:00:09. > :00:12.Hello, and welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight.
:00:13. > :00:13.19 years. The sentence handed down to a former police officer for
:00:14. > :00:18.multiple rapes and other sexual Weather alert. Travel disruption and
:00:19. > :00:21.warnings of possible flooding as the latest winter storm sweeps in.
:00:22. > :00:25.You're having a laugh. The Chuckle Brothers are put in charge of one of
:00:26. > :00:28.our regional newspapers. And oh, yes, he is. Berwick Kaler
:00:29. > :00:32.treads the boards again as he becomes the country's
:00:33. > :00:35.longest`serving Pantomime Dame. In sport, there's plenty to smile
:00:36. > :00:43.about if you're a Newcastle United fan. And the Darlington boxer I
:00:44. > :00:46.caught up with earlier. He might look a bit battered and
:00:47. > :00:48.bruised but Stuie Hall tells me what it feels like to put the region's
:00:49. > :01:02.boxing on top of the world. A former North`East police officer
:01:03. > :01:06.has been jailed for 19 years for a string of serious sexual offences
:01:07. > :01:11.including multiple rapes. Wayne Scott, who's 37, was a constable for
:01:12. > :01:14.Cleveland Police. He was dismissed after a member of the public
:01:15. > :01:17.complained he'd touched her in a sexual manner while on duty. The
:01:18. > :01:24.publicity from that case led to other women coming forward. Damian
:01:25. > :01:28.O'Neil was in court. Wrapped in a blanket waiting to be
:01:29. > :01:31.questioned, a rapist police officer condemned by his former colleagues
:01:32. > :01:35.as a sexual deviant and a predator. Today, after a five`day trial, he
:01:36. > :01:38.was given an extended sentence of 19 years for rape and the attempted
:01:39. > :01:41.rape of a woman, two common assaults, one sexual assault and two
:01:42. > :01:47.counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual touching. He'd already
:01:48. > :01:53.admitted raping another women seven times over a number of years. The
:01:54. > :01:58.police say the sentence reflects the horrific nature of his crimes. He
:01:59. > :02:07.has an extended sentence of 19 years, 15 of which is custodial. He
:02:08. > :02:11.will serve a minimum of ten years. Dreadful offences, was it made worse
:02:12. > :02:18.by the fact he was a serving officer? In terms of he should have
:02:19. > :02:25.been aware of what he was doing, he had responsibilities and training,
:02:26. > :02:30.perhaps it did make it worse. Is he aware of the seriousness of the
:02:31. > :02:35.crimes? The way he has performed when giving evidence, I question
:02:36. > :02:39.that. He did plead guilty to a number of offences. I question
:02:40. > :02:44.whether he understands the impact he has had on the big terms.
:02:45. > :02:55.The judge described Scott Asman the punitive, and `` Scott as
:02:56. > :03:03.manipulative. He will have to serve a minimum of ten years before he is
:03:04. > :03:06.eligible for parole. High winds and heavy rain. The
:03:07. > :03:10.weather's throwing everything at us, bar blizzards. And it couldn't have
:03:11. > :03:13.come at a worse time. With many people trying to head home for
:03:14. > :03:17.Christmas, the last thing we need is road and rail disruption. But we've
:03:18. > :03:21.got it, and things aren't about to get any better. So far, the west has
:03:22. > :03:24.been worst hit. Alison Freeman's in our Carlisle newsroom. Alison, how
:03:25. > :03:28.are things there now? The winds have started to pick up in the past few
:03:29. > :03:32.hours. But it's been mainly the rain that's caused the most disruption
:03:33. > :03:35.over here in the west. In the south of the county, a man died after
:03:36. > :03:42.falling into the Rothay River at Ambleside this afternoon. Throughout
:03:43. > :03:45.the county, surface water's been causing problems, like here on the
:03:46. > :03:49.A6 London Road into Carlisle. Traffic was slowed to one lane at a
:03:50. > :03:53.time. But it's the trains that have been worst hit. The day went without
:03:54. > :03:59.much of a hitch with flooding at Penrith causing a little disruption
:04:00. > :04:03.on north bound trains. So those arriving from Scotland or heading
:04:04. > :04:06.down to London were in luck. But in the past few hours, a power cut in
:04:07. > :04:09.Watford has stopped all trains leaving Euston station, meaning
:04:10. > :04:12.trains heading up to Cumbria and onto Glasgow and Edinburgh are
:04:13. > :04:20.severely disrupted. Flood alerts, the lowest form of warning, are in
:04:21. > :04:23.place on rivers across the county. But with the winds set to worsen
:04:24. > :04:27.overnight, people hoping to head away to see family and friends in
:04:28. > :04:30.the rest of the country are being urged to think before they travel.
:04:31. > :04:38.Thanks, Alison. Both East and West Coast mainline rail services are
:04:39. > :04:41.being affected. For the latest on the east coast, let's go to our
:04:42. > :04:45.reporter Phil Chapman, who's at Darlington station. Phil.
:04:46. > :04:52.It does not seem like two minutes since I was last on the spot
:04:53. > :05:04.reporting on another storm, back in October. The difference is the bad
:05:05. > :05:09.timing of this storm, arriving so close to Christmas. I have been to
:05:10. > :05:19.York this afternoon to find out what the latest is.
:05:20. > :05:22.We have lifted all ticket restrictions so all east coast
:05:23. > :05:29.tickets are valid on any east coast train this evening and all day
:05:30. > :05:42.tomorrow. Check before you travel. On our website, or on twitter.
:05:43. > :05:48.The latest with East Coast Trains is that they have cut their services to
:05:49. > :05:57.just four per hour. That is quite a severe disruption. The normal
:05:58. > :06:01.service is seven per hour. The advice is to stay tuned to BBC local
:06:02. > :06:15.radio for the latest on roads and trains. But you can contact East
:06:16. > :06:22.Coast Trains directly as well. The best advice, if you are online, is
:06:23. > :06:28.to check the twitter feed. Bigger news after all this is that come
:06:29. > :06:38.Christmas Eve, by the afternoon, the weather is starting to ease
:06:39. > :06:48.slightly. Thanks, Phil. The children of a
:06:49. > :06:50.missing Northumberland woman have appealed for their mum to return
:06:51. > :06:53.home for Christmas. Tonight, despite an intensive
:06:54. > :06:56.search, there has been no sign of 65`year`old Janis Hall who lives in
:06:57. > :07:00.Catton near Allendale. Her family say Mrs Hall has been struggling to
:07:01. > :07:02.come to terms with the death of her husband six months ago.
:07:03. > :07:07.Andrew Hartley reports. Search teams battled the elements
:07:08. > :07:11.all day in the hunt for Janis Hall. The village of Catton is in a remote
:07:12. > :07:14.but beautiful corner of Northumberland, but this was the
:07:15. > :07:21.most foul of days. Around 30 officers searched across fields and
:07:22. > :07:27.in outbuildings close to her home. These are tough conditions. It is
:07:28. > :07:30.cold, it is wet and windy. What little light there is is fading
:07:31. > :07:33.fast. Janis Hall was last seen on Thursday. The 65`year`old was an
:07:34. > :07:36.avid walker who loved exploring the countryside. Today her family
:07:37. > :07:45.appeared at a press conference and a statement was read out on their
:07:46. > :07:50.behalf. We know she has been upset recently since our father died. But
:07:51. > :07:54.this is out of character for her. We all expected her to be turned the
:07:55. > :07:59.following day. The longer it goes on, the more worried we are
:08:00. > :08:05.becoming. Not knowing where she is or how she is, we are worried six.
:08:06. > :08:09.`` sick The police say they still can't be sure why Mrs
:08:10. > :08:16.disappeared. . We are keeping an open mind. We
:08:17. > :08:17.are looking at every aspect and building up an intelligence
:08:18. > :08:26.picture. Neighbours have been helping out
:08:27. > :08:29.with the search and say her disappearance is totally out of
:08:30. > :08:36.character. It has been so traumatic for the whole community. She has
:08:37. > :08:41.been a member of our church community for a number of years. We
:08:42. > :08:53.had a carol service yesterday and we talked a lot and prayed a lot about
:08:54. > :08:56.her. Councils across our region have
:08:57. > :08:59.collected more than ?28 million this year in car parking charges and
:09:00. > :09:02.fines according to a survey from the RAC Foundation. Newcastle Council
:09:03. > :09:06.collected ?6.2 million the most in the region. In York, where it can
:09:07. > :09:09.cost up to ?2.30 to park for an hour, ?5 million was gathered. In
:09:10. > :09:15.Cumbria, councils made nearly the same amount. The Local Government
:09:16. > :09:18.Association says all income from charges and fines is spent on road
:09:19. > :09:25.improvements, running parking services and providing subsidised
:09:26. > :09:29.travel. Coming up soon, we can promise you
:09:30. > :09:32.at least a couple of chuckles. And there's nothing like this Dame. We
:09:33. > :09:38.meet the longest`serving panto star in the country.
:09:39. > :09:53.A strong wind warning in force and heavy rain as well. I will have the
:09:54. > :09:56.forecast later. It's an annual event that's been
:09:57. > :09:59.going on now for 31 years. Every Christmas, the volunteers of
:10:00. > :10:02.Newcastle's RVI hospital choir perform a concert to raise money for
:10:03. > :10:06.a children's cancer charity. Richard Thomas reports.
:10:07. > :10:12.Their backgrounds are medical not musical. But you might not realise
:10:13. > :10:15.that when you hear them, as this choir practises hard. Every
:10:16. > :10:18.fortnight from September to December, the choir meets to run
:10:19. > :10:22.through a selection of festive tunes. Bringing together all areas
:10:23. > :10:32.of the NHS and getting pitch perfect for their concert. Many of them are
:10:33. > :10:36.people who do not sing normally throughout the year. It is a good
:10:37. > :10:40.chance for them to sing and they raise money for children. At a time
:10:41. > :10:47.like Christmas, it is a wonderful time to give back. I love singing,
:10:48. > :11:01.and it is for a good cause. I used to work for the NHS and an retired
:11:02. > :11:05.now `` and am retired now and I come back here for more every year. The
:11:06. > :11:07.annual carol concert at Newcastle's City Hall raises money for CLIC
:11:08. > :11:11.Sargent, which helps youngsters diagnosed with cancer. Most
:11:12. > :11:21.youngsters diagnosed in the area are sent to the RVI for treatment. The
:11:22. > :11:29.families involved to go to hell and back. I am not working now, so if I
:11:30. > :11:37.can help them in a different way, it is what I want to do.
:11:38. > :11:46.It's a big auditorium to fill with sound ` with a large audience to
:11:47. > :11:51.entertain. There is not a lot of commitment, only eight rehearsals.
:11:52. > :11:56.But it is good fun, you meet lots of different people. I do not know what
:11:57. > :12:01.it is like for the audience, but we love it on stage. It is teamwork.
:12:02. > :12:05.Everybody is giving everything they have got, you cannot ask for more.
:12:06. > :12:14.And that's the key to it ` practice makes perfect.
:12:15. > :12:19.Now, their list of showbiz credits is long and commands great respect.
:12:20. > :12:22.From Opportunity Knocks to dressing up as dogs in Chucklehounds. But
:12:23. > :12:26.today the comedy duo known as the Chuckle Brothers took on another
:12:27. > :12:29.role ` editing one of our regional newspapers, The Northern Echo. Barry
:12:30. > :12:32.and Paul made the short trip across Darlington to the paper's offices
:12:33. > :12:34.from the town's theatre where they're appearing in panto. Our
:12:35. > :12:40.Business Correspondent Ian Reeve reports.
:12:41. > :12:43.The Northern Echo has had many distinguished editors. WT Stead, who
:12:44. > :12:46.drowned on the Titanic. Harold Evans used his time to right wrongs and
:12:47. > :12:52.social injustices before moving to the Sunday Times. Now, though, say
:12:53. > :13:01.hello to the latest characters to edit the paper.
:13:02. > :13:07.It's Barry and Paul ` the Chuckle Brothers. Practitioners of
:13:08. > :13:18.slapstick, often involving a ladder and always a catchphrase. To me to
:13:19. > :13:22.you. To me to you. And again. To me to you.
:13:23. > :13:33.So why entrust the great daily of the north to them, even for just one
:13:34. > :13:37.day? Just a bit of fun. It is Christmas, it is our Christmas Eve
:13:38. > :13:41.edition. If you cannot have fun then, when can you? They are in the
:13:42. > :13:54.local pantomime, they were available, so why not? How do you
:13:55. > :14:01.give presents at Christmas? To me to you. And after listening to what the
:14:02. > :14:04.reporters are working on in morning conference, what sort of a paper
:14:05. > :14:12.will they turn out? It will probably be white with black paint fuel stop
:14:13. > :14:21.`` with black print. We want big money. We're going to stay here. It
:14:22. > :14:25.is not well paid. Is it? Get a transfer. When the Bishop of Durham
:14:26. > :14:31.guest`edited the Echo earlier this year, sales went up. So will the
:14:32. > :14:39.Chuckles pull off the same trick? And what will reader reaction
:14:40. > :14:51.be...this? Oh dear. Or even this? Why not fork out 65 pence tomorrow,
:14:52. > :15:02.and judge for yourself? Time for sport now. So, to me to
:15:03. > :15:06.you. He gave up his wild party lifestyle
:15:07. > :15:09.in Ibiza and returned home to concentrate on his boxing. Now at
:15:10. > :15:12.the age of 33, former Darlington roofer Stuart "Stuie" Hall has been
:15:13. > :15:16.crowned the oldest British fighter to win a world title fight at the
:15:17. > :15:17.first attempt. He's our region's first boxing world champion in
:15:18. > :15:28.nearly a quarter of a century. This was the moment North East
:15:29. > :15:33.boxing had waited for since Glenn McCrory became world champion in the
:15:34. > :15:35.summer of 1989. Stuart Hall earned his place in sporting folklore,
:15:36. > :15:41.winning the vacant IBF bantamweight title on points after a bruising 12
:15:42. > :15:44.round contest at the Leeds Arena. After the fight, you could be
:15:45. > :15:47.forgiven for thinking his tough South African opponent Vusi Malinga
:15:48. > :15:50.had won the fight. But the smile on Hall's face as he walked into
:15:51. > :15:54.Rockliffe Hall, near his hometown of Darlington this lunchtime told you a
:15:55. > :16:04.different story. It's a far cry from the wild child of Ibiza. Five years.
:16:05. > :16:11.I have done them. I enjoyed them. I got it out of the way. Now I am the
:16:12. > :16:18.tour, it has worked out better. I am world champion now. I have come from
:16:19. > :16:25.a mad place and I am in a good place now. He's already been back to the
:16:26. > :16:29.Harrowgate Hill Social Club in Darlington to show his snooker pals
:16:30. > :16:32.the belt, but none of them knew the secret he was hiding in the build`up
:16:33. > :16:37.to the fight. I had a chest infection so for a few days before
:16:38. > :16:45.the fight, I finished my antibiotics.
:16:46. > :16:48.By his side before and after that life`changing 12 rounds in Leeds,
:16:49. > :16:55.our last world champion Glenn McCrory. I wanted to take the weight
:16:56. > :17:02.off his shoulders. He was just telling the two stay relaxed, keep
:17:03. > :17:10.your shoulders moving. Then, go and smashing. That was the easy bit.
:17:11. > :17:18.Once you get there, everybody wants your belt. He has two enjoy it. Then
:17:19. > :17:22.the hard work really starts. And I'm expecting Stuie Hall's next fight to
:17:23. > :17:25.be around the end of March at a North East venue in front of up to
:17:26. > :17:28.10,000 fight fans. On to football and, once again,
:17:29. > :17:33.contrasting fortunes for our two Premier League clubs. Sunderland go
:17:34. > :17:36.into Christmas at the bottom of the pile, facing a daunting, uphill
:17:37. > :17:37.fight to avoid relegation. By contrast, Newcastle United will
:17:38. > :17:43.certainly enjoy the festive break whatever the weather!
:17:44. > :17:47.When it's as cold and wet as this outside, you don't usually go out
:17:48. > :17:51.dressed like this. Unless, of course, you're on a night out in
:17:52. > :17:54.Tyneside. And these two Geordie legends cetainly enjoyed their
:17:55. > :17:57.team's trip south on Saturday. Pop star Sting and actor Jimmy Nail
:17:58. > :18:02.seeing for themselves the sort of form that's taken the Magpies into
:18:03. > :18:06.the top six. When you're on a good run, you tend to get the breaks. But
:18:07. > :18:09.while Yohan Cabaye's opener took a helpful deflection and Danny
:18:10. > :18:12.Gabbidon's own goal gift`wrapped a 2`0 lead by half`time, there was
:18:13. > :18:15.nothing lucky about Newcastle's win, their sixth in their last eight
:18:16. > :18:25.league games confirmed late on with a penalty put away by Hatem Ben
:18:26. > :18:29.Arfa. We are playing well, showing good consistency.
:18:30. > :18:32.For the second week running, Sunderland added another point to
:18:33. > :18:36.their total to finally creep into double figures. But once again, it
:18:37. > :18:39.felt like the win that got away. After that League Cup thriller
:18:40. > :18:42.against Chelsea, the Black Cats quickly lost the feel`good factor.
:18:43. > :18:46.And with the game almost over, Wes Brown picked up the team's fifth red
:18:47. > :18:54.card of the season. Unlike his last one, this one will not be
:18:55. > :19:06.overturned. Every time we do something, when an
:19:07. > :19:07.important game, the next step is always down the back. Further down
:19:08. > :19:09.the divisions, we could only find one winner.
:19:10. > :19:11.But three very important points for Middlesbrough means that, even if he
:19:12. > :19:15.is far away from his Spanish home, new head coach
:19:16. > :19:19.Teesside. With just one victory in five games
:19:20. > :19:21.under the new boss and the Championship relegation zone too
:19:22. > :19:24.close for comfort, Boro's return to form couldnt have been better`timed.
:19:25. > :19:28.And neither could that Christmas cracker from Manny Ledesma which put
:19:29. > :19:34.them in the driving seat down at the New Den. But the head coach couldn't
:19:35. > :19:37.really celebrate until the 89th minute when Albert Adomah's cool
:19:38. > :19:40.finish gave Boro a six`point breathing space at the bottom. In
:19:41. > :19:44.League One, a contender for miss of the season from Carlisle's Lee
:19:45. > :19:46.Miller at Walsall afer his spot`kick had been saved. One`down at the
:19:47. > :19:49.time, the Blues had defender Courtney Meppen`Walter sent off
:19:50. > :19:53.after Milan Lalkovic had smashed in the Saddlers' second. In League Two,
:19:54. > :19:57.a point from a goalless draw with Oxford was just enough to keep York
:19:58. > :19:59.City out of the bottom two. And a first senior goal from 17`year`old
:20:00. > :20:01.Bradley Walker earned Hartlepool a home draw with Burton and put the
:20:02. > :20:36.whole Pools camp in a festive mood! # Built my dreams around you. #
:20:37. > :20:40.Still singing Galway Bay. # and the bells are ringing out for Christmas
:20:41. > :20:43.Day. Now, with just two days to
:20:44. > :20:47.Christmas, the Panto season is well underway. And for one production in
:20:48. > :20:49.York this is a special year because Berwick Kaler is playing the Dame at
:20:50. > :20:53.the Theatre the Theatre Royal for his 35th
:20:54. > :20:56.season. That makes him the country's longest`serving Dame.
:20:57. > :21:01.Berwick's from the North East and he's been adopted by York as its
:21:02. > :21:05.favourite man in a frock. He's a freeman of the city, and he has a
:21:06. > :21:14.doctorate at York University. Phil Chapman's been backstage.
:21:15. > :21:20.Welcome to my little world. A brand`new pantomime season begins in
:21:21. > :21:24.York and Berwick Kaler steps in front of an adoring audience for the
:21:25. > :21:41.35th Christmas running. It is that audience every year who
:21:42. > :21:49.come without expectation that they are going to have one of the best
:21:50. > :22:00.laughs ever. It is like the family is back together again. He will
:22:01. > :22:08.change costume almost a thousand times in the next few months. ``
:22:09. > :22:19.next few weeks. Ready for a night out in York. Away from the
:22:20. > :22:35.pantomime, Berwick Kaler has had a rich acting career. Gary Oldman
:22:36. > :22:42.played my cat. He kept fainting because the costume was so hot.
:22:43. > :22:46.People are arriving for this special preview explained why they keep
:22:47. > :22:54.coming back. I used to come and see him as a child. Now I am bringing my
:22:55. > :23:01.son with me. He is very funny. Become because we enjoy it. It is
:23:02. > :23:11.very busy. It is hilarious, and always at two levels. They are all
:23:12. > :23:30.here to see Martin who has been the Dean's son and sidekick. `` dame. I
:23:31. > :23:37.have been taught so much by him. If you can project and do pantomime,
:23:38. > :23:49.you can do anything. Jonathan is this your's baddie. Anything
:23:50. > :23:59.worthwhile that I know comes from Berwick Kaler. It is a joy to work
:24:00. > :24:03.with him. The company help support the theatre for the rest of the
:24:04. > :24:12.year. We still rely on pantomime more than anything else. The
:24:13. > :24:18.pantomime has helped this theatre to put on good stuff later in the year.
:24:19. > :24:24.It is amazing to think they will provide nearly 40% of the theatre's
:24:25. > :24:36.annual ticket sales. Reason alone to come to the theatre.
:24:37. > :24:44.What a fantastic effort. He's behind you.
:24:45. > :24:52.I feel like the pantomime villain. We saw the disruption to travel but
:24:53. > :25:05.the weather was causing. Take a look at these pictures. Many of the
:25:06. > :25:10.rivers are full and fast flowing. In the run`up to Christmas, we have got
:25:11. > :25:18.more heavy rain for many of us, deal or severe gale force winds. Things
:25:19. > :25:22.turn cold towards Christmas day. This evening and overnight, the
:25:23. > :25:27.showers will merge to give us longer spells of rain during the night. But
:25:28. > :25:37.they were clear away eastwards during the early hours of the
:25:38. > :25:43.morning. `` they will clear way. It will stay very windy overnight. The
:25:44. > :25:50.wind is a feature of two moral's weather, we have met office warning
:25:51. > :25:55.out for the strength of the wind. A day bright spells and showers. The
:25:56. > :26:00.showers will be infrequent during the morning, but they will merge to
:26:01. > :26:05.give longer spells of rain in the afternoon. It will feel bitterly
:26:06. > :26:19.cold temperatures between five and seven Celsius. But the gusty wind
:26:20. > :26:29.will make it feel colder. Things quite and down slightly into
:26:30. > :26:34.Christmas Day itself. Quite for Christmas Day, but then the next
:26:35. > :26:40.band of wet and windy weather comes in later in the week. Christmas Day
:26:41. > :26:51.in Cumbria Drive for many, bright with later winds. A similar picture
:26:52. > :27:00.for Boxing Day before the rain comes back. For the North East, a similar
:27:01. > :27:12.picture. Christmas Day and Boxing Day, mostly dry. But then
:27:13. > :27:18.widespread again. There will be trouble disruption and you can find
:27:19. > :27:23.out the latest information on your BBC local radio station or on the
:27:24. > :27:34.BBC weather website. Thank you very much.
:27:35. > :27:42.On behalf of the three wise men and all of the look North team, have a
:27:43. > :27:46.great Christmas. We will see you in the New Year. Goodbye.