:00:13. > :00:16.Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight:
:00:16. > :00:26.The inquiry into the suicides of these two vulnerable teenagers
:00:26. > :00:26.
:00:26. > :00:31.criticises the care home where they lived. She left that unit and left
:00:31. > :00:36.and nobody knows why. Nobody knows. They didn't know until after they
:00:36. > :00:39.would do it. She was very much loved and very much wanted.
:00:39. > :00:41.A sheriff rules more staff should have been on duty and the girls
:00:41. > :00:43.should never been roomed near a fire exit.
:00:43. > :00:45.Also tonight: An MP on a committee into phone
:00:45. > :00:49.hacking claims that Tommy Sheridan's conviction for perjury
:00:49. > :00:55.is unsafe. Scotland's housing market prices
:00:55. > :00:59.rose over the last year but are already on the way back down.
:00:59. > :01:08.And memories of the Queen Mum. A new exhibition opens at her
:01:08. > :01:12.The suicides of two teenage girls who died after falling from the
:01:12. > :01:15.Erskine Bridge could have been avoided. That's one of the findings
:01:15. > :01:20.of a fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of 15-year-old old Neve
:01:20. > :01:22.Lafferty and Georgia Rowe, who was 14. They were both in care and
:01:22. > :01:27.considered at risk when they died in October 2009 after absconding
:01:27. > :01:30.from a special unit. Today, in her determination, Sheriff Ruth
:01:30. > :01:34.Anderson said the outcome might have been different if more staff
:01:34. > :01:38.had been on duty at the unit and if the girls' rooms hadn't been near a
:01:38. > :01:44.fire exit. She also recommended better training for staff caring
:01:44. > :01:47.for children at risk of suicide or self harming. Our reporter Aileen
:01:47. > :01:57.Clarke has been speaking to the girls' families who believe more
:01:57. > :02:00.
:02:00. > :02:10.should have been done to protect Celebrating her 15th birthday with
:02:10. > :02:15.her family, Neve Lafferty. They had no idea it would be her last.
:02:15. > :02:20.Congratulations... Georgia Rowe, a school goal looking
:02:20. > :02:24.forward to the future. Her life ended when she was 14. Both goals
:02:24. > :02:28.had been taken into care with behaviour issues but the day they
:02:28. > :02:33.died, they had just been back from an enjoyable time spent with their
:02:33. > :02:38.families. It could not have been a happier day. The last moment,
:02:38. > :02:44.looking back, she was ringing that Bell and waving. She turned around,
:02:44. > :02:52.waved at me, a big and happy smile. As it, I will see you soon. And off
:02:52. > :02:59.I went. And... That was the last time I saw horror live. At the time
:02:59. > :03:03.they died, both were in there open unit at this centre. Georgia had
:03:04. > :03:11.been getting badly bullied in the unit and had been absconding,
:03:11. > :03:15.putting herself at risk -- at risk with trucks and boys. At the back
:03:15. > :03:19.was grieving for her boyfriend that have died. She had taken a large
:03:19. > :03:25.amount of bills, had written a suicide note and said she wanted to
:03:25. > :03:29.be did with him. Her auntie and mother felt she needed secure
:03:29. > :03:35.accommodation. I feel they didn't take it
:03:35. > :03:42.seriously, her suicide attempt. I thought they thought she was
:03:42. > :03:46.attention-seeking. She then cut her wrists severely, four times. She
:03:46. > :03:51.needed 16 stitches. I a little more than half an hour after both girls
:03:51. > :03:56.were dropped off, they walked out of the unit and headed to the
:03:56. > :04:01.Erskine Bridge. They were seen sitting on the bridge railings.
:04:01. > :04:07.Then, together, fell backwards. was very much loved and very much
:04:07. > :04:11.wanted. She has left that unit and gone and left and nobody knows why.
:04:11. > :04:19.Nobody knows! They didn't know until after they were dead. There
:04:19. > :04:26.was no security. How can that be? Those closest to the girls hope the
:04:26. > :04:33.system would have help to the goals, but it only housed them. I am a
:04:34. > :04:40.responsible parent. I feel that she was systematically failed by the
:04:40. > :04:48.care system, from start to finish. The situation should change that
:04:48. > :04:58.key people, like myself, are listened to. Because... We didn't
:04:58. > :04:59.
:04:59. > :05:04.need to end up with this outcome. George it did not need to die.
:05:04. > :05:08.A tragic story. What reaction has there been to the findings of the
:05:08. > :05:12.report? The Board of Managers issued a
:05:12. > :05:15.statement saying the open unit were both girls were staying, that is
:05:15. > :05:20.closed now. They say any lessons that can be learned will be
:05:20. > :05:24.implemented in full if applicable to the secure Unit, which they
:05:24. > :05:29.still run. Argyll & Bute Council, the local authority in charge of
:05:29. > :05:33.their care, say they have already reviewed some procedures to ensure
:05:33. > :05:38.the risk assessment of children in care and crucially communicating
:05:38. > :05:42.that effectively his improved. It is a very detailed report. The
:05:42. > :05:46.Sheriff herself says that she hopes there will be things in there that
:05:46. > :05:52.will be of use to all of those in Scotland involved in the care of
:05:52. > :05:57.vulnerable, complex, young people that and a our system, and,
:05:57. > :06:00.importantly, the families of the girls say they have not had time to
:06:00. > :06:04.digest the findings, it is such a big report, but they say they are
:06:04. > :06:10.very pleased about the careful consideration the chauffeur has
:06:10. > :06:13.given this, and the issues she has highlighted. -- considerations the
:06:13. > :06:15.Sheriff has given this. The First Minister has tonight
:06:15. > :06:18.rejected calls from the opposition parties for a separate Scottish
:06:18. > :06:20.inquiry into phone hacking. It follows a damning report by a
:06:20. > :06:24.Westminster committee which concludes that media mogul Rupert
:06:24. > :06:27.Murdoch is not a fit person to run a company. As a result, one Labour
:06:27. > :06:30.member of the committee has repeated his claim that the
:06:30. > :06:33.conviction of former socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan for perjury in his
:06:33. > :06:39.libel action against the News of the World is unsafe. Let's go to
:06:39. > :06:43.our Westminster correspondent Tim Reid.
:06:43. > :06:47.It is not the first time we have heard this claim.
:06:47. > :06:52.Tom Watson has cast doubt before on Tommy Sheridan's conviction for
:06:52. > :06:56.perjury because of the tactics the journalistic methods used by the
:06:56. > :07:01.News of the World. Tommy Sheridan, you might remember, was accused of
:07:01. > :07:04.adultery. He won his case against the News of the World but was later
:07:04. > :07:11.convicted for lying at his own perjury trial. Mr Watson believes
:07:11. > :07:16.that because the jury was not... Did not have the full facts about
:07:16. > :07:22.phone hacking, that conviction may be an son. Sq -- Strathclyde Police
:07:22. > :07:26.is investigating perjury in that trial. Tommy Sheridan says he will
:07:26. > :07:31.be vindicated in the long run. There are two important conclusions
:07:31. > :07:35.from this report. One is that Mr Murdoch is not fit to run a fish-
:07:35. > :07:39.and-chip shop, never mind the big media empire. And that the
:07:39. > :07:45.conviction against any was based on incomplete evidence and lies. It is
:07:45. > :07:49.an unsafe can fiction. committee met -- the committee
:07:49. > :07:55.meets meeting has underlined the relationship with Rupert Murdoch
:07:55. > :08:01.with politicians. A Labour capitalising on the fact that
:08:01. > :08:06.Rupert Murdoch was denounced as unfit to run a company. Alex
:08:06. > :08:13.Salmond has been a far too close to him. Something he and the company
:08:13. > :08:16.denied. Because of new revelations about former first looked -- First
:08:16. > :08:20.Minister being the victim of phone hacking, Labour and the Scottish
:08:20. > :08:25.Lib Dems have been calling for this independent inquiry in Scotland.
:08:25. > :08:29.Alex Salmond has said tonight the report today was split along party
:08:29. > :08:32.lines and that Lord Leveson has the remit of Scotland in his
:08:32. > :08:35.investigations and says that Scottish police and Scottish
:08:35. > :08:37.Justice will prevail. You're watching Reporting Scotland
:08:38. > :08:40.from the BBC. Still to come on the programme:
:08:41. > :08:44.Remembering the Queen Mum. The new exhibition at her Royal hideaway at
:08:44. > :08:48.the Castle of Mey. In sport:
:08:48. > :08:52.Neil Lennon says he's sorry but to whom and for what, find out later.
:08:52. > :08:56.There's a bit of confusion over the intentions of one of the groups
:08:56. > :08:58.bidding to take control of Rangers. And we'll be looking at some of the
:08:58. > :09:06.new sports to be included at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. All
:09:06. > :09:11.that later. Scotland has seen a slight rise in
:09:11. > :09:14.house prices over the last year. But it's not been a steady rise.
:09:14. > :09:17.Prices have actually fallen back from where they were just a few
:09:17. > :09:21.months ago. Some homeowners who are struggling to sell are choosing to
:09:21. > :09:23.become landlords instead. But in some places, a glut of homes to
:09:23. > :09:29.rent is benefiting would-be tenants. Here's our business correspondent,
:09:29. > :09:34.David Henderson. One-bedroom flat. A nice big double
:09:34. > :09:42.bedroom. This is done button. And nice place to live but Kenny
:09:42. > :09:46.Maclean has had trouble selling his flat. The lounge, kitchen. I have
:09:46. > :09:51.tried many different things to try to shift it, from changing estate
:09:51. > :09:56.agents to dropping the price, to offering cashback. I have dropped
:09:56. > :10:02.at 16% in price, and so on. Is it frustrating has Mike really
:10:02. > :10:06.frustrating. I am now looking at letting it. It is a sign of the
:10:06. > :10:12.times. The property market is volatile. House prices rose
:10:12. > :10:20.slightly in the last year, up by an average of 1.7%. In recent months,
:10:20. > :10:25.they fell back. Prices have been volatile for some time. They have
:10:25. > :10:28.been going up and down, up and down. Gradually, the changes by a quarter
:10:28. > :10:34.are getting smaller and smaller and the market is get into something
:10:34. > :10:40.approximating stability. I will liken it to a bouncing ball. The
:10:40. > :10:44.bouncing ball is bouncing and have less. Sold, signs like that are
:10:44. > :10:48.thin on the ground. We are several years on from the credit crunch and
:10:48. > :10:53.the banking crisis but getting hold of mortgage finance remains a bit
:10:53. > :10:58.of a problem, especially for those that are still trying to get their
:10:58. > :11:02.foot on the first run of the property ladder. With more people
:11:02. > :11:05.on the -- unable to sell, more choose to rent out their homes. In
:11:05. > :11:11.Edinburgh, these letting agents have noticed would-be tenants now
:11:11. > :11:16.have more choice. Six months ago, we would have taken a tenant to see
:11:16. > :11:22.three properties and they would see -- and they would rent one. Now we
:11:22. > :11:26.take them to see five properties. There's a little bit more
:11:26. > :11:31.negotiation. With the mortgage finance still thin on the ground
:11:31. > :11:34.and the economy sluggish, few think house prices will rise much in the
:11:34. > :11:38.next few years. The Crown has now closed its case
:11:38. > :11:41.in the trial of Ross Monaghan. He is accused of the gangland killing
:11:41. > :11:44.of Kevin Gerbil Carroll. A number of firearms charges against Mr
:11:44. > :11:48.Monaghan, whose picture we can show you for the first time, were
:11:48. > :11:54.dropped this morning. He is still charged with and denies murdering
:11:54. > :12:00.Kevin Carroll in ASDA car park in Robroyston in Glasgow January 2010.
:12:00. > :12:02.The trial continues. With voters going to the polls on
:12:02. > :12:05.Thursday to elect Scotland's 32 councils, one issue that's going to
:12:05. > :12:10.dominate thinking in council chambers over the next five years
:12:10. > :12:20.is money. Not just how to spend it, but how to implement a tight
:12:20. > :12:22.
:12:22. > :12:26.squeeze on budgets. Here's our economy editor, Douglas Fraser.
:12:26. > :12:30.Which council's services should be kept a float? Which can you do
:12:30. > :12:35.without or pay higher charges for? The candidates may not be admitting
:12:35. > :12:38.it, but the winners this week will face tough choices from the big
:12:38. > :12:42.squeeze. That decline will not be made up by higher talent -- council
:12:42. > :12:46.tax because they are agreed that is frozen so the key question is how
:12:46. > :12:52.to spend smaller budgets and how to save money. Some councils are
:12:52. > :12:57.pointing the way ahead for others. Due a bin collections, dimming the
:12:57. > :13:01.streetlights. Glasgow has been cutting jobs and closing schools.
:13:01. > :13:05.Others will have to follow. There are a number of councils that have
:13:05. > :13:10.still to match the supply of school places with the reduced demand for
:13:10. > :13:15.them, so too many schools, too much capacity, it means school closures.
:13:15. > :13:20.The number of areas that have pulled that off, that will be first
:13:20. > :13:26.on the agenda. What about paying more for services, from parking to
:13:26. > :13:29.leisure? Orkney is among those trudging more for cemetery is.
:13:29. > :13:34.Where I see some of that occurring is in the charge is that councils
:13:34. > :13:39.raise on services, whether it is to businesses or individuals, and that
:13:39. > :13:46.is an area where we will see a lot of change coming. In effect,
:13:46. > :13:52.charges, fees, prices will go up. Or they could be better connections
:13:52. > :13:55.across borders. This is the boundary between two councils. Over
:13:55. > :14:01.that side, Labour has been controlling the Council for the
:14:01. > :14:05.last five years. And Stirling over this side. The two big tribes of
:14:05. > :14:09.Scottish politics getting their act together. Their education service
:14:09. > :14:15.is going to be much more integrated and the boundaries are being
:14:15. > :14:21.blurred. They are trying the same with children's services with
:14:21. > :14:24.Midlothian and East Lothian. These are big challengers with big
:14:24. > :14:33.political stakes and a lighted impact on those who rely on their
:14:33. > :14:37.Let us look at what else has been happening across the country this
:14:37. > :14:42.Tuesday. Detectives investigating the murder of the 63-year-old man
:14:42. > :14:49.in Dundee want to talk to anyone who got cigarettes and tobacco from
:14:49. > :14:54.him. John Kennedy was known to sell his -- the products from his house.
:14:54. > :15:00.The Chief Constable of Grampian police says he is not leaving
:15:00. > :15:09.himself out of applying to become the first police commissioner in
:15:09. > :15:12.Scotland. The Riverside Museum in Glasgow has been named the most
:15:12. > :15:18.innovated museum in the field of technology and social history. It
:15:18. > :15:22.beat off competition from 12 other European countries. More than 1.5
:15:22. > :15:27.million people have visited the museum since it opened last June. A
:15:27. > :15:31.third to restore this Church had become more urgent since heavy snow
:15:31. > :15:37.last month collapsed at the last surviving part of its roof. There
:15:37. > :15:45.is concern that the walls may now be at risk of falling down. What we
:15:45. > :15:52.would like to see is this derelict site turned into a little heritage
:15:52. > :16:00.gem that tourists and locals can be proud of. The size of the work's
:16:01. > :16:06.most northerly resident bottled nodes Dolphin could be increasing.
:16:06. > :16:10.Almost 2,000 of the mammals of found in the North Sea and the
:16:10. > :16:17.Moray Firth. There are more stories from your area and the latest news
:16:17. > :16:27.24 hours a day on a website. -- Georgian Group Architectural Awards
:16:27. > :16:29.website. -- on that our website. Now the sport.
:16:29. > :16:32.The Celtic manager Neil Lennon says he deeply regrets his behaviour
:16:32. > :16:34.when he confronted the referee after the Scottish Cup semi-final
:16:34. > :16:37.defeat from Hearts. Lennon confirmed he will attend the SFA
:16:37. > :16:44.disciplinary hearing into his actions later this month, accept
:16:44. > :16:53.his punishment and apologise. Neil Lennon may not be flavour of the
:16:54. > :17:01.month, but he is top man as far as these children are concerned. They
:17:01. > :17:10.even serenaded him at with some familiar Celtic songs. I just can't
:17:10. > :17:20.get enough... Lehman also faces another suspension after haranguing
:17:20. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:30.the vertebrae for awarding Hearts a penalty. I will be sending
:17:30. > :17:37.correspondence to the referee as an apology. It is one actionable thing
:17:37. > :17:40.I have done that I should not have done. I will go to the tribunal and
:17:40. > :17:45.hopefully get a fair hearing and take what is coming. Last night,
:17:45. > :17:53.the managers and the Manchester derby got involved in a spat, but
:17:53. > :17:57.that was not sensationalised as it would have done in Scotland. People
:17:57. > :18:03.enjoyed since Sir Alex showing that passion. He was up for the fight.
:18:03. > :18:08.At times, you do get lost in the game, but if you take that away
:18:08. > :18:13.from us, you will have robots on the touchline not doing anything.
:18:13. > :18:18.as for the children, they are not leaving just yet. They will be
:18:18. > :18:22.entertaining the crowd at Thursday's match with St Johnstone.
:18:22. > :18:25.Now are you a bit confused by the situation at Rangers? Well you're
:18:25. > :18:28.not alone. One of the groups hoping to be earn preferred bidder status,
:18:28. > :18:31.the Blue Knights, have felt moved to reinforce their opposition to
:18:31. > :18:33.re-forming Rangers as a new company or 'New Co' today. They did so
:18:33. > :18:36.after team manager Ally McCoist said the club's administrators lead
:18:36. > :18:46.him to believe both bids for the club involved starting a new
:18:46. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :18:57.company. I think the two operas consist of new companies, but there
:18:57. > :18:58.
:18:58. > :19:01.is not involved liquidation. Certainly, 100 % one very probable.
:19:01. > :19:03.There's the latest on the Rangers situation and live coverage of
:19:03. > :19:06.tonight's SPL match between Motherwell and St Johnstone on BBC
:19:06. > :19:09.Radio Scotland 810 MW tonight - the show's on air now.
:19:09. > :19:13.It's another battle of the Scots at the Crucible in the World snooker
:19:13. > :19:21.championship. Seven times winner Stephen Hendry is playing Stephen
:19:21. > :19:23.McGuire in the quarter-finals. It's a one-sided match so far with
:19:23. > :19:26.Glasgow's McGuire taking a seven frames to one lead into tonight's
:19:26. > :19:29.second session, which starts at seven o'clock. It's first to 13
:19:29. > :19:33.frames. Commonwealth Games organisers have
:19:33. > :19:35.unveiled several new events for Glasgow 2014. The full sports
:19:35. > :19:37.programme has now been published and as our Games correspondent
:19:37. > :19:47.Kheredine Idessane reports, there are extra opportunities for women
:19:47. > :19:49.
:19:49. > :19:56.and a record number of Para-Sports Great Britain, champions of the
:19:56. > :20:02.world. Two men, two women, each doing a swim, a bike ride and a run.
:20:02. > :20:06.It is a Commonwealth first - Glasgow 2014 world host a mixed
:20:06. > :20:15.triathlon. It is a once-in-a- lifetime thing. It is going to be
:20:15. > :20:20.really good to be out there in front of my home crowd. I'd been
:20:20. > :20:25.there will be good win mac. Extra events in a women's shooting it
:20:26. > :20:31.means one successful Scott hopes to hold on to her or medals. I am
:20:31. > :20:36.excited. I can defend my title, hopefully successfully. I am
:20:36. > :20:42.excited to see it is being brought into line so that women have the
:20:42. > :20:46.same number of events. More women's event, more exciting events and
:20:46. > :20:51.also the largest parish spot programme to date in any
:20:51. > :21:01.Commonwealth Games. It is a real testament to how Glasgow 2014 is
:21:01. > :21:14.
:21:14. > :21:17.Another first for the 2014 games is track para cycling.
:21:17. > :21:20.Dozens of previously unseen photographs of the Queen Mother are
:21:20. > :21:23.included in an exhibition which opened today at her former holiday
:21:23. > :21:25.home the Castle of Mey in Caithness. The display marks the tenth
:21:25. > :21:35.anniversary of the Queen Mum's death and underlines the affection
:21:35. > :21:40.
:21:40. > :21:49.she had for the far north of Perched on the win more -- on the
:21:49. > :21:55.remote coastline of Caithness, the remote home of the Queen Mother.
:21:55. > :22:02.These photographs show her how she loved the environment. There it is
:22:02. > :22:11.a photograph where she was actually picnicking under an umbrella. As he
:22:11. > :22:15.can see, these are family snapshots and have not been seen before.
:22:15. > :22:20.dress the Queen Mother's Walk for her daughter's diamond jubilee ball
:22:20. > :22:26.is also on display, along with Coronation robes. There are also
:22:26. > :22:30.the actual chairs used during the Queen's coronation. That is the
:22:30. > :22:34.pomp and circumstance, but overall, we are given a pins into the
:22:34. > :22:39.personal life of a very public figure. This was a Highland
:22:39. > :22:45.hideaway that the Queen Mother ball when she became a young widow. The
:22:45. > :22:50.pictures in this new exhibition show how much she engage with the
:22:50. > :22:56.people of Caithness and how much she felt at ease here. It is not a
:22:56. > :23:02.grand castle by any means, and indeed, I think of it really as her
:23:02. > :23:06.holiday home. It was a place where she did relax and was always very
:23:07. > :23:11.keen to come back. Every photograph really shows her relaxed and happy
:23:11. > :23:17.to be here and she always said when she came up, she said it was so
:23:17. > :23:20.marvellous to be backing Caithness. For a royal residence, this is the
:23:20. > :23:29.Castle of modest proportions, but as these snapshots show, it was a
:23:29. > :23:36.place where the Queen Mother felt at ease and at home. And now for
:23:36. > :23:44.the weather. Glorious for some of us, but not
:23:44. > :23:49.all. Let me explain. There is some rent pushing into Dumfriesshire. On
:23:49. > :23:54.the other side, it was close to 20 Celsius. We can see the crowd there
:23:54. > :23:58.and underneath, particularly Edinburgh, temperatures are close
:23:58. > :24:02.to nine degrees. That high pressure controlling the weather and keeping
:24:02. > :24:07.things settled further north, but we will seek the rain working his
:24:07. > :24:10.way into the South West this evening. We could see one of two
:24:10. > :24:18.spots in the central belt this evening, but much of the country
:24:18. > :24:24.will be tried with clear skies. For most of us temperatures will be
:24:24. > :24:29.around three or four degrees. Also, clan and mist rolling in from the
:24:29. > :24:35.North Sea. Tomorrow morning and into the afternoon, the southern
:24:35. > :24:41.half of the country stays cloudy, but improves. Mid-afternoon, the
:24:41. > :24:47.South and south-west will be the last place to clear up, but
:24:47. > :24:57.temperatures not bad. Along the east coast it will be quite cool.
:24:57. > :24:57.
:24:57. > :25:01.The best of the temperatures will be 17 or 18 Celsius. As we head
:25:01. > :25:06.through into the evening tomorrow, dry across the whole of the country
:25:06. > :25:10.and then we see the clouds pushing in along the east coast. Overnight
:25:10. > :25:18.and Thursday, we lose that high pressure and the weather front
:25:18. > :25:27.comes back in. It will introduce rain to Orkney and the other
:25:27. > :25:31.islands, but the mainland will be dry. Notice the difference in
:25:31. > :25:34.temperatures, even with the sunshine towards the south-west.
:25:34. > :25:40.Tomorrow, if you have got the warmth, make the most of it because
:25:40. > :25:43.it will not last. Now time to recap tonight's main stories.
:25:43. > :25:46.The suicides of two teenage girls who died after falling from the
:25:46. > :25:49.Erskine Bridge could have been avoided. That' according to a fatal
:25:49. > :25:51.accident inquiry into the deaths of Neve Lafferty and Georgia Rowe.
:25:51. > :25:53.They were both in care and considered at risk.
:25:53. > :25:56.Labour MP Tom Watson has claimed that the Scottish socialist
:25:56. > :26:00.politician Tommy Sheridan was wrongly convicted of perjury in his
:26:00. > :26:03.libel action against the News of the World. Mr Watson, a member of
:26:03. > :26:13.the committee investigating phone- hacking, said the jury had not been
:26:13. > :26:14.
:26:14. > :26:18.in full possession of the facts. Flood warnings are still in place
:26:18. > :26:28.in England. The Environment Agency is warning people to stay away from
:26:28. > :26:28.
:26:28. > :26:31.swollen rivers. More staff a day have been drafted