:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from us. It's goodbye from me. And on BBC
:00:07. > :00:13.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson.
:00:14. > :00:16.And Annabel Tiffin. Our top story: Two women who claim they were
:00:17. > :00:17.assaulted by William Roache give the first evidence in the soap star s
:00:18. > :00:20.first evidence in the soap star's trial.
:00:21. > :00:24.We'll have the full story live from Preston Crown Court. Also tonight:
:00:25. > :00:26.The boarding school runaways. Two teenagers at a leading Lancashire
:00:27. > :00:28.school jet`off to the Dominican Republic.
:00:29. > :00:30.Meet the quick`thinking four`year`old who saved her mum's
:00:31. > :00:33.four`year`old who saved her mum s life.
:00:34. > :00:36.And find out why this shop in Manchester wants to expand your
:00:37. > :00:55.imagination as well as your shopping list.
:00:56. > :01:04.Two women who claim they were sexually assaulted by the Coronation
:01:05. > :01:09.Street are `` star Bill Roache had been giving evidence.
:01:10. > :01:15.Our chief reporter is that Preston Caracol `` Crown Court for us now.
:01:16. > :01:20.Let us first look at the case of the woman who says she was assaulted
:01:21. > :01:25.whilst visiting the studios. She was 14 at the time and she said she had
:01:26. > :01:29.gone to the Granada Studios to audition for a children's talent
:01:30. > :01:33.show. She did not get the part, but they decided they would be
:01:34. > :01:36.mischievous and search around the building, see if they could meet up
:01:37. > :01:40.with any famous faces. The woman said she and her friend
:01:41. > :01:44.were wandering the corridors when they met Bill Roache and another
:01:45. > :01:49.Coronation Street actor. They chatted in a dressing room and then
:01:50. > :01:51.she said Mr Roache took her into the male toilets where he forced her to
:01:52. > :02:02.touch him inappropriately. But when she got out of the toilets
:02:03. > :02:06.that she did not say anything to her friend or the other actor. Bill
:02:07. > :02:12.Roache sent her this letter a few weeks later, in which she wrote ``
:02:13. > :02:17.he wrote, "is right to me when you start school again". A few weeks
:02:18. > :02:21.later when she returned to the studios Mr Roache offered her a lift
:02:22. > :02:25.and in the car there was further inappropriate behaviour. Louise
:02:26. > :02:29.Blackwell QC questioned whether any of this had ever happened. She said
:02:30. > :02:35.there were alarming lapses in the witnesses memory. The woman reported
:02:36. > :02:42.`` retorted, " I am telling the truth, I am not making it up. I have
:02:43. > :02:45.no reason to". What did the other woman have to
:02:46. > :02:51.say. This was a woman who was 16 back in
:02:52. > :02:54.the mid`1960s and was an actress. She was walking into the ladies
:02:55. > :03:00.toilets in the building when Bill Roache came in close behind her and
:03:01. > :03:04.without warning, she says he put her hand `` his hand up her jumper and
:03:05. > :03:08.molested her and she felt cross and angry but she said nothing because
:03:09. > :03:12.she didn't want to make waves. However, she said she told family
:03:13. > :03:18.and friends about the incident over the years and she went to the police
:03:19. > :03:28.last May when she saw reports of his initial arrest on suspicion of rape.
:03:29. > :03:32.Mr Roache denies five allegations of indecent assault and two allegations
:03:33. > :03:38.of rape. The trial continues tomorrow.
:03:39. > :03:41.Two teenage pupils who went missing from a boarding school in Lancashire
:03:42. > :03:47.are believed to have flown to the Caribbean. The boy and girl, who are
:03:48. > :03:54.both aged 16, are boarders at Stonyhurst College near Clitheroe.
:03:55. > :03:57.Elaine Dunkley reports. From the dormitories of a top
:03:58. > :04:02.boarding school to the beaches of the Dominican Republic. The search
:04:03. > :04:05.for two missing teenagers is international. At 3am on Monday
:04:06. > :04:08.morning, 16`year`old Edward Bunyan and his girlfriend, Indira
:04:09. > :04:11.Gainiyeva, sneaked out of their rooms, got a taxi to Manchester
:04:12. > :04:23.Airport and boarded a flight to the Caribbean. Obviously, we can't relax
:04:24. > :04:29.until we've got them back with us and back with their families and we
:04:30. > :04:32.can get 100% sure they are safe and sound. How the teenagers were able
:04:33. > :04:36.to evade a complex system of CCTV and security at the school is a
:04:37. > :04:39.mystery. So, are the reasons why they eloped. Police are now tracking
:04:40. > :04:43.their mobiles phones and credit cards hundreds of miles away.
:04:44. > :04:46.Parents pay up ?24,000 a year for children to be educated here. No
:04:47. > :04:56.doubt there are concerns around security. We take security very
:04:57. > :05:01.seriously here, but obviously we need to bear in mind the prime focus
:05:02. > :05:06.of that is to keep intruders out, not to try and imprison our pupils.
:05:07. > :05:11.That said, it is not easy to get out of this building at night
:05:12. > :05:19.unobserved. For now it's a waiting game. What would your message be to
:05:20. > :05:24.the pupils? Get in touch. There is so much we can talk about. We need
:05:25. > :05:29.to have a conversation and, above all, we miss you and want you back
:05:30. > :05:31.with your families as soon as possible. So please, please, pick up
:05:32. > :05:38.the phone. A 30`year`old man who posted a
:05:39. > :05:41.message on his Facebook page mocking the murder of two Greater Manchester
:05:42. > :05:44.Police Officers has been jailed for 290 days. Chris McCann from Glasgow
:05:45. > :05:48.claimed a friend made the offensive comments in September 2012, the day
:05:49. > :05:52.after PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were shot dead by Dale
:05:53. > :05:58.Cregan. Today, he admitted a breach of the peace by allowing them to
:05:59. > :06:00.appear and remain online. Detectives in Greater Manchester are
:06:01. > :06:05.appealing for information after a mother and son were shot outside a
:06:06. > :06:08.bingo hall in Hapurhey. It happened on Sunday evening after the
:06:09. > :06:11.22`year`old man arrived to collect his mother. Patrols have been
:06:12. > :06:20.stepped up in the area, but police say it wasn't a random attack.
:06:21. > :06:36.We believe it is a targeted attack. It would appear that it was
:06:37. > :06:37.targeted. The vehicle `` victim was attacked inside his vehicle and the
:06:38. > :06:57.reason is still being investigated. The Ramsey unit was Rhian inspected
:06:58. > :07:00.by the health watchdog last month and staffing has increased by a
:07:01. > :07:03.quarter since concerns over chronic shortages were raised last year.
:07:04. > :07:16.quarter since concerns over chronic shortages were raised last year
:07:17. > :07:21.Investigations are under way into how a train carrying empty nuclear
:07:22. > :07:24.fuel flasks collided with a car on a level crossing in Lancashire. The
:07:25. > :07:25.impact of the crash, at Silverdale near Carnforth, pushed the car 300
:07:26. > :07:29.near Carnforth, pushed the car 00 metres down the track. Amazingly, no
:07:30. > :07:32.one was hurt, although the track was closed for several hours while fire
:07:33. > :07:35.officers removed the wrecked car. Andy Gill reports from the scene.
:07:36. > :07:41.A silver Ford Fiesta stopped on the line as a freight train was coming.
:07:42. > :07:46.Drivers and passengers got out before the impact. The car is now a
:07:47. > :07:51.third of its original length so you can anticipate the amount of damage
:07:52. > :07:58.on the car. The car and the try `` and the train had moved physically
:07:59. > :08:02.down the track. In a statement, network rail said the train remained
:08:03. > :08:07.upright on the tracks and there was no significant damage to the railway
:08:08. > :08:13.infrastructure. It also said there had been no allegations about the
:08:14. > :08:17.safe working of this level crossing. The train was carrying empty nuclear
:08:18. > :08:26.fuel flasks away from the Sellafield plant in Cumbria. But there could
:08:27. > :08:31.still be contamination even if an empty flask was damaged, some say. A
:08:32. > :08:36.similar train derailed in Barrow last year. The operators in the 80s
:08:37. > :08:42.had a train crash into a flask to show how strong they are. It is not
:08:43. > :08:46.known why the car stopped on the line in this latest incident. Locals
:08:47. > :08:52.say in the past vehicles have become stuck because they have taken the
:08:53. > :08:57.bend too quickly. To all three instances but it is mainly due to
:08:58. > :09:03.human error. I just heard sirens that was all so I was quite shocked
:09:04. > :09:04.when I saw the news. A rail accident investigation Branch enquiry is
:09:05. > :09:16.underway. Preston's Royal Hospital said today
:09:17. > :09:21.they were planning to take on 80 they were planning to take on 8
:09:22. > :09:24.extra staff to improve patient care. It follows a critical report from
:09:25. > :09:27.the Care Quality Commission who inspected the hospital in November.
:09:28. > :09:30.The extra help will be welcomed by staff who say they're having to deal
:09:31. > :09:34.with the, thankfully, increasing number of people surviving illnesses
:09:35. > :09:37.that might once have killed them. In her third special report on winter
:09:38. > :09:40.pressures at the Royal Preston, our health correspondent, Nina Warhurst,
:09:41. > :09:44.looks at how progress in treating long`term conditions means looking
:09:45. > :09:49.after more people with less money. If Andrew had been born ten years
:09:50. > :09:55.earlier, his chronic asthma would certainly have killed him. But since
:09:56. > :10:01.he moved to the Royal Preston specialist centre, life is barely
:10:02. > :10:05.recognisable to what it was. Sometimes I went to bed and I didn't
:10:06. > :10:10.even know if I would wake up or there would be an ambulance. Now it
:10:11. > :10:12.is more controlled and it is fantastic. You feel like you're
:10:13. > :10:15.living again? Yes, to be honest. fantastic. You feel like you're
:10:16. > :10:20.living again? Yes, to be honest He survived because the NHS is so much
:10:21. > :10:23.better at treating conditions like breathing problems, arthritis and
:10:24. > :10:29.heart disease. But beating the things that once killed as comes at
:10:30. > :10:33.a cost. Pressure for long`term conditions is so significant that
:10:34. > :10:37.NHS England has described it as their climate change. Those
:10:38. > :10:43.illnesses take up 70% of the national budget. GPs are now being
:10:44. > :10:50.asked to manage more in the community. Ash says specialist wards
:10:51. > :10:54.like this will always be needed for extreme cases like Andrews, but if
:10:55. > :10:59.more things like physio and occupational therapy could be done
:11:00. > :11:05.from home, everyone would benefit. If I am a laced shoe, the hospital
:11:06. > :11:09.is the shoe and the laces are the things that are now you to function
:11:10. > :11:17.and at the moment, the laces are very often missing.
:11:18. > :11:22.There are only 33 specialist beds in this ward which means that sometimes
:11:23. > :11:27.respiratory patients have to be treated elsewhere. Statistically,
:11:28. > :11:31.that means recovery is slower, you are in hospital for longer and
:11:32. > :11:34.potentially taking up a bed that a different patient needs. Most of our
:11:35. > :11:38.hospitals strive for excellence but hospitals strive for excellence, but
:11:39. > :11:43.increasingly staff say there is only so much they can do with what they
:11:44. > :11:49.have and that changes are needed for the soap of progress that saved
:11:50. > :11:52.Andrew's life is to continue `` the sort of progress.
:11:53. > :11:55.Well, Nina and our colleagues at BBC Radio Lancashire were given
:11:56. > :11:58.unprecedented access to Royal Preston Hospital this week and saw
:11:59. > :12:00.first`hand the pressures staff are under. Earlier, I spoke to the
:12:01. > :12:04.Trust's Chief Executive, Karen Partington and asked her how they
:12:05. > :12:09.could avoid the pressures of winter this year.
:12:10. > :12:14.If I was to look at what we've done this year, I would say we are in a
:12:15. > :12:18.much better position than we were in last year because we have a lot of
:12:19. > :12:21.plans in place with our partners, GP leaders and community and social
:12:22. > :12:30.services so we are in a better position for this year than we were
:12:31. > :12:35.last. Last week, the sea QC report criticised the hospital for having
:12:36. > :12:41.to move patients around to wards that perhaps one tailored to their
:12:42. > :12:49.condition. Should you manage that better? `` the Care Quality
:12:50. > :12:52.Commission. We had a hugely positive report from them overwhelmingly
:12:53. > :12:55.recognising the work the staff were doing and the priorities we placed
:12:56. > :13:03.on patient care. Everything we are doing as they trust is absolutely
:13:04. > :13:09.putting patients in the right place. All our hospitals are busy though,
:13:10. > :13:13.aren't they? But they are not facing the same crises that you have been
:13:14. > :13:21.and where last year. Can you learn lessons from them? That is not true.
:13:22. > :13:26.All of those hospitals face exactly the same pressures that we face. We
:13:27. > :13:31.the same pressures that we face We are in touch with people all the
:13:32. > :13:38.time... They haven't had to cancel operations or reached full capacity?
:13:39. > :13:44.They did. Every hospital in England with the exception of seven had to
:13:45. > :13:51.cancel operations. You would say the Preston Royal is in a good state of
:13:52. > :13:55.health at the moment? Well, we are coping well, the staff have been
:13:56. > :14:00.magnificent, we have opened additional beds. We do this all the
:14:01. > :14:05.time ` flex our capacity to cope with the demands of the system. We
:14:06. > :14:09.have the system under control and we are clear about what we need to do
:14:10. > :14:16.and we are available to look after our patients.
:14:17. > :14:21.Thank you to the Royal Preston for giving us that access. It has been
:14:22. > :14:30.interesting to see a hospital at work.
:14:31. > :14:35.Still to come on North West Tonight: try shouting, wake up, mummy. Wake
:14:36. > :14:38.up, mummy! We'll meet the quick`thinking four`year`old whose
:14:39. > :14:41.common sense saved her mother's life.
:14:42. > :14:43.And a home from home ` the works of art being shown in a shop while
:14:44. > :14:51.their gallery's refurbished. Manchester City's manager, Manuel
:14:52. > :14:56.Pellegrini, says his team are chasing an historic quadruple of
:14:57. > :15:00.trophies. Well, if City do want to win the lot this season they've got
:15:01. > :15:03.a tricky replay in the FA Cup to negotiate tonight.
:15:04. > :15:06.Blackburn Rovers travel to the Etihad Stadium tonight after they
:15:07. > :15:10.pushed Pellegrini's men all the way in a 1`1 draw at Ewood Park in the
:15:11. > :15:14.original tie. Richard Askam is there for us. Richard it's a game that
:15:15. > :15:22.City will expect to win, but equally it's one that Rovers will relish?
:15:23. > :15:31.I think you are right. Rovers played very well in the original tie and
:15:32. > :15:41.certainly when Scott Dann equalised, Manchester City were under the cosh.
:15:42. > :15:47.Most people coming tonight... This is a one`off game. Who knows? Manuel
:15:48. > :15:54.Pellegrini says he won't take this fixture lightly. I'm absolutely sure
:15:55. > :15:58.that tomorrow we must do a good game if we want to win because they are
:15:59. > :16:05.very motivated and a strong team and they know exactly the way they want
:16:06. > :16:11.to play. We must be very intent in defending and counter attacks and
:16:12. > :16:15.set pieces. As for Rovers, they have been building this season. One
:16:16. > :16:19.defeat in the last seven in the championship. They might fancy it
:16:20. > :16:22.tonight and they have nothing to lose. Their manager has been
:16:23. > :16:28.stressing that fact ahead of the game this evening. It is a one`off
:16:29. > :16:33.game and we have to take the experience in and show what we are
:16:34. > :16:37.capable than give a good account of ourselves. For us, it is about
:16:38. > :16:40.learning about our players and then learning about themselves and
:16:41. > :16:47.getting better. There is no better way than against the best. Sergio
:16:48. > :16:49.Aguero could be back tonight. It will be interesting to see if he
:16:50. > :17:03.starts their joint top scorer. You can get full coverage on both
:17:04. > :17:11.the BBC local radio stations and BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio
:17:12. > :17:16.Manchester. A strange kick`off time tonight. 8:10pm. It will be
:17:17. > :17:21.interesting to see what team Manchester City put out, but
:17:22. > :17:25.whatever players they put out, it will be a very strong team in deed.
:17:26. > :17:31.It will be fascinating to see how Rovers go against them. Back to you.
:17:32. > :17:36.On the one hand, it is the next game for both clubs, but there is a real
:17:37. > :17:41.chance, certainly for Blackburn, to get a notable scalp and city will
:17:42. > :17:49.have to be on their guard. Absolutely, Roger. We have seen it
:17:50. > :17:52.before so many times in the FA Cup when one of the big teams takes it
:17:53. > :17:57.lightly and they can get a bloody nose. City will certainly have to
:17:58. > :18:00.show some metal tonight to get past Blackburn.
:18:01. > :18:03.Thank you very much. Now, Steve Prescott was a rugby
:18:04. > :18:08.legend in St Helens. A superleague international, he played for the
:18:09. > :18:11.Saints as well as his country. But Steve's life was tragically cut
:18:12. > :18:16.short when he died of a rare abdominal cancer in November at the
:18:17. > :18:19.age of just 39. Now the town is honouring him by renaming the bridge
:18:20. > :18:26.which connects the town with his beloved St Helens ground Langtree
:18:27. > :18:32.Park. Before we came on air, I spoke to
:18:33. > :18:36.Mike Rush from the club and the council 's leader who told me why
:18:37. > :18:43.Saint Helens will always remember him. Stephen was a great player for
:18:44. > :18:49.our club and howl and Wake said `` Wakefield and Gateshead, his 60
:18:50. > :18:55.clubs, if you like. He was an inspiration `` his sister clubs He
:18:56. > :18:59.was an inspiration to the whole town in his trust and foundation. A
:19:00. > :19:03.number of his friends have set it up and will continue to exist. I don't
:19:04. > :19:08.think you will ever be forgotten for what he has given to the town and
:19:09. > :19:15.the hope and courageous attitude he has given in the borough of Saint
:19:16. > :19:21.Helens. Given an idea of exactly how much he was admired by his fellow
:19:22. > :19:34.people in Saint Helens. As Mike said, he was inspirational. The way
:19:35. > :19:38.he took on the fight, the fight of cancer and the challenges he
:19:39. > :19:45.undertook. He went out on the street and asked anybody what they thought
:19:46. > :19:49.of `` if you ask anyone on the streets of Saint Helens, people
:19:50. > :19:56.would say he was a very brave man. Give us an idea... I imagine there
:19:57. > :20:01.will be some sort of a plaque on the bridge to say it is the Steve
:20:02. > :20:07.Prescott Bridge? Yes, it will be formally opened prior to the first
:20:08. > :20:12.league game of the season and a plaque will commemorate it. Another
:20:13. > :20:18.few things will go on between now and the end of the season to
:20:19. > :20:23.celebrate his career and key charity worker. The bridge is a tribute to
:20:24. > :20:28.him and something that lights the way in our town at the moment. With
:20:29. > :20:30.the stadium and the bridge behind us, it will be a fitting tribute to
:20:31. > :20:39.Stephen. When Lexi Cooper from Blackburn
:20:40. > :20:42.found her mother unconscious and trapped beneath a heavy bookcase,
:20:43. > :20:46.the first thing she did was dial 999. Nothing unusual about that, you
:20:47. > :20:49.999. Nothing unusual about that you might think.
:20:50. > :20:53.But it's all the more impressive when you consider Lexi is just four
:20:54. > :20:58.years old. Today, she's been presented with an award for her
:20:59. > :21:07.quick thinking. Mark Edwardson takes up the story.
:21:08. > :21:09.You are an amazing lady. A big day for a little girl. Lexi Cooper and
:21:10. > :21:23.her grateful mother, Nicola Ellis. A call taken by Sophie Roscoe at
:21:24. > :21:27.Lancashire Police headquarters. I've never had a call like that before.
:21:28. > :21:41.My job was to keep her focused and she did everything I
:21:42. > :21:50.I woke up with a lot of policeman in the room. She found my mobile and
:21:51. > :21:54.unlocked it and dialled 909. She got her brother and sister is safe.
:21:55. > :22:04.Where did you learn to ring the police? At my mums house. Where
:22:05. > :22:07.else? At school as well? Sophie Roscoe's professionalism was also
:22:08. > :22:18.recognised with an award from the Mayor of Blackburn. I appreciate it
:22:19. > :22:32.but it is all about Lexi that day. She was fantastic.
:22:33. > :22:40.It was almost like a training exercise. The call takers showed so
:22:41. > :22:43.much empathy and professionalism to get the results are a credit to them
:22:44. > :22:49.both. As for Nicola, she's already made sure the bookcase won't topple
:22:50. > :22:57.on anyone else. The Blackburn MP Jack Straw has
:22:58. > :23:08.what a clever little girl! She shouted at her mum at just the right
:23:09. > :23:12.time! What would you expect to find in
:23:13. > :23:17.your local department store? How about popping in to see some great
:23:18. > :23:22.works of art or to hear from one of the country 's leading authors?
:23:23. > :23:28.In Manchester, Selfridge's is teaming up with the Whitworth Art
:23:29. > :23:32.Gallery to exhibit some of its works while the gallery is being
:23:33. > :23:36.refurbished. They hope it will encourage customers to use their
:23:37. > :23:39.imagination and not just their credit cards.
:23:40. > :23:44.Pop up shops have been fashionable for a while but how about a pop`up
:23:45. > :23:50.gallery in a shop. Here, they want to expand your imagination as well
:23:51. > :23:57.as your shopping list. You might not expect to find a Freud or a turnout
:23:58. > :24:02.or a Picasso. The Whitworth is closed while we expand the gallery,
:24:03. > :24:06.so we talked to Selfridge's to see whether they could show a view of
:24:07. > :24:11.our best paintings in store so that people could still see some of their
:24:12. > :24:18.favourites. Also, so that people who never come to an art gallery Busi
:24:19. > :24:20.would actually see world`class works by Lucien Freud, Turner and Tracy M
:24:21. > :24:29.in. Selfridge's wouldn't let us talk to
:24:30. > :24:34.customers in the shop so we asked them outside if they enjoyed the
:24:35. > :24:39.art. I didn't notice it but the idea is interesting. A bit like what they
:24:40. > :24:47.did with the Olympics and the cultural Olympiad. It is unusual,
:24:48. > :24:55.isn't it? It is but it is nice to have culture in a shop as well. I
:24:56. > :25:02.didn't notice it much. Where you just looking at things to buy? Yes,
:25:03. > :25:07.sorry. There was a Lucien Freud and a Picasso. I didn't notice. It runs
:25:08. > :25:18.for the next month. You need to pay attention, you see!
:25:19. > :25:24.There are so many beautiful things in there as well as the art.
:25:25. > :25:28.Selfridge's wouldn't let to speak to people inside, so we waited
:25:29. > :25:34.outside! We will get you no matter what.
:25:35. > :25:40.They were also honest. So busy shopping they didn't see the art.
:25:41. > :25:41.I'm so glad I am here doing the weather instead of shopping because
:25:42. > :25:57.I would have spent so much money. Temperatures were well above average
:25:58. > :26:03.for this time of the year. Tomorrow, back to normal single figure
:26:04. > :26:08.temperatures. Unsettled as we head towards the weekend and we will
:26:09. > :26:14.continue to hold onto a lot of clout. Showery rain on and off as
:26:15. > :26:21.well. This evening, more showery rain moving in for a time and more
:26:22. > :26:25.dense on the tops of the Pennines. Clear spells will not last as we
:26:26. > :26:27.have another line of showers moving in by dawn. A breezy night but very
:26:28. > :26:41.mild. For tomorrow, breezy and we will see
:26:42. > :26:47.showers from the word go. They are hit or miss and they easily way
:26:48. > :26:54.leaving sunshine in between. Plenty of cloud as well and a breezy day.
:26:55. > :27:01.More showers by the afternoon. Temperatures will be disappointing.
:27:02. > :27:09.Tomorrow, a rash of showers continue overnight but you are in for an mild
:27:10. > :27:17.night. We head into Friday with more of the same. Cloud cover, occasional
:27:18. > :27:19.bright spells and showers. For Saturday, I am afraid it is more of
:27:20. > :27:31.the same. You could do an exhibition with your
:27:32. > :27:34.dress because it is the one thing people always talk about `` your
:27:35. > :27:41.dresses. I don't think we would have an `` a
:27:42. > :28:17.venue big enough. Thanks for watching. Good night.
:28:18. > :28:20.Hidden beneath your feet are magical worlds,
:28:21. > :28:23.home to extraordinary little creatures.
:28:24. > :28:30.Imagine being able to experience this wonderland through their eyes.
:28:31. > :28:36.see the incredible adventures of these miniature heroes