20/01/2017 BBC Newsline


20/01/2017

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Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.

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After years of fighting to be heard, a major report into historic

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institutional abuse says victims should receive an apology,

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Today we are believed as young children who tried to complain about

:00:22.:00:34.

our abuse but no one would listen. The chairman of the inquiry praised

:00:35.:00:37.

the courage of the victims saying their evidence was sometimes

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distressing and painful for them. We hope that, in some measure, the

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process of giving evidence, whether acknowledged in private or in

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public, helped those who were not listened to in the past.

:00:57.:00:58.

A murder inquiry in Lurgan after the body of a woman

:00:59.:01:00.

Supporters and opponents show unity after the resignation

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We wouldn't be where we are in Northern Ireland, in terms of

:01:04.:01:17.

stability, peace and the opportunity to rebuild our country if it hadn't

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have been for the work that he did put in.

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And, after the recent gloom, there'll be a bit more sun

:01:23.:01:25.

In their own words, today was a "special,

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"special day" for victims of historical child abuse.

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After four years of hearings, the Historical Institutional Abuse

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It investigated more than 60 residential homes and institutions,

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looking into allegations dating back to the 1920s.

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Today, the inquiry concluded that children were subjected

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The official report outlines how abuse was inflicted

:01:59.:02:03.

in institutions run by the state, local authorities,

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The inquiry, chaired by retired High Court Judge Sir Anthony Hart,

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says there should be a public apology to all those who suffered

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abuse, a memorial at Stormont as a reminder to politicians

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of what many children experienced in residential homes,

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and compensation and support services for survivors.

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Kevin Sharkey has been following the inquiry for BBC Newsline.

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The Inquirer investigated the physical, emotional and sexual abuse

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and neglect of children who were under 18 years of age. There were

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public hearings into a total of 22 homes and institutions. The inquiry

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sought evidence and fast amounts of historical documents from seven

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state, church and charitable organisations. Today, a judgment on

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that. The long and painful journey from troubled childhoods. Decades of

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suffering, years of campaigning, today, the results. There were

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individuals who provided excellent care. There were others who are

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cruel and abusive, sexually, motioned me towards the children for

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whom they were responsible. This abuse has affected many people for

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the rest of their lives. Thousands of young people, toddlers and

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teenagers were placed in the institutions investigated by this

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inquiry. Hundreds claimed they were abused or neglected. The inquiry

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listen to their voices, heard their anguish. Victims and survivors of

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historical abuse can pull the curtain back over the shame of the

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last 73 years. The inquiry looked into the past, burying the balloons

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of countless damaged lives and the scandal of institutional abuse. We

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know that for the great majority of applicants, this was the first time

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they'd describe their experiences as children in residential care. Even

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in some cases to members of the Roman family. The inquiry also

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investigated sexual abuse at the former boys home in Belfast. Despite

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years of investigation, the inquiry found no evidence of a cover up. We

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are satisfied that it was not a homosexual brothel, nor used by any

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of the security agencies as a honeypot to entrap, blackmail or

:04:45.:04:50.

exploit homosexuals. The public hearings were attended by men and

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women. Many old, elderly or confirmed. People recalling

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childhoods stained by abuse, cruelty and neglect. Adult lives scarred by

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the memories. Echoes from the past demanding to be heard. Describing

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those experiences wasn't always easy. At times it was clearly

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distressing and painful. The report provides a new historical document

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on a bleak period in Northern Ireland's past. And an often

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harrowing and heartbreaking account of damage childhoods. The future,

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according to the report's authors, has a duty to remember and to

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provide redress. The apology should be a wholehearted and unconditional

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recognition that they failed to protect children from abuse that

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could and should have been prevented or detected. A memorial should be

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erected to remind legislators and others of what many children

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experienced in residential care. We have provided a detailed framework

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for the recommended compensation scheme. And for the re-dress board

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that would administer the compensation scheme. This was an

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investigation focusing on abuse but the inquiry acknowledge the good

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work of many people working in the institutions. The report is now

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available to the public but it has to be implemented by politicians. We

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therefore urge the new executive and Assembly to give affect our

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recommendations and to do so as a matter of priority after the

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election. We believe those who have waited so long for their voices to

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be heard deserve nothing less. Thank you very much.

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The publication of the inquiry is the end of a long

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Many have died and others live with the significant mental scars

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BBC Newsline's Tara Mills has been speaking to some of them.

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You may find some of the details in her report upsetting.

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Margaret has been the public face of the victims but, privately, there is

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a reason for her involvement in the campaign. Her brother and Kevin. At

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62, he still lives in care. He has a learning difficulty which she

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believes is directly related to what he suffered as a child. They

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sexually abused me. Girls and boys. The abuse happened here, and there

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was physical violence, too. I have straps on my back. So, the people

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who were looking after you did that? Yes. Was it saw? I cried. Separated

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when the mother left home, they were sent to different institutions. With

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no bombs to parents or siblings, Kevin was particularly vulnerable to

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abuse. He was misthrow pro -- mistaking these things the love.

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That is all they had from these Kristian brothers and priests and

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also boys, he understood it as love but it was rape of an innocent

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child. Kevin didn't have to go to court. The inquiry came to his care

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hope to hear the evidence. Nobody sees what goes on behind-the-scenes.

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The politicians don't realise or the inquiry team, they are doing the

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job. But this is the reality of how people's lives are affected. It

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wasn't just the Catholic Church that had questions to answer at the

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inquiry. Secrets of state abuse also had to be told. Every day, it's in

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your mind. Ron Graham spent time at three boys homes. The abuse took

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place at Kincora. My father had just passed away in December, in 74 or

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75. I remember going into Kincora. There was something about the place.

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I couldn't put my finger on it. Willie McGraw was sentenced to four

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years for the crimes he committed against Ron another boys while

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working as a housemaster. When McGraw approached me, it was in a

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fatherly way. And I think he played on it emotionally. That was the

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first time he raped me. So it was. I remember after that happened, he

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said to me, clean yourself up. And don't say a word. So I did clean

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myself up and I went out, walk to the cemetery... And I think the

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police picked me up inside the cemetery. The children who ended up

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in these institutions had already ensured the pain of loss, abuse or

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neglect in their own homes. To then faced torture at the hands of the

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Church or state is impossibly cruel. Most of these people want someone to

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pay for what happened to them. With reaction to the findings of

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the Historical Institutional Abuse Institution after institution, from

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local authority homes to secular homes, homes run by the Catholic

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Church and won by the Church of Ireland. 22 in total. Those in

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charge have issued an apology, to those abused in their care. We

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express our deep regret for what happened to those particular

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children, and we have failed to protect those children at that

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particular time. Does it bring shame to Barnardo 's? I don't think so

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because we exercised duty of care when we realised we'd had problems.

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We've approached the inquiry with openness. And taken responsibility

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to bring about change and learn lessons. The largest number of

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complaints related to for sister of Nazareth homes. Much of the sexual

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abuse was known by the members of the clergy. The report found nothing

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was done to stop the abuse. The report was discussed with Pope

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Francis today. TRANSLATION: It isn't easy to hear but however unpalatable

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it might be, I think all of us must accept the findings of this report,

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and we must cooperate fully with the new Northern Ireland executive in

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ensuring that proper reparation is made, to those that have been hurt

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and traumatised by those things. The Department of Health has conceded

:12:05.:12:08.

systemic failings on the part of its predecessor, specifically in

:12:09.:12:12.

connection with legislation and inspection. The health minister

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said... Barnardos say while lessons have

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been learned, organisations cannot rest on their laurels. Any

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organisation who says there is no risk is very unwise. I what is

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important is to be constantly vigilant and constantly improving

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standards, otherwise we're just complacent. The Department of

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Justice say the findings of the report are being carefully examined.

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Any new lessons to emerge from it will be acted upon.

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You've sat in on these hearings for the last

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four years and listened to at times

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What do you think this inquiry has meant to the victims

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Well, I suppose this evening that is the question because essentially

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what happened today was the chairman of the inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart, he

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passed the baton on to Stormont. It's now up to the politicians when

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they get back together, if they get back together, to decide, number

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one, when will there be that public apology, number two, when will that

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memorial in the grounds of Stormont be put in place, and, number three,

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when will the re-dress process and process of compensation be put in

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place and when will the victims benefit from that compensation?

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Because, at the end of the day, and at the end of this inquiry process,

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let's not forget that this is about victims, about people, people who

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travelled from different parts of not only Northern Ireland but

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different parts of Ireland, the UK, and from as far away as Australia,

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because many children were sent to Australia in the middle of the last

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century. And during the last three years when I've been covering the

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inquiry at the courthouse, day after day, I watched victims and survivors

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walking through the doors of that courthouse in ones and twos and you

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could see the pain and hurt etched on their faces. Today, there were

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dozens of victims and survivors in a hotel in South Belfast and, for the

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first time in all that time, I saw very many of them smile today. Thank

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you very much. A murder investigation has begun

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after the body of a woman was discovered at a house in Lurgan

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early this morning. Police say she was

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51-year-old Anita Downey. This report from

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Michael Fitzpatrick. Police were called to this house in

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Lurgan with the woman's body was found at around 2:50am. A man of the

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same age was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being questioned by

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detectives. This is a quiet residential area around 100 yards or

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so from the local high school in Lurgan. A woman living next door

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says her young daughter was awoken in the early hours by the sound of

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shouting and glass being smashed. People living here say they've been

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left shocked at waking up to a crime scene on their doorstep. We're just

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saddened by it. People get on well here but you don't want this to

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happen anywhere, and my thoughts go out to the family because it is

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somebody's loved one that has died. People's thoughts and prayers are

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very much with the deceased's family. It's very sad news at the

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start of the New Year to have a death of this nature. And certainly

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I'd encourage anyone who has any information to come forward to the

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PSNI. A postmortem examination is due to take place. A 51-year-old man

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remains in police custody. Sinn Fein are to reveal next Monday

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who will replace Martin McGuinness. Today, party president Gerry Adams

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said the former Deputy First Minster Politicians from across the board

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have all paid tribute to Mr McGuinness, including the DUP

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MP Ian Paisley, who thanked him Here is Our Political

:16:21.:16:24.

Correspondent Stephen Walker. A welcome for a man seen by many as

:16:25.:16:41.

a local hero. Last night in his home city Martin McGuinness received much

:16:42.:16:48.

praise. I've been to many famous places throughout the world but my

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heart lies here. Political tributes have flowed from all sides,

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including the Prime Minister, the Taoiseach and the local parties. The

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DUP leaders said... There were other tributes from

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parties, and one that stood out was from last night's BBC programme, The

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View, from Ian Paisley. I want to say thank you and it is important we

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reflect on the fact that we wouldn't be where we are in Northern Ireland

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in terms of having stability, peace and the opportunity to rebuild our

:17:54.:17:58.

country if it hadn't have been for the work that he put in, especially

:17:59.:18:02.

with my father. Ian Paisley's comments provoked quite a reaction

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on social media, and there were warm words from the DUP's political

:18:15.:18:16.

rivals, including many Republicans. The TUV leader gave a different

:18:17.:18:22.

response. He wrote... Talking about Martin McGuinness, Ian Paisley's DUP

:18:23.:18:28.

colleague Gregory Campbell said, the regret is he didn't engage much

:18:29.:18:32.

earlier in the peaceful path. Today, Gerry Adams said Martin McGuinness

:18:33.:18:36.

had a life-threatening condition, and welcomed the tributes to him,

:18:37.:18:40.

particularly the remarks from Ian Paisley, the North Antrim MP. I very

:18:41.:18:49.

warmly welcome in Paisley's remarks, they were very appropriate and

:18:50.:18:54.

fitting, and I think they are in many ways representative of the

:18:55.:19:02.

great work that his father, Ian Paisley senior, did along with

:19:03.:19:07.

Martin McGuinness. Sinn Fein must now contemplate life without Martin

:19:08.:19:11.

McGuinness imposed. Tonight, Alicia McCallion will be selected to run in

:19:12.:19:15.

his place in the Foyle constituency. He figures are also being tipped for

:19:16.:19:20.

a leadership role, including the health minister. Then there's the

:19:21.:19:27.

finance minister, and the former MP Conor Murphy. Sinn Fein will reveal

:19:28.:19:31.

who will lead them at Stormont on Monday.

:19:32.:19:33.

So, how has that praise of Martin McGuinness by Ian Paisley

:19:34.:19:35.

gone down in the DUP MP's North Antrim constituency?

:19:36.:19:38.

BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson has been sampling the mood in Ballymena.

:19:39.:19:49.

Ian Paisley's office is in the heart of Ballymena, and on the street

:19:50.:19:57.

outside, last night's interview was the big talking point. Did you see

:19:58.:20:01.

Ian Paisley last night? What did you think? I thought he was brilliant.

:20:02.:20:07.

ORE: Very good and very true. It was measured. It was of the time, it has

:20:08.:20:13.

to be said. Did he go too far? May the some people. Not for you? Not

:20:14.:20:22.

funny. There's a great deal of religious people here but not many

:20:23.:20:25.

questions and Mr Paisley showed his Kristian Moss Side. Did he go too

:20:26.:20:36.

far? I think so. I think, after all the years... I'm not being

:20:37.:20:42.

religious, maybe if he had confessed to some of the things he'd done over

:20:43.:20:46.

the years. What do you think of Martin McGuinness? Not much, to tell

:20:47.:20:53.

you the truth. Good riddance. It's hard to forget about his earlier

:20:54.:20:57.

life and what he did. And he hasn't really come clean about that.

:20:58.:21:04.

McGuinness? Maybe he's tried his best over the last ten years. We

:21:05.:21:09.

also gathered some opinions in Londonderry. He will be missed, I'm

:21:10.:21:14.

not sure who will replace him. He did a good enough job at humility

:21:15.:21:19.

has to come out, and they have to be sorry for the things they did

:21:20.:21:24.

throughout the years. Back in Ballymena, an appeal to all

:21:25.:21:26.

politicians to focus on the future, not the past. Protestant, Catholic,

:21:27.:21:33.

where a mixed community and we have to live together. And the

:21:34.:21:39.

fighting... We don't want that back. We definitely don't want it back.

:21:40.:21:44.

The election is still six weeks away but it is already clear that many

:21:45.:21:47.

voters have strong views. A troubled GP surgery

:21:48.:21:51.

in Portadown is to be taken over The GP practice which has more

:21:52.:21:53.

than 5,000 registered patients, faced closure after its last

:21:54.:22:01.

remaining doctor resigned and on Monday a contractor

:22:02.:22:03.

who was in negotiations to take it It's been another long week

:22:04.:22:05.

in politics and the continuing fallout from the RHI scandal has

:22:06.:22:12.

focused attention on the role They play a pivotal role in

:22:13.:22:17.

the relationship between a minister, his department and party

:22:18.:22:23.

but they rarely face The controversy over the RHI scheme

:22:24.:22:38.

has shaken this place to its core and prompted an Assembly election.

:22:39.:22:42.

It's also brought the role of special adviser into the limelight.

:22:43.:22:47.

On Tuesday, the DUP special adviser in the Department of economy said he

:22:48.:22:51.

was stepping aside from anything to do with the RHI scheme. It followed

:22:52.:22:57.

revelations his father-in-law is a claimant. Yesterday, another DUP

:22:58.:23:04.

SPAD was centre stage. Andrew has felt that given what occurred

:23:05.:23:08.

yesterday and, indeed, today, that he was becoming a distraction.

:23:09.:23:12.

Andrew Crawford resigned over allegations he influenced a decision

:23:13.:23:15.

to keep the renewable heat scheme open. He denies any wrongdoing. What

:23:16.:23:20.

is the role of the special adviser, and how much power do they have?

:23:21.:23:24.

These are people who are appointed to be a friend of the minister,

:23:25.:23:29.

somebody to advise him or her, to provide non-civil service view, to

:23:30.:23:33.

give a political aspect to the decision-making. But many SPADs are

:23:34.:23:43.

proxy ministers. I've dealt with them, and some are there to advise,

:23:44.:23:48.

but others are running the show. This former STO Pete SPAD says it is

:23:49.:23:51.

vital for good government. You could get a potential political row

:23:52.:23:54.

brewing between two parties and quite often the SPADs can get

:23:55.:23:57.

together and reason something out and come up with a compromise, take

:23:58.:24:01.

it back to their political masters the decision. One journalist who's

:24:02.:24:05.

followed events closely says the rule is important but there is room

:24:06.:24:09.

for improvement. There's not much in terms of a code of conduct for

:24:10.:24:14.

SPADs. There's a lot more secrecy around what they're paid. It's only

:24:15.:24:18.

recently Stormont has agreed to publish exactly what these SPADs are

:24:19.:24:27.

paid. There are more than anywhere else in the UK. With the rolling the

:24:28.:24:30.

spotlight, some are suggesting reforms, when and if devolved

:24:31.:24:31.

government returns. Now, pupils in two local

:24:32.:24:34.

schools were doing some But while some were looking

:24:35.:24:36.

back to the past, others were experiencing the classroom

:24:37.:24:39.

of the future. Our Education correspondent

:24:40.:24:41.

Robbie Meredith explains all. The first place we're going to go is

:24:42.:24:54.

reared de Janeiro in Brazil. Pupils in this college are seeing the world

:24:55.:25:00.

and beyond without leaving their classroom. It might seem high-tech

:25:01.:25:08.

but it simple. It is images filmed with a special camera, downloaded

:25:09.:25:12.

onto a phone, then seen as virtual reality through these cardboard

:25:13.:25:15.

glasses. The original footage doesn't look exciting but it is

:25:16.:25:18.

turned into an immersive all-round experience. You've been on the moon,

:25:19.:25:26.

different planets. It isn't like talking or writing all the time. It

:25:27.:25:31.

is more fun. The boys are going from the Philippines to Australia and we

:25:32.:25:36.

are touching on a range of subjects with science, geography, ICT. From

:25:37.:25:39.

the virtually real to the really real. At this school, it's the end

:25:40.:25:46.

of a three-year progress restoring this World War II tank. It was

:25:47.:25:51.

rusty, and it wasn't this lovely shade of green it is now. It was

:25:52.:25:58.

falling apart a little bit. Looking back on it and thinking what it's

:25:59.:26:02.

done through the years and how it was brought back, it's fascinating

:26:03.:26:06.

to figure out the back story to it. To schools, one looking back, one to

:26:07.:26:08.

the future. Now the weather.

:26:09.:26:19.

After the gloomy skies, the promise of something brighter heading into

:26:20.:26:23.

the weekend, some sunshine at times, particularly tomorrow. A lot of dry

:26:24.:26:27.

weather in the forecast as well but it'll be chilly. We will have some

:26:28.:26:33.

light frosts around. It started out frosty this morning in parts of the

:26:34.:26:38.

north-west. It turned into a lovely sunrise before the cloud came

:26:39.:26:42.

rolling in. Through the afternoon, the cloud has moved away northwards

:26:43.:26:46.

and it'll continue to erode away through this evening and overnight.

:26:47.:26:52.

Grey skies, falling temperatures, Whiteley down to freezing and minus

:26:53.:26:56.

three minus four in the countryside. Quite a sharp frost, white bread

:26:57.:27:01.

with mist and fog as well. Tomorrow looks like the fine day, spells of

:27:02.:27:05.

sunshine, the best of those during the frosty morning. The fog

:27:06.:27:09.

eventually lifting as well. It is the afternoon, the cloud moves in

:27:10.:27:13.

from the south, still dry, brighter spells but cold. If you're heading

:27:14.:27:19.

along to the king span stadium tomorrow, it is dry and bright but

:27:20.:27:24.

you'll need the layers. Tomorrow night, we have a bit more cloud than

:27:25.:27:29.

tonight. Nevertheless, still cold, still places heading around zero.

:27:30.:27:36.

They could be an icy patch, and more cloud on Sunday compared to

:27:37.:27:38.

tomorrow. More showers towards the east. Other than that, dry. A few

:27:39.:27:44.

bright spells but it is still pretty cold.

:27:45.:27:44.

Not too bad. You can also keep in contact with us

:27:45.:27:46.

via Facebook and Twitter.

:27:47.:27:51.

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