04/07/2014 Midlands Today

A reminder of the main story, Rolf Harris is beginning a

The headlines: We have been denied justice, a

family's anger following a death in police custody. Someone killed

Kingsley. He never killed hhmself, so who killed Kingsley? The family

say they are planning more protests. The taxi driver who knocked down and

killed a student backs a call for councils to put street lights on at

night. He was wearing dark clothing and the lights were off so the

driver could not have seen him. The stopping distance, even if he could

have seen him, he would havd hit him anyway.

Racing is back on at Warwick six weeks after a horse had to be put

down. Remember this? Cheerful and cheeky.

The famous dress is up for `uction. And there are plenty of outdoor

events taking place this wedkend, but will the weather affect them? If

you are off to a festival, pack your wellies. Not a total wash`ott. The

full forecast later. Good evening. The family of a man

who died after being detaindd by police in Birmingham say thdy have

been denied justice. The Crown Prosecution Service decided this

week not to prosecute policd or medics in connection with the death

of Kingsley barrel. But his relatives believe he was restrained

using excessive force and they say they will continue their fight to

hold officers to account. Kadisha Burrell was one of the last

people to see her brother alive This week she has learned that three

years on no one will face criminal charges in connection with the death

of 29`year`old Kingsley. For the family it is a bitter blow. Having

lost Kingsley in this tragic way is hurtful. But to not get justice

would be unbearable for the family as well as the community. In March

2011, Kingsley was detained under the Mental Health Act. Thred days

later, after a disturbance `t a mental health facility, he died in

hospital. In March 2013, fotr police officers were arrested on stspicion

of gross negligence, manslatghter and misconduct. This week, the CPS

said there was insufficient evidence to bring prosecutions. We are not

giving up, this is just the beginning. We have waited so long

and we will continue to fight, no matter how long it takes. Wd will

get justice for my brother who died in police custody. The family say

Kingsley had no history of lental illness, yet after dialling 999 to

tell police he and his son had been threatened by a gang, he was

detained in this mental health unit in Winson Green. In a violent

incident involving four polhce officers and six medics, Kingsley

was handcuffed and forcibly restrained. His family say such was

the force used that his death later in hospital amounts to manslaughter.

Deciding against prosecutions, the CPS concludes that officers and

medical staff were presented with an ongoing and difficult set of

circumstances. The decision does leave more unanswered questhons And

it does point to a developing debate over to tear justice system,

meaning, does a uniform makds somebody immune from prosecttion in

comparison to a normal man hn the street? At Westminster this week,

MPs heard from a mental health campaign group concerned about the

treatment of lack detainees by the police. We are not seeing any

accountability. We have seen too many healthy people lose thdir lives

at the hands of people who `re tasked with their protection and

care, and there is no accountability. Kingsley's family

are planning more protests `nd they say they will not give up, their

hopes now pinned on an interest a date for which is yet to be fixed.

Today was the deadline for the so`called Trojan Horse schools in

Birmingham to give their response to the Department for Education about

criticism levelled at them hn last month's Ofsted report 's. The

government said the schools were inadequate and were not being led or

managed properly. Peter Wilson has been following the case and is

outside Birmingham City Council house. What is important about

today? Well, today was D`Dax for four schools who had been w`rned

that they face losing their funding. Last month the education

Minister said that he had grave concerns about the running of the

schools. He even criticised them for failing to promote what he describes

as British values. The thred schools from the Park View Academy trust and

another academy have all got their responses into the government and

they are now being looked at tonight. Have the schools s`id

anything publicly? The Park View School is say they are coopdrating

fully with the Department for Education. The pupils are jtst

trying to concentrate on thdir lessons. We seem to be in this limbo

period where we don't know hf an outside group is going to come in

and take over those schools. When will we hear about the other

investigations into the schools We have two investigations, ond by the

City Council, with the Independent Ian Kershaw in charge, and the other

by the government, which is led by Peter Clark, controversiallx the

former head of counter`terrorism for London. Recently, I asked the City

Council leader about whether or not we would ever get to the bottom and

find the truth about the Trojan Horse case. I don't think you will

ever get the provenance of the Trojan Horse document. And H have

been saying that for quite `while. But we to wait. Ian Kershaw's

report, which I will bring hnto the public domain in July. Until then,

there is no comment I can m`ke. The financial dealings of all of the

schools are going to be going through with a fine tooth comb. We

should hear more perhaps about the reports themselves in the ndxt

couple of weeks. From the Council house, back to the studio.

Thank you for joining us thhs Friday evening. Coming up:

A first for Birmingham, as lore than 60,000 fans head to the renowned

Wireless Festival in Perry Park Amazing. Growing up, I did not know

what festivals were until I moved to London. It is good. People `re

really going to enjoy it down here. A taxi driver who knocked down and

killed a student in Leamington is calling on the County Counchl to put

the street lights back on at night. It comes as the AA claims

Warwickshire County Council has ignored the findings of an hnquest

into the death of Archie, who was killed in December 2012. Thdy say

while the number of accidents on roads are falling, they are not

decreasing as fast on roads where street lights have been turned off.

Archie, a student at Warwick University, was described bx his

family as beautiful, intellhgent and very witty. He died after bding hit

by a taxi as he walked home along an unlit road after a night out in

Leamington. This was the taxi driver that night. He is still haunted by

the accident and believes switching off streetlights is dangerots.

Because of the light, they could be saved. You could see clearlx what is

coming in front and what is not It was on this stretch of road that the

accident happened, coming jtst five days after Warwickshire County

Council turned off selected streetlights across the county as

part of a plan to save ?500,000 Archie's family do not blamd the

taxi driver. He could not sde him. He was wearing dark clothing and the

street lights were turned off, so the taxi driver could not h`ve seen

him. The stopping distance `nyway, even if he could have seen him, he

would have hit him anyway. H have no blame for him at all. The coroner

said switching off the lights was a factor and asked the Council to

review their policy. Nobody from Warwickshire County Council would be

interviewed but they did give us a statement. It says whilst the

absence of street lighting was one of many contributory factor is the

coroner identified, a causal link has not been established. The

statement goes on, the council was making improvements to this area

which should be operational from next month. The council say the

number of serious road accident is falling, but clearly their

sympathies remain with Archhe's family. I don't think any f`mily

should have to go through what my family has had to go through,

through the loss of someone in a road traffic accident due to the

lights being turned off. Thd death has led to safety campaigners

calling for more to be done to improve street lighting, and his

family say it is impossible to put a price on life.

Ten men have now been arrested in connection with the disorder in

which a man was killed in Birmingham. Six more were arrested

this evening following the hncident in Sparkbrook on Wednesday. Four of

them are being held on susphcion of attempted murder. The two other men

were arrested on suspicion of murder. They will answer qudstions

once they have finished recdiving medical treatment. Police h`ve also

arrested again the four men they already had in custody on stspicion

of murder. A postmortem exalination has revealed that the victil,

32`year`old Ikram Elahi, didd from a stab wound to the nest, not a

gunshot, as previously thought. Wychavon District Council f`ces a

bill of up to ?100,000 in costs after the government overturned a

planning decision. It means nearly 800 homes on land to the sotth of

Droitwich will now be built, along with 400 more properties at Long

Marston. The government says Wychavon District Council bdhaved

unreasonably in refusing permission. New line we do not think we have

acted unreasonably. It is going to cost money. Sometimes you h`ve to

take a stand. There is not going to be much change out of six fhgures

here. But it is important that we take a stand. We are putting forward

good sites for development hn Wychavon. But we are going to

continue to oppose bad sites. The family of Bob Jones, West

Midlands Police and crime commissioner who died suddenly on

Tuesday, have criticised thd calling of a by`election before his

funeral. It was announced today that voting will take place on Atgust the

21st, but his widow says calling the election before he has been put to

rest is, in her view, disrespectful to him and his good work.

As the debate intensifies over a Greater Birmingham, a Black Country

council leader has thrown hhs weight behind the idea of a West Mhdlands

city region. The Labour leader of Dudley Council, David Sparks, has

been speaking to our political editor, Patrick Burns, as hd

prepares to our political editor, Patrick Burns, as he over as

chairman of the Local Government Association, representing over 00

local councils. In the West Midlands, if we don't have `n

organisation similar to Gre`ter Manchester, we will suffer. We will

suffer internationally, bec`use we are in global competition. Clearly,

individual local authorities cannot deliver all of the services within

their boundaries any more. Ht was never the case. In the Black

Country, the boundaries are ridiculous.

Patrick will be back with more on this this weekend at 11am on BBC

One. You can read more about it on his blog.

Racing has returned to Warwhck for the first time in six weeks

following the death of a horse in May. Four meetings were movdd to

other tracks while the bend into the home straight was adjusted, but the

long`term future of flat racing at Warwick remains in doubt. D`n

Pallett was there. There are always a few nervds before

racing. Today, ever more so. This was Warwick's first race since a

meeting was abandoned after a fatality. The result was just what

they wanted. All of the runners came back safely. She has put pldnty of

water on the ground. It is good the nicest ground I have written on for

a bit. It was unfortunate. H was here on that day, ten minutds from

the track, and it was like ` monsoon. That was a relief for the

clerk of the course, who has worked hard on the track, ensuring lush

turf and the more gentle turn into the home straight. There is a waste

like trepidation, even without the problems we have had recently. I am

always slightly nervous before racing. Probably every clerk in the

country is, because people `re judging the work you have done based

on how well the horse runs. So it is always quite testing. But I am

hopeful that today will go well and I am confident the changes we have

made are the right ones. Today's racers were all sprints. It was

important to bring racing b`ck to Warwick and a good crowd cale to

enjoy ladies day, but the longer term future of flat racing hs still

being discussed. Nothing has been guaranteed, everything is open. We

have to get the work done and then will we `` we will be in a position

to make the right decision. Ian Williams had a runner today and is a

keen supporter. Whether you are a trainer, Owen or jockey or someone

with a passion for racing, ht is a great track, well maintained and

well looked after. It is an asset to the Midlands and long may it stay

that way. Today, seven racers went off without incident, an important

step forward in a summer to forget. Staying with sport, Hereford United

Football Club have been temporarily banned from staging matches at Edgar

Street because of fears over spectator safety. Herefordshire

Council say they are not satisfied with safety arrangements put in

place by the new owners. It means two friendly matches have bden

postponed. Further talks ard due next week.

Jordanne Whiley from Halesowen is through to the final of the

wheelchair doubles at Wimblddon after victory in her semifinal this

morning. She and her partner have already won the Australian `nd

French open Championships this year. They lost in the final at Whmbledon

in 2013 but will be favourites to win the title on Sunday. Thdre is a

lot of pressure, being the number one seed and winning a Grand Slam

previously this year. You h`ve to put that aside and perform on the

day. If you concentrate on the result, your performance will not be

great. We are focusing and we really want to win. We really want to focus

on the court at the moment. I am emotionally attached to Wimbledon

because it is my home crowd. This is going to be massive for me, if I do

win. I will put all of my hdart into it on Sunday. We will be rooting for

her. Festival season is underway and this

weekend there are a number of events in the Midlands. In Coventrx, the

Godiva Festival, believed to be the biggest free music festival in the

UK, starts tonight. Around 80,0 0 people are expected to attend the

three`day event to see bands like the Happy Mondays and the Btzzcocks.

In Stratford`upon`Avon, the River Festival takes place tomorrow and

Sunday. Organisers are hoping 5 ,000 people will come to enjoy the free

bands and waterways. In Herefordshire, the Bromy`rd Gala

will attract around 10,000 people, with everything from music to steam

engines and even a donkey ddrby But one of the biggest music festival is

ever to be held in Birmingh`m is happening this weekend. The Wireless

Festival has taken place in London for the past nine years. Thhs is the

first time it has also been held in the Midlands. 64,000 people are

expected to attend the thred`day event at Perry Park. This rdport

contains flashing images. Packing Perry Park, Festival lovers

arriving for the first Wireless Festival to be held in Birmhngham as

well as London, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Three stages for

three days of urban celebration drawing stars like Kanye West. We

were looking for another site and Birmingham seemed the obviots

choice. It is the year of mtsic in Birmingham. They are pushing live

events. The council were supportive so it seemed a good thing to do All

the way from America, North Carolina's a pop B.O.B. Herd, they

just one music, get music. There are only two kinds of music, good and

bad. And I am good music. This afternoon, Birmingham's Jacob Banks,

at just 22, the first signed act ever to appear on Radio 1 lhve

Lounge. This is his first Whreless Festival. Amazing. Growing tp I did

not know what festivals werd until I moved to London. It is good. People

will really enjoy it down hdre. There was some disappointment.

Drake, headline act Canadian rapper, had to cancel due to ill`he`lth

Although fans were given ?20 cashback on the tickets. I have

never been to a festival before This is the first one I was

interested because I thought that Drake was going to be here but he is

not. I thought I would come anyway. We came for Drake, but... Aside from

the feel`good factor, the Whreless Festival has another positive

effect. All of the stores are local businesses. With people travelling

from across the country to come here, staying in local hotels,

organisers estimate they ard worth around ?1 million per day to the

local economy. Birmingham's first Wireless Festival, no doubt not its

last. And for the latest travel ndws, if

you are travelling to or trxing to avoid festivals over the wedkend,

you can hear regular updates on the radio.

Look at this. Do you remembdr it? The poster that adorned manx a

bedroom wall in the 1970s and 1 80s, mainly the bedrooms of teen`ge boys

and young men. I certainly had one. It was a female tennis playdr

hitching up her skirt. Modesty forbids me to say any more, but

rather subtle and innocent, don t you think. The dress was handmade by

a schoolgirl in Stourbridge and is now up for auction.

It was made by a 12`year`old tennis playing schoolgirl in 1970s

Stourbridge, and that dress ended up adorning over 2 million posters The

schoolgirl was Carol Knotts, who loaned her dress and racket for a

photo shoot in Birmingham. Only later did she get an eyeful of the

result. Well, I was slightlx surprised by it, I suppose, slightly

embarrassed that my mum might see it. But she is raped pleased it is

not me modelling it. She is now auctioning the dress, racket and her

own 1979 poster. I was quitd young at the time when it came out but it

is an iconic picture. I was just saying to the girls down thdre, if

they looked like that they would wear the dress and would not wear

any knickers. Why have you decided to sell it? It is sitting in a

cupboard doing nothing for le. Nobody can ever take away the fact

that I made it. If I ever gdt asked the question of what is my claim to

fame, I can still say that H made that dress. Before you ask, I am not

going to try to recreate th`t look, but I am wondering who might be in

the market for it. Sports f`ns, nostalgia, and as it is a unique

item you might get some caphtal investment. There is not another

one. It will be willing to rest in but that question will be answered

tomorrow at 11 a.m.. Just enough time for it to be sent to Cdntre

Court for the ladies final `t Wimbledon. Now that would bd cheeky!

I do love tennis. There is lots going on this weekend. Do wd need

suncream or brollies? Definitely brollies and probably a

raincoat. It is a return to the traditional British summer weather.

We have had some rain arrivdd already. It is with us right the way

through to tomorrow. Once that clears away, things will st`rt to

feel cooler. Sunshine and showers is how we

continue the weekend. Eastern parts got pleasant conditions but we have

a band of rain which works hts way in and we'll stick with us through

until tomorrow morning. Somd breaks here and there but we expect up to

ten millimetres overnight. Ht has been dry recently so that is

unlikely to cause problems but there are some heavy pulses in thdre. Also

quite a sticky night with temperatures up to 16 Celsits.

Eventually, the front wheel career. Still some uncertainty as to what

time that will happen. But ht will improve as we head through tomorrow.

Although we wake up with showers, they do `` they do slowly start to

fade. Behind that, the best conditions in the West. Somd good

spells of sunshine to come `t times. In those, it will feel quitd

pleasant. Temperatures back to where we would expect for this tile of

year. Another bad end `` not a bad end to Saturday. But then wd start

to see the showers really dxing out. Overnight, where we get cle`r skies,

we are going to see temperatures falling away. Much more comfortable

tomorrow night. Sunday does not start too badly. The sun is out but

we have showers popping up through the day. At times they could be

heavy and thundery. Temperatures not great but it stays showery `s we

head into the new working wdek, so keep the brollies handy.

Tonight's headlines. Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris has been

sentenced to five years and nine months for a series of indecent

assault 's online `` young girls. And a family say they have been

denied justice after a death in police custody.

That was the Midlands Today. The 838 tunnels in Birmingham will be closed

from 10pm until six tomorrow morning. The overnight clostres will

be in place for the next two weeks before they are closed completely

for six weeks for restoration work. We are back at 10pm with thd late

news. Have a great weekend. Goodbye.