27/02/2017 East Midlands Today

Tonight - suicide or murder? for news where you are.

A Government minister demands answers over the death in Italy

The Italian authorities believe Claire Marten's fatal knife wounds

were self-inflicted. To close the case and say it was suicide is

clearly not true and so we have to do all in our power to challenge

that verdict. Also, the heart disease test that could mean

patients are having operations they don't need. Plus, how to teachers

recreated a safeguarding document days after the death of a

seven-year-old pupil. And meet at the clock tower for

Claudio, Foxes fans paying tribute to their sacked manager.

Good evening and welcome to Monday's programme

with Anne Davies and me, Dominic Heale.

First tonight, a Government minister is insisting that the police

in Italy reopen their investigation into the death of a woman

Claire Martin died from multiple stab wounds five years ago.

The Italian authorities ruled she'd probably taken her own life.

But a Home Office pathologist has told the BBC's East Midlands

Inside Out programme he suspects she was murdered.

This week marks the fifth anniversary

The 30-year-old from Sutton in Ashfield died in Italy

from multiple stab wounds to her throat.

Italian police later closed the case as a suicide.

It has caused such lasting effects that I don't know

You know, this is where some of the anomalies of the case are.

On tonight's Inside Out, her parents meet retired

detective Tony Blockley, who's taken a fresh look

He shows photographs from Claire's autopsy

The simple fact is that stabbing oneself in the neck is

There are no obvious defensive injuries on the hands or forearms

where somebody has warded off or grasped at an assailant

but if you were taken by surprise or overcome from behind,

you wouldn't necessarily expect to see them.

While it would be physically possible to do it to yourself.

Looking at this, if I was briefing a Senior Investigating Officer

at this autopsy, I would be suggesting that you need to go

Claire's parents have also met the Minister for Europe,

who has added his backing for the case to be reopened.

This just looks wrong and there's a smell about it which is not nice.

And just to close the case and say it was suicide

And therefore, I think we have to do all in our power

I feel as though maybe we're going to the next step

The next step is to ask the Italian authorities to reopen the case

and if they don't, the Martins will consider taking it to

And you can see more on this story on tonight's Inside Out,

Still to come - a parade in praise of Claudio Ranieri

just days after he was sacked as Leicester City manager.

Yes, fans have come together in celebration, one that has been

organised by an 11-year-old boy in tribute to his hero.

And those fans are headed to the King Power Stadium to see how the

players respond against Liverpool to Claudio Ranieri's sacking.

Next, though, research being carried out here in the East Midlands

suggests a flawed exercise test could be leading to patients

needlessly undergoing open heart surgery.

A team at the University of Leicester says the

internationally-recognised bike test - used to diagnose a narrowing

of the aortic heart valve - is "highly inaccurate".

Our health correspondent Rob Sissons has more.

Professor Gerry McCann is a cardiologist. His research at the

University of Leicester is into an internationally recognised bike

tests and suggest it's not reliable when it comes to selecting patients

for aortic valve replacement. It's possible to many people are having

an operation but it's likely that most of them will require an

operation at some point, perhaps an elderly group, you may send a

patient to surgery who would never have developed symptoms. Mike has a

good level of fitness. It's looking at lung function and heart function

while we are stressing them on the bike. The concern is breathlessness

in-patients may be down to the fact they don't exercise much, so

thousands of operations may be done to early, putting patients at risk

of complications. The beauty of this test is it takes a few minutes and

you get instant results, so hardly surprising it is popular among the

medical fraternity and these findings are controversial and cry

out for more research. Across the UK around 10,000 valve replacements are

carried out each year. The typical cost, ?15,000 each and patients

usually stay in hospital between seven and ten days. Postponing

surgery could save the NHS millions of pounds a year. Some people really

believe the bike test is good and results question that. The National

Institute for health research paid for this study. The hope that

Glenfield is now to take it on. An inquest has heard how two

teachers deliberately altered a child safeguarding document

following the death of a pupil. Shanay Walker died

in Nottingham in 2014. The head teacher of Southglade

Primary School, Peter Smalley, and teaching assistant

Laura Shreeves were responsible And today, Nottingham's Director

of Education said she continues to have confidence in

Mr Smalley's leadership. Seven-year-old Shanay Walker had

more than 50 injuries when she died. Her aunts and grandmother

were jailed for cruelty. The inquest into her death is now

into its third week. The director of education

in Nottingham, Sarah Fielding, She was answering questions

about the headteacher of Southglade Primary School,

Peter Smalley, and The inquest heard they had recreated

a safeguarding document It had gone missing but was

recreated soon after her death. The inquest heard they rewrote it

on a day that the original teacher who wrote the document

was not in school. Six members of staff later came

forward to speak to a doctor supporting the school

after Shanay's death. They felt their concerns for Shanay

had not been taken seriously enough. Sarah Fielding was asked

by the coroner how she felt now about that recreated safeguarding

form. She said it was unacceptable and

weak leadership by the headteacher. The coroner asked if she had

confidence in the headteacher Later in the inquest, Mrs Fielding

said decisions about the school were being revisited

and the findings will be The inquest heard it's for school

governors to take action against staff if needed but local

authorities can appoint new governors or impose

a new executive board at a school. The director of education said

they had decided not to use Police are investigating the theft

of alcohol worth nearly a quarter of a million pounds

from a Leicestershire warehouse. Officers want to trace these

two men after a lorry - believed to be using false number

plates - arrived at the warehouse 26 pallets of alcohol were loaded

into it at around 5am before it was driven away

on the A5 towards Rugby. A 39-year-old man has been

arrested on suspicion Plans for the future of the former

Snibston Museum site in Coalville have been made public

by Leicestershire County Council. The museum closed in 2015

because the authority said The new plans include

creating a history trail as well as a path and cycleway link

into Coalville town centre. The council's holding a public event

at Snibston's Century Theatre on Wednesday when it wants

to hear people's views. A woman found guilty

of the manslaughter of her baby niece in Leicestershire has been

sentenced to six years in jail. Chaunfang Zheng had been caring

for the seven-month-old at her flat on Linden Drive in Lutterworth

when the trial heard That caused catastrophic brain

damage and ultimately It has been a combination of two

years of hard work by officers and it is testament to their dedication

that week could provide evidence for the jury to reach their verdict. It

has been a very sad investigation and we hope the sentencing today

provides some closure for Phoebe's family.

The former Nottinghamshire social worker who uncovered widespread

abuse of British children sent to Australia says horrific stories

Margaret Humphreys will give evidence about the child migration

scheme to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Ball is here.

Today's been a real milestone in this inquiry, hasn't it?

Yes, it's going to take several years.

And today they heard the first evidence.

That was evidence about a huge scandal that originally

Thousands of children from broken homes were sent

to Australia, where many ended up being physically

We can show you pictures today of how the inquiry was formally opened

in London this morning. It's begun hearing emotional

accounts of what happened in the years after World War Two,

that children were "forcibly deported" without their parents'

consent, that some were wrongly told they were orphans, and survivors

are being represented by a West Bridgford-based charity

called the Child Migrants Trust. Some left year when they were four

or five years of age and I think over the next few weeks we are going

to hear the most horrific stories of their times in these residential

institutions overseas. We're going to hear the voices for the first

time and I would just say, let's pause, let's just listen.

It's not just about the Australia side of things.

We're also going to hear about allegations

of historical abuse here in the East Midlands, aren't we?

Yes, because although it's a national inquiry, two of its 13

topics are about what happened in this region.

One strand's looking into the former MP, Greville Janner.

That'll hear from several men who say he abused them,

while they were growing up around Leicester.

And another strand of this inquiry's going to look

at hundreds of complaints about Nottinghamshire

You'll remember that abuse first emerged at Beechwood in Mapperley.

So what's it all going to achieve after all this time?

Put very simply, it's looking for institutional failings

and whether there were cover-ups, and finding ways to make sure

Jeremy, thanks very thanks very much.

Tributes continue to be paid to the BBC Radio Derby

presenter Andy Potter, who died yesterday only a month

Andy, who was 55, was part of the Radio Derby presenter line-up

His family have paid their own tribute, praising

the "tremendous courage" with which he fought his illness.

And despite their "unbelievable sadness," they've asked

people to remember him - and simply smile.

James Roberson looks back on the life of

It was only a month ago that Andy publicly announced

He spent his final days surrounded by family and friends

in the Macmillan ward of the Royal Derby hospital.

Today, colleagues have been paying tribute to him

and to his passionate support of culture in Derby and Derbyshire.

He is one of the people who's fundamental to the support

for Derby artists and has been for however long.

It is just a shock to think about what will be left after this,

for him personally but also for the arts and what he loved.

Andy had also established a regular spot each year

Mark Smith from Mark Eaton garden centre helped with horticulture

He would interview them, some difficult ones but he'd manage

to get things out of them perhaps other people couldn't get out

of them and by the end, they used to shake his hand

and said, thank you for a great interview and they would find him

the next year at Chelsea and do the same again

Tributes on social media have flooded in both since and even

The listeners were with Andy all the way.

he had been getting on, we were getting messages

all the time, how's Andy, what's the latest?

Andy kept in touch with people as much as he could but the interest

They loved Andy and they loved his show.

Today the station has opened a book of condolence for their much missed

Thank you to the people for texting and messaging and getting in touch,

thank you to all those people, producers that have helped me

all the time and have given me a great opportunity,

a Derby lad on a Derby radio station.

I wanted to leave name mark and hopefully we have done a bit of

that. The Nottinghamshire MP Ken Clarke

has become the longest-serving Member of Parliament

following the death The 86-year-old Labour member

for Manchester Gorton died yesterday He became an MP in 1970,

the same year Ken Clarke was first The 76-year-old former Chancellor

now becomes the Father of the House. Work to improve access

for people using the tram at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre

got under way today. A new walkway is being built linking

the platform and the hospital. It means patients and staff

won't have to walk all the way round the building to get access

via the main entrance. It's costing ?1.4

million and should be Wildlife officers are nursing a baby

otter back to health after it was separated

from its mother in Derbyshire. The pup was found staggering

by the side of a river in the north She's now said to be

recovering well at an RSPCA And you can see more footage of this

cuddly cutey on our Facebook page. A parade is taking place

in Leicester city centre this evening, to pay tribute

to the former Foxes After his shock sacking

last Thursday, many fans voiced their grief at losing

the Italian who helped Well, this evening before their

match against Liverpool, fans have gathered together to celebrate

Ranieri's impact on the city - and it's all been organised

by an 11-year-old. The damp weather here in Leicester

has not dampened the spirits of these fans. They have been on a

little Parade March, it started at the clock tower and now they're

here. You can hear who the man of the moment is, Claudio Ranieri, and

this parade was organised by an 11-year-old boy, Jack. You decided

to arrange this. What made you decide to do this? I wanted to show

my point that Ranieri, best manager we have ever had and a thank you

from 40 has done. Your big sister is behind you. The two have you heard

the news and were so heartbroken that you thought you had to pay

tribute. Jack was hard working, he was in tears and for Leicester last

year it was the most incredible experience. I'm not a mass of

football fans but for what Claudio has brought to the city, how could

we not paid tribute to such an incredible man? All of you are here

to say thank you, and this evening is the game against Liverpool, the

first game when Ranieri isn't in charge and there is one thing you

all want to say, what is it you want to say to Ranieri? Thank you!

So nice! That really lovely. From the fans in the centre

of the City to those Colin's there to look ahead

to Leicester versus Liverpool. How much has changed since the last

time I watched these It was the night of that goal -

Jamie Vardy's belter from 40 yards. Then, even the Press

Box stood to applaud. Tonight, the manager

who masterminded that is gone. And Vardy - who scored the goal -

is among those being blamed. In a moment, a pundit

and fans' view. First, it s been another

remarkable 72 hours. It was the weekend for farewells.

Claudio Ranieri taking his leave of the players and sharing a final

moment with us. What we achieved in Leicester, I hope it will happen

again but it will be difficult. Was it a emotional with the players? No.

He had gone by the time the owners flew in. They will be wondering

about the response from fans, and the players who eventually took to

social media to say goodbye and in one case to deny any role in

Ranieri's sacking, apart from the performance that must be fixed. We

have to. The unthinkable is going down. It's come to this and it is

sad it has come to this but it's because we haven't performed as

players and we have to take responsibility. Part of the issue

will be how the men and women of the press were swept away by Ranieri.

Journalists who went to deliver a letter found themselves saying a

fond farewell. We knocked on the door and he answered it with a smile

and shook our hands and invited us in for coffee. Claudio gave them and

their supporters the biggest possible moment. How fast will

everyone leave that and their feelings for him behind?

This is Arlo White of the American network NBC. Last time we spoke,

Leeming Mayday but it has all changed. I got back from Seville to

get the news on Thursday, I was shocked at the timing but then it

sunk in and you look at the league table and their form and the owners'

money they have put in to restore the title last year and it began to

make more sense. I've never seen her stereo like we experienced last

Friday and Saturday in the statement from Claudio was a tear-jerker but I

think it was the right decision, though I still think you can want a

statue outside the ground for what he did. As someone who looks at it

from America, what has to Leicester's image? It hasn't helped

that. Words like the trail, discussed, treachery are being used

but I think there's more to this story than people realise. Claudio

did a fantastic job but he was part of something bigger. It was

wonderful confluence of events that led to Leicester City winning the

title. He was vital to it. People in America see the fairy tale and

Leicester City were trapped in a fairy tale. If they kept the status

quo they would have gone down, no doubt, but if they fired that

they've looked like the bad guys and that is how they are perceived. It's

up to the players and Craig Shakespeare and the staff to prove

it was the right decision. Let's wrap everything else up now.

Away from Leicester - Derby County's play-off hopes took

And it's there where Mark Shardlow starts his round-up.

It's been a dreadful Bradbury Derby, in contrast for Villa, their fifth

win since 2016. A stonewall penalty, said manager Steve McClaren, but it

was turned down. In the two, Mansfield town fought back from a

goal down against Newport to take them to eighth, just outside the

play-offs but only on goal distance, their winner going from a penalty

given for handball. Meanwhile, Notts County had a goalless draw.

In other sport, good news coming out of Leicester for rugby's Tigers -

who hammered Harlequins on Friday night and for basketball's Riders -

who've seen both their men's and women's teams qualify

for their respective BBL Trophy Finals.

Tigers' win was the first home defeat for Harlequins all year.

Meanwhile, this will be the third Trophy final in a row

In ice hockey, two games, two close defeats for Nottingham Panthers.

And in Motorsport a fantastic fourth place in Australia

in the World Supersport for Jacksdale's Kyle Ryde.

Now, back here at Leicester let's hear from more fans.

Their response tonight to the owners, to the players,

to the absent Claudio Ranieri will be really interesting.

Colin, they have had a few days to digest this news of Claudio

Ranieri's sacking but how do they feel? Robert, you said you were

disappointed. It's a bit gutting after what he did for us last season

and every fan would like to say thank you. Sunni Tech, you have a

sign there saying he will be missed. He will be missed after what he did,

he brought us up in the premiership, he helped us with relegation,

achieving a premiership which Leicester has never done, how could

we do this to him? I feel so sad about it. Charles, would you get

behind the team tonight despite this? I will, very distant pointed

about Claudio, but I will be behind the team. That's what fans feel

ahead of kick-off which will be at 8pm. You can follow it all on BBC

Radio Leicester with full commentary and we will report on our late

bulletin, and match of the day will have highlights later.

Yes, you can hear it here at 10:30pm.

What will happen at the match? I'm of two minds. It's been raining

heavily in Leicester and elsewhere. We had a bit of everything, some

wintry showers, some sunshine, this was the satellite picture over the

East Midlands and the rest of the UK, heavy showers at times. We had

this picture sent in with this angry bank of cloud coming towards Rutland

and even some mum clouds spotted over Derbyshire, so thank you to

Weather Watchers for sending those in. Tomorrow it a similar picture,

showery rain but bright spells, because this barony area of low

pressure is throwing fronts towards us in the next few days. Tonight we

have a yellow weather warning in force for Derbyshire and

Nottinghamshire so take care on untreated routes. Overnight, a few

touches of wintriness as we go across the East Midlands, lots of

patchy showers tonight, some drier spells in between and lows around 0

Celsius so be aware of the ice risk. Tomorrow we will start off on a

bright note, you may see some sunshine but cloud will build over

the course of the afternoon, highs around 8 degrees with lots of

showers later in the day. As we look towards the middle of the week, we

will see cloudy conditions, a little uncertainty about how far this rain

will move north that do take your brollies out in the next few days

because we still have low pressure in charge. I will eat you with the

hope that, a mixture of sunshine and blustery showers in the next few

days. It stopped being very nice. Cold and wet. Don't forget that

result, 10:30pm, see you then. Goodbye.

To be in the Lords, you have to be punctual...

literally have to slam the door in somebody's face.