tv BBC News at Six BBC News February 28, 2017 6:00pm-6:31pm GMT
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"shambolic and cowardly", the coroner's verdict on the local security response to the beach attack in tunisia when 30 british people were killed. as the gunman killed any holiday—makers in his path, the security forces deliberately delayed arriving, one fainted, one hid. it's particularly heartbreaking to think that if the police had been called, if the national guard had got there sooner, then lives could have, or probably would have, been saved. the families of the victims say they will sue the tour operator tui for not warning them of the danger of islamist extremism. if the tour operators tui thomson had played their part, and actually said there is a risk here, and directed them to that, i firmly believe they'd never have gone. in the resort where the attack happened in 2015, assurances it's now completely safe. but the foreign office advises against travel there. also tonight.
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sir philip green agrees to pay over £350 million to workers' pensions at bhs. a call to spare jail for paedophiles who view indecent images but aren't thought to be a physical threat to children. the metal detectorists who struck gold, and found iron age jewelry last worn 2,500 years ago. coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news. back on court for the first time in five weeks, andy murray is into the second round of the dubai 0pen. good evening, and welcome to the bbc news at six. the coroner at the inquest into the deaths of 30 british tourists who were killed in a gun
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attack on a beach in tunisia has described the local police and military response as "at best shambolic, at worst cowardly". he said their delay in arriving at the scene was deliberate, and singled out one officer who fainted with fear, and another who removed his shirt to hide the fact that he was an officer. he ruled the victims of the terror attack at the resort in sousse in 2015 had been unlawfully killed, but stopped short of finding there had been neglect on the part of the tour operator tui. families of some of the victims are now preparing to sue tui themselves. daniela relph was in court. these are the bereaved, for more than a month they've listened to chilling details of multiple murder, many of them witnessed their loved ones being killed. the end of this part of the legal process was an important moment. the inquests were about those who tragically lost their lives, they must never be forgotten and their families hope that no—one else will ever have to suffer
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the same fate in future. the coroner ruled the 30 british tourists who died that day had been unlawfully killed. the inquest has established the facts of what happened at the resort, the chaos and confusion, the relentless shooting. gun fire. holidaymakers fled in panic across the sand, literally running for their lives. the court was told that for 16 minutes the gunman went unchallenged. the police delayed their arrival. one of the marine guard fainted in shock. 0thers hid. the coroner today described the the emergency response as, "at it's best, shambolic. at its course, cowardly." this animation showed where each person died. in just about every main area of the hotel somebody was killed. the families believe the travel company, tui, was neglectful, but the coroner rejected this saying there were too many what ifs and no
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single thing that could have prevented the attack. judge nicholas lorraine smith told the families. angie and ray fisher were two of the victims, killed alongside each other on the beach. their families still maintain they were failed by tui. if they'd have known the reality and if the tour operater, tui thompson had played their part and actually said, look, there is a risk here and directed them to that, i firmly believe they'd never have gone. on that day the world changed. as an industry, we have adapted and we will need to continue to do so. this terrorist incident left its mark on all of us and its impact will
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always be remembered. many of the families though will now pursue a civil lawsuit against tui. the coroner will look at whether he can make any recommendations to help prevent such a massacre ever happening again. as the inquest closed, the coroner told the families that they had shown a quiet dignity of which their loved ones would be proud. daniela relph, bbc news, at the royal courts ofjustice. attending the inquest has been a harrowing experience for the families. those who were in tunisia have had to relive the attack. those who weren't heard eyewitness accounts of the last moments of their loved ones. suzanne evans lost her son, brother and father. cheryl stollery‘s husband was killed in the hotel car park. they've been speaking to our correspondent sarah campbell. people say to me how do i cope. and i say, well, i'm still a mum and i'm thankful for that, that i've still got 0wen.
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and 0wen keeps me alive. the day after this photograph was taken, suzanne's father pat, eldest son joel and her brother adrian were killed. 0nly 0wen, on the left of the picture, survived. he was 16 years old at the time, his grandfather died in his arms. the coroner mentioned your youngest son 0wen, and his extraordinary courage. how is he coping? he's doing well. he's an inspiration to us all. i often say if 0wen can get up and go to school and do the things that he's doing, then i haven't got any reason why i can't. so we follow 0wen, he's fantastic. cheryl stollery not only has the loss of her husband john to cope with, but the memories of that day. john was shot as both ran from the gunman. my thought at the time was, i'm going to die. and where was my son. we were trying to seek refuge, we didn't know where to go, no one was directing us anywhere.
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it was just a free—for—all. it's particularly heartbreaking to think that if the police had been called, if the national guard had got there sooner, then lives could have, or probably would have, been saved. can anything positive come out of what happened onjune 26th 2015? no. we can never bring the people, those 30 people back. what we have to do is learn to live with that, to try and move on. there's always going to be people out there who want to impose their will, their beliefs on others. we need to get better at protecting, and looking at ways in which to safeguard, and we can only do that if all the people involved start communicating and working far more
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closely in partnership. cheryl stollery ending that report by sarah campbell. the authorities in tunisia insist the country, including the resort at sousse, is now "100% safe". new security measures are in place, but the foreign office is still advising against all non—essential travel to tunisia, and british visitor numbers have dropped by more than 90%. 0n alert in sousse. a new vigilance that was utterly lacking on the day of the attack. now, permanent checkpoints and patrols by the police and the armed forces. the message is clear, you are safe, it's a new tunisia. ministers are looking to brighter days, after tourism was gravely wounded in the carnage on the beach. we've improved a lot our security.
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and we think that tourism will be coming back in the next few months now. we have good indications for summer 2017, and we'd be very happy to see again the british coming back to tunisia. do you think it's100% safe, can you say that? yes, absolutely. 100%? 100%. metal detectors are now standard when you enter hotels, even if you own them, like mohamed. he co—owns the now—closed hotel where the british holiday—makers were killed onjune 26 2015. he admits security in tunisia should have been tightened that march, after an attack on tourists in the bardo museum. it should have been stricter and stronger after the bardo attack. to be honest with you, it should have been. but there is a before 26thjune 2015, and there is an after.
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this is not the same country any more. this was the picture when terror came to the beach. locals say the lone gunman was on the loose for a0 minutes. today at the inquest in london, condemnation of the glaring absence of the security forces. when tourists were being slaughtered here on the sands, police could and should have made an effective response according to the coroner. he said police could have arrived here in minutes with everything they needed to confront the gunman. instead, they deliberately delayed their arrival. the first officer on the scene stayed outside the main gate, and never fired a single shot. this man knows only too well that the police were nowhere to be seen.
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when the shooting started, he was on the beach selling rides on jet skis. his response was swift. here he is chasing the killer, armed only with two ashtrays, hoping in vain for help. translation: no one came, apart from the two guards who did nothing. then, when we ran along the beach over there, there were three national guard boats in the sea. they didn't come until afterwards, when he was killed. at the riu imperial hotel where the gunman claimed so many lives, they are getting ready to reopen in may, hoping tourists will return to the golden sands. sunbathers now have company on the beach, protection that came too late for 30 britons, robbed of life on this shore. 0rla guerin, bbc news, sousse.
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the billionaire businessman sir philip green has paid £363 million into the pension fund of british home stores. bhs went in to administration after sir philip sold the chain forjust £1. he's been sharply criticised for having made profits and dividends of more than half—a—billion pounds, while leaving the bhs pension fund with a huge deficit. our business editor simon jack has more details. summer sir philip green made bhs pension is a promise. we will sort it, we will find a solution. i want to give an assurance that i'm there to give an assurance that i'm there to sort this. what he was promising to sort this. what he was promising to sort this. what he was promising to sort was leaving thousands of pensioners short—changed after bhs collapsed, having been sold by sir philip to aid retailing novice who
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just £1. he has agreed to pay £363 million of his own money to plug a hole in the pension fund, estimated on some measures to be £571 million deep. this settlement isn't enough to give 19,000 pensioners their full entitlement, but it's better than they would have got in the industry rescue fund. the ordinary members of the pension scheme do 0k out of this. it's an ok dealfor them. they are slightly better off than they would be by staying in the pension protection fund but it's at the margin. that dark stain is all that is left of bhs‘s flagship store on 0xford is left of bhs‘s flagship store on oxford street. the debate about the pensions mess left behind, the corporate culture that allow that to happen, and sir philip green's behaviour has raged on. you'll be hoping this put that behind him, others will see today as a significant precedent for the future. great value, good quality...
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sir philip green was vilified by the public and politicians who saw him asa public and politicians who saw him as a mascot for corporate greed. today his critic in chief issued this grudging acknowledgement. it's an important milestone in getting justice for pensioners and workers at bhs. the pensioners got a better deal than they would have done. they haven't got everything, there's a long way to go and an enquiry before sir philip green and the bhs book is closed. and worked at bhs 442 years. this deal will improve her pension but she thinks it could have been sorted out sooner —— the 42 years. it's disgusting, he should have done it straightaway. no questions asked, i've been found out, old sort it. this settlement was voluntary but he was being pursued vigorously by regulators who will now stand down. 363 million isjust over 10% of
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regulators who will now stand down. 363 million is just over 10% of his net worth, a price perhaps worth paying for his reputation and knighthood. whether he can keep either is still not sorted, in his words. our top story this evening. a coroner has described the response of the tunisian police to the sousse beach attack in which 30 britons died as "shambolic. " still to come... why millions of british eggs can no longer be sold as free—range. coming up in sportsday on bbc news: tom curran has been called into the england squad for the one day series in the west indies. it's the surrey fast bowler‘s first senior call up. paedophiles who view images of indecent abuse, but are thought to pose no direct physical threat to children should not be prosecuted, according to britain's most senior child protection police officer. simon bailey says the policing system has reached "saturation point" and that so called ‘lower
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level‘ offenders should be offered rehabilitation. he said he recognised the suggestion would horrify many. our home editor, mark easton, has more. saying the unsayable, the chief constable who believes paedophiles, who view images of child sexual abuse, should not necessarily be prosecuted. simon bailey argues, with resources stretched, those deemed to pose a very low—risk of physically abusing children might simply be arrested, monitored and rehabilitated, rather than take it to court. we are arresting 400 men every month for viewing indecent imagery of children. we are safeguarding 500 children every single month, but we are dealing with the tip of the iceberg. the public will say it's not robust enough. if this is the tip of the iceberg, let's get the iceberg? right, but i can't — i don't have the resources to get the whole of the iceberg.
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what i'm advocating is a proposal that still manages the risk, but it's targeted. police chiefs fear new and historical child abuse cases threaten to overwhelm them. 70,000 investigations in a single year and an estimated annual policing cost of £1 billion and even then just touching the surface with analysis suggesting half a million people in england and wales have illegally viewed images of child sexual abuse. how can you be sure that somebody who is at home looking at vile pictures of child abuse is not the next day going to go out and abuse a child? and i can't be absolutely sure. well then arrest them, deal with them? but we are arresting them. as i've demonstrated, 400 every month is more than any other law enforcement agency is doing, i believe, anywhere in the world. i have to balance our resources against the whole of the risk. police in sussex already visit some individuals found to be viewing online images of child abuse and warn them they face criminal action if they continue. but some survivors believe it's outrageous to even suggest such offences are decriminalised.
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i think it was an incredibly unhelpful, i would go as far as to say almost dangerous thing to say, that people who abuse children or who view images and thus pay others to abuse children may escape justice. the home office has distanced himself from his remarks saying that ministers are clear strong sanctions remain the response when terrible crime like viewing images of child sexual abuse online are committed. britain is beginning to realisejust how huge a problem the sexual abuse of children has been and continues to be. now even those charged charged with protecting children admit we cannot simply arrest our way to a solution. mark easton, bbc news. a man who murdered his ex—girlfriend and her partner outside the shop where they worked, has been jailed for life.
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zoe morgan, who was 21, and 33—year—old lee simmons were stabbed outside the matalan store in cardiff last september. for weeks beforehand, 21—year—old andrew saunders had searched the internet for "the easiest way to kill someone." 0ur wales correspondent, sian lloyd, is in cardiff for us now. sian. in the days after the attack, hundreds of flowers and candles were left outside this matalan store. the murders took place here in the street and touched the wider community of cardiff. now, the families of zoe morgan and lee simmons said they are disappointed that andrew saunders will be eligible for parole after 23 years. the court heard that he was given credit for his early guilty plea and that his age and emotional distress at the time of the killings were mitigating factors. andrew saunders arrived at court knowing he faced a life sentence. the 21—year—old had admitted the murders at an earlier hearing. the hotel receptionist had carefully planned a revenge attack when zoe morgan ended their two year relationship. 21—year—old zoe was described
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by her family as a beautiful, bright young woman who broughtjoy to their lives. lee simmons had met the love of his life in zoe, the pair worked together at matalan. they're missed every day by their families and friend. chris williams watched zoe grow up from a child. she was always very polite, always well dressed. never ever passed without saying, good morning, good afternoon, how are you? taken away at the beginning of her life, totally devastated. the court was told that andrew saunders couldn't cope with the break—up and began stalking his ex—girlfriend, he was also preparing to carry out his savage attack. this cctv shows him at a cardiff supermarket where he bought knives and latex gloves, which he took home in a carrier bag. he was also searching the internet for information on how to carry out a knife attack. in the early hours of the morning,
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on the 28th september, saunders paced outside the matalan store. he stabbed 33—year—old lee eight times. as zoe tried to pull him off, he turned on her and chased the fashion graduate across the street. she also died from her stab wounds, suffering 32 injuries in total. the families of both victims were in court today to hear sentence being passed. as a family, we will never be able to express how we feel inside and the disappointment we feel at the leniency of the sentence that has been passed today. we are all totally heartbroken. for both families no sentence will compensate their loss, their nightmare will last forever. sian lloyd, bbc news, cardiff. some news just some newsjust in. two people have been accident ali shot during a speech by the french president, francois hollande. reports say one
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of his security marksmen accident ali pulled the trigger, apparently shooting himself in the foot. an official said another bullet then went through a tent hitting two waiters who were servingcocktails after the speech. —— serving cocta ils after the speech. —— serving coctails after the speech. staff from southern rail, arriva rail north and merseyrail are expected to go on strike on the same day in a row over the future of guards on trains. the rmt union announced the walkouts in a dispute with the companies over plans to introduce driver—only operated trains. union officials say the move will make services potentially dangerous. the 24—hour strike will take place on the 13th march. millions of british eggs are temporarily to lose their free—range status. farmers have been forced to keep their hens indoors since december to limit the spread of bird flu and eu rules say that eggs from hens that have been inside for 12 successive weeks can't be labelled as free—range. our business correspondent, emma simpson, reports. we eat more than 10 million free—range eggs a day, they're now being relabelled with stickers like this.
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these free—range hens should be roaming outside, but they've been kept indoors, like all hens since december. restrictions are being scaled back today, but the owner of these birds says his hens are staying in, even though it means they'll lose their free—range status. we can't allow our hens to go out. we would have to net an area the size of 16 football pitches, it's just totally impractical. we've lost the free—range status, but this is an eu technicality. we believe they're free—range. they're the same great egg, they taste the same. the industry has now decided that it's simpler and fairer to relabel all commercial boxes of free—range eggs whether the hens that laid them have remained inside or not. it's an unprecedented step. are you making pancakes today? yes. i have already this morning. down the road, in bury st edmunds, shoppers seemed sympathetic. as long as then, going forward, once the limit is over,
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they're back out, then that should be fine. as long as they're nice and warm and toasty and they're happy hens, i don't mind. i would prefer the hens outside, but an egg's an egg. some shops have already been keeping customers informed. these stickers should only be temporary. the hope is, that by the end of april, all our free—range eggs will have their full status back. emma simpson, bbc news, suffolk. now, these three gold necklaces and a bracelet, found in a staffordshire field, are thought to be the oldest ever found in britain, 2,500 years old. they were found by two metal detector enthusiasts who'd become bored with the hobby and had given it up for 20 years. but last year they decided to have another go and struck gold, as sima kotecha reports. buried treasure, discovered in the fields of staffordshire. 0ne bracelet and three necklaces, believed to be 2,500 years old. the items were probably worn
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by wealthy, powerful women, it's not clear though why they were buried. possibly some of these are hoards or things that people wanted to come back and get later, but also its possible these were actually offerings to the gods that nobody was ever intending to come back for. it was kind of like a normal sunday morning for us. i felt,a litle bit off it myself, we were in two minds whether to come out or not. these two friends are responsible for the discovery. 20 years ago, they searched for treasure, but found nothing. then, after taking up the hobby again, they struck gold. i knew what it was straightaway because, obviously, i'd seen them in pictures in books and magazines and and stuff. so i said, "well, you know, where did you find that?" because my legs were going, my heart was going and my head was racing. he said, "up top of the hill." i said, well, we need, you know, to have a look at the area and then probably, you know, do some more sweeps of the area because i hear
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stories whereby, you know, where there's one, there could be some more buried. well, it was just before christmas when the two men were walking along here with their metal detectors and they found the treasure, just behind me, over there. a couple of days ago, they came back again and they found one of the missing pieces. today, the items were officially declared as treasure. the collection is expected to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and the men will split the proceeds with the landowner if the items are sold. they haven't said exactly how much it would fetch or what's going to happen, you know, money wise. we just look at it as a bonus, really. that, you know, we've come out on a sunday morning for four hours and we found something special and anything after that really is a bonus. bonus. whatever we get. yeah. sima kotecha, bbc news, staffordshire. good for them, what a great find. time for a look at the weather. here's john hammond. the sun is slowing setting on
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winter. most of what is falling out of the sky at the moment is liquid, thankfully. 0ver of the sky at the moment is liquid, thankfully. over the next few hours wintry showers to the north of scotland. it will be icy here. elsewhere temperatures not it far off freezing, there could be slippery surfaces. there will be morning sunshine to enjoy in southern areas, it won't last that long. things will go down hill across southern counties through the day with rain setting in. further north showers scattered around, but plenty of sunshine to enjoy, across the heart of scotland, for example. wintry showers to the far north. most of scotland enjoying sunshine, temperatures sixes and sevens, northern ireland not doing too badly. northern england some showers left behind but sunshine in between. another dravrp and damp end to the day across southern counties, feeling cool. the wind will pick up,
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lively tomorrow night, gales setting in to exposed southern and western coasts. inheavier rain will turn back to snow across the high ground of north wales, north midlands and northern ireland, mostly up over the high ground. 0ne northern ireland, mostly up over the high ground. one to watch tomorrow night. the strong winds, rain and maybe snow. there could be disruption. things will settle down through thursday. the worst of the winds subside. a blustery day none the less, showers left behind across central areas. plenty of sunshine across the south. for at time not too bad in the sunshine. temperatures getting up into double figures. more rain sets in across the south on friday. fiona. thank you very much, john. just time to tell you what's coming up on tonight's bbc news at ten. we'll be looking at the latest venture from the company space x, who say they'll send two paying passengers on a trip round the moon. we are really now entering
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the era where space tourism is a possibility. it's going to give two rich people a thrill of a lifetime. that's at 10.00pm. it's goodbye from me and the bbc news at six team. now, on bbc one, it's time for the news you are. bye— bye. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines. the inquests into the deaths of 30 british tourists, killed in a terror attack on a beach in tunisia in 2015, have found they were unlawfully killed. the coroner added that the police response to the attack was "at best shambolic, and at worst cowardly". retail tycoon and former bhs owner, sir philip green, has agreed to pay £363 million to plug the gap in the company's pension scheme. the uk's most senior police officer,
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