20/01/2012 South Today

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

programme: A man is found not guilty for the

murder of the Hampshire pensioner Georgina Edmonds. We will have all

the details. For years on from a brutal murder,

the killer has not been conned. Tonight, police said the

investigation is still open. A tanker driver is arrested for

attempted murder after crashing into the home of a woman he knew.

Keeping them close. Building work begins on a new �4 million neonatal

unit. Just to be down the corridor from him, would be fantastic.

And behind the scenes with our Olympic hopefuls. Tony Husband

meets the sportsmen and women with Four years ago, 77-year-old

Georgina Edmonds was battered to death at her home in Bambridge near

Eastleigh. Today, after a two-month trial, a jury at Winchester Crown

Court found 33-year-old Matthew Hamlen not guilty of murder. Our

home affairs correspondent Alex Forsyth has been following the case

and joins us from outside Winchester Crown Court.

The family of Matthew Hamlen have been in court for every day of this

two-month trial. Today there was just a small Gaspar from their area

of the gallery, when the jury delivered its verdict. They found

him not guilty of the murder of Georgina Edmonds. There were tears

from some jurors, but Matthew Hamlen himself showed little

emotion as he was told that he would be a free man. The judge

address the family of Georgina Edmonds. He said they had the

sympathy of everyone in court. He said, for them, he recognise that

strip -- distress of the last four years was not over. The police

investigation will remain open. police, Crown Prosecution Service

and the prosecuting counsel have worked tirelessly to present -- to

present the evidence. The investigation has been one of the

biggest murder inquiries ever conducted by Hampshire Constabulary.

It is the policy of Hampshire Constabulary for unsolved homicide

never to be closed. Her thoughts at this time are with the Georgina

Edmonds's family. For Georgina Edmonds's family, it

has been for years of waiting and wondering over who killed their

mother and wife. They have showed incredible dignity throughout, but

tonight there are still no closer to getting any answers about what

exactly happened on that day in January four years ago. My mother

has been hit over the head. It looks as if she is dead. The voice

of Georgina Edmonds's son. He had just found her body. Georgina

Edmonds was stabbed repeatedly then beaten to death. Police think she

was tortured for her PIN number. absolutely shocked. I cannot

believe that ever happened. I still think about her. I still think

about her lovely smile. The killer stole her handbag, debit card and a

mobile phone. He left the �30 in cash on the side. Huge shock that

something like that happened in the heart of a community where crime

caused a make bottles over their heads on a Friday night, or

something like that. After four years and after that end of luck

long court case, it is still not known who committed this brutal

crime or wife. Following the murder, the police once the biggest manhunt

for 30 years. They had little to go on. Aspect of DNA from a murder

weapon -- from what they thought we might be the murder weapon. And

this, a heavily disguised man trying to use the stone debit card

that night. Police thought this man was a Matthew Hamlen, seen here

shopping on the night of the murder. Now at has been proven that it was

not him. -- now it has been proven. It is hard to comprehend anyone

doing such a crime, let alone someone that I was close to and

they knew very well. With me, he was honest, he would do absolutely

anything, heart of gold, to be honest. Today, Matthew Hamlen was

found not guilty of the murder of Sturgeon at Edmonds, after being on

trial since November. For my heart goes out to his mother, who has

been dragged through the hedges. Her life has been turned upside

down. I feel for Matt. His life has been turned into utter hell. By

will be get all the compensation he deserves. I feel desperately sorry

for Georgina Edmonds's family and forager Jean herself. I cannot

start to comprehend how much that much feel -- that must feel. I hope

they get justice. That justice now seems elusive. Police are just -- a

letter of the few clues they had before and a peaceful community is

left of the memory of a cruel and brutal murder, along with The

Knowledge that the killer has not been caught.

Tonight, Georgina Edmonds's killing remains an unsolved case with the

murderer still at large. Her death in 2008 turned the family's world

upside down. Speaking to South Today, Georgina's daughter, Doddie,

reflected on her mother's life. She was very warm, friendly, bubbly,

hilariously funny. She could tell great stories. She used to act with

the grand children. Just a very loving, kind, dear person. The sort

of old lady you would want picture arms around and look after. She

even had a broken foot at the time of the murder, and he could have

told her to sit in a chair and shut up and grabbed her handbag and gone,

so it made no sense. I cannot understand what happened or why. It

was like something dying inside of me. Absolute bewilderment. Relate

not believing it one minute then being absolutely bereft the next.

My favourite memories of her are a her welcoming me. I would get to

the back door, which had a window when it and I would see her and she

would call, is it Doddy? I would always remember that. She would be

so excited to see me. The last time I hugged her goodbye, she felt so

frail and Little and elderly and I just wanted to hang on to her. It

has been a roller-coaster of ups and downs falling the inquiry

hoping for justice. -- following the inquiry. Missing the time I

would have been able to spend good days with her. She is not there.

There are times when I dream about her and we Cup -- and wake up and

she is gone. Alex, where does the investigation

go from here? This has been one of Hampshire

police's biggest inquiries. Following the murder, the

questioned hundreds of people, to give DNA swabs from people in the

community, combed the woodland and forever as looking for clues, but

they really had very little to: and they still do not have very much to

go on. Some detectives have been working on this from the start.

They said they needed no motivation to work out who had done it.

Tonight, they will be taking stock trying to work out what happens now.

Very difficult for her family, but also for the local community.

It was, and not just in Banbridge, -- Brown -- Brambridge. This a

really did provoke fear. Lots of people have been following this

investigation, hoping for closure. Tonight, that seems a long way off.

In other news tonight, a man has been arrested on suspicion of

attempted murder after a tanker full of fuel crashed into a house

in Wool near Wareham. The resulting fire gutted the house on Folly Lane

near to the local primary School, but the woman living there managed

to escape. Some locals say a man was seen running from the scene.

Ben Moore reports. And keeps dead marks now the only

clue that the huge scorched hole in this house was caused by a tanker

full of fuel. It rode up the pavement on the Folly Lane at

around 9:20am this morning. The resulting blaze ripped through the

bungalow. We do not get that sort of thing every day. We are quiet, a

sleepy village. I think we're all a bit puzzled. It is night to have

the attention on the village for a change and promote the village.

firefighters took an hour to get the blaze under control. And

meanwhile, neighbours say they saw the man who drove the tanker

leaving the scene. I was on my way to work and I came out of the

driveway and he came running past me and he shouted that the house

was on fire. Hours later, police detained a man on suspicion of

attempted murder. Police say they have now arrested a 51-year-old man

from the your full and that he was known to the woman. Neighbours and

locals here say he was her partner. Amazingly, the woman inside escaped

unharmed. The house, which was for sale, is a different matter. The

tanker is no longer there, removed pending a police examination.

One of the six footballers arrested yesterday in connection with an

alleged sexual assault in Sussex has been eliminated from the

enquiry. No further action will be taken against 24-year-old Brighton

defender Tommy Elphick. Those arrested include the son of a

Premier League manager, and a first team regular. The five players have

been released on bail. The Sunday Times has dropped its

challenge to a court ruling ordering it to hand over emails to

police relating to speeding claims against Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne.

Essex Police are investigating claims the energy secretary asked

his then wife Vicky Pryce, to take speeding penalty points on his

behalf. Lib Dem MP Mr Huhne says the allegations are simply

incorrect. Relatives of elderly dementia

patients say they will fight plans to close a care home in Berkshire.

Some fear their loved ones would not survive the trauma of being

moved from the Fosters centre in Woodley, run on behalf of Wokingham

Borough. But council officials argue the building, at almost 50

years old, falls woefully short of current standards, and would cost

too much to upgrade. Allen Sinclair reports.

She can no longer speak up for herself. 92 next week, she has

advanced dementia and for several years as the ground up -- round-

the-clock care. The facility is now facing closure, leaving relatives

of those now living they are deeply worried. My biggest fear is that

she will into days either shortly after a move, or with people that

do not know are. I feel like it is letting her down, betraying her. I

do not know where else I can trust. The environment may not be up to

the latest hundreds, but they are to the standard appropriate for

advanced dementia. The Foster's care home is almost 50 years old

and needs roofing repairs and the new Windows. The upgrade would cost

tens of thousands of pounds, but because air quality commission says

the building would still fall short of modern guidelines on the size of

rooms and the standard of facilities. To really make

substantial changes, we're looking at moving walls around, substantial

building works which would cause disruption and likely mean their

residents would have to move out. Some of the 36 staff may be offered

work at the council's other care home, but there is uncertainty

about the rest. Meanwhile, the relatives have done -- pledge to do

all they can to keep their home the The average price of petrol in the

south is higher than average, according to the AA. They say

petrol prices have gone up by 1p a litre this year. That is

highlighting a big difference in price between Newbury and Reading,

even though they are only a few miles apart. There are supermarkets

that sell petrol cheap. If you have one of those in your town it tracks

the price down for miles around. If you haven't got one, it does not,

so 12 mile difference, which is more than you can sensibly drive to

save yourself money on fuel, means you can get this 3p or four pence

difference between two towns. A court has heard how some inmates

at Ford Prison faced abuse as they tried to put out fires started by

rioters. More than �5 million of damage was caused during the

disturbance on New Year's Day 2011. Hove Crown Court has been told

trouble flared after staff better tested some inmates alcohol. The

jury heard prisoners who tried to put out fires were abused or

threatened by other inmates. Seven men are on trial accused of prison

mutiny. Still to come in South Today, Tony

Husband on sport and Sarah Farmer has the weather details. It is a

blustery weekend ahead, perfect for kite flyers and windsurfers. Join

me for the full forecast later in the programme. I will have the

latest on another eventful day for Portsmouth Football Club, and we

are behind the scenes with some of the Olympians as we speed you Our

Special Programme the Sunday. The motive spiders subject of what

happens to people after they die is making headlines in the south --

the emotive subject. It follows a decision by the Co-op to add chapel

of rest to one of its funeral parlours in Portsmouth. Local

residents have involved -- have launched a campaign involving

posters and petition. Portsmouth is a mixture of shops

and houses on this road. This here is the funeral shop, which is now

at the centre of a major controversy. Following the Co-op's

decision to apply for permission to store bodies here before they are

either cremated or buried. It has certainly be a big talking point in

this part of the city. They are not doing any harm, of a? REPORTER:

What would not worry you? Not at all. Very morbid. I don't like the

sound of that. Bury eerie. It is part of life, you live, you die, it

does not bother me at all. A number of neighbouring properties overlook

the backyard of the building. The Co-op wants to use it as a chapel

of rest. I enjoy my roof garden, it has been here 15 years. I could be

sat here at any time and I could see a body come in there. I don't

want to see it. Why should I? city council rejected the Co-op's

first application to use the building in another area of

Portsmouth as a chapel of rest but the company is now appealing. The

Co-op says it will be used 40 or 50 times a year, with vehicles

collecting coffins reversing right up to the back of the building.

What we're trying to do is give the opportunity for local people to

have a local chapel of rest in their time of need. The city

council will make a decision on whether to allow the Co-op to open

a chapel of rest on Fairbrother first. -- on February 1st.

A fire has damaged an industrial dry-cleaners in Dr near Southampton.

60 firefighters tackled the blaze on the Calmore Industrial Estate

overnight. They stopped the fire spreading to neighbouring units.

The fire was spotted in the early hours.

Building work at a new intensive care unit for babies born to see

court to soon began at Salisbury District Hospital today. It will

provide accommodation for mums and dads to stay with their babies. At

the moment they have to make daily trips to the hospital. It has cost

�4 million to build. Baby Brennan has been here for more

than three months. He weighed just over one lb when he was born at 26

weeks and was the same size as this cuddly toy. It is heart-wrenching

when you have to walk away and leave your baby when they are so

poorly. Just to be down the corridor from him would be

fantastic, you know. Jacob was born on Christmas Day but his parents

were not expecting him until the end of next month. They'll have

more than 30 miles away. It takes me about 45 minutes to travel in

every day. I stay all day and leave about five o'clock night every day.

This is the newest arrival. Jack was born last night. The unit sees

around 300 babies a year. On average they will stay here for

about one month. The problem is at the moment it is a very small move

-- it is a very small unit. If you have babies in, their families in,

and you need a baby who needs attention there is not the room and

we have to move furniture to get to a sick baby. Not all families can

be in at the same time. The new unit would be really four times the

size of the current one. It will still care for the same number of

babies but there will be birds for parents so they won't have to be

separated. Mothers and fathers bond better with their babies when they

haven't uninterrupted access to the baby, and the every round. We all

know, it is well-documented, that babies do better when they are with

their mother. These babies should be able to go home in the next few

weeks. They will never remember their time here but the level of

care is something their parents will never forget.

I am sure that new building can't come soon enough.

Tony Husband is here with the sport. We have some breeding ewes? Yes, I

was all set to talk about the ownership of Portsmouth and I will

do, but breaking news coming out of the Madjeski Stadium, literally in

the last 20 minutes. Reading have announced that owner Sir John

Madejski has reached an initial agreement which could lead to new

investment in Reading Football Club. The club say that a company called

Thames Sport Investment our discussions with Sir John, who

stresses that this statement that he is continuing as chairman. Sir

John Madjeski has been searching for investment for several years.

Last year the Royals posted losses of �5 million. Lots more on this on

BBC Radio Berkshire tomorrow, but the news is that Reading are in an

initial agreement over investment in the club. Portsmouth's finances

are in grave issue according to the administrator who is trying to find

a buyer for the Fratton Park club. Pompey have seen one potential

buyer drop out of the process after he could not agree terms with

Balram Chainrai. Wages are due to be paid at the end of this month.

The manager has 13 fit senior professionals to take to Cardiff

tomorrow. They have made one signing this week, Kelvin Etuhu.

Southampton could be knocked off the top of the Championship

tomorrow if they don't played -- as they do not play until Monday.

Ready will hope to maintain their promotion challenge when they

entertain Hoare. A big game, aside from tonight's news, with Reading

ahead of Hull on goal difference only. Biden travelled to Peter

Bower, aiming for a third cosseted victory -- Brighton. Almost fans

have been smiling at their surge up the table. -- Bournemouth. They can

narrow the gap on the play-off places with a win against Tranmere.

Lead to leaders Crawley have revealed they have had a bid for

striker James Constable rejected. They travelled to Aldershot.

London Irish will play their final game of the Heineken Cup this

weekend. They are on the rude -- road at Edinburgh. Their card

qualified for the next phase of competition after losing four of

their five group games. A You have been busy over the last few weeks,

making a special programme for Sunday teatime as a build-up to the

Olympics? We have chatted to people, in informal circumstances. We have

them away from their sports, seen them at home and tried to deliver

on Sunday night, bit more than just a spoke to -- just a sports

programme. As part of the Olympic Dreams series we have followed four

athletes from the south as they build up to the Olympics at

Paralympics. Two will feature in the programme on Sunday. Here is a

sneak preview. Rachel Cawthorne, one of the

world's leading Kiyan races. Her journey began in Guildford, where

she hopes to inspire a new generation. This is the river, just

here. Getting of rotation to reach all the way forward. I came here

one day in the summer and I hope to be back soon. I tried to get in

here, and then in a lot of times. Went out of the water she swaps her

paddles for knitting Needles and she loves Harry Potter. But the

Olympics are never far from her thoughts. I think it would be the

greatest achievement you could get within the sport, so to be able to

do a race that you feel you have put everything into it and come out

how you wanted it to, then that is really what I would like to do.

joined windsurfer Nick Dempsey on the golf course in Weymouth, a

disappointing World Championships in December means the pressure is

on to perform this summer. I am really in trouble here. It is the

biggest event of my life. Of all the British sailing team, for sure

it is on my mind when I wake up until when I go to bed and they

have to keep all the thoughts positive and I am really looking

forward to it, making sure I am training as hard as I can. There is

one person he can rely on for support, his wife and Olympic

medallist, Sarah. She is there to help me, making sure I do give 100%.

To have had their everyday is an asset. Do you pull rank on her

sometimes on say that's my goal? wife -- my wife pulls rank on me.

have to make him look good at golf. You can find out more on your BBC

local radio station next week, and Sunday at 5:00pm.

You will tell us that is the only bad shot that you played. It wasn't

me who chose to put it in, believe you me. Somebody was teasing you,

when they? Sarah is here with the weather for the weekend. Yes, a

grey one today. It has felt mild except for the wind. Very cold. The

wind is picking up through the weekend as well. A grey day and a

great night to come but have a look So great cut -- grey skies to come

tonight as well. Plenty more in the way of cloud. It is going to stay

mild but the winds really picking up to my turn through the weekend

as well. Overnight tonight, much as it has been today really. Quite to

the cast, some patchy, like rain and drizzle in the mix. It's a few

breaks to be had. Cloudy, breezy, temperatures at seven or eight

Celsius. The weekend, it is not looking too bad. Quite windy,

pretty good if you are heading out to do kite surfing perhaps.

Starting cloudy and damp but brightening up through the day on

Saturday and even more so on Sunday. Tomorrow morning first thing, grey,

damp and dull to start. The winds are picking up as we head through

the day, possibly gusting at around 30 or 40 miles an hour. The front

six southwards, bringing some slightly brighter conditions, drier

conditions to the north of our region. Coastal areas and the Isle

of Wight might hang on to some of the damp and grey conditions

through the day. Temperatures up to around 12 degrees earlier that day.

The brightness begins to arrive in the afternoon, temperatures

dropping away. Tomorrow night, very similar to tonight, quite a bit of

cloud, spots of drizzle on the wind. Temperatures holding out at five to

eight Celsius across the region. We start Sunday on a grey, damp note.

Once again you can see from the isobars it is going to be another

breezy day. Tightly-packed isobars mean the winds are really set to

pick up. For Sunday, a grey start, gradually seeing the cloud clearing

off to the south. Brighter conditions, possibly a better

prospect than Saturday. Here is the summary for the next few days.

Tomorrow, quite a grey day, particularly the further south you

are, by two breaks opening to the north. Sunday starts on a grey note,

becoming brighter later in the day. Later in the week, becoming

chillier. Turning unsettled by midweek falls -- midweek. If I had

to practise my golf I would get out. Why not. Golfers everywhere will be