one giant leap for mankind. ♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: nding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news".

>> this is bbc news. you are watching the context on bbc. ♪ in the last hour, the breaking news thatinead o'connor has died at the age of 56. and the boss of one of britain's biggest banks quits after admitting she was the source of an inaccurate story about nigel faraj. >> right threw two being the boss, you cannot breach confidentiality. ♪ >> welcome to the program. we are going to spend time at the top of the break talking about sinead o'connor.

and we will talk about kevin spacey, acquitted in a london court. is is he rehabilitated? the actor did cry as the not guilty verdicts were read out, but said little on his way out of court. plus andrew malcontent, who spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, why did he take so long to consider the new dna evidence? we will speak to michael mansfield about the decision to overturn rape conviction. and we will get to the fires in the greek islands, which have been spreading further. very dangerous conditions for the firefighters. let's start with the sudden news we had. sinead o'connor, best known for her number one single "nothing compares to you," she's died at the age of 56. her family said they were devastated by the loss of their beloved sinead.

david silla tell has been taking a look back at her life. ♪ ♪ >> sinead o'connor, nothing compares to you. ♪ >> her song became a huge global hit, quite often a mystery. one thing is certain, the emotion, the heartbreak. there was nothing fake here. ♪ her first hit marked her out as a performer with an edge. when a record executive had

started talking about her hair, she shaved it off. she was angry. she had a troubled upbringing and spent part of it in care. but joining a band revealed her gift. ♪ ♪ >> she had the voice and charisma to go chart friendly popstar. >> ♪ >> but saw herself as a protest singer. in an era before the truth about t the abuse of children in the catholic church had been widely accepted, her views marked her out as a troublemaker. ♪ but she had a global platform to speak her mind. and she was always going to go too far.

that moment came when she ripped up a photograph of the pope on american tv. a w years later, she declared she was mother bernadette, ordained by a breakaway catholic sect. after that, she announced she had converted to islam. her life was turbulent, but she was more than a been about her struggles and mental health. >> as my friend said to me the other day, you are not bored. -- and i'd be asking my mates, and there would be like you are just not boring. ♪ >> she continued to perform, losing custody of her son left her bereaved. he was found dead. ♪ sinead o'connor.

those were real tears. >> sinead o'connor, who has died at the age of 56, let me read you a short message that has come from the irish -- this is what he said. "rrreao cyso ohe tef arth was loved around the world. her talent unmatched beyond compare. condolences to her family, friends, and all who loved her music." we will try and bring you more reaction to the passing of sinead o'connor later in the program. for now, we are going to concentrate on kevin spacey. for more than three decades, he was one of hollywood's. annexed -- oscar for best actor

1999, extraordinary success in "house of cards," that prestigious position as artistic director of the old thick. in 2017 at the height of his fame and pinnacle of the #metoo movement, he was accused for the first time in the united states of sexual. a month later, netflix canceled his contract as other men came forward to make similar allegations. it was the shakespearean fall from grace. one by one, the majority of the cases have collapsed. all charges have been set aside. today the southern crime court in london, space he was again acquitted. he faced charges from four men that ranged from indecent assault, sexual assault, and a more serious charge of sexual act without consent that carried a potential life sentence. a jury cleared him on all nine counts. >> i imagine many of you can understand that there is a lot for me to process after what has just happened today.

but i would like to say i'm grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision. and i' humbled by the outcome today. i also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, security, and all of those who took care of us every single day. my legal team for being here every day. that is all i have to say for the moment. >> kevin spacey a little earlier . let's speak to jamie east, a tv critic and podcast presenter who was once a fan of house of cards. thank you for being on the

program. the shortest of statements, but i think you could hear the relief and impact it has had on him. >> yeah -- a lot of people were quite surprised, but he's been found not guilty. i guess he's got to pick up the pieces now. that will be the tricky thing. >> indeed. he did not make much comment. he did not make any comments about what comes next. do you think -- when you speak to people in the industry, that the acquittal means he could be rehabilitated? does he have people in the industry who have spoken out for him and given him a second chance? >> it is a tough one, really. my personal feeling is nothing is stopping him. there have been plenty of examples of actors, musicians, various celebrities that have -- seem to have fallen afoul of the law have been found innocent. johnny depp happened.

-- as many films as anybody will let him, is the crucial point. ezra miller. a lot has to do with the studios who let him star in films, it is whether or not the fans will return to watching it. he's one of the greatest actors of all time. there is no denying that. but sometimes i think people struggle to separate the art from the artist. >> it is possible in a case like this, he's an innocent man, cleared of all charges, to separate the art we remember kevin spacey for from the man himself, from the artist. >> 100%. i think there is an elemen of being tarnished, regardless of the outcome of the verdict.

there are plenty of innocent people that have been found innocent that have been in the public eye that have not been able to resurrect their career, despite having done nothing wrong. that is pretty sad, it is tough. i suspect kevin spacey might struggle a bit, regardless of how many chances the studios get. the public, i think they struggle with it. >> is it because of the weight of the allegations? the number of allegations? not just in the u.k., but also allegations he faced in the u.s. some of them set aside because of the statute of limitations of they never came to court. some of them -- is it that? the huge import of the allegations that he faced, which in the end most studios will think we don't need to go near that, there are other options? >> the studios may look and go

we have done fine without him all these years since he was dropped from house of cards and all the money in the world famously had to step in and completely recast his part. studios may probably go we are doing , is it worth the risk? they will evaluate. maybe he will try and do low-key stuff, get back to the stage and see how that pans out, and dip his toe in the water. i don't think it is necessarily the nature of the allegations or the case brought against him. armie hammer is another actor that will probably never star in a movie again, despite never being convicted or taken to court. louis ck. chrissy teigen.

the model has been canceled. kanye west is probably the biggest example. i think music is slightly different. people only listen to music in secret. there are a lot of people listening to his music who probably would not go to watch a concert or watch him live. it is tricky. i think the public are a lot less forgiving than the business. >> thank you very much for your thoughts. he is an innocent man acquitted of all charges. they were brought by 4 men. we are going to return to our top story. we are getting reaction to the sad news of the death of sinead o'connor. i'm joined by the irish writer sinead gleason. she met sinead o'connor and wrote about her as a musician and activist. can we start by concentrating on the music before we talk about the person?

how good was she as a musician? >> she was incredible. very unique. she came out of nowhere and started very young. the musical landscape of ireland in the 1980's and 1990's was naily. a lot of band -- people on top of the pops or play listed on radio. she was there on her own. not only a female artist in a male dominated field, she looked the way she did and sounded the way she did, she was completely unique. she did not care what people thought, she had a lot of things to say musically but also politically. i think a lot of people were not expecting this tiny, small beautiful woman to be speaking about the things she was speaking about, to sound like she did. the fact she used a very politically and persuasively makes it even more important to

me. i did not know anybody called sinead growing up, the name i was given. then she appeared. she changed everything on multiple levels. >> she was a striking presence on stage. it was a shock factor that accompanied the music. i think in some ways it brought us notoriety. >> we know a lot of stories, plus about the way the women are treated in the music industry. i think early on she decided i don't want to cow -- i want to taken seriously. this is another thing in the industry, a lot of women were given songs where they were not producing their own music, she was doing both early on. she was 20, played guitar, produced, road, she was doing that from the start. she basically was i'm going to own this. i'm not going to be some a and

art record company's guy version of what i'm going to be. another way of going i'm not going to be a pop princess. i think that marks her career. she did not want to do what she was told. even at a great cost, -- >> she wasn't ever very far from tragedy. even from a young age. she talked about the mental health issues she suffered as a young child. in the recent tragedy, talk to us about it now. the sad death of her son, just 17 years old. >> she has four children, i have seen her daughter sing with her. shane died early last year, at 17. and i think he'd had his own struggles and ended his life in

a sad way. i think it was catastrophic for sinead. she was public about her grief, her anger at care home systems in ireland and the hospital in particular. public as she always had been in her life, wanting to speak at -- speak about something, and she did at the injustice of her own son. she spoke out about it. i cannot imagine the last year and a half, she has been quite quiet and low-key. this is the big problem, the big loss we are going to face, only 56, making music heading on for 40 years. now that we are not going to hear any new music, we will not see what would happen next with a remarkable and unique singer. >> i don't think anyone gets over the death of their own child. can we talk about singers and religion. she had a conflict -- she recently converted to islam. did she ever talk about that? >> ihink if you are a woman

who grows up an island in the 80's and 90's, there's a lot of problems with the catholic church. not just that decade, but historically with mother and baby homes, all subjects she dealt with in her work, lack of abortion rights, there was no marriage equality, we did not have divorce until the 1990's. she spoke about all of these. particularly people in the church, which is why she railed against them. the context is really important. it was not easy to say the things she said. i think it cost her dearly when she tore up the picture of the pope. it derailed her american career for a long time. she got a lot of criticism. she never stopped speaking. it made her more determined. we've had various reports of clerical abuse in ireland. she was speaking about it when no one was talking about it. and i think she related some of

her own experience. we have this incredible voice, the music, also somebody who is very much an activist who spoke for people who did not have a voice. >> not many artists draw a statement from the prime minister. you can feel the extent of the loss from the statement we got this evening. she is a loss to the music world. i get the sense she is an iconic figure in life. >> she's a huge figure. i'm quite devastated. we owe her a great debt. but for all of the conversations she started that were so important in ireland. i was doing it from such a young age. 56 is no age to leave this world. i feel grateful to her.

there's a lot of sadnessi can feel it. everyone seems to be talking. i think everyone feels -- it is too soon, and we won't have that. my huge sympathies and condolences to her family d her children. >> the three children she leaves behind. thank you for sharing your thoughts. thank you very much. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. a quick look at some of the other stories at the headlines in u.k.. doctors have announced a further four day strike after their long-running pay dispute. friday the 11th of august until the morning on tuesday, the 15th. the british medical association has new talks with ministers. rishi sunak has been giving evidence today the public inquiry to the infected blood scandal. about 3000 people died after

being given blood contaminated with hiv on hepatitis in the 1970's. when questioned about the compensation scheme, the government would wait until the conclusion of them hanging out. ticket offices at stations across england, the consultation period had been due to end. the staff would be able to serve customs better if they are on station concourses. you are watching bbc news. it was not widely known banks occasionally close the accounts of some of their customers. nor perhaps is common knowledge politicians have been refused on the grounds they are politically exposed. therefore in the eyes of the bank are at greater risk from bribery, corruption, and money

laundering. the bosses of the u.k. banks were summoned by the treasury to explain what changes would be made to enhance transparency around the decisions they are making. absent from that meeting was this one. dan allison rose, who was the ceo. eshe was the source for a story that nigel faraj's account, owned by natwest, had been terminated because he no longer met the bank's financial requirements. it later emerged he had compiled a rather hostile dossier and that was at least in part the reason for him being shown the door. he said he welcomed dame alison's resignation. >> let's be clear, the first rule of banking is client confidentiality. over a dinner with simon jack, she clearly said some things that were not very wise. the bbc absolutely belt and braces on this, confirmed by the

ceo of bbc news, they then rang her up the next morning and said are you ok with this information being public -- published? she said yes, simon jack put it out. you cannot be at banking in any level, whether a cashier, threw two being the boss of that bank, you cannot breach confidentiality. >> you would not expect the labor leader to agree with nigel faraj on much, but they are squarely aligned. saying banks should never refuse a pson's accounts because of the political views they hold. >> i certainly don't think anybody should be refused services because of their political views. whoever they are. i don't know the extent of this. that certainly should not be the case. let save in extreme circumstances -- as a broad principle, nobody should be refused because of

their political views. >> too much power when it comes to individual people. >> i'm surprised to hear the stories of banks. i don't know if we got to the bottom of this. that shouldn't happen and should not be a reason for refusing services. >> let's speak to the british adventurer, who found herself at the bank. tell us about that. >> happened two months ago, a month and a half ago. i just got a letter out of the blue saying we are planning to close your accounts down. they gave me no chance to appeal. i said give me the reasons, i am a single parent, my bank account is the sole source to provide for my three children. they said "we do not think we have to give a reason." that is the end. i begged and said this is a human thing, be rational and

tell me what i have done. they refused to engage or answer my messages. then i went and did a subject access request to world check, which is the biggest data company. and they said i was a politically exposed person. and they said we will delete it. i went back and said you made the assumption i was a pep on full premises. they said we never assume you are a pep, but we are not going to tell you why we close your accounts. >> -- additional risk to the bank if you might be -- >> they said they did not consider me a politically exposed person but would not tell me why they closed my accounts down. i'm just a smalltime businesswoman. i have three children, i'm a single parent. nothing controversial, i'm

working hard to provide for three children. it is impossible to exist without a bank account. i have been a good customer, i paid interest. if i treated one of my clients like that, i would have no job. i don't understand. i've submitted a subject access request to them. they've gone over the legal threshd of one month. but i cannot believe the arrogance and the irony that allison rose claims to champion women, but also she wants to do is persecute. >> we willo to a short break. thank you very much. we will come back on the other side of the break and talk about what the banks could do and whether transparency should be. there are more than just nigel faraj. across politics and public life. do stay with us. we will be back after the break.

narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by.. narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news".