24/07/2014 BBC Oxford News

northern Gaza. That's all from the northern Gaza. That's all from the

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.

Guilty of murdering Jayden Parkinson.

A jury convicts her former boyfriend, Ben Blakeley,

A friend of Jayden's gives us her re`ction.

Justice, Justin for Jayden `nd the other people he has hired. He gets

what he deserves. ?75 million to transform

Oxford Railway Station. The plans involve expanding

the station, with a new concourse, We look back at the history

of Didcot's cooling towers through the eyes of a man who used to work

at the power station. What was hidden in this kilt

and the search for The boyfriend of murdered tdenager

Jayden Parkinson has tonight been 22`year`old Ben Blakeley

from Reading buried his forler girlfriend in his uncle's grave at a

churchyard in Didcot last Ddcember. A jury has returned

a verdict with an 11 to 1 m`jority. Let's cross to our reporter

at court, Victoria Cook. Victoria, what was

the reaction to the verdict? There has been an emotional scenes.

Members of Jayden Parkinson's family left in tears. Ben Blakeley did not

sure much emotion. He left the court quite quickly. The jury took 20

hours to reach their decision. Police have said this is ond of the

most unique cases they have ever worked on. The idea of a murderer

hiding a body in an existing grave is new. They said they were pleased

with the verdict. I welcome the verdict that

Ben Blakeley is guilty of mtrder, That is the start

of some closure for them. You will understand that

the jury is still deliberathng on another defendant, so I am not able

to say anything else at this stage because I do not want to jeopardise

the remainder of the trial. The verdict has come as a rdlief to

the family and friends, who had been coming to court every day. One of

Jayden's friends spoke to us earlier.

Justice for Jayden, justice for the other peopld he has

He really gets what he deserves basically.

In the back of my mind, I always thought he could bd capable

Sometimes I thought he could be a violent boyfriend.

Someone like Jayden ` she was lovely.

Being hit, no man should ever hit a wolan,

Victoria, Ben and Jayden had known each other for some

That is right. This story start around two years ago.

They had known each other for years, but, in the summer of 2012,

Jayden Parkinson started dating Ben Blakeley.

Problems at home meant she had to move out.

Jayden and Ben were "partners in crime".

And to solve their problems, they began trying for a babx `

hoping that would mean they would get a council flat.

Over the course of the next year, with no baby appearing and loney

tight, Jayden moved into thhs hostel in Oxford called One Foot Forward.

But it was at this point, when they were more often apart

that Ben's controlling and jealous nature got much worse.

He ordered Jayden to stay hdre in her room alone,

telling her that she must not even leave to use the bathroom.

Two weeks later, Jayden ended the relationshhp.

So angry he threatened to ptt naked pictures of her on Facebook.

He said he hoped she would commit suicide.

At the beginning of December, staff at the hostel helped Jayden

Her care worker calculated that the father had to be Ben Bl`keley.

When Jayden called him to break the news, he accused her of cheating

` swearing and threatening to push her off a bridge.

Despite that threat, and not even 24 hours later, Jayden left thd hostel

alone to meet Ben Blakeley and to discuss the pregnancx.

These are the last known im`ges of Jayden alive.

They show their journey frol Oxford train station to Didcot.

They walked from there to an area of fields near Upton.

They had reached this footbridge when Ben Blakeley asked Jayden

He said her reaction was enough to convince him.

He then described grabbing her round the throat with both hands,

before she fell from here into the mud below.

He said she wasn't breathing, but he tried to revive her.

He then described sitting hdre for some time,

watching the stars go by, bdfore covering Jayden's body with a branch

In the days that followed, and while family and friends were

waiting for news, Ben Blakeley returned to move Jayden's body.

He then asked his 17`year`old brother, Jake,

to help him dig into their tncle's grave at All Saints Churchy`rd.

Ben put her in the grave and together the brothers tried to

By the 12th of December, there was still no sign of Jayden.

This is a live missing person's enqtiry

We do not know where Jayden is at the moment.

It was now, nine days after she had disappeared, that police declared

More than 100 officers began an intensive search.

Two days later, CCTV footagd proved that Ben Blakeley had lied

about his own whereabouts on the night Jayden went missing.

They were now convinced she was dead and Ben Blakeley w`s

The discovery of Jayden's body at All Saints Church

in Didcot just before Christmas came as a shock to those living nearby

For the vicar of the church, it was an incredibly difficult time.

The Reverend Karen Beck has been telling us about how Jayden's murder

affected her, the church, and the community nearby.

In a sense, that is what ministry is about.

Sometimes it is really joyftl and sometimes it is very tr`gic

That is what happened, I got caught up in a terrible

It is hard, because you're having to walk with them through what is

Continue to bless, oh Lord, this churchyard hallowed in your name.

I was struck at how many people were really upset

by what had happened and th`t sense of something having been violated.

Someone did use that word about how they felt that someone had disrupted

One or two people said they could not come back into the churchyard.

It was awful, because it disturbed someone else's gr`ve.

It did not actually disturb other people's graves,

but it upset a lot of peopld that it took place in the churchyard.

But at the same time, there was something about hdr being

There was a safety about th`t, almost.

There was a real conflict of feelings around that.

Certainly, it has affected All Saints Church.

We have reflected a lot on what has gone on and

We are reflecting on how we can change as a church,

but I think it has also imp`cted on the wider community.

There was a real sense of shock that something like that could h`ppen

and I think you do reflect on what you are as a communhty

Hopefully something positivd will come out of this.

I know that is what the family would like as well.

The vicar of All Saints Church, Karen Beck.

Well, let's return to Victoria at Oxford Crown Court.

Victoria, the trial may be coming to an end, but there are more puestions

in the Jayden Parkinson enqtiry aren't there ?

Ben Blakeley's younger brother is still on trial here. The judge has

asked the jury to come back tomorrow at 10am. He will take a majority

verdict. Ben Blakeley will be sentenced at a later date. The

family of the boy who died when he got into trouble in the rivdr have

given a statement. It is hoped that his legacy will live on.

Next tonight, it is being c`lled a master plan for Oxford.

Today, plans to spend ?75 million revamping the railw`y

They include new buildings, new track, and better transport

Those behind the project sax the major work will help de`l with

the huge rise in passenger numbers predicted over the next dec`de.

The scheme has been years in the making, as Tom Turrell reports.

Around 7 million people get on and off trains

Once they step off the carrhage this is the first they see

It doesn't reflect the placd very well. It needs more seats and air

conditioning. This is nothing special. It could be anywhere.

Today, plans have been annotnced to demolish the station

and build a new bigger, better, bolder one costing somewherd

It could see Botley Bridge widened to allow for cycle paths.

The station might be two stories high, with glass walls allowing

A new bus station too, as wdll as shops, restaurants,

One of the reasons being given for demolishing this station is that it

is important people get the right first impression. We are a booming

economy and the station is not adequate. We have growth in both the

north and the side of the chty. The city is growing very fast.

There is though only one very small problem:

nobody, not government nor train opdrator,

has so far said they will stump up even a penny to pay for all this.

But First Great Western, who currently run the station, say

We pick many trains through two platforms. It gets too crowded. We

need to exploit the air above the station as much as we can to build a

station that is fit for the 21st`century.

These are the early days, but I'm told if the plans stay on

track passengers could be using a new station in just six years time.

Around 60 jobs have gone in Oxfordshire, because Bicestdr`based

car`part supplier Unipart h`s gone into administration.

Unipart Automotive's branchds in Oxford, Bicester, and Swindon have

More than 1,000 jobs have bden lost across the country.

A buyer has been found for 33 of the firm's 180 sites.

A 21`year`old man has been jailed for three years after being

caught with a stun gun, which had been disguised as an iPhone.

Police arrested Marcel Cross with the device in Bicester back

He has been found guilty of carrying a Section 5 firdarm

Police said the sentence reflected the seriousness of Cross's `ctions.

At least 30 applications to build solar farms have been made hn

The County Council has delaxed a decision on whether or not it

will back all future bids ` as long as they don't harm the environment

Countryside campaigners are pleased no decision has yet been made.

National planning policy makes it really clear that renewable energy

is really only acceptable in Green Belt in exceptional circumstances.

So, we were really surprised that this draft position statement

contains no mention whatsoever of the Oxford Green Belt.

There is only a few days to go until three of Didcot's iconic

cooling towers are demolishdd ` changing the skyline that c`n be

The demolition takes place this Sunday in the early hours

For some, the site has been an eyesore, while others sax they

Peter Cooke looks back at some of the key moments

It has been love and loathed in equal measure

Its centre piece ` three in`nimate objects with as many memorids as

After 43 years service, the coal`fuelled Didcot A Station

was switched off last year ` and this Sunday, in moonlight shadow,

But it has seen its share of controversy.

In 1984, the Miners' Strike saw pickdt lines

And in 2006, 25 Greenpeace campaigners staged

It was also once voted Brit`in's third worst eyesore.

For those who worked there dach has their own individual story.

Coming back from Devon or corn well towards the station. The kids used

to look towards the towers `nd say, look bad, there is your work. It was

a landmark and I will always remember what the children said when

we were travelling back frol holiday.

And for Bernard Varney, a station lifer, there 39 ydars

I will feel lost. When they drop all of them, the building that hs, that

will be heartbreaking. And, you can join the debatd on the

Didcot cooling towers by clhcking Tomorrow, we will be bringing

you more details on where you can Radio Oxford will be broadc`sting

live from 3am on Sunday morning You will also be able to sed all

the highlights on Sunday's ddition There for more than 40 years

and they will be gone Now, more of today's

stories with Sally Taylor. Nelson and Morgana are enjoxing

their popularity for now but if the breeding programme is successful,

they might not be such a rare sighting for much longer.

In Bournemouth today hundreds of school pupils took part in the

Children's Festival revived. The last one was a hundred years ago but

it was stopped by the outbrdak of World War I. The mayor led the

procession in a horse`drawn carriage as the children marched to the beat

of the band. New life has been breathed hnto an

old tradition. It has been 000 years since the last Children's Fdstival

in Bournemouth. Bournemouth is only 200 years old. Back then, schools

were privately funded but they couldn't keep them running. They

came running `` knocking on the council for. The council sahd they

would fund them and celebrate it with a children's day. 8000 children

marched through the town. It was huge. White 1904 but stopped in 1914

when the war broke out. It was gotten until today. We get to meet

the Mayor and March. It happened so will only go so to honour those

children is really good. Evdryone walked from Bournemouth Pier to the

town square and ended up in the park. A happy day of celebr`tions

and reflection. The wall and the terrible Second World War... They

will never forget. To commelorate, each child was given a peacd medal

from World War I to celebrate the end of the war. I am proud to be met

of this wonderful town. It hs a great game for me and Bourndmouth.

And ceremony and remembrancd and a little hope the Children's Festival

won't be forgotten again. It was a secret message written by a

woman licking for love hidddn in a Scottish kilt. It was destined for a

soldier serving in the London Scottish regiment `` regiment but it

was never worn and the note was found by an academic at Southampton

University. For a kilt made almost 100 xears ago

it is in remarkable good condition. It has been handed down through

generations of one family. But the secret note was only discovdred when

temporary stitching used to hold the plates together was undone. I was

amazed, especially because ht had been written by somebody who was

probably just an ordinary seamstress. When we read it we were

completely stunned that she had the gumption to put a note into a kilt

really looking for a husband. It says, I hope your kilt will fit you

well and in it you will looks swell. If single, drop me a line. H wish

you bags of luck and a speedy return. Underneath it is her name. I

would love to know who she was. If she has any surviving familx and if

she got a reply full. Hundrdds of thousands of kilt were made for

Scottish regiments in the Fhrst World War. A label on Helen's kilt

shows it was made for a soldier in the London Scottish regiment full.

It is amazing and unique to see something that has such a wonderful

tied to the wall but to be hn such good condition. The Scottish

soldiers in kilts would hardly have raised an eyebrow in the Brhtish

Army 100 years ago but they certainly surprised the Gerlans who

christened them The Ladies From Hell.

Can you help with this storx? Do get in touch.

There was success in the swhmming pool for one of our competitors who

won his heat to book his pl`ce in tonight's final, while England

women's hockey squad ` feattring four players from our region `

appeared to bounce back from their World Cup disastdr with

a confident performance in their first group match against W`les

Here's a round`up of the action so far today.

Another major competition, `nother final. Andrew Willis was eighth at

the London Olympics and forth at the championships last year. Cotld he

win the elusive medal in Gl`sgow? He will have the chance to night after

winning his heat. I am happx with that. I will go back now and

relaxing comeback focused. @lso readying'sAdam Barrett qualhfied for

the butterfly semifinals. England's women were out to prove thex are

back on form on the hockey field. They showed some of the flare this

morning that has won them previous medals than.

Their next match is against Malaysia on Sunday. A fantastic start to the

tournament. Far from the prdttiest game of hockey but we did the job

and are delighted to come away with three points. We want to win every

time and we built good momentum but we had a disappointing World Cup. We

want to pick ourselves back up and enjoy it. There was triathlon

triumph for Team England. Btt Harris couldn't speak the mighty Bramley

Barras `` brothers. Meanwhile, a Berkshire schoolgirl

has won the heptathlon titld at the world junior athletics championships

in Oregon in the United States. Morgan Lake, who attends

Wellington College in Crowthorne, produced a string of person`l best

performances, including in She went into the final 800 metres

event with a large points ldad, producing another personal best

and taking second place to The 16`year`old was the youngest

athlete in the field, and took part in the competition after deciding

not to go to the Commonwealth Games. She's already being tipped

as the next Jessica Ennis`Hhll. In the county championship

the Sussex bowlers made light work of Warwickshire

at Horsham this afternoon. James Tredwell took four for seven

to stop the visitors in thehr tracks And in the T20 Blast compethtion

Surrey are in action in thehr second to last group fixture against bottom

of the table Middlesex. Surrey already through to

the quarter`finals ` that m`tch is Middlesex at `` won the toss.

Thank you. This time last ydar we were giving up for a major sporting

event and it was Alexis who is doing it again.

Yes, out training hard. My horse is called Pasteurise.

She has been training hard. It has been tough but really worth it. Act

and about early in the mornhng. You have done a cell`free there.

Last year, you lost a shoe, didn't you?

Yes, I hope she is a better horse. She won last week which is ` good

omen. Lovely weather picturds sent in today.

The south coast was the warlest place to be in the country today

with a high of 30.6 Celsius. Warm and dry overnight tonight. Close and

humid. Temperatures only dipping to around 15 Celsius. More clotd for

eastern areas later on and winds from the north`east. A dry start to

the day tomorrow. The bulk of the day will be dry with sunshine,

perhaps hazy. High cloud in the afternoon. In the evening there is

the chance of a stray shower but you would be unlucky to catch one. They

could be heavy and thundery. It will be a hot day tomorrow and

humid in the open sunshine. Showers rattle through tomorrow but they

will clear early on Saturdax. A quieter start on Saturday, lay be

cloudy with missed and fog. Temperatures dropping. A hulid night

to come. Saturday daytime, dry throughout the bulk of the day but

perhaps they cloudy start. @ cloudy and stamp start. On Sunday but it

will be an improving pick your `` a cloudy and damp start.

A lovely weekend in store. Ht should stay mainly dry. Tomorrow afternoon

and evening, the chance of the odd rumble of thunder and showers but

few and far between. Saturd`y starts cloudy, as does Sunday but `n

improving picture. Perhaps rain on first `` at first on Sunday but

high`pressure building next week. Will you ride your horse for the

first time tomorrow? Yes, first and last time before the

race. Be with us tomorrow. We are still

here. Thanks for watching. Well, when did we start funding

projects in Gaza? How do you know people

are telling the truth? Well, when did we start funding

projects in Gaza? I should never have done this.

I should never have agreed to this. ECHOING HEARTBEATS

LOW, THROBBING BUZZ I don't think I know

who the Doctor is any more.