07/03/2014 BBC News at Six

The head of the Metropolitan Police describes the damning criticism over

the Stephen Lawrence investigation as devastating. With the Met facing

one of the greatest ever challenges to its authority, the man in charge

promises to do better. I will respond to the criticism we have

had, I will make sure to support all the enquiries and provide everything

I can to get to the bottom of a terrible set of events.

We'll be looking at how big a task lies ahead for the Met to regain

public confidence. Also tonight: The show must go on.

Vladimir Putin opens the Winter Paralympics in Sochi but the

Ukrainian team don't turn up. Network Rail apologises unreservedly

for what MPs call its callous disregard for the families of those

killed at level crossings. The cost of a pint of milk going

down, as the supermarkets race to the bottom in a price war.

And trenches where the First World War's soldiers trained for battle

are discovered in a field in Hampshire.

A man who's been alleging corruption at the Met for years says he's no

faith the force will get to the truth.

And a worker dies on the Crossrail project after concrete falls on his

head. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News at Six. The head of the Metropolitan Police

says he will ensure trust and confidence in the police is

restored. After a damning review into the Stephen Lawrence murder

investigation, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said it was "one of the

worst days" of his career. This afternoon the head of Scotland

Yard's counter-terror unit, Commander Richard Walton, has been

temporarily moved from his post. It's been revealed Mr Walton had

contact with the undercover officer now known to have who spied on the

Lawrence family after their son's death. The Met Police Commissioner

at the time, Lord Condon, has denied authorising, encouraging or knowing

anything about the use of the undercover officer. The report also

found grounds to suspect a detective on the original investigation may

have acted corruptly. Our home affairs correspondent June Kelly

reports. More than 20 years after Stephen

Lawrence was laid to rest, the recriminations over this case

continues. The police's failure to bring to justice the prime suspects

led to the Metropolitan force being branded as incompetent and, in a

label that would stick, institutionally racist. After the

Lawrence family saw two men finally convicted of the killing, they faced

new anguish. Allegations now confirm that they were spied on by police.

Yesterday, new claims that Scotland Yard withheld intelligence on

corruption from the public enquiry into Stephen's death. With his

force's reputation on the floor, the man in front of Scotland Yard faced

the cameras for the first time, with a promise of independent scrutiny of

key material. I will have an independently lead multidisciplinary

team come to the Met and assure me they will look through the

information available in what is a pretty complex thing, when you

consider we have 100 intelligence databases and I need to be sure we

have looked everywhere possible. I will respond to the criticism, make

sure we support the enquiries and provide every thing I can to get to

the bottom of what is a terrible set of events. It was Paul Condon who

was running the Met at the time of the Stephen Lawrence case. Today, he

said he had never authorised an undercover operation to spy on the

Lawrence family. When it comes to intelligence on corruption being

withheld from the enquiry, one ex-officer, in the Met for 30

years, is not surprised by the allegation. Having given evidence at

the enquiry in the summer of 1998, in preparation for that it was quite

clear that, yes, the officers were racist. Yes, the officers were

incompetent to some extent. But the elephant in the room was around

inappropriate conduct. David Cameron, aware of the toxic legacy

of the Lawrence case, did not hesitate to order a second public

enquiry. The Lawrence family have suffered far too much but this will

get the truth and will help us to make sure we have the very best in

terms of British policing, which is what this country deserves. This

officer, Commander Richard Walton, is the first to feel the effect of

yesterday's review. Criticised over his conduct, he has been temporarily

removed from his top counterterror job. At Scotland Yard there is an

that with an enquiry into undercover policing generally there is the

potential for miscarriages of justice to be revealed. But tonight,

the head of the Association of the lease officers stressed that

corruption was not endemic and the majority of police officers across

the country were doing a good job. -- the head of the Association of

Police Officers. Mark Easton, our Home Editor, is

with me. How big a task lies ahead for the Metropolitan Police to

restore public confidence? It is a huge task. I met Sir Bernard this

afternoon and he said, I cannot account for the past, only reset the

clock for the future. He said, I was not there when they shredded the

documents in 2003. He believes he is the only man to take the Met forward

and restore public trust. Perhaps his biggest problem is that

yesterday's review was not just looking at events 20 years ago, but

was saying that even now they are not convinced that every document

they require and which is available has been handed over by the

Metropolitan Police. In other words, even under Sir Bernard's

watch, they were not sure the Metropolitan Police had been totally

open with the truth. I think the commissioner has an enormous

challenge in convincing, frankly, a very sceptical public, that he is

the right person to take the Metropolitan Police forward.

Senior Russian politicians have pledged support to Crimea in its bid

to break away from Ukraine and become part of Russia. President

Putin, who spoke at length to President Obama again last night,

insists Russia is only responding to calls for help from within Ukraine.

The Russian President opened the Winter Paralympics in Sochi today.

The Ukranian team says it will compete, but they failed to take to

part in the opening ceremony as, Steve Rosenberg reports.

It is another Sochi Olympics. Another chance for Russia and its

president, Vladimir Putin, to impress the world with a sporting

spectacular. But the Crimea is already casting a shadow over these

Paralympic games. In protest at Moscow's military intervention in

their country, the Ukrainian team at the opening ceremony was represented

by a single flag bearer. The other participants refused to take part in

the parade, and today, the head of Ukraine's Paralympic team warned

Russia not to escalate the conflict. If you look during the Paralympic

Games, any steps could escalate conflict. Or, maybe, my God,

somebody will be killed, we leave these Paralympic Games. But these

are no games. America has sent six fighter jets from RAF Lakenheath in

Suffolk to the Baltics, to boost air patrols there. A show of strength on

Russia's doorstep, part of the West's response to rush actions in

the Ukraine. Western leaders have accused Russia of in -- invading the

Crimea. Washington has threatened to freeze the assets of Russian

officials and impose travel bans. The Kremlin's response is that

sanctions will hurt you as much as they will hurt us, and so far,

Moscow is refusing to back down. Quite the opposite, in fact. In

Moscow today, there was a warm welcome and strong political support

for this delegation of pro-Moscow Crimean MPs. The head of Russia's

upper house said that if Crimea voted to break away from Ukraine and

join Russia, Russia's parliament would support that. And to show that

the Russian people would, too, this evening the Kremlin organised a

rally near red Square. Everyone we spoke to was excited at the thought

that the Crimea might soon become part of their country again.

TRANSLATION: Historically, Crimea was part of our land and we want to

be together again. What is more, criticism from Kiev and threats of

sanctions on the west just seemed to fuel the patria to them. --

patriotism. Meanwhile, Ukraine's interim prime

Minister says a planned referendum in Crimea is both unconstitutional

and illegitimate. It's likely the Russian-speaking majority will win

the vote. But among Crimea's two million population are a minority of

ethnic Tatars who fear for their future should the region return to

Russian control, as Daniel Sandford reports from Bakhchiserai.

Bakhchiserai, the spiritual home of Crimea's Tatar community, now a

worried people. They have been here for at least 700 years but were

brutally subjugated by the Russians in the 18th century, and then

deported by Stalin. At Friday prayers today, most were vehemently

against Crimea leaving the Ukraine and rejoining Vladimir Putin's

Russia. Putin is not a Democratic president. Ukraine is much better

for us than Russia. This 86-year-old silversmith distrusts the Russians

through personal experience. As a 16-year-old, his family were given

15 minutes notice before being deported to Uzbekistan by cattle

truck. They did not return for 45 years. When I asked about Crimea

rejoining Russia, it reduced him to tears.

TRANSLATION: It is like a second Hitler. That is the only way to

describe it. People who are my age saw all that, and now it is

happening again. And that Tatars, who make up 12% of Crimea's

population, are experiencing new intimidation. On this lane, the

residents saw a group of skinheads coming down the road with baseball

bats and what appeared to be a list. They put these markings on all the

houses belonging to Crimean Tatars, while they left those belonging to

Russians untouched. And with Russian attack helicopters flying

unchallenged, the Tatars can be in no doubt who is now in control of

Crimea. Here, the head of Network Rail,

which runs Britain's railways, has offered an "unreserved apology" to

families of people killed at level crossings. A report by MPs says too

often the company showed a callous disregard for the bereaved, with

victims often wrongly accused of trespass, as Danny Savage reports.

By a railway crossing in Hucknall, you will find tributes to a

teenager. 13-year-old Lindsey died here 18 months ago as she crossed

the line with friends. This busy stretch is used by both trains and

trams, but Lindsey is not the only person to be killed crossing here.

This is my grandson, Michael. Network Rail was today accused of

showing callous disregard to people like this. His wife and

seven-year-old grandson were killed at the same crossing in 2008. He was

appalled by Network Rail's attitude. There was most and the towards me

and my family, nothing. I have not received any letter of apology from

them, even now, to this day. Because of those deaths, a bridge has been

built to replace the foot crossing. Lawrence began legal proceedings

against Network Rail, claiming they knew about the dangers here. But

before the case could come to court, they paid him undisclosed damages.

Network Rail's new boss today admitted their attitude has been

unacceptable. I want to say a complete apology for the behaviour

of Network Rail and sometimes the insensitive way in which we have

behaved with respect of these bereaved people. The Commons

transport committee has set Network Rail a tough target, to cut out

accidents at crossings. They are trying to make them safer but they

need to do more and they should have a target of zero deaths by 2020. A

few will have two stop taking stupid risks, but the age of the train

killing the unwary must end. A former girlfriend of the

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has described him as someone with a

temper, during evidence at his trial in Pretoria. She told the court that

he carried a gun with him "all the time" and had once fired it from a

car sunroof after being stopped for speeding by police. Mr Pistorius

denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year.

An investigation's been launched in to claims of a plot to remove the

head teachers of a number of schools in Birmingham and try to make them

more Islamic. Officials are looking into the plan detailed in a letter

titled Operation Trojan Horse. Our education correspondent Reeta

Chakrabarti is here. Is there any evidence that these allegations of

an Islamic takeover are real, or who wrote the letter? We don't know the

answer to those questions but we do know the authorities are taking this

very seriously. The details emerged in this leaked command, detailing a

5-point plan for this project to be carried out. -- this leaked

document. It includes identifying schools that are weaker

academically, parents who are hardliners, and turning them against

their heads, installing governors on the governing body, to "drip feed

their ideal for a Muslim school those quote, and generally trying to

destabilise the head and drive them out. It is on clear -- unclear how

many schools are affected. I have spoken to a head who believe they

were subjected to this movement, subjected to bullying and

intimidation from within their school. The whole thing sounds

fantastical, but Birmingham City Council is carrying out an

investigation, and I understand the Education Secretary, Michael Gove,

has met the leader of Birmingham City Council and he is

understandably very concerned. Our top story this evening: The head of

the Metropolitan Police has described as devastating a report

into undercover policing in the Stephen Lawrence case.

And still to come, as the Winter Paralympics get under way, what

chance has the British team of a first-ever gold medal?

Later on BBC London: Big plans to redevelop Tottenham after the riots.

But will it bring new life or kill off a community? And this weekend

Charlton and Arsenal hope to book their place at Wembley with an FA

Cup win. You might have noticed that the

amount you're paying for your milk has been falling. Today Morrisons

was the latest supermarket to join a price war that's been raging all

week. If you bought a large bottle of milk across the big four

supermarkets, the average price would have been just under 31p a

pint. Today, the average is the equivalent of just under 25p. That's

a drop of nearly 20% in a week. How much do you pay for your milk?

Probably not as much as last week. Alistair has been selling for pines

for a pound for more than 12 months -- the supermarket Alistair. Tesco

announced on Monday it would do the same thing, kicking off a price war.

Sainsbury's then slashed its prices. Today Morrisons is claiming

it is now selling the cheapest milk of all. It is hard to imagine how

many of the -- how any of the big four supermarkets are making money.

It is a key product we buy every week and we go through the doors. We

hope it is an attractive reason to shop at Morrisons. Morrisons and all

of the other big supermarkets are under pressure from cheaper

supermarkets. Pricing on basic essentials like milk is key. What do

shoppers think? If I save a pound, it is a big deal. I think it is

great. I would not bow to it different supermarket because of it

being cheaper. It would cost more in petrol -- I would not go to. The

supermarkets insist that milk producers will not be out of pocket

but farmers are worried. Ultimately, what is important for farmers is

sustainable contracts which ensures they get a fair market price for raw

milk. We think it is important this does not affect the price that

farmers receive. This everyday staple is in the middle of a battle

to win over shoppers. The question is, how long will the battle last?

Lawyers walked out of courts across England and Wales today in protest

against Government cuts to legal aid. The Ministry of Justice says

the legal aid system is one of the most expensive in the world and

needs to be reduced. Our legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman

watched the protests. After six hours... This is the popular image

of the life of the criminal barrister, from a BBC drama. Today

its main character joined a real-life counterpart on strike and

on the streets, protesting against cuts to legal aid. People will be

discouraged from going into the profession. Then there will not be

justice. Lawyers are protesting about a 17.5% cut in fees for

solicitors, fewer contracts for work at police stations and an average 6%

fee cut for barristers. It is becoming an increasingly bitter

dispute. What lawyers say is at stake here is nothing more or less

than a battle for the heart and soul of a criminal justice system that is

respected throughout the world. But for many people, lawyers are well

paid. You yourself are paid over ?200,000 in legal aid money last

year. That is a huge amount for most people. Absolutely right. I am one

person. There are 5000 members of the criminal bar. The average

take-home pay is less than ?28,000 before the expenses they have to

pay. Lawyers say the cuts will harm those like this man attacked by a

juice in south London. To his prize he was the one charged with assault

-- attacked by a youth in South London. To his surprise, he was the

one charged. If my lawyers had not pursued the evidence, I would be in

jail. The government says it is one of the most expensive legal aid

system is in the world and it must be cut. Anyone charged with a crime

will continue to get a qualified lawyer through legal aid, they say.

The owner of Birmingham City Football Club Carson Yeung has been

jailed for six years for laundering more than ?55 million. The former

hairdresser turned tycoon was found guilty of five counts of money

laundering over a six-year period by a court in Hong Kong. Yeung bought

the Championship club in 2009, but stepped down last month as chairman.

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has urged voters to reject what she

calls the damaging europhobia led by UKIP in May's European election. Ms

Wood has told Plaid's Spring Conference in Cardiff that only her

party can further the Welsh national interest at the heart of Europe.

Your politics has no place in this country. Not now, not ever. Your

values are not the values of Wales. A vote for UKIP is a vote against

Wales, a vote against the Welsh national interest.

Two lines of trenches and in the middle, No Man's Land. It's one of

the iconic images of World War One. But 100 years on and far from

Northern France, something very similar has been found, not on the

battlefields, but here in Hampshire. Robert Hall has been taking a look.

Final rehearsals for a deployment overseas. The last chance to run

through tactics before the real thing. A century ago, another

British Army was preparing for battle. Their training grounds

mirrored the trench systems extending across Europe. This land

near Gosport is still in use by modern troops but an observant

historian studying an aerial photo noticed the distinct shape of an

entire battlefield which had survived under the heather and

course. We know it was a major launch area and this would have been

an image of last-minute training before they faced the real thing. A

lot of them never came back. Absolutely. I have five relatives

buried on the Western Front. This historian says the battlefield is

one example of the hidden home front landscape we can all help to

identify. People should be looking out for anything unusual. Churchill,

buildings requisitioned and used by the people, American troops. --

Church Hall. This building near Winchester is a rare survivor from a

long vanished transit camp. 2 million soldiers used it during the

years of war and yet there is little to betray their passing. Because

there is a little here, we are going to put up interpretation boards on

the site so people can see how enormous the camp was. Barracks and

battlefields hinting at what was to come but all too soon a distant

memory amid the mud and the bloodshed of the Western Front.

Despite the crisis in Ukraine, Russia's President Putin welcomed

back the sporting world to Sochi today, with a spectacular ceremony

for the start of the Winter Paralympics. More than 500 athletes

from 45 countries will compete in the Games. Britain have sent a

15-strong team looking for their first Winter Paralympic gold medal.

Joe Wilson reports. Britain's winter Paralympians did

not choose the host city. They were not responsible for Britain's absent

dignitaries at the opening ceremony. Perhaps more importantly, they are

expected to inspire. This is the Games we hope will bring Winter

Paralympic sport to people's minds and give the opportunity for

programmes to be put forward to be better funded, but also for athletes

to think, wow, I will have a go at that. This 15-year-old skier

symbolises Britain's hopes for the future. It is the biggest ever

winter Paralympic Games. The head of the Paralympics praised Russia's

progressive attitude in staging the event which, he reminded the world,

was about sport. Athletes and officials from a record 45

Paralympic committees, welcome to the games. A Games where sport must

be the winner. The opening ceremony lingered heavily on ballet with

subtle arrangements and formations. The boldest arrival belonged to the

American team. They made their presence visible. -- as visible as

possible. Time for a look at the weather with

Peter Gibbs. Is it going to be springlike?

A bit of a mixture. A step back to winter across Scotland. Snow

flurries in Edinburgh. Temperatures barely above freezing through parts

of the Highlands. We will lose the snow showers but we will keep the

frost across Scotland. Temperatures dipping widely across England and

Wales for a time. The winds will pick up and cloud will come back in.

By the end of the night, temperatures beginning to rise

again. Perhaps still frost left in the north-east of the UK first thing

on Saturday morning. A bit of a snow across the northern hills. Not a

great start to Saturday across most parts of Scotland. Heavy rain.

Easing from Northern Ireland. Still grey skies and pretty windy. Grey

skies for most to start with tomorrow. But bear with it. Writers

spells beginning to edging towards the south coast even at 9am in the

morning -- brighter spells. The cloud will melt away across England

and Wales. Good sunny spells breaking through. More cloud across

Scotland and Northern Ireland. Windy here as well. On the poolside. -- on

the cool side. In the sunshine in England and Wales, up-to-the-minute

teens. Offset by a breeze. Still very pleasant. Sunday,

disappointing. Scotland, Northern Ireland, North and western parts of

England, more in the way of cloud and patchy rain. In the sunshine

further south and east, once again, 15, 16, 17 possible. We will all see

fine set of whether next week. Dry and reasonably mild.

A reminder of our main story: the head of the Metropolitan Police has

described as devastating a report into undercover policing in the

Stephen Lawrence case. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has vowed to do

everything to restore trust in the force.

The Winter Paralympics are under way. The Ukrainian contingent were

represented by a single flag bearer with the rest of the team staying

away. That's all from the BBC News at Six. On BBC One, we now join the

BBC's news teams where you