29/10/2012 Inside Out West Midlands

Hello, welcome to Inside Out. This week, we have come to Leamington

Spa to bring you three surprising stories from right across the West

Midlands. On the programme tonight: We go undercover to find out about

the company deceiving the old and the vulnerable. Mr Gebbett. It is

John Cuttell from BBC Inside Out. Can I ask you why your company

continues to cash cheques of vulnerable people?

Also on the show, the sickening attacks on the best of man's best

friends. He just locked on to Scrumpy under his neck. I could not

see properly to see what was going on. I did know that the dog had

locked on. And in our final story, can the

Olympic and Paralympic dream become a reality here in the Midlands?

would be disastrous if the funding was suddenly stopped because we

couldn't win, because that isn't what the national spirit is all

about. That's all coming up on tonight's Inside Out with me, Mary

First tonight, they are promised prizes that never materialise and

when they write to ask for help, their letters are thrown away

unread. John Cuttell goes undercover to find out more about

the company deceiving elderly and vulnerable people across the

Earlier this year, 84-year-old Margaret from Stoke on Trent

thought all her dreams had come true. The leaflet was through my

door and I looked at it. You made a purchase, you chose your goods.

They were then promising that you were going to get this wonderful

gift which would be 30,000 to 40,000. What an amount for a senior

citizen. She wants us to disguise her identity and we have changed

her name to protect her from more targeting. She bought �500 worth of

beauty products on the promise that the prize money would follow.

a large amount of money for a senior citizen. There was no way

that you were going to get that money back. You have a loss that

you can't afford. Margaret wrote to the address in Hampshire asking

when her cheque would arrive and never got a reply. Just more post

requesting more orders and promising prizes. We have uncovered

evidence showing while cheques are cashed, letters from confused

pensioners asking them what has happened to their promised prizes

are thrown away unread. People from all over the country have fallen

for this, and in every case, it can be traced back to one address, the

UK nerve centre for a huge mail- order scam, Emery Ltd in Hampshire.

They are clearly not reading their letters, time to give them a voice.

"Dear friends, I enclose my order cheque and forms, hope you can read

my order because I am 90 years old last June. I'm in a wheelchair,

can't walk, had a two heart attacks, and a diabetic and got angina. Very

lonely now." Our loud hailer is going down a storm. Neighbouring

businesses come out to listen to the letters from confused customers

which is more that can be said for the company that throws them away.

One employee whose job it was to bin the customers' letters, was so

appalled in the part of a UK business plays in this deception,

is she went undercover to show what happens. The mail handling company

works for a Frenchman who runs a number of businesses in Europe,

promising prices in return for I started working there and opening

these letters and thinking, wow, several people have won. It had me

convinced. The more I opened, I thought, this cannot be right. Not

everyone can be a winner. The letters that people write in are

quite sad. People sort of confused, generally asking about the prize,

why haven't they got it yet. A lot of people said they would need the

money and asking about it. All these I have to throw away. This is

Jessica Look, a victim of the trickery facilitated by Emery in

Romsey. A sticker here if you have been selected to receive one.

has since passed away but her daughter, Marilyn Baldwin, has run

a campaign from the Midlands to try and end mail-order scams. Together,

we looked at just a handful of letters. Dear friends, I enclose my

order cheque and forms, I hope you can read my order. I do not see

anyone as I am at the end of the lane. I look forward to getting the

cheque from you. I will buy a little dog... And pay for some

treatment to help me walk so I can use my left arm. I just keep my

fingers crossed, yours sincerely. Isn't that terrible? That is awful,

isn't it? How can they do it? Here is just some of the mail that my

mother has been receiving. Marilyn has spoken to thousands of victims,

who, like her mother, truly believe they have been singled out to win a

cash prize. In their mind, there is still this chance that it is going

to come so if you pull out, it is definitely not going to come so you

have to go along with it. The bait of the carrots that they use, like

the phone calls, the more the letters come, they are exciting,

suddenly you are special, you are important, somebody has sat at a

typewriter they think, writing these letters. They do not

understand mass-marketing. Time to go and see some of the people

behind this very nasty business. Many of the mail-order companies

are owned by the same person, a wealthy Frenchman who needs a UK-

based postal address in order to operate. This is where Emery comes

in, based in Romsey in Hampshire and owned by Nick and David Gebbett.

You might know David if you are a member of the Royal Southampton

Yacht Club or the Royal Southern Yacht Club, based in Hamble. He is

a very keen sailor. He has a yacht over there and he lives in the

spitting distance of this marina. That is when he is not swanning

around New Zealand for six months a year. His son, Nick Gebbett lives

in Norfolk. He is into skiing and also tweeting. His latest tweet is

a bit dull, something about taking a cat to the vet. But nothing about

running a company involved in a mass marketing scam. While the

customers may be left all at sea, the Gebbetts appear to be riding

high on a wave of success. Here is dad David who often pops in for a

chat at the company and his son, Nick, who appears to be in charge.

He keeps a much lower profile. It is not the best photo. While they

throw away most letters they receive, Nick Gebbett did read the

one we sent him. He replied they would only answer our questions,

with a statement if we used it in full and unedited. Obviously, we

want to hear their side of the story but cannot go giving promises

like that to anyone. I still needed to know why they think it is OK to

do the dirty work for a French scammer and what were the chances

of that, I managed to bump into David Gebbett at his waterside home.

Mr Gebbett? Yes. It is John Cuttell from BBC Inside Out. Can I ask why

your company continues to cash cheques of vulnerable people? You

know what is going on. I cannot answer any questions. We have sent

a statement to go and that is all there is to it. Your staff have

been instructed to shred their letters. That is not very good

customer service. I cannot comment on that. Why do you continue to

have dealings with the company that is ripping these people off?

can't comment on that. Sorry. I have to go. What do you say to

these people who are taken for a ride by this company. You can stop

it happening. Your company can stop it happening. If we did, some other

company would do it. But that doesn't make it right. You have

nothing to say to these people at all? Surely you owe them something,

Mr Gebbett. There we go. His reply, no comment but if they didn't do it,

someone else would. Does that make it right?

"Thank you for exciting news of a large cheque win..." The National

Fraud Intelligence Bureau has asked to see our evidence. They say they

are keen to take action against any companies which operate to deceive

members of the public. My message to companies working as a third

party to a criminal enterprise, is yes, you're on borrowed time. My

job is to close in as quickly as we can to stop you operating, to bring

you to justice and to make sure you are seen as part of that criminal

conspiracy. "As my number was the winning number, I am hoping you

mean to pay me. At this moment in time, I am living on just that,

hope." I think our work here is done, I think we have truly given

them a voice. You are watching Inside Out for the

West Midlands. Don't forget, you can let us know your thoughts about

any of tonight's films on our Facebook page. That is

Facebook.com/bbcinsideout. Or you can drop a an email to

[email protected]. I would love to hear from you.

Did you know more than 4,500 guide dogs are working in the UK? Many of

them are trained here in Leamington Spa. But attacks on guide dogs are

on the increase. Eight a month are being targeted by other dogs. We

sent Phil Upton to find out why. Just a warning, this film does

contain some disturbing images. Richard Wise and his guide dog

Scrumpy were paying a routine visit to their local post office in

Coventry. It was a journey they have made many times. They were not

prepared for what was about to happen. Get that dog off!

It just locked on to Scrumpy, under his neck. It seemed an eternity, it

seemed he was locked on for an eternity. The stress that was

causing me was considerable. Obviously, Scrumpy was under a lot

of stress as well. I could not see properly to see what was going on

but I did know that the dog had locked on. These attacks are taking

place all over the country. Here, captured on CCTV, a pit bull has

locked his teeth into a Labrador guide dog called Neela. In a frenzy

of kicks and punches, the pit bull owner eventually apprises his dog

away. In Southampton, Jemma Brown has

suffered six attacks on her guide dog, Gus. The worst one happened

right outside this coffee shop in the town centre. All of a sudden, I

was aware that there was a dog charging towards us. I saw it quite

late because I have only got a limited amount of sight. I tried to

step in front it between the dog and Gus but I totally failed. It

grabbed Gus by the throat. The owners of the dog could not get

their dog to let go, they could not get it back under control so they

started punching their dog in the head to get it to let go. They, in

the process punched Gus in the head several times. They sound

incredible, but the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association says since

2010, there have been over 180 attacks on guide dogs. Last year

alone, six dogs had to be retired because of these incidents. We know

as an organisation we were absolutely shocked and appalled.

How can dog owners be so irresponsible in relation to the

control of their dogs? These attacks not only cause physical

scarring where dogs are concerned but also a psychological scarring.

Not only that, whilst our dogs are not working, the guide dogs owners

cannot go out, cannot work their dogs, are not mobile, they are

close to being prisoners in their own home. It costs around �50,000

to train a pup like this to be a guide dog and all that investment

can be lost with one single attack. Lottie is one of the casualties,

now retired after an attack which changed her temperament. She became

aggressive and now has to be muzzled in public. She was lost as

a working dog right when she was in her prime. It has cost Guide Dogs

�136,000. That is all money which has been hard earned through our

fundraisers, collectors and people who have donated through their

hard-earned cash. These attacks leave a deep psychological scar on

both the guide dog and the owner. They live in constant fear of

Whenever I go out, or go into the city centre, I am living

permanently with the fear of being attacked. But the knock-on effect

of that is it is affecting my mobility. Richard has recently

suffered a second attack, knocking him and Scrumpy to the ground. It

has left Scrumpy understandably very nervous. As you can see now,

he has stopped working now because he has seen a dog. In this

situation, what I would normally do, I stop, ask the person who is

holding the dog, if it is on a lead. If I know it is on a lead, I work

him through slowly. That allows him to get the confidence back to work

into a normal routine again. That has only happened since the

attacks? He has only behaved like that since the attack. When he is

on the harness and sees another dog, he sees that as a threat. Every dog

he sees, he thinks he is going to be attacked. We have to work

through that together. Jemma Brown's dog, Gus, is recovering

well but he still needs regular check-ups at the vet's. Let's have

a look at the eye where he had a bite. He was treated here after one

of the six attacks he has suffered. With Gus's job as a guide dog, if

the wound had been deeper it could have injured the eyeball itself and

that could have been a career- ending injury for him. It would

have been tragic. It is thought what makes dogs like Gus so good at

their job, being passive, submissive and caring, is also what

makes them vulnerable to an attack. I think because he has been

attacked on a number of occasions, his body language is such that he

projects not being very confident around other dogs and maybe that is

why they keep picking on him and attacking him. The Guide Dogs for

the Blind Association is calling for an urgent change in the law to

try and stop these attacks which they say are creating a climate of

fear. We would like to see changes in the law to allow authorities to

treat an attack on assistance dogs like an attack on a person. We

would like the police to be more proactive, to press charges where

dangerous dogs which are out of control attack guide dogs or

assistance dogs. The police say their hands are tied. They can

seize illegal fighting dogs like these held in the West Midlands at

a secret kennels dubbed death-row. But attacks on guide dogs mostly

fall outside the law because it is a dog on dog attack, not on the

person. Only very rarely do these cases end up in court. This man

filmed kicking and punching his dog was sentenced, fined and banned

from owning another dog in 10 years, but only because his pit bull was

one of a banned breed. Now the police are promising a crack down,

using the existing law. It will not be tolerated. We will use the

legislation we currently have and any further legislation to bring

these people to task and ensure these people have the trust and

confidence in the police. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

would welcome more action like that, but for the moment, they are left

to pick up the pieces, rehabilitating dogs like Scrumpy.

Today, he and his owner Richard are being taken back to the scene of

the original attack, guided by the man who helped train Scrumpy when

he was a puppy. It is quite soul- destroying to see Scrumpy attacked

like that. I think he will get over coming to the Post Office. I think

he will be fine doing that as long as there aren't other dogs around

but I think the long-term effects of Scrumpy's confidence around

other dogs, will probably be for the rest of his life. He will be

affected by that for the rest of his life. If there were another

attack, Richard fears he might lose Scrumpy. It has been a great

relationship from day one. I don't know what I do without him. It

really is a great partnership. Organisers of the London Olympics

and Paralympics promised the Games would turn us into a fitter nation

and inspire a new wave of budding sports stars. But with memories of

a golden summer fading and money tight, can we really turn this

dream into a reality? Richie $$NEWLINEa grand stage. Moments of

unforgettable magic. A summer when Britain was besotted by sport. The

2012 Games may have been in London, but across the country, people were

gripped. Here in the Midlands, we were touched by the gold dust in

more ways than one. Birmingham people, we have to give you respect.

They were extremely great to us. They showed us a lot of love and

thank you guys, you help us to come out and do our best. Several weeks

on, the dust has settled. The games have gone. And the nation has moved

on. But now the big question is, what will be the legacy of London

2012? Well done, that's it, good! For many sports, the impact of the

Olympics has been huge. Here at the Cannock Olympia Handball Club, they

have loads of new members thanks to the Games. We have 40 people here

tonight and we are expecting 80 overall. And you think that is

solely because of the Olympic Games? Absolutely. The requests

have come from outside this area, from 15/20 miles away. People are

willing to travel in to try the experience. We know once they try

it, they will be hooked. I have been hooked for 38 years and still

hooked. Everything may look rosy at this level, but at the top, things

are not so bright. There is a chance only sports likely to get a

medal in Rio in 2016, will get Government or Lottery cash. As our

handball team did not win a match in London, there are concerns about

the future. I'm a little bit worried about that, because at the

end of the day, it does not send out the right message to the

players. We have, as a nation gone from category E to category B. We

are on the way. It would be disastrous if the funding was

suddenly stopped because we could not win. That is not what the

national spirit is all about. have warmed up. You've seen what I

can do, any chance of a game? think we can take you on board and

we will look after you in the game. We will deliver you there and

hopefully, a podium place might be yours in 2020. Come on and we will

sort you out. Let's go! But while they may be sweating on getting

funding for handball, for the more successful sports it is a different

story. Last time, athletics got a big share of the money. It is

likely to do well in the run-up to Rio. I was lucky enough to go to

the Olympic Stadium on Monday evening and watch the 400 metre

final. The atmosphere there was incredible. It gives you a real

hunger to go there and compete on that stage. For people like Jarryd

Dunn, that could be good news. He is one young athlete with a chance

of going to Brazil. But that will cost money and he needs all the

help he can get. I get sponsorship from my university, Wolverhampton,

I get a sports grant through them, I am on the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes

programme. As for the rest of it, it is funded through my mum. Jarryd

is in the mix for the government and lottery funding. �125 million a

year is going to be spent on our Olympic hopefuls. It will be

competitive. We are in a results orientated sport. All sports is in

fact. The government wants to see success and see results. The better

the athlete performs, the better Jarryd performs, the more he can

expect to get some support. He has got to perform at the very best. He

is striving to be the best. He would not expect anything less.

This is competition at the highest level. What about the rest of us?

Will we see any long-term benefit from the Olympic games? As you can

see, this is the new build. That is the school. That will be the admin

block and sports facilities. London 2012 promise was to inspire

a generation and make us all fitter. To help, support projects like this

one in Telford have received Olympic legacy cash. But council

budgets are under pressure. Can they afford all the leisure

services we need to get fit and healthy. The funding is here as

such for the facilities. The funding for the staff that run them,

yes, the court that we have been able to retain, but we have not

mentioned volunteers. We have not mentioned clubs yet, who helped

train you. Were they funded by the council? No. We have to build on

that as well. We have to ensure the clubs have the facilities to work

in but that they continue with their share of the burden, to

enable the training and coaching. So that council thinks it can still

do its bit for the legacy. But what about those local clubs? The Earls

Gymnastics Club in Halesowen, produced an Olympic gold medallist,

Kristian Thomas, and it has inspired a new generation. After

the Olympics, I did get a bit of a kick start. I realised this is what

I want to do, where I want to get. I'm going to the Olympics and I

will make Great Britain proud. hadn't really want to do a hand

spring but now I can do one quite easy. I just need to stop bending

my legs. While these youngsters may be buoyant, the management is far

from upbeat. The club needs to expand to generate membership cash,

but it cannot afford to move. The problems specifically with us is

quite a simple one, and that is that we have quite large overheads,

and a limited income. That income is limited purely and simply by the

fact we have limited opening times. Therefore, we cannot get those

children in through the doors. our overheads continue to increase,

and our revenue is limited, the problem is only going to get larger

and larger over a period of time. It is a similar story across the

country. A recent survey showed local sports clubs' income has

fallen by 50 % since 2004. The feeling here is they may not see

another Olympics unless things change. Ultimately, if things stay

the same, if things don't change from this point on, the club will

close. If we don't get funding for running costs in our current

situation, there is not a future. The desire is there to build the

legacy to local level, but not necessarily the cash. Added to this,

the government has been criticised for approving the sale of playing

fields, as well as making cuts to council funding and a scheme

linking schools to sports clubs. Are we really going to achieve this

post-Olympic dream? We asked to speak to a minister from the

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but we were told there was

no one available for interview. Instead, they sent us the statement.

It said: We are attempting to harness the power of the Olympics

and Paralympics to create a deep and lasting legacy for sports

participation in every community. It stressed it had introduced

measures to encourage youth sport and competitive school sport, and

only approve sales of playing fields if they were replaced or

schools had closed or merged. It added: We launched the Places

People Play programme. This has already seen improvements to

grassroots sport. More than 1,000 local sports clubs to be improved,

playing fields to be protected, and 40,000 new community sports leaders.

There will be some kind of legacy from the London Games and for

people like Jarryd, who are already on the road to Olympic success,

that could mean the chance to really shine. But, with money tight,

there is a risk some of them starting on that journey may not

get the same opportunity. People talk about the legacy of 2012. You

can look around you go and see the legacy of 2012 is here. It is up to

other people whether they allow that legacy to be realised or

snubbed out. We hopefully will have gymnasts who will represent us, not

just at the next Olympic Games, but the one after that as well. We need

Well, that is it for tonight. As ever, if you have got a story you

think we should know about, to drop me an e-mail: [email protected].

Coming up for next week's inside out: We investigate the

prescription mistakes that could cost lives. And Richie Woodhall is