16/12/2011 BBC Wales Today

Good evening. Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines...

Life in prison - two men are sentenced for killing Ben and

Catherine Mullaney on their honeymoon in Antigua.

Who pays for looking after older people? One council warns of a

crisis in meeting the costs of care. Also tonight, tailbacks and delays,

as the snow brings misery on North Wales' busiest road.

Desiree Phillips died accidentally after taking extra paracetamol

tablets. Her family warns of the potential dangers.

In tonight's sport, no slip-ups tonight - the Ospreys look for

revenge over Saracens to keep their Good evening. Two men who killed a

Welsh couple on their honeymoon in Antigua have been given life

sentences. Ben and Catherine Mullany, from

Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, were shot in their hotel bedroom.

They were both 31. Kaniel Martin and Avie Howell were

convicted of their murders and the killing of a local shopkeeper back

in July. They could have faced the death penalty. They killed without

thought. The prosecutors called it an execution. The denied murder,

but the jury was unanimous in its verdict. Kaniel Martin and Avie

Howell were regarded as thieves out for easy pickings. But the hot

honeymoon of a lifetime event here for Ben and Catherine Mullany

turned into a tragic nightmare. have never got over the total

disregard for their death and that no remorse has ever been shown.

Antigua, tourism is the financial lifeline for the island. There was

a public outcry over the shooting. The prosecution echoed that,

calling for the death penalty. Now, it mean one face the second trial

for the murder of a shopkeeper. The dead couple of the fund set up in

their name. Kathleen was a doctor, being a trainee physiotherapist.

Those interested in those Koreas have been teamed up with mentors to

help them along. I wanted to do it because it was linked up with

science. Lately, we have been talking about Work Experience. We

have been talking also about books we will need to read. Of course,

there Careers, like their leaves, where cut short.

Roger Pinney reporting there on the life sentences handed down tonight

for the killers of Ben and Catherine Mullany. Heavy snowfall

brought traffic to a standstill earlier. A series of minor

accidents led to tailbacks and frustration. The worst of the

winter weather began to affect around 7 o'clock this morning.

tried to get back I get on the road and has stuck straight away. But I

get stuck again and I am going home. When I go past Chester, I go stock.

But there were no traffic reports. We have had a break. We are going

to turn round and go back again. For motorists the council said that

they had gritted roads, but that more or snow and hail caused

further problems. Now, here is the scene earlier. One man and his dog

taking advantage of the weather for a walk in the hills in the Brecon

Beacons. Then, a man was recovering in hospital after a robbery which

resulted in weapons that he owned, as well as money been stolen. No,

how much should we pay for the elderly, Pembrokeshire council has

been asked by a judge, for the second time in 12 months to look at

how much it pays. The we want to know that our relatives will get

the best possible care. But that comes at a cost. Around Wales, the

amount their cost of residents per week varies wildly. As far as this

form close, it looks smarter than it has ever done. The residents

feel proud to have the family coming here to see them. Today,

they were told by a judge that they had to go away and reconsider how

much BP private care homes. Seven of them to the local authority to

the High Court. The Home say they are delighted with the decision.

The council says they will consider the matter in the New Year.

Pembrokeshire Council has said tonight that adult care is in

financial crisis. They point out the one there council is one which

pays the higher rate. It was revealed this summer the

Pembrokeshire pays �469 per week per resident. In Cardiff, there is

a difference of �145, which is paid less in Cardiff. We have a lot of

organisations in receivership in Wales. Clearly, we do not want to

be fighting everything in the court. The say they are disappointed with

the outcome. Disabled they will be looking at all future funding in

order to provide a service into the future. Now, we are joined by the

Commissioner for elderly people in Wales. Now, the council has seen

the simply do not have enough money to pay for this. Yes, there is

simply no way that this is a good thing for these things to be

settled within the courtroom. We need to take this opportunity to

get three systems sorted. So where do we find the money from,

because more and more people are going to be needing care? I told to

elderly people regularly and they have big worries about the future

funding and where this will come from. I think this is also a

situation which focuses on how much we value older people, as a society.

The answer is, simply, it not enough.

Is it inevitable we will all have to pay more from our own pockets

for care? The East system is simply not sustainable at the moment. The

UK government received a report in the summer of which put forward the

recommendations. I welcomed the report, but was concerned that

these recommendations may be delayed. I am going to urge the

government to or Ginola talk about the situation and move forward to a

future which is safe and secure, not only for all people today, but

for the increasing number of elderly people and the future.

Thank you. Still ahead tonight, and the Blues continue their good start

in the Heineken Cup? Parts of the country are under a blanket of snow.

We will have all the weather details. A family is calling for

Paris that it will to only be available on prescription. It

happens after the death of Desiree Phillips. She accidentally took too

much paracetamol. Her father said people have to be more aware of the

dangers. An aspiring singer whose dream was to appear in the X Factor.

Desiree Phillips was 20 and had just become a mother when she went

into hospital to have lumps removed from her breast. To deal with the

pain, she was diagnosed with paracetamol. Unfortunately, she was

taking more tablets than she should have been. She was taking a couple

of extra. Nine days after the operation, she was rushed to

hospital with liver failure. She died on August 26th. Her

grandfather says paracetamol as far too easy to buy and few people know

the risks. If it is not just described, I do not think it may be

should be out there. There is not enough of awning on it. According

to research from Edinburgh University, taking just a couple of

paracetamol over the recommended amount can be harmful. Yes, even

just a couple of tablets could cause these low level of damage to

the lover. If you do that over time, that staggered over dozing could

lead to problems. In a statement, the authority said: But her

grandfather said that does not goal enough and more should be done so

Tens of thousands of party goers are expected in towns and cities

tonight for what's become known as "Black Friday". For many, it's the

last full working day before the break. The police, along with

ambulance staff, are preparing for Christmas casualties. Kate Scott-

Williams is in Cardiff for us, Kate. Thanks Tomos and welcome to the

Millennium Stadium, where tonight a medical team is basing itself. It's

a big night in many towns and cities across Wales with people

having left work early to start the festive celebrations on what is

annually one of the biggest nights in the calendar. It means it'll

also be a busy night for our emergency services. While most

people will get home safe in the early hours, others who may need a

bit of help can come here and take the pressure off the ambulance

service. Cardiff is one of the safest cities in the UK. We're

calling on people to drink sensibly. We have a lot of extra officers

being drafted into the city centre also defended the needs help, asked

the officers on the street. Please look after yourselves and your

friends. We are asking people to think and be saved. Have a happy

and crime free Christmas. For those who perhaps do not think so much or

get into a spot of trouble, what will happen if they get brought

here? We have doctors and nurses who can treat them here. We are

trying to take the pressure of the accident and emergency department.

We have a walk-in centre based on the Grey Friars Road. The street

pastas are also on the street tonight. We basically look after

people and make sure they have a safe and good night. We give people

water when they have had too much to drink. It helps to have hydrate

them and it means they do not have to get into accident and emergency

was up we also give flip-flops who minus two girls who have taken

their shoes off. We do not want them stepping on broken glass.

it a reflection of society that yet again we are here needing these

kinds of centres? It has become part of Christmas. People come into

town on work tools. We're here to help them. Does this relieve

pressure on the front line services? Absolutely. The role of

the street Pastor des free us up. The service today will be fantastic.

It will enable us to handle other calls. Good luck for this evening.

The centre will be open from 8:00pm. The team will also be here on --

next Friday and on New Years Eve. Compost and cockle shells are being

used to clean-up rivers near Aberystwyth. It's a scheme which

could be rolled out across the country. The Environment Agency has

been trying to stop harmful metals getting into the River Rheidol from

From the Bronze Age to the beginning of the 20th century, this

valley was alive with a mining activity. These amounts are not the

only reminder of the industry which was once so important here.

water you can see from despite his from flooded mine workings. The

water contains high concentrations of metals such as iron, zinc, lead,

cadmium and copper. Some of these metals are harmful to fish and

other wildlife. For the past 15 months, Paul Edwards and his team

have been trying to prevent the metals from polluting the river.

This tank includes compost and cockles. The metal is stripped from

the water as it passes through. The results have been good. This is

where the water comes out of the tank. There is no orange staining.

We have tested the water and found that 99% of the metals had been

removed. That is an excellent result. The success of this project

has attracted international interest. We have had experts

coming in from Japan and elsewhere coming in to try and learn from it.

A number of countries are trying to work together to come up with

solutions for this problem. Over 200 miles of our rivers are

affected by metals from abandoned mines. We can now look at rolling

out the scheme to the rest of Wales. Good evening. It's the last round

of European rugby matches before the Christmas break. And the turkey

will taste a whole lot better if our regions can win this weekend.

Tonight, the unbeaten Blues travel to Edinburgh, while the Ospreys

can't afford to slip-up as they face Saracens, the side who beat

them last weekend. It's probably the match on which their season

hinges. If the Ospreys beat Saracens at the Liberty Stadium

tonight, the quarter-finals will still be in their grasp. They are

confident they can improve on last weekend's result, when they gifted

the London club some easy points. But defeat tonight would leave

their fate in the hands of others in the final pool matches. We have

to cut out the errors. The best teams make the fewest mistakes. If

we can do that, we're confident we can win the game. The Cardiff Blues

are the only unbeaten region in Europe with three out of three so

far. Tonight, they hope to make it four. A second win over Edinburgh

would put them in the box seat to qualify for the last eight,

although it remains a competitive group. Edinburgh will be wanting

revenge. We have to get four points to make sure there is a fight to

the bitter end. The Scarlets travel to Munster on Sunday, a place where

away victories are rare, again without George North, who's injured.

They're still kicking themselves for not taking their chances at

Parc y Scarlets last weekend, where they lost out to the former

European Champions by just three points. It means they are now

chasing Munster for top spot. But they are using it as motivation.

The positive is that we are frustrated having lost to one of

the teams that consistently do well in Europe. We have to go there and

get something out of that game. It is not going to be easy but because

of the level of frustration, we are expecting a big performance. There

is a key fixture for the Dragons too on Sunday. They hope to avenge

last weekend's defeat at Exeter when the men from Devon visit

Rodney Parade in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Football. Swansea City fans are preparing for a trip to Newcastle

tomorrow, where a tribute will be paid to Gary Speed. Cardiff City

face Middlesbrough, a team that the Bluebirds came undone by, when they

last met in May. Swansea city's trip to Newcastle tomorrow will be

watched by the wife of Gary Speed. She will join fans as they come

together to pay tribute to the man that made 285 appearances and

scored 40 goals for the Magpies. Bread Of Heaven will be sung in his

memory. For the Swans, it's a game they are hoping to keep the

momentum going after winning last weekend and inspirational saves

from Michel Vorm. It's a first away win that would be a welcome early

Christmas Present for the manager. The Ruby as motivated as as to get

a win. We will have power loyal supporters making the long journey

up. We are coming off the back of an excellent win. We're looking

forward to it. In the Championship, it is third against fourth as

Cardiff City welcome Middlesbrough, a team that scuppered Cardiff s

automatic promotion hopes last time they met back in May. While the top

two have slipped up in recent weeks. Cardiff's run mean they're unbeaten

in their last 11 games. They are on a good run of form. It is good that

we have clubs coming to Cardiff City Stadium with anticipation from

our fans to come and watch that as well. We're looking forward to it.

In the Blue Square, top of the league Saturday, Wrexham welcome

Gateshead. Newport County's match with Fleetwood Town will go ahead

after the water logged pitch passed a an inspection this morning.

And there's commentary of tonight's rugby on BBC Radio Wales. It's FM

for the Ospreys and AM and Digital for the Blues. And there'll be

coverage too, of all the football tomorrow afternoon from 1:30pm.

The Olympics are now just seven months away. This weekend, many of

our top swimmers are getting some vital race practice at the Welsh

Open Winter Championships. The event started in Swansea today and

finishes on Sunday with the likes of Jazz Carlin, Jemma Lowe and

Ellie Simmonds all in action. great practice for all of us. The

Olympic trials are only two months away. It is about the hard training

now. We have to work on the turf racing and challenge ourselves.

72 players were in the draw at the PDC World Darts Championships, but

as fate would have it, the two Welshmen involved, ended up playing

against each other in the first round. In the end, there was plenty

of drama as Richie Burnett caused an upset by knocking out fellow

Welshman and former world champion Mark Webster. Burnett, edged a

five-set thriller by winning the final set 4-2 in a tie-break.

Like hitting the bullseye, it's pretty hard to forecast exactly

where the snow will fall. Some parts of North Wales were badly hit,

I used to love snow when I was a boy but I'm not so keen on it now.

There was less snow in the south than forecast and more in the north.

And as expected, some places just had rain. Snow is the hardest thing

to forecast. Predicting how much, where and when! You can read more

about that on my blog on our nature website. Anyway, some of you did

get snow. Eleri Jones sent this photo to me on Twitter showing the

Trawsfynydd to Bala road. Ian and Ruth Rees took this one of sheep

Now a woolly coat will definitely come in handy this weekend. Staying

cold, more wintry showers but I can promise some sunshine as well.

Tonight, wintry showers will ease. Dry for a time. Clear skies and

some frost and then further showers will spread across the country

after midnight. Some heavy and wintry with hail. Temperatures

dipping close to freezing or below and the Met Office are warning of

ice on untreated roads so take extra care if you are travelling.

Tomorrow morning, a cold start with a risk of ice. Parts of the south

and east will start dry but showers are likely in the north. Some heavy

with a risk of hail and thunder. Sleet and snow on high ground.

Strong winds in the northwest and a significant wind-chill. So a

mixture of sunshine and showers tomorrow. Some of the showers heavy

and prolonged. Mostly rain or hail. Snow on the hills and mountains.

Fewer showers in the south east and here the best of the dry weather.

Temperatures on the cold side with a north-westerly breeze. The wind

strongest in the northwest with gusts 45mph. Tomorrow night wintry

showers in the north, west and southwest for a time. Elsewhere dry

and clear with frost and icy patches. Sunday a better day. A few

showers in the north and west otherwise dry, bright and crisp.

The cold wind easing as well. Next week will bring a change. Turning

milder with some rain and drizzle at times. It may turn colder again

over Christmas weekend but at the moment a white Christmas looks

unlikely. I will keep you posted. But in the meantime. Take care over

the weekend if you are travelling. Some roads could turn very slippery

with a risk of ice. Now it's time for the Children's

Christmas Pictures. The first by Owen Davies from Colwyn Bay whose

hoping for lots of presents. The next Father Christmas by Oliver

Tomas Cooke from Oakdale. And finally Santa on his sleigh by

Josie Dix from Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan. Thanks for all

your pictures. I will show a few more next week. In the meantime

Tonight's headlines again. A radical shake-up is needed in the

way in the NHS deals with patients with dementia. That is the finding

of a new report. The government said while there is excellent

practice, far too many hospitals are failing to provide appropriate

care. Two men who killed a welsh couple on their honeymoon in

Antigua have been given life sentences. Ben and Catherine

Mullany from Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, were shot in their

hotel bedroom. They were both 31. Kaniel Martin and Avie Howell were

convicted of their murders and the killing of a local shopkeeper back

in July. They could have faced the death penalty.