:00:00. > :00:00.Mikaeel Kular's community. That's all from
:00:07. > :00:10.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight. Claims
:00:11. > :00:21.hunts are illegally killing foxes with dogs...a decade after the ban.
:00:22. > :00:30.They are using methods that looked legal, but we see a legal activity a
:00:31. > :00:33.lot of times. Not guilty of causing her sister's death in a car crash.
:00:34. > :00:37.But prosecutors say the case was in the public interest.
:00:38. > :00:42.Bingo halls call for a tax`cut to revive business. And the joke shop
:00:43. > :00:54.owner who thinks his building is haunted.
:00:55. > :01:06.And it's a bit unsettled this week. Join me later for the details.
:01:07. > :01:09.Anti`foxhunting investigators say some hunts are openly breaking the
:01:10. > :01:16.law and subjecting foxes to extreme cruelty. The League Against Cruel
:01:17. > :01:19.Sports says it will be monitoring more hunts to gather evidence this
:01:20. > :01:23.year. It follows the prosecution of four members of the Middleton Hunt
:01:24. > :01:25.in Yorkshire. But some hunts say the activists pose a danger to
:01:26. > :01:30.legitimate groups ` whose memberships are standing strong. Our
:01:31. > :01:35.Rural Affairs Correspondent Linsey Smith is here. Why ` a decade after
:01:36. > :01:37.the ban ` is there so much confusion about the law?
:01:38. > :01:41.Peter, when the Hunting Act came into force in 2005 it made the
:01:42. > :01:46.pursuit of a wild animal by one or more dogs illegal. What is legal
:01:47. > :01:52.though is using one or two dogs to flush out an animal and then shoot
:01:53. > :01:55.it. This doesn't just apply to foxes and fox hunting but a decade on it's
:01:56. > :02:05.still the most controversial aspect of the law, as we discovered when we
:02:06. > :02:10.went out with hunt monitors. We are here today to look at a fox hunt.
:02:11. > :02:14.Information indicates they may be breaking the law. He's been verbally
:02:15. > :02:18.abused, assaulted and tracked. Since the Hunting Act came into force in
:02:19. > :02:27.2005, Paul Tilsley spends his life watching. And waiting. In a lot of
:02:28. > :02:33.hunts are blatantly disregarding the law. They are using methods which
:02:34. > :02:42.make it look legal, but when we go and watch them, we see illegal
:02:43. > :02:47.activity a lot of times. In fact, most times, we see illegal activity.
:02:48. > :02:50.This footage shot by Paul lead to four members of the Middleton Hunt
:02:51. > :02:53.pleading guilty to illegal hunting last year. It shows a hunted fox
:02:54. > :02:56.hiding in hay bales. It's surrounded. On the left of the
:02:57. > :03:02.screen the fox bolts the hay bales with the hounds in pursuit. The hunt
:03:03. > :03:13.master is seen blowing his horn to announce the kill. That is not
:03:14. > :03:17.uncommon for this area of the country. We get information from
:03:18. > :03:22.various hunts around the area that what they are doing is stretching
:03:23. > :03:27.the law or just plainly being illegal. But as this footage from
:03:28. > :03:35.Boxing Day shows, the investigators have done little to dent numbers.
:03:36. > :03:38.People may be confused from time to time, but the bottom line is they
:03:39. > :03:42.have been operating for a long time now under this law and they have
:03:43. > :03:50.been a tiny number of cases where the hundreds have even gone to
:03:51. > :03:56.court, never mind being infected. We asked them to speak to us about
:03:57. > :04:08.allegations and we also asked to attend a hunt, but they all declined
:04:09. > :04:11.our request. Exact figures that relate specifically to fox hunting
:04:12. > :04:14.aren't readily available. But when it comes to the Hunting Act in
:04:15. > :04:17.general, Humberside Police boast the second highest prosecution rate in
:04:18. > :04:19.the country. But Lincolnshire Police told us although they will
:04:20. > :04:22.investigate allegations of illegal activity ` they don't regularly
:04:23. > :04:25.monitor hunts. And whilst that is happening, Paul will not give up.
:04:26. > :04:29.Just let us know when they are coming our way. We have been out
:04:30. > :04:36.here waiting for quite a few hours already, waiting for a hunts to go
:04:37. > :04:40.past that he has intelligence on. They have ten investigators working
:04:41. > :04:44.seven days a week. Paul suspects a lone rider spots him ` and warns
:04:45. > :04:47.others of his hide`out. The hunt's usual route is changed. And he's on
:04:48. > :04:53.the move again. It's a tense situation. The monitors say their
:04:54. > :05:00.aim is to stop animal cruelty. The huntsmen insist they operate within
:05:01. > :05:07.the law. Many in favour of hunting have told
:05:08. > :05:18.us they see the Act as an attack on countryside traditions. They want it
:05:19. > :05:22.repealed ` so that can once again hunt in peace. Not something the
:05:23. > :05:25.monitors are likely to let happen. Earlier, I spoke to Jim Barrington
:05:26. > :05:28.who is from the Countryside Alliance and asked him why some hunts are
:05:29. > :05:31.disregarding the law. I am not sure that they are. The trouble is people
:05:32. > :05:36.don't understand the Hunting Act. Police say it is badly drafted and a
:05:37. > :05:39.nightmare to enforce, so a lot of people who see hundreds
:05:40. > :05:46.automatically think they are breaking the law, but the vast
:05:47. > :05:51.majority are not. If they are doing nothing wrong, why did every hunt in
:05:52. > :05:56.our area refused to let us film or a doctor was in an interview? That is
:05:57. > :06:01.a matter for them, but the problem is they feel threatened, they feel
:06:02. > :06:09.they have monitors out on their backs. You cannot always judge that
:06:10. > :06:16.evidence. But you don't have a problem with the hunt monitors?
:06:17. > :06:24.If they were unbiased, but the vast majority of them are biased. I don't
:06:25. > :06:28.think it is a matter for a charity to enforce the law. People think
:06:29. > :06:35.hunts are breaking the law, then let's have good, sound evidence. The
:06:36. > :06:46.problem is the Hunting Act creates technical problems. Which accept
:06:47. > :06:54.hunting is still going on and you don't want us to see it, because it
:06:55. > :07:00.is a rich man's sport. I don't go hunting, I am from the animal
:07:01. > :07:08.welfare side of wings. I wish people would read the Hunting Act. Its
:07:09. > :07:15.changes the use of dogs, it doesn't ban it completely. You once
:07:16. > :07:22.described hunting is barbaric and bloodthirsty. Nothing has changed,
:07:23. > :07:25.has it? That is what I said at the time, because I didn't understand
:07:26. > :07:32.it. I went out and saw it and saw the alternatives. I know the use of
:07:33. > :07:37.scenting dogs is a unique process and should never have been banned.
:07:38. > :07:45.If we want to address cruelty, we should look at genuine cruelty,
:07:46. > :07:49.based on genuine evidence. Would you support a change in the law? Should
:07:50. > :07:52.it be down to animal welfare groups to monitor hunts? Or should the
:07:53. > :08:15.countryside be left to police itself?
:08:16. > :08:19.And this week's Sunday Politics will be debating whether the hunting ban
:08:20. > :08:35.has become unenforceable. That's from 11am on BBC One. A couple from
:08:36. > :08:38.Grimsby have been jailed for nine years after stealing almost half a
:08:39. > :08:43.million pounds from compensation money for their own disabled
:08:44. > :08:46.daughter. Cathy Watson was sentenced to five and a half years and her
:08:47. > :08:49.ex`husband Robert Hills was given three years and four months by a
:08:50. > :08:52.judge at Doncaster Crown Court. Their daughter had been awarded ?2.6
:08:53. > :08:56.million after suffering brain damage at birth ` the money was to be spent
:08:57. > :09:00.on her care. A young woman who was found dead at
:09:01. > :09:03.a house in Sleaford has been named as 21`year`old Emma Crossman. Her
:09:04. > :09:06.body was found on Tuesday at a house in Leicester Street by police. A
:09:07. > :09:22.woman has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of
:09:23. > :09:25.assisting a suicide. Thousands of US military personnel
:09:26. > :09:27.have been at a memorial service for four of their inner men who were
:09:28. > :09:34.killed when their helicopter came down choosing a training mission.
:09:35. > :09:40.The investigation is being led by the United States Air Force.
:09:41. > :09:43.A woman whose brother was killed in Afghanistan has today been found not
:09:44. > :09:46.guilty of causing the death of her sister in a car crash in East
:09:47. > :09:49.Yorkshire. Rosie`Ann Stone was driving in a separate vehicle to her
:09:50. > :09:55.sister Jennie when the crash happened in February. The jury at
:09:56. > :09:58.Hull Crown Court cleared her of causing death by careless driving.
:09:59. > :10:08.The Crown Prosecution Service has defended its decision to prosecute
:10:09. > :10:12.the case. Leanne Brown reports. A family struck by tragedy ` but
:10:13. > :10:15.today their latest ordeal was over as Rosie`Ann Stone walked away from
:10:16. > :10:19.court cleared of causing the death of her sister. It was on the 18th
:10:20. > :10:22.February last year when Jennie Stone died on the A165 Bridlington Road in
:10:23. > :10:25.East Yorkshire. Both sisters were trying to overtake a lorry in
:10:26. > :10:32.separate cars when they collided ` Jennie lost control and hit a tree
:10:33. > :10:35.which killed her. The accident happened just eight months after
:10:36. > :10:40.their brother Private Greg Stone was shot by the Taliban in Helmand
:10:41. > :10:57.Province. The jury of six men and six women took four hours to return
:10:58. > :11:00.their verdict. At the earliest opportunity, Rosie and ran to her
:11:01. > :11:08.family, who all then burst into tears. At the end of the trial Judge
:11:09. > :11:12.Simon Jack said, "I have expressed concern to the CPS as to whether it
:11:13. > :11:16.was in the public interest to have a trial. The CPS were insistent and it
:11:17. > :11:19.was their decision, not mine." Outside court the police said all
:11:20. > :11:27.accidents are investigated in the same way. The circumstances of this
:11:28. > :11:30.case make it infinitely more tragic and extremely unusual, but with
:11:31. > :11:39.every that Halliday on the road, we have two in their stick frilly,
:11:40. > :11:43.preparing a report and submitting it to the Crown Prosecution Service,
:11:44. > :11:45.who will make a decision will stop And the Crown Prosecution Service
:11:46. > :11:48.released a statement, which said, '"This was a very difficult
:11:49. > :11:51.decision, but weighing up all the considerations we concluded that, on
:11:52. > :11:53.balance, the public interest factors tending towards prosecution,
:11:54. > :11:56.outweighed those tending against. We therefore decided it was in the
:11:57. > :12:08.public interest to charge Rosie`Ann Stone and for the court to decide on
:12:09. > :12:32.her culpability." And today she was cleared of any wrong doing.
:12:33. > :12:42.Still ahead tonight: Why paranormal investigators have been brought to
:12:43. > :12:47.this shop! If you take a good photograph over
:12:48. > :12:56.the weekend, send it in. Tonight's is a stunner.
:12:57. > :13:09.It seems very mild today, let's get the forecast.
:13:10. > :13:20.There will be rain at times on Saturday and a fair bit of cloud.
:13:21. > :13:25.What is the bigger picture? A cold front through the evening means it
:13:26. > :13:33.will turn pressure and brighter on Sunday. We have had a fair amount of
:13:34. > :13:45.dry weather, but there have been a few showers. Overnight tonight, we
:13:46. > :13:49.will be largely dry. There could be a little mist and fog forming,
:13:50. > :13:56.temperatures dropping to four or five degrees. Tomorrow morning, the
:13:57. > :14:09.sun will rise at eight minutes past eight in the morning. Tomorrow
:14:10. > :14:14.morning, looking out for that rain. Into the afternoon, yes, there is a
:14:15. > :14:23.rare amount of cloud, but plenty of us will be dry. Still relatively
:14:24. > :14:35.mild getting up to around eight degrees. A cold front tracks over
:14:36. > :14:42.from the West, so it will be wet going into Sunday. Rain will clear
:14:43. > :14:51.and it should brighten quite nicely. A fresher feel to the day.
:14:52. > :14:52.The start of next week will be fairly cloudy with temperatures
:14:53. > :15:02.around six degrees. It's a game that's enjoyed by
:15:03. > :15:05.millions of people across the country on a weekly basis ` but the
:15:06. > :15:09.people who run bingo halls say they're paying too much tax. They
:15:10. > :15:12.want a cut to bring them in line with bookmakers and the lottery. The
:15:13. > :15:16.Bingo Association says the move would create jobs and help revive
:15:17. > :15:19.the industry. Tolu Adeoye is at a bingo club in Bridlington ` why does
:15:20. > :15:31.the industry think the amount they pay in tax is unfair? This is a
:15:32. > :15:38.multi`million pound industry employing more than 15,000 people.
:15:39. > :15:45.Many of them feel jobs going clubs are closing because of the amount
:15:46. > :15:49.taxpayer paying. `` tax they are paying. It's a game that's been
:15:50. > :16:00.enjoyed across Britain for generations. These sisters have been
:16:01. > :16:05.playing for decades. We're both Windows, so it is great to have a
:16:06. > :16:12.place to go and meet people and have fun, maybe earn a little money.
:16:13. > :16:17.There is not a lot to do for our age group. A teacher out of the house,
:16:18. > :16:26.keeps your brain occupied, keeps you young. But the group that represents
:16:27. > :16:29.bingo companies says the Government needs to help revive a struggling
:16:30. > :16:33.industry. Profits made by bingo companies are taxed at 20%. The
:16:34. > :16:36.Bingo Association wants that cut to 15% ` bringing it in line with
:16:37. > :16:40.bookmakers They claim that will make the Government an extra ?10 million
:16:41. > :16:43.a year and stop one bingo hall closing a week. It would mean we
:16:44. > :16:49.could reinvest in the building, the staff, the clubs, reinvest in
:16:50. > :16:53.training and refurbishing. A group of 54 MPs ` including Greg Knight
:16:54. > :16:56.and Diana Johnson ` are visiting bingo halls to look at the matter.
:16:57. > :17:07.The Government says its priority is to close the budget deficit. I
:17:08. > :17:12.mentioned in my report that some MPs are visiting their local bingo halls
:17:13. > :17:21.to see what is going on and wireless industry should extra help. I do you
:17:22. > :17:28.feel about the fight to bring tax down? Bingo is a national
:17:29. > :17:35.institution. 1.5 million people play bingo every week in Britain and it
:17:36. > :17:40.seems unfair that it is taxed at 20% when other forms of gambling are
:17:41. > :17:48.taxed at 15%. How likely is it the government will look at this now and
:17:49. > :17:55.reduce the tax Western Mac the Chancellor is going to look at the
:17:56. > :18:02.area and that is a good chance he will look at this tax. The revenue
:18:03. > :18:14.could go up, because more people would play.
:18:15. > :18:17.A former Lincoln City footballer has been charged as part of an
:18:18. > :18:20.investigation into alleged match fixing. Moses Swaibu, who played for
:18:21. > :18:24.the Imps between 2008 and 2011, is accused of conspiracy to defraud. He
:18:25. > :18:52.scored three goals in his 78 games with Lincoln City.
:18:53. > :18:58.People in Hull at being asked to sign up to a campaign to improve the
:18:59. > :19:01.city's help. The council wants people to cut the amount of sugar
:19:02. > :19:06.and fat in their meals. We are trying to engage with children and
:19:07. > :19:10.families to think about the things they eat every day, the things they
:19:11. > :19:23.do every day and make very small changes. Increasing more healthily,
:19:24. > :19:26.increasing activity stop. There's been a strong response from
:19:27. > :19:29.you to Lord Prescott's claims that Hull City fans shouldn't oppose
:19:30. > :19:33.plans to change the club's name. Owner Assem Allam wants the club to
:19:34. > :19:37.be called Hull Tigers and has threatened to leave if the FA fails
:19:38. > :19:40.to back his proposal. There is some support for Assem Allam's point of
:19:41. > :19:43.view. Jason in Hull says, "It doesn't matter a jot what the team
:19:44. > :19:47.is called. The heritage will always be there. I agree with Lord
:19:48. > :19:53.Prescott. Keep them flying high and support the business plan as well as
:19:54. > :19:56.the sport." Darren from Hull doesn't agree with Lord Prescott, saying,
:19:57. > :20:00."After having spent so many years as an MP for Hull, I'm astounded he's
:20:01. > :20:03.still so out of touch with the people of Hull." Steve in Hull backs
:20:04. > :20:07.the club's owner saying, "These fools, who are living in the past
:20:08. > :20:11.and potentially may cause Allam to walk, should ask themselves are they
:20:12. > :20:15.able to fund the club to the same level? If the answer is no then they
:20:16. > :20:18.need to shut up and accept the change!" And the club have confirmed
:20:19. > :20:22.the signing of West Bromwich Albion striker Shane Long. He agreed a deal
:20:23. > :20:25.with the Tigers this morning and joins Nikitsa Yelavich at the club
:20:26. > :20:29.after his move from Everton. Both new signings could play at Norwich
:20:30. > :20:41.tomorrow ` a side that Hull manager Steve Bruce has fond memories of,
:20:42. > :20:48.from his playing career. They gave me my chance, Norwich, to go on and
:20:49. > :20:51.have the career I have had. I had a wonderful three and a half years
:20:52. > :20:57.there as a young player, had my family there. BBC Radio Humberside
:20:58. > :21:06.will have full coverage of Hull City's trip to Norwich tomorrow. It
:21:07. > :21:12.will be live on their FM frequency with the build up starting at 1.30.
:21:13. > :21:16.Scunthorpe United against Wimbledon will be on AM from three o clock.
:21:17. > :21:20.Grimsby Town's home match against Gateshead will be on Digital and
:21:21. > :21:23.Online. And BBC Radio Lincolnshire will have commentary as Lincoln City
:21:24. > :21:27.meet Braintree They're currently one of the best teams in British ice
:21:28. > :21:30.hockey and can make it six games without defeat tomorrow ` but the
:21:31. > :21:40.Hull Stingrays have spent much of the day showing off their softer
:21:41. > :21:43.side. The team, which is enjoying its best even run in the sport's
:21:44. > :21:46.Elite League, have been teaching primary school pupils all about
:21:47. > :21:58.their game. Our sports reporter Simon Clark went along.
:21:59. > :22:02.Games lessons, normally taken by a teacher, but that this primary
:22:03. > :22:08.school, a couple of international sports stars are giving instruction
:22:09. > :22:15.on ice hockey. There is no ice, so they adapt. Two of the Stingrays are
:22:16. > :22:24.doing great things on the ice this season. The club is in its highest
:22:25. > :22:30.position to date. We always thought we had a good team, but now in the
:22:31. > :22:42.past to three weeks, it is going really well. That is what makes it
:22:43. > :22:55.fun so far. The drills continue. This is part of a six`week programme
:22:56. > :23:04.of coaching being ruled out in 30 schools. I would like to play more
:23:05. > :23:11.if I could. We have had a lot of fun playing it. We have had tournaments
:23:12. > :23:19.and different kinds of matches to play. Marvellous to see so many
:23:20. > :23:27.children playing their sports and unusually for this area, a variant
:23:28. > :23:35.of ice hockey. It is really fun to see the children smiling and having
:23:36. > :23:39.a good time outside, exercising. Hopefully they will love it and they
:23:40. > :23:43.will tell their friends and everybody will know about ice
:23:44. > :23:49.hockey. The players are back on the ice tomorrow hoping for their
:23:50. > :23:52.six`game unbeaten. A fancy dress shop in Scunthorpe has called in
:23:53. > :23:53.paranormal investigators after claiming it's being haunted by
:23:54. > :23:57.ghosts. The owner says there's been years of
:23:58. > :24:00.strange events and that he's got video of events he just cannot
:24:01. > :24:18.explain. Simon Spark has been to find out more.
:24:19. > :24:22.I am carrying these fancy dress costumes and I put them on the floor
:24:23. > :24:27.with the intention of putting the fancy dress costumes up there. And I
:24:28. > :24:32.look this way, because I feel like the front door is about to open. And
:24:33. > :24:46.then I hear a few more things going on over here. And this inflatable
:24:47. > :24:53.Princess, she falls off onto the floor, so that's me, I made my exit
:24:54. > :24:56.and I have an early lunch break. What was it that caused costumes to
:24:57. > :24:59.glide across the floor and inflatable princesses to fall down
:25:00. > :25:02.in Matthew Stephenson's shop on Monday afternoon? Could it just be
:25:03. > :25:06.an elaborate hoax with a bit of fishing wire? Well, Andrew Kilbee
:25:07. > :25:13.from Paranormal Lincs has had a look and doesn't think so. It is
:25:14. > :25:18.impossible, totally impossible to use a bit of string in this
:25:19. > :25:23.situation. The way the items on the floor move, pulling on a bit of
:25:24. > :25:29.string, they would've gone off at an angle. In order to get the items to
:25:30. > :25:35.move straight, they would have to be pulling from inside the wall. Then
:25:36. > :25:47.there are the friends who've braved a night there. Stuff flying off the
:25:48. > :25:50.shelves, creaky noises. So now there'll be a full paranormal
:25:51. > :26:01.investigation, hoping to answer so many mysterious questions. Like
:26:02. > :26:08.where did this woman's hand come from? Simon Spark ` BBC Look North,
:26:09. > :26:12.Scunthorpe. If you have a story you think we
:26:13. > :26:20.should know about, send us an e`mail and give us a telephone number, and
:26:21. > :26:23.we may send our cameras. Let's get a recap of the national and regional
:26:24. > :26:26.headlines. The hunt for a three`year`old ` police say he may
:26:27. > :26:28.be missing following a criminal act. Anti`foxhunting investigators say
:26:29. > :26:31.some hunts are openly breaking the law and subjecting foxes to extreme
:26:32. > :26:34.cruelty. Tomorrow's weather: Rain at first. Turning drier and brighter.
:26:35. > :26:45.More rain towards the evening. Highs of 7C.
:26:46. > :26:54.On the subject of fox hunting, or one viewer says, it is simple, ban
:26:55. > :26:58.fox hunting. Another view it said, haven't people anything better to do
:26:59. > :27:05.than hunt innocent boxes? Another person says, I totally agree with
:27:06. > :27:11.the countryside Alliance. They are being monitored by a biased group of
:27:12. > :27:17.fanatics. Changing the law would not make any difference. Neill says,
:27:18. > :27:21.boxes are a pest and should be treated as such. A lot of these
:27:22. > :27:29.animal rights people are fanatics and cannot be taken seriously. If
:27:30. > :27:40.the law is badly drafted, surely there is room for changing it.
:27:41. > :27:43.One viewer said, Mr Barrington was sensible and reasonable and has
:27:44. > :27:52.clearly thought it through. That's all from us for now. Goodbye.