28/02/2014 East Midlands Today

it's time for the news where you are.

Now the news for the East Midlands. I'm Maurice Flynn.

First tonight: "Give this man his job back", that's the call from the

Police Federation which says Detective Trevor Gray, wrongly

convicted of rape should be allowed to rejoin the force. 0

convicted of rape should be allowed to rejoin the force. Mr Gray only

managed to clear his name after his wife tracked down a key witness who

had been missed by the police. Quentin Rayner reports.

Former detective Trevor Gray is a free man only because his wife

turned detective. After he was wrongly convicted she discovered a

key witness hadn't been traced. Within four days of her putting out

an appeal, the taxi driver was found. 0 0 0

an appeal, the taxi driver was found. His 0

an appeal, the taxi driver was found. His evidence was crucial in

overturning the conviction. The Grays' complained about how the case

was investigated only to find out the officers investigating their

complaint was the same ones that carried out the investigation. I

have little if any faith in that team investigating themselves. A

complaint about themselves and the manner in which they conducted the

investigation. Integrity, honesty, transparency, questionable?

The Police Federation is funding his appeal to get his job back. Well it

araises the assumption that they had a preconceived 0

araises the assumption that they had a preconceived idea. They have not

looked for this crucial defence witness which managed to overturn

the case against Trevor. It raises a question with me, did they have a

preconceived idea that he was guilty and therefore, stopped looking for

the truth? The Independent Police Complaints Commission is looking at

the case. The IPCC commissioner has assured me that a fully independent

investigation will be carried out. Nottingham Police said Mr Gray is

appealing his dismissal and it would not be appropriate to comment

further. The force said, " We take any report of sexual assault and

rape 0 any report of sexual assault and

rape extremely seriously have a duty to investigate such allegations.

Whoever they are made against." Trevor Gray says he wants his job

back. His appeal should be heard by June.

The number of apprentices in the region is booming. They've shot up

by more than 14,000 in just three years. Earlier today, the Skills

Minister was in Leicester to see how so many 0

Minister was in Leicester to see how so many places were being delivered.

Mike O'Sullivan reports. The skills scp minister looks at `` the skills

Ministers looks at hands on training. This is the British Gas

academy. Graduates and the over 20s compete for places. There was a lot

of good people in the interview. So I want to try and get as much out of

this as I can. There is not really any age limit of it. If you have got

a keen eagerness to learn, why not? The Government is pouring lots of

money into subsidising apprenticeship training. Over ?1

billion nationally in 2009/10 and around 1.4 billion last year. The

number of apprenticeships starts in Derbyshire, damn shire and

Leicestershire and their corresponding cities stood at over

33,000. That's up over # 73% on 2009/10. At British Gas they

received ?9,000 from 0 2009/10. At British Gas they

received ?9,000 from the taxpayer towards the ?40,000 cost of training

each apprentice. We have state`of`the`art facilities. And we

are proud to have th label and we have fed the industry over a period

with engineers. I want to see the new norm that people when they leave

school go to university or into an apprenticeship 0 0

school go to university or into an apprenticeship and it is our job not

to push them one way or the other because university is right for some

people, but not right for everybody. It is our job to make sure that

there are good options available for both. This year, British Gas hopes

to train hundreds more engineers at this academy.

The news that 360 jobs at a Derbyshire factory are to go has

left staff devastated according to a union official. Sandvik in

Swadlincote is ending production, closing the factory which makes

construction machinery and moving the operation to Northern Ireland.

The firm blames the slow pace of the global economic recovery. James

Roberson reports. Today, the factory here is quiet as the majority of

workers are at home digesting the information that 360 jobs are to go.

News the unions say that came out of the blue. The jobs are to go over

the next 12 months as the firm consolidates this factory's

operations with its plant in Northern Ireland. It is the

community and the subcrat contractors. It is not just in

isolation of the plant even though these devastating for the members at

the workplace. Sandvik which makes heavy construction machinery here

said they couldn't run two UK plants at half capacity, hence the move to

County Tyrone. In the segment we are in which is construction, we haven't

seen any market recovery since the post financial crisis of 2009. The

local MP says she is hopeful other south Derbyshire firms like Toyota,

and Nestle may have alternative positions. I'm keeping my fingers

and everything crossed. No stone will be left unturned, working with

Unite, and working with the directors, we want to make sure

those who 0 directors, we want to make sure

those who want 0 directors, we want to make sure

those who want another job will find one. My next step is to get answers

from the company. We were just told this yesterday. We are in the dark

as to how this happened. 80 jobs are being retained. The union starts

talks with the firm about those being lost on Monday.

Newsnight is getting underway now on BBC Two, live from Kiev as Russian

troops 0 BBC Two, live from Kiev as Russian

troops spread into the Ukraine, Anna's here now with your weather.

Thanks, Maurice. If well, if you are hoping to see the Northern Lights,

it is unlikely. This was the sky last night. Thank you James for

taking the time to send the photo in. It is a very cold night tonight.

Where we have showers to the east, they will start to ease. It is a dry

night. And with clear skies and light winds, temperatures are going

to really drop. We 0 light winds, temperatures are going

to really drop. We are looking at minimums around about freezing if

not lower than that into rural and sheltered spots. Widespread fog is

expected. That will start to lift first thing tomorrow morning, it is

a 0 first thing tomorrow morning, it is

a cold and frosty start, but we are in for a fairly pleasant day on

Saturday. Some lovely sunshine is expected, light winds making it feel

pleasant, just the chance of one or two showers pushing into the far

north. 0 two showers pushing into the far

north. Largely dry with a high of seven Celsius tomorrow. I will leave

you with a look at the outlook for the next few days. It is staying

unsettled into the new week, but now with your national forecast,

weekend summary for London. Now time for the National forecast.

Good evening, if you are a meteorologist, tomorrow is the first

day of spring. But mother nature has little regard for such labels. That

is one explanation for why spring starts with a touch of frost and

fog. Sunny spells on Saturday before outbreaks of rain from the West on

Sunday. Already a lot of cloud out West but before that, we have to get

rid of this cloud across the East which is