15/02/2018 London News

total of 43 counts of child sex

abuse against 11 victims.

Welcome to BBC London News.

abuse against 11 victims.

I'm Sara Orchard.

abuse against 11 victims.

Thefts and robberies on mopeds

in London's main shopping

hotspots have increased six-fold

over the last two years.

Met Police data shows Oxford Street

is the worst hit with one

criminology expert saying

it is the "crime of the moment"

as it is "ridiculously easy" to do.

Charlotte Franks has more.

Moped gangs on London's streets

brazenly stealing from pedestrian,

some going to any length to take

from their victims.

They assault and threaten innocent

people. With the capital's busiest

streets offering them rich pickings

now, new figures obtained by BBC

London show that moped assisted

threats and robberies have increased

six fold over the last two years.

The data from the Metropolitan

Police show it is here on Oxford

Street where most offences took

place last year, with 291 compared

to 27 2 year before, busy street

lines this offer thieves lots of

crowds to hide in and plenty of

people to choose from. The gangs

travel on mopeds, often in pairs so

they can easily steal bags and

mobile phones as they ride past.

Experts say the cities is now hugely

concerning. Concerning. Earlier this

months a the the 2-year-old man was

stabbed after he chased down a

passenger who snatched his phone on

Oxford Street. Police say operations

in the West End have led to a

decrease in mopedened crime since

October 2017. They are developing

tactics to tackle the crime surge in

an attempt to take back the streets.

A murder investigation is underway

after a 17-year-old boy

was stabbed to death in east London

last night in a "sustained

and possibly targeted attack" -

as he becomes the third teenager

to be fatally knifed

in the capital this year.

Police and the London

Ambulance Service were called

to reports of a male suffering stab

injuries on Goldwing

Close after 8pm.

The victim was pronounced

dead at the scene.

Police are in the process

of informing the next of kin

and are appealing for information.

Library closures across London

are a contentious issue -

But Lambeth Council claim,

they are winning the battle

against government funding cuts.

They've managed to keep

open all the library's

within the borough -

by diversifying the space.

Carnegie Library reopens today -

as a library, gym and cafe...

But many residents,

who protested when it

closed two years ago

- remain unhappy.

Here's Chris Rogers.

Carnegie library in

Herne Hill is re-opening.

Well - some of it.

It's the latest in a long line

of libraries that were under threat

because of budget cuts.

Waiting inside, a local councillor,

hoping to end local opposition

to a smaller facilities to make way

for a gym and cafe -

still under construction.

We're investing from capital

about 1.5 million to change

the building, and over the next 10,

15 years that will slowly pay back,

and into the future we will be

running a library at a much reduced

cost, but still providing

a great fully staffed

service for local people.

We're investing from capital

about 1.5 million to change

the building, and over the next 10,

15 years that will slowly pay back,

and into the future we will be

running a library at a much reduced

cost, but still providing

a great fully staffed

service for local people.

But locals are not convinced

and plan a protest later

when the library officially opens.

They're not earning money

from the gym, they are paying

the gym people to put the gym

in there, it's costing them

huge amounts of money.

They're not saving anything.

This was all meant to be

saving money and it isn't.

And we lose our library.

For nearly two years

now we've had nothing.

In April 2016, locals staged

an occupation in protest

at the focus on those wanting

to keep fit, rather than read.

Chris Rogers BBC London News.

City firms including giants

Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have

been called on to sign a gender

diversity pledge which was

first published in 2016.

Treasury committee chair

Nicky Morgan has written to 33

financial services firms who have

yet to sign up.

She's asked the companies to confirm

by Friday if they plan

to join the initiative,

or explain why they have

decided not to do so.

Many of the firms said they support

the initiative to promote women.

More than 50 of the Queens swans

from a flock in Windsor have died

following an outbreak of bird flu.

There's now concern the disease

could spread to other flocks based

at Reading and Staines.

The Queen's Swan Marker,

David Barber, says The Queen,

Last night Brent Council's planning

committee approved a new pop-up Mall

in Wembley that will open

later this year.

Boxpark - which already has sites

in Shoreditch and Croydon -

will open on a former car park site

at the corner of Fulton

Road and Olympic Way.

The site will include food outlets

and community spaces made up

of shipping containers,

but it will have a roof.

Last year teenage racing driver

Billy Monger had an accident

at Donnington Race Track that

resulted in him having

both legs amputated.

Even while he was still

in hospital he insisted

he would return to driving.

Thanks to a Surrey based racing

team his determination to get back

behind the wheel has paid off-

Chris Slegg has the story.

Billy Mongerback behind the wheel

already, in a car especially

modified for him by his team,

Carlin.

It has been completely changed,

I guess, from how I normally drive,

so I've got the throttle pedal,

which is now a paddle

for me and I use that

to accelerate the car,

then I brake with my right leg,

I have a shorter prosthetic on,

and on this side I have two paddles,

the top one being up gears

and the bottom one down,

and then hand clutch on the side

to pull away with.

In a Formula Four race at Donington

last April Billy crashed

into a stationary car at 120mph.

He had to have both legs amputated.

A crowdfunding page set up

to aid his recovery attracted

donations from the likes

of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Ten months on, Billy

is hoping to show he is good

enough for Formula Three.

Some people might think this is too

soon to be racing again,

that you've not probably had

a chance to process what you've been

through, what would you say to them?

To be honest, it has been the most

calm place since my accident,

has been back behind the wheel

of a racing car.

That is where I've wanted

to be since my accident,

and to get back behind wheel,

I just feel completely in control,

and just relaxed when I'm out there.

For mum Amanda there is mixed

emotions about seeing her son

back on a race track.

I tell him every day

that I'd like him -

it's not too late to change his

mind, joking about.

I know in his heart he's

set his heart on it.

He's happy.

He's happy doing that,

and I have to be strong for him.

Billy lobbied the FIA to allow

disabled drivers to compete

in able-bodied raced.

His team were impressed

by his times so far.

He obviously had a goal that 2018

was going to be the year

that he did British F3,

and his accident isn't

going to get in the way of that.

His mental attitude is strong,

he is ready for this mentally

and his pace has been

competitive as well.

The more laps I do in the car

and the more testing I do,

the quicker I'll get hopefully,

so just learning every lap I do.

If all goes well, Billy Monger

will be on the starting grid

when the Formula Three season

begins in April.

Now let's check on the weather

with Lucy Martin.

Hello, good afternoon.

Some fairly settled weather as we

move through the next few days.

Today started off with

some beautiful skies.

This photo of this gorgeous sunrise

sent in by a weather

watcher in Plumstead.

There have been plenty of blue skies

here in Kew Gardens as well.

Barely a cloud in the sky.

As we move through this afternoon,

we'll stay largely dry,

just the risk of seeing the odd

isolated shower, and we'll hold

on to much of that wintry sunshine.

Just the chance of the odd

isolated shower, but those

showers fairly scattered.

Most people staying dry this

afternoon, but it will breezy and,

despite highs of 11 Celsius,

it will start to feel a little

bit cooler as we move

through this afternoon.

That's a sign of things to come

through this evening and overnight.

A chilly night to come,

with temperatures falling

to an overnight low

between minus two degrees

Celsius and freezing.

Clear skies will allow

the temperatures to fall away,

and I think we could see

a touch of frost.

We start the day tomorrow

on a chilly note, but it

will be largely fine,

with plenty of wintry sunshine.

A little bit of fair

weather cloud bubbling up

as we move into the afternoon,

but we'll see lighter winds

than today and highs of 10 Celsius.

I'll leave you with the outlook.

As we move into the weekend,

still a lot of dry, bright weather,

some good sunny spells,

and we'll hold onto temperatures

in double figures.

That's about it from me.

Riz Lateef will be here

with our 6:30 evening programme.

But for now, from us all,

a very good afternoon.