:00:00. > :00:00.from the west That is all from the
:00:00. > :00:09.Welcome to South East Today. I'm Rob Smith.
:00:10. > :00:14.And I'm Bryony MacKenzie. Tonight's top stories: It wasn't suicide `
:00:15. > :00:17.the Kent family of a man found hanged in Zimbabwe offer a reward
:00:18. > :00:20.after suspecting foul play. It is important to find out what happened.
:00:21. > :00:26.We don't believe he committed suicide. We believe he was murdered.
:00:27. > :00:29.Foolish not to frack ` the US energy expert visiting Balcombe and
:00:30. > :00:35.addressing Parliament on the controversial process.
:00:36. > :00:38.Also: A huge jump in the number of Kent children being put up for a
:00:39. > :00:41.adoption and a plea for more potential parents to come forward.
:00:42. > :00:44.We're live in Maidstone with the details.
:00:45. > :00:46.A very special tribute for the man who created the Battle of Britain
:00:47. > :00:54.Museum, Mike Llewellyn MBE. And, it's the country's biggest
:00:55. > :00:56.fireworks spectacular ` we celebrate an evening of organised
:00:57. > :01:15.chaos at the Lewes Bonfire. Good evening. The Kent family of a
:01:16. > :01:19.former SAS soldier who was running a goldmine in Zimbabwe say they're
:01:20. > :01:24.convinced he was murdered for money. Robert Wood was found hanged at the
:01:25. > :01:27.home he rented with his mistress. A coroner hearing the case in
:01:28. > :01:30.Surrey here has said some of the evidence about the death is very
:01:31. > :01:33.suspicious, but there is insufficient detail to draw any
:01:34. > :01:36.firm conclusions. Wood's brother in Dover is offering a ?15,000 reward
:01:37. > :01:46.for information. Simon Jones reports.
:01:47. > :01:50.With his essay s training, Robert would's family say he was used to
:01:51. > :01:58.dealing with tough situation and had everything to sift `` live
:01:59. > :02:03.fought `` robert macro's family. We believe he was murdered.
:02:04. > :02:09.You want to get some final closure on it. If it is left open there is
:02:10. > :02:15.still the niggling question in the back of your mind. So it is very
:02:16. > :02:19.important we push forward with this, try and get the Zimbabwe
:02:20. > :02:28.authorities to do something about it. He was running a gold mind ``
:02:29. > :02:32.mind in Bulawayo. He was found hanged and a pathologist concluded
:02:33. > :02:38.he had taken his own life. But at an inquest this week, his brother
:02:39. > :02:46.said he uncovered evidence to say ` ` show his will had been forged. It
:02:47. > :02:52.is a very important to find out how someone you love has died. Everyone
:02:53. > :02:57.is trying to stay strong. The coroner said that some of what he
:02:58. > :03:03.had heard seemed odd and very suspicious. But he had to recognise
:03:04. > :03:06.that what has been said, much of it is speculation and there is
:03:07. > :03:12.insufficient evidence to determine probably how he came by his death
:03:13. > :03:21.and he recorded an open verdict. The brother Trafford from Dover to
:03:22. > :03:25.Zimbabwe where he died and `` travelled from Dover. He said many
:03:26. > :03:33.people are unwilling to talk about what happened but he said that the
:03:34. > :03:36.reward made proved fruitful. Surrey police, which reviewed the
:03:37. > :03:41.circumstances of his death, have told the family they found no
:03:42. > :03:48.evidence to indicate third party involvement but they did carry out
:03:49. > :03:55.a formal investigation. We can cross to a BBC reporter in
:03:56. > :03:57.South Africa. Milton, this reward put up by the family for
:03:58. > :04:16.information about robert Roberts deaf is that being followed
:04:17. > :04:22.in Zimbabwe? `` Robert's death. Some people on the ground to I
:04:23. > :04:30.spoke to today in Zimbabwe are aware of the reward but it is worth
:04:31. > :04:35.25 US dollars which is a lot of money here. I think the police hope
:04:36. > :04:40.that the money might actually encourage people to come forward
:04:41. > :04:46.and the family are looking forward to here more about those who know
:04:47. > :04:54.more about this story. This happened in South Zimbabwe and this
:04:55. > :05:01.mine is in the south of Bulawayo, about 25 kilometres and not far
:05:02. > :05:08.from where Cecil John Rhodes was buried. The Lady Hook is called
:05:09. > :05:16.into question here was in their house with Robert at the time of
:05:17. > :05:21.his death. `` the lady who was in the House. She is now involved in a
:05:22. > :05:32.long legal battle to get control of the mind again.
:05:33. > :05:41.The UK would be foolish not to for lack `` flack for gas according to
:05:42. > :05:46.an expert to appeared in the parliament today. He says we need
:05:47. > :05:52.to put aside our fears and exploit the windfall.
:05:53. > :05:57.This morning he has been in Sussex to see for himself the
:05:58. > :06:05.controversial process there. Test drilling at Balkan and most
:06:06. > :06:19.protesters gone. Today a visit by a man from the US who they call the
:06:20. > :06:23."flack master". We'd do it in or Texas where I live and the
:06:24. > :06:28.universities and underneath homes and buildings. At least here there
:06:29. > :06:33.is a nice wide open area. There has been no fracking in Sussex yet but
:06:34. > :06:36.does the idea brought out protesters in the summer. Top of
:06:37. > :06:44.their concerns was water contamination. The key thing is the
:06:45. > :06:48.contamination of the water supply. You have to wonder whether
:06:49. > :06:57.conditions are therefore safe fracking. Wales have been drilled
:06:58. > :07:05.in the United States `` Wells. If the process was flawed there would
:07:06. > :07:11.be massive issues in the United States coast`to`coast. The but
:07:12. > :07:19.Quadrille has already you run into problems with earth tremors. We are
:07:20. > :07:28.not talking about a big earthquake but a micro seismic event. And did
:07:29. > :07:36.they make a mistake by doing it near Blackpool? I think they
:07:37. > :07:41.admitted they had made a mistake near fault areas. Surely that will
:07:42. > :07:48.not be good enough it will contaminate people's water?
:07:49. > :07:58.Mistakes can happen anywhere. The reality is that if you look at the
:07:59. > :08:08.Wells we have looked `` done in the US, we drilled down 3,000 or 4,000
:08:09. > :08:13.metres. Fracking contaminates thwarting `` water every time is
:08:14. > :08:19.foolish. The people here aren't convinced. They say it is shallower
:08:20. > :08:25.here then in the US and the rocks might not be stable if fracking
:08:26. > :08:30.takes place. Here we have three major faults which could be used as
:08:31. > :08:34.conduits to bring up gases from the bottom up to the surface and it
:08:35. > :08:44.would be very unhealthy. There are risks but against, he believes, are
:08:45. > :08:53.too large to lose. It is a natural resource and that is shale gas. In
:08:54. > :08:56.Blackpool alone, if 10% were extracted it would be 50 years were
:08:57. > :09:02.for the UK. The investigations into a
:09:03. > :09:21.devastating fire in Tenterden. The number of new cases of children
:09:22. > :09:26.needing to be adopted in Kent has increased over the last year. It
:09:27. > :09:33.has prompted the county council to ask for more would`be parents to
:09:34. > :09:38.come forward. Lastly, the figure jumped to almost 200. The council
:09:39. > :09:44.says that over the same period it has doubled the say it ` might
:09:45. > :09:49.number of children adopted to 143. There is a challenge in finding the
:09:50. > :09:53.right house holds for vulnerable children in our care but we have
:09:54. > :09:57.tightened up our act and has seen a dramatic improvement in the number
:09:58. > :10:02.of children placed with adoptive families. But I would make an
:10:03. > :10:07.appeal to anyone thinking about adopting to get in touch because we
:10:08. > :10:11.would welcome you with open arms. Why are so many more children
:10:12. > :10:18.needing to be adopted? Since the number of high`profile abuse cases,
:10:19. > :10:22.are the number of children taken into care nationally has steadily
:10:23. > :10:27.increased. Last year, the government announced an overhaul of
:10:28. > :10:32.the adoption process to make it easier and simpler to adopt but
:10:33. > :10:37.there are concerns it is too long still. This couple from north Kent
:10:38. > :10:44.say it was a long haul but worth the wait. The council looking to
:10:45. > :10:48.every individual case to see if there are medical grounds...
:10:49. > :10:55.can do it. You don't even particularly have to have a job and
:10:56. > :11:03.you can be single. You have to give love and care and time. It is
:11:04. > :11:09.totally worth it. People get put off by the time, the intrusion
:11:10. > :11:14.under no stone unturned... It is intrusive but for a good reason and
:11:15. > :11:17.it makes you reflect on what you're doing and understand what you
:11:18. > :11:21.really want. You have to remember that the social workers try to
:11:22. > :11:28.understand who we are to make sure it is Dave and to make sure that it
:11:29. > :11:34.is a right match `` to make sure it is safe. We are there forever mummy
:11:35. > :11:38.and daddy and for that to go wrong because someone didn't do their
:11:39. > :11:43.homework would be twice as bad as if it didn't happen at all. You can
:11:44. > :11:48.also understand why people do not want the intrusion. I would say to
:11:49. > :11:52.people, it is a child's life and the alternative is to leave them in
:11:53. > :11:56.the system. Everyone is vocal about complaining about the youth of
:11:57. > :12:03.today and it is not surprising when people do not give kids a chance.
:12:04. > :12:10.Rebecca, what does the council say it spigots barriers are? They say
:12:11. > :12:15.their main issue is finding a wide mix and variety of families willing
:12:16. > :12:18.to adopt for stay they say it is hardest to home children from
:12:19. > :12:22.ethnic minority backgrounds, children with disabilities and
:12:23. > :12:26.those who are perhaps older with siblings but they say they always
:12:27. > :12:30.actively recruit. There seems to be a popular misconception that if you
:12:31. > :12:35.are over a certain age, are overweight or below a certain
:12:36. > :12:39.income it might be difficult to be successful in the adoption process.
:12:40. > :12:44.Today, the British Association of adopting and fostering says that is
:12:45. > :12:49.a myth NT could be preventing hundreds of children in the south`
:12:50. > :12:53.east from finding homes `` and it could be preventing.
:12:54. > :12:56.The council says it is doing all it can to speed up the process and
:12:57. > :13:13.asks all would`be family's to contact them.
:13:14. > :13:16.A 40 you will `` A 40 year jail term given to a convicted murderer
:13:17. > :13:19.from Sussex is being referred to the Court of Appeal as "unduly
:13:20. > :13:23.lenient". Ian McLoughlin killed 66` year`old Graham Buck on his very
:13:24. > :13:26.first day of temporary release from prison. He had previously been
:13:27. > :13:30.convicted of killing two other men. He was given a minimum 40`year jail
:13:31. > :13:36.term last month at the Old Bailey. Newhaven was the only exception of
:13:37. > :13:41.South East beaches to pass the water quality tests. From 2015, the
:13:42. > :13:45.water quality at Britain's beaches will be measured against stricter
:13:46. > :13:49.levels. One of two nuclear reactors at
:13:50. > :13:55.Dungeness B has been reconnected today after it had to be shut down
:13:56. > :13:59.after last week's storms. EDF Energy says it is working on
:14:00. > :14:12.reconnecting the second plant. It supplies plants for 1.5 million
:14:13. > :14:16.homes. A male prostitute beat a man to
:14:17. > :14:19.death and left his body to rot in his basement flat in Brighton, a
:14:20. > :14:22.court has heard. Ricardo Pisano is accused of murdering Michael
:14:23. > :14:26.Polding at the end of May last year. Police found Mr Polding's badly
:14:27. > :14:29.decomposed body at his flat in Kemp Town two months later. Piers
:14:30. > :14:33.Hopkirk has been following the case at Lewes Crown Court and is in Kemp
:14:34. > :14:37.Town, where Mr Polding lived. Piers what happened in court today?
:14:38. > :14:42.The prosecution has begun its case. It is heard that he was a male
:14:43. > :14:49.prostitute who got into a relationship with Michael Polding.
:14:50. > :14:53.They moved into a flat here in Brighton on St Georges Road. The
:14:54. > :15:00.court heard that at the end of May the relationship turned to violence
:15:01. > :15:04.and the prosecution alleges that Ricardo Pisano attacked Mr Polding
:15:05. > :15:10.and beat him to death. He then wrapped his body in bed linen and
:15:11. > :15:14.left him on the bed. He wasn't discovered for some two months. The
:15:15. > :15:24.pathologist who carried out the post`mortem found he suffered a 26
:15:25. > :15:28.separate fractures. The prosecuting `` prosecutors said the he had been
:15:29. > :15:32.bled financially before his body was left to rot.
:15:33. > :15:38.What else was the jury told about the man accused?
:15:39. > :15:44.Ricardo Pisano is 36 from South Africa and he acted as a male
:15:45. > :15:49.prostitute. He denies murder and a separate count of causing grievous
:15:50. > :15:55.bodily harm. He claims to police that he discovered that Mr Polding
:15:56. > :15:59.has in fact `` had, in fact, committed suicide and the case
:16:00. > :16:03.continues. A huge fire has destroyed one of
:16:04. > :16:06.the oldest family run businesses in Kent. The blaze ripped through
:16:07. > :16:08.Webbs of Tenterden just after six last night.
:16:09. > :16:12.Ten fire engines were called to the scene, and at its height more than
:16:13. > :16:15.50 firecrew were battling to bring it under control. Chrissie Reidy
:16:16. > :16:19.has been speaking to the current owner of the business about their
:16:20. > :16:23.devastating loss. It was a bit like going to Bonfire
:16:24. > :16:29.Night with people standing around and watching. The police and fire
:16:30. > :16:34.brigade were here and we just had to watch it in slow motion really
:16:35. > :16:38.fear stopped it is a bonfire night the couple say they will never
:16:39. > :16:43.forget. Just after 7 o'clock last night, and fired ripped through
:16:44. > :16:51.their ironmonger shop in the heart of the town. I have had better
:16:52. > :16:56.bonfire nights. It was like waking up from a nightmare thinking it
:16:57. > :17:01.will be all right but it is not an coming to terms with what is left.
:17:02. > :17:05.Fire crews had a mammoth task on their hand. Here, a lot of
:17:06. > :17:10.buildings are old with a lot of timber and many buildings are joint.
:17:11. > :17:16.Fire crews had to work quickly to get the fire under control.
:17:17. > :17:18.Emergency services were called to the High Street as Bonfire
:17:19. > :17:25.celebrations elsewhere got under way. More than 60 firefighters
:17:26. > :17:33.tackled the flames. Until we can don't the building in the Rif area
:17:34. > :17:40.up to `` the roof area at and to get water through that was our main
:17:41. > :17:46.concern. The couple has a long history in Tenterden. We have lost
:17:47. > :17:51.so much. Paintings from window displays. I was walking through the
:17:52. > :17:58.high street and somebody gave me a bunch of roses. It is unclear how
:17:59. > :18:05.the fire started. Forensics will sift through the rugby will and a
:18:06. > :18:09.forensic investigation will begin. `` and a
:18:10. > :18:15.will begin after they have sifted through the rubble.
:18:16. > :18:18.The family of a former SAS soldier who was running a gold mine in
:18:19. > :18:24.South Africa say they are convinced he was murdered for money. His
:18:25. > :18:31.brother in Dover is now offering a ?15,000 reward for information.
:18:32. > :18:35.Also: Some 30,000 descended on Lewes for an evening of fun and
:18:36. > :18:38.fire and we will take a look at the best images.
:18:39. > :18:42.The weather may not be looking its best at the moment but I will be
:18:43. > :18:49.bringing you the best prospects at the end of the programme.
:18:50. > :18:56.Mike Llewellyn MBE celebrated for creating the largest collection of
:18:57. > :19:01.artefacts from the Battle of Britain and creating it in a
:19:02. > :19:04.dedicated museum in Hawkinge. Sadly, he recently died after a long
:19:05. > :19:14.illness. The British met the challenge by
:19:15. > :19:19.throwing in everything they had... Of Churchill named it the Battle of
:19:20. > :19:23.Britain and it was the turning point of World War II. That summer
:19:24. > :19:27.of 1940 fascinated Mike Llewellyn and when his brother told him about
:19:28. > :19:36.the wreck of the Spitfire he wanted to search for more. I saw it. He
:19:37. > :19:42.never saw the Battle of Britain. On Christmas Eve, with a bird in the
:19:43. > :19:50.oven, I got a phone call, "I found one!" after that it got bigger and
:19:51. > :19:56.bigger. Recovering them. Then the engines were salvaged and coming in.
:19:57. > :20:01.It just got bigger and bigger. Mike and a group of like`minded
:20:02. > :20:04.enthusiasts went on to find over 700 aircraft's and matched them
:20:05. > :20:09.with photographs of the men from both sides who flew them. He sold
:20:10. > :20:14.his home and bought a site at the Hawkinge aerodrome to house his
:20:15. > :20:17.collection. Very few men have the opportunity to do something good
:20:18. > :20:21.with their lives and he chose to put his money and career Online to
:20:22. > :20:27.do it and everything here is due to him. To the history of the Battle
:20:28. > :20:33.of Britain will go on for many generations thanks to him and his
:20:34. > :20:40.input. David Brocklehurst began volunteering for Mike when he was
:20:41. > :20:45.10. Today, he drove the 1937 fire engine carrying his coffin. He was
:20:46. > :20:50.a very nice and modest individual so he would hate this publicity but
:20:51. > :20:56.his story needs to be told. Without him, there would not be the museum.
:20:57. > :21:00.Obviously, it at the Battle of Britain pilots to give us the
:21:01. > :21:07.subject but it takes men like Mike to commemorate and remember them.
:21:08. > :21:08.His ashes will be scattered from a skip `` spit fire over the White
:21:09. > :21:23.Cliffs of Dover. The Crawley Town boss has blamed
:21:24. > :21:29.individual errors by his players after two late goals led to the
:21:30. > :21:33.Sussex side's 4th defeat in a row against Brittle's `` Bristol City
:21:34. > :21:39.last night. The deadlock was broken in the 80th minute. Then it was
:21:40. > :21:46.make 2`0 to City with just two minutes on the clock.
:21:47. > :21:51.30,000 people Crown `` crammed onto the streets in a small Sussex town
:21:52. > :21:55.dragging barrels of fire. It is spectacular and it is the Lewes
:21:56. > :22:02.Bonfire. There were remarkably few serious
:22:03. > :22:05.interest `` incidents. Week to go looked back at the country's
:22:06. > :22:22.biggest November 5th celebrations. The modern world melts away in
:22:23. > :22:30.Hawkinge for one night a year. `` Lewes. On 5th November the town
:22:31. > :22:36.loses itself in the past. The tradition here runs deeper than the
:22:37. > :22:40.gunpowder Plot and also marks `` marks the Protestant martyrs burnt
:22:41. > :22:47.at the stake here in the 16th century. It is a huge event and
:22:48. > :22:52.among the crowds last night, 86 people were injured although none
:22:53. > :22:58.seriously. Sussex police say it is an improvement. A couple of years
:22:59. > :23:03.ago we saw a number of serious injuries and that gave everybody
:23:04. > :23:11.the opportunity to say it can't ever happen again. We saw the
:23:12. > :23:16.indiscriminate use of rock scare is being thrown to the ground and we
:23:17. > :23:22.drew a line in the sand. We have seen far fewer injuries and I am
:23:23. > :23:27.truly delighted with that. The fireworks have fizzled out and
:23:28. > :23:32.the clean`up has begun. Around 30,000 people crammed into Lewes
:23:33. > :23:41.last night and the town is slowly returning to normal. The best`ever
:23:42. > :23:48.bonfire yet? Always. The best one is next year. Firework night in
:23:49. > :23:54.Lewis `` Lewes is well`known Babylon `` beyond the boundaries of
:23:55. > :23:58.Sussex. When the bonfire societies march through the town next year,
:23:59. > :24:04.thousands will be drawn to the flames once again.
:24:05. > :24:09.It is an extraordinary thing to go to. You have to experience it to
:24:10. > :24:13.know what it is really like. Lots of you have been there before and
:24:14. > :24:20.plenty of you have sent in photos. Here are some of our favourites.
:24:21. > :24:33.That was from Ben Stanley. This is another from a Brighton fewer. One
:24:34. > :24:42.viewer from Brighton also says it was an amazing night.
:24:43. > :24:50.And he's a shops are from the front of the procession.
:24:51. > :24:54.I am glad it didn't rain and it wasn't too windy. It went pretty
:24:55. > :24:58.well. It wouldn't stop the people of
:24:59. > :25:04.Lewes, would it? It wouldn't. Now the weather.
:25:05. > :25:12.It is that time of year when it gets darker early and the weather
:25:13. > :25:18.is becoming gloomy. The next few days that really unsettled. Tonight
:25:19. > :25:23.will be wet and windy. Most of us thought a fair bit of rain or
:25:24. > :25:28.showers today and a lot of cloud cover around. Through the night,
:25:29. > :25:35.even if things dried up, chances are it will get pretty wet. Rain is
:25:36. > :25:42.heading our way with up to 10 mm falling for some of us.
:25:43. > :25:46.Temperatures drop to about nine Celsius and it could be even cooler
:25:47. > :25:50.than that for some. Tomorrow morning gradually the rain will
:25:51. > :25:56.start to clear away and by the time most of us are away kit should be a
:25:57. > :26:02.dry picture. Wet`weather will remain on coastal spots. The odd
:26:03. > :26:10.glimmer of sunshine later but a cloudy start for many of us. A bit
:26:11. > :26:15.less windy then today but the temperatures will be down a couple
:26:16. > :26:19.of degrees. The wet weather is never far away so towards Dover
:26:20. > :26:30.they could be heavy showers tomorrow afternoon. By tomorrow
:26:31. > :26:34.night, the wet weather will be back. It looks like it will be a wet
:26:35. > :26:40.night again so most of the rain will happen while where sleet. In
:26:41. > :26:45.the daytime on Friday, a fair bit of wet`weather just to the south of
:26:46. > :26:50.us. So the odd shower with sunny spells mixed in. That is what we
:26:51. > :26:56.are seeing in the next few days, a mixture.
:26:57. > :26:59.Thank you. Before we go, the BBC's children In Need appeal 2013 is
:27:00. > :27:00.taking place on Friday and we are planning something
:27:01. > :27:16.special. Join us on Friday November 15th at
:27:17. > :27:19.the Bluebell Railway for this year's children in need when you
:27:20. > :27:28.can get the chance to ride the Pudsey express.
:27:29. > :27:39.If you would like to join us, E Meyer last.
:27:40. > :27:50.Tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
:27:51. > :27:53.We will see later. Bye`bye.