:00:05. > :00:15.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans. And I'm Rob Smith.
:00:15. > :00:20.
:00:20. > :00:30.Tonight's top stories: a woman banned from driving after going the
:00:30. > :00:32.
:00:32. > :00:35.wrong way at 4am. Also in tonight's programme: A �90,000 aid package
:00:35. > :00:42.for Thamesteel workers who lost their jobs with the closure of the
:00:42. > :00:48.Sheerness plant. A convicted rapist sexually assaulted a woman Dipper -
:00:48. > :00:50.- despite being under 24 hour surveillance.
:00:50. > :00:54.Vanessa Redgrave sprinkles stardust over the Brighton Festival: She's
:00:54. > :00:56.this year's director and she'll tell us what's in store.
:00:56. > :01:06.Brighton boys the Rizzle Kicks take centre stage, performing their
:01:06. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:29.number one hit single at the Brit Awards. Good evening. 43-year-old
:01:29. > :01:33.Maureen Darvell has been banned from driving. She travelled in the
:01:33. > :01:37.fast line on the wrong side of the M3 before she was arrested. The
:01:37. > :01:44.pensioner had become confused on 170 mile journey from her home in
:01:44. > :01:49.Ashford in Kent to a relative's wedding in Bristol. Maureen Darvell
:01:49. > :01:56.got lost on the wrong side of the motorway. Now, she has lost her
:01:56. > :02:01.licence. I remember coming out of this crossing and thinking I was on
:02:01. > :02:08.the wrong side of the road. I'd never done anything like that
:02:08. > :02:12.before. I just thought, there is no traffic, I'll have to get back and
:02:12. > :02:17.I'm on the wrong side of the road. It was just unfortunate that I had
:02:17. > :02:21.no time to get back on the right side before the police came along.
:02:21. > :02:25.She left her home near Ashford at 9am to travel to Bristol, but she
:02:25. > :02:28.took a wrong turning. She realised her mistake when she was near
:02:28. > :02:33.Bournemouth and tried to find her way back. She ended up travelling
:02:33. > :02:37.on the wrong side of the M3 and was stopped by police at 3:50am the
:02:37. > :02:47.following morning. This led to a debate about whether all the
:02:47. > :02:48.
:02:48. > :02:53.drivers should have to retake their tests. Older people are more at
:02:53. > :02:58.risk of being injured in an accident. It is not the first case
:02:58. > :03:03.of its kind. Last year, a woman drove the wrong way for 23 miles on
:03:03. > :03:08.the M5 and was jailed for nine months. Maureen Darvell says in her
:03:08. > :03:15.case, it was just a mistake. Do you realise that you or other people on
:03:15. > :03:21.the motorway could have been killed? Well, I do, because people
:03:21. > :03:28.have told me, but at the time, there was hardly any traffic.
:03:28. > :03:33.were still on the wrong side of the road. Yes, but to me it was just
:03:33. > :03:36.minutes. Maureen Darvell has been told there wants her 15 month ban
:03:36. > :03:40.is up, she will have to retake her test if she wants to take to the
:03:40. > :03:50.road again in this car. She says her driving days are over, however.
:03:50. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:01.She says she will stick to her mobility scooter. Aid packages have
:04:01. > :04:04.been unveiled today to help former ThameSteel workers in Kent. A total
:04:04. > :04:07.of �90,000 was pledged for -- following the second meeting of a
:04:07. > :04:10.task force set up after the plant in Sheerness was shut. �80,000 is
:04:10. > :04:13.coming from Kent County Council. That will pay for eight students
:04:13. > :04:16.who lost their jobs to finish their HNC courses. The other �10,000 from
:04:17. > :04:20.a charitable trust is being put into a hardship fun -- fund that is
:04:20. > :04:23.open to the families of all the workers who lost their jobs. Let's
:04:23. > :04:30.cross live to Thamesteel and our reporter. Peter, is this money just
:04:30. > :04:34.a gesture, or will it realistically make much of a difference? For the
:04:34. > :04:37.students who will get this funding, it could be life-changing as it
:04:37. > :04:42.provides a good chance of them getting a job. But in a workforce
:04:42. > :04:45.of 400, only about eight people are going to benefit, a handful. But it
:04:45. > :04:51.might create pressure on the task force to come up with other schemes
:04:51. > :04:55.which will benefit workers of all ages. When Thamesteel closed, these
:04:55. > :04:59.students not only lost their jobs but the prospect of finishing their
:04:59. > :05:06.course. Now companies have been offered a cash incentive to employ
:05:06. > :05:11.them so they can complete their end -- HMC on day release. For Colin,
:05:11. > :05:16.this is a real boost. I was a much happier people when I had something
:05:16. > :05:26.to do and I was working. House to let -- has today's announcement
:05:26. > :05:33.given new hope? Yes, it is an incentive. It has definitely made
:05:33. > :05:37.everyone in my position feel a lot better. The students had been in
:05:37. > :05:46.limbo since 26th January when workers were officially made
:05:46. > :05:52.redundant. The taskforce was set up in the wake of the closure on the
:05:52. > :05:56.16th the babe -- February, and today, the aid package was
:05:56. > :06:04.announced a. The work force chairman says progress is being
:06:04. > :06:07.made. The work force has been released without any prospect. We
:06:07. > :06:12.need every company to contact us if they think they may have anything
:06:12. > :06:22.which would see these workers. week, former Thamesteel apprentices
:06:22. > :06:25.were helped by Mid-Kent College. They have found me a job. Not only
:06:25. > :06:33.have they taken me on an supplied me with a salary, they had taken on
:06:33. > :06:38.as well. The taskforce of -- still has a lot to do, but securing work
:06:38. > :06:42.for the workers is the main priority. The task force noticed
:06:42. > :06:46.there was real hardship on the ground here, and that is why
:06:46. > :06:50.�10,000 has been put into this charitable trust. The money will be
:06:50. > :06:55.given in food or in child care vouchers, but with potentially 400
:06:55. > :07:00.people being able to apply for this fund, it means only �25 per person.
:07:00. > :07:05.Many question of that will be enough.
:07:05. > :07:10.Coming up: The Sussex woman subjected to a vile campaign of
:07:10. > :07:20.internet abuse just because she had shown support for a pop star of
:07:20. > :07:20.
:07:20. > :07:25.mind. -- online. A Sussex woman who sent a
:07:25. > :07:32.supportive message to the X-factor singer Frankie Cocozza found
:07:32. > :07:36.herself subjected to it vile abuse online. She reported the Beast to
:07:36. > :07:40.the police but was told they could not help. It was not until her
:07:40. > :07:45.lawyer wrote a letter to the chief inspector that her case was taken
:07:45. > :07:54.seriously. It is the 21st century crime, but usually it is the
:07:54. > :08:02.celebrities were the victims of internet stalking. I wish people
:08:02. > :08:07.would leave me alone, I wish a Hall would suck me in. But it seems
:08:07. > :08:12.everyone is at risk. Nicola books sent a supportive message to
:08:12. > :08:17.Frankie Cocozza after he was shown -- thrown off the show. Within
:08:17. > :08:25.minutes, she became a target herself of hate mail, posted
:08:25. > :08:29.anonymously. It is painful and hurt full. It will never leave me. It
:08:29. > :08:36.would go away. I was distressed, I was absolutely distraught at the
:08:36. > :08:46.time. I couldn't believe that they had turned on me like that with
:08:46. > :08:52.
:08:52. > :08:57.this vile abuse. One person had Many other comments were simply too
:08:57. > :09:03.offensive for us to broadcast. said there are so many incidents
:09:03. > :09:07.and reports of crime like that over the internet, so they could not
:09:07. > :09:11.possibly looking to everyone. Sussex Police today told us they
:09:11. > :09:16.are now in touch with face but to try to track down the offenders.
:09:16. > :09:26.Based but deny claims that their systems do not work, pointing to
:09:26. > :09:30.
:09:30. > :09:34.the successful will find of this man. But some, this happens
:09:34. > :09:38.relentlessly over a period of months. Nicola Briggs is now
:09:38. > :09:47.working with her way to raise awareness of this crime. She says
:09:47. > :09:50.she has spoken out today because bullies should be stood up to.
:09:50. > :09:53.The extradition of a Kent man to the United States on suspicion of
:09:53. > :09:55.selling mess -- missile parts to Iran has been raised at Prime
:09:55. > :09:57.Minister's Questions in the House of Commons today. Retired
:09:57. > :10:00.businessman Christopher Tappin denies the charges but has been
:10:00. > :10:04.ordered to report to police next week. The Prime Minister said he
:10:04. > :10:11.wants the Home Secretary to have another look at an inquiry into the
:10:11. > :10:16.extradition treaty. Of course, balance in these arrangements is
:10:16. > :10:20.vital, but it is important that at the same time we remember why we
:10:20. > :10:30.enter into these extradition treaties, which is to show respect
:10:30. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:33.which others judicial -- to each other. Credit card company American
:10:33. > :10:36.Express could lay off as many at 190 people in Sussex. The Brighton
:10:36. > :10:38.based offices employ 3,500 people across the county. The city's
:10:38. > :10:41.largest private sector employer says Brighton remains an important
:10:41. > :10:45.part of their global network. A final decision on the proposals
:10:45. > :10:48.will be made shortly. Despite cuts in government funding
:10:48. > :10:54.of, Kent councils failed to collect more than �17 million of council
:10:54. > :10:56.tax in the last financial year. Medway, Thanet and Gravesham were
:10:56. > :11:03.the three worst performing authorities, owed a total of �7.4
:11:03. > :11:06.million between them. A Kent man who been arrested in
:11:06. > :11:09.Egypt during the latest unrest in the capital remains in jail after
:11:09. > :11:11.being denied bail. Alisdare Hickson from Canterbury claims he was
:11:11. > :11:21.taking photos of protestors in Cairo when police mistakenly
:11:21. > :11:23.
:11:23. > :11:29.detained him for throwing stones. Families at the centre of the
:11:29. > :11:35.inquiry into a rare birth defect have met experts. Five babies have
:11:35. > :11:40.been born with part of their bold protruding through the abdomen.
:11:40. > :11:46.Health care experts have now met the families.
:11:46. > :11:56.She suffered life-threatening illnesses when she was trampled by
:11:56. > :12:02.horses. She needed emergency care. Despite suffering a punctured lung,
:12:02. > :12:06.Lotte is that with the animals she loves. -- back with. This might be
:12:06. > :12:10.the last thing you would expect Lottie Taylor to be doing. Five
:12:10. > :12:15.weeks ago, her a life was hanging in the balance after she was
:12:15. > :12:21.crushed and trampled by horses at another yard where she worked.
:12:21. > :12:25.had two courses on either side. Something spooked them from behind.
:12:25. > :12:33.-- horses. They bolted for Woods, but because I was stuck in the
:12:33. > :12:40.middle of them there was no where for me to go. I got up and walk to
:12:40. > :12:45.the House, I guess it was just a adrenaline. Her injuries were so
:12:45. > :12:49.severe that the Surrey air ambulance was called. It was a very
:12:49. > :12:55.serious chest injury. The crew gave her an anaesthetic and performed
:12:55. > :12:58.surgery to enable her to breed. Lottie Taylor was then airlifted to
:12:58. > :13:04.King's College Hospital in London. She spent three days of into debt -
:13:04. > :13:07.- ventilator but there was then a home within a week. Today was a
:13:07. > :13:17.chance for her to visit the air ambulance team and thank them for
:13:17. > :13:20.
:13:20. > :13:25.saving her life. Keeping an eye on the monitor their. That is crazy.
:13:25. > :13:31.It was the essential that the air ambulance enabled her to be here
:13:31. > :13:34.and talking with us today. I can't thank them enough. It has been made
:13:34. > :13:38.quite clear to me that if they were and where they were, things could
:13:38. > :13:42.have been very different. Back at the stables, her accident clearly
:13:42. > :13:49.has not dented her confidence. Anyone who likes horses knows these
:13:49. > :13:57.things do happen. It is what I'd love to do, and I'm not going to
:13:58. > :14:01.stop just yet. She hoped be back at work next month.
:14:01. > :14:04.A convicted rapist sexually assaulted a woman in broad daylight
:14:04. > :14:09.on a Sussex Street despite being under 24 hour police opponents.
:14:09. > :14:13.Michael Phillips was released from jail last July after serving 10
:14:13. > :14:17.years with a rate a woman in Brighton. On release, he was being
:14:17. > :14:23.managed under the most serious category of risk, but within days
:14:23. > :14:28.he had exposed himself to two women and sexually assaulted a third.
:14:28. > :14:38.Colin Campbell has been following this story. Colin, what did police
:14:38. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:44.Well Sussex police have welcomed this conviction. He has been
:14:44. > :14:48.convicted of two count of indecent exposure, and also found guilty of
:14:48. > :14:53.carrying out a violent sexual attack on a South Korean student
:14:53. > :15:00.here in Brighton last summer. An interesting aspect is that when he
:15:00. > :15:03.was released from prison on 15th July last year, a covert
:15:03. > :15:09.surveillance operation was mounted because police believed he was a
:15:09. > :15:16.danger to women. Two days afterwards he was caught trying to
:15:16. > :15:21.carry out a sexual offence. On the 1st September, at around -- has
:15:21. > :15:26.around 25 police operation -- police officers were following him,
:15:26. > :15:31.he managed to run away from police and carried out a violent sexual
:15:31. > :15:36.attack on a South Korean student. He grabbed her and pulled her to
:15:36. > :15:43.the floor and violently sexually assaulted her before running off.
:15:43. > :15:48.There has been concern expressed by other rate victims about the
:15:48. > :15:51.circumstances. Yes, he was not subject to an
:15:51. > :15:56.indeterminate prison sentence and victims who have been raid in
:15:56. > :16:01.Tunbridge Wells said it is very important that such individuals are
:16:01. > :16:06.faced with indeterminate prison sentences. The Government is
:16:06. > :16:10.seeking to change those and abolish them.
:16:10. > :16:16.Our top story, a Kent pensioner drove the wrong way on a motorway
:16:16. > :16:21.for seven miles at 4 am in the morning. 83-year-old Maureen
:16:21. > :16:26.Dartevelle has been banned from driving for 15 months.
:16:26. > :16:29.We are graced with the presence of acting royalty as the Brighton
:16:29. > :16:34.Festival's creative director Vanessa Redgrave tells us what to
:16:34. > :16:44.expect this year. Who needs to be a quality?
:16:44. > :16:53.Tomorrow's temperatures will be 89 degrees higher than today.
:16:54. > :16:57.-- eight or nine degrees. As the opening of the London 2012
:16:57. > :17:04.games get closer, it is a remarkable thought that without the
:17:04. > :17:09.action of a local Kent women, women might not have taken part in the
:17:09. > :17:17.Olympics in the same way at all. They did take part in the 1,900
:17:17. > :17:24.games. In 1924, the woman brought the world record for the 250 metres,
:17:24. > :17:33.but she let at boycott in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, protesting at
:17:33. > :17:43.the treatment of women. 99% of medical professionals were
:17:43. > :17:47.
:17:47. > :17:52.against women taking Anand -- an active part in athletics. During
:17:52. > :17:58.the 1920s, it was not just the idea of women showing too much like that
:17:58. > :18:03.was deemed inappropriate but even some medical experts disapproved.
:18:03. > :18:07.Back then, via a Palma was a successful runner. So frustrated
:18:07. > :18:14.that the restrictions, she would travel to countries like France and
:18:14. > :18:20.Sweden so that she could compete. She was presented by a medal by the
:18:20. > :18:30.King of Sweden. They had to God rot because there
:18:30. > :18:35.
:18:35. > :18:42.was nothing in England. -- brought brought. -- go abroad.
:18:42. > :18:48.She was awarded an OBE in 1979 for her services to sport.
:18:48. > :18:58.It was very restricted, really. It was an Newfield and something fresh
:18:58. > :18:59.
:18:59. > :19:09.when it came along. The ladies are showing what good
:19:09. > :19:14.sports they can be at the Women's Amateur Athletics Association...
:19:14. > :19:18.There are still vestiges of best. People think women should not box
:19:18. > :19:23.because they will damage their breasts or they should not wear
:19:23. > :19:30.certain clothing. Are we still have these beds of discomfort but I
:19:30. > :19:35.think we are probably passed that. If these days, women in sport have
:19:35. > :19:40.come a long way since the 1920s. We train as hard as them. I think
:19:40. > :19:45.it is outrageous, I think women are depressed.
:19:45. > :19:47.While women of her generation struggle to be part of the Olympic
:19:47. > :19:57.Games it is thought her contribution to sport helped pave
:19:57. > :20:02.
:20:02. > :20:06.It says something about the rapid rise of the Sussex hip-hop duo
:20:06. > :20:11.raise will cakes that they have already sold 250,000 copies of
:20:11. > :20:21.their debut single, recorded with Fatboy Slim and not stop a lot of
:20:21. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:30.the views on YouTube. -- Rizzle Kicks. They did not quite get the
:20:30. > :20:35.award last night but they took centre stage at the Brit Awards.
:20:35. > :20:38.The performing on stage in front of fans and the cream of the music
:20:38. > :20:48.industry. They were nominated for the best
:20:48. > :21:00.
:21:00. > :21:04.Against some good other acts, it is the only award voted for it by the
:21:04. > :21:13.public so even being nominated takes a huge swell of public
:21:13. > :21:19.support. For the Brighton based band, it is a seminal moment.
:21:19. > :21:28.never thought we would be standing here in suits. Two years ago, we
:21:28. > :21:32.watched this from the pet. To be performing, it is just mad.
:21:32. > :21:37.Even as a young student, Jordan Stevens was making his mark.
:21:37. > :21:47.He always wanted to do something special and make a difference and
:21:47. > :21:51.
:21:51. > :21:58.He took it further. He went on and did some -- some climate change
:21:58. > :22:02.work with Tony Blair. He areas aged 14 talking to us
:22:03. > :22:12.about climate change. You have to act now rather than
:22:13. > :22:13.
:22:13. > :22:16.later. We have no time to waste. Now they are bought 20 years old
:22:16. > :22:26.and they are keeping Brighton on the MUSIC:.
:22:26. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:35.They sum up what it is to be UN. Maybe there will be that for the
:22:35. > :22:45.next generation. With their first Award nomination
:22:45. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:59.they have established themselves in Apparently I Cobham by the wrong
:22:59. > :23:00.
:23:00. > :23:05.name earlier. But I have no street cred to lose. Vanessa Redgrave has
:23:05. > :23:15.revealed her plans for the Brighton Festival this year. It is now one
:23:15. > :23:16.
:23:16. > :23:22.of the largest arts festivals in Europe.
:23:22. > :23:32.Please welcome guest director of Brighton Festival 2012, Vanessa
:23:32. > :23:32.
:23:32. > :23:42.Redgrave. She is a British actress out of the top drawer. She has 1-1
:23:42. > :23:42.
:23:42. > :23:47.of the Oscar -- of the awards. This year she will be the guiding hand
:23:47. > :23:52.behind the Brighton Festival. It is a wonderful thing for me to
:23:52. > :23:57.be asked to be part of this festival. I have been involved in
:23:57. > :24:03.various important arts events at one time or another, but this is
:24:03. > :24:11.the first festival I have been totally a part of. She is well
:24:11. > :24:18.known for her political activism and campaigning for human rights.
:24:18. > :24:22.She follows last year's best director in that tradition.
:24:22. > :24:28.Bringing the young together with the old, and the young people what
:24:28. > :24:32.their new visions and perspectives and their new ideas, and giving
:24:32. > :24:37.them a I chance to see some of the very best work they could possibly
:24:37. > :24:46.see. The festival will include music,
:24:47. > :24:51.theatre, dance, film, literature and politics. The whole point is
:24:51. > :25:01.that we reinvent it every year. This year, we have a wonderful
:25:01. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:05.range of some 143 events. 351 performances. One thing the MSI is
:25:05. > :25:12.passionate about is the work for children so that is really
:25:12. > :25:22.represented in the best of all this year. She hopes it will be a
:25:22. > :25:37.
:25:37. > :25:40.An Audi weather. -- now at the The International Space Station
:25:40. > :25:48.will be going overhead but the cloud will prevent us from seeing
:25:48. > :25:55.that. Earlier today, we saw this so this cloud. Ice crystals falling
:25:55. > :25:59.out of the sky at 25,000 feet. Strong winds are helping this
:25:59. > :26:04.weather front come men quite quickly, and a couple of
:26:04. > :26:10.millimetres of rain, but most of that has moved away. Marquee
:26:10. > :26:14.conditions and misty in places. It will be mild. Seven or eight
:26:15. > :26:20.degrees the minimum tonight. A mild but cloudy start to the day
:26:20. > :26:29.tomorrow. A change in temperature tomorrow, 8 or nine degrees, higher
:26:29. > :26:32.than it was today. Getting up to 15 or 16 degrees. On Friday, does mild