03/05/2012 BBC Points West

Hello. Welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines this evening:

Seeing the world through new eyes. The tiny camera which has given a

blind man some of his sight back. An inquest reveals the moment

Adrian Prout snapped and strangled his wife. Also tonight:

It's decision day. Bristol votes on whether to elect a mayor.

And Her Majesty's best moments. We delve through our archives to look

back on all those royal visits. Good evening. First tonight, the

medical marvel that's meant a blind man from Wiltshire is starting to

get his vision back. In a UK first, Chris James has had a microchip

implanted inside his eye, which acts like a tiny camera. Within 24

hours of switch-on, Chris could make out areas of light and see

shapes. In a moment, we'll be speaking to him from his home in

Wroughton, but first, Scott Ellis reports.

Blind for more than 10 years. But this electronic gadget inside Chris

James' head means he's getting partial vision back. The implant is

inside Chris's left eye. Inserted behind the retina by surgeons in

Oxford. It's a 3mm-square microchip with 1500 light sensitive pixels,

which send electronic signals to Chris's brain, allowing him to get

some kind of vision back after years of darkness. Chris now has to

train his brain to see again. able to make out the curvature at

the bottom. His vision will always been black and white, but surgeons

hope the definition will improve. Improving a blind person's quality

of life. The ability to see a light and know where that light is coming

from can make a significant certificate -- de France. They are

able to go into a room, they know where the doorways, where the

window was, or where it is light and day. This is a big step. Up to

12 British patients will receive the implants. But it could help

hundreds suffering, like Chris, with retinitis pigmentosa.

And Chris James joins me now from his home in Wroughton. When you

Openshaw rise a un saw light, what it due FE?

I thought, the optic nerve is still working. Without that, or the

surgery would have been for nothing. To have it working and sending

something to the brain was just what we wanted. What can you see

now? When I am connected to the battery pack, I can make out shapes,

straight lines on squares, the Kurds on a plate. I can make out

objects closer, but I cap Scott some ability training to do with

regards to anything outdoors. lost your site 20 years ago. Before

that, you had a perfect vision. It must have been an enormous shock.

With the medics are able to offer you any hope? You always have to

look on the bright side. By have always been convinced that one day

it would be able to see again. But deteriorated quite slowly to start

with. You manage to adjust. As you go through life as a blind person,

you adapt. Did you ever think there might be a prospect of being able

to see something? A I have always had that hope. It would be

absolutely great to go down to that passion of motor racing. I would

love to be able to distinguish a single-seater racing car from a

sports car. Wouldn't that be marvellous. Is there any more

treatment you can have always said -- was that it for the time being?

This is it for the time being. I have got so Mobility training for

the outdoors. I have still got to have some more tests and fine

tuning in Oxford, where the operation was done. He must be

thrilled and your family must be thrilled. That is right. I might be

able to see my wife for the first time. Wouldn't that be wonderful.

We wish you all the very best. A 22-year-old man who died

following a pile up on the M5 near Tewkesbury has been named as Steven

Cracknell. Two lorries, two vans and a car collided on Tuesday night.

Mr Cracknell, who came from Batley in West Yorkshire, was a passenger

in one of the vans. An inquest into the death of the

murdered farmer's wife, Kate Prout, has been told her husband just

snapped when he strangled her. Adrian Prout is serving 18 years in

prison. At his trial, he denied killing her, but years later

confessed he'd buried her body on their farm in Gloucestershire.

Tonight, her family told us his apology has come far too late.

Here's Steve Knibbs. Kate Prout simply disappeared from

the Farmhouse she shared with her husband in Redmarley on Bonfire

Night 2007. They had a tempestuous relationship and were about to

divorce. Despite being convicted of her murder, Adrian Prout protested

his innocence until, last November, he finally confessed and was

brought back to Redhill Farm to show police where he'd buried his

wife. And that brings to today, the inquest into Kate Prout's death.

Its aims, amongst other things, is to establish how she died.

Something that hasn't been revealed until today. The coroner was told

that in his confession, Adrian Prout told police he was arguing

with his wife when he just snapped and thrust his hand into her neck

and squeezed. She didn't struggle and fell to the ground. Realising

he'd killed her, he wrapped her body in a curtain and plastic sheet

and put it in his car. He went to the pub that evening to appear

normal, but later returned and buried his wife in woods on his

farm estate. When he took us to the site, he was very tearful, very

remorseful and he did actually apologised to the family and

friends, saying that he knows now that he should have told them right

from the start. Obviously, now he can reflect on what he has done in

are the 18 year prison sentence he has received. In their only

interview today, Kate Prout's family told me that his remorse was

too little too late. I am glad he did confess, but it has taken him

four years. We have lost our daughter forever. He is locked up

for 18 years. It took a long time for him to come forward. It has

caused the family a lot of stress. It has affected all of us.

With the investigation into Kate Prout's murder now complete, her

family say they'll now concentrate on plans for a memorial service to

celebrate her life. Putting behind them the focus on her death.

Well, it should be the busiest time of the day at polling stations

across the West. We've got local elections taking place in

Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and Swindon. In Bristol, people aren't

choosing councillors, but deciding if they want to get an elected

mayor. Let's join our Political Editor Paul Barltrop, who's at a

sports centre in Bristol. Paul, any sign of voters there?

I can tell you, there is just one voter in the right now. This is one

of 157 polling stations and it is pretty quiet. They say they have

been a trickle of voters coming in today. 2000 people are able to vote.

But the figures that we had a few minutes ago was that they have had

about 15% of people actually come to cast their vote so far. One

encouraging sign for the city councillors that about two-thirds

of postal votes are in. Overall, turnout is not looking good.

party activists at the doors of the Bristol polling stations. Can you

remind us where that is. It is an interesting point. This is not a

political event. The parties haven't taken a distinct line on

whether they should or should not be a mayor and have gone off to

other places. Some of these activists I have gone over to

Swindon. Council election there. They are busy. There has been quite

a lot of politics going on today. When will we get the results?

the mayor will count in Bristol, it will be tomorrow. There will put

all the papers away overnight, or the papers will be put away and

counted. Stroud, similarly, are holding it for a day until tomorrow,

but the three bands we will be watching tonight will be chopped

and, -- Cheltenham, Gloucester and Swindon. That will be a really

interesting contest. We will be reporting life after 11:30pm this

evening. We will also have a small preview at 10:25pm.

And I'll be here with the team to bring you the latest election news

through until the early hours. And tomorrow morning, there will be

reaction and analysis on our Breakfast bulletins. BBC local

radio and online services will also keep you up to date.

It's your regional news programme, BBC Points West, and it's nearly

another Bank Holiday weekend. Stay with us as there's much more

still to bring you tonight. Including:

Taking risks. We catch on camera the motorists ignoring signs for

flooded roads. And we are not expecting any more heavy rain in

the future, but gardeners be wet, we will see some frost returning

over the weekend. Thousands of staff at GCHQ in

Cheltenham have been taking in the news today that their former

colleague, Gareth Williams, was probably unlawfully killed. Mr

Williams, a brilliant mathematician, was found inside a padlocked hold-

all at his London flat. MI6 came in for some serious criticism from the

coroner, raising questions about how the Secret Service treats its

employees. Here's Will Glennon. The closely guarded a work of

Cheltenham's GCHQ has attracted interest across the world today

thanks to the mysterious death of Gareth Williams. His former

colleagues are likely to be feeling the pressure of their secret lives.

When something like this happens, which throws a spotlight on the

organisation and on the people who work there, I know those are the

times were that makes people a lot more and comfortable and anxious

because something that has happened that has placed them in the public

eye and they are not able to talk about it very easily. That can be

quite stressful. Gareth Williams was keen to finish his secondment

and get back to Cheltenham. He lived happily just a few miles from

the GCHQ. He was a Crypto analyst, a code-breaker, and his work had

won awards and had been described as the world class. It may have

attracted the wrong attention. is possible some foreign

intelligence agency could be involved. It could have got

involved in some black mayor a situation or something like that. -

- black mayor. Reasonably and lightly, but we have to look at

that as a possibility. Or they could have been some bizarre

personal accident. His body was found padlocked inside a sports bag

in the bath of his London flat. It took one week for his colleagues to

report him missing. Even though he had never had a day off work sick.

Senior intelligence officers said they were profoundly sorry for the

delay. Police are now refocusing their investigation. Was it his

private life or was it his secret work? These are questions we may

never answer. GCHQ will say nothing. And the mystery of Gareth

Williams's death remains just that. Drivers in Somerset are being urged

to take notice of road closure signs and not just dry around them.

Many country lanes are still under water after the recent heavy rain

and when the main road which is still treacherous is the route

It is not worth risking yet. Better to get home. It was the question

motorists all over Somerset were asking themselves today, have to

risk it or not to have us get to? The flooding is significant this

time. The fields on either side of this road a pretty much follow up

with water at the moment. And that is exactly how they should be at a

time like this. -- fill up. Before it can be drained away, anything

between six and eight feet of water is at the edge of the road, and

that is why ignoring the signs here is particularly dangerous.

could quite easily lose track of way Wharfe. The ditches are full of

water. -- lose track of where you laugh. -- are. Today, some people

were willing to take the risk, moving the barriers only be council

workers to put them back in place later. For others, and lengthy -- a

lengthy way around was the only thing to do. It is a bit of a

detour, nothing major, but an ink obedience. But as the weather. --

and inconvenience. That is the weather.

Six beaches in Somerset have been recommended in this year's Good

Beach Guide. But conservation -- conservationists have issued a

warning over safety concerns about the quality of the water.

A new report says a Wiltshire prison which used to be known for

poor security and escapes has been transformed into one of the best

jails in the country. Erlestoke Prison has 500 prisoners, including

nearly 100 inmates serving life sentences. One offender has been

telling Our Home Affairs Correspondent about his life behind

bars. The punishment is our incarceration. That would apply in

any prison. I would also say the people that are really think suffer

from that is not the individual prisoners but the families. We are

away from them which has as hard for them as it is fast. -- which is.

Martin will soon be near the end of his sentence and will be going home.

His prospects for getting a job when he is out of slightly better

because he has completed one of the many courses here at Erlestoke

Prison. Long sentence prisoners normally stop them longer down

there sentence. -- start of the courses. The course looks at

reasons why people offend, some intervention work, and then we

measure that all the way through the rest of their Fenton's. The

course does not fix people, it helps people have the motivation to

fix themselves. Our role is to reduce the risks of them

reoffending. Erlestoke Prison has nearly 500 prisoners in all,

including 92 wool. -- 92 serving life sentences. Since lion has come

in, he has been very effective -- since the stock has come M -- this

dog. They have been fears that staff are spread too thinly. It is

a claim rejected by the Governor himself. It is different, and I

think staff and prisoners are used to having one governor walking

around and looking after them. But the world has changed as well.

Public sector savings are required and running two establishment is

the way we have managed to save around �700,000 in the last

financial year. Sitting in the play area, Martin says he has learned

from his time inside. Erlestoke Prison has certainly helped me on a

rehabilitation level, and also it has helped me to understand myself

better. That has led to me hopefully being a better person.

This is the jewel in the crown. A new �12 million unit opened last

year. The rest of the prison is 50 years old, and in the present

economic climate, it is unlikely to be rebuilt any time soon. But at

least its reputation is firmly on The chairman of Bristol City has

announced he's stepping down at the end of the month. Colin Sexstone

joined City 11 years ago during which time the club was promoted to

the championship and reached the play off final at Wembley. He's

replaced by director Keith Dawe. Colin Sexstone says the delays to

plans for a new stadium for the club have been his biggest

frustration during his time with Bristol City. It has been a massive

disappointment. A huge debate urban project that has been held up by a

very small group of people mainly from outside the area, who have it

used the system. Opponents of the scheme say they have every right to

challenge the project. A judicial review into aspects of the

development process will be held in June.

The West Indies batsman Chris gail - Chris Gayle won't be playing

cricket for Somerset during their Twenty20 campaign this summer. The

former West Indies captain is one of the most exciting batsmen in the

world, but he has now ended his year long dispute with the West

Indies cricket board and has written to Somerset saying he won't

be joining them. This morning, Somerset confirmed they have signed

South African batsman Francois du Plessis as a replacement.

If you've been watching this week it won't have escaped your

attention that the Queen has been here this week on her Jubilee tour.

To mark the special occasion, we've made a documentary looking back at

all the Queen's visits over the years. From the very first

Coronation Street, are cameras have been there to see how you

celebrated -- Coronation Street parties. I had high heeled shoes on,

which I didn't get on very well, I remember that! One of the first

time as the Queen came to the region herself was to play a part

in the technological revolution, making the first automatically

connected long-distance phone call. This is the Queen speaking from

Bristol. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Your Majesty. In a few

moments, Bristol subscribers will be able to make phone calls up to a

distance of some 300 miles. Over the years, it has been you and your

stories that have brought her visit to life. Like Jean from Bedminster

he was determined to make herself a special costume for the Silver

Jubilee. It is now a museum centrepiece. When we were talking

about having this party, I thought, what can we do as regards to

dressing up? I got my sewing machine out, and off I went. The

kerbstones were painted red, white and blue. The council wasn't very

happy. Nobody owned up to doing it. There is still some there today!

And what does Dean think about the dress being in a museum now? --

Jean? Smashing. My husband thinks I ought to going with it! In 1990,

the Queen reopened the newly restored canal. The atmosphere was

fantastic. There was people everywhere. People of the telegraph

poles come up trees, they were in every location -- people up the

telegraph poles, up trees. patron of the Royal West of England

Academy, the Queen visited in 1999 and saw new projects to introduce

children to art. Bristol actress Kim and her son remember how

thrilled she was. It was a theme about nature, so we were filming

the Forest. I was making crone noises, and she walked past and

asked what the noise was! -- crow. She smiled and she laughed, it was

lovely. Also on Sunday afternoon's documentary, I go behind the scenes

to reveal how the organisers code with this week's will visit to

Yeovil after discovering the display area had been flooded

within hours of her arrival. That and a wonderful it back into a film

books. Were you in the crowd? See yourself again on Sunday. And the

documentary, The Queen And I, goes out at 4:15pm on Sunday afternoon

on BBC One. It has been a really enjoyable week. I look forward to

that on Sunday. Now, bank holiday, it is around the corner. What is

the weather looking like? I am slightly frightened to see. I know.

On a positive note, it is looking dry for the bank holiday weekend.

It will be turning cooler, however, and there is the threat of some

frost returning on Saturday night into Sunday. Tomorrow, it is a

mostly cloudy story. There will be some light of rain about. Tomorrow,

there will be less rain in the afternoon. Still some heavy showers

in part of the Midlands. By tomorrow morning, parts of

Gloucestershire a rather grey and damp and some light showers perhaps

further southwards. If we take this tour up into Gloucestershire, you

can see that seven or eight sin -- degrees will be the story. Tomorrow,

it will start on a damp and rather drizzly note up in Northern

Districts. Then it tends to peter out. There will be a good deal of

cloud around. The best of many brightness will be true Bridgwater

Bay and out into some parts of West Somerset. Still the chance

overnight that will start to see some further light rain, but that

is a story into the future. Temperatures tomorrow, we should be

seeing 10-12 Celsius. A little bit lower in parts of Gloucestershire

and whether cloud is likely to be lingering through the course of the