:00:00. > 3:59:59Nick Clegg tells his supporters to stand firm, dismissing talk
:00:00. > :00:07.of a Welcome to North West Tonight with
:00:08. > :00:11.Beccy Meehan and Roger Johnson. Life in prison
:00:12. > :00:14.for the killer who plotted his alibi over a bag of chips moments
:00:15. > :00:18.after stabbing a man to death. Wayne Smith killed Jonathan Britton
:00:19. > :00:21.because he was dating his ex`wife. Unions claim plans to reduce
:00:22. > :00:31.ambulance cover will put lives This man killed two
:00:32. > :00:33.serving soldiers. We reveal the mistakes
:00:34. > :00:47.which allowed him to get a job I don't understand why it has taken
:00:48. > :01:10.such a long time for this to be brought out into the open.
:01:11. > :01:12.A jealous husband from Merseyside who murdered
:01:13. > :01:16.his estranged wife's partner has been jailed for at least 28 years.
:01:17. > :01:23.Wayne Smith stabbed Jon Britton on the doorstep of his home at
:01:24. > :01:27.Smith was caught on CCTV telling a friend about what he'd done.
:01:28. > :01:30.He also used his friend to back up a false alibi that they'd been
:01:31. > :01:33.playing war games on the night of the murder.
:01:34. > :01:36.Andy Gill is at Liverpool Crown Court for us now.
:01:37. > :01:45.Andy, tell us more about why Wayne Smith killed Jon Britton.
:01:46. > :01:55.Wayne Smith is an IT engineer from Birkenhead. He stabbed Jon Britton
:01:56. > :02:02.to death in December last year. The court was told that Jon Britton was
:02:03. > :02:09.in a relationship with Wayne Smith's estranged wife. The
:02:10. > :02:11.prosecution service say that he Wayne Smith could not cope with the
:02:12. > :02:23.fact that his marriage had broken down. He was always suspicious man.
:02:24. > :02:30.He spied on her, he kept tabs on her. He set about inner core blood
:02:31. > :02:34.and premeditated way to kill Jon Britton.
:02:35. > :02:40.And Smith used a friend of his to help with an alibi?
:02:41. > :02:48.Yes, he was into war games played with a younger friend. He went to
:02:49. > :02:53.the his friend's house on the night of the murder. The pair were
:02:54. > :02:58.captured on a chip shop CCTV later that night, the moment when Wayne
:02:59. > :03:05.Smith told his friend what he had done. His friend seems visibly
:03:06. > :03:14.distressed. They made up stories to back`up the story that that is what
:03:15. > :03:20.we have been doing on the night. Eventually, the friend told police
:03:21. > :03:26.what had really happened. Wayne Smith had denied murder, but today
:03:27. > :03:30.he was convicted. The judge said he had spun a web of sophisticated lies
:03:31. > :03:36.to the jury. She sentenced him to life for the murder but said he
:03:37. > :03:39.would have two serve at least 28 years in jail before being
:03:40. > :03:47.considered for parole. Tonight, Jon Britton's family paid tribute to
:03:48. > :03:48.him, they said their lives had been changed irreversibly and time had
:03:49. > :03:52.not managed their pain. Union leaders say cuts to
:03:53. > :03:55.the region's ambulance service could There are plans to reduce
:03:56. > :03:58.the number of emergency vehicles available during
:03:59. > :04:00.the early hours to save money. Managers say it can be done without
:04:01. > :04:04.major risk but UNISON officials disagree as our Chief Reporter,
:04:05. > :04:14.Dave Guest, explains. It is a front`line emergency
:04:15. > :04:20.service. But in common with many other public services, it has two
:04:21. > :04:25.seed money. This year, this ambulance service as to save over
:04:26. > :04:29.?13 million. We have saved a similar amount of the last three years. We
:04:30. > :04:35.cannot take any more out without affecting the front line. The plan
:04:36. > :04:38.is to reduce the number of ambulances on call between midnight
:04:39. > :04:43.and 8am in some areas of the North West. In Bolton, they currently have
:04:44. > :04:52.four of these emergency ambulances on duty between midnight and 8am,
:04:53. > :04:56.but that'll be cut to three. But they say they will not be reducing
:04:57. > :05:00.the number of these rapid response vehicles they have out on the roads.
:05:01. > :05:07.Unison say the cuts could put lives at risk. If ambulance response times
:05:08. > :05:12.are longer, people with heart attacks and strokes will take longer
:05:13. > :05:19.to get to hospital for treatment. Time is of the essence. If someone
:05:20. > :05:24.is involved in a road accident, there treatment will be delayed. It
:05:25. > :05:31.has to mean a poor service. It will have an effect on patients at some
:05:32. > :05:38.point. We are trying to do with 999 calls definitely. Any of our
:05:39. > :05:43.paramedics will see that a lot of people they go to see do not need an
:05:44. > :05:48.ambulance. Can you guarantee people that if they need an ambulance
:05:49. > :05:54.during those hours, they will get one? They will get one. We have only
:05:55. > :06:02.produced small amount of cover after midnight. The ambulance service CV
:06:03. > :06:09.to `` say they do not want to make cuts, but their proposals are the
:06:10. > :06:17.best option. The family of a security guard who
:06:18. > :06:22.was jailed for killing two of his colleagues are calling for an
:06:23. > :06:30.enquiry as to why it happened. G4S Africa have been aware of
:06:31. > :06:40.crucial screening. Danny Kit Symons is serving a 20
:06:41. > :06:46.year prison sentence. He had been employed by security firm G4S even
:06:47. > :06:52.though on bail for a firearms offence and suffering from
:06:53. > :06:55.post`rheumatic stress disorder. Leaked documents appear to show that
:06:56. > :07:05.five months before the murder, two audits carried out which found that
:07:06. > :07:10.the company were only binding basic details and not carrying out all
:07:11. > :07:14.criminal checks. I would like to see a public enquiry. I do not
:07:15. > :07:18.understand why it has taken such a long time for this to be brought out
:07:19. > :07:26.into the open. There should be an enquiry immediately. Basic documents
:07:27. > :07:29.such as a completed application form and military references for missing
:07:30. > :07:37.file details on his personnel form were incomplete and inappropriate.
:07:38. > :07:40.G4S actually identified that their vetting procedures needed to be
:07:41. > :07:45.tightened up. But the people who were supposed to do the checking did
:07:46. > :07:51.not tighten it up. The mother of one of his victims is also calling for
:07:52. > :07:55.answers. Why would you put guns into the hands of men who had not been
:07:56. > :08:05.vetted properly, or screened properly? G4S said in light of the
:08:06. > :08:12.impending in quest, they were not commenting. We want to hear from G4S
:08:13. > :08:19.on this. The home affairs select committee have had the leadership of
:08:20. > :08:24.G4S for us. We still hold contracts of ?600 million with the Home
:08:25. > :08:32.Office. People say that time is a healer, but time is not a healer. It
:08:33. > :08:35.was on as time `` it gets worse as time goes on because you still
:08:36. > :08:42.firmly believe he will come home one day.
:08:43. > :08:48.patrols in Aintree after a man who got into an argument with a group of
:08:49. > :08:50.men was stabbed to death in the street.
:08:51. > :08:53.Officers were called to Melling Avenue near to the racecourse just
:08:54. > :08:57.before midnight, where they found the 33`year`old man unconscious. He
:08:58. > :09:07.He was taken to hospital but later died.
:09:08. > :09:10.because they couldn't afford food, according to Save The Children.
:09:11. > :09:13.The charity found one in 20 families had visited a foodbank,
:09:14. > :09:17.An online troll who's posted abuse about the Hillsborough disaster
:09:18. > :09:21.and the murder of toddler James Bulger says he won't co`operate with
:09:22. > :09:25.Old Holborn, whose real name is Robert Ambridge, says his online
:09:26. > :09:29.One of LS Lowry's finest works has gone up on display
:09:30. > :09:33.for the first time since it was painted over 50 years ago.
:09:34. > :09:35.Station Approach, which depicts Manchester's Exchange station, is
:09:36. > :09:38.expected to fetch up to ?3 million when it's auctioned next month.
:09:39. > :11:21.It's now on show at the Lowry in Salford.
:11:22. > :11:24.teacher. Some people will be appalled by that view. The teacher
:11:25. > :11:31.is going in the to teach, not to be hit in the face with a custard pie
:11:32. > :11:40.by someone who puts it on Facebook. This is a paper plate with fake
:11:41. > :11:42.cream. I have seen a young lad who I think will work hard to prove a
:11:43. > :11:48.point now and make amends. Jacob will be able to sit
:11:49. > :11:51.his A`Level exams at the school but it will go
:11:52. > :11:54.on record that he's been excluded. In a statment, the school,
:11:55. > :11:56.Altrincham Grammar, said his actions caused humilitation
:11:57. > :11:59.and said the school will always take a firm stance with students who
:12:00. > :12:04.assault staff in any way. A story that has got people talking
:12:05. > :12:23.today. On Facebook and Twitter. Still to come. Still laying around.
:12:24. > :12:29.Chickens are still on the loose. We did not imagine they could last
:12:30. > :12:33.out there. And revving up for the TT. Motor
:12:34. > :13:30.cycle fans start flocking to the Isle of Man.
:13:31. > :13:34.underwent a CT scan at the Royal Blackburn Hospital last July after
:13:35. > :13:38.years suffering with headaches. She was told it was clear, but has now
:13:39. > :13:43.learned part of her scan results, which showed an aneurysm, or a
:13:44. > :13:47.swelling of blood within an artery or vein, weren't passed on to
:13:48. > :13:50.doctors at the time. A month later, she collapsed with a haemorrhage.
:13:51. > :13:54.I could have been dead. I was told that very few people do actually
:13:55. > :13:57.make it to hospital. And knowing that just gives me the frights and
:13:58. > :14:01.I'm taking each day at a time. In a private meeting with hospital
:14:02. > :14:04.staff earlier this month, she was told the enhanced scan images taken
:14:05. > :14:08.in July weren't passed on at that time because of a computer failure.
:14:09. > :14:14.She's now received a letter from the hospital apologising.
:14:15. > :14:22.her life. The family has had to sell the fast food takeaway business they
:14:23. > :14:41.Yesterday, we told the the story of John Liver who, like thousands
:14:42. > :14:45.of men from the North West, didn't come home from the First World War.
:14:46. > :14:50.He was a relative of Graham Liver, the breakfast presenter at
:14:51. > :14:53.BBC Radio Lancashire, who went to Belgium to see where he fell.
:14:54. > :14:55.Tonight, Graham follows in the footsteps of
:14:56. > :15:05.Tom Liver who, just five days after John died, also lost his life.
:15:06. > :15:10.Happy, excited faces as yet unaware of the horrors they would face.
:15:11. > :15:13.Tom Liver signed up for the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment
:15:14. > :15:16.and survived the Somme, sent home through injury.
:15:17. > :15:20.Four months later, he returned to active duty in Belgium,
:15:21. > :15:55.They would have come up this rise behind us. Today, blocking our path
:15:56. > :15:58.is a housing estate. Like so many, family
:15:59. > :16:00.members found themselves fighting alongside each other. Tom was next
:16:01. > :16:03.to my great grandfather Thomas Henry. According to the war diary of
:16:04. > :16:06.that time, 26 September 1917, they fought hand`to`hand combat with the
:16:07. > :16:09.Germans for up to 11 hours, repelling two counter attacks that
:16:10. > :16:24.day and one the day after. You can't start to imagine what it must have
:16:25. > :16:29.Sadly, he died of those injuries and is buried here.
:16:30. > :16:31.Thousands of men never returned to the north`west,
:16:32. > :16:42.remembered just a few miles down the road at Passchendaele .
:16:43. > :16:46.Up until a few months ago, I knew nothing about John and Tom's
:16:47. > :16:49.story, now I am immensely proud that I am the only member
:16:50. > :17:07.of their family to visit their final resting place to pay my respects.
:17:08. > :17:39.We are building up to the start of the Isle of Man TT.
:17:40. > :17:42.They reckon 40,000 bike fans will travel to the island over
:17:43. > :17:46.That'll be the most for seven years and there are also plenty
:17:47. > :17:51.Morecambe's John McGuiness is just six short of Joey Dunlop's record
:17:52. > :17:55.He'll be hoping to eat into that and maybe even better
:17:56. > :17:59.his own lap record which was clocked at well over 131 miles per hour.
:18:00. > :18:01.The first race isn't until this weekend, but as
:18:02. > :18:07.Kelly Foran reports TT fans are already arriving in large numbers.
:18:08. > :18:10.The roaring of engines, the smell of petrol and the sight of
:18:11. > :18:17.It's that time of year for the TT races.
:18:18. > :18:21.People come from all over the world to watch their heroes racing around
:18:22. > :18:34.Some folk will say they are stupid, but they're not, they're brave,
:18:35. > :18:41.We come here, stay at a campsite, look at the races, enjoy the island.
:18:42. > :18:48.Some so dedicated, they come back year on year.
:18:49. > :19:01.This is the greatest event in the world.
:19:02. > :19:11.B and B is and campsites are fully booked.
:19:12. > :19:14.Tourists will spend around ?26 million over the two weeks.
:19:15. > :19:16.It is the biggest two weeks of the year.
:19:17. > :19:22.The majority of people, as soon as TT 2014 has finished, they will
:19:23. > :19:35.There is a real buzz here at the moment. Fighters are being urged to
:19:36. > :19:44.leave the racing to the professionals. `` bikers. They will
:19:45. > :19:47.see police and the course, and they are the for a reason.
:19:48. > :19:50.Qualifying sessions take place this week before the first race
:19:51. > :20:02.In Rugby Union, Sale Sharks' Danny Cipriani says he is more focused
:20:03. > :20:06.than ever as he prepares to win his first England cap in six years.
:20:07. > :20:09.The fly`half, who won the last of his seven caps
:20:10. > :20:12.in 2008, has been in impressive form for the Sharks this season.
:20:13. > :20:16.Form that has pushed him into the England squad to tour New Zealand.
:20:17. > :20:18.But he says the hard work starts now ahead of
:20:19. > :20:30.I have put myself in a position to be here, on form. But it is now for
:20:31. > :20:34.me to kick on and drive forward. I want to put myself against the best
:20:35. > :20:38.in the world. There is no better way to prove your worth.
:20:39. > :20:41.In football, a number of North West stars are building up to the
:20:42. > :20:44.World Cup of course and today Liverpool's Glen Johnson had
:20:45. > :20:51.He says club team mate Luis Suarez has told him he will be fit to play
:20:52. > :20:56.These were the scenes after the knee operation that made him a doubt for
:20:57. > :20:59.the Group D match, and at that point it didn?t look hopeful, but Johnson
:21:00. > :21:04.Well, another Liverpool player who'll be wearing the three lions
:21:05. > :21:07.in Brazil is Jordan Henderson, who says England's young guns are
:21:08. > :21:14.The younger lads coming in will be having a go, really excited going to
:21:15. > :21:18.They are very confident and they play with no fear.
:21:19. > :21:22.Yes, I think they will be looking forward to it and I'm sure,
:21:23. > :21:25.given the opportunity, they'll take it and want to be playing.
:21:26. > :21:29.Lancashire's Roses match against Yorkshire has ended in a draw
:21:30. > :21:33.But there has been Lancashire success to celebrate for England
:21:34. > :21:35.against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford
:21:36. > :21:40.James Anderson took a couple of wickets as the hosts bowled out
:21:41. > :21:44.Sri Lanka for 67 and then knocked off the reply without losing
:21:45. > :21:55.England now lead the 5 match series 2`1.
:21:56. > :22:04.month, a lorry carrying over 6,000 chickens crashed into a safety
:22:05. > :22:06.barrier on the M62 spilling thousands of birds across the
:22:07. > :22:08.carriageway. Around 3,000 were rescued by
:22:09. > :22:11.volunteers from a nearby animal sanctuary but exactly two weeks
:22:12. > :22:14.later there are still hens being found wandering around in the area
:22:15. > :22:18.every day. Rescuers say more should be done to help gather up the rest.
:22:19. > :22:30.Alive and clucking and making themselves at home.
:22:31. > :22:35.The remaining fortunate few who had a very lucky escape.
:22:36. > :22:38.Nevertheless, feathers have been ruffled among some of the volunteers
:22:39. > :22:46.I would have thought it would have been that responsibility of highways
:22:47. > :23:10.to search the area, ignoring so many chickens were on the loose.
:23:11. > :23:14.`` knowing. As soon as the motorway was open, they disappeared with the
:23:15. > :23:19.But there is still a possibility of them entering onto the motorway.
:23:20. > :23:21.Around 6000 chickens spilled onto the motorway
:23:22. > :23:23.when the lorry carrying them crashed, causing huge tailbacks.
:23:24. > :23:26.Two weeks on and the aftermath can still be seen.
:23:27. > :23:28.As you can see, there are eggs everywhere.
:23:29. > :23:31.Chickens are still being found alongside the carriageway.
:23:32. > :23:34.It is just so surprising, we didn't imagine they could last
:23:35. > :23:36.out there, but they are doing really well obviously.
:23:37. > :23:39.We saw one on the opposite side of the motorway walking alongside
:23:40. > :23:43.Some of the hens were brought to the rescue centre where many have
:23:44. > :23:47.An online campaign group has also helped to find new homes
:23:48. > :23:52.But now the focus is on the hens that were not quite so lucky.
:23:53. > :23:55.We want to be the voice of the chickens that we were not
:23:56. > :24:01.They were picked up upside down, flung into crates.
:24:02. > :24:04.There was no regard of whether they had broken wings or legs.
:24:05. > :24:38.Let's look ahead to what we can expect from the weather.
:24:39. > :24:48.It has to get better, doesn't it? We knew that today would not be a very
:24:49. > :24:53.good day. If you watch the timeline, you will see the remnants are still
:24:54. > :25:02.around tomorrow. I faded, it moves out the way. Saturday, we are on
:25:03. > :25:09.track for some decent weather. `` by Friday, it moves out of the way.
:25:10. > :25:18.This has been the rain through the day. It was at its heaviest first
:25:19. > :25:31.thing in the morning. If you have got a dry area, but it looks dry,
:25:32. > :25:37.the reader cannot always pick up the fine rain. We will continue to see
:25:38. > :25:42.this dull, damp and drizzly rain on and off. Temperatures will be pretty
:25:43. > :25:54.good because of all the cloud and rain. 10`12d at the minimum.
:25:55. > :26:11.Tomorrow morning, a broadly similar picture. A, damp start. The rainbow
:26:12. > :26:17.try to pull out of the way. You may have to wait for tea`time to see any
:26:18. > :26:26.big improvement. This sky will try to brighten up then. It should be
:26:27. > :26:36.largely dry and a little sunshine. It will not feel good, temperatures
:26:37. > :26:42.of 14 or 15 degrees. Thank you. Lots of April getting in
:26:43. > :26:54.touch about the pupil who was expelled for throwing a custard pie
:26:55. > :27:01.on a plank de. One teacher says, it was a prank
:27:02. > :27:05.day, which is not an assault. If the teacher did that to our
:27:06. > :27:11.people, they would be sacked. How ridiculous that a schoolboy is
:27:12. > :27:49.rewarded by a ?20,000 a year job. Good night.
:27:50. > :28:05.The very nature of the American personality was defined.
:28:06. > :28:08.Ray Mears explores the land behind the Hollywood legend
:28:09. > :28:12.and discovers the wild that made the West.