23/01/2014 BBC News at Six

official watchdog. It warns that delays are not being recorded

properly and patients failed - critics say the figures are being

fudged. People's jobs depend on these data looking right. The tar

gets are clear and the pressure to get the numbers where they should be

is very strong. We'll be asking what this says about the pressures on the

NHS. Also tonight: Guilty - the woman who disguised herself in a

Muslim veil before attacking her friend with acid - her victim,

21-year-old Naomi Oni, is scarred for life. Crime falls to its lowest

level in more than 30 years. The singer Justin Bieber is arrested

after racing his Lamborghini in Miami Beach - he's suspected of

driving under the influence of drink and drugs.

On BBC London: The mix up which has partially closed the Victoria Line.

And the family of a schoolboy who died after taking ecstasy criticise

the 'pocket money' cost of drugs. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News at Six. Waiting times are one of the key targets for the NHS in

England - now the National Audit Office says figures being published

by some hospitals are unreliable. The waiting times relate to

non-emergency operations like hip and knee replacements. The Patients'

Association warned that fudging the figures diverts attention from

providing high quality care. Our health correspondent, Branwen

Jeffreys, has more. Every year millions of people have routine

operations. They go on a waiting list and wait for the appointment,

expecting the NHS to live up to the promise of treating them quickly.

That hasn't happened for Sue. On the waiting list since last March, she

still is struggling with a sore hip. Then she got a date and her son

booked time off work to look after her and she went to wait her turn. I

was asked to lie down and stay in the bed, not to move and until I was

taken to theatre. Hours later, the operation was cancelled, the

hospital didn't have the right part. I find it distressing, because I'm

thinking it is going to be even more difficult getting back to normal

once I have had the operation the longer the waiting goes on. How do

we know how many patients fit the rules for waiting times in England?

The waiting time clocks starts when your GP decides to refer you for

treatment like an operation and for most people it should stop by 18

weeks. It keeps ticking through any preoperation appointments and tests.

But sometimes it gets paused or reset and it is clear hospitals are

interpreting the rules in different ways to do that. It is only meant to

happen for good medical reasons. Or when you have been offered two dates

and turned them down. Today's report found patients don't know their

rights on waiting. A detailed analysis of hundreds of records

found less than half were accurate. More of the mistakes recorded

patients waiting less time than they had. Helping the hospitals meet

their targets. We have a set up that is going to produce this result,

because people's jobs depend on the data looking right. The targets are

clear and the pressure to get the numbers where they should be is very

strong. NHS managers say waiting times have come down and the

mistakes in records are not hiding a bigger problem. There no suggestion

at the scene mis-record rgs -- there is no suggestion that the mis-record

rgs deliberate. Hospitals are working to treat people quickly and

patients are getting better care than they used to. The Health

Secretary volunteers regularly in hospitals and has been speaking

about patients having a named doctor, but didn't want to talk

about waiting times. Labour says the report raises questions, but

ministers say fewer patients are facing very long waits. And our

correspondent joins me now. It was distressing for that patient in your

report, what does it say in the bigger picture? If you're an

individual patient,ivity is a stress -- it is a stressful time waiting

for that letter to arrive with your appointment. But this report says it

is annish queue for the system and is a measure of the quality the NHS

offers to patients and part of the promise is to see them quickly. We

know that pressures are building and the financial pressures are build

ing. And for the NHS to keep on treating people quickly, it needs to

have accurate information and know it can rely on the figures. Thank

you. A young woman's been convicted of throwing acid in the face of a

friend - leaving her scarred for life. Mary Konye disguised herself

in a Muslim veil before attacking 21-year-old Naomi Oni in east London

just over two years ago. From Snaresbrook Crown Court, Daniel

Boettcher reports. Naomi Oni before the attack that changed her life and

here after acid had been thrown at her, blistering her face, hand and

thigh. My face was black, my eyes were swollen. I was terrified. This

interview was recorded just over a month after the attack. That the

time she was unaware that the person who had done this to her was her

friend. That person failed, whatever their aim was, they failed and God

has gave me a life for a reason. She was attacked late at night on her

way home from work in London, travelling train and then bus, she

believed she was on her own. In fact, she was being followed. Naomi

Oni got off and felt a presence behind her. When she turned she saw

a figure in a black veil staring at her. She then felt the acid being

thrown into her face and ran home screaming. The figure she hadn't

recognised, the woman responsible for the injuries, was her friend,

21-year-old Mary Konye. The court heard she carried out the attack out

of jealousy and revenge, because Naomi Oni once called her an ugly

monster. This CCTV footage shows Mary Konye following her friend.

Phone records showed she was there and had talked to others and talked

about getting acid and throwing it at Naomi. All evidence that led to

the guilty verdict. The result today will give Naomi Oni some comfort,

but she is never going to be away from the fact that she is scarred.

Every time she looks in the mirror she will be reminded of the fact,

but it will enable her to start to get some closure. Naomi Oni left

court supported by her family. Mary Konye will be sentenced in March

with the judge warning she faces a substantial prison term. A day after

the latest figures showed unemployment coming down faster than

many had expected David Cameron says he is determined that the recovery

will benefit everyone - north and south. Speaking to our Business

Editor Robert Peston at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland - he

warned that it would take time before people felt the recovery in

their pockets. They come from all Ove the world -- over the world to

the top of a Swiss mountain. The rich, the powerful, not to see, but

they say to solve the world's problems. But the problems don't

seem as severe as they have, because there is a strengthening economic

recovery, not only in prince, but also -- Britain, but also in America

and much of the world. We seem to be eper thing a period of economic

recovery for the first time since the banking crisis. Do you think we

can have confidence that will go on? I think we can be confident, as long

as we tackle the problems that let to -- led to the difficulty and

getting our deficit down, mending broken banking systems, making sure

recoveries are balanced. But as they sit here and drink champagne, in the

lavish parties here, there is one thing they say profoundly troubles

them. Which is that as we enjoy this relatively strong recovery, too many

of the rewards are going to them and not enough to poorer people. This

isn't just about the cost-of-living rising faster than earnings, in

places like Britain. It is about a longer trend of a widening gap

between the richest and poorest all over the word. When do you think

people will be able to feel that the recovery is benefitting them in

terms of their living standards? These things take time and we are

recovering from the o' longest recession in living memory. And the

recovery has come in jobs first and we saw the largest increase in

employment since records began. But we are cutting taxes, so we are

seeing signs in terms of take home pay. But it is going to take time. ?

What more the International Monetary Fund isn't even sure the covery will

last more than a year. It is a year of reform and adjustments and

without those policies, I think we are facing another challenging year

in 2015. The length of the recovery matters to all of us, although

probably less to the superwealthy as they make their way home from this

summit. Crime in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for

more than three decades. The latest figures in the annual crime survey

show a ten per cent drop in the year to last September. There's been a

significant decrease in violent crime but the shoplifting and theft

from the person has increased. Home Affairs Correspondent Tom Symonds

reports. A high profile police operation today, the Metropolitan

Police moving in on alleged domestic abusers. If you harass or stalk a

partner, the police will not tolerate this. Tough talk, partly

designed to reassure, because many of us simply can't believe crime is

falling. Year after year, there has been a fall in #kr50i78 from a --

crime from a high in the mid 90s. Today's crop of 10% shows the number

of victims of crime is at the lowest since records began in 1981. This is

a survey of more than 40,000 people. Violent crime was down 13%. But

there were increases. Sexual crimes are up 17%. Partly due to victims

coming forward after the Jimmy Savile scandal. Theft from the

person without violence were up 7%. Shoplifting up 4%. So why is crime

falling over all? That is because of many people, including the police,

whose basic job is to cut crime and crime is falling. That is good news.

Here is another reason - modern car security. They say however hard I

hit it, it isn't going to break. That was eight years ago. Result -

joy riding is no longer the starter crime it was. Offending is changing.

Mobile phone theft in the street is a big problem, because houses are

harder break into. When you break in, the goods don't have a high

resale and so when people break in, they look for money and stuff that

is small and can be easily sold or just spent. Crime is moving online.

Including credit card fraud which isn't included in the figures. There

are more criminals in prison and one theory, still a theory, after lead

was Rae moved -- removed from petrol, crime fell. Perhaps pause

because of the effect of exhaust fumes on the brain. A coroner has

ruled that there were "lost opportunities" in the care and

treatment of a four-year-old boy who died after heart surgery at Bristol

Children's Hospital. Sean Turner died in March 2012 from a

haemorrhage six weeks after he underwent heart surgery. At the

inquest, his parents criticised the hospital and questioned whether

enough lessons had been learnt from their son's death. A woman has told

a court that the former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis indecently assaulted

her while he was presenting a live programme. The woman, who was

working for the BBC at the time, said her complaints were ignored by

the Corporation when she reported them in the wake of the Jimmy Savile

scandal. Mr Travis denies 13 counts of indecent assault and one of

sexual assault. The singer Justin Bieber has been arrested on

suspicion of racing his Lamborghini against a Ferrari driven by another

pop star in Miami Beach. The driver of the other car, the singer Khalil,

has also been arrested. Both are suspected of having been drunk at

the time. Justin Bieber, one of the most photographed celebrities in the

world, seen in a mug shot which will disappoint his fans. This is the

scene, but moments later the teenage pop sensation's evening came to an

end. These fans filmed it on their phone. Officers say he had been

racing a friend and was driving at double the speed limit. We opened up

the window and confronted Justin Beaver and he smelt of a strong

alcoholic beverage. He was not cooperating with the officer's

instructions and the officer asked him to exit the vehicle and he

questioned why he was being stopped. Eventually he stepped out of the

vehicle and would not follow instructions. The officer placed him

under arrest. He was taken to a police station nearby where he had

admitted he had had a beer, smoked marijuana and had taken prescription

drugs. The singer was charged this morning with resisting arrest

without violence, driving under the influence and having an out of date

licence. The police report also says he swore repeatedly at the officer

who pulled him over. The Canadian teenager shot to fame at the age of

15 and became an overnight star with a huge and loyal following. Recently

his erratic behaviour has seen him attract the wrong kind of headlines.

Earlier this month, police raided the singer 's mad cows in California

after neighbours complained eggs had been thrown at them from his

property. Drugs were found during the search. The singer is due to

appear before the judge later today. He faces up to six months in

jail, a fine and community service if found guilty. The time is nearly

17 minutes past six. Our top story: The health watchdog has branded some

NHS waiting times as unreliable and says patients are being failed. And

more missed targets for Man U. Yesterday it was the League Cup,

today the club is no longer among Europe's top earners. Later on BBC

London: Chew bosses announced plans to beat next month's strike by

bringing in volunteer workers. And the London surgeons pioneering new

treatment for sufferers of deep vein thrombosis. The storms that battered

Britain's coastline this month did not just cause damage to its seaside

resorts, they changed its physical geography. One four-mile stretch of

coastline in Wales was so altered by the waves that it has been pushed

back 50 feet. But the changes have unearthed some interesting

surprises. Jeremy Cooke reports from Tywyn. The West Coast of Wales,

pounded by a new year storm, powerful enough to stop the trains,

and to change the landscape revealing a lost history. Tywyn

beach is stripped of sand and covering the remains of an historic

forest, emerging into the light after being buried literally for

ages. A thick layer of peat from the ancient forest floor. Perhaps the

most remarkable thing I things like this, totally recognisable trees,

lying where they fell thousands of years ago. Here we can see how big

the tree stumps were, we get a much clearer picture of what the ancient

landscape was like. Would the peat beds, a mystery, clearly they have

been carefully excavated, but where the locals digging for fuel or was

this a medieval fish trap? New questions and new discoveries for

those who walk this beach every day. It is completely different, it is

not what you would expect to find on a beach. People do not associate a

beach with woods and forests and that is what we are standing on. And

a glimpse of another slice of history, tracks cut into the peat so

clear it could have been made yesterday. But this war veteran

knows different. He was stationed here preparing amphibious tanks for

D-day and beyond. Those are made by a vehicle or a water buffalo and

those cuts, as the trap went round, they propelled the vehicle through

the water. The tides here are already at work and history so

dramatically revealed will soon be buried once again, lost to the sand

and the sea. The number of secondary schools in England classed as

underperforming has fallen according to the latest league tables. 154

state-funded schools out of over 3000 are now deemed to be below

standard, that is 61 fewer than last year. Our education correspondent

Reeta Chakrabarti is here. An awful lot of numbers, how significant are

they? The government is pleased with these results. They show an

improvement on the previous year and over a longer period, so the

Education Secretary Michael Gove is saying today the number of children

in underperforming schools has fallen by nearly a quarter of a

million since 2010 and he has praised teachers for helping

children. At the moment schools are judged on how many of their pupils

get five good GCSEs, above grade C, over a period of time. This year for

the first time schools are being given a grade, A, B, C, D, and that

will represent the average of what children obtain in their best eight

subjects. It is going to be the main indicator of how a school does in a

few years time and its purpose is to stop schools from concentrating on

children who are a borderline C, often ministers feel at the expense

of weaker or more able pupils. The Ukrainian President, Victor

Yanukovych, has asked for an emergency session of Parliament

after two people died in mass protests in the capital Kiev. He

said the session, to be held next week, would be in addition to

negotiations with opposition leaders. Earlier, the European

Commission said it had been assured by President Yanukovych that he did

not intend to introduce emergency rule. Car production in the UK has

hit a six-year high with a car rolling off a production line every

20 seconds. More than 1.5 million cars left the factory last year and

the vast majority, 80%, were exported. Our industry correspondent

John Moylan reports. Built in Britain, but destined for the world.

This plant in Solihull has never been busier, meeting growing demand

at home and from America and amongst the growing middle classes of Asia.

We never stop investing in our people and retaining our skills and

we never stop investing in research for the future. When the recession

finally started to come to an end we were able to hit the ground running.

It is a mark of the success of Jaguar Land Rover that this plant

employs 6000 people and will take on another 1700 this year. Its success

is part of the reason why in 2013 UK car production

[email protected] plants made more than 1.5 million cars, the

best performance in six years. But there were losers as well. The

number of cars coming off the production line of Vauxhall's

Ellesmere plant have fallen. The slump in the European market has hit

demand. Some companies operating in that market can do very well, but

what we are seeing is Vauxhall and Honda not doing very well and that

comes down to the combination of a market being in a bad position, but

they have relatively weak products. Back in the Midlands one local

supplier is expanding from here to hear tents to Jaguar Land Rover's

success. It plans to hire another 400 staff. This is a huge investment

for us, but that is linked in with Jaguar Land Rover and the investment

we have made to plan for the future and Coke for the new model lines

coming through. 80% of UK made cars are exported, so we are exposed to

economic changes worldwide, but the industry believes it could hit

record levels by 2017. They are out of both Cups, adrift in the Premier

league, and have only the Champions League to save their season,

although even the most optimistic Manchester United fan will admit

that is a long shot. Today the club dropped out of the top three highest

earners in Europe, but it is also on the verge of a record signing.

It was a night which summed up this season. With a Wembley final at

stake Manchester united's nerve crumbled in truly spectacular

fashion, in one of the worst penalty shoot outs in memory. It handed

Sunderland victory and United's critics and other field day. As Sir

Alex Ferguson watched on, his successor could only reflect on

another grim result. We did not play well last night dashed tonight, and

we did not get it in the end. But that is football and we will get on

with it. But the Reds had a horrible case of the January loose. First

loss against and then a defeat ending their Premier league hopes

and last night and end of league and Trophy. The only good news is the

prospect of signing Juan Mata for a record ?37 million. Last minute they

scored that goal and they could have won. Shocking, shocking, confidence

at an all-time low. They are missing a whole midfield and defence. But

United's rivals are catching them off the pitch as well. It is the

first time ever they have dropped out of the top three of Europe's

biggest earning clubs. Any downturn on the pitch if it is short-term it

is nothing. If it goes into weeks and months and years, it will have

an impact. Greater Manchester Police dialled 999 and asked to speak to

Sir Alex Ferguson. They point out this is no emergency, but for United

the pain is clean dashed clear to see. And that brings us to the

weather. There is more wet weather to come.

This has been the story today. This brought showery rain and then it

brightened up quite nicely behind it. Then the clouds gathered out

into the South West and that will bring rain overnight and into

tomorrow. In the east it will feel pretty cold. The first signs of that

are developing with clear skies overnight and dense part dashed

patches of fog. In Scotland we could see some snow as it bumps into the

cold air. We have also got an amber warning out for Somerset and that is

because the river levels are extremely high and a further ten or

20 millimetres of rain may well exacerbate the problems. In the east

there is the fog in East Anglia. A wet start in Northern Ireland and

gale force gusts of wins are likely. If we get freezing rain it

will be treacherous on the roads. As the day continues the wet and windy

weather pushes further inland. It will weaken as it moves into eastern

areas, but it is a pretty dismal day. It will feel quite cold with

that rain but there may be double figures in the South West. It is a

quiet start to Saturday, but a line of showers starts to drift down from

the North West. That clears on Saturday night and a cold night

develops and the next area of low pressure starts to wind its way in

from the Atlantic. More wet and windy weather to come. I can see you

shaking your head. That is horrible. That is all from the BBC's News