29/04/2014 BBC News at Six

Police begin to question a 15-year-old boy accused of stabbing

his teacher to death in the classroom. 61-year-old Ann Maguire

had taught at Corpus Christi College in Leeds for 40 years and was due to

retire in September. Flowers for a much-loved teacher. Hundreds of

bouquets at the school gates as the Head says they are all stunned. It

came as an enormous shock to us. We couldn't have foreseen the

circumstances that transpired yesterday. As more information

emerges about the pupil being held by police, we will get the latest

from Leeds. Also tonight: On its way back, the UK economy grows again for

the fifth Guatamalaer in a row as it nears its pre-recession peak. The

former leader of the Liberal Party, David Steel, rejects suggestions he

turned "turned a blind eye" to allegations of child abuse by the

late Cyril Smith. A tipping point in the fight against cancer. At least

half of those diagnosed now will survive more than a decade. And, a

dramatic recues at Wells Cathedral after a woman becomes trapped in the

tower after falling during a tour. On BBC London. Millions of journeys

are disrupted by the Tube strike, as commuters struggle to and from work.

And, the UKIP leader takes his strong immigration message to one of

Berkshire's most diverse communities.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. Police have begun

questioning a 15-year-old boy who was arrested after a teacher was

stabbed to death in the classroom yesterday. Hundreds of bouquets of

flowers have been left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in

Leeds as pupils, past and present, paid tribute to 61-year-old Ann

Maguire. The much-loved teacher had worked at the school for 40 years,

and was planning to retire in the autumn. Our correspondent, Ed

Thomas, is there for us now. Ed. Sophie, it seems like with every

passing moment for flowers and messages arrive for Ann Maguire. We

heard more about the 15-year-old boy arrested. He is being questioned by

he detectives. Two police officers stand guard outside his home. At

Corpus Christi we heard the sound of children playing today. The school

opened its gates, their way of coping with the horror of yesterday.

Remembered with prayer. This morning, pupils, past and present,

came here for Ann Maguire. Today we pray for the light of hope. Hope for

ourselves, that we will come to terms eventually with what has

happened. Hope, because today the school opened. Watched over by

police, children returned. This was their tribute to the 61-year-old. To

carry on, in the name of Mrs Maguire. For the first time the head

teacher at Corpus Christi has spoken about his colleague. We couldn't

have foreseen the circumstances that transpired yesterday. Ann Maguire

was a wonderful, caring individual. She was an outstanding teacher. She

was an outstanding leader. She had been a cornerstone of the school

community for 40 years. As the flowers and messages arrived, we

learnt more about Ann Maguire. After four decades teaching, she was due

to retire this summer. We also heard more about the police investigation.

This update wasn't just for the media, it was watched by friends and

former pupils. All told a child is in custody, one of their own. This

is a process which needs to be handled very sensetively. It may

take some time to complete. The pupils who witnessed this incident

are being interviewed by specialist officers and are experienced in

dealing with child witnesses and will ensure their welfare is

paramount. We cannot name the boy accused. This is his Facebook page.

An illustration of the grim reaper. It shows his love of console gaming.

I didn't see him with a lot of people, friend and that. This pupil

is in Year 11, the same as the boy held by police. We have protected

his identity. With a was his relationship like with Mrs Maguire

Apparently he has never liked her. That is is all he said. Never liked

her, never got on with her. It's not just police looking for answers,

children too want to know why this happened. Many, many thanks for all

your hard work and dedication. Siobhan was once the Head Girl here.

You are an amazing talented... The words of Ann Maguire, a teacher who

touched so many lives. Lots and lots of love, best wishes, Mrs Maguire.

This will be a slow investigation. Already traumatised children need to

be interviewed by police. As for calls for metal detectors in

schools. We heard from the head teacher at Corpus Christi, she said

this is something Mrs Maguire would not have wanted for her school or

her pupils. Thank you. People have been leaving flowers and tributes

for Ann Maguire. Many of her pupils have described her as an

"inspirational teacher." Danny Savage has been speaking to some of

her students, past and present. Nearly every tribute here has a

deeply personal story attached to it about Ann Maguire. Many are from

families who have known her for years. Over two generations, about

half a dozen of Vicki Hurley's family, were taught by her My dad

was there, on her first day of teaching. She were firm with us, but

so understanding about different situations that every student was

going through. It was just lovely how she had that personal connection

with each student. ?? FORCEDWHITE That personal connection with Ann

Maguire was apparent at the school gate this afternoon too. Julie

Langton was taught by her in the 1980s and took great comfort in

knowing her own children would also get to know her. Really proud that,

you know, they would be going to the same school that I went to. Would be

taught by some of the teachers that I once had. Really pleased when I

knew that Mrs Maguire was still there. How special was that for you

to have a teacher that will taught your mum? It was really nice and

pleasant. It was like, I could actually find out what my mum was

like when she was younger, without my mum actually telling me. ??

FORCEDWHITE Looking back on their school years, many people will have

that special teacher who made a real difference to their lives. What this

shows is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of adults and

children here in Leeds who regard Ann Maguire as their special

teacher. She just took the time, the effort. She stayed behind after

school. She did everything she could to make sure you achieved the best

that you could, which I did. The emotions here will be raw for a long

time, as one tribute read, "Mrs Maguire was more than just books."

Danny Savage, BBC News, Leeds. The UK economy has grown again for the

fifth quarter in a row. It's the first time that has happened since

the recession. It expanded by 0.8% in the first three months of this

year. Analysts say it could soon surpass its pre-recession peak.

Here's our chief economics correspondent, human pip. The

British economy is revving up, helped by industries like this,

ahead of the global competition. Silverstone is at the heart of the

so-called motor sport valley, 40,000 people are employed in hi-tech

engineering businesses. The local area has the highest employment rate

in the country. We adapt an existing road car. Companies like this are

growing fast, designing for customers in the UK and overseas.

The boss told me about his plans to expand and take on new staff. There

is a huge opportunity for growth. It's really the most exciting time

there has been in the industry for 100 years. A wide variety of new

technologies coming through onto the market. A lot of research and

development work required. Nick, who is self-employed, has seen work come

his way. He says keeping up with household bills isn't always easy.

Renting is quite expensive. The fuel situation is quite expensive. It's

very slowly moving, as far as I'm concerned anyway. I'm sure there are

others who will do better than me personally. That is one of the big

issues. From January to March, construction grew by 0.3%. It was

held back by bad weather. Manufacturing was up 1.3%. The

strongest growth in nearly four years. The dominant services sector

was up nearly 1%. The economy may be motoring along, but getting back to

where it was in 2008, before the recession, is the key marker on the

road towards a balanced and sustained recovery. That hasn't

happened yet, it probably will in the middle of the year. The

Chancellor, George Osborne, was making his point about rebuilding

the economy on a visit to a new housing development in Kent. He told

me, as far as he was concerned, the job was not complete. What these

numbers today show is that Britain is coming back. We can't take that

for granted. We have to go on working through our long-term

economic plan. Of course, families are still feeling the effect of the

great recession, we do now see in place the foundations for a

broad-base recovery. Labour claimed there was still a squeeze on living

standards. David Cameron and George Osborne are trying to tell people

the cost-of-living crisis is over. That is jarring with people

up-and-down the country who say, look there may be growth, but there

is no recovery in my living standards. Average wage increases

have now caught up with price rises. Ministers can only hope a feel good

factor begins to emerge in the months ahead. Hugh Pym, BBC News.

The former leader of the Liberal Party, David Steel, has rejected

suggestions that he "turned a blind eye" to allegations of child abuse

against the late Cyril Smith. Lord Steel said he raised the matter with

the then MP in 1979 when allegations were made in a magazine. Yesterday,

Rochdale Council announced an independent review into claims of a

cover-up of alleged child abuse by Cyril Smith. Our political

correspondent, Eleanor Garnier, reports. It was 1972, Cyril Smith

celebrated being elected as the Liberal MP for Rochdale, a career

that was to last 20 years. He quickly became a senior member of

the party. In 1979, allegations emerged about Cyril Smith's

involvement with boys at a hostel in Rochdale. Private Eye reported

claims that Cyril Smith had been involved in "unusual behaviour" with

a victim claiming, "he hit me many times with his bare hand. I pleaded

with him to stop." Today can Lord Steel defended his decision not to

launch an inquiry into those abuse investigations. He said it was true.

He had some supervisory role. That he had been accused of interfering

with boys a the this institution. The police had investigated it and

no action had been taken. That was, as I say, some 10 years before.

Those allegations date back to the 1960s when Cyril Smith was a Labour

councillor. Lord Steel insists he had no need to investigate. There

were no further whispers or rumours or anything else. After that

allegations. As I say, it was 10 years, more than 10 years old, he

had gone on to high office and high honour in the Labour Party before he

joined the Liberals. He wasn't even a member of my party at the time.

There was absolutely no reason for me to go flirting around in old

stuff. Lord Steel has come under pressure to answer questions about

Cyril Smith, since the launch of investigations by Greater Manchester

Police and Rochdale Council. Eddie, claims he became an emotional wreck

after being abused by Cyril Smith in 1962. Do you think enough was done

to investigate the allegations at the time? No. Lord Steel would have

been responsible. He run the national party, the Liberal Party.

When the allegations were made they surely had the facilities that they

could have looked into it deeper, and by not looking into it, by just

dismissing it, it treats the victims as of no consequence. Cyril Smith's

family say he always denied the allegations. Lord Steel, and the

Liberal Democrats, have made it clear they will co-operate with any

police investigation. Eleanor Garnier, BBC News. The time is

coming up to 6. 6.15pm. Police have begun to question a 15-year-old boy

on suspicion of murdering the Leeds teacher, Ann Maguire. And a dramatic

rescue operation at Wells Cathedral after a woman became trapped between

two turrets. Later on BBC London: From draper shop to department store

chain we devil into John Lewis's archives as it celebrates 150 years

in business. Why England rugby union captain, Chris Robshaw, is playing

the the game in a wheelchair. If you get cancer nowadays you are

far more likely to live for at least a decade thanks to new treatments,

screening and diagnosis. In fact cancer survival rates are now double

what they were in the early 1970s. New research which looked at data

from more than seven million patients in England and Wales found

that 50% of people diagnosed now with cancer will live for at least

ten years. But some survival rates for cancers like those of the

pancreas, lungs and brain still remain stubbornly low. Here's our

health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys. The fight against cancer

relies on many weapons. Screening for changes, precision tools for

doctors, drugs designed to lock onto tumours. Research into how and why

cancers grow. If you are young, fit and active like Parminder, the last

thing you expect is cancer. The only sign of her brain tumour was

headaches until a trip to the dentists led to scans. The

neurosurgeon actually said to me that you're very lucky. If you had

left it a couple of months you'd be dead. And when he said that, I

thought, what? Oh my God! I was so, so lucky. I'm so determined that

this never comes back. At least now there is hope. Being a cancer

patient in the 1970s was grim. The other form of treatment is known as

chemotherapy. There were fewer drugs and the odds were against you.

Large-scale cancer research was just getting going. Now scientists are

working in a new area of genetic knowledge. Research has helped

completely transform cancer survival but cancer is many different

diseases. And some remain hard to detect and difficult to treat. The

patterns of survival for individual cancers is hugely different. For

testicular cancer, more than 90% of men will survive more than ten

years. Sadly, for cancers of the oesophagus or the pancreas, the

figures surviving for ten years are oesophagus or the pancreas, the

less than 5%. So there's been a big push with new ads to make us all

aware of warning signs. Finding cancers too late is one reason

survival lags behind other countries. With a range of work that

is now going on, particularly around late diagnosis, I do believe that

over the next five or ten years we will close that gap. So only by

improving faster than other countries will the UK match the best

survival rates around the world. A former Conservative MP is to be

suspended from the former Conservative MP is to be

for six months. Patrick Mercer is alleged to have asked questions in

parliament in return for money. Since the allegations were first

made last year Patrick Mercer has sat as an independent MP. Our Deputy

Political Editor James Landale is in Westminster for us now. What more

can you tell us? He was filmed last year by undercover reporters asking

questions in Parliament in return for money. He referred himself to

Parliament watchdog who investigated. And then the MPs on

the standards committee met this morning to decide his fate and that

is that he should be suspended for six months from Parliament.

Westminster source said the committee believe this to be a

sensible and proportionate decision. Matters is because there have been

suggested this could force him to leave Parliament for good. That

would be a huge headache for the Conservatives although they have a

pretty large majority in his constituency in Nottingham shot. It

would be a prime target for UKIP and tonight, Nigel Farage said he would

seriously think about standing for this constituency if there was a

by-election after the European elections. Nigel Farage MP, are

three words David Cameron does not want to hear. Thank you. In just

over three weeks' time voters across the UK go to the polls to elect

members of the European Parliament. Some parts of England and Northern

Ireland will also hold local elections. The subject of

immigration could prove to be a key issue. Last year net migration,

that's the difference between the number of those arriving in the UK

and those leaving, was 212,000. It shows the task in hand for David

Cameron who's pledged to get net migration under 100,000 by 2015 Our

political editor Nick Robinson has been touring the UK to test the mood

ahead of the European Elections. Tonight he has taken his ballot box

to East Yorkshire. It is a four horse race. There's a surprise

favourite in next month's Euro elections. It's not the big three.

It's UKIP. To examine one possible reason why, I brought my ballot box

to Yorkshire, starting here at Beverley races. My question today,

is immigration to high? Yes. Yes. Yes? Yes. Yes. Yes. Everybody has

put yes. Too high. It's too high. I don't want to sound racist so I'm

not going to go that far. I would just stop it. I would curb it. If

that meant getting out of Europe? I'd get out of Europe tomorrow.

Would you actually vote to come out of Europe? Yes, certainly. You might

vote for UKIP? Well, no, I'm undecided. The odds are that you

think immigration is too high. Three in every four voters tell pollsters

that. But before you place your bets, remember not everyone agrees.

Let them come in. If they want to work hard and get a living, my

father came with nothing. He came on a boat. It's a global world,

although we need to control immigration, I think we need to

accept this is happening all over the world not just in the UK. And

there's still a question about whether people really care enough

about this one issue to change the way they vote. Will immigration be a

big factor for you? No. Because? It's not really important at the

moment. There's other things more important than immigration. This is

an almost exclusively white crowd. You might think concern about

immigration would be lower down the road in a multiracial, multicultural

city like Leeds. It is. They have got ambition and most of them are

very entrepreneurial. The Polish. Eastern Europe. If you go to

Bradford, even in the market, a lot of them are ambitious and want to do

something for themselves. But that immigration from Europe, white

immigration, is fuelling public concern which is felt as deeply at

the temple as anywhere else. The people learning how to dance

Bollywood style fear their kids and grandkids may suffer unfair

competition for jobs and houses. That surprises someone watching,

whose only recently moved to the city from India. With the way the

world is globalised now, immigration just follows and people are always

looking for better opportunities in life, better standard of living,

better wages. Everyone else here lined up to vote

yes to immigration being too high. So they shouldn't allow mass exodus

from East European countries like Romania and allow everybody to come

in. Why is it a problem? Because when we came in, we were skill

tested. Not everybody. All the parties now say a vote for them is

about to control immigration. The question is who will voters believe

if anyone? And there's more on the European and local elections online.

There were dramatic scenes at Wells Cathedral in Somerset this afternoon

as a Sea King helicopter was brought in to rescue a woman who'd become

stuck in the cathedral's tower. She'd been on tour when she fell and

became trapped between two walls. Jon Kay reports. This wasn't just a

cathedral tour. This was a rooftop tour and this lady in his 60s is

right up there seeing parts of the building tourists don't normally see

when she fell somehow ended up trapped inside the roof in a narrow

area which was almost inaccessible. In its history, Wells Cathedral has

never had to pray like this. High inside the ancient bell tower, 150

feet up, a woman had fallen during a rooftop tour. And urgently had to be

rescued from between the two turrets where she was stuck. But for the

teams abseiling down to reach her, they were all kinds of challenges.

Small doorways, tight spiral stone staircases. Where she had fallen,

and sustained injuries, it was clear we couldn't come out of the

cathedral by conventional routes. In the end, help came from above. In

the form of an RAF rescue helicopter. They lowered a stretcher

onto the roof. As nervous crowds waited, inside the cathedral, verges

guided rescue teams through the passageways and staircases and after

three hours, stuck in the belltower, the woman was winched to safety.

Taken to hospital in Bristol, to be treated for suspected broken wrists

and pelvis. The cathedral has abandoned its rooftop tours for the

foreseeable future. We will investigate and ask the question

what happened and then when we got the answer, we will decide what

action to take. Rescue teams said the woman was very lucky. Not to be

more badly injured. Time for a look at the weather with Darren Bett. Big

changes on the way by the end of the week.

Tonight, telling misty and murky with patchy fog of many places will

be dry. Some showers today mainly across southern England. They will

decay overnight and apart from bit of rain coming into northern

Scotland, it should be a dry night. Low cloud from the North Sea, Rand

Western coasts. Mist and fog giving earlier showers and a mild start the

miss key -- Mr start. -- misty start. We will see a band of rain

coming in from the Atlantic to affect southwestern parts of

England, especially in the afternoon, but in the West Country,

across the south-east, a dry day, I suspect, and quite warm, as well.

18-19, very pleasant. Showers in North Wales. Thundery showers over

the Pennines. It could stay dry until the evening in Northern

Ireland. Turning wet in Scotland with outbreaks of rain. A much

colder day as well. There may be a bit of snow in the mountains on

Thursday. Thursday, showers, longer spells of rain with showers in

southern parts of the UK. And that's because we have an area of low

pressure around which has gone by Friday and instead high pressure is

moving in. Much drier and brighter, much changed by the end of the week.

Feeling colder for the East of England. The bank holiday weekend,

of course, some warm sunshine, temperatures recovering. Some rain

possibly for the North West of Scotland and Northern Ireland but

gardeners take note. It will be cold at night. There is frost on the way.

Thank you very much. Goodbye from me. And on BBC One we now join