0:00:10 > 0:00:13Good evening from BBC Points West. In tonight's programme:
0:00:13 > 0:00:16The woman accused of killing her ex-boyfriend
0:00:16 > 0:00:18with acid in a jealous rage.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Also tonight, out in all weathers.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26The 94-year-old still turning out to honour the fallen.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28I don't feel the cold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Too young for that.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And we will get under way under a lot of cloud tomorrow
0:00:35 > 0:00:36but it will brighten up eventually.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Details towards the end of the programme.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46A court's been told a man was left "grotesquely scarred"
0:00:46 > 0:00:50after his ex-girlfriend threw acid over him as he slept.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Mark van Dongen ended his life in a clinic in Belgium
0:00:53 > 0:00:5615 months after the alleged attack in Bristol.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59His former lover denies murder and throwing a corrosive substance
0:00:59 > 0:01:01with intent to harm.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Here's our Home Affairs Correspondent Charlotte Callen.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Mark van Dongen's father made the 400 mile journey
0:01:08 > 0:01:11from his home in Belgium to be here at court today.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Also arriving this morning was Berlinah Wallce,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Mark's former girlfriend, in this van.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19She's been in police custody since the alleged
0:01:19 > 0:01:22attack in September 2015.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Today we heard that Ms Wallace, who is South African,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28was 18 years older than Mark.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31He moved here about five years before the attack and they had
0:01:31 > 0:01:36what was described as a 'turbulant' and 'complicated' relationship.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Just a few weeks earlier they had separated
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and Mark had a new girlfriend.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45The prosecution claim Ms Wallace was jealous and bought a litre
0:01:45 > 0:01:47of sulphuric acid from Amazon
0:01:47 > 0:01:50and had been searching acid attacks online.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54The court were then shown a video of Mark that the jury were warned
0:01:54 > 0:01:56they might find distressing,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59filmed in his bed in hospital in Southmead.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02He was badly scarred and struggling to speak.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06He says he had gone round to stay at her flat for the night.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08She, he claimed, was going to stay in a hotel.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12But when he woke up, she was standing over him and shouted,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15"If I can't have you, then no-one can."
0:02:15 > 0:02:18In the video, we heard that Mark left his flat covered in acid,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20shouting, "I'm burning I'm burning."
0:02:20 > 0:02:24He went down this road looking for help from neighbours, who came out,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28called an ambulance, and took him into a shower to wash him down.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Mark suffered what were described as catastrophic injuries.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36He lost an eye and ear, his lower left leg and was paralysed
0:02:36 > 0:02:39from the neck down.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42He made the decision that his life was simply unbearable.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45He asked his father to arrange a private ambulance to take him back
0:02:45 > 0:02:49to Belgium, where euthanasia is legal,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52and on the 2nd of September his life was ended.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Berlinah Wallace denies the charges against her and instead claims
0:02:57 > 0:02:59it was Mark who had filled the glass with acid
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and was going to poison her.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04In a fit of rage, she threw it at him,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06thinking the glass contained water.
0:03:06 > 0:03:13The case is due to last three weeks.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16People living in Bath and North East Somerset could be
0:03:16 > 0:03:19among the first in the country to be refused vasectomies
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and sterilisations on the NHS to save money.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25A public consultation is now under way which could see
0:03:25 > 0:03:29the operations only carried out in exceptional circumstances.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Here's our Health Correspondent Matthew Hill.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36There are around 150 men in Bath and North East Somerset
0:03:36 > 0:03:39who have vasectomies each year.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41About six women go for steralisation.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45The NHS wants to save £200,000 a year by cutting the funding
0:03:45 > 0:03:47for these operations,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50apart from in exceptional circumstances.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55They also want to reduce the age women can get IVF from 40 to 35.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00The GP in charge of making this decision says the NHS isn't getting
0:04:00 > 0:04:04enough money to carry on providing all services for free.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08This is a really tough discussion to have but this is the reality
0:04:08 > 0:04:11of where we find ourselves, with the budget that we have
0:04:11 > 0:04:14not meeting the needs that our population has.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20Again, complete the questionnaire, let us hear your views.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23So what would be an exceptional case?
0:04:23 > 0:04:25The NHS has not yet made up its mind.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29It could mean free for women with cancer or who are obese
0:04:29 > 0:04:31or smoke, who can't take the pill.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34So what could be the implications of all of this?
0:04:34 > 0:04:39It could mean men having to pay £500 for a vasectomy, for example.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43The GP in charge of the existing service has told me he thinks this
0:04:43 > 0:04:47is yet another sign of the NHS only being able to provide
0:04:47 > 0:04:48the essentials.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53He also thinks it could lead to a rise in unwanted pregnancies.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The vasectomy is a very effective form of contraception.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Some couples who aren't able to have a vasectomy in the future
0:04:59 > 0:05:03may use other forms of contraception such as the pill or a coil,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06which are unfortunately a little less effective.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11People have until the end of December to make their views
0:05:11 > 0:05:16known to the NHS either by phone, online or e-mail.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21After one of the coldest nights of the autumn so far,
0:05:21 > 0:05:26a new report has found the number of homeless in the South West has
0:05:26 > 0:05:28now reached over 8,000.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33It's not just rough sleeping that's rising, there are also many more
0:05:33 > 0:05:35people in temporary accommodation.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Paul Barltrop went to a shelter in Bristol for us earlier this evening.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43There are 18 beds in here, there are 70 in shelters across Bristol.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They will all be full this evening because more and more people
0:05:46 > 0:05:50are ending up on the streets but it is the tip of an iceberg
0:05:50 > 0:05:53because many more are being accommodated in places like B&Bs
0:05:53 > 0:05:54and in hostels.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Let's have a look at some of the figures.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The charity Shelter say homelessness has risen 11% in the past year.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03More than 8,000 people now technically homeless.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04The worst place is Bristol.
0:06:04 > 0:06:062,600 in free accommodation.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And some 74 sleeping rough.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Followed by Swindon with 850 with no permanent accommodation
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and 28 sleeping rough.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And in Gloucester the figure is 400 and 23 rough sleepers.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So it's a huge challenge for charities trying to help out.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Let's talk to Ben Richardson from Caring in Bristol.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28How much have you noticed this big increase?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31It has been hugely significant recently.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Our fellow charities, Caring in Bristol, the City Council,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36have all had to step up.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39We traditionally have been a Christmas shelter.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42We still do that each year with a thousand volunteers
0:06:42 > 0:06:47but since March we have been running a shelter in the centre of town
0:06:47 > 0:06:48with 15 beds.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Money is tight and we are very reliant on the goodwill
0:06:53 > 0:06:56of our volunteers and partners to keep our doors open.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And every person that comes to a place like this,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01there are ten or 15 times as many being accommodated
0:07:01 > 0:07:04in temporary accommodation, possibly sofa surfing.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06How much of an issue is that?
0:07:06 > 0:07:10It is really significant and it gets worse
0:07:10 > 0:07:12the longer people are hidden.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16By the time they are visible, there are more issues
0:07:16 > 0:07:18and they are more difficult to help.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Charities have got to step up and innovate.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Caring in Bristol is running two very exciting projects
0:07:24 > 0:07:28using spare rooms in the community with volunteers.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33So we are very interested in finding ways of getting
0:07:33 > 0:07:35the community to help us.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36Thank you very much.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40One of the really striking things about this is that it's not just
0:07:40 > 0:07:42in the cities, even in rural areas there has been
0:07:42 > 0:07:46a big increase in homelessness.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52Now you may remember we told you last night about an appeal
0:07:52 > 0:07:54to find a computer which had been taken from a house in
0:07:55 > 0:07:56South Gloucestershire.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Celyn, who is 13-years-old and severely disabled,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02relies on the device to communicate.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Now a member of the public has found the computer so the police have
0:08:05 > 0:08:07been able to return it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09It's not yet known if it still works.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13A man's been questioned as part of the investigation.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17As Remembrance Day approaches, we've been speaking to one Somerset
0:08:17 > 0:08:21veteran who is continuing to sell poppies at the age of 94.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Stan Tooze braves the cold weather ever day to help raise money
0:08:25 > 0:08:27for the Royal British Legion.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30He was part of the sixth Airborne Division of
0:08:30 > 0:08:32the Parachute Regiment.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37He says his efforts are honouring the memory of fallen colleagues.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41One day my mate was there and one second, the next thing,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46he was knocked right down dead and I was still left.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51How long do you think you will carry on selling poppies?
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Stan feels he has at least four more years of volunteering left in him,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58so will hopefully become a centenarian collector.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03A blue plaque has been unveiled in Bristol at the home of a soldier
0:09:03 > 0:09:07awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry during World War One.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Hardy Falconer Parsons was a medical student at Bristol University
0:09:11 > 0:09:13when he volunteered to fight and was enlisted in
0:09:14 > 0:09:15the Gloucestershire Regiment.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18In France, he held off a German flame-thrower attack
0:09:18 > 0:09:24almost single-handedly, armed only with hand grenades.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Football, and Swindon are through to the last 32
0:09:27 > 0:09:30of the EFL Trophy after beating Bristol Rovers
0:09:31 > 0:09:32at the Memorial Stadium.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Swindon won the game 4-2.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38As a result, Rovers, who suffered a sixth defeat
0:09:38 > 0:09:47in seven league and cup games, are now out of the competition.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51That is it from us tonight. We are back with you in breakfast from half
0:09:51 > 0:09:55past six tomorrow morning. Now the weather forecast.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Tomorrow morning we should hopefully be free of frost. That is courtesy
0:10:03 > 0:10:07of the cloud cover which is increasing tonight. That process
0:10:07 > 0:10:11already underway. The legacy for tomorrow morning will be as well as
0:10:11 > 0:10:15a lot of cloud around, some patchy outbreaks of light rain or drizzle.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19That will fade away and as the day unfolds it will start a brighter the
0:10:19 > 0:10:23course of the afternoon. For the rest of tonight, temperatures have
0:10:23 > 0:10:26already been dropping away pretty markedly with a clearer skies will
0:10:26 > 0:10:30be lasting longer. That's down towards the south and south-east of
0:10:30 > 0:10:37the area. Towards the north, as the cloud rolls in, the fall of
0:10:37 > 0:10:40temperatures will start to be arrested and that means by tomorrow
0:10:40 > 0:10:45morning we will have a lot of cloud around, some low cloud as well, some
0:10:45 > 0:10:48patchy rain and drizzle at times, and the odd pocket of something a
0:10:48 > 0:10:56bit brighter. Towards lotion -- towards lunchtime, more in the way
0:10:56 > 0:11:00of bright weather developing. Temperatures tomorrow fairly mild.
0:11:00 > 0:11:00They