:00:26. > :00:29.Good evening. Karen Walsh was is convicted of killing her girdle the
:00:29. > :00:39.neighbour. Her doctors said she suffered a
:00:39. > :00:44.
:00:44. > :00:48.horrific death. How much we have got the debt and will Mac last
:00:48. > :00:54.month, the Executive and residue of cutting the number of councils here.
:00:55. > :00:59.The minister responsible tells us that agreement was news to him.
:00:59. > :01:01.Less than six hours to the start of first strike by health and
:01:01. > :01:04.education workers, we look at how it will affect hospitals and
:01:04. > :01:10.schools. The ground-breaking project has
:01:10. > :01:20.bested books children in foster care.
:01:20. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:26.We have autumnal weather coming our way. Much colder.
:01:26. > :01:30.Into one year old Maire Rankin opened her door in the early hours
:01:30. > :01:33.of Christmas Day in 2000 and date to let in a woman she knew as a
:01:33. > :01:38.neighbour but that women's Karen Walsh it turned out to be her
:01:38. > :01:43.killer. The pensioner was found battered to
:01:43. > :01:47.death. It took the jury less than two hours to convict Karen Walsh.
:01:47. > :01:51.The judge told her she had carried out a brutal attack on a
:01:51. > :01:57.defenceless women. In a moment, we'll hear from her
:01:57. > :02:03.family but first, from Belfast Crown Court.
:02:03. > :02:09.Karen Walsh's story all along was that she had been a good neighbour.
:02:09. > :02:13.This afternoon, that issue of lies was torn apart. After they had
:02:13. > :02:18.considered their findings, the jury came back with a unanimous verdict.
:02:18. > :02:23.That verdict that Karen Walsh had beaten the women to death in a
:02:23. > :02:30.drunken rage then lied and staged a sexual assault to cover her tracks.
:02:30. > :02:34.The murder weapon was his crucifix. The Christ figure was broken off.
:02:34. > :02:43.There was silence in the gallery as the Rankin Family looked on. For
:02:43. > :02:47.more than two weeks, they had listened. The defendant looked
:02:47. > :02:53.ashen-faced as they'd verdict was read out. She said, I am totally
:02:53. > :03:03.innocent. Morale Brankin was found dead on Christmas Day to 2008.
:03:03. > :03:06.Karen Walsh was the last person to see her alive. Walsh claimed Mrs
:03:06. > :03:12.Rankin had been ill and she tried to help her before leaving her
:03:12. > :03:19.alive in the early hours. The weight of the any, and
:03:19. > :03:29.inconsistencies in her story went against her. In these speedy --
:03:29. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:41.interviews, when she was still a witness. When I went in, she was
:03:41. > :03:42.
:03:42. > :03:52.catching her breath. When you heard what had happened, how did that
:03:52. > :03:55.
:03:55. > :04:02.make you feel? Terrible. thoughts are with the family. They
:04:02. > :04:08.have been different -- deprived of her company because of the drunken
:04:08. > :04:18.actions of someone she trusted. trial never got a sense of the
:04:18. > :04:21.
:04:21. > :04:27.motive of the murder. The true sense, the family will never know
:04:27. > :04:31.why. It has been three years since the
:04:32. > :04:37.murder. As they tried to deal with her loss, the family has had to
:04:37. > :04:47.deal with the pressures of the legal process. We look back at how
:04:47. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:52.they have tried to deal with her loss. I feel to a sense...
:04:52. > :04:57.rankings had been to court more than 30 times before it came to
:04:57. > :05:07.trial. They kept a journal of each occasion. It became a chronicle of
:05:07. > :05:13.the journey through the criminal justice system. More hanging around
:05:13. > :05:20.courtrooms all day. The court room was warm. Maire Rankin was at the
:05:20. > :05:30.heart of her family. A widowed mother of eight, she lived alone.
:05:30. > :05:31.
:05:31. > :05:34.Our house was always fool. She had a fantastic sense of humour.
:05:34. > :05:44.year-old had health problems but coped well with the support of her
:05:44. > :05:46.
:05:46. > :05:56.family. That Keller was Karen Walsh. She had trained as a pharmacist in
:05:56. > :05:57.
:05:57. > :06:06.the UK. She had every advantage in life, and good education, managed
:06:06. > :06:10.to a prominent accountant and a successful business. Only Karen
:06:10. > :06:18.Walsh knows what happened here that night. The Crown claims that when
:06:18. > :06:24.she turned up here, Maire Rankin had criticised her. She had drunk a
:06:24. > :06:31.litre of vodka a. She grabbed her and pulled her hair out. She beat
:06:31. > :06:35.her with a crucifix. It was so severe that the crown of thorns
:06:35. > :06:41.left the Distington bruise on her chin. That night was not the first
:06:41. > :06:46.time she had turned up at her door carrying alcohol. She had done it
:06:46. > :06:53.before making her elderly neighbour or worry about her. It is not that
:06:53. > :07:03.she was afraid of her. She began to make a nuisance of herself. She
:07:03. > :07:12.once came up very late. The present she brought was a bottle of whisky.
:07:12. > :07:17.She was very surprised that she had brought a bottle of whisky. Maire
:07:18. > :07:22.Rankin was a woman committed to her family. Here she is seen playing
:07:22. > :07:32.with her own grandson. She may have not thought much of the wall she's
:07:32. > :07:44.
:07:44. > :07:53.lifestyle. This hotel was no place for a child's. It was alcohol and
:07:53. > :08:01.her curtains concern for her son that led to a violent assault.
:08:01. > :08:09.arrived and the scene of disarray and Naeem, it was clear to me that
:08:09. > :08:19.it was not natural causes. Her face was bruised. She was partially
:08:19. > :08:20.
:08:20. > :08:28.covered. There was here all over the room. The arrest followed and
:08:28. > :08:33.the legal process was flawed. Karen Walsh kept changing her legal teams.
:08:33. > :08:43.It has had a devastating effect on our lives. We all work and have had
:08:43. > :08:45.
:08:45. > :08:53.to take periods of time off work. The trial has been abandoned four
:08:53. > :09:03.times. There was much that did not come out at the trial. Karen Walsh
:09:03. > :09:04.
:09:04. > :09:12.had confided in a friend's. The rankings had to listen on the stand
:09:12. > :09:22.as Karen Walsh lied about the events of that night. For months,
:09:22. > :09:22.
:09:22. > :09:29.my mother's name was never mentioned in court. She was a
:09:29. > :09:39.victim. During the trial, her humanity started to come across.
:09:39. > :09:39.
:09:39. > :09:49.Our family had the opportunity to, -- communicate to the jury. She
:09:49. > :09:59.started to be a person again. We have to try to focus on the years
:09:59. > :10:01.
:10:01. > :10:07.of happy memories. The lovely home be dropping. I have no doubt she is
:10:07. > :10:17.in every one of us or how would we have the strength to get through
:10:17. > :10:22.
:10:22. > :10:27.the trial. The mill. We will go on because she would want us to.
:10:27. > :10:32.years of delay and uncertainty, the Deputy First Minister will press
:10:32. > :10:36.ahead with reducing the number of councils from 26-11. The
:10:36. > :10:45.environment minister responsible says he has not been consulted
:10:45. > :10:55.about the decision which was agreed between their DUP and Sinn Fein.
:10:55. > :10:55.
:10:56. > :11:04.What is happening? After last month, he and Peter Robinson outlined
:11:04. > :11:09.measures, one was this deal. Their parties do not control the
:11:09. > :11:15.environment. The Environment Minister was answering questions
:11:15. > :11:19.here at Stormont and he said he had not seen any understanding between
:11:19. > :11:23.the First Minister and acting deputy minister. He told me that he
:11:23. > :11:31.had been told nothing about this announcement and asked if he had
:11:31. > :11:36.been surprised. The character of this government is Deraa two
:11:36. > :11:41.parties who decide what is best for everyone else. It is not a healthy
:11:41. > :11:46.way to goal. I look forward to seeing the level of understanding.
:11:46. > :11:52.I will interrogate that proposal. I will judge what is the right way to
:11:52. > :12:01.go for word. This is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to reorganise
:12:01. > :12:11.local councils. This business of cutting down councils has always
:12:11. > :12:11.
:12:11. > :12:18.been a numbers game. That would put him on a collision course with
:12:18. > :12:23.acting Deputy First Minister. We will have to see how this matter is
:12:23. > :12:28.resolved. Thousands of education workers are
:12:28. > :12:32.preparing for a 24 hour strike starting at midnight. The members
:12:33. > :12:38.of the union Unison say it is in protest at budget cuts.
:12:38. > :12:48.The Health Minister believes they will hurt the aisle and vulnerable.
:12:48. > :12:50.From midnight, most of unison's 20,000 members will be on strike.
:12:50. > :12:54.In hospitals, porters and nurses are among those walking out. The
:12:54. > :13:04.ambulance service will provide emergency cover but some transport
:13:04. > :13:05.
:13:05. > :13:08.It is not good enough that 1000 operations are being disrupted. It
:13:09. > :13:15.is not good enough that vulnerable children will not be able to go to
:13:15. > :13:18.school tomorrow. They can still draw back from the brink.
:13:18. > :13:21.strike will be held here at this hospital from midnight and
:13:21. > :13:27.throughout the day there will be pickets across Northern Ireland.
:13:27. > :13:32.The question is whether they have the support of the public. They
:13:32. > :13:35.work for the public. Nobody else will do the jobs that they do.
:13:35. > :13:42.are already short staffed. We have been in a few times and they are
:13:42. > :13:47.rushed off their feed. They could not really cut them. I do support
:13:47. > :13:54.the strikers. It is a hard thing to do, to strike when you are run a
:13:54. > :14:00.hospital, but something has to be done. So there are those behind the
:14:00. > :14:04.striking staff. Schools will also be affected, with catering staff,
:14:04. > :14:07.caretakers and teaching assistants walking out. Teachers will be in as
:14:07. > :14:11.usual and special needs schools will be covered. It may be that
:14:11. > :14:19.some schools will close. The union says that the action is necessary.
:14:19. > :14:22.We are looking at the biggest cuts in the history of the service. �300
:14:22. > :14:26.million off the education budget, including schools. Our people
:14:26. > :14:31.cannot take the strain any longer. They believe passionately in the
:14:31. > :14:33.services that they provide. It is 30 years since health and education
:14:33. > :14:38.workers have taken industrial action together and it could happen
:14:38. > :14:42.again next month. Many unions will be balloting members on a walk out
:14:42. > :14:46.over pensions. A defence barrister in the
:14:46. > :14:50.supergrass trial has suggested that the former UVF member Robert
:14:50. > :14:54.Stewart was advised by a police officer on how to deal with
:14:54. > :14:57.difficult questions in court. The defence produced a video where
:14:57. > :15:01.Robert Stewart said he was worried about his memory. They claim it
:15:01. > :15:05.also shows a police officer telling him to stick to his story and
:15:05. > :15:10.everything will be all right. 14 men are in the dock accused of
:15:10. > :15:17.offences including murder. This is BBC Newsline. Still to
:15:18. > :15:23.come: Could weeds be a suitable subject for debate at the Assembly?
:15:23. > :15:28.Some people think so. Get them out onto the path ways. The Los Angeles
:15:28. > :15:31.is the new home of Robbie Keane. We have been speaking to the
:15:31. > :15:39.Republic of Ireland striker and David Beckham to find out how
:15:39. > :15:43.Robbie Keane is settling into in California.
:15:43. > :15:49.Jordan living with foster carers are much less likely than their
:15:49. > :15:57.classmates to pass exams and go on to further education. -- children.
:15:57. > :16:02.But �6 million has worked a small miracle. It has been spent on
:16:02. > :16:05.things ranging from private tutors to driving lessons.
:16:05. > :16:09.This is part of the University of Ulster and 19 year-old Christina is
:16:09. > :16:13.the proud first-year student. As a teenager in foster care, she nearly
:16:13. > :16:17.did not make it, and failed all of her GCSEs. Through the fostering
:16:17. > :16:21.scheme, they provided me with help to complete the GCSEs and they
:16:21. > :16:27.helped with my exams and gave me to Russia. It came in very handy. I
:16:27. > :16:31.was sitting there with nothing. Without their help I would not be
:16:31. > :16:36.where I am today. I was able to go on and do my Media Production
:16:36. > :16:39.qualification and then go to university. For many children in
:16:39. > :16:43.foster care, their lives have been so disrupted that school work is
:16:43. > :16:48.the last thing on their minds. This scheme put money into their
:16:48. > :16:52.education to give them enthusiasm and confidence about learning.
:16:52. > :16:55.actually changed the way that people look at children in care. In
:16:55. > :17:00.the past, there was often an expectation that these children
:17:00. > :17:05.would not do well. There was no point in pushing them. Foster
:17:05. > :17:11.children have a poor exam record. The standard target is five GCSEs
:17:11. > :17:15.from A to C, but only 16% reach that compared to 71% across all
:17:15. > :17:21.pupils. Most foster children are getting extra help and more than
:17:21. > :17:24.half achieved good GCSEs. Here, Mark is studying for A-levels, but
:17:24. > :17:32.that is due to the private tutoring that she got for his maths, held
:17:32. > :17:36.that he did not want at first. -- he got. Help that he did not want
:17:36. > :17:40.at first. I did not carry on with school work because they did not
:17:40. > :17:44.think I would get very far. I gave up before I even tried but now my
:17:44. > :17:49.attitude has changed, big time. I never thought I would do A-levels
:17:49. > :17:53.but thanks to the network, I got the tutor and I got going again. I
:17:53. > :17:56.had to go to university. It is a tribute to the help given to both
:17:57. > :18:05.Mark and Christina but after years in the care system, both of them
:18:05. > :18:15.now want to be social workers. The DUP insists it is a serious
:18:15. > :18:16.
:18:16. > :18:20.issue but the Alliance MLA says there is more to discuss and some
:18:20. > :18:25.MLAs have refused to join in the debate in the Assembly. We are
:18:25. > :18:30.talking about weeds. You have to look quite hard to find weeds in
:18:30. > :18:37.Stormont's manicured grounds. But be on this estate, the DUP insist
:18:37. > :18:41.this is a serious issue. -- beyond this estate. They lead a debate
:18:41. > :18:47.claiming that the road teams had failed to tackle the problem on
:18:47. > :18:51.footpath and other public places. This caused some MLAs to walk out,
:18:51. > :18:55.saying it was not a good use of Assembly time. There are far more
:18:55. > :18:59.important issues. We have the strike coming up in the next 24
:18:59. > :19:04.hours. We have serious issues facing families in Northern Ireland.
:19:04. > :19:09.I am not billeting the issue of weeds, it is annoying and
:19:09. > :19:13.irritating, but not top of the agenda. The DUP defended the debate,
:19:13. > :19:18.insisting the weeds are not just unsightly but they cause damage and
:19:18. > :19:23.pose a costly safety risk. I want these issues dealt with because it
:19:23. > :19:32.is something that the Department should be dealing with. This is the
:19:32. > :19:38.only place that I can actually call the minister and called -- call the
:19:38. > :19:42.Department to account. I am not apologising. This lady bought her
:19:42. > :19:48.own weedkiller to tackle the problem. Our in everybody's garden.
:19:48. > :19:52.The biggest problem is that lots of senior citizens live round here and
:19:52. > :19:57.we are afraid to walk out, especially at night. And she has
:19:57. > :20:03.this message for the MLAs. I would give them a big boot and get them
:20:03. > :20:05.spraying the past. The minister apologised for problems and
:20:06. > :20:15.promised improvement, adding that with the best will in the world, he
:20:16. > :20:17.
:20:17. > :20:20.would never get rid of them all. We have been speaking to the men
:20:20. > :20:25.that will be leading out Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
:20:25. > :20:30.this weekend. In a moment, an exclusive interview
:20:30. > :20:35.with Robbie Keane and also David Beckham, just for you! But first
:20:35. > :20:41.the Northern Ireland camp. Aaron Hughes is definitely out of the
:20:42. > :20:45.remaining two 2012 qualifiers. The captain position is then vacant.
:20:45. > :20:51.Steven Davis has been deputising in that role at Rangers and now
:20:51. > :20:56.fancies the armband for his country. Steven Davis! That was a great
:20:56. > :21:00.finish for the man from Rangers. For both club and country, Steven
:21:00. > :21:03.Davis has been a leading the way. Stand-in captain for Rangers and
:21:03. > :21:10.now emerging as the prime candidate to take on the role at
:21:10. > :21:17.international level. I have enjoyed doing it here. I have enjoyed
:21:17. > :21:20.taking on the extra responsibility at the club. If I have got the
:21:20. > :21:27.opportunity, I would love to do it for Northern Ireland. Anybody would
:21:27. > :21:31.be proud to do it for their country. He will be proud to earn his 50th
:21:31. > :21:35.international cap against Estonia on Friday. He admits the chances of
:21:35. > :21:40.Northern Ireland qualifying for the Euro 2012 finals are remote.
:21:40. > :21:44.think realistically we are probably out of contention for qualification.
:21:44. > :21:53.It was a bitter blow, the last two games that we have. There was real
:21:53. > :21:56.optimism about them, and some of my individual errors cost the games.
:21:56. > :22:02.Unfortunately at that level you get punished for your mistakes and that
:22:02. > :22:07.was the case. We will try to do well in the remaining two games.
:22:07. > :22:13.has thrived in the captain's draw at Ibrox and now he is ready to do
:22:13. > :22:17.the same for his country. -- role. Robbie Keane will lead the Republic
:22:17. > :22:24.of Ireland in their qualifiers at Andorra on Friday and against
:22:24. > :22:26.Armenia next today. He is playing alongside David Beckham with LA
:22:26. > :22:32.Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He has made a
:22:33. > :22:37.smooth transition to live across the Atlantic.
:22:37. > :22:41.Robbie Keane's decision to leave the Premiership was not easy. He
:22:41. > :22:46.has been an instant hit with the fans since making the move to
:22:46. > :22:50.southern California. I did not come here for the lifestyle. I came to
:22:50. > :22:57.play football and I still have lots of years left within me. And not
:22:57. > :23:01.here for the holidays but to play football. The live there is great,
:23:01. > :23:06.as you can see, but what comes first is the football. -- the
:23:06. > :23:14.lifestyle is great. What are your objectives? Key player in, keep fit,
:23:14. > :23:22.keep scoring goals and help the team progress. -- keep playing.
:23:22. > :23:27.is Robbie Keane settling in? Great. He is a great guy and any great guy
:23:27. > :23:32.can settle in. There is a lovely group of guys that can help him. He
:23:32. > :23:35.has scored goals, which he was always going to do and he has
:23:35. > :23:40.settled in on pitch and off pitch. Who would not want Robbie Keane and
:23:40. > :23:44.his ability in your team and in the league? He has been great for this
:23:44. > :23:47.team and great for the game in this country. LA Galaxy are currently
:23:47. > :23:52.the top two in Major League Soccer in America. They have already
:23:52. > :23:56.qualified for this year's play-offs. Qualification is also the name of
:23:56. > :23:59.the game at international level for Robbie Keane, as Republic of
:23:59. > :24:07.Ireland bid to make it through to their first major championships
:24:07. > :24:11.since the World Cup of 20,002. -- 2002. I have not had a chance to
:24:11. > :24:15.play in the euro championships yet. The World Cup was great. It would
:24:16. > :24:20.be great to get to a major competition. There are two games
:24:20. > :24:23.left. The next couple of weeks we could be going to Europe. I am a
:24:23. > :24:27.proud Irish man and I love playing for my country and that has not
:24:28. > :24:33.changed. I will continue to play for Ireland as long as they want me
:24:33. > :24:38.and as long as I am fit. I hope to get to Euro 2012 and that will spur
:24:38. > :24:43.me on. Like a Hollywood thriller, there has been plenty of drama and
:24:43. > :24:50.a number of twists and turns in a qualification campaigns so far.
:24:50. > :24:55.Robbie Keane hopes there will also be a happy ending.
:24:55. > :24:59.Will the Irish rugby team be smiling this weekend? The countdown
:24:59. > :25:01.is on to the quarter-final against Wales this weekend. The Ireland
:25:01. > :25:09.players have arrived in Wellington for the game in the impressive
:25:09. > :25:13.Regional Stadium. Ulster's Rory Best will miss the game because of
:25:13. > :25:20.injury but the rest of the squad is raring to go. They are very
:25:20. > :25:24.familiar with Wales, the players. We know the guy as well. -- the
:25:24. > :25:30.guys well. Last year left a bitter taste and we are looking forward to
:25:30. > :25:34.putting that right. We expect them to play an expansive and exciting
:25:34. > :25:40.game of rugby. We hope that the rain will stay off because we want
:25:40. > :25:44.to play some rugby as well. There will be a ding-dong battle. And in
:25:44. > :25:47.boxing, Belfast flyweight Michael Conlon is through to the quarter-
:25:47. > :25:52.finals at the World Amateur Championships, which also means he
:25:52. > :25:58.has qualified for the London 2012 Olympics. And use Justine, Martin
:25:58. > :26:01.Rogan will fight Matt Skelton at the King's Hall in November. --
:26:01. > :26:08.news just in. That will be a cracking match.
:26:08. > :26:17.It is always raining in the rugby in New Zealand. But in California
:26:17. > :26:23.it is always sunny! What is coming Some boisterous weather. It is dry
:26:23. > :26:27.at the moment and this is the calm before the storm. Things will get
:26:27. > :26:31.fresh air over the next 24 hours. Cloud has been coming in from the
:26:31. > :26:37.Atlantic. It is still dry in most places at the moment but that cloud
:26:37. > :26:41.will thicken up. The rain will break out this evening and it will
:26:41. > :26:46.become heavy in the North West. The winds will strengthen, and they
:26:46. > :26:49.will likely be gale-force across the North West. Temperatures
:26:49. > :26:54.everywhere staying in double figures. Wet and windy weather
:26:54. > :27:00.affecting all of us at some point tomorrow. Especially wet during the
:27:00. > :27:06.rush-hour. It is coming in from the North West. It will be steady and
:27:06. > :27:12.heavy across Tyrone, Londonderry, and along the North coast. Gusts of
:27:12. > :27:17.50 mph and we are not expecting damage but it will be noticeable.
:27:17. > :27:21.The winds less strong and the rain more patchy in the South East.
:27:21. > :27:28.Temperatures about 15 degrees. It is not cold because of the tropical
:27:28. > :27:38.and. That is interfering with our weather systems. As the rain move
:27:38. > :27:39.
:27:39. > :27:48.away, it turns drier. Some ghastly winds. It will start to feel colder.