:00:22. > :00:32.This is East Midlands Today. Our top story tonight: Jailed
:00:32. > :00:35.
:00:35. > :00:39.indefinitely. The couple who tortured a defenceless housemate.
:00:39. > :00:42.Have you been tempted into the shops today a? Or have you gone
:00:42. > :00:46.online? If you have finished your Christmas
:00:46. > :00:56.shopping, you may need to know what the weather will be like for your
:00:56. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:01.festive journey. I will have the details at the end of the programme.
:01:01. > :01:03.Good evening. Welcome to Friday's programme. A woman and her
:01:03. > :01:13.boyfriend have been jailed indefinitely for abusing a
:01:13. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:20.vulnerable man who was set on fire and made to jump into a canal. 25-
:01:20. > :01:24.year-old Amanda Ford was the main instigator of the abuse, getting
:01:24. > :01:26.her housemates in Leicester to gang up on the victim. She was said to
:01:26. > :01:31.have found the violence towards him entertaining. James Roberson
:01:31. > :01:36.reports. A face of apparent innocence mass
:01:36. > :01:42.in a brutal appetite for violence. Amanda Ford was one of a group of
:01:42. > :01:49.people with learning difficulties who lived in this street. They
:01:49. > :01:56.turned up on one of the housemates. He was forced to do the housework.
:01:56. > :02:01.For any slip up, he was violently abused. He was beaten with weapons.
:02:01. > :02:06.He was set on fire. His teeth were broken. He was thrown down the
:02:06. > :02:11.stairs. They even forced him to jump in the nearby canal. After one
:02:11. > :02:16.of these visits, he was set alight. Amanda Ford was the ringleader.
:02:16. > :02:21.Even when the victim's brother in law reported his plight to the
:02:21. > :02:31.police, the man was reluctant to shop is tormentors. He saw them as
:02:31. > :02:32.
:02:32. > :02:39.his friends, not as the perpetrators of this terrible abuse.
:02:39. > :02:41.These specialists say anyone who suspect abuse against someone with
:02:41. > :02:49.disabilities should not be tolerated and reported to the
:02:49. > :02:56.police. After the complaint is made to the police, that is the process
:02:56. > :03:00.for safeguarding kicking in. women here in the middle was given
:03:00. > :03:08.a one-year sentence. The man in the dark suit was given a 12 month
:03:08. > :03:13.community order. Today, Amanda Ford and her boyfriend were told the big
:03:13. > :03:17.serve a minimum of five and four years respectively. When arrested,
:03:17. > :03:22.Amanda Ford claimed she was the most vulnerable of the house and
:03:22. > :03:25.Aids. She knew what was happening. She was the ringleader.
:03:25. > :03:34.Still to come on the programme: Christmas is back on for a family
:03:34. > :03:39.whose home was destroyed by fire. In a matter of days, a whole house
:03:39. > :03:43.has been put together by people giving us donations. It has been
:03:43. > :03:46.wonderful for. Hospitals in the East Midlands have
:03:46. > :03:48.closed wards to new patients as staff try to contain the spread of
:03:48. > :03:52.the winter vomiting bug. The norovirus causes sickness and
:03:52. > :04:02.diarrhoea. NHS managers say around 200 patients are infected and now
:04:02. > :04:05.
:04:05. > :04:09.staff are becoming ill as well. Angelina Socci reports.
:04:09. > :04:14.The norovirus Bagh is responsible for the closure of many hospital
:04:14. > :04:20.wards across the East Midlands. is very infectious. The key to this
:04:20. > :04:23.is hand-washing and to remove yourself from gatherings. If
:04:23. > :04:33.patients have the symptoms of winter vomiting, they should stay
:04:33. > :04:33.
:04:33. > :04:38.at home. Worst affected his Derby. Nearly 130 patients are suspected
:04:38. > :04:48.to have the virus as well as many members of staff. In Nottingham, up
:04:48. > :04:51.
:04:51. > :04:55.more than 40 patients have put -- have caught the virus. Glenfield
:04:55. > :05:03.Hospital and Leicester are reporting 12 cases between them.
:05:03. > :05:10.These special inflatable Dora's can decontaminate areas quickly. --
:05:10. > :05:16.inflatable Dora's. If you have this virus, stay at home and drink
:05:16. > :05:22.plenty of fluids. Coming to hospitals and visiting hospitals
:05:22. > :05:27.should be avoided. Christmas is always busy for hospitals. Battling
:05:27. > :05:34.the winter bark will put extra strain on the resources. -- the
:05:34. > :05:37.winter vomiting Bach. Police are looking for a man from
:05:37. > :05:39.Grantham, who has been missing for ten days. 46-year-old Stuart Taylor
:05:40. > :05:42.disappeared in Market Harborough. Officers are now searching close to
:05:43. > :05:48.the Grand Union Canal. Mr Taylor's partner has made an emotional plea
:05:48. > :05:53.for him to return home. Simon Ward reports.
:05:53. > :06:00.It was meant to be their first Christmas together at a new home in
:06:00. > :06:03.Grantham. But when this couple went to an appointment in Market
:06:03. > :06:09.Harborough on 13th December, Stewart became distressed and
:06:10. > :06:14.disappeared. She hopes people will help if they have any information.
:06:14. > :06:19.Please take a short time to have a look. Even if you're not sure, if
:06:19. > :06:24.you think you see him, please contact the local police force.
:06:24. > :06:29.number of inquiries have been undertaken since that date. That
:06:29. > :06:39.has led us to some possible sightings in and around the Grand
:06:39. > :06:40.
:06:40. > :06:46.Union Canal. Stewart, darling, please. I don't
:06:46. > :06:51.know what is going through your head at the moment. I am sure you
:06:51. > :06:57.know deep down I love you very much. Please call someone, anyone, just
:06:57. > :07:04.to let you -- just to let's know that you are safe and well. Please
:07:04. > :07:10.ring me so we can talk about this. Please don't leave me here for
:07:10. > :07:14.Christmas on my own. Well, it's nearly all over for
:07:14. > :07:17.another year. The Christmas shopping rush entered one of its
:07:17. > :07:19.busiest phases today, with one credit card firm saying almost 33-
:07:19. > :07:22.million transactions could be completed. But in these tough
:07:22. > :07:25.economic times, are shoppers keeping their money where it is, or
:07:25. > :07:34.have they been tempted by big discounts? Well, Mike O'Sullivan is
:07:34. > :07:41.at the Highcross Centre in Leicester and can tell us more.
:07:41. > :07:46.Welcome. This centre is open until 9pm tonight. They expect 100,000
:07:46. > :07:50.people through the doors here today. In total, there will have been
:07:50. > :07:57.500,000 visitors to this place over the course of the week. The
:07:57. > :08:02.Christmas sales are in full swing. It is the season for deep
:08:02. > :08:08.discounting. The sale started early this Christmas. How much our people
:08:08. > :08:13.spending this year? Weir be more clever and looking for
:08:13. > :08:23.bargains. I have spent more this year because the bargains have
:08:23. > :08:23.
:08:23. > :08:31.tempted me. I have spent less. Definitely. The internet is
:08:31. > :08:37.changing our shopping habits. Sales in this shop are down by 2% over
:08:37. > :08:43.the year. But there was a 16% increase in online cells. Is this
:08:43. > :08:48.an indicator of the future direction of retailing? This
:08:48. > :08:52.distribution centre is half-a-mile long. It will be part of Marks and
:08:52. > :08:59.Spencers online business. There will be 1,000 jobs next autumn when
:08:59. > :09:05.it opens. The increase in online trading has played a part in the
:09:05. > :09:09.closure of best buys stores. They will close next month. There is so
:09:09. > :09:15.much competition online. You can get it much cheaper than in the
:09:15. > :09:18.stores. A lot of places that sell electrical goods have so much
:09:18. > :09:23.competition. It is too much to contend with.
:09:23. > :09:29.With plenty of cars packing into the Highcross Centre, perhaps it is
:09:29. > :09:35.too early to write off the shops? We have been delighted with the
:09:35. > :09:41.Christmas period. Customers have come out and shot. John Lewis is
:09:41. > :09:46.21% up this week. I expect that to continue. Some shops will be open
:09:46. > :09:52.all day on Christmas Eve. And the sales start all over again on
:09:52. > :09:57.Boxing Day. 90,000 people are expected you
:09:57. > :10:07.tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Sales are up 2% year-on- year at this
:10:07. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:17.shopping-centre. Are the statistics could? It is about average. If we
:10:17. > :10:21.look at the start of the year, you would be thinking 3%. Now 1% is
:10:21. > :10:27.reasonable. It is tough. People are getting more concerned. There are
:10:27. > :10:33.stories about electricity and gas rising. There is less money to
:10:33. > :10:38.spare. Is there a recession in retail? Not yet. It is just about
:10:38. > :10:48.flat. It is the same as last year, but people are being more careful.
:10:48. > :10:50.
:10:50. > :10:58.What our next doing right online? Online is very important. The
:10:58. > :11:02.website for the store next is proving that. If you don't have
:11:02. > :11:07.online service, it is very difficult for you. Are more and
:11:07. > :11:17.more retailers going to go the same way as last sense that in the new
:11:17. > :11:21.
:11:21. > :11:28.year? -- La Senza. More will follow, I am afraid. They are in debt and
:11:28. > :11:37.have to pay some of that off. too early to predict the demise of
:11:37. > :11:42.bricks and mortar shopping, however. How many new films went on release
:11:42. > :11:47.this year? And how long would it take to watch them all? Well, this
:11:47. > :11:54.man knows because he's sat through most of them. Later, we'll be
:11:54. > :11:57.asking him which were the triumphs, and which the turkeys.
:11:57. > :12:03.A family whose Leicester home was destroyed by fire earlier this week
:12:03. > :12:06.say they've been overwhelmed by the generosity of complete strangers.
:12:06. > :12:10.Donations of furniture, clothes and electrical goods will now make this
:12:10. > :12:18.a Christmas to remember. And for all the right reasons. Peter Snow
:12:18. > :12:22.reports. This family lost everything when
:12:22. > :12:26.the house was gutted by fire at the weekend. Now they have been
:12:26. > :12:33.rehoused by the council. People who have heard of their plight have
:12:33. > :12:41.been sending them replacement goods. We had literally nothing. Now we
:12:41. > :12:48.have furniture, clothes, at Television. A microwave. Everything.
:12:48. > :12:57.One lady has given us a cheque. I have never met her. She sent the
:12:57. > :13:01.�100. I am blown away. They have even received a Christmas tree.
:13:01. > :13:07.lady has even wrapped up some presents for us. I can't thank
:13:07. > :13:12.people enough. She says her faith in community spirit has been
:13:12. > :13:17.reaffirmed. In a matter of days, a whole house has been put together
:13:17. > :13:23.by people giving it to us. family hope to move back to their
:13:23. > :13:29.old house in a few months. In the meantime, they are trying to decide
:13:29. > :13:31.which of their five televisions to watch on Christmas Day.
:13:31. > :13:34.Fantastic news. And now another heart-warming story which shows
:13:34. > :13:37.that watching East Midlands Today can also help if you're looking for
:13:37. > :13:40.work in these financially difficult times. Yes, the first person
:13:40. > :13:43.recruited by a major new employer in Derby says she only heard about
:13:43. > :13:52.the jobs on offer by watching us. And she'd been searching for work
:13:52. > :13:58.for two years. Simon Hare reports. Wrapping up the last few presents.
:13:58. > :14:03.But Christmas came early for this woman. In the form of a job offer.
:14:03. > :14:09.Derby has been given a jobs boost after one of the UK's largest call
:14:09. > :14:16.centre companies. Mac this was our report which she saw last week. It
:14:17. > :14:26.alerted her to 700 new jobs. applied online that evening and got
:14:27. > :14:28.
:14:28. > :14:35.a call the next day. It all started for mayor. Part of the former egg
:14:35. > :14:42.call centre is being taken over by a customer service company. And she
:14:42. > :14:47.was the first to be offered a post. She had been job-hunting for two
:14:47. > :14:54.years. Being offered the job to start with was amazing. But being
:14:54. > :15:01.the first person, it is the best Christmas present ever. The company
:15:01. > :15:05.says they have had 800 applications for the 700 jobs initially being
:15:05. > :15:15.created. And she is one of 84 people to get job up and kick --
:15:15. > :15:20.job offers so far. I am proud of her. I like her having a nice job.
:15:20. > :15:25.It means so much to me and my daughter that we can have a relaxed
:15:26. > :15:30.Christmas and look forward to a brighter future for.
:15:30. > :15:34.And some more good news for Derby. The train-maker Bombardier has won
:15:34. > :15:38.a government contract to convert diesel trains to run on electricity.
:15:38. > :15:41.The work will be mainly research and design, but there will also be
:15:41. > :15:46.some manufacturing. The project involves upgrading up to 35 diesel
:15:46. > :15:56.trains. Earlier this year Bombardier lost a major UK
:15:56. > :15:56.
:15:56. > :15:58.government contract, which was given to a German company.
:15:58. > :16:01.A Leicestershire fund to redistribute unwanted winter fuel
:16:01. > :16:04.payments to charities has raised �11,000 over the past three weeks.
:16:04. > :16:07.Last year, Paul and Sue Newman from Glenfield set up the 125 winter
:16:07. > :16:11.fund with the help of people who felt they didn't need the extra
:16:11. > :16:14.money. People in the East Midlands are
:16:14. > :16:19.celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. This event took place at
:16:19. > :16:21.Victoria Park in Leicester this evening. The eight day festival
:16:21. > :16:25.celebrates the restoration of a temple in Jerusalem, 2,000 years
:16:25. > :16:29.ago. This time of year is a chance to
:16:29. > :16:33.gorge yourself on loads of films, but spare a thought for a man who
:16:33. > :16:36.has already had a bellyfull. At the beginning of 2011, Neil White, a
:16:36. > :16:41.journalist from Derby, set himself the target of watching every film
:16:41. > :16:45.on general release, and all in his spare time. Earlier this week, Neil
:16:45. > :16:53.found time to pop into the studio between films and spoke to Quentin
:16:53. > :17:00.Rayner. First question, had he managed it?
:17:00. > :17:04.Sadly not. I will get to about 620 films. That is about 40 short. I
:17:04. > :17:11.did not start quickly enough. I went on holiday at the start of the
:17:11. > :17:21.year. Now I am rushing around to watch three or four a day. But how
:17:21. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:27.one quite make it. Have you had some hairy moments? Yes. One day, I
:17:28. > :17:33.watched six films. It was like I had jet lag at the end of it. It
:17:33. > :17:39.started at 10am in the morning and finished at 11pm at my. What about
:17:39. > :17:45.your trip to Bradford Q mac I got there and realised the film had
:17:45. > :17:55.subtitles, but it didn't. I sat through all of the adverts and the
:17:55. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :18:05.trailer as, but the film was in Punjabi. I am not counting that one.
:18:05. > :18:26.
:18:26. > :18:30.You must have a favourite. Which is It got two Oscars. It is a
:18:30. > :18:39.fantastic family drama. I think it is the best sporting drama ever
:18:39. > :18:46.made. That is your favourite. Presumably you must have had to sit
:18:46. > :18:53.through some quite general -- some quite dreadful ones? Zombie films
:18:53. > :19:01.don't do it for me. Perhaps I am not romantic enough, but wrong
:19:01. > :19:08.Comms as well. -- romantic comedies as well. Some of these films have
:19:08. > :19:15.been sent to you on DVD. What does your wife think? My wife and my
:19:15. > :19:22.children are very supportive. I think my wife has sat through 300
:19:22. > :19:28.films. You have a website which is cataloguing your film watching.
:19:28. > :19:36.What has been your response? Fantastic. I am very surprised in
:19:36. > :19:42.it. One person has sent me a foodie with the film, the fighter, on it.
:19:42. > :19:47.I have heard from people in Afghanistan and Libya. It has been
:19:47. > :19:53.amazing. You are a glutton for punishment and are going to try
:19:53. > :19:58.this again next year? It is my Everest. I have not quite made it.
:19:58. > :20:08.I am halfway up the mountain. I want to reach the very top and I
:20:08. > :20:08.
:20:08. > :20:11.will be better organised next time. He must be sick of popcorn by now!
:20:11. > :20:15.Sport now and Christmas is a defining time for our football and
:20:15. > :20:17.rugby teams. While we tuck into the turkey and trimmings, a glut of
:20:17. > :20:23.festive fixtures lie ahead for Leicester, Forest, Derby, Notts and
:20:23. > :20:27.the Tigers, as Natalie Jackson reports.
:20:27. > :20:33.If you ask most the dollars what they want for Christmas, they come
:20:33. > :20:37.out with that old chestnut of three points. But for this festive period,
:20:38. > :20:47.all Forest want is to get out of the bottom three. And these other
:20:48. > :20:55.
:20:55. > :21:02.-- these are. We have to stay focused and not eat too many pies.
:21:02. > :21:12.We will be raring to go. What do you want for Christmas? Everyone to
:21:12. > :21:21.
:21:21. > :21:31.smile at home and in the stadium. -- goals. All they want are more
:21:31. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:50.We have been inconsistent this season so far. But we're still in
:21:50. > :21:55.touch. I love this time of year. Loads of it all. Lots of families
:21:55. > :22:03.coming to the game. We are looking forward to a. Merry Christmas to
:22:03. > :22:09.all of our fans. Have a nice to time. At Derby, they have two
:22:09. > :22:14.Christmas crackers. There is a lot of history between the clubs. It
:22:14. > :22:24.will be a fantastic occasion. We're desperate for three points. This
:22:24. > :22:26.
:22:26. > :22:36.week, the Rams have been spreading Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas!
:22:36. > :22:36.
:22:36. > :22:40.Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas and thanks for your support in 2011.
:22:40. > :22:50.Notts County are relying on Rudolph and sand a's sleigh to take them on
:22:50. > :22:52.
:22:52. > :23:00.their travels. I think we will have 1,000 supporters at Sheffield. I
:23:00. > :23:10.want to make them happy. We can make a lot of people happy. That
:23:10. > :23:10.
:23:10. > :23:20.would make me happy. It is a busy time for the Leicester Tigers.
:23:20. > :23:23.
:23:23. > :23:30.would like peace and happiness for Nice to see football managers
:23:30. > :23:34.Nice to see football managers smiling for once!
:23:34. > :23:40.Today has not felt very Christmas Eve. What a difference a year makes.
:23:40. > :23:50.This time last year, I was doing the forecast ankle deep in snow.
:23:50. > :23:55.This year, mild temperatures. Mild temperatures for Christmas Day and
:23:55. > :24:05.Boxing Day. I have pressed the wrong button! This photograph was
:24:05. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:13.taken this morning. Thank you for that. Keep sending them into us. We
:24:13. > :24:18.have had trained with us today. That is starting to clear away to
:24:18. > :24:25.the south and east. Trial behind it, so there might be some light
:24:25. > :24:31.showers over the next few others. The rain continues to clear up
:24:31. > :24:39.which will bring us clear skies overnight. Much cooler than last
:24:39. > :24:44.night. Temperatures will fall down to about two degrees. We wake up on
:24:44. > :24:51.Christmas Eve with a decent start. Gradually, we will see an increase
:24:51. > :24:54.in cloud through the morning. On a whole, I should stay dry.
:24:54. > :25:01.Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire might get some rain.
:25:01. > :25:09.It is breezy. Temperature rise, about seven degrees. But it will
:25:09. > :25:19.take time to get there. Stay in windy on the night of Christmas Eve
:25:19. > :25:24.which might help Santa with his journey. It is staying mild on
:25:24. > :25:34.Christmas Day. 10 or 11 degrees. Very similar on Boxing Day. Another
:25:34. > :25:34.
:25:35. > :25:39.dry day. Staying breezy. Right across the Christmas weekend.
:25:39. > :25:45.Milder temperatures are with us until Tuesday. But don't worry, we
:25:45. > :25:55.will be with you over Christmas and new year to keep you up-to-date.
:25:55. > :25:55.
:25:55. > :25:58.Merry Christmas! As this is our last full programme
:25:58. > :26:01.before Christmas, we thought we'd leave you with a real festive treat.
:26:01. > :26:04.To play us out are three choristers from Southwell Minster. They are
:26:04. > :26:07.Joe Knight, Toby Hyde-Barker and Guy Parker. The conductor is Paul
:26:08. > :26:17.Hale. They are singing Away in a Manger. From all of us on East
:26:17. > :26:20.Midlands Today, Happy Christmas. # Away in a manger, no crib for a
:26:20. > :26:30.bed. # The little Lord Jesus laid down
:26:30. > :26:30.
:26:30. > :26:40.his sweet head. # The stars in the sky looked down
:26:40. > :26:42.
:26:42. > :26:52.where he lay. # The little Lord Jesus asleep on
:26:52. > :26:53.
:26:53. > :27:03.the hay. # The cattle are lowing, the baby
:27:03. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:14.awakes. # But little Lord Jesus no crying
:27:14. > :27:17.