:00:00. > :00:11.A pedestrian, believed to be a pensioner, has been seriously
:00:12. > :00:13.injured tonight in an accident in West Belfast.
:00:14. > :00:16.The victim was walking near the Donegal Road
:00:17. > :00:19.near the Park Centre shopping centre when he was hit by a car shortly
:00:20. > :00:26.Part of the Donegal road near the junction with the Broadway
:00:27. > :00:32.roundabout remains closed to traffic.
:00:33. > :00:34.A former PSNI Assistant Chief Constable is considering taking
:00:35. > :00:36.legal action against the police after being cleared of allegations
:00:37. > :00:41.of bribery and misconduct in public office.
:00:42. > :00:43.Duncan McCausland, who was a police officer for 30 years,
:00:44. > :00:46.also plans to lodge a complaint about his treatment with the Police
:00:47. > :00:51.Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.
:00:52. > :00:59.Duncan McAusland was one of the most high-profile police officers before
:01:00. > :01:02.retiring in March 2011 under the patent redundancy scheme.
:01:03. > :01:06.18 months ago he was arrested at his home by detectives
:01:07. > :01:08.investigating allegations of bribery in the awarding of contracts
:01:09. > :01:13.He was questioned for three days at Antrim police station.
:01:14. > :01:15.The public prosecution service yesterday
:01:16. > :01:19.informed his solicitor that he will not face charges.
:01:20. > :01:22.The former Assistant Chief Constable today
:01:23. > :01:27.welcomed the decision, but criticised his former employer
:01:28. > :01:30.for arresting him because he had volunteered to assist
:01:31. > :01:33.The police have to uphold the law and no one is above
:01:34. > :01:38.The reality is 30 years ago when I was trained as a young
:01:39. > :01:43.constable I was always taught that if people are prepared to cooperate
:01:44. > :01:46.with you, you take that cooperation and you exercise the power of arrest
:01:47. > :01:50.Even in terms of the Human Rights Act, it has to be
:01:51. > :01:52.proportionate and necessary to execute a power of arrest.
:01:53. > :01:54.It is not proportional if someone is fully
:01:55. > :01:57.cooperating with you, prepared to go with you,
:01:58. > :02:04.preferred to stay with you as long as they need to clarify any issue.
:02:05. > :02:08.That in my opinion was not necessary for an arrest to take place.
:02:09. > :02:10.Duncan McAusland says the way he was treated had a huge impact
:02:11. > :02:17.He was due to be appointed chairman of the Tourist Board
:02:18. > :02:19.but the minister responsible at the time, Arlene
:02:20. > :02:23.Foster, withdrew the offer after his arrest.
:02:24. > :02:27.He plans to lodge a formal complaint with the Police Ombudsman.
:02:28. > :02:32.He may also take legal action against the PSNI.
:02:33. > :02:36.His lawyers claim the decision to arrest was a breach of law.
:02:37. > :02:39.Duncan McAusland was one of nine people questioned as part
:02:40. > :02:45.All have been told they will not face any charges.
:02:46. > :02:47.They include the owner of one of the largest car dealerships
:02:48. > :02:51.Terence Donnelly has always maintained that he would be
:02:52. > :02:55.completely exonerated in relation to all allegations against them.
:02:56. > :02:57.Duncan McAusland has called on Chief Constable George Hamilton
:02:58. > :03:06.In a statement, the Chief Constable said
:03:07. > :03:08.he was satisfied with the integrity and professionalism
:03:09. > :03:18.The Rathfriland family who lost their home in a fire early
:03:19. > :03:20.yesterday have said they've overwhelmed at the generous response
:03:21. > :03:27.More than ?10,000 has been donated online, and offers of help
:03:28. > :03:29.with accomodation, and even a new car, have been coming
:03:30. > :03:33.Christmas presents for two-year-old Stacey, delivered by well-wishers
:03:34. > :03:38.after hers were destroyed in a suspicious fire
:03:39. > :03:42.Her parents say they have been touched by the public
:03:43. > :03:54.Christmas is a time for giving and we have seen that.
:03:55. > :03:57.We have seen how giving people are and words cannot put how much
:03:58. > :03:59.we thank people for what they have done
:04:00. > :04:05.It is overwhelming to think that people at this time of year,
:04:06. > :04:11.as everyone is getting tight, but seem to go that one step further
:04:12. > :04:18.This is why people are so keen to help Andy and Rebecca.
:04:19. > :04:22.In one devastating fire, they lost their home, their car,
:04:23. > :04:27.They were lucky not to lose their lives.
:04:28. > :04:29.It doesn't bear to think about what had happened.
:04:30. > :04:37.We just had to think that the three of us are here and we can get
:04:38. > :04:44.on with our lives now and if those people are sitting at home
:04:45. > :04:51.who started the fire I just want to let them know
:04:52. > :04:53.that they haven't ruined our Christmas.
:04:54. > :04:56.In a way, they have made our Christmas better because now we know
:04:57. > :05:12.A fresh start in a new house for this young family.
:05:13. > :05:15.A snapshot of Christmas past now and a letter to Santa written
:05:16. > :05:17.by a young boy in the 1930s has been unearthed.
:05:18. > :05:20.Our reporter Mervyn Jess has been finding out what the eight-year-old
:05:21. > :05:24.So it is the time of year when our thoughts are on the big guy
:05:25. > :05:27.in the red suit and, by now, most people will have sent
:05:28. > :05:31.Here in the public records office in Belfast, they have come
:05:32. > :05:35.across one Santa letter was posted years ago.
:05:36. > :05:51.The Santa letter was written in 1932 by and featuring boy called
:05:52. > :05:54.The Santa letter was written in 1932 by an eight-year-old boy called
:05:55. > :05:57.It was discovered within a collection of documents handed
:05:58. > :05:59.over to the public records office by the City Council.
:06:00. > :06:01.He was asking for Christmas presents for his father,
:06:02. > :06:04.his mother and his siblings and they were simple items such
:06:05. > :06:07.as boots, school bags, tobacco and a pipe for his father
:06:08. > :06:14.and the heartbreaking thing is that the family cannot afford it.
:06:15. > :06:18.The Christmas wish list said some other things that the dad had not
:06:19. > :06:21.worked for seven years and his mother needed new shoes.
:06:22. > :06:24.Now, more than 80 years later and in an age of texting,
:06:25. > :06:26.tweeting and Facebook, it seems Santa letters
:06:27. > :06:49.As a postscript to the letter, the young boy apologised to Santa,
:06:50. > :06:53.saying, I would have written sooner but Mummy had no pen and it is rude
:06:54. > :07:01.Rugby, and Ulster's Nick Williams is joining the Cardiff Blues
:07:02. > :07:03.on a long-term contract before the start of next season.
:07:04. > :07:10.As Nial Foster reports his presence will be missed.
:07:11. > :07:13.At six foot three and weighing 120 kilograms, Nick Williams
:07:14. > :07:15.is intimidating, which endeared him to the Ulster supporters
:07:16. > :07:28.Everyone sees the physical nature of the big man,
:07:29. > :07:31.but for me his subtle skills, his passing and his deft touch
:07:32. > :07:34.and even his thought process to the way the game should be
:07:35. > :07:36.played, that is what will be missed here.
:07:37. > :07:42.Signed in June 2012, the explosive player won Player
:07:43. > :07:45.of the Year his debut season and since then he has played 67
:07:46. > :07:47.times for The Ulstermen, scoring 13 tries.
:07:48. > :07:51.He has been massive for Ulster over the last four years.
:07:52. > :07:54.The fans love watching him play and we love watching him play
:07:55. > :07:56.with his barnstorming runs and off-loads.
:07:57. > :08:01.Come the end of the season, Williams will be aiming
:08:02. > :08:08.to leave his mark in the history books with some silverware.
:08:09. > :08:11.A look ahead to tomorrow's Talkback programme and in the first
:08:12. > :08:13.of its Christmas Specials, William Crawley talks to former BBC
:08:14. > :08:16.Northern Ireland Political Correspondent, Martina Purdy,
:08:17. > :08:20.about her life-changing decision to leave journalism
:08:21. > :08:27.That's on BBC Radio Ulster at midday tomorrow.
:08:28. > :08:32.Now, here's Cecilia Daly with the weather forecast.
:08:33. > :08:39.We have wet and windy weather coming in in the next few hours. That is
:08:40. > :08:44.thanks to the storm that has already brought severe gales and heavy rain
:08:45. > :08:48.to the West Coast. Heavy rain and strong winds will migrate to the
:08:49. > :08:55.east across Northern Ireland tonight with Gus speaking at 60 mph. By
:08:56. > :09:00.morning it is all gone and it is drier and cold and less windy and
:09:01. > :09:08.temperatures drop to freezing. I around tomorrow morning on Christmas
:09:09. > :09:12.Eve it will be a cold day. Some sunny gaps as well so it will not be
:09:13. > :09:16.raining or snowing. Snow will mainly be reserved for the hills but there
:09:17. > :09:20.will be a dusting in places at the end of the day. Strong winds
:09:21. > :09:24.continue to affect the North West of Scotland with severe gales and the
:09:25. > :09:29.weather front moves slowly across East Anglia. Once it moves through
:09:30. > :09:34.it is colder generally across Britain with a scattering of showers
:09:35. > :09:39.which a wintry on hills. Perhaps a bit more festive tomorrow but it
:09:40. > :09:43.will get cold for the last minute Christmas shopping. You need to pile
:09:44. > :09:48.the layers on. Christmas Eve night will become dry and less windy but
:09:49. > :09:52.cold with ice. It starts of crisp and dry on Christmas morning and the
:09:53. > :09:56.rain edges up from the south. Christmas night will be very wet but
:09:57. > :10:10.gradually turn milder for Boxing Day and the rest of the. Weekend.
:10:11. > :10:13.MUSIC: Driving Home For Christmas by Chris Rea