:00:15. > :00:18.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline: A family flee their home
:00:19. > :00:28.as a fire spreads from a nearby recycling centre.
:00:29. > :00:34.I just wanted my family to be safe. That was all that mattered to me.
:00:35. > :00:37.A court hears more details about what happened the night
:00:38. > :00:39.the West Belfast man Christopher Meli was killed.
:00:40. > :00:41.Claims that this undercover officer from Scotland Yard targeted
:00:42. > :00:47.The pioneering surgery which it's hoped will help improve the life
:00:48. > :00:55.Also on the programme: Our Christmas carol this evening comes
:00:56. > :01:01.from Willowbridge School in Enniskillen.
:01:02. > :01:04.An early Christmas present for our top rally driver -
:01:05. > :01:11.And, the next few days will be colder but still very changeable.
:01:12. > :01:21.Three days before Christmas, this is all that's left of a family
:01:22. > :01:27.The police are treating the fire that destroyed
:01:28. > :01:33.It broke out and spread from a nearby re-cycling centre.
:01:34. > :01:36.Our reporter, Catherine Morrison, is in the village this evening.
:01:37. > :01:51.Yes, the fire reduced the family home behind me here to little more
:01:52. > :01:56.than a blackened shell. It is only when you are standing here that you
:01:57. > :02:00.really get to see just how close the house is to the recycling centre
:02:01. > :02:07.next door, where the blaze broke out in the early hours of this morning.
:02:08. > :02:14.High winds fanned the flames to this family home just a few metres and a
:02:15. > :02:17.flimsy wooden fence separates the two. The family had to flee in the
:02:18. > :02:21.middle of the night wearing just their pyjamas, and it was a lucky
:02:22. > :02:25.escape. A neighbour told me that less than ten minutes after the
:02:26. > :02:34.family left, the entire house was engulfed in flames. Earlier, our
:02:35. > :02:40.reporter spoke to the family. This was home to Rebecca, Andy and
:02:41. > :02:44.two and a half -year-old Daisy. Its brief now gone, its walls are
:02:45. > :02:49.unstable, and all their treasured belongings lost. Having left in any
:02:50. > :02:55.of them nightwear, they sat this morning at a relative's in borrowed
:02:56. > :03:03.clothes. As soon as I opened the door, the embers and the heat just
:03:04. > :03:09.met me at the front door. I knew I had to get out. I knew the fire was
:03:10. > :03:16.going to spread. My immediate reaction was to grab the child. I
:03:17. > :03:21.took Daisy. She was just in her pyjamas. I grabbed her tight and
:03:22. > :03:32.bolted through the door. Rebecca followed. The reaction was to look
:03:33. > :03:43.back. It seemed as if the house was on fire. But I just want my family
:03:44. > :03:53.to be safe. That was all that mattered to me. We have only been in
:03:54. > :03:57.the house about two months. It was a struggle even at times because I
:03:58. > :04:07.have just recently lost my job a month ago. Between struggling to
:04:08. > :04:14.find a new job and to keep the house, maintain the house, and
:04:15. > :04:24.coming to Christmas and buying the present, which we struggled to buy.
:04:25. > :04:28.When I say we struggled, friends and family. We could not have done it
:04:29. > :04:32.without friends and family. We are saying that even more now. Safe and
:04:33. > :04:37.sound, all thanks to the neighbours across the road. I just run to the
:04:38. > :04:45.door and I hammered on it to get them out. The man came out with the
:04:46. > :04:48.girl. And this is the recycling centre where the fire started, a
:04:49. > :04:53.fire that police are now treating as suspicious. At its height, there
:04:54. > :04:58.were seven fire appliances here, and 40 firefighters from across
:04:59. > :05:03.counties, and down. The high last night and that several houses were
:05:04. > :05:08.also at risk of catching fire. If the fire has been a malicious act, I
:05:09. > :05:16.just want whoever has done it to understand and believe... We have
:05:17. > :05:28.lost our home at Christmas. We have nothing now. No toys. No presents to
:05:29. > :05:33.each other. All our photographs, our wedding photographs. A family
:05:34. > :05:43.together. Things could have been very, very different.
:05:44. > :05:46.I am joined now by the camps like Carla Lockhart. There has been a
:05:47. > :05:50.real sense of shock in this street. The people I have spoken to my
:05:51. > :05:55.neighbours, what has the reaction been like in the wider community.
:05:56. > :05:58.There is a real sense of shock and sadness for this little family who
:05:59. > :06:04.have suffered great loss. You can see behind us that their house has
:06:05. > :06:07.been absolutely gutted with flames and fire damage. The family,
:06:08. > :06:12.thankfully, escaped unharmed. Certainly, our thoughts and prayers
:06:13. > :06:17.are with his family. I have known them for many years, and it is so
:06:18. > :06:22.disheartening and so sad to see a family left without any of their
:06:23. > :06:26.belongings. There has been a real sense that people are rallying
:06:27. > :06:30.around the family. Has been a real outpouring of generosity and support
:06:31. > :06:37.for them. Absolutely. This morning, when Andrew's daddy contacted
:06:38. > :06:41.myself, we decided to coordinate a campaign to help the family. We have
:06:42. > :06:46.been overwhelmed by the amount of money that has been donated. Has
:06:47. > :06:51.been over ?5,000 given to the family, and the officers have been
:06:52. > :06:54.inundated with the amount of Christmas presents and gifts and
:06:55. > :07:01.presents going towards the family. Perhaps a small comfort for this
:07:02. > :07:04.family. Thank you for joining me. This is an ongoing police
:07:05. > :07:06.investigation, and they want to hear from anyone who may know what
:07:07. > :07:09.happened here last night to contact them.
:07:10. > :07:11.Tributes have been paid to an elderly farmer who died
:07:12. > :07:16.It's thought Pat Curran was killed in an incident involving a tractor
:07:17. > :07:24.at his farm near Kilclief yesterday evening.
:07:25. > :07:30.He was a person who was particularly supportive of his neighbours, of the
:07:31. > :07:35.local farming community. A very good, upstanding, dead member of our
:07:36. > :07:40.local community, and he will be sadly missed by all.
:07:41. > :07:42.The police have apologised to a former officer
:07:43. > :07:44.who was seriously injured in a dissident republican bomb attack.
:07:45. > :07:46.Peadar Heffron was the victim of a booby trap bombing
:07:47. > :07:50.A Police Ombudsman report found that four officers failed to pass
:07:51. > :07:52.information to detectives investigating the attempt
:07:53. > :07:57.A meeting of the Policing Board heard today that two of the officers
:07:58. > :08:06.had not been disciplined as severely as the Ombudsman had recommended.
:08:07. > :08:08.This is BBC Newsline and still to come on the programme
:08:09. > :08:11.we'll hear about the life changing pioneering surgery that this
:08:12. > :08:20.seven-year-old girl from Ballycarry has had.
:08:21. > :08:23.The High Court has been told that a young father was beaten to death
:08:24. > :08:25.in retaliation for an earlier fight in West Belfast.
:08:26. > :08:27.20-year-old Christopher Meli was killed near houses in Twinbrook
:08:28. > :08:33.Today, a judge granted bail to a one of three teenagers charged
:08:34. > :08:51.Christopher Meli's family and a group of friends were in court for
:08:52. > :08:55.today's bail hearing. Stephen McCann, 18, denies involvement in
:08:56. > :08:59.the murder. He appeared at the hearing to a video link. Prosecuting
:09:00. > :09:08.barrister outlined how police believe events unfolded after a
:09:09. > :09:13.fight at a local kebabs earlier in the evening. Christopher Meli was in
:09:14. > :09:16.one of the groups. The barrister said his group then left the scene,
:09:17. > :09:20.and the other group went off and told friends that they had been
:09:21. > :09:24.jumped on, and the bigger group was formed to get revenge. They said
:09:25. > :09:28.they then confronted Christopher Meli's group with the intention to
:09:29. > :09:31.cause serious harm. Hearing heard that Stephen McCann admitted to
:09:32. > :09:36.police that he was involved in a fight with Christopher Meli earlier
:09:37. > :09:40.on the night of the murder. Stephen McCann told police, "I was in the
:09:41. > :09:45.fight last night. I was fighting with the wee man who was murdered".
:09:46. > :09:48.However, Stephen McCann denies involvement in the murder of
:09:49. > :09:50.Christopher Meli. The hearing heard that three people have been charged
:09:51. > :09:55.in connection with the murder and seven others have been released on
:09:56. > :09:59.bail. The defence barrister told the hearing that none of the witnesses
:10:00. > :10:03.so far had implicated Stephen McCann in the murder. The barrister added
:10:04. > :10:10.that Stephen McCann is prepared to be a witness during the hearing
:10:11. > :10:22.Christopher Meli's mother left the courtroom. As she worked out --
:10:23. > :10:25.walked out, "Look up", she told him. The judge has ordered Stephen McCann
:10:26. > :10:32.to live at an undisclosed address 30 miles from Belfast.
:10:33. > :10:34.Environmental campaigners claim surveillance was carried out
:10:35. > :10:37.in Northern Ireland by one of the police officers at the centre
:10:38. > :10:40.The undercover officers tricked women into sexual relationships.
:10:41. > :10:43.Environmentalists want the inquiry into what happened to be
:10:44. > :10:54.Our investigations reporter Kevin Magee has more.
:10:55. > :11:00.He looked every inch and environmental campaigner, but Mark
:11:01. > :11:05.Kennedy was in fact a married policeman, one of a number who
:11:06. > :11:09.infiltrated green groups in England by tricking women into intimate
:11:10. > :11:13.relationships. Here is how Scotland Yard was forced to apologise for
:11:14. > :11:17.their actions. We have accepted that those relationships should not have
:11:18. > :11:20.happened, and we have been through a process and now agreed settlement
:11:21. > :11:24.with the women. Part of that process of settlement was a desire on our
:11:25. > :11:29.part to be public about the apology that we make. According to
:11:30. > :11:33.environmental activists, Mark Kennedy, here on the left, also
:11:34. > :11:39.travel to Northern Ireland to carry out surveillance. When Mark Kennedy
:11:40. > :11:43.was here in 2005, it was around the time that the anti-globalisation
:11:44. > :11:48.campaign was at its height. One of the events he attended was a meeting
:11:49. > :11:51.of activists, held here at the menagerie bar on Belfast University
:11:52. > :11:57.Street. He also went to another meeting of green activists and
:11:58. > :12:02.environmentalists held here in the city Church, and while he was here,
:12:03. > :12:08.he had his photograph taken. The PSNI say the special undercover unit
:12:09. > :12:11.that Mark Cody was attached to did not work it, but those who
:12:12. > :12:16.accompanied him to Northern Ireland say this picture shows that he did.
:12:17. > :12:19.A judge that inquiry is underway in England to investigate the role of
:12:20. > :12:22.the undercover officers at Scotland Yard. I don't think there is any
:12:23. > :12:26.question that this public inquiry that is already looking into the
:12:27. > :12:30.activities of this unit in infant and Wales should now be extended.
:12:31. > :12:34.People in the environmental movement and the third World movement are
:12:35. > :12:38.questioning why they should be spied on. When asked if Mark Kennedy's
:12:39. > :12:42.secret undercover unit ever operated in Northern Ireland, the
:12:43. > :12:50.Metropolitan Police said they neither confirm nor deny.
:12:51. > :12:53.Plenty more to come, including the latest on the controversy involving
:12:54. > :12:57.an Irish show-jumper at the London International horse show.
:12:58. > :13:01.A little girl from Ballycarry in County Antrim has had pioneering
:13:02. > :13:05.Sophie Mathers, who is seven, has cerebral palsy.
:13:06. > :13:08.That means her legs are stiff and awkward, making walking,
:13:09. > :13:15.But doctors at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool decided Sophie
:13:16. > :13:19.was suitable for a complicated operation and they cut nerves
:13:20. > :13:23.in her spine to alleviate the problem.
:13:24. > :13:38.Sophie Mathers and her parents played together on the morning of
:13:39. > :13:42.her operation at Alder Hey. Sophie was eight weeks premature, and has
:13:43. > :13:47.cerebral palsy. That means her legs are stiff and rigid. She is affected
:13:48. > :13:51.in her legs, so her legs are very stiff and the muscles are very
:13:52. > :13:57.tight. Day-to-day living is a struggle for her. Sophie can walk
:13:58. > :14:01.with a frame, but the stiffness makes it hard. Doctors call it
:14:02. > :14:05.spasticity. This morning's operation is aimed at loosening her leg
:14:06. > :14:12.muscles. This will relieve the tightness. Give her more confident
:14:13. > :14:16.in herself, a wee bit more freedom. It is not a miracle cure that will
:14:17. > :14:23.mean she can walk unaided, but doctors say it can be life changing.
:14:24. > :14:26.Just to be made more comfortable, and hopefully gain more independence
:14:27. > :14:30.about the house, and do more for herself. Sophie knows how she once
:14:31. > :14:37.the surgeons to make her legs. Not tight. Alder Hey is the only
:14:38. > :14:43.hospital in the north-west where this operation is available. It
:14:44. > :14:49.involves cutting nerves in the spine to relieve stiffness. It is complex
:14:50. > :14:53.surgery. We were nervous, yes, really nervous. But we had to do it
:14:54. > :15:04.because we have tried other solutions and nothing has took.
:15:05. > :15:09.Preparation for the operation takes an hour or more, and that is because
:15:10. > :15:12.Sophie has to be fitted with monitors said the doctors can see
:15:13. > :15:19.how her body is reacting as they operate on her nerves. The surgeon
:15:20. > :15:22.uses a powerful microscope to carry out the delicate work. She
:15:23. > :15:29.stimulates the nerves in Sophie's back. Another doctor can tell her
:15:30. > :15:36.which nerve roots to cut, and which ones to leave alone. We know that
:15:37. > :15:39.those routes are involved in the spasticity circuit, and if we cut
:15:40. > :15:42.some of them, the spasticity will get better, which is what we have
:15:43. > :15:50.just done on Sophie. The operation takes several hours. When I see the
:15:51. > :15:53.parents, when they go home if he wants after, and they come to me and
:15:54. > :15:59.it is a different child, and they can't even say why, it is just
:16:00. > :16:08.better. This is what we want. Tomorrow, we will see how Sophie is
:16:09. > :16:09.progressing after the surgery. Yes, we will have another report
:16:10. > :16:10.tomorrow. Stephen Watson's here with the sport
:16:11. > :16:15.now, and he has a special guest. World rally driver Kris Meeke has
:16:16. > :16:17.had an early Christmas present. He's signed a three year deal
:16:18. > :16:20.with French manufacturer Citreon to drive at the very
:16:21. > :16:30.highest level in his sport. Fantastic news for you. It has been
:16:31. > :16:35.a roller-coaster season. Just how big a deal is it to get three years
:16:36. > :16:38.with this manufacturer? It is something I have been working
:16:39. > :16:42.towards all my career. Opportunities have been thin on the ground. Some
:16:43. > :16:46.years I did not have any drive, but over the last two seasons by
:16:47. > :16:51.opportunities have allowed me a full season this year, but to get that
:16:52. > :16:58.three-year deal, citron have thrown their full commitment and next year
:16:59. > :17:01.we will develop a new car, so it is a big opportunity. Some exciting
:17:02. > :17:06.pictures here from the rally at Argentina, York first win in the
:17:07. > :17:09.world Rally championship this year. Just how big a deal was this for
:17:10. > :17:14.you? It's incredible. I always wanted to be part of a world Rally
:17:15. > :17:18.team, but to actually win your first rally at that level is something
:17:19. > :17:21.very special. For sure, lots of emotions ran high at the finish
:17:22. > :17:25.line. I would like to repeat it. Everyone says the first one is
:17:26. > :17:30.special, but for me, the best one is always the next one. After that you
:17:31. > :17:34.had a topsy-turvy season, crashed here and there, a lot of pressure on
:17:35. > :17:38.whether you might retain your drive or not, so to get that use before
:17:39. > :17:41.Christmas must be great. Yes, we battled through mid part of the
:17:42. > :17:44.season my performances were still strong, but we did not bring home
:17:45. > :17:48.the results on some occasions. The last three or four rallies, we
:17:49. > :17:53.really knuckled down. Formerly in particular in the last rally in
:17:54. > :17:56.Wales, we got our best ever performance, finishing second behind
:17:57. > :18:02.the world champion, and that was a strong way to finish the season and
:18:03. > :18:07.begin negotiations. The 2016 team is a development team, could you be
:18:08. > :18:12.back here as a world Rally Champion? That is the thing that gets me up
:18:13. > :18:16.every morning and drives me on. Certainly, for me, it is the
:18:17. > :18:23.ultimate ambition. I am in the best place now on citron have produced
:18:24. > :18:27.the strongest team over last decade, and this is just fantastic for me to
:18:28. > :18:34.be part of it. Briefly, I am sure you have got a nice blacks and
:18:35. > :18:37.Christmas adequate amount I have an 18-month-old and a two-month-old, so
:18:38. > :18:39.it will be busy! Happy Christmas and thank you for coming in and talking
:18:40. > :18:41.to us. For most of us, this time
:18:42. > :18:44.of year is a time to relax, but many top athletes have to keep
:18:45. > :18:47.focused through the festivities. Boxer Carl Frampton is putting his
:18:48. > :18:50.family first over Christmas, but is also preparing
:18:51. > :18:52.for the biggest fight of his career against Scott Quigg
:18:53. > :18:54.in Manchester in February. Nial Foster looks back
:18:55. > :18:56.at the champion's eventful year and the challenge
:18:57. > :19:08.that now lies ahead. It is the season to reflect on a
:19:09. > :19:14.successful year for Carl Frampton. He defended his belt against Chris
:19:15. > :19:18.Aber lost in February. Then, after a trip to the wild, wild West in July,
:19:19. > :19:26.after hitting the canvas twice, the 28 your old Fort back. I feel like I
:19:27. > :19:34.want to say sorry. It was an amazing performance. And, so he was, not to
:19:35. > :19:45.box, but home for Christmas to present an award and spend time with
:19:46. > :19:49.family. Local boy, Carl Frampton! I want to take Christmas Day as it
:19:50. > :19:55.comes, really. I want to be with my family. I love being around my wife
:19:56. > :20:02.and kids. Carla is five years old now, she loves Santa and everything
:20:03. > :20:06.about Christmas. I do something that not a lot of people have to do you
:20:07. > :20:09.stop I go away and train away from home, and I missed them all the
:20:10. > :20:15.time. That is a bit different from a normal athlete. I am going to enjoy
:20:16. > :20:18.myself. There is still ten weeks until the fight. And preparations
:20:19. > :20:23.for that title battle against Scott Quigg are going well. I have been
:20:24. > :20:28.training for six or seven weeks. It has been hard. I have already
:20:29. > :20:33.started sparring and have a view bumps and bruises on my face. I just
:20:34. > :20:38.want to put this to bed. A lot of people think that Scott Quigg is a
:20:39. > :20:40.better fighter than me. I know he is not, I just need to go out and prove
:20:41. > :20:45.it now. The countdown is on. The London International Horse Show
:20:46. > :20:47.ended in controversial Irish rider Bertram Allen
:20:48. > :20:51.was announced as the winner, but then disqualified
:20:52. > :21:08.on a technicality. Wexford Rider Bertram Allen posted a
:21:09. > :21:18.stunning jump off time last night to destroy a world-class field, at
:21:19. > :21:26.Olympia in London. But then, drama behind the scenes as Bertram Allen
:21:27. > :21:31.was disqualified. Blood was spotted on his horse's right flank. A rider
:21:32. > :21:37.is automatically disqualified if blood is found. Utterly devastated.
:21:38. > :21:45.My horse jumped to fantastic rounds, he tried his best, I tried my best,
:21:46. > :21:50.and my spur slipped and so there was maybe that size on him, it was a bit
:21:51. > :21:59.red, it was not even bleeding. Something has to be done about it.
:22:00. > :22:04.Everyone here can't understand. The British rider who was promoted from
:22:05. > :22:07.runner up did give the young Irishman his winner's rosette, but
:22:08. > :22:09.that was not quite the present he wanted. It is now a case of get back
:22:10. > :22:13.on the author again. Sean O'Brien has signed a new three
:22:14. > :22:15.year contract with the IRFU which will see him remain
:22:16. > :22:30.at Leinster until after There is a lot of talk about a new
:22:31. > :22:39.storm heading across the Atlantic towards us. Your lovely globe shows
:22:40. > :22:42.snowdrops! Well, storm Eve are, storm five,
:22:43. > :22:48.will have an impact on our weather tomorrow night. There aren't no
:22:49. > :22:52.weather warnings issued at the moment for Northern Ireland, but
:22:53. > :22:55.severe weather warnings have been issued for the Republic,
:22:56. > :23:00.particularly the West Coast, so bear that in mind if you are travelling
:23:01. > :23:03.during tomorrow. It'll be cold and blustery tonight, lots of showers
:23:04. > :23:07.coming in, and as the night gets colder, those showers will turn
:23:08. > :23:11.wintry. That is the future of our weather over the next couple of
:23:12. > :23:14.days, it will get colder. Cabbages dropping low enough for some frost
:23:15. > :23:19.and ice tomorrow morning, and there will be some wintry showers --
:23:20. > :23:23.temperatures. Tomorrow night storm Eva will start to come towards cars,
:23:24. > :23:27.bringing severe gales and heavy rain to the west coast of Ireland and
:23:28. > :23:34.many areas including parts of Northern Ireland. We will be
:23:35. > :23:39.monitoring that. First thing tomorrow, nasty on the road with ice
:23:40. > :23:43.and frost around, but the wintry showers ease away by the morning. If
:23:44. > :23:47.you are heading to the shops, a lot of dry and bright weather around.
:23:48. > :23:52.Colder than today, so do wrap up warm because the wind will make it
:23:53. > :23:56.feel quite chilly tomorrow. Not too much in the way of rain or snow to
:23:57. > :24:00.come during tomorrow. Here comes the first of tomorrow night's wet and
:24:01. > :24:04.windy weather. It is coming in tomorrow evening and it will get
:24:05. > :24:07.increasingly wet and windy tomorrow night. No warnings out at the
:24:08. > :24:12.moment, but we may have wins strong enough to bring a future ease down,
:24:13. > :24:16.gusts up to 60 miles an hour. At the end of the night it is all over and
:24:17. > :24:21.temperatures are back down again. That is how we start Christmas eve.
:24:22. > :24:26.Christmas Eve will bring a feud snow showers, particularly to the hills.
:24:27. > :24:30.Lots of crisp, dry weather, but in between there will be some wintry
:24:31. > :24:33.showers and it will feel cold. Maybe a bit more festive, and you will
:24:34. > :24:39.need to wrap up. Christmas day starts off dry and cold. Rain is
:24:40. > :24:43.expected to go northwards, and as it arrives, it will get milder. For
:24:44. > :24:51.Saint Stephen's day, temperatures back up into double figures.
:24:52. > :24:54.Finally, a Christmas Carol, when a child is born, and it comes from the
:24:55. > :25:03.choir at Willowbridge School in Enniskillen. Good evening.
:25:04. > :25:25.# All across the land dawns a brand new morn
:25:26. > :25:33.# This comes to pass when a child is born
:25:34. > :25:48.# The winds of change whisper in the trees
:25:49. > :25:56.# And the walls of doubt crumble tossed and torn
:25:57. > :26:04.# This comes to pass when a child is born
:26:05. > :26:12.# A rosy hue settles all around
:26:13. > :26:20.# You got the feel, you're on solid ground
:26:21. > :26:28.# For a spell or two no one seems forlorn
:26:29. > :26:37.# This comes to pass when a child is born
:26:38. > :26:40.And all of this happens because the world is waiting.
:26:41. > :26:44.Waiting for one child, black-white-yellow, no one knows.
:26:45. > :26:50.But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter.
:26:51. > :27:07.And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten forever.
:27:08. > :27:13.# It must come true sometime soon, somehow
:27:14. > :27:24.# All across the land dawns a brand new morn,