18/12/2013 BBC Wales Today

let-up. Thank you. That is all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye.

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story: Sentenced to 35 years, the

rock star Ian Watkins is jailed for a string of sex attacks on young

children. The judge said the case was so horrific, it broke new

ground. That I've enquired is going on in Germany and the United States.

My belief is that he's offended in those countries and in this country

as well. But could Ian Watkins have been

stopped earlier? The police watchdog is investigating to see if

information about him was handled properly.

They used to make cheese at this factory in Ceredigion. Now it's to

process meat with 200 new jobs. This fish farm received millions from

taxpayers but went bust. Now questions over the public money it

received and the regions uniting under one banner the latest public

twist in a divisive row for Welsh rugby.

Good evening. Rock singer Ian Watkins has been given a-35 year

sentence tonight for a series of sex attacks on children. The judge said

he was a dangerous sexual predator and had shown a complete lack of

remorse. The former Lost Prophets front-man plotted with two of the

band's fans to abuse their babies. The women, who cannot be named, have

been sentenced to 17 and 14 years. You may find some of the details in

Nick Palit's report upsetting. Ian Watkins left court tonight

knowing he'll grow old behind bars. The judge said he had a deeply

corrupting influence that enabled him to induce young female fans to

take part in the sexual abuse of their own children. He was the lead

singer of the rock band Lost Prophets but the court heard he had

a dark and sinister side as a committed and determined paedophile.

Last month the 36-year-old from Pontypridd pleaded guilty to 13

child sex offences including the attempted rape of a baby, and the

sexual abuse of another. The babies' young mothers, who can't be named,

stood beside him in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court. So, those were

sentenced to 14 years on Santana was whether a further six years on

licence for Watkins. The judge branded him a dangerous predator.

Drugs played a significant part and Watkins had no memory of the crime.

The prosecution told the court that Watkins had been making light of the

situation since pleading guilty in a phone call to a fan.

Addressing the mother of the 10-month-old baby boy, the judge

said "a mother naturally loves, protects, shields and cherishes an

infant - you betrayed that trust". He told the mother of the baby girl,

"You used your daughter as a tool to secure Watkins's acceptance." The

man who led the inquiry for the South Wales force says he believes

Watkins is a serial offender and there may be more victims as far

away as Germany and the United States. He is a dangerous

individual. The other two defendants were active participants in the

shocking abuse of their own children. The two have also been

sentenced. It was beyond belief that adults would commit such appalling

acts against children and young people and our thoughts remain with

the victims. The man who led the enquired says he believes that

claims it is a single offender and that there are victims in Germany

and the United States. Mr Watkins is an intelligent individual, highly

manipulative, very emotionless. He hasn't shown a scrap of Morse. When

Watkins 's computers were seized, thousands of images some of which he

made himself, were discovered with videos. A sentence was passed and

Watkins was visibly shaking. The judge said any decent person

listening to the evidence would be shocked and revolted. Hot for three

offended plumbed the depths of depravity.

So why was Watkins able to go on abusing children and collecting

images of his abuse for so long? The police had information on him as far

back as 2008 but he wasn't arrested until last year. One officer from

South Wales Police is under investigation for gross misconduct

but now it's emerged the South Wales force itself and two others are to

be investigated by the police watchdog. Here's Caroline Evans.

Watkins was back home in Pontypridd when he was arrested by police. They

went in on a tip-off that he had child abuse images. What they found

was staggering both in its nature and volume. He had amassed 27

terrabites of data, more online material than could be stored by the

whole of South Wales Police Force. But this was in December 2012 and

concerns had raised long before that. This woman, who describes

herself as Watkins's former lover, says the information she gave police

could have prevented children being abused, but she was ignored. I went

to the police and I sent them the pictures of the little girl and I

explained that he had put Coke on her gums and touched her and they

took three months to take my statement. Every single day I was

ringing them and saying what was going on. They said they were going

to get somebody from West Yorkshire to interview me. In the meantime, he

has had on his laptop and everything and got his story straight and the

police didn't even speak to him. She says she repeatedly reported her

concerns to the station in Pontypridd. We now know that one

officer is under investigation for gross misconduct, a detective

Sergeant who is also being investigated in another case, but

today the Independent Police Complaint Commission said it was

widening its investigation and there could be further action against

other officers. We know that information started to come in to

South Wales Police at the end of 2008 and that force had information

of different kinds coming into it between 2008 and 2012, at the point

when Ian Watkins was actually charged. We also know that there are

two other police forces to whom information was given. That is

Bedfordshire and South Yorks police so we will be investigating the

responses of those forces to the information they were supplied with

between those years, to really understand, could he have brought to

justice earlier. South Wales Police told us they

wouldn't take questions on what happened before October 2012, when

their current investigation was launched. Instead the Chief

Constable, Peter Vaughan, issued a statement saying "Our initial review

and the IPCC investigation pose a series of questions concerning the

earlier handling of information concerning Watkins. It is those

questions that the independent investigation now seeks to answer

and it has my full support." Bedfordshire Police have confirmed

they did receive a report of child abuse. They say there was

insufficient evidence to apply for a magistrate's warrant and a medical

examination of the child did not reveal evidence of abuse at that

time. However, they did share the information with others including

South Wales Police and have since referred details of a complaint

against them to the IPCC. South Yorkshire Police has said they

received information on three separate occasions between March and

May 2012 and referred itself to the IPCC in relation to how it responded

to that information. Such was the celebrity Watkins enjoyed, it gave

him access to young and impressionable fans in Britain,

Europe and the US. There is now a multinational team of investigators

working on the case. But as yet, there are so many unanswered

questions around what police knew about Watkins and when they learned

it, the IPPC says it can't tell how long it will take to conclude its

investigation. Other news and a major boost to the

West Wales economy. More than 200 jobs will be created in Ceredigion

at a new beef processing and packing factory. Dunbia, which already owns

a meat plant in Llanybydder, has invested ?7.5 million at Felinfach

after securing a contract with a supermarket. Abigail Neal has more.

Welsh meat has a premium price on the supermarket shelves and today's

announcement means that Dunbia now have a large slice of the market to

process that product here in Wales. Today, deliveries were arriving to

fit out their new beef processing factory in Felinfach in the Aeron

valley. The Welsh government has awarded a ?1.8 million grant to the

project and are delighted that the companies investing in this site

after the last owners shut the cheese packing Pontiac but there are

already questions being raised about how much this investment will

benefit the local workforce. Dunbia is one of the largest meat

processing businesses in Europe, employing more than 3,000 staff at

12 sites in the UK and Ireland. One of those is in nearby Llanybydder. A

large proportion of the workforce here is Polish, so I asked the

minister whether the promise of new jobs would translate to local

employment. I think it's very important local

people recognise these jobs are available to them. Not everybody

wants to work in that industry. That's something we've found

before." People are not keen to do with that industry.

Apart from factory workers, there is of course the wider agricultural

sector who will benefit from the promise of long-term security a

major supermarket brings to a region blighted by job losses over recent

years. Free parking facility had permanent employment is very

welcome. It has been a very personal couple of months for the county with

all the cats coming from London and from Cardiff. -- cuts.

Today Dunbia told us they would be holding a recruitment fair in

January and would welcome applications from local people in

the area. There was some encouraging news for

the Welsh economy as a whole, too. 7,000 fewer people in Wales are

unemployed according to latest figures released by the Office of

National Statistics. There are now 112,000 people out of work here.

Let's talk to our business correspondent, Brian Meechan. So

good news on the face of it? The key statistic is 7.4%. That's the

unemployment rate in Wales and the reason why that is significant is

that it's a roundabout at the UK average which is not something we've

seen over the last few years where Wales has a higher unemployment rate

than the rest of the UK. That has been welcomed by the Welsh and UK

governments and several business groups but of course, the message is

there is no room for complacency and we need to make sure everybody is

benefiting. What is it say about the wider economic picture. These are

good headline figures but in the last week we've had news about sharp

and job losses at First Milk in Wrexham so we are in uncertain

times. Winner of the main economic tools that has been used by the

Welsh government has been enterprise zones and there are seven of them

across Wales. They are there to attract business and create jobs.

There has been a finance committee reported in the assembly which says

there is an air of mystery around what these zones are achieving. The

assembly says this is not true and that they are delivering.

You're watching Wales Today. Stay with us, plenty still ahead.

The message is clear from the rugby regions they launch a public

campaign amid a row with the WRU. And heavy rain, strong winds and

gales today. Colder tomorrow with snow for some parts of Wales.

New powers to set taxes and to borrow money. That's the deal on

offer to the Welsh government tonight. A draft law published by UK

Government ministers could lead to some income tax rates being decided

in Cardiff. Our parliamentary correspondent, David Cornock, is at

Westminster. For every one of the 14 years of its existence, the Welsh

government has had to rely on this place for the grant that enables it

to pay the bills in Wales. But that is going to change because if this

draft bill becomes law, it will mean that for the first time the Welsh

government gets always some of the money it spends. Boundary line,

certainly. The boundary between Wales and England is in the road. On

one side people pay less stamped a -- duty then the neighbours. This

man runs a furniture business on the Welsh side and he was also a Labour

councillor in Flintshire. How would you use these knees -- new powers?

We need a cat to get the economy going again. All the big

supermarkets are opening all the time in Flintshire. Every day,

thousands of people across the border to work or study and MPs fear

that that could make different income rates complicated. People in

my constituency work here and I have many businesses in my constituency

who have businesses with people who live in England and work in my

constituency. It might be a simpler tax thing on a phone, but it might

not and it also might have dynamics in terms of transport and housing

prices and other competitions. But being able to vary income tax is

sometime available only happen if assembly members voted to hold a

referendum. In terms of tax, they should certainly go for an early

referendum and I think that they should take the opportunity of

telling the people of Wales they are committed to a lower tax Wales. It's

another link with England, the M4 motorway that is likely to see the

benefits of the new powers announced today. The Welsh government will be

able to borrow up to ?500 million for major projects which could help

to pay for some much-needed improvements you in Newport, even if

ministers in Cardiff wants to bone marrow. This bill sets out changes.

Yes, probably run for the political anoraks, but people do get heated

about this. At the moment if you want to get elected, you have to

choose either to stand in your local constituency where you can actually

trying get in on a party listing under proportional representation.

This government, the Coalition Government, is going to remove the

ban on that and that means that the only candidate to stand in the

constituency get defeated but still end up in the assembly is

professional, well-paid politicians. So there will be a big row about

that. Lobo won't like it and certainly, that is one of the key

issues that is going to be discussed when this draft bill is considered

after Christmas by a committee of MPs. The government plan is that it

should become law before the next general election within the next 18

months. Thank you. The Welsh NHS has failed to reach its target of

treating cancer cases. 92% of patients started within 62 days of

diagnosis. . The Welsh Government target is 95%. It says the latest

figures show the greatest improvement.

A shortage of staff at hospital emergency departments is putting

patient safety at risk, according to a top consultant. It comes as

figures obtained by BBC Wales show 15% of medical positions were

vacant, or filled by temporary staff. The Welsh Government says 96%

of posts are filled - more than in England - but focusing the work of

A doctors in fewer centres will help. It does mean that services are

stretched and it does mean that we have two go on doing what I've said

since I became health minister, which is to reorganise the way we

these services. We cannot go on spreading the jam so thinly that we

try to do too many things into many places and that will mean changes to

accident and emergency services. The Welsh government has announced that

millions of pounds of EU funding is to be reallocated. Payments worth

?268 million will be available to support over projects. Farming

unions have criticised the decision saying it will put Welsh farmers at

a disadvantage compared to farmers and the rest of Europe. They will be

less money in the budget going to farmers in future than there has

been in the past. What that means to individual farmers is that if they

are reliant on a subsidy for their livelihoods, they will not be able

to survive into the future and that means, yes, we could take a

different decision but that would be these short-term decision and they

are investing in long-term success. The Welsh government has been

criticised for the raid managed more than ?5 billion in grant aid given

to a farm project. The Wales Audit Office says the farm at Penmon on

Anglesey was high risk. It eventually went bust and now has new

owners who bought it for less than a quarter of the amount of cash it had

received in aid. Roger Pinney reports. Wales today first visited

this fish farm site in 2003. We filmed inside this unit which was

producing turbot. It was at the time cutting-edge technique of keeping

the fishing tanks fed by sea water. This was to be a blueprint for a

second Welsh assembly funded project on the same site. But there have

been problems from the start. It has delivered six years late and went

bust after two years. They were practical and emotional problems.

The regime that existed at that time wasn't really sufficient to identify

those, monitor them properly, and ensure that they were well-managed.

The business which cost taxpayers more than ?5 billion was brought out

of administration for less than a quarter of that. The raiders entered

office says 26 jobs will created but at a high cost. I think that many

could have been better spent in small companies further investment

in order to allow them to grow and become a bigger companies. There is

a concern where five content million pounds worth of public money goes

into assets which are then sold for ?1.2 million. The money could have

been better spent. The plant is now reading named and is owned by a

Dutch company who believe they have a viable long-term business. Today's

report says that despite the problems the project has delivered

most of its objectives. The Welsh government welcomes that and that's

that improvements have since been made in the way grants are managed.

Firefighters are damping down after a blaze involving 1000 tonnes of

wood chip in Flintshire. For crews were called to a paper mill at

Deeside at around 10am this morning. The company says production has not

been affected. Raises for webby regions have used the launch of

their Christmas fixtures to mount a public campaign amidst the bitter

financial dispute with the Welsh Rugby union Banners and placards

with the slogan "Protect Our Game" will be seen for the first time at

Friday's clash between the Blues and Ospreys and at the other four Welsh

derbies over Christmas. Gareth Lewis reports. At a time when they

initially split them on field enemies, the clubs are joining

behind when Barnett in an increasingly divisive row. The

regions are refusing to align a document which would govern the game

because they believe it would not give them enough money and they are

considering joining the impish premiership. The WRU has given them

until New Year's Eve to sign and if they don't, the union could cut

their funding and set up a teams. With the row showing no sign of

being resolved, the players representatives met players only run

to seek assurances and they and their coaches admit it is a certain

time. We asked questions in terms of what the players wanted and some

answers, but to be honest, what we came out with was inconclusive as

such. It does affect players in terms of uncertainty and times

around everybody's futures. We think there is a bright future, and within

that you have two put it to the side and be professional and get your

detail of right in the week. There are five Welsh derbies over

Christmas and it looks unlikely to solve the crisis.

Northampton have been fined ?60,000 by a rugby disciplinary panel for

letting George North play for Wales against Australia last month. The

match which Wales lost took place outside of the International Rugby

Board's autumn window. Premiership clubs have agreed that only players

representing England can be released. Saints admitted the breach

and won't appeal. Football news. Swansea and Hull City have both been

fined ?20,000 after an on-pitch confrontation during their Premier

League game last week. The clubs admitted a charge of failing to

ensure their players "conducted themselves in an orderly fashion".

Some bad weather this evening. Derek has the details. Wild and wet sums

it up at the moment. Heavy rain and strong to gale force winds. At the

moment, there are two flood warnings in force and seven flood alerts. In

the next 24 hours, it's going to turn colder with wintry showers.

Snow for some places too, most of it on higher ground and upland areas.

This evening a wet start in the north and east but the heavy rain

will soon clear. Showers following. Some dry, clear weather overnight as

well. The wind easing but remaining blustery on the coast and turning

colder. Temperatures inland dropping as low as two Celsius. Here's the

picture for 8.00am Better than today. Colder but most of the

country dry and clear. A touch of frost inland. Mind you, it won't be

dry everywhere. There will be a few showers dotted around. Breezy on the

coast. Strong winds in the NW. A little sunshine tomorrow but showers

as well. A trough will pass through in the afternoon. This will pep up

the showers. Some of them heavy with hail. Some sleet and snow likely as

well. Most of the snow on higher ground above about 250 metres or 800

feet. There is uncertainty but there is a risk of some significant snow,

several centimetres on the hills and mountains in Powys. At lower levels

a little slushy snow is possible but none on the coast. Colder than

today. Temperatures 4-7 Celsius with a west to south-westerly breeze. On

the Heads of the Valleys tomorrow, cold and breezy with showers of

hail, sleet and snow. A covering of snow possible. And snow is very

likely on Pen y Fan tomorrow, where it will feel bitterly cold. Tomorrow

night, a few more scattered showers, wintry in places. Otherwise a lot of

dry weather. Breezy on the coast and feeling cold. Friday will start dry

and bright. Just a few scattered showers but more rain will arrive

later in the afternoon, the wind increasing as well. There is a

warning of heavy rain for parts of north, west and south Wales from

Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. Sunday, brighter with

showers. Next week, more rain and gales! Our picture tonight is from

John Evans: Sunset at Manorbier in Pembrokeshire. Thanks John. Heavy

rain will clear to showers tonight. Brighter and colder tomorrow with

wintry showers. Snow for some parts of Wales.

There's an update at 8.00pm and I'll have the latest from the Wales Today

newsroom at 10.25pm. From all of us here have good evening. Rock singer

Ian Watkins has been given a 35 year sentence and the judge said he was a

dangerous sexual predator and had shown a complete lack of remorse.

The former front man plotted with two friends to abuse their babies.

The three paedophiles responsible for the terrible abuse of two babies

have now been brought to justice. The investigation had covered the

most disturbing child abuse I have seen in my 28 years as a police

officer. The latest on our website. There is an update at eight o'clock

and I will be back after the News at ten. Good evening.