30/08/2011 South Today

Hello, I'm Sally Taylor. Welcome to South Today. In tonight's

programme: The good Samaritan beaten and

robbed after offering a lift to a stranger. From God's sake, if

you're on your own in a car and feel like picking someone up, don't.

Three hospital workers are arrested after an elderly patient dies of a

suspected overdose. A mum with an autistic boy wants

apology after accusing a theatre of being the big ogre at a performance

of Shrek. My son and lots of other children and adults are losing out

through no fault of their own, they have a disability.

And a year to the Paralympics, but will its legacy help clubs like

Never give a stranger a lift. That is the advice from a 73-year-old

motorist. Ben Casey suffered a violent attack after he was conned

into picking somebody up. The passenger forced Mr Casey to drive

to a country lane, dragged him out of the vehicle, kicked and

repeatedly punched him. He has been recounting the ordeal to our

reporter Tom Hepworth. Ben Casey is 73 and has a

degenerative lung disease and need oxygen. He is also a keen

photographer. On Friday, the former army medic had been out on a trip

on a narrowboat when he met a man who looked as though he was in pain.

His ordeal began here in this car- park. He offered a lift to a man

who said he had injured his ankle training for a walk to help

multiple sclerosis charities. It ended with Mr Casey in hospital

with head injuries. Driving along quiet country lanes, the man told

him he had the condition. A short while later, he stopped. I could

not believe what he had in his hand. It was a lump hammer. I thought,

good night to me. I am not going to get out of here. I had my hand up

there, he struck it. The handle broke, and the head came off the

hammer. A lucky break, I can tell you. He was dragged from his car

and the man drove off. It was later found burnt out in Andover. The

attacker is described as white, in his late twenties or early thirties

with short blond hair and wearing an anorak. We would like anybody

who took photographs in the area to get in touch to see if anybody in

the background matches the description. For God's sake, if you

are on your own in a car and feel like picking somebody up, don't.

Ben Casey is now recovering at home in Aldershot. I hope I get over

this and I will be able to get out. Enjoy the countryside again...

A warning to others from Ben Casey. Fire crews remain at the scene of a

large fire that destroyed a battery recycling plant in Hampshire on

Friday. Firefighters are at the scene in Lasham to remove the

structure and contents inside the building. Efforts are underway to

prevent contamination from hundreds of melted batteries. An

investigation is ongoing into how it started.

Motorists have a difficult journey on the M3 tonight after a diesel

spill just north of Junction 3. The southbound carriageway is

completely closed between Junction 2 for the M25 and Junction 3 for

Lightwater. The diesel spread, covering all four lanes, after a

lorry caught fire. The Highways Agency says it is likely to remain

closed until the early hours of the morning.

Investigations are continuing into the death of an elderly patient at

St Richards Hospital in Chichester. Three employees at the hospital

were arrested and questioned on suspicion of manslaughter. Sean

Killick is at St Richards tonight. Give us a few more details on the

story. It was in October last year that

77-year-old Joan Dickson died here at St Richard's. It is believed she

died from an overdose of heart medication. Three hospital workers

were arrested, a 23-year-old woman, a 37-year-old man and a 14-year-old

man. They have been questioned and released on police bail until

November. Details of their job titles have not been released.

Sussex Police today issued a statement, which says:

"It is alleged the victim died as a result of being administered an

overdose of the heart medication digoxin by hospital staff.

Pathologists have confirmed that the victim died as a result of

digoxin toxicity. The incident has been referred to the Crown

Prosecution Service". The CPS had yet to make any

announcement as to whether there will be any charges in relation to

this case. The hospital issued a statement:

"The Trust is acutely aware of how distressing these circumstances are

for the family, and once again would wish to extend its

condolences to them". None of the staff involved are now

working directly with patients at the trust and an inquest has been

opened and adjourned into Mrs Dixon's death and will be resumed

at a later date. Thank you.

The family of an autistic boy says a West End theatre should apologise

after asking him to sit outside. Eight-year-old James Geater was

watching a performance of Shrek with his carers at London's Theatre

Royal Drury Lane. Staff asked them to leave the auditorium as he was

noisy, but his family says he is being punished for his disability.

Danielle Glavin has been to meet the family.

James Geater can't speak. When he is excited he makes noises, and one

thing that gets him excited in Shrek. His care must have come to

the musical, senior on Broadway. -- his Qera as it took him. He was in

a box at the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane, but staff asked him to step

outside until they quieten down. His mum says that is asking the

impossible. My son and others are losing out through no fault of

their own, they have a disability. He was enjoying it, Batty says

thing. He was enjoying the show, and that is what breaks my heart.

similar case earlier this month at a similar theatre led to a creation

of a Facebook campaign for more understanding. Karen is back in

that and wants an apology. We contacted the Theatre Royal today

and a spokesperson said staff approached the group because of the

Karen believes attitudes need to change. James is part of society,

and they think we have got to start to say no, we will not be treated

like this, not to just let it go. It is easy to put your head down

and say, OK, but why should we? If we let it happen it will keep on

happening. They have no plans to return to the theatre. James will

have to watch Shrek on TV. Earlier, I spoke to Beth Reid from

the National Autistic Society. I began by asking her how she thought

staff should respond when moments like this occur in cinemas and

theatres. I think it is really important.

That staff understand what autism is and how to work with people with

autism. Very simple things can make a big difference, speaking freely,

maybe using simple language -- speaking clearly. Making sure there

are spaces for people to go when they are feeling stressed as people

with autism can get quite anxious, and that can make a difference.

Parents who have children with disabilities say you cannot hide

them away or segregate them, but that is difficult for the theatre

to manage, isn't it, when you have complaints from other members of

the auditorium? It is important for children with autism and their

families to have access to social opportunities, just like any other

families. The more that people with other disabilities are seen as part

of our society, the more that society recognises that they are

part of their communities and will accept that the whole range of

needs and difference is that there are in our society, so I think it

is important that people understand the needs of people with autism and

see them as part of their community. Do you hear about the stories very

often? Yes, we hear a lot through the helpline and services that we

run of people with autism facing discrimination on quite a regular

basis, with people not understanding their needs. We often

hear from parents that they may be judged or feel judged by people

around them because their child is not behaving in a socially

appropriate manner, and they find that difficult. Thank you.

A new report suggests patient safety is now improving after four

suicides last year at Millview Hospital in Hove. The Sussex

Partnership NHS Foundation Trust says that over 30 recommendations

are now in place. It follows an independent review into safety

which found patients were staying in the hospital much longer than

the national average. Still to come in this evening's

South Today: Our novice team prepare for a big

sporting occasion. Find out why we are getting hot and

sweaty with one of these in our special sporting challenge.

Campaigners are welcoming a planning inspector's decision to

reject proposals for three giant wind turbines on the Isle of Wight.

Renewable energy company REG Windpower wanted to build the 410-

foot structures here at Cheverton Down. The case went to appeal after

the council's planning committee rejected the plans back in 2008.

The company has already got permission to build three smaller

turbines on the site. Dorset's largest solar farm has

just opened. It covers three acres and has nine rows of panels

producing electricity. It has been a race against time for Slepe Farm

near Poole as the panels had to be in place to qualify for the highest

rate of Government subsidies. Here is Roisin Gauson with more.

Solar power, could it be the answer to our energy shortage? The

Government certainly thinks so. The Conservatives want to cut emissions

by 80% by the year 2050. A green paper published in January

supported guaranteed energy sources, which preserved the environment at

the same time. Here in the South, we have more solar panels than

anywhere else in the country. Today, a farm in Dorset bought into the

green revolution, unveiling three acres of solar panels costing a

million pounds. They will be a feature of the landscape for the

next 25 years. Together, they will generate enough electricity to

power 200 homes, but they won't actually pay for themselves until

2021. In little more than a year, Farmpower has developed three sites

across the South of England. A further ten are in the pipeline.

We have to have a huge growth in the use of renewable power in the

United Kingdom. We are going to put a 2% of our coal-fired power

stations and nuclear stations -- cuts 80%. This is a big statement

here early on in this process of what we need to do as the nation's.

Turning over land like this to the production of solar power has been

an attractive proposition for farmers, because they can still

farm the land. Obviously there is a bob or two in

it for me, it will probably make more money than growing wheat, but

it also produces electricity with absolutely no noise, no disruption,

and the field is still a field, still in agricultural production.

This solar power station took less than six months to come to fruition.

But any other landowners looking to cash in may not have such a smooth

ride. Large solar farms used to get 30 pence for each kilowatt hour of

electricity generated. Now, they get less than a third of that. This

scheme in Dorset managed to sneak in just before the cuts came into

effect. But it is a one-off in the south. In the future, solar farms

will be much smaller, making a national network feeding local

sites. We will see if the weather forecast

is conducive to those solar panels later in the programme.

The latest phase in the redevelopment of Reading station

has got underway. It is the biggest engineering project in our region.

The work will take five years and is costing �850 million. The

station will have new platforms and entrances on both sides. Reading is

one of the busiest stations in the country.

Animal rescue teams are reporting a worrying number of incidents

involving a particular design of horse box. Hampshire Fire and

Rescue alone have been to six incidents this year where horses

have become trapped in rear-facing horse boxes on small trucks. They

say the panicked horses can become very dangerous indeed. Roger Finn

reports. The latest incident involved a five

year old mare trapped in a horsebox near Winchester. The animal had to

be heavily sedated before fire crews could cut it free.

trouble is, it is not like dealing with a human, who you can talk to

and reassure, ask them to do things. We are dealing with animals

motivated by fear. Ultimately, they could seriously injure or kill

someone because they are very powerful animals in a confined

space, and they only see the need to escape. Hampshire Fire and

Rescue are concerned about the increasing use of smaller force

transports like this, Wed of horses travel facing backwards. Unlike

larger trucks, where they usually travel sideways. These are one of

the most popular way of transporting horses because you can

drive them on an ordinary licence, but only if you got the licence

before 1997. The change in regulations means that in recent

years smaller trucks have become more popular. Here in Wiltshire

they make about 40 of these smaller horse transports every year, mainly

for the commercial market and racehorses. They are aware of the

dangers of the design and believe they have the and. The main issue

is horses jumping over here when it is travelling -- believe they have

the answer. What we need to do is eliminate that risk by having the

bar in here high. Apart from that, George Smith also installs what he

calls anti- weed bars. We have limited the amount of room the

horse has got to try to jump over, making it safer. This can be fitted

to any box and is certainly a safe solution. Researchers have found

many horses prefer travelling facing backwards, but as animal

rescue teams have discovered, it requires care.

Onto sport, and Tony is here. We are marking one year to go until

the Paralympics and asking, is enough being done to fund our

Paralympic hopefuls? You have got some statistics are?

And I have, it will be a landmark moment for disability sports in

Britain. This time next year, the Games will

be underway, and the GB squad is tipped for medal success. But there

are questions about whether enough is being invested in grassroots

clubs. In 2008, Great Britain's Paralympics team was the most

successful in two decades, winning 102 medals, including 42 golds.

Funding for the squad has steadily increased along with the success.

In Athens in 2004, funding was nearly �15 million. In 2008, that

had doubled. For London 2012, it has increased again to nearly �50

million. But compare that with the Olympic sports. This is where you

see a real difference. They receive �260 million, that is more than

five times higher. Even after the bronze medal for the men in Beijing

in 2008, the GB wheelchair basketball team only received �3.5

million. The rest went to the women's team. That is significantly

less than the funding for the Olympic basketball team, who have

only ever appeared at one Olympics, in 1948, where they lost all their

games. Tonight we are meeting a wheelchair basketball team from

Hampshire who say that funding at a grassroots level is a real issue.

Members of the South Today team went to meet them, under the

guidance of Reham Khan. The Hampshire Harriers warming up

for a special match. The club has been running for 20 years but

relies entirely on fund-raising and donations. We have enough funding

to debtors through the Paralympics -- to get us through, and after

then, unless we can raise some money, this club will be likely to

disappear. We have been very close to disappearing several times and

always, at the last minute, it is the begging bowl status. And that

begging bowl takes a lot of feeling. There are pots of money out there

if you look for them. For Paralympics ball to have equipment

that needs to be funded might detract chair, for example -- like

the track chair. We bought three chairs recently and �2,500 each,

whereas obviously a pair of running shoes is a bad �150. Some familiar

faces were preparing to take to the court with the Harriers. You can

barge into someone but not head on! I wondered whether Tony Husband was

listening. A special day it -- a special game had been arranged.

Maybe Tony was not listening! Members of the Harriers have gone

on to play professionally and the hope is that next year's

Paralympics will raise the profile further. We would like to see it

established as a charity to guarantee that we can be here

training each week. When you are socially isolated like some of

these people are, even within their own families, stuck indoors, the

fact that they can come out on a Sunday and even though they don't

get into the team, they come and have a sport and talk to people and

be involved and bring their families. On the court, the

Harriers were flying high, but the South today All-Stars were barely

twinkling. This was a match that Harriers had no problem winning,

but the bigger challenge is to secured a club's future.

That was good fun and doubles concentrating all the way through.

I had also concentrating his Charlie Bethel, the chief executive

of British wheelchair basketball -- I hope also concentrating. We heard

someone mention the begging bowl. Well clubs like this experience any

benefit from the Paralympics in London? We hope so, we hope the

more profile the sport gets the more attractive it gets.

Unfortunately, we have not seen that yet and we are struggling at a

national level and the clubs are struggling as well at a local level

to ascertain funding from people. In terms of the legacy, it does not

look any rosier because some of the profit that comes from the London

2012 Games will go to a live exports, but the same is not true

for the Paralympics. -- will go to a Olympic sports. This is an issue

of cash for you? In terms of disability sport, it becomes more

difficult because we do not have the numbers, 50 or 60 people coming

to the club on a weekly basis, you might have 10, maybe 12 in one of

the larger clubs. Some clubs are a little larger than that, but that

is also a challenge at the core funding does not come in. This has

got to be a significant moment for disability sport around the country,

nevertheless. How will you be able to make the legacy last? It is once

in a lifetime and through promotion, getting on the television, we can

make more people aware of the sport, which will attract more people to

it, but had fully an awareness response as well. It is difficult

out there at the moment, problems of local authorities, and with the

sponsors. The governing body are looking to put on events to support

our clubs wherever possible, but we are looking at local schemes with

local authorities, trying to link our clubs in two areas for

development. Good luck with your efforts in the next year. We look

forward to the Paralympics, which start a year from now.

There is Cup football across the region tonight in two different

competitions. Southampton go to Swindon. Ahead of that game, Saints

legend Matthew Le Tissier has backed Adam Lallana to become

Southampton's modern day talisman of the team. Le Tissier scored more

than 200 goals for Saints, but Lallana's performances have made

him a modern-day hero of the St Mary's crowd.

When I go down to watch the boys play, it is always Adam Lallana I

am most excited about watching. He has that lovely easy body movement,

he does not have blistering pace but has the shoulder which takes

him past people brilliantly, and I get excited watching him. I can see

why he is so popular with the fans, definitely.

A significant moment there with Matthew Le Tissier a passing on the

mantle. After their shock victory at West

Ham last week, Aldershot have a chance to reach round three for the

first time since 1984, when the club played as just Aldershot. Dean

Holdsworth's men recorded a famous victory at Upton Park last

Wednesday. Tonight they host Carlisle from League One.

Some sad news to report. Former Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark

Ovendale has died. He had been having treatment for cancer.

Ovendale made 89 appearances for the Cherries as their first-choice

keeper just over a decade ago. He was 37.

And there will be a minute's applause ahead of Bournemouth's

Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against Hereford tonight in memory

of Ovendale. Elsewhere in the first round,

Crawley travel to Southend. MK Dons host Brentford.

Sussex and Surrey will go head to head for a place in the final of

the CB40 competition this weekend. They have been drawn together in

the first of the semi-finals, with the winners playing Somerset or

Durham. Sussex have done well in that competition, but bad luck to

Hampshire, beaten at Edgbaston at the weekend.

Dramatic stuff. Thanks for that. It has been feeling a bit like

autumn today? Today we have had some statistics

provisionally from the Met Office. June, July and August have shown

that it has been the coolest summer since 1988 here in the south. We

have still got a couple of days left to include, but it looks set

to be a cool one overall. Not too much rain, more than last year but

not as much as 2007, 2008 and 2009. That surprises me, I thought it was

hotter. But we are thinking about a poor job. April, May, really warm.

A wonderful photo from Mary-Ann Murphy of a calf resting in the

heather at Godshill near Fordingbridge.

We may not have seen much sunshine today but these sunflowers make up

for the grey skies we've had. Thanks to Margaret Strong in

Swanage for that picture. And this is the Tall Ship Tenacious

coming into Poole at lunchtime today, taken by Mick Baker.

Some blue skies in that photograph, not many of those to be seen today,

it has been cloudy and cool, and we stick with those conditions through

tonight as well. We had a blanket of cloud over much of this house

today, it stays put overnight and we might see one or two breaks

developing towards the West. We might see temperatures dropping

here into single figures in rural spots. If you are up first thing

tomorrow, you may see some glimmers of sunshine but the cloud will keep

-- will quickly build in again. Another dry day in most parts.

Temperatures a little warmer. Not feeling quite as fresh as today. As

we go through tomorrow night, starting to see some warmer air

arriving, so there will be some breaks in the cloud. Temperatures

not dipping quite as far. As we go towards the tail-end of the week,

this area of high pressure with us, some warmer air starting to arrive,

which means we should see some bright and sunny conditions.

Thursday not looking too bad, there should be some decent sunny spells

to take us through the remainder of first day. Not too bad, temperature

wires, either. We had a cool summer but things are looking up for

September, things will head up temperature rise through the course

of this week, finishing on a high. Here is your summary for the next

few days. Tomorrow looking to be cloudy, but gradually we will see

more in the way of sunshine, warmer temperatures, and with one or two

sham was in store for the weekend, looking fine but unsettled. -- one