05/01/2017 Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and David Garmston.

Our main story tonight - the spy who didn't love her.

This woman was conned out of almost ?1 million by a man who claimed

The man that I had fallen in love with -

who was a very noble, honourable person -

of course, was just a creation of Mark Acklom.

The person I fell in love with never existed.

Making the Dam Buster Johnny Johnson a Knight -

Carol Vorderman joins us to explain why she's joined the

a Carol Vorderman joins us to explain why she's joined

My New Year's resolution is to survive - a woman with cancer

campaigns for a ?90,000 a year drug for all who need it.

And throw one up soldier - the scrap metal fighter constructed

in honour of the heroes of World War I.

He told her he was a millionaire Swiss banker.

He also told her he was an intelligence agent working

for MI6, before he disappeared saying he'd been injured in Syria.

Carolyn Woods from Gloucestershire says she can't believe that the man

who conned her out of nearly ?1 million still

Mark Acklom is believed to be on the run in Spain

and is being described as one of Britain's Most Wanted.

Carolyn Woods believed Mark Acklom loved her.

But the relationship was a confidence trick -

I think unfortunately I had sort of fallen under a spell.

It was as though I was mesmerised, to an extent.

My daughters felt I had been brainwashed, I wasn't

behaving quite normally, it was as though he had

This is the day they met - footage taken at the shop

But, amazingly, these are the only pictures of them together.

Mark Acklom spun her a web of extraordinary lies -

saying his role in the secret service meant he couldn't be

Initially, when I met him, to told me that he was a Swiss banker.

Then, subsequently, before I moved in with him,

he confided in me that he actually worked for MI6, and this

gave him carte blanche to appear at any time

absent for very long periods without having to explain anything.

Having won her trust, he demanded money.

At that time I believed Mark was in a military hospital

in Athens, having been wounded in action in Syria.

Or working undercover in Syria, I should say.

So I didn't know when I was going to see him again.

Mark and Carolyn lived in this impressive house in Bath

Mark told Carolyn he owned it, to persuade her of his

And, according to several people I've spoken to,

that kind of elaborate lie is typical of him.

Mark Acklom commissioned more than ?50,000 worth

of work from these web developers in Bristol.

In terms of the lies he tells, he can tell them so well

If an ordinary person tries to tell a lie,

It's an awkward thing for a normal person to tell a lie,

even if they're quite good at it or they're devious.

Whereas a sociopath, there is no problem with

lying whatsoever and, in fact, manipulating people is just fun.

Mark Acklom is believed to have been on the run in Spain

He's one of the UK's most wanted fugitives.

But Avon and Somerset Police have never sent officers there,

instead relying on Spanish police to hunt for him.

in anything. They do not seem to have any communication with the

Spanish police. I don't get the impression that anything is followed

through all that they even tried to find out.

but they say they're "working with the National Crime Agency

and the Spanish authorities, in order to locate and arrest him

And they add they've been "successful in obtaining

a European Arrest Warrant for Acklom, who is believed

But for now he remains at large while Carolyn

continues her own hunt for him, and for her money.

Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder

of a 31-year-old man whose body was found on Christmas Eve.

Mohammed Abdurezek had been stabbed several times.

His body was found by the side of a road in Syston.

22-year-old Abdiwahab Mohamed Sheik Abdulahee

and 42-year-old Karl Cullen - both of no fixed address -

will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on Monday.

A man's pleaded guilty to arson and criminal damage,

after a fire at a Wiltshire Primary School.

Two classrooms at The Avenue in Warminster were completely

Edward Beavis, who's 34, will be sentenced at a later date.

A terminally ill mum from Portishead - who says her New Year's resolution

is to live through 2017 - is calling for a life-extending

drug to continue to be available on the NHS.

Heidi Loughlin, has breast cancer and says she's reliant on the drug

But the body that decides which drugs the NHS will

pay for says the price is currently too high.

Heidi has been speaking to our Social Affairs

The most precious of moments - Heidi with her four-year-old son Noah.

Made possible by the breast cancer drug Kadcyla -

without it Heidi says she'd already be in a hospice.

I absolutely think it's keeping me alive I can see it visibly on me.

When I looked in September, I could see it moving and growing and as

soon as I started taking the drug it has gone. That would not have

happened without taking the drug. When they gave it to you and said

this is going to cost ?9,000, what you think? It's really expensive but

you can't put a price on someone's life. I have a two-year-old and a

four-year-old and every year or even month it buys me.... It allegedly

puts is nine months extra on someone's life. Nine months is

massive to two small children. Everyday I am here is vitally

important to them. You cannot a price on that. The price of this

drug is claimed to be too high in relation to the benefits it brings.

As a doctor you want the best for As a doctor you want the best for

your individual patients. But for the NHS as a whole, we have to buy

the most for the most people. If we buy expensive drugs for cancer we

have less per heart disease and lung disease. It's very difficult, and it

has found Heidi's drug at the moment to be potentially not a foldable. It

is asked a period of appraisal to see if we can make it more

cost-effective. But if they can't, it is likely that women in Heidi's

shoes will not have the same choice. She has no idea how long she has

left. But for this year, she is concentrating on living. Everyone is

talking about their New Year 's resolutions. Lose a bit of weight,

learn to speak a language. Mine is so simple, don't die. That is it for

me. The row about the failure

of the New Year's Honours List to recognise one of the Second

World War's great heroes Johnny Johnson, who lives

in Bristol, is the last surviving British Dambuster -

part of a bombing crew which destroyed some of Germany's

strategically important dams. He'd been nominated

for a knighthood, but wasn't recognised despite his

ongoing charity work. Now his case has been taken up

by the TV presenter Carol Vorderman, who's not only started a petition,

but is also preparing She joins us now from

Gloucestershire airport, Thank you for joining us. You have

met Johnny haven't you? Yes. I met him last summer because I am the

ambassador for Air Cadets. Tahiti to see him working with those young

people was amazing and he is such a supporter of young people. He works

tirelessly to inspire the young and after the war he was a teacher, he

was a councillor. He has raised lots of money for various charities. The

man is not only a legend but he is an absolute gentleman, the most

charming person you could come across, and modest. He is fantastic

and I cannot believe he was snubbed in the New Year 's Honours list. It

is disgraceful. When did you launch the petition? I launched it 36 hours

ago. It is an change. Awk. It is going to go along with an official

nomination I am putting together now, with lots of formal letters of

support, to make it as strong as possible, for an award, hopefully a

knighthood, this summer. Do you know what the current total is on the

petition? No. Do you want me to tell you? It is currently, just topped

110 in 36 hours. 110,000. 110,000 people? I know you want to get a

130,000. As many as possible because it shows the respect we all have the

Johnny. And I know he has also said if it were to happen he would accept

it on behalf of not only the dambusters squadron but on behalf of

all of Bomber Command. That is very important because in Bomber Command,

so many young men lost their lives. There was more of a chance of

surviving the Battle of the Somme and of surviving Bomber Command.

They were all volunteers. And disgracefully it took a number of

people, I was one of that number, to make a big fuss, to raise a lot of

money, for a memorial to be unveiled in 2012. These men still haven't

received medals for being part of Bomber Command. It's disgraceful.

Whatever the controversy at the end of the war, they were young men and

they deserve to be recognised, as Johnny would tell you. And a lot of

people same feel the same as you. Thank you so much for joining us.

Vote for Johnny! Thank you for joining us

this Thursday evening. It is 12th night tomorrow so our

tree is about to come down. We visit the Bristol Primary

school which is now one And is this the most relaxed

pantomime performance Find out why, later

in the programme. Experts are urging poultry owners

to keep their birds under cover to stop an outbreak

of avian influenza. If it's found in a domestic flock

then it could lead to thousands It means nervous times for poultry

farmers here in the Westcountry. But as Andrew Plant reports,

the rules apply to so-called backyard farmers too -

people who may only keep Wild birds flying in from

the continent, but their droppings can contain avian influenza,

H5N8 - a strain so far But infected birds die off

and outbreaks in domestic flocks can Now it is culling

thousands of birds. Chickens that lay eggs, obviously,

for the free range egg market. Poultry producers here

are watching very closely. Martin Ford has more

than 20,000 chickens. You would have 4000 birds

in here, is that right? An outbreak would be so serious it

could mean the end of his business. All the birds would be taken

off-site - killed first, on site. Then you have a very,

very rigorous clean down procedure. That can take weeks if not months,

and can cost tens if not hundreds A farm in Lincolnshire

with a confirmed case in a turkey. A three kilometre exclusion

zone now in place. Only vets and other

professionals allowed inside. Now all poultry keepers are under

what is called a housing order, meaning birds

must be kept inside, away from the droppings

ofthe wild birds overhead. And that's everyone,

says the Government, We do encourage everybody, no matter

how big or small their holding is, to actually look carefully

at the advice and to H5N8 has spread across Europe

from its origins in Asia. Four birds at Slimbridge tested

positive recently, possibly brought In wild birds it's more

or less business as Birds do die at this

time of year anyway. But for people who

are bird and owners, farmers, poultry smallholders, it

could be very serious indeed if it So, harmless to humans,

deadly to birds, and devastating if it's

found on a farm. The latest bird flu outbreak

is being watched very closely, and everyone urged to keep their flocks

away from wild birds. It's been revealed today

that the husband of a woman who died in a house fire in Swindon

in November has also since died. Blaise Alvares had been

in a critical condition in hospital since the fire,

which claimed the life Today in a statement,

their families thanked the staff who have cared for him,

and have asked people to pray for their 17-month old daughter

who is still recovering There have been long queues

near the M4 in Swindon all day A 100 metre cordon was put in place

around the junction for West Swindon after contractors hit

the pipe this morning. Junction 16 was closed to traffic

coming on or off the motorway The emergency services were called

to a gas leak here at junction 16 of the M4 motorway. That is the

junction for Swindon and royal Wootton Bassett. Police and fire

crews quickly established a 100 metre cordon around the area by

closing the surrounding roads and the roundabout and the slip roads

onto the motorway in both directions. The motorway itself

remained open throughout the day. This junction is currently being

improved. There roadworks going on to widen the slip roads and to alter

the roundabout. It was the contractors working on those road

improvements that breached the gas main and caused the emergency. The

road within the last hour or so has just reopened. That gas leak has

clearly been repaired. Around five and a half thousand vehicles per

hour use this junction at peak times. They all had to find

alternative routes. It has been a huge headaches throughout the day

for the people of Swindon and the surrounding area.

A primary school in one of the most deprived areas of Bristol is now

among the most successful in the whole country,

after an excellent set of exams results.

Ilminster Avenue, in Knowle West, has failed Ofsted inspections

Most of the children at the school receive free school meals,

meaning the school is paid more than one thousand pounds per pupil.

Andy Howard went to find out how that money helps,

Hi, I'm Rebecca. And I'm Archie. We live here and we would like to show

you around our school. This is our classroom. We are learning about

crime and punishment. Some people might say that a school in Knowle

West might not be very good. What you think? If they don't live round

here then they don't know what we can do. But we are a good school. It

gives you more in what you do. This is Mr Lucas's office. We work just

as hard on enjoyment and engagement as we do on getting reading writing

and maths to the correct standard. We make sure children do lots of

sport, they all learn in is a good instrument. The trips they go on.

You need money to do it. And you need more in certain areas of the

city then you will in others. You talk about children coming into

school and being 18 months behind in terms of development, and last year

on average if you looked at children here and where they ended their

experience with us, they ended up about 18 months ahead. In seven

years you've made ten years progress. We think our school is

great. We have the numbers to prove it. Thank you. Eight out of ten

children here get free school meals. It is often why the area is called

deprived. But 84% of them have passed their stats in the three RS.

That puts the school in the top 4% of the country. Better than that,

the progress a child makes here puts a woman stepped Avenue in the top 40

schools in the UK. We have to go back to class now. This is

Rebecca... And Archie. Reporting for BBC points West.

That is how all correspondence should finish. Congratulations to

all the staff, pupils, parents involved in that great success

story. Triple Olympic Rowing Champion Pete

Reed has decided he's going to try for a fourth Gold medal

in Tokyo in 2020. The 35-year-old, who's

from Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, took time out following his success

in Rio last summer to consider his You can hear more from Pete

on tomorrow's on Points West. Our sports editor Alistair Durden

has been to meet him An 18 foot high soldier has been

turning heads in Dorset. He's made entirely from scrap metal

and has been welded together in honour of the men who served

in the First World War. He is a monument to bravery,

but also recycling. At the Dorset forge

where he was created. They pieced together pretty much

everything they could find, from car parts to spanners,

from chains to garden forks. Only when you stand next to the

sculptured you get a true sense of its scale. It towers above me to 5.8

metres. It weighs one and a half tonnes. It took three and a half

months to build. It's

called The Haunting. It's been made for a local man wants

to remain anonymous. It's a commission for a local author

who came to us and asked if we could build the ghostly figure of a First

World War soldier. So this is what we've ended up with and I think it

fits the bill spot on. It is going to be featured in a book. At the

moment that is as much as I can say. Well, as it stands proudly

waiting for delivery, the sculpture is certainly

attracting admiring I think it's just incredible. The

more you look at it you see so many little bits that you missed and it

is absolutely wonderful tribute. I think it is beautiful.

Though younger admirers aren't really sure who he is.

What do you call him? The BFG. I think he might be.

Well, he is a giant - and friendly well I guess that would

The Haunting will eventually go on public show -

but where and when that will be, for now, remains a mystery.

A version of Jack and the Beanstalk was performed today for audiences

who find a conventional show difficult to sit through.

Some changes were made but none of the magic of panto was lost.

Steve Knibbs, was at the Everyman in Cheltenham.

Curtain up on a very special performance

Everything was as you'd expect - the songs, the dancing,

the dame and Tweedy the clown's usual silliness.

Sorry about that - but there were more subtle changes.

This relaxed performance was for those with maybe autism,

We make sure the sound is adapted. The light is left on but lowered. A

lot of people get anxious if it is too dark. This relaxed performance

was the people with maybe autism, Pyrotechnics and loud noises

were cut and there was a chill out zone in the foyer so audiences go

out when they wanted. And inside they could be as fidgety

and noisy as they liked. it's awful going to see something

and being told to sit still be quiet. If they want to shout out

they can, it's lovely. Jimmy, is autistic,

and his best mate Charlie, has global speech delay,

and they loved it. Did you shout out a lot? Yes. What

did you shout? We said blue at the bad guy.

explain the story and show what was coming up next.

The whole experience taking the pressure off all invovled.

So everyone is happy, we're not disturbing everybody. That is or was

I worry. But today was great. They could make noise, they had a great

time. It was about having space for children to walk around and feel

relaxed which is really important for parents and carers and children

alike. Importantly, nothing was lost from the show for the audience.

It's rather cold, I don't need to tell you that.

Indeed. A pretty chilly story as we head into this evening. The forecast

for tomorrow, temperatures will be climbing up the scale. It won't feel

particularly mild. Chilly start, an increased of folk impaired to today.

As we head into the afternoon as well as cloud increasing there will

be outbreaks of rain. Through the evening that will turn heavier. Here

is a wider look at how things turn up. The Blues show the risk of

frost. Into the second half of the night it is complicated by cloud

pushing in from the West. You can see the front coming in. Towards

tomorrow evening it will start to get its act together. But it will

clear away southwards before Saturday gets underway. The rest of

this evening there is a lot of clear sky around. The risk of seeing some

fog patches forming will be much more prevalent across eastern areas.

Conversely, as the cloud becomes a complicating factor from the West,

that in turn will make forecasting the temperatures by the end of the

night tricky. There is every likelihood we will get down to at

least -2, minus three. That, before the cloud gets in on the act. By

tomorrow morning there will be brighter swells around. Keep an eye

out for the fog if you have journeys eastwards. Towards the West the

cloud increases as the day wears on and it will bring patchy light rain

into the Forest of Dean, Exmoor, and spreading south eastwards. By the

evening there will be hell fog around and some rain will be heavier

as well. Temperatures tomorrow will be climbing up the scale. They will

eventually get up to about seven Celsius fairly wild widely. Saturday

will be mild for us all, no further risk of frost. An odd spot of rain

but broadly dry, mostly cloudy. A similar pattern as we had through to

Sunday. And then we go into next week, initially, on a similar vein.

You may be interested to know nearly 4000 people have signed Carol's

petition since we have been on air. See you tomorrow. Bye-bye.

We're looking for someone who can sing, someone who can move.

Someone who can keep an audience on the edge of their seat.

Something like this could change my life.

When you're born to perform, Let It Shine...

Magical new drama... The Worst Witch.

Shall we? Absolutely. ..DI Goodman...

It's been lovely, our little holiday romance. ..is back on the case.