:00:16. > :00:36.The headlines : Gangs and guns, the Luton teenagers working to make
:00:37. > :00:46.their community safer. Good Everton become the next big win for
:00:47. > :01:02.Borough? Good evening. For the first time in
:01:03. > :01:06.400 years, lawyers and barristers walked out of court today in a
:01:07. > :01:09.dispute over pay. They were protesting over cuts to legal aid,
:01:10. > :01:12.where the government pays lawyers to represent people on low incomes The
:01:13. > :01:15.disruption meant that in some courts, cases had to be postponed.
:01:16. > :01:22.Ben Bland joins is at Cambridge Crown Court now. What's been the
:01:23. > :01:27.impact of today's strike? The honest answer is that it has been hard to
:01:28. > :01:32.tell. The walk`out happened this morning and we know that in some
:01:33. > :01:36.courts they rescheduled all the cases until this afternoon. They
:01:37. > :01:42.knew this was coming and had contingency plans in place. Here at
:01:43. > :01:44.Cambridge Crown Court, all of the courtrooms were open for business
:01:45. > :01:55.but they couldn't tell what effect it has had in other areas. We spoke
:01:56. > :02:00.to some about why they have been so angry. They have never done this
:02:01. > :02:05.before, but at courts across East Anglia lawyers refused to attend
:02:06. > :02:09.cases. Officially it is not called a strike but they protested over
:02:10. > :02:17.government plans to cut legal aid. It is something they say we should
:02:18. > :02:25.all be concerned about. You will find serious cases being prosecuted
:02:26. > :02:29.and defended by inadequate representatives who don't make sure
:02:30. > :02:34.the case has the right outcome and justice will suffer. The government
:02:35. > :02:45.disagrees and says the new rates will still attract good quality
:02:46. > :02:52.lawyers. The government wants to cut ?220 million from the legal aid
:02:53. > :02:57.budget, and some lawyers in this region who only do legal aid work
:02:58. > :03:03.say they have already seen their pay drop in recent years. They won it
:03:04. > :03:10.could cause some of the best in the profession to leave. Three or four
:03:11. > :03:15.years ago it was about 80, now it is about 30,000, 40,000 a year, and I
:03:16. > :03:18.only do legal aid work so it will be more and more of a struggle for
:03:19. > :03:26.those with big mortgages and children to pay for to continue
:03:27. > :03:32.There have already been cuts to legal aid, it is no longer available
:03:33. > :03:38.for personal injury or most divorce cases. Barristers and solicitors are
:03:39. > :03:41.warning these latest cuts could leave the justice system severely
:03:42. > :03:46.weakened. It is a similar argument to the one we have heard from
:03:47. > :03:51.firefighters and teachers, all of whom have taken action over proposed
:03:52. > :03:55.cuts to their pay and pensions recently, but the government says
:03:56. > :04:00.that to balance the books even the lawyers have to take a hit. Thanks,
:04:01. > :04:03.Ben. Well Shailesh Vara is a Justice Minister and also MP for North West
:04:04. > :04:07.Cambridgeshire. He told me today that the cuts would not undermine
:04:08. > :04:11.justice. Know, and I think it is highly regrettable that lawyers felt
:04:12. > :04:16.it necessary to take the strike action that they have. May I just
:04:17. > :04:21.put on record that several months now the Ministry of Justice has been
:04:22. > :04:25.in active dialogue with lawyers We have listened to them and even
:04:26. > :04:33.revised some proposals. The lawyers are saying have had, in effect, a
:04:34. > :04:39.70% pay cuts since 1999, something that not many sectors of society
:04:40. > :04:43.have experienced. We are living in difficult economic times employers
:04:44. > :04:47.are not immune from the economic pressures that everybody has been
:04:48. > :04:51.subject to. The statistics show that for a barrister who is working
:04:52. > :04:57.full`time on criminal work and is being paid by the state, the average
:04:58. > :05:02.is ?84,000 per year. There are pressures on the legal profession
:05:03. > :05:06.which I fully appreciate, for example too many lawyers chasing too
:05:07. > :05:11.little work and crime is going down but these are matters that have to
:05:12. > :05:15.be sorted out by the professionals themselves. I have a responsibility
:05:16. > :05:21.to the hard`working taxpayer who pays their money towards the legal
:05:22. > :05:28.aid budget. Courts already seem to be in a certain amount of disarray,
:05:29. > :05:35.like interpreter is not showing up for work. This is incredibly costly,
:05:36. > :05:43.will you be looking at that? Those difficulties have been addressed,
:05:44. > :05:49.matters have improved, and in the process we have managed to save
:05:50. > :05:54.several million pounds. And do you think that cuts to the justice
:05:55. > :05:59.system will make it better? The justice system we have has suffered
:06:00. > :06:06.many so`called difficulties over the years, but through it all one thing
:06:07. > :06:10.is clear and that is that it was perceived sufferance and in reality
:06:11. > :06:14.the legal system we have remains one of the finest in the world and I am
:06:15. > :06:18.confident that once the reforms have gone through, our legal system will
:06:19. > :06:23.continue to be one of the best in the world.
:06:24. > :06:27.A jury is considering its verdict in the case of eight men accused of
:06:28. > :06:32.sexually abusing five girls in Peterborough. Two 14`year`olds are
:06:33. > :06:35.amongst those standing trial. It is being held at the Old Bailey in
:06:36. > :06:41.London. From there, Louise Hubball reports. This complex trial centres
:06:42. > :06:45.on a vulnerable 13`year`old girl who claims she was raped in parks in
:06:46. > :06:50.Peterborough. The judge warned the jury they would hear graphic
:06:51. > :06:54.evidence, and they have listened to allegations the girl was made to
:06:55. > :07:00.have sex with other men and boys, on the play equipment, in bushes, and
:07:01. > :07:04.at parties. It was only when the girl was taken into care that the
:07:05. > :07:11.allegations emerged. Other underage girls in Peterburg also claimed to
:07:12. > :07:18.have been abused. The defendants face a range of 46 charges. The
:07:19. > :07:27.abuse is alleged to have happened between April 2012 and made last
:07:28. > :07:30.year. All of the accused are from check and Kurdish backgrounds. The
:07:31. > :07:35.man on the left is the boss who forced the girl to have sex with him
:07:36. > :07:40.and other men to earn money to drink and drugs. The defence say the
:07:41. > :07:47.evidence is unreliable, saying there are issues of confusion, mistakes
:07:48. > :07:51.and dishonesty. Wel,l the eight men deny all the charges. Louise joins
:07:52. > :07:55.us now from the Old Bailey. This is the last time the jury will be
:07:56. > :07:59.addressed in this case. What were they told today? The judge told the
:08:00. > :08:04.jury it was now entirely a matter for them to decide and they must put
:08:05. > :08:08.all thoughts of a majority verdict out of their minds and strive
:08:09. > :08:13.instead for a unanimous verdict on all of the counts. The jury began
:08:14. > :08:19.their deliberations here this afternoon and they will be back
:08:20. > :08:23.again tomorrow morning to continue. A 28`year`old woman has been charged
:08:24. > :08:26.with causing or allowing the death of her two`year`old daughter. Amina
:08:27. > :08:28.Agboola died in November after being taken to Peterborough Hospital with
:08:29. > :08:31.serious injuries. Sarah Raqueman appeared in court today. Her
:08:32. > :08:35.boyfriend, Dean Harris, also from Peterborough, has already been
:08:36. > :08:38.charged with murder. It's more than a year since
:08:39. > :08:42.19`year`old Delaney Brown was killed during fierce gang rivalry in Luton.
:08:43. > :08:44.Now two teenagers are fronting a project, aimed at stopping more
:08:45. > :08:56.youngsters spiralling into gang culture and crime. Neil Bradford has
:08:57. > :09:00.been to meet them. 2013 was a turbulent year for Luton, an
:09:01. > :09:04.escalation in gang`related crime resulted in more than a dozen
:09:05. > :09:09.shootings in the first six months. It was a huge challenge for the
:09:10. > :09:15.police and also the community. Finding the bits of the
:09:16. > :09:18.interview... These two are the first to benefit from an early
:09:19. > :09:29.intervention project. The teenagers have been making a programme. This
:09:30. > :09:35.kind of thing will help us keep away from that side of life because the
:09:36. > :09:43.opportunity that the radio will bring is a good opportunity. The
:09:44. > :09:47.pilot project is being coordinated by the Afro`Caribbean strategic
:09:48. > :09:51.partnership. Young people need us to be interested in what they are
:09:52. > :09:55.doing, and this has been a small amount of money that has brought an
:09:56. > :10:00.invaluable result. The young people have gone into college, they are
:10:01. > :10:07.studying and working on presentation skills and other things around
:10:08. > :10:13.media. How can you expect people to come forward and give
:10:14. > :10:17.information... The programme will examine the relationship between
:10:18. > :10:26.police and black teenagers in Luton. Today Mike and Nathan had the chance
:10:27. > :10:32.to challenge senior officers. It helps me to build up the confidence
:10:33. > :10:37.of knowing how to approach certain questions and things like that, also
:10:38. > :10:42.editing as well I learnt, and also it is a good opportunity. Not many
:10:43. > :10:48.people get the chance to come to the BBC and do stuff like this. The
:10:49. > :10:55.police said they are making good progress in tackling Luton's gun
:10:56. > :10:58.crime problem. Mike and Nathan Seymore projects like this are
:10:59. > :11:03.needed to stop another generation choosing a life of crime.
:11:04. > :11:06.Two of our hospitals have declared a Black Alert, meaning there's a
:11:07. > :11:08.serious shortage of beds. Peterborough City Hospital and
:11:09. > :11:12.Milton Keynes General both say they struggling to cope with an unusually
:11:13. > :11:17.high number of emergency admissions. Luton and Dunstable Hospital also
:11:18. > :11:20.says it's in a similar position Patients are being asked to think
:11:21. > :11:29.twice about whether their condition is urgent before going to A
:11:30. > :11:42.like Lucy could be enjoying brand`new facilities within three
:11:43. > :11:48.years. Still to come: two swimming
:11:49. > :11:51.champions to inspire you for the New Year.
:11:52. > :11:57.And Miller Labrador aligns a new trick. `` Miller and the Labrador
:11:58. > :12:00.learns a new trick. It's that time of the year when
:12:01. > :12:03.households feel the squeeze on family finances. January is the most
:12:04. > :12:07.common month for rental payments to be missed and it's when a lot of
:12:08. > :12:08.people receive the bills for Christmas.
:12:09. > :12:11.The housing charity Shelter estimates that many thousands of
:12:12. > :12:14.people in the East region are worried about meeting this month's
:12:15. > :12:17.demand for rent or mortgage payments. But experts in household
:12:18. > :12:20.debt say that help is available and people shouldn't despair. Tonight's
:12:21. > :12:29.special report is from our business correspondent Richard Bond.
:12:30. > :12:39.Steve Lane is finding his way out of debt. A well`paid job and freely
:12:40. > :12:43.available credit led him to run up large debts. He had spent thousands
:12:44. > :12:49.on Christmas presents. He worked out that he owed ?43,000 after being
:12:50. > :12:57.made redundant. I had fairly large credit limits which had been maxed
:12:58. > :13:03.out. FDR ?2000 or ?3000 per credit limit and you have six or seven, it
:13:04. > :13:10.does not take a mathematician to work it out. Steve has a new job and
:13:11. > :13:14.is getting his debt under control. But according to shelter one in ten
:13:15. > :13:17.people in the east fear that they will not be a will to pay the rent
:13:18. > :13:22.or mortgage at the end of this month. The Ipswich building society
:13:23. > :13:34.says that a small number of customers feel to `` do not meet
:13:35. > :13:40.their payment in January. We offer the option of paying a little extra
:13:41. > :13:43.for the other months rather than paying everything in January.
:13:44. > :13:52.Private landlords say that January is the most likely month of the year
:13:53. > :13:57.for tenants to Messe rental payment. This year is not any worse than
:13:58. > :14:02.other years. If anything, things are stable and rent arrears over the
:14:03. > :14:09.last few years in this area have actually come down. Rents have not
:14:10. > :14:13.gone up as much as other cost is. Thanks to help from Christians
:14:14. > :14:23.Against Poverty Steve Lane and his family now hope to be debt free in
:14:24. > :14:27.two years. We work in cash, we shop to a list. It is the sort of things
:14:28. > :14:34.that are simple but we have learned them. Steve Lane and his wife now
:14:35. > :14:37.help other families in trouble, showing that there is a way through
:14:38. > :14:39.the financial mire. Steve Lane received support from
:14:40. > :14:44.Christians Against Poverty. You can ring them free on 0800 328 0006. You
:14:45. > :14:49.can also receive guidance from your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Go to
:14:50. > :14:52.their website. It's at citizensadvice.org.uk.
:14:53. > :14:56.And if you have got a story about debt that you'd like to share, do
:14:57. > :14:59.get in touch. You can phone or e`mail. Or get in touch through
:15:00. > :15:03.Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you.
:15:04. > :15:06.On to football, and we had six teams in FA Cup third`round action over
:15:07. > :15:10.the weekend and all six are in the draw for the fourth round. Some face
:15:11. > :15:13.replays, others managed to win first`time around. Stevenage claimed
:15:14. > :15:16.the biggest tie in the fourth round. Boro, who are currently bottom of
:15:17. > :15:33.League One, will host Premier League side Everton in three weeks' time.
:15:34. > :15:37.This is no ordinary Monday. Since 9am the phones at Stevenage have
:15:38. > :15:40.been ringing off the book, fans desperate to watch another Premier
:15:41. > :15:44.League side sent packing. It has been a whirlwind start for the new
:15:45. > :15:50.chief executive. Only three days into his new job. The financial
:15:51. > :15:53.injection that the FA Cup brings is essential for us. It is a great draw
:15:54. > :15:59.for us, it is a way that the football community can connect
:16:00. > :16:05.again. For some managers the FA Cup is not a priority. Four clubs
:16:06. > :16:11.further down the chain it is a lifeline. You were standing at our
:16:12. > :16:16.training ground and that is a product of the FA Cup. It is that
:16:17. > :16:23.important, we would not be your today if we had not got through a
:16:24. > :16:32.couple of years ago to league five. Stevenage have proven pedigree,
:16:33. > :16:39.beating Newcastle a few years ago. 26 places separate Stevenage from
:16:40. > :16:47.Doncaster, a mere 63 between Middlesbrough and Everton. In the FA
:16:48. > :16:52.Cup anything is possible. It is not a nice place to come, this ground
:16:53. > :16:55.can be quite a hostile place. Everton are probably not used to
:16:56. > :17:03.that. I do not see why we cannot upset them. The FA Cup puzzles got
:17:04. > :17:08.my pulse racing. We would like to think that we can do something
:17:09. > :17:13.special again. They have the mantra, the man talent in the
:17:14. > :17:17.manager for club upsets. The FA Cup is breathing a vital tonic for the
:17:18. > :17:21.troops. Next, the New Year diet. You can't
:17:22. > :17:25.put it off any moreand this evening we have got two women from Suffolk
:17:26. > :17:28.who can give you some inspiration. Nicky Pengelly is a health
:17:29. > :17:32.professional. She is 46 and she has lost almost eleven and a half stone.
:17:33. > :17:35.Student Sophie Whelpton has lost ten stones over the past couple of
:17:36. > :17:40.years. Both ladies followed the Rosemary Conley diet. Welcome to you
:17:41. > :17:44.both. Congratulations to you both, both
:17:45. > :17:47.looking fantastic. Let me start with you. You put on lots of weight over
:17:48. > :17:55.the years because of family troubles, but what actually made you
:17:56. > :17:58.decide to lose it all. I decided last year after my daughter`in`law
:17:59. > :18:05.was crowned last year as slimmer of the year. Having a granddaughter in
:18:06. > :18:15.2012, I needed to change my life. I thought that Rosemary Conley Food
:18:16. > :18:20.And Fitness was the way forward. What was the turning point for you?
:18:21. > :18:26.I went back to university as a mature student at the age of 27 and
:18:27. > :18:30.started to be really happy with the direction that my life was going on.
:18:31. > :18:37.I felt that the only thing holding me back was my weekend that `` my
:18:38. > :18:44.weight and that it was time to do something about it. And you are the
:18:45. > :18:50.winners. This is what Nicky was wearing. She
:18:51. > :18:56.could fit into one leg of these now. You could get lost in those now. How
:18:57. > :19:06.do you feel, now that you have lost all of the weight? I feel a lot
:19:07. > :19:17.happier in myself. I am happy with going shopping and I actually know
:19:18. > :19:27.no food `` I'm no food is not something that would just put weight
:19:28. > :19:31.on. It is psychological, you have to change a relationship with food.
:19:32. > :19:37.When you look at pictures now, does it feel that it was not you? We lead
:19:38. > :19:42.at some of the photographs this morning. I cannot believe it is
:19:43. > :19:48.still the same person. I have now got a chin. I think I have got a
:19:49. > :19:55.waste. I was a size 32, now I am actually in a size 10`12 in the
:19:56. > :19:59.shops. I now love shopping. Part of it is the joy of getting into lovely
:20:00. > :20:04.clothes again. What is it for you that is most special now? Just being
:20:05. > :20:07.able to feel confident and comfortable in situations and not
:20:08. > :20:12.feel that I am always the biggest in the room and that people look at me
:20:13. > :20:18.for the wrong reasons. We had some pictures of you as well. It must be
:20:19. > :20:24.odd, it does not look like the same person. It does not look like you at
:20:25. > :20:28.all. It is like looking at a different person, I feel like
:20:29. > :20:33.another person. Diesel confident about keeping the weight off now?
:20:34. > :20:40.People tend to you or your back and forth. But you did it slowly and at
:20:41. > :20:44.a good pace. Even if it is just a pound a week, it is still chipping
:20:45. > :20:48.away. Even if you just maintain, it is still chipping away. If you do
:20:49. > :20:54.have setbacks, just start back on. It does not mean that it has failed,
:20:55. > :20:59.you just carry on. I have had the good times and the bad times but
:21:00. > :21:04.have still carried on. With the support of my class, I have got
:21:05. > :21:07.where I am today. It is a gradual thing, you did it slowly and
:21:08. > :21:16.sensibly over a long period of time. Hopefully that means that you will
:21:17. > :21:21.not go back. Diets are something that temporary, I have changed my
:21:22. > :21:24.lifestyle. We are so pleased that you have come in the programme to
:21:25. > :21:30.show us what you'd success you have had. Thank you very much and good
:21:31. > :21:33.luck for the future. What are we to start the New Year. And an
:21:34. > :21:40.inspiration for lots of people watching, I am sure.
:21:41. > :21:42.We all know that guide dogs are smart.
:21:43. > :21:44.But Miller, the Labrador Retriever is taking things to a whole new
:21:45. > :21:47.level. Miller belongs to Chris Michaels
:21:48. > :21:51.from Suffolk. He is Chris's eyes and ears. And when it comes to crossing
:21:52. > :21:55.the road, his paws and nose are pretty useful too. Kevin Burch has
:21:56. > :22:01.the story: Chris Michaels is 68 and has been blind for over 40 years.
:22:02. > :22:06.He runs this nursery. He has had for guide dogs, Miller is the latest.
:22:07. > :22:13.Working together is like a marriage, a partnership. And this current
:22:14. > :22:17.canine companion is always keen to help. Use a good worker, very
:22:18. > :22:24.steady. He likes picking things up to give the people, which can be a
:22:25. > :22:30.bit annoying. One year he picked up a tomato plant and handed it to a
:22:31. > :22:34.customer. But it is when Chris heads into town that Miller really comes
:22:35. > :22:42.into his own. He was specially trained to find the posts at
:22:43. > :22:46.crossings. But he is keen to go even further and invariably hit the
:22:47. > :22:54.button with his paws or nose. It has become something of a party piece.
:22:55. > :23:00.How do you feel about the publicity over Miller and his talent? I did
:23:01. > :23:05.not really expected, I just thought it was a bit of a nine days's
:23:06. > :23:11.wonder. I never expected there to be all of this publicity. He is
:23:12. > :23:16.brilliant, I think. It makes getting around a hell of a lot easier.
:23:17. > :23:28.Here's something special, look into those eyes.
:23:29. > :23:31.So David's back tonight with a brand`new series of Inside Out. What
:23:32. > :23:35.have you got for us? We have been looking into audio
:23:36. > :23:37.loops and how people with hearing difficulties are being failed by
:23:38. > :23:40.businesses and public authorities. Audio loops are designed to provide
:23:41. > :23:44.better sound quality for people with hearing aids. On Inside Out we went
:23:45. > :23:47.to more than 60 shops and offices in Ipswich that claimed to provide
:23:48. > :23:55.them. In three quarters of cases they didn't work, or staff didn't
:23:56. > :23:59.know how to operate them. We do have one but I do not know
:24:00. > :24:12.where it is, I have never been shown where it is. It is discrimination.
:24:13. > :24:17.It does not mean that legally enacted discrimination is not taking
:24:18. > :24:20.place. Costa say that all staff in the shop have now been trained in
:24:21. > :24:24.how to use the hearing`loop system. Join me for that story and others,
:24:25. > :24:31.as we start the new series at 7.30pm here on BBC One. Greats `` a great
:24:32. > :24:40.story tonight about a woman's fight to have people remembered who died
:24:41. > :24:43.in the town after a publicity stunt for a circus went horribly wrong.
:24:44. > :24:48.She raised the money for people in the time and finally we see the
:24:49. > :24:51.memorial tonight on the river bank. We are thankful that we are not in
:24:52. > :24:58.the south`west. I think we're getting off lightly at the moment.
:24:59. > :25:04.We have had bright and blustery weather but showers as well. They
:25:05. > :25:14.have been on the heavy side. We have had some squally winds gusting
:25:15. > :25:18.between 48 and 50 mph. You can see more showers coming in. Again, some
:25:19. > :25:21.of those could be on the sharp side and have hail and thunder mixed in.
:25:22. > :25:29.There could be some torrential downpours. But with the cloud around
:25:30. > :25:41.temperature should not fall any lower than eight or nine Celsius. We
:25:42. > :25:43.stay frost free and the wind is a good moderate fresh south`westerly
:25:44. > :25:47.becoming particularly blustery during any sharp showers. We could
:25:48. > :25:56.get some further very strong gust is. This is the centre of what has
:25:57. > :25:59.brought us all of the windy weather and showery weather. We still have
:26:00. > :26:04.the south`westerly flow drowning in a few showers and the eyes of buyers
:26:05. > :26:12.are still fairly close together. `` Isa buyers. Moving eastwards, some
:26:13. > :26:16.of them on the sharp side, but again a few less than today. Some sunshine
:26:17. > :26:24.and bring this coming through at times. Temperatures at best some
:26:25. > :26:27.others into double figures. A good two or three degrees above average
:26:28. > :26:31.for this time of year. For much of the day we will hold onto this
:26:32. > :26:36.moderate `fresh south`westerly, although hopefully that will ease
:26:37. > :26:43.down a bit. We finished the day with a few showers around. During
:26:44. > :26:47.tomorrow night we could get some showers and in together to get a
:26:48. > :26:51.longer spell of rain. But they should be out of the way by
:26:52. > :26:56.Wednesday. We are then expecting some rain after dark on Wednesday,
:26:57. > :27:02.although a bit of a? Regarding how quick the rain will spread on.
:27:03. > :27:06.Perhaps some rain still lingering on Thursday morning. Friday is looking
:27:07. > :27:11.a chilly day with temperatures closer to normal, but finance guy
:27:12. > :27:20.with the next lot expected during Friday night. `` at fine and dry.
:27:21. > :27:52.That is all from us. Have a good evening.
:27:53. > :28:13.TOM: # And if there's anybody left in here
:28:14. > :28:16.# That doesn't want to be out there... #