10/05/2013 Midlands Today

with Joanne Malin and Nick Owen. The headlines tonight: Seven men have

been convicted after a child prostitution ring was uncovered in

Shropshire. We hope that the successful

prosecution will encourage people who may have been victim to have the

confidence to come to us and say this is what happened to me. We'll

be live in Telford for local reaction to today's convictions.

Also tonight: Nearly four decades on from the pub bombings - the family

of a teenage victim get the backing of Northern Ireland's First

Minister. I think it is necessary for these

people to see there is a real attempt being made to try and

pinpoint who has been responsible for those dreadful bombings in

Birmingham. Workers at Herefordshire Council,

angry over cuts, are to be balloted on strike action.

Hanging up his hat after 36 years - the last traffic warden in West

Mercia patrols the streets for the final time. Believe you me, he is

very liked. He will be missed. And what a difference a week makes -

after last weekend's glorious sunshine will this one be the same?

I'll have the full forecast later. Good evening. A huge investigation

into child prostitution in Shropshire has ended with seven men

being jailed. This is the first time we're able to report the crime, as

restrictions were lifted in court today. The girls, who were white,

were groomed by a gang of British Pakistani men, but police say their

actions weren't racially motivated. The girls were bribed with drinks,

meals and mobile phones before being abused. Officers have praised the

bravery of the victims who came forward to give evidence. They were

aged between 13 and 16 and targeted because of their vulnerability. Our

reporter is in Telford. Tell us what amended.

These men operated as a group. There were two ringleaders. They picked up

on all girls frequently on the streets in these locations. They

were convicted of 26 charges including rape, human trafficking

and child prostitution. The other men were convicted on related

crimes. They have been sentenced to do 50 years between them. Some of

the abuse was carried out in back rooms in takeaways. Other girls were

taken further afield to Yorkshire and across the West Midlands. I have

been speaking to Inspector Richard Langford and he has been working

very closely with the local community.

It has had a huge impact. We are a small market town and we have a

small British Pakistani Muslim community. To have the spotlight of

the local, national and international media looking at the

town and this case has had a deep impact on the wider communities.

What do we know about the way the girls were groomed?

These girls were often befriended. It was a long grooming process. They

were lonely and described as lacking in self-esteem. These men pretended

to be their boyfriends. They bought the mobile phones only they could

call them on. They wind can find them. Heidi is from the support

group and explains what was going As a girl, a young lady, you think

you are in love. You are dating this gentleman, he is my boyfriend and

why would you think differently? So, you are in love, you trust this

person and then suddenly everything changes. All of a sudden, he is

asking you to do things because, don't you love me?

What do we know about the background the girls came from?

Police say there could be as many as 100, if not more than that, young

girls who were at risk. The operation was set up in 2008 and

they were tipped off or alerted by parents, in some cases, teachers in

others, people concerned about changes in girls behaviour. We know

that in many cases it was the parents who were concerned here.

Tamsin from the victim support group has been working with many of these

families. A lot of the impression is that it

is from bad families. Actually, the majority of families that we know

are very good, very supportive families. Loving families who would

actually cherish the children and Police say that they have really

expose a ring of dangerous predators here. They hope the sentences will

deter others. Coming up later in the programme:

How the emergency services rehearsed their response to a terrorist attack

in Staffordshire. A family campaigning to get the 1974

Birmingham Pub Bombings re-investigated have won the backing

of Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson. It was Julie and

Brian Hambleton's first visit to Northern Ireland and they hope it

will raise the profile of their fight to get justice for the 21

people who were murdered. Among the victims was their 18-year-old sister

Maxine. Anthony Bartram sent this report from Belfast.

An early morning check in at Birmingham International as Brian

and Julie Hambleton take their campaign to Belfast for the first

time. They want justice for their sister Maxine and the other 20

people killed in the 1974 Birmingham Pub Bombings.

We are going to Belfast to meet many of our supporters over their food

have been inviting us to visit them for some time. We are also going to

be having a meeting with the leader of the DUP, Peter Robinson.

It is 38 years since the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush

explosions that changed the Hambletons lives and dozens of other

Birmingham families for ever - 21 people were murdered and 182 others

were injured. For the past 18 months Brian and Julie have taken to the

city's streets urging people to sign their petition to get the murders

re-investigated. The couple's visit to Belfast today was to meet their

Northern Irish supporters and to get a high profile signature for their

campaign. In contrast to the Hambleton 's frustrations, getting

support at home, their first visit to Belfast has taken them straight

to the top. There was a warm handshake from the

DUP leader and Northern Ireland's First Minster Peter Robinson.

I indicated to the group that if they want to put together a dossier,

I will ensure that it goes into the hands of the Prime Minister. I

believe the prime minister looks at the arguments they are putting

forward. There is every reason why there should be an investigation.

But did they get what they came for. We got him to sign our paper

petition. He said it would be his pleasure and we are very grateful.

Unison say they plan to ballot Herefordshire council staff over

possible strike action in protest at what they call "the savagery and

speed" of the council cuts. They're also warning that the City's Museum

could be closed as a result. An online petition to save the

County's libraries was launched last night - it's already had nearly 500

signatures. Our reporter, Cath Mackie, is in Hereford tonight.

Cath, it seems as if feelings are running high.

Yes, they are indeed. One union wrap told Mr Flood gobsmacked. I know of

at least one rally being proposed against cuts in museums and

libraries. I am at the Courtyard in Herefordshire, a cultural hub in the

county. They are also fighting for some of that money in a pot that is

getting smaller. A busy morning at Hereford library,

a chance for people to choose a book and use the internet, like Dave who

comes most days, losing this service would be a blow.

I think it'll affect me seriously as someone who was pretty down on my

luck, the library gets me going again.

The library's upstairs neighbour since 1874 has been the museum. Last

year it had more than 29,000 visits, people and school children coming to

view relics of Herefordshire history. Staff here have had news

which they fear could see them too consigned to the shelf.

They are looking to cut this to a zero budget within two years. Within

two years we have to either be financially sustainable of our own

accord in some way in some form of another. If this cannot be done, we

are looking at potentially the closure of the museum service.

We did ask Herefordshire council to confirm these proposals and come and

talk to us, but they declined. They did give us a statement saying they

face tough choices and that's the problem. At a time of austerity, how

important are places like this museum and library?

It is not a building I go in regularly, but with it would be a

shame to lose it. I think it is important to have the libraries.

Decisions have to be made if the government is making cuts. Some

things will have to go. Herefordshire council say they 'have

yet to decide which areas are considered core services. Unison say

they'll be lobbying hard to make sure Herefordshire's cultural life

gets its fair share. There are lots of people at the

Courtyard tonight. There is a concept going on and the concept --

comedy in the studio. How much money do you rely on from Herefordshire

Council and you under of cuts? I think all odds organisations are

threatened by council cuts. We too are on the ladder. Do you know how

much? Our cut will be 50% over three years. It means we will have to be

more innovative in the ways that we raise money, look at fundraising and

we have to look at ways that we can engage with the community as an

organisation that helps generate funds.

Hereford's Chief Executive say these cuts once in a century. And we

afford culture, do you think? would ask, can you afford not to

have culture at any time? It is vital to the county and not just

this county, to every city and county throughout the UK. It is a

luxury, though, isn't it? Is it? We engage with children, people with

dementia is, the community, I think it is crucial. It is a meeting place

of people who do not come here just for theatre. It is crucial to all

counties. The council will discuss proposals

on May the 16th and Unison will be balloting staff members over

possible strike action. Joining us now is our political

editor, Patrick Burns. Patrick, this situation in Hereford is being

mirrored right across the Midlands? I have been going through some of

the printouts and pulling out some of the numbers. Coventry, for

example, 200 carers jobs at risk as part of �15 million of saving. �63

million in total being saved their over three years. Worcestershire,

650 job losses on top of 850 already. It is part of a drive to

save �20 million over four years. Lo those top headline numbers, two

different sorts of emphasis emerge. Eminem, the largest local authority,

the Labour leaders there have to save over �100 million and they say

this could be the end of local government as we know it. Whereas

conservative leaders in Staffordshire say they were really

last week largely because of the way they are managing the process. They

say it is about working smarter and driving extra business efficiency.

Is there any end in sight? When you consider every taxpayer

pays �1 in four to every pound they give to the government, you know the

pressure on government spending will sustain through the first half of

the next government, so a straight answer is no, no end in sight.

And Patrick will be back with the Sunday Politics at 11am here on BBC

One. A court's heard a five month old

baby was inside one of three houses bombed last August in North

Staffordshire. Three men from Staffordshire and three from

Northern Ireland are on trial at Stafford Crown Court accused of

being involved in a plot to post nail bombs following a business

dispute. The jury's also been played a bomb threat phoned through to

Staffordshire Police the month before the explosions. From Stafford

Crown Court, here's Liz Copper. It's the prosecution's case that

this scrap yard, near Cheadle in the Staffordhsire Moorlands, was at the

centre of a dispute which led to nail bombs being posted through the

doors of staff who worked here. It's alleged a dispute over money was at

the heart of the plot. Jason Taft, from Stoke on Trent, is

standing trial, along with five other men at Stafford Crown Court.

They're all charged with conspiracy to make threats to kill and

conspiracy to cause explosions. Penning the case for the

Prosecution, Andrew Lockhart QC played the jury a phone call made to

Staffordshire Police in July last year. In it an anonymous caller

claimed two bombs had been planted. The police call take asked, what

sort of bombs? The caller then hung up. It was at the beginning of

August that mail bombs were posted through doors add three homes. This

house, two children were inside. Another bomb was sent here to this

home in Cheadle and a third to this house. Although all of the bombs

exploded, only minimal damage was caused.

The jury have been taken through phone records which the prosecution

say show contacts made between members of the gang in the weeks and

days before the bombs were planted. All six men deny the charges. The

first witnesses are the next week. ?NEWLINE More than a hundred police

officers are now investigating the murder of Mohammed Saleem, the

Birmingham grandfather stabbed after visiting a mosque. Today, a ten

thousand pound reward was put up by Crimestoppers for information

leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer. Detectives say their

inquiry is centred on finding a man seen on CCTV running close to the

murder scene in Small Heath on April the 29th.

Walsall's Paralympic gold medal winning swimmer Ellie Simmonds has

been at Buckingham Palace to receive an OBE from Prince Charles. Ellie,

who's 18 and already an MBE, has been recognised for her Paralympic

success. She won two gold medals in Beijing and won two golds, a silver

and a bronze at last year's London games. Her next target is the world

championships in Montreal in August. The largest anti terrorist training

exercise to take place in the Midlands in recent years has seen

more than five hundred people from the emergency services and the

military gathered in Staffordshire. The event was called Exercise Amber

and set out to test how well the blue light services could respond if

terrorists armed with guns and grenades attacked a location in our

region. Our Special correspondent, Peter Wilson has the details.

This was a training exercise the casualties made up to look like

gunshot and blast victims. For security reasons, these pictures

were supplied to us by the ambulance service.

People would expect on police officers to go ahead and tackle

terrorists, but people were injured and died, so it is working with the

paramedics and the Fire and rescue to enable staff to come forward and

try to help people who are injured. This event was staged by the

ambulance service the teams from all over the country taking part.

It is about supporting staff so they understand the extent to which

senior people are supporting them. It is also about the police, fire

and ambulance services working closely together.

Nine years ago, I was allowed to film a similar exercise at the

National exhibition Centre. The chaos and at times lack of

communication was all too clear. Our cameras have not been allowed back

since. These are vital lesson is to be learned.

We have six shifts in the West Midlands. One shift was drained

today so we need to do this another five times to get to a point of

readiness. People were playacting today, but

emergency services response to real injuries depends on these training

days. Our top story tonight. Seven men are

convicted of sexually exploiting teenage girls in Shropshire.

Your detailed weather forecast shortly. All is tonight: After more

than three decades on the job, one sent off for the last police traffic

warden in the Midlands. He is lovely. You forget what his job is,

he is lovely and part of the community.

Looking ahead to Aston Villa's crucial match against a side that

sport. What is all this about Manchester United and West Brom

tickets selling for thousands? Well it's suddenly a big game as

it's against Manchester United and will therefore be Sir Alex

Ferguson's last game as a manager. Talk of big money changing hands

comes from season ticket holders being able to sell back their seat

for a game. Now this is perfectly legitimate and it's done via a

ticket exchange website. On average 40 tickets are sold like this for

every home game. Obviously Manchester United fans would be

prepared to pay well for such tickets. But West Bromwich Albion

said today they are blocking any requests for exchanges after 8am on

Wednesday, ie the time that Ferguson announced his retirement. They

simply don't want away fans in the home fans areas. But what about

tickets being sold in other ways such as e-bay or cash on the day.

Well Albion say they are monitoring e-bay for ticket sales.

And as for sales on the day, touting happens at all major events, the

club will be doing all they can to stop it but have reminded fans that

touting is a criminal offence. The threat of relegation has hung

over Aston Villa all season. Tomorrow they can make themselves

safe in the Premier league for another year. Problem is, they play

cell -- Chelsea. Last time they met Chelsea they lost 8-1.

It was the Sunday before Christmas and Chelsea's players and fans were

getting some early presents at Stamford Bridge.Villa's young

players were on the receiving end of the biggest defeat in the Premier

League this season. At the time few people fancied their chances of

surviving in the top flight. We got beaten up pretty badly from

start to finish. The lads know that was not acceptable.

But the last two months have felt very different. Paul Lambert has

kept faith in his inexperienced side and they've repaid it with a series

of vital wins. Beat Chelsea tomorrow and they're safe with one game still

to go. The results over the last few months

have been out and then. Everybody wrote them off and had a go at them.

The bottom of the Premier League is incredibly congested with eight

teams still involved in the scrap. Wigan look favourites for relegation

but no-one's breathing easy yet. I would be surprised if they were

not safe, but it still looks a bit dodgy. I think they need at least

one more point to be guaranteed. I don't expect the teams underneath

to catch them at this stage. With the games left, they can pick up

some points as well. It has been great to see the faith and youth

come to fruition. The new television deal means

staying up is worth millions to Villa. But it's the way his young

players have bounced back from that Christmas mauling which is really

making the manager proud. Safety within touching distance.

Officials at Worcester city say they will carry on with the club. At one

point they were saying the club was unviable, but sales are going

better. When it comes to professions,

traffic wardens are never the most popular, but in Bromsgrove there is

one they can't get enough of. After more than three decades, Roy

Gibson is retiring as the last police traffic warden in the

Midlands. It seemed as if everyone turned out to wish him well.

The traffic warden, feared by drivers everywhere. Notebook at the

ready and tickets to hand. The trolling the streets on the lookout

for misbehaving motorists. Or, maybe not. This isn't the sort of

reception you would expect a traffic warden to get, but then again, Roy

Gibson is not your average traffic warden. Stop it, you will get me

emotional. After 36 and a half years, Roy is about to issue his

final ticket. It is my last day today. What will you miss?The

people because they are so nice and friendly. To a traffic warden? Yeah,

in this area they are. I think the majority of people in Bromsgrove

have embraced me and that is one of the reasons why I have paid.

In the town, everybody wanted to say thank you and goodbye.

He is not a normal traffic warden, you forget what his job is, he is

lovely. Believe you me, he is very liked and he will be missed. Roy's

retirement marks the end of an era. He is the last remaining West Murcia

police traffic wardens will working. In the 80s I had an admirer and she

used to send me a red rose on Valentine's Day. The local press

made a big splash on the front page of the newspaper and I think that

scared her off because I didn't tend to get the Rose sent any more.

Whether or not she found out I was married from that, I don't know.

It is not just roses, he has even had a poem written in his honour. It

seems that Roy has won the hearts of many a Bromsgrove lady.

Roy was professional to the end and I expect this driver will be the

only person Brad that Roy is retiring today.

Just in case you are wondering, there will still be traffic wardens

in Bromsgrove. They will now be run by the counts.

What we want over the weekend is lovely weather. Here is the

looking forward to glorious sunshine, but this week there is a

change in the air. Things are looking a lot cooler. Today we have

since showers blown through the region about the afternoon. Around

that is, some pockets of sunshine. It has not felt too bad with

temperatures around 16 degrees. The last of the showers will move off

over the next few hours. It'll be largely dry and clear. Pockets of

missed developing. And it is hovering between five and seven

Celsius. Cloud will build as we move through to Saturday morning. We have

another weather front waiting in the wings and it is bringing quite a few

showers. They are being blended the region by a fresh westerly wind.

Showers will be quite short and sharp. Some could be heavy. Hovering

around 11 to 13 degrees. Showers continue to be blown through

Saturday afternoon. The best of the brightness in the South. Through the

afternoon we will hold onto some showers, but we have high-pressure

building behind them settling things down a little. It will not last

because we have more weather fronts moving through bringing with them

unsettled conditions as we make our way through Sunday and into Monday.

Sunday itself won't heart off badly. We will get good spells of

brightness, even sunshine through the morning. Cloud will build and we

will see the showers move into Sunday afternoon. Temperatures 12 to

13 degrees. We still have the wind taking the edge off and making it a

bit cooler. Do the start of the working week, it will stay

unsettled. Terrible.

Let's recap tonight's top stories: An extraordinary story of survival -

a woman is found alive after 17 days trapped under rubble in Bangladesh.