:00:00. > 3:59:59That's it from us. They will be continuing coverage throughout the
:00:00. > :00:10.night on the Reoffending - almost
:00:11. > :00:28.all the new inmates in Jersey's courts weren't making use of the
:00:29. > :00:30.services that we had on offer and sending first offenders to prison.
:00:31. > :00:34.Good evening and welcome to the late news from BBC Channel Islands News.
:00:35. > :00:36.Also tonight: Guernsey's digital revolution -
:00:37. > :00:38.the plans which could bring workers and millions of pounds
:00:39. > :00:46.Almost all of the new inmates sentenced to Jersey's Prison last
:00:47. > :00:54.That's the findings of the annual report released
:00:55. > :00:59.While it shows overall numbers of prisoners were slightly down last
:01:00. > :01:02.year compared to 2015 - over half of them were
:01:03. > :01:11.The number of criminals being locked up dropped in 2016
:01:12. > :01:16.but those that were are not new to crime.
:01:17. > :01:19.According to the Prison Report, of the 260 new inmates sent
:01:20. > :01:22.to prison last year, 97% had previous convictions
:01:23. > :01:29.and 60% had already served time behind bars.
:01:30. > :01:31.Although this level of re-offending sounds alarming,
:01:32. > :01:33.the Probation Service say it's expected.
:01:34. > :01:36.Because it's unusual for people to be sent to prison
:01:37. > :01:41.Instead they are usually given fines and community service.
:01:42. > :01:46.Sentences in the community are more likely to be successful
:01:47. > :01:49.than sentences in custody because someone can
:01:50. > :01:50.maintain their employment, maintain their family ties,
:01:51. > :02:00.The courts are typically sentencing people to custody when they have no
:02:01. > :02:03.other options available either because of the seriousness
:02:04. > :02:07.of the offence or because that person has exhausted the courts'
:02:08. > :02:10.patience with the alternatives and hasn't responded to them.
:02:11. > :02:13.The Prison Report has been released in the same week
:02:14. > :02:15.as the new independent Prison Monitoring Board
:02:16. > :02:20.Although the board say they can't comment on the re-offending rates,
:02:21. > :02:22.they will monitor the welfare of prisoners which can
:02:23. > :02:31.That can potentially have a huge impact in relation
:02:32. > :02:35.to how people can adapt, modify behaviour if that's
:02:36. > :02:39.actually what is required, and I think it's good to see a lot
:02:40. > :02:41.of the training programmes that are already in place and that
:02:42. > :02:53.will be one of the areas that we will be keen to look at.
:02:54. > :02:58.What is actually being delivered, what are the results, and if
:02:59. > :02:59.anything can be kind of fine tuned further.
:03:00. > :03:01.And it's through constructive regimes and programmes the prison
:03:02. > :03:03.hope to achieve its primary aim to reduce re-offending in future.
:03:04. > :03:08.Emma Chambers, BBC Channel Islands News, Jersey.
:03:09. > :03:12.A 30-year-old man from Jersey has been found not guilty of rape.
:03:13. > :03:16.Kevin Irving had been accused of getting into bed
:03:17. > :03:19.with a woman in St Helier last July and trying to have
:03:20. > :03:21.sex with her while she mistook him for someone else.
:03:22. > :03:25.Julie Flanagan was at the Royal Court where he was acquitted.
:03:26. > :03:29.The jury of six men and six women took less than two hours to decide
:03:30. > :03:39.This trial was expected to last four days but this morning the court
:03:40. > :03:42.decided Mr Irving should face one lesser charge of attempted rape
:03:43. > :03:46.rather than the original charges of indecent assault and rape.
:03:47. > :03:50.The jury was told the woman had met a man on an internet dating site.
:03:51. > :03:52.While out with friends, she and the man were texting
:03:53. > :03:59.When they did, Kevin Irving was with them.
:04:00. > :04:03.He went back to the same house as them to call a taxi
:04:04. > :04:06.but in the hours that followed, the woman claimed Irving got into
:04:07. > :04:12.She claimed she only realised it wasn't the man she thought
:04:13. > :04:14.it was when there was shouting and someone turned
:04:15. > :04:20.The court heard that afterwards she was scared and confused
:04:21. > :04:23.and her lawyer said very clearly she would never have consented
:04:24. > :04:29.His defence advocate Ian Jones told the jury:
:04:30. > :04:35."with the woman there was no evidence that Mr Irving
:04:36. > :04:40."I would suggest these are the actions of someone
:04:41. > :04:48.And today the jury agreed, clearing Mr Irving of any wrongdoing.
:04:49. > :05:00.When the verdict was read out Mr
:05:01. > :05:04.left the court without making any comment.
:05:05. > :05:06.Julie Flannigan, BBC Channel Islands News, Jersey.
:05:07. > :05:08.There's been a huge increase in the amount of time police
:05:09. > :05:11.in Jersey spend dealing with mental health related issues and checking
:05:12. > :05:19.increase over the past five years in mental health issues
:05:20. > :05:20.that required police attention and action,
:05:21. > :05:23.and welfare checks were up by a third since 2012 too.
:05:24. > :05:26.It comes on the day a UK watchdog is warning that public safety
:05:27. > :05:29.is being put at risk there, because police in England and Wales
:05:30. > :05:31.are being used to handle mental health issues.
:05:32. > :05:34.Jersey police have named the driver of the car that crashed
:05:35. > :05:38.on the Five Mile Road, late on Sunday.
:05:39. > :05:40.18-year-old Fraser Armstrong remains in a critical
:05:41. > :05:47.He was one of four sixth formers from De La Salle College in the car.
:05:48. > :05:50.Their headteacher says the school's thoughts and prayers are with them.
:05:51. > :05:56.The three passengers are recovering in Jersey.
:05:57. > :06:01.It's being called the future of Guernsey - a plan to attract more
:06:02. > :06:08.digital businesses to the island along with the benefits
:06:09. > :06:15.which go with it, including up to 5,000
:06:16. > :06:17.workers and an additional ?14 million in income tax.
:06:18. > :06:21.But it comes at a cost - so will it get the funding it needs?
:06:22. > :06:24.It promises to drive economic growth by investing in the digital sector.
:06:25. > :06:27.The new strategy also promotes Guernsey as a choice
:06:28. > :06:29.location for business, with big benefits to the island.
:06:30. > :06:31.Here at the Digital Greenhouse, a place that encourages
:06:32. > :06:33.technology business, the report has been welcomed
:06:34. > :06:38.The challenges ahead are many, the
:06:39. > :06:43.The new digital strategy strategic
:06:44. > :06:44.framework is a fantastic document, a
:06:45. > :06:48.real wish list of how we would love
:06:49. > :06:53.how is it going to be funded, how
:06:54. > :07:00.But I think it is really important for people to
:07:01. > :07:03.worth investing our time and money
:07:04. > :07:06.and because it's the future of Guernsey.
:07:07. > :07:09.By 2026, it is hoped the number of people working
:07:10. > :07:12.But the deputy behind the plan is worried the States might not give
:07:13. > :07:18.We're looking at budget prioritisation that is extremely
:07:19. > :07:20.difficult to be able to properly fund these very sensible, pragmatic
:07:21. > :07:31.But then you're told you've got to achieve 2%
:07:32. > :07:36.cut this year, and then 5% and then 9%, and then how can you do that?
:07:37. > :07:43.in a digital industry in Guernsey, but it's argued it'll be up
:07:44. > :07:46.to the States to invest both time and money to fully
:07:47. > :07:55.Chris Harrison, BBC Channel Islands News, Guernsey.
:07:56. > :07:57.Cutting maintenance costs by reducing the need to cut the lawn.
:07:58. > :08:00.That's the idea behind a project to plant large areas
:08:01. > :08:05.Although it may look a little bare now that won't be the case for long.
:08:06. > :08:08.The States say it'll be good for bees, butterflies...
:08:09. > :08:12.On this particular site we have got about 11,000 square metres of
:08:13. > :08:21.We have taken 2500 for the wild flower areas.
:08:22. > :08:26.So the reduction in cutting is obviously
:08:27. > :08:28.25%, and so that is a saving on not only
:08:29. > :08:30.man-hours and fuel but also on
:08:31. > :08:33.After two weeks without meaningful rain, Guernsey and Jersey
:08:34. > :08:36.Despite a dry April so far, reservoirs are nearly full -
:08:37. > :08:39.and tests on the desalination plant are due to top them
:08:40. > :08:42.Nevertheless, Guernsey and Jersey Water are both urging
:08:43. > :08:48.It is just that season, the nice weather has started
:08:49. > :08:51.so the garden takes off and so everyone is out and
:08:52. > :08:54.about doing the things they love to do which makes Jersey
:08:55. > :08:58.We are reminding them to take the opportunity to remind our
:08:59. > :09:06.Let's take a look at the weather now with David Braine.
:09:07. > :09:12.Thank you. Hello. Good evening. It is probably not a surprise to most
:09:13. > :09:17.of us that it has been so dry this month that it is causing some
:09:18. > :09:22.problems. But a meteorological drought is a bit different, which
:09:23. > :09:27.means just more than 15 days without any official rain, but it has been
:09:28. > :09:32.very dry. We should be seeing around 56 millimetres of rain. There is the
:09:33. > :09:38.risk of a great deal of rain over the next few days. Fine and dry like
:09:39. > :09:42.this with some lovely sunshine. It looks like we will continue in the
:09:43. > :09:47.same type of weather tomorrow and into the weekend, fine and dry with
:09:48. > :09:51.sunny spells and generally light winds. The rain bearing cloud is
:09:52. > :09:54.away our peer across the north of the Atlantic, but it is slowly
:09:55. > :09:58.making progress towards us. One weather system will travel down to
:09:59. > :10:03.Britain across to the islands through the afternoon on Saturday.
:10:04. > :10:07.It is a very weak affair. Virtually no rain associated with that. I
:10:08. > :10:10.pressure still for Sunday. Then a weather front comes in from the
:10:11. > :10:14.North on Monday. This one has the potential for some spots of light
:10:15. > :10:21.rain and drizzle. Behind it, not only is there much colder air, there
:10:22. > :10:26.is a great rush of showers as we begin Tuesday. Overnight tonight,
:10:27. > :10:29.still a bit of cloud around. Some breaks in that cloud and
:10:30. > :10:34.temperatures going down into single figures. Tomorrow should be a
:10:35. > :10:41.largely fine, dry day. Sunny spells to enjoy and very light winds. 13
:10:42. > :10:45.Celsius. Not too bad for the weekend ahead. On Saturday there could be a
:10:46. > :10:49.lot of cloud but it should break up for sunny spells. Sunday is fine and
:10:50. > :10:51.dry. More cloud on Monday and some rain possible for Monday night and
:10:52. > :10:51.into Tuesday. You're up to date with the news
:10:52. > :11:06.from the Channel islands. week for much of the UK and for more
:11:07. > :11:11.about that and the UK outlook, Helen Willetts.
:11:12. > :11:17.The sunshine make such a difference this time of year, only 12 or so
:11:18. > :11:21.degrees under the cloud today but 19 in eastern Scotland not far away
:11:22. > :11:25.from St Andrews. Also in north-east England, where we had the majority
:11:26. > :11:30.of the decent sunshine. Even under cloud it was dry for the most part.
:11:31. > :11:31.We have this week whether forgiving showers in the