30/05/2014 BBC Oxford News


30/05/2014

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than 40,000 have made the journey so far this

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Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.

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When a prison sentence doesn't mean jail.

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The rise in the number of suspended sentences.

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We hear from a victim and an ex`offender.

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Accused of sexually assaulting a pregnant teenager.

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Bilal Ahmed appears in court and claims he's innocent.

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The artist who's put her pet into classic paintings and the touching

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we take a look around a house full of military history as we approach

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Nearly a third of people found guilty of crimes

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in the Thames Valley and given prison sentences, aren't actually

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Figures obtained by the BBC from the Ministry of Justice show

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more than 1,000 people were given suspended sentences in 2012.

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The recent rise in their use has led to some critics

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Lee Mackie lost her son Jason when he was serving in Afghanistan.

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She used some of the money from his life insurance to invest

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Her neighbour was convicted of fraud but never went to jail.

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What annoyed me, the judge said it wasn't in his

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Him getting a suspended sentence is probably

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what I expected because it's the first time he's been convicted.

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Hundreds of victims of crime, like Lee, never see the

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In 2002, only 43 suspended sentences were given out in the Thames Valley

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By 2012, this had increased to more than 1200.

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Well, in the Thames valley, a third of people given a prison sentence

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Compared to the rest of the country, the Thames Valley ranks eighth

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for the most suspended sentences given out to criminals.

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Some say avoiding jail means avoiding punishment.

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Bob Turney was given a suspended sentence after stealing

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Eye was stealing to get alcohol and drugs. Until and started addressing

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that issue, there was no stopping me. I thought we got away with it. A

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couple of months later on, I am now doing the suspended sentence.

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So why are judges opting to let criminals walk free?

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Some experts say it's because the prisons are too full.

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Ideally, judges would look at the offence and how serious it is in the

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background of the offender and then sentenced them based on that, but

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instead, there is a constant pressure to take into account the

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fact that there are not that many prison places available.

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The Ministry of Justice says it's re`examining the sentencing proces,

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but goes on to say that each decision made is down to

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Swindon's Police and Crime Commissioner is

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in hospital after being taken seriously ill this morning.

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Angus MacPherson is the PCC for Wiltshire and Swindon and was

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It's thought he may have suffered a heart attack.

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A spokesperson said further updates would be given

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A man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a pregnant teenager

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The girl, who was 17 at the time and cannot be

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identified, was attacked in a house in the city in December 2011.

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26`year`old, Mustafa Ahmed, who is originally from Palestine,

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changed his plea to guilty at Oxford Crown Court earlier.

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Mustafa Ahmed spoke through an interpreter at Oxford Crown Court

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So he admitted that he'd sexually assaulted the 17`year`old

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at a house on the Cowley Road in Oxford back in December 2011.

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The bulk of evidence today came from 27`year`old Bilal Ahmed

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He's charged with sexually abusing a girl and he took the stand today

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He appealed directly to the jury a number of times saying,

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He accused the teenager of making it all up and suggested that Mustafa

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Ahmed must have sexually assaulted the victim when he, Bilal, was

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The prosecution say that DNA evidence found on Bilal

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and the victim suggest a sexual assault took place but Bilal caused

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He said the victim wasn't his type and the idea that he'd

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What about the third man involved in this trial?

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That's Zeeshan Ahmed, he's 26 and from Oxford.

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He's accused of threatening the alleged victim.

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The prosecution says he threatened to shoot the teenager

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He pleads not guilty and will begin giving evidence on Monday.

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Oxfordshire's Fire and Rescue service has praised a neighbour

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for calling 999 after hearing a smoke alarm in the house next door.

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Fire crews arrived at the property in Thame to find

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They rescued a man inside who was unhurt.

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Fire officials are also warning people against cooking

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Further work to improve a flood damaged road near Sonning Bridge

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Playhatch Road was badly damaged by floods and severe weather in January

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Engineers will shut the route next Saturday to carry

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Oxfordshire County Council claims the road will reopen fully

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A charity that takes on former racehorses is hoping to

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raise thousands of pounds to help re`train the animals.

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HEROs, based in Wantage, has helped re`home more than 500

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But it's concerned many more face an uncertain future once they reach

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As the old saying goes, no foot, no horse,

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and for people who've come to this farm on the Oxfordshire`Berkshire

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border, they're getting a lesson from a local farrier.

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It's just one of many demonstrations for this

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charity's annual open day, a chance for staff to show how valuable these

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The biggest issue for the racehorse coming out of the industry is the

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preconception that a normal writer could not cope with an x`ray source,

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but then a great number, with the right retraining, can go on to live

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a normal life. After years

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of competing professionally, the team here help to re`train

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and re`home these animals. Thousands of former racehorses,

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every year, face being abandoned or But HEROs provide these horses with

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a second chance, whether it be in dressage, polo or

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quite simply as a companion. About 30 horses are kept here on

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site, including Charlie over there. Each and every one of them costs

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hundreds of thousands of pounds to maintain each month.

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To continue their work, the charity relies on funding.

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It's hoped days like this will give more former racehorses a future.

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Chiltern Railways has achieved its best ever punctuality figures.

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Figures from Network Rail reveal nearly 98% of its services arrive at

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their destination within around five minutes of their scheduled time.

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The rail operator says it's the best result since

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For one artist, the answer is yes, by adding a cat.

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Svetlana Petrova has taken works of art and incorporated images

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Her work already been a massive hit on the internet.

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Tom Turrell has been to see it on display in Abingdon.

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This exhibition features part of a collection from a Russian artist,

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with one familiar theme. Her work,

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featuring her cat Zarathustra, has already gone viral, viewed by

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tens of millions of people online. It is curiosity. People like to see

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something new and unusual. People to investigate something, and these are

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new and modern painting that help people investigate art history. This

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is a movement of art history. These may look like paintings,

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actually, they've been made using Two pictures morphed into one

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and printed onto canvass. It is extraordinary and be the fully

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executed. These are beautifully done. One can imagine somebody

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buying these painting. It is interesting and it will give you a

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lot to talk about over the dinner table.

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Some feel they contain a political message, others believe

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What's certainly seems true is the artist wants them to make you smile.

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of aircraft, and the fighting. . We still have it, of course, but not on

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this scale. You have a deception plan overlaying the whole thing. How

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do you get across the channel? What is the key factor? The stormy

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conditions of the time reflected the mood amongst weather forecasters who

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could not agree. In the end, Eisenhower took the advice of a

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one`man, the group Captain. Difficult to go into that room and

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the poor General Eisenhower with his head on one side and his waiting to

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hear what the forecast would be. And they were going to go the day

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before. Yes, indeed. They postponed because the weather was so bad. And

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there was a window of opportunity. Long enough to get them on the

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beaches. And they made the decision, Eisenhower made the decision in this

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room, which was the library at the time. Absolutely. Did he take long

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to make that decision? The witnesses in the room think it was about five

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minutes, but after a while, Eisenhower said it felt like a

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lifetime. This is the note that was sent to Eisenhower saying, the

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decision was well made. The note from Eisenhower said, I think the

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gods of war. That makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. An

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extraordinary place. We will have much more on the anniversary coming

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up next week, with fascinating features. There will also be in

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France this time next week, we will be marking the 70th `` 70th

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anniversary in France also later in the programme, we will be live as

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Hampshire town mark the anniversary in a very special way. Let's move on

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to sport now. It has been another turbulent 24 hours for Southampton

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football club. Saints lost their manager. Ricky Lambert looks set to

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follow out of St. Mary's. How many more will go? That is the big

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question. There is a certain amount of inevitability about this.

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Southampton finished eighth in the league. Their stock is pretty high,

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perhaps to hide. What happens next? Ricky Lambert, breaking over the

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last 24 hours, tonight it will be a Southampton player when he steps out

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against Peru for England. He will almost be `` certainly be a

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Liverpool striker after that. Saints agreed a fee in the region of ?4

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million. It is the latest step in a remarkable career for a player who

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featured for the likes of Bristol Rovers. His debut in 2009, he scored

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117 goals in all, promoted with the club in consecutive seasons in 2011

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and 2012. With Lambert gone, the fear for Southampton fans is, who is

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next? The price of relative success is that virtually the whole team is

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coveted by someone. Let's take a look at our little 4`3`3. At the

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back, Luke Shaw looked up coveted by Manchester United. Talks going on

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today, we understand. Saint had turned down an initial bid. Other

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members of the back for, lover could follow to Liverpool. Adam Lallana is

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poised to join the Reds as well. There is some haggling over the fee

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at the moment. Morgan Scheidler and has been linked with Liverpool on a

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as Arsenal. J Rodriguez is linked with a move to join Spurs. Fans will

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take little consolation from the fact that the bad boy down year is

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due back from his loan spell at Juventus. Finding a manager seems an

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urgent priority. Here is with the most successful Southampton boss in

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history have had to say. It was a good thing for them. They should

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have kept them together and added to it. If the manager is gone, if

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Lambert goes, Lallana and people like that, I am a bit worried. Here

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is what some of you have been telling me throughout the day on

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social media. It has been very busy. One person said, Ricky has been

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great. Tracy is very sad to see Ricky go but very happy and thinks

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that Robert think he will surprise Liverpool fans with assist goals and

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appearances. One person says that they are clinging to hope.

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Sarah is echoing that sentiment saying, we she can only hope that

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the rand master`planned stroke of `` stripped of about lots more to come,

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I am sure on Southampton in the next few days.

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We switch to cricket. Kevin Peterson is not on the field tonight for

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Surrey in their latest Bash match. He was expected to make his first

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appearance of the summer but he has been troubled by a finger injury.

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Middlesex have lost a wicked. Sean Irvine will make an appearance when

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they face a six this evening, that starts at seven. Sussex's game at

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Glamorgan is underway. Commentary of all of the games on the BBC website.

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It is known as the equivalent of the Champions League, but it takes place

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on the beach, the European Chevy Chip Ford Beach soccer is being held

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in Italy next week. `` championship for beach soccer. Think of beach

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above this summer and you will think of Brazil, but far from the

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Copacabana, this is the Portsmouth beach soccer team training. The

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concept is the same, you have to score goals. That is the big thing

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about Beech soccer. It is all of the good things about football and acted

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into 36 minutes. The team was set up only two years ago and is now a

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visiting England and the European championships in England. Portsmouth

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have had `` not had a great time with the ball recently, with the

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club going into such a bad position, that they have really got themselves

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out of that and hopefully this will be a beast as well. Just something

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for the city to get hold of and make the city proud of us, really. The

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five teams will be there next week, including blaster's winners.

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Portsmouth, who include semiprofessional 11 a side players,

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and those who make a living out of playing on the beach, are ready. The

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guys are good. A lot of the lads are ex`England internationals. I am a

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current England international. We have a strong team. We are not

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daunted. We are used to the stage we are playing on. It is nice that our

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own club are going to play in the competition. Some of the lads that

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have not played international beach soccer will be a bit nervous, but

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wants to get there, the atmosphere will be great. The team start their

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quest for glory in Italy next Tuesday against the Swiss side. Very

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good luck to them. Nice sunshine as well. Sarah has got the weather in

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just a moment. Let's return to events here. He said it `` the 70

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and anniversary of D`day. One town is commemorating it in a special

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way. A series of event will be going on to pay tribute and a member of

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the events of 70 use it and what is being designed as the biggest

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creative event ever staged in the area. `` 70 years ago. It is such an

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evocative sound of the 40s, isn't it? This town really is going to

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town to commemorate D`day. There is a big programme of events planned,

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from readings, two plays, they are even projecting huge wartime images

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onto the side of Lloyds Bank at night, and that has and made

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possible by a grant from the National Heritage `` the national

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heritage lottery fund. Back in the lead up to D`day, this a major hub

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of activities. We have the Canadians billeted here just off the road in

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Lee Park. We have the Americans as well.

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A specially commissioned play is being put on here, following three

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vocal families in the lead up to D`day.

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