31/07/2013 BBC News at Six

four-year-old boy are found guilty of murder after starving and beating

him to death. Daniel Pelka was the weight of an 18-month-old child when

he died. The court heard that the adults took relish in abusing him.

He was starved. He was eaten on a regular basis. He was imprisoned in

a box room. He was drowned to the point of unconsciousness on

occasion. Now there will be questions for the

teachers, social workers, doctors and police who came into contact

with Daniel. Also tonight, a former Tory party

fundraiser wins a libel case against the Sunday Times and last David

Cameron in the process. A key ruling for the right to die

campaigner. The Court of Appeal says the law needs clarifying.

By the detectives will have to be licensed from next year. MPs say

many gain access to information illegally.

Elections in Zimbabwe, and Robert Mugabe wants another five years. He

has already been in charge for 33. Rihanna wins a court case against

Topshop after it sold T-shirts with her image on them.

Coming up in sport on BBC News, Jessica Ennis-Hill has withdrawn

from next month's world athletics Championships in Moscow after

failing to recover from an Achilles injury.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at six. Callous, cold-hearted

and savage - just some of the words used to describe a mother and her

partner who have been found guilty of murdering four-year-old Daniel

Pelka. A jury at Birmingham Crown Court conflict did Magdelena Luczak

and Mariusz Krezolek after hearing how they beat the boy, locked him in

a box room and started to death. Tonight there are numerous questions

over whether Daniel's teachers or health workers could have

intervened. Our reporter is outside Birmingham Crown Court.

The evidence in this case has been harrowing. Daniel died a frightened

little boy. When teachers asked questions, his mother spun a

sophisticated web of lies. It was not until after his death at the

horror of his life became apparent. You may find this report

distressing. Daniel Pelka. A bright four-year-old

with a beaming smile. But six months after this picture was taken, Daniel

was dead. The true the he suffered came at the hands of those who

should have protected him. His mother Magdelena Luczak, and

stepfather, Mariusz Krezolek. But it was 36 hours after he had been

beaten unconscious that Daniel's The court was shown just burping

images of the extent of Daniel's injuries -- the court was shown

disturbing images. They showed the fatal headwind. It was one of 30

injuries to his emaciated body. He weighed just one and a half stone

when he died, barely the weight of an 18-month-old toddler. He was

starved and beaten on a regular basis. He was imprisoned in a box

room. He was drowned to the point of unconsciousness on occasion, and was

also poisoned with salt. So yes, and absolutely wretched existence for

this little boy. Even at school, Daniel could not escape the misery

or the hunger will stop his teachers saw him scavenging for food in bins.

But Magdelena Luczak have told them her son had an eating disorder, but

he must not be fed. CCTV pictures showed Daniel being picked up from

school, trailing behind his mother, slowly heading home. This house

where the family used to live was certainly not a place of certainty

and comfort for Daniel. A series of texts underlines the level of

cruelty that Daniel was facing. In one, his mother said "he is

temporarily unconscious, as I nearly drowned him. I am having some quiet

time" . In another text, his stepfather says" take him to the

room and locked him in. You will have some peace, and do wait for

me" . Daniel's father travelled from Poland to hear the shocking truth

about how his son had been mistreated. TRANSLATION: I could not

believe they could be something like that to my son like making him

starve and that kind of stuff. I felt anger. I just hate them.

court heard how Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek lied to hide their

cruelty from social workers, doctors, health workers, teachers

and the police. Appointments made for Daniel with the authorities were

missed. Daniel Pelka was just four years old when he died. Beyond the

reach of a system which could have detect him. What went wrong is now

the focus of a serious case review. So as we have heard, there were

numerous people, from teachers to the police, who came into contact

with Daniel before he died. Do they have prevented his death? Our social

affairs correspondent is with me now. People remember the terrible

baby P case we reported on, and they will be saying, how could it happen

again? There are parallels with the Baby Peter case in terms of there

being a very convincing mother in Peter's case. She lied and was very

plausible. They missed appointments. And in the enquiries that followed

that land mark case, a lot was made of the need for professionals to be

both compassionate and sceptical, to dig down and find out what is

actually happening in a child's life will stop we know from what happened

in court that the doctor who saw Daniel three weeks before he died

said he had no reason to disbelieve the mother. It is clear that her

explanations to teachers and others at least allayed their immediate

worries. It will be the job of the serious case review to look at the

picture of what went on to see who knew what when, and whether those

bits of the jigsaw could have been put together and I could have been

action earlier to prevent what happened.

The former co-treasurer of the Conservative Party has hit out

against David Cameron after winning a libel case against the Sunday

Times. The paper had wrongly claimed that Peter Cruddas had offered to

sell access to the prime minister. Mr Cruddas accused the prime

minister of treating him like an outcast when the story broke. Our

Deputy political editor has more. The headlines and allegations were

clear. A Conservative Party treasurer had been filmed by Sunday

Times reporters posing as party donors. The paper alleged that he

corruptly offered them the chance to influence policy by selling access

to David Cameron. But today, Peter Cruddas came to the High Court here

a judge say that was not true, that he would win �180,000 in damages for

the libel and that's all he had been doing was explaining how the Tories

raised money legally. The point about today is to clear my name.

What he also did was criticise David Cameron for the way he reacted on

the day the allegations emerged in March last year, when the prime

minister was taking part in a fun run. What happened is completely

unacceptable. This is not the way we raise money in the Conservative

arty. Outside the High Court today, Mr Cruddas attacked the Tories for

cutting him off and Mr Cameron for making him feel like an outcast.

fact that Mr Cameron said it was right that I resigned, he did not

know my side of the story. The Conservative Party, by not listening

to my side of the story and lining up to criticise me in public, made

the situation worse. In his court ruling, the judge said the prime

minister's criticism was a massive public humiliation for Mr Cruddas.

That led another former Tory treasurer to join Mr Cruddas in

demanding an apology from Mr Cameron and his party. But would they? The

party will not say sorry? It is not a question of that, it is about

congratulating Mr Cruddas for managing to get the right outcome.

It's sorry the hardest word? In this case, it is important to recognise

what has happened today rather than relive something from years ago.

Tonight the Sunday Times was ordered to pay costs of what could be up to

�1 million. They said they were dismayed by the judgement and would

appeal. This case raises serious questions about the way we do

politics. When controversy rages, politics demands a swift resignation

to keep a media happy. Justice demands a little patience. It

Cruddas is not the first to lose out like this, and he will not be the

last. The Mid Staffordshire Foundation

Trust, responsible for one of the biggest scandals to hit the National

Health Service, will be dissolved under new proposals. The trust has

been in administration since April. Stafford Hospital will lose its

maternity unit and the other services cut.

They called it the horror hospital. This as a result of appalling care

at Stafford General and the terrible accounts of suffering as witnessed

by the family and friends of those who died caused outrage. It was one

of the biggest scandals to engulf the National Health Service. Partly

as a result of those terrible headlines, the hospital struggled to

bring in patients and new staff and was running a deficit of �20 million

a year. In April, red letter declared it to be no longer viable

financially or clinically. Now administrators have said the trust

is to be dissolved and its services will move. We came here to see what

could be done to preserve effective and safe services for the people of

Stafford. I believe we have come up with a plan which does that.

hospital keeps a reduced A&E service, but emergency surgery,

maternity and other more complex services go to neighbouring trusts.

Patients past and present have mounted a local campaign to keep the

hospital going. Many were disappointed with today's result.

Can't imagine women having to go all the way to Stoke when they are in

labour. It took half an hour with one of my sons. I would not have

made it up there. Stafford today, your hospital tomorrow. We want a

24-hour emergency department. Why would we want anything other?

problems here have been well-documented. Experts warn that

the financial difficulties this hospital faces are also likely to

confront many other district general hospitals across England. In an

effort to balance the books and gain foundation trust status in 2008,

giving the hospital greater financial independence, jobs were

cut and patient suffered. But many hospitals in England are also

finding their budgets are squeezed. Smaller hospital trusts are facing

pressures about their long-term viability. The pressure is driven by

change in the way medicine is practised. So we need to put more

specialist services in larger centres, which live is better

outcomes for patients. If the plan is approved, the teaching hospital

in nearby Stoke could take over many of the services once provided at

Stafford. It is a model that many cash-strapped smaller district

general hospitals across England may have too confront in the coming

years. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has had

his decision to reduce services at Lewisham Hospital declared unlawful

and quashed by the High Court. "Who's won? Lewisham's won!" .

from local campaigners outside and loud popping in court celebrated the

decision as the judge ruled that Mr Hunter lacked power to downgrade the

hospital's casualty and maternity departments.

Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in a racist attack in

south London 20 years ago, is to be given a seat in the House of Lords.

Labour, whose benches Ms Lawrence will sit on, have refused to confirm

or deny the appointment, but said her fight for justice for her son

had had a profound impact on attitudes to racism and policing.

A paralysed man known as Martin who wants a nurse or carer to travel

with him to an assisted suicide Central Braude says he is a step

closer to his ambition. The appeal court has ruled that the director of

public prosecutions needs to clarify the law so that those who travel

with Martin will no whether they would be prosecuted.

Undignified, distressing, intolerable. That is how Martin

regards his existence following a stroke that left him almost

completely paralysed. He does not want to be identified, but gave this

interview two years ago using a special computer to communicate.

Life is not worth living. Martin and his wife are very close, but she is

not willing to play any part in his death. He wanted to know if a carer

who he paid to take him abroad might be charged with assisting a suicide.

Two out of three appeal Court judges ruled that there was insufficient

clarity in the DPP's guidance on the law on assisted suicide in

particular whether a health professional who travelled to

Switzerland with Martin would be at risk of prosecution. Martin's lawyer

read out a statement on his behalf. I am delighted by the judgement

today. It takes me one step closer to being able to decide how and when

I will end my life. I am only unable to take my own life because of my

physical disability is. After the court victory of Debbie Purdy, the

DPP did clarify the law on assisted suicide in England, Wales and

Northern Ireland, saying family and friends would not be charged if they

travelled to dig a task, where about one Britain a fortnight ends their

life. Two other paralysed men who challenged the law on murder lost

their appeal is. Tony Nicklinson, who died last year, and Paul Lamb,

had wanted immunity from prosecution for any doctor who helped them die

in Britain. What I am fighting for is right, not just for myself, but

for an awful lot of people. They have been made to suffer. It is

cruel. Campaigners opposed any relaxation in the law and so the

vulnerable must be protected. have to guard against people saying

that human life in this country has a finite value. If you are disabled,

elderly or terminally ill, your life is somehow worth less than if you

are able-bodied. The cases of Martin, Tony Nicklinson and Paul

Lamb will all now go to the Supreme Court for a final ruling. Our top

story this evening: The mother and partner of four-year-old Daniel

Pelka are found guilty of murder after starving him to death.

And still to come: England prepare for the third Test. A win or a draw

over Australia and the Ashes are retained, again.

Coming up on BBC News: Gary Hunt takes the plunge and collect a

first-ever world championship medal for Great Britain in the men's

diving in Barcelona. He lost out on the top spot by just one point.

The people of Zimbabwe are voting today to decide the country's next

president. The big question, whether Robert Mugabe will finally be voted

out. The 89-year-old has maintained a strict grip on power, having been

in control of the country for 33 years. His challenger is Morgan

Tsangirai, prime minister in an uneasy coalition government.

This report from our correspondent in Harare contains some flash

photography. A typical morning. People queued

quietly in the dark hours before sunrise to cast their ballots. It

has been an unusual election by Zimbabwe 's standards, free of

violence and intimidation. We want to vote peacefully. The outcome must

be respected by each of the contenders in this election. But it

is not free of accusations of foul play. Morgan Tsvangirai, both

partner and rival to Robert Mugabe in a difficult coalition, believes

the state is involved in a massive vote rigging exercised against him.

For 33 years, Zimbabwe has only ever known one leader and President

Mugabe is seeking a further five-year mandate from his people at

the age of 89. He says if he loses this time, he will step down. People

are voting very freely, the process is going well. President Mugabe is

seeking his seventh term in office and insists there is no need to

recover votes. He says he believes the people of Zimbabwe still have

faith in his ZANU-PF party. Regional observers will ultimately decide

whether the elections are free and credible. The first place I called

this morning, they opened prompt at seven o'clock, and there hasn't been

any serious incidents. The days ahead will be tense for Zimbabwe as

the polls closed and the counting begins. The questions the

Zimbabweans will be asking is whether the result will herald the

end of an era of change or the beginning of more turmoil.

Private investigators in England and Wales will have to obtain a licence

before they can operate from next year. It follows revelations that

dozens of companies used investigators who were later

convicted for obtaining information illegally. Our home affairs

correspondent Tom Symonds reports. Out of the shadows and into court,

the private investigators convicted of fraudulently obtaining personal

information. They paid this man to be the daggers, to talk bank, phone

and tax company employees into handing over private data. There

clients include 22 North firms and eight financial institutions but the

names of these companies are classified -- 22 law firms. If there

are organisations that are using private investigators to find out

information, they should be open about it. Phone hacking led to the

closure of the News of the world, and a massive police investigation.

There is anger in the press that the clients of these investigators have

not been questioned. I got pulled out of my house in the morning, my

family was in turmoil, my career was wrecked, and yet they did not go to

the law firm, they did not rate him at six o'clock in the morning, the

guy there who paid the bills. serious and organised crime agency,

based in the street, insists that if the clients have a case to answer

they will face further action. Sources have told me the file will

be passed to the watchdog of data protection but it will only happen

once existing police investigations are included. What information is on

offer? Someone's bank balance for �100, or how much tax they have

paid. Itemised telephone bills can be obtained for �450 and some

investigators will intercept calls and hack a computer for �7,000. Many

legitimate agencies broadly welcomed the government decision to legislate

their agencies -- regulate their agencies. We used them on almost

every case. Kate pursues Forster 's, insuring her investigators stay

within the law is crucial. fraudsters. We will ask and try and

push the boundary and try to make sure we get the best possible

evidence but if we don't get it legally, our reputation is

tarnished. In future it will be illegal for private investigators to

operate without proper training and accreditation.

Rihanna has won a court case against Topshop over T-shirts bearing her

image. The pop star accused the fashion chain of passing off, or

attempting to pass off, the garments as being approved by her. This

report contains flash photography. She is one of the best-known music

stars on the planet with a string of number one hits to her name. When

she shot the video for this song in Northern Ireland, fans and

photographers were out in force and thousands of voters were taken. One

of those photographs ended up on a line of T-shirts sold in Topshop.

10,000 of them was sold. Rihanna took legal action because she said

what Topshop had done suggested that this was a product that she had

officially approved. She hadn't and today she won the case. The High

Court said that using the photograph of the celebrity did not necessarily

breached that person's rights but because the image appear to show

Rihanna in one of her official videos, many people would have

believed they were buying an official Rihanna product. All the

more important because she is a global brand. For somebody like

Rihanna who makes a living out of what she produces, what she does and

says and looks like, this is probably the most important aspect

of her. Her brand is herself and what people see of that brand is how

they perceive her. Topshop have taken an important bit of her

Rihanna. She is not the first celebrity to use the law to protect

her image and she won't be the last. And now for some cricket. The Third

Ashes Test gets under way at Old Trafford tomorrow. It's 84 years

since England won the first three Tests of an Ashes series but victory

this week will give them an unassailable 3-0 lead. This report

from Joe Wilson. This is Manchester's test match.

James Anderson has great power but he can't control the weather. At Old

Trafford today, England were forced inside, scrutinising Kevin

Pietersen. England hope people play but there will be no special

allowances, even for him. It is hard enough to win with 11 players,

especially let alone ten. Shayne Ward turned cricket on his head when

he made his debut here. He was part of Australia's practised today as a

coach. I believe we can win this series and I know a lot of people

will laugh at me saying that but I would not be here today if I thought

this team wasn't good enough to have success. This is one Manchester

venue Australia's players may be avoiding. The Birmingham branch was

where David Warner disgraced himself with a punch at an England player.

He served his suspension and will probably play at this match.

Australia know they have to be proactive and show fighting spirit,

in the right way. Who better to give an opinion on Warner than an

Australian-born England cricketer who is now a professional boxer.

is a strong character, albeit a naughty boy. He is probably the guy

to come in and maybe change momentum. James Anderson could

become England's second-highest wicket taker of all in this Test. He

needs six more victims. Australia, here's looking at you.

across Spain, 37 has been the top temperature. This air is heading

towards us overnight and for tomorrow, particularly covering

England and Wales. Tomorrow we are looking at the potential of 32

degrees in the South-East. We still have some rain. Tomorrow morning for

Scotland is looking wet and cloudy, as it will be in Northern Ireland.

Heavy downpours perhaps in Cumbria. A lot of mist around western areas.

Already some sunshine further south and east. Remember this is eight

o'clock in the morning. The funniest guys always across parts of

South-East England but it should eventually brighten up further north

-- sunny skies. Still more rain to come for Northern Ireland and

northern Scotland throughout the day. Top temperatures in the

south-east. Temperatures not quite as high where we have more cloud.

Low pressure is close by Northern Ireland and Scotland on Friday, so a

mixture of sunshine and showers and some of those could be heavy. The

risk of a downpour in the South-East as well. Temperatures already coming

down on Friday. The weekend keeps temperatures not far off average.