08/01/2014 South East Today

from the BBC News at Six. So it's goodbye from me. On BBC One we now

Welcome to South East Today, I'm join the BBC's news teams

Welcome to South East Today, I'm John Young. And I'm Bryony

MacKenzie. Tonight's top stories: A crucial vote on banning the ?300 a

minute betting machines. Our councils warn they cause misery.

We're live in Westminster with the latest.

Jail for five gang members found guilty of trafficking women into the

South East and forcing them into prostitution. Those who want to

engage in this crime, we will pursue you.

We'll have an exclusive report from Hungary on the victims forced to

sell sex. Also in tonight's programme: The

Sussex care home where neglect contributed to at least five deaths

is under new management, but inspectors say it's still failing.

He survived a mock execution in South America ` now the botanist who

returned to Kent to create his dream garden is heading back to Columbia.

We hear why. And focusing on the stars ` the

inventor from Kent who says his device to make telescopes easy to

use was his gift to the world. I do not get any royalties for it but I

do not care. Good evening. MPs will vote this

evening on a campaign to give our local authorities the right to ban

high stakes roulette machines from betting shops. Councillors in Kent

and Sussex say the machines which allow bets of up to ?300 a minute

are highly addictive, causing misery for gamblers who rack up huge debts.

Some experts have described fixed odds betting terminals as "the crack

cocaine of gambling" and say they're spreading like an epidemic. But

bookmakers dispute the claims and maintain there's no need for new

legislation. Our Political Reporter Ellie Price has more.

This person spent thousands per day on fixed odds betting terminals.

I lost a lot of money. In Medway there are 31 betting

shops. In Brighton and Hove there are 51 betting shops with 204

machines. All those bitters possible to bet ?100 every 20 seconds. No

more than four terminals are allowed in each betting shop.

These machines are causing problems for families and communities. Local

communities believe they have the evidence. Should not they be given

the power to decide whether they want these machines? Councils

already have powers to tackle the issue and councils should make full

use of that power. There may be more to do.

The 33,000 fixed at betting machines make 1.5 million pounds per year.

The industry says further regulation is not necessary. There is no

evidence that this is more addictive than any other type of gambling. We

have measures in place to help able. We have introduced a chord for

responsible gambling. My constituents will recognise that

much of what is being done today in Parliament as political posturing.

They will appreciate that these machines are as a consequence of the

last government's legislation which liberalised gambling in bookmakers.

The government says it has initiated a review and the results will be due

in the spring. Ellie joins us from Westminster.

These machines sprung up following legislation from the last

government. Labour disputes that. This is an opposition DDB which

means it will require support from Tory rebel MPs.

I have spoken to a few who say they want to wait for the result of the

review. A gang who trafficked more than 50

Eastern European women into Britain, and forced them to work as

prostitutes in hotels across the South East, have today been

sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison. Mate Puskas, Victoria Brown

and Zoltan Mohacsi were found guilty yesterday of running an

international people trafficking gang. Brothers Istvan and Peter Toth

have gone on the run they have been sentenced to jail today in their

absence. Some of their victims worked in a brothel on the

University of Sussex campus. Piers Hopkirk reports from Hove Crown

Court. CCTV records a group of young

Hungarian woman moments after arriving in the UK. They are bound

for brothels across the region. A life of sexual exploitation. Today

began that cashed in on their misery was sentenced to a total of 23

years. This sends out a strong message. For those that want to

engage in this crime, we will pursue you, investigate, prosecute.

Mate Puskas was sentenced to six years. Victoria Brown got three

years. Zoltan Mohacsi received four years. Istvan Toth and Francis Court

are on the run. They have been given five years.

The women came from one of the poorest parts of Hungary.

How many men would you have two C? In one day, five.

Their housing manager had an anonymous e`mail which tipped us off

about the use of our flats as a brothel. He too is a decision to

contact the number. With the assistance of security staff he

started the investigation. The judge told the gang, this is

serious offending behaviour which society finds repugnant.

The authorities believe there are many other members of this

international sex trafficking ring, don't they?

Yes. The five people who were sentenced today are by no means the

full extent of that gang. The investigation file mentioned a

number of other suspects. And you will have heard the police

spokesperson talking of his termination that these people will

face us this. And later in the programme we'll

bring you the second part of our exclusive report from Hungary,

focusing on the victims rescued from sex trafficking, how they're

rebuilding their lives and what's being done to tackle the crime.

In a moment: Above`inflation increases to park at our stations `

union leaders accuse rail bosses of daylight robbery.

The Sussex care home where neglect contributed to at least five deaths

is under new management and has a new name, but inspectors say it's

still failing to deliver acceptable levels of care for vulnerable

elderly residents. The Care Quality Commission has

serious concerns about Francis Court in Copthorne, near Gatwick,

following a series of unannounced inspections. It's on the site of the

former Orchid View care home, which was criticised by a coroner for

institutionalised abuse and neglect. Our News Correspondent Yvette Austin

is in Copthorne. How serious are the problems at Francis Court?

In October the Care Quality Commission carried out three spot

checks. They found so many feelings that enforcement action was taken.

No other people were allowed into the home. In December they found

improvements, but still more feelings. When it came to the

management of medicine they said people could still be at risk.

It is always difficult when you take over our home that has complex

issues. It is changing the culture of the home. It is not a surprise

that there will still be things outstanding.

And Yvette, tell us more about the neglect and abuse that was uncovered

when this care home was known as Orchid View.

We must be clear that this home is now under new management and

ownership. But last year an inquest heard of multiple incidents. The new

regime has got to put together a new report to say how it will carry out

more improvements. An inquest into the death of a

teenager from Rochester who was killed on New Year's Day has been

opened and adjourned. Augustine Carnell was walking home along the

A229 at Bluebell Hill in the early hours of January first when he was

hit by a car. The Competition Commission says it

will decide by the end of April whether it has the power to ban

Eurotunnel from running ferry services from Dover. The Commission

was ordered to look again at the issue in December, after Eurotunnel

successfully appealed against a ruling that it should no longer run

the MyFerryLink service. A couple from Kent have been

reunited with their 11 stolen puppies after the police received a

tip`off and found them dumped in a garage. As we reported last night,

the golden retrievers were stolen yesterday from their kennels in

Westwell, near Ashford. Union leaders have accused rail

bosses of "daylight robbery" for introducing above`inflation

increases to station car park charges. The average increase on the

Southern network is 3.57 per cent, almost double the Southeastern

average of two per cent. One of the highest rises is at

Redhill Station in Surrey, where the price of an annual parking ticket is

now more than ?1,000 ` up by more than four per cent. Experts say it's

because there is a large and growing demand for station parking.

It is a double whammy for the commuters. January is when the

season`ticket prices go up and it is also when the car park prices go

up. They are getting hit on two sites.

So let's take a closer look at some of the price rises on the Southern

network. In Eastbourne the price of an annual

parking ticket has now reached ?735. In Brighton the price has gone up to

more than ?950. And the most expensive on the network is Haywards

Heath, where it now costs nearly ?1,140 for an annual ticket.

Passengers there today said the cost of parking was far too high.

It is very expensive. It is too expensive. It is not fair.

Well let's cross live to our reporter Mark Sanders in Brighton.

What has Southern had to say, Mark? Southern says its rates are based on

market forces. It says any money made on car parks is put back into

its stations. But it is clear that passengers arriving tonight will

have enjoyed this year after these in real terms when it comes to their

train tickets, but there is no price cap when it comes to car parks.

Tonight the Department for Transport has urged rail operators to show

restraint when it comes to increasing parking charges at

stations and to recognise the cost`of`living pressures faced by

passengers. This is our top story tonight: MPs

will vote tonight on whether to give our local authorities the right to

ban high stakes roulette machines. From betting shops. Councillors in

the South East say the machines, which allow bets of up to ?300 a

minute are far too addictive. Bookmakers say new legislation's not

necessary. Also in tonight's programme: The

botanist who faced execution at the hands of South American terrorists,

but survived to build a dream garden in Kent, is heading back to

Columbia. Tom Hart Dyke joins us in the studio

to tell us why. It is wet and cloudy into tonight.

Join me later for the weather forecast.

Let's return to one of our top stories tonight ` the criminal

jailed for trafficking young Eastern European women into the South East

and forcing them into the sex trade. But what happens to those women once

they're freed? The Hungarian government says most of the victims

have returned home and are receiving help to rebuild their shattered

lives. Our Special Correspondent Colin

Campbell has been given exclusive access to a safe house in Hungary

where sex trafficked women are being rehabilitated.

Hidden in the Hungarian countryside, I am on my way to a secret location

where victims of trafficking are recovering from the horrors of

sexual exploitation. This single mother was trafficked overseas by a

handy pen. He beat her and threatened to put her children into

a foster home. `` was trafficked overseas by a pimp.

We provide psychological help. It depends on the condition of the

victim. The Hungarian victim does not know how many women are being

trafficked that they believe it is hundreds, possibly thousands. Not a

single person has been convicted or imprisoned in Hungary over the last

12 months. The Hungarian authorities suggests the ability to combat the

crime is limited. What are the Hungarian authorities

doing? It is not possible without close cooperation with other

countries. England is not the only destination.

This person was taken to Holland when she was a teenager. She told me

how she escaped. She was standing on the street and a client came. She

got into his car and told the man that she cannot stand it any more.

This is how she could get away. This person also managed to flee

from the pimp controlling her. Although the government says it has

a robust strategy, many dispute its impact.

He was kidnapped during an expedition to discover rare plants

Colombia, held hostage in the jungle for nine months by Marxist

guerrillas, and subjected to beatings and death threats. So you

wouldn't blame Tom Hart`Dyke, a botanist from Kent, if he'd vowed

never again to set foot in the South American country. But later this

month he's flying back to Colombia, after accepting an invitation from

the country's ambassador to Britain. In a moment we'll speak to Tom here

in the studio, but first, here's a reminder of his ordeal.

The two men appeared in good spirits.

They said they would do an execution. They held guns and knives

to us. What a selection of house plants.

Absolutely awesome. This is fantastic.

It is a fantastic story. Thank you for joining us.

Why are you going back? Horticultural therapy. To go back

would`be great therapy. To see a country that I have yet to properly

see. It will be a packed week. What do your friends and family think? I

had to ask my mother first. She said, that is fine. She said if I

recognise anybody from 13 years ago to come back.

Is that rucksack going back to South America? It is.

Tell us what this is. This is the diary that I kept during captivity.

This is where the garden that I created originally started.

Was it worth going through all that for an orchid?

We saw some fantastic plants. In hindsight, you could say it was

worth it. This is full circle. Thank you for coming in.

Brighton and Hove Albion have confirmed Liam Bridcutt has handed

in a transfer request. The midfielder has been heavily linked

with a move to Premier League Sunderland ` managed by former

Seagulls boss Gus Poyet. The club says the request has been rejected.

Football, and Crawley Town are hoping their FA Cup second round

replay can finally go ahead this evening after two postponements.

They're due to host Bristol Rovers but the first attempt was abandoned

in the second half due to a waterlogged pitch. The second match

had to be cold off before a ball was kicked. We are fairly confident. The

groundsman and his assistant is working hard on it. Hopefully it

will be all systems go. The BBC's Stargazing series is back

this week and the chances are, if you've ever examined the night sky

by looking through a telescope, you've used a little known piece of

equipment cold the Crayford Eyepiece Mount to focus it.

Well the name Crayford may give you a clue that it has a Kent connection

` its inventor was a man named John Wall, who was born in the area of

the same name near Dartford. He never patented it and today almost

every telescope in the world uses a variation of his original idea.

Steven George has been finding out more.

The moon, the son, the galaxies. All captured by a telescope. These

telescopes, and just about every other one, have a device cold a

Crayford eyepiece mount. This is the original one. Focus the eyepiece so

that you can see the stars or the object you are looking at. Focus is

one of the most difficult things in astronomy.

The device was designed in the late 1960s by John Wall.

Within two days I had built one and put it on a telescope. It worked

perfectly. It is the only time a prototype has worked first time.

As the BBC stargazing programme returns, .

This has revolutionised how astronomy.

And yet John never patented or profited from his invention. It was

the property of the firm. I do not get any royalties. It does

not worry me. It is all over the planet.

Thanks to one man some of us are looking at the stars.

Stargazing Live is on BBC Two tonight at 8pm. And you can download

a free calendar showing what to watch out for in the night sky

throughout the year, from our website.

Here is the weather. Not so good tonight, but tomorrow

not too bad. Tomorrow it will be cold and clear. Earlier it was dry.

We saw some sunshine. It will not stay that way. More cloud around as

we went through the afternoon. Temperatures relatively mild for the

time of year. Those winds finally easing off. As we go through tonight

the cloud cover finally thickens. Certainly not a cold night. I'll

start to the day tomorrow. This area of high pressure will be building.

That means dry and brighter weather. It will feel a bit cooler. The winds

will pick up a little bit. Temperatures still double figures

along the coast. Perfect for stargazing as we head through to

more night. It is cold and clear. It will be a cold bright start to

Friday. It will not stay entirely dry. Winds will still be relatively

light. There will be some rain. It will be wet as we go from Friday

into Saturday. Dry weather as we head towards the weekend. Rain

during the tail end of Sunday. Plenty of dry weather ahead.

I am back at 10:25pm. Goodbye.