25/04/2017 North West Tonight

Good evening, a man of 95, who admitted trying

to bludgeon his wife to death, has been spared jail.

Denver Beddows told police he did it because she was afraid of being

Our chief reporter, Dave Guest, has been following the case

Denver Beddows emerged from court looking bewildered.

He'd admitted trying to beat his beloved wife, Olive, to death.

But a judge had decided he could now go home.

Denver and Olive were totally devoted to one another.

Her mental health deteriorated and he suffered depression.

Olive became convinced she would be forced into a hospital.

She begged her husband to take her life.

Liverpool Crown Court was told that in February,

at their home in Warrington, he tried to do that by hitting her

He immediately phoned his son to say what he had done.

She begged me to kill her because she didn't want to go

into a mental hospital where she thought she'd be raped.

I haven't managed to and have just increased her suffering.

She is the most beautiful women in the world and I have made it worse.

He admitted attempted murder and could have expected a jail term

But the court was told Mrs Beddows had recovered from her injuries

and was now living happily in the place where she

She'd forgiven her husband and wanted them to be reunited.

Judge Clement Goldstone told Mr Beddows, "That

no doubt earned by your 65 years of devoted and loyal married life.

Whether you will be able to spend the rest of your days together

However, he said he had decided an immediate prison term

was not appropriate, instead, suspending a two-year

The family said the last 12 months had been particularly difficult as

they attempted to cope with the mental illness of the mother that

had not been diagnosed. At present they are supporting both the mother

and father and would ask for privacy as the attempt to come to terms with

the situation. David Guest, BBC North West Tonight, Liverpool.

Next tonight, the use of food banks across the North West

is continuing to rise according to new figures released today.

The Trussell Trust says 14,000 more people turned to food banks for help

Greater Manchester saw the biggest rise in the use of food banks,

with 8,000 more three-day food packs given out - a total

And people in Merseyside were issued with the most emergency supplies -

But what could be causing the rise in the use of food banks?

Shabnam Younus-Jewell reports from Knowsley in Merseyside.

Around a decade ago, food banks were hardly heard of.

Now a charity claims they're being used more than ever,

Even hard-working families, people that aren't on benefits, you know?

Maybe people that are really struggling.

They have to use a food bank but they don't want

So it can be a bit embarrassing, as well.

Tori was struggling when she went to her local food bank

at Page Moss Baptist Church in Knowsley.

Her life has turned around after she ended up

I went to the interview and felt really good about it and then later

that day I got a phone call - I was like, yes!

And I have made loads of good friends.

Everyone is really great there, they are really helping me out.

Now Tori helps others suffering from food poverty in Merseyside,

one of the areas most in need of food banks.

I think these people deserve a medal.

This food bank in Knowsley has been going for five years.

They give out over a tonne of food per week and the referrals

The Knowsley Foodbank is a franchise of the Trussell Trust charity

and they say the implementation of a new benefits system,

Universal Credit, is the main catalyst for the rise in people

People on a low wage, minimum wage...

If their car needs new tyres, what do they do, put tyres

on their car so they can go to work or buy food for their children?

These are the choices people face on a day-to-day basis.

In a statement, the Deparment for Work Pensions has responded...

I don't know where I'd be now if it wasn't for the food bank.

Shabnam Younus-Jewell, BBC North West Tonight, Knowsley.

The family of a former Royal Navy officer -

who was killed as he tried to stop his car being

stolen in Manchester - have described him as the most

Mike Samwell was found with serious injuries outside his house

In a statement, his family said they'd been deeply touched

A 21-year-old man - who was being questioned

on suspicion of murder - has been released on bail.

It's understood the former Government minister -

and Wirral West MP - Esther McVey has been shortlisted

to stand for election in Tatton to succeed George Osborne.

She lost her seat at the last general election.

Tatton Conservatives will choose their candidate tomorrow.

Karen Danczuk, the former wife of Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk,

has announced she's applied to become Labour candidate for

Mrs Danczuk, who became famous for posting selfies on social media,

will find out if she's been chosen next week.

People learnt who I were, and it has really helped immensely.

But at the same time, I don't want to be known

I was a councillor, I've been a businesswoman, I'm a mum,

A large stretch of the River Irwell has been devastated

by two lots of pollution in the last three weeks.

The river had undergone a major cleanup but environmentalists say it

will take up to three years for the ecosystem to recover.

It looks pristine and picturesque, the water

But this section of the Irwell at Burrs Country Park in Bury has

White icebergs of foam were discovered in the river

Just three weeks after what's believed to have been pesticide

Volunteers have been sampling the water to discover

This is a sample we have taken, not a single thing living. It really is

total devastation. There is no exaggeration. Fisherman David

Bendall discovered the first polluted area, finding dead crayfish

in the water. The bottom of the river is littered with thousands

upon thousands, without exaggerating, or dead crayfish. And

looking at what appears to be a clean river, you can see the bottom,

and there are dead animals everywhere. Because there are no

insects in the water here, there are no flies, no birds, every level of

the ecosystem has been affected. They are well became severely

polluted by industrial waste in the industrial revolution, but over the

last 30 years it has been transformed, becoming a haven for

wildlife. The latest publishing is a massive setback. These invertebrates

happy a two-year life cycle so it will take a minimum of three years

for the river to get back to even remotely how it used to be. The

Environment Agency has said it is investigating both incidents and has

taken samples for analysis. Abbie Jones, BBC North West Tonight,

Barry. Four Sale Sharks players have been

named in England's rugby union squad New Zealand born back

Denny Solomona's call up follows his switch from rugby

league last year. Twins Tom and Ben Curry could become

the first identical twins to play for the national side,

with centre Sam James making Tonight's sixth round draw for rugby

league's Challenge Cup has turned up League One side Barrow Raiders,

the lowest-ranked team left in the competition,

travel to Leeds Rhinos, St Helens go to leaders

Castleford Tigers. Championship side

Swinton host Wigan. Warrington Wolves, last

year's losing finalists, are at home to local rivals Widnes

Vikings. Is it still cold? Yes, a real shock

to the system, that cold, raw wind riding in the cold error.

That picture does not change but after that gradually gets a little

bit less cold, normal service will be resumed for Thursday and Friday.

Since the last book, the showers which have

Good evening. Another cold night lies ahead after what was a chilly

day for swathes of the UK. This is the Highlands of