:00:04. > :00:08.Welcome to South East Today. Tonight's top stories:
:00:09. > :00:14.Not guilty of inciting riots in Hastings. A jury accept a Sussex
:00:14. > :00:19.man was joking when he posted comments about looting on Facebook.
:00:20. > :00:23.We are live with the details. We meet the former royal engineer
:00:24. > :00:28.who lost a hand in Libya two weeks ago, but says he wants to go back
:00:28. > :00:31.and continue clearing landmines. Also in tonight's programme:
:00:31. > :00:36.Bright new hope or false dawn? A promise of thousands of jobs for
:00:36. > :00:39.Medway if a multi-million pound redevelopment plans go ahead.
:00:39. > :00:42.The men who fell to Earth. The brave few who bailed out of
:00:42. > :00:52.stricken aircraft and survived meet as the Caterpillar Club for the
:00:52. > :00:53.
:00:53. > :00:59.final time. He said, is it good in the wind? I thought that was very
:00:59. > :01:09.odd, bordering on inane. And raising eyebrows in Sussex.
:01:09. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:12.Apprentice star Nick Hewer advises business hopefuls in Lewes.
:01:12. > :01:15.Good evening. A father from East Sussex who posted messages on
:01:15. > :01:20.Facebook at the height of the London riots has been found not
:01:20. > :01:23.guilty of trying to incite looting. Nathan Sinden wrote, "Let's start a
:01:23. > :01:26.riot in Hastings," to friends on the social networking site. But the
:01:26. > :01:36.jury at Hove Crown Court accepted the defence argument that his posts
:01:36. > :01:40.
:01:40. > :01:45.were written as a joke. Nathan Sinden did not deny the
:01:45. > :01:51.comments were his. What should have been obvious, his defence said, was
:01:51. > :01:55.that he was joking. His timing, his family admitted, could not have
:01:55. > :02:01.been were so. He did not think of the consequences. But a lot of
:02:01. > :02:06.people do that on Facebook. You might as well stand on the street
:02:06. > :02:10.and yell it out. They think they're having private conversation. Just
:02:11. > :02:20.because he did something foolish does not mean he is guilty of.
:02:21. > :02:25.
:02:25. > :02:31.is guilty of being an idiot, that These messages came in the middle
:02:31. > :02:37.of the riots in August. Police forces were on high alert. Their
:02:37. > :02:40.sense of humour took second place to an increasing nervousness.
:02:40. > :02:44.of the footage I saw on the television made me think, if I had
:02:44. > :02:51.to go out and deal with that, I would be quite worried. It is what
:02:51. > :02:54.I am employed to do, but I would be scared and so would my family.
:02:54. > :02:59.people have been convicted and jailed for up to four years for
:02:59. > :03:04.using Facebook to incite rioting. But Nathan Sinden has always
:03:04. > :03:08.claimed he was just messing around. This jury is sending out a message
:03:08. > :03:14.to the authorities that what people say is not always what they mean.
:03:14. > :03:17.Some people intended ironically or a bit of a laugh. If that is what
:03:17. > :03:23.juries are going to see, then they are unlikely to convict people in
:03:23. > :03:29.future. Comments on his face but paid such as, I am going straight
:03:29. > :03:33.down to Poundland, were clearly ironic. He wrote in a private
:03:33. > :03:38.thread that he was joking because he liked Hastings the way it was.
:03:38. > :03:41.It might not have been funny, but the jury agreed it was not
:03:41. > :03:44.incitement to riot. Our reporter joins us live from
:03:44. > :03:47.Hastings. Joke or no joke, Nathan Sinden's actions did have quite an
:03:47. > :03:53.impact in the town that night, didn't they?
:03:53. > :04:00.Yes, they did. I hope you can hear me over the fireworks. The messages
:04:00. > :04:05.that he posted and others like it meant the town was effectively
:04:05. > :04:09.locked down. There were 40 uniformed officers out here on the
:04:09. > :04:13.streets, many more than there would normally be on a summer evening. I
:04:13. > :04:18.don't think people would blame the police for their reactions, but
:04:18. > :04:22.there might be questions about the calm after the storm. When the look
:04:22. > :04:27.at those messages in context, perhaps they should have realised
:04:27. > :04:30.that they were not to be taken seriously, no matter how foolish or
:04:30. > :04:33.irritating. A former royal engineer from Kent
:04:33. > :04:36.has lost a hand in an explosion, while working on humanitarian mine
:04:36. > :04:40.clearance work in Libya. Fred Pavey from Chatham was attempting to
:04:40. > :04:46.deactivate a mine when it exploded in the city of Misrata. He is now
:04:46. > :04:52.facing extensive reconstructive surgery.
:04:52. > :05:00.I lost my thumb and my forefingers. They saved the top of my hand to
:05:00. > :05:04.wrap over as a flap. I will end up with a stump there. Whether they
:05:04. > :05:09.can attach anything I after words, I do not know. Fred Pavey lost his
:05:09. > :05:14.hand a fortnight ago when clearing mines in Libya. The incident is
:05:14. > :05:19.etched on his mind. He feels his injuries could it be much worse.
:05:19. > :05:25.replay it every night. Not in a negative way, just go through my
:05:25. > :05:29.mind every night. Like I said, unfortunately, one of my friends
:05:29. > :05:33.was injured in the incident. A couple of dreams I have had, he was
:05:33. > :05:40.actually killed. I break up laughing because I know he was not.
:05:40. > :05:44.Which is really good. It is a positive thing. Unexploded ordnance
:05:45. > :05:49.is commonplace in Libya. After spending 34 years in the army, Fred
:05:49. > :05:55.says he was fully aware of the risks. The mind that caused his
:05:55. > :06:01.injuries was uptight yet never seen before. It is thought to have a
:06:01. > :06:09.secondary detonation advice -- detonation device which went on
:06:09. > :06:17.when he lifted the mind up. He is a very brave person, but also very
:06:17. > :06:23.cautious. He is the one who is always explaining to us where we
:06:23. > :06:30.should to court and where we should be careful. -- where we should
:06:30. > :06:36.avoid. Local people were living close to these minefields. There
:06:36. > :06:46.are thousands of items all over the place. People need to get back to
:06:46. > :06:46.
:06:47. > :06:52.work. Farmers need to plough their fields. Fred says he wants to get
:06:52. > :06:55.back to Libya to help more people avoid these mines.
:06:55. > :06:58.In a moment: After the driest autumn in years, water companies
:06:58. > :07:01.say we could be heading for drought conditions.
:07:01. > :07:04.Up to 3,500 jobs could be created in the Medway towns if new plans
:07:04. > :07:06.announced by one of Britain's biggest developers are given the go
:07:06. > :07:09.ahead. The Peel Group wants to spend �650 million regenerating
:07:09. > :07:16.Chatham Docks, 26 acres of brownfield land that they already
:07:16. > :07:22.own near the River Medway, into a so-called events city. It will
:07:23. > :07:27.contain new homes, offices and shops.
:07:27. > :07:33.That plans for this site are ambitious. They promise plenty. New
:07:33. > :07:39.homes, new businesses, new jobs. think it is a good idea because
:07:39. > :07:44.unemployment is pretty bad in Medway. If this creates jobs, I
:07:44. > :07:52.would not say no to it. I would not be able to go there, I would need a
:07:52. > :07:58.bus. I still can't see how it will really improve the Tatton area.
:07:58. > :08:06.is more jobs for Medway. It gives us a chance to get a job. It should
:08:06. > :08:10.be all right. Overall, I think the prospect of significant jobs and
:08:10. > :08:16.development, if done well and appropriate late in the correct
:08:16. > :08:20.area, we have to welcome that. Medway is open for business.
:08:20. > :08:27.owners of the dock are no strangers to big business ideas. They created
:08:27. > :08:35.a vast media city UK development in Salford, side that has been visited
:08:35. > :08:40.by a councillors in Medway. They also warned this site where the hop
:08:40. > :08:46.a windfarm site can be created to create 1,000 local jobs. We believe
:08:46. > :08:51.there is a need for additional retail floorspace within and the
:08:51. > :08:54.Medway towns. That is demonstrated by our planning application. In
:08:54. > :09:01.terms of infrastructure, we are proposing some significant
:09:01. > :09:06.improvements. You can never solve problems of any city by developing
:09:06. > :09:11.20 acres. There are 250,000 people in Medway. These jobs are good news,
:09:11. > :09:16.but it does not mean that this is suddenly Dubai or San Francisco. We
:09:16. > :09:22.have to be real estate. Whether planning permission is given for
:09:22. > :09:24.all of -- all or just some of the proposals will now be decided by
:09:25. > :09:27.the council. Our reporter joins us live from
:09:28. > :09:29.Chatham. There is plenty of support in the area for this large
:09:29. > :09:33.development, but some concerns, too?
:09:33. > :09:38.He yes, the developers say that when the piggies plans out to
:09:38. > :09:45.public consultation, 90% of locals supported them. But there are
:09:45. > :09:49.concerns that businesses might be affected in the high street. As for
:09:49. > :09:54.the dockyards itself, where would those businesses go to? There are
:09:54. > :09:58.also local employers. People have told me today that they have heard
:09:59. > :10:03.grand plans for development year before which have not materialised.
:10:03. > :10:06.Some have said that they are wary that these might just be empty
:10:06. > :10:09.promises. A former soldier and teacher from
:10:09. > :10:12.Kent has died after falling into a ravine on an island in the Indian
:10:12. > :10:15.Ocean. Carl Davies was working for a private security firm in Reunion.
:10:15. > :10:19.He left a teaching job at the Sheppey Academy in August.
:10:19. > :10:21.Colleagues there say he will be sadly missed.
:10:21. > :10:24.A �73 million extension to Gatwick Airport's North Terminal has been
:10:24. > :10:27.officially opened by the former Prime Minister John Major. The
:10:27. > :10:30.terminal has been expanded by more than three acres to cope with a
:10:30. > :10:33.predicted increase in passenger numbers to 20 million a year by
:10:33. > :10:35.2020. Rail accident investigators say
:10:35. > :10:42.poor maintenance caused a southeastern commuter train to
:10:42. > :10:45.slide out of control for more than two and a half miles. The London to
:10:45. > :10:51.Hastings train failed to stop at Stonegate in East Sussex last year,
:10:51. > :10:56.sliding through the station at more than 60 mph.
:10:56. > :11:00.There were some shortcomings in the process. Up until this incident,
:11:00. > :11:04.what we had no reason to believe there was a problem. But we're now
:11:04. > :11:07.looking closely at all of the processes and identify any
:11:07. > :11:12.potential shortcomings. We are put in place a number of changes to
:11:12. > :11:18.make sure that we do not have another situation where a train has
:11:18. > :11:21.no sand on it when it needs to. Let's cross live to our reporter at
:11:22. > :11:30.Stonegate Station. How did it happen?
:11:30. > :11:35.Well, conditions that morning were extremely slippery. Trains had been
:11:35. > :11:39.struggling to stop all morning. This particular trained was lacking
:11:39. > :11:45.a crucial safety feature. Its supply of sand which drivers spray
:11:45. > :11:48.on to the rails to help them slowdown was empty. In fact, the
:11:49. > :11:53.on-board computer had alerted engineers to this fact three days
:11:53. > :11:59.earlier saying it was running low. The following day, and Engineer
:11:59. > :12:06.requested new supplies. Two more nights went by and nothing was done.
:12:06. > :12:11.The driver was unable to stop here. He continued for a further seven
:12:11. > :12:15.minutes, only coming to a stop three miles down the line. They
:12:15. > :12:19.train did not go through a red light so there was no danger to the
:12:19. > :12:23.people on that train. But this shows what can happen when you have
:12:23. > :12:27.crushed leaves under the wheels of the trained and the driver cannot
:12:27. > :12:31.stop. This train shouldn't have been in service in this condition,
:12:31. > :12:35.should it? That right. Safety rules stipulate
:12:35. > :12:39.that drivers should not take their trains out if they don't have sand
:12:39. > :12:44.on board. But this driver did not know that was the case. They have
:12:44. > :12:47.now introduced new alerts in the driver's cab, so that they will
:12:47. > :12:50.know in future. South East Water says it is not
:12:50. > :12:53.ruling out restrictions on supplies next year if we have a dry winter.
:12:53. > :12:56.Levels at both its reservoirs and underground aquifers are way below
:12:56. > :13:01.average. The last year has been the driest since the drought year of
:13:01. > :13:04.1976. Last month was one of the warmest Octobers on record with
:13:04. > :13:13.just 30% of the typical average rainfall. Our Environment
:13:13. > :13:18.Correspondent reports. Winter is fast approaching, but the
:13:18. > :13:23.autumn rains have not yet arrived. At that whoever dry spring and the
:13:23. > :13:28.result is plain to see at this reservoir. Currently, the reservoir
:13:28. > :13:32.is only one third full. You would not expect the water level to be at
:13:32. > :13:37.its maximum at this time of year, but you would expect it to be
:13:37. > :13:42.around 50% full. That would bring the level to where I am standing.
:13:42. > :13:47.It is not only the reservoirs which are affected, but groundwater on
:13:47. > :13:50.which much of our region relies is below average as well. A drought
:13:51. > :13:58.permit is likely to be applied for to take water from this river is
:13:58. > :14:02.needed. We want to fill up over reservoirs with water from the
:14:02. > :14:06.river and hopefully underground sources from rainfall between now
:14:06. > :14:15.and spring. Then we will have enough water to accommodate our
:14:15. > :14:20.summer demand for next year. last time the region saw such a dry
:14:21. > :14:27.12 months was in 1976. The fear is that history could repeat itself.
:14:27. > :14:32.Pipes run along the ground and each one shows that a small amount of
:14:32. > :14:36.water goes to every tree. It is very efficient. It is vital we're
:14:36. > :14:41.allowed to keep extracting water through the dry months. Crucial for
:14:41. > :14:47.this industry. The Environment Agency decide to can take water and
:14:47. > :14:51.how much from Myroe Rovers and reserves. It will be difficult to
:14:51. > :14:55.recharge the reservoirs to this degree. If there are sunny days
:14:55. > :15:01.throughout the winter. We will work closely with water companies to
:15:01. > :15:06.make sure that they can extract as much as possible when it does rain
:15:06. > :15:10.without hurting the river ecology. A rain is needed. In the meantime,
:15:10. > :15:13.people are being urged to use water wisely.
:15:13. > :15:16.Our top story tonight: A Sussex man who posted messages about looting
:15:16. > :15:21.in Hastings on Facebook at the height of the London riots has been
:15:21. > :15:23.found not guilty of trying to incite rioting. The jury at Hove
:15:23. > :15:30.Crown Court accepted Nathan Sinden's defence that his posts
:15:30. > :15:33.were written as a joke. Also in tonight's programme: Tales
:15:33. > :15:43.of wartime escapes and daring do as the parachutists of the Caterpillar
:15:43. > :15:45.
:15:45. > :15:48.Club meet for one final time. And Nick Hewer it gives young
:15:48. > :15:51.hopefuls The Apprentice treatment in Suffolk.
:15:51. > :15:55.Gunging school teachers, bathing in baked beans, or simply dressing up
:15:55. > :16:00.in spotty clothes. Just some of the many fundraising activities that
:16:00. > :16:03.will be taking place tomorrow for Children In Need. The annual event
:16:03. > :16:06.raises vital cash here in the south east for schemes such as the
:16:06. > :16:16.Bandbazi project in Brighton, which uses circus skills to help
:16:16. > :16:50.
:16:50. > :16:54.I am 15 years old. I come to this project every Saturday morning. In
:16:54. > :17:02.the grip, some people have special needs. Others are from different
:17:02. > :17:09.cultures. Some people have problems with spelling. I come here because
:17:09. > :17:15.I like to help people learn new way is. I am 12 years old. I come here
:17:15. > :17:19.every Saturday morning. I have lots of new friends from year. I have
:17:19. > :17:27.learned lots of things about people's backgrounds and all sorts
:17:27. > :17:32.of, like, nationalities and staff. Some people don't understand. When
:17:32. > :17:36.the see someone who is different to them, they think they are weird.
:17:36. > :17:46.They actually have a history and a background which they can tell you
:17:46. > :17:50.and then you can see things from a different point of view. I find it
:17:50. > :17:56.shocking that in a city like this, many people are shut away in their
:17:56. > :18:06.cocoon. They don't like to approach a new people. It is nice to meet
:18:06. > :18:12.new people. I enjoy it. I especially like to help. I don't
:18:12. > :18:18.just a judge people by what they look like. I think about who they
:18:18. > :18:23.are inside. On a Saturday morning, it is nice to wake up and be
:18:23. > :18:33.excited about coming here. On Children In Need night tomorrow,
:18:33. > :18:35.
:18:35. > :18:45.the programme will be live at the Bluewater Shopping Centre.
:18:45. > :18:47.It is one of the world's more exclusive and unusual groups. The
:18:47. > :18:49.Caterpillar Club is made up of people who jumped from stricken
:18:49. > :18:53.aircraft during wartime and survived. 88-year-old Bob Frost
:18:53. > :18:56.from Sandwich in Kent is one of the surviving members. He was just 19
:18:56. > :19:02.when he jumped from a Wellington bomber during a Second World War
:19:02. > :19:09.raid on Germany. It is a remarkable story.
:19:09. > :19:14.It was a raid like this one in Germany. Bob Frost was an era
:19:14. > :19:24.gunner on a Wellington bomber, whose crew baled out after the
:19:24. > :19:24.
:19:24. > :19:31.engines failed. I had worked out a plan in mind. It was not if you
:19:31. > :19:38.were shot down, it was when. Most crews did not get beyond 14
:19:38. > :19:45.operations. We were on another 22nd. I came down through a cloud. It was
:19:45. > :19:51.cold and wet. The ground came up and hit me. A great big Belgian
:19:51. > :19:56.field came up and hit me. You have the flames, the fear, the confusion,
:19:56. > :20:02.the shells exploding around you. Your aircraft is on fire and you
:20:02. > :20:05.simply have to dive out. You're diving out into the unknown,
:20:05. > :20:11.trusting your life to your parachute and then floating down
:20:12. > :20:18.into enemy territory. This man was forced to eject from
:20:18. > :20:24.his Tornado during the first Gulf War. He shares the experiences of
:20:24. > :20:31.the last members of the Caterpillar Club. They relied on their
:20:31. > :20:37.parachutes. We are sad about this, but it is inevitable. We are in our
:20:37. > :20:45.late 80s and early 90s now. There are only one dozen of us left.
:20:45. > :20:49.their memories live on. Bob is on the right of this photograph. The
:20:49. > :20:59.rest all to escape through Spain within weeks. He says he survived
:20:59. > :21:04.through luck and by quickly learning to live with fear. If you
:21:04. > :21:10.were not frightened, you were thick. I never met anybody who enjoyed
:21:10. > :21:14.bombing. It is not often that a footballer
:21:14. > :21:17.appearing at his home ground is upstaged by his own grandfather.
:21:17. > :21:21.But that is what happened to Brighton and Hove Albion's Tommy
:21:21. > :21:27.Elphick today. He was at the Amex Stadium with his granddad, Alfred,
:21:27. > :21:34.to help raise awareness of the club's Extra Time project. It is
:21:34. > :21:39.trying to get the over-55s involved in sport and keep-fit activities.
:21:39. > :21:43.By their own admission, not many of the participants today were a big
:21:43. > :21:48.football fans. But their first visit to the stadium certainly made
:21:48. > :21:56.am impact. It was a daydream of mine to come here. I thought I'd
:21:56. > :21:59.never live to see it. I have. It is fantastic. Tommy Elphick faces
:21:59. > :22:07.months on the sidelines through injury. He brought along his 81-
:22:07. > :22:13.year-old grandfather. If I get a knock back, it is easy to get back
:22:13. > :22:18.up. If an older person takes a fall, it can be difficult for them to
:22:18. > :22:24.move forward again. Brighton is one of 30 football clubs supporting the
:22:24. > :22:33.scheme, which is designed to make their elderly more mobile. It works.
:22:33. > :22:37.21% used the NHS less. 50% felt healthier. 75% made new friends.
:22:37. > :22:41.is about growing your social networks all-star it is like and
:22:41. > :22:48.you live beginning. More confidence and energy. More ability to do
:22:48. > :22:53.things properly. I think this is the best thing that has ever
:22:53. > :22:58.happened to me, certainly for a long time. So much is emphasise
:22:58. > :23:02.about the use today. It is nice that we are remember. The club have
:23:02. > :23:11.a proud record of community projects. Something which is much
:23:11. > :23:16.easier if. We're working in the community, the way that I always
:23:16. > :23:24.planned this to be. We come here to watch the games, but there is so
:23:24. > :23:31.much more on offer at this new stadium. For the time being,
:23:31. > :23:34.Alfred's grandson can only sit and watch.
:23:34. > :23:36.He is Lord Sugar's faithful sidekick, who can seal the fate of
:23:36. > :23:40.a wannabe entrepreneur with the sardonic raise of an eyebrow. But
:23:40. > :23:43.Nick Hewer, who is most famous as one of the judges on the hit TV
:23:43. > :23:46.show The Apprentice, was not hiring or firing today. Instead, he spent
:23:46. > :23:49.the day firing young imaginations in Lewes, on a school visit aimed
:23:49. > :23:59.at inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Our reporter has
:23:59. > :24:03.been to meet him. On the apprentice, he is Lord
:24:03. > :24:08.Sugar's right-hand man. Dishing out disdainful looks and scornful
:24:08. > :24:11.comments to the hapless one of the entrepreneur has. He said, is it
:24:11. > :24:17.good in the weather and the wind? Which I thought was a very sort of
:24:17. > :24:23.odd thing to say. Bordering on the name, really. What is the product?
:24:24. > :24:28.He was not so hard on their students here in Lewes today. But
:24:28. > :24:37.those famous facial expressions were still there. If maybe I am
:24:37. > :24:42.blessed or cursed with a sort of mobile face. That is it. We're not
:24:42. > :24:48.faking it are practising are doing things. No one says, can you do
:24:48. > :24:51.that again for the camera? But does the image portrayed in the
:24:51. > :24:58.Apprentice of what a hire and fire industry give a false impression of
:24:58. > :25:04.the business world, putting young people of the Korea? You could
:25:04. > :25:10.produce a very bland, solid worthwhile business programme and
:25:10. > :25:14.nobody would watch it. I thought he would be rude and arrogant, but he
:25:14. > :25:20.is very down to earth. It is good to get a different point of view
:25:20. > :25:26.from someone with his background. Then we can put that into real life
:25:26. > :25:31.situations. Nick Hewer's on screen presence has helped bring about a
:25:31. > :25:37.new twist in his career. Yesterday, it was announced that he will be
:25:37. > :25:43.the host of a new major -- he will be the new host of a major data I'm
:25:43. > :25:51.brand. Countdown will be great, but I want to carry on with The
:25:51. > :25:57.Apprentice. But I might get fired! Relief for apprenticeship fans,
:25:57. > :26:04.then. Four entrepreneurs, it looks like there will be no escape from
:26:04. > :26:08.like there will be no escape from Nick Hewer's contemptuous glare.
:26:08. > :26:12.It has been very mild for the time of year. He will stay dry and clear
:26:12. > :26:16.as we move through tonight. More cloud as we move through the early
:26:16. > :26:22.hours of tomorrow. People start hazy. It will be staying dry with
:26:22. > :26:28.decent spells of sunshine around. Low pressure in control. Some spots
:26:28. > :26:33.of rain first thing this morning. It brightened up into the afternoon.
:26:33. > :26:38.Light south-westerly winds around 50 mph. Temperatures mild for the
:26:38. > :26:43.time of year. It stays dry as we move through tonight. Clearer skies
:26:43. > :26:47.with mist and fog patches forming. More cloud around by the early
:26:47. > :26:53.hours of tomorrow morning. It will be mild. Temperatures in double
:26:53. > :26:58.figures for many. Tomorrow, I hazy start to the day. The south-
:26:58. > :27:02.westerly winds continued to pick up at around 20 mph. Staying dry with
:27:02. > :27:07.decent spells of sunshine. Temperatures similar to today. Mild
:27:07. > :27:14.for the time of year. 14 degrees. As we move into tomorrow night,
:27:14. > :27:18.very little changed. More cloud cover than tonight, but holding on
:27:18. > :27:24.to the southerly breeze so it will be mild. Temperatures hardly
:27:24. > :27:29.changing from a daytime values. The mild and dry weather stays with us