12/12/2011 Spotlight

Pleading guilty to manslaughter - the pensioner who killed his wife.

Good evening. Malcolm Beardon said he couldn't cope with her

Alzheimers anymore. Also on Spotlight tonight: the biggest

private sector strike here for years. Angry workers target lorries

leaving the Epwin Groups factory in protests over a pay freeze.

You are taking food out of my family's miles.

Plugged in. The illegal wind turbine costing more than a million

pounds which may have to come down It was hanging in a Devon hotel,

was this the Emperor of Exmoor? And it's stormy outside, but there

are warnings of worse to come. We are expecting another area of

low pressure to come towards us bike Friday. We could see very

stormy conditions. An elderly husband has admitted

killing his wife because he could not cope with her Alzheimer's

disease. Malcolm Bearden, who's 79, lost control while trying to look

after his 78-year-old wife Margaret as she became increasingly ill.

Mr Bearden, who lives in Somerset, denied murder when he appeared at

Exeter Crown Court today. But he admitted manslaughter due to loss

of control. Spotlight's Clinton Rogers was in court.

79 years old and charged with murder. But at Exeter Crown Court

today Malcolm Beard and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and that was

accepted by the prosecution. The court heard how for many years he

had cared for his wife Margaret who had been suffering from dementia.

Then one day in July this year he lost control and kilter at their

home in Somerset. -- killed her. Police went to the house after

receiving a call from another member of the family. Today the

prosecution said they have considered the case carefully and

agreed that manslaughter was the correct plea to accept. In arguing

that Malcolm Beard and should not be sent directly to prison, his

defence seemed -- team said his family remained entirely supportive

of him. They said a suspended sentence would be most appropriate

but the judge said it would be exceptional for someone who killed

someone else not to go to prison. He said it was an extremely

difficult sentencing exercise. The judge was today hand at a

psychiatric report supporting the idea of a suspended sentence.

Nonetheless he said he wanted more information and asked for a pre-

sentence probation report. Mr Beard and it was released on bail and

left the court supported by his son. The judge made clear he was

considering all options and it should not be assumed that a

suspended sentence would be the outcome.

The first significant private sector strike in the south west for

several years saw angry confrontations on the picket line

today. Staff at the Epwin Group, a window and conservatory

manufacturer, are protesting at a pay freeze. Our correspondent,

Simon Hall, has spent the day at the firm's factory in Paignton.

The stand-off at the factory gates was sufficiently tense to see the

police called to keep order. But the striker's pursued the

delivery lorries. That is my lorry. You have taken food from my family

this week. How do you feel about that? The strike is because staff

have had a three-year pay freeze and have been told to expect no

increase for another two years. They say they accepted it to help

the company survive the economic downturn that now they believe the

company is doing well enough to afford to increase pay. Nobody

wanted this, the lads are just making a stand. Every week you are

trying to make your money go further and it is getting harder

and harder. It is just hard to live, we are struggling to make ends meet.

You want to do an honest day's work for a good play. The south-west has

seen strikes in the public sector as with the day of action last

month, but this dispute is the first sizable private sector

walkout here for several years. not going to make any judgment

about the merits of this particular industrial action but the broader

picture is that we are in economic difficulties at the moment. A lot

of people are anxious about their jobs and are making a lot of

sacrifices. We know there is massive youth unemployment. To see

an industrial action at like this under these circumstances is

puzzling a lot of people. Make this afternoon the shift change sought

more barricades. The company would not provide a

statement of their websites book are difficult times in the

construction industry and the need to take tough action in order to

survive. And Simon joins us now from Epwins. What does the dispute

at Epwins tell us about the state of industrial relations in some

companies in the south west? We have seen quite a few using

tactics like this, either shortening the working week or

imposing a pay freeze on staff. Asking them to take holidays with

no extra pay. And up to a point we have seen the workers tolerating

that, understand the logic. That they have been going through that

now for three years of the economic downturn. I think perhaps now

they're getting to a stage where inflation is eroding their pay

packets and standard of living and so on they have had enough of it.

Where companies are really struggling, of the workers

understand that. And they have done a lot to help the company to

survive. These people here have had no pay rise for a couple of years.

But there comes a time when the company just pushes it too far.

easing of industrial relations tensions may only come when we see

an upturn in the economy was Darbo with the euro-zone still struggling

and the banks suffering and forecasts predicting that the UK

will return to recession next year, that is looking like a forlorn hope.

Experts say it's probable that they'll never find the cause of a

house fire in West Devon in which a three-year-old girl died. The

damage to the property near Broadwoodwidger was so severe that

they can only be certain that the fire started in the kitchen. As

Spotlight's Hamish Marshall reports, there were no smoke alarms fitted

in the property. This is a small community and it is

feeling the big loss. The family has lived in this house for at

least four generations. Amelia Brown lived with her mother in one

part, her grand parents in another. The adults in the House at the time

got out but the three-year-old upstairs did not. The FA here on

Friday night was so severe that local people when they tried to get

into the house to rescue the media, they were not able to due to the

heat and severity of the flames. feel very sad and, very saddened. A

lot of people are wanting to express their grief because you

relate to the family we knew so well and the little girl. Fire

investigators spent the weekend trying to find out what started the

fire. They told me today there will probably never know, without new

information. We can confirm that the fire did start in the kitchen

area. But we still cannot ascertain the precise cause because of the

extent of the damage in sight. property had no smoke alarms. Fire

officers are urging more people to fit them, saying they do save lives.

Since April to doesThey have been 19 deaths in fires in Devon and

Somerset. Over half of the properties involved had no alarms

fitted. Local people say they will do whatever they can to help the

family. There have been offered a temporary place to stay nearby.

Cornwall's newest wind turbine has been connected to the electricity

network today. The 50 metre high machine has been built on farmland

near Bodmin without planning permission. Cornwall Council says

it's considering it's legal options for the removal of the �1.3 million

turbine. Spotlight's David George has been to meet the owners.

The wind turbine near Bodmin is 250 ft from the base to the tip of one

of its three giant planes. There will rotate at around 15

revolutions per minute producing 500 kilowatts in a fresh breeze.

Some of that power will be used for the recycling business of the owner,

the rest will go to the National Grid. Planning permission was

refused Inns of temper. -- refused in September.

It is unbelievable. People might ask why did you go ahead and put it

up any rate with no planning permission? We could not afford to

leave it just sitting on the ground. The reasons for refusal were given

as an adverse impact on the users of the nearby crematorium. The

turbine has now been moved 15 metres away from the planned site

where the owners believe it has less visual impact. Planning

specialists say the owners could eventually be forced to take it

down. The council could employ contractors to take it down and

then charge the owners for the work. Once you have gone through the

legal process, if you are still required to remove it, what would

you do? We have not thought about that yet!

No one from Cornwall council was available for interview. The issued

a short statement saying, we are considering all the go options to

seek the earliest removal of the turbine. The council confirmed that

it has received the new retrospective planning application.

An investigation by the BBC has discovered that the scene of last

month's fatal crash on the M5 is known by the authorities to be a

highly fog-prone stretch of motorway. A report obtained by the

Inside Out South West programme reveals that last year, experts

recommended upgrading "fog warning systems" near the site, but no

action has yet been taken. Seven people died in the crash. The

Highways Agency say they will look at safety improvements on the M5,

once the results of the police investigation are known.

The earliest indication you can give people that they need to

slowdown will be beneficial. Even 10 miles an hour might have made

some of those fatal crashes perhaps near Facebook and given people have

a chance. -- near fatal. You can find out more on tonight's

edition of "Inside Out" on BBC One at 7.30pm.

The head of a giant stag known as the Emperor is thought to be

mounted on the wall of a Devon Hotel. News of the death of the

Exmoor red deer stag caused huge controversy last year. He was

believed to be the biggest wild land animal in the UK. Janine

Jansen reports from Tiverton. Is it or isn't it? Who knows? It

looks very similar, I will admit. But I do not know for sure. The

Emperor was a massive beast, he stood at around 9 ft tall. It was

reported that he was killed last year in have to over. So how did he

end up here at this hotel into Britain? I got it on loan, I have

not bought it. We just wanted to see what it looked like, if it

suits the room. I'm not sure if I would be able to buy it or not.

Photographer Richard Austen followed the Emperor for about two

years. It is believed it was shot by a licensed hunter during the

annual rut. Richard said he is 95% sure that it is the emperor. So how

does he feel? Slightly sad, once you have stood in a field and there

is just you and him there. He knew I was there, he would catch my eye.

It was the way he strutted across the field, as if he was strutting

for me, just saying, back off. he says he was always a target

because of his magnificent antlers. And we've heard reports this

evening that the stag's head has now been taken down, after its

alleged threats were made to the hotel.

The region is bracing itself for some severe weather. The Met Office

is warning of heavy rain and strong winds tonight and into the early

hours of Tuesday. Gusts could reach 70 miles an hour. The central lane

on the Tamar Bridge has already been closed because of strong winds

and high sided vehicles, caravans and motorcycles have been advised

not to cross the bridge. Sailings by Brittany Ferries have also been

cancelled. Spotlight's Helen Roberts has been at the Met Office

in Exeter. This time last year it was a pretty

busy time for the weather team. That was because of snow and ice

issues but this year it is a little different. The start of the winter

so far has been quite stormy and tonight will be no exception. I am

joined by Dan Gray, one of the forecasters on shift. It is a

pretty busy time for you, what can we expect to like? It will be quite

stormy with the deep area of low pressure moving in. You can already

see that heavy rain moving into Cornwall and western parts of Devon.

That will become heavier through the night. And yellow warning has

been issued for heavy rain for that south-west area. It will also

become very windy with wind up to 70 miles an hour along the coast.

That could cause some localised disruption. And tonight is not the

only blight that you and the other forecasters are keeping an eye on.

There's more to come through the rest of the week? We could even see

some snow showers tomorrow. But Thursday into Friday, we expect

another area of low pressure and that could potentially be an

exceptional event. We could see some very stormy conditions in D. -

- indeed. We recommend that members of the public keep a light on Met

Office warnings and forecasts and keep up-to-date.

And David will be here with a full forecast later in the programme.

Time for tonight's sport now and Dave has good news from Exeter

Chiefs and Plymouth Raiders. The coaching staff of Exeter Chiefs,

headed by Rob Baxter, have signed new three year extensions to their

current contracts. It's a reward for the Chiefs progress in the

Premiership as they also top their group in the European Challenge Cup.

Last night at Sandy Park, Argentine fly-half Ignacio Mieres landed six

penalties to help Exeter beat Newport-Gwent Dragons by 18 points

to 6, with the return tie next Sunday night.

There's been a double blow for the Cornish Pirates. Their proposed new

Stadium for Cornwall has been delayed and it won't now be ready

for next season. The Pirates also went down 14-13 yesterday at Leeds

in the Championship. 24 hours earlier, Plymouth Albion were

beaten 23-3 by leaders Bristol at the Brickfields.

Plymouth Argyle have moved off the bottom of the Football League after

gaining an important point at relegation rivals Bradford City.

And stand by for a possible goal of the season from Torquay United.

Plymouth Argyle would have moved on to level points with Bradford if

not for this opener. But with six minutes to go Bradford looked

another fuse. Torquay United are closing in on the League Two play-

off teams. Kevin Nicholson described his last minute goal

against Barnet on Friday as the best of his career.

In League One, at three second-half goals for Leicester City as blatant

A late goal against Notts County gave Yeovil Town back to back one -

nil wins which moves them out of the bottom four.

Plymouth Raiders have made it to the final of basketball's BBL Cup

where they'll meet champions Newcastle Eagles in January. This,

despite losing the second leg of their semi-final at the Pavilions

last night. John Ayres has more. At 28 point lead from the first

league on Saturday ensured the presence of the raiders in the

final. Worcester could only manage to win by seven points in the

return leg. The raiders extended the overall advantage as they went

into a 10 - 3 lead. But the walls gradually nosed in front of though

they never sewers be threatened to overtake the raiders on aggregate.

It is a strange feeling to lose a game. But we could not be happier

for the 18th and for the club. believe that the raiders are

capable of winning a trophy this season and they have the chance to

prove it. Ben Ainslie is returning from

sailing's World Championships in Perth, Australia as deposed world

champion after an altercation saw him disqualified from the Finn

races at the weekend. The five- times winner, who honed his skills

at Restronguet Sailing Club in Cornwall, claimed he'd been impeded

by the wake of the media boat, which was filming the race. Ainslie

climbed aboard the vessel and angrily confronted officials.

The 34-year-old Olympic champion later apologised. Weymouth's Giles

Scott won the gold medal. Exmouth is fast becoming the centre

of excellence for English badminton. Two brothers from the Devon resort

have just returned from the European Junior Championships, with

the eldest now the best player for his age on the continent. Brent

Pilnick has been to see how good they are.

There are two brothers from Exmouth with the world on the edge of their

rackets. Alex Slane has become the under seven European badminton

champion upon his little brother won the silver with England in the

team event that the Championship in Portugal last month. It was a tough

tournament and we were out there for 11 days. Acclaimed a gold in

the individuals. It is a massive tournament for someone my age. It

was good experience. The pair are ranked No. 1 in the country for

their age groups and badminton is in their blood - their mum is a

former England international. Ombersley very proud. Having played

myself, I know what goes on behind the scenes. The hours of training

they put in, the hours of playing. And as a parent of any top sports

person, they know it sacrifices that the boys are making to succeed.

So you just support them. The 2012 Olympics have, bit too soon for

these teenagers per there's no doubt that if they keep on on-track

will be hearing a lot more about them in the years to come.

Don't forget, BBC Somerset will have coverage of tomorrow night's

FA Cup second round replay at Huish Park, where Yeovil Town attempt to

see off non-league Fleetwood Town. Now to the weather forecast. We

have already heard it is causing have already heard it is causing

some problems in the region. The weather is pretty rubbish out

there now, it is windy end wet with gusts of wind up to 60 or 70 miles

an hour. And further unsettled weather to come for the rest of

this week. There is more rain in the forecast. It could amount to

two inches of rain overnight tonight. And tomorrow we have some

frequent and heavy showers as well. The bright colours indicating the

areas where the rain is heaviest. But the wind does drop as the rain

begins to move out of the way. There's also the risk of some

showers turning a bit wintry towards dawn tomorrow. So tomorrow

starts off windy. But earlier today we did have some fine weather.

Really the calm before the storm. The wind picked up through the day

and the sunshine very quickly Some of the hills tomorrow could

get some sleet or snow showers. By the end of the night, temperatures

starting at around four degrees. So it is going to be a windy day

tomorrow. Some sunshine but also some quite heavy showers. Some of

those will be quite intense. The risk of some sleet and snow mainly

over the higher ground. And with the wind chill, you will need to

wrap up warmly. The Isles of Scilly, also a windy day and some rough

You need to check the ferry services for the very is gone

across the Channel because there A really strong gusts of wind

throughout the day tomorrow. For the rest of the week, we still

have low pressure. For Tuesday into Wednesday, at deep area of low

pressure. Wednesday, it still that wind and plenty of showers. Then

Thursday is the day were watching quite carefully. The exact track of

that low pressure is uncertain at this stage.

We will have a better idea this time tomorrow. We do have a yellow

alert from the Met Office about the strength of the wind on Thursday.

And even by Friday we have of plus street westerly breeze. Slightly

warmer on Thursday but also warmer on Thursday but also