06/12/2013 East Midlands Today

The sun shall never set on so glorious a human

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

Tonight: A global figure who touched our lives.

The day after his death, we reflect on this region's surprising

connections with Nelson Mandela. We will do better, so says the new

boss of our under fire ambulance service.

Staff are said to me, we don't want to be in this position but in a

stronger place, back to being an organisation we can be proud of. The

man who paid out hundreds for a photo of an Xbox on eBay.

I was expecting it to be more bulky, it was a bit slim. I was conned out

of my money. Look who is on the programme

tonight. Sorry, yes! He's good, isn't he!

. Good evening. Welcome to Friday's programme.

The influence of Nelson Mandela as a world figure reaches far and wide.

Today, the day after his death, it turns out that people in this region

have the most 0 turns out that people in this region

have the most surprising connections with a man who spent his life

fighting racism. Countless others who never met him have been deeply

marked by Mandela's life, even though it was lived thousands of

miles away. Eleanor Garnier reports.

Welcome to Leicester's Nelson Mandela Park. A city that celebrates

diversity and one where the life and work of Mr Mandela, a freedom

fighter, prisoner, turned president, is extremely significant.

I have been talking to one student here from South Africa. She told me

how important he is to her and her country.

He opened so many doors for even our parents who were unable to work the

jobs they wanted to work during apartheid. He has given us hope. He

has given us a future. We look forward to doing great things as

well. It was that gift of hope that

inspired Shirley, a political exile who left South Africa in 1968, and

now lives in Derby. I feel ashamed of myself because I

had a lot of anger and bitterness because I had to give up my country.

But, the more I got to know about Mandela, the more I thought about

it, I was ashamed of myself. I was with the American civil rights

activist Jesse Jackson yesterday as he visited Leicester. We spoke about

Mr Mandela in the hours before he died. The genius of Mandela, 27

years in jail, he chose reconciliation over retribution.

Reconciliation over retribution, followed by hope, not fear. In

1995, but then not in South MP Alan Simpson met Mr Mandela in South

Africa. He said, I'm terribly sorry for being delayed. I've been saying

goodbye to the Pope. You felt, fair enough. He made us feel the

shortcomings were from him. But actually his was the gift of just

being in the room. Books of condolence have been opened in

Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. Flags across the region are flying

at half`mast. People in the East Midlands are joining the rest of the

world in marking the death of men `` Nelson Mandela.

Next tonight: A service in turmoil? Or a victim of unfair public and

media criticism? East Midlands Ambulance Service is rarely out of

the headlines. Its ability to respond to cases in a timely way has

been under particular scrutiny. Tonight, we're asking the woman in

charge just what's going on with our ambulance service. Is it in crisis?

But first, here's our health correspondent Rob Sissons, with some

of the hard facts about EMAS. East Midlands ambulances are

supposed to get to 95% of all life`threatening emergencies within

19 minutes. But EMAS missed this target this year by more than 3%.

Instead of 95% of cases, EMAS managed only 91.8%. It led to the

service's third fine in as many years for missing response targets.

On top of that, a separate report by the Care Quality Commission found

EMAS had failed to meet three CQC standards, on its care of people who

use the service, its staffing, and its training and support. At the

time, the service insisted it was on top of the issues, and was

improving. But only last month, senior management were summoned to a

meeting with NHS England about, again, poor response times. And also

this time, patient safety. There'd even been a day when EMAS was unable

to handle even the most urgent 999 calls. Let alone those that didn't

threaten life. Bradley Watson was playing Sunday

football last month in Nottingham when a tackle left him facedown on

the ground with a broken leg. What he did not realise what he would be

left there for hours before ambulance crew Majak Daw arrived. It

was agony, it felt like forever. The pitch was soaking wet, I was worried

about myself getting hypothermia. When it came to two hours, I was

getting agitated. Two hours and 49 minutes, though, that is not

acceptable. The operation the surgeon carried out was three hours.

To repair his leg. I understand there are more

life`threatening situations. But I don't want anybody to go through

pain that that that that amount of time. It was horrendous.

Today, I met with Sue Noyes who's in charge of EMAS. 0

Today, I met with Sue Noyes who's in charge of EMAS. I asked her what she

made of Bradley's case? I can recognise from a patient point

of view that isn't an acceptable level of service. I offer my

apologies. We keep hearing about these cases.

One thing within our quality improvement programme is coming yes,

it's about response times, and clinical safety. On a personal

basis, I hear and I respond to every complaint we receive. We hear

patients and their stories, but we are taking direct action. From next

week, we will have a GP within our control centre, and a consultant

paramedic in the control centre, to make sure we are providing the right

resource to the right incident. And to watch how, when people are not

receiving an emergency ambulance, if their situation is deteriorating

over a length of time, we can pick that up and respond sooner. How does

it feel to be in charge of one of the worst performing trusts in the

country? I am enjoying the challenge but I recognise fully that EMAS

macro needs rejuvenating. `` EMAS need rejuvenating. People in the

East Midlands pay their taxes. When will they get the quality service

they want? We are working on a quality improvement programme on

better patient care, and we are planning to deliver on our response

targets by the end of next quarter, March. And in the meantime to

improve. That is our focus. Are you still committed to the controversial

sell`off of ambulance stations? That was part of a previous strategy. We

have put a short pause on that because we need to concentrate on

improving response times. We have winter coming up as well.

We'll be updating you on the performance of the Ambulance Service

over the coming months. A man who groomed teenage girls for

sex over the internet has been jailed for ten years, and condemned

as a predator. Ian Sluggett, from Whetstone in Leicestershire,

admitted 23 charges. Sluggett befriended the girls on social media

sites. He also forced some, as young as 13, to send him explicit photos

by threatening them. Quentin Rayner reports.

Using several pseudonyms, 40`year`old Ian Sluggett posed as a

16`year`old, sending friend requests and making contact with 3000 teenage

girls on Facebook. He convinced to 15`year`olds to meet up and have sex

with him several times in his van. He demanded explicit photos from

313`year`olds by using threats. Sluggett made 5000 calls to

113`year`old on his phone. He threatened another that if she went

to the police, her life would be over and he would send her naked

photos to her friends. He was clearly an organised person, he made

concerted efforts to contact young girls using false information, in a

very organised manner. That does concern us. The judge told the

father of three who is separated from his wife that he is a predator

who had cynically deceived and exploited young girls with no

concern for the damage he caused. The judge said the case highlighted

dangers posed by the misuse of the Internet, and the utter folly of

some young people and their attitude towards it. My concern is that there

are several thousand contacts on his phone, Facebook account and Skype

account. My concern is there are potentially other victims who we

would like to speak to. The Internet grooming only came to light because

one victim was overheard by a teacher talking about being

blackmailed. Sluggett was sentenced to ten years and is said to have

been disowned by his family. Still to come: In sport, Colin

reflects on the rise and rise of Derby County.

We are at Derby County surrounded by these fans enjoying the fact that

club is on a roll. And, Hi`de`Hoff! Anne schmoozes the

stars of Peter Pan, a panto that's sure to get you hooked.

People in Lincolnshire, who were evacuated from their homes last

night due to 0 evacuated from their homes last

night due to flooding, are facing a second night in temporary

accommodation. Flood waters swept through the town of Boston, after

yesterday's storm. More than 200 people had to spend the night at an

army barracks and a holiday camp just outside Grantham. The county

council says a number of them are facing a second night there, as

they're still unable to return home. A predatory rapist who attacked

seven women, six of them in one night, has been jailed for life.

Harbinder Khatkar, from Derby, was described by the judge as a highly

dangerous man who, if at liberty, would undoubtedly attack women

again. Khatkar, who terrorised six victims in the Normanton area of

Derby this year, had also subjected a seventh woman to a similar ordeal

two years before. The police say all the victims have been severely

traumatised. In court, we heard a statement from

one victim. She said how prior to the effect she had been a confident

person bringing up her children in a stable home in Derby. Her life has

been shattered, she has lost all her confidence. She fears going out

alone, she fears a knock at the door, always looking behind her.

Hopefully this sentence will be the beginning of her rebuilding her

life. The funerals have taken place of a

mother and her two children who were killed in a house fire in north

Derbyshire. Josie Leyton and her sons Tyler and Jordan died when the

property caught fire in the village of North Wingfield last month.

Josie's friend Claire James also died. Her funeral was held on

Wednesday. A multi`vehicle pile`up caused big

delays on the M1 this afternoon. One person was taken to hospital

following an accident involving as many as 13 vehicles. Elsewhere this

morning, two lorries were involved in a crash on the A38 outside Derby.

One of them fell on a car. It took four hours to clear the road. No one

there was hurt. Next, a warning to consumers about

ordering goods over the internet, from a man who thought he'd bought

an Xbox, but only got a photo of one instead. Peter Clatworthy from

Nottingham paid more than ?450 for what he believed was a gaming

console, even though the advert on eBay actually didn't promise that.

Luckily for Peter, he's now got a refund. Mike O'Sullivan reports.

He has learned a harsh lesson and now he wants others to beware. Peter

Clatworthy from Nottingham is warning people to check the fine

print when they buy online. After ordering an Xbox, paying more than

?450, this is what he got back. A picture of an Xbox. That is actually

what had been advertised online. I was flabbergasted at first. I was

expecting the Xbox to be a bit more bulky than it was. It was very slim.

I thought, I have been conned out of money. I had to laugh at first. You

can't be angry, it's your own fault. What did you say to the person who

sold it to you? At first, I said, very funny. He got back to me and

said you got what you bought. The auction site was eBay.

Very misleading. It says photo but in the description it says 500 bed

debates, hard drive, Bluetooth, Wi`Fi. You thought you were buying

an Xbox. I really did. In the run`up to Christmas, Peter hopes consumers

will check and check again before the order.

That would have been a bit of a disappointment. Just a little bit. A

little envelope. Time for sport. And some important

games this weekend. Colin's been out to Derby County where things are

going well for the new man in charge.

The Rams, not short of attention. Head coach Steve McClaren has

catapulted the Rams up the table! Since he took charge nine games ago,

the Rams have won six, drawn two, and only lost one. They are the

in`form team, fourth in the Championship, the ones to watch. So

this week, Angela Rafferty has been charting the rise o f the Rams.

From 14th to fourth in just nine league games, McClaren's men are

enjoying a meteoric rise of the Championship table.

The whole town is buzzing again. Yes. I wouldn't rule out automatic

promotion. When anybody is doing well, no

matter who it is, it is a good time. Penmanship, definitely. I

would say so, this season or next. Derby County is on the up. We have

to make sure we maintain it. That is our job, the players's job, and

performance. And about points and not letting people get carried away.

We are not even dreaming of promotion, play`offs. In March,

April, if we are in the same position, you can say, Derby County

are genuine contenders. At present, we are on a very good run with a lot

to prove. McClaren has led the team to the top and the feeling there is

plenty more `` is that there is plenty more to come.

An exceptional start to Steve McClaren. The Steve McClaren era has

started in impressive style. But it coincides with a new start for the

stadium here. Tomorrow, Pride Park will be re`named the iPro Stadium in

a sponsorship deal worth ?7 million. Look, the signs are already

up. More on that is a minute but the team Derby and everyone is chasing

at the top is of course near neighbours Leicester City.

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson says many of his team have an extra

incentive to perform to stay at the top of the league. 11 first`team

players are out of contract in the summer, including Kasper

Schmeichel, Wes Morgan and David Nugent. We will have to see if it

has an impact. Hopefully it doesn't. Players have focused very well so

far in doing the job. Like anybody else, they will want to get their

future is sorted out but they have a better chance of doing that if we

remain successful. Pearson's contract expires in the summer.

Football management is not exactly these most secure job in the world.

I don't really think, in some ways, the contract situation is something

that I need to be overly concerned about. And it's not going to affect

how I do the job one way or the other. I am just cracking on. The

next test, a game at Brighton tomorrow.

We have come back inside. As have all of these people, to see a proper

hero. We will be talking to him in a minute and revealing who that is.

First, the rest of the action. Nottingham Forest are eighth in the

Championship and a way to Sheffield Wednesday. In league one, Notts

County have jailing them. Mansfield are in FA Cup second round action.

In rugby, Leicester Tigers have a crucial game in the European cup. I

hope you saw our feature yesterday building up to that. And our best

wishes to Mark Selby, the defending UK champion. The semi finals this

weekend, he is defending his title. Let us meet the man all these people

are here to meet. Former club captain at Derby County. A legend.

Welcome back! Are you pleased to be back? I am always pleased to be back

here. It was a special place for you, what are your best memories? It

brings memories back, only good ones. I never had any bad memory

from here. Even when I left a long time ago, this club, these people, I

always have it in my heart. Wherever I am, Derby County is with me.

Walking back in with a lot of people you were around, they are running

the place! That is why I am here. I have a strong feeling good and

positive things are happening here. I came actually to be a good

supporter to my old friends come in improving their home run.

What next view, there are some job openings in England. We will see. It

is too soon. It is interesting. But... What I intend to do is spend

Christmas and New Year with my family, then look for another

challenge. If they invited you to be part of things at Derby County,

would you jump? We will see. No rush. We will let you get to these

people. A real legend here at Derby County. Lots going on at the

weekend. Follow it on BBC local radio for commentary.

It's that time of the year when men dress as women, women dress as men,

and usually everyone lives happily ever after. Yes, the panto season is

upon us and, at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, Peter Pan is littered

with star names. I spent a little time this afternoon backstage with a

magical mermaid and Captain Hook, aka the lovely Sue Pollard, and the

legend that is the Hoff, David Hasselhoff. It was mad.

Can I enter a moment. Hi, how are you. It is lovely to see you both.

Tuesday sitting down. How is it going, it sounds fabulous. It is

going better than last year. Last year, we had no full dress

rehearsal. I have heard technical rehearsal is so difficult with so

much flying. Do you fly? Not at all. But, each gentleman helping with the

flying in the wings, it is almost choreographed, like bell`ringing. It

has got to be precise. Health and safety. We've only lost two cast

members. They weren't very nice anyway! You seem to be get along

like a house on fire. We are old school. We earned our fame! We

started off very young. We hit the boards early. That's why we love

each other. We have been around the block. I have a co`presenter,

Dominic. I wouldn't say he is old but he's not young. He wanted a bit

of advice how to retain this ability to be eye candy. Surround yourself

with beautiful women. You want to look good for the girls and

yourself. You were here 30 years ago. You look as if you must have

been two years old. I was ten. I was the youngest! I can't believe I have

had to wait all this time to come back to Nottingham to do a panto.

You broken all the records already. We haven't even opened up yet! One

last thing, how are you finding the area. Do you love it here? I love it

here. I am a real fan. I have a little disguise, as walk around and

see, and embrace the past because it's still here. It still feels like

a medieval city. Will you come back? Absolutely. The main thing is,

when he comes back again, he will have deciphered all the accents. "

??FORCEDCAPNEXT what was that? What are you talking about? ! "

I just wait for my cube if I don't understand anything. I know you have

a dress rehearsal. Good luck with the opening night. Don't you just

love us! Yes, they do. Fabulous. It was such fun. I could have

chatted with all afternoon. I have taken the advice of surrounding

myself with beautiful women. Thankfully, things have calmed down

after the disruptive weather yesterday. The Atlantic storm has

cleared away to Scandinavia. Over the weekend, high`pressure moves in

to the south. That will dominate, keeping us really quite settled. The

winds will be light at the weekend. Less cold. Generally dry. We may see

some sunshine tomorrow. Do you get out and about.

Tonight, still fairly cold at the moment. We start to see showers

moving in from the north`west with the risk of ice early this evening.

The showers may be witchy over higher ground. Then, milder air from

the West and temperatures will start to rise in the early hours.

Temperatures down to three degrees. A frost free start to Saturday. Less

cold tomorrow, feeling milder. Cloud around first thing but that should

break 0 around first thing but that should

break up. Some lovely sunny intervals the day. Dry for most of

us will stop one or two rogue showers in the Peak District. A high

of eight degrees in the south`west. Looking further ahead at Sunday. Not

too bad. Generally, a bit of cloud around. It looks like a dry day. A

high of 10 degrees on Sunday. Two or three degrees higher than what we

would expect. A good compromise after the cold day today. The

outlook, Saturday, bright spells, more cloud on Sunday. Staying mild

on Monday, 10 degrees again. In the middle of next week, it is set to

get a little bit colder. A brief cold snap today but milder for the

weekend. Finally from us, you may remember on

last night's programme, we told you about the two`year`old girl from

Southwell in Nottinghamshire, who suffers from muscular dystrophy. And

who, this year, was asked to turn on her town's Christmas lights. This

was the moment Iris Jaworski waved her magic wand to switch on the

lights. She was joined by dozens of local school children. Her parents

have said they hope the event will help raise money for research into

her condition. That's all from us. Join us again

during the ten o'clock news. Goodbye.