Browse content similar to 06/11/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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In the next half an hour: | 0:00:04 | 0:00:05 | |
Just as northern working
women thought they would | 0:00:05 | 0:00:07 | |
be able to retire,
their pensions were put on hold. | 0:00:07 | 0:00:09 | |
THEY CHANT. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
Come the New Year,
I have to sell the house. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:19 | |
We tracked down the conman
who cheated a grieving | 0:00:19 | 0:00:21 | |
Cumbrian family. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:25 | |
We started to campaign and just
to knock on any door for help. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:28 | |
And we both knew that
we'd been conned. | 0:00:28 | 0:00:33 | |
And what could be catching his eye? | 0:00:33 | 0:00:35 | |
When a weatherman looks
way beyond the clouds | 0:00:35 | 0:00:37 | |
in the North Pennines. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
Wow. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:42 | |
That is amazing. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:46 | |
I'm Chris Jackson and
this is Inside Out. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:56 | |
There are 200,000 women in our
region who are mightily hacked off. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
They had hoped to retire at 60
but then the pension rules changed. | 0:01:05 | 0:01:12 | |
Some have been forced
to carry on working, | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
others say the postponement
of their state pension has | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
plunged them into debt. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
The raising of women's
retirement age has hit this | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
region more than any other. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:32 | |
This class in Newcastle is fighting
fit and looking forward | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
to a healthy retirement. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
Today, these women can hope
to live until they are well | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
into their 80s and keep partying. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:41 | |
But the Government worked out
the pension system to pay | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
for all those extra years is no
longer fit for purpose. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:47 | |
So now, a 60th birthday
may no longer be the | 0:01:47 | 0:01:49 | |
celebration it once was. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:55 | |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PLAYS ON PIANO. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:59 | |
I feel very angry. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
Worked since I was 15,
paid in for 45 years. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:09 | |
I just feel that we've been
completely abandoned. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:17 | |
Tell me, how am I going to cope? | 0:02:17 | 0:02:19 | |
Because I really don't know. | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
For decades, the pension
age stayed the same. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
Women retired at 60, men at 65. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:27 | |
But by 2020, both men and women
will have to wait until they are 66 | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
before they can draw
the state pension. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:34 | |
The changes began in 2010
and on a sliding scale. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:38 | |
So, for instance, a woman
born before April 1950 | 0:02:38 | 0:02:41 | |
will still get her state
pension at 60. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:45 | |
But if her date of birth is two
years later, she will | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
get the benefit at 62. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
And, if she was born a couple
of years after that, | 0:02:50 | 0:02:52 | |
then she will be 66 before she can
draw her state pension. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
For many women, that
six-year loss amounts | 0:02:55 | 0:02:57 | |
to a huge slice of income,
more than £40,000. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:04 | |
I am Margaret, I was born
in 1954, and I am 63. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:10 | |
So have you worked out
how much you have lost | 0:03:10 | 0:03:12 | |
by all these changes,
Margaret? | 0:03:12 | 0:03:13 | |
Yes. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:14 | |
About £46,000. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:18 | |
No way. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:19 | |
Yes. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:21 | |
Margaret gave up work
as a receptionist when she was 59 | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
to look after her mother
and grandchildren. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:26 | |
For the last four years,
she has been living off her savings. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:34 | |
I had some private pension, a lump
sum when I left work, | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
that on. | 0:03:37 | 0:03:42 | |
--that's gone. | 0:03:42 | 0:03:43 | |
My mother passed away
and she left me some money | 0:03:43 | 0:03:45 | |
and that's practically gone now. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:46 | |
So, probably... | 0:03:46 | 0:03:47 | |
Come the New Year, I'll
have to sell the house. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
It's that serious? | 0:03:50 | 0:03:53 | |
It's that serious, yeah. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:54 | |
So how does this make you feel? | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
Very angry. | 0:03:56 | 0:04:00 | |
Very angry and frustrated. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:06 | |
Margaret is one of an estimated
2.5 million affected across the UK. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
It's lead to the formation
of the campaign group, | 0:04:09 | 0:04:11 | |
Women Against State Pension
Inequality, Waspi for short. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:14 | |
They say they don't object to women
being brought into line with men, | 0:04:14 | 0:04:18 | |
but claim they weren't given enough
notice of the change. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:21 | |
We absolutely support equalisation,
that isn't our issue at all. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
It's the way that
equalisation was carried out. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:27 | |
The fact that the act was passed
in 1995 but it was 14 years before | 0:04:27 | 0:04:30 | |
the Government thought to inform
anyone of the changes | 0:04:30 | 0:04:32 | |
to their state pension age. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:34 | |
So what is the solution? | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
We are not asking for
the pension to go back to 60. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:40 | |
We're looking for a fair arrangement
that will tide women | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
through between their old state
pension age and the new one. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:51 | |
I'm Sue, I'm 63 and
I was born in 1954. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
Sue thought working days
were over when she took Fonte | 0:04:54 | 0:05:02 | |
--voluntary redundancy six years
ago. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
But today, with savings running low,
she is looking for job. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:09 | |
What led you to go for
retirement, and an early | 0:05:09 | 0:05:12 | |
retirement at that? | 0:05:12 | 0:05:13 | |
I had had a long working life
and I was just worn out. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
It just seemed an ideal
opportunity to, if you like, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
spend a bit of me time. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
But in retirement, Sue
has never been busier. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
She's a parish councillor
and volunteers at her | 0:05:22 | 0:05:24 | |
church coffee shop. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
I'm Secretary of the local
Woman's Institute, hence my pinny. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
I'm on the village hall committee,
I'm a member of the history group. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:34 | |
And... | 0:05:34 | 0:05:35 | |
Blimey! | 0:05:35 | 0:05:36 | |
The mothers union. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:38 | |
I thought you're supposed to take it
easy when you retire. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:40 | |
Well, that's what I thought, yes. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:45 | |
If you had to go back to work,
does that threaten all this? | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
It would threaten it. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:49 | |
To work would just mean that
I would be totally cut off | 0:05:49 | 0:05:52 | |
from this community. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:53 | |
Part of the problem we have
here is that our population tends | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
to experience higher amounts
of ill health... | 0:05:56 | 0:05:57 | |
This professor believes
that the pension changes hit | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
the north harder than the south. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
Poor women in the north-east
will on average die two | 0:06:03 | 0:06:05 | |
years earlier than women
in the south-east. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
But perhaps more relevant in terms
of the pension changes of the fact | 0:06:08 | 0:06:12 | |
that some women in our region
will be getting a disability | 0:06:12 | 0:06:22 | |
or a long-term health problem
in their mid to late 50s | 0:06:22 | 0:06:24 | |
and worse than other regions,
it may not be until after this | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
new state pension age. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:28 | |
Does that mean going back
to work is not always | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
an option for these women? | 0:06:31 | 0:06:32 | |
I think it means it's harder. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:34 | |
The north-east labour
market is not as buoyant | 0:06:34 | 0:06:39 | |
as for example the one in London,
so the two elements combine. | 0:06:39 | 0:06:41 | |
Women who are on low wages are more
dependent on the state pension, | 0:06:41 | 0:06:45 | |
it will be harder for them
to continue the jobs they have been | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
ordinarily doing because obviously,
manual work is a lot | 0:06:48 | 0:06:50 | |
more strenuous physically. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:51 | |
I'm Kay, I was born in 1955,
which makes the 62. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
Kay had expected to
have retired by now. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
She's a former air stewardess
who now works for a mental | 0:06:58 | 0:07:00 | |
health crisis team. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:07 | |
I got my letter into
2013 to say I wasn't | 0:07:07 | 0:07:14 | |
going to receive my state
pension until I was 66, | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
meaning I would have
to wait six years. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:18 | |
I was only given 18 months
notice to that effect. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
I will lose about £46,000
in pension, then I'm still paying | 0:07:21 | 0:07:23 | |
the national insurance stamp,
which I'm paying | 0:07:23 | 0:07:25 | |
over £100 per month. | 0:07:25 | 0:07:26 | |
I would like to go part-time. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:27 | |
And I can't afford to do that. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:29 | |
And I... | 0:07:29 | 0:07:38 | |
I can't see me working full-time
until I'm 66, even though, | 0:07:38 | 0:07:40 | |
what is going to support me? | 0:07:40 | 0:07:42 | |
Just being in the modern workplace
is very stressful for somebody | 0:07:42 | 0:07:44 | |
of an older age group. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:46 | |
If I had my state pension,
I could take a less stressful | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
position and wind down a little bit,
which is what I would like to do. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
But what jobs can
women do in their 60s? | 0:07:52 | 0:07:54 | |
that issue became politically
toxic this summer. | 0:07:54 | 0:07:56 | |
The Hexham MP, now a minister
in the Department for Work | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
and Pensions, said women over 60
could start an apprenticeship. | 0:07:59 | 0:08:01 | |
The Government must do all we can
to assist everybody affected | 0:08:01 | 0:08:05 | |
into retraining and employment
and provide support | 0:08:05 | 0:08:06 | |
if that is not possible. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:08 | |
Shame on you! | 0:08:08 | 0:08:10 | |
The commitment to... | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
The commitment to provide support
is clear, unequivocal and ongoing. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
We have talked to various
employers, very few, | 0:08:18 | 0:08:23 | |
despite what the Government say
on this, are keen to | 0:08:23 | 0:08:25 | |
take on apprentices
at the age of 65 for a year. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:29 | |
They won't even have finished
their apprenticeship by the time | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
they reach retirement age. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
We are in one of the parts
of the country with the highest | 0:08:34 | 0:08:37 | |
rates of unemployment. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:42 | |
Why should this group of women,
just this group of women, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:46 | |
bear the price of making our pension
system fairer for everybody else? | 0:08:46 | 0:08:49 | |
Guy Opperman said that he was too
busy to be interviewed by inside out | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
and referred us to the Department
for Work and Pensions. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
It too declined but in
a statement, said... | 0:08:55 | 0:09:00 | |
"The decision to equalise the state
pension age between men and women | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
achieves a long overdue
move gender equality. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:05 | |
There are no plans to
change the transitional | 0:09:05 | 0:09:07 | |
arrangements already in place. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:08 | |
Women retiring today can
still expect to receive a state | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
pension for 26 years on average,
several years longer than men. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
pension for 26 years on average,
several years longer than men." | 0:09:14 | 0:09:24 | |
Once, your 60th birthday meant
it was time for women | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
to celebrate the end of work. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:32 | |
But with the Government showing
little sign of caving in, | 0:09:32 | 0:09:35 | |
the party is being put on hold. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:41 | |
The Waspi campaigners believe
they have enough rebel MPs | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
on their side to win a vote
in parliament next year. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
A long battle is on the cards. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
You feel as if you have
paid your faith in the system | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
and the system has let me down. | 0:09:51 | 0:09:52 | |
We paid in, you pay out. | 0:09:52 | 0:09:54 | |
There's still women now
think they're going | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
to get their pension at 60. | 0:09:57 | 0:09:59 | |
Some women have paid 48
years into the NI fund, | 0:09:59 | 0:10:01 | |
so where is the money? | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
That's what I would like to know. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:11 | |
So, have the Waspi women been given
a rough deal and should | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
the Government stump up
the cash to help them out? | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
Your views on all our stories
are always welcome, you can | 0:10:16 | 0:10:19 | |
e-mail me or why not have your say
with others on twitter? | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
The details you need
are on screen now. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:24 | |
Still to come, why most of us
are in love with northern skies. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
It was amazing! | 0:10:36 | 0:10:37 | |
Yeah? | 0:10:37 | 0:10:38 | |
You didn't... | 0:10:38 | 0:10:39 | |
Why not? | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
I'm scared! | 0:10:41 | 0:10:42 | |
OK! | 0:10:42 | 0:10:43 | |
I'm scared of the dark! | 0:10:43 | 0:10:51 | |
Heaven forbid one of your family
should die abroad and | 0:10:51 | 0:10:53 | |
in suspicious circumstances. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:55 | |
But those who have been
there will often tell you that | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
British authorities are reluctant
to get involved. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
So, for some, Simon Delow must have
seemed something of a saviour, | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
an investigator with military
credentials, even if his | 0:11:04 | 0:11:09 | |
services come at a cost. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:10 | |
But Durham Police found
it was all a pack of lies. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:15 | |
Simon Hare has been investigating
the bogus investigator. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:21 | |
The Foreign Office in London,
and a protest by families asking for | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
help over the death
of their relatives abroad. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
What do we want? | 0:11:28 | 0:11:29 | |
ALL: Justice! | 0:11:29 | 0:11:31 | |
Among them, Simon Delow, who for
months masqueraded as an expert | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
investigator, calling
himself Simon D'Gresser. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:39 | |
But he is now in prison
for the £100,000 con committed | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
against some of the most vulnerable
people you could imagine. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:49 | |
You know, he was appearing at demos. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:51 | |
He was... | 0:11:51 | 0:11:52 | |
He looked as if he
was fighting for us. | 0:11:52 | 0:11:54 | |
He seemed to be very convincing. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:56 | |
I mean, he was. | 0:11:56 | 0:12:01 | |
Coming away from it,
you wonder how on earth | 0:12:01 | 0:12:04 | |
you were taken in. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:05 | |
In times of the personal impact
on the family, it is | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
just the worst kind of fraud ever. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
He's only there for
one person, himself. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
No comment! | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
DOORBELL RINGS. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:21 | |
I've come to Nottinghamshire. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:25 | |
Ray Martin and his wife Pat
were devastated when their daughter | 0:12:25 | 0:12:30 | |
Claire died in Italy five years ago
from stab wounds to the throat. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
We have never believed,
from day one, | 0:12:33 | 0:12:35 | |
that our daughter took her own life. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:45 | |
The Martins believe
Claire was murdered, | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
but Italian authorities ruled
it was suicide. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:54 | |
Within months of Claire's death,
Simon Delow had contacted | 0:12:54 | 0:12:56 | |
the Martins to say he could help. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
He said, with his team
getting into Italy | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
and asking questions,
he could get to the truth. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
Mentioning that he'd got
contacts within Interpol, | 0:13:03 | 0:13:04 | |
different contacts abroad. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:08 | |
He seemed to have
somebody everwhere. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
That's my father's
medals, my father was | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
in the Coldstream Guards. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:19 | |
Ray is from a proud
military family and Delow | 0:13:19 | 0:13:21 | |
also claimed to be
ex-armed services. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:25 | |
I believed he fought
for our country, I believed he | 0:13:25 | 0:13:29 | |
was injured. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:35 | |
He invited the Martins
down to see him, | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
he was very friendly
in his contact, he wasn't pushy. | 0:13:37 | 0:13:39 | |
He began to say what
he could give them and | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
began to dangle the carrot
of what he could find out, | 0:13:42 | 0:13:44 | |
what his teams could do,
and then started to | 0:13:44 | 0:13:46 | |
introduce, "But for me to do that it
will cost £60,000, £65,000, whatever | 0:13:46 | 0:13:56 | |
£60,000, £65,000," whatever | 0:13:56 | 0:13:57 | |
figure it was that he said his
services would cost. | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
In the end, the Martins
had a lucky escape. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
They simply didn't
have the cash to pay | 0:14:02 | 0:14:04 | |
Delow's fees. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:05 | |
If I'd have had the money,
or we could have remortgaged | 0:14:05 | 0:14:09 | |
the house, yeah, I could
have lost quite a bit. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:17 | |
To go and pull a con on somebody
that has lost somebody, | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
to give them false hope
that you're helping them | 0:14:20 | 0:14:23 | |
when there is no help
at the end of the line, it's... | 0:14:23 | 0:14:26 | |
You know, how low can you go? | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
Delow said he had spent
15 years with the RAF, | 0:14:28 | 0:14:33 | |
that he'd been a pilot
and risen to the rank | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
of Group Captain. | 0:14:36 | 0:14:37 | |
But we checked with the Ministry
of Defence, and it says he | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
doesn't have any military
credentials whatsoever. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:42 | |
And his company was simply
a website he ran from his | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
home in Gloucester. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:46 | |
But it was slick enough
to persuade some people to | 0:14:46 | 0:14:49 | |
hand over the money. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:51 | |
We knew that he would give
a free assessment of the | 0:14:51 | 0:14:54 | |
case to see if he could help,
and we felt that it was worth a try. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:59 | |
Because, by then, we were three
years after Andrew died. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:06 | |
Julie's son Andrew was 31
when he died in September 2010. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
He was found in a country lane
near to where he was living in | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
France with injuries on his body. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
French police initially said he had
died from natural causes. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:17 | |
Months later, they
ruled it was suicide. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:25 | |
The French said it wasn't
suspicious, so, you know, there was | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
nothing to be done and we started
to campaign and just to knock | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
on any door for help. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:33 | |
They have spoken to the managers
and they have advised | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
them not to come out
and see the letter because | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
they're not allowed to. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
they're not allowed to. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:41 | |
What a load of tosh. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:42 | |
Yeah. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:49 | |
The man they knew as Simon D'Gresser
accompanied them on | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
many of their protests. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
This one was outside
the French embassy in London. | 0:15:55 | 0:16:00 | |
They gave him £18,000,
thinking they were paying | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
for his investigation services
through his accountant, Paul Delow. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:04 | |
Not knowing that was his real
middle name and surname. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
And it wasn't the only fictitious
character he had dreamed | 0:16:07 | 0:16:09 | |
up along the way. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:14 | |
He told us he had a contact
in France who was almost | 0:16:14 | 0:16:19 | |
his counterpart, called Louis,
based in Paris, who would help him | 0:16:19 | 0:16:27 | |
with the language and the law
and everything, | 0:16:27 | 0:16:29 | |
and, you know, we were... | 0:16:29 | 0:16:30 | |
We were drawn in. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:31 | |
Julie now lives near
Penrith in Cumbria. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
For her money, all she got
was an interim report full | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
of fabricated claims
about her son's death. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:43 | |
Beginning to suspect all wasn't
as it seemed to be, Julie and | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
her husband Les insisted
they accompany Delow on his next | 0:16:46 | 0:16:49 | |
trip to France. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:51 | |
He said it would be dangerous
and he said that if there | 0:16:51 | 0:16:54 | |
was a problem, then we may have
to escape through Germany. | 0:16:54 | 0:17:00 | |
We were still determined
to go and we did. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
And it very quickly unravelled. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:10 | |
Louis was meant to meet us in Paris
and he didn't turn up. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
But he was shouting down the phone
at Louis, swearing at Louis, and Les | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
and I just looked at each
other and we both knew | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
that we'd been conned. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
They went to Durham Police for help. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:29 | |
It became clear that he had
been in touch with | 0:17:29 | 0:17:31 | |
a number of families across the UK
and these families that he had been | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
contacting were clearly
very desperate. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
An alleged interview that happened
with a French pathologist. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:41 | |
He didn't have operatives
across the country, he didn't | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
have the old boys' network
that he claimed to have, | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
but actually come he was going
under a different name at that point | 0:17:46 | 0:17:50 | |
and he had got a previous
conviction for fraud | 0:17:50 | 0:17:52 | |
and had actually been
to prison for fraud. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:55 | |
More than a decade ago,
Delow posed as an insurance | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
broker in Lincolnshire. | 0:17:57 | 0:17:58 | |
But he spent most of
the tens of thousands of | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
pounds he'd taken for
policies on expensive cars. | 0:18:01 | 0:18:04 | |
Simon Delow had set up
a company purporting to be an | 0:18:04 | 0:18:10 | |
international company that
specialised in, you know, some | 0:18:10 | 0:18:15 | |
fairly specialist insurance cover
for the construction industry. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
And on looking into
that, we quickly found | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
that the whole thing
was a sham, really. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:21 | |
On the internet, his website,
you know, reporter, | 0:18:21 | 0:18:25 | |
--purported | 0:18:26 | 0:18:27 | |
blue-chip company, big expensive
offices, Singapore, New York. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
The reality was,
it was a two-bedroom | 0:18:29 | 0:18:31 | |
flat above a hairdressers in Boston. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:33 | |
As Durham Police built
up their case against Delow | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
for his latest fraud,
he went on the run. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:41 | |
He'd left Gloucester,
but they traced him to Jersey | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
in the Channel Islands. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:47 | |
He was found by officers at a motor
home stopover site | 0:18:47 | 0:18:50 | |
appropriately called the Hideaway. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
Unfortunately for him,
it wasn't a very good | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
hiding place. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:58 | |
Delow was arrested and held
on them and in Durham. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:04 | |
--Held on remand in Durham. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:06 | |
In August, he pleaded
guilty to ten fraud | 0:19:06 | 0:19:13 | |
relating to the Sheppards,
the Martins and a third family. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:23 | |
I want to look him in the eye,
for him to know, you know, what | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
he has done. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
Ten days ago, Simon Delow had
to face his victims again at | 0:19:28 | 0:19:30 | |
Durham Crown Court as he
was given a ten year | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
sentence for con that
a judge said could be | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
summed
up in one word: cruel. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:36 | |
Ray, what it you make, ten years,
what did you make of that? | 0:19:36 | 0:19:39 | |
Not enough, but yeah, happy. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
At least he's not out there trying
to dupe anybody else. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
I think the judge summed
it up, saying, cruel. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:50 | |
You know, what all these people have
been through already and | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
then to do that to them? | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
It's just really sickening. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:56 | |
Well, the families now have
justice against Simon Delow | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
but they say they will continue
to fight for justice for their loved | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
ones who died abroad. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:12 | |
How much notice do we really take
off our surroundings, | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
especially what's up above? | 0:20:21 | 0:20:22 | |
Northumberland has the largest areas
of protected dark skies in Europe, | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
and with observatories popping up
all over the region, | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
there's never been a better time
to discover the wonders | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
of the universe. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:31 | |
Owain has been finding out why
we should all be looking up. | 0:20:31 | 0:20:35 | |
Now, I know you all love
the weather, and yes, | 0:20:35 | 0:20:38 | |
it's raining again. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:41 | |
I'm sorry about that. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:43 | |
But when was the last time
you looked a bit further afield? | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
Looked beyond those clouds
and took a good look | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
at the stars and the planets? | 0:20:48 | 0:20:58 | |
It may be all around us,
but it's something a lot | 0:20:59 | 0:21:01 | |
of us take for granted. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:06 | |
Now, as this new Observatory opens
in the north Pennines, | 0:21:06 | 0:21:09 | |
I want to know just what it takes
to be an astronomer and do | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
we all have it in us? | 0:21:12 | 0:21:14 | |
Now, tonight is the first
night at a brand-new | 0:21:14 | 0:21:16 | |
community owned Observatory. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:19 | |
As you can see, it's already
getting pretty dark. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:29 | |
But we're going to need to hang
onto these clear skies if we're | 0:21:29 | 0:21:32 | |
going to see any stars. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:33 | |
I'm crossing my fingers. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:34 | |
Well, we weren't so lucky
a few nights earlier. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
In the depths of Kielder Forest,
emerging through the mists, | 0:21:37 | 0:21:42 | |
Northumberland's first
and flagship observatory. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
The unpredictable weather hasn't put
off tens of thousands of visitors. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:47 | |
To give you a little bit
of introduction, astronomy is, | 0:21:47 | 0:21:50 | |
I guess the narrative is leading
all the way to the revolution | 0:21:50 | 0:21:55 | |
--evolution of the universe. | 0:21:55 | 0:22:04 | |
Dark skies, or astro tourism,
has became such a big part | 0:22:04 | 0:22:06 | |
of the local economy now,
people from all of the world | 0:22:06 | 0:22:09 | |
in the UK are flocking to come
to Kielder, which is just brilliant. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
And long may it continue. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:13 | |
If I think back to when
the Observatory first opened, | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
I was working here as a volunteer
and the Observatory | 0:22:16 | 0:22:18 | |
couldn't employ anyone. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:19 | |
We now employ ten full-time
members of staff. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
For me, as a young lad
growing up in Sunderland, | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
purchase a telescope fairly cheap. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:25 | |
I observed all sorts of things,
even from a back garden | 0:22:25 | 0:22:27 | |
in a light polluted area. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
Some of the best things
are definitely seen | 0:22:30 | 0:22:32 | |
through the cameras. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:37 | |
We attach a camera to
the telescopes and get some | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
phenomenal images. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:41 | |
Like the Andromeda galaxy,
which is one of my favourites. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:44 | |
I think now, everybody doesn't
really take the time to take | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
look up at the sky, especially
with smartphones and technology. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
It would be lovely for people just
to look up, just for one night, | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
or just for a moment and actually
appreciate the wonders | 0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | |
of the universe. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:57 | |
DOCTOR WHO THEME TUNE PLAYS. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:03 | |
Well, you don't have to go out
in the cold to get into astronomy. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:08 | |
On a sunny day in County Durham,
a pop-up planetarium lets families | 0:23:08 | 0:23:11 | |
experience the night sky. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
It's about getting out
there into the community and just | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
reaching out to them and teaching
them about astronomy, | 0:23:19 | 0:23:21 | |
making them passionate
about our dark skies. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
And how long have you been
interested in this kind of thing? | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
In astronomy, all my life. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:31 | |
I've only seriously taken it up
recently in the last six or seven | 0:23:31 | 0:23:34 | |
years when I started doing night
photography around here. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
And started building up
a reputation as somebody | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
who photographed the night sky. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:44 | |
Gary's photos might be impressive,
but has he managed to inspire | 0:23:44 | 0:23:46 | |
the next generation of stargazers? | 0:23:46 | 0:23:55 | |
I saw lots of stars and I saw
the Milky Way and it felt | 0:23:55 | 0:24:03 | |
like you were spinning, and | 0:24:04 | 0:24:05 | |
it felt like you
were actually there. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:06 | |
It was amazing! | 0:24:06 | 0:24:07 | |
Yeah? | 0:24:07 | 0:24:08 | |
You didn't enjoy...? | 0:24:08 | 0:24:09 | |
Why not? | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
I'm scared! | 0:24:11 | 0:24:12 | |
OK. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:13 | |
I'm scared of the dark. | 0:24:13 | 0:24:14 | |
It's not just interesting
but its things that | 0:24:14 | 0:24:16 | |
you should know, it's like... | 0:24:16 | 0:24:17 | |
It's important to know
what's happening. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:18 | |
Why was it so amazing? | 0:24:18 | 0:24:20 | |
Because it was about space! | 0:24:20 | 0:24:21 | |
And you like space? | 0:24:21 | 0:24:22 | |
Yeah! | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
Up the Valley, the new Observatory,
it's the final hurrah of | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
the week-long stargazing festival. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
That's a whole one. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:31 | |
So, if you slice that, you get... | 0:24:31 | 0:24:33 | |
That's like the edge of that. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:34 | |
Yeah. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
So if you imagine one about that
big, that was sliced. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:40 | |
But before we look at the skies,
I'm learning about what can | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
fall down from them. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:44 | |
These are meteorites. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:46 | |
This is the same stuff
that the Earth was made of, | 0:24:46 | 0:24:48 | |
4.5 billion years old. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:49 | |
Wow. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
So it's starting to fill up here now
and we're about learn about more | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
about the wonders of the universe. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:55 | |
That's Andy, he's an amateur
astronomer and he went on a pretty | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
special trip earlier this year. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:02 | |
I was lucky enough to get
to America in the summer | 0:25:02 | 0:25:05 | |
to see the total eclipse. | 0:25:05 | 0:25:11 | |
It was the kind of experience
of a lifetime, really. | 0:25:11 | 0:25:15 | |
I've been wanting to see an eclipse
ever since I was a kid. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:19 | |
It looked like the sky
had a hole in it. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:29 | |
There's a potential maximum of four,
possibly five eclipses every year | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
but to get one with a clear sky,
that was the special thing | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
about North America. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:36 | |
And it was the most
amazing experience. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
But you don't need to go all the way
to the States to see | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
some spectacular skies. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:42 | |
Gary, hello. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:43 | |
Good to see you again. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:44 | |
What have we got here? | 0:25:44 | 0:25:54 | |
It's a telescope with a man guiding
system on it. -- mount and are | 0:25:54 | 0:25:58 | |
guiding system. | 0:25:58 | 0:25:59 | |
so I can take it wherever
want to look. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:02 | |
And we're looking at
the millennium moment. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:04 | |
-- at the moon at the moment. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
So this is actually moving very
slowly now to track the moon? | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
Yeah. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:14 | |
To compensate for the rotation
of the Earth and of | 0:26:14 | 0:26:17 | |
the movement in space. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:18 | |
Amazing. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
Can I take a photo? | 0:26:21 | 0:26:22 | |
Yeah, definitely. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:23 | |
Wow. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:24 | |
That is amazing. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:25 | |
Wow. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:28 | |
Yeah, get your phone. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:29 | |
Right, here it. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:30 | |
Just position the lens right
of the eyepiece of the telescope. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
Look at that. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:35 | |
Who would have thought I would be
taking a picture like this over | 0:26:35 | 0:26:38 | |
the moon on my smartphone? | 0:26:38 | 0:26:39 | |
Amazing. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:40 | |
So be pushed out into right
in the Observatory now. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:43 | |
Good news, we still have
clear skies overhead, | 0:26:43 | 0:26:50 | |
I think we'll seesome stars. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:52 | |
Sorry, guys, we have to turn
these lights off, them. | 0:26:52 | 0:26:56 | |
It's been the first north Pennines
stargazing festival. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
We have attracted, through the week,
we think approximately 800 people | 0:26:58 | 0:27:01 | |
to events across the north Pennines. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:02 | |
Which I think is
absolutely fabulous. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:03 | |
Dark skies are a key special quality
of the north Pennines, | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
nine out of ten people in England
have never seen the Milky Way. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
Whereas on a clear night,
such as we have tonight, | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
it's easy to see the Milky Way
in the north Pennines. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:15 | |
So something as simple
as that is extremely special | 0:27:15 | 0:27:17 | |
and something that we need
to look after. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:26 | |
It's been great to sort of look
through the eyepiece | 0:27:26 | 0:27:29 | |
of the telescope tonight. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:30 | |
Something that I've
always wanted to do. | 0:27:30 | 0:27:33 | |
I don't think I've ever seen
a halo on the moon quite | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
like I've seen it tonight,
that was really good. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
I think you need
the dark sky further. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:43 | |
--for that. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:44 | |
I live just the other side of Durham
and there's lots of light pollution | 0:27:44 | 0:27:48 | |
from the town and every thing
so you wouldn't get the same | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
brilliant stars that you get here. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:52 | |
So, yeah, fantastic place. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:59 | |
Well, it's been a great night. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:00 | |
A bit cloudy but we're still managed
to see loads of stars. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:04 | |
So many of us live in towns
and cities where you just wouldn't | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
get views like these. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
But the fact is, these dark sky
parks are right on our doorstep. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
We just need to get out
there and enjoy them. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:20 | |
And that's it for tonight
and the current series. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
But fear not, we'll
back in the New Year. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
If you think there is a subject
or person we should do a story | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
about, please do keep
those suggestions coming. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:31 | |
You can e-mail me. | 0:28:31 | 0:28:32 | |
It's [email protected]. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:34 | |
And who knows? | 0:28:34 | 0:28:36 | |
It could be your idea that
end up on our screens. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:41 | |
If you want to catch those fabulous
night sky pictures again, just | 0:28:41 | 0:28:44 | |
search for us on the BBC iPlayer. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:50 | |
On behalf of the whole Inside Out
team, thanks for watching and we'll | 0:28:50 | 0:28:53 | |
see you again in January. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:54 | |
Till then, from
Middlesbrough, good night. | 0:28:54 | 0:28:59 |