31/10/2011 BBC Points West

Hello and welcome to BBC Points West. In tonight's headlines... The

tragic consequences of a drunken argument. A somerset woman goes on

trial for killing her husband by pulling on the car handbrake at

high speed. Liam Fox admits he was careless. The former Defence

Secretary speaks for the first time since his resignation. Also tonight,

reforming university admissions. Cheltenham-based UCAS says students

should apply AFTER getting their exam results. And a special BBC

project goes behind the scenes at one of the National Trust's most

First tonight, a Somerset woman has been accused of killing her husband

by suddenly pulling on the handbrake as he was driving. Her

actions caused them to spin out of control and hit another car.

Caroline Meeking denies a charge of manslaughter. Our Somerset

correspondent, Clinton Rogers reports now from Bristol Crown

Surrounded by family and friends Caroline Meeking left Bristol Crown

Court this afternoon, hiding her face from the cameras. Earlier, as

the evidence against her had unfolded she wept repeatedly in the

dock The jury were told she and her husband had been drinking heavily

on a day out before driving home along this road on the outskirts of

Yeovil - late one night in August The prosecution say that in the car,

with Mr Meeking at the wheel and his wife in the front passenger

seat - a drunken argument started. Mrs Meeking claimed her husband

started shouting at her, verbally abusing her and threatening to

leave her. Suddenly, she pulled on the handbrake. The car spun out of

control, hitting another car travelling in the opposite

direction. Mr Meeeking suffered multiple injuries and died

instantly. The driver of the second car said that after the crash she

heard Mrs Meeking shouting: it is all my fault. I have killed him.

They have been hearing details of the police interview after she was

arrested. She said she had been upset by the disagreement with her

husband and wanted to stop the car and get out and that is why she

pulled on the handbrake. She said I did not realise that what I did

would cause what happened. The prosecution say the crash and Mr

Meeking's death was caused by an unlawful act that amounted to

manslaughter. Mrs Meeking denies the charge. Her trial is likely to

last three days. The North Somerset MP Liam Fox has told the BBC he

hopes to return to the government. In his first interview since

resigning as Defence Secretary he admitted he'd made a "careless

mistake". An official investigation found he'd broken the ministerial

code. He was talking exclusively to Two weeks ago, he was at the centre

of a political storm. Liam Fox was forced to stand down as Defence

Secretary because of his friendship with Adam Werrity. His best man was

also an unofficial adviser, funded by outsiders to work with him

around the world. He admits his error in his only interview since

standing down. It was a careless mistake and it should not have been

made. You should be big enough at the devils of government to admit

he made a mistake. I take responsibility and I have always

been very keen all my life that people shoulder personal

responsibilities. For journalists descended on his home in Twickenham

after revelations day after day. It is quite disconcerting. It is

difficult to do your proper job. You cannot physically move. The

house gets barricaded. Relatives are telephoning because they are

upset. Even to be staged at one of my nephews at the age of 14 was

doorstep and that was not acceptable. He became an MP in 1992.

Next year he got his first government job and has been a high-

flyer since. He hopes he can come back. I would certainly like to get

back to the front bench. How quickly is another matter. I think

for the moment, I will enjoy having a bit of extra time. I have got a

couple of projects I would like to get involved in. He has always had

a high profile in North Somerset. His constituents can now expect to

A royal "thank you" today for the teams who dealt with the aftermath

of the riots in Gloucester this summer. The Duke and Duchess of

Gloucester congratulated the council, emergency workers and

community leaders for the way they The West Country caught the tail

end of the riots. But the troubles in Gloucester were shocking

nonetheless. If it could happen here in a quiet a cathedral city -

where was safe? Today, almost three months on, the Queen's cousin, the

Duke of Gloucester and the Duchess, visited the local council to praise

them and emergency workers for their response. I would just like

to congratulate all of you for proving that Gloucester is a

community that works and works very quickly and rapidly when we have

Almost a dozen local stores were targeted on that balmy august night.

16 people have been charged. One has just received a year in prison,

others are awaiting to hear their fate. In Bristol, the other West

Country city to be hit, the rioters seemed to have no fear of the law.

Opportunists and anarchists, according to the city council. This

jewellery store lost a �13,000 window. A further �8000 worth of

watches and jewellery disappeared into the pockets of looters. During

the period they were fixing up the shop, we had the front boarded up

and we had plexiglass installed. The shop looked like it was being

fitted again or had shut down. We lost a bit of trade that period as

well. But we are getting it back together. People are aware we are

The troubles were mercifully short lived. The Royal visit today

reminding us of an uncomfortable You're watching Monday's Points

West with Alex and Chris. Coming up in tonight's programme... Remember

Joy Adamson and Elsa? Well not only could she raise lion cubs, she was

also a talented artist. We've been to a new exhibition of her work.

And finally a win for Bristol City, but there's no time to draw breath

before they face West Ham tomorrow A 30 year old man from London has

appeared in court charged with the murder of Rico Gordon in Bristol in

July. Rico who was 21 and also from London was shot in the street on

the Stapleton Road. Shaka Anderson from Notting Hill was remanded in

custody until a bail hearing on Wednesday. The company which wants

to build another nuclear power station in Somerset has submitted

its planning application. EDF Energy wants to build Hinkley C,

which it says would generate about 6% of Britain's energy needs.The

30,000 page bid has been handed to the Infrastructure Planning

Commission which has 28 days to decide if it wants to examine the

application and make a A small camp has been set up in

Queen Square in Bath. Organisers of "occupy" say they're supporting the

aims of similar protests on College Green in Bristol and outside St

Paul's Cathedral in London. Bath and North East Somerset Council say

they are 'monitoring' the situation. The camp currently has around 8 to

After his conviction last Friday for the murder of Jo Yeates, it was

revealed that Vincent Tabak had led a secret life involving violent

pornography and prostitutes. As he begins a life sentence, tonight's

Inside Out West has a special report on the murder trial. Here is

our correspondent. The Secret Life of Vincent Tabak. It only came to

light at the end of the trial. You have had an exclusive interview

with his lawyer. What has he said? He was convicted despite the fact

the jury were not told anything about his obsession with

prostitutes and hardcore pornography. The prosecution lost

this argument that it should present this material to the jury.

We have been talking to his lawyer about that legal battle. That is

the crux of this. Despite the fact that the law has been changed and

allows the jurors to here what is called bad character. Sometimes

people think because we have got some bad character and

reprehensible behaviour, people sometimes think it must be included.

It does not follow. It has to give in to prove a point. Even if

admissible, we have got another test about whether or not it is

prejudicial and would have derailed a fair trial. We did not actually

get to that particular argument. But it clearly would have been

prejudicial. It did not actually go towards what actually happened

within that period. You have also been talking to the family of Jo

Yeates. How has it affected them? It has a tremendous intensity, this

story. It will not go away. It centres on the family of Vincent

Tabak as well. We have been speaking to Jo Yeates's father.

They are coming to terms with how they feel about it. He says it is

right but his interest in pornography was not put towards the

jury. He and his wife are not certain it contributed to what

happened. Chris, the brother agrees with what has been told that it

could have prejudiced the outcome and even lead to an appeal. What

about the suggestion that he was involved in other crimes? During

the trial, again with the jury out, we had a legal debate and

discussion. The prosecution said they would pursue other avenues in

relation to Vincent Tabak. I have been talking to the police about

what might or might not happen in relation to further charges. More

about that at 7:30pm on Inside Out tonight. The Gloucestershire based

university admissions body, UCAS says it favours a system where

students apply to university after getting their exam results. It

means exams being taken several weeks earlier to allow time for

At the moment, teenagers choose a universities before sitting A-

levels. They are given a target. Some meet them, some exceed and

some fall short, sparking an anxious de days of finding a place.

But UCAS thinks that should change to a system where students apply

after their results are published. Only about 10% of applicants have

got correctly predicted grades. Some of these applicants have to

have predictions between five and eight months before exams. We are

getting changes and we are getting government policies. The economic

climate means we have to look for efficiencies. Just down the road is

the University of Gloucestershire. What do young people here make of

the proposals? This was my first choice anyway but I have got

friends that apply for places where they did not get the grades. It is

more realistic. You can apply for the ones you are likely to get.

think by bringing the A-level exam results back by a few weeks, I

think that it's... A lot more pressure on students to do well but

a lot more pressure to revise quickly as well and that is not

going to get the best out of people. It gives people the chance to make

a decision based on proven capabilities instead of theoretical

capabilities that they might not meet at all and it is essentially a

big life choice. UCAS facilitates almost 700 thousand like the choice

is every year. If the system is adopted, exams could take place

earlier. University open days and admissions would change radically

it. But after 50 years, UCAS Let's move on to sport and, with

the latest, here is David. Tomorrow, Bristol City travel to

London for a game that will test their new manager and his plans for

the team he took charge of 11 days ago. Bristol City play West Ham,

who were still playing Premier League football in May, but City go

into the game after their second win of the season on Saturday and

their first under new boss Derek McInnes.

He is not getting carried away by one result, but Derek McInnes is up

and running, building confidence, the buzzwords at today's press

corps, as his players learn how to win again. The result was City's

first success in two months, but they are bottom of the table,

heading to West Ham. You want to make sure we prepare properly for

the game. We are looking to go there and make a good account of

ourselves. We are not just going to enjoy the day. We have a lot of

support travelling down. It is a fixture people are looking forward

to. At the same time, it is a chance to pick up points. McInnes's

direct and honest style has gone down well with his players.

Goalkeeper David James is impressed with his new boss, actually a year

his junior. Managers are getting younger these days! It is about him

as a person, not ages. I like his philosophy on football. He is clear,

which is important, and he doesn't mind say what he feels. For the

players, they are going to know why and he gives them the right

information to help us go forward. Fans will hope he can continue to

get the best out of Nicky Maynard, after the striker returned to form

in dramatic style at Barnsley. ability to score goals, just making

sure we get them. We get good service into him and get him

playing at the top of his game. A confident Nicky Maynard is a real

asset. And, he hopes, a real threat to West Ham.

Cheltenham Town have announced that one of their under 16 players has

been killed after being in a collision with a car while jogging.

Marcus Powell was jogging at the weekend when the accident happened.

The club have asked that his family's privacy should be

respected. Six Olympic and Paralympic teams

have so far chosen to base their training camps in the West ahead of

next year's London games, but what was it that attracted their elite

athletes? In Bristol and Gloucester, it was the already established

links with the people of Kenya and Malawi that helped secure the

prestigious honour. The joy of discovering a new sport,

on pitches built by Bristol students. It is all thanks to a new

partnership between the City and Kenya, one which hopes to give

these villagers a future as well as the trip of a lifetime for the

students. I think I have sort of become a bit more responsible. I

have got a bit more confident -- a lot more confident in myself. Yes,

they have definitely changed me. Bob Reeves set up the Bristol-

Kenyan partnership after years of organising trips there. The Kenyans,

led by a double Olympic gold winner, have become firm friends of Bristol.

It was Bob's phone call which earned at Bristol the UK's first

training camp agreement. He said, nobody has approached us with

anything like this, in the past, people have said, come and use our

facilities, and that has been it. He said, I liked the idea of

engaging people more. University of Gloucestershire also

has successful links with Africa. Students travelled to Mullaly every

year, where they work teaching games. -- Mullaly. They may not be

Michael Jordans. We are aiming their, to keep them off drugs, to

keep them in school. This year, the university accepted their first

students from allow we to study. Sam and Ruth are looking forward to

welcoming their Olympic heroes in 2012. In it will be great for us,

to have some friends coming over. That makes us excited. With strong

friendships already building, there athletes can expect great support

here and from those watching back home.

The Bath-based bobsleigh competitor Serita Shone will have a second

operation on her back tomorrow as she continues her recovery from an

accident during practice in Germany. She had bones in her back pinned in

operation last Wednesday. She has feeling and movement in her legs,

but officials say it is too early to say how complete her recovery

will be. We are in regular contact with officials in Germany and we

will bring you details of Serita's progress.

Let's hope it goes well. Joy Adamson is perhaps best known

as a conservationist and as the inspiration for the Oscar-winning

movie Born Free, about the orphaned lion S Else, but she was also a

talented artist. Now a selection of her watercolours, which have been

hidden in a vault in Cheltenham for four decades, is going on display.

Joy Adamson, with the lion that was such a passion in her life. The

book Born Free told the story of the lion cub Else and it was made

into an award-winning film, but Joy was also an excellent artist and

some of her paintings, in storage for decades, are now on show.

would have liked to see them, and the fact her work had lived on. I

don't think that she realised just how good she was. The exhibition

celebrates the 50 years since the book Born Free was published. It's

hoped the exhibition will help the Else Conservation Trust, set up by

Joy, and it is helping with the plight of the African lion. Also

working for the trust is John Rendall, now a YouTube phenomenon,

with millions watching the moment he was reunited with a lie-in he

had once owned. The awareness out there of that wonderful lion, but

also the increased awareness that it helps us to promote the dangers

and threats to the environment today, so much so that we wouldn't

have been able to imagine the crisis situation with wildlife

today, but they were the first ones to flag it up 50 years ago.

paintings on show at 80 -- Ellenborough Park until next

Tuesday. They are beautiful. I don't know if

my car is on the blink, but it's the monitor said 16 degrees today.

That's hotter than some days in August!

If it is, mind is on the blink as well, because it said similar. It

has been one of the warmest Octobers in memory, with an

extended feast of autumnal colour, but de landscape could well be

about to change. With a last look at autumn and

details of a project you might like to get involved in, he is Jules

You know, I don't think I can add a lot to that, except to say that

this is Stourhead. Probably the person who knows it best is its

head gardener, Allen. It has been quite a nice autumn, because it has

been so long, so we can enjoy it for longer. I'd get a great picture

of all the seasons, and part of me moves into the next phase. I'm

watching this fantastic display behind us, knowing that in three

weeks there could be snow on the ground and the landscape will be a

different colour. I get as excited about that and my mind wanders. I

love working here but I love sharing the place. One of the ways

Alan has been sharing the garden is by talking about it every year on

Radio 4. Now the PM programme has commissioned a slide show of images

to accompany his words. questions were geared towards the

photographs as well, so it works together. I have an uncle in

Trinidad who has seen the slide show, because he knew I was going

to do it and my mum sent it to him. He thought it was amazing. The

important thing about autumn is you do not treat it as one single day.

To appreciate the qualities autumn has to offer, you have to see it

arriving, see it looking its best and see it fade away. Autumn

doesn't just last for a single day but a snapshot, a moment in time,

like those photos, can tell us a lot about life and also the world

as it exists today. That is what we would like your help with. It is

for project called Britain in a Day, to help us to tell the story of

Britain on a single day. Today at Stourhead, leaves change colour.

Joe on the gate welcomed in more than 600 visitors. The gardening

staff help keep the Laurel in good condition. That was Stourhead today,

but what about yours? The day in question is Saturday November 12th.

We would like you to fill more to the ordering. Talk about how you

are feeling that day, described in words and pictures York November

12th. It doesn't need to be professional but it should be real,

honest and heartfelt. Your footage could form part of a unique film

examining all aspects of British life on that day. To get involved,

there is a leaflet which will tell you more. If you prefer, you can go

online. Get a thinking, get filming and good luck. Then I like the idea

of that. We thought we would get into the

Hallowe'en nude with a few pictures of these pumpkins at Bristol Zoo. -

- the Hallowe'en mood. These work done by children, I

think. When I did it, it was a mess. I wonder if we have evil weather

spirits. Rain on the way, albeit later. I

don't think it will catch all the trick or treaters out. Midweek, as

we lose the chlorophyll from the leaves, we will also lose their

leaves as it turns windier. For tomorrow, sunny spells and mainly

dry, with light winds. A cold front on the way, introducing some heavy

and squally rain from this frontal system. That is easing its way

eastwards, arriving close to the borders with West Somerset, near

Lynmouth now. The Met Office computer picks up nicely on the

positioning of this, giving us confidence in the timing of this on

its way eastwards. Gusts of 30-35 mph. Hippy rain over a short space

of time, then trundling out to the east. -- heavy rain. The skies

clearing but not sufficiently to give a chilly night. 8-9 Celsius.

Tomorrow, we pick up on the theme of a good deal of sunshine for many

of us. Overhanging cloud from that Front to start things off in

Wiltshire. One or two showers. A low probability of these. Most

districts dry with a fair amount of sunshine and light winds. That is

how things will remain into the evening. Quite a pleasant feel for

this time of year, 14 or 15 Celsius. Not so pleasant in the north-

eastern parts of the US of late, with a winter storm you might have

seen about. That is going out into the Atlantic. It gets modified over

the Atlantic, this no threat does, but it arrives to us on Wednesday

and Thursday. -- ft snow threat. The potential for some heavy rain

and strong winds. This is how the graphics tend to paint that story.

Temperatures still mild. The rain will arrive late on Wednesday. It

will set in overnight on Thursday. Then a regime of some heavy,

thundery showers on Thursday. An interlude into Friday. The good