03/01/2012 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello, and welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight:

We've more on the Durham shootings. Police confiscated Michael

Atherton's weapons after a previous incident but then gave them back to

him. The woman who took on the lottery

rapist, and changed the law, speaks publicly for the first time, after

being awarded the MBE. Travel disruption and buildings

damaged as more strong winds hit the region.

And no happy new year for Darlington. The football club's in

administration, it could be the end for the Quakers.

129 years of history hanging in the balance. Elsewhere, how's life

treating our League clubs? We've a half-term report, and the

pick of the New Year action including one fan who just loves to

The community remains in shock. Many questions remain unanswered.

But details are beginning to emerge about the police's dealings with

Michael Atherton. The 42-year-old shot dead his partner, Susan

McGoldrick, her sister, Alison Turnbull and her niece, Tanya

Turnbull, before taking his own life in his house in Horden,

Peterlee, late on Sunday night. Our Chief Reporter Chris Stewart is at

the scene of the shooting. Chris, there was a time when questions

were being asked about whether Michael Atherton should have guns?

That was a little over three years ago. I can tell you his guns were

confiscated by the police. The question is, how did you get them

back? First a Damian O'Neil has spent the day in Britain's Got

Talent talking to people here, among them those who worked with

Michael Atherton. As more details emerged about what

happened in the hours leading up to the shootings the people of Horden

are still coming to terms with the enormity of what happened on their

doorstep and the national attention which is now focused on their

village. It is always something that happens in other places, that

what we always think. But happening here in Horden has come as a great

Exemplary, a nice guy, never had Unsworth, no matter how many other

people might be frustrated and fed themselves -- never heard him swear.

Started work in the early hours, worked all day, at night if we were

busy, never take anything down, caused a problem. How did you feel

when you heard the news? Disbelief. Disbelief. Complete disbelief. I

could named a dozen people who if I had headed on the news, I would say

yes. Not him. Did he talk about his personal life I work? No, never

showed any outward signs of any discomfort or stress. Just a nice

guy. He will have a lot of clients, customers that want him to pick him

up. You have certain drivers who are very well liked and he was one

of them. Did you have any reason to think he could ever do anything

like this? No. The government has already ruled out any immediate

change to the gun laws, but the local MP thinks they need to be

looked at again. I do think maybe the time is right to look at this

in a thoroughly calm and measured way to determine whether we need to

review the law and the terms and conditions under which firearms are

issued. Meanwhile the efforts to try and find out why Michael

Atherton resorted to such extreme violence are continuing. We might

have expected to hear the arguments calling for gun laws to be

tightened, and we might also have expected to hear those representing

gun owners saying that the laws are strict enough already. A war we

didn't expect to hear is the fact they did come this time when

Michael Atherton's weapons were confiscated. For a well run gun

club by the letter of the law couldn't be more closely followed.

This is what the police want to see. But now they find themselves having

to fend off questions that you don't have easy answers. We know he

had six weapons, three were shotguns, smooth barrelled and

firing pellets. To get acidic -- certificate for the sea had to fill

out a form and had to declare any criminal past, give details of his

GP and provide a referee of good character. Three weapons were

classed as firearms. These fire bullets about deadly over a longer

range. As well as what was required for the shotgun application he also

had to provide two referees and provide good reason for holding a

firearm. The police have the power to the reverts -- to revoke the

City of good and that could have been a consideration in his case. -

- City forget. In 2008 at a family gathering he became upset and

threatened to harm himself. The police were called and came here

and took away his weapons. A few days later a senior officer decided

there was no justification for the police are continuing to hold those

weapons and they were handed back. One of the country's foremost

commentators are crime issues says and national firearms register is

desperately needed. Legitimate studios are allowed to possess

firearms, they need them in the house because whether she might be

miles from where they live. We need a proper system of making sure that

if people become unstable or if they become for some reason not

suitable to hold firearms the machine -- the machinery, the

system kicks in and they have another look at them. I don't think

that always happens. This evening an organisation representing the

gun lobby said such a national register could not guarantee

incidents like the Liz Cann shootings could be avoided. My own

opinion is that GPs would be reluctant to sign people off,

because they would feel that was too great a responsibility for them

to take on their shoulders. Whatever you do, let us be

realistic. Whatever you do you will see incidents like this happen

occasionally. Calls for tougher laws are inevitable but the

indications from Downing Street are that that is not going to happen.

Chris, you and I have been here before. Last time, we were standing

in the middle of Whitehaven discussing Derrick Bird's gun

licensing. He killed 12 people, then himself. Politicians issued a

report, but really, nothing's changed, has it?

More we here after a tragedy is perhaps predictable but

understandable -- what we hear. The police can operate only in the

guidelines provided for them by the government. This tragedy will be

picked over by the independent Police Complaints Commission but

Durham Police said this afternoon they are confident they did operate

within those nationally agreed This is Shirley Woodman. Her long

battle with the rapist who attacked her made national headlines and set

a legal precedent for other victims. Iorworth Hoare tried to rape

Shirley in Leeds in 1988. Hoare, who already had a string of

convictions for sex attacks, was sentenced to life imprisonment. But

16 years later, while out on day release, he won more than �7

million on the National Lottery. He used some of the money to buy a

house on the luxury Darras Hall estate outside Newcastle. Shirley

pursued him through the courts for compensation, and in 2008 the House

of Lords made a landmark ruling in her favour. Shirley, who's from

Leeds, could only previously be identified as Mrs A. But now, after

being awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours, she's waived her

right to anonymity and spoken exclusively to Look North's Joe

Inwood, together with her daughter Shelley Wolfson.

I was absolutely frozen with fear. I could not believe this had

happened. Somebody rang me up and said the man who attacked due has

just won the lottery, �7 million. - - a tactic you. I was horrified. It

seemed so unjust that not only myself, but other people, other of

his victims, couldn't share in some of the money and take out a case of

damages against -- against him. I was being continually told that the

law of limitations is there, and you will not win. We cannot change

it. But that was exactly what Shirley Wood and then went on to do.

The law of limitation is meant once six years have passed she could no

longer sue him, the man who had attacked her. But for years and

hundreds of thousands of pounds of legal costs later, as she was in

the house if Lord's changing the law. It meant other people would be

benefiting by it. There were children who had been in care and

two had been abused his lawyers had realised I was taking up my case

and as my decision was made, we then knew that these young people

who had been abused so many years earlier, we knew that they would

also win their case. It is fair to say this it wasn't for the money,

this wasn't for you. Oh my goodness, no, not at all. It was for justice.

There was no thought of money and the beginning. In fact, it was

going for charity and it has gone to charity. All the money went to

charity. Yes. All the money has gone. You were involved in

nominating your mother, why did you do it?

She is a woman of dignity, a woman of strength, she fought the Law of

the land and she won. And for that I am so proud to be her daughter,

so proud of her. Shirley Woodman, Stormy weather's been causing

disruption across much of the region today with winds of over 80

miles an hour. Some vehicles have blown over and there's been

structural damage to buildings. But the biggest problems are on the

trains through the region. East Coast trains heading north are

terminating at Newcastle because of severe gale force winds in

Edinburgh and Glasgow. Stephanie If these sough -- travellers when

suffering from the general blues when they said had, they would be

now. Nope trains travelling north of Newcastle because of 100 mph

winds. Meant to be home to Aberdeen today. Can't get home until

tomorrow. It's the weather, you have got to go with the flow.

going to have a look around here, go ice-skating or something. We are

supposed to be travelling up to Scotland but trains here are

cancelled and people say Glasgow is a no-go. We don't mind, we are

prepared, when we come to Newcastle of Scotland, come to the west of

Ireland, we are used to storms and that kind of thing over there.

limited East Coast train service has resumed this evening between

Newcastle and Edinburgh and a normal service is expected to run

tomorrow. The train company says customers with tickets for today

will be able to travel on any east- coast train tomorrow, weather

permitting. On the roads two lorries got into difficulty on the

M6, this one overturned near Carlisle and another was blown from

the road near today. Traffic was brought to a standstill this

morning after a trailer overturned near Newcastle. The strong winds

have caused damage to people's. -- people's. Students at the school

got an extra day off -- pupils. If these travellers weren't

suffering from the January blues when they set out this morning,

One man is still in custody and another two have been released on

bail following the alleged rape and kidnap of a woman in Newcastle.

Police were called to the Royal Station Hotel early yesterday after

the woman's husband had become concerned when she'd failed to

return home. A 22-year-old woman was taken to hospital suffering

from a head injury. More than 500 jobs could be at risk

at Cumbrian Seafoods plants in the North East and Cumbria. Young's

Seafood bought the sites in Seaham, Amble and Whitehaven in December

after the company went into administration. This afternoon,

Youngs announced the business model for the sites isn't financially

viable. It's proposing changes which could result in the loss of

up to 363 jobs in Seaham, 112 in Whitehaven, and 80 in Amble.

A Crown Court judge from Northumberland who swore and

stormed out of court when she was convicted of failing to control her

dangerous dog has retired on medical grounds. Beatrice Bolton,

from Rothbury, was convicted at Carlisle Magistrates in December

2010 of allowing her German Shepherd dog to bite her neighbour.

She was facing disciplinary action but today the Office for Judicial

Complaints said it had now been dropped.

Still to come, a half-time report on our football league teams. But

for Darlington it could be the season is about to come to a

premature and permanent end. After another stormy winters day

the wind features in a forecast and I will have your full outlook if

Gateshead Council's proposing to lay off all of its countryside

rangers as it tries to make cuts of �70 million. The six rangers

maintain all of the borough's country parks with a team of 70

volunteers. It's believed that the National Trust has been approached

to take on some of the maintenance work. Adrian Pitches reports.

Harold and Jackey are volunteers whose work in Gateshead's

countryside is overseen by the full-time rangers employed by the

council. If these rangers are axed, all that maintenance work could end.

That has implications for not only who manages the Rangers, the

Foreign to Rangers, but has direct implications on the countryside

itself -- the volunteer Rangers. There will be litter, vandalism,

anti-social behaviour. The hours build up over the year. We keep a

record and in 2011, over 7,000 hours of volunteer time.

Gateshead's most popular country park is the Derwent Valley walkway.

The proposal to close the countryside ranger service is not

so popular. It would be a massive shame because

it is really well maintained at the moment. They would be a big shame.

It is a disaster for Nature and the local people. It is a well used

place by people and nature and nature lease taking care of. Green

spaces are really important and to neglect them is probably very

dangerous to be habitat here as well as for that local community to

use them. The council say with �70 million of

cuts, it is inevitable difficult decisions will have to be taken and

they stressed no decision has yet been taken about the countryside

management service here in the borough. They do say they have been

talking to trusts are about maintenance of their country parks

which seems to be a reference to the National Trust. Neither side is

saying much more today. For the third time in just nine

years Darlington Football Club has being placed into administration.

Chairman Raj Singh said the decision was taken with huge regret,

while administrators say the club will fold unless financial support

is found quickly. Stuart Whincup Winning the FA Trophy, the first

silverware in Darlington's 128 year history, was supposed to herald a

new era. But just eight months after those Wembley celebrations

and following weeks of speculation the football club has again being

placed into administration. There have been times when the economy is

uncertain, fans don't have money to spend a matches, investors don't

have the same sort of money and capital available, so a pretty

serious situation. Former captain Kevan Smith made

nearly 400 appearance for Darlington and is one on their best

known players. He says he was part of delegation interested in taking

over the club, but claims chairman Raj Singh wasn't interested in

talking to them. I do know he was talking to Darlington contingent,

but he also was aware of this other side, and my disappointment is that

he has not given the opportunity to be discussed because this was a

genuine opportunity to keep a club as safe as possible.

Darlington will now be docked 10 points, while any new consortium

have been warned they will need to find around �400,000 to run the

club till the end of the season. In a statement the chairman said it

was with huge regret he placed the club into administration. He said

he had been trying to make cutbacks for some months but it wasn't

possible and there was no other viable offer to take over the club.

He said he was truly sorry things had not worked out.

It is easy to mix up your days after Christmas and we are not

helping people because it is team- -- Geoff and Dawn.

Yes, Team Talk on a Tuesday, for a change! But still plenty to talk

about because we're halfway through the season, Dawn?

Where's the time gone? Amazing, but what we're going to do is produce

our own half-term report. Marks out of 10 for all our teams, but

remember, it's just for fun! We'll kick off with Newcastle who

had a fantastic start to the season and despite a bit of rough patch,

we're still giving them 8 out of 10, because there are seventh in the

Premier League. And that's largely down to this guy, Demba Ba, 14

goals already this season. They're really going to miss him when he

goes off to the African Cup of Nations. Really got his 15th at

Liverpool the Ben Knight, a great effort this would have been. It

could have changed the game, but we will never know. Not a great time

for Newcastle, they have got mine United at St James' tomorrow night.

A bit of a rough patch at the moment. They got that deflected

goal to get them off to a great start but things are not going on -

- going for them at the moment. Hard to put your finger on exactly

why it although they have played some of the top teams. But can be

the reason. But things like this happen, Craig Bellamy. Today look

happy. There is room there he might be possibly making a return. 10-3,

perhaps, on loan. The transfer window is open. Not particularly

happy new year for Alan Pardew. January is never nice for

Premiership managers, all was on our guard. One or two players we

are looking at. Hopefully we can turn it into a positive. A great

calendar year. The first half of the season, particularly, are

looking to build on that in the second half.

On to Sunderland and we've had to do a bit of mental maths for this

one! We thought 4 out of 10 for the Steve Bruce era, 8 out of 10 since

Martin O'Neill took over as manager, so that's an average of 6 out of 10.

And they are definitely showing signs of improvement. Well, they

keep on going right to the end, don't they? That is probably the

difference. 10 points from five games under O'Neill, and three very

late winners That's right, against Blackburn and QPR, and then, of

course, the one against Man City on New Year's Day, enjoyed by the

commentary team from the BBC's Swahili service. Broadcasting live

to 19 million listeners across Africa, though quite what they made

of this rather over-enthusiastic fan, I'd be scared to ask! He keeps

going back for more. Ago as big they celebrate like that in South

Korea. He shows what a different new manager can make. Players will

be out to impress him. He has instilled something that wasn't

there before. That is a new-found confidence. We had a real belief

about us at the minute, a harder team to beat. Getting a bit of luck

were at the start of the season we were playing well. We didn't have

that belief we would score a goal so it has turned around a little

Middlesbrough could have been 4th, their progress report, pretty

Currently fourth, they could so easily have been top of the table,

so their progress report is pretty decent, Dawn? We've given them 9

out of 10. We thought about 8, but given the lack of money at the club,

and the way Tony Mowbray's done wonders with what he's had, we were

feeling generous! And they would have been joint-top, going into the

New Year if they'd managed to beat Peterborough! Which is the one

black mark against them this season, they've let so many points slip,

late on, especially at the Riverside. 7 home draws out of 12

games. It could have gone the other way if they had got the breaks

early on. Pretty good record away from home,

that fantastic win at Cardiff. Blackpool's home record is

extremely good as well. Up to his Not a great day.

Now if they carry on as they have done in recent weeks, the half-term

mark we've given League One's surprise package, Carlisle, might

seem a bit on the mean side, Dawn? We've gone for a 7.5, because they

are just outside the play-off zone. They need to be a bit more

consistent if they're to push into the top six but still, a terrific

achievement to be where they are. And a couple of impressive results,

either side of New Year, a battling draw, away at Huddersfield,

followed by a 3-2 win over a Sheffield United side who were on a

run of eight successive victories the Blues were unbeaten in five,

though and after being pegged back twice they came up with the goods.

One disappointment for manager Greg Abbot, he's lost two of his loan

players, defender Christian Ribeiro's gone back at Bristol City.

And Sunderland midfielder Liam Noble wants to talk to Martin

O'Neill before he commits himself to another spell at Brunton Park.

Noble missed yesterday's game, Jon- Paul McGovern with the winner.

Hartlepool United, finally, bottom of this particular class, I'm

afraid, 5 out of 10. And it's now nine home defeats in a row.

Incredible, when you think Pools went nine without defeat, at the

start of the season! But that's why they've brought back Neale Cooper,

though Micky Barron was still in charge when they lost 3-1 at

Sheffield United. The new boss was in charge for yesterday's game with

Scunthorpe but it was the same old story. Fans remembered the club

leading scorer Ken Johnson before kick off. His funeral's tomorrow.

So Pools beaten 2-1 but after going 2-0 down they did, at least, score

in front of their own fans for the first time since mid-October. In

fact, they'd gone around 14 hours of playing-time, since their last

goal in open play at the Vic. Andy Monkhouse the man on target.

They you go, that is your sport. Plenty very much. A you could talk

all night. The talk of the weather, the wind,

a really strong last night. Your roof has paid the price.

The north wing was lacking a few tiles this morning, I will get a

few servants on to it. We look at The Cumbrian coast, up to 78. Many

other places up to 70 miles an hour. A really stormy day. It will be

stormy at times over the next few days. More wet and windy weather on

the way on and off through the week. The cloud and rain rapping around

the centre. Most of the heavy rain goes with it. Still a few wintry

showers this evening. They will tend to die away. Most places dry

up. In the gaps between those showers the temperatures will dip

for a test of frost. A fair old breeze through the night. A fairly

quiet start tomorrow. More weather on the way. A Met Office warning

for heavy rain for Cumbria tomorrow. His start of mostly dry, the cloud

begins from the West. We will start to see the rain get its act

together. Once it sets in across Cumbria it is there for the rest of

the day. Some of the rain will spill east of the Pennines but it

will be more intermittent. The main problem for eastern areas will be

the wind. The westerly wind very gusty. 5th of a very wet afternoon

and evening for Cumbria. The rain stays with us as do the strong

winds tomorrow evening. It is only well into the night the rain starts

to clear away and many places start to dry up as we head into Thursday

morning. Thursday looks a drier affair. A windy one, cold north-

westerly wind. Most places will be drier and brighter before things

start to cloud over from the West again as we head into Friday. After

a dry start on Friday cloud and rain spreading in from the West was

but wet and windy at times. Windy? You surprise me!

Let's have a quick look at the headlines. Two men have been found

guilty of murdering Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager was

stabbed to death at a bus-stop in 1993.

It has been revealed police confiscated Michael Atherton's