28/03/2017 BBC News at One

A Royal Marine who killed an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan

will walk free next month after his murder

Cheers outside court as Sergeant Alexander Blackman

is given a seven-year prison sentence - but told he will be

The 42-year-old was jailed for murder in 2013,

but his conviction was reduced to manslaughter earlier this month.

This is the moment we have all been fighting hard for.

It's hard to believe that this day is finally here.

A shake-up of prescriptions - holiday jabs, gluten-free food

and fish oils may no longer be available on the NHS to save money.

A rape victim says she agrees with the judge in her case

who was criticised for warning that drunk women put

Tesco's fined ?129 million after a two-year investigation

into false accounting by the Serious Fraud Office.

And look out for the new 12-sided pound coin -

it's thinner and lighter and it's out today.

And coming up in the sport on BBC News...

A big loss for Great Britain's Davis Cup team.

They are going to be without the injured Andy Murray

for their quarterfinal tie against France.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News At One.

A Royal Marine who was sent to prison for killing an injured

Taliban fighter in Afghanistan has been told he will be

Sergeant Alexander Blackman had his murder conviction reduced

to manslaughter earlier this month, on the grounds of

He's now been sentenced to seven years - but has

already served three years, which means he will

Our correspondent Duncan Kennedy is at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Extraordinary scenes both inside court and outside court this

morning. Dozens and dozens of Marines cheering, in tears, and that

included Alexander Blackman's wife Claire, who spoke on the steps of

her relief at the decision by the judges debated rock Alexander

Blackman was not in court, he was watching proceedings on a video link

from his prison. Is a story about the horrors of conflict and the

legalities of war is now at an end. -- his story.

The jubilation was immediate and unbridled. Marine veterans from a

dozen conflicts gave full rein to their relief and delight. It was a

euphoria that was then shared by the dignified reaction of Alexander

Lachmann's wife. We are overjoyed at the judges' decision to

significantly reduce our sentence such that he can be released

imminently. This is the moment we have all been fighting hard for. It

is hard to believe that this day is finally here. That joy was matched

by hundreds of marines who have campaigned for four years to make

this day a reality. I'm just overwhelmed, reduced to tears, if

I'm honest. It has broken meet it up and just so relieved that justice

has been done and now Blackman is free. As a Marine sergeant,

Alexander Blackman had been a decisive leader of troops, someone

who had killed 30 times for his country. But on this tour of

Afghanistan in 2011, he and his men went through what was called a tour

from hell. They were provoked and violently targeted incessantly by

the Taliban. In this field, they found an injured Taliban insurgents.

Sergeant Blackman was recorded saying this... He then pointed his

gun at the insurgent. He then added...

In 2013, Sergeant Blackman was found guilty of murder, a decision that

thousands of military colleagues believed was a moral outrage.

Earlier this month, that conviction was reduced to manslaughter on

grounds of diminished responsibility. Rob Driscoll served

alongside Alexander Blackman and says the decision to release him now

is the right one, given what they all went through. The answer to your

question is, was it right what he did? And the answer would be,

absolutely. When you are surrounded by absolute lunacy, then a little

bit of lunacy doesn't seem so bad. Prosecutors argued that Alexander

Blackman broke the rules of war but his supporters saw a man tormented

by the horrors of combat. For his wife and for him, he is the last

casualty of the Afghanistan conflict.

Alexander Blackman is currently at a prison in Wiltshire and is expected

to be released sometime over the next two weeks to be reunited with

his wife Claire. The judges said that he had been dismissed from the

Marines but not dishonourably. They also said that Mr Blackman was

responsible for the killing of that Taliban insurgent but that he is now

a free man. Duncan Kennedy, thank you.

The NHS in England is to consider whether GPs should stop prescribing

a range of medicines and treatments - including holiday jabs,

gluten-free food, fish oils and painkillers such as paracetamol

- that are available over the counter.

The proposals, which are intended to save millions of pounds,

will form part of a major announcement on the future

of the health service later this week by the head of NHS England.

Our health editor, Hugh Pym, reports.

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

Instead, patients should have to pay for them. Decisions are about the

total spend and we need to use that effectively. If we are effectively

spending money we think on things that are of low or no clinical

value, we can redirect that money to things that are more appropriate.

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

They are widely available over-the-counter at chemists. But

pharmacists won there is a danger of going too far. The NHS is built on a

principle of free up a point of use and it is important there was a

balance between making sure the medicines are cost-effective, and we

support the cost-effective review of those buttons, but at the same time

we've got to make sure people are not disadvantaged because of their

ability to pay for medicines. And questions are being asked about what

this might mean for patients depend on free prescriptions. We've not had

any clarity about what this means for elderly people, pregnant women,

people are very low incomes, and I'm concerned about the people who are

managing long-term conditions, managing their pain throughout those

long-term conditions. NHS England says there won't be a ban and GPs

will still be free to prescribe the items to those they feel need them.

The move is part of an NHS strategy to tackle rising demand.

The move will form part of a major strategy announcement

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

The wife of the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood has said

she is "saddened and shocked" by the atrocity.

In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police,

Rohey Hydara said she totally condemns his actions.

Masood killed four people in an 82-second rampage last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the MP who tried to save the life of PC

I would make it clear that I was one of many that stepped

day and our thoughts and prayers remain with those families

and friends of the victims, including our own PC Keith Palmer.

A rape victim whose case led a judge to warn that women are more likely

to be targeted when drunk has defended the comments,

Megan Clark was raped by a man during a night out in Manchester.

The trial sparked controversy after the judge said the drunken

behaviour of some women was putting them at risk.

In an exclusive interview, Miss Clark, who's waived

her right to anonymity, told the Victoria Derbyshire

programme that she didn't believe the judge was "victim blaming".

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

It is not the way it should be, but that was her point.

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,

Megan Clarke talking to Victoria Derbyshire and you can see that

interview in full on the BBC website.

The Australian state of Queensland is being lashed by torrential rain

A cyclone has flooded streets and toppled trees

Tens of thousands of people have been told to leave their homes

along coastal areas, with warnings of

Cyclone Debbie's 30-mile-wide core ripped through everything

in its path, tearing into the Queensland coast.

Australia's biggest evacuation plan in over 40 years meant people

here were prepared but that didn't lessen the impact.

We have more than 45,000 homes without power,

we have major trees down, we are hearing reports of some quite

At Airlie Beach, normally a picture postcard scene,

a BBC journalist on holiday found herself at the centre of the story.

What I can see is trees bending over.

There's debris flying all through the air.

Trees are starting to be ripped up now and there's a huge amount

It's not just falling as rain now, it's a big mass of mist and sea,

Even when these winds have died down, there will be another,

longer lasting, problem to deal with - flooding.

With two feet worth of rain expected to fall in 24 hours in some places,

it means some communities could be cut off for days.

The emergency services have been in lockdown,

unable to respond to calls until the cyclone passes.

They know the hardest days are ahead.

This is a very destructive storm and storm system and I think

the public and the community of Queensland need to understand

that we are going to get lots of reports of damage and,

sadly, I think that we will also receive more reports of injuries,

if not deaths, and we need to be prepared for that.

For those who have sought shelter, there will be

Sarah Bromley from Essex has managed to let her family know she's safe.

Having to wait out the weather hasn't been much fun.

We've been here for almost 24 hours now, so we're a bit bored of it

and hoping it passes soon, so we can go back, get some food

The cyclone is still moving slowly inland, downgraded

but still destructive on a vast scale.

Hywel Griffith, BBC News, Queensland.

A Royal Marine who killed an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan

will walk free next month after his murder

Plagued by potholes, the roads in such a bad condition they could soon

be closed. Coming up in the sport in the next

15 minutes on BBC News... The summer

of cricket is set for a big change taking part in a city-based

Twenty20 tournament. after coming to a settlement

with the Serious Fraud Office The supermarket admitted

overstating its profits in 2014, The agreement means Tesco

will avoid prosecution - it will also have to pay

its shareholders ?85 million. Our business correspondent

Emma Simpson reports. An accounting scandal,

multiple investigations and billions of pounds wiped off

the value of the company. The reason, it had

massively overstated its Today the UK arm of Tesco agreed

to pay a penalty of ?129 million from the

Serious Fraud Office. Yes, it's a big fine for Tesco

and that represents the seriousness of the effect

and the effect it had on the share By doing this deal Tesco

has at least avoided prosecution and the board will be

hoping they can now draw a line Tesco is coughing up another

?85 million to compensate shareholders who bought shares

in the company in the weeks following its August update

to the city, unaware that Tesco had It's the first time

the financial regulator the FCA has used its powers to require

a listed company to pay compensation Tesco said it had fully

cooperatedwith the Tesco said it had fully

cooperated with the The incident was hugely

regrettable, the issues were historic and that the business had

undergone a comprehensive programme This deal still to be approved

by a Court, covers Tesco stores and doesn't

address whether liability of any sort applies

to the larger parent group,

Tesco plc or any of its employees. Tesco hopes it can now put

the sorry chapter behind it, although three former executives

are still due to stand trial. Tomorrow the Prime Minister

will trigger Article 50 - and formally start the process

for the United Kingdom It'll pave the way for two

years of negotiations. But the way forward is uncharted -

this is the first time that article 50 will be triggered and it's not

clear exactly how talks will proceed as our political correspondent

Carole Walker reports. It will be an historic day for the

European Union and the United Kingdom. The formal start of exit

negotiations. Already the government is forging new partnerships beyond

the EU, announcing a five game pound deal with Qatar. Tomorrow we begin

the negotiations to secure a new deep and special partnership with

the European Union. As we do so I am determined that we should also sees

this historic opportunity to get out into the world and to shape even

bigger roles for eight double Britain. Tomorrow the Prime Minister

will give EU leaders a clear outline of her approach. Her officials will

deliver a letter to the European Council, several pages long,

detailing the governance principles and priorities. She will get the

EU's initial response within days, the Foreign Secretary said her

approach would be optimistic and positive. I've absolutely no doubt

there will be a great deal but this country because a great deal for

this country is is what is finally in the interests of our friends and

partners on the other side of the channel who have a huge amount to

gain. The Prime Minister was said at her approach to the negotiation in a

statement to MPs tomorrow. The government says it wants to discuss

the terms of our departure from the EU and the future trading

relationship at the same time. Senior EU figures said the terms of

withdrawal must agree before they'll even start to talk about trade. And

that's just one of many differences to be resolved. Campaigners who

wanted Britain to remain in the EU say ministers are raising expect

patience that cannot be fulfilled. That everything is going to be

signed and sealed and on and two years, it ain't, that we will have

new, sparkling trade agreements worth twice the value of the

European Union before we've even left, we want and now apparently

we're not going to pay very much money at all. And they are urging

ministers to resist pressure from hard-line Brexiteers for the UK to

walk away without a deal. There will be agitation for early departure,

for realisation that the Europeans are not serious, we should walk away

and I Bardy everything in my power on my bench is to make sure that

does not become reality. The Prime Minister has met the timetable she

said the triggering article 50 by the end of March, getting the deal

she wants within two years will be a much harder task. Carole Walker, BBC

News, Westminster. Our Assistant Political Editor

Norman Smith is in Westminster. We know what will happen tomorrow,

beyond that we are in an charted waters. I think we are getting a

sense of choreography, then be in the sense of departure and we learn

the process will not be triggered by Theresa May making a statement in

Downing Street, there won't be a debate in the House of Commons, it

will be triggered by a single, simple letter, written and signed by

Theresa May saying we want to leave the European Union. That letter has

been a closely guarded secret in Downing Street, we are told it's

commercially sensitive, many ministers happens seen it, the first

Babel gets cider bidders when she breached the Cabinet tomorrow

morning, she will make a statement to MPs telling them about it but

even then we won't have a gun the departure, that doesn't begin until

our man in Brussels marches down the coroner and hands over the letter in

person to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The

moment he takes hold of that letter, that is the moment we begin to leave

the EU and that letter is crucial. It's likely to be around 6-7 pages

long but it will set out the Prime Minister's ambitions for Brexit,

what she wants from the deal, it's likely to reiterate we want to leave

the single market, get back control of immigration, leave the European

Court of Justice, it is, in short, likely to be one of the most closely

scrutinised letters in modern political history. It certainly will

be. Norman, thank you. 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 The First Minister wants

a referendum by the spring of 2019, but Theresa May has

rejected that timetable. A piece of constitutional theatre -

short on suspense but full of significance in the debate

over Scotland's future. For Nicola Sturgeon,

placing Holyrood at the centre of the push for another referendum

is key, securing the backing of the Scottish Parliament

to negotiate the terms of another An independence referendum should,

in their words, "be made in Scotland That is a principle that

should be respected today. The detailed arrangements

for a referendum, including its timing,

must be for the Scottish And so, after the suspension

of last week's debate, following the Westminster terror

attack, MSPs will pick up Once again Nicola Sturgeon

will open the debate, arguing the Scottish Government's

case - that Scots have effectively been shut out of the Brexit process,

something it didn't vote for, and as such, they should have the

chance to choose a different path. Well, the reality is

the Scottish Parliament will decide this afternoon whether it wishes

to move forward and to give the people of Scotland

a democratic choice, in vastly different circumstances

from anything that could have been That's the choice for

the Scottish Parliament to make and if the Scottish Parliament makes

that choice later today, then we'll indicate to the UK Government how

that should move ahead. But on a visit to Scotland

yesterday, Theresa May's With Brexit to negotiate,

now is not the time, to discuss another

referendum on independence. Look, the Prime Minister has made

clear that she is not ruling out a second referendum but she has laid

down the conditions on which she thinks it

would be appropriate. The first would be that we'd have

left the European Union, the second is that we are absolutely

clear about the arrangements And they may not be clear at that

point, there could be transitional arrangements thereafter and thirdly

and crucially the people of Scotland will have

to want a second referendum. The support of the Greens means

the Scottish Government will almost on the subject of what happens

next will be drafted, but as yesterday's meeting

between the two leaders illustrated, Our Scotland correspondent

Lorna Gordon is in Holyrood. Tell us more about what we can

expect this afternoon and what will happen next. There is a small

pro-independence and Station outside this parliament in support of Nicola

Sturgeon's all for the right to hold another referendum, the debate

itself interrupted last week gets under way shortly after 2pm and the

keyboard will take place around 5pm. It's a simple, straightforward

process, the MSPs press a button and the result is known shortly

thereafter but in truth, we know the result already, in all likelihood it

will pass the SNP with the support of the Green Party have a majority

here. While the result is not really in doubt what happens next is bar

less clear. We know the Scottish Government will send a letter to the

UK Government formally requesting, to call a referendum under section

30 of the Scotland Act, we don't know the timing but we know the

letter will set out how they intend to fulfil the mandate that they will

have been given by the Scottish Parliament here and with the mood

music coming from Westminster, the Prime Minister saying now is not the

time for another referendum, it's not clear how this constitutional

stand-off will be resolved. Potholes - they enfuriate

motorists and cyclists alike. Now a new survey of local councils

in England and Wales has revealed that potholes mean that 1 in 6

smaller roads are at risk of becoming damaged beyond repair -

and some have less than five years before they have to be

replaced or closed. Our transport correspondent,

Richard Westcott, reports. It's impossible to dodge

them all these days. The surface crumbling away faster

than it can be repaired, It blames decades of underfunding,

coupled with wetter winters and more It hit two of my tyres

and also dented the actual The doors on the car were disengaged

and I had ?500 worth I had an accident on my bike,

where I hit a pothole and fell The research found that one in six

roads is so bad it may need to be Councils filled 1.7 million potholes

in England and Wales last year, Well, this survey is hardly going to

come as a surprise to most drivers. We've been looking for just two

minutes just outside Bristol. Look, a whole row of potholes

on an ordinary road. According to this report,

if you really wanted to fix up all the local roads across England

and Wales, it would cost ?12 billion

and take more than a decade. Bus companies say their customers

and drivers face being jolted Steve's been driving a bus around

Bristol for nearly four decades. I'm just upset because when

they do repair them, We talk about it all the time

in the canteen, amongst drivers, our concerns about the safety

for our customers and obviously actually how we have

to behave on the road. We actually position the bus

to avoid the potholes because some The Government says it's chipped

in an extra ?1 billion recently to help fill the holes

but campaigners aren't impressed. Every so often the Government

gives out a pothole fund. It is kind of reacting to a crisis

but I think we need to actually plan longer term funding

and have a greater proportion of what drivers actually pay

in motoring taxes ringfenced Because if you ask drivers,

it is their number one concern. As councils feel the financial

squeeze, many fear our local The new 12-sided pound coin has

entered circulation this morning. It's the first change

to the shape of the coin The new coins are

thinner and lighter. But watch out - some vending

and ticket machines may not accept Here is the new pound coin and it

does have some special security features apart from being 12

sided and two coloured, writing on it and it

has a sort of hologram with a ? sign at the bottom

and a special feature inside which means

coin machines can recognise whether it's genuine or not and that's

important because there are so many But there is a problem for some

businesses actually getting ready for this and here's one of them,

amusement arcade in Southend. John, what's your

problem with converting For us, the biggest issue

is obviously all of our coin mix in all of the machines needs

to take the pound coin. Well, at the minute we got 800

coin mix so upwards of Doesn't take into account machines

that we can't do, obviously some machines are too old to

have the new coin mix in, we have to get rid of them,

not only that but the man But at the moment you are

putting it off, are you? Well, we don't really

have a choice, we have to try and get it

done as soon as we can, Easter coming up for us

is a seasonal business, a big But for everyone else,

although this is coming in today, you can still use the old pound

coins until October the 15th, then they stop

becoming legal tender in the shops but you'll be able to

hand them into a bank. If you were with me at this time

yesterday I started in pretty similar vein. Dry enough at

Edgbaston for the ground staff to be honoured at the moment, for others,

glorious, down on the River Thames this morning, in places it was a

superb start to the day. But I was advertising today as a bed of a

transition date something unsettled later in the week and the mechanisms

are still in place for that to happen, out in the midst of the

Atlantic, we have a big area of low pressure and we are beginning to see

the first signs of a significant change in the weather come third to

the weekend. Already across parts of the south-west, the odd showery

burst of rain, prospects on the way towards Wales and Edgbaston, further

north, something a bit more organised by way of rainfall.

Further north, the odd drop of rain, on the northern side, still cooler,

elsewhere and not a particularly cold afternoon although if you are

underneath the Merc, it is into single figures and on the East

Coast, 17 in Norwich, but on the coast, 5 degrees. That change

already in hand. The possibility that through the afternoon into the

evening, some pretty sharp showers replaced by a mishmash of more cloud

and we are at risk of a little bit of rain of some description, save

perhaps the Northern Isles. Throughout Wednesday, frontal

systems piling in cloud and rain, at the same time, across the East

Midlands, East Anglia and the south-east we may hang on to drier

conditions. Thursday, similar sort of weather pattern, weather fronts

bringing the threat of rain, some quite heavy on the western hills,

Cumbria, western Wales, that's half the story. The flow I headed but

from the south, that will push a lot of mild are up and across the

British Isles, even if you get cloud and rain across the North and west

the temperature is well above average for the time of year as is

this. 20 or 21... Yes indeed, Sophie, across the south-east, it

will stay dry, that sort of temperature with brightness. The low

out in the Atlantic, by Friday, much closer to home, we are all under

threat of seeing more substantial amounts of rain and bad sexuality

for the start of the weekend, those temperatures still above normal. And

it's only March. Thank you. A reminder of our main

story this lunchtime... A Royal Marine who killed and

injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan will walk free after his

conviction has been quashed. That's all from the BBC News at One

so it's goodbye from me