21/02/2018 BBC News at One

Two victims of the black cab rapist

John Worboys have won a landmark

case against the police.

The women, who were raped

by Worboys years before

he was brought to justice,

were not believed by officers

They had all the information there.

They should have caught him,

they could have stopped him the very

next day, but they didn't.

They chose to not believe me.

The ruling means the police

could face legal action from anyone

who's a victim of serious crime

that they feel is not

properly investigated.

Also this lunchtime...

The United Nations says

the bombardment of Ghouta in Syria

is "beyond imagination" -

hundreds of people have died

after days of attack.

Donald Trump indicates he's willing

to ban devices which turn

rifles into machine guns,

following pressure after last week's

school shooting in Florida.

We're going to talk to these

politicians tomorrow. We are going

to talk to them the day after that.

We are going to keep talking, we are

going to keep pushing until

something is done, because people

are dying and this can't happen any

more.

The economy sees the strongest six

months of growth in productivity

since the recession of 2008,

say new figures.

Jumping for joy - Great Britain's

women reached Friday's

curling semi-finals,

with a 6-5 win over Canada.

Also in the sport on BBC News...

Can Mica Moore and Mica McNeill put

their funding ordeal behind them,

to take a shock medal in the

women's bobsleigh in Pyeongchang?

Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One.

Two victims of the black cab rapist,

John Worboys, have won

a landmark legal case

against the Metropolitan Police,

after officers failed to take action

when they reported him.

The women were sexually assaulted

by Worboys in 2003 and 2007,

and said their treatment by police,

who didn't believe them,

caused them mental harm.

The ruling by the Supreme Court

means police may now face legal

action if they fail to properly

investigate serious cases.

Here's our legal correspondent,

Clive Coleman.

For years, John Worboys cruised

the streets of London in his black

cab, looking for women to dupe,

drug and sexually assault.

This woman, known for legal

reasons as DSD, was

attacked by Worboys

in 2003, was the first

to report him to police.

I put my trust in the police.

I went to them for them

to sort this out.

I knew who had attacked me.

I didn't know his name,

but I knew who was responsible

for this.

They had all the information there.

They should have caught him,

they could have stopped him the very

next day but they didn't.

They chose to not believe me.

If they had done their job in 2003,

there would be one victim. I can

deal with one victim. What I can't

deal with is 105 victims because I

wasn't believed.

Worboys was able to continue

to attack women until he was finally

brought to justice in 2009.

DSD and another of

Worboys' victims brought

a legal challenge, claiming

the police failures breached

their human rights and amounted

to inhuman and degrading treatment.

The Metropolitan Police fought them

to the Supreme Court.

Today, the court ruled

in the women's favour.

We have held that failures

in the investigation of the crimes,

provided they are sufficiently

serious, will give rise to liability

on the part of the police.

And we further found

that there were such

serious deficiencies in this case.

Today's landmark ruling has huge

implications for both the victims

of violent crime and the police

who investigate it.

If they seriously fail

in an investigation, they can face

human rights actions by the victim,

and have to pay out compensation.

This is the highest court

in the land telling the police that

in the most serious of cases,

they have to do their job properly.

It's looking at things

where perhaps Article 3

isn't engaged.

Do we have to move resources

from those sort of investigations to

things like fraud, into supporting

more work around serious crime?

CROWD CHANTS: Domestic

violence is a crime!

Today's judgment can't make up

for the police errors

in investigating John Worboys.

But it will put real pressure

on them to ensure such

mistakes don't happen again.

Clive is outside the Supreme Court.

This is a significant ruling. Tell

us more about the wider

implications?

They claimed they had negligently

carried out an investigation. The

really significant aspect of today's

ruling is that this is a novel route

using the Human Rights Act, whereby

victims of serious violent crime can

now hold the police to account, they

can take them to court and they can

win compensation. This is one big

legal battle by John Worboys'

victims that is now over and over

successfully. But they face another

very significant battle because the

two women who were at the centre of

this case are also the two women

seeking to you dished -- judicially

review the decision of the parole

board to release John Worboys. A

fourth hearing in that Judicial

Review will take place at the High

Court next month. The battle is not

over for the victims but today is a

very good day for them.

Clive Coleman.

The United Nations has said

the situation in a rebel-held suburb

of Damascus in Syria,

which has endured intense government

air strikes for the past three days,

is "beyond imagination".

It has called on global leaders

to demand that Syrian government

forces immediately stop

bombing Eastern Ghouta.

Activists say at least 250

people have been killed

there since Sunday night.

There are some disturbing images

in Tom Burridge's report.

This is the intensity

of the bombing of Eastern Ghouta,

by Syrian forces who have Russia's

and Iran's support.

EXPLOSIONS.

CRYING.

The result is hard to watch.

And hear.

But those who survive

the air strikes note

that the nightmare is not over.

The UN has again called

on the Syrian regime

to stop its assault.

But while we spoke to one woman,

the missiles were still falling.

Assad has brought his forces

to destroy Ghouta and its families,

adults and children.

So that's 48 hours, hundreds

of attacks by warplanes, rockets.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Warplanes, attacks.

After years of siege,

the rebels have in this

sprawling suburb of Damascus,

a network of underground hospitals.

But basic commodities are scarce

and there is only rudimentary care.

The suffering of civilians

left there is clear.

One UN official described

it as unimaginable.

But missing from the videos filmed

by activists are the rebel soldiers.

A complicated alliance of Islamist

groups, labelled as terrorists

by the Assad regime.

Washington's influence in Syria has

over the years waned.

The State Department says only

the Syrian regime and its backers

can de-escalate the violence.

The horrors of eastern Aleppo

are being repeated in East Ghouta

with the ongoing slaughter

of trapped civilians

and woefully inadequate access

for humanitarian actors.

Russia must end its support

of the Assad regime and its allies.

They are responsible

for the attacks, for the dire

humanitarian situation

in East Ghouta, and for

the horrendous civilian death toll.

Outside actors, and there are many,

have turned Syria into the theatre

for regional power struggles.

Eastern Ghouta now in

a deadly phase, is just

the latest tragic chapter.

Tom Burridge, BBC News.

Our diplomatic correspondent,

James Robbins, is here.

Very distressing scenes from Ghouta.

Is there anything the international

community can do?

So far the international community

is relying on strong language. You

heard from the State Department. In

the last hour Theresa May has been

telling MPs about her deep concern.

She said deliberately targeting

civilians blatantly violates

international humanitarian law. She

specifically called out the

Russians, not just the Syrian

regime. She said the Russians as

backers of the Syrian regime were

deeply implicated in all of this.

The Kremlin has denied these claims.

It is hard to see how the Syrian

regime could be bombing Gutor

without at least Russian consent. --

Eastern Ghouta. The problem for

Theresa May and the United States is

they have largely abdicated, left

the battlefield in recent years.

Russia has moved into that vacuum

and established its order and

military dominance in Syria. The

West is in a very weak position. But

it still hopes it can persuade

Russia in the next phase of peace

negotiations, to try to recognise

there has to be an end to this awful

slaughter. I don't think there will

be much of an end, frankly, before

the Syrian regime is convinced it

has destroyed not just rebel forces

but civilians who are accused of

being supporters of anti-Assad

factions.

James, thank you.

Survivors of the Florida school

shooting that left 17 people dead

last week, have gathered

in the state capital

to press politicians to take

more action on gun control.

President Trump has backed a move

to ban the accessory devices known

as bump stocks that turn rifles

into machine guns.

It was used by a gunman in Las Vegas

to kill 58 concert-goers last year.

David Willis reports

Does he know where to shoot on him?

The scenes are nothing new here,

but last week's high school shooting

in Florida has galvanised the debate

on gun control in America

in a way few here can remember.

Students who survived an attack

which killed 17 of their teachers

and classmates are speaking out,

fluently and forcefully.

Do not let people try

to get under your skin!

Their youthful voices

resonating where those of long

serving politicians have

largely fallen flat.

We're what is bringing

the change, OK?

We're going to talk to these

politicians tomorrow,

we're going to talk to them

the day after that.

We are going to keep talking.

We're going to keep pushing

until something is done.

Because people are dying,

and this can't happen any more.

Reflecting the national mood

of grief and anger in the wake

of last week's shooting,

President Trump -

who supports gun ownership-

offered a concession.

A ban on bump stocks,

a device used to devastating effect

in the Las Vegas massacre last year.

I signed a memorandum directing

the Attorney General to propose

regulations to ban all

devices that turn legal

weapons into machine guns.

I expect that these critical

regulations will be

finalised, Jeff, very soon.

Students arriving for a rally later

today in the Florida state capital,

Tallahassee, say that is not enough.

They're heading to Washington

at the invitation of the White House

to press the case for

comprehensive gun reform.

Some here are hailing it a turning

point in the acrimonious debate

about guns.

But America has been

here so many times before.

David Willis, BBC News, Washington.

Barbara Plett Usher

is in the Florida state

capital of Tallahassee,

where protestors

have been gathering.

What have the students been saying?

They have been saying they certainly

were not expecting to be sure this

time last week. They have suddenly

been turned into political activists

and they are learning as they go.

They say they are speaking from the

heart and they are speaking from

experience. Their message is simple.

We don't want to be afraid to go to

school. They are not anti-gun. They

just want a reform of gun laws so

when 19-year-old mentally unstable

person cannot buy a semiautomatic

rifle legally and come into school

and kill them. This is the first

generation that has grown up with

mass shootings. They practice safety

drills in school, which did not work

in this case. They have also grown

up with social media, so they know

how to use it to their cause and

they are doing that. They have

managed to break into the polarised

debate about gun violence and gun

control. At the same time they are

against a powerful gun lobby and an

entrenched gun culture.

Barbara Plett-Usher.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has

announced a review of how patient

problems caused by NHS

treatments are handled.

The review follows high profile

campaigns over the hormone

pregnancy test Primodos,

the anti-epilepsy medication

Sodium Valproate and

the use of vaginal mesh.

He told MPs the review will consider

whether there needs to be public

enquiries in each case.

Mr Hunt also said that the response

from the NHS to the patient campaign

groups was "not good enough".

A leaked document has set out the

common strategy post Brexit.

Eleanor Garnier reports.

As the Brexit Secretary tours the EU

capitals meeting Greek politicians

today, stumbling blocks remain.

Brussels and the UK both agree the

need for temporary transition period

after we leave the EU, to allow

governments and businesses to get

used to the new rules. But a leaked

version of the government's latest

position leaves some questions

unanswered, including over the right

of EU citizens.

Our starting point

has been as the Prime Minister has

set out, that we would allow people

to, grand goal, live out their lives

in the UK on the same basis as

before. But we will need a

conversation about how they will

continue on after.

The challenge for

the Prime Minister, not just in

Brussels, but in her own party. More

than 60 Eurosceptic Tory MPs have

written to Theresa May urging her to

stand firm in the negotiations.

Laying down their red lines on

Brexit.

They are issues that need to be

clarified because there are some

people in the government and around

the government who seem to contest

these things. For example, that we

might be in a customs union or that

we might be ruled takers from the

European Union after we have left.

But colleagues in the Conservative

Party are certainly not going in the

same direction.

They think they are

helping the Prime Minister. The

Prime Minister has said she wants to

deliver this deep partnership. She

said she wants to keep frictionless

borders, orderly transition is. Give

the Flex ability to do that.

It is

the timing of the intervention that

is significant. This pressure from a

faction of Tory MPs who are key to

the survival of Theresa May and her

government, comes just as the Prime

Minister prepares for tomorrow's

crunch meeting of most senior

ministers to thrash out an agreed

position on what the government from

Brexit. The road to Brexit is not

always straightforward. Tricky time

is not just for this campaign boss

Mike but for the Prime Minister,

too. It tough task to keep both

sides of party onside. Some will end

of the disappointed.

Our assistant political editor,

Norman Smith, is in Westminster.

Let's talk about the leaked document

on the transition period. Not the

news the Prime Minister might have

wanted before the big meeting

tomorrow.

Absolutely not, four weeks

Tory Brexiteers have been on a

behaviour. Even Boris Johnson has

stayed resolutely on script. But now

you know that the nerves jangling

over whether Theresa May could

backslide on the kind of Brexit that

they want. All the more so when they

look at this leaked document because

it suggests the government is not

going to push back against EU

demands to allow freedom of movement

to continue unchanged during the

transition period. There is

ambiguity over the length of the

transition period. It says it should

be two years but will take as long

as it takes. Also no suggestion of a

veto to block new EU rules we do not

like, instead a joint committee to

monitor and try to sort out any

disagreements. And crucially if we

want to sign new trade deals during

the transition period we will have

to go along to the EU and say can we

do this. When you put all that

together, I suspect by the close of

play today there will be quite a few

Brexiteers getting out their

fountain pens and blotting paper and

firing off a few more letters to

Theresa May with so-called helpful

suggestions.

Norman, thank you.

Our top story this lunchtime.

Two victims of the black cab rapist

John Worboys have won a landmark

case against the police.

And still to come...

We take a look at the runners

and riders ahead of

tonight's Brit Awards.

Coming up in sport.

No defeats for English clubs so far

in the Champions League last 16.

Can Manchester United keep up

the good work in Spain?

Jose Mourinho's men take

on Seville this evening.

Average wages went up

slightly in the final three

months of last year,

rising by 2.5 per cent.

That's according to the latest

figures from the Office

for National Statistics,

which also show that the amount

each worker produces -

known as productivity

- has increased.

But there was also a slight rise

in unemployment from a record low.

Here's our economics

correspondent Andy Verity.

This maker of upmarket switches and

sockets has been growing its

business and so should the exporting

to China. But it has its

manufacturing plant near Hastings

and workers here have at last won a

pay rise that matches inflation,

without a fight.

Staff have been on

the same salary effectively for the

past three or four years. They have

been working hard, the company doing

well, so we felt it was time to

reward them accordingly.

The firm

can afford to pay more because it

has invested £200,000 in a robot

enabling each worker to produce more

top-quality switches and sockets

each hour. Exactly the kind of boost

to productivity that the economy has

been crying out for.

The robot will

polish components to a much greater

accuracy than a human. And the spin

off is it does it in half the time.

Not every worker has done as well as

these employees. Unemployment has

risen to 4.4%, the average pay rise

was 2.5%, still less than inflation

but between October and December

demand that we produce per hour rose

by 1.8%. If that keeps improving,

and that is and is, inflation

beating pay rises should become more

affordable.

There will come a moment

when people realise they have more

power in the labour market than they

used to because we're losing a lot

of immigrant labour in key sectors

so wages are likely to go up in

those sectors.

The figures show a

change in who was joining the

workforce. In 2017 the number of UK

nationals working in the UK went up

by 300,000. The number of EU

nationals working here went up by

around 100,000. But the number of

non-EU nationals, people from the

rest of the world, went down by 60

8000. The squeeze on living

standards has loosened its grip. But

it is still uncomfortably tight.

Only further improvements in pay and

productivity can bring that to an

end. Andy Verity, BBC News.

Scotland Yard are trying

to establish whether there's a link

between two fatal stabbings in north

London,

which happened within a mile of each

other over a two-hour period.

The victims are believed to be

a boy in his late teens

and a man aged around 20.

At least fifteen people have been

killed by knife crime

in London this year.

The High Court has ruled that

government plans to tackle air

pollution are unlawful.

It's the third time environmental

campaigners have won on the issue -

arguing that levels of harmful

nitrogen dioxide are still too high

across most of the UK.

Roger Harrabin is here.

Tell us more about this ruling. The

government is supposed to have

cleaned up the air by the year 2000

so already it is eight years too

late. The legal group, Client Earth,

has been taking legal action against

the government to push them to go

faster. The law says that they have

is to deliver clean air as quickly

as possible for the each time they

go for a court action the judge

agrees with Client Earth that the

government is not delivering clean

air as quickly as possible. So

previously the government has been

asked to sort out 28 areas where

pollution is especially bad and tell

local councils to address the

problem. It has been asked to do

another 33 areas now where pollution

is bad and councils again will be

asked to address the problem.

Perhaps by keeping out diesel

vehicles or trying to control

traffic at busy times. So Client

Earth obviously have to keep going

to court, they said this should not

happen and the government should

just have done what it was meant to.

The government says it accepts the

rulings and is now going to really

clean up the air as quickly as it

can.

Roger, thank you.

Team GB's women's curling team have

beaten the reigning champions Canada

to reach the semi-finals.

It means the Canadian women have

failed to win a medal for the first

time in Olympic history.

The British captain, Eve Muirhead,

says the team is back on track.

The men's team face a playoff

as they seek a place

in the medal rounds.

Our sports correspondent

Andy Swiss is in Pyeongchang.

Welcome to Pyeongchang where as you

say it has been such a big day for

British curlers, both the men and

the women took medals in Sochi four

years ago, both hoping to reach the

semifinals today and while the men

still have some work to do, the

women are safely there thanks to

their captain.

Sport so often turns

on a moment of genius.

And this was Eve Muirhead's.

With the scores tied against Canada,

the British captain conjured

a mathematical miracle.

One, two, hits that one.

Hits that one, it's a great

shot from Eve Muirhead.

It's a cracker.

In curling, the simple aim is to get

closest to the target.

But how Eve Muirhead

took the scenic route.

Her geometric genius took Britain

into the semifinals,

even if her reaction...

A jump in the air for joy!

..Left her slightly embarrassed.

I can't actually remember it!

When you're up there,

when you're in that zone,

you forget about the small things.

But yes, I'm glad I landed

safely on my feet!

So Eve Muirhead's team

are through but could there

now be another Muirhead

into the semifinals?

Brother Thomas is hoping to help

the men's team into the last four

of their competition.

But there was to be no

family celebration.

The men's team thrashed by the USA.

They will now have to beat

Switzerland in a play-off

to reach the semifinals.

Today's most dazzling

display on the ice though

came from a 15-year-old.

The extraordinary Alina Zagitova.

Absolutely glorious!

The Olympic Athletes from Russia

are still yet to win a gold here.

But her new world record

suggests that could change.

Slightly less graceful,

the ski cross which delivered

its usual brand of chaos.

Oh, it's gone!

An early crash left only two men

standing in the final

with Canada's Brady Leman

edging the gold.

But in the last few hours,

British hopes in the Bobsleigh

have taken a bump.

Mica McNeil and Mica Moore,

who relied on crowdfunding

to help their preparations,

were sixth overnight

but after a poor third run,

their medal prospects

seemed to be over.

The third run dropped them down to

eighth place going into their final

run. So it seems Britain will not

add to their medal tally today but

will able be hoping the coders can

do so over the next few days. In the

last few minutes it has denounced

the American evangelist Billy Graham

has died. He was 99 and had been

suffering from Parkinson's disease

for several years. We look back at

his life.

There are problems that

face us tonight that will never be

solved unless we bring them to the

Lord Jesus Christ.

I gave my son to

die for you. Charismatic in every

sense, Lou Graham, his message was

simple. People should turn to Jesus.

Come through that door! He had a

remarkable effect on a sometimes

disinterested public.

God loves you.

And if there's one thing you get out

of these days it is this, God loves

you.

In 1954 London first

experienced the force of the Billy

Graham brand of evangelism.

We come

here at the invitation of these

churches to help you in a crusade to

win people to Jesus Christ.

As his

reputation grew so did the crowd.

From New York to Nigeria.

He was

God, he was also man. I want you to

get out of your seat right now and

say I want my sin to be forgiven.

It

was at a Billy Graham rally in

Earl's Court in 1966 that Cliff

Richard publicly declared his

Christianity. The pair joined up

with the Billy Graham television

ministry. In that into churches and

homes. And reaching hundreds of

millions.

millions. And he was courted by

American presidents. From Nixon to

Clinton, though he never took sides.

I'm looking forward to death, I want

to go into that glorious New World

that everyone who believes in Jesus

Christ is going to go. I will have

all the actors that I would like to

have answers to now.

have answers to now.

He said, I'm

just a preacher, that is it. Despite

cancer and Parkinson's disease,

Billy Graham was just that. A

preacher. Into old age. And

thousands still flocked to hear him.

Billy Graham who has died at the age

of 99.

It's the Brit Awards tonight.

And it's 22-year-old Londoner,

Dua Lipa, who's leading

the way with five nominations.

The comedian Jack Whitehall

will host the ceremony

for the first time.

Our Entertainment Correspondent

Lizo Mzimba has more.

His report contains some flash

photography.

Her global hit New Rules has been

viewed on you tube more

than a billion times.

The youngest female artist ever

to achieve that goal.

The popularity of the 22-year-old

Londoner has helped her to lead

the way with five nominations.

For the moment at least

she is bigger than Beyonce,

Taylor Swift, Rhianna.

And she has what all of those huge

American artists have.

She's not work-shy, she will turn

up, she will do the interview,

she would do the promo.

She will spend 24 hours doing

the video and extreme focus, 24/7.

She faces strong competition in Best

video and the prestigious Best album

award from Ed Sheeran.

The most successful male artist

of the last 12 months.

He dominated the singles charts

for much of the year.

And his album Divide spent

months at number one,

although huge commercial success

doesn't always necessarily lead

to winning at the Brits.

He won half a dozen awards

with Oasis, this year Liam Gallagher

gets his first solo nomination

for best male.

But in typical fashion has fallen

out with the Brits accusing them

of being too scared to ask him

to perform at the show.

Unlike last weekend at the Baftas

where actors were asked to wear

black, people attending tonight's

awards are being asked to wear

a white rose pin to show support

for the anti-harassment movement.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Susan Powell.

Here's Susan Powell.

Some settled weather on the way in

the coming days but not to say

nothing will change was not quite a

big change especially for the start

of next week as it is going to feel

much colder. But this is the reason

for the settled weather at the

moment. An area of high pressure. At

the moment it is meaning a lot of

fine weather for the afternoon with

some patchy cloud still across

central areas of England. But from

any some bright sunny spells and

temperatures already just a shade

down on yesterday with highs of

around 9 degrees. Tonight the cloud

thins out and breaks allowing for

quite a widespread frost to develop.

Down to around -3 in rural areas.

Thursday gets off to a cold but

bright start from any. If anything

we tend to see the cloud building

through the course of the day so

perhaps some hazy sunshine in the

afternoon. Even some drizzle in the

far north-west. And temperatures

falling a couple of degrees. Then

the easterly wind really starts to

build going through Friday and that

will have the biggest impact on the

way that things feel. Even by Friday

it is going to be colder than we

have been used to. For the weekend

high pressure is still with us,

parking both weather friends out in

the Atlantic. High pressure ring a

lot of dry and fight -- fine weather

for the weekend. But by Sunday

temperatures just 4 degrees but

factor in that wind as well. Feeling

colder than that. Now high pressure

still with us next week, shifting

its orientation slightly.

its orientation slightly. Feeding in

error coming from Siberia. And there

is the risk of some snow on into

next week. The uncertainty in the

forecast will be just exactly which

direction the cold air tracks in. It

could be to the south and into

France or could be the UK bracing

for a big freeze. But either way it

is a cold outlook for next week and

widespread frost which will linger

by day and a biting wind boot.

Please be aware that it is going to

turn bitterly cold.