In what's believed to be a first, two men have been sentenced to prison after their dog savaged a young Auckland girl leaving her with horrific facial injuries. Carolina Anderson, who is seven, was attacked in a park in Westmere last month. Thomas Owen and Brian Hill earlier pleaded guilty to owning the dog and in the Auckland District Court this afternoon, Judge James O'Donovan jailed them for two months and ordered each of them to pay two thousand dollars reparation. But they're appealing the sentence and this afternoon were released on bail. Our reporter Sharon Brettkelly was at the Auckland District Court she joins us now. LIVE WITH DROPIN
Paul Wicks is the lawyer for the two men - he had asked the court for community service instead of a jail term. Mr Wicks says his clients are relieved to be out on bail, and are now awaiting the appeal against their sentence. PREREC
Carolina's father, John Anderson, joins me now. LIVE
Crime is up, with latest statistics showing that last year, there were nearly a [illegible] more homicides and serious drug offences, while sexual offences increased 17 percent. The figures for last year show an increase in reported crime of around three percent on the previous year. While the longer term trend shows that reported crime has decreased over the last six years, the Police Commissioner Rob Robinson says the increase in violent crime is worrying. PREREC
BUSINESS with TODD NIALL
Rural GPs say paperwork and bureaucracy are preventing many of them from accessing millions of dollars of government funding intended to help keep them in the job. The Government earmarked just over four-million-dollars this financial year to help retain overworked and stressed rural GPs - but the doctors now say the difficulties in getting the money is turning into another reason to leave. The District Health Boards distribute the funding, but the chair of the Rural GP Network, Dr Tim Malloy, says with only a quarter of the year left to go many doctors are still battling to get their share. Dr Malloy says the doctors are being asked to read and sign detailed contracts for an [illegible] of money that for some simply doesn't warrant the effort. PREREC
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
The United States and Britain have suffered a blow in their efforts to convince the United Nations Security Council to endorse their new resolution setting a deadline for Iraq to disarm. Both France and Russia say they will use their council vetoes against the resolution, which gives Iraq until March the 17th to disarm or face war. The French president Jacques Chirac says he wont support the use of force against Iraq till the weapons inspectors say they can do no more. CUT The French and Russian decision has prompted a warning from the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
CUT
CNN's Paris correspondent Jim Bitterman says the timing of the announcement is a surprise as France was expected to delay committing itself to veto until the last minute. PREREC
The UN Security Council is set to vote on the American and British resolution later this week. And as Washington and London consider their next move, UN arms inspectors say they may have discovered Iraqi attempts to develop unmanned drones to deliver biological and chemical weapons. Our Washington correspondent Steve Mort reports. PKGE
To Papua New Guinea - where the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has suspended his tourism minister following a public outcry that he was remaining in office, despite facing firearm charges. Alois Kingsley is on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of assault, possession of a gun while under the influence of liquor, wilful damage and threatening to shoot. Australia Associated Press's Port Moresby correspondent Jim Baynes told me that the charges follow a confrontation at a sports match. PREREC
The film industry could earn this country nearly half a billion dollars a year according to a report released this afternoon. The report has been prepared by a taskforce, which includes the film, television and post production industries and it has been released by Industry New Zealand. Head of the taskforce Julie Christie says the industry has to break its dependency on government funding. She joins us now. LIVE
The Auckland Regional Council has been ordered to tear down a barrier [illegible] its botanic gardens from motorway noise after a long-running dispute with nearby residents. The Environment Court has ruled that the 300-thousand dollar barrier between the Regional Botanic Gardens and the Southern Motorway be removed after Manurewa residents complained that it reflected noise onto their properties. Sarah Howison prepared this report. PKGE
Bad weather in the Coromandel and Auckland has closed several roads and causing crashes which are disrupting rush-hour traffic. A heavy rain warning is in place for the Coromandel, with State Highway 25 closed in two places, including by flooding just south of Whitianga. The road to the resort town of Pauanui is also closed, as is the Tapu-Coroglen route. In Auckland, dozens of crashes have clogged the motorway system - a crash in Fairview Road in Albany has brought down power lines, causing considerable congestion. Police are urging drivers to avoid the area. READER
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