24/11/2011 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight on your national news:

16 lives lost on one of the darkest days in the North Sea. A helicopter

firm thought about replacing a gearbox which failed, but didn't do

it. They don't of June 6th comes up like thunder...

Old soldiers wanting to return to the D Day battlefields were

swindled by a man over tours which never happened. Today veterans saw

him jailed. They were standing at the side of the road with suitcases

and ready to go and it was disgraceful. I open prison he gets

the justice that he deserves. Also on the programme:

Our golfers are going well in China. Scotland's team are just two shots

off the lead after the opening round of the World Cup tournament.

And brightening up tough times. We're live in Edinburgh, where the

Christmas lights are on. A North Sea helicopter crash in

which 16 men died was caused by a catastrophic gearbox failure.

That's the conclusion of the official report into the accident

which happened off Peterhead in April 2009. But it also reveals

that the operators of the aircraft had considered replacing the

gearbox just a week before the accident happened.

This wreckage, brought back to Aberdeen, has been analysed by

investigators for two years. They have studied every aspect of the

flight. This is the actual Super Puma four years before it crashed

and caused the deaths of the 16 men. They are workhorses of the North

Sea, ferrying workers to all platforms offshore. It rotas and

gearbox provide the key to the tragedy. The two pilots and 14 oil

workers have taken off from a platform and the helicopter crashed

into the sea 15 minutes later. The main cause was a catastrophic

gearbox failure. Maintenance checks had uncovered a tiny metallic ship

but it was misidentified. Plans to abandon it -- replace the gearbox

were abandoned after a series of misunderstandings caused by

communication failures. Had there been a more formal system in place

then it might have prevented it. You cannot necessarily blame

someone for not complying with the system that did not exist. A

catastrophic failure, I do not see that we can apportion blame to any

one individual or group. Both the operators and the manufacturers say

that Super Pumas are reliable and procedures have been strengthened.

Some in the industry believe another inquiry is not needed.

not entirely convinced that an inquiry would add anything to what

this detailed report has found out. The expertise that the AAIB are

able to bring to this is exemplary. That is why I do not believe that a

fatal accident inquiry would identify any further precautions

that could be taken. That has angered some of the men's families.

This oil worker was one of the victims. I think there should be a

fatal accident inquiry. It should have been looked at earlier. The

helicopter should have been taken off service. I need somebody to

blame, whoever is responsible for the gearbox. Two weeks after the

tragedy, the families gathered for a memorial service in Aberdeen. A

more permanent reminder marks one of the North Sea's darkest days.

Today's findings will bring anguish for some and comfort for others.

The Harry Potter author JK Rowling said that she felt like a hostage

in her Edinburgh home because of the actions of some newspapers

after the birth of her children. Giving evidence to the Leveson

Inquiry into media ethics she revealed that a journalist had even

slipped a note into her five-year- old daughter's schoolbag.

Ice where that the evidence I give...

The novelist was the latest person to give evidence to the Leveson

Inquiry. She spoke of her experience of the press and said

they handed her. A photograph was published that showed the number of

the house and also the name of the street which happened to be on the

building where I was living so I really was a sitting duck for

anyone who wanted to find me. Journalists were sitting outside in

cars. The she spoke of her concern about photographs been taken of her

children, including one of her eight year-old daughter in a

swimsuit, and of a note being put into one of her children's school

bags. I felt such a sense of invasion that my daughter's bag...

It is very difficult to say how angry, how angry I felt that my

five year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of complete

security from journalists. author also spoke of the emotional

impact of finding two reporters in a car outside her home for no

apparent reason. It is difficult to explain to people who have not

experienced it what it feels like, the twist in the stomach as you

wonder what they want and what they think they have got. It is

incredibly threatening. It feels threatening. JK Rowling has made a

great effort to keep her home life private and she was banned by Lord

Leveson for sharing their information with the inquiry.

A conman who swindled thousands of pounds from World War Two veterans,

after arranging to take them to battlefield sites in Europe, has

been jailed for more than two years. 48-year-old John Lennox from

Clydebank took deposits for trips to Normandy and Arnhem in Holland,

but the holidays never happened and the money wasn't returned.

Two years ago Reporting Scotland uncovered what John Lennox was

doing. Several viewers contacted us. They were swindled of by a him

after booking a holiday from a company which reportedly organised

trips to Europe and specialised in trips to battle sites. On the day

of the tour we got a phone call at 7am. Bad news, some of your fellow

passengers have been involved in a car crash on the way from Edinburgh

to join the two. Four there was no car crash and no tour. The cheque

that was stuffed through his letterbox bounced. John Glenn

next's victims heard excuse after excuse. This couple booked to go to

Normandy. An hour before we were due to leave there was a message

saying the bus had broken down and the tour was cancelled. Many of

those who lost money were veterans, won a 92-year-old who had served in

the D-Day landings. He lost �504. Two members -- today members of a

parachute regiment came to court. They have been given a lottery

grant to go to Arnhem and commemorate their 65th anniversary.

They lost their deposit of �3,400. These people have a very emotional

time with the battlefields of Europe and he left them standing on

the side of the road with their suitcases packed and ready to go.

It was disgraceful. People were there before us and they died. I

served with those men in Arnhem. I appreciate what they have done.

intense in John Lennox to 25 runs in prison, Sheriff described his

actions as despicable. He said you have stolen from of the large

number of people who are honourable by reason of their age and their

emotional connections to the D-Day landings, war graves and battle

sites. He said they made the honest but fatal mistake of trusting you

with their hopes and plans. In total John Lennox sold almost

�30,000. Tonight his lawyer said he had one thing to say to his victims,

sorry. You're watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come on the programme:

Why thousands of pounds may be spent to fence off a Highland

estate from red deer herds. In sport, news from a World Cup

Scotland have qualified for. It's golf, it's in China and our boys

are doing rather well. Also Rangers get their man. A

former Aberdeen winger signs on at Ibrox.

All that and a bit more later in the show.

Last night we told you the story of a young couple from Glasgow who

were shot dead during a visit to Pakistan. Well today we've been

hearing from their family. Saif Rahman and his wife Uzman were

killed three weeks ago after their car was ambushed. Police in

Pakistan are investigating the possibility they were deliberately

targeted. Saif's brother Majid Ali says his family want justice.

were friends, brothers as well. We shared everything. We spent every

second, every single second we spent together. We just want the

people who were involved in the criminal activity, we just want

justice. Our reporter broke the story of the couple's murder and

bought more our other friends and family saying? They are talking

about her devastated they have been by the murders of a couple who they

described as being very much in love, very popular and are very

happy couple together. They say they are absolutely determined to

get justice. They have been continually in contact with police

in Pakistan to try and find out what has been happening. They say

it has been difficult to get information from the police there.

They say they have found out that the driver of the car that the

couple were Ines is still being questioned. They say police are

looking at the possibility that they were targeted. They say they

have also been targeted -- they say they have also been heartened by

the messages of support from the wider community. They set up a

Facebook memorial page 4 the couple and they have had people from right

across the food world who are contacting them to give condolences.

Earlier I spoke to the Secretary of State took extended his sympathy to

the family and said that the UK Government would do what it could.

He pointed out that as this couple were not British citizens, it is

very difficult for the British Government to get involved and this

will really have to be a matter for the Pakistan authorities.

Scottish police have a new weapon in the fight against gun crime.

Cutting edge equipment and forensic techniques allow them more quickly

to identify weapons and link firearms incidents across the UK,

providing vital intelligence in tackling organised crime.

Fire arms seized by police but what do they tell detectives? Until now

it has been a laborious and time- consuming task to find out if they

have been used in crimes. New technology is does speeding the job

up. This piece of equipment is a very high quality 3 D camera which

costs �75,000. It provides high resolution images for the computer.

These are images of bullets or cottages that have been recovered

by the police so that they can be matched with any other incident

throughout the UK and possibly in Europe. The technology has been

used in the investigation into the murder of a banker who was shot

with an unusual pre-war eastern European weapon which was recovered

from a train but the detectives will not say whether they have made

progress in this seven-year-old investigation. We are looking for

unique features, whether it be from damage on a particular weapon. We

are looking at features like this damage here which may occur in

another cartridge case that may be recovered from a different crime.

Dunn's account for 1% of overall Scottish crime but police say it is

an important tool to speed up investigations and intelligence

work. In years gone by it would have taken weeks to establish links

and the links might not have been found. With this new capability we

can submit items to the lab and control links across the UK and

Europe. The system is already being used in a number of live cases but

Some of the other stories across Scotland this Thursday: A female

convict has been charged with assaulting a triple child killer

Theresa Riggi by allegedly throwing her down a flight of stairs in

prison. She is serving 16 years for killing her children. Police are

also investigating a second attack on Riggi, who was slashed in the

face with a sharp object at the weekend.

A teenager who was found seriously injured in a street is in a

critical condition in hospital. The seventeen-year-old was discovered

in Dundee's Caird Avenue at around 6.30 this morning. He is being

treated at the city's Ninewells Hospital.

Online footage of two giant pandas which are due to arrive at

Edinburgh zoo by the end of the year is expected tattract viewers

from around the worldThe activities of breeding pair will be monitored

bfour hidden cameras, with two in the Mail enclosure and two showing

the female. The pandas will be the first pair to live in the UK in the

past 17 years. Gamekeepers have welcomed

recommended changes to a controversial deer management

programme in the Cairngorms. The National Trust for Scotland has

been culling deer from a vast area on Mar Lodge estate to help

regenerate ancient woodland, but this has angered many.

The are a common sight across Scotland, but the delight these are

a nuisance to the growth of new woodland. Here on the Mar Lodge

estate at cloud has hung over the long-term plans to regenerate the

ancient Caledonian pine forest, that is because it involves the

mass culling of thousands of deer, affecting sporting estates and

tourism. We are acutely aware of the timescale. This is the

generation of the landscape., within that they are short term

cultural issues which are just as important as our longer term

objective. Many are angry that they believe their National Trust has

not listened to concerns. The plan of the estate was to divide the air

into two. In one's own some culling was carried out to bring numbers

back to what they wear in the 1600s. Further north the action was more

drastic - to shoot all deer until no more were seen. This community

leader says the policy has been hugely damaging. The huge reduction

in the animals has had a big effect - certainly on visitors. The number

you can see is greatly reduced. The people who come to do the stocking

are also visitors and there has been a drop-off in those as well.

They policy has created a lot of bad feeling here. The trust will be

hoping to rebuild bridges -- bridges in the community. Privately,

many are bitter about what has happened. They say that with

thousands of deer already lost, the damage is already done.

Now for the sport in detail. Good news from China.

Yes, indeed. Scotland have made an impressive start to golf's World

Cup in China. The team of Martin Laird and Stephen Gallacher are

just two shots off the lead after today's opening round. The share

second place with Ireland. But Australia are the early leaders.

This competition is attracting decent crowds and the prize-money

is attracting top range golfers. Like a Graeme McDowell and Rory

McIlroy. The Scottish duo of Martin Laird and Stephen Gallacher are

giving them and the rest of the field are run for their money.

Martin Laird had one of the shots Martin Laird had one of the shots

of the day. And with another one of the shots of the day... The Scots

finished nine under par for their finished nine under par for their

first round, sharing joint second place with the Irish, just a couple

of shots behind the Australian pair. They are eight hours ahead in China

so the Scots and the rest of the field will be back in action

tomorrow morning the UK time. Rangers have completed the signing

of the former Aberdeen winger Sone Aluko. The 22 year-old was out of

contract, but Aberdeen believed they were due compensation of

around �180,000 for helping develop the player. A deal has now been

reached - a portion of which the player contributed himself. Aluko

goes straight into contention for Rangers next SPL match away to

Kilmarnock. Vladimir the manner of has no chance of getting �50

million for a Hearts - that is the view of Geoff Brown. He is standing

down after 25 years or as chairman of the pair club. He says people

should forget about making a quick buck from the game. Back to my

McDiarmid Park, just weeks after handing over the reins to his son.

Few people have more experience in the boardroom of Scottish football

than Geoff Brown. He sent a warning as he talked to me. The SPL have

signed a new and lucrative SPL 18 - back deal but those investing just

to make money, should think again. It sickens me. When you see the

Hearts situation and other clubs. The to believe it is about money -

it is not about money. The only person who has been successful on

the money side of thing is Fergus McCann. He said what he would do

and he did it. He did it as a business and I admire what he did.

Fergus McCann took over in 1994 at Celtic. He promised to turn the

club around and sell it on for profits - he succeeded and walked

away. Today another man from foreign shores is looking to sell

up as well for a profit - this time at Hearts. Vladimir Romanov is

looking for a �50 million, do you think he will get it? Who they heck

would pay 50 million pounds? You could get all Scottish football for

that, that is ridiculous. The for sale sign remains up at Tyne Castle

and Geoff Brown believes it will stay up until the price come down.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have won their appeal over the red card

shown to midfielder Greg Tansey in the SPL match against Celtic last

weekend. Inverness manager Terry Butcher describe this as assault by

a fingernail. Referee Stephen O'Reilly thought differently at the

time and sent Greg Tansey off. But at today's fast track SFA appeal

hearing the referee admitted he had made a mistake. Everyone makes

mistakes! Retailers in Edinburgh say this

year's Christmas festival is vital to stimulate business. Trams work

on Princes Street has been suspended until the new year. The

event officially kicked off this evening.

Can you believed that it is this time of year already? Ed and then

a's Christmas festivities started an hour ago. -- Edinburgh's. There

were strong winds which curtailed activities a bit. It was pretty

spectacular. A 14 metre-high fairy on top of the famous Christmas tree,

complete with fireworks. It is officially Christmas time in the

capital, the big wheel is turning, the horses gallop around the

carousel and the smell of mulled wine is in the ear. But it has been

a tough year for business. Not only the economic downturn but also the

problem with the trams disruption. 20 % of our turnover in the six

weeks around Christmas, before it lead-up and up to have many, so it

is vital. It gives us a great boost for the year. Tram works have been

suspended until after new year and �80,000 has been spent to bring

events on to Princes Street. It took a �25,000 guarantee from a

local a telly or to ensure that the ice rink is open after it got into

trouble last year. It is essential we get the Christmas programme

spot-on, because this is all about making sure that the business --

the city has the foot-fault it needs to deliver the right economic

benefits. While the weather may be cold, local businesses will be

praying that even a Christmas is not white, it will be bright.

Plenty today here in Christmas -- in Princes Street Gardens. This has

been turned into a pedestrian region for the season. There will

be Street a theatre and games. You will able to take a ride in a horse

and carriage. So there is some transport where we wait for the

trams! The organisers were worried about

the wind earlier, how is it now? The West Coast is distinctly wet

and wild. A lot is going on in the forecast in the next few days - the

wind is the main feature with a weather warning from the Met Office

weather warning from the Met Office and gas up to 70 miles an hour in

the Western Isles. We could see some localised flooding in low-

lying regions. Strong to gale-force winds across the mainland as well.

When she showers in the north-west. -- wintry showers. The temperatures

are up and down in the next few days. Cold air tomorrow with mild

air pushing in for Saturday and then on Sunday cold air returns

again. From tomorrow onwards - strong to gale-force winds still in

place in the West. Blustery showers in the West and blustery showers

across high-ground and towards the east. Away from the north-west, for

much of the country it will be dry and bright, sunny in the Central

Belt and in the Borders and along the east coast. Further inland and

the West, that is where the showers are. Showers continue across Orkney

and Shetland. However, here comes the problem, temperatures at seven

or eight degrees but with the wind, it will feel no warmer than two or

three degrees. The real better field to the day tomorrow. Showers

fade away or were night. One are to continue up the west coast and for

Orkney and Shetland. It happens all over again at the weekend - another

low-pressure system working his way up the West. Notice the isobars

meaning more severe gales on the way, especially in the north-west.

Heavy rain at times. Temperatures recover for Saturday but their back

down again on Sunday with the wind remaining strong throughout. Thank

remaining strong throughout. Thank you very much.

A summary of area top stories - a North Sea helicopter crash in which

16 men died was caused by catastrophic gearbox failure - that

is the conclusion of the official report into the accident which

happened of Peterhead in 2009. It also revealed that the operators of

the aircraft considered replacing the gearbox one week before the

accident happened. The Leveson Inquiry into Press

Standards has hair from actress Sienna Miller and author JK Rowling,

both spoke of how their privacy had been invaded by reporters. Sienna

Miller said she had been spat on and JK Rowling recalled finding a

message from a journalist in her child's school back.

A conman who swindled thousands of pounds from World War II veterans

has been jailed for more than two years. Four th goal John Lennox

from Clydebank took deposits for trips to Normandy and Holland but a

holiday is never happened and the money was not returned.

A furious row has broken out between the unions and the

government after ministers claimed next week's strike by noise a