02/03/2018 London News

Thanks very much.

Coming up on tonight's BBC London.

The self styled teacher who groomed

children as young as 11

for terror attacks.

He wanted to create, in his mind,

an army of children that

were going to be involved

in the attack.

And they were very much going to,

in essence, martyr themselves

alongside him as part

of the attacks.

Also tonight, severe weather

conditions have again hit

the journey to and from work.

Go home early or don't

travel at all, a message

to commuters after another day

of snow disruption.

We have to wait until the signs tell

us we can go home.

We got moved from

one platform to another, nonstop. We

got here half an hour late for our

appointment.

Plus we're with paramedics

in Essex dealing with a surge

in calls because of the snow.

And see you at the start line.

Sir Mo Farah helps promote

London's newest race.

Good evening.

I'm Asad Ahmad.

A part-time, religious

teacher who tried to groom

children in east London to become

future suicide attackers -

faces jail tonight after being

convicted of preparing

acts of terrorism.

Umar Haque got boys

aged as young as 11 -

to act out roles involving weapons

and a car bomb - while HE planned

attacks on places including Big Ben

and the Westfield Shopping Centre.

Here's Karl Mercer.

Now facing jail for plotting terror

attacks, Umar Haque is accused of

plotting to train hundreds of

children in these London.

They were to be his 'so called

'army of children' -

trained and prepared to kill.

Inspired by the attack

on westminster bridge,

Haque is said to have plotted

attacks of his own on high profile

London targets including Big Ben,

Westfield shopping centre,

Transport for London

and the houses of parliament.

When he was arrested police found

this knife in his ford focus car.

He had researched various iconic

sites across London. He had

researched terrorist propaganda and

attacks elsewhere in the world.

Although not a trained teacher,

the court heard Haque had taken

classes at a private Islamic school

in Waltham Forest and at

a mosque in Barking.

Where he showed terrorist material

to young boys in this marquee.

He would teach young boys in secret,

having them physically training, but

also role-playing for a terrorist

attack, or how to kill police

officers, warning them that if they

revealed what he had told them they

would die or go to hell.

We believe

he radicalised 110 children, 35 of

which are retrieving long-term

safeguarding report.

The Charity

commission has revealed it is

investigating the mosque, saying it

was one of the worst cases they had

seen. It also opened an

investigation into a school where he

taught, where was alleged he tried

to radicalise boys. For a year, Umar

Haque worked here, employed as an

administrator, but actually ended up

teaching so-called Islamic State it

is. During those lessons to young

boys between 11 and 16, he was

showing them videos. The jury were

unable to reach a verdict on this

charge but did find him guilty of a

number of other terror related

charges.

He wanted to create an army

of children that would be involved

in the attacks. He started at an

early age, so he started

radicalising children between the

ages of 11 to 14. As I have said,

that was a longer term plan for when

they were getting older. So he was

intent on getting some of them,

teaching some of them to learn to

drive, and they were very much going

to in essence, martyr themselves

alongside him as part of the

attacks.

The trust said today it

treated the safety and welfare of

its pupils with the utmost

importance. Also found guilty of

preparing acts of terrorism, in

other man, described in court as the

fundraiser for the plot. A

27-year-old from East Ham was

described as Umar Haque's confidant,

phone calls revealing they had

justified terrorism. The alleged

armourer pleaded guilty to

possessing a handgun, but was

cleared of pol opting -- plotting

Umar Haque a terror attack. Will be

sentenced at the end of the month.

You're watching BBC London News this

Friday the 2nd March.

It's cold outside and there's snow.

The floor may be on the way but we

are being told that tonight driving

conditions could be the trickiest we

have seen all week.

Don't travel unless

absolutely necessary

is the advice tonight from one

of the main train

companies serving London.

It comes after another day

of disruption on the network,

with commuters facing long

delays and cancellations.

Some even spent the night

sleeping on a train,

after it left Waterloo Station

but got stuck on the tracks.

Here's our Transport

Correspondent, Tom Edwards.

The dash to get home from commuters

this afternoon at St Pancras at 3pm.

South Eastern warned of the major

disruption on all of its services,

asking people not to travel.

At Eurostar, these were the queues.

This was Waterloo.

South Western warned

its services will shut by 8pm.

Two -month-old Sophia was being

taken home by her mum and dad

after a hospital appointment.

We've got to wait until the signs

tell us we can go home.

We've just been to the hospital

with the baby, so we are pretty much

stuck here until further notice.

She's wrapped up warm enough

but it's not nice obviously.

Last night, these Waterloo commuters

had a terrible night

and spent it stranded.

They left London as normal but

trains broke down or couldn't move.

The line was blocked until 6am.

After nine o'clock

we don't have nothing.

No heating.

We couldn't use the toilets

because it was lights off.

Really horrible.

We stopped moving around six

o'clock on the trains.

So we've been stuck

mainly for 12 hours.

We didn't move at all.

This morning, empty platforms

at Highbury with no trains.

This closure did mean a much

longer journey for Errol.

So, what are you going to do now?

I'll use the Underground.

I suppose it's going to take me

an hour and a half to get to work,

then an hour and a half

to get home, so...

I don't think they've catered

for things like this, really.

There are no services here running

between Highbury and Stratford,

and that's because ice has got

into the power supply,

and it means the trains

at the moment simply cannot run.

And all through this week engineers

have been out battling the elements

in atrocious conditions,

trying to make the system work.

This was the main line

to Brighton where icicles have

formed in the tunnels.

And engineers have to knock them off

the roof of the old Victorian

infrastructure to stop them

damaging the trains.

And this is what it is like

if you are working on the tracks

when a train passes.

And this footage from inside a cab

on the East Coast Main Line shows

you why trains have to go slower

as they push through snow drifts.

Here, workers are manually

clearing snow from points.

Trains draw power from rails

on the ground along

the side of the tracks.

We've seen icing on the conductor

rails, in some cases

six inches thick.

That has meant trains

have been unable to draw

power and unable to move,

so we are working across the network

to de-ice conductor rails and run

as many trains as we can.

This was a week when disruption

and delay became part of daily life.

Most commuters will be glad to see

the back of the beast on the east.

Tom Edwards, BBC London News.

Our reporters are out

and about tonight -

to bring us the latest situation

for the commute home.

In a moment we can find

out how things look

on the roads, with Emma North -

but first, let's hear

from Ayshea Bhuksh, who's

at Waterloo Station.

Well, Waterloo Station and Waterloo

East station very busy tonight, as

people try to work out how and when

they are going to get home. You

might be able to hear one busker

trying to soothe the high anxiety

levels. There is disruption on all

train lines coming out of London,

some more severe than others. The

situation keeps changing. But here

is what we know. On Southern trains,

there is a limited service. On South

Eastern trains there is an severe

disruption. And on South West

trains, the operator is saying there

will be no trains after 8pm. I

chatted to a lady this evening who

told me she has been told the

station will also close tonight

after 8pm. South Eastern operator,

who you heard in that report, has

said they will try to keep trains

running as much as possible but they

have given a severe warning to say

stay where you are, stay put. If you

do not need to travel, stay where

you are. If you can't get home and

you do have to travel, they have

also told me not to forget the

outlook for the weekend when they

will be engineering work across many

lines and it is unlikely they will

be running some replacement bus

services goes the roads are also

dangerous.

They are indeed. And that

leads us to Ehmer to get the latest

on the roads by the M25. I cannot

imagine it is a good night to be

driving.

It is certainly quiet on

the roads. And that is probably a

good thing because we are told

tonight could be the worst night for

driving conditions that we have had

all week. There are two things

making that happen. One of them is

poor visibility because of the snow,

and secondly the freezing rain we

have been hearing about.

Micro-droplets of rain which when

they hit the ground turned to ice

instantly. You cannot protect the

roads by grit against those, so you

get black ice which becomes very

slippery. It is leading to difficult

conditions on the motorways, with

snow moving north into this area,

Buckinghamshire, M40, M25 area, and

on high ground that causes problems.

And freezing rain moving in from the

east on the A12, or the A13, watch

out. Check the BBC website and BBC

Radio London will give regular

travel updates. Over the weekend, we

will get rain and cold nights as

well. On Monday morning when we are

trying to get back to work, we will

face a whole new set of problems.

Thanks very much for that important

summary.

Well, the cold weather -

not surprisingly maybe -

has seen a huge demand

on the Ambulance Service.

One of the busiest teams -

is in Essex, and so we sent

Chris Rogers to join Debbie Wade

and Barrie Williams -

just one of the many

crews out on the road -

to see how they're coping

with the spike in demand.

It looks like an 83-year-old who has

had a fall.

It is 6:30am, minutes

into Debbie and Barry's 12 hour

shift, and their first call. But

getting there can be treacherous and

slow.

The roads are not gritted.

And

we are normally the first vehicle

when it has been snowing.

The fear

for vulnerable people is that they

are not getting checked on because

of bad weather.

One, two, three.

Luckily, Ron was discovered by care

workers, by getting him back on his

feet is the least of their worries.

He is only just out of hospital with

complications, and the district

nurse has not been able to reach him

for a follow-up. He is

deteriorating.

If we leave him at

home, there is the potential that he

could die. It may be as simple as a

fall but there is a history behind

the patient so we have to cover all

areas and make sure that he is safe

at home, as we leave him, and then

we go from there.

The district nurse

and a GP is put on an emergency

call-out to monitor him.

Responding

on blue lights now.

Over the last

week, the freezing weather has led

to a surge in falls, breathing

problems and illness.

We will get

you to a hospital and get the doctor

to look at your head and get an

x-ray of your knee and shoulder.

Left or straight? Left or straight?

Debbie, what have you got now?

A

69-year-old who has become dizzy and

nauseous. It is a category two. The

ultimate is that we have to get

there safely to treat the patient.

As long as we can get there safely,

we can do the job we are there to

do.

With many schools still closed,

grandparents are stepping in for

childcare. Christine is looking

after her grandson but she suddenly

felt unwell. Inside the ambulance

for more checks. But shoppers are

complaining their cars are blocked.

The crew need to take care of

Christine's grandson until his

mother can get to him. And a piece

of monitoring equipment suddenly

stops working. Barry Henley to radio

in another crew. So now there are

two ambulances and two crews

attending to one patient. Unexpected

problems like this just adds to the

strain on the service. By lunchtime,

east of England Ambulance Service

had received 1500 call-outs. Barry

and Debbie's day is not over yet,

and neither is the bad weather they

are up against. Chris Rogers, BBC

London News. What an amazing job the

paramedics do.

If you've just got in from the snow,

welcome and well done.

This is what's still

to come on the programme.

Sur Mo Farah meets young people who

will be running London's newest half

marathon.

A flagship programme,

piloted in police stations

in Brixton and Lambeth,

aimed at drawing young offenders

away from a life of crime is to be

rolled out across London.

The Divert scheme works

by offering support

from the moment an arrest is made.

And for those who've

accepted the help offered,

reoffending rates have been slashed.

Alex Bushill reports.

From this, City Hall's latest

attempt to educate youngsters

not to carry a knife,

to the Met's renewed focus

on stabbings, there is now,

as never before, a debate raging

over how best to prevent

young Londoners from

being stabbed to death.

Looking at your custody record,

you are 21 years of age

and you are unemployed

at the moment.

Is that right?

The Met says that this

is part of the answer.

Nick is a trained Divert adviser,

engaging with young offenders

here at Brixton police station.

He meets them the moment

they are arrested and brought

to the custody suite.

It could be for anything from minor

drug offences to serious

gang-related violence.

For those who are then up for it,

they are given access

to everything from drug rehab,

rehousing and mentoring,

all hopefully leading to employment.

I think it's important for us

to get to know them.

And that takes time.

And that's one of

the key things for me.

This isn't a short-term

intervention programme.

Of the 118 suspects who have got

involved, 57, nearly half,

are now in training or jobs.

The reoffending rate is just 7%,

22% lower than the average for adult

offenders in Lambeth.

That's why Divert is expanding, from

Brixton and Bethnal Green to four

other police stations from April.

But is this project just focusing

on low-level criminals

who are easier to reach?

It's realistic.

We've had people that have been

brought in for possession

of firearms, people that are very

high harm offenders.

And we've got them

at the right moment.

We've got them at that

moment where they've gone,

"Enough is enough".

Each criminal case

will run its course.

That's regardless of any

work done with Divert.

Nonetheless, reoffending rates

are low, which is why with this

expansion and the recent spike

in knife crime there will be added

pressure on projects

like this to deliver.

Alex Bushill, BBC London News.

It is one of London's largest

sporting events, attracting tens of

thousands of runners and men raising

millions of pounds for charity, but

this week and organisers of the

London Marathon will put on the

first-ever London half marathon. --

and many raising millions of pounds

for charity.

Assuming it goes ahead

because of the weather -

thousands will run the route -

including one very famous face.

Here's Emma Jones.

We are used to seeing him racing

and winning on the track in London,

now he aiming to emulate that

success on the roads.

And today Sir Mo was at City Hall

to meet some of the other runners

who will be joining him this Sunday

for a brand new half

marathon in the capital.

A little different to the training

camp he's just left in Ethiopia.

It was a big shock coming to the UK.

To see the heavy snow.

Sunday hopefully should be good.

I'm excited.

This is a great opportunity to see

where I am and if anything needs

checking, because then we can

work on that.

As you say, is this very

much seen as a warm up

for the London Marathon?

It is a warm up.

Most runners who are taking part

in a big major marathon like to be

able to test themselves.

This is just another test for me.

But it's my home town, so it comes

with a little bit of pressure.

For Mo Farah, the aim is to take

what he learns this weekend and next

month's London Marathon.

For the organisers, to see

if the new event can

become a regular part

of London sporting calendar.

Although there may be

an obvious challenge.

Of course, the current windy

and wintry conditions

here in London are hardly ideal.

Either for the 15,000 runners

who will be starting on the other

side of Tower Bridge on Sunday

morning or the thousands

of spectators hoping to line

the route from there,

out to Canary Wharf, and back

to the finish line at Greenwich.

The race directors, though,

say they are assessing

the situation constantly,

and remain confident

that the race will go ahead.

There is a huge amount of work

going on at the moment to try

and ensure that the route is clear.

Lots of parts of it are clear, there

are just some parts that aren't.

And we really are looking

after the health and safety

of both the runners,

the spectators, staff,

and the volunteers.

So we'll hopefully be

seeing the Mobot, not

the snowbot this Sunday.

Anna Jones, BBC London News.

Good luck to everyone taking part.

Well, at the moment the half

marathon is scheduled

to go ahead on Sunday -

but the weather has already

lead to the postponement

of several sports fixtures.

I will run through them...

It includes tomorrow's

Championship fixture

between Brentford and Cardiff City.

And the League One derby between AFC

Wimbledon and Charlton Athletic

In League Two the home

ties for Barnet, Crawley

and Stevenage are all off.

And in rugby union -

Harlequins match tonight against

Bath has been moved to Sunday.

Do be aware that a number of other

fixtures are subject

to ground inspections tomorrow

morning - including the racing

at Chelmsford and Lingfield.

You can keep an eye on the BBC Sport

website for the latest information.

Well, the snow hasn't been

enough to stop some people

from keeping calm and carrying on.

Showing a true stiff upper lip have

been plumbers and school teachers -

and watch out for the farmer

in Sarah Harris's report -

who's taken it upon himself to help

Londoners get to hospital.

They were prepared for more snow, it

may have come later than expected,

but when it fell thick and fast

mid-afternoon in Berkhamsted it

brought traffic to a standstill.

Local plumbers are using all

the tricks in the book to unblock

peoples frozen pipes.

Colin has been on jobs

until the small hours

of the morning, trying

to prioritise his most

vulnerable customers.

There are a lot of people

who are struggling.

The elderly are the most important.

They are the ones that

need the heating on 24/7

this time of year.

But we like to get to

as many people as we can.

Guys, what's the weather

like outside today?

Snowy!

Snowy!

Little Raccoons in Apsley is one

of the few nurseries in this neck

of the woods that have decided

to open their doors today

despite the weather.

Most schools closed,

worried about getting

children home safely.

But here they were determined

to support parents in

getting to their work.

Cold!

For us to stay open it's making sure

parents are still able to go to work

and their kids have somewhere fun

and enjoyable to go

while they are working, really.

And a snow hero award

is due to farmer Jamie

Burrows and his tractor.

He's been working round the clock

on three hours sleep to keep

hospital access roads clear

in and around London.

You look a bit strange in the middle

of London with one of these.

You do.

The amount of small children that

go, when you go past,

it's quite entertaining.

But, yes, it's always

worth it, they look very

confused as you come by.

Despite the challenges

of the weather, there are plenty

of people in and around London

who are working hard

to keep the system going.

Their message is snow, what snow?

Sarah Harris, BBC London

News, Hertfordshire.

Is that man brave or mad? You

decide.

Well, the snow may

present difficulties -

but it can also make the most normal

London scene - beautiful.

That's why a painter from west

London has been getting on her bike

in search of inspiration.

Meet Jessica Rose.

My first thought was, I really hope

my boiler doesn't break down. Second

I thought how can I make a painting

or drawing out of this. I fell off

my bike on the way here because it

was quite sleepy. My name is Jessica

Rose. I am annealing based paint and

printmaker and today I'm trying to

paint a snowy tree. In a former life

I was a journalist. In 2011 I

stopped doing that and I set myself

up as an artist and art teacher. I

am inspired by natural forms. As you

can see, I've got my bike here, I

cycle all about Ealing and parts of

London with my easel strapped to the

bike and I stopped wherever I find

inspiration. Today I found an oddly

shaped tree, which is inspiring me,

particularly as it is lovely and

covered in snow, a lovely fairy

dusting of white powder on it. If

you are an artist you see the world,

and you don't have to travel very

far from where you live to find

amazing scenery to paint and draw. I

like people to be inspired by what I

do. I want to get more people out

sketching, painting, drawing in

London's parks and looking at its

amazing buildings and interpreting

them into art.

This is absolutely

true. I recognise exactly where in

London that was.

I don't believe you.

I guessed it.

We were party to a conversation

before this, though.

Where is it? Brom stood.

Well done!

The snow is probably just about

finished. The main concern will be

ice over the coming few days. That

was one picture from Plumstead. A

good covering of snow here. Look at

the satellite picture, this band of

thick cloud brought snow in earlier

on today. That has been moving its

way north over the past few hours.

You can see it there. It is heading

north. A couple of centimetres of

snow here and there. It's continuing

to work north. It has pretty much

moved out of the way now. We still

have a yellow warning in place from

the Met office. The main concern

will be ice. That snow was pushing

north. We are changing to a more

southerly winds. It'll break up the

cloud. If we get light winds, they

will be light overnight, there might

be patches of mist and fog. It will

be a cold night, temptress just

below freezing. Tomorrow, a dry day.

Believe it or not it may actually

feel a little less cold. There may

be some sunshine breaking out. Later

in the day, this cloud thickening up

from the south. And we will see some

wet weather. This is more likely to

be rain when it arrives in the

evening because temperatures before

then could be as high as 6 degrees.

That is Saturday, as we had

overnight into Sunday, we could see

some showers heading our way on

Sunday, some sunshine, but showers,

and some could be heavy. But it is a

southerly wind. And the

temperatures, 9 degrees possibly on

Sunday. Those temperatures will be

rising even higher. Forget about the

beast from the east, we will see the

snow falling. Cold by night, Doctor

ridges in the day around ten or 11

degrees. -- we will see the snow

thawing.

Snow ice and strong winds continuing

to cause disruption across large

parts of the UK.

In the capital and home counties,

ambulances saw a spike in callouts

whilst workers escaped earlier

than usual to catch trains home.

Keep your photos and videos of the

snow coming into us at BBC London on

our Twitter feed and Facebook page.

We look at and watch every single

one, I can assure you, I will be

back at 10:30pm. Goodbye for now.