Derbyshire Times news bulletin 31st January

Derbyshire Times news bulletin with editor Phil Bramley

Transcript

00:00 Here's today's Derbyshire Times video bulletin.

00:03 Chesterfield dad Richard Spinks says that responses given by the government and Derbyshire

00:07 police to a damning coroner's report around the circumstances leading up to the murder

00:11 of his daughter Gracie show that her death is now saving lives.

00:16 Richard comments come after Home Secretary James Cleverley and Derbyshire Chief Constable

00:20 Rachel Swan published replies to Coroner Matthew Culey's report.

00:25 In it he outlined a number of shocking failings made by officers investigating Gracie's

00:29 murder by obsessed stalker Michael Sellers in June 2021.

00:33 They include officers' lack of understanding of stalking policy, their failure to complete

00:38 stalking risk assessment, gaps in the force's record management system which made risks

00:43 harder to identify, absence of notes and details of crime records and failure to investigate

00:48 dangerous weapons found by the community.

00:51 In her response, Rachel Swan has outlined a comprehensive account of actions being taken

00:55 to ensure stalking victims are better protected in the future.

00:59 They include a new stalking policy, more rigorous risk assessments, upgrades to crime recording

01:04 systems and a new emphasis on the importance of note-taking and investigating found weapons.

01:10 Richard said "We'll never get over the grieving side of it and what it's done to

01:14 our family and our lives, but it has helped a great deal to know that what happened to

01:18 Gracie is saving lives and making a difference and making changes."

01:22 A large number of trees at a popular Peak District beauty spot are set to be felled.

01:30 The large trees in Back Forest at The Roaches in the Peak District are to be felled because

01:34 of a disease called Phytophthora remorum has been found to be progressing very quickly.

01:39 The Woodland Trust defines the disease as a fungal-like organism, closely related to

01:43 algae, that causes the death of a wide range of trees and shrubs.

01:47 Its name literally means 'the plant destroyer' and has been responsible for some of the worst

01:51 plant disease epidemics in history in the area.

01:54 The work in the forest is set to start this winter with some pathways closed for safety

01:58 reasons while trees are being felled.

02:00 There will then be a break for the bird-breezing season while the work resumes next winter.