15/01/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

That's all from us. It's goodbye from me. And on BBC

And the 7,000 year`old piece of Jersey history lost forever There's

been a it was lost in one day basically.

There has been a 26% increase in the number of children being placed on

the child protection register in Guernsey. 95 children appeared on

the register in 2012 up from 77 In 2011. That's according to the latest

figures revealed by the Island's Child Protection Committee. The

reasons for children being placed on the register include neglect,

physical and sexual abuse. Penny Elderfield reports. Child abuse

comes in many forms, but here in Guernsey the most common reason for

children ending up on the protection register is neglect. It's the reason

why 41% have been placed there. 32% were subjected to emotional abuse 4%

to physical abuse. And 3% to sexual abuse. Overall the number of

children in 2012 who ended up on the register was up by 26% ` and

indications are that's a trend that's continuing. We do not feel

there is a rise in child abuse generally, but there is an increase

in recognition and intervention To tackle the problem, Guernsey's had

an independent committee, with the aim of ensuring robust systems are

in place to detect and prevent all forms of child abuse. But while

progress has been made, more needs to be done. And it's given itself

further aims for the coming year. Including setting up a new panel to

review any child deaths. Introducing a new assessment system ` so all the

agencies that work with children record information in the same way.

Speeding up the time it takes to find permanent placements for

children ` on average three years at the moment. Looking at ways of

tackling problems like alcohol and drug misuse ` a common problem in

families with children on the register. It needs those working

with children and domestic abuse, mental health, substance abuse, to

be working together. How confident are you what is being done is enough

to ensure child abuse does not call unnoticed? I don't think you can

ever be sure it will go unnoticed. A lot is being done to minimise the

likelihood of that. Guernsey may never be able to completely

eradicate child abuse. All the authorities can do is make sure if

it does happen children can get the help they need.

Meanwhile in Jersey a serious case review is being carried out into the

circumstances surrounding the death of a teenager last spring. An

inquest into the death of the 16`year`old boy, who can't be named,

gave a verdict of suicide this afternoon. Our reporter Louise

Walter joined me earlier with more details. The case concerns a

16`year`old boy from Jersey who was found dead last spring. He'd taken

his own life. The court heard his family had been on the authorities'

radar since 2005, but it was in 2012 when the teenager was referred to

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, known as CAMS. This was

when it became evident the teenager was at risk of taking his own life.

The Child Psychiatrist Dr Caroline Coverlee said the family was given

immediate support and the 16`year`old had a session with CAMS

in January 2013, four months before he died. She said the boy said he

would not kill himself despite wanting to die sometimes and it was

felt he would not benefit from therapy at that time. She also said

therapy could have been harmful in his then circumstances. In his

verdict, the Viscount said that there was a balance to be struck

between providing support and a person's wish to be independent

What do we know about the review? The spokesman for the Children's

Safeguarding Board Police Detective Supertindent Stewart Gull told the

inquest a review was launched last July. Now despite the fact it

started last summer, this is the first time news of the review has

been made public. Indeed Viscount Michael Wilkins himself said that he

had not been made aware of the review until October, despite its

relevance to the inquest. It was said in court that the Safeguarding

Board apologised for the oversight. It's being carried out by two

independent UK childcare professionals, and is likely to

conclude in June. More news from around the islands.

A 54`year`old man from Guernsey has been sentenced to five years in

prison, plus two years probation for making, possessing and intending to

distribute more than a million indecent images of children Guernsey

police described the collection of Kevin Roy De Feu's computer as the

largest haul of images they've seen. Sentencing De Feu at the Royal

Court, Judge Russell Finch described it as a depressing and appalling

case. Also in Guernsey a man has started a

three year prison sentence for this incident in October of last year.

Guernsey police have released this video showing Joshua Granger what

appeared to be a weapon. The 22`year`old from St Peter Port was

found guilty of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm at the time of

committing an offence. Pressure is growing on the States of

Guernsey to introduce civil partnerships. Some politicians and

members of the island's gay community claim Guernsey needs to

change its policy on equality. It's been almost two years since gay

couples have been able to have their relationship legally recognised in

Jersey and as Mike Wilkins reports, some feel Guernsey needs to catch

up. It was really the happiest day of my life. Mark feels the same

Guernsey couple Martin and Mark Gavet tied the knot and formed a

civil partnership in the UK. But the commitment they made to one another

on the mainland isn't officially recognised here in Guernsey. As an

Guernsey man, it would have been nice to have my civil partnership

with Mark in Guernsey, but there is no legislation here so we went away

in 2011 to Wales to have civil partnership. The main differences

come in terms of tax matters. Down to things like medical consent. Mark

would not be able to be my next of kin in certain situations. But

pressure is now growing on Guernsey's politicians to do

something about it. There has been no progress in relation to civil

partnership when it comes together and say. It was implemented in

Jersey a few years ago. We still have no protection under the law for

gay couples. The States Policy Council says it's discussed civil

partnership and that it's aiming to bring the matter before this States,

but it's unclear when. The Church of England says that civil partnerships

for homosexual couples are in line with Christian belief. But it feels

the partnerships aren't the same as marriage and that marriage in its

definition means the committed union between a man and a woman. The Civil

Partnership Act came into force in the UK eight years ago and it's

still unclear if the States of Guernsey will follow suit. If it

does then for Martin and Mark that day can't come soon enough.

Fifty people were caught by Jersey Police last year in a special

operation targeting career criminals. Officers say Operation

Crackdown focuses on catching people who repeatedly steal from cars and

homes. This year they're asking the public to play their part by hiding

valuables, and locking doors and windows. Jersey police will also be

focusing on known areas of persistent offending.

Part of Jersey's ancient history has been lost on the island's west

coast. It's thought peat beds around seven thousand years old have been

broken and scarred from vehicles and machinery used to repair the sea

defence structure ` after it was damaged from the recent storms. Emma

Chambers met up with a marine biologist at the site to find out

more... The damage that's been done covers

quite a wide area, I understand they were warned there was peat in the

area and the significance of it and as you can see there's digger marks

and truck tyre marks all over the area. Scarred from machinery trying

to repair storm damage. These peat beds have been lying in St Ouens bay

for thousands of years ` capturing how the island has formed with root

systems and tree trunks visible to see. But recent repair work to the

sea defence wall sitting next to the peat beds has damaged them ` and

along with it crucial insights to the island's history. It is of great

importance at the moment with all the research going into ice age

Jersey, it tells the story of how Jersey evolved. It was part of

France and the tide enveloped us. There is a great amount of history

within it. The department who carried out the work says the damage

they caused was due to a machine getting stuck in the sand. We

entered the area across the sand. Unfortunately it got stuck in the

stand. In trying to get out, he used his front bucket to pull himself

out. Unfortunately, below that part of the sand was Pete which he did

not see at the time. It could've been done with more care and

consideration. It was there for thousands of years and it was lost

in one day basically. TTS say they are now in discussions with the

environment department, and their subcontractor, about the incident `

to avoid similar damage in the future.

Not too bad on the beach. Good evening. What will it be like for

tomorrow? There will be a bit of sunshine

tomorrow? There will be a But we will also see

showers. It is a mixed bag for tomorrow. Later in the day you will

see showers, perhaps more frequently in the afternoon and early evening.

It will be a breezy day with plenty of showers. Strong winds as well, so

feeling colder than today. It's all due to this big area of low

pressure. It is covering this whole area of Europe. This weather system

is producing the rain. It will move through quickly and we will be left

with sunshine and showers for tomorrow, showers predominantly in

the afternoon. A little sunshine to end the day. For Friday, if it's

like more persistent rain coming up from the south. So a cloudy day with

further outbreaks of rain, but less windy. Overnight rain clears and

after midnight, clear skies. Temperatures into single figures. It

is quite breezy tomorrow. Despite the morning sunshine, it will cloud

over and showers will become more frequent. Towards the end of the

day, more persistent rain. Blustery winds and 10 degrees will be the top

temperature. The coastal waters forecast...

Times of high water... Pretty messy conditions for our surfers. Most

beaches will be up to four feet and rather messy. Friday is a cloudy day

with outbreaks of rain, cleaning on Saturday, turning colder but quieter

as we move into Sunday. That's all from me.

Keep the umbrella to hand. That s it for now. Goodbye. Back to Spotlight.

Thank you for watching. the coming weeks, that's unless it

goes to the European Courts. Dozens of firefighters tackled a

large fire at an industrial estate in south Devon last night. Five

appliances and two water bowsers were called to the Ipplepen area of

Newton Abbot around 7.30pm. Three lorries went up in smoke. There were

no reports of any injuries. Welcome if you have just joined us.

Still ahead, it's overgrown and strewn with litter, but an 18th

century graveyard is about to undergo a facelift thanks to an

anonymous donation. Watch out for a trail of giant sun fish coming soon

to the streets of play nowt `` Plymouth.

A film shot in Cornwall with the help of staff and students at

Falmouth University, has been shortlisted for a prestigious film

award. Island Queen cost just ?1,000 to make, but despite this it will

feature alongside blockbusters starring big names from all over the

world at this years BAFTAs. Eleanor Parkinson reports.

Island Queen is a film about a young woman who lives on a small island

and gets herself in deep water after she decides to have a baby. I am

going to have a baby. What? Loads of girls we know have babies. Not on

purpose. Well, I am going to be a nurturing and interesting single mum

with hidden sorrow. What a stupid idea. The film was shot over three

days entirely in Cornwall and cost just ?1,000 to make. Now it's been

shortlisted for a BAFTA in the category of Best British Short Film.

The producer is Emma Hughes. Her colleague Kirsty Smith was the

director of photographry. It was a film between friends really. The

production team worked for ?1,000 and that was mostly on transport to

get the crew and actors down from London. So, we really relied on the

goodwill of the locals and the ferry, and the cinema to get the

great locations we managed to get. The morning we found out we had been

shortlisted, nominated for a BAFTA, I think Emma and I actually didn't

sit down for about an hour! We jumped around a lot. Lots of

screaming Lots of excitement. Lots of phone calls to everybody who had

been part of the team. Yeah, I don't think it really has sunk in. My

sperm donor was the best, he is 6'4". Thank you! He is a physicist

and keen basketball player. New dresses for the catwalk and possibly

more celebrating for the team behind this comedy on the perils of living

on a small island. Here we are. We will have to do each other. Deal.

A historic graveyard in central Exeter ` the burial site for at

least 1,300 people ` is to be restored, thanks in part to an

anonymous donation. The Exeter Dissenters Graveyard dates back to

the 18th century. Dissenters broke away from the mainstream Anglican

Church. For years, the site has been left overgrown and littered with

rubbish. But as John Henderson reports there are now plans to tidy

it up. A snapshot of life and death from

the 18th century. This small plot of land is just outside Exeter's

historic city walls. Significant as this was the place where people who

dissented against views or practice of the Church of England were

buried. This graveyard was founded in 1748 and continued in use until

1854. But the dissenting tradition goes back to the Puritans and times

of Charles I and the civil war with diggers and levellers. Here lieth

Sarah... Graveyards and a change in the law reduced the need for a once

popular burial site. People would have been packed in tight. It's

thought there were 1300 men, women and children laid to rest here. It

could even be as high as 2,000 burials. The dissenters graveyard

near the old eye hospital has had various owners but was recently sold

to the Trust for less than market value. An anonymous donor helped

fund the purchase. The plan is to remove stuff like this, find and

check the original tombstones and monuments and restore the site. Good

news for people with descendents buried in the graveyard. My great,

great, great grandfather is buried there with two of his wives and

three of his grandchildren. This is really good news. In terms of its

size, the dissenters graveyard is small, less than two tennis courts.

Its historical value is far larger. It is, as far as Exeter is

concerned, certainly unique. Therefore, needs to be preserved.

The Trust is now looking for volunteers to help with the

restoration work. Now, if you were going to walk

roughly 16 miles across Exmoor, you'd probably want to check the

forecast first and set off nice and early to avoid getting lost in the

dark, wouldn't you? Well, that is, of course, unless you're taking part

in this year's StarTrek challenge! It's been running for more than 20

years and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

Spotlight's North Devon reporter, Andrea Ormsby, has the story.

Exmoor, the final frontier. These are the voyagers of the Star Trek

Challenge. Their mission ` to boldly go where no man has been before.

Look out! Today, a test run of a gruelling 16`mile trek across

Exmoor, hard at the best of times, but add darkness to the mix and

suddenly it's a real challenge. The walkers go out in teams of 4`6 and

they must have at least one or two map readers because you can imagine

on these moors at night you can easily get lost, which is why we

have a very, very good search and rescue team who make sure that

everybody is safe on the night. The Star Trek Challenge is in its 22nd

year. It's raised well over ?500,000 for local charities in that time.

It's a huge event with around 3`400 competitors and more than 100

volunteers. It takes us a year literally from start to finish. We

are already looking at next year's route at this time of year. It's a

huge undertaking and we couldn't do it without the fantastic support

that we get from landowners, national Trust, Exmoor National

Parks, all these sort of people. The route changes every year and is

always kept top secret until the last moment. But it's not just about

skills and speed, clues are also given along the way which add up to

deciding who the winner is. It's great fun. It really is good. You

are out there, it's a challenge. We have had all sorts of weathers out

there, some beautiful frosty evenings, some very wet evenings.

Some very, very misty evenings when some people have got lost. It's a

real challenge with some basic map reading skills as a challenge that's

really open to anybody. This year a shorter eight`mile route is being

introduced for the first time. Competitors taking part over the

first and second March will be hoping for clear skies and a full

moon. Hopefully no extra terrestrials!

Sport, and despite twice taking the lead in their FA Cup third round

replay last night, Plymouth Argyle eventually bowed out of the

competition 3`2 against Port Vale at Home Park. Andres Gurrieri scored in

the opening 90 seconds to give Argyle the lead, and Conor Hourihane

restored their advantage after Vale had equalised. But the Potteries

team overturned the deficit in the second half, before Pilgrims striker

Reuben Reid saw his penalty saved ten minutes from the end.

Now last summer it was brightly coloured gorillas dotted around in

South Devon. This year Plymouth is joining in but with a more nautical

theme. They swim, they splash, and one can already be found outside of

the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. Spotlight's Heidi Davey

has been along to meet the South West's newest visitors.

OK, OK, so you probably guessed it, they're fish, but not just any fish.

These have been designed by local apprentices and artists as part of

the National Marine skwap aquariums Making Waves Project. Soon you will

be able to see them up close as they make a trail for you to follow

around the city. It's going to launch on 3 March, which is National

Apprentice Week, so a big celebration and they're going to be

placed on the sif yak pi `` civic piazza. People can investigate what

they need to find on the trail and they'll be going out on individual

locations on 10th March. Each one of the 16 sunfish has been sponsored by

a local company. They in turn picked a winning design. The young artist

we met was definitely pleased to have been selected but slightly

daunted by the challenge. Yeah, there was a slight hesitation

towards it. Oh, that big! Even though you are told the size, it's

different when it's in front of you. But being a local artist she's proud

to help Plymouth show off its maritime roots. It's really nice to

know that someone like my design and ` someone wanted my design and

wanted to take it on, especially being at an entrance. People are

going to see this as they walk by. Kids are going to enjoy it and

that's the rewarding thing. When you see a brightly coloured finn dotted

about the city there's no need to hide as this lot are here to keep a

beady eye on the proceedings. Amazing works of art. Yeah,

absolutely. Fun seeing those on the streets of the city. Not really the

weather for sunfish, David. They'll be more at home with the wet

weather. Yes, it's not been particularly good today. It's

brighter tomorrow. You might need to throw an extra log on the

woodburner! What extravagance! Colder tomorrow. A breeze

developing. It's been lively today. The winds strengthen tomorrow. We

will see sunshine. That's perhaps the good news. The bad news is we

will also see showers and one or two of those showers could turn out to

be heavy. We are still very concerned, we have

several flood warnings in force. If you need more information or find

out what to do if your home is at risk of flooding thering is the

number: `` there is the number: We are expecting some rain over the

next couple of days. There is a lot of clear skies to the west of us,

that's happening tonight. Although there is cloud in here, it's broken

cloud so we should see sunshine in between the showers tomorrow.

Effectively low pressure is still well and truly in charge. That

doesn't change very much over the next 24 hours. This is the middle of

the day tomorrow. By Friday it's still close by, perhaps even more

persistent rain coming up, affecting the Channel Islands and drifting

towards us during the latter part of Friday and Friday night and into

Saturday. The showers that we have seen coming in from the west are

also lively but the main concern is this area of rain. It's moving

quickly. It will move out of the way later tonight. Some brief and heavy

showers will follow. For a time tonight we will get a good deal of

clear skies and also start to see temperatures dip into single

figures. Perhaps by the end of the night a few places might get as low

as three or four above freezing. Just about cold enough briefly for a

touch of frost. That is limited because the breeze remains a fresh

one, it increases in strength through the day. Plenty of showers

around and sunshine in between the showers. Every now and then one or

two showers could even be of hail with thunder mixed in and some

fairly hefty downpours of rain. A windy day which will be strong to

near gale force at times. There are the temperatures. It's a colder,

fresher feel to the air. For the Isles of Scilly some sunshine and

showers and blustery day for all of us. Times of high water:

If you are heading to the beach for surfing, the surf is likely to be

choppy. Cleanest waves along the coast. Sea conditions are rough over

the next few days. There have is the coastal waters forecast.

The outlook is not particularly good. At least the winds ease down a

little as we head towards the weekend. A drop in the temperatures

come Sunday. Friday largely dry. Friday night outbreaks of rain. Slow

to clear on Saturday. Misty and chilly first thing on Sunday

morning. Have a good evening. Back to you.

Thank you very much. That's all from us for now. If you are getting home

from work, then you can catch up with all the day's news in our late

bulletin at 10. 0.25pm. We are back at 6. 30 am tomorrow. Bye.