11/04/2014 Midlands Today

murdering 29 people in the Omagh bombing. The Co-Op Bank has

the bank worker who murdered his wife and burnt her body in the

garden after she discovered he was gay. The family is broken in India.

All we do is cry. The Judge said Jasvir Ram Ginday displayed a

complete lack of humanity. @lso tonight: Historic day as thd

President of Ireland visits world renowned sites in Coventry `nd

Warwickshire. In memory of Frankie ` the parents of a stillborn baby set

up a charity in his name. He's 77 and running his 34th

consecutive London marathon just six months after getting a new `nkle.

What does his surgeon think? I haven't told him. I think hd

understands. And high presstre is in charge this weekend, so settled

weather, sunny spells, but some chilly nights on the cards too. Not

a bad way to kick off the E`ster holidays though. I'll have xour full

weekend forecast coming up later. Good evening. Jailed for life ` the

husband who killed his new bride after she discovered he was gay

Jasvir Ram Ginday from Wals`ll married Varkha Rani in Indi`, in

March 2013. Varka arrived to live with Ginday in August that xear `

and just over a month later, he killed her at their home and burned

her body in the garden.Todax the judge described him as a devious,

controlling man with a complete lack of any humanity. From Wolverhampton

Crown Court, Bob Hockenhull reports. Jasvir Ginday calmly fills ` small

bottle with petrol at a loc`l garage. His intention is to use the

accelerant to set fire to hhs wife's body. This was the couple shx months

earlier at their wedding in India. But bride Varkha Rani didn't know

Ginday was using the marriage as a front to hide his homosexuality He

showed no remorse. If we kndw his circumstances, we would nevdr have

arranged a marriage of that kind. Varka Rani was killed at thd family

home in Walsall only three weeks after she'd arrived in the TK from

the Punjab. Ginday said he snapped when his wife threatened to expose

him after she found out he was gay. He strangled her with a vactum

cleaner pipe before using a tiny incinerator, similar to this one, to

burn her body. After killing his bride Ginday reported her mhssing to

the police. Officers found the remains of a school in the

incinerator. Residents exprdssed their shock. They were a lovely

family. Very polite and alw`ys spoke to you. These things normally tend

to happen elsewhere and not on your doorstep. I am not surprised because

it is the world we live then. My kids have been shaken up. They are

young and asking questions. The body was badly burned which enabled us to

get forensic opportunities. It was a difficult case but we were `lways

convinced it was a murder investigation and he would be

convicted. Varkhas Rani's f`mily said she'd studied hard in Hndia and

had good prospects. Her father sold half his house to pay for hhs

daughter's wedding. We are broken people. The family is broken in

India. All we have done all day is cry, cry, because of this act. The

judge said he was a devious man and disposed of his wife's body and

eight callous way without htmanity. Thanks for being with us here on

Midlands Today. Still to cole this evening, the quarry where two young

men drowned last year ` now safety work's completed in the hopd

there'll be no more tragedids. Stave work has been completdd at a

pawn in the Malvern Hills where two young men died last year.

17`year`old Russell O'Neill and another man died at a quarrx. They

died within a week of each other after swimming during hot stmmer.

There were calls for action to be taken to prevent people swilming in

the pool. What has changed? This is the fence that encloses the whole of

the quarry. Prickly plants over there and padlocks on things and big

signs like this telling people not to swim. It may be beautiful but it

is deadly. Stephen joins me. Will this work? We spoke to the Royal

Society for the of accidents and asked for advice on how we prevent

people swimming here and putting themselves at risk. They cale up

with recommendations for us. Two deaths last year. Shouldn't this be

shut off? We asked them to look at this and training the quarrx. They

didn't think either of thosd actions were feasible. They came up with the

recommendations and we have acted on this. Teenagers say they swhm in

this quarry still. You will not stop people getting over here, are you?

People were swimming here in large numbers last year but after the two

tragic deaths, they declined. There was hardly anybody coming up here.

It has happened in the past and the important thing is we keep the

message out there that it is dangerous to swim here. With the

Easter holidays upon us, thd message comes across is it is beauthful and

come and see it but please don't get in the water.

Flowers have been laid at the scene of an accident in which a schoolboy

after died after being hit by a lorry. The emergency servicds were

called to Chester Road in Brownhills yesterday afternoon. 12`year`old

Jack Garrington, who was a pupil at nearby Shire Oak Academy, w`s

treated at the scene, but dhed shortly afterwards.

There's been an armed robbery at a pub in Coventry. Police werd called

to The Wallace in Keresley Road earlier today after three mdn armed

with a shotgun threatened a cash delivery driver. No shots wdre fired

but it's believed the driver has been injured. The robbers used a

silver car to get away. The Minister for Transport has said

the Government's looking at long`terms plans for flood

alleviation in Worcestershire, including better road access into

Worcester. The city's main bridge was shut for a time, and many other

roads made impassable by extensive flooding in February. There've been

calls for a new bridge in the city across the River Severn. Thd

minister said they were looking at a number of proposals.

Many of the proposals look `t flood alleviation. Some look at increasing

the capacity next distinct bridges that can take the impact whdre some

of the other bridges that are closed. `` capacity of existing

bridges. Hundreds of well`whshers have turned out to greet thd

President of Ireland on the final day of his state visit. Michael D

Higgins met members of Coventry s Irish community and toured the

city's cathedral. Earlier, on a visit to Shakespeare's birthplace in

Stratford, he spoke of his delight in the language and humour shared by

the British and Irish. Spring sunshine was right on cue.

Coventry prepared the warmest of welcomes. First stop, a posx from a

Coventry schoolgirl. She sahd thank you and they talk loads of photos of

me. Was it exciting? Yes. G has been practising her curtsy or a week She

enjoyed going shopping for her dress. Irish immigrants helped

rebuild the area after the war and for this family is, it was ` special

time. It was wonderful and H thought I would never see the day. We hope

the peace. Coventry is enduring a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

At the medieval Guildhall, lessage from the President. What cotld the

British and Irish learn frol a city bombed so badly in the war? Piece

will be embedded when we recognise the common humanity of the other.

Including putting ourselves in the place of the other, including former

enemies. We are proud that this sends a powerful message to the rest

of the world about the importance of peace and reconciliation. Mhchael

Higgins is a poet and his whfe is an actress. They enjoy their vhsit to

the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. He praised the

English`language that both nations share. Once the language of

conquest, now a beacon of understanding. Backing Coventry

proceedings ended with a tune. Quite a sense of calm as we came hnto the

Romans. It turned into a rugby game. It was great. Brief btt

historic, it was truly a gr`nd day to be Irish and British also.

And you can find out why thd President of Ireland chose to visit

Coventry on our BBC Coventrx website.

It's one of the biggest collaborations between neighbouring

local authorities. The i54 business park, just off the M54, will have

its own motorway interchangd, funded jointly by Wolverhampton and

Staffordshire councils. But behind their public partnership, the

pressure of budget cuts and and job losses is exposing deepening

divisions. Their leaders have been talking to our Political Edhtor

Patrick Burns. They are lifelong friends. Philip

Atkins and Roger Lawrence wdre schoolboys together at Denston

College in North Staffordshhre. Now, they're partners on i54 where

cutting`edge manufacturers `re creating over 2000 jobs. Sotth

Staffordshire is the district planning authority putting the

business rates proceeds into the mix but it is Staffordshire and

Wolverhampton councils that are footing the ?13 million bill for a

motorway junction. `` 30 ?8 million bill.

Wolverhampton's Labour`controlled council, responsible for all the

city's local government services, recently announced 2000 job losses

as part of ?123 million savhngs over five years and a council tax

increase of just under the 2% that would have triggered a referendum.

Staffordshire by contrast are keeping their council tax frozen.

Philip Atkins sees councils working smarter as a continuing process

Roger Lawrence fears the worst. I am very sceptical about the future of

local government. I think wd are under an awful lot of presstre and

that our room for manoeuvre has been diminished. Local government and has

got a lot to teach the National Health Service and other parts of

government where we've actu`lly taken the greater efficiencx

savings, the cuts, the savings that the government have had to bring in.

Wolverhampton hope their cuts in library opening hours can bd

reversed one day but local government is being transformed

wherever your council, whatdver its colour, whether or not it h`s a

reverse gear. And Patrick will be back with more

on that in this weekend's Stnday Politics at the later time of half

past two on BBC One, followhng coverage of the London Marathon And

he's also written a blog about it which you can find on the BBC

website. This is our top story tonight:

Jailed for life ` the bank worker who murdered his wife and btrnt her

body in the garden after shd discovered he was gay.

Your detailed weather forec`st to come shortly from Rebecca and I can

tell you it's looking decent! Also in tonight's programme, a

weekend of high excitement `nd nervous anticipation for Wolves

fans: the man competing in the London

Marathon after getting a new ankle. And memories of one of Birmhngham's

best loved bands, Dexys Midnight Runners ` from someone who was there

at the start! The parents of a stillborn baby have

set up a charity in his namd which they hope will help other f`milies.

Frankie's Legacy aims to rahse awareness and funds for delhvery

suites in Worcester. Around 400 babies a year are stillborn in the

UK, but Frankie's parents s`y they've had to set up their own

support group, as help was hard to find.

A two`hour old baby is cradled by his mother at washed Worstershire

Royal Hospital. A treasured moment and one of pure joy. Down the

corridor is a room most new parents don't see, a bereavement room for

those families who never take their baby home. Lisa and Russell have

been there. Last November their son Frankie was stillborn at 33 weeks.

They have come to the hospital's maternity remembrance garden. I have

had six previous miscarriagds prior to being pregnant with Frankie and

he was the closest that I h`d ever got to being a mother and I held him

in my arms and willed him to cry, move or do something. I couldn't let

his memory or his legacy did. They have set up a charity to rahse

awareness and funds for fachlities in the delivery suites. Childbirth

is a lot safer now than it was for previous generations and thd vast

majority of the 6000 or so babies born across Worcestershire dach year

are born perfectly healthy. About 40 babies are stillborn. The hospital

is now employing a bereavemdnt support midwife. As you can imagine,

it is a whole whirlwind of different emotions and all the expect`tions

that they have got for the future have been completely taken `way It

is a really, really distressing time for them. I have had to postpone my

trauma because of supporting my wife through this period and pardnts as

well. I have had to be the strong one. We have been on a journey that

we never thought possible. Wider support can still be hard to find.

Lisa and Russell have set up their own group which will meet once a

month Worcester. Our hope is not just the parents will come tp but

the grandparents and even other family members because it is very

traumatic for them as well. The couple hope that by talking openly

they will help other parents and keep Frankie's memory alive.

Dan's here with the sport, `nd a big weekend for marathon runners, with

Mo Farrah hoping to win on his debut race.

Back in March 1981, Dale Lyons joined almost 7,000 runners to

compete in the first`ever London Marathon. This weekend, Dald, who's

from Birmingham, is one of only 14 who've run in every single race

since then. He's been passing on a few tips to the new generathon of

marathon runners. Introducing Rohan Kallichar`n, aged

40, marathon virgin. And Dale Lyons, aged 77, marathon veteran. Their

trainers give the game away. Rohan's look brand new. Dale's are well

worn. Their experience of long`distance running is poles

apart, and Rohan looks nervous about his marathon debut. Everybody hits a

wall. They may not say they do but they do. The Brodie `` the body

drops out and there is nothhng there. The batteries are run down

completely. Someday came out of the crowd and gave me a glucose drink

and I was off and running again And Dale's been running ever since. He's

one of only 14 athletes to have done every single London Marathon. And

this Sunday, he's facing an even tougher challenge. It has bden

marvellous to be part of an elite group. You will be running on

crutches six months after you have had this ankle replacement. What is

your surgeon say? I haven't told him. 12 months ago, Rohan h`d very

different health issues. He suffered from bi`polar and weighed in at 19

stone. So he took up jogging to get fit, to lose weight and now, to run

his first marathon to raise money for the mental health charity, MIND.

I expect to cry when I see ly friends and family but I expect

pain, joy, banks and worry but I expected it to be the greatdst day

of my life. Dale's tips for running. Live crate or moving parts. Hydrate

before the marathon. Embracd the pain. How are you feeling rhght

now? Petrified but excited beyond belief. If he enjoys the marathon he

is planning three more next year and his target is to run his 100th

before he turns 80. And by the time they start running

Wolves fans will hope to have already celebrated promotion.

We've reached that time of the season where issues of promotion and

relegation are being settled. But usually with one eye on a m`tch

elsewhere. If Wolves are to secure promotion from League One this

weekend they need Rotherham to drop points this evening at home to

Bradford. And then Wolves mtst win at Crewe. Wolves manager Kenny

Jacket says he'll have one dye on tonight's game. But really his focus

is on getting the right restlt for Wolves tomorrow. Our aim all season

has to get promotion and th`t is the bigger picture now. How will you

achieve that? For us, a win on Saturday will be another big step.

That is what we have to focts on and we have to focus on what we can

effect. A good win on Saturday is a big step for us. But it might not be

such a good weekend for Tamworth in the Conference.

No anything less than a win at Southport will see them reldgated.

And even that may not be enough if results elsewhere go against them.

And of course Hereford are `lso fighting relegation. But at the

other end of the table Luton Town might be planning a bit of `

promotion party? I can hardly think about it. If we

win tomorrow, we are up and I have seen 16 promotions and relegations,

two cup wins at Wembley over the years and this has to be thd most

important. It would be great to be back.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. And as the tension lounts

BBC Local radio will be covdring all the drama as it unfolds across the

weekend. Users of social media seem to be

going bananas for a fundraising campaign by the Severn Area Rescue

Association. They've been tweeting pictures of themselves with a banana

and then texting donations to the charity which is trying to find the

cash to replace a yellow inflatable boat which was stolen during a

break`in at their base in Wolverley. The Banksy`style images of Sir

Edward Elgar which appeared on a bus stop in Malvern last month have been

sold for almost ?3,000 at atction. The artists Lee Morris and Tom

Brown, who were responsible for the portraits, agreed to sell the

original pieces to raise money for local arts projects. The auctioneers

say all the works were bought by a local man.

It was nearly 40 years ago that a group of young soul music rdbels got

together in Birmingham to form a new band and take on the music of punk

and heavy metal. That band was Dexys Midnight Runners. They were formed

by Kevin Rowland and Kevin @rcher and they recruited a number of

Birmingham musicians, including saxophonist Geoff Blythe. They went

onto have number one hits whth Come on Eileen and Geno.

That song was number one back in 1980, and 34 years later Geoff

Blythe has written a book about the beginning of Dexys Midnight Runners,

and he's here now, Geoff, is it right that you joined the b`nd after

answering an advert in the local paper?

I answered an advert and thdy said they wanted to form a band. I had

just finished playing with Geno It was a happy coincidence. Wh`t made

them so different? It was totally unique coming together and ` unique

approach. It was very insul`r and nobody had any idea what it was

going to sound like when it started. It was a surprise to all of us. You

didn't know each other? No. You were competing with punk and heavy metal

at the time. It was after the punk era but it had left its mark on

everything that came out prdtty much. We were competing with the new

Romantic snooze `fest. They were nodding off and we were going really

high energy. Be highlight mtst have been Geno getting to number one

That was very nice. It kept Paul McCartney out of number one. You

left the band after the first album. Do you regret that? I do regret that

the band was going in that direction. We believed it bding a

soul band and I wanted to continue that way. When they said thdy wanted

us to learn fiddles and cellos, I thought it wasn't for me. What about

expanding? I do like to devdlop but I signed for that and I didn't want

to. I went in another direction You have brought this book out now. Some

really great moody pictures in hair. I was asked to do it. We decided it

would come out and we got the photographer involved. Here it is

and we're having a book launch tomorrow. We wish you well `nd it is

really good to have a chat with you. We will have to leave it thdre.

Thank you very much. It has been a glorious sunnx day and

I spent some of it in Stratford but it is quite chilly but Rebecca is

braving the outside for the forecast.

It is a pleasant day today `nd we have had some good sunshine. It just

made it up to 15 Celsius across the West Midlands but it is going to be

a chilly night tonight. It hs not a bad start to the Easter holhdays. It

will stay mostly dry and we have some sunshine at times. The best

will come on Sunday. Those nights are going to be chilly and that is

the penalty we have to pay for this. It is because our weather is

dominated at the moment by high pressure and it is sticking with us

as we head into the start of next week. It keeps things settldd but

overnight it is chilly. We have some clear spells already overhe`d and

most amateurs are going to plummet. There is still a bit of clotd about.

We can expect to see a touch of frost in the countryside. Otter

Mijas cup down to four Celshus. It will be a chilly start to otr

Saturday. It would be a bright start. It will not last bec`use we

will start to see a weekly weather front sinking southwards and that is

going to bring with it a few spots of rain. The cloud will thicken

around that as well. Temper`tures will be down a little on whdre they

have been today but we could get up to 12 Celsius. Behind that, things

will once again start to cldar. Under those clear spells,

temperatures are going to start to fall away rapidly as we can expect

more frost by the time we w`ke up on Sunday morning. Our temperatures are

getting down to three Celsits in our towns and cities. In the

countryside, it will be lowdr than that. It will be a chilly start for

those out doing the London Larathon. Perhaps take a jumper to wr`p up

warm but it will improve as we go through the day. You can get full

coverage of the marathon across the BBC. Back home, we'll get some good

spells of sunshine and just getting up to 15 Celsius. Sunday is the best

day of the weekend. Staying settled as we head into the new working

week. Tonight's headlines from thd BBC.

The man charged with murderhng 9 people in the Omagh bombing in 998

appears in court. The Co`op says sorry to

Jailed for life ` the bank worker who murdered his wife and btrnt her

body in the garden after shd discovered he was gay. That was the

Midlands Today. Joanne Malin will here with your ten o'clock news

Have a great evening. Goodbxe.