14/01/2014 BBC News at Six

of rape and indecent assault. The court hears how he used his fame to

prey on victims aged between 11 and 16. A message to the jury - you are

trying the man, not the famous role he plays on TV. We'll have full

details from the trial. Also on tonight's programme: The

former BBC disc jockey Dave Lee Travis is in court. He's described

as an opportunist sex offender. Inflation hits the 2% target for the

first time in four years - some relief for straining family budgets.

The hacking trial is shown CCTV footage of an alleged plot to hide

evidence. The horrors of the First World War

in the words of the soldiers themselves. Their diaries go online.

He's feeling the heat Down Under, but Andy Murray cruises through his

first match at the Australian Open. Tonight on BBC London. After the

Mark Duggan inquest, the Met appoints a community tsar to diffuse

anger and tension. And low staff morale and complaints

of bullying at London's largest NHS Hospital Trust.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News At Six. The Coronation Street

star William Roache has gone on trial accused of rape and indecent

assault. The court heard how his fame gave him opportunities to prey

on young girls, whether it was at Granada Studios, in private homes or

even in his Rolls Royce. The actor faces two counts of rape and five

counts of indecent assault. His alleged victims were aged between 11

and 16 at the time of the assaults, which took place between 1965 and

1971. He denies all the charges. Judith Moritz is at Preston Crown

Court with the details for us now. Yes, William Roache is a household

name, one of the best-known faces on television. But today, here in court

room number one, he was the man in the dock. And those trying him in

court were told, in this room with you, he is William Roache, not Ken

Barlow. He is the defendant, and you are the jury. William Roache arrived

at court to a barrage of cameras. He's been in the public-more than 50

years, known as Coronation Street's Ken Barlow. His high profile was

mentioned immediately to the jury. They were told they must separate

the man from the TV character. They must separate the man from the part.

William Roache is the longest serving soap actor in the world,

having appeared on Coronation Street since 1960. It's alleged that a few

years after this, he raped one girl and indecently assaulted for others.

Today, the 81-year-old actor sat by himself in the dock, as the court

was told that in the 1960s and 70s he had raped a 14-year-old girl at

his home in Lancashire, and that he had indecently assaulted other girls

in his car and that the Granada TV studios in Manchester. Last year,

William Roache did an interview with an Australian TV channel. It is

alleged that one of the victims came forward after seeing the TV

interview. The QC for the prosecution told the jury, if it is

suggested to you that these complaints are lying and on some

kind of post-Jimmy Savile bandwagon, ask yourselves why would they expose

themselves to being questioned and cross examined after so many years?

The actor denies all seven charges. The prosecution say it is their case

that William Roache took advantage of his stardom and the alleged

victims at the time of his life when he thought that he could. Tomorrow,

we expect to hear evidence from the first of the alleged victims, a

woman who claims she was indecently assaulted by William Roache in the

toilets at Granada television when she was just 14. The case is due to

last up to four weeks. We've also been told that later in the trial,

we may hear evidence from some of William Roache's fellow Coronation

Street cast members. Thank you. The former Radio 1 DJ, Dave Lee

Travis, has been described in court as an opportunity is to sex

offenders who targeted vulnerable young women. The youngest alleged

victim was 15 at the time. He is charged with 13 counts of indecent

assault and one of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty. Jim Kelly was

in court. There is flash but geography in her report.

He was one of the biggest names on Radio 1. Dave Lee Travis was also a

regular on BBC TV. Today he faced the cameras as the defendant in a

criminal trial, accused of sex offences over a period of more than

30 years. From the dock he listened as the prosecuting barrister,

Miranda Moore QC, outlined the charges - 13 counts of indecent

assault and one of sexual assault, involving 11 victims. She described

Mr Travis as an opportunist who preyed on young women who were very

vulnerable. He claimed his accusers were motivated for -- by greed for

compensation or to seek media attention for themselves. He said,

they can smell money. For years, DLT, as he was known, presented one

of the biggest shows in the BBC schedules. The court was shown this

clip where, as he was announcing this record, he said to be assault

in the teenage girl next to him. Broadcasting House, the headquarters

of BBC Radio. Some of the charges relate to Dave Lee Travis' time on

Radio 1. One employee said he indecently assault at her whilst on

air on his radio show. Another said she didn't complain about what he

had done because she wanted to keep her job. Dave Lee Travis was

arrested under Operation Yewtree, set up in the wake of the Jimmy

Savile scandal. When the scandal broke in 2012, one of the women in

this case said she contacted the BBC about Dave Lee Travis, but she's not

nothing was being done. So she went to the Daily Mail, who reported her

story. The former DJ denies all the charges. In the coming days, the

court will hear from his alleged victims.

Rolf Harris has denied indecently assaulting four girls aged between

seven and 19 over a period of 18 years. The 83-year-old pleaded not

guilty at Southwark Crown Court. He was given bail, and his trial will

begin in April. In inflation has fallen to its

lowest levels for four years, bringing some relief to hard-pressed

households around the country. It's the first time the government has

hit its target Victor -- target figure of 2% since 2009. David

Cameron welcomed the figures, but Labour said prices were still

outstripping wages. The ups and downs of inflation

measuring costs of living increases have put pressure on households.

After a long wait, it is back on target. The 2% rate set by the

government for the Bank of England. Inflation today is at its lowest

level for four years. It is on target. Through working through our

economic plan, we can deliver economic security and peace of mind.

Back in November 2009, when it was last below target, the inflation

rate was 1.9%, and partly thanks to rising food and oil prices, it

jumped above 5% in September 2011. Now it is back to 2%. But shoppers I

spoke to in Manchester didn't feel they had yet felt the benefits of

falling inflation, like Denise, an NHS worker. Every bill seems to be

going up. I've not noticed it at all. It's not come down for me.

Matthew, a teacher at a language school, hope things will improve,

because the recent squeeze has been a problem. As I have progressed

through my career, I'm still finding I have to count the pennies now,

more than I ever used to. It's definitely had an effect, especially

having to look after a family as well. It might even harder. Labour

said today the government should do more to help households, including

freezing energy bills. Inflation has been running well ahead of average

raise rises -- wage rises for some time. Some economists feel the trend

could be reversed this year, with economic recovery pushing pay growth

above cost of living increases. Recent developments, including lower

prices for fuel, should help ease inflationary pressures. What we have

had at wholesale level is food prices falling. Also, the pound has

risen over the past few months, which is curbing import prices. We

are likely to see in inflation remaining low and more stable than

we've seen in recent years. Low inflation will give the Bank of

England more the way to hold back on raising interest rates, if that's

what limit -- policymakers decide is best for the economy. The French

president Francois Hollande has just delivered a major State of the

Nation speech. It was also supposed to be the

moment he was expected to deal with the rumours and speculation

surrounding his alleged affair with an actress. But Mr Holland refused

to comment, telling journalists that private matter is concerned only

those people involved. The glamour of the big screen. Julie

Gayet, the French actress who has stolen the heart of the President.

Cast in this drama as the fount et al. Today it was Mr Holland's turn

in the spotlight, at the annual meeting in the press. The official

agenda was the economy, lower taxes for business, cuts of 50 billion

euros in public spending. But the first question - what will become of

the First Lady, Valerie Trierweiler? TRANSLATION: Everyone goes through

difficult periods in their private life. It's true these difficult

moments, but I have one principle. Private matters should be dealt with

privately. That's the same for everyone. This is not the place, nor

the time to discuss it. But so long as the confusion surrounds the First

Lady's position, it's likely these questions will continue. Valerie

Trierweiler is still in hospital, still resting. We don't know how

many of these secret nights they were, but photographers who tailed

Mr Holland on his mopeds say no one ever tried to stop them. We were

there every night. The President was in an apartment without any

security, even outside. I even saw him walk around the block. The

public and the private. Boundaries blurred by the NSA by -- by the

unnecessary risk President Hollande is expected to have taken.

George, obviously one carefully posed question given to a member of

the presidential press corps today. There is a reason for that. The

president is akin to the Queen, so he is afforded more respect than

ordinary politicians. But obviously there is a problem in the

relationship of the main couple. They are going to have to take some

decisions. But I don't think they will do it until she comes out of

hospital. This deeply unpopular president can ill afford any further

criticism. The trial of Rebekah Brooks, former

editor of the News of the World, and her husband Charlie, has seen

footage which allegedly shows a plot to conceal evidence from police. The

video was recorded on the 17th of July 2011, the day Ms Brooks was

arrested over the hacking scandal. Both Mr and Miss Brooks deny

conspiring to convert the course of justice.

Rebekah and Charlie Brooks, accused of a sophisticated cover-up,

designed to hide evidence while she was being questioned by the police.

At 12:15pm, Mr Brooks appeared on a CCTV camera, in a car park below

their flat in Chelsea. One minute, he has a bag and a laptop. The next

he doesn't. The prosecution says they were hidden behind some beans,

out. Shot, to the right of the camera, so the police wouldn't find

them. Next, Mark Hanna arrives, News International's security chief. He

appears to take the bag, the laptop and a briefcase away. The police

search the flat. They are investigating phone hacking and

illegal payments to public officials. They leave, laden with

documents. Another security man working for a News International

arrives at 9:30pm. This in line contains the laptop, the bag and a

briefcase, being put back behind the bins to return them to Charlie

Brooks. The man allegedly sends a joke text to a colleague after

completing his task. Rebekah Brooks has been questioned late into the

evening by police. She returns after midnight. But the next morning, this

car park cleaner arrives to pick up the bins. The court heard he also

found the laptop, bag and briefcase. Leaving the security men trying to

work out what's happened to the items. They later discover car park

managers have handed them to the police, sparking the investigation

that led to these charges. The prosecution says this sequence of

events can only be explained as an attempt to conceal evidence from the

police. But Rebekah Brooks, Charlie Brooks and the security manager,

Mark Hanna, all deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The

time is a quarter past six. Our top story this evening - the Coronation

Street actor, William Roache has gone on trial, accused of rape and

indecent assault. It's claimed his victims were between and 11 and 16.

And coming up, the perils of potholes and how they could be

getting worse. Later on BBC London - as waters finally recede, the big

clear-up begins for residents flooded along the Thames. And, Mo

the Marathon man - can the double Olympic champion pull off a win

against tough competition on the capital's streets?

It was called the War to End all Wars and those who fought it lived

through almost unimaginable brutality. Many of the soldiers

recorded life on the front line in diaries and now, for the first time,

many are being published online. The National Archives put 300,000 pages

of personal testimony on the web today. Eventually all 1.5 million

pages will be available to the public. As Robert Hall reports, it

could change the way that the history of the Great War is

understood. Here I sit outside our headquarters'

trench in the sun. All should be nice and peaceful and pretty. What

it actually is beyond description, trenches, ammunition, tools, cats

and everything, everywhere. Poor fell lows shot dead lying in all

directions. Thousands of war diaries. 1.5 million separate

documents. Once the fodder for authors and researchers, now they're

available for the first time at the click of a mouse. The order to

retire was at last given... These are the day-to-day lives of the men

of the regiments of a giant army, the attacks, the food and the

horrific casualties. Neatly typed on to official military forms and

stored away for decades. The names carved on to our local war memorials

are the most obvious reminders of the First World War, but all of us

will have a direct connection with somebody who served in this

conflict. The hope is these diaries, released into the public domain,

will give more and more people the opportunity to follow a personal

trail. This is Operation War Diary, under way at a school in

Southampton. Students reading the hitherto unseen documents are

tagging names and events, adding to their own knowledge and improving

the archives' search engine. They talk about their supplies from the

battle and about their cooking and from the sounds of it, they're

getting quite annoyed, because their suppliers aren't reaching all the

way through. It shows you what happens behind the scenes and how

these men actually lived and what the quality of their lives were at

that time. If you read it and take it in, but when you have to

specifically point out things it again immerses you even more. Holes

where shells struck, branches torn off trees by the explosion.

Everywhere the same hard, grim pitless sign of battle and war. I've

had a belly full of it. Ghastly, absolutely ghastly. The eyewitnesses

have left us, but they survive through the curling pages of their

final observations. Robert Hall, BBC News.

The violent storming of the Sikh temple of arm riT saR has troubled

the authorities. David Cameron has order an investigation as to whether

there was a British connection. Recently suggest that an SAS officer

advised Indian authorities. Our political correspondent, Carole

Walker, reports. The storming of the Golden Temple

angered Sikhs around the world, who blamed Indian troops for violating

their holiest shrine. Now documents released under the 30-year rule

appear to show the British were involved. One Foreign Office letter

says, "With the Prime Minister's agreement, an SAD officer has

visited India and drawn up a plan, which has been approved by Mrs

Gandhi." There seems to be a typing error and it should be SAS. The

letter warns this could increase violence in India and warns it might

also therefore increase tension in the Indian community here,

particularly if knowledge of the SAS involvement were to become public.

Some MPs believe all the evidence of British involvement must now be

released. I think there are further documentations. I think what we want

is a full, candid disclosure of all documentation and proper examination

so we can get to the bottom of exactly what happened here. Even

after 30 years, Sikhs here in Britain want to know the truth about

what happened at Amritsar. We are told neither David Cameron, nor the

Foreign Secretary, William Hague, were aware of the documents

suggesting Britain's involvement until they were published, but that

they do understand the very legitimate concerns that will be

raised by the revelations. At the largest Sikh temple outside India,

in south all, west London, a community leader welcomed the Prime

Minister's decision to ask the Cabinet Secretary to investigate.

This is a holy place for all Sikhs. It is Mecca. It's hard-breaking

news. It doesn't go out from your mind. It's not a small thing. That

is why if the truth has come out, at least people know. Last year, David

Cameron became the first serving British Prime Minister to visit the

Golden Temple at Amritsar. He's keen to focus on the historic and

cultural ties with Sikhs, but he's now under pressure to recover

recover more -- discover more. Dramatic footage has emerged of the

moment that an elephant in South Africa overturned a car driven by a

British teacher from Lincolnshire and a man, thought to be her

partner, who were on a self-drive safari. Sarah Brooks was in the car

seen behind the elephant in Kruger National Park two weeks ago. The

elephant, which was being filmed by another group of tourists in a car

behind, stops for a moment and then turns on them, rolling the car over

several times. Sarah Brooks was gored in the leg by one of the

animal's tusks. The animal was destroyed after the incident.

The problem of potholes on Britain's roads is on the rise, figures from

the RAC suggest. They say call-outs involving broken suspension, damaged

wheels and the like were up by two thirds last year. Snow and rain are

to blame and the South West was one of the worst-hit areas. Our

correspondent, Duncan Kennedy, is in Sherborne in Dorset. Duncan? I bet

like me you would like a pound for every time your car has hit one of

these. Just look at the size of this pothole. I can get both of my size

tens in there. There are thousands of these around the country at the

moment with the RAC saying there's been a 68% rise in the number of

card that have been damaged by these. With all the rain and

flooding it could be about to get a lot worse. Ouch! A pain in the

posterior. Also the pocket. The mounting cost of potholes to our

health and our finances. In Dorset alone they now have 35 teams out

trying to fix them, so bad has the problem become. It's the worst I've

ever seen it. I've been on the council now 25 years. The recent

rainfall has made it all much worse, with this county alone reporting

1200 new road damage incidents in the past two weeks. We normally see

an increase of potholes due to the wet and wintery weather, but

certainly there's been a spike as a result of the recent bad weather.

It's monsters like this one that are causing all the trouble. That's why

the RAC says today there's been a 68% rise in the amount of

vehicle-related damage in the past year alone. The numbers are up from

just over 17,000 incidents a year to more than 28,000. . At a cost to

motorists of ?100 million a year. Local councils are playing catch-up

most of the time and until they get on top of the problems, we simply

won't see a reduction in these sorts of accidents. Severe problems have

also been reported in Kent, Sussex and Northamptonshire. Wherever you

go, you get this. I just think it's really bad, you know, and I suppose

it's the weather, isn't it? There's been a lot more on the roads

especially on the back stroeTS and the country lanes. The Government is

spending more than ?3 million over five years to improve road

maintenance, but with the pot toll season already under way, expect

more gripes about the gaping holes. Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, in Dorset.

Melting water bottles, collapsing ball boys and conditions one player

described as inhumane. The Australian Open got under way this

week, but it's the heat, not the tennis, that's been hitting the

headlines, with temperatures topping 42 degrees. In his match, Andy

Murray got safely through to the second round, but that didn't stop

him from voicing his concerns. Patrick Gearey reports.

Pouring a drink to watch the tennis has a different interpretation at

the Australian Open. With temperatures above 42 degrees

Celcius, Melbourne was melting. It's boiling. Like, I'm sweating real

bad: It's ridiculous. It's unbearably hot. It was hard enough

to stay cool while watching. Imagine playing. One player had fainted,

another had vomited before Andy Murray entered the furn Nas. Even

the shade was scorching, so best to keep rallies to a minimum. One shot

if possible. His opponent, Go Soeda, had no answer. The first set, 6-1.

The temperatures weren't typical for tartan, but Murray had now adapted.

The 108th ranking places between the players was plain to see. In the

first set Murray broke twice. By the third he was channelling. Go Soeda

faded to the third. Murray through in mercifully three brief sets, but

should they have been allowed to play at all? People in the stands

are fainting. It's really tough and challenging conditions and I don't

know even what the heat rule is. None of the players really do.

Organisers say a relatively low humidity made playing safe. Murray

signs on with a win, having made the uncomfortable comfortable. Patrick

Gearey, BBC News. Not quite so warm here. Time for a look at the weather

with Nick. George, that heat in Australia isn't going anywhere any

time soon. Confirmation that the temperature will stay close to 40 in

Melbourne. Eventually the showers will cool it down in time for the

weekend. Today, here it's been chilly, but actually overnight the

temperature will head up as the weather front goes through taking

rain and a brief spell of snow and the snow over the higher

ground-of-Scotland. Temperatures will rise through the night. We are

in the warmer colours by the time we get to the morning, so if you are

heading out 7.00, these are the sort of temperatures we're expecting.

That's higher than at any time of the day today. If you like today,

you'll hate tomorrow's mild and cloudy and at times wet weather. A

big charving coming our way. A lot of rain to start the day in

Scotland. This is the picture at 8.00am. Soggy conditions here. A

difficult driving conditions with lots of spray in Glasgow and

Edinburgh. Shores into Northern Ireland. The overnight rain clinging

in the east. Behind that, plenty of cloud and mist and murk and hill fog

and patchy light rain and drizzle and showery outbreaks heading back

into the Wales and south-west England. Although rain is in the

forecast, there are no Met Office severe weather warnings for this, so

it's not expected to make current flooding worse. We look to tomorrow,

where the wind will pick up. It will be breezy, but gales developing in

the northern isles. The overnight clears east, but further outbreaks

come into western areas during the day, spreading further east.

Northern Ireland should brighten up and some may get to 13 Celcius. On

Thursday and Friday, sunshine, showers. The most frequent in

western and southern coasts. Hail and thunder and winds, but the

temperatures may come down a couple of degrees or so, but I still prefer

that over the extreme heat in Australia. More about the weather