07/02/2018 London News

the way, more rain and more hill

snow in the forecast too.

Tonight on BBC London News...

Could hundreds of cases

in the capital be in jeopardy

after a private forensics

company goes under?

Invariably means that -- that means

evidence items will be delayed and

that will have a knock-on effect on

various cases going through the

criminal justice system.

Police forces in and around the

capital are having to bail it out.

Also tonight...

The Met investigates footage

allegedly taken at a planned

protest in North London.

Plus, with the Winter Olympics

almost upon us, we talk to Londoner

and former Olympic

skier Chemmy Allcott,

in sub-zero temperatures.

And...

We can't go. We're waiting for the

pilot. I said, I am the pilot!

We meet the last surviving female

pilot from World War Two.

101 year-old Mary tells us

about life on the frontline.

Good evening and welcome to

the programme with me, Riz Lateef.

First tonight,

concern that hundreds of cases -

including rapes and murders -

could be in jeopardy

after the collapse of

a private forensics company.

The firm handles DNA samples

for many police forces in London

and the south east,

which are now having to bail out

the company, using public money,

in order to avoid delays

and miscarriages of justice.

With more on this is Alpa Patel.

Forensic scientists analyse

everything, from fibres and

fingerprints to firearms and

footprint marks. But some we have

spoken to save the industry is in

crisis. It is after the collapse of

this company, Key Forensic Services

Limited. It is one of three

companies of its kind in England and

Wales processing samples for dozens

of police forces. The collapse

affects these seven forces in the

South East, including the

Metropolitan police. Combined, these

forces have more than 510 samples

and cases which are waiting to be

processed. And that is why the

police say they have stepped in,

pumping in public money in order to

keep the company going for at least

two months. We don't know how much

money has been spent, despite

requests for that information. But

it is reported to be in the

millions. The National Police

Chiefs' Council say the collapse

would prove very disruptive to the

criminal justice system and could

lead to the integrity of the vital

evidence been compromised or lost.

So the company will be funded for

the next two months.

What happens after that?

With only

three commercial companies doing

most of the work, if one of them is

going to actually collapse that will

put a massive strain on the other

two. Invariably that means that

evidence items, the processing of

them, will be delayed, and that will

have a knock-on effect on various

cases going through the criminal

justice system at the moment.

All of this is raising questions

about the government's decision to

close this facility in 2012. It was

the forensic science services. It

was publicly funded after 2012. Work

was effectively outsourced to

private companies. Critics have

raised concerns about the quality of

that work, and they say it could

lead to miscarriages of justice.

If there is that doubt about

forensic evidence or about

disclosure, then there must be a

risk on both sides, either that

somebody is convicted and should not

have been convicted, or of course,

that somebody is not convicted who

should have been.

Yesterday the forensic science

regulator called for a review into

the involvement of private companies

and raised concerns about the

industry. We did approach Key

Forensic Services Limited about our

story but they declined to comment.

The police watchdog is examining

a video which appears to show a Met

officer punching a demonstrator

in north London.

The incident took place during

a planned march at the weekend.

Nick Beake is here now.

What more can you tell us?

You have been watching the footage.

This was a demonstration that took

place on Sunday in Haringey. The

demonstrators were marching against

what the Turkish military have been

doing, targeting Turkish Kurdish

fighters in Syria. The conflict a

long way from here. There are

clashes between those people and

those who support the Turkish

government. What happened was amid

all of this someone captured on

camera the moment a police officer,

thought to be a medic because of the

Green Cross on his shoulder, struck

a protest, it would seem, at least

three times, while the man was on

the floor. Clearly we haven't seen

the build-up to this moment. We

don't know what was said. People may

have their own views, but it is the

police -- opinion of the police

watchdog that counts now because

they are investigating this and

working out whether to launch a

formal investigation.

What does

happen next?

They have been trying

to work out whether this amounted to

reasonable force or whether it is

excessive force. Crucially, with the

blows that rained down, were they on

the neck, the shoulder or the head?

We see from this footage that the

police officer actually has one of

these body worn video cameras like

many Met officers. You would hope

the footage has captured what

happened. The police watchdog said

they will be looking at this over

the coming days. It may be the case

we get a decision on Friday. If they

don't launch their own

investigation, it will probably be

referred back to Scotland Yard for

them to carry out an internal

process. By the end of the week some

sort of movement on this.

Thank you very much for that.

You're watching BBC London News.

Coming up later in the programme...

A rare painting has been found in a

north London flat and it is about to

go on sale for hundreds of thousands

of pounds.

Join me later.

Why were there no prosecutions

in London last year for female

genital mutilation?

A stark question being asked today,

after figures showed police logged

fewer than 200 allegations last

year, when the NHS said there had

been more than 2,500 cases

identified by them.

Lets go to New Scotland Yard now,

and our political

editor, Tim Donovan.

As we know, all kinds of

difficulties around this. An issue

which challenges many agencies, not

just the police, but schools, health

workers, social workers. It is seen

as a complicated issue of abuse

because often it involves families

where there are no other

safeguarding concerns. Let's here

first from an outreach worker from

solar, who are self suffered FGM, or

as she put it, being cut.

I was cut at the age of 11, together

with my cousins and sisters. We were

15 in number. I remember everything

today. It is like it just happened

yesterday. It has been 20 odd years.

It was arranged by my grandmother

and my mum. It is not only about the

cutting. The coating is the

beginning of a very long journey for

the young girl for the young woman.

The practice was very secretive in

our days. We don't have a clue what

was going to happen to us. It is

like we are serving a life sentence.

FGM is a big issue in our community.

There are certain people who still

believe that their daughters are a

young woman should be cut, because

they believe that women who are not

cut are not clean. And the chances

of them getting married are very

slim. I try to raise awareness,

educate people in the community. You

know, having the kind of

conversation we have in shops like

myself and other areas in the

community. We believe education is

the key to ending FGM.

Tim, what are the criticisms being

made by the Tories in London?

The Conservatives are drawing

attention to the data. Two sets of

data. Firstly, they say that last

year, in terms of FGM cases,

established or identified by the

NHS, anonymous, there were more than

2500 of those cases in the capital

last year. Why then, they go on to

say, do police figures show that

only 199 cases of FGM were logged

with the Met? And why, last year,

whether no prosecutions?

The police have got to start working

closer with the NHS or the other way

around. I feel for the police

because it is such a difficult

thing. In France, I think, in quite

a few years they have had at least

100 prosecutions. In this country we

haven't. That has got to end.

We have to do something.

What the

police say is that it is misleading

to compare these statistics.

Anonymous data. This is compared to

people who have come forward with

clear accusations in a statement.

The vast majority of those referred

to in the NHS data set are adult

women subject to FGM prior to

arriving in the UK. There would be

no requirement on any health

professional to share this

information with police. There are

some concerns in the police that

this may undermine confidence and

stop people coming forward. Others

say we need all the publicity we can

get to raise the issue. And another

thing drawn to my attention today is

the prevalence of civil actions. The

opportunity, 200 occasions in the

last couple of years, where local

councils have sought injunctions,

preventative measures, which stop

people going abroad.

From Scotland Yard, Tim Donovan.

A man has died in a fire at a flat

in Holland Park last night.

12 fire engines and 80 firefighters

were sent to tackle the first floor

blaze on Holland Park Gardens.

Eight nearby homes were evacuated

as a precaution, but the cause

of the fire isn't known.

Like a household budget,

where there isn't enough money

to pay the mortgage -

that's how the finances of Transport

for London have been described

in a leaked internal email obtained

by BBC London.

It lays bare the challenges caused

by budget cuts, with staff in one

division being told they need

to look at ways to cut costs.

Here's Tom Edwards.

This is where Transport for London

is based in Southwark. And this

organisation is wrestling with cuts

and trying to balance its budget. We

have been given an internal staff

e-mail, where managers say TfL will

make a loss next year of £968

million. This e-mail spells out in

black and white TfL's financial

position and it is not pretty. For

example, it says after day-to-day

operating costs, there is not enough

money to pay for renewals, that is

planned repairs on things like

roads, to make them last longer.

There is not enough money to pay

interest on money borrowed. It goes

on to say that if this was a

household budget, there wouldn't be

enough money left over to pay the

mortgage or get the car serviced.

Already boss Mike services will see

a cut 7%. Many senior managers have

left. Extra tube trains have been

cancelled. Insiders say staff are

angry. The e-mail blames the cut in

the government grant, which at one

time was £700 million a year. It

also blames a decrease in passenger

numbers, and a drop in the income

from the congestion charge. It

doesn't blame the mayor's partial

fares freeze, which will also cost

£640 million. It says that has

cautioned the fall in passengers. In

the transport division the warnings

are, we are still forecasting to

miss our budget. We need to reduce

our costs accordingly. The e-mail

says that TfL can sustain its

position in the short term by using

its savings. However, there is a

warning. It says, quote this is

clearly not a sustainable position

to be in as an organisation. Quote.

For a TfL this is a more challenging

time that they have had to

experience in the past. They have

been accustomed to good times at

TfL. Now the taps are being turned

off slightly and they are going to

have to deal with that. They do have

options but many of those choices

are difficult.

Today, TfL said its

budget is balanced. It is investing

record sums and it will be able to

deliver the cuts. It says its

efficiency programme is already

saved nearly £200 million this year.

But commentators warn TfL is facing

a perfect storm financially, with

many challenges ahead. Tom Herbert,

BBC News.

Still to come before 7pm,

we meet the female pilot

who delivered Spitfires

and bombers during World War Two.

And after some lovely winter

sunshine this afternoon, a cold

night in store. Find out how cold it

is going to get later.

Turning now to bobsleigh, curling

and snowboarding to name but a few.

Because the Winter Olympics kick off

in South Korea later this week.

And Great Britain is sending

its largest ever team to the event.

So what can we expect

over the next fortnight?

Chris Slegg has been speaking

to Londoner and former Olympic

skier Chemmy Allcott -

in sub zero temperatures right

here in the capital.

She won't be pushing for a medal but

after all the injuries she has

suffered it is great to see her

back.

Chemmy Alcott in action at the

last Winter Olympics. She recovered

from a broken leg just in time to

take part and finished in the top

20. Now retired, she will be

covering this year's games for the

BBC. We headed to central London's

ice Baard to chat all things

PyeongChang. What will the athletes

be feeling like as this is about to

get under way?

These are the most

exciting times. The preparations are

done, they are enjoying the

different cultural experience. They

are probably practising the route

they need to take every morning for

the competition. Ready to put those

thousands of hours into that moment

where they get to shine.

We go to

the Winter Olympics expecting Team

GB to win some medals. Who should we

be looking out for?

Historically we

have always had one athlete we have

pinned all the pressure on to. Now

we are such a force to be reckoned

with. We have got the biggest team

going everywhere -- ever and the

most talented team. You have got

Andrew Musgrave in the

Cross-Country, notoriously a

Scandinavian event. He is on such

good form he could win a medal. Then

Elise Christie, double world

champion, she deserves to come home

with a gold especially after the

journey she had four years ago.

Will

it be difficult for you when

competition gets under way? I am

sure you would like to be out there.

The competitive instincts never

dies. My life in the sport was taken

away by the fact I was so injured

that if I kept going I was taking a

risk to ski in the future. To share

my passion working on the Olympics

now and to help with my knowledge,

I'm so excited to be part of the

team behind the scenes. It is time

for me to pass the baton on to a

younger, hungrier generation, and I

couldn't be more proud of the team

we are sending.

Here's wishing them

every success. Cheers to Team GB.

Cheers!

Good luck to them.

Next: it's like something out

of Antique's road show.

A family in north London has

a painting in their home -

which they think is significant -

but not how much it's worth.

Turns out it's a missing Nigerian

masterpiece and wait until you hear

how much it's worth.

Asad is at the auction house

in central London which valued it...

Well, get the drum roll on, because

first of all these works of art you

see either side of me are examples

of British modern art. The one I am

about to show you is an example of

Nigerian modern Art, which has the

art world talking. Eliza, tell us

how much to two is worth?

We value

the painting at 200,000 to £300,000.

That might have been quite a shock

for the people in north London who

had this on the wall?

To say it was

a pleasant surprise was an

understatement. Only in the year

2000 we would have valued this at

£3000.

An enormous appreciation. How

did it come to your attention?

We

receive about one or two enquiries a

week by people saying they have

Tutu. This is always a replication.

We investigate every claim, we

turned up at the flat, and the

owners showed us the painting and

our jaws hit the floor.

So one

painting a week you are getting

people thinking it is the original,

but what if you had missed out, if

you have thought it as another copy?

Exactly, we would not be stated

today. It really is an historic

discovery.

Very special. The artist

daddy that Goldsmith College.

He

certainly was. He received a

scholarship to come and study in

London from his native Nigeria.

Trumore painting still missing, what

if someone is looking at their wall

at home thinking, I wonder if that

is it?

I urge you, get in touch with

us, does was worth investigating.

There you have it, if you are

sitting at home and lacking at the

wall and there is a painting living

similar, yet in touch, you could

never know you could be sitting on a

fortune.

So you could find cash in

your attic, someone had to find and

say it. Thank you very much.

All this week - to mark one

hundred years of the first

women getting the vote -

we've been hearing from some

of the women who've lived

through a century of change.

Tonight, a remarkable woman who is

the loss of owning female pilot from

the Second World War. Mary Ellis who

is now 101 delivered Spitfires and

bombers to air. Sarah Harris went to

meet her in Hertfordshire.

She was born before women first got

the vote and became an aviation

pioneer. Even at 101 years old, Mary

likes to visit Biggin Hill to see

the planes she flew solo during the

Second World War, much to the shark

of the male ground crew who

initially refused to take the

check-in.

There was a crowd of RAF

people waiting at the bottom, and

then I said can you please take me

to control, because I have to have

my little cheeky signed to say I

have delivered this? And they said

we can't go, we're waiting for the

pilot. And I said, I am the pilot!

There was little me in my navy blue

and gold badges, you know! They

wouldn't believe me. They sent two

in to search the aeroplane to make

sure!

When you get there, don't

forget to send your signals and we

will come and collect you tomorrow

morning.

Training machines and other

less powerful planes are powered by

the women, and it is a job they are

doing exceedingly well.

In fact,

Mary was flying bombers so low where

men would have a team of seven crew.

There were other dangers too.

Along

came another aeroplane beside me

with German markings on it. Then I

thought, oh, my goodness, I haven't

seen one of those before. And I

waved him away, like that, and he

waved to me, like that! And I was so

frightened, and I said, getaway! And

eventually he did, and I thought,

thank goodness!

Now, Mary in

carriages other young women to take

a flying in a world still dominated

by men. She says there's nothing

quite like it.

Up in the air on your

own, and you can do whatever you

like. You know, I flew 400

Spitfires, and occasionally I would

take one up and go and play with the

clouds, which was so delightful and

lovely. Oh, I can't tell you how

wonderful it was.

Sarah Harris, BBC

London news. Didn't I say she is

remarkable? 101 New Rd Mary Ellis.

And there is plenty more marking

the 100-year milestone

of the first women getting the vote

on the BBC News website.

Now for a check on the weather, and

Matt Taylor has joined us. We have

been talking about the Winter

Olympics.

Oh yes, we have had our

own little taste of winter, not as

cold as

own little taste of winter, not as

cold as South Korea, but a cold

start this morning and the frost

back tonight, while we had quite a

pleasant afternoon across the

capital. Lovely skies. Whilst we

have cloud increasing to the north

and west of the UK, as you can see

in the satellite imagery can see are

part of the world, we still have

some clear skies, leading to damage

is already dropping. Let me just

show you, this is where we see frost

tonight, how it expands right across

the south-east as we go into the

morning, even the centre of town

could see temperatures below

freezing, lifting a little bit

towards the north-west later, but

temperatures may be as low as -6

tonight. The reason the temperatures

lived a little bit towards the

north-west, the frost melts away, we

have more clout to start the day.

Further south and east, a bit of

sunshine before it turns fairly hazy

and planning of the rest of the

morning. The cloud could be thick

enough for the odd spot of light

rain and drizzle. By and large, a

dry day, and after that chilly

start, cabbages will struggle to

lift up, some around four or five

Celsius. Into the evening, as the

breeze picks up, we may break the

cloud a little bit, but the first

part of the night, a spell of heavy

rain working its way from Leicester

East, Texas into Friday. Residual

rain clearing in from Kent and

Essex, some sunny spells to figures

through much of the day. The winds

coming from the north-west, and

these are potentially sleet and snow

flurries. Pushing down. The air gets

cold again. If you are in High

Wycombe, three to five Celsius about

the best you can expect. But lots of

sunshine. Pressure builds in through

ahead of the weekend. A frost will

come in again, and towards the north

of the UK, more weather fronts

gathering, bringing some wet weather

on Saturday, and through Saturday

wet and windy but the general

temperature trend is for those

temperatures to lift as we go

through the weekend in the next

week. The weather will change from

one day to the next, a bit of

sunshine, a little bit of rain, not

as much snow.

We heard the sunshine,

but I heard you say -6!

Wrap up

well.

The

but I heard you say -6!

Wrap up

well.

The headlines just before we

go, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan

has welcomed a ruling by the High

Court allowing a eagle challenge

against the release of the serial

sex offender John Roberts from

prison. -- a legal challenge was to

Tesco is facing a possible record

equal pay claim a £4 billion. Women

who work in the company stores say

they earn less than men working in

the warehouses even though they

claim the work is comparative or.

And the police watchdog is examining

a video that appears to show an

officer punching a demonstrator. The

incident is said to have taken place

during a planned march in central

London on Sunday. You are welcome to

have your say on our Facebook page,

and we will be back with the late

News at 10:40pm. Have a lovely

evening.