:00:23. > :00:27.Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:27. > :00:37.The police hunt for a gang up who viciously beat a Chinese man
:00:37. > :00:41.outside his own home. Cowardly and disgusting. If you have a problem
:00:41. > :00:45.with society go to change it. The Justice Minister intervenes in
:00:45. > :00:49.the case of a shooting victim who was reduced state compensation.
:00:49. > :00:53.The deal we pays out damages for distress caused to people living
:00:53. > :01:00.near a gold mine. Inside the special school and
:01:00. > :01:05.damaged by fire. I am live in Omagh and --.
:01:05. > :01:06.They are not Brazil, they are Luxembourg. But have they dashed
:01:06. > :01:11.Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifications.
:01:11. > :01:19.A windy spell of weather coming. Nothing exceptional, but the winds
:01:19. > :01:22.will bring some high temperatures. I will have all the details later.
:01:22. > :01:27.The wife of a man viciously attacked in Coleraine has said
:01:27. > :01:31.those responsible are cowards. A gang beat her husband outside their
:01:31. > :01:37.home in Long Commons. The family are originally from China and
:01:38. > :01:43.police are treating the attack as racially motivated. Shaken and so
:01:43. > :01:48.were. This is how a gang of four men and a woman left John macro
:01:48. > :01:52.yesterday evening. Around 7:30pm he was feeding his daughter when he
:01:52. > :01:57.heard a window being smashed. The fortified old when to confront
:01:57. > :02:03.those responsible and was dragged into the street and assaulted. His
:02:03. > :02:09.wife said she could not believe that. He was asking someone. Why
:02:09. > :02:19.did you do this? Been next thing I heard was he met screening. I was
:02:19. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:25.scared. He was holding his eyes and blood was running down his head. I
:02:25. > :02:30.was so scared. Neighbours tried to camera as medical help was sought.
:02:30. > :02:34.The family have lived here for two years. It is close to the town
:02:35. > :02:40.centre where he runs a Chinese medicine shop. His wife says those
:02:40. > :02:46.responsible should own up. You have parents and other siblings. How
:02:46. > :02:52.could you imagine someone else doing this to you? How could you do
:02:52. > :02:57.this? It is unacceptable. It is cowardly and disgusting.
:02:57. > :03:01.husband suffered concussion and a cut close to his ally but he is
:03:01. > :03:06.expected to be discharged from hospital this evening. I have
:03:06. > :03:10.spoken to several of the neighbours here in this area which is right in
:03:10. > :03:14.the centre of Coleraine. They say they are shocked that this could
:03:14. > :03:19.happen on their doorsteps to a family be described as kind and
:03:19. > :03:24.quiet. Those who represent this area say such attacks are an
:03:24. > :03:29.acceptable and thankfully rare. Appalled, disgusted that any
:03:29. > :03:36.individuals should attack a young man, a young family man in front of
:03:36. > :03:39.his family, broad daylight... It does not bear thinking about.
:03:39. > :03:44.family are still coming to terms with what has happened, but in the
:03:44. > :03:51.days ahead they will be deciding whether or not they can continue to
:03:51. > :03:54.call this place home. An update on a story we brought you
:03:54. > :03:58.yesterday. The Justice Minister has intervened in the case of the
:03:58. > :04:02.Londonderry man who has been refused compensation despite
:04:03. > :04:06.suffering a horrendous injury in a Republican attack. Paul Ward was
:04:06. > :04:12.repeatedly shot in what he says was a case of mistaken identity. You
:04:12. > :04:16.might find some of the pictures in this report upsetting. Paul Ward
:04:16. > :04:19.says the compensation Agency told him in a letter that he did not
:04:19. > :04:25.qualify for financial help but because he had not co-operated with
:04:25. > :04:30.the police investigation into the attack. In April 2009 he was shot
:04:30. > :04:34.by the Republican vigilante group RAAD. He says it was mistaken
:04:34. > :04:39.identity. His case featured in a BBC Spotlight programme on the
:04:39. > :04:43.activities of RAAD. He says his injuries were horrendous after he
:04:43. > :04:48.was shot twice in the stomach and once in the by and 1 each leg. The
:04:48. > :04:53.bullet lodged near his spine and fragments are still in his shin. He
:04:53. > :04:57.is blind in one eye due to the trauma. He says he has had a
:04:57. > :05:01.meeting with police who assured him that he co-operated fully with them.
:05:01. > :05:06.He says it has been a very traumatic period in his life.
:05:06. > :05:10.Stress, anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, I am not able to sleep
:05:10. > :05:14.that night and then the fact that the compensation Agency has added
:05:14. > :05:20.to that by saying that I will not get anything because I had not co-
:05:20. > :05:26.operated. There seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel
:05:26. > :05:30.now. The police are backing me up. It is understood that police have
:05:30. > :05:33.actively supported his claim for compensation. The Justice Minister
:05:33. > :05:38.David Ford, who has responsibility for the compensation Agency, has
:05:38. > :05:42.asked for more details on the case. Paul Ward says he is glad he has
:05:42. > :05:47.spoken out to underline the fact that he is an innocent man. He now
:05:47. > :05:54.hopes there will be a review of his case and that he will be granted
:05:54. > :05:59.compensation so that he and his partner can get on with their lives.
:05:59. > :06:09.Still to come on the programme. The verdict from our reporter Conor
:06:09. > :06:10.
:06:10. > :06:15.Macauley as he test drives and e- car on his daily commute.
:06:15. > :06:18.Three Omagh residents living near a gold mine have been awarded �10,000
:06:18. > :06:23.each by the Department of the Environment because planners failed
:06:23. > :06:26.to enforce regulations at the mine. The owners have now asked the
:06:26. > :06:36.residents to donate their compensation to a local school a
:06:36. > :06:42.destroyed by fire. This gold mine in 2008 and hundreds of thousands
:06:42. > :06:47.of tonnes of rock was been removed. At the time, the BBC reported on
:06:47. > :06:52.the frustration and annoyance of local residents. My driveway is now
:06:52. > :06:56.a lay-by for the local public and for lorries. I do not care about
:06:56. > :07:02.the roads, they are not my main concern, it is the death of one of
:07:02. > :07:06.my children. At one stage, 145 truck loads of rock was been
:07:06. > :07:09.removed on a daily basis. There were complaints about the
:07:09. > :07:13.Department's handling of issues at the mine including the removal of
:07:13. > :07:17.the rocks. The ombudsman found in their favour and recommended they
:07:17. > :07:26.should receive a �10,000 from the department. The money has now been
:07:26. > :07:30.paid over. The total payment is not really what we set out to get in
:07:30. > :07:35.the first place. We wanted basically to get control of the
:07:35. > :07:40.planning service and get control of the damage that has been done by
:07:40. > :07:45.the gold mine to our environment. It is one of the largest awards of
:07:45. > :07:48.its kind and could potentially open the door to other claims. This is a
:07:48. > :07:52.landmark case for the Department of the Environment and pain out such a
:07:52. > :07:56.large sum of money after failing to take prompt enforcement action. It
:07:56. > :08:00.will be of interest to others who may also feel of that planners have
:08:00. > :08:05.not taken their complaints seriously. As well as the �10,000
:08:05. > :08:08.each, but three residents also received an apology from the
:08:09. > :08:14.Department for the considerable anxiety, inconvenience, distress,
:08:14. > :08:18.and frustration caused. The this was a failure of planning and
:08:18. > :08:22.enforcement. Given the severity and scale of what those citizens
:08:22. > :08:26.experience, it is quite right to say to government you will pay the
:08:26. > :08:30.costs of failure to account and failure to act properly. In spite
:08:30. > :08:34.of the award, the gold mine says it rejects any allegation it breached
:08:34. > :08:38.its planning permission. This afternoon it offered to donate
:08:38. > :08:43.�30,000 to the rebuilding of the are the least special skill of the
:08:43. > :08:48.residents agreed to donate the �30,000 they have been awarded in
:08:48. > :08:52.compensation. The deputy manager of the gold mine
:08:53. > :09:00.has said that as the competition money is to come from the taxpayer
:09:00. > :09:05.it is only fair that it be donated to a local resource. This money is
:09:06. > :09:11.public money and it came from the tax payers. The local individuals
:09:11. > :09:16.have always maintained that they did not do this for financial
:09:16. > :09:19.recognition that the only interest they had in this was receiving an
:09:19. > :09:24.apology from the Department of the Environment. They have achieved
:09:24. > :09:30.that objective. I think it is fair and equitable that the money they
:09:30. > :09:39.have received is put back into the community for the benefit of the
:09:39. > :09:42.school and resource centre. It is a despicable stunt to suggest that I
:09:42. > :09:45.donate �10,000 which is offered. If they want to give money to the
:09:45. > :09:49.school it is their business, but what I want to do with my money is
:09:49. > :09:52.my business. A last night we heard from parents
:09:52. > :09:56.at the special school about how their children's lives have been
:09:56. > :10:00.turned upside down after fire destroyed the building. This
:10:00. > :10:05.evening, Tara Mills is live at a school at to see the extent of the
:10:05. > :10:11.damage. We have been given access to the school today to get a sense
:10:11. > :10:16.of the extent of the damage and as you can see, it is extensive. There
:10:17. > :10:23.is hardly a single thing left to show that this was once a classroom.
:10:23. > :10:26.That hold wing of the building has been completely wiped out. Pupils
:10:26. > :10:30.from three to 19 attended the school and all those years of hard
:10:30. > :10:35.work has been wiped out in just a few hours. This is the main
:10:35. > :10:39.entrance and if you follow me through here, you can see what is
:10:39. > :10:43.left of the Assembly hall. The water is still dripping through the
:10:43. > :10:47.ceiling and there are warnings the roof could collapse at any time. It
:10:47. > :10:51.is the same picture here. The intensity of the flames ripped
:10:51. > :10:57.through the ceiling, destroying what was the kitchen, the place
:10:57. > :11:01.were the children came for the cookery classes. Let us hear from
:11:01. > :11:05.the principal and one of the parents here. You or the principal,
:11:05. > :11:10.what is it like for you walking around at the shell of this
:11:10. > :11:14.building? It is devastating. This was meant to educate children and
:11:14. > :11:19.those children are deprived of it. I look in the classrooms and they
:11:19. > :11:23.should be full of the children. It is devastating for me and for my
:11:23. > :11:27.staff and especially devastating for the children. I feel for the
:11:27. > :11:31.parents and for them but we will get them back to school. Some are
:11:31. > :11:35.back at other sites but not all of them. We have 31 children back and
:11:35. > :11:40.it is great to see them. Staff are delighted to see them. They're
:11:40. > :11:43.happy smiling faces, because the children are wonderful. The rest of
:11:43. > :11:47.the children we are working tirelessly to get them back to
:11:47. > :11:51.school as soon as possible and the builders are in as we speak to make
:11:51. > :11:56.the classrooms ready for them. you been surprised and impressed by
:11:56. > :12:03.the speed at which things have got up and running? I am really happy
:12:03. > :12:07.at the speed at. As I commented to the parents on Saturday morning, I
:12:07. > :12:11.was thinking about Monday morning, how to get children back to school,
:12:11. > :12:15.but we have done well. It still should not have happened, there
:12:15. > :12:19.still is a timeline at which children should have been in school
:12:19. > :12:24.and it should have been learning. We will get their and I am
:12:24. > :12:32.impressed we got there at this stage. Your daughter is 17 and
:12:32. > :12:37.attends the school. Describe what affect it has had on her. She finds
:12:37. > :12:41.it difficult to comprehend why she cannot just come here and turn up
:12:41. > :12:46.at school as normal. Now that we are getting into a scenario of
:12:46. > :12:51.having another site, she is now getting ready to go. Whitaker there
:12:51. > :12:59.on Sunday to see the building and thankfully she is settling into
:12:59. > :13:03.that. I know quite a lot of other parents have similar problems and
:13:03. > :13:06.the children do not understand why they cannot be at school, but
:13:06. > :13:11.thankfully the process is beginning and they will be back at school is
:13:11. > :13:16.sooner. Obviously a special school has a great sense of community.
:13:16. > :13:20.Have you all rallied around and helped one another? Very much so.
:13:20. > :13:25.My daughter has been here for 12 years and we know the other parents
:13:25. > :13:30.and staff and when this event happened, people were very
:13:30. > :13:35.supportive and caring and helped everyone. It is that sense of
:13:35. > :13:41.community spirit that helps you in these times. Just briefly, what
:13:41. > :13:45.does the future hold for the school? By 20th January 13, we will
:13:45. > :13:48.be back on site here and we have commitment from the Minister at the
:13:48. > :13:52.Department of Education at a new- build programme will be commenced.
:13:52. > :13:56.Things are positive. The main thing is to get children back to school,
:13:56. > :14:06.happy faces there, children learning and we get them back.
:14:06. > :14:13.
:14:13. > :14:21.Thank you. From Omagh, it is back The jobless rate is up to 8.2 %,
:14:22. > :14:27.higher than the UK average. Solicitor John Irwin has been
:14:27. > :14:32.charged in connection with a sham marriage involving Chinese foreign
:14:32. > :14:42.nationals at Belfast City Hall. The 46-year-old from Lisburn I can
:14:42. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :14:50.court along with at trainee lawyer. -- les bons High Court. Two other
:14:50. > :14:58.men were charged with assisting in the ceremony by posing as the groom
:14:58. > :15:02.and a witness. Ahead of British Airways, Willie
:15:02. > :15:06.Walsh, has described Theresa Villiers as being anti- aviation.
:15:06. > :15:11.He said air passenger duty was having a damaging impact on the
:15:11. > :15:18.economy. In a few minutes we are out on
:15:18. > :15:23.patrol with the fisheries inspectors.
:15:23. > :15:28.We have been hearing from our reporter who has taken an electric
:15:28. > :15:38.car for a week long trial. He has had a vehicle for a couple days.
:15:38. > :15:39.
:15:39. > :15:46.Here is what he makes it so far. I am not sure who was more nervous -
:15:46. > :15:51.me or the man from the dealership lending us a �30,000 electric car.
:15:51. > :16:00.After a quick check, we were off. Silently running along the city
:16:00. > :16:10.streets. Absolutely no engine noise. Should we took the long to let this
:16:10. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:16.run-up know we're coming? No, are you sure? I wanted to find out that
:16:16. > :16:22.this could be a practical alternative to petrol or diesel.
:16:22. > :16:31.The price and the range are what put people off. The cars are appear
:16:31. > :16:37.to buy. This one has a list price of �30,000. -- expensive to buy.
:16:37. > :16:45.The running costs are where the savings are. There claimed to be
:16:45. > :16:51.75% cheaper to operate. I got the equivalent of 90 miles for �2. They
:16:51. > :16:56.are also exempt from road tax. No significant saving one assumes, and
:16:56. > :17:06.then what is called Rage anxiety - the fear that you will run out
:17:06. > :17:11.
:17:11. > :17:21.before you reach your destination. -- range. You can stop that charge.
:17:21. > :17:27.
:17:27. > :17:32.Like this. -- you can stop at charge. Like this. It is
:17:32. > :17:42.straightforward to use. You press your card, I'll wait to be prompted,
:17:42. > :17:44.
:17:44. > :17:51.then take it to be the vehicle. -- to the vehicle. For now, this is
:17:51. > :17:56.three. But eventually you will have to pay. But this hasn't stopped
:17:56. > :18:05.some people. Ken bought one of the first electronic cars in Northern
:18:05. > :18:09.Ireland some months ago and his solar panels provide a power supply.
:18:09. > :18:16.On a sunny day I just plug it into the car and it is charging for
:18:16. > :18:23.nothing. The first time I drove the car I
:18:23. > :18:29.treated it like my own diesel. Motorway driving at a steady 70 mph.
:18:29. > :18:32.But that eats the battery - begging the question, are these cars really
:18:32. > :18:36.made for long-haul driving? We are putting that to the test by driving
:18:36. > :18:43.one of the cars around Northern Ireland. We will show you the
:18:43. > :18:51.results on Friday. Are Our World Cup qualification
:18:51. > :18:56.hopes for four before they had even started? Tell us it is not so.
:18:56. > :19:00.Some Northern Ireland supporters would answer, yes. This group was
:19:00. > :19:04.tough enough already with Portugal and Russia. So our home game
:19:04. > :19:09.against Luxembourg was seen as a match to win. But this was a draw
:19:09. > :19:17.it felt like a defeat. The visiting team were largely made up of part-
:19:17. > :19:23.time footballers. Stunned silence around the stadium.
:19:23. > :19:27.It said it all. After more than the year without a victory the wait for
:19:27. > :19:31.Northern Ireland supporters continues. The players left
:19:31. > :19:41.dejected having failed to beat a Luxembourg squat but only included
:19:41. > :19:41.
:19:41. > :19:46.a handful of professional players. There the boys at disappointed. I
:19:46. > :19:56.feel sorry for the supporters who paid money to watch the game. It is
:19:56. > :19:58.
:19:58. > :20:05.very hard, I do not know what else to say.
:20:05. > :20:10.It is one point from six. One point from two games. That is the
:20:10. > :20:16.situation we are in. We always knew the group would be difficult, park
:20:16. > :20:24.actually be opening three fixtures. Disappointing not to get the points
:20:24. > :20:30.tonight. -- particularly the opening three fixtures.
:20:30. > :20:40.Earlier in the night things looked so much better for the team. But
:20:40. > :20:43.frustration grew, and countless times players were called off side.
:20:43. > :20:53.There was an inability to convert goalscoring chances which came back
:20:53. > :20:55.
:20:55. > :20:59.to haunt the side. The World Cup seems further away than ever.
:20:59. > :21:04.Confirmation today that England will play the Republic of Ireland
:21:04. > :21:09.into friendly internationals. One at Wembley, the other in Dublin.
:21:09. > :21:13.The Wembley game will be the first meeting between the teams since
:21:13. > :21:20.1995 when they came in the republic was abandoned because of crowd
:21:21. > :21:29.trouble. As it happens, the Republic of Ireland were in action
:21:29. > :21:34.last night and enjoy it a four - one victory over Oman. Jill van a
:21:34. > :21:38.trapper Tony had been heavily criticised for the manner of his
:21:38. > :21:44.performance in Kazakhstan last week. But you could argue that the
:21:44. > :21:47.second-string side put on a display that put more senior team mates to
:21:47. > :21:54.shame. The quality of the opposition must be taken into
:21:54. > :21:57.account. The opposition goalkeeper was the busiest of the whole team.
:21:57. > :22:03.But there was an eye-catching performance from the young
:22:03. > :22:08.Manchester United player, Robert Brady. He has yet to play the first
:22:08. > :22:13.team at Old Trafford but it is international prospects no harm
:22:13. > :22:19.whatsoever. The other calls were supplied by Kevin Doyle, just
:22:19. > :22:22.before half-time, and another new recruit, Alexander Pearce, in the
:22:22. > :22:27.closing moments. The team were not always that convincing at the back
:22:27. > :22:35.but the result should restore confidence ahead of the next World
:22:35. > :22:38.Cup qualifier against Germany in Dublin next month. Derry man the
:22:38. > :22:47.James Maclean also played last night - back in favour with the
:22:47. > :22:54.manager. Elsewhere Wales were defeated 6 - 1
:22:54. > :23:00.by Serbia. And Scotland drew it. So whilst that looks under result was
:23:00. > :23:06.a big disappointment, mathematics well what can still happen. But
:23:06. > :23:12.certainly it is a disappointing start. -- mathematically.
:23:12. > :23:16.How can we be sure that there should men do not exceed limits?
:23:16. > :23:24.Will the Department of Agriculture are actually police the IDC and can
:23:24. > :23:32.board boats at will to inspect a catch. -- the Irish Sea. This is
:23:32. > :23:40.like a police car on the water. On- board, crew from the Department of
:23:40. > :23:47.Agriculture. They are heading towards a trawler.
:23:47. > :23:52.I have him on the radar. We will be alongside in about 40 minutes.
:23:52. > :24:02.It will just be a routine inspection. We do about 10 every
:24:02. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:12.day. We go aboard a boat, take a look, see what it is fishing for.
:24:13. > :24:18.David stays behind it is always in radio contact with his colleagues.
:24:18. > :24:28.He it depends on the species. might just have herring or mackerel
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:38.are bought. Or a mixture of court, had it, that can take longer. --
:24:38. > :24:42.cod, haddock. Her it all depends what we find.
:24:42. > :24:52.Fish of men do get very frustrated with the restrictions on their
:24:52. > :24:53.
:24:53. > :24:58.activity. We can such any vessel any premises.
:24:58. > :25:08.-- search. We can ask the skipper of were ever going it done to
:25:08. > :25:11.
:25:11. > :25:21.facilitate an investigation. -- whatever we need done.
:25:21. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:38.Tropical air, or what was at least tropical a art is probably the
:25:38. > :25:43.correct thing to say here. Nothing to worry about, nor warnings. And
:25:43. > :25:49.that is not unusual at this time of year to get the remnants of former
:25:49. > :25:56.hurricanes or four tropical storms influencing our weather. In the
:25:56. > :26:01.meantime, fairly quiet and could be chilly and a few spots tonight. The
:26:01. > :26:08.cloud will increase in the morning. You can see what is coming from,
:26:08. > :26:18.the Atlantic. The rain they include will go to the north of Scotland
:26:18. > :26:20.
:26:20. > :26:28.and stay well away from us. -- the rain fading cloud. Some early and
:26:28. > :26:34.missing parts of the north-west. Other ways largely dry. Lunchtime
:26:34. > :26:42.tomorrow, largely dry and cloudy and the north-west. Temperatures up
:26:42. > :26:52.to 17 degrees. The average at this time of year is 16. We are looking
:26:52. > :26:59.at 19 in Belfast. A warm and windy afternoon. Then we see the rain
:26:59. > :27:07.come down from the north-west. Probably not a great deal of rain.
:27:07. > :27:17.Most of it will have cleared by their end of the night. Large lake
:27:17. > :27:18.
:27:18. > :27:24.dry on Friday. Temperatures dropping back to 16 or 17. As we
:27:24. > :27:30.moved towards the weekend, pleasant sunshine to begin. Temperatures
:27:30. > :27:39.around 17 Celsius. A little bit of rain on Saturday night, Sunday is