:00:00. > :00:00.calls for UN peacekeepers to be sent in. That's all from the BBC News
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South East Today. I'm Polly Evans.
:00:07. > :00:10.I'm Rob Smith. Tonight's top stories: 21 ydars jail
:00:11. > :00:14.for the gang who beat and tortured a student, and threatened to bury him
:00:15. > :00:18.alive. We're live at Hove Crown Court with the details.
:00:19. > :00:20.Britain's biggest fare dodgdr ` a hedge fund manager from Sussex
:00:21. > :00:34.escaped prosecution by writhng a cheque for ?42,000.
:00:35. > :00:38.It is despicable. He is an intelligent man who put a lot into
:00:39. > :00:45.it, he put it into hide to be a criminal.
:00:46. > :00:48.`` how to be a criminal. Also in tonight's programme: The
:00:49. > :00:51.South East's fly`tipping hot spots ` how every forty four seconds someone
:00:52. > :00:54.dumps waste in our countryshde. A picture of a hero ` remembering the
:00:55. > :00:57."magnificent" Kent Soldier whose bravery in World War I won him a
:00:58. > :01:00.Victoria Cross. The grow`your`own gardeners from
:01:01. > :01:10.Sussex taking on all comers in the BBC's Big Allotment Challenge.
:01:11. > :01:15.Good evening. They tied up, gagged and tortured a
:01:16. > :01:19.Sussex student in an attempt to make him hand over money. Today, the gang
:01:20. > :01:23.of men responsible have been jailed for a total of 21 years for their
:01:24. > :01:26.parts in the crime. 21`year`old victim Benjamin Hutchings`Mhtchell
:01:27. > :01:29.was lured to a house in Hastings where he was beaten with a hammer,
:01:30. > :01:33.before being taken by his attackers to nearby woods where they discussed
:01:34. > :01:41.burying him alive. Piers Hopkirk reports.
:01:42. > :01:45.Battered and bruised, but alive Student Benjamin Hutchings`Litchell
:01:46. > :01:51.recovering in hospital after an attack described in court as brutal,
:01:52. > :01:58.outrageous and inhumane. Tonight the gang behind it are beginning prison
:01:59. > :02:04.sentences totalling 21 years. I have been a police officer for 22 years.
:02:05. > :02:10.This was one of the most he must crimes have seen. Gratuitous
:02:11. > :02:15.violence. Horrendous. He was beaten with a hammer, tied up with
:02:16. > :02:21.electrical cable and put into a body bag. He was given to isolatdd woods
:02:22. > :02:26.with the torture continued. I thought I was going to die. The red
:02:27. > :02:38.talking about taking me to ` forest. The gang leader, Sal Simon,
:02:39. > :02:44.said the attack, I may as wdll shoot you. I'm going to torture you. The
:02:45. > :02:47.judge said nobody who heard that can feel to have been good by their
:02:48. > :02:55.terror that must have been felt by the Vic. How frightening was this
:02:56. > :03:04.for the Vic them? He said in his evidence that he was terrifhed. He
:03:05. > :03:15.thought he was going to be killed. Sam Simon was jailed for nine
:03:16. > :03:25.years. Others in the gang, hncluding the driver, were sentenced to two
:03:26. > :03:29.years. A 17`year`old who cannot be named for legal reasons werd
:03:30. > :03:32.sentenced to four years. Tonight, all five are beginning their
:03:33. > :03:41.sentences for a crime policd described as showing a level of
:03:42. > :03:45.cruelty that was inexplicable. Are we any clearer as to whx this
:03:46. > :03:50.happened? The court was told that Sam Simon, the ringleader, was a
:03:51. > :03:55.drugs dealer in Hastings and in the weeks prior to this attack had lost
:03:56. > :04:00.a substantial amount of mondy. The police told me that Benjamin was
:04:01. > :04:05.targeted because they believe he was a soft touch. Tonight it has emerged
:04:06. > :04:10.that the Crown Prosecution Service has asked for the sentences handed
:04:11. > :04:12.down today to be reviewed over concerns they may have been too
:04:13. > :04:15.lenient. Rail unions are claiming a hedge
:04:16. > :04:18.fund manager dubbed "Britain's biggest rail fare dodger" w`s able
:04:19. > :04:21.to "buy silence" because of his wealth, after he repaid mord than
:04:22. > :04:28.?42,000 in unpaid fares and avoided prosecution. The RMT and TSSA unions
:04:29. > :04:30.say the agreement between the commuter and southeastern
:04:31. > :04:34.demonstrates, "one law for the rich and one for the poor". But the rail
:04:35. > :04:36.operator has defended the out`of`court settlement as the
:04:37. > :04:48.quickest way to recover the fares. Mark Norman is live at Stondgate
:04:49. > :04:59.Station. Mark, this fare dodging went on for more than five xears? It
:05:00. > :05:08.is extraordinary, isn't it? Five years, as you say. This person is a
:05:09. > :05:12.hedge fund manager, yet he lade a conscious decision not to bty a
:05:13. > :05:20.season ticket. There are lots of opportunities to buy tickets here.
:05:21. > :05:25.He made a conscious decision provide viewers not to paper that sdason
:05:26. > :05:30.ticket from here up to London Bridge. It costs ?5,000 a ydar to
:05:31. > :05:37.commute into London from thd station in Sussex. In 2008, successful fund
:05:38. > :05:41.manager decided he wasn't going to pay and managed not to pay for
:05:42. > :05:46.almost six years. Stonegate Station is quiet at this time of thd day.
:05:47. > :05:53.Commuters come to this allexway There is no ticket harrier. The man
:05:54. > :06:02.would have blocked past two signs warning him that he needed to have a
:06:03. > :06:08.ticket. On the platform, he would catch the train to London Bridge,
:06:09. > :06:13.move on to London Bridge. Pdople I have spoken to locally are pretty
:06:14. > :06:20.disgusted at what he did. Obviously, he is an intelligent man who has
:06:21. > :06:25.popped `` but thought into ht, but it is putting thought into being a
:06:26. > :06:29.criminal. It is despicable. That means everybody else was pl`ying for
:06:30. > :06:37.him. He probably saw the ch`nce to do it and did it. Is that OK? Of
:06:38. > :06:40.course not. I hope we got hhs comeuppance. There are constant
:06:41. > :06:47.attempts by train companies to persuade people to pay for tickets.
:06:48. > :06:51.Dave thinks it is OK to takd a free ride. Travelling on a train without
:06:52. > :07:00.paying for your journey is `gainst the law. A lack of barriers is
:07:01. > :07:07.tempting many. In total, ard fairer dodger managed to avoid a potential
:07:08. > :07:11.?42,000 worth of rail fares. Southeastern train say that on
:07:12. > :07:17.average 500 people a day avoid paying for their ticket. It is the
:07:18. > :07:21.ordinary travelling public that paid for their fares, even in hard times.
:07:22. > :07:26.That makes it even more disgusting that over a period of great economic
:07:27. > :07:33.uncertainty, with people struggling, he perpetrated this theft and gets
:07:34. > :07:37.to walk away with that. This evening the train company has said they
:07:38. > :07:46.recognised this as ever `` `s an important issue for customers who do
:07:47. > :07:52.pay their way. This is the London line. Yot have to
:07:53. > :07:57.presume this person will be standing on this platform tomorrow morning.
:07:58. > :08:02.They have had to pay back the ?43,000, and we understand they have
:08:03. > :08:06.nine it is a season ticket. The overall message here is if xou try
:08:07. > :08:12.to dodge paying the fare, you will eventually get caught. Well ,we ve
:08:13. > :08:15.had a big response to this story on social media.
:08:16. > :08:18.Ann Rogers said: "If he's p`id it back, why prosecute? Would only cost
:08:19. > :08:22.more money to take him to court . Linda Burke: "Too right he should be
:08:23. > :08:26.prosecuted. Just because he had the money to pay it back doesn't make it
:08:27. > :08:29.all right. After all, he only paid it back because he was caught".
:08:30. > :08:32.Cathy Martin: "Maybe people wouldn't try and cheat the system if the
:08:33. > :08:34.train companies charged a rdasonable fare. Train prices are ridiculously
:08:35. > :08:38.high". Ric Coulson: "Why has it taken five
:08:39. > :08:42.years for an inspector or anyone to cotton on to the fact he didn't have
:08:43. > :08:45.a ticket? The fares are so expensive. Paying for guards not to
:08:46. > :08:49.do their job and check in the first instance?".
:08:50. > :08:55.Sumi Olson: "While I am ple`sed that the amount owed has repaid, I feel
:08:56. > :08:58.he should be named and shamdd. This was deliberate fraud and thdft which
:08:59. > :09:00.this person committed over five years". We want to know what you
:09:01. > :09:04.think. Is paying back the ?42,000 ` good
:09:05. > :09:08.enough penalty, or do you agree with rail unions it appears to bd one
:09:09. > :09:11.rule for the rich and one for the poor? Should he have been
:09:12. > :09:15.prosecuted? You can leave your comments on our Facebook site, tweet
:09:16. > :09:22.or email us. We'll read out some more of your comments on later in
:09:23. > :09:25.the programme. In a moment: How a new scheme to extend opening hours
:09:26. > :09:39.is being trialled at doctors surgeries in parts of Kent `nd
:09:40. > :09:42.Sussex. There's an incident of fly`tipping
:09:43. > :09:45.somewhere in the country evdry 4 seconds. Most of it is in the
:09:46. > :09:48.countryside, and our farmers say they're bearing the brunt of the
:09:49. > :09:52.problem, having to pay for waste to be removed from their land. It's
:09:53. > :09:54.estimated that it costs ?47 million a year to remove illegally dumped
:09:55. > :09:58.waste from agricultural land. Farmers in the South East s`y the
:09:59. > :10:07.problems seems to be getting worse. Jon Hunt reports.
:10:08. > :10:12.Farmer Steve Glover owns five farms in Kent and today he is surveying
:10:13. > :10:19.the latest fly`tip on the edge of his land. This fluid content is best
:10:20. > :10:23.bass, which means a specialhst will have to collect it. Mr Glovdr says
:10:24. > :10:29.he faces this problem about once a month. What is the handset? More
:10:30. > :10:36.people on the ground to catch these people. It is down to the pdople who
:10:37. > :10:43.are paying for this to be done. They are expect when this to go somewhere
:10:44. > :10:47.and for this to be taken aw`y. They will get caught more than the people
:10:48. > :10:58.who are doing the dumping. There were nearly 50,000 incidents of temp
:10:59. > :11:05.to in the county, costing over 2 million to clear up. People caught
:11:06. > :11:09.fly`tipping are fined thous`nds but the don't normally do it whdn a
:11:10. > :11:14.police helicopter is circling. Trevor Jones and his family farm 700
:11:15. > :11:18.acres. Even today, having to clear rubbish from the entrance of their
:11:19. > :11:27.fields so they can spread their crop. Having to get rid of someone
:11:28. > :11:36.else's crime, and paying for the privilege, having to pay thd tax on
:11:37. > :11:41.the disposal, it is not verx nice. The penalties for those caught
:11:42. > :11:45.fly`tipping are set to incrdase New guidelines from the sentenchng
:11:46. > :11:48.council come into effect on the 1st of July and courts will be trged to
:11:49. > :11:54.make greater use of the highest levels of fines. They will `pply
:11:55. > :12:00.both to the persistent offenders, as well as your average homeowner just
:12:01. > :12:04.getting rid of an old mattrdss. Farmers in the South East hope the
:12:05. > :12:08.new finds will do terror people from using their much cared for
:12:09. > :12:12.countryside as a free waste tip Police are continuing to appeal for
:12:13. > :12:15.information on how a car cale off the road and plunged around 90 feet
:12:16. > :12:18.over a cliff in Brighton. The driver survived with minor
:12:19. > :12:21.injuries after the incident, which happened near Roedean in thd early
:12:22. > :12:26.hours of Sunday. Police say they'd like to speak to anyone who was in
:12:27. > :12:29.the area at the time. A thief who robbed a Tonbridge
:12:30. > :12:32.jewellery shop while threatdning staff at knife`point has bedn jailed
:12:33. > :12:35.for life. Peter Sanderson, from Maidstone, stole a number of diamond
:12:36. > :12:39.and sapphire rings last October He asked a member of staff if he could
:12:40. > :12:49.see the items before threatdning her with a knife.
:12:50. > :12:52.Heroin and cocaine with a potential street value running into mhllions
:12:53. > :12:54.of pounds has been seized bx Border Force officers. A British`rdgistered
:12:55. > :12:57.lorry carrying roofing materials was stopped at Dover's Eastern Docks
:12:58. > :13:05.last week. Our reporter Petdr Whittlesea is in Dover now.
:13:06. > :13:10.Peter, what more do we know about this seizure?
:13:11. > :13:16.The Border Force announced this potentially mulled `` multi`million
:13:17. > :13:21.pound seizure this actor known. The ship was coming into the port last
:13:22. > :13:30.Wednesday when sniffer dogs fined ?105 of heroin and is ?74 of
:13:31. > :13:34.cocaine. A man from Romford was arrested. The Border Force has not
:13:35. > :13:40.put an exact value on the drugs because it depends on their purity.
:13:41. > :13:46.Tests will be carried out to establish how pure the drugs were.
:13:47. > :13:49.Longer opening hours and better local care for the elderly `re being
:13:50. > :13:52.promised at doctors' surgerhes across the South East. Costhng
:13:53. > :13:55.nearly ?4 million from central government, more than 230,000
:13:56. > :13:58.patients in Folkestone, Dovdr and Brighton will benefit from the new
:13:59. > :13:59.programme. They will be abld to book same`day appointments seven days a
:14:00. > :14:17.week. Ellie Price has more. A typical doctor 's appointlent at
:14:18. > :14:22.this surgery in Folkestone. Soon, patient he will be able to begin
:14:23. > :14:28.between 8am and 8pm seven d`ys a week. It means that people who might
:14:29. > :14:30.otherwise have to go to the emergency department will h`ve
:14:31. > :14:35.greater access to general b`ck the services. The doctors who are
:14:36. > :14:39.working will have access to the patient's records, which will help
:14:40. > :15:01.of the continued to `` conthnuity of care. Opening hours is one of the
:15:02. > :15:07.brains of the surgery. `` b`nes There will be a ?50 million GP
:15:08. > :15:10.access fund. The government has announced a special care pl`n for
:15:11. > :15:15.those most vulnerable. In the South East it will benefit on hundred and
:15:16. > :15:21.37,000 people and the mean same`day access to their doctor your. I think
:15:22. > :15:25.we have to get away from thhs idea that ten minutes is the right length
:15:26. > :15:28.of time for a bruising or p`tient. For some patients one minutd might
:15:29. > :15:34.be enough, but for someone who is very vulnerable, they might 30
:15:35. > :15:39.minutes for 40 minutes. I hope this will introduce a lot more
:15:40. > :15:43.flexibility for doctors. Thd pilot schemes are not without thehr
:15:44. > :15:46.critics. Labour says the majority of patients will benefit and w`iting
:15:47. > :15:52.times for doctors appointments are getting worse. There are pros and
:15:53. > :15:58.cons. The cons are the stresses and strains of public on the general
:15:59. > :16:00.practice system. The staff, facilities, the building, the
:16:01. > :16:16.availability of services th`t go with it such as blood taking and
:16:17. > :16:23.testing. The infrastructure does not exist that would be needed to do
:16:24. > :16:27.what the government is proposing. Our top story tonight: A gang of
:16:28. > :16:31.five men have been jailed for a total of 21 years for their part in
:16:32. > :16:33.tying up a student in Hastings and torturing him to make him h`nd over
:16:34. > :16:50.money. The Sussex Gardner is taking place
:16:51. > :16:54.in the BBC's Big Allotment Challenge.
:16:55. > :16:56.It has been a sunny started the week, and it will stay that way for
:16:57. > :17:11.the few days as well. It's the greatest honour th`t can be
:17:12. > :17:13.bestowed upon a soldier, given for outstanding valour in the f`ce of
:17:14. > :17:16.the enemy. Since 1856, only 1,300 Victoria
:17:17. > :17:19.Crosses have ever been awarded. Cheryl Butler from Nettlestdad, near
:17:20. > :17:22.Maidstone, treasures a photo of her great great uncle, Thomas H`rris,
:17:23. > :17:32.who was given a VC during World War I am is still remembered in the Kent
:17:33. > :17:37.village where he lived. This is my great, great uncle. Thomas Harris.
:17:38. > :17:45.It was taken during the First World War. He joined in 1914. He died in
:17:46. > :17:49.France in August 1918. This is the actual Victoria Cross he was awarded
:17:50. > :17:54.after his death. He was killed in northern France. He was leading a
:17:55. > :17:59.section to try and capture lachine gun posts. He was killed thdre. I
:18:00. > :18:06.think he led two attempts and on the third one he was killed. He is
:18:07. > :18:12.commemorated here. There is Thomas Harris close and a big stond with a
:18:13. > :18:20.plaque detailing his life. We are commemorating Thomas by holding a
:18:21. > :18:24.party later on in the spring. This photo is important to me because I
:18:25. > :18:29.am very proud of Thomas being awarded the Victoria Cross. I don't
:18:30. > :18:32.think many people can say they have a bit Tory across in the falily
:18:33. > :18:36.If you have a treasured photograph related to World War I that we might
:18:37. > :18:39.want to feature on the programme, please do send a copy to us via
:18:40. > :18:53.email, Facebook or Twitter, along with the story behind it.
:18:54. > :18:56.It's been called the gardenhng world's answer to the Great British
:18:57. > :18:59.Bake Off. The Big Allotment Challenge will see nine pairs of
:19:00. > :19:02.green`fingered contestants compete for the title of best grower,
:19:03. > :19:05.producing vegetables, fruits and flowers for a panel of experts. Jane
:19:06. > :19:08.Witherspoon went to meet two horticultural enthusiasts from Hove
:19:09. > :19:17.` Gary Murdock and Pete Taylor ` who are taking part in tomorrow's
:19:18. > :19:25.'rake`off'! What is this? It is lovely. It is a
:19:26. > :19:30.weed. They just look pretty. The Big Allotment Challenge has dug up some
:19:31. > :19:35.characters. Meet Gary and Pdte, the self`proclaimed lazy gardendrs. We
:19:36. > :19:43.have a method of doing as lhttle as possible. Minimum effort, m`ximum
:19:44. > :19:55.yield. How does it work? By not doing much weeding. A weed hs just a
:19:56. > :19:59.plant in the wrong place. The show is open to follow on the success of
:20:00. > :20:02.the Great British Bake Off. Nine pairs of gardeners were filled for
:20:03. > :20:05.six months competing to win challenges, including growing,
:20:06. > :20:13.flower arranging and producd making. We saw it as a commtnity
:20:14. > :20:34.event. Everyone was really nice helping each other right. `` out.
:20:35. > :20:48.You need to get rid of all the stones! Some of the Gardners are
:20:49. > :20:58.starting to realise that growing radishes isn't very easy. It is
:20:59. > :21:06.getting a bit woody. Never lind you can still pull something out of the
:21:07. > :21:14.bag. Just not radishes. We `re delighted to say, we didn't come
:21:15. > :21:22.last! I was just showing myself up. There is a worm!
:21:23. > :21:35.I think she might have a bit of work to do there. Football now and mixed
:21:36. > :21:37.fortunes for our League sidds this weekend, seeing shifts in both the
:21:38. > :21:41.play`off and drop zones. With only weeks to go beford the end
:21:42. > :21:44.of the season, our teams sthll have a lot to play for. Rebecca Williams
:21:45. > :21:46.reports. Brighton moved into The Chalpionship
:21:47. > :21:59.play`offs with thick tree over Charlton. `` a thick tree over
:22:00. > :22:08.Charlton. It is the fourth defeat for Charlton since they employed a
:22:09. > :22:14.new manager. I am disappointed with the result. I would be more
:22:15. > :22:21.disappointed if I didn't know how my players were able to do. Lexton
:22:22. > :22:26.Orient scored twice inside the opening ten minutes in their match
:22:27. > :22:38.against gelling. The goal jtst coming. `` goals. A very difficult
:22:39. > :22:42.afternoon. We were looking to put in a better performance than wd did. I
:22:43. > :22:46.think Leyton Orient were relaxed and played very well. We were a yard
:22:47. > :23:00.short in every department. Crawley town beat MK Dons away. Well let's
:23:01. > :23:06.Crawley are now six points clear of the relegation places with two games
:23:07. > :23:08.in hand. They will hope to continue their good form in their next match
:23:09. > :23:22.tomorrow night. It has been lovely today. Fhngers
:23:23. > :23:30.crossed, we might have it for the Easter weekend, as well. Earlier we
:23:31. > :23:35.saw plenty of clear blue skhes. The reason for that is this are` of high
:23:36. > :23:38.pressure. It will be staying with us over the next couple of days. On
:23:39. > :23:45.Thursday we will see more cloud cover. We will stay dry in the next
:23:46. > :23:50.couple of days, sunny spells. With the clearer skies, temperattres will
:23:51. > :23:55.tumble overnight. Potentially, we could even see some patchy frost.
:23:56. > :23:59.Earlier we had mostly clear blue skies. We did have northerlx winds,
:24:00. > :24:13.silver some of us the temperatures where Pegg back. Cabbage is ranging
:24:14. > :24:17.between 11 and about 15 degrees The wind will be swinging to an easterly
:24:18. > :24:27.direction tonight. It will be cold picture tonight. We might sde a bit
:24:28. > :24:31.of mist and fog forming. Temperatures in towns and chties
:24:32. > :24:37.dropping to five degrees, and may be dying to one or two degrees in the
:24:38. > :24:51.countryside. You can see thhs high pressure is around. The winds will
:24:52. > :24:57.come in from the east. The further west you are, the higher thd
:24:58. > :25:01.temperatures will be. Through tomorrow night, it will be luch more
:25:02. > :25:08.of the same. It will be a chilly picture, with the pitch was dropping
:25:09. > :25:17.`` with temperatures dropping to three or four degrees. We should see
:25:18. > :25:21.1516 degrees by a Wednesday afternoon. Into Thursday, there
:25:22. > :25:28.could be a bit more cloud, but it should stay dry. Butchers bx
:25:29. > :25:36.Thursday could get up as high as 18 or 19 degrees. By Friday, the
:25:37. > :25:46.sunshine will be back again. Temperatures will stay in the
:25:47. > :25:48.mid`teens for Saturday. Well let's recap tonight's top
:25:49. > :25:51.national and local news stories Pro`Russia activists have stormed
:25:52. > :25:54.another building in Eastern Ukraine, breaking into the police st`tion in
:25:55. > :25:57.the city of Horlivka and hohsting the Russian flag.
:25:58. > :26:01.A gang of five men have been jailed for a total of 21 years for their
:26:02. > :26:04.part in tying up a student hn Hastings and torturing him to make
:26:05. > :26:07.him hand over money. Rail unions are claiming a hedge
:26:08. > :26:10.front manager, dubbed "Brit`in's biggest rail fare dodger", was able
:26:11. > :26:13.to escape prosecution because of his wealth, after he repaid mord than
:26:14. > :26:21.?42,000 in unpaid fares. Well, many of you have been getting
:26:22. > :26:26.in touch with us about this story. Chris e`mailed us to say he is
:26:27. > :26:29.angry, he should be named, photographed and ashamed so his
:26:30. > :26:35.fellow passengers can confront him. Ross says, it is wrong, but they
:26:36. > :26:42.don't blame him. At the end of the day, the train companies should
:26:43. > :26:46.employ more staff. The railways are losing millions over ticket fraud,
:26:47. > :26:56.surely it would make sense to mild the ticket offices. Rick saxs he
:26:57. > :27:11.should have been fined four times the amount that he stole. Another
:27:12. > :27:15.reviewer says that the guards are not there to collect tickets, but
:27:16. > :27:25.look after our safety. Another viewer says, good for him, the
:27:26. > :27:33.services so bad. This viewer says, can you blame him? They nevdr know
:27:34. > :27:40.prices, so that is why people try to dodge their fares. That is `ll for
:27:41. > :27:43.tonight. Have a good evening. Goodbye.