22/12/2016 BBC News at Six

The tipper truck crash that killed four people -

a company boss and his mechanic found guilty of manslaughter.

Matthew Gordon and Peter Wood failed to comply with routine guidelines

on truck maintenance - its brakes failed.

A four-year-old girl and three others were killed

by the the out of control truck - one of the men was newly married.

Especially having to spend your first wedding anniversary alone was

so far removed from the one said we had planned. It has just been

absolutely horrendous. was cleared of all the charges

he faced ...Also tonight. The prime suspect in

the Berlin terror attack - police say his fingerprints link him

to the carnage at I wonder, though, if this year we

might remember how the story of the Nativity unfolds.

Prince Charles says religious persecution today has echoes

And the words of a child who moved thousands -

we speak to seven-year-old Bana who took to social media to describe

After one win in 11, Palace give Alan Pardew the Christmas sack.

Sam Allardyce is favourite to replace

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

The owner of a haulage company and his mechanic

have been found guilty of the manslaughter of four people,

who died when a tipper lorry ploughed into them in Bath.

The court heard that the vehicle had been poorly maintained -

on the day of the crash its brakes failed.

The driver, Philip Potter, who had only just started

working for the firm, was cleared of the charges he faced

including causing death by dangerous driving.

Three men and a four-year-old girl died in the crash

Jon? George, the court heard that this truck was in such a bad state

that the crash was predictable, it was preventable, it was an accident

waiting to happen. The prosecution said of the company had done the

right checks, looked at the brakes, done that paperwork, not cut

corners, the four victims could still be alive today.

Police said it was "carnage", a 32-tonne truck, with defective

brakes, had careered down a steep hill towards a city centre.

Four-year-old Mitzi Steady didn't stand a chance,

hit while she was crossing the road with her grandma.

Then the truck crushed this car, killing the men inside.

Robert Parker and Philip Allen were heading back to South Wales

Their driver, Stephen Vaughan, was 34 years old and newly married.

It's just been a horrendous time, I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Sian Vaughan told me that being widowed, so soon

after her wedding day, had left her heartbroken.

The future that we had together has just all been taken away.

We were only married for six months and especially having

to spend your first wedding anniversary alone was just so far

removed from the one that we had planned.

It's just been absolutely horrendous.

Today, the boss of Grittenham Haulage, Matthew Gordon,

and mechanic, Peter Wood, were both found guilty

The trial heard the company was a shambles, failing to carry out

The jury was told that as the tipper truck came down

the hill that afternoon, its brakes were badly worn,

Matthew Gordon had no transport manager and effectively flouted

every regulation laid down to ensure safety.

Peter Wood signed off vehicles as safe when clearly they were not.

Many of the faults at the time of this crash were longstanding.

Phillip Potter, who was at the wheel of the tipper truck was found not

guilty of causing death by careless or dangerous driving.

He left court sending his sympathy to the bereaved families.

He told the jury he hadn't realised the truck was in such a poor state.

This one is for Mitzi because when it is blooming,

Before the trial, he told BBC News he'd planted trees on the family

It's like you press replay in your head every night

and you close your eyes and you just see it and you think -

there was nothing else I could have done that day to have prevented it.

Just thinking of the four people all the time,

just thinking how horrible it must be for the families.

Just how hard it would be to lose someone that you love so much.

Phillip Potter told the trial that as he sat here that afternoon,

trying to take in what had just happened, his boss,

Matthew Gordon, came over to him, grabbed him and said,

"Don't tell the police about the brake warning light."

Sian Vaughan says she's been horrified to hear in court

about the state of the truck, especially as her chauffeur husband

A word he would have used to describe them would have been

"cowboys" because there's no way that Steve would ever

have put anybody's life in danger, let alone his own.

The families hope Matthew Gordon's conviction will send a clear

message to the owners of all haulage companies.

He and Peter Wood were remanded in custody to be

All the bereaved families have issued statements this afternoon

paying tribute to those they lost. A family of little Mitzi Steady said

in their statement that these four-year-old was coming into her

own, she was growing in confidence before her life was suddenly cut so

short. They now face a second Christmas about her. George. Jon,

thank you very much. -- they now face a second Christmas without her.

German police say they now believe it's likely

their main suspect - Anis Amri - did drive the lorry that

ploughed through a Christmas market on Monday killing twelve people

His fingerprints have been found in the cab.

Speaking at the family home in Tunisia, Amri's brother called

This afternoon Angela Merkel said Germany had known for a long time

that it was a target for Islamist terrorists.

Our correspondent Damian Grammaticas is in Berlin.

George, this is a significant development. Yesterday the police

had said they were searching for the 24-year-old Tunisian Anis Amri

because they've found identity documents of his in the cab of the

lorry that drove through the market. Behind me today they say

investigations of the lorry have convinced them it is likely he was

the man driving it. Of course he remains on the run, tonight, armed

and dangerous. This is Anis Amri, the man European

police are hunting, filming himself humming nonchalantly in Berlin,

video posted to his Facebook page in September. Another 24-year-old

Tunisian is Europe's most wanted man. Police are now sure that he was

the driver of the lorry that ploughed through the Christmas

market, his fingerprints been found on the steering wheel and the door.

Angela Merkel today thanked Germans for their measured reaction to the

attack. TRANSLATION: Our thoughts are constantly with the relatives of

the victims and the injured, we owe it to them to give this our very

best. I can say that we've done a lot in recent years to meet the

challenge of terrorism. Police raids in Germany earlier today targeted

known contacts of Anis Amri, turning up nothing. His family in Tunisia

last saw him five years ago. They say that he was not religious, he

drank alcohol and dreamt of owning a car and starting a business.

TRANSLATION: And my brother is listening I want to tell him to

surrender for the sake of our family. We will be relieved. If he

did what he is suspected of having done he will be sanctioned and it

will be a dishonour for us. I am sure my brother is innocent. Anis

Amri left his family and travelled in the league to Italy in 2011,

spent four years in jail for violence and theft but without a

passport could not be deported so last year he moved to Germany, a

game, he was not deported, it was feared he was trying to get weapons

for an attack but with no new evidence surveillance of him was

halted in September. There are serious questions, should the

authorities have taken the threat posed by Anis Amri more seriously?

Most Germans, as the markets reopen with the security barriers,

criticisms of the police are less important than how they respond. So

getting the market back up and running today was symbolic for

Berlin. We have to respond to the terrorism. But we don't care, we are

going to open, we are not scared, because that is exactly what they

want. The crowds were thinner than usual but wanted to show that they

would not be cowed. I can to show we must not hide, says Rosemary, I am

sad, I was here on Monday, luckily I left before it happened. I feel

anger and sadness, more anger, says Anneka. I did not know any of the

victims but it makes me really angry. Not so much fear as defiance.

The people of Perlin determined to show they will not give up the

things they value and enjoy. Damian Grammaticas, Berlin.

With me is our Security Correspondent Frank Gardner.

Is it fair to say the German authorities missed some

opportunities to stop this attack? They did. He was someone on their

radar but there are parallels to the way that MI5 missed the ringleader

of the 7/7 bombers, Mohammed Siddique Khan. Because this was

someone that they knew had Islamist tendencies, he was on the edge of a

circle, they followed him for six months but could not find anything

really incriminating, they filmed him dealing drugs in a park and

getting into a brawl but nothing relating to terrorism, so they moved

on. The problem with watching people, putting them under

surveillance is that it is intensely Labour intensive, it can take 18 to

30 people watching somebody 24-7, you have to have translators,

decoders, people to change shifts and he was simply not a priority so

they moved on, dropped him and in the end it was a mistake. Thank you,

Frank. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

have made their trip to Sandringham for Christmas

after delaying it because they A helicopter arrived

at Buckingham Palace to take them Both had been scheduled

to travel by train yesterday, but plans were changed

at the last minute. The Palace confirmed

their departure, but wouldn't Prince Charles has warned

against religious intolerance, saying it was reminiscent

of what he called the "dark The Prince of Wales was speaking

on Thought for the Day, He also warned about aggression

towards minorities from "populist Here's our Royal Correspondent

Nicholas Witchell. The situation on the grounds of

religion is as old as faith itself and it is still happening today --

persecution. A Coptic Orthodox church blown up in Cairo. Christians

in Iraq and Syria kidnapped or driven from their homes. Attacks on

Yazidis and Jewish people and others. Tolerance between the faiths

and freedom of worship are important to the Prince of Wales. He recently

attended the consecration of the new sillier Orthodox Cathedral in west

London. He is troubled by the growing evidence of religious

intolerance. Normally at Christmas we think of the birth... His

starkest warning yet in a pre-recorded broadcast for Thought

For The Day on BBC Radio 4 he likened the persecution of

Christians in Iraq to what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany. We have

seen the rise of populist groups across the world who are

increasingly aggressive towards those who adhere to a minority

faith. All of this has deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days

of the 1930s. I was born in 1948, just after the end of World War II,

in which my parents's generation had fought and died in a battle against

intolerance, monstrous extremism and an inhuman attempt to exterminate

the Jewish population of Europe. That nearly 70 years later we should

still see such evil persecution is, to me, beyond all belief. The world

was witnessing what the Prince called insidious forms of extremism,

seeking to eliminate really adversity. He ended his broadcast

with a plea for tolerance. Whichever religious path we follow, the

destination is the same. To value and respect the other person,

accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love

of God. In due course, when he is king and supreme Governor of the

Church of England, Charles knows that his freedom to speak out will

be constrained but for now, and on subjects like this, he feels he has

a duty to try to make his voice heard. Nicholas Witchel, BBC News,

at Clarence House. Killed by a truck that

was out of control - The four victims of a road haulage

boss and his mechanic, who have been found guilty of manslaughter.

the remarkable story of Alex Lewis who lost all his limbs to an illness

Which started with what he thought was a cold.

Coming up on Sportsday in the next 15 minutes on BBC News:

Tottenham tie down another of their top players at the club.

Captain Hugo Lloris commits his future to Spurs until 2022.

The Red Cross in Syria says the operation to help people leave

the remaining rebel-held parts of Aleppo is close to finishing.

One of those who managed to leave is seven-year-old Bana Alabed, whose

messages on social media captured everything from the death of friends

to her family's attempt to live a normal life.

Our correspondent, Orla Guerin, has been to meet Bana and her mother.

Hello, I am Bana, I'm seven years' old, I am from Aleppo.

From the rubble of Aleppo to the red carpet in Ankara,

Bana Alabed and her family are now being hosted by the Turkish

government, which opposes the Syrian regime.

When we met, this child of war told me how her own home

TRANSLATION: We were playing happily and planning to go out

So, we got scared and ran to the basement.

When our house was bombed, we got out of the rubble safely,

but we were about to die because the house was collapsing.

From inside Aleppo, her message echoed around the world,

with help from her mother, who manages her Twitter account.

But some have questioned whose views were being shared.

When your mum was tweeting, was she tweeting your words

Her mother, Fatima, insists the Twitter account was Bana's idea,

but admits it is a way to combat the regime.

I think there now was a big fight out there.

But the tweets attracted threats and made it harder for the family

to join the mass evacuation of eastern Aleppo.

Fatima got Bana on to one of the buses, disguised as a boy.

Today, even the fighters are openly leaving their former stronghold,

but bad weather is slowing the last of the departures.

Just days after leaving, Bana is already missing her old home.

TRANSLATION: I was happy to leave but sad at the same time.

I wish I could go back to Aleppo, go back home.

I want to live in my house, because I love it,

Before saying goodbye, Bana sang us a song about childhood

# I am a child with something to say...#

raised for countless others, who often go unheard.

Donald Trump has taken to Twitter again -

this time the President-elect said the United States must greatly

strengthen and expand its nuclear capability.

Let's cross to Washington and speak to our Correspondent Laura Bicker.

Laura, if he follow up on this, it would mean a massive change to US

policy? This is not just a radical departure from President Obama's

administration, it is a radical departure dating back to George W

Bush. Mr Trump tweeted he wanted to dramatically strengthen the United

States' nuclear capabilities until such time as the world come to its

senses. The tweet echos the comments of Vladimir Putin who said earlier

today that he also wanted to increase his country's nuclear

capabilities and develop new nuclear missiles. As for Mr Trump's plans,

well apart from that 140-character tweet we have few details. He has

hinted he may want it use nuclear weapons as a last resort against

enemies such as the so-called Islamic State and in 29 days, it

will be his finger on the nuclear code and he will be behind the

nuclear defence policy. All right, Laura, thank you.

Prison officers have rejected a pay deal offered to them

The Prison Officers Association had recommended

the proposed agreement, which would have allowed prison

officers to retire at 65 but members voted against it

The Ministry of Justice said Justice Secretary,

to meet with union leaders in the New Year.

Six months ago the UK went to the polls in the EU referendum

Wales, unlike the other nations in the UK, gets more money back

from the EU than it pays in but still voted to leave.

As part of our series reflecting on the impact of the referendum,

our Wales correspondent, Sian Lloyd, has taken a journey

The train from Cardiff is approaching the end of the line

and the former steel down of Ebbw Vale.

European Union funding paid to re-open this

It was part of a plan to regenerate the South Wales valleys.

Millions of pounds of EU funding have been invested

here but in the county of Blaenau Gwent, there

was an overwhelming vote to leave the EU by the biggest

It's taken so much longer than I thought it would be.

I thought once I voted Leave that would be it,

they'd start changing things, but they didn't.

Sports centres, schools, colleges and I know it was massively

funded by the European Union, so, I was disappointed

because I realised that now we might have to fight to get this money

The Welsh government is still looking to be

the European Union to help boost the fortunes of these

A Metro system that would better-connect 1.5 million people

Just this month, the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, visited Brussels,

But according to this public policy expert,

many people living in communities like this, haven't felt the benefit

In a lot of cases we've had more of the same.

So we've had a new road, but there was already a road.

We've had a new college, but actually there

So the kind of transformational effect that we'd like to have seen,

But the Welsh government says EU structural funds has been crucial

Between 2000 and 2013, ?3.3 billion was allocated to Wales.

A further ?1.9 billion was due to be spent here between 2014 and 2020.

The UK Government has given assurances that it

Getting on board for a future outside the European Union

is what those in the business community are now focussing on.

We need to see delivering on measures such as the M4 relief

road, the electrification of the Valleys Line.

We are looking at big investment in infrastructure and energy.

Let's go on and deliver those and that will create

Cardiff is the final destination for these passengers -

the city that gets the lion's share of investment in Wales.

The Welsh capital voted to stay in Europe.

It's many of those who travel into the centre every day

They wanted change but the route to realising their ambition,

and the future it'll create, is still uncertain.

Three years ago Alex Lewis thought he just had a common cold.

But in fact it was something much worse, he collapsed

Doctors diagnosed a Strep A infection, which then developed

It led to the loss of all of his limbs.

For many, looking for a job in such circumstances might be unthinkable

but this week Alex defied the odds and returned to work.

Duncan Kennedy has been to Hampshire to hear his remarkable story.

Precious moments with the family that kept and keep Alex Lewis going.

A man whose body was devoured by flesh-consuming bacteria.

Nothing at all and I think in some respects that's better.

You know, no-one tried to blow me up in war,

Alex's "bad luck", as he puts it, started in 2013 when he went

from this, to this, after a cold became a strep A infection,

For his partner, Lucy, seeing his mouth and nose

disintegrate and his arms and legs amputated, was devastating.

I couldn't go into the room and see him after it.

I found it really difficult to go in and see.

I could deal with the legs, I could deal with legs.

I couldn't just deal with the arms very well.

Alex began three gruelling years of recovery.

But during his 20 operations, Alex always kept one goal in mind -

What sort of feeling does that bring, being back at work?

It shows that you can get out, you can go back to work.

You're not resigned to being stuck at home because you are

Alex has become an interior designer.

He tested his ideas in this restaurant but now he's won

All with the imagination he never knew he had.

If we can get through the previous three years, like we have done,

going back to work and creating a new business, Is the topping

going back to work and creating a new business, is the topping

on the cake, really, the icing on the cake.

Alex will base himself at home, and make site visits

But just listen to how he sums it all up.

They have been the best three years of my life, I think,

because I wasn't making the most of the life

I think falling ill made me realise what I had.

People watching this may use words like "hope",

"courage", "inspiration", what is your message

It means that I can move on and hopefully live

an extraordinary life in a different body.

Three days until Christmas, let's see what the weather will be doing.

Darren? Not great news for anyone travelling. This area, the cloud

here is our second named storm of the season, Storm Barbara, which is

hurtling towards the UK. Ahead of it we had a winter chill today and some

more snow in Scotland but the showers in the north are becoming

fewer and less wintry overnight. We have clear skies across much of

England and Wales for a while, so it'll turn quite chilly. One or two

mist and fog patches, perhaps. But the wind will strengthen later. This

rain in the north-west is the first sign of this storm that's heading

our way. So, it is a deep area of low pressure. It'll run to the north

of Scotland but bring some very windy weather across the board.

Heavy rain on that weather front as well. It gets windy, wet and quickly

in the morning, in Scotland and Northern Ireland and that squally

rain and winds just pushes into western parts of England and Wales

during the afternoon, towards East Anglia and the south-east it may

well stay dry until late in the day. Behind that band of heavy rain,

where we get showers in Scotland and Northern Ireland later on in the

afternoon. It is later in the day, into the evening that the winds

ratch up a notch or two or the north and north-west of Scotland. Gusts of

80, possibly 90 miles per hour. It is because of that that we have an

amber, be prepared wind warning. As the centre of the storm, Barbara

runs away tomorrow night so the winds will ease but tell' have

strong winds for a while across the north and even on Christmas Eve

we'll have some blustery winds, blustery showers blowing across

northern areas, snow over the hills in Scotland. Brighter, breezy

further south. Increasing cloud and rain coming into the north-west

later, in time for Christmas day which looks like it will be mild.

Temperatures could be close to record levels but it'll also be very

windy. Really gusty winds for many parts of the country which could

bring some disruption. Later on in the day on Christmas day, as we get

colder air in Scotland t could eventually be a white Christmas.

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,