03/04/2017 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson and Annabel Tiffin.

Guilty of killing Helena and Zaneta - a driver admits knocking

the teenage cousins down on New Year's Eve.

They thought that because of her good-hearted but God will let her

stay still took her with him. We will have the latest on the court

case. Government assessors tell a woman

with severe epilepsy - who's waiting for brain surgery -

she's fit for work. Why a piano scaling the heights

in the Lake District was music # Spirits move me every time I'm

near you... And Take That - the reality show

winners smashing box office records in a musical inspired

by a legendary boy band. The parents of an 11-year-old girl

who died after a hit-and-run and Oldham had said they hope that God

would save her because of her good-hearted.

Gabor Hegedus was driving the car which hit Helina Kotlarova

They were hand in hand when they were hit by the car.

Hegedos admitted causing death by careless driving.

Our reporter Mark Edwardson was at Minshull Street Crown

A new Year's Eve hit-and-run claimed the lives of these two cousins -

Distraught family members gathered at the place where 12-year-old

Helena was killed and Zaneta, who was 11, was seriously injured.

She passed away the following Monday.

They were hit as they crossed Ashton Road in Oldham, hand-in-hand,

One witness recalled they were flipped into the air

The driver didn't wait to find out what he'd done.

He is 38-year-old Hungarian Gabor Hegedos.

Today he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death

The families of Helena and Zaneta spoke through an interpreter today

They are saying that their life has just twisted from just like that,

that even the siblings not feeling the way that they should,

This picture of Hegedos was uploaded to social media

Families in court also heard 18-year-old David Orsos plead guilty

to perverting the course of justice by agreeing to dispose

Both also admitted other charges related to the deaths

Even when the doctor said that there is a chance that she could die,

They thought that because of her in good heart that

God will let her stay, but he still took her with him.

Remanding Hegedos and Orsos in custody, His Honour Judge Potter

warned them they face a significant jail term.

Sentencing will take place on 26 June.

Mark Edwardson, BBC North West Tonight,

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.

A man accused of murdering his friend and trying

to assume his identity to pay off his gambling debts

The dismembered body of 36-year-old Yang Liu - from Salford -

was found dumped in a suitcase on a country lane just off

the Woodhead Pass at Tintwistle near Glossop in October.

Ming Jiang, from Beswick in Manchester, denies his murder.

The operators of Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire have been fined

?1.6 million following an explosion at the plant four years ago.

The blast destroyed part of the interior

of the Ellesmere Port plant in November 2013.

A Health and Safety Executive inquiry concluded that

the operators, Essar, were in breach of

Christine Lofthouse has epilepsy and a number

She says doctors have told her she'll probably die if she suffers

The 49-year-old from Manchester has round-the-clock care to make sure

But the Department for Work and Pensions has just told her she's

fit enough to do some work, and has cut her benefits

There's barely room in a large storage box for all of

A series of illnesses centred on the brain have left her

She recently had to undergo what's called a Work Capability Assessment.

You felt you weren't assessed properly?

I was definitely not assessed properly.

I took lots of information, put it on the desk thinking

that she would take a look at it and she took no notice

of any of the information that was on the letters.

Christine lives full time with her carer in Wythenshawe.

We will go out together, but I have to hold her hand.

If we go out together I always have to be with her.

She can't be left alone, because she won't remember where she is.

She won't remember what bus to get on.

A few days ago, Christine received this letter

They accept that she's not fit enough to hold down a full-time job,

but say she might be able to do some paid employment, and they want

In the meantime her benefits are being cut by nearly ?200 a month.

You are being asked now to attend a meeting where you can discuss

I have told them I would want to do work.

But that is the point of the meeting, isn't it,

The Department for Work and Pensions told us...

According to the most recent figures, 59% of appeals

Christine Lofthouse says she wants to work, but would be a danger

Stuart Flinders, BBC North West Tonight, Manchester.

Earlier I spoke to Louise Cousins from the organisation

Epilepsy Action and she told me why she believed the current system used

to assess people was inadequate for people with epilepsy.

It is unable to accurately assess the impact of living with epilepsy.

It is a fluctuating and hidden condition which can affect people

And it is perfectly feasible that a person with epilepsy could be fine

one minute and very unwell the next, and that isn't reflected

or recognised in the assessment processes at all.

What we are asking for is for assessors to be trained to better

understand the nature of conditions like epilepsy, and for questions

in the assessment process to better reflect the fluctuating nature

I am sure a lot of people actually would like to be able

to get back to work, and the DWP does say

that they will offer support, they will offer part-time jobs.

We would like to see as many people with epilepsy in work

if that is what they want to do and that is what they

But it is important to recognise that for some people the severity

of their epilepsy will mean that just isn't possible and those people

How significant is it do you think that so many appeals against this

Work Capability Assessment's decisions are upheld?

Does this strike you that perhaps the decisions

I think it is possible that some of the decisions

are wrong in the first place, especially where conditions

We hear routinely from people who say that the assessment

processes and the questions asked make it very difficult

for them to accurately describe how their epilepsy

And if people do decide that they want to go down

this appeals process, is that something

Because that in itself I would imagine is quite stressful.

As we have said, stress can be a trigger for

But the numbers of appeals that are overturned to suggest that

if people with epilepsy really do believe that they are not well

enough to be at work and their doctors are backing that

up, then we would recommend that they try and appeal and we can

A major row has broken out between Peel Ports

A man is still being questioned after police shot dead two

pitbull-type animals following an attack

Officers were called to Queen's Park yesterday morning after reports five

dogs were dangerously out of control.

They found two people who'd been bitten and another

Two pitbull-type dogs were destroyed and two others seized.

Nearly 50 firefighters have been tackling a large fire

The blaze is believed to have broken out at a printing

High winds caused the flames to spread to other shops,

including a neighbouring cafe and hairdressers.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said no one was hurt.

A major row has broken out between Peel Ports

and the Environment Agency over who should clear an illegal

It'll cost around ?10 million to remove 75,000 tonnes of rotting

rubbish abandoned on land owned by Peel.

They'd rented the site to a company owned by Barry Kilroe.

On Friday Kilroe was jailed for 15 months for mismanaging the waste.

The Environment Agency says, as the landowners, Peel

Our environment correspondent Judy Hobson is at the waste dump now.

How come so much waste, some of which we can see behind you, was

dumped there in the first place? Yes, I was going to say you can

really get an idea of the scale the scale of this behind me at

Warrington docs just across the river. Some of it has been here for

four years. There are trees growing out of it. Barry Kilroe's company

had permission to have 10,000 tonnes here but he just kept adding to it.

The Environment Agency notices kept warning him. He ignored it. He has

been prosecuted and jailed but this waste remains and the Environment

Agency says it has to be the landowner that clears up the waste.

And why won't Peel paper that clear up? That you pay for. They say they

have been the victim of a criminal gang. They say Barry Kilroe was

licensed to have 10,000 tonnes here. They have now cleared. Peel has

cleared 10,000 tonnes and why should they clear any more? In a statement

they say the Environment Agency is partly to blame. They have said it

is disappointing that the Environment Agency did not take more

active measures to protect Barry Kilroe and his companies from

continuing their illegal operations. The facts and circumstances

highlighted deficiencies in the regulation and oversight of Barry

Kilroe and his various companies. I asked the Environment Agency to

agency to respond to that and they haven't done today but they did tell

me on Friday it was clear he ventured and up to someone and it

goes wrong you have to pick up the tab. So how common a problem is

this? The Environment Agency said it is becoming more a problem and Peel

Ports says part of the problem is to do with the waste industry. This

should go to landfill. It used to cost ?7 a tonne for this to be

buried and it is now ?86 a tonne. This is supposed to encourage us to

recycle. Peel Ports says what it does is encourage criminal gangs to

take the money and then dump the waste at sites like this. Thank you

very much. Most of you will have

heard of free-range eggs, It's produced by dairy cows allowed

to graze outside for at least six months of the year rather

than being forced to spend most Well, Stephensons Dairy in Morecambe

was the first in the country to be awarded a free-range Pasture Promise

logo, and says it's now The Newsham family has

been dairy farming near Their methods haven't changed,

but the milk from farms like this is becoming more

popular with consumers. They've been inside since the middle

of November last year. They have been queueing

up to go out today. They know there is

grass there to eat. They are going to be out now

until the middle of November. This is one of four farms

in the Lancaster area While many cows are allowed out

into fields, the milk from these carries the Pasture Promise logo

and that national scheme guarantees that they spend at least six months

of every year grazing on grass. I don't think people were aware

of the difference before and it has been an education process,

because supermarkets are very good at depicting cows in fields

and so people presume that all cows go out to graze and there

is nothing wrong with that, People are beginning to notice

the taste is certainly different They say it tastes

sweeter and creamier. Also, independent coffee houses,

when it is foamed, it complements the taste and the flavour

complements their coffee. That's right, and the coffee world

go to all that trouble of sourcing their coffee from fair

trade coffee producers and individual farms and then some

of them just use any milk, but the world of coffee is changing

and they are beginning to value These will be going out

to businesses across And if you live in the Lancaster

and Morecambe area, these could be arriving on a milk float and landing

on your doorstep tomorrow morning. It is just priced midpoint

between conventional So roughly in a store,

two litres will cost you ?1.50. A glass pint would be

between 60 and 65p. Forever we've been grazing grass

and producing milk from grass, now we are getting recognised for it

and there are people Still to come on North

West Tonight... Liverpool extend their record

over Everton at Anfield # Spirits moved me every time I'm

near you... Breaking box office records, a new musical inspired by

Take That is already proving to be the hottest ticket in town. One

fundraising effort in the Lake District at all the right notes.

Two climbers who died in an avalanche last year have been

remembered at an outdoor concert on top of a Lake District hill.

Friends of Rachel Slater and Tim Newton carried a grand piano

up Claife Heights overlooking Windermere.

A group of friends, a grand piano and a 300 metre climb to a Lake

District beauty spot. An unusual but fitting tribute to two young

climbers who lost their lives. We all knew Rachel. We were at

university with her. We met her through the mountaineering club in

Manchester. She was incredible, the very definition of adventure. It is

a reflection of her personality. Mitchell Slater and Tim Newton died

on an avalanche last year. Rescue teams searched for more than a month

until their bodies were found. The dedication shown is the reason

behind this event. An organisation that both racial and Tim had strong

feelings towards an life and following their debts it emphasised

how badly in need of support and the phenomenal job they do. To replace

equipment and the costs, it is vital. Despite determined April

showers, there were unique experiences for passers-by and the

performers. You wouldn't normally have a grand piano in and out of the

situation. It was absolutely perfect. The proceeds will be split

between mountain rescue teams. A lovely tribute and they e-mailed

in and asked if Diane could sort out the weather for them.

There were all sorts of talking points from the weekend's football.

And you've got a man with you who's played in a few in his time?

Yes, Steve Watson who played for Everton for five seasons.

And we'll start with your old team, Steve.

Everton beaten 3-1 at Anfield in the Merseyside derby.

Was it a case of Liverpool just having too much firepower

I think on the day they had more matchwinners. They had got Firmino,

Coutinho, Mane. When Lukaku was on fire, he wasn't scoring, the

disappointment of losing Seamus Coleman. On the day they had too

much. Schneider Lynn as well was a big mess. We will see the Everton

goals. -- miss. You have been involved in many Merseyside derbies.

Is it a question of belief do you think that they haven't won in so

long? So many players and managers have changed around you would like

to think you would be going there as a player excited and not worrying

about... Is that the case for India? Yes, otherwise you are in the wrong

game. I would like to think it wouldn't be the case but without

knowing the individuals it is a record that obviously I was

disappointed to see Kerry on this weekend. It means just as much if

not more to Everton. What about Manchester United? 0-0, and draw

against West Brom. Jose Mourinho very tetchy after the game. Do you

think it was because of the frustration of another draw? I think

so. I think Manchester United at Old Trafford this season which is

usually a place where they dominate, probably more draws this season.

They it is probably frustration at the end of it. Certainly Chelsea

losing the game. Chelsea are arguably out of sight by now. Seeing

the results you would have thought it would be a chance to get two

points closer to them and into the top four where they need to beat. A

chance Manchester City to close the gap as well, 2-2 at Arsenal isn't a

bad result but do you think it was a missed opportunity with them playing

Chelsea on Wednesday? I was watching with a big City fan and when you are

a team as good as City with so many players you don't lose the lead very

often, to lose the lead twice, they will be very frustrated. A quick

word on Burnley. Not long ago they were miles away from the bottom

three, now just five points. It is starting to tie the knot. They still

think they will have enough but there are important home games

coming up. Sunderland, obviously a big Newcastle fan, I won't shed any

tears, but the other two places are in the mix but I think Burnley will

have another. Thank you. Just one of our Football League

clubs managed to come away with win Accrington Stanley extended

their unbeaten run to 12 games with a 1-0 victory

over second-placed Plymouth. Jordan Clark scored the winner early

in the match for John Coleman's men. Super League, and in their seventh

game of the season, Warrington Wolves finally picked

up their first point of the season. Kurt Gidley's kick levelling things

at 22 against Hull FC. Meanwhile Widnes recorded

their first win of the season. Charly Runciman with the final

try for the Vikings, Belle Vue Aces speedway team say

the mistakes of last At one point the Aces were ordered

to leave the National Stadium in Manchester after the club's

promoters were kicked But now with new owners this year's

team of riders was shown And with one of the most famous

names in the sport and one of the best tracks in the world,

their chief executive says It is about making sure the

supporters get a good experience because of the do that they tell

other people and new people come. We need to develop a bigger fan base

like most speedway team is but our focus is going forward with a sound

business plan. And you can see all the best

of the action from the Super League this weekend on the Super League

Show on BBC One at 11:45pm. Finally, it may've been the longest

pitch invasion in history. And it happened on Saturday

at the game between Halesowen Town v Skelmersdale United

in the Northern Premier League. As you can see that is a dog running

around. It is a little beagle. He was on there for almost nine

minutes. You think they have got it there but he is back, here he comes

again, you can't get rid of him that easy. Almost nine minutes. How could

they not catching? He is not moving the past. They offered him treats.

And he still wouldn't give in? You would have caught him, Steve. Not

now, I wouldn't! Take That can now add producing

musicals to their extensive entertainment CVs as they announce

the tour of their new It has become the fastest selling

tour ever taking ?2 million. They made the announcement

yesterday, on stage at the Manchester Apollo -

where Take That first The Band will be played

by the winners of BBC Deena Campbell went

along to meet them. Take That first performed right here

at the Manchester Apollo in 1992. 25 years later they are back to launch

their new musical The Band. This is the stuff dreams are made of. In

February they were crowned the winners of the BBC programme Let It

Shine and know their dreams are becoming realised as they will be

performing as the band in a new musical co-produced by none other

than Take That. Back here at Manchester Apollo and it is a great

feeling because this is the place we first started or draw. Also we are

in Manchester and it is a fantastic feeling. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi before

I even -- the musical is about what it is

like to grow up adoring a boy band. The boys say Take That were hands-on

producers. They have been coming in our rehearsals and they have a

strong input into what goes on. Producing musical theatre is

extremely exciting for anybody who wants to get into this. It is

brilliant. I have been involved in the last few years and I am really

thrilled. The lads are involved as well. It is wonderful to see how

they have grown since winning the TV show and they have been in

rehearsals for the last few weeks. Tickets are now on sale for the 20

show tour which will see the band visit much of the UK and including

Manchester and Liverpool. Got your ticket? I was about to ask

you. Diane definitely has. How old do you think I am? I wasn't on

Northwest tonight then. Good evening. Today was a day of the

house. Good sunshine first in the morning. More cloud cover through

the day and that is the story through the next couple of hours.

Some rain coming towards us. Temperature is just around the mid

teens from most places but here comes the rain. Light and patchy. It

will work its way in to the coast and then it spreads for another

couple of hours. It lingers to 10pm or 11 foremost. Another area of rain

works its way in in the morning. Much like and in some places it will

hardly dampen the ground. The cloud will stay all the way through the

night and it keeps the temperatures up to seven or eight. Tomorrow

morning that is what you wake up to but it already clears the isle of

man by seven or eight. All the weather will have clear from all of

us and then the sun comes out and stays through the afternoon. The

sunset is about 7:45pm so if it comes out at the 9am you have 11

hours of sunshine. The breeze comes to achieve from the Northwest so it

will not be that hot but it is valuable in the sunshine. That is

lovely. Do you not remember Take That? I do but I wasn't there for

everyone's inception. Now, take a look at this -

staff at a charity based in Merseyside have completed a world

record attempt to trampoline The eight staff from Autism Together

began jumping at midday yesterday But their Guinness World Record

attempt has not been As she tries to distance herself

from her party's controversial past, we follow the money and ask,

"Who's funding her campaign?" Stacey and Chris are preparing for

marriage by spending a few days living alone with

their in-laws to be, and asking them all kinds of

questions. Did you get a kiss on

the first date? No. What does their in-laws' marriage

tell them about each other's I expect you'll want to become

a schoolmaster, sir. That's what most of the gentlemen

does that get sent down for indecent behaviour.

Evelyn Waugh's classic novel. Have you ever been in love,

Mr Pennyfeather? No, not yet. The fire escape is very dangerous

and never to be used.