisely because of

the economic benefits that come with it. But I think the British people

and people of the East Midlands would expect a Labour government or,

indeed, any government, to make sure that we keep the costs under

control, and that's what the Labour government would do. Ed Miliband,

thank you. Thank you. And I'll be discussing the implications of

Labour's policy decision on the Sunday Politics Show at 11am here on

BBC One. People who use skin lightening

creams are being warned they could be damaging their health. It comes

after a check by Trading Standards officers in Derby. Tests found that

half of the treatments bought over the counter had traces of mercury.

From Derby, Simon Hare reports. It is a skin lightening cream, but

it actually contains mercury. An undercover Trading Standards officer

explains what was found in a spot check on one Derby shop. All ten

hair and skin products were incorrectly labelled, but five of

them were potentially harmful to health. This hair dye contained

lead, while four of the skin lightening creams had traces of

mercury. If people persist and use it on a regular basis, it could lead

to brain damage, kidney failure, your nervous system can go, and it

is important that consumers and traders are aware of exactly what is

in these products. Although these products are perfectly legal in

their country of origin, usually the Indian subcontinent, the contents

mean they are banned here. But they still end up on sale in the UK. Many

also question why people would want to use such creams. A lot of people

just feel that if their skin was lighter, it might give them more of

an opportunity to get on in life. It's the wrong kind of attitude to

have. At this Derby hair salon, which has many black customers, the

owner worries about the growth in this market. I find it really,

really strange, how people want to lighten their skin. I find it weird

when people of ethnic origin want to go on a sun bed, also. I don't think

these kind of creams work. If anything, it's going to do a lot

more damage than good. These products will now be destroyed, and

a survey of other shops across the city is being carried out.

They say you reap what you sow, and our colleagues at BBC Radio

Leicester have proved it and impressed the boss as well. This

Spring, their Grow Your Own project got people planting loads of fruit

and veg and the harvest has been bountiful. Here's Ady Dayman.

The studios here at BBC Radio Leicester have been transformed to

celebrate the culmination of the Grow Your Own project, which started

in spring. The idea is to show people how easy and how productive

it can be to grow your vegetables. It is also fine as well. —— fine as

well. There has been a lot going on today.

We have had special harvest songs, people bringing in their own

produce, cooking demonstrations, even the director—general of the BBC

showing a keen interest in the whole project. Although supermarkets and

other places make wonderful vegetables, there are something

about something you grow for yourself. Well done, this is

absolutely fantastic! This produce was grown from seeds given away at

the start of the project, and a primary school was one of the

growers. That is nice! Is everybody ready to get planting? Yes! Hands up

if you enjoyed the Grow Your Own project. And what did you enjoy most

about it? Which they did you enjoy growing the most? Sweetcorn! It has

been wonderful. The children have taken so much from it. They are

thinking about what is healthy to eat. The children are here today to

help celebrate the festival. Heads, are you having a good time? Yes!

Well, you've done a brilliant job. It's been a wonderful celebration

today, and the project has been nothing but success. Let's hope we

can do it all again next year. How lovely! Staying on crime

matters, Colin is not here this evening. He is at a very famous

green area for us to and eight. I have come to Lord's, this special

place, and this is why. This is the widely 40 trophy, and this is what

Nottinghamshire will be playing Glamorgan for tomorrow. There is

only one trophy and one award available. This moment is full of

tradition and history, and the squad has promised so much and wants it so

much. I have been talking to them. It's going to be right up there. Not

to have been to Lord's for 24 years is something we are very proud of.

This is my first time at Lord's, the first time in a Nottinghamshire

shirt. With this team, the sky is the limit. We have an unbelievable

squad. The line—up has been without compare. We have a good bowling

unit, and we are on a roll. It makes it so exciting. Once the first ball

is bowled, you're into it. You have to just concentrate on getting a

result. Having a packed house at Lord's, playing for Nottinghamshire,

it's just unbelievable. I won't enjoy the cricket, no. This is what

it comes down to. One day. You can see why they wanted when it so badly

when you are here. It feels special and like the home of cricket. There

is so much more going on than the YB40 final. There is championship

football and news of a signing at Leicester City. Gary Taylor Fletcher

is joining today on a one—year deal. He was released by Blackpool,

witches who Leicester play tomorrow. Derby will be hoping to take their

away form into their game with reading, and Forest have made one of

those signings that makes you take notice. Natalie Jackson was there to

meet him. All the clubs wanted him, but today, this highly rated young

Chelsea star experienced his first training session with Nottingham

Forest. The session was quite hard. It was very intense. Like I said, we

were just having a chat, and I told him the intensity of that session

was pretty high, and it's what I was used to at Chelsea. The 18—year—old

caught the eye while on loan at Watford, having made it to the

championship final. He is a young player who can certainly tackle and

to create and score goals, and he is the very, very good up—and—coming

midfield player. Last year, and Nathan signed a five—year contract

with Chelsea, but his manager regards hemp highly, and wanted him

to go out on loan to get more games. Would you stay here longer if

possible? Yes, if I'm having a good time, and the loan is going well,

you know, if I'm not home sick, you then yes, of course. He is in the

squad tomorrow, Andy Phil interview with him is on the BBC Sport

website. Notts County and Mansfield are at home, and our reporter is

there. Leicester Tigers are in action, with everyone available for

this season. For the Nottingham Panthers, it is the first visit of

the rifles, the Sheffield Steelers. Sold out already. Here, Lord's,

we're inside a privileged area, which is only open to members

usually. The reason we get to be here is we know the Chief Executive.

Derek Brewer, how are you settling into the role here at Lord's? Is

such an exciting role here to be leading at such a time of great

change. It's a great time to be involved, and I'm so pleased that

Nottinghamshire are here, walking onto the field tomorrow to take part

in the final. Will you be allowed to what —— be watching and cheer them

on? It never leaves you, so I have been following the results very

closely and they have had a to the 60s in. Why is Lord's special, do

you think? It is the place everyone wants to play cricket. The club

cricketers always aspire to play here, and I want to make sure with

my team that that aspiration remains for generations to come, and this

place is regarded as the finest place in world cricket. It still

takes your breath away. Thank you very much for joining us. That is it

from Lord's, but we'll be back tomorrow to see if Nottinghamshire

can lift the trophy. Fingers crossed!

A recycling champion from Leicester who voluntarily picks up thousands

of discarded cans from the streets has been rewarded with a

pedal—powered carrier, so he can pick up even more.

This is Can Man. For the past three years, he has collected around 1000

cans a week from the streets of Leicester. He used to push a

converted bin around, but today, he has the latest pedal—powered cargo

trike. It was donated to Adrian by Leicester City Council, in

recognition of his crusade to collect dumped aluminium cans from

around the city's West End. We have a huge team of people that are out

cleaning our streets every day. They do a fantastic job, but really,

people are still dropping litter in hedgerows and side streets, and

volunteers like Adrian are able to go that little bit further and

really make the city look much better. It's very strange to drive,

because I've been used to a push—bike. In short distances, I

haven't managed to run anyone over yet, but it's going to take a little

bit of getting used to. I've got to use it to get used to it, but it

should make a really big difference to me going out and about. Adrian

has already collected over 90,000 cans, and with help of this larger

carrier, he hopes to reach 100,000 cans from the streets and parks

within six months. If he does that, he will need a

bigger carrier! He can do it! Charlie, is the weather going to be

nice? Yes! I have good news! I'm pleased to be able to say I have

good news for a change. Warm air is spelling in, with high pressure

which will ensure a nice weekend. It will be cloudy at times, but a lot

warmer than of late. As far as the season goes, there will be clouds

event in places, but plenty of white spells as well. Saturday morning

will be largely cloudy, with temperatures at ten or 11 Celsius is

the overnight low. Tonight is actually a much more tarmac warmer

night, tomorrow, not too bad. Cloudy to start, but it will improve as we

make our way through the day. As you can see here, it's bank of cloud

sitting over as in the morning, just in time for the football. By

evening, we should see widespread sunshine, and the temperatures will

help, 19 Celsius. Sunday will not be bad as well. The further east you

are, the better it will be. By later on in the day, the sunshine to be

making its way through, some not too bad. I'm pleased to see the high

pressure is going to hang around, blocking areas of low pressure from

making a return, so it looks like we should see this brighter and more

settled spell of weather lasts for a few days. So we can promise good

weather. An Indian summer! A brief one! Would be back for the late

bulletin. Goodbye.