02/08/2013 BBC Oxford News

from Oxford. In tonight's programme: The woman who killed her mother just

days after being released from a psychiatric hospital. Kauthar

Silvera stayed with the body at their home for three days. The

hospital said it couldn't have predicted what happened.

Also tonight: a shock in the post. Residents' anger after they're sent

a �2000 bill for sewage repairs. Some say they won't be paying it.

And later on, it's fast and furious - we meet the kite buggying European

Good evening. A woman from Oxford has admitted stabbing her mother to

death after being discharged from a secure mental health unit. Kauthar

Silvera, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, killed her mother at

a flat in the city centre, and then remained there with the body for

three days. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Oxford Crown Court,

but there were serious criticisms of the hospital that discharged her.

Emma Vardy was in court. It was a tragic family story that

was heard here today with a 30-year-old Kauthar Silvera and her

mother who's she was living with both had serious mental illness and

a volatile relationship. Her mother had been sectioned under the mental

health act several times but Kauthar Silvera herself was diagnosed as a

paranoid schizophrenic and had been detained following a breakdown.

After several weeks she was discharged but was asked to remain

voluntarily and left of her own accord. You few days later, she

stabbed her mother to death. The grandmother raised the alarm and

police went to the flat and made the grim discovery of the body of her

mother on the floor with multiple stab wounds. Kauthar Silvera had

been living in the flat with the body for three days. The defence

barrister criticised the mental health care that was received and

said that they should have known she was a danger to herself and her

to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and the

judge sentenced her to be detained in a psychiatric unit indefinitely.

He said it was a tragic day that she had been allowed to remain with her

mother when they were both unwell and the danger had not been

realised. Commercial flights from Oxford to

Edinburgh and Dublin will stop this weekend after the operator announced

it's withdrawn its services. It follows a dispute last month between

Minoan Air and London-Oxford airport. Flights will end on Sunday.

The new schedule was only announced in January.

People living on a street near Oxford say they're horrified after

being sent a �55,000 bill to fix a problem with their sewers. 28 homes

have received letters telling them they must pay around �2000 each for

repairs to a nearby pumping station. The site is owned by the Ministry of

Justice and it says that was always the agreement. Angie Walker

explains. Single mum Lynne Bromley has lived

in this house in Kidlington for 22 years. She's been sent a bill for a

share of �55,000 towards the cost of repairing the sewage pump which

services the street. I thought, oh my goodness. What on earth am I

going to do now? I'm going to cry. I really could not afford it. There's

just no way I could have paid that. It's a private road on land owned by

the Ministry of Justice and the residents pay them a monthly fee.

we pay a maintenance fee we expect that maintenance money to be spent

on maintaining the pumping station. And that has not been happening. We

therefore think that the lack of maintenance has exacerbated the

problem and caused the pumps to fail. Many people living on this

street say they cannot afford to pay. The bill is for over �55,000.

That's just over �2000 each for 28 households. They've been told they

can pay �200 a month for the next ten months or �50 a month for the

next four years. Residents are also angry that the work was not put out

to tender because it was classed as emergency works. This is a letter

from the ministry of justice dated March 2012 where they state we are

rapidly approaching a time where the pumps will need complete

refurbishment or replacing. In the six month intervening period before

the replacement was carried out, there should have been a tendering

process. The Ministry of Justice say that the repairs were carried out

because the pumping station was in a bad state of repair and that the

existing contractor was used because it provided value for money for the

residents. A number of people living here say they will not be paying the

bill. They're calling for the Ministry of Justice to reduce the

bill. Meanwhile, water bills in

Oxfordshire are to rise one percent above inflation for the next seven

years. Thames Water made �145 million in pre-tax profits and

didn't pay corporation tax last year. The operator says the price

rises will fund essential upgrades to its ageing network of pipes and

sewers. The Environment Agency is stepping

up patrols on part of the River Thames as it tries to ease

congestion on the water. With so many boats on stretches near Oxford,

strict mooring limits are being imposed. Currently, owners can moor

for free for 24 hours. Then for a fee, they can stay for a maximum of

three days. But now boaters who overstay will be fined up to �100.

Peter Cooke reports. Finding a parking space is difficult

at the best of times. What if your vehicle is not only a large canal

boat but your home. This man claims he is paying daily fines because of

a lack of suitable locations. been a way of life for centuries and

people are complaining they have nowhere to go. I am not costing the

government any money. Owners have a number of options about where to put

their boats but the environment agency says too many are leaving

them where they should not. They are cracking down on those overstaying.

Permanent moorings are available. I would always say to people, think

about where you're going to put you bought because you need consent when

you're using someone's land. So what do people who use the waterways

think of the idea? If you just decide I like here I am going to

live here, that is foolish and arrogant and selfish. Submariners

are expensive but you have two choose accordingly and live within

your means. Those who choose to ignore the new rules are liable for

a fine and if the pilot is successful it could be rolled out

across the country. It's thought more people sleep rough

in Oxford than most other places in the UK outside London. According to

one charity, around 100 adults are homeless in the city and 75% of

those are housed in emergency accommodation every night. Now, the

private stories of some of those people are being made public..

Through creative writing and art. Victoria Cook reports.

Powerful lyrics. An expression of deep emotion and hardship. This

marks the start of a summer of exhibits here at the Old Fire

Station in Oxford. All created by people who've found themselves

homeless. Iain is one of them. After his relationship broke down he

turned to drink and ended up on the streets. Now, things are very

different. Iain has rediscovered his creative side and is about start a

course in history. I suppose I reached the point where it was a

case of I had to sort myself out. There was no awkwardness to cross.

The events are being run by the charity Crisis UK. What we find as

it makes a huge difference to the way people feel about themselves. It

is a way of getting them to get their heads from the ground and look

up at the sky. Across the city, author Riki Therivel has launched a

book containing a collection of stories from homeless people in

Oxford. Stories like Marcel's. goes down in her study because 100

years from now you can look back on that and see these people were

around. It is a true part of Oxford. I am not suggesting they are

delightful and they should all be our best friends, but when we see

somebody that is homeless we should realise there's a story and they

have interests and likes and dislikes like all of us do.

purpose of the book and all the events taking place isn't to make

profit, but to change the way people think about the homeless.

Football, and with the new season underway this weekend, there's still

uncertainty at Swindon Town. Off the pitch, fans are questioning which

direction the club's going in. The MK Dons are hoping for better luck

than last season in their League One campaign. And Oxford United's first

game will be played in front of a sell-out crowd. Ross Heaton's round

up begins at the County Ground. Mark Cooper is in temporary charge

for the visit to Peterborough. He replaces Kevin MacDonald, who

stepped in after Paulo Di Canio's departure in March. Players have

followed as the law caused or has continued. The issue instability.

The people in charge have no money and we seem to be getting rid of all

of our players. Expectations are once again high at Swindon's League

One rivals MK Dons. Last season was a disappointment, despite the

signing of former England player Alan Smith. The Dons believe they

have nothing to fear, ahead of a trip to Shrewsbury. We feel we have

accumulated a side that can compete with the best. If we have the luck

we had last year with the injuries, we can stay competitive, This is how

Oxford United's Dean Smalley sees it going this season. The U's flirted

with the league two play offs last time, but in the end fell short. The

summer recruitment gives them reason for optimism. First up is a trip to

relegated Portsmouth. Biggest gate on the day in our league so we are

looking forward to it but it is a long season. Nine months of ups and

downs are on the way. There's full commentary on your local BBC Radio

Station. We'll have more sport, including