24/06/2014 East Midlands Today

Inevitable, I suppose. That's all from the News at Six. Goodbye from

me. On Police say the growers are changing

tactics with multiple smalldr scale operations. They are having

multiple, smaller grows throughout communities, all at addressds rented

by themselves. And this drug only became illegal today, but whll its

people using khat? Also tonight, the hospital hoping

its plans for a helipad really take off.

And World Cup whizz kid Diego' diction for tonight's England game.

I think England are going to win 2`1.

First tonight, a new crackdown on homegrown drugs.

East Midlands Today can revdal that Nottinghamshire Police have set up

the region's first specialist team to tackle cannabis gangs.

The force has told us that it's seizing around 50

This exclusive report from our social affairs

Searching for illegal cannabis growers has become a full`thme job,

with the tell`tale pungent smell bringing the police to this House.

They did not need to force their way in because the tenant was ott and

the door was unlocked. Downstairs they found a typical family home,

littered with toys and photos. In the bedroom, a different story. As

you go up the stairs, the slell gets stronger and stronger. You can see

why. This is a growing tent, several cannabis plants inside, alrdady

harvested and hanging out to dry. But finding cannabis is just the

start, the police have to prove that dogs are being sold. That is where

Nottinghamshire's new cannabis dismantling team comes in, team of

experts to gather evidence `nd free up local officers. Because we deal

with it on a daily basis, wd know what we need to seize and the whole

process will be great we reduce in time. It's a cost saving. Police

used to find cannabis being grown in large factories, these days, the

drug is becoming harder to find with gangs becoming more

sophisticated. Organised gangs are approaching people in residdntial

areas, and they are having lultiple small grows throughout commtnities.

Or renting addresses themselves So if they do lose one or two of those

grows, they do not lose all of the crop. There are disagreements about

the damage cannabis causes, but by the police, it is simple. It is

illegal and growers who get caught can end up in jail.

This new team came into operation on the day another drug has bedn

Khat acts as a stimulant and is very popular amongst Somalis.

The ban has been welcomed by the Somali community in

Leicester, which has itself pushed for the drug to be made illdgal

Here's our chief news reporter, Quentin Rayner.

Imported from Africa, khat hs a legal plant which when chewdd, acts

like a less powerful amphet`mine. You ticket, you are very happy. It

makes you happy. Can you im`gine someone who doesn't eat for three

days? Who is talking, 24 hotrs. It is made! I have lost five children

and a beautiful wife. Due to this khat. Gentleman, from today, khat is

illegal. It is not at least a third of the Somali community use khat,

including women. I welcome ht very much, the community welcomes the

ban, it has a huge impact on our community, including familids and

children. It has serious consequences financially, socially

and culturally. Criminalising khat is a bit like banning smoking. There

will be a response rating, `nd potentially prosecution. Ophnion is

divided about the health risks. The Home Affairs Select Committde

opposed the ban, because it believes there is insufficient evidence of a

direct link between its use and psychosis. Are conveniences is that

it can cause mental illness in people. The main things are, in high

doses it can cause psychosis, and when you stop taking it, it can

cause depressive illness. It is hoped Somalis will ensure the ban is

effective. Earlier I spoke to Danny Kushlik of

Transform, a charitable think`tank that campaigns for the legal

regulation of drugs. I asked him what he thought about the ddcision

to ban khat. Actually, it has been banned for no

good reason. Clearly, khat does cause problems for some people. But

its prohibition will only ptsh users who continue to use underground and

will give the trade to a regulated dealers and organised criminals It

does not help anybody. We spoke to a former khat user who spoke of how it

ruined his life, surely by laking it illegal, it sends a strong lessage

to users? Simply, if we devdloped public policy for alcohol on the

basis of what alcoholics told us, we might well move to ban it, but where

are we to do that, we would begin the same as what happened in the

alcohol prohibition in the TS between 1920 and 1933. It m`de it

very dirty and dangerous. So, the answer is to control it and

regulated and look after usdrs through the health system. We were

also speaking about the fact that once a week, there is a cannabis

raid in our region. Clearly, a big problem. How would you deal with

that? Illegal cannabis crops are a product of prohibition in the same

way that illegal alcohol sthlls were. The way to deal with them is

to stop them happening at all, the legally regulate cannabis through

licensed retailers and for the government to take control. It takes

the unknown `` unregulated dealers out of business. So, we shotld

decriminalise all drugs? Government should take control of prodtction,

supply, of all drugs, that can potentially cause harm. We do not

want them in the hands of paramilitaries and organised

criminals. A double decker bus hit a r`ilway

bridge in Leicestershire earlier, disrupting rail services and

blocking traffic during rush hour. It happened in Sileby

near Loughborough just These photographs were taken

by a viewer. The bus company Ausden Clark says

there were no passengers It's understood it was on its way to

collect schoolchildren from another I heard a big bang, and I c`me out

of the door and there is thd bus, just under the bridge. We dhd not

know if anyone was on it. Wd were really scared. The noise of it as

well, it was terrifying. Thdre was a bang and everyone came runnhng out,

it was stuck right in the mhddle, right underneath.

Tributes have been paid to a fighter who died

after he took part in a boxhng match at a nightclub in Nottinghal.

Lance Ferguson`Prayogg, from Liverpool,

died in hospital after paraledics were called to the Forum cltb

at the Cornerhouse on Saturday afternoon.

I think Lampard will pass it through the defenders. I think the school

will be 2`1, to England. `` the score.

The husband whose wife and three children were murdered

in Leicester's Wood Hill fire broke down in court today as he rdad out

Dr Muhammed Taufiq described himself as being like

a brutally wounded bird without wings.

He said to stop inhumane crhmes happening again,

criminals should not be let out of prison for the rest of their lives.

Mike O'Sullivan was in court and can tell us more.

Mike, another emotional day for Dr Taufiq?

He walked into the witness box in Court 1 to read out

He lost his wife Shehnila, daughter Zainab, who was 19,

and his sons Bilal, 17, and Jamal, 15, in the arson attack at

Wood Hill in Leicester last September.

Across from him sat the two men convicted of murder and six others

And in his statement, Dr Tatfiq said the fire has stolen everythhng

The teenager who murdered hhm will spend longer in prison will stop

Hussain Hussain, 19, stabbed Mr Akpom after a confrontation in Kent

Street last September. He w`s given a life sentence with a minilum term

of 15 years and today this was increased to 22 years by thd Court

of Appeal. The victim was of good character, someone who did good work

in the community, a mentor, someone who ran a local football cltb. And

although there was a verbal interchange, that was no excuse for

20 years. It is run by the charity Scope. Tim loves it here. If you

visit on a Saturday night, they are watching TV, having a wonderful

time. To expect him to go somewhere else and get used to a whold new way

of living without all his friends, the moment, still? We will find out.

Diego, what was your prediction 2`1 to England. It could be a bht of a

quickfire finish! But you love your football? Yes. We filmed with you at

a Brazilian football club that you belong to, what is it you lhke about

the game? At Italy the Brazhlian style. I like learning new stuff. ``

particularly the bronzed `` the Brazilian style. You are very good

with the ball. All that fancy stuff. They teach you skills, how to

dribble and how to shoot. You are very good at it. As we can see from

these pictures. How long have you been playing football? I don't know

exactly. About two years. As a whole has been made about football? About

the last three years. He has come to enjoy it more. He is getting more

experience and learning how to deal with the ball, he thinks he is a pro

now! He did say England werd a bit rubbish and they have not rdally

delivered for us, so which teams do you like at the moment? Brazil, and

Argentina. Is that because of the style of football they play?

Well... It is more exciting. What should be done about England being

so rubbish? Should they comd to your training school? You could probably

teach them a thing or two. @re there any other brothers and sistdrs who

are made on football? No, hd is an only child. I take it you would like

to play for England? Could xou change it? Yes. Thank you so much

for coming in. The game has finished now, it is a goalless draw. Never

mind! Thanks for coming in. It is not just football that is ilported,

there is Wimbledon. Doesn't it look beautiful down

here? But we really do want to talk about tennis because we are in for

quite a fortnight. Not just nationally, but in the East Midlands

as well, just lend Ray going in the doubles, fantastic, yesterd`y, a

host of juniors next week, ` lot of them have a decent chance and we

will follow all of them. But today was about Dan Smethurst, since he

moved to Nottingham, he has done extraordinary things with hhs

career. His ranking has gond from 400 all the way to under 250, sheer

determination and guts. That was enough to get a wild card hdre at

Wimbledon into the first rotnd. A pretty unkind draw meant he was up

against John Izmir, but Dan can be really proud of what he had done,

beaten but never disgrace, `nd sometimes playing really gorgeous

tennis. In the end, the powdrful service overwhelmed Dan and it

finished with the American winning. But there is still stuff here to

work on. Well, while we dream of mord British

success on the courts here, England's dreams of World Ctp

success are long gone. The game just finishing

against Costa Rica So, why was the tournament such

a failure for England? Kirsty Edwards has been to

Loughborough University, The hopes of a nation left hn

tatters. The postmortem alrdady underway. Just what went wrong for

England? For those involved in sports psychology, it is all in the

mind. At a high level of sport, it is often the psychological side that

is the distinction factor bdtween those that achieved at the highest

level and those that do not quite make it, because of the pressure,

these athletes are there because they are the best in the world. It

equalises things, they all become fairly equal because `` technically.

It is who can deal with the pressure that succeeds. Damn `` Roy Hodgson

but in a top psychologist jtst before the tournament but it was far

too late. We are seeing that psychologists who are involved

around the clock the whole xear as part of the preparation, yot would

never leave physical prepar`tion to the last minute so why would you do

that the psychology? England's stars were left devastated by thehr early

exit and it has the potenti`l to break these players, but it could be

the making of them. We have done studies of Olympic gold med`llists

and we found that for a lot of these athletes, have had, Dick experiences

early in their career and often they reflect on these and s`y they

were turning points in their lives, when they became single`minded and

motivated to achieve at the highest level. So it can be done, you can

turn this major adversity into a real springboard to further success.

That is one picture of wherd England might be going wrong.

One man with half a clue wh`t the England team are going through

Tomorrow he starts his pre`season with the Rams.

Today he's been here at Wimbledon, indulging his other passion.

The crowds flocking here and Steve McCarren loves being in amongst

them. He has played the gamd of tennis and scenes in great latches

on these courts. I have alw`ys loved tennis and coming here, it hs

special, it is a British tr`dition. To come here, this is my thhrd time,

and this time the weather is very good. You could forgive him for

being distracted by events on the other side of the world. He has been

part of three major tournamdnts with England, even he found the speed of

their destruction this time in Brazil startling. I think it is

trying to adapt to how the game is going. Quite rightly, we ard trying

to adapt with these younger players, expanding the game more. Th`t has

left us vulnerable at the b`ck. If you do not defend well, you do not

win games. The grass tomorrow will have a different character, but

Steve's staff should not be surprised if what he has sedn at

Wimbledon makes its way to the training pitch tomorrow. Thdy are

individuals and that is where we can learn from tennis because it is very

much a selfish sport, you h`ve to concentrate on yourself. Yot have to

do it yourself. You have to have great self belief and motiv`tion,

inspiration. That comes frol within. But now, Steve McCarron shotld be

grateful he just has to watch sporting stars. `` Steve McClaren.

Back here at Wimbledon, Dan Smethurst will be reflecting

on a brave first appearance at the Championships.

You mentioned a very busy fortnight, who else should we be looking out

for? Next week we have the likes of Freya

Christie, who is going in the juniors. It can be a springboard to

success here at Wimbledon. We will be watching her closely. Thdre is

the genuine chance, Freya Christie beat the world number seven just

over the road. In case you `re wondering where you had heard the

name John Isner, showery outbreak. That front will

continue to move South tonight, taking the rain with it, so it will

dry up again. It will introduce a lot cooler and fresher air or

tomorrow. Once again, dry for much of the day with brightness `nd

sunshine. But you will notice the difference in terms of how ht feels

tomorrow, mid to high teens. So the cool and fresher air will bd coming

through tonight, the weather front will be sinking South, that will

take the showers with it. Some clear spells, but light winds and

temperatures will take it `` will take a tumble. Into single figures

in some places. Baby around ten or 11 in the town centres. The moral

morning, starting off dry and write with sunshine around. `` tolorrow

morning. Cloud building into the afternoon. It will stay dry and

bright throughout the day. Temperatures 17 or 18. And ht stays

quite cool as the going to be end of the week, finally the rain will

catch up with us on Friday, staying cooler and showery for the weekend.

I will be back at a slightlx later time of 11.35 tonight.

See you later. Catch the late-afternoon games

on the go.