22/02/2017 BBC Wales Today


22/02/2017

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 22/02/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Welcome to Wales Today, our headlines tonight -

0:00:050:00:07

Christine and Roger Solik from the Cynon Valley were brutally

0:00:070:00:10

murdered in South Africa.

0:00:100:00:12

Their family tell us of their devastation.

0:00:120:00:15

And if Debra Pool re-marries she'll lose her police widow's pension.

0:00:150:00:20

She tells us why she's campaigning for change.

0:00:200:00:22

Good evening.

0:00:370:00:38

The family of a couple found brutally murdered in South Africa

0:00:380:00:41

say they're devastated.

0:00:410:00:43

The bodies of Christine and Roger Solik, originally

0:00:430:00:45

from the Cynon Valley, were found in a river around

0:00:450:00:48

50 miles from where they lived.

0:00:480:00:50

Christine's mother, Sheila Savage, described them as wonderful parents

0:00:500:00:54

whose children are now suffering.

0:00:540:00:56

James Williams reports from Mountain Ash.

0:00:560:01:00

Inseparable and a relationship to aspire to.

0:01:010:01:04

A tribute from four loving children to their parents,

0:01:040:01:09

Christine and Roger Solik born and bred in the Mountain Ash

0:01:090:01:14

area of the Cynon Valley.

0:01:140:01:15

I have just spoken to Christine's brother and

0:01:150:01:18

sister at their family home where they are consoling their mother,

0:01:180:01:21

and they are devastated by the news and finding it difficult

0:01:210:01:24

to comprehend it was only last month they saw Christine who had returned

0:01:240:01:28

home to bury her father.

0:01:280:01:31

A tight knit community mourns.

0:01:310:01:35

People are very shocked by the news we have heard,

0:01:350:01:37

the brutality and the senselessness of the killings and the thoughts

0:01:370:01:42

of the community are with the family at this tragic time.

0:01:420:01:45

Married in the Valleys, it was however South Africa

0:01:450:01:48

where they made their life, moving there in 1981.

0:01:480:01:52

Work, family and retirement would follow before

0:01:520:01:56

enjoying their final days in the country's Kwazulu-Natal

0:01:560:01:59

province in a town not far from the Drakensberg mountains.

0:01:590:02:05

Police suspect they were kidnapped from their home in the town

0:02:050:02:08

of Nottingham Road last Friday.

0:02:080:02:11

Christine's body was found later that day in a river, bound and

0:02:110:02:16

murdered 50 miles from their home in a gated community.

0:02:160:02:19

Later, the couple's car was found abandoned in

0:02:190:02:22

another area.

0:02:220:02:23

Roger, 66 years old and suffering from Parkinson's disease

0:02:230:02:26

for the last 20 years, would not be found until Monday

0:02:260:02:30

over a mile from where Christine's body was discovered.

0:02:300:02:35

With around 51 murders a day in South Africa

0:02:350:02:37

violence is not uncommon.

0:02:370:02:40

But elements of this case seem unusual.

0:02:400:02:43

There is a lot of shock and the police are taking it seriously

0:02:430:02:47

because it isn't normal in these kind of cases that people would be

0:02:470:02:52

taken away from their home, kidnapped, and then killed

0:02:520:02:54

somewhere else.

0:02:540:02:57

That is pretty unusual and so the police are

0:02:570:03:00

focusing on trying to find out what the motive is here

0:03:000:03:02

because it is not normal that happens.

0:03:020:03:05

From a small town in South Africa to a small town

0:03:050:03:09

in the South Wales Valleys.

0:03:090:03:11

That shock at the murder of Christine and Roger Solik continues

0:03:110:03:15

to reverberate.

0:03:150:03:18

The BBC has been accused of insulting Wales

0:03:190:03:22

after it announced a new television channel and funding for

0:03:220:03:25

Scotland worth nearly ?40 million.

0:03:250:03:28

It comes a day after it confirmed an ?8.5 million

0:03:280:03:32

investment here.

0:03:320:03:33

Politicians from different parties are saying it's unfair.

0:03:330:03:37

The BBC says the new money it's spending in Wales

0:03:370:03:39

will be "transformational", and it's already way ahead

0:03:390:03:42

of Scotland in making programmes for a UK-wide audience.

0:03:420:03:47

It is clear to me, whatever Scotland wants to do and how it wants

0:03:470:03:50

to arrange its programming, that is fine for the BBC.

0:03:500:03:53

But as one of the devolved nations, license payers

0:03:530:03:55

in Wales should get the same deal as licence payers in Scotland.

0:03:550:04:00

We are being short-changed.

0:04:000:04:02

A man from Pontypridd been jailed for 28 days

0:04:020:04:05

for filming and live streaming a court case on Facebook.

0:04:050:04:09

39-year-old David Davies, from Llantwit Fardre

0:04:090:04:13

broadcast the footage on Monday, as a witness gave evidence

0:04:130:04:15

at Cardiff Crown Court.

0:04:150:04:17

He was arrested when he returned yesterday and sentenced

0:04:170:04:20

for contempt of court.

0:04:200:04:23

Cameras are not allowed in courts in Wales and England.

0:04:230:04:27

The number of cancer cases in Wales has risen by nearly 10%

0:04:270:04:30

over a ten year period.

0:04:300:04:32

There were just over 19,000 diagnoses in 2015,

0:04:320:04:36

compared to around 17,000 in 2006.

0:04:360:04:40

Public Health Wales says the main reason for the increase

0:04:400:04:43

is an ageing population.

0:04:430:04:46

This is the baby boomers coming through.

0:04:460:04:49

They are now in their 60s and more.

0:04:490:04:52

And so we are seeing just a lot more cases in them because

0:04:520:04:55

there is more of them.

0:04:550:04:57

We also have a lot of people now living longer so

0:04:570:04:59

in very old age we are seeing an increase in people and they are

0:04:590:05:05

alive to get cancer because age is the main risk factor for cancer.

0:05:050:05:09

There are calls tonight for police widows to be granted

0:05:090:05:12

a pension for life even if they re-marry

0:05:120:05:14

or live with a new partner.

0:05:140:05:16

New legislation from the Home Office means only the spouses

0:05:160:05:19

of officers who die on duty will retain their pensions.

0:05:190:05:23

Here's Matt Murray.

0:05:230:05:26

Debra Poole moved from Cardiff to Ceredigion with her husband

0:05:260:05:28

Russell when he retired from the police service.

0:05:280:05:31

It was their dream to have a quieter life so bought this

0:05:310:05:33

smallholding in Sarnau near Cardigan after he finished working.

0:05:330:05:37

Russell had been a hard-working and decorated officer

0:05:370:05:40

for South Wales Police.

0:05:400:05:41

Debra was just 47 when he died from cancer nearly 15 years ago

0:05:410:05:45

and was left to bring up three young children.

0:05:450:05:48

She receives a widow's pension of around ?900

0:05:480:05:51

each month which is vital for her with her younger

0:05:510:05:54

son in university.

0:05:540:05:55

But if she remarried or lived with a new partner Debra would

0:05:550:05:59

lose that money.

0:05:590:06:01

I'm being made to choose between love and money.

0:06:010:06:05

He loved his job.

0:06:050:06:07

But he also paid 11% of his pay every month for his pension

0:06:070:06:10

and for his family.

0:06:100:06:12

So, I do feel that this is wrong.

0:06:120:06:16

Debra wants the regulations to change and on this

0:06:160:06:19

she is not alone.

0:06:190:06:20

More than a 115,000 people have signed a petition.

0:06:200:06:23

They want the rules to be brought into line with

0:06:230:06:25

Northern Ireland which grants all police widows a pension for life.

0:06:250:06:29

The Home Office says new legislation brought in last year means

0:06:290:06:32

the spouses or partners of officers who die on duty will retain their

0:06:320:06:36

pensions even if they remarry.

0:06:360:06:39

There is a retrospective change in Northern Ireland where, if widows

0:06:390:06:42

or widowers have remarried they have been able to get

0:06:420:06:46

their pension paid to them.

0:06:460:06:48

Clearly, people get into a situation where, is it going to be a

0:06:480:06:52

future happiness for them or is it going to be how much money they have

0:06:520:06:55

got in their pocket?

0:06:550:06:56

That is an unfair decision for people to make.

0:06:560:06:58

That is where Debra finds herself, unable to do what her husband wanted

0:06:580:07:05

after his death and move on with her life.

0:07:050:07:07

Now, this next item contains flash photography.

0:07:070:07:10

The Duchess of Cambridge has been in Torfaen

0:07:100:07:13

visiting a project which helps young people in care with

0:07:130:07:16

mental health problems.

0:07:160:07:17

It's her first visit to Wales as the official patron

0:07:170:07:20

of the charity Action for Children.

0:07:200:07:22

Tributes have been paid to the leading automotive economist

0:07:220:07:25

Professor Garel Rhys, who's died.

0:07:250:07:29

He was chairman of the Welsh Automotive Forum,

0:07:290:07:31

which he established in the late '90s.

0:07:310:07:34

He died after a short illness a week before his 77th birthday.

0:07:340:07:38

Rugby.

0:07:400:07:41

George North will return to Wales' starting line-up

0:07:410:07:43

for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Scotland at Murrayfield.

0:07:430:07:46

He's recovered from a leg injury, that sidelined him for Wales' 21-16

0:07:460:07:52

loss to England earlier this month and replaces Alex Cuthbert.

0:07:520:07:54

It's the only change, with Wales boss Rob Howley

0:07:540:07:57

retaining a back row of Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric

0:07:570:07:59

and Ross Moriarty.

0:07:590:08:01

Taulupe Faletau is on the bench again.

0:08:010:08:04

Let's get the weather forecast now, Sue Charles has the details.

0:08:040:08:08

Good evening.

0:08:090:08:10

Very wet and windy weather overnight into tomorrow.

0:08:100:08:13

The Met Office has issued warnings for

0:08:130:08:14

Storm Doris, bringing heavy rain at times with gusts

0:08:140:08:19

reaching 70 to 80 mph along the North Wales coast.

0:08:190:08:25

This is the rapidly deepening area of low pressure, Storm Doris

0:08:250:08:28

arriving overnight into tomorrow which has the potential to bring

0:08:280:08:31

down trees and cause travel disruption.

0:08:310:08:33

Overnight, turning increasingly windy with a band of rain spreading

0:08:330:08:38

in from the north west in the early hours.

0:08:380:08:40

Winds reaching gale force along the coast.

0:08:400:08:42

The rain is at its heaviest first thing tomorrow, easing through

0:08:420:08:46

the morning but then the wind really picks up and across the UK the rain

0:08:460:08:50

spreads eastwards, falling as snow where it is coldest for higher

0:08:500:08:54

communities across Scotland and north east

0:08:540:08:57

England.

0:08:570:08:58

An Amber warning in force for that and for the strength of the wind

0:08:580:09:01

across the northern half of the UK.

0:09:010:09:03

Gale force winds on high ground and along exposed coast as

0:09:030:09:07

Storm Doris moves eastwards.

0:09:070:09:10

Across Wales, some brighter spells developing later, a few wintry

0:09:100:09:14

showers.

0:09:140:09:15

Most of Wales covered by a yellow warning for the strength of the wind

0:09:150:09:19

but an amber warning issued across parts of north Wales, the

0:09:190:09:23

white arrows at the average wind speeds but gusts of 70 to 80 mph

0:09:230:09:27

possible along the north and west facing coasts.

0:09:270:09:31

Tomorrow night, the storm clears east with a few wintry

0:09:310:09:35

showers turning colder.

0:09:350:09:36

Winds slowly easing, drier and quieter.

0:09:360:09:40

Cold enough for a frost risk early Friday

0:09:400:09:42

but generally fine, brighter and breezy but cloud thickening

0:09:420:09:46

with rain starting to arrive from the north-west later.

0:09:460:09:50

After some stormy tomorrow, dry and cold on

0:09:500:09:52

Friday, milder with rain at times over the weekend.

0:09:520:09:56

We're back in Breakfast with updates from 6.25am tomorrow morning.

0:09:580:10:01

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS