Browse content similar to 27/11/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Whatever we have to tackle together,
it will always be us | 0:00:00 | 0:00:01 | |
together as a team. | 0:00:01 | 0:00:01 | |
Welcome to BBC London News
with me, Victoria Hollins. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:15 | |
First tonight, a woman
from North West London who married | 0:00:15 | 0:00:20 | |
the American leader of so-called
Islamic State has spoken to the BBC | 0:00:20 | 0:00:24 | |
about turning her back on extremism. | 0:00:24 | 0:00:27 | |
Tania Georgelas, who grew up
in Harrow, travelled | 0:00:27 | 0:00:29 | |
to Syria with her children,
but fled the country before her now | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
ex-husband went on to fight for IS. | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
She's now dedicated her life
to countering extremism, | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
and wants to warn other women
about how an ill-judged mistake | 0:00:39 | 0:00:41 | |
cost her, her family
and ten years of her life. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:44 | |
She's been speaking
to Rickin Majithia from | 0:00:44 | 0:00:46 | |
the BBC's Asian Network. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
My name is Tania Georgelas. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
For a decade I was
an Islamic extremist. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:53 | |
My ex-husband became a leading
member of the Islamic State and now | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
I'm hoping to counter his ideology. | 0:00:56 | 0:01:03 | |
In the late 1990s, Tania went
to high school here in Harrow. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:07 | |
It's a middle-class,
diverse London suburb. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
I grew up here myself,
and went to school just three | 0:01:10 | 0:01:12 | |
miles down the road. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:14 | |
I didn't know her at the time,
but know many people who did. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:17 | |
They have all described her
as a pretty normal teenager. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
They say that she sometimes had
boyfriends and played | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
truant from school. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:22 | |
She wasn't known to be
especially religious or even | 0:01:22 | 0:01:24 | |
politically engaged. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:25 | |
So when did it all change? | 0:01:25 | 0:01:27 | |
I turned to religion
in my life when I was 17. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:30 | |
I just wanted to change my identity. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:32 | |
I didn't want to be Tania
from Harrow any more. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:36 | |
I wanted to be someone pious,
someone that people | 0:01:36 | 0:01:38 | |
didn't call a "tart". | 0:01:38 | 0:01:40 | |
So it gave me structure in my life
that I needed and helped me feel | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
like I belonged somewhere. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:45 | |
In her late teens and early 20s,
Tania mixed with various | 0:01:45 | 0:01:48 | |
radical groups in London. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:49 | |
They changed the way
she looked at the world. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:51 | |
Our minds were just being
filled with these images, | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
terrible, disturbing images. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
They would give examples of what
happened in Srebrenica and Bosnia. | 0:01:56 | 0:02:01 | |
We were made to feel this
shared sense of guilt | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
because we're a community,
and it was our duty to do something. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
And that something was jihad. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
In 2003, she married
John Georgelas, an American | 0:02:10 | 0:02:14 | |
convert she had met online. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:16 | |
Over the next eight years,
they lived across the UK, | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
the US and the Middle East. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
By the time they reached Syria
in 2013, Tania was pregnant | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
with their fourth child. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:25 | |
I stayed in abandoned
homes by ex-military. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
The windows had been blown out
and every single night, | 0:02:28 | 0:02:33 | |
I had become accustomed
to hearing gunfire. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:35 | |
By this point, Tania
said she had started | 0:02:35 | 0:02:38 | |
to question the life of Jihad. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:39 | |
She wanted to take
the children back to America. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:41 | |
After three weeks in Syria,
she pleaded with John | 0:02:41 | 0:02:43 | |
to let them escape. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:44 | |
He agreed. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:48 | |
There were bullets,
like snipers, on these towers, | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
shooting, and we could see
the bullets flying everywhere. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:56 | |
I remember putting my kids
through the barbed wire | 0:02:56 | 0:02:58 | |
and the Syrian refugees,
they were just guys, | 0:02:58 | 0:03:00 | |
they were helping us
as much as they could. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:02 | |
I put the stroller in, and then John
passed me another baby. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:05 | |
It was so scary. | 0:03:05 | 0:03:07 | |
John remained in Syria
and went on to join | 0:03:07 | 0:03:09 | |
the so-called Islamic
State. | 0:03:09 | 0:03:11 | |
GUNFIRE. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:12 | |
Until earlier this year,
the group controlled vast | 0:03:12 | 0:03:15 | |
areas of Syria and Iraq,
where it implemented brutal rule | 0:03:15 | 0:03:18 | |
and killed thousands. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:20 | |
Tania says she hasn't heard
from John in over a year, | 0:03:20 | 0:03:23 | |
and doesn't know if he's
alive or dead. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
The last thing he told me, the last
message, was that he apologises | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
for the wrong that he's done to me
and the children, and that | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
if I don't hear from him in six
months, it's most likely | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
because he's dead. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
Tania now lives
in the United States. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:40 | |
John's parents have custody
of the children, and they seem | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
well-adjusted to American life. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:46 | |
Tania sees them at the weekend. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:48 | |
Why should America give
you a second chance, | 0:03:48 | 0:03:50 | |
given all that you did to propagate
extremism against this country? | 0:03:50 | 0:03:55 | |
I think they should give me a second
chance because I realised | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
I was wrong, and I made a mistake. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
I really want to make
up for my mistakes. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
She says she's turned her back
on extremism and wants | 0:04:04 | 0:04:06 | |
to use her experiences to deter
others from making | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
the same mistakes. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:10 | |
If you were to meet a woman
who was thinking about going down | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
the same path that you once took,
what would you say to her? | 0:04:13 | 0:04:17 | |
I would say, I lost my family,
I lost my home, I lost ten years | 0:04:17 | 0:04:20 | |
of my life that I should have been,
you know, working towards my | 0:04:20 | 0:04:25 | |
education and a career. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:26 | |
I have four children
who don't have a dad now. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
Is this the situation
you want to be in? | 0:04:29 | 0:04:33 | |
Rickin Majithia with that report. | 0:04:33 | 0:04:37 | |
Surrey Police say a large
and complex investigation | 0:04:37 | 0:04:39 | |
is being carried out into historical
allegations of sexual abuse | 0:04:39 | 0:04:41 | |
at a children's home near Woking. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:47 | |
17 people have been arrested
or questioned about allegations | 0:04:47 | 0:04:49 | |
from former boarders
at Kinton Approved School, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
also known as the Oaks Centre. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
Marc Ashdown is at
Guildford Police Station. | 0:04:54 | 0:05:04 | |
Surrey police launched this
investigation in May 2013 after they | 0:05:07 | 0:05:11 | |
received a large number of
allegations of child sex abuse from | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
the 70s to the early to thousands.
We don't know much about it. The | 0:05:14 | 0:05:23 | |
children's home has long since
closed. We believe it was for boys | 0:05:23 | 0:05:27 | |
between 13 and 18 who had been in
trouble with the law were struggling | 0:05:27 | 0:05:31 | |
at home. They stayed there and
studied there. The figures are quite | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
staggering. Surrey police have
already spoken to about 200 people | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
as this search for potential victims
and witnesses. 17 people have been | 0:05:39 | 0:05:44 | |
arrested two were spoken to under
caution. They believe they have | 0:05:44 | 0:05:49 | |
about 1500 separate lines of
enquiry. Kenton house and the Oaks | 0:05:49 | 0:05:56 | |
Centre was run by Surrey County
Council. We have asked them a bunch | 0:05:56 | 0:06:00 | |
of questions today. Only pupils
would have studied there? How any | 0:06:00 | 0:06:04 | |
members of staff, when it closed? So
far they have not got back with any | 0:06:04 | 0:06:09 | |
answers. It is a vast investigation.
There has already been a case about | 0:06:09 | 0:06:14 | |
this school before? Yes, back in
2006, Keith Hamilton, 69 at the | 0:06:14 | 0:06:23 | |
time, he was a housemaster at the
school. He was convicted of a string | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
of sex offences against two young
boys under the age of 16. He was | 0:06:27 | 0:06:32 | |
convicted for six years. There is
nothing to suggest this is anything | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
to do with him. But it is striking,
alarming even, but police have | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
launched this large complex
investigation in 2013, but seven | 0:06:40 | 0:06:47 | |
years earlier a prominent figure at
the school was convicted of child | 0:06:47 | 0:06:49 | |
sex offences. Surrey County Council
are cooperating fully with the | 0:06:49 | 0:06:54 | |
investigation. But police say many
more victims, witnesses, potential | 0:06:54 | 0:06:59 | |
suspects have come to light as they
have started their enquiries. They | 0:06:59 | 0:07:03 | |
want anybody who had anything to do
with this home in the 70s, 80s or | 0:07:03 | 0:07:09 | |
90s to get in touch with them
urgently and confidentially. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
Thank you. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:12 | |
A man who seriously injured a model
and her cousin when he threw acid | 0:07:12 | 0:07:15 | |
at them has admitted intentionally
causing the pair | 0:07:15 | 0:07:17 | |
grievous bodily harm. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:18 | |
The attack happened in Beckton last
June and left both victims | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
with scars, as Ayshea Buksh reports. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:29 | |
They were two relatives travelling
through East London on their way | 0:07:29 | 0:07:32 | |
to celebrate a birthday. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:33 | |
Resham Khan had just turned 21
and returned to England | 0:07:33 | 0:07:35 | |
after living abroad. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:36 | |
Her cousin Jameel Muhktar
was driving the car and had | 0:07:36 | 0:07:39 | |
an argument with a passer-by. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
When they stopped at traffic lights
in Beckton, they became victims | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
of a terrible acid attack. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:47 | |
I met Jameel shortly after it
happened, and he described | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
that horrific moment. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:51 | |
He had some sort of liquid bottle,
but it looked like water to me. | 0:07:51 | 0:07:56 | |
It looked clear. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:57 | |
He just started squeezing it in our
faces and all over me, basically. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:01 | |
A lot of it went on her. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:04 | |
Within seconds, my cousin
started screaming. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:06 | |
Our eyes were blistered,
have they started melting, | 0:08:06 | 0:08:10 | |
my face started melting. | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
My clothes started to burn,
my shorts started sticking to me, | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
there was smoke coming out
of the seats. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
Their attacker was John Tomlin
from nearby Canning Town. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
Immediately afterwards he went
on the run and slept | 0:08:23 | 0:08:25 | |
rough in Epping Forest,
before eventually handing | 0:08:25 | 0:08:27 | |
himself into the police. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:30 | |
Both Resham and Jameel
suffered extensive burns | 0:08:30 | 0:08:32 | |
to their faces and bodies. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
Jameel told me how his injuries
were so bad he was put | 0:08:34 | 0:08:38 | |
in an induced coma. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:43 | |
I can't hear from this ear. | 0:08:43 | 0:08:44 | |
Around this neck, this arm
is a mess, this part of my wrist, | 0:08:44 | 0:08:49 | |
my front chest, my belly,
my back, my legs. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
Today at Snaresbrook Crown Court,
John Tomlin pleaded guilty to two | 0:08:52 | 0:08:57 | |
counts of grievous bodily
harm with intent. | 0:08:57 | 0:08:59 | |
Judge Sheila Kavanagh asked in court
for psychiatric reports on Tomlin | 0:08:59 | 0:09:02 | |
to be prepared in order
for her to ascertain his | 0:09:02 | 0:09:05 | |
dangerousness to the public. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:07 | |
Resham Khan has recently
posted on social media | 0:09:07 | 0:09:09 | |
pictures of her recovery. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:12 | |
Jameel Mukhtar is still in terrible
pain, both physically and mentally. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:19 | |
My face here, can you see,
it's a different colour. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
My ear speaks for itself. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
Tomlin will be sentenced
early next year. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:31 | |
That's it for now. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
Here's the weather
with Elizabeth Rizzini. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
Here's the weather
with Elizabeth Rizzini. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
It has got a bit chilly.
It is certainly cold out there now | 0:09:40 | 0:09:45 | |
but it was a mild start to the
morning. Temperatures between eight | 0:09:45 | 0:09:50 | |
and 10 degrees. We started off on a
wet note. Then we got the cold, | 0:09:50 | 0:09:55 | |
sunniest off into the afternoon. The
general theme through the rest of | 0:09:55 | 0:09:59 | |
the week is and will be turning
colder. Turning progressively colder | 0:09:59 | 0:10:02 | |
as we had through the week. There
will be a chilly northerly wind. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:08 | |
Turning briefly milder again into
the weekend. It will turn cold once | 0:10:08 | 0:10:12 | |
more for next week. This is tonight.
There will be a patchy frost as we | 0:10:12 | 0:10:16 | |
head into tomorrow morning. Bits and
pieces of cloud. A brisk, | 0:10:16 | 0:10:21 | |
north-westerly wind. A frost in more
sheltered spot as we move into | 0:10:21 | 0:10:26 | |
tomorrow morning. A cold start to
the day. Cloud around in the | 0:10:26 | 0:10:31 | |
morning. That should break and we
will get some sunshine. Quite a nice | 0:10:31 | 0:10:35 | |
afternoon but it will feel cold. A
bracing wind. These are the | 0:10:35 | 0:10:39 | |
temperatures. Quite a lot of wind
chill as well. Wednesday looking | 0:10:39 | 0:10:44 | |
similar. The best of brightness
towards the West. More cloud in the | 0:10:44 | 0:10:49 | |
east. The northerly wind will turn
north-easterly as we head into | 0:10:49 | 0:10:54 | |
Thursday and Friday. That could
drive a? Showers toward eastern | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
areas. For the weekend it will turn
briefly milder. There will be plenty | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
of cloud. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:03 |