06/02/2014 BBC Newsline

Good evening. The ambulance service has declared a major incident at the

Odyssey Arena in Belfast after up to 60 teenagers took ill at a gig

there. It's understood they're suffering from the effects of drugs

and alcohol. Five have been taken to hospital. Helen Jones joins me now

from the Odyssey. Helen what more can you tell us.

This major incident, as it has been declared, has been ongoing since

8pm. Thousands of young people had been attending a DJ set at the

Odyssey Arena behind me. What happened here? Just after 8pm, the

ambulance service declared a major incident because of the number of

resources that we had to deploy to the scene. It was no reflection in

the condition of the patients we were dealing with. After 8pm, there

was an escalating number of young people coming to the ambulance

service displaying vomiting and some of them were unconscious. We

declared a major incident and brought in some other resources from

outlying areas. We have had a number of paramedics and a nebulous doctor.

A number of people have been treated by the medics that were hired by the

Odyssey Arena. In total, about 40 patients were treated. The vast

majority of them are suffering from the effects of alcohol. A serious

error they? -- how serious are they? Seven were taken to hospital, but

they are not in a serious condition. We would urge parents watching not

to panic because a lot of misinformation is going around about

how bad people are, the situation is very much under control. We hope

that in the next hour or so, we will be away from the scene. So, it is a

major incident, not because of the seriousness, but because it is

happening. It is called a serious incident because we have to send out

a high number of resources to a particular scene. Nobody seriously

injured but some people being treated in hospital, these are young

people, 18, 1920 -year-olds. A baby is in a critical condition in

hospital after being injured in west Belfast yesterday. A house in

Glasvey Park in Twinbrook has been cordoned off and forensic officers

are examining the scene. Two brothers have been convicted of

a catalogue of sex offences against children. The victims were the

daughter and son of one of the men. Another man described as a family

friend was acquitted of all charges. The court heard harrowing details of

the abuse during the trial in Coleraine, as our reporter David

Maxwell now reports. This trial heard stories of

unimaginable abuse against two children. At one point, the female

victim said she was raped by men during a drunken parties as they

watched pornography. Her brother also said he was regularly sexually

assaulted and threatened that if he told anyone, the same would be done

to his younger brother. The jury heard how the children were punched

and had cigarettes stubbed out on their bodies by those that were

meant to love them. This went on for years during the 1990s, stopping

only when contact from their dad was completely severed. The daughter

made complaints to the police and social services, but the full horror

was not revealed until both children went to the authorities in May of

2012. 15 years later, there was little physical evidence that could

be called upon during the trial, no forensically DNA testing could be

carried out. A medical examination on the door to his was raped a

thousand times proved inconclusive. The jury heard from those that made

the claims of abuse and the accused. Today, the jury decided that the

victims were telling the truth about the cruelty they suffered growing up

with a father and uncle were subjected them to years of abuse for

their own sexual gratification. They found a father grilled sea of 31

offences in total and the uncle guilty of seven charges. The day

before the trial began, both men needed guilty to a series of

offences against their own sister in the 1970s and 1980s. But three of

the victims were in court, two of them wept as he birdied was

delivered. Afterwards, the jury were told that they could be excused from

any jury service because of the graphic nature of this trial. These

men will be sentenced next month. A former prostitute has made an

emotional appeal to the Assembly's Justice Committee to support a

proposed law which would make it illegal to pay for sex. Mia De Fweet

said prostitution and human trafficking involving women and

children, is not compatible with humanity. Committee members, I have

two beautiful granddaughters and I want them to grow up... And want

them to grow up in a country, on an island, and in a Europe where the

bodies to which they had been born into a respected and at no time will

they be offered as a like their beloved grandmother. This is my wish

for every little girl. Prison service staff who joined

after 2002 are to get a special payment because of the threat from

dissident republicans. It comes in the week that a man appeared in

court charged with killing David Black, the first prison officer to

be murdered by paramilitaries in nearly 20 years. The Justice

Minister David Ford wrote to the Justice Committee to say that the

required ?1.6 million had been found from the current budget.

A plan by the Justice Minister to introduce new rules for the

appointment of a new Chief Constable has been rejected by the Policing

Board. David Ford sparked a political row when he said he wanted

to change the rules shortly after Matt Baggott announced his intention

to retire. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney

reports. There were smiles and best wishes

for Matt Baggott at the first meeting of the Policing Board since

he announced his retirement. Then, reminder that he has not become

yesterday 's man yet. You have not left yet, there are still a lot of

to be done, as there are certainly a lot of discussions to be had in the

weeks and months. The process to replace him will start next month.

The Justice Minister, David Ford, has said he plans to change the

rules and removes the stipulation for applicants to have been a Chief

Constable outside Northern Ireland for two years. The board has told

the minister they will use the existing rules for this recruitment

process, which means the Assistant Chief Constable, George Hamilton,

who was not at the board meeting today, is the only senior PSNI

officer who can apply. It is understood the board would like the

process to be depleted by the end of June. The debited chieftains of

Judith Gillespie is also on her way out. She retires next month.

Judith Gillespie is also on her way deputy Chief Constable Judith Glass

B. There are also two candidates sitting on it, and also another

possible runner, Drew Harris. The final decision will be made on the

proposed changes to the rules for appointing an Chief Constable, the

fact that they have into the Justice Minister saying that they intend to

stick to the current rules need any change is highly unlikely.

The View is coming up after this bulletin, when Gareth Gordon will be

looking at whether or not the GAA could have handled negotiations

better with residents opposed to the re-development of Casement Park in

west Belfast. That's here on BBC One directly after this bulletin.

And finally here's Cecilia Daly with the weather forecast.

Some clear skies tonight, temperatures will fall away close to

freezing. Some pockets of fog and frost and as showers moving later

tonight, low temperatures, meaning it could be icy in places for a

while tomorrow morning. It will be another bright day and we will see

some sun shines again. Some early showers, they will not last during

the day and will move away fairly quickly through the early part of

the morning. A quiet day for many parts of Britain and Ireland, much

drier across the South of England as the rain continues to move away.

Some showers across the South and West and they are coming tomorrow

evening. For most places, a lot of the day will be dry with sunshine.

Later in the afternoon, the sun will disappear across the South and West

and it will feel chilly with some late showers. Tomorrow night, things

going downhill with the wet weather from the south-west and the breeze

strengthening. Some high costs. The Rangers away by Saturday morning,

but six hours of rain on Friday night courtesy of this area of low

pressure which affects most of Britain this weekend. It means there

will be an unsettled weekend with further spells of rain and showers

on Saturday and Sunday. A strong wind at times and possibly Sunday

the better of the two days. That's it for now. Good night.

keep this and settled theme going right