:00:55. > :00:58.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Noel
:00:58. > :01:00.Thompson. The headlines this Wednesday evening:
:01:00. > :01:09.Day two in the trial of grandparents accused of killing a
:01:09. > :01:11.severely disabled girl - her mother gives evidence.
:01:11. > :01:14.More claims against Martin McGuinness by a former intelligence
:01:14. > :01:19.officer - allegations that he authorised the use of human bombs
:01:19. > :01:21.by the IRA. The regeneration agency for
:01:21. > :01:28.Londonderry is criticised for spending nearly half a million
:01:28. > :01:31.pounds without approval. Back to work after a heart attack
:01:31. > :01:40.in the street - the woman now campaigning for more portable
:01:40. > :01:45.defibrillators. The windy weather is staying with
:01:45. > :01:54.us this evening, tonight, and tomorrow. But will it be dry? I'll
:01:54. > :01:58.A mother has been giving evidence in the case of her severely
:01:58. > :02:04.disabled child who died 11 years ago. On trial are the child's
:02:04. > :02:07.grandparents, who are accused of abusing and killing her.
:02:07. > :02:10.Cheryl McKeown said she had dropped her 14-year-old daughter Rebecca at
:02:10. > :02:13.her parents' house. When she returned, the child was saturated
:02:13. > :02:19.in blood. David and Sarah Johnston from Carwood Drive in Glengormley
:02:19. > :02:22.deny the charges of manslaughter and child cruelty.
:02:22. > :02:24.We have decided not to broadcast all of today's evidence because of
:02:24. > :02:33.the nature of the details. Eunan McConville reports from Belfast
:02:33. > :02:38.Crown Court. Rebecca McKeown was 14 years old
:02:38. > :02:43.when she died in March 2001. She was severely disabled, she could
:02:43. > :02:47.not walk, she could not talk and she had to be fed through a tube in
:02:47. > :02:54.her stomach. Accused of her manslaughter are her maternal
:02:54. > :02:58.grandparents. It is a prosecution case that one of them sexually
:02:58. > :03:03.assaulted Rebecca and that this assault left her more susceptible
:03:03. > :03:09.to other conditions. Rebecca died a few days later after contracting
:03:09. > :03:13.pneumonia. Today, her mother, Cheryl McKeown, gave evidence. She
:03:13. > :03:17.detailed everyday life with Rebecca St the bond between them meant she
:03:17. > :03:21.could tell how her daughter was feeling by looking in her eyes.
:03:21. > :03:24.Turning to the day of the alleged sexual assault, Cheryl McKeown
:03:24. > :03:28.recalled how she had gone out leaving Rebecca with her parents.
:03:28. > :03:32.She told the court that it was after Rebecca was brought home that
:03:32. > :03:37.she noticed her daughter was bleeding. She described how in
:03:37. > :03:41.hospital doctors informed her that Rebecca had been traumatised.
:03:41. > :03:46.Cheryl McKeown told the court, I said, what do you mean, and that is
:03:46. > :03:49.when he said your daughter has been sexually assaulted. Cheryl McKeown
:03:49. > :03:54.told the court than when she informed her parents that Rebecca
:03:54. > :03:59.had been sexually assaulted, there was no reaction, no shock, not even
:03:59. > :04:04.a facial expression. It is expected that Cheryl McKeown will be cross-
:04:04. > :04:07.examined by defence barristers tomorrow.
:04:07. > :04:09.A former Army intelligence officer has told the Smithwick Tribunal
:04:09. > :04:13.that Martin McGuinness authorised the use of so-called human bombs,
:04:14. > :04:16.forcing civilians to drive car bombs into Army checkpoints. The
:04:16. > :04:22.tribunal in Dublin is investigating allegations of Garda collusion in
:04:22. > :04:26.the IRA killings of two senior RUC officers in 1989. Today was the
:04:26. > :04:30.second day of evidence from the former Army officer Ian Hurst. Sinn
:04:30. > :04:40.Fein say his evidence lacks credibility. Our reporter Julie
:04:40. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:45.Kirby joins us from Dublin. Remind us who Ian Hurst is. Ian Hurst is a
:04:45. > :04:51.former British army intelligence officer who spent 11 years in
:04:51. > :04:56.Northern Ireland. Three of those were in the Force Research Unit. He
:04:56. > :05:02.gave his evidence in a private session last week and a transcript
:05:02. > :05:07.of that was red into the record yesterday. What further allegations
:05:07. > :05:15.were made today against Martin McGuinness? Yesterday we heard him
:05:15. > :05:19.name Michael Mike -- Martin McGuinness and he said the murders
:05:19. > :05:23.of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan would have to have
:05:23. > :05:27.been authorised by Northern Command because they would have needed
:05:27. > :05:32.political cover. Today we learn that in the cross-examination, he
:05:32. > :05:36.went a lot further in his claims. He said that human bombs were also
:05:36. > :05:41.authorised by Martin McGuinness. He said that contrary to what he would
:05:41. > :05:48.have you believe that he left the IRA in the 1970s, it is not true.
:05:48. > :05:55.He was a member of Northern Command and the Provisional IRA council.
:05:55. > :06:02.Ian Hurst also alleges that there was a highly prized agent within
:06:02. > :06:09.the IRA with the codename steak knife. Martin McGuinness rejects
:06:09. > :06:19.the allegations. They have been described as more lies with - from
:06:19. > :06:24.
:06:25. > :06:28.an individual with a dubious track record. He was not just... The
:06:28. > :06:33.former intelligence officer contradicted quite a bit of Ian
:06:33. > :06:40.Hurst's evidence. For example, on the issue of Garda collusion with
:06:40. > :06:47.the IRA, witness 82 said he had never seen any documents linking
:06:47. > :06:52.Garda to the IRA. He also said that he could not have told Ian Hurst
:06:52. > :06:56.that he was the handler for Garda and that the two men were involved
:06:56. > :07:01.in the ambush and the murder of the two officers because he never had
:07:01. > :07:03.that information in his possession in the first place.
:07:03. > :07:05.The head of the organisation responsible for regenerating
:07:05. > :07:07.Londonderry has been criticised by the public spending watchdog for
:07:07. > :07:12.spending more than �400,000 of taxpayers' money without proper
:07:12. > :07:18.authorisation. The auditor has described what happened at Ilex as
:07:18. > :07:28.a systemic breakdown in how it used public money. Our political
:07:28. > :07:29.
:07:29. > :07:34.correspondent Martina Purdy reports. When these barracks closed its
:07:34. > :07:38.doors, a window of opportunity opened into a new future. Turning
:07:38. > :07:45.imagination to reality became the job of a new organisation called
:07:45. > :07:49.Ilex. But critics say the publicly- funded body has not done enough to
:07:49. > :07:52.transform Londonderry in the past decade. Do Ilex was given
:07:52. > :07:56.responsibility for two sites. It is brilliant what they have done with
:07:56. > :08:00.the bridge, had the beginnings of the regeneration, but there are a
:08:00. > :08:05.lot of buildings that still need to be done. Fort George, very little
:08:05. > :08:09.has happened in 10 years. The site needs to have chemical pollution
:08:09. > :08:13.taken out but the work is not really beginning. Ilex told us to
:08:13. > :08:19.judge them on the number of cranes that well over the skyline and as
:08:19. > :08:23.far as I can see, there is not a single crane. Ilex had millions of
:08:23. > :08:27.pounds in taxpayers' money to spend but the problem was its sometimes
:08:27. > :08:31.spent many first and asked for permission later. An audit report
:08:31. > :08:36.found that six projects totalling �3 million failed to get approval
:08:37. > :08:46.before money was handed out. This resulted in �400,000 in irregular
:08:47. > :08:48.
:08:48. > :08:58.for spending. The regeneration plan costed almost �50,000. The
:08:58. > :08:58.
:08:58. > :09:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds
:09:38. > :09:42.consistent -- consultancy spent Still to come on the programme:
:09:42. > :09:52.Unlike the rest of the UK, there is no legal requirement to look after
:09:52. > :09:52.
:09:52. > :10:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds
:10:41. > :10:47.reservoirs here, so I'll be finding In 2010, �21 million contract was
:10:47. > :10:54.awarded. Last year, a dispute broke out between the contractors and the
:10:54. > :10:57.council. It was over issues including Land Access and design.
:10:57. > :11:03.An independent mediator was appointed to try to resolve the
:11:03. > :11:06.dispute. According to council sources, the independent mediator
:11:06. > :11:11.has recommended the contract should end and the council should make a
:11:11. > :11:16.payment of around a quarter of a million pounds. A spokesman for
:11:16. > :11:20.Belfast City Council said they accepted the outcome and felt
:11:20. > :11:25.vindicated. A spokesman for the contractors said they could not
:11:25. > :11:32.comment because of commercial confidentiality. Today councillors
:11:32. > :11:36.were briefed about the latest developments. The scheme was meant
:11:36. > :11:45.to be ready by next year but it is understood this latest legal
:11:45. > :11:49.wrangle has put back the entire project by 18 months.
:11:49. > :11:54.The portable defibrillator pioneered in Belfast has saved
:11:54. > :11:59.lives all over the world. You can find one in shopping centres and
:11:59. > :12:03.sports centres but not in all public places. Our district
:12:03. > :12:08.journalist has been speaking to a County Down woman who wants one of
:12:08. > :12:12.these resuscitate has installed in every town and village.
:12:12. > :12:20.Last year, this woman was with her husband when she collapsed outside
:12:20. > :12:25.a chip shop. I was in pain and we were having a good time but just as
:12:25. > :12:35.I got to the door I felt dizzy and I went out -- I went to speak but I
:12:35. > :12:40.did not even get the words out. For the shot has frozen, we could
:12:40. > :12:47.hear them but we could not see them! We will come back to that
:12:47. > :12:51.report later. Here is a record we probably will not boast about. It
:12:51. > :12:57.seems Northern Ireland people have the worst teeth in the UK.
:12:57. > :13:00.Teenagers here have the worst level of two to decay in all of Europe.
:13:00. > :13:06.1,200 children aged between two and four have been randomly selected to
:13:06. > :13:16.take part in the trial. A thin layer of flight will be painted
:13:16. > :13:18.
:13:18. > :13:23.directly on to their teeth to prevent decay. -- flouride.# This
:13:23. > :13:28.is the shocking state of many people's teeth in Northern Ireland.
:13:28. > :13:32.A consultation has been launched today. I would expect to see an
:13:32. > :13:37.astonishing improvement in the hygiene of the children
:13:37. > :13:42.participating in this. I anticipate that these children will have to go
:13:42. > :13:47.through the drilling and filling that many of us have gone through.
:13:47. > :13:51.It is the first time such a trial has been attempted. Half of the
:13:51. > :13:56.children will have a protective floor might contain -- coating
:13:56. > :14:00.painted on to the teeth. Their other children will use normal
:14:00. > :14:04.dental practices and when the study is complete, it will show what
:14:04. > :14:09.works best. The children chosen are aged
:14:09. > :14:14.between two and for. The trial is about prevention and to see if the
:14:14. > :14:19.worrying trend of tooth decay can be reversed.
:14:19. > :14:22.In the next three years, dentists will provide the court in service
:14:22. > :14:32.and that two years old, Isabel liars the right age for the
:14:32. > :14:42.
:14:42. > :14:47.It takes a couple of minutes. It is very easy. At a cost of �1.7
:14:47. > :14:52.million, it is hoped to the study will improved he's here and, if it
:14:52. > :14:55.is successful, it could be rolled out across Northern Ireland.
:14:55. > :14:59.From protecting our teeth to preserving an important part of our
:14:59. > :15:03.environment. Reservoirs and dams are a vital
:15:03. > :15:07.part of our water cycle. Not all of them however are state owned and
:15:07. > :15:09.there is no law requiring them to be kept in good condition.
:15:09. > :15:13.Our environment correspondent Mike McKimm has been finding out how
:15:13. > :15:21.that may be about to change. He's just outside Holywood at one of our
:15:21. > :15:25.many reservoirs. We are 80 years behind the rest of
:15:25. > :15:35.the UK when it comes to reservoir safety because there is no
:15:35. > :15:38.legislation to control it here. There are well over 150 reservoirs
:15:38. > :15:43.in Northern Ireland. A third are owned by Northern Ireland water, a
:15:43. > :15:46.third by public bodies such as councils, and the rest are
:15:46. > :15:53.privately owned. But there is no law to force rightly inspections or
:15:53. > :15:57.cheques. UK reservoirs have filled in the past. In 1925, this dam
:15:57. > :16:02.burst in Wales are. The water swept a complete village away and 16
:16:02. > :16:06.people lost their lives. He missing near, five more people died when a
:16:06. > :16:13.dam failed in Scotland. Eventually safety legislation was put in place
:16:13. > :16:17.but not in Northern Ireland. This is a Silent Valley reservoir. It
:16:17. > :16:22.also to 13 billion litres of water. And this is the dam that holds it
:16:22. > :16:27.all back. It is absolutely huge, made out of tens of thousands of
:16:27. > :16:31.tons of rock and concrete. He is probably the safest am in the UK.
:16:31. > :16:36.It is well maintained. But supposing it wasn't, supposing it
:16:36. > :16:40.burst. What would happen then? Flood maps show that water would
:16:40. > :16:45.flow down this river, taking the shortest route to the coast three
:16:45. > :16:49.miles away. Fortunately, it would bypass most of the town but not
:16:49. > :16:56.every house would escape. This is where the river ends up. In the
:16:56. > :17:01.harbour. A wall of water would sweep into the harbour. Anybody in
:17:01. > :17:04.its foreign boats would have little chance. Northern Ireland water, who
:17:04. > :17:11.alone this, have had to adopt UK safety standards until legislation
:17:11. > :17:15.is finely produce next year. Of 156 reservoirs in Northern Ireland, we
:17:15. > :17:22.think they would be subject to this legislation in the form it may well
:17:22. > :17:26.take. In the event of total failure of them all, which is such an
:17:26. > :17:32.unlikely scenario, it was the only way we could quantify the potential
:17:32. > :17:37.impact that those could impact upon a 66,000 people. Go craft flood
:17:37. > :17:42.maps have been drawn up for every reservoir, including this one. If
:17:42. > :17:47.this structure gave way, it was caused a lot of local flooding.
:17:47. > :17:51.According to this matter, the water would run down this road. It would
:17:51. > :17:55.also run along streets parallel to it, right down to the railway line.
:17:55. > :17:59.Last year, there was a bit of a scare when water was seen running
:17:59. > :18:04.from part of the structure. He turned out just to be a plot spite
:18:04. > :18:08.and was quickly sorted. Both dams were subsequently investigated by
:18:08. > :18:12.engineers and they have been given the all-clear. Because there is no
:18:12. > :18:16.legal safety guidance here, Belfast Castle have been forced to adopt
:18:16. > :18:20.had the legal system used for Scottish reservoirs instead. It --
:18:20. > :18:24.Belfast council. But not every reservoir has been examined that
:18:24. > :18:30.carefully. We are concerned about some of the privately-owned
:18:30. > :18:34.reservoirs. We do anticipate there will be sent that need attention.
:18:34. > :18:40.They tend to fill in a progressive manner. Catastrophic failure
:18:40. > :18:49.without any warning is an unusual situation. However, an absence of a
:18:49. > :18:53.inspection regime, that risk is increased. That was a warning that
:18:53. > :18:57.reservoirs do not fail suddenly, they to give plenty of warning such
:18:57. > :19:00.as cracking or spelling, so don't be too worried about it. He this
:19:00. > :19:05.reservoir he glanced and Northern Ireland water and it has been well
:19:05. > :19:08.maintained. They have lowered the level to work at it so they to look
:19:08. > :19:12.after their reservoirs but they have had to adopt English standards
:19:12. > :19:22.because there is no legislation here. That is the situation we're
:19:22. > :19:26.
:19:26. > :19:31.We have some sports news now. Some rugby match this weekend?
:19:31. > :19:35.He might have heard about it. Brian McLaughlan was a little weight down
:19:35. > :19:40.at training this week but the Ulster coach has encouraged his
:19:40. > :19:43.players to enjoy the build up to the Heineken Cup semi-final against
:19:43. > :19:48.dead under a, a game which for many of them will be the biggest of
:19:48. > :19:52.their careers. A media scrum in a week that is
:19:52. > :19:58.building slowly for Ulster. With the players fielding questions
:19:59. > :20:03.today, G-men in last week's game are fighting to be fit for a
:20:03. > :20:08.special occasion. There is always a huge buzz and a
:20:08. > :20:18.big crowd at press conference. The players train that bit harder and
:20:18. > :20:18.
:20:18. > :20:23.everyone is bubbling. You can imagine what it is like.
:20:23. > :20:27.Ulster have beaten Adam but twice already this season and
:20:27. > :20:33.convincingly but Saturday is a clean slate. We have had good
:20:33. > :20:40.results against them but any team that has beaten Toulouse, they are
:20:41. > :20:47.a quality side and they have shown that. These are quality teams that
:20:47. > :20:53.they have beaten, to get here so it will be tough.
:20:53. > :20:59.The match-day squad will be named on Friday. The biggest Kohl will be
:20:59. > :21:03.at Number Ten with Paddy Jackson in line to start.
:21:03. > :21:08.A big international week for the Northern Ireland woman's football
:21:08. > :21:15.team as well. Tonight they play Hungary at my own field --
:21:15. > :21:21.Mourneview Park. The girls know what to expect
:21:21. > :21:25.against their opponents as they do 2-2 away last November.
:21:25. > :21:31.Unfortunately we didn't get three points last time round. A couple of
:21:31. > :21:35.mistakes cost us close to the point. But we got the draw. And we are all
:21:35. > :21:40.hopefuls. The undoubted highlight of the
:21:40. > :21:47.campaign was this 3-1 win against the Norway side.
:21:47. > :21:51.I think Norway underestimated us and it was to their folly. I think
:21:51. > :21:55.there were at a few years there we have beaten Norway so people are
:21:55. > :22:00.more aware of us now but we will see.
:22:00. > :22:05.Good results like their draw away in February have drawn attention.
:22:05. > :22:13.But have any of the girls been approached about the Olympics team.
:22:13. > :22:19.A no letters were sent and scouts well that the games, so there will
:22:19. > :22:22.be girls in contention to be there. It would be fantastic.
:22:22. > :22:27.And it would be fantastic if the girls could qualifier against the
:22:27. > :22:33.odds for the finals in Sweden next July.
:22:33. > :22:43.And it was finals day for schools football today. Holy Cross College
:22:43. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:53.took victory against just is a Derry in the Senior Cup decider.
:22:53. > :22:57.To have the highlight of winning a national competition for your
:22:57. > :23:02.school is a big event for the school and for the labs. It has
:23:03. > :23:07.always been a big part of younger players' development. That will not
:23:07. > :23:11.change. We are keen to aid and progress the development of young
:23:11. > :23:19.players as much as possible. There was an exciting afternoon of
:23:20. > :23:29.Gaelic games action today. The difference was that they were from
:23:30. > :23:36.
:23:36. > :23:42.on GAA backgrounds. -- non-GAA. This Belfast sites all consist of
:23:42. > :23:51.not GAA school children, many of whom are Protestant. Is there a
:23:51. > :23:57.possibility of traditional non- GAA children playing Gaelic games?
:23:57. > :24:00.I think it has been brilliant. It is a good thing for all schools.
:24:01. > :24:07.is a sport and if you want to play, you can.
:24:07. > :24:17.Did you enjoy it today? Yes, it was amazing. Why?
:24:17. > :24:18.
:24:18. > :24:21.Because we won. I think we are brave enough and
:24:21. > :24:26.confident enough to say we can accept this, try it and explore
:24:26. > :24:32.that and I think after today's victory, it has been successful.
:24:32. > :24:40.Some people are convinced that the GAA's message to those who are not,
:24:40. > :24:45.the message is simple. There are still much sand problems out there
:24:45. > :24:49.but come and talk to us and see our games, you are very welcome.
:24:49. > :24:54.It is a long-term project by the GAA and certainly one that has
:24:54. > :24:58.delivered success this afternoon. Finally be GAA has announced this
:24:58. > :25:03.evening that they are reducing ticket prices for all games in this
:25:03. > :25:08.year's Ulster football championship. Good news for all of those young
:25:08. > :25:14.players. A museum run by volunteers is
:25:14. > :25:20.calling itself one of our best kept secrets. The Ulster ready is in
:25:21. > :25:27.society as one of the most pristine collections of their craft. It is
:25:27. > :25:30.based at the Maze Long Kesh side. The society is topped -- hoping
:25:30. > :25:38.that the plans to move the Balmoral shot their will help bring a new
:25:38. > :25:43.influx of visitors. -- the Balmoral Show.
:25:43. > :25:50.Row upon row of aircraft, all of which flew in Northern Ireland.
:25:50. > :25:55.This is the jewel in the crown. It flew with the RAF all over the
:25:55. > :26:00.world from 1958, for 48 years. There were only 23 of these
:26:00. > :26:05.manufactured and a lot of those were built here in Belfast. It is a
:26:05. > :26:09.completely iconic aircraft for Northern Ireland. Not only where
:26:09. > :26:19.they built here but for the next 30 years, whenever modifications were
:26:19. > :26:35.
:26:35. > :26:45.The in 1951 and 1952, there were flights across the Atlantic
:26:45. > :26:47.
:26:47. > :26:53.breaking record speed times. They say aircraft flew long enough
:26:53. > :27:02.to undertake reconnaissance in Afghanistan in 2006. On its return,
:27:02. > :27:06.it was flown past for one last time. Now it is here, complete with a big
:27:06. > :27:11.surprise. A secret compartment in the aircraft's knows where the
:27:11. > :27:18.Navigator could sit for hours at a time, locked away from the pilot
:27:18. > :27:28.above his head. 70 feet long and 70 feet wide, this aircraft certainly
:27:28. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:35.makes its mark. This was a submarine hunter. Many of these flu
:27:35. > :27:40.in the 1950s. It was never pretty but it was good at its job.
:27:40. > :27:46.I remember seeing an aircraft like this in 1956 and the last Ice of
:27:46. > :27:50.flying was 1971. That is 40 years ago so it is a tremendous thrill to
:27:50. > :27:53.have this. With the Royal Agricultural Society
:27:53. > :27:58.consulting its members about a move here, the opera's many more
:27:58. > :28:02.visitors will come to see these hidden treasures.
:28:02. > :28:06.We consider this one of Northern Ireland's best hidden treasures.
:28:06. > :28:16.The hope is that more visitors will come now.
:28:16. > :28:16.
:28:16. > :28:21.It has been a mixed back today. It depends where you live because in
:28:21. > :28:26.the East and south-east there was unsettled weather, because of this
:28:26. > :28:31.low-pressure which is moving north. The cloud is bringing with it wet
:28:31. > :28:35.weather and even rain. It will stay that way as we go through the
:28:35. > :28:40.course of the night with much of the wet weather remaining over
:28:40. > :28:45.Antrim and Belfast. With the more unsettled weather, and more cloud
:28:45. > :28:50.around, it will not be quite as cold. Temperatures between five and
:28:50. > :28:56.seven degrees. That low-pressure will remain with us tomorrow so it
:28:56. > :29:00.will still be windy and wet at times. More so in their East, but
:29:00. > :29:05.during the day there will be outbreaks of rain almost anywhere.
:29:05. > :29:11.There will be dry spells in between but little in the way of brighter
:29:11. > :29:16.spells or sunshine. Temperatures struggling into the double figures.
:29:16. > :29:22.With those strong northerly winds, it will feel colder than that.
:29:22. > :29:26.Especially towards the North coast. Some unpleasant conditions there.
:29:26. > :29:31.As we go into tomorrow evening, it remains unsettled but it will
:29:31. > :29:36.gradually improve overnight into Friday with clear spells developing
:29:36. > :29:41.allowing temperatures to fall back again particularly in the South
:29:41. > :29:45.West. There the cloud hangs on, not quite as cold. The good news after
:29:45. > :29:51.the disappointing day tomorrow, Friday will be an improvement, the