24/10/2013 East Midlands Today

Monday. That is all from the

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

Tonight: Another big step forward in the hunt for Madeleine.

1600 miles away from the McCanns' home village, the Portuguese inquiry

into the disappearance of Madeleine is springing back into life.

Also, Eunice Koroma, agony. Her son was murdered but none of his friends

will talk. 500 unfilled posts. The hospitals

now scouring Europe for new nurses. And our Queen of the cakes. France's

Queen, joins us. Good evening and welcome to the

programme. First tonight, five years after deciding to close the

Madeleine McCann case, police in Portugal sensationally reopened

their inquiries today. Officials in Lisbon say they are following up new

information after an internal review.

In England, there's been a cautious welcome to the news from Kate and

Gerry McCann. Let's join our chief news reporter Quentin Rayner, who's

in the McCann's home village of Rothley for us. Quentin, how much of

a surprise is this? Very much so. They are in mind that up until now

the Portuguese authorities were adamant they would not reopen this

case without new evidence. And then things started to move very quickly.

This was only proposed last night but by today the Portuguese Attorney

General confirmed the case would be reopened. There has also been a

discreet review going on behind the scenes by Portuguese police officers

in the north of the country, outside the Algarve. They have carried out

their own review and this seems to have come from that two and a half

year review. Everyone is in agreement that this represents a

triumph for the McCanns and their determination to have the case

reopened. Kate and Gerry McCann say they are

pleased that the investigation has been reopened in Portugal. The

Portuguese shelved their investigation five years ago but now

they're Attorney General says new lines of inquiry have been

discovered as a result of an internal review. For a case to be

reopened there has to be new evidence. Not just looking back at

things which had already been discovered but new evidence. The

Portuguese authorities always said they would reopen the investigation

at that ever happened, although they are not telling us what that lead

is. The Portuguese inquiry will run separately but in parallel with the

Metropolitan Police. He was a white man with brown hair. In a

reconstruction, they said it was vitally important for them to track

down a man seen carrying a child. Two witnesses saw him and helped the

police to produce the e`fits of him. I hope this will enable a resolution

of this terrible thing that happened to the McCann family and saw that

her parents are able to now finally what happened to Madeleine. The

Portuguese decision is said to be very significant. It is hoped it

will answer the questions of the McCanns say they need. Although the

Met Police welcome this significant development, they also cautioned

that there is a way to go yet. We have a statement that says this

development is the best opportunity yet to understand what happened to

Madeline. Still to come this evening ` Ellie

takes the plunge. We talk to swimming star Ellie

Simmonds about her decision to move to Loughborough to train for the

next Paralympics. A Nottinghamshire man has been

jailed for life for shaking his partner's child to death. Darryl

Elliott, who's 30 and from Stapleford, killed 14`month`old

Amelia Bowmar at their home in Sutton`on` Sea in Lincolnshire last

year. Police say Elliott had consistently denied harming the

child. He'll serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The region's major hospital trusts have all been put in the top three

bands of risk by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC has drawn up a

list of high`risk hospital trusts, based on higher than expected death

rates, staffing levels and patient satisfaction. The Sherwood Forest

Trust ` including Kings Mill Hospital ` is in the highest risk

band along with the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust.

Nottingham University Trust is in the second highest band. And Derby's

in the third. Some of those hospitals revealed

today that they are having real trouble recruiting nurses.

More than 500 posts are unfilled in the East Midlands so hospital bosses

are having to scour Europe, and beyond, for more staff. Rebecca

Sheeran has this report. They play a vital role caring for

patients and yet there is a shortage of nurses in our region. Campaigners

call it the biggest crisis in nurse recruitment for a generation. It is

a major problem. Crucial care can only be delivered by nurses and this

is a problem, especially in winter. In the Leicester, there are 300 jobs

to fill. In Nottingham, they need 200. In Derby, there are only 27. In

Kingsmill they don't have the final figures but they are looking to

recruit. Here, the chief nurse needs to make huge strides to increase the

level of nurses. Staffing levels were not meeting the needs of

patients and we have to sort out where we are getting the nurses

from. This isn't the first time that NHS trusts have recruited from

abroad. 14 years ago, nurses came from old area and the Philippines.

It is hard to find nurses in the UK because, despite unemployment, it is

a hard job to train for. Some people disagree. There has been a total

lack of forward planning for this. A lot of nurses I have spoken to got

fed up working in the NHS and went to the private sector. That should

not have happened. The trust admit that recruitment won't happen

overnight and they're putting key staff in place as they face a tough

winter. So, local hospitals in our region

may be having to recruit from abroad to fill vacancies but that doesn't

mean that no`one here wants to follow a nursing career.

In fact, the University of Derby says it's been inundated with

applications for their nursing course. Navtej Johal reports.

To become a nurse, you need patience, compassion and, these

days, a university degree. It may seem that demand for nurses in the

East Midlands is due to a lack of people entering the profession but

according to a survey, that is not the case. We had around 1300

applications, which is good in terms of being able to select the best

doorstop there is no shortage of demand. The demand for places has

also been fuelled by a high percentage of graduates getting jobs

at the end of the course and having their tuition fees paid. Everyone

from my family is in a nursing and caring background and it has always

excited me. You must have care and compassion, you have to be

courageous and committed. Without those values, you are not likely to

enter into the profession. There are a lot of people who go on to Erin

more than I ever will not when they come home they won't have job

satisfaction. I will love what I do. The number of places assigned to a

university's nursing course are now set.

For now, these students hope to be filling vacancies when they graduate

in three years' time. The mother of a Leicester man shot

dead at a music event has pleaded with his friends to help bring his

killer to justice. So far, the friends of Sylvester

Koroma, who were with him when he was shot, have refused to talk to

police. Now Eunice Koroma has given an emotional interview to our

reporter Sarah Teale. He was a lovely son, a lovely dad

and lovely brother. It has just broken my life into pieces for

losing my eldest son. Eunice Koroma is in the depths of grief. She is

preparing to bury her son, knowing that his friends, who hold the clue

to finding his killer, haven't spoken to police. How those people

can look at me and say they are grieving and not come forward to the

police to bring these people to justice. He was shot in the stomach

outside this Birmingham nightclub on August of the 10th. Police say the

key to finding his killer lies in Leicester. Sylvester's family and

the police say that the friends who were with him when he was shot

should examine their conscience. If they were happy to be with him when

he was alive, they should not desert him now that he is dead. It will

bring closure, although I know it will never bring him back to life.

But it will give us closure. Yes, his life is gone but the person

responsible should be charged for what he has done. Police want to

reassure any witnesses that they can remain anonymous.

A Zimbabwean grandmother who's lived in Leicester for more than a decade

is expected to be deported in the next few minutes. Evenia Mawongera

was detained last month after reporting to the UK Border Agency in

Loughborough. Supporters have been campaigning for her to stay and say

they fear for her safety if she returns to her home country. She's

had several applications for asylum turned down.

There's been a big rise in shoplifting in Nottinghamshire.

Figures released by the county's Police and Crime Commissioner show a

25% increase ` the fourth highest in the country. Nearly 3300 offences

were recorded in the first six months of this year.

Next tonight, the people who ring 999 for the most ridiculous of

reasons. Derbyshire Police today released the recording of one such

call ` a woman who wanted help with a spider in her house.

Officers say a third of 999 calls made are not genuine emergencies.

And they can prevent important calls from getting through. From Ripley,

Simon Hare reports. A 999 call comes into the Derbyshire

police control room but not all the calls received are genuine

emergencies. We receive something like 400 calls

her day and around one third of those are not emergencies and some

of them aren't even policing matters. Other recent examples

included someone reporting a letter sent to the wrong address, plus a

woman and a teenage girl were recently prosecuted for making more

than 400 hoax calls. We are not trying to put people off calling us.

Don't be afraid to call the police. But if you don't think it is an

emergency, don't call 999. Sometimes we can even mess cols as a result

and people are in danger. Today is the anniversary of the introduction

of the 101 nonemergency number. Hopefully, in future people will

understand when to use each number. For some communities, the great

British local is becoming a thing of the past. Hundreds of pubs are going

out of business every year. So, in order to survive, many are starting

to branch out beyond beer and pub grub.

A Leicestershire pub has now joined in the trend. The Queen's Head in

Saddington has just opened the only shop in the village, as Simon Ward

reports. With help from the former England

and Nottinghamshire cricketer Chris broad, The Queen's Head pub farm

shop was opened. It comes at a time that a survey claims that 20 pubs

close every day in the UK. Gone are the day that pubs just open and

people walk through the door. You have to make sure that you are doing

little things like a farm shop. The public will make a lot of food for

the shop which will open from nine until seven. It saves having to

travel to other places. This shop is trying a different business method.

Bartering. People have even paid with the pheasants. This pub is now

even more part of the community as it serves as a for older people.

Back in Leicestershire, it is hoped of the pub and shop will thrive. You

can have a pint of beer and then go next door for a pint of milk.

Talking of food ` which we nearly always are these days ` look at

these! Cakes. But these aren't just any

cakes ` these are Frances Quinn cakes. Frances, from Market

Harborough, was a bit of a dark horse in this year's Great British

Bake Off. But she romped home in style. Frances will be joining us

live later in the programme. Sport now.

Derby County manager Steve McClaren says young Liverpool defender Andre

Wisdom will be tested by his move to the Rams. Wisdom is on a season`long

youth loan and a lot is expected of him ` he's already made first team

appearances for Liverpool. So I asked McClaren if he was the real

deal. We'll soon find out. I think this is a big test for players who

come from big clubs on loan. It is difficult. They have to handle the

championship, a new dressing room, a new way of play. We are hoping, with

the mature T he has shown in his performances for Liverpool and

England under`21s, he will fit right in.

At Nottingham Forest, we've had confirmation of Dexter Blackstock's

loan move to Leeds United. Leeds announced his arrival on a

three`month deal this afternoon. And in Rugby, Leicester Tigers boss

Richard Cockerill reckons he will be without more than an entire team's

worth of players for the weekend's trip to Wasps. Tigers have been hit

by lots of injuries, and now by international call ups. But

Cockerill insists his squad can cope.

I have no interest in those who can't play this week. My only focus

is getting the guys who are available to play. I am only

concerned with the guy who will play for us this weekend. They are a good

bunch. They will want to play with us and they will be hard to beat.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds has moved base to train at the university's

world`class facilities and be closer to her family ahead of the next

Paralympics. She's been speaking to Jessica Creighton.

Ellie Simmonds has never been far from the spotlight. At just 13 years

old, she won double Paralympic gold in ageing in 2008. When she repeated

the feat last year in London, it brought about fame, red carpet and

an OBD. 13 months on, she is aiming for a new glory. After London I

thought I needed a new chapter and a new challenge. I am based in the

Midlands, it is where my home is, in Aldrich. I wanted to move closer to

home because I was fed up with travelling three hours to get home.

Lost brother is becoming a hot spot for Britain's Paralympians. Johnny

Peacock moved here after his gold last summer. It is also the home of

British swimming so Ellie now has other swimmers as training partners.

Here, I train with a group of 20 or 25 able`bodied athletes. It is a lot

different and individual cultures are different. Steven and Billy are

different people with different philosophies. A new environment and

a changing coach could have been daunting but she is enjoying a fresh

challenge and still smiling. From one great champion to another.

It has huge viewing figures, it's hosted by a middle` aged man and a

lady in her 70s and it's turning us into a nation of bakers. It is of

course the Great British Bake Off ` the BBC programme that's captivated

viewers of every age. If you're a fan, you'll know that

Tuesday was the final. And the winner is here with us this evening

` Frances Quinn from Market Harborough, who wowed the judges

with her show`stopper wedding cake. Before we talk to her and eat her

cakes let's have a quick look at part of her baking journey.

The programme said that France's proved to be the most creative baker

ever to set foot in the tent. Her designs impressed everyone. But,

according to Paul, her flavours didn't always. But she had nailed it

by the final. That's fantastic. What is annoying as you were ten minutes

from perfection. But the perfection of her designs were even held up as

a benchmark for the other bakers. You have come up with something that

looks like Frances Quinn made it. But it was this show stopper that

turned out to be the making of Frances Quinn. The winner of the

2013 The Great British Bake Off is Frances.

You looked as though you were about to collapse. Watching it now, I get

goose bumps. You looked so pale and shattered by that time. It was the

longest eight we had done. Six hours. You could have done to

marathons in that time. It had been such a long ten weeks and to finally

get to the end, I think, it was just... You had to do tasks that

took you by surprise. The pretzels, for instance. I'm familiar with

eating them but... Being at the front of the tent for a

technical wasn't good. It was more obvious that you are trying to see

it was going on behind you. Was that one of the most difficult things? It

was one of the most tricky technicals. He said they were lovely

shaped rolls but not pretzels. We have got to look at what did it for

you. Your show stopper was... Were you pleased? I was. It was almost as

tall as the tree itself. It was only really the last half an hour of that

it came together. When we started, six hours seems like such a long

time but we all knew it would go quickly. You have such a fantastic

eye for detail and design. The biscuits you brought him today. I

get ideas coming in at every angle. What will you do now? I would love

to combine the two together and do something very different with baking

and design and use of these ideas. Thank you so much for coming in.

Congratulations. Time for the weather.

It has been a super day with some beautiful sunshine, thanks to some

high pressure which has calmed things down. Unfortunately, the

weather is on the move again. Low pressure coming in tomorrow means it

will become wet and windy. In wet start tomorrow but the rain will

clear for some brightness in the afternoon. Still fairly warm for the

time of year. It has been quite a fine end to the day. The wind is

starting to pick up now and the cloud will increase to the early

hours of the morning. Rain will arrive to the end of the night. A

much milder night than last night. Tomorrow morning, a Saudi start to

the day `` soggy. In the sunshine, it should feel quite pleasant. For

Saturday, it looks as though it will be the driest day of the week. A lot

of cloud but fairly easy. Some rain forced Saturday night. A mixture of

sunshine and blustery showers on Sunday. For Sunday night into

Monday, the potential for some stormy weather.

Can we try them? Of course. Goodbye. This is Malcolm, who owns Iceland.

He's the one that's going to present us with

the ten grand. When we win it.