:00:00. > :00:09.Travelling the length and breadth of the country helping police
:00:10. > :00:14.The terrifying attack on a man and his pregnant
:00:15. > :00:17.I could have lost the baby, we nearly lost Tony,
:00:18. > :00:22.And I'll be looking into exotic wildlife crime -
:00:23. > :00:27.and finding out why having these guys as pets can be a very bad idea.
:00:28. > :00:53.You're watching Crimewatch Roadshow.
:00:54. > :00:57.Hello and welcome to Crimewatch Roadshow,
:00:58. > :01:00.the programme that really does help police nick the bad guys.
:01:01. > :01:14.The young woman, followed home and mugged for her engagement ring.
:01:15. > :01:18.I gave them everything they wanted so I could get away, and it
:01:19. > :01:21.escalated quickly. And Michelle's out on the road
:01:22. > :01:23.with the RSPCA. In a skip and he had been
:01:24. > :01:29.coloured in by children. Today the Roadshow has
:01:30. > :01:31.reached Chester Zoo, and Michelle is getting up close
:01:32. > :01:43.and personal with some What are you up to? I'm at the rhino
:01:44. > :01:46.enclosure. This is one of eight rhinos here.
:01:47. > :01:49.Later, I'll be finding out why these guys are being kept under 24
:01:50. > :01:55.But now, to our first appeal of the morning.
:01:56. > :01:58.A horrendous attack in Rochdale on an man and his pregnant partner.
:01:59. > :02:05.And just to warn you, this is a nasty one.
:02:06. > :02:35.I met Nikki three years ago. At a local pub. Planned to get married in
:02:36. > :02:42.the future. The main thing is the baby at the moment. To me it is
:02:43. > :02:45.everything I have always wanted, to be honest, to settle down and have a
:02:46. > :02:53.family of my own and finally be happy in life. It was only a month
:02:54. > :02:59.before I found out I was pregnant that I lost my dad. Basically it was
:03:00. > :03:07.like a gift from my dad. He's actually named after my dad. The
:03:08. > :03:11.street that it was, and the area, it was just so lovely, there. We'd been
:03:12. > :03:19.there two weeks, everything seemed perfect. We'd started to get the
:03:20. > :03:29.baby's room ready, we had lots of plans. Just didn't happen.
:03:30. > :03:40.We were just sat watching TV. And there was a knock at the door. I
:03:41. > :03:45.looked through the curtain and seen two gentleman stood outside. And
:03:46. > :03:52.then I just went to open the door. And as I opened the door one of the
:03:53. > :04:01.gentleman started to come at me. The thinner one managed to get past me
:04:02. > :04:09.and went into the front room. One of the males grabbed me, spun me around
:04:10. > :04:14.so that I was facing the wall. He had his hands over my face. It was
:04:15. > :04:17.just the most horrible feeling in the whole world. Ellie the big guy
:04:18. > :04:25.got hold the big guy got hold of me, he had
:04:26. > :04:30.something in his hand and started hitting me round the head. I thought
:04:31. > :04:35.they must have the wrong people, they can't be looking for me. I
:04:36. > :04:42.could feel myself going into unconsciousness, going dizzy. Tied
:04:43. > :04:47.my face up with a hoodie. Tied my hands up. They didn't care that I
:04:48. > :04:57.was pregnant. I could just hear the duct tape, they were taping Tony up.
:04:58. > :05:01.I just lay there and I was crying. I could feel a piercing which I now
:05:02. > :05:08.know is where I was being stabbed in the legs and the arm. The other one
:05:09. > :05:18.came over to me, jumped on my face, had a Hammer in his hand. The bigger
:05:19. > :05:25.one of the two sat above me and just started launching punches. I could
:05:26. > :05:30.literally hear every hit that he was taking. I could hear somebody tried
:05:31. > :05:35.the front door, a couple of seconds later I heard a car screech off. So
:05:36. > :05:40.I knew then that they were gone. I managed to get up and I went
:05:41. > :05:49.straight for the house phone, phoned the police.
:05:50. > :06:00.Could have lost the baby. We nearly lost Tony, ourselves. And they
:06:01. > :06:04.didn't care. I received a broken jaw, injuries to the head where
:06:05. > :06:11.they'd hit me with the hammer. They'd stabbed me in the arm. Broken
:06:12. > :06:19.one of my ribs. Which actually punctured a lung. I received five
:06:20. > :06:27.stab wounds to the bottom part of the legs. And one to the top part of
:06:28. > :06:33.the lake. I was nine days in intensive care. For something I've
:06:34. > :06:39.never done. And I still don't know to this day why. That's the last
:06:40. > :06:47.thing you expect. Somebody to knock on your door and do that. Such a
:06:48. > :06:49.horrific attack. Well joining me now
:06:50. > :06:51.is DC Russ Clarke from Greater Manchester Police,
:06:52. > :06:53.who is leading the investigation Firstly, I think the viewers
:06:54. > :07:03.will want to know how I'm happy to say they are doing
:07:04. > :07:06.well. Tony has made a great recovery from his injuries. Unfortunately
:07:07. > :07:13.they have had to move out of the family home. What do we know about
:07:14. > :07:19.the people that did this? One is described as a white male, stocky
:07:20. > :07:23.build, short dark hair, five feet four, to five feet six. He spoke in
:07:24. > :07:30.Eastern European language, possibly Polish. The second description,
:07:31. > :07:35.white, skinny build, and again, speaking in an Eastern European
:07:36. > :07:40.language, possibly Polish. CCTV is of particular importance here? We
:07:41. > :07:44.know the offenders arrived on the street in a silver Mercedes,
:07:45. > :07:47.old-style, possibly see Alcaide model, possibly with foreign
:07:48. > :07:56.registration plates. Vehicle was driven around, given at speed on to
:07:57. > :08:01.Manchester Road, possibly to the West Yorkshire area. You are
:08:02. > :08:05.appealing for information? Anybody with information regarding these two
:08:06. > :08:08.individuals, anybody involved and this silver Mercedes vehicle, please
:08:09. > :08:11.come forward to help with our enquiries.
:08:12. > :08:15.Next, it's time for today's CCTV round-up.
:08:16. > :08:36.This shop worker is about to get a nasty surprise. A man walks in brand
:08:37. > :08:40.issue a silver and black handgun. Of course he goes straight for the till
:08:41. > :08:46.and grabs the takings. But that's not enough for this crash helmet
:08:47. > :08:51.crook. Just before he leaves he snatches the phone and wallet of the
:08:52. > :08:56.shop assistant. He got away with around 200 quid. But that wasn't the
:08:57. > :09:01.last of it. Police believe the same man robbed a second store just over
:09:02. > :09:07.a week later. Look, Saint helmet, same gun. But now with an added
:09:08. > :09:11.jazzy jumper. In this one he gets away with about 300 quid and only
:09:12. > :09:16.gives up when he is interrupted by the next customer. Witnesses say he
:09:17. > :09:21.ran away and jumped into the passenger seat of a dark hatchback.
:09:22. > :09:32.Detectives need to know who's behind the visor before he tries again. A
:09:33. > :09:37.blue Mitsubishi charisma on cloned plates pulls into the driveway of
:09:38. > :09:42.this house in Lancashire. But this visitor certainly hasn't been
:09:43. > :09:47.invited. Take a good look at his trendy jacket. Do you recognise it?
:09:48. > :09:55.He is careful not to leave any prints as he rings the bell. He is
:09:56. > :10:00.in luck. Minutes later he's in the back garden with mates in tow. One
:10:01. > :10:06.of them is also sporting a rather distinctive checked jacket. At his
:10:07. > :10:11.friends keep watch, the first guy climbs onto the roof. What's he up
:10:12. > :10:14.to? He seems to have found something that's taken his fancy and throws it
:10:15. > :10:20.down to his mates. Before they will scarper. A box containing hundreds
:10:21. > :10:25.of pounds worth of jewellery was later found to be missing. Who are
:10:26. > :10:29.these unwanted house guests? You know what to do.
:10:30. > :10:31.If you recognised anyone, get on the phone now.
:10:32. > :10:36.Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
:10:37. > :10:40.Text CW, space, and then your message.
:10:41. > :10:42.Texts will be charged at your standard message rate.
:10:43. > :10:52.Now, here in the zoo one of the main attractions
:10:53. > :10:55.are the black rhinos you can see behind me.
:10:56. > :10:58.Mark Pilgrim is the director general of Chester Zoo and runs the European
:10:59. > :11:12.Tell me more about them. These animals are incredibly special. They
:11:13. > :11:16.are incredibly sensitive animals with wonderful personalities, all
:11:17. > :11:19.very different. They are critically endangered, on the brink of
:11:20. > :11:24.extinction. These animals in the zoo, we currently have ten, part of
:11:25. > :11:28.the European breeding programme, 80 animals moved around to make sure
:11:29. > :11:34.they are healthy, and many of these animals are second, third, fourth
:11:35. > :11:38.generation bred in zoos. Why are rhinos targeted so much and why are
:11:39. > :11:42.they becoming extinct? International wildlife trade, illegal wildlife
:11:43. > :11:48.trade, is the fourth biggest illegal trade globally, only fourth two
:11:49. > :11:52.drugs, arms, human trafficking. Enormous scale. These animals
:11:53. > :11:59.particularly are targeted for their horn. This is rhino horn, made of
:12:00. > :12:02.the same material as our hair and fingernails, but it is believed,
:12:03. > :12:08.particularly in China and Vietnam, to have special properties. These
:12:09. > :12:12.animals are being killed, rhinos across Africa, about one every eight
:12:13. > :12:17.hours. There is a risk to rhinos in this country as well, being stolen
:12:18. > :12:23.from museums? Yes, there have been a number of thefts by organised gangs
:12:24. > :12:29.from museums and other institutions. Of course there is a concern for the
:12:30. > :12:33.live animals, too. So here we have a great deal of security measures in
:12:34. > :12:39.place to protect them. Thank you. Added security is really important.
:12:40. > :12:43.Stephanie Davies, what have you got here?
:12:44. > :12:47.This is a collection of animal parts which have been confiscated.
:12:48. > :12:55.Often from people trying to bring them into the country illegally. We
:12:56. > :12:58.have received them from customs. The added CCTV protects these items as
:12:59. > :13:04.well as the live animals. What exactly have we got? Just like the
:13:05. > :13:09.rhino horn, we have a total shell used for medicinal purposes in
:13:10. > :13:13.traditional medicines and health foods. And more decorative items
:13:14. > :13:18.like an elephant foot used as an umbrella stand. We also have teeth,
:13:19. > :13:22.ivory carvings, quite intricate. Examples of carved jewellery and
:13:23. > :13:32.trinkets targeting the tourist trade. Right here we have a horn
:13:33. > :13:38.from an oryx, listed as extinct in the wild. It is really shocking to
:13:39. > :13:42.see this. Unfortunately it is not just exotic animals like these at
:13:43. > :13:47.risk. Some exotic pets right here in Cheshire are being targeted, too.
:13:48. > :13:55.Paul Osborne and his family have had tortoises for more than 30 years.
:13:56. > :14:01.You do become attached to them. They are family members. We take them to
:14:02. > :14:04.local schools to show the children the tortoises and how to look after
:14:05. > :14:09.them. I have characters and one of them used to climb the step into the
:14:10. > :14:14.kitchen and then park itself in front of a fire if it was a bit
:14:15. > :14:18.cooler outside. They were once common family pets but now many are
:14:19. > :14:23.endangered. Paul was thrilled when ten days ago a pair of his tortoise
:14:24. > :14:30.mated and laid eggs. Absolutely amazing to see the small tortoise
:14:31. > :14:37.hatching breaking through the side of the shell and they are perfectly
:14:38. > :14:42.formed, miniature tortoises. They were a rare and valuable species,
:14:43. > :14:49.which needs specialist care. We're talking about ten years and every
:14:50. > :14:54.morning and every evening of effort. I was hoping, at some point in the
:14:55. > :14:59.future, I might be able to pass them onto the grandchildren for them look
:15:00. > :15:05.after. I'm getting a bit upset now. It turned out somebody else have
:15:06. > :15:07.their eye on this prized pet. One evening, shortly before Christmas,
:15:08. > :15:13.Paul locked them in the shed as usual. During the night, thieves
:15:14. > :15:24.broke in. And helped themselves to the animals.
:15:25. > :15:31.Paul was horrified by what he saw when he went to feed them the
:15:32. > :15:39.following morning. When I checked them, I realised that we'd had a
:15:40. > :15:46.burglary. I'll be honest, I was actually in tears. I didn't know
:15:47. > :15:51.what to do. Fortunately, three tortoises were hibernating and were
:15:52. > :15:57.not taken, another was too heavy to steal. But the seven red tortoise is
:15:58. > :16:01.that Paul had nurtured from birth had gone. I am emotional about it
:16:02. > :16:06.because I spent so much time, so much of my life looking after them,
:16:07. > :16:11.and I would be absolutely destroyed to think that they were just not
:16:12. > :16:16.being looked after and died. Paul reported the incident to the police
:16:17. > :16:20.and to John Hayward from the national theft register for exotic
:16:21. > :16:26.animals. There's no doubt they were those particular species of red
:16:27. > :16:33.tortoise. They can fetch a couple of hundred pounds or so, depending on
:16:34. > :16:36.the tortoise's age and condition. This species a few years ago were
:16:37. > :16:41.entered into the most endangered species list and you cannot legally
:16:42. > :16:45.buy or sell them or trade them in any aspect at all without a licence
:16:46. > :16:52.and, if you do, both the vendor and the purchaser committing a very
:16:53. > :16:57.serious criminal offence. They must be pretty heartless, really. It's
:16:58. > :17:03.not the money that matters to me but the fact I can't replace them. I'm
:17:04. > :17:09.just hoping that somebody has some knowledge and can pass information
:17:10. > :17:12.on so they can actually be found. Really awful, isn't it?
:17:13. > :17:15.With me now is John Hayward from the National Theft Register
:17:16. > :17:17.for Exotic Animals who we saw in the film.
:17:18. > :17:20.John, do you think this was a targeted attack?
:17:21. > :17:26.I have no doubt about it, they went there for those tortoises and knew
:17:27. > :17:33.they were there. Nothing else was stolen apart from a box very similar
:17:34. > :17:37.to this with a rectangular hole cut out. That was taken from the shed no
:17:38. > :17:41.doubt to carry the tortoises away and if anybody has been offered any
:17:42. > :17:47.small tortoises in a container like this, we need to know. What do the
:17:48. > :17:52.tortoises look like? They are about ten years old. They would fit into
:17:53. > :17:58.the palm of your hand. Quite small, 8-12 centimetres, light coloured
:17:59. > :18:03.shell. Distinctive, and we can positively identify them. This is a
:18:04. > :18:07.serious crime, isn't it? The trade in all endangered species is, and in
:18:08. > :18:13.fact, anybody buying or selling without a licence carries upwards of
:18:14. > :18:17.five years in prison. You run a register for stolen exotic animals,
:18:18. > :18:23.don't you? Yes, we work closely with the police and many other animal
:18:24. > :18:28.related agencies. Tortoises I'm afraid figure in it and are very
:18:29. > :18:31.often stolen alongside other species like exotic birds, parrots,
:18:32. > :18:37.cockatoos and other animals, as well. Thank you very much. If you
:18:38. > :18:39.have any information at all, get in touch. Rav, back to you in the
:18:40. > :18:40.studio. Here's what's still to
:18:41. > :18:43.come this morning. Help us find out who killed
:18:44. > :18:45.a much loved brother, It's just destroyed everybody's
:18:46. > :18:50.lives at the moment, And, the illegal trade
:18:51. > :18:54.in designer dogs, like these But first, every week in the UK,
:18:55. > :19:06.4,000 people are reported missing. Many return home, but for the loved
:19:07. > :19:10.ones of those who don't, In a moment, we'll hear
:19:11. > :19:16.from the family of Lorraine Ridout from Cardiff who hasn't been seen
:19:17. > :19:19.for almost six months. I'm joined in studio
:19:20. > :19:26.by Detective Inspector Mark O'Shea. Lorraine is 57, she's
:19:27. > :19:31.a loving mum and grandmother who's well known in
:19:32. > :19:34.her local community. She was last seen on 31st
:19:35. > :19:37.January this year. Sometime between 7 and 9pm,
:19:38. > :19:43.she left her home in Aberporth Road Gabalfa,
:19:44. > :19:45.on her way to visit a friend who lived a few minutes away in Heol
:19:46. > :19:55.Amlwch. Sadly she never arrived. That was
:19:56. > :19:58.the last sighting of her. We spoke to had two daughters about what it's
:19:59. > :20:05.been like since their mother went missing? I think it's more like
:20:06. > :20:09.somebody could new size -- know something about holding information.
:20:10. > :20:18.If it's the worst case, and she's not here any more, then we need to
:20:19. > :20:26.know. For me, it's painful. It's broken my heart. It's hard to watch,
:20:27. > :20:33.isn't it? You can see the pain on her daughters' faces. Any clues as
:20:34. > :20:35.to why she disappeared? It's out of character for Lorraine and I'm
:20:36. > :20:40.concerned for her welfare for that we've conducted an extensive
:20:41. > :20:45.investigation over the last six months and have an incident room in
:20:46. > :20:51.Cardiff. We've also conducted extensive searches in and around
:20:52. > :20:56.north Cardiff in Gabalfa. This is one of our searches. We've searched
:20:57. > :21:00.the canals and rivers across that area of North Cardiff but sadly, at
:21:01. > :21:04.the moment we can't explain her disappearance. Where do you think
:21:05. > :21:11.the answers to the disappearance like? I feel the and certain live in
:21:12. > :21:15.North Cardiff, around Gabalfa and I ask anybody to contact us in with
:21:16. > :21:18.any information at Cardiff Central police station. It's worth saying
:21:19. > :21:23.you've spoken to the daughters and this is the most recent picture that
:21:24. > :21:27.they have provided for Lorraine and say this is what she looked like at
:21:28. > :21:30.the time of her disappearance. Thank you the joining us.
:21:31. > :21:32.Well, if you have any information about Lorraine please do
:21:33. > :21:34.get in touch using the numbers on screen.
:21:35. > :21:39.Next, we're back in Cheshire, where two men carried
:21:40. > :21:49.out a cowardly attack on a woman as she walked home from the pub.
:21:50. > :21:59.It meant more than pretty much more than any other piece of jewellery I
:22:00. > :22:04.don't. When you have that ring, it's your ringer. For it to be gone, it
:22:05. > :22:12.just feels like it's taken so much away with it. It changes everything.
:22:13. > :22:19.Victoria and her partner David live in Nantwich in Cheshire. After three
:22:20. > :22:27.years together, the couple recently got engaged. Proposed last August.
:22:28. > :22:33.While we were away at a hotel. We got most of it sorted out, few
:22:34. > :22:37.things still trying to decide on, obviously exciting bit nervous at
:22:38. > :22:41.the same time. On the 27th of March, the couple went out for a few drinks
:22:42. > :22:51.to make the most of the bank holiday weekend. It was a nice day. We
:22:52. > :22:57.managed to get out, have a little bit of time together. Without having
:22:58. > :23:06.other things to do. David decided to head home early. Whilst Victoria
:23:07. > :23:12.stayed for one last rink. About 11:30pm, I decided it was time to
:23:13. > :23:17.walk home. The exact same route I walk home any other time. Which is
:23:18. > :23:23.along Queens Drive, which is fairly well lit. Halfway along, I noticed
:23:24. > :23:31.someone else walking along the other side of the road. I didn't really
:23:32. > :23:36.think too much of it other than he just kind of appeared. Which made me
:23:37. > :23:40.feel a little bit uncomfortable so I tried phoning David couple of times
:23:41. > :23:44.and tried phoning another friend obviously, would it being quite
:23:45. > :23:48.late, nobody answered. I got to the field opposite Meanee Drive and
:23:49. > :23:55.decided to cross over there. And just on that corner, he caught up
:23:56. > :24:00.with me. Another man just appeared out of nowhere. That actually
:24:01. > :24:07.grabbed hold of my shoulder. One of them said, "We want money." I
:24:08. > :24:12.thought if I give them what they want, they will go away. The
:24:13. > :24:17.bracelet I was wearing was snatched off my wrist, grabbed and pulled.
:24:18. > :24:21.And the same with my necklace. One of them said, what about the ring? I
:24:22. > :24:28.didn't want that to be forcibly taken off my hand. So I took it off
:24:29. > :24:31.myself and handed it over. I was trying to give them everything I
:24:32. > :24:37.wanted so I could get away and then it just escalated. Very quickly. I
:24:38. > :24:48.got punched in the face. Pretty much as hard as he could.
:24:49. > :24:57.It just got to the point where the stress of it, the walking down that
:24:58. > :25:00.particular road just got too much. I actually said I was going to move
:25:01. > :25:06.back to where I used to live, which is not something I want to do. Now
:25:07. > :25:10.that the ring is not there, whenever we are trying to plan anything to do
:25:11. > :25:15.with the wedding, it doesn't feel the same any more. It has been
:25:16. > :25:19.horrendous. It has absolutely tore me apart.
:25:20. > :25:23.I'm joined here by PC Tom Vass who is leading this investigation.
:25:24. > :25:25.Tom, Victoria did everything they asked
:25:26. > :25:33.What do we know about the people who did this?
:25:34. > :25:39.Yes, it seems like there was some unnecessary violence there. She has
:25:40. > :25:45.been able to give the e-fit of the first man described as white, in his
:25:46. > :25:50.early to mid 20s, with dark hair that was jailed to the front and his
:25:51. > :25:54.around five foot ten. The second man is white, in his early 20s, with
:25:55. > :25:59.dark hair, around five the date and was wearing a dark coloured jumper.
:26:00. > :26:06.Talk me through the route she took when she first saw them? She left
:26:07. > :26:12.the pub at around 11:30pm on Sunday the 27th of March and walked along
:26:13. > :26:15.Queens drive in the direction of their home address. Halfway down
:26:16. > :26:20.Queens Drive she noticed she was being followed by one man but didn't
:26:21. > :26:24.think too much of it at that time. As she turned onto Meanee Drive,
:26:25. > :26:28.this man, followed by another man, approached her and demanded
:26:29. > :26:32.jewellery and cash from her which she handed over. But they still
:26:33. > :26:36.punched her and pushed it to the ground before making off. Talking
:26:37. > :26:41.about the jewellery stolen, it was priceless to Victoria. Yes, three
:26:42. > :26:48.items. A necklace that had quite a distinctive square blue jam on it.
:26:49. > :26:53.It was a ring, which had a single diamond on it, and other gems on the
:26:54. > :26:56.band and there was also a bracelet which had sex heart shaped gems on
:26:57. > :27:01.it so we are appealing but anybody but may have seen this jewellery to
:27:02. > :27:03.come forward. Tom, thank you very much. Rav.
:27:04. > :27:06.Now it's time for a look at today's Wanted Faces.
:27:07. > :27:08.Police forces around the country are asking for your
:27:09. > :27:12.First up is this man Matthew Sammon, or he also calls himself
:27:13. > :27:13.Matthew Cassidy or Matthew O'Braiden.
:27:14. > :27:16.Detectives want to question him in relation to a number
:27:17. > :27:19.He has links to London, in particular Mitcham
:27:20. > :27:21.and also Liverpool, Ireland and across Europe.
:27:22. > :27:26.Police believe the 45 year old may be living in a camper van.
:27:27. > :27:29.This is 51 year old Stanley Brian Wilkinson.
:27:30. > :27:32.He was jailed for seven years nine months in Scotland for drug dealing
:27:33. > :27:36.But he's failed to stick to his conditions and is now
:27:37. > :27:40.Wilkinson is described as chubby and has a Liverpudlian accent.
:27:41. > :27:42.He has links to Merseyside, Lancashire, North Wales
:27:43. > :27:49.Third is 32 year old Paul James Brashaw.
:27:50. > :27:52.He was due to appear before Preston crown court on wounding and assault
:27:53. > :27:55.charges but didn't turn up and a warrant has now been
:27:56. > :28:01.Brashaw has a scar between his eyes and another on his wrist.
:28:02. > :28:06.And finally for today we have Jake Woodward.
:28:07. > :28:09.Detectives in South Wales want to question him in connection
:28:10. > :28:15.with a conspiracy to supply more than 180 kilos of a class B drug.
:28:16. > :28:18.He's 24 and has a Liverpudlian accent.
:28:19. > :28:20.He has friends and family in Merseyside,
:28:21. > :28:27.If you know where any of these faces are please call and text
:28:28. > :28:36.Now to an emotional appeal from the family of a man
:28:37. > :28:55.Liam was very friendly, family oriented. Just loved life, even
:28:56. > :29:00.though he lived on his own, he loved the family being together. On the
:29:01. > :29:04.8th of January this year collect received a phone call she will never
:29:05. > :29:13.forget. Her brother had been found dead at her flat. I was at work the
:29:14. > :29:18.day Liam was found and my husband rang me. I didn't think I'd heard it
:29:19. > :29:23.right. When we got in there he was lying on the floor. We just sat and
:29:24. > :29:30.we stroked his hair, gave him a kiss. The police came out and said
:29:31. > :29:35.that the postmortem had indicated that he'd been murdered. We didn't
:29:36. > :29:42.know how. It's just destroyed everybody's lives at the moment. You
:29:43. > :29:47.can't move on. You tried day-to-day to get on with your life but it is
:29:48. > :29:51.there all the time. You just want the pain to go away.
:29:52. > :29:53.Clearly very distressing time for his family.
:29:54. > :29:54.I'm joined by Detective Superintendent Mark Chesters
:29:55. > :29:59.A mysterious case, but one thing you are clear on,
:30:00. > :30:10.That's correct, yes. Liam suffered significant injuries to his head,
:30:11. > :30:20.chest and red area. We are treating this as a homicide investigation.
:30:21. > :30:23.Liam was last seen alive on January six, 2016. His mother called him on
:30:24. > :30:27.the 8th of January, he was not making a lot of sense on the
:30:28. > :30:31.telephone. Unfortunately she then found him dead after 1pm that
:30:32. > :30:37.afternoon. Do we know any reasons why somebody would want to harm him?
:30:38. > :30:41.No, not at all. We are considering a number of hypotheses but I cannot
:30:42. > :30:45.find anything to tell me why somebody would want to murder Liam.
:30:46. > :30:49.He was well liked and loved by his family and friends and nothing was
:30:50. > :30:57.stolen at the time. You have been trolling through CCTV footage to
:30:58. > :31:03.pinpoint his movements? Yes, he left this far on the 6th of January,
:31:04. > :31:10.walked to water Street, and onto West Parade to his home address. He
:31:11. > :31:13.gets there around 7pm. He is seen but unfortunately we do not see him
:31:14. > :31:19.thereafter coming out of the flat. And there is a reward? Yes, ?10,000
:31:20. > :31:22.through Crimestoppers for any arrest that leads to the charge and
:31:23. > :31:25.conviction of the murder of Liam. Thank you.
:31:26. > :31:27.Now contnuing our animal theme this morning,
:31:28. > :31:31.But it seems we're getting pickier about our pooches
:31:32. > :31:33.There's a growing demand for designer dogs,
:31:34. > :31:41.But sadly, that's fuelling an illegal trade in puppies.
:31:42. > :31:43.Sian Edwards from Dogs Trust is here to tell us more.
:31:44. > :31:49.Hi Rav, this is Mowgli and Baloo, they're brothers.
:31:50. > :32:14.They are from a reputable breeder. We brought them here to show how
:32:15. > :32:16.popular these breeds are getting. Lots of celebrities are buying them
:32:17. > :32:18.and having them on their social media accounts. They can be very
:32:19. > :32:20.expensive. Because of this unfortunately it means hundreds of
:32:21. > :32:23.dogs are being brought in every month from overseas illegal imports.
:32:24. > :32:26.We can see some footage you have given on this. This is the boot of a
:32:27. > :32:29.car, would you believe, with live dogs in the back. It is just
:32:30. > :32:35.horrendous to think these dogs are being driven in from as far afield
:32:36. > :32:39.as Lithuania and Hungary. The back of a van here completely
:32:40. > :32:43.overcrowded, and shut inside. Absolutely heartbreaking to think of
:32:44. > :32:48.these dogs. This march cause so much problems for the dogs being brought
:32:49. > :32:55.in this way? Absolutely, they are far too young and often have a legal
:32:56. > :32:58.passport or no paperwork, lots of diseases, and they've posed a risk
:32:59. > :33:04.of disease is being brought into this country and they can have
:33:05. > :33:07.ongoing health problems. We can see some in quarantine where you have
:33:08. > :33:12.intervened and rescued some. We can see the age of these ones, these are
:33:13. > :33:16.tiny? Far too young, very malnourished, skin conditions and
:33:17. > :33:19.other issues. We are concerned about these puppies and their welfare but
:33:20. > :33:23.obviously the state of their parents in the home country. If these are
:33:24. > :33:28.this bad you can imagine how things must be for the breeding dogs as
:33:29. > :33:31.well. It's a big problem, isn't it? What advice would you give to
:33:32. > :33:38.anybody thinking of owning a dog like this type? Take some time,
:33:39. > :33:41.don't respond instinctively to an advert. Obviously dogs trust has
:33:42. > :33:46.hundreds of dogs looking for homes every week. But if you really would
:33:47. > :33:51.like a puppy, still come to the dogs trust website, click on our link
:33:52. > :33:54.about buying a puppy, and we list all the ways you can avoid the
:33:55. > :33:59.pitfalls so you end up getting a healthy puppy from a reputable
:34:00. > :34:03.breeder and not buying an illegal, imported dog. And you want to stress
:34:04. > :34:08.the point that dogs are for life, they are not toys or trophies, it
:34:09. > :34:12.should not be a decision you make lightly? Exactly, take a bit of
:34:13. > :34:15.time, come and talk to us and we will make sure they have the right
:34:16. > :34:18.information to make the proper choice. And you have appeals for
:34:19. > :34:23.some of these dogs that need rehousing? Delighted to say these
:34:24. > :34:28.two lovely puppies have homes but because we have seized around 200
:34:29. > :34:32.dogs in the last month that the borders, we have lots of puppies
:34:33. > :34:36.looking for homes. So if people are interested in this type of dog,
:34:37. > :34:38.French Bulldogs, pugs, those type of dogs, please get in touch for
:34:39. > :34:42.re-homing. Radiant. Sian thank you - go
:34:43. > :34:44.to Dogs Trust website As we've seen this morning exotic
:34:45. > :34:51.animals need specialist attention But sadly, many kept as pets don't
:34:52. > :35:05.receive the care they need. Mel Furia has been an RSPCA
:35:06. > :35:10.inspector in the north-west of England for the last 11 years. Her
:35:11. > :35:17.job covers everything from educating owners to prosecuting them if they
:35:18. > :35:21.break the law. In recent years she is specialised in rescuing exotic
:35:22. > :35:26.animals and I'm about to spend the day with her. What kind of animals
:35:27. > :35:31.do you encounter? All different kinds. Anything from dogs, cats,
:35:32. > :35:36.horse, sheep, tarantula, lizard, you never know what you will come
:35:37. > :35:45.across. That does sound exciting. Shall we go? Let's go. I would say
:35:46. > :35:50.we get calls to domesticated pets daily, and exotic pets probably
:35:51. > :35:53.weekly. They are definitely becoming part of our throwaway society.
:35:54. > :35:56.People do not realise how much dedication and commitment is needed
:35:57. > :36:01.when taking one of these animals on board. Failing to give your pet the
:36:02. > :36:08.correct diet and environment isn't just cruel, it can be a criminal
:36:09. > :36:12.offence. Hello? Mel often investigates complaints from members
:36:13. > :36:19.of the public. Go-ahead. Soon she gets her first call of the day. But
:36:20. > :36:24.these aren't quite exotic animals. We just received a call about some
:36:25. > :36:28.pigs in a pub, complaining about dirty conditions. Pigs in a pub
:36:29. > :36:39.seems quite random in itself. Very random. I can't see any pigs. We had
:36:40. > :36:42.inside the pub for a closer look. This is where they can live, they
:36:43. > :36:46.can get all the way up to the other side. No sharp objects as described
:36:47. > :36:53.in the call, there was metal pins and things like that. They've got
:36:54. > :36:58.shelter from the extremes. It seems like a pretty nice settlement for
:36:59. > :37:04.them. They've got a big run, let's go and check it out. Doesn't look
:37:05. > :37:09.anything wrong with that. They are fine. Mel is happy that the pigs
:37:10. > :37:13.have everything they need. But over the years she's helped plenty of
:37:14. > :37:18.animals who were in trouble. She is taking me to a re-homing centre to
:37:19. > :37:25.meet some of the more exotic ones. As many as 75% of reptiles bought as
:37:26. > :37:33.domestic pets die within their first year. These are some of the lucky
:37:34. > :37:39.ones. We have spiked, our bearded dragon. He was found in a microwave.
:37:40. > :37:46.A microwave? A microwave in a skip and he'd been coloured in by
:37:47. > :37:51.children. Oh my gosh. Here he is. How could anybody do that to a
:37:52. > :37:55.defenceless animal? Unfortunately no owners were found. But we are happy
:37:56. > :38:00.to see that he is fit and healthy. Snakes are some of the most commonly
:38:01. > :38:07.rescued exotic pets, like this baby Bernie 's-. I'll be honest, I am
:38:08. > :38:11.nervous about this one. Would you believe this is one of the world's
:38:12. > :38:18.largest species of snake and people can buy them from the pet shop. No!
:38:19. > :38:22.This one was bought for a five-year-old child. What happened
:38:23. > :38:26.to it? Mum and dad took it back to the pet shop and said we don't want
:38:27. > :38:31.it any more, we realised what we bought. Then we got the phone call.
:38:32. > :38:37.Sadly when pets are an wanted it can lead to serious neglect. Last year
:38:38. > :38:41.81 people in the UK were convicted of crimes relating to the animals.
:38:42. > :38:49.Mel tells me about one case she's dealt with. This is a reticulated
:38:50. > :38:52.Python, an albino. This was a serious case. 25 reticulated- is
:38:53. > :38:59.kept in the most horrendous conditions. These snakes were
:39:00. > :39:04.stacked up on boxes with no water, lying in their own faeces and you're
:39:05. > :39:09.in. Abscesses in their mouths. Their faces all smashed up. It was really,
:39:10. > :39:15.really sad. What happened to the owners? The owner was banned from
:39:16. > :39:23.keeping animals for ten years and received a fine. Mel's dedication to
:39:24. > :39:27.these animals is impressive. But the message to exotic pet owners is
:39:28. > :39:31.clear: look after them properly or face prosecution.
:39:32. > :39:34.The law is pretty clear but as James from Chester Zoo can testify
:39:35. > :39:36.there are still many cases of animals not
:39:37. > :39:39.James, you've found this with meerkats.
:39:40. > :39:48.Tell me more about them. We have a group of 14 at the moment. They do
:39:49. > :39:53.well in groups, they don't do so well on their own. You can have
:39:54. > :39:58.behavioural problems when on their own and they end up harming
:39:59. > :40:02.themselves and so on. What is the ideal type of environment and
:40:03. > :40:06.lifestyle for meerkats, then? We've got lots of sand, they like to dig
:40:07. > :40:14.in. You can see where they have pitted and by road this. We have a
:40:15. > :40:18.burrow system that they use. Having got all that night you also need to
:40:19. > :40:22.get the diet right. They are carnivores and have very sharp
:40:23. > :40:26.teeth. You need to give them all the right kinds of foods. I must be
:40:27. > :40:31.honest, they look pretty cute and they are very friendly. But you need
:40:32. > :40:36.to know who's boss in this kind of situation. They are after your
:40:37. > :40:43.socks! Yes, they can be very forward. If you let them get away
:40:44. > :40:48.with something, they tried to get away with more next time, and it is
:40:49. > :40:52.a recipe for being bitten, which is not nice. They have very sharp
:40:53. > :40:56.teeth. You have been bitten before? More than once, not nice.
:40:57. > :40:58.Kim Greaves, you're an Animal Welfare Officer who also
:40:59. > :41:01.Do the RSPCA get calls about meerkats?
:41:02. > :41:13.Yes we do. Since the recent meerkat campaign on TV we've actually seen a
:41:14. > :41:18.treble in phone calls. So it's not illegal to keep meerkats as pets? It
:41:19. > :41:23.is not, unfortunately. People have been keeping them, we've found
:41:24. > :41:28.people to be keeping them in cages which are unsuitable, rabbit and
:41:29. > :41:33.chinchilla cages, things like that. What has happened to the owners in
:41:34. > :41:36.shocking cases like this? We had a case recently where a couple were
:41:37. > :41:41.found to be keeping over 70 animals, some of which were meerkats, in a
:41:42. > :41:45.poor and squalid condition. Some of them were in very unsuitable
:41:46. > :41:52.carriers and rabbit cages, that sort of thing. And not just meerkats? It
:41:53. > :41:58.isn't, unfortunately. We had a case recently with Mikey the marmoset
:41:59. > :42:01.monkey. He were sold, a couple bought him, and he had not been
:42:02. > :42:07.cared for correctly and given the correct diet. And unfortunately he
:42:08. > :42:13.had to be humanely euthanised. And very quickly, what would be wanted
:42:14. > :42:19.you would give to someone? I would always say, whatever pet, especially
:42:20. > :42:22.exotic species, you must research. If you don't you can get prosecuted
:42:23. > :42:24.on the animal welfare act. Thank you.
:42:25. > :42:28.Just time for an update on what's come in on the phones.
:42:29. > :42:40.Baek lots of you about those valuable Tote is -- torta says.
:42:41. > :42:48.We showed you this wanted face yesterday, Lee Kelly, charged with
:42:49. > :42:50.number of drug offences, failed to turn up at court. Officers now have
:42:51. > :42:52.a number of sightings for him. Great work, please do keep those
:42:53. > :42:55.calls, texts and emails coming in. Now Michelle where
:42:56. > :42:56.will you be tomorrow? where I'll be meeting their amazing
:42:57. > :43:00.fire and rescue teams. Also, it's been banned
:43:01. > :43:02.for more than a decade, so why are so many people
:43:03. > :43:05.still using their mobile phones We'll be out with Cheshire Police
:43:06. > :43:08.who are clamping down For more details about the crimes
:43:09. > :43:15.on today's programme, Before we go, here's another look
:43:16. > :43:21.at this morning's wanted faces. If any of them look familiar,
:43:22. > :43:24.pick up the phone and tell We'll be back tomorrow morning,
:43:25. > :44:05.until then, take care. MUSIC: Send My Love
:44:06. > :44:09.(To Your New Lover) by Adele # We've gotta let go
:44:10. > :44:18.of all of our ghosts