29/05/2014 South East Today

News at 6.00pm. For this evening, it's goodbye are from me, on BBC One

Welcome to South East Today, I'm John Young.

Another life sentence for the so called

"Skull Cracker" Michael Wheatley who escaped from a Kent open prison.

One in ten five`year`olds in the Medway town is obese ` now "fat

fighters" are set to hold a summit to tackle an epidemic in the area.

Some of the children are terrible, overweight, but it is down to the

parents. In search of

the greater crested newt ` why the creature that property developers

dread is being protected in Kent. Look who's being barked at

on the tennis court! Our Rachel limbers up

for a special match as Eastbourne's A serial violent criminal serving

life for a string of armed bank heists has admitted carrying out a

gunpoint raid on a building society Michael Wheatley dubbed the

Skull Cracker has today been sentenced to another life term after

he pleaded guilty to three offences Wheatley had already been serving a

life sentence at Standford Hill Open Prison on the Isle of Sheppy when he

failed to return from day release. Our Home Affairs reporter,

Rebecca Williams has more. Dubbed the Skull Cracker, Michael

Wheatley admitted robbing a building society whilst on the run from an

open prison. The 55`year`old had been serving a life sentence at the

time and carried out a series of robberies whilst on parole for

another. One of his victims has told the BBC how he threatened to kill

her. He put his hand around my neck. A gun to my temple. And started

screaming and shouting, not at me but at the cashier 's. Michael

Wheatley went on the run May the 3rd when he was granted a release.

Filmed by an eyewitness, this is when he was arrested in east London.

Today he appeared in court via video link. Just before his arrest he

raided this building society in Surrey. He went in demanding money

and let with a bundle of cash. Hours later police tracked him down ten

miles away. Some insist he should not have been allowed out on day

release in the first place. I cannot believe the 13 life sentences he got

a tariff of eight years. In an open prison and then he escaped. It is an

embarrassment and we need to sort it out. This will require a review. It

has gone wrong. It may be about assessment, but an assessment is

made before a person goes out. They go out supervised initially and then

go out on their own. The Justice Secretary has said he won't allow

the actions of a small minority of offenders undermine the prison

system. Tonight, the Skull Cracker has been sentenced to another

lifetime with a minimum of ten years behind bars. Rebecca, we understand

leading politicians have been voicing their concerns? Yes,

concerns from our local MP, but in the last couple of minutes I have

heard from the Shadow Justice Secretary. He said although people

will be happy this man has been caught and convicted, he said

corners are being cut that are putting the public's lives at risk.

There are big questions for the government because a lot of inmates

have escaped and gone on the run last month.

A so`called obesity summit including a team

of fat fighters has been called to attempt to tackle one of the highest

Swale and Medway are the second and third worst areas in England for

people who are severely overweight with nearly a third of adults

One in ten children in the area is obese by the age

of five and the gathering comes after members of Medway Council

called for a ban on fast food takeaways opening near schools.

Our political reporter, Ellie Price, has more.

A so`called obesity summit including a team

of fat fighters has been called to attempt to tackle one of the highest

Swale and Medway are the second and third worst areas in England for

people who are severely overweight with nearly a third of adults

One in ten children in the area is obese by the age

of five and the gathering comes after members of Medway Council

called for a ban on fast food takeaways opening near schools.

Our political reporter, Ellie Price, has more.

Medway has a big problem. Some of the children around here are

terrible. Overweight and that, but it is down to the parents. Some

parents say it is not that simple. They are doing Jamie Oliver school

menus but a lot of the kids out there don't like half of the stuff.

The fruit and veg is fine, but it goes off quicker and there is not

enough time to eat it if you are throwing half of it away. It is a

struggle to get him to eat fruit and vegetables. Won't even try it, yes.

The definition of obesity is when your body Mass index is over 30.

Medway Council says 10% of children in the towns are obese by their

first year of school. It jumps to 20% by the time they are in year

six. It is estimated 30% of adults in Medway are obese compared to the

national average of 25%. Isn't it time to take action rather than just

talk about it? We cannot take action until we have all of our partners on

board. We talk it through so we can understand what each of our partners

needs to do to make it happen. Those partners include schools, hospitals

and sports clubs and the council says when the meeting takes place

next Tuesday, there will be tangible results. The first being the council

should be discussing is the fast`food takeaway places and they

should make sure that, as much as they can, ban them from within a

certain perimeter of schools and preferably parts as well in the

Medway area. That is something the council says it is considering an

following a public consultation will discuss it at a council meeting next

month. Ellie the issue of obesity is never

far from the headlines is it? Major research has suggested more

girls are obese here than anywhere else in western Europe. The NHS has

released new guidelines saying I respect the will and suggesting

losing a bit of weight and keeping it off could be a more effective

message. The council knows it had its work cut out and it has limited

powers to force people to lose weight. It said it is going for a

healthy carrot, rather than stick approach. But the idea is to

persuade more people to change their behaviour.

Well many of you have been contacting us with your comments.

Janie Bond has an interesting take on it.

She says the fact that people can choose

schools further from home for their children means too many children

Paul Anthony's been in touch on Twitter and he says:

How about free activities for under tens as mandatory,

How can we solve the problem of obesity?

You can let us know via our Facebook page,

or by tweeting us or e`mailing, and we'll read out some more of your

Going global ` the Sussex tech company with

a multi`million pound deal to take on American and Asian markets.

The South East has seen the highest number of Help to Buy loans

completed making up nearly a quarter of all the lending nationally.

Critics say the scheme isn't doing what it was set up to do ` to get

Ministers say the mortgage guarantee scheme is working and isn't creating

According to official data, 385 homes have been sold

so far across Kent and Sussex since phase two of Help to Buy

Most of those were in Kent, with 60 loans secured in Medway alone, the

highest in the South East and fifth most popular in the country overall.

Greg moved into his new home just outside Maidstone four months ago.

He try to take advantage of the Help to Buy scheme but it had only just

been launched and there was computer and as to what he was eligible for.

When I said, this is how much money I have got for a deposit. They said

we can only take 5000 and we will offer you 90,000. In Maidstone, that

wasn't getting me anything I would be happy to live with. All was not

lost because the same bank had their own product for first`time buyers

and he was able to buy a house that suited his needs and budget. The

second phase of Help to Buy was launched in October last year when

lenders offered mortgages with just a 5% deposit. The government

protects this with underwriting the loan. The bubble has got to burst

sooner or later. Either the government have got to step in to

slow it down or the Bank of England will have two step in to do

something with interest rates. If they do, this could cause a knock on

effect and people could find their mortgage repayments, they can ill

afford if the interest rates go up. The governments say figures show the

scheme is working. It is about making sure people who earn a decent

wage and should be able to get onto the housing market but cannot secure

the massive deposits, this scheme is supporting those individuals. 14% of

all Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme loans are secured in the

south`east, an area which has seen house prices rise by more than 6%

during the year to March. An investigation has been launched

after a fire at the Dreamland site The fire started in a building

near the Scenic Railway, Thanet District Council is now

reviewing security measures More than 400 jobs could go at

Surrey Police following budget cuts. The county's police

and crime commissioner says services will suffer if more funding from

central Government can't be found. Kevin Hurley says there'll

be fewer staff in future. Two commuters have been hailed

as heroes after they rescued a woman passenger who fell

on to rail tracks shortly before The woman, thought to be in her 60s,

tripped and fell at Strood station A small Sussex firm is set to go

global after signing a multi`million deal with

the Japanese equivalent of Amazon. DC Storm based

in Brighton has spent a decade developing software which tracks

consumer spending habits online. After signing

the multi`million pound deal they now plan to expand their business

into America and the Far East. Our Business Correspondent,

Mark Norman, has the story. Sometimes appearances can appear

deceptive. From the small offices in Brighton, the staff at DC Storm are

about to be global players. They have developed software that helps

target advertising by monitoring how we shop. You have been looking at

this purchase over a period of time and interacting with different

markets. We have been able to capture those different events, the

different times you have looked for something and join it up into a

consistent journey. The ability to do that is new and hugely valuable

to retailers. Not entirely surprising they have done a deal

with a Japanese company for the world's third I guess site behind

Amazon and eBay. We envision this will be a technical hub in Brighton.

We will grow our people and business out of Ryton. From Brighton to the

rest of the world. Very exciting. This office will double. They are

looking for skilled staff and work closely with the universities. The

head of the New York office was at Sussex University a couple of years

ago and spoke to me this morning. How is the transition from

University to this company and where you are now for you? It has been

great. It has been a fast growth for me. How long did it take you to say

yes to New York? I think it was probably about half a pint. The

company said this deal will reaffirm Brighton's status as a World Cup for

digital marketing. The Skull Cracker has been jailed

for life and a minimum of ten years today for robberies that was carried

out well on the run from an open prison in Kent. Politicians have

questioned the day relief system. The vineyard in Sussex

where rose's all the rage. And serving up a surprise

at Eastbourne ` find out how Rachel got on as the town's big tennis

moment gets closer. If you have a story you think we

should be covering on South East They can bring a major building

development to a halt overnight. Protected by law, the great crested

newt is in decline across Europe. Now in a major study

conservationists at the University of Kent are finding out more

about the lives of the amphibians to Great crested newts are the largest

of Britain's three types of newt, but they're also an endangered

species which is why they've been Our environment correspondent,

Yvette Austin, Entering the world of the great

crested newt. For nearly 20 years, students have been monitoring this

spacey is in the longest`running study of its kind. We put some traps

out late last night and this morning we will see what we have got. This

is the first one. Let's take this out and see if there is anything

there. Yes. There is a big great crested newt. She is popped into a

box for identification. The marks on her stomach like our fingerprints. I

can see straightaway but this one, is this one here. She has got it

yellow patch at the top and some black blotches. That is Edith. At

the height of the breeding season it is easy to tell the males and

females apart in the water by the crest on the Mail's back. I am

allowed to hold this one under the license? You are, this is Philip.

This time of year his crest has pretty much disappeared. He is done

with his breeding for the year. He has courted all of the females and

he will probably wondering off in the pond in a few weeks. It is his

movements around the pond the researchers are interested in. The

trapping takes place every week from February to July. This particular

site is a study where we know the individuals and what they have been

doing the several years. That detailed information is allowing us

to produce recommendations that will improve surveys and ultimately

recommendations for mitigation for development. Giving the great

crested newt a better relationship with developers in the future.

You may well be about to sit down for the evening with a glass of

If it's a rose, you're one of an increasing number

Demand has increased so much that one Sussex vineyard is

Helen Drew is there for us now at Bolney.

They are indeed. But even if you want to make more wine, you cannot

unless the weather is good enough. The weather is night this evening

and fortunately so far the weather has been fine. Some of these finds

are flowering. These are the flowers he would not normally see for a few

weeks. That means more grapes and more grapes mean more wine.

Red, white or rose? Some others don't mind which one, but an

increasing number of people are turning to the pink plonk. I love

it. I love all wine. I quite like rose. If I want a good night's

sleep, I will have read but if I am drinking midday, it will be rose

because it is lighter. I liked all three, it all goes down the same

way. The demand for rose has grown. Of all the wine bought in British

supermarkets and off`licences a decade ago, won in 40 bottles was

rose. Now that has increased to one in eight. Sales are ?1.7 million

every day. Rose is popular in the summer, people take it outside for

drinks in the park. It is popular among younger drinkers, 18 to

34`year`olds. It suits that demographic and lifestyle. To keep

up with that demand, this vineyard near Haywards Heath is increasing

its rose production this year. We have more than tripled production to

10,000 bottles. It has been popular over the last few years. We release

it in April and sell out in June. It is time to make more. Can you see

the time when the demand outstripped the demand for the winds? Some

months it does take over from the other winds, on a hot sunny day it

is more preferable to drink rose. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's

French chateaux is now producing it. Chances are, they won't be

overseeing the production line. It is not just about rose. There is

competition from sparkling wine. An increased amount of that is produced

Well next month the Aegon International tennis

tournament returns to Eastbourne and this year the annual event is

celebrating its 40th anniversary. Over the years star names such

as Martina Navratilova have graced the courts at Devonshire Park.

This year it's the turn of me! I've been invited to play

in a special media match during the tournament and I'm taking

training very seriously. I am going to be playing my

first`ever competitive tennis match after just five lessons. The LTA

hope this ?40 million facility will keep the trend going. I have got the

kit, I just need some expert advice. That chap over there is Leon and is

the Davis cup captain and might be the man for the job. Don't rush into

the box. Let the ball come to you. Don't rush. Finally you are

listening to me. What is your top tip in the match? Try not to look up

the crowd. You will see lots of people there and you will be

thinking, they are all watching me. In its 40 year history, this

tournament has welcomed some of the best`known names. I am feeling

pretty nervous to say the least stepping out on the same courts as

them. I know I am not particularly good, but should I have a mental

strategy? The big advice is grab people of a similar level and grab

some points for the next few weeks. That will settle your nerves. I have

picked up some helpful tips. There might be a few butterflies on the

day, but it is all for fun, right. I am not that competitive.

And Rachel will be playing at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne

for the special media match on Tuesday 17th June.

I'd love your support on the day but if you can't get there,

make sure you watch the main programme at 6.30pm.

We have had highs of it in, 16 degrees and fairly light winds. As

we go into tonight, much more of the same. Sharp showers, but we will be

staying dry. Clearer skies and temperatures may be dropping into

single figures. For tomorrow it will be a cloudy, mostly dry start but it

should be brightening up nicely by the time we get to the afternoon. A

brighter picture than when we started the week. Temperatures

little bit up on today. Around or 17. A settle picture as we have high

pressure building in from the North with light winds, ten to 15 miles an

hour. Much more of the same as we go through tomorrow night. High

pressure will be building. Temperatures staying relatively

mild, but strapping into single figures around eight or 9 degrees.

The weekend, Saturday in particular looks to be sunny and Vine. On

Sunday there is the risk of rain, particularly by the afternoon.

Dash`macro fine. On Saturday, lots of sunshine around. Temperatures

climbing nicely. Highs lodging up to the low 20s but mostly 15 or 16

degrees. One of a clear night as we go Sunday, we are expecting to see

some rain arriving at some point but it will be a bright start to the

day. One to showers but eventually we will see this rain as we go over

into the new week. A bit of a wet stop the Monday I am afraid.

Temperatures holding up pretty decently. Over the next couple of

days, 20 of sunshine around particularly for Saturday. Risk of

rain on Sunday. Rain stays until we go into Monday and then I am afraid

it will be with us into Tuesday. But then lots of sunshine around

particularly the Saturday. Enjoy it. Well let's return to one

of our top stories tonight. A special obesity summit which will

include a team of 'fat fighters' is attempting to tackle the weight

problem in Swale and Medway. We asked you how can we solve

the problem of obesity? Chris Webb in Strood has e`mailed to

say it is the parents who don't encourage their kids to eat well and

exercise. Eva says she has a go at the local

authority. She says so many people are drinking booze and so much sugar

is hidden in drink. Councils and courage take aways and restaurants

who provide unhealthy food. Darren says, Chatham is a good example of

the problem. Three cafes and a burger van 100 metres from a primary

school. Stuart Daly who lives in Medway says

every day my house is bombarded with three to five pizza and takeaway

menus. There should be a limit. David thinks parents should be

prosecuted and forced to attend food science classes. If you would like

to join in the debate you can go on to join in the debate you can go

onto our Facebook page. But that is it from us to now. Thanks for

watching. We are back at 10:25 p.m.. But thanks for watching.