14/03/2014 BBC Newsline

Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline.

A senior doctor and a patient are suing the Royal Victoria Hospital in

Belfast for negligence. It follows ongoing problems at the hospital's

accident and emergency department. Our health correspondent Marie

Louise Connolly reports. A senior medical consultant who works here

and a patient have both now instructed solicitors Madden and

Finucane to conduct formal proceedings against the health

trust. According to the statement, the action relates to negligence at

the hospital and a systematic failure which led to avoidable harm

and suffering of basic human rights. They say they have evidence of

appalling standards of care and negligence and an environment which

is both toxic for patients and for the members of staff who work there.

According to the solicitors, the evidence they have no means there

are calling for a full public inquiry. The Belfast Trust are still

waiting for correspondence from Madden and Finucane but say they are

fully corporate and in an investigation that is due to be

completed by the RQAI by the end of May.

Our health correspondent Marie Louise Connolly reporting.

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to Lord Ballyedmond, Eddie Haughey,

who was killed in a helicopter crash last night. David Cameron said he

was a towering figure in Northern Irish business life and passionate

about peace and good relations. The police say they are not treating the

crash as suspicious. The bodies have been recovered from

the wreckage. The Air Accident Investigation board is now in charge

of discovering why the helicopter crashed in thick fog. It has just

taken off from his country residence in Norfolk when it crashed into a

nearby field. We received a call from a member of

the public who reported hearing a loud crash.

It started off with a briefcase and a price list of imported products.

Lord Ballyedmond or Eddie Haughey was a lifelong peer. He made his

fortune in the pharmaceuticals industry. Among those he employed,

this site Foreman who had been alongside him in the helicopter. The

other people who died were Declan Small, and pilots Carl Dickerson and

Lee Hoyle. He was very generous with his time

and his energy and spent his time promoting Northern Ireland is a

place to do business in right across the world. He was very keen to bring

the rest of the world to Northern Ireland and that was his great

strength. The flanks flew at half-mast at his

factory today. There was a commitment to advance what was

described as his pioneering vision with a renewed determination. This

is the helicopter in which the four men died, taking off a few weeks

ago. It is said he was in dispute with the manufacturers, claiming

defects. The manufacturers say they won't comment on that but they will

cooperate fully with the inquiry. It is sure to focus on the worthiness

of the craft at the time of the crash.

The Police Federation which represents police officers has

warned them and the public to be vigilant after the discovery of a

bomb in Belfast. The under-car booby trap device was found lying on the

Blacks Road in the west of the city at around eight o'clock this

morning. It's believed it had fallen from a vehicle. The police haven't

confirmed if one of their officers was the target. A number of houses

had to be evacuated during the security operation.

This is yards from the bus stop where kids were standing waiting to

go to school. Where people were travelling to and from.

Two brothers found guilty of a series of sex offences against

family members have been jailed for a total of over 50 years. The men

were told by a judge that their actions showed a level of cruelty

and depravity which would not be tolerated by society. The men can't

be named to protect their victims who were all children when they were

abused. A man is recovering in hospital

after being rescued from a lighthouse on the County Down coast.

He got stuck 50 feet above the ground while he was painting Saint

John's Point Lighthouse in Killough. Claire Savage reports.

The emergency services got the call to see a man had been injured and

was hanging off the side of the lighthouse. It was suspended for

more than one and a half hours before the specialist crews got the

man down. It is understood he was painting the lighthouse when the

wind got him into a spin. That was when he was injured and fire crews

had to rescue him. Time is critical as we were aware of

the medical condition he might have which would mean that we needed to

be quick. It was a team effort to get him down as quickly as

possible. Our main concern was suspension

trauma associated with this kind of thing. He was lucky he had a safety

harness in place. The man is now being treated in

hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.

There's been an attack on the Quinn Packaging plant in Ballyconnell in

County Cavan. A vehicle was driven into the front of the building and

set on fire. It's the latest in an ongoing campaign against companies

once owned by the bankrupt billionaire Sean Quinn. Here's our

south-west reporter Julian Fowler. The attack follows a newspaper

report this week that the packaging plant could be sold. The Jeep was

driven down this embankment before crashing into the building. It was

then set on fire. One man who has worked for the company for more than

20 years says the attacks are threatening livelihoods and lives.

He didn't want to appear on camera. I don't understand their warped

mentality and what agenda they are persevering. Removing them won't do

anyone any good. He also wants to know why after a

three-year campaign of attacks those responsible have not been caught.

Rugby and Ulster's winning streak in the Pro 12 continued tonight at

Ravenhill. Paddy Jackson scored two tries as Ulster defeated the

Scarlets 26-13. Tommy Bowe also touched down while a Tom Court try,

right at the end, secured a bonus point for Ulster. Stephen Ferris

came off the bench in the second half to make his first appearance

after 16 months out with an ankle injury.

Now onto the weekend weather forecast, and here's Geoff Maskell

That's it for now. It has been a cloudy if rather

breezy day today and that means that tonight it will stay really quite

mild for the middle of March. All that cloud cover stays with us as we

go into tomorrow morning but the day just gets better and better. This is

the picture you'll be waking up to. Plenty of clouds to begin with but

then it breaks up and the sun makes an appearance and that helps the

temperatures rise. The West Coast of Scotland gets strong wind and rain

but elsewhere some really decent temperatures and bright skies. It is

a big day of rugby union tomorrow. It will be warm in Rome but let's

face it, there's only one game that matters and if you are lucky enough

to be in Paris at will be a fantastic occasion. Full coverage on

the BBC. Really very pleasant indeed with plenty of bright spells. By

contrast, Sunday is going to be a bit duller than that. The rain won't

ruin your weekend and the temperatures will stay mild. Another

bit of rain on Monday but Saturday is the best of the next few days.

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