Well hear why throughout the programme. And a royal marine whos in prison for the Fatal Shooting of a taliban fighter in afghanistan finds out today if he is to be freed or must serve more time behind bars. Im hoping and praying that, along with the former archbishop of canterbury, forformer with the former archbishop of canterbury, for former release. Why . Because he deserves it and this was an absurd sentence from the beginning and im hoping the court will be persuaded that we are right on that. Well bring you the result as soon as it happens. Its due around 1030 this morning. Hello. Welcome to the programme, were live until 11. Throughout the morning the latest Breaking News and developing stories. A little later in the programme well look at the latest on scottish independence. And well discuss this front page, Never Mind Brexit who won legs it. Tell us what you think. Do get in touch on all the stories were talking about this morning use the Hashtag Victoria Live and if you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. The wife of westminster attacker, Khalid Masood, has said she totally condemns his actions. In a Statement Released via the police, rohey hydara said she was saddened and shocked and expressed her condolences to the victims. Our correspondent wyre davies is here. It isa it is a week now, nearly a week since the terror attacks on Westminster Bridge and the police have been trying to piece together what happened and how much did Khalid Masood have help and how much did his friends and family know. We heard from his mother today and today we have heard a statement from rohey hydara, his wife, again expressing her complete outrage and shocked at what happened and she has expressed condolences to those who we re expressed condolences to those who were killed and also wishing the victims who are still alive a speedy recovery. This plays into the narrative that he acted alone, and that his family and friends did not know what he was up to. Rohey hydara was one of many people who were detained and arrested by police in the aftermath of what happened last wednesday but she has been released and is now being treated as an innocent party, but again, this view that Khalid Masood was acting alone and maybe had become radicalised at some point in recent years, but he was not linked to any other groups andi was not linked to any other groups and i think this statement lends weight to that argument. Thanks for joining us. Thanks forjoining us. Joanna is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest of the days news. A rape victim whose attack led to a judge saying drunk women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments. Megan clark who has waived her right to anonymity to speak to this programme was raped by a man she met in burger king when she was drunk after a night out in manchester. The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was putting them at risk. But 19 year old megan said she was warning women to be careful, and it was good advice. Well bring you that interview in just a few minutes time. Doctors in england could be told to stop prescribing travel vaccines, gluten free foods and some ointments for muscle pain in a bid to save hundreds of millions of pounds a year. Cough medicines and popular painkillers like paracetemol could be added to the list at a later date. Our Health Editor hugh pym has more. The nhs is under increasing financial pressure. Now, Service Leaders are set to closely scrutinise whats available on prescription. Local Health Commissioners in england have drawn up a list of items which they say are unnecessary and inappropriate for prescription on the nhs. The medicines and treatments listed include omega 3 and fish oils, some muscle rubs and ointments, gluten free food, and travel vaccines, still allowed on the nhs. There could be savings of £128 million a year. Nhs england has agreed to carry out a review and introduce new guidelines. Longer term, the future of cold and cough treatments, indigestion and heartburn medication, and paracetamol on prescription will be considered. Health Officials Say hundreds of millions of pounds more could be saved. Nhs england argues they are widely available over the counter at pharmacies. A spokesman said there was a need to ensure the best value from resources. The move will form part of a major Strategy Announcement by the head of nhs england, simon stephens, later this week. Hugh pym, bbc news. The Scottish Parliament is expected to back Nicola Sturgeons call for a second independence referendum, in a vote this afternoon. The vote had been due to take place at holyrood last wednesday, but was postponed because of the attack At Westminster. The snp leader wants a referendum by the spring of 2019, but theresa may has rejected that timetable. Tesco will pay a £129 million fine from the Serious Fraud office over false accounting. It stems from a statement by the supermarket in september 2014, that its profits had been overstated by £263 million. Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including payments from suppliers, before the money was due. More must be done to address a sharp rise in the number of suicides among Women Prisoners in england, according to the prisons watchdog. Self inflicted deaths among female inmates almost doubled in the last year. The prisons and Probation 0mbudsman says that reforms recommended a decade ago havent materialised, as marc ashdown reports. For many years, the number of women who took their own life in prisons in england was one or two a year. In 2015, that figure rose to seven, and last year, 12 women. This stark rise prompted the prisons and Probation 0mbudsman, nigel newcomen, to examine 19 cases of suicide over a 4 year period. He has identified crucial areas of practice where he says that the service could be improved a Second Report Out Today identifies similar issues. Well, the huge rise in deaths, its complicated, but there are two main reasons. First, there are fewer staff in prisons, fewer people to learn and listen, and the other thing is unmet Mental Health needs. So women who are vulnerable and who need Mental Healthcare, need treatment for drug or alcohol addictions are not getting it. Ten years ago, the Prisons Ombudsman published a landmark report, making a series of 43 recommendations aimed at improving the care of women in custody. The current ombudsman said it was disheartening that the sweeping reforms had yet to be implemented, and blamed a lack of concerted and sustained action. The Ministry Ofjustice said the safety of prisoners is a priority, and a range of measures has been introduced to increase the support available. Mark ashdown, bbc news. Whats being described as a monster cyclone has begun lashing north east australia. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas as a result of Cyclone Debbie, which is also bringing warnings of dangerous tidal surges. Gps have been given access to a new Risk Assessment tool to help diagnose young people at risk of bowel cancer. Experts say people under 50 do not act on bowel cancer symptoms quickly enough and 20 have to visit a gp five times before being referred to a specialist. The new tool will help calculate the risk of the disease based on blood tests, symptoms and a gps examination. Bowel cancer uk told this programme all gps should be given access to the lifesaving tool. The new 12 sided £1 coin comes into circulation today. Modelled on the old thrupenny bit, its designed to be harder to forge. But some vending and Ticket Machines may not accept it straight away. The old coin remains legal tender until october. And with a day to go before the uk officially triggers article 50, the bbc news channel will be putting your questions to our bbc editors. Today at 1130, well be speaking with our Home Affairs Editor mark easton, who will take your queries on what brexit means for immigration and the future of the union. And the right of eu national is to remain here. You can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag bbc ask this or text your questions to 61124 and you can email us as well at askthis bbc. Co. Uk. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news more at 930. In the next few minutes you will be able to see our full interview with megan clark. We have had some of you getting in touch, melissa has said, although being drunk does not excuse other peoples despicable actions, it does make you more vulnerable, this isjust despicable actions, it does make you more vulnerable, this is just a fact nothing to do with political correctness. In an ideal world this should not be the case, but this world is far from should not be the case, but this world is farfrom ideal. Do get in touch with us throughout the morning use the Hashtag Victoria Live and if you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. Lets get some sport. 0lly foster is with us again this morning. 0lly, all change in cricket, a new competition to try and breathe some life into the sport . We have got to wait three years, but we are going to get eight City Franchises, 36 t20 matches, played in the summer from 2020, and they hope it will rival the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash In Australia which have stolen a march in terms of t20 competitions. These sites will be separate from the 18 counties who have got their own t20 tournament stash sides. It is the cou nty tournament stash sides. It is the county game at that be ecb feel they need to change, to get more people into the sport that the ecb. We have had so many initiatives. T20 has gone some way to bringing a bit more razzmatazz into the british game, but the ecb feel they have to reach out in different areas and these City Franchises will try to popularise the game to compete with other sports around like football. This is the ecb chief executive. By doing things differently and by building new teams, we can be Releva Nt Building new teams, we can be relevant to a new audience and bring this very diverse Multicultural Britain into our stadium in the future which maybe we havent been successful in doing today. The key is going to be money and there is resista nce is going to be money and there is resistance from the counties. That has disappeared with the promise of £1. 3 million each year. That money will come from broadcast rights, and broadcast will have a massive say in where the franchises will be based on what they will be called, and eight of the 38 games could be screened live on terrestrial tv. With the vest on pay tv. With the rest. The bbc has expressed an interest. That would help, we have not had live cricket for some time on free to air division. Since the ashes summer, 2005. Yes, that was amazing. Gosh, 2005. And cycling is back in the news, 0lly. Are we any closer to finding out what was in that mystery package delivered to sir Bradley Wiggins . We have seen details from a key player in this saga. Doctor richard freeman, his written evidence, he is not well at the moment, to the select committee, looking at how they combat doping in sport. He received the package in 2011 when he was looking after Bradley Wiggins in france last team sky have been heavily criticised for their medical Record Keeping around that time and he has admitted it was not up to scratch but he says the parcel contained a legal decongestant and not a steroid that Bradley Wiggins had previously been given an exemption to use although he would not have been allowed to use it on that occasion. All parties deny any wrongdoing, but the chair of the select committee wants more answers and Uk Anti Doping are still digging and Uk Anti Doping are still digging and still carrying out their own investigation into what was in that package. We will be talking that the story again. Finally, heroic set the end of a race in the united states. Heroics at. End of a race in the united states. Heroics at. Remember the brownlee brothers, when one of them carried the other across the line, at the 0lympics, well this was in philadelphia. It was run over the weekend. 0r philadelphia. It was run over the weekend. Or not run, as that poor lady found but she got very wobbly at the end. These triathletes stopped to help her, and this chap decided she was not going to make it on her own two feet. Medics had to look after her but we understand she is very well. She made it across the line. They are the heroes of the hour. They are overall the newspapers in philadelphia. Thank you very much. This morning in an exclusive interview, a Rape Survivor whose attack led to a judge saying drunk women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments, saying the judge was right. Megan clark, who is 19, was raped by a man she met in takeaway when she was drunk after a night out in manchester. The trial sparked controversy after the judge said women were entitled to drink themselves into the ground, but their Disinhibited Behaviour could put them in danger. Her comments were described by campaigners as outrageous and misguided. But today megan clark who has waived her right to anonymity to speak to us exclusively today defends the judge, saying she was absolutely right and that she took the comments in a positive way. She goes on to tell this programme that she felt shamed and blamed by other people and that her experiences of going through the court system mean she wouldnt report a rape again. In her only interview megan clark explaines why shes decided to speak out. Its a really important subject and people do not talk about it and they are afraid to admit. You were out with friends and you ended up waiting for a bus. What happened after that . I ended up near where i would go home for the bus and i met two men in burger king and i asked them to stay out with me for a while because i had a while until i could get my bus. I was pretty drunk at the time and didnt want to go home yet anyway. They suggested going back to theirs which i wasnt too sure about at first because i would rather stay or i could get by bus but then they ended up convincing me. So they said they would go for a smoke, so i went with them. We were walking for a while. We walked we ended up near a canal at the top of some steps and then i was raped. Can you tell us more about the circumstances of the rape and how it began . Im not too sure, i dont remember it very well, we were just sitting and talking. They ended up being inappropriate, but it didnt bother me at the time. It wasnt an issue, but it was strange, i guess. And then things just went further. And what did you do . Not a lot i could do, really. I complained a lot. I dont remember it. Its just from what i have seen on the video. I didnt really do much until the police came. When you see the video, you are referring to the fact that somebody was filming this on their phone. Yeah. From watching the video, first of all, what was that like . It was pretty horrible to watch. It was different to how id remembered it. So it wasnt nice to watch. You were calling out, you say you were complaining, you were calling out having watched this footage . Yeah. Then what happened when the Police Arrived . They stopped it. Then they took me straight to the police station, which is also a bit blurry because i was still drunk at that point. They took a statement from me. I went back a bit later on, went home and went back later on to do a video statement. What impact has this had on you . It has been very difficult. I had to put my life on hold for a while. I didnt do with it so well for a while. I kind of got past it a little bit now, after the trial and sentencing, but i stopped going out so much. It put me back. It was really hard to deal with. In terms of the decision to take legal action, was that difficult . I didnt really decide to because the police had interrupted it at the time. The police were involved right from the beginning, but i wasnt going to stop it because it was something quite serious and it needed to be reported. You have just been through a really long process culminating in a trial that lasted weeks and a 19 year old man was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to six years in jail. Of rape and sentenced to six years injail. What of rape and sentenced to six years in jail. What was your reaction to that punishment . Disappointment, mostly. It was pretty much what i expected, because thats just out sentencing generally goes with cases like that. But it was disappointing. You expected he would have got more for being found guilty . I was hoping so, yeah. It was really difficult. At the end of the trial the policeman said that the defendant was unable to force himself on others for his own sexual gratification, not only did he make his victim endure the attack, but he denied involvement. Tell us about the Court Process and having to tv in court . It was really difficult. It didnt bother me so much in the months before it, i managed tojust push it to the back of my mind and ignored but i couldnt once the trial started. Then it started to really bother me and when i had to give evidence in court, it was horrific. It was really difficult especially due to seeing the footage of it immediately before giving evidence. At the end of the case, the judge who was retiring, said, she made some comments about women being drung and this is the quote. She said, women were entitled to drink themselves into the ground, but their Disinhibited Behaviour could put them in danger. What do you think about those comments . I think she was absolutely right in what she said, but it was taken out of context. She put the blame massively on rapists, not the victims. She just simply said to be careful, basically, which is smart advice. We need to be careful. But she wasnt at all Victim Blaming. She said a woman would be less likely to report a rape because she was drunk or could not remember what happened or feels ashamed to deal with it or if push comes sho shove a girl who is drunk is less likely to be believed than one who was sober at the time. Is that how you felt at the time . Yeah, that is definitely true. You didnt think you would report Something Like that because you had had a few drinks. Yeah, definitely. It is not the way it should be. That is the harsh reality. That is the way things are. Are you saying you wouldnt have gone to the police that night unless somebody had videoed it . I wouldnt have. Really . But you had been raped. But it probably wouldnt have gone anywhere. Some said she should know better, the only person who is responsible for rape is the rapist. Women are yet again being blamed for rape. That is true. Only the rapist is responsible, but that was the point the judge was making, it was just taken out of context. Did you ever feel shamed did you Everfeel Shamed or blamed . At first i did, yeah. A few people i dont, they kind of put it down to my behaviour. I thought it was true. I guess everybody blames themselves. I know it is not my fault, but it is hard not to blame yourself, especially when you are in that situation. What is your message to other women when theyre out and about with their mates in the summer, having had a few drinks . Dont live in fear of rapists and being in danger, look after yourself, of course. Know that it is not your fault, whatever happens. I guess id still encourage people to report it, because you have a better chance. Even though you feel if it ever happened to you again you wouldnt report it . From the experience of this whole process , from the experience of this whole process, what do you feel about the kind of justice that process, what do you feel about the kind ofjustice that youve received . Disappointed, i guess, but i guess you cant expect much more. Thats just the way the system works. And disappointed why . The outcome wasnt great, the case was dealt with the way it should have been and my outcome was better than most get. Which is, i guess, lucky, in a sense. So many people dont get any justice at all. You will have heard that in the future, the government has decided that alleged victims of rape are not going to be cross examined in court in the way you were. You gave evidence behind a screen, but they will be able to video tape, record their evidence in advance which will be played to a court. What do you think of those plans . I think that is a brilliant idea. It is really hard giving evidence in court. That does make it so much easier. It is a lot less pressure. I guess you would be able to think about what you are saying little bit more. You are not under such awkward circumstances with everybody looking at you and whatever. It is a lot better. What about the fact some people say if you can record your evidence in advance then actually whoever is on the stand is not going to get a fair trial because a key witness is not going to be cross examined. I suppose thats true, in a sense, but i think it is hardest on the victim. They are still going to get all the answers they need in just a comfortable way for the victim. Megan clarke, very frank o open megan clarke, very frank o open megan clarke. She waived her right to anonymity to talk to us in her only interview. And you can read more about megans story on the bbc news site. After 10am, well get reaction to those comments from the legal establishment. As always, i am really keen to hear from you. Felicity says, this is self blame. No, no, no, it is his fault, not yours. James on facebook says, megan is a brave woman for speaking out, but a victim can never be blamed, it is the predatory male which is evil. This texter says, drunk women appear an easy target. They are unlikely to remember the event afterwards. If you drink you have to accept the consequences. Jane says, it is not Victim Blaming themselves to say that drunk women are themselves to say that drunk women a re less themselves to say that drunk women are less able to protect themselves. It is just common sense. Predators look for vulnerable people. If you or anyone else you know has been a victim of Sexual Assault, you can find a list of other organisations that help on the bbc actionline bbc. Co. Uk actionline this is the syrian city of homs before war broke out. You will see Beautiful Boulevards where people lived and worked and markets where they came to trade. That is before war broke out. And this is homs now, a City Ravished by war. Now, Syrian Rebels and civilians have been evacuated from a neighbourhood of the city as part of a deal to surrender the citys last insurgent held area. The elderly and injured, Young Children, as well as rebel fighters with Light Weapons have boarded buses. When this processed is finished, all of homs will be back in the hands of the syrian government. From jordan we Havejuliette Touma from unicef who has recently been in homs doing aid work. Tell us what you found when you were working there . Well, i was there just a couple of weeks ago. It was my third visit to homs in recent yea rs. My third visit to homs in recent years. The levels of destruction in the city is just phenomenal. Whole buildings completely destroyed. Whole roads completely gone. Not one building was standing. But what was really reassuring and what was really reassuring and what was really in fact beautiful is that we we re really in fact beautiful is that we were driving very Early Morning in the city and it was very heart warming to see children walking to school, carrying their school bags amid the destruction and walking on the debrisjust to amid the destruction and walking on the debris just to make amid the destruction and walking on the debrisjust to make it amid the destruction and walking on the debris just to make it to school. So trying to go about their normal lives. I mean in terms of this evacuation, it would seem sensible, would it, to get those, you know, Young Children and elderly and the injured and so on out . Well, im,| and the injured and so on out . Well, im, i cant really speak about the evacuation. The un and unicef are not involved in that, but what i do know it has been six years since the war started in syria. The level of destruction is nothing that we have seen since the second world war. Eight million children inside syria and neighbouring countries are in need of assistance. The war has got to stop. It has got to stop now. People have been saying that for yea rs people have been saying that for years and it continues. It does continue. Sadly. The children and women and men, so civilians at large are those who pay the heaviest price and in fact, are those who pay the heaviest price and infact, it are those who pay the heaviest price and in fact, it is a reminder that there isnt a winner in this war. That everyone loses as a result of this outrageous brutal, brutal war in the country and the biggest losers are the civilians. Thank you very much. Thank you for talking to us. She was speaking to us from jordan but has recently been in homs. Still to come, a royal marine who is in prison finds out today if hell be freed after shooting a taliban fighter in afghantan. Weve spoken to his lawyer ahead of the ruling and well bring you the verdict once its released. Ahead of the Scottish Parliament resuming its debate on scottish independence, the daily mail focussed on another issue. Well be asking whether the paper was right to do so. Your thoughts welcome as always. Heres joanna with a summary of the news. In an exclusive interview a rape victim whose attack led to a Judge Warning that drunk women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments. Megan clark waived her right to anonymity to speak to this programme. She was raped by a man she met in burger king when she was drunk after a night out in manchester. The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was putting them at risk. But 19 year old megan said she was warning women to be careful, and it was good advice. The wife of westminster attacker Khalid Masood has said she totally condemns his actions. Khalid masood killed three people when he drove across Westminster Bridge before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer. In a Statement Released through the police, rohey hydara said she was saddened and shocked and expressed her condolences to the victims. Health bosses are to look at plans to save hundreds of millions of pounds a year by stopping prescriptions for things like gluten free food, muscle rubs and omega 3 fish oils. The changes are part of a proposal to cut down on what nhs england called unnecessary or inappropriate treatments, that can be bought cheaply over the counter in most supermarkets. The review begins next month. The Scottish Parliament is expected to back Nicola Sturgeons call for a second independence referendum, in a vote this afternoon. The vote had been due to take place at holyrood last wednesday, but was postponed because of the attack At Westminster. The snp leader wants a referendum by the spring of 2019, but theresa may has rejected that timetable. Tesco will pay a £129 million fine from the Serious Fraud office over false accounting. It stems from a statement by the supermarket in september 2014, that its profits had been overstated by £263 million. Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including payments from suppliers, before the money was due. The new 12 sided £1 coin comes into circulation today. Modelled on the old thrupenny bit, its designed to be harder to forge. But some vending and Ticket Machines may not accept it straight away. The old coin remains legal tender until october. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news more at 10am. 0n the subject of women being drunk and the comments the judge made, jane says the judge is wrong and sexes, and she says anyone is in danger if they are drunk is accessed. Is sexist. Another person says megan clark is brave and strong, yes, she was drunk, but things can happen. Predators take advantage. No matter your views on safety, there is a person here who has suffered, she says. We will talk about the latest in the case of Sergeant Alexander blackman. He will find out today if he is to be freed after his murder conviction was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and he spent a number of years in jailand he and he spent a number of years in jail and he will find out this morning. We will talk about that very shortly. Heres some sport now with 0lly foster. Some big changes in domestic cricket, a 2020 tournament starting in 2020 featuring eight City Franchises rather than the traditional county teams, that will ta ke ce ntre traditional county teams, that will take centre stage to try and bring younger audiences into the sport. Former Team Sky Doctor Richard Freeman has explained to mps what was in the mystical medical package delivered to Bradley Wiggins in 2011 mysterious. Johanna konta is into the quarterfinals of the miami 0pen after a straight sets victory in her latest match. We will be speaking to Ebony Raynsford Brent later about those cricket changes. A royal marine who is in prison for the Fatal Shooting of a taliban fighter in afghanistan will find out in the next hour if hes going to be released from prison or have to serve any more time. Five judges at the Court Martial appeal court in london have been urged to free Sergeant Alexander blackman, who was known as marine a, from jail this morning, following the reduction of his murder conviction to diminished responsibility manslaughter two weeks ago. Blackman was convicted of murder in 2013 and initially sentenced to life with a minimum term of ten years. Sergeant blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting of him, saying there you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil. Followed by an admission that he just broke the Geneva Convention. It was all captured on a recording on his helmet. Shuffle off this mortal coil you. Nothing you wouldnt do to us. I know, exactly. Obviously, this cant go anywhere, fellas. Roger, mate. Ivejust broken the Geneva Convention. Roger. The court has ruled previously that Sergeant Blackman was suffering from an Abnormality Of Mental Functioning at the time of the killing in 2011. Speaking last year his wife told me about his mental State Of Mind. Hes amazing, remarkable. I dont know how he stays so positive. He makes the best of his time, he is studying for an Open University degree, he is teaching some of the other lads english and maths skills, he is going to the gym a lot, as you would expect of an ex royal marine, he is doing everything he can to keep the spirits up. You said earlier that your husband believed the taliban insurgent was dead when he knelt alongside him and fired his pistol at him. Also, as you know, recorded on that video, his words were, there you are, shuffle off this mortal coil, you. It is nothing you would not do to us. How did he explain those words to you . In his usual honest way. I know he genuinely believed the insurgent to be dead. He himself was surprised when, having shot the dead body, it moved postmortem more than he had ever experienced before, and he realised he had made a mistake. He was out there in incredibly difficult circumstances, he was surrounded by enemy, he had a troop of lads that he was responsible for, and his reaction was one of trying to process what had just happened and deal with the situation and try to take command back for himself and his men. Were expecting to hear what his new sentence will be at around 1030am this morning. Jonathan goldberg qc is Sergeant Blackmans lawyer, rob driscoll has served with Sergeant Blackman and considers him a close friend, and former leader of the lib dems Paddy Ashdown who is a former royal marine. They have been talking to me. Im hoping and praying along with the former archbishop of canterbury for immediate release. Why would that be justified . He deserves it, this was an absurd sentence from the beginning, and i hope the court will be persuaded that we are right. What are your hopes for this morning . I echo the barristers thoughts, lam hopeful that the sentence will reflect the time served and will see him home with his family soon. Have you ever found yourself in a position similar to the one Sergeant Blackman found himself in in helmand . Very similar. I think many people that have served in that environment would have found themselves in similar positions. The outcome is very different, but i think afghanistan was a complex environment, it was an asymmetric environment, the threat was all around us, there was no real safe haven. We did not entirely have the trust of the local population. It presented some unique challenges that perhaps had not been seen before, and dictate how we conduct these operations in the future. Why was the evidence of Sergeant Blackmans State Of Mind not available at the original Court Martial . Incompetence by those who ought to have provided it to some extent on both sides. The prosecution and the defence, mainly the defence. They never had him psychiatrically examined until after the conviction. Is that something that you would like to see automatically happen in the future for future Court Martial cases . In cases of murder it ought to be automatic that the prosecution, if not also the defence, obtain psychiatric reports, especially for a man who has been at the sharp end of combat for the last six months. One in four of our front line Combat Troops develop a Mental Illness of some kind afterwards. What kind of lessons do you believe have been learned from this case thus far . We are not totally excused from making mistakes. I get that. But it is constant learning. Warfare evolves. The operations we are conducting our different from what we were conducting 50, 100 years ago, and it is a constant case of evolving with the threat and learning that we need more support than we have in the past or that has been given in the past. It is a Learning Cycle that we must accept as we go forward. Bearing in mind what the judges now know about Sergeant Blackmans State Of Mind at the time, do you understand now why he shot dead that taliban insurgent . I have always understood. There are massive differences. We can all sit and debate about the shoulds and musts and what we ought to do, but when you are faced with that kind of incident and all of those pressures that would have been bearing down on him with regards to the Young Marines and what have you, it is really difficult to apply a process or a procedure. We cannot really teach how to deal with that, we can only hope that we do the right thing. In my opinion, he did, because i am not saying anyone should be Above The Law, but he certainly may have saved lives on that occasion. And i think the idea that the insurgents were implying during that time was essentially to use their own as bait to bring in a bigger prize. What about what he said regarding the Geneva Convention . That was disappointing, and he knows that he has made mistakes, but a man was killed, and the rest of the force, they were there to provide security. We we re they were there to provide security. We were there to provide security, and we were able to go about our business and achieve the rest of the days objectives such as rebuilding and engagement with the rebel populations, and the fact that the guy died is sad to a degree, but thatis guy died is sad to a degree, but that is warfare, and that is what happens when we start putting forces against each other. But ashdown, lord ashdown, that is warfare, do you agree . Warfare is a whiz conducted subject to the rule of law, and a soldier goes into someone elses country and with lethal force in orderto elses country and with lethal force in order to protect the law, the domestic law that operates in britain and international law, and when that is broken, whether that is broken, that is a matter for the court, the Court Hasjudged on this and regarded that there is mitigating circumstances and it is not what anyone else to intervene in that process. I gave evidence against the Walker Models three War Criminals against the Walker Models three Warcriminals Andl against the Walker Models three War Criminals and i did that because i witnessed the forces undertaking actions which were contrary to the law, but if you dont have the rule of law, even on the battlefield, soldiery develops into something which is very different from the great standards which are observed by british forces. Whether the law was broken in this case is a matter for the court, nobody else. The court has decided there are mitigating circumstances, what sentence is passed as a matter for the court, nobody else, and in britain there is a very clear, Indeedin Britain there is a very clear, indeed in every democracy, a very clear division, the division of powers, between the court that the sites where and whether the laws have been broken that decides. 0ne have been broken that decides. One does not interfere with the other. Bearing in mind what we know about Sergeant Blackmans mental state at that time, if understand why he did what he did . It isnt a question of i understand. What he did . It isnt a question of iunderstand. I what he did . It isnt a question of i understand. I dont think it is something that somebody who is not on the battlefield can understand. I have been an officer and i have been in circumstances like this. Ive witnessed people being killed on the battlefield. Its not a question of whether you understand, only if youre there do you understand. But its a question of whether the law has been broken and i come back to a central tenant of british democratic rule which is the rule of law and who decides whether the law has been broken in every instance on the battlefield, on the streets, is a matter for the courts and in this politicians dont interfere. Mr goldberg you saw Sergeant Blackman a few days ago. What is his frame of mind at the moment . You know, he is a royal marine, the amazing thing is how resilient and tough he is about this, much more so than me on his behalf. Hes practical. Hes doing an open University Course and teaching the other prisoners maths and refereeing volleyball competitions, can you believe this . And he would like to walk free today . You bet he would. Pauline says, it is not natural justice to jail this marine. We teach them to kill and punish them for doing so. He should be a hero, not behind bars. This viewer says, murder is murder. Blackmans State Of Mind not backed up by his lucid warnings to colleagues to keep their mouth shut about the Geneva Convention. We are expecting to hear from the court in the next hour orso, as hear from the court in the next hour or so, as soon as we hear from the court in the next hour or so, as soon as we find out what the ruling is on Sergeant Blackmans sentence, we will bring it to you on bbc news. Wave film about bowel cancer. Experts say too often the Warning Signs are missed because someone is young. Thats at 10. 15am. The Scottish Parliament look set to vote to begin the process of calling a second referendum on independence today but talks between the Prime Minister and the First Minister made no progress on when it might actually be held. We can speak now to the Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale who is for remaining in the uk. And and in a moment well speak to Tasmina Ahmed sheikh from the snp, which is in favour of scottish independence. Kezia dugdale good morning to you. Good morning. In 2015 you said that labour msps could vote for independence if they wanted. Why have you changed your mind . Independence if they wanted. Why have you changed your mind . |j independence if they wanted. Why have you changed your mind . I made it clear in the manifesto that the Scottish Labour Party couldnt support a second independence referendum in the lifetime of this Scottish Parliament. Why did you change your mind . I didnt change my mind. Whati change your mind . I didnt change my mind. What i did was put forward in a manifesto a clear commitment to oppose independence and indeed a second independence referendum and my colleagues are going to honour that promise that we made to the scottish people and it is important to ask why were going to do that. First and fore most, scotland is incredibly divided just now. The last thing it needs is to be divided once more on this constitutional question. Im against independence because of the austerity it would bring to scotland. Because of the additional cuts it would bring to schools and hospitals, we know the gap between what scotland raises in its taxes and what it spends is £15 billion. As a Labour Politician that wa nts to billion. As a Labour Politician that wants to stand up for Public Services you cannot possibly ever support that reduction in Public Services. You wouldnt expect me to to. Whats it like to find yourself on the same side as the conservatives this inn this debate . Im making different arguments to the conservatives. Because of the of theresa mays, the reality is that independence would mean the cuts would be far more severe than were faced with. It is myjob to stand up against the cuts. Actually where i stand is where the majority of people in scotland stand. We want to remain part of the k uk and thats what we voted for just two and a half years ago and we want asa two and a half years ago and we want as a close a relationship with europe as possible. Scots want to reject the extremes of nationalism and hard brexit and thats where the Labour Party Stands to represent the people who share those interests. Brexit might be economically damaging to scotland too . Brexit is going to be dabbling for scotlandment there is no question of that. Just as it will be damaging for wales and the rest of the United Kingdom. Independence will not make that any betterment the uncertainty caused by brexit would be multiplied by the uncertainty of brexit. Europe is an important Trading Partner to the uk, to scotland the rest of the United Kingdom is worth four times that in terms of its trading relationships, why would we jeopardise that in order to maintain that relationship with europe . I think we can have both choices. How do you respond that then that what your party is proposing, what the Scottish Government is proposing will end up being economically damage for scotland . Will end up being economically damage for scotland . Well, i dont Acce Pt Damage for scotland . Well, i dont accept anything of what Kezia Dugdale saidment she started off speaking about her own manifesto. If we are in a situation where we find ourselves where we are taken out of the eu against our will, the people of scotland should be given a choice and thats what were saying. It is not for me or Nicola Sturgeon or Kezia Dugdale to rob the people of scotland of a genuine choice and thats what they should be offered in18 thats what they should be offered in 18 months time, not now, in the agreed time scale according to david davis and theresa may. The people of scotland at that time should be offered what the scotlands prospective is going to be for independence. Thats how we take the country forward. What is the alternative that Kezia Dugdale is offering . She speaks of austerity. What she wants to subject the people of scotland to is decades of austerity as we have a hard right tory government thats not going to be removed by labour any time tory government thats not going to be removed by labourany time in tory government thats not going to be removed by labour any time in the near future. Why isnt it right that the people of scotland are offered another path, a genuine choice to save themselves from austerity and save themselves from austerity and save themselves from brexit. I thought Kezia Dugdale was in favour of the single market. We are not going to lie down and let the uk government take us out of the European Union. We have to stand up for what is right for scotland and people of scotland should make that choice. On timing, if you believe that the brexit deal that mrs may gets is economically damaging then you would surely benefit in an Independence Referendum Vote if you held that vote after the brexit deal had been done . We all know, Kezia Dugdale just said she knows the impact of brexit are going to be economically damaging. Thats an understood fact. Actually no one knows. Well, we do know. All reports, all surveys told us that it is going to have a negative impact. No one knows what the deal is. No one knows what the deal is . Terms of the choice which is what were suggesting, were not asking for a referendum now, what we are saying given the people 62 voted to remain, given that the uk wide approach is not a uk wide approach. Numberten approach is not a uk wide approach. Number ten Downing Street approach to brexit, people should be given a genuine choice. These are not my words. The words in terms of the time scale at 18 months come from david davis a couple of weeks ago andindeed david davis a couple of weeks ago and indeed theresa may yesterdayment we are working to their time scales and indeed, the European Union time scales in terms of the negotiating position. Briefly, if you dont get permission from westminster, would you hold an informal referendum . We wa nt you hold an informal referendum . We want our referendum that is agreed with, the uk government. Ok. So you wouldnt hold an advisory one. The Prime Minister would sensibly say she wasnt going to agree to that. So you wouldnt hold an advisory referendum . We would hold a proper referendum. I want to ask you about the english edition of the daily mail. The front page outside of scotla nd mail. The front page outside of scotland says, Never Mind Brexit, who won legs it . It has a picture of Nicola Sturgeon and theresa may in their suits of Nicola Sturgeon and theresa may in theirsuits and of Nicola Sturgeon and theresa may in their suits and the attention seems to be on their legs. The inside column, im going to read a couple of quotes for anybody who hasnt read it. While theresa mays fingers elegant with their classic red nails were relaxed and open, sturgeons grip appeared tenser. Her right thumb at an awkward angle. Sturgeon looks less comfortable, she is glancing off to one side. Her eyes like two hard chocolate buttonsment her smile and as welcoming as loch lomond on a winters day. What stands out is the legs and the expanse on show. There is no no doubt that both women consider their pins to be their finest weapon in their arsenal. Both have been unsheted. Kezia dugdale how do you react to that . It isjust so how do you react to that . It isjust so tiresome, im asked why does Gender Equality Matter in 2017 when you have a female First Minister and female Prime Minister, and three female Prime Minister, and three female leaders of Opposition Parties in scotland and that front page else you how it matters, they are being judged by their appearance. It is tiresome and another example of every day sexism. We know it is a sensationalist take, but women face that every day. They dont have to be Prime Minister to face that sort of extreme sexism and we have to stand against it every step of the way. How would you describe it . I agree with everything Kezia Dugdale said. It is disgusting. I have been saying in parliament At Westminster that so often it is report on what we wear as opposed to what were saying. Theresa may and Nicola Sturgeon held a really important discussion if one could term it as such yesterday and the fact that the focus is on what they are wearing or what their gestures may have been is tiring. We have so much work to do in this respect and i hope the daily mail would consider this was an inappropriate way to cover what was an extremely important meeting about the future of the United Kingdom. You say people are treated because they are women Kezia Dugdale. Can you give us an xarple of how you have been treated differently because you are a woman . |j have been treated differently because you are a woman . I remember one of the first times i wore a dress to my work after wearing trouser suits for many years and a male colleague said he didnt know i had legs. You get casual sexism like that every step of the way in politics. I live in a political bubble. Im part of the political establishment. People are pk around the type of language they would use with me. Think of the working class women, women working three part time jobs and the sexism they face every day. Who is going to stand up and protect them . Thats why it is important when women are in positions of power they break down the barriers to show up the sexism and show the men up who are articulating. Not in this case, it isa articulating. Not in this case, it is a female journalist, but it is a male editor. Plenty of people on social media had their say as soon as the front page of the mail was published in england. This from jeremy corbyn, ltis england. This from jeremy corbyn, its 2017, the sexism must be consigned to history. Shame on the daily mail. This from David Baddiel it says newspaper of the year, 1971 i assume. Mary beard said this, women in power . Worth seeing what we my be up against. Ed miliband, the19505 called seeing what we my be up against. Ed miliband, the 19505 called and asked miliband, the19505 called and asked for their headline back. Harriet harman, moronic and were in 2017. Here is an older version posted by lily allen. There is Bori5 Johnson and david cameron. Very, very good. The Scottish Daily mail by the way, it is very different. It doesnt mention legs it. It says, 0h doesnt mention legs it. It says, oh so frosty, secrets of nicola and pms oh so frosty, secrets of nicola and pm5 talking. Now the weather with matt. Lets ta ke lets take to you australia. Youve heard about Cyclone Debbie reaching the australian coast. This is where it made land fall. Luckily the Winds Strength is over a narrow corridor. It will be rain that causes problems and that will head southwards in the direction of brisbane. Some spots could see half a meters worth of rain before it gradually eases off. Back to our shores. We have our own swirl of cloud, not too far away. A huge swirl of cloud as well. It is out in the atlantic. Here it is. Its a massive area of low pressure. Its a massive area of low pressure. It is not having a direct impact on us it is not having a direct impact on us at the moment, but it will have an incorrect action through today. Spreading in a zone of thicker cloud and the chance of rain. We have had dry and sunny weather of late. Starting toads few showers across Western Areas as we go through the day. Very much more miss than hit, but you could see some through this morning and beyond lunch time across northern ireland, maybe in the midlands and into parts of north west england. By the end of the afternoon a few spots of Rain Starting to show up in the South West Of Scotland and particularly Dumfries And Galloway and we may just particularly Dumfries And Galloway and we mayjust catch the odd spot or two and we mayjust catch the odd spot ortwo in and we mayjust catch the odd spot or two in 0rkney, but much of scotla nd or two in 0rkney, but much of scotland will be dry. A big change with recent days, more cloud around and the sunniest conditions will be across the north west. We could hit 16 celsius. But once weve lost the bulk of rain from northern ireland, the skies will brighten with sunshine, but there could be a few heavy thunderstorms and we could see storms across western england and wales. Some avoid them. Further south and east, not only dry and sunny, but warmer, temperatures could peak at 20 celsius. We have got the showers to begin with. Another batch of rain pushing up from the south west. It will be across northern and Western Areas where we see rain tonight, but one or two towards the south east and east anglia could catch the odd shower. Not as cold as the last few nights. Temperatures holding up for the most part. In the nart north east of scotland, there may just be a very isolated frost. Here we should start the day dry and bright with sunshine. But weather fronts wriggling away as we head up the Western Parts of the uk through wednesday and into thursday. And by the time we get into thursday, this is where we are likely to see the warmth gradually building. So some further outbreaks of rain across Western Areas on wednesday. Brighter conditions either side, but by thursday, just notice the warmth build in the south east corner. This is where we will see the best of the sunshine. Could hit 20 or 21 celsius. Wetter still across Western Areas and we will see more rain as we go into friday, that pushes southwards and eastwards and get ready for the weekend. It is set to turn cooler. Hello, im victoria derbyshire. A rape victim speaks exclusively to this programme whose attack led to a female judge saying women who get drunk were putting themselves in danger. Its been really difficult, ive pretty much had to put my life on hold. I didnt deal with it so well for a while ive kind of got past it a little bit now. In a short while a royal marine will find out if he will be released from prison after shooting a taliban insurgent in afghanistan. Weve been speaking to a friend of his, who said why Sergeant Blackman should be released. In my opinion al did do the right thing because im not saying anyone should be Above The Law but he certainly may have saved lives on that occasion. Gps have been given access to a new Risk Assessment tool to help diagnose young people at risk of bowel cancer. Weve been speaking to people affected by the disease. Its turns your world upside down and it makes you reconsider everything. What youre doing and what youre going to do. U nfortu nately what youre going to do. Unfortunately ive had to have quite a large operation. Weve got a very informative and moving film on bowel cancer quite soon. Heres joanna with a summary of the news. In an exclusive interview a rape victim whose attack led to a Judge Warning that drunk women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments. Megan clark waived her right to anonymity to speak to this programme. She was raped by a man she met in a takeaway when she was drunk after a night out in manchester. The judge at the trial of her attacker sparked controversy when she said the drunken behaviour of some women was putting them at risk. But 19 year old megan said she was warning women to be careful, and it was good advice. The wife of westminster attacker Khalid Masood has said she totally condemns his actions. Khalid masood killed three people when he drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to Death Outside parliament. In a Statement Released through the police, rohey hydara said she was saddened and shocked and expressed her condolences to the victims. Health bosses are to look at plans to save hundreds of millions of pounds a year by stopping prescriptions for things like gluten free food, muscle rubs and omega 3 fish oils. The changes are part of a proposal to cut down on what nhs england called unnecessary or inappropriate treatments, that can be bought cheaply over the counter in most supermarkets. The review begins next month. Tesco will pay a £129 million fine to the Serious Fraud office over false accounting. It stems from a statement by the supermarket in september 2014, that its profits had been overstated by £263 million. Auditors found that the inflated figure was the result of including payments from suppliers, before the money was due. Gps have been given access to a new tool to help diagnose young people at risk of bowel cancer. Experts say people under 50 do not act on bowel cancer symptoms quickly enough and 20 visit a gp five times before they are referred to a specialist. The new approach will help calculate the risk of the disease based on blood tests, symptoms and a gps examination. Bowel cancer uk told this programme all gps should be given access to the lifesaving tool. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news more at 10. 30am. We are going to talk more about the interview with megan clark. And the fact that the judge in her rape case said that drunk and women we re rape case said that drunk and women were putting themselves in danger drunken women. We have had one person getting in touch, she said she was raped, and she had to spend three days giving evidence. She said the trauma of being on the stand was horrific and she was sober which it was raped, and she understands why megan clark would not have come forward would not come forward if she was raped again. She says she feels the system is set up to protect the rapist rather than the victim. Do get in touch with us throughout the morning. Use the Hashtag Victoria Live and if you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. Heres some sport now with 0lly foster. Cricket is making the headlines this morning. A brand new T20 Torunament to rival the Indian Premeier League and australia is set to be staged in the summer of 2020. It will feature 8 franchises based in cities, operating outside the county set up. The governing body, the ecb, say they have to diversify and reach new markets for the health of the sport. Lets get more on this, with former england cricketer ebony rainford brent. This hasnt been completely signed off yet, a few counties have had reservations but the ecb are very determined to push this through. All the counties have signed the media rights. Cricket does need something new, only 22 say cricket is their favourite sport, children, ina is their favourite sport, children, in a country where this is the summer in a country where this is the summer sport, and there are concerns. There are concerns, counties will be nervous about the future, but some of the exciting prospects, looking to attract new audience be very exciting. Looking at tv audiences. How important are the plans that eight of these 36 matches will be on free to air television . It is important in a couple of areas, we have not had cricket on television. When i was a teenager i was inspired by Watching The Ashes and that got me into the game and propelled me to continue playing, but for youngsters coming through that this key. The ecb is looking to attract a new audience. So the new audience will have to be poured into this and i think this will be critical. The bbc are interested in this, we understand. Ben stokes became an instant millionaire in the ipl auction recently. Will the success of this be about how much money the players can be paid . You pay for what you get, dont you . Money will be massive, if you look at india in terms of money, it is out of the world in terms of the investment, and we are going to have Broadcast Income coming in to support the game, and players will expect to be rewarded. This will reduce to eight teams, only a small fraction of the players that are currently in the cou nty players that are currently in the County System will have access, but those that do will want to be rewarded and you need to attract the big players to make this a successful stop thanks for joining us. successful stop thanks for joining us. To make this a success. Thanks forjoining us. In an exclusive interview with this programme a Rape Survivor has defended the comments made by the judge in her case who said drunk women are putting themselves in danger. 19 year old megan clark was attacked after a night out in manchester. She has waived her right to anonymity to speak to us today. She had been drinking, but said the judge gave good advice and was just telling women to be careful. Judge lindsey kushners comments had been criticised as Victim Blaming. We played you Herfull Intrerview an hour ago. Heres a short extract. I think she was absolutely right in what she said, but it was taken out of context. She put the blame massively on rapists, not the victims. She just simply said to be careful, basically, which is smart advice. We need to be careful. But she wasnt at all Victim Blaming. She said a woman would be less likely to report a rape because she was drunk or could not remember what happened or feels ashamed to deal with it or, if push comes to shove, a girl who is drunk is less likely to be believed than one who was sober at the time. Is that how you felt at the time . Yeah, that is definitely true. You didnt think you would report Something Like that because you had had a few drinks . Yeah, definitely. Its not the way it should be. That is the harsh reality. That is the way things are. Are you saying you wouldnt have gone to the police that night unless somebody had videoed it . Yeah, i wouldnt have. Really . Yeah. But you had been raped. But it probably wouldnt have gone anywhere. Its just my word against theirs, without the evidence. Rape crisis did criticise the judges comments, they said they were outrageous and misguided. They said, as a judge and a woman, she should know better. The only person who is responsible for rape is the rapist. Women are yet again being blamed for rape. That is true. Only the rapist is responsible, but that was the point the judge was making, it was just taken out of context. Did you Everfeel Shamed or blamed . At first i did, yeah. A few people i told, they kind of put it down to my behaviour. I thought it was true. I guess everybody blames themselves. I know it is not my fault, but it is hard not to blame yourself, especially when you are in that situation. What is your message to other women when theyre out and about with their mates in the summer, having had a few drinks . Dont live in fear of rapists and being in danger. Look after yourself, of course. Know that it is not your fault, whatever happens. I guess id still encourage people to report it, because you have a better chance. Even though you feel if it ever happened to you again you wouldnt report it . Yeah, i dont think i would. From the experience i have had. Megan clark talking exclusively to us this morning. If you want to read her story you can find it on the bbc news site. Its one of the most read on this website this morning. 0ne its one of the most read on this website this morning. One person says she would like to live in a world where she is not told how to avoid rape. Another person says that thejudges comments avoid rape. Another person says that the judges comments were reasonable. Nigel says the judge the judges comments were reasonable. Nigel says thejudge is only giving the correct advice, that women should never make themselves drunk and vulnerable, and it needs to be said that rape against women isa to be said that rape against women is a violent act and should never be tolerated or allowed by anyone. Andries says, wow, the bravery of megan clark, she has done a wonderful thing anne marie says. We can get reaction now. Sarah vine qc, a criminal barrister who specialises in Sexual Assault cases. Rebecca hitchin from the charity rape crisis. Megan clark thinks the judge was right to say what she did. Megan clark thinks the judge was right to say what she Didlj Megan Clark thinks the judge was right to say what she did. I agree. I was heartened to hear megan clarks summary at the end of the interview, when she was asked what advice she would give to people who are going out this summer for a advice she would give to people who are going out this summerfor a good time, because the weighting that she gave in that summary to what is effectively and adores month of the judges, as was absolutely right. An endorsement of the judges comments. It is never yourfault, please come forward, these are critical comments, and in addition, look after yourself, and that is not because it is short for, that is because it is short for, that is because drunkenness is a bit icky the form of is a particularform of former ability that we have some kind of control over vulnerability. She made it very clear, megan, that an aspect of it was the fact that when she was drunk, like most of us, she felt invulnerable and much more confident, and she was in a position where she trusted people who she probably wouldnt trust when she was sober. These are things which, that is not our responsibility, but if someone is not our responsibility, but if someone is able to put measures in place to enable that they are properly looked after and that there are safeguards there, so that former ability vulnerability doesnt overwhelm the situation. Ability vulnerability doesnt overwhelm the situationlj ability vulnerability doesnt overwhelm the situation. I could feel you bristling, at those comments. How do you react . I have a very different view. I think those comments were damaging and harmful. The judges comments . Yes. The fact that megan spoke out, that takes incredible strength and bravery, but i think that the fact that the judge had said and she also said if youre drunk and raped then youre less likely to report, youre less likely to be believed. What sort of message is that sending out . As women, were constantly being told to watch what we wear or be careful of how much you have to drink because then youll be vulnerable and then you will be responsible for what happens to you, but there never seems to be that flip, but there never seems to be that flip, that focus on these rapists and these potential rapists being told not to rape rather than that, It Isjust Focus told not to rape rather than that, it is just focus on women and girls being told, you know, dont get drunk, look after yourself, being told, you know, dont get drunk, look afteryourself, keep yourself safe. And ijust think that those judges comments really reinforce that. More than that, it is even saying to rapist and potential rapists, youre right, target these women because if you target these women because if you target these women they wont report you and if you target these women and they do have that strength to report and only 15 of survivors do report, then if they do choose to report, then if they do choose to report, they wont be believed. So thats the message thats being sent out to rapists, potential rapists. Sarah vine how often does alcohol play a part in rape trials . It is a common significant factor in rape cases. Id like to respond to something that rebecca said because i think it is really important and i com pletely i think it is really important and i completely understand her concern. This is perhaps one area of the judges comments that i think would bear expansion and thats this the make up of a rape trial like any criminal trial is that the prosecution are in a position of having to prove the case to the criminal standard so they have to make a criminal standard so they have to makeajury criminal standard so they have to make a jury sure. They have to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. In most sex cases, the evidential position is youre going to have one persons word against another. Where the person who is giving evidence for the prosecution, whose evidence has to persuade a jury so that theyre sure, when that person has been drunk, the jury theyre sure, when that person has been drunk, thejury are going to ta ke been drunk, thejury are going to take into account the fact that alcohol has objek till an impact on all kinds of things. This is not about a woman being unlady like or anything of that nature. This is about the impact that alcohol has on judgement, on our recollection crucially, and an impaired recollection may result in a jury arriving at the conclusion that a witness, a complainant has been entirely honest, but nonetheless, that their evidence is not com pletely that their evidence is not completely reliable so it will cross the criminal standard. First of all, they are not sex cases, they are rape cases and i understand what a Prosecution Barrister is trying to achieve, but we know the Conviction Rate for rape cases is woefully low and needs to be addressed and the fa ct and needs to be addressed and the fact that megan herself in a case where she was interrupted, the rapist was interrupted by the police, it was also recorded, the fa ct police, it was also recorded, the fact that she didnt even have that faith in the Criminaljustice System and she thinks if those elements of it hadnt occurred she might not have reported it, ithink speaks volumes about the way that survivors are treated and responded to in our society. I would like to ask you rebecca about another case. This is a domestic aawes case. Ajudge rebecca about another case. This is a domestic aawes case. A judge gave a domestic aawes case. A judge gave a cricketer a 19 Prison Sentence Suss A Cricketer a 19 Prison Sentence Suss Spended For Yo years after the court heard his wife was forced to drink bleach. She was throtled in public and hit with a cricket bat. The Prison Sentence was suspended for two years. Thejudge the Prison Sentence was suspended for two years. The judge ordered the man to acontinued a workshop called building better relationships pay £1,000 in costs and banned him from contacting his partner, thejudge said that he did not believe that the wife, was vulnerable because, she was an intelligent woman with a network of friends and had a college degree. Imeani degree. I mean i think that those comments, the sentencing, the fact that it is a suspended sentence is shocking as are those comments. The idea that intelligent women cannot be vulnerable. The idea that intelligent women cannot be in abusive relationships is untrue. |j understand that Jess Phillips abusive relationships is untrue. |j understand thatJess Phillips is trying to get the case looked into in more detail and i would agree with that. We can bring in labour mp Jess Phillips. Shes writing to the Attorney General on the issue. First of all, your reaction to the comments made in this case by the judge . Oh, itsjust completely and utterly wrong and the fact that the judge even said that and it has been put on the record is incredibly damaging. It speaks of somebody who does not understand that risk and vulnerability are dynamicment they are not a static thing that are affected by your class, your race, your age. Anyone can be a victim of Domestic Violence and in fact, this morning ive had a number of women who are incredibly well educated with phds, with amazing qualifications get in touch with me and tell me the story of how theyve lived in terror and fear. In terms of righting to the Attorney General explain to our audience what the point of that is and what the Attorney General could possibly do . Well, i moon, i dont have the full facts of the case. I dont know what was put in in plea bargain. I dont know what other Mitigating Factors were used in sentencing. So ive asked the Attorney General to review that case and the Attorney General can review cases where there is a feeling from people that it is too lenient. However, in this case, because the charge is actual bold bodily harm, ed isnt one of the categories of crime that the Attorney General can intervene on. Thats murder, rape, Sexual Violence, Sexual Violence against children and a number of other categories. However, ive asked the Attorney General to review this case and to review whether this sort of crime, actual bodily harm where Domestic Violence is a factor could be included in that list. Ok. So it wont necessarily change the sentence here, the outcome of this, but for future cases, it may . No. I mean the things the judge said about the zim and the judgement of the judge in the case wont necessarily change. There is a factor in this case that might change. It seems that there is a discrepancy around the perpetrator saying that he was going to play for a cricket team who have since denied it might actually throw up some possibilities of changing the outcome of the case, but classicically, the Attorney General cannot intervene on actual bodily harm cases. Ok, thank you very much. Thank you for talking to us. Still to come a court is due to decide whether to release a royal marine from prison after he shot a taliban insurgent. Well bring you the result when it comes in. It is due after 10. 30am. Bowel cancer doesnt just affect elderly men as youre about to see in our next film. Gps have been given access to a new Risk Assessment tool to help diagnose younger people at risk of bowel cancer. Experts have told this programme people under 50 do not act on bowel cancer symptoms quickly enough. 20 have to visit a gp five times before being referred to a specialist often because doctors see them as too young to have such a serious condition. 0ur reporter Michael Cowan has been to meet some of those affected, 35 year old deborah who was diagnosed just before christmas, jaimin who was diagnosed the first time at 29, and tamsin who lost her boyfriend ben To Bowel Cancer when he was just 28. These are their stories. My name is deborahjames. Im a mother of two children, and 35 years old and i have stage three bowel cancer. My name isjames patel, 33 and i survived bowel cancer. 0r surviving bowel cancer. My name is tamsin, and 34 years old and i lost my boyfriend, ben, To Bowel Cancer just over three years ago. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the uk with 44 people dying every day. I had been feeling a little bit under the weather for possibly a year and i went to my doctors and they told me it was probably nothing to worry about and they sent me for some blood tests and they came back normal and my symptoms continued to get worse and i continued to go to the toilet even more often and i continued to pass even more blood to the point where a month before my diagnosis i was going ten times a day and ifelt i had this massive feeling inside that something was not right. I took myself off and i got a referral and i went to get a colonoscopies and that is when everything fell silent in the room and that was just before christmas and they found a six inch tumour inside my rectum and straightaway the consultant knew it was cancerous. The first thing i said was i dont want to die. I screamed at the consultant. I said i dont want to die. Secondly, i thought ive got two beautiful children and it is mortifying, the idea that i might not see them grow up. I was absolutely petrified. I was scared like a three year old child and it was easy six inch tumour and it had spread into my lymph nodes which means once its in your lymph nodes can go anywhere in your Lymphatic System and unfortunately that means that i was classified as stage three. The stage of cancer, that means how advanced it is, is graded from one to four. 90 of people with stage one bowel cancer will survive for five years or more after diagnosis. But with each stage ,the numbers could lower. At stage two, 80 will survive. Stage three, more than 60 will survive. But at stage four, its less than 10 . Like deborah, james also had blood in his stools and after a number of visits to doctors and various tests he was sent for a colonoscopy. That was a point which he pretty much told me straightaway but he had seen it loads of times before and it was definitely a malignant tumour. It turns your world upside down. It makes you reconsider everything youve been doing and you are going to do and, unfortunately, i had to have quite a large operation which meant the whole of my large and testing a large operation which meant the whole of my large intestine was removed and it meant i was left with a permanent Colostomy Bag as well which was a bit of a thing i had to get my head around. Lets be clear, bowel cancer in the under 505 is rare. But since 2004, it has increased by 45 . 2,500 people are diagnosed each year, causing around 270 deaths annually. Tamsin had just moved in with her boyfriend, ben. One year later, after experiencing diarrhoea, blood in his stools and severe tiredness, he was sent for tests. Thats when they diagnosed the bowel cancer, three weeks after going in after that blood test. But that is the tumour actually burst, so he had to be rushed back in for an emergency operation. Then the doctors, after the operation, they told us what stage it was at, which was quite advanced. For people between the ages of 60 and 74, the nhs provides Bowel Cancer Screening every two years. The problem for the under 505 is that they dont expect it to happen to them. So, despite experiencing symptoms, one in four young people wait over three months before going to see their gp. 20 of them said they had to see their doctor or a staggering five times before being referred to a specialist. We went into the hospital in the first weekend of the new year and i then went down into the operation, it was a five hour operation and i woke up in intensive care. So im hoping, all being well, to finish my chemotherapy at the end ofjuly. I was given, i think it was a couple of months or maybe a month or so to recover from the operation and then they started me on the chemotherapy. At the end of my treatment cycles they said that they were happy with the way it went. I was clear for a couple of years and then i think in one of the scans they picked something up where they didnt think much of it and then the scan after that they had seen some pretty large tumours on my liver, so these put me straight back into the another treatment cycle, but it was in that process, those scans that they also found another lesion on my lung. Touch wood, keeping 0k at the moment. It is when the chemo started, that is when things started to not go so well because ben, he kept reacting and he was in hospital for a few weeks and doctors were coming up to him and saying you are not going to make it. Even right towards the end, and this isjust the kind of person that ben was, when we were in the hospice he said i want to get out of bed and do some squats now, because he just wanted to do some exercise to get himself fit enough to go back and do the chemo. Presumably he couldnt get out of bed . No, he did. We had to support him. He managed to do, i think it was two squats. Then he passed away on the fourth day. I have done a lot of crying, i have done a lot of shouting, i have planned my own funeral, i have said thank you, i have said i love you, i have hugged my children and i have laughed with them. I can eat healthily, i can stand on my head backwards and eat three teaspoons of tumeric everyday. And do whatever someone is suggesting is the latest cancer thing, but cancer is a very unknown, scary little thing. It allows you to reassess what really is important, which is a bizarre thing to think about at my age, but it is something i think a lot of people take for granted and dont really value until it hits them in the face and you need to make a priority for certain things. Every day, every second of every day i miss him all the time. I would have him back in a flash. It has been so hard, the last three years have been so tough. To think what could have been. You dontjust lose a person, you lose your future and your present. You just lose everything. It is like everything being pulled out from underneath you. To build yourself up to some sort of a person you were before takes so much time. After we finished filming, deborah had some questions forjamin, so they went for coffee. Hi, deborah, pleased to meet you. Thank you. How did you find your family reacted, like your wife, and did they cope with it as well as you seem to have coped with that . I think it was really tough for a lot of my family members. I was in the unfortunate situation, my mum passed away about two weeks before i had my operation. It was a sudden thing, she had a Brain Haemorrhage and it wasnt expected at all. But itjust coincided. You had to deal with that as well. My dad, i think, felt he struggled with that because he lost his wife, going into an operation and he could lose me. I think sometimes it is worse being a bystander and supporting somebody because you could do anything about it. Im not saying we can or i can, but if you are going through the motions it is easier to deal with. As a patient, you know you are dealing with something and it is one way or the other. If youre the husband or wife. Then can i do something more . It is always the Second Thought about what are not doing . What was life like for you when you were on chemo . Did you continue with it . I dont understand what my life should look like on chemo. I know that sounds a bit weird. I think the difficulty with the trigger for bowel cancer, it is a bit different to other chemotherapies, or it doesnt seem as bad as strong. Ive seen other people whove been so wiped out that they cant do anything for months. I think we have different side effects. I tended to do as much as i could. After the treatment i was always very tired and spent a couple of days just recovering in bed and resting. I tried, as soon as i could, i tried to get out. My wife was paranoid about me getting ill. She was always like, you cannot go and see them, nobody who has got kids can come to you. You cant lock yourself away for six months, that is the problem. Did you exercise . You wanted to exercise . No. I stopped working out totally. Partly because i had all the scorers which add to whom. The first operation i had a really big struggle getting out of the hospital. I was in there for two or three weeks. It is amazing when standing up is an achievement. I walked to the end of the corridor. I was so comfortable sitting around in the hospital bed, not doing anything. The nurses were pushing me. The second or third operations i found the recovery at home was very good. It is your own comfort zone, so you feel a lot better. How have the kids coped with that . I think theyve coped pretty well so far. They know that mummy has cancer. How old are they . I have got a nine year old and a seven year old. They are old enough, they watch movies and understand that other peoples mummys die from cancer, so they understand that they could be in that situation, but i hope that i dont ever have to have that conversation with them. Do you think it has made you, because i dont know about you, but are you suddenly having a new found appreciation for basic stuff like being a mum and looking at trees . Time with your family and simple things in life. Really simple things. You dont appreciate that. You Pay Attention to it a bit more. I think the small things make you think, you know what, i appreciate every morning, because you dont know whether you will be here. That is a scary thing. It is nice to speak to people like you because i think there is hope and with you, it has got to the liver and different places. Im scared that i might not be one of the lucky ones either and you just have to keep positive. That is always bad, isnt there . It was always the positivity that keeps you going, because it means you dont have to worry about it as much because then you are thinking, you know what, if it comes to it, ive made the most and done whatever i can and filled the time that i can. It was really nice to meet you, thank you. Good luck with everything. I hope it all turns out 0k. Good luck with your arrival. That is my next test. Survived cancer, survived a baby. No, fantastic news to see you doing so well and keeping healthy. You can read more about our story on the bbc news site. Thank you for your comments. Sean says two of his friends died from pal cancer bowel cancer and it was heartbreaking to see this happen. Another one says, i had bowel cancer when i was 39, i said this to the doctor, he said i was too young, but i persevered, and by the time i was operated on stage three, but im alive and very lucky. Another one says, peter, he says his wife was diagnosed at stage four, after being fobbed off by the doctor with advice about her diet. He says dont take no for an answer and a lwa ys dont take no for an answer and always seek a Second Opinion if you are worried about it. He says early diagnosis is crucial and is something we are lagging behind in in this country when it comes To Bowel Cancer. If you would like to talk to anyone about this issue, you can go to the bbcs action line. Breaking news in the case of Sergeant Alexander blackman. We can go to our reporter at the royal courts of justice. Go to our reporter at the royal courts ofjustice. We have just had the sentencing for Alexander Blackman, and the five judges have decided that he is to serve seven yea rs decided that he is to serve seven years for manslaughter and he has already spent almost three and a half years in prison. It is possible he could be released within weeks because he has served half of the sentence and you can be released after that. To go back to the legal history of this case, he was first convicted by a Court Martial of murder in november 2013, for shooting an injured taliban insurgent in Helmand Province in afghanistan. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of ten years, and he appealed the following year and that appeal did not succeed but his minimum term was reduced to eight years and the case was considered by the review commission, the independent body which looks at potential miscarriages ofjustice. It was referred back to the court of appeal for a second time. Thejudges heard. Cheering the news has got out, these supporters have long argued that he should not be imprisoned for murder in the first base, but the murder conviction was quashed on the second appeal and it was replaced by a conviction of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and it is for that manslaughter conviction that he has now been sentenced. Cheering the supporters are achieving and we will be hearing shortly from supporters and also from Alexander Blackmans wife who has been in court for these hearings the supporters are cheering. Alexander blackman has been listening to this by video link from prison in wiltshire. This information has not reached you yet, but we are hearing that inside the court has just ruled that inside the court has just ruled that Alexander Blackman will be free to weeks from today which explains the cheering from his supporters in the cheering from his supporters in the background two weeks. The cheering from his supporters in the background two weeks. That is like a the background two weeks. That is likea man the background two weeks. That is like a man that follows what i was explaining, that because of his seven year sentence explaining, that because of his seven year sentence and he has spent almost three and a half years in prison and can be released halfway through that, that has led to this decision, that he will be freed within the next two weeks from the prison in wiltshire where he has served that sentence. Thanks for the moment. We can get reaction straightaway. Lord john burnett is a former royal marine and is in our plymouth newsroom. How do you respond to that news . Im pleased, i had hoped he would be released immediately today, and you can have diminished responsibility thatis can have diminished responsibility that is 100 but what really concerns me is, im hoping to hear, that the discharge by. For disgrace will be lifted and quashed and that he will be free to rejoin the Royal Marines which is what he would love to do, i believe. Could you explain what the discharge for reasons of disgrace is . It is the ultimate insult for a royal marine like Alexander Blackman and it means that you have lost your pension and worst of all you have lost and severed contact with the Royal Marines which is his life. He was an impeccable and excellent outstanding marine and he had done six tours of six months each on the fiercest active service and he never finished in service and he was an exemplary and excellent marine and Non Commissioned Officer and i think all of us hope that that will be lifted, but maybe there is further news to come on that. Nevertheless, he was guilty of manslaughter. 0n the grounds of the ministry sponsor but guilty of manslaughter. On the grounds of diminished responsibility. We heard him say on the camera on his helmet that he knew he had broken the Geneva Convention by shooting dead the taliban fighter. Yes, his mind, as three eminent psychiatrists have said, was deeply disturbed and that is why they all, world renowned psychiatrists stated, that he was com pletely psychiatrists stated, that he was completely affected by that and his responsibility for his actions was gravely diminished. And that is why he has been convicted of manslaughter. I think that those who have never known the hell and horrors of serving in afghanistan will never really fully understand how it has affected people and people like Alexander Blackman who went back time after time. The exhaustion and the heat and the mortal danger, you are always in mortal danger, you are always in mortal danger, you are always in mortal danger, of your life, and in that tour seven men were killed including the young officer that Sergeant Blackman was mentoring and that will have affected the unit matip be, those events occurred very shortly before this incident unit automatically. Climatically. You have no idea, none of us, of the pressure on these men, and Sergeant Blackman was commanding in an isolated place, the most dangerous and hellish square mile on earth at that time. And he did so selflessly, but im afraid it had an affect on him as it would on all of us, it would have affected the best trained and most exemplary marine or soldier and most exemplary marine or soldier and it had an effect on him, six, six month tours in mortal danger throughout each of those. Let me bring you the Breaking News that Sergeant Blackman formally known as marine a will be free in two weeks time. He has been re sentenced this morning at the royal courts ofjustice to seven yea rs royal courts ofjustice to seven years injailfor royal courts ofjustice to seven years in jail for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as he has already spent three and a half years in jail, he can be released on licence in the next 14 days. So Sergeant Blackman will go free from court in two weeks time, two weeks today, in fa ct, two weeks time, two weeks today, in fact, having spent several years in jail. Three and a half years in jail. Three and a half years in jail. You can see the jubilant scenes from supporters of Sergeant Blackman outside the royal courts of justice. Green bereted supporters, you can probably see family and friends and his wife Clare Blackman hugged her barrister and in court, actually, Sergeant Blackman, who was appeared videolink told his wife he loved her. He is still dismissed from the marines, we are being told, and we are hearing from lord burnett who wants the discharge in disgrace to be quashed effectively. What is the impact on somebody if theyre discharged in disgrace . the impact on somebody if theyre discharged in disgrace . I think it is largely to do with his, losing pension rights. It is also the whole business of being seen to have let down the corps which he never did. He is an exemplary prisoner and he was an excellent royal marine and im delighted he is being freed in a fortnights time, but i very, very much hope that that particular part of his sentence will be lifted, the discharge in disgrace, but we shall wait and see about that. I know that there are talks going on between the Royal Marines and Sergeant Blackmans defence team and i hope that he can be welcomed back fully into our Royal Marines family at the very earliest opportunity and i would like to say a word or two about his wonderful, fantastic and steadfast and loyal wife, clare. She has supported him throughout, through the most arduous times and i would like to pay tribute, not only to her, but also her husband. Im delighted hes going to be out in a fortnights time. Delighted hes going to be out in a fortnights time. Yes. Just to reiterate for those joining us on bbc news, Sergeant Blackman has been sentenced to seven years for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but because of time served already, he will be free in two weeks time. He will be free in two weeks time. He will be free in two weeks time. He will be released from jail two weeks today. Were going to play our audience now some of the audio, some of the video from the camera that was on Sergeant Blackmans helmet during that tour of duty. Six, six months tour of duty, incredibly stressful. Lets just hear some of what happened back then. There are some who appreciate the new psychiatric evidence which showed that Sergeant Blackman was suffering from incredible stress at the time of this particular tour. But who on hearing him say in that video footage knowingly ive broken the Geneva Convention find it hard to believe that he wasnt in the correct mental state . Well, he wasnt in the correct mental state and that has been found by three very, very eminent, world renowned psychiatrists who have great experience of these things. Its very difficult as i said earlier to appreciate the strsz and strains of being on deaths door continuously night and day, week after week, month after month. It turns your mind. It turns the mind of the best trained, the bravest, and the strongest people. Thats what they found about Sergeant Blackman and he was the best trained. He was the strongest. He was a very, very high calibre man and he commanded his troops unselfishly and loyally. I mean he and his wife dont have children and he would take on extra patrols and try and relieve the lads who did have children. I mean he a lwa ys who did have children. I mean he always put others before himself. And there is tv to that effect, letter after letter, support after support, notjust letter after letter, support after support, not just that tour, letter after letter, support after support, notjust that tour, but letter after letter, support after support, not just that tour, but the previous tours he had served in unflinchingly taking a role in the frontline. A combat soldier, a fine, fine man. Unfortunately, he had this aberration and hes out, well he will be in a fortnights time and i thank god for that. What lessons should be drawn from this case . think the lessons are that we cannot, we cannot, cut our frontline troops. Its crucial that they are, that we watch them and that they are, the Royal Marines are our frontline elite fighting troops and were not complaining about that, but we must have the man power, people are queuing up to join the Royal Marines and we must not cut back on man powerment we need them. And we needed them in afghanistan. There was, we would have then been able to temper the cycle and somebody like Sergeant Blackman instead of something six, six month tours over five or six years, would have done fewer tours, two or three. Imean, one have done fewer tours, two or three. I mean, one is enough. Half a tour is enough. Its really tough going in that war. But are you suggesting he did six of these tours because there werent enough Royal Marines or was that just the way there werent enough Royal Marines or was thatjust the way it was . Is this more actually about leadership . Im suggesting that he was a fine leader and he was a highly respected leader and he was a highly respected leader of men, but as i said, the pressure and the tension he was working under would have affected the strongest. He was a good leader and alli the strongest. He was a good leader and all i will say is that we need more combat fighting troops and the Royal Marines recruit well. We should be able to have a lid taken off the recruits we can take so we can take more frontline fighting troops. We need them. They are the people that effectively win and sustain wars that we send our troops to fight. Stay with us. Were grateful for your time. Just to explain to people who are just tuning into us. Sergeant blackman will be a free man in two weeks time. You can see there the news that he has been sentenced to seven yea rs that he has been sentenced to seven years for manslaughter, but because of the time he has already spent in jail, three and a half years or so, he will be released on licence, were told two weeks today. You can see supporters, family mens and friends outside the royal courts of justice. Joyful scenes actually. I can hear some music somewhere. A lot of people are applauding and clapping, there were three cheers earlier and i suspect theyre waiting for Sergeant Blackmans wife, Clare Blackman to appear on the steps of the royal courts of justice, perhaps alongside their qc Jonathan Goldberg who we heard from earlier on the programme. They are bound to say a few wrds at some point. Were told during the hearing this morning Sergeant Blackman appeared via video link and he told his wife, Clare Blackman that he loved her. Lord burnett is welcoming the news, and paying tribute to the steadfast and loyal nature of Clare Blackman and her campaigning. As i said, were expecting to hear from Clare Blackman and possibly their qc in the next few moments. You will hear her live on bbc news. The court had ruled previously that Sergeant Blackman was suffering from an Abnormality Of Mental Functioning at the time of the killing in 2011. Lets go back to our correspondent. Just hearing a cheer in front of the court steps. I cant see if that means that Clare Blackman is coming out, but i suspect thats what is happening at the moment. Im going to pause you there. I think at some point Clare Blackman, Clare Blackman, i can see Clare Blackman walking out. She is hugging and kissing supporters who are surrounding her. Her qcJonathan Goldberg, who we will hear from first. Ladies and gentlemen, this is an me motional moment and on behalf of the legal team ofjeffrey israel and myself, iwant of the legal team ofjeffrey israel and myself, i want to say that the lioness of this story, who inspired us lioness of this story, who inspired us throughout is mrs Clare Blackman. Applause now, we had the honour of giving the roar, but she was the lioness. She has shown that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. She kept the flame alive when the legal system the flame alive when the legal syste m ha d the flame alive when the legal system had completely abandoned her husband and thrown him into the thrash can. Her courage and her dignity throughout have amazed us and im sure you also. Now, i know how proud alexander is of her, but i now publicly give him this warning she has proposals of marriage from three of his lawyers laughter of which i, of course, am the youngest and most handsome i give youngest and most handsome i give you clare. Forgive me, one more word. The effect of this sentence is he will be released in about two weeks time at most. We are at most. We a re overjoyed at most. We are overjoyed at the judges decision to significantly reduce als sentence such that he can be released imminently. This is the moment we have all been fighting ha rd moment we have all been fighting hard for. It is hard to believe that this day is finally here. There are so this day is finally here. There are so many people that we must thank for helping us to get here. They include, of course, our brilliant legal team, Jonathan Goldberg qc, jeffrey israel, thank you all. They also include the fabulous Frederick Forsyth and richard drax mp both of whom have fought tirelessly in support of al and i must thank former royal marine john davies who had never met my husband and yet who captained the campaign and the supporters from the start with tireless energy. Along is sue childs. Major generaljohn tireless energy. Along is sue childs. Major general john holmes, Major General all for their support. Finally, our sincere thanks to all those who have supported us through thisjourney. 0ur those who have supported us through thisjourney. Our own those who have supported us through this journey. Our own friends and family, the Royal Marines family, especially the Royal Marines mums, all serving and former servicemen and women, members of the public, and women, members of the public, and the daily mail readers. Without whose generosity we would not be here. Im sure ive missed someone in my excitement for which i apologise. We would like to thank the wider media for keeping als story alive and for your fair reporting. Please can i ask you that you now allow the two of us sometime together to readjust . We fully recognise that you will want to speak to us and especially to al and we will arrange for that soon enough. But in the meantime may i ask that you give us some space . Thank you very much