:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me, and on
:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.
:00:09. > :00:12.In tonight's programme: A woman from Milton Keynes pleads guilty to
:00:13. > :00:15.murdering her 83`year`old husband. John Sampford had been suffering
:00:16. > :00:19.from a terminal illness and was killed last year. His wife claims it
:00:20. > :00:23.was an act of mercy. Also coming up ` a court's convicted
:00:24. > :00:28.this police officer from Banbury for selling personal information of
:00:29. > :00:31.accident victims. It's a weekend of celebrations for
:00:32. > :00:38.staff at RAF Benson ` 75 years since the airbase first opened.
:00:39. > :00:41.And later on: we'll have a regional update on football's transfer
:00:42. > :00:42.deadline day. Clubs have just a few hours left to complete permanent
:00:43. > :00:55.deals. Good evening.
:00:56. > :01:00.A 75`year`old woman has pleaded guilty to the murder of her husband
:01:01. > :01:03.` claiming in court it was an act of mercy. Shelia Sampford from Milton
:01:04. > :01:07.Keynes appeared via video link from prison. The court heard how she told
:01:08. > :01:10.police after her arrest last July ` that her 83`year`old terminally ill
:01:11. > :01:19.husband's death was part of a suicide pact. Jessica Cooper has
:01:20. > :01:23.this report. Sheila Sampford appeared in court
:01:24. > :01:26.via video link from prison. When asked how she did it to the charge
:01:27. > :01:30.of murdering her husband, she said, guilty. It was on the 5th of July
:01:31. > :01:36.last year that police were called to this house in Bancroft Park and
:01:37. > :01:41.found John Sampford who had been strangled to death. And neighbour
:01:42. > :01:45.has described them as a lovely, genuine couple who had been married
:01:46. > :01:49.for 50 years, St John were Sheila's rock, and had been receiving
:01:50. > :01:55.treatment for leukaemia. Court heard that Sheila Sampford told police
:01:56. > :01:59.that killing John was part of a suicide pact. Secures said the issue
:02:00. > :02:07.to consider was whether she believed it was an act of mercy. The defence
:02:08. > :02:16.said the only matter was whether she asked him to do what she did to
:02:17. > :02:25.him. The sentence she is given will depend on whether the judge believes
:02:26. > :02:28.she carried out a mercy killing. It's the wettest January on record
:02:29. > :02:33.according to Oxford University, and there will be more rain overnight.
:02:34. > :02:38.The meteorological station and Green Templeton College has been measuring
:02:39. > :02:45.rainfall since 1767. There has now been more than 138 millimetres for
:02:46. > :02:49.the month. The last time it was that we was in 1852. The Environment
:02:50. > :02:52.Agency has issued several flood warnings and said the region is
:02:53. > :02:58.particularly sensitive because the ground is so saturated already.
:02:59. > :03:01.The flooding we had in December has overwhelmed the trade systems. Flood
:03:02. > :03:05.plains are storing water, they are designed to do so, however, the fact
:03:06. > :03:10.there is so much water around really causes concern in terms of the
:03:11. > :03:14.additional rainfall we have. Even smaller to rainfall can cause
:03:15. > :03:18.significant flooding and we are keeping a watchful eye on the impact
:03:19. > :03:22.that the rainfall has an flood risk in the communities of Oxfordshire.
:03:23. > :03:25.A former UKIP councillor who has blamed the recent flooding on God's
:03:26. > :03:28.wrath for the legalisation of gay marriage has had his home
:03:29. > :03:32.vandalised. Henley town councillor David Silvester ` who has been
:03:33. > :03:35.suspended from UKIP ` has had his home pelted with eggs. An online
:03:36. > :03:41.petition calling for him to step down from his post ` has now reached
:03:42. > :03:44.over 24,000 signatures. Thames Valley Police has told the
:03:45. > :03:47.BBC it will now start misconduct proceedings following the conviction
:03:48. > :03:50.of a former officer who used the force computer to steal the data of
:03:51. > :03:56.thousands of accident victims, and then sell it on to solicitors. Today
:03:57. > :04:00.a jury has failed to reach a verdict for a third defendant accused of
:04:01. > :04:05.taking part in the conspiracy. Tom Turrell has been following the trial
:04:06. > :04:10.and joins me now. What's the latest?
:04:11. > :04:15.This is all about the former Thames Valley Police officer from Banbury.
:04:16. > :04:20.She has been found guilty of stealing thousands of accident
:04:21. > :04:25.victim details from the force's computer. She is doing it to sell it
:04:26. > :04:30.on to firms of solicitors. She couldn't do it without a middleman,
:04:31. > :04:36.and that was this man from Birmingham. Between them they made
:04:37. > :04:42.just over ?26,000 in 2011, and the prosecution said it had stopped
:04:43. > :04:49.them, it could open up as as high as ?1 million. The man's wife was
:04:50. > :04:54.implicated in all of this and faced the same charges, however today, a
:04:55. > :05:00.jury said they could not reach a verdict with her trial. The
:05:01. > :05:03.sentencing will take place in March and they can expect time behind
:05:04. > :05:06.bars. What does Thames Valley Police have
:05:07. > :05:26.to say about this? In a statement, they told me,
:05:27. > :05:31.Hundreds of new homes are to be built in Cherwell ` despite the fact
:05:32. > :05:34.that the district council has rejected the applications.
:05:35. > :05:38.Government planning inspectors have ruled that developers can go ahead
:05:39. > :05:41.with a new estate in Adderbury. It's the latest in a string of
:05:42. > :05:46.applications that have been approved at appeal because Cherwell hasn't
:05:47. > :05:55.met housing targets. Angela Walker reports.
:05:56. > :05:59.Elaine Bryant has lived in the village of Bradbury for nearly 40
:06:00. > :06:06.years, no developers have been granted permission to build 65
:06:07. > :06:09.houses on the field opposite. You are actually knocking the
:06:10. > :06:15.character of the village out of sync. You are taking out
:06:16. > :06:21.countryside. People choose to live in the village, not an extension of
:06:22. > :06:24.another town. Cherwell district Council turned
:06:25. > :06:29.down the application but have been overruled by government inspectors.
:06:30. > :06:32.In the past three years, the planning Inspectorate has given the
:06:33. > :06:41.go`ahead for hundreds of new homes in Banbury, Norton after Cherwell
:06:42. > :06:44.rejected them. Will have too many houses in the
:06:45. > :06:49.wrong places, and that spells disaster for the future. Planning is
:06:50. > :06:56.about getting the right number of houses in the right places, having
:06:57. > :06:59.education, retail, transport links. We need housing, we know where we
:07:00. > :07:04.need to put housing in the next 20 years.
:07:05. > :07:07.The government says the number of decisions being overturned has
:07:08. > :07:15.fallen, but councils need an up`to`date local plan to help shape
:07:16. > :07:20.where development should go. I'm so disgusted, I really am. To
:07:21. > :07:27.ruin the countryside like this. The local councils are totally
:07:28. > :07:34.knowledgeable of local situations. We talk to local people, they know
:07:35. > :07:40.the existing problems. The traffic is just impossible.
:07:41. > :07:44.Cherwell still has not finished its local plan, and will be presented on
:07:45. > :07:48.Friday and a public enquiry will start in May. Until it is agreed,
:07:49. > :07:52.the odds are in favour of more housing development being accepted
:07:53. > :07:55.at appeal. Meanwhile, new figures show more
:07:56. > :07:58.than 6,000 new homes have been registered in our region over the
:07:59. > :08:04.past year ` an increase of around 10% compared to 2012. The most were
:08:05. > :08:07.in Buckinghamshire, where more than 2,500 have been registered. The
:08:08. > :08:11.National House Building Council says across the UK the number of new
:08:12. > :08:16.homes registered is at its highest since the economic downturn of 2007.
:08:17. > :08:24.The NHBC also claims it's been a strong picture for Oxfordshire.
:08:25. > :08:29.It's great news for the country and the Thames Valley. We are seeing
:08:30. > :08:34.strong growth coming through Tom 51 present growth year`on`year arm of
:08:35. > :08:39.the strongest numbers we have seen since 2006/2007. It is good news for
:08:40. > :08:43.the industry and good news for those who support the industry, and it's
:08:44. > :08:45.good news for people who want to get on the property ladder.
:08:46. > :08:48.While the Prime Minister has been leading a UK`France summit at one of
:08:49. > :08:51.Oxfordshire's airbases, Brize Norton, today, this weekend marks a
:08:52. > :08:54.special anniversary for staff at RAF Benson. Tomorrow will be 75 years
:08:55. > :09:04.since the airbase in south Oxfordshire first opened. . And now
:09:05. > :09:07.a new generation of aircraft has been drafted in, to the base, as
:09:08. > :09:10.part of a multi`million pound upgrade. BBC South was the first
:09:11. > :09:17.broadcast media aboard the new Puma MK two. Stuart Tinworth reports.
:09:18. > :09:20.Preparing for take`off in the nineteen forties.
:09:21. > :09:23.Throughout the Second World War, aircraft at RAF Benson was used to
:09:24. > :09:30.gather photographic evidence. But over the last 75 years many other
:09:31. > :09:33.important tasks have happened here. As well transporting kings and
:09:34. > :09:36.queens, RAF Benson has been home to Puma helicopters for nearly 20
:09:37. > :09:39.years. The last few months though have marked a new generation of
:09:40. > :09:52.aircraft ` a multi million pound upgrade from the Puma MK1 to the new
:09:53. > :09:58.MK2. This upgrade is part of a ?260 million programme, and it means it
:09:59. > :10:03.will travel with 35 present more power. It can go faster, and thanks
:10:04. > :10:11.to increased fuel efficiency it can also go further. And staff here
:10:12. > :10:17.believe it's a good investment. The Puma offers capability of going
:10:18. > :10:20.to most places within the world, and capable of rebuild within four hours
:10:21. > :10:23.to have the aircraft operating. These pumas can carry up to 16
:10:24. > :10:26.fully`equipped troops and have highly advanced digitised glass
:10:27. > :10:33.cockpits ` arguably more efficient than some Merlin helicopters.
:10:34. > :10:41.Investment in Puma has been a great and for RAF Benson. The future
:10:42. > :10:45.capability will be the Puma now that the Merrin is moving to the Navy.
:10:46. > :10:49.Seven of the RAF's fleet of the new pumas have so far been delivered to
:10:50. > :10:54.RAF Benson. The rest will be handed over next year.
:10:55. > :10:58.That's all from me for the moment. I'll have the headlines at 8pm and a
:10:59. > :10:59.full bulletin at 10:25pm. Now more of today's stories with Sally
:11:00. > :11:16.Taylor. been crucial in safeguarding up to
:11:17. > :11:22.one thousand two hundred jobs. Who is coming in? Who's going out?
:11:23. > :11:31.All the news from today's transfer deadline coming up. Rain and high
:11:32. > :11:33.winds have hit the south again this evening, prompting warnings of more
:11:34. > :11:36.potential flooding. The Environment Agency, which has
:11:37. > :11:39.issued numerous flood warnings, said many coastal areas would be affected
:11:40. > :11:43.by high tides in the coming days. Our reporter Sean Killick is in
:11:44. > :11:46.Pagham on the West Sussex coast this evening where residents have been
:11:47. > :11:53.facing concerns since Christmas over their flood defences. Sean, how's it
:11:54. > :11:58.looking? It's pretty wet and windy here. I'm
:11:59. > :12:06.on one of the patios at one of the seafront houses here. It used to be
:12:07. > :12:14.about 80 yards away, but during the nights the sea has eroded the beach.
:12:15. > :12:20.The view from this room is dramatic, but the sea is getting closer every
:12:21. > :12:23.day. Every night, we hear rumbling when
:12:24. > :12:29.the rocks are falling down. Nothing is safe here. The residents along
:12:30. > :12:33.the strip off the beach are all very concerned. The beach is slowly being
:12:34. > :12:40.washed away. These are the houses, and this is
:12:41. > :12:43.the beach. The shingle you can see out there is a spate which is
:12:44. > :12:50.stretching from the beach a quarter of a mile away. That's never used to
:12:51. > :12:54.be here. This is now the mouth of the harbour. Every time the titles
:12:55. > :13:00.in or out, it takes part of the beach with it. Residents want a hole
:13:01. > :13:08.cut through to alter the current and stop its washing away the beach. The
:13:09. > :13:15.council says it is doing what it can to protect their homes. The ?500,000
:13:16. > :13:18.we spent on this rock has provided a defence.
:13:19. > :13:23.We are looking at about ?100,000 of work to protect it further will stop
:13:24. > :13:30.our problem is finding that money. The council says the rock is still
:13:31. > :13:35.protecting the homes, but with more storms and spring tides this
:13:36. > :13:38.weekend, it has shingles in position in case of emergencies. The
:13:39. > :13:43.Environment Agency says there are nine flood warnings in the region,
:13:44. > :13:52.including a long stretches of the River Thames. You saw flooded roads
:13:53. > :13:55.in Berkshire. There are warnings of difficult conditions in the next few
:13:56. > :14:05.hours, and motorists are urged to take care of. They are going to be
:14:06. > :14:13.salting the roads tonight, because of the risk of freezing
:14:14. > :14:24.temperatures. The weather is coming up.
:14:25. > :14:32.There has been disruption on the trains after a signalling problem in
:14:33. > :14:34.Salisbury. Services are expected to be
:14:35. > :14:38.disrupted until at least 9pm tonight.
:14:39. > :14:41.A woman whose house caught fire after she charged an electronic
:14:42. > :14:44.cigarette is warning others of the potential dangers. Tam Hunt had only
:14:45. > :14:48.just bought the device which she plugged in for just a few minutes.
:14:49. > :14:51.It exploded causing a fire which spread through the first floor of
:14:52. > :14:59.her house in Bordon in Hampshire. James Ingham has been to meet her.
:15:00. > :15:03.I heard the fire alarms go off, ran upstairs, and discovered that my
:15:04. > :15:08.whole bedroom was on fire. It's really badly damaged, isn't it?
:15:09. > :15:13.It is. This is literally ten minutes worth of damage. We were incredibly
:15:14. > :15:22.lucky. I was downstairs making a cup of tea when the fire alarms went
:15:23. > :15:24.off. When I came upstairs, I can only describe it as carnage. It was
:15:25. > :15:27.terrifying. An e`cigarette works by heating
:15:28. > :15:33.liquid nicotine, turning it into vapour. But they need to be charged.
:15:34. > :15:36.You unscrew it. You take the vapour away. You then plug in the charger,
:15:37. > :15:41.and that can go into any certified adapter, or even into your laptop.
:15:42. > :15:45.After being charged in this plug socket, this is all that is left of
:15:46. > :15:48.Tam's e`cigarette. Trading Standards are now looking into what happened,
:15:49. > :15:54.trying to identify exactly which product it was that she bought. They
:15:55. > :15:56.are certainly very concerned. Advocates of e`cigarettes warned
:15:57. > :16:00.that charging any lithium battery carries a small risk. But they
:16:01. > :16:04.insist that products are regulated sufficiently.
:16:05. > :16:10.Electronic cigarettes go through at least 15 EDU directives. They need
:16:11. > :16:14.to be trading standards compliant. They need to be CE marked to prove
:16:15. > :16:18.their safety. Anybody who is selling the ones that aren't are breaking
:16:19. > :16:24.the law. But Tam is concerned, and says she'd
:16:25. > :16:28.never use an e`cigarette again. I thought, this is brilliant. This
:16:29. > :16:32.is a great way to give up smoking. I'm going to extend my health. It's
:16:33. > :16:35.not going to impact my children. It's had more impact than I ever
:16:36. > :16:39.could have imagined. It literally is one of the worst things I've ever
:16:40. > :16:48.done. It has caused complete devastation to us.
:16:49. > :16:51.Onto sport now and we're into the final hours of football's transfer
:16:52. > :16:55.deadline day. Tony's here to tell us what's happening. Tony, it's a day
:16:56. > :17:03.where there's a lot of speculation, and fans can be on the edge of their
:17:04. > :17:06.seat. This day was made with the social
:17:07. > :17:09.media age! We'll stick to what's happening in
:17:10. > :17:13.these final hours of the window. All the deals must be completed by 11PM
:17:14. > :17:17.tonight in the UK. The big transfer is a departure from St Mary's and no
:17:18. > :17:21.real surprise after the past week of headlines. Dani Osvaldo has been in
:17:22. > :17:25.Italy today completing a loan move to Juventus. The Italians will pay a
:17:26. > :17:28.loan fee of ?330,000 ` that's with a view to a permanent ?14
:17:29. > :17:31.millionswitch at the end of the season. Osvaldo was suspended by
:17:32. > :17:34.Saints for a training ground attack on Jose Fonte. Meanwhile Jason
:17:35. > :17:36.Puncheon` who's been on loan at Crystal Palace since August has
:17:37. > :17:39.moved to London permanently for ?1.75 million Bournemouth have
:17:40. > :17:41.finally landed striker Yann Kermorgant after a week of
:17:42. > :17:44.negotiations which saw the player travel south on wednesday and then
:17:45. > :17:48.return today to complete the formalities of a two and a half year
:17:49. > :18:06.contract for a fee of around ?400,000.
:18:07. > :18:12.I think it is a very good project for the club. We want to push
:18:13. > :18:27.forward is to enter the Premier League.
:18:28. > :18:31.Southampton go to relegation threatened Fulham tomorrow in the
:18:32. > :18:34.Premier League. Saints sit ninth in the table, after
:18:35. > :18:37.Tuesday's draw with Arsenal. Rickie Lambert is fit again after a
:18:38. > :18:41.hamstring injury. Victor Wanyama is in contention to return after ten
:18:42. > :18:44.games out through injury. Away from the Premier League,
:18:45. > :18:49.Reading go to Millwall tomorrow, hoping to build on their latest big
:18:50. > :18:53.win. Bournemouth are at home again ` their fifth home game in a row, as
:18:54. > :18:58.they host a Leicester side which has won its last eight. Brighton are at
:18:59. > :19:02.Watford on Sunday. In league One, Swindon host Oldham and MK Dons
:19:03. > :19:06.entertain Tranmere. Portsmouth are at home against fellow strugglers
:19:07. > :19:09.Torquay at Fratton Park. Managerless Oxford host Wimbledon. Full
:19:10. > :19:14.commentary on BBC local radio and the goals are on the Football League
:19:15. > :19:18.Show tomorrow night. And in the non league, four of the
:19:19. > :19:20.eight remaining teams in this season's FA Trophy are from
:19:21. > :19:23.Hampshire ` it's quarter`final weekend. So good luck to fans of
:19:24. > :19:26.Havant and Waterlooville, Aldershot, Eastleigh and Gosport Borough.
:19:27. > :19:29.Reading Ladies defend their national indoor hockey title this weekend at
:19:30. > :19:33.Wembley Arena. The event has changed from a six player per team format to
:19:34. > :19:36.five. Reading head into the weekend with high hopes, but the continuing
:19:37. > :19:39.success for the club at women's and men's levels is coming at a
:19:40. > :19:55.financial cost. Skipper Emma Thomas joined me earlier to look ahead.
:19:56. > :20:02.It's a big weekend of indoor hockey. We are already through to the
:20:03. > :20:05.finals. After last year's success, would you
:20:06. > :20:10.consider yourselves likely to win the trophy again?
:20:11. > :20:16.I don't think there is such a thing as favourites in sports. Maybe the
:20:17. > :20:24.other team edge its. It's going to be a really close game.
:20:25. > :20:33.They've been there before and beaten us there before. They have won one,
:20:34. > :20:38.we have want one. There are only five of you on the
:20:39. > :20:40.pitch. It's a relatively big pitch for five people.
:20:41. > :20:46.It's actually a big space. It is quite exciting. The downside is, you
:20:47. > :20:50.have to work really hard to get enough people in attack and enough
:20:51. > :20:58.in defence. For us, it's a positive, because we have a massive bench.
:20:59. > :21:03.So you can play to the strengths of the squad. You are so strong, but
:21:04. > :21:09.there's a price to this success, isn't there? It's the funding of
:21:10. > :21:12.getting you to these events. The men have competed in Europe for eight
:21:13. > :21:19.consecutive seasons. We are in our third season. It does
:21:20. > :21:27.come as a huge price. Most of us have regular jobs alongside playing
:21:28. > :21:32.hockey. It is expensive. You've got international players.
:21:33. > :21:38.How can you find ways to help those of you in everyday jobs get out
:21:39. > :21:42.there and compete? The club are hugely supportive, and
:21:43. > :21:47.the members help us from that point of view. We run coaching sessions to
:21:48. > :21:51.help fund ourselves. We also have a few sponsorship deals. There is a
:21:52. > :21:57.national campaign to send us to Europe. Today, we announced a
:21:58. > :22:04.sponsorship deal with a charity who are helping fund what we do. People
:22:05. > :22:07.forget that they think it is a high`performance sports, so you just
:22:08. > :22:19.take the weekend off and go. Other mac we pay to play, so we are
:22:20. > :22:25.very different to the footballers. It's the first time we've been. It's
:22:26. > :22:29.`20 out there, so we are glad it's outdoors will stop it will be really
:22:30. > :22:46.exciting to play some of the best nations indoors.
:22:47. > :22:56.James O'Connor will leave at the end of the season. He's hoping to get
:22:57. > :23:06.back onto the Australian team. And six Nations starts tomorrow. We've
:23:07. > :23:09.got France playing England's. Wales are playing Italy. Ireland's playing
:23:10. > :23:22.Scotland on Sunday. What is the oldest food in your
:23:23. > :23:26.kitchen cupboard? At university, we had a massive tin
:23:27. > :23:35.of ravioli which we never touched. This is a time tin of luncheon meat
:23:36. > :23:43.45 years old. When he was 22, Nick went shopping
:23:44. > :23:47.with his girlfriend. We saw these catering sized tins of luncheon meat
:23:48. > :23:54.and decided to get a couple. It cost him four shillings. That is
:23:55. > :24:00.20p and today's money. Nick didn't know that it would be the beginning
:24:01. > :24:07.of a moral relationship. When my father died, we found the
:24:08. > :24:15.tin that I remembered giving to my parents some 30 years previously.
:24:16. > :24:19.I've had bad tin in one of my cupboards for the last ten years. I
:24:20. > :24:27.have no intention of opening it! I would love to know if it was
:24:28. > :24:35.edible. As long as the tin looks sound, I'd
:24:36. > :24:43.probably eat it! Is pretty gross, isn't it!
:24:44. > :24:58.I'm not sure his son would agree that it's a perfect family heirloom!
:24:59. > :25:13.Less get the weather. `` lets get the weather.
:25:14. > :25:21.There has been some heavy rain this afternoon, and it will continue
:25:22. > :25:25.until just after midnight. There will be quite a few heavy showers,
:25:26. > :25:29.and temperatures falling rapidly under clearing skies. The winds will
:25:30. > :25:37.fall like true overnights, bringing the risk of some ice. There may be
:25:38. > :25:43.the odd wintry showers over high grounds. A bit of sleet, even the
:25:44. > :25:46.odd snowflakes. The winds will increase in strength tomorrow. We
:25:47. > :25:54.are looking at gale`force winds across the coast. A bit of
:25:55. > :26:00.wintriness over the Cotswolds, a bit of sleet or even snow. It's mainly
:26:01. > :26:05.falling as rain. Highs tomorrow of six. A cold Biel to things, with
:26:06. > :26:15.those strong winds. It will be very strong along the south coast. `` a
:26:16. > :26:22.cold deal to things. Check the Environment Agency website for more
:26:23. > :26:25.flood warnings. The risk of localised flooding following that
:26:26. > :26:34.rain, and there is the Environment Agency warning number for you if you
:26:35. > :26:39.are concerned about the situation. A slightly better day on Sunday, but
:26:40. > :26:45.tomorrow we will have a few showers. They could be heavy, but there will
:26:46. > :26:51.be some dry periods as well. Temperatures tomorrow night down to
:26:52. > :26:55.four. A dry day on Sunday, but there is still a big swell in the English
:26:56. > :27:00.Channel, which means we may have some large coastal waves. Sunshine
:27:01. > :27:08.to be had on Sunday, and a few showers mainly for the south coast.
:27:09. > :27:13.Still a breeze, but not as strong. We are looking at gusts tomorrow of
:27:14. > :27:24.50 mph. The Met office are warning of those winds. In a better day on
:27:25. > :27:28.Sunday, with some sunny spells, scattered showers, Mitre winds.
:27:29. > :27:32.Definitely the best day of the weekend. More rain and strong winds
:27:33. > :27:34.arrive next week. Monday and also Wednesday.