Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At One 20161222

To the Internet Hundreds of thousands of rural homes are to get faster broadband. And coming up in the sport on bbc news. Wales will end the year above england in the fifa World Rankings their impressive displays at euro 2016 means they remain 12th. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. The owner of a haulage firm and one of his mechanics have been found guilty of manslaughter, after one of their trucks crashed last year, killing four people, including a four year old girl. The court had heard that the brakes had failed on the 32 tonne truck, and it careered along a village road near bath, causing what the prosecution described as absolute devastation. Matthew gordon and peter wood will be sentenced next month. The truck driver, phillip potter, was cleared of all charges. Jon kay is at Bristol Crown court. The boss of grittenham haulage and the mechanic now inside this court building, waiting to be taken to prison. They have been remanded in custody over christmas before theyre sentenced next year, both having been convicted of manslaughter. This trial has lasted about four weeks, and during that time we have heard that the company was a shambles from start to finish. They did not have a Transport Manager overseeing safety. They were not carrying out basic checks on vehicles. We heard that theyjust did not have a grip on what needed to be done to keep a fleet of lorries safe in the modern age. The prosecution said that this terrible accident, killing four people, was entirely predictable, the result of poor management and of disregard for the rules. Police described it as carnage. This 32 tonne truck had careered down a steep hill, its bra kes careered down a steep hill, its brakes failing. It was school pick up time, and mitzi steady was crossing the road with her grandma when she was hit. She was just four yea rs when she was hit. She was just four years old. Then, the truck crushed this car, killing the men inside. Robert parker and philip allen were heading back to south wales from a business trip. Their driver, stephen vaughan, was 32 years old and newly married. A spark has gone out in my heart, even though hes always in there. Its just been heart, even though hes always in there. Itsjust been horrendous, i would not wish it on anybody. Sian vaughan told me that being widowed so soon vaughan told me that being widowed so soon after her wedding day had left her heartbroken. All the plans, the future that we had together, has all been taken away. We were only married for six months. Especially having to spend your first wedding anniversary alone was just so far removed from the one that we had planned. Its just been absolutely horrendous. Tipper truck was carrying tonnes of aggregate down this steep and winding hill towards the city of bat that afternoon when it suffered catastrophic brake failure. The prosecution claimed it was not simply bad luck but an Accident Waiting to happen. Experts who examined the brakes said some of the parts were so rusty and warn that the 11 year old lori should not have been on the road. Phillip potter was at the wheel of the tipper truck full stop he told the court he was not aware of the state of the vehicle and he denied causing death by dangerous or careless driving. Today, he has been cleared. Phillip potter told the trial that as he sat here that afternoon, trying to take in what had just happened. His boss, Matthew Gordon, came over to him, grabbed him and said, dont tell the police about the brake warning light. That boss, Matthew Gordon, has now been convicted of manslaughter. The prosecution claimed his business, grittenham haulage, was a shambles. Mechanic peter wood, who was employed to inspect the trucks for the company, has also been found guilty on four counts of manslaughter. This was all very much preve nta ble. Manslaughter. This was all very much preventable. Sian vaughan says she has been horrified to hear about the state the company kept the truck in, especially as her chauffeur husband took safety so seriously. A word he would have used to describe them would have used to describe them would have used to describe them would have been cowboys. Because theres no way that steve would ever have put anybodys life in danger, let alone his own. As he left court having been found not guilty on all counts, the drivers and his sympathies to the families. Theyre co nsta ntly sympathies to the families. Theyre constantly in my thoughts, and i just hope. Just hope they can carry on now. His former boss Matthew Gordon and mechanic peter wood will be sentenced in the new year. Well, gordon and peter wood showed no emotion at all as they we re showed no emotion at all as they were in Court Hearing those manslaughter guilty verdicts and then being told that they were being remanded in custody to be sentenced in the new year. In contrast, some of the families of those who were killed in the crash held one another, hugged one another and wept i think with relief, because they wa nted i think with relief, because they wanted strong verdicts in this case, not just because of wanted strong verdicts in this case, notjust because of what happened but also to send a wider message to the haulage industry. In the last few minutes, we have had a statement from avon and somerset police. The fa ct of from avon and somerset police. The fact of the matter is that both men failed in their duty of care to the public. Matthew gordon had no Transport Manager and effectively flouted everybody leisha and laid down to ensure safety. Peter wood signed off vehicles as safe when clearly they were not. Many of the fa u lts clearly they were not. Many of the faults at the time of this crash we re faults at the time of this crash were long standing. Faults at the time of this crash were longstanding. And the police stressing that these families, these bereaved families, now facing a second christmas without their loved ones. Police raids have been carried out across germany, as they search for the man suspected of the lorry attack on a Christmas Market in berlin. They are looking for anis amri, a tunisian, whose Identification Papers were found in the lorry which was driven into shoppers, killing 12 people and injuring another 49. A europe wide warrant for the suspects arrest has been issued, and his brother has called on him to give himself up. Heres our correspondent richard galpin. The prime suspect, 24 year old anis amri, is being hunted across europe. But he uses many different names and nationalities, Making It Easierfor him to slip away. This video anis amri which hasjust him to slip away. This video anis amri which has just emerged shows he was in berlin in september. And early this morning, Police Commandos trying to track him down raided apartments here in this district of the city. Apparently thinking they mightfind him the city. Apparently thinking they might find him here out to no avail. Theyre playing catch up. They only named him as a suspect yesterday, three days after the attack. A second raid this morning attack. A second raid this morning at this Migrant Centre in North Western germany also revealed little. Amri had briefly stayed here when he first arrived in germany last year, but is now long gone. But while amri remains elusive for now, much more has been revealed about him since he left tunisia at least six years ago. He moved to italy, where in 2011 he was jailed for arson at a school. Then, last year, he entered germany, where his claim for asylum was rejected. But the authorities could not deport him because they did not have the right paperwork. And yes, the german Intelligence Agencies knew he had links to an islamist network. They monitored his phone calls for months, suspecting he was planning an attack. But they stopped the surveillance in september. Back in his hometown in tunisia, his family are now the centre of attention. Theyre horrified that he is accused of involvement in the berlin attack. Translation im shocked, like every tunisian citizen who heard about it. When the police came to the house to ta ke when the police came to the house to take my mum, then we knew it was my brother. But anis amri did also have a criminal record in tunisia. He was convicted in absentia for aggravated theft with violence. Although amri is still on the run, this morning, the market in berlin which was attacked reopened. A move designed to show that the christmas festivities will continue, despite what has happened. But not without extra security being put in place. We are still kind of very scared, because the other markets in berlin, we never know what happens next all what could happen here again. |j we never know what happens next all what could happen here again. I feel its good that we start again, that the devil has no part for it, i think so. And also for the world to say, we go on, we are not afraid, we go on. Although people here are determined to put on a brave face put it will be hard for anybody to really relax until amri and any other suspects are found. Lets get the latest from our correspondent, robert hall, whos in berlin. Lets get the latest from our correspondent, robert hall, whos in berlin. The market has reopened, but with the suspect still at large, there must be widespread unease . There is unease. The scene here differs in one important respect from monday evening. Earlier today, pretty much as the sun was rising, convoys of lorries arrived and began training giant concrete blocks into a circle effectively around the market itself. There has been some criticism of the German Authorities in recent days since the attack about how they did or did not respond to warnings that there might bea respond to warnings that there might be a threat to places where the public gather in the run up to christmas. Well, they are certainly trying to show the public that there is blocks, as well as armed police, patrolling. One thing which struck me about the mood was just how vulnerable this location was on monday. You can see that the streets are absolutely packed here. People visiting the stores, passing through, and that Lorry Careered into so many people, who had nowhere to go. And this large red hoarding, this is where stores stood until the end of that terrifying few moments, and this is where people died. As richard said in his report, Nicking Reference to remembrance. These shrines have sprung up this morning, put up by the stallholders, and they say very simply, in german, we are morning. We are mourning. And our security correspondent Frank Gardner is with me. The German Authorities have come in for a lot of criticism how fair is it, and how do you keep tabs on someone like amri . Im afraid there has been a catalogue of missed opportunities here, not all of which are the fault of the German Authorities. The germans had refused his asylum request but were not able to immediately deport him because of issues with the passport. But there issues with the passport. But there is no question that the police and Intelligence Agencies missed opportunities. For example, it took them 2a hours to find his Identity Document in the lorry itself which gave him precious time. They spent too long interrogating the wrong person because they could not find an interpreter. And perhaps a deeper problem is that germany has an absolute aversion to cctv video surveillance. It is basically a legacy of being observed by the stasi. When it was two countries, east germany and west germany, the east germany and west germany, the east germany and west germany, the east german stasi spied on everybody. And Angela Merkel herself grew up in east germany. So there is an aversion to that. This makes it very ha rd to an aversion to that. This makes it very hard to follow the movements of this man. Overhearing britain, which is farfrom this man. Overhearing britain, which is far from perfect, this man. Overhearing britain, which is farfrom perfect, but this man. Overhearing britain, which is far from perfect, but there this man. Overhearing britain, which is farfrom perfect, but there is this man. Overhearing britain, which is far from perfect, but there is a close co operation between the police and m15, the intelligence agency. So they constantly share information, working hand in glove, agreeing on the priorities of. If youre going to actually observe somebody around the clock, its a very labour intensive thing. Youve got to swap people, swap watches, you cant have the same person saying, he is moving now. Youve got to have the old lady pushing the shopping trolley, etc. It all takes time and people. And there will be continuing coverage of the manhunt in germany here on bbc news. And you can keep up to date on the bbc news website. Prince charles has warned against intolerance towards refugees fleeing religious persecution, saying it was reminiscent of what he called the dark days of the 1930s. The prince of wales was speaking on thought for the day, on radio 4s today programme. He also warned about aggression towards minorities from Populist Groups Across The World. Heres our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. Hes spoken up for many causes and been a champion for people of different faiths. Charles is a christian. His religious convictions matter to him. Hes been appalled by the persecution of people of faith and particularly of christians in countries in the middle east. It was something he raised on a Visit Tojordan in the early part of last year. Normally, at christmas we think. Now, in his Starkest Warning so far, in a pre recorded broadcast on the bbcs thought for the day, charles has likened the persecution of christians, particularly in iraq, to what happened to thejews in nazi germany. We are now seeing the rise of many Populist Groups Across The World that are increasingly aggressive towards those who adhere to a minority faith. All of this has deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days of the 1930s. I was born in 19118, just after the end of world war ii, in which my parents generation had fought and died in a battle against intolerance, monstrous extremism and an inhuman attempt to exterminate the Jewish Population of europe. That nearly 70 years later we should still be seeing such evil persecution is to me beyond all belief. We owe it to those who suffered and died so horribly not to repeat the horrors of the past. The prince concluded his broadcast with a plea for religious tolerance. Whichever religious path you follow the destination is the same. To value and respect the other person, accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love of god. It was an appeal from a prince who takes his own faith seriously and who believes tolerance of others is one of its defining principles. Nicholas witchell, bbc news. A woman and a child have died in a fire at a house in braintree in essex. Two other women who managed to get out of the house before Emergency Services arrived on the scene were taken to Hospital Suffering from smoke inhalation. Essex police say the victims were trapped inside the property and died at the scene. More than 100,000 people in the uk have multiple sclerosis. Now, scientists have developed a new drug which slows down damage to the brain caused by the disease. The ms society described the development as really big news, saying it offers a lot of hope for sufferers. Lets speak to our Health Correspondent james gallagher. What is the new drug and how does it work . To understand how it works we need to understand whats going on in ms. A Rogue Immune System attacks the brain and that disrupts electrical signals to the body. The concept of the drug is simple. If the Immune System is attacking the brain, lets attack the Immune System. Thats what the drug does. It targets specific components of the Immune System and these trials show in multiple forms of ms it slows the pace of the disease and thats incredibly important in primary progressive ms, the form of the disease where patients get worse over time. There are no drugs at the moment that halted, and thats why patient groups are so excited. This is certainly big news with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. What this drug has shown to do in this Phase Three Trial is to reduce the risk of disability progression by around 24 . Thats really exciting, because we dont currently have any treatments available for this type of ms in the uk. Its been considered next year as to whether it can get a licence to be given to patients, but the big question about this drug is whether organisations like the nhs will be able to afford it. James, many thanks. Our top story this lunchtime. The owner of a Haulage Company and a mechanic have been found guilty of manslaughter, over a lorry crash which killed four people. Still to come, we are with the refugees celebrating their first christmas in the uk after escaping the syrian civil war. Coming up in sport at 1 30pm theres criticism of the review into george norths head injury, as Northampton Saints avoid punishment, as the wales wing was allowed to return to play, despite being knocked unconscious. Retinitis pigmentosa is a rare inherited condition which causes blindness. Until now, theres been no cure. But now nhs england says it will fund further testing of a so called bionic eye implant, which surgeons say can make a real difference to sufferers. Heres our correspondent keith doyle. Bionic eyes have been around for a long time in the world of Science Fiction but its only now that they are being used in the everyday real world. Keith hayman has been blind for over 20 years. A genetic illness called Retinitis Pigmentosa meant he gradually lost his sight, but now hes got some of it back thanks to this bionic eye. It gives you more ofan this bionic eye. It gives you more of an interest because instead of walking about in total darkness everywhere and sitting in total darkness, youve got all these shapes to work out what they are, windows, lights, people, cars, everything that with a contrasting colour you can scan and make out, try and make out what the shape is. Surgeons have had success with trials, which is a miniature camera mounted on glasses transmitting a signal to the back of the retina. This stimulates cells to send a signal to the brain, allowing the blind person to see in a limited way. Foreigners its a very important step for people in the future, for hope, in terms of using electronic coupled devices with the biological system. This is a first demonstration you can do a very complex hook up i guess between an Electronic Device and a complex biological system, which the retina is. As many as 15,000 people in the uk have the same condition, although all do not want to lose their sight. Now ten people will receive implants over the next year, funded by nhs england. Five at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the other five here at Moorfields Eye Hospital in london. If its all a continued success then more people will get the chance to have their sight restored with this bionic eye will stop this bionic eye. Restored with this bionic eye will stop this bionic eye. You can see where things are on the table, they sound like Little Things but they meana sound like Little Things but they mean a lot when you are used to being totally blind. The results of this wireless device will improve as technology advances, but its already transforming peoples lives. Its amazing what a difference this little bit of light can make to your life. Keith doyle, bbc news. In the last few minutes a helicopter had landed at buckingham palace. It is thought to take the queen and Prince Philip for their christmas break at sandringham. Their departure had been delayed because both had been suffering from heavy colds. Our royal correspondent peter hunt is with me now. Do we assume they are now recovered and well enough to travel . I think we can make that assumption. The helicopter had landed in the last few minutes. It will take off against them. On board will take off against them. On board will be the queen and Prince Philip. Yesterday, police were at Kings Cross Station in london, at kings lynn in norfolk, in orderfor the queen to travel by train. They were stood down at short notice because the queen didnt make the journey and we learned both she and her 95 year old husband had heavy colds. We assume they well enough to make the journey by a short helicopter ride of some 30 minutes but as anyone who has had a cold nose, it can take some time to recover. This couple are 90 and 95. We will see the queen on christmas day. She usually goes to church by car. Usually in the past, even when he has been unwell in the past, Prince Philip walks from sandringham house, the private house owned by the queen, to the church. Peter, thank you. More rural homes in the uk are to get superfast broadband, after the government said it was expanding its scheme to areas of the countryside that suffer from poor internet access. Its spending nearly £0. 5 billion to do so a move which should benefit more than 500,000 homes, as our Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan Jones now explains. Connecting rural homes across the uk to fast broadband has meant an investment of £1. 7 billion of public money. And nearly all of that has gone to bt. The compa nys contracts with councils and local authorities mean it has to return some of that money if more than 20 of homeowners sign up when the fast broadband arrives. Now, the government says that this cash clawback, coupled with efficiency savings, means another £440 million can be reinvested in the programme. Theres a target of reaching 95 of homes with superfast broadband by the end of 2017. Ministers believe thats within reach, and that up to 600,000 more homes and businesses could be hooked up with the new programme. We will have connected 4. 5 million premises to superfast broadband, of which 1. 5 million have taken up the option of superfast, and that take up has led to more money being put back into the system, which means we can connect those harder to reach premises and make sure they have superfast broadband too. The woman running bts Broadband Programme says she sympathises with those still waiting to be connected. Theres still more to be done. If youre one of the have nots, it really hurts today, and i understand that. We are really determined to have a look at how we go further and faster. But critics say bt has been using the wrong technology, hooking up homeowners via a copper wire to a cabinet, rather than laying fibre optic cables direct into their homes. Its one of the more controversial aspects of it. Bt, they went for the we can roll it out very fast if we go for the partial fibre solution, that uses fibre to the green street cabinets, and then copper from there to your home. That allows them to sort of do 50,000 70,000 homes per month. Rivalfirms, including sky and talktalk, are now promising they can deliver faster Fibre Connections than bt, and without needing public money. Rory cellan jones, bbc news. The funeral has taken place in moscow of the Russian Ambassador to turkey, Andrei Karlov. The countrys foreign minister Sergei Lavrov led tributes at the ceremony, describing mr karlov as a man who loved his work, and who loved life. The ambassador was shot dead three days ago, while he was giving a speech in ankara. From moscow, Steve Rosenberg reports. The farewell began at the foreign ministry. Flanked by a guard of honour, ambassador carlos lay in state. Three days after he was assassinated in turkey. Ambassador karlov. Vladimir putin came to pay his respects. He is awarded Andrei Karlov his countrys highest honour, posthumous lee, hero of russia. From the president to the widow. Words of comfort. Then the coughing was brought here, to the Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour the coffin was brought here. The orthodox priests chanted prayers and blessings. They sang hymns for the soul of the deceased. Its very rare foreign ambassador to be killed on duty, said the head of the russian church. Andrei karlov will go down in russian history as a hero. This is the man who killed him, and of duty Turkish Police officer. God is greatest he had shouted. Dont forget about aleppo, about syria. They were in mourning today in ankara at the russian embassy. But heavy security here meant it took some time to deliver the wreaths. The countrys leadership doesnt wa nt the countrys leadership doesnt want this to harm relationships with turkey or to weaken moscows resolve to fight terror. Steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. David camerons government promised to house 20,000 Syrian Refugees in the uk by the end of the decade. So far, around 11,500 have come to britain. Many families have found a new home in yorkshire and humberside, which has taken in more refugees than any other part of england. Our correspondent dave edwards went to see how theyre settling in. For the children of syria there have been few causes for celebration over the past five years their country ravaged by war. But here in bradford a smile is never too far away at this Christmas Party for young refugees. You feel here safety and everyone is lovely. In syria, all your cousins, all your family in syria, like youre feeling sad just when you think about your family. Most of these children wouldnt normally celebrate christmas at all. Some have been through things youd never want your children to experience. For them, this is a chance to enjoy themselves. Call the baby jesus. The local vicar has been brought in to tell the nativity story. Translating is roseana, a member of syrias christian minority. She arrived in bradford in september. Some of herfamily remain in aleppo. There is still no water, no electricity. Yeah, but theyre trying to survive with the minimum. Although im away from my home, still i have the same Christmas Spirit in me. I have this message of peace and love to my community, the new community. At this community has given them a warm welcome. Organising events like this one. A chance for the children to meet someone new. When they come into the centre the children will be playing around in the hall. You can see the smiles on their face and theyre talking to each other. Thats quite heart fulfilling. Theres something ive done today thats been worthwhile. Its thought about 1700 Syrian Refugees will be settled in yorkshire by the end of 2018, hopefully bringing some much needed joy to their world. There is disruptive weather coming in our direction. Travel