06/03/2014 BBC News at Six

into undercover policing as a damning review points to police

corruption. An officer spied on the teenager's

family as they campaigned for justice - the Home Secretary says

the report is "deeply troubling." The findings that I have outlined

today are profoundly shocking. They would be of grave concern to

everyone in the house and beyond. It's like, I'm constantly being lied

to about the sincerity of people who I think are supposed to be doing a

job for me. This is why I am so hurt.

We'll be assessing how damaging this is for the police. Also tonight:

Crimean MPs vote to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia in a move

Ukraine calls illegitimate. Oscar Pistorius weeps in the dock as

a neighbour describes how he tried to revive the athletes girlfriend as

she lay wounded. And a row erupts within the

Coalition over immigration as they disagree over its impact on

unemployment. In London, The Met says it will be

open and transparent with Londoners after a damning review of the

Stephen Lawrence case. And calls for changes to the way animals are

killed for how and kosher meat. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News at Six. 21 years after Stephen Lawrence was murdered, the Home

Secretary Theresa May has announced a public inquiry into undercover

policing in response to a damning review of Scotland Yard's handling

of the case. The review found grounds to suspect one of the

detectives on the original investigation - detective Sergeant

John Davidson - may have acted corruptly. It also found that an

undercover officer had spied on the Lawrence family while a judicial

inquiry into the handling of Stephen's death was under way.

Theresa May has called the findings "profoundly shocking" and has

proposed the creation of a new offence of police corruption.

Stephen's mother Baroness Lawrence described the findings as the "final

nail in the coffin". Our Home Affairs correspondent June Kelly

reports. Stephen Lawrence's case shamed

Scotland Yard and became a watershed in policing. The suspects were in

the frame from the start but it was just two years ago that two men were

finally convicted of the killing. The day that Stephen 's family had

waited nearly 20 years for. But then came new allegations that they and

their supporters have been spied on by undercover officers, just one

strand of today's blistering review of The Met's behaviour. In

response, the Home Secretary announced an enquiry headed by a

judge into undercover policing. Policing stand damaged today. Trust

and confidence in the Metropolitan police and policing generally is

vital. For the sake of Doreen Lawrence, Neville Lawrence, their

family and the British public, we must act now to redress these wrong

is stop I am pleased we are going to have a public enquiry but I just

feel so wounded at yet again, I'm having to fight for something that

should have happened over 20 years ago. While this is a case which has

become synonymous with racism, today's review focuses on the issue

of corruption. The men now in prison for the murder are Gary Dobson on

the left and a bit Norris. For years there have been questions about

Norris's former gangster father Clifford and corrupt links with the

police. They centred on this man, ex-Detective Sergeant John Davidson,

now living in Spain, where eight years ago he was tracked down by the

BBC. He worked on the Stephen Lawrence enquiry and today's review

speaks of a possible link between him and Clifford Norris. It says a

number of lines of enquiry suggesting that he may have acted

correctly... It is allegations by this man should

have been revealed to McPherson. There was nothing on the final step

suggested anything nasty, we couldn't prove anything. In 2012 the

Metropolitan police launched its own review looking at possible

corruption. Today, this is attacked for providing misleading reassurance

to the family and the public and it says there were clear defects in the

level of information... once again, this case has put the

country's biggest force in the dock. We do recognise that allegations

like this go to the heart of people's trust in us as a police

service. We are absolutely clear, the work we have been doing over a

number of years and the work collectively we have done is around

trying to maintain high levels of trust and confidence in policing in

London, it's vital to what we do. So 20 years on, this case continues to

damage the repeater nation of Scotland Yard. -- the repeater

nation. Stephen Lawrence's father Neville

says the findings of the report into possible police corruption

surrounding his son's case are "21 years overdue." Our correspondent

Reeta Chakrabarti has been to meet him.

Just how much tragedy can one family bear? Neville Lawrence and his

former wife Doreen have spent over 20 years trying to get justice for

their murdered son. But this is a case that never ends. Today, back

from his home in Jamaica, he had his worst suspicions confirmed, that the

police had spied on his family. I still can't understand why a

law-abiding group of people would resort to this kind of behaviour. If

the people are supposed to be upholding the law, are breaking the

law, where are you and how do you resolve a situation where they are

supposed to be professional people doing the job? We are lost if it's

going to continue like that. The last time I saw you, you were very

happy, there had been 2-macro convictions secured a new felt at

last there was justice for your son. You were in a different place

today. I don't think people understand why I am so upset. We had

an opportunity to put everything to bed when the enquiry came out and

said, exactly what they were doing, so we could move on and get on with

life. It's like, it's not me back to 1993 again because of what these

people did. It's like, I'm constantly being lied to about the

sincerity of people who are supposed to be doing a job for me. And this

is why I am so hurt. Will you attend the new enquiry? I am going to wait

and see. After today, I'm going to have two look at myself and see

whether I am strong enough to even be in that court room when it's

happening. You have got to be able to deal with it with a group of

people, not by yourself, and where I'm living in Jamaica, I am myself.

-- by myself. So I will have to wait and see. For this grieving father,

there is no respite and no closure. With me now is our Home Editor Mark

Easton. The findings of this review are damaging but problems might

still exist today? I think so. There was real shot in Parliament today.

The Home Secretary at the time of the first enquiry, Jack Straw, said

that if that enquiry had all the information, it might have decided

that Scotland Yard was not just institutionally racist but

institutionally corrupt. I think those are really damaging words and

even more so, perhaps this was why Parliament was so shocked, because

the report suggests this wasn't some historical artefact, some bent

copper decades ago, it says that material relevant to possible police

corruption in this case has not been revealed, even today. At one point

in relation to claims by the police that no records existed about a

corrupt officer, it said, we have reservations about accepting this.

This is effectively the review saying, we are not prepared to

believe what The Met are saying to us. This is massively damaging for

The Met but also for policing in general in this country. This is a

real day of reckoning. MPs in Crimea have voted to leave

Ukraine and become part of Russia. The proposal will be put to the

people of Crimea in a referendum in ten days' time. The interim

Ukrainian government has responded saying such a referendum would be

"unconstitutional". The region's been at the centre of tensions since

Ukraine's pro-Moscow president fled the country.

Our correspondent Daniel Sandford reports from the Crimean capital,

Simferapol. Outside Crimea's rebel parliament,

they were dancing to old Soviet songs as MPs inside voted to leave

Ukraine and join Russia. They said they would hold a referendum on

breaking away in just ten days time. Although the Ukrainian constitution

says that any referendum on changing the borders should be held across

the whole country. But Crimea's new leaders brushed that concern aside.

How is this referendum illegal and the Ukrainian law? TRANSLATION: I

don't think there is a legal constitutional system in place at

the moment. The government in Kiev was seized by armed groups who have

no connection to the existing legal arrangements. It has been a

lightning fast move by pro-Russian groups here in Crimea, since in

Kiev's weakness and Moscow's support, they have gone all out the

joining Russia. The referendum has been ordered while Russian troops

surround Ukrainian forces in their barracks and ships and the acting

Ukrainian Prime Minister dismissed the idea of a breakaway vote being

held at the barrel of a gun. We urge the Russian government to pull back

its military. And not to support illegitimate, so-called government

of Crimea. And to start real talks and negotiations for the peaceful

solutions. There is no doubt, as these pro-Moscow activists show,

that there is a lot of support in Crimea for joining Russia, but it's

not universal. Nikolai is a 23-year-old student, born into a

Russian speaking country in eastern Ukraine and raised in Crimea, but

vehemently against leaving Ukraine. I saw Russia on TV, and I don't know

that Russia is really much better than Ukraine. I love Ukraine. But

under pressure from Russia, Ukraine he loves is slowly breaking apart.

Crimea has almost gone. The only question is whether Russia is

prepared to enjoy the diplomatic pain that annex it will create. --

pipette into your. Well, in the past hour EU leaders in

Brussels have agreed a limited number of sanctions against Russia

and warned of "far reaching consequences" unless it enters into

talks with Ukraine. Our Political editor Nick Robinson reports.

Singing to keep their hopes alive, to keep their country united. To

stop Ukraine being dismembered by Russia. These protesters were not in

Kiev, but in Brussels. Watching and waiting, to see what the EU's 28

leaders might agree to do to stand up for them. One question hung over

this emergency summit today, could Europe turn strong words of

condemnation into deeds? We need to send a very clear message to the

Russian government that what has happened is unacceptable and should

have consequences, and were further action to be taken, that would be

even more unacceptable and would require even more consequences. That

call, for President Putin to be punished, echoes the view from a

country Russia once ruled. After Ukraine will be Moldova, then other

countries. It is open and brutal aggression. But Angela Merkel let

those who said that what mattered today was de-escalation,

establishing dialogue. Diplomatic talks between Ukraine's new leaders,

the interim prime minister was the guest of honour, and the Russian

leadership. But events have a habit of not waiting for summits. Russian

TV today showed Ukraine as if it was already part of the family. It does

seem as though your's leaders are fiddling as Crimea is leaving

Ukraine. -- Europe's leaders. I am always optimistic, I have to be.

Russia want to undermine my optimism, to no avail. Europe being

strong enough? We believe they will do what they can stop President

Obama acted first. All sides on edge in Ukraine. After talks between the

American Secretary of State and Russia's Foreign Minister failed to

make progress, the US targeted Russian sanctions. The EU has

suspended negotiations with Russia over economic ties and visas but

sanctions will only come in if they fail to go along with the diplomatic

solution. David Cameron insisted that was still better than he

expected. What we have agreed is if the talks do not make progress,

those things mentioned by the Americans, they will be firmly on

the agenda. On the agenda but not agreed yet. This is not appeasement,

the Prime Minister told me. But it is certainly not Churchill resolve.

President Obama has been talking about the situation in Ukraine. What

has he had to say? The president has just been speaking, continuing the

firm rhetoric we are hearing from his administration. The president

said if this violation of international law continues, the US

and its allies will remain firm. He talked about any referendum in

Crimea being a violation of international law. Also, he urged

Russian to allow international monitors into Ukraine. He hopes the

measures will push Russia to de-escalate. He talked about

restrictions on visas and freezing the assets. Both would apply to

individuals, groups and officials that the US believes are undermining

the sovereignty of Ukraine. Our top story this evening: 21 years

after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the Home Secretary has

announced a public inquiry into undercover policing after evidence

of police corruption. And still to come: As interest rates are held at

a record low of 0.5%, we look at the winners and losers over the past

five years. Later on BBC London: Closed 50 times

this winter alone - the Thames Barrier marks its busiest period in

history. And something to sing about - the organisation which keeps money

in musicians pockets. The court in the Oscar Pistorius

trial has been hearing from a neighbour who described the scene in

the athlete's house immediately after the fatal shooting of his

girlfriend. Dr Johan Stipp said he was awakened by the sound of gunfire

and went to Mr Pistorius's house to see if he could help. Oscar

Pistorius denies intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp. Andrew

Harding reports from the court in Pretoria. Not easy listening in

court today. Oscar Pistorius reacts as they witnessed describes seeing

Reeva Steenkamp's body minutes after being shot. I tried to look for

signs of life. She had no pulse in her neck. She had no peripheral

pulse. She had no breathing movements. The witness, , Dr Johan

Stipp, declined to be filmed. He rushed to the athlete's house after

hearing screams and gunshots. He found Oscar Pistorius beside his

girlfriend's body. He said, I shot her. I thought she was a burglar and

I shot her. He said the athlete was so destroyed he feared he he may

take his own life but the Grosso distraught. He was telling God to

please let her live, do not let her die. He was making promises to God.

He was trying to, I don't know, maybe get Atonement. At one point in

court, Oscar Pistorius appeared to gag. A security guard brought him a

plastic bag. A particularly emotional day for Oscar Pistorius.

For his team, I suspect quite and in courage in day. They are starting to

pick holes in the prosecution's version of events, suggesting the

witnesses might have been mistaken about what they heard. Key is the

possibility that from their balconies neighbours could not tell

the difference between gunshots and the sound of Oscar Pistorius

smashing a door down. The first shots I heard were gunshots. Yes.

The second shots were cricket bat sounds? They sound the same to me.

Yes. A long trial lies ahead. The prosecution has yet to prove that

Oscar Pistorius was lying about what happened that night. The trial has

begun of the publicist Max Clifford who's accused of indecent assault

over a period of nearly 20 years. The prosecution claims the

70-year-old thought he was untouchable and used his status to

bully and manipulate girls and women into sex acts. Mr Clifford denies 11

counts of indecent assault. Nick Higham reports. A widow has won the

right to preserve the sperm of her dead husband. Beth Warren had

challenged the fertility regulator after her husband's death from

cancer two years ago. He had placed sperm in storage before his death,

but the regulator's rules meant that it would have been destroyed next

year. The judge ruled the authority had been excessively technical in

its enforcement of the regulations. The Government has published a

report on immigration that it had been accused of suppressing. The

report concluded there was relatively little evidence that

British workers lost out to migrants in the long term, but it did find

some short-term impact on work chances during recession and tougher

economic times. It comes amid a deepening row within the coalition

government over immigration policy, as our deputy political editor James

Landale reports. There have been immigrants coming to

East London for years. Communities like this one that our Cosmopolitan

and Metropolitan. Immigration is normal and there is a plentiful

supply of cheap labour. I have a cleaner from Romania. She is lovely.

They probably charge slightly lower rates. I know that makes people from

England feel disenfranchised. Even here there are concerns. This man

came here from Albania 20 years ago. He supports immigration but... If

you do not control it, you find difficulties with everything. Such

as? Schools, hospitals, crime. Get the people already in the country

out and working. If people here are divided over immigration, so to

lobby politicians. The Conservatives and Lib Dems and even some

government departments disagreeing about the impact of people coming

here, particularly on jobs. Take for example a government report

published today. It concludes that there is relatively little evidence

migration has caused significant displacement of UK natives from the

labour market when the economy is growing. It also says that there is

evidence of some labour market displacement in recent years when

the economy was in recession. The double-edged conclusion sparked a

fresh row between the coalition parties. One Conservative minister

accused the Lib Dem Business Secretary of incorrect condescending

false. Well, I have news for him. Mass immigration puts pressure on

social cohesion public services and infrastructure. Yes, it can force

down wages and displace local people from the job market. For too long,

the benefits of immigration went to employers who wanted an easy supply

of cheap labour or to the wealthy metropolitan elite. I think this

stuff about the Metropolitan elite is way off the mark. Most people in

this country benefit from services like the NHS, public transport,

catering, in which migrant workers are. Immigration is a crucial

electoral issue that divides parties as much as it does people. It is a

row that the coalition appears very willing to have.

It's a decision that affects millions of us and today the Bank of

England left interest rates unchanged at 0.5%. It's now been

five years since they were cut to the current record low level. Up

until the crisis in 2008, rates had been consistently around 5%. During

the recession, the Bank of England reduced them to just 0.5% and they

have stayed there ever since. So, who has benefited from these

historically-low rates? Hugh Pym reports on the winners and losers.

Some were not celebrating the fifth anniversary of record low interest

rates. They say the's protest group carried a coffin to the Bank of

England to lament decisions taken by the Monetary Policy Committee. We

are gathered here to mourn our dearly departed savings under attack

from the cruel blight known as MVC known as MPC. Barry's daughter

Charlotte and her family could afford to move to a larger house

because their mortgage rate came down. I feel the money I have worked

hard for over the years should at the very least be getting me

something more than inflation. But we like it because it means we can

enjoy more things in life and we can have breathing space, more than

anything. Decisions made at the bank of England have had a big impact on

the personal finances of millions of people. If you take someone with

?100,000 tracker mortgage at the end of last year and compare it with the

end of 2007 before the crisis, they would have had gains of nearly ?3000

because of low annual interest payments. Someone with ?100,000 in

cash in an individual savings account would have lost out by more

than ?4000 in what they earn annually. Kate was a member of the

bank's policy committee which cut rates to a record low in 2009. She

says it was an essential move to combat the recession. LM aqua savers

have had a rough deal. But if you cut young people who found it

difficult to get into jobs, it has not worked out well for them --

savers have had a rough deal. Our intention was trying to get savers

to spend. It is very uncomfortable but a big collapse in the economy

wouldn't a big collapse in the economy would have been worse.

Full savers, it comes not a moment too soon, the 0.5% rise. The debate

has not yet been laid to rest for them.

Time for a look at the weather. Here's Jay Wynne.

Highest temperature of the year so far. Only some spots had sunshine

today. We stick with the cloud mostly through tonight. It will

produce some fairly heavy outbreaks of rain. You can see that showing up

on the map, particularly across Scotland and Northern Ireland

initially. It moves into Wales. A little more patchy further south and

east. Fairly brisk breeze. It is not going to be particularly cold

tonight. Certainly a wet start to tomorrow for much of England and

Wales. He rain moves out of Scotland and Northern Ireland quickly.

Brighter skies following on. That should eventually reach southern

areas later in the afternoon. The winds will die as well. Very

different tomorrow across Wales, the Midlands and much of England. Decent

temperatures. Possibly 15 degrees in one or two spots. It will feel quite

pleasant. As we had further north, the temperatures are lower and the

winds are stronger which means it will feel quite chilly. Particularly

across Scotland. Cold enough snow showers to get down to fairly low

levels. We could see snow affecting routes in the Highlands later in the

day. Change again on Saturday. Winds from the South ringing milder air.

-- bringing. As you come further south once again we could get into

the mid-teens in one or two spots given some sunshine. A little bit

cooler across the North with more in the way of cloud. We can all look

forward to some dry settled weather next week. Dry pretty much through

the week. Warm sunshine by day. Still a bit chilly by night with

patchy frost through the early part of the week.

A reminder of our main story: 21 years after Stephen Lawrence was

murdered, the Home Secretary Theresa May has announced a public inquiry

into undercover policing in response to a damning review of Scotland

Yard's handling of the case. That's all from the BBC News at Six, so

it's goodbye from