12/02/2014 East Midlands Today

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

Tonight, Leicester's closure`threatened ECMO heart unit

attracts international support. But will it be enough?

The eyes of the world may be on this centre, but there is still a

question mark over its survival. Also tonight, a man accused of

attacking a spiritual leader with an axe tells a court he only meant to

frighten him. Plus, as the Midland mainline is

finally electrified, some of these extraordinary 19th`century railway

structures are being listed by endless heritage.

And, delicate lace. This is a product taking the world by storm

because you can eat it. Good evening. First tonight, it has

saved countless lives but could it still be a countdown to closure for

a specialist intensive care unit here in the East Midlands? ECMO was

set up at Leicester's Glenfield hospital 25 years ago. Over the

years it's attracted international attention. Today it was experts from

Japan who came to see what they could learn from it. But its past is

far more certain than its future which is still under review. Rob

Sissons reports. Kirsty owes her life to the hospital

and the artificial lung machine, ECMO. Her father was told what no

parent ever want to hear. My family were told I had two days to live. I

was on the ECMO for 13 weeks, and without that, I would not be here

today. Not many people know what it is all a light clay`macro about, but

it saves lives. These experts know what ECMO is, but have flown from

Japan to find out the secrets as to why Leicester has survival rate is

twice as good as in their country. We came here to find out what makes

this system so good. We have learned a lot. We used to give antibiotics

the whole time they are on ECMO... But it is tomorrow they are worrying

about here children's heart surgery could still be stopped in Leicester

and also ECMO. Birmingham has a new cardio ECMO unit which does very

good work, but this unit would take many years to replicate in a new

hospital. I am so grateful to be here and be ECMO saved my life. I

ready think they should keep it open. It will save a lot of lives.

What is the latest on the future of this unit? Yes, for years and years

we have had the children's heart unit under review. The reason ECMO

is tied up with all of that is because the expertise is shared. If

the children's heart surgery unit goes then ECMO is no longer viable,

we are told. The thing to bear in mind is any of us could end up

there. During swine flu the worst affected patients from all over the

country went there. It is the only unit in the country which is an ECMO

unit for children, babies and adults. The arguments over it go

one. Still to come ` a tough call for Davina.

The TV presenter was battling the wind and rain today as she continued

her 500 mile running, cycling and swimming challenge for charity.

Davina did well to stay on her bicycle. I am at the environment in

Nottingham. We have had gusts up to 60 mph today. Full details at the

end of the programme. East Midlands Trains say that

travellers are still facing some delays on its route from London. A

tree has come down on the line between Kettering and Market

Harborough. Services heading northbound to Nottingham and Derby

are now able to run through to Leicester without being diverted.

There are some delays of up to 30 minutes.

The man accused of the attempted murder of a Sikh spiritual leader in

Leicester has told a court he bought an axe intending to frighten his

victim. Harjit Singh Toor from Oadby denies harbouring any intention to

kill the man described by his followers as a "living guru". But he

does admit wounding him. Eleanor Garnier reports.

It was last August and his Holiness was visiting Leicester from the

Punjab. This sleek temple in the city was packed, and it is here that

the defendant, 27`year`old Harjit Singh`Toor from Oadby, an Orthodox

seek, brought a three foot axe intending to frighten his victim. He

denies attempted murder but admits Revis bodily harm. The prosecution

alleges he was motivated by religious hatred, but he claims he

was abused as a child by the religious leader back in the 1990s

in India. Earlier in court, his Holiness said allegations that he

had sexually abused Harjit Singh`Toor are totally absurd.

Giving evidence on the third day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court,

Harjit Singh`Toor told the jury, " my emotions just erupted. I just

remember wanting to hurt his hands. That is when I charged up onto the

stage and swung the axe. I intended to hurt him. I wanted to harm him.

It is probably the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I accept

what I have done and that it was wrong. " the trial continues.

Police are investigating the death of a baby boy at a house in

Nottingham. Officers were called to a property in Carlton on Monday

evening. A five`month`old baby boy was taken to the Queen's Medical

Centre where he died. Police say the death is being treated as

"unexplained". A postmortem examination took place today but no

details have been released. A Derbyshire man arrested after

offensive tweets were posted online about a missing boy has been charged

with sending malicious communications. Darren Shepstone was

arrested on suspicion of posting the messages on Twitter, after

three`year`old Mikaeel Kular disappeared in Scotland last month.

His body was found days later. The 26`year`old from from Langley Mill,

will appear before Derby Magistrates later this month.

Two men have been arrested as part of a Serious Fraud Office

investigation into the Derby engine maker, Rolls Royce. A formal

investigation into the firm began last year, amid concerns of possible

bribery and corruption in Asia. Some of the allegations date back more

than 20 years. Officers have searched several properties in

London today. The company's declined to comment.

It's an offence that's massively under reported yet has devastating

consequences, according to police. It's the growing problem of cyber

crime. Now the head of a specialist unit that tackles online offences is

appealing for anyone who may have been a victim to come forward to

report it. Simon Ward reports. Our increasingly connected lives

bring many benefits, but the Internet is also a route for

criminals to attack businesses, or any of us who are online. A

conference behind closed doors at the Montford University was held to

bring top detectives, companies and local authorities together. We often

hear about major corporations having their systems hacked into, but now

police are asking more companies to contact them if they think they have

been victims of cyber crime. It can be quite devastating, particularly

for companies that carry out a lot of commerce on line. They have their

systems attacked, if their websites are brought down, it is hugely

costly to them, both in terms of cash and also reputation. One of the

important things about doing business online is trust about

transactions. At the cyber Security Centre at the university, they teach

students to become experts at beating the hackers. For criminals

it is attractive. It doesn't cost a lot of money to do. The current

penalties are far less severe than if you were to be dealing in drugs

or other criminal activities. That is why it is such a focus for the

government and for law enforcement in the UK. Cyber crimes can be a

complex web to investigate. As soon as one crime is defended against,

there will be many more to tackle, which is why experts say they want

information as soon as systems are attacked.

The TV presenter Davina McCall has been cycling through the East

Midlands as part of a 500`mile charity challenge. Earlier this week

she had to be carried from the water after a gruelling swim in the Lake

District. And today's weather meant it was another tough day. Simon Hare

reports. Davina McCall arrives to be greeted

by the whole village school. Our you all right? Yes! It is brilliant! She

is more than halfway through a challenge to swim, run and cycle

from Edinburgh to London, all in aid of sport relief. Today is a bad day,

weather`wise. We have really hit a wall with the wind. I have been

nearly blown off by bike. I just want to get back on my bike and go.

Could you do something like that? No, it would be really hard. She has

to keep going in this weather, and it doesn't look like it will get any

better. Just two days ago, she had to be dragged from an icy Lake

Windermere. Lake Windermere was a real challenge. She was never in any

danger because of the incredible team that surrounds her, but as you

saw, she was on the very edge. She pushed herself to the limit.

Incredible. It was scary for me, but I got well looked after. I don't

think I will be able to watch that footage for a bit. You counting the

hours or the miles? I am counting everything. And, with that, she was

back on her bike, bound for Birmingham through the wind and

rain. What a brave girl.

Still to come: 30 years on from Sarajevo, we speak to gold medallist

Jayne Torvill. She and Christopher Dean made history with this routine

in 1984. She'll be telling us about the years of training and sacrifice

that led to that moment. One of the oldest railway lines in

the world is to have its heritage protected. 30 railway bridges,

viaducts and tunnels along the Midland Mainline ` almost all of

them in Derbyshire ` have now been "listed" by the Government.

Campaigners said it was important for the historic landmarks to be

saved, as the route from London through the East Midlands prepares

for electrification. James Roberson reports from Derbyshire.

Immortalised in bronze in the show, George Stephenson's heritage is

largely remembered for the ground`breaking locomotives he and

his son Robert built, like the rocket. But, unlike the Rocket,

Stephenson's other great heritage does live on today. 170 years after

they were built, the bridges, viaducts and tunnels are still in

constant use. With so many original station is gone, English Heritage is

keen that remaining structures are preserved. This is one of the

earliest railway structures in Britain. And indeed in the world. It

was built and 80 `` late 1830s. It was built at an angle. The archers

were complicated to build, and it is one of the earliest archers like

this in the world, so it is enormously significant. Endless

heritage has looked through the archives and found original

drawings. This was the Tamil them, and here the bridge today. In

Belper, he carved to the town. The bridges and the nine are still in

use. They had to keep the track as level as possible, yet deal with

these hills and valleys and everything else. This is what they

did fantastically well. While the Midland mainline is electrified from

London to Bedford, it is only now but electrification north to the

East Midlands is that last happening. The engineers now know

where the really significant heritage is and they can take that

into account and preserve every bit of it. English Heritage says later

this year it will start looking at other buildings associated with the

railway for possible testing, but it is satisfied historic structures on

the line itself are now preserved for the future.

30 years ago this week, an insurance clerk from a council estate and a

policeman from a mining village made history. Jayne Torvill and

Christopher Dean, both from Nottinghamshire, won Winter Olympic

Gold with a stunning ice dance routine. It was watched on TV by

half the British population. This week we'll be with them as they

travel back to the scene of their triumph, Sarajevo. But tonight,

Jayne gives us an insight into how it all began.

As a child, I was really quite shy. I think when I was on the ice, I

felt like somebody different, somebody else. The ice rink where I

started dating `` skating was quite an old building, quite rundown. It

was a magical place for me, even though there were mice and rats.

After a few weeks I really pestered my parents for my own ice skates.

They bought me a second`hand pair. Also I was allowed to have one

lesson a week, which I absolutely loved. For us to find the time to

escape, it was outside the 9`5 hours. There wasn't a lot of ice

time available to us. Chris and I were in our early 20s when we

realised that we had a chance, possibly, of a gold medal. We made a

very big decision and decided to give up our jobs and concentrate, so

that we could skate full`time. Each year we had to come up with

something new and push ourselves. We started to get 0

something new and push ourselves. We started to get very creative in the

routines that we were doing. Everything was geared around leading

up to 1984 because this was our Olympics. This was our chance. Jayne

Torvill and Christopher Dean have won the gold medal of the Olympic

ice dance competition. I didn't think that a young girl from Clifton

would ever be Olympic champion, but it just goes to show you should

never stop dreaming. My dreams started small and it got bigger and

bigger. Was it really 30 years ago? And we'll be with Jayne and Chris

tomorrow night as they arrive in Sarajevo and prepare to recreate

their Bolero. It is amazing. They look almost the

same. They have hardly changed. First, could Nottingham Forest

winger Jamie Patterson be one of the buys of the season?

Scouted by manager Billy Davies and his assistant Ned Kelly, the

20`year`old winger cost Forest less than ?500,000 from Walsall. He's now

attracting the eyes of the Premier League and was key in last night's

win at Huddersfield. Kirsty Edwards reports.

Huddersfield had 0 reports.

Huddersfield had not lost at home since the middle of December and

looked like they would be difficult to beat. The Yorkshire team wanted

to sign Jamie Patterson in the summer, but he chose Forest and has

been causing defences all kinds of problems ever since. He finally made

the breakthrough in the second half. He wasn't finished there. He twisted

and turned and, with his clever feet, found the net again to make it

2`0, his seventh goal in nine games. Then, just before the 90 minute

mark, a mistake by Huddersfield let in Arius Henderson, who calmly

slotted in his eight of the season. So, a three ` zero away win that

extends Forest's unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions. A fifth

in the championship, five points of second spot.

So, with Forest fifth, Derby fourth, and Leicester top, the East Midlands

dominating the push to the Premier League. But in terms of young

English talent we are leading the way too, according to the England

Under 21 manager Gareth Southgate. He's been in Derby this week ahead

of next month's European qualifier against Wales at the Ipro stadium,

as Angela Rafferty reports. England 0

as Angela Rafferty reports. England expect to be delivering the

talent like a, right now. All three clubs are doing really well, and the

players within the clubs are doing very well. We have had Andre and

Michael Caine Patrick was in our squad for the last game, and it is a

great place for them to play and to learn. A crop of the country's

brightest young stars are plying their trade at Derby, Leicester and

forest. Three side that could potentially go into the Premier

League. It has always been a strong football area, and it is great to

see that emerging. Gareth Southgate has enjoyed a great start in his

England role. They are progressing well, they have got talent. That is

why they are in our group. Their attitude and desire to keep

improving is what will take them to the top. Club versus country always

a challenge, but Southgate and McLaren go back a long way. It was a

great fit with Steve's past. I could not understand why a bigger club had

not taken the chance, really, but I think he is proving what a big

decision that was for Derby to appoint him. International football

and a push for the Premier League, plenty to fire up our young guns

right now. Onto one of England best cricketers,

certainly in the short form of the game. In fact, Nottinghamshire's

Alex Hales is the world number two batsman in T20. Surprisingly he

wasn't picked up in this morning's auction to play in the lucrative

Indian Premier League though. Notts team`mate Samit Patel wasn't sold

either. There is one more round of bids tomorrow, so still a chance for

them. And we'll be hearing from Hales tomorrow night.

Now, onto the Winter Olympics, because tomorrow morning we'll have

our first chance to see if the much talked about Nottingham Speed Skater

Elise Christie can bring home a medal. She goes in the Short Track

500m, the first of three distances she'll race at the Olympics. And as

Colin Hazelden reports, she's one of the athletes Team GB has high hopes

for. Lots of Olympic excitement so far.

But Elise Christie remains special. Olympic experience, a medal winner

at the top level, a former world number one, she may just be the

country's best chance of gold. We have got a chance, and that is the

main thing. As long as we give ourselves a possibility, that is all

we can do. Tomorrow is the final stages of short track 500 metres,

not her favourite distance, but she started well in qualifying. Someone

gets pushed out, I could have taken the easy route and gone on the

inside the whole way, I need to pack is that, so I stuck to my guns.

Elise Christie went the alone going into the quarterfinals. Her training

partner sailed through her Olympic debut. Eiffel Tower would be a lot

more nervous. I am actually loving it, really enjoying it out there.

Medals on the line tomorrow, but, as Jack Welborn found that to his cost

in his 1500 metre final, sometimes short track happens, it is such an

unpredictable sport. Anything can happen, as we keep saying, but you

could run it again and I'm sure they would be a different result. I am

not unhappy with it. If anything, I am happy to have had a British

record in the first race. Jack will hopefully take sore ankle onto the

ice tomorrow. But all eyes will be on Elise Christie.

Very exciting, good luck to them all, and on ice and closer to home,

the Nottingham Panthers are in action tonight in the Challenge Cup

semi final first leg against arch rivals Sheffield Steelers.

Should be a good match, thank you. And now to cakes or, more precisely,

cake decorating. It's an art that's possibly more popular now than it's

ever been. Everyone's looking for something that's just that little

bit different, that little bit more special. One Nottingham company has

found it ` flexible lace that really is good enough to eat.

Flavourings, cutters, tens, cupcake cases, everything to do with cakes.

But there is a new product taking the world by storm, cake lace. We

know we have got a fantastic product, but we 0

know we have got a fantastic product, but we are just blown away

with how it has taken off. It all started with player wanting a more

flexible type of lacy icing for her cakes and, thanks to 0

flexible type of lacy icing for her cakes and, thanks to the cake

decorating company, together they founded. I said to Claire, I think I

have got the perfect product for you. She tested it and came in

screaming saying it was perfect. And it is retaking off, selling in

Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and it is even on its way to America.

Surprisingly, cake making and decorating is unfamiliar territory

just a few years ago. I have only been making cakes for two years. I

made my first cake two years ago. I saw a beautiful princess castle and

replicated it for her. They are continuously on the lookout for the

next big thing in the world of cake. If anyone has got ideas of anything

we should be doing, we always listen to people, and we tend to try and

make that product, and try to achieve something that is better

than anything else on the market. So, who knows what is next. One

thing is for certain, they are happy in their work. It is the perfect job

for me. Yes, surrounded by cake. The idea of

edible lace and is up all sorts of images! I probably shouldn't go

there. Onto the weather now. Good evening. I am outside in the

elements. It is a very windy evening. It has been a very windy

day today with gusts of up to 60 mph in a feud places. `` few places. You

can see this picture of a fallen tree. Do keep sending those pictures

to us. Through the day today, we sought that storm passed through

with gusts of 60 master hour. Into the evening, we are getting the tale

of the storm which will whip around and we could see more gusts. We have

got a yellow warning with us, which really does mean you have to be

aware that it will be very windy. That is across the entire East

Midlands. We have got the amber warning in Derbyshire. Through

tonight, things will gradually calmed down and 0

tonight, things will gradually calmed down and he's. 0

tonight, things will gradually calmed down and he's. `` ease.

Territories will fall to one or. Any showers could fall a little bit

wintry. Into 0 0 showers could fall a little bit

wintry. Into tomorrow, a better day all round. It will be drier,

brighter, still quite windy don't get any confusion about that,

they're still could be gusts up to 40 mph, but not nearly as windy as

what we have experienced today. As we make our way into Friday, yet

small wet and windy weather is on the way. It just keeps battering us.

We have 0 the way. It just keeps battering us.

We have got 0 the way. It just keeps battering us.

We have got more bad weather to come before we are done. Quite a windy

night. Still some problems being caused by

that wind. We will bring you more updates in the late news.

Goodbye.