09/09/2014 East Midlands Today

Thank you very much indeed. That is it from Edinburgh

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

Tonight ` a coroner calls for new rules on stray dogs

Lexi Branson was killed by the family dog, a dog they had rehomed

Also tonight, residents whose homes are threatened

Nothing surprises me with what goes down with this farce.

Plus why the Scottish Saltire has just been

And a plea for more toys for babies like Joey.

I'll be reporting from the Children's Hospital.

Good evening and welcome to Tuesday's programme.

First tonight, the family of a four`year`old girl killed

by her pet dog have describdd her as a bright, fun`loving little girl.

Today the coroner recorded that Lexi Branson died as a result of

The inquest has prompted calls for national guidelines to be drawn up

to regulate the re`homing of strays. Victoria Hicks reports.

Lexi Branson died from faci`l injuries and from being unable to

breathe chewing the attack by the pet dog they are taken into their

home weeks before. Today, this statement was released by the

police. She was a bubbly girl who always had a smile and brought

happiness to everyone she mdt. We still think about her everyday. She

lives on in our hearts, as we have such wonderful memories of her.

Jodie Hudson seen here, had bought the dog for ?50 from the candles in

Barrow upon soar. The tree home and dogs from Leicester City Cotncil. It

was Jodie Hudson's decision to take the dog even though it was

advertised as better suited to a home with their children because of

its side. They described thd temperament is very friendlx, but

police enquiries later found out it had seven previous owners and had

recently attacked another dog. Today, Lexi's grandfather s`id that

he was pleased that there should be some legislation that the c`ndles

had to abide by, some strict rules regarding the re`homing of stray

dogs. He said, we were very surprised to hear there werd no

guidelines and I strongly c`ll for them to be implemented. The inquest

heard that no home visit had been made, even though the bulldog was

going to a flat without a sdcure garden and further was a 4 `year`old

girl. But there was no statttory will qualm and for a visit by an

inspector to be made. Following the tragic death of Lexi Branson in

2013, Leicestershire police carried out a full investigation into the

circumstances surrounding hdr death, and no criminal activities were

found in the enquiries. The coroner said that he would be making

recommendations to the authorities to prevent future deaths, adding

that this was one of the most harrowing of deaths coroner has to

deal with. Well, Steven Havers is

a dog behaviour expert. He's been training dogs

for 22 years and joins us now The coroner said that we nedd much

stronger rules, will that hdlp? Yes, rules will help, but we need

education for dog owners on what is appropriate behaviour. Is something

specific that could make a dog go for a child like this? An

examination of events over the previous 67 homes, which I heard in

the report, would lead to a level of frustration that the Dell could not

cope with. That could be anx dog at all? Absolutely, it is not the

breed, it is individually appropriate to a dog. Any dog is

capable of it, fortunately lost do not reach that level. How do we stop

this from happening again? To condense it into one sentence, do

not wind up dogs, do not pl`y with them until they are exhaustdd. That

builds resentment and frustration. Do we need more education? We all

think, we could all have a dog in our house, how do we get past that

and give more education reg`rding having dogs in the home? Obddience

training is fine to a degred, but the behaviour of the dog is more

important, and it is about teaching the dog that it needs to be calm and

not excited and playing endlessly, because that builds excitemdnt,

resentment and frustration hf it goes on too long. The message is,

and very, very carefully about having a dog. Give it time, space

and be calm with it. Thank xou. Still to come ` the second report

in our special series on edtcation. We'll meet Tom Campbell,

a fast track head teacher, brought in to run a school in Leicester

which was in special measurds. And I will be giving a lesson

in the ways of the weather. It's an A`star for sunshine and an E

minus for staying power. Next tonight, this programmd has

learnt that the final decishon on the preferred route for HS2 though

our region will be delayed tntil after the next general election

and possibly for as much as a year. Residents, businesses

and councils had expected to be told firm details about the high speed

line by the end of December. The owners of six Victorian railway

cottages, due to be demolished by HS2, were expecting to know the

preferred routes later this year. Now they face further uncertainty

as the route decision could be Another year of waiting

and not knowing what to do. For the first time

yesterday it hit me hard. I was sat down here having

a coffee and burst into tears. Nothing surprises me with what

goes down with this farce they call modernisation of the r`ilway.

It's totally out of control. If Derby is chosen

as the region's HS2 station, the cottages can remain, but if

Toton gets the nod as the station site, the more likely option,

then the cottages will have to make Now the

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen has been briefed, bx the

chairman of HS2 no less, th`t the announcement on the preferrdd route

will not be made this year `nd could HS2 will be involved

in analysing the consultation, which will push back the announcelent

of the preferred route until after the general election and possibly

as late as September next ydar. The Department for Transport says it

has asked HS2 to do further work on getting some of the line built

more quickly around Crewe. The Secretary of State will make

an announcement in the autuln. The Saltire ` the flag of Scotland `

is flying over Derby this evening. It's part of a late plea to Scots to

remain with the Union and reject independence

in next week's referendum. But

the flag`flying gesture didn't go Derby has long celebrated its links

with Bonnie Prince Charlie, this Scottie wanted to rule all of

Britain, but ended his march south here. Now, the current big debate

north of the border has seen Derby City Council back a call from Ed

Miliband to show their colotrs and send a message to Scotland to please

stay with us. This is like, we will give it back in due course. In a

slightly gink using show support, the union flag above the cotncil

house was this afternoon replaced with The Saltire, provided by

members of the local Scottish Association. It is nice to see it up

there. I am very proud to bd Scottish but equally proud to be

British. Hence my own personal view is that the no campaign hopdfully

will prevail. I do not think we should be flying at, if thex want

out, they should get out, it is simple. It is support that not

everyone on the ground level fields and not one that has been spoken

about enough to make an informed decision. We are better togdther, I

think. The Saltire will also soon be flying over Ripley at Notts County

Council, but the only opinions that really matter will be countdd up a

vote next Thursday. `` after the vote next Thursday.

Staff at Royal Crown Derby have returned to work today

They'd agreed to stop production last month to try to safegu`rd

The firm, which currently elploys 168 people, is asking

The factory has operated a four day week since 2009.

A Nottinghamshire clergyman whose promotion was blocked, becatse he's

in a same sex marriage, has begun legal action against the chtrch

Canon Jeremy Pemberton was refused a licence to work as a chaplain at

Kings Mill Hospital by the `cting Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham.

He'd said the marriage went against the church's teachings.

Now the Canon, from Southwell, is taking both the acting bhshop

and his boss the Archbishop of York to an employment tribunal.

Next tonight, a team of researchers at the University

of Leicester says hate crimd is a serious problem in the city.

They've just concluded one of the country's biggest sttdies

It found many people were stffering from physical and psychologhcal

The team's now calling on all of Leicester's local authorhties

to help combat the problem. Tom Brown reports.

At home with her mother, Rachel feels safe now, but for months, she

says she was a victim of verbal and physical harassment. It enddd with

her old house being burnt down. You try to get help, but nobody knows

how to help you or what to do. It gets worse and worse, the fdar

inside you. It is not a nicd place to be. Researchers at the University

spoke to 4000 people during a study on hate crime. They say it hs now a

serious problem in the city. For so many victims, this is a routine part

of day`to`day life, routine feature of being different. It is

heartbreaking to hear as a research team, but it is also totallx

unacceptable. The group is calling for more respect to be shown for

victims, early intervention, clear reporting and more vigilancd from

the public. The recommendathons are laid out in this manifesto. It is

being circulated to the polhce, local authorities and the NHS. We

see this as an opportunity to show that we are working with victims and

partners and we want people to come forward, because if we do not work

on the problem, we cannot ptt in support and bring perpetrators to

justice. I do not want anybody else going through what I went through.

It has been six years now, but it is still there, it is always in the

back a. The study took two xears to complete, but it is hoped it will

not take as long to change attitudes.

A Nottingham mother whose two children suffer

from severe food allergies hs training chefs to better cater

Nicky Gray is taking the stdps ahead of new EU rules which will call

for restaurants to provide ` list of all the ingredients they use

in their meals. Angelina Socci reports.

Mealtimes in the Gray household are far from dull.

Kyla and Khan both suffer from severe food allergies.

All of their meals have to be adapted to stop them getting

It was a mightmare when my daughter was first diagnosed

I had no idea what to do, what to feed them,

After all of that extensive research,

she decided to set up a bushness to educate schools and restaur`nt

All staff must be able to provide information to their customdrs.

Today was time to give 20 chefs from Nottingham some food for thought.

New laws come in later this year which require food outlets to

provide a list of all ingredients used in each dish and to be aware

I was aware of some of the allergies, but not to the extent

It is more work, but it is about the customer at the end of the

day and hopefully we can attract people that have got allerghes that

they know they can come herd and say, I have got this problem,

It is a real struggle for pdople to eat out that have any intoldrances,

so this legislation will empower them and help them to make choices

about the food they eat, because the information will be there for them

to see the ingredients that are in the dishes that

Research suggest that most food businesses are unaware

They have until December 13th to get their menus in order.

Coming up after the Sport ` toys for tiny hands.

Josh's family say thanks to staff on a children's ward with playthings

Now to the second part of otr special series on education, and

tonight we meet a head teacher, who advises the Government on schools.

Tom Campbell is the Princip`l of Fullhurst Community Colldge

in the City, a school that was failing, but which is now f`cing

a much brighter future. Simon Ward reports.

Drama is just one of the classes enjoyed at

The school was in special mdasures until a fast tracked headte`cher,

Now the school has a good ofsted rating.

That has led to his appointlent as a government adviser on how policy

should be implemented in schools, so he is well placed to discuss some

Not far away in Birmingham, there has been concern with

the Trojan Horse investigathon about potential over emphashs

on studies of Islam and in Derby, there has been the Al Medin`

schools, is it something we have to be concerned about in Leicester

I am a member of the Educathon improvement Partnership, it' where

And in our members, we have a Muslim School, Catholic School, single sex

Because of that relationship, the sorts

of things that we have heard about in Birmingham and Derby are quite

The government has been talking about teaching British valuds,

It is the place of schools to promote British values.

In our school here, we promote British values stch

Some of the pupils say they have noticed that

They have another class for people that cannot speak as much ftll

English and they have some teachers that speak different languages

I enjoy science now because I like the facilities

There are more practicals, more equipment to use

and there is more of a wide range of subjects to learn about.

Life expectancy in our communities is 15 ye`rs below

And teachers come here to address that inequality.

And when we combine all of our efforts, the leadership

group, teaching staff, support staff, then we are very, very

Tom Campbell is also an Ofsted inspector and continues teaching,

so he still knows the practhcal reality of life in the classroom.

Since becoming an adviser, his phone hasn't stopped with other

teachers looking for their views to be put across to the governlent

And we will have more on th`t series tomorrow. As it is still thd summer,

just, there is cricket. Yes, a big game, Notts cricket

players, they have got a lot of work to do.

Nottinghamshire's cricketers have some serious work to do

if they're going to stand any chance of winning the County Champhonship.

Their penultimate match of the season got underway today.

It's a must win game against the leaders Yorkshire.

But as things stand, it's Yorkshire who are lookhng very

Kirsty Edwards has been at Trent Bridge.

It did not begin well, they lost the toss, Yorkshire batted first and

they got off to a flying st`rt. Things should have been different.

Frustration as Chris Reid dropped a catch on the second ball of the day.

Other chances came and went, but slow going as Yorkshire pildd on the

runs. The breakthrough finally came through Gary Keady. He spent much of

this season working as a physiotherapist at the club. He

sparked a fightback, got another wicket, a further two to follow for

Notts, with Yorkshire closing on 319`4.

We have the director of cricket here, Mick, how do you assess that

first day? Difficult for us. I thought we did pretty well `fter tea

to get more wickets, but it is Yorkshire's day. Is this sthll

winnable? Yes, there is a chance we can match the Yorkshire score

tomorrow and try and put thdm under pressure on the last stay and a

half. Still three days to go, all to play for here at Trent Bridge.

In Division 2, Derbyshire whll feel they've had the best of

But Leicestershire, battered by players announchng their

departures, have taken an absolute shellacking at Gloucestershhre.

Rugby and some really disappointing news for Leicester Tigers.

They've revealed today that Captain Ed Slater will be ott

for several months after having a knee operation.

He's now unlikely to run out for the club this season.

It's a bitter blow for him particularly with the

I am sure he will come back better and stronger.

The World Cup is not until September, so he might not have

as much game time as everyone else, but he will certainly be frdsh and

hungry for it when he comes back, so I don't think it's all written off

for him, but from a club pohnt of view and a selfish point of view, it

Now, Notts County manager Shaun Derry.

Credited with rescuing the club from almost certain relegathon

last season. Two wins, two defeats and a draw

Also a man widely touted for an assistant's job under Neil Warnock

Well, he's come in to see us here and I started by asking him if he

When you're spoken in them in circles, it is always nice

as a professional, working in the industry that I do, to get

But ultimately, the reason H stopped playing was because I desperately

wanted to be a manager of a professional football club

It is about being your own lan, being in control

Yes, shaping your own destiny is a fantastic way of putting ht.

I really want to propel mysdlf into the Premier League

What is your assessment of where you are?

I want us to make sure that we learn from what happened last year,

what you can achieve when you do things as a grotp.

But ultimately, I don't want is to be in that position again.

It is still a very tough le`gue what are

your ambitions this season now you have seen the first few weeks?

I don't want people to get carried away and judge what will happen this

year on what happened in the final ten games of last season.

We have some tremendous people involved in Notts County,

not just on the playing sidd, but in the back rooms and

There are some people that really care about the club and I w`nted to

bring that into the players, I wanted to really get people

involved on a Monday to Sattrday, who really cared about the football

Have you seen that from the players, that response?

I see it everyday and we will have some down days

There will be many days this season when it will be backs

against the wall, but I can look around and say I can rely

on the people to give absolttely everything, absolutely everxthing.

No doubting his passion. Gr`teful having him in to see us.

18,000 children from all ovdr the East Midlands are treatdd each

year at the Nottingham Children s Hospital, but for babies, it seems,

Although there are plenty of toys on the wards, there aren't enotgh for

Well now, one tiny patient and his family are trying to change

Joey is now a robust eight lonth old but, just weeks after he was born,

You hear about things but you don't think it could happen

He spent more than five weeks at the Nottingham Children's Hospital.

That's where his mum realisdd there was little to stimulate him.

When he was in his cot, I couldn't walk up and down the ward,

They had no toys for here for his age.

Delighted with the life`saving treatment and care

They want to buy toys for b`bies, like mobiles that go

These are often very soft toys but, here, they can't have toys with

fabric on them, because of the risk of infection.

18,000 children are treated here every year.

Soon the babies will be able to play more.

It's absolutely amazing that somebody would fundraise,

especially a family who has been through the same situation

It means a lot to the parents and the children.

The activities and toys will be used every day

Joey should not need to comd back now but they hope babies in future

How well they've treated me and Joey, and how they've done with

him, it's just nice to say thank you in a different way.

Splendid idea. Now, the weather We hope it is going to be nice.

The September slumber continues it has been quiet for the last few

weeks. Some super sunshine hn the last few days. High pressurd over us

right now, but some subtle changes in the next few days. It will wander

off and edged to the east in the next few days. That will pull in an

easterly breeze and we know what happens when that occurs. Wd pick up

more cloud. We will not crulble with that. Plenty of dry, bright weather

during the morning. More cloud into the afternoon. Lots of sunshine this

morning. The code has been building this afternoon and it will start to

disperse. `` the cloud. The skies were clear again and with a light

wind, the mist and fog formhng towards the end of the night and

temperatures into single figures. Rural areas are chilly, fivd or six

Celsius. In the town centres, ten or 11 Celsius. Tomorrow, Chile, mist

and fog first thing. That whll clear quickly. We will bring in some more

cloud as we head into the afternoon. Staying dry, bright, and

temperatures giving some sunshine with 19 or 20 degrees. Quitd

pleasant. Not a lot changes into Thursday and Friday. High pressure

keeping these weather fronts at arms length for the time being. Well into

next week it will stay that way Dry weather about, some cloud in the

afternoon but temperatures hn the high teens, 19 Celsius.

Cold overnight, you will nedd your bed socks again!

You could in Italy another pair `` you could let me another pahr. See

you in the legs.