07/03/2017 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Natalie Graham.

A "gentleman's agreement" caught on tape - our exclusive report

on an apparent sweetheart deal between the government

We'll have analysis on this exclusive story

A prolific thief and burglar tells this programme how violent sexual

abuse he suffered as a child led to his life of crime.

Also in tonight's programme, the Sussex Police inspector arrested

on suspicion of having sex with a woman he met

Perilously close to the edge - the coastguard criticises

who risked their lives to take cliff-top photos.

don't mess with the buns. I like them like this, they cover more.

we meet the Sussex star of the musical based

A secret recording of the leader of Surrey council telling fellow

members to u-turn over plans to increase council tax by 15%,

because he had obtained a "gentleman's agreement"

from the government, has been given to this programme.

The authority had threatened to call a referendum over council tax -

but surprisingly backed down at the 11th hour.

The Labour Party accused the government at the time

a "sweetheart deal" - something the Prime Minister

However, in the recording, councillor David Hodge says

agreement with the Chancellor and the Secretary of State

that we will sort the funding out for the following year."

Our Political Editor Helen Catt has this exclusive report.

It was the row that threatened to leave the government deeply

embarrassed. A major Conservative council, saying it had been forced

into a massive tax hike, because it didn't have enough money to look

after its elderly and vulnerable. I think it's important that

politicians stand up and tell the truth, and be honest, and tell them

what it costs to run these services. We have to pay for the services. But

at the 11th hour, the 15% rise was dramatically abandoned, sparking

claims of a secret deal with the government. Can be Prime Minister

tell the house whether or not a special deal was done for sorry? The

decision as to whether or not to hold a referendum in Surrey is a

matter for them. Number ten denied a deal had been struck. David Hodgson

also denied any deal. Tonight, though, we can reveal secret

recordings of a meeting between David Hodgson and Conservative

councillors, which show, stations had been taking place between the

savvy leader and community secretary Sajid Javid just before the

referendum was scrapped. Brendan David Hodgson also revealed that the

threat of a referendum is not entirely off the referendum.

Labour has reacted angrily. Why shouldn't every council get this

sort of deal? Why is it a deal that has been done by Conservative

leaders in Surrey with the government? Why can't all local

councils have access to this sort of deal, given that social care is in

crisis, not just in Surrey, but all around the country? Approached by

the BBC today, David Hodgson had every leader, if they are any good

at the job, will always have these conversations to try to get a better

deal. He said he was still hoping the Chancellor would announce extra

money for Surrey in tomorrow's budget.

Helen, our political editor, joined us today. We broke the story earlier

today, what Moore has the government had to say this evening? Since then,

our exclusive story has been picked up by a number of newspapers and

websites and is really gaining traction. That is bad news for the

government, they will be thinking on the eve of the budget were they will

have to tackle some tricky spending issues tomorrow. Just before we went

to air, we received a statement from number ten Downing Street. It is

pretty bullish or stop it says as we have repeatedly made clear there was

no special deal for Surrey County Council and they will not receive

any extra funding that would not be provided to other councils. To imply

the opposite is simply untrue. It then goes on to talk about the 100%

business rate retention scheme that Surrey is part of and to reiterate

that conversations happen all the time. They will hope they can put it

to bed with that statement. I think that is unlikely. In the last few

seconds, we have heard from Labour, we understand they will call on

Theresa made to apologise and come clean.

A prolific Kent thief says the violent sexual and physical

abuse he suffered as a child, set him on a path of crime.

Paul McDonagh - who's waived his right to anonymity -

has told BBC South East Today he was repeatedly molested at

He committed his first crime when he was twelve years

old and has been arrested more than a hundred times times

Today, the government said courts should consider mitigating

circumstances, which may indicate an "unstable upbringing"

when deciding punishments for young people.

Our Special Correspondent Colin Campbell has this

Thefts, shoplifting, burglaries, loads of crime.

All through my life, I've committed crimes.

Paul McDonagh has spent more than 20 years in prison.

He blames his pattern of relentless offending on the treatment

If somebody had taught me back then, if somebody had helped me back then,

instead of abusing me, if they'd have helped me,

I could have done better in my life, I could have done a lot better

Some people may think that this is convenient

for you to talk about now, after committing so many crimes.

No, I ain't like that, anybody who knows me, I ain't like that.

I take full responsibility for what I've done, for my crimes.

At the age of 12, Paul was sent to Kerelaw Remand Home in Ayrshire.

It was supposed to be a safe haven for troublesome youngsters.

Instead, he says he was subjected to emotional,

And, yeah, torture is the only way I can explain it.

His older sister says she made an official complaint at the time,

He wasn't a bad child, he was a good child,

and he was a very loving and caring little boy.

It's like they ripped the heart and soul out of him.

You know, they've taken everything that was good in that little boy,

It was home to 72 vulnerable children.

But it closed in 2006 following a police investigation into sexual

abuse. The 2009, 400 allegations of abuse from 159 children, spending 20

years. Most survivors don't become criminals, but many whose lives have

been very badly blighted do end up in that light. Two men were jailed

for abusing children at home in 2006. Paul says both targeted him. I

know they are not going to admit it, but I know I am in the right, he is

the one in the wrong. For once in my life, I know I'm right, I know I'm

right. Paul says he is a criminal but not a liar. He accepts he has

done many bad things but hopes by confronting his past he can try to

improve his future. You've been in contact

with Police Scotland - And they actually want to talk to

Paul about his experiences? They have confirmed they are keen to talk

to Paul McDonagh. It seems there is a fresh Scottish investigation into

the care home. Two men were arrested last month and the Scottish

authorities must now decide whether or not to prosecute. Paul says he

came forward because he wants his offenders would to justice will stop

he has spoken to police many times as a perpetrator of crime but he now

wants to give evidence as a victim. He doesn't just blame the men who

heard him, his abusers, he blames the entire system in Scotland for

history meant as a child. That seems to be backed up by a report into the

care home in 2009, which identified significant problems for stop

In a moment, the haunting real-life stories of traumatised war veterans

veterans adjusting to home life - told on stage in Sussex.

A Sussex police inspector is the subject of a major

investigation tonight, after he was arrested over

allegations he had sex with a vulnerable woman he met

Inspector Tony Lumb, who is based in Brighton,

was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office

The Independent Police Complaints Commission have taken the unusual

step of appealing for any women who may have been involved

Tony Lumb, a high-profile police officer. Now facing investigation

himself on suspicion of misconduct in public office. One lawyer who

represents victims of police abuse in power says officers need to be

held accountable. They are in a position of responsibility so it has

to be accounted for. The only two ensure you get redress is by

challenging the power, so that it remains within a reasonable level.

There have been a series of unconnected high-profile misconduct

cases involving police officers and Sussex. Last December, a Hastings PC

advertise themselves as a prostitute while off sick. In 2015, PC Lee

Lyons was sacked after contacting prostitute while on Judy. In 2008,

an inspector admitted having sex on Judy Wallach Gatwick Airport. Sussex

Police said it was important to come clean when things went wrong. I am

so disappointed at what has been reported this afternoon but I

absolutely believe it is the right thing to do, that the public should

know about it and we should be held to account and we should explain

when things go wrong. Pictured here with the Sussex Police and Crime

Commissioner, Inspector Tony Lumb has been suspended, and his home and

workplace in Brighton have been searched. Sussex Police says it

takes any report of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously.

Some breaking news now. Two people have suffered breathing difficulties

after the spillage of a large quantity of white powder across a

road in Hove around 5pm this evening. East Sussex Fire and rescue

say 100 metres squared of road has been affected, and it is being

treated as a hazardous incident. Police, paramedics and the

Environment Agency are on the scene. We will have more in the late news

bulletin this evening. A people smuggler who tried to bring

an Albanian woman into the UK through the Channel Tunnel has been

jailed for three years. Nicolae Chirvas hid the woman

in a specially adapted engine She was discovered when he was

stopped by officials in France. Border Force said it

was a "particularly A South East hospital is in the top

20 per cent in the country - according to the NHS Staff Survey,

which has been published today. The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS

Trust in Redhill was rated highly by its staff as a place to work

and receive treatment. They said they felt their work made

a difference to patient outcomes. One of the major bits from that is

it says would you be treated here or would you want a member of your

family to be treated here, and I think that is probably one of the

biggest gauges about what it is like to work in the place. Would you want

your family to come here and be treated or would you yourself be

treated, and that is also very positive for us. So they are

indicators that we are on the right track.

Kent Police are investigating the death of a man whose body

was found near Tunbridge Wells railway station.

Officers were called to the first floor of Torrington car park at four

o'clock this morning, after smoke was seen coming

The death is being treated as unexplained.

Our Correspondent Mark Norman joins us live from the car park -

and Mark this car park has something of an unwanted reputation -

a number of serious crimes have been committed there?

That's right, a serious sexual assault and a rape, the murder of a

17-year-old schoolgirl, her body was stuffed into a suitcase, and now

this unexplained death of what we believe to be a rough sleeper.

Firefighters called to this car park behind me in the centre of Tunbridge

Wells at four o'clock this morning, they call the police and the place

had been conducting the investigation here for the last 15

hours. This is the car park in Tomic Wells where a man lost his life last

night. The police are still investigating what happened at the

copper remains closed. In a statement, police confirmed some of

those details, saying the death was unexplained, the car park will

remain closed for several hours while they carry out their

investigation. This is not the first time Kent Police have investigated a

serious crime in this car park. In 2007, there was a rape and sexual

sort. A year before, a 17-year-old schoolgirl had been found murdered

and stuffed into a sick case and a stairwell in this car park. Terry

Evans was discovered and a ramp in April 2006, 12 days after she

disappeared. A homeless man was found guilty of her murder.

Jewellers were told she had been lured to the stairwell where he had

been sleeping rough. It is a series of crimes that have left their mark

local people. Yes, I don't ever park in there, certainly if I was on my

own I would not, not after the things that have happened in the

past few years, and I wouldn't want my daughter going in there. I think

all car parks this size have a sinister edge to them, I would not

really want my wife parking there with the children. It is anaesthetic

blackspot, so now it is a human blackspot. It is horrible, I wish it

wasn't here. This is a busy town centre car park used by shoppers and

commuters, and police are appealing for anyone with information to come

forward. So still no indication of whether the police are considering

this a suspicious case. You can see the tape is still there, still no

indication of when they are going to lift that. I spoke to one rough

sleeper who says they will continue to sleep here tonight because of the

safe police presence. But they are not sure whether they will continue

to sleep after that. The leader of Surrey council told

fellow members to u-turn over plans to increase council tax by 15%,

because he had obtained a "gentleman's agreement"

from the government. The authority had threatened to call

a referendum over council tax - Labour accused the government

of offering Surrey a "sweetheart deal" -

something the Prime Minister Also in Tanak's programme... Join

me, Sophie Louise Dare, when I will be talking about Tim Firth's new

musical, the girls, Gary Barlow, and getting naked. It was a sunny, mild,

springlike day today but it is all change for tomorrow, wet and windy.

I will have all the details on the forecast late in the programme.

A group of visitors who took a series of pictures of themselves

lying right at the edge of cliffs in East Sussex have been criticised

by the coastguard for what it describes as reckless

It's the latest in a series of incidents in which people have

been photographed in a perilous position on a stretch of coast

where there have been several huge cliff falls.

Tonight, the RNLI issued a fresh warning to visitors to stay away

From Seaford, Sara Smith has tonight's Special Report.

The views might be magnificent, but standing this close to the edge is

putting yourself in peril, said those who patrol these cliffs. This

group can't resist getting right up to the crumbling cliff edge. Even

peering over to the beach many metres below. One sitting right on

the edge. Walking along the top, it's clearly very tempting to get

close to the edge and look out, but it's from down here that you can see

just how dangerous that might be. The cracks are clear, and anyone who

lives near here knows the seven sisters are eroding, sometimes

particularly dramatically, such as here at Berling gap. There are lots

of signs and even fenced sections, but is it enough to keep people

safe? The trouble is you can't fence off the whole of the coastline

relief and stop this is the problem. The problem is you expect adults to

act as adults, and not do stupid things. Threw actually I was

thinking that myself earlier, but I thought I must be careful of not

going to near the edge, because we could get a terrible landslide.

Common sense should rule, that you don't go too close to the edge. Over

the years, coastguards have tried time and again to warn people. We'd

always urge people to keep a good five metres away from the cliff edge

at any time of year. The danger isn't just on the clifftop. There

was also a danger underneath. The message, enjoy the beauty of the

cliffs, but from a distance. Sarah joins us live now from seafood. The

cliffs are particularly dangerous at this time of year. Yes, the UK

coastguard told us that the problem at the moment is because of all the

recent rain over recent weeks, the cliff edges are particularly

vulnerable. They look of those photographs and said the people in

them are incredibly lucky that the cliffs did not give way under their

weight. Having said that, there is never a good time to be that close

to the edge, the Cosby cracks can go back several feet. And one of the

biggest problems they face is people taking selfies or taking pictures of

each other and getting closer and closer to try and get the dramatic

shot, as they put it, and some people might find this hard to

believe. That is not actually worth putting your life at risk just to

get the perfect photo. Pink Mist is the haunting story

of three young soldiers trying to adapt to home life

while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving

in the army in Afghanistan is being told in a critically

acclaimed play which opens For 13 years, from 2001,

the UK was involved in the conflict against the Taliban

and fighters from al-Qaeda. It's estimated that one in 25

veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan And one in five service

personnel are likely to suffer from depression,

anxiety or substance misuse. The play - at the Devonshire

Park Theatre - is based Three boys going to Catterick for

basic new recruits, crows, they called us. The bee stings and

learnings and drills all hazardous, but already there. It's an intense

performance, part drama, Parker about the poem, with all the actors

on stage throughout. -- part dramatic poem. It is a very physical

experience with carefully choreographed movement from

beginning to end. I was very honoured really because it is a

massive part, and the play is phenomenal. The response we get from

people who it might mean something to, whether they were out there or

their parents might have been, it needs a lot to them, and people who

don't know much about war. We humanise those affected are really

does kind of touch people and stuff. I have never had that as an

experience, when you come out and people are thanking you. The writer

Owen shares was inspired by 30 interviews he undertook with

soldiers who had returned from service in Afghanistan. The play

deals with the physical, emotional and psychological effect on the men

who served, and, importantly, the women who support them. Who wants to

play war? Who wants to play war? My son leaves for Afghanistan very,

very young and comes back and not in a good way. I've got a 17-year-old

son in real life, so I can really relate to what that must be like.

Fishermen blowing on their fingerless gloves, the current

pulling their fishing lines tied. That's how it was the morning when

the three of us did what boys always have, and left our homes. War and

its aftermath laid bare at the Devonshire Park Theatre until

Saturday. Robin Gibson, BBC South today, Eastbourne.

Now onto a rather different kind of stage production.

Calendar Girls - the legendary story of the Womens Institute members

who stripped off for charity - has been a hugely successful

Now it's been turned into a musical - called The Girls -

It stars an actor from Bexhill who's already enjoyed a glittering

Sophie-Louise Dann has had parts in Made in Dagenham

Now she's just been nominated for a prestigious award

for the role, which involves taking her clothes off -

Don't mess with the bones. I like them at this, they cover more. Don't

touch the composition! The story of the WIA ladies posing nude for a

calendar for charity has Origi been a box office hit. Now a new musical

produced by Gary Barley Gunn Barlow. It is an unusual nomination because

all six women have been nominated as a whole. And I think that is

testament to the piece. We are an entity. It is this fantastic force

of nature on stage. The production features original music by Gary

Barlow. For Sophie, working with the star has been a big thrill. I'm not

going to lie, I am a huge take that fan! That he is a fantastic singer

songwriter, and he and Tim have got this alchemy, with Tim's wit and

knowledge of structure, theatrically, if you will. Gary has

enhanced some great numbers for stop has he popped in the dressing room?

Yeah, he has. I'd had a selfie! A selfie with Gary Barlow in my

dressing gown, what more can a girl wish for? It is a true tale, which

took the world by storm, and Sophie says she finds taking her clothes

off on stage liberating and empowering. The premise is that

nobody looks the camera. It's as if there is an outside I just capturing

a moment of beauty. And if you want to witness that moment, the

musical's taking bookings until July. She's brave! Let's move on to

the weather now, Rachel, and other lovely spring day.

Not going to be tomorrow, as ever the weather gives with one hand and

takes with the other. Today lots of sunshine and by the afternoon

temperatures for us were reaching highs of around 12 degrees. Several

degrees above the seasonal average. For the next couple of days,

although it will be wet, it will be turning a little bit milder. By

Thursday and Friday we could even see temperatures reaching highs of

14 or 15 degrees. As we go through the night, initially we have those

clearer skies, but then that cloud cover starts to thicken and

eventually we will be seeing the rain fall heavy at times for stop it

does mean overnight damages only dropped a couple of degrees to

around six or 7 degrees. So very mild, if wet and windy, as we start

the day-to-day tomorrow. We will see the rain throughout the

day, we have that westerly wind that stays with us and even when it tries

up a bit by the afternoon, lots of cloud cover around. But again very

mild for the time of year. Normally we would expect to see highs of

around seven or 8 degrees but by tomorrow afternoon all of us will

widely see highs of 1213. Wednesday into Thursday, again there will be

further outbreaks of rain, potentially heavy at times for stop

the winds pick up, so another very mild might, in some cases

temperatures hardly changing, dropping to nine, perhaps even 10

degrees. Milder still as we start the day on Thursday but generally a

dry day for stop lots of cloud around but by the afternoon with as

much milder air we could even see highs of 14 or 15 degrees. Again, it

will be a mild picture as we go into Friday. Both days for Thursday and

Friday bites another bid by the afternoon. As we look towards the

weekend, further outbreaks of rain, turning rather wet and windy but for

the next couple of days I'm afraid the rain and the wind back again for

tomorrow but staying mild. Changeable! We will be back for the

later evening update. That is it from me this evening. Goodbye.

I could be a boxing champ, AND build your computer.

I am more than just the beard or the nation's favourite dish.

There's 4 million different ways to understand what British Asian is.

mixed with fish and chips and visions of five rivers,

this is a modern-day collision. That's just how we're living.

I could be a boxing champ, AND build your computer.

We are everything that the past has made us, and we are the future.

We've found a place to call our own. Not one city, not one town.