26/02/2014 BBC Wales Today

soon. That is all from the BBC News at Six, goodbye from me. On

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines.

The body of Karen Price was found wrapped in a carpet 25 years ago.

Now her murderer's conviction has been referred to the Court of

Appeal. Karen's body was found by workmen here in 1989.

The parents of a severely premature baby have told Wales Today they'll

consider legal action against the NHS trust in Bristol where their son

died. He went through a lot there.

Also tonight. More questions over cardiac surgery

as it's revealed some patients will be treated at hospitals in England

to relieve waiting lists. Dead sea birds washed up on the

coastline. Fears the recent storms could have had a major impact on

Welsh birdlife. And the legacy of Dylan Thomas

brings tourists here. Could the history of other writers also be

used to entice visitors to Wales? Good evening. Alan Charlton was

jailed for murder 23 years ago. Now it's emerged that his conviction has

been referred to the Court of Appeal over concerns about techniques used

by South Wales Police to investigate the case. He's serving a life

sentence for killing teenager Karen Price in Cardiff. Live now to our

reporter Nick Palit who's outside the house that was the centre of the

murder inquiry almost a quarter of a century ago.

Thanks, Lucy. Well, back in the 1980s, this street, which now faces

the Millennium Stadium, was a very different place. Fitzhamon

Embankment was the centre of the city's red light district and this

terrace had a very transient population living in low-rent

bedsits. While this particular house was being renovated, workmen

uncovered a shallow grave and a body wrapped in a carpet.

The body was so decomposed that identification was impossible. The

pathologist was able to tell the police the victim had been a teenage

girl but nothing more. That is when he enlisted the help of this

professor from Manchester University who was able to create a clay facial

reconstruction of her skull. You may not have known this main -- killed

by name but do you recall her from the early 1980s? Someone did

recognise her. It was Karen Price who disappeared from a children's

home in July 1981. Other techniques used words DNA, for the first time

DNA was used on bone marrow. This was matched with Karen's parents.

The police investigation centred on who had been living in the bedsit at

the time of the murder. Just a year after Karen Price's body was

discovered, Alan Charlton was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court. I

think it is a message to people who are evil, because this was an eagle

murder, that we are here to catch you and no matter how long it takes

we will eventually come to people like that. A subsequent appeal by

Alan Charlton failed but now, 23 years on, there are question over

the safety of his conviction here at Cardiff Crown Court. Following a

lengthy investigation with the commission reviewed the case to the

Court of Appeal. They say there are concerns about the alleged

oppressive handling of key witnesses and alleged breaches of police

regulations. While no individuals have been named, they say a number

of the same officers also investigated to notorious cases that

resulted in miscarriages of justice. They were the murders of Lynette

White and Philip Saunders. Of all these people writing to this review

body, only one case in 25 is referred to the Court of Appeal. Of

the cases that are referred, around three quarters are actually

overturned by the Court of Appeal. In other words, the review

commission would not send this case to the judges in London if they did

not think there was a significant possibility that Alan Charlton will

be cleared. The independent Police Complaints Commission say it raises

important questions about the conduct of South Wales Police during

the 1980s and 1990s and publicly confidence in the integrity of the

force at that time. Alan Charlton was sent to life, the judge

recommending he serve a minimum of 15 years. 23 years on, he remains

behind bars awaiting this new appeal.

Tonight, following news of the appeal, the Chief Constable of South

Wales Police, Peter Vaughan, said we must now allow the judicial process

to take its course and cannot comment further at this stage.

The family of a severely premature baby from Pembrokeshire say they're

taking legal action against the NHS trust in Bristol where their son

died in 2012. Rohan Rhodes was born 15 weeks early and transferred to St

Michael's Hospital for specialist heart surgery but died less than two

days later. A coroner has ruled there were missed opportunities to

monitor his condition more closely. Paul Heaney was at the inquest.

The parents have waited nearly 70 months to find out how their

five-week old son died. Rohan Rhodes was born 15 weeks early at Singleton

Hospital in Swansea and then transferred to St Michael's Hospital

in Bristol and soon after arriving he was taken off his ventilator but

his vital signs dropped. When he went into his cardiac arrest and

they were starting chest impressions, after a few minutes, I

asked them to stop because he was not making any response. But

unfortunately they could not take all of his lines out of his body

before he passed away so I did not get to hold him as he left his body.

The coroner said there were three occasions where staff at the

hospital failed to monitor the gases in his blood. These were lost

opportunities and could have resulted in him being given earlier

medical care. She concluded that he died from a stomach infection and

other conditions because he was so severely premature. His parents say

they are now taking legal action against the NHS trust in Bristol to

make sure lessons are learned. They gave this response to the verdict

today. We were pleased with the coroner recognising this but feel

she could have gone a bit further. I think they were definitely lost

opportunities. The foundation trust says it sends its sincere

condolences to his family and is very sorry checks were missed. It

says it has now implemented a system of safety checking shared by medical

and nursing staff looking after individual babies. Rohan Rhodes's

family say they hope speaking out today mean what happened to their

son never happens again. A boat building company which opened

a new ?1.5 million building last November says it's in danger of

going into administration. Mustang Marine, based at Pembroke Port,

avoided closure before Christmas after losses on key contracts. The

firm, which employs over 100 people, was hailed as the first major

investment in Milford Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone. The company says

it's expected to find out more in the next few days.

A man has been jailed for 22 months for vandalising a South Wales mosque

last year and attacking a couple who challenged him. Steven Davies, who's

22 and from Neath, smashed four windows at the St Anne's Islamic

Centre. He also kicked and stamped on the woman and punched her

husband. Davies admitted religiously aggravated criminal damage and

assault at Swansea Crown Court. It's emerged that the Welsh NHS is

paying for some cardiac patients to be treated at four English

hospitals, including a private clinic in Bristol, to help reduce

the waiting list for heart surgery here. It comes as surgeons in Wales

say they're still waiting for answers over what's being done about

heart patients dying while they wait for operations. Steffan Messenger

reports. Wales today first spoke to Brian

from Gorseinon in September last year. Despite being told he was an

urgent case, he had been waiting for an operation on his heart for six

months. He has since been referred for further tests in London. I have

seen my GP, my GP put me on sleeping tablets, I have been up this morning

since 1:30am because it is just constantly occupying my mind. The

condition is worsening, my legs are swelling and the breathlessness is

getting worse and I am just waiting for hospitals to contact me. Brian

is one of the patients the Royal College of Surgeons is concerned

about. Last July, the college wrote to the organisation that is

responsible for regulating hospitals here. It said that 152 patients had

died in the last five years while waiting for heart surgery in south

Wales. This represented a serious patient safety issue and long

waiting lists wearing plausible explanation for the figures. Two

reviews were launched but the reports are yet to be published and

now the college has written again to the health Inspectorate to demand an

update. Patients needing heart surgery in Wales are treated either

at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff or Morriston Hospital in

Swansea. But the Welsh government admitted today there is not enough

capacity to meet the current demand. In a statement it said a number of

steps had been put in place to speed up treatment for patients. These

include offering patients treatment at four hospitals in England

including a Private Centre in Bristol. This is about the capacity

to meet the level of need that some people have for cardiac surgery in

south Wales. What we have done is increased short-term capacity both

within Wales but also we are securing operations outside Wales in

England. At the same time, we are also looking at what we need to do

to the medium term to build a greater capacity generally. Once

again, it proved to be a hot topic in Parliament. There are people on

NHS waiting lists who are dying in Wales because the waiting lists are

too long because the health service is not being properly managed in

Wales. That is a matter for the Labour Welsh Assembly Government.

The Welsh government is insisting the quality of cardiac surgery in

south Wales is very good and work is underway to improve waiting times

for patients. Our political editor Nick Servini

joins us now. The Conservatives have against seized on this as what they

describe as further evidence of a lack of capacity. And even hypocrisy

because a number of these patients will be dealt with at a private

clinic in Bristol and there has been long-standing opposition to that

from the Welsh government. There is no evidence of this being a

sustained policy U-turn but the Tories will say it is evidence of a

problem with capacity and that was fully admitted by the Welsh

government this afternoon when it said there was not enough capacity

to meet current demand and that is white immediate steps are being

taken to meet the demands. At 280 cases by the end of March possibly

more to follow. If you are waiting for heart surgery you are not going

to be that bothered about where it happens. The real issue is the

questions it brings upon the resilience and strength of the Welsh

NHS. And the context is important. Yes, and on two levels. The Royal

College of Surgeons have said there are more that needs to be done and

the wider context of the pressure on the Welsh NHS. Comments from David

Cameron, also almost on a weekly basis. It has led to a furious

response from the Welsh government. There is a degree of relentlessness

to this which patients will not be happy with.

Still to come in the programme. As experts monitor dead sea birds

washed up on the coast, fears Welsh bird colonies have been hit by

recent storms. And Dylan Thomas has helped put

Wales on the tourism map. Could other writers do the same?

Campaigners fighting to save a Wrexham leisure centre have been

told the council will look again at the decision to close it. The Plas

Madoc Leisure Centre is earmarked for closure as part of a major

cost-cutting programme. People who use the facility say it's at the

heart of the community but the council say it's too expensive to

maintain. Matthew Richards is at the Guildhall in Wrexham.

The council is discussing its entire budget for the forthcoming year in

the room behind me. Like authorities across Wales, it's facing tough

decisions to save tens of millions of pounds. But the most

controversial decision it's made is to close Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Another pool in the centre of town will also close and be replaced by a

new one. Unless the community is able to run the place themselves.

Neil and Dave are regulars at the disabled football sessions in Plas

Madoc. They love the chance to let off steam with a lively kick-about,

but could find themselves without a venue. We would not have any to go

at all. We would have to find somewhere else, we might find

somewhere. Whether we will or not is another thing. There's no doubt that

the supporters of the centre have made a big noise, but until today it

seemed their message had fallen on deaf ears. Consultants say that

reorganising leisure services would avoid more than ?2 million in

essential maintenance costs over five years. The campaigners say that

the maths don't add up and that closing the leisure centre will not

save that much money but Wrexham Council has got to make ?45 million

worth of cuts over the next five years and every saving adds up. The

position we are in means we have to make difficult decisions.

Unfortunately, things like leisure centres and libraries fall into the

range where they are not statutory for us. We are taking them by a

case-by-case basis. I would like to keep everywhere (financially it is

not practical. The writing is on the wall at the centre for staff and

visitors unless the community can take it over themselves. This

afternoon, a council committee gave local people more time to come up

with a rescue plan for what they say is a crucial part of day to day

life. As well as leisure centres, libraries and bus services are also

being axed as Wrexham Council adjusts to a smaller budget. This is

a deprived area. We have lost big industries, those have gone. This is

the only thing that we have left. It acts as a central part of the

community. I was here last Sunday and there was a working group at

states to try and take things forward. They were looking at social

enterprise. The swimming pool is absolutely packed and it made you

feel sad looking around and seeing how well used it is. Those who rely

on this service will be hoping to snatch victory from the jaws of

defeat. The message the council is giving in

this meeting behind me is that there is no money left to keep the centre

open, even after April this year, and so if there is to be any ray of

light, there is another council committee meeting next month where

they can decide to give these local community groups until October to

come up with a workable plan. We know they have got the will to do

that, whether or not they have got the time and money remains to be

seen. We've seen the damage the recent

storms have inflicted on homes and businesses across Wales but now

dozens of dead sea birds have been found along some of Pembrokeshire's

beaches. Experts say rough seas have meant the birds, such as puffins and

guillemots, have been unable to feed properly. More from our environment

correspondent Iolo ap Dafydd. Birds washed up by the sea after

last night's high tide. Razorbills and guillemots mostly, they have

been unable to feed and are malnourished after weeks of storms.

Wildlife trust staff, who during the summer months are wardens on the

nearby island, are trying to establish how many have perished.

That is an old one. What species? Even if these deaths do not number

in the hundreds, there are concerns that Welsh sea bird colonies along

the coasts are being badly hit. This winter has been unusual and has been

one of the worst winters for storms anybody can remember, probably. The

birds struggled to cope and that kind of weather out at sea means

they struggle to feed. They lose condition and then they die out to

sea and washing on the beaches. In just 20 minutes, I have found ten

dead birds along the coast. They are guillemots and these two are

razorbills. There have been far more casualties after the storms along

the coast of France and Spain were many sea birds spend their winter,

but as we see now, more and more are being washed up along the coast of

Pembrokeshire. After two months of Atlantic storms, there are real

fears that this winter is killing even more birds than after the Sea

Empress tanker crashed 18 years ago. Tens of thousands of gallons of

crude oil spilling in one of Europe's most Spencer did --

sensitive wildlife and marine area is still considered a disaster. In

France, 11,000 dead sea birds have been counted. 8000 of them put

things. The French ecology minister saw the birds for himself earlier

this month. Some have been found with rings around their legs,

confirming the usury nest and breed of the coast of Wales. The numbers

we have seen in the Bay of Biscay has been extreme. The majority might

be adults and so we might see a direct impact on the breeding

numbers and operations further down the line but that is to be

confirmed. We just need to monitor them quite closely in future and

have a look at what is going on. The islands are home to over 20,000 per

things as well as 28,000 guillemots and 9000 razorbills. One of the most

important colony of cliff nesting sea birds in southern Britain. When

birds return in May and June, the likelihood is they may well be fewer

of them. They're some of Wales' greatest

writers, but should we be doing more to encourage tourists to visit the

places most closely associated with them? In New York this week, the

First Minister is telling Americans about the plans to mark the

centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth. But as our arts and media

correspondent Huw Thomas has been finding out, it's not just Dylan's

legacy that could entice more visitors to Wales.

Dylan Thomas, a Welsh icon and perhaps our most popular writer. 100

years since his birth, can the great poet prompt greater interest in the

corner of Wales he called home? The Welsh government is spending more

than ?1 million on events to mark Dylan Thomas's centenary and hopes

it will have a much bigger economic benefit but for some of the focus on

Thomas has become relentless. We have been a one trick pony for as

long as I can remember. Literary icon, that comes that image of Dylan

Thomas. That is about the only thing we seem capable or willing to market

over our borders and inside our borders. We have so much more to

offer. Is it time to shout a little bit louder about all of our authors?

I am in a leafy part of Cardiff but it is also the birthplace of one of

the world's best place authors. What was his favourite sweet shop, now a

Chinese takeaway, carries a blue plaque in his honour and he remains

one of the most popular authors for children and adults alike. Cardiff,

which was his childhood home, is relatively understated when it comes

to celebrating this connection but Buckinghamshire, where he settled in

later life, is home to the Roald Dahl Museum. So how do you entice

foreign visitors who may be distracted by Britain's more obvious

attractions? Some have resorted to collecting tourists in London and

bringing them to Wales. Market research shows is that people come

in to London after -- for ten days and after four or five days they are

a bit bored and want to get out of London. We are hoping to tap into

that market, bring people into Wales. It is only two hours by train

into South Wales. As Dylan Thomas takes centre stage in 2014, one of

his biggest advocates says it is also a chance to find new

connections between Wales and its writers. I heard the other day that

the television film of a child's Christmas in Wales was filmed in

Montgomery and if you watch that film, some locals are still in it. I

did not know there was a Dylan Thomas connection to Montgomery and

so one is for ever learning about new links around the country. So it

is a big year for Dylan Thomas and the places he called home. But there

is a hope that the rest of Wales can benefit from its connections with

some of our greatest writers. Sport, and the Welsh Rugby Union has

launched its first touch rugby leagues in an attempt to get more

people involved in the game. There'll be teams in Cardiff,

Swansea, Ammanford, Colwyn Bay and Newport with the regional winners

meeting for finals at the Millennium Stadium. It's hoped, because it's a

non contact sport, more women and girls will take up it up and the WRU

can develop more top players. The unions, which are the boldest

and put a concerted effort into introducing different formats of the

game will be those which have the broadest playing bass in a furious

time and I think you only have to look at Australia and New Zealand to

realise that. Snooker, and Mark Williams has

beaten the current world number one Neil Robertson in the third round of

the Welsh Open. Williams came from behind to win 4-3 and go into the

fourth round. But Dominic Dale lost 4-0 to Mark Selby and Matthew

Stevens is also out after losing 4-3 to Joe Perry.

Let's get a full weather forecast with Derek.

This winter has been very wet and mild but it looks like March will

start chilly with some frost and there is a risk that some of us may

see a little sleet and snow on Friday.

This winter has been very wet and mild but In the meantime, there is

more rain on the way. Turning wet and windy tonight. A dry start this

evening but rain will reach Pembrokeshire in the next hour or

so, spreading across the whole country before midnight. A spell of

heavy rain and stronger winds lasting three to four hours followed

by a dry end to the night. Here's the picture for 8.00am in the

morning. A decent start to the day. Nice and dry. Bright in places too

with some sunshine. Breezy on the coast with a temperature of six

Celsius in Caernarfon. Later in the morning and during the afternoon,

some showers will turn out. Heavy in places with hail and falling as snow

on the mountains. The showers easing later with a dry start to the

evening. Top temperatures eight or nine Celsius with a west to

south-westerly breeze. The wind gusty amongst the showers. In

Pembrokeshire tomorrow, a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers. Windy on

the coast with a high of eight Celsius in St David's. In

Flintshire, the morning dry but expect showers in the afternoon. A

high of eight in Holywell. Tomorrow evening, overnight into Friday there

is some uncertainty but it looks like low pressure will bring more

rain. On Friday, rain, sleet and snow will gradually clear, followed

by drier and brighter weather and one or two showers. Hopefully some

sunshine on St David's Day on Saturday. A few showers as well,

otherwise a lot of dry weather. More dry weather on Sunday but rain may

arrive by the evening if not before. Temperatures on the chilly side over

the weekend. Cold at night with frost and icy patches. The first

widespread frosts for quite some time.

The top stories from the BBC. Two men have been sentenced to life

in prison for the murder of a soldier last year. Michael Adebolajo

has been given a whole life term. Buckle added a while it was jailed

for a minimum of 45 years. The men drove a car into the soldier in

south-east London before attacking him with knives.

Alan Charlton was jailed for murder 23 years ago but now it's emerged

that his conviction has been referred to the Court of Appeal over

concerns about techniques used by South Wales Police to investigate

the case. He's serving a life sentence for killing teenager Karen

Price in Cardiff. And that is Wales Today. We'll have

a quick update at 8.00pm and more after the BBC News at 10.00pm. For

now though, have a good evening. Goodbye.