06/09/2012 BBC News at Six

The family at the centre of a savage shooting in France

identified - they lived in Surrey. The Alpine beauty spot turned into

a killing zone - four members of the family and a passerby killed.

Three were shot in the head. Their car was bullet ridden.

Questions tonight over how French police missed a four-year-old girl

hiding under her mother's body for eight hours.

TRANSLATION: We discovered the girl completely still under the legs of

one of the dead women. She'd stayed there all that time, totally

invisible. The Iraqi-born father and family

lived in this quiet Surrey street. Neighbours say they were loving and

very close. A very close family indeed, a very caring family, and

they always did things together. We'll be live at the scene with the

latest on the police investigation. Also tonight:

Getting the construction industry moving again - Ministers relax

planning regulations to boost house building in England.

The head of the eurozone's bank unveils the latest plan to deal

with the crisis. Experts say this time it's make or break.

The judge who told a burglar that breaking into someone's home takes

bravery - he'll face an inquiry. And Sarah Storey wins another gold,

equalling the record for the most golds won by a British athlete at

Good evening. Welcome to the BBC News at 6.00pm. Three of the murder

victims at the centre of what French police are calling a savage

attack have been identified as a family from Surrey. Iraqi born Saad

al-Hilli, his wife and mother-in- law and a passerby were killed

yesterday afternoon - three of them with bullets to the head. Two

children survived. It's emerged the youngest, a four-year-old girl, was

in the car hiding under her dead mother's legs for eight hours

before French police discovered her. The family were on holiday in the

Alpine town of Annecy. Our correspondent Jon Kay reports from

the scene. In the tranquility of the Alps a

fleet of hearses carrying the bodies of a family from Britain

murdered on their summer holiday. It was here at a remote beauty spot

close to Lake Annecy that they were repeatedly shot in what police have

described as an act of extreme savagery. Danielle heard the

gunfire. She told me it sounded like a machine gun and lasted 30

seconds. Then there was silence. "Why? Why did it happen here," she

asks "Was it random? Was it some kind of revenge attack? Those

little girls - it's horrible." The quiet holiday park where the family

had been staying in a caravan is now another focus of this major

investigation. Police say whoever shot them wanted to kill them and

didn't fire indiscriminately. The police have spent hours here today

talking to other holiday-makers, searching through the camp site

trying to find any clues that might explain what has happened. So what

do we know? The family left the camp site yesterday around lunch

time and drove their BMW from the small town of Saint-Jorioz along a

tourist route to the town of Chevaline. The next thing we know

before 4.00pm local time their car was found by a cyclist. Inside were

three members of the family. Outside, the older daughter was

found seriously injured. The body of a local man was also discovered.

It's thought he might have been shot because he happened to witness

the killings. Local police sealed off the area, and it was only when

forensic teams arrived from Paris at midnight that the four-year-old

daughter was found hiding inside the car. It's believed she was

curled up beneath her dead mother's legs.

TRANSLATION: The little girl is deeply upset and traumatised, says

the local prosecutor. "She has asked for her family. We need to

help her and her older sister explain to us what happened."

On the shores of Lake Annecy, there is disbelief tonight, disbelief

that it took so long to find the little girl, but also disbelief

that the shootings happened here at all. These British holiday-makers

were driving in the same area at the time of the attack. It's scary.

When we looked at the map this morning and we traced where we had

been and how close it was to where the incident happened, it's

dreadful, dreadful. British tourists have been warned about

carjackings and robberies in remote areas of mainland Europe, but

French police say they're keeping an open mind about the motive for

this highly unusual attack. News of the murders has shocked the

small community of Claygate in Surrey where the al-Hilli family

lived. As Ben Geoghegan now reports, neighbours say they were a loving

and close-knit family. A few days ago, Saad al-Hilli left

his home here in Claygate towing his - to France for a family

holiday, but this afternoon police arrived, and local people began to

realise it was their own neighbour who had been brutally murdered in

France. Shock and - you know, you just feel sick. Saad was employed

as a computer engineer for a firm in Guilford called Surrey

Satellites. French police say he came from Iraq in 2002, although

neighbours think the family moved here much earlier. His wife was

training to be a dentist. Neighbours say they were a very

close family. The father doted on his kids. He was an engineer, very

dedicated to his family and to his children and very proud of his

children as well, and it's indeed a very sad loss and a very, very sad

day for everyone who has known him and a very sad day for his children

because it will be very difficult for them to grow up without a

father or a mother. Police have been here all afternoon at the home

in Claygate, and they have spoken to some of the neighbours about

what happened to Saad al-Hilli and his family. It's clear that

officers here in the UK will play an important part in the

investigation in southern France. The question being asked by

everyone is why Saad al-Hilli and his family were attacked and why it

was so violent. They were shot through the head, so that sounds

like a - a professional killing, which is really very worrying

because it's not - I wouldn't think it's a casual killer - would not do

that, so that's a worrying thing. But the reason for that, I haven't

a clue. This is the local primary school where some of Saad's

daughters was a pupil. She and her younger sister may hold the key to

the investigation. No-one knows when the children will be back here,

and no-one knows when they'll be able to speak about what happened

And we can talk to Jon Kay now in Annecy. What can you tell us about

the scale of the investigation? French authorities are very keen to

show tonight how seriously they're taking this. They know there will

be criticism of the fact that the little girl wasn't found for so

long. They also know there are a lot of worried people in the

mountains around here who feel there is a gunman or gunmen on the

loose. So the French president has said tonight that the authorities

will do everything they can to catch the perpetrators. The British

ambassador has arrived in this town this evening. He says he's got

every confidence in the authorities. The police say this is very, very

unusual - not just that it happened here, but also the nature of the

killings, these people were shot at point-blank range, raising

questions of whether it was some sort of deliberate assassination,

and if, so why this particular family would have been targeted.

Crucially, the police need to talk to those two little girls, but they

know that's going to take a long time. It has to be done very

sensitively indeed, so 24 hours on, this is still a complete mystery.

George? Thank you. Planning restrictions for builders

in England are to be relaxed as Ministers try to kick start the

economy and boost house building. David Cameron says he wants to get

planning officials "off people's backs". The proposals will also

make it easier for families to extend their homes. But Labour says

the Government is "kidding itself" if it thinks it's the answer to the

country's troubles. Our deputy political editor James Landale has

the details. These are the apprentices who will

get the jobs to build the homes that'll house the families and get

the economy moving - that at least is what David Cameron hopes will

happen when he relaxes building rules, changing planning laws and

offers help to first-time buyers. want private houses built. Want

social houses built. An extra 70,000 houses, at least, should

provide an extra 140,000 jobs and of course the change - saying to

people, if you want to build a conservatory or extension on your

house, you can. Let's get Britain building, and that'll help to get

Britain working. Today he rewrote the rule book for building in

England. Homeowners will now be allowed to build extensions of up

to 26 feet without planning permission. There will be similar

changes for businesses too. There will be help for up to 16,000

first-time buyers by extending a scheme where the Government lends

buyers up to 20% for their mortgage but perhaps most importantly rules

for developers to build more affordable housing as part of their

building houses will be relaxedest in year so commercially risky

schemes become more viable and can go ahead. The firm behind this

development in East London has to ensure that the a third of the

thereats here will be affordable - that is sold or rented below market

value, but today's changes mean for the next three years firms will be

freer to build more profitable homes, and to compensate that

Government will spend �300 million, building 15,000 affordable homes

itself. The Government's got a huge problem with the economy. There

just isn't enough growth. Today the economic think-tank the OECD said

the economy is going to shrink by .7%. So the Government's fate

depends in large part on more homes like these being built. The

question is will these new reforms actually make a difference?

Certainly the view from industry and housing groups is they would.

We welcome the help for first-time buyers. That's really good news for

house builders and first-time buyers. It will help house builders

build the homes and we'd like to see more help for home buyers. At

the end of the day, it's a problem of deposits at the moment, so we'd

like to see more money channelled in from the Government. Those not

building homes but adding to them said relaxing planning for

extensions would help but more can be done. I welcome it, to be honest.

I do, however, think it needs to be tied with a serious look at the VAT

threshold because that for us is the real killer. Labour said

building more conservatories wasn't a bad thing but it didn't represent

a proper economic plan. I want these schemes to work. I want to

see success. I don't want to see the economy stuck in the position

that it's in, but afear this is not going to have the effect that the

Government is hoping for because they're not dealing with the

central problem, which is the failure of plan A. But David

Cameron and Nick Clegg believe that if they can get Britain building,

they'll be on to a winner. There's a big "if" in that, and for now,

they're still crossing their fingers.

Six weeks ago the head of the European Central Bank said he'd do

whatever it takes to save the euro. Well, today Mario Draghi came up

with a plan. The bank has changed its rules, allowing it to buy

Government debt of struggling eurozone nations. In return,

countries like Spain would have to keep to their tough austerity

reforms. Our Europe editor Gavin Hewitt reports on whether this is

the plan that could solve the eurozone crisis.

Troubled economies like Spain today got thrown a lifeline. The European

Central Bank says it will spend unlimited amounts to help bring

down its borrowing costs. The markets bounced on news of a new

plan designed to help the eurozone's struggling economies.

Six weeks ago Mario Draghi, the President of the ECB, promised to

do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. Today, he explained how.

We will have a fully effective backstop to avoid destructive

scenarios with potentially severe challenges for price stability in

the euro area. So how would the Draghi plan work? The ECB would buy

unlimited Government bonds from a eurozone country asking for help.

That should drive down the country's borrowing costs, but

there would be strings attached. Nations would first have to request

help from the eurozone's bail-out fund and accept strict conditions

such as austerity measures. Here is the first probe: Spain is reluctant

to appeal for help, fearing it might have to adopt further tough

conditions. To see why Spain needs help, go to regions like this one.

For companies like this furniture factory, it is a harsh climate -

recession, orders going down and almost impossible to find credit.

TRANSLATION: There's no trust in the economy. In this climate, it's

very difficult for companies to raise money, and that leaves us in

a vicious cycle. The end of the construction boom has left the

once-bustling industrial estates here shattered. The town is

struggling with 100 million euros of debt, so even street lighting is

being reduced here. Visiting Madrid today was the German Chancellor

Angela Merkel. She met with the Spanish Prime Minister. He would

not be drawn on whether he would now be asking for a bail-out. "When

I have knew, I'll let you know" he said. Angela Merkel said, "We have

to restore confidence in the eurozone as a whole." Today's big

announcement was the ECB's big Baz ooh OKca there will be no limit on

bonds they can buy. Simply, they can continue until the costs of

those troubled eurozone countries are brought down. As for the

markets, well, they saw it on the news. All eyes will now be on Spain.

Will it ask for help, and will it accept possibly tough new

Our economics editor, Stephanie Flanders, is with me now. People

were talking about this as a make- or-break move. Have they done it,

do you think? Are just the reaction of the financial markets shows they

were thinking they would be disappointed again but they don't

seem to be now. I think the ECB said something very important today

which it has not said before. It is willing to be a backstop for the

eurozone. It would stand behind countries that it felt were being

unfairly punished because of the question marks over the future of

the euro, and of course countries like Spain are in that group. If it

can bring down its borrowing costs and interest rates, that will help

its own economy and the uncertainty that is affecting our own financial

markets. So it is good news for us. But a very big string attached that

Spain has formally applied for support and has to have the

embarrassment, if you like, of doing that, and it has to stick to

tough conditions. So the ECB is saying for the first time, we will

stick behind the euro but governments will have to do their

part as well. At a judge who sparked a furious

complaint when he said burglary took a huge amount of courage has

been referred to the watchdog, the Office for Judicial Complaints. He

made the comment as he gave a suspended sentence toy burglar in

Crown Court this week. If one St where Richard Rochford burgled

other people's homes. In five days, he stole from three

houses. He was not jailed but what has angered his victims is what the

judge told him. The Teesside Crown Court judge told him, it takes a

huge amount of courage, as far as I can see, for somebody to burgle

somebody's house. I wouldn't have I feel really let down by the

system. Vera and John are in their 70s. Two of the victims and too

scared to go on camera. He has left us destitute. We had no money

whatsoever. Do you think he had courage? I think it is disgusting.

It is not courage, it is cowardice. I just can't understand what he is

thinking of! It is never... He will be laughing at us now. He will be

laughing! How has this affected your life? The burglary? It put us

in hospital. Although the burglar was not jailed, he is not a free

man. He will be supervised the two years and carry a 200 hours of

unpaid work. Peter Bowers has been sitting in court today, for many

years a well-respected and experienced judge. But there have

been complaints about his remarks and he will now be investigated by

the Office of judicial complaints. Today, then you just a secretary,

Chris Grayling, told the Prison in Leicestershire he wants people to

know the coalition is tough on crime. The Prime Minister said

repeat burglars should be jailed and some who work with offenders

and victims welcomed the debate. His words have created a debate

that needed to happen and that the highest level, because what he

actually said following the statement was to say, prison is not

working, and it is what we need to be talking about. Peter Bowers told

him he would face jail if he burgles another home. But some of

his victims wanted more from the justice system.

It is nearly 6:20pm. Our top story: three of the murder victims at the

centre of what French police are calling a savage attack have been

identified as a family from Surrey. And coming up, GB's Blade Runner

Jonnie Peacock prepares to go head- to-head with Oscar Pistorius for

Paralympic gold. If in the business news, is the

euro is safe now the European With the summer coming to an end,

thousands of new students will be heading to university, and for some,

the debts they Blinker are already brain on their minds. Many students

are paying �9,000 in fees for the first time. -- the debts they will

incur. How do you measure the value of a

degree? Along with new opportunities and more earning

power, those starting this year face the prospect of much higher

debt. No wonder they have been weighing things up carefully.

George lives in Huddersfield and is working at the local pool before

university. He is going to New York, where the fees -- to York

University, where the fees are �9,000. It is tough when you are

paying 9,000 when others have paid three-and-a-half 1,000. But if you

want to go to university comedy were going to have to pay those

these. Universities all over the UK are raising their tuition fees this

year, but how much you pay depends partly on where you are from.

Students living in England face fines of up to �9,000. Students

living in Scotland and those from the EU will continue to pay nothing.

Welsh students will be subsidised by the Welsh government. And

Northern Ireland students to stay there will have their fees capped.

A-level day, and Ben from North Wales was delighted. He got into

university in Nottingham but will pay only a fraction of the �9,000

fees. I wasn't worried too much about fees because I know the Welsh

Assembly Government are helping out and they are actually paying for

most of my course next year. So I just pick the university that felt

right for me. Students don't pay up front. Only after graduating. And

only when they are earning �21,000. But student numbers in England have

dropped by 10%, with a steep decrees for mature students. Sophie

discovered EU students going to Scotland do not pay fees. She is

from Northern Ireland and hastily got herself an Irish passport. She

is going to Edinburgh and will now pay nothing. Obviously the high

fees would have put the off, because they are a huge amount of

money, but when I heard of this it was like a dream come true. As this

generation prepares to leave home, it is all change, although more for

some than for others. A public consultation has been

launched in Scotland on whether to bring down the drink-drive limit.

At the moment, motorists across the UK are allowed to have a maximum of

80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. If the

proposals are approved, the Scottish limit would drop to 50

milligrams. That is the equivalent of a pint of medium strength beer

for the average man of average build, or a small glass of wine for

the average woman of average build. In tennis, Andy Murray has reached

the semi-finals of the US Open for the second year running. He came

from behind to bring -- to beat Marin Cilic, the Croatian, in four

sets. He will now face Tomas Berdych, who beat world number one

Roger Federer. And in cricket, Warwickshire have

been crowned county champions. Warwickshire, who are coached by

former England bowler Ashley Judd, knocked up the victory after lunch.

It is their 4th title in 18 years and comes out after they missed out

on the final day of the season. It has been another successful day

for ParalympicsGB. In total, the team has picked up another eight

medals, including three golds. They are now in third place, with China

still in the lead. A great win came from Sarah Storey in her

individuals road race. She has now equalled Baroness Tanni Grey-

Thompson's record as Britain's most successful female Paralympian.

At a leisurely start for most of the cyclists, but Sarah Storey had

no intention of holding back. She has shown that these Paralympics

she is in a class of her own, and within a couple of kilometres of

the road race she was out on her own. Born without a functioning

left hand, she was still nearly good enough to make the Olympic

team. She was far too good for her Paralympic rivals. At an

astonishing seven minutes clear by the finish. She could afford to

slow down, milk the applause and start to celebrate an 11th gold

medal. So Storey joins Baroness Grey-Thompson as Britain's mos

success of been a Paralympian. really pleased she has won her 11th

gold. And she won in such a dominating style. She could have

sat back and had an easier data do it, but to go out and push yourself

against clock was really important. -- and easier day to do it. Another

day in the sailing and her Bill Lucas took gold in her SKUD

keelboat. -- Helena Lucas. The stadium will soon fall silent as

the athletes go to their blocks tonight. Before, we had Bolt

against break. Here, we have Peacock against Pistorius. The

South African won his team to qualify by the 100 metres final but

he will not be favourite and it is nothing to do with his recent

complaints about the length of his blades. Jonnie Peacock has quite

simply been quicker, setting the world record in June. 19 years old

now, he had his right leg amputated below the knee when he contracted

meningitis as a five-year-old. He has only been running seriously for

a few years. In 2010, Oscar Pistorius beat him by his second in

Manchester. That will not happen tonight. -- by a second. At 15-

year-old Josef Craig, who has cerebral palsy, was competing in

his first ever international event and had been targeting Rio,

assuming he would be too young for London. He has surprised himself

and all his rivals by taking three seconds off the freestyle World

record to win gold. Keep let's catch up with the

A perfect evening in the stadium and things will be hotting up in

more ways than one! In the Olympic Park, temperatures peaked at 22 but

in the next few days, we will find the key to building and building,

and over the weekend, 27 or 28 is likely. Sunny skies in England and

Wales but more cloud further North, which will bring some further rain,

most of it to begin with in Scotland. The wind will ease down

and we see further rain coming into Northern Ireland and wetter

conditions into Cumbria. A bit chilly across southern parts of

England, with some mist and fog in the South. That will clear and we

will get more sunny spells. Further North, struggling and rather damp

in Northern Ireland. Things should improve in the afternoon and in the

north-east of Scotland, things should get better as well. South

Scotland, things stay in a dull and damper. Some of that weather will

continue in the north-west of England. Over in the Pennines, more

sheltered so drier and brighter. Most of Wales will have a sunny bay.

A beautiful day for the south-west, south-east and East Anglia. Even

warmer than today. Low cloud to begin with on Saturday and it could

take a while for the sun to come out in Northern Ireland, north-west

England and south-west Scotland. The temperatures are continuing to

rise and rise. Some chase it -- some changes on Sunday. In the West,

the breeze picking up, limiting the temperatures as you head for --

limiting the temperatures. As you head for the East, temperatures

moving up towards 27. But make the most of it!