28/01/2014 BBC Newsline


28/01/2014

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Good evening. A gas fitter has admitted causing the deaths of two

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teenagers by incorrectly fitting a gas boiler. Neil McFerran and Aaron

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Davidson were poisoned by carbon monoxide at an apartment in

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Castlerock in 2010. Today, George Brown from Aghadowey pleaded guilty

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to their manslaughter and other breaches of health and safety laws.

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There is flash photography in this report from our reporter David

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Maxwell. Three and a half years on, the

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families of two teenagers killed in a holiday tragedy today heard a gas

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fitter accepted it was his fault. This is the man, 52-year-old George

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Brown from Aghadowey, seen here at an all -- earlier court hearing. The

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tragedy happened in this seaside apartment in August 2010. Neil

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McFerran, Aaron Davidson and another teenager came here for a weekend

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break. They were waiting for exam results. But the holiday at the

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Castlerock apartment was to end in tragedy. Unable to make contact with

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the 18-year-olds, all of the parents came to the village. Inside, a scene

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of horror. Neil McFerran and Aaron Davidson were dead. Their friend was

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seriously ill. The teenagers had been poisoned by carbon monoxide

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gas. In the days that followed, George Brown's name was made public.

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The health and safety executive warned anyone with appliances fitted

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by him to turn them off. His shop was searched. But it was not until

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January that he was charged with two counts of manslaughter and other

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health and safety breaches in properties across the North Coast.

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He was set to contest those charges at a trial due to begin here next

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week but today he changed his plea to guilty on all charges. This case

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sparked the biggest health and safety investigation of its kind in

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Northern Ireland. This is the first case of its kind in Northern Ireland

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were by gross negligence manslaughter has been proven for

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carbon monoxide. It is a tragic event in the relation of Neil

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McFerran and Aaron Davidson and it has not been without its trials and

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liberation is getting to this stage. The families had one another but

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were too emotional to speak. Brown was granted bail and he will be

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sentenced on March 14. People who were abused in children's

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homes have for the first time in public been recalling the traumatic

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details of how they were treated. One former resident said the

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behaviour of nuns at a Sisters of Nazareth home in Londonderry was

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"bordering on the psychotic" and likened the home to a concentration

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camp. You may find some of the details in this report by Newsline's

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Tara Mills distressing. Life at the children's home, but the evidence

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today tells a different story. Three former residents were the first to

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give their account of what happened. One described the home as

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a hellhole, saying the Sisters of Nazareth regularly kicked and

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stamped on them. The witness said the behaviour of the lens was

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bordering on the psychotic. Even their very presence was ominous. He

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described the damage done as permanent and said some of the

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former residents are still the boys who left, even though they are now

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in their 60s. He said they are sad, lonely and broken. The second

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witness said he was sexually abused when he was eight by an older

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resident at the home. He said he screamed and eight nun came in and

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when he tried to restrain what happened, she slapped him and said

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he was evil. The man who is now 74 said the older boys acted as a gang,

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beating him until he blacked out. There were times I thought I was

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going to die, he said. He said he was aware, even as a young child,

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that some of the younger nuns were not happy about what was going on

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but begins with bamboo sticks and canes were a regular occurrence. Two

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former residents spoke of being stripped naked and forced back with

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the others. The enquiry is protecting the identity of witnesses

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but when waved that protection today to allow his voice to be heard. Such

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places should not have existed, even back then. And there is no waste use

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of, those were the times. People knew about children and could care

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for them properly even back in the 1950s. There is no excuse that that

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was the way things work then. The enquiry will hear from more former

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residents tomorrow. Two police officers were slightly

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injured tonight when a stolen car reversed into their vehicle at speed

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in west Belfast. The police then used a stinger device on the car. It

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was abandoned in Suffolk Court. The driver and a passenger, who are both

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aged 23, were arrested. It's believed another passenger escaped

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the scene. The Police say they have spoken to a

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12-year-old boy in relation to car crimes on New Year's Eve. They are

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continuing to investigate a series of incidents where cars were driven

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erratically and at speed in the west Belfast area. The boy is to take

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part in youth conferencing where young offenders get the chance to

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understand the impact of their actions and make amends.

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A report has found that the probable cause of a plane crash in Cork that

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killed six people was a loss of control during an aborted landing.

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The pilot and co-pilot were among those who died when the Manx2 plane

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crashed on approach to Cork Airport on a flight from Belfast. The

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investigation made 11 safety recommendations. It said there was

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poor visibility, the crew was very tied and that there had been a lack

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of oversight by the Spainish aviation authorities.

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We do these investigations to determine a cause and make

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recommendations for appropriate action in order to prevent future

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accidents from happening. The aircraft was being operated by a

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certain airline which would have a certificate. In this case it was a

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bit more complicated than that. The funeral has taken place in

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Limavady of Simon Chase, who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan ten

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days ago. Several hundred people attended the service at Christ

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Church. Mr Chase, who was originally from Chester, had been living in

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Limavady with his partner and two sons. He was working for the EU

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police mission in Kabul when he and 20 others died.

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Residents campaigning against a proposed housing development in west

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Belfast say they hope to send hundreds of letters to objection to

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planners. People living near the former Visteon car plant off the

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Blacks Road were tonight given letters to send to the planning

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service. They object to a proposal for more than 200 units of social

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housing on the site. They say they want it retained for commercial use

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to bring jobs to the area. The core of our objection is the

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loss of the sustainable work site in the Visteon site and that is what we

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are really pushing for. We are hoping that by putting this forward,

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we can keep that cite this we can get some sustainable work for young

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people. Brian O'Driscoll insists he bears no

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ill-will towards Wales coach Warren Gatland. The Six Nations gets

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underway this coming weekend with Ireland's first game at home to

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Scotland on Sunday. But today, O'Driscoll fielded questions about

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facing Wales in Ireland's second match and facing the coach who

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controversially dropped him from the third and final Lions Test last

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summer. What happened, happened. No one can

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change it. I don't have any ill will towards Warren. It was raw

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afterwards, the emotions are a bit different. Kind to heal all wounds

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and I don't have any animosity towards him. I will look towards

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trying to be involved in a team that potentially can be his team. But

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that is next week. Ice hockey, and the Belfast Giants

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have won the first leg of their semifinal in the Challenge Cup. They

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defeated the Cardiff Devils 7-1. Now with the weather forecast,

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here's Cecilia Daly. It was very much a case of West is

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best to date but it looks as though the rain is going to be back more or

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less everywhere by the end of the night. Most of the wet weather is in

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Eastern counties but as the night goes on, it will extend further west

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as well. By morning, most places will have some rain. Another showery

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day to come. Particularly through the morning. That is when it will be

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wettest across most places. That means a lot of surface water when

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you are on your way to work or school. Looking at the bigger

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picture, it is fairly unsubtle generally across Britain and

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Ireland. Some sleet and snow falling over the higher ground of Scotland

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and northern England. Later in the day it will become drier across

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north-west Scotland. And improving picture if you live in the North and

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West tomorrow because it will become drier, although it will feel chilly

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in the easterly breeze. Still some wet weather bothering the south-east

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at times. On Thursday, it will be dry in many places, at least for a

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while. There will be some brightness and sunshine but it will feel cold.

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Temperatures really struggling. Rain is just waiting to come in and that

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is what returns on Friday. It stays unsettled through the weekend and we

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have an early warning out for some of leading issues by the end of the

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week. That's it for now. You can keep up

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to date with News Online and follow this programme on Facebook and

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Twitter. From BBC Newsline, good night.

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