26/01/2017 Spotlight

Good evening. for the news where you are.

The former boss of Torbay Hospital is tonight facing a jail sentence

after admitting fraudulently paying her husband money

Paula Vasco-Knight, dramatically changed her plea

to guilty to siphoning off 11 thousand pounds to her husband

After a day and a half of evidence, there was drama in Court number

three Sir afternoon. She sobbed uncontrollably as she changed her

plea against one of the charges of plea against one of the charges of

fraud from not guilty to guilty. And her husband Stephen did the same.

She was made a CBE and could command 1000 pounds a day as an NHS

But tonight her reputation is in tatters.

She authorised payment of ?11,000 to her husband seen on the left. He was

a graphic designer and it was for a document called transform but it

never existed. It was not her first error. An industrial tribunal bought

by a whistle-blower heard she employed her daughter s boyfriend

without declaring she knew him. I wondered whether he had

actually been briefed I didn't know what

the relationship was. It was only later that it came

to light and that is when I was told After the tribunal was critical

of her evidence she left Torbay but still works in the NHS,

even taking the unusual step of calling herself

a doctor despite only having I think she had got to the pinnacle

of her professional career and I think she was tempted to use

the power she had inappropriately. Two charges against a third

defendant were dropped. The judge described the guilty pleas

as a momentous decision. He said they could be an immediate

custodial sentence. He said she has fallen a long way but that is her

responsibility the sentencing will take place in March.

After more than three years of planning and consultation,

health bosses today confirmed that four community hospitals

There were boos and cries of shame as the South Devon and

Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group approved proposals to shut

Ashburton, Bovey Tracey, Dartmouth and Paignton Community

It says they'll be replaced with health and well-being centres

and clinical hubs so that more people can be treated at home.

But campaigners say it just doesn't make sense.

It was an attempt to give the public the impression that they'd have some

They had absolutely no input in the process.

All the time they were talking about the fact that the NHS

and our local services are under increasing pressure from an ageing

Cut one and a half million of expenditures.

That doesn't make any sense to anyone involved.

The Devon and Cornwall Police force could get a hundred new constables,

50 extra investigators and a team of 30 online staff

in what's being called a transformation of the service.

The Police and Crime Commissioner says she's found 24 million pounds

to pay for the new officers, but part of that sum includes

asking for more money from council tax payers.

Police budgets and thousands of jobs under threat in the south-west...

The news has been filled with stories of police cuts

but now 180 new recruits are being drafted in.

They tried to kick the restaurant door down to get to us

so obviously my husband protected me and they did not get in.

I was on a 999 call and they were outside,

Has dashed police arrived cos I was asking for help.

Has dashed police arrived afterwards.

As a victim of crime, Gail has been left feeling

vulnerable and it has affected her business.

The biggest thing coming out of this plan is that I am able to invest

in policing to help with that cause, so I am looking to secure

?24 million worth of additional funding for the Chief Constable

?10 million has been found from police reserves and there'll be

a hike in the council tax - an extra ?3.40 for every

band D household - to pay for the new officers.

It's not such good news for police community support officers.

350 officers at present will be reduced to a minimum

We're told there will be no redundancies.

If I can get that to 160, 170, 200, I will.

Over the four years looking at how else we can use our budget,

The 100 new PCs will be stretched across the whole

Used it against Alison for the post of police and crime commission. What

is your reaction dashed you stood... I am welcoming in principle the

addition of 100 extra police officers but I do not welcome the

way it is achieved by basing it on a premise of 210 Police Community

Support Officers. It does not make sense particularly when the mantra

of the plan is about connecting policing with communities which is

what PCSOs do. And what about the fact she has announced it before the

police and crime panel have approved it? Astonished and appalled. It

shows scant regard for the propriety of the process. I spoke to the panel

today and neither had any idea the plan was published today nor any

idea it included a reduction of 210 PCSOs. They were shocked. We must

leave it there. Thank you. Hundreds of people are without water

tonight following a major South West Water is deploying mobile

tanks to distribute fresh water to those affected

in the Lifton, Launceston Engineers are on site but have

so far failed to find the leak. It's a hundred years to the day

that the small fishing village of Hallsands in Devon

was washed away. A violent storm demolished homes

which had been left increasingly vulnerable after years of dredging

off the coast nearby. To end an historic day.

has been taking place in Stokenham 60 years ago this was alive

with folk who have their roots here. Conditions deteriorated

until in 1917 a gale devastated it. It is remarkable no lives

were lost 100 years ago Fast forward the years and today

family footsteps have been retraced. Important because my mother had

to do this in the gales and storms with her family so I felt today

I should be doing it as well. I am wearing her

engagement ring today. The tale of why villagers had

to leave their collapsed homes is down to dredging that started

in the 1890s. Hallsands is an example

of what happens when nature overtakes what humans have done

and that is an interesting lesson Remembering the past continued

at St Michael's Church in Stokenham. My husband s aunt held

on to the doorknob and the waves were coming over the top of it

and she said she was really sure she was going to be

washed into the sea. With the sea coming

through the chimneys and under Marvellous that no

one lost their life. 100 years on, there are

still concerns about how Looks like there could be some rain

in the forecast, here's Emily. Hello, we have clear

skies with us tonight. The wind is gradually easing off

so less cold tomorrow We have more cloud and outbreaks

of rain on their way. This weather front is pushing

in from the West as we go Some colder air ahead of it,

a chilly night to come with eastern parts of the region and parts

of Devon, Dorset and Somerset seeing Temperatures for many no lower

than four or 5 degrees. Tomorrow morning, some

brightness initially, clouding over through the day,

hill fog developing and outbreaks of rain reaching most places

by the end of the afternoon. The wind becomes lighter

and from the south or west Saturday, some sunshine to come

to start the weekend, some showers through the day locally

turning heavy in the afternoon. South-westerly winds pick up

so quite brisk winds by the end of the day and milder with highs

of 10 Celsius. The milder weather continues

on Sunday, quite cloudy with outbreaks of rain and unsettled

on Monday with wet That is it from the late team.

Breakfast starts just before 6:30am. Good night.

weekend. It's swings and roundabouts, higher temperatures but

some rain as well. Good evening. It's been dry so far

this January but as it draws to a close it looks like we will see some

rain at last. It's been an interesting today a bitterly cold in

Norfolk, way we kept the grey cloud all day and the grey cloud gave a

dusting of snow in places. This is a lovely picture sent in from Sutton

Coldfield. Rob Wales and much of Scotland it's been a beautiful day,

lots of sunshine and temperatures, 13 degrees compared with -2 under

the cloud in East Anglia. Those temperatures are already down to -3

or minus four. It's bitter out there, when