:00:00. > 3:59:59from the BBC News at Six. So it's goodbye from me. On BBC One we now
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South East Today, I'm join the BBC's news teams
:00:00. > :00:09.Welcome to South East Today, I'm John Young. And I'm Bryony
:00:10. > :00:14.MacKenzie. Tonight's top stories: A crucial vote on banning the ?300 a
:00:15. > :00:17.minute betting machines. Our councils warn they cause misery.
:00:18. > :00:20.We're live in Westminster with the latest.
:00:21. > :00:24.Jail for five gang members found guilty of trafficking women into the
:00:25. > :00:36.South East and forcing them into prostitution. Those who want to
:00:37. > :00:40.engage in this crime, we will pursue you.
:00:41. > :00:43.We'll have an exclusive report from Hungary on the victims forced to
:00:44. > :00:46.sell sex. Also in tonight's programme: The
:00:47. > :00:49.Sussex care home where neglect contributed to at least five deaths
:00:50. > :00:54.is under new management, but inspectors say it's still failing.
:00:55. > :00:57.He survived a mock execution in South America ` now the botanist who
:00:58. > :01:03.returned to Kent to create his dream garden is heading back to Columbia.
:01:04. > :01:06.We hear why. And focusing on the stars ` the
:01:07. > :01:13.inventor from Kent who says his device to make telescopes easy to
:01:14. > :01:15.use was his gift to the world. I do not get any royalties for it but I
:01:16. > :01:29.do not care. Good evening. MPs will vote this
:01:30. > :01:32.evening on a campaign to give our local authorities the right to ban
:01:33. > :01:36.high stakes roulette machines from betting shops. Councillors in Kent
:01:37. > :01:39.and Sussex say the machines which allow bets of up to ?300 a minute
:01:40. > :01:46.are highly addictive, causing misery for gamblers who rack up huge debts.
:01:47. > :01:49.Some experts have described fixed odds betting terminals as "the crack
:01:50. > :01:53.cocaine of gambling" and say they're spreading like an epidemic. But
:01:54. > :01:57.bookmakers dispute the claims and maintain there's no need for new
:01:58. > :02:07.legislation. Our Political Reporter Ellie Price has more.
:02:08. > :02:12.This person spent thousands per day on fixed odds betting terminals.
:02:13. > :02:28.I lost a lot of money. In Medway there are 31 betting
:02:29. > :02:33.shops. In Brighton and Hove there are 51 betting shops with 204
:02:34. > :02:40.machines. All those bitters possible to bet ?100 every 20 seconds. No
:02:41. > :02:50.more than four terminals are allowed in each betting shop.
:02:51. > :02:55.These machines are causing problems for families and communities. Local
:02:56. > :02:59.communities believe they have the evidence. Should not they be given
:03:00. > :03:07.the power to decide whether they want these machines? Councils
:03:08. > :03:11.already have powers to tackle the issue and councils should make full
:03:12. > :03:19.use of that power. There may be more to do.
:03:20. > :03:25.The 33,000 fixed at betting machines make 1.5 million pounds per year.
:03:26. > :03:31.The industry says further regulation is not necessary. There is no
:03:32. > :03:35.evidence that this is more addictive than any other type of gambling. We
:03:36. > :03:47.have measures in place to help able. We have introduced a chord for
:03:48. > :03:56.responsible gambling. My constituents will recognise that
:03:57. > :04:00.much of what is being done today in Parliament as political posturing.
:04:01. > :04:05.They will appreciate that these machines are as a consequence of the
:04:06. > :04:16.last government's legislation which liberalised gambling in bookmakers.
:04:17. > :04:22.The government says it has initiated a review and the results will be due
:04:23. > :04:37.in the spring. Ellie joins us from Westminster.
:04:38. > :04:49.These machines sprung up following legislation from the last
:04:50. > :04:53.government. Labour disputes that. This is an opposition DDB which
:04:54. > :05:03.means it will require support from Tory rebel MPs.
:05:04. > :05:07.I have spoken to a few who say they want to wait for the result of the
:05:08. > :05:10.review. A gang who trafficked more than 50
:05:11. > :05:13.Eastern European women into Britain, and forced them to work as
:05:14. > :05:16.prostitutes in hotels across the South East, have today been
:05:17. > :05:19.sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison. Mate Puskas, Victoria Brown
:05:20. > :05:21.and Zoltan Mohacsi were found guilty yesterday of running an
:05:22. > :05:25.international people trafficking gang. Brothers Istvan and Peter Toth
:05:26. > :05:28.have gone on the run they have been sentenced to jail today in their
:05:29. > :05:31.absence. Some of their victims worked in a brothel on the
:05:32. > :05:40.University of Sussex campus. Piers Hopkirk reports from Hove Crown
:05:41. > :05:43.Court. CCTV records a group of young
:05:44. > :05:49.Hungarian woman moments after arriving in the UK. They are bound
:05:50. > :05:55.for brothels across the region. A life of sexual exploitation. Today
:05:56. > :06:01.began that cashed in on their misery was sentenced to a total of 23
:06:02. > :06:05.years. This sends out a strong message. For those that want to
:06:06. > :06:17.engage in this crime, we will pursue you, investigate, prosecute.
:06:18. > :06:24.Mate Puskas was sentenced to six years. Victoria Brown got three
:06:25. > :06:38.years. Zoltan Mohacsi received four years. Istvan Toth and Francis Court
:06:39. > :06:48.are on the run. They have been given five years.
:06:49. > :06:57.The women came from one of the poorest parts of Hungary.
:06:58. > :07:08.How many men would you have two C? In one day, five.
:07:09. > :07:11.Their housing manager had an anonymous e`mail which tipped us off
:07:12. > :07:24.about the use of our flats as a brothel. He too is a decision to
:07:25. > :07:27.contact the number. With the assistance of security staff he
:07:28. > :07:34.started the investigation. The judge told the gang, this is
:07:35. > :07:40.serious offending behaviour which society finds repugnant.
:07:41. > :07:42.The authorities believe there are many other members of this
:07:43. > :07:48.international sex trafficking ring, don't they?
:07:49. > :07:55.Yes. The five people who were sentenced today are by no means the
:07:56. > :08:06.full extent of that gang. The investigation file mentioned a
:08:07. > :08:09.number of other suspects. And you will have heard the police
:08:10. > :08:15.spokesperson talking of his termination that these people will
:08:16. > :08:19.face us this. And later in the programme we'll
:08:20. > :08:21.bring you the second part of our exclusive report from Hungary,
:08:22. > :08:24.focusing on the victims rescued from sex trafficking, how they're
:08:25. > :08:27.rebuilding their lives and what's being done to tackle the crime.
:08:28. > :08:31.In a moment: Above`inflation increases to park at our stations `
:08:32. > :08:41.union leaders accuse rail bosses of daylight robbery.
:08:42. > :08:45.The Sussex care home where neglect contributed to at least five deaths
:08:46. > :08:48.is under new management and has a new name, but inspectors say it's
:08:49. > :08:55.still failing to deliver acceptable levels of care for vulnerable
:08:56. > :08:57.elderly residents. The Care Quality Commission has
:08:58. > :09:00.serious concerns about Francis Court in Copthorne, near Gatwick,
:09:01. > :09:05.following a series of unannounced inspections. It's on the site of the
:09:06. > :09:12.former Orchid View care home, which was criticised by a coroner for
:09:13. > :09:19.institutionalised abuse and neglect. Our News Correspondent Yvette Austin
:09:20. > :09:26.is in Copthorne. How serious are the problems at Francis Court?
:09:27. > :09:32.In October the Care Quality Commission carried out three spot
:09:33. > :09:36.checks. They found so many feelings that enforcement action was taken.
:09:37. > :09:41.No other people were allowed into the home. In December they found
:09:42. > :09:46.improvements, but still more feelings. When it came to the
:09:47. > :09:55.management of medicine they said people could still be at risk.
:09:56. > :09:59.It is always difficult when you take over our home that has complex
:10:00. > :10:03.issues. It is changing the culture of the home. It is not a surprise
:10:04. > :10:15.that there will still be things outstanding.
:10:16. > :10:18.And Yvette, tell us more about the neglect and abuse that was uncovered
:10:19. > :10:25.when this care home was known as Orchid View.
:10:26. > :10:30.We must be clear that this home is now under new management and
:10:31. > :10:40.ownership. But last year an inquest heard of multiple incidents. The new
:10:41. > :10:46.regime has got to put together a new report to say how it will carry out
:10:47. > :10:49.more improvements. An inquest into the death of a
:10:50. > :10:52.teenager from Rochester who was killed on New Year's Day has been
:10:53. > :10:56.opened and adjourned. Augustine Carnell was walking home along the
:10:57. > :11:00.A229 at Bluebell Hill in the early hours of January first when he was
:11:01. > :11:04.hit by a car. The Competition Commission says it
:11:05. > :11:07.will decide by the end of April whether it has the power to ban
:11:08. > :11:11.Eurotunnel from running ferry services from Dover. The Commission
:11:12. > :11:14.was ordered to look again at the issue in December, after Eurotunnel
:11:15. > :11:17.successfully appealed against a ruling that it should no longer run
:11:18. > :11:20.the MyFerryLink service. A couple from Kent have been
:11:21. > :11:24.reunited with their 11 stolen puppies after the police received a
:11:25. > :11:27.tip`off and found them dumped in a garage. As we reported last night,
:11:28. > :11:31.the golden retrievers were stolen yesterday from their kennels in
:11:32. > :11:34.Westwell, near Ashford. Union leaders have accused rail
:11:35. > :11:36.bosses of "daylight robbery" for introducing above`inflation
:11:37. > :11:42.increases to station car park charges. The average increase on the
:11:43. > :11:48.Southern network is 3.57 per cent, almost double the Southeastern
:11:49. > :11:52.average of two per cent. One of the highest rises is at
:11:53. > :11:56.Redhill Station in Surrey, where the price of an annual parking ticket is
:11:57. > :12:00.now more than ?1,000 ` up by more than four per cent. Experts say it's
:12:01. > :12:09.because there is a large and growing demand for station parking.
:12:10. > :12:13.It is a double whammy for the commuters. January is when the
:12:14. > :12:17.season`ticket prices go up and it is also when the car park prices go
:12:18. > :12:21.up. They are getting hit on two sites.
:12:22. > :12:23.So let's take a closer look at some of the price rises on the Southern
:12:24. > :12:27.network. In Eastbourne the price of an annual
:12:28. > :12:32.parking ticket has now reached ?735. In Brighton the price has gone up to
:12:33. > :12:36.more than ?950. And the most expensive on the network is Haywards
:12:37. > :12:39.Heath, where it now costs nearly ?1,140 for an annual ticket.
:12:40. > :12:52.Passengers there today said the cost of parking was far too high.
:12:53. > :13:02.It is very expensive. It is too expensive. It is not fair.
:13:03. > :13:12.Well let's cross live to our reporter Mark Sanders in Brighton.
:13:13. > :13:17.What has Southern had to say, Mark? Southern says its rates are based on
:13:18. > :13:29.market forces. It says any money made on car parks is put back into
:13:30. > :13:35.its stations. But it is clear that passengers arriving tonight will
:13:36. > :13:40.have enjoyed this year after these in real terms when it comes to their
:13:41. > :13:45.train tickets, but there is no price cap when it comes to car parks.
:13:46. > :13:48.Tonight the Department for Transport has urged rail operators to show
:13:49. > :13:50.restraint when it comes to increasing parking charges at
:13:51. > :13:52.stations and to recognise the cost`of`living pressures faced by
:13:53. > :13:57.passengers. This is our top story tonight: MPs
:13:58. > :14:01.will vote tonight on whether to give our local authorities the right to
:14:02. > :14:07.ban high stakes roulette machines. From betting shops. Councillors in
:14:08. > :14:10.the South East say the machines, which allow bets of up to ?300 a
:14:11. > :14:12.minute are far too addictive. Bookmakers say new legislation's not
:14:13. > :14:15.necessary. Also in tonight's programme: The
:14:16. > :14:18.botanist who faced execution at the hands of South American terrorists,
:14:19. > :14:21.but survived to build a dream garden in Kent, is heading back to
:14:22. > :14:28.Columbia. Tom Hart Dyke joins us in the studio
:14:29. > :14:34.to tell us why. It is wet and cloudy into tonight.
:14:35. > :14:41.Join me later for the weather forecast.
:14:42. > :14:44.Let's return to one of our top stories tonight ` the criminal
:14:45. > :14:48.jailed for trafficking young Eastern European women into the South East
:14:49. > :14:54.and forcing them into the sex trade. But what happens to those women once
:14:55. > :14:57.they're freed? The Hungarian government says most of the victims
:14:58. > :14:59.have returned home and are receiving help to rebuild their shattered
:15:00. > :15:01.lives. Our Special Correspondent Colin
:15:02. > :15:05.Campbell has been given exclusive access to a safe house in Hungary
:15:06. > :15:13.where sex trafficked women are being rehabilitated.
:15:14. > :15:19.Hidden in the Hungarian countryside, I am on my way to a secret location
:15:20. > :15:23.where victims of trafficking are recovering from the horrors of
:15:24. > :15:29.sexual exploitation. This single mother was trafficked overseas by a
:15:30. > :15:42.handy pen. He beat her and threatened to put her children into
:15:43. > :15:57.a foster home. `` was trafficked overseas by a pimp.
:15:58. > :16:02.We provide psychological help. It depends on the condition of the
:16:03. > :16:06.victim. The Hungarian victim does not know how many women are being
:16:07. > :16:15.trafficked that they believe it is hundreds, possibly thousands. Not a
:16:16. > :16:19.single person has been convicted or imprisoned in Hungary over the last
:16:20. > :16:22.12 months. The Hungarian authorities suggests the ability to combat the
:16:23. > :16:34.crime is limited. What are the Hungarian authorities
:16:35. > :16:36.doing? It is not possible without close cooperation with other
:16:37. > :16:56.countries. England is not the only destination.
:16:57. > :17:08.This person was taken to Holland when she was a teenager. She told me
:17:09. > :17:13.how she escaped. She was standing on the street and a client came. She
:17:14. > :17:22.got into his car and told the man that she cannot stand it any more.
:17:23. > :17:27.This is how she could get away. This person also managed to flee
:17:28. > :17:33.from the pimp controlling her. Although the government says it has
:17:34. > :17:39.a robust strategy, many dispute its impact.
:17:40. > :17:42.He was kidnapped during an expedition to discover rare plants
:17:43. > :17:45.Colombia, held hostage in the jungle for nine months by Marxist
:17:46. > :17:54.guerrillas, and subjected to beatings and death threats. So you
:17:55. > :17:58.wouldn't blame Tom Hart`Dyke, a botanist from Kent, if he'd vowed
:17:59. > :18:01.never again to set foot in the South American country. But later this
:18:02. > :18:03.month he's flying back to Colombia, after accepting an invitation from
:18:04. > :18:07.the country's ambassador to Britain. In a moment we'll speak to Tom here
:18:08. > :18:18.in the studio, but first, here's a reminder of his ordeal.
:18:19. > :18:26.The two men appeared in good spirits.
:18:27. > :18:32.They said they would do an execution. They held guns and knives
:18:33. > :19:09.to us. What a selection of house plants.
:19:10. > :19:14.Absolutely awesome. This is fantastic.
:19:15. > :19:22.It is a fantastic story. Thank you for joining us.
:19:23. > :19:32.Why are you going back? Horticultural therapy. To go back
:19:33. > :19:43.would`be great therapy. To see a country that I have yet to properly
:19:44. > :19:56.see. It will be a packed week. What do your friends and family think? I
:19:57. > :20:06.had to ask my mother first. She said, that is fine. She said if I
:20:07. > :20:14.recognise anybody from 13 years ago to come back.
:20:15. > :20:26.Is that rucksack going back to South America? It is.
:20:27. > :20:38.Tell us what this is. This is the diary that I kept during captivity.
:20:39. > :20:47.This is where the garden that I created originally started.
:20:48. > :21:00.Was it worth going through all that for an orchid?
:21:01. > :21:07.We saw some fantastic plants. In hindsight, you could say it was
:21:08. > :21:13.worth it. This is full circle. Thank you for coming in.
:21:14. > :21:16.Brighton and Hove Albion have confirmed Liam Bridcutt has handed
:21:17. > :21:19.in a transfer request. The midfielder has been heavily linked
:21:20. > :21:22.with a move to Premier League Sunderland ` managed by former
:21:23. > :21:35.Seagulls boss Gus Poyet. The club says the request has been rejected.
:21:36. > :21:38.Football, and Crawley Town are hoping their FA Cup second round
:21:39. > :21:41.replay can finally go ahead this evening after two postponements.
:21:42. > :21:44.They're due to host Bristol Rovers but the first attempt was abandoned
:21:45. > :21:48.in the second half due to a waterlogged pitch. The second match
:21:49. > :21:56.had to be cold off before a ball was kicked. We are fairly confident. The
:21:57. > :22:02.groundsman and his assistant is working hard on it. Hopefully it
:22:03. > :22:05.will be all systems go. The BBC's Stargazing series is back
:22:06. > :22:08.this week and the chances are, if you've ever examined the night sky
:22:09. > :22:12.by looking through a telescope, you've used a little known piece of
:22:13. > :22:15.equipment cold the Crayford Eyepiece Mount to focus it.
:22:16. > :22:19.Well the name Crayford may give you a clue that it has a Kent connection
:22:20. > :22:23.` its inventor was a man named John Wall, who was born in the area of
:22:24. > :22:26.the same name near Dartford. He never patented it and today almost
:22:27. > :22:29.every telescope in the world uses a variation of his original idea.
:22:30. > :22:45.Steven George has been finding out more.
:22:46. > :22:53.The moon, the son, the galaxies. All captured by a telescope. These
:22:54. > :23:01.telescopes, and just about every other one, have a device cold a
:23:02. > :23:11.Crayford eyepiece mount. This is the original one. Focus the eyepiece so
:23:12. > :23:16.that you can see the stars or the object you are looking at. Focus is
:23:17. > :23:33.one of the most difficult things in astronomy.
:23:34. > :23:41.The device was designed in the late 1960s by John Wall.
:23:42. > :23:48.Within two days I had built one and put it on a telescope. It worked
:23:49. > :23:57.perfectly. It is the only time a prototype has worked first time.
:23:58. > :24:16.As the BBC stargazing programme returns, .
:24:17. > :24:23.This has revolutionised how astronomy.
:24:24. > :24:40.And yet John never patented or profited from his invention. It was
:24:41. > :24:47.the property of the firm. I do not get any royalties. It does
:24:48. > :24:56.not worry me. It is all over the planet.
:24:57. > :25:05.Thanks to one man some of us are looking at the stars.
:25:06. > :25:11.Stargazing Live is on BBC Two tonight at 8pm. And you can download
:25:12. > :25:14.a free calendar showing what to watch out for in the night sky
:25:15. > :25:28.throughout the year, from our website.
:25:29. > :25:38.Here is the weather. Not so good tonight, but tomorrow
:25:39. > :25:46.not too bad. Tomorrow it will be cold and clear. Earlier it was dry.
:25:47. > :25:55.We saw some sunshine. It will not stay that way. More cloud around as
:25:56. > :26:00.we went through the afternoon. Temperatures relatively mild for the
:26:01. > :26:10.time of year. Those winds finally easing off. As we go through tonight
:26:11. > :26:27.the cloud cover finally thickens. Certainly not a cold night. I'll
:26:28. > :26:37.start to the day tomorrow. This area of high pressure will be building.
:26:38. > :26:45.That means dry and brighter weather. It will feel a bit cooler. The winds
:26:46. > :26:51.will pick up a little bit. Temperatures still double figures
:26:52. > :27:04.along the coast. Perfect for stargazing as we head through to
:27:05. > :27:07.more night. It is cold and clear. It will be a cold bright start to
:27:08. > :27:21.Friday. It will not stay entirely dry. Winds will still be relatively
:27:22. > :27:27.light. There will be some rain. It will be wet as we go from Friday
:27:28. > :27:32.into Saturday. Dry weather as we head towards the weekend. Rain
:27:33. > :27:41.during the tail end of Sunday. Plenty of dry weather ahead.
:27:42. > :27:46.I am back at 10:25pm. Goodbye.