:00:12. > :00:14.Good evening, a man of 95, who admitted trying
:00:15. > :00:16.to bludgeon his wife to death, has been spared jail.
:00:17. > :00:20.Denver Beddows told police he did it because she was afraid of being
:00:21. > :00:26.Our chief reporter, Dave Guest, has been following the case
:00:27. > :00:30.Denver Beddows emerged from court looking bewildered.
:00:31. > :00:34.He'd admitted trying to beat his beloved wife, Olive, to death.
:00:35. > :00:39.But a judge had decided he could now go home.
:00:40. > :00:42.Denver and Olive were totally devoted to one another.
:00:43. > :00:46.Her mental health deteriorated and he suffered depression.
:00:47. > :00:50.Olive became convinced she would be forced into a hospital.
:00:51. > :00:52.She begged her husband to take her life.
:00:53. > :00:55.Liverpool Crown Court was told that in February,
:00:56. > :00:58.at their home in Warrington, he tried to do that by hitting her
:00:59. > :01:02.He immediately phoned his son to say what he had done.
:01:03. > :01:16.She begged me to kill her because she didn't want to go
:01:17. > :01:18.into a mental hospital where she thought she'd be raped.
:01:19. > :01:28.I haven't managed to and have just increased her suffering.
:01:29. > :01:31.She is the most beautiful women in the world and I have made it worse.
:01:32. > :01:34.He admitted attempted murder and could have expected a jail term
:01:35. > :01:38.But the court was told Mrs Beddows had recovered from her injuries
:01:39. > :01:41.and was now living happily in the place where she
:01:42. > :01:44.She'd forgiven her husband and wanted them to be reunited.
:01:45. > :01:46.Judge Clement Goldstone told Mr Beddows, "That
:01:47. > :01:50.no doubt earned by your 65 years of devoted and loyal married life.
:01:51. > :01:53.Whether you will be able to spend the rest of your days together
:01:54. > :01:57.However, he said he had decided an immediate prison term
:01:58. > :01:59.was not appropriate, instead, suspending a two-year
:02:00. > :02:13.The family said the last 12 months had been particularly difficult as
:02:14. > :02:17.they attempted to cope with the mental illness of the mother that
:02:18. > :02:21.had not been diagnosed. At present they are supporting both the mother
:02:22. > :02:25.and father and would ask for privacy as the attempt to come to terms with
:02:26. > :02:28.the situation. David Guest, BBC North West Tonight, Liverpool.
:02:29. > :02:30.Next tonight, the use of food banks across the North West
:02:31. > :02:33.is continuing to rise according to new figures released today.
:02:34. > :02:36.The Trussell Trust says 14,000 more people turned to food banks for help
:02:37. > :02:45.Greater Manchester saw the biggest rise in the use of food banks,
:02:46. > :02:47.with 8,000 more three-day food packs given out - a total
:02:48. > :03:04.And people in Merseyside were issued with the most emergency supplies -
:03:05. > :03:09.But what could be causing the rise in the use of food banks?
:03:10. > :03:13.Shabnam Younus-Jewell reports from Knowsley in Merseyside.
:03:14. > :03:16.Around a decade ago, food banks were hardly heard of.
:03:17. > :03:18.Now a charity claims they're being used more than ever,
:03:19. > :03:21.Even hard-working families, people that aren't on benefits, you know?
:03:22. > :03:24.Maybe people that are really struggling.
:03:25. > :03:26.They have to use a food bank but they don't want
:03:27. > :03:30.So it can be a bit embarrassing, as well.
:03:31. > :03:34.Tori was struggling when she went to her local food bank
:03:35. > :03:36.at Page Moss Baptist Church in Knowsley.
:03:37. > :03:38.Her life has turned around after she ended up
:03:39. > :03:44.I went to the interview and felt really good about it and then later
:03:45. > :03:47.that day I got a phone call - I was like, yes!
:03:48. > :03:52.And I have made loads of good friends.
:03:53. > :03:54.Everyone is really great there, they are really helping me out.
:03:55. > :03:57.Now Tori helps others suffering from food poverty in Merseyside,
:03:58. > :04:01.one of the areas most in need of food banks.
:04:02. > :04:07.I think these people deserve a medal.
:04:08. > :04:11.This food bank in Knowsley has been going for five years.
:04:12. > :04:15.They give out over a tonne of food per week and the referrals
:04:16. > :04:19.The Knowsley Foodbank is a franchise of the Trussell Trust charity
:04:20. > :04:23.and they say the implementation of a new benefits system,
:04:24. > :04:27.Universal Credit, is the main catalyst for the rise in people
:04:28. > :04:34.People on a low wage, minimum wage...
:04:35. > :04:37.If their car needs new tyres, what do they do, put tyres
:04:38. > :04:41.on their car so they can go to work or buy food for their children?
:04:42. > :04:44.These are the choices people face on a day-to-day basis.
:04:45. > :05:02.In a statement, the Deparment for Work Pensions has responded...
:05:03. > :05:05.I don't know where I'd be now if it wasn't for the food bank.
:05:06. > :05:14.Shabnam Younus-Jewell, BBC North West Tonight, Knowsley.
:05:15. > :05:16.The family of a former Royal Navy officer -
:05:17. > :05:19.who was killed as he tried to stop his car being
:05:20. > :05:21.stolen in Manchester - have described him as the most
:05:22. > :05:25.Mike Samwell was found with serious injuries outside his house
:05:26. > :05:29.In a statement, his family said they'd been deeply touched
:05:30. > :05:34.A 21-year-old man - who was being questioned
:05:35. > :05:39.on suspicion of murder - has been released on bail.
:05:40. > :05:40.It's understood the former Government minister -
:05:41. > :05:43.and Wirral West MP - Esther McVey has been shortlisted
:05:44. > :05:45.to stand for election in Tatton to succeed George Osborne.
:05:46. > :05:48.She lost her seat at the last general election.
:05:49. > :05:54.Tatton Conservatives will choose their candidate tomorrow.
:05:55. > :05:56.Karen Danczuk, the former wife of Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk,
:05:57. > :05:58.has announced she's applied to become Labour candidate for
:05:59. > :06:05.Mrs Danczuk, who became famous for posting selfies on social media,
:06:06. > :06:10.will find out if she's been chosen next week.
:06:11. > :06:15.People learnt who I were, and it has really helped immensely.
:06:16. > :06:18.But at the same time, I don't want to be known
:06:19. > :06:25.I was a councillor, I've been a businesswoman, I'm a mum,
:06:26. > :06:31.A large stretch of the River Irwell has been devastated
:06:32. > :06:33.by two lots of pollution in the last three weeks.
:06:34. > :06:36.The river had undergone a major cleanup but environmentalists say it
:06:37. > :06:38.will take up to three years for the ecosystem to recover.
:06:39. > :06:44.It looks pristine and picturesque, the water
:06:45. > :06:50.But this section of the Irwell at Burrs Country Park in Bury has
:06:51. > :06:54.White icebergs of foam were discovered in the river
:06:55. > :06:58.Just three weeks after what's believed to have been pesticide
:06:59. > :07:38.Volunteers have been sampling the water to discover
:07:39. > :07:44.This is a sample we have taken, not a single thing living. It really is
:07:45. > :07:50.total devastation. There is no exaggeration. Fisherman David
:07:51. > :07:54.Bendall discovered the first polluted area, finding dead crayfish
:07:55. > :07:57.in the water. The bottom of the river is littered with thousands
:07:58. > :08:02.upon thousands, without exaggerating, or dead crayfish. And
:08:03. > :08:07.looking at what appears to be a clean river, you can see the bottom,
:08:08. > :08:11.and there are dead animals everywhere. Because there are no
:08:12. > :08:17.insects in the water here, there are no flies, no birds, every level of
:08:18. > :08:19.the ecosystem has been affected. They are well became severely
:08:20. > :08:23.polluted by industrial waste in the industrial revolution, but over the
:08:24. > :08:28.last 30 years it has been transformed, becoming a haven for
:08:29. > :08:31.wildlife. The latest publishing is a massive setback. These invertebrates
:08:32. > :08:34.happy a two-year life cycle so it will take a minimum of three years
:08:35. > :08:38.for the river to get back to even remotely how it used to be. The
:08:39. > :08:43.Environment Agency has said it is investigating both incidents and has
:08:44. > :08:44.taken samples for analysis. Abbie Jones, BBC North West Tonight,
:08:45. > :08:49.Barry. Four Sale Sharks players have been
:08:50. > :08:55.named in England's rugby union squad New Zealand born back
:08:56. > :08:58.Denny Solomona's call up follows his switch from rugby
:08:59. > :09:00.league last year. Twins Tom and Ben Curry could become
:09:01. > :09:03.the first identical twins to play for the national side,
:09:04. > :09:06.with centre Sam James making Tonight's sixth round draw for rugby
:09:07. > :09:10.league's Challenge Cup has turned up League One side Barrow Raiders,
:09:11. > :09:12.the lowest-ranked team left in the competition,
:09:13. > :09:14.travel to Leeds Rhinos, St Helens go to leaders
:09:15. > :09:18.Castleford Tigers. Championship side
:09:19. > :09:20.Swinton host Wigan. Warrington Wolves, last
:09:21. > :09:21.year's losing finalists, are at home to local rivals Widnes
:09:22. > :09:49.Vikings. Is it still cold? Yes, a real shock
:09:50. > :09:53.to the system, that cold, raw wind riding in the cold error.
:09:54. > :09:57.That picture does not change but after that gradually gets a little
:09:58. > :10:00.bit less cold, normal service will be resumed for Thursday and Friday.
:10:01. > :10:01.Since the last book, the showers which have
:10:02. > :11:15.Good evening. Another cold night lies ahead after what was a chilly
:11:16. > :11:16.day for swathes of the UK. This is the Highlands of