28/03/2017 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello, it's Tuesday, it's 9 o'clock, I'm Victoria Derbyshire,

This morning - in an exclusive interview - a rape survivor defends

the judge in her case who said drunk women are putting

I think she was absolutely right in what she said

She put the blame massively on rapists, not the victims.

She just simply said to be careful basically,

19 year old Megan Clark has waived her right to anonymity

We'll bring you the full interview in around 15 minutes.

Also on the programme - Should the NHS really spend

?114 million a year on prescriptions for medicines for upset tummies,

haemmorrhoids, travel sickness and indigestion which can be bought

And a further ?22 million on gluten-free food which can be found

We'll hear why throughout the programme.

And a Royal Marine who's in prison for the fatal shooting of a Taliban

fighter in Afghanistan finds out today if he is to be freed or must

I'm hoping and praying that, along with the former Archbishop of

Canterbury, for former release. Why? Because he deserves it and this was

an absurd sentence from the beginning and I'm hoping the court

will be persuaded that we are right on that.

We'll bring you the result as soon as it happens.

Welcome to the programme, we're live until 11.

Throughout the morning - the latest breaking news

A little later in the programme we'll look at the latest

And we'll discuss this front page, "never mind Brexit

Do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning -

use the hashtag Victoria Live and if you text, you will be charged

The wife of Westminster attacker, Khalid Masood, has said she "totally

In a statement released via the police, Rohey Hydara

said she was "saddened and shocked" and expressed her

Our correspondent Wyre Davies is here.

It is a week now, nearly a week since the terror attacks on

Westminster Bridge and the police have been trying to piece together

what happened and how much did Khalid Masood have help and how much

did his friends and family know. We heard from his mother today and

today we have heard a statement from Rohey Hydara, his wife, again

expressing her complete outrage and shocked at what happened and she has

expressed condolences to those who were killed and also wishing the

victims who are still alive a speedy recovery. This plays into the

narrative that he acted alone, and that his family and friends did not

know what he was up to. Rohey Hydara was one of many people who were

detained and arrested by police in the aftermath of what happened last

Wednesday but she has been released and is now being treated as an

innocent party, but again, this view that Khalid Masood was acting alone

and maybe had become radicalised at some point in recent years, but he

was not linked to any other groups and I think this statement lends

weight to that argument. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for joining us.

Joanna is in the BBC Newsroom with a summary

A rape victim whose attack led to a judge saying drunk women

were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments.

Megan Clark - who has waived her right

to anonymity to speak to this programme - was raped by a man

she met in Burger King when she was drunk after a night

The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy

when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was

But 19-year-old Megan said she was warning

women to "be careful", and it was "good advice".

We'll bring you that interview in just a few minutes' time.

Doctors in England could be told to stop prescribing travel vaccines,

gluten-free foods and some ointments for muscle pain in a bid

to save hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

Cough medicines and popular painkillers like paracetemol

could be added to the list at a later date.

The NHS is under increasing financial pressure.

Now, service leaders are set to closely scrutinise what's

Local health commissioners in England have drawn up a list

of items which they say are unnecessary and inappropriate

The medicines and treatments listed include omega-3 and fish oils,

some muscle rubs and ointments, gluten-free food, and travel

There could be savings of ?128 million a year.

NHS England has agreed to carry out a review

Longer term, the future of cold and cough treatments,

indigestion and heartburn medication, and paracetamol

Health officials say hundreds of millions of pounds

NHS England argues they are widely available over

A spokesman said there was a need to ensure the best

The move will form part of a major strategy announcement

by the head of NHS England, Simon Stephens, later this week.

The Scottish Parliament is expected to back Nicola Sturgeon's call

for a second independence referendum, in a vote

The vote had been due to take place at Holyrood last Wednesday,

but was postponed because of the attack at Westminster.

The SNP leader wants a referendum by the spring of 2019,

but Theresa May has rejected that timetable.

Tesco will pay a ?129 million fine from the Serious Fraud Office

It stems from a statement by the supermarket in September

2014, that its profits had been overstated by ?263 million.

Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including

payments from suppliers, before the money was due.

More must be done to address a sharp rise in the number of suicides among

women prisoners in England, according to the prisons watchdog.

Self-inflicted deaths among female inmates almost

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman says that reforms recommended

a decade ago haven't materialised, as Marc Ashdown reports.

For many years, the number of women who took their own life in prisons

In 2015, that figure rose to seven, and last year, 12 women.

This stark rise prompted the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman,

Nigel Newcomen, to examine 19 cases of suicide over a 4-year period.

He has identified crucial areas of practice where he says

A second report out today identifies similar issues.

Well, the huge rise in deaths, it's complicated, but there

First, there are fewer staff in prisons, fewer people

to learn and listen, and the other thing is unmet

So women who are vulnerable and who need mental healthcare,

need treatment for drug or alcohol addictions are not getting it.

Ten years ago, the prisons ombudsman published a landmark report,

making a series of 43 recommendations aimed at improving

The current ombudsman said it was disheartening

that the sweeping reforms had yet to be implemented, and blamed a lack

The Ministry of Justice said the safety of prisoners

is a priority, and a range of measures has been introduced

What's being described as a "monster" cyclone has begun

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal

areas as a result of Cyclone Debbie, which is also bringing warnings

GPs have been given access to a new risk assessment tool

to help diagnose young people at risk of bowel cancer.

Experts say people under 50 do not act on bowel cancer symptoms

quickly enough and 20% have to visit a GP five times before

The new tool will help calculate the risk of the disease

based on blood tests, symptoms and a GP's examination.

Bowel Cancer UK told this programme all GPs should be given access

The new 12-sided ?1 coin comes into circulation today.

Modelled on the old thru'penny bit, it's designed

But some vending and ticket machines may not accept it straight away.

The old coin remains legal tender until October.

And with a day to go before the UK officially triggers Article 50,

the BBC News Channel will be putting your questions

Today at 1130, we'll be speaking with our

Home Affairs Editor Mark Easton, who will take your queries

on what Brexit means for immigration and the future of the union.

And the right of EU National is to remain here.

You can get in touch via Twitter using the hashtag BBC Ask This -

or text your questions to 61124 - and you can email us as well

That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 930.

In the next few minutes you will be able to see our

interview with Megan Clark. We have had some of you getting in touch,

Melissa has said, although being drunk does not excuse other people's

despicable actions, it does make you more vulnerable, this is just a fact

nothing to do with political correctness. In an ideal world this

should not be the case, but this world is far from ideal.

Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -

use the hashtag Victoria Live and if you text, you will be charged

Olly Foster is with us again this morning.

Olly, all change in cricket, a new competition to try and breathe

We have got to wait three years, but we are going to get eight city

franchises, 36 T20 matches, played in the summer from 2020, and they

hope it will rival the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in

Australia which have stolen a march in terms of T20 competitions. These

sites will be separate from the 18 counties who have got their own T20

tournament stash sides. It is the county game at that be ECB feel they

need to change, to get more people into the sport -- that the ECB. We

have had so many initiatives. T20 has gone some way to bringing a bit

more razzmatazz into the British game, but the ECB feel they have to

reach out in different areas and these city franchises will try to

popularise the game to compete with other sports around like football.

This is the ECB chief executive. By doing things differently and by

building new teams, we can be relevant to a new audience and bring

this very diverse multicultural Britain into our stadium in the

future which maybe we haven't been successful in doing today. The key

is going to be money and there is resistance from the counties. That

has disappeared with the promise of ?1.3 million each year. That money

will come from broadcast rights, and broadcast will have a massive say in

where the franchises will be based on what they will be called, and

eight of the 38 games could be screened live on terrestrial TV.

With the vest on pay-TV. -- with the rest. The BBC has expressed an

interest. That would help, we have not had live cricket for some time

on free to air division. Since the Ashes summer, 2005. Yes, that was

amazing. Gosh, 2005. And cycling is back

in the news, Olly. Are we any closer to finding out

what was in that mystery package We have seen details from a key

player in this saga. Doctor Richard Freeman, his written evidence, he is

not well at the moment, to the select committee, looking at how

they combat doping in sport. He received the package in 2011 when he

was looking after Bradley Wiggins in France last Team Sky have been

heavily criticised for their medical record-keeping around that time and

he has admitted it was not up to scratch but he says the parcel

contained a legal decongestant and not a steroid that Bradley Wiggins

had previously been given an exemption to use although he would

not have been allowed to use it on that occasion. All parties deny any

wrongdoing, but the chair of the select committee wants more answers

and UK anti-doping are still digging and still carrying out their own

investigation into what was in that package. We will be talking that the

story again. Finally, heroic set the end of a race in the United States.

-- heroics at. Remember the Brownlee brothers, when one of them carried

the other across the line, at the Olympics, well this was in

Philadelphia. It was run over the weekend. Or not run, as that poor

lady found but she got very wobbly at the end. These triathletes

stopped to help her, and this chap decided she was not going to make it

on her own two feet. Medics had to look after her but we understand she

is very well. She made it across the line. They are the heroes of the

hour. They are overall the newspapers in Philadelphia. Thank

you very much. This morning in an exclusive

interview, a rape survivor whose attack led to a judge saying drunk

women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments,

saying the judge was "right". Megan Clark, who is 19,

was raped by a man she met in takeaway when she was drunk

after a night out in Manchester. The trial sparked controversy

after the judge said women were entitled to "drink themselves

into the ground", but their "disinhibited behaviour"

could put them in danger. Her comments were described

by campaigners as "outrageous" But today Megan Clark -

who has waived her right to anonymity to speak to us

exclusively today - defends the judge, saying

she was "absolutely right" and that she took the comments

in a "positive way". She goes on to tell this programme

that she felt shamed and blamed by other people

and that her experiences of going through the court system

mean she wouldn't report In her only interview

Megan Clark explaines why she's It's a really important subject

and people do not talk about it You were out with friends and you

ended up waiting for a bus. What happened after that?

I ended up near where I would go home for the bus and I met two men

in Burger King and I asked them to stay out with me

for a while because I had a while until I could get my bus.

I was pretty drunk at the time and didn't want to go home yet anyway.

They suggested going back to theirs which I wasn't too sure

about at first because I would rather stay or I could get

by bus but then they ended up convincing me.

So they said they would go for a smoke, so I went with them.

We walked - we ended up near a canal at the top of some steps

Can you tell us more about the circumstances of the rape and how it

began? I'm not too sure, I don't

remember it very well, They ended up being inappropriate,

but it didn't bother me at the time. It wasn't an issue,

but it was strange, I guess. It's just from what I have

seen on the video. I didn't really do much

until the police came. When you see the video,

you are referring to the fact that somebody was filming this

on their phone. From watching the video,

first of all, what was that like? It was different to how

I'd remembered it. You were calling out,

you say you were complaining, you were calling out having

watched this footage? Then what happened

when the police arrived? Then they took me straight

to the police station, which is also a bit blurry

because I was still I went back a bit later on,

went home and went back later I had to put my life

on hold for a while. I didn't do with it

so well for a while. I kind of got past it a little bit

now, after the trial and sentencing, In terms of the decision to take

legal action, was that difficult? I didn't really decide

to because the police had The police were involved

right from the beginning, but I wasn't going to stop it

because it was something quite serious and it

needed to be reported. You have just been through a really

long process culminating in a trial that lasted weeks and a 19-year-old

man was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to six years

in jail. What was your reaction to that punishment?

It was pretty much what I expected, because that's just out sentencing

You expected he would have got more for being found guilty?

At the end of the trial the policeman said that the defendant

was unable to force himself on others for his own sexual

gratification, not only did he make his victim endure the attack, but he

denied involvement. Tell us about the court process and having to TV

in court? It was really difficult.

It didn't bother me so much in the months before it,

I managed to just push it to the back of my mind

and ignored but I couldn't once the trial started.

Then it started to really bother me and when I had

to give evidence in court, it was horrific.

It was really difficult especially due to seeing the footage of it

At the end of the case, the judge who was retiring, said, she made

some comments about women being drung and this is the quote.

She said, "Women were entitled to drink themselves into the ground,

but their disinhibited behaviour could put them in danger."

What do you think about those comments?

I think she was absolutely right in what she said,

She put the blame massively on rapists, not the victims.

She just simply said to be careful, basically, which is smart advice.

But she wasn't at all victim blaming.

She said a woman would be less likely to report a rape because she

was drunk or could not remember what happened or feels ashamed to deal

with it or if push comes sho shove a girl who is drunk is less likely to

be believed than one who was sober at the time. Is that how you felt at

the time? You didn't think you would report

something like that Are you saying you wouldn't have

gone to the police that night unless somebody had videoed it?

But it probably wouldn't have gone anywhere.

Some said she should know better, the only person who is responsible

for rape is the rapist. Women are yet again being blamed for rape.

Only the rapist is responsible, but that was the point

the judge was making, it was just taken out of context.

A few people I don't, they kind of put it down to my behaviour.

I know it is not my fault, but it is hard not to blame

yourself, especially when you are in that situation.

What is your message to other women when they're out and about with

their mates in the summer, having had a few drinks?

Don't live in fear of rapists and being in danger,

Know that it is not your fault, whatever happens.

I guess I'd still encourage people to report it,

Even though you feel if it ever happened to you again you wouldn't

report it? From the experience of this whole

process, what do you feel about the kind of justice that you've

received? Disappointed, I guess, but I guess

you can't expect much more. That's just the way

the system works. The outcome wasn't great,

the case was dealt with the way it should have been and my outcome

was better than most get. Which is, I guess,

lucky, in a sense. So many people don't

get any justice at all. You will have heard that in the

future, the Government has decided that alleged victims of rape are not

going to be cross-examined in court in the way you were. You gave

evidence behind a screen, but they will be able to video tape, record

their evidence in advance which will be played to a court. What do you

think of those plans? It is really hard giving

evidence in court. I guess you would be able

to think about what you are You are not under such awkward

circumstances with everybody looking What about the fact some people say

if you can record your evidence in advance then actually whoever is on

the stand is not going to get a fair trial because a key witness is not

going to be cross-examined. I suppose that's true,

in a sense, but I think They are still going to get

all the answers they need in just Megan Clarke, very frank o open

Megan Clarke. She waived her right to anonymity to talk to us in her

only interview. And you can read more about Megan's

story on the BBC News site. After 10am, we'll get reaction

to those comments from As always, I am really keen

to hear from you. Felicity says, "This is self blame.

No, no, no, it is his fault, not your's." James on Facebook says,

"Megan is a brave woman for speaking out, but a victim can never be

blamed, it is the predatory male which is evil." This texter says,

"Drunk women appear an easy target. They are unlikely to remember the

event afterwards. If you drink you have to accept the consequences."

Jane says, "It is not victim blaming themselves to say that drunk women

are less able to protect themselves. It is just common sense. Predators

look for vulnerable people." If you or anyone else you know has

been a victim of sexual assault, you can find a list of other

organisations that help on the bbc Actionline:

bbc.co.uk/actionline This is the Syrian City of

Homs before war broke out. You will see beautiful boulevards

where people lived and worked and markets where

they came to trade. And this is Homs now,

a city ravished by war. Now, Syrian rebels and civilians

have been evacuated from a neighbourhood of the city

as part of a deal to surrender The elderly and injured,

young children, as well as rebel fighters with light weapons

have boarded buses. When this processed is finished,

all of Homs will be back in From Jordan we have Juliette Touma

from Unicef who has recently been in Homs

doing aid work. Tell us what you found when you were

working there? Well, I was there just a couple of weeks ago. It was

my third visit to Homs in recent years. The levels of destruction in

the city is just phenomenal. Whole buildings completely destroyed.

Whole roads completely gone. Not one building was standing. But what was

really reassuring and what was really in fact beautiful is that we

were driving very early morning in the city and it was very heart

warming to see children walking to school, carrying their school bags

amid the destruction and walking on the debris just to make it to

school. So trying to go about their normal lives. I mean in terms of

this evacuation, it would seem sensible, would it, to get those,

you know, young children and elderly and the injured and so on out? Well,

I'm, I can't really speak about the evacuation. The UN and Unicef are

not involved in that, but what I do know it has been six years since the

war started in Syria. The level of destruction is nothing that we have

seen since the Second World War. Eight million children inside Syria

and neighbouring countries are in need of assistance. The war has got

to stop. It has got to stop now. People have been saying that for

years and it continues. It does continue. Sadly. The children and

women and men, so civilians at large are those who pay the heaviest price

and in fact, it is a reminder that there isn't a winner in this war.

That everyone loses as a result of this outrageous brutal, brutal war

in the country and the biggest losers are the civilians. Thank you

very much. Thank you for talking to us.

She was speaking to us from Jordan but has recently been in Homs.

Still to come, a Royal Marine who is in prison finds out today

if he'll be freed after shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghantan.

We've spoken to his lawyer ahead of the ruling and we'll bring

Ahead of the Scottish parliament resuming its debate

on Scottish independence, the Daily Mail focussed

We'll be asking whether the paper was right to do so.

Here's Joanna with a summary of the news.

In an exclusive interview - a rape victim - whose attack led

to a judge warning that drunk women were putting themselves in danger -

Megan Clark waived her right to anonymity

She was raped by a man she met in Burger King when she was drunk

The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy

when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was

But 19-year-old Megan said she was warning

women to "be careful", and it was "good advice".

The wife of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood

has said she 'totally condemns' his actions.

Khalid Masood killed three people when he drove across Westminster

Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer.

In a statement released through the police, Rohey Hydara

said she was 'saddened and shocked' and expressed her

Health bosses are to look at plans to save hundreds of millions

of pounds a year by stopping prescriptions for things

like gluten-free food, muscle rubs and omega 3 fish oils.

The changes are part of a proposal to cut down

on what NHS England called "unnecessary or inappropriate"

treatments, that can be bought cheaply over the counter

The Scottish Parliament is expected to back Nicola Sturgeon's call

for a second independence referendum, in a vote

The vote had been due to take place at Holyrood last Wednesday,

but was postponed because of the attack at Westminster.

The SNP leader wants a referendum by the spring of 2019,

but Theresa May has rejected that timetable.

Tesco will pay a ?129 million fine from the Serious Fraud Office

It stems from a statement by the supermarket in September

2014, that its profits had been overstated by ?263 million.

Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including

payments from suppliers, before the money was due.

The new 12-sided ?1 coin comes into circulation today.

Modelled on the old thru'penny bit, it's designed

But some vending and ticket machines may not accept it straight away.

The old coin remains legal tender until October.

That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10am.

On the subject of women being drunk and the comments the judge-made,

Jane says the judge is wrong and sexes, and she says anyone is in

danger if they are drunk -- is accessed. -- is sexist. Another

person says Megan Clark is brave and strong, yes, she was drunk, but

things can happen. Predators take advantage. No matter your views on

safety, there is a person here who has suffered, she says. We will talk

about the latest in the case of Sergeant Alexander Blackman. He will

find out today if he is to be freed after his murder conviction was

reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility

and he spent a number of years in jail and he will find out this

morning. We will talk about that very shortly.

Here's some sport now with Olly Foster.

Some big changes in domestic cricket, a 2020 tournament starting

in 2020 featuring eight city franchises rather than the

traditional county teams, that will take centre stage to try and bring

younger audiences into the sport. Former Team Sky doctor Richard

Freeman has explained to MPs what was in the mystical medical package

delivered to Bradley Wiggins in 2011 -- mysterious. Johanna Konta is into

the quarterfinals of the Miami Open after a straight sets victory in her

latest match. We will be speaking to Ebony Raynsford Brent later about

those cricket changes. A Royal Marine who is in prison

for the fatal shooting of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan will find out

in the next hour if he's going to be released from prison or have

to serve any more time. Five judges at the Court Martial

Appeal Court in London have been urged to free

Sergeant Alexander Blackman, who was known as Marine A,

from jail this morning, following the reduction

of his murder conviction to diminished responsibility

manslaughter two weeks ago. Blackman was convicted of murder

in 2013 and initially sentenced to life with a minimum term

of ten years. Sergeant Blackman shot

the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack

by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range

with a 9mm pistol before quoting that he "just broke the Geneva

Convention." It was all captured

on a recording on his helmet. Obviously, this can't

go anywhere, fellas. I've just broken

the Geneva Convention. The court has ruled previously that

Sergeant Blackman was suffering from an "abnormality of mental

functioning" at the time Speaking last year his wife told me

about his mental state of mind. I don't know how

he stays so positive. He makes the best of his

time, he is studying for an Open University degree,

he is teaching some of the other lads English and maths skills,

he is going to the gym a lot, as you would expect of an ex-Royal

Marine, he is doing everything You said earlier that your husband

believed the Taliban insurgent was dead when he knelt alongside him

and fired his pistol at him. Also, as you know, recorded on that

video, his words were, "There you are, shuffle off this

mortal coil, you... It is nothing you

would not do to us." How did he explain

those words to you? I know he genuinely believed

the insurgent to be dead. He himself was surprised when,

having shot the dead body, it moved postmortem more than he had

ever experienced before, and he He was out there in incredibly

difficult circumstances, he was surrounded by enemy,

he had a troop of lads that he was responsible for,

and his reaction was one of trying to process what had just happened

and deal with the situation and try to take command back

for himself and his men. We're expecting to hear

what his new sentence will be Jonathan Goldberg QC

is Sergeant Blackman's lawyer, Rob Driscoll has served

with Sergeant Blackman and considers him a close

friend, and former leader of the Lib Dems Paddy Ashdown

who is a former Royal Marine. They have been talking to me. I'm

hoping and praying along with the former Archbishop of Canterbury for

immediate release. He deserves it, this

was an absurd sentence from the beginning,

and I hope the court will be What are your hopes

for this morning? I echo the barrister's

thoughts, I am hopeful that the sentence will reflect

the time served and will see him Have you ever found yourself

in a position similar to the one Sergeant Blackman found

himself in in Helmand? I think many people that have served

in that environment would have found The outcome is very different,

but I think Afghanistan was a complex environment,

it was an asymmetric environment, the threat

was all around us, there We did not entirely have the trust

of the local population. It presented some unique challenges

that perhaps had not been seen before, and dictate

how we conduct these Why was the evidence

of Sergeant Blackman's state of mind not available at the

original court martial? Incompetence by those who ought

to have provided it to some The prosecution and the defence,

mainly the defence. They never had him psychiatrically

examined until after Is that something that

you would like to see automatically happen in the future

for future court martial cases? In cases of murder it ought to be

automatic that the prosecution, if not also the defence,

obtain psychiatric reports, especially for a man

who has been at the sharp end One in four of our front-line combat

troops develop a mental illness of What kind of lessons do

you believe have been We are not totally excused

from making mistakes. The operations we are conducting

our different from what we were conducting 50, 100 years

ago, and it is a constant case of evolving with the threat and

learning that we need more support than we have in the past or that has

been given in the past. It is a learning cycle

that we must accept Bearing in mind what

the judges now know about Sergeant Blackman's state

of mind at the time, do you understand now why he shot

dead that Taliban insurgent? We can all sit and debate

about the shoulds and musts and what we ought to do, but when

you are faced with that kind of incident and all of those pressures

that would have been bearing down on him with regards

to the young Marines and what have you, it is

really difficult to apply We cannot really teach how to deal

with that, we can only In my opinion, he did,

because I am not saying anyone should be above the law,

but he certainly may have saved And I think the idea

that the insurgents were implying during that time

was essentially to use their own What about what he said regarding

the Geneva Convention? That was disappointing, and he knows that he

has made mistakes, but a man was killed, and the rest of the force,

they were there to provide security. We were there to provide security,

and we were able to go about our business and achieve the rest of the

day's objectives such as rebuilding and engagement with the rebel

populations, and the fact that the guy died is sad to a degree, but

that is warfare, and that is what happens when we start putting forces

against each other. But Ashdown, -- Lord Ashdown, that is warfare, do

you agree? Warfare is a whiz conducted subject to the rule of

law, and a soldier goes into someone else's country and with lethal force

in order to protect the law, the domestic law that operates in

Britain and international law, and when that is broken, whether that is

broken, that is a matter for the court, the court has judged on this

and regarded that there is mitigating circumstances and it is

not what anyone else to intervene in that process. I gave evidence

against the Walker models -- three war criminals and I did that because

I witnessed the forces undertaking actions which were contrary to the

law, but if you don't have the rule of law, even on the battlefield,

soldiery develops into something which is very different from the

great standards which are observed by British forces. Whether the law

was broken in this case is a matter for the court, nobody else. The

court has decided there are mitigating circumstances, what

sentence is passed as a matter for the court, nobody else, and in

Britain there is a very clear, indeed in every democracy, a very

clear division, the division of powers, between the court that the

sites where and whether the laws have been broken -- that decides.

One does not interfere with the other.

Bearing in mind what we know about Sergeant Blackman's mental state at

that time, if understand why he did what he did? It isn't a question of

I understand. I don't think it is something that somebody who is not

on the battlefield can understand. I have been an officer and I have been

in circumstances like this. I've witnessed people being killed on the

battlefield. It's not a question of whether you understand, only if

you're there do you understand. But it's a question of whether the law

has been broken and I come back to a central tenant of British democratic

rule which is the rule of law and who decides whether the law has been

broken in every instance on the battlefield, on the streets, is a

matter for the courts and in this politicians don't interfere. Mr

Goldberg you saw Sergeant Blackman a few days ago. What is his frame of

mind at the moment? You know, he is a Royal Marine, the amazing thing is

how resilient and tough he is about this, much more so than me on his

behalf. He's practical. He's doing an Open University course and

teaching the other prisoners maths and refereeing volleyball

competitions, can you believe this? And he would like to walk free

today? You bet he would. Pauline says, "It is not natural

justice to jail this marine. We teach them to kill and punish them

for doing so. He should be a hero, not behind bars." This viewer says,

"Murder is murder. Blackman's state of mind not backed up by his lucid

warnings to colleagues to keep their mouth shut about the Geneva

convention." We are expecting to hear from the court in the next hour

or so, as soon as we find out what the ruling is on Sergeant Blackman's

sentence, we will bring it to you on BBC News.

Wave film about bowel cancer. Experts say too often the warning

signs are missed because someone is young. That's at 10.15am.

The Scottish Parliament look set to vote to begin the process

of calling a second referendum on independence today but talks

between the Prime Minister and the First Minister made no

progress on when it might actually be held.

We can speak now to the Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale

And and in a moment we'll speak to Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

from the SNP, which is in favour of Scottish independence.

Kezia Dugdale good morning to you. Good morning. In 2015 you said that

Labour MSPs could vote for independence if they wanted. Why

have you changed your mind? I made it clear in the manifesto that the

Scottish Labour Party couldn't support a second independence

referendum in the lifetime of this Scottish Parliament. Why did you

change your mind? I didn't change my mind. What I did was put forward in

a manifesto a clear commitment to oppose independence and indeed a

second independence referendum and my colleagues are going to honour

that promise that we made to the Scottish people and it is important

to ask why we're going to do that. First and fore most, Scotland is

incredibly divided just now. The last thing it needs is to be divided

once more on this constitutional question. I'm against independence

because of the austerity it would bring to Scotland. Because of the

additional cuts it would bring to schools and hospitals, we know the

gap between what Scotland raises in its taxes and what it spends is ?15

billion. As a Labour politician that wants to stand up for public

services you cannot possibly ever support that reduction in public

services. You wouldn't expect me to to. What's it like to find yourself

on the same side as the Conservatives this inn this debate?

I'm making different arguments to the Conservatives. Because of the of

Theresa May's, the reality is that independence would mean the cuts

would be far more severe than we're faced with. It is my job to stand up

against the cuts. Actually where I stand is where the majority of

people in Scotland stand. We want to remain part of the k UK and that's

what we voted for just two-and-a-half years ago and we want

as a close a relationship with Europe as possible. Scots want to

reject the extremes of nationalism and hard Brexit and that's where the

Labour Party stands to represent the people who share those interests.

Brexit might be economically damaging to Scotland too? Brexit is

going to be dabbling for Scotlandment there is no question of

that. Just as it will be damaging for Wales and the rest of the United

Kingdom. Independence will not make that any betterment the uncertainty

caused by Brexit would be multiplied by the uncertainty of Brexit. Europe

is an important trading partner to the UK, to Scotland the rest of the

United Kingdom is worth four times that in terms of its trading

relationships, why would we jeopardise that in order to maintain

that relationship with Europe? I think we can have both choices. How

do you respond that then that what your party is proposing, what the

Scottish Government is proposing will end up being economically

damage for Scotland? Well, I don't accept anything of what Kezia

Dugdale saidment she started off speaking about her own manifesto. If

we are in a situation where we find ourselves where we are taken out of

the EU against our will, the people of Scotland should be given a choice

and that's what we're saying. It is not for me or Nicola Sturgeon or

Kezia Dugdale to rob the people of Scotland of a genuine choice and

that's what they should be offered in 18 months time, not now, in the

agreed time scale according to David Davis and Theresa May. The people of

Scotland at that time should be offered what the Scotland's

prospective is going to be for independence. That's how we take the

country forward. What is the alternative that Kezia Dugdale is

offering? She speaks of austerity. What she wants to subject the people

of Scotland to is decades of austerity as we have a hard right

Tory Government that's not going to be removed by Labour any time in the

near future. Why isn't it right that the people of Scotland are offered

another path, a genuine choice to save themselves from austerity and

save themselves from Brexit. I thought Kezia Dugdale was in favour

of the single market. We are not going to lie down and let the UK

Government take us out of the European Union. We have to stand up

for what is right for Scotland and people of Scotland should make that

choice. On timing, if you believe that the Brexit deal that Mrs May

gets is economically damaging then you would surely benefit in an

independence referendum vote if you held that vote after the Brexit deal

had been done? We all know, Kezia Dugdale just said she knows the

impact of Brexit are going to be economically damaging. That's an

understood fact. Actually no one knows. Well, we do know. All

reports, all surveys told us that it is going to have a negative

impact... No one knows what the deal is. No one knows what the deal is?

Terms of the choice which is what we're suggesting, we're not asking

for a referendum now, what we are saying given the people 62% voted to

Remain, given that the UK-wide approach is not a UK-wide approach.

Number Ten Downing Street approach to Brexit, people should be given a

genuine choice. These are not my words. The words in terms of the

time scale at 18 months come from David Davis a couple of weeks ago

and indeed Theresa May yesterdayment we are working to their time scales

and indeed, the European Union time scales in terms of the negotiating

position. Briefly, if you don't get permission from Westminster, would

you hold an informal referendum? We want our referendum that is agreed

with, the UK Government. OK. So you wouldn't hold an advisory one. The

Prime Minister would sensibly say she wasn't going to agree to that.

So you wouldn't hold an advisory referendum? We would hold a proper

referendum. I want to ask you about the English edition of the Daily

Mail. The front page outside of Scotland says, "Never mind Brexit,

who won legs-it?" It has a picture of Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May

in their suits and the attention seems to be on their legs. The

inside column, I'm going to read a couple of quotes for anybody who

hasn't read it. "While Theresa May's fingers elegant with their classic

red nails were relaxed and open, sturgeon's grip appeared tenser. Her

right thumb at an awkward angle. Sturgeon looks less comfortable, she

is glancing off to one side. Her eyes like two hard chocolate

buttonsment her smile and as welcoming as Loch Lomond on a

winter's day. What stands out is the legs and the expanse on show. There

is no no doubt that both women consider their pins to be their

finest weapon in their arsenal. Both have been unSheted." Kezia Dugdale

how do you react to that? It is just so tiresome, I'm asked why does

gender equality matter in 2017 when you have a female First Minister and

female Prime Minister, and three female leaders of opposition parties

in Scotland and that front page else you how it matters, they are being

judged by their appearance. It is tiresome and another example of

every day sexism. We know it is a sensationalist take, but women face

that every day. They don't have to be Prime Minister to face that sort

of extreme sexism and we have to stand against it every step of the

way. How would you describe it? I agree with everything Kezia Dugdale

said. It is disgusting. I have been saying in Parliament at Westminster

that so often it is report on what we wear as opposed to what we're

saying. Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon held a really important

discussion if one could term it as such yesterday and the fact that the

focus is on what they are wearing or what their gestures may have been is

tiring. We have so much work to do in this respect and I hope The Daily

Mail would consider this was an inappropriate way to cover what was

an extremely important meeting about the future of the United Kingdom.

You say people are treated because they are women Kezia Dugdale. Can

you give us an xarple of how you have been treated differently

because you are a woman? I remember one of the first times I wore a

dress to my work after wearing trouser suits for many years and a

male colleague said he didn't know I had legs. You get casual sexism like

that every step of the way in politics. I live in a political

bubble. I'm part of the political establishment. People are pk around

the type of language they would use with me. Think of the working class

women, women working three part-time jobs and the sexism they face every

day. Who is going to stand up and protect them? That's why it is

important when women are in positions of power they break down

the barriers to show up the sexism and show the men up who are

articulating. Not in this case, it is a female journalist, but it is a

male editor. Plenty of people on social media had

their say as soon as the front page of the Mail was published in

England. This from Jeremy Corbyn, "It's 2017, the sexism must be

consigned to history. Shame on The Daily Mail. " This from David

Baddiel it says newspaper of the year, 1971 I assume." Mary Beard

said this, "Women in power? Worth seeing what we my be up against." Ed

Miliband, "The 1950s called and asked for their headline back."

Harriet Harman, "Moronic and we're in 2017." Here is an older version

posted by Lily Allen. There is Boris Johnson and David Cameron." Very,

very good. The Scottish Daily Mail by the way, it is very different. It

doesn't mention legs-it. It says, "Oh so frosty, secrets of Nicola and

PM's talking." Now the weather with Matt.

Let's take to you Australia. You've heard about Cyclone Debbie reaching

the Australian coast. This is where it made land fall. Luckily the winds

strength is over a narrow corridor. It will be rain that causes problems

and that will head southwards in the direction of Brisbane. Some spots

could see half a meter's worth of rain before it gradually eases off.

Back to our shores. We have our own swirl of cloud, not too far away. A

huge swirl of cloud as well. It is out in the Atlantic. Here it is.

It's a massive area of low pressure. It is not having a direct impact on

us at the moment, but it will have an incorrect action through today.

Spreading in a zone of thicker cloud and the chance of rain. We have had

dry and sunny weather of late. Starting toads few showers across

western areas as we go through the day. Very much more miss than hit,

but you could see some through this morning and beyond lunch time across

Northern Ireland, maybe in the Midlands and into parts of

north-west England. By the end of the afternoon a few spots of rain

starting to show up in the south-west of Scotland and

particularly Dumfries and Galloway and we may just catch the odd spot

or two in Orkney, but much of Scotland will be dry. A big change

with recent days, more cloud around and the sunniest conditions will be

across the north-west. We could hit 16 Celsius. But once we've lost the

bulk of rain from Northern Ireland, the skies will brighten with

sunshine, but there could be a few heavy thunderstorms and we could see

storms across western England and Wales. Some avoid them. Further

south and east, not only dry and sunny, but warmer, temperatures

could peak at 20 Celsius. We have got the showers to begin with.

Another batch of rain pushing up from the south-west. It will be

across northern and western areas where we see rain tonight, but one

or two towards the South East and East Anglia could catch the odd

shower. Not as cold as the last few nights. Temperatures holding up for

the most part. In the nart north-east of Scotland, there may

just be a very isolated frost. Here we should start the day dry and

bright with sunshine. But weather fronts wriggling away as we head up

the western parts of the UK through Wednesday and into Thursday. And by

the time we get into Thursday, this is where we are likely to see the

warmth gradually building. So some further outbreaks of rain across

western areas on Wednesday. Brighter conditions either side, but by

Thursday, just notice the warmth build in the South East corner. This

is where we will see the best of the sunshine. Could hit 20 or 21

Celsius. Wetter still across western areas and we will see more rain as

we go into Friday, that pushes southwards and eastwards and get

ready for the weekend. It is set to turn cooler.

A rape victim speaks exclusively to this programme whose attack led

to a female judge saying women who get drunk were putting

It's been really difficult, I've pretty much had

I didn't deal with it so well for a while -

I've kind of got past it a little bit now.

In a short while a Royal Marine will find out if he will be released

from prison after shooting a Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan.

We've been speaking to a friend of his, who said

why Sergeant Blackman should be released.

In my opinion Al did do the right thing because I'm not saying anyone

should be above the law but he certainly may have

GPs have been given access to a new risk assessment tool

to help diagnose young people at risk of bowel cancer.

We've been speaking to people affected by the disease.

It's turns your world upside down and it makes you reconsider

everything. What you're doing and what you're going to do.

Unfortunately I've had to have quite a large operation. We've got a very

informative and moving film on bowel cancer quite soon.

Here's Joanna with a summary of the news.

In an exclusive interview - a rape victim - whose attack led

to a judge warning that drunk women were putting themselves in danger -

Megan Clark waived her right to anonymity

She was raped by a man she met in a takeaway when she was drunk

The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy

when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was

But 19-year-old Megan said she was warning

women to "be careful", and it was "good advice".

The wife of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood

has said she "totally condemns" his actions.

Khalid Masood killed three people when he drove a car into pedestrians

on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death

In a statement released through the police, Rohey Hydara

said she was 'saddened and shocked' and expressed her

Health bosses are to look at plans to save hundreds of millions

of pounds a year by stopping prescriptions for things

like gluten-free food, muscle rubs and omega 3 fish oils.

The changes are part of a proposal to cut down

on what NHS England called "unnecessary or inappropriate"

treatments, that can be bought cheaply over the counter

Tesco will pay a ?129 million fine to the Serious Fraud Office

It stems from a statement by the supermarket in September

2014, that its profits had been overstated by ?263 million.

Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including

payments from suppliers, before the money was due.

GPs have been given access to a new tool to help diagnose young

Experts say people under 50 do not act on bowel cancer symptoms quickly

enough and 20% visit a GP five times before they are referred

The new approach will help calculate the risk of the disease

based on blood tests, symptoms and a GP's examination.

Bowel Cancer UK told this programme all GPs should be given access

That's a summary of the latest BBC News - more at 10.30am.

We are going to talk more about the interview with Megan Clark.

And the fact that the judge in her rape case said that drunk and women

were putting themselves in danger -- drunken women. We have had one

person getting in touch, she said she was raped, and she had to spend

three days giving evidence. She said the trauma of being on the stand was

horrific and she was sober which it was raped, and she understands why

Megan Clark would not have come forward -- would not come forward if

she was raped again. She says she feels the system is set up to

protect the rapist rather than the victim.

Do get in touch with us throughout the morning.

Use the hashtag Victoria LIVE and if you text, you will be charged

Here's some sport now with Olly Foster.

Cricket is making the headlines this morning.

A brand new T20 Torunament to rival the Indian Premeier League

and Australia is set to be staged in the Summer of 2020.

It will feature 8 franchises based in Cities, operating

The governing body, the ECB, say they have to diversify and reach

new markets for the health of the sport.

Let's get more on this, with former England

This hasn't been completely signed off yet,

a few counties have had reservations but the ECB are very determined

All the counties have signed the media rights. Cricket does need

something new, only 22% say cricket is their favourite sport, children,

in a country where this is the summer sport, and there are

concerns. There are concerns, counties will be nervous about the

future, but some of the exciting prospects, looking to attract new

audience be very exciting. Looking at TV audiences. How important are

the plans that eight of these 36 matches will be on free to air

television? It is important in a couple of areas, we have not had

cricket on television. When I was a teenager I was inspired by watching

the Ashes and that got me into the game and propelled me to continue

playing, but for youngsters coming through that this key. The ECB is

looking to attract a new audience. So the new audience will have to be

poured into this and I think this will be critical. The BBC are

interested in this, we understand. Ben Stokes became an instant

millionaire in the IPL auction recently. Will the success of this

be about how much money the players can be paid? You pay for what you

get, don't you? Money will be massive, if you look at India in

terms of money, it is out of the world in terms of the investment,

and we are going to have broadcast income coming in to support the

game, and players will expect to be rewarded. This will reduce to eight

teams, only a small fraction of the players that are currently in the

county system will have access, but those that do will want to be

rewarded and you need to attract the big players to make this a

successful stop thanks for joining us. -- to make this a success.

Thanks for joining us. In an exclusive interview with this

programme a rape survivor has defended the comments made

by the judge in her case who said drunk women are putting

themselves in danger. 19-year-old Megan Clark was attacked

after a night out in Manchester. She has waived her right

to anonymity to speak to us today. She had been drinking,

but said the judge gave good advice and was just telling women

to be careful. Judge Lindsey Kushner's comments had

been criticised as victim-blaming. We played you her full

intrerview an hour ago. I think she was absolutely

right in what she said, She put the blame massively

on rapists, not the victims. She just simply said to be careful,

basically, which is smart advice. But she wasn't at

all victim blaming. She said a woman would be less

likely to report a rape "because she was drunk or could not

remember what happened or feels ashamed to deal with it or,

if push comes to shove, a girl who is drunk is less likely

to be believed than one You didn't think you would report

something like that That is the harsh reality.

That is the way things are. Are you saying you wouldn't have

gone to the police that night But it probably wouldn't

have gone anywhere. It's just my word against theirs,

without the evidence. Rape Crisis did criticise

the judge's comments, they said They said, as a judge and a woman,

she should know better. The only person who is responsible

for rape is the rapist. Women are yet again

being blamed for rape. Only the rapist is responsible,

but that was the point the judge was making,

it was just taken out of context. A few people I told, they kind

of put it down to my behaviour. I know it is not my fault,

but it is hard not to blame yourself, especially

when you are in that situation. What is your message to other

women when they're out and about with their mates

in the summer, having Don't live in fear of rapists

and being in danger. Know that it is not your

fault, whatever happens. I guess I'd still encourage

people to report it, Even though you feel if it ever

happened to you again Megan Clark talking exclusively

to us this morning. If you want to read her

story you can find it It's one of the most read on this

website this morning. One person says she would like to live in a

world where she is not told how to avoid rape. Another person says that

the judge's comments were reasonable. Nigel says the judge is

only giving the correct advice, that women should never make themselves

drunk and vulnerable, and it needs to be said that rape against women

is a violent act and should never be tolerated or allowed by anyone.

Andries says, wow, the bravery of Megan Clark, she has done a

wonderful thing -- Anne-Marie says. We can get reaction now.

Sarah Vine QC, a criminal barrister who specialises

Rebecca Hitchin from the charity Rape Crisis.

Megan Clark thinks the judge was right to say what she did. I agree.

I was heartened to hear Megan Clark's summary at the end of the

interview, when she was asked what advice she would give to people who

are going out this summer for a good time, because the weighting that she

gave in that summary to what is effectively and adores month of the

judge's, as was absolutely right. -- an endorsement of the judge's

comments. It is never your fault, please come forward, these are

critical comments, and in addition, look after yourself, and that is not

because it is short for, that is because drunkenness is a bit icky

the form of -- is a particular form of former ability that we have some

kind of control over -- vulnerability. She made it very

clear, Megan, that an aspect of it was the fact that when she was

drunk, like most of us, she felt invulnerable and much more

confident, and she was in a position where she trusted people who she

probably wouldn't trust when she was sober. These are things which, that

is not our responsibility, but if someone is able to put measures in

place to enable that they are properly looked after and that there

are safeguards there, so that former ability -- vulnerability doesn't

overwhelm the situation. I could feel you bristling, at those

comments. How do you react? I have a very different view. I

think those comments were damaging and harmful. The judge's comments?

Yes. The fact that Megan spoke out, that takes incredible strength and

bravery, but I think that the fact that the judge had said and she also

said if you're drunk and raped then you're less likely to report, you're

less likely to be believed. What sort of message is that sending out?

As women, we're constantly being told to watch what we wear or be

careful of how much you have to drink because then you'll be

vulnerable and then you will be responsible for what happens to you,

but there never seems to be that flip, that focus on these rapists

and these potential rapists being told not to rape rather than that,

it is just focus on women and girls being told, you know, don't get

drunk, look after yourself, keep yourself safe. And I just think that

those judge's comments really reinforce that. More than that, it

is even saying to rapist and potential rapists, you're right,

target these women because if you target these women they won't report

you and if you target these women and they do have that strength to

report and only 15% of survivors do report, then if they do choose to

report, they won't be believed. So that's the message that's being sent

out to rapists, potential rapists. Sarah Vine how often does alcohol

play a part in rape trials? It is a common significant factor in rape

cases. I'd like to respond to something that Rebecca said because

I think it is really important and I completely understand her concern.

This is perhaps one area of the judge's comments that I think would

bear expansion and that's this - the make-up of a rape trial like any

criminal trial is that the prosecution are in a position of

having to prove the case to the criminal standard so they have to

make a jury sure. They have to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. In

most sex cases, the evidential position is you're going to have one

person's word against another. Where the person who is giving evidence

for the prosecution, whose evidence has to persuade a jury so that

they're sure, when that person has been drunk, the jury are going to

take into account the fact that alcohol has objek till an impact on

all kinds of things. This is not about a woman being unlady-like or

anything of that nature. This is about the impact that alcohol has on

judgement, on our recollection crucially, and an impaired

recollection may result in a jury arriving at the conclusion that a

witness, a complainant has been entirely honest, but nonetheless,

that their evidence is not completely reliable so it will cross

the criminal standard. First of all, they are not sex cases, they are

rape cases and I understand what a prosecution barrister is trying to

achieve, but we know the conviction rate for rape cases is woefully low

and needs to be addressed and the fact that Megan herself in a case

where she was interrupted, the rapist was interrupted by the

police, it was also recorded, the fact that she didn't even have that

faith in the Criminal Justice System and she thinks if those elements of

it hadn't occurred she might not have reported it, I think speaks

volumes about the way that survivors are treated and responded to in our

society. I would like to ask you Rebecca about another case. This is

a domestic aawes case. A judge gave a cricketer a 19 prison sentence

suss spended for yo years after the court heard his wife was forced to

drink bleach. She was throtled in public and hit with a cricket bat.

The prison sentence was suspended for two years. The judge ordered the

man to acontinued a workshop called Building Better Relationships pay

?1,000 in costs and banned him from contacting his partner, the judge

said that he did not believe that the wife, was vulnerable because,

"She was an intelligent woman with a network of friends and had a college

degree." I mean I think that those comments,

the sentencing, the fact that it is a suspended sentence is shocking as

are those comments. The idea that intelligent women cannot be

vulnerable. The idea that intelligent women cannot be in

abusive relationships is untrue. I understand that Jess Phillips is

trying to get the case looked into in more detail and I would agree

with that. We can bring in Labour

MP Jess Phillips. She's writing to the

attorney-general on the issue. First of all, your reaction to the

comments made in this case by the judge? Oh, it's just completely and

utterly wrong and the fact that the judge even said that and it has been

put on the record is incredibly damaging. It speaks of somebody who

does not understand that risk and vulnerability are dynamicment they

are not a static thing that are affected by your class, your race,

your age. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence and in fact, this

morning I've had a number of women who are incredibly well educated

with PhDs, with amazing qualifications get in touch with me

and tell me the story of how they've lived in terror and fear.

In terms of righting to the Attorney-General explain to our

audience what the point of that is and what the Attorney-General could

possibly do? Well, I moon, I don't have the full facts of the case. I

don't know what was put in in plea bargain. I don't know what other

mitigating factors were used in sentencing. So I've asked the

Attorney-General to review that case and the Attorney-General can review

cases where there is a feeling from people that it is too lenient.

However, in this case, because the charge is actual bold bodily harm,

ed isn't one of the categories of crime that the Attorney-General can

intervene on. That's murder, rape, sexual violence, sexual violence

against children and a number of other categories. However, I've

asked the Attorney-General to review this case and to review whether this

sort of crime, actual bodily harm where domestic violence is a factor

could be included in that list. OK. So it won't necessarily change the

sentence here, the outcome of this, but for future cases, it may? No. I

mean the things the judge said about the zIm and the judgement of the

judge in the case won't necessarily change. There is a factor in this

case that might change. It seems that there is a discrepancy around

the perpetrator saying that he was going to play for a cricket team who

have since denied it might actually throw up some possibilities of

changing the outcome of the case, but classicically, the

Attorney-General cannot intervene on actual bodily harm cases. OK, thank

you very much. Thank you for talking to us.

A court is due to decide whether to release a Royal Marine

from prison after he shot a Taliban insurgent.

We'll bring you the result when it comes in.

Bowel cancer doesn't just affect elderly men as you're

GPs have been given access to a new risk assessment tool

to help diagnose younger people at risk of bowel cancer.

Experts have told this programme people under 50 do not act on bowel

20% have to visit a GP five times before being

referred to a specialist often because doctors see them

as "too young" to have such a serious condition.

Our reporter Michael Cowan has been to meet some of those affected,

35-year-old Deborah who was diagnosed just before

Christmas, Jaimin who was diagnosed the first time at 29,

and Tamsin who lost her boyfriend Ben to bowel cancer

I'm a mother of two children, and 35 years old and I have

My name is James Patel, 33 and I survived bowel cancer.

My name is Tamsin, and 34 years old and I lost my boyfriend, Ben,

to bowel cancer just over three years ago.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK with 44

I had been feeling a little bit under the weather for possibly

a year and I went to my doctors and they told me it was probably

nothing to worry about and they sent me for some blood tests

and they came back normal and my symptoms continued to get

worse and I continued to go to the toilet even more often

and I continued to pass even more blood to the point where a month

before my diagnosis I was going ten times

a day and I felt I had this massive feeling

inside that something was not right.

I took myself off and I got a referral and I went

to get a colonoscopies and that is when everything fell

silent in the room and that was just before Christmas and they found

a six inch tumour inside my rectum and straightaway the consultant

The first thing I said was I don't want to die.

I screamed at the consultant. I said I don't want to die.

Secondly, I thought I've got two beautiful children

and it is mortifying, the idea that I might

I was scared like a three-year-old child and it was easy six inch

tumour and it had spread into my lymph nodes which means once

it's in your lymph nodes can go anywhere in your lymphatic system

and unfortunately that means that I was classified as stage three.

The stage of cancer, that means how advanced it is,

90% of people with stage one bowel cancer will survive for five years

But with each stage ,the numbers could lower.

Stage three, more than 60% will survive.

But at stage four, it's less than 10%.

Like Deborah, James also had blood in his stools and after a number

of visits to doctors and various tests he was sent for a colonoscopy.

That was a point which he pretty much told me straightaway but he had

seen it loads of times before and it was definitely

It makes you reconsider everything you've been doing

and you are going to do and, unfortunately, I had to have quite

a large operation which meant the whole of my large and testing

a large operation which meant the whole of my large intestine

was removed and it meant I was left with a permanent colostomy bag

as well which was a bit of a thing I had to get my head around.

Let's be clear, bowel cancer in the under 50s is rare.

But since 2004, it has increased by 45%.

2,500 people are diagnosed each year,

Tamsin had just moved in with her boyfriend, Ben.

One year later, after experiencing diarrhoea, blood in his stools

and severe tiredness, he was sent for tests.

That's when they diagnosed the bowel cancer, three weeks after

Eventually he was sent away and booked in for an operation,

but that is the tumour actually burst, so he had to be rushed back

Then the doctors, after the operation,

they told us what stage it was at, which was quite advanced.

For people between the ages of 60 and 74, the NHS provides bowel

The problem for the under 50s is that they don't expect

So, despite experiencing symptoms, one in four young people

wait over three months before going to see their GP.

20% of them said they had to see their doctor or a staggering

five times before being referred to a specialist.

We went into the hospital in the first weekend of the New Year

and I then went down into the operation,

it was a five-hour operation and I woke up in intensive care.

So I'm hoping, all being well, to finish my chemotherapy

I was given, I think it was a couple of months or maybe a month

or so to recover from the operation and then they started me

At the end of my treatment cycles they said that they were happy

I was clear for a couple of years and then I think in one of the scans

they picked something up where they didn't think much

of it and then the scan after that they had seen some pretty

large tumours on my liver, so these put me straight back

into the another treatment cycle, but it was in that process,

those scans that they also found another lesion on my lung.

Touch wood, keeping OK at the moment.

It is when the chemo started, that is when things started to not

go so well because Ben, he kept reacting and he was in

hospital for a few weeks and doctors were coming up to him and saying

Even right towards the end, and this is just the kind

of person that Ben was, when we were in the hospice he said

I want to get out of bed and do some squats now,

because he just wanted to do some exercise to get himself fit enough

Presumably he couldn't get out of bed?

He managed to do, I think it was two squats.

Then he passed away on the fourth day.

I have done a lot of crying, I have done a lot of shouting,

I have planned my own funeral, I have said thank you,

I have said I love you, I have hugged my children and I have

I can eat healthily, I can stand on my head backwards

and eat three teaspoons of tumeric everyday.

And do whatever someone is suggesting

is the latest cancer thing, but cancer is a very unknown,

It allows you to reassess what really is important,

which is a bizarre thing to think about at my age, but it is something

I think a lot of people take for granted and don't really value

until it hits them in the face and you need to make

Every day, every second of every day I miss him all the time.

It has been so hard, the last three years have been so tough.

You don't just lose a person, you lose your future and your present.

It is like everything being pulled out from underneath you.

To build yourself up to some sort of a person

After we finished filming, Deborah had some questions for Jamin,

How did you find your family reacted, like your wife,

and did they cope with it as well as you seem

I think it was really tough for a lot of my family members.

I was in the unfortunate situation, my mum passed away about two

It was a sudden thing, she had a brain haemorrhage and it

My dad, I think, felt he struggled with that

because he lost his wife, going into an operation

I think sometimes it is worse being a bystander and supporting

somebody because you could do anything about it.

I'm not saying we can or I can, but if you are going

through the motions it is easier to deal with.

As a patient, you know you are dealing with something

It is always the second thought about what are not doing?

What was life like for you when you were on chemo?

I don't understand what my life should look like on chemo.

I think the difficulty with the trigger for bowel cancer,

it is a bit different to other chemotherapies, or it doesn't

I've seen other people who've been so wiped out that they can't do

I think we have different side effects.

After the treatment I was always very tired and spent a couple

of days just recovering in bed and resting.

I tried, as soon as I could, I tried to get out.

My wife was paranoid about me getting ill.

She was always like, you cannot go and see

them, nobody who has got kids can come to you.

You can't lock yourself away for six months,

Partly because I had all the scorers which add to whom.

The first operation I had a really big struggle getting

I was in there for two or three weeks.

It is amazing when standing up is an achievement.

I was so comfortable sitting around in the hospital bed,

The second or third operations I found the recovery

It is your own comfort zone, so you feel a lot better.

I think they've coped pretty well so far.

I have got a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old.

They are old enough, they watch movies and understand

that other people's mummys die from cancer, so they understand

that they could be in that situation, but I hope that I don't

ever have to have that conversation with them.

Do you think it has made you, because I don't know about you,

but are you suddenly having a new-found appreciation

for basic stuff like being a mum and looking at trees?

Time with your family and simple things in life.

I think the small things make you think, you know what,

I appreciate every morning, because you don't know

It is nice to speak to people like you because I think

there is hope and with you, it has got to the liver

I'm scared that I might not be one of the lucky ones either

It was always the positivity that keeps you going,

because it means you don't have to worry about it as much

because then you are thinking, you know what, if it comes to it,

I've made the most and done whatever I can and filled

It was really nice to meet you, thank you.

No, fantastic news to see you doing so well and keeping healthy.

You can read more about our story on the BBC News site.

Thank you for your comments. Sean says two of his friends died from

pal cancer -- bowel cancer and it was heartbreaking to see this

happen. Another one says, I had bowel cancer when I was 39, I said

this to the doctor, he said I was too young, but I persevered, and by

the time I was operated on stage three, but I'm alive and very lucky.

Another one says, Peter, he says his wife was diagnosed at stage four,

after being fobbed off by the doctor with advice about her diet. He says

don't take no for an answer and always seek a second opinion if you

are worried about it. He says early diagnosis is crucial and is

something we are lagging behind in in this country when it comes to

bowel cancer. If you would like to talk to anyone about this issue, you

can go to the BBC's action line. Breaking news in the case of

Sergeant Alexander Blackman. We can go to our reporter at the Royal

courts of justice. We have just had the sentencing for Alexander

Blackman, and the five judges have decided that he is to serve seven

years for manslaughter and he has already spent almost three and a

half years in prison. It is possible he could be released within weeks

because he has served half of the sentence and you can be released

after that. To go back to the legal history of this case, he was first

convicted by a court martial of murder in November 2013, for

shooting an injured Taliban insurgent in Helmand province in

Afghanistan. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum

term of ten years, and he appealed the following year and that appeal

did not succeed but his minimum term was reduced to eight years and the

case was considered by the review commission, the independent body

which looks at potential miscarriages of justice. It was

referred back to the Court of Appeal for a second time. The judges

heard... CHEERING The news has got out, these

supporters have long argued that he should not be imprisoned for murder

in the first base, but the murder conviction was quashed on the second

appeal and it was replaced by a conviction of manslaughter by reason

of diminished responsibility and it is for that manslaughter conviction

that he has now been sentenced. CHEERING

The supporters are achieving and we will be hearing shortly from

supporters and also from Alexander Blackman's wife who has been in

court for these hearings -- the supporters are cheering. Alexander

Blackman has been listening to this by video link from prison in

Wiltshire. This information has not reached you yet, but we are hearing

that inside the court has just ruled that Alexander Blackman will be free

to weeks from today which explains the cheering from his supporters in

the background -- two weeks. That is like a man that follows what I was

explaining, that because of his seven-year sentence and he has spent

almost three and a half years in prison and can be released halfway

through that, that has led to this decision, that he will be freed

within the next two weeks from the prison in Wiltshire where he has

served that sentence. Thanks for the moment. We can get reaction

straightaway. Lord John Burnett is

a former Royal Marine How do you respond to that news? I'm

pleased, I had hoped he would be released immediately today, and you

can have diminished responsibility that is 100% but what really

concerns me is, I'm hoping to hear, that the discharge by... For

disgrace will be lifted and quashed and that he will be free to rejoin

the Royal Marines which is what he would love to do, I believe. Could

you explain what the discharge for reasons of disgrace is? It is the

ultimate insult for a Royal Marine like Alexander Blackman and it means

that you have lost your pension and worst of all you have lost and

severed contact with the Royal Marines which is his life. He was an

impeccable and excellent outstanding Marine and he had done six tours of

six months each on the fiercest active service and he never finished

in service and he was an exemplary and excellent Marine and

non-commissioned officer and I think all of us hope that that will be

lifted, but maybe there is further news to come on that. Nevertheless,

he was guilty of manslaughter. On the grounds of the Ministry sponsor

but guilty of manslaughter. -- on the grounds of diminished

responsibility. We heard him say on the camera on his helmet that he

knew he had broken the Geneva Convention by shooting dead the

Taliban fighter. Yes, his mind, as three eminent psychiatrists have

said, was deeply disturbed and that is why they all, world-renowned

psychiatrists stated, that he was completely affected by that and his

responsibility for his actions was gravely diminished. And that is why

he has been convicted of manslaughter. I think that those who

have never known the hell and horrors of serving in Afghanistan

will never really fully understand how it has affected people and

people like Alexander Blackman who went back time after time. The

exhaustion and the heat and the mortal danger, you are always in

mortal danger, of your life, and in that tour seven men were killed

including the young officer that Sergeant Blackman was mentoring and

that will have affected the unit Matip be, those events occurred very

shortly before this incident -- unit automatically. -- climatically.

You have no idea, none of us, of the pressure on these men, and Sergeant

Blackman was commanding in an isolated place, the most dangerous

and hellish square mile on earth at that time. And he did so selflessly,

but I'm afraid it had an affect on him as it would on all of us, it

would have affected the best trained and most exemplary Marine or soldier

and it had an effect on him, six, six-month tours in mortal danger

throughout each of those. Let me bring you the breaking news

that Sergeant Blackman formally known as Marine A will be free in

two weeks time. He has been re-sentenced this morning at the

Royal Courts of Justice to seven years in jail for manslaughter on

the grounds of diminished responsibility as he has already

spent three-and-a-half years in jail, he can be released on licence

in the next 14 days. So Sergeant Blackman will go free from court in

two weeks time, two weeks today, in fact, having spent several years in

jail. Three-and-a-half years in jail. You can see the jubilant

scenes from supporters of Sergeant Blackman outside the Royal Courts of

Justice. Green bereted supporters, you can probably see family and

friends and his wife Clare Blackman hugged her barrister and in court,

actually, Sergeant Blackman, who was appeared videolink told his wife he

loved her. He is still dismissed from the Marines, we are being told,

and we are hearing from Lord Burnett who wants the discharge in disgrace

to be quashed effectively. What is the impact on somebody if they're

discharged in disgrace? I think it is largely to do with his, losing

pension rights. It is also the whole business of being seen to have let

down the corps which he never did. He is an exemplary prisoner and he

was an excellent Royal Marine and I'm delighted he is being freed in a

fortnight's time, but I very, very much hope that that particular part

of his sentence will be lifted, the discharge in disgrace, but we shall

wait and see about that. I know that there are talks going on between the

Royal Marines and Sergeant Blackman's defence team and I hope

that he can be welcomed back fully into our Royal Marines family at the

very earliest opportunity and I would like to say a word or two

about his wonderful, fantastic and steadfast and loyal wife, Clare. She

has supported him throughout, through the most arduous times and I

would like to pay tribute, not only to her, but also her husband. I'm

delighted he's going to be out in a fortnight's time. Yes. Just to

reiterate for those joining us on BBC News, Sergeant Blackman has been

sentenced to seven years for manslaughter on the grounds of

diminished responsibility, but because of time served already, he

will be free in two weeks time. He will be released from jail two weeks

today. We're going to play our audience now some of the audio, some

of the video from the camera that was on Sergeant Blackman's helmet

during that tour of duty. Six, six months tour of duty, incredibly

stressful. Let's just hear some of what happened back then.

There are some who appreciate the new psychiatric evidence which

showed that Sergeant Blackman was suffering from incredible stress at

the time of this particular tour. But who on hearing him say in that

video footage knowingly I've broken the Geneva convention find it hard

to believe that he wasn't in the correct mental state? Well, he

wasn't in the correct mental state and that has been found by three

very, very eminent, world renowned psychiatrists who have great

experience of these things. It's very difficult as I said earlier to

appreciate the strsz and strains of being on death's door continuously

night and day, week after week, month after month. It turns your

mind. It turns the mind of the best trained, the bravest, and the