23/02/2016 BBC Newsline

now on BBC Two, 11.00pm in Scotland. That's Evan

The child killer Robert Black revealed his crimes during police

interviews which are being broadcast by the BBC tonight.

The detective team have told the Spotlight programme

they were surprised about the details he gave them.

Black died in prison last month while serving life sentences

for the murders of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in County Antrim

in 1981, and three children in Britain.

For decades, Robert Black sexually abused young girls across the United

Kingdom in his delivery van. He then dumped the bodies of those he killed

hundreds of miles away. Even though he was given life sentences for

killing three girls, ten-year-old Sarah Harper, five-year-old Caroline

Hogg, and 11-year-old Susan Maxwell, Black gave nothing away to police.

But that's changed when he was questioned by PSNI officers about

the murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy. He began to open up about his

fantasies. I think everyone was surprised at that because nobody

knew before we went into the interviews whether he was even going

to talk at all. And for unknown reason, he felt comfortable talking

to myself. Pamela Simpson's plan was to encourage Black to talk about his

sexual fantasies, involving young girls. I'm not exactly proud of the

way I feel towards young girls. There's a part of me that knows I'm

wrong, that knows it's wrong. That I shouldn't be doing things like that,

I shouldn't even be thinking things like that. But this other part that

says... You like it, go on. But became apparent was that Black's

fantasies were in fact reality. Psychiatrist Doctor Richard Badcock

studied him in prison and advise the PSNI about how to question Black. He

also listened in on the interviews. It was clear that the questions

being about his fantasies, which was happy to talk about, what he was

actually talking about were his exact decision-making processes. It

was evident as we were going through those last interviews that Black

realised himself that he had ties to much. The head went down, the lost

eye contact with us. Black was finally bought to court in 2011 for

the murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in 1981. With no forensic

evidence or eyewitnesses, the police recordings were vital in securing a

conviction that provide justice for Jennifer Cardy's family. I don't

think he was mad. He was definitely evil will stop and they had gone

down the road of evil. He gathered evil as he went along. Black died in

prison as he had lived, alone. There were no mourners for his creation at

the cemetery outside normal hours. And BBC Spotlight

follows this news. The inquest into the death

of the Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson has been hearing

evidence from two of the friends who were with her on the night

she disappeared in 1994. One said the child killer

Robert Howard had told her to lie to the police, to say

that the 15-year-old Another said he had no idea

where she was buried. Arlene Arkinson disappeared

after going to a disco in Bundoran Lisa McAlister was in

the Coroner's Court. Donna Quinn, seen here in Black

leaving the inquest, had been friends with Arlene Arkinson since

they were young children. Her mother was in a long-term relationship with

Robert Howard when the 15-year-old disappeared in August 19 94. She was

last seen being driven away by Howard in the early hours of the

morning, after they had a night out in Bundoran whizzing Miss Quinn, and

had then boyfriend. At the time, Robert ours was on bail, accused of

raping a 16-year-old friend of Donna Quinn's. Delay in evidence she said

this was on her mind when just days later Robert Howard asked her to lie

to police and tell them that Arlene wasn't with them in Bundoran.

Arlene's body has never been found but Howard has always been the prime

suspect even though he was acquitted in 2005. Her sister Kathleen was at

the coroner's caught and heard how in one of Donna Quinn's statements

to police, she said that income is Asian about Arlene's disappearance,

Robert Howard said I hope she is cold and hungry, where ever she is,

for all the trouble she has caused us. Sean Hagerty finished giving his

evidence this morning. When asked if he knew when Arlene Arkinson was

buried, he replied absolutely not. He added that he wonders about her

every day. A cannabis factory has been

uncovered in Bangor. Detectives found 35-thousand-pounds

worth of the drug at a property in the Bexley Road area of the town

earlier this afternoon. A 50-year-old man and 52-year-old

woman have been arrested. A new study shows a "high incidence

of severe injuries" to rugby players The research is from the Ulster

University. And, as our Education Correspondent

Robbie Meredith reports, there are particular concerns

about the number of concussions You all right? No. What happened?

It's an unforgiving sport. Contact and collisions are a part of rugby

and not just for the professionals. School players at Camberwell College

in Belfast have suffered their fair share of injuries. Two years ago, I

broke my jaw just playing around in a match, just attacking someone. And

I was out for about two months will stop I had to eat soup for a while

and couldn't eat an apple for about a year, but except for that, it

wasn't too bad. More than 800 schools players took part in the

study, over one third of them suffered an injury. Most were two

ligament, but one in five was a concussion. Previously, this was

underreported, now I think we're getting to the stage where we are

looking at these injuries with the dew vigilance that deserve. People,

players, coaches, referees and medical staff are treating

concussions with a high index of suspicion. And that is the

experience of former Ireland international Brian Robinson. He

teaches rugby at Camberwell. There have been a few campaigns. Boys have

been raising awareness and stop boys now reports to me, I am sent

information from staff about what boys are concussed. Our son rugby

players at school getting too big or too fast? We want to keep a balance,

and every year I would say I look back on my year, I talk to my

players after every season, and asked it we get the balance right.

Rugby will always be a contact sport. The hope is that by knowing

more about the nature and the causes of injuries to young players like

these, some of the risks can be tackled.

Early indicators show no party will be close to an overall majority

in the Republic's general election on Friday.

With the prospect of a hung Dail, our Dublin correspondent

Shane Harrison has been following Sinn Fein

Dublin Bay south. A four seat constituency that is not wholly

middle-class. It is where you would expect him grandson of a founding

member of Fianna Fail,... And he years. How are you? But this one

Fianna Fail TDE fell out with his body and is now in what they are a

sign of the changing times standing for Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein for me take

sides and in politics today I think we have to take sides. Sinn Fein is

taking the side of low and middle-income families, and that is

properly for me the strongest attraction for Sinn Fein, for

joining Sinn Fein. Bhello sir. How are you. Jim O'Callaghan, the

current Fianna Fail campaign, says that Sinn Fein may have pulled a

stroke in their election but is not one that will work. Both are in a

fight with Labour for the last seat. A lot of people believe that that

Sinn Fein have engaged is quite opportunistic. Next to Dublin Bay

south is the four seat Dublin South-Central. A much more

working-class and left-wing constituency, where Sinn Fein hopes

that the council, and this ex-psychiatric nurse will join in

the struggle. We have governed in the north, and look what's happened

there. We have done that very successful. It is accepted that

people for profit, who also organise north of the border, will be

fighting Sinn Fein for the last seat. We are trying to encourage

people to vote left. People think that they have to go with the

establishment, you know. From a Democratic and republican family,

which... In the north, where they are in government, they are imposing

austerity measures, letting go public sector workers, closing

schools, cutting back on hospitals, etc, and this is a real conflict

between what they say down here and what they do up there. Sinn Fein had

14 seats in the last Dail. It is widely believed they will come close

to doubling that in the next election.

And for tomorrow's BBC Newsline I'll be presenting from Dublin

with the latest on the polls ahead of the election.

Depending on how the votes go could the traditional rivals

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail overcome decades of hostility

Our Dublin Correspondent Shane Harrison looks at that scenario.

That's BBC Newsline tomorrow evening at 6.30 here on BBC One.

A new movie complex in Belfast has been given the green light

by the planning committee of Belfast City Council.

North Foreshore studios will be located on a former landfill

The Belfast Harbour project is thought to be worth up

Councillors were told it will create and support hundreds of jobs.

There'll be more on that story on Good Morning Ulster

and an interview with the TV and movie producer Mark Huffam,

whose credits include Game of Thrones The Martian.

Ice Hockey and the Cardiff Devils secured a place

in the Challenge Cup final by beating the Belfast Giants

in the second leg of their semi final tonight.

Let's get a look at the weather now with Angie Phillips.

Hello, good evening. After today's Lavery wintry sunshine, we are left

with clear spells the night and falling temperatures. It will become

very frosty as temperatures drop below freezing in many areas, with

figures of -3 or -4 in some rural spots. All such was the north some

wintry showers, rain, sleet and slow likely will stop a ... And ice

warning is in place for Northern counties. It could turn quite

slippery stop tomorrow, sunny spells again, and not so much as we had

today, cloud gathering at times to feed in wintry showers. They will

start to gather a little more in the morning rush hour towards the

north-west, again that wintry mix of sleet rain and hail snow stop a

frosty start, with perhaps some freezing fog patches being slow to

clear. After a frosty perhaps icy start in places, a lot of dry

weather and sunshine. Still some sleet and snow showers feeding in a

brisk winds across the northern half of Scotland, and we could get a few

showers trickling down. They will be well scattered. For Northern Ireland

as well we will start to see those showers by this stage, mostly rain

and hail, edging their way southwards, but breaking up as they

do, so with bright gaps in between. Chilly with highs of 6 degrees.

Wednesday, a risk of some wintry showers, more cloud in the sky, and

still cold. Our next BBC Newsline

is at 6:25 in the morning You can also keep updated

with News Online.