:00:05. > :00:09.In tonight's headlines. A four-year jail sentence for the
:00:09. > :00:18.detective who harassed vulnerable women for sex. We do feel quite
:00:18. > :00:21.annoyed, angered, dismayed. This is somebody who has let everybody down.
:00:21. > :00:24.Praise for members of the public after two police officers are
:00:24. > :00:27.attacked. A four-year ban for racehorse
:00:27. > :00:33.trainer Howard Johnson. He's found guilty of doping and welfare
:00:33. > :00:37.offences. And a hero's welcome for the
:00:37. > :00:42.Geordie runner who made it across the States. He has made us laugh,
:00:42. > :00:48.he has made us cry, he has made us happy for him. We are very proud of
:00:48. > :00:51.him. And so he should be. In sport, the wait is nearly over
:00:51. > :01:01.for Sunderland and Newcastle fans, but will they be celebrating on
:01:01. > :01:08.
:01:08. > :01:11.Saturday as the Premier League A police officer from Cumbria is in
:01:11. > :01:14.prison tonight after harrassing vulnerable women he wanted to have
:01:14. > :01:21.sex with. Detective Constable Mark Fisher was jailed for four years
:01:21. > :01:24.after he used a police computer to track the women down. The Deputy
:01:24. > :01:28.Chief Constable of Cumbria Police said that Fisher's colleagues were
:01:28. > :01:32.dismayed and angered by his actions. Damian O'Neil reports.
:01:32. > :01:35.DC Mark Fisher faced 8 charges of misconduct in public office and was
:01:35. > :01:38.found guilty of five. He used a police computer to find out
:01:38. > :01:42.confidential information about women, some of whom he went on to
:01:42. > :01:51.have sex with. In one instance, he offered to settle a drug debt for a
:01:51. > :01:54.woman if she agreed to sleep with him. The trial has cast a shadow
:01:54. > :01:59.over the Cumbrian police force. do feel quite annoyed, angered,
:01:59. > :02:03.dismayed. All those sort of things come to mind. This is somebody who
:02:03. > :02:07.has let everybody down. He has let himself down, he has let his family
:02:07. > :02:10.down, he has let the people of Cumbria down. They give us a lot of
:02:10. > :02:13.trust, they expect us to behave properly, they allow us to do
:02:13. > :02:20.things that normal citizens cannot do and Mark Fisher has abused his
:02:20. > :02:24.position in a very cynical way. As a consequence, he will be
:02:24. > :02:28.imprisoned for four years. He is paying a heavy price. It is a very
:02:28. > :02:31.heavy sentence for somebody in his position. Go back a few years and
:02:31. > :02:39.he was a very good detective. But of recent, he has changed his way
:02:39. > :02:42.of working. He has abused people, he has put people in a position
:02:42. > :02:47.where he can take control of them and he has had to face the
:02:47. > :02:52.consequences now. The judge told Mark Fisher that he had taken into
:02:52. > :03:01.account his good character, his many years a police service and the
:03:01. > :03:10.fact that his life was now in ruins. But he said that Mark Fisher was a
:03:10. > :03:13.disgrace to the office which he had held.
:03:13. > :03:16.Another blow for our beleaguered police. Tonight, two officers are
:03:16. > :03:19.being treated after being stabbed by a man in Darlington. It happened
:03:19. > :03:23.in Gurney Street near the town centre. But as our Chief Reporter
:03:23. > :03:28.Chris Stewart found out, this was a tale that also brought the police a
:03:28. > :03:32.welcome reaction from the public. Tonight, the police were still on
:03:32. > :03:35.the scene asking about something that could have been tragically
:03:35. > :03:38.wrong -- could have gone tragically wrong.
:03:38. > :03:42.A suspect turned on two police officers. He had a blade. He
:03:42. > :03:44.stabbed one officer in the arm, the other in the head. As the officers
:03:44. > :03:48.struggled to subdue him, passers-by intervened. I am pleased to say
:03:48. > :03:55.that members of the public came to the assistance of the police
:03:55. > :04:01.officers. With a persistence, the officers managed to restrain this
:04:01. > :04:05.individual. In this week of all weeks, it is pretty heartening.
:04:05. > :04:09.is, but it is no surprise at all. It has happened to me and to most
:04:09. > :04:19.of my officers. Members of the public have come to their
:04:19. > :04:21.
:04:21. > :04:24.assistance. It is heartening and make it long continue.
:04:24. > :04:27.Tonight, a 22-year-old man is in custody. The officers attacked here
:04:27. > :04:30.were not seriously hurt and say they are looking forward to being
:04:30. > :04:32.back on duty as soon as possible. Chris Stewart, Darlington.
:04:32. > :04:35.One of the North's best known racehorse trainers intends to
:04:35. > :04:38.retire after he was banned from racing for four years. Howard
:04:38. > :04:41.Johnson, who is based in County Durham, was found guilty of doping
:04:41. > :04:45.and welfare offences by the British Horse Racing Board. It found he ran
:04:45. > :04:47.a horse in eight races after its legs were cut so it could run
:04:47. > :04:52.through the pain barrier. Our Correspondent Mark Denten is
:04:52. > :04:56.outside Mr Johnson's stables near Crook and joins us now.
:04:56. > :05:02.These are the stables of Howard Johnson, all is quiet tonight. You
:05:02. > :05:06.can understand that because it seems that it is the end of the
:05:06. > :05:13.road for one Howard Johnson has been in the sport for 25 years and
:05:13. > :05:18.won some of the major events. But he has been banned for four years
:05:18. > :05:26.and he as indicated that he will retire. The heart of the story is a
:05:26. > :05:32.horse called Striking Article which had been run in eight races when it
:05:32. > :05:36.the nerves in his left leg had been severed. This is a procedure
:05:36. > :05:41.against the Horseracing Board's rules and is designed to get
:05:41. > :05:44.animals through the pain barrier. The board said that Howard Johnson
:05:44. > :05:49.had a reckless disregard of the rules of welfare and would not be
:05:49. > :05:54.tolerated. What has Howard Johnson had to say
:05:54. > :05:58.this afternoon? He has not spoken in an interview.
:05:58. > :06:07.He has promised a statement next week. But he has said he will not
:06:07. > :06:11.be appealing. He says he has done nothing wrong. This is him arriving
:06:11. > :06:15.at the hearing last month. He has been insisting all along that he
:06:15. > :06:21.did not know that he had broken any rules or done anything wrong. But
:06:21. > :06:26.tonight, he is banned from racing for four years and from every
:06:26. > :06:32.racecourse in the world. That is a huge banner. What is the
:06:32. > :06:39.reaction locally? Yes, racing is a big industry in
:06:39. > :06:48.this part of County Durham. We got the views of some punters.
:06:48. > :06:57.deserves it, abusing horses like that. What chance as a punter got?
:06:57. > :07:03.It is going wrong all the time. am sorry the staff will lose their
:07:03. > :07:07.jobs. What does it mean for this area? It is a disaster, there is no
:07:07. > :07:12.word here to start with. We expect Howard Johnson to give his side of
:07:12. > :07:22.the story next week, but for now, one of the biggest names in the
:07:22. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:30.racing industry and the North seems to have ended his career.
:07:30. > :07:32.A woman has been arrested on Tyneside for allegedly posting
:07:32. > :07:35.messages on social networking sites encouraging people to cause trouble.
:07:35. > :07:38.The 21-year-old woman from Hebburn was arrested for inciting others to
:07:38. > :07:39.commit disorder and has been released on bail pending further
:07:39. > :07:43.inquires. The Thai steel company SSI has
:07:43. > :07:45.revealed the date it hopes to start making steel again on Teesside. It
:07:45. > :07:52.recently took over the mothballed plant and blast furnace at Redcar
:07:52. > :07:55.from Tata, where 1,600 people lost their jobs. But the new owner now
:07:55. > :07:58.plans an early Christmas present for the area. Our Business
:07:58. > :08:01.Correspondent, Ian Reeve, reports. Idle now, but these contractors
:08:01. > :08:08.working on bringing the blast furnace back on line now know when
:08:08. > :08:16.it has to be making steel again. December 8th is the target date,
:08:16. > :08:23.just over four months away. We live with that kind of sword hanging
:08:23. > :08:29.over ahead, but the date is what we have to work to. It is the start of
:08:29. > :08:33.the process. There are many things that can get in the way of that
:08:33. > :08:36.date but we know when them. Meanwhile, recruitment at SSI goes
:08:36. > :08:40.on as the company builds itself up from scratch. And it's not over the
:08:40. > :08:47.top to say there's a real buzz about the steelworks, a sense of a
:08:47. > :08:55.positive future. There certainly is a feel-good factor on the site. The
:08:55. > :09:01.hardships that we have gone through recently seem far away. We have
:09:01. > :09:07.seen a lot of work on the site in preparation for 8th December.
:09:07. > :09:15.company say that the start date might slip. There is no shortage of
:09:15. > :09:21.people who want to work for SSI. 6700 people have expressed an
:09:21. > :09:24.interest are the jobs on offer. 2500 have made a firm application.
:09:24. > :09:26.And the enthusiasm for SSI from Teessiders appears to be a two-way
:09:26. > :09:36.street. These billboards have sprung up all across Teesside, an
:09:36. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:41.apparent commitment to a long-term A man from County Durham has
:09:41. > :09:44.described the moment when a teenager held a gun to his head in
:09:44. > :09:47.an attempt to steal his sandwich. 51-year-old Garry Bell was on his
:09:47. > :09:51.way to work on Sunday night in Bishop Auckland when a young man
:09:51. > :09:59.tried to grab his carrier bag. He hung onto the bag and the teenager
:09:59. > :10:06.got away. Adele Robinson reports. He does put the gun here. He
:10:06. > :10:09.pressed it against my temple. It was a couple of inches away.
:10:09. > :10:14.For Garry, a usually uneventful walk to work last Sunday evening
:10:14. > :10:17.resulted in a gun being held to his head. It was just after 9.30, on
:10:17. > :10:27.his way to start a nightshift, when Garry came across a teenager on the
:10:27. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:40.A688 road. He asked what was in the back. I told him. He pulled a gun
:10:40. > :10:40.
:10:40. > :10:43.out. He put it to my temple. I shouted at him and I swore at him.
:10:43. > :10:46.Garry believes the teenager was under the influence of drink or
:10:46. > :10:53.drugs. He says that by simply walking away, it may have saved his
:10:53. > :10:58.life. I do not know if it was a real gun. If I had reacted, it
:10:58. > :11:02.could have gone off. He might have got nervous.
:11:02. > :11:12.And all for what was in the bag - a cheese and onion sandwich, a packet
:11:12. > :11:14.
:11:14. > :11:20.of crisps and a bottle of pop. did this to be on a busy main road.
:11:20. > :11:24.-- to me. Next time, someone might not be as lucky as I am.
:11:24. > :11:26.Police are investigating and Garry says he has been told they are
:11:26. > :11:28.looking at nearby CCTV to hopefully catch the robber. Garry though
:11:28. > :11:38.remains philosophical about his experience. Being a believer in
:11:38. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:43.fate, if that is going to happen, it is going to happen.
:11:43. > :11:46.He ran more than 3,000 miles across the USA and, today, the Geordie
:11:46. > :11:48.runner flew home to a hero's welcome. Mark Allison trekked from
:11:48. > :11:55.California to New York through deserts and sweltering temperatures,
:11:55. > :11:59.all for charity. And though he says his feet are killing him, he is
:11:59. > :12:09.already planning his next run. Peter Harris went to meet him.
:12:09. > :12:14.A cheer, a hug - this hero's welcome was earned the hard way.
:12:14. > :12:19.What a welcome. So many people. I feel famous. My feet are run a bad
:12:19. > :12:29.state. There was a heatwave towards the end of the run at my feet
:12:29. > :12:29.
:12:29. > :12:32.swelled up pretty badly. There are blisters there.
:12:32. > :12:35.So vast was the distance Mark ran across the US that he has been
:12:36. > :12:45.through snow and 115 degree heat. And then this week - the finish
:12:46. > :12:48.
:12:48. > :12:58.line. Coney Island. 3,000 miles in It is the Atlantic. 100 days.
:12:58. > :13:01.
:13:01. > :13:06.Brilliant. I cannot believe it. It is all over. All over. Very, very,
:13:06. > :13:12.very proud. I cannot describe how proud I am of them. He has done
:13:12. > :13:22.something that no one could ever do. He has made us proud, he has made
:13:22. > :13:32.us cry, he has made us laugh. has raised almost �80,000 for St
:13:32. > :13:34.
:13:34. > :13:39.Benedict's Hospice where his mother was cared for. But here or not, his
:13:39. > :13:49.wife will bring him back to earth. When he gets home, there are jobs
:13:49. > :14:04.
:14:04. > :14:07.waiting for him. Deserves a cheer tomorrow at St
:14:07. > :14:10.James's. And still to come tonight. Previews
:14:10. > :14:20.of the weekend's two big games. Plus Joe McElderry pops in to tell
:14:20. > :14:23.us why it's good to be home. It's the date that will put certain
:14:23. > :14:26.birds into a bit of a flap. The so- called Glorious Twelfth. Today
:14:26. > :14:29.marks the start of the grouse shooting season, which means four
:14:29. > :14:31.months of a sport that brings millions of pounds into our rural
:14:31. > :14:37.economy, as Olivia Richwald reports. The elusive and exclusive wild red
:14:37. > :14:42.grouse. These words are worth �22 billion to Yorkshire's economy.
:14:42. > :14:46.They are known as the ultimate shooting bird, and the price of
:14:46. > :14:50.this board reflects that. Each shooter will pay about �2,000 for a
:14:50. > :14:59.day out on the moor. They contribute towards the preservation
:14:59. > :15:06.of the moor. They are worth a lot of money to associated businesses.
:15:06. > :15:10.The Yorkshire Dales has some of the best gross grounds. Every year,
:15:10. > :15:18.wealthy tourists come to Yorkshire to take part. They need places to
:15:18. > :15:24.stay, eat and shop. This is his first grouse season. He is taking
:15:24. > :15:29.some practice at a clay pigeon shooting centre. We went to York,
:15:29. > :15:38.we went fishing, we went to see lots of things. A as with most
:15:38. > :15:42.country sports, etiquette is very important. This shock turned over a
:15:42. > :15:48.quarter of a million pounds last year thanks in part to the Kate
:15:48. > :15:52.Middleton effect. This year has been very tough, so it is very
:15:52. > :15:56.important to us that we have a good shooting season. We specialise in
:15:56. > :16:01.shooting and last year was a record year for grouse shooting and we had
:16:01. > :16:05.the benefit of it. Grouse shooting is still controversial and there
:16:05. > :16:15.are some who want all bloodsports to be banned. But for many others
:16:15. > :16:19.
:16:19. > :16:22.in Yorkshire, it is a vital part of a fragile you rural economy.
:16:22. > :16:25.Now, he's one of the best-known faces and voices on the current
:16:25. > :16:28.music scene. X-Factor champ, the winner of Popstar to Operastar. And
:16:28. > :16:31.now he's about to release a new album of classic songs. But South
:16:31. > :16:34.Shields' finest - Joe McElderry - found himself caught up in the
:16:34. > :16:37.riots this week. He was in Hackney filming the video to accompany his
:16:37. > :16:41.new single when the violence began there. Which could not have been
:16:41. > :16:46.much fun? It was quite scary to see it, not on the television, but at
:16:46. > :16:51.first hand. We are not used to that. Could you hear it? Yes, you could.
:16:51. > :16:58.You could hear the banging, the helicopters, see the smoke from the
:16:58. > :17:02.cards. What do you do? We carried on. We had a contingency plan that
:17:02. > :17:07.if it got any closer, we would have to leave. You could hear it getting
:17:07. > :17:15.closer, but then they moved away and went somewhere else. This video
:17:15. > :17:25.is all part of a new album. You are just tried to find an issue that
:17:25. > :17:26.
:17:26. > :17:31.you enjoy? -- our nation. This is similar to what we did on X Factor.
:17:31. > :17:35.It is all the big songs. Just a different slant on them. Is this a
:17:35. > :17:43.bit of a mood of way from pop music? There are still some pop
:17:43. > :17:53.ballads on there. People would still classify them as a pop
:17:53. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :18:05.ballads. You new label, what happened with Simon Cowell? Is he
:18:05. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:11.still a mate of yours? Yes, I am now signed up to universal. Are you
:18:11. > :18:19.still friends with them? Yes, definitely. It is down to Simon
:18:19. > :18:23.Cowell but I got the platform one X Factor. When this better way, it
:18:23. > :18:31.was nothing vicious. It was made out to be like that, but it was not
:18:32. > :18:36.like that. I am back for for the opportunities I have been given.
:18:36. > :18:43.Are you glad to be home, away from the riots? I love coming home,
:18:43. > :18:52.going out with my friends and family. It is great to come back
:18:52. > :18:58.home. What a nice land. -- a nice lad.
:18:58. > :19:01.Good luck to him and a tour football teams.
:19:01. > :19:03.The eagerly awaited opening game of the season sees Sunderland pitched
:19:04. > :19:06.against a transformed Liverpool side expected to be in serious
:19:06. > :19:09.contention for Europe. Among their expensively assembled squad will be
:19:09. > :19:19.former Black Cats' star Jordan Henderson, the first time he will
:19:19. > :19:20.
:19:20. > :19:26.play against his home town club. The Liverpool fixture has brought
:19:26. > :19:30.controversy in recent seasons. Who can forget the infamous beach ball
:19:30. > :19:40.into 1009 of the refereeing decisions last season that upset
:19:40. > :19:43.
:19:43. > :19:49.manager Steve Bruce? -- in at 2009. The penalty awarded for a foul
:19:49. > :19:53.outside the box. There have been lots of incidents. But I hope to
:19:53. > :19:57.give a good account of or sells. We could not have wished for a more
:19:57. > :20:00.difficult start, but it is upon us. Sunderland are a much changed squad
:20:00. > :20:03.with 10 arrivals and about half a dozen departures. Much of the
:20:03. > :20:06.movement paid for by the sale of Jordan Henderson to Liverpool. The
:20:06. > :20:09.midfielder is still an inspiration for Wearside's finest youngsters as
:20:09. > :20:15.they take part in a training camp organised by former Sunderland
:20:15. > :20:23.defender and Middlesbrough coach Martin Scott. Also, instructing the
:20:23. > :20:31.boys is Henderson's former teacher. I think he has made a good choice
:20:31. > :20:35.of Liverpool. I was sad to see them leave, but as his teacher, I hope
:20:35. > :20:45.he does really well. As a Sunderland supporter, I hope he has
:20:45. > :20:54.
:20:54. > :20:57.a good game and Sunderland won. -- Sunderland win.
:20:57. > :21:00.After reaching 10th in May, fans can be forgiven for expecting an
:21:00. > :21:02.even better finish this season. But BBC Newcastle's Sunderland
:21:02. > :21:06.commentator cautions against wild optimism. They have an outside
:21:06. > :21:09.chance of Europe, but I would not like to see supporters raised their
:21:09. > :21:18.expectations are believed the squad is this cord double-takes
:21:18. > :21:21.Sunderland into Europe. -- this squad could take.
:21:21. > :21:26.If Sunderland can win at Anfield, it will be the first time in 28
:21:26. > :21:29.years. Well there could be another
:21:29. > :21:36.familiar face in the line-up at Anfield tomorrow after Jose Enrique
:21:36. > :21:39.today completed his transfer from in a repeat of one of the most
:21:39. > :21:44.exciting games of last season. But it's been a challenging summer for
:21:44. > :21:47.both clubs. Preseason was marred by player
:21:47. > :21:50.unrest, big name departures and even the weather. Last season's
:21:50. > :21:57.top-scorer Kevin Nolan is now at West Ham and Jose Enrique has just
:21:57. > :21:59.joined Liverpool. Both were influential in the Magpies'
:21:59. > :22:07.incredible fightback from 4-0 down against Arsenal last season.
:22:07. > :22:12.Although Alan Pardew insists his new-look side can still impress.
:22:12. > :22:17.We have got a much younger team this year. They should be more
:22:17. > :22:24.energy on the pitch. -- there should be. We do not have the depth
:22:24. > :22:29.of experience, but we hope to make up for that with exuberance. We
:22:29. > :22:33.have made good signings in the summer. We will have new players on
:22:33. > :22:37.the pitch that will impress us. Five new faces have come through
:22:37. > :22:43.the door at St James's and they all have one thing in common. It helps
:22:43. > :22:47.that the majority are all French speaking, they know one another,
:22:47. > :22:51.but there is a question mark over it. To bring in that number of
:22:51. > :22:58.players who are Premier League unknowns is a gamble. If it goes
:22:58. > :23:05.the right way, Newcastle could be the surprise package of this season.
:23:05. > :23:15.I am looking forward to seeing them. It could be what we needed end of
:23:15. > :23:18.it field. We have also got a new winner.
:23:18. > :23:21.Meanwhile Arsenal have had struggles of their own this summer
:23:21. > :23:24.and face losing two of their best players in Samir Nasri and Cesc
:23:24. > :23:31.Fabregas, both of whom have been left out of squad for tomorrow's
:23:31. > :23:37.match. Arsenal are arguably in more turmoil than Newcastle. They are in
:23:37. > :23:41.the process of losing big players. There is pressure on Arsene Wenger.
:23:41. > :23:48.Arsenal Football Club are in danger of dropping out of the top four. I
:23:48. > :23:51.think they are ideal opposition. It is perhaps too much to expect a
:23:51. > :23:53.repeat of last season's incredible 4-4 draw, but with Newcastle United,
:23:53. > :23:56.you never know. The midfielder Julio Arca has re-
:23:56. > :23:59.signed for Middlesbrough in a two year deal. The 30-year-old's
:23:59. > :24:03.previous contract expired in the summer and he had looked likely to
:24:03. > :24:07.leave Teesside after talks broke down last week. The Argentine will
:24:07. > :24:10.now go straight into the squad for Boro's trip to Leeds tomorrow.
:24:10. > :24:17.Elsewhere, in League One, Carlisle will be after their first points
:24:17. > :24:19.and goals of the season when they travel to Bury. Hartlepool will
:24:19. > :24:23.look to bounce back from their Carling Cup defeat to Sheffield
:24:23. > :24:25.United as they take on Walsall at Victoria Park. And as well as the
:24:25. > :24:28.Premier League, the Conference season gets underway this weekend
:24:28. > :24:31.with Darlington, York and Gateshead all hoping to get their campaigns
:24:31. > :24:33.off to a winning start. And don't forget you can follow
:24:33. > :24:39.commentary of all our Premier League and Football League teams
:24:39. > :24:49.throughout the season on your local And of course online on the BBC
:24:49. > :24:54.
:24:54. > :25:03.sport website. And in cricket, after three miserable days, the
:25:03. > :25:13.first innings of the game between Durham and hunts is still going on.
:25:13. > :25:17.
:25:17. > :25:27.It is looking brighter tomorrow. We have got an iced cloudy weather
:25:27. > :25:31.
:25:31. > :25:37.picture send them to us. -- sent in to us. It will feel a lot more like
:25:37. > :25:41.summer tomorrow. But more rainfall over night. It will become patchier
:25:41. > :25:49.in the east, a disappointing night for those of us hoping to see the
:25:49. > :25:54.meteor shower. It is mild overnight, temperatures of 12 or 13 Celsius.
:25:54. > :26:00.It will be a mild start to Saturday. The room was soon clear, leaving
:26:00. > :26:10.sunny spells. It will dry up in the West. -- the rain will it soon
:26:10. > :26:14.
:26:14. > :26:22.clear. Temperatures up to 20 Celsius in part of the North East.
:26:22. > :26:27.Around about 16 or 17 in Cumbria. Westerly winds. Sunday looking very
:26:27. > :26:32.nice as well. Bright skies in the West. It will stay that way for
:26:32. > :26:42.much of Monday and Tuesday. Just isolated showers, nowhere near as
:26:42. > :26:52.heavy or as persistent as recent showers. In the east, some delivers
:26:52. > :26:54.
:26:54. > :27:00.glorious. We could hit 21 Celsius. -- Sunday looks at glorious. And a
:27:00. > :27:04.brooding story of the next few days. It is cloudy tonight, so with the
:27:04. > :27:09.rain and cloud, or we will miss the peak of the year's biggest meteor
:27:09. > :27:15.shower. But Saturday and Sunday night, those skies should clear so
:27:15. > :27:18.look in the opposite direction of the full when. If you have the full
:27:18. > :27:22.moon behind you, look anywhere in the sky and tried to get as far
:27:22. > :27:29.away as you can from street lights and you could see a shooting star,