09/08/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at Ten, a child sex network in Newcastle -

18 people are convicted of abusing young girls and women.

The men and one woman groomed, drugged and raped vulnerable

girls as young as 14 over a four year period.

No-one should underestimate the trauma that these young

girls have gone through, but undoubtedly they have

made our communities safer places by their actions.

But controversy, as it emerges that police paid a convicted child rapist

thousands to act as an informer and expose the network.

There are dangerous men behind bars and vulnerable people protected,

that would not have been the case if we had not used that.

The convictions are part of a wider investigation into grooming

which could involve hundreds more victims and perpetrators.

A fresh warning from President Trump to North Korea -

he says America's nuclear arsenal is now far stronger and more

Former Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison appears in court with four

others on charges related to the Hillsborough disaster

Trying to find a cure for type one diabetes -

new hope after first trials of a pioneering new therapy that

On his own against the clock. Athletics at its best in that sense.

And bizarre scenes at the World Championships,

as Botswana's star sprinter - barred yesterday by illness -

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News,

we will have all the details from the World

Athletics Championships, including Sir Mo Farah's race in the

17 men and a woman who groomed girls and young women for sex in Newcastle

have been convicted of crimes including rape, trafficking and

Newcastle Crown Court heard that vulnerable girls,

one as young as 14, were exploited by an "organised,

cynical organisation" and passed between abusers.

The convictions took place over a four year period.

Its also emerged that Northumbria Police paid ?10,000

to a convicted child rapist for information that helped

Guilty of causing girls and women serious harm.

Caught as part of Operation Sanctuary, one of the

biggest sexual exploitation investigations

Almost 100 perpetrators have now been convicted.

One 17-year-old was raped at a party session organised by local men.

The wardrobe was pushed against the door.

Her police interview was played by the court.

To protect her identity, we have asked actors

He had had six with us while I was asleep.

Still now, I'm a bit confused about it.

How did you feel when he told you he done that to you?

How many sessions would you say you have been to?

It is in houses like these where the sessions took place.

Victims were given drink and drugs and could not defend

But in 2013, two of them came forward.

One had been trafficked from a children's home.

It started a long and complex investigation.

Controversially, officers recruited a convicted child

It's not an easy decision, and I'm not going to sit

here and suggest for one moment it was.

It's a decision that we've had to wrestle

But I can categorically state sitting here

today, that there are dangerous men behind bars now and vulnerable

That would not have been the case had we not used

that informant, and it's in that context that you have to view

A charity that campaigns against child abuse says such an

offender should never have been put out in the field.

It beggars belief, frankly, the decision to cross this child

protection line really by employing a child rapist.

In all other aspects it seems to us at the NSPCC that a very good job

was done by Northumbria police, except this very, very concerning

situation, where they used and deployed and paid a child rapist.

Most of the perpetrators were from Pakistani,

This city councillor says leaders from all faiths could

re-educate some local men to stop similar exploitation in the future.

People should not be telling the Asian community how

to live their lives and what to do. It's quite important.

This is like saying to the white community that we should be talking

about what Jimmy Savile did. We should not do that.

However, there is a huge opportunity to talk about

these issues on a regular basis, of rights of women, and I think it's

important to use religion, particularly Islam, to educate some

What happened on these streets is now the subject of

But the council chief executive says it is

not the only authority with problems of this kind.

We do not believe that what we have uncovered in Newcastle is unique.

Indeed there has been evidence of similar offending in

We believe that any area that says it

does not have a problem is simply not looking for it.

For the victims they harmed, it has been a long and

But the evidence they gave has helped to jail four of

The rest are due to be sentenced next month.

Our home editor, Mark Easton, is here.

The controversy is over the police paying this convicted offender to

help them expose the network. How unusual is it? The police have long

been paying informants. It has always been controversial but they

have always done it because they believe if you can get the prize --

convictions, the ends justify the means. In the last five years, UK

police have paid ?22 million to criminal informants. It is not rare.

This case has an additional moral dilemma. Is it justifiable to put a

convicted rapist in proximity to young women who are being groomed

for six Khan police argue yes. They say that was the only way they were

going to smash this gang. I think it is indicative of a new determination

among police and prosecutors to do whatever it takes to deal with the

scandal of gangs, of predominantly Asian men, sexually exploiting

predominantly young white women and girls. There have been dozens of

these cases now. Rochdale, Oxford, Derby, Cardiff, Oldham, barking,

Ipswich, Manchester, Telford... The list goes on. Having been criticised

for not doing enough, particularly in concerns about political

correctness, police forces have become much more proactive. Officers

are routinely briefed on what to look for, the types of abuse, the

different locations, the likely victims. Prosecutors are advised to

think hard about the victims. Often these are very vulnerable people who

may be in trouble with the police themselves, they may distrust

authority, they may have become so controlled by their abusers that

they don't recognise they are being abused. New guidance tells

prosecutors to focus less on the credibility of the victim and more

on the credibility of the allegation. And today's convictions

may be seen by some as a sign that that new approach is paying off.

Mark Easton, thank you. President Trump has issued another

warning to North Korea telling the country's leader that America's

nuclear arsenal is "more He was responding to a warning

from North Korea that it was considering firing missiles

at the US Pacific territory of Guam. The US Defense Secretary also issued

a warning to Pyongyang, saying North Korea should stop any actions

that would lead to the "end of its regime and the destruction

of its people". Our North America correspondent,

Nick Bryant, reports. A far-off American outpost in

the tropical waters of the Western Pacific now finds itself at

the centre of a dangerous stand-off. This is Guam, the site this summer

of US military exercises. American territory, that

North Korea says could now From North Korean state TV came

this chilling headline. That Guam could be targeted

by medium to long range rockets. And it came just hours

after President Trump threatened Pyongyang with some of the most

incendiary rhetoric used by a US The words improvised,

the tone agreed upon North Korea best not

make any more threats to They will be met with fire

and fury like the world More tough talk on

Twitter this morning. "My first order as President

was to renovate and It is now far stronger

and more powerful Hopefully we will never have

to use this power, but there will never be a time

when we are not the most powerful On a refuelling spot in Guam,

the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, used more

soothing language. The island faced no

imminent threat, he said. And Americans shouldn't

lose any sleep. What the President is doing

is sending a strong message to North Korea in language that

Kim Jong-un would understand, because he doesn't seem

to understand diplomatic language. This small island is more than 2000

miles away from Pyongyang, but well within range

of its missiles. With two military bases

it is a strategic military hub for America in the Pacific

and home to 160,000 people. I guess the first thing

that comes to mind is, immediately first,

where is my family? To come up with a plan

if anything happens. I think the response

that President Trump as Past administrations have just

let it slide and kick the can down the road,

so now North Korea feels Donald Trump has vowed that he will

be the President to deal decisively With the rhetoric already

at such a perilous pitch, there is the danger that both sides

become captive to That they talk themselves

into a more serious Our correspondent,

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Given the threat, what is the mood?

There is clearly a deep concern here in Guam because the threat against

gram made by the North Koreans was very specific and very detailed, and

that has never happened before. There is also a sense that it is a

rhetorical threat, that if North Korea really ever did fire missiles

at this island, it would be suicidal for the North Korean regime. Why do

it? Firstly, as Nick said in his report, this is a very juicy target

for the North Koreans, strategically important to the United States.

There are two huge military bases, a big airbase behind me and a naval

base as well. This is also a psychological battle. So after

President Trump made those remarks about fire and fury, this is North

Korea firing back, saying, you threaten us, we can threaten you in

the same way. Our threats are realistic, you must take's seriously

and we will not be intimidated. Across this region, particularly in

South Korea and Japan, there is a feeling that the way President Trump

talks about North Korea in these on scripted remarks is not the way to

deal with Pyongyang. Rob Wood -- and Q.

Tensions have been rising in the region since North Korea

carried out two nuclear bomb tests last year and two intercontinental

So with America and North Korea locked in an extraordinary standoff.

what are the options for resolving the crisis?

Our diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins, reports.

Behind the fiery rhetoric from the two leaders, has the threat

Recent tests suggest the country is much closer to being able

to launch a long-range missile carrying a nuclear warhead, as far

The North Korean regime and Kim Jong-un wants nuclear weapons

because it believes they are the ultimate

No one is going to risk attacking you once

But already North Korea has massive non-nuclear firepower.

Its artillery placed Seoul, South Korea's capital,

We're not looking at an immediate nuclear war

But we should also be aware of the opportunities

for miscalculation and escalation that could lead to nuclear use.

So what should be the international response to

Well, years of talks failed to persuade North Korea to give up

its nuclear ambitions, and now it's refusing dialogue.

Past carrots, including support for a weak

And the stick of limited sanctions, well, that

The new response is more severe economic pressure.

It is now backed by the United Nations, including the US,

Although China has yet to show how far it really will go.

It leaves the grimmest option of all, American military action.

President Trump's comments this week only increase North Korea's paranoia

about the threat from the United States, and it's not

going to change North Korea's current course of action.

We need to get on the road towards dialogue with the North, as

difficult as that is, to decrease tensions and find

How should world leaders try to balance all the risks?

Is it an acceptable risks to allow the

regime to get its nuclear weapons, and then rely on them being

rational, like other nuclear weapon states,

The answer to that depends on getting

But he is harder to read than say, the old Soviet Union.

With the Soviet Union, we had some reasonable visibility

into the system. We don't have that with North Korea.

And so, although we can hope and assume that Kim

Jong-un is rational enough and sensible enough to understand

that any misadventure would attract a lot of retaliation,

very few people from the outside have actually met him.

It is because the really tough questions

are so hard to answer with any certainty,

that the crisis with North Korea is very serious.

Five men have appeared in court charged in connection

with the Hillsborough tragedy and its aftermath.

96 Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup

Three of the men who appeared in court today

From Warrington, Judith Moritz reports.

Many of the families who lost loved ones at Hillsborough have become

Today, they were together again at court to see those charged

in connection with the disaster and its aftermath.

Sir Norman Bettison has served as the Chief Constable

The families stood outside the Magistrates' Court building

Graham Mackrell was company secretary and safety officer

at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in 1989.

96 Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush at the Hillsborough

ground when the terraces became overcrowded during

Now, nearly three decades later, prosecutions are under way.

Mr Mackrell is charged with breaching both health

and safety and safety at sport ground legislation.

Two senior police officers, Donald Denton and Alan Foster

and a solicitor, Peter Metcalf, are accused of perverting the course

of justice by amending witness statements in the wake

Sir Norman Bettison is charged with misconduct in a public office,

accused of telling lies about his involvement

in the aftermath of Hillsborough and the culpability of fans.

The five men sat in a row inside the glass walled dock

of the court, they all indicated that they deny the charges

The match commander, former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield,

faces the most serious charges, 95 counts of gross

He didn't have to appear in court today as before proceedings

Prosecutors must apply to lift an existing court order. The MEP were

all released on bail. They will appear at Preston Crown Court next

month. A brief look at some

of the day's other news stories. The number of tip-offs made

by the public to the Government's anti-terrorism scheme, Prevent,

has doubled in the last four months, around the time of the Manchester

and London terror attacks. Police received some 200 referrals

between April and July, compared to about 100

in the four months before. Figures released by

the European Commission, after a court battle,

show that its 28 Commissioners spent almost half a million euros

on official travel in the first two European Commission President Jean

Claude Juncker spent more than ?22,000 on a private plane

to take nine people to Rome. The Commission said the spending

was within the EU's rules. The family of an 83-year-old dog

walker, stabbed to death in Norfolk, have described him as a "lovely,

gentle man, who was immensely kind." Peter Wrighton's body was found

on Saturday, three miles Police say they've received over 100

calls in connection with the attack Two months after the Grenfell Tower

fire in West London, officials say hundreds of people,

including large numbers children, are in need of mental health support

to deal with the trauma An estimated 80 people

were killed in the fire in June and the Metropolitan Police believe

that there were around Our special correspondent,

Lucy Manning, has been talking to one woman who lost five members

of her family in the blaze. # You've got the words

to change a nation # You've spent a lifetime

stuck in silence # Afraid you'll say

something wrong #. She could certainly sing,

12-year-old Firdaws Hashim, # You've got a heart

as loud as lightning Her voice would be silenced

by the Grenfell fire. Her aunt watches with tears the home

videos she has shared. Little Yaqub, full of life,

inside the Grenfell flat where he would die with his sister

Firdaws, his brother, mum and dad. Six-year-old Yaqub,

Firdaws and 13-year-old Yahya loved to dance,

their aunt wanted to Firdaws, you were the most

intelligent, wise... You were so talented,

but still so kind and humble. Yahya, my most kind, handsome,

pure hearted, sweet nephew. You would have been a pride

to Islam and humanity. Yaqub, he was a very

energetic, lively boy. Assema wants to bury the family

together but, eight weeks on, Waiting this long for them to be

identified and to bury them and have some type of closure,

that is tormenting everybody. Two months on and those

connected to Grenfell The BBC has learnt more than 500

people have been referred for mental health assessments,

nearly 100 of them children. usually you have a support network

that will help you get through these times,

but a lot of these people that you would normal rely

on are in the same trouble And with only 14 Grenfell families

rehoused, the council leader still can't offer all the relief

of long-term housing. How long will it be until all these

families are permanently rehoused? Well, it's quite difficult

to answer that question, We're doing it as absolutely

as quickly as we can. The judge leading the Grenfell

inquiry will write to the Prime Minister this week

to explain what it will cover. The family of these children

want the inquiry to look at not just how they died,

but why the fire burned for so long, A man suspected of attacking

soldiers on patrol in a suburb of Paris, has been arrested

after a dramatic car chase along Six soldiers were injured when a car

was driven at them at speed, in what is being treated

as an act of terrorism. The suspect got away,

but officers later fired on a BMW to bring it to a halt and took

the driver into custody. Officials in the US have confirmed

that the home of President Trump's former campaign manager was raided

by the FBI last month. Agents seized documents and other

materials from a property The raid was part of

the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign

and Russia ahead of the 2016 The English football Premier League

season gets under way on friday. Spending by clubs is expected

to exceed ?1 billion for the first time ever this summer,

but the league's chief executive says he doesn't expect to see clubs

reach anything like the ?200 million paid by French side Paris St Germain

for the Brazilian player Neymar. It's back, with the help of some

famous footballing faces, the Premier League launched

the countdown to the start Amid the usual hype,

all the talk on the lengths clubs are going to in

the pursuit of glory. Champions Chelsea have invested

?125 million on players this summer, even their manager is surprised

by the amounts being spent. The money is incredible,

but it's very important to try to improve our squad

and our quality because win one more competition and we needed to prove

that the club knows very well, which is my opinion,

my ideas about this issue. These are just some of the big-money

signings Premier League clubs have splashed out on this summer,

with a total of more For the first time,

the Premier League season will kick off on a Friday night,

here at the Emirates, when Arsenal take on Leicester City,

but with the transfer window open until the end of the month,

the spending spree is set to continue in a way never seen

before, and some are concerned. We sit back and go -

wow, what's next? And that's the problem,

what is next? In terms of how football

finance is evolving, it's clear that the top seven clubs

are spending more money on bigger transfer fees and that's having

a serious effect in terms it's clear that the top seven clubs

are spending more money on bigger transfer fees and that's having

a serious effect in terms of the financial dynamics

of the Premier League. The top seven clubs as a group,

their economic performance is deteriorating at a faster rate

than the remaining 13. Gary and Alan, like the rest of us,

looking forward to a new season, 25 years ago, in the first Match of

the Day of the Premier League era. Since then, ever more lucrative live

broadcast rights deals have transformed clubs spending power,

but will it continue? When the Premier League started

in 1992, where it was with our tour neighbour and where it is now,

?40 million then, ?3 billion now. If you compound that growth,

you can't see the next 25 years What I can see though is still some

reasonably sustainable growth which will allow the teams

to continue to grow I don't think, as I say,

the thing is out of control. With newly-promoted clubs alongside

some familiar faces, the Premier League's all set

for its latest chapter. The challenge - to maintain

the drama and the interest that's made its first quarter

of a century so lucrative. The UK has one of the highest rates

of type 1 diabetes in the world with 400,000 people currently living

with the condition. At the moment it's incurable,

but now trials of a pioneering therapy are being carried out

to try to slow the advance And initial results show

the treatment, a form of immunotherapy, is safe and can be

used in wider trials. It's hoped it could one

day lead to a cure. Here's our health

correspondent, Dominic Hughes. Two years ago, Alex Rowlandson's

life took an unexpected turn. She was diagnosed with type 1

diabetes, one of hundreds of thousands of people who develop

the condition in the UK. But then she was offered

the chance to take part The results of which now

show real promise. More optimistic knowing

that the study is going well and that they can use that

to find further treatments. Even if it doesn't help me myself

and it might help other people in the future,

it's just good to know that Last year, Alex was one

of 27 volunteers who, over a six-month period,

underwent a course of The aim, to stop her diabetes

by tapping into the immune system's Type 1 diabetes is caused

when the immune system mistakenly attacks specialist beta cells

in the pancreas which produce insulin, the hormone

which regulates blood sugar levels. The injections contain

protein fragments designed to retrain the immune system,

so that rather than attacking The early results from this latest

trial demonstrated the therapy was safe and showed signs

of slowing the disease. I think it's exciting that we have

been able to change the immune system in patients using this

approach, but it's very early days and we need to know how that

translates into benefit for patients This is the first time this

particular technique of trying to train the immune system to slow

the advance of type 1 diabetes has It's a very small step

in what will be a very long process. But the fact that it's

safe and seems to have helped the immune system,

well that is a big step forward. There's currently no cure

for a condition that, if not carefully managed,

can have life-changing consequences. For reasons that aren't entirely

clear, the number of people who, like Alex, are having their lives

turned upside down after developing Immunotherapy has begun to transform

the treatment of other England's women began the defence

of their Rugby World Cup title in style today,

as this year's tournament England beat Spain 56-5

in Dublin, with four tries But there was no dream start

for Wales, they lost to the All Blacks by more

than 30 points. Hosts Ireland beat Australia

in a tight match, winning by 19-17. There were bizarre scenes

at the World Athletics Championships in London this evening as Botswana's

star sprinter, banned from the stadium yesterday

after a norovirus outbreak, was allowed back for a solo

200 metre time trial. Isaac Makwala, forced to withdraw

from last night's 400 metres final because he was still formally

in quarantine, was tonight allowed Our sports correspondent,

Andy Swiss, reports. For Isaac Makwala,

a remarkable day in his He began it quarantined in his hotel

and barred from competing, He said the athletics authorities

had sabotaged his hopes. Something fishy they

don't want to tell us. The Iaaf insisted such

claims were absurd. Come the afternoon,

a dramatic twist. Isaac Makwala heading to the stadium

having been told his quarantine had finished and he could race his 200

metres heat, some 48 And so, in appalling

conditions for sprinting, Makwala against the clock, he needed

20.53 to make it to the semis, and with the crowd willing him on,

it was never in doubt. That is a message to the Iaaf,

to say I am fit and healthy. Even his rival could

only watch and applaud. What a run that was,

under the most testing circumstances, after everything

he has been through. Isaac Makwala is through

to the semi-finals. Which meant barely two

hours later, he was back. The new fan favourite -

but if Makwala was tired, From the inside lane,

he summoned his strength, What a performance

from Isaac Makwala! Afterwards, he thanked

the authorities for his chance, but said it was the crowd

that inspired him. I wish to thank the Iaaf

to give me another chance, They led me to believe,

I just want to thank this crowd. And so a man who couldn't even visit

the stadium this morning What began as a personal

nightmare, just might What a story would be if he could

win that 200 meters final tomorrow. Among his rivals will be South

Africa's athlete and Mitchell Blake who qualified. It was a good night

for M mow Farah. He is safely through to the final of the 500

meters. He finished second in his heat. That final takes place on

Saturday for Sir Mo Farah it will round off his final. Track

championships with another title, Sophie. Andy, thank you.

And on Newsnight, no-one can forget our MPs' expenses scandal,

well there are some details of EU Commission expenses out today.