we'll bring you the latest on the whatsapp messages sent to politicians in westminster and their staff — were they part of a plot or sting operation? police in humberside tell us that it's not possible to identify any of the cremated ashes at the centre of an investigation into a funeral director's. and the remarkable man from cardiff who saved the town hall from fire in world war ii is and coming up on bbc news, the wta is taking its best players to a new home — the tour�*s finals tournament will be hosted by saudi arabia for the next three years. hammersmith bridge remains unclear, but will land in�*s next mayor fix it? good evening.

one of the most devastating legacies of the covid lockdowns has been the impact on vulnerable women, children and men suffering domestic abuse. the lockdowns saw a steep rise in the number of cases, with around a third more people seeking help, and those numbers have stayed high right the way through the cost of living crisis. the domestic abuse commissioner is warning of a growing funding emergency for services set up to help both victims and perpetrators. for this special report, i was given rare access to see how children who are victims are helped. i spoke to people who've inflicted abuse — and to those who've survived it. i was scared to be in the house and scared of what he would do to me. i didn't dare leave a child alone with him. driving through the yorkshire countryside to meet a woman who is educated, professional, successful. abuse knows no bounds and can happen to those who least expect it.

we're keeping her anonymous for her own protection. constantly looking over my shoulder, feeling watched, feeling hunted. i didn't feel free. sometimes i'd feel like a prisoner. the abuse escalated in 2020 during the pandemic. i think covid was a factorfor things getting worse, because you get trapped behind doors and you cannot trapped behind doors and you can't see people, you can't talk to people. and that's perfect for a perpetrator. they would want you to be locked away from your family and friends. he was violent and at one stage attacked their child, but mostly, the abuse was threatening and controlling. my heart would be racing. it was when i realised our child was so impacted, i realised i would have to get out. i was fairly sure he would try to kill me if i stayed. this art project in halifax was set up as a direct result of the deaths of women and children in england from domestic violence in the first three weeks of lockdown. children are helped to heal through art. their work is presented to perpetrators to make them confront their actions.

sometimes ijust need a bit of courage to say about things that happened at home but i didn't have the confidence to say it. she is only nine, but she has seen misery and abuse at home and is now with art therapist georgia, who is helping her to express her thoughts. is that you that - you're painting there? yeah. this doll, like, goes from younger me to older me now that i've turned nine and i'm worried about the future and if there's going to be any more worries that i'm going to be having at home. it made me feel like family was not safe. i was only ten... the diary of an 18—year—old girl who has been coming here since last summer. the violence of her father haunts her. he was using anger against us, the kids, which would be strangling, smacking, sometimes even throwing us out.

it was going on since i was in year six. the damage he did made her come close to total despair. it came to a point when it was ruining my life. no matter how good i were doing in my life, i wanted to end it just because of one man. because they don't understand the damage they are doing just to a young child. we've still got little minds. we are still growing up. we are still learning things and we've had to cope so young. if mothers and women generally make up the vast majority of victims, there are also men who face domestic abuse, and they say they find it even harder to know where to get help. i have an overwhelming fear that i cannot get out, that i will be pulled back in, that no matter how much i struggle, how much i scream, how much i ache, i will not be let free. a leading charity says there has been an over 80% rise in calls relating to the abuse of men

from 2018 and right the way through lockdown until now. although in england and wales, women are twice as likely as men to face abuse. i asked this survivor in wales what living with his abuser during lockdown was like. she kicked the hell- out of me emotionally. i was very emotionally fragile, i was - at the worst i've ever been. i tried to kill myself twice. he said he carried a rope around with him and that thoughts of suicide were a crutch to lean on to stop the pain. i asked him whether it was hard for him to be listened to because he is male. i if you would talk within a groupi of four blokes and you were in an abusive relationship, chances are at leastl one will make fun of the _ situation. there is very little awareness of the male side of abuse - and how it works for male victims. i would also think. very little empathy.

he eventually contacted a domestic abuse service and has spoken to us because he wants to help others, but not everyone finds the support they need. the domestic abuse commissioner says that 2 million people every year who suffer face a postcode lottery as lockdown and then the soaring cost of living have placed a huge pressure on services. we need to quit lurching from crisis to crisis, whether it's covid—i9 or cost—of—living or now bankruptcy for local authorities. we must have a strategic way to fund services. we have always depended on these services and never adequately funded them. and that has a direct impact on victims. i was an idiot, an absolute idiot. i pretty much lost everything. for over a year, i lost my children, lost my wife. this man is having to face up to what he did to his family through another programme in east london set up during covid for men wanting to address their abusive behaviour. it all started when i was constantly, and i mean obsessively, treating my wife like a possession. and i mean bombard herwith...

numerous messages. i mean, hundreds of text messages a day. you got arrested — why? for coercive control. because she felt threatened? yeah, she felt threatened by me, yeah. she used to say to me that she felt like she was walking on eggshells. the courses made him understand how frightening his behaviour was. there are other ways to react other than throwing a tantrum and getting aggressive verbally. i would never punch my wife ever, but i used to punch doors as a frustration. but i suppose in her eyes, me punching the door, to her she probably thinks, is he going to punch me next? he was lucky he got the chance to change and is now able to see his children and his wife. the government says since 2021, it's given over £500 million to help councils provide support. but for every success story, there are more cases of abuse and suffering behind closed doors —

yet another of the enduring and painful legacies of life in lockdown. if you suffer domestic abuse, details of help are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call forfree at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 888 809. the mastermind of an armed robbery has been found guilty of the murder of a police officer who was shot dead almost 20 years ago. piran ditta khan killed pc sharon beshenivsky when she attended a raid at a travel agent's in bradford in 2005. khan flew to pakistan two months after the murder and remained at large until he was arrested by pakistani authorities in 2020 and brought back to the uk. danny savage was at leeds crown court to hear the verdict. killed in the line of duty. pc sharon beshenivsky, shot dead responding to reports of a robbery. she was murdered on her daughter's fourth birthday. this was the scene in november 2005.

an attack alarm had been activated at a travel agent's in bradford. pc beshenivsky�*s patrol car pulls up opposite. she and her colleague, pc teresa milburn, cross the road to investigate. john brambani watched it happen from his nearby business. as sharon was approaching the door to the universal express, the guys inside burst out and bumped into and shot, seemed to shoot her down her vest. this memorial now stands on the spot where pc beshenivsky died. although only three men were involved in the actual raid here, there were seven members of the gang altogether. six of them were subsequently caught, but the seventh has only today been convicted. he fled the country soon after the shooting and it took a long time to get him back. piran ditta khan went to pakistan. in 2020, he was arrested and last

year was sent back to the uk. 30th november 2005, murdered police constable sharon beshenivsky. he planned the raid and was a lookout on the day. i'm not murder anybody. but he did murder a west yorkshire police officer. pc sharon beshenivsky lost her life in the most horrific of circumstances, in the line of duty. she will always be remembered. i would like to acknowledge the respect and dignity that sharon's family have shown over the past 18 years, and i do hope that today's conviction goes some way in enabling them to move on with their lives. after her murder, sharon beshenivsky�*s husband paul visited the scene. he's had to live with those events since. i loved her very much

and she were very full of herself in what she did and enjoyed herjob to the full, sort of thing, enjoyed life to the full. he has been in court for some of this last trial. for the detective who led the original hunt for her killers, there is one thing which still needs to be done. it would be nice for both officers to be formally recognised for the bravery which they showed in going into those premises, in the knowledge that there was something seriously taking place there. west yorkshire police never gave up on hunting down all those responsible for their colleagues' murder. piran ditta khan showed no reaction as he was convicted of the police officers' made today. he is now 75 years old, facing a very long prison sentence. the reality is that he will probably die behind bars serving that sentence. with regard to sharon beshenivsky, thejudge said today that she of course is not here to be thanked for the sacrifice she made. the final month to be

convicted of her murder will be sentenced in the coming weeks. thank you, danny. there's a growing debate over whether the uk government should suspend arms sales to israel after the strike on a convoy earlier this week that killed seven aid workers. more than 600 legal experts have written to rishi sunak saying exports must end because the uk risks breaking international law. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale is here. where are we at with this debate, is the government likely to move? as you say, the pressure is growing. you have got legal pressure, 600 lawyers writing to the government saying, look, we think that israel is breaking international humanitarian law, so we think that arms sales to israel should cease. you have senior folk in the foreign—policy world, the former head of mi6 saying that what israel did was bordering on reckless. you have got jack straw, the former labour foreign secretary, telling the bbc that he thinks it's obvious

that israel is breaking international humanitarian law. there is a continuing political debate about it. tory mps are arguing both ways, some claims from those mps that the foreign office and downing street are at odds over this issue, something officials deny. perhaps the most telling criticism came from the family of jim henderson, one of the three britons who died in the air strikes, he told the times that it was "hard to comprehend that the government was continuing to sell is arms which they said could be used to kill british citizens". as to what the government is going to do on this, there was silence today, my ministers doing their best to avoid the cameras. the key thing to understand is what's going on in the government at the moment is a complex technical legal process, and those things can take time.— those things can take time. james landale. around 12 people working in westminster including mps and journalists are believed to have been targeted in a so—called honeytrap scandal. they have each received unsolicited whatsapp messages from suspicious mobile numbers. 0ur political correspondent hannah

miller reports from westminster. a romance scam targeting some of the most powerful people in the country, in the form of lurid messages which for one former mp began last month from a person going by the name of charlie. long time no speak, charlie said. miss you in westminster. the former mp told me it seemed so realistic. . , ., ., realistic. the last part of that messaue realistic. the last part of that message was _ realistic. the last part of that message was "westminster l realistic. the last part of that - message was "westminster misses you", and that was something friends would say anyway to make me feel better. i was embarrassed, thinking and speaking to someone who knows who i am, and i'm trying desperately not to come across as rude. the messages _ not to come across as rude. the messages continue. _ not to come across as rude. the messages continue. getting you aren't single at the minute. are you bucking the gay trend of open relationships? the former mp then replies, asking who it is he is talking to. charlie falsely says he used to work in the office of

another mp. he later sends a sexually explicit image and the former mp blocks the number. the questions now are how widespread this is, who is behind it and whether the attackers got hold of any useful information. we have seen another series of messages sent to a political journalist from another series of messages sent to a politicaljournalist from the same number and following a similar pattern. according to the website politico, which first reported the claims, at least 12 people with connections to westminster have been targeted. this connections to westminster have been tarueted. , .,, �* connections to westminster have been tarueted. , �* , connections to westminster have been tarueted. , , ., targeted. this wasn't 'ust, as i had thou . ht, targeted. this wasn't 'ust, as i had thought, someone _ targeted. this wasn'tjust, as i had thought, someone being _ targeted. this wasn'tjust, as i had thought, someone being stupid - targeted. this wasn'tjust, as i had | thought, someone being stupid and doing something that they regret the next day. maybe this is something more sinister than that, potentially malicious. we more sinister than that, potentially malicious. ~ ., malicious. we tried to call the number associated _ malicious. we tried to call the number associated with - malicious. we tried to call the number associated with the i malicious. we tried to call the - number associated with the messages, but nobody picked up. a parliamentary spokesperson said they take cybersecurity extremely seriously and have asked anyone affected to contact their security team. hannah miller, bbc news. in the last few minutes

leicestershire police have confirmed they are investigating reports of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to an mp last month and we will have more on this at ten o'clock. the time is 16 minutes past six... our top story this evening. the surge in domestic violence linked to covid lockdowns — we spoke to women children and men about abuse. coming up, a blood test for dementia — a new trial involving thousands of people. coming up on bbc news, more than 100 golf courses in scotland are feeling the effects of climate change, with coastal erosion a problem either right now or expected to be in the future, with some turning to crowdfunding to build defences. airline passengers at the uk's major airports will continue to face limits on the amount of liquid they can carry in hand luggage this summer after a deadline for new scanners was extended. gatwick, heathrow and manchester airports are not expected

to have the new screening technology in place by the target date of june 1st. smaller airports such as birmingham and newcastle look likely to be able to relax the 100ml liquid limit by then. restrictions on carrying liquids in hand luggage were introduced in 2006 after a plot to bomb a transatlantic flight was foiled. here's our transport correspondent katy austin. change is on the way but it has been delayed. new high—tech scanners that produce 3d images are set to end the airport security ritual that has been in place for 18 years. at the moment, any liquid you take through in your hand luggage has to be no more than 100 millilitres, and you have to take them out and put them in a plastic bag like this. with the new machines in place, they can all stay in your bag and you can also take through liquids that are up to two litres in size. there we go. laptops can stay in the bag as well.

london city airport and teesside in the north—east of england have already got the new equipment across all their lanes so they have switched to the new rules. it makes it a lot easier. when you get to my age, you have that many lotions and potions and medications. it will make each trip marginally easier— it will make each trip marginally easier for— it will make each trip marginally easier for meat which is obviously a benefit _ easier for meat which is obviously a benefit as— easier for meat which is obviously a benefit as a — easier for meat which is obviously a benefit as a passenger. it easier for meat which is obviously a benefit as a passenger.— benefit as a passenger. it speeds thin . s benefit as a passenger. it speeds thins u - , benefit as a passenger. it speeds things up. you — benefit as a passenger. it speeds things up, you don't _ benefit as a passenger. it speeds things up, you don't have - benefit as a passenger. it speeds things up, you don't have to - benefit as a passenger. it speeds things up, you don't have to slow down _ things up, you don't have to slow down. , , , , things up, you don't have to slow down. , �*, ., down. the bass it sites as it's not only about — down. the bass it sites as it's not only about convenience. -- - down. the bass it sites as it's not only about convenience. -- the i down. the bass it sites as it's not i only about convenience. -- the boss only about convenience. —— the boss at teesside. it is enhancing the passenger safety because security staff have more detailed images of what people are carrying but the big thing is obviously it is getting people through a lot quicker and offering but the uk's biggest airports, such as heathrow and gatwick, are set to miss the government deadline ofjune1st for completing their installations. reasons include supply chain issues. because they are heavy kit, lots of airports are having to do construction work to strengthen floors or to reconfigure the layout so that is another challenge.

and of course, you know, making sure that all of the staff then that are having to operate it are fully trained and aware of it. ministers have now confirmed they will allow a number of airports more time, no longer than a year extra and on a case—by—case basis, so whilst some do expect to have the scanners ready for the summer holidays, many won't. it is worth checking before you travel but people should assume the liquid rules stay the same for now. katy austin, bbc news. humberside police investigating the recovery of 35 bodies and the ashes of a number of others at legacy funeral directors in hull say it's impossible to identify any of the cremated ashes, meaning hundreds of families will never know if they've received the actual remains of their loved ones. jessica lane is in hull for us this evening. jessica. that's right, and this afternoon at humberside police gave us that update on the investigation which

has been going on forfour weeks now and it's a huge operation, working very closely with his majesty's coroner and local councils. this afternoon they have confirmed that they are still working to identify they are still working to identify the 35 bodies they recovered from the 35 bodies they recovered from the legacy funeral directors here in hull. they also said that the news that police it would be devastating for families and loved that police it would be devastating forfamilies and loved ones, that they will not be able to identify they will not be able to identify the ashes. it is just not possible to get the dna from them. police said they have spoken to 700 families about that, and thatjust shows the numbers of people in this area who are affected by what has been going on. legacy independent funeral directors is quite a small company and a family run business and the director is robert bush and his daughter saskia is an employee and they have been working since 2010. they had three buildings, one

of them here in hull and police had cordoned them off at one point pulled the 46—year—old man and 23—year—old woman who were arrested are still on bail and humberside police people of this afternoon to be respectful of those involved. many of whom will still have many questions as the police investigation continues. questions as the police investiuation continues. . ~ , ., investigation continues. thank you, jessica. thousands of people are to be offered a blood test for dementia in a new trial to be run by memory clinics across the uk. the hope is that diagnosing people earlier will mean better support and more effective drug treatments. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is caused by the gradual build—up of rogue proteins in the brain. it can take 20 years before symptoms emerge. very few patients ever have a specialist brain scan or spinal lumbar puncture to confirm this.

but could diagnosis be done via a blood test? that's what scientists at the university of oxford and university college london are trying to discover. lucy is a healthy volunteer in this study. her mother had dementia. she was relatively old. she was in her 80s when it started, and she died at 97. but her last few years were really mired by the disease. what's your first language? english. over the next five years, around 5,000 people will take part in research assessing blood biomarker tests at more than 50 memory clinics across the uk. if a reliable blood test for alzheimer's is eventually approved by the nhs, it would transform diagnosis and mean that people could be screened for dementia in their 50s, long before symptoms emerge. the studies will aim

to include people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, so a wide cross—section of society is represented. what's unique about these projects is the fact that we're going to roll them out across multiple centres in the uk to really make them accessible to people who are attending day—to—day in memory clinics. but once we have that data and we understand if these tests are effective, absolutely, the next stage could be could they be used for screening in the community and primary care at an earlier age? new drug treatments may soon be licensed which can slow down the progress of early stage alzheimer's. so rapid, accurate diagnosis will be more important than ever. fergus walsh, bbc news. housing has formed a central part of the green party's launch of their campaign for the upcoming local elections in bristol, which is one of their target councils in may. their policies include campaigning for rent controls and increasing

affordable housing targets. they said more affordable homes would get built if they take power in bristol. the party's co—leader said their plans would mean an extra 150,000 houses every year. we would provide funding to councils to meet their local needs for affordable housing. this would ensure at least 150,000 extra council homes are made available every year through a mixture of new builds, refurbishments, conversions and buying up existing homes. the nhs is struggling to keep up with the demand for children and adults to be assessed for autism and adhd. that is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. that's according to the findings of the nuffield trust think tank, which says the growing backlog and longer waiting times are having a negative impact on people's lives. there have also been shortages of adhd prescription medicine. charities have warned the delays could have serious consequences. we know that the earlier we identify

and the earlier we put support in, that the life chance trajectories of young people are less likely to have mental health problems, more likely to achieve in school, more likely to be employable, economically independent. the research has been there for years, it's unequivocal. the number of trees lost in the brazilian amazon went down by almost 40% last year, according to scientists who monitor forest felling. but increased logging and fires in bolivia, laos and nicaragua wiped out many of these gains. global losses were up by a quarter, mainly due to forest fires in canada. brazil and colombia had changes in leadership in the past year or so, and the new administrations in those countries really put forests as a priority. so, in brazil, we saw a renewed emphasis on law enforcement. we saw some new policies coming into place and an action plan actually to stop deforestation in the brazilian amazon.

it's never too late to celebrate a hero. ronald brignall wasjust 16 when he saved cardiff city hall during the blitz in world war ii with just a sandbag and a fire hose gripped between his teeth. today, on his 100th birthday, he is being honoured for the first time. tomos morgan reports. on his 100th birthday, ronald brignall is finally being honoured. honoured not for his age, but for an heroic act performed 83 years ago. during the second world war, uk cities did their best to protect themselves, but cardiff wasn't alone in taking heavy damage. praise and thanks were given to all of those involved in the effort, with today's birthday boy playing a vital role in saving this particular building in the welsh capital. it was in 1941 that a 16—year—old ronald brignall was walking home from college when he spotted an incendiary bomb land on the roof of city hall. they're designed to start fires.

he then took it upon himself to climb on the drainpipes of this building twice to help extinguish the flames. firstly with a hose pipe between his hand in his mouth, and secondly with a sandbag. the local paper described a local lad who was daunted by nothing, acting with daring and courage. there we are. ronald's family were present as he received a special certificate today for his efforts from the lord mayor of cardiff. # happy birthday to you...# a celebration for a centurion, for a courageous act performed in the most testing of times. tomos morgan, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. there is plenty of whether coming our way in the next few days, not least a named storm, storm kathleen, named by the irish weather service for the impact it will have in the republic of ireland over the weekend but for us in the north and west of the uk, gales are likely which could well cause some disruption. storm

kathleen taking shape in the atlantic right now, still a lot of strengthening to do in the next 2a hours or so but even before it arrives, we have an alli another area of low pressure throwing a band of heavy rain northwards heading through tonight and that turns to snow even over a fairly modest hills because here it will be a cold night, big temperature contrast, a very mild in the south but tomorrow morning, rain at low levels and snow over the hills and about 300 metres we could see ten centimetres falling so this mix of rain and snow could make for quite a tricky start to the day across scotland tomorrow. cloud and rain for a time in northern ireland, claiming to something a bit brighter. sunshine and showers across england and wales, it will be quite windy, particularly in the west pulled a very mild and even warm to the south, even northern ireland is 15, 18 in norwich but still cold in scotland. as we get into saturday, this deep area of low pressure, storm kathleen, makes its

presence felt on the centre of the storm will stay a long way to the rest of us and there will be a decent amount of sunshine, but some hefty showers but the strength of the winds, gusts up to 70 mph in exposed western air with macros because issues. but with the winds coming from the south, it could end “p coming from the south, it could end up being the warmest day of the year so far, 21 degrees likely in eastern england. not quite as warm up act for the second half of the weekend, still warmer than it has been of late, still some showers and another windy day, particularly in the north—west of scotland. there's a lot going on. north-west of scotland. there's a lot going om— there is indeed. and that's bbc news at six. you can keep up with all the latest developments on bbc website. now it's time to join our colleagues for the news where you are. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm hugh ferris. 0ur headlines... the wta is taking its best players to a new home.

the tour�*s finals tournament will be hosted by saudi arabia for the next three years. their rivals have won, now liverpool must do the same if they're to go back to the top of the premier league. some of cycling's best riders, including primoz roglic, are injured in a crash at the tour of the basque country. also coming up on sportsday... england win their series against new zealand, tammy beaumont the star with the bat. and more than 100 golf courses in scotland are feeling the effects of climate change with some turning to crowdfunding to build defences against the sea. hello again. the wta finals will be hosted by saudi arabia for the next three years.

a deal�*s been signed to stage the tour�*s marquee event in riyadh