07/02/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening. Welcome to Points West. The headlines: In court on

explosives charges. The man who had enough chemicals in his garage to

blow up a small housing estate. He said he was just bored.

You don't expect to know somebody who lives across the road from a

friend and think, "He's got those explosives." He could have done

major damage to people's lives. He already bankrolls Bristol City.

Now Stephen Lansdown is the new owner of Bristol Rugby Club.

The activist taking to the trees to protest about nuclear electricity

in Somerset. Have I passed? The teenagers taking

driving lessons in the school car park.

A man from Somerset has admitted making explosives which could have

seriously damaged homes within a 50 metre radius. 36-year-old Phillip

Leonard pleaded guilty to all charges at Taunton Crown Court. It

follows a police raid on his home in Burnham-on-Sea last month.

Phillip Leonard arriving in a prison van to face four charges of

making explosives for unlawful purposes. In the dock at Taunton

Crown Court, he admitted them all, quietly saying "Guilty, your

Honour" as each charge was put to him. It all stemmed from a police

raid on his home last month. What they and Army bomb disposal experts

found caused them to set up a 100 metre cordon, all houses within it

were evacuated. It transpired that Leonard, who had become fascinated

by explosives, had quietly been creating some very powerful

chemicals, capable of causing serious harm. This explosion was

caused by a substance identical in both size and make-up to that found

at Leonard's home. Shoe-bomber Richard Reid tried using something

similar to bring down an American Airlines flight in 2001. This

afternoon, we showed the full list of chemicals in his possession to

Sidney Alford. He had explosives suitable for making something very

dangerous, potentially-lethal. Simple possession of the substances

of course is not proof that there was any intention whatsoever.

Leonard appeared in court it was said the explosives were capable of

causing injury and damage within a 50 metre radius. Today, people

living in the same street were shocked as more details emerged.

How did he get hold of it? You don't expect to know somebody who

lives across the road from a friend and think, "He's got those

explosives." He could have done major damage to people's lives

around here. We have heard explosions before. Coming from that

house? Yes. There was a few at Christmas. We didn't think - I

don't know, we didn't think anything of it. Did you think it

was fireworks? Yeah, it was round about fireworks, Christmas.

Leonard's defence is he is no terrorist, just a bored man

tinkering with explosives. At Taunton Crown Court Phillip

Leonard's lawyer said there was no malicious motive to what was going

on in the house behind me that he never intended to use any of the

explosives he made either to harm anyone, or to cause damage. Leonard

has been remanded in custody. He will be sentenced later this month.

Police investigating the shooting of a 21-year-old following last

year's St Paul's Carnival have released new CCTV images from just

after the attack. Detectives say Rico Gordon was an innocent

bystander when at least three gunmen opened fire in Stapleton

Road. They now want to trace a white Vauxhall Combo van believed

to have been near the scene of the shooting. It drove away soon

afterwards. Two men have been charged with murder in connection

with his death. 22 cars have had their tyres

slashed in roads around Gloucester. The incidents happened between late

yesterday and this morning. People living in three streets in the

Barton and Treadworth areas reported the damage earlier today.

The police believe it may be a case of mindless vandalism.

Bristol Rugby has a new owner tonight. He's Stephen Lansdown, the

majority shareholder of Bristol City Football Club. Today it

emerged the multi-millionaire has been secretly bankrolling the rugby

club since 2008. Up until now he's only been referred to on the

company's documents as "the white knight".

He's been investing in Bristol sport for more than a decade. The

financial muscle behind Bristol City. Now Stephen Lansdown is

adding rugby to his portfolio. Previous Bristol owners have found

it a struggle since the game turned professional in the '90s. The club

almost went out of business. Talk of a merger with Bath also surfaced.

There was a proposal to move the club out of the West altogether.

Today, Bristol said the new ownership would mean an end to

those financial worries. Steve came in when we were considering all

sorts of terrible options. Without Steve's catalyst, I suspect the

club wouldn't be here today. Steve is not going to plough money at it,

that is not his style. We have a robust business plan that we will

stick to. We think that plan will get us into the premiership.

Running rugby clubs, you do make losses. The big three, Bristol,

Bath and Gloucester have lost money. Now we have "the white knight". How

wonderful he is prepared to investment Stephen Lansdown is a

self-made millionaire. The success of his financial services firm has

helped him build a personal fortune estimated at �750 million. His six-

figure investment into Bristol three years ago prevented the club

from going into administration. His money has funded their charge back

towards the Premiership this season, helping bring this ten new players.

Fans still expect a careful approach from their new owner.

all these people that have acquired wealth, they didn't get there by

being frivolous. They know how to spend their money and with advice

it will be spent wisely. The short- term future of the club remains at

the Memorial Stadium where the club have a rolling year-long lease.

They also have an unsigned agreement to move to the UWE

Stadium with Bristol Rovers. Long- term, it could be more commercially

attractive for Stephen Lansdown to have both Bristol City and now

Bristol Rugby together at a new home at Ashton Vale.

Earlier, I spoke to "the white knight", Stephen Lansdown. I

started by asking him why he revealed himself. I don't think I

quite revealed myself! No, Chris has been a lifelong friend of mine.

Obviously, I have been talking to him about the rugby club over many

years. Back in 2008/9 when times got very difficult for them, I

agreed to put some money into the club. I didn't want it to be made

public. I wanted to put it in to help him and that is what I did.

But time is moving on. Chris has looked to find other buyers and

they haven't come forward. He's got it into a very good position where

it is financially sound, it has a good budget and it is doing well in

the league. He wants to put it in a position where it's got financial

stability so they can push on. deep are your pockets? Well, I

think the reality of it is - I have learnt a lot of lessons in handling

Bristol City over the years, handling it well in some cases, and

poorly in others. You have to earn the right for investment. You have

to know the investment is going to be made in the right way for the

right reasons. I'm not looking to put loads of money in into the

rugby club. I'm looking to underwrite what they are doing to

make sure they do it in the right way to be successful and any money

they do earn, they can plough back in to the respective businesses to

enhance that success. Bristol City fans might be worried because your

interest is going somewhere else? Bristol City is my first port of

call. It has, always been and will always be. I want to see sport do

well in Bristol. If I can support the rugby club, I will do. It is a

question of working to the right budgets, David. That is what

business is all about and the rugby club as well as the football club

have to work on that basis. Will there be a ground share with

Bristol Rugby moving to the new stadium that you want to build for

Bristol City? Well, that is the inevitable question that everybody

asks. Any decision that we take will be for the benefit of Bristol

Rugby Club. Bristol Rugby is played at the memorial ground. I would

like to see it continue to be played there. If the two clubs were

in a play-off final, Bristol Rugby and Bristol City, on the same day,

where would you be? I would be with Bristol City. Ly be keeping tabs on

both games very closely. If I can make both I would. Thank you.

-- I will be keeping tabs on both games very closely.

Very interesting. One to watch, I think.

Now it is your regional news programme, BBC Points West. Stay

with us as there is much more still to bring you.

Including, can they make it to Wembley? We are live at Swindon who

hope they can paint the town red tonight.

What do Charles Dickens and Bath have in common? Find out shortly.

All that still to come. First, three anti-nuclear protesters have

spent the day up a tree on the site of the proposed Hinkley C reactor

in Somerset. The men claim EDF, which wants to build the new power

station, is carrying out work before it's granted planning

permission, something the company strongly denies.

Everyone saw what happened in Fukushima. We thought enough is

enough. They arrived at 4.00am getting on to a stretch of private

woodland owned by EDF. John, Dave and their friend, who was asleep,

have a clear message - nuclear is not needed. The public are buying

solar panels, putting them on their roofs. Why can't big business do

that? We have proof in the pudding that it works and it is reducing

people's energy bills. Yet, we need eight nuclear power stations.

trio were there to protect ancient trees from being felled. Unlike the

story that the protesters are portraying, the work we were going

to carry out was care and maintenance. Some removal of dead

trees and branches that are overhanging what is a public

footpath. EDF have permission to clear the area. It's moved badgers

and bats to new homes close by. Now it has some unexpected residents to

deal with. Clearly, we are in discussions with the protesters. We

have asked them to leave. They are trespassing. We will explore all

avenues that are open to us to try and remove them from the site.

you can see, there is work happening here today, but that is

nothing to do with the new reactor which is yet to be given final

planning permission. Instead, it is to remove waste material from when

the original power station was built in the late 1950s. It is

going to get cold over the next couple of days. How long are you

prepared to stay for? Well, I have lived in these conditions before,

so it is a matter of having enough equipment with you. And a good

sleeping bag and enough good clothes. If the new reactor is

approved it could be providing enough energy for five million

homes by 2020. A West charity is giving special

training to nurses to help them care for children who are unable to

breathe for themselves. Yes, Breathe-on UK has been concerned

about a number of incidents where nursing staff were unable to use a

home ventilator. Matthew hill has been to meet one

family who has been affected. Sophie Patmore is kept alive by a

machine that breathes for her. Her mother has always looked after the

four-year-old during the day, but at night they rely on nurses.

Effectively, if that builds up, it stops the ventilator from giving

her a breath. Two years ago, Sophie nearly died when a nurse from a

private agency had not spotted that the suction machine used to clear

her airways wasn't working because it was full. The oxygen levels in

her blood fell to 7% but fortunately, her parents were able

to take over from the nurse. the time at this time the nurse was

shouting, "Let me call an ambulance." What needed to happen

was the situation needed to be dealt with. It moves around like

that. This is the first of a new type of training course that is

being laid on to prevent similar mistakes happening again. You need

a refresher, every time new people are involved, they need to be given

the opportunity to be trained. So maintaining standards, really, is

crucial. Fortunately, things rarely go wrong. If they do, we need to

make sure everyone knows what they are doing. Ten years ago there were

100 children living on long-term ventilation at home. But with

advances in medical technology, those numbers have grown to almost

1,000 and this trend will continue. That is why these mannequins

couldn't have come along at a better time. We tend to keep a

suction catheter on the end of the tube. Around 100 nurses and home

support workers will receive ongoing training throughout the

region. It is hoped families like the Patmores won't find themselves

ever having to take over in an emergency again.

Lots of 17-year-olds spend months saving up for driving lessons, but

at one school in North Somerset they are part of the timetable. In

a national first, students are being offered a qualification in

driver training which should improve road safety.

Take it nice and steady. Behind the wheel, behind school gates, these

teenagers at Nailsea School are learning to drive in the car park.

After turning 17, students here can sign up to this unique course to

gain a BTEC in Driving and Driver Education. The more young people

there are in the car, the more distraction there is, the more

potential danger there is. The people who take this course will be

used to that distraction, they will understand the dangers. They will

have coping strategies from the course that they can use when they

are driving with their friends. is the only course of its kind in

the country, designed here in Nailsea. Today, to launch it, the

once well-known face of road safety, known as the Green Cross Code Man,

others Darth Vader from Star Wars, Bristol's very own Dave Prowse.

There is nothing better than being able to rip up your L-plates when

you pass your driving test. It is wonderful. Not only does it teach

them driving skills, it teaches them car maintenance, too.

According to research, one in five new drivers crash in the first six

months of passing their driving test. Car accidents are also the

number one cause of deaths among young people here in the UK.

Statistics show an 18-year-old driver is more than three times as

likely to be involved in a car crash than a 48-year-old. It is

about your attitude of how you drive on the road and it brings a

whole new aspect to road safety which I hadn't considered before.

You don't want to be a burden on your mum and dad all the time, so

it is good to get it over and done with. This course is great.

year-long programme includes 30 hours of driving, not on the open

road. At the end, when students collect their BTEC qualification,

they can immediately go for their theory test. It is proving popular

and the school is hoping it can be rolled out across the country later

this year. I bet it is a popular course! I

remember when I passed my test, second time, though!

You can remember that? Were you first time?

Moving on! We move on to sport on the field tonight and Wembley is

calling for Swindon Town, if they can win their Johnstone's Paint

Trophy Area Final against Barnet this evening. What could go wrong?!

Alistair is here. Are they favourites? So much could go wrong.

They are favourites. Paolo di Canio was bullish yesterday, saying they

are the better team and it is up to them to prove it now. He had the

players training in the snow on Saturday afternoon after their game

was called off at the weekend. No such problems anticipated tonight.

The club hoping for a crowd of 9,000 fans. BBC Wiltshire's Chris

Wise will be commentating on the game. He is at the County Ground.

It seems the manager is confident, the fans are confident, is it a

little bit of complacency that is the biggest problem? Let me tell

you, it is freezing at the County Ground tonight. Complacency could

be an issue for Swindon. They will be hoping not. They are the

favourites to win the game. There's 20 points between these sides in

the League Two table. After the result in the first leg, Swindon

will be expected to push on and progress to Wembley. They have won

five games straight now in the league, though Barnet are in a rich

vein of form, winning four on the bounce. They come here in form

tonight. It will be a tough game. Wembley is the massive incentive.

As far as the manager, Paolo di Canio, he never got to play at

Wembley? He didn't. He never had the opportunity. We will remember

that famous goal he scored against Manchester United in the FA Cup.

West Ham never made it to Wembley that year. He's got it drummed into

his players that they must perform and they must get a result. He

wants to take the fans to Wembley. He wants to take the players to

Wembley. He wants to be there himself. It will look fantastic on

his CV. After the disappointment of the play-off final, do Swindon need

to have some good memories? I think to be honest, the difference

between that game and the potential of playing in the Johnstone's Paint

Trophy is there was so much riding on that play-off. It didn't work

out for Swindon on that particular occasion. This is a competition

that perhaps doesn't carry the same kudos as the play-offs. They will

feel if they can get rid of the demons, it will be a fantastic

opportunity to win the trophy. Thank you. It is also an important

night for Cheltenham Town. The League Two leaders are playing

Crawley. They sit in fourth place in the table. Cheltenham beat

Crawley in August and they haven't lost away from home in the league

for four-and-a-half months. We have always said we want to be up there

and we want to be looked on as serious contenders. We have never

hidden that fact. One or two are taking notice more. It is about

making sure we believe in ourselves, making sure we keep our feet on the

ground but realise what it's got that's got us there.

Two big games tonight. Commentary on BBC Wiltshire and BBC glot ter

shire. -- Gloucestershire. We will have the details in the Ten O'Clock

News. Now, celebrations to mark the

bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens have been taking place

across the country today. His connections to Portsmouth, where he

was born, Rochester where he grew up and London where he lived and is

buried are well documented. Did you know Bath also has reason to

celebrate the anniversary? Laura Jones has been finding out why.

And now continued Mr Pickwick, looking round on his friends with a

good-humoured smile... The Pickwick Papers, Dickens first full novel

brought him critical acclaim and fame and was the springboard for

many more stories and characters. Where shall we go next?

adventures feature Samuel Pickwick and three others as they travel

around the English countryside. Well, said that gentleman, if you

leave me to suggest our destination, I say Bath. I think none of us have

ever been there. Today the city is celebrating that connection. Here

we have the bust of Dickens. Local author Andrew Swift knows all about

the main points of interest. honour of Dickens' 200th birthday,

he is wearing a laurel wreath. party hat? Indeed! This is where Mr

Pickwick came to take the waters, he had several glasses of water a

day and said he felt much better for it. His friends said they

didn't know there was anything wrong with him in the first place!

Dickens had stayed in Bath and various characters were named after

real people he had met there, including Quilp and Mr Pickwick

himself. Dickens is such a great author. It is something to

celebrate. Obviously, the Pickwick Papers was his first big success,

his first great book. The scenes in Bath are wonderful. Bath is very

proud of its connection with Dickens. It has to be said the

feeling was not mutual. After a visit to the city, Dickens

described Bath as "a cemetery full of old people who have paved the

streets with their tombstones and who wander around trying to look

alive". It's changed since then, though! No hard feelings. Bath has

moved on and is basking in the glory of being connected with one

of the country's best-loved authors. What the Dickens?! I didn't know he

thought that about Bath! The thought that about Bath! The

weather has been Dickensian, though. We heard it was freezing at the

County Ground. It will get a lot colder than that

tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the highest number of places

getting to minus double figures temperature-wise. The legacy of

that tomorrow will be a very cold day. There will be a good deal of

cloud around. The one exception the west of Somerset. It will remain

dry throughout the course of the day. We continue with variable

amounts of cloud around. A clearer slot coming through during the

course of tonight. This flow from the east bringing us drier air off

the near continent. These fronts out here remain out towards the

west for the time being. We expect those to become more of a feature

as we go into Saturday. For tonight, no threat of any rain. It will

remain a dry night. I mentioned that clear slot - it is extending

its way westwards. Temperatures will drop away. With that dry air,

we are not expecting any fog. Frost will be a different story. These

temperatures will be fairly widespread in the urban areas. It

will be a question mark over whether we will get any lower than

that. Either way, tomorrow starts on a cold note. We will have more

cloud invading into the early hours of the morning. The cloud will

remain extensive, like today. You will notice the winds look fairly

light. It will be cold, especially with the lack of sunshine. Some

places not getting above Frysing. Despite those light winds, if you

are exposed to it in any shape or fashion, these temperatures will be

more readily fashion -- above freezing. A lot of uncertainty on

this. The forecast models from the Met Office keen to bring those

fronts through. Our expectation is we will see some patchy light rain

developing, becoming more extensive through Friday.

You have had a few problem-causing weather fronts! You are doing