12/12/2013 South Today

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

A 26`year` old children's social worker jailed for possessing and

distributing thousands of indecent images of children.

Remembering the victims of the Clapham Rail crash 25 years on. I

have not travelled on a railway since then and I have no intention

of doing so. It has affected you that much? Yes.

It's a 'no' for a boarding school for city children in the South Downs

National Park. And a barnstorming performance for

one school's nativity play. It was really great and I hope the TV

watchers at home are going to watch this.

A social worker employed by two city councils in the south to help

protect vulnerable youngsters has been jailed for possessing and

distributing thousands of indecent images of children. Mudassar Khan,

who's 26 and from Reading, had contact with at risk children as

part of his social work duties in Southampton and in Portsmouth. The

FBI in the United States was involved in the case. Steve Humphrey

reports. Hampshire police began an enquiry

into social worker Mudassar Khan after his e`mail address was used to

post indecent images of children Internet site. Great matches to

police also provided evidence that he was in contact with a registered

sex offender. The peer disc guest travelling to Eastern Europe to

engage in child exploitation. With the assistance of the FBI,

detectives built up a history of his Internet use. He pleaded guilty to a

total of 17 charges involving the distribution and possession of over

6000 indecent images of children. The judge said it was a very serious

breach of trust. She said as a social worker involved in child

protection Mr Khan had a clear understanding of the damage that

exploitation causes the children. Mudassar Khan worked for Southampton

City Council between April 2009 and January 2011. The council says a

series of checks were made before he was employed. There is no record of

any disciplinary actions or warnings during his employment. The police

have confirmed there is no evidence that any children with placed at

risk. Mr Khan also worked as a social worker in Portsmouth for 11

months. All social care agencies are required to follow robust

procedures. We are not aware of any concerns about Mr Khan's behavioural

whilst in Portsmouth. And it is no suggestion that any of the

youngsters he had dealings with other social worker appeared in any

of the indecent images he possessed. His barrister told

Woodchester Crown Court her client was full of remorse. Mudassar Khan

stood with his head bowed as the judge sentenced him to two years and

eight months in prison. An ambitious project to set up a

state boarding school for inner`city pupils in the West Sussex

countryside appears to be at an end. The South Downs National Park

Authority today refused to give planning permission for a school to

teach 350 teenagers from London. It had been a controversial scheme from

the outset, opposed by many residents in the Midhurst area. The

organisation behind the plan says it won't give up. Sean Killick reports.

This academy already teaches primary school children in inner London. The

Education Secretary is enthusiastic about its work. He backed its plan

for a state boarding school the teenagers here in the South Downs

National Park. On Monday mornings, 3007513 to 16`year`olds would be

best from Lambeth to this site. But many residents said it was obtrusive

and would cause traffic problems. The National Audit Office also

questioned the way in which the government pledged ?70 million to

the scheme. The South Downs National Park authority said it was

sympathetic but today members turned down the plan. The concerns were in

some ways about the impact on the listed building itself and also on

the landscape and the views which would be impacted by the

development. After the vote, opponents and supporters gave their

reaction. I reject any claim of NIMBY `ism. We want this site to be

used. We were happy for it to be used as a school if the chance for

the arrangements were appropriate. This was a really important

initiative and if we don't face it we will just downwards in the

educational ladder and that will be a greediest of judgement. The

Academy called the decision disappointing. It seems certain to

appeal. Several air ambulance services in

the South have had their helicopters grounded temporarily because of

safety concerns. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, along

with the Thames Valley and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulances

operate the same type of helicopter that crashed in Glasgow. Bond

Aviation, which leases them to many air ambulance trusts, stopped flying

them after a fault was discovered on the Northwest Air Ambulance.

Southampton's coroner office has confirmed the identity of a

28`year`old man who died after entering a lake in Eastleigh. Austin

Clark was pulled from the water by specialist rescue teams who were

called to the scene at Lakeside Country Park on Monday. He was taken

to hospital but later died. An inquest into his death will be held

in February. Hampshire Police have issued an

urgent public health alert after a man died after drinking a bottle of

juice, which turned out to contain a lethal amount of cocaine. Joromie

Lewis, who lived in Gosport, fell ill immediately after drinking

so`called "Pear D". It came from the Caribbean and police are asking

anyone who may have a bottle to hand it in. Chrissy Sturt is here with

me. What do we know about what happened? Well, what we know is that

Joromie Lewis became ill immediately after drinking this pear juice. He

died within hours at Southampton General. This is what the drink

looks like. It's a fizzy drink, the brand is Cole Cold and it's

manufactured in the Caribbean, where it's very popular. It's not thought

to have been exported directly to the UK. And police have made it very

clear he thought he was drinking a normal drink. So, what tests have

been done? Well, a postmortem was carried out but that proved

inconclusive. But yesterday, police received lab tests on the liquid

that threw up the high dose of cocaine. This has triggered the

involvement of the Food Standards Agency who've issued a health alert

and asked retailers to withdraw the product from their shelves. However,

police are saying this was likely to be a "rogue bottle" from a

consignment of drugs stored in plastic juice bottles. And what do

we know about Joromie? Well, his family have just released a

statement. They say he was originally from St Vincent and the

Grenadines, and went on to join the Royal Navy. They describe him as "a

devoted family`oriented man with a selfless attitude to help others,

and always knew the right words and advice to give. His exemplary

conduct and actions touched the lives and hearts of many".

40 firefighters were needed last night to control a blaze at a

property in Worthing. A neighbour in Salisbury Road raised the alarm at

8:30pm. It is believed the fire started in the first floor flat.

No`one was hurt. Police are now working with the fire service to

investigate the cause. A ?400 million plan to revamp a

large area of Reading town centre has been approved. The Station Hill

project includes new apartments, offices, shops and restaurants.

Demolition of the existing buildings could start next year.

The leader of Wiltshire Council is defending a 22% increase in her

allowances, saying she's going to take the extra money. It comes a

month after a petition was started, calling for Jane Scott's resignation

after councillors voted in favour of the rise for cabinet members. Mrs

Scott now receives ?52,000 a year to do her job, but says it's about

attracting the right people to do it in the future.

Still to come in this evening's South Today: All wrapped up.

Submarine knitters give HMS Alliance the woolly treatment.

Memorial services have been held to mark the 25th anniversary of the

Clapham rail disaster, in which 35 people died and almost 500 were

injured. A crowded commuter train from Poole ran into the back of a

train from Basingstoke at the height of the morning rush hour. A third

train then collided with the wreckage. Our transport

correspondent, Paul Clifton, reports.

A quiet sombre gathering for a short service. So long as we live, they

too shallow. The memorial stands above the deep cutting, where one of

Britain's worst railway crashes happened at 12 minutes past eight on

the 12th of December 1988. It was show shocking `` so shocking. I did

not know I was hurt. Sometimes it is helpful and sometimes not. In the

wreckage it took hours to rescue the survivors. Some of them were badly

injured. Among those who died was Alison McGregor from Dorset. We

never found out until the next day what happened. It was about

agonising. I shall never forget it. I find it horrendous to think that

other people have also suffered. It still hurts. I have not travelled on

a railway since then and I have no intention to. The collision was

caused by a signal failure due to a wiring fault. The technician

responsible had worked seven days a week for the previous 13 weeks. An

enquiry made 93 recommendations, many of which improved railway

safety standards. But these old trains with poor crash protection

continued to be used for the next 15 years. The enquiry said that

commercial considerations should never be allowed to take precedence

over safety and there are many who feel that has never been fully

respected. I suppose justice was done in the eyes of those who sat at

tables pontificating about it. They had to be an end to the story so

that was the ending. We would have liked more clarity. Today the

railway has a better safety record than ever before. It is the best in

Europe. Paul is with me now. You were at the

site of the crash yourself 25 years ago. Do you think it changed the

railway's attitude towards safety? I was there an hour after the crash as

a young radio reporter. Many of the 93 recommendations from the inquiry

inspector were about changing working practices and introducing

risk assessments. They have made the railway a safer place. No train

passenger has died in a rail incident in the last six years and

that's a record. But there have been times, following privatisation, when

I am sure that commercial considerations were put before

safety. After this morning's service, Network Rail was robust in

defending its more recent safety record. There has been an awful lot

of change since the tragedy. With the signal system and the training

of our staff. It is now the safest railway in Europe by any measure.

But we are not complacent about that. There is more we want to do.

But Clapham led, eventually, to a change in the law? This was a

preventable crash, caused by a failure of infrastructure, a failure

of maintenance and a failure of management. But there was no

mechanism for British Rail as a whole to be prosecuted. No`one was

held accountable for the deaths. The Law Commission cited this as a

reason for a new law on corporate manslaughter. It took 19 years after

the crash, 2007, for that law to come in. But now any organisation

can be charged with manslaughter if it can be proved that a death was

caused by its failure in a duty of care, which is exactly what happened

at Clapham. The Government published new league

tables for primary schools today and it made grim reading for parents and

education chiefs in Poole, revealed as the worst performing local

authority in England. The tables are based on reading, writing and maths

results taken by pupils before they move to secondary school. Across the

country, 75% of pupils reached the expected Level four. In Poole, the

figure was 63% and they were one of the few places to record a decrease.

The Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Reading also had disappointing

results. Top of the class was Wokingham which got 81%. In a

moment, we'll be asking what's gone wrong in Poole. First, here are the

views of parents from one school in the town. Quite disappointed because

we really do like this school and it's a good school. The boys

enjoying going to the school. `` the boys enjoy. I am disappointed but he

seems to be doing very well. I am disappointed but it is only one

snapshot in time. My kids have done wonderful at this school. Meissen

has just passed the grammar test and the teachers care about the

children. I have not got a bad word to say about the school.

No officer or Cabinet member from Poole Borough Council was available

for an interview today but the authority did release a statement.

It said many of its primary schools were rated good or outstanding and

today's tables were very disappointing. The statement said

Poole is a small authority, so that if one or two of our schools do not

do as well as they had predicted, it has a huge impact on our overall

results. The leader of the opposition group can speak to us

tonight. Councillor Mike Brooke is live for us in Poole. We had some

parents and many of them said they were disappointed and shocked. I use

a prized by these results? `` are you surprised. I was aware of the

situation when we saw the provisional figures and over the

last three or four years we have noticed a slight decline in the

performance which is the reason we set up a cross`party working party

to look into the standards in schools. It must be a concern

because more than a little drop. 71% in 2012 and 63% and bottom of the

pile. Why has it gone so wrong? A variety of reasons. As a Fogarty we

have been trying to do a lot of development with our schools. We've

been building schools for the future. With all those activities

going on it is too easy for people to take the eye of the ball. That is

one of the factors. We do have some very good schools in Poole but we

have to look for improvements across`the`board. The borough

council basically said it leaves it is one or two schools skewing the

results. Do you go along with that? Not entirely. I have had a briefing

short while ago with regard to the provisional results and what was

very clear when you look at the detail behind these figures, there

are issues in every school where key stages `` Key stage two is taught.

The council has got to adapt its processes to ensure all schools

improve the benefit of children in Poole.

Planners have turned down an application from an industrial site

which was already operating at the end of a series of narrow lanes in

the north Hampshire village of Upper Somborne. Villagers have been

complaining about the number of huge lorries thundering past their homes.

HGVs and other large vehicles deliver plant machinery to Redwood

UK. Test Valley Council says it could now take action to enforce the

decision not to allow the company to operate there.

A consortium of Irish businessmen are the new owners of London Irish

Rugby Club. They're promising to try to turn the team into a leading

force in Europe. That may take some doing, given they're currently

second to bottom of the Premiership. One thing won't change. The club

will carry on playing at Reading's Madejski Stadium, which they've

shared with Reading Football Club since 2000. Chris Slegg reports.

The team in emerald green where Conor O'Shea once running the tries

and Sir Clive Woodward took his first steps in coaching. This is the

clubhouse, the spiritual home of London Irish. Today is all about

break `` building a brighter future. We are passionate London Irish

supporters. We are making this investment on the basis of a strong

business case. These men lead the consortium which now owns London

Irish. They have made their presence felt today with the signing of a

World Cup winner. He has won 75 caps for the Springboks. It is a very

significant day and we are delighted and excited about the future.

Heading the consortium is the chairman of the company which is

sponsored London Irish for the last three years. Our intention is to get

the club back to the top of the rugby world and take the brand

globally around the world. Is it just a coincidence that this

takeover has happened a week after Brentford got their new stadium.

Were you talking to them about the possible run share? We are

contracted to the majestic stadium until the 2025 season. With all the

support that we have and the people around us and the people we want to

bring with us on this journey. Big players and bold ambitions to bring

the team back in from the cold. It's the time of year when we all

want to wrap up warm and the idea is catching on in some unusual ways. In

Gosport, even the old submarine HMS Alliance is wearing a giant scarf.

It's the result of a community project involving more than 40

groups and individuals from the area. Laura Trant has knit one pearl

one for you. This Cold War veteran is wrapping up

warm for winter. It's Scarfe has been pest `` specially commissioned.

This consists of 500 feet and has been created by 200 nimble fingers

from the local churches and individuals. We anticipated what it

would look like but we had no idea how big it would look. `` how

fantastic. I had no idea what it would look like that it looks

superb. The ladies of Goths board have excelled themselves. It is a

real labour of love and all in all they have knitted their way to 1337

squares. That is 400 metres of Scarfe. It is wonderful. Most of the

women have done this and have knitted 400 metres of Scarfe. It

makes the submarine very colourful. Weather permitting the Scarfe will

be displayed for the next few days. In the new year it will be displayed

in the learning Centre at the submarine Museum.

It's that time of year when the call goes out for a baby, a manger and a

job lot of tea towels as schools prepare for their nativity plays. At

the Francis Baily Primary in Thatcham, they decided to go for

added authenticity this year, using real hay, real animals and the

performance taking place in a real barn. Joe Campbell was in the

audience to see how it went. It was a nativity play with a

difference. Turning their back on the school hall, pupils from Francis

Baily Primary have gone to the Christmas story's routes. I am just

hoping the animals stay contained for the next hour. What is it they

say about never acting with children and animals? Most Cas members though

did not have the foot wrong. That night, nearly's baby was born in a

stable and she named in Jesus. `` named him Jesus. Awesome. I wanted

to stroke a goat. It was really great. I hope the TV watchers at

home I going to watch this. Those who saw the play live were certainly

fans. It just makes it even more magical. Christmas is a special

time, especially for the children. Being in a barn was wonderful. It

was different from being in school. It was fantastic.

Very well done. Alexis has the weather forecast for you now. It is

a bit damp and dismal over the next few hours.

Lin Scott took this photo of the sun rising over Newport on the Isle of

Wight. Sunbeams in Alberto Ferrone's front garden in Swanmore in

Hampshire. And Judi Hutchings took this photo of a Christmas eagle in

Angmering in West Sussex. this photo of

There is the risk of light rain through the early hours of the

morning and it is spreading in from the West during the night. Mostly

light and drizzly. Clear periods for eastern areas until the cloud

arrives. And mild temperatures. Similar conditions tomorrow. A murky

start with drizzle. Light rain initially and the second ring band

could reinvigorate and we could sap `` have some heavy bursts during the

afternoon. The wind is fairly brisk with the rain from the south. That

rain will rattle its way through tomorrow night, clearing most areas

through the early hours of Saturday morning. Where we have the clear

skies there is a risk of a touch of frost in the countryside. So a cold

night tomorrow night than tonight. A decent day on Saturday, probably the

best day of the weekend. An increasing breeze coming in from the

south`west. Behind it, rain will arrive after dark on Saturday

evening. But Saturday should stay dry and sunny. Here is your summary

for the rest of the week and into next week. Rain tomorrow and there

will be some dry periods as well. The rain could be quite heavy during

the afternoon. Saturday is the best day of the weekend. Sunday, a damp

start and an improving picture but more rain on Monday.

more rain on That is it from us. Enjoy your

evening and thanks for watching. Good night.