23/01/2012 South Today

Welcome to South Today. Tonight... In court. The former Portsmouth

manager Harry Redknapp appears to face accusations of tax evasion.

The waiting game. 3,000 workers wonder what is next for BAE Systems

in Portsmouth. How low can it go? A winter drought causes concern

across the South. And what will it mean for the Royals, as Sir John

sells his controlling share to the Russians? For the club, the fans

and everybody at the club, this is Former Portsmouth manager Harry

Redknapp has appeared in court at the start of his trial for alleged

tax evasion. The court heard that during his time at the club, he

received almost $300,000, which he had no intention of declaring for

tax purposes. Mr Redknapp and former Portsmouth chairman Milan

Manderic deny charges of cheating the public revenue. Before we came

on air, I spoke to our correspondent James Pearce. I began

by asking him what happened in court. First of all this morning we

had the selection of the jury. They were told if they had football

prejudice which states said might affect their judgment and that they

must declare them. A Tottenham fan for example would have been ruled

out. Then at the prosecution started outlining the case,

explaining to the jury how they have accused Harry Redknapp of

going to Monaco and setting up a Mothercare bank account which he

did not declare for four years to the authorities. -- Monaco bank

account. They said it was named after his dog, Rose and 1947, the

year of his berth. We why was it set up? What the prosecution said

was that initially when he was at Portsmouth, he was Director Of

Football. As director, he was entitled to take 10% of the prophet

of any player transfers. But then he was manager. Then it was reduced

to 5%. The jury were told Peter Crouch had been bought for 1.25

million and sold for 4.5 million. But instead of the 5% share, it was

double that amount. The owner of Portsmouth had put a similar amount

of money, in dollars into the Monaco back account, the jury was

Harry Redknapp and Milan Manderic deny the charges and the trial

continues. A homeless man has been convicted of murdering a terminally

ill friend who gave him a place to stay. David Sole and his girlfriend

were living at Jon Ellison's flat in Brighton last April, when he was

found beaten to death. David Sole had blamed the murder on his

partner but today was sentenced to life imprisonment. His partner

Denise Antonia was sentenced to five years for assisting an

offender. Danielle Glavin has been following the case and joins us

from our Brighton studio. The victim Jon Ellison was vulnerable

man, wasn't he? He was very vulnerable. He lived in supported

housing in Brighton. He had carers checking on him. He was very

welcoming, the court was told. That they could come and stay and do

what they liked. David Sole and Denise Antonia stayed with him last

April and admit that he was in the -- a stake in the fact when he was

attacked. They had the murder weapon with them and Denise Antonia

later threw it away. They ended up in Winchester, where they were both

arrested. Denise Antonia told the police they had been a row that

night. She said David Sole had punched a in the pace and Jon

Ellison had tried to stop them and he got a bat and told him to leave

her alone. But David Sole, she said, lashed out. He said, allegedly, I

will finish him off but the jury did not believe that. What have the

family said? After the verdict, his brothers released a statement

saying that they had never understood his way of life. But

they kept in contact with him and that they were devastated when they

heard about his murder. They said he was a kind and gentle spirit and

that they wished in peace and eternal rest. Police had said it

had been heeded the court case to investigate but that they would

Trade unions and MPs are urging BAE systems to clarify the future of

its shipyard in Portsmouth. It follows the start of a review of

the company's operations. BAE employs around 1,500 people in its

Portsmouth shipyard - and another 1,500 in support and maintenance

roles in the naval dockyard. The company says no decisions have been

There have been a series of newspaper headlines about the

shipyard in Portsmouth, sparked by the appointment of external

consultants by the company to look at maritime operations. The company

has about 3,000 staff in Portsmouth. Half are busy constructing sections

of aircraft carriers and the rest maintain warships. Work on the

aircraft carriers will keep them busy until 2016. After that, the

company is expected to get orders for the new Type 26 frigates.

Confirmation is wanted as soon as possible for that work. They have

to come out and place these orders. The government needs to support

that and they need to bring out the security that the employees of the

dockyard are seeking. The company said decisions have not been made

about the future of the shipyard in Portsmouth and nobody from the

company has been available for interview. One local MP said she is

keeping a close watch on developments. We should be

concerned about it but not worried. I would want to Wishaw workers in

Portsmouth that this is the start of the consultation. -- reassured.

A lot of speculation is unfounded. They are at the start of the review.

The controversy included this situation in the dockyard when a

ship set sail for the Middle East. The planned deployment comes as

tensions continue to escalate about A 51 year-old man has appeared

before Weymouth magistrates after a fuel tanker crashed into his wife's

house which then caught fire. Hugh Billington, of no fixed abode, has

been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, assault by

beating and theft. The incident happened at Wool in Dorset on

Friday. His wife Christine escaped unhurt. He has been remanded in

custody and will appear at Dorchester Crown Court at the end

of January. A prison officer has described to a court the moments a

riot started at Ford Open Prison on New Year's Day last year. Seven men

are on trial accused of taking part in the disturbance. The jury has

heard that staff were threatened and buildings torched causing more

than �5 million of damage. The prison officer in charge described

how he and his colleagues were confronted by a group of inmates.

He said prisoners came out of billets to see in the new year and

that there was not a difficulty at first. Next, alarms went off and he

told the jury he had men making monkey noises. He said about 40

offenders emerged and they were masked and some were armed. There

were shouts of Kilby screws, let's do them. He said he felt vulnerable.

They jeered and threatened to kill officers. He said it was better to

walk away normally downturn had run away as that could have accelerated

the problems. Prison staff withdrew. They were just six on duty. Two

were prison officers and the rest support up as us. Within half an

hour, prisoners taking control of the prison ran a mark over the

course of 12 hours but some inmates tried to put out fires. It is the

prosecution case that there was tension in the air leading up to

the bright because prison staff had protested inmate or alcohol. Seven

men serving sentences are now on trial at Hove Crown Court. They are

charged with mutiny and violent disorder. All but one are accused

of arson. They all deny the charges. Apart from Thomas Reagan seen here,

who pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Another man, the Roberts,

Councils across the South have been announcing how much they intend to

put up council tax bills next year. Their budgets are under pressure

after cuts in the amount they receive from central government, so

will they pass that on to us, or try to find further savings? Our

Political Editor Peter Henley is with me. This year we had a freeze

in bills, how does it look for next year? Let's wind the clock back a

little bit. We've gone from routine increases in bills of 10% in 2003/4

- which caused such annoyance that central government stepped in with

capping and then offering extra money if they kept rises down which

led to a freeze last year - but now the drastic cuts in all sorts of

grants means some councils are considering rises rather than cut

services. Then the government came in with capping and so on. One

place where it looks like that might happen is Brighton. This is

the first council with the Green Party in charge. Unions like that

but Labour and the Conservatives do not agree. What do people think? We

took a councillor in charge to find out. We are asking for 3.5 %.

is not much, really. We have got other things going up and we do not

get paid any more. That is not the worst. No, not really. It is still

out of order. You do not listen anyway. A cave. All right. We are

trying to survive as a business and an individual at a difficult time.

You wonder what they are spending the money on hand it is not

particularly clear. That is a difficulty. We have published the

most detailed budget information ever but unless you have got the

time had interest... Will any other bills rise as much as Brighton?

do not think so. I will think that they will be the biggest. This is a

complicated system. I think Reading will be freezing. A lot of

Conservative authorities are freezing as well. Some charges are

going up. �60 for green waste collection. Everybody will have to

consult next year and we could have The former Conservative member of

parliament, David Atkinson, has died from cancer. He represented

Bournemouth East at Westminster for twenty eight years between 1977 and

2005. Before his parliamentary career, he was a director of his

family's car sales business and was the national chairman of the young

conservatives. It's been a dry autumn and the few days of rain

we've had so far this winter haven't been enough. Many areas in

the South are experiencing drought conditions, usually associated with

a long hot summer. Some rivers and reservoirs are at an all-time low

and one fishing club is so concerned it's considering its

future. For more than 30 years, Terry has fished at the Andover

Angling Club. But lack of rain is causing problems. The weather that

normally feeds the pond is running late. Consequently it would get

very low and the oxygen would be depleted. It cannot then sustain

light. The Environment Agency would on an emergency basis take the fish

out. At the moment it is about 4 ft down on what it should be. It is

normally up to the top here. across the South. -- water

authorities are hoping for rain and are asking for customers to do

their bit. We are asking people to conserve water and use it wisely.

We are asking customers to do a bit as well. Think about how you use

water. Take a shorter shower. News 10 litres. Turn the tap off when

you brush your teeth. Every bit helps. We have got to share around.

If the dry conditions continue, preparations have been made to move

the fish from the Andover lake. Witney fish taken out, there is not

any reason for people to join an angling club. -- with fish taken

out. We want if we can to sustain this all-star we want to sustain it

And you can see more on Inside Out 16-year-old Beth Hutchinson calmly

called 999 when her mother had a brain aneurysm. She has been

recognised for her calm actions. I did not think about anything else.

I thought, something is wrong, I need to do something. I was the

only one in the house. It had to be me that saved her life. I did not

think it would be saving her life until we got to the hospital.

come: There is a busy weekend of sport and we have the weather

forecast. It will be dry and sunny this week. But there will also be

wet and windy days. We are speaking to Sir John Madejski on his hopes

for the future of Reading Football Club.

The broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has been appointed as the new

Chancellor of Portsmouth University. Comedian, author and a presenter

will take up the post in October. She succeeds the actor and author

Sheila Hancock who is coming to the end of her five year term.

It should be the busiest time of year for them but guest home owners

in Weymouth are complaining their bookings for the Olympic period are

significantly down. They say transport restrictions and

expectations of big crowds are keeping traditional holidaymakers

away. Dave Price owns the Molyneux. He has kept charges the same as

last year but he fears tourists may not fear -- when a flock to the

seaside town. Cold and quiet. The trouble is, guest house owners are

worried it will be carried -- quiet in the middle of summer. The

Molyneux reckons there bookings for the Olympic period are half of what

they normally L4 stop the other 40 guesthouses in the association are

reporting similar falls. There is a big misconception in the public

that all the hotels and restaurants in Weymouth are going to make a

fortune. He is the summer holidays, it is peak season. If these

establishments do not make the money during that period, they will

be in trouble. We have seen a number of guesthouses go. But the

Olympic organisers are unsympathetic, saying many hotels

in the area a her are actually very busy, with bookings was a bully for

the Olympics. They say instead of worrying about additional visitors,

the guesthouses should target the Olympic tourists instead. Perhaps

they are used to taking bookings for five days. I would suggest

people coming to the Olympic Games will want to come to stay overnight

or for two nights. Been is a different market. I would suggest

looking at the offer. -- it is a different market. During the

Olympics, this road will be closed to traffic for 12 hours a day. This

has also prompted complaints. The guesthouse owners are worried about

access for their customers. But special arrangements can be made if

necessary. Traditional Dorset varieties of

apple trees are being reintroduced by the National Trust. Over the

weekend, volunteers have been helping to planned 40 trees. The

project is being funded by donations from people who have paid

to dedicate some of the trees in memory of loved ones. The nice part

of it is, the families, through their donations, have paid for all

of this as a community project. They put the trees in and you end

up with a really nice area, especially when you drive into the

village. Now the sport. Let us start with

the Royals. A bit of a change on the way. The end of an era. It has

been a long search by Sir John Madejski, looking to find somebody

to invest in the club. He says he has got the right deal. He told us

he is confident the club can prosper with a new majority owner.

Thames Sports Investment, founded by a Russian businessman, is said

to live up to its name and invest money this month to strengthen the

Royals team. It is a symbolic moment of change after more than

two decades in which one man has built Reading from the bottom up.

Sir John Madejski has been patient in waiting for the right buyer for

Reading Football Club. He believes he has found him. I believe we have

a fantastic partnership which can really take Reading further to the

promised land and stay there. For Reading Football Club, for the fans

and indeed everybody at the Football Club, this is the dream

ticket. After 21 years, the change brought homes -- trepidation and

praise alike. The chairman, he is happy with the deal, he has said it

is right. I am a bit worried about being taken over by a rich Russian

but what can you do? It is an ambition to get into the Premier

League. You have to change. A bit of investment, we should be up

there soon. Sir John Madejski is at pains to point out no deal is

finalised. He is keen to point out the Russian made his fortune in

paper manufacturing and speaks for himself. A until it is a deal, I do

not think he wants people to know much about him. The time to

celebrate, with time to get enthusiastic. A smooth transition

is planned. Sir John Madejski stays imposed until 2013. Company that

will be in charge. They are coming in and they will strengthen the

squad. -- Thames Sports Investment. I think the most important people

who are the fans and I think it is very important the fans get behind

ready now. If Thames Sports Investment said no changes would be

made to management. This is a sale that seems likely to cross the

finishing line. Lead us talk to the former Reading

captain. A big weekend of change. massive weekend. Is just the

prelude to change. It is Sir John Madejski announcing the people he

was looking for. People with deep pockets that can take the club

forward. He has a particularly good relationship with the players.

wants to know what is going on. He wants to know what is in their

minds. Players are vital. They talk to him all the time. They made sure

his club is run the way they wanted to be done. I can't help thinking,

is there an element of sadness with him wanting to do this? I think

there will be. He has been there for so long. If you look at Elm

Park, where we came from, the stadium with his name on it, it is

a beautiful place. I think 20 hands over the keys, as it were, there

will be a tear in his eye. -- I think when he hands over their keys.

That will bring pressure. How do you think players will think about

it? Reading have been renowned for doing things under the radar. They

do not shout about things from the rooftops. They just go on with it.

Brian McDermott is the perfect person to take the transition in

hand. He will reveal achy signing that will bolster the squad. -- a

key signing. Sir John Madejski will not do anything that is not

sustainable. Fans do not want to say anything that is not safe or

prudent -- do not want to see anything. People build on the

foundations he has in place. A new owner is exactly what

Portsmouth are looking for. They are facing a winding-up petition

after confirming they have failed to meet two tax bills. On the field,

they suffered a late defeat on Saturday but there were wins for

Brighton and Bournemouth. Here are some of the weekend highlights.

Brighton were visitors. The home side equalised in the second half.

Goals were scored a second -- a couple of minutes before the

whistle. It is magnificent we won the game. You have to look at the

Games home and away. We were prepared. We have the same way of

playing, we do not change. goals came thick and fast at

Cardiff. Bombie replied with two that either side of half-time to

recover from an early 1-0 deficit. They could not maintain that

deficit. They scored an injury-time winner. A disappointing result for

Reading who suffered their first home defeat since November at a

hands of Hull. In League One, Bournemouth came from behind to

scored twice against visitors Tranmere. The Gerry's going to a

place. We came back from one a nail down again. -- the cherries. They

did the job. They lead to our teams both took points from draws.

Crawley Town succumbed to an equaliser.

Southampton can go back to the top of the Championship. In his Saints

against Leicester this evening. It is live on BBC Radio Solent from

7:05pm. There are extended highlights on tonight's Late Kick

Off. That is all on BBC One. You were talking about it being

cold and warm. Driving back down south this afternoon, temperatures

five degrees. I aborted telescope at the weekend. I spent three hours

trying to set the up. Could I see anything? No. -- I bought a

telescope. Lesley Dainton captured sheep

grazing under cloudy skies at Hooksway near Harting Down in West

Sussex. Jonno Hewitt was cycling through

the New Forest this afternoon and captured a great shot of two New

Forest ponies. It looks like he has got a tiny course on his back! --

course. And David Healey photographed a red

squirrel in the sunshine in his back garden at Wootton Bridge on

the Isle of Wight. We have had some showers and there is a chance of

fog. You may get ice patches are through the early hours of the

morning. Temperatures will plunge to single figures. There could be a

touch of frost. Temperatures will dip to one degrees. Ice is a risk.

We will have more cloud tomorrow morning. At the rain will affect

all of us through the day tomorrow. It will clear in western areas by

tomorrow afternoon. You will see a wintry shower. Once the rain clears,

it will be a lot milder. Cooler temperatures during the morning. It

will warm up during the afternoon. The rain will clear in the early

hours of Tuesday morning. A lot of cloud around. Patchy drizzle of a

possibility. Lows of eight degrees. You can see these temperatures are

very similar to tomorrow's daytime temperatures. A not my to come

tomorrow night. Then it will turn unsettled on Wednesday. -- a mild

night. There will be a bright start for some of us on Wednesday. The

rain will come through later on Wednesday. That clears off on

Thursday and follow it there will be sunny spells with the odd

scattered heavy shower. High pressure will build in from the

Atlantic on Friday. It will be dry and settled although the nights

will be frosted. To start this week, it will be cloudy with rain at

times, mild for the time of year. Temperatures will be in double

figures. By the end of the week, sunny, dry with frosty nights. Here

is the summary. There is a lot of rain about. They could be heavy in