31/05/2017 Reporting Scotland

The Scottish child abuse inquiry begins with a vigil for victims

who've died and a call from survivors for better

I reported my abuse in 1998 and was ignored. Things have changed,

Scotland has changed. Child abuse has changed.

An unlicensed dog breeder faces prison after being found

guilty of causing these animals unnecessary suffering.

90% of Scots diagnosed with the most lethal cancers

die within five years - now there are calls

The Scottish Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto promising

to block a second independence referendum.

And it's one of Scotland's most majestic birds,

but a third of all golden eagles are killed under

The Scottish child abuse inquiry has heard a succession of apologies

from a variety of organisations that provided residential care.

Christian and charity-run homes acknowledged the pain and suffering

endured by youngsters, stretching back decades.

Our reporter Morag Kinniburgh was there as the public hearing

phase of the far-reaching investigation got

A vigil in memory of victims of child abuse who have died. Survivors

want justice and action to protect children now. I reported my abuse in

1998 and was ignored. Over the years I have heard of many survivors who

were the same. Things have changed. Scotland has changed. Child-abuse

has changed. Reporting and recognising child-abuse has changed.

I welcome you to the first day of our public hearings... The enquiry

has suffered a series of resignations and criticism over its

scope. Many children in Scotland have, over the years, been abused

Western residential care. They suffered some terrible treatment.

Infected by those to whom their carer was entrusted. That is a

matter of grave concern. So far, 69 institutions have been investigated

here, from private boarding schools and hospitals to counsel, church and

charity care homes. It is not thousands suffered physical, sexual

and emotional abuse as well as neglect by those meant to be looking

after them. In these first hearings, churches and charities said sorry to

the children abused. The Catholic community in Scotland has an

overwhelming sense of shame that these abhorrent crimes are in the

context of the Church and we are doing our utmost to ensure these

things cannot happen again. Kate was seven when she was taken from

Glasgow to Northern Ireland and abused. She has come back to urge

Scots to testify and move the burden of abuse back onto the perpetrators.

These people have a right to justice. Yes, they need to have

their voice heard. And do not be frightened to come forward because

it is a great feeling afterwards. The feeling of peace within.

Survivors are due to give evidence in the months ahead, they're urging

thousands more to break their silence to help protect children in

care night. A man from North Lanarkshire has

been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a number

of dogs and selling Christopher Gorman had been keeping

the animals in his back yard Dirty, covered with excrement. The

disgusting conditions in which Christopher Gorman kept his dogs.

Filmed by a BBC Scotland report in January in 2016 as part of an

investigation into the illegal trade of dogs. Little wonder the animals,

which is a defence lawyer said all had names, picked up infections.

Today, Gorman was found guilty of ten offences, including causing

unnecessary suffering and selling dogs without a licence. This

Scottish SPCA inspector needs to remain anonymous. It took three

occasions of attending his address and seizing dogs before he finally

desisted so we welcome the fact that hopefully he will not cause any more

dogs to suffer. The Scottish SPCA carried out a series of raids,

alerted by buyers who bought dogs but became sick. So many with scabs

and scars over the years and their head. Let's found conjunctivitis.

Their paws were raw. This is about putting profit before the welfare of

the animal. And the single biggest issue that affected Mr Gorman was

how much money he would make that he didn't care what effect that had on

the dogs, psychologically and physically. Each time the SSPCA took

the animals away, undaunted, Gorman acquired more of them, operating as

a pet shop without licence. In total, 45 were seized. Pedigree

mastiffs, the SPCA said Maud Watts mastiffs, the SPCA said Maud Watts

-- some of them would sell for more than ?1500. The sheriff said some

dog suffered unnecessarily and to a great extent and that was illegal.

One dog had suffered so badly, it had to be put down. He said the

offences were so serious that all options were open to him and prison

was a possibility. Christopher Gorman, who the Crown says has

assets over ?1.2 million, will be sentenced next month. The SSPCA say

they have families waiting to take the dogs, love them and look after

them properly. Willie Rennie has told BBC Scotland

that his party is set to make "great progress"

in the election in Scotland. The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader

was speaking after he published his This from our political

editor Brian Taylor. Scotland's capital, covered in

sunshine, as if it was not tough enough to get people to focus on

politics. But easing through the lunchtime crowd, Willie Rennie

thinks he has found the formula. Picking apart his party 's logo, he

says the final Brexit deal must be put to another referendum. With the

option of staying in the EU. But a second referendum on Scottish

independence? That is a bird that will not fly. The SNP need to focus

on the day job, that is why the Lib Dems are saying clearly that were

against a second device of referendum. The launch is at the

Edinburgh offices of the charity help the mind. The Lib Dems would

boost spending on mental health with Scotland's share of an extra penny

tax on dividends. MPs cannot alter income tax because that is devolved.

The Lib Dems would enter the 1% pay cap which has affected public sector

employees and keep the triple lock on pensions, which gives a short

increase at a certain level. They would provide guarantees to EU

residence in Scotland. Largely aimed at helping universities. Post well,

they would help the north-east to diversify and they paint a picture

of a struggling economy, promising to boost growth and eliminating the

day-to-day deficit by 2020. They said they would make a positive case

for immigration but can they gain ground here? In key seats across

Scotland, Lib Dems facing the SNP, that is a direct contest and I know

we will make great progress, we will grow in this election because we are

crucial to stopping that second device of independence referendum

before it starts. But of course, these UK wide elections are fought

street by street. The Lib Dems hope that pavement politics will work for

them once more. Elsewhere in the election campaign,

a health think-tank has warned that tens of thousands of UK pensioners

living abroad could come home for NHS treatment unless the Brexit

deal secures continued access to EU Here's our political

correspondent, Glenn Campbell. This pretty village in the wine

producing region of France has been home to Brian and Hillary for the

last eight years. But Brexit has made them feel uncertain about their

future here. We are extremely worried but the consequences will be

that if we cannot have some health cover here, I cannot see that we

could afford private health insurance and the consequences would

be that we would have to return to the UK. The health think tank The

Nuffield Trust says 190,000 UK pensioners in other EU countries.

The UK government contributes around ?500 million each year towards their

health care. But it estimates it would cost the NHS, including NHS

Scotland, another ?500 million to look after them if Brexit forced

them to return home. So not everyone who leaves these shores to retire in

even sunnier parts of the EU is going to come home, even if Brexit

means we do not get a new deal on health care. And if we no longer pay

for full membership of the EU, that could also free up some extra cash

to spend on the public services like the NHS. For the SNP, health care is

a snapshot of Brexit problems to come. Whatever some might wish for.

Sex! With voters in Fife, Nicola Sturgeon said UK ministers could not

escape their responsibilities. We have a government that still cannot

answer basic questions on what they are seeking to achieve and how they

are going to help our public services and our economy deal with

the applications of Brexit. The Lib Dems said if there is a bad Brexit

deal, voters should have the chance to reject it. There are no easy

fixes to the issues Brexit razors, according to the Labour Scottish

leader, campaigning in Glasgow. This is a sorry mess caused by the Tory

gamble on the hard Brexit. If you vote for Labour, you have a party

focused on jobs, investment in the economy and investing in the NHS.

That is the choice. But on a farm in Angus, the Conservative leader

insisted her party is best placed to negotiate with the EU. This report

shows we need to get the Brexit deal right and this election will decide

who it is that sits across the table from 27 European countries to get

that good deal for Britain. Do you want that to be Theresa May Jeremy

Corbyn? Whoever ends up negotiating rights for UK citizens living in the

EU will probably have to guarantee similar rights to those from EU

countries who choose to move to the UK.

Jeremy Corbyn has changed his mind, and will now take part in tonight's

The Prime Minister Theresa May will not be there.

Our Westminster correspondent David Porter will be

Welcome to the magnificent surroundings of Senate House

Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge. This is a venue more used

to holding graduation ceremonies but tonight it is the venue for the

BBC's seven we leaders debate and as you say, in terms of the dynamics,

they have changed because Jeremy Corbyn will take part and Theresa

May says she will not. Her place will be taken by Amber Rudd, the

Home Secretary. The SNP is represented by its Deputy Leader,

Angus Robertson. The first time he will take part in the UK wide debate

in this general election. All of the candidates will hope to achieve

three things, to get their point across, not make any mistakes and

try to win over undecided voters. With just over one week left until

polling day, they will want to make sure that they are on top form and a

reminder that you can see that debate on BBC One Scotland starting

at 7:30pm this evening. Thank you for that.

Almost nine out of ten people with cancers like stomach and brain

tumours in Scotland will die within five years of diagnosis.

Compared with other cancers, survival rates

Campaigners blame a lack of research funding and are calling

Here's our health and social care correspondent, Shelley Jofre.

Heather was looking forward to a career in the music industry that

she began to get bad headaches. At 25, she did not imagine she had a

brain tumour, and now the did her doctor. I ended up going to four

different doctors before they sent me for the MRI scan. How long did it

take to get the diagnosis? It must have been 15 months. Thereabouts.

That is an incredibly long time. Yes. It is too long. That is why I

am so passionate about raising awareness because the diagnosis

Times are terrible. In the last 40 years, the survival rate for

breast-cancer has doubled, it has travelled for prostate cancer buffer

cancers like Heather's, the outlook is poor. 7000 deaths every year in

Scotland are caused by just six cancers, brain, liver, lung,

pancreatic, oesophagus and stomach. There is just 12% chance of

surviving five years or from diagnosis. At this cancer centre in

the West of Scotland, they are searching brain and pancreatic

cancer but some are simply harder to spot and others. If you have cancer

in your pancreas, that is right in the middle of your abdomen, towards

the back, you may not be aware of that. Until it is quite advanced,

when it causes symptoms, whereas in the breast or the skin, it might

become more obvious earlier in the course of that disease and if it

presents earlier, we have more opportunities to treat. Campaigners

for the sixth least survivable cancers teamed up at Holyrood

earlier to lobby MSPs, saying they are the poor relation when it comes

to funding. I think the lack of research funding is a big issue,

with only 17% of common cancer research funding going to the less

survivable groups so we need to see an increase to make sure we drive up

survival rates. Heather is now living one day at a time, knowing

others in her position sadly have not survived so long.

You're watching BBC Reporting Scotland.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry opens with apologies

from organisations which ran childen's homes.

Taking the plunge - an unusual waterborne

performance for the start of an international arts festival.

Campaigners have gathered outside the Scottish Parliament to highlight

The protestors handed in tens of thousands

of consultation responses urging the Scottish Government to ban

A public consultation on hydraulic fracturing and unconventional oil

A moratorium is in place until ministers have

They're Scotland's most iconic bird, yet a new study has found that

almost a third of all golden eagles have been killed under

The investigation looked at satellite-tagged birds

but ministers say the levels of persecution they found are likely

Our rural affairs correspondent, Kevin Keane, reports.

They other majestic inhabitants of our skies but birds like golden

eagles and hen harrier 's and goshawks are being threatened by

persecution. Now, this copper head of study of the most iconic of those

species has been completed. The result is that one in every three

satellite tagged golden eagles have been killed under suspicious

circumstances is startling. The environment Secretary, visiting an

animal mortality laboratory in Perth, announcing new problems to

tackle the problem, including a review of the impact of management

practices and more police resources in key areas. Eradicating crime is

an ideal but whether we can manage that is different. What we are

trying to do here is reduced the circumstances in which people feel

that criminal activity is necessary or required. These six areas of

Scotland have been highlighted, with the disappearance of birds has been

recorded in clusters. The report ruled out a range of other possible

explanations for these bird fatalities, from the satellite tags

themselves causing the deaths through to disorientation from local

wind farms. RSPB Scotland has been increasingly frustrated in recent

months, this obvious act of wildlife crime resulted in the case against a

gamekeeper being dropped when the video was deemed inadmissible in the

court. But today, the charity welcomed the findings. To be honest,

it bankrupts them if that persecution of raptors has been in

steady decline for the past 20 years, something that is regularly

said by representatives of the land management sector. What they need to

do is acknowledge the scale of this problem. The Scottish gamekeepers

Association has described the report as difficult reading but insists

progress is being made. Now back to the election,

and the dominant issue of Scottish politics over the last few

years - independence. East Renfrewshire is a part

of the country where the issue is playing a central role

in the campaign, at least Our political correspondent,

Nick Eardley, is travelling around the country and joins us now

from the constituency. Good evening, Nick. Sally, good

evening from Clarkston. East Renfrewshire is a part of the

country that voted firmly against independence back in 2014, but

despite that the following year for the first time it elected an SNP MP.

This time around Labour and the Tories are playing the Constitution

card card in an attempt to win that seat away from the Nationalists. --

playing the Constitution card hard. But what role is the threat of a

second independence referendum having on people's Mes? Teeing off

at Whitecraigs Golf Club, one of several members courses in East

Renfrewshire. -- on people's minds? I suppose like the politics, it is

quite interchangeable? The Tories and Labour have both enjoyed success

here, but in 2015 the SNP won it for the first time, so will independence

be on people's minds next week? I think they are totally against it in

this area. I like the idea of it but I am worried about the fishing

site... Independence is the key issue for Tories and here, 63% voted

no, they think people want a change MP. We have an MP who has done

little to nothing other than agitate for a second independence

referendum. Why do you have a bigger mandate to block one than they have

to hold one? We are on the side of the majority public opinion in

Scotland. There is no split in the Unionist vote so that when it is put

to people they should know it is the Conservatives and only then who can

stand up for the Union. But he is not the only Unionist in town. Blair

McDougall leather No campaign in 2014. They are sending a strong

signal against a second referendum and I will back that. If they want

to elect someone who can clap legacy will for Theresa May and whatever

she does with a hard Brexit, or they could vote for someone who is going

to protect jobs. It is not all golf clubs and Unionism here, though.

Along the road past Scotland's biggest onshore wind farm is

Neilston, and this is a social enterprise cafe helping the

community stay active. The boss here things people are worried about more

than independence. I think people are worried about the day-to-day,

survival at a day-to-day level, income for their families, changes

to welfare, things happening in hospitals and the social care

invocations. What do the punters think? I would always fought

pro-independence whatever. I will be voting for Labour. But I was

pro-independence. But the Labour candidate there is very and the

Independent? You would still vote for him? Yes. Kirsten Oswald won is

SNP here in 2015. It is a dream for her like many of her colleagues, but

is it a focus? People are concerned about Brexit, unhappy with Theresa

May and how she is dealing with Brexit. There is no doubt the

Scottish Parliament has a mandate for a second independence

referendum. I think my job as an MP is very much focused on the needs

and wants of the people in the local area. I think what we are offering

is a very clear message that we are both for Scotland in the UK and the

UK as part of Europe. This is a constituency that really wants to

see Scotland and the UK in Europe. It will be next week before we know

which way the politics is heading, but back at the golf club, a little

more success reading the green. Ukip has published its Scottish

general election manifesto. It says its priorities

are to encourage Scots to stay in Scotland,

build their businesses The party also says there should be

no second independence referendum and that both Scotland and the rest

of the UK must fully The party is fielding ten

candidates in Scotland. The main message is we want taxes no

higher than the rest of the UK, to make sure we are competitive. We

want to stay in the UK and get out of the EU single market so we can

make trade treaties with the world so we can get more jobs, so we can

do business with the growing areas of the world, because we can't do

that when we are still in with those 27 other states, and it doesn't suit

us. The glamour of the Cannes Film

Festival may seem miles away from a children's festival

in Edinburgh, but one award-winning actor from Denmark

was determined to appear at both. Claes Bang had agreed

to perform at the Edinburgh International Children's Festival

before his latest film won Our arts correspondent,

Pauline McLean, reports. You might describe it as immersive

theatre, the sort of thing usually in at a more mature theatre-goer,

but this sell-out show is aimed at four-year-olds. We have a work from

Germany where the audience sit around a swimming pool and observe

the performance through see-through portals, ands I suppose you would

call them dancers in the water, creating this very atmospheric

meditative work. I just turned 13 and was having dinner with my

parents at the kitchen table when our punch landed on my right cheek.

Nor does the work shy away from hard subjects like bullying. This show,

Evil, was selected by young people in the Craigmillar area of

Edinburgh, which is why its Danish star was determined to get here,

despite a clash at the Cannes Film Festival, where his work won the

latest prize. We agreed it should come and I am a man of my word, but

the festival was really nice and I sort of changed my schedule here so

I could attend the awards ceremony in Sunday in Cannes, otherwise I

would not have been able to be there. I am doing three shows today

and I have not done that ever, not even in Danish, so it will be

interesting to see if I can get through it. For many Scottish

companies, the festival has offered an important platform for children's

Theatre. It is because it doesn't dumb down to kids, make it silly.

There is a real sophistication that all the adults in the theatre can

enjoy the work just as much as the children. And with shows from nine

countries across main days, there is something for everyone, whatever

your age. As long as you're prepared to take the plunge and try something

new. Reporting Scotland, Edinburgh. Now, the Ultimate Fighting

Championship comes to The sport, based on Mixed Martial

Arts - also known as MMA - has become hugely popular around

the world in recent years. The homegrown stars are hopeful UFC

will become an Olympic event The tough talking world of UFC is

strolling into town. Who can land the knockout blow? Be honest, what

is the biggest draw this year? Better looking, bigger, we hit

harder. Nobody knows who this guy is yet! Stevie Ray was on the bill the

last time UFC came to Glasgow back in 2015. The sport has become hugely

popular and Ray is hopeful one day it could feature at the Olympic

Games. I can see it happening in the future, hopefully. MMA is a mixture

of judo, an Olympic sport, wrestling, an Olympic sport, and

boxing, an Olympic sport, and MMA allows you to do all of them. The

last time UFC was here in Glasgow back in 2015, tickets for the Hydro

sold out in just 25 minutes. The sport might not be to everyone's

taste but there is no doubt there is a huge appetite for it out there.

Everyday it is getting bigger. UFC in Scotland has grown in the last

few years, from recently having some Scottish guys in the UFC, to myself,

it is getting bigger and will only get bigger. Would you see it is any

more brutal than boxing? I would say that boxing is more brutal. In MMA

we are looking at the whole body, so it is your arms and legs and not

just your head. And obviously you have the grappling side of things,

so we go to ground and it is not a lot of contact on the head. I would

see boxing is more brutal, but maybe people would argue with that. What

can't be argued with is the popularity. Tickets are likely to

fly out the door for sport seriously on the up.

Time to get the latest on the forecast after a lovely day.

Coming in a few hours, though, Sally. Yes, last day of the

meteorological spring and it was a cracker. 21 degrees in the capital,

really very pleasant indeed. More cloud building in the south-west at

the moment but plenty of blue sky photos from our Weather Watchers.

Good day in Angus. And this evening there is still some sunshine on the

cards. These are the charts. Dry, cloud building, the breeze starting

to increase round the south-west. There is a change on the way, but it

should remain dry overnight, low cloud around the south-west coast

and the hills. A mild night. Tebbits in double-digits in towns and cities

and the countryside a bit cooler. -- temperatures in double digits. This

weather front is then pushing off the Atlantic reaching around about

the spine of the country lunchtime to mid-afternoon, so turning cloudy

and wet for sum. This is mid-afternoon. Temperatures middle

to high teens. Wet further west and south-west. North of the Central

Belt, any rain is fairly light and patchy and most likely focused in

the West. Temperatures not far off what we had today but it will feel

cooler with that cloud and rain. That wet weather is still with us

this time tomorrow night, but it is pulling away slowly. However, not

done just yet, because if we move out and take a look, you can see

that front there, waving weather front, so it is coming back on

Friday. And Friday starts cloudy and damp, mostly likely in the east, but

then it hopefully clears away and will brighten up to sunshine and

showers by the afternoon, so a reversal of the conditions we have

tomorrow. Cloudy wet start improving by afternoon. Temperatures once

again mid-teens. That theme of sunshine and showers sticks around

for the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday in between these two areas of

low pressure. So some sunshine at times but also a few showers to go

with that as well. That is your forecast.

Now a reminder of tonight's main news.

-- And that's all from Reporting Scotland for now.

Hear the arguments from the politicians themselves.

Hear the arguments from the politicians themselves.