19/11/2012 Inside Out North East and Cumbria

unacceptable and inexcusable, the official verdict on Durham police

who returned six guns to a man who went on to kill. Those left behind

say the rules must change. I do feel quite angry, because if a man

tried to commit suicide, or pretended to, why would you give

him a gun back? Yorkshire is expanding. We meet the

Cumbrians who will soon find themselves batting for the White

Rose. We're in Cumbria, I can't see any benefit to being in the

Yorkshire Dales. And a special moment in

Northumberland, as a woman and her steed change horseracing forever.

Stories from the heart of the North East and Cumbria, this is Inside

Last New Year's Day at his home in County Durham, Michael Atherton

gunned down three members of his own family and then killed himself.

Tonight we can reveal the findings of an official report which sets

out how a trail of blunders and failings by Durham police left

Michael Atherton, a man with a history of domestic violence and

I've had to identify bodies, had to about head stones for three family

Bobby Turnbull lost his aunt, Susan McGoldrick, his sister Tanya and

his mum Alison. I know me mam would have wanted us to be strong and try

not and let it ruin me life. Bobby's convinced the police should

never have granted Atherton a gun licence, and he's focusing all his

efforts into a campaign to tighten up the guns laws. I want to succeed

in that and hopefully change...something to the gun laws,

so no-one else has to do some of As most of us were still

celebrating the New Year, the three women were facing an enraged

Michael Atherton. Some saw him as a quiet taxi driver who just flipped,

but his family knew differently. If me mam said one word that he

disagreed with, he'd just bray her, and then the police come out and he

got locked up for a night. If he had too much to drink and he

whacked her one, he'd just get locked up for one night, and then

me mam didn't press charges and he come back home.

Before Atherton applied for a licence to own guns, officers were

called to his house four times after violent rows with his partner,

Susan McGoldrick. He was arrested three times, on one occasion

cautioned after admitting dragging her out of bed by the hair and

So you'd think a record like that would rule Atherton out of ever

owning a gun. Well, we've obtained this, a copy of the official report

from the police watchdog into exactly what went on in Durham's

gun licensing department. It makes uncomfortable reading. After

Atherton was visited at home to be assessed on his application to own

a shotgun, his file was passed to an official, described in the

report as Person E, who applied a sticky note which read.

"Four domestics, last one 24/04/04, Would like to refuse, have we

sufficient info, refuse re public safety." But that rather haphazard

recommendation was overruled by two more senior people within the

firearms department, described only as Persons F and G. Their reasons?

They accepted Atherton's assurances that he'd given up drinking, and

they were afraid they would lose if it went to appeal. Michael Atherton

was issued with a shotgun licence and a warning letter that if he

behaved in an irresponsible or uncontrolled way, the licence would

Bobby believes Durham police are out of step with other forces where

a history of domestic violence rules out gun ownership. His

petition is calling for a tightening up on the way gun laws

are applied across the country. I've got loads of support, people

left right and centre asking for petitions to take them to work, to

hand them on to friends for them to take them to work. People backing

Our copy of the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation

highlights many of the family's concerns. It sets out how Atherton

applied for firearms licence to own rifles and the automatic shotgun

with which he killed the three women. Despite noting that Atherton

had been arrested just a month earlier for affray, breaking the

terms of the warning letter given to him earlier, a force employee

identified only as Person H grants the licence for the more dangerous

And the reason? Well, there is no record kept by the police, but

Person H told the watchdog they'd been assured Atherton was unlucky

to be arrested for the affray. So he walked away with a licence

With the petition gaining support locally, Bobby wants it to go

national. He's going to London for The burden of his grief and running

the campaign is starting to take hold. I don't sleep very well, it's

a lot of stress. I couldn't tell you how I'm dealing with it. The

campaign helps us a lot. He is meeting the Gun Control

Network, which successfully campaigned for handguns to be

banned after the Dunblane massacre. We've also been working for a while

on firearms licensing, because like you, we've been very concerned that

it's very slack and often very cosy. That's what my campaign petition is

We will help him contact politicians, we will help him to

understand the process whereby laws are changed.

After today, it makes us feels like it's going to be so much easier to

By 2008, Atherton had built a collection of six fully licensed

guns. And as the watchdog report sets out, there was one last chance

for the police to intervene before Shortly before midnight on

September 10th, armed police raced to Atherton's home after a 999 call.

There'd been a disturbance, and Atherton, who was blind drunk, was

threatening to, in the words of his partner, shoot his head off.

He had too much to drink, and he said he was going to go upstairs

and shoot himself. We phoned the police and the police came, and

there was loads of riot vans. He had his guns took off him for about

six weeks. Despite breaking the terms of his

two warning letters, despite being involved in another drunken

domestic dispute, and despite threatening to shoot himself,

Atherton had his six guns returned. I do feel quite angry, because it's

like common sense. If I was a policewoman, I know I'm not

Einstein or anything, if a man tried to commit suicide, or

pretended to, why would you give a man a gun back like that with a

Once again, the police failed to record the reason for the decision.

The report says, "Person H could not recall how they reached the

recommendation to return his guns." Nor could Person H recall whether a

final verbal warning was delivered to Atherton, as agreed. Whatever

the reason, returning the guns Tanya was in the living room with

Aunty Ali's friend, Aunty Ali was in the bathroom. And a couple of

seconds later Big Mick came in plain a day with a gun held up,

like pointing it at me mam, and then he shot me mam.

I walked into the house and I just... I thought they were playing

a trick on us. I thought it was a Hallowe'en trick or something when

I walked into the house. It was I just cannot really put it into

words what I saw. Well, Ali was still alive when I got there. I put

her in the recovery position. I I was screaming out the door for

somebody to help us but nobody came I was just pleading with them to

let us in, I was like "Looker, it's me mam, if she's dying, I want to

be with her." And one of the police just said, "Looker, son, there's

four people in there and none of them's alive." I just cannot

describe it, the way I felt, it's Susan was a much loved sister who

was adored by family and friends... Bobby has been invited to speak at

the annual victims of homicide conference in South Shields. Alison

was a fantastic mother, sister and partner who was always there when

we needed her. She was a fantastic mother to

myself. Tanya was the most amazing daughter, partner and sister you

could ever wish for. It's an emotional day and a chance to share

experiences of similar tragedies. Andrew Foster's brother Christopher

shot his wife and daughter in Shropshire. My brother made threats

to kill, his weapons weren't taken away, he threatened to commit

suicide also. I think we've got a lot in common. There are similar

issues between both the cases, and I think we can work together to try

to resolve and raise the issues that need to be worked upon at

government level, really. And thanks to Bobby, that process

is under way. A public debate on firearms

licensing is still needed, and I believe, Mr Speaker, the time I

right for the public and Parliament to consider if the current level of

protections are adequate. Bobby has the support of his local MP, and it

appears as if Government is already taking notice. The guidance to the

police on firearms legislation is currently being revised and updated

to help ensure licensing procedures are applied consistently across

forces. In particular, we'll be highlighting the need to take full

account of any incidences of domestic violence.

So what are the conclusions of this official report? Well, time and

time again the police are criticised for poor practice in not

finding out more about Atherton's domestic disputes. It says there

was no meaningful review after his guns were removed after he

threatened to kill himself. It points out that the staff in the

firearms licensing unit had little or no formal training. Senior

officers' failure to follow up on concerns about Atherton's emotional

state is described as unacceptable, and the lack of consideration to

the welfare of the family and wider Contained within Mr Atherton's

shotgun file is a handwritten Post- it note... What sort of way is that

to pass on information? If you've lost people who are the

closest to you in the world, you are going to feel anger. The police

have had a number of opportunities to refuse the licence in the first

place and also revoke the licence, a number of times which they

haven't. I think people should be named in

it, because it's...it's like they're trying to hide from the

responsibility of the mistakes that So will anyone be held accountable?

We asked Durham police for an interview. They declined but told

us... We've been informed by the IPCC that it is their

recommendation that there are no criminal or misconduct cases to

answer. We feel that at this stage it is entirely appropriate that

members of staff who made decisions within relevant guidance are not

identified. We have carried out a full review of policy and

procedures. It's a matter that's high on the

agenda for Durham's newly-elected police commissioner. We need

greater consistency if we are going to protect individuals in our

community. The family's campaign is entirely honourable. I think that,

given the tragedy that they have had to face, they've come through

this with remarkable dignity, and they are quite clearly wanting to

ensure this doesn't happen again anywhere else to any other family,

and I totally support the type of Everything the report points out,

it points out something what's also in the campaign, in the wording of

If them people did their jobs correctly in the first place, like

them lives would never have been Where is the Yorkshire Dales

National Park? A silly question? Well, actually, no. Plans are afoot

to move the boundaries and extend the park into Cumbria. Keeley

Donovan has been finding out what that means to the people who live

Welcome to Skipton, this is the heart of Yorkshire. Now, this town

has always been known as the gateway to the Dales, but pretty

soon things around here could be The Yorkshire Dales are a national

treasure. They don't do sudden changes round here. But the Dales

national park could expand out of Yorkshire to the north west into

the area round the village of Crosby Ravensworth. Does anyone in

Skipton know anything about it? Have you heard of Crosby

Ravensworth? No. Is that a glass place. How do you feel about

somewhere that is not in Yorkshire being part of the Dales National

Park? Ever since the Dales National Park

was established nearly sixty years ago, Yorkshire has always been at

the centre of its identity. So where is Crosby Ravensworth? And

why is the Dales set to expand there? The train now approaching...

The Settle to Carlisle railway passes through the heart of the

Dales and takes us to where the newest part of the national park

would be. More than eight million visitors a year come to the

Yorkshire Dales National Park - an area of outstanding beauty bounded

by the M6 on one side, and the A1 on the other. My route takes me

north to Kirkby Stephen. It's here that there'll be the biggest

proposed expansion of the Dales in an area between Kirkby Stephen and

the M6. Isn't London landed near. The under imminent intention it is

there is for this future. -- a fantastic landscape. They're not in

Yorkshire, are they? The National Park, 11 per cent of it is in

Cumbria. That is not unusual. Most national parks are not in one

county. What are the benefits? There are opportunities for

business, tourism and farming because it will mean additional

resources coming into their area. The proposals have been drawn up by

Natural England, the agency advising the Government on

protecting the landscape, and it says the changes are aimed at

giving greater protection to this stunning countryside. I'm in

Smardale, at a nature reserve hidden beneath the Settle Carlisle

line. You have this amazing scenery and incredible wildlife. There is

really interesting industrial archaeology as well, so lots of

different things. It is a fantastically rich in ear. Why it

did not get into being a national park in the first place, I am not

sure. There is no doubt this area is worth preserving, not everyone

agrees and National Park is the way to do it.

Nearby other, smaller, changes to park boundaries are also being

planned. An area south of Shap would go into the Lake District,

and land north of Kirkby Lonsdale would become part of the Dales. Tom

Lowther farms on the eastern edge of the Lake District, as well as

representing Crosby Ravensworth on the county council. I think there

is a coherent case to say we do not need National Park status any more.

The landscape has tremendous protection through ministerial and

European law. But the changes could bring more visitors into the area,

and help tourism. Annie Kindleysides has a holiday home

business. Being part of the National Park

might raise this profile of the area. We don't have an obvious

attrraction other than the countryside itself. We find once we

get people here, we get them back. Perhaps the label national park

would help. Annie's cousin John has farmed in Crosby Ravensworth all

his life. We're not in the Yorkshire dales, we're in Cumbria

and I can't see any benefit to being in the Yorkshire dales.

is a traditional farming country and we're coming up to one of its

most important days of the year. The Crosby Ravensworth show. John's

wife Lynda is a newcomer she's been here 30 years. Lynda's secretary of

the village show. It draws the community together. Lynda believes

joining the Dales would just give the area a new name. She doesn't

want anything else to change. It's not spoiled and I can't see

how giving it a different label makes it any different to what it

is now. It's the day before the show and

the weather isn't looking good. Annie's working on the gate and

numbers are down. It's a pity it's chilly. I've got

two jackets on. It's been a long morning.

It's one day in the year when it pulls the community together.

People have a good day out. Long may it continue. This show has a

feel all of its own. This show and this community - has a feel which

is all its own and it's nothing to do with Yorkshire. This is

Cumberland wrestling. You wouldn't see that in the Yorkshire Dales.

I've discovered that it isn't just the landscape here that's worth

protecting. It's the way of life as well. Really, this story is about

identity. This is a tight-knit community based in unspoilt

countryside. It deserves to be in a national park but its ties are to

Cumbria, not Yorkshire. That needs to be taken into account, for the

expansion plans to be a success. You've got to be determined to

follow your dream when others expect you to fail and you've

hardly got the means to put your money where your mouth is. That

didn't deter a North Yorkshire couple who decided to take on the

racing establishment and have a revolution on the race track.

In North Yorkshire many villages echo to the sound of hooves but one

trainee racehorse isa maverick and he's turning the locals' heads

Everyone loves him. He's a character round the place. A lot of

amateur riders want to see him run. What marks Angrove Rum Baba out is

his looks where else have you ever seen a racehorse with hotchpotch of

colour all over his body? The moment he comes into public view

it'll cause a storm. And it's been brewing for quite a few years -

because across the county at Great Ayton his owners have been breeding

foals with just one aim. I want to see a coloured horse win

a race and show everyone what they can do. I really believe in them or

I wouldn't be doing it. Is anyone keen to see you fail? Oh, yeah, the

whole world. When she first told me, I thought it was nonsense. Coloured

horses don't go on the track. If they were any good, they'd be on

the track now. Heather has become something of an

expert in genetics. She found a stallion with thoroughbred

parentage. Meet Ricco he's not pure enough to race himself but he

carries a gene that guarantees he will father a coloured horse put

him with the right thoroughbred mare and the resulting foal will

have a multi-coloured coat and a pedigree that will allow it to race.

4 years ago that perfect combination resulted in the birth

of Angrove Rum Baba. Rummy looks the part but would he be an athlete

like his mum? Just minutes old he struggles to find his legs but

Heather dares to believe he could not only race, but win.

It would be the first in the world. There hasn't been a coloured horse

win a race. The years leading up to this have

been cruel she and husband Alistair faced ruin when his business

collapsed. We lost our home, car and we had about 2 grand in the

bank. We purchased an old schoolroom from the local council.

As we had coloured horses people in the area thought we were gypsies.

There was a quite a hoo-ha in the village.

Fitting in with the neighbours is as nothing to getting coloured

horses accepted into mainstream racing. But they're undaunted.

Rummy is now almost 2 years old and it's crunch time. He's got to now

be sat on, be ridden. Jo will be legged up and lean over the saddle.

He has to be ridden. It's vital. Walk on. Walk on.

Jo was fantastic. She's such a professional. She's done wonders.

I'm so thrilled. He's on track for getting on the race course.

Just 6 months later, Rummy is at a professional training stable - that

means getting up before dawn. On the gallops he's showing promise,

but will he be ready in time? He's been entered for the last race of

the season that's just one week away.

But owner, trainer and Rummy cannot afford for him to be humiliated on

his first outing and at the last minute he's pulled from the race.

I was gutted, absolutely gutted. But you have to pick yourself up

and start again. Where is he? Rummy!

Keeping racehorses is an expensive business so Rummy has now become an

investment there's a syndicate and he seems to know when his Yorkshire

backers have come to visit. Hello. Come on. He's gorgeous! I was in

hospital and I saw it in the paper. I thought I'll have a go at that.

People at work said you've got a gypsy horse. You'd know what one he

was with a black and white set. syndicate might be optimistic of a

champagne moment but there's been pretty little of that for Heather

and Alistair. We went through one winter without any heat at all

which was desperate. We had nothing. We had some furniture, put a table

in and some grandparents' furniture - even the wonderful four poster

bed he was born in. We made holes in the ceiling to accommmodate it.

Having since suffered health problems which put paid to her ever

riding a horse again, Heather now has her sights set on a much bigger

prize. A new trainer has agreed to give Rummy another crack at the

racing. I'm happy with the work he's done.

He's shown enough ability to be given his chance. He enjoys himself,

loves galloping. See how it goes. Some would say, oh God. There would

be a stigma, maybe people feel it's a gimmick. It's a closed book,

racing. He's bred so why not let him race.

It will be scary for him, he hasn't seen a race course before. Nervous

isn't the word, terrified I'd say. I've been racing for 50 years and

never seen one. Two other coloured horses have just

made it onto the racing scene but they've both finished last so all

eyes are on Angrove Rum Baba. He's at 12/1 but the real stakes

couldn't be higher. I'm blown away. Really proud. He shouldn't be in

this race, not a thoroughbred. lad. No, no. Go for it. Come on,

you. Be strong! The world is watching as 4 years of

work comes down to one, mad dash... The first furlong - Green Flag is

the early leader. Behind this is the skewball pony, Angrove Rum Baba.

That's good. Angrove Rum Baba has run really

well although credentials didn't look that good before the race.

Come on, Rummy! Only the first four horses over the

line get an official placing but the leading group is breaking away.

There is a great race going on between Angrove Rum Baba.... Yes!

Yes! Who is going to finish fourth. He's the first coloured horse in

You're a clever baby. Sorry, I don't mind the mud.

You are such a clever man. Sorry, I don't mind mud on horses! Carry on.

You just made history. For the punters heading home it's

been an unusual day for Rummy the first day of a colourful new career

for Heather and Alistair a day never to forget.

How amazing is that. Since that race Rummy if has taken

a third place. And Heather remains confident one day he will be the

first coloured horse to come home a winner. That's it for tonight. Next