25/06/2014 BBC Oxford News

A BBC investigation has found Thames Valley Police is investigating

crimes involving children as young as 11 sharing explicit photos

of themselves and their peers over mobile phones and social media.

A freedom of information request has revealed there's been a sharp rise

in cases of so`called "sexting" reported to the police, and schools

in the area are increasingly calling in officers to help deal with

Our Home Affairs Correspondent Emma Vardy has this exclusive report

Some of the scenes are played by actors.

I knew what was going on was really, really wrong, but he always used to

blackmail me into doing stuff I didn't want to do. In private

messages over Facebook, 14`year`old messages over Facebook, 14`xear`old

Lizzie, whose name we have changed, told us she sent explicit voters up

herself to her boyfriend. I remember one night, we had a massive

argument, and he messaged md and argument, and he messaged me and

Facebook saying, we can forget all about this if you send me a naked

photo. He would not talk to me if I didn't send him anything. He

wouldn't talk to me for thrde didn't send him anything. Hd

wouldn't talk to me for three days. He would just blanked me. M`ny young

He would just blanked me. Many young people would not speak freely about

the problem, if there is a problem, so it is for the parents to actually

start the conversation. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we

obtained details of sexting incidents recorded by teachers,

showing a sharp rise over the past academic year. Schools told us they

had been confiscating and checking phones, and deleting images in front

of parents and the children involved. They said they ard

increasingly repairing incidents to police. Last year, Thames V`lley

police. Last year, Thames Valley Police dealt with 40 incidents of

sexting involving children tnder Police dealt with 40 incidents of

sexting involving children under 16, sexting involving children tnder 16,

compared to just 14 cases of the year before. The forces dealt with

children as young as 11, as victims of crimes involving sexting. As the

image could easily be an indecent image of a child, by definition, the

image of a child, by definition the act is the sexual offences act

act is the sexual offences `ct 2003, which means if a parent

insists that somebody is arrested for coercing their child to take and

send a text, of course, yes, they can be arrested, and they c`n

send a text, of course, yes, they can be arrested, and they can end up

going to court or get a caution and go on the Sex Offenders' Register

for one year. Last year, police press charges in two cases,

involving a 15`year`old and a 13`year`old. Another receivdd a

youth caution. There are warnings we could see more cases involvhng

could see more cases involving sexting ending up in court hn

future. A man who was arrested on suspicion

of murder has been released without Police investigating child sexual

exploitation in at which have charged six men in Banbury relating

to offences relating to teenage girls alleged to have taken place in

the last three years. The mdn girls alleged to have taken place in

the last three years. The men had been remanded in custody, and will

appear before magistrates in the morning.

A man who was arrested on stspicion of murder has been released without

charge after police found the body of an

They were called to the house in Latimer yesterday lunchtime.

The death is still being trdated as unexplained.

We need to build more homes suitable for old age.

That's a challenge set by Oxfordshire's Director of

When the NHS was founded, almost half the population died

Now women in the county can expect to live to 87 and men to 84.

But the lack of homes for them to live in is now a serious problem.

Active and independent living ` that's what's important to

pensioners at this over`80s lunch club in Holton near Oxford.

Some, like 90`year`old Beryl, have struggled to find suitable

sheltered housing locally so have made alterations to

I got a chair, and to walkers. They have made a lot of difference, yes.

Especially in the bed, to grab them, because otherwise, I cannot

sort of rollover to get out properly now.

Many fear if they do eventually have to move into a home, it'll lean

Home is where you bring your children up. And home has got happy

memories. So I don't want to move from where I am. There isn't any

sheltered accommodation herd out from where I am. There isn't any

sheltered accommodation here out in sheltered accommodation here out in

the village, and I wouldn't want to move out of the village now.

Now the Director of Health for Oxfordshire's calling for more

suitable homes to be built for the elderly, like Extra Care hotsing

It enables older people to live in their own homes with the re`ssurance

It makes sense to start building houses that will be more suitable

for older people to live in. I am not the expert on what thosd would

not the expert on what those would be like, older people are the

experts on what those would be like. But I don't think we have quite got

But I don't think we have qtite got the mix right in the county at the

moment. But Age UK says Extra Care housing's

only one part of a major challenge. We need a massive drive on home

repairs and adaptations, we need to use technology more imaginatively to

support people in their own homes, and I think we need to look at new

schemes like home share for schemes like home share for

cooperative living together. Oxfordshire's local authorities

say they're on track to delhver But experts warn that's nowhere

near enough ` they say 24,000 elderly people are

struggling with everyday living in the county and that we'll need

to find many more ways of caring Firefighters have been called to an

incident at Didcot Power Station tonight. For crews have been

tackling a blaze at the decommissioned site. No one has been

hurt. In football, BBC South has been told

Oxford United are the subject Ian Lenagan has been the owner

for eight years. Meanwhile, the battle for ownership

of Swindon Town Football club is Current owner and chairman Lee Power

is in the middle of a legal dispute with a company

set up by former owner Jed McCrory The judge is expected to make

a ruling by the end of the week. Hundreds of people have gathered

in Wallingford to watch forces from The base exercised its freedom

of the town as part of The weather is up next, starting

with the regional forecast with Alexis. But that's it from us.

Goodnight. Good evening. A quiet night to come

under clear skies in parts of the countryside, temperatures f`lling to

around four or five Celsius, so a fresher night, more comfort`ble for

fresher night, more comfortable for sleeping. These are the valtes in

our towns and cities. A dry start to the day tomorrow, and the btlk of

the day tomorrow, and the bulk of the day will see sunny spells,

increasing cloud through thd increasing cloud through the

afternoon, and rain arriving by the evening time. But it won't `rrive

evening time. But it won't arrive until the evening. Much of the day

will stay bright and sunny, highs of 19 or 20 Celsius. Les and whth

will stay bright and sunny, highs of 19 or 20 Celsius. Les and with the

19 or 20 Celsius. Les and whth the light winds. As we head into the

weekend, it turns unsettled on Friday. Thunderstorms a possibility.

That's also the case on Saturday in afternoon. It does turn more

unsettled and there would be heavy and thundery downpours around. Good

evening. A little bit later than usual. The weather over the next

couple of days will change. Let me show you the satellite picture. You

can see the cloud streaming across the Atlantic. This weather front

Weller upset the weather across -- will upset the weather in the

south-west. As far as tonight is concerned, cool, even Chile by

Thursday morning. There is some rain around across the north-west of the

country. In the south-west, that is what is heading into the direction

of Cornwall. In the east, temperatures