20/03/2014 BBC London News

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me and, on BBC

One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Tonight on BBC London News... The death of a deportee ` three security

guards face manslaughter ch`rges after Jimmy Mubenga died at

Heathrow. Lawyers for the mdn say they will deny the charges. Also

tonight, more than 300 people have been arrested today as the Let

cracks down on mobile phone theft. The 90`year`old war hero with weeks

to live who could finally gdt the medal he deserves thanks to a

campaign by his family. We're with the Household Cavalry as

they prepare for a busy cerdmonial summer.

Good evening. The family of a man who died while being deportdd from

Heathrow has welcomed a dechsion to charge three custody offici`ls with

manslaughter three`and`a`half years after his death. Jimmy Mubenga died

in restraints onboard a plane as he was about to be returned to his

native Angola. Lawyers for the former G4S workers said thex would

be vigorously denying the charges in court. Our special correspondent

Kurt Barling reports. Jimmy Mubenga died of cardiorespiratory collapse

whilst being restrained on board a return flight to his countrx of

origin, Angola, in October 2010 Three days after the tragedx,

members of Parliament called for an inquiry. By July 2012, the Crown

Prosecution Service had dechded there was insufficient eviddnce to

prosecute the security guards who had restrained him. Yet almost a

year to the day later, in Jtly 013, an inquest jury found on thd

evidence that Jimmy Mubenga was unlawfully killed. Mr Mubenga was

being deported despite his family's right to stay in Britain. Stpported

by the local community in Ilford, east London, his wife and fhve

children fought for three ydars to get an explanation why. In light of

the inquest verdict, the Crown Prosecution Service we conshdered

the evidence, and today said... All three former G4S security guards

face a charge of manslaughtdr. They say they will vigorously defend

themselves. G4S the company will not face a corporate manslaughtdr

charge, after the CPS ruled there was insufficient evidence to bring a

cruel charge against the business. Mr Mubenga's widow said...

An inquest verdict does not apportion blame to individu`ls. The

three former employees of G4S will now go before a criminal trhal jury,

who will consider the chargds of unlawful manslaughter and gross

negligence manslaughter as `n alternative. Coming up later in the

programme... The drive to help secondary pupils

cope with the pressures of school life.

More than 380 suspected crilinals have been arrested in raids in the

capital today as the Metropolitan Police joined forces with nhne other

European countries to target mobile phone crime. Almost 45,000 phones

have been stolen in London over the past year. Our home affairs

correspondent, Guy Smith, joins from Oxford Street, which is a hotspot

for that kind of theft... Absolutely. The West End has more

than 200 million visitors a year, many of them coming here to Oxford

Street. Crime is down, but `ccording to the police, there is still a

problem with professional pickpockets, who target shoppers for

mobile phones. That has been the focus today of a major crackdown

here in Brixton market this morning. Met officers were targeting

stallholders forced old and mobile phones. This trader was innocent of

any wrongdoing, but it was not long before the first arrest. Yot are

going to be arrested for thhs, because someone has tried to scratch

this number out. We have thdn gone and done further searches and

recovered many, many stolen phones. In some cases they have alrdady been

put in boxes ready to be shhpped abroad. Many of them are destined

for North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Today, the Met was

working with forces from across England and Wales and with nine

European countries. It is a global phenomenon. One of the things which

was driving crime in New York, for example, was mobile phone theft

There are some real similarhties between these major global cities. I

do not think London is easy pickings, I think it is becoming

increasingly hostile. And this is what they are trying to stop,

organised gangs, many from Dastern Europe, targeting Londoners. They

have had some success. From an average last year of 280 phones

stolen each day in the capital, it is now down to eight. There does not

seem to be a day which goes by without some form of critichsm of

the Met, whether that is corruption, racism or serious allegations

against undercover officers. But today seems to be good news. So far,

more than 380 suspects have been arrested here in London. News of how

many have been made in Europe is still unknown.

"Cash`strapped, fragmented `nd unravelling" ` that's how the NHS in

the capital has been described in a new report commissioned by the Unite

union. It makes a raft of recommendations which it cl`ims

could help "save London's NHS", including calling for a str`tegic

body to oversee London. But the Government says it has put doctors

in charge of key decisions. Our political correspondent, Karl

Mercer, reports. Just two days old, and Danidl is

getting to meet Daniel! The new and the Health Minister at Kingston

Hospital this morning. Little Daniel, you would hope, unaware that

his new political friend is here to announce more money for matdrnity

services at this hospital, `nd unaware that the health services and

once again at the centre of a political spat in London. The union

Unite has held a six`month hnquiry into health care in London. It says

the system is under pressurd and unravelling, and raises concerns

over maternity units. Women in London are often from an imligrant

background, or a poor back round, and they are presenting with

problems. They were concerndd about that and they also said thex were

concerned with the consultant out of hours cover. It is also worried that

London may see more of the hospital reorganisations which led to

protests in Lewisham. They say a new body is needed to oversee hdalth

care in the capital. I have worked in the Health Service in London for

25 years. It has always been having to change. But that is not what

these reconfigurations are `ll about. They are starting from the

money side of things and working backwards, then trying to ghve a

clinical justification to gloss over the issues. One Daniel was too young

to have a view. The other is quite clear on his. We need to take these

reports with a pinch of salt, particularly when it is the Unite

union which is backing the report. The Government has been putting

money into the NHS, not just through additional funding for maternity

units, but also in making stre that these doctors and nurses ard saying

that patient care is improvhng. The Government has promised the NHS is

safe in its hands. Today's report raises Familia challenges to that

claim. It is a fact that thd NHS will remain at the centre of

political debate. The funer`l of Bob Crow, the leader of the RMT union,

who died last week, is to t`ke place on Monday. There will be a

procession from his home in Woodford to the City of London cemetdry,

where his family have asked for a private burial. There will `lso be a

minute's silence at the RMT. Mr Crow died of a suspected heart attack at

the age of 52. The Government has been asked to step in and hdlp a

campaign to award a medal to a wartime hero who has been ghven just

weeks to live. The 19`year`old from Harrow carried out bomber mhssions

during the Second World War but has been denied a medal because he flew

from an Italian air base. Alice Bhandhukravi is in Green Park. What

more do we know about this case He flew bomber raids over Germ`ny, he

flew 33 missions, before behng shot down. Even then, he managed to evade

capture. He was based in It`ly, rather than in Britain, and as such,

did not qualify for the Bomber Command class, which recognhses the

great risk and sacrifice of these pilots during the Second World War.

Today, Mr Mansbridge's MP, Gareth Thomas, raised his case in the

Commons, and the leader of the house agreed to lend his help. It is

something which I know in rdcent years I have appreciated, as have

many members, the recognition which has been given through the Bomber

Command medal, and indeed the Bomber Command Memorial in London. Well,

the family of Mr Mansbridge, who are campaigning on behalf of thdir

father, say this is about epual treatment for all those pilots who

flew these dangerous missions during the Second World War. The Mhnistry

of Defence is due to review their cases at the end of the year. But

obviously, for Mr Mansbridgd, his case is pressing because he has

terminal cancer. His family say they hope that all those involved will be

recognised sooner rather th`n later. The family of a woman who dhed after

being treated at a private hospital in Redbridge has been grantdd

permission from the Attornex`General to apply for a new inquest hnto her

death. Carmel Bloom died in 200 following treatment at the Roding

Hospital. If they succeed it will be the third inquest, which cotld

include new evidence leading up to her death. Emma North has more.

It is almost 12 Years A Slave 's Carmel Bloom died. She went into

hospital in Guildford Four ` minor procedure, but she never cale home.

Her family say 100 pieces of information still have not been made

public about what went wrong that night at the Roding Hospital, once

run by Bupa. A third inquest could make that happen. I am somewhat

elated because perhaps we c`n see the finishing post, after ndarly 12

years. On the other hand, I have got a situation whereby I have got to go

through all of this trauma `nd heartbreak again. This is some of

what the family want to be heard. It is a 999 call, where the night

sister is describing the seriousness of Carmel Bloom's condition to the

emergency services. She is coughing up a lot of blood, she is vdry

unstable, actually. They sax this offers important new evidence as to

what happened. There have already been two inquests and a GMC hearing.

A third inquest would be a legal rarity. Usually, there would have to

be extremely unusual circumstances, or something very special, for the

Attorney`General to consider a third inquest being held. What is more,

all the fresh evidence has been gathered by the family themselves.

They have had to be medical, lawyer and detective. Daunting, absolutely

daunting, but we were left with no choice. We were not getting

anywhere, so we had to sit down and say, there is only one way to do

this, we will have to do it ourselves. The hospital is now run

by another firm. Today, thex said... The tragic circumstances were fully

investigated by the GMC. Following the most recent inspection by the

Care Quality Commission, thd hospital was found to meet `ll key

standards of patient care. The fight has taken its toll with the couple,

and there is no certainty a third inquest will even happen. Btt if it

does, they say they are ready. Still to come on the program... Wd are

with the Household Cavalry, as they prepare for a busy ceremoni`l

summer. And I am in Dorking, where it has been confirmed today that

24,000 amateur cyclists will be passing through here on closed roads

for the London cycling event in August. Some residents love it,

others have had enough. The headmaster of a leading

independent school says puphls are increasingly struggling to cope with

pressure and stress ` and is calling for lessons in how to deal with it.

Andrew Halls has already introduced sessions to help students cope with

failure and body image at hhs own school, King's College in Whmbledon.

Today he hosted head teachers at a conference to discuss the issue

Jean Mackenzie has the detahls. Yes, school can be stressful but how

about going to one of the country's leading private schools, whdre there

is a premium on top grades `nd sporting prowess? The fear hs that

this pressure could be caushng damaging levels of stress. H think

it's very easy for girls to feel a lot of emotional pressure. For girls

to break down and cry, perh`ps. I know sometimes you see girls after

they get a bad test result, they get very upset. . In a team envhronment

you can feel a lot of presstre because you don't want to ldt your

peers down and also physical pressures in terms of being the

right size, etc, working hard enough and physical fitness. So yot would

have the academical pressurds of getting a good grade and thdn

pressures of having to achidve on the sports field. Exactly. Ht can be

quite hard to manage both at the same time. Psychologists sax they're

seeing a number of unlikely teenagers developing mental health

issues. That could be severd anxiety, an eating disorder or

someone who harms themselves. Much of this, they say, is in thd quest

for perfection. When I have these beautiful young people, these young

women ` I'm seeing some this afternoon in my clinic... They are

cutting their arms are saying, if I can't get four A*s, I can't go to

school ` I've failed". It's utterly heartbreaking. Today the he`d of

this top London school brought teachers from 200 schools together

to address this. He says part of the problem is that young peopld are

lacking what John Wayne had so much of ` true grit, he calls it. He says

they're often not able to cope when things go wrong. We know, for

example, that girls from aspirational families are now the

fastest`growing group asking mental health services for help. Hd is

urging schools to stop shirking their duty of care. He wants them to

train people to become emothonally resilient. `` train pupils. I've

seen too many pupils in all sorts of schools who feel negligible,

worthless. Any culture that has made people feel they mean nothing or

they're invisible has got to work across every school, every family,

to re`instil a sense of purpose Much has been made today of

teenagers' new friend the internet and how they now to do it for help.

`` now turn to it for help. So today was a warning for teachers ` yes,

your pupils may look OK but that doesn't mean they are OK.

Joining us now is 17`year`old Sophia Parvizi`Wayne, who suffered from

anorexia as a result of strdss at school. And Barbara McIntosh from

the Children's and Young People s Mental Coalition, who spoke at that

conference today. Welcome to you both. Sofia, help us

understand where you felt that that pressure was coming from. W`s it the

school or parents? I think hn our generation we've been brought up

with a pressure to be perfect and I think especially independent schools

do try to bring out perfecthon. It's all about getting to Oxford and

Cambridge and people start focusing so much on the grades that xou lose

the person a bit, I think. @nd do you think that the school dhd

enough? It manifested itself with weight loss and anorexia with you.

Do you feel they spotted th`t and did enough? I think my school was

really good in handling the problem but I don't think any school ` this

is what our campaign is abott ` can spot the signs and did enough? I

think my school was really good in handling the problem but I don't

think any school ` this is what our campaign is about ` can spot the

signs are prevented. In terls of stopping it before it starts,

there's not enough preventative measures in place and that's what my

campaign is about with my bdst friend Amber. Barbara, is this sort

of thing in increasing across`the`board, across all schools

in London? This pressure to achieve, as Sophia mentioned? I'm from the

Mental Health Foundation. Apologies. This Last Year We've Had A Six`day

Present Increase In A Bid To The Hospital For Self Harm. We Know The

Uk Population Has A Higher Incidence. Higher incidence of

depression than other countries Schools are particularly focusing on

people who are ambitious so it's a particular problem. We need to

recalibrate the message to xoung people. We heard the headmaster

saying the young generation was lacking what he called true grit.

How much of it is schools and how much exacerbated by parents sending

them to these high`pressure environments that thrive on intense

competition? Should they be going to these classes, perhaps? I think it's

a combination of your familx's expectations and your school's.

School achievement is just one element of who you are as a person

and we need to get that message across and that your kindness,

integrity are really import`nt characteristics, as well as a school

achievement. Sophia, if you were talking to young people who might be

feeling a similar pressure, what's your advice? People have to realise

a mental health problem is `n illness and isn't your fault. It's

like cancer ` you can't help that you've got it. Asking for hdlp

should be embarrassed in and should be something we can all talk about.

Thank you both. It's described as the London

Marathon on wheels. Today organisers of Ride London announced thd new

100`mile route for this year's cycling race. In 2013 it attracted

16,000 cyclists, but the evdnt drew criticism from residents along the

route, who claimed they werd effectively trapped in their homes.

Sara Orchard is in Dorking tonight. What's the reaction been?

Well, as you can imagine, r`ys, it's been a mixed reaction. Some people

are delighted that the race is coming back but others are not happy

at all because the 2014 event will be growing. It was 16,000 alateur

cyclists last year when it started at the Queen Elizabeth Park. You may

remember even the mayor started out the race. But it's growing by 5 %

and there will be 24,000 cyclists in August. Some residents complained

they were tracked in their houses and could get out for the whole day.

`` trapped. I've been out to speak to the main organiser of Ride

London. Hopefully it will jtst be a wonderful day out, a celebr`tion of

sport, of charity, of welfare and of what an amazing thing the Olympics

2012 was and not to forget that That's what this event is about

Well, following concerns from residents, they have slightly change

the route this year. Once again it will start out at the Queen

Elizabeth Park and it will lake its way south towards talking and the

Surrey Hills. It will take hn oxygen at for the first time and won't be

going past Cobham. It will come back up through London to finish on the

Mall. The blue lines on the map show a slight change for the professional

riders. Let's talk to two local councillors dealing with residents'

concerns. Margaret, you've been speaking with Ride London about the

problems and the changes to the route. Are you happy? Much happier

this year. They've really lhsten to the problems we had last ye`r and

worked really hard with organisations in the communhties and

things have improved a great deal. We know people are going to have to

stay in the sometime during the day but they've really made an dffort to

get times during the day whdn people will be able to move around the town

and it's going to be a real centre for excitement and it's going to be

a really exciting day. Hazel, you've been dealing with residents'

concerns in North Dorking and across the whole of the area. What are the

concerns? In North Dorking they will be landlocked and they have concerns

about how their lives will be disrupted and they won't be able to

do the normal things they do. Also business is being affected, not

having customers going in, `nd losing money. A big concern for

those communities, unlike most of the rest of the area. I did speak to

Ride London earlier and thex did say any residents with concerns should

go to their website for mord information about how they can get

access to their homes on thd day. They've been at the heart of some of

the biggest spectacles in rdcent years ` from the Royal Weddhng to

the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This morning, soldiers

and horses from the Household Cavalry were once again delhghting

passing Londoners. They werd in Hyde Park preparing for a busy cdremonial

season ahead, as Nick Beake reports. On a blustery morning in Hyde Park,

a piece of pageantry which has survived the winds of changd. For

350 years, soldiers from thdse regiments ` and their horses ` have

guarded the King or Queen. This morning, a final run`through before

another summer of ceremonial duties. A massive sense of pride. It's the

only people in the world th`t do this sort of thing so it's ` massive

honour for me to be here. Today 160 horses from Household Cavalry were

on display. Their audience ` Londoners on their way to work, and

younger ones who have been brought along to see a slice of history It

says so much about London and I think it's part of our heritage so

it's lovely to come along and support it. And among the onlookers

from further afield, visitors from Egypt. It's something amazing.

Different than all of Afric`. The man on the white horse comm`nds all

soldiers in London so the M`jor General's inspection was solething

they've been working hard for. If he wasn't happy, we'd have gond round

and done it all again. It sdemed particularly good today, from the

last two rehearsals that we did this week and last week. So todax's

parade and inspection went pretty well. So a show of pageantrx in Hyde

Park today. Final preparations before what is a very busy

ceremonial season. In June `lone, they'll have ten events in ten days.

Among them, trooping the colour on the Queen's official birthd`y and

the State Opening of Parlialent Incredible to think that just a few

months ago, some of these soldiers had never ridden a horse. This

morning, with the inspection passed, they retired to the stables, knowing

once again they'll soon be trotting back into the public eye.

Probably a little early for attack on the summer weather but how about

the weekend? Last weekend felt like summdr but

it's not going to happen thhs weekend. We've got some rain moving

towards us at the moment and behind that it's going to feel chillier.

It's been pressing towards ts through the day. Cloud incrdasing

and we've now got the rain with us. Clearing through quite quickly

through this evening and will be clear of us by the early hotrs. It

doesn't really give us any hssues and as it clears, it will t`ke the

cloud, which means we're in for a chilly night in many spots. As low

as two out towards the suburbs and a touch of ground frost. Elsewhere

four or five but unbeatable start to Friday. Light winds to start the day

but as we go through the winter numbers pick up and it will become

more breezy. That. To push showers towards us, most likely north of the

Thames and the M4 but they'll come through. Temperatures are still on

the slide tomorrow compared to what we have seen. Tonight we do it all

again with another slap `` scrappy weather front coming through.

Further showers on Saturday morning and that's the story of the weekend.

We've got weaker weather fronts around and breezy conditions. They

will move across us on Saturday and Sunday. A question of showers and

also a question of it feeling just that bit cooler, certainly when

competitor last weekend. Showers, gusty winds at times and sole sharp

frosts, particularly at the end of the weekend, as things turndd

colder. Some spots will strtggle up to double figures. In centr`l

London, a bit warmer than that. Watch out for showers in thd coming

days. The main headlines: Britain is

sending a ship to help in the international hunt for the lissing

Malaysian Airlines jet. 13 days after flight MH370

disappeared, the Australians say they have satellite images of two

objects that could be wreck`ge from the plane.

More on the day's stories on our website ` and we'll be back later

during the ten o'clock news. From me and the team here, thanks for

watching and have a lovely dvening.