14/03/2012 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight, with Annabel Tiffin. And

Roger Johnson. Our top story: Jailed - the man who left his

father's dead body in the living room for months and carried on

claiming his benefits. We'll be live outside the house where it

happened in Preston. Also tonight:

The couple planning for a wedding, thanks to breakthrough medication

developed in the North West. wanted to get out of bed, but I

wasn't allowed. But now my body is coming back to normal. I am feeling

stronger again. On the day that Bolton and Stockport missed out in

the race to become cities, I have come to Preston, which became a

city ten years ago, to find out if it has made any difference.

A tale of Viking passion and knowledge - the Merseyside

scientist being knighted by Norway. And setting the benchmark - Grange-

over-Sands decides it is time to slow down the spread of

commemorative seating. For almost five months, Christopher

Blackburn lived with a ghastly secret. He was sharing his

Lancashire home with the body of his dead father. He carried on

claiming the dead man's benefits and told family and friends his dad

was fine. He even told his 10-year- old daughter that her grandad was

just sleeping. Tonight, Blackburn is beginning a three year jail term

for concealing a death and benefit fraud. Our chief reporter Dave

Guest is at the house where it all happened. Looks like a pretty

ordinary street? That's right, as you say, it is a quiet suburb of

Preston. The house behind me is an unremarkable terraced house. If you

go through the door today, there is nothing there to suggest what

happened, because now there are new residents there who have nothing to

do with the case. In November 2010, Christopher Blackburn lived in the

house with his father. In November, Mr Blackburn senior died of natural

causes, but Christopher did not tell anyone, but carried on living

in the house upstairs while the body lay downstairs for up to five

months. He also carried on claiming his late father's benefits from the

local post office. Did anyone suspect anything? Well, one of the

people who raised the alarm initially was Christopher

Blackburn's ten-year-old daughter. He was estranged from the girl's

mother, but she was not allowed access visits, and he took her into

the house on a number of occasions. He said to a number of people,

grandad's dead. Christopher past that off by saying, grandad is just

a slip. Eventually, neighbours noticed the stench, called the

police and then the truth unfolded. The case has touched everyone

involved, be it police officers or neighbours. We had not seen him for

a while. I had seen his son, Christopher. Every time I asked, he

said he was fine. He is a very bizarre individual, and the

circumstances of this investigation have been unusual. You called the

police. Why? Because my girlfriend smelled something, and I was just

talking with her, and then I alerted the police immediately. It

just went from there. I'm sickened. I would hate to think that my son

was living at home and left me dead, and you're still living in the

house. The house was extremely smelly. It is a scene that I don't

think many officers would want to face throughout their service.

yet he allowed his young daughter to go several times into that

house? He did allow his daughter to go in. It's quite likely that his

daughter has seen her grandfather. I wouldn't know what to say to him,

like slap him or what. I'm so angry, like everyone else round here.

So three years in jail for Christopher Blackburn. What did the

judge say to him? He said his crimes were abhorrent and callous.

He said Blackburn had shown no shred of remorse for what he had

done. Just two weeks ago, Charlie Jones,

who has skin cancer, was given hours to live. He'd just had

emergency surgery on tumours that had spread to his kidneys. But

doctors at The Christie in Manchester decided to treat him

with a revolutionary new drug tested there and now, Charlie's

been told he could live for months longer.

Feeling stronger by the day, and able to plan optimistically for the

future. 24-year-old Charlie is terminally ill with advanced

melanoma, but a new treatment has given him an unexpected new lease

of life. I was ill on the Thursday night, but by Sunday, I wanted to

get out of bed, but I was not allowed. But I felt like my body

had come back to normal. That came just days after Charlie was on the

brink of death following surgery, his lowest point since originally

being diagnosed two years ago. the Friday, she told me, you only

have a few hours to live. How did you feel? I was shocked. I had

thought I would be fine. This treatment now offers some hope to

the dozens of melanoma patients across the north-west. Zelboraf

targets a gene mutation found in 50% of sufferers like Charlie, and

can extend life expectancy by two years.

Figures suggest 1235 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma

every year across the north-west. Rates have almost trebled in the

past 20 years, and it is the most common cancer in 15-34-year-olds.

It is the second big step forward in the treatment of advanced

melanoma in the last year. Prior to that, we had gone 20 years without

any development. Next up for Charlie is a return to running and

playing golf. And of course, organising a wedding. A couple of

weeks ago, I could have lost him and we would never have been able

to do it. So now, you just have to do the right thing, don't you?

We wish them the best. That is great news.

The North West has seen the biggest increase in unemployment in the UK

over the last three months. Figures from the Office for National

Statistics show the unemployment rate rose by 16,000 between

November and January. It takes the total out of work in the region to

317,000. The health trust that runs Furness

General Hospital has been ordered to apologise to the father of

Joshua Titcombe over an email sent about his case. The baby boy died

at just nine days old in 2008. The health ombudsman found the

offensive email by midwives at Barrow's maternity unit caused

unnecessary and unjustifiable distress. A police investigation

into the deaths of a number of babies and mothers at the hospital

is continuing. Lancashire Police has been fined

�70,000 after papers containing sensitive information about a 15-

year-old girl were found on a street in Blackpool. It's the first

time the Information Commissioner's Office has served a penalty on a

police force. Lancashire Police says it will learn lessons from the

event. A serving soldier has been charged

with the murder of his girlfriend. Leanne McNuff was found by police

at her home in Droylsden on Sunday night with multiple stab wounds and

died a short time later. Ian Lowe, who is 25, and from the First

Battallion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, is due to

appear before magistrates tomorrow. They've been fighting for justice

for half a century. But war veterans involved in British

nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s lost their bid to claim for damages

today. They claim exposure to radiation has led to the

development of cancers. In a moment, we'll be talking to Arthur Hart,

one of the region's veterans, but first this report.

Atomic testing in the Pacific during the 1950s exposed thousands

of servicemen to radiation. It was only later that veterans began to

link the radiation fallout with illnesses including cancer,

disability and eventual death. Their claim for compensation has

been fought by the Ministry of Defence, which has denied putting

servicemen at risk. Today in the Supreme Court, Britain's highest,

judges ruled the majority of the 1,000 claims couldn't proceed

because the veterans lacked evidence. They also said many of

the claims had been made too late. It is a tragedy that this

Government continues to expend resources on fighting the veterans,

rather than co-operating with them, testing them, establishing the

truth and compensating them. MOD said it recognises the debt of

gratitude to the servicemen, but said the court had ruled the claims

were barred because of the time gap in bringing them. It said today

ends the false hope for the veterans that the claims had a

chance of success. We're joined now by Arthur Hart,

who was an 18-year-old sailor during the tests. He suffered

several tumours, which he claims are linked to his experience. What

exactly did you do during the tests in the 1950s? It was National

Service, and I was in the Royal Navy. I was in the engineering

department. My function during the atomic tests was to stay on the

upper deck to screen people who were going into the boiler room in

case there was any contamination of radioactive fall-out. I was very

junior, just an 18-year-old boy. But nevertheless, I was on the ship

for two tests, and sailed through I amazing -- ionising radiation.

you have any idea that it might be dangerous? At 18, being a northern

lad, it was the high tough excitement to go to Australia. The

excitement of that was with you. We were not told by anybody about any

danger. In fact, it was done in a cavalier fashion. Yes, there will

be washing down of the deck by the ocean. It was done in a very

relaxed, lackadaisical way. We were not aware of any specific dangers.

It was only later, and perhaps I am jumping the gun here, that I began

to develop this horrible condition. As 75, it has not made much

difference, but if I was to show my forearm, my whole body is riddled.

Abdomen, legs, thighs for us but how has it made day-to-day life for

you? I used to wear shirts all the time and keep my sleeves rolled

down because of people's feelings. At 75, it has not made much

difference. But it was always in your mind that this might be the

causation. You have lost this right to claim, but other countries have

paid out to their veterans. Do you feel betrayed about that? Totally.

The Governments, to use the plural, and the MoD, have been cavalier. An

enormous wrong has been done. We were not volunteers. We were taken

out of the army and the RAF, and used it totally as guinea-pigs

without any sort of voluntary aspect. To treat them in this

offhand fashion, I think is scurrilous. It goes with the

territory when you think of the First World War home fit for heroes

argument. I hear that the lads in Helmand Province have to buy a kit

to keep themselves fit. It is shameful.

Bolton and Stockport have heard today they've failed in their bids

to gain city status.They were competing against more than 20

towns across the country. But is it really such a blow? Ten years ago,

Preston became a city amid high hopes of new investment and major

redevelopment. Stuart Flinders has been finding out if the change of

status has made any difference. "We're a city", proclaimed the

local paper. It seemed to promise a new start. Preston had plenty to

build on - a mention in the Domesday Book, a big role in the

industrial revolution and fine buildings that speak of a proud

past. But winning city status was meant to push Preston on to a

confident future. 500 homes, a cinema... Had the �700 million

Tithebarn shopping scheme gone ahead, it would have been easier to

claim city status had been a real advantage. But the scheme collapsed

last autumn, leaving city leaders searching for a less ambitious

alternative. Has being a city really made a difference to

Preston? I believe it has, because as far as the world of business is

concerned, it is important that they are located in a city. We are

not on the scale of Manchester and Liverpool, obviously, but we are a

European city that is open for business. It's hard to avoid signs

of a lack of investment, but then Preston's not alone in feeling the

pinch. And it has a real success story. The university's doubled its

student intake in the past decade. When people choose a university,

they also choose an environment. So the fact that Preston got city

status has definitely helped us. But do they care if it is a city or

a town, when you get the same environment? I think the term city

has a meaning, certainly if you are coming from outside the UK.

university's public relations students are divided about the

value of city status. City just sound more exciting. You think

there will be more going on, more shops available, more things to do.

I did not choose this university based on it being a city. I have

been to towns that are not cities and I did not notice any difference.

The council hopes to make a major announcement about investment in

the city later this year. Still to come on North West

Tonight: Stevie wonder - Gerrard's hat-trick

wins the derby for Liverpool, to spoil David Moyes' ten-year Everton

anniversary. And our young school reporters are

getting to the bottom of a new sport.

Handball is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. We'll

find out why and if Team GB has a chance of winning a medal at the

2012 Olympics. At New Year and on the Queen's

official birthday, we often bring you news of people from the north

west who've been awarded an honour, a knighthood or being made a Dame,

an OBE or MBE. Tonight, though, we have news of a different kind of

award. A scientist from Merseyside has been made a Knight of Norway by

King Harald V. And it's all to do with a grand passion for Vikings

which began at a very early age. Imagine the Wirral coast in the

year 902. A bunch of Vikings get kicked out of Ireland. The English

Queen says they can settle here. 1000 years later, a small boy hears

that his local football team has a Viking name. Not many people knew

about this. It was a heritage that we in the North West did not really

know. The Viking place names, like Tranmere, provoked a lifelong

fascination for Stephen Harding. When he grew up to be a scientist,

I used DNA techniques to prove that Viking genes live on in our old

will families to a much greater extent than anybody had previously

thought. Today an ancestor of those Norwegian Vikings came to

Liverpool's Nordic Church to honour Stephen Harding's work. The King of

Norway's made him a Knight of the Norwegian Order of Merit for making

the area's Viking heritage much more widely known. I feel a bit

embarrassed, because it represents the work of a large number of

people. It is fairly unusual. It is an excuse of award in that sense.

It goes to foreign nationals that have done a great service. Part of

the ceremony was a church service in Norwegian, the knighthood the

highest honour the Norwegians can give someone who's not a head of

state. Sport now. Another Stephen. I bet

David Moyes' milk on his cornflakes tasted a bit sour today. Yes, what

a difference a record breaking hat- trick makes. Steven Gerrard wrote

his name all over last night's Mersey derby with Liverpool's 3-0

win over Everton, ending their three-match losing run in the

league. Both sides had one eye on their big FA Cup matches this

weekend, but after 90 minutes, Stevie G only had eyes on the match

ball. From Steven Gerrard, it was another

mother of all performances. He had his second win of the year. Imagine

if he had been fit all season. Captain Marvel's superhuman feats

last night are already the stuff of legend. He hit the first Derby hat-

trick in three years. It was the first Derby hat-trick at Anfield in

more than 77 years. Most importantly, it was Liverpool's

first three points since January. We had been a bit inconsistent. It

was a chance to find that winning streak. There is nothing new you

can say about him. He has been fantastic when we needed him.

Nothing new? Let's give it a go. is a one-man team. He is there all

the way for can be in. For him to be out for so long and comeback

proves how good a player he is. Different Class. Best in the world,

apart from Messi. At the final whistle, David Moyes was less

impressed. I think the goals were our own fold tonight. We have been

good defensively recently, but the goals tonight were down to bad play.

Gerard will be flying for his last tie against oak. He must have

thought or his mother days -- mother stays had been rolled into

one. Carlos Tevez could play in Manchester City's next Premier

League game. Tevez trained with the City squad this morning. He hasn't

played since last September after his dispute with the club. Although

the Argentinian striker isn't eligible for tomorrow's Europa

League second leg tie against Sporting Lisbon, both his manager

and teammates hope he could play a part in next Wednesday's home game

against Chelsea. We will see in the next week. It depends on his

problem and a lot of things. He is always an asset for every team.

The pressure is already growing on Preston's new manager after North

End lost 2-1 at Tranmere last night, despite taking the lead after 12

minutes. A header put Preston ahead, but Rovers levelled three minutes

later. Andy Robinson hit Tranmere's winner. Since Graham Westley became

boss, Preston have won and once in 10 games.

Now, it's one of the fastest growing team sports in the UK - but

how much do you know about handball? The UK Handball

headquarters are in Warrington, and there are more clubs in the North

West than anywhere in the UK. It is, of course, School Report week here

on the BBC, when we hand over the reins to the journalists of the

future - so pupils at Cardinal Heenan school in Liverpool decided

to find out more. Hello, I am Jamie. And I am Sam.

Handball is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. We will

find out why and if Team GB has a chance of winning a medal at the

London 2012 Olympics. This is John Jacobson, captain of England

handball team. He played in the Olympic Games. He came to our

school for a training session. John told us that although handball was

becoming more popular in the UK, we were still some way behind other

European countries, where some players are full-time professionals.

Our team have done extraordinarily well with limited funding to get to

a high performance level. Our women's team are fantastic. I hope

for high performances from them. Handball is also one of the fastest

growing sports in Asia and Africa. We do not have handball goals in

our school, so we simple -- improvised with yellow tape on the

walls. Here rather rules. No. 1, no barging. Number two, you can't take

more than four steps. Too many steps. Number three, no double

dribbling. You can't pass the ball, stop, and bounce it again. Although

a lot of people have never played handball before, they soon got into

the swing of things. It is a bit like football, but you can use your

hands. I found it good fun. I was in defence. Did not really do well.

The north-west has more handball teams than any other region in the

country, and John said Liverpool was where it all began in the UK.

When Team GB lines up at the Olympics this summer, plenty of

players will represent the North West at all levels, including the

men's captain. Somehow, I do not think they will be calling up our

goalkeeper any time soon. This is salmon Jamie for BBC News School

Report. -- Sam and Jamie. Finally from me, a quick reminder

to sign up for the Sport Relief mile. It's a week on Sunday. All

the details are at sportrelief.com. You might think it's the perfect

way to remember a loved one - a memorial bench in their favourite

place. But you might have to think again if that favourite place is

the Cumbrian resort of Grange Over Sands. It seems it's full to

bursting with commemorative benches. So the town council wants people to

think of other ways to remember the dear departed.

In life, you can be certain of death, taxes, and never being far

from a bench in Grange Over Sands. To a certain degree, they have

popped up like daisies. You are right. The trend for memorial

benches, it seems, has taken off. The council accepts it's a suitable

way to remember a loved one, but the trend needs to be checked.

the past four years, the number has doubled, and there are no places to

put them. There are half a dozen within 20 walking paces. We want to

find more innovative ways that people can remember their loved

ones. They are not so jesting anything so dramatic as a cult. It

is more a gentle suggestion. A polite request that people consider

alternatives. You could buy a memorial shrub, they suggest, or

plant a tree instead. But you can't sit on a tree, can you? No! We

appreciate why people like the seats, and we will do all we can to

help them find somewhere to put a seat. So has the council got a

point - or are they one leg short of a sensible seat? The benches are

fine. Visitors and residents love them. You go to a lot of places

where there are not many chairs. I can't see any problem here. There

are more important things to worry about than how many benches we have

got! The council just wants other options considered.

A surprise confession now. I am a bit of a bench watch it! I love

Anyway, now the weather if. You saw the pictures there from Grange-

over-Sands. The skies were overcast. This quiet spell will eventually

come to an end as we head through the tail-end of Friday. A week

weatherfront will come through this weekend. There will be wet weather

at times. But things will not change over the next 24 hours. It

is more of the same. Huge amount of cloud cover again. If you have been

stuck under that, you temperatures will have been eight or nine

degrees. The cloud did try to break this afternoon, but not

successfully everywhere. If you have a break now, you might keep it

overnight. Temperatures could be as low as two overnight tonight. But

under the cloud, you are talking about six or seven degrees. This

thing tomorrow morning, it will continue to be grey and overcast

and again quite chilly first thing. But we are optimistic that through

the day, although there may be some drizzle, it should be largely dry.

As the day goes on, brighter skies will try and work their way through.

I am not promising sunshine tomorrow, so if it does not come

off tomorrow, don't be disappointed. It is a mix.