28/05/2014 BBC Newsline

stand firm, dismissing talk of a leadership challenge, after

a This is BBC Newsline.

Tonight's top stories: Peter Robinson is criticised for

supporting a Belfast pastor who made To This comment is not helpful and

many people will take offence at what he has said.

The Police Federation slams senior officers for failing to protect

The folk musician Francis McPeake appears in court

NIE says it is being forced to cut 10% of its workforce.

David Jeffrey tells us why he quit Linfield as manager

After a lovely few days, a change in the weather is on the way tonight.

The First and Deputy First Ministers have clashed after Peter Robinson

defended a north Belfast pastor who made controversial comments

This evening, a spokesman for local Muslims said Mr Robinson's remarks

They invited him to Belfast's Islamic Centre to learn

Our political correspondent Gareth Gordon has the details.

Islamic is heathen. Peter Robinson is has attended quite well

Metropolitan Tabernacle in the past and says he will again. In today's

Irish News he defended the past's remarks on Islam, saying he hasn't

an ounce of hatred in his bones. You have to ask, what you not trust

those followers of Islam in doing? I wouldn't trust them in terms of

those who have been involved in terrorist activities, I don't trust

them if they are fully devoted to sharia law. I wouldn't trust them

for spiritual guidance but I trust them to go done to the chops for

May, I trust them to do a number of other day to day issues. There is no

reason why you wouldn't. That provoked a response from the Deputy

First Minister, Martin McGuinness, who called on Peter Robinson to show

leadership in promoting equality, tolerance and respect for all. What

he got instead was this almost instant reply on Twitter, saying Mr

Robinson would not take lessons in tolerance from a self-confessed

leader of a bloody terrorist organisation, a reference to Mr's I

a past. Post election we may have expected temperatures to cool, yet

we have another ugly row between two men whose ability to work together

is increasingly in question. The two men today met the Turkish ambassador

to Britain, who was here opening a new consulate in Belfast, from a

secular state with a Muslim population. Today in measured

language the Secretary of State made it clear her view of Islam was

different from Peter Robinson's. It is a matter for the First Minister

how he responds to these remarks. For myself, I do condemn the remarks

made by Pastor McConnell. I do not believe, Islam is a peaceful

religion, unfortunately people do hijack for extremist ends. The local

Muslim community says it is hurt by the remarks. This is an unhelpful

comment from the minister. He is supposed to represent all the people

of Northern Ireland and we feel part of this country, so he is

misrepresenting us. His comment is not helpful and many people will

take offence at what he has said. Peter Robinson has been strong in

his defence of Pastor McConnell but now he is having to defend himself.

Dithering and rudderless - that's how the union that represents police

officers here has described the response of the PSNI's command team

The Police Federation says more than 800 officers were injured,

and that more should have been done to protect them.

It's lodged a formal complaint with the Health and Safety Executive,

accusing operational commanders of a failure in their duty of care.

Our home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.

Police officers spent much of last summer on the front line,

The union that represents them today said their commanders should have

drawn the line and done more to protect them.

820 police officers have been injured on duty as a result mainly

of light protests and violence orbited by the UVF and UDA. That is

a shocking statistic, almost a quarter of all front line officers

injured but like flag protests. The Police Federation has lodged

a formal complaint with the Health and Safety Executive,

claiming that operational commanders failed in their duty

of care to officers sent in to deal Those in command who did need to

understand that the safety of officers is being jeopardised by

those same officers struggle to prevent anarchy on our streets.

He said water cannon and plastic bullets should have been deployed

But the Chief Constable, who was in the audience at the Federation's

annual conference, said that could have made the situation worse.

He rejected the claim that police commanders

dithered and didn't do enough to protect those on the front line.

I am determined we will do everything we can to improve the

safety of our colleagues. We have a strong track of that -- track record

of that and we will work closely with Terry and the Federation and I

will welcome to Health and Safety Executive here because one officer

injured is one too many. Matt Baggott will soon step down

after five years as Chief Constable. Terry Spence today spoke of the

challenges facing his successor. The task any new Chief Constable

will face is nothing short of monumental. He or she will have to

demonstrate streetwise awareness, be able to resist undue political

pressure, fight our corner on resources and be able to make tough

calls when it comes to tackling terrorism and disorder.

That successor will be chosen tomorrow, when three candidates are

They include current PSNI Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton.

He joined the RUC in 1985 and has experience in

He also worked in England, and spent almost three years as an assistant

chief constable in Scotland before returning to the PSNI.

His opposition for the job includes Cressida Dick, an assistant

commissioner with the Metropolitan Police in London, and the most

She came to national prominence in July 2005, when she led

an operation that resulted in Brazilian man Jean Charles de

Menezes being shot dead by police officers after being wrongly

She was later cleared of any blame for his death.

Assistant Garda Commissioner Derek Byrne is the other contender.

He's been a police officer since 1979 and is currently

completing a Master's degree in violence, terrorism

The post of Chief Constable of the PSNI is regarded as the most

The identity of the next person to hold the position is expected

Belfast Crown Court has heard allegations that

the folk musician Francis McPeake abused a teenage girl.

The trial was halted shortly after opening at Belfast Crown Court,

after the judge dismissed the jury because of a legal technicality.

Francis McPeake, who's 72, is the head of one of Ireland's best-known

He's charged with sexually abusing a girl who was 15 at the time

This morning he was put on trial at Belfast Crown Court.

Francis McPeake stood in the dock as the 12 child sex abuse charges

He was wearing a grey suit and a grey tie and looked straight ahead.

The prosecuting barrister gave his opening statement.

He said the musician had met his alleged victim at

a music event and started to abuse her on a trip to the Republic.

The court heard he abused her in several other locations,

including in his car and in a musical instruments workshop.

The prosecution claim the abuse happened from 2009 to 2010.

The lawyer said he would claim that the accused never forced

But he said that if what she said happened had indeed

taken place, that would mean an offence had been committed,

The court heard that during police interviews,

the accused's solicitor read out a statement in which Francis McPeake

said the allegations were false, malicious and without foundation.

Early this afternoon, the judge dismissed the jury

because of a legal technicality and the case was adjourned.

Still to come on tonight's programme:

The schoolboys who have been making friends with dementia sufferers

First week we came, we didn't really know anybody, but the second week,

God bless all of them, they really are heart-warming.

More than 100 jobs are to go at Northern Ireland Electricity.

Consultations are under way with staff about voluntary redundancies.

The company says it needs to cut costs after it was prevented

Julian O'Neill, our business correspondent, is here.

How will NIE go about making the cuts?

First, it is worth stressing that NIE says there will be no compulsory

lay-offs here. It is looking for 120 volunteers. If it gets them, it will

trim its workforce by about 10%. Discussions have begun with staff

and unions. NIE says the redundancies are as are about

cutting costs but the Unite union has expressed its opposition, saying

this is a company in good financial shape. Last year it announced an

operating profit of ?112 million. The real issue isn't about the level

of staffing or staffing costs, but the level of dividends. It is about

private versus public ownership and maybe the real trick in this issue

is to bring this matter back into public ownership, bring the whole

electricity generating ownership back into public ownership so the

people of Northern Ireland have a share within it.

Last year, proposed price increases by NIE to customers were blocked.

NIE argued it needed extra revenue to make improvements to the network.

The upgrades will still take place but in justifying these job losses,

in a argues they are a consequence of having its operating allowances

reduced a by the competition watchdog. -- as determined.

Northern Ireland's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry has

heard that a Stormont Home Affairs Minister in the mid-1960s believed

that the Sisters of Nazareth in Londonderry were saving the state

money by caring for children at their residential homes. The

inquiry also heard today that it was the 1980s

before a sex abuse policy was given to residential homes in the area.

Kevin Sharkey reports from the inquiry in Banbridge.

These are the final days of the public hearings

into two homes run by the nuns, at Bishop Street and Termonbacca.

This morning, the inquiry was presented with historical

correspondence between the Sisters of Nazareth order and state bodies.

The letters dealt with an application for a grant

in the 1960s to carry out building improvements at Termonbacca.

They revealed that the Government was seeking details of the order's

accounts before approving the funding, and central to the

application at the time was the then Home Affairs Minister, Bill Craig.

In his memo to colleagues, written in 1964, Mr Craig said if voluntary

homes like term and back-up were not available, children would have to be

accommodated by the authorities at great offence. He

standards of accommodation at Termonbacca at the time fell well

below what his department expected in a home for deprived children.

The inquiry is now hearing closing statements at the end

also today, as is closing submission, the board heard it was

1988 before guidelines were published within residential homes.

Counsel for the board also said any attempt during that period to admit

children from voluntary homes into state care would have been regarded

as "significant state interference" in the private lives of families and

the arrangements they made for their children.

A 21-year-old Londonderry man has pleaded guilty to possession

Nathan Hastings of Stradowen Drive was arrested

when two cars were stopped on the Northland Road in April last year.

Inside one, police found a pipe bomb, a pistol, ammunition and two

He had been due to stand trial this morning but instead asked that

the charges of possession of arms and explosives be put to him again.

A 23-year-old man has been shot in the leg on the outskirts of

The victim was in a takeaway in the Juniper area of Twinbrook

last night when he was dragged out and shot in the knee and ankle.

It's believed hundreds of health service staff won't get

Public sector unions here say it follows problems with

a new payroll system introduced in all of the health trusts.

At NIPSA's annual conference, members expressed anger over

the glitch and urged the Health Minister Edwin Poots to address

There will be calls for the minister to resign because month after month

he has said he and his officials will resolve the issue, yet tomorrow

we again expect hundreds if not thousands of members will have

problems with their pay, and these are real people with mortgages and

bills to pay and many members have not received their pay.

The Chief Electoral Officer says it's regrettable that

a newly elected councillor, who uses a wheelchair, was unable to give

his victory speech from the podium because no ramp was provided.

Johnny McCarthy, who will represent NI21 on the new

Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, had to give his speech from the floor.

The council has apologised for any inconvenience caused.

Councillor McCarthy says he hopes the incident will help raise

awareness of the issues faced by people with disabilities,

but that's not the reason he wanted to get into politics.

The reason I got into politics was not to campaign specifically for

disabled people. I became a counsellor to speak to all -- for

all the people of Les Byrne. I think because I am in a wheelchair it

gives me a unique insight into how someone in a wheelchair has to live,

so I think my experiences in life will help me give a slant to the

different issues that come up for Liz Byrne and Castlereagh Council so

hopefully I can put that opinion forward but it is not something I am

solely focused on. Still to come

on tonight's programme: Former Linfield boss David Jeffrey

tells us why he decided to commit -- to quit the club.

You wouldn't expect 14-year-old boys to make friends with elderly

dementia sufferers, but that's exactly what's happening

Pupils from Ashfield Boys' School have been taking part in the scheme.

I went to see how they've been getting along.

Have you nothing to tell me, nothing exciting happening, nobody getting

married? Minnie Beck

keeps the Ashfield Boys She's one of 25 tenants

in this supported housing scheme who benefit from regular visits

from the 14-year-olds. Today's task is to get

the garden ready for the summer. The boys say at first the project

seemed like a good way to get out of class, but they've been surprised

at the bonds they've built up. First week we came, we didn't really

know anyone, but the second week, God bless all of them, they really

are heart-warming. They are funny, they tell jokes and staff. Do you

look forward to coming to see them? Yes. Do you have grandparents? My

granny passed away not that long ago so it is good to come and have fun.

And the generation gap has been very easily bridged.

When I came here I was invited to join the art class of the school,

which really, really, to have the honour to be here with them, there

are not many faces that invite you, you are a bit by yourself by date.

It would be great to bring some of their relatives, maybe get to know

the older folk, a few nice gentleman.

As the finishing touches are put to the garden,

everyone is hoping for some sunshine so they can reap the rewards

Three Irishmen in their 20s have created an unusual souvenir of their

Iain McNamara, Chris McGrath and Kevin Cobbe filmed themselves

Irish dancing in 23 different countries, from Peru to Australia,

They set it to the music of Riverdance, although they admit

that they might not be quite at Michael Flatley's level.

That video's had thousands of hits online already.

There's a link to it on our Facebook page, where you can also add

David Jeffrey's quit Linfield football club recently

He's been telling Stephen Watson why.

He's certainly one of the most colourful characters

in local football, and at times one of the most controversial.

Tonight, in a special interview, David Jeffrey gives an insight

into the reasons for his departure as Linfield manager.

He's also been forthright in what he feels are the problems confronting

the Irish League, and says the sport?s governing body isn't

He won 31 trophies during 17 years in charge of Linfield, now David

Jeffrey leaves the local game with a parting shot for the Irish that Boll

Association. I feel strongly that the Irish League has been neglected

by the governing body. I understand the pressures of top level of into

the international team was top of the pile. We had the heady days when

we need England and Spain and I think local foot will was allowed to

regress because of the motley, I can see in the near future, fewer and

fewer players from Northern Ireland at England and Scotland, at some

stage an international manager has to look to the Irish League so let's

take care of our own product at home. Geoffrey had a turbulent last

season with Linfield. He was disciplined after appearing on

social media singing about a new player signing from a rival club,

which played a part in his decision to quit. That was unfortunate. I

haven't got a clue about social networking, anything like that,

there are many things that occur in a football manager's life and I

wouldn't say, it would be untruthful to say that wasn't one

consideration, but it wasn't the reason, certainly that on all of

what it brought. Was a breakdown with the Linfield board anything to

do with your decision to leave? I made with additions in the interests

of myself, of the club, and the interests of myself. Did you feel

you were not wanted at the club any more? I made the interests -- the

decision in the interests of the club and myself and the supporters

and the players and I am at peace with that decision. But after

leaving local football, David Jeffrey is determined to be back

soon. The GAA's referees? committee meets

in Croke Park tonight to review several high-profile incidents

regarding a controversial new rule. The black card, which allows

a player who has been sent off to be replaced by a substitute,

is designed to clean up the game and prevent cynical fouling.

But some managers have been complaining about the inconsistent

application of the rule. Pat McAneaney, chairman of

the referees committee, today told BBC Newsline that he accepted the

enforcement of the black card must improve, adding it was here to stay.

After over a quarter of a century, the decision to revive

the Londonderry marathon last year has given a rise to a resurgence

of runners in the city. The event, which was part of the UK

city of culture celebrations, has attracted even more participants

for this weekend?s event. Here's our North West reporter,

Keiron Tourish. 1800 people took part in last

year's event. The runners range from serious competitors to enthusiastic

joggers. It was the first time the marathon had taken place since the

mid-19 80s and it was such a success that the organisers were urged to

stage it again this year as a legacy of event from the City of Culture

year. There is a total up surge in people keeping fit and healthy and

when you come to the city there are runners everywhere and that pathways

in the city lend themselves to a running city. There is no part of

the city that we have missed out in the course, and it is mostly flat.

The marathon gets under way at 8:30am on Sunday. Organisers have

urged everyone eating part and spectators to get here early. --

taking part. More than 2000 people getting their trainers on in Derry

this weekend. Now let's see what the weather has in store. It has been a

beautiful afternoon across much of Northern Ireland and in the west we

saw lovely clear skies, temperatures up to 20 degrees in Enniskillen.

Things go downhill overnight as we go through into this evening, this

skies start to cloud up and rain works its way in from the east

overnight. The only upside to that is that temperatures remain quite

mild, I think staying in double figures in many places overnight.

Thursday has a different feel to it, a drizzly patch rain continuing

through the day. It might clear a little in the day but still plenty

of cloud around, so we can say goodbye to these lovely clear skies

and say hello to something more cloudy. If you are out, one thing

you will notice tomorrow is the temperature, quite different from

today. Today in the West we saw highs of 20, tomorrow under that

cloud we will struggle to see any better than 12 or 13, so that

drizzly light rain is a threat or ever you are, especially across the

East Coast, so not the best day. Lots of you have been out with your

cameras taking some fantastic pictures over the last few days. I

wanted to share a few of you. -- share a few of them with you. At

least all this rain will be good for the growers as we go into Friday.

Friday might be a day to get your camera out. It is warmer, plenty of

cloud around and still showers but we will get a few breaks which will

help those temperatures on the way up, and that general trend of

temperatures climbing continues on Saturday, so look at some of these

temperatures. That is not too bad, still quite a lot of cloud but we

will get some brighter spells as well, the odd shower were on

Saturday, so towards the weekend, you can say that Saturday is the

pick of the day is before a little bit of a change arrives on Sunday.

Just time for a recap of the main headlines. The first and deputy

ministers have clashed after peter Robinson defended a North Belfast

pastor who made comments about Muslims. And the Police Federation

has criticised senior officers for failing to protect officers during

disorder last summer. Our late summary is at 10:25pm. You can also

keep in touch via Facebook and Twitter. Have a good night.