Summary

  • Updates on Thursday 29 March

Live Reporting

  1. 'Hero' jumps into sea to save drowning man

    The man was up to his neck in the Irish Sea before a heroic passer-by dived in to save him.

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  2. Sir Ken Dodd statue to return to Lime Street

    A statue of Sir Ken Dodd will return to Liverpool Lime Street station ahead of his funeral on Wednesday.

    Sir Ken Dodd statue

    The statue, which was unveiled at the station in 2009, has been removed while the station is undergoing refurbishment work.

    It will be removed again for some final restoration work.

    Fans have been asked to line the streets in the city to pay their respects to Sir Ken, who died earlier this month aged 90, on Wednesday.

    The service will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Merseyside from 13:00.

  3. 'Give us some love,' Sterling urges England fans

    BBC Sport

    England forward Raheem Sterling has urged fans to "give love" to the team going into this summer's World Cup in Russia.

    Raheem SterlingGetty Images

    They have three more warm-up games before the tournament, starting with Italy at Wembley this evening, having beaten the Netherlands 1-0 on Friday.

    The Manchester City star told BBC Radio 5 live: "I feel sometimes there is too much negativity.

    "I would love to hear some positive notes coming in, just to let the boys know everyone is behind them."

  4. Burning body murder pair convicted

    Two men have been convicted of the murder of a woman who was found dead in a burning car.

    Quyen Ngoc NguyenFamily Handout/Northumbria Police

    The were detained after the body of Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was discovered in Shiney Row, near Sunderland in August.

    Stephen Unwin, 40, of Houghton-le-Spring and William McFall, 51, of Blackpool, had denied her murder and rape.

    Unwin was found guilty of murder and rape, while McFall was also convicted of murder, but cleared of rape.

    Newcastle Crown Court had heard the pair met in prison while serving life for separate murders.

  5. Latest headlines for the North West

    • Firefighters who heard the Manchester Arena bomb go off were sent away from the scene despite a paramedic arriving within 11 minutes, a report says
    • A former police inspector who murdered his wife in their Cheshire home and dumped her body in a lake is jailed for life
    • Three teenagers are charged in connection with a "sustained" attack on a man at an Oldham tram stop

  6. Killer inspector 'abused his knowledge of criminal investigations'

    On sentencing police inspector Darren McKie to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife Leanne, Mr Justice Robin Spencer told he "abused his knowledge of criminal investigations... and the public's trust in a senior police officer" after the "cruel killing".

    Darren McKieCheshire Police

    He said McKie disposed of his wife's body in a "callous and despicable way".

    The judge said outwardly the couple appeared to have a "perfect marriage".

    McKie had risen to the rank of inspector at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) while his wife was a valued and respected detective constable with the force, and they both had "support of loving parents".

    However, in reality, they were in the "spectre of serious and constant debt" and "they were both living beyond their means", the judge said.

  7. Murdered woman 'was family's light'

    The mother of Leanne McKie, whose husband has been jailed for life for murdering her, has said her family's lives "came to a stop" when they found out she had been killed.

    Leanne McKiePA

    Mrs McKie, a detective constable, was found strangled in Poynton Lake in Cheshire on 29 September.

    Her husband, police inspector Darren McKie was found guilty of her murder at Chester Crown Court.

    Speaking after sentencing, her mother Ellen Dodd said Leanne "was our light, and the light has gone out".

    It is only because of the children that we keep going.

    She was kind, loving and generous [and] never said a bad word about anyone.

  8. Inspector sentenced to life for wife's murder

    A former police inspector who murdered his wife and dumped her body in a lake has been jailed.

    Leanne and Darren McKieFacebook

    Leanne McKie, 39, a detective constable, was found strangled in Poynton Lake in Cheshire on 29 September.

    Darren McKie, 43, denied murder but admitted her manslaughter towards the end of his trial. He was found guilty by jury at Chester Crown Court.

    McKie was sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years.

  9. Police inspector sentenced for wife's murder
    Breaking

    Police inspector Darren McKie, 43, has been jailed for at least 19 years after being found guilty of the murder of his wife's murder.

  10. Kerslake Report will allow charity to 'respond faster, respond better'

    The charity which supports victims of crime has said it is important to learn from the Kerslake Report to ensure it can "respond faster, respond better and respond to all those who need support".

    Aftermath of Manchester Arena attackGetty Images

    Victim Support's Services Director North Ellen Miller said:

    While we hope such incidents never happen again, it’s hugely important for all agencies involved to listen to survivors and learn what we can do better.

    Then, if the worse does transpire, we can respond faster, respond better and respond to all those who need support.

    We know that, for some survivors, reading this report will be bring back the traumatic and life-changing events of the Manchester Arena attack and its aftermath.

    We are working closely with the mayor’s office to encourage survivors, whether new to Victim Support or existing clients, to get in touch with us.

  11. Kerslake Report: Vodafone sorry for 'catastrophic failure' of helpline

    An emergency helpline could not be issued in the hours after the Manchester bomb attack causing worried families "significant stress and upset", the Kerslake Report found.

    VodafonePA

    A "catastrophic failure" in the National Mutual Aid Telephony system run by Vodafone "seriously hampered" the setting up of a dedicated 0800 number, said Lord Kerslake's report.

    When the Casualty Bureau manager was informed of the failure, he was forced to set up a local 0161 number instead which did not have sufficient capacity.

    As a result, anxious families were reduced to a "frantic search around the hospitals of Greater Manchester".

    Vodafone, who have been running the Home Office helpline since 2009, issued this apology:

    As a result of a failure of one of our systems, Greater Manchester Police was not able to issue an 0800 incident response number in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester Arena Attack.

    This was clearly unacceptable and we sincerely apologise for the distress caused to those affected by this terrible attack.

    Any failure is unacceptable and we have since undertaken a major upgrade of the system in question and it is being tested on a daily basis.

  12. Police 'did their best' on night of Manchester Arena attack

    The chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation says officers "did their best" on the night of the Manchester Arena attack.

    Police response to Manchester Arena attackPA

    The Kerslake Report into the emergency response to the attack found "strategic oversights" by police commanders led to confusion over whether an "active shooter" was on the loose.

    It also said "poor communications" between the force and the fire service meant fire crews only arrived two hours and six minutes after the bombing.

    In response, Ian Hanson said:

    You can’t plan for every eventuality.

    Nobody could have foreseen the horrific events of that night and the plan [officers had] doesn’t sit neatly on every potential attack.

    I really have to ask the question what did we do wrong in terms of any plan?

    People stepped forward, people did their best to protect victims.

  13. Kerslake Report will 'inform future police plans'

    Greater Manchester Police has "extensively reviewed and assessed the responses so that learning can be included in future plans" in the wake of the Kerslake Report, the force's chief constable has said.

    Emergency response to Manchester Arena attackPA

    Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said:

    We have detailed plans in place to respond to major incidents and terror attacks [and] these provide a framework to support decision making in the response to an incident, but at the end of the day, we have to deal with the situation that faces us.

    On 22 May 2017, we had a terror attack, many casualties and the possibilities of further attacks. Officers who were in control used their professional knowledge and experience to make sure we did the right thing in those challenging circumstances.

    Learning from such exceptional events is so important. This is why we have extensively reviewed and assessed the responses so that learning can be included in future plans.

    We faced a huge challenge and when faced with an unprecedented situation, everyone in GMP did their best to help all those affected.

  14. North West Ambulance Service respond to Kerslake Report

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  15. Kerslake Report: Recommendations

    The Kerslake Report into the emergency response to the Manchester Arena attack included 50 recommendations for dealing with any future incidents.

    These included:

    • Greater Manchester's multi-agency group should "investigate ways to increase their own personnel’s understandings of their partner agencies’ procedures and operational priorities"
    • Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service should revise "policies and procedures... to ensure that greater emphasis is placed on multi-agency co-location, communication and co-ordination"
    • Greater Manchester Police should "review the technical capability and capacity of communications links between the Duty Officer and other partners’ control rooms and critical response assets"
    • The government "should increase its support for public first-aid training programmes"
    • The Independent Press Standards Organisation "should review the operation of its code... and consider developing a new code specifically to cover such events"

  16. Some press 'added to the distress experienced'

    The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has said the evidence in the Kerslake Report shows "it is clear that the behaviour of some, but by no means all of the media, added to the distress experienced by some families of victims".

    The body's chief executive Matt Tee said:

    The press has a narrow path to tread between reporting accurately and sympathetically on tragedies on the public’s behalf and respecting the feelings of those most directly affected.

    It is clear that the behaviour of some, but by no means all of the media, added to the distress experienced by some families of victims.

    The Editors’ Code requires journalists to approach bereaved family members with sympathy and discretion, to ensure their reports are accurate and to respect people’s privacy and stop their approaches when asked to do so.

    We will be looking at what more we can do to support victims, families and the agencies that work with them as well as making sure that IPSO-regulated publishers are aware of their obligations and responsibilities.

  17. Kerslake Report: Some journalists need to use 'basic human decency'

    The actions of some parts of the media have been highlighted in the Kerslake Report, with stories of people being "hounded", "a lack of respect" and "sneaky" attempts being made to take photos when families were receiving bad news.

    Figen Murray, the mother of attack victim Martyn Hett, said the media’s code of ethics should be tightened, adding that some journalists needed to use “basic human decency”.

    She said her 16-year-old daughter answered the door to a reporter at the family home who offered their condolences and asked if she wanted to talk about Martyn before the family had officially been told that he had died.

    To put a young person in that position is unforgivable, it’s totally unethical.

    Mrs Murray said she was also concerned about the use of images of her son by the media.

    I know there is a notion that the public has a right to know but it would be courtesy, human decency to ask for permission.

    I feel that the media need to work with the families, rather than report on the families. It should be a collaborative thing.

  18. Fire service has 'hard lessons to learn'

    The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) says there are "hard lessons for all emergency services to learn" in the Kerslake Report.

    Fire engineGMFRS

    A statement says the FBU will consider the implications of what happened in the hours following the attack at Manchester Arena and will address "these matters with vigour".

    Andy Dark, FBU assistant general secretary, said:

    The report... raises important questions on the issue of communications that are central to the criticisms made of the fire service, not least the impact of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service being the only emergency service in Manchester without its own dedicated service control room.

    Andy Dark, FBU assistant general secretary

    A major cause of the problems encountered was the absence of any information being received by the fire service from the police.

    The wider issue, of course, is that government requires only small teams of firefighters to be trained and equipped for such incidents. There is currently a dialogue with the Home Office on the issue of funding for these arrangements.

    The FBU will be addressing these matters with vigour to find solutions to the problems identified in order to ensure that the fire service is prepared for such events in the future.

  19. Kerslake Report: Key findings

    Here's a round-up of the findings of the Kerslake Report into the emergency response to the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds others.

    Aftermath of Manchester Arena attackPA

    The report found:

    • Firefighters who heard the Manchester Arena bomb go off were sent away from the scene despite a paramedic arriving within 11 minutes
    • Fire crews "stuck to the rules" for a suspected active terrorist but it was "fortuitous" paramedics were not kept away
    • The first North West Ambulance Service paramedic arrived at 22:42 and was told the incident was a "suicide bomber" by police
    • A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) duty inspector in the force control room declared Operation Plato, a pre-arranged plan in the face of a suspected marauding armed terrorist, and wrongly assumed others were aware
    • Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and the control room "felt they had let down the people of Greater Manchester" on the night of the blast
    • "Poor communications" between GMP and GMFRS meant fire crews only arrived two hours and six minutes after the bombing

  20. Greater Manchester's response to arena attack 'overwhelmingly positive'

    Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the area's response to the Manchester Arena attack was "overwhelmingly positive and it's important to keep that in the forefront of our minds".

    Tributes to Manchester Arena attack victimsReuters

    "People pulled together in a way I've never seen before... that gave us strength to respond," he said.

    "It's also a sign of strength to look at what didn't go so well. By doing that, we make our services even better going forward."

    He also said the resilience of the people of Manchester following the bombing was a "beacon of hope", adding that it showed the terrorists "could never win".