26/11/2013 Look East - West

That is all from BBC News At Six, I will be back with more

Welcome to look East. Tonight, long jail terms for a drugs and money

laundering gang based in Luton which spread across the world. That and

the rest of today's top stories The jury considers its verdict in the

case of a man accused of murdering a family of four. New plans for the

old hospital, a multi`million`pound proposal, homes and a school.

And 28 days until Christmas. What are we bang and where? `` are

we buying? First tonight, a criminal gang based

in Bedfordshire has been sentenced to a total of 67 years in prison for

drug running and money laundering. They would smuggle in drugs like

heroin and cannabis from Holland and Pakistan before laundering the

proceeds through Dubai. When they were arrested, more than ?140,0 0

was seized from one of the defendant's houses. They arrived at

court with their cases packed. A look on going, drug dealers, money

laundress. One of their number sentenced while still on the run.

Four members of the same family smuggled in huge quantities of

drugs, heroin, ecstasy, said in the cement blocks is cannabis shipped in

from Holland. Investigators say these criminals were one of the most

sophisticated in the UK. It is taken a number of years for us to fully

understand their activities and the results we see today are the

culmination of years of effort. The five are part of a larger crime

ring. The men, secretly filmed in this drug ring in Luton, are already

behind bars. More than eight kilos of heroin is handed over. Undercover

officers moved in. One dealer is pursued down the street and rugby

tackled. A van driver tries to escape but is blocked. Trapped

industry, the man is surrounded by police. They move in and make the

arrest. That drugs bust took days in this Luton cul`de`sac and over five

years they gang dealt very successfully, swapping drugs for

cash in numerous locations, laundering millions of pounds. Along

with bags of drugs, officers seized ?900,000 in cash. This tendency

today brings to an end one of the biggest drugs investigations in

recent years `` the sentencing today.

The jury has retired to consider its verdict in the case of the man

accused of murdering a family of four in Northampton. Anxiang Du has

denied murder, though he has admitted killing the Ding family in

April 2011. Today, the judge summed up the evidence for the jury. Yes,

the jury retired to consider its verdict around 3:45pm. It will

continue deliberations in the morning. The judge in this case

summed up in some detail the evidence they have heard throughout

this trial, which began on November the 12th, especially over the

psychiatric evidence the jury have heard. Anxiang Du's defence was that

he was suffering from a depressive illness which one parental

psychiatrist said could have been a significant contributory factor to

the killings. The prosecution say this was a premeditated, preplanned

murder, and that is the question the jury have to consider on all four

counts of murder. Was this premeditated or was it simply a case

of manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control or diminished

responsibility? Throughout the trial, Anxiang Du, surrounded by

security officers, sat in the dock listening to proceedings from his

interpreter, often with his head bowed off his face in his hands

Just a few feet away in the public guarantee `` gallery, Helen Ding's

brother and father who have flown from finer also followed proceedings

through a translator. It has been a packed public gallery, members of

the small community in which were the family lived sat in that gallery

at various points during the trial. The jury will continue its

deliberations in the morning. Next tonight, the

multi`million`pound redevelopment of a huge part of central Peterborough.

The 23`acre former District Hospital site has finally been sold for more

than ?7 million to a major developer. The move's being seen as

a sign that the city is coming out of recession. Prime city centre real

estate, some of the best in the country. After three idle years a

deal is finally done. The site has been bought by a company called

Lands Improvement Holdings, which specialises in developing Brownfield

sites. They have released little detail of what will be all clear but

it will include new homes, the memorial hospital wing behind me

will be kept, and there will be a new primary school. But with almost

30,000 people moving here in ten years, is the city growing too

fast? It is part of the city centre living policy and good news for the

city. Our plan is for it to grow, we have a plan registered with the

planning department, our local development plan of its for the

growth of the city so Peterborough is growing well. The ?7.7 million

sale of the new hospital `` the old hospital will help the new one,

which notches up debts every year. Managers came under attack from

unions for the time it has taken to sell. The property market collapsed

before the old hospital had closed but the plans for the new hospital

as in funding from selling the old hospital in a buoyant housing market

and that has not transpired, so we have a lot less but we got a fair

market price. The regeneration of the area is seen as a sign of more

to come. The west of the city is the main thoroughfare into

Peterborough. If we replaced the drab derelict building with new

quality housing and the school, add to that the renaissance of the city

centre and the railway station, new stores in the station quarter, it is

a positive sign that Peterborough is emerging from recession and is

confident about the future. More detailed plans will be revealed in

the New Year that bulldozers won't move in until the summer.

Research carried out by the University of Bedfordshire suggests

that a significant level of sexual violence is being carried on

children by other children. The university was commissioned by the

Children's Commissioner, who's investigating child exploitation and

gangs. Its report says sexual violence in gang`affected areas is

often seen as normal and inevitable, and can be used as a form of

punishment retribution and initiation. Earlier, I spoke to

Professor Jenny Pearce of the University of Bedfordshire, and put

it to her that the report revealed shocking evidence.

They are very shocking and they are worrying. They sent a message to all

of us that we really need to start to listen to young people more. We

interviewed 188 young people from sites across the UK and 65% of them

were talking about serious levels of sexual explication and violence that

they experienced, not necessarily from adults but within their own

communities. We're talking sexual violence being used to humiliate

young people who have maybe failed on a deal or to punish a young

person or maybe to use young women as a means of initiating other young

men into a gang, so four or five young men might rape a young woman

as a means of wanting them to gather as a gang. Clearly a very difficult

and sensitive subject, so how difficult was it to put this survey

together? It was really difficult. We had to think about the safety of

the young people but also the safety of the practitioners engaged in the

research. We are pleased we did do the research. We worked with young

people to produce films so they themselves gave visual imagery of

what sort of things they thought what the happen. One key message to

young people said was that they needed space to start to talk, so

some young women who experienced sexual violence, 46% of those

surveyed said they thought young women deserved their sexual violence

they received, that they were asking for it, but those jungle in

themselves said once they get a label, once they are called a

sketch, they are available for any young man to rape or abuse. What do

you hope by the solutions from this? We have a number of

recommendations from the young people. They say that they had young

people to talk to who have maybe been through the experience, been

trained up to become mentors, working alongside the police to

bring the police into the neighbourhoods so young people feel

they have someone they can trust, they said they might start to talk.

The other thing we are arguing is that we need a comprehensive whole

school approach that will provide spaces for young people to talk not

just a one hour sex and relationship education class, however important

that is. The last thing we are arguing is that when local

authorities or a law enforcement agencies look at gun and knife

crime, they also think about sex crime. The sexual offences committed

against young women, so when we look at gang nominal is, young men

involved in gangs, think about his sister, his girlfriend and

understand that those young women will BBC links sexual violence. The

balance is used as a means of humiliation and control, so we need

to look at the ways that can be experienced by young people.

The former leader of the English Defence League has today pleaded

guilty to conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud. Tommy Robinson,

whose real name is Stephen Yaxley`Lennon from Luton, admitted

two counts of conspiring to commit fraud by misrepresentation against

the Abbey and the Halifax building societies. Lennon, who left the EDL

last month, will be sentenced in the New Year.

There are some fixtures involving some of our football teams this

evening to tell you about. In League One, Peterborough travel to

Brentford, while Colchester entertain MK Dons. Stevenage are at

Gillingham. In League Two, bottom of the table, Northampton travel up to

Chesterfield. Full coverage is on your local radio stations.

Residents in the South Cambridgshire village of Sawston are being asked

for their views about a proposed new football stadium. Cambridge City

want to build a new 3,000`capacity stadium with floodlit grass pitch

and a full`sized training pitch The club submitted the planning

application last month, despite South Cambridgeshire District

Council already ruling the scheme out of the local plan. Time to hand

risk is very low because it's a non`human strain of the bug.

There are now 29 shopping days till Christmas and already the battle on

the High Street ` and on your laptop ` is starting to hot up. So tonight,

we're taking a look at three very different shopping venues to try to

work out what the trends might be in this region. In a moment, an

out`of`town shopping village in Essex, an independent book shop in

Suffolk and a city centre mall in Peterborough. But first, how much

are we spending this year? Here's Jenny Kirk.

It's a month until Christmas and market analysts have started

predicting what kind of a season it'll be for retailers. This year,

for the first time, 20% of goods are expected to be bought online. That's

a market worth around ?15 billion. But while the economy is improving,

we're still being cautious with our money, only expecting to spend

around ?30 more on food, travel and gifts than last year. But things are

looking up. It's expected to be the strongest growth since 2007 and

retail researchers are anticipating ?2`3 billion more will be spent in

Britain this December compared to last. The big change this year is in

how we shop. We're not just online, we're on the move. There's expected

to be a 337% increase in the number of people using their tablets and

mobiles to buy gifts and we're not just using them ` we're buying them

for presents. Sales are set to increase by 538% this Christmas. But

what about the impact on the High Street? Well, while it can offer

Christmas lights and Santa's grottos to tempt people in, and shoppers can

touch the items and talk to an assistant about them, it is at the

mercy of the weather, and it seems that comfort of buying and ease of

delivery is appealing to many of us. 34% of shoppers say they will buy

most of their presents online this year. Some councils are trying to

buck the trend. This morning, free parking was announced for Great

Yarmouth on Sundays, and in Bedford, it's now free on Saturdays.

Regionally, the CBI business lobbying organisation in Newmarket

reports consumer confidence and spending is growing, and a sign that

consumers are feeling more confident is the change in shops expecting a

profitable Christmas. Last year, the budget ones did particularly well,

like QD stores, Argos and Primark. This year, online retailers, like

Amazon and the department stores, are expecting to see a 16% rise in

sales, and the children's sector is also expecting to do well. There's

been a baby boom during the recession as fewer of us go out.

So, for our first report tonight, we're off to Freeport in Braintree.

It's an out`of`town shopping centre with a difference. The details from

Richard Daniel. Freeport Braintree, they call it a

designer Village. What it means is national chains sending end of line

products. This is M, but not as you might know it. It's MNS outlet.

No familiar signs but plenty of shoppers on the hunt for a bargain.

I have seen a couple of bits over there I like, tops and things like

that. Definitely up for a bargain. My wife likes MNS. So are things

finally looking up? Here, shops won't tell us precise figures. But

having asked around, it seems that sales are up by 10% on the same week

last year. A step away, Molton Brown. Plenty of seasonal smelly is

for the stocking. People are in the spirit. People want to buy. But this

is not a spending boom. The number of people shopping here may be up by

5%, but with household budgets shrinking, people are very cautious

about what they buy. We see an uplift of 4`5%. People will come to

the centre once or twice a year but come to the centre once or twice a

year but comeback at Christmas. The Christmas rush still lies ahead.

They are not talking record sales here but things are finally on the

up it seems. OK, something very different now `

an independent book shop. For the last few years, life for them has

been pretty tough. Many have already gone. From Suffolk, this report from

Kevin Burch. The high Street, most of the shops

here are independent. The book shop has been in business since 1949 and

been voted independent book shop of the year. Its present owners are

John and Mary Janes. We bought the shopping 2000 and a lot of people

said, you are very unwise. Everyone will buy everything on the Internet.

But we did by the book shop and we have had 13.5 very happy years. They

stock 12,000 titles. They can't compete on price with the Giants but

can offer a wide range and advice. As for digital reading, they say

there's nothing like getting your hands on the real thing. You can see

where you are in a book and can see how far where you have got. If you

are using an electronic device, you have no idea where you are! It's a

beautiful thing, on the whole, and a very well evolved object. In small

towns, book shops definitely have a place. You feel as if you are part

of the whole creation of the book and you can just enjoy feeling the

book and looking at it, and without book, it becomes impersonal. East

Anglia might be a place where book shops will remain. It is a part of

England were maybe people value the independent sector. The reality,

though, is that other book shops in the area have already shot.

Finally, the Queensgate Centre in the centre of Peterborough. The

message here ` Christmas shopping is happening earlier every year. Louise

Hubball spent the morning there. As the Christmas rush gets underway,

look around here. Here is something new. There is not a vacant store

inside. What we have seen this year is great retailer demand. We fully

let for the first time in a few years. That is transpiring in

improving foot fall and sales for retailers. It feels busy here and

people are buying. The centre says they have had an extra 250,000

shoppers compare to this time last year, so it seems the race has

started earlier to grab that perfect gift. Last November, the big news

here was the launch of prime arc. Now that manage `` now that magic

seems to have rubbed off on other retailers. Have you started early? I

certainly have. I started in January! Hit the sales. Are you

feeling more confident this year? Yes, because now I am working, so

it's easier for me. I see advertising and early decorations.

For me, some clothes. I've got five grandchildren and two

great`grandchildren. Mad! This has a potential catchment area of 1

million visitors. People are shopping for bargains but they are

buying and seem to be doing it earlier.

James Brown is an accountant from Grant Thornton based in Suffolk.

From your point of view, what are you hearing about how well

businesses are doing this year? Things are on the up. All evidence

points to that. We recently ran our annual report and growth in Suffolk

alone was up 6%. It's more about what profit people are making on the

back of that growth but confidence is returning. We hear a lot in the

news about government figures being more positive and the economy being

on the up, but what it boils down to for retail is how much people feel

they have in their pockets. You have got to competing forces: Good news

about the economy, people are buoyed about house prices going up, people

are hearing good things about employment, therefore thinking,

shall we make that purchase? But the end of the day, inflation is still

rising quicker than earnings growth and therefore, in real terms, you

are probably a little worse off. You put that together with the

high`profile energy price increases, and psychologically,

that's not good place the consumer to be. Makes them feel insecure. As

far as the online versus high Street, we've heard how online sales

are going up year`on`year. How bad is that getting for the high street?

Online retail is 20% of the market and it's growing. The high street is

actually been pretty good. Over the last few years, they have had to

fight. It has been innovative and `` in its offering and pricing. It has

tried to make the shopping experience more entertaining. Local

authorities are trying to help by making sure that roadworks were

closed before the onset of the Christmas shopping season because

you don't want people waking up on a Saturday, thinking, I don't want to

go into town because I can't face the traffic. And so, that's all good

stuff. The big test will be the weather. We heard in one of those

reports that may be in this region we value the independent sector

more, but how does this region compared to other regions? I'm a big

advocate of East Anglia, but there is evidence to show we're doing all

right. Last week, the British retail Consortium released figures saying

that in October, footfall fell year`on`year by 3%. In East Anglia,

it was the only region which went up.

Let's start with a beautiful sunset. We have been in a fairly static

weather pattern for the last few days. There are subtle changes

underway, and already, we have got this warm front heading southwards.

It doesn't mean it will turn warm but there will be milder air behind

it. Having said that, we have had a lot of cloud around tonight. There

are gaps in the cloud, allowing temperatures to drop. Certainly

possible we may get a touch of ground frost. The general trend will

be for increasing amounts of cloud to move in. Also, patchy, light rain

expected. Quite damp conditions. This will take its time to clear,

but across the northern half, it will clear away, leaving cloud. The

northern half may be seeing something brighter into the

afternoon, but across the south eastern half, a lot of cloud. The

numbers tomorrow will be slightly higher: Eight or nine Celsius, that

if you are stuck in the cloud, it will not necessarily make it feel

warmer. The winds will be light, and as you see that brightness starting

to break through. Then we are into one next change in pressure pattern

because the high pressure that has stood firm is showing signs of

moving. It's moving westwards and you can see this area of low

pressure. That will move southwards and push this cold front down. It

will introduce cooler air but the sauce is mid`Atlantic air so it is

not particularly cold. What will make it feel cold is the strength of

the wind. Certainly, by the end of the week, it will feel colder.

Thursday brings us a fairly cloudy day. There will be some breaks

appearing. Temperatures still holding up to eight degrees, and

then we start afresh and wind. Maybe a few spots of rain, but not

particularly active. A little cooler for Saturday. Still quite windy and

we see the return of cold nights Friday and Saturday night.