26/01/2017 Midlands Today

The families of the victims of the Birmingham pub

bombings will get legal aid because of a change in the law.

You know, it is, it's marvellous, really.

As long as nothing else is going to follow.

We'll be speaking to Julie Hambleton from the

Her sister Maxine died in the bombings.

Two patients die in six weeks after being sent home from accident

and emergency in Coventry - with aneurysms.

She was really upset about how she had been treated.

She told me they told her she was a time waster.

A disaster waiting to happen - the military warn of a potential

collision between its aircraft and a drone.

We are at the school preparing to celebrate the life and career of the

Black Country artist whose drawings were just Dandy.

And after a bitterly cold day, you'd be forgiven for thinking prospects

were bleak for the weekend, but it is warming up. Details later.

The families of the victims of the Birmingham pub

bombings have learnt today they are to get legal aid.

Sir Oliver Heald QC, the Minister for Legal Aid, said this afternoon,

"It would be a travesty for families to be denied justice,

The Government has intervened in an apparent U-turn

to remove legal barriers - which had previously

It has been a hard-fought and often angry battle.

In a moment I'll be talking to Julie Hambleton, who's led

But first here's Carolle Forde Garcia.

It's been a fight which has been long and bitter.

Even as the families walked to the courts for a pre inquest

hearing last November they had no legal funding and were at war

If we do not have parity in legal funding, then that means to say that

the scales of justice will be so unbalanced that the inquest will not

be able to move forward. 42 years ago, people died and nearly

200 were seriously injured when bombs exploded in crowded Birmingham

pubs. Julie, whose sister Maxine was killed in the bombings, has led the

campaign for justice. It has taken her all the way to Northern Ireland,

to this Belfast law firm. The families believe only they could get

the truth. We deal with daily issues such as

intelligence, field investigations, misdirected investigations. An awful

lot of those issues permeate a lot of killings and unresolved

contentious killings in this jurisdiction. Those issues are at

play in relation to the Birmingham pub inquest case.

The Northern Ireland lawyers have worked for nothing.

Up to today they didn't qualify for legal aid in england and Wales.

In a statement, the Minister responsible for legal aid said:

Bill lost his brother James in the bombings.

Tonight, he gave a cautious response to the news.

It's marvellous, really, as long as nothing else is going to follow,

because we have got the inquest, and then we had the story with the

money. Now we have got the money, is something else could come up?

This week, the victims were granted the freedom of the city. Tomorrow

the law will change, allowing the Northern Ireland lawyers to seek

justice that the families have always thought to get. -- vote to

get. I'm joined now by Julie Hambleton,

whose sister Maxine was one of the 21 killed

in the bombings in 1974. Good evening, good to see you. Your

reaction to the news? We are cautiously optimistic. We are

not going to move further forward until the ink is dry. However, if

the promise is not fulfilled, the government will look pretty silly.

But it does appear that the empty rhetoric has now become reality.

How did you hear the news? I was telephoned at work its so

Oliver Hill, they contacted me yesterday to see if I was available,

and he was almost apologetic in his tone, but he did say that it was

time for us to be given access to the funds, because we file into an

unprecedented funding bubble. And as such, he wanted to try and help us,

and to change the law accordingly to do so.

When you received the phone call, what was your overriding emotion?

Well, I am still cautious about the whole situation because, when Amber

Rudd telephoned me in September, she said she fully supported our

application for a legal aid, and we thought that was the door open, and

nothing happened from there. Another barrier was built and the door did

not open. So until the ink is dry, we will sit cautiously. However, we

would hope that once the firm has filled the application in again,

that the legal aid agency will be expeditious in their application to

get it through and ready, so that we can be fairly and effectively

legally represented at the forthcoming preliminary hearing on

the 23rd of debris. And the family is not Iraq are

severe and is has turned the empty rhetoric of the politicians into

reality. It is quite an achievement, isn't it?

Absolutely, and we have to thank our supporters, from local Brummies, the

Birmingham mail, the BBC, ITV, supporters all over the country, in

Ireland, and even the Lord Mayor, the council leader, everybody. The

Birmingham Mail, everybody. We want to thank everybody out there.

Without you, we would never, ever have got to where we are, and we

thank each and every one of you. All the families are indebted to

everyone, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.

Julie, thank you for coming in. Other news...

Two patients have died in six weeks, after being sent home from accident

and emergency in Coventry with a known condition.

They both had an aortic aneurysm - a swelling of the body's

main blood vessel - which if it bursts, can be fatal.

Both families blame a crisis in the NHS for the death

Our Health Correspondent, Michele Paduano,

This was June Foxwell on holiday last March.

She suffered from high blood pressure and breathing difficulties.

But her family are still trying to come to terms

She was sent home from A twice with a known aortic aneurysm.

She collapsed 11 hours later after it burst.

The aorta is the main vessel carrying blood from the heart.

Sometimes the wall becomes weak and begins to bulge.

If operated on, 96% of patients survive,

She was really upset about how she had been treated.

She told me they told her she was a time waster,

and a malingerer, and as my dad has said earlier, that was not her.

A post mortem report shows an ultrasound scan on August 22nd

But after three days in hospital she was sent home.

On August 30th, she was kept in A overnight, then sent home.

She collapsed 11 hours later and died.

University Hospital Coventry would not answer any detailed

questions, said it was working with the coroner to address

But the coroner has already held an inquest to a death that occurred

six weeks before Mrs Foxwell's in remarkably similar circumstances.

The father of Labour MP Toby Perkins died on July 15th after being put

in a taxi and sent home from University Hospital.

Four days earlier he had been sent home from the A department

at Coventry and Warwickshire hospital with what a vascular

surgeon described at my father's inquest as classical aneurysm

Mr Perkins was shocked it could happen again.

It is very worrying that the pressures that

are on the national Health Service, and on the University Hospital

in Coventry particularly in this case are such that the hospital

are constantly having to make decisions about sending people home

who really should be in a hospital bed.

A couple for 39 years, they used to do everything together.

But Dave is having to come to terms with life on his own.

The military in Shropshire are warning it's only a matter

of time before one of their low flying aircraft collides

with a drone, causing a potential disaster.

The skies above the Midlands are already busy -

but planes and helicopters are increasingly being

Our Special Correspondent Peter Wilson has been investigating.

They have been flying here for 100 years.

There's not much that scares these men and women,

but the home of the defence helicopter flying school has

We operate at heights below 500 feet, which is exactly where drone

operators will be flying their toys, and it is only a matter of time,

Drones, remote-controlled aircraft, can cost as little as ?50.

30,000 were sold last Christmas by just one UK retailers.

The helicopter crews in Shropshire have increasingly

had to dodge the drones as they practice their

We have had reported sightings in various parts of Shropshire,

over Nesscliffe training area and over Telford.

and, you know, drones are only supposed to be flown up to 400 feet.

These viewings have been spotted up to 1800, 2000 feet.

It is not only airfields that have seen near misses

Prisons too, as criminals use the devices to fly

The RAF has grave concerns about such flights,

if they were to be operating over Her Majesty's

Right opposite the main entrance to the prison is an airfield,

Turnhill, and the helicopter relief landing ground.

So concerned are the RAF about drones that they are saying

to people living in Shropshire, if you see a drone

At Harper Adams University in Shropshire, the next generation

of drones are being developed for the farming industry.

In the future, they may be used to spray crops.

Already the drones are being used by farmers to survey their fields,

and researchers are now working with the military to make sure

that their drones can be seen by the helicopter crews.

So, a cloudy day, lights work really well.

On really bright sunlight days, you can't see lights too well,

hence mirrors on the system here, the disco balls, allowing it to be

visualised by flashing light from the strongest source

More than 50 flights a day take off from Shawbury.

The helicopter crews pray that they will not be the first

The family of former Birmingham City footballer Denis Thwaites,

who was killed in the Tunisia terror attack, have told an inquest that

an "evil and twisted" ideology had torn apart their lives.

Mr Thwaites, and his wife Elaine, were among 38 tourists who died

Mr Thwaites, who was 70, played 87 times for Birmingham City from 1962

A gang who groomed and raped teenage girls in coventry have been jailed

The judge said the five men accused social media to exploit teenage

girls. Marcus Woolcock and Zahid Chaudhary

were told they would be expected to serve half of their respective

sentences before being Waqaar Khan, Kadeem Bourne,

and Kenan Kelly were told they would also be placed on the sex

offenders register for life. Labour has named its candidate

to fight the Stoke-on-Trent Central Gareth Snell is currently a

councillor in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and will contest the seat vacated

by Labour's Tristram Hunt. Mr Snell started his

campaign with a visit to the Wade Ceramics factory,

along with Shadow Brexit Secretary, Mr Snell said he now wanted the best

outcome for the city. We accept the referendum outcome,

and now it is our duty to make sure My focus will be getting the best

deal for the Potteries. And I think it is important

that the Labour Party now comes forward and supports the triggering

of Article 50 because that's There's a full list of candidates

on the BBC website. Thanks for joining us

on Midlands Today. The families of the victims

of the Birmingham pub bombings will get legal aid

because of a change in the law. We'll have your detailed weather

forecast from Shefali shortly. A big rise

in production at Jaguar Land Rover, making it Britain's biggest car

maker for the second year running. Firefighters are still tackling

a huge fire at a derelict factory It started at a former paper

manufacturers in the Fordhouses area At its height over a hundred

firefighters were on site, as they worked to protect

neighbouring businesses. Piled high with rolls of paper,

it did not take long The intense heat burning

through walls and ceilings. This was a substantial fire,

really severe fire. At the height of the blaze we had

20 fire appliances here. That was a total

of 100 firefighters. A severe incident which has

taken protracted time At the heart of an industrial

estate, work went on through the And this is why getting it under

control was so important. This is the side of the factory

which was on fire, and this is the perimeter

of Marston Aerospace, where last night the team

on the night shift had If the fire had jumped just

this short distance, By morning, the fire was under

control, but still burning. The concern now, to find out

if the chemicals contained in tanks By the afternoon, specialist teams

working with the Environment Agency We've identified the chemicals,

they are not harmful to human life. However, we don't want

them entering the canal, We've also got a brook,

which runs very close So we're trying contain the water

on the site along with the chemicals and we are in the of putting

the fire out. That work is expected

to go on into the night. The owners of the site did not

want to appear on camera, but told me this afternoon

they are working closely with the Fire Service to provide

as much information as possible Still quite a lot of activity going

on this evening, around 40 firefighters still on the scene,

working to put out the fire. You may be able to see a bit of a glow and

smoke behind me, that is the fire still alight. Good news this

evening, we are told that most of that is steam as opposed to smoke,

which is good news for people living and working in the area who have

been told to keep windows and doors closed for most of the day.

Firefighters are actively trying to put out the fire in the centre of

the building, they have been avoiding trying to do that for most

of the day, not wanting to put warm water onto the situation, because of

concerns about those chemicals. However, they have been allayed, and

there is a plan in place. Much more work to do, to get the fire out, so

that the hard job of investigating how this fire started can get

underway. "An animal wouldn't be allowed

to suffer like my son does." The words of the Mother

of five-year-old Alfie He has a rare and severe

form of epilepsy. Alfie has been hospitalised

scores of times, His mother Hannah believes

an alternative therapy, She's campaigning for

the Government to legalise Five-year-old Alfie in Warwick

Hospital just a few weeks ago. He is about to experience

a mild seizure. He had 16 seizures in a row,

which we had to treat, Alfie's mum, Hannah,

who is from Kenilworth, Every seven to ten days,

Alfie will experience It is because he has a very rare

form of epilepsy, called TCDH 19. When he comes out of it,

he is hysterical, crying, he must have a headache,

he's frightened, he's confused, he can't talk properly

because obviously his When Alfie was eight months old,

he very nearly did not pull through. They basically put him to sleep

on a life-support machine. It was just horrendous,

it was just the worst. We went from being a happy family

to that within hours, it was awful. It obviously really upsets me now

just thinking about it, Since then, Alfie's been

prescribed a series of drugs, He is being pumped full of drugs

all the time that don't work, he is being held down

against his will for these drugs to be put into him,

and as far as I'm concerned You wouldn't allow an animal to go

through what he goes through, Which is why she is now

campaigning for cannabis oil, which has helped children like Alfie

in other countries, to be If all these countries recognise

this cannabis herb has this extraordinary medicinal value,

surely we should move, But for people like the Deacons,

it cannot be too soon, these children with severe childhood

epilepsy, they need medication now, But the Conservative government

is still saying it has no plans It argues that cannabis damages

mental and physical health. Epilepsy is a very dangerous,

dangerous illness that can kill you, and I have to have the right to use

this for my son, and if that means I have to take him a broad then

fine, but I will still fight for everyone to have

the right to use this. In two weeks, she has got 1500

signatures on a petition, which she plans to hand

into the government later this year. One of the biggest employers

in the West Midlands has reported a significant

increase in production. Production is up 11%, with more than

500,000 vehicles coming off the production lines at its two plants.

It is welcome news for thousands of employees and the many companies

which supply car parts. Our reporter reports on another bumpy year.

Jaguar's first SUV has been a phenomenal success after it went on

sale last year, along with new and refreshed models, which has helped

Jaguar Land Rover retain its position as the UK's number one

car-maker. It is a source of relief for the staff at Solihull.

Everyone has been working hard, and it is picking up, and everyone has a

bright future. Proud to work here and be part of

the company. Solihull is one of three car

manufacturing plants run by Jaguar Land Rover in the UK. The company

said reduction has increased by more than 240% since the recession in

2009, and in the past five years sales have doubled, and the number

of jobs has more than tripled. We've invested ?3 billion per year

on new factories, new products, new technologies. And therefore we have

a business plan that is delivering the sort of production figures you

have heard today, and the sales figures.

80% of the cars made here are exported and many are being sold in

EU countries will stop what does Jaguar Land Rover want as we move

towards Brexit? We have been a beneficiary of what

has been in place with the EU for a long time. We hope the government

can negotiate an ongoing, tariff free environment. Additionally,

still secure the best people from Europe and the UK to work for Jaguar

Land Rover. If conditions are right the company

wants to expand further with a new factory near Coventry. With new

models, production could rise to another million cars per year by the

end of the decade. Millions of us chuckled at his

drawings as children, yet few if any could name him. That is interchange

in the Black Country, where this comic artist lived all his life. He

was commemorated and his contribution to legendary

publications like the Dandy remembered.

A very special guest on my show, you are here further especial reason to

talk about your dad. Many others grew up with Charlie

Griggs. But we never knew it. It was an expose of cigar!

I could nip upstairs and watched dad drawing, that was part of life for

me. It was great. Johnny drew tens of thousands of

strips from desperate Dan to Corky the cat. Many of them on the Dandy's

front cover, read by 2 million children per week.

During his heyday, millions of people must have seen his work. It

brought a lot of joy to people, I think, and that is nice.

OK, tell you what, see if you can score a goal against me?

Charlie grew up in Langley in the 1930s. Thanks to a campaign begun by

a Black Country radio personality, a commemorative plaque is to be placed

at his old school. He had the opportunity to move, he

could have moved up north, but he chose to stay in his room and draw

his cartoons, because he loved the Black Country so much.

The Dundee -based publishers would not allow artists to sign their

work, making recognition for Charlie at his old school all these years on

all the more important. It is a real source of inspiration

for these children to say, he is a local hero.

He did a nice line in seaside postcards as well, which did bear

his signature. But in truth he was a modest man who did not crave the

live late. -- limelight. I bet that brought memories flooding

back for many of you. The weather got rarely above freezing, so are we

in a more chilled mood? Yes, another cold and raw night.

There may be clouds glowing with iridescent colours. But the pictures

of the neon lights in Birmingham earlier this morning. Otherwise it

was dull and drab. But at least it was dry. We had snow around, and it

was very cold, temperatures barely got above freezing. With the wind

chill, more like -6 in parts of the region. So these were the high

temperatures from today, and if we take a look at them, -1 at Churchill

offered, and 0 degrees in Birmingham, so not very good at all.

But this is how it is looking over the coming days, milder conditions

heading in as winds they are around to the south-westerly. As they do

so, they will draw in rain from the West, coming in for a later

tomorrow. But also into Sunday as well. We will have to see how far

north as area of rain gets, but the best day out of the weekend will be

Saturday, where we have gotten sunshine. Turning milder, there will

be spells of rain around as well, but some brightness on the cards as

well. But let's take a look at this evening. Some fair spells developing

right now, when temperatures will plummet to below freezing, so

looking at -2, minus three Celsius, without much of a wind. It may feel

a touch milder than it was today, but we have got mist and a little

bit of fog in the odd sheltered hollow. But otherwise, a bit of

cloud starting to fill in later tonight, giving us a cloudy start.

That mist will start to lift, and we will get them as a brightness coming

through. Then the cloud thickens up from the South West, bringing in

this light, patchy rain, and that will continue its journey

north-eastward during the course of tomorrow night. Temperatures

tomorrow, 45 Celsius, much better than today, could be into 7-8.

Thank you. On tomorrow's Midlands Today, we will be catching up with

the big garden bird watch. That's all from me, I will be back at

10:30pm. Have a good night.