06/12/2017 London News


06/12/2017

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Join me now on BBC Two.

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Here on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.

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Good evening, I'm Asad Ahmad.

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The widow of victim who died

in the Croydon tram crash last year,

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says she's both "heartbroken"

and "angry" to learn that

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a very similar incident -

just days before the fatal crash -

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wasn't treated with any urgency.

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She was responding to an official

report into the accident,

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which is published tomorrow,

and believes the failure to act

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quickly could have cost lives.

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Our Transport Correspondent, Tom

Edwards, has this exclusive report.

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Marilyn Logan's husband Philip died

in the Croydon tram crash.

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He was on his way to work.

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She's read the official

report and she says it

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outlines how the driver lost

awareness on the corner

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and was confused.

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Who do you blames in all of this?

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TfL, and the management side of it.

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I mean, TfL, in effect,

employ these people.

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There should be more

stringent testing.

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The report, Marilyn

says, also highlights

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numerous speeding incidents and one

on the same bend just days before.

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As we reported at the time,

Shantell Singh, not the driver,

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reported that to the tram operator.

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I think the tram tipped on one side

as we went around the bend and

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everyone actually went

on the right-hand side of the tram.

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Crucially, though, the report says

this incident was not

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investigated quickly.

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Now, had that incident

being investigated, might the one

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the week later never have happened?

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And how does that make you feel?

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Heartbroken.

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And the family says a culture

of fear meant drivers were

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not reporting incidents.

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Very, very angry.

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Because these procedures should be

there to protect the

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public, and that is not protecting

the public in the least.

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This is the memorial

in New Addington to the seven

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who died on the 51 who were injured.

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The tram was travelling at over

three times the speed limit.

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From the tram operator's point of

view, do you think they have learnt?

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No.

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I mean, if drivers are frightened

to report things because

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of line managers, how is that

going to make me feel better?

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It's not.

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It's going to infuriate me.

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TfL says it has enhanced

its customer complaints

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process and now it, not

the operator, receives complaints.

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The official report

into what happened here is published

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tomorrow and there are bound to be

serious questions for transport

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for London and the tram operator

as to why so many speeding

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incidents weren't reported,

in particular one just a few

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days before the crash.

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Marilyn faces another difficult

Christmas and she still has lots

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of questions as to why her husband

died on his way to work.

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A former Abbot at a Catholic school

in west London has been found guilty

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of a string of sexual offences

against boys - including rape.

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The pensioner, Andrew Soper,

formerly known as Father Laurence

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Soper, was convicted of abusing boys

at St Benedicts School in Ealing,

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where he was in charge

of "discipline."

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Marc Ashdown has spoken

to one of his victims,

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who waived his right to anonymity.

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Respected, trusted, revered.

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Andrew Soper now revealed

as a cowardly, sadistic

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prolific paedophile.

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In addition the monks run a school.

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You can see what it's capable of...

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Filmed in 1980 here,

he was supposed to be caring

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for young boys in his charge,

instead he was fondling,

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cleaning and raping them.

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Today found guilty at the Bailey

of assaulting ten former pupils.

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Saint Benedict's in 1976,

schoolboys indulged

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in one of their favourite

games, the bundle.

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One of them, Prosper,

was molested by Soper.

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He gave evidence in court

and wave at his anonymity.

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Today he gave us his reaction.

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It shows that the defence

that was put up simply

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didn't convince the jury.

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I'm very pleased that this man,

who is clearly still a danger

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to young people and young boys

particularly, is going to be

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taken out of circulation.

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We also spoke to another

man who gave evidence.

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These are his words,

spoken by an actor.

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It's fantastic.

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I'm feeling really emotional.

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I thought I was the only one.

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It was such a shocking

thing to happen to me.

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As a kid, you put it

away to a dark place.

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Some kids made jokes about it

at school but I had no idea

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there were others until recently.

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Soper's long history

of abuse started

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when he was a teacher

at Saint Benedict 's in 1972.

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The monks elected him

headmaster of the juniors.

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In 2002, he moved to Rome.

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In 2010 he was arrested and charged

with nine counts of sexual

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abuse against five boys.

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But he skipped bail and went

on the run across Europe

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with Interpol on his trail.

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It's claimed he stayed

at the Vatican for a time

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and withdrew £200,000

from his bank and vanished.

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Four years later, he was finally

tracked in Kosovo posing

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as a widowed author.

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More victims came forward

and finally he was put on trial

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for 19 offences against ten boys.

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It's a case which involves him

using, usually using,

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the opportunities that

disciplining students gave him,

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to use that seclusion to abuse.

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The key to the case

is victims coming forward.

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Without men coming forward in this

case, we wouldn't have had a case

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to present to a jury.

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Jonathan West's son

attended the school.

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Concerned, he started

digging into its history.

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He believes this conviction

is another step towards uncovering

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the full extent of the abuse.

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For the victims that have come

forward I hope it gives them

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closure and comfort,

seeing justice done.

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I have never met Soper himself.

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His name came up in comments

on the blog from time to time.

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I would be astonished

if that is the sum total

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of those he'd harmed.

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For decades, all this

has cast a shadow over

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the school and the Abbey.

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They have tried to move on,

for example at the sports field

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the Soper Pavilion was recently

renamed, but it has been difficult

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and an independent inquiry

commissioned by senior figures

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in 2011 highlighted complaints

against eight teachers and monks.

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To date five men have now been

convicted, including Soper,

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of child-related sexual offences.

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In a statement, Ealing Abbey

apologised and said their thoughts

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and prayers are with

Amdrew Soper's victims.

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They admire

their courage in coming forward.

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The school apologised unreservedly

and said Saint Benedict's is now

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a completely different institution.

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Safeguarding, they say,

is their top priority.

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The independent inquiry into child

abuse is to hear evidence

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about Saint Benedict's in 2019.

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Some believe more

allegations could surface.

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There were gasps in the dock today

as Soper, the former Ealing Abbot,

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faces spending the rest of his life

in prison for hideous crimes

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against defenceless young boys.

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The Crown Prosecution Service has,

for the second time,

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decided not to take any action

against five police officers -

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even though a jury decided they'd

used "unsuitable" force

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against a mentally ill black man

who then died in police custody.

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Sean Rigg's family has called

the decision "shameful"

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and Frankie McCamley can

tell us why.

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Frankie.

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This decision has taken nearly ten

years. Sean Rigg was 40 years old he

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had mental health problems after his

arrest he was restrained in the back

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of a police van for eight minutes in

the prone position he suffered a

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cardiac arrest and died for together

since his family have been fighting

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for the five officers involved to be

charged. In 2012 and in question we

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found what they called unsuitable

force after arresting Mr Rigg. The

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family cat campaigning. Year ago the

Crown Prosecution Service said they

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would not be bringing further

charges because there was not enough

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evidence. The family fought with the

CPS to reconsider and today reached

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the same decision, that these police

officers would not be charged. This

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evening, just after the decision was

made, Sean Rigg was Max is that gave

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us her reaction.

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Theresa May herself has made

comments on the way that...

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..the treatment that

Sean received from

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the police officers, and yet, still,

there's no accountability

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whatsoever.

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Where do families go from here?

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And what message does this

send to police officers?

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And why is there no justice?

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As far as the case is concerned, is

it close?

Not exactly. The officers

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still could face police misconduct

proceedings. That is being discussed

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by the Met and the IP CC. They

promised to come to that vision as

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quickly as possible.

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That's BBC London News

this Wednesday night.

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Now let's get the weather from Ben.

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A lot going on with our weather over

the next 24 hours. Wet and windy

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weather to stop tomorrow but then

things will turn significantly

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colder. The winds are picking up.

This evening at night it will stay

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blustery. Outbreaks of rain pushing

in from the West. A relatively mild

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night and mild start to tomorrow.

That will not last. We will see not

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one but two bursts of rain. Once

that clears, the skies will brighten

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but we will bring in the cold,

north-westerly winds. Temperatures

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will drop away as the day goes on.

6-9 during the afternoon. Into

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Thursday night, we will start to see

entry showers pushing in from the

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north-west. Some places could even

have a covering of snow to start

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Friday. Friday is cold and bright

but still

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