Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News at Six 20240907

Good Evening And Welcome to the Bbc News at six. Its the longest Prison Sentence that has been handed down so far after the wave of riots that swept parts of england and Northern Ireland last month. 27 year old Thomas Birley from rotherham has been sent to jail for nine years after helping to set fire to a Hotel Housing Asylum seekers in the town and attacking Police Officers in august. The judge told Thomas Birley, you were a leading participant in an ignorant, racist attempt at mob rule. From sheffield, heres danny savage. It was one of the most notorious events of the nationwide civil unrest over the summer the attack on a hotel at Housing Asylum seekers in south yorkshire. A mob targeted police and those inside. AJudge Today described this as an ignorant, racist attempt at mob rule. One of them was Thomas Birley, seen here at the time. He was filmed throwing a bin at officers. And then stoked the fire in a burning Wheelie Bin rammed against one of the hotel exits. He today received the longest Prison Sentence yet for anyone involved in rioting. The judge directed Withering Criticism at birley as he was sentenced this afternoon. Your conduct and the conduct of that mob has Cast A Dark And Ugly Stain across the reputation of rotherham and south yorkshire. Those in the hotel were terrified by what occurred outside, and when the building was entered coupled to the fire, which was deliberately started they thought they were about to die. You and many like you were intent on spreading a hateful message of violence and racism. Further details of what it was like for staff in here at the time were also heard today. They barricaded themselves into what was described as a Panic Room in the kitchen area, pushing freezers against the door, fearing the mob would get them. It wasnt the only case relating to the wider unrest today. The oldest person to be charged, 81 year old keith edwards, pleaded not guilty to threatening behaviour at a protest in nottingham. And rickyjones, a Labour Councillor since suspended, denied encouraging violent disorder at a protest in london. But in relation to the hotel attack, the judge called Thomas Birley a Dangerous Offender who would serve nine years in jail and a further five years on licence, the stiffest sentence so far of those convicted and jailed. Danny savage, Bbc News, rotherham. Almost 1,400 people have been arrested so far for their part in the riots. The large numbers being sent to jail has added yet more pressure on the Prison Population in england and wales, which reached record levels yet again today. There are now more than 88,500 prisoners. Thats up by more than 1,000 since the riots began. Indeed, half of the new prisoners are linked to the riots. There are just over 1,000 places left in prisons before they reach full capacity. And thats why the governments temporary early Release Scheme begins next week. Some offenders will be able to leave jail at an earlier point in their sentences to ease the pressure. 0ur senior Uk Correspondent Sima Kotecha reports. Weak, we went inside Hmp Pentonville in london, one of englands most crowded and dangerous jails. This week. They have justjumped crowded and dangerous jails. This week. They havejustjumped on crowded and dangerous jails. This week. They have justjumped on the netting. Prison officers are jumping up netting. Prison officers are jumping up the stairs to try and get them down. What the staff are saying is that it can turn really quickly. A quiet moment can become chaotic within a matter of seconds. As one Prison Officer said, its like the flick of a switch. We the system is running at a high level of output, and when you do that for the same time we have done, people get tired, systems get frayed, and that causes problems. Next week, the government will release thousands of inmates early to make more space. The hope is that that will alleviate some of the pressure. Following the bbc� s rare access to pentonville, the Prime Minister said he was alarmed by the state of the penal system. No Prime Minister should be in the position of having to concern him or herself with, are there enough Prison Places . So we are doing what is necessary. We will turn it around. We will make sure the prisons we need are built, but i have been truly shocked by what i have been truly shocked by what i have found in relation to the state of our prisons. Some Working Injails of our prisons. Some working in jails say they have been at a Crisis Point for a while now. The bbc have done my members absolute the bbc have done my members absolute justice. Pentonville is a replica absolute justice. Pentonville is a replica of absolute justice. Pentonville is a replica of lots ofjails up and down the country. Im not saying every ail, the country. Im not saying every jail. But the country. Im not saying every jail, but lots ofjails of that ilk. But there jail, but lots ofjails of that ilk. But there are concerns early releases will mean more danger on the streets, with some preferring to keep offenders behind bars for as long as possible. Sima kotecha, Bbc News, Hmp Pentonville. If you want to see simas full report inside pentonville prison, then go to iplayer and look for last nights Bbc News at ten. The Royal Navy has named the serviceman who was killed in a night flying Training Exercise in the English Channel two days ago. Lieutenant Rhodri Leyshon died when his Merlin Helicopter came down in the channel. Two other service men survived. His family say he was immeasurably loved by his parents, siblings, partner and friends. The cost of a first Class Stamp will rise for the second time this year to £1. 65 from next month. Thats up by another 30 pence. Royal mail says it is facing urgent financial pressure caused by inflation and declining demand. Our Business Correspondent Marc ashdown is in central london. Explain more about it, mark . Im glad you are sitting down, sophie, because these Price Rises are truly eye watering. If you cast your mind back to march 2022, It Cost 95p to post a first class letter, so that is a 74 increase in price in just two and a half years, and of course, the devil is in the detail. Yes, second Class Stamps will remain at 85p, but a raft of other services will be going up, things like large letters, parcels, tracked and signed for deliveries. And its no secret Royal Mail has been losing Money Hand over fist. And its no secret Royal Mail has been losing Money Hand overfist. A day, it lost the last financial year. It keeps being squeezed. 0n the one hand, because of the universal service obligation, basically its legal duty to deliver our mail six days a week, and on the other, declining demand. I will give you a couple of stats. Annual Letter Volumes have fallen from 20 Billion backin volumes have fallen from 20 Billion back in 2005 to just 6. 7 billion last year. The average household gets just four letters a week now last year. The average household gets just four letters a week now compared to 1a a week a decade ago. Compared to 1a a week a decade ago. Royal mail has published a raft of Royal Mail has published a raft of proposals to save money. The proposals to save money. The Regulator 0fcom will consider those. Regulator 0fcom will consider those. It could mean getting second class it could mean getting second Class Post on alternate weekdays and not post on alternate weekdays and not at all at the weekends. We at all at the weekends. We understand a public consultation will hopefully be in the new year, understand a public consultation will hopefully be in the new year, so we should hopefully all get a so we should hopefully all get a say. In average household say. In the meantime, though, if you have a Christmas Card list, i would think about slimming it down. Thank you, mark. To New York now. Ajudge hasjust announced he has postponed the sentencing of former us president Donald Trump on paying Hush Money to an adult film star. 0ur Reporter is in New York with the latest. Well, sophie, Donald Trump has been trying numerous methods to delay or completely are no his criminal prosecution and his sentencing completely are no his criminal prosecution and his senten was today in a Manhattan Court was a significant one. The Judge Today in a Manhattan Court was a significant one. Thejudge has granted his motion to delay sentencing for those Hush Money payments until after the election, as you say. He said that this is to avoid the appearance, however unwarranted, that it might have a bearing on the election. But of course, sophie, it raises other questions. It means that the us public, that voters, will go into this election not knowing whether or not Donald Trump will be given a fine for these crimes or potentially, though thought by many to be unlikely, a custodial sentence. Thank you. In the united states, a 14 year old boy and his father have appeared in court in the Us State Of Georgia charged over the murder of two pupills and two teachers in a Gun Attack at a High School in the Us State Of Georgia. The teenager, colt gray, is charged with first Degree Murder and will be tried as an adult. His father also appeared charged with involuntary manslaughter and second Degree Murder. A further nine people one teacher and eight children were also injured in the attack. Heres gary 0donoghue. I want to inform you of the charges. 1a years old and facing four Murder Charges for allegedly shooting two classmates and two teachers. Colt gray did not enter a plea, but at first heard this from thejudge. You could be punishable by death, by Imprisonment For Life Without Parole Or By imprisonment for life. But minutes later, the judge, in an extraordinary slip up, had to recall the teenager. Ijust need to correct one thing on the record. The penalty for the crimes for which you are charged does not include death. The defendants father, in a rare move, is also facing charges. Colin gray, who also did not enter a plea, has been indicted on 1a charges, including second Degree Murder and cruelty. Prosecutors say he knowingly allowed his son to possess a gun. Its believed the defendant used a Semiautomatic Rifle to carry out the shooting on wednesday, but a new Security System installed a week earlier allowed teachers to call the police immediately, who took the suspect into custody within minutes. The victims included two students and two teachers. Richard aspinwall was a Football Coach at the school. Cristina irimie, an algebra teacher. The two students were christian Angulo And Mason schermerhorn, both 1a. As usual in america, political reaction split down party lines. We cannot continue to accept the carnage of gun violence. If you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realise that our schools are soft targets. Holding parents partly responsible for School Shootings has come increasingly to the fore after a couple was jailed in michigan earlier this year when their son killed four people at his High School. But the charges against the father are even more serious in this case, and he could face up to 180 years in prison. This is not the first time that parents have faced manslaughter charges, but it is the first time they have faced second Degree Murder charges, and it is part of an increasing attempt to hold parents responsible for the actions of their children. We had a parent last year who went to jail because a six year old took a Hand Gun to school and shot their teacher. They will be back in court in this case in december. Thank you, gary. One of the presenters of Top Gear, chris harris, has spoken for the first time about the accident that seriously inured his co presenter Freddie Flintoff. David sillitos here. David, whats he been saying . The accident took place at an Aero Drome in the accident took place at an Aero Drome i ,. , drome in december 2022. Freddie flintoff suffered drome in december 2022. Freddie flintoff suffered very drome in december 2022. Freddie flintoff suffered very serious, drome in december 2022. Freddie flintoff suffered very serious, life | flintoff suffered very serious, life changing facial injuries. He has talked briefly about the psychological impact of those injuries in his new Series Field of dreams, currently being broadcast at the moment. But none of the three presenters have talked in any detail about the Accident Itself until now. Chris harris, Motoring Journalist and presenter, talking to thejoe rogan podcast, has talked about the accident, how the Three Wheeler flipped over. He says that Freddie Flintoff was not wearing a Crash Helmet at the time. He says he felt helmet at the time. He says he felt he could have died in that accident. But he also says that he warned the bbc about safety three months before. He said, i went to them, i went to the bbc and told them my concerns of what i have seen by the most experienced driver on the show by a mile. I said, most experienced driver on the show bya mile. Isaid, if most experienced driver on the show by a mile. I said, if we carry on, will have a serious injury, at worst a fatality. The bbc says it will not comment specifically on the interview but says there was an independent Safety Review of Top Gear, and it says it had followed the Bbc And Industry Best Practices and said there were also lessons to be learned. A second investigation has not been made public into the Accident Itself, and of course, Top Gear is off air. I think the phrase is, it is a format that is currently being rested. Q. This is an asian hornet, and theyre a big threat to other insects here. Theyve already wiped out Bee Colonies in england. Now the national Bee Unit says its racing to destroy hornets nests in Kent And Sussex before the new queens hatch later this month. Fiona irving went to the channel islands, where theyve developed a creative way to tackle the threat. Hundreds of miles from kent on the channel island ofjersey, a war is being waged against the asian hornet. It was first spotted here in 2016. Last year, more than 200 nests were found and lanced with pesticides. And they need to be controlled. 0ne Nest of Asian Hornets can kill 11 kilograms of insects in a season. They pose a significant threat to Honey Bees and other pollinators. Just take a look at the size of this nest. This would have been home to a colony of around 3,000 Asian Hornets, and beekeepers from Kent And Sussex are coming tojersey to learn what they do here, to help them in the south East Fight against this invasive species. On this small island, Theyve Become Experts on this apex predator. Tiny blob of glue on the thorax of the hornet. This is tinsel tagging, or streamering, a technique pioneered on the island to help track the asian hornet as it flies home. With the naked eyes, you can probably see that hornet for 200 or 300 metres flying and with, binoculars even further. Whereas before, normally, without without a streamer attached like that, youd be lucky to see them go more than 30, a0 metres before youd lose sight of them. Weve got the one up the road there. Nicky is one of an army of Hornet Hunter volunteers injersey. Shes timing how long streamered hornets take to return to her bait station. Streamer was three minutes, which implies 300 metres away. It sounds like its quite addictive, doing this. Oh, it is addictive. And its a challenge. And some some of the territory is a challenge as well. Um, but yes, you do. Its like being a detective. A Hornet Detective put her in there. Thats it. Back in the uk, Bee Inspectors mark the hornets with different colours to help identify them when they return to the bait station. The South East is seen as the home guard, protecting the rest of the country from an asian hornet invasion. And those on the Front Line say they need more foot soldiers to help in that fight. Fiona irving, Bbc News. And you can watch more in a special documentary, the killer hornets, on iplayer now. The time is Coming Up to 20 past six. 0urtop the time is Coming Up to 20 past six. Our top story. Jailed for nine years 27 year old Thomas Birley gets the longest sentence so far for his part in the rotherham riot. Coming up can britains Jack Draper be a winner against World Number one Jannik Sinner to reach the Us Open Final . And on bbc london, a controversial new Sewage Recycling Scheme gets the Go Ahead in south london, and were on the Owl Art Trail raising money for the North London hospice. To the paralympics now, and Dame Sarah Storey has won yet another Gold Medal, this time in the cycling Road Race. Its a Record 19th Paralympic gold for the 46 year old. And she wasnt the only Gold Medal winnerfor paralympics gb in paris today, as Andy Swiss Will tell us. It was one of the greatest finishes from one of sports greatest athletes. A 19th Gold Medal you didnt doubt her, did you . For Dame Sarah Storey, victory and a hug from her watching Daughter Louisa after perhaps her most extraordinary triumph yet. Storey had won the Road Race at the previous three games, but at a6, could she really do it again . Well, heading into the closing stages, she was trailing. And Sarah Storey has work to do here. Frances heidi gaugain, some 27 years herjunior, seemed destined for the gold. But somehow storey clawed her way back, and nearly two hours of racing came down to this. And its youth against Experience Gaugain comes again what has Sarah Storey got left . Has she done it . She has by the slimmest of margins, a 19th paralympic title. As storey herself put it just amazing. And there was also gold in the Tandem Event for Sophie Unwin and her pilotjenny holl. Its a fantastic Gold Medal their second title here, and just look what it meant to them. 0n the track, meanwhile, a Storming Run from britains ben sandilands. He makes his move 200 to go, this is bold in the 1500 metres for athletes with an intellectual impairment, he charged to gold. That was the performance of a lifetime delight for him, his watching family, and a new World Record to boot. And in the wheelchair tennis, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid hoping to make paris feel more like wimbledon. For all their success, the pair had never won the paralympic doubles title. But against Japans Tokito 0da and takuya miki, they were unstoppable. A straight sets win for hewett and reid, and for paralympicsgb, another golden moment. And i can tell you that in the last few minutes, there has been another Gold Medalfor poppy few minutes, there has been another Gold Medal for Poppy Maskill in the pool Gold Medal for Poppy Maskill in the pool. What that means is that britain have equalled their Gold Medal tally for the last nine games. They won 41 Gold Medals in tokyo and they have won 41 Gold Medals here, and they will be confident of more to come, sophie. Gold Rush Andy swiss, thank you very much. The Co Leader of the Green Party Of England And Wales has accused labour of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. Addressing the partys annual conference in manchester, Adrian Ramsay attacked the Governments Approach on taxation, housing, the nhs and water pollution. Ramsay took to the Conference Stage alone as his Co Leader Carla Denyer is unwell. The green party enjoyed its most successful election ever injuly, winning four seats. Heres our political correspondent hannah miller. Full of hope and promising change. This is a green party with more Power And Influence than ever, and its message is clear. Because in so many areas, ones that matter deeply to so many of us, labour is getting it wrong. Like denying Winter Fuel payments to millions of pensioners, giving the green light to new climate destroying Airport Expansion and to sticking with the cruelty of the two child benefit cap. The green party has plenty of reasons to cheer, with more mps, councillors and members than ever before. Their Core Message is about pushing labour to do more. Labour would say that they are taking tough decisions that reflect the reality of the public finances. What difficult decisions are you making . Weve set out a bold vision for how we can put in more funding, and weve shown we can do that by asking the very richest in society, the millionaires, multimillionaires and billionaires to pay modestly more in tax. But one of Adrian Ramsays first interventions as an mp was to call for a pause on new pylons in his constituency that would carry green energy to peoples homes. Can you accept that to some people, it looks like your party says one thing and does another . Were very clear about wanting to advance renewable energy nationally, and ive made very clear that we need to see the government do far more to include renewable energy on new homes and buildings. But it is going to require infrastructure somewhere. Of course we need to invest in upgrading the national grid. There are different options for how you can do that that havent been properly assessed by this government. For now, the challenge is to turn their words into action as the greens new mps celebrate their success and look to build more. Hannah miller, Bbc News, manchester. Theres some good news for puffins their numbers are growing off the northumberland coast, despite the impact of Bird Flu. Puffins are an Endangered Species in europe, and rangers on the Farne Islands havent been able to count them properly because of the Bird Flu virus and the covid outbreak. Now, though, a new census suggests their numbers are up by 15 . 0ur North of England Correspondent Fiona Trott has the story. Birds call. Theyre precious and they need to be protected. There were loads, but they seem to have gone. I mean, im sure theyre around. So, Day By day, Metre By metre, the rangers here have been counting them. This one looks very occupied. Theres lots of fresh droppings in there. And feather as well. And now theres good news. Its gone up by 15 , which means the population is stable. I think all the rangers are super happy. Youre sort of like proud because youve looked after them and done all the work. Its like, theyre just so inquisitive. They come and inspect your shoelaces. And you do become attached to them. You just do, every single one of them. This is what they were worried about. During the avian flu outbreak, around 10,000 birds perished. 900 of them were puffins, which only lay one egg a year. Little did they know the birds quirky behaviour would actually end up protecting some of them. Puffins are clever little creatures. They keep their burrows clean. They self isolate like we did during lockdown, and rangers think thats one of the reasons why theyve done well despite Bird Flu. All life is fragile on these remote islands, and the Puffin Count helps researchers understand whats happening with the wider environment. If Theres Anything wrong with the seas, then the seabirds will be the first to suffer. So its really important that we have an idea ofjust how many we have. The ambition now is to monitor the puffins every single year. Known as the clowns of the sea, these colourful characters entertain us, but can teach us so much more. Fiona trott, Bbc News, northumberland. Tennis now, and britains Jack Draper is preparing for the biggest match of his career, taking on the World Number one Jannik Sinner tonight in the semifinal of the us open in New York. Its the first time a british man has reach a us semifinal since Andy Murray 12 years ago. Laura scottjoins us from flushing meadows. Well, sophie, for many within british tennis, it has long been a case of when, not if, Jack Draper would have a breakthrough, and after years of injury disrupting promising progress, it has all come together. Excitement is Building Notjust here but back home, and his mum made a last Minute Decision to fly out to do New York, landing in the early hours of this morning and joining them on the practice court. He has yet to drop a set, but he faces his toughest test yet against the highest ranked player in the world, Jannik Sinner. A friend of draper and recent doubles partner, the italian has lostjust five times this year, but he arrived here Under A Cloud Of Controversy having escaped a ban after twice testing positive for a banned substance. I just caught up with drapers coach, who was confident the 22 year old can beatJannik Sinner, but it will take one of the best matches of his life. The last british man to reach the final here in New York, Andy Murray, in 2012. He went on to win the title. So Jack Draper wont be short of Inspiration Or Motivation as he tries to emulate his idol today. An exciting few hours ahead, laura, thank you. The uk has a new chief scout. Hes the Explorer Dwayne fields, who was the first black briton to walk to the north pole. He replaces bear grylls, whos stood down after 15 years. Sophie long has been to meet him. Thank you, dwayne. You are now officially our 11th chief scout. Applause. Welcoming the new leader of their pack. Already a well known face to many here, Dwayne Field swapped a Life Injamaica for an estate in East London at the Tender Age of six. Scouting restored his hope and put him on a path that ultimately led all the way to the north pole. This, he says, is his chance to give back. His mission, to recruit more volunteers to help him do that. Its great for the individual. Its great for you in terms of the transferable skills that youll acquire. Its great for your community, and we all know its great for young people who so badly need good Role Models and mentors at the moment. Hes stepping into some pretty big hiking boots. Bear grylls is the outgoing chief scout. He took on the role at 34, having already conquered everest. 0riginallyjust for boys, the scouts are now fully inclusive, and around half A Million young people of all backgrounds are actively involved. So what do they think of their new leader . He seems like such a genuine person, and hes really, really passionate for scouting, which is really nice to see. He was a scout as a child, so he knows the experiences that people would like to go through. The Scout Motto is, of course, be prepared. But now thats as much about being prepared to ask big questions and listen with open minds as it is about bringing a pen knife. Sophie long, Bbc News, scout park, North London. Time for a look at the weather. Darren bett is here with all of our weather. We have had some big differences in the weather across the uk, sophie. This beautiful picture is from the isle of arran, it has been the warmest day of the year in Western Scotland and Northern Ireland, temperatures reaching 27 degrees. Bad light was an Issue Today for the cricket at the oval in the test match, and we missed most of the rain here, but this was the radar over the past few hours, 70 millimetres of Rain Falling over on exmoor. The rain tends to ease off a little bit. It will go a little further north overnight. Into the early hours, still some potential for heavy, possibly thundery rain in the south west, and them that will move away and leave a lot of low cloud. Temperatures could be down to 11 in scotland and Northern Ireland, further south, low temperatures are 15 or 16. A misty start for many, but we could see a lot of Cloud Tomorrow for england and wales. It should be Drierfurther Tomorrow for england and wales. It should be drier further north, tomorrow for england and wales. It should be drierfurther north, more sunshine for Western Scotland and also for Northern Ireland, so temperatures again here likely to reach the mid 20s. Get a bit of sunshine across east anglia, it could get one, but not quite as warm as it was today. But as we had overnight into tomorrow night, this low pressure is going to arrive, and that could bring some Thundery Rain Northwards On Saturday Night across england and wales, and around that area of low pressure, the showers or longer spells of rain will continue