03/05/2012 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening, and welcome to Thursday's Look North. On the

programme tonight: Locked up, thousands of miles from home.

One family's campaign to free a North Yorkshire man, held without

charge in an African jail. They just sat there. They have just

sat the door -- shut the door and let him in there.

Also tonight: more reasons for a fall in sales. Has Yorkshire-based

Morrisons fallen victim to supermarket wars, as sales dip for

the first time in nearly a decade? And, action! We go behind the

scenes, as the Antiques Roadshow rolls into Scarborough.

Grey skies today, similar tomorrow but much brighter at the weekend. A

First tonight: Fears are growing for a man from North Yorkshire,

held without charge in an African jail. David Simpson, from Pickering,

was working in the Central African Republic as a safari guide when, he

says, he discovered massacred bodies in the bush. He reported the

find to the authorities in the capital Bangi, but was then

arrested on suspicion of committing the murders. His family are

campaigning for his release. Cathy Killick reports.

On the edge of the North York Moors, the family farm is flourishing.

While one brother tends his farm at home, the other is in jail in the

Central African Republic. David Simpson was working for a Swedish

company that takes clients game hunting. He had been clearing out a

road when he found the bodies of 18 men. They had been bound, tortured

and murdered. The first thing he saw was six people, they were faced

them with their hands tied. They had been beaten by sticks and had

machete wounds to the back of their head. He went further and found

another four people, tied in the same way. It bore the hallmarks of

a Lord's Resistance Army massacre. They are a rebel group. Their

crimes include rape, torture, murder and using children as

soldiers. David reported the massacre to the authorities.

Instead of being questioned as a witness, he and his boss were

thrown in jail as suspects. They should have been charged within six

days or released, but a month later, they remain in jail. The Foreign

Office and the British Embassy are both aware of his plight but so far

My big fear is that they try to pin it all on David, with no evidence,

and it will end up having to go to trial and he could be in prison for

seven months. That is my big fear. They can't convict him of it. He

has lawyer's on his side, very good people who understand the country.

But if they try to charge him with it, then he could be there for

months. In the meantime, David's family can only wait, trusting

lawyers to pick their way through a justice system very foreign to our

own. The Bradford-based supermarket

chain Morrisons has seen sales drop, in the first part of this year.

It's the first downturn since the company took over Safeway in 2004.

So, what's responsible for the slowdown, and should investors and

shoppers be concerned? Here's Danni Hewson.

It seems Morrisons has fallen victim to the oft talked about

supermarket wars. The company's announced its first fall in sales

in nearly a decade. Down 1% in the first quarter of this year. Now,

Morrisons is the UK's fourth biggest supermarket, with 455

stores. It's put its decline down to a refusal to square up to its

rivals in the promotions ring. But, with our budgets so tight, are

money off vouchers too tempting to pass up? I have four kids, so yes,

definitely. Everything helps. little helps. It helps, in the

financial climate, if you are going to shop there anyway and get

bonuses for doing it, it is worthwhile. You do get plenty of

offers in other places. The regular place I shop would have offers so

it would not make the shop where I go now. For I would prefer to go

where I know there is quality rather than money off.

Perception is everything, of course. And this week's comparison of a

basket of 33 goods puts Morrisons as the cheapest of the big five

supermarkets. And, after a better than expected 8% rise in underlying

pre-tax profits last year, its outlook for this year remains

unchanged. But its share prices are worrying, having slipped 17% over

the last six months. Leeds-based stockbroker Redmain Bentley says

the grocer is playing the long game. Rather than going with the small

gains for a quick fix, like ASDA, Sainsbury, they are sitting back,

saying, we don't need to compete like that. We have low prices, so

we are going to compete by making the stores more appealing, making

the shopping experience better, making sure they have their e-

commerce ticking over in the background.

The ferocious battle to get us to push our trolleys through the door

will undoubtedly continue to hot up, as shoppers feel the squeeze.

Morrisons is detemined to keep its place.

Later on Look North: Au revoir, Ajmal, Yorkshire says it's onwards

and upwards, after the surprise More of the day's news now. And the

man accused of murdering a woman from Whitby and a man from

Middlesbrough has appeared in court via video link from prison. James

Allen was arrested in Leeds, on Sunday. Today, he appeared at

Teeside Crown Court. The 35 year old didn't enter a plea, and the

case was adjourned until July. The body of a man found in the

River Don, in Doncaster, on Tuesday evening has been confirmed as that

of missing pensioner, Ernest Lancaster. The 82 year old had been

missing from his home in Brinsworth for over three weeks. He'd been

suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and police say there were no

suspicious circumstances. Polling stations have opened for

voters to have their say in local elections and mayoral referendums.

Voters can head for the polls until 10 o'clock tonight. Referendums in

Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Doncaster will decide

whether people want an elected mayor. There's a special election

2012 programme, beginning at 11.35pm tonight, and continuing

through the night. We'll have all the results throughout the day

Hundreds of residents living in luxury apartments in Leeds face

days without water, because of a fractured pipe. Residents at West

Point in the city centre are having to use bottled water, and have been

told supplies won't be restored for up to 72 hours. Charlotte Leeming

has this. Then Day two without water for this

man. That means the dirty washing pile is getting bigger, and the

toilet and shower are out of bounds. Water was cut off yesterday morning

after a pipe fractured. But the residents say it is making life

very difficult. It has been a major inconvenience. The toilet won't

flush, there is no shower. There is a big pile of washing up. I have

had to go to my girlfriend's flat to have a shower. The group which

manages these apartments have sent this letter to all of the residents.

They apologise for any inconvenience but insist the

repairs are being carried out as quickly as possible. The company

did not want to elaborate any further on the situation. The

company has been providing residents with some bottled

drinking water. I do not know where the pipe is.

it is deep underground or what. The wording of the letter said

something about it taking 36 hours to select and waiting for a part.

It seems a bit... Complex for just a pipe. After his two days without

water, he says hygiene is now a big concern, so he is hoping the water

supply is restored sooner rather than later.

I bet it was chilly in Scarborough, for the cricket.

They were wearing coats, scarves and gloves, supporting the county.

A lot of talk about you-know-who. And is to portray -- departure.

will be talking about that later. Scientists at Sheffield University

have made a groundbreaking discovery, which could help to

solve shortages of food across the world. Their pioneering research

could make it easier for farmers to grow crops like maize, without

relying on fertilisers and pesticides. Danny Carpenter

explains. The rolling Yorkshire countryside.

It is early in the year but it is starting to fill up with food. Over

many generations, farmers and growers selected varieties

primarily to increase yield, with complex fertilisers and expensive

chemicals to control disease, and production has increased further.

But the plants have lost something along the way. The ability to look

after themselves. Because plants don't move around, it is easy to

forget they are living things. They breathe air. In a sense, they eat,

and as scientists are discovering, underground they're very busy

indeed. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have

studied maize plants and what they have discovered could change the

way we farm around the world. The plants emit chemicals from their

roots, which attract bacteria. These migrate through the soil to

the roots, and manufacture important nutrients for the plant,

which but only fertilise it but also protect it from pests and

diseases. In Europe and in the west, we don't notice it that much, but

there is an imminent threat of food security. One of the main

challenges for scientists and policy makers is to safeguard food

security. If we can do that in a more sustainable way, we can

safeguard food security for future generations. This could be

potentially the technology to lead to that. This is not about

genetically modified food. It is about breeding the new varieties

with ancient strains and will they recovered the abilities that

millions of years of evolution had originally given them. It could

make sustainable farming possible on an industrial scale. It could

help feed the world. Before seven o'clock: York's promotion rivals

score two own goals, one on, and one off the pitch How the Mansfield

chief exec fell foul of the police, after their match against the

Minstermen. And, hundreds raid their attics, as

the nation's favourite antiques show comes to Scarborough.

Forehead limbs behind the scenes, It is nice to have Fiona on our

programme! We were both excited when this man came onto the scene,

Ajmal Shahzad seemed to have everything. But then it all went

wrong. A mutual parting of the ways, the club announced, he has been

sacked, the more planned echo from Yorkshire's For lovers. Nobody

disputes his talent. Already, four counties had expressed an interest

in him. Dressing-room harmony, but were into the chairman, was at

stake. A good day for Yorkshire on the day

the sun did not rise at all. Sadly, Anthony McGrath failed to make his

century, out for 91. It is great to see him back in form, and Johnny

Burstow, out earlier for 182. A lusty blow from Ryan Sidebottom.

Yorkshire's that of the platform, surely, for victory. -- Yorkshire

setting up the platform. Talk in the crowd was about Ajmal Shahzad.

The chairman port no punches. have started very positively, we

went to Barbados, we did well, but unfortunately, the situation has

arisen again. If a player does not want to be here, and he has made it

clear, there is no point putting it off. The think you want to create

is a harmonious dressing room, this is now in progress? Yes, we have a

harmonious dressing room now. Everybody is locked into the

situation that we need to get promotion, they know what they have

to achieve. Everybody is happy. These supporters deserve more. Cold

Marmite and wetter, summed up by these three happy people. Hear no

evil, see no evil, speak no evil. You can bet that they will be there

tomorrow. It is a good day to go if the weather holds. Yorkshire have

Anthony McGrath took four wickets, exceptional. Leicestershire have

been asked to follow on. With a bit of luck, that could lead to

Yorkshire's first success of the York City can still dream of

returning to the Football League next season, after the first leg of

their play-off semi-final last night. They drew 1-1 with Mansfield.

It is back to Status quo and all to play for in the return match on

Monday. The night was not without controversy inside and outside the

stadium. More than 6000 squeezed into

Britain christened last night. That told you all you needed to know

about the height of York City's promotion hopes. Not everybody

enjoyed such a happy evening. The Mansfield chief executive was

arrested by North Yorkshire Police outside the stadium while the match

was in progress for using threatening words and behaviour. In

a statement today, Mansfield said she was reprimanded for a verbal

retort to a police officer and that the incident had been blown out of

proportion. Exactly how much of the match she missed is not clear. It

was a cracker. Especially in the first half. Mansfield's style might

not be to everybody's taste, but it is effective. The long throw-in

caused havoc more than once. York opened the scoring. But by half-

time, the equaliser. An own goal. It stayed 1-1. The second half was

much tighter than the first. As a taster of what life might be like

in the league for one of these sides, it was gripping stuff.

was a tough game, they looked a good side, but we have just done

enough. They were good in some parts, but sometimes, we get the

ball away a bit cheaply. We take them back to their place and beat

them. And so to Mansfield for the rematch on Monday. And then,

Wembley, for one of these two great northern clubs, both of whom have

been out of the Football League for far too long.

Pretty tense. If you are a Yorkshire Day rugby

union fan, London might be the place to spend your Bank Holiday

weekend, and as your wife has something else to say it! Three of

our teams play at Twickenham on Saturday in the showpiece finals.

Baildon kick-off at 11 am, and finally, at 3pm, will play against

East Grinstead. It is fantastic, it shows the

strength of Yorkshire rugby. Other counties will sit up and take

notice. It will show we can represent the county, it is great.

It is Beldon against Harrow. Nick Robinson-Baker is a diver, we

followed him through the ups and downs for a number of years. He has

just won silver in the World Series event in Mexico, with his three-

metre Synchro partner Chris Mears. They go to the European chubby

chips next week, and then, the Olympics -- European Championships.

This means everything Simi. It has been a hard year, they have been

some great times, some sad Times, and the show's -- this shows we can

win medals. This has built up our confidence. With three months to go

until the Olympics, I am feeling very confident, and looking forward

to it. For so long, Benn was your partner. You developed a team that

was almost unbreakable, but it did break. Yes, he had a serious injury

at the beginning of 2010. He tore a ligament. That put him out of

competition. He tried to get back after the operation, but it did not

succeed. We had to look at other variations. That must be tough, the

new partner. After you spend several we -- several years

competing internationally, we competed at the Beijing Olympics,

we are such great mates, so it was like a break-up, but we are still

close mates. He is a good lad, he still supports me. The key is to

peak at the right talent. Did you build up to the Olympics, or are

you just looking at the European Championships first? It is his huge

circle we have got to go through, so many events that we have to

compete in her. We have had two International tournament, four legs

of the World Series, the European Championships and the Olympic

trials, before the main event. must give you confidence, the medal.

A lot was expected of you in Beijing, it did not quite work, but

you on the up. Absolutely. The shows that I am competing with the

best athletes in the world a -- fish shows. This shows that we are

capable of getting a medal. When you look at the programme, are

there any surprises you can put in, what are the judges looking for

specific things, specific guides? If there are so many aspects. You

have to state which guides you will use before you compete, so we have

to list six dives. We recently started using a new forward 4 1/2

somersaults. It has gone down fantastically, we were 90 points in

Mexico. -- we went. You have got the Olympic rings tattooed, but

where is the straight and?! May be fun and then come up I will get

one! -- perhaps for London, I will get one!

People in Scarborough have been searching their attics and sorting

through their junk in the hope of unearthing something rare and

valuable. Yes, the Antiques Roadshow has been recording in town

today. We have been behind the scenes of one of our most popular

and long running series. Art, furniture, and fashion. It can

only mean one thing, the Antiques Roadshow is in town. By 9am, the

queues have formed, but today has taken lots of panic. It is the day

before the public and five, I am giving it a privileged -- day

before the public arrive, I am given a privileged look. The team

are involved. He died event must run smoothly. -- live event. It is

as important to us that we get all of the cameras working, we make

sure the TV side is handled well, but we really want people to say, I

had a great day. Many larger pieces have to be collected, including

this sideboard by Robert Thomson. We will see more of that later.

Soon, it is time for the public to arrive. Of all of the preparation

that goes into it, I have the lightest load. When I turn up, all

I have done his bit to the editor and producer in the days beforehand

about what we are going to say, and if I know that I will cut a few

things, we will discuss them, but generally, I have no idea what is

going to happen, until we start. had this lovely item donated to the

maritime heritage centre. We are bringing it down today to find out

a bit more about it. It is painted by Robert Palmer, he was an

apprentice at the Scarborough Evening News, a bit of local

history. Here, it is packed, and it is not

even 10:00am. There have been people queuing since before 7 am.

It might apply chaos, but it is a well-oiled machine. -- it might

look like chaos. The sideboard is rare. All hand-crafted without a

single male, and its owner was a friend of the maker. My husband and

a bedsit over the fire with him, while we were discussing furniture,

because we got it bit by bit, as we could afford it. After a gruelling

two days, they filled their final legs, as the orchestra plays them

out with a familiar theme. How much do you think on the

sideboard? Thousands!

It is vital for Scarborough tomorrow. There might be some light

rain tomorrow, so perhaps if you stoppages. Before we get on with

the forecast, but the shady two pitches. -- let me show you two

pictures. The second one, looking very colourful indeed, especially

on a day like this. Keep your pictures coming in. It is cloudy

tomorrow, with some light rain and drizzle later in the day. It is an

unsettled but in Chard. It will turn colder over the weekend, but

behind the cold front, much brighter sky. Beware of the frost

on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, but a lot more sunshine

than we have been used to. You can see all of the cloud on the latest

satellite picture, they were the front is giving a lot of rain

across southern Lincolnshire. -- weather front. The rest of our

region will be dry, apart from the If you are coming to the cricket in

Scarborough, it will be cold. Cloudy in the morning, it is

thickening, heading down from the north. The bleak weather front

brings light rain and drizzle slowly down from the north. It

might brighten up across North Yorkshire later. The temperatures

will be well below average. Not much better in land. The weekend is

much brighter, one or two showers, but there will be some welcome

sunshine. Very isolated showers. The emphasis