28/02/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West.

Our headlines tonight: The brilliant school girl who took her

own life. A coroner describes the treatment she received as woeful.

Concern about modern school design after a pupil falls from the fourth

storey. Read all about it - Christopher

Jefferies suggests the police leaked information about him to the

press. And sniffing out cancer - the

machine that smells danger from a A gifted schoolgirl killed herself

after being let down by the NHS. Melissa hanged herself in a park in

Cheltenham. The coroner said there were won't

fork failures in the care that should have been made available on

eight NHS. Her parents called for help.

Melissa Martin-Hughes was 18 when she hanged herself in a park in

Cheltenham. She was struggling with mental health problems. At an

inquest, her parents said they have made repeated requests to get

professional help for their teenage daughter but her case slipped

through the system. She was a complex, beautiful daughter who

brought great joy to us all. We miss her constantly. We agree with

the findings of the coroner. We feel let down by the system.

Melissa had made a cry for help the year before. Discovered next to a

clip at Beachy Head in that state of distress. It was then that she

was seen by a crisis team, run by the NHS Foundation Trust. An

administration error meant she was never seen or helped again. By the

time she died, she has had no contact with mental health services

for more than seven months. During that time, she had become more

withdrawn. It was, said the coroner, an opportunity to help her that was

missed. The way records and information they shared in the

trust has been changed to make sure no one else in need of help gets

lost in the system. Melissa did not receive the package of care that

was intended and did not have the opportunity to engage with our

service. Following her death, we undertook a full investigation and

identified shortcomings in the service we provide to have. Melissa

had recently passed her exams with the highest grades and secured a

place at a top university. Her headmaster said she was a brilliant

and exceptional people who would never be forgotten.

An underground cannabis factory has been discovered by police on

farmland in Somerset. �130,000 worth of cannabis were found

underground near the village of Shipham. Police were alerted to the

site after using a thermal imaging camera from the helicopter. Those

responsible had installed a running water supply and taps into the main

power supply of or a nearby building. A 45 year old woman has

been arrested. If you don't go round feel as finding this many

cannabis plants. -- round fields. It is an important find and we will

continue to dismantle, disrupt and destroy a search items like this.

It it has emerged that questions have been raised about the design

of a Bristol school where a 12 year-old boy fell from a fourth-

floor stairwell. The National Union of Teachers had concerns about the

plans for Fairfield School by were assured by the local authority that

their worries were unfounded. The boy remains in a stable condition

in hospital following the accident last Friday.

When the new Fairfield School opened in 2006, is modern design

got attention but it seems not all of it was positive. It has emerged

that concerns were raised by the NUT about the plans. These calls

atrium is five storeys high and it was from a fourth-floor stair well

in this area that the boy is understood to have fallen. It is

not known what happened but a former school of the CEP says there

were questions about his design. remember it was lauded as being a

Dutch design and that it was going to satisfy a all the health and

safety requirements. What to be many unions were concerned about,

it was the safety implications. is one of a series to be rebuilt by

the City Council who approved the design. In a statement, they said a

full risk assessment was carried out as part of the design and

school-safety is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Since the school was

opened, no other incidents have been reported and it remains in use.

An investigation is underway to find out what happened here on

Friday afternoon. In the meantime, the school says they have no plans

to block of four ALF -- or to the stairwell where the accident

happened. The boy remains in a stable condition in hospital.

You are watching Points West at this Tuesday evening.

Bill Oddie joins as live to tell us why she spent the day in

Westminster fighting a planned badger cull.

And BDP a that is giving father and son a chance to celebrate their

11th birthdays together. That is coming your way the first,

the last of the West's big councils have been set in their budgets

today and the council tax bills will soon be in the post. Bristol

and Wiltshire confirmed they won't put up their charges but that means

big cuts must be made to balance the books. Hundreds of jobs are to

go and that has sparked protests. Another budget setting meeting,

another protest. This was the scene outside Bristol's council house

this evening. They are angry because the council is making cuts.

350 jobs are going. There is little choice. New laws mean any rise over

4% would require a risky it referendum and the Government be

sharing cash on councils which go for the freeze and Wiltshire, it is

worth �5 million. Councillors say they can't say no. The Government

should leave local authorities with as much power as they can,

particularly over things like council tax. The local Government

knows what is important in its local area. It would be absurd not

to take the money from the Government when they offer it to us.

One local-authority and the West has to set -- has defied the

Government and their incentive. Avon Fire and rescue are putting up

their council tax by 4%. Firefighters will see little

financial gain this year but it may help in the future when the

Government freeze funding is gone. It is not for this year there we

are doing it but the authority believe it was important for future

years that we have that the money available. The unfairness of the

freeze at the moment is that all the authorities will have a

deficiency in their base budgets for the following years which they

will have to grapple with. The problem is, we have no extra fat on

the bone that now left. The view that there is not much fat to cut

away is widely held. Bristol's meeting heard heating -- heated

arguments but the budget went through. What comes bit is be bills

will be rolling off the presses and landing on our doormats within

weeks. We will be paying little or no more than before and in 12

months' time, it could be a different story.

In other news, the man wrongly accused of the murder of Joe -- Jo

Yeates has been 10 the Leveson inquiry why he thinks information

about him was leaked to the press by the police. Christopher

Jefferies said they had been feverish interest in him from

journalists even before he was arrested.

A large number of reporters and photographers appeared at the

address where I lived. They had got to hear about the content of that

second witness statement. They had got hold of a corbels addition of

it. Christopher Jefferies describing the moment he found

himself thrust into the media spotlight. Soon he would become the

target of a frenzied smear campaign amongst some elements of the press.

It resulted 10 I'm winning substantial damages. Today was his

opportunity to tell Lord leathers and how we thought leaks from Avon

and Somerset police had contributed to that coverage. -- Leveson

Inquiry. The source of the information, somebody who was not

an offer to whom I had given a statement, who had seen the

statement in any detail but had nevertheless heard about it.

inquiry has heard how Avon and Somerset police had given an off-

the-record briefing about Mr Jefferies. That is something they

stringently deny although they admit his name was inadvertently

given to one journalist. Mr Jefferies ways the issue of why it

took so long for him to be cleared as a suspect -- suspect. One could

conceivably suggest that the police wanted to give the impression that

I had been arrested on the basis of possibly a firm evidence than

turned out to be the case. Avon and Somerset Police didn't want to

comment on his evidence today. A civil action for wrongful arrest

against them is a continuing. There has been more criticism today

of the proposed plans for a badger cull in the West. Last month the

Government announced that two areas in the region will be used for the

controversial trial. Today, some of the campaigners took

their fight to Westminster. The opponents to the proposed cull

came to Westminster today. The Humane Society International say

the plans would break international laws and they won the Government to

drop the idea. Killing badgers is not the answer. We know that, this

science says that. TB and cattle can be controlled through cattle

measures alone without any badgers happen to be killed. This latest

development comes at a time when a legal talent has been launched at

the High Court by the bed to Trust. Over the last decade, the spread of

boat but -- bovine TB in the West has worsened. TB doesn't kill but

walls mean cattle who test positive must be slaughtered and farms

quarantined. Badgers have long been blamed for spreading the virus.

Last month came the announcement of a trial cull in West

Gloucestershire and West Somerset. The Government has announced two

areas where the farmers within them will be invited now to apply for a

licence. The Labour Party were quick to show opposition, saying

public opinion was on their side. There is widespread opposition in

south-west to badger culls taking place within local communities, not

least because the scientific evidence shows it is ineffective in

curving bovine TB. -- T B. A many welcome the car. Bovine TB has

forced the slaughter of 25,000 cattle in 2010. Critics of the cot

say killing badgers is unjustified and will have little effect on the

spread of the disease. The coal in the trial areas is planned to start

in the autumn although this development may delay or even halt

We are joined now from Westminster by Bill Adi he was at the

demonstration and Ian Johnson in the studio from the National

Farmers' Union. Bill Adi, we know you love animals,

but are you being sentimental? Absolutely and utterly not because

I also love farmers and farms and it is essential that they are both

in a good healthy condition to. One big argument here, and it is quite

interesting over the last 10 minutes, nobody has used the word

kill. They use the word cold, but more to the point they do not use

the word shoot. That is the argument. The culling would be

carried out by shooting badgers. that want to object to? Certainly,

yes. Would you be happy about other forms of curling? Of course I would

not. Know. It is possible to have an inoculation scheme and that is

going to have as much effect as killing. We don't know whether

Evette will be successful because the science is not proven. Let's go

to Ian Johnson. You say you'd kill 70% of badgers in the area and get

a reduction of cattle -- reduction of TB cattle of 20%. Is it worth

it? Of course it is. The number of cattle slaughtered because of

bovine TB has gone up. We have tried every movement in the book.

What about vaccination? Farms that don't even bring cattle in have TB.

It is a ludicrous situation. What about vaccination? Address that

point, if you wouldn't mind. does not cure. In West defection,

half the badger population already has TB. It is impractical and huge

lead expensive. Are you going to pay for the guns? Are you going to

shoot the guns? The practicality of shooting badgers is extremely

dubious knowing what a communal animal they are and incredibly

timid animal they are. One gunshot and you won't see a badger around

for five miles. They will have to get a licence? Of course they will.

To put this in context you are talking about far less badgers

being controlled to stop this disease than you are seeing run

over on the roads every year. About a third of the number. If Bill

Oddie was truly interested in the animals, he would want to stop this.

It is hardly a choice to say, they are being run over, what can I do

about that. That is not a good argument for killing more. We will

have to leave it there. Scientists in the West have

developed a test for prostate and bladder cancer which could save

lives. Doctors believe they are a step closer to a simple test which

can sniff out the disease. Our Health Correspondent reports that

the news comes on the same day as a campaign to encourage more patients

with symptoms to see their doctor. Blood in your urine? Not an easy

symptom to talk about. That is why they have employed Morph to raise

awareness of bladder cancer. It seems a campaign is already paying

dividends with the number of referrals up by 50% in Bristol

since the billboards went up. important because 94% of patients

will survive its symptoms are caught early and they come in for

treatment. If they are caught late, only 25 or 30%. Blood in urine is

also a symptom of prostate cancer. Getting a quick call accurate

diagnosis is easier said than done. At the moment, doctors rely on the

PSA blood test. If that proves positive, patients have to have a

painful biopsy to confirm if they have the disease. Three out of four

patients with abnormal PSA tests do not actually have prostate cancer.

Scientists from Bristol's two universities have collaborated to

produce his own day read-out that has proved far more reliable.

If you have a high PSA result and then a biopsy, only 30% of those

cases will the patient have prostate cancer. They have then

gone through this painful procedure unnecessarily. So it is a very poor

test. Our results so far have been somewhere between 75 and 80%

correct. We are now applying for funding to support to -- to launch

this nationally and prove its utility so that we can move to

routine practice used. It was because of an early diagnosis for

aggressive cancer that Bob Salter from Wiltshire is alive today.

went on a course of drug treatment which preserved my bladder. Luckily,

because of the early diagnosis. results of the trial are

preliminary, but more funds need to be raised to carry out full

clinical tests. If you have any of those symptoms,

why not pop and see the doctor. Teenage pregnancy rates in Bristol

have fallen for a second consecutive year according to the

NHS. There has a 16% reduction which is double the fall across the

UK. Early intervention work is being heralded as a success.

These are exciting times for Swindon Town fans, aren't they?

Tickets for their Wembley appearance went on sale today.

Tonight they have a chance to go four points clear at the top of

League Two. They played Burton at the County Ground. David is there.

This really is one of the most fantastic runs in the club's

history. Their night consecutive victory came on Saturday. That was

a club record. You have to go back to 1913 season to get 10 victories

in a row when they used to play. That is for the statisticians, what

their fans think who are coming here tonight buoyed by the success,

it is well Swindon remain in the top three automatic promotion

places for the rest of the season. Ever since I have been coming they

have been winning so I will keep coming. I think it is an excellent

season. We are playing really well, really entertaining. Football is

really good. Great improvement. Paolo Di Canio has changed the team

completely. Unbelievable. The style is brilliant. I do think Swindon

will be promoted this season. Well, when tonight would take

Swindon four points clear. As you say, clear of their nearest rivals

Cheltenham Town who are also having a successful season. It would also

open up a gap of eight points between Swindon and 4th spot where

they would miss out on promotion and have to go into the play-off.

Swindon's 9th win came on Saturday with a victory over Accrington

Stanley, but the manager was not impressed with the second half

performance. I hope they can understand it was

absolutely wrong and prepare the game for Tuesday in the best way

because Tuesday, Forshaw, can be a very crucial day because we play

many other clubs that don't play. If we win we can extend their gap

between us on the 4th place. Joining me now is a lifelong

Swindon fan. Dave, how good is it a have such a successful run? It is

brilliant. Especially after relegation last year. I feel that

our manager has gone a long, long way into getting as here. We we

have done well. I think he has done brilliant. Were you one of the

doubters when he came in? I never doubted him, but I was a little bit

dubious as to whether he had enough knowledge about the Second Division.

He has proved to us all that he does a thorough job, 100%.

Absolutely brilliant. Well enjoy tonight and the rest of the season,

Dave. One brief item from the, three Forest Green Rovers players

have a night ahead of them, the chance to represent their country

playing for England C squad in Lancashire. Jamie Turley and Edward

Oshodi are in the squad along with Kieron Forbes. The Games is the

best of England semi-professionals take on their Italian counterparts.

Commentary on this game tonight on BBC Swindon and we will have the

goals in our late bulletin at 10:25pm.

Talking about the 1913, 1914 season, I just remember it, I think.

It is 29th February tomorrow and for people born on this day,

birthdays only come round once every four years. Spare a thought

for this bad from Breaston he woke to find that his son has had more

birthdays than he had. Football in the park, a fine way

for father and son to spend time together. For the Clark family,

this week is a special time. Having a better game is Seamus,

born on 20th February 2001. He celebrates his 11th birthday today

while his dad James was born on 29th February 1968, so his 11th

actual birthday is tomorrow. Because he was born on a leap year

and he only gets a birthday every four years and I was born on the 28,

so somehow I managed to catch up. I was 10 when he was 10, but then we

figured out that I'm going to be a day older than him which is pretty

cool. I can cost him around. What have you got in store for a dad

then? Tidying up my room. I can't believe he expects me to clear this

up. Make my food and drinks. Right, where are the frying pans? Dad,

they are in their! Technically now I have to take it on the chin. What

ever he says goes, unfortunately. I haven't got a leg to stand on

because legally are will be younger. Perhaps not legally, but as he saw

his 11th birthday first, for one day, the word of Seamus is very

much the law. They both look young at heart,

which is nice. If it is your birthday tomorrow, happy birthday.

I hope you get for cakes. And now I hope you get for cakes. And now

the weather. The weather is stuck in a theme at

the moment. Abetted chance tomorrow at sing brighter weather appear

more widely. It will be another dry and mild date, more mild than today.

You may wonder where winter has retreated to, it has certainly

moved towards Turkey today. Western Europe remaining dry and

comparatively fine. The reason for that being this high pressure which

will migrate over northern France during the next 24 hours. That will

have a profound effect on things here because as the wins back more

to us so than the direction, we will import try Air heir to the

near Continent. That will whittle away some of the cloud cover and as

a consequence, a brighter day we are expecting across parts of the

West Country. It has been anything but that today. There have been

some brighter spells up into Bristol, but for the most part it

is a case of low cloud around and hill fog. Some fog at lower levels

as well. Dorset in particular and parts of Wiltshire. Temperatures

certainly not going to need the central heating on tonight. 7-9

Celsius. Not dissimilar to today. Tomorrow is murky and gloomy at the

start, fog persistent at the start. As a day wears on, the cloud lifts

and there should be a fair number of our district so brightening up

into the afternoon. Wind it back down to a more southerly quarter.

All in all, a pleasant afternoon for a good deal of us. Temperatures

will reflect that. A little bit less stuck under the cloud. A

similar competition of cloud verses Sun on Thursday. Friday more cloud