:00:22. > :00:25.A call for action over dangerous dogs as the North West becomes the
:00:25. > :00:29.worst place for attacks in the country. Two years after a fatal
:00:29. > :00:31.attack an area of Liverpool is still plagued by dogs which are out
:00:31. > :00:35.of control. Also tonight: The residents fighting to stay together
:00:35. > :00:40.after being told their home is to be demolished. We will not be able
:00:40. > :00:44.to communicate with one another, will we? It is so sad. A tale of
:00:44. > :00:50.two captains - one who came to the Titanic's rescue and another who
:00:50. > :01:00.And we're joined by a racing legend who beat cancer to go on to win the
:01:00. > :01:10.Grand National. They gave me a 35% chance of recovery, and thankfully,
:01:10. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:15.I recovered, and the rest is And Richard's at the DW stadium for
:01:15. > :01:25.tonight's crucial Premier League match between Wigan and Manchester
:01:25. > :01:29.United. Yes, Manchester United can take a huge step towards securing
:01:29. > :01:35.the title tonight. Wigan Athletic will be desperate for a point that
:01:35. > :01:38.we take them out of the bottom three. We will speak to some fans
:01:38. > :01:46.confident they can do that and the Liverpool goalkeeper who will be
:01:46. > :01:49.playing his part, unexpectedly, at Wembley on Saturday. It's nearly
:01:49. > :01:51.two and a half years since John Paul Massey was killed by his
:01:51. > :01:54.uncle's dog. Soon after, the government promised action on
:01:54. > :01:57.dangerous breeds and irresponsible owners. Today, John Paul's mum and
:01:57. > :01:59.dad went to Downing Street to say more needs to be done. They say
:01:59. > :02:02.their neighbourhood in Liverpool still has serious problems with
:02:02. > :02:05.dogs. And figures obtained by BBC Northwest Tonight show this region
:02:05. > :02:15.has the highest number of dog attacks in the country. Our Chief
:02:15. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:23.Reporter, Dave Guest, has more. This is John Paul Massey. He was
:02:23. > :02:26.just four when he was mauled to death by his uncle's pitbull in
:02:26. > :02:29.November 2009. The following summer that uncle, Christian Foulkes, was
:02:29. > :02:38.jailed for breeding and keeping a dangerous dog. In court, he urged
:02:38. > :02:41.others not to make the mistakes he made. A year after John Paul's
:02:41. > :02:43.death, his mum received a letter from Downing Street, in which the
:02:43. > :02:46.Prime Minister promised that the government was considering "many
:02:46. > :02:48.and varied suggestions for change" to the dangerous dog legislation.
:02:48. > :02:52.John Paul's parents are growing impatient for change. Things could
:02:52. > :03:02.have or should have been changed by now, to stop this happening to
:03:02. > :03:02.
:03:02. > :03:07.anybody else. And it is not just pit-bulls, it is lots of other dogs
:03:07. > :03:11.and reeds. The most recent statistics from the health service
:03:11. > :03:18.sure 5% rise in the number of dog related injuries treated by
:03:18. > :03:21.hospitals. This region saw more than anywhere else with over 1,000
:03:21. > :03:24.reported. And they happened most often in Liverpool. More than 140
:03:24. > :03:27.last year - that compares to just over a dozen in Blackburn. Today
:03:27. > :03:30.John Paul's parents went to Downing Street. They handed over a letter,
:03:30. > :03:40.urging the Prime Minister to speed up reforms. It was co-signed by a
:03:40. > :03:41.
:03:41. > :03:46.number of animal charities because, Some politicians agree changes are
:03:46. > :03:52.overdue. There is nothing to prevent the Government taking
:03:52. > :04:00.action. They have a 22 months to consider responses to the
:04:00. > :04:02.consultation and we just want to see them take action. Ministers are
:04:02. > :04:04.considering a number of measures including compulsory micro-chipping
:04:04. > :04:07.of dogs. That's just become law in Northern Ireland. The Government
:04:07. > :04:17.has promised to unveil its proposals within weeks rather than
:04:17. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:25.months. They've lived alongside one another for years. They say they're
:04:25. > :04:27.more like family than neighbours. Now elderly residents in Crewe say
:04:27. > :04:31.they're distraught after being told their sheltered accommodation will
:04:31. > :04:34.be knocked down. Wulvern housing, who run Linden Court, say the
:04:34. > :04:37.building is out of date. It's promised to move people to better
:04:37. > :04:40.accommodation and compensate them. But residents fear they'll be split
:04:40. > :04:45.up and lose the community that's become the bedrock in their lives.
:04:45. > :04:48.Kate Simms reports. Mary's lived at Linden Court for more than two
:04:48. > :04:53.decades. Margaret moved in just two days ago. Both feel the same about
:04:53. > :04:58.the place they call home. It is very nice, the people are lovely,
:04:58. > :05:08.and the building, it is home. would hate to leave. I would like
:05:08. > :05:09.
:05:09. > :05:12.to end my days here. But it seems Mary won't get her wish. Wulvern
:05:12. > :05:15.housing who run this sheltered accommodation want to knock it down
:05:15. > :05:17.and build new family homes. It's promising to find the current
:05:17. > :05:21.residents new modern accomodation elsewhere. It says it'll compensate
:05:21. > :05:27.them. People here say you can't put a price on the community they've
:05:27. > :05:33.built. They dont want to go. like it, I want to be able to stay
:05:33. > :05:38.here. We will not be able to commute. It is so sad. I have moved
:05:38. > :05:45.here from Liverpool and I have no regrets. I don't want to move back
:05:45. > :05:51.to Liverpool, or go anywhere else. But Wulvern insist the building is
:05:51. > :05:54.no longer fit for purpose. These people will be treated with the
:05:54. > :05:59.appropriate dignity and respect, but we're looking at the building
:05:59. > :06:09.that is no longer sustainable, we have leaks, gap tiles coming off
:06:09. > :06:12.
:06:12. > :06:15.the roof, I did not want my parents to live in this accommodation. If
:06:15. > :06:25.some residents say that moving by Christmas will be too soon, and too
:06:25. > :06:35.much. People at 92-95, they are in a hell of a state, they are crying.
:06:35. > :06:35.
:06:36. > :06:42.They a broken people. The residents now hope local MPs and councillors
:06:42. > :06:45.can help Wulvern change its mind. It is a shame. It is that
:06:45. > :06:55.familiarity as you get older, just being compatible with your
:06:55. > :06:58.surroundings. -- comfortable. The police in Lancashire have launched
:06:58. > :07:00.a campaign to tackle the grooming and sexual exploitation of children.
:07:01. > :07:09.Adverts are being published to raise awareness of the crime and
:07:09. > :07:15.encourage victims to come forward. It is paedophilia behaviour by the
:07:15. > :07:19.perpetrator towards a vulnerable child, so it is an horrendous crime,
:07:19. > :07:28.and once the victim becomes party to that, that will stay with them
:07:28. > :07:31.for the rest of their lives. It is an horrendous crime. More
:07:31. > :07:34.volunteers have joined the search for a Cheshire man who went missing
:07:34. > :07:37.while running a marathon in Greece. John Lawton hasn't been seen since
:07:37. > :07:40.the latter stages of the race on Sunday. His family appeared on
:07:40. > :07:43.Greek television last night to appeal for more people to help in
:07:43. > :07:46.the search for him. It's been revealed that one of the candidates
:07:46. > :07:51.who wants to be Mayor of Salford is being investigated by police on
:07:51. > :07:54.suspicion of money laundering. Paul Massey, who was jailed for 14 years
:07:54. > :07:57.in 1999 for almost killing a man, was arrested in December and
:07:57. > :08:04.remains on police bail. Our political editor Arif Ansari is
:08:04. > :08:09.here. What are the police saying? They have confirmed that the police
:08:09. > :08:12.investigation into him continues. It was a big shock when Paul Massey
:08:12. > :08:17.came forward as a candidate for mayor of Salford. Nobody was
:08:17. > :08:21.expecting it, certainly not the city council, because it is serious
:08:21. > :08:26.criminal past. In 1999 he was imprisoned for 14 years for
:08:26. > :08:31.stabbing and almost killing another man, and what will come as a big
:08:31. > :08:37.surprise is that police inquiries continue into him, specifically
:08:37. > :08:40.into allegations of money- laundering at the security firm
:08:40. > :08:45.called 20 bursts injury security in Salford. Six people arrested,
:08:45. > :08:50.including Paul Massey, all of whom remain on police bail. Any word
:08:50. > :08:53.from Paul Massey to make? He has not spoken to us but has spoken to
:08:53. > :08:57.the Manchester Evening News, in which he says, I am completely
:08:57. > :09:03.innocent, I am accused of money- laundering but I am confident that
:09:03. > :09:06.there will be no case to answer. He goes on, I will carry on with my
:09:06. > :09:11.campaign and they want to concentrate on it, for the people
:09:11. > :09:15.of Salford. The rules are that if somebody has been sentenced you
:09:15. > :09:19.cannot stand for public office for five years. This happened well
:09:19. > :09:25.before that. But there are people with concerns about him standing,
:09:25. > :09:32.and clearly, with these allegations hanging over him, those concerns
:09:33. > :09:35.will intensify. Fighting disease is a global problem. In the past
:09:35. > :09:38.scientists and drug companies have stored vital research in their own
:09:38. > :09:42.labs. Now it's all being brought together in the world's first
:09:42. > :09:43.medical database at a cost of a �100 million. And it's right here
:09:44. > :09:49.in Stockport, from where our Science Correspondent Sarah Cruddas
:09:49. > :09:52.reports. New technology and state of the art robotics are used here
:09:52. > :10:01.at the biobank - where ten million samples such as blood and saliva
:10:01. > :10:08.are kept from the participants aged between 40 and 69. We have needed a
:10:08. > :10:13.project like this to help us work out how somebody's genetic
:10:13. > :10:16.inheritance interacts with environmental exposure that we
:10:16. > :10:24.encounter are ready in a lifestyle, to make people develop some
:10:25. > :10:29.illnesses. -- encounter every day. Paul Baker is one of the 500,000
:10:29. > :10:32.people who took part in the study. I am an engineer, we have a lot of
:10:32. > :10:42.scientists in the family and my ancestors were doctors. Anything
:10:42. > :10:44.
:10:44. > :10:47.that helps sides go for what is good. Normally it is difficult for
:10:47. > :10:52.scientists to get hold of such large sets of data and the idea is
:10:52. > :10:57.it will make it easier to conduct research. It should generate
:10:57. > :11:04.information and experimental data. This will be added in batches into
:11:04. > :11:11.the total database, so all the time, the information on every individual
:11:11. > :11:14.will be being enriched. It's hoped that within a year the first set of
:11:14. > :11:17.results will be published helping to improve the way we understand
:11:17. > :11:20.the development of ill health with age. Next Saturday is the 100th
:11:20. > :11:25.anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. All this week I'm taking a
:11:25. > :11:30.look at the North West's links with the doomed ship. Yesterday we were
:11:30. > :11:34.in Liverpool, birthplace of the Titanic. Today our trail takes us
:11:34. > :11:41.to Bolton for the tale of two captains and what they did in the
:11:41. > :11:47.vital hours after the ship started to sink. Here we are in Boughton,
:11:47. > :11:51.far from the sea, but it is home to two of the central characters and
:11:51. > :11:58.the Titanic drama. Like in any good story, there has to be a villain
:11:58. > :12:05.and the hero, and this town provides them well. But, how fair
:12:05. > :12:09.is this historic assessment? After Rostron and Stalin Lord, both boys
:12:09. > :12:17.from Bolton, entranced by the sea, both rose quickly through the ranks
:12:17. > :12:22.and by 1912, Rostron was captain of the SS car Pavia. Lowered in
:12:22. > :12:27.control of the cargo ship, SS Californian. The Capri deal was 50
:12:27. > :12:31.miles to the south east of the Titanic. Captain Lotte's vessel,
:12:31. > :12:37.the Californian, was 20 miles north, but it was the Carpathians, that
:12:37. > :12:41.came to the rescue. Captain Rostron pushed the ship to the limit and
:12:41. > :12:45.they eventually managed to save more than 700 lives. Captain Lord
:12:45. > :12:48.did not respond to any of the distress calls coals up his
:12:49. > :12:55.wireless office was shut down and he could not get any messages. His
:12:55. > :12:59.vessel did not move. Rostrum was an old boy of Bolton School, and you,
:12:59. > :13:05.the most will honour his heroism. One former pupil has campaigned for
:13:05. > :13:10.a permanent memorial to a man who was celebrated worldwide. He was
:13:10. > :13:15.knighted in 1926 by George that if, and he remained a very modest
:13:15. > :13:23.gentleman. -- by King George the 5th. When he was asked by a
:13:23. > :13:28.reporter to comment on the rescue, his answer was, that a hand other -
:13:28. > :13:33.- other than mine was on the wheel that night. He went on to become
:13:33. > :13:41.the commodore of the White Star Line. But, did his fellow Bolton
:13:41. > :13:45.man, Stanley Lord, deserve the blame? One historian thinks not.
:13:45. > :13:48.The Board of Trade were efficient, in the sense that they did not
:13:48. > :13:55.stipulate the correct number of light pours for new vessels. There
:13:55. > :14:04.was no 24 hour ice patrol, and certainly no 24 or wireless, on-
:14:04. > :14:14.board vessels, so it was convenient to hang Stanley lowered out to dry.
:14:14. > :14:17.
:14:17. > :14:22.-- Stanley Lord. In the 1958 film, Unite to remember, Stanley Lord,
:14:22. > :14:27.was once again portrayed as the villain of the peace. He petitioned
:14:27. > :14:33.unsuccessfully to clear his name. After his death, the cause was
:14:33. > :14:39.taken up by the then Bolton East MP, Bob Howarth. Knowing the perils
:14:39. > :14:44.that exist on the auction in those areas, at that time, it is
:14:44. > :14:52.inconceivable that he would just take some information from one of
:14:52. > :14:56.his crew and then just go back to bed. It is not likely at all.
:14:56. > :15:02.not think he was completely blameless but circumstances
:15:02. > :15:07.conspired against him. They did not accept that the flares they saw
:15:07. > :15:11.with distress flares, but thought they were communication flares,
:15:12. > :15:16.between liners. There was no way that they could have responded to
:15:16. > :15:21.the cause. Tomorrow night we're in Lancashire, finding out about the
:15:21. > :15:28.Titanic controversy that has blown up over Wallace Hartley, the band
:15:28. > :15:35.leader who played on, as the ship sank. It is a growing series. I
:15:35. > :15:40.find it fascinating. We have had e- mails after yesterday saying that
:15:40. > :15:46.they could not believe we had not mentioned Wallace Hartley. You have
:15:46. > :15:56.got family connections? Yes, some of the family met at the funeral of
:15:56. > :15:59.Wallace Hartley. It is fascinating. There you go. Now sport and it's
:15:59. > :16:01.another big night in the Premier League. Not least at the DW Stadium
:16:01. > :16:05.where relegation-threatened Wigan are taking on title favourites
:16:05. > :16:11.Manchester United. Richard is there for us. And United can almost
:16:11. > :16:16.clinch it tonight, can't they, Richard? Yes, of Manchester United
:16:16. > :16:21.win at Manchester City fail to do so against West Bromwich Albion,
:16:21. > :16:25.there will be quite a few bookmakers paying out on a 20th
:16:25. > :16:29.title for United. But Wigan Athletic have been in good form and
:16:29. > :16:33.were very unlucky against Chelsea and can jump out of the bottom
:16:33. > :16:36.three tonight. Chatting to their fans, there is quiet confidence
:16:36. > :16:41.that they might get something although history is much against
:16:41. > :16:46.them, having not taken a single point from Manchester United. We
:16:46. > :16:53.can talk to some Wigan fans now have. I am feeling positive. I am
:16:54. > :16:58.going to go 42-One, to Wigan. nervous but I think we can do it.
:16:58. > :17:03.We will have a go. They could take their foot off the gas, and I think
:17:03. > :17:13.that the draw could be possible. would like to win, but it is
:17:13. > :17:13.
:17:13. > :17:16.Manchester United we are talking about. Keep thinking positive.
:17:16. > :17:19.Another of our other sides trying to avoid the drop, Blackburn Rovers
:17:19. > :17:22.were involved in a real nail-biter last night at Ewood Park. Liverpool
:17:22. > :17:24.might have won the match 3-2 in dramatic fashion, but already
:17:24. > :17:27.without suspended first choice keeper Pepe Reina, the reds had
:17:27. > :17:31.stand-in Alex Doni dismissed and a third keeper, Brad Jones, tread a
:17:31. > :17:33.very fine line as well. The Australian is now set to play at
:17:33. > :17:43.Wembley in Saturday's big FA Cup semi-final against Everton, a
:17:43. > :17:46.
:17:46. > :17:55.moment few fans would begrudge him. Brad's six year-old son passed away
:17:55. > :18:03.with leukaemia in November, and last week he became a father again.
:18:03. > :18:09.Doni sent off for bringing down Hoilett. It was part of an
:18:09. > :18:13.emotional few days for the Australian. My girlfriend gave
:18:13. > :18:18.birth and the last couple of days. At the last couple of days have
:18:18. > :18:28.been hectic, the boy has been brilliant. I am going to now
:18:28. > :18:29.
:18:29. > :18:34.prepare for the game. It did not all go to plan, but with Liverpool
:18:34. > :18:37.down to 10 men, Blackburn Rovers pressed, with yet to be nodding
:18:37. > :18:42.them back into contention, before a moment that Brad Jones will want to
:18:42. > :18:48.forget, having given away a penalty and receiving a yellow card, from
:18:48. > :18:51.which you could do short Blackburn Rovers level. But it was Amman with
:18:51. > :18:56.a point to prove to snatch the points for Kenny Dalglish and his
:18:56. > :19:01.men, with Andy Carroll, powering in the winning header. It was an
:19:01. > :19:07.excellent game, the players should get the credit they deserved. Over
:19:07. > :19:12.the past few weeks it has not all been good news. A big opportunity
:19:12. > :19:15.missed, because one point would have taken us up, two places, but
:19:15. > :19:21.one minute you're playing against 10 men, and we did have enough
:19:21. > :19:25.chances. Liverpool will approach the FA Cup semi-final against
:19:25. > :19:31.Everton after a morale-boosting victory and relieved that at least
:19:31. > :19:34.one of their front line keepers will be available. Fleetwood Town
:19:34. > :19:37.can't uncork the champagne just yet after narrowly failing to clinch
:19:37. > :19:40.promotion to the Football League in front of five thousand fans at
:19:40. > :19:45.Highbury last night. They needed a win to become Blue Square Premier
:19:45. > :19:48.Champions, but could only manage a draw. Wrexham spoiled the party by
:19:49. > :19:53.taking the lead in the 53rd minute. Gareth Seddon equalised with a
:19:53. > :19:58.header six minutes later. Town now need to beat Lincoln on Friday
:19:58. > :20:06.night, and their excited fans are sure they'll do it. Slightly
:20:06. > :20:16.disappointed, but we have got Bridie, again, to win the league. -
:20:16. > :20:17.
:20:17. > :20:20.- we have got Friday. We will get it. Cricket news, then gradually
:20:20. > :20:26.choose to Glen Chapple, named Lancashire skipper ahead of the
:20:26. > :20:33.defence of their title tomorrow, as one of five Wisden Cricketers of
:20:33. > :20:36.the year. There will be Updates on these matches on BBC Radio
:20:36. > :20:45.Manchester and full commentary on Manchester City against West Brom.
:20:45. > :20:53.History is against Wigan. They have lost 23 goals in this picture
:20:53. > :20:56.recently. But, you never know. Now staying with sport and tomorrow
:20:56. > :21:02.sees the opening day of the John Smith's Grand National meeting at
:21:02. > :21:05.Aintree. With record crowds last year and record prize money this
:21:05. > :21:15.year, organisers are expecting another bumper festival of racing.
:21:15. > :21:15.
:21:15. > :21:18.The big race has legendary status, not least because of this moment.
:21:18. > :21:22.Aldaniti from Spartan Missile. Jockey Bob Champion was diagnosed
:21:22. > :21:25.with cancer and given just 8 months to live. He beat the illness though
:21:25. > :21:29.and 18 months later in 1981 he rode Aldaniti to a historic victory. Bob
:21:29. > :21:32.paid us a visit with the famous trophy earlier and I asked him if
:21:32. > :21:35.the race still had the same magic. Of course it does. The Grand
:21:35. > :21:39.National was always something that I wanted to ride in, from the age
:21:39. > :21:44.of eight years old, and I was fortunate enough to ride in 10 of
:21:44. > :21:48.them in the end and they got round five times and managed to win one.
:21:48. > :21:54.And it was so dramatic, it was made into a movie, you had been
:21:54. > :21:58.diagnosed with cancer 18 months before. Yes, I was, and thankfully,
:21:58. > :22:04.there was a new treatment allowed and they get me a 35% chance of
:22:04. > :22:09.recovery, and thankfully, I recovered. And the rest is history!
:22:09. > :22:15.How do you look back on that time now? Looking back on the time in
:22:15. > :22:22.hospital was not very pleasant, it was horrendous, but when I got back
:22:22. > :22:30.riding, there was also pressure on me because I was in the media, six
:22:31. > :22:40.weeks before the National, and Tyne Poly, week teamed up on a nice,
:22:41. > :22:41.
:22:41. > :22:46.sunny day. -- thankfully. Red Rum saved the Grand National, and
:22:46. > :22:54.Ginger McCain, and now it has gone so far forward, with the
:22:54. > :23:04.sponsorship of John Smith, it is three days great racing. I think
:23:04. > :23:08.that the winner this year will be Ballybriggs. He has gone up in the
:23:08. > :23:14.handicap but everything else around him has gone up. It is the Ginger
:23:14. > :23:20.McCain magic. I have always felt that horses have got to come to
:23:20. > :23:26.Liverpool, fresh. He ran a good race at Kelso. He got a little bit
:23:26. > :23:31.tired. He is bound to have improved from that race. You said a moment
:23:31. > :23:41.ago how much you enjoyed Ladies' Day. I think every man in this
:23:41. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:48.country enjoys ladies the! -- Ladies' Day. Give the ladies credit,
:23:48. > :23:53.they go there to enjoy themselves, and they plan it and have a great
:23:53. > :23:59.day out. What about safety concerns, after a two course has died last
:23:59. > :24:04.year? Do you share the concerns of people watching the say that it
:24:04. > :24:09.could be cruel? I do not think it is cruel, because you look at
:24:09. > :24:14.horses that fall in the National, they carry on and jump fences
:24:14. > :24:21.without jockeys on their back. They of jumping. Unfortunately sometimes
:24:22. > :24:28.horses do have mishaps, and nobody likes to say that in racing, but
:24:28. > :24:34.they have been bred to be race horses, people forget that. They
:24:34. > :24:41.live in five-star luxury, have a great life, and the horses actually
:24:41. > :24:51.love it, I promise you. Enjoy yourself, and I shall take you a
:24:51. > :24:55.
:24:55. > :25:05.tip! We're going for Ladies' Day, myself and Diane. One of was will
:25:05. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:11.What a wild day we had the day. That cloud, that can go operative
:25:11. > :25:17.the 1,000 deed, and built down those hailstones. Over the next
:25:17. > :25:26.couple of days, and tomorrow, we have maritime air, coming from the
:25:26. > :25:30.Arctic, it is cold, rather unstable, creating showers. Your garden might
:25:30. > :25:35.have been full of golf ball-sized hills those, you might have seen
:25:35. > :25:39.some good spells of sunshine, but we have had rumbles of thunder. I
:25:39. > :25:44.cannot see the weather being very different tomorrow. This is the
:25:44. > :25:52.radar picture of the state of play right now. As we head towards the
:25:52. > :25:58.early hours, we could have a touch of frost were many, but tomorrow,
:25:58. > :26:03.very similar to today. Showers starting to move in, the difference
:26:03. > :26:10.being that the winds are exceptionally light. From time to
:26:10. > :26:20.time, those showers will be torrential. A top senator, ten
:26:20. > :26:21.