01/08/2013 East Midlands Today

Tonight, tears and fun and the funeral of a cross channel swimmer.

A purple coffin for the charity fundraiser. It was her favourite

colour. It was just a wonderful service and full of on which you

would expect for someone like her. Now the family of a soldier killed

in Iraq sue the MOD. The TiVo being played by an East Midlands MP to

prevent this city sliding back into violence. And chimps stage as

stand-off at Twycross zoo. Good evening and welcome to Thursday's

programme. First, hundreds of people paid their final respects at moving

thanksgiving service to young swimmer Susan Taylor. The

34-year-old had been trying to cross the English Channel for charity. She

collapsed less than a mile from the French coast. The congregation was

told she had been an accomplished swimmer who was always prepared to

try new and exciting things. Sarah Teale was there. She was wrought to

church in a horse-drawn carriage, a poignant gesture to symbolise the

same way she had arrived at Saint Mary's church eight years ago for

her wedding. This time her family and friends had come to pay the

final respects at her thanks giving service in Leicestershire. Her

coffin was purple, her favourite colour. Her family asked all

mourners to Wear clothes in the same colour. The service taking place

inside right now is very much a celebration of her life. Her special

songs are being played and her family have asked the congregation

to join in, dancing and clapping, to reflect her personality. The usual

EJ speaks of a kind and caring woman who was determined. -- the eulogy.

She collapsed and died 14 hours into an attempt to swim the English

Channel. She had trained with this long-distance swimmer. I have lots

of photographs and videos. She was always smiling and a joy to be

around. She was raising money for charity. As the servers drew to a

close and the coffin was auto ear was applause from the entire

congregation. The church itself was absolutely ruled -- fool, now

standing room at all. We had so many magnificent stories of things she

had done since she was five, she had slammed the Miles said she was five

and she has an odd to do many other things, she scorched and supported

the Rainbows. -- she scorched. -- call should. Her family say the

charity money which is now standing at �66,000 was a fitting tribute.

Coming up: A group of bikers thunder through our so-called Thankful

Villages. They were called Thankful Villages because all their men

returned home from the First World War. Now plaques are being presented

to mark their good fortune. The family of an East Midlands soldier

murdered in Iraq ten years ago is suing the Ministry Of Defence for

negligence. Corporal Russell Aston from South Derbyshire was one of six

Military Police officers killed by a 400-strong mob. For the past decade

his father has sought an explanation as to how his death was allowed to

happen. Now, as Carolyn Moses reports, the fight for answers is

passing to a whole new generation. Russell Aston, a father, brother and

soldier. In 2003 in an armed patrol in Iraq key and five others were

attacked by a mob. He had been sent into this town and were cornered and

killed in the police station. His father has campaigned ever since to

find out why. Now a new Supreme Court ruling last month means the

MOD can be sued for negligence over alleged breaches of human rights

during operations abroad. It is played his sisters have taken on.

Dell macro I have seen my dad over the years fighting to find out the

truth of what happened to my brother. He should not even have

been in that town. This has given me the last final attempt to get the

truth. The claim is that he was left to down vulnerable. He did not have

the right to mind of ammunition. The satellite phones were denied. The

vehicles were not roadworthy to go on operations. It is errors which

led to his death. This is why I want the truth to come out. It is thought

the families of the five other soldiers will follow suit. Meanwhile

the MOD says it would be difficult to comment but its thoughts are with

the families involved. If it was me who had in killed in those

circumstances he would have fought to the bitter end to get justice for

me. He would not have let anything go for a member of his family and I

feel I should do the same for him. Next tonight: Three men from

Leicester are facing prison sentences after pleading guilty to

paying for sex with a child. The sixteen-year-old had been due to

give evidence today at their trial at Leicester Crown Court. Jurors had

heard that the girl told the men she was a prostitute. She said she

needed to make money because her parents had threatened to throw her

out. Helen Astle reports. This has been a difficult and distressing

case. Over the last few days the court heard how the men met up with

the 16-year-old child from Leicester. It was a chance meeting

between the girl and one of the men at a festival last year that led to

her being paid for sex. The three men, shown here, had denied 22

counts of sexual offences against a child. At the trial this morning, a

change in plea. The key admitted five counts of paying for sex with a

child. Two of them also admitted counts of child prostitution. The

court was told how the men would drive the girl to BDS locations

around Leicester, including parks, flats and Bed & Breakfasts. There

she would be given alcohol and cannabis before being paid �20 for

sex. It only came to light when a group attack this restaurant earlier

this year where the 16-year-old had sex with some of the men in an

adjacent flat. The teenager said she had been told she was not the other

girl, there are other seat girl. That is the thing that worries her

most comic she after the trial the police said they would try to find

other Vic is. We will try to identify if there are any other Vic

Timms. Those we are concerned about we have personally visited but now

one has made any disclosure to us to see they have to do. The family have

in very supported, the community is being supported. God willing that

everything falls into place and a few years down the line she will be

able to understand what she has in food and call with it and have a

normal and perfect life. The girl who has been described as very

damaged and very vulnerable is recovering. The three men will be

sentenced at the end of the month. A paranoid schizophrenic who stabbed

his father to death after an argument has been detained in a

secure hospital. 68-year-old Giuseppe Difina was stabbed at a

house in Carlton in Nottinghamshire last year. His son, 40-year-old Vito

Difina was convicted of manslaughter. A restriction means he

could only leave hospital with permission from the Ministry of

Justice. Several hundred soldiers from Leicestershire's two local

regiments will be deployed to Afghanistan this Autumn. The Royal

Anglians' Second Battalion are preparing to begin their first tour

of duty in Helmand province. They'll be joined by troops from the

9th/12th Royal Lancers, who also recruit in Derbyshire. Both

regiments will spend at least six months in Afghanistan, as Britain

hands over control to local security forces. The chief constable of

Northern Ireland has expressed his personal thanks to the police of the

East Midlands for sending reinforcements during last month's

disturbances in Belfast and the G8 economic summit. Matt Baggott went

public with his gratitude during a visit to Belfast by the Gedling MP

Vernon Coaker, who's also the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern

Ireland. From Belfast, here's our Political Editor John Hess. One year

since its opening the Titanic Centre has just notched up its 1,000,000th

visitor. The new Museum celebrates Belfast's industrial heritage. The

city has another heritage that can give it a very different reputation.

The annual 12th of July parades barked disturbances surprising many

who thought the old conflicts had been resolved. That's why the

Gedling MP is in Belfast. He needs to find out if the process is really

secure. He is being shown the walls that still divides loyalist and

nationalist communities in North Belfast. His tour guides are former

loyalist paramilitaries. Both communities access through this gate

is a sign of progress. The old suspicions remain. You have to

understand the anger. We asked young people and in any of the areas they

will tell you that Sinn Fein are getting it all there own way. The

travel through the city to a Sinn Fein stronghold. It is important

people here know that we need about what is happening, we understand

what is happening and we want to learn more about it and we are part

in getting over the issues. This Sinn Fein man points to the root of

recent loyalist march. Gerry Kelly is a convicted that I had a former

but now as a junior minister in Northern Ireland. As a city

representative I am seeing let's go back, turn the page over, let's sit

down and talk. In Northern Ireland you are dealing with the people who

represent different communities. These people are alike that, the

community representatives. The whole point of the Good Friday agreement

was to move on from the violence and difficulties of the past. The former

chief constable of Leicestershire now runs the police in Northern

Ireland and has needed to call in a few favours. We had good support

from the East Midlands, my old colleagues from Leicestershire came

over and have been training with us. We deploy them on the streets here.

It is not something we want to do all the time. It was great demand on

the 12th of July, they did a great job and were hugely dependable. Some

say the answer has to be further dialogue between the two

communities. You have to know your history and the context in which

these things are happening. Some are anxious it is a lesson we hear and

do not forget. An NHS Trust which was put into special measures by the

government two weeks ago, says it's already completed some of the urgent

action required. Sherwood Forest Hospitals was one of 14 Trusts

identified by the Keogh report as having unusually high death rates.

The Trust has also decided to open up all of its Board meetings to the

public. Here's our Chief News reporter Quentin Rayner. The newly

appointed chairman told the meeting the Trust had nothing to hide. From

today all meetings are open to the public. The Trust wants to be open

and transparent, that is what we are all about and this is a step in the

right direction. In the event only one member of the public attended

the opening. Last month the report identified 13 issues requiring

urgent action. At the top of the list was a three-year backlog of

complaints and understaffing. important thing is that we

understand why we got into that situation and make sure it never

happens again. In terms of the nursing ratio, the Queen trained and

non-trained, I think there is enough staff on the wards. We have to make

sure issues are dealt with appropriately at we will have to

have a review in October. Some more complex operations have been

transferred while the safety of surgery is reviewed. Did always will

be doctor cover 24/7. There have been cases where no shows have given

us a problem for short periods of time but we will never be in the

situation where there is no doctor cover available. The review will

take place on October at it plans to have addressed all the issues

highlighted by the report in the next six months. The chairman says

it is all to play for to make a great future for the Trust. A group

of motorcyclists roared through the East Midlands today, visiting what's

known as the Thankful Villages. They're so-named, because all their

men survived the First World War and returned home. The bikers travelled

through Leicestershire and Rutland yesterday. This morning they set off

from Wysall in Nottinghamshire before making their way to

Derbyshire and back. Paul Bradshaw put on his leathers to meet them. It

is a modern deep Elber image of thanks. 2500 miles around Britain in

nine days, stopping at 51 villages today is �51,000 for charity.

charity is the Royal British Legion ex-forces. We are trying to raise

51,000 for them to return the pocket and to do good with it which I know

they will. In Weisel 12 men went off to war and against the odds all 12

returned to their lives year after the Armistice in 1918. Today a

plaque was presented to the village to mark this great fortune. It gives

me great pleasure to hand over their supply to the community.

children should know about the hoarders that went on and what these

men experienced which they never expressed and kept to themselves.

This is one way of helping to tell the young people about what

happened. The great War two the lives of nearly a million military

personnel, most of them young men. These writers remember the lucky

ones which came back. Might have been a bit hot in those leathers.

Now time for the sport. First, cricket. Nottinghamshire's Trent

Bridge says Ashes Fever has meant they've had their busiest month

ever. Over 125,000 people visited the ground in July, thanks to the

warm weather and the success of England and Notts. Onto football and

at Derby County striker Callum Ball has joined League Two Torquay on a

two-month loan deal. Now, the big kick-off is just one day away and

tomorrow night Notts County start the Football League campaign with

their first game, away at Sheffield United. For Notts manager Chris

Kiwomya it's his first full season in charge, so as part of our preview

of the new season, Colin has been to Meadow Lane. Chatting to Dean, he

described you as a chilled out dude, is that the description you

are happy to embrace? All we can do is prepare the players as well we

can -- as best we can and it is up to them to go out and do what they

can. And Notts signed a 22-year-old striker today, former Chelsea

scholar Adam Coombes. In rugby a total of seven Leicester Tigers

players have been named in the England Senior Elite Player Squad by

head coach Stuart Lancaster. They are: Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Geoff

Parling, Tom Youngs, Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs. And

finally from me good luck to Leon Haslam this weekend in the World

Superbikes at Silverstone. Leon from Derbyshire won the most prestigious

race in Japan at the weekend, the Suzuka eight Hours. It's a huge

achievement, made greater by the fact that he broke his leg at the

end of April. We recorded 31 Celsius today. It has been a hot and humid

day. As we work our way throughout the next few hours it is going to

start to change a little bit. The cold front will come in from the

West which will start to alter the temperatures are time tomorrow

afternoon. It is a change on the Wii. Through the early part of this

evening it is remaining dry with some fair weather quite helping.

Night-time temperatures tonight in the region of 17 Celsius. It is

going to feel very humid and even as the weather front moves in tomorrow

the cloud will increase and there will be some showers during the

early part of the day. Bush hours could be heavy and fund a day at

times. -- those showers could the heavy and under the act times. Some

chimps try to escape from Twycross zoo today. The wearer tempted back

into their cages by ice creams. These eight naughty little chairman

of the guilty ones. We were serving breakfast when they managed to

escape into the keeper corder easier. We did offer them ice cream

and managed to entice five of them through quite quickly. They them

held out for an extra ice cream. They were still contained within the

main building. We did not open the zoo for an extra hour while we made