23/10/2012 North West Tonight

Good evening and welcome to North West Tonight. Our top story: 91

injuries from his head to his toes. Rio Smedley's mother is accused of

not doing enough to protect her child from his killer. New calls

for Sir Norman Bettison to resign after allegations. A fine for a

former mayor from Cheshire. His tenants said they lived in deadly

conditions. Quite extraordinary, I have seen better places in India.

Top of the class - the Bolton teacher awarded an industry Oscar.

He is a very good role model. He is a unique teacher. I will always

remember him. 6,000 miles from home, the massive moth off-course in

A court has been told at two year- old boy from Bolton was murdered by

his mother's boyfriend and left of 91 separate injuries. Paramedics

were told Rio Smedley had fallen down the stairs. But Manchester

Crown Court heard today he'd probably been punched and kicked in

the abdomen. Stuart Flinders has been in court for us today. Stuart,

what more can you tell us about Rio's injuries? As you say, 91

separate injuries to his body from his head quite literally down to

his toes. When paramedics arrived at his home, in April this year,

they found him lying on a sofa, not breathing. They were called by his

mother, she told them he had fallen down the stairs head first on

trying to retrieve a toy. The prosecution said he had suffered

one or more heavy blows to the abdomen caused by kicking or

stamping. Good as the prosecution say killed him? Charge of murder is

Daniel Rigby, 23 years old. He was the boyfriend of the child's mother.

He was alone with the child in the house when he suffered those

injuries and according to the prosecution he had on previous

occasions punched and head-butted his partner when she was pregnant.

After the town's death, she told the police he had been kind and

loving with her son. What is his mother accused of? She is charged

with allowing her child's death. The prosecution said she did not

take enough care to protect him from the danger she knew that was

out there. She allowed him to spend time alone on a number of occasions

with Daniel Rigby. Today the midwife told the court she was a

good mother. She has also pleaded not guilty and the trial continues

tomorrow. For more than 30 years, Brian Silvester has been a

respected councillor in Cheshire. But today the former Mayor of Crewe

and Nantwich faced a court for allowing tenants to live in

potentially deadly conditions. He and his brother Colin had pleaded

guilty to breaking fire safety rules at a property they own and

which housed eight people. The judge described the place as an

accident waiting to happen. Our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest, has

more. It looks rather quaint from the

outside. But inside it certainly wasn't, according to some who lived

It was quite extraordinary, I have seen better places in India.

place had been divided into 10 bedsits. It's owned by brothers

Brian and Colin Silvester. Brian's a well known figure in Cheshire.

He's a former Mayor of Crewe and Nantwich and now a leading light on

East Cheshire Council. But today he arrived at Chester Crown Court to

find out what his punishment would be for breaking fire safety rules

at the property just outside Shavington. Fire service inspectors

had found a lack of working smoke detectors, fire alarms and fire

extinguishers. There was no emergency lighting and no clear

evacuation routes. One tenant kept a rope in his upstairs bedsit to

lower out of the window if the worst happened. Milder option was

to have a rope tied to it. There was no other options. Inspectors

were so concerned they issued a prohibition order forbidding anyone

to live in the place because it was not safe enough, but people did

continue living here. That got the brothers into even more trouble.

They admitted a total of 12 charges. The judge said the house had been

an accident waiting to happen. He find Colin Sylvester �37,000. Brian

was fined �45,000. It must also pay �22,000 each in costs. They have

now spent �27,000 bring the fire precautions up to scratch.

The family of the second Greater Manchester Police Officer murdered

last month say hundreds of tributes, flowers and cards of support have

helped them deal with their loss. Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone were

shot dead when they went to answer a suspected burglary in Mottram.

Nicola's family has thanked all the police and members of the public

for lining the streets to pay their respects at her funeral and say

Nicola would have been ''immensely proud''. Her Royal Highness the

Princess Royal has been in Lancashire today to officially open

the Fleetwood Nautical Campus. It provides training for the Merchant

Navy and offshore energy industries. The project marks the completion of

the first phase of a 10-year redevelopment strategy. A public

enquiry has started today to examine plans to build 6,000 new

homes in South Lakeland. They will look at planning in the district

over the next 15 years and how much development may be on greenfield

sites. A container full of charity donations set off for Central

America today. St Joseph's has collected around 70,000 items,

ranging from the foyers to clothes. Some of those kids have never had

new clothes, they have just tap hand-me-downs. Some of them will

get toys for Christmas and they have never had one before. Dougie

Freedman is the new Manager of Bolton Wanderers. The 38-year-old

left Crystal Palace after Wanderers were finally given permission to

speak to him late yesterday. Freedman is expected to watch the

team's Championship match at Wolves tonight before taking charge at The

Reebok Stadium. There are new calls for her the Yorkshire chief

constable to resigned. Maria Eagle told the House of Commons she has

evidence that Sir Norman Bettison was involved in "trying to concoct

a story that all the Liverpool fans were drunk". He's always denied

being part of a cover-up. Naomi Cornwell reports: At the time of

the Hillsborough disaster, Norman Betws in was a senior inspector.

After the disaster he spoke to a fellow student from an evening

class. John Barry was studying with him on a part-time business course

in Sheffield. He wrote a letter revealing that to the Hillsborough

support group. Last night, the letter was read out in the House of

Commons. He told me he had been asked to put together evidence for

the forthcoming enquiry. He said, we are trying to concoct a story

that all the Liverpool fans were drunk and we were afraid they were

going to break down the gate. We decided to open them. I didn't say

anything in response that evening, it was never mentioned again.

Norman Bettison has always denied any involvement in a cover-up. He

will retire next year. Today, one of the candidate standing for

election called on him to stand down immediately. In a statement,

But he's not the only police officer under investigation.

South Yorkshire Chief Constable wrote to me on Friday to say he has

said a list of 1444 names of certain Yorkshire officers to the

IPCC. This is of huge number of names. More than we expected.

figure includes 304 police officers who are still serving, and the Home

Secretary Theresa May has said she'll work with Labour to see if

new laws are needed to compel former officers to co-operate with

the investigation. A little earlier, I spoke to a member of the

Hillsborough Justice Campaign. She told me their focus is on more than

just one man. I don't like circling round Norman better since

specifically, because it goes way beyond Norman Paterson. However, he

stands up as a good example of what was going on, and I think that

clearly he consistently denies his involvement and nobody would wish

to deny him a fair hearing, or due process. However, I do think as a

matter of course and urgency, he should be suspended from office.

I'm sure that in his position as chief constable, if there was an

officer under him, with allegations of this magnitude level that the

officer, I'm sure he would suspend him as a matter of course, and yet

we see him clinging on, and I think his position is completely

untenable. Norman bet as an aside, do you think the net is closing on

those responsible for the cover-up? It is, I think it is closing on

them, and all the time there are further snippets of evidence which

showed just how wide the cover-up was and how limited the evidence

that was given to people tried to decide bringing about prosecutions

was. The Hillsborough Independent Panel shock many people with its

findings. There are subsequent inquiries as a result of that. Are

you confident they will be equally as Barack and exhausted? We hope so,

clearly last night, a commitment to that end was admitted. Again, we

stressed that nobody must be involved to was ever involved in

any aspect of investigating Hillsborough in the past. Still to

come, Liverpool says it cannot afford to subsidise school uniforms.

This is usually found in the Philippines so how did this moth

end up 6,000 miles away? That is amazing. They've been used

recreationally for decades, and are seen by partygoers as providing a

safe, legal high. But there's a warning tonight that sniffing

"poppers" can cause serious damage to the eyes. A study at the Royal

Bolton Hospital has found the liquid chemical can harm users'

retinas, and experts are calling for more research to be carried out.

Our Health Correspondent Nina Warhurst has this exclusive report.

Used in the clubbing community, poppers have been bought over-the-

counter since the 1970s. A report out today from the Royal Bolton

Hospital links it to deteriorating eyesight. The eye is very sensitive,

it has a very high metabolism. Operas are very strong chemicals,

and we think they cost direct toxicity to the cells. Look at this.

The white line shows a normal retina - in this case flat and

smooth - compare it to someone who's been using poppers for five

months. There's a dome forming underneath, causing blurred and

inconsistent vision. Selling the liquid that makes them is not

illegal but selling it for human consumption is. Retailers get

grounded by labelling it as something different. I was in one

shop and he offered me this. It is our room deodorant. Steve took part

in it because he was concerned about his eyesight. People could

make a more informed choice. recent report found that one in

five gay people I use the poppers. If these are available and people

do not realise, we would like more investigation. The Royal Society

for Ophthalmologists have called this a small but significant study.

It doesn't suggest that everyone who uses poppers will lose their

vision - but does suggest more work needs to be done so that users can

decide for themselves whether the high's worth it. Next, most parents

find when senior school pupils start, the cost of uniforms rocket.

In the past, councils have given families on low incomes vouchers to

help with the cost. But in Liverpool tonight councillors will

be asked if this should stop. It's a decision which will affect 24,000

children. Here's Annabel. So among our local authorities, let's have a

our local authorities, let's have a look at who gives what in uniform

grants. Well, in Liverpool at the moment �700,000 a year is set aside

for subsidising school uniforms. It costs Manchester City Council just

under �300,000 in school uniform grants - it says they are not at

risk. Cumbria County Council allocates �268,000 a year. Again

the council says they are not under threat. However In Lancashire,

Wirral and Cheshire East school uniform subsidies have already been

A new school uniform can be a big outlay. People on benefits and low-

income get �20 towards a primary uniform and �40 to words secondary

costs. You can pay �8 for a shirt. The grant is usually about �20. It

can get you the essentials that they go through quite quickly.

need to get by, you have bills to pay. I just go weekly. This shop

runs a saving club to help spread the cost. With blazers costing

between �70 and �120, trousers being �15, shirts being �10,

parents can easily spend �150 before they have bought a pair of

shoes, a cold and a full peak it. School uniform grants are really

School uniform grants are really vital. Where grants are available,

they are a lifeline for these families. With large savings to be

made, the city council says it can no longer protect the vulnerable.

We need to find �140 million in the next four years and we need to make

The cut could be approved in two The city council is meeting this

evening so we should have the result whatever they decide in the

bulletin tomorrow. A primary school teacher from Bolton has been

recognised at the Oscars of the teaching world. 32-year-old Ben

Tipton from Sacred Heart RC Primary School in Westhoughton was given a

gold award for his outstanding use In a minute we will be hearing from

Ben and his headteacher but first They're known as the Oscars of the

teaching world and Ben Tipton became one of only eight teachers

in the whole country to be honoured for his exceptional work in the

classroom at a glitzy ceremony in I absolutely love it. I am very

lucky that I work here. I work with a fantastic team. This is not just

for me but for everyone, the teachers, the support staff, the

parents and the governors. Welcome to Sacred Heart FM. Back home in

Bolton, pupils admit Mr Tipton really impresses them in lessons at

Sacred Heart RC in Westhoughton- They say the way he uses technology

makes their learning more fun. makes him special is he is always

entertaining kids, making them have fun. He helped us with my maths, I

was really struggling with that. While he's the one normally

rewarding the children for their good work, he's now the one being

praised for his efforts instead! think he is a very positive role

model who is a very unique teacher and is definitely one of the

teachers I will always remember. Ben Tipton and the Sacred Heart's

headteacher Martin Johnson are here now. You were with us at lunchtime

and you are back again. It's fantastic. The whole day has been a

celebration of not just my achievements but the whole school.

How does it feel to hear your pupils pay tribute to you? I feel

very proud and privileged to that they say such things about me. That

is the reason I go to work, to teach them and get as much of them

as I get back to them. You haven't been teaching that long, have you?

It was only six years ago that I started teaching, I was pushed into

it gently by my girlfriend, now wife. I never really thought I

could have the potential to be a teacher, but she said I needed to

go for it and I did. I never looked back. What makes him so good?

was the right teacher for the right time at our school. His use of

technology has inspired the whole community to move forward with

their learning. How does that work? The key to learning is good

communication, and we have a fantastic learning platform. The

green screen technology used on there, children pretending to be

whether reporters. The radio station enhanced communication.

Then's role is to connect learning and culture. This is not something

he does in isolation in his own platform, he does that throughout

the school. It has been a good year for the school, hasn't it? It is

fantastic, in March, we got it standing in all areas. -- expanding

in all areas. Same in peak, we got a distinction for the awards, one

teacher got an outstanding new teacher award. And one of these

Oscars is rare, isn't it? It is. is a once in a career thing isn't

it? It is because you cannot win again. The key to children being

happy learners is having a happy team and getting praised. The

teaching Awards is fantastic for that. You haven't had a chance to

going to school today, have you? What will they say to you? They

have been buzzing up until the awards, they were excited to hear

about it. When I eventually get back to work, I'm sure they will be

very proud. The reason you are not going back is? Nine days ago I

became a father for the first time. And you're lovely wife push you

into teaching and has now started the family, congratulations. You

can see the full programme tonight on -- a on BBC Two this coming

On this programme we bring you tales of weird and wonderful

wildlife. But this family were of a flutter when they found this on

their windowsill. It is normally found thousands of miles away. How

did it get here? The wings are beautifully coloured but it is the

size that sets it apart. This species is usually found in the

Philippines, so when one turned up in the gardens of this North West

Terrace, the owners were amazed. was flapping around on this when

sylph. We were quite scared. It was huge. My dad told me it was an

Atlas moth. I had never heard of it. It normally lives in south-east

Asia, 6,000 miles away from Ramsbottom. They are the loudest

marks in the world but only live for about a week. They took it to

this matter fly -- butterfly house. This is the moth that was brought

here. It is probably the first specimen found in the British Isles.

We don't know where it has come from, either a private individual

or it could have been on cargo. Although it did not survive, the

offspring did. They are very hungry caterpillars. We have about 30 of

them, they are native caterpillars. They will make a cocoon and spend a

year before hatching. It is hoped they will breed and enthral more

visitors. You know that famous book about caterpillars, imagine what

about caterpillars, imagine what they will eat? Shall we see the

weather. Had I done that story, I would have got a rolled-up

newspaper and done what you do at home, because that is the creepiest

thing I have ever seen. Good evening. Everything changes, as we

head through the next few days. It is still on the cards. By the time

we get a Thursday the weather front move through the whole of the

country and it opens the door too much colder conditions. The

temperatures of 14 today, by Saturday it will be down to six

Celsius. The weather for this evening and overnight is more of

what we have through the day, it is exactly the same as tomorrow. It is

all about the cloud cover, it never leaves us and it stays all the time.

It will support tiny spot of drizzle. Mist and fog is a

possibility as we head towards the early hours of tomorrow morning. If

you have a journey that takes you over the Pennines, that is where

you will continue to see the mist and fog. Significantly, the

temperatures are very good. 12 degrees everywhere. Tomorrow

morning, there will be more fog and mist, the cloud will be low in the

Pennines. Through the morning, the mist and fog should go, the cloud

will lift. It never really leaves us, there will be a tiny bit of

drizzle. Every now and then, there will be a break in the cloud cover.

We might get 45 minutes of sunshine as we head towards lunchtime. The

cloud cover is really the predominant feature, and again,

with those like wind, the temperature will be pretty good. --

with that wind. Tomorrow night, it will continue to be mild. It is the

last really mild one. On Thursday, this is the day when everything

starts to change. This weather front is working its way down

across the country, bringing rain, and opening the door to that chilly

and opening the door to that chilly weather. On Saturday, six Celsius.