:00:12. > :00:16.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:17. > :00:19.After years of fighting to be heard, a major report into historic
:00:20. > :00:21.institutional abuse says victims should receive an apology,
:00:22. > :00:34.Today we are believed as young children who tried to complain about
:00:35. > :00:37.our abuse but no one would listen. The chairman of the inquiry praised
:00:38. > :00:39.the courage of the victims saying their evidence was sometimes
:00:40. > :00:53.distressing and painful for them. We hope that, in some measure, the
:00:54. > :00:56.process of giving evidence, whether acknowledged in private or in
:00:57. > :00:58.public, helped those who were not listened to in the past.
:00:59. > :01:00.A murder inquiry in Lurgan after the body of a woman
:01:01. > :01:03.Supporters and opponents show unity after the resignation
:01:04. > :01:17.We wouldn't be where we are in Northern Ireland, in terms of
:01:18. > :01:21.stability, peace and the opportunity to rebuild our country if it hadn't
:01:22. > :01:22.have been for the work that he did put in.
:01:23. > :01:25.And, after the recent gloom, there'll be a bit more sun
:01:26. > :01:36.In their own words, today was a "special,
:01:37. > :01:40."special day" for victims of historical child abuse.
:01:41. > :01:42.After four years of hearings, the Historical Institutional Abuse
:01:43. > :01:50.It investigated more than 60 residential homes and institutions,
:01:51. > :01:54.looking into allegations dating back to the 1920s.
:01:55. > :01:58.Today, the inquiry concluded that children were subjected
:01:59. > :02:03.The official report outlines how abuse was inflicted
:02:04. > :02:06.in institutions run by the state, local authorities,
:02:07. > :02:12.The inquiry, chaired by retired High Court Judge Sir Anthony Hart,
:02:13. > :02:16.says there should be a public apology to all those who suffered
:02:17. > :02:20.abuse, a memorial at Stormont as a reminder to politicians
:02:21. > :02:24.of what many children experienced in residential homes,
:02:25. > :02:28.and compensation and support services for survivors.
:02:29. > :02:36.Kevin Sharkey has been following the inquiry for BBC Newsline.
:02:37. > :02:43.The Inquirer investigated the physical, emotional and sexual abuse
:02:44. > :02:49.and neglect of children who were under 18 years of age. There were
:02:50. > :02:55.public hearings into a total of 22 homes and institutions. The inquiry
:02:56. > :02:58.sought evidence and fast amounts of historical documents from seven
:02:59. > :03:06.state, church and charitable organisations. Today, a judgment on
:03:07. > :03:13.that. The long and painful journey from troubled childhoods. Decades of
:03:14. > :03:17.suffering, years of campaigning, today, the results. There were
:03:18. > :03:22.individuals who provided excellent care. There were others who are
:03:23. > :03:27.cruel and abusive, sexually, motioned me towards the children for
:03:28. > :03:31.whom they were responsible. This abuse has affected many people for
:03:32. > :03:35.the rest of their lives. Thousands of young people, toddlers and
:03:36. > :03:39.teenagers were placed in the institutions investigated by this
:03:40. > :03:43.inquiry. Hundreds claimed they were abused or neglected. The inquiry
:03:44. > :03:48.listen to their voices, heard their anguish. Victims and survivors of
:03:49. > :03:58.historical abuse can pull the curtain back over the shame of the
:03:59. > :04:06.last 73 years. The inquiry looked into the past, burying the balloons
:04:07. > :04:10.of countless damaged lives and the scandal of institutional abuse. We
:04:11. > :04:17.know that for the great majority of applicants, this was the first time
:04:18. > :04:20.they'd describe their experiences as children in residential care. Even
:04:21. > :04:26.in some cases to members of the Roman family. The inquiry also
:04:27. > :04:32.investigated sexual abuse at the former boys home in Belfast. Despite
:04:33. > :04:39.years of investigation, the inquiry found no evidence of a cover up. We
:04:40. > :04:44.are satisfied that it was not a homosexual brothel, nor used by any
:04:45. > :04:50.of the security agencies as a honeypot to entrap, blackmail or
:04:51. > :04:55.exploit homosexuals. The public hearings were attended by men and
:04:56. > :05:00.women. Many old, elderly or confirmed. People recalling
:05:01. > :05:05.childhoods stained by abuse, cruelty and neglect. Adult lives scarred by
:05:06. > :05:11.the memories. Echoes from the past demanding to be heard. Describing
:05:12. > :05:17.those experiences wasn't always easy. At times it was clearly
:05:18. > :05:20.distressing and painful. The report provides a new historical document
:05:21. > :05:26.on a bleak period in Northern Ireland's past. And an often
:05:27. > :05:29.harrowing and heartbreaking account of damage childhoods. The future,
:05:30. > :05:36.according to the report's authors, has a duty to remember and to
:05:37. > :05:40.provide redress. The apology should be a wholehearted and unconditional
:05:41. > :05:46.recognition that they failed to protect children from abuse that
:05:47. > :05:53.could and should have been prevented or detected. A memorial should be
:05:54. > :05:57.erected to remind legislators and others of what many children
:05:58. > :06:01.experienced in residential care. We have provided a detailed framework
:06:02. > :06:07.for the recommended compensation scheme. And for the re-dress board
:06:08. > :06:10.that would administer the compensation scheme. This was an
:06:11. > :06:14.investigation focusing on abuse but the inquiry acknowledge the good
:06:15. > :06:19.work of many people working in the institutions. The report is now
:06:20. > :06:24.available to the public but it has to be implemented by politicians. We
:06:25. > :06:28.therefore urge the new executive and Assembly to give affect our
:06:29. > :06:34.recommendations and to do so as a matter of priority after the
:06:35. > :06:37.election. We believe those who have waited so long for their voices to
:06:38. > :06:42.be heard deserve nothing less. Thank you very much.
:06:43. > :06:45.The publication of the inquiry is the end of a long
:06:46. > :06:48.Many have died and others live with the significant mental scars
:06:49. > :06:53.BBC Newsline's Tara Mills has been speaking to some of them.
:06:54. > :07:02.You may find some of the details in her report upsetting.
:07:03. > :07:08.Margaret has been the public face of the victims but, privately, there is
:07:09. > :07:15.a reason for her involvement in the campaign. Her brother and Kevin. At
:07:16. > :07:18.62, he still lives in care. He has a learning difficulty which she
:07:19. > :07:30.believes is directly related to what he suffered as a child. They
:07:31. > :07:39.sexually abused me. Girls and boys. The abuse happened here, and there
:07:40. > :07:47.was physical violence, too. I have straps on my back. So, the people
:07:48. > :07:59.who were looking after you did that? Yes. Was it saw? I cried. Separated
:08:00. > :08:03.when the mother left home, they were sent to different institutions. With
:08:04. > :08:14.no bombs to parents or siblings, Kevin was particularly vulnerable to
:08:15. > :08:19.abuse. He was misthrow pro -- mistaking these things the love.
:08:20. > :08:26.That is all they had from these Kristian brothers and priests and
:08:27. > :08:31.also boys, he understood it as love but it was rape of an innocent
:08:32. > :08:35.child. Kevin didn't have to go to court. The inquiry came to his care
:08:36. > :08:42.hope to hear the evidence. Nobody sees what goes on behind-the-scenes.
:08:43. > :08:47.The politicians don't realise or the inquiry team, they are doing the
:08:48. > :08:51.job. But this is the reality of how people's lives are affected. It
:08:52. > :08:56.wasn't just the Catholic Church that had questions to answer at the
:08:57. > :09:03.inquiry. Secrets of state abuse also had to be told. Every day, it's in
:09:04. > :09:07.your mind. Ron Graham spent time at three boys homes. The abuse took
:09:08. > :09:20.place at Kincora. My father had just passed away in December, in 74 or
:09:21. > :09:26.75. I remember going into Kincora. There was something about the place.
:09:27. > :09:29.I couldn't put my finger on it. Willie McGraw was sentenced to four
:09:30. > :09:34.years for the crimes he committed against Ron another boys while
:09:35. > :09:43.working as a housemaster. When McGraw approached me, it was in a
:09:44. > :09:51.fatherly way. And I think he played on it emotionally. That was the
:09:52. > :09:55.first time he raped me. So it was. I remember after that happened, he
:09:56. > :10:00.said to me, clean yourself up. And don't say a word. So I did clean
:10:01. > :10:06.myself up and I went out, walk to the cemetery... And I think the
:10:07. > :10:13.police picked me up inside the cemetery. The children who ended up
:10:14. > :10:17.in these institutions had already ensured the pain of loss, abuse or
:10:18. > :10:22.neglect in their own homes. To then faced torture at the hands of the
:10:23. > :10:25.Church or state is impossibly cruel. Most of these people want someone to
:10:26. > :10:27.pay for what happened to them. With reaction to the findings of
:10:28. > :10:38.the Historical Institutional Abuse Institution after institution, from
:10:39. > :10:43.local authority homes to secular homes, homes run by the Catholic
:10:44. > :10:47.Church and won by the Church of Ireland. 22 in total. Those in
:10:48. > :10:55.charge have issued an apology, to those abused in their care. We
:10:56. > :11:00.express our deep regret for what happened to those particular
:11:01. > :11:03.children, and we have failed to protect those children at that
:11:04. > :11:10.particular time. Does it bring shame to Barnardo 's? I don't think so
:11:11. > :11:14.because we exercised duty of care when we realised we'd had problems.
:11:15. > :11:19.We've approached the inquiry with openness. And taken responsibility
:11:20. > :11:23.to bring about change and learn lessons. The largest number of
:11:24. > :11:27.complaints related to for sister of Nazareth homes. Much of the sexual
:11:28. > :11:31.abuse was known by the members of the clergy. The report found nothing
:11:32. > :11:37.was done to stop the abuse. The report was discussed with Pope
:11:38. > :11:42.Francis today. TRANSLATION: It isn't easy to hear but however unpalatable
:11:43. > :11:48.it might be, I think all of us must accept the findings of this report,
:11:49. > :11:53.and we must cooperate fully with the new Northern Ireland executive in
:11:54. > :12:04.ensuring that proper reparation is made, to those that have been hurt
:12:05. > :12:08.and traumatised by those things. The Department of Health has conceded
:12:09. > :12:12.systemic failings on the part of its predecessor, specifically in
:12:13. > :12:13.connection with legislation and inspection. The health minister
:12:14. > :12:29.said... Barnardos say while lessons have
:12:30. > :12:36.been learned, organisations cannot rest on their laurels. Any
:12:37. > :12:43.organisation who says there is no risk is very unwise. I what is
:12:44. > :12:46.important is to be constantly vigilant and constantly improving
:12:47. > :12:51.standards, otherwise we're just complacent. The Department of
:12:52. > :12:54.Justice say the findings of the report are being carefully examined.
:12:55. > :12:57.Any new lessons to emerge from it will be acted upon.
:12:58. > :13:00.You've sat in on these hearings for the last
:13:01. > :13:02.four years and listened to at times
:13:03. > :13:06.What do you think this inquiry has meant to the victims
:13:07. > :13:17.Well, I suppose this evening that is the question because essentially
:13:18. > :13:24.what happened today was the chairman of the inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart, he
:13:25. > :13:28.passed the baton on to Stormont. It's now up to the politicians when
:13:29. > :13:34.they get back together, if they get back together, to decide, number
:13:35. > :13:38.one, when will there be that public apology, number two, when will that
:13:39. > :13:43.memorial in the grounds of Stormont be put in place, and, number three,
:13:44. > :13:48.when will the re-dress process and process of compensation be put in
:13:49. > :13:56.place and when will the victims benefit from that compensation?
:13:57. > :14:02.Because, at the end of the day, and at the end of this inquiry process,
:14:03. > :14:05.let's not forget that this is about victims, about people, people who
:14:06. > :14:09.travelled from different parts of not only Northern Ireland but
:14:10. > :14:14.different parts of Ireland, the UK, and from as far away as Australia,
:14:15. > :14:18.because many children were sent to Australia in the middle of the last
:14:19. > :14:25.century. And during the last three years when I've been covering the
:14:26. > :14:30.inquiry at the courthouse, day after day, I watched victims and survivors
:14:31. > :14:35.walking through the doors of that courthouse in ones and twos and you
:14:36. > :14:39.could see the pain and hurt etched on their faces. Today, there were
:14:40. > :14:44.dozens of victims and survivors in a hotel in South Belfast and, for the
:14:45. > :14:46.first time in all that time, I saw very many of them smile today. Thank
:14:47. > :14:48.you very much. A murder investigation has begun
:14:49. > :14:50.after the body of a woman was discovered at a house in Lurgan
:14:51. > :14:53.early this morning. Police say she was
:14:54. > :14:54.51-year-old Anita Downey. This report from
:14:55. > :15:06.Michael Fitzpatrick. Police were called to this house in
:15:07. > :15:09.Lurgan with the woman's body was found at around 2:50am. A man of the
:15:10. > :15:14.same age was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being questioned by
:15:15. > :15:18.detectives. This is a quiet residential area around 100 yards or
:15:19. > :15:21.so from the local high school in Lurgan. A woman living next door
:15:22. > :15:26.says her young daughter was awoken in the early hours by the sound of
:15:27. > :15:30.shouting and glass being smashed. People living here say they've been
:15:31. > :15:36.left shocked at waking up to a crime scene on their doorstep. We're just
:15:37. > :15:39.saddened by it. People get on well here but you don't want this to
:15:40. > :15:45.happen anywhere, and my thoughts go out to the family because it is
:15:46. > :15:48.somebody's loved one that has died. People's thoughts and prayers are
:15:49. > :15:54.very much with the deceased's family. It's very sad news at the
:15:55. > :15:57.start of the New Year to have a death of this nature. And certainly
:15:58. > :16:02.I'd encourage anyone who has any information to come forward to the
:16:03. > :16:06.PSNI. A postmortem examination is due to take place. A 51-year-old man
:16:07. > :16:08.remains in police custody. Sinn Fein are to reveal next Monday
:16:09. > :16:11.who will replace Martin McGuinness. Today, party president Gerry Adams
:16:12. > :16:14.said the former Deputy First Minster Politicians from across the board
:16:15. > :16:20.have all paid tribute to Mr McGuinness, including the DUP
:16:21. > :16:24.MP Ian Paisley, who thanked him Here is Our Political
:16:25. > :16:41.Correspondent Stephen Walker. A welcome for a man seen by many as
:16:42. > :16:48.a local hero. Last night in his home city Martin McGuinness received much
:16:49. > :16:55.praise. I've been to many famous places throughout the world but my
:16:56. > :16:58.heart lies here. Political tributes have flowed from all sides,
:16:59. > :17:01.including the Prime Minister, the Taoiseach and the local parties. The
:17:02. > :17:38.DUP leaders said... There were other tributes from
:17:39. > :17:44.parties, and one that stood out was from last night's BBC programme, The
:17:45. > :17:48.View, from Ian Paisley. I want to say thank you and it is important we
:17:49. > :17:53.reflect on the fact that we wouldn't be where we are in Northern Ireland
:17:54. > :17:58.in terms of having stability, peace and the opportunity to rebuild our
:17:59. > :18:02.country if it hadn't have been for the work that he put in, especially
:18:03. > :18:14.with my father. Ian Paisley's comments provoked quite a reaction
:18:15. > :18:16.on social media, and there were warm words from the DUP's political
:18:17. > :18:22.rivals, including many Republicans. The TUV leader gave a different
:18:23. > :18:28.response. He wrote... Talking about Martin McGuinness, Ian Paisley's DUP
:18:29. > :18:32.colleague Gregory Campbell said, the regret is he didn't engage much
:18:33. > :18:36.earlier in the peaceful path. Today, Gerry Adams said Martin McGuinness
:18:37. > :18:40.had a life-threatening condition, and welcomed the tributes to him,
:18:41. > :18:49.particularly the remarks from Ian Paisley, the North Antrim MP. I very
:18:50. > :18:54.warmly welcome in Paisley's remarks, they were very appropriate and
:18:55. > :19:02.fitting, and I think they are in many ways representative of the
:19:03. > :19:07.great work that his father, Ian Paisley senior, did along with
:19:08. > :19:11.Martin McGuinness. Sinn Fein must now contemplate life without Martin
:19:12. > :19:15.McGuinness imposed. Tonight, Alicia McCallion will be selected to run in
:19:16. > :19:20.his place in the Foyle constituency. He figures are also being tipped for
:19:21. > :19:27.a leadership role, including the health minister. Then there's the
:19:28. > :19:31.finance minister, and the former MP Conor Murphy. Sinn Fein will reveal
:19:32. > :19:33.who will lead them at Stormont on Monday.
:19:34. > :19:35.So, how has that praise of Martin McGuinness by Ian Paisley
:19:36. > :19:38.gone down in the DUP MP's North Antrim constituency?
:19:39. > :19:49.BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson has been sampling the mood in Ballymena.
:19:50. > :19:57.Ian Paisley's office is in the heart of Ballymena, and on the street
:19:58. > :20:01.outside, last night's interview was the big talking point. Did you see
:20:02. > :20:07.Ian Paisley last night? What did you think? I thought he was brilliant.
:20:08. > :20:13.ORE: Very good and very true. It was measured. It was of the time, it has
:20:14. > :20:22.to be said. Did he go too far? May the some people. Not for you? Not
:20:23. > :20:25.funny. There's a great deal of religious people here but not many
:20:26. > :20:36.questions and Mr Paisley showed his Kristian Moss Side. Did he go too
:20:37. > :20:42.far? I think so. I think, after all the years... I'm not being
:20:43. > :20:46.religious, maybe if he had confessed to some of the things he'd done over
:20:47. > :20:53.the years. What do you think of Martin McGuinness? Not much, to tell
:20:54. > :20:57.you the truth. Good riddance. It's hard to forget about his earlier
:20:58. > :21:04.life and what he did. And he hasn't really come clean about that.
:21:05. > :21:09.McGuinness? Maybe he's tried his best over the last ten years. We
:21:10. > :21:14.also gathered some opinions in Londonderry. He will be missed, I'm
:21:15. > :21:19.not sure who will replace him. He did a good enough job at humility
:21:20. > :21:24.has to come out, and they have to be sorry for the things they did
:21:25. > :21:26.throughout the years. Back in Ballymena, an appeal to all
:21:27. > :21:33.politicians to focus on the future, not the past. Protestant, Catholic,
:21:34. > :21:39.where a mixed community and we have to live together. And the
:21:40. > :21:44.fighting... We don't want that back. We definitely don't want it back.
:21:45. > :21:47.The election is still six weeks away but it is already clear that many
:21:48. > :21:51.voters have strong views. A troubled GP surgery
:21:52. > :21:53.in Portadown is to be taken over The GP practice which has more
:21:54. > :22:01.than 5,000 registered patients, faced closure after its last
:22:02. > :22:03.remaining doctor resigned and on Monday a contractor
:22:04. > :22:05.who was in negotiations to take it It's been another long week
:22:06. > :22:12.in politics and the continuing fallout from the RHI scandal has
:22:13. > :22:17.focused attention on the role They play a pivotal role in
:22:18. > :22:23.the relationship between a minister, his department and party
:22:24. > :22:38.but they rarely face The controversy over the RHI scheme
:22:39. > :22:42.has shaken this place to its core and prompted an Assembly election.
:22:43. > :22:47.It's also brought the role of special adviser into the limelight.
:22:48. > :22:51.On Tuesday, the DUP special adviser in the Department of economy said he
:22:52. > :22:57.was stepping aside from anything to do with the RHI scheme. It followed
:22:58. > :23:04.revelations his father-in-law is a claimant. Yesterday, another DUP
:23:05. > :23:08.SPAD was centre stage. Andrew has felt that given what occurred
:23:09. > :23:12.yesterday and, indeed, today, that he was becoming a distraction.
:23:13. > :23:15.Andrew Crawford resigned over allegations he influenced a decision
:23:16. > :23:20.to keep the renewable heat scheme open. He denies any wrongdoing. What
:23:21. > :23:24.is the role of the special adviser, and how much power do they have?
:23:25. > :23:29.These are people who are appointed to be a friend of the minister,
:23:30. > :23:33.somebody to advise him or her, to provide non-civil service view, to
:23:34. > :23:43.give a political aspect to the decision-making. But many SPADs are
:23:44. > :23:48.proxy ministers. I've dealt with them, and some are there to advise,
:23:49. > :23:51.but others are running the show. This former STO Pete SPAD says it is
:23:52. > :23:54.vital for good government. You could get a potential political row
:23:55. > :23:57.brewing between two parties and quite often the SPADs can get
:23:58. > :24:01.together and reason something out and come up with a compromise, take
:24:02. > :24:05.it back to their political masters the decision. One journalist who's
:24:06. > :24:09.followed events closely says the rule is important but there is room
:24:10. > :24:14.for improvement. There's not much in terms of a code of conduct for
:24:15. > :24:18.SPADs. There's a lot more secrecy around what they're paid. It's only
:24:19. > :24:27.recently Stormont has agreed to publish exactly what these SPADs are
:24:28. > :24:30.paid. There are more than anywhere else in the UK. With the rolling the
:24:31. > :24:31.spotlight, some are suggesting reforms, when and if devolved
:24:32. > :24:34.government returns. Now, pupils in two local
:24:35. > :24:36.schools were doing some But while some were looking
:24:37. > :24:39.back to the past, others were experiencing the classroom
:24:40. > :24:41.of the future. Our Education correspondent
:24:42. > :24:54.Robbie Meredith explains all. The first place we're going to go is
:24:55. > :25:00.reared de Janeiro in Brazil. Pupils in this college are seeing the world
:25:01. > :25:08.and beyond without leaving their classroom. It might seem high-tech
:25:09. > :25:12.but it simple. It is images filmed with a special camera, downloaded
:25:13. > :25:15.onto a phone, then seen as virtual reality through these cardboard
:25:16. > :25:18.glasses. The original footage doesn't look exciting but it is
:25:19. > :25:26.turned into an immersive all-round experience. You've been on the moon,
:25:27. > :25:31.different planets. It isn't like talking or writing all the time. It
:25:32. > :25:36.is more fun. The boys are going from the Philippines to Australia and we
:25:37. > :25:39.are touching on a range of subjects with science, geography, ICT. From
:25:40. > :25:46.the virtually real to the really real. At this school, it's the end
:25:47. > :25:51.of a three-year progress restoring this World War II tank. It was
:25:52. > :25:58.rusty, and it wasn't this lovely shade of green it is now. It was
:25:59. > :26:02.falling apart a little bit. Looking back on it and thinking what it's
:26:03. > :26:06.done through the years and how it was brought back, it's fascinating
:26:07. > :26:08.to figure out the back story to it. To schools, one looking back, one to
:26:09. > :26:19.the future. Now the weather.
:26:20. > :26:23.After the gloomy skies, the promise of something brighter heading into
:26:24. > :26:27.the weekend, some sunshine at times, particularly tomorrow. A lot of dry
:26:28. > :26:33.weather in the forecast as well but it'll be chilly. We will have some
:26:34. > :26:38.light frosts around. It started out frosty this morning in parts of the
:26:39. > :26:42.north-west. It turned into a lovely sunrise before the cloud came
:26:43. > :26:46.rolling in. Through the afternoon, the cloud has moved away northwards
:26:47. > :26:52.and it'll continue to erode away through this evening and overnight.
:26:53. > :26:56.Grey skies, falling temperatures, Whiteley down to freezing and minus
:26:57. > :27:01.three minus four in the countryside. Quite a sharp frost, white bread
:27:02. > :27:05.with mist and fog as well. Tomorrow looks like the fine day, spells of
:27:06. > :27:09.sunshine, the best of those during the frosty morning. The fog
:27:10. > :27:13.eventually lifting as well. It is the afternoon, the cloud moves in
:27:14. > :27:19.from the south, still dry, brighter spells but cold. If you're heading
:27:20. > :27:24.along to the king span stadium tomorrow, it is dry and bright but
:27:25. > :27:29.you'll need the layers. Tomorrow night, we have a bit more cloud than
:27:30. > :27:36.tonight. Nevertheless, still cold, still places heading around zero.
:27:37. > :27:38.They could be an icy patch, and more cloud on Sunday compared to
:27:39. > :27:44.tomorrow. More showers towards the east. Other than that, dry. A few
:27:45. > :27:44.bright spells but it is still pretty cold.
:27:45. > :27:46.Not too bad. You can also keep in contact with us
:27:47. > :27:51.via Facebook and Twitter.