19/05/2017 BBC News at Six

Sweden drops a long-running rape investigation into the Wikileaks

But speaking from the balcony of Ecuador's embassy in London,

where he's lived for five years to avoid extradition,

Seven years without charge, while my children grew up without me.

That is not something that I can forgive.

It is not something that I can forget.

He gives no answers on his future, but Scotland Yard says

he still faces arrest for skipping bail if he leaves the embassy.

Today his alleged victim expressed her shock at the decision

to drop the rape investigation and said she stood by her allegation.

Theresa May defends her election pledge to scrap winter fuel payments

for some pensioners, as Labour call the plans sick and sneaky.

Serial killer Stephen Port - his victims' families are dismayed

by the slow progress of an inquiry into why police took

A year after they were banned from the high street,

warnings that they've just been driven underground.

The danger isn't over, and here's Patrick Roberts again!

And it has been raining goals for Celtic. Can they finish the season

Who will secure a place in next season's Champions League?

A crunch final day in the Premier League for Manchester City,

Good evening and welcome to the BBC's News at Six.

The Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, says

he will not forgive or forget, after a seven year rape

investigation in Sweden was dropped without charge.

This afternoon he made a rare appearance on the balcony

of Ecuador's embassy in London where he's been holed up for five

He called the development an important victory for him,

but said it was "extremely regretful" that he's

still being threatened with arrest if he leaves the embassy,

Prosecutors in Sweden say they're disappointed

His alleged victim says she stands by the allegation.

On the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy

Julian Assange emerged this afternoon to have his say on the end

of the Swedish investigation against him.

Today is an important victory for me and for the UN human rights system.

Seven years without charge while my children grew up without me.

That is not something that I can forgive,

it is not something that I can forget.

But prosecutors in Sweden have not cleared Julian Assange,

they have simply said they can't pursue the case any further.

TRANSLATION: There are now no further measures

remaining which are possible to advance the investigation.

In order to proceed, it would be necessary

for Julian Assange to be formally served notice of the crimes

This was a measure that was to have been conducted during an interview

in London, but Mr Assange refused to make this possible.

This complex international drama began in August 2010 when two

women alleged that Julian Assange had sexually assaulted them

In December that year he was detained in Britain under

In May 2012 the Supreme Court upheld a decision to extradite him

And in June Mr Assange walked into the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

The Metropolitan Police mounted a 24-hour guard at the embassy.

By October 2015 it had cost over ?30 million.

Julian Assange is no longer wanted on an international

arrest warrant but the Metropolitan Police say that if he stepped out

of the embassy they are still obliged to arrest him

for failing to surrender to a London court back in 2012.

At the embassy this evening his supporters were jubilant.

But in Sweden, the woman who accused him of

rape issued a statement saying he was evading justice,

and expressing her shock that the investigation

Julian Assange was not held without charge with for seven years.

He was subject to extradition proceedings with in the EU,

under the European arrest warrant scheme he would have received a fair

trial in Sweden had he chosen to go back.

The reason this has lasted seven years is entirely down to him

seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy rather than going to face

trial in a country that has governed by the rule of law.

The founder of Wikileaks says it was fear that he

would be extradited to the United States for leaking

classified information that drove him through

So despite today's dramatic twist in this long-running diplomatic and

legal saga, tonight he is back inside.

Helena Lee is outside the Ecudorian embassy where Julian Assange

Helena, is there any chance of him leaving?

I very much doubt it. I don't think his position has really changed very

much, despite the news from Sweden this evening. When he appeared here

on about Kenny, he spent some time posing for photographs, he spoke for

about 20 minutes. But as we have seen before, he did not answer

questions from journalists. He was asked if he would leave the embassy

and there was no reply. He was asked if he would surrender to the bail

hearing in London and he did not reply. He hinted at the end that he

would be willing to have an open dialogue with America, but as

Caroline hinted, if he leaves the embassy he will be arrested by The

Met, and he faces the risk of being extradited to America. Now, Julian

Assange remains here. There are divisions tonight

within the Conservative Party over its manifesto commitment

to means test winter fuel The Scottish Conservative

leader, Ruth Davidson, said she was in favour of retaining

the payment for all But the Prime Minister argued

it was unfair that wealthy pensioners received the money,

while some families were struggling. Would you trust are to keep things

running, or run the economy? But has Theresa May dropped a spanning in

the works by keeping people guessing about tax and spending plans, and

keeping pensioners guessing about who would keep and who would lose

the winter fuel allowance? She was not giving much away. We will ensure

that the least well off pensioners are protected. At the moment, we see

well off pensioners able to be supported with fuel bills, when

struggling ordinary working families are not. I think there is a

principle of fairness that underpins this. That is not how all Tories see

it, especially Scottish Conservatives under Ruth Davidson,

who greeted Mrs May in Edinburgh. The Scottish Tory manifesto says,

social security devolution allows us to make different choices in

Scotland, and so we will protect universal winter fuel payments for

all older people, and they will not be subject to means testing. We

believe there should not be means testing for the Winter Fuel Payment.

The reason is, as many viewers will acknowledge, Scotland has a colder

climate and the different amount of housing stock. Devolution allows

different decisions. Mrs May's answer, she is writing policy south

of the border. We have given Scotland significant powers in

relation to welfare and they make a number of decisions about welfare

benefits in Scotland. You are a breath of fresh air. More voters

might feel the same, if Jeremy Corbyn's promise to protect the fuel

allowance and pensions catches on. Labour has been attacked over tax

and spending plans which critics say do not add up, but he is hitting

back. She has caused a huge amount of anxiety. She has not set at what

level she will change it. We think it should be kept and it will be

kept under Labour, and it will be universal. Just one way for the SNP

to go, right that Theresa May. Taking the Winter Fuel Payment away

from pensioners who have paid in all their life is just wrong. The Winter

Fuel Payment is not a kings ransom. Not all Tories south of Scotland

with Mrs May on pensioners and policies like social care. One

former minister said they would be opposing her, except there is an

election on. Mrs May once more backing for potentially unpopular

decisions if public money is tight after Brexit. You can bet she would

hesitate to make risky promises if she was not confident of winning.

The Tories look upbeat about the campaign, whether or not they always

agree, but life could get tougher for them, for a lot of people

afterwards, whoever wins. Well, while she was in Scotland

today Theresa May refused to give more details about a manifesto

pledge that a second Scottish independence referendum

would not take place, unless there was "public

consent" for it. Sarah, do we know what's meant

by "public consent"? I asked exactly that, would she be

relying on opinion polls, or if the SNP win a majority of seats in

Scotland at the election, would that demonstrate public consent? And she

would not define exactly how she would decide if there was public

consent for another vote, and said she would rather we were not talking

about independence at all because she thinks this debate could weaken

her hand in Brexit negotiations, and accused the SNP of being obsessed

with independence. Although it is the Tories in Scotland who are

making another referendum central to their election campaign. They are

handing out leaflets with "Independence" in block capital

letters. They think by saying they are the only ones who can stop

another referendum, they can attract unionist voters, while Nicola

Sturgeon says that a vote for the SNP is about to make Scotland's

voice heard. Theresa May absolutely ruled out the idea of giving her a

seat at the Brexit negotiating table, saying that she, Theresa May,

will negotiate for the whole of the UK.

The former television star Rolf Harris has been

released from prison, after serving nearly three

The 87-year-old is currently on trial on four counts of alleged

indecent assault against three teenagers between 1971 and 1983,

He will attend the trial at Southwark Crown Court

The serial killer Stephen Port was jailed for life last year

Their bodies were all found outside his flat or in a churchyard nearby.

Yet their deaths were not initially treated as murder,

and detectives missed a number of chances to catch the killer.

Now the families of the victims say they're dismayed by slow progress

of an inquiry into why the police took so long to catch him.

The graveyard in Barking that was Stephen Port's dumping

ground for three of the bodies of the four men he killed

His first victim was 23-year-old Anthony Walgate.

Their families have been waiting for an investigation

by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into why detectives

failed to spot that there was a serial killer at work

But this week they told me their patience has run out.

I don't feel that the IPCC are in control of the investigation at all.

I think it's the police dictating to what stage it

goes, what pace it goes, which is disgusting.

Stephen Port used dating apps to lure the men to his home.

He then gave them lethal doses of GHB.

His first victim, Anthony Walgate, was found at the door of his flat.

The others, in nor near the local churchyard over the next 15 months.

The police were asked on numerous occasions

The IPCC investigation is designed to work out why detectives

were so reluctant to connect them, but 20 months on, not a single

The explanation for the further delay is an argument

between the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the one

side and the police officers, the Police Federation

and their lawyers on the other side, over the amount of time it

would take to go through the 7000 pages of evidence and 750 emails.

But while the two sides argue, the families are getting no

The IPCC denied that there has been a row, saying the officers have

asked for time to understand and absorb the information that

will be put to them in interview, which we've agreed,

so that the evidence we collect from them is as robust

It's very frustrating, disappointing, like you've been let

We know we want answers to this and the IPCC dragging their heels

The families really want to understand whether the men's

murders were misinterpreted because they were gay,

or for some other reason, and they are worried that the police

officers' memories will fail further if they are not interviewed quickly.

Prosecutors drop rape charges against WikiLeaks founder

Julian Assange, but he remains in hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy.

In the latest in our Your Election series, we hear the concerns

Wimbledon won't have to make a decision on whether they hand

The former champion has decided she will go through qualifying

It's been a year since the ban on so-called "legal

highs" came into effect, but they are still available

Known as New Psychoactive Substances, or "Spice",

the legal highs were made Class B drugs, which meant they had to be

taken off the shelves on the High Street.

They may not be visible now, but there are warnings that the sale

of Spice has been driven underground as Jeremy Cooke reports.

They are New Psychoactive Substances, NPS.

Not so much a problem, more so an epidemic.

It's got a psychological addiction you might associate with crack

cocaine and the physical addiction and withdrawals that

Just because they say it's illegal, doesn't mean you can't get it.

That just makes people more determined to get it.

In Edinburgh, the drug subculture has been all about heroin,

So here, many chose not to smoke NPS, but to injected.

Unbelievable, people losing their lives,

That drug is the worst that I've ever used.

Worse than heroin, worse than cocaine, worse than crack

cocaine, worse than all of them put together, but better.

We get a fair amount of drug use here.

The street work charities average team are here to help.

They've seen first-hand the devastation caused by NPS.

Edinburgh was among the first cities in the UK to ban

Even the users I've spoken to myself who now no longer use speak

about how that was a terrible episode in her life,

and they're glad that the ban has come into place.

But NPS is still on the streets here, as users like Rab now know.

I've lost numerous people over, and it is not nice.

Friends have died, others have been left with terrible scars,

the drug destroys the flesh where it's injected.

A few of my mates have holes in their legs at the moment.

A mega haul of seized Street spice at the headquarters of police

Scotland's NPS Unit, the only one of its kind in the UK.

Each one gram package costs a tenner, enough here for countless

hits with a street value of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Even before the ban, Police Scotland had been working

to take out assembly plants like this one,

where NPS, brought in from China, was prepared and packaged,

We will never arrest our way out of the issue

It's about informing young people of the dangers

these substances present, and making sure that they make

as best an informed decision as possible.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, they're preparing

Early conclusions are that spice dealing has been driven underground,

but it's still available and extremely dangerous.

Some estimates suggest it is 700 times more potent than

As soon as you take one street dealer is taken out, they just

I don't think you can stop the street level dealing.

And if you have dealers, you have this.

For the young street homeless here, spice remains a clear

It's made vulnerable people more vulnerable,

people turning on each other, people who smoke together are now

selling to each other, stealing from each other.

People are being put out to beg to pay for the spice habit, it has

For Beth, the ban on legal highs has been irrelevant.

She's clean now, but just a couple of months ago,

this 22-year-old single mum was on the street, and on the spice.

I didn't wash, didn't clean my hair, didn't care about nothing.

I wasn't bothered. It just took everything away.

Banning doesn't work, what might work?

I think you need to look at mental health and that.

There is a reason why people wanting to smoke it,

not just because it is banned, not because it is legal,

not because it is illegal, there is a problem with that person.

A year in, then, the ban is having mixed success.

Spice is no longer on sale in high street shops.

But the young and the homeless are still finding it,

still learning that a new kind of high comes with

A former youth team coach at Newcastle United has been charged

George Ormond, who's 61, will appear in court next month

following an investigation by Northumbria Police

Danny Savage is outside St James' Park for us.

When this investigation began at them end of last comment Newcastle

United football club said they would cooperate fully with it. Since then,

the allegations have been investigated by Northumbria Police.

Today came the first charges against George Ormond, he is 61 years old,

he used to be a youth coach here some years ago at Newcastle United.

He also worked at other clubs in the area as well. He has been charged

with 29 historical child sexual offences, dating back between 1973

for the earliest, and 1998 for the most recent over a 25 year period.

It is understood that the allegations have been made by 17

different individuals, all of them are male. Mr Ormond will appear

before Newcastle magistrates in June for the next part of this case.

A local authority in greater Manchester has asked all funeral

directors to reject any request to commit the body of the Moors

murderer Ian Brady. Brady, who killed five children with Myra

Hindley died on Monday. The council, which includes supper with more,

once funeral directors to have no involvement in the disposal of his

body. And throughout the campaign we've

been asking voters what issues are important to them,

and what they'd like to see changed. Today, it's the turn

of Thorrun Govind, a pharmacist from Bolton, who's been

talking to Amol Rajan. We are helping bridge the gap

between health and social care. We are a vital resource, and we want to

keep providing the service we do. I am a community pharmacist based in

the Northwest. This is an election issue because if

the cuts to community pharmacy, which impact our patients, so if we

are worried about the NHS, we should worry about community pharmacy and

the part it plays within the NHS. Pharmacists and pharmacies are

really pressurised environment at the moment, and we are trying to do

the best for the patient, but it is also a safety issue. We are not

handing out apples and pears, we are handing out drugs that can

potentially kill someone. We need to make sure that pharmacies are

provided appropriate funding to have the right amount of staff to make

sure we can be safe. With community pharmacies, the clue is in the name.

The great thing about pharmacies is they tend to be in areas where there

is high health inequalities, so if we weren't here, I wonder where the

patients would go and how they would fare. Brexit poses new challenges.

Brexit is going to impact our community pharmacy. Some of the

regulations, such as the EU. Medicines directive, which involves

scanning every item into the pharmacy, will have a big impact on

staffing. We require extra staff to do that. How can we do that with the

cuts? What does the future look like for community pharmacies like this?

It looks bleak. We will have pharmacy closures. We don't know how

many will close, but it will impact on the NHS, because more people will

visit a any -- A Some of the vulnerable patients will suffer.

With weeks to go, she is clear on what basis she will cast her vote.

If I can find a party that will support local community pharmacies

and value the work that we do in helping save money for the NHS, and

helping provide for our patients, there may have definitely got my

vote. And if you want to find out more

about the different policies the parties are offering you,

or indeed find out how to contact us with an issue you want exploring,

then do go to our website, Football now and Celtic

are on the verge of If they win or draw their last

Scottish Premiership match this weekend,

they will have been unbeaten When they first stepped out

last August, A season the like of

which football has rarely seen. Nine months, 37 games,

not one single defeat. Last night's thrashing

of Partick put Celtic a chance to become

the New Invincibles. I think any football coach,

manager, player will tell It doesn't matter what country

it's in, what league it's in, it's a huge testament

to the professionalism, and the quality

and the mentality of the squad. In England, Arsenal won the league

unbeaten in 2004, but in Scotland, Here on Sunday, Celtic

could break a host of records. So far, they've scored some

104 goals and notched up 103 points. But perhaps most remarkably,

they're some 30 points clear It could be the biggest

title winning margin in history. The decline of Rangers has

left Celtic with little competition. Ali McCoist right through

the Celtic defence... And one of Scottish football's most

famous voices fears for the future. And it looks as if Rangers

are going to be out of it for quite some time,

because of lack of money, and only their big support keeps them going.

So yes, it has been far too easy. And people will have to admit,

they're beginning to lose interest. Exactly 50 years since the so-called

Lisbon Lions won the European Cup, they could have another team

of history makers, the league champions in a league of their own.

Andy Swiss, BBC News, Celtic Park. Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Sarah Keith-Lucas. Sunday should be a decent day, a

mixed forecast. Some sunshine, this is Somerset earlier in the day, a

lot of heavy showers around, too. Humanists clouds producing the

showers, you can see it in the images. Further east, more

persistent rain, and an area of cloud. This was Nottinghamshire.

Cloud and rain, the rain is now pushing its way northwards. We will

see rain across North East England, eastern Scotland, too. Elsewhere,

heavy and thundery showers ease away through the evening and overnight,

too. Saturday morning, many of us with clear skies, dry and quite a

fresh start to the day. There will be the around from the word go,

particularly in northern and eastern parts of Scotland. A soggy day to

come, here. Elsewhere, another day of sunshine and showers. The showers

tomorrow are hit and miss, but they will be at times heavy and thundery

through the course of the afternoon. Not a bad day between the showers.

Warm sunshine, 18 or so, but keep the brolly close to hand. Sunday,

most showers fade away. The better day of the weekend for most of us.

If you showers in the north-west, but might wind, temperature is not

doing badly, up to 20 by the time we get to Sunday. And we have fine and

settled weather for the week ahead. Through the weekend, here is your

summary, heavy showers, some sunshine through Saturday, fewer

showers, dry through the day on Sunday and it. To feel warmer, too.

Those temperatures creep up a few degrees into the new working week.

Swedish prosecutors dropped a long-running rate investigation into

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but he remains holed up tonight in

the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me. And on BBC One, we now join

the BBC's news teams where you are.