17/01/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's

programme... The rising use of Tasers by police `

how officers in the Thames Valley have nearly doubled their use of the

stun guns. Also tonight... Living in constant

pain ` how a carbon monoxide leak that killed his girlfriend has left

Rowland Wessling with nerve damage. Why Phoebe's desire to make people

aware of diabetes has earned her a place with the stars at the

Children's Emmy Awards in New York. And later on... The moment English

historians were waiting for ` we find out if these are the bones of

King Alfred. Good evening. BBC South Today has

gained exclusive figures that reveal police in the Thames Valley have

nearly doubled their use of Taser guns. The devices produce a powerful

shock and help police restrain those they deem threatening. They were

used almost twice as much last year compared to 2012. Some human rights

campaigners say that the more they're used, the greater the chance

someone will be injured. But senior police bosses claim only a small

number of specially`trained officers have them as a deterrent. Adina

Campbell reports. They may look like a normal gun, but

the outcome is very different. Tasers like this have been used by

Thames Valley Police for just over ten years. When fired, they produce

an intense electrical blast of 50,000 volts. Not everyone agrees

with them, though, especially since new figures show police in our

region are using them increasingly often. The number of times Thames

Valley Police have used Tasers has almost doubled. Last year, officers

used them 119 times, compared to 61 in 2012. And, in 2007, the number

was much lower, with just seven on record. Tasers may be controversial

but police say only a small number of officers use them. Not all

officers get a case. About 11% of front`line officers are equipped

with a Taser and they are selected for the role and chosen because they

have displayed good judgement in terms of the use of force. These

figures only tell us how many times Tasers were used and brief details

of why, for example in domestic or violence`related cases. Human rights

campaigners say the way we record this data needs to change. We want

to make it crystal clear that these are dangerous weapons and they can

only be used in the right way. Only in response to genuinely

life`threatening situations was that we want them in the hands of the

most specialised officers. In a statement, Thames Valley Police

said... If you cannot control so body, what

else can you do? Most of the time, they do not do that much damage and

people recover quickly. Campaigners say Tasers have been linked to

hundreds of deaths in the US and don't want to see that happen here.

But Thames Valley Police believe these devices are necessary to

protect officers and the public. A man has been arrested and released

on bail following the death of a 27`year`old woman in Banbury. She's

been named by police as 27`year`old Anne`Marie Gale. She was found by

police officers in Dover Avenue and died in hospital. The cause of death

hasn't been determined but more toxicology tests are to be carried

out by the Home Office pathologist. The 49`year`old man, also from

Banbury, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

A man from Oxford who survived carbon monoxide poisoning is raising

awareness of the dangers of the deadly gas. Rowland Wessling has

been left with a debilitating arm injury as a result of bringing a

disposable BBQ inside a tent he was sharing with his girlfriend. She

died in the incident. He now wants others to be made more aware of the

dangers of the deadly gas. This evening, Rowland is recovering from

the experimental surgery at the John Radcliffe hospital. Angela Walker

went to meet him beforehand. I started off with some

paracetamols. Gabapentin, I take 12 every day. Roland has had to take

over 25,000 tablets since an accident which left his partner dead

left him with nerve damage in his right arm. Roland Wessling and Hazel

Woodhams were camping when they left their used barbecue in the porch of

their tent. The carbon monoxide fumes overcame them. Hazel died and

Roland was left unconscious. I must have tried to get up during the

night, being in a tent, in a sleeping bag. But I was so drugged

that I would have immediately fallen down onto my right arm and then I

didn't roll off that right arm and was lying on it for probably eight

hours, which of course cut off the blood supply and damaged the nerves

considerably. Roland's arm nearly had to be amputated and he had eight

operations on it in four weeks. He was left in constant pain. Today, he

underwent pioneering surgery. The nerves from the arms and legs all

come together in something called the dorsal root ganglion, which is a

little swelling of the nerve just as it comes out of the spinal cord.

What we're doing is putting in an electrode so that we can deliver

electrical currents to the dorsal root ganglia and stimulate those

nerves, which prevents them from allowing pain signals to go up them.

Roland Vessling is thought to be the first person in the world to have

this treatment on this kind of injury. `` Rowland Wessling. It's

hoped the surgery will alleviate his symptoms and in future help others

like him with chronic pain. 40 people a year in England and Wales

die as a result of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Thousands more

are treated in hospital. Experts say a simple and cheap alarm like this

one could prevent many tragedies. Meanwhile, an anonymous narrow boat

owner in Oxfordshire has bought dozens of carbon monoxide detectors

to be distributed for free to others living on the canals. The detectors

were given to the local boatman to give out this week. The donation

comes after a 63`year`old man and his dog were found dead in their

boat just after New Year's Day. It's believed they suffered carbon

monoxide poisoning, but an inquest is yet to take place. I am selecting

people who can have them to make sure they do get fitted and so

forth. They are not expensive but they are not cheap. It is always

going to be... " it doesn't happen to me." This is the time we can give

them out and say it doesn't matter because you will be protected.

For more than 300 years, Witney was famous for its blankets. Now

permission has been granted for the town's Grade`II listed Blanket Hall

to be turned into a new museum. Blankets were weighed and measured

at the hall until 1847. Now it will showcase the history of blanket

making in the town. It'll be the first time members of the public

will be allowed into Blanket Hall for almost 40 years.

A nine`year`old girl from Swindon will be rubbing shoulders with

A`list celebrities at the International Children's Emmy awards

in New York next month. Phoebe Maddison, who has Type One diabetes,

was part of a BBC documentary about children living with different

conditions. It's been nominated for an award in the factual category.

She says she wants more people to understand what living with diabetes

is like. Charlotte Stacey went to meet her.

It is a long way from the glamour of the red carpet. Four times a day, VB

has to test her blood sugar and regulate her insulin. She has been

doing it since she was four. She took part in a BBC documentary

showing how children live with a variety of conditions, which is now

up for an Emmy award. She wanted to show what it was like. It is to make

me feel lonely but now everyone cares... They all ages to care for

me but I am respected as a person who is normal. You are normal with

diabetes, it is just something that is a little bit wrong. When she is

not at school, Phoebe Maddison raises a lot of awareness for

diabetes charities. She hopes that one day a cure will be found. Phoebe

has been involved in charity singles and she sings at functions, she

sings at Christmas markets, all to raise money for diabetes. She has

raised on her own around ?2000, as well as singing and making

programmes and things like that. She is doing extremely well. I am very

proud of her, she is such a star! How is she feeling about meeting

lots of celebrities? I have been to the BAFTAs before. Unfortunately, we

did not win. Hopefully we will win and it will be very exciting. Next

month, she will get to go to New York for the award ceremony but now

she is concentrating on her schoolwork rather than awards.

That's all from me for the moment. I'll have the headlines at 8pm and a

full bulletin at 10:25pm. Now more of today's stories with Sally

Taylor. 2012, but 119 times up to the end of

November 2013. This time last year Thames Valley Police announced they

were doubling the number of specially trained officers who could

use tasers. Still to come in this evening's South Today: Alexis Green

goes aboard a new ship with a long history. I'm on board a brand`new

ship which is enabling us to find out more about climate change. The

RSPCA and police are investigating after a substantial amount of poison

was poured into 20 badger setts on the Isle of Wight. The discovery was

made yesterday morning. Badgers were subject to a cull in some parts of

the country last year ` but the animals are protected by law.

The funeral of a 16`year`old schoolboy from Winchester who was

killed ski`ing in Austria has taken place. Cameron Bespolka died when he

was caught in an avalanche while ski`ing off piste with his father

and brother at the Austrian resort of Lech. Cameron was a pupil at

Winchester College. The headmaster described him as a gentle, kind and

talented pupil who was very popular. Expert Sophie may have found one of

the bones belonging to kill the `` King Alfred the great in Winchester.

Experts were originally testing remains exhumed last year from an

unmarked grave at St Bartholomew's Church, where it was thought he was

buried. David Allard has been following developments and joins us

now from Winchester. Tonight the focus has switched, the site of the

former Abbey in Winchester, where King Alfred and his family were

buried in a live and ten A.D.. Thus did the focus was on a graveyard

over the road, this is a historical saga with plenty of twists and

turns. A warrior who repelled the Viking hordes, a scholar who laid

the foundation for modern England. King Alfred was a truly great

Britain. That is why finding him has also become an obsession for many.

Most of people think of him, we would like to see a heritage centre,

that sort of thing. This is the sort of catalyst. We know the remains of

Alfred and his family were buried at Hyde Abbey. A prison was built on

the site, that is when it is believed his remains were moved

here, an unmarked grave in Saint Bartholomew 's graveyard. Last year

tests were carried out on the bones inside. There were six individuals

in the grave, five skulls, but the radiocarbon dates demonstrate that

they were much too late to possibly be royal house of Wessex. So the

Kings whereabouts remained a mystery but there was another twist to come.

In the 1990s, Hyde Abbey was excavated, two boxes of bones were

unearthed and kept in Woodchester newsy. They had not been tested

until now, but one bone predicted a breakthrough for Katie and her team.

We have got the right side of the pelvis, and adult male, from 26 to

45 years of age. The date that we had, the radiocarbon date we have,

is between 897 to 1019. So it's exactly the right eight. `` dates.

Terrific news, eventually, to find out the pelvis could be Alfred or

Edward. Today really has been, nation of the big adventure. Of

course, this is sick of social evidence. `` circumstantial

evidence. They haven't proved beyond reasonable doubt, that requires DNA

testing at the moment there are no other bones to compare the pelvis

with. That's why in the future we may see more excavations here. But

stuck to the rector of Saint Bartholomew 's Church, where the

unmarked grave was excused last year. How disappointed are you that

they were not the bones of Alfred? Not too disappointed, it was a long

shot, it's all been overshadowed by the fact that it's the mist a result

of the unmarked grave. It didn't contain the bones of the Royal

Wessex family. What does happen to the six people who were exhumed? The

bones are still in the care of the church, where they are held, where

the work was done on them. I am waiting for the Chancellor of the

dioceses to let us know when they can be reinterred. In the meantime,

the focus shifts back to Hyde Abbey. Why is there this fascination with

finding the remains of Alfred. He was at the great King, yes that is

an impact on our history, I think people in this area, Winchester,

which was such a focus for him and his history, it's going to be

fascinating and the story of Hyde Abbey will go on and grow. If more

things happen archaeologically. He mentioned the programme on Tuesday,

the search for King Alfred the great, it is on BBC Two.

There have been caused a further government to do more to help local

councils play for flood repairs. The local government Association says

recent flooding is caused millions of pounds worth damage and in

Hampshire alone it is thought the council has stumped up ?40,000 to

cope. The reimbursement scheme does exist but only councils that spend

more than 0.2% of their budget on flood repairs will be eligible. A

new holiday park at Crossways in West Dorset has been given the green

light by councillors. Developers Habitat First plan to convert

Warmwell Quarry into holiday chalets, a country club and a nature

conservation project. The West Dorset District Council Planning

Committee gave outline permission for the plans which could create up

to 750 jobs. Quarrying at the site will stop in 2017. Time for the

sport. It's fair to say it is then a turbulent week for Southampton fans.

Of course, the chairman resigned on Wednesday night, there was a lot of

questions about the manager, but today we have heard right from the

top. The new Chairman and owner of Southampton Football Club has issued

a statement to silence rumours that players are up for sale. It's been a

turbulent week at Saints following the resignation of the Executive

Chairman of four and a half years, Nicola Cortese, on Wednesday night.

Players Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert have all been linked

with transfers. But, this afternoon Katharina Liebherr said:

It backs up comments made by manager Mauricio Pochettino at a press

conference yesterday when he said he was committed to Southampton at

least until the end of the season ` and no one was for sale there.

Tomorrow, Saints have the early kick off at Sunderland. They come off the

back of a win last week against West Bromwich Albion. Tomorrow's fixture

marks a year to the day since Pochettino was appointed as manager,

and despite the turmoil of the last few days he wants to focus on the

football. TRANSLATION: The game on Saturday is very important for this

club and the supporters. It's only normal that we are speaking about

these things because it has been five years that Nicola has been at

this club, but I repeat, we need to focus on the game on Saturday. We

need to focus from now until Saturday and it is important to get

a positive result. Meanwhile, Portsmouth, dangerously close to the

League Two relegation zone, have two new players available for their home

game tomorrow against Mansfield ` and are hoping they'll start to

deliver results. Pompey have completed the signing of Jake Jervis

today. The striker agreed a deal last week but was waiting for

international clearance to move from a Turkish side. And midfielder Wes

Fogden is set to make his Portsmouth debut after signing from Bournemouth

on Wednesday. A look at the other fixtures happening this weekend.

Reading could make it into the top six if they can win their home game

against Bolton and other results go their way.

BBC local radio has commentary of all of those matches while the

Football League Show has every goal. Berkshire ice skater Penny Coombes

and her partner Nick Buckland have won European ice dance bronze in

Budapest ahead of next month's Winter Olympics. The couple are

considered Britain's best figure`skating prospects for the

Games in Sochi. The bronze at the European Figure Skating

championships in the Hungarian capital was their first`ever

European medal. They were ranked third ahead of performing this free

dance to a Michael Jackson medley. It earned them a personal`best score

on the night to retain the bronze medal position. We will be following

them as they compete in the Winter Olympics. There was disappointment

for England's men in the semifinal of the Hockey World League in India

earlier. The Bisham Abbey based squad that features several players

from Reading were beaten by New Zealand in a thrilling sudden`death

shoot out in Delhi. The game ended three ` all in normal time, and

level after the first five penalties. Reading's Tom Carson

scored in sudden death, but New Zealand eventually triumphed 7`6.

That was really heartbreaking for them. They had beaten New Zealand

earlier in the competition! I hadn't heard about them before, those iced

answers. That has got to give them a lot of confidence going into such

it. That's their first European metal. Brilliant! I hope we are able

to talk to them in the future. She's a new ship but she has a name with a

great history. The RSS Discovery carries a name synonymous with

scientific research and adventure and she'll soon be surveying the

shallow waters around the UK. The ship, operated by the National

Oceanography Centre in Southampton, is the fourth to bear the name,

since the first Discovery took British Explorers Scott and

Shackleton to the Antarctic more than a hundred years ago. Alexis

Green has been on board the new ship.

In 1901, British explorers Scott and Shackleton boarded their ship and

set sail for the Isle of Wight. Equipped with the latest scientific

instruments, the expedition venture closer to the South Pole than anyone

had managed before. Discovery became trapped and was almost lost. Frozen

into the ice for two years until it was freed by explosive charges. The

voyage made history and the ship is now at visitors attraction in

Dundee. Since then, to more vessels have taken the name X discovery and

continued the scientific discovery. The second was a steamer. The third

discovery was considered the flagship of British oceanography,

the first ship in the UK to have satellite navigation. But after 50

years and 1.5 million nautical miles, she too made her final voyage

in 2012. Now a new ship is taking the bat on stop real research ship

cap next discovery the fourth. She has a crew of 24. This is where we

drive the ship and we are taking the scientists the place they need to

be. We have echo sounders here, electronic charts. The ship is

controllable. We have thrusters, so we can stop or move very accurately

to ensure that their instruments are put in the right place and kept in

the right place. Discovery has already completed sea trials,

performing well, and accompanied by dolphins, during the day and at

night. Now she is the first scientific trip to survey the river

to be shallow waters around the UK. The sort of observations the ship

will make will lead to a vast improved understanding of how shelf

seas function. The oceans of taking up about a quarter of the carbon

monoxide we emit into the atmosphere and we urgently want to know where

it is, how long it will stay there and how it's getting in there.

Geophysics systems, you might have a big insurance in the water and a

winch somewhere about here where this man is full stop the ship is

one of the most complex research vessels in the world. It will

continue the ability of UK science to make fundamental measurements

regarding how our climate is changing. From the Antarctic

expeditions of Scott and Shackleton to the ongoing investigation of our

seas. The ship of discovery is set to continue. Just sticking to the

UK? Yes, last year was all about getting the ship seaworthy, with

loads of people on board, this year the scientists go on board and there

will be loads of microscopes are looking at various things. If you

are on a ship called that, it has to be a bit special! Time for the

weather? Guess what the weather is going to

be! Rain! Unfortunately. Dieter Valerius took this photo of the

sunny spells in between the showers at Gunwarf Quays. Craig Harvey

captured a rainbow outside his office in Andover in Hampshire. And

Alan Smith took this photo of two Wigeon ducks caught in a very heavy

shower at Blashford Lakes Near Ringwood. Today's heavy showers are

merging into a long spell of rain, they kept on rolling in although we

did see some brief dry periods and some sunny spells, mainly for

western areas during the course of the afternoon. Through the course of

the night we will see further rain, not amounting to two much but with

the rain tonight, that could cause some flooding issues. The rain will

push up from the south, some moderate light bursts of rain, some

drier periods as well. Temperatures falling to a mild five to eight

Celsius, so I frost free night to come. Rain on the cards tomorrow,

The Met office have issued up weather warning for western parts of

Dorset. We could, with the rain tonight and tomorrow, see around an

inch rainfall which could add to the flooding problems in some places.

Any drier periods are more likely the further east you are. More cloud

than sunshine, highest tomorrow of 10 Celsius. Tomorrow night the rain

will continue for the first part of the night of the good news is, it

starts to ease Sunday morning and the skies were clear for western

areas. We may have some frost patches, temperatures falling down

to around three Celsius in our towns and cities, perhaps down to freezing

in the countryside. That freezing fog could live `` linger on Sunday

morning but Sunday is a much better day, probably the best day of the

weekend to get out and about. The risk of one or two showers late in

the afternoon, more cloud the further east you are but that should

rake up by the afternoon. Your Outlook:

rain tomorrow, could be heavy in places, particularly in parts of

Dorset. Sunny on Sunday, frost to start the day on Monday.

Craig Harvey, and here it is Ashley Cooper. They were both good

pictures.