02/10/2013 Look North (Yorkshire)

Welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight — wind warnings ignored.

Problems with Bridgewater Place, Leeds' tallest building, were raised

ten times before a man died there. We'll be there live tonight with the

latest. Also, wedding day plans in tatters —

brides—to—be out of pocket as the company paid to decorate their

wedding venue lets them down. It's not so much about the money any more

because all my family have said to me that I have not lost thousands,

it is the pure simple fact of what they have done to all these brides.

Worthy of a statue — why campaigners want Knaresborough's Mother Shipton

frozen in time herself. And don't forget to join me for the

details five day weather forecast in 20 minutes. —— the detailed five—day

weather forecast. Good evening. Tonight — a

found that problems with high winds at Yorkshire's tallest building were

raised ten times with council officers before a man was killed

there. Even the Council's current Chief Executive warned someone might

die there before he took up his position. Dr Edward Slaney was

crushed by a lorry, picked up by wind near Bridgewater Place in

Leeds, in March 2011. The Council says it took notice of the warnings,

putting in barriers and a guardrail. It says that the building is the

responsibility of its owners. Well Charlotte Leeming is there for us

now. Charlotte? Good evening. Which was a place was

opened in 2007 amid a fanfare. At 32 stories high, this is Yorkshire's

tallest building. But it is that height and its position which has

started to cause problems. The wind tunnel effect at the base of its

structure. Today, documents that have been obtained by BBC radio

Leeds has shown that lead city council had quite a number of times

when they were warned that this place could be dangerous. In March

2011, Dr Edward Slaney was crushed by a lorry. The vehicle had been

lifted off the ground by gale force winds. But before his death, there

were other incidents connected to the strong winds at Bridgewater

Place. In 2007, a baby was blown over in its buggy. In 2008.

Indigestion suffered a torn live after being blown into a wall. —— a

pedestrian suffered. And it will was blown across a junction and suffered

facial injuries. In a report seen by the BBC, the council was warned ten

times about problems at the side, some of them ten years before Dr

Slaney died. A council walked —— a council worker warns about

unprecedented winds whipped up by the building. Another said that if

something was not done, they would experience a situation where there

was a further serious injury and possibly a fatality. The solicitor

representing the family at Dr Slaney's death —— the inquest into

Dr Slaney's death. All we need is to look into this properly. The

question they have to ask is why did me not do it over the preceding ——

why did they not do anything about it over the preceding years. The

council said that no one could have predicted a seven and a half tonne

lorry being swept into the road and that the responsibility for

Bridgewater Place lies with its owners. Those owners are not

available to talk to us today. Leeds council says it is working with the

firm to find a solution to the problem. It says that earlier this

year, plans were approved for engineering work

start this wind tunnel effect. On a night like this, you can really feel

it. Hopefully, that work. A tragedy like this ever happening again.

Also tonight — two women from Rotherham say they feel cheated by

the company they paid to decorate their wedding venues. Brides—to—be

Louise Stuart and Marie Hirst paid up front but now want their money

back. In Marie's case, the company pulled out just two weeks ahead of

her big day. The two joined an online campaign and have since

discovered they are among hundreds of people across the country

campaigning for refunds. The company, called A Little Bit of

Bling is based in Dudley, in the West Midlands. Tom Ingall takes up

the story. From the first save the date card,

to the last drop of confetti. Weddings take a lot of paperwork.

But Louise Stuart and her fiance, Mick, did not expect they would end

up with page after page of correspondence with the company they

had paid £300 to decorate their venue. We booked it, my

mother—in—law booked it, and paid in full by bank transfer. She told us

that the only way be paid well by bank transfer or by postal order.

Louise wants her money from A Little Bit of Bling. They are based in

Dublin. She is not alone. A group on Facebook has members from across the

country. But closer to home is Marie Hirst. She got married in early

September, two weeks before the day, she was told by A Little Bit of

Bling that she could have her money back. Since then, she has heard

nothing. Heartbroken. The run up to my wedding was ruined. And still

now, it is prolonging it. I have had no apology, no communication. The

BBC team in the West Midlands called at the company's address, looking

for Sarah call form, apparently its owner. Someone had left —— left a

note in the window saying they did not want to be disturbed. A man came

to the door saying that Sarah was out. In a statement, a councillor

from Dudley told us that they have received 14 complaints from the

company that about the company relating to customers who did not

receive the services they have paid for. Officers had worked closely

with the company to get refunds. Anyone with concerns should contact

Dudley trading standards. For Louise, a wedding might be months

away, but the preparations have been spoiled.

Later on Look North, Where's my daughter? The mother whose child was

abducted in Egypt by the girl's father determined to get her back.

The jury in the case of the Bradford mother accused of starving her son

to death, have been told to harden their hearts and look at the facts

calmly and coolly. Amanda Hutton kept four—year—old Hamzah Khan's

body lying in his cot for nearly two years before it was discovered. Miss

Hutton denies his manslaughter by gross negligence. The prosecution

claim drink was more important to her than her child. Ed Thomas has

been listening to the final day's hearing at Bradford Crown Court

today. How did the prosecution sum up their case against Amanda Hutton?

The prosecutor began by asking jurors a question. He said, how can

a child starve to death in 21st—century England? The answer, he

said, was down to Amanda Hutton. One witness said that she drank more

vodka than water. He went on to say that this woman was more concerned

with her drinking habits than feeding her own son. In short, she

starved Hamzah Khan to death. What is being said in her defence? We

heard from her defence barrister. He told jurors that not even the

medical experts could decide how Hamzah Khan died. He went on to say

that in 2009, in the months before the child lost his life, a domestic

violence worker, family friends and police all visited the child's

home. They all thought everything seemed fine. He went on to say that

it was entirely possible that Hamzah Khan died from another cause. He

even suggested that the child could have been smothered. What did the

judge told the jury? The judge was very direct. He turned to the jury

and said, this is not a trial by medical evidence and experts. He

said this is a trial that the —— that the jury will have to decide

on. They will have to decide because of Hamzah Khan's death. Was it

neglects? Was he started to death and malnourished by Amanda Hutton?

She denies manslaughter. The summing up will continue tomorrow morning.

The family of a North Yorkshire woman shot dead in Turkey have said

she was the "victim of deceit" — murdered for attempting to expose

the truth about her killer. It comes ahead of the funeral of Anne Bury

from Swainby, which takes place this weekend. Her gardener's currently

awaiting trial for her murder and for the shooting of her son and her

mother. Anne Bury was in her Turkish holiday

home when she was killed. A son shot in the leg, her mother in the back.

That much has always been known. Other details contested and

confused. Today, for the first time, her family has shared their

version of events. They say that there was one gun, one killer and

three victims. The murderer stole into the family Villa in the middle

of the night while they slept. He shot and killed defenceless and in

cold blood and left her 86—year—old mother and 23—year—old sum for dead.

Nothing can justify such evil actions. Those actions are claims to

be the responsibility of this man, her former gardener, Velli Acar. He

is currently awaiting trial for murder. It was suggested that the

pair were in a long—term relationship. Her brother described

that claim as that claim as a deceit to undermine

her character. He insisted that and had discovered that she was the

victim of theft and fraud and it was this —— it was exposing this to the

police that had cost her her life. Her funeral will take place at

Middlesbrough Cathedral last not —— next week. It is here that she lived

her life. The family say that the mental trauma of that date will

really last. And the loss of somebody that they say was caring

and passionate and considerate and trusting.

In other news around Yorkshire, a 25—year—old man has appeared in

court over two serious sex attacks in Rotherham. Nicholas Totty of

Newman Road was charged with four counts of rape and other offences.

He's accused of attacking a 27—year—old woman on Moorgate Road

on Friday night. A couple of hours later, two women were seriously

assaulted during a break—in a few streets away.

In the last year, Yorkshire Water has seen a 26% increase in written

complaints about its services, according to the Consumer Council

for Water. The council looked at complaints received by letter, fax

and email — but not those made by phone. Yorkshire Water was one of

only three water companies nationally to see an increase in

complaints. They say extreme weather has led to an increase in sewer

flooding incidents and that millions are being invested in improving its

service. A prisoner's been given a second

life sentence for attacking a child killer in Wakefield Jail.

Ferreira cut Mark Bridger — the killer of schoolgirl April Jones —

across the face with a makeshift knife. He told Leeds Crown Court he

wanted to make Bridger reveal where he'd hidden April's body. Ferreira,

himself a convicted murderer and rapist, will not be eligible for

parole before 2036. A woman from Leeds whose daughter

was abducted in Egypt by the girl's father says she's determined to get

her back. Naomi Button hasn't seen or heard from six—year—old Elsa for

nearly two years. The father — Tamer Salama — has been jailed for a

second time for contempt of court for consistently refusing to arrange

for the girl to be returned to the UK.

Photographs and memories are all Naomi bus and hazards to remind her

of the happy times with her daughter. —— Naomi Button. She has

not seen Elsa since 2011. There are no words to describe it. It is every

moment of every day. I'm constantly reminded that my joy is not here. It

is a very empty feeling. During a family holiday, her family, Tamer

Salama, decided that Elsa should stay in Egypt's. The girl was taken

from a mother and has not been seen since. Legal proceedings have

followed and he was jailed because he would not arrange for Elsa to be

brought into Yorkshire. Because of his persistence, he has been jailed

again. Every day he is in prison is another day that I'm not seeing my

daughter. It gives me no sense of satisfaction but it gives me relief.

A judge has described Tamer Salama as shifty and dishonest and Naomi

thinks that he has told his family to keep Elsa hidden. She has no idea

where years. I can't change what he has done and I can't influence him

to do the right thing and to change this. I have tried that. What I have

to do is what —— is focus on what I can do. Naomi is planning to go back

to Egypt and says it is a race against time. While her ex—husband

is in prison, he cannot interfere with her efforts to find a daughter.

There is no way to sum up in words how it would feel, how it will feel

to put my arms around my daughter. To tell her that I love her. That is

the moment that I think of frequently through the day. I long

for that moment and I truly believe it will happen.

Before seven o'clock, from singer to scriptwriter. Alice Nutter swaps

Chumbawamba fame for a more behind—the—scenes career.

And the campaign to get a statue to Mother Shipton put up in her home

town of Knaresborough. Football now, and all of our five

Championship teams were on the field last night. But only one — Leeds

United — produced a victory for us. Even they made hard work of it!

Here's Paul Ogden to round up the action.

After watching their team lose their last four matches, Leeds United fans

no doubt winced at this early missed penalty. But into the second half

against Bournemouth, the mood was changed around Elland Road.

Bournemouth fought back to equalise until, with ten minutes left, the

lead substitute fired home to secure a two to one victory. After ten

matches played it, we can now allow ourselves a realistic assessment of

the table. Huddersfield town also have 14 points. They could not quite

hold onto their lead at last night. It is James Vaughan's ninth

championship goal of the campaign. A corner was pounced on by Gibson and

finished one all. Barnsley remain bottom of the championship although

they filed —— they fought hard for their draw. It is only their fifth

point of the season. Sheffield Wednesday should really have come

back from Brighton with a victory. They took the lead but Brighton

equalised in the final minute and finished one all as well. Doncaster

Rovers tackled in form Burnley as best they could, but even this ——

but this time, they lost two to zero.

The chairman of Leeds United has been visiting a school in the city

today to help launch a new initiative for primary school

children. It's called Take It To The Kids and will offer children in 230

primary schools a course which will involve exercise and healthy

lifestyle education. Today executives from the club were at

Kirkstall St Stephens Primary. The chairman says this scheme is another

step in reconnecting the football club with local communities and

encourage younger fans. We cannot have this generation gap existing.

Today, we have that. We really need to bring back the young people of

the city to loving leads and integrating with Leeds. This is one

of the appreciate —— one of the approaches.

Leeds Rhinos have made their first signing for next season with the

capture of winger Tom Briscoe from Hull FC. The 23—year—old has signed

a five—year deal and says he turned down interest from the NRL to join

the Rhinos. Yesterday he was named in the England squad for this

autumn's World Cup. Well done. Good luck.

She was a member of the anarchist music group Chumbawamba — who gained

notoriety when one of the members threw a jug of water over the then

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the Brits. Who doesn't remember

that? I remember it clearly! When the group disbanded, Alice Nutter

turned her talents to scriptwriting. She's done theatre, radio and TV.

And currently has a new play on the West Yorkshire Playhouse in leeds.

Called My Generation it follows a Leeds family through the 70s and 80s

looking at impact of miners' strike, the Ripper, and the recession. We'll

be talking to her about that in a moment, first let's take you back to

her musical heyday. # Danny boy, Danny boy, I get

knocked down, but I get up again, you're never going to keep me down,

I get knocked down, but I get up again... # she said during that, I

still like this song. Back then, Chumbawumba had a bit of

an attitude towards authority. Is this something that we see in your

writing? Yes, I think I have an attitude towards certain types of

authority and I will do until I pop my clogs. Have I taken it on my

writing? I don't really write polemic. What I try and write about

is people's lives. And sometimes, authority gets in the way and makes

people's lives difficult. Where did you interested in social history and

politics stem from? Because there is a heavy political influence on

you do. There is. Partly because I'm working class and from Burnley and

you can't really escape your background in some ways. But I am

not interested in hitting people over the head with politics. What I

try to do is write stories about people's lives. Certainly doing the

miners strike, you are supportive. Yeah, we were. We were involved in a

support group. We kept the soup kitchen going. And looking back, I

think it was really important that we were involved. I just wish we had

one. —— I just wish we had won. You used to live in a squat, you have

drawn on those experiences and tell us how that is your writing. I lived

in a commune. It was about sharing everything including money. Money

was not the big problem. In this place, it is not my life story, but

I've written about a family. We can see pictures of the play in

rehearsal. This is local, isn't it? I set it in Chapeltown and its fans

four decades. They are rehearsing just across the road from me. This

is which is booted in Leeds culture? Yes, I wanted to say that historic

things don't just happen in London, they happen in people's lives and

they happen up north. The world premiere of your play is on this

weekend. The North Yorkshire town of

Knaresborough is hoping to get a new statue of one of its most famous

historic figures — Mother Shipton. Born in a cave more than five

hundred years ago Mother Shipton became famous for her prophecies.

Her cave and petrifying well have been attracting visitors for

centuries. Now campaigners in the town are trying to raise funds for a

statue of her. Phil Chapman has the story.

Carriages without horses shall go and accidents fill the world with

world. With Halloween around the corner, there are few places more

spooky and mysterious to visit them Mother Shipton's K. Local historians

want to bring her out of the shadows and put her next to a road builder

called blind Jack, Jack Metcalf who has been immortalised in the town

centre. Jack is getting a little bit lonely and it would be nice to have

Mother Shipton's seated statue to keep him company. Born in the late

15th century, Mother Shipton was a prophetess who are said to have

predicted many historic events, that the great Fire of London, the

invention of iron ships and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Until

in the cave itself. But mysterious forces want to see a more prominent

and permanent one in the centre of town. I was asked to do is culture

of Mother Shipton Muller said I was a sculptor. I don't have the

opportunity. It is important to make a real sculptor —— a real sculpture

of a real woman, rather than as a witch. And we can predict that all

being well, her statue should be unveiled early next year.

But unlike Mother Shipton, I know somebody you can't predict the

weather. I hope I am all accurate than she

is, because the world was about and 50 years ago!

Let show you a couple of pictures. I have chosen these from yesterday

because it has been very gloomy today, not much sunshine at all.

Keep the pictures coming in. The headline for the next 24 hours. So

—— still unsettled. Heavy rain is expected late tomorrow afternoon.

Courtesy of this very active weather system. But the great news is that

after the Shari Friday, the dashed after a showery Friday, the weekend

is looking fine. It may well last the whole of next week as well and

become quite warm. Right now, it is dull, grey and damp. There is hill

fog. That cloud will thicken from time to time to produce rain and

drizzle. If you pulses further ease. Quite a miserable night in

western areas. —— a few pulses further east. The sun will rise at

these times. These are your high water times. A slow start, still

patchy rain in some areas in the West. That will clear off northwards

and it will brighten up particularly in the East. The Pennines will keep

a lot of clout in general. Late in the afternoon, that rainbow spread

in more likely into the evening by the time the rain that gets into

central and eastern areas. It could be pretty heavy so make a note of

that. Late tomorrow, into tomorrow evening. The brighter spots, pretty

good for early October. Highs of 18 or 19 Celsius before the rain moves

in. Quite windy across —— along the coast. A transition date on Friday.

—— a transition date on Friday. A ridge of high pressure takes over at

the weekend. Much of next week is looking warm for

generally drive. Willoughby in Indian summer?

Possibly, in October, it is an Indian summer. The GATT, Mother

Shipton! That as far as we go. We will be

back later