said we are the prime minister has said we are at a critical— the prime minister has said we are at a criticaljuncture, where the military— at a criticaljuncture, where the military threat is imminent. what happens in the next 204i was? the german chancellor will go to kyiv, and then to moscow. later this week we understand the prime minister is going to do some of his own face—to—face diplomacy around europe. the defence secretary ben wallace has cancelled a half term family trip he was going to do abroad, to stay back in the uk and monitor the situation. he will speak to nato allies in the middle of the week. this morning the armed forces minister was having to clear up some comments that his boss, ben wallace, had made over the weekend, to some newspaperjournalists, he said that all of us had a whiff of munich about it, which got some people saying, is that the defence secretary comparing some of the uk's

allies to neville chamberlain? accusing them of appeasing that may putin? accusing them of appeasing that may put in? or is it accusing that we and of behaving like hitler and the build—up to second world war, where he was talking that he had plans to invade anyway? this morning gmtv said ben wallace meant neither of those things. like the uk ambassador found this morning, you have to be careful what you say when things are this sense. let's speak to our correspondent. james waterhouse is in the capital, kyiv. does it feel like you are in a city, a country, getting ready for war? no. reason being, this landscape is fairly representative. it is a crisp morning here. iwill tell you fairly representative. it is a crisp morning here. i will tell you what there are not. there are not soldiers stranding on street

corners, there are not sandbags being piled up, there are not military checkpoints, it is not deserted. people are going to work as normal this morning. they are going for a cap of coffee or breakfast or meeting a friend or getting on the bus. there are no visible preparations at least for an invasion. the story at the moment is still political. and the hope is that it stays that way. for a while now we have seen the separation and language, with the us, the west, has warned about an impending invasion, the ukrainian government's message has been, stay calm, that is what moscow wants, it plays into their hands. you canjudge from the ambassador or this morning that there is a growing sense of urgency here though, given the intelligence being shared by ministers, that they are concerned about invasion. the tones might start to be mirrored, but no signs yet that anything is

going to happen this week. those russian military drills that were going on in belarus, which we saw footage from the russian defence ministry at the weekend, showing us what their soldiers were doing, are they still going on? yes, they are still going on. they are set to last for ten days, until the 20th. these are a big deal exercises. they are using big military hardware, tanks, missiles, bombers. as it is notjust about these joint exercises in belarus to these joint exercises in belarus to the north. we are also seeing naval exercises by russia to the south, in the black sea. they are running what they call missile exercises. ukraine has accused moscow of effectively blockading its ports, putting a squeeze in as militarily and economically. those two things aside, we have still got the estimated 100,000 troops which are stretching across the eastern and northern border. this is a tense border, only getting more

complicated, whilst political discussion seems to be reaching fever pitch as well. thank you. kamila valieva — the teenage skater at the centre of a failed drugs test before the winter olympics, will be allowed to continue to compete at the games. the court of arbitration for sport made the decision after a hearing and said preventing the russian figure skater from competing would have caused her irreparable harm. the court of arbitration for sport, actually the ad hoc division of the court, has issued its decision in the procedures relating to the figure skater kamila valieva. the panel in charge of this matter has decided to let miss valieva continue her participation in the olympic winter games beijing 2022. it means that no suspension should be imposed on the skater. let's bring in our sports news

correspondent laura scott who is in beijing. what has been the reaction to this decision? there is quite a lot of shock and disappointment in some quarters about this decision. it is worth noting that the 3—person panel from the court of arbitration for sport cited what they considered exceptional circumstances in their decision not to impose that provisional suspension on kamila valieva. those are primarily to do with her age, the fact that she is only 15, but also the length of time it took for that drugs test that she took in december to reach a result, which only came through last week, midway through these games. they said they thought that provisional suspension would cause her irreparable harm. it is worth noting that beyond looking at the issue of suspension or no suspension, this panel was not tasked with looking at the matter of an apparent anti—doping rule violation. nor the issue of what happens with the medals in the figure skating team event, which is still to be awarded,

one week after that competition concluded. we have had a lot of reaction already. world anti—doping agency said it is disappointing with the ruling, saying that its rules do not allow for specific exceptions to be made in the mandatory provision of suspensions, including four miners. it also said on the matter of the time it took with that sample, it did expect anti—doping authorities to chase up a laboratory samples that need to be prioritised, so that athletes do not come to major events and compete in them. the information is that did not happen in the case of the sample of kamila valieva. we have also heard from us olympic and paralympic committee, they say they are disappointed with the decision, they said it appeared to be another chapter in systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by russia. yes, kamila valieva is able to return to the ice and she has done so today ahead of competition today, as she is favourite for the gold medal, but it is —— but this

troubling scandal with a child at his heart is no means over. —— a child at its heart is by no means over. tomorrow marks two years since the tv presenter caroline flack took her own life, a month before she was due to stand trial over the alleged assault of her partner. in the time since her death, caroline's mother christine has criticised the decision by police to charge her, which the bbc now understands will be the subject of an internal investigation. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. a new series of love island. the wait is finally over. caroline flack. we watched her onscreen. but those who really knew her wanted answers about her death. two months before the tv presenter killed herself she had been charged with assaulting her boyfriend. two years on, her mother still doesn't have the answers about the way the police treated her. do you think she was treated differently because of who she was? totally.

i just think it was because of who she was, yes. it was because she was a celebrity? yeah. prosecutors originally said caroline should just be cautioned, but the met pushed for the presenter to be charged. the coroner later said she took her own life because she was facing prosecution and feared the publicity. but it's now two years and i still haven't got an answer. and how does that leave you and the family? it leaves us really, really sad. and really angry. because you want to know why they charged her. she couldn't get over that. she couldn't see a way out. and it was down to that. her mother put these questions to the met. she was so dismayed

with their response, she complained to the police watchdog. it found the met�*s response was not reasonable and proportionate, telling mrs flack, "i do not consider your complaint has been fully addressed." it has ordered the met to do a proper investigation. what do you think about the fact that the police watchdog have forced the met to investigate your queries properly? i think it is disgusting, but i think it is typical of the met as we see it now. there is no trust at all, no trust at all. the met has said it is rare to give a caution in a case of domestic abuse. the force told us the police watchdog found it had answered seven areas of mrs flack's complaint, but it had been directed to reinvestigate why it had appealed the decision to caution miss flack. "our thoughts and sympathies remain with caroline's family," it said.

but mrs flack feels her daughter, who had self—harmed that night and had mental health issues, was badly let down. she was fun. she just had these really dark times. as i say, usually, she could get out of it. especially on telly. she loved herjob. i am doing it for caroline because there was so much negative press around. and it won't bring her back, i know it won't bring her back, but i've got to do it for her. boris johnson will travel to scotland today as part of his "levelling—up" agenda. the prime minister is not expected to meet the scottish conservative leader, douglas ross, after he called for mr johnson to stand down. our scotland correspondent james shaw is in edinburgh. tell is about borisjohnson�*s trip and why he is going. i and why he is going.

lam and why he is going. i am sorry, the technology is frozen. nearly one in three of women invited to cervical cancer screenings don't take up the offer of being tested, according to new research. a new nhs campaign is urging anyone eligible in england between the ages of 25 and 64 to go for an appointment. the study of 3,000 women found that embarrassment is the most common reason not to attend. police have launched an urgent appeal after a man described as a dangerous sex offender escaped from a prison in lincolnshire. officers believe 56—year—old paul robson, who went missing from hmp north sea camp yesterday, could be anywhere in the country. the public are being urged not to approach him. police in canada say they've cleared the remaining protesters blocking a key bridge between canada and the united states and it has now reopened. despite a court order to end the demonstration against covid restrictions, trucks and cars had continued to block the ambassador bridge in ontario. jessica murphy reports.

it didn't take that many vehicles to block the busiest land border crossing in canada. demonstrators had been blocking the ambassador bridge for almost a week, part of widespread protests across the country over covid restrictions. but with a vital trade route in jeopardy, this blockade was hard to ignore. the financial impact to now is nearing $3 billion on our national economy, that's huge. after a court in canada granted an injunction to clear the bridge and the province of ontario declared a state of emergency, police moved in. it began a more than 2a hours stand—off but early on sunday officers marched forward with tactical vehicles in tow and most protesters realised it was time to go home. i was hoping it wasn't going to end like this. i was hoping the police would allow us to continue to peacefully protest. the bridge is really important but our lives are important. police eventually confronted the few holdouts and made 12 arrests. the protesters, they were gathered

to get the message out, i believe they got that message out and they were able to do it peacefully. the ambassador bridge may be cleared but other border protests continue. under pressure from the us to address the crisis, prime ministerjustin trudeau spoke on friday. president biden and i both agree that for the security of the people and the economy, these blockades cannot continue. in ottawa, protests are still here in the city centre, a demonstration now that has gone on for over two weeks. police say they have plans to resolve the issue. it has really paralysed parts of the national capital, but they are waiting for necessary reinforcements. impatient with the police response, some residents directly told the protesters it was time to go home, but with almost 500 trucks blocking the streets of downtown ottawa and protesters dug in elsewhere, the success in windsor may prove challenging to replicate. jessica murphy, bbc news, ottawa.

first it was barry manilow, then it was james blunt�*s "you're beautiful" as the authorities in new zealand continue to play loud music in an attempt to disperse covid—19 vaccine demonstrators. why is boris johnson why is borisjohnson going to scotland today? the pro—minister has so much on his plate, party gates, the ukraine crisis, surprising he should come to scotland, to a place some people might view as hostile territory for borisjohnson, given that his leader here in scotland, douglas ross, and many other members of the scottish

parliament have said they do not think borisjohnson should be the prime minister of the united kingdom any more. nevertheless, it seems that he that this policy of three ports are so important, to show, from his point of view, the benefits for scotland have been part of the united kingdom. and indeed, the uk after brexit, this is seen as one of the benefits after brexit. it has been modified and adapted for scottish circumstances. it seems, as a result of discussions, may be arguments, between the uk and scottish governments, so that it has a kind of distinctive scottish character now. there will be three ports in scotland, two of them, there will be a bidding contest, the results of that by the summer. but it will be designed to achieve a couple of important goals for the scottish government. one is reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2045. the other is enhancing policies.

those are two things that the scottish cup and has built into this policy, different to the rest of the uk. it seems to disagree about a lot of things, but when there are benefits for both of them, it turns out that the uk and scottish government can agree on this policy of free ports. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. the met office has a yellow wind warning out for wednesday and thursday for some potentially damaging and destructive winds with exposure up to 90 mph across parts of scotland but widely we are looking at 60 to 70 mph. today, we have a band of rain pushing towards the south—east, it will brighten up later in south—east wales, england and northern england. elsewhere, sunshine and showers. some showers will be wintry on the hills in scotland and it will be a breezy day. overnight, we say

goodbye to the rain, clear skies for a time before more rain comes in from the west with some hill snow. it will be a little bit milder by the end of the night and the start of the night in the west but it will still be cold in the east. tomorrow, weather front moves west to east, slow to clear the rain from the south of england, turning more shower in the north of scotland, then we are looking at dry weather and sunshine with top temperatures of 10 celsius. hello, this is bbc news. good morning. it is monday, i am victoria derbyshire. the headlines: the wrongful convictions of hundreds of post office staff will be examined by a public inquiry into a faulty it system, which opens this morning. ukraine has called for a meeting with russia in the next 48 hours to try to avert war. we are at a criticaljuncture where the military threat is imminent but so too must there be real urgency for the diplomatic effort, and there are routes

through which this could all be de—escalated and avoided. 15—year—old russian figure skater kamila valieva will be allowed to carry on competing at the winter olympics in beijing, despite failing a drugs test. backin back in december. caroline flack's mum says she still has questions for the metropolitan police over the treatment of her daughter in the weeks before her death. it's now two years and i've still not got an answer. it leaves us really... really sad and really angry. let's go to holly in salford for the sport. good morning. 15—year—old russian skater kamila valieva has been told she can compete at the winter olympics after the court of arbitration

for sport ruled she shouldn't be suspended from competing. valieva's future at the games was unclear after news emerged she had failed a drugs test in december. however, cas ruled she can compete, saying the fact she is under 16 means she's a protected person and preventing herfrom skating at the games would have caused her irreparable harm. well, the decision has been criticised by the world anti—doping agency and the us olympic committee but valieva will now compete in the individual figure skating event, which takes place tomorrow and the russian is favourite to win gold. former olympic champion robin cousins says the situation is far from over. she has been training the whole time here, even with the media circus around her, but at 15 years old, it is going to be a tough ask for her tomorrow for the championship. looking at the big picture, decisions have been made to look into, the hows and the whys and the wherefores back in russia regarding the training camp because it is not only kamila valieva, there are five other members of the russian team that

all train at this camp. what happened, how did it happen and making sure, from an international skating point of view, that it never happens again. to action at the games — and there has finally been some good news for gb on the slopes, where there'll be two brits in tomorrow's slopestyle final. both 17—year—old kirsty muir here and her british team mate katie summerhayes made it through qualifying. muir finished in sixth and will be hoping for even more tomorrow, perhaps challenging for the medals. muir finished fifth last week in the big air competition but this is her stronger event. britain's men remain in a strong position to reach the semi finals of the team curling event. they got their fifth win of the round robin stage with a very close victory over switzerland, which they had to wait until the final stone to secure. bruce mouat clearing out the swiss red stone to secure the final point gb needed for a 6—5 win.

england's rugby head coach eddiejones says there is no limit on how good marcus smith can be — as he helped his side get back on track in the six nations. the fly—half scored their first try and kicked four conversions as england cruised to a 33—0 bonus point victory against italy in rome. england are second in the table behind france, who've won both their games. in the premier league, tottenham head coach antonio conte says his side hopes of reaching the top four are "impossible" as their poor form continues. they lost 2—0 at home to wolves — leander dendoncker with wolves�* second. it's spurs' third league defeat in a row. the win sees wolves move above spurs and into 7th. three straight defeats for spursm, but it's three straight wins for newcastle united. they beat aston villa 1—0 to move four points clear of the relegation zone. kieran trippier with the goal.

a 1—0 scoreline too at turf moor — where burnley stay bottom after losing at home to liverpool. the win leavesjurgen klopp�*s side nine points behind leaders manchester city, but they do have a game in hand. west ham drew 2—2 with leicester in yesterday's other match. celtic manager ange postecoglou was left very unhappy — despite seeing his side ease into the quarterfinals of the scottish cup. they beat championship side raith rovers 4—0, liam scales with the pick of the goals. post match, though, postecoglou said his side weren't "urgent enough" and didn't work "hard enough". and there was late drama in america overnight — as the los angeles rams won the super bowl for just the second time. and their victory was secured withjust over a minute remaining — this touchdown from cooper kupp sealing a 23—20 win

against the cincinnati bengals. it might have been a late night for some of you. that's all the sport for now. back to you, victoria. happy valentine's _ back to you, victoria. happy valentine's day, _ back to you, victoria. happy valentine's day, holly. - back to you, victoria. happy valentine's day, holly. i- back to you, victoria. happy - valentine's day, holly. i brought my heart on my — valentine's day, holly. i brought my heart on my sleeve _ valentine's day, holly. i brought my heart on my sleeve and _ valentine's day, holly. i brought my heart on my sleeve and everywhere. valentine's day, holly. i brought my. heart on my sleeve and everywhere. i noticed. thank you very much. the remote chagos islands, in the indian ocean, have been under british control for 50 years — but now mauritius, which used to have jurisdiction of them, is trying to claim them back. the united nations says britain must hand them back — but the uk refuses to do so while america uses one of the islands for a military base. our africa correspondent, andrew harding, who is the first journalist to broadcast from the chagos islands, joined some who have returned to theirformer home after decades of exile. farfrom anywhere, a hidden archipelago. these isolated islands have been strictly off—limits for half a century. boat horn blasts.

but, today, rare access and a remarkable homecoming. these chagos islanders were forced to leave by britain in the early 19705. as their feet touch home sand, the emotions surge. this woman was just 21 and pregnant when the british killed her dog and ordered her to leave. "i'm happy to be allowed home," she says, "but sad that i can't stay." this is a short visit, and there is work to be done. it feels to me like somebody who comes home after a long break and wants to tidy up. is that how you feel? of course, you know, as i said, there's not a better place than where you were born, where you lived. and now, the group heads inland — the empty decades have

turned their thriving village into a lost world. in the ruins of the old church, the mood turns to anger. i'm very angry at the behaviour of the uk government. who didn't respect the fundamental rights of the people. do you feel you've been denied your life here? yes, of course! britain still claims sovereignty over all these ruins, citing security concerns about a nearby american military base. but international law now says britain must let the islanders return permanently, and must not cling onto a piece of its old empire. the international court ofjustice has ruled they have a right to come back — and the failure to allow them to come back is a continuing wrong. actually, i think not allowing people to return to their homes is recognised as a crime against humanity, and it needs to be sorted out. and so officials from mauritius now prepare their flagpole,

boldly staking claim to the chagos archipelago. we are asking britain to wake up to the reality of the situation, that their position is untenable. it is extraordinary to think that these exquisite islands have been cut off from the outside world for half a century. but this visit by the mauritian government has challenged and maybe changed that. it is very difficult now to imagine britain clinging onto its hidden archipelago for that much longer. as for the islanders, they plan to come back here soon — and perhaps for good. andrew harding, bbc news. the public inquiry into one of britain's biggest miscarriages

ofjustice begins hearing evidence this morning. tracy felstead was sent to holloway jailfor three months when she was just 19 years old. last year, along with 71 others, her conviction was overturned. the bbc�*s file on four programme has been following her story — and took her back to holloway, 20 years after her release. i'm feeling loads of different emotions. i'm scared of what's on the other side of those gates. i'm angry. it needs to be done. it needs to be put to bed. i first met tracy two years ago, when she was fighting to clear her name. she was one of more than 700 postal workers who had been accused of theft, fraud or false accounting by the post office. at the age of 19, tracy was prosecuted and sent to holloway prison for stealing more than £11,000 — something we now know was due to a faulty computer

system called horizon. she has come back here today for the first time in 20 years in the hope this will somehow help with her recovery. this is my cell. this is your cell? this is my bed. i remember saying to a girl i hadn't done the crime and she said, oh, none of us have. see... you couldn't even protest your innocence in here. 0h. i never thought i could come here. tracy spent several weeks in this group cell before being moved to one of her own. it's clear that her time in prison has left an indelible mark. this was my cell. cell 21. it's now 20 years since you were in this prison. how has your life changed by being here? although it has made me

the person i am today, it has made me not the person i want to be. i don't want to be that person who is scared of noises, who, you know... it broke my marriage down. it's taken its toll. no amount of money will ever change what's happened. the only thing i can do now is look forward to the next 20 years. i always say to my children never judge a book by its cover. you don't know what somebody has been through. and now i understand that, sometimes, people are sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit. i still feel very surreal that i've just done that. i want closure for everybody. people to be compensated — fair and final compensation. we need answers as to who, what, when and why.

let's get more now on one of the biggest events in world sport — american football's super bowl — it's been won by the los angeles rams playing at their home stadium. an estimated global audience of 100 million people tuned in to watch a match famed for its half—time entertainment. and this year's stars included maryj blige, 50 cent, dr dre and eminem. music: the next episode # you are rolling with the d—r—e. # yeah, yeah, yeah. ya'll know what they say is. cheering. # go, go, go # bottle full of bub # mama, got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz # i'm into havin�* sex, i ain't into makin�* love # so come give me a hug if you into gettin�* rubbed # ah! # no more drama. # let me tell you about my life

# painkillers only put me in the twilight # it's the highlight # this opportunity comes once in a lifetime - # you better lose yourself. # # it's the d-r-e. # cheering let's talk to ben isaacs, is an nfl journalist and broadcaster. why is this such a big deal? i think the su er why is this such a big deal? i think the super bowl— why is this such a big deal? i think the super bowl is _ why is this such a big deal? i think the super bowl is the _ why is this such a big deal? i think the super bowl is the culmination l why is this such a big deal? i think. the super bowl is the culmination of american excess. it gives us food, violence, music, a lot of the things we would associate with america, and it is like a secular holiday in the us. more food is consumed on super bowl sunday than on christmas day. it is second only to thanksgiving. it is second only to thanksgiving. it is second only to thanksgiving. it is the only us sport that culminates in a one—off championship game, the rest are best of seven.

this is a chance for family and friends all across america to come together and celebrate, even if they are not a sports fan. they can still enjoy the half—time show. let’s are not a sports fan. they can still enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that- — enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that- i — enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that. i don't _ enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that. i don't know _ enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that. i don't know how- enjoy the half-time show. let's talk about that. i don't know how much l about that. i don't know how much they pay them, but they were... they are always massive stars. the? they pay them, but they were... they are always massive stars.— are always massive stars. they are. there has been _ are always massive stars. they are. there has been criticism _ are always massive stars. they are. there has been criticism in - are always massive stars. they are. there has been criticism in the - are always massive stars. they are. there has been criticism in the pastj there has been criticism in the past that it was always kind of dad rock, the executives would want. this time it felt they were younger, despite the fact the average age of the performers were probably mid 405. i've never seen the stadium so energised by a half—time show. it was electric energy. the set was based on various blocks through la. you had a who's who of hip—hop royalty all centred around dr dre and styles that he had worked with and styles that he had worked with and they absolutely tore the place down. it was so vibrant, so full of power. you had eminem taking any

which, of course, has been a thing are passed in the nfl and colin kopenick and his stand for racial justice. it felt like the right half—time show at the right time. and the reason they want to do it is because it is such a massive tv audience across the globe, isn't it? yeah. you are looking at 100 million people watching around the planet, like you said. second only to the champions league final in terms of annual sporting event viewing figures. it is getting bigger and bigger around the world. we will see what the uk's viewing figures albert last year it was 4 million people. that is a number of people who watch dragon's den which a massively popular prime—time show. it's difficult to stay up for the super bowl but millions are doing that. i think the sport in this country will continue to grow.— continue to grow. thank you very much, continue to grow. thank you very much. ben- _ continue to grow. thank you very much, ben. our— continue to grow. thank you very much, ben. our top _

continue to grow. thank you very much, ben. our top story - continue to grow. thank you very much, ben. our top story today | continue to grow. thank you very| much, ben. our top story today is about a public inquiry which begins into a scandal in the post office all around a faulty it system which led to dozens and dozens of convictions of post office staff. we are going to talk now tojo hamilton who is a former sub—postmistress. her life was turned upside down after she was accused by the post office of taking £36,000 from the village shop she ran in hampshire. thank you for talking to us. how do you feel about today, about the fact that this inquiry is finally beginning?— that this inquiry is finally bettinnin? , that this inquiry is finally beaainnin? ~ ., , ., that this inquiry is finally beaainnin? , ., , beginning? well, it has been a very lona beginning? well, it has been a very long journey- _ beginning? well, it has been a very long journey- my — beginning? well, it has been a very long journey. my journey _ beginning? well, it has been a very long journey. my journey started i beginning? well, it has been a very long journey. my journey started in | long journey. myjourney started in 2003 when it started going wrong. we've got there. well, we've got to today anyway. it is far from over. it is another step along the way. can you tell our audience how your life was upended by what you were accused of? i

life was upended by what you were accused of?— accused of? i was accused of stealin: accused of? i was accused of stealing £36,000 _ accused of? i was accused of stealing £36,000 and - accused of? i was accused of stealing £36,000 and when| accused of? i was accused of - stealing £36,000 and when you've got to the end of the week in the post office, it would say a number that you should have in your safe and if you should have in your safe and if you didn't have it, basically, you had to make good the shortfall and when it got so huge that i couldn't make it up, i rang for help and they made me... they charged me with stealing 36,000 when they said i couldn't repay it. they asked me where it was and basically accuse me of stealing it. where it was and basically accuse me of stealing it— of stealing it. obviously you didn't know where _ of stealing it. obviously you didn't know where it _ of stealing it. obviously you didn't know where it was, _ of stealing it. obviously you didn't know where it was, you _ of stealing it. obviously you didn't know where it was, you hadn't - of stealing it. obviously you didn't i know where it was, you hadn't stolen it. ., ., y know where it was, you hadn't stolen it. ., ., , , it. no, the money never existed. the money never — it. no, the money never existed. the money never existed _ it. no, the money never existed. the money never existed in _ it. no, the money never existed. the money never existed in the _ it. no, the money never existed. the money never existed in the first - money never existed in the first place. it always sounds like there was a big stash of cash and when it was a big stash of cash and when it was in there, you didn't know where it was, but it was never there, it was just a number on a screen. so was 'ust a number on a screen. so ou wasjust a number on a screen. so you had to sort of prove your

innocence in a way, which was impossible, which is why in the end you pleaded guilty to false accounting so you could avoid a jail sentence on a more serious charge of fraud or theft, is that correct? theft, yes. they only ever charged with theft in the beginning and they gotjust with theft in the beginning and they got just when the with theft in the beginning and they gotjust when the trial was supposed to begin and then they said if you plead guilty to false accounting, repay the money, don't mention horizon when you are sentenced in mitigation, we will drop the theft and the legal advice at the time was because technically i had committed false accounting, she said you are less likely to go to jail if you actually plead guilty to it. ifelt i had no choice but to plead guilty. wow. how has that impacted on the 20 years since? wow. how has that impacted on the 20 ears since? ~ . , wow. how has that impacted on the 20 years since?— years since? well, it has taken... 14 ears years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago _ years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago this _ years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago this month, -

years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago this month, i - years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago this month, i got - years since? well, it has taken... 14 years ago this month, i got my conviction quashed last year, eventually, but it took 555 people taking them to court in the first place for me to get my conviction quashed last year. the battle is still not over. i'm fighting for compensation now. and i'm fighting for compensation for the 555 people who took them to court in the first place because they have been left almost penniless because of this. astonishingly, no one at the post office, no one in the government, no one at the tech company behind the software, no one has lost theirjob over this. software, no one has lost their 'ob over this. ., , over this. no. it is quite incredible. _ over this. no. it is quite incredible. quite - over this. no. it is quite - incredible. quite incredible. when certain executives have left, they got moved other executive positions within the nhs and things like that. ijust find... i know that within the nhs and things like that. i just find... i know that she has gone now but it is just wrong. the

whole thing is awful. gone now but it isjust wrong. the whole thing is awful.— whole thing is awful. what words would ou whole thing is awful. what words would you use — whole thing is awful. what words would you use to _ whole thing is awful. what words would you use to describe - whole thing is awful. what words would you use to describe how i whole thing is awful. what words i would you use to describe how this has affected your life?— has affected your life? well, i cuess has affected your life? well, i guess i'm _ has affected your life? well, i guess i'm one _ has affected your life? well, i guess i'm one of— has affected your life? well, i guess i'm one of the - has affected your life? well, i guess i'm one of the lucky - has affected your life? well, i i guess i'm one of the lucky ones because i've been strong enough because i've been strong enough because i've been strong enough because i had fabulous support from the village. it has affected me in the village. it has affected me in the fact that i've had a criminal record for 13 years that i didn't deserve and that impacts on your work, finances and everything. my mum and dad went here to see my conviction quashed because they both had strokes and died which i'm convinced was a result of what happened to me. i'm one of the lucky ones that i'm still strong enough to be standing here and not completely destroyed because my village had faith in me, which a lot of people didn't fare so well as well as i did. , �* , didn't fare so well as well as i did. , ., didn't fare so well as well as i did. , �* , ., . . did. yes. because of their criminal record, did. yes. because of their criminal record. you _ did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found _ did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found it _ did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found it hard - did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found it hard to - did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found it hard to get i did. yes. because of their criminal record, you found it hard to get al record, you found it hard to get a job and actually you worked as a

cleaner for people in the village who knew you were in innocent. yes. i have the keys _ who knew you were in innocent. yes. i have the keys to _ who knew you were in innocent. yes. i have the keys to more _ who knew you were in innocent. yes i have the keys to more houses than you would believe and people trust me to go in and do the cleaning. others haven't been so lucky. when their criminal records have been found out, they have been frogmarched from the desk of the premises. it is awful, none of us have done anything wrong. we have been pillars of the community and then our whole lives got turned upside down. did then our whole lives got turned upside down-— then our whole lives got turned uside down. , . . , . upside down. did you have any idea it was happening — upside down. did you have any idea it was happening to _ upside down. did you have any idea it was happening to anyone - upside down. did you have any idea it was happening to anyone else? l upside down. did you have any idea i it was happening to anyone else? no. i was told it was happening to anyone else? firm i was told by the investigator when he came round the house that you are the only person it has ever happened to. once mine the press, i was contacted by so many people that said i know someone this has happened to. gradually, we formed this huge group and we believe it

away from 2008. we joined this huge group and we believe it away from 2008. wejoined up, we had away from 2008. wejoined up, we had a meeting and it got bigger and bigger and bigger and ended up in the massive high court litigation in 2019 which we won two trials... well, we annihilated them, basically. well, we annihilated them, basically-— well, we annihilated them, basicall. ., ~ . ., well, we annihilated them, basicall. ., ~ . basically. good for you. what do you ho -e will basically. good for you. what do you hope will come _ basically. good for you. what do you hope will come out _ basically. good for you. what do you hope will come out of _ basically. good for you. what do you hope will come out of this _ basically. good for you. what do you hope will come out of this inquiry? l hope will come out of this inquiry? i'm hoping this is the beginning of the end. the ombudsman is working away as we speak as well but we need compensation for everybody, we need justice for everyone, we need some people to at least face the consequences of what they have done to us. everybody needs compensating. especially the group of 500 who took everyone to court which i think is just totally wrong. the minister keep saying you've had your full and final settlement, well, it was done under duress, they withheld documents when the settlement was

reached and the whole thing is awful and i'm not going to stop fighting until everybody is compensated. thank you very much, jo. good luck. thank you very much, jo. good luck. thank you very much, jo. good luck. thank you for talking to us. take care. . ~' thank you for talking to us. take care. . ~ , ., thank you for talking to us. take care. . ~ i. _ thank you for talking to us. take care-_ time i thank you for talking to us. take i care-_ time for thank you for talking to us. take i care._ time for a care. thank you. goodbye. time for a look at the — care. thank you. goodbye. time for a look at the weather. _ good morning, everyone. we are in for stormy weather this week. the met office already has a weather warning for that. pressure pulling away to the north sea. we have a transient ridge of high pressure and then another weather front coming our way by the time we get to the end of the night. today, here is the rain moving out of scotland and also northern england and wales and is going to be continuing itsjourney england and wales and is going to be continuing its journey pushing england and wales and is going to be continuing itsjourney pushing down towards the south—east. slowly, brightening up in northern ingle, wales and the south—west. for northern ireland and also scotland, we are looking at sunshine and a few

showers. some showers on higher ground are likely to be wintry in nature. gusty winds today as well but not as gusty as yesterday and not as gusty as it is going to be as we head to the middle of the week. temperatures range from four to nine or10 temperatures range from four to nine or 10 celsius. overnight, we say goodbye to the rain, under clear skies they will be fast and to the west our next weather front comes in introducing more in the way of cloud, rain and also hill snow. it will be cold enough for frost in the east to start with but as this system comes in from the west, temperatures will slowly start to rise and tomorrow our weather front will continue to journey steadily eastwards lingering longest against the far south of england with the rain. the rain in the north of scotland turning more showery. a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine as well, with temperatures up sunshine as well, with temperatures up to 10 celsius. then the next weather system comes our way on wednesday in the shape of this band of rain, with snow on its leading edge. they will be mild, especially

in the south, but wind will be the future. wind picking up as we go through the afternoon and especially so for the evening and overnight and also through thursday, as you can see from all of those isobars on this chart. they will slowly ease later in the day on wednesday. the wet office has a yellow weather warning out for the strong winds. valid from 6pm on wednesday to 6pm on thursday. it will still be very windy with those kind of gusts on thursday, some snow across northern scotland so the likelihood of blizzards, as we can further south, it will be much calmer, not as windy but also looking at sunshine as well. temperatures ranging from zero in the north to 11 in the south. —— from four in the north to 11 in the

south. friday, once again the potential for another area of low pressure to cross us, strong winds across england and wales and also across england and wales and also across the far north of scotland it most certainly is another one to watch.

hello. this is bbc news — here are your headlines in the uk and around the world. ukraine has called for a meeting with russia in the next 48 hours to try to avert war, as kyiv�*s ambassador to the uk says the country has't given up on ambitions to join nato. it's not the question if, that question is when. unfortunately, it depends not on us and not on russia, but on the family of nato — of all sovereign nations. the wrongful convictions of hundreds of uk post office staff will be examined by a public inquiry opening this morning. were you one of the hundreds of workers affected by the faulty it system?