0:00:00 > 0:00:00Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.
0:00:00 > 0:00:03Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05Welcome to the late Look North. Tonight:
0:00:05 > 0:00:08How lesbian and gay Asian people in Yorkshire are pairing up online
0:00:08 > 0:00:12to marry, and avoid shame within their communities.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15And delays and disruption for rail passengers after a vandals attack
0:00:15 > 0:00:19two high-speed services.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And, with news of some cold weather to come
0:00:21 > 0:00:24at the weekend, join me for that live, updated forecast.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Good evening.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Gay and lesbian people from south-east Asian communities
0:00:35 > 0:00:38in Yorkshire are going online to find partners of the opposite
0:00:38 > 0:00:40sex for sham marriages.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Many of those seeking marriages of convenience do
0:00:44 > 0:00:46so because they fear being disowned by their families.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50An investigation by this programme has found hundreds of people
0:00:50 > 0:00:54using websites and forums to find willing partners.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Sabbiyah Pervez has this special report.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I wanted my family to have the wedding that they wanted,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02to make them happy, to make them proud.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Khalid is a gay Muslim living in Leeds.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07For eight years he was married to a lesbian in a marriage
0:01:07 > 0:01:11of convenience that allowed them both to hide their sexuality.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13There was a lot to think about.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It wasn't just, yeah, let's get married, that
0:01:15 > 0:01:18will get our families off our backs.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20There was where are we going to live?
0:01:20 > 0:01:22What are the living arrangements going to be?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24When are we going to see the family?
0:01:24 > 0:01:25It took us three years in planning.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Their families believed it was a typical heterosexual
0:01:27 > 0:01:30marriage, but in reality the couple lived apart and led
0:01:30 > 0:01:33entirely separate lives.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37We would meet up on the M62 and go in the same car to see the family.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40On an emotional level because you are living an additional
0:01:40 > 0:01:43lie on top of the lie of being gay, it does get to you.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The pressures do get to you.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Marriages of convenience are not new.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51But whereas before Asians who are lesbians or gay might have
0:01:51 > 0:01:55found it difficult to find potential partners, now the Internet makes it
0:01:55 > 0:01:58easier and provides them with the anonymity that they need.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01One online forum we have seen has over 1000 posts
0:02:01 > 0:02:03about marriages of convenience.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Whilst another one has almost 300 current members from the UK.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Carmen Ivana Helpline, how can I help you?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Carmen Ivana is a human rights charity based here in Yorkshire.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16They say they have seen a rapid increase over the past two years
0:02:16 > 0:02:18in the number of calls they are getting from
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Asian LGBT people.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22We are dealing with the tip of the iceberg.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I believe the story of the marriages of convenience and the issues
0:02:25 > 0:02:28of LGBT communities is a big, hidden issue out there.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31The extent of the problem is going to be far more
0:02:31 > 0:02:34than what we are seeing and hearing.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Being gay is not about sex, it is about falling in love
0:02:37 > 0:02:40with someone of the same gender as yourself.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Matthew Mahmoud Oxton was engaged to marry his partner Naseem,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47but in 2014, Naseem committed suicide just two days
0:02:47 > 0:02:50after his family confronted him about being gay.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Why can't people just accept me?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Matthew now goes into schools like this one in Leeds to try and change
0:02:55 > 0:02:58attitudes about homosexuality.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The way we change these attitudes is to have
0:03:00 > 0:03:04conversations like this, more conversations, more school
0:03:04 > 0:03:07talks, more university talks, more work in the media,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10but more importantly to go into the communities themselves
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and actually talk quite openly about love, unconditional love,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and what might happen to their own children
0:03:15 > 0:03:19if they are not really accepted for who they are.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I think the lack of awareness causes a lot of trouble in society.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I think people need to be more open-minded about different people
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and the fact that it is not a choice, it is how
0:03:28 > 0:03:31they were actually born.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Khalid now regrets his marriage and says he wouldn't do it again,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36but he doesn't believe his family would be upset by his deception.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I don't think they would be shocked.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I almost think my mother would be proud that I did it
0:03:41 > 0:03:43to save the family's name and the standing
0:03:43 > 0:03:45within the community.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48But they wouldn't understand the reason why I couldn't do it any
0:03:48 > 0:03:51more and why it felt I wanted to get a divorce and live
0:03:51 > 0:03:56the life I wanted to live.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Sabbiyah Pervez reporting.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Passengers on rail services across Yorkshire have faced
0:04:02 > 0:04:05disruption today after a series of attacks on intercity services,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07and industrial action affecting Northern Rail routes.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12A service from London to Glasgow had to be terminated in York
0:04:12 > 0:04:17after vandalism near Doncaster, and passengers on a train travelling
0:04:17 > 0:04:19through Wakefield thought they'd been shot at after a carriage
0:04:19 > 0:04:21window was smashed.
0:04:21 > 0:04:31Luxmy Gopal is at Wakefield Westgate station for us tonight.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37A service from London King's Cross to Glasgow had to terminate at York
0:04:37 > 0:04:41this afternoon after damage caused by vandalism to the train near
0:04:41 > 0:04:47Doncaster. British Transport Police have told us they made an arrest at
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Hatfield after an object was thrown that a train, but they haven't
0:04:51 > 0:04:55confirmed yet if that was the same train that terminated at York. In
0:04:55 > 0:05:00the past few hours, there has been another, separate incident involving
0:05:00 > 0:05:03a train departing from Wakefield station, bound for Reading.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Passengers on that service is thought they'd been shot at after a
0:05:06 > 0:05:11window smashed from the outside. One passenger tweeted a photo showing
0:05:11 > 0:05:16the damage. He said he'd heard a loud bang and the train was forced
0:05:16 > 0:05:20to slow down. Cross-country trains told us rocks were thrown at the
0:05:20 > 0:05:24carriage. They say nobody was hurt and passengers were moved away from
0:05:24 > 0:05:28the affected area and the train continued on its journey. They say
0:05:28 > 0:05:32anyone with relevant information should contact the police.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Aside from these incidents, it hasn't been a great day for
0:05:36 > 0:05:41passengers on Yorkshire's rail network, has it?Not really.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Northern Rail wound down services at 7pm this evening due to another 24
0:05:45 > 0:05:50hour strike. Northern Rail operator services across Yorkshire, the
0:05:50 > 0:05:55north-east and north-west, and this strike was part of a long-running
0:05:55 > 0:05:59dispute over driver only operated services.Thank you.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01A brief look at some of the day's other stories.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Drax power station intends to stop generating electricity from coal
0:06:04 > 0:06:05and switch to burning gas.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08People living near the power station had the chance to look over
0:06:08 > 0:06:10the plans at a meeting in Selby tonight.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The power station says it plans to stop burning coal completely
0:06:12 > 0:06:16in the next eight years.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Detectives investigating a rape in Sheffield have released CCTV
0:06:19 > 0:06:22images of a man they want to speak to as part of their enquiries.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Police believe this man could have vital information about the attack
0:06:27 > 0:06:30on a woman in her 20s which happened in the early hours
0:06:30 > 0:06:33of Saturday morning.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36NHS bosses in Scarborough and Ryedale are holding two
0:06:36 > 0:06:39public meetings to discuss their worsening financial situation.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43They want to know what people think about money-saving measures
0:06:43 > 0:06:45including travelling further for hospital appointments,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49longer delays for non-urgent operations and cutting the number
0:06:49 > 0:06:50of prescribed medicines.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54The Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group is one of three
0:06:54 > 0:06:57NHS organisations in North Yorkshire placed into financial special
0:06:57 > 0:07:01measures, where spending is capped.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And Wakefield Council has unveiled a brand new fleet of gritters.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07It's hoped the 14 new state-of-the-art vehicles
0:07:07 > 0:07:11will help to maintain the county's roads more quickly and
0:07:11 > 0:07:13safely than ever before.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The authority claims they'll be 20% cheaper than their previous fleet.
0:07:16 > 0:07:23The high-tech machines have already begun gritting the district's roads.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Finally tonight, as the evenings draw in and the nights get colder,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29thoughts are turning to Christmas - and, for the staff at
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Chatsworth House, it means the huge task of putting up
0:07:32 > 0:07:33the decorations gets under way.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36This year, they're bringing some of Charles Dickens's best-known
0:07:36 > 0:07:39stories to life, with the help of characters like Fagin,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Bill Sikes and Miss Havisham.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Tom Ingall has been to take a look.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Autumn is still catching the breath at Chatsworth,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56but inside the house life is always moving forward.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The firs are being spruced, the baubles dangled.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04It's Christmas time, but is that Christmas past or present?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Well, we have been thinking about doing Dickens
0:08:07 > 0:08:09for quite some time just because it is so atmospheric
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and everybody thinks of A Christmas Carol and Christmas
0:08:11 > 0:08:14stories to do with Dickens, so it is something we
0:08:14 > 0:08:15really wanted to do.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18We have tried to liven it up a bit because Dickens can be
0:08:18 > 0:08:21a bit sad in places, and we have taken it
0:08:21 > 0:08:24into each of the rooms, taken the main stories and given it
0:08:24 > 0:08:25a bit of pizzazz.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28In the State dining room, the table is being dressed
0:08:28 > 0:08:31for the wedding breakfast Miss Havisham will never eat.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Scrooge sleeps uneasily in a bedroom nearby.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And who knows what delights will catch the eye in the window
0:08:38 > 0:08:40of the Old Curiosity Shop?
0:08:40 > 0:08:43How many people does it take to put your decorations up every year?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45It must take a while.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48We have got two main teams who get involved -
0:08:48 > 0:08:50the decorations team - and there are probably
0:08:50 > 0:08:53about 20 of us altogether, although we don't work
0:08:53 > 0:08:54at the same time.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56We have a shift system, we start early in the morning
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and finish mid-afternoon and then the second shift comes
0:08:59 > 0:09:00on until the night.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02But even with double shifting the decorating,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Dickensifying Chatsworth takes time.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09They were not finished today, so only the ghost of Christmas yet
0:09:09 > 0:09:13to come can tell you if this story came to a happy ending.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Thank you, Tom. Christmas decorations on the go, a new fleet
0:09:26 > 0:09:31of gritters, all we need now is some wintry weather.
0:09:31 > 0:09:37Well, cold at the weekend. I'm sure that the gritters will be needed.
0:09:37 > 0:09:44PROBLEMS WITH SOUND. It's coming all the way from the
0:09:44 > 0:09:50Arctic, so there will be widespread frost. But the likelihood of
0:09:50 > 0:09:57sunshine... CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH SOUND.
0:09:57 > 0:10:06Cold but sunny. Tomorrow isn't looking too bad. There will be some
0:10:06 > 0:10:10cloud first thing in the morning. We've had the low temperatures
0:10:10 > 0:10:18already. I'm sorry for the destruction, Paul.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22There is a problem with your microphone. Apologies for that. --
0:10:22 > 0:10:28the disruption. But the weather is getting a lot colder. If Paul
0:10:28 > 0:10:30cancelled out his microphone, hopefully we can hear again. How's
0:10:30 > 0:10:36that? It fell lot but it's back on! There
0:10:36 > 0:10:40will be patchy rain and drizzle heading in from the north-west,
0:10:40 > 0:10:45lowest temperatures around four or 5 degrees. This is the way Thursday
0:10:45 > 0:10:49morning looks, some patchy rain and drizzle will slip southwards,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52increasingly sunny skies and moving in from the north-west. It's going
0:10:52 > 0:10:59to be milder, temperatures around 12 or 13. Some patchy rain on Thursday
0:10:59 > 0:11:02night, and Friday looks sunny, as does the weekend. That's it from