:00:00. > :00:00.calls for UN peacekeepers to be sent in. That's all from the BBC
:00:07. > :01:19.In her own words, she was jtst a County Durham mum fighting for her
:01:20. > :01:22.son. But many families seekhng justice have benefited from Pat
:01:23. > :01:25.Gibson's determination to change a law that allowed killers to get away
:01:26. > :01:28.with murder. The men who attacked her son Michael never faced trial
:01:29. > :01:34.for either murder or manslatghter because he lived on for mord than a
:01:35. > :01:37.year and a day after the attack But thanks to the work she began 20
:01:38. > :01:40.years ago this week, nobody else will ever have to face that
:01:41. > :01:44.injustice. Our political edhtor Richard Moss has been talking to the
:01:45. > :01:50.mother who wouldn't take no for an answer.
:01:51. > :01:54.Michael Gibson was attacked on a night out in Darlington. For 16
:01:55. > :01:58.months he lay in a coma unthl he died in 1993. But because hd had
:01:59. > :02:01.survived for more than 366 days his attacker could only be charged with
:02:02. > :02:05.grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to two years. For
:02:06. > :02:17.Michael's mother, Pat, it w`s devastating. When we came ott, I
:02:18. > :02:23.think we were shattered stunned that that was it. A lady from thd Crown
:02:24. > :02:27.Prosecution Service said th`t, that's the way it is and yot cannot
:02:28. > :02:33.do anything about it. I askdd why not. I went straight to the hospital
:02:34. > :02:41.and saw him lying there and thought, this is not on. I was furiots. That
:02:42. > :02:45.day, I sat down and started writing. At first though, Pat hit a brick
:02:46. > :02:48.wall. Nobody seemed keen to change a law that dated back to the liddle
:02:49. > :02:57.ages. But she wasn't going to give in. As a mum, you don't get
:02:58. > :03:03.involved, but when it is yotr son is the victim, it is a different ball
:03:04. > :03:07.game altogether. You just c`n't sit there and not do something. It is a
:03:08. > :03:11.mother's instinct to fight like tigers for your kids. And she did
:03:12. > :03:18.manage to get the backing of the then`Darlington MP Alan Milburn and
:03:19. > :03:23.her local newspaper. It was literally enabling colours to get
:03:24. > :03:29.away with murder. The MP and local paper all got together to ddmand
:03:30. > :03:36.that this was changed and P`t was in the middle of all of that, being the
:03:37. > :03:38.face of the campaign. Her determination and courage g`lvanise
:03:39. > :03:41.everyone. And, with that determination, Pat and her backers
:03:42. > :03:47.won the day. Killers can no longer use the year`and`a`day rule. It was
:03:48. > :03:54.the only good thing to come out of the awful ordeal. I would h`ve
:03:55. > :03:59.Michael back tomorrow the w`y he was, but it does give me trdmendous
:04:00. > :04:04.satisfaction when I hear th`t people have been able to go back to court
:04:05. > :04:06.and use the law to get justhce. But Pat never saw Michael's att`cker
:04:07. > :04:10.retried. The change she achheved would only apply to new casds. Two
:04:11. > :04:12.decades on though, his death has given other families the justice the
:04:13. > :04:24.Gibsons were denied. Riding a motorbike can be
:04:25. > :04:27.exhilarating. It can also bd fatal. Ahead of the first bank holhday
:04:28. > :04:30.weekend, a safety campaign hs being rolled out across Northumberland,
:04:31. > :04:34.highlighting the hazards facing bikers on the roads. For thd past
:04:35. > :04:39.four years, the Safer Northtmberland Partnership has worked to ctt the
:04:40. > :04:44.number of accidents in the county. Stephanie Cleasby reports.
:04:45. > :04:48.As the spring weather warms up, bikers are preparing for long rides
:04:49. > :04:53.and bank holiday escapes. As soon as the sun comes out, bikers come out.
:04:54. > :04:57.They are an important part of our community and our priority hs to
:04:58. > :05:02.keep the people using the roads safe. A campaign is being started to
:05:03. > :05:07.warn of the dangers of tearhng around country roads. Around 20 of
:05:08. > :05:11.these signs have been put up at accident hotspots around
:05:12. > :05:14.Northumberland. Last year, two motorcyclists were killed on the
:05:15. > :05:24.roads, with 36 seriously injured and 44 slightly hurt. Four more
:05:25. > :05:30.casualties than in 2012. But will signs make bakers change thd way
:05:31. > :05:33.they ride? I think they will make a difference. As a motorcyclist, you
:05:34. > :05:37.are constantly aware of the fact that if you're in a collision with a
:05:38. > :05:42.car, you may end up with fatal injuries. The signs are larger this
:05:43. > :05:46.year and well`placed. It is really trying to educate the riders and car
:05:47. > :05:50.drivers to be more aware and to look a bit more closely and sharply, look
:05:51. > :05:58.longer when they are pulling out of junctions. We have seen a steady
:05:59. > :06:00.improvement in the number of injuries involving motorcyclists
:06:01. > :06:07.although we cannot claim th`t this campaign itself is the sole
:06:08. > :06:10.contributor. I think there `re a lot of other elements, but we cdrtainly
:06:11. > :06:16.believe that this makes a significant contribution to all
:06:17. > :06:20.accidents. Northumberland btsy popular place for bakers. Whth
:06:21. > :06:21.Easter around the corner, it is hoped that the signs will m`ke
:06:22. > :06:39.things safer and more enjoy`ble A woman is still in a critical
:06:40. > :06:43.condition in hospital after two digger vehicles fell from the back
:06:44. > :06:46.of a lorry, hitting her car. It happened on the A194 at Fellgate,
:06:47. > :06:49.near Jarrow, yesterday mornhng. It's thought the diggers hit the
:06:50. > :06:57.underside of the Metro rail bridge, knocking them into the road.
:06:58. > :07:00.Cleveland Police are growing increasingly concerned for `
:07:01. > :07:02.Middlesbrough woman who has been missing since yesterday evening
:07:03. > :07:05.Michaela Fearon was last sedn leaving the China Buffet King
:07:06. > :07:08.restaurant on Linthorpe Road after a meal with work colleagues. Police
:07:09. > :07:12.say it is out`of`character for her to go missing and she takes regular
:07:13. > :07:18.medication which she hasn't got with her.
:07:19. > :07:22.Anglers in Cumbria are being urged to do their bit to stop non`native
:07:23. > :07:25.plants and creatures taking over the county's rivers and lakes. The West
:07:26. > :07:28.Cumbria Rivers Trust has latnched a campaign asking fishermen to keep
:07:29. > :07:31.their equipment clean so thdy don't help the culprits spread from one
:07:32. > :07:39.area to another. Our reportdr Alison Freeman is on the shore of Derwent
:07:40. > :07:48.Water for us this evening. Ht really has been a glorious day herd in the
:07:49. > :07:55.Lake District. People have been enjoying themselves, and th`t's what
:07:56. > :08:01.this campaign is about ` spdcies that could damage the ecology here.
:08:02. > :08:06.These boots have been in many of the late and rivers around here. That's
:08:07. > :08:12.because 18`year`old Jim Crichton has been fishing here since he was a
:08:13. > :08:14.child. He has been mended the importance of keeping his epuipment
:08:15. > :08:23.clean so he does not spread unwarranted, invasive specids. I
:08:24. > :08:30.have heard a lot about it and they do not how important it is. It is
:08:31. > :08:39.time`consuming, having to w`it down my equipment. A campaign has been
:08:40. > :08:47.launched by West Cumbria Rivers Trust to raise awareness amongst
:08:48. > :08:56.anglers about invasive speches like shrimp and muscles. They have no way
:08:57. > :09:02.of controlling them. We havd been trying to raise awareness for years
:09:03. > :09:05.and it is everyone's responsibility. People do a lot of activitids here
:09:06. > :09:12.and it is crucial that everxone takes the message and, before
:09:13. > :09:21.getting into the water, thex make sure that it is clean and dry from
:09:22. > :09:26.last time. If Cumbria's rivdrs get contaminated, the fear as that
:09:27. > :09:30.visitors would be subjected to lengthy cleaning processes which
:09:31. > :09:42.might put them off visiting, and damage the two list industrx. `` to
:09:43. > :09:45.resonant industry. The West Cumbria Rivers Trust want to push the
:09:46. > :09:49.message that if they are brhnging their own canoes and kayaks, they
:09:50. > :09:50.must watch them before putthng them into the water and spreading those
:09:51. > :10:03.species. They live only a matter of linutes
:10:04. > :10:06.apart, but while one of these teenagers is about to take part in
:10:07. > :10:10.an historic political decishon, the other will remain a mere bystander.
:10:11. > :10:13.They're both 16 years old. They both go to school in Berwick. But one
:10:14. > :10:16.lives on the Scottish side of the border, and the other is English.
:10:17. > :10:20.And it's the Scottish teenager who'll have a say ` along whth her
:10:21. > :10:23.parents ` on whether the cotntry maintains its political union with
:10:24. > :10:25.England, or becomes a nation alone again, after three centuries. David
:10:26. > :10:29.Rhodes reports. 800 pupils go to this school. The
:10:30. > :10:32.majority live in England but a small number cross the border every day
:10:33. > :10:35.from Scotland. That means that some 16` and 17`year`olds at Berwick
:10:36. > :10:40.Academy will make history in September by casting a vote in the
:10:41. > :10:44.Scottish independence referdndum. Yasmin lives in Coldstream `nd is
:10:45. > :10:49.one of the ones getting to have a say on Scotland's future. I will
:10:50. > :10:52.probably be voting no, simply because I don't think the country
:10:53. > :11:01.has enough information on what they plan to do if they do get
:11:02. > :11:05.independence. Alanis, who is also 17, lives in Berwick. Her f`mily
:11:06. > :11:11.comes from Glasgow but, livhng in England, she does not get a vote.
:11:12. > :11:15.Half of us do have the vote and half of us don't, which is frustrating
:11:16. > :11:19.because it is going to have as much as an impact on others as it has on
:11:20. > :11:24.them. The Government has no plans to give under`18s the vote in next
:11:25. > :11:27.year's general election. If a future government did take that stdp, the
:11:28. > :11:30.headteacher is not convinced it would have much impact. I think
:11:31. > :11:36.there is a tendency for young people to be very influenced by thdir
:11:37. > :11:42.parents' politics. There is the danger that it just becomes an extra
:11:43. > :11:50.vote for their parents. Whatever the outcome, one thing is certahn:
:11:51. > :11:54.Yasmin and others her age whll have played a part in deciding whether a
:11:55. > :12:02.300`year`old union should bd maintained.
:12:03. > :12:10.Coming up: Mark Tulip will join me, and we also celebrate anothdr trophy
:12:11. > :12:18.success for the team led by this gentleman. It was tough but we got
:12:19. > :12:22.there in the end! And I will be here with your forecast and detahls on
:12:23. > :12:29.how you can spot a planet whth your naked eye tonight.
:12:30. > :12:32.When it comes to endurance ` and charity fundraising ` they broke the
:12:33. > :12:35.mould with Tony 'The Fridge' Morrison. But it seems the
:12:36. > :12:38.Tynesider, who runs huge distances with a six`stone fridge on his back,
:12:39. > :12:42.might actually be human aftdr all. Tony's goal to run the London
:12:43. > :12:46.Marathon with that fridge not once but four times in 24 hours dnded up
:12:47. > :12:49.being beyond even him. But `s Gerry Jackson reports, he wanted to pay
:12:50. > :12:53.tribute to the people donathng to his cancer charities.
:12:54. > :12:59.A modest reception for a massive achievement. With that 42`khlo
:13:00. > :13:06.fridge, he ground out the fhrst 26.2 miles in just over six hours. That,
:13:07. > :13:09.in itself, is incredible enough But straight after crossing the
:13:10. > :13:14.finishing line, he caught a train straight back to the start to do it
:13:15. > :13:19.all again. Not once, but three more times in 24 hours. The effects of
:13:20. > :13:24.sunstroke and heat exhaustion prompted bouts of vomiting, even
:13:25. > :13:27.fainting. Still, he kept gohng. With frequent stops to be snapped with
:13:28. > :13:33.well`wishers, this second rtn took all night. But at the end of two
:13:34. > :13:44.marathons, 52 miles, even Tony had to call a halt. I am trying to raise
:13:45. > :13:49.awareness for people who have been struck down with a sudden illness.
:13:50. > :13:54.Maybe it was ironic that I was struck down with a sudden hdlm this
:13:55. > :13:57.well doing this challenge! Tony s exploits are now famous way beyond
:13:58. > :14:00.his native Northeast, each time running for a cancer charitx. This
:14:01. > :14:04.time his target was ?10,000 Tony Morrison was making the supdrhuman
:14:05. > :14:11.look commonplace. I didn't get the outcome I expected, but we have done
:14:12. > :14:15.great charity dash wise. We have raised hope for people fighting
:14:16. > :14:19.cancer. People around the world have showed me a lot of love and made
:14:20. > :14:23.lots of donations to my charity I am very thankful. He knows he's
:14:24. > :14:26.risked long`term damage to his body, and said this would be his last
:14:27. > :14:35.major physical fundraising challenge.
:14:36. > :14:41.It is a significant burden `nd a trauma to carry. It is not something
:14:42. > :14:44.I ever enjoy and I will be really glad to put it down. Some whll say
:14:45. > :14:48.this was always a Fridge Too Far. But don't rule out seeing a man with
:14:49. > :14:55.this sort of strength of ch`racter again.
:14:56. > :14:59.Time for Team Talk now and ` a bit of a rarity this ` we're gohng to be
:15:00. > :15:04.talking about one of our te`ms winning a trophy! And, as you might
:15:05. > :15:11.have guessed, this trophy isn't a football one! We don't see lany of
:15:12. > :15:15.those, do we? Apart from thd FA Vase, which could be on its way to
:15:16. > :15:19.the North East for the sixth time in a row. And, actually, we've seen
:15:20. > :15:24.this one before as well. Quhte a few times. But we're going to kdep you
:15:25. > :15:27.in suspense for just a few linutes longer, because we'll kick off with
:15:28. > :15:30.football. Big problems for our Premier League teams. Both lost 1`0
:15:31. > :15:36.at the weekend, to 'unfortunate goals, but it's not just down to
:15:37. > :15:40.'bad luck', surely, Mark? Newcastle have lost 11 out of the
:15:41. > :15:46.last 16 games, including fotr and a row. They have not even scored in
:15:47. > :15:56.12. A decent display for Sunderland, but they lost two. Five
:15:57. > :16:10.defeats in a row. Seven own goals this season. It is the storx of the
:16:11. > :16:15.season, really. We do well, we match most of the important things of the
:16:16. > :16:23.game. A team like Everton is very tight. To lose the game with an own
:16:24. > :16:27.goal... It hurts. It was a pretty even game. It was a fluke goal. I
:16:28. > :16:31.thought we should have had perhaps a penalty before then. We're just not
:16:32. > :16:37.getting the breaks. It is four defeats on the spin now, just one
:16:38. > :16:40.win in six games. Can this season end quickly enough for you? No, we
:16:41. > :16:45.want those last four games because we want to get respect back on the
:16:46. > :16:49.pitch and get our fans a cotple of wins before the end of the season.
:16:50. > :16:53.But, as you saw there, some of those fans aren't happy. And Alan Pardew's
:16:54. > :16:56.not happy with the Newcastld`based Journal, Chronicle and Sund`y Sun
:16:57. > :16:59.newspapers, who he said havd been 'damaging' the club. All banned from
:17:00. > :17:02.contact with the club, of course. The Sunday Sun replied with this
:17:03. > :17:04.back page yesterday ` a tongue`in`cheek apology for
:17:05. > :17:07.Newcastle's 11 defeats sincd the turn of the year. Journalists don't
:17:08. > :17:13.lose you matches, do they, Lark They don't. It is high pressure
:17:14. > :17:18.being a football manager and I suppose it is easy to think that
:17:19. > :17:26.everyone is conspiring against you. You can see why he has upset, but
:17:27. > :17:35.the season just seems to be going nowhere and fans are, of cotrse
:17:36. > :17:40.worried about next season. Gus Poyet to make this an strange comlents
:17:41. > :17:46.over the weekend. I think there is something wrong and the football
:17:47. > :17:54.club, and only to find that. If I do not find that, there is a problem.
:17:55. > :18:02.Is it an exit strategy? A lot of people seem to think Gus Poxet won't
:18:03. > :18:09.be around next season. He h`s a very tough game at Manchester city. Wins
:18:10. > :18:12.for Gateshead and Berwick h`ve kept their play`off hopes on course.
:18:13. > :18:15.Middlesbrough have left it just too late in the Championship, though? I
:18:16. > :18:19.think so, even though a fourth win on the bounce at promotion`bound
:18:20. > :18:22.Burnley has cut the gap between Boro and the top six to just six points.
:18:23. > :18:25.The good run coincides with the return to the Riverside of Craig
:18:26. > :18:28.Hignett. Former boss Gareth Southgate also looked on as Jacob
:18:29. > :18:32.Butterfield scored the only goal of the match in a battling performance
:18:33. > :18:35.from the visitors, who had to field a makeshift defence. Just as well
:18:36. > :18:38.goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopolous was in outstanding form with a series of
:18:39. > :18:41.excellent saves to seal the three points, following on nicely from
:18:42. > :18:45.Shay Given's loan spell. Not such good news in League One for Carlisle
:18:46. > :18:48.who slipped back into the rdlegation zone, not helped by going two down
:18:49. > :18:51.at Preston inside the first 20 minutes. Blues striker Gary Madine
:18:52. > :18:55.could be crucial in the scr`p to avoid the drop. He reduced the
:18:56. > :18:58.arrears just before the bre`k. But a second half collapse saw Carlisle
:18:59. > :19:01.concede four more goals in ` 6` thrashing. Assistant boss D`vie
:19:02. > :19:04.Irons thinks they can still survive but it's going to be tough. In
:19:05. > :19:07.League Two, Hartlepool, despite Luke James giving them the lead `t home
:19:08. > :19:12.to third`placed Chesterfield, are just three points above the drop
:19:13. > :19:15.zone. Play`off hopefuls just a few weeks ago, they couldn't prdvent the
:19:16. > :19:21.visitors from taking all three points. Could we really havd three
:19:22. > :19:24.of our top sides getting relegated? Perish the thought! Dreaming of a
:19:25. > :19:27.second promotion in three ydars are York City, up against Accrington,
:19:28. > :19:30.but this was surely two points dropped for Nigel Worthington's men.
:19:31. > :19:35.They were given the lead by Michael Coulson's penalty. How damaging
:19:36. > :19:39.though, will the visitors' stoppage time equaliser prove? York can
:19:40. > :19:43.re`gain the last play`off place on Good Friday if they win at Oxford,
:19:44. > :19:46.who are just above them in the table. There'll be more Football
:19:47. > :19:49.League action on Late Kick Off tonight. Among the guests in the
:19:50. > :19:52.studio will be former Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca.
:19:53. > :19:57.There'll also be a interview with the Black Cats' defender, C`rlos
:19:58. > :20:00.Cuellar. And Steve Bower and the team are kicking off slightly later
:20:01. > :20:07.this evening ` they're on ahr at 11:30pm, here on BBC One.
:20:08. > :20:10.Changing sports, Sunderland is to be the new home base for the Roger
:20:11. > :20:14.Albert Clark motor`racing r`lly this November. While the new route starts
:20:15. > :20:17.and finishes on Wearside, it will make extensive use of Kielddr
:20:18. > :20:20.Forest. Meanwhile the first race of British Cycling's Road Serids, the
:20:21. > :20:22.Tour of the Reservoir, took place at Derwent Reservoir on the
:20:23. > :20:25.Durham`Northumberland border. And in rugby union's Premiership, Newcastle
:20:26. > :20:34.Falcons ` beaten 40`12 by London Irish ` now lead bottom club
:20:35. > :20:38.Worcester by just seven points. On to cricket, and the second day of
:20:39. > :20:49.the opening game of the season for both Yorkshire and the defending
:20:50. > :20:52.champions, Durham. Wicketkedper Phil Mustard fell just nine runs short of
:20:53. > :20:56.a century, as Durham made 442 against Northants, who closdd on 166
:20:57. > :20:59.for three. But there was a tonne for Yorkshire's Adil Rashid at Taunton
:21:00. > :21:01.in the Tykes' total of 450. Somerset, in reply, are 200 for
:21:02. > :21:08.three. Now to this trophy ` which we have
:21:09. > :21:11.seen before! Because it's the British Basketball League trophy,
:21:12. > :21:14.won for the sixth time in nhne years, by Newcastle Eagles. And it's
:21:15. > :21:16.been brought here by their player`coach, Fab Flournoy. Fab
:21:17. > :21:26.congratulations. A very protd man, because not many experts tipped you
:21:27. > :21:30.to win it this season? It h`s been a tough season, a competitive season.
:21:31. > :21:33.And you won it with back`to`back victories on the road, over the
:21:34. > :21:42.weekend, at Birmingham, then against Surrey United. It is a tough
:21:43. > :21:48.schedule. The big game was on the Friday, Newcastle against
:21:49. > :21:55.Sheffield. We had the weekend which we had to win, and we did in a good
:21:56. > :22:08.fashion. The supporting fans are loved every minute of it and so did
:22:09. > :22:16.we. What's the dance there? LAUGHTER
:22:17. > :22:25.When he does his dance moves he does not look all that all! `` old. So
:22:26. > :22:31.what's the secret, Fab? Can you pass it on to our football teams, please?
:22:32. > :22:43.Stay competitive, stay true and believe in yourself. If you take
:22:44. > :22:47.hard look at yourself and bdlieve, and start at the bottom, yot can get
:22:48. > :22:50.there. The club does so much work in the community as well, but British
:22:51. > :22:54.basketball has lost its funding from UK Sport ahead of the 2016 Olympics.
:22:55. > :22:59.How much will that hurt you? It is a huge blow but one that we h`ve to
:23:00. > :23:08.take in our stride. Basketb`ll is a growing sport, particularly in
:23:09. > :23:14.participation. Are you getthng a chance to win another trophx in the
:23:15. > :23:24.play`off? We want to celebr`te the trophy. But we do have the play`offs
:23:25. > :23:32.and with that, a chance for two trophies in one season. Thank you.
:23:33. > :23:43.Time for the weather. It is going to be very pleasant
:23:44. > :23:48.indeed. Light winds and sprhng sunshine. Through this evenhng,
:23:49. > :23:58.clear skies and late sunshine. It will not set until after 8:00pm
:23:59. > :24:04.After dark, starry skies and a fantastic chance tonight to see a
:24:05. > :24:10.planet in our skies. More ddtails on where to look at the end of the
:24:11. > :24:14.forecast. With the starry skies letting the warmth of the d`y if a
:24:15. > :24:23.parade into space, temperattres will fall to three Celsius. First thing
:24:24. > :24:29.tomorrow morning, it is dry with long spells of sunshine, especially
:24:30. > :24:39.in the West. Through late morning and into the afternoon, the back
:24:40. > :24:46.workload, `` a bit more clotd, but nothing staying settled. Here is how
:24:47. > :24:55.the afternoon looks tomorrow. A touch warmer than it was today. 14
:24:56. > :25:03.Celsius on the Northumberland coast, one of the warmest days this year so
:25:04. > :25:14.far. As we crossed the Pennhnes a touch cooler on the Cumbria Coast,
:25:15. > :25:19.but every bit as warm inland. The dominating high pressing down across
:25:20. > :25:23.the UK tomorrow. On Wednesd`y, it is trying to cling on, but a wdak
:25:24. > :25:31.weather system across Scotl`nd could mean more low cloud running things
:25:32. > :25:40.cooler. It will be Cumbria that sees the first of the low cloud. It
:25:41. > :25:46.reasserts itself, the high, later in the week. Things look good towards
:25:47. > :25:54.the bank holiday weekend. Bright and fine on Wednesday with low but
:25:55. > :25:59.pleasant temperatures. In the north`east, a better chance of
:26:00. > :26:07.sunshine on Wednesday with bright blue clear skies. Late in the West,
:26:08. > :26:13.things will town cloudier on Thursday, particularly on the coast.
:26:14. > :26:22.Tonight, clear skies and thd best chance we have had to see M`rs as it
:26:23. > :26:27.comes near the filming. It will rise in the east as the sunset the West.
:26:28. > :26:34.The red planet will glow brhghter than any star. This is its closest
:26:35. > :26:36.approach to Earth for some time You can see it with your naked dye and
:26:37. > :26:48.do not need a telescope. Normally, it is the golden rule that
:26:49. > :26:56.you should not bring a mobile phone into the studio in case it goes
:26:57. > :27:11.off. But we are going to get a selfie with this trophy! Th`t will
:27:12. > :27:18.be on the Look North Facebook page tonight. Good night!