25/09/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland - Prosecutors fail to get an increase

in the sentence for this driver who was responsible for the deaths of

two cyclists. Is what message are we giving to

other drivers? This is someone who has killed and killed again and yet

he is allowed to drive. Also in the programme - Calls for the Scottish

Government to provide free school meals for children in the first

three years of primary. They're off! The first athletes to

make the grade for team Scotland are unveiled for next year's

Commonwealth Games. It's one of the biggest upsets in

Scottish football as lowly Greenock Morton celebrate their victory over

Celtic in the League cup. Good evening. The family of one of

two cyclists killed by an Edinburgh driver have said they're shocked and

disgusted his sentence has not been increased. Appeal judges rejected

the Crown's argument that 49-year-old Gary McCourt should be

jailed and banned from driving for life. Morag Kinniburgh reports. This

woman's family leave court stunned. They had hoped a precedent would be

set this morning, that's drivers who cause the deaths of cyclists should

be banned for life. What message are we giving to other drivers? This is

someone who has killed and killed again. But he can still drive. Is it

safe to walk up the High Street. It is not just cyclists, it is anybody

on the roads. Two years ago, Audrey Fife died after being knocked off

her bike. Gary McCourt was sentenced to 300 years -- 300 hours community

service. The Crown appealed argued that the sentence was too lenient,

especially since he had caused the death of another cyclist in 1985.

The Solicitor general had argued that he should have been jailed for

at least eight months and banned for life. Mrs Fyfe's family and cycle

campaigners say they saw no value, but they felt a ban was needed. I am

disgusted. I cannot believe it sends out the wrong message to others.

That the judiciary is not fit for purpose. Cycling lobby had appealed

hard. Thousands called for action to try and make the roads safer for

everyone. motor drivers should have a far greater responsibility. The

rejection appeal really reinforces the fact that the justice system is

not protecting road leaders like we would want them to. Campaign is

asking their MSP is to review sentencing to improve public

protection on Scotland's roads. Unions, charities and the Church of

Scotland have written to the Scottish Government demanding that

primary school children here get the same free school meals deal that

will be introduced in England next year. All children there in the

first three years of primary will get a free lunch from September next

year. Campaigners say the Scottish Government must now finally fulfill

its promise to do the same. Aileen Clarke has been looking at this and

can tell us more. Well, Catriona, the announcement

last week by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, that all children in

England will get free school meals in Primary one, two and three, has

certainly galvanised campaigners here. A whole range of charities,

the STUC and the Church of Scotland have signed a letter to Scottish

ministers. They're demanding that a similar roll-out of free school

meals, promised here three years ago, happens now. At the moment,

more than 81,000 primary pupils in Scotland get free school meals.

Extending that to all primary 1-3 pupils would mean that figure could

double to around 165,000. John Dickie, one of the signatories to

the letter, says that needs to happen. Parents are under

extraordinary pressures, there is mounting evidence of health problems

in children. There is mounting evidence of the educational benefits

of a universal approach to free school meals. There's no time to

lose. The sooner we see them getting healthy school lunch, the better.

Five years ago, there was a trial carried out to pilot free school

meals. During that scheme, three quarters of pupils were taking

advantage of a school lunch. In some areas. That was almost a third more

than when most pupils had to pay for it. Now that means of course that

even at best a quarter of children didn't take the meal on offer even

through it was free. Researchers explained that by terming this group

of children fussy eaters. Not much evidence of fussy eaters at this

primary in Glasgow this lunchtime. It seems to have gone very well at

this primary school. I had custard. I had milk, salad and a chicken

wrap. I had a baked petite and tuna. There is a push to produce healthy

balanced meals here. Years ago, salad was a no-go area, now all the

kids are into it. Resch fruit was a no-go area. Nutrition is just one

aspect of lunch which is very much valued. Children come in and spend

some time with their teacher seeing to look at things like manners,

talking about healthy options. Instead of doing healthy eating less

and in the classroom, we have moved it into the dinner school. The

Scottish Government said they are committed to expanding free school

meal provision and they are asking the UK Government to clarify if

additional money isn't the added to the Scottish budget to reflect that

extra spending. But no firm promise from Scottish ministers on when

primary one to three pupils here will all be given the chance of a

free school dinner. The Scottish woman accused of drug

smuggling in Peru will learn her sentence at a hearing next Tuesday,

according to lawyers representing her co-accused. 20-year-old Melissa

Reid from Lenzie near Glasgow and Michaella McCollum, who's from

County Tyrone, appeared before a judge at a prison in Lima yesterday.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges. It's thought that could

mean they'll be given a reduced sentence for trying to smuggle £1.5

million pounds worth of cocaine out of the country. The women also hope

that they might be able to serve some of their sentence in the UK.

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on the

programme - ?NEWLINE They're off! The first athletes to make the grade

for team Scotland are unveiled for next year's Commonwealth Games. And

in sport: we've got a celebrity free preview of the big pro-celebrity

golf at St Andrews. And it's bigger than an upset, a

surprise or a shock - it's Morton's flabbergasting win over Celtic. More

on those stories later. The names of the first athletes to

make the grade for team Scotland ahead of next year's Commonwealth

Games have been announced. 27 competitors from athletics and

squash are the first to secure their places. The selection process

continues for others hoping to join them. Chris McLaughlin reports.

And now it is getting serious for those in the spotlight and in the

team. Glasgow's Winter Gardens is the venue, next summer is the

focus. The first names are now on the team sheet. Every one desperate

to represent their country. You don't get the opportunity to do it

very often. I'm sure it is going to be amazing. Having that home crowd

and wearing that best. It'll be fantastic. From athletes to

facilities and with the new hydro arena due to open, it is just

Hampden as the only game's venue to revamp. It is up to the

competitors. Is there extra pressure on the team Scotland because it is

in Glasgow? I don't think so. Every athlete will be different in how

they feel about it. For me, in some ways, once you get there and they

get into the atmosphere, you are so focused on your sport and I hope it

will be the opposite, I hope having the support and friendly faces will

hopefully give us an advantageous rather than extra pressure. This is

not just about naming names and putting together a team, it is about

keeping Glasgow 2014 in the spotlight. The organisers are saying

that the city is almost ready and so too is the team. It may be 300 days

away, but the Glasgow, the finishing line is in sight.

Union leaders and some politicians have renewed demands for a full

public inquiry into offshore helicopter safety following a series

of accidents. The calls came as three helicopter operators launched

their own review of safety practices. Bristow, CHC and Bond say

the exercise will "complement" the review announced yesterday by the

Civil Aviation Authority. MSPs have been debating

controversial plans to scrap the need for evidence to be backed up,

or corroborated, in criminal court cases. The Conservatives are calling

for a wider review of the laws of evidence to be carried out, arguing

that corroboration protects against miscarriages of justice. But the

Justice Secretary Kenny Macaskill told Parliament that abolition was

long overdue because corroboration was a barrier to obtaining justice

for the victims of crime. Holyrood's Justice Committee is continuing

scrutiny of the legislation. The first dedicated Gaelic primary

school in Edinburgh was officially opened today. Campaigners say the

creation of a school in the capital is a symbolic moment for Gaelic

education across Scotland. Only a few hundred children start out in

Gaelic schools and units every year, but as our education correspondent

Jamie McIvor reports, there are ambitious targets to increase this

number. Encourage more children to learn

Gaelic is crucial to diverse in the long-term decline of the language.

Campaigners across Scotland see the long-term decline of the language.

opening of Edinburgh first dedicated primary as a milestone. in terms of

encouraging Gaelic across Scotland, I don't need to encourage parents. I

cannot keep up with the demand. The challenge the Government is to meet

that demand. The new school replaces a smaller units. It was inside a

school where the other children were taught in English.

Gaelic medium education is simply about teaching youngsters Gaelic --

isn't, it is about teaching every subject in Gaelic. Even in English

lessons, they will speak in Gaelic. Across Scotland, the target is to

double the dumb -- number of children. There are some challenges.

We need to make sure that there are enough teachers to meet demand. That

is something that hasn't really been prepared for. There are sceptics.

Some parents may question investment in Gaelic education when other parts

of the budget are facing cuts. The funding for this came up, I think,

from the Gaelic development fund that the Scottish Government has

ring fenced for that purpose, most of the funding for this school.

Frankly, if we don't act now to protect the language, we won't have

one to protect in the future. Census figures tomorrow will give an update

on the number of speakers, nobody is pretending that reversing

generations of decline is simple, but giving more children the chance

of a Gaelic education is a big part of the strategy to ensure the

language's feature. Other stories from across Scotland

this Wednesday. Police are treating as suspicious

the death of a man whose body was found in Glasgow city centre. The

body was found outside flats at Blythswood Court, near Argyle

Street, early this morning. A search has been taking place for a

missing hill walker in the Cuillin hills on Skye. He was reported

overdue last night by a family member. Skye Mountain Rescue and the

Stornoway Coastguard helicopter are involved in the operation.

Pentland Ferries has been forced to suspend its services between

Caithness and Orkney after their twin-hulled vessel, the Pentalina,

developed a problem with its propulsion system. It's understood

that one of the ship's propellers has been damaged. The company say

they hope to resume normal services on Monday.

Health experts are investigating two cases of Legionnaire's Disease in

North Ayrshire. Both patients are recovering well. It's not known

whether the cases are linked. Experts have ruled out a link with

compost. The pharmacy at Edinburgh Royal

Infirmary has been closed after effluent flooded an area of the

building earlier. Medicine is being brought in from the Western General

Hospital and a clean up operation is under way.

Plans have been approved for a £1.5 million re-vamp of the historic

Theatre Royal in Dumfries. The owners, the Guild of Players, plan

to create a performance complex fit for the 21st century. In brief

terms, there are five buildings here and we will join them together to

form a lovely new Theatre. They'll be a bar area, a studio area, an

area the dance, workshop facilities. It will be super.

One of Scotland's Maggie's Centres is celebrating its tenth birthday

today. The charity opened its Dundee centre in 2003. It's provided

support to thousands of cancer patients and their families at all

stages of their illness. And there are more stories from your

area, and all the latest news, 24 hours a day on BBC Scotland's

website. Teenagers with arthritis have made a

film, to alert health staff to a condition which they say is often

diagnosed too late. More than 2,000 children and young people in

Scotland suffer from arthritis, although it's generally considered

something that affects the elderly. Emma Ailes reports.

Lucy is four years old. She has had arthritis since she was 16 months

old. She went from being a normal, happy baby to a little girl who

could not move her neck, her fingers were swollen, she went from crawling

to not being able to move. Lucy was lucky, her condition was caught

early. Drugs help to control it and her toys are specially designed to

help with her physio therapy. Juvenile arthritis is rare and

difficult to spot. Some children go years without it being diagnosed.

This film was made by a group of young people with arthritis. Some of

them were in wheelchairs by the time they were teenagers. I have been to

five hospitals all over Scotland. No one could tell me what it was. We

knew exactly what it was when we saw it. There is a large lack of

knowledge about what arthritis means for young people. This is the

physiotherapy section of your kill hospital. This doctor says things

have already come a long way. Early recognition of arthritis in young

people in the path has been difficult because the public

perception is that children do not get arthritis. That is not the case.

Prompt treatment will it lead to better outcomes for young patients.

With new drugs and better training for doctors and health

professionals, treatment and diagnosis of childhood arthritis

improving all the time. But dealing with the physical symptoms is not

the only issue. Many children living with the disease say it can be an

isolating experience, they hope that sharing their stories on camera will

help them overcome that. David Currie is here with the sports

news. It was an unexpected result for one of the teams in the league

last night. That is an understatement!

It'll be remembered as one of the biggest upsets in Scottish football.

Celtic knocked out of the league cup by the team next to bottom in the

second tier of the SPFL - Morton. It was the Greenock club's first win at

Celtic Park since 1971, a result no-one - including the Morton

manager - expected. He had the chance to be a Martin

Heal. That could be the goal that sent Celtic crashing out of the

Scottish league cup. Shock, upset, no. Not really strong enough. How

about flabbergasted. A new magnitude of surprise result. Coined in part

by a jubilant Morton manager. Icon flabbergasted with what we did

today. We defended brilliantly. We are hoping we can use this as a

catalyst to start winning points in the league. We have told them not to

go out for a drink because they have to be professional. In Greenock this

afternoon, that flabbergasted word is on everyone's lips. I was

flabbergasted. I put a little bet on the home team as well. I said to my

wife, it must be among the top results Morton has ever had. My

family is all excited. We were in the pub having drinks. I was double

flabbergasted. Martin's reward for astonishing their supporters is a

place in tomorrow's water final draw. Who knows, perhaps further

flabbergasted mint awaits. I just invented that word. There is more

flabbergasting to be done and you will not miss it on the BBC. We have

live coverage of tonight's match. The Scotland midfielder Kim Little

says she's confident the women's team can make it to the World Cup.

The Arsenal Ladies star trained with her international team-mates at

Motherwell's Fir Park, ahead of tomorrow's World Cup qualifier there

against Bosnia-Herzegovina. For me it is one of the best Scotland teams

against Bosnia-Herzegovina. For me I have played in since I have been

here. We have got so much talent and so many players playing

professionally so our fitness levels are very high. We are ambitious and

we believe we can get to the World Cup.

Golf meets showbiz tomorrow at the annual Dunhill Links Championship.

It's one of the most unique events on the tour as it pits professional

with celebrity over three courses - St Andrews, Kingsbarns and

Carnounstie. Our golf reports, Phil Goodlad, is at the St Andrews for

us. Welcome to St Andrews. Rather an

autumnal feel here at the first and old course, but a man who will be

hoping to recreate his hot form of last is defending champion Branden

Grace. It must be quite a moment for you tomorrow when you stand on the

first and you are annexed as defending champion. Yes. It is

great. This is where it all started. This was my best win so far in my

career and what a better way to defend the championship. Home of

golf in St Andrews. You never know, at the end of the week it could be

the same situation as last year. Baby we take St Andrews for granted

but what is it like for a South African to come here to St Andrews

to play. -- maybe we take St Andrews for a grant it. It is great. I have

had some success here, obviously last year, and I have had some close

calls in Scotland as well so I have fond memories of Scotland. In this

event there are so many stars from the stage and screen, from other

sports, have you had your autograph book out? A little bit! There is a

lot of respect going around which is great and it is nice that the game

of golf is being played in this manner. Thank you. Before tomorrow,

we are going to swap autograph books to find out who each of us have got

here at St Andrews. I got Hugh Grant, did you get Andy Garcia? He

is a difficult man to get hold of. I played with Ian Botham once. You can

leave us now. I wonder if anyone asked for Phil

Goodlad's autograph! Chris has been carousing about the

country with the weather this week. We are you tonight?

We are in the Scottish Borders where it has been fairly cloudy and

drizzly today, a far cry from the summer months of weather, which were

so good. It increased the visitor numbers to this region.

We are in the beautiful Borders countryside, the river Tweed behind

me, Kelso in the distance and further still, the hills in the mist

there. The most imposing part of the landscape here is the castle. This

is a big employer in the region and the estate has had a very good year.

How is this for a front door to your house? This castle is the largest

inhabited castle in Scotland than 30,000 people annually come to take

a look inside. This is the anteroom, one of 12 rooms open to the public

out of 150 that make up the castle. Did you and the Duchess use this

trim every single day, they may have a drink in here before dinner. At

the end of the season, they get their sitting-room back. It cost

£500 per day alone to look after the maintenance of the castle so it is

very important to the family that they open it to the public to help

with those costs. The one in here is complaining about the weather

because the weather we saw during summer was so good that visitor

numbers were up. Some parts of the castle were up 25% and they did not

see the downturn that they did in 2012 back to the Olympics and Queens

to believe. I have it on good authority from the Butler's wife

that this is the drawing-room where you come to relax in the evening,

unless you're throwing a party. I think we might be having a party

tonight. Hopefully to encourage the sun to come out. What about the

weather? This evening, generally it is dry across most of the country

but it will be cold. There is very little in the way of cloud cover,

and across most of the country there is long, clear spells overnight, the

temperature falling away. It will be a cold night. Even in towns and

cities, ten to five Celsius and down through the Highlands, close to

freezing with the chance of Frost. Paul Flynn at the mist and fog

issues we have seen over the last few nights. -- hopefully not the

mist and fog issues. It will be a bright start tomorrow. As we head

through the day, some cloud bubbling up at times, particularly in the

South West. As we head through the middle of the afternoon, we can see

through Central and southeastern parts of the country, it should be

dry with some decent dry or sunny spells. Temperatures close to

average for this time of year. Cloudy in the south-west, the best

of the sunshine up in the north-west through parts of Lewis and Harris,

into Caithness and Orkney as well and further says. Temperatures close

to average for this time of year. It is cloudy in Shetland. Overnight,

there is little change, staying dry with the wind for most generally

light. We can see from the pressure charts that the weather front we

have had sinking its way southwards is making a return and that will

bring a fair amount of cloud on Friday. A cloudy day than what we

will see tomorrow. On Friday, it is a dry but cloudy day. There will be

outbreaks of rain likely across the north-west. Temperatures into the

mid and high teens, Saturday and Sunday it is largely dry but there

could be outbreaks of rain across the far north of the country.

Temperatures close to average for this time of year. It is not too bad

here at the moment, a lovely setting behind me. Imagine owning a house

like that! It is back to you in Glasgow.

like that! It is back to We thought that was your house!

Now, Newsnight Scotland is looking for audience members for an event

this coming Monday. They'll be discussing the role of the Arts and

Culture in Scotland, including, of course, the independence referendum.

Andrew Kerr will be joined by a panel of guests and if you want to

join them, go to bbc.co.uk/scotland, news and search for Newsnight

Scotland. Now, a reminder of tonight's main news in brief.

Scotland. Now, a reminder of tonight's main news in The Labour

leader is standing firm on his promise to freeze gas and

electricity prices for 20 months if Labour wins the next election -

insisting it's not an attack on business. Ed Miliband's plans have

led to a storm of protest from the energy suppliers, with some warning

of a threat to the country's energy security as well as possible power

cuts. The family of one of two cyclists

killed by an Edinburgh driver have said they're shocked and disgusted

his sentence has not been increased. Appeal judges rejected the crown's

argument that 49-year-old Gary McCourt should be jailed and banned

from driving for life. The names of the first athletes to

make the grade for Team Scotland ahead of next year's Commonwealth

Games have been announced. 27 competitors from athletics and

squash are the first to secure their places. The selection process

continues for others hoping to join them. And that's Reporting Scotland.

I'll be back with the headlines at 8- and the late bulletin just after

the ten o'clock news. Goodbye.