26/02/2014 BBC Oxford News

soon. That is all from the BBC News at Six, goodbye from me. On BBC One

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

Not an act of mercy, it was murder. A 75`year`old woman who killed her

husband who was dying of cancer is jailed for life.

Also, sub four minutes, super achievement. Plans to celebrate the

60th anniversary of a major sporting milestone.

And it's not just a woman's work ` a call for more jobs for the boys in

childcare. He is funny. He is funny, is he?

Yes. He has got funny ears. Later on: The ingenious ways wounded

troops were brought back from the front line, and how a Thames Valley

surgeon and his team discovered a novel way of saving their lives.

A 75`year`old woman from Milton Keynes, who admitted strangling her

terminally ill husband, has been given a life sentence after a judge

ruled it wasn't a mercy killing. Sheila Sampford was told she must

spend at least nine years in prison. The court heard caring for her

husband who had leukaemia had "got too much". Neil Bradford was in

court. Sheila Sampford wept as she relived

the moment she strangled her 83`year`old husband John. The

75`year`old told the judge at Luton Crown Court it was the worst thing

she had ever done. I did what I did for John, she said. For love, and to

stop him suffering. He was my rock. The couple were three months away

from celebrating their golden wedding anniversary last July when

she killed him at their home in Milton Keynes. She said it was a

plan they had discussed together on numerous occasions, and she was

acting out of love and devotion and to end his suffering from leukaemia.

Today it emerged that John Sampford showed no sign of wanting to take

his own life and was coping well with his terminal diagnosis. The

court also heard that Sheila Sampford had told police at the time

she had just snapped. I don't know what I did, she told them. A judge

ruled today this was not a mercy killing. From the word go, this was

always treated as a murder inquiry by Thames Valley Police. As the

inquiry progressed, it became obvious it was not just around Mr

Sampford's health, but there were other factors in the inquiry that

led us to believe Sheila had committed this murder for other

reasons. The case was heard without a jury because Sheila Sampford

pleaded guilty to her husband's murder last month. The judge

described her evidence as unconvincing. He did not agree Mr

Sampford wanted to die, or asked his wife to kill him, or that she was

acting out of compassion. He said, and immense stress, you snapped.

Your actions deprived family members of the chance to say goodbye. Sheila

Sampford was jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years.

Earlier I asked an expert on criminal law whether this case have

been unusual. They are not very common, but they are not that

unusual. My view is that the law really needs to be reviewed in

relation to the whole issue of murder and people who find

themselves in very desperate circumstances with loved ones, and

he may well be acting on their instructions and trying to help them

in their dying days. Do you sense there is a change coming in the law?

In the same way that a review has been done around assisted suicide, I

do think it should be looked at more widely in terms of a situation where

a murder charge or an attempted murder charge would be brought

instead of an assisted suicide charge. It is a challenging area of

the law, but for all who practice in it, isn't it? It is, yes. There is a

kind of moral element to it as well, and I think it is difficult for

jurors because they may have lacked a lot of sympathy `` they may have

quite a lot of sympathy with the defendant, but they may be directed

by a judge that a defence is not available to the defendant because

of the state of the law. Thank you for joining us.

A builder from Aylesbury who has gone on the run has been jailed for

six years for conning a vulnerable pension out of more than half a

million pounds. John Jenkins, who's 70, was sentenced in his absence

after failing to turn up for the last day of his trial at St Albans

Crown Court. The jury found him guilty of fraud by false

representation. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

A 48`year`old Didcot woman, arrested in connection with the Jayden

Parkinson murder investigation, has been released on bail. The

17`year`old's body was found in a grave at All Saints Church in the

town in December. The woman was detained on suspicion of perverting

the course of justice. Two people have already been charged in

connection with the case. A campaign's been launched to get

more men working in childcare across our region. The co`op nursery chain

will be working with local job centres and recruitment agencies to

boost the number of men thinking about a career with children. At the

moment just 2% of nursery workers in the area are men, as Stuart Tinworth

reports. Play time at this nursery in Witney.

The centre had been struggling, but now has more children, and a good

rating from inspectors. Manager Gareth has been here for just over a

year, and he's in the minority as a male nursery worker. But he didn't

start in childcare. I started off in agriculture, moved on to

neighbouring work, and then an opportunity came up with children.

Seeing how children grow and develop, and have a in able

themselves to use scissors, pens, pencils, is far more rewarding than

a wall or Carmack or analytical unit done. 4500 people work as nursery

workers in Oxfordshire alone. But, as few as one or 2% of those are

men. Now, the organisation that runs this chain of nurseries once that to

change. Well done! The move follows research that shows children benefit

from having a male role model in their early years. There will be

apprenticeships and support offered to help people start their careers.

And they'll be a job fair next month, to be held at the John

Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. It is getting rid of that stigma that we

are nursery nurses, and therefore it is a female dominated profession to

go into. I definitely believe we need more men. Some children who

have come to us may not have that father figure. And, what do the

children make of their manager Gareth? He is funny. He is funny, is

he? Yes. He has got funny ears. Nearly 10,000 homes in Oxford are at

risk of flooding, according to Friends of the Earth.

The charity analysed data from the Environment Agency and suggests

around 5,000 of those properties in Oxford are at "significant risk" of

flooding. The Government estimates that almost a million UK homes could

be at significant flood risk by 2020.

60 years ago, a man did what many elite was not humanly possible.

Running a mile in under four minutes, and it happened in Oxford.

Now, a one`mile race in London is being officially dedicated to Roger

Bannister to mark the anniversary of his achievements.

It was one of the biggest milestones in sports, when Roger Bannister,

Dawn and bred in Harrow, did the unthinkable in 1954, running a mile

in under four minutes. 60 years on, and he is back where he trained for

that momentous achievement at Paddington recreation ground, and

remember is his father taking him to see a race at the old White city

Stadium. That was a moment of inspiration and I felt that was what

I wanted to do. The mile race is so perfect in that it is short enough

never to be boring, but long enough to beat tactical in the sense you

wait and watch, watched each runner and yes how much finish they have

left, according to the way in which the race is being run. It is so

exciting. It is like a sort of unity almost takes you back to the concept

of a Greek way. The Westminster mile will be held in May to mark the

anniversary. Six times Paralympic champion David Weir will attempt to

go one better than his hero by finishing in less than three

minutes. What has it been like meeting the man today? Amazing. He

has got that aura around him, you know. What has he said to you about

breaking that record? He said I can do it. He said believe in yourself.

A humble man who was only a part`time athlete, but who is still

a huge inspiration. That's all from me for the moment.

I'll have the headlines at 8pm and a full bulletin at 10:25pm. Now over

to Sally Taylor. allowed to transform run`down sites

into a maximum of three properties. Still to come in this evening's

South Today, we talk to the Southampton snowboarder back from

the olympics. Join me, Billy Morgan, as I tell you about the Winter

Olympics in Sochi. Prince Charles was reacquainted with an old friend

today as he was reacquainted with the Mary Rose today. It is the first

time he has seen the chewed a warship in its new home. The Duchess

of Cornwall also came. Our correspondent is inside the museum

today. When this 35mm pound museum opens at last made it was the

culmination of years of effort to provide a purpose`built home for the

Mary Rose and the artefacts found with her. `` ?35 million museum. The

Prince of Wales was here today and he was among friends. For a prince

with a strong sense of history and a taste for adventure, the project to

raise and conserve the Mary Rose has been a perfect fit. He was 25 when

he first dived on the rack in 1974. When I think back to the days of

diving on the ship out of the Solent in the most impossible conditions, I

remember describing it as swimming in soup. You couldn't see anything.

He was there to witness the moment when the Mary Rose surfaced. It was

the prince who encouraged them to go ahead despite awful weather. There

was the most almighty crunch as the chains and the ship dropped. I

thought the whole thing was gone. The ship displays thousands of

artefacts. This comb delight of the Duchess. He has passionately been

following it. He has had regular visits. He has met people that have

worked if a thousand 435 time and time again. Some of them actually

dived with him. `` have worked here for 35 years. The extended torment

families were part of the Christmas and today Lydia seemed to have

forgotten that and she was preoccupied with the Duchess 's

hearings. To have them on board today was fantastic. It was a royal

visit enjoyed on all sides, he was a day to feel proud. The Mary Rose

trust was proud and pleased to show off its new museum to the visitors.

That support continues to be important because conservation

carries on. It is an expensive business and today Prince Charles

thank to be donors. It has brought back memories.

On to sport now and Tony is here. In a moment we will hear from Billy

Morgan our snowboarder from Southampton.

I talked to him about what it was like out there and what it is like

to be in that Olympic world. I bet he is a laid`back boy.

They all are. Back to the run of the mill and football. Portsmouth

bounced back from a 5`1 defeat on Saturday with a crucial win in

league two last night. A team showing five changes from the loss

at the weekend beat James Beattie's Accrington Stanley 1`0 thanks to a

Jake Gervis goal early in the second half. The win means Pompey are now

seven points clear of the relegation zone. It was important that we sent

a message out that if you let your standards slip, then it is going to

cost you. We have a fairly strong squad now. We have options. If we

are going to have issues like that then other people deserve an

opportunity. Elsewhere Swindon were held to a draw by Crawley at the

county ground. Nathan Bryne's near post finish put the Robins in front

but they couldn't hold on, On loan striker Matt Tubbs levelled for

Crawley ten minutes from time. MK Dons won at Oldham with two first

half goals from George Baldock, who struck from 20 yards, and then Izale

McLeod late in the opening half. Oldham netted a late consolation.

Time to catch up with Olympic snowboarder Billy Morgan now. The

slopestyle athlete from Southampton is back from his first games after

finishing 10th in his class. And it's certainly whetted his appetite

for more. Billy joined me on the sofa and I started by asking him how

it felt to be back. It is really good after being stuck in the

Olympic Village for a month. It is good to see my family and friends.

It is a completely different environment and it is good to relax

for a bit. What is it like being in that Team GB bubble? We can cruise

about and do things that are a bit different. We can go out in the town

go to a restaurant. It is good to have the guys around. It has been a

super good environment. How did you find it? There was a lot of negative

talk about lots of things before I went there and I didn't know what to

expect. It went really smoothly and the accommodation was good. The

transport was good and it went really well. A top`10 finish for

you. How do you assess how you got on? I was really happy with it in

the end. I could have landed my `` I could have landed on my feet if I

had landed. I showed everybody what I could do and we showcased the

sport well. A lot of kids have been inspired and that is a success for

me. You really pushed it in the final and ultimately cost you. Would

you do it differently? I did what I wanted to do. It was sad that I fell

on both the tricks that I thought I had. The conditions did change

towards the end and it did get faster. I was just super excited.

There was lots of support for you watching on a Saturday morning. Were

you aware of that? It wasn't until later that I was told that they were

all there cheering me on. It was overwhelming and after I spoke to

everyone. A little lad who makes it to the Olympics, it is the dream

stuff. Four years time, are you going to be back for Mark `` for

more? Hopefully, I will be in training for some more. He has great

things ahead of him. He knows he will get hurt now and

again. During the First World War many

soldiers suffered terrible injuries, and getting them back from the Front

and treating them was a great challenge. The Royal Berkshire and

Battle hospitals in Reading became a major centre for troops injured in

the trenches. And it was there that one medic

discovered a bacteria which healed wounds. It became known as the

Reading Bacillus and it helped save many lives, as our Health

Correspondent David Fenton reports. Private Robert Hanna was one of the

very first casualties of war hit by a bullet during the battle of

Flanders in 1914. It was on the 21st day of October that we ran against

the Germans. We were advancing up an open field when they opened fire on

us with shrapnel and bullets. We returned the same but after about

ten minutes fighting I received a German souvenir which put me out of

action and I was sent from Ypres down country to Boulogne, where I

was for ten days. One and a half million British soldiers were

wounded in the war and many were treated where they lay out in the

open, in filthy conditions. Without antibiotics infection was rife.

Where they were injured they could be in No Man's Land, where they

could stay for 24 ` 28 hours depending on how the fighting was

going. Particularly gas gangrene was the dreaded complication where the

wound was infected with an organism that gave off gas so the wounds felt

all bubbly and had a certain smell to them and that meant really

immediate amputation. Getting the men back from the front required

effort and ingenuity. Every kind transport was used ` even bicycles.

Three men with a stretcher tied between them looks unwieldy and

uncomfortable, but it worked, sort of. Back at the clearing stations,

operating theatres were set up. Zaheer Shah was an Army surgeon `

100 years ago in France he'd have been using something like this. Here

is an instrument to clean out infection from bone and the edge of

this would be sharp and this would be used to scrape into a bone to

scrape out any area of infection and you would leave it for a day or two,

see how much of the infection came back or see whether the bone weas

healing and that process of waiting a day still happens. We quite often

have second look operations just to see how much of the infection has

come back. The lucky ones survived long enough

to be taken home on hospital ships. More than a million men came through

Southampton en route to war hospitals, like Reading. The first

batch of 50 came at the end of October 1914 so relatively early on,

and then the operation shifted largely to Battle ` Battle Hospital

at the other end of Reading. Private Hanna was one of the first to arrive

in Berkshire. The hospital charged the war office three shillings and

four pence a day ` for every other soldier they treated. There was no

NHS then. One of the doctors was Leonard Joyc. He noticed that some

wounds were healing much more quickly than others, and he wondered

why? The patient lay out in the open for four days before being brought

in and he remained at the casualty clearing station for 11 days during

which time gas gangrene developed and the patient became very ill. Two

days after draining and packing with the wound with salt bags it

developed a powerful and characteristic odour. That smell was

caused by a bacteria which was cleaning the wounds. It wasn't an

antibiotic but it was helping. So Joyce and his team took the dramatic

decision to infect the injured soldiers with it. They were

pioneers. Somebody has to be a pioneer and this is the way medicine

advances you have to be prepared and brave enough to try something for

the first time. The soldiers got better and Joyce called his

bacteria, the Reading Bacillus. In 1917 he published his results in the

Lancet. There are photographs here of the Reading Bacillus grown in

culture and then he goes onto describe various case histories. And

it was from cases like that that led him to go on and grow the bacillus

and deliberately put it in other wounds to try to improve the

healing. No one knows how many owed their

lives and mobility to the Reading Bacillus, probably many hundreds. As

for Private Hanna, he left hospital three days before Christmas 1914.

Like many wounded men it's likely he returned to his regiment to fight

again. There are hundreds of stories in the

World War One At Home series being broadcast on BBC local radio over

the coming months. If you want to see more, go to bbc.co.uk/ww1 and

follow the links. And our series continues tomorrow, as Steve

Humphrey looks at some of the 16,000 British people who refused to fight

in the war. Amongst them are one group of conscientious prisoners. To

relieve the boredom, they produced their own secret newspaper and it

was known as the Winchester whisperer. We will hear from editor

of that newspaper and we will show you one of the only known copies

that survives to this day. Join Radio Solent tomorrow at 8.15am for

the full story, and again after 11am. Now onto the weather.

The message is to stay tuned to the wintry showers.

Sunrise in over Mottisfont this morning captured by Simon Newman.

Colin Gray photographed the dramatic skies over Salisbury cathedral from

across the water meadows. We had some springlike conditions

today. We have a band of heavy rain and strengthening winds as well. The

rain will rattle its way through clearing western areas tomorrow and

there could be some heavy bursts in there. It would be a frost free

nights. Tomorrow morning, it is an East West divide. By eight or nine

o'clock tomorrow morning that rain will have disappeared. We have some

bright conditions before the cloud comes in during the afternoon. We

have some thundery downpours with some hail mixed in. The wind will be

fairly brisk and where you have though showers, they will be quite

blustery. Temperatures are similar to what we have today. Further

showers will die away and another band of rain will move its way in

through the early hours of Friday morning. We are expecting some

wintry showers for parts of Oxfordshire and northern parts of

Oxfordshire in the area for snow. Western areas are likely over

Hilltop area 's first thing on Friday morning and through the rush

hour. Temperatures fall away to three Celsius. This rain band is

hitting cold air and it well in that `` it will inevitably turn wintry

showers into snow showers. The rain band disappears on Friday and we

have an improving picture. This next system is on the wafer Saturday and

we could have a repeat performance through says Day of some wintry

showers. An unsettled picture over the next few days. Stay tuned to the

weather forecast. Tomorrow night, we will hear the concerns of mobile

phone customers in one part of the region demanding action to get a

more reliable service. They say they have had no signal for two of the

last three months. Good night.