26/10/2011 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.

And I'm Polly Evans. Tonight's top stories.

Convictions quashed. The Sussex brothers jailed over a Lapland

attraction in the New Forest are freed on appeal because of a text

sent by a juror. Five years after Farepak went bust,

the family who lost more than �8,000 are still waiting for

compensation. They should be taken to court and made to pay everyone.

Not just mine, but everybody's money back.

Also in tonight's programme. The invention by Sussex scientists

that could dramatically cut the rate of infections picked up in

hospital. A master of his art - a celebration

in black and white of the Sussex man who makes the great

photographers look amazing. And the man who's beaten leukaemia

and the coastline. Ollie Rofix returns to Kent after a marathon,

round-Britain voyage. Two brothers from Sussex, who were

found guilty of misleading thousands of customers who visited

their Lapland New Forest theme park in Dorset, have had their

convictions quashed in the court of appeal.

Victor and Henry Mears, from Brighton, were jailed earlier this

year for 13 months each. Today, appeal court judges overturned the

ruling because a juror had been sending texts to her boyfriend who

was in the court's public gallery. Colin Campbell reports.

What do you say to it today? Jennifer Cardy and -- Victor Mears

They said that it would be a dream come true. Jenny Stuart spent

nearly �300 digging all her grandchildren for a Christmas treat.

These were their photographs. The nativity scene was a billboard in a

muddy field. This was the bustling Christmas market. This one of some

tough's of India. There was nothing to justify what they were charging.

A juror had been in regular contact with her fiance. Text messages had

been exchanged between the pair and shown to other jurors. One that

message contained a single word, guilty. The judge expressly tells

the jury that they must insulate themselves from any outside

influence and opinions. They have to limit their deliberations to the

jury. Kent's Lapland Experience has been a charming of families for

years. But this one closed within days of opening. It was rendered to

-- it was deemed to be unsafe. A woman from Hastings who lost

almost �8,500 when a Christmas savings scheme went bust has still

not received any compensation five years on. Jackie Southby put money

in to the Farepak scheme on behalf of herself, her daughter, her 90-

year-old mother and several elderly friends. She is one of nearly

120,000 people who are owed almost �37 million in total. They are now

hoping an online petition to demand the money will see the money repaid.

Peter Whittlesea reports. Every year since Farepak went bust,

Jackie has received a letter from the company's liquidators. She

hoped that the letter today would contain at some of the cash she

lost. They should be taken to court and made to pay everyone. Not just

mine, but everybody's money back. Its not fair. They don't have to

live with it every day. They have no conscience, they can't half.

This is Joan, she died in February before receiving any of the money

owed to her by Farepak. The company first had financial problems in

June 2006 and look for extra funding. In October 2006, it went

into administration. In April 2010, the final offer of 15p in the pound

was made. But Jackie and thousands of others are still waiting. To be

given a letter today, basically the same thing as last year. The same

wording. It is wrong. liquidators say there are more than

116,000 creditors and cannot say when the payments will be made.

People were promised the settlement 16 months ago but no money has

materialised. That is why there is a huge a sense

of frustration from the creditors who are just ordinary people. On at

the Farepak are website, there is no date or time as to them people

will get their money. As to claim. People like Jackie had no

responsibility, but feel a sense of guilt.

In a moment. The Kent charity that's building hope in Africa and

has been named as the best charity in the country to work for.

Mental health services in Sussex are at full stretch because more

and more people are turning to them for help during the continuing

economic downturn. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

say the demand for services has increased by 44% at a time when

budgets to treat mental health problems are being squeezed. In

Kent, services are also in huge demand but, there, a new service to

treat work-related stress is helping cope with the surge. Our

Social Affairs Correspondent Yvette Austin has this report. Vinyl and

music, Paul Hughes' first love, memories of when he had his own

record shop which folded over 10 years ago. He worked for a while in

a restaurant, but now has been unemployed for four years, which

has led to mental health problems. It is just very desperate, you know,

feeling homeliness, isolation, despair, frustration, it is

extremely frustrating. -- loneliness. You know, you just do

not know where to turn. He is not alone. The NHS in Sussex currently

sees 100,000 patients with metal health problems. For some services,

that is an increase of 44 per cent in three years. There is also the

need to cope with �14.1 million of savings by March next year. One

group that fears for its future is Activ8, a social and well-being

centre helping people, particularly those with mental health problems.

With the reduction of jobs in the region, people feel the need to

build their confidence again, so people come here, rebuild those

skills and then go out and try to find work. But work is hard to find

here. There can be quite will find it changes in the workplace for

people which might not leading to losing jobs, but puts stress and

worry about the fear of losing jobs. The NHS says it is trying to help

people like Paul to find help when they need it without compromising

services. Yvette Austin reporting, and she

joins us now. Yvette, how are they making this �14 million saving?

Surely services will have to cut? Obviously, they want to continue to

provide services and improve them. This building behind me is old and

dilapidated, expensive to run and upkeep. They are going to close it

and others like it across the Hastings area and centralise

services in Hastings. That does mean that some patients will have

to travel further for treatment, but this is typical of what is

happening across at Sussex. They are spending money to try to say

that. Train commuters travelling out of

Charing Cross are being delayed by up to one -- up to 60 minutes

because of a signalling problems. A pro-euthanasia advocate is

planning to hold a workshop in Eastbourne next month as part of a

series of seminars. Dr Philip Nitschke, dubbed Dr Death, was the

world's first doctor to give lethal injections to patients after

voluntary euthanasia was made legal in Australia's Northern Territory

in 1996. His decision to visit the UK has been criticised by Dignity

in Dying. The girl group in X Factor which

was calling itself the same name as the Brighton based charity Rhythmix

is to change its name. Last night, we told you how the children's

charity had appealed to Simon Cowell to stop using the name

Rhythmix. This afternoon Talkback productions said they would be

announcing a new name for the girl band shortly.

MPs, including one from Kent, are urging the BBC to halt planned cuts

to Local Radio. The proposals which will see a reduction in local

programming because of a freeze in the licence fee were debated in

Parliament this morning. Conservative MP for Thanet North,

Roger Gale, says the cuts would affect the future of radio and TV

journalism because so many journalists begin their

broadcasting careers in BBC local radio.

The fire service in Sussex is campaigning to have the law changed

so that private landlords must fit smoke alarms to their properties.

It comes after the inquest into the deaths of two young children,

Taylor and Lewis Jenkins, who died from smoke inhalation in a house

fire in Eastbourne. Sara Smith reports. There is no way of knowing

if a smoke alarm would have saved these brothers. They were believed

to have started the fire while playing under stairs. But research

shows people are twice as likely to survive if they have a fitted smoke

alarm. This rented property's alarm was not working or in the right

place. The inquest is extremely harrowing for family, and for

ourselves giving evidence. We do not want to go to coroner's

inquests any more. We believe that landlords could do a lot more in

terms of protecting their tenants by the installation of fire

detection at smoke alarms. We will put one up there. The fire service

community safety adviser is at thousands of homes. Numbers of

buyers are falling, but those in rented accommodation are normally

the more vulnerable members of society, which is why there are

calls to legally oblige landlords to fit alarms. So far, the

government has said no to any new legislation. The fire service says

too many people are still dying and it will continue its campaign.

Infections picked up in hospital are common, costly and can be

lethal. But now two scientists from the University of Brighton have

successfully tested a product that dramatically cuts the rate of the

most common infections which are caused by catheters. It is

estimated that there are at least 100,000 cases of hospital-acquired

infection annually. 80% of those are urinary infections

caused by catheters. And, remarkably, up to 100 million

catheters are used by hospitals worldwide every year. The

breakthrough could save millions of pounds for the NHS and improve the

quality of life for thousands of patients. Our Correspondent Mark

Norman has more. A potential solution to the

difficult issue facing the NHS, hospital acquired infection. The

most common is urinary infection caused by catheter. We have

something which will hopefully reduce that rate of bacterial

adhesion. We are trying to stop the bacteria that causes infection

attaching. Catheters can be used to drain the fluid from the body or to

inject fluid. They are sterile to prevent infection. But about half

of all hospitalised addleds who have a catheter for more than a

week a quiet and affection. -- a quiet and infection. It is an

unnatural thing which disturbs the natural balance of the body. The

bugs are probably from the patient's owner system. Now they

have to be tested on human it sells. This is the real crunch. We have

seen some fabulous data. It is still at the early stage. The team

are working on the application it say it could also be used for

surgical interventions such as hip replacements or heart valves. If

tests go well, it could be in hospitals by the end of 20 per team.

-- 2013. Mark Norman reporting and he joins

us from Brighton Hospital now. Hospital aquired infections are a

major problem for every hospital in the country, aren't they?

Hospitals are work incredibly hard are to prevent a patients get in

hospital acquired infections. Along with colleagues in Cambridge and

Newcastle, the team here believe it will make a huge a difference on

hospital wards. Two brothers from Brighton who were

found guilty of misleading thousands of consumers have been

freed by the Court of Appeal. The conviction was ruled unsafe because

of texts said by a -- % by a Jew or during the trial. Celebrating the

work of a master painter. And that young man who has beaten leukaemia

They are a small team of 20 people in Tunbridge Wells, but a Kent

organisation has beaten famous competition to be named the best

charity to work for in a national competition. Build Africa helps

provide education to people in Uganda and Kenya. They say their

work is vital to help people support themselves and their

families. Katherine Downes has tonight's special report. When I

grow up, I would like to be a judge so that I can show there is justice

in Kenya. This boy has big ambitions, but most classmates will

not finish primary school because standards are so poor. We want to

improve the quality of education so that we can have good careers and

employment and so that we can improve the community. It is a plea

made in Africa and heard thousands of miles away in Tunbridge Wells.

75 per cent of children in the developing world do not finish

primary school so we deal with those issues, particularly children

working in classrooms that are falling down. They are working in

environments without books, and where teachers are not trained.

Build Africa also works with families so they can send their

children to school. It is a small group, but they have beaten the

likes of Save the Children as the best charity to work for. The judge

said we won the award because we connect the work over here to that

done abroad. We can connect the work we do. This is the class, it

is wooden... There has been construction of schools and

training of teachers to give the children the best hope of achieving

You wouldn't necessarily have thought that the life story of a

man who spent most of his working life in a darkened room was rich

territory for a film documentary. But in the case of Robin Bell from

Battle, you couldn't be more wrong. A master of printing black and

white photographs, he's worked with famous names like David Bailey,

Terry O'Neill and Norman Parkinson. Tonight, at Hastings Electric

Palace Cinema, they are premiering a documentary on his work. Robin

Gibson reports. Robin Bell's skill imprinting

black-and-white film is legendary. We are taking out her moustache

hear and this little bit of lip. flick through his are bombs at his

Sussex home is like taking a journey through a who's who of

celebrities and photographers. is beginning to look his age.

you regret spending your life in a darkened room? Not at all. This is

very artistic and exciting. Apart from the fact that it is in the

dark, it is a very enviable thing. I went to his studio and realised

he was holding the history of photography for the last 50 years.

Richard has often worked with Robin Bell. He spent almost two years

making a film about his craft. is a very good Printer, probably

the best on the planet. I respect what he does and I think he likes

The documentary opens the door on a backroom world, the world of

photographic printer or that some say terms of the Good integrate. At

the same time, it celebrates of the work of one of its true masters.

Football and Charlton are three points clear at the top of League

One thanks to a double from Bradley Wright Philips at Wycombe last

night. The Addicks went ahead as early as the sixth minute after

Yann Kermorgant's overhead kick came off the woodwork and Wright

Philips was quickest to the rebound. He got his second just before half

time. Wycombe's consolation came just too late to affect the result.

Crawley Town cemented their place at the top of League Two despite

falling behind at home to Dagenham and Redbridge. A Matt Tubbs penalty

evened things up before Sergio Torres put Crawley ahead from 12

yards out. The match was wrapped up when Jon Paul Pitman nodded in the

third. Also in League Two, Gillingham

slipped out of the play-off places, losing 2-0 at Swindon. Luck was not

on the Gills' side as Luke Rooney's effort in the second half hit the

woodwork, then rolled along the goal line. A spectacular effort

from Matt Richie put Swindon ahead before Jonathan Smith sealed the

A 25-year-old who has already beaten leukaemia has all but

completed the second biggest challenge of his life. He is back

in Kent after sailing round Britain in an 18-foot boat. Ollie Rofix set

off down the Thames in March and now, seven months later, he's back

at Chatham Marina, having touched at some 50 ports and marinas all

around the mainland on the way. Earlier today I met up with him

Marinas are chock full of boats - some of them are very big and

impressive and others are built on Well, here she is.

The Jolly Ollie isn't big. Compact and bijoux would be overstating the

case. Let's be blunt - she's tiny. This is where I sleep. This is

where I do my chart work. That is the cooker. Why would anyone spend

eight months living in a space about the same size as a family

hatchback? Ollie has powerful motivation. Six years ago, I had

leukemia. I needed a bone marrow transplant. This boat it was my

projected to get through the transplant and the treatment.

On his voyage, he's met any number of interesting characters - fellow

sailor Timothy Spall, rock musician Peter Townsend and comedienne Dawn

French among them. I ended up back at her house having dinner. It was

quite random. It was great, I loved every second of it.

Ollie is hoping to encourage more people to come forward and join the

bone marrow donor register. Without it, he wouldn't be here today.

was in an adult ward, and I could see the people that were fighting

lived longer than those who just give up. That is the main reason I

am doing this now. A smashing guy. If you want to find out more about

Oliver Rofix's adventures, go to our Facebook page and you can

follow the link from there. It was quite dry there.

We manage to do get a gap in the showers.

It has been miserable for everyone It has been miserable for everyone

Those showers have been particularly heavy. They will dry

out tonight, but more to come. That they will be persistent and heavy

tomorrow. The reason for that is low pressure in control of our

weather. As you can see, some blustery south-westerly winds.

Showers, particularly along the coast, they have been persistent

and heavy. But we have had a few spells of sunshine. Temperatures

not too bad, getting up to around 14 degrees. As we move into tonight,

those showers linger for a time and then it will dry out. In the early

hours of tomorrow morning, you can see that rain is moving in from the

West. The wind will swing to a south-easterly direction.

Temperatures staying pretty mild, 12 or 13 degrees. Low-pressure

still in control of things tomorrow. Sussex and Surrey, still seeing

some outbreaks of rain. A cloudy and damp start tomorrow morning. In

the afternoon, at some spells of sunshine, but increasingly clouded.

A lot of rain in parts of Surrey. Temperatures of 15 degrees. Feeling

cooler than the numbers suggest if you get cotton any of that rain. As

we move into tomorrow night, the rate will clear up and we are left

with a dry night. Overnight lows of around 10 or 13 degrees. Quite a

mild picture. On Friday, high pressure building. A settled and

dull picture. The wind will ease off a bit. Temperatures getting

better as you move up to London. High pressure for Friday, but low

pressure waiting for the weekend. Increasingly cloudy but most --

mostly dry for Saturday. The European Union leaders have

started a meeting to try to thrash out a deal to solve the eurozone at

debt crisis, but doubts are growing whether a comprehensive deal can be

reached. Two brothers of from Sussex who