12/01/2018 London News

racism over alleged comments about

African countries.

That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me -

Coming up on the programme

this Friday evening.

President Donald Trump's decision

not to come to the UK

is welcomed by London's Mayor.

Protestors in Camden chain

themselves to trees in their fight

against the High Speed Rail Link,

HS2 - and its impact on the area.

It's about trees, it's

about open spaces,

it's about air quality.

And this project is going to have a

devastating effect

on all of those things.

Also tonight.

It's the wedding venue of choice -

for celebs and locals alike.

We go behind the scenes

at Marylebone Town Hall

after its multi-million pound refit.

And, there to lift our

spirits on a grey day.

RHS Wisley welcomes tropical

butterfly from around the world.

Good evening.

I'm Asad Ahmad.

The ongoing spat between US

President, Donald Trump

and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,

has taken another turn

today after the presidential visit

to London next month was cancelled.

The decision has been

welcomed by Mr Khan,

who thinks the President has finally

got the message that Londoners

won't welcome him here.

Meanwhile, London's former Mayor

now Foreign Secretary,

Boris Johnson, has voiced strong

opinions too - as our political

correspondent, Karl Mercer tells us.

Please don't touch him, please.

They

didn't in the end touch the wax one

and they won't get to touch the real

one either but fake Donald did make

an appearance this morning. Fun for

the builders, slight bemusement for

the police. The new embassy will

instead be opened by the American

Secretary of State, with many

blaming the change of heart on the

threat of mass protest in London.

The mayor needs to be careful

because he is not collected to speak

for the people. He is elected to run

London and it would be nice if he

focused on his day job, builds

houses and got on top of knife crime

epidemic.

Sadiq Khan and President

Trump have form. He criticised

Donald Trump just after being

elected.

My views are simple.

President Trump, your views are

ignorant.

He doesn't know me, I

think they are very rude statements

and frankly, tell him I will

remember those statements. They are

very nasty statements.

In the wake

of the London Bridge attacks last

year, Donald Trump tweeted this: in

fact, Sadiq Khan has said there was

no need to be alarmed by the extra

police on the streets.

We will not

allow anybody to divide our

communities.

Back to this morning

and the south-east were still

growing -- going strong. So worthy

tweets, this time from Boris

Johnson, who blamed Sadiq Khan and

Jeremy Corbyn for putting the

special relationship at risk,

calling the mayor a pompous popinjay

in City Hall, a little risk say some

given that Boris Johnson had his own

spat with Donald Trump after these

comments.

We have places that are so

radicalised that people fear for

their lives.

Boris Johnson replied

that the only reason he wouldn't

they do parts of New York was the

real risk of meeting Donald Trump.

Although it seems they have made up.

To start insulting the American

president and now the current Mayor

of London is surely beneath the

dignity of the Foreign Secretary?

The real President Trump has been

invited to a state visit. No word

yet on when that will happen.

If you've got an opinion

about the cancelled Trump visit -

share your thoughts with us

on Twitter and Facebook.

But still to come on the programme.

A shortage of referees means

Youth League Football games

are being played without referees.

So we see what's

being done about it.

A Britain First supporter

who gave a Nazi salute -

and told a police officer

he was going to "kill

a Muslim" before driving

at a curry-house owner in Harrow -

will be freed from jail,

after having served time on remand.

Before the attack in June,

Marek Zakrocki admitted

to also beating his wife.

Here's Marc Ashdown.

An ordinary row of

shops in South Harrow.

Two men appear to be arguing.

One is Marek Zakrocki.

Moments later, Marek Zakrocki gets

into the white van at the top

of the picture, and rams

into the shop front.

He reverses and tries again,

before driving off.

The 48-year-old Polish window

cleaner was trying to run over

the Asian owner of the takeaway,

Kamal Ahmed.

Police pictures show

the damage to the shop.

Somehow, nobody was seriously hurt.

It was June last year,

just a few days after the terrorist

attack on Finsbury Park Mosque.

Zakrocki, after drinking

two bottles of wine

and assaulting his wife,

and himself with a knife

and went on a mission.

A mission to target Muslims.

CCTV outside a shopping centre

shows him shove a man,

then chase him through the arcade,

before attacking him

again and falling.

Then, he drove to this parade

of shops and started abusing random

members of the public.

Using his wife's mobile phone,

police managed to contact him.

He told officers, "I'm

going to kill a Muslim,

I'm doing this for Britain."

Before jumping in his van right

here, giving a Nazi salute,

and shouting "white power".

Prosecutors say although he

repeatedly drove into the front

of the restaurant, all the evidence

suggests his real

target was Mr Ahmed.

When armed police arrested him,

they found a Nazi coin.

He admitted donating money

to the far right extremist

group Britain First,

which is known to be

fiercely anti-Muslim.

Yet, Zakrocki admitted charges

of dangerous driving

and assaulting his wife,

which raised questions as to why

this wasn't treated as a hate

crime or even terrorism.

It was initially dealt

with by Harrow police as a hate

crime, and the judge today has taken

all of those offences

and the motivation behind those

offences into consideration,

and has passed sentence.

However, the offences

for which he has been convicted

don't have separate legislation

covering racially

aggravated offences.

Sentencing him to 33 weeks in jail,

the judge said there was evidence

of abhorrent racist views,

but said chronic alcoholism

was at the root of his crime.

Due to time already

served, he walked free

from prison immediately.

Mark Ashdown, BBC London News.

A speeding driver has been jailed

for six years after killing a female

cyclist in a hit-and-run in Enfield.

It happened last year as Ugur Unlu

drove his car at 50 miles

an hour in a 20 zone.

Alpa Patel has more details.

Well, this was described as a

horrific collision. It happened on

the 6th of February last year. The

defendant, Ugur Unlu, had borrowed

his friend's white Mercedes. He was

overtaking on a road in Enfield at

more than 50 mph in a 20 mph road.

It was then that he heaped Annie

Terzic who was cycling home from

work. -- that he heaped. She flew

into the air, suffered horrific

injuries and her bike was found into

pieces after the accident. Despite

hitting power and having a smashed

windscreens, Ugur Unlu decided to

continue driving and that is when he

abandoned his car.

A very sad case.

What did the judge had to say about

the driver?

The judge was

particularly critical of the car's

tinted windows. She said it should

not have been on the road. She said

only 5% of the windows were not

tainted. She also said that despite

a completely shattered windscreen,

you drove on for two miles, driving

at speeds of up to 55 mph and then

you left the car, probably hoping it

would never be found. The victim's

husband was also in court. They had

only recently been married and he

said he had totally been shattered

by her death. Unlu pleaded guilty to

causing death by dangerous driving

and death with no insurance and he

has been jailed to six years.

A four-year-old girl

who went missing in

the summer with her mother -

who's a diagnosed schizophrenic -

has been found in Spain.

A High Court judge said

Elliana Shand is now safe and well.

The judge made a number

of public appeals for help

after Elliana and her mother,

Jessica Richards, disappeared.

A 25-year-old man has died

after being assaulted

and stabbed in west London.

It happened on Old Oak Road

in Shepherd's Bush,

yesterday afternoon.

Two men aged 27 and 28 have been

arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police are asking anyone

with information to contact them.

Protestors in Camden have

taken direct action -

by chaining themselves to trees -

to make their voices

heard in opposition

to the High Speed Rail Link, HS2.

They say the impact of the line -

will be 'devastating' -

although HS2 bosses believe the link

will give Londoners

a reason to celebrate.

Here's our transport

correspondent, Tom Edwards.

The Bree Louise, a much-loved

and popular real ale pub in Euston.

At the end of the month,

though, it'll shut to make

way for a high-speed

rail link, HS2.

It's been here for 15 years,

and even now the owners

still don't know how much

compensation they'll get.

It's not through choice, you know?

If we had a choice, we'd be

here until the day we died.

The impact it's had on us

personally, it's our house,

our home, our livelihood and has

been for the last nearly 15 years.

It's totally horrendous.

It's heartbreaking, it

really is heartbreaking.

I'm getting to the stage

now where I just carry

tissues around permanently.

It's a proper chain,

I'm telling you, it's heavy.

Today, these protesters symbolically

chained themselves to trees.

Work is due to start here next week.

This spring, the trees will go.

The way this project

is coming into Euston,

it's having a devastating effect

on local homes and businesses, and

particularly on our green spaces.

We've said this at consultation

meetings, at select committees.

We've signed petitions,

we've given interviews,

and we just feel that none of it

has been heard.

The project to build a high-speed

rail link to the north

will cost £55 billion.

Hundreds of homes in

Camden will be lost.

Residents say they will face 17

years of disruption.

HS2, though, says the scheme

will create jobs, capacity,

and boost the UK economy.

The footprint for the site

of the HS2 project

in Euston is now huge.

HS2 says it will eventually

mean six new high-speed

platforms at Euston station.

And this work will eventually mean

this whole area will be

able to be redeveloped.

And any trees that are cut

down will be replaced.

HS2 says negotiations

are ongoing to work out final

compensation figures.

But many in Euston feel crushed

by a huge scheme they never wanted.

Tom Edwards, BBC London News.

If you've just joined us,

welcome to BBC London News.

This is what's still

to come on the programme

this Friday evening.

A true David and Goliath battle

as a family in west London takes

on Chelsea Football Club,

arguing that the stadium will block

daylight to their home.

And after dark in the glasshouse at

Wisley. I spent the day chasing

butterflies with varying levels of

success. Find out more later.

Lots of people get

married in a Town Hall -

but there's not one quite

like the one in Marylebone.

Former members of the Beatles,

Hollywood A-listers -

and of course - locals,

have all tied the know there.

-- the knot there.

But for the last four years it's

been closed for renovation.

This weekend, it opens

its doors once again,

and for those walking in -

they're in for a treat.

As Sarah Harris has

been finding out.

It's been the place to get

married for decades,

but the old Marylebone Town Hall

is now dressed in its wedding best

after a £60 million renovation

by Westminster City Council.

For the head registrar,

it's a moving time for the historic

building to be back to its best.

The building was in desperate need

of a refurb, and we always knew

that but we did the best

we could with it.

Now that I've come back and it's

been done, I came here just before

Christmas and I came

here on my own early one morning,

and I just sat in one of the rooms,

and I was just so proud

of the transformation.

ARCHIVE:

Trapeze artists

Tony Borelli, who is getting married

today to trapeze artist Mimi Iles

at the Town Hall.

Even in the 1930s, the celebrities

of the day wanted their wedding

photos on the famous steps.

Paul McCartney liked the venue

so much he got hitched here twice.

Once to his first wife Linda,

and then to his present wife Nancy.

The designers have kept

all the old features that have made

the play so popular,

but added some modern twists.

The idea is that all the chandeliers

and all the themes of the room

is that they are supposed to reflect

precious metals used

in wedding rings.

So we have gold,

silver and rose gold.

So the idea is you can see

the circular shape of it,

again trying to pull

that theme through.

The building is full

of the moments that have

made its history so special.

Many of them are of course

celebrities, but the staff say

a wedding day is a great leveller.

They are no different

to anybody getting married.

They are just as nervous,

they have their family there, etc.

So it's quite gratifying to see them

in that situation, actually,

because they aren't any different

and you're doing something really

special for them, just

as you are for any other couple.

The old Marylebone Town Hall

will open its doors for the first

time in four years this weekend.

Sarah Harris, BBC London News.

If you are going to a wedding there

this weekend, take a snap and send

it to us. We would love to see it.

A family in west London,

is taking on Chelsea Football Club -

arguing that the teams new stadium

is going to block out

daylight to their home.

The family lives next door

to the planned stadium.

Chris Slegg has the details.

Chris, this sounds like a David

and Goliath battle.

Is it?

Yes. The club is set to invest up to

£1 billion. They want to increase

capacity from about 40,000 to

60,000. The hope the stadium will be

ready for 2024. They've already got

planning permission. Back in May a

local family took out a local

injunction to prevent works going

ahead. They don't oppose a new

stadium but they think it needs to

be redesigned because they say it

will cast a permanent shadow over

their home. We can see how close the

home is. The district line runs

between the two and there a brick

wall in the foreground which is the

family home. Chelsea football club

have offered that family a 6-figure

sum in compensation. The family has

said that no amount of money will

convince them to change their mind.

What happens next?

Chelsea think

they have found their way round this

by asking Hammersmith and Fulham

Council to perform a compulsory

purchase on the bit of land they

need for that part of the

development. They believe the

council has the right to do that

because they can prove the social

economic benefits that the area

outweighed the family's right to

light. Obviously the family's

lawyers think differently. It's

slightly complicated because the

house is in a different borough,

it's in Kensington and Chelsea. They

described the plans as harmful and

unacceptable. There will be a

meeting on Monday night of the

Hammersmith and Fulham Council is to

decide whether they will go ahead to

buy that bit of land on the behalf

of Chelsea. If they decide to it

could prompt more legal action from

the family. If they decide not to

Chelsea might have to consider

redesigning the stadium and they've

already said that isn't practical.

Few people would disagree

that grassroots football

is essential for the health

of the game.

It's where most future football

stars get their first real

taste for the game,

but to make it happen,

you need referees.

And there seems to be a shortage,

which the Surrey Football

Association is now trying

to address.

Sara Orchard has been finding how.

This week, football referees have

been back in the headlines,

or at least their new video

assistance have been.

But away from the TV cameras

and closer to the grassroots,

a lack of referees in Surrey means

many teams are going without.

We are trying to recruit

as many referees as we can.

We need more, like everybody else,

and I'm sure every game would love

to have a qualified referee.

There are currently...

That's an increase of around 30%.

It's not actually adult football

that is suffering from this

shortage, it's youth games,

and there's one particular youth

league that at the moment is only

getting a referee for around 49%

of their games.

They use a parent to go

and referee, who may not know

the rules of the game.

To give you an example,

in season 2016-17, Ifab,

which is part of Fifa,

made 95 changes to the laws

of the game, and there was nearly

40 changes this year.

So what they think they know,

perhaps actually they don't know.

Chloe trained as a

referee in November.

She attended a course,

then had to officiate on a number

of games to qualify.

I've refereed some college football,

I've refereed disability football,

and I'm looking to be involved

in our business league

that we're starting,

which will be during my lunch

time at work.

So it's really flexible with how

much I can get involved.

Taking charge of the Dorking

Wanderers Academy today,

everyone is on their best behaviour.

But does the perception

of referees being abused put

off potential new refs?

Playing fairly high non-league,

the amount of abuse,

you wouldn't want to put that

upon yourself at all.

So I'd rather just play or coach.

When the rest doesn't turn up

to the game it's frustrating,

and from a young age,

grassroots football,

it's hard if you can't

play a game on a Sunday.

So I'd love to promote it

as much as possible and let

little kids play football.

Most you referees tend

to be teenagers, tempted

by the £15 match payment.

However, all ages are

welcome, and very wanted.

Sara Orchard, BBC

London News, Dorking.

It's coming to the end

of the second week of January

and what you might be in need

of to lift your spirits

on these grey days

is a bit of colour.

So this weekend, RHS Wisley

is showing off 50 varieties

of tropical butterfly -

and Wendy Hurrell is there to take

a closer look for us.

It's just what you need

on a day like today.

It's already looking very nice

there.

I never say no to this

assignment, not least because I get

to spend the day with these

beautiful fellas in temperatures

that are tropical. In amongst the

flora and fauna of the glasshouse

here at Wisley. We often come to do

this report, not least out of

altruism, to fill your screens with

some colour and warmth as well. But

our annual attempt at wildlife

photography is not without its

difficulties.

He is trying, our Vic on camera,

but they don't take

direction very well.

It doesn't help that the gloomy

weather made most of them dozy.

That's not the only problem.

There's a robin in here

who supposed to be outside,

and a butterfly outside

who is supposed to be in here.

I'm just going to

release him back...

The escapee delivered back

to the warmth in a coffee cup.

Piggy backed out of the glasshouse.

Well, it's a close

visitor experience.

But they're used to this at Wisley,

ten years on from the first event,

and even we get the hang

of it, with patience.

PASTORAL MUSIC.

So you've actually been

to the Amazon and seen these

butterflies for real in the wild.

Yes, it was a fantastic experience,

and it 's really great to be able

to see some of them again.

And how does this compare?

I mean, you're creating

that environment here.

You're actually able to get

much closer to them.

So we have these feeding

stations with rotten fruit,

and they'll rest there and feed.

They'd be swirling round your head

in clouds on a sunny day.

There must be one or two of those

before March, surely?

MUSIC CONTINUES.

Yes, they are a lot of work these

butterflies, not just for us but for

the people looking after them. There

are some screens down over the

glass. That is to keep the

temperature steady as we go through

the night. Of course the temperature

will drop underneath the glass.

Looking after them this evening is

Emma Allen. Well done, I haven't had

a log -- I haven't had a lot of luck

with them. This one is behaving. Why

do they get affected by the sort of

whether that happens outside the

glasshouse?

If you think about

butterflies in the UK, you see them

in summer when it's warm and sunny.

Usually a still day. They are very

delicate creatures and they like

warmth. These tropical butterflies

are no different. They just like a

much higher temperature. We try to

keep it around the mid-20s. When

it's a sunny day temperatures get

higher and that's when they fly

about and it's quite a spectacle.

She's picked them up, she's a

professional. This one is performing

beautifully. They are in this basket

because that's part of your job, to

collect them so they don't get

caught.

Yes, because they like the

light they fly to the edges of the

glasshouse during the day. When we

bring the shades down in the

evening, we like to clear them out

of the way so we don't harm them.

The team go round with this laundry

basket, collect them all up and pop

them in there so we can bring the

blinds down and then they can be

released again.

They are a difficult

pet. You can see them here until

March. STUDIO: Thank you. If there

was ever a day to enjoy a colourful

butterfly it was on a grey day like

today! The weather watchers really

captured the flavour of the day.

That was the scene across Old

Street.

That was the scene across Old

Street. There's still an awful lot

of cloud there to be had. As I've

said for the last couple of nights,

we weren't alone. There is a lot of

cloud across many parts of the

British Isles. The odd glimpse of it

further east, that was probably

about as good as it got today. That

was in the forecast and there is

just that chance again when the

cloud beckons up overnight that you

may see the odd bit of drizzly rain.

Not really a cold night. You've

really got to keep your eye on the

timeline at the moment. We've gone

from like today and there the day

sets. Saturday, one of those days

where you want to get out and get on

with life, temperatures pretty much

web they've been of late. No great

shock to the system as yet. He said,

teasingly. On Sunday we've got a

weather front getting across us.

More of a band of cloud with the odd

spot of rain. There is a chance as

we finish Sunday of seeing a bit of

sunshine. Then on Monday, this set

of fronts come down from the North

West of Scotland and right through

us on Monday. Monday is wet and

windy and it's also the last of the

relatively mild days. What follows

on behind, and this is Tuesday

through the greater part of next

week, I say cold air simply because

it really is going to be cold. You

might see a bit of sunshine but once

that Monday is gone we might end up

with something a bit wintry.

It's been another busy day of news,

so let's remind ourselves

of the day's main headlines,

before we go.

President Donald Trump's visit

to Britain next month is off.

He had been due to attend

the official opening of the new US

embassy in Battersea.

But the president tweeted he was not

a "big fan" of the site -

and blamed Barack Obama's

administration for a "bad deal".

A report looking into the response

to the Manchester bombing last May,

says families searching for missing

relatives were subjected

to "intrusive media attention".

22 people were killed in the attack.

That's it from us this Friday

evening, but I'll have more

for you at 10.30 on BBC One.

Before then, you can check

out our Facebook page and Twitter

feed for more stories

from across London, and feel free

to get in touch with us too.

I'll see you later.

Have a good evening.