15/02/2017 South East Today

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

A sharp rise in the number of anti-depressants being prescribed

in the south east, especially in more deprived areas.

We're live in Newhaven with the details.

More misery for Southern Rail commuters - RMT talks

with management break down and they'll walk out

the coroner's ruling, following the tragic

drowning of a teenager at a popular fishing lake.

Jack was in the place he loved, doing the thing he loved,

surrounded by people that he wanted to be with.

An independent review is to be carried out

into allegations of "horrific, cowardly and devastating" bullying

Wild dinosaurs wouldn't keep me away.

I'm very eager to see you in action, Vicar.

And what's the verdict on Clive Mantle?

The TV actor takes to the stage in Sussex in a classic play.

There's been a sharp rise in the number of anti-depressants

being prescribed in the South East - especially in areas of higher

Over the last two years, prescriptions are up by 16%

in Hastings and Rother, 15% in Thanet and 14%

In total, across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, almost

four million anti-depressant prescriptions were

Tonight, one Sussex MP says other vitally needed mental health

services are still not available, despite Government efforts

Yvette Austin has our exclusive report.

Jackie Bennett from Peacehaven fell into a downward spiral of depression

following a triple bypass heart operation three years ago. She is

recovering now after talking therapy but only after a bad experience with

antidepressant drugs. The first ones were the ones that made me even more

depressed than I was at the time. They knocked me into the middle of

next week and then I picked came sick with them so they tried me on

another and another and another and I got sick on all of them. I think

the doctors were doing what they thought was best for me at the time.

But the pills. The figures suggest more and more people are being

described the strength of increasing numbers are diagnosed with

depression. Charities are concerned not enough because it has been

putting on improving access to alternatives such as talking

therapies. Often we hear from professionals that because of the

problems with their mental health services in their area, long waiting

times, or no alternatives, they will be only option is to give someone a

prescription of antidepressants because it is better than giving

them nothing. This doctor is a GB specialising in mental health. She

said some patients Berdych leave those with moderate to severe

symptoms need to take antidepressants at first to improve

the chances of a successful recovery using other methods. They have lost

most of Asian and they don't feel like going out, they do not feel

like meeting people, they don't feel like talking about their symptoms.

-- they have lost their motivation. The antidepressants give them the

nudge to access the type of activities and treatment that will

go to prevent them getting symptoms in the future. Last month, the Prime

Minister pledged new support to tackle mental health issues. What I

am announcing the first step in our plans to transform the way we deal

with mental health problems. The government has pledged ?1.3 billion

for mental health services but tonight a former minister for

families and children called for more money to go to where it is

really needed. It is absolutely crucial that more money goes into

mental health, it goes in early, particularly to children is, one in

ten of school-age children will have some form of mental illness and the

early working at the back, the more likely we are to stop that becoming

a problem into adulthood as well. The Department of Health says

targets have been exceeded but it is striving to improve further.

Yvette Austin reporting and she's live tonight in Newhaven.

Yvette, is there an explanation for the rise in the number of

It is not entirely clear but the figures do showed that the cases are

higher in these more deprived towns around the coast of these derbies.

Other possibly think the more people are willing to go to their GPs with

depression as the stigma of mental health decreases or it is perhaps

GPs are just getting better at spotting the symptoms. Whilst it

must be said that these antidepressants are increasing in

their prescriptions, it must also be said that people are getting better

access to talking therapies but not as quickly as they would like.

Thank you. Commuters on Southern

Rail face another day It follows the acrimonious breakdown

of talks yesterday that were aimed at finding a resolution

between the RMT Union RMT union members will walk out

for 24 hours next Wednesday, claiming that driver-only operation

of trains is unsafe. We're still fighting to get every

role, a safety critical role, ensure that as a guard

on every train. Disabled passengers have told us

several times, we have been inundated with phone calls

that is already nearly impossible for them to plan a journey

because there are not people, enough people on the stations

and not enough people on The fight goes on as far

as we are concerned. Let's cross live to our

reporter Briohny Williams Briohny, what's the reaction tonight

to this latest strike? I asked to speak to someone from

Southern Rail this evening but no one was available for comment. They

did send a statement saying they are clearly disappointed that the RMT

have all this action that will inflict misery on its passengers. It

says it will try and run a full surface as much as possible. --

servers. This is the 29th day of industrial action. This dispute has

been going on for nearly a year. Commuters I have been speaking to

our clearly exasperated. But it's disrupting

everyone's lives, it's just, you know,

it's a shame, really. I think we've become a little bit

impervious to this, it's more of the same but that

is very disappointing. We are moving to Hayward Heath

on the back of what happened last year,

we can't take it any more. A conclusion needs to be made one

way or another and quickly because there is only so much

that people can take. The union that has been involved in

this long-running industrial dispute is the train drivers union Aslef and

tomorrow we're going to find out whether or not their action against

southern is actually over. That is right. After two weeks of

negotiations earlier this month, Southern and as luck reach an

agreement which members will be voting on. Tomorrow the ballot

closes. -- Aslef. If the drivers agree, the dispute will be over. We

have heard anecdotally it is not clear-cut, we do not know what is

going to happen. If they did agree to what is being put on the table it

means more months of uncertainty for commuters.

Thank you. In a moment - the unique

new exhibition, enabling artists with disabilities to illustrate

the challenges they face. The mother of a popular teenager

who drowned at a popular fishing lake in Kent has spoken out

for the first time, saying "He was in a place he loved,

doing a thing he loved. His death was an

unfortunate accident". Jack Morrisson from Hartley died

just before Christmas while out fishing at lakes

in Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford. This afternoon a coroner ruled it

as "death by misadventure". He excelled at everything. An

exceptional fisherman, an exceptional footballer. Jack

Morrisson was even a musician. His friend rate this song after he died.

-- wrote this song. He never sat and rested for a minute. He may have

only had 16 years but in the 16 years, he packed in more than I

think I have done in my lifetime. Jack Morrisson had been fishing

since he was four years old. Just before Christmas, he set up on a

lake near his Dartford home but then he vanished. Today the inquest into

his death heard how his band the following day, only 12 feet from the

bank and seven foot of water. He was apparently a very strong swimmer but

obviously being December, it was cold, Jack at the appropriate

clothing but unfortunately that appropriate clothing is big, and

heavy and probably dragged him in. In the two months since Jack's

death, his many friends have raised ?18,000 so his fishing club can

build classrooms and hold competitions in his name. His family

want to scatter his ashes in the lake. When I take his ashes back to

the lake, he will be there for all eternity, wandering around, messing

around with other people's rods. That gives me some comfort. Although

a life without Jack in it is a very hard thing to face. It is

heartbreaking. And Jack's sister now has to do face a life without her

big Brother which is incredibly sad. He had been approached by a

professional football clubs between Dover career in fishery -- dream of

a career in fishing management. And she joins us from Maidstone,

where the inquest took place. What more did the coroner SA?

He said that we will probably never know just how or why Jack Morrisson

ended up in the lake that day. He was a very experienced fisherman, he

had been seen by other anglers that day so it really just seems as

though it was a tragic accident. His body was found using special sonar

equipment and his family have decided to buy more of that

equipment and to present it to the tenth search and rescue team in

Jack's named next week. -- Kent. Thank you.

A woman refused treatment at three hospitals because no bed

was available would probably have survived if she'd been

treated more quickly, a coroner has concluded.

Doctors at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill wanted to transfer

Mary Muldowney to a specialist neurological unit,

after she suffered a bleed to the brain last July.

But the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and two London hospitals

refused their request and by the time the 57-year-old

was treated, it was too late to save her life.

The family of a murdered Sussex teenager have marked the 20th

anniversary of her death today by calling for Sussex Police

13-year-old Billie-Jo Jenkins was found dead at her home

Her foster father Sion Jenkins served six years

in jail for her murder but was subsequently acquitted,

He says "someone knows the answer" as to who killed Billie-Jo,

The Brighton and Hove Albion footballer Rohan Ince has been

cleared by a jury of attacking a nightclub bouncer with a bottle.

The 24-year-old midfielder had denied wounding with intent,

after an incident that left the bouncer with a serious

head injury in Windsor on Christmas Day 2015.

An independent review's been commissioned into allegations

of "horrific, cowardly and devastating" acts

of bullying against staff handling 999 calls at

the South East Coast Ambulance Trust, SECAMB.

The Trust has appointed Professor Duncan Lewis,

an expert in workplace conflict, to carry out the study.

As we reported last night, it follows a leaked report

describing a "climate of fear" at the Trust where two call handlers

attempted suicide because of the abuse they'd experienced.

Our reporter Simon Jones is live outside SECAMB's main call centre

Simon, the GMB Union which represents workers there says

the scale and intensity of the bullying is shocking.

Yes, this afternoon I have been speaking to the parent of a woman

who used to work it who attempted to take her own life, blaming the

bullying she was receiving. Now her parents Tommy the whole experience

had destroyed her. They said when she first raised concerns with

managers, it made the situation worse and they are not convinced

that the culture here has changed. But is a concern shared by the GMB

union who believe this latest investigation is too little too

late. The time has come when we need

a new regime in, one who's going to work with staff,

who's going to work with the public that they serve and

ultimately one who's going to stand up to government and say

we fundamentally need more money to run this if the people

of the south east of England are going to get the Ambulance Service

they deserve. Do we know how long it is going to

take for this review to be completed?

The professor is due to begin his work this week. He will be talking

to start and he is due to report back to management by the summer. We

asked to speak to the trusted aide that once again they declared to be

interviewed. In a statement, they did tell us this latest review had

been largely welcomed by staff and they say the allegations made were

investigated at the time and actually taken -- action taken when

necessary. in the number of anti-depressants

being prescribed in the south east, particularly in areas with higher

levels of poverty and deprivation. My Lords, here is what I say

to these two Kings. we chat with actor Clive Mantle

on his latest appearance And it's been a grey,

mild day with patchy rain. There's a bit more sunshine though

in the forecast over the next couple of days and I will

have the details for you in the They have become known

as the "Grindr murders" - four young men lured to meetings

through the gay dating app, then killed with drug overdoses -

their bodies dumped within yards of the flat of serial

killer Stephen Port. His conviction in November

raised serious questions about the police investigation -

and how officers failed to link The families of the victims -

including 21-year-old Daniel Whitworth from Gravesend -

have contributed to a new BBC documentary, to renew their campaign

for answers as to what went wrong. Sara Smith has tonight's

special report. Stephen Port was guilty of murder,

rape and assault. The families of his victims say the police are

guilty of not stopping him sooner. In this BBC Three documentary, their

struggle for justice is examined in detail. I just think that we were

hurried along to get a line drawn under those and it has left another

family, another family, besides ours, in this awful, awful position.

That's a huge mistake. Daniel from grades and was found dead in the

same spot, an east London graveyard as another man who died three

Wikileaks earlier. A man had been found a year earlier. All had met

gay dating sites. At inquest it was discovered that Daniel's suicide

note, actually written by Stephen Port, had never been checked by

handwriting experts. By the end of the summer 2014, three young men had

been buying dead. Despite the similarities, none of their deaths

was treated as suspicious. After the inquest of Daniel, his family asked

detectives to reopen their investigation. They were told that

would not be happening. Three months after that, Cammack took his third

victim. -- Stephen Port. There are a lot of unanswered questions. They

had to content and deal with the fact that a lot on was taken away

from them in circumstances such as this. They've had a number of

interactions and dealing with the police. All that has happened to

date is more questions have arisen than answers. How can I put into

words how let down I feel? By an establishment... That is there to

protect the community. The police response is now under investigation

but that is too late for the families of Cammack's victims. --

Port. You can see the full

BBC Three documentary - called "How Police Missed

the Grindr Killer" - Actor Clive Mantle has been a hugely

recognisable face on British TV He's been in everything

from Robin Hood to Game of Thrones but is probably best known

as Dr Mike Barratt in Now, as Chrissie Reidy reports,

he's starring on stage in Eastbourne in the powerful courtroom

thriller The Verdict. Come on, mate, I'll call

you back when I need you. He got his big break playing

surgeon Mike Barratt It was the first time in my life

I was able to play a constructive human being, most of the time before

that, I'd played thugs or I'd be punching people being punched,

that was basically my In the 80s, he'd spent time battling

Robin Of Sherwood when he was cast Michael Praed who played Robin,

he fell in the four times when he wasn't meant

to and I fell in three times. It was just a very narrow

log, you know, in fact, Michael went in once,

they called action and he just fell in before the end of action had

even stopped ringing. Having taken on mostly straight

roles during his career, he says the chance to

do comedy alongside Dawn French

was too good to miss. She's very brilliant but she's also

clever enough to realise that she doesn't mind being surrounded

by people who are funny. Dawn doesn't mind other

people in the cast getting laughs and having laughs

because she knows that reflects on the show and she knows it

makes it a better show. But this week he returns

to his theatre roots as a He is a charming man but he has

let the drink get the better of him and that has led to

making mistakes and he gets handed one last chance to really redeem

himself and stand-up for someone who Whatever I'm trying to do,

I try and do it as well as I can and whether it's comedy

or a wonderful play like this or a bit of Game Of Thrones

or whatever, You just want to do it

as well as you can so people Delighted to be back on stage,

he says, and thrilled Chrissie Reidy, BBC

South East Today, Eastbourne. A Kent art gallery has

opened its doors to a group of artists with mental and physical

disabilities, whose work deals Their moving exhibition

at the Linden Hall Gallery in Deal is called "Interface"

and it's given them a public platform for the first time,

as Robin Gibson reports. A room of faces, boats,

places and statements. The pictures are the creations

of accomplished artists They have different

styles and different something which links

all the people who made this work. But I have got a walker

that I get around with All the work was created

by artists with It brings to mind the phrase every

picture tells a story because when you hear

the stories of the artists who made these pictures,

it stops you dead in your tracks. I got beaten up badly

by a bunch of guys and then, I was then left comatose,

I They found it hard to diagnose

and it started with the big toe and chopping off my other

toes, my heel, my foot, so it's not one amputation,

you just wonder when How long does it take

you to do these pictures? It all makes you look

more intensely to try to understand the thought

and the effort behind the work. It's not simply

a therapeutic exercise, all the artists are passionate,

serious and driven. The exhibition at the Linden

Hall studio is here Robin Gibson, BBC

South East Today, Deal. Onto football, and Brighton

and Hove Albion missed the chance to return to the top

of the Championship table, after being held to a draw at home

to Ipswich last night. In League One, Gillingham

drew and Charlton lost but the performance of the night

came in League Two, where a Jimmy Smith hat-trick

saw Crawley win 3-2. Ian Palmer has our

round-up of the action. Jimmy Smith took the match ball home

last night after scoring three goals in what was an impressive

performance against Colchester. The home side took the lead

but the Reds hit back Crawley went ahead 11

mintues before half time when the hero of the evening took

a first time shot. The night belonged

to Jimmy Smith and his golden boot. In League One, Gillingham

looked like the winners of the evening despite only leading

by one goal for a period of time. the Gills scored in the 67th minute,

Max Ehmer did the damage. But Chesterfield took their chance

deep into stoppage time to take a vital point

and keep their survival hopes alive. Charlton lost to Oldham

but fought well to record their first defeat

of the year. The Addicks missed a chance

after just 15 seconds but the keeper Charlton were then punished

in the fourth minute. The Addicks created many

chances but couldn't put The manager will no doubt

prescribe plenty of shooting In the Championship, Brighton

are doing their best to make Ipswich were down to ten men

when Luke Chambers beat A penalty followed and Tomer Hemed

duly put it away for his sixth goal Afterwards, Brighton's manager

Chris Hughton said it felt The Seagulls remain second

in the table, one point behind It is going to be mild. How lovely.

Not cold. Even some sunshine around.

14 Celsius in Kent. A lot of cloud and some showers at times. It was

not a wash-out. Some brightness around. Over the next couple of

days, the temperatures continue to creep up. Average for the time of

year is around eight Celsius but as we get to new week, we could be

seeing temperatures reach 15 or 16 Celsius. Very mild. As we go to

tonight, it is going to stay that way. Only dropping to around five or

six Celsius. An area of high pressure is building we are staying

dry to tonight. Some cloud and with the clear skies, some mist and fog

patches. A mild and misty start to the day tomorrow. High pressure is

around, really light winds, coming up from the southerly direction so

the dazed dales very mild. By the afternoon, we should start to see

some sunshine around. Tempted reaching heights of around 12 or 13

Celsius. Around that again, the tomorrow, most places seeing double

figures, I is around ten or 11. The winds coming from a south-westerly

direction. A similar story Thursday into Friday. Clearer skies, mist and

fog. Temperatures, dropping to around five or six Celsius. A body

start to the day the Friday, as we had through the morning. -- foggy.

Highs of our ten or 11 Celsius. That area of high pressure is going to be

in control of things as we look to the first part of the weekend. It

stays very mild. For us, the most part we should be staying dry but

the predicted illegal Sunday, the chance we could be seeing some

fairly light at the rain. Friday into Saturday, once again, clearer

skies, some mist and fog bursting this Saturday. The area of high

prejudice our sunshine as you go through the afternoon. The entered

Sunday, a weakening weather front around. The new week, temperatures

may be reaching highs of 15 or 16 Celsius. That goes hand-in-hand with

some rain at times. Into Tuesday, a slightly dry picture as we see a

ridge of high pressure. Over the next couple of days, it is staying

very mild. Mist and body start. Brighten up a little bit by the

afternoon. Mostly dry and staying mild as we look towards the weekend.

It cannot be the start of spring. Thank you. I am back with your late

news at 10:30pm. I will see you tomorrow. Good night.

when farmers leave their daily routines behind...

Right, here we come, Dorset! ..for a show day.