:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South Today. for the news where you are.
:00:00. > :00:08.Coming up: the vulnerable brothers in Oxfordshire sexually
:00:09. > :00:11.and physically abused by the man who was their guardian.
:00:12. > :00:15.There are now questions over how they were placed in his care.
:00:16. > :00:17.And tougher penalties for those caught using a mobile
:00:18. > :00:29.First tonight, an oopportunity was missed to protect two
:00:30. > :00:33.vulnerable brothers, who were seriously sexually
:00:34. > :00:40.That's according to a report, published today, which concluded
:00:41. > :00:42.suspicious bruising on the children, should have led to a more
:00:43. > :00:46.The children's carer, identified as Mr K, has since been
:00:47. > :00:54.The parents of the boys were unable to look after them
:00:55. > :00:58.so they were placed into the care of Mr K and Ms L under what's known
:00:59. > :01:03.That's because Ms L is distantly related to the boys' parents.
:01:04. > :01:09.Now the boys both had special needs and neither Mr K nor Ms L had any
:01:10. > :01:15.The boys lived with the couple for a year until March 2015,
:01:16. > :01:20.but during that year Mr K physically and sexually abused the boys.
:01:21. > :01:25.He was caught, arrested and charged and found guilty of rape.
:01:26. > :01:27.He was sentenced to a long prison sentence.
:01:28. > :01:30.Now, the report has found that there was no way anyone
:01:31. > :01:34.could have known in advance that Mr K was going to be abusive.
:01:35. > :01:39.There were opportunities to spot and stop the abuse earlier.
:01:40. > :01:42.At one point, one of the boys were spotted with bruises
:01:43. > :01:45.on his face, but they were explained away as being related
:01:46. > :01:50.The report also says that the desire for the placement to be successful
:01:51. > :01:54.inappropriately affected the child protection processes.
:01:55. > :01:57.But under the framework that was in place under the time,
:01:58. > :02:00.everything was done as it should have been.
:02:01. > :02:05.The two key areas that we need to focus on are improving our work
:02:06. > :02:09.with children with disabilities and ensuring that there
:02:10. > :02:13.is a recognition that they may be a greater risk from safeguarding
:02:14. > :02:18.perspective and understanding how forensically to test that.
:02:19. > :02:21.The second, I think, is to ensure that we have robust
:02:22. > :02:24.arrangements in place to assess those people who come forward
:02:25. > :02:30.At the same time as this review was taking place,
:02:31. > :02:33.the government was also tightening the rules around special guardians
:02:34. > :02:37.to ensure that at-risk children are afforded the best possible care.
:02:38. > :02:42.Now the two boys in this case are now with new carers,
:02:43. > :02:50.An RAF pilot's been cleared at a court martial of lying
:02:51. > :02:54.to investigators, after the military passenger jet he was
:02:55. > :02:57.flying from Brize Norton, went into a nose dive.
:02:58. > :03:00.Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townsend had been accused of lying
:03:01. > :03:04.in a technical log and service inquiry, when he initially claimed
:03:05. > :03:07.the incident had been caused by a technical fault.
:03:08. > :03:10.At a hearing in Wiltshire, he has been cleared of two counts
:03:11. > :03:15.of perjury and one count of making a false record.
:03:16. > :03:18.People who use hand-held mobiles while driving are facing tougher
:03:19. > :03:21.penalties in England, Wales and Scotland from today.
:03:22. > :03:27.In Abingdon this morning, Thames Valley Police
:03:28. > :03:30.were out stopping drivers still ignoring the warnings.
:03:31. > :03:40.Using a mobile phone while driving can cost lives.
:03:41. > :03:44.Undercover and in plain sight, nobody flouting the law
:03:45. > :03:50.This woman was caught texting in slow-moving traffic.
:03:51. > :03:57.Because I know I shouldn't have done but I texted that
:03:58. > :04:05.Because the traffic a nightmare all the way from home.
:04:06. > :04:07.The new rules mean that anyone caught using their mobile phone
:04:08. > :04:11.behind the wheel now get a ?200 fine and six point on the licence.
:04:12. > :04:13.New drivers get their licence revoked.
:04:14. > :04:16.Eleven people were stopped during this morning's operation.
:04:17. > :04:20.This 19-year-old told me why he was using his
:04:21. > :04:26.I was just trying to find a garage to get my tyre changed
:04:27. > :04:32.I didn't know the law was changing but he just informed me it is.
:04:33. > :04:38.There have been several high-profile crashes involving drivers
:04:39. > :04:45.Thomash Crowcer was jailed for ten years after his actions led
:04:46. > :04:48.to the death of a mother and three children.
:04:49. > :04:53.And earlier this week, BBC's Inside Out broadcast
:04:54. > :04:56.the moment a driver who killed a man in a head-on crash met his
:04:57. > :05:01.I'll never forget it, ever, and I can never say sorry enough.
:05:02. > :05:04.But every time I say sorry I'm thinking it's bit cheap.
:05:05. > :05:11.It's just not good enough but I am...
:05:12. > :05:15.Thames Valley Police said it would continue to hold sting
:05:16. > :05:18.operations to crack down on the problem.
:05:19. > :05:20.The fact that we've caught 11 motorists today in just two
:05:21. > :05:25.People need to get the message, do not use your mobile
:05:26. > :05:30.Switch it off, put it in the glove box, put it in the boot.
:05:31. > :05:35.From next Wednesday, drivers using their phones
:05:36. > :05:37.in the Thames Valley region will no longer be offered a course
:05:38. > :05:40.as an alternative to a fixed penalty notice.
:05:41. > :05:43.They hope it will encourage people to send their texts, outside,
:05:44. > :05:55.Oxford University says it is planning to take out
:05:56. > :05:57.a possession order to remove squatters from one of its buildings
:05:58. > :06:01.A group of around 20 homeless people have moved into a derelict power
:06:02. > :06:08.They had been evicted from a former car showroom on Iffley Road,
:06:09. > :06:11.which they had been living in for two months.
:06:12. > :06:14.Thames Valley Police is hoping to recruit 200 new officers.
:06:15. > :06:17.Candidates must have two A-level grades, A to E,
:06:18. > :06:26.The Force says it's lowered the requirement from two
:06:27. > :06:28.higher-grade A-levels, following recent proposals
:06:29. > :06:31.It's also encouraging applicants from minority backgrounds, which it
:06:32. > :06:35.Oxford Bus Company is warning passengers to expect disruption
:06:36. > :06:37.to services because of strike action in the coming days.
:06:38. > :06:40.It's been unable to reach a deal with the Unite union
:06:41. > :06:45.in a disagreement over pay during Christmas last year.
:06:46. > :06:53.Strikes are scheduled tomrroow and next Monday.
:06:54. > :06:55.We're really disappointed and we do apologise to our customers
:06:56. > :06:57.that their days are going to be inconvenienced on
:06:58. > :07:02.We do hope that a resolution can be found and we wish to enter
:07:03. > :07:04.meaningful discussions with Unite to try and bring this dispute
:07:05. > :07:10.England's rugby stars are training in Oxford this week.
:07:11. > :07:13.Eddie Jones's men are currently top of the Six Nations table.
:07:14. > :07:18.England's finest being put through their paces this morning.
:07:19. > :07:21.The squad will be staying and training in Oxford this week.
:07:22. > :07:24.Their home away from home, the Randolph Hotel
:07:25. > :07:29.It's brilliant that they've come back to Teddy's.
:07:30. > :07:37.And wonderful for us that they are out there
:07:38. > :07:39.on our fields, training, using our facilities and so on.
:07:40. > :07:42.A close encounter causing much excitement for the pupils.
:07:43. > :07:45.They are achieving their goals by training really hard,
:07:46. > :07:48.it shows to students at our school that they can in fact
:07:49. > :07:51.achieve their goals and use them in their sporting
:07:52. > :07:56.It's created a massive buzz around the school when you have your role
:07:57. > :07:58.models and idols training down the pitches near us,
:07:59. > :08:02.it's amazing to see just how hard they train and what they do
:08:03. > :08:06.So what have the visitors made of the city so far?
:08:07. > :08:08.It's a brilliant place to come and train.
:08:09. > :08:11.We're staying here in the centre of the city, the school have been
:08:12. > :08:17.As you see in training this morning, I think they enjoyed having
:08:18. > :08:19.the England team training there as well.
:08:20. > :08:22.So what to expect to get out of the week?
:08:23. > :08:25.We expect a great week's training, intense preparation as we get ready
:08:26. > :08:28.But despite the sights on offer, it's very much
:08:29. > :08:35.That's the only thing we are really concentrating on now,
:08:36. > :08:38.we know what happened before and last week but it has worked well
:08:39. > :08:42.for us so far in this Six Nations and in the tours before.
:08:43. > :08:44.Focusing on what comes up in front of us.
:08:45. > :08:46.And for now for us, that is Scotland.
:08:47. > :08:48.Our training weeks are getting better, we are getting more
:08:49. > :08:51.physical and quicker, the boys are getting better for it.
:08:52. > :08:54.It's only a matter of time before we do get on that pitch
:08:55. > :08:56.and everything is flying at the same time.
:08:57. > :08:59.England is the only team left that could win the Grand Slam.
:09:00. > :09:01.Next up, Scotland on the 11th of March.
:09:02. > :09:08.And before we go some, some breaking news for Oxford United fans tonight.
:09:09. > :09:11.The U's have made it through to the final of the EFL
:09:12. > :09:18.It's the second year in a row that Oxford United will play at Wembley.
:09:19. > :09:21.Last year, more than 30,000 Oxford fans saw their team lose in
:09:22. > :09:28.They'll now play Coventry on Sunday the 2nd of April.
:09:29. > :09:31.We're back in BBC Breakfast tomorrow.
:09:32. > :09:36.We've had some blustery conditions recently,
:09:37. > :09:38.and the odd shower today through this evening.
:09:39. > :09:39.They will continue overnight tonight.
:09:40. > :09:41.Maybe merging into longer spells of rain, but the main feature
:09:42. > :09:44.tonight is going to be the brisk wind from the south-west.
:09:45. > :09:47.Temperatures will fall away to around three or four Celsius.
:09:48. > :09:50.So a chilly start to the day tomorrow, the winds tomorrow morning
:09:51. > :09:53.not as strong as tonight but tomorrow it will be
:09:54. > :09:56.Although there will be plenty of sunshine on offer.
:09:57. > :10:03.Still, the risk of the odd isolated shower, more likely for the northern
:10:04. > :10:06.Here, we will see more cloud during the morning.
:10:07. > :10:07.Slightly more cloud arriving for south-western parts
:10:08. > :10:13.That's ahead of a weather front, a rain band arriving tomorrow night.
:10:14. > :10:15.That rain band will stay with us during the early
:10:16. > :10:19.Temperatures tomorrow afternoon up into double figures,
:10:20. > :10:26.So, it's Friday we will see that rain band slowly spread its way
:10:27. > :10:29.northwards through the morning, following it, some dry conditions
:10:30. > :10:31.through the afternoon but still the risk of some patchy
:10:32. > :10:38.There will be one or two brighter spells Friday afternoon.
:10:39. > :10:41.Low pressure is not far away and that will produce some
:10:42. > :10:43.unsettling conditions as we head into the weekend.
:10:44. > :10:46.Talking of the weekend, let's take a look ahead
:10:47. > :10:49.to the rest of the week, sunny spells tomorrow, rain at first
:10:50. > :10:51.on Friday which will clear during the afternoon,
:10:52. > :10:56.Saturday, there will be the odd isolated showers and patchy rain
:10:57. > :10:59.at times but the bulk of daylight hours should be mainly dry.
:11:00. > :11:07.outlook. A whole load of 11 is. What does that mean? Maybe John Hammond
:11:08. > :11:16.will tell you. We're in for a bumpy ride. The
:11:17. > :11:20.weather chopping and changing keeping us on our toes. Rain never
:11:21. > :11:24.too far away from our crystal ball. There has been rain around today
:11:25. > :11:27.across southern areas. This band of wet weather pushing through Wales
:11:28. > :11:32.and the Midlands. A little bit of the white stuff mixed in over the
:11:33. > :11:38.high ground Snowdonia, some snow for an trans-Pennine routes as well.
:11:39. > :11:40.Snow at low levels through the night. Further south the main