:00:15. > :00:21.Good evening. Our top story: A record fine for Network Rail after
:00:21. > :00:24.the fatal Grayrigg crash in Cumbria but a stark warning from the unions.
:00:24. > :00:26.The court heard that systematic failures lead to the train being
:00:26. > :00:28.derailed. Also tonight: Heated exchanges in court as the defence
:00:28. > :00:32.gets under way in the Rochdale grooming case.
:00:32. > :00:39.Snow brings chaos to parts of the North West with roads closed and
:00:39. > :00:49.And She Loves You. It's back to the Cavern for a visit by one of the
:00:49. > :00:59.Beatles' original fans. A massive Beatles fan. She told me how she
:00:59. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:05.went to their concerts are. Not Margaret Masson lost her life in
:01:05. > :01:10.the Grayrigg derailment in Cumbria five years ago. 86 others were
:01:10. > :01:14.injured. Today Network Rail was fined a record �4 million for the
:01:14. > :01:17.systemic failures that led to the incident.
:01:17. > :01:20.Today at Preston Crown Court the judge said she hoped the size of
:01:20. > :01:27.the fine would ensure such an accident would never happen again.
:01:27. > :01:30.But that was questioned by the main rail union. Here's Jayne Barrett.
:01:30. > :01:34.In February 2007, a 300-ton Pendolino hit faulty points on the
:01:34. > :01:38.line near Grayrigg. 86 were injured. Margaret Masson was killed. Today
:01:38. > :01:46.Network Rail was fined �4million. A record fine for a health and safety
:01:46. > :01:50.breech. In finding the company -- in finding the company, the judge
:01:50. > :01:54.said systemic failures were to blame for this, at the same
:01:54. > :01:58.systemic failures that have been to blame for the Potters Bar
:01:58. > :02:03.derailment. The company was not only guilty, it had relevant
:02:03. > :02:07.previous convictions. Margaret Masson's granddaughter said because
:02:07. > :02:12.of the way Network Rail was funded, the fine would ultimately be borne
:02:12. > :02:17.by taxpayers and that was wrong. What would you have liked to have
:02:17. > :02:20.happened to the people at the top of the company? I don't know. She
:02:20. > :02:23.should still be here. This is the only man to have lost
:02:23. > :02:28.his job over the incident. David Lewis failed to carry out a crucial
:02:28. > :02:33.safety check. But the Masson family have never held him responsible.
:02:33. > :02:38.am glad it has all come to an end. You are the only person who has
:02:38. > :02:41.lost his job through this. That is all I want to say. Today the judge
:02:41. > :02:43.accepted he and his colleagues had neither the training, the tools nor
:02:43. > :02:46.the time to implement necessary safety standards. Network Rail
:02:46. > :02:50.declined requests for interviews but issued a statement: we have
:02:50. > :02:54.learnt from the accident and we are determined to recognise what we got
:02:54. > :02:57.wrong and put it right. But have they? This man, HM Chief Inspector
:02:57. > :03:01.of Railways, admitted he has raised safety concerns with Network Rail
:03:01. > :03:05.on four occasions since Grayrigg. Is it good enough that you have to
:03:05. > :03:10.step in to make sure they are doing what they have been told to do?
:03:11. > :03:13.is our job. Is it good enough that they do this? It is not good enough
:03:13. > :03:16.and that is why at times we have had to act.
:03:16. > :03:20.Outside court, rail unions protested. In light of funding cuts
:03:20. > :03:26.and rail reviews they issued a warning. This is likely to happen
:03:27. > :03:29.again for --. A man accused of sexually
:03:29. > :03:33.exploiting teenaged girls today described one of his alleged
:03:33. > :03:36.victims as a loud mouthed racist. And during heated exchanges in
:03:36. > :03:42.Liverpool Crown Court, he accused the prosecutor of being a bully and
:03:42. > :03:46.the police of being corrupt. He is one of 11 men standing trial,
:03:46. > :03:48.accused of exploiting young girls in the Rochdale area. All deny the
:03:48. > :03:54.charges against them. Dave Guest followed today's proceedings in
:03:54. > :03:59.court and he's there now. Let's turn to the man who made these
:03:59. > :04:04.remarkable statements. What can you tell us about him?
:04:04. > :04:09.I continue Key's 59 and from Oldham but I cannot tell you his name for
:04:09. > :04:14.legal reasons -- I can tell you that he is 59. He is accused with
:04:14. > :04:19.conspiracy to engage in underrate sexual activity with under-aged
:04:19. > :04:23.girls, rape and trafficking. He describes those accusations as a
:04:23. > :04:28.load of rubbish saying it never happened. He went on to describe a
:04:28. > :04:34.15-year-old that he is accused of raping as being loud and aggressive,
:04:34. > :04:39.a racist and a prostitute. He said she was like a bone in a kebab and
:04:39. > :04:43.went on to say, her tongue is full of poison, it is all lies. I should
:04:43. > :04:49.say that he is Asian and she is white.
:04:49. > :04:53.That was the theme he continued due under cross-examination?
:04:53. > :04:58.That's right. He was asked by Rachel Smith prosecutor with the he
:04:58. > :05:02.exploited the 15-year-old to make money. He replied with the swear
:05:02. > :05:06.words and then went on to say the teenager was arrogant and that
:05:06. > :05:12.anyone who was not white was considered inferior by her. He said
:05:12. > :05:16.she had managed to plant forensic evidence to insinuating and that
:05:16. > :05:21.she colluded with the police who he said were corrupt. He said the
:05:21. > :05:25.prosecutor was a bully and added: You have only got my people here,
:05:26. > :05:30.where all the white people? I should say that all the defendants
:05:30. > :05:35.in this case are Asian. Have any to have been charged
:05:35. > :05:39.alongside him spoken today? They all denied all of the charges.
:05:39. > :05:43.Late this afternoon 25-year-old Kabir Hassan took the stand to
:05:43. > :05:52.denied charges of rape and conspiracy. He said he never
:05:52. > :05:55.touched a 15-year-old in any way. The trial continues tomorrow. Some
:05:55. > :05:58.other news now from across the region.
:05:59. > :06:03.The jury in the trial of a baby who died in Lancaster have failed to
:06:03. > :06:05.reach a verdict. A judge at Preston Crown Court directed them to find
:06:05. > :06:08.Karen Irvine and Christopher Roberts not guilty of murdering
:06:08. > :06:11.four-month-old Lucas Irvine. Both may face a retrial on other charges
:06:11. > :06:13.later this year. Police investigating the deliberate
:06:13. > :06:18.poisoning of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital say they're looking
:06:18. > :06:21.into the case of another patient. It's now believed 70-year-old Beryl
:06:21. > :06:24.Hope, who died last August, was poisoned with insulin last summer.
:06:24. > :06:30.Police say, in total, seven deaths are now being linked to the insulin
:06:30. > :06:33.contamination. Pontins has been fined for health
:06:33. > :06:36.and safety breaches at its Lytham St Anne's site, which led to a
:06:36. > :06:41.woman's death from legionnaires disease. 53-year-old Karen Taylor
:06:41. > :06:44.died in July 2009 after visiting the site. The company's in
:06:44. > :06:48.administration, limiting the fine to �1,000, but the judge said it
:06:48. > :06:58.should have been �500,000. Her family say somebody should take
:06:58. > :06:58.
:06:58. > :07:01.responsibility. There is somebody out there that is liable for my
:07:01. > :07:07.mum's deaf and I hope they can't sleep at night because they killed
:07:07. > :07:10.my mother! Heavy overnight snow brought chaos
:07:10. > :07:14.to many areas today causing problems for drivers and train
:07:14. > :07:17.passengers. Roads on higher ground in
:07:17. > :07:23.Derbyshire remain difficult and there have been severe delays on
:07:23. > :07:28.the M62. 2,000 homes in the Peak District are still without power.
:07:28. > :07:31.Our Environment Correspondent reports.
:07:31. > :07:36.The scene first thing this morning in Buxton, after six inches of snow
:07:36. > :07:41.fell in just a few hours. High winds added to the problems,
:07:41. > :07:45.bringing a number of trees down. The snow has been causing chaos
:07:45. > :07:49.overnight in many parts of Derbyshire, with four to five
:07:49. > :07:56.inches of snow falling in the early hours of the morning. Many roads
:07:56. > :07:59.have been closed throughout the day. Police advised drivers not to
:07:59. > :08:01.travel as they closed several roads, including the Cat and Fiddle from
:08:01. > :08:05.Buxton to Macclesfield, and the Woodhead and Snake Passes In
:08:05. > :08:09.Saddleworth, the M62 ground to a halt for a time as drivers where
:08:09. > :08:15.unable to keep moving. One man decided to abandon his car in the
:08:15. > :08:20.early hours. It seemed OK until I needed to go up hill and then it
:08:20. > :08:23.got star. Elsewhere, the Oldham area was also
:08:23. > :08:28.hit by heavy snow, leading to the closure of the main roads into the
:08:28. > :08:32.villages of Diggle and Denshaw. From the air it was clear that many
:08:32. > :08:35.drivers were beaten by the sudden snowfall. Many isolated farms and
:08:35. > :08:43.communities have struggled to keep moving. Farmers used ploughs
:08:43. > :08:46.attached to tractors to push a way through to animals. Back in Buxton,
:08:46. > :08:51.Northern Rail said rush hour trains in the Peak District were cancelled
:08:51. > :08:58.because of drifting snow at higher levels. We were sat there from
:08:58. > :09:00.7:45pm till 10pm, nobody moving. Horrendous. Power supplies to nine
:09:00. > :09:10.thousand homes in the Peak District were disrupted but Western Power
:09:10. > :09:10.
:09:10. > :09:15.say 4,000 properties are back on. Astonishing after last week's
:09:15. > :09:20.weather. Hopefully it will be a better day tomorrow. We will have
:09:20. > :09:23.the full weather forecast later. It's deadline day for any
:09:23. > :09:26.candidates wanting to become either Mayor of Liverpool or Salford. And
:09:26. > :09:33.there's plenty of interest. A total of 22 people have put their
:09:33. > :09:38.names forward. Tell us about the candidates.
:09:38. > :09:42.12 have come forward. Liverpool will be seen as at every big
:09:42. > :09:47.political prize on election night. People will be voting for the first
:09:47. > :09:57.time for whoever they want to be the leader of the Council, with the
:09:57. > :10:02.
:10:02. > :10:12.new council of City mayor. Let's What we don't have in Liverpool of
:10:12. > :10:15.
:10:15. > :10:19.the big independent names which What I would like to do in
:10:20. > :10:23.Liverpool is create more growth and jobs using my local business
:10:23. > :10:28.experience to improve the economy. I am also looking to improve
:10:28. > :10:33.council services and freeze council-tax, and make Liverpool a
:10:33. > :10:42.cleaner, greener, safer city by cutting crime and looking after our
:10:42. > :10:52.green spaces. That is Tony Caldeira, one of the candidates in Liverpool.
:10:52. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:06.There's been a surprise name in One name stands out, one of the
:11:06. > :11:11.Independents, Paul Massey. He was jailed in 1999 for 14 years after
:11:11. > :11:14.stabbing somebody and wounding with intent. He stabbed a man in
:11:14. > :11:19.Manchester city centre and almost killed him. Paul Massey was
:11:19. > :11:22.formally known as Mr Big in Salford. There will be raised eyebrows about
:11:22. > :11:26.this. It is true that the government wanted big and
:11:26. > :11:36.independent names to come forward that would not aligned to political
:11:36. > :11:37.
:11:37. > :11:41.parties but I don't think that is We all know about leaves on the
:11:41. > :11:47.line between the rail network to a standstill, then it was the wrong
:11:47. > :11:53.kind of snow, and now stand has been causing transport problems.
:11:54. > :12:00.-- sand. Strong winds blew sand onto the
:12:00. > :12:05.tracks in Blackpool today met. A day it would seem is a long time
:12:05. > :12:10.in transport. One of Blackpool's new, modern trams, officially
:12:10. > :12:15.unveiled just yesterday to a huge fanfare, tipped off the track at
:12:15. > :12:20.Fleetwood earlier this morning. David Evans was amongst dozens on
:12:20. > :12:24.board. It wasn't any panic or anything like that. It literally
:12:24. > :12:30.just stopped and we wondered why and then we found out that perhaps
:12:30. > :12:33.things were not as they should have been. Each of these trams costs �2
:12:33. > :12:39.million and earlier today the Met Road ground to a halt because of
:12:39. > :12:44.the derailment caused by sand. The irony was not lost on many
:12:44. > :12:51.passengers at Fleetwood. I am surprised that the powers that be
:12:51. > :12:55.in Blackpool did not realise that Sandra blow on the tracks. You get
:12:55. > :13:00.the old trams and they never stopped, you get the new one and
:13:00. > :13:05.the first day it is done! Blackpool Transport say all they need is the
:13:05. > :13:10.bit of a brush out and then, they say, it will be back on the tracks
:13:10. > :13:14.very shortly. We expect there to be issues and gremlins and we will
:13:14. > :13:19.deal with those, as we did this morning, and we will learned from
:13:19. > :13:23.those and we said this year will be a learning experience. While
:13:23. > :13:30.Blackpool Transport work out a way to keep its high-tech tram system
:13:30. > :13:38.on track, for the moment it is back to basics with brushes and shovels.
:13:38. > :13:43.You couldn't make it up! Many people will look back fondly
:13:43. > :13:48.on the 1960s and in particular, beetle mania, the music, the
:13:48. > :13:53.fashion, the screaming girls. We now know that The Duchess of
:13:53. > :13:56.Cornwall was herself one of those screaming girls. She visited
:13:56. > :14:02.Liverpool today to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of the
:14:02. > :14:06.Beatles. Sergeant Pepper lookalikes
:14:06. > :14:13.entertain the crowds, braving a biting wind at the Beatles
:14:13. > :14:22.exhibition in Liverpool. Some were here for the fab four, some for The
:14:22. > :14:30.Duchess. She is a real princess. quite like the Royal Family and I
:14:30. > :14:33.think she is part of it now. Another Beatles tribute fan band
:14:34. > :14:37.played for The Duchess. John Lennon once invited royalty to rattle
:14:37. > :14:43.their jewellery in time to the music but here, their toes were
:14:43. > :14:48.tapping and she knew the words. Massive Beatles fan! She taught me
:14:48. > :14:52.how she went to the constants, not just in the UK but in Paris -- she
:14:52. > :14:57.told me how she went to their concerts. She said she tried to
:14:57. > :15:01.identify herself on the picture of all the screaming girls. Did she?
:15:01. > :15:06.She said she was carried off on a stretcher but I think she might
:15:06. > :15:16.have been joking! This August it is 50 years since Ringo Starr joined
:15:16. > :15:20.
:15:20. > :15:26.the Beatles, hence the celebrations It we were playing the piano and
:15:26. > :15:29.the Duchess czars and said to me, I would join a India Yellow Submarine
:15:29. > :15:39.but I cannot. They gave Camilla an official gift,
:15:39. > :15:43.
:15:43. > :15:48.but she also got some official T- shirts.
:15:48. > :15:56.And snow for the sport, great news from Down Under for one of her
:15:56. > :16:00.Olympic teams. Yes, two names that are not household names yet. Pete
:16:00. > :16:05.Kennaugh and Steven Burke. They could be bigger names in a few
:16:05. > :16:09.months' time. They are half of the British team that has just broken a
:16:09. > :16:14.world record at the track cycling world championship in Melbourne,
:16:15. > :16:22.and even better, they beat the Australians on home turf. This
:16:22. > :16:26.Chileans were the favourites. -- the Australians were the favourites.
:16:26. > :16:31.They will be a good bet for her a gold in London.
:16:31. > :16:37.I am lost for words. I had been wanting this for the last four
:16:37. > :16:43.years and it has never quite happened. Tecumseh is chilly and
:16:43. > :16:48.beat the Australians on their own - - on their home at Turf.
:16:48. > :16:56.What a fantastic day for them, but a bit disappointing for some of her
:16:56. > :17:05.cyclists. Disappointment for Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny. There
:17:05. > :17:11.are beaten today but hope to be in top form for the Olympics. Rugby
:17:11. > :17:20.Union news now. Nine years after joining Stockport County, they're
:17:21. > :17:26.off to share a ground with Salford Reds. She stopped. -- should
:17:26. > :17:30.Stockport County be worries? Be say that if Sale Sharks stop
:17:30. > :17:35.moving forward they die. They have announced that they will be playing
:17:35. > :17:40.in Salford for at least the next five seasons. Does it matter
:17:40. > :17:46.whether you actually end sale are not? Not these days.
:17:46. > :17:50.The will be sharing with Super League's Salford City Reds. It is
:17:50. > :18:00.about making them more attractive to sponsors. It is also about
:18:00. > :18:00.
:18:00. > :18:08.potential. Edge -- bigger past year is 12,000, with them potential and
:18:08. > :18:15.the future to rue increase its two 20,000.
:18:15. > :18:18.It has not been to bat this season, but the few years before that had
:18:18. > :18:22.become really quite boggy at Edgeley Park. Looking at the
:18:22. > :18:26.picture at the moment this is an and off some state.
:18:26. > :18:32.Where does this leave Stockport County? They will have Edgeley Park
:18:32. > :18:38.to themselves for next season, and publicly work -- publicly welcome
:18:38. > :18:44.this as an opportunity. But the ground is owned by Sale Sharks's
:18:44. > :18:48.owners. If the pull-out, they will have to find money fast. You're not
:18:48. > :18:52.going to say, you have finished with Edgeley Park, now you're on
:18:52. > :18:56.your own? No, we are working closely with them to help them
:18:56. > :19:03.achieve the status that they want. The status of a sale was looking
:19:03. > :19:07.bright. Back to the Olympics, and there is disappointment tonight for
:19:07. > :19:17.two of her north-west rowers. They were dropped from the prestigious
:19:17. > :19:19.
:19:19. > :19:24.immense's coxless fours grew. They have been selected for her another
:19:24. > :19:29.teens. It is an event which has given
:19:29. > :19:37.Britain some of its best Olympic moments. For the lads from Cheshire
:19:37. > :19:41.have made up the last -- made up the men's coxless four. Last summer,
:19:41. > :19:44.they convincingly won the World Championship. But after the British
:19:44. > :19:51.team for the Olympic season was announced today, it is possible
:19:51. > :20:01.that none of them will be in that boat.? Of the men have definitely
:20:01. > :20:01.
:20:01. > :20:04.been made to the men's eight. not my decision. We are world
:20:04. > :20:10.champions and I do not see any reason why we could not have
:20:10. > :20:14.carried on to be Olympic champions. That was the project and the
:20:14. > :20:19.project has been changed. That is the way that sport is an there is
:20:19. > :20:24.no point hanging around whingeing about it. The decision will be made
:20:24. > :20:28.in the next fortnight whether they will change -- where there he will
:20:28. > :20:32.join them. The eight would be a really great
:20:32. > :20:35.experience. This excess land experienced
:20:35. > :20:40.British courts -- British court says that this is the most
:20:40. > :20:43.experienced team he has ever assembled. But they may not be in
:20:43. > :20:49.their preferred board this summer, they will still have a great chance
:20:49. > :20:54.of Olympic gold. There was happier news for two
:20:54. > :21:00.cover other law as fit -- other rowers. Olivia Whitman and Chris
:21:00. > :21:06.Bartley were chosen for her are the events that they wish to come the
:21:06. > :21:10.10th. Owen Coyle has been named Premier League manager of the month.
:21:10. > :21:16.No one can argue with that after the way that he handled the Fabrice
:21:16. > :21:21.Muamba business. Finally, preparations are well under way at
:21:21. > :21:25.Preston North End to celebrate Sir Tom Finney's 90 birthday tomorrow.
:21:25. > :21:30.A 40 feet mural of the great man has been erected on the glass
:21:30. > :21:39.entrance to the Tom Finney Stand at Deepdale. It will remain a
:21:39. > :21:46.permanent tribute to him, he paid - - he played many times for the club.
:21:46. > :21:52.We are going to be there tomorrow. It is Guild year in Preston and
:21:52. > :21:56.this is a very big week. BBC takes to the streets on Friday to
:21:56. > :22:06.broadcast the Preston Passion, which includes three special dramas.
:22:06. > :22:07.
:22:07. > :22:12.We were given exclusive access find the scenes.
:22:12. > :22:18.We had almost no information to begin with a tall, other than to
:22:18. > :22:22.retell the Passion story, the Good Friday story, in Preston. Very
:22:22. > :22:28.rarely do you get a chance to write from the heart as freely as this.
:22:28. > :22:35.The director and I had three weeks to prepare? Period films and a
:22:35. > :22:43.contemporary film. It feels like you are stepping in see a piece of
:22:43. > :22:46.Renaissance art. Have you nothing to say?
:22:46. > :22:51.We were in the court interest in and I suppose that the practical
:22:51. > :22:56.challenge is to realise that it is a day-to-day working court. As a
:22:56. > :23:06.result, we were then shooting every evening.
:23:06. > :23:07.
:23:07. > :23:12.I am playing Amaia from Preston in 1946 when the riots happened.
:23:12. > :23:17.They are trying parallels with the same moral dilemma that conscious
:23:17. > :23:25.pilot went through a during the passion. This is something that I
:23:25. > :23:30.am very aware of of. It is set in World War I,
:23:30. > :23:38.replicating Preston railway station. It is such a touching story. That
:23:38. > :23:43.is so emotional and sat. So many people do not return home. I wish
:23:44. > :23:50.you could see me in my 10 hat and gas mask.
:23:50. > :23:53.To handle the prayer book he had the bullet hole through it is so
:23:53. > :24:01.profoundly moving. The people of Preston are quite
:24:01. > :24:07.heavily involved in it. You also have the lovely
:24:07. > :24:17.contemporary piece. What is lovely about that piece is to have a young
:24:17. > :24:20.
:24:20. > :24:25.girl play that part. She is a young girl, she is only 12. She is local
:24:25. > :24:31.to Preston. We find Preston to be incredibly
:24:31. > :24:34.warm and welcoming. I hope we have reflected some of that energy and
:24:34. > :24:44.colour in the film. I hope the people of Preston will be very
:24:44. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:51.proud and pleased with the entire event.
:24:51. > :24:57.Rarely did films. We will hear more her from a young schoolgirl from
:24:57. > :25:01.Preston he appears in one of those dramas later. You do need a ticket
:25:01. > :25:11.to attend on Friday. There is more information on the Preston Guild
:25:11. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:28.website. The address is on our news that site and you can find it on
:25:28. > :25:35.
:25:36. > :25:42.Friday. The we are hoping for a We saw Arsenal through the day
:25:42. > :25:46.today, it does not take a large amount of snow because disruption.
:25:46. > :25:56.Most of us have experienced strong winds all through last night and
:25:56. > :26:06.the day-to-day. Over 14,000 there are some places. We had trees down,
:26:06. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:16.and look at this... It has to get better tonight. The worst of the
:26:16. > :26:20.weather is Clearing. In parts of Staffordshire at 4:00pm it was
:26:21. > :26:25.still snowing steadily. Through the night tonight it is all about the
:26:25. > :26:32.temperatures. You have to feel for those who have no power, because
:26:32. > :26:37.look at the Blue descending all across the region. 021 Celsius
:26:37. > :26:41.along the coast, or you might get two Celsius here and there. In
:26:41. > :26:46.rural areas it will be minus two Celsius or minus three Celsius.
:26:46. > :26:50.Where there is still snow on the ground it could be minus four
:26:50. > :26:57.Celsius or minus five Celsius. Just about everywhere sees a lot of
:26:57. > :27:01.sunshine from the word go. It will stay that way all the way through
:27:01. > :27:07.the day, radically different to today. We keep that breeze, but it
:27:07. > :27:14.is only a breeze, five miles an hour. After a chilly start, the
:27:14. > :27:24.temperatures will go to nine Celsius.
:27:24. > :27:28.