:00:00. > :00:16.of wind. Back to you, Huw. Many thanks come about is all
:00:17. > :00:19.The headlines this Wednesday evening:
:00:20. > :00:22.Two young men from Northern Ireland die in a construction
:00:23. > :00:27.Five years in jail for this man who beat an autistic teenager so badly
:00:28. > :00:38.His victim's family say the sentence is too lenient.
:00:39. > :00:46.He deliberately kept details away from anyone who could help Scott. He
:00:47. > :00:52.should have been given the maximum, as far as were concerned.
:00:53. > :00:57.An unexpected boost for many low-paid workers here as
:00:58. > :00:59.the Chancellor scraps plans to cut tax credits.
:01:00. > :01:02.We hear the impact the closure of some care homes will have on those
:01:03. > :01:07.Rare footage of George Best at the height of his fame gets
:01:08. > :01:10.special musical treatment ten years on from his death.
:01:11. > :01:12.And a wet but mild spell tomorrow before a drop in temperature
:01:13. > :01:21.Two construction workers from Northern Ireland have been
:01:22. > :01:26.One of the men was Joe McDermott from Omagh.
:01:27. > :01:29.The other man is believed to have been from County Londonderry.
:01:30. > :01:34.It's understood the men, who were in their 20s,
:01:35. > :01:37.were working on an apartment block when a large slab fell on them.
:01:38. > :01:43.The two young men were working at this building site.
:01:44. > :01:45.Under construction, an 11-storey apartment block which is due to
:01:46. > :01:51.It's understood a large concrete slab which was being lifted
:01:52. > :01:59.A witness living nearby heard a large crash and ran out to find
:02:00. > :02:06.He helped other workers try to get the slab up.
:02:07. > :02:10.They were putting wooden planks underneath it to try to relieve the
:02:11. > :02:16.men, but we understand both men had died by the time the police arrived.
:02:17. > :02:21.The area was evacuated and the site in the western city of
:02:22. > :02:25.A large number of Irish nationals work in
:02:26. > :02:31.One of the two men who died was Joe McDermott from Omagh.
:02:32. > :02:36.News of his death has devastated the town.
:02:37. > :02:45.A young fellow taken down in the prime of his life, went out to
:02:46. > :02:51.Australia a few weeks ago for an adventure, to make if you pounds. He
:02:52. > :02:53.is only away five weeks tomorrow and their sense of grief in the town is
:02:54. > :02:57.palpable at the minute. It's unreal. The Irish Department of Foreign
:02:58. > :03:11.Affairs says it's ready to give And the second man killed in that
:03:12. > :03:14.accident has been named locally as Gerard Bradley from Port Stewart.
:03:15. > :03:17.The family of an autistic teenager who almost died in a brutal beating
:03:18. > :03:21.in 2012 have hit out at the sentence handed down to his attacker.
:03:22. > :03:23.Ryan Craig, who was originally charged with attempted murder,
:03:24. > :03:25.was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to causing grievous
:03:26. > :03:31.Scott Vineer was discovered with severe head injuries behind a
:03:32. > :03:41.Judge Lynch QC told Ryan Craig that his behaviour in the aftermath
:03:42. > :03:45.of the attack on Scott Vineer was not indicative of genuine remorse.
:03:46. > :03:48.Craig, seen here at an earlier hearing, attacked police
:03:49. > :03:56.The 20-year-old from Lisburn will spend five years in prison
:03:57. > :04:03.Scott Vineer's family had hoped for a longer sentence.
:04:04. > :04:06.He knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong and he
:04:07. > :04:13.deliberately kept details away from anyone who could help Scott.
:04:14. > :04:17.He should have been given the maximum, as far as we are concerned.
:04:18. > :04:21.I reckon he should have got about 15 years.
:04:22. > :04:26.Judge Lynch also told Craig that although he would be released from
:04:27. > :04:30.prison, Scott Vineer would never be released from the imprisonment
:04:31. > :04:42.The family have been telling me how the attack has left Scott with his
:04:43. > :04:45.own life sentence. When it happened three years ago
:04:46. > :04:48.Scott wasn't expected to survive. His battered, bruised and bloodied
:04:49. > :04:50.face swollen beyond recognition. He was in a coma for three months,
:04:51. > :04:53.suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain
:04:54. > :05:07.and couldn't breathe on his own. The doctor came to CSP for we saw
:05:08. > :05:14.Scott, and prepared us by saying he didn't think he would survive. He
:05:15. > :05:21.said we should be prepared to say our goodbyes. It was absolute horror
:05:22. > :05:26.and seeing him lying there, knowing how bubbly and strong he was, I just
:05:27. > :05:29.couldn't understand how anyone could have done that sort of horrific
:05:30. > :05:30.injuries to him. Scott was just 17
:05:31. > :05:32.when he was attacked as And he's been left with
:05:33. > :05:48.permanent brain damage. His balance has been affected, so he
:05:49. > :05:53.can topple over at times. Being left-handed, where the blade was on
:05:54. > :05:57.the right side of the brain, he now has a shake in his left arm when he
:05:58. > :06:00.tries to do things, so he struggles to cut a tomato or butter bread were
:06:01. > :06:06.right. -- or right. In August, Scott was best man
:06:07. > :06:09.at his mum and stepdad's wedding. He fought back before and he's
:06:10. > :06:25.determined to live a normal life. I think I have done really well and
:06:26. > :06:35.I will keep on living my life and I would like to eventually get my own
:06:36. > :06:42.place when I'm 25 or something, where I don't have to go far away to
:06:43. > :06:46.see my friends. When Scott was found unconscious and nine this disused
:06:47. > :06:51.furniture store, his injuries were so severe the police could not
:06:52. > :06:56.identify him from a photograph and although his recovery has astounded
:06:57. > :06:59.medical experts, he and his family will be dealing with the aftermath
:07:00. > :07:01.of the attack for the rest of their lives.
:07:02. > :07:03.The Chancellor, George Osborne, has scrapped plans to cut tax credits.
:07:04. > :07:06.The decision brings unexpected relief to one in six households
:07:07. > :07:08.in Northern Ireland which stood to lose hundreds of pounds a year.
:07:09. > :07:11.But there will still be tough times ahead in terms of Stormont spending.
:07:12. > :07:15.But first, this report from our business
:07:16. > :07:22.Times are hard, cash is tight and many workers
:07:23. > :07:25.like Lisa Rogan rely on extra money in the form of tax credits, which
:07:26. > :07:34.the Chancellor had his eye on as he seeks to control public spending.
:07:35. > :07:42.I wouldn't be able to pay most of my bills without tax credits. It sees
:07:43. > :07:45.you through the months when you are waiting on wages coming in to be
:07:46. > :07:47.able to pay gas and Electric and direct debits.
:07:48. > :07:49.So it looked like time was up for child tax credits
:07:50. > :07:53.and working tax credits going into today's Autumn Statement.
:07:54. > :07:56.But then came a surprise announcement.
:07:57. > :07:59.I have listened to the concerns and because I have been able to
:08:00. > :08:01.announce an improvement in public finances, the simplest
:08:02. > :08:08.thing is not to phase them in but to avoid them altogether.
:08:09. > :08:12.As a result, Natasha Brennan is among tens of thousands of local
:08:13. > :08:27.I did expect to make some changes to the cuts because there had been a
:08:28. > :08:31.lot of public pressure from advice organisations but I didn't expect a
:08:32. > :08:33.complete U-turn, which is great for working parents and makes me feel
:08:34. > :08:34.more secure. The Stormont Executive
:08:35. > :08:36.and others had been fearing the worst, particularly after
:08:37. > :08:50.reports that an end to tax credits A TUC report last week said Northern
:08:51. > :08:54.Ireland would be the worst affected in terms of losses under tax
:08:55. > :08:59.credits, so that the Chancellor has changed his mind completely on that
:09:00. > :09:01.I think is fantastic for people who were in work but depend on tax
:09:02. > :09:02.credits here. But the outlook is not so good
:09:03. > :09:05.for Stormont generally. The spin-out of the wider
:09:06. > :09:07.Autumn Statement will see day-to-day public spending feeling
:09:08. > :09:14.the squeeze for years to come. When I spoke to the Finance
:09:15. > :09:17.Minister, Arlene Foster, shortly before we came on air, I began
:09:18. > :09:30.by asking her if the U-turn on tax We are delighted to see the U-turn
:09:31. > :09:36.on tax credit, it is something we have been consistent on. We had
:09:37. > :09:41.planned for it, set aside ?245 million to deal with that issue and
:09:42. > :09:45.now we don't have to deal with it. So where will that money go? Will it
:09:46. > :09:51.stay in the welfare pop to help people whose benefits are being cut
:09:52. > :09:57.or will it be redistributed? We will have to discuss that. We thought
:09:58. > :10:01.there would be something on tax credits and now have to decide what
:10:02. > :10:09.to do with that pot of money. It is ring-fenced for wealth there there
:10:10. > :10:13.is money set aside to the tune of ?340 million but the 240 million, we
:10:14. > :10:20.will have to discuss what to do with that, do we put it into the health
:10:21. > :10:26.budget or put it into welfare. What is your preferred option? I think we
:10:27. > :10:30.have to help vulnerable people so should have that discussion, but
:10:31. > :10:35.well do budget settlement is that in terms of how much cash we will get
:10:36. > :10:39.in the next four years, in real terms it is a 5% cut so we have to
:10:40. > :10:47.deal with that. How will we deal with that, considering the pressure
:10:48. > :10:51.departments are under? If you look at protection for health and
:10:52. > :10:54.education, that means a bigger cut for some smaller departments, so we
:10:55. > :11:00.have to have that discussion at executive level. I have to set a
:11:01. > :11:06.budget for 2016 based on the figures that have come to me today and said
:11:07. > :11:13.that by the end of January, so there isn't much time. There are welfare
:11:14. > :11:17.mitigations, their health money you have promised, corporation tax, are
:11:18. > :11:22.you in danger of overselling what you can do for people and build
:11:23. > :11:30.public services be decimated no, it is up to us to make sure we deliver
:11:31. > :11:40.public services. These are real politics and we have to set a budget
:11:41. > :11:44.for 2016 and 2017. The Secretary of State said the budget contained good
:11:45. > :11:50.news for Northern Ireland. This is not out of line with what was
:11:51. > :11:56.expected, in ways it is better than expected because we have protect did
:11:57. > :12:00.health and police funding, but the better news is that capital funding
:12:01. > :12:05.will go up and that will help the executive in vesting crucial items
:12:06. > :12:09.of infrastructure, for example improving their transport system,
:12:10. > :12:11.because that kind of improvement is important in economic recovery.
:12:12. > :12:13.I'm joined by our business and economics editor, John Campbell.
:12:14. > :12:23.Storm at now knows how much money it has to play with over the next five
:12:24. > :12:28.years, and as Arlene Foster said, the first thing to get on with is a
:12:29. > :12:32.budget, and there is the issue of how they use this money set aside
:12:33. > :12:37.for tax credits. The Finance Minister did not committed to other
:12:38. > :12:42.wealth there but I would be amazed if Sinn Fein did not say they had to
:12:43. > :12:46.put that towards welfare mitigation. The construction of the budget
:12:47. > :12:52.should be less fraught now we have this fresh deal between Sinn Fein
:12:53. > :12:56.and the DUP, but there will still be big pressure on the budget because
:12:57. > :13:00.it is falling in real terms and there are demands from health,
:13:01. > :13:05.welfare mitigation, paying for corporation tax, so whatever parties
:13:06. > :13:13.come up with, the budget settlement will still be tough. But is it a
:13:14. > :13:16.healthy budget? It has been manageable, despite everything storm
:13:17. > :13:23.and has been through constructing a balanced budget, the black hole and
:13:24. > :13:26.the fantasy budget era, but Stormont has muddle through austerity, so
:13:27. > :13:33.perhaps they can do the same again but some criticisms around the
:13:34. > :13:38.autumn review spending statement has been the low hanging fruit of
:13:39. > :13:43.austerity having been picked, so the cuts which are to come will be
:13:44. > :13:46.harder. That might not be the case here because we haven't done a lot
:13:47. > :13:53.of austerity which the rest of the UK has. We still have the effects of
:13:54. > :13:58.the public redundancy scheme, so that should users into austerity
:13:59. > :14:03.more easily. The breathing space on tax credits will be welcome to a lot
:14:04. > :14:09.of people. That is the biggest takeaway for people here locally.
:14:10. > :14:14.More than 100,000 households were set to lose out to the tune of more
:14:15. > :14:19.than ?1000 a year, so that will relieve pressure and where people
:14:20. > :14:25.were spending that money in pubs and shops, they will have relief at some
:14:26. > :14:27.credits -- some experts were saying this is cuts delayed rather than
:14:28. > :14:32.cuts completely cancelled. A private care home provider's
:14:33. > :14:35.decision to close seven of its homes Four Seasons Health Care said they
:14:36. > :14:39.were no longer financially viable. The families
:14:40. > :14:41.of over 250 residents now face the prospect of finding alternative
:14:42. > :14:43.places for their loved ones. Our reporter David Maxwell has
:14:44. > :14:45.spoken to a woman who's determined her frail
:14:46. > :14:58.mother should not be moved. Yesterday's decision to close seven
:14:59. > :15:03.homes came down to pounds and pence. They are operating at a loss and no
:15:04. > :15:07.longer viable, but for a residence in places like this, it is their
:15:08. > :15:09.home and a decision to close it can be devastating for them and their
:15:10. > :15:11.families. Kathy Barenskie's mother Bridie has
:15:12. > :15:13.been in Hamilton Court She has severe Alzheimer's
:15:14. > :15:24.and needs 24-hour care. They know her there. They know
:15:25. > :15:30.things about her like that she loves classical music, all the personal
:15:31. > :15:31.things that you need to know about someone to look after them.
:15:32. > :15:34.Four Seasons Health Care informed families by letter yesterday.
:15:35. > :15:37.But not everyone got the message that way.
:15:38. > :15:47.We were sitting having tea and it came on the news, so I rang the
:15:48. > :15:52.home, about 6:30pm, and the home said there was a meeting on. I felt
:15:53. > :15:57.like I had to leave and start ringing around homes as quick as I
:15:58. > :15:59.can because if I don't get a good bet for my mother, you will get it
:16:00. > :16:02.and I needed. Kathy says her mum's care
:16:03. > :16:04.in Hamilton Court is second to none and she fears the consequences
:16:05. > :16:11.of moving her. She is well settled there. Who could
:16:12. > :16:17.say what the impact will be? Her nursing needs have changed but I
:16:18. > :16:19.don't think it would be a good impact and I don't want it to
:16:20. > :16:22.happen. Many families affected
:16:23. > :16:23.by yesterday's decision They've been told they need to
:16:24. > :16:35.find alternative accommodation She's not going. There is nowhere
:16:36. > :16:37.else suitable. This is where she is going to end her days, where she is
:16:38. > :16:39.loved. The son of an IRA informer killed
:16:40. > :16:43.in 1986 has said Martin McGuinness should be questioned
:16:44. > :16:44.in connection with the murder. Frank Hegarty was found shot
:16:45. > :16:47.in the back of the head. The Deputy First Minister denies
:16:48. > :16:50.having had any role in the death. The murder of Frank Hegarty,
:16:51. > :16:56.more than 30 years ago, His eyes taped, his hands tied,
:16:57. > :17:02.he had been shot in the head He was killed
:17:03. > :17:07.for being an army informer. Frank Hegarty was aware
:17:08. > :17:11.the IRA had suspicions about him. That's why he left Derry,
:17:12. > :17:16.his home town, in January 1986. But for some reason he decided
:17:17. > :17:21.to go back three months later. His family have insisted he was
:17:22. > :17:23.given assurances that he would be safe by
:17:24. > :17:26.Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. On BBC Spotlight last night,
:17:27. > :17:29.his son Ryan spoke for He came back for my mother,
:17:30. > :17:56.for me and my sister because he Ryan was asked whether Martin
:17:57. > :18:03.McGuinness should be questioned about his father's killing in any
:18:04. > :18:11.future lease investigation. Martin McGuinness has the answer. That's
:18:12. > :18:15.all I'm going to say. But over the years he has made it clear there is
:18:16. > :18:21.nothing to do with the murder. The family were told they may I believed
:18:22. > :18:26.it would be highly dangerous for him to return to Derry, but he decided
:18:27. > :18:32.to return to Derry and we know what happened, but I had no heart -- no
:18:33. > :18:36.part in anything that happened to him. He repeat did that in a
:18:37. > :18:51.statement today and added... Police will re-examine what happened
:18:52. > :18:55.to Frank Hegarty, but the investigation could take five years.
:18:56. > :18:58.A former soldier giving evidence at an inquest in Belfast has denied
:18:59. > :19:01.making up his own version of the shooting of an unarmed man,
:19:02. > :19:04.29-year-old Harry Thornton, a father of six, was shot dead by
:19:05. > :19:10.a member of the Parachute Regiment whilst driving past Springfield Road
:19:11. > :19:17.For 44 years, Soldier C has maintained that two shots came from
:19:18. > :19:21.the van driven by Harry Thornton, a father of six from Crossmaglen.
:19:22. > :19:28.But no weapon was found in the van and Mr Thornton had
:19:29. > :19:33.In court, his family's barrister sought to undermine the credibility
:19:34. > :19:50.Soldier C's Ministry of Defence personnel files were produced in
:19:51. > :19:53.court. They showed that in 1971 he needed guilty to charges of falling
:19:54. > :19:59.asleep on duty and unattended us while on patrol. Three or four years
:20:00. > :20:00.later he made false or misleading statements about a road traffic
:20:01. > :20:04.incident. "You cannot tell the truth",
:20:05. > :20:07.said counsel for the family. "No, sir", said Soldier C,
:20:08. > :20:10."That's incorrect." The court heard what his commanding
:20:11. > :20:13.officers wrote in the 1980s. "He has a reputation for doing the
:20:14. > :20:16.most idiotic and irresponsible "He must learn to tell the
:20:17. > :20:30.unvarnished truth." Soldier C said he had been a good
:20:31. > :20:34.soldier or a further 26 years after the shooting and had been promoted
:20:35. > :20:39.and awarded the British Empire medal. His evidence is now completed
:20:40. > :20:49.but he said he and core operated voluntarily with the inquest, which
:20:50. > :20:54.is continuing. Police say a device was found in
:20:55. > :20:58.done given this afternoon. A police operation is set to continue their
:20:59. > :21:01.tomorrow. It is the second alert in the area in two weeks.
:21:02. > :21:04.It's ten years since the death of the soccer legend George Best, and
:21:05. > :21:07.to mark the anniversary there will be a special performance in Carlow
:21:08. > :21:10.tonight when musicians will play live to a German film from 1971
:21:11. > :21:12.where eight film cameras followed his every move on the pitch.
:21:13. > :21:15.Our Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison has been to the rehearsals.
:21:16. > :21:19.Imagine it's over 40 years ago and you're at Old Trafford
:21:20. > :21:21.for the Manchester United - Coventry City game.
:21:22. > :21:25.But you focus the entire match on George Best, and only him.
:21:26. > :21:30.That's what the German movie director Helmmuth Costard did
:21:31. > :21:35.And his work has now inspired a group of musicians.
:21:36. > :21:37.With his good looks and 1960s fashion sense,
:21:38. > :21:43.But this musical project is less about the goals that he scored
:21:44. > :21:54.A lecturer in film studies, who is also the guitarist
:21:55. > :21:57.and who first came across Costard's work ten years ago, says he was
:21:58. > :22:11.The film returns us to a space and an arena where George Best really
:22:12. > :22:16.was peerless. It is an interesting psychological study, it is not just
:22:17. > :22:21.a film about a sports icon. Slowly but surely, if you submit to what
:22:22. > :22:24.the film is trying to do, it becomes a fascinating character study and
:22:25. > :22:27.quite hypnotic. The film inspired Matthew
:22:28. > :22:29.and the other performers into coming up with the idea of
:22:30. > :22:32.a live musical performance to match It's like a throwback to the days
:22:33. > :22:38.of silent movies. Among the musicians is the Dutch
:22:39. > :22:41.maestro Ernst Reijseger, who has worked on several movies by
:22:42. > :23:00.the German director Werner Herzog. There's a lot of so-called static
:23:01. > :23:06.moments which are not. He is aware, he is alert and very much alive
:23:07. > :23:09.within this game. You fill in that. -- you fill it.
:23:10. > :23:11.Matthew Nolan says the project has the blessing of the
:23:12. > :23:14.Best family and he hoped to bring it all to George's home city, Belfast,
:23:15. > :23:23.Four American colleges have arrived in Belfast to participate
:23:24. > :23:26.in a unique ice hockey tournament starting this Friday.
:23:27. > :23:29.It will be the first time competitive college
:23:30. > :23:31.games have ever been played outside of North America.
:23:32. > :23:39.Nigel Ringland has been along to meet the sides.
:23:40. > :23:50.The excitement of American college ice hockey has arrived in Belfast
:23:51. > :23:57.with four colleges battling it out to be Friendship For champions this
:23:58. > :24:05.week. Potential future stars in the sport. We have guys with NHL
:24:06. > :24:09.aspirations laying in the hockey league but by and large if guys want
:24:10. > :24:13.to continue their career they have to look elsewhere than NHL, so this
:24:14. > :24:17.is a great chance for them to expand their horizons, sees something
:24:18. > :24:23.different and understand there is hockey out side North America. For
:24:24. > :24:30.one player it is an unlikely chance to spend time with his brother, a
:24:31. > :24:36.Belfast Giants player. Playing hockey, I don't get to see him a lot
:24:37. > :24:41.during the year, only in the summer, so to be able to come over and have
:24:42. > :24:47.him watching me playing a game, it is special. These games are
:24:48. > :24:51.competitive matches that code to the college's seasons, which is a big
:24:52. > :24:58.draw for fans. I'm coming to play for points because we care as much
:24:59. > :25:02.about winning our games as they care about theirs, and it is important
:25:03. > :25:12.they see our crowd supporting our teams. Colgate will play Brown in
:25:13. > :25:15.the opening game on Friday at 4pm. An overturned lorry has caused
:25:16. > :25:19.traffic delays on one of the main routes I've Belfast this evening.
:25:20. > :25:27.The vehicle lock one lane of the Blacks Road under the slip road and
:25:28. > :25:37.the road has been closed for some time while it is cleared.
:25:38. > :25:45.Let's get the weather. We had a cold snap last weekend and are heading
:25:46. > :25:50.towards another one this weekend. We have damp and a mild weather for the
:25:51. > :25:54.moment, this weather front is now slipping away so for this evening
:25:55. > :25:59.most parts are dry, one or two breaks in the cloud and as we go
:26:00. > :26:03.through the night it will close in, so it becomes misty and murky.
:26:04. > :26:07.Patches of rain and drizzle, so a damp deal to the end of the night
:26:08. > :26:14.but it is mild, temperatures around six or seven. Tomorrow we will hold
:26:15. > :26:18.onto that dull weather, extensive low cloud and a wet spell on the
:26:19. > :26:24.way. Initially it starts out dull and misty, pockets of rain and
:26:25. > :26:28.drizzle, then towards the end of pressure we get more persistent rain
:26:29. > :26:32.edging across Donegal into western counties, so it will move east
:26:33. > :26:36.during the morning and into the afternoon, and by the time it gets
:26:37. > :26:40.to the east it will linger through the rest of daylight hours until
:26:41. > :26:45.dusk, even behind that it will still be damp and murky but temperatures
:26:46. > :26:52.mild for the time of year. The breeze picks up tomorrow night, it
:26:53. > :26:58.will be another mild one, misty and murky with patches of rain, then we
:26:59. > :27:02.see a change as we go into Friday, we have a weather front moving off
:27:03. > :27:09.the Atlantic, quite an active one that will bring some heavy pulses of
:27:10. > :27:13.rain and blustery winds. It is also the borderline between the mild air
:27:14. > :27:18.we are having at the moment and the cold air coming behind us, so a
:27:19. > :27:24.marked drop in temperature. This is how Friday morning looks, very wet
:27:25. > :27:29.with squally rain, that moves along, temperatures fall away despite
:27:30. > :27:33.brightening up and we will see some wintry showers over the hills. More
:27:34. > :27:36.of that as we go into the weekend with blustery winds.
:27:37. > :27:41.You can also keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter.