22/02/2017 South East Today


22/02/2017

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Today's main headlines in the south east -

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Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage strongly denies allegations his team

:00:12.:00:15.

broke election expenses law during the bitterly fought

:00:16.:00:17.

A transgender murderer from Sussex, segregated for their own protection,

:00:18.:00:23.

was not unlawfully treated by the prison service

:00:24.:00:25.

Storm Doris arrives tomorrow with gale force winds and travel

:00:26.:00:33.

disruption expected. And we'll be live at the Dartford

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crossing with what's Claims that Ukip flouted electoral

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law during Nigel Farage's unsuccessful bid to become the MP

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for South Thanet in 2015 have been strongly denied

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by the former leader. Left-leaning pressure group

:00:59.:01:00.

Hope Not Hate is calling for Kent Police to investigate

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its allegations that thousands of pounds spent by Ukip were not

:01:05.:01:07.

declared to the electoral watchdog. Mr Farage has told this

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programme that he has been Mr Farage has told this programme

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that he has been "absolutely assured However, South East Today has spoken

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with a former Ukip campaigner who claims he was paid by the party

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for working in South Thanet - but that payment was never

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declared to the authorities. Our Political Editor Helen

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Catt has this report. The fight for South Thanet

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in the full glare of the world's press was fierce and frantic

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and nearly two years later, Now there are claims from a pressure

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group that Ukip may not have declared thousands of pounds spent

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on its attempts to get BBC South East has spoken

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to this man, who doesn't want to be identified,

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who says he worked for the campaign in the vital six weeks

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running up to the election. He was paid more than ?1,000 by

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Ukip, money he says wasn't declared. I just think it is very,

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very bizarre that I know I was paid that sum of money and it's

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not registered anywhere. I know I was specifically working

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in South Thanet so it can't be accounted on the national expense,

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but even so, it's not registered We checked the South Thanet returns

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signed off by Mr Farage and the election agents ourselves

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and were unable to find any entry BBC South East has spoken to three

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young activists who confirmed they were paid to work in South

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Thanet. It is unclear where their salaries

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have been declared. The rules around how much candidates

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can spend at elections are strict, particularly in those final weeks

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running up to polling day. Then a Parliamentary candidate can

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spend a maximum of ?8,700 plus up Here in South Thanet,

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that give a maximum spend of just over ?15,000.

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Overspending or knowingly not declaring all costs can lead

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to criminal sanctions. Nigel Farage told us this afternoon

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that while he did not complete the returns himself,

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he had been absolutely assured that Ukip had done them as thoroughly

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and professionally as it could and that he had no reason

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to think anything is wrong. What we in this country have

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tried to do as opposed to the United States where huge

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money is spent and candidates have to be wealthy, we have tried to make

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a level playing field so that candidates and parties

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are not disadvantaged Meanwhile, an investigation

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by Kent Police into winning candidate Craig Mckinlay's campaign

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expenses remains open. They are also part of a national

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probe into Conservative spending Any suggestion that

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Ukip may have broken the rules is likely to be

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to the Conservatives' political advantage.

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In Ramsgate, this latest twist in the turbulent politics of Thanet

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has done little to inspire voters. Do you think so?

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Yes. If there is foul play

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somewhere from either party. I don't think most people will be

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that worried about it. More likely the political party who

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have got a point to make, really. I just basically always think

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they should be much more careful with the way

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they are spending the money. A spokesman for Ukip told

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as the party was confident it had complied with

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all electoral regulations. Helen - Hope not Hate are calling

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for a police investigation, There is really a mechanism for the

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police to investigate whether because there is a time limit. The

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general election was in 2015, it is too late for that. You might be

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thinking, what about that watchdog, the Electoral Commission? They're

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remit only extends to looking at national party spending. They

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couldn't look at candidate level spending like this. Kent Police has

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an open investigation in South Thanet and the reason that can

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continue is because the force had opened it last year and got

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permission from a judge to extend its time limit. The force will have

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to decide whether it will take any action in the next few months.

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A transgender prisoner from Sussex has lost a High Court appeal

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Christopher Hunnisett was jailed for life over

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the killing of a gay man, Peter Bick, in Bexhill

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in 2012, whom she wrongly believed was a paedophile.

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Hunnisett attempted to perform a sex-change operation on herself

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while in prison and now identifies as a woman.

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A judge ruled that the prison service had not acted unlawfully

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in keeping her segregated from other prisoners for her own protection.

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Our Special Correspondent Colin Campbell reports.

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Convicted as a man, living in prison as a woman, Hunnisett claimed

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by being segregated behind bars, her rights as a transgender woman

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She appeared in court via video link, now with long hair,

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Pretty appalling details of what has gone on.

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But a difficult case for the courts and for the prison authorities.

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In court, gruesome detail was given about how Hunnisett had performed

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an attempted sex change whilst in a prison cell in Durham.

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The former altar boy explained how living as a transgender women

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in prison has resulted in her being segregated,

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restricting her access to education, work, church

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Hunnisett was first jailed in 2002 for the murder of Sussex

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She was sensationally acquitted in 2010 after revealing she had been

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sexually abused as a teenage boy by Reverend Glazebrook.

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In 2012, Hunnisett was again jailed, this time for the brutal murder

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of Bexhill supermarket worker Peter Bick.

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Hunnisett claimed at the time that she had

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been on a mission to rid the world of paedophiles.

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He had obviously been my brother's torturer, judge, jury

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and executioner all in one hand what a horrid, evil animal he is.

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Hunnisett took her case to the High Court after refusing

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to be placed on a wing for vulnerable prisoners

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where she posed a potential risk to convicted sex offenders.

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She has not been allowed to remain in the general prison

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Hunnisett claimed that her human rights had been breached,

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but the High Court disagreed, ruling that segregation is lawful

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Air accident investigators say they will publish their final safety

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report into the Shoreham air disaster next week.

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11 men died when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed

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Families of the victims have been calling for

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the publication of the findings by the Air Accidents

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Sussex Police are also investigating the role played by pilot Andy Hill,

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A Sussex factory worker has been charged with making online

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threats against the MP for Eastbourne on Facebook.

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It's alleged the threats were made towards Caroline Ansell.

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50-year-old Mark Sands, who lives in Eastbourne,

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is accused of sending an "offensive, indecent, obscene

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The Shadow Health Secretary has called for a public inquiry

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into the controversy surrounding the awarding of a major ambulance

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contract to a private company in Sussex last year.

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Coperforma suffered a series of disastrous headlines

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after taking over last April, having to apologise when hundreds

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The NHS is taking over the running of the service.

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Major travel disruption's expected tomorrow as Storm Doris is forecast

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to bring gusts of up to 70 miles an hour across the south east.

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The Dartford Crossing could be closed - our reporter Chrissie Reidy

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is live there for us now. Chrissie - what more do we know?

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Gusts of 70 mph expected in some places tomorrow. Highways England

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have set out that the QE2 bridge is likely to close tomorrow. They will

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not make their final assessment until 4am tomorrow morning but it is

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likely and as it stands, they will close it as a safety precaution.

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And Chrissie, it's not just road users expected to be affected?

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Network Rail have said they are going to impose a 50 mph speed limit

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on certain services tomorrow and there will be changes to Southern

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Rail and the Gatwick Express so I think it is likely or rather

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inevitable there will be disruption both on the road and rail. Check you

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travel. Thank you. That's it from me, the national

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weather forecast coming up in a moment but first let's get

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the picture in the south east with Rachel Mackley.

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Rachel. We are expecting gale force winds

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tomorrow and for us in the east, a yellow warning is out. In the early

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afternoon, inland gusts could be seen between 50 and 60 mph.

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Potentially up to 70, so do take care if you are planning to travel.

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Overnight tonight, those wins will pick up and there will be rain at

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times. Not very heavy but even so, wet and mild end to the night.

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Overnight temperatures eight or 9 degrees. This warning from the Met

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Office of low pressure, Storm Doris. Things ease off for a time and then

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those wins pick up during the early part of the afternoon. That rain

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heavy for a time and it will feel cooler behind the cold front.

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Temperatures by the afternoon falling away and top temperatures

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tomorrow, nine or 10 degrees. The main story is the strength of the

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winds, between 20-30 mph. This is the

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some sunshine around and light winds. For more on Doris and its

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impact, here is the national weather.

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Good evening, a rough patch weather on the way. Time to fasten your seat

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belt. A high wind warning from the Met office, an amber one, so pretty

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severe. Let's see where Storm Doris is right now, only just developing

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to the west of the UK, in its early stages which is not good because it

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will be at its peak when it crosses the UK. You can see this hook of

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cloud which is where the twisting is starting to happen, which is where

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the big mid-latitude cyclone is starting to develop and it will slam

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into the centre of the UK during the morning and move across the country

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through the morning and into the afternoon. Two rounds from this

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storm, we will see some snow across southern and central parts of

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Scotland first tonight and into the early hours of Thursday morning.

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Let's look at the snow, also an amber warning from the Met office,

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the Southern uplands, the borders,

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