29/07/2013 North West Tonight

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

man's killed and his thirteen year old girl daughter is fighting for

her life after being stabbed at their home in Manchester. The man

who police believe was the attacker has also died. Also tonight: NHS

Direct pulls out of the 111 service in the north west.

What does it mean for the region's patients? I am by the canal to see

five according what you see on this could help some of our rarest

species. Two elephants die within weeks at

Chester Zoo. Keepers say they're concerned for the rest of the herd.

And we will be finding out why this fire engine also be that lack fire

engine will soon be welcoming people into Leyland.

A man has been killed and -- A man's been killed and his teenage daughter

is fighting for her life after they were attacked at their home in

Manchester. 41-year-old Robert Jackson, who's

been described as a popular and quiet man, and 13-year-old Ayesha

were stabbed at their home in Moston last night. Chief Reporter joins us

from the scene. There is a police presence here tonight. It was at 20

past ten last night that the police got the call to come here following

reports of a disturbance. Inside, they found Robert Jackson and his

13-year-old daughter, seriously injured. Throughout the day to day,

comings and goings as detectives tried to work out exactly what led

to this tragedy. Meanwhile, the people in this area have one

question: Why did happen? Throughout the day, a steady procession of

people left and blowers in memory of Robert Jackson. He was very nice. He

would do anything for anybody. Did he have any enemies? No. I have

never known a bad word said about him. Robert and his daughter was

stabbed at this house in Moston last night. Robert died and his daughter

was badly hurt. She is a very nice, quiet little girl. We see her with

the neighbours and she talks to my little girl. It has been suggested

that the teenager may have been injured as she tried to protect her

brother. Of course, detectives will not now exactly what happened until

they are able to interview her, and then that could be some time yet.

But the violence in the house was not the end of the drama. The

attacker fled from the scene and, as short time later, flagged down a car

at about half a mile from the scene. The driver was forced out at

knife-point and the car was driven. A short time later the vehicle was

seen close to a pub on Rochdale Road. As police officers approached

it, the car was driven into the pub wall. The man inside died later as a

result of stab wounds and injuries sustained in the impact. It has left

the people of this community stunned and sad. I felt sick. He was the

nicest man you could ever meet. He would bend over backwards to help

anybody. We are all shocked. We just can't get our heads around it.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues. And here on the street

the flowers, the mountain of flowers, has continued to grow

throughout the day. The police investigation continues tonight. The

13-year-old girl tonight is still critically ill in hospital. When she

recovers enough to speak to detectives, hopefully, they may then

begin to piece together the events that led up to the tragedy here in

Moston last night. Back to you. Thank you.

When you call any kind of helpline you trust that you'll be pointed in

the right direction and receive the right kind of treatment. But

teething problem for the NHS's non emergency 111 service have led to

tales of calls going unanswered, poor advice being given and even

people being rushed to A&E in an ambulance when they just needed to

see their GP. It left many patients not knowing where to turn. And now

the contractor which provides the service in the North West says it's

pulling out because it can't afford to run it. Health unions say this

has left the service in chaos. Andy Gill's here to explain what's going

on. Thank you. The 111 service replaced the old

0845 NHS Direct number in April. But NHS Direct, a health trust, now runs

the new service in three areas in the new service in three areas in

the North West. NHS Direct says nationally, it's heading for a �26

million pounds deficit. Why? Well, calls to its north west services are

40 per cent down compared to calls to the old service. And it's now

paid at most �8 per call compared to �20 per call under the 0845 number.

One Merseyside GP says some callers have been wrongly advised. And the

NHS awarded the 111 contracts based on cost rather than service. I am a

taxpayer and they'd either e-mails taxpayer and they'd either e-mails

look at the cost But I would be interested in knowing what the cost

of this fiasco is. I think actually, to try and dig us out of this hole,

will cost us a lot more. We should will cost us a lot more. We should

make sure that things are correct. The North West 111 service is run

from two call centres. One at Middlebrook near Bolton employs 128

call handlers. Another at Carlisle employs 17. NHS Direct says at the

moment these jobs aren't under threat and should be transferred to

whoever takes over the contract. whoever takes over the contract.

Labour say there were problems from In Greater Manchester on the launch

weekend, there was utter chaos. It came close to collapse. The trouble

is, ministers did not listen to the warnings that were being made. They

were told in advance that the system would not work because it did not

have enough staff. The Government says after initial problems,

performance and patient satisfaction are now high. NHS Direct will

continue to run the services until a new provider takes over. Thank you.

Joining us now is Dr Amanda Boyle from NHS North West. She is the

Clinical Lead for NHS 111. Good evening. How long before NHS Direct

actually stop providing the service and what happens then? What we are

doing is... PROBLEM WITH SOUND. We will not stop

providing the service in the north-west until there are interim

issues in place. There will not be a break in service for patients. NHS

Direct will continue until we have got another tentative provider in

place. -- another provider in place. But who will take this on? We have

looked at the market and we will be going out to do procurement later in

the year to find any provider for the service. But there is every

indication that there are organisations that will be keen and

able to take this on. And in the meantime, we keep on dialling 111 in

a nonemergency? Absolutely. In the meantime, patients in the north-west

continue as they were before. And lots of parts of the north-west, the

111 service continues to be operational. We have got a range of

providers providing the service in the interim. The GP out of hours

service and the Ambulance Service are currently taken some goals for

us. Patients should not worry. They should call 111 when they should

call one-on-one with any disservice. -- when they need a service. Why has

the service had so many problems? think the big problems in the

north-west are largely because of the problems that NHS direct has had

including the service in place. So from the launch at the end of March,

it very quickly became apparent that NHS Direct were not able to handle

the volume of calls. And so we put alternatives in place pretty quickly

at that point to make sure that there was a safe service for

patients. And we have continued to work since then with NHS Direct.

Currently, they are taking about 30% of the calls in the north-west, and

there are alternative providers taking the other 70% of the calls.

But at no point after those first 24 hours has lived in a lack of service

in place and the Northwest. I'm currently, the provisional service

is very good. Thank you for joining us. Let's get some other news from

around the region now. A man from Bootle, who's accused of

attacking the websites of two multi-national banks, has been

arrested. Officers from Titan, the North West Regional Organised Crime

Unit, arrested the 50-year-old man at a house in Farmer Place. It's

also alleged he's behind attacks on a council's website and a court

advisory service. Three people have been questioned

after a partially decomposed body was found in a house in Knowsley.

The man, thought to be in his twenties, was discovered on Reeds

Road in Huyton. Tests so far haven't been able to reveal how he died, so

he can't be formally identified. The M61's been closed this evening

after a hand grenade was found in Blackrod. Bomb disposal officers

were called to a building on Station Road close to the motorway which was

shut in both directions between junctions six and eight.

The Manchester-based Co-op is threatening to take lads magazines

off the shelves of its shops unless publishers cover them up in sealed

bags. It says it's responding to the concerns of customers over some of

the images on the covers. The new Universal Credit is now

available to people in Warrington and Oldham. They're the latest towns

to pilot the single benefit which replaces six others, including

income support. The Government says a trial in Ashton-under-Lyne has

shown most people there have now made the change to making claims

online. The man accused of murdering a

mother of two from Salford has appeared in court. Michael Cope was

arrested on Friday night at an address in Leigh.

He's charged with the murder of Linzi Ashton who was found dead at

her home last month with multiple injuries. Yesterday friends and

family organised a charity event in her memory. Elaine Dunkley reports.

Linzi Ashton, described by friends and family as a young woman who

could light up a room, was found murdered in her home in Salford four

weeks ago. Yesterday a fun run was organised in her memory and to raise

money for her two young daughters Destiny and Daisy, who both took

part. They love their mother to bits. They add the image of her as

well. The whole community is grieving. It is why everyone has

come together and created this day to try and get something positive

and celebrate her life. This is Micheal Cope, the man suspected of

killing her. He was arrested on Friday at an address in Leigh after

going on the run. An appeal for his whereabouts was featured on the BBC

Crimewatch programme and a �25,000 was offered to the public for

information leading to an arrest. Michael Cope today appeared at

Manchester Magistrates' Court charged with murder, assault and

rape. He spoke briefly to confirm his name and date of birth before

being remanded into custody. He'll appear at Manchester Crown Court

tomorrow. Still to come: Rising from the

ashes. Whatever happened to an unlikely hero from the 2005

victory? And going to blazes. The restored

fire engine set to give a warm welcome to visitors to Lancashire.

A young elephant has died at Chester Zoo. Jamila died three weeks ago

from elephant herpes. And this morning came the sad news Nayan had

died too. It usually kills them in 24-hour 's.

They were best friends, in fact, cousins. Nayan, the larger one, a

year older than Jamilla. Jamila died three weeks ago from elephant

herpes. And this morning came the sad news Nayan had died too. He had

been for about a week. It happens all over the prisons all over the

world. -- zoos. There are now eight Asian elephants at Chester Zoo

including two babies - who are only a few months old. The sad fact

anyone of these elephants could die as there is no cure for the disease.

Like human viruses, finding a vaccine is very, very difficult and

expensive. Andy is the head elephant keeper at the Zoo. He was here with

Nayan late last night and was with him when he died. One of the most

upsetting times in my career so far. It is not going to get any more

difficult than that, I do not think. What are you doing to make sure the

rest of the elephants are healthy? We are able to inspect them on a

daily basis. We are taking temperatures from them every day.

But the youngest we do it twice a day. It's hoped research will open

doors to a cure for this disease to stop it from killing any more young

elephants, not just here but across the world, giving the elephants like

six-month-old Bala a happy, healthy future. That is sad. Next tonight, a

new scheme to help preserve wildlife on canals is being launched and

organisers want the public to help. The Canal and River Trust says it

wants to know what kinds of vegetation exist along every inch of

its waterways. They want the public to fill in information online. It'll

help them to preserve the most vital wildlife areas. Our Environment

Correspondent Judy Hobson has been to a stretch of canal at Nantwich in

Cheshire. The Shropshire union canal is always

busy at this time of year. But how much notice people really take of

their surroundings? Canals are a sanctuary for much of our wildife -

providing vital habitats for many of our rarest species. The Canal and

Rivers Trust wants to know which areas are the most important.

really important that the species that we all love to see, dragonflies

and water voles and ducks, it is important that they have a good

habitat. We need to know about the habitats that we can safeguard them

and manage them properly so that the habitats are there for them to live

in. The Canal and River Trust are asking the public to go onto their

website or download a free app and fill in information. They want to a

record of every type of habitat along the waterways, from hedges,

trees and wild flowers to reeds. When they are doing maintenance on

canals, if we know the habitat is there, we know where we will need to

take special care. Earlier this year a report into the state of nature

studied 3,100 of our most common species 60% had declined over the

past 50 years. Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has

spoken out against the club's decision to let him join Napoli on

loan, declaring himself 'disappointed and surprised' by the

-- water voles are one of the rarest. I thought we would never see

them again. There is a lot to see done here. More than you think.

simply, if we do not take care, many of these animals and plants may not

be here for much longer. Now, time for the sport. A

record-breaking weekend for one of our rugby teams. Brilliant news for

the Warrington Watchers. But football first of all.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has spoken out against the club's

decision to let him join Napoli on loan, declaring himself

'disappointed and surprised' by the move. Reina has written an open

letter to fans on the club's website where he thanks them for his support

but also reveals that Liverpool agreed the move before speaking to

him about it. There are fears that Bolton

midfielder Stuart Holden has seriously injured the knee that has

caused him to miss almost two years of football. Holden was injured in

the 18th minute of the Gold Cup Final between his USA team and

Panama last night. American coach Jurgen Klinsmann said afterwards

that the injury looked very serious and he was very concerned. Hopefully

it is not as bad as people here. -- year.

The fact that it was the most thrilling semi final for years is no

consolation to Warrington Wolves players and fans after they missed

out on a place in the Challenge Cup Final yesterday. They went down

16-12 to Hull in Huddersfield, despite a dominant second half

display in which they bombarded the opposition's line right to the final

hooter. We had been hoping for an all north-west final after Wigan's

demolition job in Saturday's semi. The Warriors took London broncos

apart, beating their Super League rivals by 70 points to nil. I could

not quite believe that score. What a way to get to Wembley.

They won it two years ago and this young Wigan side are in prime form

last year against Leeds. This is the ticket office at the stadium and

getting one of your hands on these precious tickets for the final is

what it is all about for fans now. After the weekend, they will be

understandably confident that this is their year. Definitely. Simple.

think we will beat Hull, but I think it will be close and a really good

game. We're ready for Hull. He's got space, can he make it all the way?

And he goes. The final against Hull FC is a

repeat of the thriller in 1985, which Wigan just edged. Part of an

era of dominance for the Cherry and Whites who made Wembley their second

home. Could it be happening again? They are bringing a lot of new

players through. I have been a supporter since I was 16 years old,

so I have been to a few, and I'm looking forward to this one just as

much as the others. And you won't find too many people outside Hull

betting against more silverware for Wigan's golden generation.

The Isle of Man's famous TT races could be expanded with organisers

hoping to stage a world series of motorcycle races based on the TT

brand. The Manx Government says it's already looked at suitable venues

and is hoping some stages will be held abroad.

Cricket now - and the Ashes return to Old Trafford this week for the

first time since 2005. One of the heroes of that series was Gary

Pratt, England's twelfth man, who famously ran out the Australian

captain Ricky Ponting. But where is he now? Stuart Pollitt tracked him

down. I picked the ball and it cool. -- and let it go. I suppose it will

be talked about for years to come. He was the fielding hero who threw

himself into ashes folklore, adding himself to the glorious cricketing

summer of 2005. Nobody had seen anything like it. That was

absolutely fantastic. Eight years on, you will find him any more

relaxed cricketing environment. That is because just one year after his

Ashes heroics, Arie was released by his county, Durham. Since 2006, he

has been playing on grounds like this in the Minor counties

Championships. To get released from Durham when I was 23 or 24 was a bit

disappointing. That probably did not help me. At the tender was a lot of

attention, and it did not help my career. A lot of players when they

get the least become very disillusioned. In his situation,

he's rediscovered his love for cricket because he is playing in an

environment that he really enjoys. He is an adopted, brain. --

Cumbrian. I do the best field in the team? No. Did you ever speak to

Ricky Ponting? There was no animosity towards me whatsoever.

While Ricky Ponting has called time on his career, Gary is still going

strong. He will always be a hero in my eyes.

And how about this for a last gasp victory. American Mark Weibe beat

Bernhard Langer at the fifth play-off hole in the senior open at

Royal Birkdale.They couldn't be separated last night so came back

this morning to finish the tournament. The event attracted a

record crowd of more than 45,000. They had to deal with thunder and

lightning and everything. And playing during the dark. I think

that is the only way I would win around. If they could bring that in,

I could win. Visitors to Leyland will soon be

greeted by a 75-year-old fire engine restored to its former glory. It was

built at the town's famous truck factory and rediscovered only

recently on eBay. Today it was carefully manoeuvred into a glass

display case next to one of the main routes into the town, and Naomi

Cornwell was there. The many years, she fought fires and

saved lives, but now Norma has come home to her birthplace. Named after

the wife of the man who resort, normal average middle of the

production mine in Leyland in 1938 and was part of the National Service

Fleet during the Second World War. What is unusual about it is the

length of the ladder for a town like this. That does not have high

buildings. We are not sure why it is there. But it's at least 130 feet

high when extended. We do not know how many lives were saved with that

ladder. Norma was seen on eBay and the council got together with the

National Commercial Beacon Museum to try and find a way to bring her

home. They paid a local businessmen to pay for her. There is an enormous

amount of pride and Leyland heritage and all of that. Hence, the vehicle

Museum is in Leyland itself. will be officially unveiled on the

8th of August. Very nice. Everybody streamed,

driving a fire engine. Never happened. -- everybody's dream. It

could probably be arranged? could probably be arranged?

Probably. Oh, dear. Good evening! You can tell by our

clouds the weather that we will have tonight. As we speak, there are

still one or two showers around. If you follow them through the day,

they have been built is. I have never seen as many lightning reports

for many, many years. The thunder has been rumbling everywhere. The

Isle of Man has done really well today, and so have many parts of

Merseyside. This is our six o'clock pitcher, sleek until CBR around, but

they are mainly of the Pennines. However, Greater Manchester and

Derbyshire are still under a warning that if you get one of the showers

until around 9pm tonight, they could be torrential. If they do turn up,

they will be very powerful. The story of the night is that they will

die away and most places will have patchy cloud and long, clear spells.

If you catch a shower you will notice it. Temperatures will

continue to be what we have seen recently, between 13 and 17 degrees.

You can see the showers that to build and that is the picture

tomorrow. They can appear anywhere, everywhere will stop -- everywhere.

Considering the coast missed most of it, you may see one of two of them

tomorrow and you will think, well, we got more than we had today. So it

is kind of a balancing act. But away from the showers there will be some

decent sunshine. We are talking about a high of 19 or 20 degrees.

After that, this weather front says that Wednesday will be a wet day,

but by Thursday, the warm air comes back and we could be back at 27

degrees. Fantastic! And the only one who is