08/12/2017 London News

That's all from the BBC News at Six

- so it's goodbye from me -

Tonight on BBC London News:

- so it's goodbye from me -

This is where he hit his head.

A Camden couple injured

after a police raid at their home

are paid compensation from the Met.

Scotland yard refuses to accept

liability or issue an apology.

Also tonight:

The bid to free Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe from jail.

We speak to her husband ahead

of Boris Johnson's trip to Iran.

Plus, why the Borough market trader

who lost trade after the London

bridge attack won't receive

an insurance payment.

And welcome to gingerbread city.

Find out why architects have been

messing about with sugar and spice

in their London offices.

Good evening.

I'm Asad Ahmad.

BBC London has learned

that the Metropolitan Police has

paid many thousands of pounds

in an out-of-court settlement

to a couple from Camden

who claimed unlawful arrest

and police brutality.

But the victim's lawyer says

the force would probably

have had to pay nothing,

if it had simply said

sorry for its mistake.

Scotland Yard hasn't

accepted liability for

carrying out the arrests or ever

apologised for its actions.

Alex Bushill can

explain what happened.

Protect and serve, not assault and

injure. It was the early morning

when the police came calling,

thinking they were chasing a drug

dealer.

I opened the door like that.

I said, you cannot come in because I

understand you need a warrant. They

said, no, we don't need a warrant.

They pushed the door, kicked the

door open and two of them went in.

My husband said, what is going on.

When he was there, they started to

punch my husband in the eye. They

grabbed him, they came here and

threw him against this brick wall

and he hit his head. Then they put

him down.

After no drugs were found

at the property, she and her husband

were arrested for assaulting and

obstructing the same police officers

they say gave her these injuries.

The worst thing is the scar that is

still vividly after four years in my

heart and I don't think it will ever

disappear.

Why did the police ever

come to the property in the first

place? The police say they had

reports of a drug deal taking place

outside this disused pub and that

CCTV showed one of the people

involved entering the estate and

going to the flat. But every time

the lawyers have asked to see any

evidence of that, the police have

failed to produce it. The Met Police

released a statement today.

But the woman says there were no

drugs of any sort at the property.

Her lawyer says that now the police

have paid a five figure sum to the

family, they should just say sorry.

It seems the sensible thing to do.

Had they apologised that the police

station when they realised that

something had gone terribly wrong,

the clients would never have taken

legal action.

The experience has

left them traumatised, medication

and even suicidal.

I tried many

times taking tablets when I was

under the psychiatrist and

psychologist treatment. Yes. Sorry.

It was very tough.

Above all, she

now fears those who are there to

protect us.

That's our top story tonight.

Well, this evening,

you're with the BBC

London News team on BBC One.

Safe hands indeed.

This is what we've

got for you tonight.

On the front foot for London, the

mayor reacts to the Brexit

breakthrough for EU citizens living

here.

For the third time in as many years,

there's a damning report

into Wormwood Scrubs Prison in west

London.

This time, an inspection has found

it to have persistent failings

with high levels of violence

against staff and inmates.

Inspectors said there were filthy

conditions inside and they raised

serious concerns about how

Wormwood Scrubs is performing.

Here's our Home Affairs

correspondent, Nick Beake.

More than 1200 men are held within

the Victorian walls of Wormwood

Scrubs, and the huge problems inside

have been well documented.

Filthy

and unsafe, that is how Wormwood

Scrubs prison has been described...

Figures show an increase in assault,

with Wormwood Scrubs named...

A jail

in western has been found rat

infested and overcrowded, with

prisoners too frightened to leave

cells...

Now, once again, inspectors

have delivered a damning assessment.

For the third time in a little over

three years we inspected Wormwood

Scrubs and found the conditions

completely unacceptable. What needs

to happen is that the prison service

needs to do something to support the

governor and his team, who are

working incredibly hard in really

difficult circumstances.

Inspectors

described a dramatic increase in

violence against staff, 90 assaults

in six months. They found two thirds

of inmates felt unsafe and some

prisoners were locked in cells for

up to 23 hours a day. The

organisation representing prison

staff say that government funding

cuts have made things worse.

I

highlight the same issues, lack of

staff, unsafe prison, drugs, lack of

resettlement. The government have to

get a grip.

No minister would do an

interview, but the Ministry of

Justice said Wormwood Scrubs had

taken decisive action to reduce

violence and improve conditions. 120

extra officers are also being

recruited. But one charity which

campaigns for better prisons says

the current approach simply isn't

working.

We cannot keep doing this

to people, to staff, prisoners,

victims, taxpayers. Action has to be

taken. The Secretary of State must

act and there has to be a reduction

in the number of people in Wormwood

Scrubs and in other prisons.

Some

problems here could take years to

fix, but inspectors say there is no

excuse for more basic failings, like

not providing enough clothes and

bedding for the men who lived here.

Robbers who laughed after squirting

corrosive cleaning fluid

at two women, have been

jailed for ten years.

Rapper, Sadik Kamara and Joshua

Jordan, both from Newham -

were among a gang who set out

to deliberately target

"petite women" to rob -

earlier this year.

Both victims suffered facial burns,

but neither sustained

permanent injuries.

A compensation pay-out

which could total £100 million

is being offered by Lambeth Council

- to victims of child sex abuse

going back 60 years.

It follows an investigation

into child abuse which led

to a victims coming forward

from the council run

Shirley Oaks Children's Home

in the 1980s and '90s.

If approved, the money will be used

to compensate and counsel victims.

Train services in-and-out

of London Bridge Station have been

disrupted for much of the day -

because of a signal failure.

Delays and at least some

cancellations continue tonight,

so let's get the very latest now

from Jim Wheble who's

at the station.

Jim.

That's right. This started this

morning with a signal failure

between East Croydon and Gatwick, a

fairly major signal failure which

severely disrupted services coming

into London this morning from the

south-east. Then this afternoon

there was a broken down train at

London Bridge, and other signal

failures. The problem is that the

crews and trains are scattered

across the network in the wrong

places, which has caused the

disruption this evening to commuter

routes. Gatwick Express services at

one point were suspended today. They

are running again, a very limited

service, and Thames Link and

Southern services from London Bridge

and Victoria are subject to delays

and cancellations this evening. In

fact, I just went inside London

Bridge station, looked at the

service updates screens, and you

would be hard pushed to find a train

that is not either delayed or

cancelled. The advice is to check

before you travel, and if there is

an alternative route for you to get

home, probably a good idea if you

take it.

And if you want to keep

across the travel situation,

you can get up to the minute travel

news on BBC Radio London -

and also our Twitter

feed @BBCTravelAlert.

Tomorrow, the Foreign

Secretary is in Iran -

where he'll be pushing

for the release of a mother

from West Hampstead -

who's been in prison since last

year, accused of trying to overthrow

the Iranian government.

Boris Johnson, will

call for the release

of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

on humanitarian grounds.

Nazanin's husband,

Richard Ratcliffe is with me now.

Thank you for joining us. Boris

Johnson is heading to Iran tomorrow.

Have you any idea what his

bargaining chip will be to release

your wife?

I know he will be meeting

with the Iranians Foreign Minister,

trying to meet with the head of the

judiciary and trying to meet with my

wife. Hopefully he will be able to

press her case as clearly as

possible, and let's hope he can do

something to unlock it.

Fingers

crossed for that. Let's say nothing

comes of the visit. How much will

you blame Boris Johnson,

theoretically, for the comments he

made a few weeks ago when he said

she was teaching journalism when she

was arrested.

We were cross and he

retracted the comments in Parliament

and corrected. He is now going and

making clear his call for her to be

released. Him being there is a big

deal. He is the Foreign Secretary.

It can only be good that he is there

battling for her.

Do you accept that

it may have weakened his bargaining

power when he goes?

Who knows how

things will play in her court case

on Sunday. If we are lucky, if there

is even a court case on Sunday.

Clearly, his words have been used by

Iranian TV and the judiciary.

Hopefully that will come to an end.

Campaigners have gathered in London

in support of your wife and they

spoke to her from prison. She

sounded up Pete and buoyed by what

was going on. Does she know Boris

Johnson is going this weekend, and

how is she feeling?

She knew he had

plans and the last time I spoke to

her was on Tuesday before we knew he

would be there this weekend. I am

guessing it has been on TV there, so

she will know. On Tuesday she was

desperate to find out when he was

going and worried about her trial. I

am sure him being there will lift

her spirits and knowing she is not

alone can only be a good thing.

We're coming to Christmas, a

difficult time to be without loved

ones. You have not seen your

daughter for such a long time. Do

you know how Shias? How often do you

speak to her in prison?

The last

time I phone, she was watching TV,

too busy to talk to her father. She

is little enough not to understand.

Last Christmas we were apart and it

was tough. And I hope that maybe he

can unlock the door and she is back

in time for this year.

We will be

following closely what happens this

weekend and hopefully we will speak

with better news next week. Thank

you.

Six months after the terrorist

attack on London Bridge

and Borough Market, one

of the traders affected says it's

"ludicrous" that his insurers

and the government have failed

to help him recover his losses.

The fruit and veg wholesaler

claims his business has

lost nearly a £100,000 -

but his insurer has told him,

he didn't have the right cover.

It has been a tough six months

for Turnips distribution.

We know we have lost between 70

and 80,000 on the physicals,

like products and paying staff.

There has been a 40%

downturn in turnover,

and that equates to around 130,000.

Forced to close for ten days

after the London Bridge terror

attack, the business still has

not fully recovered.

Tip top it off, the company's claim

for lost trade has been turned down

by Aviva because it had insurance

cover for business interruption

but not terror related events.

This is absolutely ludicrous.

They are getting out

of something that morally

they should be doing it,

let alone anything else.

Every other insurance has paid

because they understand

we are under attack.

We are in this altogether.

Aviva told us they paid customers

who had relevant cover.

A spokesperson said:

Turnips distribution is not the only

business in the market

who have struggled to claim.

The majority of our traders and not

have a pay-out from insurers

and many others have had a smaller

pay-out than they were expecting.

It is the minority who have had

a full pay-out from their insurance.

The uncertainty over insurance

as been highlighted by the local MP

for this area in the Commons.

Neil Coyle says the government

must take action.

People expect the government to step

in and make sure no businesses

are forced to close and no

jobs are lost.

Sadly, if it wasn't for the work

of the market trust and individual

business to business donations,

and the council stepping in to help,

some of the businesses

here would be forced to close.

I think people are surprised

and disappointed at that response

and they are also disappointed

with the initial reaction of most

insurers and the continued negative

response from Aviva.

Ministers have said the current

insurance model for paying out

after terror attacks is outdated,

and will be reformed

in the New Year, but that comes too

late for this family business,

who six months on,

are still counting the cost.

If you've just joined us this

Friday evening, welcome.

It's never too late to tune in.

This is what's still to come.

We will be finding out if London can

expect slow this weekend.

The great city bake off -

why architects have swapped bricks

and mortar for flour and ginger.

The Mayor of London

has brought his visit

to the sub-continent to a close -

ending it

in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

It's where he paid his respects

to the country's founder -

before taking the crease

for a cricket match.

And all of it was done,

in his words, to show that London

was "open for business".

Our political correspondent,

Karl Mercer sent this report

from Pakistan.

For most of Karachi, it was business

as usual this morning.

This is a city of 15 million people,

the commercial capital of Pakistan,

and a city that continues to grow.

It is also home to the mausoleum

for the country's founding father.

In a solemn ceremony,

the mayor laid a wreath.

As everywhere else in Pakistan,

it is a visit that has

attracted huge attention,

and a huge security presence.

This was at his next visit,

to a local university,

where the mayor explained how

he became a lawyer.

There was this TV

programme called LA Law.

In this programme, the lawyers wore

great suits and drove fast cars,

and I thought, "Yeah,

I could do that".

A joke for a crowd keen to hear

from London's mayor.

It's a big deal because we find

a lot of parallels between London

and Karachi and we never knew

that was actually possible.

And he opened new lines for us

to share between the two cities.

Also because he is from

the Pakistani community,

he is also Muslim, so instantly

we had a community feeling with him

while we were attending the session,

that he was actually able

to relate to us more than,

you know, people normally

would if they are from

places like that.

The reception at a cricket charity

was just as enthusiastic.

But while the mayor is ending his

South Asian tour we learned today

that the UK will be starting

detailed trade talks on Brexit.

I'm really pleased that finally,

16 months on, EU citizens,

Londoners who contribute so hugely

to our city and our country appear

to have been given began

the guarantee I wanted,

which is them having rights

after we left the EU

that they have now.

But here's where it gets really

tough with the European Union.

And my worry is that

all the evidence we have so far

is that the government is not

prepared to do a good

negotiation with the EU.

They've got no idea

what the destination is,

let alone how we get there.

Like Boris Johnson when he toured

India, the mayor couldn't resist

picking up the bat here in Pakistan,

a light-hearted end

to his six-day trip.

What are three words that stick

in your memory from the trip?

Look, the key thing I've been saying

to people in London for the last 16

months is London is open,

and around the world.

We've put that message now

to Pakistan and India,

saying to people in India

and Pakistan, London is open.

And it's really important

to reassure people London is open

for trade, for business,

if you want to study, if you want

to visit, for friendship.

And London is a great,

open-minded city, and that's

not going to change,

even after we've left the EU.

Finally, his innings was over,

stumped by the current

Pakistan cricket captain.

And the trip is over, too.

The mayor, and the poster

behind him, though, hoping

to leave a simple message.

Karl Mercer, BBC

London News, in Karachi.

Football, and Crystal Palace fans

are demanding answers

from Sussex Police -

after the force apologised

for falsely claiming they'd found

weapons at a Premier League match -

against Brighton last week.

Chris Slegg is following

what's happened.

This all sounds really strange.

Yes,

it was certainly a difficult night

for Brighton and Crystal Palace last

week. A really difficult night for

Sussex police. The behaviour of some

fans made it so. There were six

arrests. Two stewards were injured

when it is alleged that some palace

fans without tickets tried to force

their way into the ground. That led

to the gates being locked. 200

law-abiding fans with tickets were

locked outside and then escorted

back to the station. That led to

criticism about how Sussex police

had handled it. The next day they

came out with a statement saying

knives and knuckle-dusters had been

found, carried by some fans. That

did not ring true with many Crystal

Palace fans and they asked the

police for evidence. Yesterday, this

prompted this really extraordinary

statement from Sussex police. They

said the reference to weapons fans

being found discarded was based on

information logged by our offices on

the night and done so in good faith.

Subsequently, it has been

established that no such items were

physically recovered at the Stadium

or in the city. We accept that this

information was incorrect. Sussex

police apologises to both clubs and

their supporters. Today I spoke to

one of the Palace fans whose hard

work prompted that apology. He is

now challenging claims that a large

number of fans travelled to the game

without tickets.

I am pleased they

have submitted the apology. I feel

there are still some questions to be

asked and answered. We would like to

understand just how many ticketless

fans there were and what evidence

they have to substantiate that.

The

clubs are going to meet again I

understand Palace are unhappy about

the scheduling of the match.

They

have been drawn together in the FA

Cup and it will take place on a

Monday evening. The police have to

give the go-ahead for the game.

Given that the police have described

this match as their most challenging

for a decade, it is surprisingly

will allow another one in the

evening. Crystal Palace have said

they are surprised and disappointed

at the scheduling of that match.

Thank you.

Popular non-league Dulwich

Hamlet Football Club -

has won a stay of execution

after being threatened with eviction

from their stadium in south London.

A disagreement with Meadow Property

- who own the ground -

could have seen them locked out

of Champion Hill this afternoon.

But we understand a temporary

solution has been found,

which keeps the 124-year-old club

where it is - for now.

Buildings made by some of London's

top architects, not out of bricks

and mortar, that flower and ginger.

It is an attempt to make us all

think about the type of place we

want to live in. Wendy Hurrell has

been to see the buildings for

herself.

Welcome to gingerbread city, an

example of town planning. There is

the Ganache Stadium, a pub and a

museum of architecture. Each

building has been designed and

constructed by actual architects.

Said the architects sent me photos

of them working on these projects

and they had joined tables with all

the little pieces of gingerbread

spread out and all the candy.

Melissa is a trained architects

herself and once worked for Zaha

Hadid.

Some of these projects, this

might be the only way these

buildings come to life! Some

projects never see the light of day

so it is a fun way to realise their

creativity.

Her museum puts on

exhibitions like this together is

engaged with architecture. She will

be putting on workshops from

tomorrow. Now it is my turn. There

we go, along the bottom. And stick!

I am doing roof tiles really badly.

It is great. You can pop it in

upstairs. No one will mode the

difference.

Just slide it in next to

the stadium! I did not make it into

the suburbs. I took it back to the

office where it was demolished by my

colleagues. Enjoy the centre of

gingerbread until the 22nd.

If it was not so nice, we would not

have demolished it! It was

absolutely delicious.

Do you fancy some? There is nothing

left of it.

Good! I will do the weather!

Excuse me, I hope you don't mind, I

must finish this now. So, what we

have got on Saturday is a frosty

start and it will be cold and funny.

My mother always told me never talk

and eat at the same time. Right, I

am ready now. -- it will be cold and

funny. You have seen the pictures

but the snow has missed London. Look

at the blue across the south-east.

That is the frost forming. It will

be a very cold night for sure.

Temperatures in some rural spots

could dip down to minus five

degrees. It is probably down to -1

as well. Really nippy start for

tomorrow. If you wonder if there is

any snow the way tomorrow, no.

Temperatures might peak around 5

degrees. Foremost of us it will be

hovering around two or three

degrees. A really chilly day so

wrapped up warmly. Saturday is a

good day. Sunday, not so great.

Rain, sleet and very windy, maybe

even gale force winds heading our

way for Sunday. This is the early

hours of Sunday. Here comes the

weather front. The winds start

increasing. The snow is just about

missing us. It could be a little bit

further south, a little bit further

north, but a rush of wind behind it

as well, so you get the message, a

really wet early morning on Sunday,

but then things should improve a

little bit. It will be turning warm

but look how close the snow is. I

think we will not get any snow but

it is more like rain and wind.

Tomasz, thank you.

Finally, before we go,

a reminder of the day's main BBC

News headlines this Friday,

the 8th December.

Brexit negotiations

are expected to move

onto discussions about trade -

after Theresa May reached

a deal overnight -

on the terms of the UK's withdrawal

from the EU.

There have been clashes between

Israeli forces and Palestinians -

protesting at Donald Trump's

decision to recognise Jerusalem

as Israel's capital.

Violence has erupted in the occupied

West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Wintry weather including snow

has caused disruption

across parts of the UK -

with power cuts, school closures

and icy conditions on the roads.

That's it.

If you enjoyed the programme,

tell your friends and they can

watch it for themselves -

on the BBC iPlayer.

Otherwise you can get

in touch with us on Twitter,

Facebook or email -

and tell us what we missed.

I'll be back at 10.30.

Have a good evening.