14/10/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Monday's Look North. In the headlines tonight.

He strangled three teenage boys and now he admits killing a fourth. But

Stephen Grieveson denies it was murder.

Plunged into a freezing sea. The blunder on her dream holiday that

led to a woman's death. Breaking the heart of Hartlepool.

The economist who says it's time to abandon industrial towns on the

decline. And how safe is festival food? A

special investigation into the street stalls that can give you more

than you bargained for. In sport, we meet the Premier League

footballers throwing their weight behind a scheme to boost disability

sport. It's been another winning weekend

for Hartlepool and Colin Cooper's men aren't the only team to have

turned things around! Good evening. A man sentenced to

life for murdering three teenage boys in the 1990s has appeared in

court today to be tried for the murder of a fourth.

Steven Grieveson, who's now 42, was convicted of the murders in

Sunderland of 18`year`old Thomas Kelly, and 15`year`olds David Hanson

and David Grieff. At Newcastle Crown Court today, a jury was told he also

admitted killing 14`year`old Simon Martin. But Grieveson says Simon's

death, and the three others, were accidental. He denies murder. Our

Chief Reporter, Chris Stewart, has the story.

Simon Martin died in 1990. And now, after all this time, the man who

took his life was before a jury charged with his murder. And this is

Steven Grieveson who says, yes, I killed him, but it was an accident.

So he pleads not guilty. It happened here on Sunderland seafront. Simon's

body found in a derelict building called Gillside House. Gillside has

long gone. A new building stands in its place. Not far from here in 1993

and 1994, Steven Grieveson would take three more lives. Those three

victims were all strangled and their bodies badly burned. Steven

Grieveson was convicted of those crimes. Today, he sat in the dock

accompanied by five prison officers. He said he wanted to talk about

Simon's killing. In that interview, he said it had haunted him for 20

years and driven crazy and he wanted peace of mind for the family of

Simon and for himself. Mr William Low QC, for the prosecution, told

the jury Grieveson had said he'd engaged in homosexual activity with

his victims, that he was threatening them to prevent others learning of

his sexuality and that the deaths were accidental.

The jury heard that in relation to Simon's killing, Steven Grieveson

had stated, I got scared and started shouting at him not to tell anyone.

I just flipped for a minute and started strangling him. The

prosecution said that witnesses would say that he could not exercise

self`control, at the prosecution did not accept it for the moment.

A man's appeared in court charged with murder after the discovery of a

body in Darlington last week. Alan Youngson's body was discovered in a

wooded area in the town. The 25`year`old had been missing since

August. Daniel Dodsworth, who's 28 and from Branksome Green in

Darlington, appeared before magistrates in Peterlee. He was

remanded in custody to appear in Crown Court on Wednesday. Four other

men have been released on police bail.

An inquest has heard that the death of a cruise ship passenger was

hastened after she fell ill and the attempt to transfer her to a

lifeboat went catastrophically wrong. Janet Richardson from

Penrith, who was 72, died in hospital in Cumbria three weeks

after she was dropped into the icy waters off the coast of Norway in

March 2011. Today, a pathologist said she believed the minutes Mrs

Richardson spent in the sea accelerated her demise. Alison

Freeman was at the inquest in Carlisle and she joins me now.

Alison, have we found out more about how this happened?

We heard from eyewitness Colin Prescott who was another passenger

on board the Ocean Countess on the Northern Lights cruise. He told the

inquest how, on the 29th of March 2011, he heard a scraping sound

which prompted him to go onto the deck where he saw the rescue

operation taking place. Mr Prescott said that Mrs Richardson was being

passed from the cruise ship to the lifeboat on a stretcher. The gap

between the rescue vessel and the ship suddenly grew to about 12 feet

and the lifeboat crew let go of the stretcher. It was then he said that

the stretcher acted like it was on a hinge, falling flat against the side

of the cruise ship, sliding into the water. He said she was in the water

for around eight minutes. She was eventually rescued and taken to a

Norwegian hospital for a few weeks, before returning to Carlisle and the

Cumberland Infirmary where she died. How did this affect Mrs Richardson?

Mrs Richardson was already extremely unwell. She'd been found unconscious

in her cabin by her husband and was suffering from internal bleeding.

She was to be taken to the shore by lifeboat for hospital treatment.

Pathologist Dr Alison Armour carried out the postmortem examination on

Mrs Richardson and she explained that she was already suffering from

a number of natural diseases including liver disease. She said

although these illnesses were the primary cause of death, she had no

doubt that the fall into the icy waters off Norway was significant

and had contributed. Dr Armour said the near drowning experience had

accelerated her demise. What's happening tomorrow?

The inquest is expected to conclude tomorrow, but first we'll be hearing

from Mrs Richardson's husband George to hear his version of events.

Should future investment in towns like Hartlepool and Middlesborough

be abandoned in favour of bigger cities like York and Newcastle?

That's the controversial view of a journalist writing in this week's

Economist magazine. He believes some towns in the North East simply

should not be preserved. Not surprisingly, these views have

ruffled a few feathers. Phil Connell has the story.

It is one of the world's most respected financial magazine, but in

this week, a report on parts of the north`east has caused outrage.

According to the article, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough are in terminal

decline and continued attempts to rescue them are a waste of time.

Instead, future investment should go to bigger cities like Leeds and

Newcastle. These towns grew up in the big Taurean either with a

specific purpose. These industries have declined. `` Victorian era.

Unless you can find new industry to replace them, these towns are too

big. But should areas like this effectively be abandoned? The report

says that the new marina may have softened the town's image, but has

failed to attract new investment. But Hartlepool's MP says the

magazine has got it wrong. Look at what he is saying here. What is he

now about the area? Absolutely nothing. The owner of this coffee

shop has described the comments as unfair and insulting. The area is

fighting all the time for investment. He is saying to forget

about it, make it a dormitory town. What? The Economist is standing by

its story, claiming areas in decline must actually define themselves.

Like a man who has lost weight, towns and cities also need to find

new clause that fit. `` clothes. So, should places like Hartlepool

simply be allowed to die? It's a question I put earlier this

afternoon to the town's MP, Iain Wright.

I think it is a ridiculous idea and I expect better from the Economist.

Hartlepool does have real problems, and it is difficult to adjust when

you have lost ?700 for every man, woman and child that lives in the

town as a result of government cuts. But the idea that we should just

shut up shop is ridiculous. We have got some great prosperity available,

some great promise. And the great people of Hartlepool are is greatest

asset. One of the arguments is that Hartlepool has had a lot of money

spent on it without necessarily creating a lot of jobs. Should it

receive more money in what are difficult economic times? I think

government spending should be focused on need but also potential.

If you look at Hartlepool and the great industry that could be

prosperous for the 21st`century, selling renewable energy to the rest

of the world, things we do have in Hartlepool, I think resources should

be focused on that. Hartlepool had a great 19th century, we lead the

world in the industry revolution, we can do so again in the 21st`century

based upon engineering, high file you manufacturing. But most of all

these on the great resilience of people in Hartlepool. `` high`value

manufacturing. The Chancellor, George Osborne, is

in China this week trying to drum up business for UK companies as the

Government attempts to double trade with the country by 2015. From the

North East alone, more than ?300 million worth of goods were exported

to China last year. But it still lags far behind the UK's top region

which exports almost ten times that amount. Our Business Correspondent,

Ian Reeve, reports. This will be the latest model to

drive off Nissan's production line. A luxury car, made in Sunderland and

aimed, at least in part, at the affluent Chinese motorist. Nissan is

not alone in seeing the potential of the Chinese market. In the North

East alone, we export goods to China worth ?327 million. That's well

below the West Midlands though, the top region, that rakes in over ?3

billion. Most of our exports are machinery and transport equipment

worth nearly ?200 million. This Middlesbrough company first

discovered the opportunities in China in 1996. It supplied

puncture`proof bike tyres. Today it makes wheelchairs for export, even

though, given low Chinese wage levels, they could be built there

far more cheaply than on Teesside. They certainly do make it cheaper in

China than we do. But people in China do like the European badge. It

is synonymous with quality, high standards, well designed and well

built. This County Durham subsea business has grasped that

opportunity. In Darlington, it made 3D models that helped in the raising

of the sunken liner Costa Concordia. But in China, it's digging a trench

for one of the biggest pipelines in the world, piping gas from the

mainland to Hong Kong. China is not one of the major subsea markets in

the world, but it is an important market for us. As we know though,

it's not all one`way traffic. The Chinese own Northumbrian Water and

Northern Gas Networks. And the country imports over ?2.5 billion

worth of goods from China every month, including some surprising

ones. From water to wheelchairs. From carrots to cars. When you open

the box, everyone is exactly the same. Absolutely perfect. Having

said that, for the last 35 years, the biggest supplier of garlic is

China as well. China then is touching our lives in many ways. And

with the Government's aim of doubling trade with the Far East

tiger by 2015, it may be about to do so even more.

Carrots from China? You learn something new everyday.

You're watching Look North. Still to come this Monday evening, Dawn has

the weekend sports round`up. Plus... How safe is our street food? A

special Inside Out investigation lifts the lid.

Wind and rain have affected most of us today. Things set to stay very

unsettled. A BBC investigation has revealed

high levels of bacteria in some street food. The Inside Out

programme sampled the fare on offer at two events in Newcastle, finding

that in nearly two`thirds of dishes, levels of bacteria were

unsatisfactory. Earlier this year, more than 400 people contracted food

poisoning at a festival in the city. Chris Jackson reports.

February this year ` the Street Spice festival in Newcastle. A

charity event. With an unwanted lasting impact. I was being sick, I

had diarrhoea and stomach cramps. We have had some bugs in the past, but

nothing on this scale. We started getting tweets on Sunday and were

wondering what had happened there. In total 413 people reported similar

symptoms. We did an enormous and very detailed investigation and we

found the cause of the outbreak was curry leaves which had been

contaminated in Pakistan. The Inside Out programme conducted its own

investigation. Food scientist Jim Francis visited two events ` the

weekly Quayside Market and the annual Mela Festival. I have seen

people physically wiping their nose and then going on to handle food. We

have seen people handling food with their rear hands, handling salad,

bread and then handling meat dishes. And of 13 samples he tested in a

lab, eight contained unsatisfactory levels of entero bacteria. It isn't

a bacteria which would make anyone ill, but it does indicate poor

hygiene. Often it's a case of poor handling practices. Eight out of 13

is a high number. Yes and it is indicative of poor practice. So how

do you make sure hygiene is the same at every stall? As of this month,

the Nationwide Caterers Association has taken over as the primary body

responsible for street food safety. It's aiming to regulate training and

certification to make sure all traders sell food safely.

Tonight's Inside Out is a special programme on food safety and also

features a report on an engineer from Northumberland who brought us

something that revolutionised world trade and helped build the British

Empire. That's on BBC One, tonight at 7.30pm.

The TV geologist Professor Iain Stewart was at Durham University

today to unveil a spectacular sculpture of the British Isles. The

map is the first of its kind in the UK and is made of a mosaic of rocks

representing geology from different parts of the country, from

prehistoric coral reefs to the fossils of 360 million`year`old

worms. It's hoped people will interact with the map by standing on

their local area and then sharing the photos via social media.

For a lot of people, they will wonder over the map and it is that

kind of cute your city. The idea of what the stone is beneath their

feet. I suspect, nobody thinks of that.

Interesting. I like that, actually. Not much football at the weekend,

but we did have a couple of winners. Yes, Hartlepool and Gateshead topped

off a great week, both earning their third win in the space of seven days

with victories against Exeter and Alfreton respectively. And for two

players in particular it's been a week to remember.

Colin Cooper's Hartlepool finally seem to have found their feet in

League Two and winger Jack Compton seems to have found his shooting

boots. Two goals in the 4`1 victory over Mansfield proved a real

confidence boost as a well`worked corner saw him set up Jack Baldwin

for Pools opener at Exeter's St James' Park. Compton was then

involved in Hartlepool's second goal after the break when his fabulous

pass found Luke James who lobbed the keeper for his fifth goal of the

season. And it was Compton himself who put the result beyond doubt with

a superb half volley to seal the win. Much to the delight of the 150

or so fans who had made the 600`mile round trip. With three wins in a row

now, Cooper must now be hoping his side have turned a corner after

their terrible start which saw them go six games without a victory. In

the Conference, Gateshead recorded their fifth victory in six league

games under new boss Gary Mills. It wasn't until the second half that

they made the breakthrough when Colin Larkin fired into the top

corner. Gateshead then capitalised on Alfreton's misfortune of losing a

man to a second yellow card for this offence. After scoring the winner

against Hyde on Tuesday, on loan striker Jordan Hugill again came off

the bench to score not once but twice to take a resurgent Gateshead

up to 11th in the table. Well, Gateshead will find themselves

up against Chester in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup. The

draw also sees Marske, the lowest ranked team left in the competition,

travel to Southport, four levels above them, while Workington are at

home to Stourbridge. And, if West Auckland win their replay, they'll

be away to Stamford. The ties will take place on Saturday 26th October.

Two Premier League footballers joined local youngsters on Tyneside

this afternoon to celebrate the renewal of a grant which will help

fund disability football coaching sessions for the next three years.

The new funding has been made possible by the BBC's Children in

Need campaign, as Mark Tulip reports.

Children in Need awarded a three year grant to the Newcastle United

Foundation, the club's official charity, back in 2010. The extra

?75,000 will help fund nine out`of`school coaching centres in

association with the Northumberland FA. Today's special guests at the

Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle were French left`back Mossadio

Hairdara and Dutch midfielder Vernun Anita, who have seen many of the

Magpies' multi`national squad go away on international duty. They put

youngsters from Woodlawn Special School in Whitley Bay through their

paces in a one`off coaching session. They developed so much confidence

when they come along to an activity like this. Being amongst the

community as a whole is fantastic for them, coming to a community

facility, being in such a lovely big arena is great.

Vernun Anita, has by most accounts, enjoyed a good start to Newcastle's

season although he was dropped to the bench for the away victory at

Cardiff. Now he is targeting the visit to Liverpool. I think it will

be a tough game. We now what they did to us this year, so we have to

show our offence. And this year's BBC Children In Need

fundraising day ` and night ` is a month tomorrow, November the 15th.

Our outside broadcast will be in Hexham market place. It's a free

event and everyone's welcome! On to basketball, and it was a good

weekend for both of our top`flight teams. Newcastle Eagles scored

back`to`back wins, beating Manchester Giants by 112 points to

98 on Saturday night, after crushing Birmingham Knights 129`70 at

Northumbria University's Sport Central 24 hours earlier. All five

of the Eagles' starting team made a handy contribution and they broke

the century mark after the first minute of the final quarter. And in

their third season at this level, Durham Wildcats have made an

encouraging start. Their win over Surrey United, by 100 points to 79,

has taken them to fifth place in the BBL table.

And after the first round of European rugby's Amlin Challenge

Cup, Newcastle Falcons are top of their group after a narrow 13`12

victory over Romanian side Bucharest Wolves.

Thank you. Pupils at Walkergate Primary School

in Newcastle have been experiencing art, close up. But instead of going

to the gallery, the art came to them.

Marine Set by Edward Wadsworth is owned by the city's Laing Art

gallery and it's on`loan to the school as part of the BBC's Your

Paintings campaign. It's one of 26 oil painting masterpieces on loan

this month in the hope of inspiring youngsters all across the

curriculum. Julie Smith reports. Out from storage at the Laing Art

Gallery. This is Marine Set painted by Edward Wadsworth in 1936. Today

it's being taken to a local school. He just seemed to love taking

ordinarily and making it something different, something extraordinary.

Putting all these items together to make you that you the viewer think

as much as they the artist did. On show at Walkergate. This week's

lessons have been inspired by Wadsworth. We are very keen on our

children being involved in art in the community. We thought it was a

fantastic way to do it. Every child in the school would get to see a

painting. It is very detailed and looks real. It is about the seaside

and is got lots of good description in the painting. That is a sign. I

think everyone is surprised at how small it is. We thought it would be

much bigger. Workshops with music, poetry and

lots more are taking place. The children will never forget the day a

Wadsworth painting came to school. And you can see hundreds of oil

paintings from across the region by going to the Your Paintings website.

Our producer cruelly suggested that I should hand over to Paul by saying

over to somebody who is now oil painting. But you do have a lovely

weather picture. Yes, take a look at this.

The high pressure is firmly in charge of the weather. You can see

that cloud spiralling around. More pressure, rather. Lots of cloud and

rain coming in from the North Sea. `` low`pressure rather. With a cloud

breaks, you might see some mist and fog patches forming. Temperatures

down to seven or eight Celsius. In the east, staying in double figures.

A bit of a grey start tomorrow, still some cloud around and Shari

outbreaks of rain in the East. But they should die out for most. ``

Shari outbreaks. That's showery. And the sunny spells to that later wind,

and it should feel quite pleasant. A bit cooler further east, but the

wind is lighter. That is a picture for tomorrow, a weak ridge of high

pressure improves things through the day, but it does not last long.

Wednesday sees a band of wind and rain coming in from the west. And

another one comes in at the tail end of Friday. Anatomical picture. `` a

typical autumn picture. Wednesday rain for most. Those dates on drier

and brighter spells. `` Thursday some drier and brighter spells.

Friday, the rain is back. A very similar picture for the north`east.

A lot of cloud around. Thursday is one of the better days of the week.

Remember to keep your October weather pictures coming. You can see

them all on our gallery pictures on the website.

Rotten weather, but you painted a lovely picture.

Now for a look at tonight's headlines. Police investigating the

disappearance of Madeleine McCann see it is vitally important that the

speak to a man seen at the time. And a convicted killer has gone on trial

for the murder of Simon Martin in Sunderland more than 20 years ago.

Steven Grieveson, who's already serving life for the murder of three

other teenage boys, has admitted killing 14`year`old Simon, but says

the boy's death was accidental. That is it from us. See you tomorrow

at the same time. Goodbye.