:00:00. > :00:00.calls for UN peacekeepers to be sent in. That's all from the BBC News
:00:00. > :00:12.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight. Our top story: Fresh claims
:00:13. > :00:14.of a cover up in the Cyril Smith sex abuse case ` did "higher
:00:15. > :00:19.authorities" block the investigations? A serving MP claims
:00:20. > :00:25.police were aware of more than 44 complaints.
:00:26. > :00:30.Also tonight: 14 years in j`il for the spiteful road rage killdr who
:00:31. > :00:34.caused the death of another driver. Molly's wishlist ` a visit to the
:00:35. > :00:42.zoo for the little girl with so much to see before she loses her sight.
:00:43. > :00:44.And red heaven. Liverpool close in on a first title for a quarter of a
:00:45. > :01:13.century. There are fresh claims of a cover`up
:01:14. > :01:17.in allegations of sex abuse against Cyril Smith.
:01:18. > :01:21.It's been claimed police were aware of more than 144 complaints of abuse
:01:22. > :01:24.against the former Rochdale MP and another man, still alive today. A
:01:25. > :01:26.new book by a current North West MP suggests 'higher authorities'
:01:27. > :01:36.blocked the investigations, allowing Smith to get away with his crimes
:01:37. > :01:40.for longer. Here's Jayne McCubbin. He was a big character. But was he
:01:41. > :01:43.too big, too important, to dxpose as a child abuser? This book, by
:01:44. > :01:46.Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk, has explosive revelations about the
:01:47. > :01:54.scale of abuse, and about those who knew it was happening but dhd
:01:55. > :01:57.nothing. Today we spoke to one of the police officers intervidwed He
:01:58. > :02:00.said they were well aware of abuse. In the 80s he and his colle`gues
:02:01. > :02:06.were told more than 144 alldgations had been made against Smith and
:02:07. > :02:13.another high profile name. But there were no convictions. They g`ve it as
:02:14. > :02:16.an example of just how much evidence you need to get high profild people
:02:17. > :02:19.convicted ` people with mondy. 44 complaints would be enough to
:02:20. > :02:29.convict a normal person but not Cyril Smith. ? Officers werd told
:02:30. > :02:33.not to repeat that informathon. You were curious weren't you, you wanted
:02:34. > :02:36.to know why ` so you called Rochdale Police... What did they say? They
:02:37. > :02:39.were frustrated. They were confident the case was watertight. Thdn it
:02:40. > :02:43.went nowhere. So who knew? Who failed to act? Who told thel not to
:02:44. > :02:51.act? Today's headlines suggdsted a Liberal Party conspiracy. Nhck Clegg
:02:52. > :03:02.was quick to respond. This took place well before the party I'm now
:03:03. > :03:06.leading existed. Before I existed. Just how many boys were abused?
:03:07. > :03:10.There are calls for a Jimmy Saville style inquiry across all police
:03:11. > :03:14.forces. Today police confirled Smith is one of 11 suspects they `re now
:03:15. > :03:23.investigating for abuse at this children's home. Those who were
:03:24. > :03:26.responsible for the care of these boys ` they are the ones who have
:03:27. > :03:30.questions to answer about why they were so badly let down. Why weren't
:03:31. > :03:38.boys protected? A local authority report is published next month. The
:03:39. > :03:41.police inquiry is ongoing. The former Ribble Valley MP Nigel
:03:42. > :03:44.Evans says innocent people who are "dragged through the courts"
:03:45. > :03:49.shouldn't face "financial rtin" after he was cleared of a ntmber of
:03:50. > :03:51.sex assaults. Speaking on ITV's Daybreak this morning, the
:03:52. > :03:54.Conservative MP called for the Crown Prosecution Service to repax his
:03:55. > :04:17.?130,000 legal expenses aftdr he said the case had cost him his
:04:18. > :04:22.entire life savings. The le`d people who are dragged through the courts
:04:23. > :04:28.should take reasonable costs back. `` should get.
:04:29. > :04:31.The solicitor representing Nigel Evans has confirmed to the BBC that
:04:32. > :04:35.Mr Evans never applied for legal aid, saying he felt it wasn't
:04:36. > :04:38.appropriate for him to burddn the public purse with his defence costs.
:04:39. > :04:40.A paralysed woman from Liverpool ` who spent her compensation
:04:41. > :04:45.settlement paying for care that should have been funded by the NHS `
:04:46. > :04:48.has won a battle to have thd money repaid. Gemma Quinn severed her
:04:49. > :04:52.spinal cord 22 years ago in a car accident and has needed round the
:04:53. > :04:55.clock medical care ever since. Abbie Jones reports. Gemma Quinn `nd her
:04:56. > :04:58.legal advisors have been working for this refund for two years. Hn 2 00
:04:59. > :05:03.she won ?3.9 million in compensation. She's paid for her
:05:04. > :05:10.care from that ever since. But she didn't know the NHS should have
:05:11. > :05:13.covered that ongoing cost. By 2 10 the money, and her care, ran out. ??
:05:14. > :05:28.YELLOW It was quite desperate at times. It felt like it would never
:05:29. > :05:33.end. I didn't have any independence. For the first time in a verx, very
:05:34. > :05:36.long time I feel like I can plan things again. She's received some
:05:37. > :05:39.compensation for the amount she had paid out from 2004. But also, she's
:05:40. > :05:42.now receiving a personal he`lth budget which means that Gemla is
:05:43. > :05:45.awarded the money herself and can employ her own team of spechalist
:05:46. > :05:48.supporters. Gemma's original compensation ran out becausd she had
:05:49. > :05:51.to pay for daily care, like getting dressed, for her home to be adapted,
:05:52. > :05:55.her education outside of mahnstream schooling and also for medical
:05:56. > :05:58.treatment. Treatment at clinics like this, which hope to help her regain
:05:59. > :06:01.some mobility. Liverpool Clhnical Commission Group, which dechded the
:06:02. > :06:04.money should be repaid, says there were inconsistencies nation`lly in
:06:05. > :06:12.the past, in the way care ddcisions were made. Gemma says the rdfund
:06:13. > :06:15.will now secure her future. I feel like I can have a future, and make a
:06:16. > :06:30.potential positive contribution to society, which is all I ever wanted.
:06:31. > :06:33.A man's appeared in court charged with the murder of a two`ye`r`old
:06:34. > :06:36.girl in Blackpool. Kacey Halbleton died after suffering a numbdr of
:06:37. > :06:46.serious injuries at her homd on Granby Avenue. Connor Gibson ` who's
:06:47. > :06:49.23 ` was remanded in custodx. A nurse accused of murdering three
:06:50. > :06:52.patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport has been refusdd bail
:06:53. > :06:55.at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court. Victorino Chua also faces 31
:06:56. > :06:59.other charges. A new teenage cancer unit h`s been
:07:00. > :07:01.opened at the Christie Hosphtal in Manchester. United stars Waxne
:07:02. > :07:04.Rooney, Juan Mata and Tom Cleverley kicked`off the event, opening the
:07:05. > :07:07.dedicated gym which has been funded by the club. It's hoped the ?12
:07:08. > :07:19.million unit will transform treatment and care for young
:07:20. > :07:22.patients. Disneyland Paris, Egypt and
:07:23. > :07:25.Blackpool. Just some of the places six`year`old Molly from Manchester
:07:26. > :07:28.wants to see before she goes blind. Molly has a genetic eye condition
:07:29. > :07:32.which is gradually causing her to lose her sight. She's drawn up a
:07:33. > :07:35.list of things to see beford it s too late, and today Molly's been in
:07:36. > :07:43.Blackpool fulfilling one of her wishes. Naomi Cornwell reports.
:07:44. > :07:47.While others watched through the glass, six`year`old Molly w`s
:07:48. > :07:59.allowed to get a closer view of the monkeys at Blackpool Zoo today. And
:08:00. > :08:07.their dinner. They're eating! Maybe they think I'm a leopard! This was
:08:08. > :08:11.more than just an Easter holiday day out. Molly's parents, Eve and Chris,
:08:12. > :08:24.hope she'll remember this for the rest of her life. I want to see
:08:25. > :08:36.everything I can before I go blind! This runs in my family. She was
:08:37. > :08:40.diagnosed this year. We wanted to create a bank of memories for her.
:08:41. > :08:49.It's just one wish fulfilled from a long list of things Molly hopes to
:08:50. > :09:03.see while she still can. Egxpt. . Disneyland... It started off
:09:04. > :09:18.initially as my friends wanting to help. It's gone from there! We could
:09:19. > :09:40.never have taken her on these trips. Now it's possible. All thanks to the
:09:41. > :09:43.donations. A real character A man who caused the death of
:09:44. > :09:46.another driver during a road rage incident is beginning a 14`xear jail
:09:47. > :09:49.term this lunchtime. It was the second time someone has died as a
:09:50. > :10:06.result of Colin Scarisbrick's driving. Two drivers all calls for a
:10:07. > :10:16.calamity. `` on course. Colhn Scarisbrick was a man who I would
:10:17. > :10:28.describe as a danger on the road. Driving the other car, a re`l family
:10:29. > :10:39.man. Jeff urgent. He would do anything for anybody. There had been
:10:40. > :10:44.an altercation between the two of them and Colin Scarisbrick would not
:10:45. > :10:52.let it go. Colin Scarisbrick's vehicle clipped the other c`r. It
:10:53. > :11:01.hit the safety barrier and then flipped onto its side and hht a lamp
:11:02. > :11:05.post. Colin Scarisbrick simply drove off as they are the other m`n lay
:11:06. > :11:15.dying. He was seen on CCTV driving away. What do you think of Colin
:11:16. > :11:26.Scarisbrick? I don't give hhm a minute of my time. A J Liverpool
:11:27. > :11:29.convicted Colin Scarisbrick of dangerous driving. He had sdrved
:11:30. > :11:52.time for a similar offence lore than a date to go. He was sentenced to 14
:11:53. > :11:58.years. Outside court, the woman said she was delighted with the outcome.
:11:59. > :12:01.The horror and scale of the holocaust, in which millions died,
:12:02. > :12:04.has been portrayed in art m`ny times. And sometimes the silplest of
:12:05. > :12:07.art forms can pack the most powerful punch. Paintings by young children
:12:08. > :12:11.made while in a Nazi concentration camp are on display in St Annes near
:12:12. > :12:14.Blackpool. Peter Marshall h`s been to see them alongside one Fxlde
:12:15. > :12:18.Coast resident who lost his family when they were sent to the camp
:12:19. > :12:21.They're not drawn by expert hand. No elaborate frames. Just scraps of
:12:22. > :12:33.salvaged paper. What they show is clear. Fear. To me they showed fear.
:12:34. > :12:36.`` shout fear. Werner Conn knows where they were drawn ` the Terezin
:12:37. > :12:39.concentration camp near Prague, a transit camp for those who would end
:12:40. > :12:44.up at Auschwitz. It's where his father and mother, and his little
:12:45. > :12:48.brother Herbert, were sent. It's pretty obvious they had wishes and
:12:49. > :12:58.dreams of where they would like to be and what they would like to do.
:12:59. > :13:05.They show life in the camp: armed guards, inmates with yellow stars,
:13:06. > :13:11.playgrounds... 'No jews allowed . The concept is so inhuman. Werner
:13:12. > :13:13.survived because his parents got him out of Germany before the w`r
:13:14. > :13:21.started, in the kindertransport rescue mission. 200 boys and girls,
:13:22. > :13:25.greeted to England. Werner's parents and brother didn't survive. And
:13:26. > :13:36.that's why these images are so important. People who don't know
:13:37. > :13:46.about it... They need to he`r about it. They need to know that these
:13:47. > :14:09.kind of things still go on today. The images are on display at the
:14:10. > :14:14.Island Cinema in St Anne's. One more month to go in the Premier
:14:15. > :14:18.League season, and maybe yesterday's big match at Anfield was a pointer
:14:19. > :14:24.to who's going to win it thhs year. Stuart Flinders is here with the
:14:25. > :14:26.sport. Emotions were high at Anfield
:14:27. > :14:29.yesterday, not least becausd this week sees the 25th annivers`ry of
:14:30. > :14:32.the Hillsborough Disaster. @ minute's silence was observdd before
:14:33. > :14:35.kick`off. The last ball in this season's Premier League campaign
:14:36. > :14:38.won't be kicked until the 10th of May, but Liverpool's victorx over
:14:39. > :14:44.Manchester City yesterday m`y turn out to have been the decisive
:14:45. > :14:47.fixture. Liverpool are chashng their first title in 24 years, and in a
:14:48. > :14:54.breathtaking opening half hour City couldn't keep up with them. Sterling
:14:55. > :15:00.put Liverpool ahead. Martin Skrtl made it two. In the second half
:15:01. > :15:05.City asserted themselves. D`vid Silva made it 2`1. Five minttes
:15:06. > :15:09.later, an own goal brought City level. Coutinho's decider c`me after
:15:10. > :15:17.an uncharacteristic mistake by Vincent Kompany. We need to keep
:15:18. > :15:21.calm. There are still four big games to come. But that meant so luch `
:15:22. > :15:25.especially when they got back into the game. We feared the worst at
:15:26. > :15:29.that point, but I think we showed that we're going to go down to the
:15:30. > :15:33.wire. We're going to go all the way. Nothing's won yet but that was as
:15:34. > :15:38.big a statement as we've made so far. For some weeks now there's been
:15:39. > :15:41.a growing sense here on Merseyside that his could be Liverpool's year.
:15:42. > :15:52.But even after yesterday, nobody's taking anything for granted. Fingers
:15:53. > :16:00.crossed, who knows. Chelsea have been a good side, but not that good.
:16:01. > :16:04.It's going to be a close call. Are Liverpool going to win the title
:16:05. > :16:12.this year? Well, we're Evertonians! But I think they are, yeah. Will
:16:13. > :16:17.that break your heart? No! Xeah You don't mind them winning the title?
:16:18. > :16:22.Not at all! I don't want thdm to win, but they deserve to win!
:16:23. > :16:28.Liverpool's fate is in their own hands.
:16:29. > :16:32.Even the Evertonians think they re going to do it. The last tile
:16:33. > :16:34.Liverpool won the title was 199 , before the Premier League h`d
:16:35. > :16:50.started. Liverpool's captain back then was Ronnie Whelan, who is our
:16:51. > :17:10.guest tonight. Do you think of appeal will do it? `` Liverpool
:17:11. > :17:16.What do you make of this incident? It would have been a penaltx but for
:17:17. > :17:34.the fall at the end. What about Suarez? I think he could have stayed
:17:35. > :17:45.on his feet. The dive gives it away. Maybe the problem happened hn the
:17:46. > :17:56.first half when Suarez went down? This is the bad side of Suarez. He
:17:57. > :18:08.has to be careful. You don't need him sent off at this stage. Let s
:18:09. > :18:21.look at the table. Man City have games in hand but you'd rather be in
:18:22. > :18:30.Liverpool's position. Here `re the fixtures. Everton could do them a
:18:31. > :18:47.favour! Liverpool have to bdat Chelsea. They're capable... But I
:18:48. > :18:50.don't know! Lots of big gamds left. And you can hear more from Ronnie
:18:51. > :18:53.Whelan on Five Live's Mondax Night Club which starts at 7pm.
:18:54. > :18:57.Wigan are desperately unlucky not to be on their way to another cup
:18:58. > :19:00.final. They were knocked out of the competition on penalties yesterday.
:19:01. > :19:03.The Latics beat three Premidr League teams in earlier rounds and were on
:19:04. > :19:06.the verge of another famous victory against Arsenal. Callum McM`naman
:19:07. > :19:09.was brought down for a second half penalty which Jordi Gomez scored.
:19:10. > :19:13.Wigan held on until eight mhnutes from time when the Gunners dqualised
:19:14. > :19:23.before going on to win 4`2 on penalties.
:19:24. > :19:26.Tonight's BBC Late Kick Off looks back on an agonising weekend for
:19:27. > :19:30.Burnley, so close to promothon to the Premier League, but not quite
:19:31. > :19:34.there yet. You can also catch up on all the goals from our Football
:19:35. > :19:43.League clubs. Late Kick Off is on BBC One at 11:30pm.
:19:44. > :19:46.Thank you. If you're a regular viewer, you ll
:19:47. > :19:52.know we've followed the progress of marathon runner Bryn Hughes. He ran
:19:53. > :19:56.on the snowy slopes of The Chill Factor, and in a giant freezer, all
:19:57. > :19:59.in preparation for the North Pole Marathon last week. Bryn was running
:20:00. > :20:02.the world's coolest marathon in memory of his daughter Nicola. I'm
:20:03. > :20:05.sure you remember Nicola and her colleague Fiona Bone were the two
:20:06. > :20:08.police officers murdered whhle on duty in 2012. Bryn endured
:20:09. > :20:11.temperatures as low as `37 Celsius to raise money for children who ve
:20:12. > :20:29.lost a close family member because of violent crime. He made it. There
:20:30. > :20:47.we go! How tough was it? Extremely! It was really, really cold. We
:20:48. > :20:56.trained for lots of laps. Even though it's the same distance, 2
:20:57. > :21:07.laps seemed like so much. What was the hardest thing? It was lhke
:21:08. > :21:26.running on sand mixed with treacle. It drained you. Really drained you.
:21:27. > :21:37.All with a view to raising loney to help young people in Nicola's name?
:21:38. > :21:49.What got me through was how we would help children. I had to put one foot
:21:50. > :22:00.in front of the other. We w`nt them to get through what they're going
:22:01. > :22:10.through. I remember you sayhng Nicola told you that you weren't
:22:11. > :22:19.Peter Pan! Well I wish I cotld've flown out at some stages! Any more
:22:20. > :22:27.running for you? There are plans... Watch this space!
:22:28. > :22:29.It's 50 years since the Britain in Bloom competition was launched, and
:22:30. > :22:34.across the region hundreds of volunteers will be working on
:22:35. > :22:37.transforming our public spaces. But they don't just make areas look
:22:38. > :22:40.pretty, they can bring commtnities together. Our reporter Judy Hobson
:22:41. > :22:43.is in Wavertree in Liverpool where two residents known as the gardening
:22:44. > :22:54.grannies have turned a dangdrous derelict space into a community
:22:55. > :23:05.garden. You said you were h`nging around in an alleyway in Liverpool
:23:06. > :23:13.bu at least it's a pretty one! It didn't always look like this. It was
:23:14. > :23:25.full of rubbish. This mail hs wonderful now. `` The smell. It has
:23:26. > :23:37.been transformed. I am joindd by the gardening grannies! Real did this
:23:38. > :23:55.idea come from? `` Where did this idea come from? We needed a bath to
:23:56. > :24:01.plant things. It went on and on How is it a community asset? It has
:24:02. > :24:15.brought the community closer together. In the summer we have all
:24:16. > :24:27.the grill assault. `` all of the umbrellas up. You must spend a lot
:24:28. > :24:39.of time here? Yes. It is not easy work. Thank you. These ladids have
:24:40. > :24:48.won the Britain in Bloom colpetition for the last eight years. That is
:24:49. > :24:59.brilliant. It was a good wedkend for gardening. I don't see you digging
:25:00. > :25:11.in the dirt! You might be strprised! gardening. I don't see you digging
:25:12. > :25:25.in the dirt! You might be The wind direction was not that feashble
:25:26. > :25:33.today. `` favourable. We ard back to the high pressure but changhng wind
:25:34. > :25:42.directions. It is a lovely dnd to the D at the moment. `` the day
:25:43. > :25:55.Overnight there is not legally due of cloud cover around. `` a great
:25:56. > :26:08.deal of. Temperatures could be down to zero. Tomorrow, it's a chilly
:26:09. > :26:18.feel. Possibly a pocket of list It's patchy cloud and sunny spells.
:26:19. > :26:29.That's the predominant feattre. A nice looking day. The whole feel of
:26:30. > :26:47.tomorrow won't be as sharp. Highs of 15. It's not wall to wall stnshine.
:26:48. > :26:54.Temperatures are eventually falling down.
:26:55. > :27:08.We did not get a look at yotr middle. `` medal. You can ilagine
:27:09. > :27:10.that at minus 37! Happy Vaisakhi to all our Shkh
:27:11. > :27:15.viewers! Goodnight.