:00:00. > 3:59:59degrees. A bit of cloud and the risk of a few showers. That's all
:00:00. > :00:17.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:18. > :00:20.Convicted amid allegations of a shoot-to-kill policy, now one
:00:21. > :00:25.of the Colombia Three is cleared of a controversial weapons charge.
:00:26. > :00:29.Sleeping rough on the streets, a special investigation by
:00:30. > :00:32.BBC Newsline discovers how people treat those they believe to be
:00:33. > :00:47.A nun admits that children were abused in care homes run
:00:48. > :01:00.The head of Victim Support loses her job following complaints from staff.
:01:01. > :01:02.And, there'll be some showers this evening, but bright and
:01:03. > :01:07.I'll have the weather details shortly.
:01:08. > :01:11.Martin McCauley has been involved in two highly-controversial incidents.
:01:12. > :01:14.32 years ago, he was seriously injured and his
:01:15. > :01:18.17-year-old friend killed by RUC officers in County Armagh, in 1982.
:01:19. > :01:21.It was one of a series of controversial incidents that led
:01:22. > :01:25.to allegations that the police were operating a shoot-to-kill policy.
:01:26. > :01:28.13 years ago, he was at the heart of an
:01:29. > :01:31.international case that threatened to destabilise the peace process.
:01:32. > :01:35.He was one of three men convicted of being a member of an IRA team
:01:36. > :01:39.He was also convicted here of possession of weapons at the time
:01:40. > :01:43.he was shot, but the Court of Appeal today said that conviction
:01:44. > :01:59.There is some strong language in this report.
:02:00. > :02:03.Scars that time has not removed, Martin McCauley was seriously
:02:04. > :02:10.injured when shot here by RUC officers in 1982. Nearly 32 years
:02:11. > :02:14.later, the shooting here remains shrouded in mystery and controversy.
:02:15. > :02:18.The police claimed they were confronted by two men armed with
:02:19. > :02:22.rifles and only opened fire after shouting a number of warnings.
:02:23. > :02:26.Martin McCauley has always insisted they were not armed and that no
:02:27. > :02:32.warnings were given. It later emerged that MI5 had a listening
:02:33. > :02:37.device hidden inside the shed that recorded what happened, but the
:02:38. > :02:41.recording was destroyed. This is Martin McCauley leaving court in
:02:42. > :02:46.1985 after being given a two-year suspended sentence for possession of
:02:47. > :02:50.three rifles found in the shed. The court was not made aware of the MI5
:02:51. > :02:55.recording. Its existence and the fact that it was later destroyed was
:02:56. > :03:02.discovered by the Deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester and
:03:03. > :03:14.somebody from West Yorkshire Police. They looked into investigations that
:03:15. > :03:18.IDC was killing Republicans. This is the first time details of the report
:03:19. > :03:21.have been made public. The lawyer said the report notes that police
:03:22. > :03:27.officers fired 47 shots at the men come and that one of them were fired
:03:28. > :03:30.in return. She said it was clear there had been a conspiracy by
:03:31. > :03:34.senior police officers to prevent those involved in the shooting
:03:35. > :03:40.facing criminal charges. The cover-up included the destruction of
:03:41. > :03:44.the secret recording. The QC read from the accounts of five MI5
:03:45. > :03:46.officers who listen to the recording before it was destroyed. None of
:03:47. > :03:52.them refer to hearing anyone Inc. One officer, a former soldier, said
:03:53. > :03:56.he was concerned there have not been a warning, and that by ring had
:03:57. > :03:59.continued even after a cease-fire order had been given. Another
:04:00. > :04:04.officer said he heard somebody said, we will get them, in between bursts
:04:05. > :04:09.of gunfire. The barrister said it was clear the pair had been shot
:04:10. > :04:14.without warning or the opportunity to surrender. She said the fact that
:04:15. > :04:20.evidence about the shooting had been destroyed and that police officers
:04:21. > :04:23.had lied meant that the conviction was unsafe. After a brief discussion
:04:24. > :04:28.with the two other appeal court judges, Lord Chief Justice said they
:04:29. > :04:33.were satisfied the conviction was unsafe and should be quashed. Martin
:04:34. > :04:39.McCauley's wife was in court, and she welcomed the ruling. Nothing
:04:40. > :04:49.will bring back his friend, but what has been exposed, what they have
:04:50. > :04:54.known, he was put down in Cobb blooded murder. Martin McCauley
:04:55. > :04:58.faces extradition to Colombia if he returns to Northern Ireland. He was
:04:59. > :04:58.sentenced to 17 years in jail for training rebel forces in the
:04:59. > :05:03.country. This is the sort of scene replicated
:05:04. > :05:06.in many towns and cities. A person who is living
:05:07. > :05:08.on the streets. A recent poll found that one
:05:09. > :05:12.in every 18 of us has at some stage This person is in fact one
:05:13. > :05:17.of our reporters, who slept rough to get an idea of
:05:18. > :05:24.what being homeless is really like. I slept rough for three days
:05:25. > :05:31.and four nights. I wanted to see something
:05:32. > :05:35.of what being homeless in Belfast is like today, and really the only way
:05:36. > :05:39.to do that is to put yourself But, of course,
:05:40. > :05:44.I only slept rough for a very short space of time, and I don't want to
:05:45. > :05:48.pretend that my experience was anywhere near as tough as it is
:05:49. > :06:05.for people who genuinely find I was able to witness some of the
:06:06. > :06:06.behaviour of the general public and the organisations who are there to
:06:07. > :06:10.help homeless people. I ought to say that
:06:11. > :06:22.my report includes some strong Belfast city centre, the shoppers
:06:23. > :06:28.and workers have drifted home, leaving behind those with nowhere to
:06:29. > :06:33.go. Saturday night, this was my first night sleeping rough. I felt
:06:34. > :06:42.vulnerable and exposed. I would have never guessed what happened next.
:06:43. > :06:47.Incredibly, the same thing happened the following night. And, the night
:06:48. > :07:05.after. But not everyone showed me kindness.
:07:06. > :07:06.I was not begging, but that did not stop this girl from hurling abuse at
:07:07. > :07:29.bay. And a few minutes later, a more
:07:30. > :07:36.serious attack, a different war but this time, hidden here from the
:07:37. > :07:43.camera's view. I have just had a girl get very aggressive and was
:07:44. > :07:48.asking whether I was foreign. Then she started joint ticket me in the
:07:49. > :07:55.face with her stiletto. She almost hit me there, and she managed to get
:07:56. > :07:58.my face -- and I managed to get my face out of the way. Another girl
:07:59. > :08:02.started hitting me over the head, trying to steal my sleeping bag, and
:08:03. > :08:12.was shouting abuse, started throwing food at me. Not good. It was time to
:08:13. > :08:18.go, and time to sleep. I was feeling shaken and exhausted, and I needed
:08:19. > :08:20.to find somewhere to bed down. I am thinking that the Cathedral Quarter
:08:21. > :08:30.is a good place, it is quiet, lots of alleyways. So, let's see what I
:08:31. > :08:37.can find. I do not want to go into one of the recesses like that, that
:08:38. > :08:42.is where I was earlier, and a car decided it would park where I was
:08:43. > :08:46.lying, I almost got crushed to death, so I learned that is not a
:08:47. > :08:53.good idea. The challenge was trying to find somewhere quiet and
:08:54. > :09:12.sheltered from the rain. That is my mattress. Here, my quilt. Look at
:09:13. > :09:16.that. Then, this is my pillow. This was only my experience of living
:09:17. > :09:22.rough and it was only for a few days. But still, there is no doubt
:09:23. > :09:26.being homeless in Belfast is at times frightening and dangerous. But
:09:27. > :09:29.all timidly what will stay with me is the extraordinary kindness,
:09:30. > :09:36.generosity and care of strangers. So, you were surprised
:09:37. > :09:38.by the generosity of strangers? I think I expected the odd person
:09:39. > :09:42.to hand me money and food. And I should say that all cash
:09:43. > :09:47.donations will be given to charity. But I never expected anyone to go
:09:48. > :09:51.so far as to offer me somewhere to I'm not saying that's what all
:09:52. > :09:56.homeless people get, but it is a sign that the vast
:09:57. > :10:00.majority of people here seem to be You've been told some quite worrying
:10:01. > :10:05.statistics on the dangers The life expectancy for
:10:06. > :10:16.a homeless person is 47 years old. The Welcome Organisation homeless
:10:17. > :10:21.charity have told me that at least five people they've had
:10:22. > :10:26.contact with have died We don't know what
:10:27. > :10:33.their circumstances were or what the causes of those fatalities were,
:10:34. > :10:36.and there are often other factors as well as sleeping rough that put
:10:37. > :10:39.homeless people at risk. But it does go some way to showing
:10:40. > :10:44.how dangerous it can be for a person And I'll be talking to homeless
:10:45. > :11:03.people in my report tomorrow If you have any thoughts on this
:11:04. > :11:04.investigation, the second part is tomorrow, check out our Facebook
:11:05. > :11:07.page. Next, the latest from the
:11:08. > :11:09.Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, and today the Sisters of
:11:10. > :11:12.Nazareth congregation has admitted during evidence that there was abuse
:11:13. > :11:15.at its homes in Londonderry. The Inquiry is now in its 36th day
:11:16. > :11:19.of public hearings about what happened at St Joseph's home
:11:20. > :11:22.in Termonbacca and Nazareth House The former Bishop of Derry,
:11:23. > :11:28.Dr Edward Daly, Sister Brenda McCall became
:11:29. > :11:35.the public face of the Sisters of Nazareth, giving evidence
:11:36. > :11:38.at the Inquiry this morning. A congregation battered
:11:39. > :11:39.and bruised by years And, on behalf of the nuns,
:11:40. > :11:45.Sister McCall came today to admit that abuse happened, to apologise,
:11:46. > :11:57.and to explain its impact. She has listened to much of the
:11:58. > :12:02.evidence of former residents over the first 36 days of the enquiry,
:12:03. > :12:07.and today, she said much of the evidence has been very shocking and
:12:08. > :12:12.harrowing for us, she said, it is clear that at certain times and with
:12:13. > :12:14.certain nuns, some things were not right.
:12:15. > :12:16.And, when asked if a previous apology
:12:17. > :12:19.for sexual and physical abuse should now be extended to include
:12:20. > :12:21.emotional abuse and neglect, Sister McCall responded in three words.
:12:22. > :12:25.Also giving evidence today, the former Bishop of Derry,
:12:26. > :12:28.Now 81, he said he had never experienced
:12:29. > :12:31.poverty like he witnessed in Derry in the 1960s, and added that he
:12:32. > :12:39.always admired the work of the nuns in helping people in need.
:12:40. > :12:48.Commenting on the abuse, he said, I think we are all responsible for not
:12:49. > :12:53.knowing. He said he believes society in general and community leaders
:12:54. > :12:55.took the work of the Sisters of Nazareth are granted.
:12:56. > :12:57.Explaining that the nuns looked after 5,000
:12:58. > :13:00.children, the former Bishop asked, what would have happened to those
:13:01. > :13:09.He said he received only one complaint about the Sisters of
:13:10. > :13:13.Nazareth, from a woman in Australia who went there as part of the child
:13:14. > :13:18.migrant scheme in the middle of the last century, she had been separated
:13:19. > :13:23.from her brother. He described the letter as long, long and
:13:24. > :13:25.heartbreaking. The phase of the enquiry examining the homes will
:13:26. > :13:37.finish later this month. A woman is in a critical condition
:13:38. > :13:41.after an incident this morning. It is understood she is being treated
:13:42. > :13:48.for burns injuries. A man who was also in the house in this bird is
:13:49. > :13:52.being treated. It is believed his edition is not life-threatening. The
:13:53. > :13:55.police are trying to establish what happened.
:13:56. > :14:02.The curtain raiser to the Commonwealth Games,
:14:03. > :14:10.the Queen?s Baton Relay comes to Northern Ireland.
:14:11. > :14:12.The Coroner's Office is to ask the state pathologist to review
:14:13. > :14:15.evidence relating to the ten people who were shot dead
:14:16. > :14:21.The victims' families were in court today
:14:22. > :14:25.when the coroner also instructed a Ministry of Defence lawyer to find
:14:26. > :14:29.out if army weapons used in the shootings still exist, and if so,
:14:30. > :14:35.The family of one of those killed, Joseph Murphy,
:14:36. > :14:39.say he was buried with a soldier?s bullet still lodged in his body.
:14:40. > :14:42.They're looking for his remains to be exhumed to
:14:43. > :14:55.The families of six men, killed by either the police, soldiers or
:14:56. > :14:58.loyalist paramilitaries, are to be awarded compensation for the
:14:59. > :15:02.The landmark ruling was made in the High Court in Belfast today.
:15:03. > :15:09.Louise Cullen reports. James McMenamin died when he was hit
:15:10. > :15:12.by a PSNI Landrover on the Springfield Road. The death was
:15:13. > :15:16.ruled accidental in an inquest earlier this year, but that was
:15:17. > :15:23.almost nine years after he was killed.
:15:24. > :15:31.We had a date, it fell through. It was a long process.
:15:32. > :15:34.Mr. McMenamin's death was one of 6 in today's case, along with
:15:35. > :15:37.Pearse Jordan,an IRA man shot by the RUC; Fergal McCusker, a Catholic
:15:38. > :15:40.abducted and killed by loyalist paramilitaries; Neil McConville, the
:15:41. > :15:44.first person to be shot by the PSNI; Michael Ryan, killed by the SAS 23
:15:45. > :15:47.years ago and Steven Colwell, shot by a PSNI officer when he didn't
:15:48. > :15:55.stop at a checkpoint eight years ago.
:15:56. > :15:58.The six families claimed their human rights had been breached by the
:15:59. > :16:01.failure to examine the circumstances surrounding each death as soon as
:16:02. > :16:03.possible. Awarding each family ?7,500, Mr.
:16:04. > :16:06.Justice Stephens said: "It is obvious that, if unlawful
:16:07. > :16:09.delays occur in an investigation into the death of a close relative,
:16:10. > :16:12.that this will cause feelings of frustration, distress and anxiety to
:16:13. > :16:29.What this case clearly shows is that the state failed to uphold the human
:16:30. > :16:33.rights of my client in not holding a prompt and quests and it has massive
:16:34. > :16:40.man of -- ramifications. Today's pay-out to the Jordan
:16:41. > :16:43.family, awarded against the PSNI, is the second of its kind. They were
:16:44. > :16:46.previously awarded ten thousand pounds by the European courts in
:16:47. > :16:50.2001. The other five awards were made against the Department of
:16:51. > :16:52.Justice. The landmark ruling could pave the way for scores of other
:16:53. > :17:00.claims, related to "legacy" cases. The head of Victim Support Northern
:17:01. > :17:03.Ireland has lost her job Susan Reid denies the allegations
:17:04. > :17:06.being made against her. Our investigations reporter
:17:07. > :17:10.Kevin Magee has this story. Victim Support Northern Ireland
:17:11. > :17:12.offers help to victims of crime. Susan Reid being interviewed here
:17:13. > :17:15.was the face of the organisation for almost 10 years - frequently
:17:16. > :17:24.speaking up for victims. If the people who have been harmed
:17:25. > :17:28.by the crime can also be given information, be supported to
:17:29. > :17:44.understand how the process works, that is going to ease their anxiety.
:17:45. > :17:48.He resigned to highlight their concerns. I had to be confident that
:17:49. > :17:56.what was being said was accurate. Over a period of time, I quietly
:17:57. > :18:01.investigated what was being said and witnessed a number of staff in
:18:02. > :18:02.distress. I felt that it was important that these matters were
:18:03. > :18:11.raised with the board of trustees. important that these matters were
:18:12. > :18:13."That investigation was carried out by an outside body and gathered
:18:14. > :18:16.evidence from just not just current staff at but from past employees as
:18:17. > :18:20.well. Following on from this a separate disciplinary process was
:18:21. > :18:23.set up that led to the chief executive's contract of employment
:18:24. > :18:25.being terminated. The board of VSNI says it wants to point out the
:18:26. > :18:30.issues dealt with were not financial in nature."
:18:31. > :18:32.Rather its believed they centered around allegations of unreasonable
:18:33. > :18:36.and unfair demands being asked of employees in their day-to day work
:18:37. > :18:40.which in some cases caused undue stress.
:18:41. > :18:44."Susan Reid released a statement through her solicitor denying all
:18:45. > :18:47.allegations against her. The statement said the her dismissal was
:18:48. > :18:50.unfair in multiple respects, confirmed she'd lodged legal
:18:51. > :18:53.proceedings claiming unfair dismissal and said she'll be seeking
:18:54. > :18:56.substantial damages from Victim Support. "
:18:57. > :19:01.So with the prospect of an industrial tribunal looming all the
:19:02. > :19:05.details of the case could end up being aired in public. Kevin Magee,
:19:06. > :19:16.BBC Newsline. Next to the election on Thursday
:19:17. > :19:19.for the European parliament Those councillors will sit in
:19:20. > :19:23.'shadow' form until next April when Probably the most important
:19:24. > :19:28.of those will be responsibility for the bulk of planning decisions
:19:29. > :19:30.in their neighbourhoods. There were controversies
:19:31. > :19:33.in the 1960s when councils had responsibility
:19:34. > :19:39.for distributing housing, so will these new representatives
:19:40. > :19:41.have the necessary skills to handle Our Political Editor Mark Devenport
:19:42. > :20:00.reports. We want to test the scale of this
:20:01. > :20:04.and see how it looks. Staff at this planning centre place model options
:20:05. > :20:10.for a new leisure centre in west Belfast. The creative director sees
:20:11. > :20:15.the shift in planning powers to councils as a potentially positive
:20:16. > :20:19.development. I think it is a huge opportunity for the future of
:20:20. > :20:24.Northern Ireland. It has been coming for some time. What it offers is
:20:25. > :20:29.great opportunities for local councils to develop their own
:20:30. > :20:33.plans. It is this moment where people are choosing who they vote
:20:34. > :20:38.for within the next couple of weeks. They want to choose politicians that
:20:39. > :20:41.have the ability and understanding of urban regeneration and planning
:20:42. > :20:44.issues, because it is those politicians and councillors who will
:20:45. > :20:49.be able to make the biggest difference. Until now, our
:20:50. > :20:51.councillors have been able to voice their opinion on planning
:20:52. > :20:55.applications, but the decision-making power has been with
:20:56. > :21:00.the planning service. From next year, the politicians will be able
:21:01. > :21:16.to approve or reject all but the biggest developments. While
:21:17. > :21:18.optimists hope the new councils will rise to the challenge, environmental
:21:19. > :21:21.campaigners say the new councillors must be subject to a strict code of
:21:22. > :21:24.conduct in order to ensure they do not get too close to developers.
:21:25. > :21:26.Because there is a tradition of close relationships between
:21:27. > :21:28.politicians and planners, it is easy to see that continuing where we last
:21:29. > :21:31.a fairer system, a permissive system, which says look after your
:21:32. > :21:35.community, we will look after hours and we will not engage in proper
:21:36. > :21:40.democratic planning. That is a real danger and that is why we need the
:21:41. > :21:44.nuts and bolts of good transparency in place. With new councillors set
:21:45. > :21:48.to wield powers which will have financial consequences for
:21:49. > :21:51.developers and those objecting to their plans, environmental
:21:52. > :21:55.campaigners say it is time that the public hears should know who donates
:21:56. > :21:58.to the political parties and have the same right to that information
:21:59. > :22:03.And there'll be live coverage of the results as they come in
:22:04. > :22:08.That's at nine 9 o'clock on Friday night over on BBC2.
:22:09. > :22:10.The Queen's Baton Relay is in Northern Ireland
:22:11. > :22:13.for a four-day visit ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
:22:14. > :22:16.It's the traditional curtain raiser for the games which begin
:22:17. > :22:20.Our reporter Chris Page has been following the baton's progress
:22:21. > :22:39.Yes, the Batten has been on an incredible journey. It has just left
:22:40. > :22:43.this at bowling club. They are sending several bowlers to the
:22:44. > :22:49.Commonwealth Games. It has been a great day on the road. After a
:22:50. > :23:03.journey of 100 and the thousand miles in more than 60 countries, but
:23:04. > :23:08.baton arrived. Here is Dame Mary Peters. The baton has been on the
:23:09. > :23:15.move since October, taking in Pacific Islands, African nations and
:23:16. > :23:18.Australia. Accompanied by the first and Deputy First Minister is, Dame
:23:19. > :23:22.Mary Peters started the relay at the front of Parliament buildings. The
:23:23. > :23:30.first bearers were children from three primary schools. It was their
:23:31. > :23:40.job to carry it down the hill, with encouragement from the mascot of The
:23:41. > :23:46.games. Later in the morning, the Batten -- the baton went to the home
:23:47. > :23:50.of Northern Ireland swimming in banker. For competitors heading to
:23:51. > :23:56.Glasgow, the arrival of the baton made it all feel very real. I train
:23:57. > :24:05.here every day and I train really hard. The baton is nearly in
:24:06. > :24:09.Glasgow. 60 days to the games. If there was plenty of water inside,
:24:10. > :24:14.there was even more on the next age of the journey, the baton went by
:24:15. > :24:17.lifeboat across Belfast Lough. It was welcome to Carrickfergus by Sea
:24:18. > :24:26.cadets. During its tour of Northern Ireland, the baton will visit all
:24:27. > :24:31.six counties. It is a special week for sports people, the bowlers and
:24:32. > :24:35.Ballymena where inspired by the visits of the baton. Tomorrow it
:24:36. > :24:43.will go to some of the best-known tourist spots and we will be
:24:44. > :24:50.following it every step of the way. C what the weather has in store.
:24:51. > :24:56.For this evening, many of us are enjoying fine weather, but we will
:24:57. > :24:59.have a scattering of showers coming in from the south-east and like last
:25:00. > :25:05.night, some of those will become quite heavy with the odd rumble of
:25:06. > :25:11.thunder. The good news is, most of those will clear away, drier
:25:12. > :25:17.conditions following behind, so tomorrow, it will be better,
:25:18. > :25:25.brighter and drier. Not try all day, the odd scattered showers, mainly
:25:26. > :25:30.for western areas -- dry. Good spells of sunshine, showers coming
:25:31. > :25:34.up, mainly for central and western areas. The showers could push
:25:35. > :25:43.further east. There will be good spells of sunshine and it will not
:25:44. > :25:47.feel too bad with light winds. For the second part of the day, very
:25:48. > :25:53.little will change, the wet weather mainly concentrated towards the west
:25:54. > :25:57.and North Coast. Further east, largely dry and bright. Overnight
:25:58. > :26:03.and into Thursday, some showers, they will die away, a cooler night,
:26:04. > :26:09.the winds will start to change direction on Thursday, it will feel
:26:10. > :26:14.cooler, but to begin with, for polling day, it should be largely
:26:15. > :26:18.dry until the afternoon, one we are expecting more in the way of
:26:19. > :26:23.unsettled weather to come in from the south-east. Some of the rain on
:26:24. > :26:27.Thursday could be heavy, but it will not be raining all day. With the
:26:28. > :26:34.northerly winds, it will feel blustery, especially on the North
:26:35. > :26:39.Coast. A look ahead to Friday and the weekend, we will have low
:26:40. > :26:43.pressure in control, some wet weather at times, plenty of dry
:26:44. > :26:55.weather as well. Follow us on Twitter. Not too cold. Our late
:26:56. > :26:57.summary is at 10:25pm. You can keep in contact via Facebook and Twitter.
:26:58. > :27:01.Goodbye.