colletta smith, bbc news and nottinghamshire., have been under british control for 50 years — but now mauritius, which used to have jurisdiction of them, is trying to claim them back. it has — for the first time — sent a boat to the islands and raised the mauritian flag. the united nations says britain must hand the archipelago back to mauritius — but the uk refuses to do so while america uses one of the islands for a military base. when britain took over the chagos islands, it expelled the local population of around 2,000 people. now, some of those who've been in exile for decades have returned for a visit to their former home, along with a group of scientists on a research trip. our africa correspondent andrew harding joined them, and is the firstjournalist to broadcast from the chagos islands. 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 brita

colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester.ve been in their own homes or living in residential care. the lockdowns were put in place to make sure vulnerable people were safe, but in doing that it has also caused many elderly people to see their mental health decline at a faster rate than it would have prepandemic. animatronic pets and pet therapy is being seen as a way of improving cognitive decline, lifting spirits. joining me now is ted fischer, ceo of ageless innovation llc. looks like you have got a little friend with you. can you introduce me to that pet? i have too have him turned off because if he is the show show completely. this is one of our pups completely. this is one of our pups that is part of a joyful companion pet line. i pups that is part of a “oyful companion pet lineh companion pet line. i was talkin: companion pet line. iwas talking to _ companion pet line. iwas talking to my _ companion pet line. iwas talking to my producer i companion pet line. i was i talking to my producer about how this works. i have a

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith.land suggest people have voted to tighten tobacco laws in a national referendum. many people voted in advance by post. the proposals — if passed — would include a ban on advertisements where young people might see them. 0ur correspondent, imogen foulkes is in bern. we canjoin we can join her we canjoin her now. what are we can join her now. what are the result showing so far? what we can join her now. what are the result showing so far?— result showing so far? what the results are _ result showing so far? what the results are showing _ result showing so far? what the results are showing is _ result showing so far? what the results are showing is that - result showing so far? what the results are showing is that it. result showing so far? what the i results are showing is that it looks like a majority of the popular vote will back this band, and a majority of the swiss cantons. it is a double lot, needs both to come into law. it looks like that is happening, and that will effectively be

colletta smith, bbc news. from munich. that is where world leaders have been gathering to talk about the growing threat of a russian invasion. what is the mood of there? how worried are they, and do they think, likejoe biden seems to think, likejoe biden seems to think, it is going to happen, it is pretty imminent? the mood even in the last 24 hours _ pretty imminent? the mood even in the last 24 hours has _ pretty imminent? the mood even in the last 24 hours has darkened here in munich while yesterday they were talking about diplomacy, today they are still talking about diplomacy, but a sense of that time is running out. and yet it is only president biden who is saying in public that he is convinced president putin has made a decision, that there will be an attack on ukraine in the next few days. a borisjohnson, when he spoke, seemed to leave open the possibility that president putin could pull back from the spring, but of course they are still talking. you might be able to see behind me, the foreign secretar

colletta smith, bbc news.ics in beijing. the men's curling team took silver, coming second to sweden in the final. it comes on the last but one day of the games. laura scott reports. bittersweet smiles, knowing only too well what could have been if sweden hadn't been on fire on the ice. this had been billed as a clash of curling's titans. 0nto that one, onto the other one... oh, and he's done it. but anything britain could do, sweden could do better. he's done well, very well. splitting these familiar rivals was, at points, too close to call. time to bring in the curling compass. a shot for great britain. it was close. but whether in the smash—up job... it's like the demolition derby when he comes to play. ..or the cagey game of chess, the swedes just had the edge. bruce... after nearly three hours of tactics and tension... it's got to hit that red. ..the red stone in the house brought the gold medal home for sweden. sweden have won the gold medal. heartbreak for the british team after the narrowest of defeats

colletta smith, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the day's other news.orrow. the rules currently in place include the wearing of face coverings in public places, and covid certification passes for entry to nightclubs and large indoor events. a sex offender branded a "menace to females" has gone on the run after fleeing from an open prison. paul robson was given a life sentence in 2000. he was reported missing from north sea camp prison in lincolnshire yesterday. the government is proposing to cap the costs faced by leaseholders who own flats with flammable cladding. no leaseholder would have to pay more than £15,000 in london, and £10,000 pounds elsewhere in england, towards fixing any fire safety defects. the 15—year—old russian figure skater whose performances have wowed judges at the winter olympics will be able to continue competing despite a failed drugs test. kamila valieva helped secure a gold in the team event last week and is a favourite in the upcoming singles competition. but the medals she wins won't be awarded until further investigations an

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith. full severity of the law after a man accused of blasphemy was beaten to death. the man was killed on saturday after accusations of desecrating the islamic holy book quran. it comes two months after another incident in which a sri lankan man accused of blasphemy was killed in pakistan, sparking protests. 0ur south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan, told me more about the latest incident. there were hundreds of people, according to local media reports, in the district, and there was an announcement that one particular individual that desecrated the holy koran, he set fire to some pages, that was the accusation, and his family said that he was having mental health issues, and despite, he was pleading innocence, this group was trying to target, and the local police arrived and they were trying to arrest, because desecrating the koran or any insult to islam is a crime in pakistan, so they arrested him, and because the crowd was really calling for his release and they wanted to take away, an

colletta smith, bbc news.nnecting with people. simon nellist, who was 35, died in the attack on wednesday off little bay — the first fatal attack in sydney for nearly 60 years. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear. hello there. it's a case of sunny spells or heavy rain to look out for on sunday and the winds are going to be a feature once again. plenty of isobars on the chart, as you can see, and a series of weather fronts pushing in off the atlantic. so to begin with on saturday, the rain should be fairly light and patchy across england and wales, but we're expecting some heavier bursts to move into northern ireland, gradually drifting their way into northern england and north wales. and all that is going to spread its way eastwards through the afternoon. for scotland and northern ireland, it's a case of sunny spells and squally showers, driven along by some pretty gusty winds once again. inland, 40—50 mph quite widely. on exposed coasts, we could see in excess of 60 mph once again. but it

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith.after a doctor from the west midlands was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. the sunday times reports that staffordshire police are working with the nhs on a major incident review of the doctor's work at hospitals across the midlands. the force says the 34—year—old man was arrested in december and released on bail. it's the biggest day of the year for american football fans — super bowl 56 — or lvi as it styles itself in roman numerals — will take place in los angeles in just a few hours' time. with a crowd of more than 70,000 in the stadium and hundreds of millions watching around the world, the adverts and the famous half—time show are almost as important as the game itself. sophie long reports from la. the first super bowl was played in los angeles in 1967. now football's coming home — to a brand—new stadium which just happens to be the most expensive sporting venue on the planet. a spectacular backdrop for the grand finale of this quintessential american sport. it's unbelieva

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith. the headlines on bbc news...ond "swiftly and decisively" if russia invades the country. 13 people are injured after a mezzanine floor collapses at a pub in east london. and people in switzerland have voted in favour of tightening the country's tobacco laws by banning virtually all advertising of tobacco products. more now on the news that the us president, joe biden, and his ukrainian counterpart volodymyr zelensky, have agreed on the need to pursue what they called "diplomacy and deterrence" in response to russia's military build—up. i've been speaking to 0lga 0lnuch, associate professor in politics at university of manchester, and associate of the harvard ukrainian research institute. it's very welcome that ukraine's allies are supporting it in this crisis, but certainly this is the time now for not only laying out the extremely serious sanctions that will be going ahead, but also potentially starting to act on some of these actions already. so, there is a question whether it should be nord stream ii on the tab

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith.ultural problems" and have a "robust plan" to deal with them. dame cressida dick resigned from the role on thursday after mr khan made clear he no longer had confidence in her. the shadow home secretary yvette cooper told the bbc that reforms were needed across the uk police service, notjust in the metropolitan force it's it�*s worth stressing this is not about one individual or one police force solving this, you have seen billy scott and other forces as well, there is a real perfect song facing policing right now and it is a serious one. you have a situation where crime is going up prosecutions are going down, confidence is falling and there is a legacy of damaging cup and also these individual toxic cases around the culture and the need to be a proper serious programme of reform for policing and i strongly believe in the british policing model policing by consent and i think that is something we should be proud of. we should stand up for it. the home secretary has been silent on poli

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith.disruption at the beijing winter olympics but the men's giant slalom did go ahead, marking the appearance of one of the games' more unlikely competitors. andy swiss reports from beijing. commentator: oh, and he's out! it was a day when just staying upright deserved a gold medal. amid appalling conditions, nearly half the giant slalom field didn't even make it down. of those that did, switzerland's marco 0dermatt managed it the fastest to take victory. for the olympic title, and 0dermatt has it for 2022! but it was the man who did it the slowest that shared the limelight. benjamin alexander is a former dj who only started skiing when he was 32. now jamaica's first—ever alpine skier, he finished over a minute behind the winner, but his place in olympic folklore was guaranteed. it was the hardest race course that i have ever been on. my back is aching. my legs are aching. i had some treatment with the physio in the break in the middle. still not enough. i need a hot bath and maybe half a

colletta smith, bbc news.or the poorest households. our business editor, simonjack, is with me. what more do we know? well, the energy bosses have told me that they had been largely kept in the dark about the government plans to mitigate this massive price rise. reports that they are going to cut £200 of everyone �*s bill price cap rise they describe as credible and likely. it would work this way, the government would lend billions of pounds to energy companies, that would pass immediately through to everyone's energy bills at a cost of five to £6 billion and that money would be repaid over the next three, five, longer. in the end, consumers will foot the bills for this. the problem is energy bosses say £200 won't matter much to some but the other £500 rise will cripple millions of households. there has to be another bit which is expanding or increasing some other discounts for the neediest households. remember, citizens advice just today said that they have had record numbers of inquiries about energy debt an

software made it look as though money was missing from tills. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith. it is not easy to explain what happened at the worst moments of your life. each victim has shared memories they will never forget, for treatment many feel they can never forgive. this inquiry will last a year or more, with a0 people sharing their stories these first two weeks, their evidence covering all corners of england and wales, from devon, to derbyshire, the heart of london, the home counties and the yorkshire moorlands. the inquiry is then moving to cardiff, then leeds, with plans afoot to hear evidence in scotland and northern ireland, too. for every witness, the financial cost has been huge, with many losing everything. when i went to the doctor, i was diagnosed with depression because i had just felt worthless. i felt absolute... i've got a wife and children at home — i could not provide for them. when they had gone to bed or gone to school, ijust... i did not know what was going to happen, i did not know what i was going to do, i did not know how we were going to keep the

harjinder butoy ending that report there by colletta smith.ry was always expected against italy, but after last weekend's defeat to scotland the performance was just as important as the 33 unanswered points they scored in rome. nesta mcgregor reports. if england were out of tune last week, then italy are often the perfect opponents to get you back on song. the olympic stadium in rome pitch perfect to conduct a masterpiece. a breakthrough didn't take long. marcus smith opening the scoring. the fly—half is dubbed as one for the future but not a bad present as he turns 23 tomorrow. as expected, england produced a dominant first half, two more tries from their number two jamie george made it convincing at the break. the performance of eddiejones's group must have been music to his ears. england would put more points on the board but the second half was always going to be about ben youngs. a men's record 114th cap, the joint most alongside world cup winning p"°p most alongside world cup winning propjason leonard. hardly a classic but a performance

our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith, is in central london where the inquiry is takingrom the acquired —— the inquiry? tt is wrongly accused want from the acquired -- the inquiry? it is an easy question — acquired -- the inquiry? it is an easy question to _ acquired -- the inquiry? it is an easy question to answer, - acquired -- the inquiry? it is an easy question to answer, and i acquired -- the inquiry? it is an i easy question to answer, and that acquired -- the inquiry? it is an - easy question to answer, and that is accountability, because no one has yet been held to account for what has happened to those individuals, from within the post office, fujitsu, who sold the software to the post office, or indeed the government as a whole. we have heard at the inquiry that this is not going to be a dry inquiry into what they describe as an it project gone wrong, because as you have been hearing, as we have covered so often on bbc news, this is a story about people and the impact it has had on their lives. budget set fee has been their lives. budget set fee has been the fi

colletta smith, bbc news. from the office for national statistics that's a small rise on the week before. the number of people testing positive in england and scotland remained unchanged. but it rose in wales and northern ireland. the latest daily figures show 88,085 new cases recorded in the latest 2a hour period. on average, 89,148 new cases were reported per day in the last week. the number of people in hospital with covid has fallen to 15,233 the lowest for a month and the number on ventilators is at its lowest since july last year. a big rise in the number of deaths reported though 534 deaths in the latest 2a hour period that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test though there will be some amongst this number who won't have died from covid. on average in the past week, 258 deaths were announced every day. 0n vaccinations, more than 37.3 million have now had a boosterjab, which means 65% % of people aged 12 and over, have now had three vaccine doses. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, explains wh

colletta smith, bbc news. let's speak to our chief politcal correspondent adam fleming. david chandler through any guilt over it staying higherfor chandler through any guilt over it staying higher for longer as that money is clawed back,. for certain council tax bands. the idea being money, but we will get a whole load more detail in a couple of hours' time. the whole load more detail in a couple of hours' time.— whole load more detail in a couple of hours' time. the council tax, the councils are — of hours' time. the council tax, the councils are not _ of hours' time. the council tax, the councils are not getting _ of hours' time. the council tax, the councils are not getting the - of hours' time. the council tax, the councils are not getting the usual l councils are not getting the usual amount they would expect. you could say money is potentially being shuffled around here and it all has to be paid back somewhere. it is perhaps putting some tough decisions. perhaps putting some tough decisions-— perhaps putting some tough decisions. , , ., . ., decisions. presumably a

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more details. in 2016, he still had a conviction for a crime he did not commit. after years of fighting the post office on his behalf, that conviction was quashed last year. and now karen wants answers. who knew? i can't believe alarms weren't going off between the bottom, the investigators, the auditors and the top, the board? who signed all of these prosecutions off? did nobody ever say, "this isn't right?" when i spoke to karen last year, she told me the impact it had had on both their lives. i said to him about a week before he passed away, "what were you thinking about?" he just shrugged his shoulders. how do you die knowing you've done nothing wrong? he knew... he knew. ..and you knew that he'd done nothing wrong? i said to him, "everybody else knows," but he didn't have the chance to go to court and that like i did. to see that awesome judge say, "your husband was right." this used to bejulian's post office in worcestershire. like thousands of others right across the country, the weekly acco

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more. it's a big day for the sethi family. we have got an opportunity to put a case for the first time. they are hoping forjustice at last. i want accountability, so i want someone to say, yes, something happened, we know it was wrong, these are the people that should be facing justice, like my father said. after 20 years of running post office branches, new software being rolled out across the country started showing mysterious holes in their accounts. the post office blamed them, like thousands of other sub—postmasters, closing the branch. the sethis lost their business and their livelihood. in the 40 or 50 years we have run the post office, what have we got to show? nothing. and we couldn't even get our children married. we couldn't look after them. we couldn't do anything for them. i feel a failure myself. but today, for the first time, someone in authority is listening to what happened to them. the people who did this, they should be investigated. not a single person has been brought to a charge, still today. they have go

crisis between ukraine and russia increasing the price of oil. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smitheeing some immediate impacts with petrol prices around the £1.5 mark. we have already of course seen that big increase in energy prices, because of global gas rises ore the last six or eight months. this impact of what is happening in ukraine and russia will push that price up further. and that means that when there is another increase in the price cap that we will see in september, that is likely to go up again, we are sure that will go up again and of course that will hit households hard. the bank of england bosses have been speaking to mps today and they think that what is happening globally will hopefully be a temporary situation, but they're worried the increase in prices that we are seeing in all our household goods may get baked into the system if we are not careful.— and the latest details on the crisis are being reported on the bbc news website every minute, every hour. just go to bbc.co.uk/news — where you'll get the developments as they happen as well, as on the bbc news cha

colletta smith has been following the story.lic inquiry some of the consequences he is still living with. i've been applying forjobs ever since i left prison. with no luck. moving on to personal impact, what has been a psychological impact on you, do you think, of all this experience? everything hasjust fallen apart for me. i've got no confidence in myself any more. like so many branch managers, he had always had problems with the post office's accounting software. it was frequently wrong. £100 out here, £200 there. harjinder told me he had raised concerns, but nothing had ever been resolved. until one day, he was arrested and charged with theft of £208,000 and taken to the crown court. it was in my head that the jury would be on my side and i was going to get cleared. because i'm telling the truth, you know. and i thought, i'll be all right, i know how the jury system works, and all that. i've never been in trouble on that side. because he continued to plead not guilty, he was given what is thought to be the longest sentence of

charities and community groups which are stepping in to help, as our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smithand her two teenage girls. the bath tap has not been working for months but she couldn't afford to get it fixed. now it's not going to cost her a penny. it's a life—saver, an absolute life—saver. it's a life-saver, an absolute life-saver.— it's a life-saver, an absolute life-saver. f , , , life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free — life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free or _ life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free or at _ life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free or at cost _ life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free or at cost for _ life-saver. james' plumbing company works for free or at cost for people i works for free or at cost for people living on benefits or low incomes. it's now getting to a stage where charities— it's now getting to a stage where charities like myself are the ones keeping — charities like myself are the ones keeping the country running, that are the _ keeping the country running, that are the backbone of the c

consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports.think that's that's going to be an option, . unfortunately. the price cap was designed to stop customers getting ripped off, but it can be changed twice a year. the regulator said it's had to put up the cap to allow suppliers to cover the huge prices they're paying for gas. in october, it went up by £135, bringing an average bill to £1,277. but that's small fry compared to what we're expecting today. some analysts are predicting a 50% increase, bringing that average bill up to £1,915, which works out at around £160 a month. and it may go up again in october. there's still a lot of volatility in the wholesale market, with the wholesale price of energy being the main reason for these increases. the forecast that we have for the default tariff cut for 2022—23 — so this time next year — that's actually rising further to well in excess of £2,000 a year, at this point in time. those with the least money spend a much bigger proportion of their income on energy, so they're going to be hit the

our correspondent colletta smith reports.his whole family through these years. and what is almost more unbelievable and why this story is beginning to feel familiar is that he is not alone. 706 former post office managers were convicted for crimes they did not commit. slowly those convictions are being overturned — 72 so far. but thousands more post office staff lost huge sums of money. so it is the government who are stepping in and footing the bill for compensation. the accounting problems were down to a faulty it system called horizon. this public inquiry, which will run for over a year, is supposed to get to the bottom of when it became clear the computer software was at fault, who knew within the post office, and why they carried on prosecuting their own staff. the post office says it is sincerely sorry for the scandal and hopes the inquiry will ensure this never happens again. but harjinder, like so many other victims, wants today's inquiry to begin to hold people to account. i want people on the other side to be charge

colletta smith, bbc news, manchester.roportion of their net income. it also confirmed plans to expand eligibility for the warm home discount by almost a third, which will benefit thousands of pre—payment energy customers across the country. that's what the government told us. if you are on a low income, and think you might qualify, the advice is to talk to your energy provider. they are legally obliged to advise you on that. and if you are on a prepayment metre and you just don't have the money to top up, they are obliged to offer an emergency credit scheme and then a realistic and sustainable prepayment plan for paying it back. but overall, the criticism is, why is every household getting this £200 loan instead of targeting at households likejenny�*s you need at the most? people literally having to think about turning off gas and electricity. nobody can turn off your gas and electricity without offering a long—term solution that is manageable for both. over the course of the pandemic, ambulance services across the uk fac

our business correspondent, colletta smith, has been asking families whose lives were ruined by the scandal. harjinder butoy ran a post office with his wife barvinder in nottingham for five years. and then, out of the blue, he was arrested and charged with stealing £208,000. i can still hear it to this day, that cell door slamming behind me. it's very, very hard, when you know you've not done anything. it's not like i got three years, it's like i got a 14—yearjail sentence, because i still was trying to clear my name. harjinder had three children under ten. and his sentence is thought to be the longest of anyone involved in this scandal, because he stuck to his not guilty plea. it's so heartbreaking to hear harj�*s story and the impact it's had on his whole family through these years. and what is almost more unbelievable, and why his story is beginning to feel familiar, is that he isn't alone. 706 former post office managers were convicted for crimes they didn't commit. slowly, those convictions are being overturned. 72 so far, but thousands more post office staff lost huge sums of money, s

colletta smith, bbc news.se the pressure. 0ur chief politcal correspondent adam fleming told us more about the help the uk government could give to people. because regulation like them meant in those loan repayments. we could see an extension of existing schemes like the warm homes discount where people on certain benefits get £140 every winter to help with their bills. was going up to £150 next with any weight. does that get expanded in the value of it and in the number of people who can receive it? attend council tax the eye if you give people money off their council tax want to spend on their council tax want to spend on the energy bills. all of that is guesswork at the moment but we will get lots more detail in a couple of hours�* time. get lots more detail in a couple of ham" time-— hours' time. exams of the council tax, the councils _ hours' time. exams of the council tax, the councils are _ hours' time. exams of the council tax, the councils are not - hours' time. exams of the council tax, the councils

our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith has more. it's a big day for the sethi family.stice at last. i want accountability, so i want someone to say, yes, something happened, we know it was wrong, these are the people that should be facing justice, like my father said. after 20 years of running post office branches, new software being rolled out across the country started showing mysterious holes in their accounts. the post office blamed them, like thousands of other sub—postmasters, closing the branch. the sethis lost their business and their livelihood. in the 40 or 50 years we have run the post office, what have we got to show? nothing. and we couldn't even get our children married. we couldn't look after them. we couldn't do anything for them. i feel a failure myself. but today, for the first time, someone in authority is listening to what happened to them. it's the job of this public inquiry to find out here in the post office made the decisions that ruined their lives. the people who did this, they should be investigated. not a single person has been brought to a

but some say it's not targeted at those who need it most, as colletta smith has been finding out.ack on two feet. but being a prepayment customer means she is charged the highest rate energy. where £10 could have lasted you three or four days, two weeks later, it can last you two days. so it is difficult to budget because you are like, hang on, i thought i had £15 on there, now i've just checked and i've only got £7 left, there should be this. and you are watching the balance go down and you think, there is nothing i can do. when that goes, there is no electricity, there is no gas. the regulator says it understands it is very difficult for prepayment customers, but they have to let companies charge more because it costs more to run a prepayment system. the government have announced extra money to soften the latest price cap rise, but the boss of the biggest dedicated prepayment company says it is not the right kind of support to help his customers. the measures that they have announced in total is probably about right, it is just not targeted enough. it needs to be targeted on the

colletta smith, bbc news.it is tight, it is tense. gb are in _ day we get a gold. it is tight, it is tense. gb are in the - day we get a gold. it is tight, it is tense. gb are in the final, i day we get a gold. it is tight, it i is tense. gb are in the final, going for gold in the carling, the men are up against sweden, it is a 3—2 to sweden, but in curling you can score three points and it can change very quickly, so they can suddenly find themselves up if they get the stones right so it is all to play for. so 'ust right so it is all to play for. so just over _ right so it is all to play for. so just over halfway through? right so it is all to play for. so i just over halfway through? yes, right so it is all to play for. so - just over halfway through? yes, very tense indeed- _ from the winter olympics to last year's summer olympics, where there's been disappointing news. the men's four by 100 metres relay team have been stripped of their silver medal. it's after cj ujah, who ran the first leg of the race, wa

0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith gave this update.es around the £1.50 mark. we have already of course seen that big increase in energy prices, because of global gas rises over the last six or eight months. this impact of what is happening in ukraine and russia will push that price up further. and that means that when there is another increase in the price cap which we will see in september, that is likely to go up again, we are sure that will go up again, and of course that will hit households hard. the bank of england bosses have been speaking to mps today and they think that what is happening globally will hopefully be a temporary situation, but they're worried the increase in prices that we are seeing in all our household goods may get baked into the system if we are not careful. let's look at some other news. it's one of the biggest scandals in the history of the nhs. many babies died, while others were left with life—changing injuries following repeated failures in maternity care at hospitals in shropshire over the last two decad

colletta smith has been following the story. ever since i left prison. with no luck. moving on to personal impact, what has been the psychological impact on you, do you think, of all this experience? everything hasjust fallen apart for me. i've got no confidence in myself any more. like so many branch managers, he had always had problems with the post office's accounting software. it was frequently wrong. £100 out here, £200 there. harjinder told me he had raised concerns, but nothing had ever been resolved. until one day, he was arrested and charged with theft of £208,000 and taken to the crown court. it was in my head that the jury would be on my side and i was going to get cleared. because i'm telling the truth, you know. and i thought, i'll be all right, i know how the jury system works, and all that. i've never been in trouble on that side. because he continued to plead not guilty, he was given what is thought to be the longest sentence of anyone wrongly blamed in this scandal — three years and three months. his wife balbin