:00:11. > :00:13.An 18-month-old girl, battered to death by her guardian,
:00:14. > :00:15."should never have been placed" with the woman Birmingham City
:00:16. > :00:18.That's according to a Serious Case Review carried out
:00:19. > :00:26.Keegan Downer was killed by Kandyce Downer less than a year
:00:27. > :00:28.after she was appointed her legal guardian.
:00:29. > :00:34.A postmortem examination found she had more than 150 internal
:00:35. > :00:36.and external injuries when she died in September 2015.
:00:37. > :00:39.Today the review was published into the role the local authority
:00:40. > :00:49.Little Keegan - born Shianne - seen here happy and flourishing
:00:50. > :00:55.But that all changed when she went to live with Kandyce Downer,
:00:56. > :00:58.a distant relative who had been awarded a Special Guardianship Order
:00:59. > :01:04.Just nine months later, she was dead.
:01:05. > :01:06.A serious case review into the toddler's death has
:01:07. > :01:09.found she was failed by a number of agencies.
:01:10. > :01:12.For example, a health visitor only ever made one
:01:13. > :01:16.visit, not long after Kandyce became her guardian.
:01:17. > :01:20.Keegan did not have a flag or red code on her medical notes to say
:01:21. > :01:23.she was effectively adopted, and was not seen by a GP
:01:24. > :01:29.And there was no further contact made by Children's Social Care.
:01:30. > :01:32.Well, that was one of our failings and we had no
:01:33. > :01:35.expectations set out in policy either that we should do those
:01:36. > :01:37.visits and that is part of what we've changed.
:01:38. > :01:39.There does need to be ongoing support and indeed part of
:01:40. > :01:42.our expectation needs to be that there is
:01:43. > :01:49.a working relationship with placements.
:01:50. > :01:56.that some very distant relationship means
:01:57. > :01:57.you've got an automatic right to permanency
:01:58. > :01:59.of the child without supervision.
:02:00. > :02:00.The initial assessment of whether Kandyce Downer should
:02:01. > :02:03.become a special guardian was carried out by an external
:02:04. > :02:09.And the report says Downer was given too much power to control
:02:10. > :02:12.With the benefit of hindsight, that was just
:02:13. > :02:15.not good enough and that wouldn't happen now.
:02:16. > :02:20.I think one of the other things that has changed and that
:02:21. > :02:23.needs to be ensured by this case is that those universal services
:02:24. > :02:24.that would be involving the GP, the
:02:25. > :02:28.health visitor, will absolutely know and that this child is on a special
:02:29. > :02:36.Greater awareness within the wider society is also something
:02:37. > :02:38.that the children's charity, the NSPCC is calling for.
:02:39. > :02:41.I think it is really important that changes have
:02:42. > :02:44.happened, but of course just tragic in this case that it was too late
:02:45. > :02:46.for this individual child, but changes
:02:47. > :02:48.will need to happen for the
:02:49. > :02:50.future. What is also really important
:02:51. > :02:52.is that any member of the public also helps social services
:02:53. > :02:55.and the police and comes forward with information.
:02:56. > :02:59.Birmingham City Council says it's taken further steps
:03:00. > :03:03.Has anyone been sacked over Keegan's death?
:03:04. > :03:05.Employment action has been taken to the regulator,
:03:06. > :03:07.and those people are no longer working with us.
:03:08. > :03:09.So people have been sacked? Yes.
:03:10. > :03:13.Birmingham Children's Services is to be taken over
:03:14. > :03:18.Amy Cole, BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham.
:03:19. > :03:22.Two men have been sentenced to a total of 22 years in prison
:03:23. > :03:24.for sexually exploiting a teenager in Coventry.
:03:25. > :03:26.24-year-old Martin Cantle and 26-year-old Thomas Entwistle
:03:27. > :03:37.were sentenced to 11 years each after being found guilty
:03:38. > :03:39.of controlling child prostitution and supplying controlled drugs.
:03:40. > :03:41.The charges relate to a 17-year-old girl who was groomed
:03:42. > :03:45.In a little over eight hours' time, the polls will open for the
:03:46. > :03:49.It was triggered following the resignation of the Labour MP
:03:50. > :03:55.Mr Hunt resigned to take up a new role at the Victoria
:03:56. > :03:59.Polls open at seven o'clock tomorrow morning and close at ten at night.
:04:00. > :04:02.And there's an election special on BBC Radio Stoke from two o'clock
:04:03. > :04:04.on Friday morning with Tim Wedgwood, as the counting finishes
:04:05. > :04:11.The clear up begins 110 fridges were dumped in this lane
:04:12. > :04:30.Officers start work to remove them, and investigations are underway.
:04:31. > :04:33.The clear up begins 110 fridges were dumped in this lane
:04:34. > :04:41.The council says people should avoid unwittingly fuelling their business.
:04:42. > :04:45.What we would say to people is don't put your fridges and freezers
:04:46. > :04:47.out into the street for the metal collectors because this is
:04:48. > :04:55.We would say either get the retailer to put them away put them
:04:56. > :05:01.in your car and take them to the recycling or if you can't do
:05:02. > :05:04.that have a bulky waste disposal from the council.
:05:05. > :05:06.Birmingham City Council's being called out to fly-tipping
:05:07. > :05:12.It's a problem that's affecting the whole of the Midlands.
:05:13. > :05:18.despite a padlocked gate -
:05:19. > :05:21.around 500 tonnes of waste was dumped almost a month ago
:05:22. > :05:26.This is an ocean of devastation, I am appalled and I hate it.
:05:27. > :05:31.I'm actually hating the fact that these people,
:05:32. > :05:34.whoever has done this, right the way round down to our first
:05:35. > :05:41.Back in Birmingham the City Council is appealing for anyone
:05:42. > :05:43.with information to help solve this crime.
:05:44. > :05:46.The fridges now will be forensically tested to try to find the culprits,
:05:47. > :05:49.who could face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence
:05:50. > :06:01.Budding actors 1,600 miles apart have been performing
:06:02. > :06:05.It's all thanks to virtual reality, which one university in the Midlands
:06:06. > :06:07.is using to run courses in two countries at the same time.
:06:08. > :06:12.Kevin Reide's been finding out more.
:06:13. > :06:16.Lauren and Jack are in Coventry, Niklas and Heli are in Finland,
:06:17. > :06:19.and they're rehearsing Shakespeare together.
:06:20. > :06:21.This virtual learning theatre is a joint project
:06:22. > :06:24.and the university of Tampere in Finland,
:06:25. > :06:30.It's been wonderful and our teachers can also
:06:31. > :06:32.teach us and tell us the
:06:33. > :06:35.information but cooperating with universities over
:06:36. > :06:42.The university is using the latest video conferencing technology to
:06:43. > :06:45.make this all happen, but instead of a laptop screen
:06:46. > :06:48.it is on a large screen and that enables them to make the students
:06:49. > :06:57.Here do you keep 100 nights and Squires.
:06:58. > :06:59.And that means the students bond quickly
:07:00. > :07:01.as realised whe this was tested last year.
:07:02. > :07:04.On the very last day we turned it off, and I really felt
:07:05. > :07:13.After a bit it just kind of feels natural.
:07:14. > :07:15.You completely forget that there is this 1,000 mile gap.
:07:16. > :07:23.The rehearsals will continue for the next few weeks but in March
:07:24. > :07:25.the Coventry students will go to Finland and perform on stage
:07:26. > :07:31.Kevin Reide, BBC Midlands Today, Coventry.
:07:32. > :07:33.The comedian Sir Lenny Henry returned to his roots tonight
:07:34. > :07:47.The sell out gig is one of just four being held around the country
:07:48. > :07:51.The campaign has raised more than ?1 billion to help people
:07:52. > :07:53.in the UK and across Africa over the last 30 years.
:07:54. > :07:56.Sian Grzeszczyk caught up with him before he headed out on stage.
:07:57. > :07:59.He's been making us last for decades,
:08:00. > :08:00.and been instrumental in
:08:01. > :08:02.raising vital funds to help people through comic relief.
:08:03. > :08:05.But it's been a while since he's done stand-up to
:08:06. > :08:07.a home crowd, so how does that feel being back in Birmingham?
:08:08. > :08:16.It's a home crowd, really, so, you know, if you mess it
:08:17. > :08:20.up here you sort of need to be branded man with a busted leg.
:08:21. > :08:27.So it's going to be fun, it's fun, it's comic relief,
:08:28. > :08:30.As the crowds poured into the glee club they
:08:31. > :08:35.And I'm looking forward to seeing the female
:08:36. > :08:37.Supported comic relief since it first started, and
:08:38. > :08:43.It's a great opportunity to show some support for comic relief and
:08:44. > :08:50.also yeah, fab to see Lenny Henry in such a small intimate...
:08:51. > :08:56.And it's an exciting but daunting night for
:08:57. > :08:58.local comedians performing alongside him too.
:08:59. > :09:01.I've had a chat with him, very briefly, in the
:09:02. > :09:04.dressing room, made a cup of tea in front of him,
:09:05. > :09:07.nervous I might get it wrong but I didn't, so yeah, he's a
:09:08. > :09:15.With more than a billion raised over the last
:09:16. > :09:18.30 years, have had a sea of what has been achieved?
:09:19. > :09:22.I think the billion was a huge achievement but I think
:09:23. > :09:25.he returned to fund the return to jokes, the return to comedians
:09:26. > :09:28.messing around and having anarchy on stage is what comic relief
:09:29. > :09:30.started off with and we kind of gone back to
:09:31. > :09:36.that and I can't wait for the night, it's going to be a hoot.
:09:37. > :09:40.I'll leave you with the weather forecast with Rebecca.
:09:41. > :09:58.Today was a miserable day. Plenty of cloud around, better brightness, but
:09:59. > :10:02.this was the scene for most people, much of the day. Plenty of rain.
:10:03. > :10:05.Still mild, but when to fight back tomorrow with it be prepared and the
:10:06. > :10:12.weather warning in place from the Met office, strong winds expected,
:10:13. > :10:18.and some heavy, wintry rain. Some rain to come through the overnight
:10:19. > :10:23.period, 80 mile an hour gusts of wind. The dryer for the time being,
:10:24. > :10:28.winds ramping up, though, by the morning. Temperatures starting today
:10:29. > :10:33.on a mild night, between 8-10 Celsius, for long though storm Doris
:10:34. > :10:36.tracks in from the west, those winds really picking up, strengthening as
:10:37. > :10:40.we head through towards lunchtime car that is when we were likely see
:10:41. > :10:45.the strongest gusts, but a wet and windy start to the day, showers
:10:46. > :10:49.unpleasant, and very strong gusts of wind by the time we get to the
:10:50. > :10:53.middle of the day, up to 80 miles an hour over the top of high ground,
:10:54. > :10:57.but widely between 60 and 70. Temperatures starts to fall as it
:10:58. > :11:01.will get cold as Doris clears through. More information in the
:11:02. > :11:03.national forecast. Here is the output. Good night.