:00:12. > :00:14.The Gloucestershire man accused of killing his ex`wife and hiding her
:00:15. > :00:17.body in her bedroom today refused to give evidence on his own behalf.
:00:18. > :00:21.Daniel Spencer is alleged to have murdered Jane Wiggett
:00:22. > :00:26.Here's our home affairs correspondent, Steve Brodie.
:00:27. > :00:28.The body of Jane Wiggett wasn't found until
:00:29. > :00:32.weeks after she had been strangled and covered with a duvet at her flat
:00:33. > :00:39.A jury has been told that her former husband, 59`year`old Daniel Spencer,
:00:40. > :00:44.The court had already been told how Jane Wiggett had previously
:00:45. > :00:47.complained to the police that he'd assaulted her
:00:48. > :00:54.Today the defence opened its case by telling the jury that
:00:55. > :00:56.the defendant wouldn't be entering the witness box.
:00:57. > :01:00.His son, Daniel Spencer Jr, was called but then was targeted
:01:01. > :01:08.Prosecuting, Richard Smith QC repeatedly asked Daniel Spencer's
:01:09. > :01:12.son whether or not his father was the best person to tell the court
:01:13. > :01:15.The QC added, "You have a real difficulty in accepting what
:01:16. > :01:20.The prosecution claim that just over a year ago Daniel Spencer came to
:01:21. > :01:25.his former wife's flat, strangled her and disappeared.
:01:26. > :01:29.Mr Smith asked Daniel Spencer Jr why did his father take a large
:01:30. > :01:33.hunting knife with him and, "Why did he stop phoning your mother on the
:01:34. > :01:40.The prosecution say that Daniel Spencer's DNA was found
:01:41. > :01:43.in tiny specks of blood under his ex`wife's fingernails.
:01:44. > :01:49.He was later arrested at Birmingham Airport Hotel with
:01:50. > :01:55.Steven Brodie, BBC Points West, at Bristol Crown Court.
:01:56. > :01:57.A hospital trust in Bristol has defended
:01:58. > :02:02.its decision to pay an agency nurse nearly ?2000 to cover a shift.
:02:03. > :02:04.It happened on a bank holiday earlier this year.
:02:05. > :02:09.Several other trusts in the West also paid high amounts.
:02:10. > :02:11.A former director of public health has called it
:02:12. > :02:18.It's an issue that faces all organisations.
:02:19. > :02:22.Short`staffed on a bank holiday weekend, so agency cover is booked.
:02:23. > :02:27.Today it's emerged that University Hospitals Bristol NHS
:02:28. > :02:33.Trust payed ?1800 for a nurse to cover a 12`hour shift.
:02:34. > :02:37.It was a specialised role in a cardiac intensive care ward.
:02:38. > :02:41.The trust, which runs several hospitals in Bristol, has stressed
:02:42. > :02:45.that using outside agency staff is always the very last resort.
:02:46. > :02:50.The alternative ` a ward without enough staff ` is not an option.
:02:51. > :02:54.We would always obviously try to fill our shifts with our own staff,
:02:55. > :02:58.Secondly we would try to use our own temporary staff and bureau
:02:59. > :03:04.We would then go to our own staff to see
:03:05. > :03:09.We then go out to agencies which are on a framework which are locally
:03:10. > :03:13.The absolute last resort, and exception,
:03:14. > :03:16.would be to go out to an agency which is not on that framework,
:03:17. > :03:19.which does generally charge a premium price for that service.
:03:20. > :03:23.University Hospitals Bristol Trust is not the only trust paying
:03:24. > :03:31.The Taunton and Somerset Trust paid ?1798 for a
:03:32. > :03:40.And again on the same day the North Bristol Trust paid ?1297.
:03:41. > :03:43.Dr Gabriel Scally is a former public health director at the South West
:03:44. > :03:47.Strategic Health Authority and says these agency nurses don't
:03:48. > :03:53.It is worrying, not just about money, but also
:03:54. > :03:56.in terms of the quality of care, bringing in someone from outside,
:03:57. > :04:01.who may not be familiar with the ward layout or the equipment,
:04:02. > :04:05.and expecting them to operate just like an ordinary member of staff.
:04:06. > :04:09.That is really something that I think we should be trying to avoid
:04:10. > :04:14.The trust in Bristol say the nurse was employed to work
:04:15. > :04:20.For them, the quality of the care they deliver to patients
:04:21. > :04:25.is the most important consideration in covering vacant nursing shifts.
:04:26. > :04:29.Imogen Sellers, BBC Points West, Bristol.
:04:30. > :04:33.The mother of Somerset murder victim Catherine Wells`Burr says she's
:04:34. > :04:36.relieved at news that one of her daughter's murderers has dropped an
:04:37. > :04:41.appeal against his conviction and against his 32`year jail sentence.
:04:42. > :04:45.Tadeusz Dmyrtszyn was one of three people found guilty of
:04:46. > :04:48.smothering Catherine Wells`Burr two years ago as part of a plot to claim
:04:49. > :04:54.Catherine's family say they're glad the appeal's been dropped.
:04:55. > :04:59.But it opens another door that he will probably end up joining the
:05:00. > :05:05.others trying to go home and do a lower tariff in their own country.
:05:06. > :05:07.They killed Catherine here, on this soil.
:05:08. > :05:17.They should serve their sentence here.
:05:18. > :05:26.A 25`year`old man's been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated
:05:27. > :05:28.assault after a Muslim woman was spat at in Bristol.
:05:29. > :05:32.Hasina Khan said she was left shocked and in tears
:05:33. > :05:36.It happened as she walked to work at Cabot Circus.
:05:37. > :05:41.The man is being held in custody for questioning.
:05:42. > :05:44.It's been a dream day for local gymnast Claudia Fragapane
:05:45. > :05:47.who claimed her third gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.
:05:48. > :05:51.Today also saw success for Eilidh Child, who trains in Bath,
:05:52. > :05:58.She's fast becoming one of the golden girls of the Games.
:05:59. > :06:05.Bristol's Claudia Fragapane has won her third Commonwealth title.
:06:06. > :06:09.The 16`year`old was again the outstanding gymnast,
:06:10. > :06:14.She got gold in the all`round yesterday and
:06:15. > :06:24.In an atmospheric Hampden Park, more medals for our athletes
:06:25. > :06:31.Eilidh Child, who trains in Bath, was the Scottish poster girl
:06:32. > :06:37.Could she cope with the pressure, the nerves of a nation, and take
:06:38. > :06:56.Yeah, I mean, I think the first emotion was relief.
:06:57. > :07:00.You know, it's been a nervous couple of days and I've just been wanting
:07:01. > :07:04.to come out and execute the race well and I felt I did that and I
:07:05. > :07:07.felt I left everything on the track that I could give and I'm just so
:07:08. > :07:10.delighted I could come away with a medal and I'm over the moon.
:07:11. > :07:13.Jazmin Sawyers is usually studying law at the University of Bristol.
:07:14. > :07:22.Tonight, she made the run and jump of her life.
:07:23. > :07:26.Her sixth and final attempt was legal, of course,
:07:27. > :07:37.What an occasion, to take a medal at the age of 20.
:07:38. > :07:41.At the start of the year, my goal was to make the Commonwealth
:07:42. > :07:45.team and then I made the team and made the final and I said to
:07:46. > :07:52.Not all the way to gold, which obviously anyone would have
:07:53. > :08:00.Let's take a look at the medals table for our West athletes. It
:08:01. > :08:13.stands at 13 golds, 10 silvers and 11 bronze medals.
:08:14. > :08:15.That's it from us tonight. We're back with you in Breakfast tomorrow.
:08:16. > :08:19.But for now I'll leave you with Ian who has the latest weather forecast.
:08:20. > :08:21.Friday will bring something of an east/west split through
:08:22. > :08:26.Roughly speaking, the further west you are, you are more likely to see
:08:27. > :08:28.more showers, including during the course of the morning.
:08:29. > :08:31.Conversely, further east, a good deal of generally dry weather until
:08:32. > :08:35.we get later into the day where we will see spells of rain or showers
:08:36. > :08:39.We've seen a few showers still with us this evening.
:08:40. > :08:40.Dying away into the course of tonight.
:08:41. > :08:46.We should set ourselves up for a dry start tomorrow morning
:08:47. > :08:51.Still some brighter spells around but you will notice the signals
:08:52. > :08:54.for showers and rain out towards West Somerset in the morning.
:08:55. > :08:57.Gradually some of them becoming more widespread into
:08:58. > :09:01.Further eastward, you will have the lion's share
:09:02. > :09:06.In the evening, showers and some of those heavy
:09:07. > :09:09.spells of rain will become more widespread and that sets us up
:09:10. > :09:12.overnight with some wet weather as we go through to Saturday morning.
:09:13. > :09:15.Temperatures tomorrow typically into the high teens.
:09:16. > :09:21.Saturday will be a day of heavy showers, some thundery in places.
:09:22. > :09:24.Yes, some dry, brighter intervals but they will be
:09:25. > :09:27.more widespread on Sunday, the better day of the weekend.
:09:28. > :09:36.Rain for Saturday. Now to John who will take you through the national
:09:37. > :09:41.forecast across the UK. Hello there. You may have to find
:09:42. > :09:47.ways of occupying the children. A lot of rain for some, not so much
:09:48. > :09:51.for others. That was the way in July but overall whelmingly warm. Not as
:09:52. > :09:55.warm as last year but it continues the run of months with higher than
:09:56. > :10:00.average temperatures. The eighth now in a row. On to August, a few
:10:01. > :10:04.showers around. That is across the north and the west. Lots of dry
:10:05. > :10:08.weather between. A mild night at dawn, the temperatures about the
:10:09. > :10:12.mid-teens. You may wake up to sunshine but the general trend
:10:13. > :10:15.through the day is for things to deteriorate across the northern and
:10:16. > :10:17.western parts of England and Wales where the showers will begin to
:10:18. > :10:18.merge into longer spells