:00:18. > :00:23.Good evening and welcome to our first regular programme of 20 fell
:00:23. > :00:29.-- 2012. The man who killed his wife and threatened to blow up the
:00:29. > :00:34.family home. The West is battered by eight New year's storms. Left in
:00:34. > :00:40.the lurch, a wedding venue goes bust leaving couples fearing for
:00:40. > :00:45.their big day. It was devastating. All the planning has gone to
:00:45. > :00:50.nothing. Bristol Rovers buckle under pressure. The clubs sack
:00:50. > :00:55.their manager after four losses in a row. -- the club sacked their
:00:55. > :00:59.manager. The jury has been hearing how hate
:00:59. > :01:03.-- a has been battered his wife to death with the pipe from a vacuum
:01:03. > :01:08.cleaner when he tried to end their marriage. Stephen Hotson is on
:01:08. > :01:12.trial accused of murdering his wife. Her body was discovered by her
:01:12. > :01:16.brother days later after Mr Hotson tried to blow up their marital home.
:01:16. > :01:22.He denies murder but has admitted killing her on the grounds of
:01:22. > :01:26.diminished responsibility. For four days Hotson lived in this
:01:26. > :01:32.house with the body of his wife on the lounge for. He had battered her
:01:32. > :01:38.to death with a metal pipe from a vacuum cleaner after he told -- she
:01:38. > :01:42.told him at their marriage was over. When Julie Tottle failed to turn up
:01:43. > :01:46.to work one day last July colleagues became so concerned they
:01:46. > :01:52.rang her home. Stephen Hotson answered the telephone. He told
:01:52. > :01:57.them they had both been ill for the weekend. That you was asleep
:01:57. > :02:00.upstairs. By then she had been dead for several days. -- that Julie was
:02:00. > :02:04.a sleep. A her family had details in court
:02:04. > :02:09.of how she died. They also heard how the marriage had run into
:02:09. > :02:12.difficulties in the months leading up to the attack. How once before
:02:13. > :02:17.Hotson had attacked his wife grabbing her by the throat. On
:02:17. > :02:22.another occasion he threw a chair at her. It was Julie's brother who
:02:22. > :02:25.discovered her body when he broke into the cottage. Friends and
:02:25. > :02:30.family became concerned for her welfare.
:02:30. > :02:35.He saw his sister dead on the lounge floor. He also saw Stephen
:02:35. > :02:39.Hotson trying to light a can of oil with a match. There was also a
:02:39. > :02:44.strong smell of gas in the house. The brother wrestled him to the
:02:44. > :02:47.ground but he broke free and jumped from an upstairs window, badly
:02:47. > :02:52.injuring himself as he landed on the tarmac.
:02:52. > :02:56.It is the defence case that Hotson was suffering from clinical
:02:56. > :03:00.depression at the time of the attack. They say it is manslaughter
:03:00. > :03:04.on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The prosecution say
:03:04. > :03:12.they do not believe it. Julie Tottle's killing they say was
:03:12. > :03:16.murder, plain and simple. The trial will last for a week.
:03:16. > :03:21.A former monk who taught at a school near Bath has been sentenced
:03:21. > :03:24.to five years in prison for sex offences against children. 66
:03:24. > :03:31.rolled Richard White taught at Downside School in Stratton-on-the-
:03:31. > :03:38.Fosse in 19 -- in the 1980s. He admitted five accounts -- counts of
:03:38. > :03:43.indecent assault. Police became aware of the abuse in 2010, after
:03:44. > :03:47.finding a file in the school while investigating an unrelated incident.
:03:47. > :03:53.The Abbot of Downside said they were sorry any child should have
:03:53. > :03:57.been abused at Downside. A 22 of man from Bath is being held
:03:57. > :04:02.in a Thai prison after being arrested on suspicion of drugs
:04:02. > :04:05.offences. Ben Cox was taken into custody after allegedly being
:04:05. > :04:10.caught with crystal meth- amphetamine. He is now being held
:04:10. > :04:15.in prison awaiting trial. Speaking to us via Skype, one of the
:04:15. > :04:22.journalists covering his case in Thailand said he faces a tense wait.
:04:22. > :04:27.Under Thai law it can take up to 81 days for the court to decide
:04:27. > :04:32.whether there is a case to answer. They will look at all the evidence,
:04:32. > :04:36.similar to the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, where they
:04:36. > :04:46.consider what the evidence is and whether there is a case to answer.
:04:46. > :04:46.
:04:46. > :04:51.It is a tents Tice 4 -- a tense time for him and his family.
:04:51. > :05:00.Now for the weather -- a woman has been rescued from a river when her
:05:00. > :05:05.car was washed away by rising storm waters. For the works... Gusts of
:05:05. > :05:12.more than 60 mph were recorded here, trees were brought down and some
:05:12. > :05:17.homes left without power. Swept away by the force of water.
:05:17. > :05:21.This car was carried 100 metres down what is normally a small river
:05:21. > :05:26.in Chew Stoke, but today had unusual power. The driver was a
:05:26. > :05:30.woman in her Forties, who could not swim. She got stranded and was
:05:30. > :05:33.pulled out by two Environment Agency workers who happened to be
:05:33. > :05:39.following behind. The car was gradually being pulled
:05:39. > :05:46.away by the current, and you can see the water had reached just
:05:46. > :05:51.below the top of those posts, so quite deep. The Environmental
:05:51. > :05:56.Agency chap got out of the car, with a rope tied to him. At that
:05:56. > :06:00.point the car moved away. It was taken downstream.
:06:00. > :06:04.But the woman was said to be shocked and distressed but
:06:04. > :06:08.otherwise escaped unhurt. This is the weather system that caused
:06:08. > :06:14.today's problems. An inch of rain fell in West Somerset in just six
:06:14. > :06:20.hours. Winds gusted over 60 mph across Exmoor and parts of
:06:20. > :06:24.Wiltshire. The roof was blown off a lorry on the M5 near Bridgwater.
:06:24. > :06:29.Debris covered the carriageway. The motorway had to be closed for a
:06:29. > :06:36.time and there were long tailbacks northbound. Trees were up rooted,
:06:36. > :06:41.torn from the wet ground. The Christmas tree in Devizes town
:06:41. > :06:47.centre came to a sorry end. A stone wall near Melksham could also no
:06:47. > :06:52.longer resist. With much of the ground already saturated, the next
:06:52. > :06:55.danger was localised flooding. Water fed straight into the rivers,
:06:55. > :07:01.swelling them and causing the Environment Agency to issue a
:07:01. > :07:06.string of flood alerts. As the storm passed, water levels rose but
:07:06. > :07:11.are now dropping. Those alerts are being downgraded. Much to the
:07:11. > :07:18.relief of many communities near by and those who, today, had an narrow
:07:18. > :07:22.escape. Thanks to those of you who sent
:07:22. > :07:26.pictures in to us via e-mail. What is the situation tonight? Ian is
:07:26. > :07:33.here to tell us. An improving story in terms of
:07:33. > :07:39.rainfall. It is a combined issue we have had. The rainfall coming down
:07:39. > :07:42.this cold front today, and also the wind as well. If you combine the
:07:42. > :07:47.two, with rivers close to saturation point, it is not
:07:47. > :07:54.surprising we have had issues. It is worth noting we do have a flood
:07:54. > :07:58.warning in place for the Wynford Brooke. We will keep an eye on that.
:07:58. > :08:01.Thank you. Now some breaking news, and in the
:08:01. > :08:06.last hour it has been announced Bristol Rovers have sacked their
:08:06. > :08:11.manager, Paul Buckle. He has lost half of his league games since
:08:11. > :08:18.being appointed. The club says he has been relieved of his duties and
:08:18. > :08:22.will no longer be in charge of first-team affairs.
:08:22. > :08:29.The message came loud and clear from the terraces at the last home
:08:29. > :08:32.game. Rovers' fans wanted the manager out. He has got to go,
:08:32. > :08:37.absolutely terrible. This is the worst manager we have had here for
:08:37. > :08:42.years. I have been a supporter for 30 years, no passion. I can't
:08:42. > :08:47.believe it. He has got to go, simple as that. This is the end of
:08:47. > :08:50.it for loss of Rovers' fans. We have had enough. Paul Buckle
:08:50. > :08:55.arrived with high expectations, having taken Torquay to the play-
:08:55. > :08:58.off final. Despite bringing in new players they have struggled. They
:08:58. > :09:05.have won just six times and have lost more than half of their home
:09:05. > :09:10.games. Even after Saturday's 5-2 defeat, the manager remained
:09:10. > :09:15.defined. There has been a dark cloud over the club for a long time.
:09:15. > :09:20.I was selected to come and change things and at the moment it is not
:09:20. > :09:25.going well. But at the same time it will not scare me away. Not in a
:09:25. > :09:31.million years. But a 4th defeat in a row was the final straw for the
:09:31. > :09:35.board. They decided they had to act. The chairman said, although we are
:09:35. > :09:38.aware of the need for stability we felt we could not go any further
:09:38. > :09:42.with the current situation as the threat of relegation was becoming
:09:42. > :09:49.too real. Battle is the third manager to be
:09:49. > :09:59.sacked in little over a year, after four Paul Trollope and Dave Penney.
:09:59. > :10:01.
:10:01. > :10:05.His assistant will take charge. Our sports editor is at Ashton Gate,
:10:05. > :10:10.where Bristol City are preparing to play Millwall tonight. What is your
:10:10. > :10:16.reaction to this news? I cannot say I am surprised. As
:10:16. > :10:21.Alastair said in his report, they have lost four games in a row. It
:10:21. > :10:29.is relegation form. The board did have to act. I have been shocked
:10:29. > :10:32.and surprised at quite how vocal the fans have been. He was a
:10:32. > :10:39.popular appointment. For one man who knows about this is
:10:39. > :10:45.a former manager here, Gary Johnson. Are you surprised? No, I am not
:10:45. > :10:50.surprised. I live in Bristol still, I get to hear the news. Not
:10:50. > :10:56.surprised, really. It will be a decent job for somebody. It is a
:10:56. > :11:01.big club. A great fan base. Lots of potential. Somebody will enjoy
:11:01. > :11:07.taking over. When things start to go, how difficult is it to turn it
:11:07. > :11:12.around? It is always difficult, but sometimes the board have got no
:11:12. > :11:18.choice. They were probably at that stage now. Now they have got to
:11:18. > :11:22.find somebody who can turn it round quickly. And get the Rovers back up
:11:23. > :11:27.that table. You say you live in Bristol. You are out of work at the
:11:27. > :11:32.moment. Will you be putting in for the job? That would not be fair to
:11:32. > :11:40.say just now. I have enjoyed my time in Bristol, I have enjoyed my
:11:40. > :11:44.time here at Ashton Gate. There is no decision to be made. He was
:11:44. > :11:48.saying before Christmas you would be keen to get back into management.
:11:48. > :11:53.-- you were saying. Yes, I definitely want to get back into
:11:53. > :11:58.management. I cannot sit at home, it is driving me up the wall. I
:11:58. > :12:04.need to be doing something. We will wait and see. You just have to wait
:12:04. > :12:10.a while, try and enjoy the rest. I always get itchy feet to get back
:12:10. > :12:15.in. Gary, thank you. Plenty more from he -- me here. For now, back
:12:15. > :12:20.to you guys. David, thank you. I think he is
:12:20. > :12:25.interested. We move on. Bad weather and back to work today for many
:12:25. > :12:29.people after the Christmas break, and for those travelling by rail it
:12:29. > :12:34.was a rise in fares. The increase is just below six per cent on
:12:34. > :12:38.average. Some routes have gone up by four more. Train companies say
:12:38. > :12:42.the extra money will fund new trains and improve services but
:12:42. > :12:48.passenger groups of passengers are paying too much.
:12:48. > :12:52.He is paying more. She is. They are. Anything between just a few per
:12:52. > :12:57.cent if travelling from Swindon to London, to more than double
:12:57. > :13:02.inflation on some other routes. Many passengers are angry but
:13:02. > :13:06.others are resigned to the annual increases. We are already paying
:13:06. > :13:13.for a season ticket to London. It is already taking up a fair whack
:13:13. > :13:20.of the Budget. For it to go up more, we will have to cut food! Might
:13:20. > :13:24.other beef is the parking at stations, which has gone up by
:13:25. > :13:30.about 50 per cent. -- My other beef. Somebody has got to pay for it.
:13:30. > :13:34.Whether it is the tax payer or the passenger. And that is the point.
:13:34. > :13:40.The government won those who travel to pay more so all taxpayers
:13:40. > :13:44.contribute less. -- the government want. One group has condemned the
:13:44. > :13:49.industry as fractured and inefficient, not worth the money
:13:49. > :13:53.tickets cost. �7 billion a year goes into the rail industry from
:13:53. > :13:57.passengers. It is going up each year. There is plenty of money
:13:57. > :14:03.going in already. The industry has to become more efficient at using
:14:03. > :14:07.it. But what is agreed by everyone is that people are catching trains
:14:07. > :14:14.in huge numbers and ongoing investment is vital. We are going
:14:14. > :14:16.to see a large number of extra platforms. We need more
:14:16. > :14:22.environmentally friendly trains and the more reliable service. That is
:14:22. > :14:26.all in the pipeline. It has to be funded. It could be more expensive.
:14:26. > :14:33.The Chancellor changed his mind in the autumn and reduced the cap on
:14:33. > :14:38.ticket rises. Some solace at least for long-suffering commuters.
:14:38. > :14:43.Police say the remains found on a Bath golf course over Christmas are
:14:43. > :14:48.those of an unknown man aged between 40 and 65. Detectives are
:14:48. > :14:53.satisfied he died from natural causes. They are now carrying out
:14:53. > :14:56.DNA and dental tests to identify him from lists of missing people.
:14:57. > :15:01.Investigations are continuing into what caused a fire at a holiday
:15:01. > :15:05.camp near Weston-super-Mare. Five people needed treatment for
:15:06. > :15:09.breeding in smoke after a group of eight chalets caught fire at at the
:15:09. > :15:14.Pontins Brean Sands Holiday Camp the earlier -- early yesterday
:15:14. > :15:17.morning. An engaged couple from the West
:15:17. > :15:27.have spoken of their shock after discovering the venue they had
:15:27. > :15:32.booked for their wedding this year had closed. They have paid deposits
:15:32. > :15:37.to before Christmas it was announced Aspire Venues Limited had
:15:37. > :15:42.ceased trading. Now some people could be out of
:15:42. > :15:46.pocket. It should have been the perfect
:15:46. > :15:51.start to the new year format and Jordan. After a year of planning
:15:51. > :15:56.they were set to tie the knot next month. Just before Christmas, bad
:15:56. > :16:02.news from the company which runs their wedding venue. It said they
:16:02. > :16:06.had gone into administration. The wedding had to be cancelled. Is
:16:06. > :16:11.said to contact the insurance company. -- it said for his dog
:16:11. > :16:16.this is the venue, Chewton Place just outside Keynsham. A mansion
:16:16. > :16:19.that has been popular for weddings for many years. They wore one of
:16:19. > :16:26.its 60 couples hoping to get married here at Chewton Place this
:16:26. > :16:30.year. -- They were one of the 60 couples. It went into
:16:30. > :16:34.administration and all their plans had to change. It was devastating,
:16:34. > :16:40.all the planning we had put in place. It has gone to nothing now
:16:40. > :16:44.until we can find somewhere else. We do not know where we stand.
:16:44. > :16:49.insurance company does not pay out, we do not know what we are going to
:16:49. > :16:53.do. Some couples have paid up to �4,000 to secured the venue, which
:16:53. > :16:56.the administrators say people should try and get back from their
:16:56. > :17:04.insurance companies if they can. Although they may be a glimmer of
:17:04. > :17:08.hope. This is the drawing room at the front of the house that leads
:17:08. > :17:14.out on to landscaped gardens. Rebecca, along with other employees
:17:14. > :17:18.at Aspire Venues Limited is now talking to the owners of Chewton
:17:18. > :17:22.Place to lease the building and reopened it for weddings. Because
:17:22. > :17:27.this is such a wonderful building and it is a viable business, and
:17:27. > :17:33.because we know people are booked here. I had seen so many successful
:17:33. > :17:37.weddings taking place here. -- I have seen. It is our intention to
:17:37. > :17:41.give people the wedding they would like to have. Rebecca will find out
:17:41. > :17:44.sooner for a plan to run Chewton Place will be successful. It will
:17:44. > :17:50.make it a waiting game for the couples who want to see the gates
:17:50. > :17:54.of their dream wedding venue reopened.
:17:54. > :17:58.Now, after the News of the sacking of Bristol Rovers manager Paul
:17:58. > :18:02.Buckle we go back to sport on the field tonight. And a vital game for
:18:02. > :18:09.Bristol City as they continue their battle against relegation.
:18:09. > :18:14.Much better festive period for Charlton -- Cheltenham and Swindon.
:18:14. > :18:18.Hello, do a bid. Thank you. As you say a vital game
:18:18. > :18:23.because it is always the matches against the sides around you in the
:18:23. > :18:31.table that are the most important. If we look at the bottom of the
:18:31. > :18:35.table, we have got Millwall in 20th place, and City in 21st. A win
:18:35. > :18:41.tonight would move them above Ipswich, at least until they play
:18:41. > :18:47.tomorrow night. Joining us again is Gary Johnson. How d'you see this
:18:47. > :18:56.one going? It is a key game. You get these key games in that the
:18:56. > :19:01.season. If they be more teams below them it will be better. This is one
:19:01. > :19:07.that they can get above Millwall. Millwall will see it as the same.
:19:07. > :19:11.It is a key game. When we spoke before, before Christmas, I do not
:19:11. > :19:17.think either of us predicted City would lose to bottom club Coventry
:19:17. > :19:23.but beat top clubs Southampton. at is the nature of the
:19:23. > :19:28.championship. All teams can beat any other team. -- that is the
:19:28. > :19:33.nature. A fantastic performance by Bristol City at Southampton. They
:19:33. > :19:38.were beaten twice in a short space of time. I know the manager and the
:19:38. > :19:41.players felt they were unlucky and disappointed at Coventry. But that
:19:41. > :19:47.is the way it goes and are picked up three points in two games. They
:19:47. > :19:51.have got to pick up three points today. Gary, thank you. A recap on
:19:52. > :19:57.tonight breaking news, Paul Buckle is no longer the manager of Bristol
:19:57. > :20:01.Rovers. But it is not all doom and gloom in the League Two because
:20:01. > :20:05.Swindon and Cheltenham are doing particularly well at the moment.
:20:05. > :20:10.They are pleased with the Christmas period.
:20:10. > :20:15.Cheltenham followed up a draw on Boxing Day with a win over
:20:15. > :20:20.Rotherham and they also beat Port Vale 2-One yesterday. They remain
:20:20. > :20:24.in second place with a 7th win in nine games.
:20:24. > :20:29.Swindon stepped up to Torquay before a winner at Northampton in
:20:29. > :20:36.the 90th minute. The manager was sent off for his over enthusiastic
:20:36. > :20:43.celebrations. They then beat Wimbledon yesterday 2-0. They move
:20:43. > :20:49.up to 4th place. Yodel slipped back into the relegation zone of League
:20:50. > :20:54.One after two defeats. -- Yeovil. But it will be a long slog for them
:20:54. > :21:00.through until May. Gary, things not looking so good
:21:00. > :21:04.for your old club, Yeovil. Which one will come out of top -- on top
:21:04. > :21:09.between Swindon and Cheltenham? is hard to called because they are
:21:09. > :21:12.both consistent, recently. Cheltenham have been there or
:21:12. > :21:19.thereabouts from the start. Swindon had just got their game going. They
:21:19. > :21:25.are all passionate. They will both be there, actually. Thank you, Gary.
:21:25. > :21:30.We will let you get off to join the commentary dream for BBC Bristol.
:21:30. > :21:35.Back to you. OK, David, for entry. He has
:21:35. > :21:39.climbed Kilimanjaro, run marathons and is now on the verge of becoming
:21:39. > :21:43.the first visually-impaired person ever to trek across Antarctica.
:21:44. > :21:48.His name is Alan Lock and the former Navy man from Clevedon has
:21:48. > :21:51.become something of an adventurer after beginning to lose his sight
:21:51. > :21:58.at the age of 23. We are going to be talking to his
:21:58. > :22:04.proud dad and his wife, but first we have been following his progress.
:22:04. > :22:11.For 38 days, Alan and his team have been walking, across ice, against
:22:11. > :22:15.winds and in temperatures of -45 degrees Celsius. Unsupported and on
:22:15. > :22:23.foot, from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. The bewildering 550
:22:23. > :22:28.mile trip does require preparation. First at home, and then abroad.
:22:28. > :22:32.This is Canada, the team's chosen training ground where they spent
:22:32. > :22:36.time getting used to the cold, becoming familiar with the supply
:22:36. > :22:40.sledges they have to drag along with them and finding their ice
:22:40. > :22:45.feet, so to speak. Now they are just minutes away from reaching the
:22:45. > :22:52.South Pole with Alan becoming the first ever partially sighted person
:22:52. > :22:56.to do so. This will be his second world record. He is the first
:22:56. > :23:00.partially-sighted person to row across the Atlantic. Judging by the
:23:00. > :23:05.smile and his photo from Saturday's new year celebrations, this
:23:05. > :23:11.challenge was every bit as gruelling.
:23:11. > :23:17.Now, time is of the essence, as Alan's father and his wife will
:23:17. > :23:23.tell you. We had to part you from your fine, didn't we? A Yes, that
:23:23. > :23:30.is right. He might be calling any time. -- yes, that is right. So he
:23:30. > :23:36.will let us know if he calls! It would be lovely to get him on
:23:36. > :23:44.the air. How bad is his eyesight? He cannot see... He has lost his
:23:44. > :23:50.central vision. He can see to the side of his few but he cannot see
:23:50. > :23:54.anything directly where he looks. - - the side of his view. It would be
:23:54. > :24:01.a fuzz. His response to such a thing happening at a young age has
:24:01. > :24:07.been remarkable, hasn't it? Yes. By remember about 10 years ago, he got
:24:07. > :24:14.diagnosed. -- I remember. He was in the Navy. It was the end of his
:24:14. > :24:19.life as far as he was concerned. He had to leave the Navy. But
:24:19. > :24:25.immediately, what amazed me, he picked himself up and he started
:24:25. > :24:29.studying for a degree for the Navy. He is a remarkable guy for.
:24:29. > :24:34.Did you know about this adventurous spirit when you married him? You
:24:34. > :24:42.only recently got married! That is right. That is the main reason why
:24:42. > :24:48.I fell in love with him. The first moment we met, he told me about all
:24:48. > :24:55.these adventures he has had. I was speechless. Go how nerve-racking
:24:55. > :25:01.has it been for you? -- how nerve- racking. I feel proud of him, but
:25:01. > :25:07.as his wife, every night... A he didn't invite you?
:25:07. > :25:12.You want him home! We are assuming no news as yet because we have not
:25:12. > :25:20.heard from him. Thank you for coming in. Thanks Exmoor and very
:25:20. > :25:30.nice to see you. -- thanks!. Pretty grim storms, I think I even
:25:30. > :25:51.
:25:51. > :25:56.Pretty grim storms, I think I even So far as tomorrow is concerned, it
:25:56. > :26:03.will be a windy day. Not as windy as today. The rain will hold off
:26:03. > :26:09.until later on. A reversal of today's fortunes. As you see from
:26:09. > :26:19.the isobars, it does remain a breezy story, right the way through
:26:19. > :26:19.
:26:19. > :26:25.tomorrow. It will be later on we see rain approaching once again.
:26:25. > :26:32.Here is the cold front which came through today. Giving some very
:26:32. > :26:37.squally winds and heavy rain. Now the rainfall radar has effectively
:26:37. > :26:44.cleared. That is how things will remain tonight. The sky is clearing,
:26:44. > :26:52.the wind is starting to gust. A pretty stiff westerly up through
:26:52. > :26:57.the Bristol Channel. By dawn tomorrow it will be chilly.
:26:57. > :27:01.Tomorrow, it will be a decent enough note. A good deal of dry,
:27:01. > :27:09.bright weather. But the wind at that point will not be much of an
:27:09. > :27:14.issue. More clout will come in from the west, so it will be dull. --
:27:14. > :27:24.more clout. That will then be superseded by heavy rain,
:27:24. > :27:25.
:27:25. > :27:35.effectively in western areas. Winds gusting tomorrow at the speeds. --
:27:35. > :27:36.