:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me and on
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and Roger Johnson.
:00:00. > :00:12.who stabbed a youngster to death in a Liverpool launderette.
:00:13. > :00:19.Sean McHugh's mother says the gang may as well have killed her.
:00:20. > :00:21.Criticism for the Government's new disability payments
:00:22. > :00:25.after cancer patients wait months to receive them.
:00:26. > :00:34.find out the surprise later in the show.
:00:35. > :00:44.And we live in Cheshire am aware a swan which had two crossbow bolts
:00:45. > :00:48.through its head and neck has made a remarkable recovery. It is days away
:00:49. > :00:56.from being released back into the wild.
:00:57. > :01:01.a marauding mob intent on doing their victim serious harm.
:01:02. > :01:04.Five youths who pursued a teenager through crowded streets
:01:05. > :01:11.Sean McHugh was finally cornered in a launderette,
:01:12. > :01:19."They might as well have killed me. I'm dead inside."
:01:20. > :01:23.Our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest, has the story.
:01:24. > :01:27.A terrified teenager in search of sanctuary as his pursuers close in.
:01:28. > :01:30.Sean McHugh locked himself in the office at this launderette.
:01:31. > :01:34.But the gang eventually broke down the door to get to him.
:01:35. > :01:38.and, bleeding badly, staggered into an alleyway
:01:39. > :01:55.Why did he do it? Why could they just not beat him up? I would have
:01:56. > :01:57.looked after him. They did not have to do that.
:01:58. > :02:02.Two, Corey Hewitt and Joseph McGill, were just 13 at the time.
:02:03. > :02:10.Reese O'Shaughnessy, the ring leader, is 19.
:02:11. > :02:20.They were part of a group who lived here in Anfield. They would hang
:02:21. > :02:25.around in this alleyway and kept and Arsenal `` an arsenal of knives and
:02:26. > :02:27.other weapons. Sean had been doing his washing
:02:28. > :02:29.at this launderette with a friend and were spotted by the youths,
:02:30. > :02:34.who chased them. Sean was chased back
:02:35. > :02:36.into the launderette ` they believed Sean had previously
:02:37. > :02:43.attacked one of their mates. This sword stick was used
:02:44. > :02:47.to stab him in the groin. I wish I had been there that night.
:02:48. > :02:52.They have destroyed our lives. The five were convicted of murder
:02:53. > :02:55.at Liverpool Crown Court. They faced the judge
:02:56. > :03:06.for sentencing today And he said that the attack had been
:03:07. > :03:09.truly wicked. They said that the defendants at each played their
:03:10. > :03:13.roles. He said they had quoted in the aftermath of the crime and had
:03:14. > :03:15.shown scarcely an ounce of remorse afterwards.
:03:16. > :03:17.Reese O'Shaughnessy was jailed for a minimum of 18 years.
:03:18. > :03:20.Keyfer Dykstra will be detained for at least 12 years,
:03:21. > :03:22.Andrew Hewitt and Joseph McGill for nine years
:03:23. > :03:29.When the Government introduced changes
:03:30. > :03:31.to the way disability benefits are paid last year,
:03:32. > :03:40.who've tried to claim the new disability benefit `
:03:41. > :03:43.known as a Personal Independence Payment ` have faced huge delays.
:03:44. > :03:46.Now a Liverpool MP has condemned the time it takes
:03:47. > :03:57.to process the payments ` as Suzanne Hailey explains.
:03:58. > :04:04.In remission and eager to get back to her job as a cleaner but, in
:04:05. > :04:14.October last year, 43 rolled Trudi was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
:04:15. > :04:18.They said I had to have radiotherapy five times a week. The treatment
:04:19. > :04:23.meant she went from working five days a week to working no job at
:04:24. > :04:29.all. That meant no income. Sometimes, I just sit here, not
:04:30. > :04:34.knowing where the money for bills would come from. She applied for
:04:35. > :04:39.Personal Independence Payments in November. It took seven months to
:04:40. > :04:47.come through and by then Trudi was in remission. It was like I was just
:04:48. > :04:52.a voice on the other end. Trudi is not on her own at his cases like
:04:53. > :04:58.these that has prodded her own MP to speak out in Parliament. The DWP
:04:59. > :05:01.were aware of Mrs Birchall's diagnosis...
:05:02. > :05:05.We should be helping people at that time of need. They are the most
:05:06. > :05:11.vulnerable people in our community and I demand that the Government
:05:12. > :05:17.takes steps to speed up the process. A recent report by Macmillan showed
:05:18. > :05:21.that since the Personal Independence Payments were introduced, thousands
:05:22. > :05:24.of cancer patients have waited more than six months to find out if they
:05:25. > :05:29.qualify. This is having devastating impacts
:05:30. > :05:32.on the lives while they are waiting to find out if they can have the
:05:33. > :05:42.money. A government spokesperson said...
:05:43. > :05:49.Now on the mend herself, Trudi is hoping for a clean`up of the system.
:05:50. > :05:51.11 people have been arrested in major operation
:05:52. > :05:53.in Greater Manchester, which police say has disrupted
:05:54. > :05:56.a drugs smuggling conspiracy worth ?300 million.
:05:57. > :05:58.The raids in Altrincham, Prestwich, Salford and Bolton
:05:59. > :06:02.were the culmination of a year`long investigation
:06:03. > :06:07.by officers from Titan, which targets organised crime.
:06:08. > :06:20.We have targeted a group who have brought in around ?3 million worth
:06:21. > :06:23.of material into this region. It has struck a major blow against
:06:24. > :06:30.organised crime in the north`west. The Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk
:06:31. > :06:32.is calling for the publication of a dossier, given to the Home
:06:33. > :06:35.Office 30 years ago, which alleges paedophiles were operating "in and
:06:36. > :06:38.around" Westminster in the 1980s. The Home Secretary at the time,
:06:39. > :06:40.Leon Brittan, says he handed it to
:06:41. > :06:42.his civil servants to investigate. It was passed onto the appropriate
:06:43. > :06:45.authorities but it hasn't been kept. Two people including a man and
:06:46. > :06:48.a teenage boy have been injured at a large fire
:06:49. > :06:50.in a factory in Hyde. Seven fire crews brought the blaze
:06:51. > :06:53.on Raglan Street under control but nearby residents have been told
:06:54. > :06:55.to keep windows and doors shut. Several roads
:06:56. > :06:57.in the area are closed and neighbouring
:06:58. > :06:58.businesses evacuated after suspected acetylene cylinders
:06:59. > :07:04.were found in the property. A group of parents
:07:05. > :07:07.in Wigan say their children, who all have special needs, have been
:07:08. > :07:10.let down by the local authority. Six families have joined together to
:07:11. > :07:13.highlight what they say is a failure to deal with complaints
:07:14. > :07:16.about their children's education. Wigan Borough Council has been
:07:17. > :07:20.picked by the Government to pilot changes to the system for children
:07:21. > :07:23.with special educational needs. It says it's been chosen because
:07:24. > :07:25.of its excellent record, but the families have told us
:07:26. > :07:27.they feel their concerns First tonight, Naomi Cornwell's
:07:28. > :07:34.been to Landgate School in Wigan. Six children,
:07:35. > :07:35.all with complex needs. Six families who feel that
:07:36. > :07:38.they've been failed by the system. Some of their complaints relate
:07:39. > :07:40.to Landgate School, a special school
:07:41. > :07:43.for children with autism. One day, his mum arrived home to
:07:44. > :07:47.find he'd been wrongly sent home from school and left without
:07:48. > :07:51.an adult in the house. My heart went in my mouth
:07:52. > :07:53.and I said, "He's supposed to be
:07:54. > :08:01.at an after`school club." I got the apologies but I want
:08:02. > :08:04.to know what exactly happened, and to this day I still
:08:05. > :08:06.don't get the full answers. Edward Houlton made
:08:07. > :08:08.a complaint after his daughter, Amy, returned from
:08:09. > :08:11.a school trip with what he believed were urine burns caused by a failure
:08:12. > :08:16.to change her incontinence pads. The only way those uric acid burns
:08:17. > :08:19.could have been caused so severely is if
:08:20. > :08:22.a nappy hadn't been changed through The authority says Amy's injuries
:08:23. > :08:28.could have had a number of causes. Edward is
:08:29. > :08:30.an opposition councillor in Wigan. The Council says his complaints
:08:31. > :08:34.are politically motivated. He insists he spoke to us
:08:35. > :08:37.purely as a parent. Phillip Edwards has complained that
:08:38. > :08:40.in recent years getting to speak to his son Daniel's teachers
:08:41. > :09:21.has become a struggle. It's more of a case
:09:22. > :10:33.of it can't be done on that day, still have not got what they want.
:10:34. > :10:39.It says they cannot ignore them as many of these children will need
:10:40. > :10:43.local authority support for the whole of their lives. Local
:10:44. > :10:45.authorities like Wigan have to find a way of making the solution should
:10:46. > :10:47.work. Thank you. A group of breast cancer survivors
:10:48. > :10:51.on the Isle of Man have set up a group to raise funds for the Isle of
:10:52. > :10:54.Man's first dedicated breast unit. Currently the breast surgeon works
:10:55. > :10:57.out of a general outpatients clinic at Nobles Hospital and patients have
:10:58. > :11:00.to walk through a busy waiting room Almost ?1.5 million needs to be
:11:01. > :11:14.raised for the facility which will mean patients have a
:11:15. > :11:24.dedicated and more private area to At 33 years old, Claire was enjoying
:11:25. > :11:30.being a parent when she received the news that she had breast cancer. Her
:11:31. > :11:35.time was made more difficult by the setup at the hospital. I found out
:11:36. > :11:40.about Mike diagnosis in a busy department. It is difficult. She
:11:41. > :11:44.fought and eat the disease but was left with horrible memories. You are
:11:45. > :11:51.dashing from one area to the other, from radiology to the clinic and
:11:52. > :11:54.back. You are half undressed, with all of these things going on. That
:11:55. > :11:58.needs to change. These cancer survivors say the staff and services
:11:59. > :12:03.are good but a dedicated unit is desperately needed. You will go into
:12:04. > :12:08.the clinic, received the news you have cancer, you have to walk
:12:09. > :12:14.through a waiting room full of men, women and children who were
:12:15. > :12:24.therefore different `` who were there for different disciplines. The
:12:25. > :12:28.new unit will mean that more people can have the treatment on the
:12:29. > :12:32.island. It is horrible, I had young children and it is a horrible thing
:12:33. > :12:38.to have with a family, to have to go away. Thousands of patients are
:12:39. > :12:44.referred to the unit on the island. We end up spending double the time
:12:45. > :12:49.on it because people need this clinic area to run surgical clinics.
:12:50. > :12:52.All we need is a home for ourselves. Hundreds of thousands of
:12:53. > :12:56.pounds has been raised that there is a long way to go before the staff
:12:57. > :13:06.and patients have a place of their own. Good luck to them.
:13:07. > :13:08.Still to come on North West Tonight:
:13:09. > :13:10.Could this be the greatest World Cup goalie ever?
:13:11. > :13:23.And down in the woods, something stirred, we are on the site of the
:13:24. > :13:27.largest Walkabout theatre group in the UK.
:13:28. > :13:29.Today was D`Day for one of Britain's most famous mountains.
:13:30. > :13:33.Sealed bids from those wanting to buy Blencathra in the Lake District
:13:34. > :13:38.The mountain was put up for sale by The Earl of Lonsdale in May
:13:39. > :13:44.to help pay a hefty tax bill, with a price tag of ?1.75 million.
:13:45. > :13:47.But locals have been fighting to buy it themselves,
:13:48. > :13:49.and today around 150 people took part in a mass walk
:13:50. > :14:07.Best of luck to the friends of Blencathra! Off we go!
:14:08. > :14:13.On the march for Blencathra. In just a few months, friends of Blencathra
:14:14. > :14:17.has won the support of thousands. Today, bags to substantial
:14:18. > :14:19.donations, the group placed a bit to try and keep the mountain in public
:14:20. > :14:27.ownership. To mark the milestone, members but they're walking boots on
:14:28. > :14:31.and headed towards the iconic peak. We have organised it as a
:14:32. > :14:36.celebration. We have all worked for seven weeks now and it was an
:14:37. > :14:39.opportunity to take a deep breath, there is nothing we can do now. We
:14:40. > :14:44.wanted to get together, say thank you and it has been a real team
:14:45. > :14:46.effort. It is not a good thing to have part of our heritage in the
:14:47. > :14:51.Lake District going to private ownership. If someone is willing to
:14:52. > :14:56.pay more, it is the worry of what they might do with it when they get
:14:57. > :15:01.it. Two hours later, they reached the foot of their beloved mountain.
:15:02. > :15:07.Blencathra to me and other people is very special. I would rather it
:15:08. > :15:12.stayed with local people. If it goes into the hands of a private buyer,
:15:13. > :15:17.they cannot possibly spoil it because they cannot do anything on
:15:18. > :15:22.it. You have the right to roam. How much better it will be if it is
:15:23. > :15:27.communally owned by local people and people who love the fells and the
:15:28. > :15:33.beauty of the Lake District and will be looking after it. The agent
:15:34. > :15:36.selling the mountain say they have received a number of offers for
:15:37. > :15:42.Blencathra, which are currently being reviewed.
:15:43. > :15:44.We will let you know when a decision is made on who gets to buy
:15:45. > :15:46.Blencathra. Richard is here now with tonight's
:15:47. > :15:49.sport and it seems as though it could be the beginning of
:15:50. > :15:59.the end for Luis Suarez at Anfield. Is he going? It looks that way. He
:16:00. > :16:07.is serving a four`month ban for biting that Italian player. He
:16:08. > :16:10.admitted it in the end. Negotiations between Liverpool and Barcelona are
:16:11. > :16:14.taking place with a view to a possible transfer. Liverpool value
:16:15. > :16:19.him at about ?80 million. The intriguing part of this is that the
:16:20. > :16:23.Chilean striker might form part of the deal. It is worth keeping an eye
:16:24. > :16:25.on that. The performance of Everton's
:16:26. > :16:27.Tim Howard for America last night is being talked about as one
:16:28. > :16:31.of the best in World Cup history. He says he's devastated that his
:16:32. > :16:33.country was knocked out by Belgium, but without him the 2`1 scoreline
:16:34. > :16:36.would have been a landslide. The Belgian and Manchester City
:16:37. > :16:38.skipper Vincent Kompany was full of praise after the game
:16:39. > :16:52.and others even said he was so good, The United States has a new sporting
:16:53. > :16:55.hero. Football's Captain America. It was certainly a superhuman
:16:56. > :17:00.performance. 15 saves in a single game is more than anyone else since
:17:01. > :17:09.FIFA started compiling accurate statistics in 1966. With the current
:17:10. > :17:13.American Brazil and a keen observer back home, it turned the Everton
:17:14. > :17:22.keeper and his team into national icons. A great performance, a great
:17:23. > :17:29.result. We still have so much patriotism, despite losing. A
:17:30. > :17:32.well`known television programme had him down as the next resident of the
:17:33. > :17:38.White House. This supporter gave his own heavy
:17:39. > :17:45.tribute. Alan Kelly, currently Preston North End's goalkeeping
:17:46. > :17:49.coach, played for the Republic of Ireland and knows better than most
:17:50. > :17:57.how good a performance this was. It is magnificent. You go back to your
:17:58. > :18:05.childhood dreams, playing at a World Cup bid, `` playing at a World Cup,
:18:06. > :18:08.being man of the match was up he did whatever it took to get in the way
:18:09. > :18:12.of that ball. After a performance like that, many people will say Tim
:18:13. > :18:18.Howard looks as though he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
:18:19. > :18:23.You could argue with that. No, the facts do not lie. The Belgian
:18:24. > :18:27.players looked as though he could not be beaten. In the latter stages,
:18:28. > :18:32.with tiredness and fatigue, the Belgians were the winners. But on
:18:33. > :18:36.the world stage, that was immaculate. If they were not already
:18:37. > :18:41.aware, Premier league strikers will know that they will need something
:18:42. > :18:44.extraordinary to beat him. Newly`promoted Burnley have made
:18:45. > :18:45.another signing in preparation for their return
:18:46. > :18:47.to the Premier League and it's one
:18:48. > :18:49.which also impacts Blackpool. The Seasiders' Scottish
:18:50. > :18:50.international goalkeeper, Matt Gilks,
:18:51. > :18:52.has made the switch to Turf Moor. The 32`year`old,
:18:53. > :18:55.who also played with Rochdale, was out of contract
:18:56. > :18:57.at Bloomfield Road and has signed a two`year
:18:58. > :19:01.deal with Sean Dyche's side. Lancashire's cricketers
:19:02. > :19:03.have batted out the final day of their County
:19:04. > :19:06.Championship match away to Somerset to earn a hard`fought draw
:19:07. > :19:08.at Taunton. Paul Horton, who came back to bat
:19:09. > :19:13.after retirning hurt yesterday, Usman Khawaja and Steven Croft all
:19:14. > :19:15.made valuable contributions as Lancs held out
:19:16. > :19:18.in their second innings. They take nine points from the game
:19:19. > :19:37.but remain in relegation trouble. Tim Howard tended to Captain America
:19:38. > :19:44.and then Captain America turned into you! It is a progression, a natural
:19:45. > :19:49.progression. Apparently, there has been a petition to the name Reagan
:19:50. > :19:55.airport into Tim Howard airport. It is God 5000 signatures in three
:19:56. > :20:11.hours. He was amazing, I did not mind that
:20:12. > :20:14.it meant I was reading the news at midnight last night!
:20:15. > :20:16.Down in the woods at Lancaster's Williamson Park,
:20:17. > :20:20.Over the next few weeks, there is a chance to see
:20:21. > :20:22.a whole host of fairytale characters.
:20:23. > :20:24.It's all part of a Dukes Theatre production,
:20:25. > :20:27.which is the UK's biggest outdoor walkabout theatre event,
:20:28. > :20:43.You will be released soon enough. In the trees, when the shadows
:20:44. > :20:52.lengthen, prepare for a few scares. Make sure the oven is good and hot!
:20:53. > :20:58.I will eat you both! Like all good fairy tales, the Dukes
:20:59. > :21:04.Theatre 's production of Hansel and Gretel and more tales will make you
:21:05. > :21:08.jump. The writer wanted it to be a mixture of all elements, to be
:21:09. > :21:12.scary, to move people, to make people laugh. I think it does that.
:21:13. > :21:19.And fairy tales are scary! Horrible! It is not so much the
:21:20. > :21:23.story but the logistics which will give the director nightmares was up
:21:24. > :21:28.there are six locations which stage scenes and all monitor things can go
:21:29. > :21:37.wrong. `` and all manner of things can go wrong. In our version of
:21:38. > :21:40.Hansel and Gretel, they bump into other fairy tales. It is like a
:21:41. > :21:44.magical world, a whole range of fairy tales, with Hansel and Gretel
:21:45. > :21:52.weaving their way through the middle. I am a wealthy man. Theatre
:21:53. > :21:57.is magical, theatre in the forest can be even more so. We were
:21:58. > :22:00.rehearsing here last night at about 9:30pm and when the lights are on,
:22:01. > :22:05.combined with the forest, it is absolutely beautiful. It creates
:22:06. > :22:14.such a magical atmosphere. It is amazing. The good news is there is a
:22:15. > :22:16.happy ending. Opening night for Hansel and Gretel is this Friday and
:22:17. > :22:22.runs until August 16. You may remember a couple
:22:23. > :22:24.of weeks ago we brought you the shocking story of a swan
:22:25. > :22:27.which had two crossbow bolts It happened
:22:28. > :22:33.on the St Helens canal in Widnes. At the time,
:22:34. > :22:35.a vet said it was incredible that the swan had survived
:22:36. > :22:38.and its future was uncertain. But tonight we can tell you that
:22:39. > :22:41.not only has the swan survived, but it's ready to be released back
:22:42. > :22:43.into the wild. Our reporter, Andy Gill, is
:22:44. > :22:56.at the RSPCA hospital in Nantwich. I presume that that is the lucky
:22:57. > :23:03.bird. That is the lucky swan. One of the number of casualties here at the
:23:04. > :23:07.RSPCA wildlife hospital. As you can see, he is better. With us is a
:23:08. > :23:11.better merry officer for the RSPCA. The injuries he had from the
:23:12. > :23:15.crossbow bolts were horrific, what they question they were. When he
:23:16. > :23:19.came to us, he was in a lot of pain and had difficulty breathing.
:23:20. > :23:24.Luckily, he was attended to by a local vet in Liverpool, so they
:23:25. > :23:27.address that initially. His windpipe had been damaged by one of the bolts
:23:28. > :23:30.and he was breathing through a chewed in the site. Is that OK now?
:23:31. > :23:37.Yes, he was breathing through that cheap for a few weeks and then we
:23:38. > :23:46.saw that his wounds were then healing. We stitched up the wound.
:23:47. > :23:49.So he is breathing OK, normally now. What other treatment will you need
:23:50. > :23:56.to give him to get him into the state he is in now? He was on what a
:23:57. > :24:00.lot of pain relief and antibiotics. We were also feeding him. He then
:24:01. > :24:04.started to rally and started feeding himself, so we did not didn't
:24:05. > :24:09.continue feeding him. R said his future was not assured. Did you
:24:10. > :24:13.think he might die? It was certainly very touch and go. There were a few
:24:14. > :24:16.worrying days when he was losing weight and we thought infection
:24:17. > :24:21.might have taken hold. He seemed to come through that. Is he now doing
:24:22. > :24:27.normal things like others once? Yes, he's doing fantastically well. He
:24:28. > :24:35.has been on the water with other once, he's eating by himself. We are
:24:36. > :24:39.pleased with him. You think about a week before you release into wild.
:24:40. > :24:43.What happens between now and then? Most about work is done. It is all
:24:44. > :24:46.down to him, we're keeping an eye on him and making sure he is strong
:24:47. > :24:55.enough to go back into the wild. Thank you. Back to you.
:24:56. > :24:58.A wonderful story. You could not even see the scars.
:24:59. > :25:04.On the night we did the story come there was a real concern that the
:25:05. > :25:10.prognosis would not be good. It is nice that we have some good
:25:11. > :25:15.news. We have not got any good news on the
:25:16. > :25:18.weather! We have quite a long run of fine
:25:19. > :25:22.weather, we have done particular well, it has been dry and bright
:25:23. > :25:25.with long spells of sunshine. It never lasts for ever and you can see
:25:26. > :25:31.the change moving in as you go through tomorrow. A larger area of
:25:32. > :25:34.rain will come in on Friday, with stronger winds. A return to
:25:35. > :25:38.north`westerly airflow as you go through the weekend, feeling cooler
:25:39. > :25:42.with showers from time to time. It is not a dreadful forecast, but not
:25:43. > :25:47.as good as we have had recently. In the last two hours, we have had
:25:48. > :25:52.showers breaking out across Cumbria. We have this week weather front
:25:53. > :25:55.creeping towards us and the evening should be as it is now, a lot of
:25:56. > :26:00.cloud. That will be thickening all the time. You are waiting for this
:26:01. > :26:07.week weather front to push in as you head towards dawn. It will
:26:08. > :26:12.probably" saw areas but by dawn, there is a lot of dull, damp and
:26:13. > :26:20.drizzly stuff coming in. Overnight, 15 and 16 degrees. Very warm and
:26:21. > :26:23.humid. Into tomorrow, it is not brilliant. This weather front decays
:26:24. > :26:27.as it moves through and slows down as well. It does not want to move
:26:28. > :26:32.away, so where you have it, it will come and go all through the morning.
:26:33. > :26:37.You can see how parts of Cumbria are not too badly affected. Parts of
:26:38. > :26:46.Cheshire are fine as well. Where you have it, it will be a nuisance. Past
:26:47. > :26:51.lunchtime, you can see at the `` you can see it decaying. There is a
:26:52. > :26:54.price to pay for those brighter skies it is as the sun comes out,
:26:55. > :27:00.because it is warm, it could spark one or two showers. All things
:27:01. > :27:04.considered, the afternoon is definitely a better picture. In
:27:05. > :27:10.terms of temperature, we're looking at 1920 degrees. A portion of Friday
:27:11. > :27:14.is dry but cloudy. Was the afternoon, we will see rain moving
:27:15. > :27:20.in. A north`westerly airflow through the weekend, not a dreadful forecast
:27:21. > :27:26.but a shade cooler as well. Friday is definitely the one to
:27:27. > :27:31.miss! That is great news for anyone who is
:27:32. > :27:41.camping on Friday night. Like me. Of all the lights! Do you never learn?
:27:42. > :27:46.10:30pm tonight. Goodbye.