09/10/2013 BBC Newsline


09/10/2013

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 09/10/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Good evening. The headlines: An appeal for a change to the law here

:00:19.:00:26.

by a woman forced to have an abortion in England after being told

:00:26.:00:32.

her baby would not survive. The baby I am carrying had no life. There is

:00:33.:00:38.

no brain and skull. What makes you an individual is not there. A

:00:38.:00:44.

damning assessment of the new victim service by the Victims

:00:44.:00:49.

Commissioner. We have the details. Fears over funding for this

:00:49.:00:54.

Londonderry Museum. As the IFA kicks off an edition --

:00:54.:01:00.

animist native to tackle mental health, we talk about it. And the

:01:00.:01:05.

autumn has arrived without cold wind today. Not quite as windy tomorrow

:01:05.:01:14.

but it will be feeling warmer. First, a fresh appeal for a change

:01:14.:01:20.

to our abortion legislation. It comes from Sarah Ewart who travelled

:01:20.:01:24.

to England for termination because she couldn't have one here. She has

:01:24.:01:27.

to England for termination because spoken to the Nolan Show and

:01:27.:01:31.

explained that doctors told her the baby she was carrying had an

:01:31.:01:34.

explained that doctors told her the abnormality and could not survive

:01:34.:01:37.

outside the womb. The legislation in Northern Ireland states faecal

:01:37.:01:43.

abnormality is not grounds for an abortion. In response, the health

:01:43.:01:46.

abnormality is not grounds for an Administration -- that health

:01:46.:01:48.

Minster has said he will look into it.

:01:48.:01:55.

By going public with her story, Sarah Ewart is addressed in one of

:01:55.:02:01.

the most contentious issues in Northern Ireland, appearing on

:02:01.:02:07.

tonight's the Nolan Show, she said her request for an abortion was

:02:07.:02:09.

tonight's the Nolan Show, she said refused after doctors told her her

:02:09.:02:14.

baby was boat does grow on whether Syria's abnormality. The baby I am

:02:14.:02:18.

growing has no life. There is no brain and skull. What makes you an

:02:19.:02:24.

individual is not there. This is just a body that can wriggle and

:02:24.:02:31.

moves because my heart rate makes its heartbeat. There isn't a baby.

:02:31.:02:39.

It is not a baby. The current legislation here states it is

:02:39.:02:43.

unlawful to perform a termination of pregnancy unless it is necessary to

:02:43.:02:46.

preserve the life of the pregnant woman. An abortion can be allowed if

:02:46.:02:52.

there is a risk of real and serious adverse effect on her physical or

:02:52.:02:55.

mental health which is either long-term or permanent. However

:02:55.:03:01.

faecal abnormality is not a ground for termination of pregnancy in

:03:01.:03:04.

Northern Ireland. -- feet tall abnormality. This academic says the

:03:04.:03:09.

issue needs to be addressed and abnormality. This academic says the

:03:09.:03:15.

resolved. The politicians are out of step with public opinion. If you

:03:15.:03:20.

look at the recent assembly debates surrounding abortion cases, you will

:03:20.:03:25.

see evidence of the majority of male politicians patronising,

:03:25.:03:33.

misogynistic views of women in Northern Ireland. They demonstrate

:03:33.:03:39.

note reality on these crises pregnancies. Sarah's case is not

:03:39.:03:45.

unique. They have received similar calls a week. We would see women a

:03:45.:03:50.

couple of times a week or hear from women who have had a similar

:03:50.:03:58.

diagnosis. We also hear from GPs. Earlier this year, the Health

:03:58.:04:02.

Minister issued draft guidelines for medics to work to implement --

:04:02.:04:07.

legislation is passed. That document needs to satisfy a range of people

:04:07.:04:11.

including medics, politicians and those that are pro-life. Once you

:04:11.:04:14.

are seen as your loan -- once you those that are pro-life. Once you

:04:14.:04:19.

are seen as your life is no longer living, we have to look at this.

:04:20.:04:25.

Sarah was married in June and early this week she travelled to England

:04:25.:04:26.

with her mother for the abortion. this week she travelled to England

:04:26.:04:31.

Desperate to start a family, she said her needs were never

:04:31.:04:36.

considered. Before I found out what this was come if you had said to me

:04:36.:04:39.

if I had thought of an abortion, I would have said, no way. There is

:04:39.:04:44.

people who do this because they have a girl and don't want a goal and

:04:44.:04:48.

wanted a boy or it was a one night stand. -- girl. This was medical. I

:04:48.:04:58.

have no choice. It personalises a issue that is normally bogged down

:04:58.:05:01.

in legal jargon but perhaps most issue that is normally bogged down

:05:01.:05:06.

importantly, it addresses the gap in the current guidelines which don't

:05:06.:05:09.

explain what should happen in the case where there is an abnormality.

:05:09.:05:19.

You can see a full interview on the Nolan Show at 10:35pm after our late

:05:19.:05:25.

news. The Health Minister Edwin Poots joins me from west Belfast.

:05:25.:05:31.

Sarah Ewart said you need to change the law. She says she feels let down

:05:31.:05:35.

by the legislation. What is your response? I think first of all

:05:35.:05:42.

anybody who wouldn't be touched by her story and the circumstances

:05:42.:05:49.

would be a hard individual indeed. I know personally that it is a

:05:49.:05:52.

touching story and something we need to respond to and listen to. I

:05:52.:06:02.

suppose hard cases don't necessarily make good law and it is difficult to

:06:02.:06:08.

devise a law which can meet and deal with every single case. I do think

:06:08.:06:13.

that as we look at this situation and as we look at the circumstances,

:06:13.:06:20.

it is difficult and we do need to give it thoughtful consideration

:06:20.:06:22.

over the course of the next number of weeks. We need to ensure we take

:06:22.:06:29.

account of what people like Sarah saying, who demonstrate -- and

:06:29.:06:36.

demonstrate that we care for their views. We care that they get the

:06:36.:06:41.

right and appropriate treatment and support in what has been a traumatic

:06:41.:06:44.

experience. Have you been in contact support in what has been a traumatic

:06:44.:06:51.

with Sarah? I am willing to be in contact and I will make that offer

:06:51.:06:56.

and that is something that I am very happy to do, to meet her and discuss

:06:56.:07:04.

her concerns. What would you say to Sarah? I think it is more important

:07:04.:07:08.

what she says to me and it is more important what I say to her. My

:07:08.:07:15.

response needs to be a considered response not a knee jerk reaction.

:07:15.:07:19.

We need to ensure we provide appropriate care for people in the

:07:19.:07:23.

circumstances and that is something that we will look at and stress. You

:07:23.:07:28.

have said that if lessons are to be learnt in this case or in other

:07:28.:07:33.

cases, that you want to know about it and you will rectify it. How do

:07:33.:07:41.

you plan to do that? I think it needs a lot of consideration. I am

:07:41.:07:46.

aware of previous cases. I know a young woman personally who has come

:07:46.:07:51.

through a similar case and she continued with her pregnancy and her

:07:51.:07:56.

baby died after two hours. That was very precious to her that she had

:07:56.:08:00.

done that. Others don't feel they can do that and how do we respond? I

:08:00.:08:07.

am not sure how we respond to it but we have to listen to them, take

:08:07.:08:12.

everything into consideration and see what actions can be taken. I am

:08:12.:08:18.

opposed to abortion on demand and abortion were in England there has

:08:19.:08:24.

been 7 million of them taking place since 1967 and it is now appropriate

:08:24.:08:30.

that you can get an abortion on the basis of gender in England. These

:08:30.:08:35.

are different and difficult circumstances and we will be failing

:08:35.:08:40.

were we not to listen to listen to the people who are facing the

:08:40.:08:42.

circumstances and see how we can the people who are facing the

:08:42.:08:49.

support and help them in what is traumatic circumstances. We do look

:08:49.:08:57.

at changing the legislation? -- will you look at changing the

:08:57.:09:02.

legislation? We will take into account all of these matters. There

:09:02.:09:05.

is some fears that sometimes you change legislation and courts can

:09:05.:09:11.

come in and open the door for abortion on demand and that is a

:09:11.:09:18.

concern. We can't ignore the voices that are speaking in respect of the

:09:18.:09:23.

pain, the trauma, the anxiety that everyone goes through. Edwin Poots,

:09:23.:09:31.

thank you for joining us. A service set up to help victims and

:09:31.:09:36.

survivors of the troubles has been defending itself after being accused

:09:36.:09:40.

of re-traumatising the people it is supposed to be helping. The

:09:40.:09:45.

criticism was made by the Victims Commissioner who told a Stormont

:09:45.:09:49.

Committee that the process was not fit for purpose. I am concerned that

:09:49.:09:56.

people are made to feel like beggars. In 2013, this should not be

:09:56.:10:05.

happening to people. The victims and survivors that I spend my time

:10:05.:10:09.

with, particularly those who don't have support from groups or agencies

:10:09.:10:14.

or organisations, are uniquely vulnerable people. They have

:10:14.:10:21.

suffered terribly and we should be doing all we can to remove obstacles

:10:22.:10:27.

to provide appropriate support. It became apparent that the commission

:10:27.:10:32.

staff did not understand the review process and they'll come in on

:10:32.:10:36.

Friday to be walked through it. I wanted to make those points in

:10:36.:10:40.

defence because the criticism has been grossly unfair. The staff in

:10:40.:10:45.

the service have stepped up to the challenge of the last six months. It

:10:45.:10:49.

is bumpy and change is difficult. We are mindful of the victims that we

:10:49.:10:54.

support. An elderly man has died in a flower

:10:54.:11:00.

-- in a fire in a flat in Tempo in County Fermanagh. The main street

:11:00.:11:03.

was closed while firefighters dealt with the blaze.

:11:03.:11:08.

The Court of Appeal has been hearing that the quality of forensic science

:11:08.:11:11.

used by the prosecution in the case of two men found guilty of murdering

:11:11.:11:17.

Constable Stephen Carroll was lamentable. 42-year-old Brenton

:11:17.:11:20.

McCarville and John Paul Wotton are trying to have their convictions

:11:20.:11:27.

overturned. -- Bredan McConville. These are the two men charged with

:11:28.:11:37.

the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll four years ago. It was the

:11:37.:11:43.

prosecution's case that John Paul Wootton was -- car was used to

:11:43.:11:45.

transport the killers to and from Wootton was -- car was used to

:11:45.:11:48.

the murder scene. In the Court of Appeal today a barrister said there

:11:48.:11:54.

was a total absence of evidence to connect the defendant to any

:11:54.:11:59.

specific act related to the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll. He

:11:59.:12:02.

went through what he described as the feelings of the forensic

:12:02.:12:06.

evidence in the case, specifically a code that had been found in the boot

:12:06.:12:12.

of the car with gun residue. Arthur Harvey QC told the court there was

:12:12.:12:15.

no proof in connection between the two shots fired that night and what

:12:15.:12:19.

had been detected on the coat and that it was hits -- his submission

:12:19.:12:24.

that the trial judge was obliged to re-examine the significance of the

:12:24.:12:29.

evidence. He claimed the quality of work from the forensic scientists

:12:29.:12:32.

representing the prosecution in this case was lamentable and stop the

:12:32.:12:40.

hearing continues. A museum in Londonderry says it is

:12:40.:12:45.

-- it's extension plans are in jeopardy because the Enterprise

:12:45.:12:49.

Minister has not signed off a tourist board grant. The Bloody

:12:49.:12:51.

Minister has not signed off a Sunday Trust which runs the Museum

:12:51.:12:55.

of Free Derry hopes to build a £2 million extension with £1.2 million,

:12:55.:13:01.

from the tourist board. The museum lies in the heart of the

:13:01.:13:08.

city's bogside and the story is told from a point of view of locals. What

:13:09.:13:16.

is known as living history, some of those touched by the events depicted

:13:16.:13:20.

in the museum are on hand to guide visitors and recounts their own

:13:20.:13:22.

experiences. It is a personal story visitors and recounts their own

:13:23.:13:28.

they are getting and that is what people appreciate. These stories

:13:28.:13:31.

should be told by the people most involved in them. Earlier they

:13:31.:13:40.

hosted a church of bishops. They are a growing number of visitors. I find

:13:40.:13:46.

the museum very interesting. It was very easy to walk around edit

:13:46.:13:53.

understand -- it helped me to understand the situation. It had a

:13:53.:13:56.

understand -- it helped me to very human element to it and great

:13:56.:14:01.

value for £3. It is a great way for the people who live here to tell

:14:01.:14:06.

their story. This is the new £2 million extension the trust wants to

:14:06.:14:11.

build. The museum had hoped to begin its expansion plan by now but it

:14:11.:14:16.

says its core funding application has been dogged by delays and not of

:14:16.:14:21.

the trust's making. In February the tourist board said:

:14:21.:14:37.

The organisers say £500,000 of lottery funding will be lost. It

:14:37.:14:44.

means the project is dead in the water. They will not release that

:14:44.:14:53.

funding. We can't get the tourist board to sign it off. The tourism

:14:53.:14:59.

minister said there was no reason behind the delay. I hope we will be

:14:59.:15:07.

able to give a final decision in behind the delay. I hope we will be

:15:07.:15:10.

relation to this matter in the near future. The Heritage lottery fund

:15:10.:15:16.

confirmed the £500,000 it promised is due to appear at the end of the

:15:16.:15:22.

positive decision can be made to prevent the money being lost.

:15:22.:15:27.

The local banks are taking a cautious approach to a

:15:27.:15:29.

government-backed scheme aimed at allowing house-hunters to get 95%

:15:30.:15:34.

mortgages. Help to Buy is a UK-wide initiative aimed at boosting the

:15:34.:15:38.

housing market. Our economics and business editor John Campbell is

:15:38.:15:44.

here. Reminders how this scheme actually works. Help to Buy is aimed

:15:44.:15:52.

at first-time buyers, some people struggling to put together a

:15:52.:15:56.

deposit. It will allow you to buy a house costing up to £600,000 with a

:15:56.:16:02.

deposit of just 5%. The government are saying to the banks, you make

:16:02.:16:05.

these loans, if it goes bad, we will are saying to the banks, you make

:16:05.:16:11.

cover the first 15% of your losses. But the banks have got to pay a fee

:16:11.:16:16.

to the government to take part. Which banks are signed up? The

:16:16.:16:23.

Halifax are definitely taking part. HSBC will announce details Leicester

:16:24.:16:31.

-- later. Ulster bank have said they will announce details of their

:16:31.:16:33.

participation in due course. When it will announce details of their

:16:33.:16:37.

comes to the other three, they have not said very much at all. Given

:16:37.:16:46.

that the housing market here is so depressed at the minute, why are the

:16:46.:16:51.

local banks so cautious? You would expect them to be chomping at the

:16:51.:16:55.

bit but I spoke to a senior figure today who said there are a number of

:16:55.:16:59.

reasons for this caution. There are already some government backed

:16:59.:17:04.

schemes in the market so the banks want to work out how Help to Buy

:17:04.:17:15.

will work out. And just because these products are available does

:17:15.:17:19.

not mean people will get them. The banks will look very closely at

:17:19.:17:21.

whether people can afford to repay banks will look very closely at

:17:21.:17:24.

these mortgages. On the eve of a major investment

:17:24.:17:27.

conference, the Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced new jobs

:17:27.:17:31.

in the manufacturing sector. Omagh Engineering firm Telestack is

:17:31.:17:34.

creating 40 posts in a £3.1 million expansion. The company designs and

:17:34.:17:38.

builds machinery such as conveyors and loading systems which

:17:38.:17:45.

company says it plans to extend the factory to meet increasing global

:17:45.:17:56.

demand for its products. The police ombudsman has announced

:17:56.:18:04.

an investigation. The brother of the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was

:18:04.:18:09.

found guilty of raping his daughter. A complaint made by three senior DUP

:18:10.:18:16.

figures has now been passed on to an investigations team. It is

:18:16.:18:20.

understood the investigation is linked to Gerry Adams's evidence.

:18:20.:18:24.

Gerry Adams says he committed no offence.

:18:24.:18:26.

The Ulster Unionist peer, Lord Maginnis, has said he will not

:18:26.:18:29.

appeal his conviction for assaulting a man during a road rage incident

:18:29.:18:31.

appeal his conviction for assaulting last year. In August, Lord Maginnis

:18:31.:18:34.

was found guilty of assaulting Keith Kirk and had said he intended to

:18:34.:18:36.

was found guilty of assaulting Keith challenge the court's decision. The

:18:36.:18:40.

75-year-old also revealed that an anonymous benefactor had agreed to

:18:40.:18:43.

pay the £200 fine imposed by the court.

:18:43.:18:53.

Still to come. As Northern Ireland tackles

:18:53.:18:56.

Azerbaijan in Baku, here in Belfast, the IFA tackles the issue of mental

:18:56.:18:58.

health. Among the American presidents whose

:18:58.:19:15.

roots are traced back to these shores is Chester Alan Arthur, the

:19:15.:19:19.

21st president. His father was brought up in Cullbackey before the

:19:19.:19:22.

family emigrated in the early 19th century. Their cottage was destroyed

:19:22.:19:27.

by fire a few years ago but, as our North East reporter David Maxwell

:19:27.:19:29.

has been finding out, restoration work on the property is almost

:19:29.:19:31.

complete. work on the property is almost

:19:31.:19:38.

The accidental fire which broke out here in May 2011 destroyed

:19:39.:19:44.

everything. Wooden beams, antique furniture, this centuries-old

:19:44.:19:48.

fireplace. But since March, work has been going on to restore this

:19:48.:19:54.

presidential homestead. A new thatch roof has gone on, cables have been

:19:54.:20:01.

stitched, the walls have been lime wash and new windows and doors have

:20:01.:20:05.

been inserted. The architects have tried to be true to the original but

:20:05.:20:11.

the cottage will have a few home comforts such as electricity and

:20:11.:20:14.

underfloor heating. The project has largely been paid for by ensuring

:20:14.:20:19.

and both materials and crafts are local. The lady had the fire and it

:20:19.:20:27.

was smoking away, she had the griddle on and we had pancakes on

:20:27.:20:31.

the fire. That is an experience which would have been familiar to

:20:31.:20:39.

the President's father, William. He left ear when he was around 20 but

:20:39.:20:47.

the family ties remained. In 1882, family members came and visited yet

:20:47.:20:50.

so that connection was important to them. Tourists and schools will soon

:20:50.:20:57.

return here and councillors say it will inspire young people. Who knows

:20:57.:21:02.

return here and councillors say it what you can achieve? It is hoped

:21:02.:21:09.

the restoration work at the cottage will be complete within the next

:21:09.:21:12.

month and it should be open to the public next March.

:21:12.:21:17.

Motorcycling has welcomed the news that Stormont is to proceed with a

:21:17.:21:20.

bill that will create greater flexibility around weather-hit

:21:20.:21:25.

events. With that and the rest of the sport, we can join Mark

:21:25.:21:32.

Sidebottom, who's in West Belfast. I'm at the Farset Centre, where the

:21:32.:21:36.

Irish FA is backing a mental health awareness campaign. We'll have more

:21:36.:21:42.

on that shortly but, first, to that confirmation that the government is

:21:42.:21:43.

to push through a bill facilitating confirmation that the government is

:21:43.:21:46.

greater flexibility around road racing events which have been wiped

:21:46.:22:03.

out by the weather. It has taken many meetings and many

:22:03.:22:08.

miles. In recent years, the weather has routinely wiped out events. Only

:22:08.:22:14.

a few days ago, many feared for the very future of road racing here. How

:22:14.:22:22.

is it this year? A lot of effort, time and money goes into this. For

:22:22.:22:27.

the future, it has got to be changed. It is essential that the

:22:27.:22:33.

government give us the backing and the financial support. We lost in

:22:33.:22:38.

the region of £100,000 on the event itself this year. It is crucial that

:22:38.:22:47.

we get the support. That support came today with the minister

:22:47.:22:50.

confirming he is to overhaul existing legislation which will

:22:50.:22:53.

allow event organisers to reschedule race days. It is anticipated the new

:22:53.:23:01.

legislation will be ready for road testing in 2014.

:23:01.:23:07.

In last night's local League Cup football, it took a little luck and

:23:07.:23:11.

penalties for Linfield to see of Glentoran and Crusaders needed extra

:23:11.:23:15.

time to see of Colerain. Thomas Niblock reports.

:23:15.:23:20.

It is really dull when Linfield and Glentoran meet all stop Richard

:23:20.:23:26.

Clarke came close during the first half. It was close, but not close

:23:26.:23:37.

enough. So it went to penalties. Jordan Hughes hit this effort. That

:23:37.:23:43.

gave the Linfield captain the opportunity to win the match. One

:23:43.:23:50.

that he took. It was a great feeling. I have never hit a penalty

:23:50.:23:56.

before. Luckily enough, it was the deciding penalty. I am decided to --

:23:56.:24:13.

delighted. The only team news we have for you before the game against

:24:13.:24:19.

Azerbaijan. Niall McGinn is Northern Ireland's

:24:19.:24:22.

only injury concern ahead of their penultimate World Cup qualifier

:24:22.:24:25.

against Azerbaijan. The team trained today in the capital Baku with

:24:25.:24:28.

McGinn forced to sit out the session as a precaution. The manager gave

:24:28.:24:43.

this update. We apologise about that. It does not

:24:43.:24:47.

seem to be there. The update is that he is likely to play on Friday. This

:24:47.:24:52.

is all about promoting mental health. It is something which is

:24:52.:25:01.

close to your heart. Tell us what this initiative is all about. It is

:25:01.:25:11.

tackling mental health and creating a positive message through football.

:25:11.:25:18.

Along with others, I am involved in this. You did lose a brother through

:25:18.:25:24.

suicide. Is this about giving something back? Of course it is. My

:25:24.:25:37.

brother tragically died through suicide so it has been close to both

:25:37.:25:41.

myself and my family and it is something I want to speak about.

:25:41.:25:56.

Thank you very much for joining us. The temperatures felt like they

:25:56.:26:00.

absolutely plummeted today. Let's get the weather forecast.

:26:00.:26:07.

It was quite bracing out there today, particularly around the

:26:07.:26:18.

coast. We did have a cold front moving through earlier today, being

:26:18.:26:23.

driven along by those brisk winds and plunging that cold air across

:26:23.:26:29.

many parts. Behind that, plenty of showers, particularly across

:26:29.:26:31.

Scotland, but also for Northern Ireland as well. We had some pretty

:26:31.:26:37.

sharp ones. Tonight, we are still going to have that brisk wind. I

:26:37.:26:43.

think we will continue to see a few showers coming in as well. Inland,

:26:43.:26:51.

the further south you are, it is dry with clearer skies and quite close

:26:51.:26:59.

-- cold. Tomorrow, the breeze does ease down but it will still feel

:26:59.:27:05.

chilly. Some sunshine around. Maybe a few light showers in the North

:27:05.:27:08.

first thing in the morning but they will die down. With lighter winds,

:27:08.:27:17.

perhaps not feeling quite as raw as it did in places today but, with

:27:17.:27:21.

that breeze from the North, the temperatures are still struggling.

:27:21.:27:26.

As we head into tomorrow night, the clear skies and lighter winds, we

:27:26.:27:30.

could get a touch of Frost in places. We stay quite chilly into

:27:30.:27:35.

the weekend. can also keep in contact with us via

:27:35.:27:45.

Facebook and Twitter. From

:27:45.:27:46.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS