02/02/2012 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today with Anne Davies and me, Dominic Heale.

Our top story tonight - the death of a Royal Marine, described as a

true hero. His family here of the desperate

attempts to save him after he was shot on patrol in Afghanistan.

Also, as the temperatures plummet, we get ready to start spreading

this little lot. Why are so many children developing

type 1 diabetes? I am staying very still, holding

this beautiful are off. Find out more about him later in the

Good evening and welcome to the programme. First tonight, an

inquest has been hearing how a young Royal Marine, described as a

true hero, was shot dead in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Martin Gill was killed while on a routine patrol in

Helmand Province. His colleagues described how they tried to save

him but couldn't because his injuries were so devastating.

Lance corporal Martin Gill returned home to be buried, just two months

after being deployed to Afghanistan. The 22 year-old from Nottingham had

been on a routine patrol in the village -- a village in Helmand

province last June. The mission was to destroy insurgent activity in

the area. A corporal told the inquest that when they arrived,

they were greeted with friendly faces. He said they were happy with

the atmospherics, describing how he and Martin had even been engaging

with the local children. But it was towards the end of their short

exercise when a sudden burst of gunfire was heard. The corporal

described how he saw Martin being hit by the first round of shots.

The inquest was told that he had been wearing full body armour and a

helmet, but they couldn't have protected him from the bullet which

went into his neck and head. His colleagues described pulling their

friend to safety and trying in vain to resuscitate him. Afterwards,

Martin's family thanked them for trying. For men that were with

Martin when he felt could not have been more dedicated in getting him

to safety. -- the men. We come to realise in at the past months how

strong the bond is with him Bacall and the loss of -- for loss of

Martin has hit them as much as it has hit us. Martin's brother,

sister and girlfriend sat in the front row of the court has the

coroner explained how keen he had been to deployed to Afghanistan,

despite the death of his mother just weeks earlier. This was the

mark of the man, the inquest heard, passionate and dedicated, and

utterly loyal. After listening to all the evidence, the coroner

recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. She then read out a

tribute which had been paid by Martin's commanding officer. He

said, Martin was a marine of rare quality, a true hero, selfless,

resolute and courageous to the end. Now temperatures are set to plummet

tonight and there are warnings of potentially dangerous driving

conditions on the region's roads. Last year of course, some major

highways went ungritted as councils began to run out of salt.

This year, local authorities are taking no chances. Our reporter is

at a highways depot now. Simon, this is the start of a busy night

for the gritting lorries. Yes, indeed. We are at a new work,

at one of the Nottinghamshire county council depots. There are

3000 tonnes of salt in this one should alone. There are others

around the county. Tonight, around 24 critters like this one will be

out and about on of the roads of a Nottinghamshire, because

temperatures could go as low as- nine tonight. Lots more salt will

be put on the roads. Let's have a word with Richard Jackson who is in

charge. After the problems last year, are you prepared? Have you

got enough? We have 18,000 tonnes of salt across the county to make

sure we keep our roads moving, whatever the weather throws at us.

You've been looking at the latest information from the met Office.

How is it looking tonight? Tonight could be a trying night for us. It

will be freezing for the next few hours. We will be out... We might

even see a spot of rain which UN dues by some of the good work we do.

It will freeze again. -- and does some of the good work. The message

to drivers as well in the morning is just because it has been treated,

don't alter your driving. absolutely, take care. We will have

been out and gritted the roots as much as possible. Richard, my

thanks. I'm going to go out with one of those crews. You can see

more on the matter tomorrow -- more on that tomorrow and on our late

bulletin is severe. But to the warm studio.

So, they're all prepared for icy roads and a snowy weekend. But how

likely is snow? You're not going to believe it but

in the last few minutes, it has started to snow! All right, it's

not real. But the real deal is likely to come on Saturday. More

later. And lifting the lid on the Austrian

A major report on undercover policing is recommending much

tighter controls, following the collapse of a trial of climate

activists in Nottingham. Mark Kennedy was one of more than 100

activists arrested by Nottinghamshire Police for plotting

to shut down Ratcliffe power station. But police didn't know

Kennedy was really an undercover detective. Today's report by her

Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary says he broke the

rules by having intimate relationships and getting too

involved in the plot. Mark Kennedy says everything he did had been

approved. The sale of the Castle Donington

based airline BMI Baby could be completed within a few weeks but

that won't affect anyone who's booked flights for this summer. A

deal has been agreed in principle to sell the airline to a mystery UK

company. But its current owners say the 2012 summer schedule will go

ahead as planned. The company's head office will remain in the East

Midlands after the sale. An East Midlands energy company

wants to build the UK's biggest solar farm on a site in

Leicestershire. Photovoltaic panels, like these near Newark, convert

sunlight directly into electricity. Lark Energy wants to put 120,000

panels on an old airfield near Wymeswold. If it gets the go ahead,

the site will take six months to build, cost �40 million and cover a

hundred acres. Doctors say cases of childhood

diabetes have doubled over the past ten years with Nottingham

Children's Hospital, seeing more and more youngsters with type 1.

These children rely on daily doses of insulin. Our health

correspondent has met one youngster from Derbyshire who's been

diagnosed with the condition. Dominic has to measure his blood

sugars every day. The seven-year- old is one of more and more

children with type 1 diabetes. the countdown. Without being given

insulin, his body cannot break down the sugar. A 13.9. White blood

sugar is quite high now. readings are sent to the pump which

controls the insulin given to his body. Dominic is not alone. They

are seeing more and more children at the Queen's Medical Centre with

type 1 diabetes. 10 years ago, it was about 25 new children with

diabetes every year. Now it is about 50 children every year. They

don't quite know why. One theory is we are all too clean and our new

systems don't know what to do it ourselves. If your child starts

drinking or reading a lot, for example start sweating the bed

again, having been tried previously, a simple blood test or urine test

can see what you've got high sugar levels. Which is better? Pump or

injections? Pump, because it did half to have needles in my arms or

legs. It is a way of life but for mothers and fathers, the diagnosis

is hard. Heart-wrenching. It felt like having a baby all over again

and having to learn all over again new things. He is a brave little

boy. Mummy and daddy are so proud of him as well. Dominic was

diagnosed quickly which is good. What his family and many others are

now hoping for is that in future, a cure might be found for conditions

which are affecting more and more lives.

The Church of England's brought in tougher checks, after a string of

sham weddings in Nottingham. Nine fake grooms and brides have been

jailed after local vicars were duped into marrying them. A tenth

man, Phillips Onikoyi, admitted organising the weddings for an

immigration scam. The marriage register at one church in Basford

showed there were 38 weddings in a year, many involving Nigerians who

wanted to stay here illegally. Well, earlier I was joined by

Reverend Jonathan MacGillivray, who's the Church of England's dean

for Nottingham. He told me the number of marriages involving

different nationalities didn't appear out of the ordinary. On one

level, it seems extraordinary except if you live in one town

where there is a huge Nigerian committee. All marrying Dutch

people? Well... Except there are a lot of that from the West Indies

who might have reasonable links. Hindsight is a great thing. I

believe you have personal experience because you were taking

him on one occasion. I had one chap who came with his proofs of

identity such as his passport and bank statements, his council tax

bill, and his bank statement had something about transactions at

Harrods. I asked him what he bought in Harrods and he couldn't explain

it. And then I explained to him that I didn't think it was an

authentic bank statement. I wouldn't take it any further.

seems these gangs are out to defraud. Is it going to bring about

any change to how you approach these things? It has already

brought huge changes. No longer will I normally be seeing double

from non-EU countries, to swear an affidavit, they all go to the

bishop's main officer. He is a solicitor. Rather than to a

clergyman like me. When you look back on this and the number of sham

marriages, do you regret that they went ahead? Are you glad these

changes have been made? Of course, yes. The Church wants to be open

and welcoming to those who want to commit to another person. But we

don't want the system to be abused any more than anyone else does.

One of the region's most influential politicians is at the

centre of an investigation into his travel expenses.

David Parsons, the leader of Leicestershire County Council, has

been accused of not repaying money that he owed.

He denies any allegations of wrong- doing and says all the debts have

now been paid. It was political business as usual

for David Parsons today, at a conference on reviving the region's

economy. He was chairing a session of East Midlands councils, the new

body that speaks up for local government. It is in his role that

has led to an investigation into his travel expenses. Specifically,

it should support and to lobby on his behalf of local councils.

auditor's report highlights �5,400 but at one stage was owed by a

counsellor Parsons to East Midlands councils. It advanced his travel

expenses to Brussels and he was reimbursed by the European Union.

The investigation centred on delays in councillor Parsons refunding the

cash back to the opposition. I have written cheques and the problem is

the Czechs have been lost by East Midlands councils or Leicestershire

County Council, which has not helped the situation. David Parsons

once close scrutiny of regional funding to make sure the East

Midlands gets its fair share but this investigation into his

expenses for travelling to Brussels, to lobby EU officials, now puts him

under close scrutiny. I think that an apology is needed. We need to

change the process so this cannot happen in the future. He must learn

his lesson and move on. Councillor Parsons has now repaid all the

money owed to East Midlands councils. What we are trying to do

is put things on a more transparent footing. I am behind that. Next

Monday, a powerful county hall committee will decide whether to

take any further action against Still to come on the programme. The

fun of falconry. Kylie tempts the birds from the trees in

Leicestershire. And the perils of the piece to camera as our Colin

They're made by the world's oldest and most prestigious manufacturer

and today half a dozen of them arrived in the East Midlands. The

Bursendorfer pianos have been brought all the way from Austria to

Nottingham to be used for a series of concerts in the city. Angelina

Socci's been to take a look. Delivering a piano is not an easy

task, especially when there is six of them and their total value is

nearly half a million pounds. Starting at �57,000, these

Bursendorfer grand pianos have been transported from Vienna. They are

made out of the best materials available, and they have been made

for 200 years. From start to finish, it takes about a year to make one

of these instruments, so there is a lot involved. They are one of the

oldest piano manufacturers in the world, and they have been played in

concert halls including Leonard Burnside and. -- Leonard Bernstein.

The tone and resonance of the bass strings is fantastic. It is quite

inspiring. World-renowned pianists will be tinkling these ivories. It

has been 20 years since I played the piano, so is there any hope for

She did pretty good. Not bad. Have you recovered? Just about. A real

"ouch" moment - for me - to come in the sport. But I'm still smiling -

unlike Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson last night. He really

wasn't a happy bunny after the 2-2 wasn't a happy bunny after the 2-2

draw with Middlesbrough. It was all over something he claims the

referee did at half time. Pearson was so angered by it he says he's

going to make a complaint. Kirsty who stole the headlines. The

referee went into the Leicester changing room for a word at half-

time, and Nigel Pearson's reaction saw him sent to the stands. I am

talking to my players, giving them instructions in a calm way, and I

have someone interrupting meet mid- sentence when I am talking to my

players. I told him where he could go. On the pitch, Leicester City

took an early lead through David Nugent. By the break, it was all

square, as Middlesbrough were able to head in their own close-range

effort. Pearce and watch on from the stands in the second half as he

saw Jermaine Beckford denied by the woodwork. The foxes may have

thought it had not been then night, but then they went behind to a well

taken free-kick. The story was not over there as Jermaine Beckford

squeezed the ball in from the squeezed the ball in from the

narrowest of angles. The Foxes are seven points of the play-offs.

is not what we wanted. It is not what we should be achieving. We

should be in league play-offs. for the referee, I doubt he will be

on Nigel Pearson's Christmas card We had a word with our former

referee Frazer Stretton earlier today and he told us that in ten

years of refereeing he never once went into the changing rooms at

half time. Worth pointing out he is a Foxes fan, but nevertheless, he

said referee Gavin Ward looked a "little boy lost". More from

Leicester tomorrow with new signing Wes Morgan. Plus, of course, all

the build up to the Derby versus Forest game. Bit of rugby now, and

four Leicester Tigers make the England team for their Six Nations

opener against Scotland at the weekend. Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and

Tom Croft all start. Geoff Parling in on the Bench. And, while we're

talking rugby, it's a big weekend for Nottingham. Final home game of

the season before the play-offs and they are determined to draw a big

crowd. Much lower prices, family events and a big promotion push.

Plus taking their opportunity to cause yours truly some pain. Real

pain. It's coming up in my day in the life of Nottingham Rugby. They

are calling it the push for the Premiership, and they are taking it

seriously at Nottingham, but not so soon as the that they would not let

an unfit sports presenter take drool with them. It is about so

much more than what is happening on the field of play. The city

deserves a Premiership rugby club, and we want to get there, and we

want to make sure the people of Nottingham are all aware of what we

are doing. More importantly, we need to have more people in here to

achieve that. Over lunch, it is a time to work out how they achieve

that. This man knows a thing or two about the next step. It would be a

very big job, and it needs investment in certain areas. It is

a very long season with a very attritional game. But we start with

this weekend's game. I am confident that this group of lads are a good

group. We have at international expertise in key slots, so it is a

case of making sure they will take at the same time. Building up the

crowd for the long term is one of the key goals, and they are

stopping them young. I do not know what to say. They are being trained

by players who play week-in, week- out. It is fantastic. It is good

taking tactics of them. We want to build a family club and a community

club, and we want to get in the Premiership, so to get out and

about and living in schools and colleges and universities, that is

what we want to do. It will be my first time playing on the field

there. Those kids are part of the weekend entertainment. I hope they

go easier on them than they did And you can see the professionals

taking - and making - the big hits for just a fiver against Leeds on

Sunday at Meadow Lane. Good luck to Great Britain's women hockey

players who play their Champions Trophy quarter final against Korea

later this evening. You can see the game live on the BBC Red Button

from half past eight. I have got that clip on my phone. I will be

replaying yet all afternoon! Let's see it again! Moving on... Now

they're seen as elusive, mysterious creatures - some only come out at

night. But this month in Leicestershire there's a chance to

get up close and personal with birds of prey. For our latest

What's On guide, we sent Kylie Pentelow to Leicestershire to meet

some fantastic owls and hawks. It was in the 15th century, around

about here, but the battle of Bosworth happen, but today, I am

not giving you a history lesson. I am going to try and Masters and

falconry. -- master some talcum If your hand is there... That is

how lazy they are. He is very light! He is a very laid-back old

bird. If you want to get closer to birds, there are plenty of

birds, there are plenty of opportunities this month. This

opportunities this month. This event gives you a chance to hold

them. If you prefer owls, you can try applying one. The important

thing is to make your hand look big. He is there, so if you are in that

position, he will Lan straight away. I would like to think he likes me...

It is all about the food! It is amazing. They began! If you want to

encourage birds to your garden, the National Trust can show you how to

make a nest box. This month, there is a rare opportunity to wander

through the historic grounds of Staunton Hall in Leicestershire,

and admire the snowdrops. Don't forget that it is pancake Day on

Tuesday the 21st. This is March, and she is a fantastic Harris hawk.

A very different bird, but flies in the same way as the owls. Pop her

on where, and we will cough. She sticks with me, because as libel, I

make things appear ahead. It is how falconry has worked. Getting food

for the table. If you make for -- make a pose for her, same position,

she will come in. She looks like one of the most intimidating Bertie

have worked with, but don't forget, she is social and one of the nicest

That was lovely. I have an owl at the bottom of my garden. He is

often there at night. What sort? often there at night. What sort?

barn owl. Based Marielle?! I see what you do there! So potentially

on the forecast, and the temperatures are promising over the

next few hours. A frosty scene yet again, and if you get any nice to -

- NICE frosty pictures, you can e- mail us. We have a warning of ice

across the East Midlands because there is a likelihood of wintry

shower was blowing our way over the course of this evening. Tonight,

temperatures are really cold already. We got to the freezing

mark at 4:30pm this afternoon. The temperatures are beginning to slide.

They can be a Wescott bet -- of a wintry showers. Temperatures could

dip down to-seven and possibly We could have a nice, crisp

winter's day. As long as you wrap up warm, you can enjoy the

sunshine! But the temperatures -- temperatures are struggling to get

above freezing. Then the fun and games begin. We have a warning of

snow across the East Midlands. There is uncertainty still about

this system that is heading our weight from the West as it hits

that very cold air. That is where you are likely to see the snow

falling through Saturday into the evening. It will have cleared by

the time you wake up on Sunday morning to a nice, sunny start.