a british student from durham university is sentenced to life in prison in dubai, after being found guilty of spying for the british government. 31—year—old matthew hedges has been held in solitary confinement for six months — he was arrested during a research trip last may. the uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we've given them repeated assurances about matthew. and, you know, if we can't resolve this, there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences. the government is now urgently seeking talks with the united arab emirates. also tonight: a 6—year—old sexually assaulted by boys at school — her parents win compensation from the local authority. all smiles in brussels, as the prime minister arrives to discuss what our relationship with the european union will look like, after brexit. tens of thousands of children are now classed as problem gamblers — a steep rise in numbers as more and more under 165 turn to betting. and david attenborough shows off the people's chair which will take pride of place as world leaders gather next week for a climate change conference.

they aren't working in a vacuum, they are dealing with real people's futures and the people are watching them and want action. the republic of ireland start the hunt for a new manager as martin o'neill steps down after five years in charge. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. a british student has been sentenced to life in prison in the united arab emirates for spying. 31—year—old matthew hedges — who was studying at durham university — was in the uae researching the country's foreign and internal security policies when he was detained by the authorities in may. his wife, who was in court this

morning, says her husband is innocent and called for the uk government to take a stand. the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, says he's shocked and disappointed by the verdict — and has warned of repercussions for the relationship between the two countries. from abu dhabi, paul blake reports. matthew hedges in happier times with his wife daniela. the durham university academic was in the united arab emirates to research the country's foreign policy, but as he was about to return to the uk, he was detained, with his family saying he was held in solitary confinement, forced to sign a confession in arabic and fed a cocktail of drugs. today, despite hopes for his release, the academic was sentenced to life in prison. his wife, daniela, who was in court, issued a statement. "i'm in complete shock. i don't know what to do. matthew is innocent. this has been the worst six months of my life, let alone for matt, who was shaking when he heard the verdict." friends of the couple suggested that matthew hedges had been

on the verge of being released. we are all shocked. there were expectations that the pressure, and added to the actions of the uk government, would have led to a different verdict. the uk and uae have historically enjoyed warm diplomatic ties, but it appears today's ruling came as a surprise to the british government. the uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we have given them repeated assurances about matthew. and if we can't resolve this, there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences, because this is totally u na cce pta ble. foreign media, including the bbc, were barred from observing today's court proceedings, and we were told by authorities that we weren't even allowed to report from outside the court. ultimately, most of the details had to come from the family, who say the hearing lasted fewer than five minutes, with no lawyer present. matthew hedges' colleagues say there is no legitimate basis for his arrest. the information we have been given —

and the uae authorities have provided very, very little about this — is that matt was kind of brought to their attention by a citizen of the uae, who was concerned about the questions he was asking. we don't know who that person was. as far as we are aware, that person remains entirely anonymous. matthew hedges' family have maintained his innocence throughout and say that his mental and physical health have worsened while detained. reports suggest he will have 30 days to appeal, but for now, a nightmare for one family is quickly becoming yet another diplomatic crisis for britain. paul blake, bbc news, in abu dhabi. our correspondent paul adams is here. the foreign secretary said he was shocked at the verdict. paul, what implications now for relations between the uk and uae? i think it's fair to say thatjeremy hunt was furious about this and he's not a man who is given to displays of fury. he thinks, essentially, he

was given an indication, almost an assurance, during his personal intervention, that this would not be the outcome. that matthew hedges would be released. he has talked about there being consequences, what might they be? it is a very close relationship. 6000 british businesses based in the uae, 100,000 british citizens living and working there, 1 million tourists visit every year. there, 1 million tourists visit every yea r. before there, 1 million tourists visit every year. before we get into what the consequences might be, there is probably bit of a legal process that needs to play out. the attorney general of the uae has said this is not the final verdict. that matthew hedges, who he said made a confession, a full confession, of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, can appeal. there can be a retrial, in which he and his lawyer can both be reheard. that process could happen relatively quickly, we simply don't know. i think the hope is that the uae will be taken aback by the strength of the british response. they don't wa nt to

the british response. they don't want to be seen, frankly, as behaving like iran, in the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. it is just very bad publicity for them. perhaps they might want to see a way out of this. but i think the family is probably asking, with an accusing finger at the foreign office, how did it get this far? thank you. the parents of a girl who was sexually assaulted by boys in the playground, when she was six years old, have won compensation from the local authority. the council has not accepted liability, but the undisclosed five—figure settlement could set a precedent. the mother has been speaking exclusively to our education editor, branwen jeffreys. bella has made friends at her new primary school, but she carries the mental scars of past experiences. at the age of six, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by boys in her primary school playground. staff had seen bella with her underwear partly removed. eventually, she told her mum she was in pain. for the family, the legal action was about

holding the authority to account. and being able to support bella, in the future. it's been worth it financially, because there is now a sum of money that will pay for the therapy and support for her up until adulthood. at any point in the court action, did the council say, "ok, we will offer you support for your daughter, we will offer bella help"? no, they wouldn't even offer her a written apology. i know that matters a lot to you. it matters for her, i think, when she's older, when she can make sense of how she can be so seriously sexually assaulted, so many times, in a place where she should have been safe. and when she finds out that not only were the boys not prosecuted or punished, but also the people who were responsible for keeping her safe from those boys, while she was in school, didn't even write an apology to say, "yes, we know we got it wrong, and we are sorry". schools in england now have new guidelines.

for the first time, they recognise sexual abuse of children via the pupils. of children by other pupils. but bella's mum says for the child victims, more support and more protection is needed. at the moment, a child who is raped in primary school has to decide whether they go to senior school with the perpetrator, or whether they themselves move schools. the onus is on the victim to move schools, not the perpetrator. more government money is painful counselling of victims of peer on peer abuse. there are plans to teach primary school children about relationships. parents say the system is still struggling to cope with what's happening. it can be very hard to accept that a young child is capable of a sexual assault. and if that child is under the age of ten, the police may not record it. allegations of sex offences

in schools are not recorded consistently by the 43 police forces in england and wales. 15 forces recorded a total of 593 allegations of sex offences on primary school premises last year, where both the victim and perpetrator were under 18. this included 71 allegations of rape. among the allegations were 203 offences, where the victim was under the age of 13. bella's case is the first involving a primary school child to reach court. lawyers say it may not be the last. in my experience, i've had around about a dozen families coming forward. a number of those involving primary school age children. and so it's not a problem that seems to be going away any time soon, and does certainly need more recognition, and more measures in place. how is she doing?

i have no yard stick. i have no frame of reference for how a girl who was so seriously sexually harmed is supposed to be, three years on. all i know is that she has good days, beautifully good days, and she has horribly dark days. bra nwen jeffries reporting. if you've been affected by the issues in her report, you can find support on the bbc‘s actionline website — that's at bbc.co.uk/actionline. one of northern ireland's biggest employers, the aerospace company, bombardier, is cutting nearly 500 jobs in belfast. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has more. there have been fears of large—scale redundancies for a while. now, we know that this is part of a cost—cutting drive across the company, essentially, bombardier wants to be able to sell more planes by making them cheaper. but the announcement

today of 490 jobs to go, the unite union says, well, it exceeds their worst fears. and it is part of a string ofjob losses that have been announced at bombardier in northern ireland, over the last three and four years. the company employs about 4,000 people in northern ireland. this belfast plant here makes the wings for the c series passenger jets. and the company has said it will try to mitigate compulsory redundancies. the union says it is particularly disappointed that the job losses had to be this high, because the company, bombardier, had announced a rise in profits, earlier this year. so, of course, this is a blow to the economy overall of northern ireland, but very worrying news for many workers and their families here, particularly in the run—up to christmas. the prime minister has arrived in brussels for talks with the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, ahead of the eu summit on sunday. they are trying to finalise what's being called a political declaration — effectively an outline of what the uk's future relationship

with the european union will be after brexit — in areas ranging from aviation to trade. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the deal‘s not quite lined up. theresa may and jean—claude juncker need to do more than shake on it. they must finalise the agreement that will shape relations between the uk and the eu for decades. and the way the hefty divorce deal has already been done has been enough for a thumbs down from labour. instead of giving confidence to millions of people who voted both leave and remain, this half—baked dealfails to give any hope that can bring the country together again. he's opposing a deal he hasn't read. he's promising a deal he can't negotiate. he's telling leave voters one thing, and remain voters another. remember, there have been months of tense arguments between number ten and brussels.

downing street believes the deal so far is a balance, bringing an end to unlimited european immigration and giving us some more control of law. we demand a people's vote! but here's the thing, for both some remainers and some leavers, the compromise is not worth it at all. these are now finally the closing days of these vital talks. the prime minister is trying to clinch a compromise, to leave us close enough to the eu after brexit so that the economy doesn't suffer, but far enough apart to prove that we will really leave. the problem she has is that dozens of her own side have already made up their minds, and many of them promise they will do what they can to kill the deal. i can't vote for this deal, because it affects the integrity of the united kingdom, which as a unionist, first and foremost, i just can't accept.

there is no clarity on taking back control of our waters, which our fishermen need and want. we have to go back to the people. i have to say, most people watching what's going on in parliament must think pantomime season has started early, this year. i am going to vote for the prime minister's plan, because i think it is better than it was. but i think she is not going to get it through the house of commons and i think many of my colleagues will vote against it. i think very few labour mps will support it, so she needs a plan b. 0r plan c, d, e, or f. if mps reject the deal, almost anything can happen. so, brexit is going to happen, right? murmurs there's an element of nostradamus in this. it's not even completely guaranteed that the weekend's sign—off summit will happen. this is far, farfrom a game, and far, farfrom over. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the time is...

6:15pm. our top story this evening. a british student from durham university is sentenced to life in prison in dubai after being found guilty of spying for the british government. and britain's best paid boss gets a pay rise. this founder of an online gambling firm earnt £265 million last year coming up on sportsday on bbc news... speed skater elise christie says she won't be putting her career on ice as the three time world champion tell us she's ready to come back from 0lmypic heartbreak. the rehabilitation of inmates in british prisons is facing one of its most challenging times. evidence of serious drug use and overcrowding is said to be contributing to a lack of staff wanting to take on the role. yet one of the least visible, but increasingly significant jobs in helping prisoners reform is that of the prison chaplain.

0ur religion editor, martin bashir, has been inside pentonville prison in london, as it marks its 175th anniversary as one of the largest jails in the country, to see how faith can make a difference. # amazing grace...# if the church's mission is to save sinners, then this is a good place to start. in the presence of god, and 26 prison officers, this is the chapel at pentonville, a category a prison, with some of the nation's most dangerous inmates. they asked us to conceal their identities. the chaplaincy team is available to all 1,300 inmates. i decided to commit and surrender to god. people like craig, who is serving seven years for supplying and selling drugs. i'd never read the bible before and i took it back to my cell. it was like god was trying to speak to me through his word.

it was like a revelation came over and ijust decided to fully commit. to me, it's the best job in the world. there will be times when it doesn't work, but that doesn't mean you stop trying. the reverend jo davies is the full—time chaplain. you see people at their lowest and there is an opportunity to give somthing into that situation that you rarely get the privilege to do. there is an honesty and integrity here that is difficult to find in a world outside the walls. i got arrested by armed police officers, for intent to supply a large amount of drugs. the challenge for prisoners like tony, who have committed to christ, is how to stop committing crime, when released. i'm trying my best to put into practice, now, ways to not fall back into that routine. i think that's the only way

i will stop reoffending, is to have strong faith and fellowship around me. and you really believe that that will stop you offending? yes. but the reality is that more than two thirds of male prisoners go on to reoffend within five years. do you ever think you're being played by prisoners? yes. some of the most transformed people i have seen will tell you that the only reason they came to the chapel was for a chocolate biscuit and cup of coffee. a lot of people struggle to accept or even believe that i did hand and give my my life over to god. hand and give my life over to god. people thought it was a joke. a lot of people did think that maybe i was trying to... manipulate, to try to get a lower sentence. but as long as god knows what's in my heart, people can have, you know, their own opinions and stuff. god offers something that is free, unconditional, no strings, that is hope and is love in a place

that does not have much of either of those things. i've lived my whole life ducking and diving and in the darkness but i really see there's a bright future for me out there, as long as i stay in my faith and stay in the light. martin bashir, bbc news. the founder of the online gambling firm bet365 paid herself £265 million last year, making her one of the highest paid women in the world. denise coates started the company in a portakabin 17 years ago. our business editor simon jack is here. 206 to £5 million, the company itself must be making a fortune. 206 to £5 million, the company itself must be making a fortunem is. bet365 has done fantastically well out of the huge growth in online gambling and even after they paid out this eye—popping amount, they paid out these fantastic sums

last year. we don't know much about her but she started life around stoke, her but she started life around sto ke, we nt her but she started life around stoke, went to the university of sheffield, left there and turned her father's stoke —based chain of betting shops, built those up for a little bit, sold it to coral and turned into online gambling, and incredible bet, taking over a quarter of £1 billion home, dwarfing any amounta quarter of £1 billion home, dwarfing any amount a ftse 100 quarter of £1 billion home, dwarfing any amount a ftse100 ceo boss gets, and even eclipses the likes of sheryl sandberg in the us. any time somebody pays themselves this kind of amount they will get criticism. the high pace into said even if you we re the high pace into said even if you were engaged in a business that was ‘s great social benefit, this would be impossible to justify. ‘s great social benefit, this would be impossible tojustify. and ‘s great social benefit, this would be impossible to justify. and as we will hear later in the news today, when you have social problems associated with that, it is very difficult. 0thers associated with that, it is very difficult. others will say, she owns

the local football team and pays a lot of money to charity and pays an awful lot of tax in the uk. simon jack, thank you. the number of children classed as problem gamblers has quadruped to more than 50,000 in just two years according to a study by the gambling commission. it also says almost half a million children aged 11 to 16 are betting more regularly than drinking alcohol, smoking or taking drugs. sima kotecha reports. some of society's most vulnerable turning to gambling. children as young as 11 betting with friends in playgrounds, using slot machines and buying scratchcards. i got addicted very quickly. and that's a pretty common characteristic of children who get into gambling. it's the parts of the brain that regulate risk that are not properly developed. i became addicted within weeks of starting gambling. today's report indicates a worrying rise in the number of young gamblers. nearly 3000 people aged 11—16 were surveyed. 1.7% of those were deemed

to be problem gamblers. extrapolating that across england, scotland and wales, it would be the equivalent of 55,000 youngsters. loot boxes sold on some of the world's most popular video games have come under criticism, with the commission saying almost a million young people were exposed to gambling through them. people pay to see what virtual item is inside the box, and critics say that process can fuel addiction. campaigners want fewer adverts on prime—time television, while others are calling on gambling companies to put money towards helping those worst affected. i want 1%, and that would produce £140 million a year so we could treat people, educate people. ministers say they expect the gambling commission to take the strongest action against organisations that don't behave responsibly.

campaigners want today's findings to instigate change, with some warning that without new legislation these children could be at risk of ruining their lives. sima kotecha, bbc news. next month, politicians from around the world will gather for the united nations climate change conference in poland. but for the first time ever one seat at the table will not be reserved for a nation. it's being called the people's seat, and the idea is it will give ordinary people a voice on this all important issue. sir david attenborough is one of those involved, he's been talking to our science correspondent victoria gill. it's either too hot or too cold and we can't grow anything. the world is a place where we all live together, and if we don't take care of it, we will have nowhere to go. the monsoons are sometimes coming too early or too late. nothing is on time. translation: of course, but what can i do about that? concern and confusion over climate change. it's a global conversation.

and now the un has turned to a very familiar figure to take messages like these from people all around the world to the crucial climate talks in poland in less than two weeks' time. the people's seat is meant to represent the hundreds of millions of people around the world whose lives are about to be affected, or have already been affected by climate change. so it will sit there to remind politicians that this is not a theoretical enterprise. this is our opportunity to collectively make a difference, to have our voices heard. it isn't one man's view, one woman's view. it's to try and summarise the whole view of the human beings of this planet. we saw the response to blue planet, with the issue of plastics in the environment caused such a huge response. how would you convince people

that they personally can make a difference, and that they should be part of the conversation? that's what i've been spending my life really trying to do. making it clear what the natural world is. how complicated it is and how it works. and how it affects the way in which we live. and making it clear that we human beings depend upon the health of the natural world for every breath of air we breathe. what would you want to say to politicians, not just being a conduit for other people, but what would your message be? my message is that the people of the world know the world is changing, and they are behind politicians taking action. that's what the people's seat in this new conference that's just coming up is representing. that people want to stop climate change. the people's seat. while the seat might remind leaders

at the talks what's at stake, any agreement or action will be in the hands of the politicians who are in the room. victoria gill, bbc news. ben rich is with me with the weather. snow and ice today. it didn't snow for all of us but for some we had the first snow of the season. some we had the first snow of the season. great pictures from sussex, not a huge amount of snow, up to a centimetre in places but enough to give an impressive covering. while there was snow at lower levels, most of it was over high ground. a good example here at the snake pass in derbyshire. fair amounts of snow coming from showers we have seen in the last 24 hours and snow becoming less of a feature in the next 24 hours. but we have quite a widespread frost tonight as sky is

clear. going through the rest of the evening, we will continue to see showers for a time across the south—west, wales and northern ireland with some continuing through the night. cloud across eastern areas, eventually lifting temperatures later in the night. in between, clear skies, with the odd fog patch and temperatures down to —4 and maybe —7 in the countryside. not as cold across eastern areas overnight because there will be extra clout and maybe the odd spot of rain. aberdeen, 7 degrees and grey. glasgow is freezing but sunny. across many western areas, it will be chilly with bright spells of sunshine. further east, more cloud and the odd spot of rain. but the wind will be lighter than it has been. through the day, taking the cloud and spots of rain and moving further west, so parts of north—west england and western scotland clouding over. northern ireland, wales and south—west england, sticking with sunshine, light wind

and slightly higher temperatures. friday, some hefty showers in the south—west and some could contain the odd rumble of thunder. patchy rain in the north—east will stop in between i am hopeful we will see some sunshine and temperatures 8-10d. the some sunshine and temperatures 8—10d. the weekend, high pressure in the north and low pressure in the south bringing us an easterly wind. never especially want but at least for many it will be a largely dry weekend. patchy rain in the north—east and a little bit in the south as well. that's all from the bbc news at six. so, it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. frosty night tonight a bit less cold over the next few days. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... a british man is jailed for life in the united arab emirates. 31—year—old matthew hedges was found guilty of spying on behalf of the uk government. the foreign secretary said he is "shocked" at the sentence. uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain, we have given them repeated assurances about matthew

and if it goes on there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences. the family of a primary school pupil who was sexually assaulted by boys at school speak out after winning compensation from the local authority. theresa may arrives in brussels for crucial brexit talks — ahead of a planned eu summit on sunday. tens of thousands of children are now classed as problem gamblers — a steep rise in numbers as more under 165 turn to betting. now on bbc news — it's time for sportsday.