14/02/2012 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, with Polly Evans and John Young.

Tonight's top stories: The little boy whose mother died at his birth

- a hospital in Kent pays out and says sorry. I'm pretty sure they

are sorry but it don't mean nothing. It's just another apology in a list

of apologies. Beaten up by poachers when he tried

to prevent them from stealing fish from a lake in Kent - we have an

exclusive interview. Also tonight, a silk dress featured in a painting

at Scotney Castle was rediscovered in an attic.

Holly - you are amazing and in a second, I'm going to ask you to

marry me. Also in tonight's programme, a blockbuster of a

marriage proposal. How a Kent man played out his own movie romance on

the silver screen. He's bought one drink with two

straws and my mum said, "pack him up and find someone who'll buy

two!" And romantic gestures to warm the heart on a cold and damp

Good evening. A husband from Kent, whose wife died hours after giving

birth to their son, has received a six-figure payout from the Darent

Valley Hospital in Dartford. Lauren Gard died from HELLP syndrome, a

form of pre-eclampsia, which could have been treated. Her husband

Merlin is campaigning to raise awareness of the condition on what

would have been her 32nd birthday. Baby Charlie Hall to a picture of

his mother who died just 12 hours after he was died -- holds a

picture. I just want to hold her hand and make a proud. The only way

I can do that is to live a good life and bring up a good son.

Warren was just 26. She died from - - Lauren, and died from a form of

pre-eclampsia. It causes high blood pressure and if caught soon enough,

it can be treated. It is the most joyous, wonderful event and then

within a few hours it was a tragedy. Of course for Charlie, his birthday

is his mother's date of death. He will never know her. Today, the

trust in charge of the hospital have again offered their sincere

condolences and deepest sympathies to Mr Gard, Charlie and the rest of

the family. They said the are pleased that the authorities have

been able to settle the claim and wish the family well. Hammett times

have we seen trusts up and down the country so they are sorry for the

pain caused and they wish it didn't happen. I am pretty sure they are

sorry but it don't mean nothing. It is just another apology in a list.

If they truly wanted to do something about it, they would grab

the be damaged by the scruff of the neck and look at what is going

wrong. You have to deal with all of that, losing your wife and then you

had to go through five years of court battles to get to this point

now. Do it wasn't financially motivated. No amount of money will

bring back Lauren and Charlie has lost his mother. I have lost my

best friend. The better part of me, to be honest. All I wanted to find

that is what went wrong so we can get closure. In a couple of months,

never more run the London Marathon for the 4th time since Lauren died.

He wants to raise more awareness about pre-eclampsia to prevent

children like Charlie growing up without a mother.

Joining me now is Professor Catherine Nelson-Piercy, who is a

professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Guy's and St

Thomas's Hospital. Thank you for joining us. How rare is HELLP

syndrome and pre-eclampsia in general? Pre-eclampsia in general

is not that rare, it affects between two and 8% of women. HELLP

syndrome is less common but a well recognised form of pre-eclampsia.

These are symptoms that staff should be able to identify? Yes,

the charity Action for pre- eclampsia is about educating health

care professionals and the symptoms of Priya some -- of pre-eclampsia

and HELLP syndrome include headaches and we want to educate

people to make sure that all professionals recognise the

symptoms and act appropriately. This is obviously an individual

case but it is worrying, isn't it, that these symptoms were not

necessarily spotted? If they will ever be recognised and is there a

day when pre-eclampsia is not a risk to pregnant women? I don't

think so. We strive to prevent all deaths but the trouble is that

sentence like abdominal pain and headaches are very common during

childbirth and the job is to spot the extreme cases so appropriate

action can be taken. And if anyone is concerned, presumably the first

thing they should do is contact their Dr or healthcare provider?

Their midwife, GP or as you say the hospital. Thank you.

And if you want to know more about pre-eclampsia and the symptoms to

look out for, we've put the details on our Kent website -

bbc.co.uk/kent. A pensioner from Margate has been

talking of the terrifying moment he was attacked by two poachers

brandishing harpoons. Bob Stead confronted the men who were

planning to spear carp from the lake he fishes at in Sandwich. He

believes the poachers were from Eastern Europe wanting to take the

fish home to eat. Simon Jones He helps patrol the lake but found

himself confronted by men with harpoons. I was walking down,

checking tickets and memberships and so forth. I saw these two young

guys walking towards me. I saw they had harpoons, home-made, crude

weapons. They said, "we fish" and I said you don't with those horrible

things. I snatched them off them and received a punch in the ribs

and I reacted quite naturally with my stick. Freshwater fish like carp

are a staple diet in some European countries and like here where

people fish for sport and then put them back alive. Whoever is

responsible for poaching, it is not fair according to the anglers.

pay money to join this club. We are licensed and and at the end of the

day, it is about �100 to join some clubs and then some person comes

along and pinches the fish. Stead called the police but the men

made their escape. To my mind, to see an animal speed that is

barbaric. Totally barbaric. -- animal speed. To take it away for

food, that is our sport -- animal Speared. It is totally repulsive.

And he said he would not hesitate to confront poacher's again to

protect the fish. And Simon joins us live now. How

big a problem is poaching there? Despite the cold tonight, there are

still some fishermen here. They are passionate about their sport. The

association which runs the lake here says poaching is a big problem

and poachers will try anything they can to get hold of a fish. It can

be lucrative. Each fish in the water can fetch around �1,000. The

advice from the association to people like Bob is if they suspect

people of poaching, they should not come from them but walk away and

contact the police or the Environment Agency who take the

Coming up, concerns for Transport for London to take over Kent

railway stations is taken up by the A court has been told how a Sussex

businessman was crushed to death after interrupting a gang of

professional burglars at his farm. Julian Gardner, who was 53, was

woken by intruders at his farm in Robertsbridge where he repaired

agricultural machinery back in October 2010. Six men deny charges

including manslaughter and conspiracy to commit burglary. A

seventh man denies conspiracy to Julian Garda was a slip when

burglars ransacked his business. Today a court heard how during the

October day in 2010, he picked up one of the shot guns when he heard

the disturbance. The prosecution say it was a decision that will go

on to cost him his life. He was crushed between two vehicles. In

the opening arguments of the prosecution, the jury heard a

description, how Mr Gardner's stolen Land Rover was driven

through a metal gate to exit the scene. It was later found burnt out.

Six men aged between 23 and 41 are charged with manslaughter,

conspiracy to commit burglary and to pervert the course of justice. A

7th man is charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

but all the defendants deny the charges.

An inquest into the death of an angler, who was found dead in his

tent by the River Medway after going on an overnight fishing trip

on one of the coldest nights of the winter, has been opened and

adjourned. Martin Hoskins, who was 48, was discovered by a friend by

the river at East Peckham on 3rd February after overnight

temperatures of minus 11. Police are not treating his death as

Thuxton police station was closed earlier on after a suspicious

package arrived. The area was cordoned off as a precaution.

Investigations are continuing. A Sussex man has been found guilty

of harassing his ex-girlfriend and setting fire to her mother's home.

Al Amin Dhalla from Brighton was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of

harassing trainee doctor Alison Hewitt and her mother, Pamela

Hewitt. Our reporter Mark Sanders has been in court, and joins me now.

What happened today? The jury has been considering 10 counts against

Al Amin Dhalla and this afternoon, they came back with a verdict on

seven of those. He was found guilty of harassing his ex, Alison Hewitt

in Brighton. They formed a relationship but when she broke it

off, he could not handle it and harassed her. He also was convicted

of harassing her mother, Pamela Hewitt but the jury found him not

guilty of two other serious charges. Putting a person in fear of

violence by harassment. The jury found him guilty though of starting

a fire at Pamela Hewitt's home and also the attempted arson of a

police station that was nearby. Looking ahead to tomorrow, what are

we anticipating will happen tomorrow? The jury still have a lot

of work to do. They have to consider three more charges against

Al Amin Dhalla. Possession of an offensive weapon, theft and

perverting the course of justice. Throughout the case, Al Amin Dhalla

has protested innocence but tonight he is guilty of seven significant

charges. The MP for Sevenoaks has said today

he will lobby the Government to make sure Kent commuters don't lose

out if train lines into the town are taken over by Transport for

London. It emerged yesterday that new plans by the Mayor of London

would see some services into Dartford and Sevenoaks taken away

from Southeastern. Sara Smith's Should these services be more like

these services? Replaced by services by London overground. TfL

takes over the franchises, this is what bosses say passengers between

Dartford, Sevenoaks and the capital will get. They will get a very much

better service in my view and more frequent service. More stations and

cleaner stations than they do already and they will be part of a

great network with lovely trains, coming and picking them up and

whizzing them to London. The mayor says Transport for London currently

runs services of higher quality and lower cost than Southeastern. The

new franchise would go as far as Sevenoaks and Dartford and the

promise is that stations on the routes would be improved and always

staffed. The proposals come as Boris Johnson steep -- Boris

Johnson seeks a second term. Michael Fallon vote today, had a

meeting with TfL and was expressing concerns for those outside the

capital. Will be lobbying the Secretary of State for Transport

now on the future of the next franchise for Kent trains. Asking

for reassurance that this particular proposal goes ahead, for

a turn up and go stopping service going into London that will not

slow down long-distance commuters and that the fares will be kept

under control because we do not vote for the mayor. A poor

commuters, it is less about whose name is on the trains, more about

how often they turn up and how much it costs to get aboard.

Sara joins us now live from City Hall in London. So Michael Fallon

had this meeting with TfL, what kind of assurances did he get? He

was pretty bullish yesterday. possibly warming up to the idea

because he said he got some of the answers he wanted but not all of

them. He understands now that the non-stop services between Sevenoaks

and London, they will not be any slower because of the new services

but the fares will be controlled by the mayor and with elections coming

up, there is no saying who that will be. Having said that, both the

leading candidates say they are probably for these proposals and

both candidates insist they will mean a better deal for passengers.

Thank you. Our main news tonight. A husband from Kent, whose wife died

hours after giving birth to their son, has received a six-figure

payout from the Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford. Lauren Gard

died from a condition called pre- eclampsia, which could have been

treated. Also in tonight's programme: as

pretty as a picture - how a beautiful dress, worn in a painting

by a forgotten resident of Scotney Castle is rediscovered in the attic.

And a "reel" love story - how a Kent man was inspired by the

romance of the silver screen to A group of cyclists, hoping to

strike gold at the London Olympics in less than six months' time, had

some expert tuition today. Jamie Staff, the cyclist from Ashford who

took gold at Beijing four years ago, gave the American team an insight

into how it's done. Peter Jamie Staff is used to being part

of a winning team. He took gold in Beijing and now as the USA cycling

coach, he has brought some American Olympic hopefuls to his home town,

Ashford, as part of their training schedule. The premise was that if

any come to the Olympics, I want them to focus on that and being in

London. That was the general idea behind it. Get the tourists stuff

out of the way. This is his first job as a coach. But having this on

his curriculum vitae has inspired the team.

COMMENTATOR: Olympic champions, Great Britain. We all know who he

was because of the legend he is in sport and you come in and there he

is. It is really special getting to see where he grew up and trained.

And giving us a part of his life. Jamie is proud of his home county

so no training session would be complete without a trip to his

local. And for some, seeing a group of international athletes in the

bar was a real treat. That was lovely. You see them in their

micro! I have never seen Jamie with his white costume on. No homecoming

would be complete without some home-grown fans. And Jamie is keen

to promote cycling to the next generation. Got the hang of it?

There's a painting of a beautiful woman sitting on the bastion above

Scotney Castle, on display at the site in Kent. Very little is known

about the subject, Rosamond Hussey, but her dress is striking - black

and white stripes and made of billowing silk. And guess what

staff discovered when clearing out the attic recently? The very dress,

of course, worn by Rosamond in the painting. It's reckoned to be about

100 years old and taken 200 hours and several thousand pounds to

restore. And now it's on show to the public for the first time.

IT is 1912, Rosamund Hussey is having her portrait painted. A

century later, that very dress she wore for the sitting has been

repaired, restored and now revealed. We did not know a lot about was a

man before so having the textiles, it gives us more of a layout of the

history -- not a lot was known about was a month before. Having

the textiles and the photographs and the oil painting, it gives us

more of a rounded image of her as a And she was a woman who loved this

dress with its tiny waist. It is clear she wore it many times, by

the work needed to bring it back to life from its box in the attic.

The dress was are hardly in good condition -- was initially in good

condition but we could see the problems inside the dress. The

bodice and and us get were made of silk that was weighted with metal

and over the years, these weaken the Silk greatly. So the in their

bodies was in shreds. Her husband, Ed, was Windsor Hussey

who commissioned the portrait. He then charted its progress through

photographs and the couple also kept the original sketch of the

painting. To have all the elements relating

to a portrait - the photos, the sketch and now the dress itself, is

quite unique to Scotney Castle and perhaps indicative of just how

special this portrait was. To the couple and now the to Scotney

Castle as more of its secrets are What a great story, beautiful dress.

Gillingham missed the chance to return to the League Two play-off

places last night. They were 2-0 down by half-time against Southend

at the Priestfield Stadium. A 15 yard shot was rifled in early on

but Gillingham were unable to force an equaliser. It is the team's 4th

straight defeat. Brighton and Hove Albion could get

back into the championship play-off places with victory over Millwall

at the Amex Stadium tonight. The see girls who were unbeaten in 2012

welcome back Lewes don't who has now shaken off the virus that

caused him to miss at Leeds. Bradley Wright-Phillips should

return to the Abbey squad after he was arrested for the last game.

And Crawley Town can return to the top of League Two with victory away

at Swindon. The Red Devils are four of confidence having beaten another

of their promotion rivals, Cheltenham, last Tuesday. Heron

We weren't going to let Valentine's Day pass without bringing you

something romantic, so how's this for a high-risk marriage proposal?

Richard Smith and Holly Lawton- Smith, who live in Walderslade, met

at college. Six years later, Richard knew he wanted to marry his

sweetheart. Stuck for an idea for a memorable proposal, he turned to

the silver screen. Ian Palmer has the story.

They watch movies together, have two cats together and they want to

spend the rest of their lives together. But how do you propose

marriage? For Richard Smith, it In a world where fires ice and ice

is fire, one man - a renegade, a vigilante, A... Hang on, this is

Are you sitting in the audience? There were 150 people inside the

Oxford cinema. One of them knew her life was about to change forever.

It is amazing, that he put all that effort in. It is clear that he

really wanted it to be special and it's just... Even now when I watch

it, it makes me shed a tear again! Holly, you are amazing. And in a

second I am going to ask you to Wife thought, let's see how I can

build tension and then release it at the end. I didn't want a trailer

that would be, "will you marry me?" I thought, prepare yourself because

I am going to go to the back of the cinema with balloons and a ring and

ask you to marry me in front of 150 strangers. The couple will marry at

the end of the year. Holly has a special Valentine's Day present. If

you still don't want to know, look away now! I have made a video diary

Which can so and 80 every day of the week with a different

instrument. Is this the most romantic man in the South East?

Even if he is, sorry, you can't She is a lucky lady.

And if you want to see the whole of Richard's proposal, you can find it

on our Facebook site - facebook.com/bbcsoutheasttoday.

That led us to wonder just how much romance is in the air on this cold,

damp February day. So we grabbed one of our red sofas and found some

We bumped into each other in town and the first thing he said to me

was "will you marry me"? And I went no! But I think he quite liked it.

It was sweet and quite romantic. To be romantic ever since I met him...

Jim went in and said "I have brought us a drink" and I looked at

it and he had brought a drink with two straws. I said to my mother, "I

can't go out with this man". He has bought one trick with two straws.

And my mother said, "packing up, get someone who can afford to buy

you two!". Good value, I was only saving money. He was the romantic

one. We did not have any money so it was a register office job. We

got married at the registry office. And had a little reception in our

flat. With my mum's fining cooking! -- frightening cooking. Thank you

fall of the sitting on our server. Remembered, Jim, two straws, two

cups. We got a photo from Margate, they got married on Valentine's Day.

31 years ago. My husband gave me red carnations, a crystal vase and

said that today was my Ballantyne. Sarah Ebrey - I gave birth to my

son Owen on Valentine's 2006, the only time my husband ever forgot to

get me a card. Never forgotten, let alone forgiven. We also still

Happy Valentine's Day. It is not It is not as cold as it could have

been. Temperatures were about seven degrees below average last week and

this week we are climbing about two degrees above average so things

will be warmer but not as warm as it was on the warmest ever

Valentine's Day ever, 1998. That was 19.1 Celsius. Not here in the

South East but in the south-west. We will not get quite that warned

this week but at least it is warmer than I thought it might be. Last

week I was concerned that this Arctic port of their we were

getting today... We have got the Arctic direction of air but it

swings up from the warmer Atlantic first and is slowly warmed up so

that by the end of the week we will be up to 11 degrees. Things not as

cold as they could have been. My own looking at frost-free

conditions overnight. With lots of cloud, temperatures should not get

below 60 grew so comfortably frost- free but occasionally the cloud

could squeeze out a bit of drizzle and light rain but most places will

be dry. Not just the cloud keeping the temperature up but also the

wind. Around 50 mph but by the end of the night it will be get up to

around 20 mph -- around 15 mph but by the end. The cloud could be

thick enough to give some spots of rain but perhaps not as much