Episode 7 Crimewatch Roadshow

you help us find the couple who launched a vicious attack on an

We have been getting loads of calls on the crimes we featured yesterday,

and we need your help again today to try to catch the criminals whose

actions can ruin ordinary people's lives. On the programme today. Dot.

An unprovoked attack in a park. Who are the angry couple who left an

innocent dog walker out cold? A major police operation on the roads,

with over 100 officers - find out how they are tackling crime on our

motorways. And a blind young man, devastated by the theft of a

computer which kept him connected to the outside world. Our Roadshow team

are travelling the country, and today, they are in black and...

I am at Blackburn Community Fire Station this morning. It is a

brand-new building, with two fire engines working full-time, 24/7. The

60 staff based here are called out 2000 tonnes a year to emergencies.

Today, we are going to be finding out how these guys work with

Lancashire Constabulary, and also with the Ambulance Service, to keep

people safe here. They are currently running a campaign to warn teenagers

about the dangers of drink driving. They will be showing us how they cut

a driver out of the wreckage of a car. And guess who they are going to

be demonstrating on? First, a bizarre attack on aid dad from black

pool. When Christopher Hale let his dog off the lead in a local park, he

did not appreciate the fury it would provoke from a couple of other dog

walkers. The guy attacked me. I did not see it coming. The next thing I

knew, I was lying on the floor, out cold. I was shocked, how could

anybody behave in this fashion? Christopher Hale has lived in this

area of Blackpool for 17 years. He first moved to the town in 1991 to

start training as a nurse. His dog Bobby is a loyal and faithful

friend. Late one April evening, Christopher realised he needed some

change for his daughter's dinner money. He set out to his local

store. His errand done, he headed home. Ten o'clock at night, there

were not many people around, so I walked across Claremont Park, and I

decided to let the dog off the lead. Just a soft dog, he would not do

anybody any harm. He likes a run every now and again. I was on the

phone to a friend, I heard a noise behind me, and I heard a woman

screaming... Get that dog off the lead! They had a dog with them, it

was white, it was a terrier. It was just crazy. The next thing I knew,

he starts attacking me, saying, I will do you, I will do you. I did as

he said, because he looked big. The next thing I knew, I was on the

floor. He had assaulted me. Christopher had been kicked in the

face. His friend, still on the other end of the phone, heard the attack.

My friend reckons I was on the floor for about 30 seconds. He said I did

not reply for 30 seconds. I did not realise I had been out for that

long. But then, the good Samaritan appeared. When I got up, a young

man, about 20, he said he saw the whole thing and he was willing to

sign a witness statement. He said his name was Jake, but I cannot

remember what he said after that. I must have been so concussed,

unfortunately. Christopher had to go to hospital after the incident. He

had a broken cheekbone to the left side of his face, and obviously, the

area surrounding that part of his face was quite seriously bruised. It

did look quite alarming. My face was purple, covered in blood. It was

excruciatingly painful. The police need to track down the dog walkers

responsible for this unprovoked attack. They are also keen to speak

to Jake, the man who offered himself as a witness. We believe he could

offer some vital information in regard to the matter, and

specifically, in identifying the male and female in question.

Claremont Park is surrounded by houses and busy roads. The police

are convinced others must have seen what happened. Given that the woman

with the dog was screaming so loudly, someone must have heard

something. Get that dog on a lead now! I would urge anybody to come

forward and contact the police. joined now by Detective Constable

Kate Buckingham. Really nasty injuries - how serious were they?

was concussed, and as a result of receiving treatment at hospital, it

was confirmed that he had a broken cheekbone. You are appealing for

witnesses, and you do have a pretty good description of this couple,

don't you? Yes, the male is described as being a white male, 6ft

in height, quite muscular build. He has quite a prominent jawline. He

was wearing a white, zip up fleece top, and the female has been

described as about 5ft 6ins in height, quite an overweight old,

wearing a three quarters length jacket, and she has long, dark and

what has been described as straggly hair. And she was walking a West

Highland Terrier J dog. And you really want to hear from Jake as

well. Yes, we are appealing to Jake and asking him to contact the police

because we could really do with speaking to him, to ascertain what

he saw. It was a wide-open area, we know that there were lots of houses

around - presumably somebody would have heard all of this screaming.

Christopher said the woman was screaming like a banshee. Yes, even

his friend on the telephone could hear her screaming. Given that the

park is surrounded by houses, you would've thought would have heard

it. Back to you, Rav. It is time to look at today's Wanted Faces. This

is the first one, Flogert Farruku and police want to question him in

connection with a cannabis factory in Cardiff, where almost �200,000

worth of plants were discovered. He is originally from Albania. He

speaks little English. He is linked to the Cardiff and Newport areas of

south Wales but could be anywhere. Next up, Siad Mohamed Siad, whom the

police wants to question in connection with a violent rape. He

is described as 6ft tall, speaking with a London accent. Please let us

know if you have seen him. Our last two faces are connected - this man

is Cezary Chybowski, or Charlie, as he is known, and this woman is

Kerrie Regan, and they were both arrested in connection with intent

to supply drugs, but failed to turn up. They have linked to Croydon,

Bromley, Maidstone and also to the Republic of Ireland, but again,

police think they could be anywhere. space, that is really important.

Now, it is time to take a look at today's first batch of crooks caught

on camera. See if you recognise any of this lot. A man gets on the bus

in Barnet in London, in August last year. He has even come prepared with

an empty plastic bag. And that brace on his leg is not going to hold him

back. He notices a laptop on an empty seat. The owner takes no

notice as he sits down next to her. He gets his carrier bag ready,

then, as she is distracted, casual as you like, he reaches down, and it

is in the bag. We really need to catch this laptop lifter. If you

know who he is, pick up that phone. We are in this shop in Morecambe,

and it is eight o'clock in the evening. This woman is about to get

away with �120, but blink and you will miss it. First, she asks the

shop assistant to change �200 worth of �20 notes into �10 notes. He

counts her money carefully and checks it is not counterfeit. Then

he hands her the change, in tennis. But she seems to change her mind and

asks for 10p pieces instead. The assistant tells her he cannot

oblige. Now, she separates the money into two bundles, skims one into her

bag and hands back the other. Let's watch it again, slowly. She then

hands back just �80 in �10 notes, while the assistant gives her the

original 200 in 20s, and she makes herself a tidy profit of �120. Call

us if you know her. A busy pub on Wandsworth Common. This table of

women are enjoying a meal, but one of them is about to have her night

of them is about to have her night ruined. This sneaky thief is using

his foot to shuffle her handbag away. Let's look at it again. Very

crafty footwork. He takes his time, and no one bats an eyelid.

Eventually, he picks the bag up and saunters off. Do you know this

nimble bag shuffler? Give us a call. Very cheeky thief, that one. Call or

text on the usual numbers if you text on the usual numbers if you

recognise anyone. Here in Lancashire, more than 2000 people

were arrested for drink-driving related offences last year. So,

emergency services are taking shock tech fix to try to convince

youngsters not to take the risk. Dangerous, drunken-driving. To me,

there is no greater waste of life than an accident that has happened

and killed somebody because somebody has been drinking. This car is

clearly weaving across the highway. The drunk driver is putting himself

and others in danger. Actually, police stopped him before he could

cause any harm. But not everybody is that lucky. This is the wreckage

that was left from the crash that killed 18-year-old Matthew, from

Lancashire. He was a popular teenager. His family and friends say

he was a joke, but also someone to rely on. Sadly, this was his last

night out with friends. Matthew crashed his car the next morning,

while he was still twice the drink drive limit. He died instantly. What

is left of Matthew's car is now being used in a hard-hitting

campaign called Wasted Lives. Lancashire police are working on the

project with the local Fire Service and counsel to warn teenagers about

the dangers of drink driving. Here at Blessington It Is School in

Burnley, there has been a strong reaction from youngsters. -- Placid

Trinity. It will make me think a lot about when I have my own car, and

what I will do on a Saturday night. It will make me drive safely. It

could happen to anyone. They are also seeing first-hand what happens

to someone trapped in a car. I can go into schools, I can speak to

members of the public every day of the week about speeding and

drink-driving, people not wearing seat belts, but until they see the

real consequences of those actions, I do not really think the message

sinks in. This is Matthew's car, and we can see how badly damaged it was.

Schoenfeld is involved in the Wasted Lives campaign. You were also one of

the first officers at the scene, it must have been awful. Yes, it was a

tremendous impact. We are three years on and the person driving is

still being treated for their injuries. Matthew did the right

thing because he went home in a taxi but this is an important message

about when you drink late at night and drive in the morning. Yes, young

people tend to go to friends, have a drink, go out later, stay out until

the early hours of the morning. They need to realise just how long it

takes for alcohol to come out of your system. About one unit comes

out for every hour after you first started drinking. It can be a good

or nine hours after you had your last drink before you can safely

drive and that is the message we are trying to get home. If you have had

a drink the night before, have yourself time for the alcohol to

wear off before you get the hind the wheel of the car again. Matthews

family are supporting this campaign, how are they? They are very

supportive of this family, -- of this campaign, they think it is a

great idea, they see it as Matthew's legacy, saving other

people 's lives. They obviously miss Matthew, you can't put into words

how they feel about that. They are looking at this as Matthew's legacy

and hopefully it will save lives in the future. Thank you very much.

Hopefully it will save lives in the future.

Time for a really quick appeal, Cambs police have asked us to help

find the men behind a tobacco heist. This happened just over a month ago

at around one p.m. On May the 14th. A delivery was taking place at a

Tesco Express on Hills Road in Cambridgeshire. Two men got away

with two Lodge bags including more than �2000 worth of tobacco. The

police would like to speak to these two men in connection with the theft

and also believe they may be linked to another tobacco theft worth

thousands of pounds, that happened in January on a petrol station on

Histon Road, also in Cambridge. Do you know who they are? It was at

lunchtime on Tuesday 14th of May. Maybe you were in that area of

Cambridge at the time. Did anybody offer you cheap tobacco a few weeks

ago? If anything rings a bell, you know the detail to call.

Still to come today: Gabby is blind and lives apart from most of his

friends and family. Now the special computer that lets him keep in touch

has been stolen. And the primary school targeted by

hooligans seven times. Do you know these drive-by sharpshooters?

Earlier we saw about the campaign, Wasted Lives. The fire crews and

police targeting young people, telling them about the dangers of

drink-driving and taking the wreckage of Matthew's car into

schools. Claire is with me. This is a really important campaign but are

you convinced it works because it is so shocking? We are totally

convinced. The reaction we have had from the young people who see what

we do has convinced us that it is bringing that message home. What

sort of response do you get? responses in particular. One was a

young girl who was very emotional cause of what we were telling her

and the fact it was reality. And one young man who could relate to

Matthew's story by looking at the articles in his car, they have said

it is going to make them think in the future. This procedure could be

the difference between life and death? Definitely and that is why it

has to be carried out by highly trained people. We want to show you

at home exactly what happens if someone is trapped in a car. I am

going to put my seat out on. Hopefully I would be wearing a

seatbelt anyway. If you are not come you are going to be injured far more

than otherwise. I am going to put this hat on and the glasses for

safety. We are showing you a demonstration. Keep looking at me,

don't move my head, my colleague will chat to you. Can we stabilise

the vehicle? The officer is holding my head in case I had a neck or

spinal injury. I can't move that from side to side. The important

thing here is staying calm. That is why the officer is in the back of

the car. There will be officers talking to me throughout this

procedure. During this, we will have the roof cut off the car and we will

be showing that later in the programme. At the moment, the

equipment is coming out and we are going to see exactly what happens

the car and the equipment is coming out to start to cut the vehicle. It

is a very strange experience, I have to say, sitting here like this. I

have no idea what is going on behind We will join Sian a bit later on,

hopefully she will be all right. The north-west of England is connected

by 300 miles of motorway. Tackling crime on the roads is a huge task

for the forces responsible. Earlier this month four forces came together

to tackle the problem. We joined Operation Coalition, one of the

biggest leasing operations of the year.

On a sunny June morning, 120 officers from four separate forces,

Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and later Manchester, are joining forces

to tackle every aspect of road crime. At the regional control

centre they are joined by other experts who use their knowledge to

act up the police. We have examined is who will have a good look at any

vehicle we think will not be complying with the law. We have

RSPCA and animal welfare officers and vets, looking at how animals are

transported. PC Mick God knows only too well be portents of today's

operation. -- Mick Gothard. I have been working on traffic and motorway

for 18 years and over that time I have been too many serious and fatal

accidents. Part of today's operation involves checks on livestock. A

horse box is pulled over into one of the checkpoints, where the animals'

welfare is examined as well as the vehicle. This time everything checks

out and the horse box can go on its way. However, a few miles away, near

the Burtonwood checkpoint, another recognition camera has spotted a car

flagged as a stolen vehicle. The driver says it is a courtesy car,

loans to him by a garage. Whilst the car is being inspected, the driver

undergoes a fit test. Walk in a straight line. Foot after foot.

you understand? I understand. is a series of five tests to assess

if someone has been driving under the influence of drugs. It involves

measuring pupils, coordination, balance and perception of time.

While the fit test continues, Mick is called to another checkpoint.

going to make my way to a site where a vehicle is going to be stopped in

relation to possible drivers hours offences. All goods vehicles drivers

have to take regular breaks and it is monitored by a device. The

officers download data and take a look. Can we go where the load is?

Let's find out what he is carrying. The officers discover that this

German vehicle has been stopped previously for a mechanical fault.

Eight weeks ago it was stopped with a steering defect. We put a

prohibition on the vehicle. You have 44 tonnes of vehicle and if the

steering goes, out of control in the motorway, 56 mph, it could quite

easily kill a lot of people. Drivers are not allowed to drive more than

nine hours a day. The device shows he has exceeded that limit and he

will be fined. It is a fine of �200 from the police side. In relation to

the steering defect, another �200 fine for that offence. He has an

hour to arrange a recovery garage. An expensive lesson for the driver,

which will make him think twice before breaking the law again. Back

with the Mercedes, the driver has passed the fit test with flying

colours. Now the police want to check his details. What vehicle did

you use to insure it? Did you ensure the Mercedes? You ensured a Metro?

Police decide to seize the car. is a suspected stolen car so we are

going to be look to see if he has a license and if he is licensed to

drive it. At the moment, a good result. Further down the motorway,

there is another incident. A man has abandoned his van and has run away.

He slammed the brakes on, jumped out of the vehicle, went over a barbed

wire fence and started running across a field. Unfortunately for

him, the PC who gave chase is a marathon runner. I kept saying it

was going to be a matter of him getting more tired than I am

committed hard to run with kit on and body armour but I kept thinking,

you will get more tired first. He was in sight at all times and it was

a case of he will finish before I will. Whilst a drugs dog searches

the van police discover it is not stolen and no drugs are found, but

the checks revealed the driver does not have insurance or a driving

licence. The PC's impromptu cross-country run has earned him a

telling off. The custody sergeant mentioned the fact about the state

of my uniform, but I think he will let it go this time. The team head

back to base. During the day, 300 vehicles have been stopped and 40

were taken off the road. There have been seven arrests for various

offences and over 190 breath test. All in all, a busy day 's work.

I am joined by Sergeant Paul Evans from North Yorkshire Police who

needs your help to find a well travelled man. Tell us about your

appeal. We are looking for a man that has been staying at a bed and

breakfast in the North Yorkshire area committee has run up a bar

built and left paying for the bill or the accommodation. At least three

offences have happened on your ground. Richmond, settle and guile

grave. Since you have been looking into this, you have found there are

a number of offences where you believe the same person is

responsible, and they are nationwide. West Wales,

Haverfordwest, the South of England, even Derbyshire and up in the

north-west as well. He really is all over the place. We believe it is the

same person. What is the method? has spoken with the B&Bs in the

North Yorkshire area they need to be looking for, they should for

contractors and checking out the accommodation. He has given the name

Charlie Roost and an address in Bournemouth but we know him to be

David Brown. That is his proper name. We have a nice photograph of

him here but there are also some distinctive features. He is about

six foot, his big is with a Scottish accent, he a one inch guard crosses

left eyebrow. He has the word Norman tattooed on his left forearm and a

seven inch flour, which is distinctive. Do you have any advice

for small bed-and-breakfast owners or hoteliers? Try to get people to

pay for things up front. If they want to pay with a credit card,

check the details. Check for ID and take some sort of holding fee on the

card, so at least if they disappear without paying, you have something.

If anyone sees him turning up all you think it is him, contact police

straightaway? Yes, we do need to speak to this chap. Thank you very

much for joining us. Earlier, we saw the team at Blackburn fire station

cuttings Xian out of a car. Fingers crossed it is going all right.

OK so far, quite a lot of SAP and in the past few minutes. The roof has

actually been lifted off the car. I have been placed onto this order. If

I was a casual to, I would be strapped in but for the ease of TV

they have kept the straps of so I can show you what is happening and I

can have a chat to Caroline. I am awfully glad that I can stand up on

my feet. It happened very quickly. Is it always that quick? I was

sitting in the car, the next minute the roof was off and I was being

lifted onto the board. It depends on the circumstances and the impact.

Anything between 50 and -- 15 and 20 minutes, it can take us. It has to

be quick, because every minute really counts in this sort of

situation especially somebody is seriously injured. Definitely. We

work on the principle of one hour, the Golden hour, to get from impact

of the car to get that person out of the car and into casualty care in

the hospital. That 20 minutes is imperative to the incident. I didn't

really know what was going to happen when I was in the car. I was

prepared that we knew the procedure would take place but I had no idea

how it would happen. When you hear the cutting machine, it is quite

scary, and you have to keep people calm. Yes. We have somebody in the

back stabilising the seat and making sure the casualties in the best

condition we can make them. We have to keep them calm and reassure them

we are looking after them, we are going to get them out and get them

to hospital, to the care that they require. You are out working on the

roads all the time and you see some terrible accidents, you have to be

very highly trained, how many do you see and what impact does it have on

you? Across the county, you can predict probably one of these every

day. We are professional people, we have got to get on with the job, do

what we are there to do, to look after the community. And then it is

afterwards that we will talk about it and analyse what happened. Thank

you very much. I have been in safe hands here with this crew. I would

not like to go through that for real. It was really scary,

particularly when they were getting me on to that board. Back to you,

Rav. Watch closely, and see if you can recognise any of these culprits,

who were caught red-handed. Now, for the finer things in life. We are

the finer things in life. We are real and off-licence in Soho in

Watch closely as one of the men reaches over and steals a bottle of

champagne. Watch again - that Apple is worth a cool �270. Come on, let's

put a stop to this and crack the case. We are in a pub in Islington

in January this year, and it is time for a classic con. Watch carefully,

as this man returns a menu to his vicar Tim's table. She has no idea

that he is stealing her designer handbag at the same time complete

with her purse, credit cards and keys. Watch again. You can see him

using his coat to hide what he is up to. Help us track down this

trickster. He got away with �750 worth of stuff. You know what you

need to do. Just before midnight, in Frinton on Sea, in Essex. The shop

is shut, but that is not a problem for these men, who have broken in,

and who wasted no time filling a bag with �2000 worth of cigarettes. But

look closely, that bag is actually a duvet cover. But they are not here

for a sleepover, and they quickly make their escape. Come on, let's

give these guys a sleepless night. give these guys a sleepless night.

It is time to kick the habit, guys. If you can name any of that lot, get

in touch with us. And remember, you can also call Crimestoppers

anonymously. We have seen what Lancashire police and Fire Service

are doing to save lives. I wanted to show you inside this police car. It

is really well equipped, as you would expect. Traffic cones, blue

flashing light, even a shovel. But there is one piece of kit which

perhaps you might not expect to see in a police car. It is a

defibrillator. Why do you carry this? We have got ten such units

within the Road policing unit in Lancashire. We are all trained in

the use of the defibrillators. With the area that we cover, we might

come across scenes where we might be first on the scene, and we might be

called upon to use them. They are a useful thing. Let's see how it is in

action. I know that Mark Evans, you train the police - what would we

have to do if we were using this? Once it is switched on, you simply

Once it is switched on, you simply pull the handle, and follow the

instructions on there. You cannot do anything wrong with them. This one

goes up here on the chest area. And this one goes down here. So, the two

pads are on. It will detect whether the heart is beating all quivering.

It will now decide whether to send a pulse or not. It is as easy as that.

You press the button and it will deliver a shock. This is a training

device. That has now delivered a shock to the patient, hopefully to

get the heart to restart. These can be found now in shopping centres and

all sorts of different places now. Yes, shopping centres, leisure

centres, schools. And also, they are upsetting for everyone, but when the

thieves take away your lifeline to the outside world, the consequences

can be devastating. Gabby Sanchez went blind whilst growing up in

Spain. Since coming to the UK he says he has felt removed from the

life he used to know. But a burglary at his home last month has left him

even more isolated. My son has not always been blind. He started going

blind slowly from the age of 12, and then from 12 to 18 he lasted very

quickly. It is hard for him to accept the fact that he is blind,

and unfortunately, there is nothing to be done for it. But through a

specialised laptop, Gabby has been able to communicate with people

around the world. His computer was fitted with a programme for blind

users, which reads e-mails out loud, allowing him to talk to friends and

his mum worked out raising money for a local blind charity, thieves broke

into their home, stealing cash and a mobile phone, but more importantly,

they took the laptop. We went out at about half past 12, we came back

about six o'clock, and as I was parking the car, I noticed that the

door was broken. This Packard Bell laptop was bought in Spain, and it

has Spanish characters on the keyboard. Obviously, it is quite

distinctive and it is not going to be of much use for anyone living in

this area. I would ask anybody with any information, if they have been

offered it for sale, to come forward to the police. The laptop and

software costs �600. Gabby and his information to help catch these

thieves. We would appeal to anybody who potentially saw any suspicious

activity, anybody running away from this area, on the afternoon of 10th

of May, between about mid day and 6pm. The incident has had a huge

impact on Gabby. He does not really want to go out, he will not go out

on his own, he wants to be in the house on his own. It has left Gabby

feeling stuck terrible burglary, and it has really hit Gabby hard. If you

know someone who has really got hold of a Packard Bell laptop, with a

Spanish keyboard and special software, then please just hand it

to the police and allow Gabby to get back online with his family and

friends. Now, just down the road from here is St Silas Primary

School, and the pupils are hoping that you will help identify the

vandals who have been using their lovely new school as target

practice. We absolutely love this building. The children love it, they

love the learning that takes place and they feel very safe in this

building. Since this school was built last year, to provide a safe

and inspirational learning space for children... One of the design

features was the large windows, two letters much like in as possible,

because obviously, children learn better and can write better in

natural light, but also, to cut down on the electricity costs. But over

the last year, the positive environment at the school has been

invaded. Vandals have been using the school's large windows for target

a year. In total, the school has been targeted seven times. This is a

secret den, it is one of our favourite learning spaces in the

school. One of the design features is light. Unfortunately, these

windows which are being shot at, it is just such a shame that such a

fantastic learning space has to be spoiled. Each window costs �500. In

total, nearly �4000 has been spent on replacing them. Somebody is

coming past thinking that they are just having a bit of fun, shooting

at windows. It could have dire consequences if the children are in

school at that point in time. A lot of them find it very upsetting. We

have had a few children crying, and you can imagine the impact that such

a large window being shot at has. The children looking onto that glass

window were visibly shocked and upset.

It is incredible, and with me is the person investigating this case. Can

you tell us about that Redcar? we really need to locate either the

driver or the owner of this vehicle. We believe the occupants have caused

the damage to this school. We believe this car to be local. It is

a Ford Focus, believed to be 2005. It has got to doors. Hopefully most

people will be able to spot the spoiler at the back and the alloy

wheels, which are quite distinctive. Thank you very much. Hillary

Hinchliff is the head teacher at the primary school, and you are really

angry about this, aren't you? really are. The school won an award

for its architecture last week, for somebody to want to comment damage

this building is really upsetting. It is all about education, isn't it?

Yes. Obviously, we have to board up the windows, so it is incredibly

disruptive and upsetting. Costly as well. Thanks for coming. I know you

are upset by this bash what happens when you go in and you see the

broken glass? I feel kind of said, because the architects have spent a

lot of time working on this new building and people are just

destroying it. And when we have the windows broken, we have to board

them up, and it makes our school not colourful. Thanks for coming on. If

you know anything about this, please get in touch. We have just got time

to give you a quick update on what has been coming in from you at home.

We have had some good information coming through on some of article

wanted faces. A possible link coming in on Kerrie Regan. And then,

Flogert Farruku are wanted in connection with a cannabis factory,

some really strong information coming in on him, which we have

handed over to the officer in charge. Thank you to everyone who

has got in touch. Where are you off to tomorrow, Sian? Tomorrow, we will

be finding out how the police dogs here in Lancashire are trained, and

also, we will have information about an outrageous burglary, one of those

classic cons where people are tricked into parting with an awful

lot of their cash. See you then. more details, head to