29/01/2018 BBC News at Six

A man who committed more than 200

terrorist offences -

including five murders -

is spared decades behind bars.

Instead Gary Haggarty - a former

Loyalist paramilitary commander -

is sentenced to six and a half years

after offering to testify

against former associates.

What is justice in this country?

It's just designed to look

after the criminal.

How can a man convicted of that many

crimes be set free into society?

Also on the programme tonight:

Brussels tells Britain after Brexit

next year it must still stick

to the EU rule book until the end

of 2020 - but will have

no voting rights.

A million and a half people

receiving a key disability benefit

will have their payments reviewed -

following a discrimination ruling

against the Government.

They'd been on their way to a party

- the teenagers killed

when they were hit by a car

in London on Friday.

A man's been remanded in custody.

The new England women's football

coach Phil Neville insists he's not

sexist and says he is the right man

for the job.

And the window cleaner from Hull

who stepped to save Banksy's

new artwork after it was defaced

over the weekend.

And coming up on Sportsday on BBC

News: Phil Neville confronts

the press for the first time

since taking up the biggest job

in England women's football -

insisting he's not sexist.

Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

A man who carried out more than 200

terrorist crimes including

five murders in the 1990s,

has been spared decades

in jail after he offered

to testify in court

against his former associates.

45-year-old Gary Haggarty

was a former commander

in the Loyalist paramilitary

group, the UVF.

Today a judge sentenced him

to 6.5 years in prison.

His sentence was significantly

reduced because of the help he gave

to police and prosecutors.

The son of one of Haggarty's victims

called him a serial killer who'd

been allowed to murder at will.

Our Ireland correspondent,

Chris Page, was in court.

Eamon Fox and Gary Convie shot

dead by UVF gunman...

Sean McDermott was bundled

into his car and his body

was discovered early yesterday...

Children ran crying from the house

after the gunman shot

their grandfather...

Gary Haggarty left a legacy

of brutality, fear and grief.

For 16 years he was a leading member

of the Ulster Volunteer Force.

During the Troubles,

the organisation murdered almost 400

people, more than any other

Loyalist paramilitary group.

The control which UVF leaders had

over their own communities meant

it was difficult to prosecute any.

But eight years ago,

Haggarty offered to give evidence

in court against his former

associates,

in exchange for a shorter sentence

for his own crimes.

He pleaded guilty to five murders

and almost 200

other terrorist offences.

In court today, the judge said,

under normal circumstances Haggarty

would have gone to prison for 35

years, but he reduced the term

to six and a half years.

The UVF unit which Haggarty led

here in north Belfast had

a particularly savage reputation.

But even as he was carrying

out his sectarian murder campaign,

the paramilitary commander was also

working as a police informer.

The families of those Haggarty

killed feel the justice system

has let them down terribly.

Justice.

What is justice in this country?

It is just designed to look

after the criminal.

It's...

How can a man convicted of that many

crimes be set free into society?

He was a serial killer.

He was a paid state informant.

He was allowed to kill at will.

The man who was described in court

as an enthusiastic terrorist

is the most senior Loyalist ever

to turn supergrass.

In more than 1000 interviews

with detectives, Haggarty made

allegations about 14 other UVF men

and two police officers

who he gave information to.

But prosecutors have decided

to use his evidence against just one

paramilitary suspect.

The next time Gary Haggarty

is in court, he will be

in the witness box instead

of the dock.

Well, in the court in Belfast today,

the judge said Gary Haggarty had not

had a road to Damascus conversion

but decided to turn supergrass out

of self-interest. When he's released

from prison he will be given a new

identity. This case has raised a

complex and contentious question,

how should the unsolved killings

from the Troubles be investigated in

a place where history still

a place where history still hurts so

Chris, thank you.

March 2019 is when we are set

to leave the European Union.

But today the 27 remaining member

states said that the United Kingdom

must continue to obey the EU rule

book for almost two more years

during the transition period.

Brussels said Britain

must stick to EU rules,

even though it won't have any voting

rights after next March.

It also wants EU citizens to be able

to continue to settle

in the UK as they can now,

and that would be the case

until the 31st December 2020

when the transition period ends.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister

said that while there was "broad

agreement" there were differences

on "specific details".

Here's our Europe

Editor, Katya Adler.

Brexit is back on the Brussels

agenda. After a longish winter

break. Today, ministers from the 27

EU countries came here to agree

guidelines for the transition phase

to follow media after Brexit. Aware

of political volatility back in

London. Do you worry about the

fragility of the UK Government?

Though clearly not keen to talk

about it. The ministers are only

giving themselves ten minutes in

there to agree EU guidelines for

transition negotiations. It is a

very public display of EU unity, in

stark contrast to what they know is

going on in the UK. Still speaking

today to a House of Lords committee,

the Brexit secretary appeared

relaxed about the transition period,

at least.

It is pretty clear. We

want a high degree of stability, we

want the right to do deals outside.

Broadly, that is it, and

Broadly, that is it, and ideally we

want some control over our destiny

in terms of any subsequent

legislation. It is pretty simple

really.

But is it? Mr Davis was

speaking in London at the same time

as his counterpart took to the

podium in Brussels. And he made it

plain that the transition period

were transferred the UK from rule

maker to rule taker. During the

transition period, if decisions are

taken by the EU 27, which are not

acceptable to the United Kingdom,

what action can the UK Government

take?

TRANSLATION: The UK are as for

this transition period giving it

full access to the single market to

provide stability to business. We

are agreeing to that but to benefit

from the single market, the UK has

to accept our rules. Single market a

la cart is not possible.

Mr Barnier

said the UK would have to respect

rulings by the European Court of

Justice and would not be allowed to

enter into new trade deals with

other countries. Here are some more

possible flash points. Duration. The

EU says the transition should last a

total of 21 months. The UK may want

more time. Freedom of movement:

Brussels insists EU citizens have

the right to move to the UK and

apply for permanent residency

throughout the transition period.

Observer status: the UK will have to

pay into the EU budget during

transition and observe all EU

regulations, though it will no

longer be a decision may cut. In all

the fraught Brexit negotiations,

this was supposed to be the easy

part. After all, the UK requested a

transition period from the EU. So

the warning came hours if talks get

too tricky over transition, that

could eat into the precious time

left under EU law to discuss EU

future trade negotiations before the

UK leads the block in March 2019.

Once again during this Brexit

process, Brussels says the ball is

now in the UK's court.

Meanwhile in Westminster,

there's been continuing questioning

of Theresa May's leadership

and her handling of Brexit.

One Conservative MP today said

the time for her to assert her

authority was running out.

Others have called for the party

to unite behind the Prime Minister.

Our political editor

Laura Kuenssberg is in

Westminster for us tonight.

Just how much pressure is she under

here?

She is under a lot of

pressure, no question about that.

There has been a lot of grumpiness

on the Tory backbenches and a lot of

strong language flying around with

people, former ministers, talking

quite a billy about Theresa May's

leadership. No one calling for her

to go right now. But certainly, some

Brexiteers putting the idea on the

table that she will have to do

things their way if they are to

continue to back her. But transition

is providing the latest flash point

in the long-running saga over Tory

divisions over Brexit. Yes, there

are some differences between the

EU's position and the UK

Government's position over how they

manage the two years when we leave

the EU in March 2019, but it has

again exposed the real divisions on

the Tory benches over this. Some

Tory backbenches and many voters may

feel, if in the two years after

Brexit day not very much changes,

much of the status quo remains the

same, and we have no say over the

rules, what then really was the

point of the referendum and choosing

to leave? On the flip side, for Tory

Remainers and others in government,

that period is vital say business is

not suddenly cut off from its

biggest market overnight, so people

have time to get used to the world

outside the European Union. But

these divisions are not going away.

The divisions in the Tory party if

anything are intensifying, and there

is a real demand now for the Prime

Minister to be clear about what she

wants, not just over transition, but

over the long-term deal as well.

Thank you.

The Afghan capital, Kabul,

has suffered its third major

jihadist attack in little over

a week - with militants carrying out

a raid on a military base.

At least 11 soldiers were killed.

Afghan officials say two

attackers blew themselves up,

two were killed by the security

services, and a fifth was arrested.

The Islamic State group says

it was behind the attack.

A High Court judge has ruled that

doctors can stop providing

life-support treatment

to an 11-month-old boy -

against his parents' wishes.

Isaiah Haastrup - seen

here with his aunt -

suffered severe brain damage

after being deprived

of oxygen at birth.

Staff from King's College Hospital

in London argued that giving him

further treatment was "not

in his best interests".

Everyone who currently receives

the main disability benefit

are to have their claims reviewed.

It comes after a court ruled that

new changes to personal independence

payments discriminated

against people

with mental health conditions.

The overall bill could cost

the government nearly £4 billion.

Our social affairs correspondent

Michael Buchanan is here.

We are talking about a lot of

people, more than one and a half

million?

We are. This goes back to a

decision taken last month, that

people who could not travel

independently because of

psychological problems, for instance

if they were too anxious to leave

the house, they would be treated

differently for the main disability

benefit to people who could not

travel independently for other

reasons. That led to an outcry from

mental health campaigners, and

eventually led to a case going

before the High Court. The High

Court decided last December that the

new rules blatantly discriminated

against people with mental health

conditions and were a breach of

human rights. Lastly, the Department

for Work and Pensions said we do not

agree with all of this ruling but we

will not appeal it. The consequences

of that decision has now become

apparent. Everyone on it now will

have their reviewed by officials. --

everyone on PIP. We know it the end

of the process at about 200,000

people will the extra money as a

result of the review and that is

expected to cost ministers somewhere

in the region of £3.7 billion.

Thank

you.

A man has been remanded in custody

after appearing in court

in connection with a car crash that

killed three teenagers

in West London.

The boys - aged between 16 and 17 -

were on their way to a birthday

party when they were struck by a car

in Hayes on Friday evening.

Our correspondent

Frankie McCamley reports.

Jaynesh Chudasama arriving

at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court

this morning, spoke only

to confirm his name,

age and address, as some

victims' family members,

holding tissues, watched

from the public gallery.

The 28-year-old is charged

with three counts of causing death

by dangerous driving.

It was on Friday evening

when the group of teenagers

were travelling to a 16th birthday

party, but when they got to this bus

stop, a black Audi travelling down

this road hit three of them.

Despite paramedics' best efforts,

they died at the scene.

All school friends,

the young men have been named

as 16-year-old Josh McGuinness,

George Wilkinson, also 16

and 17-year-old Harry Rice.

At the crash site today, the tragic

news was still sinking in.

James played football with the boys

from the age of seven.

They were the funniest boys

you could ever meet.

They always had smiles

on their faces, always happy.

Always causing mischief

around the football club.

They were quality boys.

Christopher also knew

one of the victims.

It is horrible to think

that it has happened,

that people have caused this,

that young lads, their lives cut

short, just to think that families

and friends have lost young people

who had so much to live

for, is just horrible.

The academy that the three attended

has released a statement expressing

the shock and sadness felt

by the loss of their students,

thanking the community

for the support in the days

after the crash.

And following an appeal from police

to find a second suspect believed

to be in the vehicle,

a 34-year-old was arrested yesterday

evening after handing himself

in to a police station.

Jaynesh Chudasama has been remanded

in custody and will appear before

the Old Bailey next month.

Frankie McCamley, BBC News.

Our top story this evening:

A former Loyalist paramilitary

who committed more than 200

terrorist offences -

including five murders -

has been jailed for

six and a half years.

And still to come...

The Banksy mural defaced by vandals

- but saved by a quick thinking

window cleaner in Hull.

Coming up on Sportsday on BBC

News: A new club record

for Manchester City,

as Pep Guardiola's side pays

the £57 million buyout clause

for Athletic Bilbao defender

Aymeric LaPorte.

He didn't have the best

start to his new job

as manager of the England

women's football team.

Last week Phil Neville -

within hours of starting his job -

found himself apologising for sexist

tweets he'd posted six years ago.

Today he faced the media

and insisted he was

the right man for the job.

Our sports editor Dan Roan has

been speaking to him.

All smiles for the cameras

from Phil Neville, but his

appointment as England women's

manager has not gone to plan.

Having apologised last

week for sexist tweets

from his past, today

he spoke publicly about

the controversy for the first time,

telling me of his regret.

I apologise for those

words and the problems

it has caused the FA.

But what I would say

is that it is not a

reflection of my true character,

the type of person that I am.

More importantly,

the way I have been

brought up by my parents.

And now I hope to draw

a line under it.

You said, "Relax, I'm back, chilled,

just battered the wife.

"Feel better now."

Can you explain that?

In isolation, they look terrible.

But it was relating to a game

of sport, table tennis,

basketball, on holiday with my wife.

I am a competitive

person, so is my wife.

But in isolation, those words

were wrong, and that is the reason

I apologise, because it is not...

It as inappropriate

as an England manager.

Are you a sexist?

No.

No, I'm not a sexist.

I think if you speak

to people, and there are many

people who have spoken up

on my behalf over the last week,

I think my character

over the last...

Particularly in my playing career

and my life, I think my character

stands up to any accusation that has

been levelled at me.

Let's get going, eh?

Neville's limited coaching

experience featured in a

documentary about Salford City FC,

the non-league club he co-owns.

But despite not being among the FA's

short-listed candidates, even

applying, the former

Manchester United star

said he had earned his

new

job.

I had to go through stringent tests

and presentations, six, seven

hour interviews with

the FA, psychometric profiling,

for four, five hours.

It was a long process that they put

me through, but ultimately

I am the best man for the job,

and I shouldn't be

embarrassed about that.

Neville met the England squad

at a training camp last week,

but readily admits he has plenty

to learn,

spending the last few days

at Women's Super League matches in a

bid to get up to speed.

But he denies suggestions

he sees this as

just a stepping stone.

I know women's football,

but do I know everything

about women's football?

No, but I will.

And that is part of my job.

I have been at two games this

weekend, I have seen three games

already in the week.

I want to develop into

a World Cup winner, I

want to develop into an Olympic gold

medallist, I want to win the Euros.

I want the players

to develop under me.

I'm an England manager.

Any job after this will

be a step down,

not a step up.

On the pitch at club level,

Neville won almost everything

there is to win.

As a coach, he has plenty to prove.

But turn the Lionesses

from contenders into

champions, and the FA's

controversial choice

will be vindicated.

Dan Roan, BBC News.

The deficit in the pension fund

of the collapsed construction giant

Carillion could be almost a billion

pounds - far higher than

first thought - according to MPs.

The Commons Work and Pensions

Committee has accused the company

of trying to "wriggle out"

of its obligations

to its pensioners, while continuing

to pay dividends

and high salaries to executives.

Our business editor

Simon Jack is here.

The committee's enquiry begins

tomorrow and the focus will be on

the whole.

How did that open up over

time, Frank Field has written to the

stakeholders about it. We have had

some responses, the first from the

chair of the pension trustees who

says in his response, I tried for

ten years to get more money out of

the company when I told them I did

not have enough, and every time they

said they did not have enough cash

flow. Then people will say, if you

did

did not have enough cash, how did

you pay out the dividends and

salaries and the focus will go to

the regulator who has powers to

oversee these things. Why did they

allow it to happen? The regulator

says we engage with the company when

we knew it was in trouble and we are

starting an investigation and Frank

Field has called that tentative and

apologetic. This is not the only

enquiry, there is another one about

the executives and one from the

financial reporting Council about

the auditors, so lots of big

questions, but at the heart of it,

when the pension fund is in deficit

and the company says, if you do not

fix this, the company says if we do,

we will go bust, what do you do?

A mother whose young children

were left on their own at home

after their father died suddenly

is calling on schools in England

to have a better system

for emergency contacts.

Helen Daykin was away on business

when her husband Chris died,

while looking after their two

daughters.

But the school didn't try to contact

her to say her daughter

was absent from school.

She's been speaking to our

Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys.

Chris Daykin, devoted to his girls,

he took photos, almost every day.

Chris was the stay at home parent,

while his wife Helen

travelled away for work,

leaving Pearl and Iris

with their dad.

It was on a trip to London

that she became worried.

As the day went on,

I was ringing, just randomly

and I hadn't got an answer.

And then one of my neighbours rang,

to say that the milk

was still on the doorstep.

It was a while before I got

through to somebody,

to find out that Pearl was not

at school that day.

I got on the train and at eight

o'clock I got a phone call to say

that my husband had died.

But that the children were OK.

So the police had broke

in, the children were

found in bed with him.

Pearl was only four and had

just started school.

Her little sister, Iris, was two.

They spent the night,

day and evening near the body

of their dad, too frightened

to go downstairs.

They don't talk about it.

Pearl, especially.

It is imprinted in her memory.

So, they have got grief

but they have also got trauma.

On top of it.

Being there, seeing the daylight,

seeing it go dark again,

being hungry and cold,

not knowing when Mummy

was coming home.

Helen now wants change.

The school only tried to ring Chris,

she wants schools to have at least

two contact names with home visits

if no one answers.

There is no reason why this

could not happen again.

No reason at all.

How the children did not hurt

themselves, I've got no idea.

So, I just don't want

anybody to have to go

through this, what we went

through as a family, again.

It is not the only case.

Esther Eketi-Mulo, a single mum,

died suddenly of epilepsy.

Her four year old son Chadrack had

learning difficulties.

The school rang his mum repeatedly.

It was the only contact

number they had.

Over the next few days,

staff came here twice,

but could not get access

to the block of flats.

Chadrack's body was

found two weeks later.

Curled up next to that of his mum.

His school now has new policies

on checking on pupils.

Chadrack's death has lead

to wider calls for change,

ministers may ask schools to keep

a second contact number,

but the review here into

what happened is likely

to go further.

Having a second phone number

is a great tactical option,

but if that number is not answered,

then what do you do?

So our agenda for government

is to say, breathe life into this,

make the policy something that

drives an activity and says

until you tick the box that

says the child is safe,

then everything else

does not matter.

Chadrack's lonely death

here was a preventable tragedy,

but a child alone in a busy block

of flats, one more contact number

might have made a difference,

but it is not enough for Chris'

family or for Helen, dealing

with the trauma of her girls.

BBC News.

It appeared on a bridge over

the River Hull last week -

a new work by the graffiti artist

Banksy - entitled

Draw The Raised Bridge.

But over the weekend it was defaced

by someone who appeared to have

covered it with White paint.

That's when a local window

cleaner stepped in.

Jason Fanthorpe heard late last

night that it had been vandalised.

So he gathered up his equipment,

and headed over to help.

Danny Savage reports.

It appeared last week

on an old bridge in Hull.

A Banksy mural of a child carrying

a wooden sword with a pencil

attached to the end.

People flocked to see it,

but then it all went wrong.

Last night, it was vandalised

and until a few weeks ago,

Hull was the UK's City of Culture,

but somebody took exception

to this piece of culture.

It was painted over

and potentially ruined.

But before it dried,

volunteers turned up to uncover it.

They included window

cleaner Jason Fanthorpe,

armed with some ladders

and white spirit.

He was back at work today,

being modest about his achievements.

You can't judge the reputation

of an entire city by

one act of vandalism.

The fact that so many people pulled

together as a community,

it shows that people

are better than that.

Now a plastic screen has been put up

over it for protection.

I just think it is a shame that

Hull, having been the City

of Culture of last year,

have we learned nothing, you know?

The fact that we are now having

to protect something that is art.

Banksy is renowned for his messages

that he shares with people

and I look at all these people,

it is brilliant.

Those who saved this Banksy say

it is a gift to the city and it

must be looked after.

Danny Savage, BBC News, Hull.

Time for a look at the weather...

Here's Ben Rich.

Here's Ben Rich.

The very mild weather of the weekend

is a memory because things have

changed significantly. Yesterday in

the best of the Sunshine week that

up to 15 degrees, very impressive

for January but today we have seen

rain and behind that the air has

turned colder, so much so that by

the middle of the week temperatures

might go back to five or 6 degrees

and it will go colder tonight,

particularly for Central and

Southern areas, under clear skies,

there could be France, even in the

towns and

cities but in the countryside, it

could get two minus five. In the

North, more cloud. This is how we

start tomorrow morning, the odd fog

patch in the north-west but

generally speaking, the Midlands

into Wales, a largely fine start.

Temperatures down on why they were

this morning. Bear that in mind for

the morning commute. Similar story

for Northern Ireland. From Aberdeen

to Edinburgh and Glasgow, rain.

Strengthening winds. As the wet

weather here combines with melting

snow, there is the ongoing risk of

some issues with flooding and that

would bring cloudy, damp and murky

weather in, but elsewhere after that

cold start, we are looking at a

decent day, some spells of sunshine,

I is between six and 10 degrees.

Through Tuesday night, here comes a

cold front which will introduce a

fresh surge of cold air in the

country and I think Wednesday is

going to be a particularly cold

feeling day because not only do we

have the cold air in place, the wins

will be strong, touching gale-force

in places. There will be sunshine

and showers, wintry over high ground

in the north but even on low levels

in Scotland, it will feel cold with

the strength of the wind. We lose

the showers for Thursday but it

stays cold and windy add another

change for Freddie, cloud and rain

will spread from the West. The theme

is something colder -- change for

Friday.

A reminder of our main story...

A man who committed more than 200

terrorist offences -

including five murders -

is spared decades behind bars.

He offered to testify against his

former associates.

That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me -