24/01/2012 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans. And I'm Rob Smith.

Tonight's top stories: A Church of England clergyman is arrested on

suspicion of abusing two young boys in Sussex in the '80s. We'll be

reporting live on the story from Brighton. Fears after a potentially

devastating livestock disease has been discovered in sheep in Sussex.

Also in tonight's programme: The Kent woman devastated she's had to

pay �6,000 for ruptured breast implants. I said to the doctor, am

I going to die? Speeding ahead, the racing driver from Rochester hoping

to make his big break stateside. And the first editions of Dickens

Good evening. A church of England priest has been arrested by police

on suspicion of sexual abuse of two young boys in the late '80s. 76-

year-old Wilkie Denford was arrested at the same time as a 68-

year-old man from the Lewes area. The pair are accused of abusing the

boys at various locations in West Sussex during 1988. Our Home

Affairs Correspondent Colin Campbell has the story. This is a

photograph of Anglican police Wilkie Denford -- Anglican priest.

The police told us be 76-year-old and another man, aged 68, were

arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of two young boys at various

locations in Sussex during 1988. The priest would working at St John

the Evangelist when the piece is said to have taken and place.

surprised really, he doesn't seem the sort of person who would do

things like that. Tour he is found guilty, he is still innocent.

76-year-old has worked for the diocese of Chichester for almost 70

years. We understand that these findings had not previously been

related to the police here. He has been described as an associate, we

have learned that he used to work as a church organist. Both men have

been questioned by detectives and released on bail 1st May until 1st

March. The diocese of Chichester has issued a statement this evening

saying that his 76 to a priest and a 68-year-old church organist from

the Louis area have been suspended for many church related duties. The

pair were arrested in November. The judge say they are fully co-

operating with detectives from Sussex Police, who are undertaking

this investigation, but the Church though they cannot park -- comment

further. A 25-year-old man who died after a fight in Sussex was stabbed.

Police say Darren Croxton was stabbed with a four-inch blade.

They are searching for a knife in bins and in gardens. A knife they

believe was used to stab Darren Croxton. All day today, police have

been searching the woodland behind be here in which they believe it

planned fight took place in which Darren Croxton was fatally wounded.

All day, people have been coming here to lay flowers in his memory.

Earlier today, I spoke to one of his former school friends. I have

always got on with Darren. He was a lovely fellow. We had some good

times, some real good laughs. I have known him fears and I'm quite

shocked that this has happened -- for years. He is a real good chap.

He was found collapsed here on Sunday. 10 people have been

arrested. Five teenage boys appear released, as have three men. Two

16-year-old boys remain in custody on suspicion of murder. Today, also

have their own class, Darren Croxton's girlfriend Jodi. She says

she is in shock and said that she and Durham were planning a trip to

the Lake District next week to celebrate their birthdays. Could

the likes of Paul Ebrey Tees and the Knobby Russet be making come

dark -- the Crawley Beauty and the Knobby Russet be making a comeback?

South East farmers say they're extremely concerned that a new

animal disease which causes birth defects and miscarriages in

livestock has been confirmed in the UK for the first time. A government

agency says tests on animals at four sheep farms, including one in

East Sussex, has detected Schmallenberg virus. Sara Smith

reports. At this organic farm, the news that another disease could be

had in their wake is greeted with a kind of resigned caution. Initial

reaction is, not another one. We're not too concerned about this one,

but obviously, we hope it doesn't go any further. It is spread by

midges and we have got to be more vigilant now. Little is known about

the Schmallenberg virus so far. Its symptoms are fever, and Laura milk

yield, which are hard to detect -- the lower milk yield. While most

animals recover, it appears they can miscarry or have stillbirths.

This seems to affect mainly sheep but also cattle and goats and put

the next generation of livestock at risk. Outbreaks reported last

summer in Germany and the Netherlands, affecting more than

300 farms. It is now being confirmed that four British farms

have detected it. We are very attentive to animals at this time

of year. If anything comes along, we should pick it up.

possibility of any risk to human health is said to be very low, and

with only one reported case so far and the south-east, all farmers can

do it is watched, weight and report any worrying symptoms to their bets.

Sara Smith joins us from LongLees dairy farm in Hailsham. How worried

should farmers be? It is still very much in its early stages. A dozen

pass into the milk or fret -- it doesn't pass into the milk or

affect meat. Some countries are reacting very different be. In

Russia, they have banned all imports from the Netherlands can be

the country which other moment is by far the hardest hit. A man

jailed for murdering his wife, who was from Kent, in a staged car

crash in Scotland has been given leave to appeal his sentence.

Malcolm Webster was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murdering

Claire Morris from Upchurch in 1994. He killed her as part of a plot to

claim almost a million pounds in life insurance. Webster is also

seeking leave to appeal against his conviction, although his lawyer

says his initial bid had been rejected. Kent police have applied

for a banning order against 35- year-old Gary Rimmer from Chatham.

He is due to be sentenced next month. The order would ban him from

travelling to and from any football matches in the UK and abroad.

hospital trust in Kent says a shortage of nurses is forcing it to

look abroad for staff. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has

launched an international recruitment drive in Portugal.

Meanwhile more than two dozen nurses from Ireland will start work

in its hospitals in the few weeks. There are possible plans to build

the Thames estuary airport. A letter has been sent to the Prime

Minister not proceed with the plans but to look at spare airport

capacity at other locations in the south-east. Louise, this is

something MPs feel very strongly about? Yes, they say the letter has

been written as a matter of urgency to the Prime Minister. It has been

signed by many MPs, all the North Kent MPs. They say they want

clarification from the Prime Minister about where he stands on

this issue about other to build a new airport in the Thames estuary.

They don't believe the public will support it. It is estimated it will

cost between 50 and �80 billion to build. Are they likely to get a

quick answer from David Cameron? don't think so. The government says

they have got an aviation review going on other payment. It will be

in the spring. They are looking at all options, including a new

airport to be built in the south- east, and they will not say what

they want to do and ill after that. A Kent woman says she's devastated

she's had to foot the �6,000 bill to have her ruptured PIP breast

implants replaced. Lesley Mitchell from Blean, near Canterbury, says

finding the money has only added to the stress. The Government says the

NHS will pay to remove implants if there is a clinical need but not

offer replacements. Simon Jones reports. Look at the State Of that!

These are the ruptured implants that Leslie Mitchell had removed

just days ago. We turned up in the hospital and they said to us, they

are leaking. We almost both fell off her chair. I we had no idea

about this rupturing for leaking, and I, initially said the doctor,

am I going to die? I thought I was going to die. I got really upset,

and he said you're not going to die, but what you do? The now banned

implants were not filled with medical great silicon. When Lesley

was told the implants had ruptured, she contacted the clinic that had

put them in. She heard that the surgeon had retired and there were

only insured for 10 years. She was forced to find �6,000 herself.

would only cover the removal of the implant, not the replacement of

cosmetic implants. In these cases, the government would pursue private

clinics to seek recovery of our costs. There will be people who say

that you chose to have implants and the first place and you should do

with the consequences. I think it is a relevant way you have implants.

I happen because I was unhappy after breast-feeding my son's -- I

had them. You do not bring something into this country and put

it inside a woman or a man if it is not been tested correctly.

clinic that pretend the implants that ruptured on available for

colour -- were unavailable for comment. A Church of England priest

from Sussex has been arrested by police on suspicion of sexually

abusing two young boys in the late 80s. Wilkie Denford was arrested at

the same time as the 68-year-old man from the Louis area. Also

tonight: The young hopeful from Rochester heading to Florida for

the race a lifetime. And had dozens of Dickens's first editions came to

be left to Sussex University. If you have a story think we should be

covering, we would love to hear from you. Give us a call or you can

Motorists and businesses in the south-east could end up paying more

for their fuel if an oil refinery in Essex shuts down. The Swiss-

based owners of the Coryton refinery, which provides 20% of the

region's fuel, have filed for bankruptcy. The Government says it

is doing all it can to find a buyer for the Essex plant. Our

correspondent is at Coryton now. This is going to have a wide-

ranging impact, isn't it? Hauliers in the south-east are already

feeling the impact of what is happening here. I spoke to one

company who said that this morning they contacted their fuel

wholesaler and prices were stable, but as this story developed they

checked again later and prices had already risen. They said for large

companies it won't be so bad because they buy in bulk, but force

smaller companies a slight fluctuation in price can mean the

difference between profit and loss. Hauliers are so sensitive to the

price of fuel. Typical lorries to about eight miles to the gallon.

That means that a one pence increase in the price of fuel for

many firms is may be �4,000 a month extra cost. That is a huge figure.

So, they have been figures it's a - - fears expressed already about

fuel shortages. Is that a realistic prospect? An MEP is saying that a

well known petrol retailer in the south-east is heavily reliant on

suppliers that come from this refinery. He says that if there is

uncertainty then prices will inevitably go up, and petrol could

be at the highest level ever seen. However, the Government says there

is no need to panic buy and there will not be a fuel shortage.

These days our supermarkets dominate the apple market, and if

you want to taste anything more exotic than a Braeburn or a Royal

Gala, you'd have to work quite hard. But go back a few years, and every

farm had its own variety. Across Sussex, you could indulge in apples

like the Crawley Beauty, Mannington's Pearmain, or even the

Knobby Russet. Now conservation groups are trying to reintroduce

small domestic orchards to keep the tradition alive. For the latest in

our food chain series, Lucinda Adam went to an orchard planting at

Manor Primary School in Uckfield. How big are you going to dig the

hole? Is a lesson better taught outside than in a classroom, even

on a rainy day. These children are learning how to plant apple trees

that will produce fruit on the school grounds. I enjoyed it

because I like digging. I enjoyed banging the sort of nails. One day

we can say, we made that. This money orchard is the start of a

revival in apple growing in Sussex berating locally sourced fruit.

Fruit trees, if looked after properly in the first few years,

will go on fighting for years. We are here on a cold, wet, rainy day

and there is a huge amount of effort, but only for an hour or so.

Then those trees could be there for 80 years, giving us fruit for two

generations. 30 varieties of apples were once native to Sussex. Now, or

just have reduced by 60% since the 1950s. It is the decline of a

tradition which goes back centuries. In the medieval period people were

beginning to take on apple growing in a domestic way. The great

Abbey's and monastery is produced apples and cider and sold it and

made an income that way. These children can do something that not

every child their generation can. They can come out of their

classrooms to the orchard, pick an apple of the tree and either eat it

or use it in a school cookery class. Newspaper reports linking

Manchester United striker Michael Owen to Brighton and Hove Albion

seem wide of the mark. The Championship club are making no

comment on reports they're bidding for the 32-year-old England

international and it's believed such a move is unlikely.

A 23-year-old racing driver from Kent is flying to Florida today for

what he hopes will become his big break on the track. Aaron Steele,

who's from Rochester, has secured a drive in one of the support races

during a prestigious 24-hour race in Daytona. Our sports reporter

Neil Bell has more. He may only be in his early 20s,

but Aaron Steele is aware that the next few days could change his life.

His impressive performance in last year's Formula Three Championship

has earned him the opportunity to drive in the continental series

raised at the world famous circuit at Daytona on Friday. I am going to

Daytona and it is kind of like the biggest football stadium I have

ever been in and more. You think well, they have literally sold

everything out for the whole event. You can have 100,000 -- a few

hundred 1000 people to watch a race. Aaron Steele has worked very hard

to get himself noticed, but motor racing is competitive and moving

from single-seater racing in this country to six litre cars in the US

will be a big challenge. I heard him talking about the banking at

Daytona and it is very steep. It is one heck of a place. It is no mean

feat and I'm sure he will come out of it very well. Aaron Steele spent

a couple of days' testing in Florida earlier this month and is

well aware that a good performance could have a big impact. It is a

really big opportunity for me to live the American Dream and, you

know, pursue that avenue. That is somewhere that you can make a

living, doing what I love, which is racing. Over here, you need to have

a lot of backing and you need to have a lot of things fall into

place. Unfortunately, they don't always fall into place unless you

happen to have the right resources around two. Motor racing is all

about pushing yourself to the limit, and that is what Aaron Steele is

determined to do. Last week we told you about a benefactor from

Eastbourne who donated �70,000 in 1961, �2.5 million in today's money,

to help build the town's Wish Tower Cafe. Well, now it seems Gilbert

Foyle's generosity didn't stop there. The founder of the famous

Foyle's bookstore also donated dozens of first editions by Charles

Dickens, which are now looked after by Sussex University. And, as Ian

Palmer discovered, the collection is worth a small fortune.

If you like novels written by Charles Dickens, then visit Sussex

University in Brighton. Each book is a first edition. Others are

pamphlet collections dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Why

has the University of Sussex got these first editions of Charles

Dickens? Well, Eastbourne Borough Council have earned these first

editions for many years -- owned -- and in 1998 the council voted to

give the collection to the University of Sussex on a permanent

loan. Gilbert Foyle set up Foyle's bookshops at the turn of the 20th

century. He retired to Eastbourne and during that time he donated

money and prized possessions to the people of the town. These are

private thoughts and this is a confident between us. Of course, of

course. Take it as a warning them. Charles Dickens has never been more

popular. The 200th anniversary of his birth, readers are discovering

and rediscovering the author. This is the BBC's take on Edwin Druid,

Dickens's last and unfinished piece of work. This lady describes what

it is like to hold a first edition copy of her favourite Dickens story.

It is like the Crown Jewels, really. You were left wondering who owned

the book to begin with, what they made of the story, the sense of

anticipation they have, the lovely pictures inside, the colouring.

Just wondering the lives of those who flicked through these pages of

stories that I am very familiar with. Sussex University's first

editions are kept here to a British Standard of between 13 and 18

degrees Celsius. The humidity level also has to be just right. So, what

are the book's worth? It depends on a number of factors. His condition

is crucial. The story's popularity is vital. If the author's signature

is on it, then the sky is the limit. Last year a copy of A Christmas

Carol from 1843 can command 3,000 to �4,000 in good order, but this

one was signed by Charles Dickens himself and was sold at �180,000.

Anyone can see the books. All you need is an appointment and a little

time to absorb the craft of a great writer.

The 7th February is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's

birth, and from this Friday in a series of films and features, we'll

be telling the story of one of the greatest of English novelists and

his lifetime of connections with Kent. Show us where you live!

made this down, basically. Through a blizzard he saw this. Great

Expectations would have been written in this room. I am the

great, great, great granddaughter of Charles Dickens. It is quite

contemporary, Dickens. What did you say?! Please, sir, I want some more.

Join us on Friday, when we'll be giving you the chance to join us,

and stars of stage and screen, for a special screening of David Lean's

1946 classic Great Expectations in the nave of Rochester Cathedral on

It was miserable weather this morning.

I thought you were going to blame her for that!

I am sorry, I did break the weather. I will try and fix it for you.

Today, I don't need to tell you how grotty it has been outside. Tonight

it is going to be mostly dry, but a fair bit of cloud cover around. So,

today, a lot of cloud has cleared away. With that we have seen a fair

bit of wet weather, but for most of us, things have dried up. Overnight,

some of that rain will be making a comeback, but generally it is going

to be a fairly dry picture. A lot of cloud cover, some mist and fog

by dawn over the downs, but really, we are just seeing a cloudy night

with a small amount of rain. Those temperatures getting down to about

6 degrees or seven degrees at lowest, so it is going to be Chile

in places, but not as cold as some might have been of late. Tomorrow,

a mixture. Some sunshine, the odds bit of light rain, and a lot of

cloud. For most of us, the day is likely to feel cloudy. Those

temperatures up ever-so-slightly on today's. Today we -- tomorrow we

will see a high of 10 degrees. A change in wind direction making it

feel much milder, and those wins will build through the day.

Tomorrow night, it is going to be a better picture than tonight. Quite

a lot of wet weather clearing the south-east, so a rather miserable

start to the day on Thursday. Those temperatures once again down to 6

degrees, may be getting a little bit cooler. By the time we get to

Thursday, as that wet weather clears the way, we are going to be

seeing some drier conditions. The odd glimmer of sunshine, but at the

same time, those temperatures are going to be dropping over the

coming days. So, as I have told you, tomorrow is looking rather overcast.

Thursday brings us some wet weather earlier on, but by the latter part

of the day we should start to see the odd glimmer of sunshine. By the

weekend, those temperatures are not topping about four or five degrees.

We should be seeing some brighter weather by Friday, but I have been

getting a lot of messages from people saying they wanted to be

cold with snow and we are certainly getting a cold but the not the snow

just yet. A recap of tonight's dog stories:

one of the UK's 8 oil refinery is has gone bust. 800 jobs are at risk

and there are feels -- fears it could lead to a disruption in fuel

supplies. A Church of England priest from