05/01/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police issued a public

It came after his force admitted unlawfully using anti-terror powers

to secretly monitor people's private phone records.

Mr Spittal apologised to the people whose phones were monitored.

He said every surveillance request involving phone data from the last

And he also promised to get rid of the force's Professional

Standards Department after a series of scandals.

The force had already admitted acting unlawfully

by using legislation reserved for serious crime to monitor

the phone records of journalists and solicitors in 2012 to see

We should not have used those powers, we should not have used

those powers to get details from journalists, so it's

Last month, at a tribunal in London, two former Cleveland Police officers

claimed their private phone records had also been secretly monitored

after they challenged misconduct at the force.

The Professional Standards Department set their stall out

and went out to get me, which was an utter disgrace.

I honestly think they were trying to stitch me up.

I think they were using any means, unlawful or otherwise,

and mainly otherwise, to stitch me up.

Over a four-month period in 2012, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal

in London heard Cleveland Police monitored over a million

minutes of telephone data from just six people.

Some of your police officers broke the law, surely they should now face

There is a subtle difference between unlawful and breaking the law.

What the IPT have said is that the use of the power was unlawful.

That does not necessarily lead to a criminal offence being committed.

If criminal offences have been committed then we will deal

Cleveland's Crime Commissioner said the force would learn

from its mistakes, but even he accepts we have been here before.

We've had police officers sacked, sent to prison, racism rows,

corruption scandals, now police officers secretly

You're the Crime Commissioner, you never seem to be doing

I've got a robust scrutiny process in place, which looks at all aspects

Well, they do, but we've got to bear in mind that we're policing an area

We're dealing with up to 1,000 calls a day from the public.

These are a very small minority of incidents,

very serious incidents, but they are a very small minority

of incidents that affect a very small number of people.

But this latest scandal has led some to call

Cleveland Police should not be abolished.

Cleveland Police, every day, delivers outstanding

But it's constantly mired by these scandals and problems.

Every day, people who work for Cleveland Police save people's

I'm confident that I am the right leader for this organisation to make

sure we move through this phase so that the service we deliver

Four teenage boys have been arrested after a 15-year-old girl

The attack is said to have happened around 7.30 on Tuesday evening

near the Cloffocks car park in Workington.

One 13-year-old was released without charge today but a second

and detectives are continuing to appeal for witnesses.

A grieving family have welcomed changes to X-ray procedures

at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, after their

severely disabled son died after an unnoticed leg fracture.

Callum Robinson died at the Teesside Hospital

after a fall from his bed at home days earlier,

while being looked after by a care worker.

Callum Robinson had lived his 14 years with serious physical

In August of 2014, while being seen by a Voyage Healthcare worker,

he slipped from his bed, resulting in two leg injuries,

including the fracture which eventually needed operating

Teesside Coroner's Court heard today the fracture wasn't

detected in an initial x-ray at James Cook Hospital

because it was felt Callum needn't have his incontinence pad removed,

resulting in a sub-optimal x-ray image.

But Callum's family are still confused about how the initial fall

happened while being looked after by care worker Amy Carter.

The other element was basically at James Cook, where we actually

had him checked over by a doctor, he was x-rayed, the x-ray was poor

Unfortunately that delay between, as Dr Bob Platter said,

He wasn't in a good position to battle the fractures.

In court today, Paul said his initial request

for a repeat x-ray was at first refused, but he's welcomed changes

made in the radiology department since then.

We are pleased that changes have been put in place,

especially two new procedures which makes it really clear

I think there was just too much discretion by the radiographer.

In a statement, South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust said it would

like to offer sympathy to Mr and Mrs Robinson and their family.

The trust has been open and honest and is sorry it did not identify

the fracture initially and has now strengthened its procedures.

Voyage Specialist Healthcare said Callum slipped from his bed

while under their care and they added the incident

was thoroughly investigated by the police and the Health

and Safety Executive and no further action was taken.

Amy Carter's training was up-to-date and included specialist training

In concluding the inquest, the coroner, Karen Welsh,

said Mr and Mrs Robinson always accepted they'd lose

Callum at some point, but not in such a tragic

A Newcastle company's been fined over ?7,000

for the unauthorised sale of nitrous oxide after an undercover

investigation by the BBC's Inside Out programme and BBC

Although nitrous oxide is used legally in the catering industry,

it can be fatal when inhaled as a drug.

Here's our News Correspondent Mark Denten.

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is a legal product used

in the catering industry, but it can also be used as

Two former Northumbria University students, David Jenkins and Jonathan

Lawrence, ran Toon Whip, which sold nitrous oxide director students.

Today both men appeared in court charged, along with their company

with the un-authorised sale of nitrous oxide.

Former Northumbria University students David Jenkins

and Jonathan Lawrence appeared in court today charged

with the unauthorised sale of nitrous oxide,

It can be used as a catering product,

but the court heard it is also a popular recreational drug.

The court heard David Jenkins and Jonathan Lawrence's company,

Out Of The Kitchen Ltd, made a total profit in 2015-16 of ?40,000.

Toon Whip, part of that company, made a ?10,000 profit alone.

The court heard the case came to light after an undercover

investigation by the BBC's Inside Out programme,

in which undercover reporter Philippa Goymer purchased two boxes

She was given instructions by staff, who were not Jenkins on Lawrence.

Two people working as distributors for the company also showed our

reporter how to use a balloon to inhale the gas.

Magistrates here imposed a fine totalling ?7,620

on Out Of The Kitchen Ltd, which must be paid within 14 days.

Newcastle Council trading standards brought the case and says it's a

I'm absolutely delighted, it sends out a

firm and clear message to those people who are selling nitrous oxide

and potentially putting people's lives that risks.

All credit to the BBC, the sting exposed the company

and highlighted what they are doing and the sale of much as oxide for

We know young people participate in this, but we

are aware there are deaths associated with taking it.

We have a responsibility as the local

authority to look after people's health and well-being.

The BBC played a key role in this activity.

Meanwhile, the case against David Jenkins

and Jonathan Lawrence was adjourned until later this month.

A new ?3 million holiday park in North Yorkshire has

Hambleton District Council has approved the proposal for 54 chalets

at Angrove Country Park near Great Ayton.

Building work's expected to start in the next few weeks

and it's hoped the park - which is expected to

create around 50 jobs - will open in the summer.

Newcastle Airport has been announced as the most punctual small

airport in the world, with over 90% of flights both

The most punctual route was to Dublin, with an on-time

The airport, which flies to more than 80 direct destinations,

was one of only three UK airports to achieve an on-time performance

OK that's it from me this evening. Clear skies for take-off then, Paul.

Very good. Clear skies making it a cold start

tonight, Carol. A touch of frost for many of us for a time but overnight

the clouds will increase from the west. The breeze will increase as

well and that will combine to lift the temperatures. So we will see

temperatures, for a time, around 0 in Newcastle, minus-1 in Penrith but

they'll rise again later in the night. Tomorrow is a much cloudier

day than we had today. The cloud will produce rain at times. Heavy

bursts for a time in the west. A fairly damp day in general. Much

milder than it has been. Temperatures will peak around about

9 Celsius tomorrow afternoon, which is 48 Fahrenheit but that South to

South-westerly wind will be quite brisk at times. Tomorrow's cloud and

rain comes courtesy of this weather front that keeps on moving away to

the east, to leave a drier picture again under this Etheridge of high

pressure, as we head into the weekend.

So, Saturday will see still fairly cloudy skies on the whole, thick

enough for some patchy rain perhaps in the west. Many places dry.

Temperatures up to about 8 or 9 Celsius, with a fairly light

westerly breeze. Sunday sees the cloud that bit more broken, so the

better chance of seeing blue skies and sunshine in the east. Again

temperatures in the too bad. 8 or 9 Celsius at best and probably staying

frost-free through the weekend. I will leave you with a summary:

creeping up by a notch or two, 10, maybe nine Celsius. Here is Louise

with the national picture. Won't it cold and frosty this

morning? The coldest night of the winter so far in