23/07/2014 North West Tonight

between a band of heavy and thundery showers and it will be notably

fresher with temperatures Good evening. Welcome to North West

Tonight with Stuart Flinders and Annabel Tiffin. Our top story...

Robert Hart's family welcome new leads in the hunt for the Parklife

killer after a Crimewatch appeal sparks a big response. Police say

they have been given 20 names. Also tonight...

A steward who helped save lives at Hillsborough says more police

officers should have given first aid.

The half a billion pound electricity bill that gave this man quite a

shock. My direct debit had gone from ?87 a month to ?53,000,480.

And who will bring home the medals to the North West? We'll have a run

down on our chances at the Commonwealth Games.

And Andy Gill is life in Liverpool with a sleeping giant. A man is

counting people as they are coming in. I have been told by a reliable

source they have passed 10,000, on the way to 11,000 people who have

come to see the sleeping giant granny, here in St George's Hall. If

this is the level of success when she is doing nothing, imagine Friday

when she is up and about and walking through the city. Indeed, thank you,

Andy. The family of Robert Hart say

they're blown away by the response to an appeal to help find his

killer. Robert died after being attacked at the Parklife music

festival in Heaton Park six weeks ago. The case was featured on last

night's Crimewatch. Several potential witnesses contact the

police and they see evidence from these new witnesses could prove

invaluable. Robert Hart bought tickets to the

Parklife Weekender as a surprise for his girlfriend Gemma. We sat there

and spoke to people and had photographs taken with them. We just

had a lovely time together, just talking. Crimewatch featured a

reconstruction of the moment when an argument near the main stage turned

into a scuffle. Robert! Somebody, help me! Robert suffered a bleed on

the brain and died in hospital five days later. Detectives are still

trying to identify the man suspected of attacking him. But last night,

police revealed images of 12 potential witnesses. Detectives

wanted possible witnesses to come forward and identify themselves,

seven have done that, and we have a possible 20 names for that suspect.

This afternoon, Greater Manchester Police say they now have four to

identify and expect new video footage and pictures from the area

where Robert was attacked. At this moment, the person responsible has

not contacted the police and I appeal him to do so. The family have

not been able to arrange the funeral, but said the response to

the programme has given them a glimmer of hope. Maybe somebody

understands what I am going through, as Robert's mother. Even

going to bed on a low note, something he was not happy about,

they would wake up seeing what a great day to be alive. He loved

life. Robert's family hope others will now come forward with

information that leads to his killer.

A Hillsborough steward who saved a fan's life says more police officers

should've given first aid during the tragedy. John Castley told the new

inquests that he ran from the opposite end of the stadium to help

the casualties. Earlier, I spoke to our reporter Ben Schofield from

outside the Coroner's Court in Warrington. I asked him to give me

more details of Mr Castley's evidence.

The jury heard that the tailoring Wiley Astin to fill out a

questionnaire in May 1989, `` that the Taylor Inquiry. He was at about

when the game was stopped. He said more police officers should have

rendered first aid. It was said that John Castley had noticed a line of

police officers in a sort of Gordon. The barrister for South

Yorkshire Police pointed out some police officers on the pitch

extorted away a press officer being assaulted by a group of fans.

What did John Castley himself do on the day? He said he recognised

swiftly it was not a pitch invasion, he saw fans being hoisted out of the

terraces into the West stand above. He started rendering first aid

himself after running down the pitch. One fan, he said he could

feel a pulse, but noticed he was not breathing, starting to give that

young fan mouth`to`mouth resuscitation, after he was coughing

and spluttering and breathing on his own. John Castley said he tried

unsuccessfully to revive other fans that day. Many thanks.

Merseyside Police say a postmortem suggests a 43`year`old woman found

dead at a flat in Liverpool had suffered multiple dog bites. Louise

Caygill's Staffordshire bull terrier was seized by officers at the

property in Old Swan on Sunday and was humanely put `` and was put

down. Officers are now preparing a file for a Coroner's inquest.

The family of a 20`year`old woman, who died after being hit by two

taxis in Wigan, say she was "the life and soul of any room that she

was in". Megan Louise Hoskins was found trapped under a car at the

weekend. She was freed by fire fighters, but died later in

hospital. A suspect held on suspicion of manslaughter has been

bailed pending further enquiries. The Lancashire`born actress, Dora

Bryan, has died at the age of 91. She began her career in Manchester

just before the Second World War. She starred in the comedies,

Absolutely Fabulous and Last of the Summer Wine, having previously

featured in films like A Taste Of Honey.

Police are warning people in Skelmersdale to be on the look`out

for a missing boa constrictor. The eight foot snake was reported

missing yesterday from Bearncroft. Boa constrictors are not venomous or

usually aggressive. But the snake can pose a risk to small children or

pets by wrapping itself around them to seek warmth.

Thousands of people have been queuing up in Liverpool to see the

giant grandmother who's resting in St George's Hall. She's one of the

characters which a French street theatre company is bringing to the

city for a show marking the centenary of the start of World War

One. The Giants begin their tour of the city on Friday. Hundreds of

thousands at its hectic to see them. Our Merseyside Reporter, Andy Gill,

is with the giant grandmother at St George's Hall now. And hundreds of

thousands already turning out to sea have already? That is right, ``

turning out to see her? It is rather noisy and you should have seen what

the crowds were like outside, snaking round the Concourse, lots of

people waiting at least one hour to get in, some getting here at six

o'clock in the morning, and it's not opening until ten o'clock. A

brand`new giant, looking different from the ones we had here two years

ago. And a lot of people looking to the grandmother, the Giants, for

entertainment, but she will tell a story about the young male of

Liverpool who volunteered fill in Pewsey as and hope to go to the

trenches of 1914, but macro full of enthusiasm and hope. Men who did not

know what they were letting themselves in for.

In 1914, more men were needed for the war. The regulars were already

enlisted. So a different approach was needed to attract those who

would not normally sign up. In Liverpool, it fell to the 17th Earl

of Derby. He called for a battalion of pals, friends from the same

offices, who would fight shoulder to shoulder for the honour of Britain

and the credit of Liverpool. 3000 men joined up right here in a matter

of days. But I do thank you. From the bottom of my heart. For coming

forward and showing what is the spirit of Liverpool. Actors

recreated Lord Derby's appeal today. Part of the build`up to this

weekend's Giant event. Inside St George's Hall today, a granny is

sleeping. Dreaming of the stories she is about to tell. The true story

of the city's men who found themselves fighting in some of the

bloodiest battles of the First World War. And who better to help bring

her history to life but a very familiar little girl and her dog?

Before today, the granny hasn't been seen outside France. Well worth

queuing up for an hour to see it. Yeah. No trouble at all.

BOTH: Really good. I like the big grandma, and it's

good. She is sleeping peacefully, with a nice smile. And she is

wearing her slippers. I just really like how big they are.

100 years on from this photo, and Winnie Connolly from Dingle has

shared her memories with the team behind the Giants. Her father,

Thomas Jones, was wounded at the Somme. No one ever spoke about the

war. Not that I ever remember. I mean, most of the men were away,

weren't they? And we all just had to get on with it. Stories like

Winnie's are about to be brought to life in her home city.

As more people come into St George's Hall, we are joined by Wendy Simon,

the cabinet member for culture and tourism for Liverpool. We think

10,000 or more people, what do you make of those figures? Absolutely

fantastic, and it has been 14,000 so far. Those are the ones that have

been clicked in, and they think it is more. And when they are coming"

Feeley, we cannot count everyone. People in the sunshine. `` they are

coming in quite freely. People looking at the grandmother, and that

the boards around telling this story. How important is this

deliverable getting thousands in, and more that the weekend? Really

important, we like to showcase what we can do as a city, how to put on

these big events, that attract visitors nationally and

internationally, and showing the city is committed to culture and

tourism and how these events can impact on communities by putting

them out in the parks, communities getting engaged and and older people

engaged in the story and intergenerational work. Thank you

very much. We have more from the giant grandmother at St George's

Hall later in the programme. Thank you very much, and St George's Hall

looks incredible. And she has not moved yet! And the BBC's online

services will provide updates, get the latest from this website.

Still to come on North West Tonight... Look! See that bloke with

the ball? That's Tommy Taylor. And what if Sir Matt had created a

new set of Busby Babes? The new film which answers that question.

And we know that power bills are high, but one Lancashire man was

shocked to receive a demand for half ?1 billion per year.

World`class musicians from one of the North West's finest orchestras

have been performing in residential care homes to help people with

dementia. Together with Care UK, scientists from Manchester

University have been studying the beneficial effects of the music

therapy. Our Health Correspondent Elaine Dunkley has been looking at

this unique project. They are world`renowned musicians.

But this isn't a performance. It's therapy. Communicating through music

is all the more powerful for those who have lost speech through

dementia and Alzheimer's. The session is incredibly rewarding.

And it is such a beautiful thing. To be able to use my skills as a

musician in a completely different setting. To be able to make

connections with people who perhaps cannot communicate in typical ways

that we would ordinarily just take for granted. Camerata, Manchester's

chamber orchestra, is more used to playing packed concert halls. Naomi

Atherton decided to get involved with this project for personal

reasons. My dad had dementia. He developed it in his late 60s. And

it became something very close to my heart. He loved music. He was really

passionate about all kinds of music. But as the dementia developed, he

became very isolated. He sort of stopped listening to music, really.

So I keep wishing that he had an able to benefit from it, really.

Because it is such a fantastic project. The music is spontaneous.

You know, you've got people sitting upright suddenly. The response can

at times be subtle. At times, surprising. It brings people into

the now. After music therapy sessions on a couple of occasions,

there has been a lot of conversation between residents who have not

really talked before. So it has been quite good to promote that

engagement. Everybody is having a go. Exactly. Music therapy is

becoming more widely used. Tapping into potential benefits is vital.

An interesting project. Yeah. The legendary Manchester United

manager, Sir Matt Busby, was well known for developing young football

talent. It's highlighted in a new film called Believe, which premieres

at the National Football Museum in Manchester this evening. Set in the

early 1980s, the fictional story sees Sir Matt takes a group of young

tearaways under his wing and turns them into a winning team. Our

Cheshire reporter, Mark Edwardson, has been to Nantwich to meet one of

the stars. Aged just 14, meet footballer and

film star Josh Dunne. A stalwart for Nantwich Town under`15s. Keep

control of that grapefruit and do not puncture it. In Believe, he's

the goalie for a Mancunian misfit football team. They get a new coach,

Sir Matt Busby. Let's see what you are made of. Played by Hollywood

star Brian Cox. He had to shout at us in one scene and it was really

scary. He did not speak to us for two days and we did not know him

well, so when he shouted at us we were shocked, and it worked in the

film. Duncan Edwards... So young! Believe is a work of fiction, with a

solemn reminder of the real tragedy that befell Busby and his babes.

These lads were like you boys once. Josh usually plays on the wing. His

team mates say there's no substitute. Defenders have trouble

marking them. I think he will stay as a winger. I do not know if he

could playing goals, stay as a winger. Football and film. A heady

mix. But Josh's mum Sue blew the whistle on diva strops. It was a

great experience. Has he turned into a diva? Not yet give him time. A

good actor and football, where does his future like? I would like to be

an actor, but also a coach and help other kids, like Sir Matt Busby did.

Tonight's premiere might just be the first time the red carpet's rolled

out for Josh. What an opportunity for Josh. And

staying with sport. Stuart Pollitt's here. The Commonwealth Games begin

in just a few hours' time. It is very exciting. If it is anything

like the Manchester games, the whole city was a buzz and the whole

country surprised what a good sure we put on. So good luck to Glasgow.

Yes, we know all about what a great games can do for an area. And

they'll be hoping for a similar impact in Glasgow. As for the

action, well, despite the withdrawal of Liverpool's Katarina Johnson

Thompson with injury, there will be a strong North West contingent

hoping for medals, including plenty of those who shone at London 2012.

These games may be smaller than the Olympics. But there's no shortage of

big names taking part. And they don't come much bigger than Sir

Bradley Wiggins. The Olympic and Tour de France champion has

unfinished business. I have never won a gold at the Commonwealth. So

it would be nice to try and do that. And it will probably be my last

Commonwealths. If we put together the ride that we have been doing in

training, I think we will be there. We will certainly be in the final.

Head down. Is she going to get the touch? Fran Halsall's got it!

Swimmer Fran Halsall won five medals at the last Commonwealth Games

despite illness. Can she match that? The Australians are so strong in my

event. I have got a good lot of competition. But it keeps you on

your toes and you want to get in amongst it. And see what you can do.

Women's boxing makes its first appearance in the Commonwealths.

With Liverpool's Natasha Jonas hoping for gold. It is just as bit

as the Olympics. We have a chance to showcase our talent. You know, be

back in the public eye and prove ourselves. And why we deserve to be

here. Fellow scouser Anthony Fowler is also part of the boxing team and

won't be short of support. Hopefully I can do my family proud. It is a

big chance to get my name out there. But my main goal is the Olympics in

two years in Rio. So this is a big stepping stone to that. For sports

like squash, which isn't in the Olympics, this event assumes extra

significance for Preston's world champion Laura Massaro. The first

squash player to be part of a multisport games, like the

Commonwealth Games, is really exciting. And definitely one of the

pinnacles of our career, if we can manage to get a medal. And getting

that elusive medal will be the aim of all our competitors over the next

two weeks. And we will be following their

progress all the way. Manchester City's Under`21 team have

walked off during a friendly in Croatia after one of their players

was allegedly racially abused by an opponent. It's understood coach

Patrick Viera took the decision after an incident involving French

midfielder Seko Fofana. The Croatian club have denied wrongdoing. City

boss Manuel Pellegrini has backed the move. His squad play the first

match of their American tour tomorrow.

Manchester United are also on tour in America. But Manager Louis Van

Gaal isn't best pleased by their schedule. The Reds play La Galaxy

tonight, before travelling across America to play Roma, Inter Milan

and Real Madrid. All in the space of ten days. Van Gaal's blamed

"commercial activities" for the amount of travel. You have to fly a

lot. And then you have also jet lag. This is not very positive for good

preparation. But the tour was already arranged. So I have to

adapt. And I shall adapt. And Manchester United shall do

everything to adapt to my rules. Clearly not a man to be messed with.

Playing by his rules! And thank you. We've all heard a lot lately about

the rising cost of energy bills. But wait till you hear about the

electricity bill received by an accountant in Lancashire. Nigel

Brotherton was told his direct debit would be going up from ?87 a month

to, wait for it... ?53 million a month. But if you added up, about

half ?1 billion per year. Peter Marshall went to investigate.

Accountant Nigel Brotherton is used to dealing with big figures. But

when his electricity company called and warned him his monthly payments

were to increase, to over ?53 million, he was taken aback. To say

the least. Well, obviously, I have never received an invoice like that,

so it was a massive shock, and the girl on the phone said don't worry

it is a big bill. It was only when I went online and saw it, I thought my

God stop Thankfully, he was pretty sure it had to be a mistake. He'd

not left anything plugged in at home in the Lancashire village of

Roughlee that would use that amount of electricity. A direct debit

payment of ?53,000,480 a month would, in a year, have totalled

?641,760,744. I would only have that sort of money if I had won the

lottery. It turns out his metre wasn't working correctly and was

showing zero. The computers that work out the bills thought it must

have gone completely round the dial. Hence the massive bill. The energy

company has issued its sincere apologies for the increase in their

direct debit notification, it says he was incorrectly billed because

the meter had been incorrectly wired by a previous supplier. When I have

asked people, what sort of builder using chi have, they have said 5000

pounds `?10,000, but this was mega! I have had hefty bills, but nothing

like that. My wife would accuse me of leaving the lights on. Now we can

go back to Andy Gill. He has spent the day in Liverpool where thousands

of people have been queuing up outside St George's Hall to get a

glimpse of the giant grandmother who is still pretty much fast asleep!

Andy, not long left till she wakes up?

That is right, Friday morning, and when the Giants wake up, they need

hundreds to make them moving. A lot of technicians come over from France

with the theatre company, but a lot of volunteers from Merseyside

involved as well. Sarah, You are one, what will you be doing? I will

be involved in the cymbals, in this finale on Sunday, keeping time with

the music and steps. With the steps of the grandmother and child. But

you need to be on a platform then jump off to make the cymbals clash?

Apparently I am the only girl doing that, because it needs men, because

it needs a lot of armed power. What is it about the Giants that made you

want to be involved, as you were involved in their little girl and

dog last time? Then I was involved in telling people the story, but it

is just interesting, a great thing to be part of. Jumping off the

platform will be hard work in hot weather, higher have you prepared?

Just exercising in my room, exercising with my arms, and because

of lots of rehearsals, I am used to it. Thank you very much, we wish you

luck, back to the studio. Thank you, it will be interesting to

see. And sensibly, Diane is outside for the weather. There she is. Just

like when you take your desks outside at school.

I do not want you to think this breeze is representative of the

North of England, it is always windy at Manchester ship Canal. And there

is a shield to stop the wind affecting the signed. I do not have

a theory chest, it is just a shield hidden in there if it pops out. But

macro I do not have our hairy chest. `` I do not have a hairy chest. And

thank you for these lovely images. Including a beautiful sunset. You

cannot take a bad photograph when the weather is like this. Today has

been officially hot! Crosby on Merseyside had 28 Celsius. And I

would not be surprised if we saw exactly the same tomorrow. All

thanks to an easterly breeze. Following the pressure chart, we do

not have a sea breeze to cool things down, the air is getting dry and

warm, so the coast just as warm, if not warmer. Tomorrow, what you get

is what you see, this evening glorious, the breeze on and off, but

not cooling things down. I would not be surprised if you wake up to 17 in

towns and cities tomorrow, 14 in rural spots, but warm and humid,

difficult for people, and look out tomorrow for high pollen, and UV

levels are forecast to be high as well. Away from that, it is dry and

fine, wall`to`wall sunshine, some patchy cloud, the easterly breeze

lighter than today, ten miles an hour or most, temperatures widely 24

and 25, and I would not be surprised by 27`28. The next couple of days

follow suit, cooler by Sunday, but only a couple of degrees.

Thank you. Absolutely beautiful. Like the Italian Riviera. And we

leave you with a shot of a sleeping giant in night. Good night.

DRUMBEATS CONTINUE WITH SWELLING, DRAMATIC MUSIC