:00:08. > :00:11.Welcome to Wednesday's Look North Tonight - fit to keep their licence
:00:11. > :00:18.or not? The family campaigning to have motorists banned immediately
:00:18. > :00:23.if charged with death by dangerous driving.
:00:23. > :00:30.My son was killed by a drunk driver on the New Year's Eve. He did not
:00:30. > :00:34.lose his licence. The law seems crazy to me. If he had been stopped
:00:34. > :00:37.for drink-driving, he would have lost his licence straight away.
:00:37. > :00:43.Also, is it worth having a job? Debbie Purdy's husband's advised to
:00:43. > :00:46.give up work and go on benefits to pay their council tax bill.
:00:46. > :00:55.And the high-tech robots shaping our future - and it's all about
:00:55. > :01:05.working in a team. Wharfedale was looking pretty cloudy today. That
:01:05. > :01:11.
:01:11. > :01:17.will bring heavy rain in places Good evening. First, should
:01:17. > :01:25.motorists accused of dangerous driving have their licences taken
:01:25. > :01:29.away? One family says yes, that is what should happen. The son was
:01:29. > :01:32.killed by a drunk driver but was allowed to continue driving for
:01:32. > :01:42.eight months on telly was found guilty. We will be talking to them
:01:42. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :01:49.in a moment. First, this report. 31st December, 2010 was a day that
:01:49. > :01:53.changed Karen Strong's life forever. While most people were celebrating
:01:53. > :01:58.New Year, she was identifying the body of her son, Jamie, who died
:01:58. > :02:04.after being hit by a car without buying Chinese food. Jamie was
:02:04. > :02:07.knocked down here in Otley town centre. He was knocked over by a
:02:07. > :02:11.car which mounted the pavement. The driver had been drinking and
:02:11. > :02:16.driving. He had been on his mobile phone and had been doing twice the
:02:16. > :02:20.speed limit. He was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading
:02:20. > :02:24.guilty to all charges. His trial came eight months after the
:02:24. > :02:28.accident and in the meantime he was allowed to continue driving and
:02:28. > :02:35.keep his licence. Karen Strong wants drink-drivers to have an
:02:35. > :02:41.immediate ban. In the case of this particular serious offence, where
:02:41. > :02:44.somebody has lost their life through drink driving or driving
:02:44. > :02:50.under the import of drugs, it seems common sense they should not be
:02:50. > :02:54.allowed to drive until the case is heard. Although drink-driving
:02:54. > :02:57.offences can be heard by magistrates, in this case it formed
:02:57. > :03:03.part of a more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
:03:03. > :03:10.One expert says changing the law would be difficult. Unfortunately,
:03:10. > :03:16.as the law stands, the charges must be heard together. The Superior
:03:16. > :03:21.Court takes precedence. That delay meant that offended could keep on
:03:21. > :03:26.the road for eight months. Jamie's younger sister has set up on online
:03:26. > :03:32.petition and hopes the Government will look again at the law.
:03:32. > :03:40.Let's now talk to Karen and to Rebecca, and also to Jamie's friend,
:03:40. > :03:47.Tom. You were there that night. It is still very vivid, isn't it?
:03:47. > :03:51.We just went out for a bag of prawn crackers, that is all it was. As it
:03:51. > :03:58.happened, the car came speeding. It was obvious something was going to
:03:58. > :04:04.happen. You ended up cradling your best friend as he died? I held my
:04:04. > :04:10.hand on his heart as he lay on the ground. Obviously dying. That has
:04:10. > :04:15.stayed with me ever since. This campaign is why it is important to
:04:15. > :04:22.you, a legacy for your best friend? Jamie always put people first. It
:04:22. > :04:27.is what he did. If by this petition it means it will not happen to
:04:27. > :04:35.anybody else, that his Jamie's memory. Rebecca, the petition was
:04:35. > :04:38.your idea. What do you hope it will achieve? Hopefully people will not
:04:38. > :04:45.get into a car when they have been drinking. Hopefully nobody else
:04:45. > :04:50.will have to lose their big brother. What has it been like for you? Do
:04:50. > :05:00.you think the law is too relaxed? Yes, it is evidently not strict
:05:00. > :05:02.
:05:02. > :05:08.enough. I presume you hope to get that Magic 100,000 and tried to get
:05:08. > :05:14.at debate in Parliament? Yes. you must be very proud of these
:05:14. > :05:21.young people, your daughter and Tom, because in a way they are not
:05:21. > :05:30.letting go, are they? No. They are so mature for their age. I am so
:05:30. > :05:34.proud of both. Shortly after Jamie died, Tom came to the hospital. Not
:05:34. > :05:44.many 16 year-old boys are strong enough to see their friend who has
:05:44. > :05:44.
:05:44. > :05:48.just been killed. Some of the comments from viewers. People
:05:48. > :05:53.saying, I'm not defending drivers who were drunk, but you are
:05:53. > :05:57.innocent until proven guilty. What you're saying here is that the
:05:57. > :06:04.presumption is you are guilty until proven innocent? I knew the minute
:06:04. > :06:10.Jamie died and I walked back to the relatives room, I knew exactly how
:06:10. > :06:16.much over the limit the driver was. It was very clear cut. There was no
:06:16. > :06:22.doubt. You had been told? Yes, I had been told. The minute we pulled
:06:22. > :06:25.up outside accident and emergency, I was told. I was told he was a
:06:25. > :06:31.drunk driver. They told me precisely how much alcohol was in
:06:31. > :06:35.his system when Jennie died. So you are saying if it is no dispute
:06:35. > :06:41.about the alcohol involved, and that is why it is dangerous driving,
:06:41. > :06:45.that is a different category almost? It is. If he had just been
:06:45. > :06:51.stopped for drink-driving and hadn't killed Jamie, he would have
:06:51. > :06:55.lost his licence straight away. There is no doubt at all there was
:06:55. > :07:04.alcohol in his system. I'm sure people will continue to debate this
:07:04. > :07:09.interesting development. For the moment, thank you.
:07:09. > :07:13.Also tonight, Debbie Purdie is well known for a campaigning on the
:07:13. > :07:19.issue of a person's right to die. Now she has begun to fight other
:07:19. > :07:24.battle. -- another battle. She has appeared at Bradford magistrates
:07:24. > :07:28.court today accused of not paying her Council tax. She is furious
:07:28. > :07:32.after being told she would get more benefit to Evra husband gave up his
:07:32. > :07:37.job. She is no stranger to a courtroom.
:07:38. > :07:42.There'd Purdie has long campaigned to change the law on assisted dying.
:07:42. > :07:48.-- Dowdie Purdie. Today she was summoned before Bradford
:07:48. > :07:53.magistrates for not paying her Council tax. I am a bit scared.
:07:53. > :07:58.Maybe it is an opportunity. I have been trying to get this sorted out
:07:58. > :08:02.for a year. I cannot believe that somebody in the Benefits Office is
:08:02. > :08:08.saying that it would be better if my husband didn't work and Claymore
:08:08. > :08:15.benefit. It seems Ludacris. owes more than �700 in Council tax
:08:15. > :08:18.and is in debt by around �20,000. She has multiple sclerosis. She
:08:18. > :08:25.claims disability living allowance and incapacity benefit, but
:08:25. > :08:35.struggles to get by. I haven't got the money to pay a bit of the
:08:35. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:43.Council tax. If you pay a bit of the Council tax, we just do not eat.
:08:43. > :08:48.Debbie's was bent is a musician and music teacher. He cannot work full-
:08:48. > :08:53.time because he looks after Debbie. He mostly works in London and takes
:08:53. > :09:00.home �90 a week after travel expenses. The Benefits Office say
:09:00. > :09:09.it would be better if he gave up work. Today, Debbie was referred to
:09:09. > :09:14.Citizens Advice with help for her benefit. Frustrating. All that has
:09:14. > :09:20.happened is I have been told to speak to a more helpful person. I
:09:20. > :09:26.just wanted it dealt with. I wanted the court to say, this is the
:09:26. > :09:30.situation, and this is how we will resolve it. With welfare reform on
:09:30. > :09:34.the way, Debbie does not know how her benefits could change in the
:09:34. > :09:41.future. It is a confusion she believes is shared by many people
:09:41. > :09:46.living with disabilities. After the court hearing I asked the
:09:46. > :09:49.local MP, Liberal Democrat David Ward, how it could speed up that
:09:49. > :09:53.the Government says it needs to reduce welfare dependency, but at
:09:53. > :09:58.the same time somebody is being advised not to work because they
:09:58. > :10:04.would be better off. It is not right. That is why we're doing what
:10:04. > :10:10.we're doing with the Welfare Reform Bill. Across the parties now there
:10:10. > :10:13.is an agreement that welfare needs to be reformed. That will be very
:10:13. > :10:18.difficult at that time when we are looking to reduce Government
:10:18. > :10:22.spending. It has to be done. You cannot have this situation where
:10:22. > :10:27.people can be better off on benefits. That is at huge
:10:27. > :10:31.disincentive for people to take work. Al marra is a very talented
:10:31. > :10:39.musician. But when he is being advised that he would be better off
:10:39. > :10:45.on benefit, something is sadly going wrong. As a local MP, what
:10:45. > :10:50.pressure can you exert on the Government? What we are going to
:10:51. > :10:54.introduce is the universal credit in 2013. What that will seek to do
:10:54. > :10:58.is to make sure that people are literally better off in work than
:10:58. > :11:03.they would be on benefit. There is a cliff edge at the moment where
:11:03. > :11:08.people receive benefits. If they work for a certain period of time
:11:08. > :11:14.and earn a certain amount of income, there is an immediate withdrawal of
:11:14. > :11:18.benefits. It always pays people to take the job. Is the state right to
:11:18. > :11:23.prosecute somebody of Debbie Purdie's condition for not paying
:11:23. > :11:28.Council tax? Should it have reached this stage? No, it should
:11:28. > :11:32.definitely not have reached this stage. Difficult enough as it is
:11:32. > :11:37.for Debbie. The added burden of having to deal with being summoned
:11:37. > :11:43.to court is simply not acceptable. We will offer additional support
:11:43. > :11:45.and advice if we can. We need to sort this out. The system needs to
:11:45. > :11:51.be changed. We need to make sure this kind of the thing never
:11:51. > :11:58.happens again. Still ahead, the Yorkshire soldier
:11:58. > :12:03.killed in Afghanistan are saving the life of an injured comrade.
:12:03. > :12:06.All of today's news. Detectives have had more than 10 phone-calls
:12:06. > :12:12.and five more approaches from families believing that they may
:12:12. > :12:15.know the identity of a woman found dead near Sutton Bank 30 years ago.
:12:15. > :12:22.The remains of the woman's body would be buried at Malton cemetery
:12:22. > :12:26.this morning. It was exhumed on Monday.
:12:26. > :12:31.For the second time, there remains of an unidentified woman were
:12:31. > :12:36.buried today in Olsson cemetery. Assured service was conducted
:12:36. > :12:42.behind barriers where the body had been exhumed on Monday night.
:12:42. > :12:46.buried the body, a fording the woman the dignity and respect he
:12:46. > :12:53.would afford to anybody whether you knew them or not. That is what we
:12:53. > :12:59.have just done. It is a closer to the exhumation. In 1981, the
:12:59. > :13:03.remains were discovered close to Sutton Bank. Detectives hope the
:13:03. > :13:08.woman, whom they made a wax image of in the first investigation, can
:13:08. > :13:12.now be identified and because of her death discovered. Samples were
:13:12. > :13:17.taken yesterday from the femur and ankle bones. For the next four
:13:17. > :13:22.weeks these will be studied at the forensic science laboratories in
:13:22. > :13:27.whether the to establish a DNA profile. In response to the newly
:13:27. > :13:33.reopened inquiry, there has been some reaction. Some of those calls
:13:33. > :13:37.have been from families who have reported relatives missing. The
:13:37. > :13:42.second one we have had from members of the public, including an ex-
:13:42. > :13:46.police officer, information that may be of value. For now, Malta and
:13:47. > :13:52.cemetery has been reopened as investigations continue. -- Malton
:13:52. > :13:54.A Huddersfield-based businessman has today received a suspended
:13:54. > :13:59.prison sentence for promising people he could get their council
:13:59. > :14:02.tax reduced if they paid him a fee. Jack Henry, a director of Council
:14:02. > :14:05.Tax Review, targeted homes in Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield - telling
:14:05. > :14:10.residents that by paying �175, he could get their house put in a
:14:10. > :14:13.lower council tax band. But he didn't tell them that any home
:14:13. > :14:21.owner can appeal to their council for free. He was sentenced to a
:14:21. > :14:25.nine-month suspended sentence and told to repay thousands of pounds.
:14:25. > :14:31.Mr Henry has made a great deal of money charging for air service
:14:31. > :14:37.available for three. He has used misleading sales techniques to
:14:37. > :14:40.deprive the elderly and vulnerable people of their cash. The judge has
:14:40. > :14:46.commended the speed of the investigation, and awarded full
:14:46. > :14:51.cost. There is also a clear message that any recurrence will lead to a
:14:51. > :14:54.series custodial penalty. Elections for up to eleven new city
:14:54. > :14:56.mayors are being fast-tracked to November if they are given the go
:14:56. > :14:59.ahead during referenda in May. The Communities Minister, Greg Clark,
:14:59. > :15:02.has said that mayoral elections will be held on a "Super Thursday"
:15:02. > :15:11.of November 15 in cities including Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and
:15:11. > :15:15.Wakefield. Our intention is to hold the first collection on November
:15:15. > :15:18.15th. That is the same day as the elections for the police
:15:18. > :15:25.commissioners, and hence the day but I hope will be a landmark day
:15:25. > :15:30.in the shift of power and influence from Whitehall to communities.
:15:30. > :15:36.could have a democratic system where everyone has a voice and has
:15:36. > :15:41.access to lead to. To leave the conclusions of the hands of a
:15:41. > :15:44.person who is not an expert is in my view, it wrong.
:15:44. > :15:48.The future of local BBC radio looks a little more secure this evening.
:15:48. > :15:50.The BBC Trust has today called for a re-think on one of the most
:15:50. > :15:53.controversial proposals of the Delivering Quality First plan. As
:15:53. > :15:55.the BBC looks to make cutbacks, the Trust chairman, Lord Pattern, said
:15:55. > :16:03.local radio should be protected and warned against sharing afternoon
:16:03. > :16:11.programming. A soldier from Bradford who died after going to
:16:11. > :16:15.the aid of a friend was remembered today. A plaque was unveiled today.
:16:15. > :16:19.As Michele reports, it was an emotional day.
:16:19. > :16:25.It is a year to the day since Private Martin Bell was killed in
:16:25. > :16:30.action. He was fatally wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan while
:16:30. > :16:34.trying to save a fellow soldier. Today, the second battalion
:16:34. > :16:40.regiment travelled up from Colchester. A plaque was unveiled
:16:40. > :16:46.at Waheed served as a poet -- police community support officer.
:16:46. > :16:51.It is fantastic that this is a permanent reminder of the
:16:51. > :16:56.friendliness, giving and caring and compassion when he was a police
:16:56. > :17:02.community support officer for three years. And among the soldiers
:17:03. > :17:08.paying tribute was the man who owes him his life: Private Scott both --
:17:08. > :17:14.lost both legs in Afghanistan. Martin defied orders to rescue his
:17:14. > :17:24.friend. Today, he stood proudly with their regiment to pay his
:17:24. > :17:24.
:17:25. > :17:31.respects. It has been lovely to see the police and army to get the.
:17:31. > :17:35.People have been a fantastic. It is a great honour. The Bell family
:17:35. > :17:40.also learned that they rode in Bradford it is to be named after
:17:40. > :17:50.Martin: Another on it which will keep the memory of this brave
:17:50. > :18:19.
:18:19. > :18:24.soldier alive. Last month, was Britain's newest a
:18:24. > :18:31.monument. The peaked at Star Carr has become more and more acidic, so
:18:31. > :18:38.the artefacts are disappearing. But thanks to a grant of 1.5 million
:18:38. > :18:42.euros, new excavations have become this very summer.
:18:43. > :18:48.Rural North Yorkshire as we know it today, but the distant trees were
:18:48. > :18:53.once an island in a fast and late, beside which was found Britain's
:18:53. > :18:58.oldest house - a wooden causeway over the lake. The earliest
:18:58. > :19:05.evidence of carpentry in Europe. Generations of continuous
:19:05. > :19:10.occupation, 11,000 years ago. Not nomadic hunter-gatherers, but
:19:10. > :19:15.settlers. This side is one of the most important in a Europe. We tend
:19:15. > :19:20.to find pieces of flint because that is what survives. But the
:19:20. > :19:27.Peter has helped would become a bone and and less survive, so rare
:19:27. > :19:31.that they give us a unique insight into this point of our past.
:19:32. > :19:36.this big has become a race against time. Funding was desperately
:19:36. > :19:40.needed to finish the work before the archaeology is lost her ever.
:19:40. > :19:47.This antler was found when the excavations first started 60 years
:19:47. > :19:53.ago, but unfortunately, there has been a deterioration on side. The
:19:53. > :19:58.Peter is beginning to degrade, and now, sadly, we found aimed at low
:19:58. > :20:03.which is more like pieces of leather. A lot of the bone has
:20:04. > :20:11.disappeared because it is very acidic. In five years' time, it is
:20:11. > :20:15.likely it will complete leaders appear. The team has secured 1.5
:20:15. > :20:24.million euros to help finish the work, particularly to understand
:20:25. > :20:34.how these people reacted to rapper and dramatic climate change. --
:20:35. > :20:41.
:20:41. > :20:44.rapid and dramatic. When is the last time that three Yorkshire
:20:44. > :20:54.clubs were virtually at the troubled Third Division, all on the
:20:54. > :20:55.
:20:55. > :20:58.same points? Goodness may? I have got a bit of research am my hand.
:20:58. > :21:01.On to sport, and in football, the fight between Yorkshire clubs for
:21:01. > :21:03.promotion from League One took another turn last night. Sheffield
:21:03. > :21:10.Wednesday pulled level with neighbours Sheffield United and
:21:10. > :21:15.Huddersfield Town. To keep up with their rivals, it
:21:15. > :21:21.Wednesday had to win at last night, and the striker got them off to the
:21:21. > :21:25.best start. He brushed aside the Scunthorpe defence to score inside
:21:25. > :21:31.two minutes. Not long after, O'Grady did it again, this time
:21:31. > :21:39.with a header to put them in control. Them, step forward
:21:39. > :21:46.Jermaine Johnson. A direct run and cool finished. Scunthorpe later
:21:46. > :21:55.pulled back, but Wednesday stayed in control and 13 haven't won. So,
:21:55. > :21:59.our teams are clumped together at the top of League One. -- 3-1. It
:21:59. > :22:03.seems they will only be two chances of promotion for our three teams.
:22:03. > :22:13.That means we are set for a dramatic conclusion to the season,
:22:13. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:23.and we will bring you every twist and turn.
:22:23. > :22:30.Blades fans, do you remember winning Division at four in 1982?
:22:30. > :22:34.1981, of Rotherham were champions of division three. We have been at
:22:34. > :22:37.there before, and we will discuss this throughout the cause of the
:22:37. > :22:40.season, I am sure. Still on football, as if Doncaster
:22:40. > :22:43.Rovers didn't have enough on their plate at the moment, there have
:22:43. > :22:45.been some dramatic changes in the club's boardroom today - four
:22:45. > :22:48.directors have resigned. These include Vice Chairman Dick Watson,
:22:48. > :22:51.who has stepped down for health reasons. No explanation has yet
:22:51. > :22:54.been given for the resignations of Terry Bramall, Andrew Watson and
:22:54. > :22:57.Sarah Kell. Rovers Chairman John Ryan has issued a statement saying
:22:57. > :23:07.that he is disappointed, and has thanked all four for their
:23:07. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:22.contributions to Doncaster Rovers. What about that Seventies? That is
:23:22. > :23:29.half an hour programme! Robots may be the kind of things third spring
:23:29. > :23:37.to mind - do you remember K9 from Dr Who?! But in York today, robots
:23:37. > :23:45.have become high-tech. They can make decisions, work as a team, and
:23:45. > :23:49.even television presenters, I bet! It is a long way from NASA, but
:23:49. > :23:55.behind closed doors, research is being carried out into robotics
:23:55. > :23:59.which could be used by the rest of the world one day. Hidden in the
:24:00. > :24:05.campus is the land where robots are being developed, not owning robot
:24:05. > :24:14.used on earth, but also in outer space. I was lucky enough to have a
:24:14. > :24:21.look inside the base where robotic systems are tested and developed.
:24:21. > :24:25.The research team is led by Professor John. It is these little
:24:25. > :24:30.fellow's up that are the stars of the show. Their size is small, but
:24:30. > :24:35.their potential is huge. They work and a team, working out where the
:24:35. > :24:40.need to go, and what they need to do. As I was blinded by science, a
:24:41. > :24:45.professor explained why they are so clever. The idea of these robot is
:24:45. > :24:50.that they can communicate within themselves, do simple communication
:24:50. > :24:55.and co-ordinate their behaviour without humans getting involved. We
:24:55. > :25:01.could use this in environmental monitoring or accidents, such as
:25:01. > :25:08.oil slicks. You have to double hardware we want to control a
:25:08. > :25:16.number of them, to contain an oil slick, for example. Because there
:25:16. > :25:21.are so many of them, these micro troubleshooters are ideal for use
:25:21. > :25:25.in search and rescue operations, and even space exploration. But
:25:25. > :25:33.today was also a chance for the site is to show off their other
:25:33. > :25:38.robot as well. -- the scientists. All this talk of robots that can
:25:38. > :25:43.control was a lot for an English graduate climax after taking, and
:25:43. > :25:47.the scientists was the there were fighting a losing battle. But the
:25:47. > :25:54.technology here could have a huge impact on planetary and deep-sea
:25:54. > :26:04.exploration. I make no comment about small
:26:04. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:15.Look at that lovely picture! The second one, Dewsbury. The daffodils
:26:15. > :26:23.are out. That is a very early for January. Keep the pictures coming
:26:23. > :26:27.in. Their headline for tomorrow - sunny spells and scattered showers.
:26:27. > :26:33.A bit of a wintry flavour to some of them, and a similar story on
:26:33. > :26:37.Friday. We have had temperatures of 11 degrees today, there is a cold
:26:37. > :26:43.front bringing heavy rain in from the West towards midnight and the
:26:44. > :26:49.early hours of the morning, but in the short term, it is dry. The wind
:26:49. > :26:57.will strengthen from the South. It clears the western areas later
:26:57. > :27:07.pulls top temperatures could dip down to two Celsius. The sun will
:27:07. > :27:07.
:27:07. > :27:13.rise in the morning at 83 am. A wet start towards the coast. That rain
:27:13. > :27:18.is soon out of the way, and then skies brightened. There will be one
:27:18. > :27:22.or two pretty sharp showers, a bit of sleet and hail possible. There
:27:22. > :27:27.will be some sunshine in between those showers. Temperatures back to