29/10/2013 BBC News at One

Called to account, the UK's top energy companies as summoned before

MPs to explain their pricing policies. Some of the big six have

increased rates by an average of 9%, executives are expected to face

serious criticism. But as energy firms insist their hands are tied by

rising wholesale prices, we will ask how much can be achieved.

Also this lunchtime, making the case for HS2, the Government again tries

to win over the critics to its high-speed rail plans.

The first man to stand trial following the Jimmy Savile inquiry

is found dead after failing to appear in court.

The clean-up continues after yesterday's storm, thousands of

homes are still without power. And at 8-foot six, finding love was

something of a tall order, now the world's tallest man has finally

found his soul mate. Later on BBC London, victory for

Lewisham Hospital after the Health Secretary fails in his bid to close

its A And lucky to be alive, a family tell of their escape during

yesterday's storm. Hello, good afternoon, welcome to

the BBC News At One. In the next hour, executives from the big six

energy companies well answer questions from MPs. The Commons

Energy and Climate Change Committee is investigating why prices have

risen so much and whether the industry needs to become more

transparent. British Gas, SSE, npower and ScottishPower have all

increased their tariffs this month by an average of more than 9%. Ross

Hawkins reports. A chance to hold energy bosses' feet

to the fire, as bills go up. Executives face MPs this afternoon,

and the fighting talk has started already. I think they deserve a

tough time, because they do not seem to understand how much they are

distrusted, particularly over price increases, and they need to be more

open about their costs. The big energy firms, and some smaller

ones, are coming to Parliament to explain how the cost to consumers

has gone up so sharply. They will be explaining what makes up an energy

burka bill, about half is wholesale costs, buying and selling power.

Green and social levies make up 8%. The rest comes from suppliers'

cost, profit and VAT. Energy firms say levies, investment and wholesale

prices have made the business more expensive. Critics say getting a

clear view of their real cost is far from easy and they are doing very

nicely out of the deal. That is why, when energy companies will send

executives here, MPs will be competing to prove just how tough

they can be. Because that has become rather fashionable of late. Ed

Miliband's conference loved it when he said he would freeze prices and

change regulation. His team have been reminding us of the pledge ever

since. People do not know why they are paying what they are paying,

that needs to change. Trust is at an all-time low, we need the market to

be open and clear and fair. After the Labour pledge, a former

Conservative Prime Minister suggested the energy firms should be

hits with a winter levy. Was John Major right? It was difficult for

David Cameron to ignore, and now he has promised to roll back green

regulations, although the Liberal Democrats have not agreed how that

would happen. Expect plenty of politics this afternoon, but don't

hold your breath for any guarantee that your energy bills will be any

cheaper any time soon. With us now is our correspondent

John Moylan, picking up on that last point, in all reality, what can this

achieve this afternoon? As Ross was alluding to, these occasions often

end up with a lot of theatre, a lot of grandstanding but not an awful

lot of substance. And it is a one-off session, not part of a wider

inquiry, so there will not be a formal report as such. I would say

it does matter, and there is huge public disquiet at the moment about

the level of bills, this recent round of price rises, the fact that

these four companies have moved together. There is genuine debate

about whether the costs these companies have been alluding too,

that they say are driving up bills, are actually going up as fast as the

companies suggest. Politicians are openly accusing them of ripping off

customers, so there is real distrust in the industry. And his committee

had a report in the summer which talked about a lack of transparency

around the whole issue of profits and profit margins, so I think this

is a timely debate, a timely session. At the very least, having

been in the spotlight for several weeks, the companies have an

opportunity to explain themselves. And an opportunity to bring down

bills? What flexibility do they have? They could choose to bring

down bills tomorrow and absorbed into their costs, but we think that

is very unlikely. What is more likely is that the Government is

looking at the part of the bill that they have got some influence over,

the policies, social policies, green policies which are an increasingly

large point of the bill, but only about 8% at the moment. We know they

are reviewing every single one of those areas, and one in particular,

ECO, accounts for about half of that, about insulin in peoples

homes. They are looking up to see if it be changed. -- insulating

peoples' homes. There is talk of moving this into direct taxation

instead. It will not change bills, but it could bring them down a

little bit, and we will find out in early December, in the Autumn

statement. There will be full coverage of that

committee hearing on the BBC News Channel when it gets under way at

2:30pm. The case for a new high-speed rail

line is being set out again this lunchtime. The judgment says HS2 was

vital to bridge the North-South divide, but it has had to lower its

own forecasts over the economic benefits of the steam. Richard

Westcott is in Manchester for us with more.

It is quite simple, really. If the Government can convince enough

people that HS2 is worth the money, that the benefits outweigh the

costs, then the scheme goes ahead. If it fails to do so, the scheme

fails, and today we have had the latest piece of evidence, their

fifth official business case, where they list out what those benefits

are, and it looks like some things have got better and some have got

worse. It would be Britain's most expensive

building project, a superfast train line cutting through hundreds of

miles of the country, but there is a giant question mark hanging over HS2

- is it worth the money? They do not know the value of the businesses

that will be destroyed by HS2. John will take some convincing. HS2 will

run right through his land, boring his 150-year-old oak tree, wiping

out his farm. The Government figures only tell you half of the story.

They want to convince you that it is a good thing that will benefit all

of us, but they are not taking into consideration the amounts that HS2

will destroy on its construction and route through the countryside. And

there has been a slight drop in the predicted benefits for HS2. The new

report says it will generate ?2.30 for every ?1 it costs. That is down

from ?2 50, mainly because the budget has shot up. The report also

promises that it will travel the number of intercity train seats each

day, and it will boost the economy by billions of pounds every year,

regenerating large chunks of the country. This is old Oak Common,

which right now is a train depot, in one of the most deprived parts of

London, but if they build HS2, this whole area will be transformed. It

will turn into one of the five busiest train stations in the

country. The Government says there is no plan be, but without HS2 our

rail network will be clogged up in a decade. -- Plan B. If you talk to

the leaders of Birmingham City council, Manchester City Council,

Leeds City Council, the mayor of London will Liverpool, they will

tell you how vital this project is for their cities. Thousands of

people just want to know whether their homes, their businesses will

be lost to HS2. With Labour openly sceptical of the cost, the future of

this project and the land it will cross is still uncertain.

So a lot riding on this business project that we have out today. What

has the response been? It depends who you ask. The Institute of

Directors have long been sceptical about the benefits, and they are

still sceptical. The British Chambers of Commerce think it is a

great scheme, they still think it is a great scheme. We will need to see

what the responses as everybody goes through the figures, but there is a

vote coming up on Thursday in a House of Commons for a bill to free

up more money to keep the on track. It will be interesting to see how

many Tory and Labour MPs stay onside or rebel against it.

A former BBC driver accused of sexually assaulting a boy has been

found dead at his home in south-east London. David Smith, who was 67, was

due to stand trial as Southwark Crown Court but failed to appear.

The trial would have been the first to stem from Operation Yewtree,

Scotland Yard's investigation into historical allegations following the

Jimmy Savile affair. June Kelly is with us, what can you tell us? Went

David Smith failed to turn up at court yesterday and his lawyers

could not raise him on the phone, police went to his flat in South

London, broke down the door and found him dead. The cause of death

is yet to be established. Because there is now no trial, we can report

details of his background. He was facing multiple counts against a boy

who was 12 in 1984. Now, it should be stressed that David Smith had no

link to Jimmy Savile. What has also become clear from court documents is

that Smith was a prolific offender. His first conviction was in 1966,

and he had 22 convictions for sexual offences against young boys. He is

described, in the court documents, as a former BBC driver, and it was

said that he used his role at the BBC to try to impress young boys.

This morning, the BBC are saying that it has no record of him being

employed by the BBC, or working for the BBC. What the BBC is saying is

that it is continuing to work with Scotland Yard.

I understand the postmortem examination is taking place to

establish the cause of death, and we are expecting the findings later

today. Thanks, June Kelly. The maximum prison sentence for

owners of dogs that kill people is to be increased to 14 years. The

Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, said the new laws will

also raise the penalty for dogs causing injury up to five years and

will include a maximum three-year sentence if a guide dog is killed or

injured by a dangerous. Tens of thousands of homes remain

without power following the severe storm that battered southern Britain

yesterday. Thousands of people had their electricity supplies restored

overnight. Train operators are hoping to run normal services today.

We can get more from Jeremy Cooke, who has been to Sawbridgeworth in

Hertfordshire, where 5000 homes are still without power.

After the storm, the hard work continues. The greatest task for

this crew near Godalming and others across the south west, south and

East of England is to reconnect 600,000 homes to the power grid.

Thousands of trees have brought down overhead lines. The emergency teams

have been working through the night to get the job done. Tens of

thousands have still been without power this morning, but for most the

power is back, the lights are on. And for this Essex estate agent,

business is finally a contract. We can have some heating on, lighting,

make phone calls, back to civilisation. Yes, and things are

going well, business can carry on again now. It is not all good news.

These commuters near Saffron Walden arrived at the station this morning

hoping that today would see services return to normal. No such luck. A

lot of people have turned up this morning, the same situation, check

the website, no trains. I can understand or forgive them for

yesterday, but today it is not good enough. I pay ?4000 for my ticket, I

understood why I could not get to work yesterday, but there has been

plenty of time to repair it. Quite frankly, I am astonished. For a

tragic view, yesterday's storm brought more than inconvenience.

Bethany Freeman lost her life, crushed to death by a falling tree

as she slept in a static caravan in Kent. There are no words, really, to

some Arab, an outstanding pupil in every way, a fantastic role model to

girls. -- to some her up. She showed tremendous commitment to the school,

so talented in so many ways. Yesterday's storm was short and

powerful and intense. Its consequences will be felt by many

for some time yet. Well, when the storm left Britain,

it crossed the North Sea, hitting record gusts of 190 mph before

battering north-western Europe. At least 13 people have been killed,

six in Germany. In Brittany in France, a woman was swept out to

sea, and in Amsterdam a tree felled by the wind crushed a woman by a

canal. Europe correspondent Matthew Price sent this report.

The storm, done with the UK, moved on to ravage western Europe,

powering into the Danish coast, closing the road link to Sweden. The

winds here were up to 120 mph. They ripped apart the metal scaffolding

of this building in Copenhagen. The winds slice through Brussels and

Amsterdam, where, along the canals, it was trees being uprooted by winds

not felt in many years. A woman died when one of them fell on her. Across

the Netherlands, it is estimated repairs will cost some ?70 million.

There is damage across large parts of Europe. Here in northern France,

transport was hit hard. Train services and airports experienced

huge delays. Things are beginning to return to normal as the winds die

down. Today it is pretty much the calm after the storm, and yet this

was a big weather event. The winds that were recorded from France right

the way up to Scandinavia were among the strongest in the last decade. In

Germany, several people died, one man when this tree fell on his car.

But across Europe, most countries were well prepared, warnings had

been issued, and while the clear up begins, many will feel it could have

been a lot worse. Our top story this lunchtime, the UK's top energy

companies are summoned before MPs to explain the pricing policies. And

still to come, could this man be Ben Needham, the British toddler that

went missing 22 years ago from the Greek island of Kos? Later on BBC

London, plans to attract more Islamic investors are announced by

the Prime Minister but what does it mean for the financial services

district? And royal visitors to the Brixton Riding club, helping

inner-city children get on horseback.

A 28 euros British man has been arrested on suspicion of hacking

into US military and government computer systems. Lauri Love was

arrested in Suffolk under the Computer Misuse Act and was released

on bail until next February. The authorities say he hacked into

systems belonging to the U.S. Army and the Environmental Protection

Agency, among others. The arrest was a culmination of an investigation by

the National Crime Agency, the FBI and the U.S. Army.

He is accused of a massive reach of US military computer systems.

28-year-old Lauri Love, from Suffolk, was arrested on Friday. He

was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act. But the charges come

from the US. The tutors say that he and three co-conspirators in

Australia and Sweden act into thousands of computer systems. Once

inside the cover mice networks, says the US indictment, Love and his

conspirators placed back doors within the network.

The alleged targets include computers belonging to the U.S.

Army, the US Missile defence agency and the US space agency, NASA. The

indictment says that they stole personal data of thousands of

service men and women and caused millions of dollars of losses. The

case will remind many of Gary McKinnon, a British computer expert

accused of carrying out the biggest ever hacking of US military

computers at decade ago. The US bids to extradite him to America was

blocked on human rights ground. In the case of Lauri Love, and

extradition request is also thought likely. He has been released on bail

until February. Sharon Shoesmith, the former head of

Haringey council's children services in London, has agreed a pay-out for

unfair dismissal following the death of Peter Connolly six years ago. Ms

Shoesmith has been fighting for compensation since being sacked one

year after the death of the 17-month-old. Two years ago, Court

of Appeal ruled that she was unfairly scapegoated. Alison Holt is

with me. There has been strong reaction to this case but take us

through the details. Sharon Shoesmith was in charge of

Haringey's children services department. They were monitoring

Baby Peter. Social workers were among the professionals who saw

her. -- who saw him. After he died, there was a furore about the way in

which the professionals who were monitoring him missed what was going

on. After his mother's or friend and her brother were convicted, that is

when the spotlight fell on places such as Haringey. -- boyfriend.

There was a critical report into the Department of that Ms Shoesmith

brand. And Ed Balls decided to remove her with immediate effect

from the post as director of Children's Services. It was

inevitable that she would then be removed by Haringey council. It is

the process by which that happened which came under scrutiny at the

Court of Appeal. The court ruled that she was not given a fair chance

to respond, that it was a summary decision to sack her and it was

therefore unfair. Once that ruling was made, it was almost inevitable

that there was likely to be a substantial pay-out. Newsnight has

been told that Haringey would have to pay in the region of up to

?600,000, but we do not know the full details of this. There will be

pension payments included and we do not know what is happening in terms

of legal costs. But we know that it is unlikely we will get the detail

because of confidentiality clauses that are attached. Ed Balls has said

that this is a decision and he believes it was the right one at the

time. He thinks the pay-out will stick in the crop many people.

-- the Croft. Family Ben Needham, who disappeared as Accord Le, are

hoping that DNA tests on a man carried out in Cyprus will identify

him as their son. Then went missing in 1991. The family said the man

spoke to police after seeing a computer-generated image of how he

might look now. Then's sister said that he had uncanny similarities to

their family. Could this man solve the mystery of missing toddler, Ben

Needham? The video was taken at a church service in Cyprus. The man,

whose identity we have protected, has won there and blue eyes. This

footage was given to Cypriot detectives last week. After an

appeal. The man who is being filmed walked into a police station

yesterday and agreed to a DNA test. Investigators will see if it matches

Ben Needham's. It has been 22 years since he disappeared on the Greek

island of Kos. This artist impression shows what he could look

like now and with a DNA test, there is new hope for his family. He

potentially could be my brother but then he could just be another guy,

who maybe belongs to someone else who has had a missing child. The

video that we have seen, he stands out from the people surrounding

him, he does not look Greek. Before he vanished, he was with his

grandparents, living in Kos. He was playing alone when at 2:30pm, he

went quiet and was never seen again. His mother was waitressing in a

local restaurant. She was told by her mother later that night that Kos

see had gone. -- Ben had gone. Only last year, the area was frantically

searched. Detectives have been in contact with Cypriot police. They

have contacted the need's DNA and expect results in the next 24 hours.

He will come back, and then I will watch him grow up. There have been

hundreds of suppose it's citing is across Europe at all have led to

nothing. No Ben Needham's family again wait for answers. Today is Ben

Needham's birthday and his family have waited decades for information.

By lunchtime tomorrow, they will find out the true identity of who is

in this video. The officers of Northern Ireland's

first and deputy first ministers have been a accurate it because of a

security alert. -- have been evacuated. A suspicious item was

found at the offices of Martin McGuinness. A worrying development.

Is it ongoing? Yes. The security alert is coming to an end. This

morning, a package was found in the post room of Stormont Castle. That

is where the officers of the first and Deputy first Minister are based.

As a result, the police and army had to move on. We are told that this

was a viable device and it could have exploded. Of course, that is a

concern. Nonetheless, or visuals are making it clear that it could never

have reached Peter Morrison -- Eda Robinson or Martin McGuinness but

the first Minister had to leave his offices and was moved to Parliament

buildings while the alert took place. This follows a number of

incidents linked to dissident republicans. The finger of blame is

likely to be pointed towards them. Two letter bombs were sent last

week, one to the police constable and another to a senior police

officer. This is of real concern. For now, thank you.

Victims of crime and their relatives are going to be given a greater

opportunity to speak in court about their experiences. A new coder will

automatically entitle them to personally addressed the judge and

the offender at the end of a trial. Catherine Wells Burr was murdered

last year by her boyfriend. He wanted to claim her life insurance.

Her parents were in court as the killer was sentenced to life in

prison after a nine week trial. Catherine's father wishes that they

had had the chance to address the offender. We could look him in the

eye. That is what every victim's family should be able to do, look

them in the eye and tell them how much you feel the loss. A personal

statement from the victim is submitted to the judge after a

verdict and before sentencing but it is often not read out in full and

sometimes not at all and really by the victims. As part of a revised

code, more victims will be able to speak for themselves and address the

court and the offender. We want to make it a central part of the cruel

justice system. To be read out after the verdict but before the

sentence. It will give victims a say in proceedings. In countries like

the US, it is already easier for victims to speak in court. Ariel

Castro raped and tortured three women he kept prisoner in his house

for a decade. At the end of this trial in August, one of his victims

finally got her chance to address him. I've spent 11 years in hell.

Know your hell is just beginning. From this moment on, I will not let

you define me or affect to I am in. I will live on and you will die a

little every day. The changes in England and Wales are part of a new

victims code, supposed to give a louder voice to families like that

of Catherine Wells Burr. But Labour says the code is toothless and only

a new law for victims will ensure that their rights are protected.

Four years -- for years, Sultan Kosen said he was unable to find

love because women were put off by his height. The world's Collis man

stands at eight tall but he has finally found love and marriage in

his hometown in Turkey. John brain reports on the day that the

30-year-old put his bachelor days behind him. When you tower over the

rest of humanity, finding romance can be a tall order. At eight foot

and three inches, Sultan Kosen has been looking all his life for a

woman who measures up. Step forward Merve Dibo, 11 years younger than

Sultan, and two and a half feet shorter. She came to Turkey as a

refugee after fleeing her home in Syria. For her, things are looking

up, literally. And her new husband is overjoyed. TRANSLATION: I am

buried happy that I have finally found a woman, the love of my life,

and I'm getting married. It is supposed to be the bride who is the

centre of attention at weddings, but no chance on this occasion. At

least, despite his size, he cut a fear -- on the dance floor. -- he

threw some ships on the dance floor. And a tender kiss on the forehead.

Her lips were just too far to reach. Congratulations. Time for a look at

the weather. We are all taking a collective

breather. Yesterday's storm has been affecting Scandinavia and the

Netherlands. Ed West, more wind and rain pushing in from the Atlantic.

In between, a bright and breezy respite. Some showers around through

the morning and they will continue in northern and western areas this

afternoon. Some heavy showers around. A lot of sunshine and there

is a good chance that you will avoid showers. Temperatures are typically

ten or 11, maybe 13 in London. This evening and overnight, the showers

moving towards the western coast. And across the north of Scotland.

But the main story overnight, the skies were clear and it will turn

cold. Five or six degrees, even in the cities. But not far from

freezing in the suburbs. Maybe some frost on the grass first thing in

the morning. Many of us have not had a frosty at this autumn. It will be

cold start but then it all change. This is just a normal weather

front, so the weather should not be too extreme, but it does mean a wet

and windy start. Maybe a few showers across the south-east. But the main

story is the wind and rain across Northern Ireland. It will take all

day for the rain to arrive. Very windy across the far north-west.

Severe tales are possible. -- severe gales. Northern Ireland should clear

up. Not very nice in western parts of England and Wales. It is only

going to slowly move eastwards. The brightness is hanging on in eastern

parts. After a chilly start, the temperature is recovering. That

weather front will arrive through tomorrow evening, staggering across

the south-east and lingering into Thursday morning. A little

uncertainty about how quickly it will clear. For most of us, sunshine

and blustery wind. The breeze will align showers across western areas.

Then lies to the south west as we end the week. -- then all highs. It

looks like it will turn wet in southern areas. Very unsettled. Much

more detail day by day, as ever, can be found on your mobile app.

A reminder of our main story, the UK's top energy companies are

summoned before MPs to explain their pricing policies. That is all from

us on