28/01/2014 South East Today

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

using his car as a weapon ` a teenager faces years in jail after

driving for half a mile with a petrol station manager clinging to

the bonnet. An MP calls for a top public school

head teacher to resign over the death of a pupil, killed crossing

the road to a rugby match. We'll have the details live from the scene

at Worth. Also in tonight's programme: As

pressure mounts for a ban on legal highs, we're in Ireland looking at

how it might work in practice. Crossrail gains momentum ` the Kent

workers playing a key role hn Europe's biggest construction

project. And the mum of three who dods

everything she can to avoid newspapers because of an untsual

phobia. A teenager who used his car as a

weapon to drive away from a Kent petrol station without paying for

fuel has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent,

after the manager was seriotsly injured.

19`year`old Joshua Charnley drove his vehicle at Lekshmanan Asokkumar,

scooping him up onto the bonnet and carrying him for more than half a

mile. He suffered a fracturdd skull when he was eventually thrown off.

Chrissie Reidy reports from Canterbury Crown Court.

Clinging to the bonnet of the car as the driver who has just stolen fuel

takes off at speed. Lekshmanan Asokkumar, the petrol station

manager, hangs on for about half an hour before being thrown to the

road. He is left with brain damage. Today in court a jury of ten men and

two women found 19`year`old Joshua Charnley guilty and of grievous

bodily harm. The family would expect a

significant sentence to be past and this verdict gives the judgd the

opportunity to do that and to reflect the series injuries that

were caused to this man. CCTV footage shows Charnley pull up

at the pump. When staff become aware of what is unfolding, Lekshlanan

Asokkumar walks over to the car Out of shot he stands in front of the

vehicle. Witnesses described how the car kept chunting forward and how

Lekshmanan Asokkumar had no chance to get out of the way. During the

five`day trial the court was told how Joshua Charnley had used his car

as a weapon that day. When Charnley was arrested out police he `dmitted

he had altered the number plate on the car and had no intention of

paying for his fuel. Lekshm`nan Asokkumar and his wife had lanaged

the garage for 18 months. They married just two years ago.

Complete devastation. It has ruined our lives together. I don't think he

will ever be 100% what he w`s so he is not the man I married.

Charlie's girlfriend appeardd at juvenile court and was fined for

theft. 19`year`old Joshua Charnley will be sentenced on Friday.

A Sussex MP is calling on the head teacher and the chair of governors

of a top public school to rdsign following the death of a pupil.

13`year`old William Avery`Wright was knocked down by a motorist `s he

crossed a road outside Worth School near Crawley to go to a rugby match.

Speaking in Parliament, the Conservative MP for Wealden, Charles

Hendry, accused the school of breaching its health and safety

policy. The parents of Willham Avery`Wright say they've consulted

lawyers on whether to launch civil proceedings against the school. Mark

Sanders reports. William Avery`Wright was just 1

when he was hit and killed by a car outside Worth School. He should have

been supervised by an adult while crossing this road. This school rule

was not enforced or adhere to. An MP has called for the headteacher and

chair of governors to go. I don't understand who to htman

beings, his primary duty should be the well`being of children hn their

care, could possibly considdr staying in their posts when they

have dismally failed on the responsibility with such tr`gic

consequences. They had any decency they would both have had resigned

and it is not too late for them to take that action to show genuine

contrition. He also said William's parents had

been let down by the Crown Prosecution Service who had decided

not to prosecute the school for what he called a catastrophic brdach of

its health and is a role. Whlliam's parents said the positions were

untenable. It would show true contrition.

Because at the end of the d`y it is just the most basic catastrophic

kind of events that could possibly happen in a school and I can't

imagine how the hierarchy could live with themselves staying in place

when something like this has happened.

You can see the footbridge that was built after William died. Wd asked

the school for a statement `nd the robust it the MP's statement.

The headmaster has completely lost our confidence and because `

fatality has arisen I think it is very important that he shows

responsibility for William's death and he resigns accordingly. I don't

think any parent at Worth should have confidence in this headmaster.

William's parents believe the resignation could get them closure.

Everyday is a part of a lifd sentence that we to endure.

Well, our reporter Mark Sanders is live for us outside the school in

Turners Hill this evening. There has been a lot of examination on what

happened that day. The police looked into the

circumstances and found there was no basis for a prosecution. Thd coroner

found it was an accidental death and the school has shown genuind

contrition. William's parents are taking legal action against the

school. Last week, we brought you the story

of a mother who's called for a ban on a sale of legal highs. K`ren

Audino's son Jimmy was suspdcted to talking a shop`bought synthdtic form

of cannabis. Our Special Correspondent Colin Campbell has

travelled to Ireland were the Irish government has successfully closed

down all shops that sell legal highs.

Petrol bombing shops selling so`called legal highs and

Countrywide demonstrations calling for the closure of those shops. This

is how Ireland reacted to these new psychoactive substances.

I don't think there could h`ve been a politician who wasn't hearing week

in and week out that these shots had opened an area and what are you

going to do about it? Just like in the UK, legal highs and

Ireland have caused death and illness.

There were over 200 shops sdlling these legal highs in Ireland but

concerning public `` followhng public concern and act was put into

place that could close down the shops that sold them. The shops were

closed down overnight. We took the bull by the horns and

passed the act. We banned those substance generally and also closed

down food outlets to put thdse premises on notice.

If Ireland can do it so can the UK. Karen Audino's son was found dead

last year and next to his body was it packet of cannabis bought from a

shop in Kent. They are the only ones not hn line

with Europe. The British government needs to do something, they need to

act. As Ireland a safer place because of

the ban? For younger people, yes.

It's dead phase of ecstasy`like tablets but new tablets comd out and

we don't know what is in thdm. Most of the shops have gone and many

believe it is a move that h`s made Ireland a safer place.

Home Office Minister and Sussex MP Norman Baker has warned that these

legal highs are becoming more of a problem than hard drugs. He joins us

now. You've launched a revidw into these substances but isn't the

problem that the chemical compounds in them keep changing so it's hard

to create specific legislathon against them?

That certainly is a problem. We have banned over 250 of these substances

so we are ahead of Europe on these matters. We are even banning

substances which don't exist yet, anticipating where the chemhst will

go next. But as you say we have launched a review and there is a

parallel study of international activity and we will have that

review reporting by Midsummdr. The Irish Government is fachng a

legal challenge against thehr ban for this very reason. How would you

mitigate that? The Irish situation is one that

interests us but it is subjdct to a challenge as to what a psychoactive

substance is because of course tea and coffee are psychoactive

substances. So we have to bd very careful not to rush into

legislation. Local paper the Kent Messenger's

website has been reporting today that Kent has more shops selling

these legal highs than any other county outside of London.

It is an urgent problem but it is important to get the solution which

is right and doesn't have unwanted long`lasting consequences. Lany of

these things are not alreadx legal and not safe. We've seen 44 arrests

recently and 73 warrants issued It also issued against a local councils

as to how to deal with shops under existing legislation. We ard far

from complacent on the mattdr and it is very serious.

A Sussex Church of England priest has been charged with a strhng of

historic sex offences against young men, including one as young as 5.

68`year`old Vickery House, who was a vicar at St Bartholomew's Church in

Brighton, was originally arrested in November 2012. It's alleged that a

number of indecent assaults took place against young men and boys as

far back as the early '70s. The family of a 17`year`old girl who

was found stabbed in a flat in Oxted on Friday have paid tribute to her,

describing her as a kind, loving, gentle girl. Elizabeth Rose Thomas

was studying for her A`levels at Oxted High School. Her family say

her death has left their lives broken beyond repair. A 16`xear`old

boy has been arrested in connection with her death and was secthoned

under the Mental Health Act. Significant jobs and a council tax

rise has been approved by E`st Sussex County Council's cabhnet

today. The authority wants to cut 100`150 jobs over the next financial

year, in order to help plug a ? 7.7 million cut to the budget in 20 4 to

2015. In total, the council plans to make total spending cuts of ?11

million by 2020. Clearly what we are trying to do

here in East Sussex is two things really. Protect the council tax

payer as much as we can, we have put a freeze on that. We now find that

we can protect the most vulnerable in society and fill potholes on the

back of making savings. So how will these cuts affect residents in East

Sussex? After three years of council tax

freezes, the authority is proposing to increase council tax in the next

financial year to just under the level allowed before they h`ve to

hold a referendum, currentlx 2% It also intends to make cuts to Adult

Social Care, reducing the overall level of support each person

receives. But it will spend ?2. 5 million on pothole repairs over the

next three years. . Charlie, what's been the response to today's

announcement? A couple of union leaders I spoke to

are concerned about the job cuts and cuts to council services. Wd say

there are other options and they need to fight more.

I think they need to go back to their government Association and

fate their corner. We are fhghting our corner and they need to fight

there is. We are all blaming the government.

Somewhere where the cuts will be most keenly felt it here in

Hastings. The council says ht doesn't want to raise counchl tax

more than it needs to. The next stage is a final decision process

next month and when that happens, expect frustration, expect `nger,

expect protests outside the council offices.

Today's proposals will be rdferred to the next meeting of the full

council, on February 11th, for a final decision.

A man has been charged with the murder of John O'Donohue in

Gillingham. Mr O'Donohue was fatally injured after he was hit by a car on

Thursday. 25`year`old Jake @ustin of Priestfield Road, Gillinghal, was

arrested in the Swindon are` at about 5:30 on Monday morning. He

will appear before Medway Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

A model of the new train for the Thameslink line between Bedford and

Brighton has been unveiled today. The high`capacity carriages are part

of the Government's ?6.5 billion investment for the line, whhch will

link directly to Gatwick. P`ssengers have been warned to expect continued

disruption. The Chief Constable of Sussdx Police

has refused to apologise to a former Government minister despite

admitting that his force made mistakes in sending him a h`rassment

warning. The MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton, has been

involved in a long`running spat with a constituent over messages, which

he claims are abusive. Sussex Police issued Mr Loughton

with a warning for harassment after he sent the constituent an official

transcript of what the MP h`d said about him in Parliament. Our

political reporter Ellie Prhce has more.

He rings my office repeatedly to abuse my staff.

This is the moment Tim Leighton stood up to accuse a constituent of

harassment. It resulted in ` warning from police. He told MPs as he saw

it as a way of ending communication with that constituent. Sussdx Police

didn't see it that way. Aftdr it received a complaint from the

constituent who said the mahling had caused him to stress and al`rmed.

The force said any further behaviour of this kind could weave and liable

to prosecution. I have been put through lots of

stress and heart to me and ly family and it has seriously impactdd my

ability to do my job. This case has very significant implications for

the way all of us go about our job in this house.

Sussex Police admitted mist`kes in the wording but not for sending it.

Did you apologise? No.

Don't you think you should have done?

We will continue to do our best to play our part in resolving that

feud. Tonight, Tim Loughton is calling for

a full apology. Our top story tonight: a tednager

has been found guilty of grhevous bodily harm with intent aftdr he

drove Lekshmanan Asokkumar on the bonnet of his car for half ` mile.

Also in tonight's programme: She can't bear to be near newsp`pers ` a

Kent mum talks about her untsual phobia.

It will stay where it is tolorrow but the wind is moving in an

easterly direction. Join me later for the forecast.

?500 million worth of new contracts, bringing hundreds of jobs, have been

awarded to companies in Kent and Sussex working towards Europe's

largest construction project, Crossrail. The new railway line

that will run east`west across London, is due to open in 2018. Our

Business Correspondent Mark Norman has been to see one of the companies

that's benefitting in Chath`m, making concrete rings to line the

tunnels, for tonight's Spechal Report.

Part of the government's strategy to boost the economy was its n`tional

infrastructure plan. In essdnce if you build big things it will

generate new profits. Some of the jobs are here in Kent. We'rd looking

at a facility which has been built by our contractor.

It has created 120 new jobs including apprenticeships and that

has allowed people to build on their skills for constructive carders It

is eerie important part of dconomic regeneration.

Crossrail is the new servicd that will run across London from Heathrow

to Abbey Wood. There are 40 construction sites and they are

halfway through the construction process. As the drill the ttnnel,

the line it with concrete rhngs More than 100,000 of those concrete

rings are being made here in Chatham.

That forms for the tunnel rhngs This is quite a new skill. This is

one of the few that has been set up in the UK. We are teaching new

skills. Teaching skills for apprenthceships

was part of the deal when the company won the contract to supply

Crossrail. I've never really worked in

construction before. I honestly never saw myself doing it so it was

a new environment but everybody is always very approachable and it is a

good project to be a part of. Those skills could be used hn future

tunnelling projects. It is dstimated that the firms have one ?500 million

worth of contracts. Onto football now and both our

Championship sides are away tonight with Brighton travelling to Burnley

and Charlton away at Doncaster. Meanwhile, Crawley's League One game

away at Port Vale has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

A skier from Sussex, who moved to France and took French nationality

in order to realise his dre`m of competing at the Winter Olylpics,

has been selected for the G`mes in Sochi next month. Ben Cavet, who's

originally from Crowborough, will compete for France in the freestyle

mogul skiing. The 20`year`old, who left England at the age of ten, was

unable to gain funding from UK Sport for his event.

Spiders, snakes, heights, confined spaces ` all things that people

commonly have phobias about. But Diane Freelove from Strood has a

phobia about something rathdr more unusual that makes even a trip to

the local newsagents fraught with nerves.

She is actually afraid of newspapers, the feel of thel, the

smell of them, even the sight of them on the TV makes her ill. We

investigate the phenomenon of chloephobia.

Trip to the newsagent is an exercise in overcoming terror. She stffers

from chloephobia, a fear of newspapers.

Even knowing they are in thdir, it feels horrible, it is contalinated

because they are there. The sign on the litter box saying no

newspapers really means what it says. It would be like delivering it

a spider to and arachnophobha. She says it has a debilitating dffect.

I have had the problem of going on the train and they have been on the

seat next to you but you have had no choice but to sit next to it because

of the overcrowded train. Or somebody is sitting in front of you

and reading one. I can't handle the smell of them either. It is crazy.

Diane is not alone. Other r`re fears include fears of cheese, clowns and

the number 13. Some people may not take thhs

seriously, they may think it is a bit strange, and indeed it hs rare

for somebody to have this rdaction but that doesn't take away the fact

that they are experiencing ht and their fear is very real for them.

Diane doesn't know where it comes from but finding another sufferer

would help. For the moment, she reads all her newspapers online

I'm a bit scared of escalators. Going down. You think you mhght fall

or get trapped. I don't think that is unreasonable.

Let us move on to the weathdr. It will be turning noticeably

colder. Heavy and blustery showers tonight. Colder in midweek but

turning wet on Friday. He wdather warning for 20 millimetres of rain

along with strong winds along the south coast. Those showers

intensified this afternoon. Temperatures are widely arotnd eight

or nine degrees. Always stronger along the coast, those winds and the

reason is this area of low pressure. Temperatures are relatively mild,

only dropping a couple of ddgrees this evening from their daytime

values. Relatively mild and wept as we start Wednesday. That arda of low

pressure there as we start the day tomorrow. It will start to feel

noticeably colder. Top tempdratures tomorrow of around six or sdven

degrees. As we go through tomorrow night, temperatures not quite

touching freezing but you could see some problems with ice and frost as

we start the day on Thursdax. But although it starts wet we h`ve got a

mainly dried up. It will fedl pretty pleasant if you wrap up warl. On

Friday, further areas of low pressure coming in and the winds

pick up. Again it will be where it and there are warnings out `nd we

are widely expecting 20 millimetres of rainfall. That warning is still

in place as we go into Saturday If you want some dry and bright

weather, Thursday is the dax for it. I am looking forward to sprhng. That

is it for now. Good night.