20/02/2012 North West Tonight

Welcome to the programme. Our top story: a man is charged with

manslaughter after a woman died trying to protect her handbag

containing her husband's ashes. We are live in Oldham where the search

for those ashes continues. All soap: the carers told to hand

in their grant money because they did not spend it quickly enough.

Payback time. Three men were jailed after failing to get rich from a

string of cash. Thefts. These are professional criminals. -- ATM

theft. And hitting all the right notes.

The instrument maker who swapped First, here was a crime that

shocked the region. A vulnerable 79-year-old Granta mother found in

an alley way clutching just the strap of a handbag that contain the

ashes of her late husband -- grandmother. Nellie Geraghty never

recovered and the Ashes have yet to be found. A man has been charged

with her manslaughter. What more can you tell us about the breaking

news? The man who has been charged is 37-

year-old not quarrel. He has no fixed address. He is charged with

manslaughter and robbery. He will appear before magistrates tomorrow.

He has already been charged in connection with another robbery of

a 35-year-old woman in Rochdale. She also had her handbag stolen.

That case is still progressing through the courts.

It was a crime that shocked many people in the area. Remind us about

the background. Nellie Geraghty was 79-year-old and she was found in an

alleyway here in November last year. She was taken to hospital but she

died. She had suffered serious head injuries. The handbag that you

mentioned is still missing. Local people helped the police search for

it. It was so important because it contained the ashes of her deceased

husband. Her idea was that when she died, she too would be cremated and

their ashes would be scattered to get there on his allotment. There

was also �200 in the handbag. That is also missing. The police have

thanked the local community for their help in this case. Tier

teenagers were questioned earlier. They have since been ruled out of

the police inquiries. The investigation continues and this

man will appear before magistrates tomorrow morning.

Thank you. Next, parents of disabled children

in Trafford are being told to repay thousands of pounds in allowances

that they received from the council. The authority has decided to invoke

a clause in their direct payment contracts which requires them to

refund any unused money. The parents say they were

previously assured that they could roll the funds forward. The council

says that with money tied, it must make the best use of every penny.

This boy is 14 and he has learned his abilities and epilepsy. His mum

receives direct payments from the council to help with his care. She

buys two hours of a specialist care every week. She has not used all of

the money allocated this year. care was seriously ill and she was

in hospital for a while and needed to take some time off. -- hour

carer. Instead of replacing her which is a lengthy and difficult

process, finding the right person, and also summoned to build up a

relationship with George, we asked if we could carry that over and use

the extra hours when she was well. We were told we could do that.

told you that? A social worker and a representative of the direct

payments team. Now Trafford Council says the unused money should be

given back. It amounts to �900. am in a difficult position where I

do not know what I can spend. There has been no clarification. This is

one of 40 families in Trafford to have been told to pay back unused

funds. Trafford Council points out that there has always been a clause

in the contract which says that funds not used within three months

can be reclaimed. The authority has now decided to invoke that clause

as it tries to make best use of scarce resources. Do you not accept

that in those difficult financial times, councils must make best use

of every penny? Surely money should be being used to help other people

rather than being in your account? This money has been allocated to

our son for his care needs. It was decided by a panel. We should be

notified properly if the situation has changed.

The other stories: the Prime Minister has said that the fight to

sell meat Eurofighter Typhoon to India is now in the final stages. A

group of Lancashire MPs met David Cameron this afternoon to encourage

him to keep up the pressure. India has indicated it would prefer to

buy a French plane but the MPs got an assurance that the Government

would keep on lobbying. He felt that, as we all do, this deal is at

its final stages but it would be foolish to stop now and accept that

we could not still win it. The commitment we got was that the UK

government would do everything it could be in the final weeks to work

with the German government to try and win this Indian contract.

fell walker who died after a fall in Cumbria yesterday has been named

as Peter Huntley. The 55-year-old from Preston fell around 200 ft

from a ledge while walking with a friend above Blea Water. He was

pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics on the air ambulance and

Penrith Mountain Rescue. The father of a woman murdered by

her ex-boyfriend has handed in a petition to Number 10 calling for

more protection for domestic violence victims. Clare Wood was

strangled by George Appleton three years ago. Her father Michael wants

the introduction of Clare's Law so that women can find out whether

their partners have a history of domestic violence.

Greater Manchester Police has been asked to intervene to stop the far-

right English Defence League from marching this weekend. The EDL want

to protest about an attack on these two teenagers in the town earlier

this month. Tameside Council want Greater Manchester Police to appeal

to the Home Office to stop the march.

Two from a pair homeworkers on Merseyside who stole nearly

�100,000 from their elderly patients have been jailed. Joan

Vernon who managed Speke Care Home was sentenced to four years and her

deputy Kathleen Treble was given four years and three months. The

court was told that they regularly stole from residents, two of which

had dementia. The judge described them as mean and despicable.

Free nurseries and one primary school are to be closed on the Isle

of Man. The government there has announced that all 11 of the

island's funded pre-schools are two players from September. It will

affect 500 children and 31 jobs. Thousands of mothers have signed a

petition and they will protest outside the island's parliament

when the budget is announced tomorrow. People are furious. They

are spending money on absolute rubbish, the government are. To say

that the time has come to cut services and we are going to start

with nurseries and libraries is something that people are not going

to wear. A gang of thieves from Merseyside who travelled the length

of England stealing cash machines have been jailed by a total of 19

years. They spent seven months targeting cash machines from

Cleveland to Cornwall. Today a court heard that they were

in it for the money but ended up making less than they would have

done on the minimum wage. All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to

commit burglary. They broke in by night after

visiting by day to deactivate the alarms. The team of men from

Merseyside club's -- sometimes clocked up over �2,000 -- two dozen

Mars a month. At Flamingoland, they used a crowbar to escape with cash.

Sometimes, they just took the whole machine. This is a team of burglars

from Merseyside who have travelled up and down the country, as far

north as Cleveland, and down to Cornwall and Dorset. And everywhere

in between, they have been going. They got away with at least �43,000

in total but which was an expensive business. The gang, David Owens and

Shaun Ennis from Stockbridge Village and Kevin Caveney from

Speke, spent thousands on cars and fuel. Owens's defence lawyer

calculated that they would have earned more working on the minimum

wage. Their prison sentences totalled more than 19 years. The

judge told them it was a highly sophisticated organised crime. He

said, you have caused damage costing tens of thousands of pounds

to businesses across the country. They were targeting vulnerable

businesses, local shops, colleges. The disruption caused is

immeasurable. Some of the money has already been recovered. Police say

they are working with the cash machine industry to try to stop

this happening again. Next, black community groups have

accused Liverpool Football Club of exciting races and because of the

way they handled the Luis Suarez affair. The FA banned him after he

abused Patrice Evra. The group say that Liverpool have not really

accepted the FA's decision. Black community groups from

Merseyside and beyond the queues Liverpool FC of presiding over the

worst incident of races and in football in recent years. They sate

its action in supporting Luis Suarez fell short of the high

standards of leadership expected of it. In a city like ours where we

have black and white living happily side by side, it has raised

tensions and people have said that. It has damaged the reputation, not

just of Liverpool FC, but of our city. We will be known as a city

that is intolerant. After his ban ended, Luis Suarez refused to shake

Patrice Evra's hand when their teams play each other earlier this

month. The club and Luis Suarez apologised but in a letter to Kenny

Dalglish and the club directors, the black consortium says that

efforts to combat races and have been undermined. -- to combat

racism. The letter says that Liverpool's refusal to accept the

FA's findings, its support for Luis Suarez and his refusal to Sheikh

Patrice Evra's hand, could be considered as inciting racial

intolerance. In the historic home of the city's black community, we

found a different use. It has caused bad taste in the mouth. I

think it has given Liverpool the kind of name we do not want. Do you

think it has affected race relations in Liverpool? Know. It is

only a game after all. -- no. asked the club for a response

earlier today but so far we have not heard from them.

We have just had a statement from Liverpool Football Club. The

spokesman said, we have a long and successful track record of social

inclusion and that we are committed along with the relevant agencies to

tackling racism. That statement came in in the last three minutes.

In a moment, the sport. Before that, still to come, on the final lap,

who will win the sprint finish to make the Olympic cycling team?

Going for a gong, why a format microchip designer is making music

Sport now, and an amazing admission from Sir Alex Ferguson today? Sir

Alex has confessed that he could have bought the England goalkeeper

Joe Hart for just �100,000 back in 2006. But he passed up the

opportunity, and what is even more galling for Sir Alex, is that

Shrewsbury then sold Hart to Manchester City. The United boss

admits that Hart is easily the best English goalkeeper for the past 20

years. Of course, Sir Alex did buy another excellent keeper, Edwin Van

Der Sar, in 2005. But since Van Der Sar retired, his replacement David

Sar retired, his replacement David De Gea, has been criticised after

some embarrassing errors. Although, some embarrassing errors. Although,

that is a blinder right there. In a revealing interview, which can you

hear on Radio Five Live just after 7pm tonight and where he also talks

about Twitter, the last time he went on a bus and his famous

hairdryer, he says of Hart, "We all make mistakes." Mind you, he has

won 12 titles and two European Cups, so I don't think he is losing too

much sleep. Talking of winning trophies,

Liverpool could be on their way to Wembley for the second time this

season after crushing Brighton 6-1 in the FA Cup Fifth Round with the

help of three own goals. Kenny Dalglish's side are now through to

the quarter-finals, where they face last year's finalists Stoke City.

last year's finalists Stoke City. This year could still see an all-

Merseyside final. Everton play Sunderland in the next round.

Bolton will play the winners of Spurs against Stevenage. Our

reporter reflects on the weekend's FA Cup action.

One Wembley final just days away and now joint favourites to make

another. Some Liverpool fans are starting to get the feeling this

could be their cup year. I am confident. Definitely. Confident

right down to my boots! The reds have struggled to put teams away at

Anfield this season. But partly thanks to their own good play.

Martin Skertl got them off and running. And partly down to good

fortune they eventually ran riot against a Brighton side who's

equalizer must have given the home faithful that here we go again

feeling. -- whose equaliser. But no fewer than three own goals. This

the first. An excellent finish from Andy Carroll. Who then set up Luis

Suarez for another. Made it a satisfying night all round for

Kenny Dalglish's men. Suarez thankful his earlier failure from

the spot didn't matter. Merseyside's blues are starting to

find some form. And made short work of the Championship's in-form side

Blackpool. Rhoyston Drenthe hitting a beauty for the opener. With under

a minute on the clock. And David Moyes' side wasted no time in

wrapping it up. Denis Straquilursi grabbing a second a few minutes

later. Every year, we start to get a feeling. It never works out!

Bolton put their relegation worries behind them after also getting the

better of Championship opposition, Millwall. Japanese youngster Ryo

Miaichi showing why he is rated so highly with a terrific opener. A

second from David Ngog made sure it would be Wanderers in the quarter

would be Wanderers in the quarter finals.

Blackpool's young striker Matt Phillips has been called up to play

for Scotland despite having previously represented England at

under-20 level. Phillips has been banging in the goals recently and

his manager Ian Holloway says he is good enough to play for England.

But Phillips has Scottish grandparents and has been included

in Scotland's squad to play Slovenia next week. However, his

selection has to be approved by FIFA.

Super league now, and Warrington are now top after beating

Huddersfield at the weekend. But perhaps the most exciting match was

perhaps the most exciting match was St Helen's 36-36 draw at Hull KR.

Just as the final hooter was sounding, Saints were awarded a

penalty, and Jamie Foster's kick levelled the scores. Wigan are

fourth after thrashing Bradford 54- 16. Salford earned their first

victory, beating rock-bottom Widnes 38-18. And you can see all the

action in the Super League Show on action in the Super League Show on

BBC One at 11:35pm tonight. There is more to come from us. That

was the message from the boss of the Manchester based British

cycling team despite a successful performance at the Olympic test

event in London. The team finished top of the medal table with four

golds, but there was disappointment for Bolton's Jason Kenny who faces

an uphill battle in his fight with Sir Chris Hoy for a place at the

world records and of glimpsing just what the Olympics might be like.

And for these young cyclists who travelled from the Isle of Man, it

was a chance to see their heroes close up. It is good to see such

success for Britain. The atmosphere inside here is amazing. Anyone who

has tickets for the Olympics, watch out! Manx rider Peter Kennaugh,

along with Burnley's Steven Burke, won a silver in the men's team

pursuit. But all eyes were on the big battle of the weekend between

sprinters Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny. Under new Olympic rules,

bosses must choose between the Scottish Olympic champion and

Bolton's world champion to represent Britain at the games. Hoy

had the upper hand yesterday winning the sprint, while Kenny

winning the sprint, while Kenny could only manage fifth. Very

disappointed. Every race between now and the Olympics matters. It is

not long. You have good days and bad days. He has not done and

dusted yet. He has fight in him and is a classy rider. He has an old

head on young shoulders. In Melbourne, he or tried to stake his

claim. It is not over. In it has been successful for the British

weekend. What unites every member of the squad is the determination

to do all they can to recreate this atmosphere again in five months'

time. Not a patch on the Velodrome in

Manchester! Don't forget to join me for Late

Kick Off tonight when we will be looking at fears that the Premier

League will soon be able to buy smaller clubs' best young players

for next to nothing. It is all to do with the FA's new compensation

system for the purchase of promising young talent. And, on a

lighter note, we have got the latest in our footballers' general

knowledge challenge. This week, we have been testing Macclesfield's

players. Who was Prince Charles's first

wife? Camilla Parker Bowles. Can I wife? Camilla Parker Bowles. Can I

do it again? Believe me, some of their other

answers are equally funny. So don't miss Late Kick Off on BBC One at

miss Late Kick Off on BBC One at 11:05pm.

The programme, this morning, got in trouble for the quizzes being too

easy. That will not happen to us. Thank you, Tony. Welcome back from

your trip to the Lake District. I have a lovely time.

The Lake District has always attracted visitors to see its

natural beauty and wildlife. But more recently, those visitors have

been hoping to catch a glimpse of something straight out of The X

Files. We have all heard of the Loch Ness monster and it has done

wonders for Scotland's tourist trade. But now we could have our

very own mystery of the deep, lurking below the waters of

Windermere. Some people believe that something

is lurking beneath the waters of Lake Windermere. Sightings of a

creature not dissimilar to the Loch Ness monster have been causing a

stir. This part is called the deeps. I felt something brushed past me.

It caused me to stop. I was lifted up and put down. I turned it to my

friend and ask what it was. This professional photographer saw

something which caught his eye. What do you think it is? Good

question. It is a mystery. I took question. It is a mystery. I took

eight per nine photographs. It lasted for 10 minutes. You can see

lasted for 10 minutes. You can see a dark object on top of the water.

One person convinced that something has been caught in the photographs

is this scientist. I think it is an animal that was moving through the

water. It appears to be of considerable size. Some

professionals have analysed the photographs. There is something in

the water. Why do most great mysteries, we have found something.

But the results are inconclusive. And you can see more of that report

on Inside Out at 7:30pm here on BBC One. We should not be sceptical.

This could help with tourism. As musical instruments get ever

more hi-tech, it is refreshing to find that some sounds still rely on

old-fashioned skills. Matt Nolan from Lancashire has found himself

in demand with some of the pop world's biggest stars by making the

kind of instruments you just can't buy in the shops. Our reporter has

been to meet him. It is a pure exploration of sound

and art for this Lancashire-born drama. Four years ago, he stopped

designing silicon chips to set up his own business building

percussion instruments. He now has some very high-profile celebrity

clients. The Icelandic singer, Bjork. I made special bronze metal

bars for each note. I wanted it to sound like the Indonesian gamelan.

Some of his instruments are played digitally with computer. I am the

only person in the UK that makes But his creations are not just

about music, also sculptures. These gongs are not circular. This is his

idea. E two-finger has an individual notes. -- each finger. I

was asked to make a really big one. The triangle is like the joke

instrument in the school band for the child who cannot play. But in

the orchestra, it sounds really good. A I think I might have found

good. A I think I might have found my instrument!

Shelley try the weather again?! -- shall we.

You temperatures are on the rise this week. By Thursday, it could be

14 degrees. Not a huge amount of sunshine to a company that, but

still feeling quite warm. Our reservoirs in the north-west are

about 93% full. Four Cumbria and Lancashire, there will be heavy

rain all week until Wednesday. Potentially up to 80 mm. Today has

been about cloud cover and drizzly rain. Over night, there will be

blanket cloud and the rain will keep on coming. The best place to

be will be the Isle of Man. The wind will gradually start to ease

down overnight. Temperatures are very good indeed. Tomorrow is a day

of two halves. The best of the weather will be in southern parts

towards the end of the day. For most of us, it will be similar to

today. Cloud cover with rain. Really quite steady rain for parts

of Lancashire. There is a south- westerly airflow so that cloud

cover will try to break up. It could be decent for parts of

Merseyside and Greater Manchester. But it will be predominantly cloudy.

Temperatures are good. Nine or 11 degrees possible. But the rising

degrees possible. But the rising temperatures are the big story.

Spring is on at the way! 20 minutes of sunshine every now and then?