19/08/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.

The death of a robber after passers`by stopped hil

His family challenge evidence at an inquest that heart disease meant

From phones to laptops ` how there's been a big rise

in the number of data devicds lost by Thames Valley Police.

A month after the fire, the waste is finally going `

but nearby residents are warned the smoke could temporarily get worse.

And, later on, aiming for Rho ` the junior Olympian with her sights

Good evening. The family of a robber who was held down by a group of

people as he tried to escapd from a jeweller's shop in Oxford h`ve

challenged evidence given at his inquest.

Clint Townsend stopped breathing inside the covered market l`st

March. Today doctors told an inquest he had

a heart condition and could have died at any time.

But his family maintain Mr Townsend never recovered because sevdral

people sat on him to stop hhm getting away.

Arriving at Oxford coroner 's Court this morning, Clint Townsend's

family weren't in to find ott exactly how he died and whether the

actions of other people led to his death. The family have been posing

questions throughout the inpuest and today they asked questions by Rick

League 2 police officers who attended the scene. They asked why

did it take you so long to try to resuscitate Clint and why dhd you

not think he needed immediate medical attention when he w`s

unresponsive? Lease offices described their difficulty hn

assessing whether Clinton w`s breathing, as he was wearing a thick

jacket and a neck scarf. Today we saw some of the objects found at the

scene, John Gowing Jeweller's in the covered market. We saw the

sledgehammer used to smash the window and we had descriptions of

the gas canisters which werd found at the scene but not activated. The

pathologist described the pdrfect storm of restraint and coronary

heart disease that led to the death. The postmortem revealed that

Clinton was obese and had an abnormally large heart and `rteries

just one millimetre wide. The pathologist concluded that `ll look

`` although restraint, that is, people pinning Clint down, was one

cause of death, his heart condition was so severe that he could have

died at any time. The corondr will deliver her verdict tomorrow

morning. She has gone home with a host of papers from the famhly, who

have highlighted inconsistencies in the police reports. They sax the

amount of force placed on Clint was unnecessary and that that w`s the

main course of his death `` main cause.

There's been a big rise in number of electronic devices lost

by Thames Valley Police in the past three years.

The items most frequently lost are mobile phones `

more than 150 went missing hn 2 13, compared to just two in 2010.

Thames Valley Police say security hasn't been breached

but technology experts have warned of the dangers of misplacing data.

Adina Campbell has been following this story.

Adina, why has there been such a rhse?

Well, Geraldine, using technology is an important

Many officers use mobile phones laptops and USB sticks.

But, with a growing number of gadgets being handed out,

A Freedom of Information repuest by BBC Oxford has found, in 201 ,

13 electronic devices were unaccounted for.

But in 2013 that figure rose to 166.

On average, that's three devices going missing every week.

The former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Peter Neyroud,

who's now a criminologist, has given reaction to the increase.

It doesn't surprise me the force has lost some.

We always did and we always will do so.

If I was sat on the Monday lorning meeting with the figures coling

through with that level of hncrease I would certainly want to fhnd out

whether there was some genuhne problem behind these numbers.

Security experts we've spokdn to say these figures raise questions

about just how much police `re doing to protect their equipment `

to stop sensitive information falling into the the wrong hands.

And local IT workers say th`t means being as security conscious

You cannot just think to protect it, you have to go a step furthdr

and make sure you can encrypt it to the highest level.

These days people think, yes, let's put a password on these files,

on that server, but you just need the password and you are in,

so encryption actually to the highest level would be more useful.

Thames Valley Police told us the loss of any electronic equipment is

taken seriously and they usd encryption software to try `nd stop

information falling into thd wrong hands.

They also insist there's bedn no reported data breaches as a result

Thames Valley Police have rdleased an image of a man

they want to speak to in connection with a rape

The man is around 35 years old, of athletic build,

An 18`year`old woman was attacked walking over the footbridge

which crosses Childs Way at around one o'clock in the morning

Rail services between Swindon and the West country will bd

The line between Swindon and Kemble is being upgraded, while signalling

Swindon Railway Station will be closed to some routes,

and passengers may have to travel by bus.

First Great Western says the work's due to finish on Sunday.

and instead be offered support.

Offenders will be invited to the Steppin' Stone day centre cdntre in

Cowley, which supports vulndrable people.

The city council says the offer will only apply to those caught for the

first time, and people are being warned that begging is still a

First off they can come to ts, we can work with them, address any of

the issues, whether housing issues, substance misuse, employment, and

we can start working with them first to see if we can help with the

situation before they go down the caution route.

Nearly a month after waste caught fire at a recycling centre

in Swindon, neighbours have spoken of their relief that

Local councils, the environlent agency and fire fighters have taken

control of the Averies site, which is still alight.

Hundreds of tonnes of rubbish is being removed

but residents have been warned their ordeal may not be over yet.

It's been searing, smoulderhng and smoking for four whole weeks.

It's forced businesses to shut and imprisoned people in their homes.

But finally ` bit by bit ` around a third of this commdrcial

rubbish at the Averies wastd site in Swindon is being removed,

enabling firefighters to tackle what lies beneath.

We want to put the fire out, limit the smoke going into the

neighbourhood, in the busindsses. We know it has taken some time to get

to this phase and now we want to get on with securing the site as quickly

as possible. The waste needs to be separ`ted

so it can be extinguished. But the authorities couldn't

decide where to take it. Now, though,

a destination has finally bden agreed ` a landfill site in Blunsdon

on the edge of town. But, after a month

of watching taxpayers' monex go up I am really pleased that we are

getting the waste moved off the site, that is really good progress

and it shows we were right to call for action, but it is reallx

important to understand why this was allowed to happen, why the `gencies

did not act early to sort this out, and we have to make sure it never

happens in Swindon again. As for people living

and working nearby, well, they're just glad to see thd lorries

arrive and the waste leave. The smell is awful and it jtst needs

going now. Every time the whnd blows it is really bad in here. I can t

believe how long it has takdn to clear.

But today's news comes with a health warning.

The authorities say there's a danger that as they move

the rubbish the smoke could get worse before it gets better.

Managers at Silverstone say they hope this year's MotoGP racd will

not be the first one at the track. Race organisers at Silverstone say

they may be able to stage the event again.

Supporters of MK Dons queued around the block this morning

for tickets for the League Cup game against Manchester United.

The match on August the 26th is being described as

Some fans camped out overnight as 29,000 tickets for the

Capital Cup match at Stadiul MK went on sale this morning.

The fixture was sold out by this afternoon.

Very big game. And we are going to win it. Nothing to do with le but I

have been in the queue sincd 7: 0am for my sons. It is big for le

because I support both teams and it is my birthday.

The monument to a hero that many have now forgotten.

Plans for a public bike rental scheme rejected

by the National Park Authorhty despite the fact that it had already

secured government funding to help get it off the ground.

The plan would have introduced 50 bikes at a number

But just recently there havd been strong feelings against large`scale

Travel anywhere in the new Forest and you will be hard pressed not to

see a bike. One idea was to bring in Boris bikes similar to thosd in

London. 250 available at docking sessions across the forest. But

today, members of the park `uthority voted against it. We had thd chance

to use ?2 million government money to trial a project. What I heard

from other members was that they were not prepared to a risk. Last

secured millions of pounds to secured millions of pounds to

encourage family cycling. ?2 million of this would have been spent on the

part `` bike scheme. It is understood that there were concerns

about the financial viability of the project and there have been a change

in public opinion regarding cycling and big event in the new Forest and

their impact on local peopld. This report recommended that the project

should not proceed. The authority insists that the new Forest will not

be missing out. Avenue constltation showed that Boris bikes schdmes are

not top of the list, but cycling is and it has always been top of our

list. So I don't think the new Forest will miss out in any way We

still have these funds and we have every intention of finding other

ways to spend it to make cycling more safe and more availabld to more

families whether as residents or when they come to visit. Thd scheme

had been backed by Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman and a

petition in support attractdd 2 00 signatures. There are many

authorities were trying to lake bike share a reality without that level

of funding and I'm not sure this level of funding will happen again

for the new Forest. The authority says it will spend the monex

elsewhere. For many people the sound

of a church bell is reassurhng, idyllic. But at Ventor, on the Isle

of Wight, the hourly chime of a church bell all day and night has

led to claims it's a noise nuisance. Now the bell has been silenced while

the council investigates. Sdan At Holy Trinity in Ventnor,

the hourly chime in no longdr In April, it was turned off

for two months for repairs. When it was resumed,

one local resident complaindd to the council about it sounding

the hour day and night. The church agreed to silencd it

while the council investigates. The hourly chime has not sotnded

since the middle of July. Mark Bell is going to

demonstrate for us. This is what it would sound like

if the chimes were ringing. We were advised

by the environmental health officers that they had taken readings

and they were above the World Health Organisation's limit and that

four individual environment`l health officers gave a subjdctive

view that it was a nuisance. The council says that it has not

served a notice on the church but is We are looking at our nuisance

legislation and what we do hs look at the complaint, assess it, and

the nuisance looks at reasonableness Something which may be fine during

the day may be a problem at night. But silencing the bell has caused

a row. OK, respect the rights

of that one person. Yes, I like to hear the clock,

if you wake up in the night, The church is considering sdtting

a timing mechanism to silence the church at night but has been

told that that could cost ?2,00 . `` to silence the chime at night. So

the bell has fallen silent for the moment. On to sport, a cracking

weekend. Britain top of the charts as far as medals were concerns. Yes,

European athletics. And the rugby. They were the undoubted stars of the

weekend. England's victorious world cup

winning rugby squad are still to terms with their stunning vhctory

in Paris on Sunday night. It was the culmination of months

of hard work for the squad who fit Earlier this year you may rdmember

we filmed them in a special training session at

HMS Collingwood in Gosport. Among the squad, Claire Purdy who

comes from Ash near Aldershot. Claire joined me

in the studio earlier and I started by asking her to sum up the feeling

of being a world champion. I don't think it has sunk in yet. It

is only 48 hours since we played. I have the medal to prove we did it.

It has come to fruition aftdr four years of effort and training camps

and selection worries and wd got there and achieved our goal. And the

elation on Sunday night in Paris must have been amazing. Yes, the

stadium was electric. There were 28,000 people there. A numbdr of

England supporters have comd over, friends, family. It renders

reception when you came homd, women's rugby coming into the

spotlight. We experienced at Heathrow, the cheers. And wd took

the bus and we had a parade and there was a band. On the page, you

drew with Canada and then you went to the final and do with thdm more

comfy `` and beat them comfortable. What was different? Canada put up an

amazing fight and was a fantastic game to be part of but we wdnt back,

reviewed it and we tweaked the game plan in the semifinal and then got

tweaked it again and the result tweaked it again and the result

speaks for itself. And end of an era for some of the players. Yot are 34,

wants to keep going? I do, while my body is still in one piece. And I am

still motivated to train twhce a day and getting paid for club and

country. I don't want to retire You girls are playing as amateurs. This

is for the love of it. It is. A number of us are fortunate hn that

we are allowed the time to participate. But once you gdt to a

level that we are at, it is through the dedication and training and you

get the results and you want to keep winning. Savour this moment and

celebrate that medal. Hold ht up for us. World Cup winner! World Cup

winner. Football ` Bournemouth

will aim to make it in the Championship tonight when

they host Nottingham Forest at Dean Court. Reading are looking for a

second consecutive home win, they host managerless Huddersfield.

Brighton go to Leeds. In Le`gue One MK Dons are at Chesterfield. Swindon

go to Gillingham. In League Two Oxford are at Morecambe. Portsmouth

play at home against Northalpton. All the games are live on BBC local

radio. Britain's Young athletes ard at the

world Olympic `` youth Olympic Games in China.

watched the spectacle of thd third Youth Olympics opening cerelony this

weekend in Nanjing. Among them was 18`year`old archer Bryony Phtman

. It is a full programme and we will be watching other sports and trying

to get to know the other athletes. Bryony's progress through the junior

ranks has been rapid thanks to countless hours of practice and

the guidance of her stepfather who Technique and the physical side of

things, she does a lot of strength training to have the strength to

pull the boat back. Mainly ht is good technique.

Whilst the games in China are important Bryony's target is a place

I want to go to Rio in two xears time, and busy I will try mx hardest

to get there. But there are seniors I will have to beat to get there.

It requires skill, focus and a steady nerve but there

are few things more satisfyhng in sport than hitting a bullseye.

Another fine sporting achievement now.

a stunning spell of bowling to help his side to victory

Jem Warner took seven wickets for just one run

in a four`over spell, the fhrst of his wickets was caught on c`mera.

The Dorset under`17 player helped his side to a crushing

Jem also starred with the b`t in the game, with 68, beford

You know how sometimes you see something

Well, for 170 years, a huge stone obelisk has loomed over

Lymington in Hampshire, but not many people can remember why it's there.

That could all be about to change, as Briony Leyland explains.

nestled in the trees standing monuments to a local hero. Ht was

built a local hero. It was heroes have `` local people have any idea

who he was? Know. I wanted, but I don't know. I used to, but H've

forgotten. Do you know why ht's there? Can you tell me? The obelisk

is a monument to an Admiral and it was much more prominent previously.

It is a hidden gem, well hidden Peter Stone is leading a project to

restore the monument and thd gardens. Look at this. Goodness 75

feet of Dartmoor granite cut out of the same granite as Nelson 's

column. Born in Yarmouth Castle Harry Barrett joined the Navy just

at 17. He took his wife's strname, Neill, and they lived near

Lymington. Their house is now a school. In 19 `` 1877, Sir Harry

curled a mutiny. He broke a mutiny and King George was forever in his

debt. `` in 1777. Before long, he was an Admiral of the Fleet but

despite his success, his roots remaindered Lymington. He w`s mayor

of the town on several occasions but was MP for Lymington for many years.

He brought gas lamps to Lymhngton streets. There was effusive praise

on the inscriptions on the obelisk. He delivered the ball and f`therless

and them who had none to help them and caused the widow's heart to sing

for joy. Sir Harry was buridd in Saint Thomas 's church and donations

came from 200 people, including members of the Royal family.

Thousands came to see his grand memorial. 170 years later, the

obelisk is in disrepair. Surveys confirm that there has been water

penetration and we have bushes growing out of it. You can see the

state of the stone work herd. It would be good to get it back to the

sort of condition we can sed in the early postcards. Next year will be

Sir Harry's 250th birthday. By then, it will be hoped to get his monument

in better condition. It will be a start to real wake can be m`ny

months of Sir Harry. It was a money was put up for putting in g`s

lighting. We think it is solething to do with panel borough. The

Admiral will once again be recognised as a local that `s a

local hero. So now you know much more about the obelisk.

A suitcase containing 15 kittens has been dumped outside hospital

The kittens, who are only six weeks old,

were found in this suitcase outside the PDSA animal hospital on Mount

The RSPCA has asked if any members of the public saw

I'm sure there will be findhng good homes for those kittens. Now onto

the weather. You have probably noticed how nippy it is getting We

have just been debating. He wondered whether you should put his heating

on. He may need it, Sunday mornhng,

there is potential for frost. So there is a risk of a few showers.

They will gradually eased through the course of the night and it will

turn drive for most places. Under the clear skies, a pretty chilly

night. Particularly in the countryside. In towns and chties, a

bit warmer. A dry start to the day tomorrow and tomorrow will be a much

better day than today. The odd stray shower lurking but most places

escaping. The cloud will st`rt to increase throughout the aftdrnoon

from the north and west. Thd breeze tomorrow not as strong as today so

feeling slightly pleasant in the sunshine. The odd shower is a

possibility tomorrow but thdy will not be as frequent as today and they

will tend to fade away overnight tomorrow night. Once again, clear

skies and chilly temperaturds in the countryside particularly. It will be

a dry start to the day on Thursday and in fact, the bulk of Thtrsday

should stay mainly dry until the latter part of the day. The evening

time and overnight. A cold front sinking southwards introduchng more

clout for the afternoon. And the rain will arrive by the evening and

overnight into Friday morning. Friday is a bright, breezy `nd

showery day. And they called a as well. Tomorrow the risk of the odd

stray shower. `` and a cool day as well. Friday bright and bredzy with

the showers and feeling cool as well, Saturday and Sunday f`irly

good. On the bank holiday wdekend, suddenly `` sunny spells, m`inly

dry. Sunday will be mainly dry. Monday will be cool with showers but

We could club together to ptt the We could club together to ptt the

heating on! Tomorrow night, you are running? I have been for a jog. As

guests will be taking on a next ordinary sporting challenge. We will

talk about tomorrow. Good nhght