:00:16. > :00:19.Welcome to Friday's Look North. In tonight's headlines...
:00:20. > :00:21.Jail sentences for the pair who sent abusive Twitter messages to a
:00:22. > :00:28.high`profile campaigner. Speeding cop. A police officer
:00:29. > :00:30.drives at up to 140mph with a prisoner onboard and escapes
:00:31. > :00:33.prosecution. Claims from job centre staff that
:00:34. > :00:35.people are losing their benefits, to meet government targets.
:00:36. > :00:40.And celebrity endorsement for the plant which turns waste food into
:00:41. > :00:43.energy. In sport, an online petition to help
:00:44. > :00:47.the Winter Olympics hopeful frozen out of the Sochi Games.
:00:48. > :00:48.And can Sunderland avoid an FA Cup upset against the last non`league
:00:49. > :01:05.side left in the competition? They sent threats a judge said were
:01:06. > :01:09."extreme" and tonight, two people who used Twitter to abuse a woman
:01:10. > :01:13.they had never met are starting jail terms. Isabella Sorley, from
:01:14. > :01:16.Newcastle and John Nimmo, from South Tyneside, bombarded a journalist
:01:17. > :01:21.with tweets that left her fearing for her safety.
:01:22. > :01:24.Nimmo, who is 25 and 23`year`old Sorley, were also ordered to pay
:01:25. > :01:30.compensation to their victim Caroline Criado`Perez. Well, they
:01:31. > :01:33.are only the latest people from our region convicted over online abuse
:01:34. > :01:37.with thousands of cases reported nationally. Tonight, we hear from
:01:38. > :01:44.victims of so`called "trolls", amid calls for tougher action to tackle
:01:45. > :01:48.the problem. They are the bullies you can't see,
:01:49. > :01:53.behind a screen, targeting victims they've never met. As But for those
:01:54. > :01:57.on the wrong end of the Twitter trolls, the impact is real enough.
:01:58. > :02:02.Victims like the County Durham actress Denise Welch. But she fought
:02:03. > :02:14.back, traced an abuser, who then lost his job. A registered thought,
:02:15. > :02:20.and Jupiter stopped to use same that to need the least, I am going to
:02:21. > :02:25.fight back. People say, just block them, but I say, I do not want to
:02:26. > :02:28.just block them, I want them to know that I will track them down.
:02:29. > :02:34.Sometimes it's the police who come calling. In 2012, nearly 5,000
:02:35. > :02:37.online abuse cases were reported, with hundreds charged, some of the
:02:38. > :02:40.most high profile cases have been in the north.
:02:41. > :02:43.Today, Isobella Sorley from Newcastle and John Nimmo from South
:02:44. > :02:46.Shields were the latest, sentenced for sending menacing tweets to a
:02:47. > :02:53.journalist who wanted a famous woman's image on the back of a ?10
:02:54. > :03:05.note. Sorley tweeted she should "die", "go kill yourself", while
:03:06. > :03:12.Nimmo made references to "rape." She also added the menacing, "I will
:03:13. > :03:15.find you" . The victim Caroline Criado Perez was said to have
:03:16. > :03:23.suffered life changing psychological effects. People who use social media
:03:24. > :03:30.in this we need to know it is not virtual, they are addressing real
:03:31. > :03:37.people. If the cross a line from giving an opinion to the eccentric
:03:38. > :03:45.they are saying things which could lead to arrest or prosecution, they
:03:46. > :03:49.have to stop. The question surely though is, why
:03:50. > :03:59.do they do it. Are they mad ` or just sad? Boredom factor could be a
:04:00. > :04:06.part of that. They maybe have feelings that make them feel we have
:04:07. > :04:11.two live shout at people. They may be relieve some sense of boredom.
:04:12. > :04:15.They just happens we have seen some high`profile cases in our area.
:04:16. > :04:18.The journalist abused in the latest case expressed relief the judge took
:04:19. > :04:23.the threats seriously. And tonight, our region's most recent Twitter
:04:24. > :04:28.trolls are in prison. Isabella Sorley got 12 weeks. John Nimmo,
:04:29. > :04:31.described in court as a "somewhat sad" individual, was jailed for
:04:32. > :04:35.eight weeks. And Peter is with me in the studio
:04:36. > :04:44.now. A lot of people will wonder why Twitter can't do more to stop these
:04:45. > :04:50.people? They do. It is not as easy as just blocking an account. One of
:04:51. > :04:54.the prosecuted here had actually numerous accounts. It is very hard
:04:55. > :05:02.to stop someone sending instant comments. When they do break the
:05:03. > :05:07.rules, the do take action. Critics say they do not furnish the police
:05:08. > :05:11.with enough information to take proper action. There is a school of
:05:12. > :05:22.thought that people should try and ignore it, but there is an irony,
:05:23. > :05:27.that the rumour that the subject of this case is again receiving abusive
:05:28. > :05:30.messages and will once again have to go to the police.
:05:31. > :05:33.A police officer has been disciplined after driving at more
:05:34. > :05:36.than twice the motorway speed limit while ferrying a prisoner from Leeds
:05:37. > :05:39.to Darlington.The incident, revealed by the Northern Echo, apparently
:05:40. > :05:43.happened after the prisoner asked how fast the police car could go.
:05:44. > :05:54.But the officer has escaped prosecution. The police can break
:05:55. > :06:00.the speed limit of the art and an emergency, but this was not. This
:06:01. > :06:05.was an experienced officer taking a prisoner from Leeds to Darlington.
:06:06. > :06:13.The seems to be a discussion about how powerful the police car was. The
:06:14. > :06:20.police officer Russell registered at speeding at 140mph. He got here
:06:21. > :06:28.quicker and more thrillingly than me to have been imagined. When she got
:06:29. > :06:34.in, he deseeded to talk about it. This left to the involvement of the
:06:35. > :06:39.professional standards department and he has been given a written
:06:40. > :06:46.warning and had this police diving license removed. He will also have
:06:47. > :06:55.to undergo training. What would you do to me if you got me doing 140? I
:06:56. > :07:00.understand what you are seeing. From the outset, we actively discourage
:07:01. > :07:03.members of the public and police officers from speeding. On this
:07:04. > :07:11.occasion, we have to take everything into account. The police officer was
:07:12. > :07:15.on duty. He was driving for a police purpose and in my opinion, he
:07:16. > :07:21.misjudged his belief about getting the prisoner from one place to the
:07:22. > :07:26.other as quickly as possible. He should not have been done at. We do
:07:27. > :07:34.not condone it and he has been punished. The officer is apparently
:07:35. > :07:37.very sorry about the incident and the prisoner himself said he did not
:07:38. > :07:40.want to see the police officer losing his job because of it.
:07:41. > :07:43.Are people having benefits stopped just to meet government targets?
:07:44. > :07:46.That's the claim from the union representing job centre staff here.
:07:47. > :07:49.It says people on Job Seekers' Allowance are having sanctions
:07:50. > :07:52.applied for minor breaches of the rules in order to meet internal
:07:53. > :08:01.performance targets. But the Government strongly denies those
:08:02. > :08:08.targets exist. The Meadow well estate in North Tyneside. Some of
:08:09. > :08:15.those out of work here say they are jobseeker's allowance has been
:08:16. > :08:25.unfairly stopped. Everything seemed fine and then, a letter turned up on
:08:26. > :08:26.December the 20th and I was sanctioned over Christmas. Under new
:08:27. > :08:37.tougher sanctions introduced in sober, people can lose their
:08:38. > :08:43.jobseeker's allowance. In the first ten months of the new regime, latest
:08:44. > :08:53.figures show once 17,500 people in the region have had their 11 stop.
:08:54. > :09:00.16,000 in Durham Tees Valley. Staff faced with the threat of sanctions
:09:01. > :09:05.themselves. If you look at the Gaydon 's for influencing the
:09:06. > :09:13.performance, it clearly states that to measure against targets, we
:09:14. > :09:19.believe these are politically motivated targets. The Department of
:09:20. > :09:26.work and pensions says there are no targets and supporters of sanctions
:09:27. > :09:29.say they are necessary. If people are unemployed and looking for work
:09:30. > :09:33.at this rate they should get benefit, but there should also be
:09:34. > :09:36.conditions attached. And MPs will be discussing benefit
:09:37. > :09:43.sanctions on Sunday Politics on Sunday morning at eleven on BBC One.
:09:44. > :09:48.Plans to find a permanent gypsy and traveller site in Stockton have met
:09:49. > :09:55.with strong local opposition. Six areas of land have been identified.
:09:56. > :09:58.Gypsies and travellers say these sites are much needed, but prompt
:09:59. > :10:01.anger because of outdated myths, stereotypes and prejudices. Stuart
:10:02. > :10:11.Whincup sent this report from one of the identified sites. This pleasant
:10:12. > :10:18.patch of land is for the community to enjoy, not for travelling people.
:10:19. > :10:26.These views may be extreme, but they are shared by many people. If you
:10:27. > :10:32.have got the camp here, as we got a scrap yard. There will be burning,
:10:33. > :10:40.horses, I do not know what you all have. There was huge public
:10:41. > :10:47.opposition to this site when it opened 40 years ago. Many of the
:10:48. > :10:52.myths have disappeared. Local people realised it was all about nothing.
:10:53. > :10:56.There was nothing to be frightened. We have just like them. We are
:10:57. > :11:06.private people who just want to get on with our lives. 99% of the stuff
:11:07. > :11:10.is an absolute load of nonsense. Despite the success of the site,
:11:11. > :11:17.opinions and attitudes have not changed very much. Back in Stockton,
:11:18. > :11:28.they have one question to ask. Would you want it next to your house? It
:11:29. > :11:31.is being licked looked at. It is a technical thing white one bit of
:11:32. > :11:41.land is better than another. As I said, there are six pieces of land
:11:42. > :11:52.identified. The council has stressed that no site has been chosen. The
:11:53. > :11:55.council accepts that the decision could be controversial and
:11:56. > :11:57.unpopular, but doing nothing is not an option.
:11:58. > :12:05.You're watching Look North. And there's plenty more to come in the
:12:06. > :12:09.programme tonight. Dawn Thewlis reports on how an Olympics dream has
:12:10. > :12:11.turned sour for one of the region's hopefuls.
:12:12. > :12:19.We visit a remote community fighting to keep its own ambulance. And join
:12:20. > :12:22.me out and about four Prix Robert night forecast.
:12:23. > :12:27.People in a North Pennines town say they're worried they could be left
:12:28. > :12:30.vulnerable if their ambulance service is downgraded. Alston's had
:12:31. > :12:34.its own ambulance for 46 years ` it's crewed by local people who have
:12:35. > :12:39.some training, but aren't qualified paramedics. They give first aid
:12:40. > :12:42.while 999 crews travel from Carlisle or Penrith. North West Ambulance
:12:43. > :12:45.Service provides the vehicle ` they say its future is under review ` and
:12:46. > :12:59.they're working with local people to find a safe and sustainable
:13:00. > :13:06.solution. Alston move, a beautiful place with the historic market town
:13:07. > :13:11.at its heart. Locals were angrily that he pensioner had to wait for
:13:12. > :13:20.nearly an hour, because the ambulance in the town has now been
:13:21. > :13:26.taken off the service. The ambulance took 45 minutes and it highlighted
:13:27. > :13:35.how vulnerable the community is without the back`up of the Alston
:13:36. > :13:40.ambulance. There is a similar view at the local school, where teachers
:13:41. > :13:47.want to know that there is a proper ambulance service. They are active
:13:48. > :13:52.children. We do as much as possible to prevent any accidents, they do
:13:53. > :13:58.happen. We need to know they could get there errors quickly and
:13:59. > :14:02.efficiently as possible. Those campaigning for a better ambulance
:14:03. > :14:06.service either is overwhelming support for some sort of provision
:14:07. > :14:12.and see hundreds will come out to a public meeting on the issue next
:14:13. > :14:19.week. One of the organisers says tragedy is inevitable. If we cannot
:14:20. > :14:23.get an ambulance with in 49 minutes, I believe the national
:14:24. > :14:28.averages 15 minutes, that is going to be very long if we cannot even
:14:29. > :14:33.manage 45 minutes, that is not acceptable. In a statement, the
:14:34. > :14:51.North West ambulance service said: The media personality Janet
:14:52. > :14:55.Street`Porter has opened the region's first plant to deal with
:14:56. > :14:58.waste food. Built at Newton Aycliffe in County
:14:59. > :15:02.Durham, it means tens of thousands of tonnes of food don't have to be
:15:03. > :15:05.dumped in landfill sites. And its by`product ` gas ` produces enough
:15:06. > :15:12.energy to heat and light 2,000 homes. You may want to leave any
:15:13. > :15:30.food you're eating until after his report! A celebrity endorsement for
:15:31. > :15:38.this new slant. Wiest food is reprocessed. When they told me about
:15:39. > :15:42.this, I thought this was a very good idea. It takes food waste which we
:15:43. > :15:47.do not want in landfill sites concert is harmful and turns it into
:15:48. > :15:59.energy. What is there not to like about it? There is certainly a lot
:16:00. > :16:07.of waste to be processed. We plan to boot 50,000 tonnes through every
:16:08. > :16:13.year. We get up to ?200,000 of food waste in our region each year. Much
:16:14. > :16:22.of that goes to landfill we hope to bring that to our site. One that
:16:23. > :16:31.uses the facility, heap or playmaker, send tonnes of material
:16:32. > :16:36.via a week. We have waste material from the production lines. As a
:16:37. > :16:42.company, we are working really hard to keep both the costs at a minimum
:16:43. > :16:47.and the waste at the minimum. Perhaps a celebrity thumbs up meat
:16:48. > :16:53.encourage more openness about the issue and about what food businesses
:16:54. > :17:04.go to waste and what could go we are. Delicious, wasn't it! No,
:17:05. > :17:09.disappointing news for an Olympic hopeful?
:17:10. > :17:12.Her Winter Olympics dream is in tatters. And now Durham ski`cross
:17:13. > :17:15.athlete Emily Sarsfield is hitting out at British officials who won't
:17:16. > :17:18.let her compete at Sochi even though the sport's international governing
:17:19. > :17:21.body has issued an invite. Thousands have already signed an online
:17:22. > :17:24.petition calling for a change of heart.
:17:25. > :17:27.She's Britain's number one and the epitome of an Olympian. Dedicated
:17:28. > :17:34.and self`funded, working three jobs to raise funds to compete. Talented,
:17:35. > :17:36.too. Emily finished 17th in the last World Championships in this most
:17:37. > :17:39.modern and dangerous of winter sports where anything can happen.
:17:40. > :17:43.The top 32 in the world automatically qualify for her event.
:17:44. > :17:46.She was 34th in the latest rankings `but because four of the original
:17:47. > :17:49.list are either injured or retired she effectively moves up the table
:17:50. > :17:52.and the International Ski Federation has invited her to take part. But
:17:53. > :17:55.the British Olympic Association has refused to accept the invitation,
:17:56. > :18:05.even though they have the discretion to do so and did just that in the
:18:06. > :18:09.last Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I am absolutely devastated. It is
:18:10. > :18:14.something I have worked very hard for. I have achieved all the
:18:15. > :18:19.performance criteria. My coach cannot believe I am not going to be
:18:20. > :18:26.on the starting line`up. There is no coach for Britain, there is no
:18:27. > :18:37.expertise for that event. I think it is down to a lack of knowledge about
:18:38. > :18:40.my sport. It has ruined my chance of qualifying for the Olympic Games.
:18:41. > :18:44.It means skiers less qualified than Emily will now get the chance to
:18:45. > :18:46.take part and Britain will have no one in the event. The BOA's
:18:47. > :18:50.entrenched position has angered those in the sport and beyond. More
:18:51. > :18:54.than 2000 people have already signed an online petition to try to get her
:18:55. > :18:57.on the plane to Sochi. A legal challenge was considered but has
:18:58. > :19:01.been abandoned due to costs after the BOA said they wont go back on
:19:02. > :19:03.their policy not to take up unallocated places. Five athletes
:19:04. > :19:07.from our region will be representing Britain in RUssia though and have
:19:08. > :19:11.been at kitting out sessions this week. Matthew Parr from North
:19:12. > :19:19.Shields will compete in the mens team event. I will be one of the
:19:20. > :19:25.first men to compete in the team event. I am very pleased. I will be
:19:26. > :19:28.performing nice and Ellie and then we'll be able to enjoy the rest of
:19:29. > :19:31.the games. Amanda Lightfoot from South Shields becomes only the
:19:32. > :19:37.second woman ever to represent Team GB in the biathlon. It would be
:19:38. > :19:41.great to get with in the top 30. That would be be reaching my goal.
:19:42. > :19:44.It is a great honour to be representing my country and I cannot
:19:45. > :19:47.wait to get out there. In less than three days, Wembley
:19:48. > :19:50.finalists Sunderland will have gone from League Cup underdogs to odds`on
:19:51. > :19:53.favourites in an FA Cup clash against non`league opposition. It'll
:19:54. > :19:58.be David versus Goliath at the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
:19:59. > :20:02.There won't be too many neutrals on Sunderland's side Tthis time. The
:20:03. > :20:04.media loves a good cup upset and Conference Premier club
:20:05. > :20:08.Kidderminster beating a Premier League team to reach the fifth round
:20:09. > :20:12.would be one of the biggest in recent memory. Four thousand away
:20:13. > :20:15.fans will make the trip up from the Midlands, and new Harriers boss Andy
:20:16. > :20:24.Thorn, briefly a Newcastle player after helping Wimbledon win the FA
:20:25. > :20:29.Cup, is eyeing a shock result. It makes you feel old when you are
:20:30. > :20:34.looking back that far. But it was fantastic for the players. They are
:20:35. > :20:41.putting their rights against premiership players. There will be a
:20:42. > :20:44.fantastic atmosphere as well. Gus Poyet is expected to make nine or
:20:45. > :20:48.ten changes to Wednesday's starting line`up but says it's crucial not to
:20:49. > :20:52.let thoughts of next month's League Cup final distract his players. It
:20:53. > :21:00.is a cup competition and you need to take it seriously, be professional.
:21:01. > :21:04.You need to play well. If you want to be playing in my first team, you
:21:05. > :21:15.need to be point good in a game like this. He got a champagne soaking
:21:16. > :21:25.after congratulating the players after their victory over Manchester
:21:26. > :21:32.united in midweek. In the Championship, Middlesbrough
:21:33. > :21:36.are away at leaders Leicester City. On football focus, there will be an
:21:37. > :21:39.interview with the former Sunderland manager pelota cameo.
:21:40. > :21:44.Boro have gone six games unbeaten now under new boss Aitor Karanka `
:21:45. > :21:48.only Nigel Pearson's team have a better record. Daniel Ayala has
:21:49. > :21:51.signed a three and a half year deal at the Riverside after his loan deal
:21:52. > :21:54.expired at five o'clock this afternoon. It means the former
:21:55. > :21:59.Norwich defender will be available for the game. If we can keep this
:22:00. > :22:05.going, you never know when it takers. There are some very good
:22:06. > :22:13.players. It is a tough league, everyone knows how tough it is.
:22:14. > :22:16.Anyone on else. It is a very good standard.
:22:17. > :22:19.In League Two, a regional derby as Hartlepool take on York City at
:22:20. > :22:23.Victoria Park ` with the visitors in better form but both sides needing
:22:24. > :22:25.the win to move further away from the relegation zone. BBC Tees will
:22:26. > :22:29.provide the commentary for Hartlepool fans on DAB. And BBC
:22:30. > :22:33.Radio York is the station for York fans. All the build`up from two o
:22:34. > :22:37.clock. Cricket finally, and there was joy `
:22:38. > :22:41.at last ` for England, as they ended a nine`match losing streak on their
:22:42. > :22:46.disastrous Ashes tour of Australia. And once again, their star man was
:22:47. > :22:49.Durham's Ben Stokes. He cleared the boundary to reach his half`century,
:22:50. > :22:52.on his way to making his best one`day international score of 71 `
:22:53. > :23:04.and then took four wickets, as England won by 57 runs. Thank
:23:05. > :23:06.goodness for that! One of the country's most pioneering
:23:07. > :23:09.contemporary artists has chosen a historic venue in the North for his
:23:10. > :23:12.new exhibition. Gavin Turk came to prominence alongside the likes of
:23:13. > :23:16.Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin. His latest show opens at the Bowes
:23:17. > :23:25.Museum tomorrow and features all of his Neon artworks for the first
:23:26. > :23:32.time. They don't being have open as it is the and it is not there. In a
:23:33. > :23:35.dramatic space carved out of the inside of the Bowes museum, a
:23:36. > :23:43.gallery with no windows is home to the new Gavin Turk show. It is an
:23:44. > :23:53.unusual venue for modern art. This is a mid`19th century set piece. I
:23:54. > :23:59.think it is absolutely amazing and I think visual, what it does is offers
:24:00. > :24:02.an amazing counter to that other stuff. The exhibition is called
:24:03. > :24:04.'Seven billion two hundred and one million nine
:24:05. > :24:05.thousand two hundred and thousand two hundred and
:24:06. > :24:09.thirty`eight' ` that number represents the world populations the
:24:10. > :24:12.moment the exhibition opens ` and the relates specifically to this
:24:13. > :24:17.unique artwork on the front of the building. It was specially
:24:18. > :24:28.commisioned by the museum and funded by the public. They helped us raise
:24:29. > :24:34.over ?8,000 to be able to install this into the museum. Without that
:24:35. > :24:42.fundraising, would this have been possible? No, it would not have
:24:43. > :24:45.happened. : And now contemporary art lovers in the region can see all
:24:46. > :24:50.these signature works on display in one place. Gavin Turk's artwork is
:24:51. > :24:59.known for being controversial ` this was the man who brought us bronze
:25:00. > :25:08.bin bags SOC: all this exhibition may not be as provocative, it is
:25:09. > :25:10.sure to attract plenty of attention. My little ones nationally looks like
:25:11. > :25:43.that. It is Burns night tonight. I most definitely am. I am in a very
:25:44. > :25:48.tranquil setting. Not so tranquil this evening, with the sound of the
:25:49. > :25:54.bagpipes. I have taken refuge in doors because the weather outside is
:25:55. > :25:58.not looking too good at the moment. The headline for the weekend is that
:25:59. > :26:05.it does not get much better. Some sunny intervals on Saturday, but
:26:06. > :26:09.some heavy blustery showers. More persistent rain on Sunday. This
:26:10. > :26:15.evening and overnight, some heavy rain pushing through from the West.
:26:16. > :26:22.Most places will dry up by the end of tonight. Not quite as cold as
:26:23. > :26:28.last night. That takes us into tomorrow morning. As I said, a few
:26:29. > :26:34.bright spells. But some of the showers will turn the heavy. Over
:26:35. > :26:43.the hills, some sleet and snow mix them with the rain. How temperatures
:26:44. > :26:50.of eight or nine Celsius. Here is the pleasure sequins. This is the
:26:51. > :26:55.weight and with windy weather for Sunday coming in. Through Monday and
:26:56. > :27:05.Tuesday, it will start to dry out, but become increasingly called. So
:27:06. > :27:09.for next week, the called, easterly winds are noticeably called,
:27:10. > :27:15.particularly on shoes D. That brings an increasing risk of winter showers
:27:16. > :27:21.on or levels. It could be the first real test of winter next week. That
:27:22. > :27:27.is how the weather is looking. I have a date with a bottle of whiskey
:27:28. > :27:40.and the chieftain of the pudding race! He is enjoying a wee dram, and
:27:41. > :27:42.why not! We will be back at 10:25pm.