:00:00. > 3:59:59into Friday morning and enhance the risk of flooding. That is all from
:00:00. > :00:10.us, Hello and welcome to Look East.
:00:11. > :00:13.In the programme tonight: The teenager who was told he had just
:00:14. > :00:24.days to live. Two months later he's still alive and getting stronger
:00:25. > :00:28.every day. It was very difficult to accept that you weren't going to see
:00:29. > :00:31.your son growing up but actually, I might. Parents in Essex say taking
:00:32. > :00:34.away free school transport will cost them an extra ?500 a year.
:00:35. > :00:39.The Harlow MP leading the fight against the energy companies which
:00:40. > :00:41.charge more if you pay by cash. And one woman's fight to have her
:00:42. > :00:56.dead husband's children. First tonight the remarkable story
:00:57. > :01:02.of a teenager who was told last year he had just three days to live. But
:01:03. > :01:05.against all the odds his body is fighting back.
:01:06. > :01:08.Deryn Blackwell from Norfolk is the only person in the world to be
:01:09. > :01:11.diagnosed with both leukaemia and another rare form of cancer. Two
:01:12. > :01:15.months ago after contracting another disease which attacked his immune
:01:16. > :01:19.system he was told by doctors he would die before the New Year.
:01:20. > :01:24.But now to everyone's amazement, Deryn's body has started to produce
:01:25. > :01:34.red blood cells. He's fighting back. This report by Nikki Fox.
:01:35. > :01:39.14`year`old Deryn Blackwell has a standard medical professionals.
:01:40. > :01:43.Three years ago he was told he had leukaemia. Before Christmas, he was
:01:44. > :01:50.also diagnosed with a disease that destroys the immune system. He was
:01:51. > :01:54.sent to an end of life hospice and doctors and his family prepared him
:01:55. > :02:02.for the worst. We had all accepted it. Deryn and asked to go into the
:02:03. > :02:08.room where they let the bodies. He knew where he was going to go once
:02:09. > :02:13.he passed. Everything was set out. Knowing he may not have long left
:02:14. > :02:18.commie drew up a list of things he wanted to do. He met celebrities,
:02:19. > :02:24.driving fast cars and tasted cider and even planned his own funeral. We
:02:25. > :02:33.were going to get the ashes and put some of it in a firework, some of it
:02:34. > :02:45.in a Canon, to fire a cannonball somewhere. The rest was going to be
:02:46. > :02:50.chucked off a mountain in Greece. Then something amazing happened. His
:02:51. > :02:56.infection is healed and he started to produce his own blood cells. They
:02:57. > :03:01.don't even know and can't give us an idea of what will happen in the next
:03:02. > :03:08.however many weeks. Initially, it was very difficult to flip that
:03:09. > :03:14.acceptance that you are going to lose your son and not see him grow
:03:15. > :03:20.up, too all of a sudden, I might. This is his old pile of medication.
:03:21. > :03:25.Now he needs just one. His family has moved out of the hospice into
:03:26. > :03:36.shared accommodation because of his improvement and he is taking it all
:03:37. > :03:40.in his stride. If you think a cough is the worst thing that has ever
:03:41. > :03:50.happened to you and you see somebody like me who is worse, they are not
:03:51. > :03:56.complaining and my cough isn't that bad. He is now training at a gym for
:03:57. > :04:02.the first time to get his fitness up and has started school classes. His
:04:03. > :04:06.cancer or leukaemia could return but his family wants to set up a charity
:04:07. > :04:10.in his name and/or hoping it could be his project rather than his
:04:11. > :04:14.legacy. The Prime Minister of St Lucia has
:04:15. > :04:17.attended the funeral of a sailor who died after being attacked on board
:04:18. > :04:21.his yacht. Roger Pratt left Lowestoft in the summer with his
:04:22. > :04:25.wife Margaret to sail around the world. Kim Riley is here. Just
:04:26. > :04:29.remind us what happened. Roger Pratt was a 62`year`old retired engineer.
:04:30. > :04:32.He and his wife Margaret had been planning this great adventure for 12
:04:33. > :04:36.years. Sailing across the Atlantic in their yacht Magnetic Attraction
:04:37. > :04:41.and exploring the Caribbean. They were moored off the south coast of
:04:42. > :04:44.St Lucia last month when a group of men climbed aboard, attacked them,
:04:45. > :04:48.before fleeing. Mrs Pratt was beaten up. Her husband received fatal
:04:49. > :04:54.injuries while trying to protect her. She found him floating in the
:04:55. > :05:01.water. He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arriva. ``
:05:02. > :05:06.arrival. Today I've been to Beccles in Suffolk to talk to Margaret
:05:07. > :05:10.Pratt's sister Jenny Riley. She and her husband Bryan have just got back
:05:11. > :05:13.after a week in St Lucia during which they attended Roger Pratt's
:05:14. > :05:15.private funeral. It was held at an Anglican chapel near the capital
:05:16. > :05:18.followed by cremation. There were about two dozen mourners. Relatives
:05:19. > :05:21.and friends joined by a representative of our Foreign Office
:05:22. > :05:25.and also significantly the Prime Minister of St Lucia and other
:05:26. > :05:28.government officials. It's an island that relies very heavily on its
:05:29. > :05:36.tourist trade and the St Lucia Tourist Board has condemned it as a
:05:37. > :05:44.random and heionous act of violence. What is the latest on Margaret
:05:45. > :05:49.Pratt? She was badly bruised and knocked about and is continuing to
:05:50. > :05:53.help the police investigation. Today there was another court appearance
:05:54. > :05:58.in front of a magistrate by four young men charged with murder and
:05:59. > :06:07.robbery. They were remanded in custody until April the 11th and
:06:08. > :06:13.will face a sufficiency hearing. Margaret Pratt is being put up in a
:06:14. > :06:17.hotel while the process of evidence gathering goes on. Her sister says
:06:18. > :06:22.she expects to be giving evidence in that court and it is not clear when
:06:23. > :06:26.that trial will take place. Eventually after giving evidence,
:06:27. > :06:28.she will come back to East Anglia to a different retirement than the one
:06:29. > :06:32.she planned, sadly. The hunt for a new candidate to
:06:33. > :06:35.replace Tim Yeo is getting underway. He was deselected by his party
:06:36. > :06:38.yesterday after 31 years as the local MP for South Suffolk. The
:06:39. > :06:43.Conservative Party will now advertise the position. A short list
:06:44. > :06:51.will be drawn up. Local party members will meet in the late Spring
:06:52. > :06:56.to make the final decision. I think it will be a mix. I think there will
:06:57. > :06:59.be a few local people that will come forward. It is a seat that will
:07:00. > :07:02.attract many candidates. Today there's been continued
:07:03. > :07:04.speculation about the reasons behind Tim Yeo's de`selection. Some
:07:05. > :07:15.suggesting he was too old, others that he was not a visible local MP.
:07:16. > :07:19.Some say his political views do not chime well with members. He voted in
:07:20. > :07:26.favour of gay marriage and is vocal on the way to tackle climate change
:07:27. > :07:31.and is pro`Europe. With many Conservative members concerned about
:07:32. > :07:39.UKIP, it is becoming quite difficult for supporters of the EU inside the
:07:40. > :07:42.party to survive. Earlier I spoke to Norman, now Lord Tebbit, who used to
:07:43. > :07:46.be Conservative Party Chairman. I began by asking whether he thought
:07:47. > :07:49.it was Tim Yeo's views ` on subjects like Europe and gay marriage that
:07:50. > :08:01.were the issue and he said they wouldn't have helped. They are not
:08:02. > :08:07.particular popular views, particularly in conservative
:08:08. > :08:14.inclined people in East Anglia. There is the fact that he lived in
:08:15. > :08:22.Kent which for a man who has represented a seat in Suffolk for so
:08:23. > :08:28.long seems odd. He spent a great deal of time on his commitment to
:08:29. > :08:32.the climate change issue which again, people thought he ought to be
:08:33. > :08:41.doing a little bit more about his own constituency and help his own
:08:42. > :08:46.constituents. Two Tory MPs have been deselected in a week. Why are local
:08:47. > :08:52.parties flexing their muscles in this way? There is a lot of that.
:08:53. > :09:00.Back in the late 80s when I was chairman of the party, it was very
:09:01. > :09:05.clear that there was no question of my having power over local
:09:06. > :09:11.associations. It wasn't me that run them, it was the National union of
:09:12. > :09:18.Conservative and Unionist 's associations. That was a powerful
:09:19. > :09:22.body. I spoke with great respect about that body. I was the
:09:23. > :09:27.professional edge of the Conservative Party and they were the
:09:28. > :09:31.volunteers. They felt they had power. I think now they feel they
:09:32. > :09:34.have been dealt with poorly by the party at the centre and it tends to
:09:35. > :09:46.make them much more ready to challenge those who lorded over them
:09:47. > :09:49.to some extent. The deputy chairman said they wanted to see more
:09:50. > :09:55.infrastructure investment in their area. Do you think MPs are being
:09:56. > :09:59.judged on what they manage to achieve their constituency? There
:10:00. > :10:04.has always been an element of that because they represent their
:10:05. > :10:10.interests. I am not sure that is the biggest thing. Backbenchers can't
:10:11. > :10:17.normally extract big concessions in terms of money out of government in
:10:18. > :10:23.that way. I too think there are many other ways in which they can help.
:10:24. > :10:28.They can help in advocating better deals for the schools in their
:10:29. > :10:32.constituency, better deals for the rate settlement for the local
:10:33. > :10:35.authorities. They are expected to at least take a good address to at
:10:36. > :10:40.least take a good interest in those things and not be solely preoccupied
:10:41. > :10:48.with their own particular interests. Thank you very much.
:10:49. > :10:51.Herbie Hide, the former world heavyweight boxing champion from
:10:52. > :10:54.Norwich has had his prison sentence for drug dealing reduced. He had
:10:55. > :10:58.admitted conspiring to sell cocaine and was jailed for 22 months in
:10:59. > :11:01.November. Now three judges in the appeal court have cut that to 18
:11:02. > :11:04.months. His lawyers argued the original sentence was too long. He
:11:05. > :11:15.was jailed after a judge heard that he fell for a sting operation set up
:11:16. > :11:18.by the Sun on Sunday. Parents in Essex are campaigning against a plan
:11:19. > :11:21.to withdraw some free school buses. From next year, pupils who live at
:11:22. > :11:24.Wivenhoe may not get free transport to Colne Community College in
:11:25. > :11:28.Brightlingsea. The county council says it needs to save money and the
:11:29. > :11:36.children could go to the Colchester Academy which is closer.
:11:37. > :11:45.Another school day starts for Daisy and George. They go to school and
:11:46. > :11:50.want to go to secondary school in Brightlingsea. Until now, the school
:11:51. > :12:00.bus has been freed but soon parents might have to pay. Reports are
:12:01. > :12:04.coming in at ?400 a year per pupil. When you consider some families have
:12:05. > :12:09.two to three children at the school, it is quite a considerable cost to
:12:10. > :12:14.the average family. People around the region are aware of the changes
:12:15. > :12:22.that could affect families across the whole of Essex. Money is tight
:12:23. > :12:25.at the county council. We spend ?25 million transporting children to
:12:26. > :12:31.school across the county and we need to save in the region of ?3 million.
:12:32. > :12:36.From September 2015, they will change its school policy and in most
:12:37. > :12:43.cases, only provide free transport if a child is going to their nearest
:12:44. > :12:48.school. Each morning, these school bus sets off on a six and a half
:12:49. > :12:52.mile journey to the school in Brightlingsea but it is only four
:12:53. > :12:56.and a half miles to a school in Colchester. At the local junior
:12:57. > :13:00.school, the fear is only children whose parents can pay for the buses
:13:01. > :13:08.will be able to go to the school generations from the village that
:13:09. > :13:14.have attended. There will be a divide. The community here is
:13:15. > :13:20.strong. It will divide our community on an income `based criteria which
:13:21. > :13:24.is heartbreaking. There are mums that I know who can only send one
:13:25. > :13:30.child in one direction and another in the other direction. They packed
:13:31. > :13:37.a meeting at the county council and were given hope when the county
:13:38. > :13:42.council said they would get the parish council to help.
:13:43. > :13:51.Still to come: The Essex MP leading the fight against the energy
:13:52. > :13:55.companies who charge more when you pay by cash. And the woman taking
:13:56. > :14:00.the fight to the High Court to keep her dead husband's sperm for longer.
:14:01. > :14:05.The make up of our police forces is changing. With pressures on
:14:06. > :14:08.finances, all of our forces are looking to recruit more volunteer
:14:09. > :14:11.Special Constables. Because they are volunteers they
:14:12. > :14:16.don't get paid but they can claim expenses. They must be able to work
:14:17. > :14:19.at least four hours a week. Once they are trained, they have the same
:14:20. > :14:24.powers of arrest as regular officers. At the moment there are
:14:25. > :14:29.more than 2500 Special Constables in this region and there are plans to
:14:30. > :14:33.recruit another 1500. Northamptonshire has the most
:14:34. > :14:35.ambitious plans. It wants to treble the number of Specials by the end of
:14:36. > :14:48.the year. At college, Amelia is no different
:14:49. > :14:55.to her friends but her idea of a night on the town is. The
:14:56. > :15:00.19`year`old is one of the county's youngest special constables. Her
:15:01. > :15:06.friends are bit surprised. They find it a bit weird because it is not
:15:07. > :15:12.like a normal job. They always ask me what I have done on my shift.
:15:13. > :15:17.They are really pleased for me. Amelia became a special constable
:15:18. > :15:20.last month and arranges patrols around her studies. The Police and
:15:21. > :15:30.Crime Commissioner wants to employ many more people like her. We remain
:15:31. > :15:40.around the consistent 300 mark. We want to reach 900 and it will be the
:15:41. > :15:42.biggest in the country. Isn't it policing on the cheap? Not at all.
:15:43. > :15:51.There is interest in getting involved in policing. Amelia hopes
:15:52. > :15:57.to join the force as a full`time officer but for her, it is more than
:15:58. > :16:03.just a job. I love doing it whether I get paid or voluntary. It feels
:16:04. > :16:07.good to help people in my community. I feel like a completely different
:16:08. > :16:13.person. Northamptonshire police is facing many cuts and the force says
:16:14. > :16:16.tripling the number of special constables is not the solution but
:16:17. > :16:22.admits budget cuts have played a part. The current situation has been
:16:23. > :16:27.the impetus for a stirring what has needed to be done for a long time.
:16:28. > :16:30.We have spent too long disempowering communities telling them they can't
:16:31. > :16:35.take action without appropriate authority. Now we can give you the
:16:36. > :16:41.skills and get you involved in policing your local community. You
:16:42. > :16:46.have that local knowledge. Some in the force don't share the optimism
:16:47. > :16:50.of the Police and Crime Commissioner as a bid target to triple the number
:16:51. > :16:55.of specials by the end of the year is simply unrealistic. The success
:16:56. > :16:58.of this scheme will very much depend on the community itself.
:16:59. > :17:03.A review of how we pay our fuel bills is on the cards thanks to one
:17:04. > :17:07.of our MPs. Robert Halfon thinks people who pay
:17:08. > :17:13.by cash or cheque are being ripped off by energy firms. Today he called
:17:14. > :17:19.a Commons debate on the matter. However you pay for your fuel, bills
:17:20. > :17:24.have rocketed over the past decade. The price of electricity has doubled
:17:25. > :17:29.and gas has tripled. The cheapest way of buying fuel is to pay by
:17:30. > :17:33.direct debit and it is what most people do. Energy companies give
:17:34. > :17:36.them a small discount because direct debits are cheaper to administer.
:17:37. > :17:46.Consumers who pay by cash or cheque pay more. Typically around ?114 a
:17:47. > :17:49.year. Robert Halfon thinks that is unfair and today he tabled a Commons
:17:50. > :17:55.motion calling for an enquiry by the energy regulator Ofgem. Energy
:17:56. > :18:00.company said the charges levied on those paying by cheque or prepayment
:18:01. > :18:06.meters and reflect the higher costs of processing payments. The industry
:18:07. > :18:10.has met with him and it says it supports a review of direct debits
:18:11. > :18:14.requested by the Prime Minister. I spoke to Robert Halfon just before
:18:15. > :18:17.the debate and put to him the energy companies' claim that the increased
:18:18. > :18:25.bills were down to the cost of processing cash and cheque payments.
:18:26. > :18:28.Of course it is right that people cover their costs but I had a
:18:29. > :18:34.meeting with the Post Office yesterday and they say to print out
:18:35. > :18:40.a computerised bill and to get it home costs 20p ahead. They are
:18:41. > :18:44.charging ?140 extra. 45% of the country don't pay their bills by
:18:45. > :18:48.direct debit and there are 1 million people who don't have bank accounts.
:18:49. > :18:54.The energy companies are penalising the poorest. Even British Telecom
:18:55. > :18:59.charged ?2 a month and they have made the decision to be fair to
:19:00. > :19:03.their customers. I think that is the right way forward. Isn't about the
:19:04. > :19:07.risk of people not paying their bills? If they are collecting the
:19:08. > :19:15.money ahead of time, there is not so much risk. One of my constituents
:19:16. > :19:19.has paid every month on time and has got a letter out of the blue saying
:19:20. > :19:26.that because she didn't pay by direct debit, she was going to have
:19:27. > :19:29.to pay ?63 extra a year. ?35 of that is going towards the non`payers but
:19:30. > :19:34.why should pensioners and the poorest to pay on time face a
:19:35. > :19:38.premium from the energy companies so the energy companies have the money
:19:39. > :19:43.to chase the non`payers? That is unacceptable and that is why I have
:19:44. > :19:48.organised this debate in Parliament with 170 odd MPs supporting me. Are
:19:49. > :19:54.you concerned that the method of paying by direct debit,, the
:19:55. > :19:58.companies can underestimate the amount you pay so you are always in
:19:59. > :20:09.credit. That might put some people off. This gives the energy companies
:20:10. > :20:14.money. When we pay our bills by direct debit, you often pay more out
:20:15. > :20:20.of your account by the energy companies. That surplus can be up to
:20:21. > :20:26.?2 billion. They have surplus money in order to pursue the non`payers or
:20:27. > :20:31.the late payers. To penalise the poor and pensioners by saying you
:20:32. > :20:38.get a huge black on your bill from ?63 up to 390, to me, it is totally
:20:39. > :20:41.wrong. Next, the legal fight being mounted
:20:42. > :20:46.by a widow to allow her late husband to father her child. Beth Warren
:20:47. > :20:53.lost her husband to a brain tumour when he was just 32. Samples of his
:20:54. > :20:56.sperm were stored before he underwent treatment.. But they're
:20:57. > :20:58.due to be destroyed next year unless Mrs Warren can get the storage
:20:59. > :21:03.period extended. It's not the first time a case of
:21:04. > :21:06.this nature has been heard in the courts. In 1997 Diane Blood from
:21:07. > :21:09.Nottinghamshire won the right to have a child using sperm from her
:21:10. > :21:13.dead husband. Despite the fact that her late husband had never given his
:21:14. > :21:16.written consent she went on to have two sons. But this case is
:21:17. > :21:21.different. Beth Warren's husband gave his consent to have the sperm
:21:22. > :21:24.stored and used. But that consent will expire 14 months from now
:21:25. > :21:35.unless she can persuade a judge to extend the time limit. A lot of the
:21:36. > :21:39.problems like this are caused by the fact that there isn't clear evidence
:21:40. > :21:44.of what the parents consented to before they died. It will be helpful
:21:45. > :21:47.if clinics could be more particular about the concerned they take so
:21:48. > :21:51.they are not just asking patients whether they consent to their sperm
:21:52. > :21:58.being used after their death, but that they spell out what they really
:21:59. > :22:02.intended. I spoke to Beth Warren late this afternoon and started by
:22:03. > :22:11.asking how much longer she wanted the sperm to be kept. We are
:22:12. > :22:15.applying for the maximum period of 55 years. Realistically, I wouldn't
:22:16. > :22:20.need that long. It is difficult to put a time on how I will feel
:22:21. > :22:24.stronger to become professionally settled and be ready to do this and
:22:25. > :22:29.decide whether it is the right thing. Presumably you spoke about
:22:30. > :22:36.this before he died. When you are discussing it, what did you discuss?
:22:37. > :22:40.First of all, Warren wasn't something `` someone that wanted to
:22:41. > :22:44.talk about dying, he was someone who wanted to get better. This was a
:22:45. > :22:49.frank conversation we did have. He signed the paper to say with could
:22:50. > :22:53.conceive in the event of his death. I asked him how he would feel if I
:22:54. > :22:57.did that knowing he would never meet his children. He said if that was
:22:58. > :23:06.what I wanted, that was what he wanted. He wanted to leave me the
:23:07. > :23:11.choice. What happens if the judge decides against me? From the time
:23:12. > :23:16.period I have left, I should be looking to try to get pregnant
:23:17. > :23:20.immediately. There is potential that I could start IVF and store embryos
:23:21. > :23:27.for a longer period and that I could apply for special permission to
:23:28. > :23:33.export the sperm to somewhere like Belgium and then get pregnant mare.
:23:34. > :23:39.Why don't you do that? For the embryo, it is the cost and the
:23:40. > :23:43.chance of it moving. It is the emotional side of creating that
:23:44. > :23:50.life. It might not be the right thing to do in the future. There are
:23:51. > :23:54.so many different reasons. It will stop me doing artificial
:23:55. > :24:01.insemination. You so you may not want to do it and there are many
:24:02. > :24:05.reasons. First of all, I have to think about the child. It is a
:24:06. > :24:09.massive decision. I know that child will never meet their father. Warren
:24:10. > :24:16.was happy with that and he wanted to give me that choice. It is also the
:24:17. > :24:24.emotion from losing my brother and two months later losing my husband.
:24:25. > :24:28.I went back to work and I don't feel emotionally ready. I have only just
:24:29. > :24:33.started as a physiotherapist three weeks ago and I am not financially
:24:34. > :24:43.ready. There are many reasons of why I need more time. If the judge rules
:24:44. > :24:49.against you, your reaction to that? Probably more tears. It has been an
:24:50. > :24:54.emotional couple of years. I won't let it go. It is not something I can
:24:55. > :25:03.do. I will need to look at options. Can you believe it has come to this?
:25:04. > :25:07.No. It has been an emotional time. Looking at the facts, it isn't right
:25:08. > :25:10.that a man who gave every single consent he could for his wife to
:25:11. > :25:19.conceive in the event of his death, has been given a time limit on that.
:25:20. > :25:21.For me, to fight for this, it is the only option I have.
:25:22. > :25:25.That judgement should come from the High Court in the next few weeks.
:25:26. > :25:26.We'll bring you the news when we get it.
:25:27. > :25:37.Now for the weather. It is a changeable forecast for this
:25:38. > :25:43.week and we will see a lot of wet and whether `` wet and windy
:25:44. > :25:47.weather. There is an area of low pressure that has been moving in
:25:48. > :25:53.across the West Country bringing rain where it is really not needed.
:25:54. > :26:00.Expect a cloudy evening. The wind is cooking up and the rain for most of
:26:01. > :26:06.us is not getting here until 11pm. This is when the wind will pick up.
:26:07. > :26:09.There will be gusts of around 55 mph. The rain will clear away and
:26:10. > :26:16.there will be some showers following on behind. There will be some dry
:26:17. > :26:21.interludes perhaps with a little bit of sunshine. We have some heavy
:26:22. > :26:29.downpours expected and those winds pick up. They are peaking between
:26:30. > :26:34.midday and 6pm. Temperatures will be around eight Celsius. These are the
:26:35. > :26:37.wind speeds that we can expect. There will be rain or showers
:26:38. > :26:42.following through the afternoon and into the evening. Then we get a
:26:43. > :26:47.break for Thursday. In the east, the weather is not too bad. The next
:26:48. > :26:53.blow is on its way and it will bring further spells of wet and windy
:26:54. > :27:03.weather. There is no let up in this weather pattern. This is the next
:27:04. > :27:06.few days. Expect a reasonable day. We will see some brighter spells a
:27:07. > :27:14.man that rain starts to move in five o'clock. It may well be around first
:27:15. > :27:17.thing on Friday but it will gradually cleared away and we will
:27:18. > :27:24.see some sunny spells around. The next blow is not far away. Saturday,
:27:25. > :27:34.we have showers and some sunshine. These are the average wind speeds.
:27:35. > :28:54.That is all from us. Have a very good evening. Goodbye.
:28:55. > :28:58.My father raised me on tales of the great heroism of the Musketeers.