11/06/2014 North West Tonight

has fallen into the hands of militants.

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and

Stockport air passenger wins a landmark compensation case, but

We'll talk live to Ron Huzar's lawyer. Also tonight.

Waiting for an apology. The pensioner whose compassion for his

suffering wife landed him in a police cell.

The man who ran a death`risk hotel in Blackpool is jailed for breaching

From catwalk to campaigner. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood hs here

to find out about fracking ` having already opposed it.

And embrace the moment ` celebrations for the unustal

world record ` for the longdst ever hug.

We've had a few dodgy looks, but mostly smiles.

Millions of airline passengdrs may be able to claim compensation for

flight delays ` thanks to a man from Stockport. Ron Huzar has won his

case against Jet2 at the Cotrt of Appeal, after a delay of 27 hours,

getting home from Malaga. Jdt2 claimed it was an "extra`ordinary

circumstance" caused by a whring defect, but the judges didn't

accept that and ruled in Mr. Huzar's favour. We're joined now

Thank you for coming in. He's won ?526, but it could have

ramifications, this case, if it s upheld. The Court of Appeal said

unanimously what the test is today. They have said that for a tdchnical

defect, such as a wiring error, in this particular case, that hsn't an

extraordinary circumstance. That means potentially millions of people

should have the confidence to make a claim for the inconvenience of

delay, where previously, thd airlines have said technical defect

is their defence. This was ` wiring issue inside a valve and thd airline

presumably were saying routhne maintenance won't spot something

encased inside a valve. We can't see it, therefore it's extraordhnary.

It's not a fault`based systdm. Nobody is saying they were `t fault,

but they are saying they ard responsible. The Court of Appeal

said today unanimously, somdthing like a technical defect that runs

out of the inherent running of an airline is not extraordinarx and

therefore not a This could defence. Affect thousands of people over I

think the last six years, is that right? You have 15,000 posshble

cases on your books.. Yes, thousands, millions. There hs a

danger that this won't actu`lly be upheld in the air. Jet2 will going

to take it to the Supreme Court Jet2 made an application to appeal

the appeal today. That applhcation was refused. They say they're going

to make an application to the Supreme Court, to appeal ag`in. But

that's no simple task to actually get leave to appeal. At this point

in time, what we have is very clear decision from the Court of @ppeal `

three Law Lords said the sale thing, unanimously. They upheld thd

decision that Europe has made that the Dutch courts have made `nd the

German courts have made. Thdre's clarity. There's no lack of clarity.

It appears from a station that Jet2 have given us that the European

national enforcement bodies are looking to bring clarity to this.

They say that they regret any inconvenience to their passdngers.

We hope this will not be jeopardised by today's ruling. Is there a risk

that airline fares could now go up because of this? The EC comlission

looked at this point and worked out that if everybody claimed and if

everyone was successful, who is eligible for compensation, that

would lead to an increase of fares across the board of three etros

We're not talking about a htge amount. The amount of claims that

there could be is only 2% of all of the airline flights in the first

place. Again, I think this hs scaremongering by the airlines. Has

Mr Huzar had his ?500? He h`s. Thank you very much.

The manager of a Blackpool hotel, where fire exits were nailed shut,

has been jailed for 18 months. Peter Metcalfe, who ran the now`closed

Kimberley Hotel, broke 15 fhre regulations. His sentence is

thought to be the longest ever imposed for breaching the ndw rules.

Preston Crown Court heard that not only were fire`doors chained or

nailed shut, the hotel also had no working fire alarm. Peter M`rshall

It was once a Blackpool establishment, but by 2013, the

Kimberly Hotel appeared frol the outside to have closed. But unknown

to the authorities, its man`ger Peter Metcalfe, was taking hn

tenants. A tip`off alerted authorities. The Kimberly w`s raided

by police, fire and council officers in March of last year. The 80`bed

hotel wasn't used by holidaxmakers, but had four tenants. Inspectors

were so shocked by what thex found inside, they close today down

immediately. They labelled ht a potential death trap. All btt one of

the building's fire exits wdre either blocked, nailed shut with

batons or even chained. The only useable exit had a gas canister

right next to it. Fire alarls didn't work or were disconnected. Dlectric

circuits had been bypassed hllegally and dangerously. There's no doubt

that the breaches in fire s`fety presented a serious risk to injury

and indeed loss of life. Our officers who compiled the

prosecution case with experhenced and indeed, the Kimberly Hotel and

what they were faced with is as serious as they've ever found. The

court heard Peter Metcalfe told investigators residents werd adults

who should be able to recognise any risk. He was found guilty l`st month

of 15 breaches of fire safety legislation. Representing hhmself,

he said nothing in terms of mitigation.

Jailing Mr Metcalfe for 18 lonths, the judge said that he'd shown a

callous disregard for the s`fety of people living inside the hotel where

the conditions had been app`lling. He said the sentence had to be

immediate imprisonment. Fird officers say it's the longest

custodial sentence handed down since new legislation was introduced in

2006. An elderly man, arrested after

giving his wife a pain relidf patch in a care home, has finally been

told he won't face any charges. 83`three`year`old Walter Crompton

says he's been through 12 wdeks of hell. He was arrested and hdld in a

police cell for seven hours. They'd been married for almost 0

years before the past three months, Walter Crompton hasn't been allowed

to be alone with his wife. On a visit to Eileen's care home in

April, he put a pain killing patch on her arm because she was hn

discomfort. To his shock and surprise, he was later arrested

Today, he told me how relieved he was to be finally cleared of any

wrongdoing. It's been a nightmare the last 12 weeks, absolute

nightmare. I've not slept properly. I've lost a bit of weight, which I

can't really afford to do, but I'm still, I have my spirit. I'l

thankful it's all over. Eilden Crompton has acute arthritis and

early onset of dementia and was admitted to this care home hn March

because the couple were finding it difficult to cope at home. Once

here, staff say they're reqtired to follow established safeguarding

procedures and they did that by contacting Social Services. It was

Social Services and not thel who called the police. Why couldn't they

get hold of me and say, you don t do this, it's something we do.

Medication is our responsibhlity. You're no longer career for your

wife. The care home has told us today they received death threats

and Walter, who's 84, is also bitter at his treatment. I spent sdven

hours in a cell without so luch as a drink of water. I wouldn't do that

to a dog, put it in a cell for seven hours and no water. But why do it to

an old man? He's waiting for an apology but he's looking into ways

his wife can move back home. I want her home so I can take care, with

help from other people as wdll, care workers, which I do realise at my

age she needs extra help. So I just want her home.

Yunus joins us now. Interesting ly, it wasn't the care home that

contacted the police about this It was Social Services. So what are

Social Services saying? It's probably not Walter wants to clear.

They're clear what their role was here, as far as they're concerned,

when they discovered Walter was giving his wife medication, they had

to act. In a statement he add that reports of this nature requhre

Manchester City Council to work with partner agencies and the police to

protect vulnerable people. @s with any serious allegations, thd

information was passed onto the police to investigate. Now `s we

heard, Walter was held in a cell for seven hours. He's criticised the

police for this. He's criticised them and he wants an apologx. But

unfortunately he's not going to get this this evening. What thex've said

today is that this was a potentially serious incident in which a

vulnerable elderly woman with significant health issues could have

come to serious harm. As such, people would expect the polhce, as

always, to conduct a thorough investigation. His bail conditions

seemed really quite strong. He wasn't allowed to see his whfe

without being in the presence of a social worker. On that point they

say it was an integral part of the inquiry to safeguard the potential

victims and while the investigation was ongoing bail conditions were

necessary to ensure this happened. Of course, now that the casd has

been dropped, Walter can sed his wife whenever he wants. Thank you

very much. A man whose partner and daughter

died on a boat in Windermerd as been charged with manslaughter bx gross

negligence. Kelly Webster and her ten`year`old daughter, Laurdn

Thornton were both found unconscious on a privately owned boat in April

last year. Matthew Eteson whll appear before Magistrates' Court

next week. Aimths you are to see are disturbing. Greater Manchester

Police are appealing for information to help them catch two knifd wielder

robbers who attacked a couple who tried to defend their shop hn den

ton. The robbery happened on May 30th. The men went into the

Stockport Road newsagents and held a large knife with the shop kdeper's

throat and demanded cash. The Passport Office says it's coping

with applications. The PCS tnions say job cuts have led to a staffing

crisis. Photographs which are apparently taken by a member of

staff show tens of thousands of application forms being stored at

the Passport Office in Liverpool. However, the Home Office saxs the

improving conMitch has led to an increase in work load and more staff

have been deployed. The fashion designer, Dame Vivienne

Westwood, has taken part in a debate about fracking in Frank. Shd's one

of `` fracking. She's one of a number of high`profile people to

stop the controversial method of gas traction. The `` extraction. The

organiser of the debate is disappointed that no`one from the

Government or energy industry is going to be at the debate.

Manchester free trade hall, the scene of many an important debate.

But tonight's panel, includhng Dame Vivienne Westwood, will be lade up

of fracking sceptics. The organiser says that's despite his best

efforts. The people that I talk to that are very passionate about these

issues are fed up, talking `mongst themselves about it. They w`nt to

talk to the industry. We want the questions Fracking, fluid answered.

Is injected at high pressurd into shale beds releasing trapped natural

gas. The industry says it's safe and will provide economic benefhts for

the North West. Tonight's ddbate will hear from an American

campaigner. We were sold in the US on this being our energy

independence, but these companies are rushing to push through liquid

natural gas exports to sell this to Europe, Asia and the highest They

have bidder. Pretty high`profile support, Sir Paul McCart anx and his

daughter Stella and Yoko Ono. People are frightened putting their head

above the parapet to say thdy support it in fear of retribution,

like with all the protests `nd that. Do away with the protests, let's

look at it, trial it, see if it works. In Lancashire where test

drilling caused a small earthquake, there's less enthusiasm. Wh`t was

Plan B? Is this the only pl`n the Government has? Is this all we're

offered? There must be something else.

Is there a chance tonight's debate will be more raucous than the Sex

Pistols concert that was once held here?

I spoke to Dame Vivienne Westwood a short time ago as she prepared for

the meeting. She told me whx she was taking part. We do want to persuade

people, because I do not believe in fracking. I want to persuadd people

that it is a bad idea. But on the other hand, we do want the public to

make up their mind genuinelx and hear all the facts. Is therd a

danger that when celebrities become involved in a campaign like this,

that the famous faces almost overshadow all the arguments? I

think it really doesn't matter, of course. One of the things that I'm

so grateful for is that I do have a voice because I've a reputation of

credibility as a fashion designer. People will listen to me. So that's

wonderful. I'm very passion`te at trying to inform people. Cu`drilla

have submitted plans today `nd they say they really have listendd to the

public. They've taken into `ccount a lot of the things the public were

concerned about. They say that they're reducing the amount of water

that will be involved in thd process, that there'll less traffic

involved and a reduction in the hours that they're working. They are

listening to the public's points of view, they say. Yeah, well, then

they should show their face and not just say it. They're obviously not

listening to the public's point of view. They're not informed the

public, so the public can't really have a proper point of view until

they have more information. What's good for the planet is good for the

economy. What's good for people is good for the planet. That's what we

need to know. Thank you. Th`nk you. Off she went to her meeting.

Keen to get away from you! H won't take it personally. We will find out

what was said in the meeting a little later on.

Still to come: On a wing and a prayer, the rare butterflies

re`introduced in Lancashire for the first time in a century.

And embrace the moment, celdbrations for the unusual world record for the

longest ever hug. It's been a bit weird. We've got to know each other

pretty well. Football now, Blackpool introduce their new manager to the

media today. Josa Riga has signed a one`year rolling contract at

Bloomfield Road after impressing at Charlton Athletic last season. They

narrowly avoided relegation. Charlton narrowly avoided rdlegation

too, with only a handful of players still under contract, the Bdlgian

knows he has taken on a big challenge.

Meet Josa Riga, the man charged with turning things around for the

tavrning reens. A name `` t`fgerin sew. `` tangerines. A few ydars ago

Blackpool was in the Premier League. It means that there is the

potential. It's not because you you know some troubles one season that

you are not able to have a competitive team. Has

credentials. Riga is also a television pundit and is sedn as a

progressive coach. His famots name sake, Jose Mourinho once

thanks to a captive breeding project. Some were released today.

Nurtured, reared and ready for release, and a re`appearancd like

this one demands quite an enterage. Because this is their final flutter

to freedom. It's very, very exciting. I personally have been

waiting for this day for a couple of years now and our offices h`ve been

telling me that the habitat is just not right and the butter flhers

haven't been there. Today, ht's such an exciting day. It's fantastic

Obviously very, very import`nt for getting a native species back here.

The last time the large heath butterfly graced the grounds of

Heysham Moss was over 100 ydars ago. Because of the work we've done we've

made sure the right vegetathon is here. The cotton plant is a food

type. They've spent 12 months at Chester zoo being carefully reared

through their entire life cxcle from caterpillar to fully fledged

butterflies. And it looks lhke it won't be long before that cxcle

begins all over again. This rare species is virtually

distinct across Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

One location it does exist hs Bowlan Fells and Winmarleigh Moss. What

does it mean to see them released today? It's fantastic. It's such a

nice day. We keep seeing thdm flying past us. We've just seen two pairs

mating. So it's absolutely fantastic news. Hopefully this is good news

for the future. For now, thdy're ready to spread their wings and

settle into their new home. Beautiful! Good to see them coming

back as well. Interesting choice of music in the midful `` middle of

that. What was it? Je teme. Randomly hugging your work

colleagues might result in being warmly hugged back ` probably not `

it could perhaps get you a faceful of pepper spray. Two work m`tes from

Manchester have just spent lore than 24 hours locked in an embrace,

thankfully it was all for a very good cause.

There's nothing like a hug for producing that warm, fuzzy feeling.

John and Oliver work for thd Music Creative Agency in Manchestdr.

Creatives have been known to indulge in a hug, but these two havd take

continue to a whole new levdl. They've spent hour upon hour locked

in the mother of all hugs at Manchester's Picadilly railway

station. We looked up the world record for the longest hug `nd

thought it would be a great idea to do the world record for the longest

hug in a busy area of Manchdster. What was the world record? Ht was 26

hours, 26 minutes and 26 seconds. So, they were doing it to break a

world record and raise monex for a careers charity. They succedded on

both counts. They clocked up 27 hours of solid hugging. We were good

friends before, so it was OK. What was the most difficult thing about

the challenge? You can get hot and sweaty, especially with the midday

sun shining through. It just kept us going knowing we were doing it for a

great cause. It was difficult at times, especially 3am. If mx mum

were still here, she would want to ask the question, how did you go to

the loo? We got a five minute break every hour. We could run to the

toilet, sprint Not joined r`ther. Together? No, no. We could separate

for five Would you minutes. Do it again? I think we'd like to do

something again for charity. We do a lot of that here. Probably not

hugging. I'm sure we can thhnk of something else.

Best of friends. There's our chief reporter asking the question that we

all wanted to know. How do they go to the loo? I'm glad they dhd

separate for that. Nothing like a hug to give you that warm, fuzzy

feeling. Cuff expect him to come into the office tomorrow morning...

A big hug. Brilliant. I'll see you at the tribunal.

You were sitting on those h`nds weren't you? You could though. If

you hug a stranger in your office, not a stranger, but a work late you

could get into trouble. You could, think on. Yeah, get on with the

weather. Good evening. Well a clean`up is under way across the

North West after flash flooding hit us yesterday. It affected homes

businesses and even a hospital. Deepdale in Preston badly affected

by the flooding. There were hail stones, lightning, thunder, a little

bit of everything. Liscard on the whirl as well, also say tricky

conditions with the amount of rain that fell in such a short space of

time. Homes in St hellths and Ellesmere Port were hit by

lightning. You sent dramatic photos. We love your pictures. [email protected]

any time you have something that you'd like us to see. It's been

fairly settled through the day today. Nothing really to report in

terms of rain. It's been largely dry, a few tiny spots of drhzzle

working through. They barelx even touched wind screens. The sky isn't

as blue as you might want in many places. That's the story through

tomorrow afternoon with mord cloud cover building. But many pl`ces have

a fine end to the day. Then through the night quite a bit of th`t cloud

cover will start to melt aw`y. As it does, I think rurally, you could see

temperatures actually as low as six or seven degrees. For your towns and

cities, I can't see there bding problems at all. We'll be in double

figures. It's between 10 to 13 degrees. For many places it's a

decent start to the day tomorrow. It's all about that combination you

have patchy cloud and sunny spells. It depends on how much up gdt of

each. Through the morning, there'll be spells of sunshine around. That

patchive cloud rolls in herd and there. It's going to block the

sunshine out every now and then But it's once we get past lunch time

that cloud cover starts to become a little more stubborn here or there.

The afternoon is bright rather than brilliantly sunny one. You light not

see a huge amount of blue sky. At least the sun is up there and the

cloud cover should be thin dnough to allow a decent day. The bredze is

from the north`west. I wouldn't be surprise today you saw tempdratures

similar to today. 18 to to 20 degrees. Then the picture for the

next couple of days, we see subtle changes rather than anything too

dramatic. So this area of hhgh pressure, which has done us favours

this week, it doesn't reallx slip away. It just moves slightlx.

Through Friday you have that weather front which could bring you spots of

drizzle. It moves down and clears on Friday night through to Sattrday.

The sunshine should return, so all things considered, the high pressure

is still influencing the we`ther. It should be largely dry, fairly fine

and this chart just about covers it. I should have just left you with

that. You can come over, it's I d stay safe. Over there.

North West Tonight is offichally a hug`free zone. Until Dave gdts back.

We'll all grab him. Enjoy the evening. We will be back later with

the late Give someone news. You love a hug. Let's end on that note. Good

night.