30/01/2014 BBC Newsline

extended interview with her. But now on BBC One, it's time for the news

Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline. A father accused of

sexually abusing his children and allowing other men to do the same

says he was numb with shock when he first heard the allegations. His son

and daughter allege he raped them and sexually abused them frequently

during the '90s. Their uncle and another man, described as a family

friend, are also facing charges of abusing the girl. David Maxwell

reports from Coleraine Crown Court. Nearly two weeks on, this trial has

now heard from all of the accused. Today, the father of the two alleged

victims, who faces around 40 charges of sexual abuse and cruelty, told

the court he only ever had overnight access to the children for a brief

period after he separated from his wife. He said they never stayed over

after 1994 because he was a party animal who liked to go out with

friends. A prosecution lawyer described that as a pack of lies. It

was put to him that for years he had used his daughter as a sexual

plaything and allowed other men to rape her. He replied that was

absolutely untrue. The father of the alleged victim said he was numb with

shock when he first heard some of the allegations in 1998. He said he

thought the whole matter would be cleared up in ten minutes. He says

he didn't even ask for a solicitor. Asked why his daughter would make up

such serious allegations of sexual abuse, he said he did not know and

described her as having a good imagination. The uncle of the

alleged victims also gave evidence today. He faces charges connected to

his niece. He said she was either lying or mistaken because he has

never attended parties where children were abused. He said, I

never in my life touched that wee girl. I hardly knew her. Both men

were asked about sexually abusing her sister when she was a child.

Earlier this week it emerged that they had pleaded guilty to charges

of abuse carried out in the 70s. One has admitted attempting to rape his

sister. Four police officers received minor injuries and two

police vehicles were damaged when fireworks and other missiles were

thrown at the Skainos Centre in East Belfast as one of the Brighton

bombers arrived at an event. Patrick Magee was brought in through the

back door of the building on the Newtownards Road after a crowd of

about 60 gathered outside. He was speaking alongside Jo Berry, who

lost her father in the IRA attack in 1984. Some protestors attempted to

get into the building and threw fireworks and eggs at police. They

were kept back by a police cordon and continued to protest on the

street throughout the event. The DUP says it has made a formal complaint

against an academic who wrote an email claiming the party may have

been responsible for a number of gay and lesbian young people taking

their own lives. Here's our political reporter, Stephen Walker.

The e-mail was made public during a meeting of the Justice Committee,

which was discussing the bill on human trafficking. Jim Wells

confronted Doctor Graham Allison of Queens University. He said he had

seen an e-mail written by him to a woman who had given evidence in

support of the bill. Equal to what it had said. In terms of gay and

lesbian politics, they're one of the most repressive and socially

backward parties you could imagine. The next word is deeply offensive.

Who knows how many gay and lesbian people have committed suicide

because of this bloody party? I could also remember not long ago,

five or six years, that the party was claiming rape within marriage

was impossible. They are simply latching on to ideas about sex that

prescribes to biblical teaching. The doctor denied it was abusive and

said he was trying to reason with the woman. I thought I was trying to

reason with them. There are a number of issues I feel strongly about and

I thought I could maybe talk her around or whatever. There are a

number of fundamental issues where she and the DUP do not agree. You

may agree on the criminalisation of paying for sex, but there are other

issues where you do not. The DUP say it has made a formal complaint to

Queens University. Five people have been rescued from a fire in a block

of flats in Newry. The emergency services were called at 6.30pm this

evening to the building in St Mary's Street in the town. It's believed

the fire started in a mid-terrace house that had been converted into

flats. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. The

Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has said he'll give his support to calls for

an independent inquiry into the Ballymurphy massacre in West

Belfast. Earlier today in Dublin, Mr Kenny met with the families of

several of the victims who were killed by soldiers from The

Parachute Regiment in August 1971. The families were there to ask for

his help in setting up an investigation into the deaths of

their loved ones. That is the first light at the end of the tunnel we

have been given and it is just so emotional because our loved ones are

innocent. They deserve this. But they are not giving us anything we

don't know. Detectives investigating the deaths of 13 unarmed civilians

by soldiers on Bloody Sunday are looking for statements from more

than a thousand witnesses to the Saville Inquiry. The police say it

is necessary to re-interview witnesses because they cannot use

testimony given to the inquiry in a criminal investigation. New life is

being breathed into a former Presbyterian Church in the centre of

Londonderry. The listed building is being used to help the growth of

Irish language and culture. Here's our North West reporter, Keiron

Tourish. The cultural and opened in 2009 to promote Irish culture and so

far, thousands have attended its classes. We should be able to pass

it onto the next generation so I decided to come back and take

classes here and it been brilliant. With almost 400 people now studying

Irish each week and 200 learning instruments, the centre needed to

expand. It bought the former Presbyterian church next door. We

have been in touch with the Presbyterian community who left here

in 1982 and they are well pleased that somebody is going to breathe

life into this building, and we have no bones in saying that the

Presbyterians played a vital part in bringing the Irish language back to

life. The centre says the success of the All-Ireland fly last summer led

to a resurgence in interest in Irish. It is also providing

bursaries for members of the Protestant committee to study the

language. The former Presbyterian church has hosted the highly

successful music Festival which returns next weekend. And in the

years ahead, this listed holding will house a new academy for

traditional Irish music. Those behind this project leave the future

of the Irish language and culture in the city and the greater north-west

has been secured for generations to come. And they say that the idea of

turning this part of the city centre into a cultural quarter has been

greatly enhanced. Now the weather for the day ahead with Cecilia Daly.

They might be some frost and ice around but that will not last ride

through the night. The breeze will pick up on the cloud will thicken to

bring bits and pieces of rain through the night.

We have a weather warning for heavy rain tomorrow, up to 30 millimetres

could fall, particularly across Antrim, dine and Armagh and gale

force said easterly winds developing in the east coast. Along with that

high tide could mean large waves onto the East Coast. There is a risk

of coastal flooding and it is a broad area of rain affecting the

Republic of Ireland also and Apple continue to move eastwards into

Great Britain during the course of the day, falling snow over the high

ground in Scotland and some further heavy rain across the South of

England, leading to more flooding and severe gales developing over the

north-east of Scotland. What's going on tomorrow. The rain gradually

clearing from the West, around the middle of the afternoon, some

showers following behind and those showers will turn increasingly

wintry tomorrow. The wind eases tomorrow afternoon but it picks up

again on Saturday with severe gales likely gust up peak gusts of around

70 mph on Saturday, especially in the North and West. Airey: showery

on Saturday but it will improve on Sunday. Some showers falling on

Saturday will be asked sleek and so, especially over higher ground

and we're looking at strong gust, especially in the north coast and in

parts of the West but it improves on Sunday. That said - goodbye. -- that

is it.