:00:04. > :00:06.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans. And I'm Rob Smith.
:00:06. > :00:09.Tonight's top stories. The prime minister is privately
:00:09. > :00:12.backing the idea of a Thames Estuary airport the BBC has learned,
:00:12. > :00:22.as the Government announces a consultation on the future of
:00:22. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:29.aviation. It will be a motor for jobs and growth in the South East
:00:29. > :00:33.and for the UK economy. It is ridiculous. These areas are
:00:33. > :00:35.internationally important for the environment and wildlife.
:00:35. > :00:37.Local people, politicians, and environmental campaigners denounce
:00:37. > :00:40.the scheme as disastrous and impossible to fund.
:00:40. > :00:44.We'll be reporting live from the Isle of Grain and Westminster.
:00:44. > :00:46.Also in tonight's programme: Gone but not forgotten. 19 years
:00:46. > :00:56.after the murder of Kent schoolgirl Claire Tiltman, her sick father
:00:56. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:02.makes a fresh appeal for justice. have never given up hope. I never
:01:02. > :01:05.have done and I never will do. EasyJet forces a disabled man off a
:01:05. > :01:06.plane at Gatwick Airport because of safety fears. He says he feels
:01:07. > :01:09.degraded. And boxing clever, how the
:01:09. > :01:19.Olympics' sporting legacy is already making a difference for
:01:19. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:26.children in Kent. Good evening. BBC South East Today
:01:26. > :01:30.has learned that controversial plans to build an airport in the
:01:30. > :01:33.Thames Estuary have the private backing of the Prime Minister. We
:01:33. > :01:36.understand that David Cameron and his Chancellor, George Osborne, now
:01:36. > :01:42.believe there is a strong economic argument to support the so-called
:01:42. > :01:44.Boris Island plan for a hub airport off the North Kent coast.
:01:44. > :01:48.Opponents say it would be impossible to find tens of billions
:01:48. > :01:52.of pounds to fund the project and claim it would be an environmental
:01:53. > :02:02.disaster. But ministers will put it forward for public consultation
:02:02. > :02:07.within weeks. He has repeatedly floated plans for
:02:07. > :02:13.an airport in the Thames Estuary in. Now Boris Johnston says the
:02:13. > :02:18.Government is increasingly interested. It is an area in need
:02:18. > :02:23.of regeneration. There is potential for growth and jobs. I would say to
:02:23. > :02:30.people, people who are worried about the environment, I believe
:02:30. > :02:34.they can be mitigated. architect Lord Foster has drawn up
:02:34. > :02:39.plans for a �50 billion airport. An environmental groups say they will
:02:39. > :02:44.make their voice heard. We have said it before and we will say it
:02:44. > :02:48.again that it is a ridiculous idea. These areas are internationally
:02:48. > :02:55.important for the environment. Considering the options to increase
:02:55. > :02:58.aviation capacity, this is the least sustainable. It comes with
:02:58. > :03:03.promises of job creation in an unemployment blackspot. If it puts
:03:03. > :03:08.more jobs out there, it cannot be wrong. It will give people an
:03:08. > :03:15.opportunity. Is it something you are interested in? Da no need.
:03:15. > :03:21.There is nothing out there. It is like a fairy-tale idea. Why build
:03:21. > :03:26.an airport in the Thames Estuary? The plan could put David Cameron on
:03:26. > :03:30.a collision course with the Lewes MP and transport minister. I want
:03:30. > :03:35.to make it clear from the Liberal Democrat point of view that our
:03:35. > :03:42.manifesto ruled out development of further aviation capacity in the
:03:42. > :03:46.South East. We are sceptical about the practicality of the so-called
:03:46. > :03:53.Boris Island. Not least because there are 3000 tons of explosives
:03:53. > :03:59.in the water because of the Second World War ship that went down.
:03:59. > :04:05.Grain they are aware of what is at stake. I do not wanted to happen. I
:04:05. > :04:12.have a little boy and girl. I grew up here. It is brilliant here.
:04:12. > :04:17.not think it will go ahead. I do not think they have enough people
:04:17. > :04:23.to buy it. Kent County Council suggested it would be better on the
:04:23. > :04:27.Essex side of the estuary. There has been debate about what there
:04:27. > :04:31.might be and if we have a consultation, it would give
:04:31. > :04:36.everybody an opportunity to state their views. That has to be an
:04:36. > :04:41.improvement on speculation about things we do not know could be
:04:41. > :04:48.proposed. The consultation is set to begin in March.
:04:48. > :04:53.Simon Jones joins us from the village of Grain. This village
:04:53. > :05:00.could be wiped off the map if the airport got the go-ahead.
:05:00. > :05:04.The battle lines are being drawn. Houses could be replaced by runways,
:05:04. > :05:08.talk of 150 million passengers per year. It is not just a local fight.
:05:08. > :05:12.It would be the biggest infrastructure project in the
:05:12. > :05:17.country and has the potential to affect the South East for
:05:17. > :05:21.generations. Medway council wants a meeting with the ball -- government.
:05:21. > :05:25.They say Boris Johnson should remember he is the Mayor of London
:05:25. > :05:28.and not the mayor of Kent. Nothing has been set in stone.
:05:28. > :05:32.Today's developments are the latest twist in a long-running row over
:05:32. > :05:34.plans to create extra airport capacity in the South East.
:05:34. > :05:37.Campaigners celebrating the rejection of proposals for a new
:05:37. > :05:43.airport at Cliffe, near Rochester, in 2003 thought they had won a
:05:43. > :05:45.decisive victory. But five years later, we exclusively revealed that
:05:45. > :05:52.Boris Johnson had described the idea of building Boris Island as
:05:52. > :06:00.the biggest and bravest project he could do. Speaking on this
:06:00. > :06:05.programme in 2010, David Cameron appeared to dismiss the idea.
:06:05. > :06:12.is a great Mayor of London doing an excellent job. Building airports is
:06:12. > :06:17.not his responsibility. I am saying it is not our approach. Our
:06:17. > :06:20.approach is no to the third railway. Put in place the railway.
:06:20. > :06:23.But Boris Island is not the only option for the Government to
:06:23. > :06:27.consider, even if David Cameron has changed his mind. A new runway at
:06:27. > :06:29.Heathrow has been ruled out, but that leaves the door open for the
:06:29. > :06:31.future expansion of Gatwick. Another proposal is the so-called
:06:31. > :06:33.Heathwick plan, a high-speed rail link transferring passengers
:06:33. > :06:37.between Heathrow and Gatwick. And in November, the renowned architect
:06:37. > :06:42.Lord Foster produced plans for a �50 billion airport on the Isle of
:06:42. > :06:47.Grain in Kent, which would be the largest in the world. Critics say
:06:47. > :06:50.in these times of austerity it would be totally unaffordable.
:06:50. > :06:53.Supporters say there are private investors willing to put up the
:06:53. > :07:02.cash without any need for public subsidies. Political editor Louise
:07:02. > :07:05.Stewart is in Westminster. All of Kent's MPs are Conservative. Are
:07:05. > :07:12.they warming to the idea of a Thames Estuary airport like their
:07:13. > :07:17.prime minister? Definitely not. I have spoken to almost all of them
:07:17. > :07:22.and there is little support. A couple of ministers' support the
:07:22. > :07:30.consultation process. I am joined by the MP for Rochester and Strood.
:07:30. > :07:36.What is your reaction? David Cameron appears to be listening to
:07:36. > :07:42.the idea. I am disappointed to hear the news. As you say, there is
:07:42. > :07:49.little support for this. I have spoken to colleagues today. Also
:07:49. > :07:55.Liberal Democrats are opposed. That is why it has not come out as
:07:55. > :08:00.policy. The economic environment arguments are so strong.
:08:00. > :08:04.thoroughly, the Chancellor and Prime Minister are swayed by the
:08:04. > :08:10.economic arguments at the time of rising unemployment. Would this
:08:10. > :08:17.project boost the South East? mayor. It would be 20 years before
:08:17. > :08:22.it even got started in terms of construction. We cannot borrow our
:08:22. > :08:28.way out of a recession. Even those promoting its say it will cost �50
:08:28. > :08:34.billion. That is at least another �50 on a plane ticket to build this.
:08:34. > :08:39.For that reason, I think the economics do not stack up. It would
:08:39. > :08:43.be an environmental disaster, as well. Even if you are at odds with
:08:43. > :08:51.the Prime Minister, a new will fight this? Out so clearly I will
:08:51. > :08:55.fight this a proposal. Thank you. It has to be said there could be
:08:55. > :08:59.political game-playing going on because, of course, senior
:08:59. > :09:06.Conservatives, some of them, want to be seen as backing the scheme
:09:06. > :09:16.ahead of Boris Johnson being -- standing for re-election as Mayor
:09:16. > :09:19.of London. Environmental campaigners fear that new planning
:09:19. > :09:24.laws would be in place by the time any final decision was made which
:09:24. > :09:27.could speed up infrastructure projects and make them difficult to
:09:28. > :09:37.oppose. The Government's public consultation on the future of UK
:09:38. > :09:41.
:09:41. > :09:48.airport provision will begin in March. Yeah send your comments.
:09:48. > :09:57.Neil Vincent says he is an experience transport plan and he
:09:57. > :10:07.said a new airport in the Thames ensure -- estuary would bring an
:10:07. > :10:23.
:10:23. > :10:28.influx of jobs. Do you want the Government to back plans? You could
:10:28. > :10:32.also read the blog of our political editor to find out how this is
:10:32. > :10:34.developing at Westminster. Later in the programme, we'll speak to our
:10:34. > :10:39.business correspondent to assess how a multi-billion-pound Thames
:10:39. > :10:42.Estuary airport could be funded. In a moment, she celebrated the
:10:42. > :10:52.night he was jailed. But a Sussex rape victim tells us she is still
:10:52. > :10:56.
:10:56. > :10:59.haunted by her attacker's face. The father of a Kent teenager who
:10:59. > :11:02.was stabbed to death 19 years ago today has made an emotional plea
:11:02. > :11:05.from his sick bed for information that will finally lead to his
:11:05. > :11:08.daughter's killer. Claire Tiltman was attacked as she walked to a
:11:08. > :11:12.friend's house in Greenhithe in 1993. She had turned 16 just days
:11:12. > :11:15.earlier. Ten years later, new DNA tests were carried out to re-
:11:15. > :11:18.examine the evidence. The case was never closed, and in 2010 a
:11:18. > :11:28.handwritten note was found at a memorial to Claire naming a
:11:28. > :11:30.
:11:30. > :11:37.possible suspect, but no-one has ever been charged.
:11:37. > :11:40.In bed in a nursing home, Cliff Tiltman is the last remaining
:11:40. > :11:46.member of a family devastated by murder. He believes the terrible
:11:46. > :11:56.death of his only daughter destroyed the health of his wife
:11:56. > :11:56.
:11:56. > :12:05.and her grandparents. They have all died. If she was here, the mother-
:12:05. > :12:09.in-law and father-in-law were here, they would all be here. It was here
:12:09. > :12:15.that Clare was stabbed 19 years ago as she walked to a friend's house.
:12:15. > :12:19.She almost certainly did not know her attacker. Police are convinced
:12:19. > :12:25.that somebody other than the killer has the crucial information. It is
:12:25. > :12:31.that person detectives hope will have some pity for Clare's father
:12:31. > :12:37.and come forward. We know there is more information that could come in
:12:37. > :12:44.at any time. There are forensic techniques we could to use. We will
:12:44. > :12:48.not give up on this case. Come forward. This officer ran the
:12:48. > :12:53.investigation in the years after the murder. I want the person who
:12:53. > :12:58.did this not to sleep at night. One day they will have a knock at their
:12:58. > :13:05.door and hopefully that will be soon and they will be brought to
:13:05. > :13:11.justice and pay for what they did, not just to Claire Tiltman, but for
:13:11. > :13:15.their mum and dad. There have been appeals and reconstructions and
:13:15. > :13:25.snippets of information over the years. Cliff Tiltman hopes to see
:13:25. > :13:31.the case sold. It would mean everything. -- solved. I have never
:13:31. > :13:39.given up hope. She would have turned 35 this week. Instead, a
:13:39. > :13:42.family has been destroyed by a killer who has yet to face justice.
:13:42. > :13:45.A woman from Dartford has been sentenced to 18 months in prison
:13:45. > :13:48.after admitting child neglect. 28- year-old Natalie Terry left a six-
:13:48. > :13:52.year-old girl on her own for five days. The child eventually went to
:13:52. > :13:54.her next-door neighbour to plead for help.
:13:54. > :13:57.Thanet District councillors will decide tonight whether the three
:13:57. > :14:02.landmark cooling towers and chimney of Richborough Power Station can be
:14:02. > :14:06.demolished. The plant closed in 1996 and its owners want to build a
:14:06. > :14:08.green energy park there. But campaigners fighting to keep the
:14:08. > :14:18.towers say they're a monument to 1950s industrial architecture that
:14:18. > :14:19.
:14:19. > :14:22.should be preserved. There is a shortage of family homes being
:14:22. > :14:31.built in the South East according to research by Home Builders'
:14:31. > :14:34.Federation, which says building is at half the rate it needs to be. A
:14:34. > :14:39.Brighton University student he was raped by her former boyfriend say
:14:39. > :14:44.she is still haunted by the image of his face. 24-year-old Victor
:14:44. > :14:49.Agada was jailed for four years. His victim said she celebrated the
:14:49. > :14:53.night she -- he was convicted, but she is struggling to come to terms
:14:53. > :15:00.with what happened. She does not want to show her face,
:15:00. > :15:09.but Andrea has decided to speak out about her university romance that
:15:09. > :15:17.ended in rape. He was so strong. He was on top of me. I was trying to
:15:17. > :15:21.use my hand to stop him but it was impossible. Victor Agada was jailed
:15:21. > :15:25.for four years. The court heard he did it because she refused to have
:15:25. > :15:30.sex with him before he was tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
:15:30. > :15:36.What was it like to give your testimony in court knowing he was
:15:36. > :15:43.there? Some times I felt like I wanted to go where he was and
:15:43. > :15:51.punched him so many times. I could not do that when he was on top of
:15:51. > :15:57.me. So, all that rage is still inside me. He was supposed to be my
:15:57. > :16:04.boyfriend. It is so hard. Now, after over a year, it is difficult
:16:04. > :16:07.to trust people, even my friends. Because of what he did. Some women
:16:07. > :16:13.find it difficult to admit to themselves they have been raped,
:16:13. > :16:20.and also to talk to the police about it. What I thought is that he
:16:21. > :16:27.had committed a crime and he could do that with other women also. Some
:16:27. > :16:35.women feel guilty, I do not know why. I have never felt guilty.
:16:35. > :16:40.she did was very brave. It sends a message to offenders of domestic
:16:40. > :16:44.abuse that they will be held to account and justice will be done.
:16:44. > :16:53.Andrea is looking forward to going back to university and to leave the
:16:53. > :16:58.memory of what happened in the past. Our reporter joins us from Brighton.
:16:58. > :17:03.It is hoped that Andrea's coming forward will encourage other
:17:03. > :17:07.victims to do the same. Speaking to a Sussex Police, they say rates of
:17:07. > :17:12.conviction for this crime are remarkably low because it is often
:17:13. > :17:17.one person's word against another. They hope Andrea's decision to
:17:17. > :17:21.speak about it and to prosecute this will encourage other people to
:17:21. > :17:30.get the help they need. Andrea wants to prove to her attacker she
:17:30. > :17:34.will not be beaten by what he did. BBC South East Today has learned
:17:35. > :17:39.that plans to build an airport in the Thames Estuary have the private
:17:39. > :17:44.backing of the Prime Minister. We understand David Cameron and tools
:17:44. > :17:48.-- George Osborne believe there is a strong economic argument to
:17:48. > :17:54.support the Boris Island planned for an airport of the Kent coast.
:17:54. > :17:59.Also, that children Boxing clever as the Olympics sporting leopard --
:17:59. > :18:05.legacy stars to have an effect in Kent. Not much chance of star-
:18:05. > :18:15.gazing tonight. It will be cloudy. There will be a change tomorrow.
:18:15. > :18:16.
:18:16. > :18:23.Join me later to find out what it A disabled businessman says he was
:18:23. > :18:29.humiliated and degraded by easyJet staff who refused him to allow --
:18:29. > :18:32.refused him to board a flight it that work at -- Gatwick airport. Dr
:18:32. > :18:38.Martin Sabry who is paralysed from the chest down, was told he could
:18:38. > :18:44.not fly because he could not walk to the emergency exit unaided.
:18:44. > :18:49.Dr Martin Sabry flies every four to six weeks on business. He was
:18:50. > :18:55.thrown off the easyJet flight because he was disabled. I was
:18:55. > :19:02.asked to get off the aeroplane because I could not walk unaided to
:19:02. > :19:08.the emergency exit. I explained I was paralysed and I could not walk,
:19:08. > :19:13.but that was not enough. He was taken back to the terminal. The
:19:13. > :19:18.ground crew then decided he could fly but the plane had left. I have
:19:18. > :19:23.been in a wheelchair for 17 years and have never had anything like
:19:23. > :19:29.this with EasyJet or anybody else. Come pain us believe he has grounds
:19:29. > :19:34.for a case against the company. -- campaigners. It looks as if this
:19:34. > :19:41.was done on the basis of his disability, which goes against the
:19:41. > :19:44.European legislation. Campaigners say it is the latest in a series of
:19:44. > :19:49.cases where disabled passengers have been poorly treated. Last
:19:49. > :19:55.month, Joanna Jones was prevented from boarding have liked because
:19:55. > :20:00.EasyJet said her guide dog did not have the paperwork. And the chief
:20:00. > :20:07.executive of the Society for the Blind was left on a train at
:20:07. > :20:11.Brussels. In 2010, a wheelchair user was forced to take a 30 mile
:20:11. > :20:21.round trip to change plat forms because the lift at stable has
:20:21. > :20:26.station was closed for safety reasons -- Stapleford. I am
:20:26. > :20:34.disappointed. We gave him a bad experience. We are sorry that
:20:34. > :20:40.happened. We have tried to posit Riyait, by flying him out to France
:20:40. > :20:44.-- we tried to put it right. Martin Sabry says he will follow up
:20:44. > :20:51.with easyJet to make sure their policy changes and this will not
:20:51. > :20:56.happen again. In football, Brighton's FA Cup
:20:56. > :21:02.third-round replay kicks off at 7:15pm tonight against Wrexham. It
:21:02. > :21:07.was postponed yesterday. They will secured a home tie against
:21:07. > :21:13.Newcastle if they win. Craig Mackail-Smith has recovered and is
:21:13. > :21:19.included in the squad for tonight. A heart of this summer's London
:21:19. > :21:24.Olympics is a pledge to leave a sporting legacy. Critics say it is
:21:24. > :21:30.a tough challenge, but children from deprived areas of Thanet are
:21:30. > :21:34.benefiting. Thanks to a scheme to inspire young people called Street
:21:34. > :21:41.Games. In deprived areas such as Ramsgate,
:21:41. > :21:48.boxing clubs like this one are few and far between. That does not mean
:21:48. > :21:53.there is no demand for them. Street Games was set up in 2007 to ensure
:21:54. > :21:57.teenagers who live in these deprived areas do not miss out.
:21:57. > :22:04.This 19-year-old has shown so much potential he has been offered a
:22:04. > :22:11.place at the Frank Bruno boxing club. I want to do the Olympics.
:22:11. > :22:16.After that, I would be able to get into the England squad. When J
:22:16. > :22:20.Holloway got on the wrong side of the law, he had an anti-social
:22:20. > :22:26.behaviour order. He says this has taken his life to a positive
:22:26. > :22:31.direction. I do not know where I would be if it was not for James
:22:31. > :22:36.and Colin. They have given me an opportunity and I took it. Young
:22:36. > :22:41.people who have lived on the local estate, gone through this College,
:22:42. > :22:47.who have been involved in knife crime, in drug culture, and have
:22:47. > :22:54.turned their lives around, thanks to the disciplined, the support,
:22:54. > :22:57.that this project gives. It enables young hopefuls to embrace bought
:22:57. > :23:03.regardless of where they live in the run-up to the Olympics and
:23:03. > :23:05.beyond. We are starting to get excited
:23:05. > :23:10.We are starting to get excited about the Olympics. We can check
:23:10. > :23:15.the weather. There is no chance of star-gazing
:23:15. > :23:20.tonight, unless you have a jet to get above the cloud or up in
:23:20. > :23:27.Scotland, where there will be unbroken cloud. We will have Mark
:23:27. > :23:37.Webber over the next few days, and then it will turn colder -- we will
:23:37. > :23:39.
:23:39. > :23:45.have mild weather. Tomorrow, outbreaks of rain. After that, we
:23:45. > :23:50.are all well sheltered and it should be dry. That is the rain for
:23:50. > :23:56.tomorrow coming our way. Northern Ireland and much of Scotland is
:23:56. > :24:01.under broken cloud and they will see the stars. If you look at our
:24:01. > :24:08.area, you can see how thick the cloud is. Nothing will change this
:24:09. > :24:14.evening. It will stay that way. It will be misty with fog around.
:24:14. > :24:23.There will be drizzle to begin with. It will get heavier as the day goes
:24:23. > :24:28.on. It will be a wet night. It will be mild. It will be above the
:24:28. > :24:35.average for daytime temperatures. Tomorrow starts Ofwat, and still
:24:35. > :24:43.the fog on the hills and coast -- it starts off whacked. In the
:24:43. > :24:50.afternoon, as the rain clears, it will become brighter. These are the
:24:51. > :24:56.highest temperatures tomorrow. They will probably be in the morning.
:24:56. > :25:01.Tomorrow evening, it will be a dry night with broken cloud and colder
:25:01. > :25:05.of late. Temperatures down to three degrees. After we get rid of the
:25:05. > :25:11.rain, it looks like brighter weather at the end of the week, but
:25:11. > :25:15.a chilly breeze to go with it. We will go back to the top story.
:25:15. > :25:20.The news that BBC South East today has learned that controversial
:25:20. > :25:24.plans to build an airport in the Thames Estuary has the private
:25:24. > :25:28.backing of the Prime Minister. We understand that David Cameron and
:25:28. > :25:34.George Osborne believe there is an economic argument to support the
:25:34. > :25:39.plan. Our Business correspondent his at
:25:39. > :25:43.City Hall in London, where Boris Johnson has developed the plans for
:25:43. > :25:47.the so-called Boris Island airport. Do we know if anybody has the
:25:47. > :25:52.billions of pounds needed to pay for this, and how would they get it
:25:52. > :25:56.through planning? It would probably come from
:25:57. > :26:01.something called sovereign wealth funds, money held by countries
:26:01. > :26:06.looking to invest. It could be then be leased and China. These are
:26:06. > :26:11.countries that David Cameron has visited recently. The planning
:26:11. > :26:14.process has been streamlined for big projects. They could get that
:26:14. > :26:21.through in around 12 months. It would fit in with the Government
:26:21. > :26:28.plan to build our way out of economic difficulties. Think of a
:26:28. > :26:34.high-speed rail plan. Boris Johnson and those working on the plans
:26:34. > :26:39.believe it could be possible. Possible within a decade. People
:26:39. > :26:40.are opposed to the ideas in North Kent. This is not the last we will
:26:40. > :26:44.Kent. This is not the last we will Kent. This is not the last we will
:26:44. > :26:48.hear from the plans to build an airport.
:26:49. > :26:54.Earlier, we ask did you thought the Government should back the plans
:26:54. > :26:59.for the airport. I have to say, looking at Facebook, most comments
:26:59. > :27:03.are negative but on the e-mail we have a balanced view. Richard says
:27:03. > :27:12.being a local rate cannot understand the objections. The area
:27:12. > :27:16.has needed better links to London and jobs. For the supposed and run
:27:16. > :27:22.riot -- environmental impact, this is Medway not the Galapagos Islands.
:27:22. > :27:29.Another says what is wrong with using Manston airport? Other people
:27:29. > :27:34.say that. They say it needs a decent rail infrastructure. Ingrid