:00:18. > :00:22.Welcome to Friday's Reporting Scotland. After the big storm,
:00:22. > :00:26.engineers are working full tilts to restore power to thousands of
:00:26. > :00:33.households still cut off from the Great. You have got to prepare
:00:33. > :00:38.everything during daylight. Otherwise you are working by
:00:38. > :00:41.candles. While the country is still feeling the effects of the extreme
:00:41. > :00:48.weather, it is a struggle to get back to normal.
:00:48. > :00:58.In other news: An inquest hears that a Scots soldier was captured,
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:03.tortured and shot by the Taliban in Scotland is catching its breath
:01:03. > :01:09.after enduring the worst storms to hit the country in 10 years. Nobody
:01:09. > :01:13.was injured in the winds, which were recorded as reaching 106 mph
:01:13. > :01:22.on the Tay Bridge, but there has been a lot of damage and cleaning
:01:22. > :01:30.up to do. There has also been disruption to power supplies.
:01:30. > :01:34.The picture across the country has The picture across the country has
:01:34. > :01:40.been changing rapidly. All must -- almost 108,000 homes were without
:01:40. > :01:46.power overnight. Tonight, there are still around 40,000 homes without
:01:46. > :01:51.electricity. 1,300 engineers will be working late into tonight to try
:01:51. > :01:57.to connect homes, but the electricity companies are warning
:01:57. > :02:00.that it may be tomorrow before everyone is reconnected. We went to
:02:00. > :02:07.visit people in Dunkeld to of facing a second night without
:02:07. > :02:12.facing a second night without electricity.
:02:12. > :02:18.These people in Dunkeld have been without electricity since yesterday
:02:18. > :02:23.lunch time. You have to prepare everything during daylight,
:02:23. > :02:33.otherwise you are working by candles. It is cold getting up in
:02:33. > :02:37.
:02:37. > :02:43.the morning. But the gas hob on to heat your water. All were to do
:02:43. > :02:47.before you get a cup of tea in the morning! Engineers have been
:02:47. > :02:54.battling all day to get the power back on, but there have been many
:02:54. > :02:57.obstacles. Here in Ayrshire, engineers tackles blizzard
:02:57. > :03:02.conditions to reconnect the last few homes without power in this
:03:02. > :03:06.part of the country. The winds were so bad that we could not do a lot
:03:06. > :03:13.of repairs. We have to climb Poles, and the guys could not even stand
:03:13. > :03:17.at less aligned -- let alone climb the polls. They could not get out
:03:17. > :03:22.of their van because the wind was penning the doors shut. The guys
:03:22. > :03:26.did a great job to get us where we are. There is much more to do in
:03:26. > :03:33.other parts of Scotland. Areas covered by Scottish Hydro, like
:03:33. > :03:36.Tayside, Argyll and the Western Isles, have been hardest hit.
:03:36. > :03:43.Customers say they have not been told when the power will come back
:03:43. > :03:50.on. We have not heard anything. Some people have said that there is
:03:50. > :03:56.a Paul pulls down, but that is it. It might not even be tonight.
:03:56. > :04:00.might be tomorrow. And they are not alone. Tens of thousands of people
:04:00. > :04:04.are still without power, but Scottish Hydro's say they are
:04:04. > :04:12.hopeful that tonight will be the last cold night their customers
:04:12. > :04:19.will have to endure. We are going to Pitlochry in
:04:19. > :04:24.Perthshire where the power is still out.
:04:24. > :04:28.Apart from the likes that we put it, Pitlochry is still in darkness, and
:04:28. > :04:34.it is almost 30 hours since the electricity went off here and in
:04:34. > :04:37.other communities in Perthshire. People have set a cannot remember a
:04:37. > :04:41.time when they have been without electricity for so long. You would
:04:41. > :04:47.expect people to be out on the main street on Friday night going to
:04:47. > :04:52.hotels and pubs and restaurants. It is a ghost town. I wandered around
:04:52. > :04:59.their lunch time, and most of the shops were closed, missing out on a
:04:59. > :05:06.pre-Christmas sales, no doubt. There is a popular truck stop down
:05:06. > :05:14.the road, and the proprietor was complaining that he cannot serve
:05:14. > :05:23.food or sell fuel. As we found out when we visited one petrol station,
:05:23. > :05:29.it was limiting sales to �20 per customer. People are getting fed up.
:05:29. > :05:34.We spoke to a couple with a five- month-old baby. They are all
:05:34. > :05:42.electric. They do not know who to turn to. It is a grim situation
:05:42. > :05:45.here in Pitlochry. One bright note is that there are a couple of
:05:45. > :05:49.enterprising takeaways which are still open for business. I can
:05:49. > :05:53.smell the chips from here. The storm hit first in the West,
:05:53. > :06:00.then headed east before turning north, which means that community's
:06:00. > :06:06.right across the country have spent the day assessing damage.
:06:06. > :06:09.Safe as houses, they say. Not in Airdrie. Paul Austin, his wife and
:06:09. > :06:15.children were sitting down to dinner when their Wall disappeared,
:06:15. > :06:21.hit by a huge gust of wind. You can see in the garden, there are
:06:21. > :06:25.several tons of rubble there. It could have killed us. I was just
:06:25. > :06:31.getting ready for dinner. It could have been a lot worse at the end of
:06:31. > :06:35.the day. Fortunately, there have been many lucky escapes over the
:06:35. > :06:40.last couple of days. In Aberdeen, the gable end of a house fell on to
:06:40. > :06:47.this car. No-one was injured, but several families have to leave
:06:47. > :06:54.their homes. In Aberdeenshire, a treat -- a tree fell on top of a
:06:54. > :06:58.van. The road was closed for several hours. This lorry tackles -
:06:58. > :07:07.- toppled over near Aberdeen. Nearby, they were clearing up after
:07:07. > :07:12.part of a roof was blown off a grain store. Alex Brodie had not
:07:12. > :07:19.won, but two trees fall on his property. His route is badly
:07:19. > :07:24.damaged. I was having my dinner, and there was a gust of wind. I
:07:24. > :07:30.heard a crash and there was a tree. The first one missed the house, and
:07:30. > :07:36.then about its 30 seconds later, the other one came. I was watching
:07:36. > :07:41.the news and the bad weather reports. It was quite a shock.
:07:41. > :07:48.Shetland, winds continued to batter the islands. Most ferry services
:07:48. > :07:53.are suspended. Half of the schools are closed. In Orkney, a number of
:07:53. > :08:00.small boats were sunk at them all - - moorings. Some those were washed
:08:00. > :08:06.away. In Aberdeen, two huge trees came down. Throughout the country,
:08:07. > :08:11.the clearer continues. Five hill-walkers have been found
:08:11. > :08:20.safe and well after spending two nights in atrocious conditions in
:08:20. > :08:23.the Cairngorms. Gusts were recorded of 165 mph at the summit. They were
:08:23. > :08:28.surprised to find themselves the focus of a search and rescue
:08:28. > :08:32.operation. Rescued, say, well and a little
:08:33. > :08:36.surprised. These five hill-walkers spent two nights in the Cairngorms
:08:36. > :08:41.during one of the worst storms in years. They did not even know
:08:42. > :08:46.anyone was looking for them. When the helicopter went over, we
:08:46. > :08:51.thought it was fine. We thought they were doing a day pass of the
:08:51. > :09:01.glens. I was having a cup of tea, waving at them. A huge search
:09:01. > :09:02.
:09:02. > :09:07.involving three mountain rescue teams found the group. Weaver
:09:07. > :09:13.contents. If they had been caught on the high ground in the winds
:09:13. > :09:18.yesterday, it would have been bad. Our pace was quite slow, so we
:09:18. > :09:23.ended up not getting to the bothy. We got to the nearest patch of
:09:23. > :09:29.trees and set up camp in shelter. Bemused by the attention, the group
:09:29. > :09:34.are grateful that someone was worried for them. My girlfriend
:09:34. > :09:44.phoned. They said they set out at 6am. The helicopter went past at
:09:44. > :09:46.
:09:46. > :09:52.about 8am. We heard that. We didn't think it could be for us.
:09:53. > :09:57.You are watching Reporting Scotland. Still to come: Why this older means
:09:57. > :09:59.huge tours for motorists in the West Highlands. And in sport,
:09:59. > :10:05.another Scottish international says he is interested in playing for
:10:05. > :10:11.Great Britain at the Olympics. From next year, the world rugby series
:10:11. > :10:16.will belong to Glasgow, not Edinburgh. Find out why.
:10:16. > :10:21.A mother accused of murdering her toddler son, pretending for months
:10:21. > :10:25.that he was still alive, has told the jury that she taught in fact --
:10:25. > :10:32.found him dead. Kimberley Hainey said that she had not made a debt
:10:32. > :10:36.and nor given him drugs. He was found at his home last year.
:10:36. > :10:41.Kimberley Hainey gave evidence today about the summer of 2009,
:10:41. > :10:46.when she says she found her son Declan dead. She told the court
:10:46. > :10:53.that she had put Declan to bed in a cot in the living room of the flat
:10:53. > :10:59.in Paisley. The next morning, when she woke, she realised he was not a
:10:59. > :11:03.wake. She said, I do not know how he died. I looked in the cot, and
:11:03. > :11:09.Beckham was lying there. I picked him up and begged him not to go. I
:11:09. > :11:13.gave him master mouth. His lips were blue. Her defence asked her
:11:13. > :11:18.why she did not go for help from neighbours or call the police or an
:11:18. > :11:23.ambulance. I kept telling myself it was not real. I kept thinking he
:11:23. > :11:28.was going to wake up. She went on to say, if he was dead, then I
:11:28. > :11:32.wanted to be dead as well. Kimberley Hainey said that after
:11:32. > :11:36.Declan died, she did not just put her baby in the room and close the
:11:36. > :11:40.door. She said she was still living the life they lead, telling herself
:11:41. > :11:45.that things would be OK. She told the court that she carried on
:11:45. > :11:50.buying Declan milk, clothes, even Christmas presents. I know it
:11:50. > :11:55.sounds crazy, she said, but I was not crazy. She said she turned to
:11:55. > :11:59.drink and drugs to block out the pain. She then went on to talk
:11:59. > :12:06.about the allegations hat -- that have been made against her. She
:12:06. > :12:10.said that she was branded as a monster, and that was not true. She
:12:10. > :12:14.said that she loved her baby more than anything in the world. So many
:12:14. > :12:18.things that have been said are not true. Kimberley Hainey has already
:12:18. > :12:23.had charges dropped against her that she gave Texan drugs. She
:12:23. > :12:27.denies all charges. The trial here at the High Court in Glasgow
:12:27. > :12:32.continues next week. A soldier killed in Afghanistan was
:12:32. > :12:37.captured, tortured and shot by the Taliban. An inquest into the death
:12:37. > :12:45.of Scott McLaren, who died last July, heard that he left an Army
:12:45. > :12:54.checkpoint at 2am, but the reason why they remain a mystery.
:12:54. > :13:00.Colleagues described him as HET man with a cheeky grin. Scott McLaren
:13:00. > :13:07.lost his life in the 10th year of Britain's conflict in Afghanistan.
:13:07. > :13:13.Highlander McLaren was helping to guard a Czech-born to -- a cheque
:13:13. > :13:19.for eight -- a checkpoint in Helmand Province. He left the
:13:19. > :13:28.checkpoint at to 7:00PM, carrying his weapon, at a sack and wearing
:13:28. > :13:34.full body armour. At 5pm, after an extensive search, his body was
:13:34. > :13:38.found. The inquest concluded that he was unlawfully killed,. Evidence
:13:38. > :13:44.suggested that he had been captured by insurgents. He was shot five
:13:44. > :13:50.times. His half-naked body was found dumped in a river. It is
:13:50. > :13:54.still a mystery why a Scott McLaren ventured out that evening. Earlier
:13:54. > :13:59.reports suggested that he wants with a set of night-vision goggles.
:13:59. > :14:02.The inquest heard that he headed in a different direction to that
:14:02. > :14:09.thought. The only person who could solve that mystery is no longer
:14:09. > :14:13.with us. At his funeral in Edinburgh, tributes were paid by
:14:13. > :14:20.former colleagues. Almost got was not in the Italian for long, he
:14:20. > :14:25.left his mark. Fit, tireless, a great character, he was a true
:14:25. > :14:29.friend to many. Highlander McLaren's family have given no
:14:29. > :14:39.public reaction to the inquest findings. They say they will miss
:14:39. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:44.him dreadfully and always be Some of the other stories across
:14:44. > :14:46.Scotland this Friday: A man has been found guilty of owning two
:14:46. > :14:49.Rottweilers that savaged a ten- year-old girl on the street,
:14:49. > :14:52.leaving her with permanent scars. Derek Adam's Rottweilers escaped
:14:52. > :14:55.from the garden of his ex-partner's home in Dundee in August 2010. They
:14:55. > :14:58.attacked another dog before pulling the girl from the bike and dragging
:14:58. > :15:01.her onto the road. Adam was warned he faces jail when he returns for
:15:01. > :15:03.sentencing in January. Rangers have reached an out-of-
:15:03. > :15:07.court settlement with their former finance director Donald McIntyre,
:15:07. > :15:10.who is suing them for breach of contract. In October Mr MacIntyre
:15:10. > :15:15.had �300,000 of the club's assets frozen pending the outcome of his
:15:15. > :15:17.case. However, the Court of Session was told this morning that both
:15:17. > :15:23.parties had reached agreement, although the settlement was
:15:23. > :15:26.undisclosed. Tens of thousands of people have
:15:26. > :15:28.given their views on whether same- sex marriage should be allowed in
:15:28. > :15:32.Scotland. A Scottish government consultation on the issue closes
:15:32. > :15:42.today and it is already clear the subject has prompted one of the
:15:42. > :15:44.
:15:44. > :15:47.biggest reactions ministers have ever seen. It is 250 tonnes of
:15:47. > :15:51.solid granite and it has been perched on top of the Highland hill
:15:51. > :15:56.since the Ice Age but the Forestry Commission has decided the huge
:15:56. > :16:01.rock is unsafe and there began an operation today to break down. It
:16:01. > :16:08.sits above their AA82 at Fort William which means long delays for
:16:08. > :16:12.motorists this weekend. -- the A82. You probably do not realise what is
:16:12. > :16:18.glowering down a you when you drive along here, but this Rock has to be
:16:18. > :16:27.removed because if they do not take it down, it risks coming down any
:16:27. > :16:33.way and with the trees. There are a few technical issues. It is such a
:16:33. > :16:37.major unstable crack. This site means they cannot bring any
:16:37. > :16:41.mechanical equipment end to help with the removal of the rock. That
:16:41. > :16:46.means that everything has to be done by hand. To make sure it is
:16:46. > :16:52.done as quickly as possible, the contractors are working 24 hours a
:16:52. > :16:57.day, even during the dark. The way it is lying is not safe, the weight
:16:57. > :17:03.is towards the front and there is an obvious crack at the back. It
:17:03. > :17:09.has been suffering for a long time. It needs to come down. It means the
:17:09. > :17:14.closure of his main highway to the West Highlands. While local people
:17:14. > :17:18.accept the safety case, there is concern about the disruption.
:17:18. > :17:22.People are saying this in her the better but basically minimise the
:17:22. > :17:27.disruption. End this regard, we have been seeking to get
:17:27. > :17:30.compensation for people who have to take the ferry but the Forestry
:17:30. > :17:35.Commission have refused that. Forestry Commission is embarking on
:17:35. > :17:39.a programme of harvesting on its deeper slopes, so projects like
:17:40. > :17:48.this are bound to become more common through out Scotland. --
:17:48. > :17:51.steeper slopes. Now for the sport. Good evening. Another Scottish
:17:51. > :17:55.international footballer has declared his interest in
:17:55. > :18:01.representing Britain at their London Olympics. Celtic's James
:18:01. > :18:07.Forrest says it would be an honour to be pecked. He admits the
:18:07. > :18:13.Scottish FA opposition gives players a dilemma.
:18:13. > :18:17.James Forrest is a young man in good form, Celtic's clean sweep of
:18:17. > :18:23.the monthly awards is testament to that. He might be a candidate for
:18:23. > :18:29.the British Olympic squad. A looks promising, he looks like a good
:18:29. > :18:32.tournament. It would be a good thing to happen. The SFA would
:18:32. > :18:38.prefer the Scottish players would not make themselves available, we
:18:38. > :18:42.that we of? There was no guarantee I would get picked but any player
:18:42. > :18:50.who was pecked, would have to consider it because it is a great
:18:50. > :18:55.honour. Jane is forest is not the only Scot to feel away. -- James
:18:56. > :19:01.Forrest. Steven Naismith also said he would make himself available.
:19:01. > :19:06.That is a fantastic goal! This is another Scot who is keen to be
:19:06. > :19:11.involved, but do they have the support of the nation? I do us see
:19:11. > :19:19.why Scottish players cannot participate. Steven Naismith should
:19:19. > :19:26.be ashamed of himself. I think issued, by 11 London. Team GB is a
:19:26. > :19:29.political football. -- I think they should. But I live in London.
:19:29. > :19:32.Scotland's women are through to the final of the European Championships
:19:32. > :19:37.in Moscow. Eve Muirhead's rink beat Denmark by comfortably --
:19:37. > :19:40.comfortably by 10 shots to 2 in the semi-finals. They will play Sweden
:19:40. > :19:43.in tomorrow's final. The Swedes have won all 10 of their matches so
:19:43. > :19:47.far in the tournament. Scotland's Paul Lawrie is six shots
:19:47. > :19:50.off the lead at the Dubai World Golf Championship. The former Open
:19:50. > :19:53.champion started his second round one of the lead on seven under par,
:19:53. > :19:57.but a one-over-par round today means he's dropped down the field
:19:57. > :20:03.which is led by Alvaro Quiros from Spain.
:20:03. > :20:05.Glasgow will host the Rugby Sevens World series from next season. The
:20:05. > :20:12.Scottish leg of the competition is moving from Murrayfield in
:20:12. > :20:15.Edinburgh to the home of Glasgow Warriors. It is hoped the stadium
:20:15. > :20:23.at Scotstoun will help create a better atmosphere than is possible
:20:23. > :20:30.at the home of Scottish rugby. Plenty of thrilling Sevens action
:20:30. > :20:36.at the Stadium today - entertaining stuff. Good try! It will be the
:20:36. > :20:41.return of the big boys when the World Sevens relocates. We have
:20:41. > :20:46.managed to reunite to British rugby legends to announce the launch of
:20:46. > :20:53.the Sevens. Good afternoon. Why is there such a big deal? I think it
:20:53. > :20:57.is a great idea. Sevens is a totally different game, it is all
:20:57. > :21:02.about a party atmosphere and carnival. We would never fell
:21:02. > :21:06.Murrayfield but here we have a 15,000 football stadium and she
:21:06. > :21:14.would have the West Coast coming is well, it would be an outstanding
:21:14. > :21:18.event. I have been to one or two parties but I have been two more in
:21:18. > :21:24.Glasgow than Ed and. You would get a lot of people from the North of
:21:24. > :21:30.England coming up to Glasgow as well. -- than 8am. It would be one
:21:30. > :21:35.of the great tournaments. The world sees may have boosted the
:21:35. > :21:40.popularity of the sport in the city, especially amongst the young people.
:21:40. > :21:50.Are you looking for would to the Sevens coming to Glasgow? Areas!
:21:50. > :21:57.
:21:57. > :22:01.Thank you very much. We will be there. -- areas! -- yes! It is
:22:01. > :22:08.described as painting the Forth Bridge - something which never N's
:22:08. > :22:13.but today after a decade's worth of work, it will not need painting for
:22:13. > :22:18.20 years. Our reporter was allowed to go all the way to the top before
:22:18. > :22:23.the scaffolding was removed. The Firth of Forth - a world away from
:22:24. > :22:28.the storm of yesterday. The regular rumble of trains has return to the
:22:28. > :22:36.Forth Bridge. For the 400 workers who have spent the last decade
:22:36. > :22:41.restoring and repainting best icon, today is a big day. -- this icon.
:22:41. > :22:47.The methods have changed but the job of painting and maintenance has
:22:47. > :22:53.been ongoing ever since 1890. It is no longer and never-ending task -
:22:53. > :22:58.work is done for 20 years. We have had to paint over 6 million rabbits
:22:58. > :23:06.by hand. We have covered thousands of square metres with litres of
:23:06. > :23:10.paint. -- the rivets. It is the scale of the task into perspective.
:23:10. > :23:14.He have a remarkable opportunity when you are appear to taking the
:23:14. > :23:23.soundings and appreciate what an amazing feat of engineering this
:23:23. > :23:30.bread is. -- when you are up here. Completed in 1890, a century later
:23:30. > :23:35.it is being considered for a World Heritage status. What a fantastic
:23:35. > :23:42.quality of work ship done by the guys on the bridge. There is a good
:23:42. > :23:48.solid future for this bridge. -- workmanship. For the first time the
:23:48. > :23:58.40 bread is no longer work in progress, it is a complete work. --
:23:58. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:06.the 4th bench. -- the Forth bridge. It will be cold across the whole of
:24:06. > :24:13.It will be cold across the whole of the country and we have a Met
:24:13. > :24:18.Office warning for ice. This is primarily in the west and north
:24:19. > :24:23.east. We have a warning for snow in Sutherland and Lewis and Harris. It
:24:23. > :24:28.will be a cold night everywhere with a widespread frost.
:24:28. > :24:33.Temperatures for most are freezing or below. Down to minus five in
:24:33. > :24:40.some spots. Tomorrow - it will be any East-West split with the best
:24:41. > :24:43.conditions in the east. Cloud followed by it Lane -- rain later
:24:44. > :24:47.on. One or two showers will fade away and much of the morning will
:24:47. > :24:51.be dry and bright. The best of the sunshine in the east with the
:24:51. > :24:57.weather front trying to push his way into was the West Coast in the
:24:57. > :25:01.afternoon. Around 3pm tomorrow, it will be a cold day. Up the West
:25:01. > :25:08.Coast it will be cloudy and the rain will try to edge in through
:25:08. > :25:14.the afternoon. Towards the north- east - some sunshine, a but just
:25:14. > :25:20.one Celsius so it will be a cold afternoon. If you are out on the
:25:20. > :25:30.hills or climbing, we could see one or two showers of snow. It will be
:25:30. > :25:33.
:25:33. > :25:41.called at the summits. -- cold. Winds from the west or south-west.
:25:41. > :25:49.If you are out all about on the water, you can expect a moderate
:25:49. > :25:55.sea state and visibility. In the EC will be drier and brighter. -- in
:25:55. > :25:59.the east. That rain band continues to move from west to east overnight
:25:59. > :26:06.on Saturday. Everyone will see some of the rain but the temperature
:26:06. > :26:11.will remain mild overnight. Into Sunday, frequent showers in the
:26:11. > :26:17.west, drier and brighter in the south and east. Monday - a
:26:17. > :26:20.relatively dry with some brightness. Showers on the west coast. Tuesday
:26:20. > :26:26.- it looks like low-pressure is pushing end which will bring rain
:26:26. > :26:28.and strong winds. Tonight - the main focus is Ice in many parts of
:26:29. > :26:33.the country. the country.
:26:33. > :26:38.A summary of the top stories - engineers and Scotland are trying
:26:38. > :26:42.to restore power to around 40,000 homes which are still without
:26:42. > :26:47.electricity after the storms yesterday. Many people should be
:26:47. > :26:52.reconnected by end of the day according to the energy companies.
:26:52. > :26:55.Britain appears to be more isolated in Europe than at any time since it
:26:55. > :27:00.joined the Common Market nearly 40 years ago. David Cameron was the
:27:00. > :27:04.only leader to veto a new you deal designed to stabilise their new
:27:04. > :27:08.role in the long term. 23 members of the EU agreed to start work on a
:27:08. > :27:12.new treaty on their own. A mother accused of murdering her
:27:12. > :27:16.toddler son and pretending for months he was still alive has told
:27:16. > :27:21.the jury of the moment she found him dead. Kimberly Hainey said she
:27:21. > :27:26.had not murder Declan nor has she given him drugs. His decomposed