i think there is widespread concern about the decision to give mr worboys, a convicted rapist, paroleof clarity about how this decision has come to light and, most crucially, some worrying questions about what role and what listening has been done to the victims of mr worboys's crime. it is very clear in the parole guidelines that victims should be heard and the impact of any parole on victims should be taken as part of the consideration into whether to give somebody parole so we are into whether to give somebody parole so we are calling on the secretary of state to investigate whether or not that has happened and live up to his own words about the importance of victims being heard in the justice process because it's not clear at the moment that that has happened. given the nature of what worboys sitcom is your suspicion then that victims either were not spoken to or not listen to, is that fundamental starting point? there has been some very worrying comment in public already by a number of the victims about the lack of information. that is what we want the secretary of state is to in

the enquiry is in its early stages and they haven't, as yet, arrested mr worboys or interviewed him.nificant because there is growing u nrest significant because there is growing unrest about his impending release. if that investigation moved swiftly and effectively and potentially lead toa criminal and effectively and potentially lead to a criminal charge, it is impossible to see really high mr worboys could then be left out pending any future criminal proceedings or trial. 0bviously pending any future criminal proceedings or trial. obviously this isa proceedings or trial. obviously this is a very early stages and it may amount to nothing, but it is clearly amount to nothing, but it is clearly a significant development. police in west yorkshire have confirmed a body discovered in a river yesterday is that of missing ursula keogh. the 11—year—old was last seen on monday afternoon dressed in her school uniform. in a statement, police said they are working to establish the "full circumstances" surrounding the death, but earlier said the disappearance was not thought to be suspicious. u

speaker, many women, both the victims and others more widely, will be every anxious indeed about mr worboysnt legal restrictions on the parole board mean that we do not know why this decision was taken. some of the victims still have heard nothing from the victims liaison officer. they still don't know what the parole board terms are, and whether this man may end up living near them. given that the tariff is a minimum, why does the sole test applied by the parole board appear to be simply whether the criminal still poses a risk to others? what has happened to the concept that the punishment should fit the crime? in his review, is he going to look explicitly not at what transparency there was about how decisions were being made, but how victims' voices were actually being heard as part of that process? since the privatisation of probation in the west midlands, there is one victims' officer for an area with three million people in it. so, in this review, can i ask the very welcome newjustice secretary to look at what was taken away and potentially why an e—mail to a victim isn't enough when a

many women, both the victims and others more widely, will be very anxious indeed about mr worboys beingnt legal restrictions on the parole board mean that we do not know why this decision was taken. some of the victims still have heard nothing from victims‘ liaison officers, still don't know what the parole board terms are and whether this man may end up living near them. given that he had their addresses, will he urgently ensure that all of the victims are contacted by liaison officers before this man is released, and given that some of them also had no opportunity to put statements to the parole board, is he confident that due process has been followed in this decision? there will be cases where people do not want to be informed, there will be cases where people want to receive a great deal of detail. we need to have a system that is sensitive to what victims want. given that the tariff is a minimum, why does the sole test applied by the parole board appear to be simply whether the criminal still poses a risk to others? what's happened to the concept that the punishment should fit the

we can speak to our home affairs correspondent danny shaw now regarding mr worboys.term underan given an eight year minimum term under an indeterminate sentence, known as an ipp. he served around ten years. a couple of years over the minimum and he will be released this month. eyebrows have been raised at what seems to be a relatively early release for a crime of this magnitude? it's not early in the strictest sense because he has served beyond his minimum term. certainly, the gravity and the scale of the offending i think it has raised some concern and some surprise that he is going to be let out. the decision was made by the independent parole board, they considered the case last november. three members of the parole board came to the decision he should be let out. he will be subject to licence conditions. can't approach his victims and report every week to probation staff. physical he breaches the terms of his licence he can be returned to prison. it raises questions about the decisions being made by the parole board in terms of ipp sentences. they are under press

following the controversial decision by a parole board to release the serial sex attacker, john worboys, from prison. mr remained independent, but he wants to consider how to allow greater openness about the decision—making process. he added that arrangements should be made to ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case. mr lidington said he had spoken to the victims' commissioner, baroness newlove, and the chair of the parole board, nick hardwick. victims groups will be also be consulted. at least 18 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured — including civilians — in an explosion in syria's northwestern city of idlib. the syrian 0bservatory for human rights said the explosion targeted the headquarters of a minor rebel faction in the city. the syrian army has been advancing on the region, which is the largest remaining rebel—held area in the north of the country. police in sweden have said that an explosion outside an underground station — that killed a 60—year—old man — was most likely caused by a hand grenade. the incident happened at the varby gar

following the controversial decision by a parole board to release the serial sex attacker, john worboys, from prison. mr but he wants to consider how to allow greater openness about the decision—making process. he added that arrangements should be made to ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case. mr lidington said he had spoken to the victims‘ commissioner, baroness newlove, and the chair of the parole board, nick hardwick. victims‘ groups will be also be consulted. the german chancellor, angela merkel, says she's optimistic she'll be able to form a new coalition government, but admits there is still a lot of work ahead. she's entering a new round of talks in a bid to end months of political stalemate. no new government has been formed since the election in september. damien mcguinness reports from berlin. a key moment for the leader of europe's most powerful country. these talks could be angela merkel‘s last chance to form a stable government, otherwise germany might face the uncertainty of fresh elections. but mrs merkel is optimistic that a deal can be reached.

speaking on the andrew marr show, mr lewis said he understood how angry worboys‘ victims were. secretary of state is looking now getting advice on a judicial review, if we can only advice is clear that we can go forward in a positive way then we will look to do that. every victim out there, every friend and family of victims and everybody who has read about the case will want to know that we're doing everything we can to make sure the victims are properly protected. we respect the situation, the emotions and feelings that people have been through in these tragic and awful situations. do you personally understand the outrage about this case? absolutely, and i know somebody who has been through this and a victim of this. just reading about it, anybody will appreciate that this must be awfulfor victims. to think about somebody like that out on the street. he is right, the secretary of state forjustice to make sure as man stays behind bars. criminal appeals barrister, matt stanbury, has been telling me that such an intervention by a secretary of state would be unprecedented. the se

the controversial decision by a parole board to release serial sex attacker john worboys from prison. in a statement mrs that there is a strong case to review how to allow greater openness about the decision—making process. he added that arrangements should be made to ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case. mr liddington said he has spoken to victims‘ commissioner baroness newlove, and the chair of the parole board nick hardwick, and that victims‘ groups will be also be consulted. at least eight people have drowned and more are missing after a dinky sank off the libyan coast. it is thought to be the first migrant shipwreck of 2018. the east coast of north america is shivering in a record—breaking freeze. it comes after a massive snow storm that reached as far south as florida. temperatures are forecast to fall below minus 29 degrees celsius, as andrew plant reports. the new year has brought new record low temperatures to america‘s east coast. a weather system bringing blizzards, freezing winds, and thermometers falling below —20 celsius. in these conditions, the

expected to make a statement to mps today over the decision to release the black cab rapistjohn worboys. mrhe former taxi driver, who is suspected of attacking more than 100 women in his london cab, has served ten years injail after being convicted of 19 offences against 12 women. now 60, worboys is due to be released from jail later this month. a parole board approved his release, saying they were "confident" he won't reoffend. but major questions have been raised after many of his victims say they weren't consulted in the decision, or even told that he would be freed. let's talk now to claire waxman. she's london's first victims commissioner, and works to improve the experience of victims of crime. kim harrison is from slater and gordon lawyers in salford, representing 11 of warboys victims. she says many are "absolutely terrified" by the prospect of his release later this month. kim harrison, thejustice secretary is making a statement in the commons today. what do your clients who are victims of worboys, want to hearfrom him? well, first of all they want an apology. because they were not

the controversial decision by a parole board to release serial sex attacker john worboys from prison. in a statement mrt he believes that there is a strong case to review how to allow greater openness about the decision—making process. he added that arrangements should be made to ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case. mr lidington said he has spoken to victims' commissioner baroness newlove, and the chair of the parole board nick hardwick, and that victims groups will be also be consulted. at least eight people have drowned and dozens more are feared missing after a dinghy carrying migrants sank off the libyan coast. the italian coastguard says 84 people were rescued on saturday in what is thought to have been the first migrant shipwreck of 2018. it was one of the most significant scientific the growing number of men are being targeted by stalkers. around 450,000 men in england and wales experienced stocking over the course of the year but according to data from 41 police forces, only 1800 stalking offences by men have been recorded by officers over the past th

may's leadership — saying mrs may displays a "timidity and lack of ambition about the government which constantly disappoints. " in a tweet, nick boles mentions thejohn worboysase, the housing crisis and nhs funding, adding: "time to raise your game, prime minister." church bells and music venues in england are to be offered extra protection against attempts to silence them by people living in newly—built housing nearby. the government is changing planning guidance so that long—standing, but noisy, community facilities won't have to make expensive changes because of complaints from new neighbours. instead, housing developers will be responsible for addressing any noise issues during construction. time for the weather now with phil avery. it's sort of day when you really need a forecast because there's such a mishmash of whether going on across the british isles. it's bright across the north—east of england and much of scotland, some winteriness and showers further to the north. northern ireland, after a dank start, you're brightening up quite nicely to the afternoon. the greater part of england and wales, save for the very far south—west, leaden skies, it's

mr coombs died. a brief look at some of the day's other news stories. lawyers representing victims of the sex attackerjohn worboysom the greater london area when he's freed from prison. agency officials are due to meet tomorrow to discuss his release, but no final decision will be made on the conditions that he will face. cancer patients at the churchill hospital in oxford could face delays to their treatment due to a shortage of staff. that's the warning from a senior doctor in a leaked staff memo. the hospital trust said there are no formal plans to change cancer treatment. the head of 0fgem, the energy regulator, has apologised to mps for failing vulnerable consumers. he said he regretted not taking swifter action to cap standard variable tariffs. he said a new government cap would "go a long way towards fixing the market." the former liberal democrat leader, tim farron, has said he regrets saying that gay sex was not a sin. he made the statement during the 2017 general election campaign after which he resigned, saying he'd found it impossible to reconcile the demands of politics with his christian faith. he s

may's leadership — saying mrs may displays a "timidity and lack of ambition about the government which constantly disappoints. " in a tweet, nick boles mentions thejohn worboyss in england are to be offered extra protection against attempts to silence them by people living in newly—built housing nearby. the government is changing planning guidance so that long—standing, but noisy, community facilities won't have to make expensive changes because of complaints from new neighbours. instead, housing developers will be responsible for addressing any noise issues during construction. time for the weather now with phil avery. it's sort of day when you really need a forecast because there's such a mishmash of whether going on across the british isles. it's bright across the north—east of england and much of scotland, some winteriness and showers further to the north. northern ireland, after a dank start,

mr trump's mental health. i've never questioned his mental fitness. i have no reason to question his mental fitness. an overhaul of the parole system over the release attackerjohn worboys is demanded by the victims‘ commissioner. new figures reveal women earn at least 15% less than men — at a number of major companies. also in the next hour: america's deadly freeze, as the north—east coast shivers. record—breaking low temperatures of minus a0 degrees celsius are expected. at least 19 people have died since a powerful blizzard hit much of the region on thursday. plus the dateline london panel analyse the situation in iran and the damage to president trump by the publication of that book. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. president trump has rejected suggestions by the author of a controversial new book that he is mentally unfit for the white house. in a series of tweets, mr trump called himself a ‘very stable genius.‘ and he said his two greatest assets in life had been his mental stability and being smart. it follows the publication of a book by michael wolff that said many of the president‘s staff view the president as c

mr trump's mental health. i've never questioned his mental fitness. i have no reason to question his mental fitness. an overhaul of the parole system over the release attackerjohn worboysso in the next hour: america's deadly freeze, as the north—east coast shivers. record—breaking low temperatures of minus a0 degrees celsius are expected. at least 19 people have died since a powerful blizzard hit much of the region on thursday. plus the dateline london panel analyse the situation in iran

worboys from prison. he added that arrangements should be made to ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case. mrf the parole board nick hardwick, and that victims‘ groups will be also be consulted. at least eight people have drowned and dozens more are feared missing after a dinghy carrying migrants sank off the libyan coast. the italian coastguard says 84 people were rescued on saturday, in what is thought to have been the first migrant shipwreck of 2018. it was one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of modern times. in 2003 the complete genetic code of a human being, the genome, was published. by the end of this year, it‘s hoped this code will help thousands of nhs patients who have rare diseases and unexplained conditions. this wouldn‘t have been possible without families taking part in the ‘genome project‘. ben schofield went to meet one of them. this is you in the incubator. for 19 years, doctors treated the symptoms of alex masterson without knowing what caused them. medics thought it was one rare condition, but genetic tests proved otherwise. alex had 28 operations. every ti

worboys remains in prison. two contrasting headlines this morning concerning the defence secretary. 0n the telegraph front page, gavin williamson warned that russia is ready to kill us by the thousands. in the mail, mrson was confessing to an office romance and how it nearly destroyed his marriage. connected? 0ur political editor nick watt is here. what are you hearing? 0ur ambitious defence secretary, as you say, is in the news again. that story in the daily mail appears to have appeared after he was asking questions by the guardian about his private life. there is a feeling in whitehall that his account of what happened about 15 years ago is plausible. and it is believed it is truthful. but i have to say that eyebrows are being raised in whitehall and in the national security world about that article, that interview in the daily telegraph, which led to that headlined "russia is ready to kill us by the thousands". he said two things about russia, one is that they will target the gas and electricity interconnect connectors that link the uk to continental europe. and that they are photographing power stations, electricity stations. i'm hearing language like this from the national security world. the

starmer has been criticised over his decision not to prosecutejohn worboys over dozens more sex attacks. speaking outside his home, mrstarmer has said any alleged victims with concerns over their case was handled to contact the police. firstly, it is important that any allegations that anybody thinks have not been looked into as efficiently put to the police so they can be looked into. it is important that what is said is factually accurate. crown prosecution service have the case, they made the decision in the case, they made the decision in the case aren't is important you go to their to get accurate court readout of the decision made. you confident the right decisions were made?” think these decisions were nine yea rs think these decisions were nine years ago, it is important that you go to the crown prosecution service foran go to the crown prosecution service for an accurate readout of the decisions made, particularly further regulations possibly made now. several women did go. let's speak now to dame vera baird qc. she's a former solicitor general who is now the police and crime commissioner for northumbria. th

mr bennell denies 48 counts of abuse and this trial will continue at 10:30am. thank you. still to come. a campaign to stop the convicted rapistjohn worboysm health dangers of babies and toddlers accidentally swallowing lithium batteries. time for the latest news — here's annita. the bbc news headlines this morning... the head of the army will warn today that britain's military risks falling behind that of its enemies unless it gets additional investment. in a speech to the defence think tank, the royal united services institute, general sir nick carter is expected to say that russia now has superior battlefield capabilities to the uk, and poses a significant threat in terms of cyber warfare. his comments have been authorised by the defence secretary. a charity says one in three young women in the uk are embarrassed to attend smear tests for cervical cancer because of issues with body image. jo's cervical cancer trust, which surveyed more than 2000 women aged between 25 and 35, said it was worried about the impact on screening rates, which have fallen to a 20—year low. ukip's deputy leader has resigned in protest over henry bolton's decis