30/01/2018 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten - the police

apologise to a student

wrongly accused of rape -

after admitting a series of mistakes

in the handling of his case.

22-year-old Liam Allen -

spent almost two years

under investigation -

before messages undermining the case

were finally disclosed.

It's two years gone.

I really do appreciate the apology

and I'm grateful for it,

but it's two years I'm never

gonna get back.

The collapse of that rape trial has

had huge repercussions -

many more cases are now

being examined.

What we have is a systemic problem

that is probably impacting

on at least tens of thousands

of cases.

We'll be assessing

the implications it all has

for the criminal justice system.

Also tonight:

A man accused of carrying out

the Finsbury Park terror attack last

year says he wasn't at the wheel

when the van ploughed

into a group of Muslims.

The BBC admits some high-profile

news broadcasters have been paid too

much, and some too little -

but a review finds no gender bias.

Life in Afghanistan's Helmand

province - the Taliban

tighten their grip again three

and a half years after British

after British combat troops left.

On the day of his funeral -

hundreds gather to pay tribute

to the striker Cyrille Regis -

credited for inspiring a generation

of black footballers.

And coming up on

Sportsday on BBC News:

Emre Can gives Liverpool the lead

over Huddersfield but can

Jurgen Klopp avoid his first

consecutive Premier League defeat?

Good evening.

The police have apologised

to a 22 year old student -

wrongly accused of rape -

for a series of errors in the way

they handled the case.

Liam Allen spent nearly two years

on bail before the evidence

which cleared him was disclosed.

A review by the Metropolitan police

and the Crown Prosecution Service

said that a series of errors

and a lack of knowledge, were to

blame for the trial's collapse.

Thousands of rape and serious sexual

assault cases in England and Wales

are now being reviewed

and there are questions tonight

about how widespread such failings

to disclose evidence

are across the Criminal

Justice System.

Our Special Correspondent

Lucy Manning reports.

Liam Allan, six weeks

after walking out of court,

meeting his solicitor.

Instead of imprisoning him,

the Metropolitan Police is now

apologising to him.

It failed to reveal crucial

information when he

was charged with rape.

I am sorry.

I'm sorry this happened.

I met Liam Allan yesterday

and I was really

grateful to have the

opportunity to speak

to Liam and explain the contents

of the report, and to

apologise to him for the mistakes

that were made, the fact that

information was not identified at an

early stage of the investigation.

Yet it took almost two years on bail

and three days in the dock before

the evidence was finally

discovered, clearing him.

I am happy to have got an apology.

And I appreciate that they waited

till they identified what

went wrong and the errors that

were in there as well.

But it is two years gone.

You know, I really do appreciate

the apology and I am

grateful for it but it is two years

that I'm just not going to get back.

The review by police and prosecutors

found that the officer on the case

didn't properly search the alleged

victim's phone, containing 57,000

messages.

He said no relevant information

had been found on it,

and when Liam Allan's lawyers asked

for more details, the officer said

that wasn't necessary, and

prosecutors should have probed and

challenged the officer's decision.

They didn't.

Well, there could be problems

with a large number of cases.

There's now a national review

and in London alone 600

cases are being looked at.

Some have already had

to be stopped at the

last minute as evidence that should

have been disclosed has come to

light.

Student Oliver Mears had all

the charges dropped two weeks ago

after two years on bail for rape

when the evidence was disclosed.

And Isaac Itiary was

released from jail

waiting for his trial last month

after police finally disclosed texts

proving his alleged victim had lied.

Do you think that there

are people in prison

at the moment who may

have

been wrongly convicted?

Very difficult for me to answer.

I think the problem

is about disclosing the

material late rather

than not at all.

What I would say is that if any

defendant thinks they are

wrongly convicted, then they should

be appealing in the correct way.

But the man who prosecuted those

responsible for the massive grooming

of girls in Rochdale

and other cases across

the North West believes

the

problems with disclosure has shaken

confidence in the criminal justice

system.

Are there miscarriages of justice?

Are there people in prison

that shouldn't be?

Well, my view is, yes, there are.

And we have to not just look

at the cases currently

going through the system,

we should be looking back

and looking forward.

And he thinks it goes much deeper

than these current cases.

It suggests to me

a systemic problem.

So whilst we are talking

about rape and sexual

offences being reviewed,

what about other types of crime?

You know, we have tens

of thousands of serious crimes

where disclosure is key.

So, Liam Allan might

just be one of many.

Thousands of trials across

the country could now be affected.

Lucy is here with me now.

That is the question isn't it, is

the case of Liam Allan, could that

be the tip of the iceberg?

It

started with this one case and has

now spread and there are many more

cases being looked at. The CPS will

not tell us exactly how many cases

have been stopped so far, they are

reviewing rape and sexual assault

cases where charges have been made.

We know the Metropolitan Police have

120 officers reviewing their cases

and in London prosecutors have

brought in a dozen extra lawyers.

Tomorrow in London prosecutors will

be called to court to explain about

the collapse of another trial, the

people trafficking trial were social

media evidence was not disclosed. A

woman who had been charged gave

birth in prison. She has now been

freed. What we know is the police

and prosecutors are saying they are

under pressure with many more of

these rape and sexual offence cases

and much more social media, text

messages they are having to look

through at a time of funding cuts.

But they say the Liam Allan case was

human error. But it suggests with so

many cases being reviewed that there

is a deeper problem when it comes to

disclosing information in these

cases.

Thank you.

A man accused of driving a van

into a group of Muslims outside

a North London mosque last year has

told a court that he wasn't

driving at the time.

Darren Osborne from Cardiff said

a man called Dave was at the wheel

when the vehicle hit a crowd

in Finsbury park killing one man

and injuring several others.

The 48-year-old, who denies murder

and attempted murder,

also said that the original target

had been a protest march

and they'd been hoping

to kill the Labour leader,

Jeremy Corbyn.

Daniel Sandford reports.

The white van attack in North London

last June killed one Muslim man

and injured close to a dozen more.

Darren Osborne was arrested

at the scene and a police camera

caught this conversation.

I lost control of the van. I lost

control, man. Double he lost control

of the van, you were driving? Yeah.

Today Darren Osborne admitted hiring

the van and driving it to London,

but said the target for his attack

was a pro-Palestinian march that has

in previous years been

attended by Jeremy Corbyn.

The prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC

asked, "were you hoping

you would have an opportunity

to attack Jeremy Corbyn

and kill him?"

"Oh yeah, it would be one

less terrorist off our

streets", Osborne said.

"And if Sadiq Khan had been there it

would have been even better.

It would've been like

winning the lottery".

Osborne said the attack on the march

was planned with two other men,

Dave, and Terry Jones.

But they had given up

and were going for a drink.

When the van ploughed

into the crowd, Dave was driving

and he was in the footwell and that

Dave then ran off.

"Do you often travel

in the foot well?"

The prosecution asked.

"No, I was changing my

trousers" Osborne explained.

Picking up on the story of Dave

the prosecution said,

"you invented his participation,

didn't you?"

"I've no answer to that"

Darren Osborne replied.

The prosecution went on,

"I suggest that the story about Dave

and Terry is totally

fabricated, isn't it?"

"Incorrect" Osborne replied.

Jonathan Rees QC accused him of not

taking the case seriously.

"Is that what you're doing,

in front of this jury,

being tried for murder,

having a laugh?"

"I'm at a loss why you would draw

that conclusion," Osborne said.

Earlier the jury had heard that

Osborne was asked in hospital

if anyone else was involved

and at that time he had said, "No,

I'm flying solo mate".

Daniel Sanford, BBC News,

Woolwich Crown Court.

Ministers have sought to play down

a leaked government document that

suggests the UK could be

substantially worse off

economically after Brexit.

The analysis, drawn up

for the Department For Exiting

the EU, contains forecasts

for three different outcomes

and all show a reduction in growth.

The Brexit Minister Steve Baker said

the document didn't take account

of the opportunities

afforded by leaving the EU

and said such forecasts by civil

servants were "always wrong".

Our Deputy Political Editor,

John Pienaar reports.

Are you still in control

of your party, Prime Minister?

That nagging question again.

Theresa May is just getting

on with the job and today that meant

meeting the leader of Estonia.

Theresa May says the UK won't lose

out when it leaves the EU.

She says she will stay

on through another election to see

it, but some MPs have been airing

public and private doubts about her

future and Britain's after Brexit.

Cabinet ministers are to be shown

a Whitehall assessment of how the UK

economy might be held back.

Are we poorer as a result of Brexit?

Draft extracts had already

leaked and been published

by the news website Buzzfeed.

The long-term Brexit projection

suggests the economy could suffer

maybe 8% lower growth if there is no

EU deal and the UK trades on global

or world trade organisation rules.

Growth could work out 5% lower

if there is a free trade deal

without single market membership,

and 2% lower growth could result

from an agreement to stay

within the single market -

a route taken by countries

including Norway.

The Government says it wants a trade

deal as strong as Britain enjoys now

and claimed the leak had been used

to damage the case for Brexit.

The article is a selective

interpretation of a

preliminary analysis.

It is an attempt to undermine our

exit from the European Union.

Brexiteers argued don't believe

long-term forecasts.

We were told prior to the referendum

by the Treasury that we would enter

immediate recession

if we chose to leave.

The IMF told us the economy

would contract by as much as 9.5%.

Both were made to look

extremely foolish.

Critics on both sides

wanted to see the report -

they felt that Brexit wasn't

working.

She's failed to protect

the Government from

political embarrassment.

This is a cover-up,

Mr Speaker, pure and simple.

And it stinks.

And tonight, Labour has announced

plans to force ministers

to hand over the report,

or try to with the help

of Conservative rebels.

Tomorrow we are forced, in effect,

to use an ancient procedure

to ask the government,

force the government to pass

over these documents,

in confidence if necessary.

But we need to be able

to do our job here.

In the House of Lords peers have

begun to debate the bill

bridging the way to Brexit.

There will be strong

resistance and struggle

for weeks, months to come.

No one knows how

Brexit will turn out.

The plan by the Government

is still a work in progress.

Negotiations have barely begun.

Any new leader would have the same

problems with Brexit

and in parliament, and anyway,

there is no rival

organised campaign.

But privately, some Tories

are saying they feel they cannot go

on with what they see as a lack

of direction much longer.

I am told some party donors

are feeling just as unhappy.

A new crisis and the wheels

could come off Mrs May's leadership.

Brexit unravelling.

Bad results in May's

local elections.

Tonight she is heading for China.

Normal business.

But splits in the party

have also become normal.

The business of leadership

rather precarious.

John Pienaar, BBC News, Westminster.

Police believe a former soldier

could be responsible

for a series of well planned,

violent robberies at expensive homes

across the Home Counties.

Surrey Police have released

CCTV footage of the man,

who's suspected of staking out

the homes to learn their exact

layout and the location of safes.

He's stolen jewellery and watches

worth around a million pounds.

The four ringleaders

of the Hatton Garden jewellery raid

in 2015 must pay a total

of £27.5 million or each serve

another seven years in prison.

A judge at Woolwich Crown Court has

ruled that the men must pay

the money after benefiting

from cash, gold and gems

stolen during the heist.

The Director General of the BBC

has admitted that some

of the corporation's highest profile

journalists have been paid too much

and some have been paid too little.

But Lord Hall said a review

of salaries for on-air talent

in news has found no evidence

of gender bias.

The report, carried out

by the auditors PWC,

does criticise a lack

of transparency in the way

the BBC sets pay.

Here's our Media Editor Amol Rajan.

The BBC likes to cover

the news, but hates being

in the headlines itself.

That is one reason it resisted

the disclosure of salaries for high

earners last summer.

We have had quite a busy morning.

Today the director-general

of the BBC accepted that

errors had been made.

I do believe that some men

have been paid too much.

There is absolutely

no doubt about that.

I can only really talk

about the last five years

being back at the BBC.

I don't know what went on before.

You were director of news,

weren't you in your previous job?

That was, I'm afraid

to say, 20 odd years ago.

It is 20 odd years ago that some

of these grievances stem from.

But the issues we are dealing

with now is how we make sure women's

voices can be heard,

and I believe the package

of measures I have been putting out

today will enable women's voices

to be heard.

His plan to address both the gender

pay gap, the difference

between the average pay of men

and women within an organisation,

and the legal requirement

of equal pay for equal work,

includes pay cuts for some men

and pay rises for some women

and also men, a new framework

for pay bands and a radical

increase in transparency.

Tomorrow Carrie Gracie,

who resigned her post as China

editor in protest at unequal

pay, appears before

a select committee of MPs.

Along with Gracie, Eleanor Bradford

is one of hundreds of BBC women

who have formally complained.

I actually cited equal pay

and I said that I wanted

an equal pay review.

I was helped by my male colleagues

who told me what they were on,

and when I did that I had

an immediate five grand pay rise,

although that did not take me up

to the level that some

of my male peers were earning

when they were still

doing identical jobs.

The BBC says that the competition

for talent is now in sport,

drama and entertainment

rather than news.

But this rationale does not cut it

with women who say they have

been wronged for years.

One member of the BBC Women group

within the organisation applauded

Tony Hall's proactive thinking

but says it has not trickled

down the organisation.

There are too many peculiar

decisions still being made by tinpot

tyrants in chinos who just have

not had the memo yet.

Women deserve equal

pay for equal work.

From its inception under Lord Reith,

the BBC has been a moral project.

It is therefore held to higher

ideals than most of its rivals.

That is why, though its record

is far superior to the national

average, these headlines

are hurting so much.

As director-general Tony Hall has

undoubtedly done more than most

of his predecessors on this

issue of gender equality.

But while he wants to talk about

the future, his loudest critics

are still furious about both

the present and the past.

EasyJet published its gender

pay gap this week.

At 52% it is five

times that of the BBC.

Big companies are now legally

obliged to reveal this

data and senior figures

at the corporation are frustrated

that more have not done so already.

One leading CEO in financial

services believes that

reform is long overdue.

This isn't about a feminist agenda,

it is about equality.

We should all be treated the same,

paid the same and given

the same opportunities

regardless of background.

With some huge salaries

across the BBC either

still static or secret,

and a fiery select committee hearing

predicted for tomorrow,

BBC News will continue to be

the news for some time yet.

It has been three-and-a-half years

since British combat troops left

Afghanistan after fighting Al-Qaeda

and the Taliban for thirteen years.

When they left they handed over

responsibility for security

to the Afghan army.

Some British troops

stayed on to advise them.

But now BBC research suggests

that the Taliban is openly active

again in 70% of the country.

The BBC has spoken to people in all

399 districts across Afghanistan.

More than 15 million people

are living in areas,

coloured here in red,

that are either controlled

by the Taliban or regularly

suffer Taliban attacks.

The darker the colour the more

frequent the Taliban attacks.

Auliya Atrarfi and cameraman

Shwhyb Sharifi have gained rare

access to Helmand province,

the area of Afghanistan

where the British army was based

for much of its time there.

This is Malik.

He is 11.

And too traumatised to speak to us.

He was playing in his garden

when he lost his legs.

And his best friend.

To a Taliban landmine.

Today Malik is walking

for the first time since the

explosion.

TRANSLATION:

Children go

through utter fear every night.

It's a horrific life.

It's so volatile that we live

by hours and minutes.

We are the living dead.

Last year doctors at this

Red Cross clinic in

the Lashkargah

fitted almost a thousand

people with new limbs.

From the very old.

To the very young.

The violence does not discriminate.

Helmand was the base

of the British Army in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of soldiers died

defending these streets.

But since their withdrawal

almost half of the

province has fallen to the Taliban.

And the violence is spreading.

Just ten minutes from

hospital, the frontline.

It is very rare for international

journalists to come this far.

The soldiers say the militants

are so close they exchange insults.

Today though swearing is not enough.

We just got fired at by the Taliban

from that direction and

now the police are

returning the fire.

This is their frontline.

And it shows how volatile it is.

Although we are told it is normally

quiet during the day, but

this shooting proves otherwise.

Despite the danger, defending

Lashkargah is crucial.

If the city falls, so does

the whole of Helmand.

And it's a responsibility

the commander of this

battalion takes seriously.

He's the man they affectionately

call the terminator.

Half man, and underneath his

uniform, half machine.

TRANSLATION:

The back of my head

was blown off by a rocket.

Soldiers reported that

I was dead on the spot.

And my brother came

to collect my body.

But doctors realised I wasn't dead.

They patched up my skull

with a metal plate.

Not long after I stepped

on a landmine and

lost both my legs.

But in Afghanistan

right now it's not fit

for an active commander

to sit at home.

This province has been

at war for 17 years.

Helmand is bleeding.

And its people feel forgotten.

You can see more details on the BBC

research into the situation

in Afghanistan at bbc.co.uk/news.

In a few hours' time,

President Trump will deliver his

first state of the union address

since taking office a year ago.

It is the much anticipated moment

when he will try to set the agenda

for the year ahead. Let's speak to

our North America editor, John

Sobel. How is he expected to handle

it?

We have all got used to the Twitter

president and the fire breathing

president when he goes to rallies, I

think it will be very different to

that. It will be measured,

considered and he will stick to

every word on the teleprinter in

front of him. He will be much more

conciliatory, very much like we saw

him in Davos last week. He will talk

about the success of the economy,

keeping the nation safe at home from

threats abroad. But he will also be

stressing unity. He had lunch today

with news anchors, supposedly

quoting off the record. But he said

I want to see our country united, I

want to bring our country back from

tremendous divisiveness. That is

easy to say, but the president on

Twitter and at rallies is often very

divisive. We will see how that pans

out over the next year. But what

that tells us is you have a

Republican party with its eye on the

November mid-term elections. Do

badly there and the Republican party

is in some trouble and so is this

presidency. I think what you are

seeing is an attempt to widen the

appeal of Donald Trump.

Thank you.

The actor Mark Saling who's died in

the TV series Glee has died whilst

awaiting sentencing for having child

pornography. Local media are

reporting he took his own life. The

35-year-old actor pleaded guilty

last month to possessing child

pornography. He was expected to be

sentenced in March.

He was expected to be

sentenced in March.

The Labour leader of

London's Haringey Council

is quitting after a bitter row over

a controversial £2

billion housing scheme.

Claire Kober has condemned

what she called "sexist

and bullying" behaviour

after Labour's ruling body,

the NEC, stepped in to try

and halt the plans.

Our chief political correspondent,

Vicki Young reports.

The £2 billion housing project

stopped in its tracks and a Labour

council riven by bitter infighting.

Haringey's plans to go into

partnership with a private company

to build thousands of new homes

pitched Jeremy Corbyn's backers

against those who call themselves

Labour moderates. Today the council

leaders said she was quitting and

accused her opponents of

unacceptable behaviour.

I am in no

doubt that the behaviour and actions

of certain individuals at certain

times where sexism, bullying and

political intimidator in behaviour.

And Claire Kober said her party had

changed.

The atmosphere in the

Labour Party in recent months, not

just in Haringey but across London

and the country, has been deeply

troubling.

There are some who think

the row here in Haringey is a sign

of bigger battles to come within the

Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn has

cemented his position as leader, the

party's ruling body is dominated by

his supporters and some Labour

council chiefs are outraged that

they are interfering in local

matters. Momentum, the group set up

to support Jeremy Corbyn, has

increased its representation and

Labour plasma National Executive

Committee, the NEC. Last week it

took the step of calling for the

Haringey redevelopment plans to be

halted.

I do not think it is

appropriate for the NEC to try and

dictate to democratically elected

Labour councillors what is best for

the people they represent.

But

others in Haringey dismissed the

suggestion that this was a hard left

infiltration of the Labour Party.

This is not an anti-private sector

position.

What about those who say

Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters are

taking over the NEC, this council

and imposing their ideology?

No, it

is about facts and evidence. There

is a serious risk if this scheme

goes ahead we could be looking at

another Carillion collapse.

And

Jeremy Corbyn's allies believe the

demise of Carillion says he is

right, that private companies

providing public housing is a flawed

model.

providing public housing

is a flawed model.

The Prime Minister is on her way

to China tonight on a mission

to shore up trade ties

with the world's second

largest economy.

Theresa May says she hopes

to intensify the so-called

"Golden Era" in UK-China relations

which was ushered in by

President Xi Jinping's

state visit here in 2015.

The trip is being seen as a test

of Britain's ability to forge

new economic partnerships

ahead of Brexit.

No sign of a slowdown here.

The Chinese economy creates 5000

millionaires every week.

And Britain more than ever

is keen to get on board.

In the last 20 years what we have

tried to do is make money.

Now for a lot of us who have

made money it is all

about how we use that money.

These Chinese stables

are the first to be accredited

by the British Horse Society,

just one example of how China's

middle classes could help give

the UK a post-Brexit boost.

British brands tend to be a lot

quieter but at the same time I think

they can take it up a notch

and compete a little bit more

and elbow their way in a little bit

more in comparison to other brands

and other cultures.

Jaguar Land Rover is one iconic

British brand that has

elbowed its way in only to face

this, the Land Wind.

The company has tried in vain to get

China to halt production of what it

says is an almost exact replica

of one of its designs.

Having your products copied

in China is one thing,

but for many British companies

getting here in the first place

is a far bigger challenge.

Britain is now wide open

to Chinese investment,

but China has done little

to lower its barriers to some key

British sectors like banking,

finance and insurance.

And despite talk of a golden era,

the diplomacy doesn't always

run smoothly either.

One possible spanner

in the works for this trip,

reported disagreements over China's

giant global infrastructure project

the Belton Road initiative.

But Jaguar Land Rover, which made

80,000 cars here last year,

proves success is possible

despite the challenges.

It wants the UK to get serious

about its China strategy.

I can only encourage the PM but also

other dedicated levels for different

industries with different ministry

levels that we start much more

intensive dialogues.

Does the golden era still exist?

For whom?

Britain and China?

I think it is still yet to come.

Meanwhile, China is

fashioning its own future.

Zhu Hong is a Beijing -based

designer with a shop in London

and reams of ambition

about where her country is headed.

TRANSLATION: China has had master

craftsmen since ancient times.

We are not just the world's factory,

we are the world's high-end factory.

While the UK tries to patch together

more deals and access,

in a post-Brexit world China may ask

who needs who the most?

John Sudworth, BBC News, Beijing.

He's credited as the man

who inspired a generation

of black footballers.

Today hundreds of people said

farewell to the West Bromwich

and England striker Cyrille Regis

who died this month

at the age of 59.

A service to celebrate his life

was held at the Hawthorns stadium -

the ground where he made his name.

Our sports correspondent

Andy Swiss was there.

APPLAUSE

It was the fondest of farewells.

At the ground Cyrille Regis

graced as a player,

they gathered in tearful tribute.

A private family funeral before

a public celebration of his life.

A chance to say goodbye

to a footballing hero.

He saw no difference

in anybody and all he wanted

to do was play football.

And, as a young black

man, he led the way.

He was a remarkable footballer

and a man, and I love him.

I just love him.

Few players have

inspired such warmth.

COMMENTATOR:

What a great shot.

With his determination and dazzling

goals, Cyrille Regis blazed a trail

for black British footballers.

Now inside the stadium

where he made his name,

thousands of fans, friends

and family celebrated his

strength and spirit.

He played at a time when black

players had to face racial abuse.

He never lost his cool

or was ever intimidated.

He said it motivated him

to play even better.

He left us with great

memories and for that we

are blessed to have known him.

Nice one, Cyrille.

Nice one, son.

But perhaps the most poignant

moment, a poem to Cyrille Regis

from his own daughter.

A legend, a gentleman.

The Three Degrees, Big C,

the many different

names you had.

But I couldn't be more proud

to just call you my dad.

A day then to remember a man

who touched so many lives.

Come on, get up.

# Nice one, Cyrille, nice one, son

# Nice one, Cyrille,

let's have another one #.

A fitting tribute to

a footballing giant.

Andy Swiss, BBC News, The Hawthorns.

That is it from us.