An east london gp is given three life sentences for 90 sexual assaults on 2a female patients. Manish shah was described by a judge as a master of deception, who abused his position of power. The police said hed broken his patients trust. He used his position as a Family Doctor to access vulnerable women, to carry out unnecessary medical procedures, breaching their trust, for his own sexual gratification. Well bring you all the latest from our correspondent at the old bailey. Also this lunchtime. Dozens more passengers, including a briton, have tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship off the coast ofjapan. The tv presenter Phillip Schofield whos been married for 27 years comes out as gay. I feel a little lighter. Holly willoughby yeah. But i also am very, very aware of, you know, theres no question that ive. It causes pain and it causes upset. And the flight of the bumblebee why Climate Change is driving them from europe and north america. Coming up in the sport later on bbc news, englands women are in a strong position to reach the t2 triseries final, after beating india. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. A gp from east london has been given three life sentences for 90 Sexual Offences against female patients. Manish shah, who assaulted 2a women
including a 15 year old girl, was described as a master of deception by the judge at the old bailey, and told hell have to serve a minimum of 15 years injail. The court had been told that shah exploited fears about cancer to persuade his patients to undergo unnecessary invasive examinations for his own gratification. Lets go live now to our correspondent Helena Wilkinson, whos at the old bailey. A terrible case, and a very severe sentence for manish shah . Yes, it is. This is a doctor, dr shah, who posed as a caring and concerned Family Doctor, but behind the scenes, he was exploiting his female patients for his own sexual gratification. He carried out, as you say, intimate examinations when they werent medically necessary. He also told his patients he had special expertise. He brought up in
a number of cases high profile celebrities who had been diagnosed with cancer in order to put fear into his patientss mines. The judge today said he used a mixture of flattery and fear, and abused his position of trust. Detective superintendent Tara Mcgovern was involved in the investigation. I think the judge summed it up best when she said he was a master of deception. He used his position as a Family Doctor to access vulnerable women, to carry out unnecessary medical procedures, breaching their trust, for his own sexual gratification. And helena, what do we know about the impact of manish shahs impact on his victims . Well, it has clearly had a huge, long lasting impact. Many of them were young, vulnerable female patients, and many of them came to court today to hear the sentencing. We spoke to one of them after dr sharp was convicted. We
have had to protect her identity for legal reasons. He used their weaknesses, fears to take complete advantage, and not one time did i actually think he was doing anything untoward. Well, the court also heard that other victims had suffered issues of trust, and many of them unable now to see male doctors will stop they have a complete lack of confidence. Thejudge also today have a complete lack of confidence. The judge also today said the full scale of dr shahs offending may never be known. Helena, thank you, Helena Wilkinson at the old bailey. Another 41 people onboard a cruise ship offjapan including a british passenger have tested positive for coronavirus. Over 3,500 people and crew remain in quarantine in the port of yokohama, in an attempt to control the spread of the disease. Cases of the virus, which originated in mainland china, have now been reported in more than 25 countries. In china, theres been a growing wave of grief and anger, following the death of a doctor who tried to warn about coronavirus, but was told by the authorities to keep quiet. Heres our correspondent robin brant. It is stuck at the quayside, and they are stuck on board. The diamond princess is a huge floating health hazard. Things are happening literally every hour, something is changing, the biggest of course being 41 additional passengers being found positive test it for the coronavirus, one of whom is a friend of ours, on honeymoon, who has been. He was going to be split from his wife, you know, on honeymoon. He is going to be taken toa honeymoon. He is going to be taken to a medicalfacility honeymoon. He is going to be taken to a medical facility and she will have to remain on board. The cruise ship is the scene of the biggest outbreak outside of china. David
able is one of the passengers, one of thousands ordered to their cabins a week ago. We have also been given, in addition to the face masks, we have now been given gloves, so if we do go outside we have to wear the gloves, and i think that is a sensible precaution, especially if you are going to be touching handrails on the ship or anything like that. In all, there are 3700 passengers and crew. 78 are known to be british. So far, 61 have tested positive for the virus, including one briton, alan steele. He is on his honeymoon. In china, the epicentre city of wuhan is facing even more extreme measures. Daily temperature checks for every household, and new makeshift hospitals to house new patients, all under quarantine. But in this video posted on social media, which we have been unable to fully verify, people there complain of a lack of
basic standards. As the death toll keeps rising, a doctor who treated patients early on is now one of the dead. Li wenliang was just 34. His death is even more potent because he tried to raise the alarm six weeks ago, but he was punished by the police in china for spreading rumours. Translation he is a hero, he was a brilliant doctor. He was very brave and honest to be a whistle blower. Very brave and honest to be a whistleblower. Translation he gave his life for the sake of our country and he was very young. Im very sorry. Translation he was not spreading rumours. The virus was out there. I hope the government will withdraw the reprimand. What my son said has now proved to be true. Two weeks into this national emergency, wuhan isa weeks into this national emergency, wuhan is a city completely cut off. Chinas leaders are calling it a war to defeat the outbreak, and in that
war, some of the authorities are turning to this. This footage a p pa re ntly turning to this. This footage apparently shot near shanghai, but not one we have been able to fully verify, shows officials forcibly removing people suspected of carrying the virus. Life in chinas commercial capital, like many other of its vast cities, still on hold. Shanghai is normally home to 24 million people, but most of them are nowhere to be seen. Robin brant, bbc news, shanghai. Our correspondent Karishma Vaswani is in singapore. We can go live to Karishma Vaswani now. Singapore has raised its Public Health alert to a higher level, whats prompted that . Well, the reason behind this is because there have been three new cases of the coronavirus confirmed in Singapore Today that had no
connection to china. This brings the number of people in this country that have been infected with the coronavirus to 33. Out of them, four have no link that the authorities here can find and directly traced back to china. That is what has prompted the alert level to be raised from yellow to orange, and what that means is, according to authorities, that there is a severe disease that is currently being spread in singapore but that they believe they can contain it, and there is no widespread transmission across the country. That phrase is very important. So they have stepped up very important. So they have stepped up measures, so from very important. So they have stepped up measures, so from effective immediately, things like businesses are going to have to start thinking of ways to get their workers to work from home if they can, otherwise if they are in the office, smaller groups are asked to be able to manage the situation better. Youve got to have your temperature checked twice a day in fact, coming into the building, from now on, that is what
they will ask of all employees. Stu d e nts they will ask of all employees. Students are being told no more extra after school activity, and the government here is very, very serious about trying to contain this virus. Many thanks. Our medical correspondent fergus walsh is here. We saw in robin brants report about the death of the chinese doctor who tried to alert the authorities that he was quite a young man, wasnt he . Is that a surprise . He wasjust 34 yea rs is that a surprise . He wasjust 34 years old. Now, we dont have his medical history so he might have had some underlying illness, but specialists are pointing out that even seasonal flu can, specialists are pointing out that even seasonalflu can, in rare cases, kill young, fit, healthy people, and he was one of the first responders, the first people to notify and warn about this virus before people knew that it was potentially deadly. So he may not have had those initial precautions and facemasks right at the
beginning, and medical staff are particularly at risk from the very high dose will stop he was and ophthalmologists, an eye specialist, so he would have been up close and personal with patients who may have infected him, and the biggie dose you get of a virus, the bigger a dose you get, the more likely it is to successfully invade and defeat your immune system before your immune hist has a chance to your immune hist has a chance to your immune system has chance to respond. We found that with sars, with some nurses who were treating patients who died, it was because they got a huge initial dose. 0k, fergus, many thanks, thank you. The Health Watchdog is to review the case of a teenager with autism who threw a six year old boy from the tenth floor of tate modern in london. Jonty bravery is awaiting sentencing for attempted murder. The bbc has obtained a recording ofjonty bravery, telling his carers he wanted to push someone off a tall building, a year before the attack. Our special correspondent lucy manning is here this will once again raise grave concerns about the system of care . I think it does, and the issue here is this care company we are talking about that was involved with the ca re of about that was involved with the care of jaunty bravery about that was involved with the care ofjaunty bravery is a regulated care company full stop we are not talking about something that was unregulated, it was regulated as good. The key question is we know
two ca re workers good. The key question is we know two care workers from spencer and arlington, the company, heard him say this. One was so concerned he recorded it. That happened to that information . One of the care workers told us he had passed it on, told someone more senior and played it to someone more senior and played it to someone else involved injonty braverys care. They both deny that that the company itself says it doesnt know anything about this disclosure and it behaved properly at all times. But it raises wider questions about. The thrust is at the moment to get people with learning disabilities into the community, and experts say there is just not enough support and funding for those who are being looked after, like jonty was, for those who are being looked after, likejonty was, in for those who are being looked after, like jonty was, in the community. One of the problems is that we spend such a lot of the money on institutional care, and institutional care we know is often abusive, and really we should be ending that system and using that money for really effective care in the community, and by that i mean properly trained staff, a variety of home supported,
erm, home supported living, but it is geared around the individual, and often individuals are fitted into what Community Facilities are there, and often ive seen theyre just not appropriate, and i think thats probably what happened here. It isa it is a tragic story and because Everyone Wants to know how that little six year old boy is doing, and the family do post updates on the fundraising site they have. It started off a few months ago, saying that he couldnt move his body, he couldnt speak, but he could smile, and then he does seem to have progressed a bit. You can now say a few words, he can move some of his limbs. They say he has started to eat a bit of mash but it is a long, slow progress of recovery. The itv presenter Phillip Schofield has revealed that hes gay. Speaking on his programme this morning, he said hed had the strength and support of his wife, to whom hes been married for almost 27 years, and also his two daughters. The presenter said hed suffered years of inner conflict. Sarah campbell reports. The programme he has hosted for almost two decades started very differently today, with Phillip Schofields words read by his co host and friend, holly willoughby. With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, i have been coming to terms with the fact that i am gay. This is something that has caused many heartbreaking conversations at home. I have been married to steph for nearly 27 years, and we have two beautiful grown up daughters, molly and ruby. This will probably all come as something of a surprise, and i understand. But only by facing this and being honest can i hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward. Please be kind, especially to my family. Phillip. So. Wow. I think we just should take a breath of that point. I mean, reading that i can hear your voice, i can hear the pain and i can hear how difficult that is for you. Phillip schofield has been a familiar face to viewers since his beginnings on childrens bbc in the 80s alongside gordon the gopher. He starred on the west end stage asjoseph, and more recently, as well as this morning, co hosts the itv programme dancing on ice. There was an outpouring of support for him across social media. The lgbt equality Charity Stonewall said it was an incredibly brave and moving announcement. David walliams said he had nothing but respect and admiration for him. I think that when celebrities, or those with high profiles in the media, decide to come out, it shines a spotlight and raises attention to the issue that there are still many people out there who are unable to come out. I feel a little lighter, but im also very, very aware of, you know, theres no question that it causes pain as it causes upset. Phillip schofields relief
at coming out was clear. The sentiment widely shared online that he might help others do the same. Some victims of crime in england and wales have given up reporting certain offences, because they dont believe that officers will investigate, according to the police watchdog. It says expectations are low when it comes to prosecuting for some burglaries, assaults and car crime. Our Home Affairs Correspondent tom symonds is here. This is worrying reading . Thats right. A pretty stark assessment from the most senior, one of the most senior inspectors in the police. He says the public of rumble to the fact of the police are not coping with some large number of crimes. For example, burglaries, car thefts, minor assaults, that sort of thing. Muggings are a particular issue. He says as a result there is a problem. Lets look at some of the
figures. There is a figure we have been reporting for some weeks. 7. 8 of crimes result in charges. Only 7. 8 . That figure has halved in the last five years. Fewer crimes are resulting in someone being brought to justice. Why is that . Resources area big to justice. Why is that . Resources are a big part of the issue. We have seen 20,000 fewer Police Officers in the last ten years. Those are being put back into the Police Service but thatis put back into the Police Service but that is taking time. Crime is getting more complicated as well to investigate. Some Police Forces are struggling to get data from mobile phones that is pretty important for investigations. The report says even the best forces are taking some wa nts to the best forces are taking some wants to do that. What is the impact of all this . Well, the concern of the inspectorate is that people are not going to be reporting crimes and not going to be reporting crimes and not cooperating with the police when they are investigating crimes. Here is another really important figure from the home office which we have seenin from the home office which we have seen in the last few weeks. 22 of cases are closed because the victim
has withdrawn their consent for the police to investigate, their support for the police, to investigate. The problem is the police and the public have to Work Together in all of this. If these trends are affecting the way in which people see the police, and see their ability to cut crime and to getjustice, they are going to start losing faith in the policing system. Tom, many thanks. Our top story this lunchtime an east london gp is given three life sentences for 90 sexual assaults on 24 female patients. Coming up, the Charles Dickens treasure trove bought by a London Museum, shedding new light on the writer. In on the writer. The sport, there is a heavyweight world in the sport, there is a heavyweight world title eliminator coming up in april as dubois and joyce meet in london. The west ham united womens captain, Gilly Flaherty, has urged anybody struggling with their Mental Health to talk about it, after publicly revealing for the first time that she tried to take her own life 11 years ago. Speaking to the bbcs football focus, the 28 year old says she was struggling with revealing her sexuality to her parents, and finding it difficult to cope with the demands on her life at the time. Jo currie reports. A leader on the pitch, gilly fla herty a leader on the pitch, Gilly Flaherty has played on the biggest stages and in front of huge crowds. But behind the public face life has not always been so comfortable for the west ham captain. 11 years ago the west ham captain. 11 years ago the defender tried to take her own life. It was so sad now when i think about it because i should have spoken to my mum and dad, do you know what i mean . Remember going to my hospital and my mum and dad coming in and crying. Ijust felt like id let everybody down. But the
reason for me doing it was because i couldnt cope. She was struggling with her sexuality as well as the pressures of college and football. It led to the then 17 year olds taking an overdose, something she says was a wake up call. |j taking an overdose, something she says was a wakeup call. I dont believe now, how i am, i would never, ever consider it again. It never, ever consider it again. It never comes in my mind. Ive been through a lot of hard times back then and i would never ever see that as an answer. She has lifted trophies in her career and played for england. But she admits she has never opened up about what happened until now. How surprised you think your team mates and maybe other friends and family will be to watch this video and realise what you went through . Yeah, i think they will be shocked. They probably wont expect it from me of all people. I am bubbly, do note i mean . I am outgoing. I am always smiling and a lwa ys outgoing. I am always smiling and always happy. That is how i am now but that is not how i was 11 years ago. I will probably be the last person they were expected from. This
is why it speaks volumes and why i had to say it because we need to talk about it and we need to let people know, listen, if i can get my head out of that and get my self out of that and save myself, anybody can. Flaherty says she hopes by speaking out and encouraging others to speak out, her story can offer hope to those struggling with their Mental Health. Joe corrie, bbc news, east london. And if youd like more information on the issues raised in that report, you can go to the bbc action line. Thats at bbc. Co. Uk action line. Prince andrew has asked to defer an honorary military promotion, which he was due to receive when he turned 60. The duke of york was set to be promoted to admiral later this month, but Buckingham Palace has requested that the ministry of defence defer the move until he returns to public duties. The prince stepped back from his public role in november, after a backlash over his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. John mcmanus reports. Following a career in
which he famously saw action during the falklands war, the duke of york retired from the navy in 2001. But it is a tradition that senior members of the royal family continue to receive military promotions as they get older, even if, in reality, they were never going to advance to the very highest levels of command. Prince andrew was set to follow his siblings charles and anne, and become an admiral when he turned 60 on february 19. But Buckingham Palace says the prince has asked the ministry of defence to defer his promotion for now. In a statement, the palace said. It appears that the duke may still intend to accept the promotion in the future,
perhaps when, or if, the backlash against his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dies down. For now, andrew remains very much a nonworking royal, even though his official website still says he is. But in a further sign of his now diminished status, the government has told local councils that they are not required to fly the union flag on his birthday, as they do for other senior royals. Westminster abbey says it will still ring the bells to mark his seventh decade. John mcmanus, bbc news. Shamima begum, one of three schoolgirls who went to syria to join the Islamic State group, has lost the first stage of her appeal against moves to remove her british citizenship. Her lawyers argued the decision of the then home secretary, sajid javid, rendered her stateless. Theyve described todays decision as baffling, and say they will launch an appeal. Ms begum left the uk with two friends in 2015 at the age of 15. She is now in a syrian refugee camp. Energy bills are to fall for millions of uk households this april, after the regulator lowered price caps. The default cap, including for pre payment meters, is being cut by £17. 0fgem claims it will lower bills for around 15 million households. The cap was introduced to protect customers on poor value default or standard variable tariffs. After drought and bushfires, parts of southeastern australia are now being deluged with torrential rain. Officials say the downpours have disrupted Public Transport and closed roads in sydney, but the rain is expected to ease the risk of fire in the state. The New South Wales state Emergency Service says it is still fighting over 40 fires. The uk has appointed a new ambassador to the united states. Dame karen pierce, who is currently the uks ambassador to the united nations, is the first woman to take the role. Her predecessor, kim darroch,
stepped down when he was sidelined by president trump. Dame karen said she hoped to strengthen the special relationship between the countries. Scientists say that the bumblebee populations in europe and in north america are in drastic decline, because of more frequent extremes of temperature. Research based on Data Collected over a century, and published in thejournal science, suggests that some species could be wiped out within a few decades. Our science correspondent, helen briggs, is here. The world is getting hotter. It is not just humans feeling the world is getting hotter. It is notjust humans feeling the effects. Scientists say bumblebees cant cope with extreme weather and are dying out. What we have shown with this research is that the increasing heat waves and droughts we are seeing with Climate Change causing very large declines in populations of bumblebees. This is important partly because bumblebees are pollinators
of wild flowers, and so we expect these declines of bumblebees to have a very important effects on the wider ecosystems of which they are a part. But also, the declines are important for humans. Bumblebees play a key role in pollinating wild flowers a nd play a key role in pollinating wild flowers and crops such as tomatoes, squash and blueberries. Without them, some crops could fail, reducing food for us and countless other species. Bees and other insects provide pollination worth almost £700 million a year to british agriculture, according to the National Farmers union. But loss of habitat to farmland is also a threat. Scientists say their research can be used to predict where these might go extinct in the hope we can do something about it, such as growing wildflowers at the edge of fields. We have already lost two species of bumblebee in the uk and this new report once more could follow. Helen briggs, bbc news. Hundreds of rare items which give a fascinating insight into the life and work of Charles Dickens, have been acquired by a London Museum dedicated to the writer. The material includes unpublished letters, sketches, books and personal objects. Experts at the Dickens Museum say they cant wait to share some of the treasure trove with visitors. Brenda emmanus reports. It was at his home in bloomsbury, london, now the george smid Charles Dickens museum, the seller to achieved National Fame as one of the worlds great storytellers. Today the venue has more to celebrate than his birthday. Having acquired a substantial collection of and original material. Over 300 unpublished letters, personal objects, portraits and books. The museums acquisition from a personal collection in america gives a new insight into the life and work of Charles Dickens. From his personal and business relationships to his state of mind while writing his
novels. Of these items almost all of them have been in private hands for many years. Some have never been seen. So to repatriate this collection of material of his life and work coming to a Public Museum like this, means there is great opportunities for people to come and enjoy and explore and study it. His narrative is for far more than mere fiction. Dickens created a wealth of work that has inspired great interpretations. It is letters reveal he had some dramas of his own. It is a tough day. I have been writing my head off since ten oclock. Charles dickens at work and play . Absolutely. This gave to a young is young sister in law. It has a lock of her hair. It is so important. So much of it is unpublished already. The letters, some of them have never been seen by any body outside of this collection. I cant make i cant wait to go
through it. It gives us a wonderful insight into his personality. There isa insight into his personality. There is a fantastic letter to his putter before a party. It is so exacting and says exactly what the bottle should do. Little minutiae of life. The items were selected from a collection amassed over four decades. It is now thejob collection amassed over four decades. It is now the job of the museum to research, catalogue and co nse rve museum to research, catalogue and conserve them. To display online and in the rooms of dickens london home. Brendan a mannus, bbc london news. Now the weather with lucy martin. We have had such a lovely bright, crisp days but it is about to change . It is. It is all eyes on stone cure into the weekend. Yesterday i had footage from oklahoma and the snow. Today i bring you footage from jacksonville in florida. Torrential rain, gales, flooding as well. And i will show you this because it is the same area of low pressure that is going to affect our shores. It is going to be
carried across by a fast moving