:00:01. > :00:03.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.
:00:03. > :00:06.And I'm Rob Smith. Tonight's top stories:
:00:06. > :00:11.The wife and daughter from Kent accused of murdering a businessman
:00:11. > :00:14.and claiming his pension for nearly a decade. We'll have the details
:00:14. > :00:17.live from the Old Bailey. The bullies say sorry - after 12
:00:17. > :00:22.year-old Poppy Freeman was driven out of Sussex by online harassment,
:00:22. > :00:24.today she receives apologies. Also in tonight's programme:
:00:24. > :00:30.Campaigners call for an urgent halt to the demolition of Richborough
:00:30. > :00:33.Power Station to protect a nearby seal colony.
:00:33. > :00:41.Great adaptations - is this the first ever film of Dickens'
:00:41. > :00:51.workshot in Brighton? And Keane on Sussex - the rock band
:00:51. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:04.kick start their world tour in Good evening. A mother and daughter
:01:04. > :01:07.from Canterbury have told an Old Bailey jury that they did not
:01:07. > :01:12.murder of their husband and father, but that he simply walked out of
:01:12. > :01:15.their lives in 2001. The prosecution allege that Lynette
:01:15. > :01:19.a Shirley Banfield also fraudulently claimed his pensions
:01:19. > :01:24.for the next eight years. Our reporter any price has been
:01:24. > :01:27.following the case. Shirley Banfield and her daughter
:01:27. > :01:34.Lynette the court on the second day of the murder case against them.
:01:34. > :01:38.Don Banfield went missing in 2001. Six months later his wife and
:01:38. > :01:44.daughter moved to North Yorkshire. In 2009 the police reopened the
:01:44. > :01:49.case. Today the court heard more about
:01:49. > :01:53.when Mr Banfield was reported missing by his friend on a 19th
:01:53. > :01:57.2001. When a police officer went to the house to investigate further,
:01:57. > :02:01.he was told by Lynette and Shirley that Mr Banfield often disappeared
:02:01. > :02:05.for long stretches. The officers' report concluded he
:02:05. > :02:10.did not think the missing person was a missing person. Police
:02:10. > :02:15.conducted a number of other inquiries, including speaking to Mr
:02:15. > :02:21.Ban filled's son, friends and doctor.
:02:21. > :02:25.It was not until 2009 that police reopened the investigation. Mr
:02:25. > :02:31.Banfield's body has never been found. His wife Shirley and Dr
:02:31. > :02:35.Lynette, who now live in Canterbury, deny his murder, and insist Mr
:02:35. > :02:40.Banfield may have gone back to live permanently in his native Trinidad.
:02:40. > :02:44.Any price calls asked me -- joins us now. The jury also heard that
:02:44. > :02:50.his wife and daughter sold the family home very soon after he
:02:50. > :02:56.disappeared. The court heard more details about that family home in
:02:56. > :03:01.Willesden, north-west London. A sale on the house was agreed in
:03:01. > :03:05.February 2011, but it took until July 2011 for the sale to be agreed,
:03:05. > :03:09.because Mr Banfield was not there to sign the relevant documents. In
:03:09. > :03:13.the end Mrs Bamfield went through legal proceedings to get that sale
:03:13. > :03:19.approved without his signature. The prosecution alleged that the
:03:19. > :03:23.proceeds of that sale along with Mr Bamfield's pension went towards
:03:23. > :03:28.benefiting Shelley and Lynette Banfield by more than �120,000 of
:03:28. > :03:33.it the next eight years. Be able to buy his murder.
:03:33. > :03:37.Last night we brought you the story of Poppy Freeman, the 12-year-old
:03:37. > :03:41.School Gargrave had been so badly bullied on Facebook that she said
:03:41. > :03:48.she considered taking her own life. It made me feel like death was the
:03:48. > :03:54.only way out, to be honest. I remember every single day coming
:03:54. > :03:57.home and just crying and crying and crying. I was quite scared, because
:03:57. > :04:02.I did not know half the people who were giving the DEFRA it.
:04:02. > :04:06.Since appearing on the programme last night, which was to support
:04:06. > :04:10.the anti-bullying charity her father set up, she has now been
:04:10. > :04:16.contacted by some of those people who did used to taunt her. Now they
:04:16. > :04:19.want to apologise. The same children whose herd for
:04:19. > :04:29.comments almost forced Poppy to take her own life have to date said
:04:29. > :04:34.sorry for the pains decors. -- the pain they cause.
:04:34. > :04:38.They said they were sorry for what they had done, for all the comments
:04:38. > :04:46.and everything they had done, and all the messages, and the threats
:04:46. > :04:50.and everything. Pupils at its school watched their
:04:50. > :04:55.former classmate on television last night, as she spoke of how she had
:04:55. > :05:00.to flee the torrent of abuse. Today though, she has been inundated with
:05:00. > :05:10.messages saying sorry. I know we have got off to a rough start with
:05:10. > :05:24.
:05:24. > :05:28.all those comments, but I know how Her father is working tirelessly to
:05:28. > :05:32.help to offer support to other victims of online bullying, and
:05:32. > :05:37.says the public need to be made more aware of this behaviour.
:05:37. > :05:43.Last night's broadcast just goes to show what the winners can do. If we
:05:43. > :05:49.can keep it going, she has had lot of apologies and she is much
:05:49. > :05:53.happier. There is someone at the other end of the keyboard.
:05:53. > :06:00.dawned on them but here they were having an impact on a real person.
:06:00. > :06:05.One of the worries about the whole business of the online world is
:06:05. > :06:10.that we can often be exist in almost in virtual space.
:06:10. > :06:15.For more than a year Poppy became the target of spied for tests --
:06:15. > :06:21.texts and Facebook comments. It seems the message has hit home, but
:06:21. > :06:27.-- that behind every profile is a real human being.
:06:27. > :06:32.Steve joins us now. What a difference 24 hours can make. As
:06:32. > :06:36.you have seen, last night's programme was watched by some of
:06:36. > :06:40.the pupils here at the school, and they had a long think about the
:06:40. > :06:45.pain they had cost. It said that three out of four young bodies do
:06:45. > :06:50.not even appreciate they are having an impact on their victim. That is
:06:50. > :06:54.the reason why Poppy's father will continue his campaign to adjust
:06:54. > :06:59.Government legislation to make cyber bullying a crime for.
:06:59. > :07:09.In a moment, the first woman to fly across the Channel. Harriet
:07:09. > :07:11.Quimby's not so famous achievement is honoured in Kent.
:07:11. > :07:15.Wildlife campaigners are considering an injunction to try
:07:15. > :07:18.and stop the demolition of the cooling towers and chimney at
:07:18. > :07:22.Richborough Power Station. They claim but the shock of the
:07:22. > :07:26.explosions plan for the Sunday could actually harmed the seal
:07:26. > :07:31.colony close by. Richborough Power Station began
:07:31. > :07:37.work 50 years ago in 1962. Between then and 1971 it burned through 3
:07:37. > :07:45.million tonnes of corn before it was converted to firing oil in 1971.
:07:45. > :07:51.It finally closed in 1996. Reaching nearly 100 metres into the
:07:51. > :07:56.sky, Richborough cooling towers and even taller chimney have been a
:07:56. > :08:01.landmark since the 1950s. For more than 30 years the station generated
:08:01. > :08:06.power, feeding the National Grid. But its useful life ended over 15
:08:06. > :08:11.years ago, and time has reduced the plant to a shelf. Very soon,
:08:11. > :08:19.planned explosions will turn that shelter and rubble. With the three
:08:19. > :08:24.cooling towers we have to slots which consist of 300 halls. We are
:08:24. > :08:29.going to charge them, in preparation for Sunday.
:08:29. > :08:33.But many people still want the towers to remain, and campaigner
:08:33. > :08:37.John thinks a legal challenge is possible. He is concerned about a
:08:37. > :08:42.large colony of seals living near by, and he fears the shock from the
:08:42. > :08:47.explosions may cause those who are pregnant to miscarry. Common seal
:08:47. > :08:50.numbers are on the decline, they are also protected by law, so any
:08:50. > :08:54.disturbance or in the killing, unlawful killing is actually
:08:54. > :09:00.illegal. We are very sympathetic to the fact that people love these
:09:00. > :09:03.towers, and people think they are iconic landmarks. Because they have
:09:03. > :09:08.served their purpose, we would like to see the site brought back into
:09:08. > :09:17.use. We are in the final stages of preparation for bringing them down
:09:17. > :09:21.this weekend, and we have reached the point of no return.
:09:21. > :09:25.Just like back in 2007 when the Chapel Cross towers were brought
:09:25. > :09:31.down in Scotland, there will be a wide exclusion zone but numerous
:09:31. > :09:37.vantage points. I am for many it will be a
:09:37. > :09:44.spectacle not to be missed. To we have sold 1000 tickets, the
:09:44. > :09:47.barbecue will be open cooking bacon rolls. We will probably sell 300 to
:09:47. > :09:53.400 tickets, but space does not permit us.
:09:53. > :09:56.The show will be a short one, of but in 30 seconds.
:09:56. > :09:59.-- over in 30 seconds. A Kent bank manager convicted of
:09:59. > :10:02.stealing more than �100,000 in a complex fraud has been sentenced to
:10:02. > :10:05.three years in jail. Lorna Keary set up fictitious accounts and
:10:05. > :10:08.loans to transfer funds in order to hide her transactions. One of those
:10:08. > :10:18.targeted was her friend Lynn Bungay, whose business address was used to
:10:18. > :10:19.
:10:19. > :10:22.withdraw funds from an HSBC bank in Tonbridge.
:10:22. > :10:26.Ramblers in East Sussex say they fear for the future upkeep of
:10:26. > :10:30.public footpaths because of council cuts. They say the authorities will
:10:30. > :10:40.struggle to repair broken styles and clear footpaths if rights of
:10:40. > :10:41.
:10:41. > :10:44.way funding is cut. A Chinese businessman exposed by
:10:44. > :10:47.this programme for criminal activity in the South East has now
:10:47. > :10:50.been jailed for his part in a �350 million money laundering scam. Five
:10:50. > :10:52.years ago we exposed a counterfeit DVD scam selling Hollywood
:10:52. > :10:55.blockbusters across Kent and Sussex. The money from this criminal
:10:55. > :10:58.venture was helping to fund a human smuggling trade. In cramped homes
:10:58. > :11:00.we found illegal immigrants, which led to connections to He Jia-Jin.
:11:00. > :11:03.Now the Chinese businessman has been found guilty of laundering
:11:03. > :11:13.cash and jailed for eight months. Our Business Correspondent Mark
:11:13. > :11:15.
:11:15. > :11:20.Norman was involved in our original investigation and has this report.
:11:20. > :11:27.Huge sums of money from drugs and prostitution had been laundered.
:11:27. > :11:34.The figures are colossal. It is over �350 million, a vast amount of
:11:34. > :11:39.money, that has moved through from criminal activity, I suppose.
:11:39. > :11:43.'s he in 2007 we conducted our biggest-ever investigation. We
:11:43. > :11:48.discovered that the sale of book make DVDs in book fairs where
:11:48. > :11:51.helping to fund at the human smuggling trade. As our team went
:11:51. > :11:57.deeper under cover, which exposed the cramped homes were illegal
:11:57. > :12:00.immigrants slept. Then we found links to a respected Chinese
:12:00. > :12:04.community leader. We thought he might have gone to
:12:04. > :12:10.prison in Hong Kong in 2000 at it. He was found guilty of money
:12:10. > :12:14.laundering offences, but received a huge fine instead. When we tried to
:12:14. > :12:18.speak to him... Have you got anything to say? No
:12:19. > :12:23.comment. But he is now serving an eight-
:12:23. > :12:27.month sentence in a UK jail. The police investigation led them to
:12:27. > :12:31.cannabis factories, shops that were money-laundering outlets, and a
:12:31. > :12:38.huge amounts of cash now in China. People involved in cannabis
:12:38. > :12:45.factories, cannabis cultivation factories, management controls
:12:45. > :12:47.brothels, the money generated, criminal money, was being passed
:12:47. > :12:52.through the World Travel Services accounts.
:12:52. > :12:55.This was the last time we saw the man driving away from a Hong Kong
:12:55. > :13:00.court. It will be eight months before he can drive away from
:13:00. > :13:04.prison. Our top stories. A mother and
:13:04. > :13:09.daughter from Canterbury have told the Old Bailey but they did not
:13:09. > :13:14.murder her husband and father, but that he walked out of their lives
:13:14. > :13:18.in 2001. Also tonight, Robert takes the
:13:18. > :13:23.plunge in training for his Sport Relief triathlon challenge.
:13:23. > :13:32.And back in Bexhill, keen that kick-start their world tour where
:13:32. > :13:37.it all began. This year marks the two hundredth
:13:37. > :13:41.anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. It is being celebrated
:13:41. > :13:46.particularly in Kent as the county where he brought many of his most
:13:46. > :13:50.famous works. But after the oldest surviving film based on the works
:13:50. > :13:55.of Charles Dickens has been rediscovered, after lying untouched
:13:55. > :13:59.in an archive for more than 50 years, and the man behind it was a
:13:59. > :14:09.film-maker from the region who was part of a movement of early film-
:14:09. > :14:12.
:14:12. > :14:17.They have been more adaptations for film and television of Dickens's'
:14:17. > :14:21.books than any other author. But the discovery of one particular
:14:22. > :14:24.real hidden in the national archives still managed to have
:14:24. > :14:33.caused a bit of commotion. didn't know about it because it's
:14:33. > :14:40.been sitting under another title all these years. Quite often when
:14:40. > :14:46.you don't know what a film is, you describe more or less what is going
:14:46. > :14:51.on in it. Strategic Defence Review dates before 1901. It is only one
:14:51. > :15:01.minute long, but the first film based on Dickens's work -- The
:15:01. > :15:03.
:15:03. > :15:07.Death Of Poor Joe dates before 1901. In a period of 1901, when the film
:15:07. > :15:14.was made, Brighton and Hove was very much a hotbed for pioneering
:15:14. > :15:20.film makers and those involved in theatrical performance. The Duke of
:15:20. > :15:25.York's Cinema, one of the first to the country's to become very
:15:25. > :15:30.popular, here at that Hove Museum, you can delve into the history of
:15:30. > :15:37.how film-making developed. 30 years after his death, it was Dickens's
:15:37. > :15:47.stories that George Smith wanted to tell on film. Assured, silent, but
:15:47. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :15:57.significant celebration of Dickens Usually, when bans have sold over
:15:57. > :16:03.10 million albums, they embark on a world tour and like to kick things
:16:03. > :16:09.off at a globally famous venue. Keane are doing things a little bit
:16:09. > :16:19.differently. They are opening at the the La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill
:16:19. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:25.For Keane, this is where it all began. The town of battle in East
:16:25. > :16:31.Sussex where they grow up and went to school. But this is where their
:16:31. > :16:40.latest tour is about to start. While you kicking off you to a
:16:40. > :16:46.here? This is a place we all know from our chart had to. -- your tour.
:16:46. > :16:51.We used to come here and Sunday for in the drizzle! We would hope girls
:16:51. > :17:01.would come a planned approach us and be magnetically drawn to us,
:17:01. > :17:06.
:17:06. > :17:13.We are very lucky that our music is internationally laughed. A lot of
:17:13. > :17:21.British bands are very popular with in Britain. But their music might
:17:21. > :17:31.not translate so well abroad. We feel very fortunate that we get to
:17:31. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:40.travelled to Argentina and play to 20,000 people over there. Tell us
:17:40. > :17:45.about what happens in your song about this place. We used to come
:17:45. > :17:52.here to warm up with a cup of tea when we hadn't pulled, we will
:17:52. > :17:57.admit defeat and go for a cup of tea. Keane have written a song
:17:57. > :18:07.about this cafe. What do you make of that? It is marvellous. It will
:18:07. > :18:13.
:18:13. > :18:17.So, Bexhill on Sea makes its mark on British pop. That is the first.
:18:17. > :18:21.Man in a wet suit alert. Sport Relief is two weeks away and in
:18:21. > :18:26.case you weren't watching last Friday, Mr Smith will be doing a
:18:26. > :18:30.triathlon challenge across Sussex and Kent in one daily. The plan is
:18:30. > :18:34.that next Saturday 17th March, I will start off with the sea swim
:18:34. > :18:38.around Brighton Pier and then I will cycle from Brighton to
:18:38. > :18:44.Ramsgate, about 100 miles, and then I will finally run the last 10
:18:44. > :18:54.miles or so around the Thanet coastline in time to finish in
:18:54. > :19:16.
:19:16. > :19:19.Margate. I got some tips from When you first get in, it is that
:19:19. > :19:26.contrast. Your face is absolutely frozen. Is it just the temperature
:19:26. > :19:32.that makes it so different? have got a great day today, it
:19:32. > :19:35.doesn't come like this very often. At this time of year, it is the
:19:35. > :19:45.temperature that will affect your ability to swim for any length of
:19:45. > :19:51.
:19:51. > :19:54.It is so difficult to control your breathing out first. It's just the
:19:54. > :20:00.technique of learning to come everything down. Cold water
:20:00. > :20:05.drastically makes your blood pressure Drop, so it will put extra
:20:05. > :20:15.stress on the whole thing. So it is better to really take the pace
:20:15. > :20:23.
:20:23. > :20:33.Oh, my goodness, it was cold. If you want to donate to Sport Relief
:20:33. > :20:41.this year, then please go to Sport Relief .com. I'm just a bit worried
:20:41. > :20:44.we named -- we may never see again! The football season is three
:20:44. > :20:48.quarters of the way through, and if results go the right way this
:20:48. > :20:51.weekend all four of the South East's top teams could be in the
:20:51. > :20:54.promotion play off places or better. But Gillingham's recent good run in
:20:54. > :20:57.danger - is in danger due to an injury crisis. Neil Bell joins us
:20:57. > :21:01.from Chatham. Have they got 11 players they can put on the pitch?
:21:01. > :21:10.You're in better shape than most of the players at the moment! Kit will
:21:10. > :21:14.be a very young side that will take on crew -- it will be. They may
:21:14. > :21:20.lack experience, but the youngsters have impressed everyone over the
:21:20. > :21:25.last few weeks. There are five or six of them who could go on and
:21:25. > :21:28.have a long career in the game. We want to be with us for as long as
:21:28. > :21:38.they can, but if the opportunity is there to play at a higher level,
:21:38. > :21:43.
:21:44. > :21:46.that would be great for them. Brighton could move into the
:21:46. > :21:49.Championship promotion play -- play off places with victory over
:21:49. > :21:51.Portsmouth tomorrow. They will be hoping to extend their eleven match
:21:51. > :21:54.unbeaten league run against Pompey. League One leaders Charlton
:21:54. > :21:56.Athletic are still 13 points clear despite losing their first home
:21:57. > :21:59.league game of the season on Tuesday. The manager Chris Powell
:22:00. > :22:03.looks unlikely to make too many changes for the visit of Notts
:22:03. > :22:06.County who have lost just once in their last ten games. Crawley Town
:22:06. > :22:08.of are optimistic new loan signing Gary Alexander can get their League
:22:09. > :22:11.Two promotion push back on track. The 32-year-old seen here scoring
:22:12. > :22:15.for Brentford will lead the attack at Macclesfield as the Reds look
:22:15. > :22:18.for their second league victory this year. Congratulations to the
:22:18. > :22:24.700 plus youngsters who took part in the Kent Schools Games athletics
:22:24. > :22:27.finals in Ashford today. Dame Kelly Holmes was there to encourage them
:22:27. > :22:37.and digs out the prizes for what she believes is the best scheme of
:22:37. > :22:42.its kind in the country. It has just become one of those real focal
:22:42. > :22:49.points for schools and young people to grab and get hold of. In 2012,
:22:49. > :22:55.you want that to be an inspiration to these young people. Better luck
:22:55. > :23:01.to Canterbury Rugby Club he will be hoping to make it 22 wins out of 22
:23:01. > :23:04.tomorrow. What a fantastic record. 100 years ago, Harriet Quimby
:23:04. > :23:07.became the first woman to fly across the Channel to France. There
:23:07. > :23:12.was an extraordinary feat but received almost no media attention
:23:12. > :23:16.at the time because the flight took place the day after the site -- the
:23:16. > :23:23.thinking of the Titanic. This weekend, around 100 pilots from
:23:23. > :23:26.America, Canada and Europe a gathering at Headcorn airfield to
:23:26. > :23:32.Mark International Women In Aviation Week. Have many of the
:23:32. > :23:36.pilots arrived, Charlie? Around 100 pilots from around the
:23:36. > :23:43.world are coming here to Headcorn. Some have already been here for one
:23:43. > :23:49.week. They're all here to celebrate a special event in aviation history.
:23:49. > :23:53.Preparing for take-off. Around 100 pilots from America, Canada and
:23:53. > :23:58.Europe are coming to Headcorn aerodrome to celebrate a piece of
:23:58. > :24:04.he aviation history. We want to commemorate the first flight across
:24:04. > :24:09.the English Channel by a woman, Harriet Quimby, who flew across the
:24:09. > :24:14.Channel in 1912. Everybody a have told about it has been fascinated.
:24:14. > :24:17.Even the lady at Customs was interested. There was a danger
:24:17. > :24:20.Harriet Quimby's achievement would go unnoticed. The world's
:24:20. > :24:25.newspapers were filled with the sinking of the Titanic, which
:24:25. > :24:31.happened the day before. Today, the International Organisation of Women
:24:31. > :24:35.pilots' say around six % of pilots are women, so they want to use
:24:35. > :24:39.Harriet Quimby's historic achievement to get more women to
:24:39. > :24:43.take to the skies. I hope we will encourage parents to let their
:24:43. > :24:50.little girls fly and let their women fly, and hopefully we can get
:24:50. > :24:57.more members that way and get more women in the air. Tell me why that
:24:57. > :25:05.event back in 1912 is so important to you. Because it shows that women
:25:05. > :25:12.were trying... The plane doesn't know who is flying at, but we can
:25:12. > :25:19.fight just as well as a man. -- who is flying it. Around as if -- a
:25:19. > :25:23.round a third of the pilots coming tomorrow will be women. The drum of
:25:23. > :25:29.Pink Floyd will be here with his wife fly his helicopter. It is
:25:29. > :25:39.bound to be quite a spectacle. Thank you very much. Didn't she
:25:39. > :25:44.looked fab's nice weather for it. Yes, today it has mild but plenty
:25:44. > :25:50.of cloud around. We hold on to this mild air over the weekend.
:25:50. > :25:58.Eventually it will call down by the time we get into the week. Quite a
:25:58. > :26:06.dull start the day today, feeling mild. High pressure has been
:26:06. > :26:09.building but we hold on to those breezy south-westerly winds. Loss
:26:09. > :26:19.of cloud cover, so temperatures have been a little bit about
:26:19. > :26:23.
:26:23. > :26:26.average. -- lots of. Three tonight, we hold on to that cloud cover.
:26:26. > :26:34.These are the sorts of temperatures will be expecting to see during the
:26:34. > :26:38.day at this time of year. It will brighten up nicely into the
:26:38. > :26:43.afternoon. High pressure is dominating, hardly any winds to
:26:43. > :26:49.speak of. By the time we get into the afternoon, it is feeling like a
:26:49. > :26:56.lovely day. Temperatures in the mid- to late teens. Highs around 14
:26:56. > :27:02.degrees. We could even see up to 16 degrees. A lovely day to be out and
:27:02. > :27:08.about. It stays very mild overnight. Sunday it is going to be a repeat
:27:08. > :27:13.of Saturday. A little bit more cloud first thing. Temperatures up
:27:13. > :27:23.towards London around 15 degrees. As we move into the new week, the
:27:23. > :27:26.high pressure moves northwards. Monday and Tuesday, once again
:27:26. > :27:30.around average. Make the most of the lovely weather at the weekend.