24/02/2014 Inside Out East Midlands


24/02/2014

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Hello from Nottingham Castle, where tonight we're asking, how does the

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world of football deal with allegations of racism?

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We investigate what is really happening on and off the pitch.

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Football needs to be far more accountable now, and should want to

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be far more accountable. Also tonight, remarkable archive

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from the war at home. We uncover the real 0

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from the war at home. We uncover the real story of Nottingham boy pilot

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Albert Ball. He was frightened of the adoration, of the people. He

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didn't think he deserved it. He was doing what he thought was right.

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And a warning that inheriting a retirement home could cost you

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thousands. When it comes to racism, the world

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of football has had its fair share of unwelcome headlines. The

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footballing authorities are urging players at every level 0

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footballing authorities are urging players at every level who feel

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they've been racially abused to come forward. Well, teenagers at two East

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Midlands clubs did just that. So how were those claims dealt with? Sarah

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Sturdey investigates. The Asian Football Awards at

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Wembley. Their message, that race shouldn't be a barrier to success.

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But beneath the glamour of the beautiful game,

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at every level of football, just like the rest of society, prejudice

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permeates. So what 0 like the rest of society, prejudice

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permeates. So what happens when allegations of racism are made? To

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go against someone just because of the colour of their skin is wrong.

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To happen in football, when you try to have a game, it is not right.

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Adding what happened at Notts County is a bit of a wake`up call.

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Leicester Nirvana Under 16s in training. The club campaigns against

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discrimination. It's even received a visit from the American civil rights

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leader Jesse Jackson. But their under 15 away game last season, just

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outside Leicester, descended into chaos with chanting. Riley John was

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playing for Nirvana. It upset me and angered me that I cannot just come

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out and have a game of football without being racially abused from

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spectators as well. Just upsetting. It 0

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spectators as well. Just upsetting. It was generally the monkey chance,

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coming at me, it was getting out of hand. No one should suffer it hit,

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especially the teenager trying to play a game. The referee didn't

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report it to the county FA. Riley's dad was so shocked at what happened,

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he reported it to the police. At the time, the kids were only 14. It was

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really out of order. And the nature of how it all ended, it was

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disgusting, really. A 50`year`old Blaby and Whetstone spectator

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admitted in court invading the pitch and using threatening words. He

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received a 12 month conditional discharge. There was insufficient

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evidence on 0 discharge. There was insufficient

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evidence on any racial elements. It was then left to the County

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Association, football's local governing body, to deal with it.

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After almost a year a decision was reached. The county FA ruled that

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offensive, racist language had been used in the home club failed to keep

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its supporters in order and off the pitch. The finds for those offences,

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?100. `` the fine. Nirvana's club chairman is Kirk Master. They were

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left wondering whether it had been worth speaking out. There was a lot

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of disappointment, there was a lot of, well, that was not worthwhile

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and I would never go to that experienced again. That makes it

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difficult. The County FA say the ?100 fine was the maximum they could

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impose under national guidelines. But the FA nationally said there is

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no maximum for that type of offence. They say they take discrimination

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very seriously and since August last year they now have local expert

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anti`discrimination panels and clear reasons for outcomes will be

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available to the public. It has taken 20 0

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available to the public. It has taken 20 years to get a point where

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you feel but if you make a complaint, it is to be investigated.

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Lord Herman Ousley campaigns for race equality and against

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discrimination in football. What does he think of the fine? Pathetic.

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Absolutely pathetic. If we don't get it right, people will self organise,

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and quit the leagues 0 it right, people will self organise,

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and quit the leagues and the associations. Former only and do

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their own thing and that will take us back to the dark ages which is no

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one wants. `` Babel for their own leagues and do their own thing. What

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happens if allegations are made within a professional club? It

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happened here at Notts County youth academy. One of Lord Ousley's Kick

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It Out team visited County. The charity's confirmed that, after

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their visit in the spring of last year, a number of teenage boys came

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forward. They complained to a member of 0

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forward. They complained to a member of staff about the way they were

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being treated by two coaches. The club took statements from the boys.

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In one incident, it is claimed a coach through a banana with a swear

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word written on it at a boy who was black. It is also alleged that

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another coach switched out the lights in a changing room, and

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referring to the boys who were black, told them to swell so he

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could see them. The two coaches were being `` told them to smile so he

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could see them. But the two coaches were also accused of bullying.

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Hannah Dingley has the highest level professional coaching qualification,

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the UEFA A licence. She trains Nirvana Under 16s in her spare time.

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Her first job was at Notts County. She worked with the coach involved

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in the light switch allegation and felt his methods were very different

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from hers. Almost dictatorial, very aggressive manner. I think my

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coaching philosophy was very different in terms of, more focused

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on the holistic development of the child, making sure that they are

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comfortable in the environment. Enough to be able to communicate

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freely with each other and staff. John Elliott knows some of the boys

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involved. One of them asked Mr Elliott to sit with him at a club

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hearing. But Mr Elliott says he was told it was for the coaches'

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disciplinary hearing. The boys were very brave. They came forward. What

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I found when I went into the meeting, it shocked me. It was a

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very intimidating atmosphere. Within the hearing, these boys were asked

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to sit next to the chief executive, facing the accused, surrounded by

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eight people. And questions were fired at them. It has to be fair.

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And just. For both parties. What I saw did not resemble a fair and just

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hearing. Mr Elliott says one parent with his teenage son was asked to

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leave the hearing because one of the coaches felt intimidated. So was

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this dealt with properly? Speaking for the first time since the

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allegations were made, Nottingham City Council say the club should

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have alerted 0 City Council say the club should

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have alerted them straightaway. I think for the boys to be put in any

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form, or even informal environment, where they are facing the alleged

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perpetrators, that is totally inappropriate. What should have

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happened? Those boys should have been spoken to and that is a role,

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if we had been involved as a local authority 0

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if we had been involved as a local authority soon, that would have been

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social workers and well`trained pre`dash`macro police officers, they

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would talk to the boys to get their statement, understand what happened

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to them and make sure that evidence was put to the alleged perpetrators.

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Instead last summer the two coaches resigned. Notts County announced

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they'd gone, thanked them for their service and wished them every

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success for the future. Within the game, 0

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success for the future. Within the game, the Professional Footballer's

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Association said it was happy with the way the club handled it. The

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club didn't want to be interviewed but said in a statement they were

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happy the correct procedures were followed and they wanted all

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employees 0 followed and they wanted all

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employees to feel 0 followed and they wanted all

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employees to feel free from any form of discrimination or abuse.

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Nottinghamshire police have also told us the club should have

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reported the allegations to them straightaway, as they needed

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investigating. Instead, they were informed several weeks later by

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another organisation. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was

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insufficient evidence to prosecute. The club have improved their

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procedures, and we have confidence that should this be happening now,

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they would know what to do. Seven months after the allegations were

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made the boys involved received a letter from the FA to get in touch.

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One parent told me they were fuming, not 0

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One parent told me they were fuming, not just because it had taken so

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long, but the letter was sent via the club. The parent tore up the

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letter in disgust. Would you like to know where those two coaches are

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now? I think everyone who knows about this case and knows that it

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had an unsatisfactory outcome, because it was not concluded, would

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like to know where they are now, whether they are still working in

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football, 0 whether they are still working in

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football, with a clean bill of health. We've tracked down one of

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the coaches involved in the banana allegation. He's working in Canada

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as a regional academy coach. He denies being racist. His employers

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say they're aware of the past allegation, the case was thoroughly

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investigated and was unfounded. Almost a year on, the FA have told

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us they're still investigating what happened. The council's working with

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them. Despite several 0 happened. The council's working with

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them. Despite several attempts, we've been unable to contact the

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other coach involved in the light switch allegation. I think football

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is still in a bubble, and people are not dealt with in 0

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is still in a bubble, and people are not dealt with in the same way as

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they would be if I was working for the university, the council or any

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other organisation. There is a lot at stake for these young people,

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this is potentially their chance. Blowing the whistle and speaking out

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can be especially difficult. I would press that young people themselves,

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their families or other staff working in these clubs must come

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forward to us. Kirk Master was inundated with calls from other

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amateur clubs after the Nirvana case and things are changing. Hopefully

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with some of the work we are doing behind the scenes, it will start to

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give some of these clubs and individuals a bit more confidence to

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go about their business without feeling threatened, intimidated and

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possibly at risk of being abused. This is just one of the many

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memorials around here to World War One flying ace Albert Ball. The boy

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pilot from Nottingham shot down 45 German planes before he died in 1917

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and was awarded a posthumous VC for his bravery. To help launch the BBC

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series World War One at Home, Tony Roe has been digging through the

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archives and discovered one of Britain's most famous war heroes was

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actually a very private man who shunned his celebrity status.

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Yesterday I shut down to in one flight. He was frightened of the

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adoration, he did not think he deserved it. He was doing what he

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thought was right. I admire him for his sheer courage. You emphasise the

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heroism, the necessity, the moral goodness of what was going and you

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create heroes at people as well, to encourage young people to continue

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to invest. Albert Ball was 18 when war came in 1914. Britain wasn't

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prepared. New recruits were needed urgently. Propaganda kicked in. The

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Government and the newspapers portrayed the war as a just war. In

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other words, it was sold, if you like, in a moral way. People were

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told that Germany was capable... Or German soldiers were capable of

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horrendous acts of evil towards Belgians in particular. At school,

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patriotism had been drilled into Albert Ball and his peers. "England

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expects every man will do his duty." Albert's land dealer and councillor

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father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham 0

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father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham High 0

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father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham High School. Here,

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he was taught how to shoot. In the Nottinghamshire archive are

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Albert's letters home. For he was soon sent away to school. At first,

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to Grantham. He really loved his mother, but his father was the one

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he most desired to please. Another school move. A boarder at Trent

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College in Long 0 school move. A boarder at Trent

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College in Long Eaton with his younger brother, Cyril. A school

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which fired an engineering ambition. I should like to have a chance to

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work my way up from the bottom and try to get to 0

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work my way up from the bottom and try to get to the top. Ambitions for

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Albert and his generation were halted by war.

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He joined the Sherwood Foresters but wanted to fly. He had the means to

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take lessons. Flying would get him to 0 0

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take lessons. Flying would get him to the fight quicker. I had a

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ripping flight this morning, but had a very near shave to a smash.

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At last, we are in for the sport and really 0 0

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At last, we are in for the sport and really look like having plenty of

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it. There was bravado in his letters

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home but Albert was a solitary figure at the front. He didn't join

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in the rough and tumble in the mess later on, or participate in heavy

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drinking sessions. He was, in all effect, a loner, probably slightly

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introverted. Except when it came to girls, 0 0

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introverted. Except when it came to girls, which he seemed to attract

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easily. Today Albert Ball holds a fascination for those who followed

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him in the skies. At the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, you see how

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flimsy those early planes were. Flying 0

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flimsy those early planes were. Flying was new. And they had to

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teach themselves to fight. Albert Ball didn't even wear a helmet or

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goggles. It's the guts that he had to do it. And people in those years,

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they had a lot more guts 0 to do it. And people in those years,

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they had a lot more guts to do those things ` they were fighting for king

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and country. A great many Huns have been done in

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yesterday. One was brought down. Pilot and observer were killed. I

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dived at him and put 120 shots into the machine, after which he turned

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over and was completely done in. You had 0

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over and was completely done in. You had a special device that you could

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actually pull the machine gun down and one of Albert's favourite things

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was to fly underneath another aircraft and be able to shoot it

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down from underneath. Maybe they thought that they were invincible, I

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don't know. 0 thought that they were invincible, I

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don't know. But the losses were horrendous. The Royal Flying Corps

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losses were absolutely horrendous, but to go to war in one of those...

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A great deal of heroism, in my view. Heroes were needed at home. Germany

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had the Red Baron. Britain had Albert Ball. It was 1916. Losses in

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the trenches were severe. Him being a pilot was important, because it

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attracted attention away from the battlefields, where so many men were

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lost. So there was a romantic element to that, too. After only a

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month of combat, Albert Ball won a Military Cross as the kills mounted.

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The DSO followed. In six months Ball had downed 30 enemy aircraft. They

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did keep a close eye on their personal score. They wanted to know

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what they'd got. Ball knew that the top Allied pilot was a Frenchman,

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Guynemer. And he wanted to get the same number or more than Guynemer

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and then 0 same number or more than Guynemer

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and then retire. But there was clearly reluctance from Ball to his

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new status at home. I like doing things. But I don't like big songs.

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If they wish to 0 things. But I don't like big songs.

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If they wish to say I have downed five machines and a balloon, all

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well and good. But nothing else must be put in.

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Ball was brought home to train the next batch of pilots. At home he was

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feted and honoured again, here a Freeman 0

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feted and honoured again, here a Freeman of 0

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feted and honoured again, here a Freeman of Nottingham. His father

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once again behind him. He couldn't step out of his front door or on to

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the High Street without people coming up to shake his hand and

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greet him and so on. It made his private life pretty unbearable for

:17:35.:17:40.

him. Ball wanted to escape back to the action. He sought the help of

:17:41.:17:46.

powerful people. I had breakfast with Lloyd George

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and his daughter yesterday. It was very nice. I am seeing Lord

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Northcliffe re getting out again. I do hope it can be arranged.

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Northcliffe, the press baron, was also a propaganda minister. Ball got

:17:59.:18:05.

his wish. All it indicates to me is his importance. Yes, because all of

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these men were tremendously influential. Obviously, Northcliffe

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had the ear of the Prime Minister at the time. So I can only glean from

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that that Albert Ball was a tremendously significant person of

:18:17.:18:20.

the age. Am about to start the great game

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again. Oh, how nice it will be and I will try so hard to be a credit to

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you. Ball found the 0

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you. Ball found the fight 0

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you. Ball found the fight harder.

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Exhausting. But he did not let up. Have flown all day and must sit down

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and write letters. It cannot be done, for I simply must sleep. Must

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sleep. A month after his return to France,

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Ball was dead at this spot. A lot of pilots that flew with Ball knew that

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the end would be coming soon enough, because he was pushing himself to

:18:55.:18:58.

the limit. His plane came out of low cloud upside down, no engine

:18:59.:19:06.

running. It smashed into the ground. The Red Baron's brother, Lothar Von

:19:07.:19:10.

Richtoven, claimed the kill. But that was more than likely

:19:11.:19:14.

propaganda. There were no signs on Ball or his plane that he'd been

:19:15.:19:20.

shot down. He was at the time, I would say, the best that we had.

:19:21.:19:24.

Therefore, it makes it all the more disastrous when he's 0

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Therefore, it makes it all the more disastrous when he's killed. In

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death, Albert Ball was awarded the Victoria Cross, which sits with his

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other medals in a cabinet at Nottingham Castle, alongside some of

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the souvenirs Ball had sent home to his father. In death, he continues

:19:38.:19:45.

to be celebrated. A statue at the Castle was his father's idea. Public

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fundraising was a struggle but it was finally unveiled in 1921. Sir

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Albert Ball had pride of place in front of a huge crowd. His son was

:19:57.:20:03.

buried not far from the crash site in a cemetery with German war dead.

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Ball was a hero. I mean, I think he'll always be remembered because

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he was a young lad who put everything he had into what he did.

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It was a game. But it was a deadly game. Albert Ball is 0

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It was a game. But it was a deadly game. Albert Ball is remembered in

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France and on memorials at home. He left behind a diary which could

:20:23.:20:26.

explain why he decided to go back to fight. But that, it seems, has been

:20:27.:20:33.

destroyed. I feel so sorry for the chaps I have

:20:34.:20:38.

killed. Just imagine what their poor people must feel like. I must have

:20:39.:20:42.

sent at least 40 chaps to their death.

:20:43.:20:50.

The BBC's World War One at Home site has more incredible stories about

:20:51.:20:55.

what happened here in the East Midlands, the UK and Ireland.

:20:56.:21:06.

As people get older, many like to simplify life and move into a

:21:07.:21:11.

retirement home, where things like repairs and gardening are all taken

:21:12.:21:13.

care of. 0 0 repairs and gardening are all taken

:21:14.:21:17.

care of. But if you inherit one of these properties, it could turn out

:21:18.:21:20.

to be an expensive liability, as David Whiteley discovered. Many

:21:21.:21:28.

people reach a time in life when they want to move to a smaller home.

:21:29.:21:32.

Retirement homes are sold as being the perfect place for older people

:21:33.:21:37.

to live. You have to be over 55 to live in them and no worries about

:21:38.:21:40.

maintenance or looking after the garden. But those services come at a

:21:41.:21:46.

price. And when the time comes to sell the home, some people are

:21:47.:21:49.

finding themselves tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket. Ann and

:21:50.:21:53.

Mike Johnson live in Apethorpe in Northamptonshire. Ann's mother lived

:21:54.:21:57.

in a retirement home in nearby Rutland. Two years ago, her mother

:21:58.:22:02.

died and left the property to them. They expected to sell it for

:22:03.:22:05.

?125,000, but despite dropping the price by ?13,000 it hasn't sold and

:22:06.:22:09.

they are paying ?3,000 a year in fees. I expected from way back,

:22:10.:22:18.

shall we say, that it would just come to us and it would sell and

:22:19.:22:22.

then we would have some money to enjoy from it. 0

:22:23.:22:28.

then we would have some money to enjoy from it. It was just at the

:22:29.:22:31.

time when the property market was beginning to drop. Everyone was

:22:32.:22:37.

having problems selling. But if you add to that the fact that it was an

:22:38.:22:41.

over`55s site and it was leasehold, then it wasn't necessarily the most

:22:42.:22:51.

popular buy. Like most retirement properties, the Johnsons' bungalow

:22:52.:22:54.

is leasehold. That means that someone else, usually the developer,

:22:55.:22:57.

owns the land and can charge for annual rent and maintenance, and the

:22:58.:23:04.

property is on a fixed`term lease. It hasn't been a problem to deal

:23:05.:23:08.

with, it's been... Apart from haemorrhaging money ` that was the

:23:09.:23:14.

problem, really. Changes designed to bring empty

:23:15.:23:17.

homes back into use have caught out people 0

:23:18.:23:18.

homes back into use have caught out people in Ann and Mike's situation.

:23:19.:23:21.

The Government has changed the rules allowing councils to charge a higher

:23:22.:23:25.

council tax ` up to 150% of the standard charge when a home has been

:23:26.:23:30.

empty for two years. So the Johnsons are faced with an 0

:23:31.:23:31.

empty for two years. So the Johnsons are faced with an annual council tax

:23:32.:23:34.

bill of ?1,800 for an empty house they can't sell.

:23:35.:23:41.

Glenda Kerruish's mother died six years ago. Her house has been on the

:23:42.:23:49.

market ever since. We pay out probably 5,000 a year. That's on

:23:50.:23:56.

maintenance charges, council tax... You know, it's been six years and

:23:57.:24:00.

perhaps over ?30,000 and I can't keep doing it, no. It's been

:24:01.:24:07.

extremely stressful and emotional, particularly for my wife after her

:24:08.:24:12.

mother died. The last thing you want is for something like this to

:24:13.:24:15.

happen. We really thought... It's such a lovely house that we really

:24:16.:24:19.

thought it would move very quickly, and it hasn't. It was originally on

:24:20.:24:25.

the market 0 and it hasn't. It was originally on

:24:26.:24:26.

the market for ?400,000. They dropped the price to ?250,000 last

:24:27.:24:30.

autumn and are still waiting to sell it.

:24:31.:24:35.

So are the Kerruishes and the Johnsons just unlucky? According to

:24:36.:24:40.

the official figures, in the last year, in the general housing market,

:24:41.:24:44.

prices have gone up. While in the retired housing market, prices have

:24:45.:24:45.

gone down. The biggest challenge is that it is

:24:46.:24:55.

the 55 and overs market, so you're ruling out quite a big sector of the

:24:56.:25:00.

market there. You're only going at a small age group. Recently,

:25:01.:25:02.

one`bedroom retirement flats that we've sold in and around the area at

:25:03.:25:06.

about ?85,000 were purchased new at around 0

:25:07.:25:06.

about ?85,000 were purchased new at around about ?110,000, and that

:25:07.:25:09.

would probably be about six years ago. Slightly larger, two`bedroom

:25:10.:25:17.

ones in the same development, which we're now selling at around

:25:18.:25:19.

95,000`100,000, probably would have been purchased new at that time for

:25:20.:25:28.

about 125,000. Age UK offer advice about retirement housing, and

:25:29.:25:31.

suggest that people take time and advice to understand what they are

:25:32.:25:37.

buying before making a decision. It's so important that you look at

:25:38.:25:41.

the lease, because it's very hard to extract yourself from the lease once

:25:42.:25:45.

you've signed up to it. So that's why it's important that anybody

:25:46.:25:47.

thinking about retirement property and then looking ahead and thinking

:25:48.:25:50.

about their family inheriting that property, that they do look at all

:25:51.:25:53.

those clauses that might affect their ability to do that, to pass

:25:54.:25:57.

that property on or to sell it later on down the line. Is there a better

:25:58.:26:04.

way of doing this? Yes, one approach that they have in American is the

:26:05.:26:07.

commonhold system, the condo system, condominium. That means that people

:26:08.:26:11.

actually own a share of the freehold, so you don't actually have

:26:12.:26:13.

a lease. In fact, the 0 freehold, so you don't actually have

:26:14.:26:15.

a lease. In fact, the lease system is something that's very unique to

:26:16.:26:18.

this country. And, of course, if you have a lease, it has a diminishing

:26:19.:26:22.

value. I think, unfortunately, in this country, there are so many

:26:23.:26:25.

vested interests in keeping it as it is, that it's very difficult to have

:26:26.:26:27.

that 0 is, that it's very difficult to have

:26:28.:26:29.

that system. We contacted the managing companies for both

:26:30.:26:32.

properties. The managers of the Kerruish's property at Belton House

:26:33.:26:35.

did not respond, but the Johnsons' landlords, Barchester health care,

:26:36.:26:41.

told us... "These properties are not investment opportunities. People buy

:26:42.:26:44.

the properties to have the support of the care home but maintain their

:26:45.:26:48.

independence. It is the duty of the solicitor to make any potential

:26:49.:26:51.

buyer aware of the terms of the lease." Meanwhile, the property

:26:52.:26:59.

market may be picking up. In the last two or three months, the

:27:00.:27:02.

general property market has picked up quite a lot, both here and in

:27:03.:27:06.

other areas. Suddenly, we've found people are ringing and saying,

:27:07.:27:07.

"Right, I'm 0 people are ringing and saying,

:27:08.:27:09.

"Right, I'm ready to go ahead, I want to buy this," and now the

:27:10.:27:12.

majority of our retirement properties have all been sold. And

:27:13.:27:16.

the Johnsons have found a temporary solution for their property. We've

:27:17.:27:21.

managed to rent it and the income from the rent will more than cover

:27:22.:27:25.

our costs and we'll have a little bit extra to save up so that next

:27:26.:27:29.

time we want to sell it, we'll have something behind us so that we

:27:30.:27:37.

can... If it takes a while to sell, we won't have to worry so much. So

:27:38.:27:42.

is it a good idea to buy these retirement homes? The experience

:27:43.:27:45.

we've had is that my mother`in`law absolutely loved being there and

:27:46.:27:49.

there was never a question at the time she lived there of there being

:27:50.:27:54.

a possible problem later. It never crossed our minds. Knowing what we

:27:55.:27:58.

know now, I think our advice would be, quite clearly, think very, very

:27:59.:28:00.

carefully about 0 be, quite clearly, think very, very

:28:01.:28:01.

carefully about buying a property such as this, with the restrictions,

:28:02.:28:09.

the age restrictions, as they are. And don't buy it unless you're happy

:28:10.:28:12.

that you can finance it being empty for many years before selling.

:28:13.:28:23.

And that's it from us for this week. If you have a story you think we

:28:24.:28:29.

should be reporting, then drop me a line.

:28:30.:28:35.

Next week, controversy in the countryside ` should 4x4s and trail

:28:36.:28:40.

bikes be banned from country tracks? It just makes it impossible to use

:28:41.:28:43.

and enjoy places that walkers and riders have gone for generations.

:28:44.:29:07.

Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. Two women and four

:29:08.:29:12.

dogs have been found shot dead at a house in Farnham. An 82-year-old dog

:29:13.:29:15.

breeder has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He's been named

:29:16.:29:20.

locally as John Lowe. Dave Lee Travis is to face a

:29:21.:29:23.

re-trial over two charges of indecent assault and sexual assault.

:29:24.:29:26.

The former Radio One DJ was cleared of 12 other offences earlier this

:29:27.:29:29.

month. He said his "nightmare goes on".

:29:30.:29:33.

They call it a living hell. These are the faces of men, women and

:29:34.:29:36.

children desperate for food. More than 20,000 are trapped in a

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bombed-out area in Syria. Just 60 packets of food made it in today.

:29:40.:29:45.

We've a special report at Ten. Just where is Ukraine's former

:29:46.:29:48.

President? He's on the run after the crisis there. An arrest warrant's

:29:49.:29:50.

out for Viktor Yanukovych. He's wanted for mass murder.

:29:51.:29:55.

Was he just too British for American tastes? CNN is axing Piers Morgan's

:29:56.:29:58.

primetime chat show. The programme

:29:59.:29:59.

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