28/11/2011 BBC Wales Today

Good evening, welcome to Wales Today.

Our top stories. David Beckham leads tributes from

the world of football to Wales manager Gary Speed.

I think he was an amazing, talented player, a player that had such a

glittering career. And he had just begun a great career in management

as well. Those who played with him and for

Gary Speed say they still cannot believe he is dead.

I got up this morning and you just think, you know, it must be a dream.

The first thing I thought was that it must have been a dream and it is

Our other headlines tonight, the largest rescue operation for 20

years, an exclusive interview with the survivors of the ship wrecked

off the Lleyn Peninsula. Charlotte Church told a media

inquiry she had no hiding place from tabloid intrusion.

I where first gave birth to my daughter, I wanted to keep it

secret for about a week, just so I could have some time with my

newborn baby. And it was in the papers within about two days, time

of birth and place of birth, her name.

And an inspector calls, early- morning raids to track down of

thousands of pounds in benefit Hello, good evening. The family of

Wales manager Gary Speed say they have been overwhelmed by the

support they have received following his death. Friends and

colleagues say they are shocked and have described the 42-year-old as a

talented footballer with so much passion for the game.

Gary Speed's body was discovered at his body -- had his home in Chester

yesterday. It is understood he was found hanged. An inquest into his

death is due to open tomorrow. He leaves a wife and two boys.

It a day after the news, it is still no easier to comprehend. Gary

Speed was only 42, and seems to have it all. So how could attend

like this? There are now flowers outside the family home where his

body was discovered on Sunday. It is understood he was found hanged.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances. Gary Speed was

married. He and his wife Louise had two teenage boys who idolised their

father. This evening, a friend to read a statement on their behalf.

Gary's family would sincerely like to thank all the people who have

sent messages of condolences and tributes. It is a very difficult

time. They have been overwhelmed by the support, it really has helped.

We would ask that of the family are now given the respect of some

privacy to grief on their own. We will be making comments and

answering questions over the next few days.

At football grounds around the country, from Elland Road to the

Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where he captained Wales many times,

floral tributes spoke of a football man who was loved and respected.

His playing career had been outstanding. He had started to

blossom as a manager, too. He led Wales to a run of victories in his

first year in charge. For he was the best friend to all

his players. Those are the sort of things that we could see out there,

and we hope we can carry on a Welsh football. It would be superb it we

could get qualification, and dedicated to him. Because it would

be dedicated on the foundations that he has laid. I cannot believe

he will not be able to see it through.

Today, flags flew at half mast in memory of the national manager. It

reflected the feelings of people across the country.

It is very sad. I did not expected. He was doing really well with them.

It is unbelievable. You have got to feel sorry for the

wife and his children. It is a sad time.

Gary Speed had an appeal that extended beyond football supporters.

He had been a stand-in captain on the BBC's A Question of Sport

programme, where he is relaxed humour and a detailed knowledge of

other sports won him new fans. Less than 24 hours before he was found

dead, he had appeared as a guest on Football Focus, where he spoke

about his future plans. There was no outward sign that anything was

wrong. At yesterday's Premier League match at Swansea City, a

minute's silence turned into spontaneous applause. He had many

friends in football right across the world.

I think he was an amazing, talented player, a player that had such a

glittering career. And he had just begun a great career in management

as well. On behalf of myself and the players and manager and

everybody at the LA Galaxy, we would like to send our love and

thoughts to his wife and his children and all his family.

We played against each other a few times, but I only really got to

know him when he came down here. He was one of the first people to make

contact, because he wanted the club and national team to be close.

Despite his fame and wealth, Gary Speed was famous with his duck --

generous with his time. He was happy to sign autographs and pose

for photos. Tonight, the Football Association of Wales say they will

make sure that Gary Speed is never forgotten. They have opened a book

of condolence at their headquarters in Cardiff, and will also consult

on plans for a more permanent memorial. Many will want to pay

their tribute and mourn a man who had won their affection and respect.

Players have been struggling to come to terms with the news, many

unable to go on to camera and explain their loss. If Rob Earnshaw

played for and with Gary Speed. Today he was outside Cardiff City's

stadium to beat a tribute. I got up this morning and I just

thought it must be a dream. The first thing I thought was that it

must have been a dream and it is not true. And then obviously you

start to get everything back, and it is true. It is hard to take. A

few weeks ago we had a barbecue, after one of the Games, and his

little boys came up to me and said, IM Gary Speed's son. It cannot have

your autograph? -- can I have your autograph? And straightaway I

thought of things like that. How can his family be feeling? I am

devastated, but how are his family? When Did You Last bid to him?

For the Norway game here, that was the last time. He was as great as

ever and as good as ever. He has been incredible with me, I am lucky

to have known him for so long. I have enjoyed his banter of the

pitch and in and around the hotels. He has turned the whole of Wales

football around. All the players, I am the same. We were all excited.

We are excited for what is in the future, because now to be part of

this is just the best thing. And for him not to fulfil what was

meant to happen, really, you know, it is horrible. I do not want to

think about it. We know about Gary Speed the

footballer. What was he like as a man?

Again, amazing. There was no big ego. He was just this guy who

showed the way forward. What happens now? What goes on now, and

that is the thing, because he was such a driving force in what we are

doing. What is the future? What will go on in the next three or

four years? With him gone, what happens now? It is just something

that is so shocking and I am so sad and. It will take such a long time

to really sink in. If Gary Speed had been Wales'

football manager for just over 11 months. But as a player, he had a

long, distinguished career, winning the First Division title in 1992.

He was also Wales' most capped outfield player, winning 85 caps.

We look back at his illustrious career.

Gary Speed was born in Flintshire. He went on to become be considered

football professional. Even as a young schoolboy, he was tipped for

the top. He was an exceptional player. He

was quite small for his age, but he had the gift of playing football.

Of course, I then heard that his dad was quite a player. His mum and

dad and sister came to all the games. He played for me for two-

and-a-half years. His professional career began at

Leeds United, and the manager, Howard Wilkinson, where he emerged

as part of a revered midfield which won the old Division One title in

1992. He worked really hard and scored a

lot of goals. He gave 100%. This is more about Gary Speed as a

person, not necessarily what he did on the football pitch. He touched

many people's lives. There are many tributes here.

A versatile left-footed player with Everton, Newcastle and Bolton, his

power in the air was renowned, as well as it fits best and eye for

goal. -- as well as his fitness and eye for goal. He became the first

player to make 500 Premier League appearances. His loyalty to Wales

was never questioned. Manager -- manager Terry Yorath, gave him his

debut against Costa Rica in 1990. His value was such that he became

the most capped outfield player, representing his country on 85

occasions, 44 of those games as captain. Speed played a key role in

Wales' infamous near-misses, such as the defeat against Romania in

1993, and leading the team under Mark Hughes into the Euro 2004

play-off against Russia. He bowed out on an emotional evening against

Poland. But he was to return to the fold, almost a year ago. Back from

a fledgling spell as boss of Sheffield United to take over as

manager of the Wales national team. Wales were playing the best they

had played for a long time. The last results were very good. I

think to see how he was doing was a manager -- as a manager was to look

at when England have played against Wales at Wembley. They gave us a

right game. He thought very much about his career, and thought the

same as a manager. The benefit was definitely happening.

He was not many people's first choice, but his captain was a bold

choice. He gave adoring Welsh fans new hope and expectation for the

future. There were other managers being

interviewed who had more experience. We did this -- we did not employ

them, we employed Gary. He was such a fantastic person. He was a beacon

of positivity. He stayed there to sign autographs, he was so selfless

in all of his act. The players wanted to play for him because he

was Gary. Welsh football has lost a great star.

The two Russians semen rescued after their ship sank off the North

Wales coast have spoken for the first time. Exclusive interview,

they told us they were swept off the deck as the vessel broke up in

high seas. The biggest air-sea rescue operation for 20 years

continued for their five missing ship mates. The body of another

It has been the largest search-and- rescue operation mounted of the

North Wales coast for two decades. At sea, lifeboat crews were out and

in the air as many a six helicopters were involved as well.

Five crew members, including the ship's captain, are still missing.

These are the survivors, Roman Savin and Vitaliy Karpenko. They

told me they were washed into the sea when the Swanland broke up

after it was hit by a giant wave. Luckily, they managed to scramble

into a liferaft. TRANSLATION: I realised there was no point in

saving it so we should save ourselves. On the one hand, we

hoped that there would be a solution, on the other hand it was

getting quite scary. We thought people would hit the rocks and

there was no chance of survival. There was no chance of relief.

Roman Savin had this to say about the RAF search and rescue crew

which pick them up in appalling and dangerous conditions. I sincerely

thank them because I understand how difficult and dangerous it was.

Basically, they are the men who saved our lives.

These pictures filmed with an infra-red camera give an idea of

just how tricky the rescue was. Prince William was the co-pilot.

Here, the winchman can be seen going into the sea alongside a

liferaft before finally, the crewmen were winched one at a time

to safety. This was that night in gale-force winds. People say

because the Irish Sea is bounded by a land that it is a glorified pond

but from my own days in the Merchant Dave -- Merchant Navy,

some of the worst experiences I have had are there. The ship's

operators Torbulk Shipping Company saying she should have been able to

cope with the weather. She was well maintained. This accident was

nothing to do with mechanical, the engines did not fail, the steering

did not file, it is purely structural from what we can

ascertain. From our point of view she is sound, all was. This should

not have been a problem. For some reason, which we are trying to

ascertain, we have had a serious fatal accident. Debris on the scene

filmed by the RAF. In that serious accident, the Swanland sank in

minutes. An investigation is now under way into what went so

catastrophically wrong. The air sea rescue service will be

run by 2016, the UK government has announced tonight. The change which

will include RAF Valley, will come in when the Sea King helicopters

are retired that year. Ministers say it will not affect the level of

service provided but critics say profit will be put before safety.

The services need to be upgraded but the government are not prepared

to put that on the books so that is why they are going out of the

private sector. They are looking for a company to take over,

possibly a North American one as the Labour Party wanted four years

ago. It is essentially to do with money.

Charlotte Church has criticised newspaper intrusion into her life.

The singer told the Leveson Inquiry into media standards that a

newspaper report into her father's affair and her mother's suicide

attempt had damaged her family. Our parliamentary correspondent reports

now from the Royal Courts of Justice.

Charlotte Church spent a little over an hour in the witness box.

She was calm and composed. She said intrusion by photographers have had

a massive impact on her family and had infiltrated her everyday life.

That media intention -- attention had started at the age of 12.

Voice Of An Angel, child star, now a TV presenter and mother of two.

Charlotte Church has been in the public eye for most of her life. At

13, she sang at Rupert Murdoch's wedding. She told the Leveson

Inquiry she waived the fee in return for good publicity in his

newspapers. That claim was denied by the company. Her phone was later

hacked and the News of the World reported that her father was having

an affair and her mother had attempted suicide. It was a sickly

totally sensationalised. Whether partially or wholly true, I just

really hated the fact that my parents, who had never been in this

industry, apart from in looking after me, were being exposed and

vilified in this fashion. It was just, it had a massive, massive

impact on my family life. manager found evidence of a camera

hidden in a shrub outside her home. She was chased by photographers in

cars. When I gave birth to my daughter, Ruby, I wanted to keep it

secret for a week so I could have time with my newborn baby. It was

in the papers within about two days, her time of birth, her place of

birth, her name. I remember saying to my mum, it must be one of our

family and her being really upset and in turn going to one of our

family and having big arguments. In fact, that could have entirely been

down to hacking as well. Newspapers ran false and fabricated stories

about her life. Shaw's asked how the coverage had affected her. --

she was asked how the coverage had affected her. I feel strangely

strong because I have survived it all. I am not really sure how.

said tabloid newspaper coverage had turned her into a caricature and

blown her credibility to its. Hasn't Charlotte Church sold

coverage of her private life to the press? Yes, she has. She has sold

family pictures to celebrity magazines and any celebrity who

does that and still wants to defend their privacy does face accusations

of hypocrisy. But her defence is this, by posing for the celebrity

magazines with their children, what she did was to devalue the

photographs that were taken by paparazzi outside her home, the

people who were waiting to get a snapshot of her and her family. She

also made the point to the inquiry that any money she received for

posing for celebrity magazines, she did give that away to charity.

does she hope to get out of this inquiry appearance? She says it is

all about privacy. Not her privacy, she is in the public eye and

accepts a certain amount of media intrusion. But she did not like the

attention it gave to her mother and it gives to her children. She wants

to protect the privacy of her children. As to what happens after

this inquiry, she does not have an idea but she knows what she wants

to happen, in terms of her own family, she wants more privacy.

Thank you. A knock at the door in the early

hours of the morning, fraud investigators say they have

uncovered a �20,000 benefit scam. The organised fraud involved

claiming crisis loans to pay rent to fake the landlords. Our reporter

went with the team in Cardiff as they carried out dawn raids.

A dawn raid by the fraud investigators. At this house, a

young man is suspected of being part of a criminal gang, whose

members pose as people in crisis to get emergency loans. He is arrested

and taken to a nearby police station for questioning. This case

is part of a large-scale investigation currently being taken

in the Cardiff area, involving fraudulent rent applications.

Benefit and tax credit fraud costs the UK �1.6 billion a year. This

scam alone is estimated to have added up to �20,000. Finding the

people responsible and dealing with them will cost considerably more on

top. The minister responsible says such operations are vital. This

morning, he has come along to see the team in action. People have got

to understand that fraud is wrong. There are a determined minority who

are fraudulent. Most people are not. If we don't stamp it out, people

will begin to think it is acceptable and it is not. It is

stealing money from the state. ringleaders have already been

charged with conspiracy to defraud and if found guilty, could face

prison. The young man arrested today potentially faces a lesser

charge which could end with a fine or community service. At the other

three addresses targeted today, investigators failed to find the

people they were looking for but they say they were confident they

would be making more arrests. There is more stormy weather

heading our way. I am afraid so. It is time to batten down the hatches.

Heavy rain and gales in the forecast in the next 24 hours. The

Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for severe gales for the

south-west and north-west of Wales. Gusts of 60 to 70 mph in exposed

Tonight will be a mild tonight than last night but it will be breezy

and windy. Severe gales and the south-west and north-west. Here is

the picture for 8 o'clock in the morning, cloudy and mild. Some

parts will start dry. It will not last. Gwyneth and Anglesey will

have drizzle then rain. Strong winds and gales. Damp and windy.

During the day, rain will spill across the whole country. The rain

very heavy for a time and turning to snow on the mountains of

Snowdonia on the mountain tops. It will not feel as mild as 13 degrees

in the wind. Tomorrow night, a breezy and blustery. A colder night

as well but too much breeze for a frost. The rest of the week looks

very changeable. More wind and rain More stormy weather to come

The headlines: The family of Wales manager Gary Speed say they have

been overwhelmed with the support they have received following his

death. Friends and colleagues say they are shocked and have described

the 40-year-old as a talented footballer with so much passion for

the game. -- 42-year-old. It is understood he was found hanged.

Hayden Evans was Gary Speed's agent and best man at his wedding. He

joins us now from our Leeds newsroom. I know this must be a

difficult time. You have been in constant touch with the family. You

must be taking some comfort from the support. Yes, one reason they

want me to talk to the TV channels is to express their gratitude. I

have just come back from their house. They are really overwhelmed

by the support shown for Gary. It is making, albeit a small

difference, a difference anyway. You knew him so well, was there any

indication that you thought something could be wrong? None at

all. We spoke on Friday. Everything was normal. We speak regularly, we

meet each other. No tell-tale signs whatsoever. I think that is what

has made it all the more shocking. How will you remember him? I know

you were best man at his wedding? Actually, it was the other way

round. He was best man at mine. apologise. In relation to Wales,

one of the everlasting memories is the number of times we would come

back from a game to his local pub and his shirt would be off to

reveal a Wales national shirt and he would sing Land of My Fathers in

Welsh which none of us understood at the top of his voice. That

always stays with me. The tributes have been pouring in all day and it

says something of the man that clubs he never stepped in or played

for have all been out hanging up shirts and playing their respects

for Gary today. Yes, hopefully, some of the more modern icons of

today that young players look to are not quite the way they should

go and if they look to the career of Gary Speed, that will hold them

in good stead. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us

this evening. That is Wales Today on the day

tributes have poured in to remember the Wales football manager Gary

Speed. We will have an update for you here at 8 o'clock and I will be