:00:08. > :00:10.I'm Victoria Derbyshire, welcome to the programme.
:00:11. > :00:15.The top news story today: Port Talbot's steelworks,
:00:16. > :00:25.It makes the steel in every new 1p and 2 p coin,
:00:26. > :00:31.The owners say they are considering selling off the loss-making
:00:32. > :00:34.business. We will bring you all the details.
:00:35. > :00:36.Also on the programme: living in the shadow of child
:00:37. > :00:40.Residents of the town tell us they're ashamed to say
:00:41. > :00:45.The something to be so negative in the press and in the media, there's
:00:46. > :00:48.no politics at all. Now, if you go anywhere and say you are from
:00:49. > :00:50.Rotherham, it is the first thing they ask you about. No one knows
:00:51. > :00:52.anything about you. And the RSPCA hid evidence,
:00:53. > :00:54.behaved unlawfully and provoked a hate campaign against a family,
:00:55. > :00:57.when it seized and killed their elderly cat,
:00:58. > :00:58.a secret review has found. The RSPCA and the owner of Claude
:00:59. > :01:02.the cat will talk to each other for the first time since
:01:03. > :01:16.the publication of that report. Hello.
:01:17. > :01:18.Welcome to the programme. We're live until 11am every
:01:19. > :01:20.weekday morning. Throughout the programme,
:01:21. > :01:24.we'll bring you the latest breaking news and developing stories, and,
:01:25. > :01:26.as always, really keen to hear from you on all the stories
:01:27. > :01:29.we're talking about. Particularly if you live
:01:30. > :01:31.in Rotherham, tell us what it's like living in a town which has
:01:32. > :01:33.become so synonomous We've got a report on that
:01:34. > :01:37.in ten minutes' time. If you're tweeting, use the hashtag
:01:38. > :01:47.#VictoriaLIVE and if you text, you will be charged
:01:48. > :01:49.at the standard network rate. The government is understood
:01:50. > :01:53.to be in urgent talks with the Indian-owned conglomerate
:01:54. > :01:55.Tata to try to keep Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales open,
:01:56. > :02:00.after the firm said it would consider selling
:02:01. > :02:03.off its entire UK steel business. As well as sites in Wales,
:02:04. > :02:05.Tata also operates in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire
:02:06. > :02:07.and County Durham, employing about 15,000
:02:08. > :02:10.people in all. A board meeting in Mumbai last night
:02:11. > :02:13.rejected a rescue plan for Port Talbot as "unaffordable" -
:02:14. > :02:17.despite lobbying from union leaders, The future of 4,000 jobs
:02:18. > :02:27.is now a little clearer. The steel plant won't close,
:02:28. > :02:31.as feared, but will be sold off. The uncertainty for workers
:02:32. > :02:35.like Andrew continues. It affects so many people
:02:36. > :02:38.in the wider area and the wider Work like that will become more
:02:39. > :02:47.scarce if the steelworks goes. Owned by the Indian conglomerate
:02:48. > :02:50.Tata Steel, the plant has been It faced what's been called a toxic
:02:51. > :02:57.cocktail of conditions - high energy prices, a strong
:02:58. > :02:59.pound and of course, It's been producing millions
:03:00. > :03:04.of tonnes of steel it doesn't need and has been accused of selling it
:03:05. > :03:07.here at artificially low prices. Even so, the union put
:03:08. > :03:10.forward a rescue plan to save jobs and turn a profit
:03:11. > :03:13.again within two years. But in Mumbai late yesterday,
:03:14. > :03:17.Tata's board unanimously rejected It will take time, it will need
:03:18. > :03:25.support and we will ensure we make We expect them to be reasonable
:03:26. > :03:32.sellers and responsible sellers. They've also called for 750 job
:03:33. > :03:36.losses announced in January to be put on hold and urged the Welsh
:03:37. > :03:40.and UK governments to intervene. We understand there are
:03:41. > :03:43.potential buyers interested. This community video shows the vital
:03:44. > :03:49.role the steelworks plays There's a difficult road ahead,
:03:50. > :03:54.but it does now appear With us now is our
:03:55. > :04:08.Political Guru Norman Smith. What kind of things might the
:04:09. > :04:12.government be considering in terms of a rescue plan? Their preferred
:04:13. > :04:18.option would be to find some buyer, to come in and take over Port
:04:19. > :04:22.Talbot. That would be the preferred option. But there is real concern
:04:23. > :04:26.that Tata Steel has pretty much given them very little time to do
:04:27. > :04:29.this. They seem to want a deal done in weeks and if it isn't, they will
:04:30. > :04:35.pull the plug. The government says a will need months to sort it out. The
:04:36. > :04:42.fallback from that is twofold. One is to look at some kind of
:04:43. > :04:47.management - workforce buyout, which would mean the people who currently
:04:48. > :04:51.run the plant is taking it over. But the difficulty is they would have to
:04:52. > :04:54.come up with an awful lot of money. They have already come up with their
:04:55. > :04:57.own so-called turnaround plan to save the plant and they put that to
:04:58. > :05:02.the board last night and the board said it was too extensive and would
:05:03. > :05:05.take too long. There is a plan and the viewing government is that if
:05:06. > :05:09.the workforce and management think it's a good plan, they should see if
:05:10. > :05:13.they can put it into practice and see if they can get the funds to get
:05:14. > :05:17.it up and running. The final fallback position is the direct
:05:18. > :05:24.state intervention, whether through loans or aid. They are not specific
:05:25. > :05:26.about how, and they don't say it would be full renationalisation but
:05:27. > :05:30.there would be a role for government in keeping the plant open. The
:05:31. > :05:36.bottom line is this, just talking to people in government, their view is
:05:37. > :05:41.that the steel industry is a vital part of the economy. It is a crucial
:05:42. > :05:45.economic and strategic interest for Britain. We can't rely on the
:05:46. > :05:49.Chinese or whoever to provide us with steel. We have to have our own
:05:50. > :05:53.ability to make it. That is a massive step for the government to
:05:54. > :05:56.take because if you just go back a few months and member what happened
:05:57. > :06:00.that the Redcar steelworks which was allowed to close, now the government
:06:01. > :06:07.view is that Port Talbot must continue as a steel-making plant. In
:06:08. > :06:12.other words, the blast furnaces must continue. If that means some kind of
:06:13. > :06:16.state involvement, so be it. That represents a huge leap for a
:06:17. > :06:20.Conservative government who traditionally have been all about
:06:21. > :06:24.leaving it to the free market. In this context, they are saying they
:06:25. > :06:29.are prepared to get involved. But if it is a loss-making business at the
:06:30. > :06:34.company say it is, how is it a sustainable business in the long
:06:35. > :06:37.term? Well, the argument would be that, OK, there's massive
:06:38. > :06:41.overproduction globally in steel at the moment but the Chinese are
:06:42. > :06:45.shutting down large numbers of their steel plants at the moment. In other
:06:46. > :06:50.words, the market will turn. You can encourage the market in Britain. One
:06:51. > :06:54.of the other things ministers are looking at are much tighter
:06:55. > :06:56.procurement rules. These are the rules which stipulate where you can
:06:57. > :07:04.buy your steel from. The government would say to HS2 or other brig
:07:05. > :07:06.infrastructure products -- big infrastructure projects that the
:07:07. > :07:10.steel has to come from British plants. You have to comply with
:07:11. > :07:14.various EU rules to do that but it is trying to tilt the market in
:07:15. > :07:17.favour of British steel. In that way, it will provide a more
:07:18. > :07:19.profitable future for the likes of Port Tolbert. Thank you for joining
:07:20. > :07:21.us. Now a summary of the rest of the
:07:22. > :07:25.day's news with Joanna. A man has been arrested after two
:07:26. > :07:29.people were found stabbed to death Police say it
:07:30. > :07:31.followed an altercation Two other people were injured
:07:32. > :07:37.and are being treated in hospital. A police spokeswoman said
:07:38. > :07:39.they believe the victims and the man arrested at the scene
:07:40. > :07:43.were known to each other. The man who forced a passenger plane
:07:44. > :07:46.to ground in Cyprus, after claiming to be
:07:47. > :07:48.wearing a suicide belt, Seif Eldin Mustafa's motives
:07:49. > :07:52.for grounding the plane remain unclear but were not
:07:53. > :07:58.related to terrorism. He ended up giving himself
:07:59. > :08:01.up after a stand-off All the passengers and crew were
:08:02. > :08:06.safely freed. The campaigner who exposed
:08:07. > :08:07.widespread child sexual exploitation in Rotherham has told this programme
:08:08. > :08:11.she believes the true number of victims could be far higher
:08:12. > :08:16.than previously estimated. In 2014, a report found
:08:17. > :08:19.at least 1,400 children in Rotherham had suffered appalling
:08:20. > :08:23.sexual exploitation, including multiple rape,
:08:24. > :08:27.over at least 16 years. The crimes were committed mainly
:08:28. > :08:29.by men of Pakistani heritage. Jayne Senior, a youth
:08:30. > :08:33.worker from the town, has now written a book
:08:34. > :08:36.about the fight to help the girls and bring their
:08:37. > :08:38.attackers to justice. She believes the number of children
:08:39. > :08:42.abused could be closer to 2,000. I think one of the things for me is,
:08:43. > :08:47.using this recent court case as an example, a few of those
:08:48. > :08:51.who were giving evidence, I had never even come across them,
:08:52. > :08:53.so obviously these were girls I think there are a lot
:08:54. > :09:00.of people out there who have Also, there are a lot of files
:09:01. > :09:07.and paperwork that I believe there are enquiries
:09:08. > :09:10.as to where they have gone. We'll have more from Jayne Senior
:09:11. > :09:12.later in the programme. Every nursery in England should
:09:13. > :09:16.have a qualified early-years teacher to help children develop key skills
:09:17. > :09:18.like speech and language, according to the charity
:09:19. > :09:20.Save The Children. It says that thousands of youngsters
:09:21. > :09:23.struggle when they start school because toddlers' brains
:09:24. > :09:26.are not stimulated enough Our reporter Bryony
:09:27. > :09:33.MacKenzie has more. All simple activities
:09:34. > :09:42.that children find fun. But experts say studies show
:09:43. > :09:48.nursery years are crucial to a child's long-term
:09:49. > :09:51.development, and a qualified early-years teacher
:09:52. > :09:55.in every nursery would help ensure more children thrived
:09:56. > :09:58.rather than struggled. Nursery should always
:09:59. > :10:05.be about play and fun. An early-years teacher is not
:10:06. > :10:08.designed to turn a nursery They are there to create
:10:09. > :10:12.the right fun activities that help children get the language
:10:13. > :10:15.and social skills that ensure A survey has also found that when it
:10:16. > :10:19.comes to early years, parents are undervaluing how much
:10:20. > :10:21.young children can learn. 61% said school was the most
:10:22. > :10:26.important learning period. Almost half had lower expectations
:10:27. > :10:29.than government guidelines Over half said they didn't
:10:30. > :10:35.get enough advice Currently, nurseries in England
:10:36. > :10:40.are not legally required to employ Although, like here,
:10:41. > :10:48.many do support their junior staff in achieving childcare
:10:49. > :10:51.qualifications. The government says it has made
:10:52. > :10:55.significant investment in the early years sector and the number
:10:56. > :10:58.of qualified staff has risen. Victoria will have more
:10:59. > :11:05.on this after 9:30am. The RSPCA has been accused of acting
:11:06. > :11:09.unlawfully after seizing a family's pet cat, which was then put down
:11:10. > :11:14.against the owners' wishes. An official review deemed
:11:15. > :11:18.that the RSPCA behaved unlawfully and provoked a hate campaign
:11:19. > :11:20.against the Byrnes family, when it seized and killed
:11:21. > :11:25.their elderly cat, called Claude. The review was conducted
:11:26. > :11:27.by Stephen Wooler, the former And Victoria will be speaking
:11:28. > :11:45.to the owner of Claude at 9:45am. The historical drama Wolf Hall leads
:11:46. > :11:47.the nominations for this year 's BAFTA awards. The adaptation of the
:11:48. > :11:52.Hillary Mantell novels set during the reign of Henry VIII has been
:11:53. > :11:53.nominated for four awards including four Mark Rylance for his portrayal
:11:54. > :12:02.of Thomas Cromwell. More at 9:30am. Later in the programme,
:12:03. > :12:05.we'll talk to a group of parents about that report Joanna mentioned,
:12:06. > :12:08.which shows toddlers are being set back decades if their brains aren't
:12:09. > :12:10.adequately stimulated before It says many children
:12:11. > :12:13.are being disadvantaged by poor language ability, which could have
:12:14. > :12:23.been developed at nursery. This report is suggesting there
:12:24. > :12:24.should be a qualified teacher, a graduate in each nursery to
:12:25. > :12:27.stimulate toddlers' brains properly. Really keen to hear your views
:12:28. > :12:30.on that this morning, particularly if you've got
:12:31. > :12:35.pre-school age children. What do you think of the suggestion
:12:36. > :12:37.that a qualified teachers should be in each nursery in England?
:12:38. > :12:39.Do get in touch with us throughout the morning.
:12:40. > :12:41.Use the hashtag #VictoriaLIVE and if you text,
:12:42. > :12:44.you will be charged at the standard network rate.
:12:45. > :12:51.Looking forward to talking to the mums and toddlers in the next ten
:12:52. > :12:52.minutes or so. More on a big day for's England's cricketers.
:12:53. > :12:56.It's a big day for England's cricketers - both the men and women
:12:57. > :12:59.are playing World T20 semifinals in Delhi.
:13:00. > :13:01.The women are in action first, from 10:00am,
:13:02. > :13:03.they take on the defending champions Australia who've beaten England
:13:04. > :13:07.The men face an in-form New Zealand in the last four.
:13:08. > :13:18.Here in Delhi, the police officers behind me have been getting their
:13:19. > :13:24.final briefing on the huge day of cricket and a hugely significant one
:13:25. > :13:27.for England. Remember, it is the men second, the women first in their
:13:28. > :13:33.semifinals in the stadium. In the history of the women's World T20,
:13:34. > :13:36.they're just have been two champions, Australia and England. In
:13:37. > :13:41.recent times, Australia have dominated. England's victory was in
:13:42. > :13:44.2009, a golden era for the team when Ebony Rainford Brent was a key
:13:45. > :13:48.member of the squad. She is in Delhi and I asked her if she had seen
:13:49. > :13:53.enough from the England team in this tournament to believe they can beat
:13:54. > :13:56.Australia this time. I think the bowling at the moment is the best it
:13:57. > :13:59.has ever been, to have Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt
:14:00. > :14:02.opening the bowling is brilliant but the overall balance of the squad,
:14:03. > :14:06.from the seam bowlers and the spinners, that is what is clicking
:14:07. > :14:10.for England. Maybe a few concerned with the middle order but the
:14:11. > :14:14.batting, especially the top order, Beaumont and Edwards, is fantastic.
:14:15. > :14:17.England's men play New Zealand, who have been the form team of the
:14:18. > :14:21.tournament but they are unknown quantity for England, a team they
:14:22. > :14:25.have good recent memories of beating. -- a known quantity. 20
:14:26. > :14:29.over cricket is increasingly the format the world pays attention to,
:14:30. > :14:33.the format the world pays money for. To have both teams in the semifinal
:14:34. > :14:34.in Delhi is one of the most important days in recent English
:14:35. > :14:36.cricket history. England manager Roy Hodgson says
:14:37. > :14:38.last night's 2-1 defeat in the friendly against
:14:39. > :14:40.the Netherlands put a dampener on the week after their
:14:41. > :14:44.heroics in Berlin. It started well for
:14:45. > :14:51.England at Wembley. Man-of-the-Match Jamie Vardy gave
:14:52. > :14:54.them the lead, with his second goal But the Dutch equalised
:14:55. > :14:57.from the penalty spot and as the England defence
:14:58. > :14:59.were distracted by an apparent foul on Phil Jagielka, Luciano Narsingh
:15:00. > :15:02.scored the winner. Like the Dutch, Scotland also
:15:03. > :15:06.won't be at the Euros but they're of the game against Denmark
:15:07. > :15:12.at Hampden Park last night. That's three wins in a row
:15:13. > :15:19.for Gordon Strachan's side. Remi Garde's dismal spell as manager
:15:20. > :15:22.of Aston Villa is over - the club announced last night
:15:23. > :15:24.that he'd left the club Garde was in charge of Villa
:15:25. > :15:29.for less than five months, winning just twice in 20
:15:30. > :15:31.Premier League games. Villa are destined
:15:32. > :15:34.for the Championship, they're 12 points from safety
:15:35. > :15:36.with just seven games remaining. David Moyes and Nigel Pearson
:15:37. > :15:38.are among the names being mentioned as candidates to take
:15:39. > :15:42.over at Villa Park. That's all the sport,
:15:43. > :16:00.back to you, Victoria. This treat came in from Don who says
:16:01. > :16:15.he works import Talbot. This morning: residents
:16:16. > :16:17.of Rotherham, a town at the centre of the horrific child
:16:18. > :16:19.grooming scandal, tell us they're ashamed to say
:16:20. > :16:22.it's where they live. It's officially estimated that
:16:23. > :16:23.at least 1,400 children suffered harrowing sexual exploitation
:16:24. > :16:26.in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. But later in the programme,
:16:27. > :16:30.we'll talk to the woman who fought for police and social workers
:16:31. > :16:35.to take the problem seriously. She says the true figure
:16:36. > :16:37.could be as high as 2000. The attackers were mainly men
:16:38. > :16:39.of British Pakistani heritage. Now, for many people,
:16:40. > :16:42.the very name "Rotherham" So what impact has it had
:16:43. > :16:47.on the community? How have people's behaviours
:16:48. > :16:50.changed as a result? Our reporter James Longman returns
:16:51. > :16:53.to the town to talk to families, business owners and one of the many
:16:54. > :16:56.hundreds of young women abused, to find out whether
:16:57. > :16:59.Rotherham can recover. His report contains strong
:17:00. > :17:00.language and some details But because of everything that has
:17:01. > :17:20.gone off, it is difficult There is good and bad everywhere,
:17:21. > :17:30.but it's not where I want to be There's bad in everybody,
:17:31. > :17:34.it does not matter what colour You have to pick
:17:35. > :17:40.your lives up again. You never expect it to happen
:17:41. > :17:42.in a town you live in. It's the evil of some people,
:17:43. > :17:53.you can never quite believe. There's a lot of
:17:54. > :17:55.abusers in the town. I would not want my children growing
:17:56. > :18:06.up in Rotherham either. This is Rotherham, the town
:18:07. > :18:09.at the centre of one of the biggest child abuse scandals
:18:10. > :18:11.in recent history. The police and the council
:18:12. > :18:20.were found to have totally failed So we have come up to the town
:18:21. > :18:26.to find out how a place like this Guilty verdicts in the trial that
:18:27. > :18:32.exposed the exploitation 1400 children subjected to appalling
:18:33. > :18:39.sexual abuse in Rotherham by gangs Because the gangs were of Pakistani
:18:40. > :18:45.origin, and most of their victims were white, the authorities shied
:18:46. > :18:48.away from the issue. Some were worried about
:18:49. > :18:51.being called racist. Others were more bothered
:18:52. > :18:52.about community cohesion Bullying, sexism, suppression
:18:53. > :19:00.and misplaced political correctness. There were vicious and traumatic
:19:01. > :19:02.events for the courts, that for many of these young women,
:19:03. > :19:09.completely shattered their lives. At first, I just, I don't know,
:19:10. > :19:23.I thought it was a bit freaky. Then it just seemed to be really
:19:24. > :19:30.nice, like I was given compliments. He used to always cuddle me
:19:31. > :19:32.and kiss me, tell me And then he would always
:19:33. > :19:37.text me nice things. He would always ring me
:19:38. > :19:40.when I was in school, He always said he would never
:19:41. > :19:45.let anybody hurt me. And then on the day he attacked me,
:19:46. > :19:56.I could not breathe. I don't think there's many
:19:57. > :19:59.people that would say they are from Rotherham
:20:00. > :20:01.and they're happy about it. I don't think there's many people
:20:02. > :20:05.around who would say that any more. For summat to be so negative
:20:06. > :20:08.in the press and in the media, Now, if you do go anywhere and say,
:20:09. > :20:13."I'm from Rotherham", it is the first thing
:20:14. > :20:15.they ask you about. Nobody knows anything
:20:16. > :20:19.good about you. There's things that, like,
:20:20. > :20:22.I would do massively different. If I go out on a night
:20:23. > :20:25.out with my friends, there's no way we would get a taxi
:20:26. > :20:28.any more, especially not on us own. We will get a lift or we will stay
:20:29. > :20:32.in the house rather than going out. How do you think
:20:33. > :20:34.Rotherham has changed? Like, when I were at school,
:20:35. > :20:38.we would go to the park and hang about until nine or ten o'clock
:20:39. > :20:41.at night and then go home. Whereas now, like, I say to my kids
:20:42. > :20:43.who are coming here, "Don't go anywhere when it's dark,
:20:44. > :20:47.don't do this, don't do that. It's all right, everyone will say
:20:48. > :20:53.like, "Parents should not be letting them out",
:20:54. > :20:56.but it's easy for the kids They can say, "I'm going
:20:57. > :21:00.to my mate's house", and the mate will say the same thing
:21:01. > :21:04.to their mum and dad. They are roaming about
:21:05. > :21:08.on the streets and it's not a safe I think it would just be like,
:21:09. > :21:13.you can't trust anybody. Nobody walks about with a "rapist"
:21:14. > :21:15.sticker on their forehead. You don't know who they are
:21:16. > :21:17.or what they look like. They are quite obviously still out
:21:18. > :21:20.there, living a normal life. If you go out around town
:21:21. > :21:25.or if you go shopping in the town centre, it could even be a person
:21:26. > :21:28.who is serving you at the till. We just used to meet
:21:29. > :21:34.at the leisure centre, Sometimes, we just used to sit
:21:35. > :21:41.there and talk and listen to music. Then there would be times
:21:42. > :21:44.when he used to force me to have Force me to do other stuff,
:21:45. > :21:49.even though I said no. Then if I did not do it,
:21:50. > :21:54.he used to threaten me. I'm totally against
:21:55. > :22:01.what they have done. We are just, like, normal, you know,
:22:02. > :22:05.people, like anybody. Don't worry about
:22:06. > :22:13.colour or religion. We are just trying to make a living
:22:14. > :22:16.at the end of the day. You can't point fingers at,
:22:17. > :22:18.you know, any person. What is it like for you being a cab
:22:19. > :22:21.driver now in Rotherham? People are, you know,
:22:22. > :22:28.nervous about it. They are probably
:22:29. > :22:31.scared, I don't know. You don't know what they are
:22:32. > :22:35.thinking in the back of their mind. Trade has been affected
:22:36. > :22:38.sometimes, you know. It is just like, you know,
:22:39. > :22:45.customers on the weekend, in town, picked them up,
:22:46. > :22:47.one lad, two lads. One lad trying to ask me,
:22:48. > :22:51."What do you think about it?" I said, "Mate, it's bad
:22:52. > :22:53.what has happened". They go on about it,
:22:54. > :22:56.right up to me, and they are I was stressed, honestly,
:22:57. > :23:02.at that time. There was a lot
:23:03. > :23:15.of girls that did it. Then he had his hand
:23:16. > :23:24.digging in my back. He was so abusive, called me
:23:25. > :23:28.white bitch, told me And the more I tried to get out
:23:29. > :23:36.of it, the more he strangled me and dug hard in my back,
:23:37. > :23:41.to the point where I thought And then he eventually let go
:23:42. > :23:46.and he like, threw me. It does not matter what race,
:23:47. > :24:02.what creed, what background I think the police and the council
:24:03. > :24:08.have failed in their duty of care to these young,
:24:09. > :24:11.vulnerable adults, young girls. They will have everlasting and now,
:24:12. > :24:14.in terms of what happened, with a lot of people,
:24:15. > :24:17.it has made the Asian Not the same outlook in life,
:24:18. > :24:33.where we are all seen as groomers, We've had lots of violence
:24:34. > :24:39.and racially motivated attacks. I am very concerned
:24:40. > :24:47.about my children. I want them to walk
:24:48. > :24:49.in the streets feeling secure. I want them to walk in the streets
:24:50. > :24:53.feeling proud of their heritage, of being part of the
:24:54. > :24:57.Rotherham community. I don't believe that I can leave
:24:58. > :25:00.them outside and just What is it like to sit down and have
:25:01. > :25:12.to explain to your children It's a conversation you would have
:25:13. > :25:17.with a 15 or 16-year-old, It is almost like you are taking
:25:18. > :25:27.away their innocence. But you weigh up the pros and cons
:25:28. > :25:30.and it is the lesser evil, They were doing stuff more often,
:25:31. > :25:48.forcing me to have sex with them I did not think I was going
:25:49. > :26:01.to live much longer. I thought they were
:26:02. > :26:13.going to kill me. At times, Rotheram has felt
:26:14. > :26:15.like a deeply divided town, Since September 2012,
:26:16. > :26:20.there have been 15 protests in the town, many involving
:26:21. > :26:25.far right groups. There's nothing to stop anybody
:26:26. > :26:32.at any time going anywhere in the town centre
:26:33. > :26:38.and having a protest. That does affect customers,
:26:39. > :26:41.because if you can't walk up and down certain streets,
:26:42. > :26:43.it directly affects your trade, It is tough when streets are closed
:26:44. > :26:50.to have protests. It is the difference between staying
:26:51. > :27:01.afloat and going under It is hard to remember
:27:02. > :27:09.the time before not knowing, You want to know what happened
:27:10. > :27:15.and what went wrong. And then you go through the kind
:27:16. > :27:19.of acceptance and how you move forward, making sure that
:27:20. > :27:21.everybody gets justice. Making sure that you know that it
:27:22. > :27:23.never happens again, that things are in place so that
:27:24. > :27:25.people feel comfortable to move forward and that everyone feels
:27:26. > :27:28.comfortable to go to people I think the town has been
:27:29. > :27:36.through it together. I think now, especially
:27:37. > :27:39.with there being more support in place and more knowledge and more
:27:40. > :27:44.acceptance, that kind... That we are now in a place that
:27:45. > :27:48.people understand the issues a lot It was just like, what is the point
:27:49. > :27:57.in trying to tell people if they are not going to listen,
:27:58. > :28:00.not going to help me? I did not want to tell my family
:28:01. > :28:09.because I did not want There were that many girls that
:28:10. > :28:27.were abused and then it affects all of their family,
:28:28. > :28:29.all of their friends, It must have been like
:28:30. > :28:33.a massive amount of people I can't personally see how
:28:34. > :28:39.you can get on with that. Obviously, to know that some police
:28:40. > :28:42.knew about it and did not do anything, and how far up it went,
:28:43. > :28:45.like, you can't trust I think it will get better,
:28:46. > :28:52.when it dies down. Hopefully, people will get
:28:53. > :28:54.on with their lives, you know, we will get
:28:55. > :28:58.on with our lives. I will stay because I do believe
:28:59. > :29:05.in the people of Rotherham and I believe in the communities of
:29:06. > :29:07.Rotherham. I think together, we can rebuild
:29:08. > :29:15.this town to the greatness I will not let negativity spoil
:29:16. > :29:25.what is a great town. I don't believe we should be
:29:26. > :29:33.defined by this at all. Police and social services
:29:34. > :29:45.don't do anything. When you think about Rotherham now,
:29:46. > :29:48.what words that spring to mind? If you want to share that film
:29:49. > :30:17.you can find it on our programme Banks that your comments. Suzanne on
:30:18. > :30:23.Facebook says, "Yes, it's the same in watch Dale. I now never say that
:30:24. > :30:26.I'm from there". This tweet says, "To say the council and police
:30:27. > :30:31.failed the children would suggest they tried to help unsuccessfully.
:30:32. > :30:37.They did not even try". Roy says, "Enough of this Rotherham bashing,
:30:38. > :30:41.leave them to move on your demonising them". Paul e-mails to
:30:42. > :30:44.say, "As a rather residents of 65 years and at each of 40 years, I
:30:45. > :30:47.ticket section to the board fell of my town. It's not full of awful
:30:48. > :30:54.people, the schools are doing well and in the main it is very tolerant
:30:55. > :30:58.of all cultures, perhaps too so. Please let us see a more evenhanded
:30:59. > :31:01.view of my tan and look at the pretty places, not just the down and
:31:02. > :31:05.out basis. Why not ask my generation, who have more knowledge
:31:06. > :31:09.than the people you have chosen for buyers to comment?" That is from
:31:10. > :31:10.Paul who describes himself as a decent robber resident. Keep those
:31:11. > :31:15.coming in. After 10am, we'll talk
:31:16. > :31:17.to the Rotherham campaigner who tells us she believes the true
:31:18. > :31:20.number of girls abused We'll be speaking to the owner
:31:21. > :31:28.of an elderly family cat which was unlawfully seized
:31:29. > :31:30.and killed by the RSPCA. He will get the chance to tell them
:31:31. > :31:33.what he thinks of what they did. And The Great British Bake off,
:31:34. > :31:36.Gogglebox, First Dates and Strictly Come Dancing have
:31:37. > :31:38.all been nominated in the TV Baftas, Now for the latest
:31:39. > :31:44.headlines with Joanna. The governments in Westminster
:31:45. > :31:47.and Cardiff say they are working to ensure the future
:31:48. > :31:50.of the British steel industry, following the announcement last
:31:51. > :31:54.night that the Indian firm Tata is considering selling
:31:55. > :31:58.its British plants. Bosses rejected a proposal to cut
:31:59. > :32:01.costs at one of Tata's biggest plants in the UK, at
:32:02. > :32:04.Port Talbot in south Wales. It's understood that the UK
:32:05. > :32:07.government is prepared to consider a management and workforce
:32:08. > :32:11.buy-out of the plant. A man has been arrested after two
:32:12. > :32:14.people were found stabbed to death Police say it followed
:32:15. > :32:19.an altercation at a house in Two other people were injured
:32:20. > :32:23.and are being treated in hospital. A police spokeswoman said
:32:24. > :32:26.they believe the victims and the man arrested at the scene
:32:27. > :32:30.were known to each other. The campaigner who exposed
:32:31. > :32:33.widespread child sexual exploitation in Rotherham has told this programme
:32:34. > :32:36.she believes the true number of victims could be far higher
:32:37. > :32:41.than previously estimated. In 2014, a report found at least
:32:42. > :32:44.1,400 children in Rotherham had suffered appalling sexual
:32:45. > :32:48.exploitation, including multiple The crimes were committed mainly
:32:49. > :32:56.by men of Pakistani heritage. Jayne Senior, a youth
:32:57. > :32:59.worker from the town, has now written a book
:33:00. > :33:02.about the fight to help the girls and bring their
:33:03. > :33:05.attackers to justice. She believes the number of children
:33:06. > :33:09.abused could be closer to 2,000. I think one of the things for me is,
:33:10. > :33:12.using this recent court case as an example, a few of those
:33:13. > :33:16.who were giving evidence, I had never even come across them,
:33:17. > :33:19.so obviously these were girls I think there are a lot
:33:20. > :33:26.of people out there who have Also, there are a lot of files
:33:27. > :33:31.and paperwork that I believe there are enquiries
:33:32. > :33:34.as to where they have gone. Every nursery in England should
:33:35. > :33:38.have a qualified early-years teacher to help children develop key skills
:33:39. > :33:40.like speech and language, according to the charity
:33:41. > :33:43.Save The Children. It says that thousands of youngsters
:33:44. > :33:47.struggle when they start school because toddlers' brains
:33:48. > :33:49.are not stimulated enough Ministers say they're
:33:50. > :33:53.working with the profession The historical drama Wolf Hall leads
:33:54. > :33:58.the nominations for this The adaptation of Hilary Mantel's
:33:59. > :34:04.novel set during the the reign of Henry VIII has been
:34:05. > :34:07.nominated for four awards, including Mark Rylance,
:34:08. > :34:10.who's up for best actor for his portrayal
:34:11. > :34:13.of Thomas Cromwell. That's a summary of
:34:14. > :34:15.the latest BBC News. It's a big day for
:34:16. > :34:23.England's cricketers. Both the men and the women
:34:24. > :34:26.are playing semifinals at the world The women get their match
:34:27. > :34:37.against Australia underway We have just had news of the toss
:34:38. > :34:38.and England have won it and will bowl first.
:34:39. > :34:42.England finished second in their group after winning three
:34:43. > :34:45.of their four games, while the Black Caps are the only
:34:46. > :34:49.Jamie Vardy scored his second England goal in two games last night
:34:50. > :34:52.at Wembley, but a disappointing performance saw Roy Hodgson's side
:34:53. > :35:00.Remi Garde's dismal reign as Aston Villa manager is over
:35:01. > :35:03.after less than five months in charge.
:35:04. > :35:06.The club announced last night he'd left by mutual consent.
:35:07. > :35:12.Villa are bottom of the Premier League.
:35:13. > :35:15.David Moyes and Nigel Pearson have been linked with the job.
:35:16. > :35:18.And Wigan Warriors' Josh Charnley will switch codes and join rugby
:35:19. > :35:20.union side Sale Sharks at the end of the season.
:35:21. > :35:22.Since joining in 2010, Charnley's helped Wigan win
:35:23. > :35:24.a Super League Grand Final and two Challenge Cups.
:35:25. > :35:32.We will keep you up-to-date with the cricket.
:35:33. > :35:35.Let's bring you more on that news that the government is understood
:35:36. > :35:37.to be ready to intervene to keep the loss-making Port Talbot
:35:38. > :35:43.We can speak now to Barrie Evans, a steel worker who's worked at Tata
:35:44. > :35:49.of the steelworkers' trade union Community.
:35:50. > :35:55.Good morning. How do you react, you and your colleagues, to the fact
:35:56. > :36:03.that the government is considering intervening somehow? Obviously,
:36:04. > :36:08.first, we are disappointed that Tata did not accept the recovered the
:36:09. > :36:11.plan. We thought it was an achievable plan but hopefully now
:36:12. > :36:14.the government will step in in the short term and try to help is out
:36:15. > :36:21.until we can find a reasonable investor. The kind of option the
:36:22. > :36:25.government are considering our Ford Tata to give the management and
:36:26. > :36:30.workforce by more time because it needs weeks if not months to work
:36:31. > :36:33.out or potentially some direct state aid, a kind of temporary
:36:34. > :36:39.nationalisation. Which would you prefer? We would benefit from
:36:40. > :36:43.anything that was available to us right now. Obviously, we can't
:36:44. > :36:48.speculate too much. We don't have details about the discussions that
:36:49. > :36:51.took place in Mumbai and we have not seen the announcement. I would not
:36:52. > :36:55.like this beggar late but any help would be appreciated until a
:36:56. > :37:01.reasonable investor can be sought. -- would not like to speculate. In
:37:02. > :37:05.the meantime, pretty unsettling for you and your co-workers still?
:37:06. > :37:10.Absolutely, an anxious time. There's a lot of worry in the workplace. One
:37:11. > :37:15.thing is the sure, my work colleagues will carry on as normal.
:37:16. > :37:20.They are a committed workforce. They are highly skilled and we produced
:37:21. > :37:24.the best steel in the world. We need an industrial strategy in the UK to
:37:25. > :37:34.support the industry. Thank you for joining us. We appreciate your time
:37:35. > :37:35.and we wish you all the best. Barrie Evans has worked at Tata Steel in
:37:36. > :37:37.Port Talbot 20 years. Toddlers need much more stimulation
:37:38. > :37:40.before school to take advantage of their explosive brain growth,
:37:41. > :37:42.scientists and psychologists say. They're warning that pre-schoolers
:37:43. > :37:45.could be set back decades if not enough is done at nurseries to make
:37:46. > :37:48.the most of what they call Figures released today
:37:49. > :37:56.by the charity Save the Children reveal that almost 130,000 children
:37:57. > :37:59.a year are already behind in early language ability by their
:38:00. > :38:03.first day of school. It wants every nursery in England
:38:04. > :38:07.to employ a qualified So are they right, do our children
:38:08. > :38:17.get enough stimulation at nurseries? If your child is at nursery,
:38:18. > :38:22.tell us what do they do there. Do you want a teacher
:38:23. > :38:24.in your child's nursery? With us now, Jane Lyons,
:38:25. > :38:31.a mother of three, who's here with her
:38:32. > :38:33.five-year-old son, Max. Karis McLarty is a mum of two,
:38:34. > :38:35.who's here with her three-year-old Sam Pemble has two children,
:38:36. > :38:38.four-year-old Luke Luke's here with us
:38:39. > :38:41.this morning, too. Stephanie Dorling is a nursery
:38:42. > :38:43.manager at The Old Station Nursery She already employs a qualified
:38:44. > :38:50.teacher in her nursery. Melanie Pilcher is a policy
:38:51. > :38:51.and standards manager from the Pre-school Learning
:38:52. > :38:53.Alliance. Stephen MacIntosh, head of policy
:38:54. > :38:55.at Save the Children, who is co-author of the report
:38:56. > :38:58.calling for every nursery to have a quaified
:38:59. > :39:04.early years teacher. Welcome to all of you. The children
:39:05. > :39:09.have been really well behaved so far so let's see if it continues! Y
:39:10. > :39:13.Diousse eight is necessary to have a qualified teacher in every nursery
:39:14. > :39:16.in England? Reds some of Britain's top brain scientists have joined up
:39:17. > :39:19.with our charity to call for national action to improve Jordan's
:39:20. > :39:22.early learning. The scientific evidence shows that the early years
:39:23. > :39:26.before a child arrives at school are some of the most active and rapid
:39:27. > :39:34.period of brain develop and learning. To give every child the
:39:35. > :39:37.best start and stop them falling behind before they have reached
:39:38. > :39:39.school, we need much more advice and support for parents on the right
:39:40. > :39:42.kind of learning activities divested later Jordan White Bay. Why is a
:39:43. > :39:44.qualified teacher the best person to do that? What aren't nursery staff
:39:45. > :39:48.doing themselves? Many nursery staff are doing a fantastic job in helping
:39:49. > :39:50.children learn and develop but an earlier teacher can structure and
:39:51. > :39:56.nursery's programme to get the right mix of learning through play...
:39:57. > :40:00.Aren't nursery is already doing that question mark yes but the evidence
:40:01. > :40:04.shows a great nursery manager with a qualification as an earlier teacher
:40:05. > :40:07.can help train other staff, sports children who are falling behind. It
:40:08. > :40:10.is a hallmark of excellence which ensures nurseries get children ready
:40:11. > :40:16.for school. What do the other parents think? Sam, would you like a
:40:17. > :40:20.qualified teacher in your child's Mazzarri? The experience that we
:40:21. > :40:25.have, they have gone to three nurseries for various reasons but it
:40:26. > :40:31.each one, they have had qualified practitioners. Qualified teachers?
:40:32. > :40:39.They are NVQ, so not classified as teachers. That is different to what
:40:40. > :40:41.Save The Children is saying. But the practitioners are qualified in early
:40:42. > :40:47.childhood which is obviously what the foundation do. They have some
:40:48. > :40:52.kind of curriculum that they follow which is a national standard. I
:40:53. > :40:57.feel, I mean, we are perhaps lucky that they go to a very good nursery,
:40:58. > :41:01.that they have qualified people. I think that perhaps having a
:41:02. > :41:07.qualified teacher in our nursery would perhaps undervalue the people
:41:08. > :41:14.who are already there. I feel that they are doing a really good job.
:41:15. > :41:20.What about you? I think I have more questions, both about the structured
:41:21. > :41:24.play that you mentioned, my child goes to school and spend a lot of
:41:25. > :41:30.time running around and playing dead. What is a Forest school? Reds
:41:31. > :41:34.it's all outside but she also goes to traditional nursery. A talented
:41:35. > :41:37.early years professional, whatever level of qualification, will guide
:41:38. > :41:42.any child to put any learning in context. All of life is about
:41:43. > :41:46.learning something. A child might, for example, see that water flows
:41:47. > :41:52.downwards but a qualified early years professional could help
:41:53. > :41:57.explain the wider context of that, even to talking about hydropower or
:41:58. > :42:02.something. Does it need a structure around it at such an early age?
:42:03. > :42:07.Stephanie Inglis a qualified teacher at her nursery. Explain how it
:42:08. > :42:10.works. It is a new appointment. The idea is that she will be very much
:42:11. > :42:13.hand on with the tracking and analysis of learning so we can see
:42:14. > :42:17.where the gaps are in learning and where we need to focus learning with
:42:18. > :42:21.a proper structure of practice, really. What does structure mean
:42:22. > :42:26.question mark it worries a few parents. They think they just need
:42:27. > :42:29.to play and be loved and have lunch! Exactly what you said about the
:42:30. > :42:33.extension of learning, water flows down but then they could talk about
:42:34. > :42:39.hydropower or what happens with gravity. Why do they need to know
:42:40. > :42:44.that at two rather than seven? You are stimulating their curiosity to
:42:45. > :42:47.learn. Isn't that the key? They absorb so much, it is a cliche but
:42:48. > :42:51.true that they are like a sponge, their brains can absorb so much.
:42:52. > :42:55.That's right and the activities we are talking about things like
:42:56. > :42:59.nursery rhymes, singing, accommodation, play, storytelling.
:43:00. > :43:04.It all happens in nurseries at the moment. It's well-known that
:43:05. > :43:06.different types games help children develop in different ways, some are
:43:07. > :43:11.great for physical development and some great for language develop and
:43:12. > :43:14.so it's about getting the mix. What do you reckon? The more highly
:43:15. > :43:19.qualified people, the better. I think what is going on in nurseries
:43:20. > :43:23.is amazing and the one Max goes to is fabulous but you need people who
:43:24. > :43:29.are highly skilled with the big picture. Do you need a teacher? That
:43:30. > :43:32.is the point of today's report. I think you do need a teacher
:43:33. > :43:36.overseeing it because it needs structure. We're not saying it is
:43:37. > :43:39.structured for the children but we are saying you need to have the big
:43:40. > :43:43.picture of what you are trying to achieve with them. That would
:43:44. > :43:47.suggest that the people who are employed in nurseries at the moment,
:43:48. > :43:51.managers and staff, they all have goals that the children need to
:43:52. > :43:55.retain. I have got the books from my own children's nursery years and
:43:56. > :44:05.there's a picture of Joe, jumping off a war or balancing on a wall and
:44:06. > :44:07.he achieved a goal. -- off a wall. The alliance welcomed the report
:44:08. > :44:10.because it is telling us things that we know and understand and we have
:44:11. > :44:14.known for many years now as we have seen an increase in the
:44:15. > :44:18.professionalism of early years practitioners. Would you still like
:44:19. > :44:22.a qualified teacher in there? It is something we should aspire to but
:44:23. > :44:28.not to say that the qualified practitioners that are already
:44:29. > :44:30.working in settings are not doing in excellent job because they
:44:31. > :44:34.understand children's learning and develop and already and they know
:44:35. > :44:38.how to provide opportunities and they know about the importance of an
:44:39. > :44:44.environment where children feel safe and unable to learn. And that is
:44:45. > :44:48.where the priority lies. I have practitioners in their 50s who would
:44:49. > :44:50.not dream of going down the degree route to becoming early years
:44:51. > :44:54.teacher but they have a wealth of knowledge and experience, they are
:44:55. > :44:59.parents and grandmother is as well which brings a real nurturing
:45:00. > :45:03.environment. One of the most important thing is that nursery
:45:04. > :45:06.level is do have the nurturing, it is possibly not about the highest
:45:07. > :45:10.level of qualification but they are therefore certain time and you've
:45:11. > :45:14.got to give them that love and just because you are qualified teacher,
:45:15. > :45:19.it does not mean that someone is not game to take the water flows down
:45:20. > :45:23.and the hydropower being further. It is not that just because they are a
:45:24. > :45:27.teacher, they will do. Do you have problems with outcomes in the early
:45:28. > :45:30.years foundation stage? Do you want to change that to be equivalent to
:45:31. > :45:39.the higher level qualification? Do you think that the current standard
:45:40. > :45:42.is fine? This is not about testing children more or setting higher bars
:45:43. > :45:45.for them to cross. Nursery assistants are often doing a
:45:46. > :45:48.fantastic job and this is not about making every member of staff a
:45:49. > :45:50.teacher but providing a great overview, to create the right
:45:51. > :46:03.environment in the nursery. When you talk about education, it is
:46:04. > :46:08.easy to say we were just wait the schools. But we need to close the
:46:09. > :46:12.gap for children to fall behind, and they need to invest in nurseries and
:46:13. > :46:17.early learning with advice for parents and boosting the quality of
:46:18. > :46:21.nurseries. I am someone who is highly qualified. I took a conscious
:46:22. > :46:28.decision when my children were young to work less hours, spend more time
:46:29. > :46:31.at home, to stimulate them, go into the nursery to see what was going on
:46:32. > :46:37.and talk to the people teaching them to get a feel. It is absolutely
:46:38. > :46:41.critical. Probably the way you make the biggest difference to your
:46:42. > :46:44.children's lines. The fear is that particularly underprivileged
:46:45. > :46:48.children don't have this because they don't have the parent at home
:46:49. > :46:51.who can necessarily do that and they are not at the best nursery. This is
:46:52. > :46:58.where you can make the biggest difference here. Thank you so much
:46:59. > :47:02.the coming on the programme. They were very, very well behaved.
:47:03. > :47:22.Wolf Hall, the Great British Bake off, Gogglebox, First Dates,
:47:23. > :47:25.Strictly Come Dancing have all been nominated in the TV Baftas announced
:47:26. > :47:30.Idris Elba has been nominated for Best Actor
:47:31. > :47:32.The nominations were announced by Dermot
:47:33. > :47:39.O'Leary and Georgina Campbell who starred in Murder By Boyfriend.
:47:40. > :47:48.The RSPCA behaved unlawfully and misled a pet owner and the media
:47:49. > :47:53.after it seized and killed a family's elderly cat.
:47:54. > :47:57.That's according to the findings of an independent internal report.
:47:58. > :48:00.The case centred around inspectors removing a cat called
:48:01. > :48:04.Claude from its owner, Richard Byrnes and his
:48:05. > :48:09.The RSPCA and Mr Byrnes are both here to talk about this,
:48:10. > :48:12.but first, you might remember our reporter Jim Reed went
:48:13. > :48:14.to visit the Byrnes family last September.
:48:15. > :48:18.Here's a short extract from his report.
:48:19. > :48:26.16 plus years we had him and we miss him greatly.
:48:27. > :48:28.Claude was, it has to be said, getting on a bit.
:48:29. > :48:36.He lived with Richard and his family.
:48:37. > :48:39.After a call from a neighbour an RSPCA inspector turned up
:48:40. > :48:44.She seemed worried about Claude's weight and long, messy fur and said
:48:45. > :48:54.An hour later she rang to say he had to be put down.
:48:55. > :48:57.Richard found a support group on the Internet,
:48:58. > :49:01.they told him to secretly tape the meeting at the vet.
:49:02. > :49:42.I was advised to record it and I am glad I recorded it because the truth
:49:43. > :49:47.came out, what length the RSPCA are prepared to go to get people
:49:48. > :49:54.to sign the euthanasia authorisation.
:49:55. > :49:57.That seems to be the key issue because once you've signed that
:49:58. > :50:00.authorisation, that in effect, in their view, becomes your
:50:01. > :50:21.admission that you have been mistreating the animal.
:50:22. > :50:27.It triggered a two-year legal fight as the RSPCA tried to bring
:50:28. > :50:29.a private prosecution against Richard and his wife
:50:30. > :50:36.We aspire and claim to be, and we are, an nation of animal
:50:37. > :50:39.lovers and no one would ever want to be associated
:50:40. > :50:44.We loved Claude absolutely and never did anything anywhere near cruel
:50:45. > :50:51.What kind of treatment did you get on the Internet and social media?
:50:52. > :50:56.Oh, well, I was compared to a paedophile.
:50:57. > :51:01.My daughter came across Facebook pages saying things that aren't
:51:02. > :51:08.really repeatable about me and the family in general.
:51:09. > :51:11.Richard Byrne is here as is Chris Wainwright
:51:12. > :51:23.We have brought them together for the first time since the findings of
:51:24. > :51:28.this internal report were revealed. Mr Wainwright, from the RSPCA, how
:51:29. > :51:34.is it possible your organisation can remove somebody's pet without their
:51:35. > :51:40.consent? It is not, and it went wrong in this instance and we have
:51:41. > :51:45.learned hard lessons from this unfortunate episode. I want to say
:51:46. > :51:49.again, we are incredibly sorry for what happened to him and his family.
:51:50. > :51:55.I am a pet owner and a family myself, I would be distraught if
:51:56. > :51:59.this happened to me. We are working hard to make sure this doesn't
:52:00. > :52:03.happen again. Do people do make mistakes and this was sadly, a
:52:04. > :52:10.litany of mistakes and we need to do better in the future. I take Mr
:52:11. > :52:18.Wainwright's apology. I thank you for that. The problem is, the RSPCA
:52:19. > :52:24.apologised in 2014, in November. But they have continued to defy us in
:52:25. > :52:30.terms of this report. They are keeping secrets, they are not
:52:31. > :52:34.publishing that. They fought tooth and nail over the past year to keep
:52:35. > :52:41.the report from us, having promised us sight of it. I only got the
:52:42. > :52:45.report last week. I find it hard to accept, given what has happened to
:52:46. > :52:49.us, every piece of contact we have had with the RSPCA has caused us
:52:50. > :52:52.grief in one way or the other. I cannot just accept fine words about
:52:53. > :53:00.learning lessons because I have heard them all before. I have read
:53:01. > :53:05.the report. It is uncomfortable reading. We did created for internal
:53:06. > :53:10.purposes. We said, this has gone wrong horribly, this case and we
:53:11. > :53:13.need to work out what happened, so it doesn't happen again in the
:53:14. > :53:21.future. It was never intended for public consumption. Why not? It was
:53:22. > :53:30.an internal working report. Why keep it from the family? We have given it
:53:31. > :53:38.to him now. Finally. We have a fairness process. I am apologising,
:53:39. > :53:42.because it has not been handled very well. I am embarrassed that the way
:53:43. > :53:48.it was handled and we have to do better in the future. But the thing
:53:49. > :53:51.I want to get across is the RSPCA exists to protect animals and
:53:52. > :53:58.promote animal welfare. In this case, we got it horribly wrong.
:53:59. > :54:03.Occasionally, that will happen. Day in, day out we rescue thousands and
:54:04. > :54:08.thousands of animals. We do the best for them their owners. It is
:54:09. > :54:12.horrible when it goes wrong, but we are committed as an organisation to
:54:13. > :54:16.make sure it doesn't happen. You have described it as a litany of
:54:17. > :54:21.mistakes. Just to let our audience know, your charity took the cat away
:54:22. > :54:31.from the family without lawful authority and without consent. The
:54:32. > :54:36.inspector told the vet the family had given permission for the to be
:54:37. > :54:41.taken away. That wasn't true. The inspector did not pass on two
:54:42. > :54:49.recommendations from the that, one was to have his first Dean matted.
:54:50. > :54:56.The organisation lied. Is that accurate? Lied about telling the
:54:57. > :54:59.media the vet had kept the cat overnight so the family could say a
:55:00. > :55:05.proper good live. That is not true. I want to play a clip of what your
:55:06. > :55:06.colleagues said on Radio 4 about that.
:55:07. > :55:10.We took it to our vet and he said in his opinion it was suffering
:55:11. > :55:12.and the kindest thing was to put it down.
:55:13. > :55:17.He couldn't even let the kids say goodbye to him?
:55:18. > :55:19.We did, actually, because we got a second opinion from Mr Byrnes' vet
:55:20. > :55:22.who also agreed with our vet that the animal was suffering
:55:23. > :55:26.and it was in the best interests of the cat to put it down.
:55:27. > :55:29.We then agreed with the family not to put it down and it was kept
:55:30. > :55:33.overnight because the Byrnes wanted to say goodbye to it.
:55:34. > :55:34.The cat was then put down the next day.
:55:35. > :55:47.The RSPCA has no power to order the euthanasia of any cat.
:55:48. > :55:52.Firstly, no one wilfully lied in public. What was presented in that
:55:53. > :55:59.argument wasn't factually and fully correct. But that person was caught
:56:00. > :56:06.on the hop by this. Because the family had information that we
:56:07. > :56:10.hadn't had from the Crown Prosecution Service and we responded
:56:11. > :56:17.to events in the media. Sorry, I have got to put in. I listened to
:56:18. > :56:22.that clip again yesterday. It was a 32nd clip and there were eight
:56:23. > :56:28.factual inaccuracies. Only two explanations for that. One, the
:56:29. > 0:49:32spokesperson was