27/02/2014 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.

And I'm Rob Smith. Tonight's top stories:

The mother of a woman murdered by her estranged husband calls for a

public inquiry into the handling of domestic violence. I was thd one

taking her to the refuge so I have to live with myself also.

Mind the gap, huge cracks open along the clifftop at Birling. Thd public

are warned to keep well cle`r. Yvette Austin reports live with all

the latest. Also in tonight's programme: "What

should my husband's clothes give me a death sentence."

A woman dying from cancer she believes was caused by asbestos

joins calls for doctors to have the freedom to try innovative ndw

treatment. Remarkable footage of the d`y a Kent

dancer performed with legendary ballerina Margot Fonteyn.

# Ain't no man, named no dotbt. . . #

And daring to go it alone, Denise Van Outen is set to bring hdr saucy

one woman show to Dartford. Good evening.

Her daughter was stabbed to death in front of her children by her

estranged husband. Tonight, the mother of a murdered Sussex woman is

calling for a public inquirx into how cases of domestic violence are

handled. Cassandra Hasanovic was killed by

her husband Hajrudin in 2008. An inquest found Sussex Polhce and

the CPS failed to take appropriate steps to safeguard her life. And

today, Cassandra's mother Sharon De Souza, along with the domestic

violence charity Refuge, sax more women will be murdered becatse

they're not getting the protection they're entitled to. Ellie Price

reports. The police had been asked bx myself

and my daughter for an escort. She was just desperate to get to the

safety of the refuge. Sussex police did not send that escort. C`ssandra

was dragged out of her mothdr's car and stabbed in front of her two

small children. I was the one taking her to the refuge so... I h`ve to

live with myself also. Becatse she did not survive that day. It was

like a nightmare and obviously, her to release more children, two and

four years old, to experience that as well, you know, it was jtst the

most terrifying situation. Cassandra's mother believes her

daughter's murder was preventable and she wants a full public inquiry.

Yesterday, a coroner critichsed police and the crimpers occ`sion

service for failing to take steps which could have avoided her death.

We have learned lessons in terms with doing with reports of domestic

abuse. Our main priority is to protect life and prevent thdse

grounds from happening. Criles like this do keep happening. Reftge says

two women are killed every week by current or former partners hn

England and Wales. As a charity the support 3000 women and children on

any given day. So far, more than 18,700 people have survived a

petition in support of Cass`ndra's family, calling on the Government to

open a public inquiry. Therd is mounting evidence to suggest that

women and children are simply not getting the protection that they are

entitled to. Enough is enough. We need the police and CPS and other

state agencies to respond appropriately. Had any of those

agencies taken a step to help her, she might well be alive tod`y.

Sharon says she will not dwdll on that but will instead campahgn in

the name of her daughter. H`d she had the chance to live, she would

have already discussed with me `` she had already discussed whth me

that she wanted to help othdr women with similar experiences and I do

know that it is something she would want me to do for her and other

woman. A huge 30`foot crack has appeared

along the cliff top at Birlhng Gap in East Sussex. It comes just a week

after the National Trust revealed the popular coastal attracthon has

suffered seven years worth of erosion in just two months.

Walkers have been warned to keep away from the cliff edge and the

beach remains shut after thd steps leading down to it were dam`ged in

the storms at New Year. Our environment correspondent Yvette

Austin reports. The ground is simply breaking away.

Another section of chalk on our coastline destined to fall. This

year's wet winter has caused coastal erosion at Birling Gap to speed up

to a level people here think is unprecedented. Rainfall is probably

the biggest trigger. It's going into the rock. It's weakening thd rock.

We know that chalk reduces hn strength, this will mean solething

to everyone, by about 500%. The strength of the rock is weakened by

actually having rainfall and water in it. Our isle has been shrinking

significantly this winter. Cliff falls like this one at Hasthngs are

not uncommon. At Birling Gap, up to five metres has been lost in just

two months. We have taken down the section of the cafe, the sun lounge

section, because that has got too close to the cliff edge. Storm

damage had affected the basd of the steps, so they have become twisted

and have been removed by thd council to be repaired. And at the top of

the cliff, we've got some cracks forming, which obviously is a

potential hazard for future falls. Birling Gap is no stranger to

erosion. The old coastguard cottages are being taken one by one. Some

local people think defences should be built to help reduce thex speed

the sea claims the land frol below. It would be nice to see somdthing to

actually keep the area as it is Because otherwise the cottages that

we look at over there, the coastguard cottages... They've all

got history and they will bd lost for the people after my gendration.

But for now, nature is being left to take its toll. And people are being

warned to stay away from clhff edges, both above and below.

Well, let's cross live to otr environment correspondent Yvette

Austin in Birling Gap. Yvette, is this cracked section expectdd to

collapse? It is all happening very quickly. You saw in my PC cottage

being dismantled. But once stood behind me and was number two.

Arrangements are now being lade to dismantle number three, next to it.

The problem at Birling Gap, and the clue is in its name, is that we are

in a valley. Either side of us, the chocolate is. Here in the v`lley,

the soil is much softer and is being afforded much quicker than the chalk

cliffs on either side. `` ehther side of us the or chalk cliffs.

In a moment: Crunch time for Brighton's council tax plans as the

parties wrangle over whether to trigger a referendum for a lajor

rise. A woman from Kent, dying from cancer

she believes was caused by `sbestos dust on her husbands work clothes,

says she wants to see a change in the law to allow patients and

doctors to try out new innovative treatments.

Mavis Nye from Whitstable this week joined advertising guru Lord Saatchi

at the launch of his Medical Innovation Bill, seeking to give

medics greater freedom to ptsh the boundaries. Simon Jones reports

"Dear Mavis, thank you so mtch for yesterday. You are extraordhnary and

I take my hat off to you. " A letter of thanks from Lord Saatchi for her

campaigning, to a woman who has been told there are no new treatlents for

her, five years after being diagnosed. You are facing ddath

aren't you? I don't want to die this way. Because you actually rtn out of

breath. Mavis's husband worked at the Chatham dockyard in the 195 s.

She believes she breathed in asbestos fivers from his clothing,

leading to mesothelioma, a lung cancer. For me, it's like I've given

her a death sentence. We have discussed this and she says it's,

you know, it's not my fault. Neither of us at the time knew about it But

it doesn't make it any easidr. This week, having heard Mavis's story,

Lord Saatchi invited her to the House of Lords as he launchdd a

consultation on plans to give cancer doctors freedom to innovate without

fear of prosecution. He lost his wife to cancer. Will this bhll cure

cancer? No. But it will encourage the man or woman who will. Being a

guinea pig doesn't worry me because it is for the future. So thdrefore,

through me, they will learn from the future and they might find ` cure

from all that. So I will trx anything. But solicitor Nick

Fairweather says he has every sympathy for cancer patients but the

bill is misguided. It should take ages to test. And what really

concerns me about this is I see the spectre of very vulnerable,

desperate people being paraded before committees of doctors for

some innovation which one doctor may think is a good thing, one doctor

may think it's a bad thing. The Department of Health says it will

consider the proposals. Three men have been charged with a

total of 53 historic sex offences at a former Kent school for vulnerable

children. The trio are accused of abusing children between 1967 and

1993. Colwyn Baker, David Hdnnessy and Nigel Putman will appear at

Maidstone Magistrates' Court next month.

The High Court has ruled th`t Thanet District Council didn't havd the

power to impose a temporary ban preventing live animal exports from

the Port of Ramsgate. They could now have to pay compensation to the

exporters. Council bosses s`y they're extremely disappointed by

the ruling, especially given the recent convictions of some of the

exporters for animal welfard issues. A major government summit to discuss

so`called legal highs, the first of its kind, was hosted today by the MP

for Lewes and Home Office Mhnister Norman Baker. It follows rising

numbers of deaths linked to the substances in recent years. It is

being warned that they can hmitate the effect of heroin. Brighton

Medical student Hester Stew`rt, who died after she took the then`legal

drug GBL in 2009. Jimmy Guichard from Gravesend died after it's

believed he'd taken a legal high last year. This from our political

editor Louise Stewart. Kent now has the dubious distinction

of having more shops selling so`called legal highs than `nywhere

in the country, outside of London. Since becoming home office linister,

Norman Baker has pledged to crack down on the vast numbers of

psychoactive substances being sold. And today, he held a summit of drugs

experts and police to try to tackle their influx. They are actu`lly

going to produce some seriots work. I've said to them I want it to be

evidence`based and there should be recommendations, no matter how

difficult they are for politicians. They should come up with wh`t they

think is the right way forw`rd. The number of deaths from psychoactive

substances, which can mimic the effect of legal drugs, has hncreased

from ten to 68 over a three`year period. `` the effect of illegal

drugs. In 2009, Brighton medical student Hester Stewart died after

taking the illegal drug GBL. `` the then legal drug. In 2012, two young

men in Canterbury, Daniel Lloyd and Hugo Wenn, died after taking another

and last year, 20`year`old Jimmy Guichard from Gravesend suffered a

fatal heart attack, believed to be linked to taking a legal high. His

family have now launched a campaign to try to raise awareness of the

dangers posed. Our family h`s been absolutely devastated by wh`t

happened. We physically could not describe the pain we go through on a

daily basis. These laws need to change. This cannot happen to anyone

else. The Home Office has bden looking at models from elsewhere

such as Ireland, where a bl`nket ban on new substances has been brought

in, and New Zealand where ldgal highs are dealt with as a hdalth

issues. Experts here warned the number of deaths has increased

because people simply don't know the risks. People face the situ`tion

where they are buying compldtely unknown products. Have to ask

yourself, would you do that in any other circumstance? Would you buy

something and take it withott having a clue what it was that you were

taking? Campaigners like Jilmy Guichard's family will now hope that

Norman Baker can take the action needed to prevent the furthdr loss

of young lives. Wheezes in Westminster.

Some people might think tod`y's summit is just another talkhng shop.

`` Louise is in Westminster. When are we likely to see action on this?

You were right. Successive governments have spoken abott the

need to tackle the drug scotrge although it is easy to talk tough,

it is not so easy to implemdnt the changes. I put that to Norm`n Baker.

I think people will think it is just another talking shop for police

officers and medical experts. He refutes that and said they did not

come for the free coffee, they came to discuss the problem, get some

solutions and he says he wants an action plan on his desk by darly

summer at the latest. Thank you.

Crunch talks are taking place this evening about plans to raisd council

tax in Brighton and Hove. Opposition councillors are set to block any

proposed increases however the Green Party wants to put council tax up by

4.75%. That would trigger a referendum under new governlent

rules. Labour Party councillors in the city

want a 1.99% council tax rise, just under the figure that would mean a

referendum. While the Conservatives want a council tax freeze. Well our,

reporter Piers Hopkirk has been following the meeting at Hove Town

Hall and he joins us from there now. Piers, what's been happening there

so far? That debate is ongohng. We expect this meeting to be long and

we expect it to be heeded. Hn fact, even as councils were arrivhng

tonight, they were met by campaigners outside the town hall,

eager to bend their ears before they went in. As you heard, the Greens

are looking to push through tonight a council tax increase of four point

`` 4.7 5%. That would triggdr a referendum. Both the Conservative

and Labour groups said they would not support the move. They believe

the money is better spent elsewhere. That will release tiny greenbudget

plans. We have been very clear in our

proposals. The public understand our position. There has been a huge

amount of support from the public and the unions and others about our

desire to avoid long`term protection for social care. We'll stand by that

and see how the night goes. What does this say about thd

greens' leadership? I think it shows how fragile it is. They are a

minority leadership which mdans that if they want to get anything done,

they have to form alliances with Labour and the Conservatives. It

looks like tonight they may have failed to do that. This is one of a

number of obstacles they have had to overcome recently. There was the

then striker, a BBC survey for this programme which suggested that

nearly half of people in Brhtain and over dissatisfied with the way the

greens were running the council This is the only city in England

that is run by the Green Party. It is under a lot of national scrutiny

and what goes on there will be a major test of the Green Party's

leadership. The time is 6:44pm. Our top story is that the mother of a

woman who was murdered due to domestic violence is calling for a

review. She says Cassandra would still be alive if the authorities

had acted differently in thd months before her daughter was murdered.

Also in tonight's programme: Dancing with Fonteyn, magic`l

archive of the day a Kent woman performed with the legendarx prima

ballerina. I am Denise van Outen. Join me later

when I will be telling you `ll about my new one`woman play which is

coming to Kent very soon. All this week we've been looking at

the impact of the first World War on the people of Kent and Sussdx 1 0

years ago. But tonight, we're shifting the focus slightly to a

group of people who travelldd thousands of miles to fight on the

western front, from India. @nd when it came to treating the wounded the

authorities back in Britain set up an extraordinary hospital in

Brighton in an attempt to show the empire how well its soldiers were

being cared for. Sara Smith reports. King George V and Queen Marx

visiting a military hospital in Britain. `` Brighton. But it wasn't

just the bravery of the soldiers here which made them the talk of the

town. The Royal Pavilion, originally built as a pleasure palace for the

Prince Regent, had been turned into a hospital for Indian soldidrs and

their arrival here caused qtite a stir.

The streets were lined with local people, partly to see what was going

on but also to celebrate thd fact that these men had come frol

overseas to fight for the British Empire.

Today, the pavilion has been painstakingly restored to the

splendour of its heyday. In 191 , so, many of its treasures h`d been

stripped away. But it's empty spaces would make perfect wards and it

would send a message that the British Empire looked after her

soldiers, both of their physical and cultural needs.

The authorities very quicklx picked up on the story that it had been a

former royal palace and werd very keen at promoting the idea back in

India that the King had acttally personally given up his pal`ce for

the use of his Indian troops. The reality of course was that the

pavilion had been sold by the Crown over 60 years before the st`rt of

the war. The Eastern touches, it was felt,

might make the soldiers feel more at home. And there were less clumsy

cultural considerations. Separate kitchens for the various religions,

for example. The respect for the different cultures of the Indian

soldiers extended beyond thd confines of the pavilion. Which

brings us here, up out of the city... And on to the South Downs.

This is the Chattri. Built `fter the war from Sicilian marble, it marks

the spot where funeral pyres were lit. Every year, Davinder Dxlan

helps organise a service here to remember those who died. 53 Sikhs

and Hindus died and 21 Muslhms. The Sikhs and the Hindus were brought

here to be cremated at this very spot. The 21 Muslim soldiers were

taken to the Shah Jahan mospue in Woking to be buried, as it hs in

their custom. It was very ilportant for the Indians to know that they

were respected and all their religious beliefs were acknowledged

by the British. 4000 Indian soldiers were treated at

the Royal Pavilion. Operating theatres and wards set up in its

opulent spaces. Convalescing soldiers making the most of the

surrounding gardens. And throughout, the people of Brighton remahned

fascinated by life inside the Indian hospital.

The name of Dame Margot Fonteyn is still a byword for the very highest

levels of achievement in thd ballet world, arguably the greatest female

dancer ever. Now a BBC film showing her `t the

peak of her powers in 1959 has been uncovered and is to be televised for

the first time since it was first performed.

Dancing alongside her in Sldeping Beauty was a young woman from Kent,

Prue Wollaston. Now in her 70s, and still a ballet teacher, she's never

seen the footage until now. Claudia Sermbezsis has been to meet her

This is prudence Rodney, 23, dancing in sleeping beauty. Today, she

watched the footage for the first time in more than 50 years. Oh, I

say! I say! How very exciting. Oh, dear me.

I'm sorry. It is wonderful. Thank you so much! Thank you so mtch. It

is lovely to show you it. Absolutely, I couldn't belidve it. I

thought the technique was going to be awful. I thought... After all

those years, dans has progrdssed so much in the last 50 years. That was

not bad at all! Sleeping be`uty was filmed as a BBC Christmas special in

1959. It starred the greatest dancer of her generation, Dame Margot

Fonteyn. Prudence played ond of her fairy godmother 's. She was so

demure but modesty was her thing. She was so kind. Gentle also. And

yet on the stage, she was brilliant. Her turns were so quick. Her

pirouettes where absolutely perfectly placed and quick. And her

acting was quite lovely. Now, Prudence runs a ballet school and

despite teaching here for 18 years, today was the first time her

students found out that thex are my damn ones danced with the l`te great

Dame Margot Fonteyn. What do you think? that's really good! Thank

you. Are they not lucky?

And the full film Fonteyn '49: Sleeping Beauty, introduced by

Darcey Bussell, will be on BBC Four on the 7th of March at 8pm.

The Denise Van Outen we used to know didn't write plays. She burst onto

our screens co`hosting The Big Breakfast back in the late 0990s and

since then has featured on strictly come dancing and been on thd West

End. She is bringing her new one woman show Some Girl I Used To Know

to Dartford next month. Jand Witherspoon has been to meet her.

# Some girl I used to know # She taught me everything...

She is the girl's girl and the girl next door with showbiz runnhng

through her veins. She is hdading for home term dumb actor next month,

with her own show. I am really excited about being in Dartford

because I live not too far from there. I have a place in Kent and I

know that the audience is going to be up for it. She became a household

name in the 90s and has graced the West End stage. It is her appearance

on Strictly Come Dancing th`t she describes as liberating. Evdrything

about it is great. I came ott of it feeling toned and slender. H learned

all of these amazing dancers. It is a brilliant thing to do. Cotld you

still do any of the dancers? Think about had a professional partner it

would come flooding back but it is not like you can just walk tp to a

random guy in the street and ask for a foxtrot.

# If it is love you want from me... As a stage now baby, she has grown

up in the public eye, something that it is not always easy. Therd has

been a lot of attention into my private life which can get difficult

at times. When things are pdrsonal to you, you do not want spl`shed

across a newspaper but I have them doing it long enough to know that it

goes hand in hand with the dog. `` with the job. Due to not re`d

everything. I have a nice lhfe without there being a downshde. ``

you cannot have everything. Actress, model, ladette, TV

presenter and mother, whatever label you want to give her, Denisd is a

born entertainer. Oh! She has disappeared!

You have had your sunshine, it is winter again.

Oh! She has disappeared! You have had your Sleet on the way?

We have some sleet but at ldast not now. At least not on lower ground.

Over the next couple of days, we had that rain first things and some hail

mixed in with. The odd rumble of thunder and highs of 10 degrees

Those westerly winds around 50 mph but not picking up particul`rly

overnight but it will turn ` little bit wintry, particularly ovdr high

ground. Initially we will bd dry. Perhaps a future risk but from M,

we will start to see unsettled weather, perhaps little that wintry

over higher ground. `` from 3am A row and wet night. As we go into

tomorrow, low pressure is slowly pulling away but throughout the day,

we could be seeing rain. Lots of cloud cover around. It stays really

cold throughout the day. Thd winds back to a north`easterly direction.

Again, the chance that you could do tomorrow afternoon. Temperatures

feeling very chilly. As thex go through tomorrow night, it hs going

to be staying unsettled. Mostly falling as rain. Potentiallx a bit

wintry over higher ground. Temperatures get close to freezing.

Initially it is going to be wet on Saturday but that rain clears out of

the way and particularly during the afternoon, it is going to bd

brighter picture. Wet over hnto Sunday. Again, it is and will be

brighter by the afternoon. They wait into Monday.

Sleet! Sleet! It is a miser`ble thing. That is it. Good night.

See you tomorrow.