17/11/2011 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today. Tonight's top stories:

Not guilty of inciting riots in Hastings. A jury accept a Sussex

man was joking when he posted comments about looting on Facebook.

We are live with the details. We meet the former royal engineer

who lost a hand in Libya two weeks ago, but says he wants to go back

and continue clearing landmines. Also in tonight's programme:

Bright new hope or false dawn? A promise of thousands of jobs for

Medway if a multi-million pound redevelopment plans go ahead.

The men who fell to Earth. The brave few who bailed out of

stricken aircraft and survived meet as the Caterpillar Club for the

final time. He said, is it good in the wind? I thought that was very

odd, bordering on inane. And raising eyebrows in Sussex.

Apprentice star Nick Hewer advises business hopefuls in Lewes.

Good evening. A father from East Sussex who posted messages on

Facebook at the height of the London riots has been found not

guilty of trying to incite looting. Nathan Sinden wrote, "Let's start a

riot in Hastings," to friends on the social networking site. But the

jury at Hove Crown Court accepted the defence argument that his posts

were written as a joke. Nathan Sinden did not deny the

comments were his. What should have been obvious, his defence said, was

that he was joking. His timing, his family admitted, could not have

been were so. He did not think of the consequences. But a lot of

people do that on Facebook. You might as well stand on the street

and yell it out. They think they're having private conversation. Just

because he did something foolish does not mean he is guilty of.

is guilty of being an idiot, that These messages came in the middle

of the riots in August. Police forces were on high alert. Their

sense of humour took second place to an increasing nervousness.

of the footage I saw on the television made me think, if I had

to go out and deal with that, I would be quite worried. It is what

I am employed to do, but I would be scared and so would my family.

people have been convicted and jailed for up to four years for

using Facebook to incite rioting. But Nathan Sinden has always

claimed he was just messing around. This jury is sending out a message

to the authorities that what people say is not always what they mean.

Some people intended ironically or a bit of a laugh. If that is what

juries are going to see, then they are unlikely to convict people in

future. Comments on his face but paid such as, I am going straight

down to Poundland, were clearly ironic. He wrote in a private

thread that he was joking because he liked Hastings the way it was.

It might not have been funny, but the jury agreed it was not

incitement to riot. Our reporter joins us live from

Hastings. Joke or no joke, Nathan Sinden's actions did have quite an

impact in the town that night, didn't they?

Yes, they did. I hope you can hear me over the fireworks. The messages

that he posted and others like it meant the town was effectively

locked down. There were 40 uniformed officers out here on the

streets, many more than there would normally be on a summer evening. I

don't think people would blame the police for their reactions, but

there might be questions about the calm after the storm. When the look

at those messages in context, perhaps they should have realised

that they were not to be taken seriously, no matter how foolish or

irritating. A former royal engineer from Kent

has lost a hand in an explosion, while working on humanitarian mine

clearance work in Libya. Fred Pavey from Chatham was attempting to

deactivate a mine when it exploded in the city of Misrata. He is now

facing extensive reconstructive surgery.

I lost my thumb and my forefingers. They saved the top of my hand to

wrap over as a flap. I will end up with a stump there. Whether they

can attach anything I after words, I do not know. Fred Pavey lost his

hand a fortnight ago when clearing mines in Libya. The incident is

etched on his mind. He feels his injuries could it be much worse.

replay it every night. Not in a negative way, just go through my

mind every night. Like I said, unfortunately, one of my friends

was injured in the incident. A couple of dreams I have had, he was

actually killed. I break up laughing because I know he was not.

Which is really good. It is a positive thing. Unexploded ordnance

is commonplace in Libya. After spending 34 years in the army, Fred

says he was fully aware of the risks. The mind that caused his

injuries was uptight yet never seen before. It is thought to have a

secondary detonation advice -- detonation device which went on

when he lifted the mind up. He is a very brave person, but also very

cautious. He is the one who is always explaining to us where we

should to court and where we should be careful. -- where we should

avoid. Local people were living close to these minefields. There

are thousands of items all over the place. People need to get back to

work. Farmers need to plough their fields. Fred says he wants to get

back to Libya to help more people avoid these mines.

In a moment: After the driest autumn in years, water companies

say we could be heading for drought conditions.

Up to 3,500 jobs could be created in the Medway towns if new plans

announced by one of Britain's biggest developers are given the go

ahead. The Peel Group wants to spend �650 million regenerating

Chatham Docks, 26 acres of brownfield land that they already

own near the River Medway, into a so-called events city. It will

contain new homes, offices and shops.

That plans for this site are ambitious. They promise plenty. New

homes, new businesses, new jobs. think it is a good idea because

unemployment is pretty bad in Medway. If this creates jobs, I

would not say no to it. I would not be able to go there, I would need a

bus. I still can't see how it will really improve the Tatton area.

is more jobs for Medway. It gives us a chance to get a job. It should

be all right. Overall, I think the prospect of significant jobs and

development, if done well and appropriate late in the correct

area, we have to welcome that. Medway is open for business.

owners of the dock are no strangers to big business ideas. They created

a vast media city UK development in Salford, side that has been visited

by a councillors in Medway. They also warned this site where the hop

a windfarm site can be created to create 1,000 local jobs. We believe

there is a need for additional retail floorspace within and the

Medway towns. That is demonstrated by our planning application. In

terms of infrastructure, we are proposing some significant

improvements. You can never solve problems of any city by developing

20 acres. There are 250,000 people in Medway. These jobs are good news,

but it does not mean that this is suddenly Dubai or San Francisco. We

have to be real estate. Whether planning permission is given for

all of -- all or just some of the proposals will now be decided by

the council. Our reporter joins us live from

Chatham. There is plenty of support in the area for this large

development, but some concerns, too?

He yes, the developers say that when the piggies plans out to

public consultation, 90% of locals supported them. But there are

concerns that businesses might be affected in the high street. As for

the dockyards itself, where would those businesses go to? There are

also local employers. People have told me today that they have heard

grand plans for development year before which have not materialised.

Some have said that they are wary that these might just be empty

promises. A former soldier and teacher from

Kent has died after falling into a ravine on an island in the Indian

Ocean. Carl Davies was working for a private security firm in Reunion.

He left a teaching job at the Sheppey Academy in August.

Colleagues there say he will be sadly missed.

A �73 million extension to Gatwick Airport's North Terminal has been

officially opened by the former Prime Minister John Major. The

terminal has been expanded by more than three acres to cope with a

predicted increase in passenger numbers to 20 million a year by

2020. Rail accident investigators say

poor maintenance caused a southeastern commuter train to

slide out of control for more than two and a half miles. The London to

Hastings train failed to stop at Stonegate in East Sussex last year,

sliding through the station at more than 60 mph.

There were some shortcomings in the process. Up until this incident,

what we had no reason to believe there was a problem. But we're now

looking closely at all of the processes and identify any

potential shortcomings. We are put in place a number of changes to

make sure that we do not have another situation where a train has

no sand on it when it needs to. Let's cross live to our reporter at

Stonegate Station. How did it happen?

Well, conditions that morning were extremely slippery. Trains had been

struggling to stop all morning. This particular trained was lacking

a crucial safety feature. Its supply of sand which drivers spray

on to the rails to help them slowdown was empty. In fact, the

on-board computer had alerted engineers to this fact three days

earlier saying it was running low. The following day, and Engineer

requested new supplies. Two more nights went by and nothing was done.

The driver was unable to stop here. He continued for a further seven

minutes, only coming to a stop three miles down the line. They

train did not go through a red light so there was no danger to the

people on that train. But this shows what can happen when you have

crushed leaves under the wheels of the trained and the driver cannot

stop. This train shouldn't have been in service in this condition,

should it? That right. Safety rules stipulate

that drivers should not take their trains out if they don't have sand

on board. But this driver did not know that was the case. They have

now introduced new alerts in the driver's cab, so that they will

know in future. South East Water says it is not

ruling out restrictions on supplies next year if we have a dry winter.

Levels at both its reservoirs and underground aquifers are way below

average. The last year has been the driest since the drought year of

1976. Last month was one of the warmest Octobers on record with

just 30% of the typical average rainfall. Our Environment

Correspondent reports. Winter is fast approaching, but the

autumn rains have not yet arrived. At that whoever dry spring and the

result is plain to see at this reservoir. Currently, the reservoir

is only one third full. You would not expect the water level to be at

its maximum at this time of year, but you would expect it to be

around 50% full. That would bring the level to where I am standing.

It is not only the reservoirs which are affected, but groundwater on

which much of our region relies is below average as well. A drought

permit is likely to be applied for to take water from this river is

needed. We want to fill up over reservoirs with water from the

river and hopefully underground sources from rainfall between now

and spring. Then we will have enough water to accommodate our

summer demand for next year. last time the region saw such a dry

12 months was in 1976. The fear is that history could repeat itself.

Pipes run along the ground and each one shows that a small amount of

water goes to every tree. It is very efficient. It is vital we're

allowed to keep extracting water through the dry months. Crucial for

this industry. The Environment Agency decide to can take water and

how much from Myroe Rovers and reserves. It will be difficult to

recharge the reservoirs to this degree. If there are sunny days

throughout the winter. We will work closely with water companies to

make sure that they can extract as much as possible when it does rain

without hurting the river ecology. A rain is needed. In the meantime,

people are being urged to use water wisely.

Our top story tonight: A Sussex man who posted messages about looting

in Hastings on Facebook at the height of the London riots has been

found not guilty of trying to incite rioting. The jury at Hove

Crown Court accepted Nathan Sinden's defence that his posts

were written as a joke. Also in tonight's programme: Tales

of wartime escapes and daring do as the parachutists of the Caterpillar

Club meet for one final time. And Nick Hewer it gives young

hopefuls The Apprentice treatment in Suffolk.

Gunging school teachers, bathing in baked beans, or simply dressing up

in spotty clothes. Just some of the many fundraising activities that

will be taking place tomorrow for Children In Need. The annual event

raises vital cash here in the south east for schemes such as the

Bandbazi project in Brighton, which uses circus skills to help

I am 15 years old. I come to this project every Saturday morning. In

the grip, some people have special needs. Others are from different

cultures. Some people have problems with spelling. I come here because

I like to help people learn new way is. I am 12 years old. I come here

every Saturday morning. I have lots of new friends from year. I have

learned lots of things about people's backgrounds and all sorts

of, like, nationalities and staff. Some people don't understand. When

the see someone who is different to them, they think they are weird.

They actually have a history and a background which they can tell you

and then you can see things from a different point of view. I find it

shocking that in a city like this, many people are shut away in their

cocoon. They don't like to approach a new people. It is nice to meet

new people. I enjoy it. I especially like to help. I don't

just a judge people by what they look like. I think about who they

are inside. On a Saturday morning, it is nice to wake up and be

excited about coming here. On Children In Need night tomorrow,

the programme will be live at the Bluewater Shopping Centre.

It is one of the world's more exclusive and unusual groups. The

Caterpillar Club is made up of people who jumped from stricken

aircraft during wartime and survived. 88-year-old Bob Frost

from Sandwich in Kent is one of the surviving members. He was just 19

when he jumped from a Wellington bomber during a Second World War

raid on Germany. It is a remarkable story.

It was a raid like this one in Germany. Bob Frost was an era

gunner on a Wellington bomber, whose crew baled out after the

engines failed. I had worked out a plan in mind. It was not if you

were shot down, it was when. Most crews did not get beyond 14

operations. We were on another 22nd. I came down through a cloud. It was

cold and wet. The ground came up and hit me. A great big Belgian

field came up and hit me. You have the flames, the fear, the confusion,

the shells exploding around you. Your aircraft is on fire and you

simply have to dive out. You're diving out into the unknown,

trusting your life to your parachute and then floating down

into enemy territory. This man was forced to eject from

his Tornado during the first Gulf War. He shares the experiences of

the last members of the Caterpillar Club. They relied on their

parachutes. We are sad about this, but it is inevitable. We are in our

late 80s and early 90s now. There are only one dozen of us left.

their memories live on. Bob is on the right of this photograph. The

rest all to escape through Spain within weeks. He says he survived

through luck and by quickly learning to live with fear. If you

were not frightened, you were thick. I never met anybody who enjoyed

bombing. It is not often that a footballer

appearing at his home ground is upstaged by his own grandfather.

But that is what happened to Brighton and Hove Albion's Tommy

Elphick today. He was at the Amex Stadium with his granddad, Alfred,

to help raise awareness of the club's Extra Time project. It is

trying to get the over-55s involved in sport and keep-fit activities.

By their own admission, not many of the participants today were a big

football fans. But their first visit to the stadium certainly made

am impact. It was a daydream of mine to come here. I thought I'd

never live to see it. I have. It is fantastic. Tommy Elphick faces

months on the sidelines through injury. He brought along his 81-

year-old grandfather. If I get a knock back, it is easy to get back

up. If an older person takes a fall, it can be difficult for them to

move forward again. Brighton is one of 30 football clubs supporting the

scheme, which is designed to make their elderly more mobile. It works.

21% used the NHS less. 50% felt healthier. 75% made new friends.

is about growing your social networks all-star it is like and

you live beginning. More confidence and energy. More ability to do

things properly. I think this is the best thing that has ever

happened to me, certainly for a long time. So much is emphasise

about the use today. It is nice that we are remember. The club have

a proud record of community projects. Something which is much

easier if. We're working in the community, the way that I always

planned this to be. We come here to watch the games, but there is so

much more on offer at this new stadium. For the time being,

Alfred's grandson can only sit and watch.

He is Lord Sugar's faithful sidekick, who can seal the fate of

a wannabe entrepreneur with the sardonic raise of an eyebrow. But

Nick Hewer, who is most famous as one of the judges on the hit TV

show The Apprentice, was not hiring or firing today. Instead, he spent

the day firing young imaginations in Lewes, on a school visit aimed

at inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Our reporter has

been to meet him. On the apprentice, he is Lord

Sugar's right-hand man. Dishing out disdainful looks and scornful

comments to the hapless one of the entrepreneur has. He said, is it

good in the weather and the wind? Which I thought was a very sort of

odd thing to say. Bordering on the name, really. What is the product?

He was not so hard on their students here in Lewes today. But

those famous facial expressions were still there. If maybe I am

blessed or cursed with a sort of mobile face. That is it. We're not

faking it are practising are doing things. No one says, can you do

that again for the camera? But does the image portrayed in the

Apprentice of what a hire and fire industry give a false impression of

the business world, putting young people of the Korea? You could

produce a very bland, solid worthwhile business programme and

nobody would watch it. I thought he would be rude and arrogant, but he

is very down to earth. It is good to get a different point of view

from someone with his background. Then we can put that into real life

situations. Nick Hewer's on screen presence has helped bring about a

new twist in his career. Yesterday, it was announced that he will be

the host of a new major -- he will be the new host of a major data I'm

brand. Countdown will be great, but I want to carry on with The

Apprentice. But I might get fired! Relief for apprenticeship fans,

then. Four entrepreneurs, it looks like there will be no escape from

like there will be no escape from Nick Hewer's contemptuous glare.

It has been very mild for the time of year. He will stay dry and clear

as we move through tonight. More cloud as we move through the early

hours of tomorrow. People start hazy. It will be staying dry with

decent spells of sunshine around. Low pressure in control. Some spots

of rain first thing this morning. It brightened up into the afternoon.

Light south-westerly winds around 50 mph. Temperatures mild for the

time of year. It stays dry as we move through tonight. Clearer skies

with mist and fog patches forming. More cloud around by the early

hours of tomorrow morning. It will be mild. Temperatures in double

figures for many. Tomorrow, I hazy start to the day. The south-

westerly winds continued to pick up at around 20 mph. Staying dry with

decent spells of sunshine. Temperatures similar to today. Mild

for the time of year. 14 degrees. As we move into tomorrow night,

very little changed. More cloud cover than tonight, but holding on

to the southerly breeze so it will be mild. Temperatures hardly

changing from a daytime values. The mild and dry weather stays with us