:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.
:00:00. > :00:11.A minimum of 20 years jail for the man who murdered a kent teenage girl
:00:12. > :00:19.An MP accuses Sussex police of a terrible miscarriage of
:00:20. > :00:24.justice after an off`duty officer caused the death of another driver.
:00:25. > :00:30.Police warn South Coast residents to shut windows at night as they hunt
:00:31. > :00:41.a burglar who broke into bedrooms while homeowners were asleep.
:00:42. > :00:45.He has got to be cot because he will kill someone. I just hope I can get
:00:46. > :00:47.over this. A dramatic rescue at sea
:00:48. > :00:50.for the brother and sister who were And just good friends
:00:51. > :00:58.and co`stars in a new musical ` Paul Nicolas and Suzanne Shaw bring
:00:59. > :01:12.game show Blockbuster to the stage. A man who murdered
:01:13. > :01:15.his former girlfriend from Folkestone and then hid her body in
:01:16. > :01:19.his uncle's grave has been jailed for life and told he will serve
:01:20. > :01:23.a minimum of 20 years in prison. Ben Blakely strangled 17`year`old
:01:24. > :01:27.Jayden Parkinson and then moved her body in a suitcase to a cemetery
:01:28. > :01:31.in Oxfordshire. It's said to be the first time
:01:32. > :01:34.in British criminal history that a body's been buried
:01:35. > :01:42.in an existing grave. Today, detectives spoke
:01:43. > :01:43.of their "shock" about Strangled and dumped in a grave,
:01:44. > :01:58.17`year`old Jason Parkinson Strangled and dumped in a grave,
:01:59. > :02:03.17`year`old Jayden Parkinson from Folkestone was murdered
:02:04. > :02:05.by her former boyfriend, just hours after she told him that
:02:06. > :02:08.she was pregnant with his child. Today, 22`year`old Ben Blakely
:02:09. > :02:10.from Reading was given Speaking outside Oxford Crown Court
:02:11. > :02:13.today, Gillian's family struggled to We will never be able to
:02:14. > :02:17.find forgiveness for that We will never be able to find
:02:18. > :02:28.an ounce of forgiveness for the evil that murdered Jayden and then
:02:29. > :02:31.concealed her body in such a cold, Since the beginning
:02:32. > :02:34.of the police investigation, he has treated the whole process
:02:35. > :02:36.with complete contempt. He has lied
:02:37. > :02:38.and attempted to deceive the police, and that culminated in him burying
:02:39. > :02:41.her body in the most wicked way. And that is how the judge
:02:42. > :02:44.described it, and I echo that. The court heard how Blakely,
:02:45. > :02:47.seen here on CCTV with Jayden at Oxford station, was obsessive
:02:48. > :02:49.and controlling, with a history He even threatened to post naked
:02:50. > :02:55.photos of her on Facebook CCTV footage shows Ben Blakely with
:02:56. > :03:00.Jayden last December, arriving at Didcot station, apparently on
:03:01. > :03:05.their way to discuss her pregnancy. Later that night, Blakely returns
:03:06. > :03:08.to the station alone after killing He was convinced that she
:03:09. > :03:14.had been cheating on him. Five days later, he returned
:03:15. > :03:16.and put Jayden's decomposing body into a suitcase and then buried her
:03:17. > :03:20.in his uncle's grave. CCTV footage shows that
:03:21. > :03:25.his clothes are stained with mud. Police discovered Jayden's body
:03:26. > :03:27.at the churchyard 16 days They believe it was
:03:28. > :03:32.the first time in British criminal history that a body has been buried
:03:33. > :03:36.in an existing grave. It was awful because it
:03:37. > :03:38.disturbed somebody else's grave. Well, it didn't actually disturb
:03:39. > :03:41.anybody else's grave, but it upset a lot of people that it
:03:42. > :03:46.had taken place in the churchyard. Jayden was eventually buried
:03:47. > :03:49.in Cheriton near Folkestone, where hundreds of mourners saw her finally
:03:50. > :03:54.laid to rest, surrounded by flowers. From the day Jayden's life was
:03:55. > :03:58.so cruelly taken... this we will always be grateful
:03:59. > :04:06.from the bottom of our hearts. Because Jayden was known to
:04:07. > :04:22.social services, there will now be a serious case review
:04:23. > :04:24.and an independent investigation into Oxfordshire police to
:04:25. > :04:26.establish whether she could have Victoria Holland,
:04:27. > :04:29.BBC South East Today. Sussex Police says it will review
:04:30. > :04:31.any new information about a fatal crash involving
:04:32. > :04:34.a serving officer who has been Stewart Chalmers' car struck
:04:35. > :04:37.and killed Luke Bland and injured his friend Ben Blackfield on a road
:04:38. > :04:40.near Uckfield five years ago. The off`duty officer was found not
:04:41. > :04:43.guilty of causing death by careless driving, but speaking
:04:44. > :04:45.earlier this week in Parliament the Conservative MP for Wealden
:04:46. > :05:01.Charles Hendry said, "There has been It was a jury that acquitted the
:05:02. > :05:05.traffic officer of causing death by careless driving while he was off
:05:06. > :05:10.duty one night in feathery 2009, his car hit and killed this man knew
:05:11. > :05:18.Cockfield. His friend was severely injured in the collision. In the
:05:19. > :05:25.House of Commons, it was said that it was a terrible miscarriage of
:05:26. > :05:29.justice. Mr charmers drove his car illegally in a non`roadworthy
:05:30. > :05:38.condition and did not bother to test the legality of his tyres, even when
:05:39. > :05:45.warned to do so. His defence would have fallen apart. In Parliament, Mr
:05:46. > :05:51.Hendry said, four months before the crash, the car had failed its MOT,
:05:52. > :05:59.because one of the tyres was not illegal. It was then taken away and
:06:00. > :06:04.driven 455 miles without a valid MOT or insurance before the tyre was
:06:05. > :06:08.replaced. Mr Hendry said it had eventually pass its MOT, but with an
:06:09. > :06:12.advisory notice that the tyres were close to the legal threshold and
:06:13. > :06:20.that at the time of the collision, those tyres were below the legal
:06:21. > :06:22.limit. Sussex belief that smack Sussex Police have accepted that
:06:23. > :06:26.they should have done things differently. We have given a
:06:27. > :06:34.personal apology to the family, and an inch assurance that we will
:06:35. > :06:38.investigate thoroughly. The family welcome any future review by the
:06:39. > :06:43.police. I hope that they will now look at the new evidence, and make
:06:44. > :06:53.some enquiries about what actions can be taken. Stewart charmers still
:06:54. > :06:56.serves as a policeman. The police watchdog had looked into the
:06:57. > :07:02.handling of the case. They found that there was no misconduct on the
:07:03. > :07:05.part of the officer. The case was investigated thoroughly and
:07:06. > :07:10.effectively by Sussex Police, and it would appear that the case was
:07:11. > :07:14.treated with at least as much integrity as any other investigation
:07:15. > :07:19.would have been if it had been any other member of the public at the
:07:20. > :07:23.wheel. It was stressed the officer had not been found guilty of any
:07:24. > :07:25.offence and there was no breach of professional standards and the
:07:26. > :07:28.investigation had been properly conducted.
:07:29. > :07:30.Mark, Mr Hendry raised in the role of the
:07:31. > :07:43.Yes, in the Commons, it was found that the Police Federation had acted
:07:44. > :07:48.ferociously in this case. When he was first arrested, it is claimed
:07:49. > :07:51.that the Police Federation actually threatened the arresting officer
:07:52. > :07:55.would be personally sued if he proceeded with that. Now, the Home
:07:56. > :08:00.Office has said it is going to look into that allegation, but Sussex
:08:01. > :08:07.Police told this programme today, that there is `` if there is to be
:08:08. > :08:10.an investigation, it could not comment at this stage.
:08:11. > :08:19.Teachers leaving and parents complaining. Allegations at a Kent
:08:20. > :08:21.primary school. An intruder who broke
:08:22. > :08:23.into homeowner's bedrooms to steal their possessions while they slept
:08:24. > :08:26.is being hunted by police. Sussex Police say the spate
:08:27. > :08:28.of burglaries in St Leonards happened last week and they're
:08:29. > :08:31.warning people in the Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill areas to
:08:32. > :08:34.keep their windows and doors shut attacker used menace and terror to
:08:35. > :08:51.control her. I must have been screaming, I don't
:08:52. > :08:55.know... He said to me, because his head was right down on my ears
:08:56. > :08:58.hear, and he said to me, you are awake, you are living this, and
:08:59. > :09:16.I thought I was going to die. I intruder broke into a woman's
:09:17. > :09:20.bedroom in St Leonards, just after 4am. She chased him away and
:09:21. > :09:25.the attacker left empty`handed. On the same day, there was another
:09:26. > :09:29.break`in. Again, it involved a woman sleeping in her bedroom. On the
:09:30. > :09:34.following day, Jane Halton was sleeping in her bedroom. On the
:09:35. > :09:37.following day, Jane Howdon was A hot night, the mother
:09:38. > :09:51.of five left her windows open for cool air. Police say there are few
:09:52. > :09:54.clues to go on. We have placed a lot of resources
:09:55. > :11:33.into it. We are completing house to Today, teaching unions met with
:11:34. > :11:35.Kent County Council to discuss the situation, amid claims from
:11:36. > :11:38.parents that Mrs Porter has turned Our Correspondent Mark Norman
:11:39. > :11:42.joins us live from the school. Mark what happened in
:11:43. > :11:52.at today's meeting? There is going to be this local
:11:53. > :11:56.education authority investigation. The unions were at the meeting
:11:57. > :12:00.asking some transparency in that investigation, but there is a huge
:12:01. > :12:04.discrepancy around, some of the papers have reported that 25
:12:05. > :12:07.teachers have resigned, that is simply not the case. We understand
:12:08. > :12:12.that around ten teaching assistants have left since January, but maybe
:12:13. > :12:17.only two or three due to the head teacher, and that fact was knowledge
:12:18. > :12:26.this afternoon. Several of our members have resigned and have gone.
:12:27. > :12:29.Several of our members have resigned and have gone, and obviously the
:12:30. > :12:32.county has got to make sure that, for the sake of the kids in the
:12:33. > :12:35.school, there are teachers in place in September, and one of the things
:12:36. > :12:38.that we heard, one of the assurances that we
:12:39. > :12:40.received this morning from the county was that they will make sure
:12:41. > :12:44.that there is a qualified teacher in front of every class in the school
:12:45. > :12:48.I understand some parents spoke to you today and have concerns about
:12:49. > :12:55.I think we should emphasise it is only some parents. They have been
:12:56. > :12:59.raising concerns about the way that the headteacher has changed things
:13:00. > :13:02.since she started here in January, in particular with children who have
:13:03. > :13:10.special educational needs. I spoke to one father earlier on. There is
:13:11. > :13:17.no medication. `` there is no medication. Usually we get a lot
:13:18. > :13:22.more detail. This year, it was like one sheet of paper. There is not
:13:23. > :13:29.enough going on. The kids are not happy, no one is talking. The
:13:30. > :13:36.parents are mad. Nobody knows or can say what is actually going on here.
:13:37. > :13:39.There will be a fool, and staff come September after the holidays, and I
:13:40. > :13:43.should say that many parents have come up to me to say how pleased
:13:44. > :13:46.they are with the skill, but we will get the results of this
:13:47. > :13:52.investigation sometime this year. Footage of a brother
:13:53. > :13:54.and sister being rescued after they were swept out to sea in Ramsgate
:13:55. > :13:58.has been released as a warning 12`year`old Alexandra Hewitt was
:13:59. > :14:01.in the shallows when she and her older brother were dragged
:14:02. > :14:04.out of their depths. As Juliette Parkin reports,
:14:05. > :14:06.the siblings were very close to ending up in the path
:14:07. > :14:17.of a busy shipping lane, before Just moments after this lifeguard
:14:18. > :14:22.Howard reports of two stranded swimmers, his training was
:14:23. > :14:26.immediately put into action. Passing others in the shallows, he headed
:14:27. > :14:31.out to deeper waters to a 12`year`old and her brother who were
:14:32. > :14:35.struggling to make it back to shore. They were struggling quite a bit, so
:14:36. > :14:40.I pulled them both towards the board and let them catch their breath for
:14:41. > :14:45.a bit, and then we started to swim back in until one of them could
:14:46. > :14:49.stand up. The girl who could not swim that well was still out of
:14:50. > :14:51.breath. She got on the board and I helped her back in. They were
:14:52. > :15:04.heading quite quickly towards the shipping lane. There was relief on
:15:05. > :15:11.the face of her face as help arrived. They have been swept out
:15:12. > :15:21.into the path of ships. The footage was written `` released as a warming
:15:22. > :15:25.`` warning to other swimmers. You should always take in what lifeguard
:15:26. > :15:30.say, and always swim between the flags. With hundreds of people
:15:31. > :15:36.flocking beaches in the hot weather, the advice is, as ever, is to stay
:15:37. > :15:39.safe. A happy ending for this young swimmer who was clearly very
:15:40. > :15:51.grateful to be back in shallow waters. A man who murdered his
:15:52. > :15:55.former girlfriend and then head her body has been jailed for life and
:15:56. > :16:00.told he will serve a minimum of 22 years in prison. He strangled his
:16:01. > :16:06.girlfriend and then moved her body in a suitcase to a cemetery. Also
:16:07. > :16:11.tonight. The crucial role that was played by thousands of workers at
:16:12. > :16:18.Chak dockyard keeping the Navy afloat during World War I. Things
:16:19. > :16:22.turning a little fresher by the time we get to Sunday. Join me later.
:16:23. > :16:27.A kent woman who suffers from a rare brain tumour that makes everyone she
:16:28. > :16:30.hears sound like a dalek has been talking to this programme about how
:16:31. > :16:35.Katie Barnes has an acoustic neuroma, which is
:16:36. > :16:38.a benign non`cancerous growth that develops on the acoustic nerve
:16:39. > :16:45.As well as affecting her hearing, it also causes problems with balance.
:16:46. > :16:48.Katie has been talking to Chrissie Reidy for tonight's Special Report
:16:49. > :17:02.Going for a walk is something many of us do without even thinking about
:17:03. > :17:08.it, but a wok for Katie resemble something like this. She has a
:17:09. > :17:17.strange brain tumour which means she struggles with balance and people's
:17:18. > :17:26.voices sound similar to the Alex. `` did Alex. Obviously, being an adult,
:17:27. > :17:32.I understand that nothing is coming to get me, but as a child, I was
:17:33. > :17:37.terrified of that sound so it is definitely strange. A good way of
:17:38. > :17:42.describing it. The former hairdresser was diagnosed last year
:17:43. > :17:46.after having an MRI scan. When I was blow drying people's here, I
:17:47. > :17:50.couldn't hear them. I would be cutting their hair and go to
:17:51. > :17:55.blow`dried hair, and then I would think, why can I not hear them
:17:56. > :18:01.speaking. It's progressed from there, because what was the odd
:18:02. > :18:08.stumble then became real dizziness. One in 7000 people are diagnosed in
:18:09. > :18:10.the UK every year. If they go undetected and untreated they can be
:18:11. > :18:17.life threatening, because they do grow, so it is important that they
:18:18. > :18:25.do get medical diagnosis and follow a treatment part. Katie opted for
:18:26. > :18:30.surgery. It involves blasts of radiation to the tumour while the
:18:31. > :18:33.head is held tightly in a clamp. I like to concentrate on the positive,
:18:34. > :18:38.and that is why I give myself positive goals for the future. The
:18:39. > :18:41.treatment has significantly reduced the size of the tumour, but doctors
:18:42. > :18:45.they are hearing will never return to normal.
:18:46. > :18:48.While the trenches may be the defining image of World War One,
:18:49. > :18:51.the Royal Navy played a crucial role protecting trade
:18:52. > :18:56.In Chatham, the dockyard was one of the most important naval bases
:18:57. > :18:59.in the country and tomorrow a new exhibition, called Valour,
:19:00. > :19:02.Loss and Sacrifice opens there to mark its role in the conflict.
:19:03. > :19:18.100 years ago, this dockyard would have been a hive of activity,
:19:19. > :19:23.thousands of people building warships for a conflict which, by
:19:24. > :19:27.then, the powers that be new was coming. This exhibition looks at the
:19:28. > :19:34.role of this dockyard and also the ships which came under this
:19:35. > :19:41.division. For several years am a Pozner dockyard had been building a
:19:42. > :19:47.new Navy for the new century. Here, thousands of men arrived to board
:19:48. > :19:53.the warships which were based at the dock. They were preparing battle
:19:54. > :19:57.damaged destroyers, they were preparing submarines, and refitting
:19:58. > :20:02.ships so that they could get back out into sea again, get back on to
:20:03. > :20:06.patrol, and make sure that the troop convoys were all getting in and out
:20:07. > :20:11.of Britain safely. Those who came to see the ships gathering felt that
:20:12. > :20:17.Britain must be invincible. After all, the last time her fleet had
:20:18. > :20:21.been tested was during the boy Nick was 100 years earlier, but within a
:20:22. > :20:27.few weeks their confidence would be severely shaken. Just one month
:20:28. > :20:35.after war was declared, this ship was on patrol of the Scottish coast,
:20:36. > :20:42.when she was sunk. Among the 259 who died was John Magee's grandfather.
:20:43. > :20:48.It was sunk by a torpedo which came from a German U`boat. I think it was
:20:49. > :20:53.a wake`up call to the Admiralty. There are photographs of the
:20:54. > :20:59.Pathfinder which was sunk by a German main. It had become a bit of
:21:00. > :21:06.the cover`up to ease the public's concern about submarine warfare. If
:21:07. > :21:11.they wanted to ignore their concerns about submarines before, the public
:21:12. > :21:18.no longer could. Not all damage was caused by the enemy, however. Carol
:21:19. > :21:24.Nixon's grandfather was among many who died with ammunition on his boat
:21:25. > :21:31.cod fire. Many but refused to believe that it was an accident. My
:21:32. > :21:36.grandfather was convinced that there had been a big party on board an
:21:37. > :21:45.American ship, she reckons that two of the ladies at the party were
:21:46. > :21:49.spies. In 1917, the German fleet was contained, prevented from cutting
:21:50. > :21:54.off the crucial Atlantic surprise route, but many British vessels were
:21:55. > :21:58.lost or damaged. Here, women were brought in so that workshops could
:21:59. > :22:04.operate at capacity, replacing and repairing ships, the dockyard 's
:22:05. > :22:07.continuing their role, helping to keep the Royal Navy afloat. The
:22:08. > :22:12.exhibition opens tomorrow. These people are here for a preview.
:22:13. > :22:17.Anyone who visits will learn more, not just about the role of the
:22:18. > :22:19.British fleet as a wall, but also the individual stories of many of
:22:20. > :22:22.the people who were based here. And our World War One commemorations
:22:23. > :22:25.continue with a special event in Folkestone on 4th August, the day
:22:26. > :22:29.that war was declared 100 years ago. BBC South East Today and
:22:30. > :22:32.BBC Radio Kent will be broadcasting live and you can join us at a free
:22:33. > :22:38.all day event on the harbour. There's been disappointment at the
:22:39. > :22:48.Commonwealth Games this afternoon Meanwhile Tonbridge teenager
:22:49. > :22:49.Katie`Jemima Yeats`Brown, who was a last minute call`up to
:22:50. > :22:52.the England judo team, However, she has now won a bronze
:22:53. > :23:02.medal. Congratulations to her. There's been disappointment at the
:23:03. > :23:04.Commonwealth Games this afternoon The 27`year`old from Woodchurch
:23:05. > :23:07.near Ashford qualified for the bronze medal match in the
:23:08. > :23:09.women's skeet competition but missed Paul Nicholas is best known
:23:10. > :23:14.as the heartthrob star of TV comedy Just Good friends, but
:23:15. > :23:17.his latest venture sees him going back to his song and dance roots,
:23:18. > :23:22.directing a show that features Blockbuster The Musical also stars
:23:23. > :23:29.Suzanne Shaw of Hearsay and Emmerdale fame and our own
:23:30. > :23:32.Jane Witherspoon has been along to Bromley to chat with them about
:23:33. > :23:44.showbiz, pregnancy and, er, Sheppey. His career might have started as a
:23:45. > :23:48.pop star in the 60s, but it was playing the character of things in
:23:49. > :24:03.just good friends that made him a household name. Should we have a
:24:04. > :24:06.dance? Don't be silly. He's combining his skills in his latest
:24:07. > :24:12.role as he takes to the stage in Bromley. It is a great story, great
:24:13. > :24:17.for the families, it is sort of like grease meets back to the future. It
:24:18. > :24:25.is a fun evening, lots of great songs and dancing. Helping him get
:24:26. > :24:40.the crowd on their feet is Suzanne Shaw. It was a poignant return to
:24:41. > :24:45.the theatre for the actors. The last time she was here ten years ago, she
:24:46. > :24:52.went into labour in the dressing room. Apparently the ugly sisters
:24:53. > :24:57.were waiting outside, and they offered to comment and be my
:24:58. > :25:01.partners, and I said, no way. My life is enough of a pantomime
:25:02. > :25:06.without the ugly sisters being involved in the birth of my child.
:25:07. > :25:09.It stirred up lots of memories burble stars. Paul was also
:25:10. > :25:21.reminiscing about his childhood holidays spent on an island near
:25:22. > :25:25.Bath that lack nearby. The big part for me was riding on the donkeys
:25:26. > :25:33.around the beach, I don't know if the donkeys are still there, but I
:25:34. > :25:36.am sure that the wreck is. They are hoping audiences will be reflecting
:25:37. > :25:45.on a great show when it opens on September the 11th.
:25:46. > :26:01.By Sunday, things will feel much fresher. The reason for that is a
:26:02. > :26:05.cold front. We are going to see some showers and some rain, particularly
:26:06. > :26:12.for Sunday. As we go through, temperatures will still be humid.
:26:13. > :26:16.Those showers will stay with us. Temperatures this afternoon have
:26:17. > :26:25.been very warm, 26 Celsius or 27 Celsius, with a fairly light breeze.
:26:26. > :26:29.Those showers have been quite a sharp, and we have got a warning out
:26:30. > :26:33.about them for nine o'clock this evening. The potential that the
:26:34. > :26:40.goods seek some storms tonight. Eventually, those showers should be
:26:41. > :26:45.easing, leaving a warm night, temperatures only dropping to around
:26:46. > :26:48.19 Celsius. Not particularly comfortable fast living. The chance
:26:49. > :26:52.that you could catch a shower tonight. Or Saturday, it will be the
:26:53. > :26:57.warmest day of the weekend. Decent spells of sunshine during the
:26:58. > :27:04.morning. The heat will also bring with it one or two showers by the
:27:05. > :27:08.afternoon. Temperatures still in the top 20s, 27 Celsius. Just a little
:27:09. > :27:13.bit cooler for the North and east. You could see some showers, and they
:27:14. > :27:16.are likely to be heavy but short lived. As we go through to tomorrow
:27:17. > :27:20.night, we will see temperatures sting in the mid teens again. Humid,
:27:21. > :27:26.pretty uncomfortable for sleeping, but things will be turning fresher
:27:27. > :27:31.as you get into the new week, least. We start with temperatures of 17 or
:27:32. > :27:38.18 Celsius. There is going to be some rain throughout the day.
:27:39. > :27:41.Temperatures of 24 Celsius and 25 Celsius. Rain stays with us as we go
:27:42. > :27:44.into Monday, but then there's high pressure will build back in again
:27:45. > :27:49.from the West. Increasingly settled as we get into the new week, but
:27:50. > :27:55.their badgers does a little bit down on this week. For the next couple of
:27:56. > :28:00.days, lots of sunshine, particularly for Saturday. Rain for Sunday and
:28:01. > :28:05.for Monday, but then things settling down again. Enjoy your weekend.