03/06/2013 North West Tonight

Tonight with Stuart Flinders and Annabel Tiffin. Our top story: A gas

goldmine - claims of major new discoveries in the Liverpool

Manchester corridor. Yes, it is said there could be

enough gas beneath my feet to keep rates on going for years.

But opponents say we can't rely on fracking to meet our energy needs in

the long term. Also tonight: On trial for abusing a

teenage boy. A court's told Coronation Street actor Andrew

Lancel used his status to gain his trust.

Keira the breakthrough baby - the first born in the world using new

IVF technology. The stress off IVF is difficult for a man and a burly

difficult for a woman. Probably I am the luckiest man on the planet right

now. Keeping it in the family. The young

TT rider living up to the famous Dunlop name.

And scaling new heights - the injured soldiers taking on

Blackpool's Big One. I've never actually been on the right, to be

honest. You just set yourself a goal, if you work hard you can

First tonight, claims that there could be enough shale gas under

parts of Cheshire to mean the UK would not need to import gas for a

decade. That's according to energy firm I-Gas which has been given

permission to explore parts of the county. It says there could be far

more down there than previously thought. Our chief reporter, Dave

Guest, is in Cheshire for us now. Yes, somewhat better place to be on

a glorious evening and this. This place is not only about Roland

Rowell lands date, there is also a lot of industry. The petrol refinery

is just across mayor. However, it is what is under the ground, not under

the ground that is interesting. Tests carried out here and other

parts of Cheshire show there could be enough shale gas to keep Britain

going for a decade. I guess say they have survey the

vast area of 300 square miles. The company believes that patch could

contain up to 170 trillion cubic feet of shale gas. Enough to keep

Britain in gas for a decade or more. If Britain can be self-sufficient,

that is good for the country, local business, it gives people security,

con density in bed and will help a lot of energy intensive farms.

Another company hopes to extract more gas. The process of extracting

it is known as fracking is highly controversial. Initial operations

were halted when they were linked to earth tremors. Government has now

given the go-ahead for operations to resume, but opponents of remain

unconvinced. His time as into building more gas power stations

which will be around more years longer than the gas resources could

cover so we are then back to buy in from abroad. They also point out

that estimates vary widely. One geology insists that this region is

rich in the stuff. That is a significant amount of shale gas that

they have calculated and stand by the figures. Clearly there is

certainly enough of them to make the investment decision to drill and

Tess. The company says they want to carry out further work to fully

assess the Chew level of shale gas in Cheshire.

Towards the end of the year. How do they intend to do that?

Sorry about that, basically, what they want to do is think more test

running towards the end of this year to establish exactly what they

believe the reserves are shale gas. As I said, currently the estimates

vary widely. However, they say they are still in the early stages of

this project and fracking would not happen for some way down the line

and not until the planning consents have been sought and local people

consulted. Thanks very much.

A court has heard that the former Coronation Street star, Andrew

Lancel, used his status as an actor to gain the trust of a teenage boy

before sexually assaulting him 20 years ago. The 42-year-old, whose

real name is Andrew Watkinson, denies six counts of indecent

assault. Naomi Cornwell reports from Liverpool Crown Court.

Andrew Lancel is now best known for his role as Frank Foster in

Coronation Street. The offence is he went on trial or today were alleged

to have happened in the early 1990s. He was about to appear on television

in his first major role and, having filmed it, returned to his hometown

where he visited local theatre groups. It is there he is alleged to

have met the victim who was 14 years old at the time. The court heard

that over the next year, at least four times they met for coffee

before the actor invited the boy to his home where it is alleged he in

these of assaulted him. The prosecution barrister told the court

the defendant used his status as an actor to flatter and gain the trust

of the victim. The jury was shown a video of the victim telling police,

in a joking way he would say I could get in trouble for this but I would

deny it. When asked why he waited 18 years to report the assault, the

victim replied no, not at all. The prosecution claimed sexual

encounters continued into adulthood, but the court heard Andrew Lancel

told police there was never sexual activity between them. He denies all

charges against him and the trial continues.

Other news from around the North West now and the Prime Minister has

described the attack on the Middleton soldier, Drummer Lee

Rigby, as a betrayal of Islam. Two men, accused of his murder, have

made separate appearances in court today and have been remanded in

custody. Merseyside Police have insisted they

didn't break any rules, after it emerged a taser stun gun was used on

British soldier who studied for our country and our way of life. It was

a betrayal of Islam and the Muslim communities who give so much to our

country. Merseyside police say they did not break any rules using a stun

gun on a 12-year-old girl. It happened in St Helens in 2011, but

the details have only just been released. The girl, who was armed

with two knives, wasn't injured. Five men who stole thousands of

pounds worth of copper wiring in the Ribble Valley and left hundreds of

homes without power have been jailed. The men, who are from

Birmingham, were arrested in July. More than a tonne of copper was

found in their van. The Government's launched a campaign

at Knowsley Safari Park to try to help save the elephant from

extinction. With huge demand for ivory, it's estimated up to 30,000

are poached each year. Four of Knowsley's seven elephants arrived

from Africa, but the chances of future generations coming over now

look increasingly unlikely. This is down to violent criminals

earning significant sums of money, often for terrorism and we have

simply got to raise public awareness and reduced demand, otherwise there

will be a shocking indictment of our generation if we let these animals

And JLS, Little Mix and Neil Young will be among the performers at the

Liverpool International Music Festival. The event replaces the

Mathew Street Festival and will run between mid August and mid

September. There'll be a mix of classical, rock, pop, soul and

blues. A nurse cleared of poisoning

patients at Stockport's Stepping Hill Hospital is planning to sue

Greater Manchester Police. Rebecca Leighton spent six weeks in prison

after being arrested in 2011 and says Greater Manchester Police

leaked her name to the press and changed her Facebook settings so the

media would have access to private photos. Elaine Dunkley reports.

In 2011, Nurse Rebecca Leighton was at the centre of a murder

investigation following the deaths of five elderly patients at Stepping

Hill Hospital. Saline solution used in drips had

been contaminated. Rebecca Leighton was arrested. She was named and

images from her Facebook account were shown all over the media. Some

newspapers called her "angel of death".

Days later she was charged with poisoning patients. She spent six

weeks in prison before charges against her were dropped because of

insufficient evidence. Now, two years later, Rebecca Leighton is

suing Greater Manchester Police, claiming they leaked her name to the

media and gave the public access to her Facebook account so private

photos and messages could be viewed. She is now suing the force over a

breach of confidence and misuse of private information.

If it is correct that police leaked the information when they should not

and change face of settings, then of course that may give rise to a

breach of confidence and a massive infringement of her privacy because

all of these people, who she is specifically excluded from access,

have been able to do so and use that in many media articles.

If successful, Rebecca Leighton could claim up to �100,000 in

damages. Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had received a claim,

but would not comment any further on the case.

Elaine is here now. Elaine, it's almost two years now since the

deaths at Stepping Hill, where is the investigation up to now?

In the past few minutes, solicitors have sent these documents. They

claim she was kept in custody for her own safety as a result of the

negative public opinion against her. And she received abuse on Facebook.

One posting said, I hope you rot in hell. Rebecca's solicitors claim she

has been unable to find a job because of all of this and has had

to move in with her parents for a crime she did not commit.

It is almost two years since the incident, where is the investigation

up to now? We must remember that this was and

still is a major investigation. There have been many twists and

turns and due to things like medical records and underlying health

problems of patients. Another nurse who worked on the same ward,

Victorina Chua, has been arrested on suspicion of causing the deaths of

Tracey Arden, Arnold Lancaster and Derek Weaver and he remains on

Police Bail. He is due to answer that bail next month This lovely

family snapshot shows Ruth Carter and John Traverse, and their new

baby daughter Keira. She was born in Liverpool just a

couple of days ago, conceived using IVF - nothing particularly unusual

about that. But Keira is the first test tube baby of her kind in the

world because of pioneering treatment at the Liverpool Women's

Hospital. Scientists hope the technique will now give other

couples a better chance of starting a family. Andy Gill reports.

Meet Keira Traverse, born on Friday and out of her incubator today. Her

parents found it hard to conceive naturally and already have a son

born through IVF. But Keira's different because doctors knew her

embryo had a greater chance of developing properly than others.

I am smitten. I have completely had it. I will never have any money

again, she will be able to twist me completely around her little finger.

And here is the embryo that became Keira. In IVF labs there's no UV

light so it all looks yellow. Here scientists develop a number of

embryos outside the womb and then decide which one to implant back

into the mother. The method pioneered here in Liverpool gives

scientists more information about which embryo has the best chance of

growing normally. They looked very, very similar at

early cell stages, but we know, genetically, they are probably very

different. We need to identify which one of these embryos is going to

give us a successful pregnancy and hopefully a successful live birth.

The new machine takes hundreds of pictures of the embryo as it

divides. These make a video which allows doctors to see when cell

division happens. And knowing that means they can tell which embryos

are the healthiest. The new system not only tells scientists which

embryos are more likely to develop, it is also healthier because the

embryos are taken out less often. Keira'It's early days, but the

women's hospital are so convinced it'll improve IVF success rates that

they're going to offer it on the NHS to all couples. Andy Gill BBC North

West Tonight Liverpool. And he still manages to look sophisticated in

that blue hat. Still to come on North West Tonight:

Keeping it in the family. The young TT rider living up to the famous

Dunlop name. And they're used to a challenge -

but this is a particularly "Big One". We'll meet the soldiers

scaling new heights for charity. Every six minutes, someone is raped

in Britain. Recovering from the emotional trauma can take years, and

victims need specialist support. In Manchester, that's provided by a

pioneering centre which has given the BBC unprecedented access to film

its work. St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral

Centre was the first in the UK. There are now 45 other centres like

it. Our reporter, Abbie Jones, has been talking to victims and staff

and joins us now. If you report you've been raped to

Greater Manchester Police and Cheshire Police, you'll be referred

to St Mary's. But victims can also refer themselves. More than 1,200

people used the service last year. Just under half were children. The

youngest was just three weeks old, the oldest 96. Rape knows no

barriers - as Juliet found out. She was raped in Manchester and waved

her anonymity to talk to us and the documentary makers to show how

important St Mary's was in helping In this city centre alleyway one new

year's eve, Juliet was raped by a stranger as she left a nightclub.

It is filthy and awful and as vile as I remember it. Confronting what

happened, back at the scene and emotionally, was almost too hard to

do. I can't go down there. But Juliet says she found the

strength because of the support from staff at St Mary's. I would not be

the woman I am now sitting in front of you if I had not had the support

of Saint Mary's. He both in the easiest thing to do is bury it, but

it is the worst thing you can do. It eats you up inside and choose you

up. If you deal with it head on, that is part of the healing process.

When victims arrive they are listened to, medically examined and

forensics are taken. Samples can be stored in these freezers for up to

seven years. It is quite sad to open it up

because it is all these stories in the freezer.

Juliet, who was a teaching assistant, went to court and saw her

rapist sent to jail. But not everyone feels able to speak to the

police. Psychological support is just as important. Not only for the

victim, but for their significant other. You may have an incident

where it is a child that has been raped whether parents need a lot of

support helping them to cope with what happened. Both Juliet and the

centre say they wanted to speak out to dispel myths about sexual

violence. And for Juliet, talking about what happened to her has given

her back some control. There is still a huge amount of shame

attached to rape. I have nothing to be ashamed of, what happened to me

was not my fault. I don't want to be defined as a rape and Tim, I won't

let this bury me. This has helped me to make sense of it and have her

purse. And you can see that programme on BBC One tomorrow night

at 10:35pm. Sport now. Richard is here and there's a crucial match for

St Helens tonight in Super League? Yes, Saints are unusually way off

the pace at the moment after five defeats in the last six matches in

all competitions. Head coach Nathan Brown is coming under a bit of

pressure and takes his team to his former side, Huddersfield Giants. A

big boost for Saints is the return of influential hooker James Robie

from injury. But there's no doubt it'll be difficult against a Giants

team who remain second in the table. Wigan stretched their lead at the

There's no stopping Wigan at the moment. But Wakefield almost managed

a shock upset leading until late on. Josh Charnley's hat-trick and late

scores from Lee Mossop and Darrell Goulding made it 12 wins on the spin

against Salford. Ben Westwood scored his 100th career try as the hosts.

After last week's win, Brian Noble said humpty dumpty had fallen off

the wall in this one. Widnes' game with Catalan went right to the wire.

Two late tries pulled the Vikings within two points of their French

opponents. Jack Owens had this kick to secure a draw. He held his nerve

the weekend games on the super league show on BBC One at 11:20pm.

And there's full coverage of Saints' match against Huddersfield Giants on

BBC radio Merseyside on 95.8 FM, 1485 megawatts and DAB. Kick off is

at quarter to eight. Now to the Isle of Man TT where the famous Dunlop

name has once again been setting the pace. The late Joey Dunlop won more

TT races than anyone else in history and now his nephew is showing the

same habit of crossing the finishing line first with a hat-trick of wins

so far. Morecambe's John McGuinness, chasing his 20th career victory on

the course has taken part in three races himself, but is still

searching for that elusive victory. Kelly Foran reports. It's hard to

imagine doing just one lap at this speed - but 14 laps and three races

later Michael Dunlop has been unbeatable so far. Yesterday he

raced to victory in the superbike event and 24 hours later victorious

in two more. Coming here and winning the big

race, I'm excited and looking forward to the rest of the week.

Sometimes you can lose concentration after a few laps. It was good and I

enjoyed it. Yesterdays win an emotional one - it came 30 years

after his Uncle Joey Dunlop's first TT win on a Honda. The late Joey

Dunlop holds the record for the most ever TT wins - the man closest to

his tally of 26 is Morcambes John McGuinness. These cameras on the

bikes show the extraordinary speeds they travel - with an average of

131.671mph - McGuinness set a new outright lap record, but he's still

yet to win one. I said that the beginning, it would

be really competitive and hard to win. Proving there that it is really

hard, but I can only keep trying. I enjoyed that race. Nothing more to

prove, I just want to be safe and write strong. Never writes John

McGuinness offer. He is still the man. Nephew of the greatest ever TT

rider, he's got some way to go to catch Joey's record, but at the

moment he's climbing up the all time leaderboard by the day.

As Manchester City edge closer to appointing Malaga's Manuel

Pellegrini to replace sacked manager Roberto Mancini - the club's former

chief executive has told the BBC that Blues owner Sheikh Mansour

won't accept mediocrity and expects to win the Champions League.

I don't like the thought of mediocrity. I don't think the owners

of Manchester city do, but I would hope that every sport entity that is

trying to win would not have mediocrity as acceptable. They want

to win the champions league and every football club should.

Rio Ferdinand has been granted a testimonial by Manchester United.

United will play Sevilla on August the 9th for Rio who moved to Old

Trafford in 2002. He is a winner, but Manchester

city's new man will be under pressure, went to?

Yes, they are expecting naturally feed each season. It is going to be

a battle. I hope they get paid. They get a few quid. Now it's 235

feet of pure terror - and that's when you're safely strapped in to a

carriage on Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big One roller coaster. So

imagine how scary it must be to go to the top - climb over the rail and

abseil down. Well forty volunteers, including

soldiers who've lost limbs, did just that today. All to raise money for

charity. Peter Marshall was there. If you have ever wondered what it is

like to abseil down the UK's tallest roller-coaster, you are about to

find out. This footage was filmed by Andy

Reid, a soldier from Saint Helens who lost three limbs when hit by a

bomb in Afghanistan. I have never been on the ride, to be honest, so

never dreams about abseiling off it. He faced a challenge that would

cower many to raise money for the soldiers charity. I was scared when

I first went over, I won't lie, but then it was a surreal feeling of

peacefulness and being quite free. It is hard to achieve that feeling

with this ability so it was fantastic. And he wasn't alone.

Coriander Taylor is the wife of a serving soldier from lung cancer. --

Lancashire. The climb is hard on the legs and the descent is nerve

shredding. Great. I can't wait to tell my husband and he can brag

about me to all of the lads in Afghanistan. Also on dangling duty,

88-year-old veteran from Manchester. The big one holds few fears when you

have landed on the Normandy beach. It is a good feeling once you set

off. It is great coming down the road and looking at the view. It is

a marvellous feeling. Today's plummeting will raise thousands for

serving and retiring soldiers. That really does look terrifying,

doesn't it? I don't fancy that, not at all. It

looked beautiful though, didn't it? It did, pretty beautiful day. Well

it's been a lovely sunny day so we've sent Eno outside.

we've sent Eno outside. It is still beautifully warm. A bit

of cloud around, but conditions are looking really good. Plenty of

sunshine in Blackpool today, but we had plenty of sunshine lit chilli

everywhere across the region. A beautiful, gorgeous start to the

first week of June with all of that sunshine around. The temperatures

definitely something to write home about. We saw temperatures very

close to 21 Celsius in greater Manchester and Cheshire today.

Elsewhere, we kept temperatures in the high teens and the warm air

continues to flow in from across the conflict -- continent across the

week. We will hang onto the warm air. By Thursday, we could see

temperatures as high as 21 Celsius. This evening, a lot of bright spells

to enjoy. Patchy cloud in Salford, but as we head into dawn, the cloud

will melt away. We may see mist and fog pockets forming in some places.

Temperatures may fall into single figures in some areas, but towns and

cities will have a mild night. The headlines for tomorrow is more of

the same. Plenty of sunshine from the word go. A dry, bright out

tomorrow morning. We will see lots of sunshine and feel really warm.

Very light wind around and the temperature may be disappointing in

the Isle of Man, but inland entity or 20 Celsius could be yours.

Wednesday is dry and rights. High pressure continues to build so have

a look at these temperatures, by Friday we cling onto 21, maybe 20 to