21/04/2017 North West Tonight

A witness to the killing of a Rochdale man on holiday

in Sri Lanka six years ago has given evidence for the first time,

telling officials that the attackers had insulted and groped

female holiday makers earlier in the evening.

Khuram Shaikh was at a party with his girlfriend

when he was attacked on Christmas Day in 2011.

Four men were convicted of his murder.

An inquest in Heywood today recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.

Khuram Sheikh was a Red Cross worker on the Gaza Strip.

In 2011, he and his Russian girlfriend went

They were at a Christmas party when Mr Sheikh

intervened in a fight involving a group of

Mr Sheikh was shot and stabbed more than 40 times. He died.

His girlfriend was also attacked and raped, but she survived.

In 2014, four men were convicted

One of those who didn't give evidence at the

trial was Christopher Stootsbury, Canadian holiday-maker.

He described the atmosphere at the hotel in the run-up to the incident.

He said the woman in his party had complained about the group of local

men being insulting towards them. He described them as having quite a

grope and make passes at some of the women. He said that when Mr Sheikh

was attacked it was like he was being targeted directly as Etihad

had words with this troubled Minelli and evening. This was one of the

story is not told that the original trial but has been heard today at

the inquest. Nearly four weeks on from a huge

gas blast in Wirral, residents say they're

still being affected It's emerged that the incident

might not qualify for regeneration But the council and the local MP

say they'll lobby hard Nearly a month on, and the scale

of the devastation Roof tiles scattered like a badly

shuffled deck of cards. And dozens of families

unable to return home. Christopher Lee Power

was on his sofa His house is uninhabitable

and all his furniture a write-off. Four weeks on, when I walk past

a shop or a building, I run. The reason for that, psychologically

I'm thinking that it is going to explode so I'm very

traumatic inside and having An inquiry into the cause

of the explosion is continuing. The local MP says any financial help

from central government for regeneration is on hold

until after the election. Wirral Council and local MP

say while there's no it's important it puts forward

the most compelling case possible. There is nobody available to take

decisions whilst a general election The properties which took the brunt

of the blast are so badly damaged they might well have

to be demolished completely. Some of the homes which

are less badly damaged might be habitable again

in about six months. Police are appealing

for help to trace a man after a couple were kidnapped

at gunpoint in Wigan. Andrew Evans from Golborne is wanted

for robbery and kidnap. It follows an incident last

month in which a man - armed with a gun and a knife -

forced his way into the home of a couple in their late 70s

and demanded they drive to a cash machine to withdraw

hundreds of pounds. Pre-wedding nerves are nothing new,

for any happy couple. But for hundreds of brides

preparing to tie the knot worries about their big day

are very real tonight. That's because one of Lancashire's

longest-established bridal firms Dan Kerr Brides has shut

both its stores after 100 years, saying the family business can no

longer compete against It's every bride-to-be's

worst nightmare. Finding out the shop you've

ordered your wedding dress I felt sick, nerves,

that horrible feeling you get. We went down to the shop,

there was a load of people outside, The shop was empty and the stuff had

been liquidated and taken away. A lot of people crying

outside the shop. After over 100 years of trading,

Dan Kerr has shut up shop Their affairs are now being handled

by an insolvency firm in Manchester. Gemma's eight months pregnant

and getting married in July. I believe this is the first time

you have seen your dress. The first time I have

seen my dress, yes. Her dress was completed before

Dan Kerr went bust and she was able to pick it up from Robson Kay's

warehouse in Manchester I am very excited, looking

forward to trying it on, finding a veil and tiara

and accessories to match the dress, But not so straightforward

for Stephen and his fiancee. She saw her dream

dress, tried it on. And we've no idea to be

honest what is going on. And here at that firm,

workers are going through racks and racks of wedding dresses

to unite them with their owners. Most people understand

it is not our fault and not People are stressed and if everyone

thinks that their dress So, while some are looking

forward to their big days, In Super league tonight, Widnes have

beaten St Helens in a tight game. They won 16-14 with Patrick Avan

scoring the winning try. Get your long johns ready for next

week. Good evening. It has been a decent week of weather. We should

see mostly dry conditions. But it is not going to be plain sailing. We

start of the cloudy skies, with the class pushing away through Cumbria

and he would see temperatures as low as two Celsius. It will be dry once

again heading into the afternoon. It looks like a bright afternoon for

most. Bright and breezy as well. Temperatures peaking at around 12

Celsius. As we head into Sunday we will still keep those temperatures

around 12 Celsius. So, mostly dry as I have said. If you are heading to

London for the London Marathon it'll had warmer, the mid-teens in London,

and the artwork, on Monday and Tuesday, look at that. Coming up,

your national marathon. Here is the outlook for

the weather for the next few days and Helen Willetts has the National

forecast. While unusual to see snow in May, it

will be a shock to the system. We've seen some interesting contrast. 19

degrees cost is in Scotland in the sunshine today. In the sunshine only

11. The differences we are behind a cold weather front. Seeing a stepped

down in temperatures. The cold air filtering sound so there will be a

widespread ground frost across the country. The week weather front

still with us so we could cheat patchy mist and fog. The best chance

of seeing the meteor shower overnight will be in those clear

skies further north. A better chance for south overnight. We start

Saturday