:00:00. > :00:00.Commons has been cleared of rape and other sex charges. Goodbye.
:00:00. > :00:10.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight on the day Nigel Ev`ns was
:00:11. > :00:13.cleared of all charges. I'm Nina Warhurst and I'm Roger Johnson.
:00:14. > :00:19.The Ribble Valley MP walked free from court, not guilty of abusing
:00:20. > :00:23.young men, after a month`long trial. After the last 11 months th`t I have
:00:24. > :00:36.gone through, nothing will dver be the same again. I am outsidd court
:00:37. > :00:44.where Mr Evans has spent five weeks. Join me for the latest. And I am at
:00:45. > :00:49.the heart of his constituency, to see what his constituents think
:00:50. > :00:54.about today. And as prosecutors defend the decision to ring the
:00:55. > :01:00.case, we ask if he can rebuhld his career.
:01:01. > :01:07.The 83`year`old arrested and barred from seeing his wife, after he gave
:01:08. > :01:10.her pain relief in a care home. And dancing for joy. The de`f
:01:11. > :01:21.teenager from Wirral whose campaigning has earned her national
:01:22. > :01:24.recognition. "There were no winners, so no celebration...I have gone
:01:25. > :01:28.through eleven months of hell". The words of Ribble Valley MP Nhgel
:01:29. > :01:31.Evans today as he stood on the steps at Preston Crown Court shortly after
:01:32. > :01:37.being cleared of all charges against him. Mr Evans had been accused of a
:01:38. > :01:41.string of sex assaults by sdven men. Today the jury decided that he was
:01:42. > :01:44.innocent of all of them. Our Political Editor Arif Ansarh has
:01:45. > :01:55.been in court throughout thd trial and we can join him now. It must be
:01:56. > :02:01.a great relief to Mr Evans that this is over?
:02:02. > :02:08.Absolutely. He was under wax pressure during this trial. If any
:02:09. > :02:14.one of the charges had gone against him it would have ended his career.
:02:15. > :02:21.It is the most serious crimhnal charges facing a sitting MP in
:02:22. > :02:29.living memory. It has been very difficult. At lunchtime the Tannoy
:02:30. > :02:40.is went off to see go back to Court one. The jury then read out a list
:02:41. > :02:45.of not guilty results. Mr Evans broke down into tears and hhs
:02:46. > :02:51.friends and family to. After the final not guilty was delivered Mr
:02:52. > :02:56.Evans walked a way a free m`n. He walked out of the court hang me to
:02:57. > :03:05.describe what he called 11 lonths of hell. This is not a time for
:03:06. > :03:13.celebration. There are no whnners in these cases and that is absolutely
:03:14. > :03:23.right. There are no celebrations. The fact is that I have work to do,
:03:24. > :03:26.what I have done for 22 years. All I can say is that after the l`st 1
:03:27. > :03:38.months, nothing will be the same again. It was in May last ydar that
:03:39. > :03:40.Mr Evans got a cold from his office telling him that they believed
:03:41. > :03:47.police were going to ask hil about sexual offences. The next d`y they
:03:48. > :03:52.knocked on his door and did that. It was the beginning of a diffhcult
:03:53. > :04:05.period, culminating in this court case that began at five weeks ago.
:04:06. > :04:12.This has been a very public examination of Mr Evan's prhvate
:04:13. > :04:20.life. Having looked at all the faces on Facebook, I have some very good
:04:21. > :04:30.friends but I need to changd some of them. As the police investigated,
:04:31. > :04:36.the charges mounted up. In 2003 the Tories were in Blackpool for the
:04:37. > :04:41.conference. It was alleged that Mr Evans made an inappropriate pass in
:04:42. > :04:49.the hotel. He told the jury that it felt like a drunken move in a bar.
:04:50. > :05:01.But he did not reported to police. But others did. The court hdard that
:05:02. > :05:06.one man said he had a speci`l relationship, but one that Lr Evans
:05:07. > :05:11.badly misjudged. The man relembered that they had been drinking in a pub
:05:12. > :05:14.and that Mr Evans had been very drunk. They returned home and the
:05:15. > :05:21.man went to sleep on the sofa. Later that night, Mr Evans made a pass at
:05:22. > :05:32.him to stop Mr Evans rejects this claim. Very drunk, very heavily
:05:33. > :05:37.intoxicated, a highly functhoning alcoholic. Drink was involvdd in
:05:38. > :05:44.every allegation. The man ndxt door said that the reputation was
:05:45. > :05:54.undeserved. Although he spends some time in the pub, she is in no way
:05:55. > :06:04.drunk in the way that the press have alleged. Some of this case formed
:06:05. > :06:12.the Mac `` some of the case was around his rapid patient working
:06:13. > :06:17.with other members of staff. Among the hundred people who did work with
:06:18. > :06:24.Mr Evans 's 2007 was Georgina Phillips, now a student at Liverpool
:06:25. > :06:28.University. He was really lovely. He was encouraging to get me involved,
:06:29. > :06:35.introducing me to colleagues, and making sure that I solve wh`t
:06:36. > :06:42.difference people were doing. I thought he was great. In March last
:06:43. > :06:47.year, came the allegation that a 21`year`old student who had worked
:06:48. > :07:00.at Westminster and who slept over at Mr Evan's after a party. Thd man
:07:01. > :07:06.said that Mr Evan three Evans `` he said that Mr Evans sexually
:07:07. > :07:14.assaulted him and tried to rape him. Mr Evans said that the man was awake
:07:15. > :07:17.and a willing participant. @ month later the man reported Mr Evans to
:07:18. > :07:26.the police. It started a major enquiry. Nigel Evans' friends never
:07:27. > :07:37.believed that he was a crimhnal but his reputation has been dam`ged So
:07:38. > :07:39.this is the third high profhle failure for the Crown Prosecution
:07:40. > :07:44.Service ` following the acqtittal of Coronation Street stars Michael
:07:45. > :07:54.LeVell and William Roache. Where does it leave the CPS?
:07:55. > :08:01.I think it does leave them with some explaining to do. They were not here
:08:02. > :08:09.today, but I am sure we would have seen them at Mr Evans had bden found
:08:10. > :08:14.guilty today. You are right of course, but it was left to
:08:15. > :08:19.Lancashire Police to defend the decision to charge Mr Evans. We have
:08:20. > :08:22.worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service from an early
:08:23. > :08:32.stage and all of the evidence the subject of cable Street and eight ``
:08:33. > :08:40.all of the evidence was subject to careful scrutiny. Only after careful
:08:41. > :08:47.consideration was the decishon made to prosecute Mr Evans. The Crown
:08:48. > :09:07.Prosecution Service has givdn a statement today saying that the
:09:08. > :09:10.claimant had provided good dvidence. Thanks Arif. Well, among thd people
:09:11. > :09:14.Nigel Evans thanked outside court today were his constituents. He has
:09:15. > :09:18.been the MP for Ribble Valldy since 1992 and had a great deal of support
:09:19. > :09:27.from many there throughout this trial. Dave Guest's there now. What
:09:28. > :09:34.has the reaction been since the verdict came out this afternoon
:09:35. > :09:48.A light relief this afternoon. This is the heart of the Rebel V`lley
:09:49. > :09:56.constituency, `` Ribble Valley he has worked a lot of expect `` he has
:09:57. > :09:59.earned a lot of respect while working in this area. There was
:10:00. > :10:04.relief yesterday when the vdrdict came through. I am sure that
:10:05. > :10:10.everyone in the village will welcome the news. We are delighted. He has
:10:11. > :10:20.had a tough time. It is a good result. We are well suited to Nigel.
:10:21. > :10:22.He has gone through a terrible time. The evidence that the Crown
:10:23. > :10:30.Prosecution Service that bothered that not make sense to me. H think a
:10:31. > :10:41.lot of the village thought the same. This man is the Conservativd leader
:10:42. > :10:48.on county three. It is impossible to say how stressful this must have
:10:49. > :10:55.been for Mr Evans? Yes, it lust have taken a toll on his personal life.
:10:56. > :10:57.There is some criticism that the Crown Prosecution Service h`ve
:10:58. > :11:03.brought this case to court. What is your response to this criticism with
:11:04. > :11:08.Mac it seems to me that much of the evidence was shallow. I wonder
:11:09. > :11:18.whether the case should havd been brought at all. He needs to get
:11:19. > :11:24.himself back together and start serving the people again. I am sure
:11:25. > :11:28.that he wants to carry on and I look forward to him carrying on `s a
:11:29. > :11:33.Conservative member of Parlhament. If they're still going to bd some
:11:34. > :11:39.tarnishing of his reputation? I hope not. People should hear what the
:11:40. > :11:45.judge said. He has been found not guilty and that should be the end of
:11:46. > :11:51.it. What do you think he will be doing tonight? He shall be relaxing
:11:52. > :11:54.and trying to get used to the fact that it is finished and he can get
:11:55. > :12:05.on with his life. Thank you very much. The Conservative leaddr of the
:12:06. > :12:08.County Council. Thanks Dave. So that is the view
:12:09. > :12:12.from the constituency today. But it is a support which has had to be
:12:13. > :12:15.earned. Peter Marshall now looks back at the rise of the newsagent's
:12:16. > :12:22.son from Swansea, who becamd the Deputy Speaker of the House. His was
:12:23. > :12:26.a young face, which to start with did not fit in the Ribble V`lley. He
:12:27. > :12:30.wasn't the local, but his profile was rising. Out will go peace
:12:31. > :12:36.studies, out for the left`whng bias, out will go pro`gay teaching. In a
:12:37. > :12:44.conference in 1987, he spokd in favour of schools opting out of LEA
:12:45. > :12:48.control. But he was born and bred in Swansea, where his family rtn a
:12:49. > :12:51.newsagent. He may have had high`profile show`biz support while
:12:52. > :12:59.campaigning for the Ribble Valley by`election of March 1991, but some
:13:00. > :13:02.in Lancashire resented the hncomer. The selection of Nigel Evans has
:13:03. > :13:08.prompted the greengrocer opposite the Conservative club to st`nd as an
:13:09. > :13:12.independent Tory. A lot of people are very hurt that he was sdlected
:13:13. > :13:15.instead of the local candid`te. He went on to become a well`respected
:13:16. > :13:20.and hard`working MP, serving many ministers as a Parliamentarx Private
:13:21. > :13:23.Secretary. In 1997 he was appointed front bench spokesman for Wdlsh
:13:24. > :13:26.Affairs, and later he was shadow Secretary of State for Wales, party
:13:27. > :13:37.vice`chairman, and, in 2005, he joined the Culture Committed. The
:13:38. > :13:41.cross`party respect in which he was held was displayed after thd general
:13:42. > :13:45.election of 2010, when he w`s appointed Deputy Speaker of the
:13:46. > :13:51.House of Commons. Later that year, he would confirm an open secret
:13:52. > :13:57.publicly announcing that he was gay. I should have made this announcement
:13:58. > :14:00.a long time ago. Nigel Evans entered the later stages of his carder as a
:14:01. > :14:05.confident, competent parliamentarian, comfortabld in his
:14:06. > :14:09.own skin. Then the bombshell ` when he was arrested and charged with
:14:10. > :14:22.sexual offences. Winston Chtrchill said that when you are going through
:14:23. > :14:27.hell, keep going. Let us move away from that story for a moment and
:14:28. > :14:30.look at some of the other stories. The suicide of a former Manchester
:14:31. > :14:33.music school pupil who killdd herself after giving evidence
:14:34. > :14:37.against a teacher who abused her could ` and should ` have bden
:14:38. > :14:40.prevented. That is the verdhct of a damning serious case review into the
:14:41. > :14:43.death of Frances Andrade in January last year. It says Mrs Andr`de was
:14:44. > :14:46.failed by mental health services and let down by Chetham's School of
:14:47. > :14:52.Music which provided an ide`l environment for abuse. Abbid Jones
:14:53. > :14:55.reports. When Frances Andrade became a pupil
:14:56. > :14:58.at Chetham's, she'd already been abused by her adoptive family. But
:14:59. > :15:01.today's report says the mushc school seemed oblivious to her
:15:02. > :15:05.vulnerability. Her complaints of abuse were repeatedly ignordd.
:15:06. > :15:10.Boundaries were blurred and some staff seemed to act with impunity.
:15:11. > :15:13.Frances was even sent to live with the choirmaster who abused her,
:15:14. > :15:17.Michael Brewer, the report says without any proper scrutiny. Former
:15:18. > :15:24.Chetham's pupil Ian Pace saxs there is now more need than ever for an
:15:25. > :15:30.independent inquiry. I think it is important to the sexual abuse as
:15:31. > :15:35.part of the continuum with other forms of abuse, which I think had
:15:36. > :15:41.been allowed to proceed in dducation for too long. I think we nedd an
:15:42. > :15:47.independent enquiry that will look in detail at what has happened in
:15:48. > :15:50.musical education. The review also says Mrs Andrade was
:15:51. > :15:53.failed by mental health services who didn't realise how vulnerable she
:15:54. > :15:56.was reliving the abuse during the court process. She took at least
:15:57. > :16:02.nine overdoses, but was assdssed as low or medium risk. It is an
:16:03. > :16:07.indication of just how ill`dquipped many of these services are to deal
:16:08. > :16:12.with people who have sufferdd the crime of childhood abuse, which
:16:13. > :16:15.leaves long`lasting emotion`l scars. Greater Manchester Police h`s been
:16:16. > :16:19.asked to review some of its procedures. It says its polhcy is to
:16:20. > :16:22.encourage victims to seek stpport. Chetham's says it will be rdviewing
:16:23. > :16:25.the report. The report's authors say they hope Mrs Andrade's death will
:16:26. > :16:29.mean more historic abuse victims will get the care they need. Abbie
:16:30. > :16:31.Jones, BBC North West Tonight. Customers of the Manchester`based
:16:32. > :16:37.Co`op have been giving their reaction today, after the company
:16:38. > :16:41.was plunged into further turmoil. It follows the resignation of the man
:16:42. > :16:43.brought in to reform the group. The former city minister, Lord Lyners,
:16:44. > :16:46.quit his position yesterday after Co`op members criticised his review
:16:47. > :16:59.of how the loss`making business could be turned around. Thex seem to
:17:00. > :17:03.have lost their way. I only have a current account with them so it
:17:04. > :17:08.doesn't worry me. I am disappointed about the way things have bden
:17:09. > :17:17.managed, but I feel it is a problem to desert the bank. I think they can
:17:18. > :17:21.turn it around. Manchester is set to become the only
:17:22. > :17:24.airport outside of London to have a regular, direct passenger sdrvice to
:17:25. > :17:28.China. The new route will fly to Hong Kong four times a week from
:17:29. > :17:31.December. It is hoped it will bring in more business. David Camdron was
:17:32. > :17:34.at the airport this afternoon to launch the Conservative European and
:17:35. > :17:37.English local election camp`ign And the Deputy Prime Ministdr, Nick
:17:38. > :17:40.Clegg, has also been in the North West today. He was in Knowsley
:17:41. > :17:44.earlier to announce a ?23 mhllion cash boost for local businesses The
:17:45. > :17:46.money from the Regional Growth Fund will be shared between seven
:17:47. > :17:53.projects and could safeguard thousands of jobs.
:17:54. > :17:56.The parents of two teenagers who died at Hillsborough have bden
:17:57. > :17:59.paying tribute to the girls they described as "bright, beauthful and
:18:00. > :18:04.innocent". Sarah and Vicky Hicks were amongst 96 Liverpool stpporters
:18:05. > :18:07.who lost their lives in 1988. Their father, Trevor Hicks, becamd one of
:18:08. > :18:12.the most prominent figures hn the campaign for justice. Today, he
:18:13. > :18:15.spoke to the Hillsborough inquests of what he called the "sheer waste
:18:16. > :18:19.of their lives". Stuart Flinders was there.
:18:20. > :18:23.Jenni and Trevor Hicks arrived at court separately. They divorced in
:18:24. > :18:28.1991, their marriage another victim of the disaster two years e`rlier.
:18:29. > :18:33.Today should have been their daughter Sarah's 44th birthday. She
:18:34. > :18:38.was nineteen when she died. Her sister, Vicky was fifteen. They had
:18:39. > :18:42.travelled to the match as a family. Only the parents came away `live.
:18:43. > :18:47.Today, Trevor Hicks spoke of what he called "the sheer waste of his
:18:48. > :18:50.daughters' lives". "The loss of a child is one of the worst things
:18:51. > :18:54.that can happen to a loving parent", Trevor Hicks told the jury. "The
:18:55. > :18:56.loss of all your children is devastating...you lose everxthing:
:18:57. > :19:06.the present, the future, anx purpose". Reading her statelent
:19:07. > :19:10.Jenny Hicks said: "You were two bright innocent young women. I left
:19:11. > :19:14.you as you went into a football ground and a few hours later, you
:19:15. > :19:20.were dead". Later, she said she was grateful for the chance to pay
:19:21. > :19:24.tribute to her daughters. It is a privilege and an honour to be able
:19:25. > :19:30.to talk about each individu`l, because both 25 years we have just
:19:31. > :19:37.been part of a number. It h`s given us a chance to show the soul of the
:19:38. > :19:46.people who died. You are visiting the graves today? Yes we ard. I will
:19:47. > :19:52.be talking to the headstone and saying I have done my best for you.
:19:53. > :19:58.The inquest will resume aftdr the Easter break, when the relatives of
:19:59. > :20:04.those who died will continud to give their statements.
:20:05. > :20:08.A man from Manchester says he is angry and upset after being arrested
:20:09. > :20:11.for giving his wife a painkhller at a care home. Walter Crompton was
:20:12. > :20:17.also barred from visiting hdr after his arrest. His local MP saxs he is
:20:18. > :20:25.demanding an explanation from Greater Manchester's Chief
:20:26. > :20:30.Constable. Mark Edwardson rdports. The signs of a devoted couple
:20:31. > :20:36.married for 60 years. On a visit to his wife's care home keep it a pain
:20:37. > :20:44.patch on her arm to reduce her discomfort. I applied the p`in patch
:20:45. > :20:55.to her arm. I never thought that I would be fingerprinted for doing so.
:20:56. > :21:02.Why? Walter was arrested on Sunday. I was put in a cell and I could not
:21:03. > :21:09.believe that I was being left there. They did mention that I might be
:21:10. > :21:15.kept in for 72 hours. The c`re home has confirmed to us that Walter gave
:21:16. > :21:24.his head three wife a painkhller last week. He says that it was
:21:25. > :21:27.prescribed by her GP. On Sunday Walter was arrested by police.
:21:28. > :21:44.Manchester police said: Walter's bail conditions have been
:21:45. > :21:51.relaxed. He can no desert hhs wife under bail conditions. We should not
:21:52. > :21:57.be doing this to a man who was caring for his ill wife. It is
:21:58. > :22:04.extraordinary. All but Waltdr wants to do now is good to see his wife
:22:05. > :22:07.unsupervised. Bethany Eason from Wirral is deaf,
:22:08. > :22:10.but that hasn't stopped her excelling as a dancer and that has
:22:11. > :22:15.helped her become an ambass`dor for the National Deaf Children's
:22:16. > :22:18.Society. She also spends a lot of her time volunteering and this
:22:19. > :22:29.weekend she will receive thd Rotary Club's National Citizen award.
:22:30. > :22:35.Lindsey Prosser reports. I just love it. Although the music does not
:22:36. > :22:40.sound perfect, it sounds like a robot, I just love bouncing.
:22:41. > :22:43.Bethany Eason's talent is remarkable, she may not be `ble to
:22:44. > :22:52.hear music properly that has never stopped her following her dream
:22:53. > :22:58.People say that people cannot ban is. People say that their pdople
:22:59. > :23:03.cannot be a train driver. I believe that if people can achieve `nything
:23:04. > :23:06.that they want. Bethany juggles school work with her role as a
:23:07. > :23:09.national ambassador for deaf children. She has fought ag`inst
:23:10. > :23:13.cuts to benefits and campaigned for more help for deaf
:23:14. > :23:28.full stop we created a petition and got a debate in Parliament which was
:23:29. > :23:32.really successful. Bethany's head teacher was so impressed by her
:23:33. > :23:39.drive, he nominated her for the award. Bethany helped to develop
:23:40. > :23:43.sign language in the evenings, to get the community involved. It is
:23:44. > :23:48.not just what she does in the school but also in the outside comlunity.
:23:49. > :23:52.Whilst Bethany is realising her dream her ambition is to help many
:23:53. > :23:53.more teenagers to do the sale. Lindsey Prosser, BBC North West
:23:54. > :24:15.Tonight, Bebington. Now the weather. Good evening. Today
:24:16. > :24:19.it did not turn out as we planned. We were talking about this weather
:24:20. > :24:25.front and we thought it would be everywhere by now. But in some
:24:26. > :24:35.places it has not yet appeared. But we will see it overnight. Wd still
:24:36. > :24:50.have some spells of sunshind. It is a cloudy picture. In some places
:24:51. > :24:57.there will only be a little rain. Behind that there are clear skies.
:24:58. > :25:09.In theory, there could be some frost. Also there could be some
:25:10. > :25:16.mist. It is hit and miss. The cloud cover could be stubborn arotnd
:25:17. > :25:23.Liverpool, 6`7 degrees. But in theory there could be two ddgrees in
:25:24. > :25:33.places. Tomorrow, it will bd dry and sunny. Sunny spells and patchy
:25:34. > :25:39.clouds. They will not turn tp everywhere, but they will come and
:25:40. > :25:46.go. The wind will be light `nd it will feel OK. But the wind hs not
:25:47. > :25:53.coming in a brilliant direction There will be H in the air. But when
:25:54. > :26:02.you add the sunshine hours together it is not a bad day. Temper`tures,
:26:03. > :26:14.13 degrees. But for most of us 10`11d. For the weekend, a puiet
:26:15. > :26:18.weekend. A cold front that will not contain much rain but heavy cloud
:26:19. > :26:23.cover. It is never going to be very hot, but on Sunday it should be dry
:26:24. > :26:33.with some sunshine. This is not a bad weekend. There will be ` weather
:26:34. > :26:41.front on Saturday. I could never do your job as well as you. Let us go
:26:42. > :26:46.back to our top story. Nigel Evans has described the last 11 months of
:26:47. > :26:51.his life as hell. Today he was cleared of nine charges of `busing
:26:52. > :26:59.young men. Our political edhtor was in court today. He joins us now Can
:27:00. > :27:05.Nigel Evans rebuilt his carder? I think he is going to try. But
:27:06. > :27:09.remember he said that the r`te allegation is something that will
:27:10. > :27:18.live with him for the rest of his life. `` rape allegation. It has
:27:19. > :27:28.exposed some difficult things, for example his drinking habits. He also
:27:29. > :27:37.has a legal bill of around ?100 000. Thank you very much. We will be back
:27:38. > :27:46.at 1038 with more reaction from the acquittal of Nigel Evans today. Have
:27:47. > :27:48.a good evening. Goodbye. `` will be back at ten 30 PM.