05/04/2016 BBC Newsline

An anti-abortion group has described as "very lenient" the three month

suspended sentence given to a young woman who bought

drugs on the internet to induce a miscarriage.

Precious Life wants the case to be brought before the Appeal Court.

The BBC understands, for that to happen, a decision has

to be made by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Our health correspondent Marie Louise Connolly has more.

Yesterday's Crown Court judgment is significant as it was the first

time in Northern Ireland that a person was convicted

for purchasing drugs online to terminate a pregnancy.

The judge had the power to imprison the woman

But the case did reach court, where the story emerged

of a 19-year-old woman who'd bought drugs over the internet

as she couldn't afford to travel to England for an abortion.

The court heard how she induced her own miscarriage in July 2014

when she was between 10 and 12 weeks pregnant.

For some, the suspended sentence was too light.

I believe if a crime is committed, the judge must

I don't believe he has, and in cases where an illegal

abortion has taken place, even in other parts of the UK,

women have been prosecuted and if that means a prison

The case raises many issues, including how the law differs

opportunities and travel to some countries would be prohibited

with having a conviction on her record.

While this woman is the first to be convicted, she's certainly not

the first to import abortion pills into Northern Ireland.

In fact, over 200 women here say they want to be arrested

after signing a letter to the Government in

which they admit to having used or purchased illegal abortion pills.

after isolated woman like that

get access to these pills, so it is like they are

According to Amnesty International, the woman is now a convicted

It seems right based on yesterday's judgment that it is a criminal

offence to be a woman in Northern Ireland.

would not be prosecuted, a woman with the money to travel to

The drugs imported by the woman are similar to those used by hospitals

According to Precious Life, others are also guilty of a crime.

I am greatly concerned she sought advice from the wrong people,

she contacted an abortion centre in the UK who advised her how

I'm concerned that women in Northern Ireland are not being

informed and given the information to help them

The Public Prosecution Service has insisted it was in the public

interest to bring a case against a woman found guilty

of buying drugs online to abort her unborn child.

An elderly man has told the Historical Institutional Abuse

Inquiry that he has suffered form an eating disorder all of his life

because of his treatment at Lissue Hospital near Lisburn.

He claims he was hit on the head with a spoon while living there

when he was just two years old.

The toddler celebrated his second birthday in Lissue.

Until today, decades later and in a different century,

he hadn't revealed publically what happened to him.

The testimony heard today was not different from other evidence heard

at this inquiry in the past two years.

It was about the abuse of a toddler

and today the man, now in his 60s, came to the inquiry

to say how he felt cold and always afraid

He described how a nurse used a soup spoon to hit him on the forehead

and chin in an effort to to get him to eat food.

The pensioner told the Inquiry that he's suffered from an eating

disorder all his life as a result of the alleged abuse.

Another witness recalled another era at Lissue - the 1970s.

The woman, now in her 40s, said she was a five-year-old

She described staff at the hosptial as "very physical and rough".

The woman told the inquiry there were some difficult children in care

at Lissue but she said there was no need for a staff to be treating

children around by their hair with their arms

A man is still being questioned in connection with the murder

31-year-old Laura Marshall was found dead in a flat on Victoria Street

A new file containing evidence against the child killer

Robert Black about the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Devon has

Black, who died in Maghaberry prison in January, killed four young girls,

including Jennifer Cardy, who was abducted near her home

Devon and Cornwall Police say they want prosecutors to confirm

he should also have been charged with killing Genette Tate

Some teaching staff at the De La Salle College in west

Belfast have voted for industrial action up to and including

Most of the 70 teachers belong to the Irish National Teachers'

Organisation and just over half of its members at De La Salle

There have been ongoing problems at the post-primary school

A group of loyalists have protested to the police about an incident

on Easter Tuesday in which CS spray was used.

Around 50 of them went to a Belfast police station to speak

to a senior PSNI officer about their concerns.

The group included supporters of the South Belfast

Young Conquerers band, which was involved in the parade.

They say their demand for an officer who was involved to be

The police said a constructive discussion was held.

primary school in Londonderry is being treated

The blaze broke out last night at Holy Child Primary

It's believed that building materials -

which were being used to re-roof the block - were set alight.

A schoolgirl from Dungannon suffered severe hypothermia and lost

consciousness during a Duke of Edinburgh expedition

Several members of her group suffered mild hypothermia

after conditions deteriorated near Slieve Beg.

Coletta Smith spoke to some of those involved in the rescue.

It was about this time yesterday evening that a group of young people

from Dungannon got into trouble went up

the Mourne Mountains on a practice run

for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh award.

One of the girls from the Royal School Dungannon

They made the call to emergency services.

On the other end of that call were these

It was just after 7pm that you got that call.

It was about 7:30pm yesterday and we started to

make our way down to base to respond and get onto the hill.

But last night the young people did all the right things.

It was very impressive, the kids who were up

there had put up a tent when they realised their classmate was not

They got wrapped up and stayed with her and

organised themselves so we could find them easily,

so they deserve credit for doing a good job.

This girl was cold, she was going in and

out of consciousness, so her

skin was cold, it was hard to feel warmth around the girl, so that

would be the sort of thing we are seeing, so we have to get

new clothes and bring her body temperature gradually back up again.

Thankfully a happy ending to yesterday's story

and a relief not only for the young people but to the parents waiting

that these gentlemen were ready and waiting to go up the mountain.

Four Irish golfers are in the United States this week

preparing to take part in the Masters - Darren Clarke,

Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry and the world number three Rory

Stephen Watson followed the Holywood man during

There is the only one the four major tournaments missing from his CV. The

Masters as the tournament Rory McIlroy would love to win. Victory

and his name will forever be etched on to the golfing record books. He

thinks is better prepared than ever. I am one year on from the hype that

surrounded me last year so I will hopefully be able to deal with that

letter. Having that experience, it will hopefully help me. Every year

that I do not win the green will hopefully help me. Every year

that will build and build so hopefully I will get that monkey off

my back. If you could slip on that famous

green jacket could you retire happy? Yes. If I were to only be the sixth

player ever to win the career Grand Slam, I would retire happily knowing

I was in illustrious company. He had a hole-in-one during

practice. If practice rounds are an indicator

of form, Rory McIlroy is shaping up well. He has played well and has

some luck on his side and that may be the perfect recipe for Mastro 's

success. -- Masters. In local football's Europa League,

Cliftonville came from behind Daniel Hughes scored in the 89th

minute to clinch the win. The result puts Cliftonville two

points behind Glenavon who drew 1-1 We did have a few showers

today but nothing like After tonight's rain,

we can expect the winds to pick up and there will be

a scattering of showers. As temperatures fall close

to freezing, we are likely to see a mixture of sleet and snow over

the hills and mountains. It will be a chilly

start to tomorrow. Very unsettled and

certainly feeling cold. We can expect scattering of showers

throughout the day. It will be piling in

on a north-westerly wind. Some of the showers could come

with hail and thunder. Scattered showers right

across Ireland and for many areas They will make their way eastwards

through the day, turning dry and bright across much

of England and Wales. Scotland and Ireland can expect

scattered showers to continue to come and go

and temperatures will We're probably looking and highs

of 7/8 degrees at best. But when you factor

in the strong winds There will be the odd

sunny gap in between but unfortunately they will be

short-lived. Wet will stay unsettled

as we go into Thursday. Not as bad as Wednesday but watch

out for some scattered showers. This shouldn't be as

heavy but still windy. Temperatures back up

in double figures. A look ahead to the rest

of the week. Low-pressure remaining in control

so it will stay unsettled. Stay tuned to the forecast.

Goodnight.