0:00:05 > 0:00:08The Government decides not to challenge the decision to release
0:00:08 > 0:00:12the serial sex attacker John Worboys.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14His victims have expressed outrage that he will now be
0:00:14 > 0:00:16freed after eight years.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19The Justice Secretary admits he too is concerned.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I know this will disappoint the victims in this case
0:00:22 > 0:00:23and members of this House.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Given the crimes for which he has been convicted on a personal level,
0:00:26 > 0:00:32candidly, I share those concerns.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Worboys is believed to have attacked over a hundred women.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Some of his victims are challenging the decision to release him.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43In an exceptional case like this, we think there should be some
0:00:43 > 0:00:46explanation of the decision, which seems to be at odds with every
0:00:46 > 0:00:52known fact about the case.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54We'll be looking at whether the attempts
0:00:54 > 0:00:56to keep Worboys behind bars can succeed.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Also tonight....
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Scientists say they're a step closer to one
0:01:00 > 0:01:03of the biggest goals in medicine - a single blood test
0:01:03 > 0:01:07for all types of cancer.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11A new offensive opens up in the seven-year-long war
0:01:11 > 0:01:13in Syria - with the threat of a new ground offensive.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16The former doctor to the US gymnastics team -
0:01:16 > 0:01:18growing numbers of his victims testify that he
0:01:18 > 0:01:19sexually abused them,
0:01:19 > 0:01:24including one of their London 2012 gold medallists.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27You are so sick, I can't even comprehend how angry I feel
0:01:27 > 0:01:29when I think of you.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And it's already an Oscar contender - the British short film
0:01:32 > 0:01:33about the importance of sign language,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38starring a deaf six-year-old girl.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40And coming up on Sportsday on BBC News,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42England's cricketers can wrap up the one-day series
0:01:42 > 0:01:50against Australia on Sunday with a win in Sydney.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Good evening.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12There will be no Government challenge to the decision to release
0:02:12 > 0:02:16the serial sex attacker, John Worboys.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18The former black-cab driver was jailed in 2009
0:02:18 > 0:02:20for attacking 12 women, but it's suspected he assaulted
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and raped many more.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The Justice Secretary David Gauke admits he shares the concerns
0:02:26 > 0:02:28of Worboys' victims, but that it would not be "appropriate"
0:02:28 > 0:02:30to seek judicial review of the Parole Board's ruling
0:02:30 > 0:02:31to free him.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Two of his victims are mounting their own challenge to try to keep
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Worboys behind bars.
0:02:36 > 0:02:42June Kelly has more.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44He is one of the country's most notorious serial sex offenders.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48In his black cab, John Worboys cruised for victims, not fares.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52He was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54One of them, he raped.
0:02:54 > 0:03:00But it's feared he may have attacked more than 100 in total.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03At the top of Government, as elsewhere, there was astonishment
0:03:03 > 0:03:08at the decision to release him after less than a decade in prison.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10The week began with the Justice Secretary looking to challenge
0:03:10 > 0:03:11the decision in the courts.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13But today he announced that after taking legal advice,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15he wouldn't be going down that route.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19He tried to offer reassurance to Worboys' victims.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Let me be absolutely clear.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Worboys will not be released
0:03:23 > 0:03:26until their representations have been properly considered
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and his licence conditions are in place.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34Indeed, last week I asked for assurances that the views
0:03:34 > 0:03:38of victims were being taken into account and that robust
0:03:38 > 0:03:42licensing conditions would be put in place to manage his risk.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45But as one politician withdraws from the court arena,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49another, Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53says he's now investigating whether can bring a legal challenge.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Worboys is currently being held at Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Lawyers for some of his victims are questioning why he's being freed
0:04:00 > 0:04:07from a top security jail.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And in a letter to the parole board outlining why they plan
0:04:10 > 0:04:11to mount a legal challenge,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14they say "What is of particular significance is the degree
0:04:14 > 0:04:17of planning over many years that went into his offending.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20That is difficult behaviour to change".
0:04:20 > 0:04:23We presently don't know the reasons why he's been granted release.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29But we do know the nature and scope and extent of his offending.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32We know that, up until very recently, he was denying
0:04:32 > 0:04:34responsibility for the offence.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35He may still be.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40We know that the parole board, only the previous year,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43refused to move him to an open prison because they considered
0:04:43 > 0:04:44he was still a risk.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47What has changed over that time?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Prosecutors have been under pressure to explain why Worboys didn't face
0:04:50 > 0:04:52more charges at his trial.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Tonight, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service
0:04:54 > 0:05:01was pressed on whether he could face fresh charges.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04We have certainly said we will review any cases the police
0:05:04 > 0:05:07may want to refer to us and indeed, we are talking to the police
0:05:07 > 0:05:11about if there is any action that can be taken or giving them advice
0:05:11 > 0:05:12if they're asking for it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13The conditions John Worboys
0:05:13 > 0:05:16will have to abide by when he's released are still being finalised.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18His victims are set to formally launch their legal challenge,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21which is being crowdfunded, next week.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24And while that's going on, the black cab rapist, as he's known,
0:05:24 > 0:05:31will stay behind bars.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Given that the government has dropped its legal challenge, what is
0:05:35 > 0:05:38the likelihood that John Worboys could remain behind bars?It's
0:05:38 > 0:05:43difficult to say at this time. After this row blew up a fortnight ago, a
0:05:43 > 0:05:46number of people were metaphorically in the dog including prosecutors,
0:05:46 > 0:05:51who were being forced to explain why they didn't put him on trial for
0:05:51 > 0:05:56more charges at his trial a decade ago. The Director of Public
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Prosecutions has reiterated tonight that they looked at complaints from
0:06:00 > 0:06:04more than 80 women and decided that in the majority of cases, the
0:06:04 > 0:06:07complaints simply were not strong enough to put before a jury and that
0:06:07 > 0:06:11was why he was prosecuted on a limited number of charges. As we had
0:06:11 > 0:06:15in the report, Alison Saunders is now saying that if fresh evidence
0:06:15 > 0:06:19emerged, they would look at it. But of course, it is a long time since
0:06:19 > 0:06:22John Worboys was roaming around London committing his offences. At
0:06:22 > 0:06:26the same time, we now have this legal challenge from two of his
0:06:26 > 0:06:30victims, and they want a review of whether the process under which he
0:06:30 > 0:06:35was deemed fit for release was lawful. But they are in the initial
0:06:35 > 0:06:39stages of this. And of course, the reasoning behind the decision to
0:06:39 > 0:06:44release him is not made public, as is the norm with parole board
0:06:44 > 0:06:48decisions. The parole board have said the decision was made by a very
0:06:48 > 0:06:52experienced team. They considered a wealth of evidence. But now this
0:06:52 > 0:06:57very controversial case moves to the courts.June, thank you.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Scientists say they've taken a step towards one
0:06:59 > 0:07:01of the biggest goals in medicine - a single blood test
0:07:01 > 0:07:02for all types of cancer.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06A team in America has trialled a method that detects eight common
0:07:06 > 0:07:09forms of the disease without the need for invasive
0:07:09 > 0:07:10biopsies or operations.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Their vision is an annual test designed to catch cancer
0:07:12 > 0:07:13early and save lives.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Here's our Medical Correspondent Fergus Walsh.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23It is ten years since Ali was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
0:07:23 > 0:07:29It is rare for anyone with the disease to survive that long.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31There is no screening programme, so tumours
0:07:31 > 0:07:33are usually found too late.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36A blood test would make a big difference.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39If we are able to get more people diagnosed sooner, like me,
0:07:39 > 0:07:45then it's going to make me feel a lot happier.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47There are only 1% of us who are surviving, like me,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50to ten years, and it's a bit of a lonely place.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52There aren't many of us around.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And I'd really like pancreatic cancer to become more
0:07:54 > 0:07:56of a chronic disease, rather than such an acute,
0:07:56 > 0:08:02deadly disease, as it is now.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have made
0:08:04 > 0:08:07significant progress towards a blood test for cancer.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12The team examined blood samples from around 1,000 cancer patients.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14They had one of eight different common cancers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Lung, liver, pancreas, colon, oesophagus,
0:08:18 > 0:08:25breast, stomach or ovary.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Cancer cells shed bits of DNA, which circulate in the blood,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30so the test looked for 16 gene mutations and eight
0:08:30 > 0:08:35protein bio markers.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Overall, the blood test found 70% of the cancers,
0:08:39 > 0:08:45but that success rate fell to just 40% with small, early-stage cancers,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and this is when you'd want tumours detected,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51when there is the best chance of a cure through surgery.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56So a reliable blood test for cancer is some way off.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58But the Francis Crick Institute in London, which is pioneering
0:08:58 > 0:09:05research in this area, believes it will come.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09I'm almost certain that, in the next five to ten years,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12we will see tests like this becoming much more routine in clinical
0:09:12 > 0:09:14practice, to help us diagnose tumours earlier and help us increase
0:09:14 > 0:09:17the cure rates for patients suffering from cancers.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22The American cancer blood test costs around £350 per patient,
0:09:22 > 0:09:29and each positive result would need further investigation,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32so the burden on the NHS would need to be weighed against the benefits
0:09:32 > 0:09:34of early treatment and lives saved.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Fergus Walsh, BBC News.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40It's a race against time in Washington to prevent a shutdown
0:09:40 > 0:09:41of the US government.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46With Republicans and Democrats bitterly divided over immigration,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50what's called the budget bill is unlikely to pass.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54If there's no agreement by tonight's midnight deadline,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57many government services will simply grind to a halt, government offices
0:09:57 > 0:10:00will shut and hundreds of thousands of employees are likely to be sent
0:10:00 > 0:10:02home - though essential services will still run.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Our North American Editor Jon Sopel reports.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07So help me God.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Congratulations, Mr President.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12A year ago today, Donald Trump stood on the steps of the Capitol,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15promising to make America great again, promising to drain
0:10:15 > 0:10:19the swamp, promising to fix the nation's broken politics.
0:10:19 > 0:10:27This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33One year on, the government stands being paralysed by the prospect
0:10:33 > 0:10:35of shutdown that nobody wants, with Democrats and Republicans
0:10:35 > 0:10:42fighting bitterly over a funding deal for Federal institutions.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And at times like this, Washington goes into its favourite
0:10:44 > 0:10:48pursuit, the blame game.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50At the White House this morning, the President's budget director
0:10:50 > 0:10:53was taking aim at the Democrats.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55The President is actively working right now to try
0:10:55 > 0:11:01to prevent a shutdown.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04I will contend to you that it's dramatically different
0:11:04 > 0:11:07to what President Obama was doing in 2013, so there is no way you can
0:11:07 > 0:11:10lay this at the feet of the President of the United States.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28But in the Senate, the Democrat leadership
0:11:28 > 0:11:31is blaming the White House.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I hope the President will join us.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35If he will, we can solve this problem.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38If he stands on the sidelines, we cannot.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Although a glimmer of hope came with news that the Democrat
0:11:41 > 0:11:43leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, had been to
0:11:43 > 0:11:45the White House to see Donald Trump.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49We discussed all of the major outstanding issues.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52We made some progress, but we still have a good
0:11:52 > 0:11:54number of disagreements.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56The discussions will continue.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58This is what America looks like!
0:11:58 > 0:12:01At the core of this is a row over what should happen to the children
0:12:01 > 0:12:04of illegal immigrants who came into the country with their parents,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08the so-called Dreamers.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11A deal that allowed them to come out of the shadows and work
0:12:11 > 0:12:12legally expires in March.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Last week, the President chaired a round table immigration discussion
0:12:16 > 0:12:20with Democrats and Republicans, and he was in conciliatory mood.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22When this group comes back, hopefully with
0:12:22 > 0:12:23an agreement, this group
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and others, from the Senate, from the House, comes back
0:12:26 > 0:12:28with an agreement, I'm signing it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33I mean, I will be signing it.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Democrats left believing a deal had been agreed that would allow
0:12:36 > 0:12:38the Dreamers to stay, but the President changed his mind.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And that means the US government stands on the brink of a shutdown
0:12:41 > 0:12:45for the first time since 2013.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48It will lead to the closure of Federal offices and services,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and hundreds of thousands of staff being laid off until such
0:12:51 > 0:12:54times as a funding deal for the government can be agreed.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00The clock is ticking, with no sign of an imminent breakthrough.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04The only practical question should be who would be affected
0:13:04 > 0:13:06by a government shutdown and how long might it last?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09But in Washington, it's all about who wins or loses,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Democrats or Republicans.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14A political game is being played out.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22There's been some comfort for some employees of the failed
0:13:22 > 0:13:24construction giant Carillion, who've been told their projects,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and crucially their wages, will be guaranteed to at least mid-April.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30The firm, which has hundreds of public and private contracts,
0:13:30 > 0:13:37collapsed on Monday with debts of more than £1 billion.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Our business editor, Simon Jack, joins me now.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46Simon, what more can you tell us?
0:13:46 > 0:13:51Some comfort, as you say. Network Rail has said Carillion employees
0:13:51 > 0:13:56engaged on their projects will have wages guaranteed until mid April. We
0:13:56 > 0:14:01are also hearing that Kier group, a joint-venture partner of Carillion
0:14:01 > 0:14:04on those controversial projects, four example HS2, awarded after we
0:14:04 > 0:14:10knew the company was in trouble, will be taken on. We are talking 200
0:14:10 > 0:14:14workers out of 20,000. There has been a flurry of activity since the
0:14:14 > 0:14:19second biggest firm in construction went bust. We have had a task form
0:14:19 > 0:14:22assembled, the banks saying they will be sympathetic. It feels like
0:14:22 > 0:14:26the cavalry is arriving but I would describe them as ambulances rather
0:14:26 > 0:14:33than casualty. -- rather than the cavalry. The real casualties are
0:14:33 > 0:14:35subcontractors, some owed millions, some tens of thousands, some very
0:14:35 > 0:14:40small firms. They will be very lucky, one Carillion board member
0:14:40 > 0:14:46told me, to get anything at all. And it is not it -- just if you are
0:14:46 > 0:14:51directly exposed. If you are exposed to a company which in turn is
0:14:51 > 0:14:54exposed, the shock waves can come down the supply chain. The rescue
0:14:54 > 0:14:58funds will not help with those debts. They will give a payment
0:14:58 > 0:15:03holiday might waive some overdraft fees, but the actual debts that you
0:15:03 > 0:15:07owe to the bank will not go away. We are now in a situation, one of the
0:15:07 > 0:15:11biggest things to rock the construction industry and the wider
0:15:11 > 0:15:15business community for many years. We will have to see how the shock
0:15:15 > 0:15:18waves developed, and I am afraid the casualties and the possible fatality
0:15:18 > 0:15:21list from those companies will only grow from here.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24A teenager has pleaded not guilty to trying to kill passengers
0:15:24 > 0:15:26in a bomb attack on the London Underground.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Ahmed Hassan, who's 18, denied attempted murder,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and causing an explosion at Parsons Green Tube station
0:15:30 > 0:15:31in west London last September.
0:15:31 > 0:15:3230 passengers were taken to hospital.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37His trial has been set for the 5th of March.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40A woman who survived an alleged attempted rape and murder has been
0:15:40 > 0:15:42describing what she thought were her last moments alive.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The woman, who can't be named, told a court how Mujahid Arshid
0:15:45 > 0:15:49slashed her neck and wrists with a knife, telling her she only
0:15:49 > 0:15:53had ten minutes left to live.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Mr Arshid is also on trial accused of raping and murdering 20-year-old
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Celine Dookhran last July.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03He denies all the charges.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Retail sales fell more sharply than expected last month,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07contributing to the worst Christmas performance on the high
0:16:07 > 0:16:08street for five years.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The news came as Carpetright issued a profits warning that
0:16:11 > 0:16:13saw its shares plummet, with the company losing
0:16:13 > 0:16:1940% of its value today.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Seven years into the Syrian war and a new offensive
0:16:22 > 0:16:24is threatening to open up in what is an increasingly
0:16:24 > 0:16:25complex conflict.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Turkey, which has long fought Kurdish separatists
0:16:30 > 0:16:32within its own country, is now shelling Kurdish militia
0:16:32 > 0:16:34in the Afrin region over the border in northern Syria,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36and threatening an all-out ground offensive, possibly
0:16:36 > 0:16:38as soon as tomorrow.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41America is warning Turkey to stay out.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44From inside Syria, our Chief International Correspondent
0:16:44 > 0:16:51Lyse Doucet reports.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Warning shots across the border.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56The target isn't really Syria, it's the
0:16:56 > 0:17:03Kurdish militia now controlling the land all too close to Turkey.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Tanks and troops are also moving into
0:17:05 > 0:17:09position, the de facto start of a ground invasion.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14That's what Turkey's defence minister calls this.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19Its sights are set on Afrin.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Syria's Kurds have been in charge for the last five years.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27They are vowing to keep it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31We will fight to the last drop of blood, they declare.
0:17:31 > 0:17:39We will stand with Afrin.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Turkey calls them terrorists, linked to its main enemy at home,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45the Turkish Kurds in the PKK.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47All this is opening up another major crisis inside Syria's already
0:17:47 > 0:17:55tangled war.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Just to the south, the Syrian army is pushing ahead with
0:17:59 > 0:18:04its own offensive to retake ground held by hardline Islamists.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09As fighting intensifies, so too the humanitarian crisis.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12200,000 people are now on the run, heading north,
0:18:12 > 0:18:20adding to pressure on Turkey's border.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22These two are among them.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25TRANSLATION: I got the kids and put them in the car and we were off.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29We came here with nothing.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33In some places, they can't run away.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37There were more air strikes today in East
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Ghouta, a besieged area on the edge of Damascus under rebel control.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Thousands are now living in basements.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46This baby's life begins underground.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49TRANSLATION: This child is only 20 hours old, born in the
0:18:49 > 0:18:54bombardment and destruction.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56The siege here in Ghouta.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59No one can see our suffering.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01All the children here have known nothing but war.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05They have to make the most of it.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11They have no inkling of the complexities
0:19:11 > 0:19:14of this conflict, but they live with its cost every day.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Syria.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17All this week, the sentencing hearings have been taking
0:19:17 > 0:19:20place of a former doctor for the American gymnastics team
0:19:20 > 0:19:26who's been convicted of sexual abuse.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29What started out with 100 women telling Larry Nasser in harrowing
0:19:29 > 0:19:32terms how his abuse has affected them has now grown to 140, and more
0:19:32 > 0:19:33women could yet come forward.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Today was the turn of the team's captain, Aly Raisman.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39She told how she had been sexually abused for a number of years,
0:19:39 > 0:19:40including at the London 2012 Olympics.
0:19:40 > 0:19:48Rajini Vaidyanathan has been in court all week.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54They were nicknamed the fierce five, the gold winning American gymnastics
0:19:54 > 0:19:59team. But four of these women were hiding a dark secret. They say they
0:19:59 > 0:20:04were sexually abused by their team doctor, Larry Nasser, described as a
0:20:04 > 0:20:08monster in court. Today, the team captain was the latest to share her
0:20:08 > 0:20:14story.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17story.You are so sick, I can't contemplate how sick I feel when I
0:20:17 > 0:20:24think of you. You manipulated me. You were touching an innocent child
0:20:24 > 0:20:33to pleasure yourself.Seen at the London 2012 games, she was just 18
0:20:33 > 0:20:37when her team won gold. Behind-the-scenes, Larry Nasser was
0:20:37 > 0:20:42abusing her.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45abusing her.Larry was the Olympic doctor and he molested me at the
0:20:45 > 0:20:50London Olympic Games. Abusers, your time is up. The survivors are here,
0:20:50 > 0:20:55standing tall and we are not going anywhere.Her team-mate also shared
0:20:55 > 0:21:00her story in court.Our bodies were hanging by a thread in London. Who
0:21:00 > 0:21:07was the doctor sent to keep us healthy and help us get through? The
0:21:07 > 0:21:13doctor that was our abuser. The doctor that is a child molester.For
0:21:13 > 0:21:17years there have been concerns about him, but many survivors say they
0:21:17 > 0:21:23were ignored, as victims were not just decorated Olympian spot the
0:21:23 > 0:21:27children of family friends and state-level gymnasts like Gwen
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Anderson. The champion athlete who competed for the stage with
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Michigan, Gwen is seen here at 14. She was just 12 when she first
0:21:36 > 0:21:39received treatment from him. Instead, he molested her time and
0:21:39 > 0:21:43time again.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46To have your name and your face and your story out for everybody
0:21:46 > 0:21:54to see is a scary thing.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59He was going to make sure I didn't hurt, and he took that and used
0:21:59 > 0:22:00that against all of us.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02For so many, this was a man they trusted implicitly.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04For the record, go to hell.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Tom Brennan was Gwen's coach and once a close friend of Nassar's.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Did you have any idea of what he was doing?
0:22:10 > 0:22:11None.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12I had zero idea.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14We had the utmost trust for that man, and that's
0:22:14 > 0:22:15where we all went wrong.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18All this week, young women have packed this small courtroom,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21as they get to do what few survivors of sexual abuse ever
0:22:21 > 0:22:25have the chance to, directly confront their attacker.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28There's been a real sense of collective empowerment here.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Already, more than 80 women have shared their testimonies in this
0:22:31 > 0:22:36case, and every day more are coming forward, saying they want
0:22:36 > 0:22:44to share their stories, too.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Tonight, the list of women who say they want to speak out has grown to
0:22:48 > 0:22:54as many as 120. The judge says every woman who wants to face him in court
0:22:54 > 0:22:56will be given the chance to.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Rajini Vaidynathan, BBC News, Lansing, Michigan.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59The Prime Minister is to have a bilateral meeting
0:22:59 > 0:23:01with President Trump in Switzerland next week.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Both leaders are attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Last week, Mr Trump announced that he would not be coming
0:23:06 > 0:23:09to the UK next month to open the new American embassy
0:23:09 > 0:23:11in south London.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, has announced
0:23:13 > 0:23:16that she is pregnant.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Ms Ardern said she and her partner were expecting their child in June,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21after which she planned to take a six-week break.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25She is now set to be the second elected world leader to give
0:23:25 > 0:23:27birth while in office, and the first to do
0:23:27 > 0:23:28so in almost 30 years.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I'm not the first woman to work and have a baby.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I know these are special circumstances but there'll be many
0:23:34 > 0:23:36women who will have done this well before I have.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40I acknowledge those women.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45I'm about to sympathise with them a lot, as I sympathise
0:23:45 > 0:23:51with all women who've suffered morning sickness.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52From Hollyoaks to Hollywood.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55That could become a reality for two former stars
0:23:55 > 0:23:56of the Channel 4 soap opera.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Next week Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton find out
0:23:58 > 0:24:00if their 20-minute drama, The Silent Child has been
0:24:00 > 0:24:03nominated at the Oscars.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Ms Shenton wrote the film to highlight how sign language can
0:24:05 > 0:24:08change lives and cast Maisie Sly, a profoundly deaf six-year-old
0:24:08 > 0:24:11girl, in the lead role.
0:24:11 > 0:24:17Colin Paterson has been to meet them.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Yeah, I mean this story is incredibly close to my heart.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24I want her to speak...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26The Silent Child tells the story of a deaf girl struggling
0:24:26 > 0:24:28to communicate.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I think she'll be able to have a career in whatever she likes.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Rachel Shenton, who used to be in Hollyoaks, wrote and stars in
0:24:34 > 0:24:36the short film inspired by her own family's experience.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41She is a qualified sign language interpreter.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43My dad lost his hearing when I was younger, and he actually
0:24:43 > 0:24:47lived the last two years of his life profoundly deaf.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50And I saw then just how hard that was on a family, and I
0:24:50 > 0:24:56started to learn sign language.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59She made the film to draw attention to
0:24:59 > 0:25:02the fact that more than three quarters of deaf children in the UK
0:25:02 > 0:25:07attend mainstream school without any specialist help.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Deafness isn't a learning difficulty.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11With the right support a deaf child can do exactly
0:25:11 > 0:25:12the same as a hearing child.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14That was the big message.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19ALL:Mouse wanted to find out!
0:25:19 > 0:25:22The star of the film, Maisie Sly, is six and profoundly deaf.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Her family moved from Plymouth to Swindon especially so she could
0:25:25 > 0:25:28attend a mainstream school, which does offer support.
0:25:28 > 0:25:35She'd never acted before.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50INTERPRETER:I wanted to show hearing people that deaf
0:25:50 > 0:25:51children can do anything.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53How was it making the film?
0:25:53 > 0:26:01INTERPRETER:It was hard work because I have to sometimes film
0:26:02 > 0:26:07things again and again and again.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I used the sign to start but I would say, "Action."
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But things were made a lot easier by the director Chris
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Overton, who also used to be in Hollyoaks.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17He learned sign language especially so he could communicate
0:26:17 > 0:26:20with his star.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I learned all of the lines and as much basic sign
0:26:23 > 0:26:24language as I could.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Because we wouldn't have a film if I couldn't tell her what to do.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Now it's the wait for the nominations.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I get the feeling Maisie is less nervous about next
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Tuesday than you and Chris.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38I think that's fairly accurate.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Is that true?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44INTERPRETER:She says that I think we're going to go to
0:26:44 > 0:26:45the Oscars.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46LAUGHTER.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Colin Paterson, BBC News, Swindon.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52That's it from us.
0:26:52 > 0:27:10Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.