27/04/2016 BBC Newsline

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

A drunk driver's sentenced to seven years

A la lives have been ruined, shattered and damaged beyond repair

-- our lives. And we have been left with a life sentence.

The plug is pulled on a ?300 million inner city regeneration project.

We hear from the family of an Irish teenager jailed in Egypt.

He was electrocuted, beaten, he was tortured. He never attended a trial,

he has access to a lawyer. The election's next week -

we look at the issues facing There has to be a good health

service and a strong the taxation system.

The Belfast boxer who'll be flying the flag at Rio.

And a chilly night will be followed by an unsettled day.

I'll have the weather details shortly.

Hello and welcome to the programme this Wednesday evening.

The father of a County Tyrone student knocked down and killed

by a drunk driver in south Belfast says he's disappointed and disgusted

with the seven-year sentence handed down by a court.

18-year-old Enda Dolan died after the collision

31-year-old David Lee Stewart, of Gray's Park Avenue in Belvoir,

will serve three and half years of the sentence in jail.

The student's father says something must be done to deter people

from driving under the influence of drink and drugs.

Today, a grieving family came to hear the

punishment for the drunk driver that killed their loved one. What they

heard didn't help them. So many other parents have stood in our

shoes, disappointed and disgusted on the sentence and many more will

unfortunately do so in the future unless something is done to deter

individuals from driving under the influence of drink and drugs. Ender

Dolan was full of promise, a talented musician and athlete. He

was in his first term at Queen you that -- Queens University, studying

architecture. In the early hours, Enda was walking along this section

of the Malone Road towards his student accommodation when the van

mounted the curb and hit him, carrying him for 800 metres and

leaving him with fatal injuries. This crash barrier wasn't here at

the time, it had been removed three weeks earlier and hadn't been

replaced. The man driving was David Lee Stewart. In the passenger seat,

a 21-year-old. Both of them had been drinking in the city centre. David

Lee Stewart had also taken drugs. After the collision, the men drove

from the scene, crashing a short distance away. Today, the judge

described Ender Dolan's death as senseless and needless. He said the

amount David Lee Stewart had to drink before getting into his van

would not have been out of place on a stag night. Previously, the court

had heard he had 13 alcoholic drinks. But the judge also said the

men demonstrated remorse and he had to take that into account when

sentencing. Stuart was given a seven-year half of it will be spent

in prison. The other man wasn't given a custodial sentence. Instead,

his punishment is 50 hours community service and probation for two years.

The court also heard about the impact of the death on the Dolan

family. The image of our son lying dead in the Royal Victoria Hospital

will haunt us forever. It has absolutely ruined our lives, all of

us. And there has been absolutely no remorse, non-whatsoever. The family

have also been critical of the legal process. The legal system in

Northern Ireland is a disgrace and should be addressed. Also, the wave

the Victims's families is appalling -- are treated is appalling. There

is minimal or no support. This family, still distraught, so they

will take stock of today's judgment before considering any appeal

process. A ?300 million project

to regenerate a run-down area of inner-city Belfast will not go

ahead as planned. A government department has

withdrawn its support - which was crucial -

believing the private firms involved Our business correspondent

Julian O'Neill has the details. Behind this Maine Road lies neglect.

A regeneration plan was seen as the solution, housing units, retail and

maybe a hotel. Until now, the DST was on board and its powers were

important in buildings like this pub ever needed to be knocked down to

facilitate the redevelopment. We are not against redevelopment, far from

it, but there is more than one place to do it and drawing a red line

around an area and clearing it is outdated. The regeneration zone was

passed and the DSD had been working with two developers who were going

to privately financed the scheme. The other parties in what was a

three-way development partnership have expressed surprise and

disappointment at the DSD's withdrawal. They have written to its

minister, asking for an urgent meeting in the hope he can be

persuaded to change his mind. That, though, is an unlikely scenario.

This DSD letter makes clear the developers had not read DSD

requirements. The DSD has no alternative plans, but other options

can now be explored to bring the regeneration the area needs. There

had been opposition to this scheme, primarily because it involved as

many as 3,000 flats or houses for students. Businesses say the area is

crying out for a new idea. Our area suffers, as you can see, by looking

around the streets, from a form of unwanted dereliction. We are

basically the entry point for Belfast city centre, to the end of

two Belfast Harbour and the airports, so we need to revive this

area. Local residents are relieved but angry, claiming the plan was

skewed against community housing needs. We have lost practically 100

social houses in this development. Now it has fallen through, is the

DSD going to return the site for social housing? The cranes are all

to do with Ulster University but the wait for action in the streets

nearby goes on, with the solution probably now falling to a new

minister in the new department. The Egyptian government has rejected

allegations by the United Nations about the treatment of an Irish

teenager imprisoned without trial Ibrahim Halawa, from Dublin,

faces a mass trial and possible death penalty with nearly 500 others

after anti-government protests Mr Halawa's family have welcomed

the UN intervention but say Our Home Affairs Correspondent

Vincent Kearney has This is a moment Egyptian security

forces ended a siege at a mosque in Cairo in August 20 13. Demonstrators

had fled there after violent clashes with the Army. 493 protesters were

arrested. They were charged with murder and a range of other serious

offences. Ibrahim Halawa, from Dublin, was one of them. He is the

son of Ireland's most senior Muslim cleric. Three of his sisters were

also arrested but were later released on bail. One of them was in

Belfast today to meet the family's lawyer. She is deeply concerned

about the way lawyer. She is deeply concerned

treated. He was electrocuted, he was beaten, he was tortured. He

treated. He was electrocuted, he was attended a trial, he has no access

to lawyers. Those concerns attended a trial, he has no access

shared by the United Nations. It has emerged that officials from the High

Commissioner for human rights road to the Egyptian government last

year. In their letter, the United Nations team described Ibrahim

Halawa's case as a matter warranting immediate attention. They say he had

been shot in henna hand during his arrest and did not receive proper

medical treatment -- in the hands. Saying he was held in deplorable

conditions, the letter adds that security officers objected him to --

subjected him to abuse. And it was in contravention of basic guarantees

fair trial and due process of law that he had not had access to a

lawyer. In response, the Egyptian government denied that Ibrahim

Halawa was shot in the hand or had been beaten in the prison. They said

a medical examination had found traces of old wounds but no recent

injuries and described his general help a sound and stable. It did

address the concerns raised about lack of access to a lawyer. Ibrahim

Halawa's family say they were on holiday at the time of the siege and

sought refuge in the mosque to escape the violence outside. They

have welcomed the UN intervention. It is very important to our

campaign, it is proof of what we have been saying for two and a half

years, people have been denying this has been happening to him. But the

family and their legal team said the Irish government should do more. It

has got to a stage now where the family believe it is time for the

club to come off, as it were, it is time to put pressure on the Egyptian

government directly. Diplomacy may not work in circumstances where it

is a grave breach of not work in circumstances where it

law and Ibrahim Halawa's rights as an Irish citizen. The family say

they are alarmed by reports from Egyptair in recent days that all of

those charged may have been found guilty without a trial taking place.

The BBC has obtained a letter from the Labour Party warning party

members here they could face expulsion by standing as candidates

Eight party members have defied the party's hierarchy

and are standing as unofficial candidates under the banner

of the Northern Ireland Labour Representation Committee.

The letter to candidates from party headquarters says

they cannot use Labour branding and they could have their

I was surprised that someone has actually taken the time to sit down

and write a letter saying that Labour can't stand in Northern

Ireland elections where we have 1800 members and supporters. It beggars

belief that the party who marched in Derry in the days of civil rights

would deny 200 others the right to vote for a candidate of our choice.

Sinn Fein have launched their manifesto for the Assembly election,

promising to create thousands of new jobs and to spend an extra

They have also pledged to boost spending on infrastructure

The party are standing 39 candidates in next month's election and most

of them were in Londonderry this morning for the manifesto launch.

Our Political Correspondent Enda McClafferty reports.

Sinn Fein are marching back into government. The only question is how

many of these spaces will be sitting on the benches at Stormont after the

election? The candidates all lined up this morning behind the Deputy

First Minister Martin McGuinness as he set out their priorities for

government. The ten point plan includes a promise to create 50,000

new jobs and to spend an extra ?1 billion on health. The party has

also committed to investing ?6 billion on new roads and public

transport and to build 10,000 new social and affordable homes. On

education, Sinn Fein is promising to spend an extra ?525 million on

childcare while welfare payments will be topped up by ?500 million to

help those most in need. Some of the figures in this manifesto may seem

familiar. That is because the DUP have also pledged to create 50,000

new jobs and to spend an extra billion on health, which begs the

question, have these targets already been agreed between the two parties?

Or is it just a coincidence? You can see the similarities that there is

between what the DUP are saying and ourselves and that could be, if you

like, a clear indicator to people out there that at least we and the

DUP are getting our act together. And also, being part of an

administration which is prepared to confront sectarianism, racism and

homophobia. But it remains to be seen. How many of the Sinn Fein

priorities will be in the programme for government wants the election is

over? As with all of the other main

parties, we are taking a closer look at some of their economic

promises and aspirations. Our Economics and Business Editor

John Campbell has cast his eye over So the plan for help and jobs that

both Sinn Fein and the DUP have, are they achievable? On health, spending

an extra billion over the lifetime of the next executive would involve

raising health spending by 4.5% every year and many experts would

say that is what you need to do just to have the service standstill. That

is a policy choice, the parties could decide to do that but we must

remember the amount of money Stormont is getting from Westminster

over the next 45 years is falling in real terms. So if they want to spend

extra money on health, they will have do take it from other places.

About 40,000 jobs were created over the lifetime of the last executive,

so both parties have looked at that and said it was achieved against the

backdrop of a weak economy so if it is growing, we can do 50,000 jobs.

They can always argue if they get knocked off course that it was due

to bigger global factors. What about raising extra revenue beyond what

they get from Westminster? Sinn Fein have a couple of ideas, one of which

is to remove the cap on domestic rates. That means at the moment, the

highest rateable value of any home in Northern Ireland is ?400,000. So

if your home is worth ?1 million, you was paid the same rates as

someone in a house worth 300,000. So people would the poshest houses

would pay more and they would impose a derelict land tax and if someone

buys a piece of land, they have do develop it quickly or they pay extra

tax. Those ideas are not going to raise a huge amount of money. What

about corporation tax question mark they still committed to cutting it?

There had been a suggestion that some Sinn Fein members were wavering

on this idea because they were emphasising that it had to be

affordable, to make this cut to 12 by 5% in 2018. But Martin McGuinness

said today that they are committed to that policy and it is affordable

and he thinks it will help create 50,000 jobs. John, thank you.

Well, there's just over a week until polling day and over

the next few nights, we'll be looking at some

of the issues facing the incoming Executive,

Issues like education, health and the economy.

More on that in a moment, but first I've been to Poleglass

to speak to find out what's likely to win the votes of people there.

This club in the heart of Paul Blasse brings teenagers together to

play snooker and relax with their friends, but it is not just in the

game that they are looking for a break. Getting a job, low student

fees and a thriving economy are on their wish list for the Assembly.

There has to be a healthy health service and a stronger taxation

system. I support the corporation tax idea because it will bring in

more direct investment. We need to see more investment in universities

especially. I am a school lever myself and I have seen jobs being

lost. One other thing is a priority here and that is a united Ireland. I

feel that the economy in a united Ireland is going to be more

prosperous than the partition, it is as simple as that. I would

prosperous than the partition, it is the economy but in terms of the

future, it is something I aspire to. Could you see

future, it is something I aspire to. non-national party? I don't think I

could. I don't think the parties offer very much in terms of their

social policy. For example, gay marriage and abortion. They are too

young to vote marriage and abortion. They are too

should be able to. I reckoned to be 16 to

should be able to. I reckoned to be be heard. There is also a feeling

that living in Poleglass can be a disadvantage when it comes to future

prospects. I don't think I will ever get a job soon because I don't get

enough help in schools, schools are not getting enough help. It is hard

living up here, there is not enough opportunity. I reckon the

representation we have had in opportunity. I reckon the

past, being part of Poleglass, I opportunity. I reckon the

would say it is the bottom end of the scale instead of the top end.

The politicians who end up representing this community have a

job on their hands to make the future seemed brighter that these

young people. And on tomorrow's programme,

we'll hear from young people on the Shankill about how they feel

the campaign is shaping up. Now, education features prominently

in many party manifestos. But while it's a high priority,

there are significant differences in their ideas

for the way ahead, as Our Education Correspondent

Robbie Meredith explains. One

I have seen in Northern Ireland is children starting to go to school

together. Resident Obama praised local schools at the weekend and

parties are also putting classrooms high on their agenda. But that

doesn't mean they are agreeing what is best for pupils like these at

this integrated primary school in Belfast. For a start, the parties

have very different views over how children should transfer from

primary to pose primary school, but in that, they reflect deep divisions

over academic selection is on the ground. Parents want it. There

over academic selection is on the increasing numbers of children

year-to-year opting to do one of transfer assessment procedures. When

we started eight years ago, seven years ago, no one expected that this

bifurcated system would still be here, but it is and it is because it

is successful and because it responds to parents putter-macro

needs. So those responds to parents putter-macro

tests are here to stay, but one of the experts behind the decision to

abandon formal state-run selection hasn't changed his stance. The basic

evidence that was identified as a problem last time, the disruption to

the curriculum, the huge social divide created by early

differentiation and one of the widest patties of inequity in terms

of education, all of those things are as true now as they were 15

years ago. Almost everyone agrees more children from different

backgrounds should be taught together, including the president of

the United States, but not on how to do it. The Department of Education

policy emphasises shared education, where separate schools sometimes

work together but only 7% of children are taught in fully

integrated schools like this. We would like to see a commitment by

the Executive to increase the number of schools and provision within our

education system, so parents who want an integrated education system

for their children will be able to access that. All schools face rising

costs and falling budgets. Promises made by politicians will have to be

paid for. And that is also true for higher and further education.

Student leaders say we should all be paying more in rates, for instance,

rather than raising tuition fees. I don't think it is an unreasonable

proposal, if we say who benefits the most from tertiary education, it is

the individual, business and wider society. So plenty to ponder for

politicians, parents and pupils. Robbie, lots of issues, let's start

with the transfer test, any aspect of agreement in the new mandate?

Politicians are sometimes accused of being out of touch with voters but I

think they are very much in touch on this. The problem is voters are very

divided. I don't think there is any prospect of political agreement. If

you read the party manifestos, you have everything from backing

academics to opposition to it and a range of proposals in between. If

there are any changes, I think they will come away from politics. We may

seek catholic grammar is abandoning selection. I think there will be

pressure on the organisations that run the tests to find a common test

but I don't see any prospect of agreement in the years ahead and we

could still be having this conversation in five years. You

mentioned integrated education, are we going to see more children going

to integrated schools? It is important to stress that shared

education and integrated education are not separate, many schools

operate shared education and there has been a huge push under the

current education Minister John O'Dowd, everything from big campuses

where a lot of schools come together to share facilities to schools from

different backgrounds joining together for a project. The

integrated education movement, they want the big push. There may be a

change of emphasis under a new minister but I don't think we will

see a huge growth in integrated schools. What about the thorny issue

tuition fees? Do you think they will go no party is saying that, some

have said they will cut it. They raise some money from central

government, they have some of their own money and students pay fees

which are set to rise to over ?4000. You heard a radical solution from

the NUS, they want us all to pay a bit more in the raids and that money

to be top sliced and given to higher education but the outgoing

Universities Minister has laid out nine options that are way ahead and

it will be up to the new economy minister to try and wade through

those, so in short, I don't think we will see any radical change in those

areas but we maybe will see some movement but it will be in the form

of tweaks. There are exactly 100 days to go

until the start of this Team Ireland and Team GB marked

the occasion today with celebrations And for Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes,

it was an extra special day as he was named as the flag bearer

for Team Ireland. Carrying the flag and the hopes of

the biggest Ireland team to ever travel to an Olympics. It's really

day for myself. It is not everyone who goes to the Olympics and open at

the late carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony. I put it in as

high regard as actually winning the medals in London and Beijing. Kate

flew the flag at the last games and she won gold. A confident prediction

with exactly 100 days to go. Despite reports of Rio not being ready, Team

Ireland officials have no concerns. From our experience, from the 26

test events that have happened in the last couple of years, the

valuable lessons were learned by the organising committee and those

running events, from a sports side of things, it will be fantastic. For

some, like Claire Abbott from Hillsborough, there could be an

Olympic debut in August. The opportunity to go would be

absolutely fantastic. We have seen videos of what it is going to be

like when we are there. The eventing side of things is top class, great

facility and the courses look amazing and I just want to get out

there and get started. And one member of team GB is hoping to

become the first Northern Ireland athlete to ever compete in four

micro-games. It is and honour but it is not the driving factor. The

driving factor is to be in Rio, be part of the Olympic Games and try

and win an Olympic medal again. I have done it in London, it is

possible to do it in Rio. So far, the athletes in Team GB and Team

Ireland, the countdown to Rio is very much on and for Paddy Barnes,

now an added incentive to go for gold.

It will definitely be warmer in Rio that it is here, Barry is here with

the weather and what is going on, spring the winter?

Excellent question. This was County Tyrone earlier today, snowfall

recorded. Plenty of places have a dusting of snow and it is set to

stay cold. Thank you for your photographs and videos, do keep them

coming. As we go through tonight it will turn chilly once again. We are

likely to see more in the way of frost as temperatures fall to

freezing van Berlo and with lighter winds as well. One or two scattered

showers will bring us wintry weather, especially the high ground,

so quite chilly start tomorrow and there will be some rain to begin

with. Once it clears out of the way, it will turn noticeably colder. To

begin with, a chill in the air but also sunshine and dry weather before

the rain reaches Western counties. It works its way eastward through

the morning, leaving the east coast later in the afternoon. Some heavy

bursts in the rain. Further west, it will brighten up but it will also

turn much colder and some other showers we do see coming in will

bring some sleet and snow and temperatures disappointing the time

of year, seven, maybe 8 degrees with a westerly wind keeping it feeling

that bit chilly out there. The good news is although there will be some

scattered showers to end the day tomorrow, quite a few others will

scattered showers to end the day although it will

scattered showers to end the day close to freezing and as a result of

is showers, the day, plenty of dry weather and

good amounts of sunshine but that said, temperatures staying for raw 5

degrees below normal for the time of year. The all-important

degrees below normal for the time of weekend, here is how it is shaping

up. Saturday, we expect some scattered showers but plenty of dry

and sunny weather. It will be the best day of the weekend. Sunday,

more in the way of cloud, stronger winds and some rain as well, so

I will be back at 10:30pm. From Saturday the best day of the

I will be back at 10:30pm. From everyone on the team, enjoy your

evening.