25/11/2015 BBC Newsline

of wind. Back to you, Huw. Many thanks come about is all

The headlines this Wednesday evening:

Two young men from Northern Ireland die in a construction

Five years in jail for this man who beat an autistic teenager so badly

His victim's family say the sentence is too lenient.

He deliberately kept details away from anyone who could help Scott. He

should have been given the maximum, as far as were concerned.

An unexpected boost for many low-paid workers here as

the Chancellor scraps plans to cut tax credits.

We hear the impact the closure of some care homes will have on those

Rare footage of George Best at the height of his fame gets

special musical treatment ten years on from his death.

And a wet but mild spell tomorrow before a drop in temperature

Two construction workers from Northern Ireland have been

One of the men was Joe McDermott from Omagh.

The other man is believed to have been from County Londonderry.

It's understood the men, who were in their 20s,

were working on an apartment block when a large slab fell on them.

The two young men were working at this building site.

Under construction, an 11-storey apartment block which is due to

It's understood a large concrete slab which was being lifted

A witness living nearby heard a large crash and ran out to find

He helped other workers try to get the slab up.

They were putting wooden planks underneath it to try to relieve the

men, but we understand both men had died by the time the police arrived.

The area was evacuated and the site in the western city of

A large number of Irish nationals work in

One of the two men who died was Joe McDermott from Omagh.

News of his death has devastated the town.

A young fellow taken down in the prime of his life, went out to

Australia a few weeks ago for an adventure, to make if you pounds. He

is only away five weeks tomorrow and their sense of grief in the town is

palpable at the minute. It's unreal. The Irish Department of Foreign

Affairs says it's ready to give And the second man killed in that

accident has been named locally as Gerard Bradley from Port Stewart.

The family of an autistic teenager who almost died in a brutal beating

in 2012 have hit out at the sentence handed down to his attacker.

Ryan Craig, who was originally charged with attempted murder,

was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to causing grievous

Scott Vineer was discovered with severe head injuries behind a

Judge Lynch QC told Ryan Craig that his behaviour in the aftermath

of the attack on Scott Vineer was not indicative of genuine remorse.

Craig, seen here at an earlier hearing, attacked police

The 20-year-old from Lisburn will spend five years in prison

Scott Vineer's family had hoped for a longer sentence.

He knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong and he

deliberately kept details away from anyone who could help Scott.

He should have been given the maximum, as far as we are concerned.

I reckon he should have got about 15 years.

Judge Lynch also told Craig that although he would be released from

prison, Scott Vineer would never be released from the imprisonment

The family have been telling me how the attack has left Scott with his

own life sentence. When it happened three years ago

Scott wasn't expected to survive. His battered, bruised and bloodied

face swollen beyond recognition. He was in a coma for three months,

suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain

and couldn't breathe on his own. The doctor came to CSP for we saw

Scott, and prepared us by saying he didn't think he would survive. He

said we should be prepared to say our goodbyes. It was absolute horror

and seeing him lying there, knowing how bubbly and strong he was, I just

couldn't understand how anyone could have done that sort of horrific

injuries to him. Scott was just 17

when he was attacked as And he's been left with

permanent brain damage. His balance has been affected, so he

can topple over at times. Being left-handed, where the blade was on

the right side of the brain, he now has a shake in his left arm when he

tries to do things, so he struggles to cut a tomato or butter bread were

right. -- or right. In August, Scott was best man

at his mum and stepdad's wedding. He fought back before and he's

determined to live a normal life. I think I have done really well and

I will keep on living my life and I would like to eventually get my own

place when I'm 25 or something, where I don't have to go far away to

see my friends. When Scott was found unconscious and nine this disused

furniture store, his injuries were so severe the police could not

identify him from a photograph and although his recovery has astounded

medical experts, he and his family will be dealing with the aftermath

of the attack for the rest of their lives.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has scrapped plans to cut tax credits.

The decision brings unexpected relief to one in six households

in Northern Ireland which stood to lose hundreds of pounds a year.

But there will still be tough times ahead in terms of Stormont spending.

But first, this report from our business

Times are hard, cash is tight and many workers

like Lisa Rogan rely on extra money in the form of tax credits, which

the Chancellor had his eye on as he seeks to control public spending.

I wouldn't be able to pay most of my bills without tax credits. It sees

you through the months when you are waiting on wages coming in to be

able to pay gas and Electric and direct debits.

So it looked like time was up for child tax credits

and working tax credits going into today's Autumn Statement.

But then came a surprise announcement.

I have listened to the concerns and because I have been able to

announce an improvement in public finances, the simplest

thing is not to phase them in but to avoid them altogether.

As a result, Natasha Brennan is among tens of thousands of local

I did expect to make some changes to the cuts because there had been a

lot of public pressure from advice organisations but I didn't expect a

complete U-turn, which is great for working parents and makes me feel

more secure. The Stormont Executive

and others had been fearing the worst, particularly after

reports that an end to tax credits A TUC report last week said Northern

Ireland would be the worst affected in terms of losses under tax

credits, so that the Chancellor has changed his mind completely on that

I think is fantastic for people who were in work but depend on tax

credits here. But the outlook is not so good

for Stormont generally. The spin-out of the wider

Autumn Statement will see day-to-day public spending feeling

the squeeze for years to come. When I spoke to the Finance

Minister, Arlene Foster, shortly before we came on air, I began

by asking her if the U-turn on tax We are delighted to see the U-turn

on tax credit, it is something we have been consistent on. We had

planned for it, set aside ?245 million to deal with that issue and

now we don't have to deal with it. So where will that money go? Will it

stay in the welfare pop to help people whose benefits are being cut

or will it be redistributed? We will have to discuss that. We thought

there would be something on tax credits and now have to decide what

to do with that pot of money. It is ring-fenced for wealth there there

is money set aside to the tune of ?340 million but the 240 million, we

will have to discuss what to do with that, do we put it into the health

budget or put it into welfare. What is your preferred option? I think we

have to help vulnerable people so should have that discussion, but

well do budget settlement is that in terms of how much cash we will get

in the next four years, in real terms it is a 5% cut so we have to

deal with that. How will we deal with that, considering the pressure

departments are under? If you look at protection for health and

education, that means a bigger cut for some smaller departments, so we

have to have that discussion at executive level. I have to set a

budget for 2016 based on the figures that have come to me today and said

that by the end of January, so there isn't much time. There are welfare

mitigations, their health money you have promised, corporation tax, are

you in danger of overselling what you can do for people and build

public services be decimated no, it is up to us to make sure we deliver

public services. These are real politics and we have to set a budget

for 2016 and 2017. The Secretary of State said the budget contained good

news for Northern Ireland. This is not out of line with what was

expected, in ways it is better than expected because we have protect did

health and police funding, but the better news is that capital funding

will go up and that will help the executive in vesting crucial items

of infrastructure, for example improving their transport system,

because that kind of improvement is important in economic recovery.

I'm joined by our business and economics editor, John Campbell.

Storm at now knows how much money it has to play with over the next five

years, and as Arlene Foster said, the first thing to get on with is a

budget, and there is the issue of how they use this money set aside

for tax credits. The Finance Minister did not committed to other

wealth there but I would be amazed if Sinn Fein did not say they had to

put that towards welfare mitigation. The construction of the budget

should be less fraught now we have this fresh deal between Sinn Fein

and the DUP, but there will still be big pressure on the budget because

it is falling in real terms and there are demands from health,

welfare mitigation, paying for corporation tax, so whatever parties

come up with, the budget settlement will still be tough. But is it a

healthy budget? It has been manageable, despite everything storm

and has been through constructing a balanced budget, the black hole and

the fantasy budget era, but Stormont has muddle through austerity, so

perhaps they can do the same again but some criticisms around the

autumn review spending statement has been the low hanging fruit of

austerity having been picked, so the cuts which are to come will be

harder. That might not be the case here because we haven't done a lot

of austerity which the rest of the UK has. We still have the effects of

the public redundancy scheme, so that should users into austerity

more easily. The breathing space on tax credits will be welcome to a lot

of people. That is the biggest takeaway for people here locally.

More than 100,000 households were set to lose out to the tune of more

than ?1000 a year, so that will relieve pressure and where people

were spending that money in pubs and shops, they will have relief at some

credits -- some experts were saying this is cuts delayed rather than

cuts completely cancelled. A private care home provider's

decision to close seven of its homes Four Seasons Health Care said they

were no longer financially viable. The families

of over 250 residents now face the prospect of finding alternative

places for their loved ones. Our reporter David Maxwell has

spoken to a woman who's determined her frail

mother should not be moved. Yesterday's decision to close seven

homes came down to pounds and pence. They are operating at a loss and no

longer viable, but for a residence in places like this, it is their

home and a decision to close it can be devastating for them and their

families. Kathy Barenskie's mother Bridie has

been in Hamilton Court She has severe Alzheimer's

and needs 24-hour care. They know her there. They know

things about her like that she loves classical music, all the personal

things that you need to know about someone to look after them.

Four Seasons Health Care informed families by letter yesterday.

But not everyone got the message that way.

We were sitting having tea and it came on the news, so I rang the

home, about 6:30pm, and the home said there was a meeting on. I felt

like I had to leave and start ringing around homes as quick as I

can because if I don't get a good bet for my mother, you will get it

and I needed. Kathy says her mum's care

in Hamilton Court is second to none and she fears the consequences

of moving her. She is well settled there. Who could

say what the impact will be? Her nursing needs have changed but I

don't think it would be a good impact and I don't want it to

happen. Many families affected

by yesterday's decision They've been told they need to

find alternative accommodation She's not going. There is nowhere

else suitable. This is where she is going to end her days, where she is

loved. The son of an IRA informer killed

in 1986 has said Martin McGuinness should be questioned

in connection with the murder. Frank Hegarty was found shot

in the back of the head. The Deputy First Minister denies

having had any role in the death. The murder of Frank Hegarty,

more than 30 years ago, His eyes taped, his hands tied,

he had been shot in the head He was killed

for being an army informer. Frank Hegarty was aware

the IRA had suspicions about him. That's why he left Derry,

his home town, in January 1986. But for some reason he decided

to go back three months later. His family have insisted he was

given assurances that he would be safe by

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. On BBC Spotlight last night,

his son Ryan spoke for He came back for my mother,

for me and my sister because he Ryan was asked whether Martin

McGuinness should be questioned about his father's killing in any

future lease investigation. Martin McGuinness has the answer. That's

all I'm going to say. But over the years he has made it clear there is

nothing to do with the murder. The family were told they may I believed

it would be highly dangerous for him to return to Derry, but he decided

to return to Derry and we know what happened, but I had no heart -- no

part in anything that happened to him. He repeat did that in a

statement today and added... Police will re-examine what happened

to Frank Hegarty, but the investigation could take five years.

A former soldier giving evidence at an inquest in Belfast has denied

making up his own version of the shooting of an unarmed man,

29-year-old Harry Thornton, a father of six, was shot dead by

a member of the Parachute Regiment whilst driving past Springfield Road

For 44 years, Soldier C has maintained that two shots came from

the van driven by Harry Thornton, a father of six from Crossmaglen.

But no weapon was found in the van and Mr Thornton had

In court, his family's barrister sought to undermine the credibility

Soldier C's Ministry of Defence personnel files were produced in

court. They showed that in 1971 he needed guilty to charges of falling

asleep on duty and unattended us while on patrol. Three or four years

later he made false or misleading statements about a road traffic

incident. "You cannot tell the truth",

said counsel for the family. "No, sir", said Soldier C,

"That's incorrect." The court heard what his commanding

officers wrote in the 1980s. "He has a reputation for doing the

most idiotic and irresponsible "He must learn to tell the

unvarnished truth." Soldier C said he had been a good

soldier or a further 26 years after the shooting and had been promoted

and awarded the British Empire medal. His evidence is now completed

but he said he and core operated voluntarily with the inquest, which

is continuing. Police say a device was found in

done given this afternoon. A police operation is set to continue their

tomorrow. It is the second alert in the area in two weeks.

It's ten years since the death of the soccer legend George Best, and

to mark the anniversary there will be a special performance in Carlow

tonight when musicians will play live to a German film from 1971

where eight film cameras followed his every move on the pitch.

Our Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison has been to the rehearsals.

Imagine it's over 40 years ago and you're at Old Trafford

for the Manchester United - Coventry City game.

But you focus the entire match on George Best, and only him.

That's what the German movie director Helmmuth Costard did

And his work has now inspired a group of musicians.

With his good looks and 1960s fashion sense,

But this musical project is less about the goals that he scored

A lecturer in film studies, who is also the guitarist

and who first came across Costard's work ten years ago, says he was

The film returns us to a space and an arena where George Best really

was peerless. It is an interesting psychological study, it is not just

a film about a sports icon. Slowly but surely, if you submit to what

the film is trying to do, it becomes a fascinating character study and

quite hypnotic. The film inspired Matthew

and the other performers into coming up with the idea of

a live musical performance to match It's like a throwback to the days

of silent movies. Among the musicians is the Dutch

maestro Ernst Reijseger, who has worked on several movies by

the German director Werner Herzog. There's a lot of so-called static

moments which are not. He is aware, he is alert and very much alive

within this game. You fill in that. -- you fill it.

Matthew Nolan says the project has the blessing of the

Best family and he hoped to bring it all to George's home city, Belfast,

Four American colleges have arrived in Belfast to participate

in a unique ice hockey tournament starting this Friday.

It will be the first time competitive college

games have ever been played outside of North America.

Nigel Ringland has been along to meet the sides.

The excitement of American college ice hockey has arrived in Belfast

with four colleges battling it out to be Friendship For champions this

week. Potential future stars in the sport. We have guys with NHL

aspirations laying in the hockey league but by and large if guys want

to continue their career they have to look elsewhere than NHL, so this

is a great chance for them to expand their horizons, sees something

different and understand there is hockey out side North America. For

one player it is an unlikely chance to spend time with his brother, a

Belfast Giants player. Playing hockey, I don't get to see him a lot

during the year, only in the summer, so to be able to come over and have

him watching me playing a game, it is special. These games are

competitive matches that code to the college's seasons, which is a big

draw for fans. I'm coming to play for points because we care as much

about winning our games as they care about theirs, and it is important

they see our crowd supporting our teams. Colgate will play Brown in

the opening game on Friday at 4pm. An overturned lorry has caused

traffic delays on one of the main routes I've Belfast this evening.

The vehicle lock one lane of the Blacks Road under the slip road and

the road has been closed for some time while it is cleared.

Let's get the weather. We had a cold snap last weekend and are heading

towards another one this weekend. We have damp and a mild weather for the

moment, this weather front is now slipping away so for this evening

most parts are dry, one or two breaks in the cloud and as we go

through the night it will close in, so it becomes misty and murky.

Patches of rain and drizzle, so a damp deal to the end of the night

but it is mild, temperatures around six or seven. Tomorrow we will hold

onto that dull weather, extensive low cloud and a wet spell on the

way. Initially it starts out dull and misty, pockets of rain and

drizzle, then towards the end of pressure we get more persistent rain

edging across Donegal into western counties, so it will move east

during the morning and into the afternoon, and by the time it gets

to the east it will linger through the rest of daylight hours until

dusk, even behind that it will still be damp and murky but temperatures

mild for the time of year. The breeze picks up tomorrow night, it

will be another mild one, misty and murky with patches of rain, then we

see a change as we go into Friday, we have a weather front moving off

the Atlantic, quite an active one that will bring some heavy pulses of

rain and blustery winds. It is also the borderline between the mild air

we are having at the moment and the cold air coming behind us, so a

marked drop in temperature. This is how Friday morning looks, very wet

with squally rain, that moves along, temperatures fall away despite

brightening up and we will see some wintry showers over the hills. More

of that as we go into the weekend with blustery winds.

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