:00:09. > :00:11.Today's main headlines in the south east -
:00:12. > :00:15.Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage strongly denies allegations his team
:00:16. > :00:17.broke election expenses law during the bitterly fought
:00:18. > :00:23.A transgender murderer from Sussex, segregated for their own protection,
:00:24. > :00:25.was not unlawfully treated by the prison service
:00:26. > :00:33.Storm Doris arrives tomorrow with gale force winds and travel
:00:34. > :00:35.disruption expected. And we'll be live at the Dartford
:00:36. > :00:42.crossing with what's Claims that Ukip flouted electoral
:00:43. > :00:54.law during Nigel Farage's unsuccessful bid to become the MP
:00:55. > :00:58.for South Thanet in 2015 have been strongly denied
:00:59. > :01:00.by the former leader. Left-leaning pressure group
:01:01. > :01:04.Hope Not Hate is calling for Kent Police to investigate
:01:05. > :01:07.its allegations that thousands of pounds spent by Ukip were not
:01:08. > :01:14.declared to the electoral watchdog. Mr Farage has told this
:01:15. > :01:18.programme that he has been Mr Farage has told this programme
:01:19. > :01:21.that he has been "absolutely assured However, South East Today has spoken
:01:22. > :01:27.with a former Ukip campaigner who claims he was paid by the party
:01:28. > :01:31.for working in South Thanet - but that payment was never
:01:32. > :01:33.declared to the authorities. Our Political Editor Helen
:01:34. > :01:36.Catt has this report. The fight for South Thanet
:01:37. > :01:39.in the full glare of the world's press was fierce and frantic
:01:40. > :01:41.and nearly two years later, Now there are claims from a pressure
:01:42. > :01:48.group that Ukip may not have declared thousands of pounds spent
:01:49. > :01:50.on its attempts to get BBC South East has spoken
:01:51. > :01:56.to this man, who doesn't want to be identified,
:01:57. > :01:59.who says he worked for the campaign in the vital six weeks
:02:00. > :02:02.running up to the election. He was paid more than ?1,000 by
:02:03. > :02:06.Ukip, money he says wasn't declared. I just think it is very,
:02:07. > :02:09.very bizarre that I know I was paid that sum of money and it's
:02:10. > :02:11.not registered anywhere. I know I was specifically working
:02:12. > :02:14.in South Thanet so it can't be accounted on the national expense,
:02:15. > :02:17.but even so, it's not registered We checked the South Thanet returns
:02:18. > :02:23.signed off by Mr Farage and the election agents ourselves
:02:24. > :02:26.and were unable to find any entry BBC South East has spoken to three
:02:27. > :02:31.young activists who confirmed they were paid to work in South
:02:32. > :02:33.Thanet. It is unclear where their salaries
:02:34. > :02:36.have been declared. The rules around how much candidates
:02:37. > :02:39.can spend at elections are strict, particularly in those final weeks
:02:40. > :02:42.running up to polling day. Then a Parliamentary candidate can
:02:43. > :02:47.spend a maximum of ?8,700 plus up Here in South Thanet,
:02:48. > :02:54.that give a maximum spend of just over ?15,000.
:02:55. > :02:57.Overspending or knowingly not declaring all costs can lead
:02:58. > :03:00.to criminal sanctions. Nigel Farage told us this afternoon
:03:01. > :03:03.that while he did not complete the returns himself,
:03:04. > :03:06.he had been absolutely assured that Ukip had done them as thoroughly
:03:07. > :03:09.and professionally as it could and that he had no reason
:03:10. > :03:12.to think anything is wrong. What we in this country have
:03:13. > :03:19.tried to do as opposed to the United States where huge
:03:20. > :03:22.money is spent and candidates have to be wealthy, we have tried to make
:03:23. > :03:25.a level playing field so that candidates and parties
:03:26. > :03:28.are not disadvantaged Meanwhile, an investigation
:03:29. > :03:34.by Kent Police into winning candidate Craig Mckinlay's campaign
:03:35. > :03:37.expenses remains open. They are also part of a national
:03:38. > :03:40.probe into Conservative spending Any suggestion that
:03:41. > :03:46.Ukip may have broken the rules is likely to be
:03:47. > :03:48.to the Conservatives' political advantage.
:03:49. > :03:51.In Ramsgate, this latest twist in the turbulent politics of Thanet
:03:52. > :03:54.has done little to inspire voters. Do you think so?
:03:55. > :04:00.Yes. If there is foul play
:04:01. > :04:08.somewhere from either party. I don't think most people will be
:04:09. > :04:10.that worried about it. More likely the political party who
:04:11. > :04:14.have got a point to make, really. I just basically always think
:04:15. > :04:18.they should be much more careful with the way
:04:19. > :04:21.they are spending the money. A spokesman for Ukip told
:04:22. > :04:23.as the party was confident it had complied with
:04:24. > :04:26.all electoral regulations. Helen - Hope not Hate are calling
:04:27. > :04:37.for a police investigation, There is really a mechanism for the
:04:38. > :04:43.police to investigate whether because there is a time limit. The
:04:44. > :04:49.general election was in 2015, it is too late for that. You might be
:04:50. > :04:53.thinking, what about that watchdog, the Electoral Commission? They're
:04:54. > :04:56.remit only extends to looking at national party spending. They
:04:57. > :05:01.couldn't look at candidate level spending like this. Kent Police has
:05:02. > :05:04.an open investigation in South Thanet and the reason that can
:05:05. > :05:08.continue is because the force had opened it last year and got
:05:09. > :05:12.permission from a judge to extend its time limit. The force will have
:05:13. > :05:15.to decide whether it will take any action in the next few months.
:05:16. > :05:18.A transgender prisoner from Sussex has lost a High Court appeal
:05:19. > :05:23.Christopher Hunnisett was jailed for life over
:05:24. > :05:27.the killing of a gay man, Peter Bick, in Bexhill
:05:28. > :05:30.in 2012, whom she wrongly believed was a paedophile.
:05:31. > :05:33.Hunnisett attempted to perform a sex-change operation on herself
:05:34. > :05:36.while in prison and now identifies as a woman.
:05:37. > :05:39.A judge ruled that the prison service had not acted unlawfully
:05:40. > :05:42.in keeping her segregated from other prisoners for her own protection.
:05:43. > :05:45.Our Special Correspondent Colin Campbell reports.
:05:46. > :05:48.Convicted as a man, living in prison as a woman, Hunnisett claimed
:05:49. > :05:51.by being segregated behind bars, her rights as a transgender woman
:05:52. > :05:57.She appeared in court via video link, now with long hair,
:05:58. > :06:07.Pretty appalling details of what has gone on.
:06:08. > :06:10.But a difficult case for the courts and for the prison authorities.
:06:11. > :06:14.In court, gruesome detail was given about how Hunnisett had performed
:06:15. > :06:19.an attempted sex change whilst in a prison cell in Durham.
:06:20. > :06:22.The former altar boy explained how living as a transgender women
:06:23. > :06:26.in prison has resulted in her being segregated,
:06:27. > :06:29.restricting her access to education, work, church
:06:30. > :06:36.Hunnisett was first jailed in 2002 for the murder of Sussex
:06:37. > :06:43.She was sensationally acquitted in 2010 after revealing she had been
:06:44. > :06:47.sexually abused as a teenage boy by Reverend Glazebrook.
:06:48. > :06:50.In 2012, Hunnisett was again jailed, this time for the brutal murder
:06:51. > :06:57.of Bexhill supermarket worker Peter Bick.
:06:58. > :06:59.Hunnisett claimed at the time that she had
:07:00. > :07:02.been on a mission to rid the world of paedophiles.
:07:03. > :07:07.He had obviously been my brother's torturer, judge, jury
:07:08. > :07:11.and executioner all in one hand what a horrid, evil animal he is.
:07:12. > :07:15.Hunnisett took her case to the High Court after refusing
:07:16. > :07:18.to be placed on a wing for vulnerable prisoners
:07:19. > :07:21.where she posed a potential risk to convicted sex offenders.
:07:22. > :07:24.She has not been allowed to remain in the general prison
:07:25. > :07:31.Hunnisett claimed that her human rights had been breached,
:07:32. > :07:33.but the High Court disagreed, ruling that segregation is lawful
:07:34. > :07:40.Air accident investigators say they will publish their final safety
:07:41. > :07:44.report into the Shoreham air disaster next week.
:07:45. > :07:47.11 men died when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed
:07:48. > :07:52.Families of the victims have been calling for
:07:53. > :07:55.the publication of the findings by the Air Accidents
:07:56. > :08:01.Sussex Police are also investigating the role played by pilot Andy Hill,
:08:02. > :08:06.A Sussex factory worker has been charged with making online
:08:07. > :08:12.threats against the MP for Eastbourne on Facebook.
:08:13. > :08:15.It's alleged the threats were made towards Caroline Ansell.
:08:16. > :08:17.50-year-old Mark Sands, who lives in Eastbourne,
:08:18. > :08:20.is accused of sending an "offensive, indecent, obscene
:08:21. > :08:26.The Shadow Health Secretary has called for a public inquiry
:08:27. > :08:29.into the controversy surrounding the awarding of a major ambulance
:08:30. > :08:32.contract to a private company in Sussex last year.
:08:33. > :08:35.Coperforma suffered a series of disastrous headlines
:08:36. > :08:37.after taking over last April, having to apologise when hundreds
:08:38. > :08:44.The NHS is taking over the running of the service.
:08:45. > :08:48.Major travel disruption's expected tomorrow as Storm Doris is forecast
:08:49. > :08:51.to bring gusts of up to 70 miles an hour across the south east.
:08:52. > :08:54.The Dartford Crossing could be closed - our reporter Chrissie Reidy
:08:55. > :09:04.is live there for us now. Chrissie - what more do we know?
:09:05. > :09:11.Gusts of 70 mph expected in some places tomorrow. Highways England
:09:12. > :09:15.have set out that the QE2 bridge is likely to close tomorrow. They will
:09:16. > :09:19.not make their final assessment until 4am tomorrow morning but it is
:09:20. > :09:21.likely and as it stands, they will close it as a safety precaution.
:09:22. > :09:26.And Chrissie, it's not just road users expected to be affected?
:09:27. > :09:34.Network Rail have said they are going to impose a 50 mph speed limit
:09:35. > :09:38.on certain services tomorrow and there will be changes to Southern
:09:39. > :09:41.Rail and the Gatwick Express so I think it is likely or rather
:09:42. > :09:43.inevitable there will be disruption both on the road and rail. Check you
:09:44. > :09:47.travel. Thank you. That's it from me, the national
:09:48. > :09:50.weather forecast coming up in a moment but first let's get
:09:51. > :09:53.the picture in the south east with Rachel Mackley.
:09:54. > :10:03.Rachel. We are expecting gale force winds
:10:04. > :10:07.tomorrow and for us in the east, a yellow warning is out. In the early
:10:08. > :10:12.afternoon, inland gusts could be seen between 50 and 60 mph.
:10:13. > :10:17.Potentially up to 70, so do take care if you are planning to travel.
:10:18. > :10:22.Overnight tonight, those wins will pick up and there will be rain at
:10:23. > :10:27.times. Not very heavy but even so, wet and mild end to the night.
:10:28. > :10:40.Overnight temperatures eight or 9 degrees. This warning from the Met
:10:41. > :10:44.Office of low pressure, Storm Doris. Things ease off for a time and then
:10:45. > :10:48.those wins pick up during the early part of the afternoon. That rain
:10:49. > :10:52.heavy for a time and it will feel cooler behind the cold front.
:10:53. > :10:56.Temperatures by the afternoon falling away and top temperatures
:10:57. > :11:02.tomorrow, nine or 10 degrees. The main story is the strength of the
:11:03. > :11:04.winds, between 20-30 mph. This is the
:11:05. > :11:07.some sunshine around and light winds. For more on Doris and its
:11:08. > :11:11.impact, here is the national weather.
:11:12. > :11:19.Good evening, a rough patch weather on the way. Time to fasten your seat
:11:20. > :11:25.belt. A high wind warning from the Met office, an amber one, so pretty
:11:26. > :11:28.severe. Let's see where Storm Doris is right now, only just developing
:11:29. > :11:32.to the west of the UK, in its early stages which is not good because it
:11:33. > :11:37.will be at its peak when it crosses the UK. You can see this hook of
:11:38. > :11:41.cloud which is where the twisting is starting to happen, which is where
:11:42. > :11:45.the big mid-latitude cyclone is starting to develop and it will slam
:11:46. > :11:48.into the centre of the UK during the morning and move across the country
:11:49. > :11:52.through the morning and into the afternoon. Two rounds from this
:11:53. > :11:55.storm, we will see some snow across southern and central parts of
:11:56. > :11:59.Scotland first tonight and into the early hours of Thursday morning.
:12:00. > :12:02.Let's look at the snow, also an amber warning from the Met office,
:12:03. > :12:04.the Southern uplands, the borders,