this is bbc news. i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at lipm: 18 people who abused vulnerable girls in newcastle are convicted of rape, trafficking and conspiracy to incite prostitution. police paid a child rapist £10,000 to act as an informant during the investigation — campaigners against child abuse say they're appalled. the us defends president trump's ‘fire and fury‘ message to north korea — saying he had to use language the regime would understand. french police shoot and arrest a man suspected of being behind an attack on soldiers near paris. police name the 83—year—old man killed walking his dog in norfolk as peter wrighton. his family says he was "a lovely, gentle husband, dad and grandfather". also, has the isle of skye become a victim of its own beauty? the island is struggling to cope, as tourism reaches record numbers. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. let's get the latest on those convictions, police are holding a news conference, let us join them now. many of us will never understand the traumatic experience some of them have enjoyed, they have my wholehearted commitment that with my wholehearted commitment that with my partners, we will continue to provide them with all the support they need. from the outset, this has been about doing what is right and placing big names at the heart of the investigation. we have proactively sought out victims of abuse to protect them. we have done this together with our partners from the local authority and with a number of voluntary agencies. we

have sought through the brand of 0peration sanctuary to raise public awareness here in the north—east of the problem of notjust child sex exploitation but the wider problem of the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and girls and human trafficking. we have enlisted and received the support of licensed premises, late night refreshment premises, late night refreshment premises, taxi drivers, hotels, b&bs, as well as the general public. we have literally thrown in the kitchen sink at this, a team of 50 officers have worked on this enquiry for almost three and a half years, and continue to do so. we have not and continue to do so. we have not and will not stop. we have employed every technique available to us, covert and overt, in tackling the problem. we have been transparent in oui’ problem. we have been transparent in our approach, and where we encountered misconduct in the part of the police officer, who had com pletely of the police officer, who had completely failed in his duty, he was dismissed. was nothing is perfect in an operation of this

magnitude, i am content that we have work to the very best of our professional ability. let me be clear, there has been no political correctness here. these are criminals. there has been no hesitation in arresting them and targeting them using all of the means at our disposal. it is for individual communities perhaps to ask themselves whether they are doing all they can to eradicate such attitudes. and behaviour. so that the stigma and shame attached to such people prevents it from rearing its head again. the communities that we work with our polls, and we have encountered nothing other than the fullest support from all of them. —— the communities we work with are appalled. those of you that followed the trials will know the behaviour ofa the trials will know the behaviour of a police informant is known as x y. xy was an authorised covert human intelligence source, and informant. he was able to report on

criminality, including child sex exploitation. he was a convicted rapist, and you some of us, the thought of the police engaging with such a person and paying them for information may appear morally repugnant. however, he proved that he was in a position whereby he could and did alert police to situations which allowed them to prevent offending and provide safeguarding measures towards potential victims. the lawful and regulated use of such tactics is a lwa ys regulated use of such tactics is always overseen by a senior police officer, and is also subject to the review of an independent body. furthermore, in this case, the handling of xy by northumbria police was the subject of an independent investigation by the independent police complaints commission. in which no misconduct was found nor any recommendations made whatsoever. need case of xy, it is clear that

his relationships with others have rule out —— have allowed the police to prevent and detect some of the most serious crimes happening in our community ‘s, which would not have impossible to conventional methods. the sexual exploitation of vulnerable people is in my opinion the challenge of our generation. it isa the challenge of our generation. it is a huge task that we faced with. to date, 0peration sanctuary has been the most complex investigation in this forces history, and it has not stopped. there is a wider debate to be had as to how this is going to be tackled moving forward. firstly, for this challenge to be overcome, there needs to be a high likelihood that offenders will be caught and victims supported. sitting here today, i am confident that we are getting this right. we will never stop pursuing those responsible. we will throw everything we can add them, and we will catch them. secondly, we need a heavy sanction

to act as a clear deterrent, and to deliver punishment to those vile individuals that prey upon the vulnerable. thirdly and perhaps most importantly, it has to become socially unacceptable in every community to behave in this way. given the number of men that we have arrested, 461 in total, clearly somewhere along the line, something has gone wrong. if it has become a cce pta ble has gone wrong. if it has become acceptable to entice through alcohol, drugs orjust through bullying and violence. vulnerable people into sex. this behaviour can never be tolerated. thank you. newcastle city council has worked closely with northumbria police and others since the start of operation century. 0ver others since the start of operation century. over three years ago. our priority has and always will be to protect and support the victims, regardless of whether or not they testify against their perpetrators. my heart goes out to all those

affected by this heinous crimes which operation sanctuary has exposed. i want to pay tribute to the victims for the courage they have shown in giving evidence which has helped put many of these men behind bars. the council 's role has always been to focus on the victims. to help support them, before, during, and after the criminal trials. no one should underestimate the trauma that these women and girls have gone through, but undoubtedly, they have helped make oui’ undoubtedly, they have helped make our communities safer places by their actions. we are constantly alert to this offending and have worked in collaboration with the police to find innovative ways to help those affected. our experience in newcastle has taught us that offenders of sexual exploitation target both children and adults who are vulnerable. we do not believe

that what we have uncovered in newcastle is unique. indeed, there has been evidence of similar offending in many other towns and cities. we believe that any area that says it does not have a problem is simply not looking for it. i would encourage all areas to be proactive in their attempts to uncover sexual exploitation. the newcastle adult and children's safeguarding boards are jointly carrying out a serious case review into what happened, and to see how we can improve safeguarding further. this is expected to be published later this year, and we will share all of the recommendations in full. finally, i want to emphasise that from day one, our primary concern has always been for the victims of these terrible crimes. we are supporting them now, and we will

continue to support them long into the future. 0k, open to questions. gentleman at the back. sky news, can i ask you, are you content that any criminality is that were observed by xy was stamped out immediately? and that there was no delay in protecting any potential victims from further harm? i'm going to say yes to that. that is my honest belief. the arrangements that are in place for the management of informants are complex, and for deployments of this nature, it is not without risk. it is fair to say, i would be the first to recognise, this is fraught with danger. there are risks in every corner. but the prize we are seeking and that we sought and that we secured in this

case, with the protection of vulnerable people. the securing of convictions of very dangerous men as well, and we got that. in terms of a delay in safeguarding individuals, to my knowledge, that simply did not ta ke to my knowledge, that simply did not take place. i cannot for good reasons go into the detail of how about individual informant was deployed, that would run a very real risk that they would be identified and that would not be appropriate. but i am satisfied as i can be that the right framework was in place, and it is worth mentioning, notjust the ipc si giving us a clean bill of health but thejudge made the ipc si giving us a clean bill of health but the judge made some very specific comments about the lack of any evidence of bad faith on the pa rt any evidence of bad faith on the part of the northumbria police or any misconduct on the part of officers or any evidence that there was a lack of compliance with established procedures. furthermore, the surveillance commissioners who independently govern our use of those significant pieces of legislation have for a number of yea rs now legislation have for a number of years now given northumbria police a clea n years now given northumbria police a clean bill of health. that is not a

run—of—the—mill inspection, it is a detailed oversight of how we manage informants. i am satisfied as i can be. i was not present when the informant was deployed, no police officer was, it is a tactic used in the absence of any other means to download —— to gather that intelligence. he said however good intentions, the action is run entirely counter to all protection procedures. and could have gone, this investigation. i think that comment has to be seen in the comment has to be seen in the comment of how well informed they are the detail of it, we're happy to link in with them. they are number of other agencies we have worked with on this matter. i think there is perhaps a misunderstanding that there has been some sort of recklessness in the way and informant to potentially could pose a risk themselves to vulnerable people has been pushed and forced

into those situations. that is simply not the case. this is about asking somebody who has associates in that world, who knows, who perhaps might have some sort of connection with that world, to give a specific information about whereabouts, times, places, it's not about putting them in a position of risk. i am as satisfied as i can possibly be that that was the case. i get entirely that morally, a lot of people hearing that headline, that we paid a convicted child sex offenderfor that we paid a convicted child sex offender for information, that we paid a convicted child sex offenderfor information, will find that very difficult to accept. it's not an easy decision i will not sit here and suggest for a minute that was. it's a decision we have had to wrestle with ourselves. i can categorically state sitting here today that there are dangerous men behind bars now, and vulnerable people protected, that would not have been the case have we not use that informant. it is in that context you have to view that is in that context you have to view those deployments. you know this was a

difficult time for the girls abused. how do you expect them to know that an abuser has prompted from this investigation? again, back question is something we have two wrestle with. -- an abuser has profited from this investigation. you would have to put that question to the individual victims, and ifi to put that question to the individual victims, and if i may, i would say to victims of sexual exploitation of this horrible pattern of offending, who are already victims, if by paying somebody a sum of money we could prevent you from ever being a victim, do you think that would be the right thing to do? so as unpalatable as this is, as a man, as a human being, as a father, it is difficult for me to get my head around. but we had to step in to a murky, dangerous and shadowy world, and the people who are going to

provide us with information that would protect victims, that will. 0ther would protect victims, that will. other women and girls becoming victims of this abuse, it is not the postmaster or the district nurse or some other person in a position of authority. they are the very people who themselves may well have committed these vile acts, and that will come as a surprise to some but not all, that these are... this is the world we have to step into an policing, and it is dangerous and difficult but that is what we are prepared to do. i am left thinking, if you expect me to do nothing, then iam happy if you expect me to do nothing, then i am happy to disappoint you, because we will not do nothing, we will do everything we can within the law to bring his people tojustice. sitting today on 93 convictions and over 300 years of imprisonment and some of the most vile and as we have ever encountered, that is before the sentences of the 18 on the back of operation shelter, i have to be satisfied that that was the right thing to do. it's very pertinent to

talk about the support we give to victims, there has been some commentary about that already. i think it is worth me echoing the fa ct think it is worth me echoing the fact that that support does not depend on a young person. engaging ina criminal depend on a young person. engaging in a criminaljustice process. our primary focus is to safeguard people who have been subjected to abuse. if asa who have been subjected to abuse. if as a result of that, they want to engage ina as a result of that, they want to engage in a criminaljustice process, then of course we support them to do that. that means that we have two build a unique and trusting relationship with that young person. we certainly would not put ourselves ina we certainly would not put ourselves in a position where the first time a young person who has been through the criminaljustice process hears about xy is today. that would not be acceptable. we of course have shared what we could with those people, and

explained what we can do with them. lam explained what we can do with them. i am content to say that of the girls that have gone through the shelter trials, not one of them has been critical of the work we have done. we're going to move on, thank you. away from xy, for a moment, you have led operation shelter. it is a picture of the sort of girls that they went after, having did it, how they went after, having did it, how they made contact, and what was the reaction of officers when they found out what they found out? the first thing i want to say, is again to echo something that has already been said. ido echo something that has already been said. i do not think sitting here, we can have any real appreciation of what these girls have gone through. in terms of the abuse that they suffered, or the personal resilience they have shown to stay with us for

what has been a three and a half year journey from the beginning what has been a three and a half yearjourney from the beginning of 2014 yearjourney from the beginning of 201a to yearjourney from the beginning of 2014 to today. i want to make that very clear. i am extremely proud of what we have achieved, and that we includes our partners, third sector partners, social care, health, and of course the officers that i have been able to direct. that is nothing in terms of how proud i am of the young people who have been able to deliver these convictions. without them, we don't have prosecutions. it is that straightforward. in terms of what we are talking about, we are talking about young people who despite the resilience i havejust talked about, have vulnerabilities. bulls vulnerabilities may be multilayered. we are talking about people who may have substance abuse

problems, they may well be people who have suffered in terms of their mental health and mental well—being. some struggle around their capacity to make appropriate decisions. some are vulnerable because of their age. children and their being asked to make decisions around very adult concepts, around sexual activities. there is an inherent vulnerability there. it is those vulnerabilities, and that is not an exhaustive list, but it is those vulnerabilities that have been targeted by these perpetrators. it would be easy to talk about child sexual exploitation, that is not what we have been dealing with from the start. we have been dealing with the sexual exploitation of vulnerable people. which includes children and young adults. we have liked a significant age range of victims, who have provided evidence for operation shelter. in terms of how the perpetrators have operated, we

have seen within the wider sanctuary investigations some quite extensive use of social media to lure long young people. that has not been replicated within operation shelter, operation shelter is more about face to face engagement in public places, where young people have been encouraged to attend parties, often referred to as sessions, by the victims. where they have been given alcohol and drugs in order that they could be abused. how horrified when you buy what officers uncovered? have you ever seen anything like this? as the chief said, from a northumbria perspective, this is the biggest operation we have dealt with. it is truly awful to think, when you sit and read all you listen to somebody accounts that occur some of the accounts of these young

girls, 25 years i have been a detective and a lot of that dealing with homicides. this is the most challenging set of investigations i have dealt with, the stories that people had to tell about their lives. it is awful. you have to be careful that you do not get too hard and to that. because account after account of abuse, you need to keep focused on exactly what that means for the person, how you look after them and support them. as well as thinking about the investigation. you mention the complexities of the case, do think there needs to be some kind of change in the justice syste m some kind of change in the justice system to prevent that from happening in the future? you look at steve is the senior investigating officer, i am sure that he will echo

how difficult it has been for individual victims to go through in terms of a process, these trials have taken in the region of two yea rs. have taken in the region of two years. that is the criminaljustice system part, prior to that we have had to go do that very sensitive first stages, which is something i think it does set us apart slightly with operation century, where we have been about proactively looking for potential complainants, over 700 women and girls were visited. that is condensed down to the number of victims that we have found. every one of those has had to be approached really carefully and sensitive —— and sensitively. it sometimes took years before they felt confident enough and rave to make those disclosures to us. i get and understand entirely that we need and understand entirely that we need a proper, transparent and balanced and fairjustice system. but i am left to conclude at the end of it, to have gone through that ordeal for some three years or so, is a ruling

experience for each and every one of them. it makes it all the more remarkable that they have stood up to it as well as they have. we could have folded these trials, that is pa rt have folded these trials, that is part of the issue around xy. in many respects, we would not be saturday. the easy option would have been to colla pse the easy option would have been to collapse the trials rather than reveal the identity of an informant. that itself has extended and prolonged the trials, because of the allegations made that were com pletely allegations made that were completely discounted. such was the commitment to make sure the 22 victims in these trials saw some justice being served upon the 18 people convicted on the back of operation shelter. that is just one small part of sanctuary. such was the determination to do that we thought that was necessary. anything that can be done to minimise the experience while still maintaining

the integrity of the criminal justice system has to be let out because it is an excessive amount of time, iget because it is an excessive amount of time, i get it is obligated but it isa time, i get it is obligated but it is a long period of time for those victims to be exposed to that degree of trauma. and anxiety. did you make the decision to deploy xy or was it a collective process? the authorisation of xy is a quite complex situation, because in this period, it spans both my predecessor and myself. now that authorisation is done at a different level. it is not done at chief constable level. what i would say to you is the gold commander that began operation century took that on in a very early stages, sitting here today, that buck stops with me for xy. it is not forjunior officers to have to explain why it came to be that they recruited and deployed somebody with his background. that is with the implied permission of me, both as

the gold commander when i was deputy chief constable and now as the chief co nsta ble. chief constable and now as the chief constable. that responsibility sits entirely on my shoulders and does not sit anywhere else. was xy sent on the instruction of the police office rs on the instruction of the police officers to sessions where young girls were abused? no. if we think about our primary focus, it is to safeguard. what we wanted from xy, without coming into detail of tactics, was to understand where these sessions and parties were going to take place. so we could actually disrupt them. as opposed to waiting while young people were being abused. so his instruction was due, amongst other things, because it isa due, amongst other things, because it is a very complex process, his instructions were to find out when

they would take place in order that we could prevent them from taking place and therefore prevent the abuse of young people. can you explain just abuse of young people. can you explainjust how he was paid, was it for results? in fairness, it's not something we would go into. it's fairly compensated. it is not always money they would seek benefit from, or obtain any benefit from. sometimes that surround expenses occurred and how we deal with that individual informant. i am going to appear slippery and i tried to monster that's i'm not going to try. i cannot go into the detail of how we pay him or how we actually deployed the individual informant. ina deployed the individual informant. in a statement referred to an officer is dismissed, quite serious, can you tell us what he did and how it came to light? i'm sure steve can give you more detailed amoeba ostensibly he, in the course of

looking for victims and looking at individual perpetrators that we were encountering, we look that any dealings, any involvement we had had with them, and it was evident that an officer who had had an opportunity to investigate an individual offender had not done a very good job at all. the standard of investigations fell so far short of investigations fell so far short of what i would expect that we deemed it to be grossly negligent, and he was dismissed. some children who were victims here were in social care, how seriously has the council failed these children? of the 22 people involved in shelter, two were in care of the local authority, and thatis in care of the local authority, and that is to many as far as we were concerned. we take very seriously

and we want to understand what happened in the case of notjust that young person, but in the case all the victims. therefore we have commissioned jointly with the police and with other partners a serious case review, which will be an independent review that will look at theseissues independent review that will look at these issues in more detail. that will report at the end of this year, before the end of this year. perhaps worth adding, i will give you a quote from an ofsted inspection in relation to newcastle for children. this was published earlier this year. there is a highly effective response to issues of child sexual explication and evidence of outstanding practice to protect children. this is... it's important i make this point. this is not about sitting here saying we think we are perfect, we are not. we have done everything we possibly can to find victims. of child sexual explication. and sexual exploitation

of vulnerable people. what this has never been about is people lining up to say, we have been telling you about a pattern of abuse that has been existing for years and you failed, you have never done anything about that. it is not about that. it is about public services doing the best they can, and if we have been found wanting it is not for a lack of effort, commitment, energy and resources that have been ploughed into this. this is about as good as we can be. there are aspects of this which still need to improve but there are aspects that actually, despite the horrible subject matter we are dealing with, we are quite proud of. could i add to that quickly, it is important to consider the speed of our response. in december 2013, we became aware of an emerging picture, and that picture was ultimately operation shelter. by the beginning of february 2014, we had arrested 29 individuals. now,

that was not because we had 29 allegations, that was because we had an intelligence picture to indicate that there is 29 individuals were potentially involved in sexual exploitation and the abuse of young people. that is a particularly bold, andl people. that is a particularly bold, and i would say swift response, to and i would say swift response, to an emerging picture. of that number, seven have been convicted within the framework of operation shelter. in terms of any assertion that we have innocents sat on our hands, then i think you can see within a matter of weeks, that was the magnitude of our response. if i could weeks, that was the magnitude of our response. ifi could add weeks, that was the magnitude of our response. if i could add further to what the chief constable has said, we put social workers working alongside police to support the victims to come forward, because it isa very victims to come forward, because it is a very difficult process, and it is a very difficult process, and it isa is a very difficult process, and it is a difficult thing to do, to come forward and tell your story, when you are in an abusive, exploitative

relationship that is often built on fear. therefore, ithink relationship that is often built on fear. therefore, i think we have worked extremely closely and have in effect set up a joint hub with the police and other partners that supports these young women and girls, and will continue to do so, as the detective has said, we will support them even if they do not bring charges, because we think it is important to help them get out of the exploitative situation that they are in. i couldn't answer that question with huge confidence and that's not me

being evasive, it is simply that is very much down to the nature of this deployment and reporting to his handlers. what we can be certain of is what was said by the chief earlier on, his deployments were properly risk assessed and we can be certain he has not been abusing young people whilst he's been a human intelligence source. you said there was no political correctness andi there was no political correctness and i think it was said communities, some communities need to ask themselves if they could do more, which communities are you thinking of? all communities. i don't think it's for me to point the finger at a particular community. we have

arrested over 400 people in operation sanctuary so far over the la st operation sanctuary so far over the last three and a half years. they come from just about every single community you can mention. now, you know, it is an inescapable fact that when you look at the photos certainly coming out of operation shelter, whilst we are specifically talking about the operation that has concluded today, most of the offenders are not white. if you go through for operation sanctuary, most of the offenders are not white. some of them have been. we have had convictions of white people, but most of them are not white. they are from a diverse section, so we have had people from bangladesh, from pakistan, from iran, iraq, kurdish, turkish, albanian, eastern european, so which community can i identify? i

can't, sitting here today. it is for every community to ask itself the question, whether or not they are doing everything they possibly can to make sure it is socially and a cce pta ble to make sure it is socially and acceptable and the attitude towards women and girls that we have encountered has no place within any community. i think we all have a role to play in that. it is not me trying to pass responsibility, but i don't think it is for me as a police officer to point the finger at a particular community. i am officer to point the finger at a particular community. lam happy officer to point the finger at a particular community. i am happy to ta ke particular community. i am happy to take part in the debate to make sure every community is doing everything they can to make sure there is a stigma and shame attached to this belief that has pervaded some men. we have seen some of those convicted convicted of conspiracies. it is not a complex criminal hierarchy you would encounter in other areas of serious criminal behaviour. but it is known, there are offenders that

have colleagues, relatives and associates, i don't know, that know about their offending. we will highlight you will get caught, and you will be sentenced heavily. but the best way to prevent it is for the best way to prevent it is for the communities themselves to deal with it. were all the victims white? in operation santry, no. in operation shelter, yes. in the wider operation shelter, yes. in the wider operation of sanctuary, we have seen both victims and complainants from different ethnic backgrounds. has anybody else... i would not comment upon any individual performance. in the circumstances we have been presented. as i said before, i get

this is a difficult, moral challenge, but we have to look at what it is we are trying to achieve here and whether or not it has worked. it has worked. and i think, weighing that up is something that weighing that up is something that we have to do and we had to do in this case and it is not easy. i get entirely for some people it would be morally repugnant, the very thought, but if you put it in the context of, we have paid money to somebody and asa we have paid money to somebody and as a result of that, we know we have safeguarded vulnerable women and girls and we know there are dangerous men behind bars that would not be behind bars for lengthy terms of imprisonment, that would not have happened, were it not for the information we have gathered. happened, were it not for the information we have gatheredm certain circumstances it may happen ain? certain circumstances it may happen again? i cannot rule it out, i cannot dismiss it. whether it is dealing with this problem or dealing

with something else, the payment to criminals for information is something that has been going on since policing began, probably. it is fairly widespread and you have two sometimes go, quite often in fa ct, two sometimes go, quite often in fact, to the very people who are involved or associated with that pattern of offending. it is a fact of life we have to engage with and live with. the subject matter in this case is wholly distasteful and it will add for many people, but it was the right thing to do and there are people now out there who are not victims, who would have been victims had we not done what we have done and that is what i hang onto. yes. was he arrested for a sexual offence whilst... am i right in thinking he

was arrested on suspicion of a sexual offence? there is a matter referred to, i cannot confirm if it was while he was deployed, but the judge dismissed any relevance of that because no prosecution was proceeded with. was he deployed any further after that arrest and investigation? i don't know, sitting here. i don't know. you have announced you will be stepping down... we will pull out of that news co nfe re nce down... we will pull out of that news conference after the conviction of 17 men and a woman of sexual offences. as you heard during the questioning, one of the most controversial aspects of this case was the use of a child abuser, the payment to a child rapist of £10,000 by police for information, which they said was critical to the following convictions. i will speak

to the nspcc‘sjohn brown who joins me from central london. i know you saw most of that news conference. first of all, they said it was unpalatable, but effectively the ends justified the means unpalatable, but effectively the endsjustified the means in paying a child rapist £10,000 of public money. what is your reaction? we would seriously question that. we have never been aware of any previous circumstance in a case of child abuse, where a convicted child rapist, a convicted abuser has been paid in this way to seek out information for the police. it is absolutely fraught with risk. we appreciate the chief of police co nsta ble appreciate the chief of police constable is making that point and recognising the level of risk. it is very clear northumbria police have, in many other ways undertaken a really good job in this

investigation and securing a significant number of convictions. but in our view at the nspcc, they have stepped over a significant line. there is the moral issue and the child protection issue. they have stepped over a serious child protection line. he said, he recognised, it is fraught with danger, but he says the prize was the protection of vulnerable people and that was a prize worth paying that money for? we know there have been many, many other high—profile cases of child sexual exploitation and this dreadful situation here in newcastle and the surrounding areas, has many resonances with rochdale, with rob durham, with oxford and elsewhere, where there were successful prosecutions that were brought about, successful investigations, where this method of deployment wasn't used. there will be many other opportunities. i am

not an expert in investigation, but it might have been possible to use a trained undercover police officer who had experience in unsafe investigations with child abuse, knew how offenders operators to be deployed. numerous other ways, knew how offenders operators to be deployed. numerous otherways, but using a convicted child sex offender and everything we have learned over the years, that there is no cure for it, they present an ongoing risk. this individual was deployed and the chief constable has made it clear, he was cut loose when he was deployed, they don't know what he was doing, they don't know if he was having contact with children, if he was abusing children, they don't know. he came back with valuable information, but our argument is there are many other ways that information could have been secured and it has been in other investigations. what you are saying

is, their action put children, young people at further risk? it absolutely could have done. this is absolutely could have done. this is a convicted child rapist, clearly represents an ongoing risk, we don't know what assessment was made of his ongoing risk. i understand an assessment was made, but it is safe to assume, for someone who has committed sexual offences against children presents an ongoing risk, evenif children presents an ongoing risk, even if that has been reduced through treatment. did he receive any treatment in prison or the community? we don't know. what was his level of risk, but it is an ongoing risk. he is deployed to provide information about vulnerable children being groomed and abused. we don't know when he is cut loose on deployment as an undercover operative, exactly what he was doing and who he was having contact with and who he was having contact with and whether he was having contact with these vulnerable children. we haven't talked about the money, what do you make of the £10,000? there is the moral issue. the chief constable

makes it clear it is morally republicans and they need to do what they need to do. we understand and appreciate at the nspcc, there is a long history and track record of police using paid informants and we com pletely police using paid informants and we completely understand that. there was an added i mention to it with child abuse. what message does that give the victims of sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse in terms of paying a convicted abuser. i think there is a moral question and messaging issue the victims as well as obviously that very strong, real and present child protection concern well. we appreciate you hanging on. thank you very much. the bbc‘s inside out team in the north east has a special programme tonight. we don't know much about this informant, but what

can you tell us? in 2002, he was convicted of raping a 15—year—old girl. it is distressing it this case, he picked her up off the street, gave her drink, raped her and then invited friends round who also raped her. he was jailed for seven also raped her. he was jailed for seve n yea rs also raped her. he was jailed for seven years for that offence. what has come out during the trials, this man is known as xy, the police applied an informant. he was brought into operation shelter and sanctuary in 2015 but he had been under police books for four years in 2015 but he had been under police books forfour years prior to in 2015 but he had been under police books for four years prior to that. the police had been working with him for some time. northumberland police working to infiltrate this gang so they wanted xy to basically find out where these parties were being held

where these parties were being held where young women and girls were being abused. as we know, he was paid around £10,000 for that. chris jackson, thank you very much. you can see that inside out special on bbc one in the north—east at 7:30pm and we will be showing it on the news channel at 8:30pm. just to bring you some breaking news. jason marshall, who was caught on camera smothering of vulnerable gay man in his own home has been found guilty at the old bailey of murder and arson. the murder only came to light when the victim's nephew discovered cctv of the murder on his laptop two yea rs cctv of the murder on his laptop two years later. previously it was thought the death was because of an accident. marshall subsequently travelled to italy were other offences were committed. that verdictjust coming in at the old bailey, convicted for murder and

arson. much more to come on that later on. the united states and north korea are being urged to use calmness. president trump tweeted reaffirming america's military power and boasting about its nuclear arsenal. the president said, hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time when we are not the most powerful nation in the world. joining me now isjenny town, assistant director at the us—korea institute and managing editor of the north korean news and analysis website 38 north. iamjust i am just wondering if you you share the concern about the escalating

line which? absolutely, it is counter—productive to the goals we have and raises the risk of conflict in the region that will help the united states as well as that of our allies. do you understand donald trump's comments come he says it is the only language pyongyang will understand? it is wrong understanding of what will resonate with the north koreans statements like this, i think north korea's response has been predictable. it is almost as if he is daring them to do something more so this one—upmanship asiam something more so this one—upmanship as i am stronger, i am stronger is counter—productive to create a productive dialogue and try to get them back to the table to figure out how the de—escalate the situation. they need to adjust the core security issues. you have hit it on the head, they are winding each

other up? yes, absolutely. it is a very high stakes game to play. at what point does each side miscalculate? if the north koreans really believe the us may attack, do they have the right to pre—emption of being attacked ? they have the right to pre—emption of being attacked? these are the things we want to avoid and the kinds of messages that rex tillerson especially has been trying to send, to say that we are not the enemy, we don't want to go to war. it is in our interest for both sides to come to the table. we have to figure out what the terms of that negotiation is. but the stakes are so high. to be playing this kind of high risk one—upmanship, it is very dangerous. just wondering if there is anything the previous administration in the united states, the 0bama administration, could have done anything to avoid this? absolutely.

we said several times during the 0bama administration, the key was not to treat negotiations as a reward for good behaviour. but if we really wa nt reward for good behaviour. but if we really want to understand north korea's strategic calculus and security issues, we can learn to adjust the security issues in order to prevent them from moving further down the nuclear path and helpfully rollback the decision they make as well. the more we threaten them, the more it strengthens their resolve to build a nuclear deterrent. both leaders are shouting their mouths off, is there a real concern they will be firing something else quite soon? i don't think either side really wa nts soon? i don't think either side really wants to. but again, it raises the risk for miscalculation. the north koreans already feel like they are under threat, especially a nuclear threat from the united

states, even without telling them that. if you saw the letter the foreign minister distributed in manila during the conference, they spent a whole page talking about the different ways in which they feel threatened by the united states, by our actions, not necessarily by our words. what we need to do is figure out how to stop sending that message and how do we get them back to the table in order to talk about how cameron eadie escalate and how can both sides get what they want out of this and is it possible at this point? kim jungle, does he monitor donald trump's twitter account directly. you wonder how this diplomacy is being carried out?” don't know if he monitors it directly, but the foreign ministry and north korean officials have access and are watching very

closely. what is happening now, they are seeing all these mixed messages, just as we all are as to what us and north korea policy really is and it is very unhelpful in the process. if you don't know which voice to listen to and who has the power, you will plan for the worst—case scenario. jenny, thank very much. more on the breaking news ofjohn marshall, 28 been found guilty the 0ld marshall, 28 been found guilty the old bailey of murder and arson. richard lister can bring us the background. this has been a gruesome case and the jury was warned there would be elements of the evidence they might find difficult to forget. that warning proved the case. they we re that warning proved the case. they were shown several hours of footage which recorded the entire incident from the arrival ofjohn marshall, sorry jason marshall, right

from the arrival ofjohn marshall, sorryjason marshall, right through to the point of death and after. the curious thing about this case, back injanuary curious thing about this case, back in january 2013, investigators initially ruled peter is solely‘s death had been the result of an accidentalfire at his death had been the result of an accidental fire at his house. that was the conclusion of the coroner and of the fire service the police didn't investigate any further. it wasn't until his nephew had gathered some of his personal possessions, including a computer. he went to the computer file almost two years later and it was discovered the camera on the computer had been active and the computer had been recording the entire scene of the fateful night in january 2013. at that point, the police launched a manhunt forjason marshall and they discovered he was actually in italy. he had used the victim's money to buy the ticket.

but in italy he had killed another man and attempted to kill a third individual and had been prosecuted by the italian jury system. he was brought back to this country in february this year. the case opened onjuly the february this year. the case opened on july the 31st and february this year. the case opened onjuly the 31st and the jury only took an hour to reach its verdict, having watched the footage of the camera that recorded the entire scene back injanuary camera that recorded the entire scene back in january 20 camera that recorded the entire scene back injanuary 2013. the judge has indicated the starting point for the minimum life sentence tariff will be 30 years, but will decide on that in the days to come. richard lister, thank you very much. the immediate aftermath of the attack,

the emergency services at the scene helping the injured. all of them soldiers, targeted as they left their barracks. the incident happened just after eight o'clock this morning in a suburb in the north—west of paris. it's believed the car was parked in an alley nearby. it then accelerated towards a group of six soldiers as they walked out of their barracks in levallois—perret. 0ne local resident said they see soldiers around all the time. she told reporters it was a popular area forfamilies, but luckily, none of them were around this morning. there's now an increased security presence in the area. the major concern — finding the vehicle and its driver, which sped off after hitting a group of soldiers. it happened just after eight o'clock this morning in a suburb in the north—west paris. it is believed the car was parked in an alley nearby. it then accelerated towards the group of six soldiers as they walked out of their barracks.

translation: this attack proves the terror threat is present, which requires more and more vigilance and this counterterrorism operation, which is essential. the soldiers were part of the heightened counterterrorism operation, following the high number of attacks in france in recent yea rs. of attacks in france in recent years. in 2015, militants target charlie hebdo, killing 12 people. later that year, 130 killed in the attacks in paris on the bataclan theatre. and on bastille day injuly last year, a truck was driven through a crowd on the nice promenade. 86 people died. there have also been other lower—level incidents, many aimed at the security forces. this event, yet another attack on those trying to

protect france. the local mayor has described it as incomprehensible and odious. peter wrighton was stabbed in the head and neck while walking his dogs in woodland last sunday. detectives still believe the public may hold the key to finding his killer. now, let's get the weather. it is one of those days where it depends on the kind of whether you're getting depends on where you are in the country. this is the scene in argyll and bute. but it was thick cloud in hertfordshire with outbreaks of rain. but rain has caused one or two issues already. outbreaks of colours on the earlier radar and we have seen lightning and

thunder across the far south—east. rain continues across south—eastern areas into the evening, but further north and west we stick with dry weather and spells of sunshine. temperatures in glasgow 19 degrees. the northern england, wales, things brightening up and got spells of sunshine. fine across much of the midlands and south west england as well. but the rain holds on across east anglia and the south—east. there is the potential for transport disruption, localised flooding. temperatures struggling under the wet weather. and for the athletics in london, what a soggy story. the rain only slowly easing off as the evening goes on. but the rain will eventually move away towards the south—east. not clearing from kent until the early hours of thursday morning. as the rain clears there could be the odd missed patch and it will be a chilly night in the countryside, those of around seven celsius. a cool start tomorrow morning, but a celsius. a cool start tomorrow morning, buta bright

celsius. a cool start tomorrow morning, but a bright start and as this bond of high pressure builds its way in, we will see plenty of fine and dry weather. a chance to draw breath across the eastern and south—eastern areas where it has been worked over the last couple of days. brighter skies, spells of sunshine and that is the story across the country. some cloud and patchy rain across the far north—west of scotland. temperatures north—west of scotland. temperatures no great shakes, but 26 degrees in sunshine with light winds and it won't feel too bad. it stays fine into the evening, but cloud and rain and strong winds into the north—west. that is friday's weather, banned the rain working west to east with blustery conditions, gales for a time up towards the north—west. you might be thinking that doesn't bode well for the weekend. it actually looks like we we re the weekend. it actually looks like we were clearly is weather fronts away to the east and a little ridge of high pressure will start to build its way in. so for the weekend, the prospects aren't too bad. it should be largely dry with sunny spells. tonight at 5.

17 men and one woman who groomed vulnerable girls and young women for sex, have been convicted of crimes including rape and trafficking. newcastle crown court heard that girls as young as 14 were exploited by an organised, cynical organisation, and passed between abusers over a four year period. i woke up in the morning. the wardrobe was pushed up against the door. he'd had sex with us while i was asleep. how many sessions would you say you'd been to? about 60. the sexual exploitation of vulnerable people is, in my opinion, the challenge of our generation. it is a huge task that we are faced with. but the nspcc says it is ‘appalled' to learn that police paid a convicted child rapist ten thousand pounds to assist their investigation.