:00:00. > :00:07.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.
:00:08. > :00:14.Kent Police warn against vigilantism after confrontations
:00:15. > :00:21.between self-styled paedophile hunters and suspected sex offenders.
:00:22. > :00:24.We will report live from Kent Police headquarters.
:00:25. > :00:26.A grieving mother warns about illegal highs
:00:27. > :00:31.after a prescription drug killed her son
:00:32. > :00:38.Our generation could not access drugs as easily as they can now.
:00:39. > :00:39.They have the Internet, mobile phones and friends.
:00:40. > :00:44.Despite a sea of blue the Greens think a "progressive alliance"
:00:45. > :00:47.could break up the Conservative stronghold in the south east.
:00:48. > :00:50.The cuddly robot seal that s helping demetia patients thanks
:00:51. > :01:07.And we chat with the biggest selling artist of the 80's,
:01:08. > :01:16.about his latest most personal album ever.
:01:17. > :01:21.Kent Police are warning against vigilantism
:01:22. > :01:23.after a series of confrontations between self-styled
:01:24. > :01:26.paedophile hunters and suspected sex offenders.
:01:27. > :01:29.The group The Hunted One has recently streamed live footage
:01:30. > :01:30.of themselves confronting an alleged sexual predator
:01:31. > :01:36.which led to a brawl at a Kent shopping centre.
:01:37. > :01:43.Now Kent Police say they have significant concerns about people
:01:44. > :01:46.taking the law into their own hands saying they could be breaking
:01:47. > :01:47.the law, and hampering other investigations -
:01:48. > :01:57.by attempting to trap people with online stings.
:01:58. > :02:01.Filmed to capture the moment the group known as The Hunted One
:02:02. > :02:07.confronted a suspected paedophile who thought he was meeting a child
:02:08. > :02:09.for sex, this footage was streamed live to thousands on
:02:10. > :02:12.It allegedly turned violent after the viewers said the would
:02:13. > :02:14.offer cash to anyone who beat the suspect up.
:02:15. > :02:24.They said they would not stream live. We wanted to show people how
:02:25. > :02:29.we did the process better. It has not worked out and we do not want to
:02:30. > :02:34.put anyone's life at risk, whoever it is and what they are accused to
:02:35. > :02:41.doing. Police are urging people not to get involved in operations. The
:02:42. > :02:49.arrow -- they are telling people they could be jeopardising
:02:50. > :02:53.allegations. They could be doing more harm than good because the
:02:54. > :02:56.evidence could not be used. When the police have their undercover
:02:57. > :03:01.operations and stings, they follow certain techniques and they have
:03:02. > :03:06.training. Children's charities who have campaigned to tighten laws
:03:07. > :03:11.involving online grooming and abuse say the police are best placed to
:03:12. > :03:19.secure convictions. It is a complex task that requires specially trained
:03:20. > :03:23.and dedicated police officers. It is that problem but it can also drive
:03:24. > :03:32.known or alleged offenders underground. The group say they will
:03:33. > :03:38.continue. Citing cases like that of paedophile Mark McKenna who was
:03:39. > :03:42.jailed for five years following their operation. They claim to have
:03:43. > :03:46.gathered evidence in more than 50 convictions.
:03:47. > :03:56.Peter, what are the latest developments? Tonight, Kent Police
:03:57. > :04:06.have confirmed that both men aged 20 have been charged with affray. The
:04:07. > :04:12.appeal seems... The police say that filming these events they might
:04:13. > :04:18.identify innocent people. The hunted 1's civic carry out their
:04:19. > :04:23.investigations meticulously. The CBI are not -- they say they are not
:04:24. > :04:28.targeting the police. They say the police do not have the information
:04:29. > :04:30.to catch people on the Internet. The grieving mother of a teenager
:04:31. > :04:32.from Deal who died after taking a lethal dose of a powerful
:04:33. > :04:35.prescription drug is warning others not to risk their lives looking
:04:36. > :04:37.for an illegal high. Robert Fraser died
:04:38. > :04:39.after taking fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is a hundred
:04:40. > :04:42.times more potent than heroin. In her first television
:04:43. > :04:44.interview since his death, Michelle Fraser says
:04:45. > :04:46.he was a bubbly teenager with his whole life ahead of him who didn't
:04:47. > :04:49.understand the risks Robert Fraser enjoying his 18th
:04:50. > :04:58.birthday with his brother and sister, but just a few weeks
:04:59. > :05:01.later his family found him lying Our generation could
:05:02. > :05:07.not access drugs as They can get it on the Internet,
:05:08. > :05:12.they have got mobile phones, We were not as aware,
:05:13. > :05:18.but we need to be more aware because this drug, it was just given
:05:19. > :05:26.to my son as a buy one, have it, A toxicology report
:05:27. > :05:29.confirmed Robert died from taking too much Fentanyl,
:05:30. > :05:32.a prescription drug similar to morphine and heroin but up to 100
:05:33. > :05:36.times more powerful. It is a much stronger
:05:37. > :05:42.opiate than heroin. It does not come
:05:43. > :05:45.from the opiate plant, like It is much more intense and fast
:05:46. > :05:55.acting and therefore more dangerous. Until recently in the UK
:05:56. > :06:00.it was quite rare to see it sold on the black market, but we have seen
:06:01. > :06:03.in other countries very large Robert had just finished
:06:04. > :06:06.studying moto-mechanics His friends say they were
:06:07. > :06:10.concerned he was dabbling Everybody was getting
:06:11. > :06:12.worried and saying, you need to stop and then
:06:13. > :06:15.the last I heard of it He was good at anything he tried,
:06:16. > :06:24.really, skateboarding, bikes. You do not expect to
:06:25. > :06:32.outlive your children. He should be getting
:06:33. > :06:34.an apprenticeship, getting a girlfriend and eventually
:06:35. > :06:37.getting married and having a family. Robert's family hope
:06:38. > :06:52.that by speaking out they will stop others experiencing
:06:53. > :06:55.the same tragedy. In a moment - an innovative
:06:56. > :07:14.new project for autistic teens wins In a matter of weeks we will all be
:07:15. > :07:22.heading back to the polls because today MPs voted in favour of holding
:07:23. > :07:27.a general election on June the 8th. The Prime Minister's motion was
:07:28. > :07:33.supported by 522 MPs today and just 13 voting against it. It means the
:07:34. > :07:44.election will go ahead in just 15 -- 50 days' time.
:07:45. > :07:50.The strong leadership this country needs to take Britain through Brexit
:07:51. > :07:55.and beyond. This is about the future of all of us. The future of our
:07:56. > :07:57.children, future services, the future of our jobs.
:07:58. > :07:59.So which constituencies will be the ones to watch
:08:00. > :08:03.South Thanet will once again be a focus.
:08:04. > :08:06.It currently has a Conservative MP in Craig Mackinlay but has the only
:08:07. > :08:08.UKIP-run council in the country and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage
:08:09. > :08:15.The fight for Brighton Kemptown could also be fierce as Conservative
:08:16. > :08:18.MP Simon Kirby has the smallest majority in the South East,
:08:19. > :08:24.And Caroline Ansell in Eastbourne and Maria Caulfield in Lewes both
:08:25. > :08:29.only won their sets from the liberal democrats two years ago,
:08:30. > :08:34.they will be high in the lib dems target list to retake.
:08:35. > :08:38.Our political editor Helen Catt joins us live from Westminster.
:08:39. > :08:46.The campaigning starts now then, Helen?
:08:47. > :08:53.Parliament does not dissolve until maybe third. Work goes on until then
:08:54. > :08:59.that the campaign has started. To south-east MPs who are going to be
:09:00. > :09:05.campaigning pretty hard with me now. Carolina and so, if we start with
:09:06. > :09:09.you. You have a very small majority. 733. The Liberal Democrats are going
:09:10. > :09:13.to be pushing hard in Eastbourne. I have a turkey who has just voted for
:09:14. > :09:19.Christmas? No, I have just voted in the best interests of our country.
:09:20. > :09:23.It is important that the Prime Minister can command a majority to
:09:24. > :09:27.deliver on Brexit and it has become increasingly important that that big
:09:28. > :09:32.decision to calm is taken out of a time period that would normally be
:09:33. > :09:36.just before a general election and hostage to opposition politics. As
:09:37. > :09:42.for a small majority, I would say to the good people of the constituency,
:09:43. > :09:46.I have a big message and Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn's Jeremy Corbyn
:09:47. > :09:52.said today that nobody is opposed to the Brexit plan so far. This is not
:09:53. > :09:56.necessary. It is not stack up? It does. Caroline Lucas, you have been
:09:57. > :09:59.talking about different kind of election bidding together
:10:00. > :10:05.progressive alliances where the parties might stand or help each
:10:06. > :10:11.other out. Have you made those sort of plans for Brighton Pavilion? No,
:10:12. > :10:16.this is about seeing how we can build a non-Tory alliance because
:10:17. > :10:19.there is opportunity before as with the selection is to now see that
:10:20. > :10:24.there are alternatives to the extreme form of Brexit, which the
:10:25. > :10:29.Prime Minister is pursuing. She has no mandate for that. The issue of
:10:30. > :10:33.these single market were not on the ballot paper. It is an opportunity
:10:34. > :10:39.for the Greens to get out there and talk about our policies. Does the
:10:40. > :10:42.benefits the green more? It would be like the Liberal Democrats and
:10:43. > :10:45.Labour singer cannot win on their own. If you look at the polling
:10:46. > :10:51.currently, it would take someone with the whole amount of ambition to
:10:52. > :10:57.imagine the Labour is going to form the next Government. Because of our
:10:58. > :11:02.electrical system, Theresa May can increase her majority and that is
:11:03. > :11:07.not in the interest of our country. -- electoral system. Let's get
:11:08. > :11:13.parties working together to keep the Tories out and work for a better,
:11:14. > :11:18.progressive future. There will be a lot more of it for seven weeks.
:11:19. > :11:20.Thank you both. We have seven more weeks. Seven more weeks, indeed.
:11:21. > :11:23.Well, now the election has been approved by MPs,
:11:24. > :11:27.Parliament is expected to break up on the 3rd May to allow just over
:11:28. > :11:32.a month of full campaigning ahead of the election on June 8th.
:11:33. > :11:38.A 17-year-old racing driver from Surrey has had both his legs
:11:39. > :11:40.amputated after a high speed crash at Donnington Park.
:11:41. > :11:42.Billy Monger, from Charlwood near Gatwick, was taking part
:11:43. > :11:44.in the British Formula 4 championships.
:11:45. > :11:48.This is the footage from his onboard camera
:11:49. > :11:54.A justgiving page has already raised over ?25,000 for him.
:11:55. > :11:57.A man who suffered an unprovoked acid attack that's left him scarred
:11:58. > :12:00.for life says his attacker's jail term does not reflect
:12:01. > :12:02.the severity of his injuries, and should be doubled.
:12:03. > :12:04.Samir Hussain suffered burns after the attack outside
:12:05. > :12:07.Michael McPherson, from South London, has been jailed
:12:08. > :12:15.for 8 years for causing grievous bodily harm.
:12:16. > :12:18.An East Sussex school for pupils with special needs which was put
:12:19. > :12:21.into special measures in 2014 has today got the royal seal
:12:22. > :12:23.of approval, when the Countess of Wessex opened an innovative
:12:24. > :12:26.new project that gives teenagers the chance to get work experience
:12:27. > :12:43.The project is thought to be the only one of its kind in the country.
:12:44. > :12:47.A warm welcome for the Royal patron and then came the questions.
:12:48. > :12:57.Well, we have one downstairs and one upstairs.
:12:58. > :13:16.The first the kind in the country, this is the reason for the visit.
:13:17. > :13:29.A shopping mall at a school, with a hair dressers,
:13:30. > :13:31.situations to help them in their careers and interactions.
:13:32. > :13:37.Lewis is 18 and learning about hospitality.
:13:38. > :13:40.When I first started working in the cafe, I was nervous.
:13:41. > :13:56.From a parent's point of view there isn't anything else like this.
:13:57. > :14:00.This is inspirational and forward thinking and it has to be the way
:14:01. > :14:05.In 2014, the school was in special measures.
:14:06. > :14:07.Now making improvements, it is making
:14:08. > :14:11.It is changing the school's fortunes but it is changing
:14:12. > :14:19.They can take a fulfilled, independent life.
:14:20. > :14:22.The aim is to empower all age ranges to take on life's challenges
:14:23. > :14:33.Kent Police warn against vigilantism after clashes between
:14:34. > :14:34.self-styled paedophile hunters and suspected sex offenders.
:14:35. > :14:37.Confrontations by The Hunted One group have been streamed
:14:38. > :14:56.Also in tonight's programme... We will be chatting with 80 legend she
:14:57. > :15:03.can Stevens about his latest, most personnel musical journey. A lot of
:15:04. > :15:05.dry weather in the forecast. I will have the details for you in the
:15:06. > :15:08.programme later on. Paro was originally designed
:15:09. > :15:11.as a toy in Japan - a cuddly robot seal pup that can
:15:12. > :15:16.bond with people - but new research carried out
:15:17. > :15:19.at the University of Brighton has found they have remarkable effect
:15:20. > :15:21.in helping people with dementia. Paro has a degree of artificial
:15:22. > :15:24.intelligence, which means it can learn to respond to certain words
:15:25. > :15:31.and it can sense touch, light, But they don't come cheap -
:15:32. > :15:37.each one costs ?5,000. However, they're proving so good
:15:38. > :15:39.at helping vulnerable elderly patients cope with anxiety
:15:40. > :15:42.and memory loss, they could now be Amanda Akass has
:15:43. > :15:53.tonight's special report. This is a baby seal in its natural
:15:54. > :15:56.habitat, the Arctic Circle. The reassuring cuteness
:15:57. > :15:57.of its robotic counterpart has been really helping
:15:58. > :15:59.dementia patients here in Sussex. Clients that were perhaps
:16:00. > :16:02.getting quite tearful or getting quite depressed,
:16:03. > :16:05.you could present Paro to the client and within an instant
:16:06. > :16:10.they would be much calmer. Paro was invented in
:16:11. > :16:12.Japan but the Brighton University team were the first
:16:13. > :16:14.to research using the robot They began introducing it
:16:15. > :16:19.to inpatient dementia patients Now Paro is about to be registered
:16:20. > :16:24.as an official medical device, making it easier for NHS trusts
:16:25. > :16:29.to buy one of their own. Animals are very good
:16:30. > :16:31.for human beings. But some people have
:16:32. > :16:34.allergies and in nursing homes, it is very hard to manage
:16:35. > :16:36.or keep animals there. I thought an animal robot
:16:37. > :16:44.would be very good. Paro is covered in sensors from his
:16:45. > :16:47.whiskers all the way down to his It means he responds to touch
:16:48. > :16:51.and the human voice. The team at this day
:16:52. > :17:02.centre in London were so impressed by the findings
:17:03. > :17:04.of the Brighton University research, they decided to introduce Paro
:17:05. > :17:09.to their own patients. Dementia causes people
:17:10. > :17:11.to lose their memory of time If they are at the time
:17:12. > :17:16.when they are saying, I have to pick up the kids, we engage
:17:17. > :17:17.them with Paro. One person who may be
:17:18. > :17:20.distressed to the point where Paro is being used
:17:21. > :17:24.as an alternative to relieve the distress, medication
:17:25. > :17:25.has been avoided. The team hope their work
:17:26. > :17:27.will encourage other NHS trusts to see the robot
:17:28. > :17:29.as a serious tool to help the growing
:17:30. > :17:42.number of people living While he's fondly remembered
:17:43. > :17:46.for those 80s chart successes, Cardiff's answer to The King says
:17:47. > :17:48.he doesn't want to trade Born as Michael Barratt
:17:49. > :17:53.it was at the age of 21 when he borrowed the name
:17:54. > :17:57.of a old school friend to come up He went on to become
:17:58. > :18:00.the biggest selling singles artist of the 1980's -
:18:01. > :18:02.with four number one's including Green Door and This Old House
:18:03. > :18:05.in fact he's enjoyed no fewer Now he's got a new album,
:18:06. > :18:14.inspired by his mining heritage and tonight he's playing
:18:15. > :18:30.the Orchard Theatre in Dartford He was the biggest selling British
:18:31. > :18:37.single artists of the 1980s. Shakin Stevens had fans in a frenzy. Now,
:18:38. > :18:43.69 years young he is back on the road but a new take on the classics.
:18:44. > :18:50.It has moved on and we do that with quite a few... Turning away we have
:18:51. > :18:57.done that with guitar and it is more like the blues. You have to move
:18:58. > :19:03.forward. # I ain't got time... It has been
:19:04. > :19:07.quite a journey for the youngest of 14 children. It led him to a
:19:08. > :19:12.half-brother he never knew he had. My dad was married before for one
:19:13. > :19:23.year and he had a child. I did not know I ever had a half-brother. All
:19:24. > :19:28.these stories were unfolding. My first top of the Pops was live at
:19:29. > :19:33.the policy was to mine to the records and that is what I did. I
:19:34. > :19:37.had a microphone in front of me and many people who did not have
:19:38. > :19:39.microphones and front of me and many people who did not have microphones
:19:40. > :19:46.and fund them, they had brushes. Shakin Stevens may be a thing of the
:19:47. > :19:50.past but you can ensure fans old and new will be on their feet. --
:19:51. > :19:54.sheeting may be a thing of the past. Over the years, Steve Brown
:19:55. > :19:59.from Sittingbourne has gotten used His school careers teacher
:20:00. > :20:02.told him he'd never make it And after he broke his
:20:03. > :20:05.neck as a 24-year-old he was told his dreams
:20:06. > :20:08.of a sporting career were over. He went on to captain Team GB's
:20:09. > :20:11.wheelchair rugby team at the London 2012 paralympics
:20:12. > :20:13.and now he's joined the presenting team of the BBC's
:20:14. > :20:15.Countryfile programme with him in just a moment -
:20:16. > :20:31.but first, here's a some How was the village's attitude
:20:32. > :21:10.towards that? Over the years, I have ticked many
:21:11. > :21:15.species of my wish list but are many animals I have not had the chance to
:21:16. > :21:21.see and that is the Brown heron. Thank you for coming in. It is a
:21:22. > :21:28.pleasure. You have had such a varied career. How does that feel to do
:21:29. > :21:32.this now? 15 or 16 years old and you are doing your GCSEs and you go off
:21:33. > :21:37.to see your career 's adviser and you tell them what your hobbies
:21:38. > :21:41.are... I grew up with the really wild show. If I wasn't playing
:21:42. > :21:48.sport, I was watching it and I told him I wanted to go into that area.
:21:49. > :21:53.He said, I do not think so, Steve. You should draft him an e-mail and
:21:54. > :22:01.say, check it out. Hopefully he is watching. You were looking at here
:22:02. > :22:07.is for the programme. Yes, we went to watch the ritual. The females
:22:08. > :22:10.test to see how strong the male counterparts are by boxing with them
:22:11. > :22:19.and if they are strong, they will go. Interestingly, you have said you
:22:20. > :22:25.are not an advocate of creating wheelchair pasts in the countryside
:22:26. > :22:31.to make it easy for people in wheelchairs to get up close. Why is
:22:32. > :22:35.that? I do not want to be speaking on behalf of people in wheelchairs,
:22:36. > :22:39.the scene you would not speak on behalf of everyone who can walk, but
:22:40. > :22:44.for me I love watching wildlife and the countryside. If we go around
:22:45. > :22:49.covering everywhere with tarmac, surely we are just intruding
:22:50. > :22:53.further. There is a whole high Street outside. I want to make sure
:22:54. > :22:59.I can use all the shops before I can make sure I can use every field. It
:23:00. > :23:04.is priorities. Roads are close enough to be able to see most. You
:23:05. > :23:06.clearly love it. Congratulations to you and we look forward to seeing
:23:07. > :23:21.you on country file. Thank you. Lots of dry weather. The chilly
:23:22. > :23:26.start and temperatures were below freezing. By the afternoon,
:23:27. > :23:31.temperatures are around 12 Celsius. A lot of dry weather in the
:23:32. > :23:36.forecast. More cloud around for the next couple of days. Temperatures on
:23:37. > :23:42.the rise. They were going to go back to a south westerly direction -- the
:23:43. > :23:48.winds. Clearer skies and temperatures falling down.
:23:49. > :23:51.Temperatures hovering around three Celsius in towns and cities. The
:23:52. > :23:57.chilly and bright start to the day. As we head through the morning, more
:23:58. > :24:02.in the way of cloud cover. High pressure is in control of things. We
:24:03. > :24:07.are going to be holding onto that sunshine during much of the day.
:24:08. > :24:14.Temperatures by the afternoon creeping up to 12 or 13 Celsius.
:24:15. > :24:22.Double figures along the coast. Those winds back to a south-westerly
:24:23. > :24:26.direction. With that milder air mass, we call Thursday into Friday
:24:27. > :24:30.and temperatures on the drop a couple of Celsius. Overnight lows of
:24:31. > :24:36.eight Celsius. Patchy rain here and there but for many of us, a mostly
:24:37. > :24:42.dry start into Friday. More cloud around but temperatures while the 12
:24:43. > :24:47.Celsius. That cold front we are now expecting to see first thing on
:24:48. > :24:50.Saturday. Not a lot of rain but cooler air as we head towards
:24:51. > :24:56.Saturday and Sunday. If you have been waiting for the rain, Monday we
:24:57. > :25:03.will see heavy bursts for a time. Before that, lots of dry weather and
:25:04. > :25:08.rising temperatures. Thank you very much. I will be back with your late
:25:09. > :25:09.news at 10:30pm. I will see you tomorrow. Have a very good night.
:25:10. > :25:15.Goodbye.