18/12/2013 North West Tonight

let-up. Thank you. That is all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye. Now

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight.

Our top story: . A community calls for action as a

girl dies and another is seriously injured after they were hit on a

zebra crossing. We'll have the latest live, as

Annalise Holt's mother pays tribute to her daughter. Also tonight:

Betting on a loser. Two Polish blackmailers are jailed

after threatening to wreck an online casino.

Ronnie Biggs dies, but what about his victims? The railway town of

Crewe remembers the guard and driver whose lives the train robber

wrecked. He has had a long life and a family.

David never had that. He never even had a wife and children.

And we're flying off with the Liverpool team taking the baubles to

Bethlehem. Will they all make it on time, and,

when they do, will anyone understand a word they are saying? Join us

later. And the Lancashire school hoping for

a world record by adding some extra angels and wise men to its

performance. More than 2,000 people have signed a

petition calling for road safety improvements at the spot where a

12`year`old girl was killed in Greater Manchester last night.

Annalise Holt died at the scene An 11`year`old girl was also seriously

injured when they were hit by a van at a zebra crossing on Milnrow Road

in Shaw. Local people say they've been

warning for several years that the crossing is dangerous and tonight

councillors from Shaw have been meeting in the hope of getting it

changed. In the last hour, Annalise Holt s

mother released a statement in tribute to her daughter, saying

that Annalise was my beautiful princess. She was loud and outgoing.

I want her back and everyone to remember her for the caring and kind

child that she was. This evening, a council meeting is

starting in Oldham, which started with a minute's silence, for the

death that has shocked the whole community.

Today flowers were left in memory of Annalise Holt. She'd been crossing

the road with an 11`year`old girl when they were both hit by a van

just before 4:30 yesterday. Annalise died at the scene. The 11`year`old

was seriously injured. There was commotion everywhere. You

just feel absolutely helpless. I have two young children myself, and

I feel for the family. I am devastated, because I heard it

could be someone who I knew, I am close to the family. It is

disgusting. This crossing needs changing to a pelican crossing. I

just feel sick, because it could have been one of my girls.

This afternoon investigators were at work, trying to find out what

happened. No one has been arrested. But many living in the area say the

crossing has worried them for years. As counsellors, we have been

campaigning for years to get this improved. There has hardly been any

improvement. After the last death, or they did Many people say the road

layout here is very complicated that the number of side roads,

junctions and signs causes confusion for motorists and pedestrians.

Was paint white lines. Chris Gloster is a former Inspector for Road

Traffic Policing in Oldham. He's gathered over 2,000 signatures on a

petition calling for the zebra crossing here to be replaced by a

pelican crossing with traffic lights.

This crossing has been here during the whole of my policing career and

I have lost count of the number of times I have attended serious and

fatal collisions at this location. But any changes will come too late

for Annalise Holt, tonight described by her school as a model student,

who set an example for others in all aspects of school life.

At the council meeting in Oldham tonight, the cabinet member for

environment is sending his condolences to both families

involved, but also pointing out to the council that he says there has

been as misleading reports about this crossing site. He says that,

prior to yesterday, there have been three incidents in 14 years, to just

involving vehicle shunting, another involving a pedestrian killed. He

said that the police report to that accident said that the glare of the

sun was the problem. Despite that, the council says that they may

consider changing the crossing, but that will be little comfort to the

families involved tonight. It has all the elements of a

Hollywood film ` an international tale of blackmail, revenge,

gambling, cybercrime and an airport police sting. And it came to a head

in Manchester. Today, two Polish men were sentenced to five years and

four months in prison for blackmailing the owner of an online

casino, by flooding its website and stopping customers from using it.

A hotel room at Heathrow Airport, to Polish businessmen are threatening

to bring chaos to the multi`million pound world of online gambling.

They had already brought to Manchester `based casino to a halt,

but they did not know that the owner had contacted the police.

Today, the two men were sentenced to five years and four months in

prison. This was an old`fashioned blackmail.

In the 1930s, it would be pay the money or we will smash your

windows. It was more high`tech. There was a victim at the bottom of

this. The pair we using a technique called

distribution denial of service, where they threatened to crash a

website with fake traffic unless the owner give the money. The victim was

in Manchester, but could have been anywhere. It was a random attack,

and the attempt was not just money, but power and influence.

They wanted to show old business enemies what they were capable of,

and experts say that this type of blackmail is happening all the

time. A lot of the time, these attacks

happen from Eastern Europe, Russia, China. It is a big issue of

geriatric and, trying to find and prosecute them in this country. ``

restriction. But this gamble has been lost. The

authorities say that they are getting better at finding such

criminals. Some good news on the jobs front

today. Unemployment in the North West has fallen in the last quarter

by 29,000 after the last two quarters showed a rise. There are

now 257,000 people out of work or 7.5% of the workforce.

Merseyside MP Steve Rotheram has invited government ministers to

Liverpool to see if they can find ways of making further cuts. The

Walton MP was responding to the government's announcement that

councils are to face a further .9% cut in grants next year. Liverpool

has already reduced its budget by more than half.

There are no pots left. If the Minister and the Secretary of State

don't believe me, I will offer a first`class return ticket to both of

the gentleman to come to Liverpool to have a look at the books and tell

us where you believe we can cut further.

Liverpool gets one of the highest spending power per dwelling in the

country, and that does not allow for the fact that it has other money and

a city deal. That is helping Liverpool beat the town should be.

The coroner in the inquest of David Mole, who died after a fall at the

Ramsey Dementia Unit in Cumbria has concluded staff shortages weren t to

blame. The 84`year old from Haverigg died at the specialist unit in July

last year. Last month, the hospital trust apologised after the Care

Quality Commission found chronic staff shortages had impacted on

patient safety. The man running the new criminal

inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster says he's confident his

team will get to the truth of what happened. Jon Stoddart was speaking

ahead of the first anniversary of his inquiry being set up.

The criminal inquiry is called Operation Resolve and it's based in

Warrington. Our Merseyside Reporter, Andy Gill, has been there today and

he can join us from Liverpool now with news of the progress the

enquiry's making. How much progress are they making?

There is some disquiet about the lack of progress. So today was an

opportunity for the Operation Resolve team to show what they are

doing. They had 500 witness contacts, they had gone through

hundreds of thousands of documents and had found some police officers

who had never given their account to a inquiry before. The man leading

the inquiry says that he is confident about the part that they

have two play in the new Hillsborough inquest.

A poster of the 96 hangs on the wall of the Operation Resolve office in

Warrington. A reminder of the people at the centre of this inquiry. More

than 200 investigators work here. The man leading them says the

interviews they've already carried out are unearthing new details.

One police officer who is retired provided two pages of a statement

that was relevant, back in 1989 When we interviewed her, it has

taken this to 22 pages. Operation Resolve is the new

criminal inquiry into Hillsborough. But it has two roles. Its current

priority is to assist the coroner to prepare for next year's new

inquests. And it's examining whether any individual or organisation is

culpable for the 96 deaths. Resolve is also working closely with the

third Hillsborough inquiry. The Independent Police Complaints

Commission is examining alleged police misconduct after the event.

Most of the Operation Resolve investigators are former or serving

police people, but none of them have any socio and with the Yorkshire

police or the Merseyside Police `` Association. They say that they are

not accountable to any police. In the New Year, Operation Resolve

aims to interview key decision makers at Hillsborough.

Like match commander, Superintendent David Duckinfield. But it can't

compel anyone to speak. Only eight people have declined

some for legitimate reasons, and others are refusing. But we would

far rather, for the family sake that no one refuse.

The inquiry will look at the design, history and modifications of the

ground as far back as 1975. When might any prosecutions happen?

The inquest will take up most of next year. The prosecutions may not

happen until late next year or 015, and it will be up to the Director of

Public Prosecutions as to whether they do happen or not.

Ronnie Biggs, the most notorious of all the Great Train Robbers, died

today. In one of his last interviews he said he wanted to be remembered

as a lovable rogue. And for many he was just that... But in the railway

town of Crewe, home to the driver and the guard who were subjected to

a violent attack on the mail train that night in 1963, there's been

little sympathy. The telephone wires have been cut. I

did not know it was a trap, even then.

The train driver, Jack Mills, after the robbery. The crime's audacity

has gone down in folklore, with Ronnie Biggs becoming a celebrity,

but that is not how he is viewed in Crewe, Jack's hometown, where he

remains disabled. This man was a fire man in the 1950s.

He was protecting his train. He did not want to help them do anything to

his train. All he wanted to do was to halt them away and to do what

they wanted to do, and they beat him up. They did not deserve `` he did

not deserve that. The Great Train Robbery still

fascinates. A new drama is on BBC One tonight. This man was also on

the train. He died in 1934 stop he had a long life and family.

David did not have an adult life, no children.

And at Crewe station, little sympathy. I don't admire him, and I

hate the status that he has. You have to worry about the crew on

the train, because they were innocent. They should be remembered.

The names of the robbers will doubtless fade into history, but not

those of Jack Mills and David Whitby. They will be permanently

remembered here at the railway station, with a plaque reminding

everyone of their efforts. Meanwhile, in Preston, there's no

room at the inn ` or anywhere else, for that matter ` as a thousand

children take part in a record`breaking nativity play.

Third time round. St Helen's boxer Martin Murray announces plans for a

world title fight. Now, later on the programme we'll be

seeing that epic nativity play up in Preston,first we can get a bit

closer to the real thing. All this week we're joining the

Liverpool team who've been given the job of decorating perhaps the most

important Christmas tree in the world, in Bethlehem, where the

Christmas story began 2000 years ago. Tonight the wise men with

strange accents arrive bearing gifts.

Two and a half thousand miles away, Bethlehem, where our team of

Christmas decorators are about to fly out on the journey of a

lifetime. This is the big job? This is the

most famous city in the world. The Prime Minister will stand on the

stage. There will be 25,000 people in the square.

What are the fears? That it does not switch on.

But the team have more pressing concerns than the switch on. Israeli

security famously tight. Their driver waits and waits, still none.

Nothing to do but sleep and get on with a game of suitcase curling

until the driver is out. The job done.

It is the place where the Christmas story really begins, where a baby

was born in a major. `` manger. The story that still inspires 2000 years

on. There is no time for wonder, not

yet. 7am, day one on the job. A team of Palestinian volunteers have been

drafted in. Not a word. Nobody understands a

word that the other is saying. How are you coping with the language

barrier? On a plane from over the water.

By 9am, the team is flagging. I have just had a text. The guys are

starving, please get breakfast. Breakfast, Palestinian style. So,

breakfast is normally? Cereal. Eat that. Someone has to do eat it.

Powered by falafel and hummus, they continue, but later start to see the

real reason why they and thousands of pilgrims are here.

This is the Church of the Nativity, the very spot where it is claimed

Jesus was born. We are only giving a a few minutes to film.

It is really nice. It is a strange experience, because in this church

it is very loud. Everyone is singing about Bethlehem. They were all in

harmony, singing away, and then Jack sang Silent night. He destroyed this

`` atmosphere. Wonder, shattered by the Scousers.

It can only get better with the switch on. We will have more

tomorrow. She is making is wait for the big

switch on! Stuart Pollitt is here now with this

evening's sport, and it's different fortunes for our South American

strikers. Yes, and we'll start with the good

news. Good news if you're a Liverpool supporter, but not

necessarily if you're a Premier League defender or fan of another

team. That's because the Reds have opened talks with Luis Suarez in an

effort to ensure the Uruguayan stays at Anfield. Liverpool could make him

the highest paid player in their history to head off interest from

the likes of Real Madrid. So potentially good news for Reds

fans, but it's a dose of the blues for the Blues of Manchester, with

the news that Argentinian star Sergio Aguero is now facing up to

two months on the sidelines with the calf injury he picked up on

Saturday. City had been hoping he'd only be out for a month.

But even without Aguero, City are through to the last four of the

Capital One Cup after a comfortable win at Leicester.

Edin Dzeko rounded off a 3`1 victory with this goal at the King Power

Stadium, his second of the night. Alexander Kolarov was also on

target. Manchester United will attempt to

join their neighbours in the last four when they visit Stoke City

tonight. Many of the top teams rest big name players in the Capital One

Cup but United boss David Moyes insists the competition is an

important one. People used to say why are you doing

this, but every manager wants to win every competition they are going

to. There may be some priorities, but certainly in this football

club, I have only ever tried to win every tournament I am involved in.

Oldham Athletic can look forward to a big FA Cup pay day away to

Liverpool after winning through to the competition's third round last

night. This brilliant free kick from Danny Philliskirk started a second

half revival by the Latics who scored four times after the break to

win their second round replay 4`1 at Mansfield and book that trip to

Anfield next month. It'll be the third year in a row the two sides

have met in the FA Cup. Staying with Oldham, and the club's

former forward Christian Montano has denied any wrongdoing after he was

sacked on Monday. In a statement, the Columbian's solicitors say the

player "vehemently denies" being involved in spot`fixing and that

Oldham conducted "no proper investigation". The 22`year`old was

one of six players arrested and bailed as part of an inquiry by the

National Crime Agency. The police investigation is ongoing.

Now, St Helens boxer Martin Murray is hoping it's third time lucky when

he fights for a world title next year. It was announced today that

Martin, would face Australian Jarrod Fletcher for the WBA Middleweight

title in February. He fought for the world title in

Germany, then again in Argentina, now it's Monte Carlo or bust.

Martin's heading to Monaco on February the first for a third shot

at the title. It has always been about becoming

world champion. I am reaching my full potential and there is no way

that I am coming home from Monaco without that world title.

In six weeks time, he will hopefully have achieved his objective of

becoming the first champion from Saint Helens stop then it will be a

big fight here in front of his home fans will stop it has always been a

dream to fight here. To fight here, you need the right

fight. And a bit of nice weather. So I would love to win it and defend it

here. He has everything that he needs to

operate at that level. He is proving that he can go to that level with

his performance. And daddy fighting means a different

Christmas Day for the Murray family. Whether it is coming down here or

going for a run or whatever, I will be training. I will have to focus on

that and not eating But a bit less turkey will be worth it if Martin

brings home the bacon in February. As much Christmas dinner.

And that's all from me, except to remind you that you can get coverage

of Stoke versus Manchester United and commentary of Wigan's trip to

Sheffield Wednesday on BBC Radio Manchester from seven o'clock.

Were you in a nativity play at school? Yes, I went to my child s

school play yesterday. I was Mary one time.

Yes, you need a Mary and Joseph and an angel Gabriel. A baby Jesus, and

a donkey. But, one today was a bit different. It was biblical in scale.

Hundreds of pupils took part in the epic performance at Archbishop

Temple School in Fulwood. They were hoping to break the world record for

the largest living nativity scene ever. Peter Marshall, the one

without a tea towel on his head was there.

There were angels, wise men, and shepherds. Animals to fill a zoo.

Everyone got to be involved. I have come as a shepherd and I am

absolutely ecstatic. I am so excited. I think it is really good,

because we are going to be in begin its book of records.

I think they have done any well because not many people think it is

cool to be dressed as a sheep or an angel.

Do you like being a king? Yes, it is a brilliant job.

So many were needed to break this world record, Archbishop Temple

School called in reinforcements from another local school.

These are a group of teenagers, and they are so positive and fantastic.

It was all the idea of the year 11 pupil Daisy.

I feel really good. I suddenly realised how big it was. There are

1000 people dressed up. Time to head to the school yard to

set up the scene. Individual aid is making sure that all the rules were

idiots too. There was one `` were followed. There was only one baby

Jesus. The current record of people in a nativity scene are 834.

896. CHEERING

So it is joy to the world, and hopefully a official confirmation of

the record will follow. Well done to them. We have seen some

winds and rain outside today. It is not nice.

Yes, it is not nice outside. We promised you rain outside. The rain

has been slow arriving. That is because it is moving from the

Atlantic. If I show you the power of the rain, you can see the path it is

taking this afternoon will stop just crossing the Irish Sea, so the Isle

of Man has already seen some heavy rain. That rain continues tonight

with some strong winds. It will not stay with us very long. It is very

heavy rain. It moves along quite quickly, leaving us with some snow

on high ground and sleet. Still very strong winds. The temperatures

possibly down to three or four Celsius. We could see some frost

forming in Cheshire. Tomorrow, the picture looks very different. Still

quite windy in one or two spots We will see plenty of wintry showers

top it. Toff mostly dry and cold. Some clear skies. `` it will start

off. It is a mixture of rain and sleet. The snow will not last,

because it is combined with rain. We may seem some hail. It will not be

very warm, six or seven Celsius On Friday, we start off with decent

weather, but I have another level of deep low`pressure arriving on

Saturday. We have another yellow weather warning for rain on Friday

into Saturday, but if you are interested, that averages on

Saturday look fine. We are back in double figures.

Tomorrow, you should give the weather in Bethlehem.

Yes, please! Look at the information on the

screen. Tomorrow, all day, we will take you hind the scenes on the

programme on the website. At 6: 0pm, you will be able to listen to the

production gallery, watch what happens in the background. You will

be able to hear what we hear. Reporters will be tweeting

throughout the day. It will be fascinating. Good night.