and in manchester. but he faces a real trial after the jury but he faces a real trial after the jury failed to reach a verdict on two other counts of attempted rape and rape. —— retrial. also on the programme: how the world cup gave an unexpected boost the uk's economy in november. lisa marie presley — the only child of elvis — has died suddenly at the age of 5a. a landowner wins his battle to ban wild campers from dartmoor — the last place in england and wales where you could pitch a tent without permission. and meet sophie from romania — the rescue dog who has become a rather reluctant

social media star. and coming up on the bbc news channel... it's bumper weekend of football — with one of the highlights being the manchester derby in the premier league — with plenty at stake for both united and city. good evening. the manchester city footballer — benjamin mendy — has been found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, after a six—month trial at chester crown court. jurors failed to reach verdicts on two other cases, meaning he will now face a re—trial later this year. another man was also found not guilty of three counts of rape relating to two teenagers. our north of england correspondent, danny savage, reports. and it came to mendy! oh, what a clearance. he was the millionaire footballer who had the world at his feet. but what now

for benjamin mendy? it's a brilliant strike from mendy. cleared of the majority of charges against him, but facing a retrial on two others a jury couldn't decide upon. so, come to the darkness. mendy lived here, a mansion in a prosperous cheshire village — where the court heard he ignored lockdown rules and had parties. his trial heard he told one woman it would be her privilege to sleep with him. he would meet them in restaurants and nightclubs, arguably charmed them with his strong french accent and bring them back here. a country house, where the prosecution claimed some women felt vulnerable, scared and isolated. but a jury concluded that he wasn't guilty of six alleged rapes said to have happened here. and here is like the cinema place. this is mendy giving a guided

tour of his gilded life. in court he gave evidence in his defence, insisting he hadn't forced anyone to do anything. mendy was a member of a world cup winning squad and won the premier league with manchester city. despite being cleared of many charges, it's hard to see him resurrecting his career any time soon. one of the interesting things that came out at the trial was his own defence lawyer saying effectively his career in football in this country is over. and that was a recognition that in terms of the behaviour that came out in the trial and the way that he, by his own admission, treated women, it makes it very, very difficult to employ him. benjamin mendy�*s solicitor today said the player is delighted at being unanimously acquitted of eight out of ten charges he faced and that he looks forward to clearing his name in relation to the other two charges, so he can start rebuilding his life. that retrial on a charge of rape and

one of attempted rape for benjamin mendy will take place later this yearin mendy will take place later this year in the summer. his club as manchester city. they have said given there are open matters related to this case the club is not in a position to comment further at this time. the private life of benjamin mendy was pored over in great detail of the last five months. he admitted treating women without respect and behaving badly at times. even had relationships with many women, but the trial was told the sexual habits and lifestyle of the defendants did not make them rapists. his co—defendants louis saha was also cleared of three charges today but the jury couldn't decide on charges related to him. he will also face retrial later this year. world cup football fans gave an unexpected boost to the uk's economy in november — according to new figures. there was a slight rise of 0.1% but overall the economy still shrank over the three months to november. economists have suggested the latest

data now makes it less clear whether the uk went into recession at the end of last year. our economics editor faisal islam reports. at tonech in worcester, their cordless vacuum cleaners sold at g—tech in worcester, their cordless vacuum cleaners sold well during the black friday discount in november, but founder nick gray says british consumers are far from cleaning up in current circumstances. we can very much tell that there's a little bit of tension in consumers, and we feel it ourselves. the winter world cup in qatar did cause an upsurge in spending in pubs and bars and on pizza delivery that helped the economy post surprise growth in the month of november. it could stave off a formal recession, at least for a bit. so this is what those numbers look like month to month. you can see the economy shrank during covid — that's january 2021 — growing when the restrictions eased. and now the economy is still weak but mayjust have grown, or at least not fallen further,

at the end of last year,. at the end of last year. however, what really matters now is this year, and you can see here that inflation should have peaked at the end of 2022, according to the forecast, but it's still high — driven, as you can see, by food prices in red, energy in blue and fuel in black. and although it is coming down, it's still very high across this year. and with interest rates rising too, this is when it eats into incomes. and inflation would have been even higher were it not for the government's energy price guarantee. the net effect, though, on the economy can be seen in this chart. the uk economy tanked during covid and is still, even after today's figures, smaller than it was in 2019 before the pandemic. the government's own forecasts point to it not recovering to that 2019 level actually until the end of 2024, as households continue to be hit hard. so the question from today's figures

is whether the british consumer isjust a bit more resilient to these shocks or if this was a world cup related one—off adding to the hangover from festive spending right now. back in worcester town centre, there's worry. we certainly have not had the heating on. i am very, very frugal with my heating and hot water, believe you me. we've not got the heating on atj the moment and stuff like that, just because you can't afford it. with interest rates set to be hiked further next month to around 4% and taxes going up too, the economy and households remain under recessionary pressure. faisal islam, bbc news. the only child of elvis presley — lisa marie presley — has died suddenly at the age of 5a. she suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in california. she was last seen in public on tuesday at the golden globe awards. lisa marie presley was a singer—songwriter who was previously

married to michaeljackson and nicholas cage. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin paterson looks back at her life. lisa marie presley on the red carpet at the golden globes on tuesday evening, two days before she died. that night, austin butler won a best actor globe for playing her father elvis in baz luhrmann�*s biopic. the film deals with the tragic end to elvis�*s life. now, there is yet another terrible chapter to the family saga. on thursday, lisa marie presley was found unresponsive thank you for opening your hearts, your memories and home to me. lisa marie, i love on thursday, lisa marie presley was found unresponsive at her home in calabasas, california, and rushed to hospital. the us media say that she had had a cardiac arrest. this comes just three years after her son ben keough took his own life after having spoken about the pressures

of being a presley. she was elvis presley's only child, born exactly nine months to the day after his wedding to priscilla. lisa marie was nine when elvis died, making her thejoint heir to his estate, inheriting the lot at 25. there were four marriages. 20 days after the first ended, she wed michaeljackson, uniting two of the most famous names in music. even appearing in his video for you are not alone. they were together for little more than a year. her marriage to 0scar—winning actor nicolas cage was even shorter — 108 days. in 2003, lisa marie presley launched her own music career, making the uk top 20 with lights out. # i was crying every time i'd leave you #. a big music lover, you know. had a huge impact on me my whole life, so i didn't do

it to become a pop, you know, whatever. it's not a pop record. but ijust sort of needed to do my own thing. she also recorded a number of duets, combining her vocals with the original takes by her late father. tom hanks, who stars in the elvis film, was one of the first to pay tribute, describing himself as "absolutely broken." while nicolas cage said, "lisa had the greatest laugh of anyone i ever met." fans have begun to turn up at graceland to pay tribute. once again, a presley is being mourned. lisa marie presley, who's died aged 5a. these are some of the scenes from

soledar. russia says its forces are in control of the strategic town of soledar in eastern ukraine after days of heavy fighting . of soledar in eastern ukraine after days of heavy fighting. the latest images show terrible destruction. there are reports of retreating ukrainian troops — although ukraine says it hasn't abandoned soledar. after six months of russian military setbacks — the town's capture may signal a wider offensive. russia's next target could be ukrainian supply routes to nearby bakhmuk. and its fall could pave the way for an assault on the key regional city of kramatorsk. 0ur ukraine correspondentjames waterhouse is in kyiv. there has been lots of claim and counterclaim from both sides in the last few days. do we know whether or not russia is in control?— not russia is in control? well, it is still difficult _ not russia is in control? well, it is still difficult to _ not russia is in control? well, it is still difficult to say _ not russia is in control? well, it is still difficult to say but this i is still difficult to say but this is still difficult to say but this is the first significant claim, i think, where you have moscow and the notorious wagner group of mercenary soldiers on the same page where they are claiming to be in control of soledar. the kremlin is calling it an important step for it in its faltering campaign but the step we are talking about has been reduced to rubble, there are barely any

buildings left standing in this salt mining town. now, the language coming out of kyiv is interesting. they've talked about making decisions in the coming days, and how it would only be a small defeat. and i think that is the point. for russia vladimir putin has had very little to cheer about over the last six months. i remember injuly last year when his forces were throwing everything at cities like severodonetsk and it was a chance. ultimately he would take those cities, but it is what followed was interesting, ukrainian forces would then launch counter offences in the north—east and south of ukraine. kyiv will be hoping that happens again. should soledarfall i don't think it will have a massive impact on the outcome of this war. james, thank yom — a man has appeared in court charged with murdering 26—year—old elle edwards in merseyside. she was shot in the head at a pub in wallasey on christmas eve. connor chapman, who's 22, was remanded in custody. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz is in wallasey.

0n on christmas eve this pub was packed. the crowd counting down the moments to usher in christmas day. butjust before midnight there festivities were shattered when a gunman opened fire at the front of the pub. the family of ellie edwards say that her death has shattered not just every future christmas but the rest of their lives. elle edwards was a beautician who had bright plans for the future. she had an infectious laugh and loved a good time, which is why she headed to the lighthouse inn on christmas eve. she was dancing and drinking with friends when she was shot. her injuries so grave that despite pub goers trying to save her, she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. last night, 22—year—old connor william chapman, who is from the wirral area, was charged with murdering elle using a converted scorpion submachine gun. he appeared in court today,

also facing another eight charges, including two counts of attempted murder and three of grievous bodily harm. he's also accused of possessing a firearm and ammunition and using a stolen car. this morning's court hearing only lasted for three minutes. connor chapman stood throughout in the glass dock of courtroom number six, wearing a grey tracksuit with long hair and a beard. the charges he faces can't be dealt with ultimately by magistrates, and so his case has been moved to liverpool crown court, where he'll appear on monday morning. four other people have previously been arrested in connection with the shooting. three of them have been released on bail whilst further inquiries are made, and the fourth has been recalled to prison on licence. the lighthouse pub has been reopened, but the community is still coming to terms with what happened here four weeks ago. judith moritz, bbc news, wallasey. the time is 6:15pm. our top story this evening:

the manchester city footballer benjamin mendy is found not guilt of rape and sexual assault. coming up — 15 million more people in england could be prescribed daily statin pills to lower cholesterol. also coming up on bbc london: art that you can see and touch. it's called braille art — and it's been created by a blind artist who shows what the visually—impaired can do. there are not many places left in the uk where you can pitch a tent anywhere for some wild camping. scotland is the only country that allows it by law. in england and wales wild camping has been largely illegal — unless you have the permission of the landowner. dartmoor has been the only area in england and wales where — under a local law — wild camping has been allowed without permission. but now the owner of an estate on dartmoor has put an end to that —

after he won the right to remove wild campers from his land — much to the fury of ramblers and hikers as our south west england correspondentjenny kumah reports. chanting: dartmoor! our moor! _ campaigners protesting last month to any new restrictions on dartmoor. for decades, people have enjoyed and assumed right to sleep under the stars in designated areas of the commons. today's ruling has left many disappointed. it's helped people with depression and anxiety and to get over a trauma. it's enabled people who live in inner cities to come out and experience the wild for the first time in their lives. and overnight, that has been stripped from all of us. wild camping is about carrying everything you need in your backpack, using a small tent and taking your rubbish with you. but there have been problems when people haven't followed the rules. there have been incidents where litter, human waste has been left behind. these are already against laws, they are against the littering lies,

they are against the laws that have governed how wild camping is able to take place on dartmoor. the vast majority of people who enjoy and take part in doing wild camping every year leave absolutely no trace, you would never know that they have been here. this couple who own a 4,000 acre estate took their case to court, claiming some campers caused problems to livestock and the environment. today, thejudge ruled that a law regulating access to more land does not provide a right to wild camp. but it's been a historic custom for decades, leaving many concerned about the future of events like this one. the park authorities say they are working to find a way forward. we are bitterly disappointed with thejudgements. we are really keen to work with landowners to try to make sure that the ability of people to wild camp on dartmoor is sustained going forward, and we are also considering whether there are any grounds to appeal thejudgment, because we think it has wider implications.

in a statement, landowners said... while there is a right to wild camp across scotland, the last pocket of england and wales where this right was thought to exist has just disappeared. jenny kumah, bbc news, dartmoor. the 0scar—winning actor kevin spacey has pleaded not guilty to seven sexual offences against one man. he appeared at southwark crown court in london via video link. the fresh charges include indecent assault, sexual assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. the offences are alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2005. the actor is now facing a total of 12 charges against four men, all of which he denies. mr spacey will face trial injune.

around 15 million more people in england could be prescribed daily statin pills to lower cholesterol. new guidance from the national institute for health and care excellence, which advises the nhs, suggests anyone who has a one in 20 chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next decade should be offered the drugs. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has more. millions of mostly older adults in the uk take statins — these cholesterol—busting pills cost just a few pence per patient per day. cholesterol is a fatty substance mainly produced by the liver. high levels of bad cholesterol can clog in your arteries restricting blood flow, causing problems like heart disease and stroke. statins work by lowering levels of bad cholesterol, so reducing the risks. the current nhs guidance is that if you have a one in ten risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years you should be offered a statin. the new recommendation

from the health assessment body nice is that it should be widened to those with a one in 20 risk, which would include millions more younger adults. nice reckons that for every 1,000 people at low risk who take a statin, it would prevent 20 of them getting heart disease or having a stroke. so, there is a reason why it's one of the most prescribed drugs in the uk. there's around 7—8 million adults taking them because over the years we have seen the reduction of the risk and of the incidence of heart attack and strokes, these devastating conditions. so, we really do know that they are life—saving drugs. over the years, there's been a lot of discussion about the side effects of statins. the most common is muscle pains. but a definitive study last year from oxford university found that this risk was very small, and disappeared a year after starting the pills. the british heart foundation says patients should discuss the risks and benefits of statins with their doctor. a healthy diet and exercise

are also crucial elements in optimising your health. three years ago a high—flying international businesswoman — drjo wilson — was diagnosed with alzheimers at the age ofjust 66. for the past six months, we have been following her story as her husband bill battled to get enough help and care for her as her disease progressed. it has proved incredibly difficult. bill has had to do much of the caring himself — that he has been left utterly exhausted. jeremy cooke has been to see bill and jo in newcastle to find out how they are coping. i'm back in newcastle. hello. greetings. there's word from bill. trouble, i hear. bad news. i'm just beyond, beyond everything. i don't know if i'm coming or going. up, stand up, help me, jo.

last year we saw how bill is devoted to his wifejo. stand up. but now the cruel grip of alzheimer's is tightening as the days and weeks go by. have a little sip. today, jo's childhood friend christine is here to help. little wee sip. for this professional, successful woman it's come to this. bill's always wanted to keepjo at home, but months ago now he had to admit it's become too much. i thought i was beyond exhausted the last time i saw you, jeremy. that was a walk in the park compared to where i am now. you might remember bev. you look well this morning, don't you? she's the boss of dementia matters werejo comes for daycare. we've been really worried aboutjo. she has struggled since christmas, really. here they have a room

forjo, ready to move into but bev says she often finds red tape and regulation delay things from happening. if people here, for the most part they aren't in hospital.— they aren't in hospital. exactly. we've got _ they aren't in hospital. exactly. we've got capacity _ they aren't in hospital. exactly. we've got capacity to _ they aren't in hospital. exactly. we've got capacity to open - they aren't in hospital. exactly. we've got capacity to open up i they aren't in hospital. exactly. - we've got capacity to open up more beds, _ we've got capacity to open up more beds, we — we've got capacity to open up more beds, we could extend and increase our days _ beds, we could extend and increase our days services by opening over the weekend. can our days services by opening over the weekend-— our days services by opening over the weekend. can i have a listen to our the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? — the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? back _ the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? back at _ the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? back at home, - the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? back at home, jo - the weekend. can i have a listen to your chest? back at home, jo isn't| your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well. your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well- bill— your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well. bill has _ your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well. bill has called _ your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well. bill has called the - your chest? back at home, jo isn't so well. bill has called the doctors and caroline is here to help. a classic case of where a dementia patient may end up in hospital. for bill it's a no. her patient may end up in hospital. for bill it's a "0-— bill it's a no. her oxygen is that low we would _ bill it's a no. her oxygen is that low we would normally - bill it's a no. her oxygen is that low we would normally take - bill it's a no. her oxygen is that low we would normally take to l low we would normally take to hospital. low we would normally take to hos - ital. �* low we would normally take to hosital. �* ., ., _ low we would normally take to hosital. �* ., ., ., he's hospital. i'm going to say no. he's been waiting _ hospital. i'm going to say no. he's been waiting weeks _ hospital. i'm going to say no. he's been waiting weeks for— hospital. i'm going to say no. he's been waiting weeks forjo's - hospital. i'm going to say no. he's been waiting weeks forjo's room | been waiting weeks forjo's room to get the go—ahead from the regulator.

finally, bev is on the line. bill. finally, bev is on the line. bill, we are ready — finally, bev is on the line. bill, we are ready when _ finally, bev is on the line. bill, we are ready when you - finally, bev is on the line. bill, we are ready when you are - finally, bev is on the line. e: ii, we are ready when you are ready. finally, bev is on the line. bill, - we are ready when you are ready. is this a green light now? yes. - we are ready when you are ready. is this a green light now? yes. so - we are ready when you are ready. is this a green light now? yes. so she| this a green light now? yes. so she can beat this a green light now? yes. so she can heat into _ this a green light now? yes so she can beat into the room? this a green light now? yes. so she can beat into the room? yes. - can beat into the room? yes. said es he is can beat into the room? yes. said yes he is known — can beat into the room? yes said yes he is known this can beat into the room? 19:1 said yes he is known this was can beat into the room? 191 said yes he is known this was likely to happen. it's what he and jo desperately need. i’zee happen. it's what he and jo desperately need.— happen. it's what he and jo desperately need. happen. it's what he and jo deseratel need. �* ~ :, , desperately need. i've kind of built u . desperately need. i've kind of built u- to this desperately need. i've kind of built up to this moment _ desperately need. i've kind of built up to this moment but _ desperately need. i've kind of built up to this moment but when - desperately need. i've kind of built. up to this moment but when someone says it out loud, i'm devastated. because it's real?— well, i know what i have to do. i don't have a choice. but it's so hard. it's so hard. dementia takes much from so many. for bill and jo it means

that this weekend will be their last days at home under one roof after 47 years together. jeremy cooke, bbc news, newcastle. they are students, teachers, financial analysts and they also play hockey for wales. they are taking on the world's top professional hockey players in competing for wales. they are the first welsh team to have made it to the men's hockey world cup — they've had to do all their training in their spare time and even crowdfund to get themselves there. the world cup is taking place in india. theirfirst opponents — were england — as our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. ready to make hockey history — for wales's men, a first ever world cup match, something that till recently would've beggared belief. over the years, they've so often struggled. in their first 50 matches, they won just three. and there's been some heavy defeats. and that's number 17. but against the odds,

this part time team of students, teachers and financial analysts qualified to face the world's best. 0h! hockey is a hobby for the vast majority of us. it's what we do in our spare time. it's what we do on evenings and weekends, aside from jobs. to be going to a world cup and playing and performing on that stage, it's a bit of a kind of pinch yourself moment, really. and what an opening match against england, no less. but the dream start didn't exactly materialise. england ahead after barely 30 seconds, wales certainly showed their resilience. how's this for some courageous goalkeeping? and they had their chances too. another great stop on the line. but england kept them out, and at the other end, they made them pay. an emphatic 5—nil win for england, but for wales' part timers, simply being there is some victory. andy swiss, bbc news. and finally to a rescue dog from romania who was found living

on the streets as a puppy. she spent a year in a barn with other dogs before being brought here by a charityjust before christmas to a new home in london. the man who's now looking after her is the bbc�*s former technology correspondent, rory cellan jones. he started posting pictures of her online after she arrived last month. and suddenly she has become a social media star — albeit a reluctant one. i went to try and meet her this morning. can you see that frankfurter? that's nice, sausage. this is sophie from romania. for the past month rory and his wife diane have been trying to get to know her, but it's not been easy. she spends most of her day hidden behind the sofa. good girl. she arrived in london after a three—day journey from romania terrified. and for the last four weeks she has barely left her hiding place. except for the occasional night—time exploration.

at first it was incredibly frustrating and very worrying. i mean, i really wanted to go for a walk. part of the reason for having a dog, one of the big reasons for having a dog was to go for a walk with the dog and that became impossible. and then just really terrified that, what was going through her head, and whether it would ever get better. i had sleepless nights over it, i have to say. good girl. rory started posting pictures and videos of sophie on social media in december. he's been amazed by the response. as soon as i started posting, thousands of people were liking the pictures, thousands of people were getting excited about it. and it's grown from there. people in the morning say, "i've not heard from sophie yet, what's going on?" thousands and thousands of people just waiting for an update from sophie from romania. it's like nothing i've ever experienced. hello, sweetheart. are you coming to say hello? but yesterday there was some progress. hello, good girl.

tickle under the chin. do we like that? simon wooler is a dog behaviour expert who has offered to try to coax sophie out. are you confident that this is going to be a happy ending for them? i'm very confident, yes. it's not always the case with fearful dogs. we can't always be sure how far you can go with them, but looking at her lately and knowing what we know about her, i've got no doubt she's going to be a smashing pet. social media has been quite a miserable place, quite a toxic place. and people have latched on to what they see as a positive story. now, it certainly wasn't positive at first but i think there is hope in this story. lots of people love dogs. people are looking fora happy ending. well, sophie from london didn't really get to meet sophie from romania this time. it's going to be a slow, but hopefully successful, journey. good girl.

the british veterinary association say they advise caution if you're looking to rehome a dog from abroad, mainly because of concerns about their health. but we wish them a lot of luck. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. good evening. a ridge of high pressure today brought us a brief respite from the rain. however, more wet and windy weather expected to move through tonight. if you have any concerns where you're living particularly in the south on the west you can head online to check out the latest flood warnings. through the the will clear away on saturday and then it turns brighter with a few showers but things will be turning colder. here's this next batch of wet and windy weather pushing up from the south—west as we move through the evening and overnight. rainfall totals totting up overnight. rainfall totals totting up across the southwest. they could

be a few inches.