20/12/2011 South Today

Hello. Welcome to South Today. In tonight's programme:

Turning children's lives into one of sexual slavery. A judge

sentences a gang of five to a total of 27 years.

Family misery this Christmas after a father was left for dead after a

hit and run incident. A unique send-off for one of

Portland's favourite sons. He was down to earth. There were no airs

and graces about John. He was just a character and there are not

enough characters in this life. And from endangered species to

garden pest. Why gardeners have their sights set on the otter.

Within a month, more or less the whole village -- any ponder in the

village has had a fish taken by these otters.

Systematic abuse of the worst sort. Those are the words of a judge at

Portsmouth Crown Court who today sentenced a gang of five to 27

years in jail for running an international child-porn website. A

woman and four men were today found guilty of numerous offences

relating to child abuse. The online images were shared from Portsmouth

across the UK. These quickly spread across several cities in Europe

including France, Germany and Poland. And even further afield to

Japan, America and Australia. Today, the group of five was sent to

prison and our reporter has been following the case. She joins us

live from outside the court tonight. By the sentencing year has taken

two days as the judge ruled on 120 separate counts. There were gasps

of shock from the public gallery as the true extent of the abuse was

revealed. Some walked out. Today, five members of the paedophile

network were jailed for their part in the a abuse.

Robert Hathaway, the main player in the paedophile ring was to be sent

to jail for 12 years. The 37-year- old admitted a string of offences

including the rape and sexual assault of children under the age

of 13. Yup lauded images to a website -- he up loaded images to a

website. The SOT like-minded individuals who wanted to carry out

further abuse. The judge said this was sexual abuse of the worst kind.

Everything was filmed. He said that he was -- the judge said that he

was on a path to making sexual slaves of children. This was a

horrific case of systematic child abuse. The defendants submitted

young children to atrocious acts of sexual abuse and encouraged others

across the world to commit similar offence is. Three other men were

also jailed. Simon held in from Cambridge. Four years for 13

separate offences including the sexual assault of a child. Stephen

Fraser from Cambridge was found to have just under 3,000 indecent

images in his possession. He was found guilty of a number of -- and

number of sexual offences against children. Repassed him. Three years.

He pleaded guilty to taking and possessing indecent images of

children and admitted trying to meet with the couple in order to

abuse children. The conviction as a warning to anyone who thinks they

can get away with taking, viewing, downloading and distributing

indecent images of children or otherwise sexually abusing children

or encouraging others to do so. Ultimately, we want this behaviour

to stock. -- stop. This is the largest

investigation the police in this region have ever had to deal with.

There were 2,000 pages of internet chat locks. Still the investigation

continues. 10 countries and 24 police forces are involved. Today,

the first lot of suspects were sentenced. Many more are expected

to follow around the world. The author Richard Adams has joined

a row in West Berkshire over plans to build more than 1,000 new houses.

His book, Watership Down, was about the rabbits' desperate escape from

the bulldozers. And it was set in the fields which are now scheduled

for new buildings. The idea of building houses there,

it is like plonking them down in the open country. This part of our

country ought not to be invaded by a rash of residential development.

More people in the South use the train to get to work than any other

region in the country. And today the government has cut the increase

in regulated fares at 1% above inflation. It means fares are gong

up, but not as much as previously expected. Trains companies in our

region say tickets offer value for money. Here is our Transport

Correspondent, Paul Clifton. For the train companies, this has

been a real headache. Normally they have five months to calculate tens

of millions of different fares, and load all that information onto

every ticket machine and every rail fares website. The Government

change of plan left them only three weeks to do that massive task.

Fares were due to rise by the rate of inflation measured last July,

plus 3%. That's 8% in total. Last month's change of heart reduced

that to inflation plus 1%. So, today, much later than usual, we

have the figures. This year, a season ticket on First Great

Western from Reading to London cost �3,584. From 03 January, it will go

up by �215. But it is �72 less than passengers previously expected to

pay. From Basingstoke on South West Trains it is slightly more

expensive. This year's �3,580 will rise by just over �200. And here

are the figures from Brighton. As you can see, it's a bit cheaper

than travelling from Reading or Basingstoke, even though the

journey is longer. But it is not that simple. Because train

companies have to increase their regulated fares by an average of 6%.

Within that, some can go up by 11%. It is good news that Great Western

has apparently listened to what we have been saying and tried to

throttle back these increases. Having said that, there is no doubt

that with people working with frozen wages or capped 21%, it's a

tough time. What -- capped at 1%. The need to work out a way of

driver in the costs down. driving the costs. Many train

operators will also put up the cost of car parking at stations. This

generally adds around �1,000 a year to the bill for a daily commuter.

Some South West Trains parking will rise by �1 a day. That is three

times the rate of inflation. There is some good news. First Great

Western says it won't put up any car parking charges, and none of

their fares will rise by more than 6%. And here is a final thought.

Yes, travelling by train is going up by 6%. But, according to the RAC,

the cost of motoring went up this year by twice that amount.

A cyclist who was knocked off his bike and left for dead in

Bournemouth almost two weeks ago says he is frustrated the driver

has not been caught. Justin Graham was cycling to work when he was hit.

The father of three broke his back and hand and will be off work for

at least six weeks. Our reporter has been to meet him.

For this family, this Christmas will not be the happy family

gathering they were looking forward to. A fortnight ago, Justin Graham

suffered serious back injuries when he was knocked off his bike by he

it and run incident. As I came off the roundabout, a car drove

straight through me. The witness said that I did a somersault twice

over the car. He has two broken vertebrae and won't be able to take

part in any of the activities they had family -- they had planned for

Christmas. We were all going to work for a family walk on Boxing

Day. That will not happen. If it does happen, I will not be there.

The accident happened at this roundabout in Bournemouth at 5:30am

on 8th December. I have come up here a few times since. It makes me

shudder every time I pass you. It is not right that someone can do

that and leave someone like that on the road, left for dead. The car

that hit Justin was a dark blue Toyota Corolla. There are 43 cars

matching that description in the town. I would have thought that

that number of cars could be checked within half a day. They

found the bat of the car at the accident. Look for scratches.

Dorset Police say they are determined to find the driver

responsible and what the investigation is ongoing, they

cannot comment further. They have urged anyone with any information

Still to come in this evening's South Today:

Knit one, pearl one. The festive tree guaranteed not to drop its

needles. A Portsmouth couple who have won

the right to fertility treatment on the NHS say their victory could

give hope to other would-be parents. Donna and Dean Marshall were

originally turned down for IVF. Dean has a child from a previous

relationship and Donna is over the age limit set by NHS Portsmouth.

But after a series of appeals, NHS Portsmouth has agreed to pay for

the treatment. It says many factors influence funding decisions,

including evidence of how effective the IVF is likely to be.

A DNA expert has told a court how likely it is that DNA found on a

rolling pin used to kill Hampshire pensioner Georgina Edmonds belongs

to the man accused of her murder. Professor David Balding said there

is a one in 2,500 chance the DNA could belong to anyone other than

Matthew Hamlen, who denies murder. Our Home Affairs Correspondent,

Alex Forsyth, joins me now. Explain what this DNA evidence means and

housing of figure and it is. Georgina Edmonds was found murdered

in her home three years ago. She was stabbed and beaten to death.

Forensic experts found DNA on handle of the rolling pin used to

kill her. The court has been told that was a mixture of her DNA and

of that belonging to at least one other person. The prosecution says

there is a link between that DNA and Matthew Hamlen. An expert was

in court to try to explain how likely it is that that was his DNA.

With a full match, the statistic we often here is a one in 1 billion

chance. In this case, it is just a partial profile. But the professor

said there is a one in 2,500 chance in this case that that DNA could

belong to anyone else other than Matthew Hamlen.

Is this the end of the prosecution case?

It is. We have heard all the evidence against him. In January,

the defence case will begin. Matthew Hamlen, aged 33 and from

Basingstoke, denies that murder. Plans for a new waste incinerator

in West Berkshire have been submitted. Grundon wants to build

the plant near the village of Chieveley. But some people who live

nearby say it shouldn't be sited in an area of outstanding natural

beauty. Hundreds of people turned out on

Portland today to bid a unique farewell to a man dubbed a local

legend. Businessman John "Butch" Nash who died earlier this month

had a reputation for helping others and donated thousands of pounds to

charities. He also had quite a sense of humour which was certainly

reflected in the way he arrived at his own funeral.

In life, John Nash was a big character. Unafraid to do things

differently. In death, that spirit was celebrated. Using a skip lorry

from the business he started, his coffin was taken on a farewell lap

of his home town. At the church, there was span -- standing run only.

Wonderful man. Worked hard, played hard, brilliant man. Generous of

attitude, generous of person, and generous financially. As an

employer, Councillor and don't go to charities, lots of people have

reason to thank John Nash. His nickname, which, a hint of a

sometimes robust approach. -- Butch. Once when he was due some money, he

let accretes of crabs loose in the Office of the person who do that --

who owed the money. Portland will feel his loss for years to come.

Wonderful man. That is proved by how many people turned up today.

was a mover and a shaker on the island. His heart and soul was here.

He was down to earth. There were no airs or graces about him. He was a

character. There are not many characters around. I will miss him.

How appropriate was his arrival? That is typical of John. Really

typical. If there is an afterlife, commented one mourner, John will

certainly cheer the place up. Shopping centres in the South say

the last minute Christmas rush is well underway. Last weekend, more

than a quarter of a million people visited West Quay in Southampton.

On Saturday, more than 100,000 people shopped at the Oracle in

Reading and Monday was the third busiest Monday that Castlepoint in

Bournemouth has had so far this year.

It has taken years of dedicated conservation work to get otters

back onto our rivers. But not everyone is celebrating,

particularly in Dorset. In recent months, there have been more and

more reports of otters straying into garden ponds and wiping out

prized collections of ornamental fish. In one village, nearly every

pond was cleaned out. Driven to near-extinction by

agricultural poisons and then brought back over the last 10 years,

otters have now returned to rivers across the south. Now they are

straying beyond their natural habitat. This was a garden centre

in Dorset last year. The saviour hearing more and more stories from

customers whose garden ponds have been cleared out. They are fuming.

There was one village earlier this year and within a month will whole

village had had their entire fish supplies taken from their pawns.

an otter, this is a sweet shop. An easy captive mule. There are

venturing into urban areas because males have to find their own

territories. They will travel over a wide area. The ones just be in

rivers. They will visit ponds as numbers increase. This is nothing

new but now that we have them back on all of our river catchments,

we're going to see more and more of them. Anglers are also beginning to

complain about the increased competition. But pond owners are

completely helpless. The only advice is to fit a strong metal

mesh over the top with concrete at the sides.

They look great, unless you have ornamental fish, I guess.

Precious letters and books from the Jane Austen family archive have

been given to the Hampshire Record Office for safekeeping. Digital

copies have been made which means anyone can look at them without

waiting for them to be on display. They give a fascinating insight

into the life of one of Hampshire's most famous historical figures.

Caroline Richardson reports. Jane Austen was a Hampshire hero.

She was born in Stephen to near Basingstoke where her father was

director. The family moved to Bath when she was in her twenties, but

she returned to Hampshire later. the county, there is a sign that

says Jane Austen country. That says it all. More and more people are

rustled -- associating Hampshire with Jane Austen. Her house is now

on museum which has an internationally important

collection of manuscripts, bigs -- books and letters. Increasingly, we

felt that we wanted these letters to be preserved. We wanted the

environment to be secure. After talking to my colleagues here for

some time, we came to the conclusion that this would be the

best place for them to be. museum still owns the archive and

more regularly but the documents on display. Keeping them at the record

Office means researchers can look at digital copies on computers

rather than handling original copies. These letters provide a

great insight into the local society which was so clever way and

irrelevant -- irreverently portrayed in her novels.

What is the connection between the sport and a drugs connection?

It is often done at the end of the year of sport. What a year it will

be for Radio Berkshire. The station will be very much at the heart of

the action next year with the Olympic Games on its doorstep. Last

night, Olympic hopefuls and a host of other local sporting celebrities

were on hand at the station's Caversham base for their review of

the year, hosted by Sports Editor, Tim Dellor. And there is plenty to

look ahead to in 2012. The Olympics is the ultimate

sporting tournament. For us, we would love to win gold and have a

great performance. We are still based locally in Berkshire for

training. The Olympics is coming to a place which is 20 minutes from

where I grew up. It feels like it is coming home. After Christmas,

the Olympics are not far away. Up until now, there has always been

the next training camp. But now there is not a lot left between now

and the Olympics. Good luck to all those athletes. We

will look back at the year in sport at the programme -- on the

programme on Friday. Great Britain has decided to send

its Olympic road cycling team to train in Surrey to prepare for the

2012 games. Surrey hosts part of the Olympic Road race, including

nine laps of Box Hill. A number of top British riders took part in the

test event for the games earlier this year. Including race winner

Mark Cavendish. The United States, Canadian and Australian cycle teams

will also be based in the county in the build up to the Games.

Two of our clubs have lost loan players for the festive period.

West Brom have recalled Midfielder George Thorne from his spell at

Portsmouth. Thorne has been a regular since his arrival at

Fratton Park. Brighton will also lose the services of defender Jara

Reyes. He has only featured three times since arriving from the

Hawthorns. Now it is time to meet our second

nominee in this year's BBC South Sports Unsung Hero award. The

winner goes into contention for main national prize which will be

announced at Sports Personality of the year this Thursday night here

on BBC One. Tonight, a rugby coach This man has done a bit of

everything at this rugby club. What started as a family interest has

become all-consuming. My son played football until he was nine. Then he

decided he wanted to give rugby ago. So we came appear. I started to

help on the coaching side. Then I became the coach. From there, I

have taken on the other roles and responsibilities within the club.

Giving his son a chance in rugby was not enough. Countless young

players in Berkshire have fallen in love with the oval game thanks to

him, whatever their standard. has helped everyone, no matter of

their talent. He has a really good way with the children. He treats

them as adults, even when the art obnoxious 15 year-olds. He treats

them with respect and they treat him with respect. He is so in Susie

acid about the game. Over the last 10 years, he has seen young

children mature into junior players. In my view, sport is massively

important. I don't think there is enough variety. If these kids want

to play, I will give them the opportunity to play. He has taken

rugby to local schools. Hundreds of youngsters have benefited from his

passion. The grass roots game would not have been the same man our

region without Phil Donahue. Tomorrow night, our third and final

contender, and Ringwood. On Thursday, I will announce who the

winner is. It is difficult because they are

all unsung heroes. It is a real cider sport that we

don't talk about enough. Good luck to them all.

Are you feeling better? I am. No one ever likes being ill.

Do I need to keep my distance? And find!

And find! A lot more settled today. But we

have some lovely west it -- lovely weather pictures.

Stan Batten captured the view from Friars Cliff looking towards the

Needles as the sun was rising this morning. A seagull was taking a

bath in Poole Harbour. This picture was taken by Roger Bishop from

Thame in Oxfordshire. And it was a dull afternoon in East Wittering,

but that didn't stop one individual taking in the view with a hot drink

in hand. Mild air is on its way and it

pushes him from the Atlantic. Cold air at the moment, but this weather

front moves them before milder air takes over. That is heading towards

us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tonight, increasing cloud

cover and rain for the early hours. 10 mm is possible in a few places.

Clearing most places by dawn. Temperatures at the start of the

night will be lower than the second half of the night. A damp start for

Eastern areas tomorrow, but it is an improving picture. Quite a lot

of cloud around. Look at the temperatures. Double what they were

in some parts today. Well above the seasonal average. Tomorrow night,

generally dry. A cloudy night to come, but milder temperatures.

Overnight temperatures will be very similar to what they should be

during the daytime at this type of -- and this time of year. The good

news is that first these days settled with limited brightness.

Very mild. This band of rain sinks south and eastwards on Friday.

Generally a wet day on Friday. For the weekend, it is looking fairly

pleasant. High pressure builds in on Christmas Eve, a widening of the

isobars so the winds will be light and decent amount of sunshine here

and there. 0 the best of the sunshine will be in the east. Here

is how it is looking for the rest of the week. A lot of cloud around

tomorrow and on Thursday. Temperatures double what you should

be for this time of year. The winds coming in from the West. Rain

expected on Friday, clearing for the Christmas period. Christmas Eve

and Christmas Day looking at very pleasant.

pleasant. Thank you. You will have your

shorts on tomorrow! How is this for a home-made

Christmas tree? Parishioners at St Aldhelm's Church in Poole have made

their own Christmas tree... By knitting it. 60 people got their

needles out to create more than 1,000 squares for the project.

After Christmas, the tree will be turned into blankets and given to

charity. The woollen creation joins 62 fir trees at the ninth Christmas

Tree Festival to be held at the church.

And we have a special festive treat this week to sign off our 50th

anniversary of BBC South. It is a look back at some of the films and