today at six... lucy letby will never be released from prison — as the judge imposes multiple whole life sentences — after she murdered seven babies and tried to kill six more. letby refused to attend court — leading one bereaved parent to brand her a coward as well as wicked. thejudge addressed her in her absence. loving parents have been robbed of their cherished children and others have to live with the physical and mental consequences of your actions. siblings have been deprived of brothers and sisters, you have caused deep psychological trauma. tonight we'll hear at length from the judge and the parents whose babies were attacked, on what has been an extrordinary day in court. also on the programme... mason greenwood and manchester

united agree he won't play for the club again — after charges against him including attempted rape are dropped. as the british museum hits the headlines in greece — the bbc is told police started investigating missing artefacts as far back as january. and sadly football's not coming home — but the lionesses are, after their world cup final defeat to spain. and coming up on bbc news, wales coach warren gatland names his squad for the rugby world cup next month, with jac morgan and dewi lake coca ptains. good evening. the serial killer lucy letby will never be released from prison after the judge at manchester crown court jailed her for life for each of the murders of seven babies

and the attempted murder of six more at the countess of chester hospital over a period ofjust over 12 months. the 33—year—old former nurse refused to appear in court today, prompting the mother of two of her victims to describe it as a "final act of wickedness from a coward". the courtroom today was the scene of deep grief and trauma, as the families of her victims gave harrowing statements, telling of the horror and pain of losing their babies, some dying in their parent's arms. our correspondentjudith moritz has been in court throughout this trial and was there today. i have never felt i have neverfelt an i have never felt an atmosphere for quite like that inside boardroom at number seven here today. the moment of lucy letby�*s sentencing was historic but because she is only the fourth woman ever to be given a whole life tariff, but that wasn't the predominant feeling. rather that

was a palpable sense of loss, deep sadness, and of anguish. she'll never be free again. so depraved, so wicked, lucy letby will be in prison forever. today, the courtroom reeled as the raw human cost of her crimes was laid bare. parent after parent told of the impact of letby�*s brutality. one clutched a toy rabbit, another wore a pendant with her baby's hand and footprints on it, which she said made her feel conflicted because the nurse had taken them. and as they spoke, you could hear the sound of weeping around the courtroom, including from the jury. they spoke about seeing their baby suffer and that they'd live with the trauma forever. the mother of baby c said... the father of baby 0 described his son's skin

colour changing rapidly. he said it wasn't normal to the naked eye, it was horrific to see and something he'd neverforget. he said his son was quickly christened, but moments later, he was gone. the mother of baby i said... we heard harrowing detail about the effect the babies�* deaths have had on their parents�* mental health. some have had breakdowns, others have needed medication or turned to alcohol. two said they'd considered suicide. they spoke about their loss. the mother of baby d said... baby g has been disabled as a result

of letby�*s attacks. their parents said... in herabsence of letby�*s attacks. their parents said... in her absence lucy letby was sentenced to 13 whole life tariffs. , . , . was sentenced to 13 whole life tariffs. , ., . tariffs. this was a cruel, calculated _ tariffs. this was a cruel, calculated and _ tariffs. this was a cruel, calculated and cynical i tariffs. this was a cruel, - calculated and cynical campaign of child murder, involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children. there was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions. you have no remorse. there are no mitigating factors. in their totality, the offences of murder and attempted murder were of exceptionally high seriousness and just punishment according to law requires a whole life order. the mother of _ requires a whole life order. the mother of twin _

requires a whole life order. the mother of twin babies e and f said fifth platform felt like a platform for letby to relive their crimes but are not turning up felt like final act of witness of a coward. the statements don't make them the mothers of an and b said it don't make the mother of baby p said... having refused to come up from the sales for the hearing, letby was driven away from court, leaving grief, distress and theory in her wake. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. as we have been hearing, letby refused to appear in court for her sentencing. our home editor mark easton is here. and there are plans to change the law on this to compel convicts to attend sentencing?

yes, lucy letby�*s refusal to listen to the statements from her victims' families represents a disrespect for their feelings, families represents a disrespect for theirfeelings, which families represents a disrespect for their feelings, which clearly demands a response, a political response, and all the major political parties are agreed something needs to be done. but what? ajudge already something needs to be done. but what? a judge already has the power to require an offender to attend the dock, prison officers already have the power to use reasonable force to make that happen. what the judge cannot do is ask them to use whatever force is necessary. that is because you can imagine you could create a very volatile, dangerous situation for custody officers and they themselves actually might become liable for legal action if they overstep their powers during they overstep their powers during the course of that. then dragging an offender kicking and screaming into the dock, you can imagine the scene there would be, suddenly the focus on the court room would be all on the victim, all on the billing and not on the victims, the very opposite of what the campaigners say they want to happen. one idea is

that you could wear a prisoner refuses to leave itself, but because the court statements into the cell, that i am told is technically difficult and could be very expensive. you could increase sentences but of course in lucy letby�*s kc has a whole life order so you can't go any further, could you perhaps tell the present to treat harshly? judges don't a power to do so and that might disrupt the management of the prison, so while many agree villains in must hear what their victims have to say, attempts to achieve that may have unintended consequences for the courts, the presence and also victims of. courts, the presence and also victims of-_ courts, the presence and also victimsof. ~ . , ., �*, victims of. mark, many thanks. let's no victims of. mark, many thanks. let's to back to victims of. mark, many thanks. let's go back to judith _ victims of. mark, many thanks. let's go back to judith moritz, _ victims of. mark, many thanks. let's go back to judith moritz, you - go back tojudith moritz, you followed this trial over the past ten months. this isn't the end of these dreadful events. the government _ these dreadful events. the government says - these dreadful events. the government says it - these dreadful events. the government says it is - these dreadful events. tue: government says it is an these dreadful events. tte: government says it is an independent inquiry will investigate the wider circumstances of what happened at the countess of chester hospital,

including whether the regulators did or didn't do the right thing. but by any measure what has happened here appears to be, to involve serious failings by the former management at that hospital, there has been criticism particularly of the former chief executive tony chambers, the former medical director ian harvey. they have both said they will cooperate fully with that inquiry. today we heard a former director of nursing alison kelly has been suspended from her current nhs job. she has been approached for comment but is yet to respond. in terms of other things which are still going on apart from that inquiry, the prosecution have until the 15th of september to decide whether or not to apply for a retrial on some of the attempted murder charges that the attempted murder charges that the jury was unable to decide on here, and touch a police say they are continuing with investigation, looking at the possibility that

letby could yet be charged with further offences. this is not the last we have heard of britain's most prolific baby killer.— prolific baby killer. judith moritz, thank yom _ and if you've been affected by this story or need advice or support, there's advice available on the bbc�*s action line pages or you can call free on 08000155 998. manchester united and the striker mason greenwood have agreed it would be best for him to leave the club to continue his career. it follows an internal investigation at old trafford into claims against him of attempted rape and coercive control. criminal charges against him were later dropped. today the club said he had not committed any offences. greenwood remains on full pay while united work with him to find him a club, as olly foster reports. here's mason greenwood, who's in, and he's scored! manchester united is all mason greenwood has ever known. he joined them at the age of seven, and they turned him into a star —

the future notjust for his club but also his country. but in january last year, mason greenwood was arrested. he appeared in court, charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and assault. he was suspended by united, but in february of this year, all charges were dropped because key witnesses withdrew. but that triggered the start of an internal investigation at the club, and there's now been a mutual agreement that he should leave. they say that... "based on the evidence available to us, we've concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged. that said, as mason publicly acknowledges today, he has made mistakes, which he's taking responsibility for." in his own statement, greenwood said... "i want to start by saying, i understand that people willjudge me because what they've seen and heard on social media and i know people

will think the worst. i'm learning to understand my responsibilities, to set a good example as a professional footballer, and i'm focused on the big responsibility of being a father, as well as a good partner." only last week, ahead of the start of the premier league season, there was every indication that greenwood would be reintegrated into the squad. there were protests at the ground. one group, female fans against greenwood's return, say the club has "done the right thing today for the wrong reasons — to save their own necks," claiming that "they've lied, backtracked and ignored us until they feared for their own reputation." what should have happened from the start, but i'm glad it's happened now. i feel like they're listening to the voices of women, listening to the voices notjust of manchester united women — the fans, the players — but listening to the voices of all women across the world. greenwood is still only 21, and with two years left on his contract, manchester united will look to sell him or loan him to another club before the end of this transfer window.

that transfer window closes in just 11 days' time. in arriving at this greenwood decision manchester united say they have looked at their own values and standards and belief but they will also have weighed up any potential damage to the club's global brand and image and also the potential of a fans backlash, but when he does leave they also say they will continue to support greenwood and his alleged victim. studio: thank you, olly foster reporting fair. the police have been investigating thefts at the british museum since the start of the year. the bbc has found out that museum officials requested that the case should not be revealed to the public. one member of staff has been sacked. some of the stolen items were found for sale on ebay. meanwhile the story has led to renewed calls in greece for the return of the elgin marbles as our culture editor katie razzall reports.

greek tv dominated this weekend by the theft from the british museum. the greek culture minister told the bbc it raises questions about the safety and integrity of all the museum's exhibits. and she means these, the elgin marbles. if the museum can't look after other items in the collection, suggests the greeks, it reinforces their country's demand for the return of the classical sculptures to athens. very diplomatic, pretty blatant opportunism. this is a serious matter, important treasures have gone missing from storage in the british museum, but it is not the mona lisa as the greeks are trying to wrap it up to be. i know the british museum are taking this tremendously seriously. said quite bluntl that tremendously seriously. said quite bluntly that the _ tremendously seriously. said quite bluntly that the elgin _ tremendously seriously. said quite bluntly that the elgin marbles - tremendously seriously. said quite bluntly that the elgin marbles are l bluntly that the elgin marbles are safe in_ bluntly that the elgin marbles are safe in the british museum, it is the safest —

safe in the british museum, it is the safest place, for antiquities and now— the safest place, for antiquities and now they have to face up to the fact that _ and now they have to face up to the fact that greek antiquities have been _ fact that greek antiquities have been stolen over the years, so it is very embarrassing. we been stolen over the years, so it is very embarrassing.— very embarrassing. we still don't know what _ very embarrassing. we still don't know what has _ very embarrassing. we still don't know what has gone _ very embarrassing. we still don't know what has gone missing - very embarrassing. we still don't| know what has gone missing from very embarrassing. we still don't - know what has gone missing from the museum's storeroom, how many items are involved or what has been sold online stop but i understand the police were contacted injanuary by the museum and have since be investigating the disappearances, which date back over several years. the museum has dismissed a member of staff. he has been named as doctor peter hicks, a senior curator in charge of greek collections. the bbc haven't been able to speak to him. his son is denied his father has done anything wrong and says it isn't fair. the items are believed to include jewelry acquired isn't fair. the items are believed to includejewelry acquired in isn't fair. the items are believed to include jewelry acquired in the early 19th century amongst this collection from charles stanley, a buyer of antiquities. one expert in recovering stolen item says speed is essential. tt recovering stolen item says speed is essential. , ,., recovering stolen item says speed is essential. , ., ., essential. it is so important to have everything _

essential. it is so important to have everything documented l essential. it is so important to | have everything documented at essential. it is so important to - have everything documented at this early stage. because we know things are being sold on ebay. we know things have already been sold on ebay. how do we get those objects back? wejust ebay. how do we get those objects back? we just can't wait for a police investigation to be completed. t police investigation to be completed.— police investigation to be comleted. ., completed. i understand scotland yard has asked _ completed. i understand scotland yard has asked the _ completed. i understand scotland yard has asked the museum - completed. i understand scotland yard has asked the museum not i completed. i understand scotlandl yard has asked the museum not to disclose further details of what is missing at this point. however in the coming days and weeks the bbc expects the museum will report the losses to interpol. then it is likely we will know what treasures are gone. katie razzall, bbc news. our top story this evening... former nurse lucy letby is jailed for life for the murder of seven babies and the attempted miuder of six more. coming up... the girl with the golden gloves, but you still can't buy a replica shirt for lionesses hero goalkeeper mary earps. coming up on bbc news, dina asher—smith and daryll neita go for gold later in the 100 metres at the world athletics

championships in budapest. the british duo looking to follow katarina johnson—thompson, who won the heptathalon yesterday. now, we all know our faces age as we get older but so do our organs. now a new ai tool can reveal the ageing affect on our hearts of a lack of exercise, poor diet, drinking and smoking. it allows doctors to work out how much younger or older someone's heart is compared to their actual age, as our science correspondent pallab ghosh has been finding out. heart beats. this is a heart scan of a 61—year—old person, but the chances are that the heart itself is older and has aged prematurely because of their genes or unhealthy lifestyle. not even experts can tell from the scan how much the heart has aged, but a new ai tool can. there are already plenty of ways to assess how

healthy our heart is through scans, blood pressure, ecgs. but these just give you a snapshot and can vary from day to day, month to month. but this new ai technique is different. it can give you an accumulated total of all the bumps and scrapes your heart has had through lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking and drinking. let's see how i get on. the first step is to have an mri scan after some gentle exercise. machine: breathe out and hold your breath. | the scientists record pictures of my beating heart and the ai system analyses it. i'm 61, but how old is my heart? it says that your heart age is 63. oh, well, that's a bit older than i actually am. so how does that figure? what should i do? exercising enough, watching your weight, smoking and so on. and, of course, we're interested in looking at treatments that might

slow down ageing or might reduce the effects of ageing. and these sorts of scans can quantify that and see how effective those treatments might be in the future. and here's the next step. 256 sensors are creating what is, in effect, a digital copy of this volunteer�*s heart. you can see how the electrical activity is flowing through it. these digital experiments will transform the way we conduct health care. it will be possible for scientists to use these resources to test the impact of drugs, new cardiac devices, lifestyle interventions, and importantly to predict each individual�*s personalised risk. heart research is now in the digital world, with al and machine learning techniques already developing the next generation of treatments to keep us healthierfor longer. pallab ghosh, bbc news.

a growing black hole in council budgets has been revealed by research carried out by the bbc. information supplied by 190 councils across the uk shows that despite extra government funding, some councils are struggling to make ends meet and that will have an impact on services. our political correspondent alex forsyth is here with more. thanks. council budgets have been under pressure for some time governments in westminster, edinburgh and cardiff have made more resources available this year, but despite that, council leaders are predicting a budget shortfall of around £5 billion by april 2026 unless something changes. that's because of the cost of providing services is increasing. already councils are cutting back with £2.5 billion of savings planned and that will come with consequences for the people who depend on the support councils provide. this homeless hostel in leicestershire offers more than just a bed. there's recreation, food and crucially support for people to get back on track.

it's been a lifeline for brian, an artist who came here after finding himself living on the streets. all the time i was worried sick because i was living in a tent. i come back to find the thing was burnt down or they burn it down while i was in it, or the police move us on. and since i've come here, obviously that's not been the case. they've kind of given me my life back a bit, really. the support services here are funded by the council, but that grant could be withdrawn and the centre says without it they will struggle to stay open. it is and always was a really caring local authority providing that support for people that can't get supported anywhere else because of inflation. they can't afford to do that any more. and so people will end up on the streets because of that. the council's having to find savings as costs and demand for services increase. they're calling for a new funding system, frank about the situation they're facing.

i would say it's very stark. we obviously have a funding pressures across the board, but we are still expected to deliver our key services to those people that rely on us. so we need fair funding to deliver our services. from street lighting to waste collections and crucial care support services are under pressure. some councils are facing questions over their financial choices, but inflation is having an impact across the country. overall, the government says councils have more available to spend supporting their communities this year and next year, including on social care. beyond that, budgets haven't been set, but shortfalls may be taken into account. councils, though, say the whole system needs a rethink to make it more sustainable in the long term, particularly after years of austerity. in leicester, the home—start charity supports people with young children like hapi, who struggled after a complex pregnancy with her daughter ocean.

it's just me, ocean. we're speaking to each other, you know. obviously, she can't talk now, but she was my only friend. when home—start reached out to me. i spoke to them about my situation. that was when our life started going in the right direction. you know, coming from where we started from and where we are now, it's a totally different place. but the charity says it's been a constant battle for money and volunteers since their council funding was cutjust over ten years ago. and with councils again looking to make savings, it could get much harderfor those who need a helping hand. alex forsyth, bbc news. england's lionesses were greeted by crowds of wellwishers as they left australia after their world cup campaign. here, over 13 million people watched england's1—0 defeat to spain on tv. despite the loss they secured the best ever world cup finish of any senior england team on foreign soil. goalkeeper mary earps has been one of the standout performers, winning the tournament's golden glove for best keeper. but fans still won't be able to buy her replica goalie shirt with kit sponsor nike saying it

won't go on sale. nesta mcgregor has more. three years ago, as only the third—choice keeper, mary earps considered retiring from football. mary earps comes up with a big moment! millions are surely thankful that didn't happen, even if the world cup trophy was just out of reach this time around. i know that we'll look back in a couple of weeks and feel a great sense of pride. not many people get to a world cup final. but we set out to get the gold medal. a pivotal part of the lionesses' run to the final, the 30—year—old did pick up a trophy... mary earps from england! ..winner of the golden glove, awarded to the best goalkeeper in the tournament. the success of the england team will no doubt inspire generations to come. but while a young player may dream of replicating the saves made by mary earps, as it stands, they can't buy her replica kit. a version of the men's goalkeeper jersey is available to buy, but not the women's. nike, who supply the england

national team, says that may change in the future. a petition by fans to make it available now currently has 70,000 signatures, while mary earps described her shirt not being on sale as disappointing and hurtful. i was shocked. i thought it was a joke at first. it just looks like that someone's missed out on a marketing brief to actually deliver something which a lot of wannabe mary earps, supporters, would have bought shirts. so, yeah, that was a bad mistake, i think. after spells at reading, doncaster and birmingham city, mary earps now plays for manchester united. she's been here since 2019 and says her shirt is amongst the best—selling. she might wear number 27 for the club, but on the world stage, it's clear she's number 1. record numbers watching, record numbers taking part — mary earps and the lionesses forging a legacy on and off the field. the future of the game, it would appear, is in safe hands. nesta mcgregor, bbc news.

despite the defeat it's been a remarkable rise for women's football in this country, considering that in 1921 the football association banned women from playing. that ban lasted for nearly 50 years. our sports correspondent natalie pirks has been speaking to three generations of past and present lionesses about their memories, theirfight to be recognised, and their hopes for the future. 1981. that's the most important one. i thought, "wow, i'm going to play football for england." and that dream and that team came true. in 1981, jill coulthard made her england debut. three years later, she was in the european final. driving rain and thick mud did not encourage flowing football. my era, 1984 final. poof. pitch full of mud. one man and his dog watching, two press.

you look at the progression we've made. it's gone from zero to thousands. and now coulthard. oh, yes. by 1995, england reached the world cup but women were still very much an afterthought. well, hey, look at the size of the shirt, because we had to wear the men's shirts. it was in this tournament that she scored england's first ever women's world cup goal. she went on to become the first lioness to reach 100 caps. the footballers of today, they're now professional. you know, they don't have to go to work and play. have said, no, no. but it's finally happened. and that's still the legacy of not just me, but every lioness that has gone before and after me. so that's something i'm very, very proud of. by 1997, there was a new kid on the block. faye white flew to germany in 2001

for her first euros. the teams were supported. crowds would come and also they'd be on the front pages and you'd be like, well, why don't we get this at home? we're english football. eight years later, england's part timers reached the european final, losing to the mighty germany. but there was little fanfare. we went home and there was no one. there wasn't even one camera. so it was really deflating. but equally itjust then lit a fire to say, we've got to fight for it. she retired in 2012 as the lionesses' longest serving captain. i still thought it was like 20 plus years away that we would get this kind of level and start really celebrating and the women's game. how can anyone ever push the sport back down to levels where i experienced ? it should never be there again. is what she had to watch for her server. t is what she had to watch for her server. ., , is what she had to watch for her server. . , ,., is what she had to watch for her server. ., ,., , ., ., is what she had to watch for her server. ., , ., ., ., , server. i was so proud of what they had done, — server. i was so proud of what they had done. given — server. i was so proud of what they had done, given the _ server. i was so proud of what they had done, given the injuries - server. i was so proud of what they had done, given the injuries of - server. i was so proud of what they | had done, given the injuries of what

they have gone through. it has been a tough one but i have not every minute of it. a tough one but i have not every minute of it— a tough one but i have not every minute of it. , . ., , .., ., minute of it. this game has come a lona it is minute of it. this game has come a long it is still _ minute of it. this game has come a long it is still a _ minute of it. this game has come a long it is still a work _ minute of it. this game has come a long it is still a work in _ minute of it. this game has come a long it is still a work in progress. i long it is still a work in progress. when you think 1966 was the last world cup trophy lifted and the women's game was bad at that point, so we had a lot of barriers to jump over and we are still kind of doing that, we are still fighting to get what we are still fighting to get what we are still fighting to get what you rightly deserve. that fight is 'ust what you rightly deserve. that fight isjust beginning. _ let's ta ke let's take a look at thejudi de pique. it has been a mixture of sunshine and showers for much of the country, particularly the north of the rest of the country. for much of the rest of the country. for much of the country, particularly the north of the rest of the country. further is that decorative sunshine. what tuesday and wednesday we are looking at similar conditions with a lot of

hype around, showers of rain in the north and west coast of this area of low pressure, high pressure towards the south. as we head through tonight looks like it is going to be largely dry for much of england and wales. scotland and northern ireland will see rain at times pushing into the northern and western areas. temperatures generally promote to the team. as we head into tomorrow, it looks like. showers around generally across the midlands, wales, northern england, scotland and north of paris. southern england will be largely dry with plenty of sunshine again. still warm, the mid 20s in the south, furthermore the high teens and 20s with the people crowd around. as into the part of the week to see fronts ganging up progress. the chance of showers increases on wednesday into thursday and friday. by the time each friday at a call from scanning our progress. the chance of showers increases on wednesday into thursday and friday. by the time each friday

aquifer threats spread southward, all tied in with this area of