05/05/2014 BBC News at Six


05/05/2014

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The BBC understands there is insufficient evidence to charge Sinn

:00:09.:00:12.

Fein president Gerry Adams with any offence. It comes as Gerry Adams is

:00:13.:00:15.

warned of a credible death threat after being questioned over the

:00:16.:00:19.

murder of Jean McConville. A terror group admits kidnapping

:00:20.:00:21.

hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria, now they're threatening to sell

:00:22.:00:27.

them. Police hunt a dangerous convicted

:00:28.:00:30.

robber on the run from an open prison despite being given 13 life

:00:31.:00:35.

sentences. The Oscar Pistorius trial hears how

:00:36.:00:38.

he cried and prayed over his girlfriend's body after he shot her.

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And tributes to the former British number-one tennis player Elena

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Baltacha, who's died from cancer at the

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Hello, good evening to you. After his release from police custody, the

:01:10.:01:14.

BBC understands that there is insufficient evidence to charge

:01:15.:01:17.

Gerry Adams with any offence unless significant new evidence comes to

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light. The Sinn Fein president was questioned for four days in

:01:21.:01:22.

connection with the murder of Jean McConville and membership of the

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IRA. He continues to strongly deny all those allegations. This

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afternoon, it emerged that Mr Adams has been the subject of death

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threats since being released from questioning. A file will be sent to

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the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland later this week.

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Our Ireland correspondent Chris Bucker reports.

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Many times there have been attempts to make a clean start in Northern

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Ireland with countless strides forward in the peace process. But

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the past is a running problem. This morning's Belfast Marathon went

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through the west of the city and past a new mural painted in honour

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of Gerry Adams while he was in custody. It is just streets away

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from where Jean McConville was abducted in 1972 before being

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murdered and buried in secret. Her family spent over 30 years

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campaigning for the return of her remains, and now, they say, they're

:02:19.:02:23.

prepared to take civil action over claims that Mr Adams was involved in

:02:24.:02:28.

the killing. Well, at the minute, we are looking into it, but it looks

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like we have a strong case. We have had people approach is that willing

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to back us, it is looking good. Gerry Adams has always denied

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playing any part in the murder, and last night, after four days of

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questioning, he was released from custody without any charge. His

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anger at the police was clear. It is the old guard using the old

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methods, when a better way of getting to the same result would

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probably have assisted their investigation but would not have

:03:02.:03:04.

sent the type of signal except to people who really want a hope in the

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future. The police knew that arresting a high-profile politician

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would also put the spotlight on them, and after many hours of

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interrogation, the release of Gerry Adams has led to questions for

:03:19.:03:22.

detectives about their decisions. A file is being sent to the Public

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Prosecution Service, but it is understood that unless significant

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new evidence is discovered, a charge is extremely unlikely. What has

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really outraged members of Sinn Fein is that their leader was arrested

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during an election campaign and just a few weeks and boats being held

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across the island of Ireland. I don't

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across the island of Ireland. I policing in Northern Ireland. What

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across the island of Ireland. I see as Justice Minister is

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politicians from both sides trying to interfere in the justice

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politicians from both sides trying in different ways at different

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times. Prosecutors still have been formally examine the evidence

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gathered by police against Mr Adams, a man who stood alongside

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world leaders but whose past remains under scrutiny.

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Chris, as you can see, joins us now. You mentioned the election

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campaign, what impact will this have on the political process now? Well,

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two questions there, I am not sure it will have much impact on the

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elections. Politics, that is a different matter. Gerry Adams is a

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big, a significant figure in Northern Ireland but also a

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polarising one. In reality, the last three days will not change that. In

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Republican areas, he is a hero. We have learned that the police visited

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his home to warn him of more death threats against him, so that gives

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you an idea of how polarising a figure he is. However, you are

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right, the issue of politics here is always difficult, particularly when

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it comes to policing, and the very strong words that have come from

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Sinn Fein over the last few days talking about a cabal within

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policing, of dark forces, that has angered unionist and estranged

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relationships here. The Islamist group Boko Haram has

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admitted kidnapping more than 200 girls from a school in northeastern

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Nigeria three weeks ago. In a recorded message, the leader of the

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group said he now intended to sell the girls. There's been an

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international outcry about the abductions and the failure of the

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Nigerian government to trace the girls. Tommy Oladipo reports from

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the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The first confirmation of the fate

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of the schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria. In a video released today,

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the leader of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, standing in front

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of an armoured car, says, I abducted your girls. He adds, I will sell the

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women in the market, there is a market for selling humans, Allah

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commands me to sell, I will sell women. They greet and heartbreak

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have moved the world, it has been three tormenting weeks since the

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girls were reported missing, but since then the authorities have been

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unable to find them. The BBC has secured the first TV interviews with

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the mothers who are in agony, not knowing the fate of their abducted

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daughters. TRANSLATION: Many people come to our house June the day to

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sympathise with us, but at night our family stays awake all night,

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thinking of our daughter and all the other girls and what they are going

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through and where they are being held. The girls were seized from

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this remote school in north-eastern Nigeria by Boko Haram. Nigeria's

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president has been accused of not doing enough to rescue the girls.

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Last night he spoke about the issue for the first time on television.

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Tell me where those bills are, we will surely get them out. -- girls.

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For a long time, many Nigerians have felt that the government response to

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the Boko Haram threat has been far from perfect. The President's latest

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comments will do little to inspire hope, and the fate of 200 girls

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remains unclear. Groups like this are having daily protests to express

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their outrage. My daughter is not with me, my parents are helpless, we

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crying at home. They should bring the girls back, it is then I will

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support the government in anything they do. More than 1500 people have

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been killed in north-eastern Nigeria so far this year, and it is ever so

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clear for the government that the violence cannot be ignored.

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Ministers have ordered a review into a decision to release an armed

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robber on temporary leave from prison, who then absconded. Police

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are still searching for Michael Wheatley, who is nicknamed the Skull

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Cracker for hitting victims with a gun during armed robberies, after he

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failed to return to Standford Hill open jail in Kent. The 55-year-old

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had been given 13 life sentences. Our political correspondent Alex

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Forsyth is in Westminster for us. Alex.

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Yes, Kent police have warned the public not to approach Michael

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Wheatley, which gives you an idea of how dangerous they think he is. He

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committed a string of raids on banks and building societies, 13 in ten

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months, and his crime spree started just three weeks after he was

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released on parole from a 27 year sentence for other robberies. When

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he was called for the second time, he was given 13 life sentences but

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told he would serve a minimum of just eight years. He has done that

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and more, and at some point, we are not sure when, he was transferred to

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an open prison on the Isle of Sheppey and then allowed out on

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temporary licence. That is standard for someone nearing the end of their

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sentence to prepare them for life in the community. The question is

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whether it is appropriate for such a violent and prolific offender, and

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one who has now gone on the run, and it is pretty unfortunate timing for

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the Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, because only in March he

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announced new, tougher rules for those released on temporary

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licence. From autumn, they will all have to wait electronic tags.

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Ministers have admitted the system has been too lax and say that is why

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they are changing it, but of course it is too late for this case. There

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will now be a review of how this happened, and in the meantime police

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will focus on trying to catch this man.

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A man has admitted posting abusive messages on Twitter about the murder

:09:34.:09:36.

of the schoolteacher Ann Maguire. Robert Riley, who is 42 and from

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Port Albert in South Wales, appeared before magistrates in Leeds. The

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court heard he had posted a number of offensive tweets, some of which

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related to the death of Ann Maguire, who was killed at a school in Leeds

:09:49.:09:53.

last week. He will be sentenced at a later date. A three-day strike by

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Tube workers scheduled to start tonight has been suspended.

:09:58.:10:01.

A rail union leaders held talks with London Underground managers this

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morning over a long-running dispute over staff cuts and ticket office

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closures. The American London, Boris Johnson, called it a victory for

:10:09.:10:11.

common sense. In Ukraine, there has been heavy

:10:12.:10:14.

fighting in the eastern city of Sloviansk, where government troops

:10:15.:10:18.

are trying again to take control from pro-Russian militants. Big

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government says four soldiers have been killed and 30 injured, and a

:10:24.:10:27.

helicopter has been shot down. There have also been casualties among the

:10:28.:10:31.

pro-Russian gunmen. Sloviansk is one of the most important strongholds of

:10:32.:10:36.

the rebels, who have occupied government buildings in about a

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dozen cities and towns across the region. Sarah Rainsford sent this

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report. A brief lull in what has been a day

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of heavy fighting here. These are pro-Russian militia, well armed and

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with vehicles seized from Ukraine's military. The two sides clashed on

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the edge of Sloviansk Thomas Ware Ukrainian troops now say they have

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the rebels surrounded. There were casualties on both sides. The medics

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say this man was shot in the stomach. We helped him as much as we

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could, a very young looking rebel fighter explains. Now we are praying

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he survives. Images released by the defence ministry suggest that its

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troops have taken some ground and some prisoners, but this is no easy

:11:18.:11:22.

fight. Helicopters are just part of what Kiev deployed against a force

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they say was 800 men strong. And for a third time, those are Russian

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fighters managed to shoot a helicopter down. TRANSLATION: We are

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facing a very well-organised enemy. They have grenade launchers,

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mortars, machine-gun. They are very well trained. And from their

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appearance, they are far from being local people. Just say it straight,

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the Interior Ministry cuts in. There are Chechens here. For Ukraine's

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military, the ultimate goal is clearly to take back control of

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Sloviansk, the city that has become the rebel stronghold. They are here

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in Donetsk, at the city administration building and that key

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buildings across the region. Pro-Russian groups are still in

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control. And this is what the government is so anxious to avoid. A

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young nurse that locals say was an innocent casualty of this conflict.

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More civilians were killed today . That is already adding to the anger

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here with Kiev. This is the Russian speaking heartland of Ukraine, and

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many here do support the rebels. There is already talk that after

:12:35.:12:38.

this, a united country is no longer possible. Sarah Rainsford, BBC News,

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Donetsk. Distraught, crying and praying over

:12:44.:12:47.

her body - witnesses who were first on the scene after Oscar Pistorius

:12:48.:12:50.

shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, but told his trial he

:12:51.:12:55.

appeared a spur to try and save her life. His neighbours gave their

:12:56.:12:58.

evidence as his trial in South Africa resumed after a break for

:12:59.:13:02.

Easter. This report contains flash photography.

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A two-week break, and Oscar Pistorius is back in court in South

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Africa, charged with murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Inside,

:13:07.:13:12.

her mother, June, still keeping her vigil, staring across the courtroom

:13:13.:13:15.

at the man who admits he killed her daughter. On the stand, but not

:13:16.:13:21.

shown on television, neighbour Johan Stander, who arrived first on the

:13:22.:13:24.

scene with his daughter to find Pistorius on these stairs, carrying

:13:25.:13:31.

his girlfriend's body. There was a young man walking down the stairs

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with a lady, a young woman in his arms. My daughter asked him to put

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Reeva down on the floor. He did. Mr Pistorius was broken. He was

:13:44.:13:53.

screaming. He was crying. He was praying. The expression on his face,

:13:54.:13:58.

the expression of sorrow, the expression of pain, I saw the truth

:13:59.:14:06.

that morning. I saw it. He implication being that the athlete

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was telling the truth about shooting his girlfriend by accident.

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Listening, June Steenkamp struggled with her emotions. You will remember

:14:14.:14:18.

the aggressive prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, and his withering

:14:19.:14:20.

cross-examination of Oscar Pistorius and other defence witnesses. Today,

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he was a lot gentler and struggled to make any real impact. This is the

:14:27.:14:31.

route Mr Stander, with his daughter, took to Pistorius's house. She

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described the athlete begging his girlfriend to stay alive. He was

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praying to God the whole time to just save her life. He was begging

:14:43.:14:47.

Reeva and he kept begging Reeva to just stay with him and not to leave

:14:48.:14:51.

him. At one point, she feared that the distraught athlete might commit

:14:52.:14:56.

suicide. When I was standing there, I heard him say to the paramedics,

:14:57.:14:59.

"The gun is upstairs in the bathroom". I thought he was going to

:15:00.:15:05.

go and possibly shoot himself. bathroom". I thought he was going to

:15:06.:15:14.

and to finish by the end of next week. Andrew Harding, BBC News,

:15:15.:15:23.

Pretoria. The former British number one tennis

:15:24.:15:26.

player Elena Baltacha has died at the age of 30. She revealed that she

:15:27.:15:32.

had liver cancer in March, just months after retiring. Her diagnosis

:15:33.:15:35.

came a few weeks after she married her long-time coach and partner,

:15:36.:15:41.

Nino Severino. And the Swiss looks back at her life.

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She was one of Britain's brightest and bravest talents. Elena Baltacha

:15:45.:15:53.

burst onto the scene as a teenager, reaching the third round of

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Wimbledon, and over the next decade tackled illness and opponents with

:15:57.:16:00.

the same dog did defiance. So news of her death just six months after

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retiring has left the sport united in sorrow. There was a minute's

:16:08.:16:10.

silence at one of her former clubs in Glasgow, as tennis mourns one of

:16:11.:16:17.

its most popular players. Just devastated. Terrible that someone

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who was only 30 years old who who has had one part of her life is not

:16:23.:16:26.

around for the other part of her life that she worked so hard for. It

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is so sad. I was so shocked when I heard about it. Born in Ukraine, she

:16:32.:16:36.

moved to Scotland when she was a child. Her father was a professional

:16:37.:16:40.

footballer, but Baltacha's skills lay with a different sport and a

:16:41.:16:44.

steely determination. The number one thing was work. Her work ethic, and

:16:45.:16:50.

giving 100%. Nobody could say she came off the court and had not given

:16:51.:16:54.

everything. Her talents soon blossomed, but at 19, she was

:16:55.:16:59.

diagnosed with a chronic liver condition. It would have ended many

:17:00.:17:04.

careers, but not hers. I think it helped me realise how much a part of

:17:05.:17:09.

my life but tennis was, and how serious I want to make it now. Every

:17:10.:17:15.

day, waking up and putting in the sacrifices and commitments. She duly

:17:16.:17:17.

defied her health sacrifices and commitments. She duly

:17:18.:17:22.

the world top 50 and become a figurehead for British women's

:17:23.:17:24.

tennis, whether representing her country in the Fed cup or the 2012

:17:25.:17:31.

six. Brushed Mac Olympics. It was her lifetime ambition, but as

:17:32.:17:35.

injuries took that coal, Baltacha was forced to retire at the end of

:17:36.:17:40.

last year, just four months before she was diagnosed with liver cancer.

:17:41.:17:45.

Both on and off the court, a player who defined commitment and courage.

:17:46.:17:49.

Elena Baltacha, who has died at the age of 30.

:17:50.:17:54.

There is more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel. We are back

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with the latest News at ten.

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