17/09/2014 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin ` and Roger Johnson.

PC Ian Terry was fatally shot during a police training exdrcise.

Today an officer resigned and a second was reprimanded.

Investigators say it was a shocking wake up call for Greater

The father from Salford kidnapped in Syria.

We hear from a colleague who was with him when he was capturdd.

She is 103 and loves making cards. Why she has had hundreds of her own

from all over the world. And meet Tenacious ` the 18 stone

Tup ` and his amazing jibets. The Greater Manchester Police

officer has been forced to resign after the murder of PC Ian Terry in

2008. They face a misconduct hearing after an investigation by the IPCC.

Our reporter has the story. It was 2008 when PC Ian Terry

was shot dead during a training He was playing the part

of a suspect in a car when he was Now, after a misconduct hearing a

police officer known only as Francis He was involved

in planning the training exdrcise. Another officer, known as Chris

who fired the gun has been found guilty of gross misconduct

and has been reprimanded. The police watchdog, the IPCC,

has described the training dxercise Getting to this stage has t`ken

a very long time though. Back in 2010 at the inquest,

the coroner found PC Terry was But the Crown Prosecution Sdrvice

said there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges

in relation to his death. A third police officer retired from

`` misconduct hearing. The fact it `` misconduct hearing. The fact it

has taken six years to get to this stage has been criticised bx the

Police and Crime Commissiondr and he says the delay is insulting and

unacceptable. Similar sentilents from the family also. They said we

welcome the verdict but feel this decision, together with the unlawful

killing verdict reach by a jury at the coroner's inquest in 2000

confirms our opinion that the officer known as Chris should not

have been allowed by the CPS to escape facing charges in a criminal

trial. They also say they f`ce six years of unnecessary pain and

difficulty and Greater Manchester Police are saying that sincd all of

this happened, they have introduced new safety measures.

That's how a friend of Alan Henning has described the Salford t`xi

driver's experiences of Syrhan refugee camps.

Tonight we hear from one of his colleagues.

Alan Hennin, a 47`year`old father of two.

A taxi driver from Eccles, called by his conscience to join

a humanitarian convoy heading for Syrian refugee camps.

This video was taken during the trip last Christlas just

days before his arrival in Syria and kidnap by Islamic State milhtants.

Majid Freeman was on the same convoy.

All these masked gunman camd into the compound and we didn't know what

was happening. They were not speaking English and they wdre

speaking Arabic. They were shouting. There was guns. Alan was

the trip's technical expert. It looks like he was singled ott with

the help of his passport. They tried to find out if we were spies. After

this ordeal finished and we came out of our rooms, that is when we find

out he had gone. Compelled to return despite

the risk as a British non`Mtslim. When he bear `` when he held the

baby, it was very powerful for him and it changed his whole life.

Today, a humanitarian organhsation has called for his release. Do not

take his life to pay for thd crimes that international governments have

committed. He took the risk to travel to Syria to help the people.

In Eccles this afternoon Alan Henning's fellow taxi drivers

told us they hope he's rele`sed unharmed and soon `

otherwise they're staying shlent out of respect for Alan and his family

When Becky McPhee needed protecting from a violent ex husband she turned

But time after time they let her down.

Becky told officers Paul Holmes would kill her one day.

The police watchdog now says had the Merseyside Force done

its job properly, Becky might still be alive `s our

Becky McPhee spent years living in fear of her violent ex htsband.

She begged Merseyside policd for help, reporting 17 incidents to

There were missed opportunities by individuals and four systems to

protect out during an escal`ting cycle of violence.

Becky told officers Paul Holmes would kill her one day and he did,

Today, this report from the Independent

Police Complaints Commission revealed just how the policd missed

It describes serious failings by the force which failed to provide

a co`ordinated response to her situation.

Officers showed a lack of understanding of harassment laws.

Their search for Holmes when he broke his bail condhtions

It concludes the fatal attack on Becky could have been prdvented.

This is one of the most serhous investigations I have come `cross

and it is a tragedy for her family. The case has shocked and surprised

this woman. It has already dscalated and they should have done something.

We need the right people on the job. Merseyside police said they accepted

the findings of the report `nd had already acted on a number of the

recommendations. There have been additional training for offhcers

following on from ten to macro's death.

The Princess Royal has visited the Etihad Stadium to see how M`nchester

City's award winning communhty scheme works to help local people.

Princess Anne saw how girl?s football is developed in schools

and also met children in power wheelchairs who are taught the

The project also helps adults like former soldier Mark Swhndells

who lost a leg after stepping on a mine in Afghanistan.

It is a good thing to give le a chance to get over my injtry

and meet people who are in the same predicament I have been in.

We help each other get throtgh it and it keeps your fitness up

A retired police inspector has told the new Hillsborough inquests that

Former Inspector Harry Whitd was on duty at the Leppings Land end

of the ground where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death hn 1 89.

Mr White also agreed that some lives could have been saved

if the emergency response h`d been different.

Our Merseyside Reporter, Andy Gill, is that the coroner's court

Andy, what led Mr White to say his force had abdicated control

The jury heard he had retirdd from the police on medical grounds

because the effect the Hillsborough disaster had had on him. He told the

jury he was concerned about the police's plan for the match two

weeks beforehand because he was only advocate `` allocated to macro of

officers for the lapping 's Lane end. Bernard Murray told hil the

fans would find their own ldvel He told the jury, we abdicated

responsibility for controllhng the crowd to the fans themselves. The

jury also saw CCTV footage `nd a crush developed outside. He was

worried people outside may be killed and wanted to help them. He was

asked if he should not have ordered the gates leading to the tunnel

where the pen is developed to be closed and he said he would expect

the control room would realhse something serious was going on. What

about on the pitch after thd match had been stopped? TV footagd showed

him trying to revive a boy that he thought was dead who did stop

breathing again. The lawyer for the families said even 16 minutds after

the match had ended, people could have been saved by basic first aid.

Mr White replied, it would `ppear so.

The region's businesses givd their view on the Scottish referendum

Meet Tenacious ` the 18 stone tup ` whose the talk of the town.

The owner a wild animal park has told how he

desperately tried to get a clear shot at a tiger as it draggdd

David Gill was giving evidence on the third day of an inqudst

into the death of Sarah McClay at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park at

Our reporter Peter Marshall was at the inquest

David told the inquest jury he was working in an excavator

when a radio message came over that Sarah had been attacked by one

He says he ran flat`out tow`rds the tiger enclosure and when he got to

the tiger enclosure, he could see the tiger in there with Sar`h at its

He said he took a while to look at Sarah.

When the firearms team arrived, he took a rifle down

its closure and could see the tiger but couldn't get a clear shot.

He said it was a difficult decision and took a speculative shot

He moved to a higher position and could see the tiger with Sarah.

He said the tiger stood over Sarah and I daren't take that cle`r shot

because if I had done, I could have hit her.

He finally did take a shot, trying to hit the tiger's shoulder.

He wasn't clear if he hit it but the tiger took off and went

When it was secure, he went and recovered Sarah.

Finally he told the inquest jury that emergency procedures wdnt

exactly to plan, that everybody did exactly as they should have done.

One of the region's MP's is warning that thousands

of defence jobs could be at risk in the North West if Scotland votes

It's a reminder that the Scottish Referendum has hugd

There are implications for jobs business and politics.

Our political editor Arif Ansari assesses how the region could be

If Scotland pushes the independence button tomorrow,

there's going to be fallout for the region's defence industry.

BAE Systems in Barrow is prdparing to build the next generation

There is a real question ovdr the big spend items if overnight

The Trident fleet's based in Faslane,

The SNP has pledged to closd both, and it would be difficult to open

In Barrow no submarines means no jobs.

Do things Scottish independdnce wars have an impact on jobs here?

Probably, due to the balance of shipbtilding

They will find another base for them somewhere else.

What you think about Scottish independence?

But the Scots would still eat bhscuits.

This bakery in Nelson in Lancashire sells ?150,000 worth

We go to Scotland twice a wdek which means our export manager would

have to get the documentation for each shipment and it wastes time.

But the real crunch would be political.

The majority of MPs in the NW are Labour, including here

But if Scotland leaves the union suddenly it becomds much

more difficult for Labour to form a majority government at Westlinster.

Whether this will annoy people in the north`west

so much that they will say they will say maybe we should have devolution,

that would be very much somdthing in the long term.

So politically, economicallx and militarily the Scots hold

It's always nice to receive a card or two on your birthday, but how

Well Betty Musker will need some help with hers

after an online appeal by hdr great`granddaughters went vhral

They have come in all shapes and sizes. Cards from far and whde for

betting. Did you have a big party for your 100th birthday? Yes. What

is you do? Can you remember? No The cards for her 104th birthdax could

be the most memorable yet. What are you expecting for your birthday this

year? What would you like? Not really anything. I am getting too

old. Do you want a quiet birthday? Quiet. Friends and family h`ve got

other plans. Great`granddaughter put it online about her grandma being

104. She likes to make cards and things like that. She likes

receiving cards. The great`grandmother has been laking

cards for friends and familx for over 30 years but since a mdssage on

Facebook, she has been on the receiving end and the cards have

flooded in from all over thd world. There is now a very special room

dedicated to all of her birthday cards. There are over 1500 cards

sent in so far. Cards from well`wishers as far away as the

Cayman Islands, Malaysian, South Africa, lots from America,

Australia, Canada and Hong Kong It is heart`warming to know people care

enough to send Betty a card. There is only one card I would like to get

and I have written to the International Space Station to see

if they will send one. It would be out of this world. With fivd weeks

to go until her birthday on October 24, there is still plenty of time

for that to arrive. At the rate they are coming in, she will havd

hundreds more. There is one from us on the way. Happy birthday. Richard

is here to the sport. And Richard, Liverpool made

their long`awaited Champions League return last night, but tonight's

attention is on Manchester City away Yes, the five`time European

Champions a first up for Thd Blues. Very difficult,

but City did win there last season. Bayern are also hit by injuries

key men Franck Ribery and Arjen City were knocked out

in the competition's first knock out phase by Barcelona last season

after finishing runners`up to Bayern But according to the captain,

it's time to show City can finally I think it is time

for us to start making thosd games close and make up the gap bdtween us

and maybe those top three clubs Full match commentary from Lunich

tonight on BBC Radio Manchester If Liverpool are to progress in

The Champions League there's a lot of improving to be done according

to skipper Steven Gerrard. He issued that warning

after converting a stoppage time penalty to seal a 2`1 win at home

to Bulgarian Champions Ludogorets. Mario Balotelli's first Reds goal,

put them ahead with just nine minutes to go but then a lapse

in concentration at the other end led to an dqualizer

in the very last minute. The final twist went Liverpool's way

when Manquillo was brought down in the box setting up Gerrards's

stoppage time heroics. Jose Riga is still looking

for his first victory as Bl`ckpool manager after losing one`nil

at home to Watford last night. It's been a difficult start to

the season on and off the fheld for a club that was in the Premier

League just three years ago. Unrest among the supporters is

significant and swelling as as Steve A decade ago, Blackpool's

ground looked like this. Now it is a modern stadium tnder

the ownership They were promoted with hugd

celebrations and now the cltb seems in melt down going through six

managers in two years and struggling Things aren't smiley

at the seaside any more. The chairman

and the manager have been arguing They got together on Saturd`y

put their differences aside. Would fans be happy with

the change of ownership? We would like to see them do more to

support the manager and the team and put money into the side and try

and develop a club to the extent Last night the fans back

their players as they lost They think the penalty cappdd

off a bad night. Despite the rows and another defeat

here tonight, the fans want success. There has been improvement

and there is a bit of light. We have a good enough team to get

some points in I have supported them for

so long and I know how much they Blackpool have one point

after their first seven gamds and it is the worst start to

a season in their history. Into the Football League now

and how about this for a st`tistic. The three goals scored by Bolton's

Joe Mason in last night's 3`2 win over Rotherham was the first

wanderers hat`trick in 12 ydars It also secured his side's

first league win of the season. In League One, Rochdale scored four

for the second time in thred games, Matty Done getting them on

the way to a drubbing of Walsall. And Ryan Lowe's classy free kick

was the highlight of Bury's win over Stevenage which moves them

up to second in League Two. The Salford Red Devils owner

Dr Marwan Koukash has told ts it's very, very likely he'll buy

a club in Australia. He's currently in discussions with

a couple of NRL clubs But as he told me earlier today that

doesn't mean he'll forget It is very likely but it nedds to be

the right deal for me personally, for the club in Australia and for

what I am trying to create `s an international partnership of Salford

and another club. I have no intention of leaving Salford,

provided that I can deliver what I had hoped and that is to grow the

club. I know footage clubs have talked about partnering with

Australian teams but this is a much closer partnership.

Doctor Koukash had lots mord to say to me about the Red Devils

and his plans and we'll havd more of what was a pretty revealhng

No news on Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Meet Tenacious ` he's only 08 months old, but he's a record breaker.

The young ram or tup from L`ncashire has created history by sellhng

for the highest price that a single sheep has ever fetched

A farmer paid nearly ?10,000 for Tenacious, who's been ddscribed

as the Christiano Ronaldo of the sheep world.

Jessie Phillips has been to meet him.

Weighing in at 112 kilograms or nearly 18 stone, this is Tenacious.

An average RAM costs ?500 btt he sold at auction for nearly 00,0 0. I

knew he was good but I didn't know he was that good. I was in shock

more than anything. I wasn't expecting ?9,500 for a sheep. He was

bred by a butcher but is destined to be a breeder. You look at Rded

traits. You look at the double muscle, he has muscle coming out of

every bone in his body. You know when you have something good. He has

been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to the record transfdr fee.

Instead of moving to Real M`drid, he has moved from Lancashire to

Cumbria. He has a good head on him, a good shoulder, a good length to

him and a good loin in here. He has a good wide back end. With ` body

like that, they use are alrdady flocking to him. George hopds one of

them will breed a new Tenachous and you never know, he may well break

another record. They are the legs. Diane is here. It

was a glorious day again today. It thrills me when our weather is

better than London. A wonderful day today and everyone

is asking how long will it last There is some subtle changes over

the next couple of days. Temperatures will drop as wd have

through Sunday. We have somd bright weather around and it will feel

fresher. Today is gorgeous. We had temperatures up to 23 Celsits. I

don't think it would be quite as sunny as we go through tomorrow but

it is still going to be a nhce one. It will be a slow start as ht turns

into a fine day. Many places are looking fairly grey and there is a

lot of cloud cover working hts way in from the other side of the

Pennines. Close to the Pennhnes you might risk a shower but for most of

us, it is a dry night and a gloomy night. Visibility will not be

brilliant. The wind is light and the cloud cover and warm temper`tures

means it will feel warm and muggy through the night. You have that

slows lot `` slow starts tolorrow morning and it will take a while to

improve. The cloud cover thhns and it will try and break. It won't be

as pretty as it has been through the day. West is best and the ftrther

away from the hills you are and to the coast, the, the brighter the

skies will be. It is still ` good day. You have that easterly breeze

that is bringing that muggy air 22 Celsius is a distinct possibility as

you go through the day. There could be some showers as you move through

Friday afternoon and they could be belters. That is what we ard looking

to. Showers? We haven't had any of them for a while. It is amazing when

you get up in the morning and it has been so still. It is really calm. We

are stretching out summer. Thanks for watching. Good night.