03/04/2012 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight:

The mother described as evil by her own son after claims she fell under

the spell of a gypsy fortune teller. A round-the-world sailor describes

the moment his yacht was hit by a giant wave as his family wait

anxiously at home. You might be fine, I am a nervous

wreck! The Yorkshire filmmaker back from

Yemen, Syria, and a prison cell. How to marry a millionaire - the

couple tying the knot after winning the lottery. She basically said we

had got six numbers, I didn't believe it. It is a wet end to the

day, possibly even some snow in places. I will bring you the

forecast later in the programme. A mother is on trial at Hull Crown

Court accused of child cruelty against her son after claims she

fell under the spell of a gypsy fortune teller. Andrew Clappison

from Keyingham in East Yorkshire, who is now 18, has told the court

he was physically abused by his mother, Linda Clappison, to such an

extent that he needed to have a toe amputated. He described his mother

as evil. She denies child cruelty. Our correspondent Vicky Johnson was

in court. Linda Clappison from Keyingham had apparently been a

good enough mother until around 2002 when her marriage broke down

and she became friends with a gypsy from Hull. Hull Crown Court heard

how Andrew Clappison's attendance at school dropped from around 95%

to less than 43% as she allowed him to accompany the gypsy family on

holidays to Scarborough, Cornwall and Whitby. Her 18 year old son,

though, tells a different tale. He insists he was made to work for

nothing, setting up stalls at the resorts and also at Hull Fair. He

also claimed his mother would punch, slap, and kick him. He told the

court, "I was scared of her. I was treated like a dog, basically." But

his mother told the jury, "I never hit him - not once, I didn't

believe in smacking." However, she did admit regularly locking him in

his bedroom for about 20 minutes at a time. The court heard how Andrew

was treated for frostbite and needed a toe amputating because of

freezing temperatures in the homes. His mother said it was because he'd

spent too long playing out in the snow. When asked whether she was a

good parent, Linda Clappison replied, "I can't think of anything

I'd have done differently. I would say I'm a good parent." But she

admitted that having heard the "wicked lies" told about her in

court, she'd no longer be having any contact with any of her

children. And Vicky joins me from the newsroom now. Vicky, a claim

was made in court by the prosecution that Linda Clappison

had fallen under the spell of a gypsy fortune teller - how did she

respond to that? Linda Clappison said she became friends with a

gypsy fortune teller called Liz in around 2002. But she denies

prosecution claims that she'd fallen under her spell. But she did

concede in court that whenever her friend Liz offered to take Andrew

out of school for holidays and day trips she readily agreed. She

meanwhile would stay at Liz's house to look after their animals. Linda

Clappison has now admitted that maybe she should have put her foot

down more. The jury also heard that despite concerns being raised about

attendance she thought Andrew was doing all right at school which is

why she stopped going to any parent evenings. She also denies Andrew's

claims that there wasn't enough to eat at home or that he wasn't

allowed to have free school meals. She says he simply didn't like them.

The court was told Andrew left home as soon as he was able to.

In a moment: As Lincolnshire prepares for a hosepipe ban,

researchers investigate new ways to cope with drought.

An East Yorkshire man taking part in a round-the-world yacht race has

said the moment his boat was hit by a giant wave was like "being on the

Titanic". David Hawkins from Little Weighton was on the Geraldton yacht

when it was hit off the Californian coast, injuring four crew members.

Today he and the team arrived back on dry land in America and managed

to call home for the first time. Phil Connell was there. You might

be fine, I am a nervous wreck. was the telephone call David

Hawkins's family had been waiting for. A phone call to confirm he was

safe and back on dry land. I bet you needed good sleep, don't you?

These are the dramatic scenes in which David was unexpectedly caught.

His yacht had been caught by a massive wave. Its steering was

destroyed, and two crew members had to be rescued. Today, with

temporary steering in place, the yacht limped into Oakland where he

called with news of his escape. vision was like scenes from the

Titanic, with water bursting through the doors. They came

straight through the hatch. We were crouching down, and swimming in

water. David was taking part in a round-the-world yacht race, and was

in the closing stages heading towards California. These pictures

show the kind of conditions they had been facing. At the family's

East Yorkshire home, David's wife and daughter have been monitoring

his process closely, and they say the incident was a sharp reminder

of the dangers he has been facing. I know it is dangerous but it is

still a shock when it happens. I was afraid that people were injured

so the hapless crew, and if it happened once it could happen again.

I am so pleased they are on dry land. Dad will have coped

brilliantly. He is a very strong character, they have been

fantastically trained, and I would say he would step up in an

emergency. The yacht's arrival marks the end of the journey.

Having realised a life's ambition, he will soon be heading home with

one dramatic story he will never forget.

A Hull MP has written to Comet requesting an "urgent phone call"

after the firm announced it's shutting its call centre with the

loss of more than 200 jobs. The company announced at the weekend

it's closing the site in order to concentrate on its offices in

Bristol. In the letter, Alan Johnson claims he was under the

impression that the final announcement wasn't due until May.

A union leader has been found guilty of stealing from a care home

charity on the Lincolnshire coast. Neil Greatex, the former president

of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, stole almost �150,000.

The charity ran the Nottinghamshire The court heard he used the money

to pay for work being done on his own property.

A biker safety campaign has been launched in Lincolnshire. The Road

Safety Partnership has created special road signs in accident

black spots to show the number of motorcycle crashes which have

happened there. An autopsy on a dead mink whale,

discovered near Spurn Head yesterday, has been cancelled after

its body was carried back out to sea on the tide. The Yorkshire

Wildlife Trust says it can't establish exactly why the mammal

died, but says it looked like a juvenile and may have been

dependant on its mother. With Lincolnshire and East

Yorkshire officially in drought, and a hosepipe ban affecting

Lincolnshire from Thursday, farmers in the region are closely

monitoring water levels at what is a critical time of year for them.

Rainfall over the coming the months could make the difference between

success and failure for many crops. Here's our correspondent, Paul

Murphy. There was light rain today but it has been one of the driest

years for a generation. This farmer has been attempting to store what

little water there is. Freshwater is a precious commodity to

everybody so all we can do is prepare for every eventuality. If

it keeps dry, I will be holding water back. We are now using the

satellite system to steer the tractor. Here in Spalding, this

sat-nav means more potato planting -- more accurate potato planting.

We are trying to minimise cultivation so we don't drive out

the soil as much but we are harvesting water from the buildings.

It is not just crops and vegetables being affected - by now these

Lincolnshire Red cattle should be out in the fields eating grass.

Instead they are indoors consuming expensive feed. Supplies are being

closely monitored, but if the drought continues farmers will face

tougher restrictions on using river water to grow their crops. It is

serious. It is causing some farmers to delay planting in the hope there

will be some water coming down from the sky, but we have not seen it

yet and some farmers are getting desperately worried about their

livestock. Farmers are concerned about how the drought could impact

on livelihoods and consumer prices. I'm joined now by David Armstrong,

who's a farmer near Bardney and also the Lincolnshire County

Chairman for the National Farmers Union. David, is the drought as bad

as we are led to believe? As we stand here in the rain, I am

wondering if it is because it is raining quite heavily! What could a

long-term drought do to production in our area? Until now, the drought

has not had too much of an effect. Crops growing overwinter have not

needed much moisture, but from now on we do require a reasonable

amount of rainfall. We were in a similar position last year, then we

got a very wet period in June and July, and consequently we had no

issues. We heard about some farmers preparing for a more drier climate

- is technology the answer? I don't think you heard me, David - is

technology the answer to prepare for a drier climate in the future?

I think we have lost David, he is struggling, but thanks to David for

trying. And do get in touch with us on this. Are you worried about the

drought? How is it affecting you? Or do you feel its all a lot of

fuss over nothing? We will be talking to Anglian Water tomorrow

night ahead of their introduction of the hosepipe ban. If you have a

question you would like us to put to them, send me those in the usual

A lady sent a message this afternoon to say she had seen the

first swallow of the summer, but You have still managed to top up

your town, haven't you? In the long range, it looks like low-pressure

could dominate April so we could see a return to average for

rainfall figures this month. We are starting tonight with a warning for

snow, and this is particularly for the higher ground of the Yorkshire

wolds. Lower than that, we may see snow but it will not be settling.

It is all down to this weather system, slowly pushing south,

bringing much colder air behind so that is why we are seeing some of

that rain turned to snow. The cloud will build through the afternoon

bringing the rain south. At the moment it is all falling as rain,

and will continue to do so this evening. Maybe in some of the

heavier bursts, falling as snow at lower levels, but not settling. We

will see a strengthening north- easterly wind as well, with

temperatures down to freezing the further inland you are. A

thoroughly miserable start to the day tomorrow. Cloudy, wet and windy,

we will see a mixture of rain, sleet, and snow flurries which will

stay with us ruin to the afternoon, pushing southwards. It will be

later in the day until it starts to clear away from Lincolnshire.

Strong wind will take the edge of the temperature, it will feel

significantly colder tomorrow. Eight degrees in Bridlington, but

further south only six degrees, way I don't expect those cheap jibe is

Still ahead, the Yorkshire film- maker who is back home after being

released from a prison cell in Syria.

And the lottery winners tying the A mother from East Yorkshire says

access to Therapy for autistic children should be improved. Laura

Murrell's daughter has the abilities of an 18 months old girl.

She is a fund-raising so she can afford special therapy privately.

At four years old, Aveline should be a reading and spelling her name

that life with autism means things are different. With no

communication skills, it is impossible to teach anything. She

is still in nappies because she doesn't understand about potty-

training. I dream to read her a bedtime story. Laura believes

Applied behavioural analysis could transform her life. Seeing -- seen

here in Surrey, it is based on rewarding basic commands. Well done,

that was lovely. East Riding Yorkshire council told us that

schools have staff trained in Applied behavioural analysis and it

Before Aveline can begin a therapy for free, she needs to be fully

assessed. That takes six months and experts say timing is critical.

Church shows that the earlier you start this intervention, be more

effective it is. Friends and neighbours of fund-raising for the

next month so she can start lessons privately.

Is the council alone in making her wait for this Therapy? Not at all.

It is normal for children to have to go through an assessment and for

them to get a statement of their needs. What she believes his

parents should be made aware of the therapies out there so they have

choice. She only found out about Applied Behavioural Analysis while

searching the Internet. If she had known about it sooner, she wouldn't

be in such a rush to get her child started on it. Where is it

available? She can have it in the leaves and her mother and carer

will undergo a training so they can carry on those specific teaching

techniques once Aveline has finished her sessions.

If you have got a story you think we would be interested in and you

want to tell us about it, get in Thanks for their responses last

night after we told you that the organisation which represents

independent petrol stations in the UK have been warning of fuel

shortages until after Easter. They are the Retail Motor Industry and

some of its members are being forced to put up pies -- prices at

the pumps. There was a big response on this story. Carol Sayers, the

panic last week gave the petrol stations around here a licence to

put the fuel up to whatever price Thank you for all of those. Just to

clarify a,, it has announced it is closing its call centre on George

said -- George Street in the centre of whole.

He is being caught up -- he has been caught up in a riot in Syria.

Sean McAllister picked up a camera and is now an internationally

acclaimed film-maker. He is back in Hull before heading off abroad

again. Return to Hull for the Easter

holidays but Sean McAllister is used to more hostile environments.

The most dangerous things were the crowds. It is when it moves and you

can't escape that. I get claustrophobic being in crowds.

latest film, The Reluctant Revolutionary, looks after a tour

guide in the Yemen and how he makes ends meet. They are volatile places.

I am interested in these areas of conflict because most of the time,

we see it as a news agenda, we don't see the human stories behind

This is how he goes about making award-winning films. The game is

over. I had a small camera and dress like a tourist. I never

really appear like I am TV. Does that help getting to the heart of

things? I don't want people to take me seriously. People think you are

television and either want to start behaving differently or show you

different things and not merely the truth. He has returned from Syria

where he's be -- he has been arrested for filming undercover.

got arrested for filming. It is something his two children find

difficult to get used to. There is a lot of war going on so he could

be kidnapped or anything could happen. I don't really like it.

is called because he gets to see these places but I sometimes don't

like it in case... When he went to prison, I didn't think he was going

to come back. I got scared. parents are little more

understanding. He gets his passion for travelling from his father who

was in the Navy. My wife worries more than I do. He gets a lot of

grief from his sister's. They think he should be going with a family at

home. He is not always in war zones. He has made many films here at home.

I try to make films here. Every film I have made in England has

been in Hull. If I am going to make a film in England, I might as well

hang out with friends in hell. next stop is a film festival in

Florence and then to Canada. Good luck to him.

Hull FC assistant coach Lee Radford is making a return to the first

team for Friday's Derby despite being in retirement. The former

player has been coaching since the start of this season but such is

the depth of the club's injury crisis, he is set to play against

Hull Kingston Rovers. We are light on numbers and experience at the

moment. We have lost Eamon O'Carroll and Chris Green. They are

a couple of others. Anyone that can play front row is going down at the

moment. I didn't have to ask him trot -- twice. Hull Kingston Rovers

captain is set to return in Friday's game after missing all of

the season so far. Coach Craig Sandercock said both Galea and

Green will be on the sidelines. They will be back in the next week

Corsair which is pleasing. They are coming on really well. Derby Day is

on Friday. In football, Lincoln City take on

Cambridge United tonight hoping to make it four wins in 10 days.

Commentary is available on BBC A couple from Beverley are

celebrating after winning more than �2 million on the National Lottery.

Wayne French and Becky Harrison matched these six numbers in

Wednesday's draw. I have been together for 13 years and say they

can finally afford to get married. Meet Yorkshire's newest

millionaires. Wayne and Becky face the cameras today to pick up a

cheque for �2.2 million. She tapped the lottery tickets before we went

to bed and told me we had six numbers. I didn't believe have. It

just doesn't happen. -- I didn't believe her. On Wednesday, they are

lucky dip ticket lived up to its name matching all six numbers. The

couple have been together for more than a decade and have four

children that have never been able to afford to tie the knot until now.

I said to him that we can get married now. It has gone from there.

We will get married. A dream wedding? We can afford to now.

kind of wedding can you get for 2.2 million? A day like that Beccan's

would set them back �530,000. Matching be Rooney's will cost �5

million and if they want to save money for their honeymoon, they can

get hitched at Hull register office for �130. The couple say it was a

difficult decision to go public but admit it would have been possible

to keep their new fortune a secret. When plans to retire from his job

as a support worker and spend more time with Becky and the kids.

can give their children what they want and need without having to

worry whether money is coming from. Top of Wayne's shopping list is a

ringer for his fiancee. Then a holiday to Barbados for them all.

What a fantastic story. The headlines now. A-level students

could face tougher exams after the Government signals a radical shake-

A mother on trial at Hull Crown Court is described as evil by her

own son after claims she fell under the spell of a gypsy fortune-teller.

Cloudy, wet and windy start with snow. Top temperatures tomorrow of

seven Celsius. A response come in after we were

talking about the drought. Jimmy says, not worried.

A usual mountain out of a molehill. We will probably have the wettest

summer for years. If we are told we can't by Lord use

water that we pay for, if we are not on a meter, do we get a

discount? It has been raining in Lincoln for

two hours. Hope this makes the farmers happy. The water butts here

are filling up nicely. Tomorrow night, I have been -- I

will be talking to Anglian Water say you if you have any questions,