:00:00. > :00:00.than 40,000 have made the journey so far this
:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.
:00:00. > :00:08.When a prison sentence doesn't mean jail.
:00:09. > :00:11.The rise in the number of suspended sentences.
:00:12. > :00:15.We hear from a victim and an ex`offender.
:00:16. > :00:19.Accused of sexually assaulting a pregnant teenager.
:00:20. > :00:21.Bilal Ahmed appears in court and claims he's innocent.
:00:22. > :00:33.The artist who's put her pet into classic paintings and the touching
:00:34. > :00:40.we take a look around a house full of military history as we approach
:00:41. > :00:53.Nearly a third of people found guilty of crimes
:00:54. > :00:57.in the Thames Valley and given prison sentences, aren't actually
:00:58. > :01:03.Figures obtained by the BBC from the Ministry of Justice show
:01:04. > :01:07.more than 1,000 people were given suspended sentences in 2012.
:01:08. > :01:10.The recent rise in their use has led to some critics
:01:11. > :01:21.Lee Mackie lost her son Jason when he was serving in Afghanistan.
:01:22. > :01:24.She used some of the money from his life insurance to invest
:01:25. > :01:33.Her neighbour was convicted of fraud but never went to jail.
:01:34. > :01:36.What annoyed me, the judge said it wasn't in his
:01:37. > :01:42.Him getting a suspended sentence is probably
:01:43. > :01:50.what I expected because it's the first time he's been convicted.
:01:51. > :01:52.Hundreds of victims of crime, like Lee, never see the
:01:53. > :02:00.In 2002, only 43 suspended sentences were given out in the Thames Valley
:02:01. > :02:06.By 2012, this had increased to more than 1200.
:02:07. > :02:11.Well, in the Thames valley, a third of people given a prison sentence
:02:12. > :02:17.Compared to the rest of the country, the Thames Valley ranks eighth
:02:18. > :02:22.for the most suspended sentences given out to criminals.
:02:23. > :02:26.Some say avoiding jail means avoiding punishment.
:02:27. > :02:29.Bob Turney was given a suspended sentence after stealing
:02:30. > :02:44.Eye was stealing to get alcohol and drugs. Until and started addressing
:02:45. > :02:51.that issue, there was no stopping me. I thought we got away with it. A
:02:52. > :02:55.couple of months later on, I am now doing the suspended sentence.
:02:56. > :02:58.So why are judges opting to let criminals walk free?
:02:59. > :03:04.Some experts say it's because the prisons are too full.
:03:05. > :03:10.Ideally, judges would look at the offence and how serious it is in the
:03:11. > :03:14.background of the offender and then sentenced them based on that, but
:03:15. > :03:17.instead, there is a constant pressure to take into account the
:03:18. > :03:20.fact that there are not that many prison places available.
:03:21. > :03:23.The Ministry of Justice says it's re`examining the sentencing proces,
:03:24. > :03:27.but goes on to say that each decision made is down to
:03:28. > :03:31.Swindon's Police and Crime Commissioner is
:03:32. > :03:34.in hospital after being taken seriously ill this morning.
:03:35. > :03:37.Angus MacPherson is the PCC for Wiltshire and Swindon and was
:03:38. > :03:46.It's thought he may have suffered a heart attack.
:03:47. > :03:49.A spokesperson said further updates would be given
:03:50. > :03:53.A man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a pregnant teenager
:03:54. > :03:56.The girl, who was 17 at the time and cannot be
:03:57. > :04:00.identified, was attacked in a house in the city in December 2011.
:04:01. > :04:02.26`year`old, Mustafa Ahmed, who is originally from Palestine,
:04:03. > :04:05.changed his plea to guilty at Oxford Crown Court earlier.
:04:06. > :04:12.Mustafa Ahmed spoke through an interpreter at Oxford Crown Court
:04:13. > :04:19.So he admitted that he'd sexually assaulted the 17`year`old
:04:20. > :04:25.at a house on the Cowley Road in Oxford back in December 2011.
:04:26. > :04:35.The bulk of evidence today came from 27`year`old Bilal Ahmed
:04:36. > :04:40.He's charged with sexually abusing a girl and he took the stand today
:04:41. > :04:44.He appealed directly to the jury a number of times saying,
:04:45. > :04:51.He accused the teenager of making it all up and suggested that Mustafa
:04:52. > :04:55.Ahmed must have sexually assaulted the victim when he, Bilal, was
:04:56. > :05:00.The prosecution say that DNA evidence found on Bilal
:05:01. > :05:04.and the victim suggest a sexual assault took place but Bilal caused
:05:05. > :05:12.He said the victim wasn't his type and the idea that he'd
:05:13. > :05:16.What about the third man involved in this trial?
:05:17. > :05:18.That's Zeeshan Ahmed, he's 26 and from Oxford.
:05:19. > :05:22.He's accused of threatening the alleged victim.
:05:23. > :05:24.The prosecution says he threatened to shoot the teenager
:05:25. > :05:35.He pleads not guilty and will begin giving evidence on Monday.
:05:36. > :05:38.Oxfordshire's Fire and Rescue service has praised a neighbour
:05:39. > :05:42.for calling 999 after hearing a smoke alarm in the house next door.
:05:43. > :05:44.Fire crews arrived at the property in Thame to find
:05:45. > :05:49.They rescued a man inside who was unhurt.
:05:50. > :05:51.Fire officials are also warning people against cooking
:05:52. > :06:06.Further work to improve a flood damaged road near Sonning Bridge
:06:07. > :06:11.Playhatch Road was badly damaged by floods and severe weather in January
:06:12. > :06:15.Engineers will shut the route next Saturday to carry
:06:16. > :06:18.Oxfordshire County Council claims the road will reopen fully
:06:19. > :06:22.A charity that takes on former racehorses is hoping to
:06:23. > :06:25.raise thousands of pounds to help re`train the animals.
:06:26. > :06:27.HEROs, based in Wantage, has helped re`home more than 500
:06:28. > :06:32.But it's concerned many more face an uncertain future once they reach
:06:33. > :06:39.As the old saying goes, no foot, no horse,
:06:40. > :06:42.and for people who've come to this farm on the Oxfordshire`Berkshire
:06:43. > :06:45.border, they're getting a lesson from a local farrier.
:06:46. > :06:48.It's just one of many demonstrations for this
:06:49. > :06:52.charity's annual open day, a chance for staff to show how valuable these
:06:53. > :07:05.The biggest issue for the racehorse coming out of the industry is the
:07:06. > :07:09.preconception that a normal writer could not cope with an x`ray source,
:07:10. > :07:12.but then a great number, with the right retraining, can go on to live
:07:13. > :07:18.a normal life. After years
:07:19. > :07:20.of competing professionally, the team here help to re`train
:07:21. > :07:22.and re`home these animals. Thousands of former racehorses,
:07:23. > :07:25.every year, face being abandoned or But HEROs provide these horses with
:07:26. > :07:29.a second chance, whether it be in dressage, polo or
:07:30. > :07:44.quite simply as a companion. About 30 horses are kept here on
:07:45. > :07:48.site, including Charlie over there. Each and every one of them costs
:07:49. > :07:51.hundreds of thousands of pounds to maintain each month.
:07:52. > :07:53.To continue their work, the charity relies on funding.
:07:54. > :08:01.It's hoped days like this will give more former racehorses a future.
:08:02. > :08:04.Chiltern Railways has achieved its best ever punctuality figures.
:08:05. > :08:07.Figures from Network Rail reveal nearly 98% of its services arrive at
:08:08. > :08:10.their destination within around five minutes of their scheduled time.
:08:11. > :08:12.The rail operator says it's the best result since
:08:13. > :08:24.For one artist, the answer is yes, by adding a cat.
:08:25. > :08:27.Svetlana Petrova has taken works of art and incorporated images
:08:28. > :08:33.Her work already been a massive hit on the internet.
:08:34. > :08:43.Tom Turrell has been to see it on display in Abingdon.
:08:44. > :08:46.This exhibition features part of a collection from a Russian artist,
:08:47. > :08:52.with one familiar theme. Her work,
:08:53. > :08:53.featuring her cat Zarathustra, has already gone viral, viewed by
:08:54. > :09:07.tens of millions of people online. It is curiosity. People like to see
:09:08. > :09:13.something new and unusual. People to investigate something, and these are
:09:14. > :09:15.new and modern painting that help people investigate art history. This
:09:16. > :09:19.is a movement of art history. These may look like paintings,
:09:20. > :09:22.actually, they've been made using Two pictures morphed into one
:09:23. > :09:34.and printed onto canvass. It is extraordinary and be the fully
:09:35. > :09:39.executed. These are beautifully done. One can imagine somebody
:09:40. > :09:42.buying these painting. It is interesting and it will give you a
:09:43. > :09:45.lot to talk about over the dinner table.
:09:46. > :09:48.Some feel they contain a political message, others believe
:09:49. > :12:44.What's certainly seems true is the artist wants them to make you smile.
:12:45. > :12:57.of aircraft, and the fighting. . We still have it, of course, but not on
:12:58. > :13:04.this scale. You have a deception plan overlaying the whole thing. How
:13:05. > :13:13.do you get across the channel? What is the key factor? The stormy
:13:14. > :13:17.conditions of the time reflected the mood amongst weather forecasters who
:13:18. > :13:20.could not agree. In the end, Eisenhower took the advice of a
:13:21. > :13:26.one`man, the group Captain. Difficult to go into that room and
:13:27. > :13:34.the poor General Eisenhower with his head on one side and his waiting to
:13:35. > :13:38.hear what the forecast would be. And they were going to go the day
:13:39. > :13:46.before. Yes, indeed. They postponed because the weather was so bad. And
:13:47. > :13:50.there was a window of opportunity. Long enough to get them on the
:13:51. > :13:54.beaches. And they made the decision, Eisenhower made the decision in this
:13:55. > :13:58.room, which was the library at the time. Absolutely. Did he take long
:13:59. > :14:05.to make that decision? The witnesses in the room think it was about five
:14:06. > :14:10.minutes, but after a while, Eisenhower said it felt like a
:14:11. > :14:15.lifetime. This is the note that was sent to Eisenhower saying, the
:14:16. > :14:19.decision was well made. The note from Eisenhower said, I think the
:14:20. > :14:28.gods of war. That makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. An
:14:29. > :14:33.extraordinary place. We will have much more on the anniversary coming
:14:34. > :14:40.up next week, with fascinating features. There will also be in
:14:41. > :14:45.France this time next week, we will be marking the 70th `` 70th
:14:46. > :14:51.anniversary in France also later in the programme, we will be live as
:14:52. > :14:57.Hampshire town mark the anniversary in a very special way. Let's move on
:14:58. > :15:00.to sport now. It has been another turbulent 24 hours for Southampton
:15:01. > :15:06.football club. Saints lost their manager. Ricky Lambert looks set to
:15:07. > :15:11.follow out of St. Mary's. How many more will go? That is the big
:15:12. > :15:14.question. There is a certain amount of inevitability about this.
:15:15. > :15:19.Southampton finished eighth in the league. Their stock is pretty high,
:15:20. > :15:26.perhaps to hide. What happens next? Ricky Lambert, breaking over the
:15:27. > :15:30.last 24 hours, tonight it will be a Southampton player when he steps out
:15:31. > :15:35.against Peru for England. He will almost be `` certainly be a
:15:36. > :15:39.Liverpool striker after that. Saints agreed a fee in the region of ?4
:15:40. > :15:43.million. It is the latest step in a remarkable career for a player who
:15:44. > :15:53.featured for the likes of Bristol Rovers. His debut in 2009, he scored
:15:54. > :16:00.117 goals in all, promoted with the club in consecutive seasons in 2011
:16:01. > :16:04.and 2012. With Lambert gone, the fear for Southampton fans is, who is
:16:05. > :16:08.next? The price of relative success is that virtually the whole team is
:16:09. > :16:14.coveted by someone. Let's take a look at our little 4`3`3. At the
:16:15. > :16:19.back, Luke Shaw looked up coveted by Manchester United. Talks going on
:16:20. > :16:31.today, we understand. Saint had turned down an initial bid. Other
:16:32. > :16:36.members of the back for, lover could follow to Liverpool. Adam Lallana is
:16:37. > :16:40.poised to join the Reds as well. There is some haggling over the fee
:16:41. > :16:46.at the moment. Morgan Scheidler and has been linked with Liverpool on a
:16:47. > :16:51.as Arsenal. J Rodriguez is linked with a move to join Spurs. Fans will
:16:52. > :16:55.take little consolation from the fact that the bad boy down year is
:16:56. > :17:09.due back from his loan spell at Juventus. Finding a manager seems an
:17:10. > :17:14.urgent priority. Here is with the most successful Southampton boss in
:17:15. > :17:16.history have had to say. It was a good thing for them. They should
:17:17. > :17:23.have kept them together and added to it. If the manager is gone, if
:17:24. > :17:28.Lambert goes, Lallana and people like that, I am a bit worried. Here
:17:29. > :17:30.is what some of you have been telling me throughout the day on
:17:31. > :17:40.social media. It has been very busy. One person said, Ricky has been
:17:41. > :17:45.great. Tracy is very sad to see Ricky go but very happy and thinks
:17:46. > :17:51.that Robert think he will surprise Liverpool fans with assist goals and
:17:52. > :18:00.appearances. One person says that they are clinging to hope.
:18:01. > :18:09.Sarah is echoing that sentiment saying, we she can only hope that
:18:10. > :18:13.the rand master`planned stroke of `` stripped of about lots more to come,
:18:14. > :18:18.I am sure on Southampton in the next few days.
:18:19. > :18:26.We switch to cricket. Kevin Peterson is not on the field tonight for
:18:27. > :18:30.Surrey in their latest Bash match. He was expected to make his first
:18:31. > :18:36.appearance of the summer but he has been troubled by a finger injury.
:18:37. > :18:43.Middlesex have lost a wicked. Sean Irvine will make an appearance when
:18:44. > :18:48.they face a six this evening, that starts at seven. Sussex's game at
:18:49. > :18:53.Glamorgan is underway. Commentary of all of the games on the BBC website.
:18:54. > :18:57.It is known as the equivalent of the Champions League, but it takes place
:18:58. > :19:01.on the beach, the European Chevy Chip Ford Beach soccer is being held
:19:02. > :19:07.in Italy next week. `` championship for beach soccer. Think of beach
:19:08. > :19:11.above this summer and you will think of Brazil, but far from the
:19:12. > :19:17.Copacabana, this is the Portsmouth beach soccer team training. The
:19:18. > :19:22.concept is the same, you have to score goals. That is the big thing
:19:23. > :19:29.about Beech soccer. It is all of the good things about football and acted
:19:30. > :19:32.into 36 minutes. The team was set up only two years ago and is now a
:19:33. > :19:36.visiting England and the European championships in England. Portsmouth
:19:37. > :19:40.have had `` not had a great time with the ball recently, with the
:19:41. > :19:44.club going into such a bad position, that they have really got themselves
:19:45. > :19:49.out of that and hopefully this will be a beast as well. Just something
:19:50. > :19:54.for the city to get hold of and make the city proud of us, really. The
:19:55. > :20:00.five teams will be there next week, including blaster's winners.
:20:01. > :20:03.Portsmouth, who include semiprofessional 11 a side players,
:20:04. > :20:08.and those who make a living out of playing on the beach, are ready. The
:20:09. > :20:12.guys are good. A lot of the lads are ex`England internationals. I am a
:20:13. > :20:18.current England international. We have a strong team. We are not
:20:19. > :20:22.daunted. We are used to the stage we are playing on. It is nice that our
:20:23. > :20:27.own club are going to play in the competition. Some of the lads that
:20:28. > :20:30.have not played international beach soccer will be a bit nervous, but
:20:31. > :20:35.wants to get there, the atmosphere will be great. The team start their
:20:36. > :20:41.quest for glory in Italy next Tuesday against the Swiss side. Very
:20:42. > :20:46.good luck to them. Nice sunshine as well. Sarah has got the weather in
:20:47. > :20:51.just a moment. Let's return to events here. He said it `` the 70
:20:52. > :20:55.and anniversary of D`day. One town is commemorating it in a special
:20:56. > :20:59.way. A series of event will be going on to pay tribute and a member of
:21:00. > :21:04.the events of 70 use it and what is being designed as the biggest
:21:05. > :21:15.creative event ever staged in the area. `` 70 years ago. It is such an
:21:16. > :21:20.evocative sound of the 40s, isn't it? This town really is going to
:21:21. > :21:24.town to commemorate D`day. There is a big programme of events planned,
:21:25. > :21:29.from readings, two plays, they are even projecting huge wartime images
:21:30. > :21:33.onto the side of Lloyds Bank at night, and that has and made
:21:34. > :21:36.possible by a grant from the National Heritage `` the national
:21:37. > :21:43.heritage lottery fund. Back in the lead up to D`day, this a major hub
:21:44. > :21:46.of activities. We have the Canadians billeted here just off the road in
:21:47. > :22:40.Lee Park. We have the Americans as well.
:22:41. > :22:44.A specially commissioned play is being put on here, following three
:22:45. > :24:18.vocal families in the lead up to D`day.