07/09/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello again and welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight:

I'm not guilty, says the man accused of murdering a pensioner.

Graeme Jarman tells a court he's been set up.

Why police use that taser de Nantes Raoul Moat.

There man who fears time may be running out for getting

compensation for abuse he suffered in a Catholic care home.

We have action from Accrington as the Blues lose their grip on the

Johnstone's Paint Trophy. But we will meet another Olympic Coppell

is up for the fight and dreaming of London 2012.

"I'm innocent and I've been set up." That's what Graeme Jarman told

a court when he appeared for the first time today, charged with

murder. Mr Jarman, from Consett in County Durham, is accused of

killing 77-year-old Judith Richardson. She was found dead at

her home in Hexham in Northumberland last month. Our

correspondent, Mark Denten, was in court today.

Graeme Jarman appeared before Newcastle magistrates for six

minutes. Wearing a blue sweatshirt, a balding, with cropped grey hair,

he spoke confidently when saying his name. Speaking in court, Jarman

said, "I am not guilty of these charges and, as far as I'm

concerned, it is a set-up." He is charged with the murder of

pensioner Judith Richardson at her home in Hexham. She was battered to

death at her home in St Wilfred's Close in the town with a hammer.

Police had called to her house to return her handbag which was found

by a passer-by in a litter bin on Clayton Street in Newcastle. Graeme

Jarman was arrested in Filey on Saturday at a library after a

member of staff called North Yorkshire police. He was questioned

by officers and charged with murder yesterday. Graeme Jarman was

remanded in custody and will appear before Newcastle Crown Court on

21st September. The police have today been

explaining why they fired an unauthorised taser gun in a stand-

off with the fugitive gunman Raoul Moat. An inquest was told that

officers believed it was the best chance of taking him alive, even

though its use had yet to be approved. Moat died last year after

he was cornered by police in the Northumberland town of Rothbury.

Live now to Peter Harris, who has been following the inquest at

Newcastle Crown Court. They wanted to take him alive, that

is the crux of the police case. They thought that any stand-off

Woodend one of two ways - either they would kill -- he would kill

them more he would kill himself. That is why they brought in a taser

gun, even though it had not been authorised yet for use in this

country. They thought it was worth the risk because they thought it

was their best chance, perhaps their only chance, of bringing

Raoul Moat out alive. The shotgun taser. This is the weapon the

police were given as they hunted Raoul Moat. Described as non-lethal,

they thought it was an option to arrest him without him ending up

dead. There was a catch. It had not yet been approved for use in the UK.

The police wanted it anyway. Assistant Chief Constable Steve

Ashman told Moat's inquest they feared Moat would seek a showdown.

The taser, which fires a high- voltage charge, could allow them to

take him alive and bring him to justice. And so he decided to issue

the weapon, even though it was still being tested. Mr Ashman told

the jury: "It might prevent him killing himself or putting us in a

position where we had to kill him." Later it was put to the jury that

the company who supplied the taser was a respected supplier, it was

not, the jury was told, some kind of Arthur Daley operation being

offered off the back of a lorry. The police had been contacted by

Peter Boatman while Moat was on the run, offering the taser shotgun. He

was described in court as a respected figure and a former

police officer. He said they had considered the European Human

Rights Act and Moat's right to life. And so they hired the taser, he

said - unauthorised, but their best chance of taking him alive. Use all

there the assistant Chief Constable. He was questioned by the solicitor

representing Raoul Moat's family. He asked if if it was right to use

the weapon if they were not sure of what the consequences would be. The

officer replied, "we thought it was our only chance of getting Raoul

Moat out alive, bringing him to justice. Therefore, it was worth

the risk." The woman who survived a 60 foot fall from a ferry into the

North Sea says she thought she was going to die. Jeni Anderson spent

up to 30 minutes in the water after falling from a DFDS ferry from

Newcastle to Amsterdam on Monday. She says she kept swimming and

screaming to make sure she was found. The 23-year-old says she

can't remember how she ended up falling from the deck. The ferry

turned around and found her before she was airlifted to safety.

A man who claims he was one of dozens of boys abused at a Catholic

community home in Yorkshire fears he may not live long enough to get

any compensation. Robert Maxwell, from York, lived in the St

William's home in Market Weighton in the Sixties. Legal wrangles are

continuing in the courts, but Mr Maxwell is now battling a terminal

illness. John Cundy reports. St William's College - for 30 years,

for some boys, a home run under her reign of fear or. One headmaster

was found guilty and jailed for 14 years. Robert Maxwell is one of

more than 150 former pupils seeking compensation. But, with terminal

cancer, time is running short for him. The lads did not talk about it

properly. You did not sit and talk about it, but we all knew. This

legal wrangle has already been going on for more than six years

and, even if the Supreme Court rules against the Catholic church

next year, it may be several years beyond that before any compensation

is won by anyone. This solicitor represents all of the complainants.

For this to happen in such a secluded spot with people who were

entirely trusted has been a shocking experience for me. What

are Robert's options now? He can pursue justice right to the very

end, in which case he will not see the end of his case. His relatives

will continue the case to the end. Another option could be for him to

ask for some compassion from the diocese of Middlesbrough and seek

an early settlement of his case before he passes away. I cannot

believe it. They say they have got justice but a lot of them have been

not getting the justice that they deserve. A 60s scandal still

without resolution for many. It's been branded as "a victory for

the Keep Cumbria Boring campaign". Well, that was the reaction today

from one high-profile supporter of proposals for a controversial mile-

long mountain zip wire which were turned down by Lake District

planners. The owners of the Honister Slate Mine near Keswick

wanted to build the daring attraction to attract new, younger

tourists. But members of the National Park Authority said it was

a step too far. Mark McAlindon reports. At 1,200 metre zip wire

was a bold idea, offering, said the orders, adventurer and exciting

experience. But today a majority of members of the Lake District

National Park Authority couldn't bring themselves to approve it,

saying it would destroy the tranquillity of the high fells.

That has provoked bitter disappointment. They can be very

pleased with themselves. It is another example of not really in it

-- engaging with the young Joe debt -- the younger generation are

moving with the times. It is something that you cannot see and

the only sign would be a few people calling out. If it had gone ahead

it would have been the biggest in the northern hemisphere and

comparable only to a wire ride in Sun City, South Africa. Here, its

backers claimed Lake District planners were stuck in the past.

They have hidden behind a policy that was written too long ago. The

majority was written in the 1950s, their newest was right it --

written in the 1970s. How can we live by that now? The world is a

different place. But those who opposed the zip wire said it was

just a step too far in a delicate environment with wider issues at

stake. We have always said that it is a concept we support. -- it can

encompass lots of different things. There are lots of high adrenaline

activities that would attract a wider demographic to the Lake

District. There is room to incorporate these sorts of things

without damaging the environment in such a significant in her --

significant way, like this development would have done.

owners of Honister Slate Mine say they will fight on, but their hopes

of a new attraction in the Lake District ready for next summer are,

for now, dashed. Mark McAlindon, BBC Look North, Cumbria.

And there'll be more reaction to that decision on Ian Timms'

breakfast show on BBC Radio Cumbria from 6:30 in the morning. Still to

come on tonight's Look North: Wednesday's Sportsdesk, plus John

Grundy takes us upstairs and downstairs in two of Britain's best

loved stately homes. And I will be here with the weather

forecast, including a look forward to the weekend.

A doctor has been describing the horrors of treating people wounded

in the fight for Libya. Dr Tareq Etri has just returned from a

second journey to his homeland, torn apart by war. Dr Etri normally

works with sick children at North Tyneside Hospital, but says he felt

compelled to go to the front line. Gerry Jackson reports. His work as

a Tyneside paediatrician is vital enough, but the scenes of war in

Libya Amboise a call that Tareq Etri could not ignore. He set up an

intensive care unit close to the rebel front lines. He shot his own

video. Much of it we cannot show. You have somebody without flesh,

you will have a limb - half of it is not there. Tareq found himself

treating wounded from both sides, and those with no quarrel with

anybody. One baby victim we tried our best to transfer from a war

zone to another hospital. We could not do so. After four days of

struggling we lost that baby. That left a very strong memories in my

mind. Tareq's parents and seven brothers and sisters still live in

Libya. As the fighting intensified last month, he returned again, this

time as part of a multinational team setting up field hospitals.

thought it would be a mobile building with a theatre in it and a

clinic, but no, it was basically primitive equipment to stop people

bleeding to death. Tareq says, if he's needed, he will return to

Libya for a third time in this war. He feels certain the call will come.

The war in Libya is not over. Maybe the regime is down but actually

what is left behind is still there and we still need help, definitely.

That is a worthwhile job, isn't it? It took 30 years to have her first

book published and now Hollywood beckons. Janet Foxley, an author

from Cumbria, won a competition last year which saw her book,

Muncle Trogg, published. It's about a vertically challenged giant so

small he decides to live with humans. Now a US production company

says it's developing an animated version of the story. If you're

sitting comfortably, here's Alison Freeman to tell us more.

He tried to wriggle out of his brother's grip. He was going to be

sick if he was dangled upside down for much longer.

At 67, most people are enjoying their retirement, but not Janet

Foxley. She is working on her fledgling career as a children's

author and Hollywood film writer. Discovered by the same publisher

who found JK rolling, she is not so keen on the comparison. I think

other people's expectations of what I might do are far greater than my

own, possibly because this has come to any when I have accumulated

enough years and was then to be fairly realistic. Rather than

excitement, I think I feel a glow of fulfilment inside. It is really

nice, after having worked so hard for so many years, to have my work

recognised by people who really know what a good children's book is.

Squirrels on a skewer, badger burgers, crunchy hedgehog Piet...

Janet has been writing for more than 30 years, but her tale of the

giant who is too small to fit in one an award last year. Her book,

Bookmark, is being turned into an animated film. Everyone was saying

how good she was. -- Muncle Trogg. It has changed instantly from being

-- from her being one of hundreds of aspiring writers to being a

published author. Janet's fund is the world has been

inspired by the view from her home. She does not be yet believe that

all the plans form her book will become a reality. My literary

executors will do very nicely out of me!

Now, every year Cragside and Wallington are amongst the most

visited National Trust stately homes in the country. Each of these

Northumberland properties has a wealth of beautiful rooms for

everyone to see, and each also has its own secrets. For the first in a

new series of Grundy's North, John has been allowed upstairs to the

very top of the house at Cragside, and downstairs into the cellars and

tunnels beneath the state rooms at There are no finer places in the

north than the National Trust's great Northumbrian houses.

Wallington has fantastic gardens while Cragside is a magical place.

I have loved for a long time that Hansel and Gretel effect on the

roof. Both houses have more to them than meets the eye. Cragside, in

fact, has loads more than meets the eye of most casual punters.

Visitors get shown 30 superb rooms but the house actually possesses

103 rooms, which leaves 73 rooms which never meet anybody's I,

except mine! I boldly go where other people are not allowed. I

always think of this colour as servants' Brown. What lies behind

these undemonstrative doors. It seems that most of them are being

used as junk rooms. Good grief, it is my basket of babies! I used to

bring people to see this when it was on display downstairs. It must

be one of the least tasteful works of art ever made. I am delighted to

see it again. Here we are at the very top of the House, at Hansel

und Gretel's cottage. What mysteries luck behind this mystical

door? Will there be of which? A Sleeping Beauty? -- will there be a

witch? Not quite the romance I was dreaming of, but I bet the view

from outside is lovely. If Cragside's hidden secrets took me

high up into the roof, at Wallington I've been taken down,

deep underneath the house. Underneath Wallington there is an

absolute Warren of old cellars and strange, twisty corridors. Above me

are some fine Georgian rooms built around 1740. Nothing down here was

built then - this is all medieval stonework, and this is a medieval

window. Occasionally there are storms which seemed even more

ancient. There is one here that his card with the sign of the Roman 9th

Legion. It is not what it seems - it was carved by one of the

Trevelyan children as a successful scam to fill his mother. -- to full

his mother. They would use candle smoke to write mysterious messages

on the walls. The use this place as an adventure playground. And who

can blame them? As you stroll around the glories of Wallington

and Cragside, do not forget the curiosities that lark above your

head or beneath your feet. It has been a long time since I

said this, but it is time for the sport now.

Six times they've been to the finals of the Football League

Trophy, under all its various sponsorships. It's almost their

competition. But just five months after beating Brentford at Wembley

to win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, Carlisle are no longer the holders.

But that can happen when you finish a cup tie with only nine men. More

than 40,000 fans had roared them to victory back in April. Just over

1001 at the ground last night to see the blues fall behind to a goal

from Accrington's Craig Linfield. Worse was to come when this tackle

earned captain and Wembley match- winner Peter Murphy his second

yellow card before half-time. Carlisle were back in it when Jon

Paul McGovern levelled on the hour mark. And they looked set for Round

Two when Francois Zoko headed in a Two when Francois Zoko headed in a

corner from James Berret. But then Berret joined Murphy in the stands

after picking up his second yellow. That left United to play the last

quarter of an hour with nine. And they held out until four minutes

from time. Padraig Amond made it 2- 2. And suddenly it was all over -

90 minutes on the clock, the unmarked Andy Proctor with

Accrington's winner. Yorkshire's battle to avoid

relegation goes on. But it has been a frustrating day at Headingley.

They resume tomorrow on 140 for 3. Now to another of the region's

athletes chasing the Olympic dream. Sarah Clark from South Shields has

enjoyed a long career in the sport of judo. In fact, she's a former

European champion. Success at the Olympics has, so far, been beyond

But, in 2012, the 33-year-old aims to put that right. Katie Gornall

went to meet her at her training She is a fierce competitor,

somebody who never gives up. There would be no player more deserving

of an Olympic medal, as far as how dedicated, focused and professional

she is. Sarah Clark is a former European

champion and the Commonwealth simple -- silver-medallist. She has

competed in Athens and Beijing, although she is yet to achieve

their ultimate goal of winning an Olympic medal. And Sarah Clark's

Olympic nightmare is revisited. have had a lot more lows than highs.

I have learned to deal with that. If it were easy, we would all be

Olympic champions. It is how she deals with defeat and

disappointment. In Beijing we had a conversation, saying, you are world

ranked and you can finish now, you can get on with the rest of your

life. One day after losing the first round, she said, no, I am

going to London. Team GB has already been awarded 14 judo

qualification places for the London Olympics, and Clark is one of the

front-runners to be selected. superpowers in judo are Franz,

Japan and Korea. There is not one player from those teams that Sarah

has not beaten. It is amazing that you can produce a player who has

come from a club in South Shields who has got into the top of her

game and can compete internationally. Sarah now trains

at Scotland's National Judo Centre, and for the past seven years has

lived here in Edinburgh. It is just like one big family. Everyone has

chosen to be here, especially those from down south. We have the coach

that you want to have with you when you are going to the Olympic Games.

Putting it all together in one day in London is the hardest thing. The

environment and the crowd could make that happen. To do it in front

of a home crowd and my family and friends would be fantastic. It

would be great for the sport. would make South Shields a very

happy place as well, I imagine. would love to go back there with my

medal. Hannah tells us that the weather is

Tomorrow will be much less breezy and we are expecting some bright

spells. A better day all round. It is still wet this evening in the

West for a time. It should start to dry out by the early hours of the

morning. A cooler night than last night. There will be a few showers

in the West tomorrow. Those die away through the afternoon. There

will be more sunshine than we had today for much of North Yorkshire.

The wind will be lighter. There could be one or two showers

brushing the Cumbrian coast as well. It will be showery on Friday and

then strong winds and heavy winds for the weekend in the West.

Saturday looks the best day of the Now for a final look at tonight's

headlines. There are new calls for the 50p tax