07/04/2017 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson and Beccy Barr.

Jail for the man who beat his wife, then claimed he was becoming

a cricketer professional to avoid prison.

Mustafa Bashir's sentence was reviewed after it emerged

Christopher McAllister subjected his sick neighbour

to a series of attacks that contributed to his death.

Everybody was stunned that people could do this sort of thing without

having any cheque. A glittering brooch worn on Manchester's lapel.

Now the Trafford Centre has got its own bard.

How Joe McGrath ended up going on holiday with a group

A man who admitted attacking his wife

but was then spared jail is behind bars tonight.

Mustafa Bashir was given a suspended sentence

after a judge was told he'd been offered a professional

But the contract never existed and the same judge today

locked Bashir up telling him the court

He also defended himself over comments he made about the victim.

Here's our chief reporter Dave Guest.

Mustafa Bashir arrived at court today knowing he had

Last month he'd narrowly avoided jail when he admitted

attacking his former wife with a cricket bat and

The judge suspended an 18 month prison sentence,

partly because he'd been told Bashir was about to sign a contract with

The club then revealed they'd never heard of Bashir.

And so today the 33 year old was ordered back before the same

He was represented in court by a new barrister who said his client had

not intended to mislead anyone. They had been easy reuse of

misunderstandings. The judge was having none of that. He said I was

fundamentally miss led by you as to your personal circumstances. He said

he had no hesitation in giving an immediate prison term, something he

said he would have done an surely if he had been aware the true position.

The club is happy to have played its part in bringing Bashir's

invention to the attention of the Court and ensuring that

Meanwhile, Judge Richard Mansell QC took the opportunity to address

criticisms levelled against him over comments he made during

He'd said Bashir's victim was "not particularly vulnerable due

Today the judge said he wanted to make clear he'd always accepted

she had been vulnerable, but sentencing

guidelines clearly set out different levels of vulnerability which judges

had to take into account when sentencing.

His victim says she was satisfied. She believes she has received

justice and has looked at the transcripts from the original

sentencing and what has been said today by the judge. This year may be

investigated for the separate offence of preventing the course of

-- perverting the course of justice.

A hospital trust in Greater Manchester is diverting more

ambulances from the nearest accident and emergency department

Figures from the Nuffield Trust suggest nearly one in five so-called

"ambulance diverts" in the whole of England happen in

The Trust, though, says this doesn't properly reflect the situation.

Our Health Correspondent Gill Dummigan's here now to explain more.

A divert happens when an A department is too busy

to take more patients, either the hospital trust

or sometimes the ambulances service propose to temporarily take them

This is often used as an indicator of pressure on the health system

and of course it can have quite an impact on the ambulance

He will go to another hospital further away so he will travel

longer. It means the Ambulance Service has to stay with the patient

longer and people have trouble meeting their response time. The

will be in the wrong place for the next call.

The Nuffield Trust analysed NHS figures for this winter period

and found there had been a big jump in diverts nationally -

up from 265 last winter to 478 this time -

and 89 of those, nearly one in five relate to just one trust -

Pennine Acute, which covers much of the north of Greater Manchester.

They and the local MP say it's an indication of the huge

It is an indication of the pressure on the trust and also an indication

that the accident and emergency units are not staffed up to the

proper level. I know Pennine and making every effort to recruit

people but it is difficult because there are problems over the country.

They are looking not just in this but around the world.

The trust points out it's one of the largest

in the country and that, unlike most, they look

after three A - in North Manchester,

Oldham, and Bury, which are all reasonably close to each other.

They say that because of that they might decide

to send an ambulance to, say Royal Oldham rather

than Manchester General, and although it might take 15

minutes longer to get there, if you can then be seen straight

away, that's better than having to wait somewhere

They also point out that the most time critical cases,

heart attack patients for example, are never diverted.

The report's authors say there are several other hospital

trusts in a similar position who do far fewer diverts and these findings

indiate the exceptional pressure on the hospitals in this area.

Six men from Preston have been jailed for a total of 13 and a half

years after committing a ?400,000 insurance fraud.

The men worked together in their professional roles

The crimes were discovered when solicitor Nadir Suleman

had his house raided and the police found documents linking him

and the others to numerous fraudulent claims.

An investigation's continuing into a razor blade attack

at Liverpool's Altcourse Jail in which a prison officer

He's now recovering at home after being released from hospital.

The inmate responsible was housed in the prison's separation unit.

A man from Manchester who offered to care for a sick neighbour has

been sentenced to ten years in prison for causing his death.

A court heard Paul Roddy had multiple sclerosis

But instead of caring for him, Christopher McAllister subjected him

Today he was jailed for manslaughter.

Paul was the father of four, a stopper but kind man who loved

drinking tea and watching Emmerdale. He suffered from multiple sclerosis

and was not coping. He met Christopher McAllister. The two men

lived in neighbouring flats. The court heard Paul was vulnerable and

local youths had been taking advantage of him and using his flat

to take drugs. Christopher McAllister moved into the flat

offering to help and care for him. They lived in squalid conditions.

The court heard he was not motivated by money, nor was he fit to be a

carer. When Paul was found dead in his bed, he had injuries all over

his head and body and was underweight. He had been subjected

to a number of attacks. The frailty of Paul, based on the injuries that

he suffered was awful. That period prior to his death must have been

very, very unpleasant for him. Jailing Christopher McAllister for

ten years, the Justice said that when you let Paul lives with you it

was out the frying pan and into the fire. He was dependent on your carer

but your behaviour was grossly abusive. Ten years, 20 years...

Nothing will bring Paul back. Police and other agencies are now awaiting

results of a serious case review. Paul's sister is campaigning for a

change in the law. Everyone was stunned that people can do this

thing without having any checks. Or monitoring that they were a suitable

person to look after vulnerable people. Last night Paul's family lit

candles in his legacy. -- in his memory. The hope is legacy will be

that this never happens to anyone else again.

Tomorrow a teenager from Cheshire will receive a special

Rotary Club Young Citizens award for raising thousands

14-year-old Aidan Jackson, from Widnes, has Aspergers syndrome

and suffers a number of other physical and emotional problems.

But that hasn't stopped him from coming up with a stream

Tomorrow he'll be at a glitzy event in Manchester to pick up his award.

Aidan and his mum Caroline are flicking through a scrap book of his

exploits of fundraising. The death in 2014 of his close friend at the

age of just 15 really let his fundraising fuse. I wanted to help

out her family as much as possible. When they wanted to set up a

charity, the ignited the spark. Last August, he filled a sports stadium

with ten and a half thousand teddies to raise money. Why is it so

important to you that you do this and help people? Even if it is just

one person, that one person is going to make a big change to their life

and it is going to help them out a lot. All this despite the problems

caused by his Asperger's. Day-to-day things where you struggle and they

still are. When it comes to fundraising, he is just a different

person. As well as Asperger's, Eden Hazard condition which causes him to

walk on his toes. He may need surgery which will leave him in

plaster for weeks. -- has the condition. I will need to deal with

it in my own pace and slow down. He has raised ?15,000 in two years. You

will find out next week if he needs an operation all not. -- he will

find out. Good luck. A great story. And you can see more

on Aidan's story and the other Rotary Young Citizens awards winners

on the BBC News Channel from ten Is he striding towards raising

Glory? We will meet the Cumbrian horse who is going for success in

tomorrow's Grand National. And Joe's jolly. Why a Manchester man went on

holiday with people he had never met. I was prepared for everything

to go wrong but it did not. I am very glad it did not.

Wordsworth was inspired by The Lake District.

John Cooper Clarke put Salford into verse.

But who'd have thought a shopping centre could encourage poetry?

Under its dome there's a bargain if you look long and hard and now

the Trafford Centre has inspired its own bard.

The Manchester-based write Michael Symmons Roberts says it's

one of the greatest buildings of our age.

And the centre's works of art, statues and paintings have

Stuart Flinders has been to meet him.

Buys anti-but these like the archers on Manchester handwritten over and

over and over again. The clouded nor on sky. Neither the 200 shops nor

the ample parking brought Michael here, not today at least. The finest

temple of marble and gold leaf and brass, the statues and murals and

glass. Poets famously write about love and nature but a shopping

centre? I think poets can and should write about all things, anything.

This seems like a perfect subject for a poem. Wherever you see what I

used to think was gold paint, is gold leaf. The detailing, the

murals, it is just an incredibly rich pudding of the building.

Michael is a poet, a professor of poetry at Manchester's Metropolitan

University. Most are here for the bargains, not the art. But it is a

building that will not be ignored. Forget the shops for a minute, what

you think of it as a building? Link. This is a temple to shopping. That

is what it is. Is that a good thing? It is over the top to me but... You

are here. Exactly, exactly. To some people, it is vulgar, it is fake, it

is ugly. It is a strong statement. Where is the originality? The idea

of seeming and repeating and doing a new spin on something that has

already been done is at the root of the arts. The Trafford Centre is 18

years old, all grown up and Michael thinks it is time to take it

seriously. A gaudy, glittering brooch worn with pride on

Manchester's lapel. Lost cousin of last Vegas, at last we come to

honour you. Blimey. Interesting. Shopping doesn't do it for me. Shall

we mention in tree? We have not what about it much.

Michael's poem was written for a programme called

The Stately Pleasure Dome, which you can hear

-- Aintree. That brings back school poetry. Bad news for Liverpool

football fans. Yes, news that Reds supporters

feared has now been confirmed, striker Sadio Mane will miss

the rest of the season He was taken off after colliding

with Leighton Baines in last weekend's Merseyside derby

and now faces surgery. Liverpool haven't won any

of the five games they've played Manchester boxer Terry Flanagan says

he'll pursue a match up with one of the sport's biggest names

if he wins his latest WBO world lightweight title

defence tomorrow night. Now please be aware this report

includes flash photography. Terry weighed in successfully today

for the bout against Russia's Peter Petrov

at the Manchester Arena but the same can't be said

of Liverpool's Liam Smith. The world super-welterweight title

challenger failed to make the weight ahead of his fight

with Liam Williams, even after removing his pants to make

himself even lighter. We have all done that. I am not sure

that piece of paper was doing much. Onto Super League now where five

of our clubs all have games tonight, with fourth placed Salford's trip

to third placed Hull the pick. Wigan played last night but have now

lost three straight games after a 27-10 home defeat to top

of the table Castleford. The highlight for the Warriors

was two tries from French Keep up with tonight's action

on BBC Radios Manchester Lancashire got up and

running in the new County Lancs flirted with relegation last

year , but with the introduction of overseas stars like

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, alongside some promising youngsters,

there's plenty of optimism The first day of the season

Lancashire hope will be one to Roll back just a few years

and Lancs were County They are hungry to try

and win back their crown. I think that is what it's all about,

is producing your own and hopefully winning a trophy and

creating England players. Determined to be in the shake up

for the title, rather than battle against relegation,

they have chosen their last County Championship winning

captain as head coach. A few teams have added

to the squad over the winter. There are eight strong teams and it

will be a good fight. His team looks strong,

with star England players are available for the few

months in the place, including a man who has taken more wickets for his

country than any other bowler. It has been nice to have that three

month period just to look after my The big test will be

when the games start coming thick Hopefully my shoulder

can put up with that. And then there is one

of England's most exciting young There's quite a lot of cricket

to be played before the I hope I can help

Lancashire win a few We have a really good

looking squad on paper. That means nothing when that

first ball is bowled. We need to knit together

and gel as a team. If we can do that, I am sure

we will get off to a good start. Jimmy and the team will be

disappointed with their batting at Essex today but tomorrow, they will

have the chance to fight back for Just months after financial problems

threatened their very existence, Just months after financial problems

threatened their very existence, there's a new and confident mood

at Manchester's National where the Belle Vue Aces host Poole

in their first home meeting Things were so bad last year

that the club were even ordered Things were so bad last year

that the club were even ordered to leave their home circuit,

but with new owners in charge expectations

for a successful season are high. Everyone is pumped to finally get it

back up and where it'd meant to be. The crowd today made for some

spectacular sights on the eve of the meeting's main event.

The world's greatest race may be in the north west with the national

at Aintree tomorrow - but there's likely to be just

Highland Lodge'S route to the Grand National is one

COMMENTATOR: Highland Lodge on his first run for James Moffatt.

Already a winner around Aintree, the horse narrowly missed

We missed out by seven and we didn't really know

We've been building this horse up for this race

Jockey Henry Brooke was in a coma following a fall in a race

Highland Lodge has been a big part of his recovery.

It was my first ride back over fences.

To say I was tired is an easy thing to say.

I'm fit, starting to ride a few more winners again now, which is good.

The Moffatt family have been training horses

Highland Lodge is their best chance in the National.

This horse basically - he jumps, he stays and he's got a

Every National has a story and hopefully

Highland Lodge cost just ?22,000 and now he has a

chance of landing the biggest race of all.

Let's hope Highland Lodge goes really well. There is a real strike

tomorrow so do plan your journey. The race goes off at quarter past

five. Thank you very much. Thank you. We're going to find out your

marketable story now. What do you do if one of your group pulls out of

the holiday? How about find a replacement with the same name? That

is what happened to Joe McGrath when he found a message via social media

and it resulted on him going on a holiday with total strangers.

Joe McGrath, life and soul of the party.

The group of brand-new friends in Magaluf. He was contacted by the

group from Bristol on Facebook. One of the party, also called Joe

McGrath, wasn't able to travel. I had the tracker on my phone. I was

prepared for everything to go wrong. It did not. I am very glad it did

not. Joe stepped in when they appealed for a namesake. To avoid

admin charges and he was offered flights and all-inclusive

accommodation. It was a 30th birthday party for his new friend

Nathan, who he had never met. The first two hours of the trip,

everyone was trying to convince me then he was the Joe McGrath he knew.

We were trying to get on his head and really try to hone down and

think this is Joe McGrath, what you mean? This is Joe McGrath. We played

along with that until it came out I was just a random guy. He is 21 and

works at a radio station. The station was happy to let him go.

People do not believe it. People think he has made it up. Being

cynical. It happened and it happened for very positive reasons, great

human spirit made it happen and it shouldn't be such a big story, that

should be normal. What did his mum say? I told my mum I knew someone so

she had that security. It was a bit hectic when she found out I knew

none of them. It was also a lie. The other part of the story was... What

were they thinking about me? I could have been mental. Joe said the

highlight of the karaoke -- highlight of the holiday was

karaoke. Other than that, what happened in Magaluf will stay in

Magaluf. We can safely say he had a good time, didn't he? He made the

most of it. Who needs Magaluf when we have sunshine like we've got this

evening. A touch of sun in places

today and more to come - let's go out onto Salford Quays

to join Diane. What an evening. It seems a crime

for me to stand in front of this when we can just look and catch

glimpses of sunshine. It is a beautiful evening and for the whole

of the weekend, the sun is out so do not let it get away. If you look at

our charts, it is all about this area of high pressure and where it

is oriented. The squiggly lines that you can see, the running across the

UK from the south. We have a long land track, which allows the air to

warm up and allows the cloud cover to break up. All of that means a

beautiful weekend for us. Through this evening and overnight, hardly a

cloud in the sky as we speak. Lots of cloud cover as forecast, the sun

has come out and we head into a clear night tonight. It will be

cooler than recently. For most towns and cities, five Celsius. Along the

coast, six Celsius. For Saturday, hardly a cloud in the sky. To

Celsius in rural areas. Along the coast, the wind is coming towards us

from the south. Because it will be as warm as everywhere else.

Temperatures of 70 and Celsius. Maybe 18 Celsius. Saturday night,

you would imagine might be clear and cool. -- 17 Celsius. We will see the

value of all of the sunshine. Nine Celsius overnight temperatures.

Saturday, another good one. Fine and dry. More cloud cover building

through the afternoon. Temperatures could reach 18 or 19 Celsius. Enjoy

it if you can because by Monday we're back to 10 Celsius. Thank you

very much. Who did you get in the sweepstake for the Grand National?

Just a par. I got the French one. It sounds good. I have forgotten mine

already. Have a lovely weekend. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Highlights - Friday at 7 on BBC Two, followed by...

Hello. It's All Round to Mrs Brown's, where my guests will be

Steve Backshall, and music from the beautiful Pixie Lott.