:00:09. > :00:13.Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:
:00:13. > :00:21.Killed for a mobile phone. Two thieves are found guilty of the
:00:21. > :00:23.murder of a young father who tried A bleak Christmas for construction
:00:23. > :00:29.workers as a building firm collapses.
:00:29. > :00:32.Where does 007 sit? An exclusive look round the government's spy
:00:32. > :00:42.centre in Cheltenham. And lit up for the longest night. A
:00:42. > :00:46.
:00:46. > :00:49.white horse in Wiltshire shines Good evening. Two robbers are
:00:49. > :00:54.facing a life sentence for murdering a young father for his
:00:54. > :00:58.mobile phone. They took his iPhone and stabbed Keith Soons in the head
:00:58. > :01:02.when he tried to get it back. Both men are well known to the
:01:02. > :01:06.police in Cheltenham after years of criminality. The officer who called
:01:06. > :01:14.and said this was the most callous crime he had seen in 25 years.
:01:14. > :01:18.We have been following the case and talking to the victims -- victim's
:01:18. > :01:22.devastated family. When he passed away part of us died forever. We
:01:23. > :01:28.cannot come to terms with his death and why he was taken from us as
:01:28. > :01:33.such a young age with his life ahead of him. Keith Soons' sister
:01:33. > :01:38.talking outside court today. He was on a night out in Cheltenham with
:01:38. > :01:43.his friends on 4th February earlier this year. The following morning he
:01:43. > :01:49.was found lying unconscious in this road. He died in hospital with his
:01:49. > :01:59.partner and his daughter by his bedside. That day was horrible, the
:01:59. > :02:01.
:02:01. > :02:09.worst day of my life. And Tooley was there. -- Tilly. If I knew it
:02:09. > :02:13.was happening I wouldn't have taken her. The ventilator would move, he
:02:13. > :02:18.would make her laugh, and she had only just begun to laugh then, as
:02:18. > :02:22.well. She was looking at him, and she didn't know what to do. She
:02:22. > :02:27.didn't know what was going on. He would move and she would think he
:02:27. > :02:33.was working up and then he wouldn't. She didn't know what was going on.
:02:33. > :02:37.Then she started crying and realised he wasn't waking up. They
:02:37. > :02:42.said they were turning the machine off because there was nothing they
:02:42. > :02:46.could do for him. After his death Gloucestershire
:02:46. > :02:51.police launched a manhunt which eventually led to the rest of
:02:51. > :02:55.Michael Sexton and Richard Smith, two well-known local criminals.
:02:56. > :03:02.CCTV footage showed the pair heading towards wet Keith Soons was
:03:02. > :03:05.attacked. In one image police have identified what they say is a
:03:05. > :03:11.screwdriver which was taken from a previous robbery earlier in the
:03:11. > :03:17.night. Both admitted to being at the scene of the attack. Sexton
:03:17. > :03:21.pleaded guilty to robbery but both denied murder. Each blamed the
:03:21. > :03:25.other for delivering the fatal blow which eventually killed him. The
:03:25. > :03:29.jury were told Michael Sexton and Richard Smith had been on a night
:03:29. > :03:34.out in Cheltenham and it was around 3am they were on their way home
:03:34. > :03:39.along this road. They spotted Keith Soons sitting on the steps of that
:03:39. > :03:45.flat waiting for his friend to come home. It is their they decided to
:03:45. > :03:50.rob him. They took his mobile phone, wallet and ring. As Sexton Anne
:03:50. > :03:55.Smith headed in that direction Keith Soons decided to give chase.
:03:55. > :03:59.-- Sexton and Smith. They turned into here with Keith Soons
:03:59. > :04:05.continuing to follow them, saying he wanted his mobile phone back
:04:05. > :04:10.because it has pictures of his child and wife. This is where this
:04:10. > :04:15.tragic journey ends, because Keith Soons was struck here in the head
:04:15. > :04:20.with a screwdriver. Today the jury found both Sexton and Smith guilty
:04:20. > :04:24.of murder. Those would say they had a certain
:04:24. > :04:29.reputation in Cheltenham. They have grown up as petty criminals. They
:04:29. > :04:35.have lived on a diet of the thievery and violence. 25 years in
:04:35. > :04:40.the police, the one thing that has struck me was the obvious lack of
:04:40. > :04:45.humanity that existed in this crime. I have seen violence, but I have
:04:45. > :04:50.never really seen anyone just leave someone in the street the way they
:04:50. > :04:54.did. Keith Soons' family say although they are pleased with the
:04:54. > :05:00.verdict his murder has changed their lives forever. Can I just add,
:05:00. > :05:04.if there is somebody out there that you miss and love so much, please
:05:04. > :05:10.tell them. We don't have that opportunity to tell Keith, and
:05:10. > :05:17.believe me, that is what really hurts of the most. Thank you.
:05:17. > :05:25.His family left court tonight knowing his murderers both face
:05:25. > :05:31.life imprisonment when they are sentenced tomorrow.
:05:31. > :05:34.And some very moving scenes outside the court. The family had to sit
:05:34. > :05:41.some suits -- 63 some gruesome evidence.
:05:41. > :05:45.At times I could see them covering their ears, as T the evidence when
:05:45. > :05:52.he was found lying unconscious. And also when they talked about how
:05:52. > :05:57.that screwdriver was forced into his head. There was testimony from
:05:57. > :06:00.Michael Sexton, one of the men convicted, when he talked about
:06:00. > :06:04.what they did, after the attack, and he talks about Richard Smith
:06:04. > :06:09.had said to him and have always wanted to know what it was like to
:06:09. > :06:16.kill someone. Pretty gruesome stuff. They have been convicted of murder,
:06:16. > :06:19.a mandatory life sentence but did judges making more Commons tomorrow.
:06:19. > :06:27.He will taking everything about the attack and will set the minimum 10
:06:27. > :06:30.they have to serve before they are considered for parole.
:06:30. > :06:34.Hundred of construction workers in the West received bad news this
:06:34. > :06:40.morning when it was announced the company they work for has called in
:06:40. > :06:44.the administrators. Blackhorse Construction has been around for a
:06:44. > :06:48.quarter-century. It has sites across the region.
:06:48. > :06:53.This is the headquarters in Wiltshire, and in these modest
:06:53. > :06:58.buildings this morning 100 staff were given their redundancy notices,
:06:58. > :07:04.what a way to end the year. There are more crossed the West Country.
:07:04. > :07:08.For the depot in Wellington, they ran the operation from here, and 50
:07:08. > :07:13.Somerset staff will also given redundancy letters. In all, 180
:07:13. > :07:17.people were laid off today. The last 40 will remain here in
:07:17. > :07:22.Wiltshire to help the administrators. Unsurprisingly,
:07:22. > :07:28.none of them much wanted to talk to reporters.
:07:28. > :07:31.And this was their business, ground works, because, the first job on a
:07:31. > :07:38.building site and making green fields ready for new homes --
:07:38. > :07:41.diggers. This is my third recession, the hardest and deepest. Even
:07:41. > :07:46.experienced builders will tell you this industry is going through a
:07:46. > :07:51.difficult time. Very sad they have gone under. The whole construction
:07:51. > :07:55.industry is a very competitive market and very tough. Costs of
:07:55. > :07:58.building materials have risen quickly, some doubling in the year.
:07:58. > :08:03.The prices builders can charge have dropped, if anything, and there is
:08:03. > :08:09.just less work around. The main thing is the volumes have gone. The
:08:09. > :08:13.major projects have now disappeared, which has condensed the whole
:08:13. > :08:16.market which means all the big companies are coming down to the
:08:17. > :08:23.smaller markets, which makes it very competitive. It is not
:08:23. > :08:32.universal, this little trading estate is just down the road. This
:08:32. > :08:35.company fitter you shops and hotels. -- fit out new shops. We are doing
:08:36. > :08:40.a lot of office refurbishment and things where people are not moving.
:08:40. > :08:45.Doing quite well on that. builder told me today his industry
:08:45. > :08:50.has been in recession for three-and a-half years, and as time was on
:08:50. > :08:58.more and more companies across the West Country will face the sort of
:08:58. > :09:04.difficulties Blackhorse has. Gloomy prospect, let's hope things
:09:04. > :09:09.get better in the new year. Christmas week, and you're watching
:09:09. > :09:13.BBC Points West. Still to come: how gene therapy
:09:13. > :09:20.could help protect the heart of diabetes sufferers.
:09:20. > :09:24.And lighting up a white horse for the longest night of the year.
:09:24. > :09:28.Do stay with us. A cafe set up and run by homeless
:09:28. > :09:31.people in Taunton has been forced to close. It was opened in June
:09:31. > :09:34.last year by the Taunton Association for the Homeless. The
:09:34. > :09:39.aim was to raise money for the charity, but also provide valuable
:09:39. > :09:45.work experience and life skills for the homeless. Today the charity
:09:45. > :09:49.closed its doors saying it could no longer sustain the losses.
:09:49. > :09:54.35 bus routes could go in Somerset. The county council has announced
:09:54. > :09:57.what cuts it is planning for the next financial year. It is on top
:09:57. > :10:03.of �2 million of savings it has already paid to services which
:10:03. > :10:07.could make a profit -- already made. Police are calling on members of
:10:07. > :10:12.the public to be on the lookout for Cable thieves posing as rail
:10:12. > :10:16.workers. A series of thefts primarily targeting signalling
:10:16. > :10:19.cable have occurred on rail lines in areas like Stow-on-the-Wold in
:10:20. > :10:25.Gloucestershire. They have left cabling in a dangerous condition
:10:25. > :10:29.which could cause injury to others. An organisation that helps people
:10:29. > :10:35.from difficult backgrounds to find employment is opening new premises
:10:35. > :10:40.in Bristol. Positive Causes was set up in 2009 and employees sell a
:10:40. > :10:42.monthly magazine in towns and cities and door-to-door. The
:10:42. > :10:46.profits go towards community project for the young and
:10:46. > :10:50.vulnerable. -- project.
:10:50. > :10:55.They are working hard, and soon this will be a new internet cafe
:10:55. > :10:59.and drop-in centre for Positive Causes. It is a non-profit
:10:59. > :11:04.organisation set up by a former prison and drug addict who found
:11:04. > :11:09.even when he had changed, his past stopped him getting work.
:11:09. > :11:13.It has given me a purpose and structure. I spent most of my life
:11:13. > :11:17.in and out of prison and addicted to drugs. I sorted myself out. I am
:11:17. > :11:23.helping the community by the people I employ, it is also helping me as
:11:23. > :11:29.well. They make and sell a monthly magazine and what started with four
:11:29. > :11:32.staff grew to 45. This is the latest edition of the Positive
:11:32. > :11:36.Causes magazine. You may have seen it on the streets, you may even
:11:36. > :11:41.have bought it. Sometimes the seller will directly need the
:11:41. > :11:44.support, other times the money raised will go to different
:11:44. > :11:48.projects to help people struggling with their lives. Initially
:11:48. > :11:53.designed to help those battling drug abuse or criminal records it
:11:53. > :11:57.has also offered a chance for young people out of work to get a start.
:11:57. > :12:02.I just wanted a job, to be honest. Then I started getting more
:12:02. > :12:08.involved, and I am feeling good about myself so I carried on doing
:12:08. > :12:13.it. He gives youngsters employment, help for CVs, you have always got a
:12:13. > :12:17.friendly face to speak to. A good working atmosphere. It has made me
:12:17. > :12:22.get up every day with a smile on my face knowing I am giving something
:12:22. > :12:28.back to the community, doing something local, and I know people
:12:28. > :12:36.around me benefit. The new premises in Bristol's old market a due to
:12:36. > :12:39.open in the new year marking the next step for Positive Causes.
:12:39. > :12:44.It is hoped the new study being carried out at the University of
:12:44. > :12:48.Bristol could help prevent heart disease in people with diabetes.
:12:48. > :12:51.The research which uses the gene therapy has been shown to work on
:12:51. > :13:00.mice, but as our health correspondent reports, more needs
:13:01. > :13:06.to be done before it can be Robin Smith is only too aware that
:13:06. > :13:11.he is at a much greater risk of a heart attack. He was diagnosed with
:13:11. > :13:18.pate two by BT's six years ago. Cycling on average at 100 miles a
:13:18. > :13:22.week means this 77-year-old is hoping to live many more areas.
:13:22. > :13:28.It is most important that I exercise as much as I can to
:13:28. > :13:33.prevent these problems. Their research into heart problems is
:13:33. > :13:39.very important. Diabetic patients do not produce
:13:39. > :13:44.enough of a compound called nerve growth factor. This prevents heart
:13:44. > :13:48.-- heart failure. The scientist is thus published a paper which
:13:48. > :13:56.demonstrates that by injecting the compound into diabetic mice, their
:13:56. > :14:04.heart function can be improved. Maybe we can be funded now and can
:14:04. > :14:11.measure for diabetic function by using a special graph for the mouse.
:14:11. > :14:16.Mace protected by this compounds show better function. Two years ago,
:14:16. > :14:21.Hatim showed that nerve growth factor could help treat heart
:14:21. > :14:25.attack patients. This study shows that the dangerous consequences of
:14:25. > :14:28.diabetes could also be reduced. Scientists have shown that by
:14:28. > :14:33.injecting tiny amounts of the chemical into diabetic mice they
:14:33. > :14:41.have been able to reduce the heart complications expected. They say
:14:41. > :14:44.that the next stage is to experiment with this on pegs.
:14:44. > :14:46.-- pigs. Now, for 60 years it was at the
:14:46. > :14:50.forefront of the Government's intelligence mission, but at the
:14:50. > :14:52.end of this week, the last workers will leave GCHQ's Oakley site in
:14:52. > :14:57.Cheltenham to move into the main headquarters. TV Cameras have never
:14:57. > :15:05.been allowed inside. Until now. Our reporter Steve Knibbs has been
:15:05. > :15:07.given exclusive access to one of the government's most secret sites.
:15:07. > :15:14.GCHQ Oakley, with its iconic buildings high above Cheltenham,
:15:14. > :15:19.watching over the town as it has listened in on the world. My guide
:15:19. > :15:29.today is GCHQ's historian, Tony. We're only allowed to use first
:15:29. > :15:35.names. What sort of work was done here? Mainly classified work. This
:15:35. > :15:44.was the headquarters site. Much of the operational work a was done on
:15:44. > :15:47.this site. Today the buildings are being decommssioned. Offices that
:15:47. > :15:52.once thrived, now quiet, but it gives us a chance to see what was
:15:52. > :15:58.once hidden from the outside world. This is what you would expect to
:15:58. > :16:02.see - a place for Secure documents? This is the director revolt and
:16:02. > :16:09.this is where all the documents would have been kept securely,
:16:10. > :16:14.inside the vault. Inside the vault, cabinets protected by a combination
:16:14. > :16:17.locks. Delve a little deeper and you get a glimpse of the might of
:16:17. > :16:23.the intelligence gathering here. Through now derelict corridors Tony
:16:23. > :16:28.showed me into one of the massive computer halls. This is no one
:16:28. > :16:33.large empty space but during the period it was used, the computers
:16:33. > :16:37.were used for processing power with different machines. It was never
:16:37. > :16:47.the same configuration for very long. How many halls like this
:16:47. > :16:48.
:16:48. > :16:58.would there have been? Several. What's? Several. We were shown
:16:58. > :17:06.
:17:06. > :17:09.these massive killing units which kept the area cool. -- cooling. And
:17:09. > :17:17.next door these giant generators - they'd kick in if there was a power
:17:17. > :17:22.cut - and by necessity, they're pretty powerful.
:17:22. > :17:25.It is all very quiet now and if only these Walls Could Talk. The
:17:25. > :17:30.work done here until only a few weeks ago was classified
:17:30. > :17:34.insensitive, and the opportunity to bring a camera into film -
:17:34. > :17:37.impossible. There's a desire for GCHQ to be more open, where it can,
:17:37. > :17:41.and with this site destined to become housing, this was a chance
:17:41. > :17:45.to share the history of a site that not only changed the town, but
:17:45. > :17:48.helped shape the world. And Steve will be back at GCHQ
:17:48. > :17:52.tomorrow uncovering more of the history of the site and talking to
:17:52. > :18:02.people that have worked there for most of their lives, so do join us
:18:02. > :18:07.
:18:07. > :18:13.for that. Did you know that today has been an important time in the
:18:13. > :18:16.calendar since the neolithic age. People in Wiltshire have been
:18:16. > :18:24.marking the shorter stay by creating a rather special light
:18:24. > :18:30.show of on a special hillside. This is through Wiltshire village
:18:30. > :18:34.of honey street. On that hill is the particular white horse that
:18:34. > :18:39.will be the focus today of a very ancient tradition. The celebration
:18:39. > :18:44.of winter solstice, the shortest day. Something celebrated for as
:18:44. > :18:47.long as humankind has known what they that is. Plenty of people have
:18:47. > :18:52.welcomed back the Sun today along with the prospect of even longer
:18:52. > :18:58.days. To celebrate the solstice since they will you need special
:18:58. > :19:04.equipment. These candles that are kept in jars. You can be posh and
:19:04. > :19:13.go for the winter lantern. You still have to get it up over that
:19:13. > :19:20.hill. This is an amazing view up here - completely stunning.
:19:20. > :19:25.Apparently it is over there. We eventually found the right hell.
:19:25. > :19:30.There was a big clue, and then the hard work started. It was suggested
:19:30. > :19:38.to us that we could revive an ancient tradition of lighting the
:19:38. > :19:42.white horses. As of 1957, some of them were still at. This year it is
:19:42. > :19:47.easy but last year there was a lot of snow and it was difficult. It is
:19:47. > :19:54.important to gather together and it is fun. This is the shortest day of
:19:54. > :19:59.the year. This is where the custom of Christmas come from - lighting
:19:59. > :20:03.up the house and lighting up the inside and outside. There are
:20:03. > :20:07.plenty of people getting excited about how it works including this
:20:08. > :20:15.chap and a lot of youngsters. What is more exciting - the winter
:20:15. > :20:22.solstice or Christmas? I don't know. Christmas. I don't know. They are
:20:22. > :20:26.both quite exciting. Then you start getting a longer days again.
:20:26. > :20:33.really want to see it when it is darker because it will probably
:20:33. > :20:38.look more exciting than it does now. It is a few minutes before 4pm just
:20:38. > :20:43.now and just before the sun sets. Not dark but already plenty of
:20:43. > :20:46.people lighting candles and you can see the effect. Just a few more
:20:46. > :20:53.candles left to put down and we will leave them to put the
:20:53. > :20:59.finishing touches to it. We're back down in the village now. The time
:20:59. > :21:05.is just after 4:30pm and make his pollen. You can still see the
:21:05. > :21:15.magical bowling winter solstice horse through the fog. Days are
:21:15. > :21:17.
:21:17. > :21:22.getting longer and that means someone is nearly here. -- summer.
:21:22. > :21:29.A correction to her story about the Welsh a film who will put into
:21:29. > :21:32.administration. The company it is called Black Horse contractors, not
:21:32. > :21:35.black course construction, who are still trading.
:21:35. > :21:43.Now, if you're organised you may have selected your Christmas
:21:43. > :21:46.wrapping paper already and wrapped up all the presents. Not quite. If
:21:46. > :21:50.you haven't, then here's a thought. A group of children from Hatherop
:21:50. > :21:55.Primary School near Fairford has come up with a novel way to raise
:21:56. > :22:01.money for their sports field. Simon Lewis went to find out more.
:22:01. > :22:05.Christmas, and the frantic search for presents maybe soon upon us.
:22:05. > :22:15.Don't worry, once you have got those presents and you want to put
:22:15. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:20.them in something different. This uniquely designed festive wrapping
:22:20. > :22:29.paper features 83 individual snowmen, sketched by each of the
:22:29. > :22:34.school's pupils. I wanted a pudgy snowman because I think the other
:22:34. > :22:43.cases. I wanted it to be again also added eyelashes. I added some
:22:43. > :22:50.shadow to mind to make it look a bit darker. I thought that men
:22:50. > :22:54.usually wear ties for Christmas dinner so I added that I to it.
:22:54. > :22:58.eco-friendly wrapping paper is to be sold to raise funds for the
:22:58. > :23:04.school's play area. Already, and number of local businesses have
:23:04. > :23:09.agreed to sell it. Somebody came up with the idea of wrapping a person
:23:09. > :23:13.in the paper for a promotional photograph. The idea to cough. She
:23:14. > :23:22.has been team Ascot. Do you think we will send you off to Father
:23:22. > :23:27.Christmas? No. I think there will be some very careful wrapping of
:23:27. > :23:31.Christmas to make sure their little snowman is not a rat. Some of the
:23:31. > :23:35.children will probably retain it and keep it for years to come.
:23:35. > :23:44.you are looking to wrap your present this year, made a spare a
:23:44. > :23:52.thought for all those 83 snowmen. I know a lot of people who pulled
:23:52. > :23:55.it up carefully and keep it for next year. == fold. And finally
:23:55. > :23:58.before we leave you, we want to wish someone a speedy recovery. You
:23:58. > :24:04.may remember Keeleigh Redfern, from Somerset, who was very poorly with
:24:04. > :24:08.failing kidneys and liver. Well, the good news is that she has had a
:24:08. > :24:11.double transplant and is now recovering in hospital. Her mum
:24:11. > :24:21.says she is doing well. And we hope to catch up with Keeleigh once
:24:21. > :24:22.
:24:22. > :24:32.she's back at home. Happy Christmas, Keeleigh!
:24:32. > :24:35.
:24:35. > :24:40.What a contrast already compared to last week. Noticeably mild today,
:24:40. > :24:49.as it will be through the course of tomorrow. Temperatures in the mould
:24:49. > :24:54.double figures. At the eye and benign story to come. Other than a
:24:54. > :25:00.cold front coming on Friday, it is pretty benign with some high
:25:00. > :25:08.pressure in the south of us. It continues to be mild and for the
:25:08. > :25:13.time being, it will persist. A when the story into Christmas Day but
:25:13. > :25:20.effectively it should be dry. We can see the cold front coming
:25:20. > :25:26.through with a good indication that it will remain mild all the way
:25:26. > :25:30.through Christmas. Long-range prospects remain to be a broadly
:25:30. > :25:40.similar story into the first week of January, with not a hint of any
:25:40. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:47.Severe weather. Through tonight, the high pressure to the south of
:25:47. > :25:50.us. Comparatively mild over the Atlantic ocean with the variable
:25:50. > :25:55.amounts of cloud around until we see this cold front arriving which
:25:56. > :26:01.will be a feature in to Friday. No set really a very wet weather
:26:02. > :26:07.between now and then. Some bricks in the cloud. We continue with that
:26:07. > :26:17.mixture through this evening and tonight with the winds moderate.
:26:17. > :26:20.
:26:20. > :26:26.Little chance of any brain. -- rain. Temperatures will only drop by
:26:26. > :26:33.around two or three Celsius. No threat of any frost. Tomorrow will
:26:33. > :26:43.see a good amount of cloud around. At Friday for us all up and down to
:26:43. > :26:46.that early afternoon, there will be some brighter spells. Decent stuff
:26:46. > :26:50.through the course of the afternoon and that is how it will remain into
:26:50. > :26:57.the evening with the winds coming in from that direction with the
:26:57. > :27:01.temperatures reflecting it, at around 12 Celsius. Friday, that
:27:01. > :27:10.cold front will reach us which will give us some fairly heavy rain
:27:10. > :27:19.crossing Eastwards. It should be out of the way by late afternoon in
:27:19. > :27:28.the east of Wiltshire. After today, a milder regime far up the
:27:28. > :27:34.a milder regime far up the Good news for those travelling to