10/09/2013 South Today

Accusations of lack of care as an inquest begins into the death of

this woman and 18 others. Acquitted of arson, three children

started a fire in a playpark. She died from sudden death syndrome.

Now her family is organising hard checkups for young people in her

memory. And pillar to post, but who is

responsible for this special delivery?

I have seen people put things in it. A hearing into the deaths of 19

elderly residents at a care home in West Sussex has heard allegations of

neglect. The inquest was told that one resident of the Orchid View home

in Copthorne was given too much of one drug, while another resident

didn't get important medication. Sussex Police investigated some

staff at the home but no action was taken. Mark Sanders is in our

Portsmouth studio and can tell us more. A large number of people's

deaths are being looked at this in inquest, aren't they? 19 in all. And

all 19 were residents at the Orchid View care Home in Copthorne in West

Sussex which closed in 2011. You can see their names listed here. The

deaths of 13 residents aged between 77 and 95 will be examined in

detail. Six other deaths will also be reviewed at the end of the

hearing. All of them died in the space of 21 months. One of the

significant things is that the care home was at the centre of a police

investigation looking at allegations of neglect but no—one was ever

charged with any crime. What evidence did the inquest hear today?

The inquest heard from the family of Jean Halfpenny. She died in May 2010

from a stroke. She was a resident of Orchid View. Her daughter Louise

Halfpenny told the inquest in the weeks before her death her mother

had been given three times her usual dose of the drug Warfarin. She also

said, "If I had known what the conditions at Orchid View were going

to be, I would never had placed her in there." She went on, "There was a

lack of management, a lack of staff. The carers who looked after my mum

were very good, but they didn't have enough time to care for my mum." In

other evidence, the coroner heard that another resident was not given

his three doses of insulin he needed each day. Also the food budget at

the home was cut and that carers paid for residents' food out of

their own pocket for two months. You mentioned a police investigation

earlier, what more can you tell us about that? Well, two people were

arrested by police on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence of

resident Jean Halfpenny. But no charges were brought. Sussex Police

said there was insufficient evidence to justify prosecution. Three other

workers at the home were arrested over allegations of neglect, but

again they were never charged. It's important to remember that an

inquest is not a trial and we're expecting this inquest to last about

three weeks. Three young boys have been cleared

of arson after they started a fire at a play park near Chichester,

causing more than £30,000 worth of damage. A large wooden galleon, part

of a recently completed multi million pound refurbishment of the

East Beach park in Selsey, was destroyed. The boys, one aged ten,

and two aged 11, admitted setting fire to a ball of toilet paper but

said they never intended to burn the equipment. Jo Kent reports.

The pilot galleon has since been replaced with a new Mac identical

version. —— and you identical version. It was the afternoon of

Halloween when they decided to set their fire. They took Tyler paper

from the public toilets and set a bowl of tissue on fire in a space

underneath the pilot ship. What happened next could not have been

expected. The pair 's —— the paper said Mike quickly to the material on

the ground. The boys ran away quickly. The ship was engulfed in a

matter of seconds. We were devastated. It had only just been

installed. The park had to stay closed for over six months

afterwards. All the children bussed over. The boys said they never

intended to damage the ship. An expert report found that the floor

surface was so flammable it had an inherent danger. As far as we were

concerned, it is totally fire retardant and we had certificates to

show that. I think there manufactured will be very surprised

at this report. The verdict was clicked and unanimous, not guilty.

The chairman of the bench told the young boys that because of their

age, they could not have foreseen the consequences. He said that they

hoped they would not play with fire again. An inquest has heard how two

soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman in a so—called insider

attack last autumn. Corporal David O'Connor from Havant was among a

group of Royal Marines who were escorting Army medic Corporal

Channing Day in Helmand when they came under fire as they passed a

checkpoint. The families of both soldiers were at the inquest from

where Seb Choudhury sent this report.

Army medic Corporal Channing Day and Corporal David O'Connor were out on

foot patrol in Helmand province when they were killed last October.

Corporal Channing Day was going to an Afghan base to teach people their

first aid. Initial reports said that they were killed in a friendly fire

incident, but later investigations found that it was an insider attack.

A green on blue incident where Afghans turn on international

security forces. Now, the coroner has already said here today that it

is not to apportion blame, this inquest, but to find out exactly

what happened. Royal Marines and soldiers out on patrol that day met

up with an Afghan who was known to them he asked to join the patrol but

was told no. He later shot dead the two soldiers. Both soldiers were

killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest. It has been a very hard

day. We were very proud of her and what she had achieved in her short

life. It is just such a loss. For both families. The coroner delivered

his conclusion, saying this was an unlawful killing and one that

claimed the lives of two soldiers who had been described as

exceptional. Two Dorset farmers say they feel let

down by authorities after rubbish was dumped on their land. One of

them carried out his own investigation.

In Hardy Country, a hearty mess. This rubbish was illegally dumped on

fields near Milton Abbas in Dorset around a fortnight ago. The farmer

reported it to the police but was told they were powerless to

investigate as fly—tipping is a civil matter. There are various

government agencies that seem to overlap and you're meant to report

it to all of them but they all seem to be quite happy to issue the

incident number and hope somebody else does something about it. Dorset

Council says more than 2,000 fly—tipping incidents are reported

to it each year and it only has resources to deal with waste on

public land. Police in the county say they can only get involved if

the rubbish causes a local danger. The Environment Agency does

occasionally investigate, but only in certain circumstances. If it's a

large load of waste, more than a tip load, ot if there's evidence of

organised or criminal activity, and similarly if it's hazardous waste,

something like asbestos, then the Environment Agency will get involved

and investigate. Calum Sutherland farms near

Sturminster Newton and also had waste dumped on his land last month.

He investigated, tracked down the culprit and made them clear up

rubbish. He thinks the authorities should have worked with him more

closely. This could have deterred future fly tipping. If we don't do

something about it, it's going to be a huge problem in the future.

Farmers in Dorset see it has been a tough couple of years for the

industry and that fly tipping is just one more unneeded cost.

Still to come in this evening's South Today. The story of the plant

hunters who helped create the magnificent Exbury Gardens.

Anti—fracking campaigners in Balkan have ignored orders to leave. Sussex

police have made six more arrests today. Campaigners say that drilling

is unsafe. 22—year—old Claire Reed, from Hampshire, died in March after

collapsing at a friend's hen party. She had a condition known as sudden

death syndrome. Previously undetected heart conditions kill an

estimated 12 young people every week. Today, Claire's family

organised a special heart screening session, paid for in her memory. Ed

Sherry reports. It is a simple ECG that costs just

£35. As this cardiologist explains, it can diagnose potential serious

problems. What tends to happens in these conditions is death is caused

by the heart suddenly going into very rapid rhythm. It starts beating

so quickly that it cannot sustain cardiac output. Rather than

contracting in a synchronised fashion, it starts to flutter around

and nothing gets out to the body and the brain. But this test isn't

available on the NHS. Today, 100 aged between 14 and 35 attended the

session in Eastleigh that was organised and paid for by the fund

raising efforts of Claire Reed's family. I think she would be very

proud. Among those tested were friends and family, including her

cousins Michael and Melanie Hunter. I think other people need to get

tested because it catches families by surprise and the awareness is

getting higher. The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young regularly run

similar screening sessions around the country. I think they would have

been terribly proud of all the people that have donated. The family

have also met with the health minister who's promised to look at

whether it is possible to offer screening to all young people.

Let's move on to sport. A big game for Ricky Lambert tonight.

It would be nice if England could get a win. Lambert will start again

for Roy Hodgson's men. So far, it's two caps and two goals for Lambert

who scored with his first touch against Scotland and again in

Friday's qualifier against Moldova. He also set up a goal for the

suspended Danny Welbeck. Do you know a player called Ricky Lambert? No.

Who are your favourite players in the England team? Frank Lampard.

Steven Gerrard. What about linking up —— Ricky Lambert? Does he play

for Norwich? Norwich! Definitely Southampton. Good luck to

them. If it's a big night for England's

men, it's an important time in the women's game, too. England flopped

at the European Championships in Sweden this summer, but will kick

off their World Cup qualifying campaign with two games in the

region later this month. Today, two of the team were coaching youngsters

from Dorset down at the Goldsands. A captive audience for two stars of

woman's football. Kelly Smith and Steph Houghton are getting used to

the sort of attention as exposure to the game grows. It is crucial that

you interact with communities so can inspire the next generation. The

pair were helping coach youngsters at this school, among them young

girls who are budding footballers. We have been practising dribbling,

in pairs. I think it is quite good that we are here and there are

people here from England's ladies. The opportunities that I had when I

was a girl was nothing compared with what the girls get now. Women's

football is on the television and they get the chance to go to

international games. Kelly and Steph were helping to promote the first of

two World Cup qualifiers in the south later this month. The first is

Belarus in Bournemouth and then in Portsmouth against Turkey. World Cup

qualifiers are always hard. Ultimately, the aim is to win.

England's women had a disappointing summer, crashing out of the

championships and the manager Hope Powell sacked in the aftermath. We

should have performed a little bit better. We are looking forward to

the new campaign though. And that campaign begins live here on BBC One

on Saturday 21st September. BBC Three has live coverage Turkey game

from Portsmouth on Thursday 26th. Poole Pirates kept their play off

hopes alive last night with a victory in tough conditions at Belle

Vue. A bit of work to overhaul the track. Paul established a lead

again. —— Poole. The search is on for this year's BBC

South Sports Unsung hero. It's your chance to nominate either an

individual or a pair who have gone the extra mile to make a difference

in a sporting community.This is the 10th year of the award, the winner

or winners go into the running for the full national award at the BBC

Sports Personality of the year show in December. For more details go

online to bbc.co.uk/unsunghero where you can download a nomination. If

you don't have internet access, there is a phone number you can ring

to have one posted. It's 0845 308 8000.

It is always very good. Cedar of Lebanon, Rhododendrons and

Azaleas are all varieties of plants and trees that have been imported

into the South. Air travel has made it easy but in

the past, great expeditions were mounted to get the rare and unusual.

We have invited Andy McIndoe, Radio Solent's gardening expert to take us

on a tour of the south's exotic flora each Tuesday for the rest of

September. He begins his journey in Exbury gardens.

Exbury was built in 1726 and covers over 200 acres. Country estates in

the 18th century were all about the vistas. This remarkable Cedar of

Lebanon was planted in 1729. That's nearly 300 years old. Can you

imagine, you know, the people that planted this tree would never have

seen it looking anything like this. Lionel de Rothschild bought the

estate in 1919 and began collecting on a global scale, employing some of

the world's most renowned plant hunters, including George Forrest

and Frank Kingdom Ward. He was summoned and said, rather

pathetically, but it's my wedding day today. And he said, get married

and them come straight down and you can go on honeymoon tomorrow. I need

you now! He built an arboretum on the top end and in order to make the

hole for the tree, they didn't have mechanical diggers in those days,

they put a stick of dynamite in and boom! And popped in the tree.

Simple, really. Grandfather would make copious and detailed notes

about where he would plant his plants. He knew the garden

intimately — this area is dry, this area has got more clay, this area

has got more gravel. If a plant wasn't thriving in one place, he'd

up and he'd move it to another place to try and get it right.

Many of the plants found by the plant hunters can be seen here at

Exbury in the gardens. They include original rhododendrom specimens

brought back by Frank Kingdom Ward and a pink lotus tree brought back

by George Forrest. Plant hunting is a tradition that

continues today with head gardener George Amberson taking an expedition

to India in 2010 to collect seed which has since been propagated

ready for introduction into the gardens. Almost a sub tropical

region, we saw this growing by the gravel track. We took a couple of

seeds and here we are, a few years later, in flower. That would be a

really good garden plant. It could be. We have to try them outside, to

harden them off. Get them out, go through a couple of hard winters and

make sure that they are hardy enough.

It's great to see that the Exbury tradition of collecting and

preserving plants continues today. Who knows? Maybe this little plant

will be in all of our gardens in a few years.

Andy McIndoe who'll be back with another report next Tuesday. And you

can hear more about the tradition of plant hunting at Exbury on BBC Radio

Solent's gardening show The Good Life this Sunday from 12.

Under the weather. We are going day by day.

A bit of a mixed bag again today. Some lovely sunny skies, but some

rain as well. For western parts, a clear spell,

patchy rain in the East. As we go through the early hours, we start to

see that patchy rain spreading east. We are expecting clear spells here,

overnight temperatures of ten or 11 degrees. The pressure chart tells

the story quite nicely for the coming day. Some wet weather

arriving, further outbreaks of rain on Friday and the weekend as well.

Through the course of Wednesday, a pretty decent start, Chile but good

brightness first thing. Cloud thickening. That band of rain

continues on its journey Southeast words. Becoming drier and I'll make

the temperatures of 12 or 13. On Thursday, perhaps starting on angry

and damp note, but drier intervals developing before we see further

outbreaks of damp and drizzling conditions. On Friday, it looks like

we do have those outbreaks of rain in store. For the weekend, we do

have some events coming up. Similar conditions for Portsmouth.

And for the launch of the cycling Festival, cloudy conditions with

outbreaks of light, patchy rain. The summary for the coming days.

Tomorrow, starting on a decent note that the brain arriving later. A

bright start on Thursday, further rain for Friday.

Lovely, thank you. Think back one year. We want your

help on this story. Do you remember those gold postboxes that we had for

the Olympic medal winners? They were in recognition of the

athletes achievements. We found another post box where you

need special abilities to make use of it. It is a bit colour, but in an

unusual location. It is not on the banks of the

Thames, in midstream on one of the bridge supports.

Dear Sally, lovely day on the Thames, wish you were here. All we

need now is a post box. I don't believe it. It is definitely a

talking point. People are always asking about it. I took some

photographs of the post box. I was thinking of sending the photographs

to one of these Waterway magazines. It is unusual. It is something of a

mystery. If you want to find out what is going on on the River, come

to one of the Lock keepers. What do you know about this post box? Not a

lot other than it suddenly appeared in late April. Have people been

asking you about it? Absolutely, and I have not got a clue. I know

nothing about it other than it is there. Was that a postman? He will

know. We are looking into it, but we are stumped as well. You have not

been enter collect anything? I have managed to get a lift on a boat and

we are going to try and see if we can use this post box. I think you

have seen it up close. Yes, we were coming up with when we saw it. We

could not believe it. We will give it a try to see if we can get a

postcard in there. This is as close as we are going to

get. With a helping hand, we can probably pop listen and get the card

on its way back to you. —— pop this in.

Extraordinary. It is quite interesting. Some people think it is

touring theatre company who left it there. Others think it may have been

on the side of a local house and the front plate has been stuck on the.

It has got us thinking. What about unusual locations for postboxes?

What about here? And this one. I'm sure I spotted it there.

Do let us know if you know of any. Before we go just a quick word about

something special in tomorrow night's programme. Engineers working

on a radical new flood defence scheme at Selsey in West Sussex have

started to breach the giant shingle bank there which has held the sea at

bay for hundreds of years. We'll be there as the sea starts to come in

in what they're calling the biggest coastal realignment in modern

British history. Make sure you are with us tomorrow

night. Let us know if you know about that post box. Good night.