14/02/2017 East Midlands Today

It's almost 6:30pm - you're watching East Midlands Today.

Tonight, Derby-based Rolls-Royce announces the worst losses

Profits are down ?4.6 billion, but experts say

They are on the path but it is a three-year task

to pull the company around to where they want to be.

Also tonight, we join the ex-offenders who are getting

Plus, the Blood Bikers, scores of volunteers helping the NHS

And a man who collapsed at a football match meets

I was very, very lucky the way it happened,

Welcome to tonight's programme with Dominic Heale,

First tonight, it's a regional flagship, a revered national brand

Yet, today, Rolls-Royce posted one of the biggest losses ever seen

To put that number in context, it's the same as the national

So has the ground suddenly opened up and swallowed our

Quentin Rayner's been crunching the - very big - numbers.

It's one of the largest corporate losses ever reported in the UK.

And it comes at the end of an awful year for the Derby aerospace giant.

It is Britain's most famous company and its name has become shorthand

for the very best. But these have not been the best of times for

Rolls-Royce. But five profit warnings in three years. It has had

to pose the biggest lost in its 133 year history. That said, the bulk of

the laws is due to an accounting adjustment and a fall in the pound.

Overall the situation is not rosy but not to the extent that this

foreboding paramours would suggest. But it is an uphill battle for the

company. They have embarked on a serious programme of restructuring,

cost-cutting, they aim to have savings of around ?200 million by

the beginning of next year. It is not a rosy picture but not as bad as

the headlines would suggest. The company will have to pay ?671

million in combined fines for bribery and corruption across the

world which was exposed after the biggest explosion of its kind by the

Serious Fraud Office. The behaviour uncovered any course of the

investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and other authorities is

completely unacceptable and we apologise. Unreservedly for that.

When the deferred prosecution agreement was granted by Lord

Justice Leveson last month his judgment was stinging he said they

had unearthed the most serious breaches of criminal law and areas

of bribery and corruption and added that some of this corruption

involved controlling minds of the company. As a company, Rolls-Royce

avoided a criminal prosecution but now the Serious Fraud Office is

looking into bringing individual prosecutions. It has been reported

in certain areas of the press that those investigations could involve

up to three dozen people and Rolls-Royce has said it continues to

cooperate with the SFO. With 14,000 workers, Rolls-Royce is the biggest

employer in Derby, what happens at the side is keenly felt throughout

the city. You just have to hope that Rolls-Royce actually have a plan in

place to minimise the effects to get new orders and. Rolls-Royce to me

has always been something good in Derby and I would hate to think of

Rolls-Royce going down, I really would. I think they have got a get

out of jail free card because of their size and the meaning that they

have to the British economy. That is no suggestion that Rolls-Royce is

under threat, it has a healthy order book, costs are coming down and cash

will remain strong. Their CEO said they are looking forward but has

called for high standards to be maintained to ensure that

Rolls-Royce becomes a more trusted company.

So, Quentin, it looks like a dire result,

This ?4.6 billion loss is largely about accounting, in the end.

Rolls-Royce has this big sum of money in a fund that it

uses to hedge its risk against currency fluctuations.

Accounting rules mean they have to be valued at the current exchange

rate between the dollar and the pound.

Post-Brexit, everybody knows the pound is down.

So it means Rolls-Royce has taken a big hit on this

But, of course, over time, currency rates change,

and that particular loss could very well dwindle right down again.

What is true, as we said, is that the underlying profits

are down by about half on what they were last year -

Not a disaster, but not great by any means.

Thank you for making sense of that, Quentin.

So why are Rolls-Royce profits, when you strip out those currency

Earlier I asked that very question of Howard Wheeldon,

senior strategist and aerospace specialist for two US-based

The underlying profits are down because of the underlying work

that they are undertaking to bring their cost base under

control and to improve their competitiveness.

It is a big job, it is a three-year job, they are well advanced on it,

they have achieved through the last year exactly what they set out to do

So they are on the path but it is a three-year task

to pull the company around to where they want it to be.

So, again, if you strip out the currency hedging,

do you think the figures will go up in future years?

Yes, I'm in no doubt at all that Warren East

He has strengthened his own team as well, they know

where they want to be, they know how they are going to get

there and they have got the people, I think,

Remember, there is a very big order book behind this company,

it is not struggling financially, it is not struggling

The hedging situation is unfortunate but we have to remember what has

happened in the outside world in terms of Brexit, what's happened

to Sterling and indeed, they have taken advantage of hedging

profits in the preceding 15 years - occasionally,

And what about this deferred prosecution?

How much reputational damage might that cause them or do we just

shrug our shoulders and say that is the way of the

Well, it is not the way of the world and, of course,

the company have been very forthright in their absolute

determination and commitment to ensure that this never happens

again and even Leveson, who made the judgment against them,

is very happy with the controls that they have

So, from a reputational point of view, I am less

concerned about that, I really don't think that

Rolls-Royce is going to face problems in trying to sell

its engines to airlines because of the nature

That ?671 million deferred prosecution amount,

Indeed, Howard Wheeldon, thank you very much indeed.

A 34-year-old man from Leicester has been jailed for almost four years

after hitting a police officer with his van while fleeing

from a building site with stolen scaffolding.

Courtney Johnson pleaded guilty to two charges -

theft and causing GBH with intent to resist arrest.

It was a dramatic end to a summer Sunday in Loughborough, wasn't it?

Well, it happened on the 14th of August last year.

On that Sunday afternoon, Johnson was spotted on a construction site

in Loughborough loading scaffolding parts onto a borrowed flatbed van.

It was the second site in the town he'd targetted in just two weeks.

The police were called and Johnson was seen on nearby Allendale Road

stationary at some traffic lights by officer Joshua Williams.

He got out of his vehicle and attempted to stop Johnson

who revved his engine and ploughed past the officer, hitting his leg

at a speed of around ten miles per hour before speeding off.

So presumably the officer was pretty badly injured?

Yes, he was left with serious injuries to his right leg

and was off work for four months, though he will need to undergo

further surgery after the events of that summer day, which the force

Now today at Leicester Crown Court, Johnson - who has something

in the region of 78 previous convictions - was jailed for 45

months, just under four years, and banned from driving for 40.

The Judge Philip Head described his actions

as "grossly reckess," adding, "you've demonstrated you're a menace

- next time it could be manslaughter or it could be murder."

Campaigners say they're disappointed that a decision to refuse plans

for hundreds of homes in Nottinghamshire has

The first phase of the Field Farm development - near Stapleford -

had been rejected by Broxtowe Borough Council last year.

But now it's been approved after the government intervened.

It means the first 118 homes can now be built.

A former Labour councillor from Leicestershire has confirmed

Leon Spence was once the group leader for Labour at

North West Leicestershire District Council.

But after being independent for a number of years,

he's become a Tory, saying he's finally found his home.

He says Theresa May's performance as Prime Minister

A Nottingham bridge has become a popular symbol for couples looking

Over the last few years, hundreds of so called "love

locks" have been attached to Wilford Suspension Bridge,

which links West Bridgford to the Victoria Embankment.

But - unromantically - the owners Severn Trent Water say

the padlocks may someday need removing if the bridge

requires maintenance, and have encouraged people to find

other ways to show their love to each other.

We will possibly have suggestions on how you can do that later!

Employers are being given crime prevention grants to help former

The money's coming from our Police and Crime Commissioners to break

Today Leicestershire's PCC visited a firm in Loughborough to see how

Our social affairs correspondent, Jeremy Ball, was there too.

Sam is making a clean start, no one wanted to give him a job

That was until he was given a placement here

At the end of the third week they turned around to me and said,

"We would like to offer you a full-time job."

It was like a dream come true, my eyes just lit up

No, it really was, the best news I could have heard

Sam is one of hundreds of people with criminal records who have

been given placements through what is known

They are working side-by-side with staff at firms like this one

An opportunity to make an honest living.

The biggest factor that will help a lot of people stop reoffending

So we have got systems to protect the companies

that we work with and to ensure that we are eliminating risk,

but it is all about working with people who are saying,

"Look, I want to pay back now, I want to get back

The charity is being funded by Leicestershire's Police

and Crime Commissioner who is spending ?40,000 per year

You know there will be some people watching this who will say,

you know, "These job opportunities are rewarding people

It is really important for the rest of us, for society,

that those who have committed crime pay the punishment, then

have a chance when they come out to live lawful lives.

If they blow that chance, well, that is up to them,

but for the rest of us and for them themselves, it is absolutely

crucial that they are given that chance, otherwise,

The Wire Project says two thirds of its ex-offenders who are given

work placements get jobs within one year and now Sam is

It seemed at times when it was impossible.

It is like there was this physical barrier because of

I'm in a good position right now, I am not blowing it for anything.

Next - the unusual match-making service that's helping people

with dementia live as normal a life as possible.

It's called Side by Side and it's giving a new lease of life to those

who may otherwise be unable to go out or meet friends.

The only problem is that hundreds of people are waiting to try it out.

So the aim now is to double the number of volunteers.

Artemis and Jennifer are both retired teachers,

grandmothers and they share the same interest in books.

They have been matched as friends because one of them has dementia.

Artemis was diagnosed five years ago.

Jennifer's visits mean that Artemis can feel secure walking

Sometimes it is good for two people, so maybe a helping hand

I think we have struck up quite a good friendship.

Their pairing as pals is part of the Alzheimer's Society's

It aims to match helpers with those who need support.

The idea is already so popular that around 300 people are on the waiting

list in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire alone.

It is the thought that someone is coming to see you,

somebody cares about you, somebody wants to spend time

with you and that is great for your self-esteem and it makes

people feel that they are part of something and part of the community.

So we need a lot more volunteers to come forward and hopefully make

I am so looking forward to her coming.

In fact, recently I was telling her I am dreading when the time comes

I'm afraid you're stuck with me because I just go on and on.

Well, I love "stuck" cos I keep being stuck with you!

And while Jennifer sticks with Artemis, others

with dementia claim they'll lose friends following diagnosis.

The aim now is to help them pick up vital new ones.

And begin a whole new chapter in their lives.

Carolyn Moses, BBC East Midlands Today, Nottinghamshire.

Now to helping people in a quite different way.

Leicestershire and Rutland Blood Bikes run a free night and weekend

service delivering medical items between hospitals in the area.

The group's made up of around 80 volunteers and the service estimates

it's saving the NHS thousands of pounds every year.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Blood Bikes took to the road

They carry blood, pathology samples, x-rays...

In fact, any medical essentials that need to be moved.

It allows us to transfer very important blood and blood

components and samples between the Leicestershire

hospitals, Glenfield General and Royal.

They cover night-time deliveries during the week,

and provide a 24-hour service at weekends and public holidays.

We keep the bikes either at the Leicester Central Fire Station

or at the ambulance station of one of the hospitals.

We'll turn up, we'll carry out a pre-ride inspection of the bike,

we contact the controller, who organises the shift

Once we are signed on, we wait for the call to come in.

Since November, the group has made more than 120 deliveries.

Hospital staff say it is a valued transport option.

Out of hours and weekends, we rely on taxi services

and sometimes it's difficult for them to accommodate

the requirements that we need and also the urgency.

We're not an emergency service so we don't ride around

with blue lights or anything, but the efficiency of the service

The group is always on the lookout for new members.

They want to increase the number of bikes available each

And, BBC East Midlands Today, Leicestershire.

Time for sport and Nat is here and feeling the love

Where else to spend Valentine's night than at a big match?!

There's a full league programme and Derby have another huge

home game against Cardiff as they try to make sure

So Nikesh Rughani is live for us this evening at Pride Park.

Nikesh, are you feeling the love there tonight?

Do you know what? There is no time for any sloppiness here. Derby

County have to be extremely ruthless as they are to stay within touching

distance of those Championship play-off spots. One man who has seen

this before as the former England international and assistant manager

of Derby County, Kevin Phillips. The changes tonight, how are you and the

players feeling? Feeling good. We need a response after Saturday, to

continue the form that we should in the second half. We cannot afford

what we did in the first half. We have the changes, Butterfield and

Ikechi Anya are amongst the starters. We want to score plenty of

goals and try not to concede many. Promotion from the championship is

something you have enjoyed with several clubs over the years, Moses

and they Leicester City, what are these players feeling going into

every game at the state of the season? Is it like a cup final each

time? It is, but we cannot put too much pressure on the players. We can

look at the table and the results coming in but we have to take each

game as it comes. In this week begins come thick and fast, you do

not have to want to dwell on the game before, we look forward to

tonight against a tough team and lead United but it is a match that

we think we can win. A quick word on Steve McClaren, a fantastic time

since he has returned to the club, unbeaten at home, how influential

has he been? He has been huge, his impact has been excellent. Many are

delighted to see him back at the club, his enthusiasm and knowledge,

second to none, we are all learning from that and the players are taking

on board what he is trying to coach them. He is taking that into every

game and also they can make those play-offs every carry on and do that

between now and the end of the season. Thank you for that, Kevin

Phillips. They cost between Derby County and Cardiff City is at 7:45pm

and there is live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Nottingham Forest are away at Fulham

having only won twice on the road all season.

The Reds also go into the game on the back of a 5-1 thrashing

The training ground has been good again, we have been bright today and

as a group of staff we expect to get a strong response from this group of

players and we looking forward to the game.

Now can Mansfield Town's unbeaten run in 2017 continue tonight

Since manager Steve Evans arrived three months ago,

the Stags have gone from 18th in League Two to 7th.

They've only conceded one goal this year and are looking good

Well, at Notts County, the mood has been lifted at the Lane

by new manager Kevin Nolan, who is unbeaten at home.

They have a tough game tonight though with a visit

Onto rugby, and confirmation that Leicester Tigers have resigned Bath

fly-half George Ford from the start of next season, with Freddie Burns

Meanwhile, Maxime Mermoz, who scored a try on his debut

at the weekend, has been explaining his try celebration.

I had a bet with a friend three years ago. Someone did this with a

guest and we did this with a friend. It is meant to be a kind of Tiger.

Well, from a Tiger to Panthers - Nottingham are in Sheffield tonight

for the second leg of their ice hockey Challenge Cup semifinal.

They're 2-1 down after the first leg but did beat the Steelers

in the league last weekend, so have momentum on their side.

Now a world-class triathlon event is to be held in Nottingham.

There'll be live BBC TV coverage of the event,

which will feature some of the world's top athletes.

It'll be the first major mixed relay sprint triathlon in England

and promises to be exciting for both spectators and those

It predictable. Mixed really is a fast-growing and set to get bigger.

It was on trial at Glasgow's Commonwealth Games two years ago and

could be soon part of the Olympics. This is where the event will be, in

and along the river Trent. There are two men and two women per team, they

will swim along the river and get on their bikes for around five

kilometres and they will run for about one mile. Drawn home by

Alistair Brownlee. The British are good at it and leading the team and

Nottingham should be Alastair and Jonny Brownlee, big fans of this

format. It is short, fast, it is really entertaining to watch. Out of

all of the formats that we reason, random people on the streets have us

that they watched the bully at the weekend, that is really cool. More

than anything it is good fun to race. It is just great fun. It will

be shown live across the BBC in early September with Nottingham

chosen ahead of other cities with its record of the Robin Hood

Marathon and the Abbott triathlon endurance sports. This is where you

can watch the stars but you will also be able to take part because

there are novice events. Loughborough -based British

triathlon wants to get more people into a sport that is growing in

popularity. This is Mark Chappell for BBC East Midlands Today in

Nottingham. More details next week, I always

think graphics are amazing, incredible.

Thank you for that. -- I always think triathletes are amazing.

A man from Nottingham who suffered a cardiac arrest at a football match

in Derbyshire today met the paramedics who saved his life.

52-year-old Ian Taylor showed no signs of life for ten minutes

after he collapsed at a Matlock Town game last month.

Paramedics say that if staff and volunteers at the ground hadn't

reacted as quickly as they did, he wouldn't have survived.

Saying thank you to the people who saved his life. Thank you for

everything you did. Nice to see you up and about and feeling as well as

you do. Ian was with his brother when he collapsed minutes before

kick-off at a Mathieu in January. I can remember being in hospital that

night, not much else. He was stood behind me, we were talking and as I

looked around he fell down, instantaneously. Just lying flat on

his back, not breathing. He was dead, basically. I put his hand -- I

put my hand on his chest and he was not breathing. Ian had suffered a

cardiac arrest and was already sponsor for ten minutes. Saving his

life was a team effort, it was thanks to the quick thinking of

staff, volunteers and fancy that he survived and the fact that the first

paramedic on the scene was just moments away from the ground when

Ian collapsed. It was a combination bully of the CPR that was that

initially before the deep regulator was attached which was immediate

because he literally collapsed next to a doctor. That coupled with early

defibrillation saved his life, undoubtedly. I had all of my lot in

one go. Ian has been invited back here for a match on Saturday and has

said that this football club will always have a special place in his

heart. Emily Anderson, BBC East Midlands Today, Matlock.

It is Valentines night, time for the weather... Roses are red, oranges

are juicy, we wish you well and, we are glad we have got Lucy.

I will just that with the weather thank you! Some rain through the

next few days. That wind is changing direction, so we are starting to see

some milder temperatures and a more westerly direction. This is what the

visible satellite looked like earlier, the father to the East, the

better that you did in terms of sunshine. This next weather front

bring some cloud as they go through this evening and overnight. Here is

a picture sent in by the Weather Watcher, plenty of blue sky, but

does not look like we will see that tomorrow, remember that photo. Or

and overnight, plenty of cloud around, if you're heading out there

will be if you're heading out there will be a few Anna Briggs of light

rain, so you might want to take an umbrella. It'll be quite murky, some

patches of Mr round and for that higher levels. Temperatures reaching

an overnight low of six or seven Celsius. Mild start tomorrow but

murky. That mist Dunn hill fog is taking its time to clear. Plenty of

cloud around and then into the afternoon the arrival of some rain.

That does look like it could locally be quite heavy as temperatures reach

a maximum of 11 degrees. We have that southerly breeze. As you move

into Thursday it will be a faulty start to the day. It looks like it

could be drier, there will be one or two Anna Briggs of rain however and

it will be brighter post temperatures reaching a maximum of

10 Celsius. We are sticking with milder fame. And milder temperatures

for the weekend but it does look like we could see more scenes like

this with more fog on Friday. That is your forecast.

We shall save on the central heating! Thank you for that. I made

you a little card, Natalie. Bless you! These two are trouble.

Join us for the late news this evening at 10:25pm. Goodbye.

# I knew you were trouble when you walked in