23/04/2014 East Midlands Today

a woman has been arrested after three of her children are found dead

at First tonight ` the bungled revenge

attack that killed a family of four in Leicester. Good evening and

welcome to the programme. The history making season for

Leicester. Whatever happened to the student who designed a shoe for the

Duchess of Cambridge? The Landsat lies here. `` the ants are lies

here. First this evening, a jury's been

told how a mother and her three children died in a fire in their

home in a bungled revenge arson attack.

Nottingham crown court heard the blaze in Leicester was deliberately

started by a gang of men who wanted to avenge the death of their friend

just hours earlier. But they got the wrong house. Sarah Teale has been in

court today and we can join her live now. Sarah this was described today

as a tragic case. Yes, it has been. The prosecution barrister Ricahrd

Latham QC started outlining the basic details of the case to the

jury today and he described it as horrendous. A revenge attack on the

wrong house. A sequence of events which started with the murder of one

man and ended in the deaths of a completely innocent family in their

own home. The fire ripped through the house in

the early hours of September 13 last year. Inside, sleep and unaware

whether mother and her three children. `` worth the mother. The

prosecutor told the murder trial it was a botched arson attack. He said

it was part of a revenge plan for the murder just seven hours earlier

of 20`year`old football coach, and one. He was stabbed in the back mile

away on Kent Street. A gang had witnessed the attack and they

believed Abdul Hannan been involved. As retribution, the court

heard they intended to set fire to the home. They simply got the wrong

house, the jury was told. It was a tragedy. The court heard how petrol

had been poured through the letterbox and had been ignited. The

fire took hold swiftly and engulfed the stairs. This was the family's

only means of escape. A firefighter said it was the worst domestic fire

he had seen in 50 years. Despite valiant efforts, nothing could be

done to save the family. Their husband and father was in Dublin at

the time when he worked as a consultant neurosurgeon. The jury

was told he had spoken to his wife and each child individually just

before the fire claimed their lives. The gang on trial are all from

Leicester. One man is from Leeds. They all deny four counts of murder.

To paint you a picture of the scene here at Court one there's a great

number of barristers and lawyers. They take up three rows of the

court. The prosecution opening is due to last until Friday. Then on

Monday the jury will be taken to the Woodhill in Leicester to see for

themselves the scene of the fire and the house which is still boarded up.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.

It's Wednesday night, and you're watching East Midlands Today. Plenty

more ahead tonight. Including a look at how the region's

been celebrating the birthday of England's favourite bard and St

George's Day! Follow your spirit and upon this charge cry, England and St

George. Police investigating Madeleine

McCann's disappearance say six new incidents have come to light since a

special appeal was made last month. Madeleine vanished almost seven

years ago in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve region. Police

are now looking at 18 potentially`linked cases, where a

lone intruder broke into villas in the region. The new incidents

include an assault on a 10`year`old in 2005 in Praia de Luz.

A Nottinghamshire police officer wrongly convicted of rape has been

suspended despite an order to reinstate him. Trevor Gray was

sacked and jailed before clearing his name during a retrial. Earlier

this month, the Police Appeals Tribunal ruled he could return to

his job at Nottinghamshire Police. The Force says he's been suspended

from duty pending the outcome of a gross misconduct hearing later this

year. Next tonight, the remarkable machine

which enables hospital patients to donate their own blood while they're

having an operation. The He`mosep device captures blood spilt during

surgery, filters it and then returns it to the patient. It's made in

Nottinghamshire by a family firm which used its expertise as lace

makers to develop it. Julie needed major open`heart

surgery. To have it she would normally need blood transfusions but

she is a Jehovah witness. Giving blood other than her own is against

her beliefs. It was important for me to have the surgery done without

anybody else's blood as a transfusion into my body. That is

where this machine helps. It is ground`breaking but how does it

work? During any procedure, there will be an element of blood loss.

You can take this blood, concentrate it in a concentrator bag, pass it

into the blood bag and give it to the anaesthetist to transfuse back

into the patient. It is extremely useful for patients because they are

getting their own blood back and their own clotting factors. In the

past, they would have only got red cells and the clotting cells would

have been lost. This process is quicker. It could also benefit

costs. Across the East Midlands 80,000 people donate thousands of

litres of blood. Julie would have needed more than three litres just

for her operation but this machine meant she could use her own.

Intriguingly, it has been made by a family firm at Kirkby in Ashfield

once known for its textiles and lace. It has used their expertise to

develop the filters and microscopic meshes needed to help patients like

Julie. It is wonderful. The device itself helped my surgery, my

recuperation afterwards. She is one of the first patients to use the

machine. Doctors in Nottingham are part of its first ever UK trials but

interest is growing across the world.

Next a safety warning from a fire chief over e`cigarettes. Dave Watson

from Leicestershire says that they could explode during battery

charging because there's no cut`off point. It comes after an e`cigarette

on charge in a woman's car caught fire. Mike O'Sullivan has this

report. Kim switched to e`cigarettes after it was left on

charge and it exploded. Luckily it was parked up with no one in at the

time. I open the door and a load of blacks smoke came out. I looked

inside the car and the back`seat was alight. I ran back into the house

and got a bowl and filled it up with water and put it out. Kim had bought

a e`cigarette kit from a petrol station but was using a different

charger and she believes this may have been what caused the fire. A

senior fire chief told me he has identified another problem. There

seems to be no safety cutout mechanism that prevents them from

overheating during charging which causes the battery to overheat and

literally explode. Kim is approaching Trading Standards over

her concerns of what she claims is a lack of instructions for using

e`cigarette kits. I was in shock and it is a nightmare. I don't want

anyone else to make the same mistake as I did. Kim has got a courtesy car

as her own will now be properly written off. She will be using

disposable e`cigarettes cigarettes in future. Shopkeepers in Leicester

say they stand to lose thousands of pounds due to a European ban on a

special type of mango. These ones in fact.

They're Alphonso mangoes which come from India. As of next month they

won't be available in the UK after a type of fruit fly was found in some

imports. These aren't just any mangoes. They

are Alphonso mangoes which are extreme `` extra sweet. They are

very popular here and this man is not happy about the ban. I am not

happy it is going to be banned. The Alphonso mangoes is and is only

eight weeks long but that means big business. He will sell 40,000

mangoes every week and he will make just over that two`month period

around ?9,000. The band is going to cost him dearly. It will hit us. It

will definitely hit us with the mangoes. I was upset about it. It is

not just him that will be affected. They are very valuable to grocers,

especially those that Salomon wholesale. They helped turnover in a

big way. Some businesses can have ?56,000 profit per and and that

helps when it comes to the rest of the year. We are going through a bad

phase in terms of the retail sector and this is going to be another blow

for those businesses. It will be a shame because we look forward to

them all year. It will be a shame. I will have to wait until I get to

India to have them. I have grown up with the mangoes. He is hoping the

ban is overturned. Many of his customers are unhappy they won't be

able to get a taste of home on their doorstep.

Across the region have been celebrations to mark Saint Georges

Day. There've been parades, church bells ringing, even a call for St

George's Day to become a national holiday.

And to top it all, it's also been Shakepeare's 450th birthday too!

James Roberson's been out among the celebrations. There is no sign of

any Dragon. The lack of a bad he wasn't going to dampen the spirits

of these St George enthusiasts as many set off on a march into old

market square. A large crowd enjoy the entertainment before the parade

turned up but still no dragon inside. At last, a dragon. Where

more appropriate than in St George's Church. It is a small church but it

is a beautiful church. It is evolving into the 21st century

today. Back in Nottingham, depraved `` the parade arrived. We have

heritage here that we are very proud of. We only have eight bank holidays

throughout the year and I think there is room for another one. It is

our day. We should all celebrate it. Look how many people are here.

Everybody celebrates it and it should be a family day. Why not? We

celebrate other things so why not this. It is also Shakespeare's 450th

birthday today and in Derby, the theatre company wasn't going to let

that pass without a cake and a suitable reminder of the day. Follow

your spirit and upon this charge cry, God for Harry, England and St

George. If in doubt, always have a cake. Still to come ` what happens

when you design a shoe that gets picked by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Well, it happened to Becka and if you're into your footwear then

you're going to be very interested in what she's up to now. All will be

revealed later in the programme. Time now for sport and look what we

have in the studio tonight. Yes, the Football League Trophy.

Fantastic isn't it. What a sight for Leicester City fans tonight. A week

on Saturday they will see their team lift this stunning trophy at the

King Power stadium after a history making, magical season. Last night

in Bolton they clinched the Championship title in style, as

Kirsty Edwards reports. Champions of the Championship. They

have done it. Huge celebrations on a night that saw a great goal secure a

memorable win. It is a beauty. It is into the top corner. It is the gold

to cram the championships. Lord `` Lloyd Dyer got the goal. The party

could really begin. It is our year, it is our club, it is champions

2014. It is destination Premier League. Everyone knows we have

talked about it a lot. The spirit that we have is a team and also the

spirit of the club, everyone was hurting from last season and

everyone has come back in with a great man Teletubby. It is a great

thing for the entire club but most of all, for the fans. There will be

another chance for the players and fans to party on May the 5th bank

holiday Monday. Details have not been revealed yet but that is when

official celebrations will take place. `` May five. We have had a

fabulous following and the fans here tonight will enjoy the experience

and quite rightly so. We have gone over the line with two games to go.

I cannot complain. It is a bit special. Not only is Premier League

football come to Leicester, this city is now home to the football

league champions. Well joining me now is two special

guests Leicester City club ambassador Alan Birchenall and

official club historian John Hutchinson. Thank you both for

joining us tonight. Well first Birch look at these pictures. To go up

with six games to go and win the title with two games left is

incredible. It has been fantastic. That is why they have worked so hard

this season. You can see them enjoying themselves there. The lads

have got hold of him. They will have to watch his knees! It has been a

tremendous season for the lads. How good is this team? This team proves

it. This is probably the best squad I have known in 40 years. What about

the goal last night that clinched the title. Lloyd Dyer, quite fitting

because he is one of Nigel Pearson's first signings. Fantastic

goal. If you can unleash something like that, it was a rocket. It was

well deserved. It is just fantastic for the lads. John, we must look at

the stats. Leicester have broken records all season. It is a national

record. They have won 29 goals `` games all season. They have 96

points, that is a club record. They have still got two games to go. They

have gone 12 games consecutively without defeat and that is a club

record. There is still two games to go. You could go on and on. You

should be a teacher. What about the win percentage for Nigel Pearson.

Statistically, he is your best ever manager. Nigel is statistically the

most impressive manager. He has got a win percentage of over 50%. No

other manager has come near that. Frank got them up in 1971 and got

46%. Martin O'Neill, 38%. Nigel is statistically the most successful

manager in the whole history of the club. Do you want to get your hands

on the trophy but I want Wes to be the first person to touch the

trophy. They will get to touch the trophy in ten days' time. It will be

a fantastic celebration. Statistically, we must be the best

programme. Time now to cast your mind back to March 2012 when the

Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge came to Leicester on the first stop

of the Jubilee celebrations. It was a momentous occasion for many people

but perhaps for none more so than a student who had entered her

university's competition, and won the chance to make a shoe fit for a

princess! But once your design is picked by

royalty and you finish your degree, what happens next? We tracked

Rebecca Hunt down to find out. Two years ago in celebration of the

Jubilee, the Duchess of Cambridge chose a shoe that have been designed

by a young De Montfort student. It means everything. It is incredible.

I am shocked. Shocked she was, but that they paved the way to today's

internship at one of the Duchess's favourite designers. We are inside

LK Bennett's headquarters in central London and Becka is on the top

floor. When you look back on that day where

the Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen came to the University, would

you ever forget that? It was such a whirlwind. It was a crazy day. I

remember it. It was a really memorable day and I don't think I

will ever forget that one. What about the shoe? We got a pair made

up. I have got a pair that I can keep and the prototype I made has

been displayed in Northampton Machine Museum. `` shoe museum. Will

it ever be made into a shoe for people to buy? No, out of respect

for the Duchess, that would never happen. It was designed especially

for her. What about your future? Where will you see yourself? The

future for me? I am here for a year until September and after that, we

will have to wait and see. My dream is to have my own line.

I know Becka would love to have her own line in the future. Is that

something that you think might become a reality? I think there is

somethingmight happen and she is very enthusiastic and very talented

and she truly believes in what she's doing. I hope that this experience

is going to help a lot along the path. It is probably just a case of

watch this space. What tips did you pick up?

Top tip this summer is flats. All of you have completely ignored

that. With the weather, it may be the

weather for wellingtons. We are expecting some April showers.

With some sunny spells, you can get out and about with your camera. We

have this weather front that is starting to push in and it gives us

an increasing cloud. The rain is now starting to push in. Outbreaks of

rain may be heavy at times. It clears away to the East eventually.

Behind it, we see the cloud breaking towards the West and we may see a

little bit of mist and fog in places. Temperatures down to eight

Celsius. The cloud that is with us first thing tends to break up quite

slowly through the morning but eventually we will see some decent

spells of sunshine as we go into the afternoon. What you will notice is a

fuchsia hours starting to develop. These will be particularly sharp. If

you get caught out, watch out for them. Temperatures around 16 Celsius

in the sunshine so still feeling quite pleasant. On Friday, we have

low`pressure out to the east of us. It is a mostly dry day before rain

pushes in. This area of low pressure starts to move on as we go into the

weekend and what that will do is give us sunshine and showers for

both Saturday and Sunday but decent spiny `` sunny spells at time. Not

too bad. April showers. It may be a reason to wear flat

shoes. She will be back in heels we view at

10:25pm. Goodbye. 'The last two generations

have been robbed 'of an opportunity to vote

on the EU. 'And yet it has a greater impact

on our everyday lives 'and not leave it for

another generation.' I want a Britain that is free

to control its own destiny. 'It's estimated there'll be another

3 million people in Britain by 2020. 'Our public services

are already stretched. 'The pressure on schools, housing,

hospitals is huge.' we cannot control

who comes into our country.