:00:00. > :00:00.from the Atlantic. Thank you very much. That's it from us.
:00:00. > :00:10.This is East Midlands Today with Geeta Pendse and me, Dominic Heale.
:00:11. > :00:12.Tonight, a High Court battle for the heart surgeon who unwittingly
:00:13. > :00:21.infected five patients with a deadly bug.
:00:22. > :00:26.John Lu deeply regretted the deaths but now he wants to return to the
:00:27. > :00:30.operating theatre. Also tonight, a masked man snatches
:00:31. > :00:36.a pedigree puppy in a violent raid on a couple was like home. It was a
:00:37. > :00:41.matter of minutes and it was all over and they had got away with the
:00:42. > :00:45.dog. And the student hoping to make a new
:00:46. > :00:53.home on the planet Mars. And a special departure
:00:54. > :00:56.announcement. After 53 years, Eddie has left the job he loved. I feel
:00:57. > :01:09.really proud. A surgeon who transmitted a bug
:01:10. > :01:13.which killed five of his patients is to take his employers to the High
:01:14. > :01:18.Court in a dispute over his return to the operating theatre.
:01:19. > :01:20.Six of John Lu's other patients survived the infection following
:01:21. > :01:27.surgery at Nottingham City Hospital's Trent Cardiac Centre.
:01:28. > :01:31.Now, in what's being described as an unprecedented case, the consultant
:01:32. > :01:41.is taking legal action. Our health correspondent Rob Sissons reports.
:01:42. > :01:45.The surge in the John Lu was carrying area infection.
:01:46. > :01:51.Unwittingly, it was transmitted to patients during heart valve surgery.
:01:52. > :01:54.He apologised family. Reflecting on what happened, one woman who
:01:55. > :01:57.survived the infection says it is now right he should operate again
:01:58. > :02:03.and stresses agents must be told about his past. He is a brilliant
:02:04. > :02:09.surgeon and I think if they were open with everybody and talked
:02:10. > :02:13.privately and confidentially with that person then they could make an
:02:14. > :02:19.informed decision whether or not to put their life in his hands. The
:02:20. > :02:24.hospital trust recently wrote to patients and relatives. It said that
:02:25. > :02:28.John Lu should adhere to certain conditions before operating again.
:02:29. > :02:40.He disagrees with some of them. A hospital statement says...
:02:41. > :02:48.At Nottingham City Hospital these days John Lu works with outpatients
:02:49. > :02:52.and doesn't do operations. Five years on from the deaths, it is not
:02:53. > :02:56.clear how the disease was transmitted to the patients. In this
:02:57. > :03:01.Leicestershire village, another survivor told me he doesn't think it
:03:02. > :03:06.is right that John Lu goes back into theatre. Until you have the
:03:07. > :03:12.evidence, I can't see how you can be sure it won't happen again. I think
:03:13. > :03:17.that is fundamental to whether there is an opportunity for John Lu to
:03:18. > :03:24.operate again. The case will be heard at the High Court next month.
:03:25. > :03:28.A couple are recovering from their injuries after a man forced his way
:03:29. > :03:30.into their home to steal a pedigree puppy.
:03:31. > :03:33.Terry Hayes is terminally ill and had to be taken to hospital after
:03:34. > :03:37.the incident. His family, from Nottingham, fear the dog will die as
:03:38. > :03:45.it's too young to be separated from its mother.
:03:46. > :03:49.Pebbles the pug gave birth to three puppies three weeks ago but now she
:03:50. > :03:55.has only got two after one was stolen in a robbery. A woman has
:03:56. > :04:00.arranged to come and view them on Wednesday evening. She came into the
:04:01. > :04:11.living room and within a couple of seconds, someone, a man came in and
:04:12. > :04:16.tried to put the mum in a bag. I struggled with. My husband came out
:04:17. > :04:24.and tried to hit him. He pushed him to the ground. Terry Hayes is still
:04:25. > :04:32.in recovery in hospital. He is terminally ill with emphysema. He
:04:33. > :04:42.has got days, weeks, we take it every day with him. This has left us
:04:43. > :04:45.all devastated. Mrs Hayes also suffered a broken wrist. They are
:04:46. > :04:51.concerned for the welfare of the puppy that was taken. If he is not
:04:52. > :04:55.dead now, he will be probably by the end of the night, because they get
:04:56. > :05:03.dehydrated so quickly and the body starts to shut down. We are offering
:05:04. > :05:06.a reward for information. Which leads to either the arrest of the
:05:07. > :05:18.people responsible are the safety return of the dog.
:05:19. > :05:20.For footie fans, the weekend starts here. And what a weekend it promises
:05:21. > :05:26.to be. With a taster of what's to come in
:05:27. > :05:30.sport, Here's Colin. Because what is to come tonight as
:05:31. > :05:37.an all East Midlands clash. Leicester and Derby at the top of
:05:38. > :05:45.the championship meeting tonight here at the King Power Stadium.
:05:46. > :05:48.A man murdered in Derby has been named by police. 54`year`old David
:05:49. > :05:51.Hunter, from Breadsall Hilltop, died early yesterday as a result of head
:05:52. > :05:55.injuries. Detectives believe he was attacked with a weapon just after
:05:56. > :06:00.midnight. A 37`year`old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and
:06:01. > :06:04.is being questioned by police. Meanwhile, detectives in Leicester
:06:05. > :06:09.have named a woman found dead at a house in Belgrave earlier this week.
:06:10. > :06:12.She was Sameena Zaman. The 34`year`old was found at a house on
:06:13. > :06:16.Down Street early on Wednesday morning. A man's been arrested on
:06:17. > :06:22.suspicion of murder. He's receiving treatment in hospital.
:06:23. > :06:25.A ten`year`old girl has backed a campaign for all children to be
:06:26. > :06:31.vaccinated against a potentially fatal strain of meningitis.
:06:32. > :06:37.Three years ago, Isabelle Weall from Derby had to have both arms and both
:06:38. > :06:41.legs amputated to save her life. Her parents' call for the vaccine to be
:06:42. > :06:51.made available has been taken up by their MP. Quentin Rayner reports.
:06:52. > :06:55.Isabelle Weall first came to everyone's attention during the
:06:56. > :06:59.Diamond Jubilee when she presented a posy to the Duchess of Cambridge on
:07:00. > :07:03.a visit to Nottingham. Now she strives to do as much as she can buy
:07:04. > :07:09.herself including putting on her prosthetic limbs. She is in no doubt
:07:10. > :07:16.why a vaccine to put text against meningitis B should be offered to
:07:17. > :07:19.every child. I don't like the idea of other children going through the
:07:20. > :07:28.same as me because it is not exactly nice. It would be really good if
:07:29. > :07:31.nobody else gets it. All children are offered free vaccines against
:07:32. > :07:37.meningitis but not the vaccine which is available for the B strain. The
:07:38. > :07:42.local MP is calling on the government to pay for it. I am
:07:43. > :07:49.arguing with the government that the continuing cost, not just the
:07:50. > :07:54.immediate cost, of new limbs, wheelchairs, extra school support
:07:55. > :08:00.and then work will make it cost`effective for the whole country
:08:01. > :08:02.to be vaccinated. She has been ill for three years and we have seen
:08:03. > :08:13.hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on her and with hundreds of
:08:14. > :08:18.cases of meningitis each year, this has to be multiplied across and
:08:19. > :08:28.surely it is cost`effective. The government says it will seriously
:08:29. > :08:31.look at the apostle. `` proposal. Next, new hopes that this region
:08:32. > :08:34.could see a long`term recovery in the construction industry rather
:08:35. > :08:37.than a return to boom and bust. One house`builder hopes the upturn
:08:38. > :08:41.will mean a 10`15% increase in business over the next year. As Mike
:08:42. > :08:52.O'Sullivan reports, the firm says prospects have been boosted by the
:08:53. > :08:55.Government's help`to buy`schemes. How firm are the foundations for the
:08:56. > :09:00.recovery in the construction industry? Now times are better, I
:09:01. > :09:07.asked a senior figure at a Leicestershire building company,
:09:08. > :09:10.will it last? We are optimistic about the future and we are looking
:09:11. > :09:15.at opening more sites and taking on more personnel to meet our business
:09:16. > :09:22.growth. We hope it is a sound, safe recovery. They are now on to phase
:09:23. > :09:31.two on this site in the heart of Leicester. They are holding around
:09:32. > :09:35.70 three and four bedroomed homes. It comes at a time when the Royal
:09:36. > :09:44.Institute of Chartered Surveyors says 70% more of its people in the
:09:45. > :09:56.region are facing an increase in workload. The word on the street, or
:09:57. > :10:07.on the site, seems to be that we have plenty of arcade others. It is
:10:08. > :10:13.good now the work has picked up. Is the upturn dependent on government
:10:14. > :10:19.Help to Buy schemes. Some people say it could create a housing bubble. We
:10:20. > :10:22.think that it is just that the market has taken a turn for the
:10:23. > :10:28.better but there is still a lot of caution. The firm is building on
:10:29. > :10:35.around 25 sites and hopes that that could increase up to 15% in one
:10:36. > :10:38.year. A man from Derby has been selected
:10:39. > :10:42.as a candidate for a one`way mission to Mars. Ryan MacDonald hopes to be
:10:43. > :10:46.among the first group of settlers on the Red Planet in the year 2025.
:10:47. > :10:49.He's on a world`wide short list of just over 1000 people. As Simon Ward
:10:50. > :10:59.reports, the mission will be televised and so all the funding for
:11:00. > :11:03.it will come from advertising. Ryan MacDonald is packing for his
:11:04. > :11:09.return to Oxford University to study physics. In ten years he could be
:11:10. > :11:19.packing for a space to Morris, knowing he can't come back to earth.
:11:20. > :11:24.`` Mars. Including humans is the next jointly. The project is
:11:25. > :11:28.organised by a nonprofit organisation. There will be a
:11:29. > :11:34.relative TV programme but with real consequences. I think about all the
:11:35. > :11:38.things I will gain from going there. I will see things no one has ever
:11:39. > :11:45.seen before. Every rock is brand`new. Imagine who in history
:11:46. > :11:50.has ever seen a blue sunset over a mountain so high you can't even see
:11:51. > :11:56.you're standing on it. It could be in ten years. It seems awfully
:11:57. > :12:00.close. The reason my space agencies haven't done this already is because
:12:01. > :12:04.they always wanted to do a return mission and the technology to do
:12:05. > :12:08.that doesn't exist yet. You have to have too much fuel to get there and
:12:09. > :12:14.come back. A one`way mission can be done. We ask people at the National
:12:15. > :12:21.Space Centre in what they think of plans for humans living on Mars. I
:12:22. > :12:24.would do it myself. I think it is a goal for mankind to reach a
:12:25. > :12:30.different planet. He would be the first person on Mars and it will be
:12:31. > :12:36.tough for ending the first person but I think he will do all right. It
:12:37. > :12:39.is quite likely he might be selected because he is quite determined but I
:12:40. > :12:45.think if he was selected I wouldn't let him go. In the next few years,
:12:46. > :12:59.he hopes to make the final selection. He says Maurice would be
:13:00. > :13:03.a good place to retire. Well to tell us more about this is
:13:04. > :13:06.Josh Barker from the National Space Centre in Leicester. Josh, it sounds
:13:07. > :13:12.like a sci`fi movie. So, it is eight and a half months. Yes, and it is a
:13:13. > :13:21.tough journey, mentally and physically. Zero gravity all the
:13:22. > :13:24.time. It will be exhausting. There will be effects on muscle and bone
:13:25. > :13:29.strength. They will be weaker when they get to Mars but it has a weaker
:13:30. > :13:35.gravity field but it. Other big effect on their body. What will
:13:36. > :13:41.conditions be like? How can you form a colony there? There is no
:13:42. > :13:46.breathable atmosphere, we don't know if we can grow anything on the
:13:47. > :13:50.planet. The plan is to send several spacecraft loaded with equipment,
:13:51. > :13:54.materials and resources and live off those until the next supply craft
:13:55. > :14:01.arrives in two years. It could be quite tough. What would be the most
:14:02. > :14:06.difficult thing to deal with? One of the biggest challenges will be at
:14:07. > :14:09.finding a way to keep the astronauts alive, making sure that they are
:14:10. > :14:14.able to breathe and yet. They're working on life`support systems but
:14:15. > :14:21.the technology is not quite there. The International Space Station, or
:14:22. > :14:25.closest thing to a permanent colony, has to be refuelled every 90 days.
:14:26. > :14:33.This is looking at a two year period. If it is successful, might
:14:34. > :14:38.more of us go to Mars? If they manage to find a secret way of doing
:14:39. > :14:41.it and find the technology we need, we could all head up there but I
:14:42. > :14:49.wouldn't count on it just yet. Major space agencies have said they are
:14:50. > :14:55.waiting till at least 2030. Thanks for coming in.
:14:56. > :14:58.Still to come: if you're planning any trips out, you won't want to
:14:59. > :15:07.miss our full weekend weather forecast.
:15:08. > :15:14.And yesterday, I did this. I met The Hoff.
:15:15. > :15:20.He's put in 53 years of service, met countless passengers and even been
:15:21. > :15:27.honoured by the Queen but now Eddie Isaac has blown his whistle for the
:15:28. > :15:30.last time. The 75`year`old has become a
:15:31. > :15:35.well`loved face for those passing through Leicester station. Today I
:15:36. > :15:47.had the privilege of joining him on his last day at the office.
:15:48. > :15:55.He may have started his career at the age of 22 but Eddie has retained
:15:56. > :16:01.a youthful spring to his step. After 53 years of service, he has decided
:16:02. > :16:05.it is time to pass on the baton. Not an easy choice given how much he
:16:06. > :16:19.loves the job. I'm happy meeting people. I never have a dull time. I
:16:20. > :16:23.know all my regulars. Even being done to London, everywhere I have
:16:24. > :16:31.been. People are calling me and I on the radio. He served my dad, me and
:16:32. > :16:38.my kids. After so many years, news of his departure caused quite a
:16:39. > :16:42.star. People have been ringing the station because they have heard he
:16:43. > :16:48.is going on the news. It is just amazing. What is next? Will you be
:16:49. > :16:54.able to stay away from the train station? I can't stay away. I will
:16:55. > :17:03.never stay away. It is like my home. I can't stay away. It may feel like
:17:04. > :17:07.the end of the line but it sounds like Eddie will be back soon enough
:17:08. > :17:15.and this time someone else can take care of him.
:17:16. > :17:19.Such a lovely man. When he did his farewell speech there was not a dry
:17:20. > :17:22.eye in the room. It's a huge evening for East
:17:23. > :17:24.Midlands football. Our three Championship sides are all well in
:17:25. > :17:28.the promotion battle. And two of them meet tonight.
:17:29. > :17:35.Colin's at the King Power Stadium. Good evening.
:17:36. > :17:46.Here we are. This is Leicester City against Derby County. First against
:17:47. > :17:48.fourth. The two in`form sides of the Championship meet tonight. It
:17:49. > :17:52.promises to be quite an encounter and this season both sides have just
:17:53. > :18:05.one thing in mind. Here's Angela with more.
:18:06. > :18:16.Two times. Two teams. Just one name. Promotion. `` aim. They are there
:18:17. > :18:19.any form sides of the championship. Derby County have the best away
:18:20. > :18:28.record, Leicester City have the best record at home. Something has to
:18:29. > :18:36.give tonight. Our game has to be right. The critical period for them,
:18:37. > :18:44.like us, is now. It is OK getting there. But will we stay there? I'm
:18:45. > :18:53.sure they come with the intention of trying to win and so will we.
:18:54. > :18:56.Confidence is high in both camps. Yeah, it's just us so we have to
:18:57. > :19:04.look forward to these big games like Friday and pick up the points and
:19:05. > :19:10.the sky is the limit. I felt invincible going into every game
:19:11. > :19:20.thinking we are going to win this game against any team. The Rams have
:19:21. > :19:26.never won a game at the King Power Stadium. They're out to rewrite
:19:27. > :19:29.history. Get a result, give a performance and play like we have
:19:30. > :19:37.been playing over recent months. Can you? Tomorrow night at about ten
:19:38. > :19:43.o'clock I'll answer that. Who will come out on top? It is about points
:19:44. > :19:50.and pride. At this season it is all about returning to the Premier
:19:51. > :19:54.League. It is rare for a game between these
:19:55. > :20:12.two teams to mean as much. We have people from both sides. From
:20:13. > :20:15.Leicester, young. The lads have had a fantastic Christmas. They have
:20:16. > :20:24.come on leaps and bounds and they know what to do. Derby County
:20:25. > :20:31.already won one contest. The manager should have won the other one as
:20:32. > :20:39.well. Since he has come in, he has made some shrewd signings. Andre
:20:40. > :20:43.Wisdom for a start is fantastic. He's brought a few good players in
:20:44. > :20:45.and change the system a bit and the team are massive at the moment.
:20:46. > :20:55.Hopefully we will get three points tonight. Leicester have been here
:20:56. > :21:03.before, Alan Young. We are 13 points better off this stage last season.
:21:04. > :21:10.With 51 points at Christmas, which is brilliant. We are entertaining
:21:11. > :21:16.and four points from the top. We have to give it going. Derby County,
:21:17. > :21:22.finally defeated, can you give it going? I think their legs were tired
:21:23. > :21:28.and it was one game too many. He didn't really swap the players
:21:29. > :21:30.round. A rest this week and a bit of team spirit, I think they will be
:21:31. > :21:38.ready tonight and Leicester have been here before and falling like a
:21:39. > :21:48.stone. Hang on a minute. I think tonight will be the silence of the
:21:49. > :21:52.Rams. Well, in pursuit at the heels of
:21:53. > :21:55.Leicester, Derby and the rest of the leading clubs are Nottingham Forest.
:21:56. > :21:58.They head to Bolton tomorrow with manager Billy Davies insisting the
:21:59. > :22:04.gap between his team and the top means almost nothing. Don't tell me
:22:05. > :22:12.that the top two at the moment are sitting there in the very
:22:13. > :22:16.comfortable situation. We will keep track to win football matches and
:22:17. > :22:22.working on every game and we will see where it takes us come the end
:22:23. > :22:25.of the season. Both Notts County and Mansfield are
:22:26. > :22:28.in action tomorrow too. Notts Manager Shaun Derry faces the club
:22:29. > :22:30.where he had many good years. I'll be there tomorrow for Notts versus
:22:31. > :22:34.Sheffield United. And Mansfield host Scunthorpe United
:22:35. > :22:38.in League Two. A big weekend here in Leicester and
:22:39. > :22:41.a big weekend for the city over in Italy too. That's where Leicester
:22:42. > :22:45.Tigers will hope to stride towards the European quarterfinals. They
:22:46. > :22:53.need a victory over Treviso ` and are looking for a big one.
:22:54. > :22:58.We need to go there and we have to win the extra point. It would be
:22:59. > :23:06.very helpful and Robert would get us to a quarterfinal and then Ulster at
:23:07. > :23:13.home the week after. It is a massive two weeks for us and it is important
:23:14. > :23:18.that we get it right. Angela is here with a report on that in a related
:23:19. > :23:29.built`in. We will keep you in touch over the weekend.
:23:30. > :23:33.It is the place to be tonight. Now, the legend that is David The
:23:34. > :23:36.Hoff Hasselhoff is coming to the end of his panto season here in
:23:37. > :23:39.Nottingham. His final appearance in Peter Pan is on Sunday.
:23:40. > :23:43.Oh, yes it is. But today he passed on a few words
:23:44. > :23:46.of wisdom to hundreds of students who wanted to hear about his
:23:47. > :23:52.superstar lifestyle. Sarah Teale was there too.
:23:53. > :23:59.It may not have been the kit car but it was a stylish way for The Hoff to
:24:00. > :24:02.arrive. He was here to speak to more than 300 students from new College
:24:03. > :24:10.Nottingham. About his amazing career in show business. His most recent
:24:11. > :24:20.part was starring in Peter Pan at Nottingham Theatre Royal. The Hoff
:24:21. > :24:27.with his head. How's it going? It's going great. Enough to tempt you
:24:28. > :24:31.back for next year? It is such a hard job. This is the earliest I
:24:32. > :24:34.think I had gotten up in six weeks because you come home and you are
:24:35. > :24:42.wired. Have you seen much of Nottingham? A lot of my family have.
:24:43. > :24:47.The caves and Cassell and dungeons. I haven't managed to. A lot of
:24:48. > :24:52.people are looking down because of the weather. When it rains, it's a
:24:53. > :25:01.good time to go out because no one recognises me. They only look down.
:25:02. > :25:08.What happens next? I leave on the 12th and on the 13th I am an
:25:09. > :25:16.television in Sweden with my own chat show. I spoke to someone who
:25:17. > :25:24.wanted to do a comic book called The Hoff. He used to work for Marvel.
:25:25. > :25:31.Has superpowers are that each other's back in time and he can beat
:25:32. > :25:36.David Hasselhoff in the 50s, 60s. Do you think you will be back in
:25:37. > :25:40.Nottingham? I think we made such great relationships here in the
:25:41. > :25:50.theatre, it has the nicest staff have, and they actually named a seat
:25:51. > :25:59.after me so it will be there until 2034. You are officially a legend.
:26:00. > :26:09.The great thing is he really sends himself up and doesn't take himself
:26:10. > :26:12.too seriously. Now, the weather. Things are looking good for
:26:13. > :26:18.tomorrow. Perfect winter weather with lots of sunshine. A dry,
:26:19. > :26:21.settled today but it will be feeling a little bit cold and Saturday night
:26:22. > :26:26.will be the coldest night for a long time so a widespread frost. Sunday
:26:27. > :26:33.starts decent but will go downhill as we expect rain to move in later.
:26:34. > :26:40.This was first thing this morning. You can see the frost. If you would
:26:41. > :26:44.like to send us a weather picture you can e`mail us. This weather
:26:45. > :26:48.front pushes through overnight tonight and clears the cloud away
:26:49. > :26:56.and bind it clear skies and colder air and high`pressure move sent
:26:57. > :27:01.giving us a lovely day on Saturday. We will see some light patchy rain
:27:02. > :27:06.over the next few hours moving east but it will clear by Don and we will
:27:07. > :27:14.start to see the sky is clear. Temperatures down to two degrees.
:27:15. > :27:17.Tomorrow morning, a cold start and any cloud will break to give us lots
:27:18. > :27:21.of sunshine through the morning. It will stay that way until the
:27:22. > :27:26.afternoon and with light winds it will feel pleasant in the sunshine.
:27:27. > :27:30.Six degrees will stop for Sunday, it starts nicely but this area of rain
:27:31. > :27:39.moves in to end the day. Make the most of Saturday.
:27:40. > :27:42.That is it from us. We have bulletins through the weekend and
:27:43. > :27:46.the late news tonight at 10:30pm.