08/02/2017 Midlands Today

Survivors call for West Midlands Police to face charges over how

the Hillsborough investigation was handled.

They wanted to blame drunken ticketless hooligans, that was the

tactic that they set up to cover South Yorkshire, they were in it

The police watchdog, the IPCC, has sent files

Cricketing pioneer and always first in to bat for her

For a woman who's grown up in sport she was such a trailblazer, and I

think every citizen in Wolverhampton and beyond will miss her greatly.

Wound up about plans for 200 new homes next door

A tribute to Norton - plans to protect and preserve

the grave of motorbike racing royalty.

And if you thought today was cold then today was just the transition

to even colder conditions by tonight, and tomorrow onwards.

Our top story tonight comes from survivors of Hillsborough

who say they're hopeful prosecutions will be brought against

West Midlands Police officers who investigated the 1989 disaster.

96 Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush on the terraces

After a long inquiry into the conduct of both

the South Yorkshire and West Midlands forces,

the Independent Police Complaints Commission has sent files

April last year. It felt like the final chapter.

An inquest jury at last agreeing with the families,

the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster

Questions persist though about the police, not just

the South Yorkshire officers there on the day, but also the West

Midlands officers brought in afterwards to investigate.

to deal with what I had to deal with.

Debra Martin admits she has no fondness for the police,

and yet at one time in her life policing was all she wanted to do.

She was a special constable on duty that day at Hillsborough.

She says she cradled one of the youngest victims,

15-year-old Kevin Williams, as he died.

She claims she was later brow beaten into changing her statement,

I was there that day and that child died

There's as much blame to lay at West Midlands as well South

Yorkshire, they should have behaved themselves and they should have told

In terms of the number of victims, witnesses and statements,

the Hillsborough inquiry was the biggest ever carried out

This former senior West Midlands officer

didn't serve on the inquiry, but says the team that

I would like to have seen personally more experienced operational

For all these years to pass by and certainly

suddenly be caught on and dragged over the coals,

They were interested in did I have a ticket,

did I have a drink, did I

Val Yates was a 20-year-old Liverpool fan who ended up

on the pitch that day trying to help.

She thought West Midlands officers arrived with a script already

written and said so to the IPCC, who failed to pick up

They said that I'd got no complaints against the

and that was just an absolute utter falseness.

I never said it, I've got absolute criticism of them, they had

an agenda, tried to confiscate this, wanted to blame drunken

The Crown Prosecution services has files on eight police officers -

Decisions on whether to charge them are due later this year.

are to help account, but I'm not

You can hope that those responsible for this

are to help account, but I'm not

sure if I've got faith that it will actually happen.

The truth is pretty much now writ large.

What's left to do then in this investigation?

You've heard they've already sent files to the CPS -

and this follows work focused on what they call the 'controlling

minds' of the alleged cover-up, those taking key decisions.

But inquiries continue into 170 allegations of misconduct -

that's to say misbehaviour by officers rather

If those officers were still serving, those allegations might

The reality is few if any are still employed by

South Yorkshire or West Midlands - so that process may not

satisfy all the families and survivors who've complained.

West Midlands Police says it's co-operated fully

with investigations and its thoughts are with the family

Hundreds of people gathered in Wolverhampton this afternoon

to pay their last respects to Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint,

St Peter's church in the city centre was packed with leading figures

from the world of football, cricket and television.

Best known as the former England Women's Cricket Captain, who

worked tirelessly for charity, she was also a passionate

lifelong supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

She wanted her funeral to be like Sir Jack Potter but not as grand. No

one else can ever fill this gap. Inside St Peter's, every seat was

taken, by family and friends from her sporting passions, cricket and

football, from her political career as Baroness Taiwan Micah at the

House of Lords and from her outstanding charity work. I work for

charity was absolutely outstanding. She was best known around the world

as captain of the England cricket team and the first woman ever to

become a member of the MCC at Lord's. I hope that it will make the

MCC realise that there are thousands and thousands of women who take

cricket very seriously. But her heart was always in Wolverhampton,

educated at the girls high school and fiercely proud to be a vice

president of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rachel was also a good

friend of Graham Taylor, and how ironic that this should both passed

away within a week of each other. He would have appreciated her

mischievous sense of humour. Her father Sir Jack had a close

place in ritual's heart. So close, I think they were the greatest

friends. If you asked dad now, he would say truly that ritual was his

best friend. Small in stature, but always fighting for things she

believed in, it is also what she has achieved. As a Wolverhampton girls

yourself you will know more than most what she meant to the city. Oh

gosh! She was a trailblazer, a pioneer and someone who said, you

know, fight for what you believe in and make sure you get what you want

in this life and he certainly did that. It was Rachel was like dying

wish that her funeral should be uplifting and inspirational. And

everyone here at Saint Peter's here today would agree that the service

like her life was a great success. And you can share your own thoughts

and memories of Rachael Heyhoe Flint own thoughts and memories

of Rachael Heyhoe Flint over A 70-year-old paedophile who taught

in schools in Worcestershire has been given 13 life sentences

for a catalogue of abuse on children Retired English teacher Mark Frost,

formerly known as Andrew Tracey, admitted abusing nine children

in Thailand between 2009 and 2012. He also pleaded guilty to sexually

assaulting two former pupils Investigators have confirmed that

a fire at a plastics recycling firm in Stoke on Trent

was started deliberately. More than 50 firefighters

were sent to Hanbury Plastics Smoke from the blaze

could be seen for miles. It later emerged that the plant

didn't have a permit and was operating illegally

after the Enviroment Agency Crimestoppers has offered

a reward of up to ?5,000 for information about the attempted

murder of a man on 30-year-old Jason Webb

was repeatedly kicked in the head and left for dead in the Kings Heath

area of Birmingham. It has to be up there among

the worst newlywed nightmares. Thieves ransacked the home

of Amy Blount's wedding photographer Tonight, the heartbroken bride has

appealed to the burglars to return the stolen memory cards and computer

equipment which contained her My wedding day was great,

it was everything that I wanted it to be and we had all of our friends

and family there and the weather was dry and sunny and yeah,

it was just a really lovely day. Amy Blount got married

just three weeks ago, but apart from her dress and cards

at home in shard end in Birmingham, now has very little to remind

her of her special day. Then this is us cutting...

Cutting your cake? There are just a few snaps taken

by friends of Amy marrying Chris in Lickey Hill near Birmingham

because last week the photographer's When he came home their house

had been broken into and all of their things had been stolen,

so the cameras, their computer, all their hard drives,

things are, they'd all gone. He'd e-mailed this picture over

before the break in. Initially I was very shocked

and then I just spent quite I was very devastated because for me

the photos were more than just a picture to look at,

they represented the whole day and everything and it was like hard

evidence of my friends and family West Midlands Police

are appealing for information following the burglary

at the photographer's house in Somerset Road

in Walsall last Thursday. And they're combing through CCTV

from the area for clues. If anyone knew of anything,

you know, or happens to have the memory card or the hard

drive or anything with the photos on it then

if they could return that, It's stood tall and proud,

surrounded by green fields Berkswell Windmill is considered

to be one of the most important historic monuments

in the Solihull area. So residents say they're horrified

by plans to build up They insist there are plenty

of alternative brownfield sites nearby which are far more

suitable for development. Our reporter Bob Hockenhull

is at the windmill now. A slice of rural history that these

villagers want to protect. They say proposals for

a large housing estate opposite Berkswell Windmill

are totally inappropriate. and it should stay in

the middle of fields. We know we need the housing but

it's got to be in the right place. Green field sites are

not the right place. It's recently been restored

at a cost of ?200,000 Jeanette says building on green belt

land next to the windmill You know, there is national guidance

in place from government, central government, that says we must not

built around an historical monument. There is also a public footpath

opposite, so currently the public can have 24/7 access to countryside

as well as having a wonderful view That won't happen if 200 flats

and houses are built there. A little further away

from the windmill, The latest proposals

to extend development are in the Solihull

Draft Local Plan. The council says residents have

until February 17th to comment. The windmill's neighbour,

whose land could be built on, believes the proposed

housing is justified. My daughter's 24 and she can't get

on the property ladder and none of her friends can,

none of the kids can get on the property ladder and these

would be 50% affordable homes which will give children

a chance to get on that property Solihull Council is assuring

residents their concerns The Friends of the windmill argue

there is plenty of land to build This is another part

of Balsall common. It's a Brownfield site

and many residents say it's a far more suitable area

for the development of housing. And with the Government

planning to build a quarter of a million homes per year,

this is the kind of controversy set to befall communities up

and down the country. Well, Bob is at the windmill now.

Bob, battle lines have been drawn. How long do we have before a

decision is made? Welcome Solihull council hasn't put a timescale on

this, yet, Nick. This is a draft local plan so it hasn't been

approved, and has to go before a government planning Inspectorate

before it can be passed. Residents say it is not just the landscape

around the windmill that they are concerned about but they say that

the village was an infrastructure just can't cope with more houses

already the schools are full and they said that the doctor's surgery

also struggles as well. Best when Bell has overlooked the village for

two centuries now and this has certainly been a contentious chapter

in its history but the residents are so determined that they say they are

determined to take their fights to the High Court if that proves to be

necessary. Bob, thank you. Thanks for joining us

on Midlands Today, this is our top story tonight: Survivors

of the Hillsborough disaster are calling for West Midlands Police

to face charges over how the investigation

into what wrong was handled. It's certainly felt a lot

colder today, hasn't it? Shefali's here later

with the forecast. Also in tonight's programme Changing

the face of Coventry: the council insist a new 300 million pound

development WILL go ahead. And enthusiasts from across

the world pull together to honour the memory of one of the greatest

names in motorbike The UK Independence Party have

formally launched their campaign for Midlands "Metro Mayor",

even though they've strongly opposed Their candidate, Pete Durnell,

is promising to invest in new technologies

and to refurbish empty homes. He's been talking to our political

editor, Patrick Burns. First they campaigned,

successfully, to get in to the European Parliament,

in order to get out of it. Now they're campaigning again for

a role they strongly disapprove of. They say regional devolution means

devolving power away from the people The Metro Mayor is happening

and what I'm saying is actually lets get in there and make

sure the combined authority worked as efficiently as possibly can,

and ultimately a Ukip mayor will keep tight control on it

and will actually make sure that it works as

the most efficient He's not the first candidate

to single out the M6 Toll road He wants to get more lorries to use

it, instead of the main M6. I'd like to try and do that

with some subsidies because currently at ?11 per HGV, it's not

economic to get on there, so let's try and make it

economic for them to get And he's joined calls for the mayor

to be paid around ?30,000 a year: that's over ?100,000

less than the new mayor Why is ours worth so

much less than theirs? I don't think it's an issue

of what it's worth, I'm saying that from my point of view I think

that it should be all about passion and commitment

and wanting to help and drive your region forward not about the amount

of money that you can get. It's a party political

contest, of course. But the nature of the job makes this

much more about the personalities Pete Durnell is one of five

candidates so far declared for this first Midlands Metro mayoral

election on May fourth. You'll find more

about them on my blog. The eventual winner will head

the new combined authority covering the conurbation from Wolverhampton

through Birmingham to Coventry. Patrick Burns, BBC Midlands Today,

Sutton Coldfield. We'll be celebrating

with Coventry City fans in a moment after they got to Wembley last

night, but first their local council's insisting

a new ?300 million development The authority recently gave

the green light to the scheme known It comes at a time when a boom

in property development It's brutalist and, for many, ugly,

but Coventry Point is one of numerous concrete buildings set

to be demolished as part of a ?300 million City Centre

South redevelopment. Previous schemes like the ambitious

Jerde project failed but this time What is different here is,

the money is in place, ?200 million from the private sector

for the developer, who has done We've got ?100 million

from the combined authority. The permission is in place.

Now we want to see it happen. Coventry is already

seeing a building boom. This former Royal Mail sorting

office site will soon be The first time I came

here, the sorting office We acquired it from the Royal Mail

when they vacated it. It was a derelict site

and it is great to be investing in the site and bringing it

back to life. And there are plenty

of cranes on the skyline, with numerous similar

projects under way. This is a sign of regeneration

gathering momentum. These are the former offices

of the local newspaper, the Coventry Evening Telegraph,

which were vacated The building is going to be

converted into a boutique hotel, This used to be

the newsroom, I think. There's photographers,

sub editors... It's the brainchild of Coventry

developer Ian Harribin. You can imagine some life coming

back in this big room yet again when somebody has their wedding

here, for example. Further down in the building,

we're looking at using some of the former large print room

spaces for maybe a couple of arthouse cinema screens so,

you know, making the building work Coventry has been known

as the Phoenix City after it rose It seems another

resurrection is under way. So the city itself seems

to be going places, Well, Coventry City

have reached Wembley Last night they beat

Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 to reach It's a rare bright spot for fans

who've seen the club slip And it'll make a fitting 30th

anniversary to the club's FA They've seen quite a few pitch

invasions But instead

of a protest Coventry were at Wembley,

and the fans and the players Beforehand the biggest home

crowd of the season had Just over 11,500 hoped

they could forget their troubles and and reach

the final of the Checkatrade Trophy. Without a league win since November

1st Coventry's players needed a special performance even to beat

League Two Wycombe. They took a 2-nil half-time

lead against Wycombe. First, Stuart Beavon's deflected

effort put them in front. And then a superb second

really lifted expectations. George Thomas giving Kyel Reid's

fine cross the finish it deserved. Wycombe's Adebayo Akinfenwa pulled

a goal back on 55 minutes There were six minutes

of injury time to endure for manager Russell Slade

and the Sky Blues fans. But Coventry survived and will head

to Wembley at the end of April. Coventry City are still a club

with many problems. All the more reason then

to savour this success. Motorbike enthusiasts from

the Midlands and across the world have come together to make sure

the grave of James Lansdown Norton, who founded the famous motorcycle

company, They discovered the grave

in a run-down state in a cemetery in south

Birmingham and they've managed to track down Norton's

descendants to get permission for the restoration.

Peter Plisner reports. Difficult corners, hairpin bends and

a seven mile car climb. the year that Norton Motor cycles

won two historic victories. helping to turn Birmingham based

Norton into iconic brand. And I thought that's a job that

suits make riding bikes all day. enthusiasts like Barry Owen

still treasure their Nortons - as I found out when

I went to his shed. I was road testing the north

commando -- Norton Commander in the late cities that got me hooked on

Northern's top left engineering for many years but it was always in your

blood, like malaria. James Lansdowne Norton -

the founder of the company. He set up Norton originally to make

bicycle parts but in 1902 Some of them are on display

in the National Motorcycle Museum. Absolute towering industry figure.

One of the most people -- important people I suppose in the British

motorcycle industry certainly in the early days. This is the place where

these bikes were first built. Sadly the factory is long gone, but the

legacy of Norton continues. The latest Norton bikes

are still made in the Midlands But enthusiests haven't been

so impressed at the state of the Norton founder's grave -

which Barry took me to in a cemenrty It does need a bit of TLC, there's

no doubt about that. Now Barry's leading a campaign

to have the memorial restored - and he even tracked one

of Norton's grand-daughters. When we spoke about doing the

growing up she said I would talk to the surviving family and we will get

it done and yeah, we are going ahead with it. But what would Norton

himself make about the fast? I have a feeling he would be chuffed about

it will So to the weather after a decidedly

cooler day across the region. Leeds yesterday we had clout to

start off with men and beautiful sunshine to look forward to but

unfortunately the cloud is sticking and lingering through the day. We

had mist and fog as well that was stubborn to lift about this is how

it goes for the next few days, the theme I'm afraid. We have a pretty

light easterly winds, easterly winds drawing in colder air but because

they are like there is nothing to churn up the cloud and break it up,

I'm afraid. Of course that will also holds temperatures down and you will

notice that the easterly wind will also draw in a few wintry showers

along the spine of the country, some of those they just cross into the

Midlands as well. But for tonight, we've got showers about the region

but they are mainly of rain, just a flicker of snow here and there

because the air is not cold enough, yet, but will become colder later on

tonight. Lots of clout but where we get some breaks we see temperatures

nearing freezing, and in the rural spot that value may be -1 or minus

two Celsius. Widespread frost on the cards, best and fog in the morning

tomorrow as well, but they gradually clears but in some spots lingering

because temperatures struggled to get much above two Celsius tomorrow.

That is because of all of the cloud sitting right across us. As we can

see the winds are light to moderate, from the easterly director on and

because they are moderate that may add a bit of a wind chill as well.

They bitterly cold day tomorrow, feeling raw, and feeling raw into

tomorrow night as well. That cloud persists again and where it breaks

in the western half of the region, always getting the best of any

brightness that is on offer, we will see the temperatures again -- once

again falling into the negative. Frosty on Friday, but Friday itself

will be a cloudy day, again, Friday night into Saturday, some frost on

the cars buzz temperatures during the day not really very much

different during the night. I'll be back at 10.30

with your late update. We are going to leave you with some

images from the funeral of somebody who I was proud to call a friend.

The much loved Rachael Heyhoe Flint. when farmers leave

their daily routines behind... Right, here we come, Dorset!

..for a show day.