26/02/2014 East Midlands Today

One, it's time for the news where you are.

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Dominic Heale. Good

evening. First tonight, it's been revealed that an arrest warrant for

a fugitive priest wanted on sex abuse charges was withdrawn. It s

because magistrates in Notthngham thought there was no chance of

finding him. Father Francis Paul Cullen had, at that time, bden

hiding away on the island of Tenerife for nine years. He

eventually spent 22 years there Saint Mary 's Catholic Church in

Nottingham. In 1991. The parish priest was facing a range of sex

abuse charges against altar boys. He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates'

Court but then jumped bail. A warrant was issued for his `rrest.

At Nottingham Magistrates' Court in the year 2000, the arrest w`rrant

for him was withdrawn. The police say that meant he was effectively no

longer a wanted man. It begs the question, why the magistratd would

do that, especially as the `rrest warrant had previously been renewed

three times. In a statement: the this solicitor says he has never

heard anything like it. Frol the survivors perspective, they will

find it hard to understand that anything had changed between 19 1

and 2000. He was still a risk. I can't understand how the arrest

warrant had been withdrawn `t that time. Father Colin was extr`dited

last year. After spending 22 years on the island. On Monday, hd pleaded

guilty to 21 offences of sex abuse against children. Nottinghal police

says taking him off the wanted list was a decision made by the court.

They say they are now working with their partners to improve processes

in the justice system. Next, the former Nottinghamshire

Police officer whose wife ttrned detective to clear his name. Two

years ago Trevor Gray was convicted of rape. But his wife trackdd down

evidence which was to prove he was innocent. Now he's fighting to get

his job back, as Jo Healey reports. They are close now but almost three

years ago, Trevor and Alison split up. In that time, he met a woman in

a bar in Nottingham. They spent the night and caught a taxi homd the

next day. She was to accuse him of raping her. Your worst nightmare.

You couldn't imagine it could be like what has happened to md. I just

did not believe he was capable of such a horrible thing. I've been

married for 22 years. But hd was sent down to Nottingham prison.

Being convicted of something you haven't done and anybody thhnking of

you as a monster, a rapist. How could I live without? But Alison

never gave up on him. She ttrned detective to find the taxi driver

who picked Trevor up from the woman's house. Incredibly, @llison

managed to trace the taxi driver and he clearly remembered picking Trevor

up from the woman's house. He said he saw them case and embracdd and

she said, see you later. So not the actions of a woman who had been

raped. The evidence proved to be crucial. Last summer, his conviction

was quashed but this month, he had to endure a retrial. The verdict,

unanimous. Not guilty. I shdd a tear because the pressure that w`s on the

throughout the period was jtst unbearable. But despite that,

Nottinghamshire Police weren't given his job back. He was a detective

Sergeant for 25 years, getthng many commendations and awards. I've done

nothing wrong. I've been through the process and proved to be innocent.

The force will not comment on the case. The Police Federation is

travelling `` backing Trevor wholeheartedly but he is having to

sell up. The legal costs have run into thousands of pounds.

Parents across Leicestershire could have to pay up to ?600 for their

child to catch a school bus, if proposals are approved. Unddr the

scheme the County Council would only pay for transport to the ne`rest

school, even if it's over the county border in Leicester City or

Nottinghamshire. Catchment `reas would be disregarded. Parents say

the proposals are unfair and are vowing to fight them.

It is going to be a huge financial difficulty for me to send mx twins

to the school. It will cost over ?1000 a year. We moved here to get

them into the schools in thd first place. That is pointless. The choice

of where children go to school as the parents. They choose to send a

child out of the area for what was the original catchment area, then,

yes, they will have to pay. A Nottingham Forest player who

suffered a career`threatening injury during a league game is seeking

massive High Court damages. He claims the defender who tackled him

was negligent. Nottingham Forest striker Dexter Blackstock is seeking

compensation from Seya Olofhnjana and his former club, Cardiff City.

It's over a tackle in November 010. The challenge put Blackstock out of

the game for 15 months with what was descrined as an horrific knde

injury. Rolls`Royce has unveiled pl`ns for a

new generation of aero`engines. The Derby`based company says thd engines

will be up to 25% more fuel efficient than the first versions of

its existing Trent models. Ht's hoped the new Advance and Ultra Fan

engines will also be more rdliable and environmentally`friendlx. A

billion pounds a year is behng spent on their development.

That's your news. So, it's goodbye from me but with your weathdr now,

here's Anna Church. We have had a fairly decent day with

lovely, long spells of sunshine but all change as it is set to become

wet and windy through the nhght The cloud is already starting to

increase from the West and the rain will arrive to give us a spdll of

wet weather. The winds are `lso strengthening as strong

south`westerly winds bring gusts up to 35 mph. Temperatures will hold up

with loans of five Celsius. The rain clears away and then it is `n

improving story for the morning Plenty of sunshine to be had. We

start to see if you show was pushing their way in from the west. There

will be a high temperature of 1 Celsius. The Met office havd issued

an early warning for snowfall in force across the East Midlands

through Friday. More on that tomorrow. But now, a look at your

day on Friday, wet snow around and a breeze blowing as well. Tricky into

the weekend. And now we have the national forecast.

Good evening. We know it has been a wet winter but it has also been mild

and across England and Wales, lacking in snow.