10/02/2016 BBC Wales Today

That's all from the BBC News at Six - so it's goodbye from me -

Tonight, the story of how this patriotic little boy from the Welsh

Is Swansea's billion pounds tidal lagoon project under threat?

An independent review will examine the cost and value of wave power.

The death of teenage soldier Cheryl James from Llangollen.

The inquest hears some military officers viewed new recruits

And a warning tonight from steel bosses that the industry is sleep

A man from Cardiff accused of helping his teenage friend

travel to Syria to fight alongside his brother

with so-called Islamic State is behind bars tonight.

Kristen Brekke, along with two other men, was accused of assisting

Aseel Muthana in the preparation of an act of terrorism.

Sentencing him to four and a half years, the judge said Brekke

was "perhaps naive" and may have acted out of "misguided friendship".

For almost a month, Kristen Brekke has been arriving at the Old Bailey

each morning to hear the case against him and two others.

Tonight, the young man from Grangetown is behind bars

Along with Forhad Rahman and Adeel Ulhaq, they have been

found guilty of helping this Cardiff teenager,

Aseel Muthana, travel to Syria to fight jihad.

A lot of people think it is just to put this flag

Nasser Muthana, Aseel's older brother, was one of two infamous

recruits to so-called IS who appeared in a propaganda

video entitled 'There is no life without jihad'.

Aseel was desperate to join him and fight

Brekke was one of three men that helped him do just that.

Brekke first met Aseel while they were working at this cafe

in Grangetown, where they became friends.

The Old Bailey heard Brekke helped him get and store

a new passport as his parents had confiscated his original.

They say he also bought and stored Army gear and boots for him.

The other men provided him with money and expertise

to fund his jihadi journey in February 2014.

It was more than a year ago that Brekke, then 18,

was arrested at his home in Grangetown by officers

of the Wales Extremism and Counter-Terrorism Unit

and charged with assisting in the preparation of

At the time, his mother, who is Welsh, and his father,

who is of Norwegian ancestry, confirmed their son had converted

They said no one else in the family was a Muslim.

This footage of him on a school trip at the age of ten shows a happy,

contented young lad who is very patriotic.

I feel proud of being Welsh because I like the Red Dragon

and when I sing the anthem, it makes me very proud

But in less than a decade, that young boy would be in the dock

at the Old Bailey alongside two others on terror charges.

Brekke told the Old Bailey jury that within a couple of years of starting

secondary school, he decided to convert to Islam.

He said most of his friends were Muslim and he wanted to fit in.

He took his declaration of faith at this small mosque just a few

streets from his home which is renowned for

We taught him so we knew him for quite a while.

I think since the age of 15 and now he is at the age of 19.

So we have not seen any extremism in him.

The name Kristen is the Norwegian form of Christian but he decided

after his conversion at this mosque that that name

He changed it to Kaleem, the Arabic meaning -

a speaker with the ability to understand people and merge

conflicting viewpoints to create harmony.

But his life has been far from harmonious since.

Then come join us at Cardiff hill - AKA Asda hill.

Part of the case against him was this video shot on a mobile

phone at night on what the pair call Asda hill.

The prosecution say it shows Brekke knew exactly

Recorded in December 2013, it shows the two teenagers shouting

Waving a gun in front of the camera and taking potshots at tin cans,

they fantasise that what they see below them is not Cardiff Bay

The Asda supermarket, a military checkpoint in Raqqa.

Two months later, that pretence is a reality for Aseel Muthana.

If you are watching this, I am probably dead.

I am probably like a legend or something.

Brekke's co-accused, Forhad Rahman and Adeel Ulhaq,

did not know Aseel Muthana or Brekke personally.

Experts say such radicalisation on the net is impossible to police.

I noticed one of the videos on this case, one of the guys on the video

says, you may feel depressed, if you come to us this

They're pulling on these factors, you may not feel involved

in your community, you may feel a sense of disconnection,

The Prevent strategy is the Home Office funded scheme

Aseel Muthana was being monitored by Prevent unsuccessfully.

His father says the system failed his family.

If you are preventing it, how can you name yourself

They did not employ the right people.

I don't think that trust has always been there.

I am not sure if in this case this was the particular reason.

Certainly, a stronger degree of trust and communication

across-the-board would mean there are less likely to be

instances where things fall through gaps in the net.

With yet another high-profile case involving someone from Cardiff,

the Muslim community here say they are under the spotlight

Their response, a series of mosque open days to reassure the public

they have nothing to hide and reiterate they do not support

We have got to get equilibrium in the media so for every time

there is one event that is negative or terror related, I could tell

you five or ten events that are in the community where Muslims

are making a positive impact and affecting the local community.

21,000 Muslims live in Cardiff, the vast majority law-abiding,

but tonight, with another from their community behind bars,

they are searching for answers about how to tackle those

Nick, what's been the reaction to today's verdict?

The police are busy very pleased with the outcome. This has been a

joint investigation between two English counterterrorism units and

the Wales counterterrorism unit. They describe it as a conquest MS

the nation. The Assistant Chief Constable Rob Price out Wales police

has released a statement saying the sentences shown to those who support

a terrorist organisation will be brought to justice. There is no

place for those terrorists in Britain. He added that everybody has

a responsibility for spotting the early signs of radicalisation and

said the police want to work with the community in partnership to

protect those who are potentially vulnerable or showing signs of

violent extremism and stop them going to Syria.

There are serious questions tonight over the future

The UK Government has announced an independent review

of Tidal Lagoon Energy, saying more work needs to be done

to determine whether it presents value for money.

The company behind the project says it welcomes the opportunity

to put its case forward but it's concerned about the

It can be a long walk to the sea when the tide goes out in Swansea

Bay but maybe not as long as the possible wait for a decision on

tidal lagoon energy year. As the UK Government announced an independent

review of the feasibility and practicality of this kind of energy,

others see the news as a delaying tactic over a final decision. I am

disappointed for the people of Swansea East because they are

desperate for this. I am disappointed for the people of Wales

because this was our opportunity. And I am disappointed they play

these games with something so important. The chief executive of

tidal lagoon energy has warned the UK Government it must decide in the

next few weeks whether or not it is going to invest in this billion

pound project. Building work has been delayed because every time they

come to discuss how much public money will be put forward,

negotiations have stalled. Responding to the forthcoming

review, the Chief Executive of tidal lagoon energy said in a statement,

we welcome the opportunity to put the case for a major programme of

cost-effective power. This is a home-grown source of power, the

natural way to power our nation. He said the review should not impact

the finalisation of our commercial discussions. The Department for

Energy and Climate Change says the developers will take part in the

review while discussions continue. While that might be the case,

businesses in the local area are now concerned about the time and money

they have already invested in this project. The delay now places great

uncertainty and there are not many new opportunities in Port Talbot,

Swansea Bay of the type that can employ people to the extent that the

tidal lagoon can. From that point of view, a great disappointment. We

have been working very hard for over two years. And as an industry group,

supporting tidal lagoon, our expenditure has run into hundreds of

thousands of pounds. While the debate over tidal lagoon energy

continues to ebb and flow, it is hoped this delay does not signal the

end for the Swansea Bay project. Let's have a word with our business

correspondent Brian Meechan. A warning tonight that if the tidal

lagoon doesn't happen in Swansea, That is the concern of some people

including some supporters and investors. I have spoken to the boss

of Liberty Steel, one of the investors. Tidal lagoon said it

needed a decision within weeks and there was an expectation around that

coming up to the budget next month, that decision either way would be

made. We now know it is going to be months before that decision is made

and that could delay the project for years. The UK Government is looking

to see whether it is value for money because it is an expensive project.

We are going to talk about the steel industry later in the programme but

just a thought on this project's place in the wider industry in south

Wales. If you look at some of the arguments being made, we know that

cheaper energy is incredibly important to the future of the steel

industry. That is why the boss of Liberty Steel says they have

invested in this. But there is also a wider impact.

The lagoons generate over 70,000 jobs during construction,

over 35,000 sustainable for 120 years -

It creates an industry. It creates an entire industry.

We are looking at several investments on the back of that.

We want to do several things, whether it is in steel or concrete.

Lord Nick Bourne, who is in charge of this review, is also a member of

the Welsh government steel task force so he is aware of how all of

this fits together but we are going on beyond the Assembly election.

The Public Services Minister says people need to "grow up"

in their opposition to cutting the number of councils in Wales.

Leighton Andrews has told the Assembly's Local Government

Committee that councils have been given "every opportunity" to agree

on a new map of local authorities but have failed to do so.

But the chief executive of the Welsh Local Government Association,

Steve Thomas, said it took longer to change councils across Wales

The reality is, everybody can agree on local government reorganisation

but nobody is prepared to agree on what it should look like.

People need to grow up, bluntly, and we need to get agreement on this

as soon as we can after the May elections because, as the trade

unions have said, this is leading to some demoralisation among staff

in local government who want to know what the way forward is.

Work has been continuing to restore drinking water to around 1,700

households across parts of Carmarthenshire after

Welsh Water began carrying out repair work overnight

and through the day and said it hoped to restore the supply

More than half ?1 million in tuition fees and grants was granted to a

college in Wales. The West London Vocational Training College in

Cardiff was the focus of a BBC will weaken week out investigation. The

College owner has denied knowing of any wrongdoing in the recruitment of

students. The Welsh government has declined to comment.

The Army base where a Welsh soldier was found dead had a "highly

sexualised" environment and some senior staff saw young female

18-year-old Private Cheryl James from Llangollen was found

with a single gunshot wound to the head at Deepcut Barracks

in 1995 amid claims of bullying and sexual assault.

A new inquest into her death is continuing.

What was life like at deep cut barracks in Surrey more than 20

years ago? And could it have contributed to the death of this

teenage soldier from Angolan? Alison Foster QC is representing her family

at the new inquest into her death. She asked the man in charge of

welfare in the Army now about the barracks in 1995. There's the army

accept that some officers saw recruits as a sexual challenge? He

said, yes, we do. Sadly not everybody subscribed to the set of

values that one would wish. This woman was a close friend of

hers at the barracks and she told the inquest the cab at the time was

pretty diabolical. Life was not much of an existence. Another friend told

the coroner that a Sergeant at the base has taken a liking to her but

the feeling was not mutual. She said she never heard of the Sergeant Mick

Brennan approaches towards her but she knew she did not like him. She

was later ordered to carry out tasks such as picking up litter in the

rain. The inquest continues. Des James has listened for two years now

about life at the barracks while his daughter was there. Tonight, they

said, for the first time in 20 years, they feel they have received

a public acknowledgement of the concerns they have been raising.

Much more to come before seven o'clock.

There are serious problems with the EU but we should stay in.

And much nicer today with sunshine and lighter winds.

More rain and a risk of snow over the weekend.

Tata Steel, who've announced heavy job losses at their Port Talbot

steelworkers, say they're "deeply concerned" that Europe could be

"sleepwalking" into an even deeper steel crisis.

Managers from the company have been giving evidence

Let's talk to our parliamentary correspondent David Cornock.

Those 750 job losses at Port Talbot were announced last month but today

was the first chance that MPs got to question the people who took the

decisions, who axed those jobs, on the spot, to find out more about the

reasons for them and to find out whether governments in Westminster

or Cardiff could have done more to prevent them.

Welsh steel may be considered among the best in the world but it now has

to compete with cheaper steel imported from China.

A key reason behind the job cuts at Port Talbot.

Now the steelworks' owner fears things could get worse if China gets

Tata Steel, alongside the steel industry in Europe in general

is deeply concerned about Europe apparently sleepwalking

into potentially an even greater steel crisis by the granting

The UK Government says that is a red herring and would not stop the EU

Another factor in the job losses is high energy costs.

A scheme to help intensive energy users has just been approved

in Europe but Tata Steel says it has not seen any money yet and has been

waiting two years for tens of millions of pounds.

One MP complained that the government subsidised wind farms

Why do we give government subsidies to companies which are not willing

Because you can't force them to buy British.

If we were a free market economy, we would not have to give them any

The minister said the UK Government would do everything it

could to ensure steel continues to be made at Port Talbot

and to help those who are losing their jobs there.

The MPs also heard from the steelworkers union Community, which

again demanded more action to stop cheap Chinese imports coming into

the UK and into the EU. The MPs will take away the evidence they heard

today, draw up their conclusions and should publish their report early

next month. Informal talks between Plaid Cymru,

the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats on a possible pact ahead

of May's Assembly elections have One proposal was for two

of the parties to withdraw candidates in seats where the third

party had a chance of victory. The Greens said the "electoral math

was there" but not The other big vote apart from that

Welsh election in May is a possible Plaid's leader Leanne Wood

launched her party's Wales in Europe campaign today, highlighting

what she says are the benefits The Rhondda Valley,

like large parts of Wales, is in the lower reaches of the EU

wealth league table, so it has had financial aid

from Brussels for the last 16 years. And it was at one of

the beneficiaries - this community centre and live

music venue in Porth - that Plaid launched its campaign

for Britain to stay in the EU. Even if the artwork

was not fully on message. Plaid leader Leanne Wood said

she is happy to campaign with other parties, despite the looming

election, but she wants to focus on the benefits of membership,

not the risks of exit. Last month, Leanne Wood criticised

the First Minister Carwyn Jones for failing to portray

what she called a "positive vision" in his head-to-head debate with Ukip

leader Nigel Farage and, speaking after his speech this

morning, Leanne Wood said the remain campaign will suffer if it relies

on a message of fear. That is the danger if there is not

collaboration and a sense of working together to put the

positives in Wales. I want to focus on those positive

reasons to remain a member There are many of them and I am

looking forward to working in close co-operation with the other parties

in order to put that positive case. What is most ironic is with Plaid's

call for an independent, self-governing Wales,

the vast majority of the EU's competencies will be devolved

to Wales when we leave the EU, from fishing to farming,

regional development, and so is it that Plaid Cymru wants

the Senedd just to be a rubber-stamping

centre for Brussels? David Cameron will meet EU leaders

next week where he hopes He may then call a referendum

for as soon as June. Already the campaigns are very

much under way. Rugby, and Sian Williams has become

Wales' first professional female player after signing a deal financed

by the Royal Air Force. The 25-year-old back row will be

released by the RAF to play full-time for the Welsh Rugby Union

for the next two years. Football, and Wales'

European Championship bound squad will fly to Stockholm to face

Sweden on the 5th of June. It will be the final friendly match

ahead of the tournament in France. Some sunshine today but a risk

of snow for some of us Just one or two showers

and lighter winds. This picture taken by one of weather

watchers in Abergavenny. Good weather for climbing

Sugarloaf Mountain. This evening will be dry, clear

and cold with a widespread frost. Overnight, cloud will increase,

bringing one or two showers. Temperatures inland falling below

freezing with one or two mist Here's the picture for eight

in the morning. One or two showers but most

of the country dry. Some cloud but bright

in parts of the north. So more cloud tomorrow

but still some dry, bright weather. The best of the sunshine in parts

of the north and east. However, scattered showers

are expected during the afternoon. Heavy in places and

wintry on high ground. Top temperatures between four

and eight Celsius with light winds. Friday, more dry weather with spots

of light rain in places. Some sunshine in parts

of the north and west. The forecast for the weekend

is more complicated. Low pressure will move

in from the Atlantic, bringing rain. And where the rain hits the cold

air, snow is likely, The big question mark

is about the track the low The low could go further south

and that means the cold air in the north would be further

south as well. What we do know is that it is going

to feel cold this weekend. Some rain likely, while at

the moment the greatest risk of snow is on high ground in mid and north

Wales, the hills and mountains. A little snow on the Heads

of the Valleys and maybe During Sunday, the rain,

sleet and snow will gradually clear. Next week, a cold start

with sunshine and frost. Dry for a while but turning more

unsettled by Wednesday with rain. In the meantime, we have got some

frost tonight. Some sunshine but also a few scattered showers. And

keep an eye on the forecast for the weekend. It is by no means

straightforward at the moment. I will keep you posted.

A man from Cardiff accused of helping his teenage friend

travel to Syria to fight alongside his brother

with so-called Islamic State is behind bars tonight.

Kristen Brekke, along with two other men, was accused of assisting

Aseel Muthana in the preparation of an act of terrorism.

Sentencing him to four and a half years, the judge said Brekke

was "perhaps naive" and may have acted out of "misguided friendship".

I'll be back with our late bulletin after the BBC News at 10pm.

From all of us on the programme, good evening.