:00:07. > :00:11.Hello. For tonight's programme, we are at sports city in Manchester
:00:12. > :00:20.where the we learn what it takes to become an Olympic champion.
:00:20. > :00:28.Tonight, back on British soil, the man who spent 8 years in the
:00:28. > :00:32.Bangkok Hilton. I think he has done it long enough. He has done 8 years.
:00:32. > :00:38.The search for illegal immigrants, we follow the north-west Border
:00:38. > :00:43.Agency as they carry out raids across the region. When we arrived,
:00:43. > :00:48.we found one person and we suspect they are illegal.
:00:48. > :00:52.We reveal the power behind our Olympic hopefuls. The parent is
:00:52. > :00:58.trusting you to look after their children and develop them
:00:58. > :01:08.physically and mentally into a per have way beyond gymnastics. -- into
:01:08. > :01:14.
:01:14. > :01:19.We have got an exclusive on Inside Out tonight. A young man from
:01:19. > :01:23.buried he was sentenced to life in a Thai jail is back in Britain.
:01:23. > :01:30.Michael Connell, 19 when he was caught smuggling drugs, has already
:01:30. > :01:33.served a 8 years at the Bang Kwang Prison. Now his father speaking
:01:33. > :01:37.exclusively to us has said that Michael has had enough and should
:01:37. > :01:47.be freed. It is the world's most notorious
:01:47. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:54.For the past 8 years, Bang Kwang Prison, better known as the Bangkok
:01:54. > :02:01.Hilton, has been home to Michael Connell. There are 24 in the room
:02:01. > :02:07.which is really hard. Everyone is all over the floor. I was surprised
:02:07. > :02:13.that he did not get more illnesses. He just had one bout of pneumonia.
:02:13. > :02:17.It could have killed him, but it did not.
:02:17. > :02:22.Michael, who has learning difficulties, was arrested when he
:02:22. > :02:27.arrived at Bangkok airport in November 2003. 3,400 Ecstasy
:02:27. > :02:32.tablets were found hidden in tubs of cream in his luggage. Speaking
:02:32. > :02:36.in a BBC documentary the following year, he describes what happened.
:02:36. > :02:41.went to collect my back and for some reason, it was already off the
:02:41. > :02:46.rails because someone had picked it up, walked through customs. Then
:02:46. > :02:56.someone asked if they could search my back and brought it to the X-ray
:02:56. > :02:56.
:02:56. > :03:00.machine, opened it, put their hand and and pulled them out. When I got
:03:00. > :03:09.arrested, they had a big sign up in the customs office which scared me
:03:09. > :03:17.a lot. I just sat there looking at it and just praying that I did not
:03:17. > :03:22.get the death penalty. To my family, I love you all. Don't
:03:22. > :03:28.worry about me, be more worried about yourself. Back home, his
:03:28. > :03:36.father Derek had no idea he had even travelled to Thailand. I was
:03:36. > :03:39.working as a taxi driver and became on the radio that a local man,
:03:39. > :03:44.Michael Connell, has been arrested in Thailand. That was the first I
:03:44. > :03:51.had heard of it. We did not get any phone calls from the government to
:03:51. > :03:58.advisers or anything like that. Not a nice way to hear of what your son
:03:58. > :04:01.has been up to. When they found a neat, I knew what was going to
:04:01. > :04:07.happen to me. Anywhere in the world if you get caught importing drugs,
:04:07. > :04:14.you go to prison, so I knew I would be put in prison as soon as they
:04:14. > :04:18.found them. Shortly after his arrest, Inside
:04:18. > :04:26.Out a company that Derek to see Michael and find out what happened.
:04:26. > :04:32.It was his first trip to the Far East. I get stressed out going into
:04:32. > :04:37.town, so I'm stressed now. It was an even bigger shock when we
:04:37. > :04:47.visited Michael in prison. Very noisy. Heat is sat in a long
:04:47. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:55.corridor with glass walls. You realise that your son is coming
:04:55. > :04:59.when you hear the clanking of the change -- the trains. Each step,
:04:59. > :05:06.the canker of the chains is horrible. Michael actually climbed
:05:06. > :05:15.up and showed us his legs. They are not little, they are big, heavy
:05:15. > :05:19.duty. They are very heavy. It is not a pretty sight by any stretch
:05:19. > :05:23.of the imagination. During the visit Michael refused to
:05:23. > :05:28.tell Derek who else was involved, but he confessed he knew he had the
:05:28. > :05:37.drugs and was smuggling them into diet -- into Thailand to pay off
:05:37. > :05:44.debts. He borrowed �350 off me and his mother. I had been led to
:05:44. > :05:51.believe it was to pay council tax and rent. He told me today but that
:05:51. > :05:59.is what he owed some body. He paid that many of because he said he
:05:59. > :06:09.doesn't like being in debt. I said, why did you do this then? He said,
:06:09. > :06:13.
:06:13. > :06:21.It looks like he has done it to repay his debts to me and his
:06:21. > :06:27.mother. Obviously, it is stupid because we would have written the
:06:27. > :06:31.debts of gladly. Inside Out obtained Michael's
:06:31. > :06:35.education records which back-up Derek's claim -- claims that
:06:35. > :06:39.Michael has learning difficulties and is easily led. We asked Michael
:06:39. > :06:46.how much he was getting and he said that he did not know. He said that
:06:46. > :06:54.they would give him some money, which shows his gullibility of. To
:06:54. > :06:58.risk your freedom and your life for somebody that has not confirmed the
:06:58. > :07:03.amount, they said it you take them over and once we have got them, we
:07:04. > :07:12.will sort you out, Michael. They had not even come up with a figure.
:07:12. > :07:17.He is not a bad lad. He is a fall, he is definitely a fall, but he is
:07:17. > :07:22.not a criminal. Because Michael pleaded guilty, he avoided the
:07:23. > :07:26.death sentence and was given 99 years, reduced on appeal to 30
:07:26. > :07:32.years. Financial restraints mean Derek has only visited him three
:07:32. > :07:36.times, the last was for Michael's 21st birthday six years ago.
:07:36. > :07:40.coped a lot better than I thought he would. He never once complained
:07:41. > :07:45.ever, never blamed anyone else but himself. He said he had done
:07:45. > :07:53.something stupid, wished he had not done it, but he had. He had to deal
:07:53. > :07:58.with it. I am sleeping next to a guy who has
:07:58. > :08:03.not washed his bed for two months. I have told them to do with, but he
:08:03. > :08:08.does not do it. I'm sure he will get mice in his bed. Michael also
:08:08. > :08:13.found himself as somewhat of a tourist attraction. A visit to the
:08:13. > :08:17.Bangkok Hilton is part of the backpacker itinerary. Michael
:08:17. > :08:22.settled into the routine at present -- prison life and got a job in a
:08:22. > :08:27.hospital. Early on, he could not speak to them very well, but he has
:08:27. > :08:37.developed over the years. He used to sit up all night with a
:08:37. > :08:47.
:08:47. > :08:53.terminally ill prisoners dying of Dr Manhop eventually gave him a job
:08:53. > :08:59.in the pharmacy. Michael is in prison for smuggling drugs into
:08:59. > :09:04.Thailand and he is working mean in a pharmacy in the Bangkok Hilton! I
:09:04. > :09:08.still find that amusing. They must have trusted him to give him that
:09:08. > :09:13.job in the first place. Following amnesties from the King of Thailand
:09:13. > :09:17.and a reduction for good behaviour, Michael's sentence was reduced to
:09:17. > :09:22.20 years. He could have asked to transfer to a British prison four
:09:22. > :09:27.years ago, but chose to return to Thailand in the hope of getting a
:09:27. > :09:31.king's pardon. Last year, he had had enough of the can Thailand and
:09:31. > :09:35.he was flown back to the UK and put in a category B prison just before
:09:35. > :09:40.Christmas. Due to a change in the law, he now has to serve half of
:09:40. > :09:46.the rest of his sentence rather than half of his original sentence
:09:46. > :09:52.before he is eligible for parole. Now, he faces even longer in prison.
:09:52. > :09:58.He is back in England, he has done 8 years, his sentences 20 years and
:09:58. > :10:01.he has 12 years to do. Prior to his arrest, you could apply for parole
:10:02. > :10:07.once he had served half of your sentence. Michael could have
:10:07. > :10:11.applied for parole after he had served 10 years, but in 2008 they
:10:11. > :10:20.changed the law so that he had to serve half of the remainder of his
:10:20. > :10:23.sentence in prison before he could apply. Where he hoped to apply for
:10:24. > :10:27.parole in two years, he cannot apply for six years now.
:10:27. > :10:31.addition, if Michael had not appealed against his original
:10:31. > :10:35.sentence and had come back to the UK, the British government would
:10:35. > :10:38.now have to set a tariff for the rest of his sentence and Derek
:10:38. > :10:45.believes he would be freed immediately. He is writing to
:10:45. > :10:49.people who he thinks may be able to help Michael's course. I am not
:10:49. > :10:54.beat smartest bloke so if anyone can give me any advice, it would be
:10:54. > :11:01.gratefully accepted. Hopefully they can try and get his sentence
:11:01. > :11:06.reduced, or get him paroled in a couple of years. Having Michael
:11:06. > :11:10.back home is the first step towards regaining his son's freedom. He
:11:10. > :11:15.thinks he has suffered enough. Michael committed a crime, he
:11:15. > :11:19.admitted he committed a crime, he has never denied it and has always
:11:19. > :11:28.put his hands up. He said he was a stupid and wishes he had never done
:11:28. > :11:33.it. He has done 8 years in one of the worst prisons in the world. I
:11:33. > :11:37.think the Americans say it is the equivalent of two years in one of
:11:37. > :11:43.their presence. Michael has done long enough, I think, and I will do
:11:43. > :11:49.whatever I can to get his sentence reduced, or even squashed if I can.
:11:50. > :11:54.I want to get him out. Coming up: Meet the unsung heroes
:11:54. > :12:04.helping our Olympians prepare for the Games. We have our tickets and
:12:04. > :12:07.
:12:07. > :12:10.we will be there cheering them on. The UK Border Agency has been under
:12:10. > :12:14.investigation last week following claims its staff were told to relax
:12:14. > :12:19.identity checks on non- EU nationals. The head of the
:12:19. > :12:23.organisation resigned over the controversy. Here, board agency
:12:23. > :12:31.offices are targeting immigration crime by raiding restaurants and
:12:31. > :12:34.takeaways. 50 Border Agency officials and
:12:34. > :12:39.police officers made a cash and carry warehouse outside Liverpool
:12:39. > :12:43.city centre. They are looking for suspected Eagle employees. It takes
:12:44. > :12:47.the Border Agency seconds to seal the area and they begin the process
:12:47. > :12:52.of working out who is the food. They suspect around 20 people have
:12:52. > :12:57.been working hit illegally so one of the first tasks to contain the
:12:57. > :13:01.people here behind me, interview them and assess the situation. It
:13:01. > :13:05.is an operation they have been planning since July. It is all
:13:05. > :13:09.based on intelligence. Staff who are entitled to work in the UK are
:13:09. > :13:17.moved to another part of the building. If the Border Agency find
:13:17. > :13:21.any illegal workers, the company faces a fine of �10,000.
:13:21. > :13:25.The Border Agency suspect there are 20 or more people working here
:13:25. > :13:32.illegally. Is this news to you? Hopefully they will not even find
:13:32. > :13:36.one person here. Are you confident you have done the correct checks?
:13:36. > :13:40.When we hire someone, we get the passports from them and we look at
:13:40. > :13:46.the passports, what kind of Beazer's they have. We sent out to
:13:46. > :13:52.head office to verify it. -- these were. Once head office says OK,
:13:52. > :13:59.then we hire them. How do you feel about this raid on your store?
:13:59. > :14:03.need to do their job. They are here to find someone. If they find
:14:03. > :14:06.someone, then that is good because they should catch these people. But
:14:06. > :14:11.as far as I know, there will not be any.
:14:11. > :14:18.The manager says he thinks he has done adequate checks. Is that
:14:18. > :14:23.something you encountered regularly? Yes, and I do have a
:14:23. > :14:27.colleague who is going through the employee at records. -- employee
:14:27. > :14:32.records. If any are found to be working illegally, a fine will be
:14:32. > :14:39.issued against the manager. So long as he done -- has done the right
:14:39. > :14:44.checks, they have permission to work with the UK companies, he can
:14:44. > :14:48.appeal any finance is issued today. The Border Agency intelligence
:14:48. > :14:53.information does not stand up to scrutiny. Two people are arrested,
:14:53. > :14:57.one of them a customer. Both have been placed on immigration bail.
:14:58. > :15:02.The company Bestway later complained the raid had been heavy
:15:02. > :15:06.handed. Raids like this are organised by
:15:06. > :15:10.this man who leads the newly established criminal and financial
:15:10. > :15:16.investigations team. From a secret location on the outskirts of
:15:16. > :15:20.Manchester, these officers gather evidence against crime gangs of.
:15:20. > :15:25.The team investigate organised criminal networks who are actively
:15:25. > :15:31.involved in immigration crime. We look to disrupt and dismantle these
:15:31. > :15:34.groups. The team that sift through intelligence and try to unravel the
:15:34. > :15:38.evidence. They work with other department -- departments like
:15:39. > :15:43.council services and revenues and customs. They liken it to peeling
:15:43. > :15:48.back the layers of an onion to find out what is going on. A minor
:15:48. > :15:52.offence can lead to the destruction of a much bigger organised crime.
:15:52. > :15:57.This man, Chi Lain Chen, is a Chinese national who was living in
:15:57. > :16:03.the UK illegally. At the same time, he was running a successful
:16:03. > :16:07.business empire worth an estimated �2 million. His work centred on
:16:07. > :16:17.three Chinese restaurants across the Lake District, but he was
:16:17. > :16:19.
:16:19. > :16:23.One of the restaurants is trading legitimately, but when Mr Chen was
:16:24. > :16:27.in charge, a number of people were working illegally. Here at this
:16:27. > :16:31.restaurant, which used to be known as the Royal Tea Garden,
:16:31. > :16:36.investigators discovered two bedrooms which had been set aside
:16:36. > :16:40.for workers to living. Raids also took place at the Rice Bowl in
:16:40. > :16:46.Kendal, at this one in Keswick, officers and a bedroom divided down
:16:47. > :16:51.the middle by a line of wardrobes and families on either side. This
:16:51. > :16:56.undercover officer, whose identity we have agreed to protect, is the
:16:56. > :17:01.man who brought Chen to justice and a prison sentence of two years.
:17:01. > :17:05.Because of his own status as a failed asylum-seeker, he had no
:17:05. > :17:11.entitlement to work in the UK. Engaged in all these businesses,
:17:12. > :17:15.operating restaurants. We know from other cases that we have had
:17:15. > :17:25.incidences of restaurant owners being able to call upon almost a
:17:25. > :17:34.sort of illegal pool of migrants that might be operating in London,
:17:34. > :17:37.there would be an informal network to: that resource. Despite China's
:17:37. > :17:43.economic growth, poverty is still persistent. Especially in rural
:17:43. > :17:47.areas. Those desperate enough to enter the UK illegally often
:17:47. > :17:51.contact smuggling gangs run by Chinese criminals known as
:17:51. > :17:57.Snakeheads. Quite a long and arduous route for these people to
:17:57. > :18:02.get here added normally involves long periods of walking, long
:18:02. > :18:07.periods of transit by road and eventually cutting across Europe,
:18:07. > :18:10.concealed in lorries, which is quite dangerous. This woman was
:18:10. > :18:14.smuggled into Manchester by Snakeheads and had been working
:18:14. > :18:21.here illegally for six years. She agreed to tell us her story through
:18:21. > :18:27.an interpreter. We have obscured her identity. TRANSLATION: In China,
:18:27. > :18:33.it is very difficult. My family do not have a lot of money. I have
:18:33. > :18:41.heard that people go to another country to make money so that is
:18:41. > :18:45.where I came to the UK. Life in China is very difficult for me.
:18:46. > :18:52.Salaries are less than �100 per month. If I come to the UK, at
:18:52. > :18:56.least I can work and get some money, and life could get better.
:18:56. > :19:02.borrowed �20,000 from friends to pay the Snakeheads, then began a
:19:02. > :19:06.one-way journey, flying around Europe. TRANSLATION:, I had to pay
:19:06. > :19:11.them all the money at once. Otherwise they would lock me in a
:19:11. > :19:16.room. This is an illegal working operation, restaurants all under
:19:16. > :19:22.the same ownership. Tonight, the Border Agency will be carrying at
:19:22. > :19:27.five raids on site in Greater Manchester. We will look to see
:19:27. > :19:32.that premises. Officers have found more than 50 illegal workers
:19:32. > :19:36.employed in one particular restaurant in Rusholme, Manchester.
:19:36. > :19:40.Inside, the 35 staff have been stopped from working and wit to be
:19:40. > :19:44.interviewed by officers. Even for the ones who have arrived to be
:19:44. > :19:47.employed in the UK, it is a nerve- racking and intimidating time.
:19:47. > :19:55.Documents will be checked against Home Office records and workers can
:19:55. > :19:57.be fingerprinted if necessary. they arrived at the property, we
:19:57. > :20:02.find one person hiding in the cupboards are we suspect that
:20:02. > :20:08.person may be illegal, we're doing checks. One other guy who gave a
:20:08. > :20:15.false name, we have fingerprinted him. That deception suggests he
:20:15. > :20:19.could be illegal. Foreign players, this is just the start of a process.
:20:19. > :20:23.The border agencies can target money any company has made,
:20:23. > :20:31.employing illegal immigrants. For Chi Chen, jail is only the
:20:31. > :20:39.beginning. He benefited to �2.2 million, whatever remains of that
:20:39. > :20:43.benefit will -- we will be seeking to take everything off him.
:20:43. > :20:47.years ago, the eyes of the sporting world were on the Commonwealth
:20:47. > :20:50.Games here in Manchester. This year, the Spotlight is on the Olympics,
:20:50. > :20:53.and athletes from all over the North West are training hard to
:20:54. > :20:58.make it to the Games. Without the help of those behind the scenes,
:20:58. > :21:01.none of them would have a chance of making the greatest show on earth.
:21:01. > :21:11.We have been speaking to parents, coaches and scientists who are
:21:11. > :21:15.
:21:16. > :21:22.helping to create the region's That is the brilliance when from
:21:22. > :21:26.James Goddard. Beth Tweddle has shown us what she is capable of.
:21:26. > :21:31.talent and determination, they stand on the brink of Olympic
:21:31. > :21:34.success. -- brute talent. The those cyclists, gymnasts and swimmers,
:21:34. > :21:38.they would not be in the position they are without people behind the
:21:38. > :21:48.scenes. We will meet some of them to find out how champions or
:21:48. > :21:51.
:21:51. > :21:54.All athletes are inspired first of all at home, so I have come to be a
:21:55. > :22:03.mother who knows a thing or two about inspiring her children. All
:22:03. > :22:07.three of them play sport for their country. Sue is blind, her husband
:22:07. > :22:13.Anthony is partially sighted. Both enjoyed successful sporting careers.
:22:13. > :22:17.Their three children, Mark, Roy and Llodra are also blind, with
:22:17. > :22:23.condition called retinopathy. But Sue is determined that would never
:22:23. > :22:28.be a barrier. We have always encouraged them to take every
:22:28. > :22:33.advantage of whatever comes along, don't let anyone tell you, you
:22:33. > :22:38.can't do that, because you can't see. Mark has played football and
:22:38. > :22:46.cricket for England. His other boy has done the same. Dr Lord de la
:22:46. > :22:56.Warr has a medal within -- winning para-cyclist. -- daughter Lora.
:22:56. > :22:58.
:22:58. > :23:04.Quite a trophy cabinet. I will show you. On the top, they are mine.
:23:04. > :23:08.Underneath, the next shelf, is some of mind and some of Anthony's. On
:23:08. > :23:15.the bottom shelf, they are all white's and Lora APPLAUSE.
:23:15. > :23:21.. That means you have the most. Overall, Roy and Lora have many
:23:21. > :23:27.more than we do! They have finally overtaken you. They have always
:23:27. > :23:32.supported us, and taken us two events and cheered us on and
:23:32. > :23:36.encourage us to train. Both Lora in cycling and Roy in football have a
:23:36. > :23:41.good chance of competing at the Paralympics. They cannot be many
:23:41. > :23:46.families in this country who could have two children at the Games this
:23:46. > :23:51.summer. It will be really exciting, I will have to make -- lead my
:23:51. > :23:59.nails grow long so I have something to bite! It will be very nerve-
:24:00. > :24:07.racking. But very exciting. We have got our tickets, so we will be
:24:07. > :24:12.there, cheering them on. Extra loud! We are going with little bits
:24:12. > :24:19.of circuits. After the parent, the next most important person is the
:24:19. > :24:23.coach. Keep your legs together. a sport like gymnastics, where boys
:24:23. > :24:30.and girls start at the age of five or six, that role is even more
:24:30. > :24:34.important. They can be like a second payment -- parent, or an
:24:35. > :24:44.older sister. There still has to be that line, where they know that
:24:44. > :24:48.what I say go. -- goes. You have to be there, whether its problems in
:24:48. > :24:53.school, boyfriend problems, whatever. You are just there and if
:24:53. > :24:58.you know they are down, you have to take time to see why they are down.
:24:58. > :25:02.If they are down in normal life, the training will suffer. Amanda
:25:02. > :25:06.started coaching 20 years ago when the club have little track record
:25:06. > :25:11.of success. Now it is likely to supply the bulk of the women's
:25:11. > :25:15.Olympic team. It is like a little factory, Judith what had the babies,
:25:15. > :25:20.Tina would have the middle section and I would have the older ones. It
:25:20. > :25:27.worked from there, we just worked as a team together, but the kids to
:25:27. > :25:31.a high-level, pushed them further. She has helped the likes of Beth
:25:31. > :25:39.Tweddle to world titles, drawing on her own experiences in Olympic
:25:39. > :25:44.gymnastics. I know what fears, or what strengths I had as a gymnast.
:25:45. > :25:48.Even if it was just wanting support, lots of support, or physical or
:25:48. > :25:53.mental, I would either withdraw from gymnasts I have got to make
:25:53. > :25:58.them stronger, to compete better than I ever did. She knows what it
:25:58. > :26:06.takes to be at the top. She worked with generations before us. She
:26:06. > :26:13.took me through to European and world medal level. We all trust or
:26:13. > :26:17.complete the without gymnastics. -- trust her completely. The parent is
:26:17. > :26:21.interesting you for four hours on one session, 20 hours a week, they
:26:21. > :26:25.are due to literally look after their child and hopefully, develop
:26:25. > :26:31.them but just physically but mentally into a good path way
:26:31. > :26:34.beyond gymnastics. Some of the region pop - my son of the region's
:26:34. > :26:39.top medal hopes will be in the pool and the swimmers will benefit from
:26:39. > :26:42.a host of staff dedicated to every aspect of their well-being, as well
:26:42. > :26:45.as specialist scientists whose job it is to find tiny elements of
:26:45. > :26:53.performance which could in the end proved the difference between
:26:54. > :26:58.silver and gold. All the way. And hold. The scientists like Ben, that
:26:58. > :27:08.means picking up tiny snippets of his information through Platt and
:27:08. > :27:14.lung tests. -- blood and lung test. And using underwater cameras. Have
:27:15. > :27:20.you ever fallen in? Not yet. will happen one day. I fell in on
:27:20. > :27:24.purpose once. Some days I might be filming constantly for two hours.
:27:24. > :27:30.Some, it might be two minutes. Some sessions, it might be in debt
:27:30. > :27:34.feedback with coaches. Analysing, looking at angles. Benn has been
:27:34. > :27:39.working but eight of them with West's best swimmers for two years.
:27:39. > :27:49.Part of his job is to make comparisons between them and the
:27:49. > :27:50.
:27:50. > :28:00.world's best. It is a challenge to video everyone. British women, in
:28:00. > :28:00.
:28:00. > :28:05.terms of what we see it competition, it is great. -- British swimming.
:28:05. > :28:09.No one is in this game for anything other than personal motivation.
:28:09. > :28:14.They are motivated bunch of people and that energy flows, even on a
:28:14. > :28:17.bad day. Whether they are a coat, parent or member of the backroom
:28:17. > :28:24.staff, we will be sure to deliver every possible emotion as they
:28:24. > :28:27.build up to the greatest sporting event of all their lives.
:28:27. > :28:33.That's all from me, but if you missed any of tonight's programme,